• Clarity of Intention
It is impolite to visit someone without first giving notice of your intentions. How much more, then, should etiquette require of a visitation with the intention to destroy someone? The most basic power of Courtoisie recognizes this need for protocol, and gives the Kindred a bonus if he announces his violent intentions in advance.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The vampire takes a –3 penalty to his next action, whatever he decides to do. He has given his opponent an understanding of his plans, and she can now counter them extremely effectively.
Failure: The power fails to take effect and the vampire gets no assistance with his next action.
Success: The vampire successfully enhances his precision with poise and forthright dignity. For every success scored on the activation roll, the Spina can reduce the severity of penalties on his next attack by one. This penalty can be from any source. The most obvious possibilities are wound penalties that the Kindred is suffering, his opponent’s Defense and penalties for targeting particularly small areas (such as the heart), but this power can negate any penalty, from any source.
Clarity of Intention can never grant a bonus. If the Spina is facing a –4 penalty due to wounds and weather, and he rolls six successes on his activation roll, he gets to roll his full dice pool on his next attack but does not get a +2 bonus from the “spill-over” successes. This power never allows a character to roll more dice than his dice pool otherwise calls for.
This power can only be applied to the next attack made by the Spina, and that attack must be made within a number of turns equal to the vampire’s dots in Courtoisie.
Exceptional Success: An exceptional success yields no special benefit beyond being able to negate at least five points of penalties.
Failure: The power fails to take effect and the vampire gets no assistance with his next action.
Success: The vampire successfully enhances his precision with poise and forthright dignity. For every success scored on the activation roll, the Spina can reduce the severity of penalties on his next attack by one. This penalty can be from any source. The most obvious possibilities are wound penalties that the Kindred is suffering, his opponent’s Defense and penalties for targeting particularly small areas (such as the heart), but this power can negate any penalty, from any source.
Clarity of Intention can never grant a bonus. If the Spina is facing a –4 penalty due to wounds and weather, and he rolls six successes on his activation roll, he gets to roll his full dice pool on his next attack but does not get a +2 bonus from the “spill-over” successes. This power never allows a character to roll more dice than his dice pool otherwise calls for.
This power can only be applied to the next attack made by the Spina, and that attack must be made within a number of turns equal to the vampire’s dots in Courtoisie.
Exceptional Success: An exceptional success yields no special benefit beyond being able to negate at least five points of penalties.
Side/Secondary Effects
Announcing an intention in concert with this power requires an action, which means that the Spina gets no attack in the activation round, while he tells his opponent what he plans to do next. The intention must be an attack of some sort, and must be described accurately and in some detail. “I’m going to attack you with my sword,” is not enough, but “I’m going to cut you open from shoulder to hip,” is. The attack need not be intended to deal damage: “I’m going to cut those gauche buttons right off your jacket,” is an acceptable declaration of intent.
The attacking Kindred makes an activation roll for this power and then, on a subsequent action, carries out the announced action. He must attempt to do exactly what he announced he was going to do or he loses the bonus from using this power. There is no penalty beyond the loss of this bonus, however.
The attacking Kindred makes an activation roll for this power and then, on a subsequent action, carries out the announced action. He must attempt to do exactly what he announced he was going to do or he loses the bonus from using this power. There is no penalty beyond the loss of this bonus, however.
Material Components
Cost: —
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Courtoisie
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Instant
Level
1