Oblivion

Oblivion is the Discipline of entropy, absence, and the space between the living and the dead. It draws from the Abyss — a howling nowhere beneath reality, equal parts darkness and death, and not a popular tourist destination by any measure. Lasombra favor it for commanding darkness as a weapon. Hecata favor it for dragging the dead back through the door. Any Kindred willing to pay the price can learn Oblivion, but those two Clans have had centuries to perfect its cruelties.

The Discipline operates on two axes. The first is shadow: darkness as a physical substance to be manipulated, sensory projection through shade, and eventually becoming the shadows yourself. The second is necromancy: communication with the dead, decay, and the boundary between worlds. Shadow Powers tend to be tactical. Necromantic Powers tend to be investigative and social. Both corrode the user's soul.

Oblivion Stains: When you roll a Fanged Failure on any Oblivion roll, you gain 2 Stains instead of the usual 1. The void doesn't care what you were trying to accomplish. Individual Powers may also impose their own Stain costs for particularly dark applications.

Light Sensitivity: Oblivion requires darkness to function. Powers cannot be activated in bright light or daylight. In well-lit environments (fluorescent offices, stadium lights, IKEA, a room with every lamp on), all Oblivion rolls are made with Disadvantage that cannot be flattened by Advantage from any source. The magic itself is weakened, not the caster. Turn the lights off (or break the bulbs) and the problem goes away.

There is no inherent counter to Oblivion. Sense the Unseen (Auspex) can detect some shadow effects, as noted per Power. Beyond that, your best defense is to bring a very bright flashlight or leave.

Abyssal Sight (Discipline Perk)¶

Your senses sharpen far beyond mortal limits. You suffer no penalties from darkness of any kind, including supernatural, and your awareness extends into spaces that most minds instinctively refuse to perceive.

Whenever you like, you can let the Abyss bleed into your eyes (counts as a Free Action). Your eyes turn solid black from edge to edge. While your eyes are black, you can see ghosts that are not actively concealing their presence, appearing however they choose (as they looked in life, as the wounds that killed them, or as something worse). Ghosts don't automatically realize you can see them, but the ones that figure it out tend to have strong opinions about it.

The black eyes impose an Ongoing penalty equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1) to all social rolls targeting mortals who can see your face. Other Kindred find it mildly unsettling but manageable. This does not grant the ability to touch, command, or physically interact with ghosts. For that, you'll need Ceremonies, a polite introduction, or ideally both.

Level 1¶

Ashes to Ashes¶

When you press your palm to a corpse and force some of your Vitae into it, gain +1 Hunger. Over the next 30 seconds, the body and everything in or on it dissolves into fine grey ash, unless an item has the Holy, Magical, or Unbreakable tag. Nothing forensically useful remains, and it can be swept up in a bin or blown away by a light breeze.

This works on any mortal corpse, fresh or ancient, human or animal. It does not work on dead vampires or bodies still animated by supernatural means. This Power is impractical during combat but invaluable for cleanup afterward. Hope you brought a snack.

The Binding Fetter (Passive)¶

While Abyssal Sight is active, you can also perceive Fetters, which are objects, places, or people that anchor a ghost to the world. Fetters emanate auras visible only to those with Oblivion access; Auspex is useless when trying to identify them. Some glow with lingering vitality, others radiate decay, and many carry the phantom scent of something the dead person loved or feared (fresh bread, gasoline, recently-cut grass, perfume, hospital antiseptic, blood, wood smoke, or really anything else).

Once you've identified a ghost's Fetter, you gain an Ongoing bonus equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1) on all social, investigative, and Discipline rolls when dealing with that ghost or spirit, for as long as you know what and where the Fetter is.

Shadow Cloak (Passive)¶

When you Slip Away or Influence a mortal with intent to intimidate while shrouded in darkness, you gain a Forward bonus equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1). If Abyssal Sight is active at the time, ignore its Ongoing social penalty when you Influence someone with this Power. Ambient shadows cling to you, thickening around your silhouette when you need them and thinning when you don't. You're not invisible, just hard to pin down and quite difficult to look at directly.

Lambent Dark (Passive)¶

When you raise a hand to guide yourself and your allies through darkness, you begin to radiate a strange, pale ghost-light from your palm. This has no Hunger cost, no roll, and can be activated or deactivated as a Free Action.

Lambent Dark is a unique substance that is visible only to you and to others with Oblivion access; think of it like darkness so complete that it wraps back around to being light again. Sense the Unseen cannot detect it. Auspex cannot perceive it. Mortals, Ghouls, and creatures without Oblivion see nothing at all; you could illuminate an entire room and nobody without Abyssal Sight would notice.

The light functions even in supernatural darkness, does not disrupt other Oblivion Powers, and is not bright enough to trigger Light Sensitivity in other Oblivion users. It casts no shadows and produces no heat. Useful for navigating pitch-black spaces, signaling fellow practitioners, and providing a reading light that won't compromise your position or disturb your slumbering roommates.

Level 2¶

Arms of Ahriman¶

When you reach into the nearest patch of shadow to drag writhing tendrils of darkness into the open, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow. The arms extend to Close Range (or Far Range if your BP is 4+) and can seize up to 2 targets simultaneously. While maintaining Arms of Ahriman, you may use your Free Action each turn to slam or squeeze a restrained target, dealing 2 Superficial Harm. The Power ends if you are moved from wherever you summoned the arms.

On a 12+, the arms lock down hard. Restrained targets cannot use their Movement and can only break free by using a Discipline Power of a level equal to or greater than your Blood Potency. The hold lasts until you release them, are displaced and lose concentration, or the scene ends.

On a 10+, the arms grab hold. Restrained targets cannot use their Movement but can break free by spending their full turn struggling to Slip Away instead of doing anything else.

On a 7–9, the arms grab, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

Only one arm finds its mark; the other target slips free
Maintaining the hold demands all your focus; any other Action on your part releases it
The restraint is precarious; the targets have +1 Forward to Slip Away

On a 6-, the shadows lurch out and seize the wrong target entirely (the Storyteller picks) or thrash across every surface in range, knocking things over and making a spectacular mess. If mortals are present, the Masquerade Clock advances.

Maw of Ahriman¶

When you open your mouth and invite the Abyss in, gain +2 Hunger. Your mouth becomes an inky void of absolute darkness that swallows light, sound, and everything else unfortunate enough to get close. Your teeth and tongue disappear for a while, and there's nothing behind your lips except the howling Abyss.

The void is visible to anyone looking at your face. For the rest of the scene, the following applies to you:

You can open and close your mouth as a Free Action; it's only dangerous when open, but when open, it is a very obvious Masquerade violation about 1 foot in diameter
You cannot speak or vocalize at all; Discipline Powers that require your voice cannot be used
You don't benefit from Feeding; blood that enters your mouth is instantly consumed by the Abyss
When you Dirty Your Claws and bite an opponent, you deal additional Aggravated Harm equal to twice your Blood Potency
Any inanimate objects that go near your open mouth are utterly annihilated; keys, phones, swords, corpses, evidence, helicopter missiles, stuffed animals, bullets, wallets, you name it — as long as it's under 1 foot in diameter, it's technically edible (more so than usual)

Ending the effect requires you to give living flesh to the Abyss, which usually means an unlucky human losing a limb; you must find somebody (literally anybody) and successfully Feed on them to end this Power. Take 1 Superficial Harm as the Abyss reluctantly releases its hold on your jaw. Your mouth returns to normal immediately, though the taste of absolute nothingness lingers for hours. Try explaining that flavor to a Malkavian, it's a whole night of free entertainment.

Fatal Prediction¶

(Requires: Auspex access)

When you study a mortal from a distance and knit invisible strands of entropy around their fate, make a Hunger Check and roll +Wits. The curse unfolds over the next 24 hours through mundane-seeming accidents, sudden illness, or improbably unfortunate coincidences.

This Power only affects mortals (including Ghouls). Vampires are too dead and too stubborn for entropy to get a good grip. You cannot interact with the target in any way while the curse is active. Sending a Ghoul, calling in a favor, or arranging circumstances around them all count as interference and break the curse immediately. Nice try.

On a 12+, the target takes 3 Aggravated Harm at some point in the next 24 hours, and you receive a clear premonition of when and how it happens.

On a 10+, the target takes 2 Aggravated Harm at some point in the next 24 hours. You don't know when or how.

On a 7–9, the target takes 1 Aggravated Harm, and the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The "accident" is conspicuously unusual; someone close to the target suspects foul play
The curse grazes someone near the target instead of or in addition to them
The timing draws scrutiny toward you or your Coterie

On a 6-, the entropy rebounds. At some point tonight, the Storyteller gets to surprise you with 1–3 Aggravated Harm. You won't know when, you won't know how, and you absolutely deserve it, you monster.

Shadow Perspective (Passive)¶

When you view the world through your shadow's eyes as well as your own, your perception splits. You can see and hear through any shadow within line of sight as if you were lurking inside it, while still perceiving your normal surroundings. The presence of your senses in the shadow is undetectable except by Sense the Unseen.

This includes your own shadow as projected by Umbral Sphere if active. You can shift your awareness between shadows within line of sight freely.

Umbral Sphere¶

When you exhale darkness from within and force a supernatural shadow into existence around you, make a Hunger Check. For the rest of the scene, you project a supernatural shadow that fills Close Range (Far Range at BP 4+), stretching out from you in every direction. This shadow negates the Light Sensitivity Disadvantage for any Oblivion Power used within its reach and obscures the vision of anyone unable to see through its inky magical blackness. Direct sunlight or strong UV light dispels it immediately.

Oblivion Powers whose effects extend beyond the shadow's Range do not benefit from Umbral Sphere. You can direct the shape of your shadow at will, elongating or distorting it for dramatic effect, though when undirected it moves on its own to reflect your mood. The shadow is visibly supernatural to anyone paying attention, but not even Sense the Unseen can penetrate its gloom.

Where the Veil Thins¶

When you press your awareness against the boundary between the living and the dead, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow. Regardless of the result, the Storyteller tells you the density of the Veil in the immediate area. The following densities exist, and any Oblivion user with this Power benefits from the listed bonuses whenever performing Ceremonies at a matching location, whether or not they've actively tested it:

Impenetrable: no deaths happened here, or this is sacred ground; the dead cannot cross the Veil here
Thick: a death took place here long ago, or this is a place of joy; no mechanical effect
Thin: a recent death took place here, or the Melancholic pass through often; Oblivion users gain +1 Ongoing to Ceremony rolls while at this location
Frayed: multiple deaths occurred here, or Ceremonies have been performed here before; Oblivion users gain +2 Ongoing to Ceremony rolls while at this location
Absent: the Veil has been deliberately torn; the dead pass freely & often, mortals take 2 Superficial Harm per scene, and Oblivion users gain +2 Ongoing to Ceremony rolls while at this location

Without this Power, Oblivion users cannot benefit from these Ongoing bonuses even if the Veil happens to be thin. In this case, knowledge is literal power.

On a 12+, you also learn what caused the current density and whether it has changed recently. Take +1 Forward to the first Ceremony you perform at this location.

On a 10+, you also learn the general cause of the current density.

On a 7–9, you only learn the density, and the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

Something on the other side feels you testing; you've attracted attention from across the Veil
The reading takes longer than expected; you're standing still with black eyes in public for an uncomfortable amount of time
The Veil here is unstable; the density shifts before you can take advantage of it

On a 6-, what happens depends on the actual density of the Veil:

Impenetrable/Thick: the Storyteller gives you a false reading; you believe the Veil is thicker or thinner than it actually is, and you won't find out until a Ceremony fails
Thin: something notices you probing; expect an uninvited visitor before the night is over
Frayed: a ghost reaches through during your assessment; take 1 Superficial Harm and 1 Stain
Absent: you've poked a hornet's nest; take 2 Superficial Harm as something troublesome comes through immediately using your body as the focal point

Level 3¶

Aura of Decay¶

When you let the entropy of the Abyss seep out through your pallid skin, make 3 Hunger Checks. For the rest of the scene, everything within Close Range of you rots rapidly. Plants wilt and blacken, food spoils, wood warps, paint peels, brick crumbles, and mortals grow ill. Living creatures caught in the aura take Superficial Harm equal to your Blood Potency over the course of the scene, applied gradually as their bodies weaken. This Harm is supernatural in origin and cannot be treated by mundane medicine while the aura is active.

You also absolutely reek of death while this Power is active. You have an Ongoing penalty equal to your Blood Potency (minimum 1) to all social rolls for the duration unless you're talking to a Graverobber or Grim Reaper. Anyone who consumes food or drink affected by the aura takes 2 Superficial Harm per item consumed until treated with supernatural means or healed with Vitae. The aura ends when the scene ends or you choose to let it disperse (a Free Action).

Passion Feast¶

(Requires: Fortitude access)

When you Feed from a particularly passionate or benevolent spirit, mark 1 Stain, make a Hunger Check, and roll with your normal Feed stat. You drain ephemera, something like the psychic imprint of emotion itself, consuming the ghost's tethering passions and leaving whatever remains. Aggressive Wraiths or Spectres and apathetic ghosts have nothing worth consuming; the Spirit must have genuine positive attachments for this Power to work.

On a 12+, slake 3 Hunger. The ghost is left hollowed out but intact, drifting in vacant, sorrowful apathy forevermore. Hope the meal was worth condemning them to that.

On a 10+, slake 2 Hunger. The ghost loses the passion you consumed and begins to slide toward destructive, Spectre-like behavior. If left unchecked, it might cause problems later on.

On a 7–9, slake 1 Hunger, and the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The consumed passion floods your senses; you overwhelmingly feel what the ghost felt in its final moments for the rest of the scene
The ghost turns hostile immediately; you've eaten its reason to be anything other than furious
The tingly taste lingers on your tongue; take −1 Ongoing to Feed from mortals until the next dawn

On a 6-, the passion won't go down easy. The ghost's emotions flood into you unfiltered and you experience the painfully concentrated energies of a dead person who will never feel anything new again. Slake 1 Hunger, take 2 Superficial Harm, and the ghost becomes a vengeful Spectre with a very specific grudge against you.

Shade Servant¶

(Requires: Auspex access)

When you peel a piece of your own shadow free and give it purpose, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow. The Shade travels across surfaces at running speed, slips under doors and through the smallest cracks, and follows your mental commands. It has no mind of its own but perceives everything around it. When it returns and merges back into your shadow, you receive everything it experienced. Shades cannot attack, manipulate objects, or interact with the physical world (unless yours is allowed to by some other limited means). They are destroyed by bright light (UV or otherwise) or direct sunlight.

On a 12+, the Shade lasts until dawn and can travel any distance. It returns vivid, detailed information.

On a 10+, the Shade lasts a number of scenes equal to your Blood Potency. Same perception quality.

On a 7–9, the Shade lasts only one scene, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The Shade moves at walking speed and gets distracted by other shadows
The information it brings back is fragmented; images without sound, or sound without visuals
The Shade lingers and doesn't return on its own; you have to go find and retrieve it
Bright light along its path forces a detour; the Storyteller decides how long and how inconvenient

On a 6-, the Shade detaches but ignores your commands. It wanders off on its own and returns at the worst possible moment with information you didn't want. Or it doesn't return at all. Shadows grow back. Probably. There has to be a book about this somewhere...

Touch of Oblivion¶

When you grip someone within Hand Range and channel the withering entropy of the Abyss through your grasp, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow. The target ages catastrophically wherever you touch: skin shrivels, muscle atrophies, bone goes brittle. The effect is instantaneous and insidious. Vampires can mend crippling injuries from this Power during slumber like any Aggravated Harm. Mortals cannot without supernatural healing. Mark 1 Stain if you or your Coterie are the aggressors in this encounter, or if you roll 12+.

On a 12+, the target takes 3 Aggravated Harm. Choose 2:

Wither a limb; the targeted arm or leg is rendered useless until healed
Crumple the throat; the target cannot speak, scream, or use voice-based Powers until healed
Rot the senses; the target is blinded or deafened (your choice) until healed
Add your Blood Potency to the Aggravated Harm dealt instead of inflicting a specific injury

On a 10+, the target takes 3 Aggravated Harm. Choose 1 of the above.

On a 7–9, the target takes 3 Aggravated Harm with no additional effect, and the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The withering spreads further than you intend; the target's appearance is visibly and permanently altered even after healing
Your hand fuses to the target for 1 turn; you take 1 Aggravated Harm and lose your Movement until you disconnect
The entropy feeds back through your nerves; take 1 Superficial Harm and −1 Forward to your next roll
If mortals are present, the Masquerade Clock advances; watching someone's arm age 30 years in 5 seconds tends to leave an impression

On a 6-, the entropy reverses through your hand. Take 3 Aggravated Harm to the arm you used and describe how it withers and becomes useless for the rest of the night. What did you expect, really?

Level 4¶

Necrotic Plague¶

When you firmly touch a mortal's skin and poison their blood with supernatural rot, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow. The disease is invisible and presents as a sudden, severe illness that no doctor can diagnose or treat. This Power only affects mortals (including Ghouls), and when it says "day," that means 24 whole hours, even the ones with sunlight in them. Each one is critical.

On a 12+, the target is infected for a number of days equal to your Blood Potency, taking 2 Aggravated Harm at the start of each day. The disease is contagious via touch; subsequent victims suffer the plague for 1 night fewer than the person who infected them. The disease can be cured by drinking Vitae, but good luck explaining to a mortal why they need to drink your blood to feel better.

On a 10+, the target is infected for BP days and takes 2 Aggravated Harm per day. Not contagious.

On a 7–9, the target is infected for 2 days, taking 2 Aggravated Harm per day, and the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The symptoms are visibly supernatural; the target's veins darken, their eyes go as black as the Abyss, and their skin takes on a corpse-like pallor
The disease takes several hours to manifest, giving the target time to interact with others and potentially trace the source
The infection weakens your own Vitae; take −1 Ongoing to all Oblivion rolls until you slumber

On a 6-, the plague finds you perfectly hospitable instead. You take 2 Aggravated Harm immediately, then another 2 just when you're getting comfy in your coffin that night. Vampire immune systems are theoretical at best, but pretty functional in practice. That'll clear up in no time. Hopefully.

Profane the Sanctified¶

When you channel the emptiness of the Abyss against a person of genuine religious devotion, make a Hunger Check and roll +Shadow. This Power targets anyone who holds sincere faith, not performative piety. The Storyteller determines whether the target qualifies.

On a 12+, the target takes 1 Aggravated Harm for each symbol of faith on their person (rosary, crucifix, prayer shawl, clerical vestments, or anything else worn or carried as an expression of belief). Each symbol cracks, corrodes, burns with black flame, or decays beyond repair. Any faith-based protections or advantages the target possesses are suppressed until the next dawn.

On a 10+, you inflict the same Harm, but the symbols are tarnished, not destroyed, and any suppressed protections recover by the end of the scene.

On a 7–9, you inflict the same Harm, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The target's faith wavers but rallies; they gain +2 Forward to resist your next Power
The desecration is felt by every person of faith within Far Range; expect swift consequences
Your connection to the Abyss deepens; mark 1 Stain for each symbol of faith on the target

On a 6-, their belief wins over your disdain. You take 1 Aggravated Harm for each symbol of faith the target carries, even if you don't have the Holy Symbols Folkloric Bane, and their religion's primary symbol is seared into the flesh right between your eyes. The mark stubbornly persists until you gain 1 Humanity.

Stygian Shroud (Passive)¶

(Requires: Umbral Sphere)

When you extend your Umbral Sphere beyond its normal reach, your shadow deepens and sound dies within it. All sound inside the sphere becomes muffled: voices dissolve into murmurs, footsteps vanish, screams become whispers, gunshots become faint cracks, and music is put through a heavy low-pass filter. Anyone inside the sphere without Abyssal Sight has an Ongoing −2 penalty to all perception-based rolls for as long as they remain within.

Mortals caught in the shroud take 1 Superficial Harm per turn from the suffocating emptiness. It just really sucks to be in there.

Umbrous Clutch¶

When you lock eyes with a target and command their own shadow to swallow them whole, make a Hunger Check and mark 1 Stain. You must have clear sight of both the target and their shadow. The target falls through their shadow and reappears falling out of yours, landing at your feet or sprawled in your arms.

Unprepared mortals are catatonic with shock for the rest of the scene. Vampires who are pulled through must immediately Stay Chill or enter Frenzy and flee, desperately trying to get as far from you as possible as fast as possible. It's not so great in there, as it turns out.

Level 5¶

The Darkness Within¶

(Requires: Shade Servant)

When you reach into a creature's shadow and rip out the darkest parts of their psyche, make 2 Hunger Checks and roll +Shadow. You must have clear sight of the target (Shadow Perspective works nicely).

On a success (7+), a shadowy doppelgänger erupts from the target's shadow constructed of their suppressed impulses, their cruelty, and their darkest instincts, all given physical form. The dark entity matches its host's stats, equipment, HP, and Discipline access, but it has no allies (not even you) and no interest in self-preservation. Its only purpose is the destruction of its other half. It fights mercilessly until the end of the scene or until it or its host is destroyed.

On a 6-, the entity emerges, briefly regards its host with something like recognition and camaraderie, and turns on you instead. You probably should have foreseen this.

Shadow Step¶

When you step into any shadow large enough to cover you and step out of another somewhere else, make a Hunger Check. You disappear and reappear from another shadow within Distant Range and line of sight. In combat, this consumes your Movement. The passage is instantaneous but not painless; something bitterly cold brushes against you each time, and the chill lingers for hours.

You can bring one willing passenger through at no additional cost; they must be touching you when you step in, and if they don't have Oblivion access, they take 1 Superficial Harm from whatever dwells in there.

When you try to drag an unwilling creature through with you, they must be held in a grapple. Roll +Shadow. On a 10+, they come through. An unprepared mortal is rendered catatonic until the end of the scene. A vampire must Stay Chill or enter Frenzy and flee from your Abyssal gaze immediately.

On a 7–9, they come through, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

They arrive partially; a limb or piece of equipment is left behind in the void
The passage traumatizes them so completely that they cannot act for 2 full turns after arriving
Something dark latches on and follows you out; the Storyteller decides exactly how bad it is

On a 6-, you step through just fine. They don't. They vanish into the space between shadows and do not come out. Mark 5 Stains. You know you will never see them again.

Skuld Fulfilled¶

(Requires: Necrotic Plague)

When you slather your palms and face in your own Vitae and recall the face of a mortal or Ghoul, gain +2 Hunger and roll +Shadow. Distance is irrelevant; if you know their face, you can find their thread. This Power only affects mortals and Ghouls.

On a 12+, the target is struck by the return of a condition they previously survived (treated cancer, a healed fracture, a past infection, a cured disease). The condition returns immediately at its worst possible severity. If you choose, you can simply stop the target's heart, killing them instantly; mark 3 Stains if you do.

On a 10+, the condition returns as above, but you may not stop their heart. It'll likely stop soon anyway.

On a 7–9, the condition returns at reduced severity, and the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The condition is treatable this time; swift and proper medical care can slow or reverse it
The target senses something supernatural at work and begins seeking answers
The effort drains you; take −2 Ongoing to all Oblivion rolls until dawn

If the target is a Ghoul, this Power strips their immunity to aging and burns away any and all Vitae in their system. Older Ghouls may age decades in seconds, potentially disintegrating where they stand.

On a 6-, the target gains immunity to this Power forever, from any user. The entropy snaps back through the connection; you take Aggravated Harm and Stains equal to your Blood Potency. How tragic.

Tenebrous Avatar¶

(Requires: Stygian Shroud)

When you surrender your physical form to the Abyss and dissolve into living darkness, make 2 Hunger Checks and roll +Shadow. The transformation takes a full turn, during which you cannot do anything else except make menacing noises and speak in a terrible raspy whisper.

While transformed, you are a two-dimensional patch of sentient shadow. You can slither across any surface at walking speed and pass through any gap that isn't hermetically sealed. You take no Harm from physical sources; only fire and sunlight can hurt you. Mental Disciplines can still be used at the Storyteller's discretion.

You can envelop a single creature by flowing over them. An enveloped target suffers the effects of Stygian Shroud (Ongoing perception penalty and mortal suffocation). While enveloping a mortal, you can Feed from them through skin contact alone. No fangs required, no visible wound, just a victim who grows pale and cold as something dark crawls through them and dredges out the good stuff.

On a 12+, the transformation is flawless and lasts one scene. You can revert at will as a Free Action.

On a 10+, the transformation is complete and lasts one scene. Reverting takes a full turn.

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

A small part of you remains partially solid; you can be targeted by magical attacks
You can't stop moving; standing still causes you to begin sinking into whatever surface you're on
The Abyss doesn't want to let go when you revert; take 1 Stain and 1 Superficial Harm as you tear yourself free

On a 6-, the transformation fails partway. You're stuck between states for the rest of your turn: not quite solid, not quite shadow, unable to act or defend yourself. Take 2 Aggravated Harm. Describe what this looks like. It's not pretty, and may leave permanent scarring. Everyone thinks scars are cool, though, so...

Withering Spirit¶

(Requires: Touch of Oblivion)

When you firmly grasp a creature, lock eyes, and channel raw entropy directly into their soul, make 2 Hunger Checks and roll +Shadow. You must be within Hand Range. This Power affects mortals and vampires differently but devastates both. Mark 5 Stains unless the kill aligns with one of your Convictions.

Against mortals, the target takes Aggravated Harm equal to twice your Blood Potency. Those killed by Withering Spirit are annihilated so completely that they cannot return as ghosts. No Wraith, no Spectre, no haunting. They are gone and banished and no longer your problem.

Against vampires, instead of dealing Harm, you consume Humanity equal to your Blood Potency from the target. Their Humanity drops by that amount immediately, with all associated consequences. A vampire reduced to 0 Humanity becomes a Wight, which is another flavor of bad news and almost certainly a Masquerade breach about to happen.

On a 12+, the full effect occurs as described. You experience a quick flash of the target's most treasured memory as their soul shrivels in your hand. Take +2 Forward when acting against anyone connected to them.

On a 10+, the full effect occurs, but you don't get a bonus. On a 7–9, the full effect occurs, but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The connection goes both ways; you feel the target's pain, take 2 Aggravated Harm
Fragments of the target's memories leak into yours permanently; you carry pieces of a dead person's life from now on
The Abyss takes notice of this level of destruction; mark 1 additional Stain

On a 6-, the entropy rebounds through the connection. Take Aggravated Harm equal to your Blood Potency. The target is shaken but unharmed, and now they (and if they're a vampire, their Sire as well as anyone they may have Embraced) know exactly what you just tried to do to their soul. Expect swift retribution and no mercy whatsoever.

Oblivion Ceremonies¶

[PLOP A COUPLE FLAVORFUL PARAGRAPHS HERE]

For details on how to learn Ceremonies, see the Discipline General Rules.

Level 1¶

Gift of False Life¶

Requirements: a human or animal corpse (or multiple), a concoction of blood, phlegm, and bile, your Vitae, 1 scene

You apply the concoction to each corpse, massage your Vitae into the remains, and gain +1 Hunger. The bodies shudder, twitch, and stand. Though technically classifiable as undead, they're more like meat robots capable of following simple instructions.

Each casting animates a number of corpses up to twice your Blood Potency. Each corpse follows a single simple command at a time: "sweep the floor," "hold this door shut," "walk the perimeter," "carry my bags." They cannot think, calculate, or improvise. Conditional commands ("attack the next person who enters"), multi-step instructions ("drive this car to the docks, get out, and throw this bag into the water"), and any tasks requiring judgment ("guard me from anyone capable of hurting me" or "help me pick out some new blackout curtains") are beyond them.

They do exactly what you said, literally, until the task is complete or they fall apart. You can point at a specific target and command them to attack it, but they won't defend themselves from anything and will probably get torn to pieces in the process.

Animated corpses decay at a natural rate. They have HP equal to three times your Blood Potency, take Harm like you (both Superficial and Aggravated), but cannot heal. Sunlight doesn't bother them. They have no will, no personality, and no complaints. If you need labor that doesn't ask questions, this is cheaper than a Ghoul and significantly less ethically complicated... depending on your ethics, I guess.

Summon Spirit¶

Requirements: one of the target Spirit's Fetters (identified via The Binding Fetter or other means), a visual depiction of the Spirit (photograph, sketch, painting), the Spirit's true name, your Vitae, 1 uninterrupted scene

You pour your Vitae over the Fetter, study the depiction, and call the Spirit's name aloud. Gain +1 Hunger. The Spirit feels its Fetter's pull and begins the journey from wherever it lingers to your location. If the Veil is thin enough where you stand, the Spirit is pulled through. If the Veil is Impenetrable at the Ceremony site, the Spirit cannot cross and the Ceremony fails silently.

The Spirit appears as a shadow on the nearest surfaces, a quavering silhouette of its living self, from which a harrowing voice might emerge. Spirits can speak the languages they knew in life. They can see and hear everything within Far Range. They cannot touch, move objects, or interact with the physical world.

The Spirit is under no obligation to cooperate. It may be grateful for the contact, curious about the living world, or furious that you're handling its Fetter. Its disposition depends entirely on who it was and how you treat it. Threatening a Spirit's Fetter while it watches is a reliable way to get answers and an even more reliable way to earn a grudge that outlasts even your own existence. The Spirit departs at the end of the scene unless another Ceremony extends its stay.

The Knowing Stone¶

Requirements: a stone from a holy site (church wall, temple foundation, consecrated ground), your Vitae, the true name of the deceased, 1 scene

You pour your Vitae into a vessel and use it to write the deceased's true name on the consecrated stone. Gain +1 Hunger. If the individual still exists as a ghost or Spirit anywhere in the world, you receive a vision of their current location, clear enough to identify the place, but not precise enough to navigate there blindly (unless you're a GeoGuessr pro).

The vision persists for the rest of the scene and can be revisited by holding the stone and concentrating. If the individual has passed on entirely and no Spirit remains, the stone absorbs the Vitae and nothing happens. A clean negative result, no false readings. If you were hoping they'd still be around, at least you know now.

Subjugating Concatenation¶

Requirements: an arm's length of iron chain, a stone taken from a place of worship, your Vitae, 1 scene

You firmly grip the iron chain, place the stone in your mouth, and concentrate. Gain +1 Hunger. When you're ready, swallow the stone (yes, the whole thing; it dissolves like a pill, but it hurts a bit going down) and hurl the chain at a manifestation of Oblivion that you don't already control: a Shade, an animated corpse, a shadowy construct, or any entity sustained by an Oblivion Power.

The chain wraps around the target on contact, even if the target is insubstantial. While bound, the manifestation obeys your verbal commands for the rest of the scene. You can maintain control over a number of subjugated manifestations simultaneously equal to your Blood Potency.

This Ceremony has no effect on Spirits, Wraiths, Spectres, or any entity that is actually dead rather than animated by darkness. The distinction is critical; a Shade peeled from someone's shadow is an Oblivion construct, and animated corpses are effectively puppets powered by the Abyss. A Wraith is a dead person whose soul still has strong opinions and violent impulses. The chain binds the former, the latter requires a conversation, a threat, or a higher-level Ceremony. The chain can be recovered and reused until the next dawn, at which point it crumbles to flakes of rust.

Hadopelagian Familiar¶

Requirements: black vinegar, raw fish, your Vitae, a willing Familiar (from Bond Familiar), 1 scene

You steep the raw fish in black vinegar mixed with your Vitae, then give the resulting mixture to a Familiar (it need not be your own). Gain +1 Hunger. If it eats the fish (it might not want to, especially if normally herbivorous), the Familiar's relationship with darkness changes fundamentally.

For a number of scenes equal to your Blood Potency, the Familiar can sink into any shadow as though it were a pool of water. It can swim through connected shadows, traverse vertical surfaces, and move through spaces it couldn't otherwise reach. Movement while submerged counts as swimming and should be adjudicated accordingly; a cat will struggle much more than a snake in shadow-water.

The Familiar can use its Free Action to fully submerge itself or emerge. While fully submerged, it is undetectable by anything short of supernatural perception. Sense the Unseen and Abyssal Sight can find it, mortal eyes cannot. The Familiar can sense what's going on around it within Close Range; the view is hazy and the sound quality could be better, but smells come through without issue.

If the shadow the Familiar is submerged in is destroyed by light (someone flips a switch, opens a curtain, or shines a flashlight at it), the Familiar is violently ejected and takes 3 Aggravated Harm. Shadow-swimming is useful, but that Familiar should know where the exits are. If it doesn't, that's a training issue.

Hands of the Far Shore¶

Requirements: a lightless room, a large quantity of blood (at least a gallon from any source), several liters of pitch resin, 1 uninterrupted scene

You bring the pitch to a boil (using magic or a hot plate, whatever gets the job done without light), then you soak your forearms and the lower half of your body in it. Take 1 Aggravated Harm and make a Hunger Check. Remember to take your clothes off first.

When you pull yourself free, the pitch has dyed your skin jet-black from the elbows down and from the waist down. These stains are permanent. They are also, for all Oblivion-related purposes, shadows. Writhing tendrils and grasping hands rise from the stained areas of your skin when you exert yourself, and they are significantly stronger than your arms alone.

For the rest of the night, you gain an Ongoing bonus equal to your Blood Potency to any roll involving grappling, restraining, or feats of physical strength, and may roll +Shadow instead of whatever stat is called for. The tendrils extend to Close Range and can assist with climbing, holding, and bracing. In bright light, the shadow-strength fades and the tendrils retract; the bonus is suppressed until you return to dimness or darkness.

The stains never wash off, never fade, and never heal during slumber. They are part of you now, so thank Caine they look rad as hell. Other Oblivion Powers that target or interact with shadows can use your stained skin as a surface; Shadow Perspective can see through it, Shade Servant can be created from it, and so on. The pitch-stained areas are icy cold to the touch, and water beads and condensates on the surface like breath on a window. It's an unlifelong tell, and there is no known way to undo it. Welcome to the deep end!

Kyros' Shroud¶

Requirements: a beeswax candle, holy water or oil, a length of fabric large enough to wear as a cloak or wrap, a bundle of hyacinth, 1 scene

You fold the fabric tightly around the hyacinth, anoint it with holy water or oil, and pray (or meditate, or just focus really hard; the words are less important than the intent). Gain +1 Hunger. When the Ceremony completes, the exterior fabric turns pitch black and remains that way for the rest of the night.

The Shroud's protective properties depend on your Humanity:

Humanity 6+: The inside of your Shroud turns blood red whenever someone within Close Range activates a Presence or Dominate Power, even subtle ones that normally offer no chance to resist. While wearing the Shroud, you always have the option to Stay Chill against such effects, regardless of whether the Power normally allows resistance, and you always have Advantage on the roll.

Humanity 5-: The inside of your Shroud turns a deep purple in the presence of Spirits, Wraiths, Spectres, or active Oblivion conjurations within Close Range, granting you +1 Ongoing to any roll to perceive, identify, or interact with such entities for as long as the Shroud is worn.

The Shroud is comfy and lasts until dawn. It can be worn over other clothing or wrapped loosely around the shoulders. It doesn't look particularly supernatural unless it changes color, at which point it looks extremely supernatural or possibly just so high-fashion that a plebian wouldn't understand. Plan accordingly.

Fungal Ring¶

Requirements: a fresh mushroom, a patch of moist earth (indoors or outdoors), your Vitae, 3 consecutive nights

You place the mushroom in the earth, drip your Vitae onto it, and wait as patiently as you can. Gain +1 Hunger only on the first night. Over the next 3 nights, additional mushroom caps sprout until they form a ring roughly an arm-span across.

Plants and fungus within the ring require no water, no sunlight, and no tending. They grow at an accelerated rate, fast enough to provide fresh ingredients and reagents every other night or so. At your behest, you can dribble more Vitae onto it, gaining +1 Hunger each time, and ask it to produce specific common botanical and biological Ceremony components (mushrooms, herbs, flowers, mosses, resins, etc.) but not animal parts, metals, stones, crystals, or anything that was never alive. It won't grow you a consecrated stone or a cat's paw, but it will grow you hyacinth, rosemary, some dank weed, and any fungus you could want or need.

The ring perpetually produces the last thing you asked it to make but requires Vitae to sustain, costing +1 Hunger once per month, poured directly onto the soil. Miss one and the ring withers and dies within days, taking everything in it. Multiple rings can be maintained simultaneously if you can afford the upkeep; there is no limit beyond your willingness to bleed for your garden.

The ring looks exactly as strange as you want it to. Mushrooms growing in several perfect circles in someone's basement tends to attract questions from neighbors, mycologists, and anyone with even a passing familiarity with fairy folklore. It's unwise to spend much time in a ring.

Poet's Prose¶

(Requires: Lambent Dark)

Requirements: a small sharp implement (knife, scalpel, razor blade, thorn, or similar), 1 scene

You prick your skin with the implement, allowing your Vitae to coat the tip, and the blood begins to shine with Lambent Dark (the substance, not the Ceremony). Take 1 Superficial Harm and gain +1 Hunger. For the rest of the scene, you can write on almost any surface using the implement, leaving marks visible only to those who can read the shadows as you can. To anyone who can see it, the writing glows with a faint, sickly fluorescence, similar to certain materials under a blacklight.

The inscriptions are permanent until destroyed by direct bright light or sunlight of any intensity. Sense the Unseen cannot detect them. Only Abyssal Sight reveals the writing.

Use it to mark paths through unfamiliar territory, leave coded messages for allies, sign your work, graffiti your Coterie's coffins when they're not around, or annotate the margins of someone else's grimoire (or journal, no judgment). The applications are limited only by your handwriting and how okay you are with stabbing yourself. Kindred who were diabetic in life have a real leg-up on this one.

Level 2¶

Awaken the Homuncular Servant¶

Requirements: a severed body part (hand, head, foot) or a small animal carcass (no larger than a dog), the weapon used to sever or kill it, your Vitae, 1 scene

You coat the weapon in the concoction, use it to prepare the body part or carcass (don't think too hard about what "prepare" means, just do it), and massage your Vitae into the remains. Gain +1 Hunger. The thing twitches, flexes, and begins to move with eerie purpose, though it takes some time to orient itself, often wobbling around noisily. If anyone asks what you're doing in the bathroom, lie.

The result of this Ceremony is a Homunculus. It can take many forms, all grotesque: a severed hand that scuttles on its fingers (Thing-style), a skull that rolls itself into corners to watch with empty sockets, a skeletal rat that clatters through crawlspaces, or anything else suitably gnarly. It is unfailingly loyal to you and follows your mental commands within Far Range. Past that, it falls limp and inert until you return. It can climb walls, squeeze through gaps, and hide quite effectively if small enough. While it cannot speak or perform complex tasks, it can telepathically send you a single sustained image, scent, or sound per scene.

You can passively maintain a number of active Homunculi simultaneously equal to your Blood Potency. Each lasts for a number of nights equal to your Shadow stat before the animation expires and the remains go still. If you grow attached to a particular Homunculus, you can keep one active indefinitely by letting it rest with you each day and accepting an additional +1 Hunger each time you wake. Homunculi are universally destroyed by 2 points of either kind of Harm, but neither sunlight nor fire can injure them.

Compel Spirit¶

Requirements: the Spirit's Fetter, your Vitae, something capable of damaging or destroying the Fetter (knife, hammer, fire, acid), the Spirit's presence (typically via Summon Spirit), 1 scene

You splash your Vitae toward the Spirit and hold the destructive implement against its Fetter. Gain +1 Hunger, then you make your demands. The Spirit can feel the burn, and it knows you mean business. Roll +Shadow.

On a 10+, the Spirit is compelled. It must carry out a number of tasks equal to your Blood Potency before it is released. These can be moderately difficult, such as spying on a location, answering questions truthfully, researching a topic, or delivering a message to another Spirit or Oblivion practitioner. For every 2 such tasks you forgo, you can demand one very difficult task instead, such as attacking a living person, betraying another Spirit, or doing something it would have considered repugnant in life.

On a 7–9, the Spirit is compelled but the Storyteller chooses 1 complication:

The Spirit obeys the letter of your commands, not the spirit (pun unashamedly intended); you (the player) should expect creative interpretation but you (the character) assume it'll listen to you
The compulsion is fragile; if you leave the Spirit's presence for longer than a scene, it breaks free
The Spirit completes your tasks but remembers everything; it has friends on the other side of the Veil that might come and beat you up later if you made it do something it didn't like

On a 6-, the Spirit breaks your hold. You take Aggravated Harm (Storyteller's discretion, typically 1–3 depending upon the Spirit's strength of will) as psychic backlash floods through the Fetter connection, and the Spirit vanishes back across the Veil with a very specific grudge. The Fetter is undamaged. You are not.

The compulsion ends when all tasks are fulfilled or when you voluntarily release the Spirit. A compelled Spirit cannot be commanded to destroy its own Fetter, enter Final Death, or do anything that would permanently end its existence. Compelled Spirits return to whence they came upon release, possibly with an eternal enmity toward you that no amount of future Ceremonies will erase — you should treat them as well as possible. If you physically damage the Fetter during the compulsion, the Spirit takes Aggravated Harm and is violently expelled back across the Veil. This ends the Ceremony and guarantees you've made a Spectre. If you don't know what that is, ask whoever taught you this Ceremony why the hell they didn't tell you earlier.

Blinding the Alloy Eye¶

Requirements: a piece of metallic mesh (copper works best), your Vitae, a location where the Veil is Thin or thinner, 1 uninterrupted scene

You spend a scene in solitude at a location where the Veil is Thin or thinner, pressing the mesh against your face while dripping Vitae onto it. Gain +1 Hunger and take 1 Superficial Harm. Spirits of the dead gather around the mesh, drawn by the blood and the thinness between worlds. When the Ceremony completes, the mesh is fused to your skin for the night, and visible to the naked eye until the Harm it inflicted is healed.

For the rest of the night, any camera or other electronic imaging device that captures your image instead displays the face of a dead person. Each camera shows a different deceased individual: one feed might show a woman murdered in 1987, another might show a man who drowned just last year, a third might show someone from long ago whose name was never recorded. The Abyss chooses the faces, drawing from its vast archive of the dead, and it often seems to have a sense of humor about its selections. You have no control over which faces appear.

The rest of your body is captured normally, which means security footage shows a figure with your build and clothing but a stranger's face. Investigators who cross-reference multiple images find that no two cameras agree on who they're looking at. Abyssal Sight reveals your true face through the overlay, but Sense the Unseen just reveals it as magical.

The mesh must remain on your face for the duration. If removed, lost, or destroyed, the effect ends immediately. The mesh can be reused in future castings of this Ceremony after a thorough cleaning to remove any yucky bits that remain after you peel it out of your facial skin.

Ashen Relic¶

Requirements: the remains of a destroyed vampire (ash, bones or fragment, fangs, or anything else left behind after Final Death), salt, embalming herbs, your Vitae, 1 uninterrupted scene

You mix the salt and herbs with your Vitae, coat the remains thoroughly, and speak the Ceremony's solemn words of preservation. Gain +1 Hunger. The remains harden, darken, and stop decaying. What would have crumbled to nothing within hours is now in stasis indefinitely.

This Ceremony preserves one relic per cast: a fang, a finger bone, a vial of ash, a lock of hair, even a skull or femur. Whatever you can get, really.

The relic persists until physically destroyed or exposed to direct sunlight, at which point it disintegrates instantly and dramatically (possibly explosively). It retains enough of the destroyed vampire's essence that A Taste for Blood and Blood Walk can read it as though it were a blood sample. Abyssal Sight reveals a faint residual glow around the relic, visible as a dim echo of the vampire's aura at the moment of Final Death.

Some Kindred preserve relics out of sentiment. Others keep them for leverage, insurance, or identification purposes. The Hecata maintain magnificently macabre ossuaries of preserved remains, meticulously catalogued. You never know when somebody's gonna need an ancient phalange!

Glass Eye¶

Requirements: black tea, your Vitae, your own eyeball, 1 scene

You remove one of your own eyes (you choose which one). Take 1 Aggravated Harm. Steep the eye in black tea mixed with your Vitae and make a Hunger Check. The tea turns white, then freezing cold, then turns to mist all at once. When you fish the eye out, it's encased in a smooth, dark gel.

The Glass Eye can be stuck to or even thrown at any solid surface. The gel adheres on impact and hardens into a glassy shell, anchoring the eye in place until someone plucks it off and moves it elsewhere (hopefully you). Throwing it accurately may require a roll at the Storyteller's discretion. Once anchored, the eye is nearly invisible against dark surfaces and requires Abyssal Sight or Sense the Unseen to detect.

Whenever you close or cover your remaining eye, you can see through the removed one. The vision is clear, in full color, and has all your usual modes of vision, including Abyssal Sight. You cannot see through both eyes simultaneously; it's one or the other.

The eye remains functional for as long as you choose not to regrow the one you removed. Your missing eye heals during slumber like any Aggravated Harm, so maintaining the Glass Eye means deliberately re-injuring yourself each night before you sleep to prevent regeneration (1 Aggravated Harm, no roll, just commitment and a strong stomach). If you let the eye regrow, the Glass Eye desiccates and crumbles into a small pile of bitter black tea leaves.

Up to two (or three, if you're a Salubri) Glass Eyes can be maintained if you're willing to remove your peepers and navigate by other means. This is inadvisable for most vampires but surprisingly popular among certain Nosferatu. Please try not to stare. They'll notice you doing it, somehow.

Hunger of Ahriman¶

Requirements: one of your own fangs, a tool capable of extracting it (pliers, a strong grip, or some string and a doorknob), your Vitae, 1 scene performed immediately after waking

Upon rising from slumber, instead of brushing them, you extract one of your fangs. Take 1 Aggravated Harm. Drop the fang into your own shadow and maintain unbroken focus for the rest of the scene until the shadow absorbs it. Spit your Vitae onto the shadow where the fang disappeared, then make a Hunger Check. The blood sinks in and your shadow ripples ominously.

For the rest of the night, any of your Oblivion Powers that deal Harm can slake your Hunger instead. For every 3 Superficial or 1 Aggravated Harm your Oblivion Powers would inflict on a target, you may choose to forgo that Harm and instead slake 1 Hunger from the victim. Blood gained this way carries no Resonance; it tastes of nothing but nourishes you regardless. The effect lasts until you have 0 Hunger or until dawn (whichever comes first). Your fang regrows during slumber. Victims you drain this way appear desaturated and heavily bruised all over their body.

While this Ceremony is active, your shadow moves independently of your body when you're at 3 Hunger or higher, rippling with faint crimson spirals like blood dispersing in still water. This is visible to anyone who looks closely and unmistakable to anyone with Abyssal Sight.

Sin Seekers¶

Requirements: several projectiles (arrows, crossbow bolts, sling stones, or similar; no bullets), as much gold as you can get, a means to melt said gold, your Vitae, 1 scene

You melt the gold carefully in a small crucible, mix in your Vitae, and dip each projectile's tip into the molten mixture while speaking harsh words of banishment. Gain +1 Hunger. The gold hardens and dulls to a faint dark sheen that catches no light.

The Ceremony blesses a number of projectiles equal to three times your Blood Potency. When these projectiles strike any of the following targets, all resulting Harm is Aggravated: mindless undead, manifestations of Oblivion, infernal entities (including unmasked Baali), or vampires in Frenzy.

Against any other target, the projectiles function as normal ammunition with unusually pretty tips. The blessing persists until the projectile is used or until 2 nights have passed, whichever comes first. On unused projectiles that lose their blessing, the gold remains when the magic fades.

This Ceremony originates from religious and martial orders who considered archery an art of focus, patience, and virtue. These nights, it still works well on crossbow bolts and sling ammunition, but firearms are a different matter entirely. The gold melts off at firing temperatures, and bullets move too fast for the blessing to keep up... or something like that. Stick to medieval solutions for medieval problems.

Devil's Tooth¶

Requirements: fungal spores, a rotten log or equivalent decaying wood, a gallon of coagulated blood (any kind), a section of still-warm human skin, your Vitae, 3 consecutive nights

You coat a section of the log in coagulated blood, drape the skin over it, scatter the spores, and sprinkle your Vitae across the whole nasty little arrangement. Over the next 3 nights, you gain +1 Hunger per sprinkling as fungus germinates and grows across the viscera as it decomposes. On the third night, the log is covered in what looks exactly like Hydnellum peckii, white fungal bodies weeping deliciously viscous crimson syrup.

The fungus will continue to grow indefinitely, and produces enough syrup each week to slake up to 2 Hunger per Coterie member, consumed directly from the fungus (the ancient texts say to lick it; they dare you). The syrup tastes like strawberry jam's evil twin, but damn, it's nice to have something that isn't blood for a change.

The Catch: For each point of Hunger slaked from Devil's Tooth, you must make a Hunger Check upon waking the following night. This compounds quickly. Slake 2 Hunger this week, make 2 Hunger Checks when you rise. Breaking this dependency requires going cold turkey on the stuff for a full month, tracked by a 4-segment Syrup Cravings Clock (approximately one segment fills per week of denying yourself the syrup). The Storyteller may impose Forward or Ongoing penalties or other complications as-needed to represent these distracting cravings.

One Hunger point's worth of Devil's Tooth syrup is a valid substitute for the same amount of Vitae in any Power that requires it, making it a valuable reagent for practitioners who'd rather not bleed themselves dry every time they need ingredients.

The fungus lasts until exposed to direct sunlight or physically destroyed. Maintaining multiple plots is possible, but the Ceremony's difficulty increases steeply with each additional plot you cultivate. The Kyasid who developed this Ceremony considered it a breakthrough in sustainable vampiric agriculture. They died of malnutrition. Probably. Don't fact-check that.