Veiled Curse
(Level-Three Optional Crúac Ritual)
Kindred believe that this ritual marks a mortal as cursed, and that the power of the magic forces spirits to harass him. The subject must be within sight of the ritualist when the ritual is completed, or it fails automatically. The subject’s Composure is subtracted from all activation rolls. The effects of the ritual persist for one night per success on the activation roll.
This ritual does not actually curse a mortal, it simply makes him visible and significant to spirits. In practice, this is a curse, as plenty of spirits have no love for humans. This means that machines may refuse to work (as the spirits in them decide not to cooperate), animals become hostile (possibly even attacking) and plants and weather really do conspire against the subject. As a rule of thumb, the subject suffers a one-die penalty to any actions taken while cursed, and must deal with a great many unhelpful circumstances, as the Storyteller sees fit (rain, broken Equipment, etc.).
The ritual has no effect on Kindred — their corpses cannot be brought to the attention of the spirits in this way. The ritual also has no effect on werewolves and mages, as they are already the subjects of much spiritual notice. The ritual does affect Ghouls, the wolf-blooded and Sleepwalkers, although spirits may react slightly differently to such mortals. Ghouls, in particular, tend to be the target of more focused hostility.
This ritual does not actually curse a mortal, it simply makes him visible and significant to spirits. In practice, this is a curse, as plenty of spirits have no love for humans. This means that machines may refuse to work (as the spirits in them decide not to cooperate), animals become hostile (possibly even attacking) and plants and weather really do conspire against the subject. As a rule of thumb, the subject suffers a one-die penalty to any actions taken while cursed, and must deal with a great many unhelpful circumstances, as the Storyteller sees fit (rain, broken Equipment, etc.).
The ritual has no effect on Kindred — their corpses cannot be brought to the attention of the spirits in this way. The ritual also has no effect on werewolves and mages, as they are already the subjects of much spiritual notice. The ritual does affect Ghouls, the wolf-blooded and Sleepwalkers, although spirits may react slightly differently to such mortals. Ghouls, in particular, tend to be the target of more focused hostility.