•• Doomed To Fail
People caught in deep Depression find it difficult to act. Every choice or action seems futile. What’s the point of trying anything when you’re doomed to disappointment? As a character develops his skill at Despond, he can set the whisper of Self-Doubt nagging constantly. The target suffers Anxiety, doubt and pessimism about her ability to succeed at anything, in a self-fulfi lling prophecy of failure.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The subject does not feel depressed, suffers no penalty and is immune to the character’s Despond until the next sunset.
Failure: The character loses or ties the contested roll. The subject does not feel depressed and suffers no penalty.
Success: The character wins the contested roll. As long as the character concentrates on maintaining this power, his victim suffers a –2 penalty to all actions.
Exceptional Success: The character wins the contested roll by five or more successes. In this case (and only in this case), the victim suffers the power’s effect for the rest of the scene, without any need for the character to concentrate. The Suicide King can engage in combat, leave the scene or otherwise engage in whatever activity he wants.
Failure: The character loses or ties the contested roll. The subject does not feel depressed and suffers no penalty.
Success: The character wins the contested roll. As long as the character concentrates on maintaining this power, his victim suffers a –2 penalty to all actions.
Exceptional Success: The character wins the contested roll by five or more successes. In this case (and only in this case), the victim suffers the power’s effect for the rest of the scene, without any need for the character to concentrate. The Suicide King can engage in combat, leave the scene or otherwise engage in whatever activity he wants.
Side/Secondary Effects
Doomed To Fail works on line of sight. If the attacking character cannot see his target any longer, the power’s effect stops (unless the attacker’s player rolled an exceptional success). While concentrating to maintain the effect, a character cannot engage in any other activity that challenges his mind or body. He can walk across the street but not climb a wall, make small talk but not craft a witty bon mot or remember someone’s name but not remember his business dealings for the last year. In rules terms, any action that would demand a dice roll breaks the character’s grip on his target’s mind.
If any character believes she is under this power’s infl uence, her player can spend a Vitae to attempt a refl exive Composure + Blood Potency roll (whichever Attribute is higher). If the roll fails, the character remains affected by Despond and she spent the Vitae for nothing. If the roll succeeds, she can throw off Despond’s effects for a turn. The target can use that turn to run away, attack the character or cause a ruckus that prevents the character from concentrating any longer. If she cannot escape the character or prevent her from concentrating, Doomed to Fail resumes its full effect a turn later. If the roll is an exceptional success, Doomed To Fail ends immediately and the character is immune to further uses of this power for the remainder of the scene, though the Child of Judas may invoke it again in the future.
If any character believes she is under this power’s infl uence, her player can spend a Vitae to attempt a refl exive Composure + Blood Potency roll (whichever Attribute is higher). If the roll fails, the character remains affected by Despond and she spent the Vitae for nothing. If the roll succeeds, she can throw off Despond’s effects for a turn. The target can use that turn to run away, attack the character or cause a ruckus that prevents the character from concentrating any longer. If she cannot escape the character or prevent her from concentrating, Doomed to Fail resumes its full effect a turn later. If the roll is an exceptional success, Doomed To Fail ends immediately and the character is immune to further uses of this power for the remainder of the scene, though the Child of Judas may invoke it again in the future.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Vitae
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Despond versus subject’s Composure + Blood Potency versus subject’s Composure + Blood Potency
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Contested; resistance is reflexive.
Level
2