Hidden Agenda
Dominate ••, Obfuscate ••••
The Dominate Discipline is normally anything but subtle, and requires complete attention in order to meddle with the mind of but a single person or Kindred. Vampires skilled in this Devotion are able to partially overcome these obstacles. Disguised as part of a speech or ongoing conversation, this power’s user may reach the minds of several subjects at once. Most victims are unaware of the commands given to them, as the orders are intertwined in the speech they believe they are simply listening to.
Effect
With this power, a vampire is able to Mesmerize (Vampire: The Requiem, p. 125) a group of people, and he disguises his effort as part of a conversation or speech being delivered. He must engage the group of people in a conversation or have all of their attention. Direct eye contact is not needed, but each of the listeners must be able to see and hear the speaker. Acceptable settings include speaking on stage, a group of individuals chatting at the same table, a circle of socialites gossiping at a party, or a car full of passengers, among other similar possibilities. As soon as he activates this power, the vampire’s audience is “locked in” and continues to pay attention until the power’s results are resolved or they are forcefully removed from the scene. The potential victims actively resist removal from the speech or conversation, but if physically removed, they are unaffected by the Devotion.
When activating the power, the vampire must decide exactly who he wants to affect. Each of the targets receives exactly the same commands and conditions. The player must then accumulate a number of successes equal to the number of targets the character wants to Mesmerize. Each turn, including the first, the player must spend one Vitae as he works toward this total. During this time, the vampire appears to continue his speech or normally participate in the conversation. Listeners hear the vampire elaborating on points, restating opinions, or uttering some other expected phrases. The imperfect applications of Obfuscate come into play, as none of the listeners remember exactly the same words or replies from the vampire. Only after the power is resolved can the vampire stop talking or remove himself from the situation. If the vampire is interrupted or prematurely ends his speech before the entire series of the extended rolls has been made, the entire effect fails and nobody is affected.
When activating the power, the vampire must decide exactly who he wants to affect. Each of the targets receives exactly the same commands and conditions. The player must then accumulate a number of successes equal to the number of targets the character wants to Mesmerize. Each turn, including the first, the player must spend one Vitae as he works toward this total. During this time, the vampire appears to continue his speech or normally participate in the conversation. Listeners hear the vampire elaborating on points, restating opinions, or uttering some other expected phrases. The imperfect applications of Obfuscate come into play, as none of the listeners remember exactly the same words or replies from the vampire. Only after the power is resolved can the vampire stop talking or remove himself from the situation. If the vampire is interrupted or prematurely ends his speech before the entire series of the extended rolls has been made, the entire effect fails and nobody is affected.
Side/Secondary Effects
Dramatic Failure: The vampire using this power believes that the effect is taking hold and continues to issue his Mesmerisms to each target with everyone around him fully aware of what he is telling those targets.
Failure: The player accumulates no successes toward the total. If the vampire does not score enough successes before he must stop expending Vitae, or he is interrupted by an outside source, the Devotion fails. Being physically restrained from speaking or removed from the sight of his potential targets would also cause this power to fail, as would an amount of noise capable of completely drowning out his voice. The crowd around him does not see through his ruse, but he has not Mesmerized any of his desired targets.
Success: The player makes progress toward the total. If the player accumulates the required successes (one per target), each is affected as per the normal rules and limitations of Mesmerize. All targets receive the exact same commands, conditions, and triggers.
Exceptional Success: The player succeeds at the final roll of the extended action with five successes more than are required. The victims not only obey, but they also rationalize what they have done as their own decisions until and unless someone questions them about their actions in depth.
Failure: The player accumulates no successes toward the total. If the vampire does not score enough successes before he must stop expending Vitae, or he is interrupted by an outside source, the Devotion fails. Being physically restrained from speaking or removed from the sight of his potential targets would also cause this power to fail, as would an amount of noise capable of completely drowning out his voice. The crowd around him does not see through his ruse, but he has not Mesmerized any of his desired targets.
Success: The player makes progress toward the total. If the player accumulates the required successes (one per target), each is affected as per the normal rules and limitations of Mesmerize. All targets receive the exact same commands, conditions, and triggers.
Exceptional Success: The player succeeds at the final roll of the extended action with five successes more than are required. The victims not only obey, but they also rationalize what they have done as their own decisions until and unless someone questions them about their actions in depth.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Willpower + 1 Vitae per turn
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Wits + Subterfuge + Dominate – highest Resolve of all targets
Effect Casting Time
Extended
Applied Restriction
Should a vampire with Auspex, who has activated Heightened Senses, observe this power’s use, the two vampires are subject to the “Clash of Wills” (Vampire: The Requiem, p. 119). Piercing the deception allows that vampire to be immune to this application of Hidden Agenda.
Modifier | Situation
-3 | User of this power is engaged in a conversation, as opposed to being the only speaker in the gathering with the potential targets.
Modifier | Situation
-3 | User of this power is engaged in a conversation, as opposed to being the only speaker in the gathering with the potential targets.
For every dot of Blood Potency over five that a Kindred possesses, however, he subtracts three points from the experience cost of the Devotion. Therefore, a vampire of Blood Potency 8 who wishes to learn Fooling the Sleeping Beast would pay 12 experience points, while a vampire with Blood Potency 6 would pay 18, and a character with Blood Potency 1 would pay the full, listed cost.