••••• Siamese Twin
Named for the famous 19th century twins Chang and Eng, this power enables a Freak to fuse the fl esh and bone on one area of his body with the fl esh and bone on another part, or on another Kindred! The Freak could join his legs into one large, mermaid-like “tail,” he could cause his arms to seem to melt into his torso, and he could even temporarily connect his body to another vampire’s, even if that Kindred were an unwilling participant. Obviously, this latter usage can lead to some very horrific, not to mention dangerous, situations. However, when used with another willing Freak, The Carnival is able to put on a Show that cannot be matched.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The Freak’s attempt at fusion goes horribly awry. He accidentally slips up and succeeds in fusing himself in a way that was not only unintentional, but is also extremely crippling and possibly quite painful. The Storyteller should determine whether the nature of the erroneous fusion is painful (–3 to all physical dice pools and –2 to all other dice pools except degeneration rolls, though a successful use of Geek Trick, above, will abate this for a time) or crippling (reduce the character’s Speed to 0) and apply penalties as befi ts the result. The consequences of this failure last the duration of the scene.
Failure: No effect.
Success: The Freak achieves his goal. If the intent was to fuse one part of his own body to another part of his own body, the fusion succeeds without further complication. This alteration remains for the duration of the scene or until the Freak chooses to end it, whichever comes first.
If the Freak had aimed to fuse part of his body to another vampire, the fusion succeeds as desired, but lasts only so long as the target desires: should the twin wish to break the connection, that character’s player must succeed at a Stamina + Composure roll that results in more successes than the Freak achieved in making her Siamese Twin roll. No matter what the case, the connection automatically breaks at the end of the scene.
Exceptional Success: The fusion now lasts until the Freak wishes to end it. In the case of an unwilling twin, that character suffers a –2 penalty to the Stamina + Composure to break the connection between the two.
Failure: No effect.
Success: The Freak achieves his goal. If the intent was to fuse one part of his own body to another part of his own body, the fusion succeeds without further complication. This alteration remains for the duration of the scene or until the Freak chooses to end it, whichever comes first.
If the Freak had aimed to fuse part of his body to another vampire, the fusion succeeds as desired, but lasts only so long as the target desires: should the twin wish to break the connection, that character’s player must succeed at a Stamina + Composure roll that results in more successes than the Freak achieved in making her Siamese Twin roll. No matter what the case, the connection automatically breaks at the end of the scene.
Exceptional Success: The fusion now lasts until the Freak wishes to end it. In the case of an unwilling twin, that character suffers a –2 penalty to the Stamina + Composure to break the connection between the two.
Side/Secondary Effects
Siamese Twin has benefits that go far beyond a mere physical connection. When connected to the other vampire, both twins are able to communicate by thought alone. In addition to this sharing of the minds, both twins have access to the 10 common Disciplines (see pp. 115–141 of Vampire: The Requiem) of the other for the duration of their union. By spending one Vitae per Discipline they wish to access (plus any costs associated with the Discipline itself), a twin may use that Discipline as if it were his own for the remainder of the scene or until the vampires are no longer Siamese Twins, whichever comes first.
While joined, the Freak who initiated the connection may also steal one Vitae from his twin each turn as an instant action by succeeding at a Stamina + Composure roll. This does not count toward the creation or enhancement of a Vinculum. The other twin is unable to tap into the Freak’s own supply of Vitae. Should either vampire suffer enough damage to be destroyed while joined, the surviving twin will suffer a number of points of aggravated damage equal to the dead vampire’s Blood Potency, and the connection is immediately broken.
Obviously, two vampires frenzying while joined has dire circumstances for both. In fact, at any time while joined, if either twin enters a frenzy, he will direct his bloodlust at his twin before turning it on anyone else.
While joined, the Freak who initiated the connection may also steal one Vitae from his twin each turn as an instant action by succeeding at a Stamina + Composure roll. This does not count toward the creation or enhancement of a Vinculum. The other twin is unable to tap into the Freak’s own supply of Vitae. Should either vampire suffer enough damage to be destroyed while joined, the surviving twin will suffer a number of points of aggravated damage equal to the dead vampire’s Blood Potency, and the connection is immediately broken.
Obviously, two vampires frenzying while joined has dire circumstances for both. In fact, at any time while joined, if either twin enters a frenzy, he will direct his bloodlust at his twin before turning it on anyone else.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Vitae
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Medicine + The Show
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Instant. If the target is an unwilling Kindred, the action is contested, with a Dexterity + Stamina roll made for the target to avoid being made a “Siamese Twin.”
Level
5