The Reunion Revisited
In official Fifth Edition canon, the Family Reunion caused major changes in the Hecata blood, causing members of various bloodlines all across the world to lose their flaws and gain new Disciplines for unknown and inexplicable reasons. This is an interesting change in the metaplot and one that I expect will be elaborated on in future books. But for those who find it unsatisfying, here’s an alternate version of the lore.
In this version of canon, nothing about the clan fundamentally changed with the Reunion. All necromantic bloodlines have always been sensitive to warding and exorcism (see below), and have also had additional Flaws on top of that. This didn’t change in the Reunion—a childe Embraced by a Samedi will still have the Repulsive flaw, and have an affinity for Oblivion, Fortitude, and Obfuscate.
However, the Reunion has led to a new sharing of necromantic knowledge, and new experiments in death and undeath. In particular, the obscure ceremony known as Denying the Ferryman has come back into prominence, with a new twist. If a vampire is Embraced through this ceremony, and vitae from at least two different necromantic bloodlines is used in the process, the childe will be a “pure Hecata”—their clan disciplines are Auspex, Fortitude, and Oblivion, and they show no bloodline flaws. A variant on this ceremony can also be used to “re-Embrace” an existing Hecata, replacing their bloodline curse with the Reborn flaw. Some Hecata claim that a suitable mix of necromantic Blood can create a “pure Hecata” without the need of the ceremony, but most vampires are unwilling to experiment too publicly with the Embrace.
Mechanically, players making Hecata characters can choose to take the discipline spread of their individual bloodline (and spend their initial Flaw points on that bloodline’s characteristic weakness), or take the discipline spread of the “pure Hecata”. The social effects of bloodline membership, represented by their loresheets, are independent of this choice—after all, a Giovanni who chooses Auspex over Dominate can still benefit from a famous surname.
Hecata characters can also purchase the four-dot merit Bloodline Discipline (see the sidebar on page 202 of Cults of the Blood Gods) to add their bloodline discipline as a fourth in-clan; their in-clan disciplines are then Auspex, Fortitude, Oblivion, and either Dominate, Obfuscate, or Potence depending on bloodline.
Bane and Compulsion
The Hecata have spent centuries studying the mysteries of death and undeath, and this morbidity has infected their blood. While Lasombra see Oblivion affecting their reflection and shadow, the Hecata are cursed in a more subtle way: they are affected by wards, exorcisms, abjurations, and other ceremonies as if they were ghosts.
Blood Sorcery rituals and Oblivion ceremonies like the Warding Circle Against Spirits affect them thoroughly and completely, following the usual rules for such wards. But simpler defenses can be discovered and performed by any mortal with enough time and Occult knowledge: anything from a salt circle sealed with a drop of blood to reciting the Exorcism of Saint Benedict in a particular dialect of Latin might offer protection against wraiths. A Hecata who wants to cross such a ward, affect a protected individual, or stay within line of sight of an exorcism must spend willpower equal to their Bane Severity per scene.
The Hecata clan compulsion is Morbidity, as given on page 202 of Cults of the Blood Gods.
Bloodlines
“Pure Hecata” disciplines are Oblivion, Fortitude, and Auspex; they have no characteristic flaw, though many older Pure are Reborn after the Reunion.
Giovanni disciplines are Oblivion, Fortitude, and Dominate; their characteristic flaw is Agonizing Bite. Members of other families allied with the Giovanni (Rossellini, Sangiovanni, Milliner, etc) use the same rules.
Samedi disciplines are Oblivion, Fortitude, and Obfuscate; their characteristic flaw is Repulsive, their flesh appearing rotten and decayed.
Cappadocian disciplines are Oblivion, Fortitude, and Auspex. Most Cappadocians also have the Obvious Predator flaw, not obviously decomposing, but showing uncanny signs of death; a few Harbingers go further as a symbol of their devotion, flensing off much of their flesh until they appear skeletal (exchanging Obvious Predator for Repulsive). Members of the Pisanob “family” use the same rules.
Lamia disciplines are Oblivion, Fortitude, and Potence; their characteristic flaw is Plaguebearer (Forbidden Religions page 87), infecting those they bite with a supernatural disease. If you don't have access to Forbidden Religions, Agonizing Bite can be substituted.
Nagaraja disciplines are Oblivion, Auspex, and Dominate; their characteristic flaw is Organovore.
As per the sidebar on page 202 of Cults of the Blood Gods, any Hecata can also take the four-dot merit Bloodline Discipline to get access to their bloodline's characteristic discipline as a fourth in-clan. Characters with this merit have in-clan access to Auspex, Fortitude, Oblivion, and one of Dominate, Obfuscate, or Potence.
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Author: User:Dercomai
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