Undying Beast

Vampire the Requiem - Covenant - Belial's Brood

It is said that the Beast is but an extension of the Demiurge, a finger of his black hand. The Forsworn are the fire that can never be consumed, who burn all who would seek to contain them. Vampires who would drink of their heart’s blood will find themselves consumed in turn. The same lips that tasted the last of the undying Beast’s soul will rejoice at its inevitable return. While this Investment has a particularly narrow focus, many Forsworn develop the Investment all the same, out of either Suspicion at their fellow predators or a desire to avenge their own future murders.

Effect

After being diablerized, the vampire with this Investment is dead for all intents and purposes, but a portion of his soul still lingers in the psyche of his diablerist. If the Forsworn can erode his murderer’s Willpower dots to zero before fading away, he can usurp the body. This power may only be activated once per game session (but no more than once per night), and usually happens at a moment when the diablerist’s Vice comes to the fore in the story. When the power is activated, the extended roll begins, though the diablerist has no idea what is truly taking place.

Side/Secondary Effects

Dramatic Failure: The Forsworn loses a Willpower dot in his attempt to accumulate a number of successes equal to his diablerist’s Willpower, and must wait until the next game session to try again. If this loss reduces the Forsworn to zero Willpower, his soul suffers Final Death.
Failure: The soul of the Forsworn fails to accumulate the required number of successes before his opponent can. The Forsworn loses a Willpower dot, and must wait until the next game session to try again. If the Forsworn is reduced to zero Willpower after this failure, his soul suffers Final Death.
Success: When the Forsworn accumulates the required number of successes before his opponent does, the diablerist loses a Willpower dot as the Forsworn’s soul erodes his self-control. In the case of a tie (both attain their required successes simultaneously), neither one loses any Willpower and the struggle resumes the next game session. If the diablerist is ever reduced to zero Willpower dots (over an extended series of extended rolls), the Forsworn’s soul takes control of the diablerist’s body. The diablerist’s Humanity, Virtue, Vice and Willpower dots are replaced by those of the Forsworn. The Forsworn’s soul gains complete control, but in inheriting the diablerist’s Attributes, derangements, Merits, powers (Devotions, Disciplines, Investments) and Skills, the Forsworn loses all derangements, Merits and powers known before. In most cases, this results in the character’s expulsion from the Brood (since he loses his Covenant Status), as he becomes, in effect, a new and interesting hybrid of the two personas. This new soul will remember little of his experiences among the Brood, but may find himself called to rejoin it. Such decisions determine the course of his new unlife.
Exceptional Success: The Forsworn is well on his way to defeating his opponent.

Related Organizations

• Belial's Brood

Material Components

Cost: Special (see text)

Gestures & Ritual

Dice Pool: Resolve + Blood Potency versus diablerist’s Composure + Blood Potency. The first to gather a number of successes equal to the opponent’s Willpower rating wins the extended roll.

Related Discipline

Investments

Effect Duration

N/A

Effect Casting Time

Contested and Extended; resistance is reflexive

Note: This is a narrative-intensive power, and its use requires both commitment and a time investiture on the part of the Storyteller. The Storyteller determines when each new roll must be made, and under what circumstances. Regardless of who played the Forsworn character before his diablerie, his soul fragment is, for all intents and purposes, a character under control of the Storyteller, who is assumed to be making any and all required rolls in private. The Storyteller can choose to turn over control of the character to a player if and when the soul fragment takes over the diablerist’s body, or to keep the character as a Storyteller character.