••••• Animus
This Discipline turns its target’s loyalties and affections inside out, transforming friendship into loathing, respect into disgust, trust into suspicion, loyalty into resentment and love into hate. Animus undermines every feeling that ties an individual into his social environment, and poisons his mind against anyone toward whom he was previously on amicable terms, transforming even a well-connected, law-abiding individual into a nearly sociopathic rebel and loner.
This power turns brother against brother, husband against wife, parents against children and childe against sire. This is the power that earns the Ravager bloodline its infamous and terrible reputation (where it has any reputation at all). Animus is rare enough that only old or experienced Kindred are likely to have heard tales of it.
This power makes it very easy for Kallisti to extract mortals from their lives and goes a long way to explaining strange disappearances. (“She’s been acting hateful to us all week, and finally on Friday she just left, and thank God for that. I couldn’t have taken any more.”). Some Kallisti have been known to turn this power to ends that are, in the larger picture, constructive — freeing an individual from an abusive relationship, for example.
This power turns brother against brother, husband against wife, parents against children and childe against sire. This is the power that earns the Ravager bloodline its infamous and terrible reputation (where it has any reputation at all). Animus is rare enough that only old or experienced Kindred are likely to have heard tales of it.
This power makes it very easy for Kallisti to extract mortals from their lives and goes a long way to explaining strange disappearances. (“She’s been acting hateful to us all week, and finally on Friday she just left, and thank God for that. I couldn’t have taken any more.”). Some Kallisti have been known to turn this power to ends that are, in the larger picture, constructive — freeing an individual from an abusive relationship, for example.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The Kallisti utterly fails to twist the subject’s loyalties. The subject senses keenly exactly what the character just tried to do, and is overwhelmed with a sense of rage at the user that could become a fullfledged frenzy, if the subject is a vampire.
Failure: The Kallisti makes no progress in turning his subject’s loyalties.
Success: The character slowly bends the subject’s heart through an insidious dialogue.
Exceptional Success: The Kallisti rapidly twists the subject’s heart.
Failure: The Kallisti makes no progress in turning his subject’s loyalties.
Success: The character slowly bends the subject’s heart through an insidious dialogue.
Exceptional Success: The Kallisti rapidly twists the subject’s heart.
Side/Secondary Effects
After several hours of talking and listening, a successful Kallisti leads his subject to a terrible epiphany. The subject’s every loyalty turns inside out. The more love that existed, the more powerful the hatred that takes its place. This effect works on all bonds, including the Vinculum, which this power transforms into a malevolent animosity. This power usually affects all of the subject’s loyalties or emotional bonds, but the Ravager may be more tactical in his approach and sever some bonds while leaving others intact.
As with Fugue, this affects the subject’s feelings toward anything he’s addicted to, transforming that addiction into a fiery loathing for (and possibly a zealous crusade against) the object of his former addiction. Any ghoul affected by this power is almost certain to become a threat to his regnant, and a dangerously knowledgeable one at that.
When used on an individual under the effects of any Majesty power, this power turns the Majesty effect inside out, replacing adoration with contempt and repulsion: Awe and Entrancement become dislike and disdain, and Revelation is brought to a complete halt as the target suddenly waxes hateful toward the Kindred using that power. This power has been seen to have two different affects on Kindred affected by the Summon Discipline. It either makes the individual flee the Kindred doing the Summoning, or it fans flames of resentment in the Summoned vampire into a white hot rage, turning him into something of a search and destroy weapon targeting the Summoning vampire. Used on a Kindred under the effects of Sovereignty, Animus sends the target directly into an anger frenzy directed at the Kindred using that Majesty power (a mortal would simply lose his temper).
Because of his new, hateful attitude toward everyone who was once loyal to him, a Kindred afflicted with Animus loses one dot from one appropriate Social Merit each night that he’s afflicted by this power: Contacts, Mentor, Allies, Retainer and Herd all find themselves alienated by their former associate. The subject’s Status also inevitably suffers as the subject alienates those his Status depends on, but the speed at which it dwindles is left to the Storyteller’s discretion and the nature of the story.
Dots of these Merits may be purchased again with experience points once the character is freed from the effects of Animus, but if the character wants to re-acquire the same Contacts, Mentor, Allies, Retainer and Herd members, he may have to make amends with them first. Entirely new Contacts, Allies, Retainers, Herd members or a new Mentor can be acquired at the standard cost.
A person twisted by Animus suffers a –5 penalty on all dice pools to support old friends or interact positively with old allies. This penalty drops by one every two nights, until it is finally gone. Then the subject may begin the difficult process of rebuilding her life — unless she’s affected by a Kallisti again.
As with Fugue, this affects the subject’s feelings toward anything he’s addicted to, transforming that addiction into a fiery loathing for (and possibly a zealous crusade against) the object of his former addiction. Any ghoul affected by this power is almost certain to become a threat to his regnant, and a dangerously knowledgeable one at that.
When used on an individual under the effects of any Majesty power, this power turns the Majesty effect inside out, replacing adoration with contempt and repulsion: Awe and Entrancement become dislike and disdain, and Revelation is brought to a complete halt as the target suddenly waxes hateful toward the Kindred using that power. This power has been seen to have two different affects on Kindred affected by the Summon Discipline. It either makes the individual flee the Kindred doing the Summoning, or it fans flames of resentment in the Summoned vampire into a white hot rage, turning him into something of a search and destroy weapon targeting the Summoning vampire. Used on a Kindred under the effects of Sovereignty, Animus sends the target directly into an anger frenzy directed at the Kindred using that Majesty power (a mortal would simply lose his temper).
Because of his new, hateful attitude toward everyone who was once loyal to him, a Kindred afflicted with Animus loses one dot from one appropriate Social Merit each night that he’s afflicted by this power: Contacts, Mentor, Allies, Retainer and Herd all find themselves alienated by their former associate. The subject’s Status also inevitably suffers as the subject alienates those his Status depends on, but the speed at which it dwindles is left to the Storyteller’s discretion and the nature of the story.
Dots of these Merits may be purchased again with experience points once the character is freed from the effects of Animus, but if the character wants to re-acquire the same Contacts, Mentor, Allies, Retainer and Herd members, he may have to make amends with them first. Entirely new Contacts, Allies, Retainers, Herd members or a new Mentor can be acquired at the standard cost.
A person twisted by Animus suffers a –5 penalty on all dice pools to support old friends or interact positively with old allies. This penalty drops by one every two nights, until it is finally gone. Then the subject may begin the difficult process of rebuilding her life — unless she’s affected by a Kallisti again.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Vitae plus 1 Willpower
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Socialize + Perfidy – subject’s Resolve
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Extended. The user must accrue a number of successes equal to twice the subject’s Willpower. Each roll represents about 20 to 30 minutes of conversation.
Level
5
Applied Restriction
The Ravager can use this power on anyone he can make eye contact with, or on himself. To activate this power, the Ravager and his subject must be able to communicate without severe distractions such as fighting, pounding music or interruptions. Most subjects think they’re doing all the talking, when in fact the Ravagers are leading their conversations down dark and twisted paths.
Modifier | Situation
+3 | The Ravager is using this on himself.
+2 | The power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 162).
–2 | The subject’s Morality is 7 or 8.
–4 | The subject’s Morality is 9 or 10.
Modifier | Situation
+3 | The Ravager is using this on himself.
+2 | The power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 162).
–2 | The subject’s Morality is 7 or 8.
–4 | The subject’s Morality is 9 or 10.