Venom Mastery
Level-Four Mérges Sorcery ritual
An Iltani with Venom Mastery can produce exceptionally deadly and powerful venoms. Venom Mastery poisons may be administered as described in Venomous Bite or Plant Venomous Bite (above). Each of these poisons counts as a separate level four ritual for purposes of experience points.
Manifestation
Venom of Weakness: The Venom of Weakness temporarily withers the victim’s muscles, causing acute fatigue and weakness. For one night, all Physical Attributes are reduced by a number of dots equal to the Toxicity Rating of Venom of Weakness. This poison causes no physical damage (but reduces Health indirectly by reducing Stamina).
This poison can be compounded. With each dose successfully administered, the duration is extended in the typical fashion. No new effects are added.
Venom of the Slow Burn: The victim’s skin becomes highly sensitive to light of any kind when poisoned with Venom of the Slow Burn. Even moonlight and artificial light slowly damages a vampire or mortal afflicted with this poison. At low to moderate Toxin Levels (levels 1-3), Slow Burn is more painful than deadly. However, the target still feels his flesh slowly and excruciatingly burning away, which usually causes the victim to avoid light altogether. Some Iltani are known to use the Venom of Slow Burn as a brutal means of extracting information from their foes. After paralyzing a victim, an Iltani administers the venom, then uses a Flashlight as an instrument of torture.
Higher levels of the poison are much more deadly, as described below. The effects of this Venom of the Slow Burn last for a number of nights equal to the Iltani’s level in Mérges Sorcery.
Damage: See Toxin Levels, below
This poison can be compounded, and the duration is extended in the typical fashion. The victim does not take damage from Venom of the Slow Burn until exposed to light (of any kind). With each dose administered, the length of time a victim can remain in the light before sustaining an additional point of damage shortens.
Toxin Level | Toxin effect
1 (minimum) | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim noticeable discomfort. The character takes one point of bashing damage per hour he remains in the light. Additionally, when exposed to light, the victim takes a -1 penalty to all actions that require mental focus or concentration. The damage at this level is subtle enough that the target might not notice what is causing it.
2 | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim pain. The character takes one point of bashing damage per each 30 minute interval that he remains in the light. Additionally, when exposed to light, the character takes a -2 penalty to all actions that require mental focus or concentration.
3 | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim intense pain. The character takes one point of lethal damage per each 15 minute interval that he remains in the light. Additionally, the character takes a -3 penalty to all actions that are not devoted to seeking total darkness. At this point, the victim can feel his skin blister and burn under even fluorescent lights. Vampires must check for Rötschreck upon seeing any source of light (2 successes required).
4 | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim intolerable agony. The character takes one point of lethal damage per each five minute interval that he remains in the light. Additionally, the character takes a -4 penalty to all actions that are not devoted to seeking total darkness. Vampires must check for Rötschreck upon seeing any source of light (3 successes required).
5 (maximum) | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim’s skin to bubble, blister and melt. The character, if mortal, takes one point of lethal damage per each 10 second interval that he remains in the light. For vampires, this damage is aggravated. Additionally, the character takes a -5 penalty to all actions that are not devoted to seeking total darkness. Vampires must check for Rötschreck upon seeing any source of light (5 successes required).
Venom of Deceit: A character under the influence of Venom of Deceit believes anything he is told to be the truth, no matter how absurd or irrational. The victim then acts under assumptions based upon the false fact for the poison’s duration (regardless of being confronted with the truth). For example, a man who is told “your wife has been murdered” acts as he would if his wife had actually been murdered for as long as the poison remains in his system, even if he is confronted by his wife, alive and well. (He may attempt to rationalize her appearance by believing that she is some imposter trying to fool him, but he will not realize that she is truly alive until after the poison wears off.)
Upon successful administration of Venom of Deceit, the Iltani may state a single “fact” to the target. The statement should be no longer than a sentence or two, as the victim only remains impressionable for a matter of seconds (if a character rambles on for too long, how much the victim believes of what the Iltani tells him is at the Storyteller’s discretion). The victim believes the statement for a number of hours equal the Iltani’s level in Mérges Sorcery.
Venom of Deceit does not directly force the victim to behave in any particular way or feel any differently than he would ordinarily. For instance, a victim who is told “find the man who murdered your wife” may not actually do so. Having heard that statement, the victim now believes that a man has murdered his wife, but if he was waiting to cash in on the life insurance, he may not care much at all about finding her killer. He might book a trip to Tahiti with his mistress, instead. The statement “you are looking for the man who murdered your wife” might seem more effective, but in this case, the same man would probably just sit around until the poison wears off — believing the statement to be true, but wondering what possessed him to set out looking for his wife’s murderer when he would rather be in Tahiti with his mistress.
This poison can be compounded. With each dose successfully administered, the duration is extended in the typical fashion. No new effects are added. Venom of Deceit inflicts no physical damage.
This poison can be compounded. With each dose successfully administered, the duration is extended in the typical fashion. No new effects are added.
Venom of the Slow Burn: The victim’s skin becomes highly sensitive to light of any kind when poisoned with Venom of the Slow Burn. Even moonlight and artificial light slowly damages a vampire or mortal afflicted with this poison. At low to moderate Toxin Levels (levels 1-3), Slow Burn is more painful than deadly. However, the target still feels his flesh slowly and excruciatingly burning away, which usually causes the victim to avoid light altogether. Some Iltani are known to use the Venom of Slow Burn as a brutal means of extracting information from their foes. After paralyzing a victim, an Iltani administers the venom, then uses a Flashlight as an instrument of torture.
Higher levels of the poison are much more deadly, as described below. The effects of this Venom of the Slow Burn last for a number of nights equal to the Iltani’s level in Mérges Sorcery.
Damage: See Toxin Levels, below
This poison can be compounded, and the duration is extended in the typical fashion. The victim does not take damage from Venom of the Slow Burn until exposed to light (of any kind). With each dose administered, the length of time a victim can remain in the light before sustaining an additional point of damage shortens.
Toxin Level | Toxin effect
1 (minimum) | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim noticeable discomfort. The character takes one point of bashing damage per hour he remains in the light. Additionally, when exposed to light, the victim takes a -1 penalty to all actions that require mental focus or concentration. The damage at this level is subtle enough that the target might not notice what is causing it.
2 | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim pain. The character takes one point of bashing damage per each 30 minute interval that he remains in the light. Additionally, when exposed to light, the character takes a -2 penalty to all actions that require mental focus or concentration.
3 | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim intense pain. The character takes one point of lethal damage per each 15 minute interval that he remains in the light. Additionally, the character takes a -3 penalty to all actions that are not devoted to seeking total darkness. At this point, the victim can feel his skin blister and burn under even fluorescent lights. Vampires must check for Rötschreck upon seeing any source of light (2 successes required).
4 | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim intolerable agony. The character takes one point of lethal damage per each five minute interval that he remains in the light. Additionally, the character takes a -4 penalty to all actions that are not devoted to seeking total darkness. Vampires must check for Rötschreck upon seeing any source of light (3 successes required).
5 (maximum) | Exposure to any kind of light (natural or artificial) causes the victim’s skin to bubble, blister and melt. The character, if mortal, takes one point of lethal damage per each 10 second interval that he remains in the light. For vampires, this damage is aggravated. Additionally, the character takes a -5 penalty to all actions that are not devoted to seeking total darkness. Vampires must check for Rötschreck upon seeing any source of light (5 successes required).
Venom of Deceit: A character under the influence of Venom of Deceit believes anything he is told to be the truth, no matter how absurd or irrational. The victim then acts under assumptions based upon the false fact for the poison’s duration (regardless of being confronted with the truth). For example, a man who is told “your wife has been murdered” acts as he would if his wife had actually been murdered for as long as the poison remains in his system, even if he is confronted by his wife, alive and well. (He may attempt to rationalize her appearance by believing that she is some imposter trying to fool him, but he will not realize that she is truly alive until after the poison wears off.)
Upon successful administration of Venom of Deceit, the Iltani may state a single “fact” to the target. The statement should be no longer than a sentence or two, as the victim only remains impressionable for a matter of seconds (if a character rambles on for too long, how much the victim believes of what the Iltani tells him is at the Storyteller’s discretion). The victim believes the statement for a number of hours equal the Iltani’s level in Mérges Sorcery.
Venom of Deceit does not directly force the victim to behave in any particular way or feel any differently than he would ordinarily. For instance, a victim who is told “find the man who murdered your wife” may not actually do so. Having heard that statement, the victim now believes that a man has murdered his wife, but if he was waiting to cash in on the life insurance, he may not care much at all about finding her killer. He might book a trip to Tahiti with his mistress, instead. The statement “you are looking for the man who murdered your wife” might seem more effective, but in this case, the same man would probably just sit around until the poison wears off — believing the statement to be true, but wondering what possessed him to set out looking for his wife’s murderer when he would rather be in Tahiti with his mistress.
This poison can be compounded. With each dose successfully administered, the duration is extended in the typical fashion. No new effects are added. Venom of Deceit inflicts no physical damage.
Related Discipline
Level
4
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