Dominate

Dominate requires eye contact and a spoken command in a language the target understands. Without both, most Powers simply don't work; Ancestral Dominion is the sole exception within this Discipline, though other Powers may alter it too. In combat or other chaotic situations, you can only Dominate someone directly engaging with you. Catching the gaze of someone actively avoiding your eyes is its own challenge.

Dominate cannot extract information. Dominated targets are puppets, not conversationalists. "Tell me everything" produces word salad but "unlock the door" works just fine. If you want someone's secrets, try Auspex, a well-placed Influence, or honest conversation.

Blood Potency Resistance: Using any Dominate Power against a target with higher Blood Potency than yours imposes Disadvantage on your roll. If the target's BP is 5 or higher and yours is not, the attempt fails outright.

Botched Domination: On a 6- with any Dominate Power, all future Dominate rolls you make against that specific target suffer a permanent penalty equal to your current Blood Potency (minimum 1), in addition to whatever the specific Power's 6- consequence is. Dominate does not forgive sloppy work.

Compel (Discipline Perk)¶

When you lock eyes with someone and speak a single commanding word, the target obeys immediately. The command must be physical in nature and completable in a single action: "Stop," "Run," "Release," "Hide," etc. Ambiguous commands are interpreted literally, often poorly.

Against unprepared mortals, no roll is needed; they simply comply. The Storyteller may grant exceptions for dramatically important mortals or extraordinary circumstances.

Against supernatural creatures, make a Hunger Check and roll +Demeanor (commanding through authority) or +Resolve (imposing through sheer willpower).

On a 10+, the target obeys without hesitation. They have no memory of the command afterward, only a brief gap.

On a 7–9, the target obeys, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

• The target hesitates visibly before complying; onlookers notice something's wrong
• The command is obeyed to the letter but not the spirit
• The target remembers exactly what happened and who did it

On a 6-, the target's will snaps back against yours. They recoil from you instinctively, as if they've glimpsed something monstrous behind your eyes. The target is immediately hostile, and anyone nearby who sees their reaction knows something just went very wrong.

Level 1¶

Cloud Memory (Passive)¶

Your Compel can now target recent memories. A simple "Forget" erases the target's memory of the last few minutes (1 scene or less), long enough to mask a Feeding or a chance encounter. The gap is permanent. If pressed, the target realizes they have time missing but cannot recover what was lost.

Against supernatural creatures, this still requires the usual Compel roll.

Devotion (Passive)¶

Anyone currently under the effect of one of your Dominate Powers is shielded from other attempts to Dominate them. When another vampire uses a Dominate Power against one of your subjects, their results are downgraded: a 12+ or 10+ counts as a 7–9, and a 7–9 counts as a 6-.

Your mental hold comes first. Everybody else can wait in line.

Level 2¶

Dementation¶

When you engage someone in conversation and begin threading your will between the words, make a Hunger Check and roll +Demeanor. This requires genuine back-and-forth; a monologue won't cut it. Sustained eye contact is not required for this Power.

On a 10+, Hold 3. On a 7–9, Hold 1.

While the conversation continues, spend Hold 1-for-1 to initiate these effects:

• The target lashes out at someone nearby (your choice), verbally or physically
• The target becomes irrationally paranoid about a specific person or situation of your choice
• The target suffers a visible breakdown: crying, shaking, ranting, or fleeing the scene
• A mortal target's behavior escalates to a full psychotic episode lasting the rest of the scene

If the target is a vampire, you may spend 2 Hold to force them into a Compulsion of your choice.

On a 6-, your own psyche cracks under the strain of the connection. The Beast stirs. You must immediately Stay Chill or succumb to your own Compulsion.

If you also have Obfuscate: the target and any witnesses cannot identify you as the source of the distress, even after the fact. As far as anyone can tell, they just snapped.

Domitor's Favor (Passive)¶

Your command over the Blood Bond is ironclad. You gain the following benefits:

• Blood Bonds you hold over mortals never degrade. As long as the mortal lives, the Bond endures without maintenance.
• Maintaining Blood Bonds over other Kindred requires half the normal effort and Vitae.
• If you and another vampire share a mutual Blood Bond and either of you has this Power, you both have +1 Ongoing to all rolls when acting together in the same scene.

Mesmerize¶

When you hold someone's gaze and issue a series of clear, immediate commands, make a Hunger Check and roll +Resolve.

The commands must be immediately actionable: "Go to the front desk, collect your belongings, and leave through the back exit." No conditional logic ("If you see Hank, give him the envelope"), no tasks requiring judgment, and nothing the target couldn't accomplish on autopilot. The target carries out your instructions mindlessly and to the letter (think Jedi mind trick, not strategic briefing).

On a 10+, the target completes your commands flawlessly without attracting attention. They have no memory of the interaction afterward.

On a 7–9, the target obeys, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

• The target bungles a critical detail or draws attention while carrying out your commands
• Someone who knows the target recognizes that something is deeply wrong with their behavior
• The target completes the task but retains fragments of memory; they'll have questions later
• The glazed-eyed obedience is obvious to anyone watching; this does not look voluntary

On a 6-, the commands collapse into painful noise inside the target's head. They clutch their skull, shout loudly, or lash out physically. Everyone nearby has questions, and the target remembers your face and your voice with perfect clarity.

The Stolen Voice¶

When you lock eyes with someone and command their silence, make a Hunger Check. Against mortals, no roll is needed; the silence is immediate and total (equivalent to the 6- result).

Against supernatural creatures, the target must Stay Chill to resist. If the target's Blood Potency exceeds yours, they have Advantage on this roll. Their result determines the depth of silence:

On a 12+, the Power reflects back at you. You are silenced as per 7–9 for the rest of the scene instead.

On a 10+, they resist entirely. Nothing happens immediately, but they might be suspicious of you.

On a 7–9, they suffer complete vocal and textual silencing for the rest of the scene. No speech, no writing, no typing. Gestures and sign language still work just fine.

On a 6-, they suffer total silence for the rest of the scene. No speech, no writing, no sounds of any kind emanate from their person; even gunshots are muffled into dull thuds. Gestures and sign language still work (you can suppress sound, not motion), but nothing they do is audible.

Level 3¶

Submerged Directive (Passive)¶

(Requires: Mesmerize)

Your Mesmerize commands can now include conditional triggers. Instead of "do this now," you can implant "when X happens, do Y." The trigger can be a specific date, a person's arrival, a spoken phrase, a location, or any other observable event.

Only one directive can be embedded per target at a time. The directive lies dormant indefinitely until the trigger condition is met, at which point the target carries out the command as though freshly Mesmerized. The target has no awareness of the embedded command until it activates. Combined with Devotion, these buried commands are exceptionally difficult for other vampires to dislodge.

The Forgetful Mind¶

When you hold someone's gaze for an extended period and carefully describe new memories to replace their old ones, make a Hunger Check and roll +Wits. This requires a full, uninterrupted scene of focused work; you are verbally painting over the old canvas, one detail at a time. Loud parties, combat, and ticking Clocks are not your friend here.

The scope of memory you can rewrite depends on your Blood Potency:

• BP 3: One night's worth of memories
• BP 4: Up to one month
• BP 5: As much as you desire, if you have the patience

On a 10+, the new memories take hold seamlessly. They feel as real and vivid as the originals. The target has no reason to question them unless confronted with hard evidence that directly contradicts the rewrite.

On a 7–9, the rewrite works, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

• The new memories are foggy and vague; close questioning or a specific trigger could unravel them
• You accidentally overwrote something you didn't intend to; the target has a new gap they'll notice
• The process took longer than expected; someone came looking for one of you

On a 6-, the target's mind fractures under the strain. They don't remember what you wanted them to forget, but they don't remember what was really there either. The gap is obvious and distressing. The target may develop lasting paranoia, identity issues, or obsessive behavior as their psyche tries to paper over the void.

Level 4¶

Ancestral Dominion¶

When you reach through the Blood to command a vampire of your own Clan within Close Range, make a Hunger Check and roll +Blood. This Power requires neither eye contact nor spoken words; the command travels silently through the Blood itself. The target must have a lower Blood Potency than yours. They know instinctively that an ancestor is compelling them, though not necessarily who.

On a 10+, the target carries out your command as though Mesmerized. They may resist internally but cannot refuse.

On a 7–9, the command takes hold, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

• The target identifies you through the Blood connection; they know exactly who did this
• The command's grip is tenuous; the target can Stay Chill to shake it off early before completion
• The transmission is noisy; every Kindred of your Clan within Distant Range feels a ripple of unease

On a 6-, the Blood rejects your authority. The target is completely unaffected and knows precisely who tried to compel them. Your presumption echoes through your shared Vitae; other members of your Clan in the area sense that something audacious and unwelcome just happened.

If you also have Blood Sorcery: your reach extends beyond your own lineage. You can use Ancestral Dominion on any supernatural creature with a lower Blood Potency than yours, regardless of bloodline.

Implant Suggestion¶

When you lock eyes with someone and plant a desire, opinion, or impulse directly into their mind, make a Hunger Check and roll +Demeanor.

Unlike Compel or Mesmerize, this Power doesn't puppet the target. It changes what they want. You can make someone trust a stranger, distrust an ally, crave something they've never desired, or abandon a belief they've held for years. The target acts on the implanted desire using their own judgment and free will, they just have different priorities now.

Radical changes to core beliefs (making a pacifist violent, a devoted parent neglectful, or a dedicated vegan crave a rare steak) impose Disadvantage on the roll.

On a 10+, the suggestion takes hold immediately and lasts for the rest of the scene. The target genuinely believes the new desire is their own.

On a 7–9, the suggestion works, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

• The target acts on the suggestion but something feels off to them; they'll question it afterward
• The change is obvious to someone who knows the target well
• The suggestion's scope is narrower than intended; only part of the implanted desire takes root

On a 6-, the target's psyche violently rejects the intrusion. They are repulsed by you on an instinctive, visceral level, and others who witness the attempt share the revulsion. Whatever social standing you had with those present is damaged. Kindred who learn of your failed attempt may shun or avoid you; nobody trusts the vampire who rummages around in people's heads and isn't even good at it.

Rationalize (Passive)¶

Your Dominate victims now believe that everything they did under your command was entirely their own idea. They defend their actions with complete conviction, no matter how absurd those actions were.

Only hard evidence or persistent, highly specific questioning can crack the illusion. Even then, the target is far more likely to question their own sanity than to realize they were Dominated. Long-term exposure to Rationalize causes lasting psychological damage: anxiety disorders, identity crises, a creeping sense that their own thoughts aren't trustworthy.

It's one of the cruelest applications of Dominate, and Kindred who use it casually tend to find themselves reviled by their peers. Assuming anyone figures out they're doing it, of course.

Tabula Rasa¶

When you restrain a conscious target, lock their gaze, and begin systematically dismantling their identity, make 3 Hunger Checks. If any of these push you to 5 Hunger, you Frenzy. The Power fails, and your Beast demands you drain the helpless body in front of you completely. If the target is Kindred, this may constitute Diablerie.

If you maintain control, roll +Resolve. This requires a full, uninterrupted scene; any significant disturbance ends the attempt.

On a 10+, you enact total mental erasure. Memories, Convictions, Touchstones, all gone. The target retains physical capabilities, stats, one random language they speak, and Discipline access, but nothing else. They are hollow, compliant, and have no idea who they are. The erasure is permanent and cannot be undone.

On a 7–9, the erasure is nearly complete, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

• One Conviction survives, buried deep; it will resurface at the worst possible time
• The target retains fragmented emotional impressions; they can't remember who they were, but feel loss, rage, or devotion toward people and places they can no longer identify
• The process damaged you too; you absorb a fragment of the target's erased memories and the Storyteller decides what you now permanently "remember" that isn't yours

On a 6-, the target's psyche violently rejects the intrusion. Their mind snaps shut and the backlash hits you. Botched Domination applies. The target retains all memories and knows exactly what you attempted. You take −1 Ongoing for the rest of the scene from the psychic strain.

On any successful use of this Power (7+), you automatically gain Stains equal to 2× the target's Blood Potency (minimum 2).

Level 5¶

Lethe's Call¶

(Requires: Cloud Memory or The Forgetful Mind)

Where The Forgetful Mind is a surgeon's scalpel, this Power is a pressure washer. No rewriting, no careful verbal painting, no scene full of focused work. Just a glance and a decision about how much goes. This Power operates in two modes:

Erasure by Time: When you lock eyes with someone and scour the past from their mind, make 1 Hunger Check to erase the target's past week of memories. Each additional week costs 1 additional Hunger Check, up to 5 total (erasing approximately 1 month). No roll is needed; the memories simply vanish. The target is left with a clean gap or a vague sense of time having passed (your choice). Eye contact is required but the process takes only moments.

Erasure by Topic: When you lock eyes with someone and will a specific person or event out of their memory entirely, make a Hunger Check and roll +Wits.

On a 12+, you achieve perfect erasure. Every trace of the specified person or event is gone. No mundane or supernatural means can recover what was lost.

On a 10+, your erasure is thorough. The target has no conscious access to the erased memories. Only supernatural investigation (Auspex, Blood Sorcery, another vampire's The Forgetful Mind) can uncover traces that something is missing, but are unlikely to actually retrieve the memories.

On a 7–9, you enact shoddy erasure. Surface memories are gone, but fragments persist: a familiar scent, unease in a specific location, a face in a dream they can't place. Close questioning or returning to a connected place could unravel the whole thing. It's up to the Storyteller if you're aware of your shortcoming.

On a 6-, the erasure misfires. Both you and the target suffer total amnesia of the current night up until the exact moment this goes wrong. The target knows you tried to tamper with their mind and is furious.

Mass Manipulation (Passive)¶

Any of your Dominate Powers can now target a group instead of a single individual. Everyone who can see your eyes and hear your voice is a valid target. Make one roll; the result applies to the entire group. If the group contains anyone with higher Blood Potency than yours, the standard Dominate Disadvantage applies to your roll.

Terminal Decree (Passive)¶

Commands that would result in the target's death or serious self-injury no longer fail automatically. "Walk into the sun," "Put the gun to your head," "Stop breathing" — all of these now function through Compel, Mesmerize, or any other Dominate Power. This works on Kindred as well as mortals.

Using Terminal Decree costs you 1 Humanity immediately. No roll, no Stain check; your soul simply dims. The sole exception is if the target has been given a fair trial and found guilty of a capital offense by a legitimate authority, the Humanity cost is waived. What counts as "fair" and "legitimate" is between you, your Coterie, your Storyteller, and whatever remains of your conscience.