Bardo

Bardo is the Discipline of turning back. Every other Discipline leans into what you became the night you were Embraced, but Bardo is the long, painful project of remembering what you were before. It was devised and taught by Osiris — a legendary ascetic vampire from old Egypt (not the literal deity) and powerful spiritual exemplar — to those who wanted out, and it has been passed down through hidden temples and whispered lineages for millennia.

The Followers of Set have been trying to stamp it out for just as long, and they've almost succeeded. In the modern nights, learning Bardo means finding an Osirian willing to teach you, which is roughly as easy as finding a unicorn who also does taxes unerringly (hooves, calculators... old rivals).

Humanity Gating: Bardo Powers are gated by high Humanity, not Blood Potency. Each level requires your Humanity to be at or above a threshold to learn and use. If your Humanity drops below a Power's threshold, you lose access until it's restored. Level 1 requires 5 Humanity or higher, level 2 requires 6+, level 3 requires 7+, level 4 requires 8+, and level 5 requires 9+. The path only opens wider the more human you become.

Ministry Sensitivity: The ancient war between Osiris and Set echoes in the Blood. Bardo Powers that target or affect followers of The Ministry (or any Kindred carrying Set's lineage) are heightened: treat any successful roll (7+) as one tier higher for the purpose of effect strength, duration, or scope. This does not change the roll result itself or affect Hunger Checks. The Ministry, naturally, considers this extremely unfair.

There is no inherent counter to Bardo. Vampires who want to resist its effects can Stay Chill, but Bardo rarely does anything worth resisting unless you're the sort of person who finds inner peace threatening. Few Bardo Powers carry any Masquerade risk at all; those that do will say so.

Focus Shift (Discipline Perk)¶

When you spend a scene meditating with a willing ally at your Pillar, you or your ally may exchange one purchased Discipline Power for a different Power of the same level from the same Discipline. The change takes hold after your next slumber (or meditation, in your case).

Level 1¶

Banishing Sign of Thoth¶

When you trace the crescent sigil of Thoth in the air between yourself and an incoming Discipline Power or other magical effect directed at you, make a Hunger Check and roll +Resolve. You can activate this Power reactively the instant something offensive and magical targets you, even if it isn't your turn, substituting it for a Stay Chill roll if one is called for.

On a 10+, the sigil flares and the Power unravels before it reaches you. The effect is completely negated. The attacker feels their Power collapse and knows something you did blocked it, but not how or what. The ancient god of wisdom, writing, magic, and measurement, that's what.

On a 7–9, the sigil absorbs the worst of it but doesn't hold entirely. Choose 1:

The effect is negated, but the effort costs you; gain +1 Hunger beyond the activation
The effect is reduced to its weakest possible interpretation (minimum duration, minimum scope, Storyteller's call), and the sigil crumbles; you can't use this Power again until after your next meditation or slumber
The effect slides off you and redirects toward the nearest valid target within Close Range; if there's no valid target, it dissipates harmlessly in a burst of white light

On a 6-, the sigil shatters like a clay tablet. The incoming effect strikes you at full force and the backlash from your failed shield leaves you rattled; take −1 Forward. Your opponent saw it all, and they know your defenses are down.

Soothing Breeze¶

When you extend your open hand toward a wounded creature within Far Range and exhale a slow, steady breath you never inhaled, make a Hunger Check. The target heals Superficial Harm equal to whatever you rolled on the d6 for this Power's Hunger Check. You can use this as a Free Action during combat, but only once per target per scene. You cannot use this Power on yourself.

As your Humanity grows, so does the strength of the breeze:

At 7+ Humanity, you may choose to heal 1 Aggravated Harm instead of rolling for Superficial
At 9+ Humanity, the d6 result becomes a pool of healing points you can distribute across any Harm type; each point of Aggravated Harm healed costs 2 points from the pool (so a roll of 6 could heal 6 Superficial, or 3 Aggravated, or 2 Superficial & 2 Aggravated, or any similar combination)

The wound closes, the bruise fades, the fracture knits, the spilled blood steams away and is replenished. The target feels a faint breeze that smells of clean linen, old incense, older books, and warm sand.

Turn the Other Cheek (Passive)¶

When someone deals Harm to you and you choose not to retaliate, the next time that same assailant deals Harm to you, their strike heals you instead of hurting you. The healing equals whatever the second hit would have dealt as Harm. Bullets dissolve into little puffs of white sand. Fists land and the bruise from the first hit vanishes under the knuckles like ripples in a reflection pool.

This Power tracks per person, and only works if you survive the initial blow (though if they strike you at 0 HP in Torpor, you pop right back up). If three different assailants are hitting you, each one has their own alternating cycle (you and the Storyteller should both keep track). The pattern resets if you retaliate against that specific person in any way more aggressive than gently brushing them aside so you can go elsewhere. Your Coterie members, however, can do whatever they want to them; this is about your restraint, not theirs.

Level 2¶

Restore Humanitas¶

When you spend a full, uninterrupted scene in deep meditation, reaching inward past the Beast to touch the mortal soul buried beneath it, make 2 Hunger Checks and roll +Resolve.

On a 10+, you ground yourself, and your Humanity increases by 1 (to a maximum of 8) for the remainder of the night. This temporary Humanity counts for all purposes, including Bardo Power access, Blush of Life, and everything else gated by Humanity. In addition, a number of other Kindred who meditated alongside you (up to your Blood Potency) can each gain the same benefit. The temporary Humanity lasts until the next sunset.

On a 7–9, you (and only you) gain the temporary Humanity, but the meditation cost you more than expected. The Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The process stirs something up, and you have vivid, intrusive flashes of your mortal life for the rest of the night, which hit at the worst times; take −1 Forward whenever you're reminded of something you lost
The Beast fights back harder than usual; one of the 2 Hunger Checks is treated as an automatic +1 Hunger instead, or if you failed both, you gain +1 more Hunger
The temporary Humanity feels fragile, like glass; if you mark any Stains tonight, the temporary point vanishes immediately instead of lasting until dawn

On a 6-, the meditation fails and the silence fills with the Beast's voice instead of yours. You don't gain temporary Humanity, and the vulnerability of the attempt leaves you shaken. You must immediately Stay Chill or Frenzy. The Beast has been reminded how thin the leash really is.

You can only use this Power once per night. The temporary Humanity cannot raise you above 8, regardless of bonuses or other effects. Reaching 9 Humanity (and the abilities it unlocks) requires real work, not a shortcut, however mystical.

Bring Forth the Dawn (Passive)¶

You have reconnected with the mortal rhythm of day and night. The crushing lethargy that pins other Kindred to their beds or coffins during daylight hours simply doesn't apply to you. You wake when you choose, sleep when you choose, and function at full capacity regardless of the sun's position in the sky.

When you meditate at your Pillar for a full, uninterrupted scene during which you focus on nothing besides resting and resetting, you can gain the benefits of a full day of slumber. You also gain +2 Ongoing to Catch the Scent and Discern Vibes rolls made during daylight hours, when the mortal world is fully active and unguarded, and the Kindred who might otherwise notice your inquiries are dead to the world.

Critically, this Power does not protect you from sunlight itself. Step outside during the day and you burn like any other vampire. But behind closed curtains, in basements, in windowless rooms, in the back of a moving van with the doors shut? You're as sharp and capable at noon as you are at midnight.

Shifting Sands¶

When you scatter a handful of sand on the ground and trace a crossed crook and flail into the pile, make a Hunger Check and roll +Wits. The sand glows faintly for a moment, then settles into an unremarkable little mound with the symbol in it. As long as that sand remains undisturbed and you are within Distant Range of it, you carry a single-use escape route. The sand is consumed on use. To prepare another escape point, you need another handful of sand and another Hunger Check, but you can only have a maximum of 1 ready at any time.

At any point before the sand is disturbed, when you are about to take Harm, you may reactively swap places with the sand pile. You vanish in a swirl of blinding white sand from where you are and reappear at the symbol's location instantly. Anything (and anyone) you're carrying or holding comes with you. A neat conical pile of sand appears where you were standing, about enough to fill a wine glass.

On a 10+, the swap is instantaneous and seamless; you arrive steady, oriented, and ready to act.

On a 7–9, you make it, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

You take a glancing version of the incoming Harm anyway (half, rounded down, minimum 1 Superficial)
The sand swirls visibly during the swap; anyone watching sees the direction it flows and knows roughly where you went
The transit disorients you; take −1 Forward

On a 6-, the sand was disturbed without you noticing (a strong gust of wind, a footstep, a rat, a ne'er-do-well finding and ruining it) and the Power fails at the worst possible moment. You take the incoming Harm at full force, and the jarring snap of a broken connection leaves you staggered; take −1 Forward.

Level 3¶

Paradox of Intent¶

When you open your heart and let your cultivated serenity pour outward, make a Hunger Check and roll +Demeanor.

On a 10+, for the rest of the scene, everything you do is perceived as gentle, helpful, and benign by everyone who can see or hear you (apart from those with Sense the Unseen). Picking a locked door? You're just making sure it's locked. Rifling through someone's belongings? You're fixing a zipper for them. Using a Discipline Power on someone? Just two pals hanging out. Observers will rationalize anything you do as harmless, filling in whatever innocent explanation fits best.

On a 7–9, the aura holds, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

Someone present feels a nagging sensation they can't place; they won't act on it now, but they'll remember you when things stop adding up later
The aura's reach is limited; it affects everyone within Close Range, but anyone farther out sees your actions normally
Maintaining the projection takes real focus; take −1 Ongoing to all Bardo Powers for the rest of the scene

On a 6-, the serenity curdles. Instead of reading as benign, your intentions become transparent to everyone present. Take −2 Ongoing to any social rolls against anyone who witnessed the failure until you get out of there safely or someone starts throwing punches.

The aura breaks the instant you deal Harm to anyone. One kick, one claw, one well-placed brick, and the spell snaps and everyone in the scene sees you clearly. Whatever you were doing before the Harm landed is suddenly retroactively suspicious. The Storyteller determines how witnesses react.

Exuberance (Passive)¶

Whenever you would roll +Blood for a physical Move (Dirty Your Claws, Reposition, Feed, or any Discipline Power that calls for +Blood in a physical context), you may choose to roll +Resolve instead. Your calm, centered focus lets you push your body past its already extreme vampiric limits by channeling your willpower where an application of Beast-fueled Vitae would normally drive the action.

If you opt for +Resolve and roll a 6-, the transcendence snaps back. Take 1 Aggravated Harm as your body reminds you, quite violently, that your spiritual transcendence still has limits. This Harm is in addition to whatever the 6- result already inflicts.

A Peaceful Meander¶

When you center yourself, prepare for the worst, and begin to walk with purpose and surety, make 2 Hunger Checks. For the rest of the scene, you move at exactly the speed you must. Any offensive Move made against you requires a 10+ to connect; anything less simply misses. You're always exactly where you need to be, one step ahead, one step aside, moving like a calm river around many stones.

You cannot use this speed for violence. The moment you take any directly offensive or destructive action (attacking, breaking something, shoving someone), this Power ends immediately. You can hand your Coterie member that lead pipe over there, but you can't swing it yourself. You can push the button to trigger the fire alarm, but you can't break the glass to reach it. You can carry a wounded ally to safety, but you can't push someone else aside to get clear unless the push would save them from injury as well. The line is simple: if the action is meant to harm, damage, or destroy, A Peaceful Meander won't abide it.

Unlike Blurred Momentum (Celerity), there is no recurring Hunger Check cost to maintain the effect. Your serenity and patience sustain you. The Power lasts until the scene ends or you break its singular rule.

If you also have Auspex: any would-be assailants must roll 12+ instead of 10+ to hit you. Not now, friend.

Level 4¶

Mummification (Passive)¶

When you wrap yourself in strips of resinous cloth and settle in somewhere dark and undisturbed, your body hardens into a leathery, desiccated husk. Your skin tightens, your joints lock, and you freeze in place. You look, to all external observation, like you died a very long time ago and were carefully embalmed.

While mummified, all incoming physical Harm is halved (rounded down). Fire and sunlight still deal full Aggravated Harm (the wrappings are very flammable, so plan accordingly). Your awareness drops to a dim, dreamlike state; you can sense broad changes in your environment (a door opening, voices, sudden light) but not details. You might see visions of the sun, warm and golden, close enough to touch, yet never painful. It's the most peaceful form of sleep you'll experience as a vampire.

The trance takes at least as long as a full day of slumber, but when it ends, all of your Harm is healed, Superficial and Aggravated. You emerge at 3 Hunger regardless of where you started. You cannot exit the trance voluntarily; it ends when your body is fully restored and not a moment sooner. If something forces you out early (a stake through the heart, being set on fire, being physically dragged into sunlight, your Coterie playing 90s club mixes on the big speakers), you awaken immediately and explode out of the bandage cocoon with whatever Harm remains unhealed... plus now you have to handle whatever woke you up.

Ra's Blessing¶

When you intentionally step into direct, unfiltered sunlight and finally let it kiss your cold skin, make 2 Hunger Checks and roll +Resolve. You must repeat this roll and pay the Hunger Check cost for each scene you wish to remain in the sun.

On a 10+, the sun warms you and does nothing else. You can walk, run, sit, talk, and act in full daylight as though you were mortal. You feel its heat everywhere and it feels unbelievably good. Until the scene ends, sunlight deals you no Harm and triggers no Frenzy.

On a 7–9, the blessing holds, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The light is just slightly too much; your eyes water constantly and you squint involuntarily; take −1 Ongoing to any perceptive or investigative rolls during the scene
Your skin prickles and reddens like a bad sunburn; you take 1 Superficial Harm that you can heal normally at the end of the scene, and you look visibly uncomfortable (as anyone would if burnt)
The blessing flickers; at one random moment during the scene (Storyteller's choice), you feel a searing flash of heat that forces you to Stay Chill or instinctively bolt for the nearest shadow

On a 6-, your belief wavers just enough. The sun hits you like it hits every other vampire. Take 5 Aggravated Harm immediately and you must Stay Chill or flee for cover in a blind panic. If you were standing in an open field with nowhere to hide, that's going to be a very bad day.

If you also have Fortitude: The cost drops to 1 Hunger Check per scene instead of 2. Your body is better equipped to endure what your spirit is so brazenly attempting.

Boon of Anubis (Passive)¶

You can extend the protection of Osiris to those who cannot protect themselves. When you Feed from a consenting mortal and choose to sacrifice all benefits you would normally gain, you may grant them the Boon of Anubis instead. You take a small sip of their blood and give back something better: a permanent Ward against the Embrace. After this Feeding concludes, you must press a gentle kiss to their forehead. This part is not optional.

You can protect a number of mortals up to half your current Humanity, rounded up. If your Humanity drops and you now exceed your limit, the mortal who received the Boon earliest loses their protection first.

When any vampire attempts to Feed from a mortal under your Boon, two things happen. First, the blood tastes like liquid sunlight; the would-be Sire takes Aggravated Harm equal to twice your Blood Potency (minimum 2). If they survive, drink anyway, and attempt the Embrace, the mortal simply falls asleep and wakes up roughly eight hours later feeling better than they have in years (every ache gone, every fog lifted, like the best day of their life). The Embrace does not occur. The would-be Sire loses 1 Humanity and receives a brief, unmistakable psychic impression of your disapproving face and the absolute certainty that this mortal is spoken for. They know whose protection they just ran into.

A Moment of Reflection¶

(Requires: A Peaceful Meander)

When you hold your palm out flat toward an inanimate object within Close Range and will it into stillness, make a Hunger Check and roll +Resolve. You may use this Power reflexively whenever its conditions apply (as a Free Action in combat). It has no effect on creatures at all, but can affect objects they are riding, wearing, or holding.

On a 10+, the object freezes in time. All of its energy, momentum, and chemical processes halt completely. A bullet hangs in midair, a grenade takes a while to think about if it's really ready to explode, a truck plowing over an embankment at you and your Coterie freezes long enough for emergency services to arrive. The object remains suspended until the end of the scene or until any physical contact more significant than a raindrop occurs. When the stasis breaks, the object resumes exactly where it left off with all of its original energy intact: the bullet continues its flight, the grenade opts to fail, and the car tumbles to a fiery halt far away from you. Choose 1 additional benefit:

You can suspend a number of objects (probably bullets) at once equal to 5 × your Blood Potency
The stasis is slightly stronger, and you can gently turn or redirect the object without breaking it
The duration extends to the next sunset

On a 7–9, the object freezes, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The suspension is fragile; any vibration within Close Range (a shout, a slammed door, a heavy footstep) breaks it early
The process takes a few seconds longer than expected; if you were stopping something mid-flight, you take glancing Harm from it before the freeze catches (1 Superficial, or Aggravated if the object was sufficiently dangerous)
The object's energy bleeds slightly during stasis; when it resumes, it has half its original force
If mortals are around, they start taking videos on their phones and screaming something about you being "The One"; the Masquerade Clock advances

On a 6-, the object doesn't freeze. If you were trying to stop something dangerous (a projectile, an explosion, a collapsing beam), it hits you at full force like everyone else expected it to. If you were trying to preserve something, it degrades or breaks instead. The failed attempt also leaves a white-gold shimmer in the air that any vampire with Sense the Unseen will notice immediately.

Level 5¶

The Osiris Ritual¶

When you wish to return a vampire to the blessed, blinding light of mortality, you must prepare heavily. This is no mean feat.

Prerequisites:

You must have 9 Humanity (or higher, somehow)
Your Pillar must be consecrated into a permanent stone monument carved with the symbols and prayers of Osiris, Isis, Thoth, Ma'at, Anubis, and Hathor; this preparation takes a number of weeks equal to the intended target's Blood Potency (minimum 1 week)
Both the practitioner and the target must fast (no Feeding whatsoever) for 4 full nights before the Ritual begins; by the end of the fast, your Hunger should be at or near 5 — this is deliberate, as the Beast must be drawn close to the surface to be extracted safely
The target must be a willing and fully consenting vampire; no coercion, no Dominate, no "they'll thank me later"
The practitioner and the target may be the same person (but this is not a requirement)

When you begin to meditate (together if you're targeting someone else), start a 6-segment Ritual Clock. Each segment takes 4 hours to complete, for a total of 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer, meditation, and spiritual work at your consecrated Pillar. There is no roll for each segment; the Clock fills automatically as time passes. The only way the Ritual fails is if it is interrupted. If interrupted, the Clock resets to 0 and the Pillar cracks but is not destroyed; the Ritual can be attempted again after reconsecrating the Pillar (1 additional week of preparation per failed attempt).

When the Clock fills, you greet Final Death with open arms and a warm smile. Your body crumbles into white sand, and your Pillar splits apart and collapses. Both are gone, permanently and irreversibly.

From the remains of the Pillar, a mortal body emerges. The target is restored to the exact physical form they had at the moment of their Embrace: same age, same face, same body. Every illness, injury, and harmful imperfection they carried into undeath is healed. They retain full memory of their time as a vampire, every night of it, but the Beast is gone. The Hunger is gone. They are, fully and completely, human once more.

If the practitioner and the target are the same person, the mortal body steps from the crumbling Pillar alone. Someone, presumably, should be there to catch them. They'll have been fasting for days, and they're mortal now. Again. Anyone got a snack? Bottle of water, maybe?

Rebirth¶

(Requires: your entire Coterie to be present)

This Power has two paths. Both require sacrifice. Both reverse what everyone knows to be permanent.

Path of Return:

If you know this Power when you meet Final Death, your Coterie can attempt to call you back. The Ritual must be performed at your Pillar, and every surviving member of the Coterie must be present. Each Coterie member must contribute some of their Vitae into the Pillar's foundation, gaining +1 Hunger each. The Coterie member with the highest Humanity rolls +Resolve.

On a 10+, you reconstitute from the Pillar's stone over the course of the scene. You return at your previous Blood Potency and Humanity, with full memory and all Discipline Powers intact. The Pillar crumbles to dust in the process and cannot be rebuilt; you must consecrate a new one, though the location may be the same.

On a 7–9, you return, but the passage back costs you. The Storyteller chooses 2 complications:

Your Blood Potency drops by 1 (minimum 0)
You lose access to your highest-level Bardo Power until you can relearn it
You return at 3 Hunger regardless of the Coterie's offering
One specific, important memory is gone forever; the Storyteller chooses which one

On a 6-, the Pillar shatters and you do not return. The Coterie feels the moment their friend slips away for good. Every Coterie member who participated marks 1 Stain from the weight of the failure. Whatever remains of your Spirit passes beyond reach, and this Power can never be used to try to bring you back again.

Path of Sacrifice:

You can trade your own unlife to reverse someone else's Final Death. The target does not need to have been an Osirian; they can be any vampire you cared for (or even a mortal who died unjustly, at the Storyteller's discretion). You need only a fragment of the target's body or, if nothing physical remains, their true name spoken aloud at the Pillar. Your entire Coterie must witness the sacrifice. You roll +Resolve.

On a 10+, you gladly greet Death and dissolve into white sand. Your Pillar fractures and collapses. From the remains, the target reconstitutes awake, aware, and changed. They are a vampire, but not as they were before. They gain +2 Humanity (this can exceed their previous maximum), and they are now an Osirian, with access to Bardo and its unthinkable gifts. Their previous bloodline, Bane, and Compulsion are gone, replaced by the Osirian's. Whatever they were before, they walk the path of light now, guided by your sacrifice.

On a 7–9, the trade completes and the target returns as above, but the transition is rough. The Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The resurrected vampire returns at 5 Hunger and must immediately Stay Chill or Frenzy
The +2 Humanity is only +1; the passage back scraped something away
The resurrected vampire retains the echo of their previous Bane in addition to the Osirian's Denied Beast; the Storyteller decides how it manifests
The Coterie feels your Final Death viscerally; every member marks 1 Stain and takes −2 Ongoing to all rolls until their next slumber from the grief

On a 6-, you meet Final Death and the target does not return. The Pillar is destroyed. The Coterie witnesses the sacrifice fail, and every member marks 2 Stains. Whatever you gave, it wasn't enough, and nobody will ever know why.

Hale and Sound (Passive)¶

Your Humanity radiates outward like warmth from a hearth. While you are enjoying the presence of your Coterie, every member gains the following benefits from your connection to mortality:

Each Coterie member gains the effects of your Blush of Life tier (9–10 Humanity) regardless of their own Humanity without rolling a Hunger Check. This benefit lasts as long as they remain within Far Range of you; if they leave your presence, their Blush of Life reverts to their own Humanity tier at the end of the scene as though they had activated it. They might even miss you.
Each Coterie member gains the benefits of your Gift of Apis Perk. Animal blood nourishes them as effectively as human blood, regardless of their Blood Potency, with no BP-related feeding restrictions and no foul taste. The Ventrue can drink squirrel blood. The BP 4 Lasombra can subsist on pigeons. It tastes exactly as delicious as you always insist. It's fine, just try it! C'mon!

These benefits require no roll, no Hunger Check, and no activation. They are simply what it means to stand beside someone who has climbed this high. You are the most human vampire anyone will ever meet, and a little of that rubs off on the people you care about. Thank Caine you unlive forever, right?