••• Under the Skin of the World
A vampire is a creature of the real world, the solid world where hot blood flows from the veins of the kine into the Kindred’s mouths. There may be more ethereal places in the complex world, but if there’s no blood there, why bother? Some Kindred find a reason. There are secrets there to be ferreted out, escape routes to lay, Allies and dupes to be found and, most important to some, advantage to be had over other Kindred. A vampire with this power learns how to step sideways through the cracks between worlds, going from the physical world to the Shadow Realm or vice versa. At a locus, he focuses his will andforces himself through the Gauntlet.
While in the Shadow Realm, the vampire has to worry about all that place’s dangers. Spirits (and their greater cousins, the gods of the realm) are as great a threat to Kindred as they are to humans. Worse, there is no blood for a vampire to consume. The vampire still must spend a point of Vitae to continue functioning each day, and thus has some sense of time, but the urge to sleep at daybreak vanishes. Vampires who spend too long in the Shadow would do well to ask a spirit the time of day before returning to the physical world, assuming the locus they are using to travel is not sealed away from the sunlight.
Luckily, there are some advantages. The spirit world is called the Shadow because it is largely a realm of night. A vampire does not need to fear the sun in most places there. There are some — and one can happen upon them without warning — where the sun is strongly reflected in the Shadow Realm’s sky. These are sunburned deserts, some tropical regions and other places with a strong solar resonance. The sun’s symbolism is just as dangerous to the Kindred as the sun’s rays, and a vampire must be wary of them.
While in the Shadow Realm, the vampire has to worry about all that place’s dangers. Spirits (and their greater cousins, the gods of the realm) are as great a threat to Kindred as they are to humans. Worse, there is no blood for a vampire to consume. The vampire still must spend a point of Vitae to continue functioning each day, and thus has some sense of time, but the urge to sleep at daybreak vanishes. Vampires who spend too long in the Shadow would do well to ask a spirit the time of day before returning to the physical world, assuming the locus they are using to travel is not sealed away from the sunlight.
Luckily, there are some advantages. The spirit world is called the Shadow because it is largely a realm of night. A vampire does not need to fear the sun in most places there. There are some — and one can happen upon them without warning — where the sun is strongly reflected in the Shadow Realm’s sky. These are sunburned deserts, some tropical regions and other places with a strong solar resonance. The sun’s symbolism is just as dangerous to the Kindred as the sun’s rays, and a vampire must be wary of them.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The character fails to leave the world he is in. He may not attempt to step sideways again for one full day, which may mean trouble if the character is currently in the Shadow Realm.
Failure: The character fails to travel to the other world. He may try again the next turn, but it costs another point of Willpower.
Success: The character fades from the world he currently inhabits and passes through the Gauntlet. He appears within 30 seconds (about 10 turns) on the other side. Only powerful entities with the ability to affect creatures in neither world can attack or otherwise influence the character — to all others, he is out of reach.
Exceptional Success: The character transitions between worlds very quickly. He reappears on his next turn and may act as normal.
Failure: The character fails to travel to the other world. He may try again the next turn, but it costs another point of Willpower.
Success: The character fades from the world he currently inhabits and passes through the Gauntlet. He appears within 30 seconds (about 10 turns) on the other side. Only powerful entities with the ability to affect creatures in neither world can attack or otherwise influence the character — to all others, he is out of reach.
Exceptional Success: The character transitions between worlds very quickly. He reappears on his next turn and may act as normal.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Willpower
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Blood Tenebrous
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Instant
Level
3
Applied Restriction
Modifier | Situation
+2 | The locus is rated ••••+
+1 | The locus is rated •• or •••
+1 | The vampire stares into a reflective surface
–2 | It is daytime in the physical world
Also apply a penalty based on the strength of the local Gauntlet.
+2 | The locus is rated ••••+
+1 | The locus is rated •• or •••
+1 | The vampire stares into a reflective surface
–2 | It is daytime in the physical world
Also apply a penalty based on the strength of the local Gauntlet.