Hive Induction
Animalism •••••, Dominate ••••
The Melissidae are known among the Kindred for the ability to imbue Conditioned thralls with their own hive-mind. Like insects, Melissid slaves know what the others know, think what the others think and work as more than a simple team. This power’s effects go far beyond simple Conditioning, the subjects of the power becoming unable to function as individual human beings. Individuals’ personalities submit to a group-mind under the control of their Kindred queen.
Effect
The character must confine in a small area (a locked room, for example) three thralls under the effects of Conditioning. (The character needs already to have accumulated nine successes on Conditioning each victim.) Next, the character must spend what could be several nights imbuing her victims with the hive’s group consciousness, through a process of dehumanizing orientation. This process strips away any vestiges of individual personality. The Melissid’s player makes one roll for each night of concentrated effort (no going to Elysium and coming back later that night to Dominate the thralls), opposed by the highest Composure of the group. No bonuses for the level of Conditioning already achieved apply to this roll. When the Melissid’s player accumulates five successes, the creation of the hive-mind is complete, and the victims, their memories and individual personalities more or less erased by the process, share one mind, becoming drones under their Melissid mistress’s direction.
Further members of the hive-mind must also be Conditioned (again, the Melissid’s player having gathered nine successes or more), and must be confined within close proximity of current members of the hive-mind until, overwhelmed by this Devotion’s use and behavioral cues, the new member loses his own individuality to the hive.
Drones, when in peril, can raise a telepathic alarm signal. Any other drones, their Melissid sire or any other Melissidae associated with the hive (such as childer of the Melissid queen) can perceive the alarm. If such an alarm is made during the day, when the hive-queen sleeps, the queen’s player may roll Humanity to awaken (see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 184).
The Melissid, as queen of the hive, has the power to contact any member of the hive telepathically and can use Possession on any member of the hive-mind without making eye contact (and with the benefit of the Conditioning bonus), as long as one member of the hive is within the Melissid’s line of sight. It is often necessary to do this quite frequently, if the character’s hive is to escape discovery, since hive members are unable to operate fully in human society.
Social and Mental Skills for hive drones are reduced to zero; Social and Mental attributes are reduced to 1.
Any mortal or Kindred can see that a drone is plainly, terribly wrong with a successful Wits + Empathy roll. When seen working in concert, the silent co-operation of members of the hive disturbs and offends.
It is possible to break the hive-mind’s hold. If isolated by more than a mile from the rest of the hive for more than one week, the individual’s telepathic link fades. At this point, the victim can attempt to shake off his Conditioning (see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 128). A former hive member would, in all likelihood, suffer from severe psychiatric trauma, and is unlikely to be able to function again in society, since much of his memory has vanished or been subsumed. What memories and shreds of personality remain conflict with fragments of repressed memories and thoughts from the other members of the hive.
To turn a mortal into a mindless drone is monstrous: Kindred with Humanity 3 or above will be required to make degeneration checks every time they use this power.
A Melissid can maintain a hive with a number of drones equal to the square of her Blood Potency, plus 1. For example, a Queen Bee with Blood Potency 2 can maintain a hive with fi ve drones. If she had Blood Potency 5, she could maintain a hive of 26 drones. Hives of above five or six members become very difficult to hide.
Only mortals and Ghouls are subject to Hive Induction. This Devotion will not work on other Kindred at all.
Further members of the hive-mind must also be Conditioned (again, the Melissid’s player having gathered nine successes or more), and must be confined within close proximity of current members of the hive-mind until, overwhelmed by this Devotion’s use and behavioral cues, the new member loses his own individuality to the hive.
Drones, when in peril, can raise a telepathic alarm signal. Any other drones, their Melissid sire or any other Melissidae associated with the hive (such as childer of the Melissid queen) can perceive the alarm. If such an alarm is made during the day, when the hive-queen sleeps, the queen’s player may roll Humanity to awaken (see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 184).
The Melissid, as queen of the hive, has the power to contact any member of the hive telepathically and can use Possession on any member of the hive-mind without making eye contact (and with the benefit of the Conditioning bonus), as long as one member of the hive is within the Melissid’s line of sight. It is often necessary to do this quite frequently, if the character’s hive is to escape discovery, since hive members are unable to operate fully in human society.
Social and Mental Skills for hive drones are reduced to zero; Social and Mental attributes are reduced to 1.
Any mortal or Kindred can see that a drone is plainly, terribly wrong with a successful Wits + Empathy roll. When seen working in concert, the silent co-operation of members of the hive disturbs and offends.
It is possible to break the hive-mind’s hold. If isolated by more than a mile from the rest of the hive for more than one week, the individual’s telepathic link fades. At this point, the victim can attempt to shake off his Conditioning (see Vampire: The Requiem, p. 128). A former hive member would, in all likelihood, suffer from severe psychiatric trauma, and is unlikely to be able to function again in society, since much of his memory has vanished or been subsumed. What memories and shreds of personality remain conflict with fragments of repressed memories and thoughts from the other members of the hive.
To turn a mortal into a mindless drone is monstrous: Kindred with Humanity 3 or above will be required to make degeneration checks every time they use this power.
A Melissid can maintain a hive with a number of drones equal to the square of her Blood Potency, plus 1. For example, a Queen Bee with Blood Potency 2 can maintain a hive with fi ve drones. If she had Blood Potency 5, she could maintain a hive of 26 drones. Hives of above five or six members become very difficult to hide.
Only mortals and Ghouls are subject to Hive Induction. This Devotion will not work on other Kindred at all.
Material Components
Cost: 5 Vitae and 3 Willpower to create the initial “hive-mind” of three members; 2 Vitae and 1 Willpower for each subsequent member introduced to the hive-mind.
Gestures & Ritual
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Dominate versus Composure
Effect Casting Time
Contested and extended (requires five successes, each roll representing one complete night of effort on the part of the Melissid using the power).
Honey Trap
A young man goes on a date. He takes the girl home, and is invited in for coffee. He thinks he’s going to score. They go inside a quiet house. The girl says that no one else is in, and they talk for a while. They make out.A low, honey-sweet voice says a word. The girl ceases to talk in mid-sentence, stiffens. Her face goes blank. Other blank-faced people come into the room, grab him roughly. They carry the young man down to the basement, chain him up. The girl helps them. She pays no attention to his screams.
After a while, after he’s given up screaming, a slight, pale, waxy fi gure appears and begins her work. She pays no attention to his protests. His training begins.
A few nights later, another drone joins the hive.
It’s not the fi rst time it’s happened like that.
The Melissidae have developed a number of Devotions unique to their bloodline. Although based on common Disciplines, none of these powers can be learned by outsiders.