Obfuscate

Obfuscate works through ambient, low-level mesmerism. You don't literally disappear, observers' minds simply choose not to see you. This Discipline affects all senses unless a specific Power says otherwise. You can whisper without breaking the effect. Louder voices, conspicuous actions, and violence will generally shatter it, though some Powers are more robust than others.

The lower levels of Obfuscate offer no inherent protection against mechanical surveillance. Cameras, motion sensors, and recording devices can catch what human minds refuse to see.

Sense the Unseen (Auspex Level 1) is the primary counter to Obfuscate. Anyone with Sense the Unseen can attempt to detect characters using Obfuscate, as described in that Power.

Cloak of Shadows (Discipline Perk)¶

When you remain perfectly still in or around some kind of cover (a deep shadow, a doorway, a crowd of people, a pile of trash), you become effectively invisible. Observers' minds refuse to register your presence. They'll step around you, look past you, and rationalize their behavior if pressed.

The effect lasts for one scene or until you move, speak above a whisper, or take any action that would draw attention to yourself. Only mechanical surveillance or Sense the Unseen can detect you while cloaked.

Level 1¶

Ensconce (Passive)¶

When you need to hide a small object, you can supernaturally conceal a number of small objects on your person equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1). A "small object" is anything you could reasonably hold in one hand: a knife, a gun, a wallet, a banana, your friend's phone, Sephora products, etc. Mortal observers simply don't notice them, even during pat-downs or bag checks.

Objects must be on your person (in a pocket or sleeve, tucked in a waistband, palmed in a hand). Anything in plain view with no physical concealment can't be affected. Sense the Unseen can detect concealed objects as usual.

Mask of a Thousand Faces¶

When you disguise yourself as another forgettable face among many, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow.

Instead of vanishing, you become someone who belongs here. A night guard at the warehouse, a stagehand at the venue, a commuter on the train. Your features blur into something nondescript — same approximate height and build, forgettable face, clothes that match the environment. You can talk, interact, and move freely as long as your presence is at all plausible.

On a 10+, you're a perfect nobody who is clearly going about their business. Anyone attempting to identify you or see through the disguise rolls with a Forward penalty equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1). Lasts until the scene ends.

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

Something about you doesn't quite fit; wrong shoes, wrong accent, a tattoo peeking out
Someone who knows everyone around here doesn't know you and expects a good explanation
You can pass at a distance or in brief interaction, but sustained proximity will crack it
Your body language is too deliberate; an observant person might not know who you are, but they sense you're not supposed to be here

On a 6-, the mask is wrong. Really, ridiculously, obviously wrong. Describe how horribly you screwed up your disguise. Anyone paying a modicum of attention knows something super strange just happened, and the Masquerade Clock might advance if they contact someone.

Mask of Ages¶

When you shift your apparent age to something other than how you looked when you were Embraced, make a Hunger Check. You can project yourself as any plausible human age, younger or older.

A vampire Embraced at 90 years young can attend a college party as a 20-something. A vampire Embraced as a child can appear old enough to order a drink and not get carded. The disguise is physically real but subtle (same face, same build, same you, just aged up or down) and lasts until dawn. Sense the Unseen sees through the mask, but honestly, what are they gonna say?

You gain a Forward bonus equal to your Blood Potency to any roll where your projected age would help: impersonating someone of that age group, avoiding identification from a photo or description, or convincing someone you belong somewhere age-restricted. And yes, you can be a baby, you'll just be huge.

Silence of Death¶

When you cloak yourself in terrible silence, make a Hunger Check as your actions become completely muffled. If you have just killed a creature, no Hunger Check is required.

Until the scene ends, your footsteps, the rustle of your movement, your phone ringing, your gunshots, even the wet sounds of Feeding are gone. You produce no sound from your person whatsoever unless you choose to bypass it, such as by speaking at a normal volume or slow-clapping dramatically from the shadows.

This makes you undetectable to anyone relying on hearing alone, such as a guard listening for intruders in the dark, someone on a different floor of a building, or a sentry with their back turned. It doesn't silence sounds you create outside your personal space (slamming doors, dropping objects or bodies, knocking over furniture), and it doesn't fool microphones or other electronic audio equipment.

This Power works purely on the sense of hearing. You can fight, Feed, and generally cause mayhem without producing a whisper. It works well in combat. Perhaps too well. Popular amongst the Banu Haqim.

Level 2¶

Cache¶

(Requires: Ensconce)

When you touch an object that mustn't be noticed and walk away, make a Hunger Check. The object remains hidden without you needing to carry it. You can leave concealed items in a drawer, on a busy shelf or table, tucked beneath a mattress, taped under a table, wherever you want. As long as it's small enough for Ensconce to conceal, Cache keeps it covered until the end of the scene. If you want, you can make one more Hunger Check to conceal it until dawn.

The other rules from Ensconce apply: mortals ignore the object and Sense the Unseen can detect it.

Doubletalk (Passive)¶

(Requires: Auspex access)

Once per scene, you can say one thing and secretly convey a completely different message to a single intended listener. The hidden message piggybacks on your spoken words; bystanders hear only what you actually said. The recipient hears both and knows which is which.

The secret message must be anything you (the presumably mortal player) could say in one breath. If you need to pause for air, it's too long.

Hallucination¶

When you conjure a vivid hallucination in a small area targeting a single sense (a gunshot from the wrong direction, the stench of smoke, a hand gripping someone's shoulder), make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow.

On a 10+, the hallucination is perfect. Any witnesses are distracted and disoriented, taking −2 Forward as they react to something that isn't actually there.

On a 7–9, the hallucination lands, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

It's more vivid than you intended; witnesses panic or overreact in a way you didn't plan for
Someone not targeted catches a glimpse and gets suspicious
The hallucination lingers for too long, giving witnesses time to actually investigate
If auditory or olfactory, the hallucination issues from your current position instead of as intended

On a 6-, the hallucination goes haywire. The Storyteller and any other players at the table get to invent what actually manifests. It's very clearly not real: loud music from a commercial playing slightly detuned, every surface in the room briefly becoming teeth, several copies of Bob Ross shaking hands with each other, or whatever nightmare fuel the table conjures. It's bizarre, it's unmistakable, and everyone present knows something deeply unnatural just occurred. If mortals are present, the Masquerade Clock advances. On the upside, these hallucinations can never be recorded or transmitted, so they'll never end up on the internet.

Unseen Passage (Passive)¶

After you've successfully Slipped Away or activated Cloak of Shadows, you can make a Hunger Check to remain hidden while moving freely. Walk, run, or climb as much as you like. As long as you don't speak above a whisper, produce any overpowering odors, or take any action that forces observers to acknowledge your presence, you stay hidden for the rest of the scene.

You must already be hidden for Unseen Passage to function. You can't use it to disappear while under observation, so make sure to check your six before you try anything. And always remember to look up.

Level 3¶

Fata Morgana¶

(Requires: Hallucination)

Where Hallucination is a brief flicker, Fata Morgana is the full theatrical production. Multi-sensory illusions that everyone nearby experiences simultaneously, like the sound of screaming, the tang of copper in the air, and a bloody body thudding down to the foot of the stairs... or something nicer. Up to you.

Illusions can't mask or disguise real objects, can't block line of sight, can't cause actual damage, and can't be recorded or transmitted. They're additions to reality, not alterations of it. The depth of your illusion depends on how much possible Hunger you accept:

1 Hunger Check: One or two senses. Confined to a single room or hallway.
2 Hunger Checks: Three or four senses. Fills a large space.
3 Hunger Checks: A fully immersive experience that can envelop an entire building.

When you project an elaborate illusion into the minds of everyone nearby, roll +Shadow.

On a 10+, the illusion is flawless and persists for one scene. Mortals can only disbelieve it through direct physical interaction that proves it false (walking through the "wall" or touching the "flames"). Supernatural creatures roll to disbelieve with a Forward penalty equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1).

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

One sense doesn't match the others; it looks like fire but doesn't feel warm
The emotional intensity is more than you intended; someone panics, causing collateral damage or drawing attention
You must maintain concentration; taking Harm or rolling for anything else causes the illusion to waver

On a 6-, the illusion ruptures. As with Hallucination, the Storyteller and other players describe what everyone actually experiences. At this scale, the fallout is proportionally much worse. If there are mortals present, the Masquerade Clock advances.

Ghost in the Machine (Passive)¶

Your Obfuscate now extends through electronic media. When you use any Obfuscate Power that visually conceals you, live surveillance feeds are affected just like human observers. Recordings and photographs taken during active Obfuscation are degraded: blurred, distorted, and maddeningly hard to identify. Anyone attempting to ID you from such footage takes an Ongoing penalty equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1).

You also gain Advantage on any roll to circumvent automated surveillance: CCTV cameras, motion sensors, facial recognition, security networks, and the like.

Guise of the Departed¶

(Requires: Oblivion access)

When you caress a corpse that has been dead for less than a week and spend a full scene absorbing its spiritual residue, make a Hunger Check. You steal the dead person's appearance, bearing, and mannerisms. You look like them, you move like them, gesture like them, and instinctively react like they would. Being dead yourself provides some innate affinity for snagging an identity no longer in active use.

The disguise is well-crafted and highly believable; you take the time to get all the details right. The disguise lasts until dawn. Sense the Unseen pierces it as usual.

The Storyteller makes a hidden roll using your +Shadow stat. You won't know how convincing it is until you encounter someone who knew the deceased. The result of that hidden roll determines what happens:

On a 10+, the disguise is flawless. Even people who knew the deceased intimately see nothing wrong.
On a 7–9, it's convincing to acquaintances and strangers, but anyone close to the deceased senses something off: a strange laugh, an unfamiliar habit, a facial expression gone wonky, or... that smell.
On a 6-, anyone who knew the deceased recognizes something horrible immediately. Not that it's a disguise, but that a dead person is walking around wearing a face that should be in a casket. They might have already attended the wake!

Mask of Isolation¶

(Requires: Dominate access, Mask of a Thousand Faces)

When you force the facial mesmerism of Mask of a Thousand Faces onto an unwilling subject, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow. Instead of concealing yourself, you erase someone else's recognizability. Their face becomes forgettable, their voice becomes generic, their presence becomes wallpaper. Even their closest friends, lovers, and family look right through them.

On a 10+, the effect lasts for the rest of the night. The target is unrecognizable to everyone, including themselves if they look in a mirror. No telling what kind of therapy they'll need after this.

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

The target realizes what's happening and is panicking, which might draw a different kind of attention
Someone they know is unaffected (someone with a deep emotional connection to the target, someone the target has a Blood Bond with, a beloved pet who can still smell them)
The mask flickers in emotionally charged moments; a shouted name, a desperate plea, or a lover's touch might crack it briefly

On a 6-, you accidentally apply the mask to yourself instead. For the rest of the scene, nobody recognizes you. Have fun explaining who you are to your Coterie.

If the target becomes aware that a supernatural effect is causing their invisibility (not just confused by it, but genuinely understands what's happening), the Power ends. Phew!

Level 4¶

Conceal¶

When you touch an object or an area and will it to become forgettable, make a number of Hunger Checks equal to the number of nights you want the concealment to last, then roll +Wits.

The object doesn't become invisible, people's minds simply refuse to register it. They navigate around it and rationalize the space without questioning it. Anyone inside a concealed object (people in an inconspicuous van, occupants of a room) is concealed along with it, as long as they remain inside.

This Power can't affect anything larger than a two-story house, and it can't affect anything moving under its own power (a moving car, a train, an amusement park ride).

On a 10+, the concealment is seamless. Only Sense the Unseen or equivalent supernatural perception can detect it.

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

Physical interaction breaks it; someone bumping into it, water pooling against it, a bird landing on it (or failing to)
The concealment flickers at dawn and dusk, briefly visible for a moment each transition
The effect creates a subtle wrongness in the area; observant people feel uneasy near the object without knowing why

On a 6-, the concealment fails and everyone nearby becomes intensely aware of the object. Not just "oh, there's a car parked there now, that's weird" — they're drawn to it, fixated on it, and unable to not investigate thoroughly. You've done the exact opposite of what you intended. Nice job. Real smooth.

Mental Maze¶

(Requires: Dominate access)

When you lock eyes with someone and twist their sense of direction, the scope of your misdirection depends on how much Hunger you accept:

1 Hunger Check: A building. Hallways double back, exits lead to rooms already visited, every door opens onto somewhere deeper inside.
2 Hunger Checks: A single room. Walls shift, the door has moved, corners multiply. Harder; less space to work with.
3 Hunger Checks: An outdoor environment (a city block, a forest, a construction site). Landmarks rearrange, streets curve back, the sky offers no useful orientation.

Mortals are simply trapped. They can't escape on their own and will eventually break down into panic. The maze lasts one night and ends immediately if the environment becomes genuinely dangerous.

Against supernatural creatures, roll +Shadow.

On a 10+, the maze works perfectly. The target must spend a full scene finding their way out and takes 2 Superficial Willpower Harm in the process.

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

The target can still communicate with people outside the maze, which might bring help/danger
The maze has a flaw (a consistent landmark, an accidental omission, a draft from the real exit) that will eventually lead them out
The effect rebounds slightly; your own surroundings shimmer for a moment. Take −1 Forward

On a 6-, the maze folds in on you. Your target sees right through it, and for a heart-stopping moment, your own surroundings don't make sense either. They know exactly what you tried to do, and they're furious.

Mind Masque¶

(Requires: Dominate access)

When you craft a false psychic persona to present to supernatural scrutiny, make a Hunger Check and roll +Wits.

You build a mask only minds can see; a complete alternate identity with its own thoughts, emotions, and surface memories. Anyone who uses supernatural abilities to read your aura, thoughts, emotional state, or mental landscape encounters the mask instead of you.

On a 10+, the mask is flawless and holds for one scene. Any attempt to read you meets the false persona with no indication that it's fabricated.

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

The persona is convincing but shallow; deep probing reveals inconsistencies
Maintaining the mask is taxing; take −1 Forward on your next non-Obfuscate roll
One genuine emotion bleeds through, whatever you're feeling most strongly at the time; the reader senses something authentic beneath the façade but can't identify what

On a 6-, the mask shatters. The reader sees your true psychic state laid bare; every thought, every emotion, every secret you were trying to hide. They know you were trying to deceive them. This feels deeply, uncomfortably intimate, like someone you admire walking in on you doing something very gross.

Seclusion¶

(Requires: Dominate access)

When you lock eyes with someone and sever their connection to every living and unliving thing around them, they are rendered alone. Completely, terrifyingly alone. They cannot perceive any creature, living, dead, or undead. They unconsciously avoid bumping into people but are deaf to their voices and blind to their faces. The world is nothing but empty rooms and silent streets, like the beginning of 28 Days Later.

The duration depends on how many Hunger Checks you're willing to gamble:

1 Hunger Check: The seclusion lasts one scene
2 Hunger Checks: One night
3 Hunger Checks: One week
4 Hunger Checks: One year and a day
5 Hunger Checks: Indefinitely

If the target takes Harm from any source, the effect is temporarily broken for one scene as the shock reconnects them to reality. After that scene ends, the isolation reasserts itself without any further cost or effort from you unless it was the minimum duration, in which case the Power ends. No additional Hunger Checks or rolls are required to maintain it.

The target can still interact with the physical world: open doors, drive cars, eat food, use the bathroom, watch movies, or anything else. They just can't perceive anyone doing any of those things alongside them. If you've ever wondered what it would take to truly break someone without laying a finger on them, this is it.

Level 5¶

Cloak the Coterie (Passive)¶

When you use any Obfuscate Power, you can make one additional Hunger Check with Disadvantage to extend it to your entire Coterie. Every member benefits from the Power as though they activated it themselves, using your capabilities when a roll is needed. Members of the Coterie can still perceive each other while under the effect.

If a Coterie member is revealed through their own actions or a perceptive observer, the rest of the group remains hidden. If you are revealed, so is everyone else. Better not mess this up!

Impostor's Guise¶

(Requires: Mask of a Thousand Faces)

This Power requires a dedicated scene of studying and interacting with the person you want to impersonate: their face from different angles, their voice, their mannerisms, the way they hold themselves. You can't do this from a photograph or video, you need time with the real thing.

When you reshape your presence to mimic a specific person, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow.

On a 12+, you are utterly indistinguishable from the original. Voice, mannerisms, body language, even the micro-expressions that only close friends would recognize — all perfect. Even Sense the Unseen cannot pierce this disguise. You ARE them, for all intents and purposes, for the rest of the scene.

On a 10+, the disguise is excellent. Close friends and family might sense something is slightly off (a look in your eyes, a hesitation where there shouldn't be one, incorrect posture or mannerisms) but they can't put their finger on what's wrong. Casual acquaintances and strangers notice nothing. Lasts one scene.

On a 7–9, you look and sound right, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

One element is off; a vocal tic you missed, a scar on the wrong side, a laugh that doesn't match up, you use the wrong hand to write
You can maintain the appearance but not the behavior; you need to avoid extended conversation with anyone who knows the target well
The disguise is physically draining; gain +1 Hunger from the sheer effort of holding it together

On a 6-, describe how your disguise falls apart. Maybe the face keeps slipping, revealing flashes of your real features. Maybe you nailed the appearance but the voice is entirely yours. Maybe it's perfect for ten seconds and then something goes bananas. Everyone present knows someone just tried to be someone they're not, and if there are mortals around, the Masquerade Clock advances. Great work there, champ.

Vanish (Passive)¶

You no longer need to Slip Away or be hidden from view before activating Cloak of Shadows or Unseen Passage. You can simply disappear. Mid-conversation or mid-eye-contact. One blink and you're gone. Swish.

Mortals who witness you Vanish question whether you were ever there at all. Their memories of you become foggy and indistinct; not erased, just uncertain. You can Vanish only once per scene unless the Storyteller says otherwise, or you're in your Haven, in which case you can go wild because you know all the good hiding spots.