Gilded Cage
The grandly titled Gilded Cage is a form of ritual magic known only to the Architects of the Monolith. Born of a combination of Theban Sorcery, Ordo Dracul rituals and sacred geometry, the art form focuses on controlling aspects of architecture and urban development to gain mystical power over a city. Most of the rituals have a Victorian Masonic aspect, with implements and precise performance required for their use.
To date, no non-Architect has ever learned the Gilded Cage, as it is one of the bloodline’s most closely guarded secrets. Very few vampires know of its existence as anything other than an odd power, often assuming it a path of The Coils of the Dragon. Teaching an outsider not only gives away power, it gives away secrets that could lead to the bloodline’s undoing. Nearly as importantly, elders use their knowledge of line rituals to keep younger members under their thumb. The only way to learn a new ritual is to be taught it by an elder who has mastered it, so progenitors use the careful doling out of power as a potent method of control.
To date, no non-Architect has ever learned the Gilded Cage, as it is one of the bloodline’s most closely guarded secrets. Very few vampires know of its existence as anything other than an odd power, often assuming it a path of The Coils of the Dragon. Teaching an outsider not only gives away power, it gives away secrets that could lead to the bloodline’s undoing. Nearly as importantly, elders use their knowledge of line rituals to keep younger members under their thumb. The only way to learn a new ritual is to be taught it by an elder who has mastered it, so progenitors use the careful doling out of power as a potent method of control.
History
Like Crúac and Theban Sorcery, Gilded Cage does not have a linear progression as other Disciplines do. A character’s mastery (dots) dictates the highest level of rituals that he may learn. Rituals are bought with experience points. For example, a character with Gilded Cage 2 can know an unlimited number of one-dot and two-dot rituals (provided the experience points are paid to learn each), but he may not learn any three-dot rituals until his Gilded Cage trait increases to 3. Each time a character acquires a dot in Gilded Cage (including at character creation), he gains a ritual of that level at no additional cost.
Execution
Dramatic Failure: The ritual fails spectacularly, either inflicting some aspect of itself as a detrimental effect upon the caster or causing a reversed effect.
Failure: No successes are accumulated toward the required total.
Success: The number of successes rolled is accumulated toward the total required. Once that total is met, the ritual takes place as described. Exceptional Success: Five or more successes are gathered than needed to perform the ritual. The effect takes place as described. In many cases extra successes are their own reward, conferring additional duration or capacity.
Failure: No successes are accumulated toward the required total.
Success: The number of successes rolled is accumulated toward the total required. Once that total is met, the ritual takes place as described. Exceptional Success: Five or more successes are gathered than needed to perform the ritual. The effect takes place as described. In many cases extra successes are their own reward, conferring additional duration or capacity.
Components and tools
Cost: Using Gilded Cage always costs one Willpower point. The whole Discipline is based on the idea of imposing one’s will on the world through mystical-scientific Research. Willpower spent in this manner does not add three dice to activation rolls. Also, because only one Willpower point may ever be spent in a turn, another cannot be spent to augment a Gilded Cage roll unless specified otherwise.
Furthermore, Gilded Cage rituals require that specific items be used or that a caster be in a certain place in order to activate a power. Items, known as Means, are foci that align the will with the forces channeled. Places, known as Ways, are sites where a pre-existing tendency toward certain phenomena already exists. Any attempt to invoke a Gilded Cage ritual without proper Ways and Means fails automatically. Unlike other forms of vampiric sorcery, however, the Ways and Means used to activate Gilded Cage rituals are not consumed. They can be reused unless specifically noted otherwise. This fact has led some to suggest that Ways and Means are simply props to undead will and not actually mystical tools, but such conjecture defies the Carpenter’s teachings….
Furthermore, Gilded Cage rituals require that specific items be used or that a caster be in a certain place in order to activate a power. Items, known as Means, are foci that align the will with the forces channeled. Places, known as Ways, are sites where a pre-existing tendency toward certain phenomena already exists. Any attempt to invoke a Gilded Cage ritual without proper Ways and Means fails automatically. Unlike other forms of vampiric sorcery, however, the Ways and Means used to activate Gilded Cage rituals are not consumed. They can be reused unless specifically noted otherwise. This fact has led some to suggest that Ways and Means are simply props to undead will and not actually mystical tools, but such conjecture defies the Carpenter’s teachings….
Related Ethnicities
Action: Extended. The number of successes required to activate a ritual is equal to the level of the ritual (so a three-dot rite requires three successes to enact). Each roll represents one turn of casting. Note that each point of damage suffered in a turn is a penalty to the next casting roll made for the character.
If a character fails to complete a ritual in time (such as by being sent into Torpor before accumulating enough successes) or he decides to cancel the performance before garnering enough successes, the effect simply fails. Spent Willpower is not recovered.
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier | Situation
+2 | Power is used in the downtown/center of a major city
+2 | Power applies to a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie
+1 | Power is used in the downtown/center of a minor city
— | The character is unaffected by threats or distractions
— | Power is used in a moderately sized urban environment
–1 | Power is used in the downtown/center of a town
–1 | Per Health point lost to an attack
–1 to –3 | The character is rushed or distracted, such as by invoking a ritual in combat or while trapped in a burning building. This penalty is cumulative with multiple distractions (such as by casting a ritual in combat during a hurricane). Successes gained on a Meditation roll for the night (see p. 51 of the) offset interruption penalties on a one-for-one basis.
–2 | Power is used in a small urban area
–3 | Power is used on the outskirts of civilization