Gelidus

There was a dull pain in his wrists and his feet, and he was finding it harder and harder to breathe. The cold cut through his parka, through his thermals and into his bones. There was nothing more to be gained by feigning unconsciousness, and he raised his head, as best he could, and spat a gob of blood into the woman’s face- a splash of crimson on snow.

It was a brave thing to do, he thought. And a stupid one. Perhaps she would have left him to freeze, if he had not done that. Now, he had no doubt, she would hurt him. And perhaps his death would come the quicker for it.

“So warm…” she whispered, like ice shearing from the mountain. The cold bit into his flesh, his tears crystallized in his eyes, and his voice froze in his throat.

Nicknames: Sikuttaq, cryomancy, mrozić, heat theft, hyperbore exousia

The mysterious art of clan Błędnica, gelidus grants the vampire the ability to control the thermal energy of people and objects, chilling or freezing the world around them. At its most basic, gelidus enables a vampire to make a victim uncomfortably or dangerously cold. At its most terrifying, it allows Kindred to summon deadly, subzero temperatures, freezing humans and supernaturals alike. This Discipline is the Beast at one with the grim realities of the arctic wastes. Vampires of Clan Błędnica are gelidus, as much as they are practitioners of the discipline. They use these powers to protect themselves, to trap their prey, steal their victim’s heat, and drop the world into a localized ice age. When using this Discipline, kindred feel connected to the primordial winter, but the wise know such connections only serve a larger pattern, and do not make the vampire its master.

Characteristics

Gelidus, Corebook Formatting

• Type: Physical
• Masquerade Threat: Medium to High

Depending on the environment or weather conditions, some gelidus powers can be less overt. Obviously, a blast of subzero air is harder to explain away in the middle of a tropical summer, but in the dead of winter, it might not even be noticed. Many powers, however, are notably inhuman and will likely break the masquerade if not utilized carefully.

• Blood Resonance: Phlegmatic. Explorers, adventurers, and stolid survivalists, tenured history professors, librarians, or medical researchers; men and women with calm heads and wills of iron who are able to endure the hardships of nature or the rigors of dense study.

Level 1

FROSTBITE

The frigidity of the Blood causes water vapor in the air to freeze and harden inside the pores and tiny surface irregularities of the vampire’s skin. The flesh is still supple but the ice can deflect some physical damage before breaking.

• Cost: One Rouse Check.
• Dice Pool: {{{dicepool1-1}}}
• System: Activating this power protects the vampire from one superficial physical damage, or reduces one aggravated physical damage to superficial damage. This occurs before halving physical damage received, and can potentially reduce the damage to zero. Once the vampire has utilized the benefit of frostbite, the power ends and must be reactivated on a subsequent turn.
• Duration: One Scene, or until utilized.

CHILLING TOUCH

Surrendering to the bitter cold of their beast, the user can reach out and freeze most liquids and potentially a solid objects- even mortals, given enough time.

• Cost: One or more Rouse Checks.
• Dice Pool: Dexterity or Strength + Bawl vs. Dexterity+Athletics (but see below)
• System: No additional skill roll is required for inanimate objects or liquids. The user concentrates for a turn and forces a limb into standing liquid or grips a nonliving object (except unliving flesh such as that of the Kindred) to freeze it. The vampire can choose to make a number of rouse checks, and each Rouse Check freezes approximately 35 liters of liquid or 100 cubic centimeters of solid, nonliving matter. Liquid freezes almost instantaneously; solid matter takes approximately three turns to freeze. (whether the material meaningfully weakens remains at the Storyteller’s discretion). The vampire can attempt to use chilling touch on mortals by rolling a contest of Dexterity or Strength + Brawl vs. the target’s Dexterity + Athletics. On a success, the vampire freezes the flesh within its grasp; this power freezes 100 cubic centimeters worth of flesh, organ, and bone per rouse check, dealing at least one aggravated damage (at the Storyteller’s discretion, this power may do more damage.) This power has no effect on vampires, however other supernaturals susceptible to cold can follow mortal rules, at the storyteller’s discretion.
• Duration: N/A

Level 2

COLD SNAP

Reaching out a hand towards a target they can see, the vampire rapidly draws the heat from their victim, slowing them to a crawl and leaving mortals shivering cold.

• Cost: One Rouse Check
• Dice Pool: Dexterity + Gelidus vs. Stamina + Athletics (also Stamina + Resolve)
• System: The user makes a Dexterity + Gelidus vs Stamina + Athletics against a target they can see under 50 meters away. On a winning contest, the target is slowed, unable to move quicker than walking speed without taking one superficial damage per turn. If the victim attempts to use powers that grant rapid movement (such as Blink or Traversal, Celerity 3), they must succeed on a Stamina + Resolve check (difficulty 2+ the caster’s current blood potency) or take two superficial damage per use of the power. Superficial damage inflicted by Cold Snap is not halved.
• Duration: One Scene

Level 3

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Level 4

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Level 5

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Credits

Author: Ghosthack, Gelidus, Corebook Formatting

Other Credits: N/A

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