The sudden blast of heat from the gasoline-steeped
Cardinal Renate made Talley step back, shielding his eyes.
A very mortal gesture. Talley corrected himself to watch the
body burn. Tracking Renate, seizing her, and staking her
ultimately came down to which of them was better skilled in
the Lasombra arts. It had been a grueling task, but not an
unpleasant one.
As his ghoul started typing “It is done” into Talley’s phone,
the few lights in the alley blinked off one by one. The shadows
drew in, plunging the entire area into blackness. Talley cast
about, looking for the source of this sorcery. His eyes pierced the
unnatural gloom, but found nothing. A sound made him turn
toward the fire. The Cardinal’s body was gone, nothing left but
the flames dying down. A stump of the stake was resting in the
ash. “Maybe we’ll meet again sooner than planned, my dear.”
Talley dusted ash from his jacket as his accomplice at
the other end of the alley spoke up. “By order of the Friends of
the Night, you’re next to go, Sir Talley.” Shadows throughout
the alley rapidly converged on the Templar, snaking along the
walls and across the ground while his assailant maintained
their distance. Talley watched as the tendrils approached,
and considered for a second before nodding respectfully at his
murderous childe, and vaulted into the dark.
Nicknames: Obtenebration, Necromancy, Shadowboxing, Abyssal Mastery, Tenebrae Imperium, Mortis,
the Dark Arts, Black Magic, Entropy
Few Kindred outside Clan Lasombra and the
Hecata know the Discipline of Oblivion, and as far as
the Camarilla is concerned, this is a good thing. While
the Lasombra favor the Discipline’s raw power, the more
necromantically-inclined Hecata explore its ritual uses.
With this power, vampires wield the very stuff of shadows and unlife as weapons. Some call the power’s source
the Abyss, while other practitioners refer to it as the
Labyrinth. The one certainty is Oblivion channels the
darkest arts, from where the dead go to die.
The masters of Oblivion call upon the it to wreathe
themselves in night, enslave spectres, or throttle victims
with their own shadow. Each time they use it, wielders
run the risk of losing their soul and Humanity to the
something darker than death and twice as hungry.
Characteristics
The powers of Oblivion allow for the control
of forces or spirits of an extradimensional element,
originating from a plane of death and nothingness.
When manifest, this element projects into our reality
as two-dimensional shadows on the surface of three-dimensional objects, either by themselves or as extensions
of the wielder’s own shadow, snaking along the ground,
walls, objects, or people. This makes them impossible to
attack with most physical means as any blow will only
hit the surface on which they’re projected, rather than
the entities themselves.
Oblivion projections and spirits sustain damage
from fire and sunlight, counting as vampires with Blood
Potency 1 in this regard. They also take one level of
Aggravated damage per round from bright, direct lights,
and may also be damaged (Superficially or Aggravated) from blessed weapons and artifacts, depending on
the strength of the blessing and any True Faith of the
wielder.
Oblivion’s powers are ineffective in brightly lit areas. Daylight and rooms without shadows are particularly
prohibitive, preventing the Discipline’s successful function, though ultraviolet light and infrared light places no
restriction on the Discipline’s use. Moderately lit rooms
add one to the Difficulty of the Discipline roll involved.
The use of these powers takes a heavy toll on the
psyche of the user, and many powers cause Stains as the
numbing emptiness of Oblivion seeps into the spirit of
the wielder.
Type: Mental
Masquerade threat: Medium-High. The abyssal shadows rarely show up well on cameras but are obviously unnatural if witnessed in person.
Blood Resonance: Psychopaths and the emotionally detached. Blood empty of Resonance.
Note: When making a Rouse check for an Oblivion power, a result of “1” or “10” causes the Abyss to stare back.
The use has the choice of taking a Stain and activating the power normally; or "adverting their gaze from the Abyss" the power failing to work and they losing access to Oblivion for the rest of the scene. If the user’s Blood Potency allows for a re-roll on the Rouse check, they can pick either of the two results.
Level 1
SHADOW CLOAK
Subtly applying the influence of Oblivion on ambient shadows, the user masks their appearance or seems more sinister and threatening.
Cost: Free
System: The vampire gains a two-dice bonus to Stealth and Intimidation rolls.
Duration: Passive
OBLIVION’S SIGHT
The vampire closes their eyes. Upon opening them,
the irises of their eyes are black against the white of
their sclera, and they can now see clearly within pitch
blackness, and can perceive ghosts who are not actively
hiding their presence.
Cost: Free
System: On activation, the user’s eyes become
supernaturally attuned to darkness, allowing them to
ignore all low-light penalties, including those of supernatural origin. They still need their eyes to see and are
affected by blindfolds and the like as usual.
If a ghost is present and not attempting stealth or
using a power to conceal its presence, the spirit becomes
visible to the vampire using Oblivion’s Sight. In such
cases, ghosts appear as they wish to appear, whether as
humans bearing the wounds that caused their death, as
spectral monstrosities, or as perfectly immaculate corpses. Ghosts do not automatically realize when a vampire
spots them, but if they do, many react with fear or anger
rather than passivity.
The vampire can also identify objects or individuals that are of importance to ghosts: what necromancers call "fetters". Weaker fetters might be marked only by a strangely dark shadow, while stronger ones might have an aura or odor indicating their particular importance to the ghost (a beloved wedding ring always feeling warm to the touch, or a murder weapon marked by the scent of blood).
This power does not grant the ability to make physical contact with ghosts.
Duration: One scene
Level 2
SHADOW CAST
Oblivion is powerful but can often be foiled by
the simple lack of appropriate shadows from which to
summon it. This power draws upon the darkness within
the user to project a supernatural shadow from which to
manifest other powers, no matter the ambient lightning.
This shadow usually mimics the movement and shape
of the user but can sometimes grow distorted and even monstrous, resonating with the current temperament of
its owner.
Cost: One Rouse Check
System: Activating the power conjures a supernatural shadow from the vampire’s body. As long as the
power is active, the user casts this shadow, which cannot be removed except by direct sunlight.
The vampire can direct their shadow, elongating or distorting (but not detaching) it at will, though it can sometimes act on its own
accord, at the Storyteller’s discretion. If the shadow is distorted or made to appear as casted from no visible light source, anyone witnessing can notice something bring out of the ordinary with a Wits + Awareness roll (Difficulty equal to the vampire's dots in Oblivion).
For the purposes of other powers such as Shadow Perspective, the shadow can be lengthened to up to twice the practitioner’s Oblivion rating in yards/meters.
For anyone standing on, or whose shadow touches shadow casted by this discipline the Willpower damage from social conflict increases by 1, as they are filled with a terrifying touch of the Abyss.
Duration: One scene
ARMS OF AHRIMAN
The vampire summons abyssal appendages from unlit spots in the area, within line of sight. Local shadows distort as murky tentacles snake out from them and
converge on one or more hapless victims. Whether by
gliding up the body of the victim or engaging in a mystic
grapple with the victim’s own shadow, the arms are able
to hold them in place or smother them.
Cost: One Rouse Check
Dice Pools: Wits + Oblivion
System: The user summons shadow appendages with which they can perform bludgeoning and grappling attacks
against distant targets. Additional arms can be created by splitting the dice pool, enabling the user to engage multiple opponents. (see Vampire:
The Masquerade p. 125). The arms use the vampire’s Wits + Oblivion to attack and deal Superficial damage adding half the user’s Potence rating (round up) as a damage bonus (If any). Alternatively, they can grapple using Wits + Oblivion + half the user's Potence rating (if any, round up) as their dice pool.
The vampire needs to focus on controlling the arms while this power is active. They can move and talk and perform minor actions, but cannot do anything that requires their full attention. They can dodge attacks directed at them, but every action performed with the arms gives -1 to penalty to their dodge pool, as usual.
They can also be used to perform simple actions (such as opening doors and pulling levers) but nothing as advanced as typing or controlling vehicles. The arms have
a length (in yards/meters) equal to twice the Oblivion dots of the user. (Note that the arms, being shadows, move across surfaces, not air, and any distances must
take this into account.)
The arms have three health levels and use their owner’s Wits + Oblivion to avoid and endure attacks. As
two-dimensional shadows, they can only be harmed by
bright light, such as from a powerful torch or daylight.
The Wits + Oblivion roll allows the tendrils to attempt
to snake into the dark corners of a room or overpower
the light for a turn, taking a health level of damage but
continuing the assault.
As the shadow tendrils constrict and assault victims
via magical means, it takes an act of will to escape them.
A constricted victim must roll Resolve + Composure and
achieve more successes than the attacker to simply pass
through the tendrils incurring no harm. This action does
not dissipate the Arms of Ahriman, which can attack
again on a subsequent turn if the wielder wishes it and
the target is still within reach.
Duration: One scene or until ended or destroyed.
Level 3
SHADOW PERSPECTIVE
The vampire can project their senses into any
shadow within line of sight, seeing and hearing as if they
were hiding within any part of it. This includes their
own shadow, as manipulated by Shadow Cast.
Cost: One Rouse Check
System: Following a Rouse Check, the presence of the vampire in the shadow is undetectable by anything
but supernatural means. (Sense the Unseen, for example). While this power is active the vampire perceives
both their surroundings as well as what can be gleaned from the Shadow Perspective, as if looking through a
screen or hole.
Duration: Up to one scene
TOUCH OF OBLIVION
The vampire using Touch of Oblivion channels the power through their vitae. When they make physical
contact with a victim, the annihilating element runs through the vampire and into their prey like an electric
current, except the effect is to physically wither the target area.
Effective on any part of the body, the touch shrinks and shortens muscles, snaps tendons, and makes bones
brittle, effectively aging the affected part catastrophically. Its main use is in withering a limb, choking a throat,
or blinding a pair of eyes.
Cost: One Rouse Check
System: Following a Rouse Check, the vampire grips their victim (requiring a Strength + Brawl roll
if the victim is trying to avoid the vampire), with the victim suffering two levels of Aggravated damage as well
as a crippling injury.
If this injury is inflicted to an arm or leg, the targeted limb is rendered crippled and will in the case of
mortals require lengthy rehabilitation, while vampires can mend the damage as regular Aggravated damage.
Likewise, Touch of Oblivion may render a target mute, deaf, or blind. See crippling injuries in Vampire: The
Masquerade for details on the mechanical effects of crippled limbs.
Duration: One turn
Level 4
STYGIAN SHROUD
Darkness spews out of a nearby shadow as the vampire blankets the area around them in gloom equivalent to a moonless night, while sounds are muffled and
indistinct. Anyone viewing the effect from without see it as a shadow expanding over every surface, including
the bodies of any victims, in the area. Those apart from the invoker caught in the effects find themselves struggling to see and hear their surroundings, and mortals are
drained of their very life by the suffocating power.
Cost: One Rouse Check.
System: The user makes a Rouse Check and spends
a turn concentrating, spreading the shadow over the
desired surfaces. The effect covers a circular area with a
radius equal to twice the user’s Oblivion rating in yards/
meters. The area is centered on the user or a spot in their
line of sight.
Anyone caught in the Stygian Shroud receives a three-dice penalty to all rolls, unless they possess
the ability to see through supernatural darkness. Any mortals caught in the Stygian Shroud suffer one level of
Superficial damage for every turn they remain within it, due to the power’s suffocating effects.
Duration: One scene
Umbrous Clutch
The user creates a temporary gate out of the victim’s own shadow, causing them to fall through Oblivion and into the waiting arms of the user. The victim will appear to fall into their own shadow, only to reappear falling out of the one cast by the user. The brief journey through the end of everything is usually enough to traumatize the victim into submission, though one must be prepared if the quarry responds violently in fear.
Cost: One Rouse Check, Gain one Stain
Dice pool: Wits + Oblivion vs. Dexterity + Wits
System: In order to use this power, the vampire needs clear sight of both the victim and their shadow. The vampire’s player or Storyteller then rolls Wits + Oblivion vs. Dexterity + Wits to maneuver the victim’s shadow beneath them, creating a supernatural rift into which they appear to fall. At the Storyteller’s discretion, a stationary victim not paying attention can be automatically caught.
A victim caught by this power will then reappear, falling out of the shadow cast by the user. (As with similar powers, the power does not work if the caster is without a shadow.) An unprepared mortal victim will be terrified and likely catatonic, while a vampire must test for fury or fear frenzy, Storyteller’s choice, at Difficulty 4.
Duration: Instant
Level 5
SHADOW STEP
Stepping into a nearby shadow, the user disappears only to reappear from the same or another shadow further away. Whether they enter the Labyrinth or merely pass along its surface is a source of conjecture among many Lasombra and Hecata, but the spiritual damage with which they can emerge implies they are touching something foul as they use this power.
Cost: One Rouse Check
System: The vampire must enter a shadow large enough to cover them, and emerge from another one
turn later. The target shadow must be within sight, though it can be perceived by mystical means, such as
Shadow Perspective, if desired.
It is possible to bring another through the passage, but unless that person is willing, they must be held by
a successful grapple. If a Stain is incurred as a result of using this power, the passenger also receives one.
Duration: One turn
TENEBROUS AVATAR
The vampire gains the ability to change their very substance into that of a shadow, becoming a two-dimensional patch of darkness able to slither over any surface
and through miniscule gaps and cracks. While in this form the vampire is only harmed by fire and sunlight.
Cost: Two Rouse Checks.
System: The transformation takes one turn, during
which the vampire is unable to do anything else. Once
the transformation is complete the vampire can move at
walking pace across the ground or along walls, hampered
only by hermetically sealed barriers.
Vampires using Tenebrous Avatar can envelop
victims, causing the victim to reduce all their dice pools
by three and suffocating mortals as with Stygian Shroud,
above. If surrounding a mortal, the vampire can feed
from them without penetrating the skin with fangs.
Practitioners of this power take no damage from physical sources but can be harmed by fire and sunlight
as normal. Mental Disciplines can still be used at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Duration: One scene or until ended
