Presence

Presence manipulates emotion — it does not command actions (that is Dominate’s domain). A vampire with Presence can make someone love them, fear them, crave them, or despise another, but cannot tell them what to do. The difference matters: Presence works on crowds at range without eye contact; it leaves the target feeling their response is genuine.

Core rule: Presence controls emotions only, never directly dictates actions. Targets resist by spending 1 Willpower per scene to counter the emotional effect. Vampires three or more Generations below the user may resist for an entire night with a single WP expenditure.

Toreador clan weakness interaction: Toreador are vulnerable to Entrancement (their own Discipline). Another Kindred using Entrancement against a Toreador has a real chance of success.

Powers

● Awe

Cost: 1 Blood Point | Pool: Charisma + Performance, difficulty 7 | Duration: Scene

All affected targets become receptive, agreeable, and positively inclined toward the vampire. This is not control — it is mood elevation and sympathy. Targets don’t lose their judgment; they just have warmer feelings.

Successes determine reach: 1 success affects 1 person, 2 = 2 people, 3 = up to 6, 4 = up to 20, 5 = everyone in the immediate vicinity. Those with the lowest Willpower are affected first. Effect breaks if the target is endangered or the vampire leaves.

●● Dread Gaze

Cost: None | Pool: Charisma + Intimidation vs (target’s Wits + Courage) | Duration: Scene or until fled

Preternatural terror. The vampire’s face becomes something the lizard brain cannot process — wrong at a fundamental level.

Each success reduces the target’s dice pools by 1 on their next action. 3+ successes: target flees immediately. With an extended action (repeated rolls), each success pushes the target further into helpless terror; when they have no dice left, they collapse weeping.

Botch: that target is permanently immune to this vampire’s Dread Gaze for the rest of the story.

●●● Entrancement

Cost: 1 Blood Point | Pool: Appearance + Empathy vs target’s Willpower | Duration: Variable by successes

The target becomes a willing, creative, devoted servant — not a puppet, but a person who genuinely wants to please this vampire above all others. They retain their personality; they just orient it toward the vampire.

Duration scales: 1 success = 1 hour, 2 = 1 day, 3 = 1 week, 4 = 1 month, 5 = 1 year.

Failure: cannot attempt to Entrance this target for the rest of the night. Botch: cannot attempt for the remainder of the story.

The effect breaks if the target is directly threatened with physical harm. Otherwise, the Entranced person will go to considerable lengths to assist the vampire.

●●●● Summon

Cost: 1 Blood Point | Pool: Charisma + Subterfuge, difficulty 5 (base) | Duration: Until dawn (must re-Summon nightly until arrival)

Call anyone the vampire has ever met across any distance. The target knows — just knows, intuitively — how to find the vampire and feels a pull to come. They won’t do suicidal things en route, but they won’t avoid ordinary danger.

Difficulty modifiers: standard acquaintance = 5, brief meeting only = 7, previously successfully used Presence on target = 4, previously failed Presence on target = 8.

●●●●● Majesty

Cost: 1 Willpower | Pool: No activation roll; targets roll Courage vs (Charisma + Intimidation rating, max 10) | Duration: Scene

All present must pass a Courage roll to act against the vampire in any way — even to raise their voice or deliver bad news. Those who fail are overcome with abject humility, reverence, or awe. They cannot bring themselves to oppose this being.

No activation roll is needed. The power simply activates. Every person in the vicinity must resist it every time they want to act contrary to the vampire’s implied wishes.

Elder Powers

Love (●●●●● ●)

Cost: 1 Blood Point | Pool: Charisma + Subterfuge vs target’s Willpower | Duration: Scene

Simulate the emotional pattern of a blood bond in a single scene — the warmth, the devotion, the sense that this vampire matters more than anything else right now. Each success also reduces the target’s Social dice pools by 1 for any roll made against the vampire for the duration.

Botch: the vampire is immune to all of this vampire’s Presence for the rest of the night.

Paralyzing Glance (●●●●● ●)

Cost: None | Pool: Manipulation + Intimidation vs target’s Willpower | Duration: Variable by successes

Eye contact triggers complete catatonia. 1 success = 3 turns, 2 = 5 minutes, 3 = scene, 4 = 1 hour, 5 = the entire night. The target stands frozen. If their life is directly threatened, they may roll Courage (difficulty Intimidation + 3) to break free.

Spark of Rage (●●●●● ●)

Cost: 1 Blood Point | Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge, difficulty 8 | Duration: Instant

Force immediate Frenzy in targets. Scale: 1 success = 2 targets, 2 = 4, 3 = 8, 4 = 20, 5 = everyone nearby. Kindred must spend Willpower or pass a Self-Control roll (difficulty Manipulation + Subterfuge) or fall into Frenzy.

Cooperation (●●●●● ●●)

Cost: 1 Blood Point | Pool: Charisma + Leadership, difficulty 8 | Duration: Scene

The inverse of Spark of Rage — generate artificial camaraderie and solidarity in a group. Same scale of targets as Spark of Rage. Frenzy difficulties from insults within the affected group drop by 3 for the duration.

Ironclad Command (●●●●● ●●)

Passive. Mortals cannot spend Willpower to resist this vampire’s Presence. Against supernaturals, once per night each supernatural must roll Willpower (difficulty: vampire’s Willpower + 2) to determine the maximum number of Willpower Points they can spend to resist that night.

Pulse of the City (●●●●● ●●●)

Cost: 1 Willpower | Pool: Charisma + Streetwise, difficulty 9 (lower for familiar cities) | Duration: Variable by successes

Control the emotional climate of an entire city — the ambient mood of its mortal population. 1 success = 1 minute, 2 = 10 minutes, 3 = 1 hour, 4 = 1 day, 5 = 1 week. Can be used while in torpor. This is how old Methuselahs shape the cities above their sleep.

Star Magnetism (●●●●● ●)

Cost: None | Pool: Automatic | Duration: Permanent (passive)

Toreador elder power.

The vampire’s Presence carries over into recorded images — photographs, video (analog or digital), film, and even accurate paintings or drawings. The effect resembles Awe; anyone viewing an image of the vampire may spend a Willpower point to resist until the next time they see it. The vampire can consciously suppress this power, but it otherwise activates automatically whenever a camera or recording device turns toward them.

Temptation (●●●●● ●)

Cost: None | Pool: Manipulation + Leadership vs target’s Humanity or Path rating | Duration: Scene (or indefinite on strong success)

Followers of Set elder power.

The Setite tempts the victim into actions they would not ordinarily take — not necessarily sinful ones; the power works equally well to provoke unwanted generosity or uncharacteristic chastity. The vampire must talk to the victim for at least a minute and allude to the desired action. A simple success changes the victim’s personality and goals for a scene. If successes exceed the target’s Conscience or Conviction rating, the change lasts indefinitely (like a Derangement). At the time of learning, choose a variation: Obsession (overpowering lust for a substance or condition; frenzy check if denied before next sleep) or True Will (the victim acts on every passing desire or their Nature without restraint).

Phobia (●●●●● ●●)

Cost: None | Pool: Manipulation + Intimidation vs (target’s Courage + 3) | Duration: Scene (or indefinite on strong success)

Followers of Set elder power.

The Setite instills an irrational fear of a specific object, substance, person, or condition. The object of fear can be broad (cars) or specific (pink 1979 Fords), provided the victim can recognize and distinguish it. A single success = phobia that lasts one scene. Successes exceeding the target’s Courage rating = phobia that lasts indefinitely, removable like a Derangement. Cannot be used to implant a fear of something the target cannot distinguish.

The Decaying Orbit (●●●●● ●●●)

Cost: None | Pool: Extended Manipulation + Empathy vs target’s Humanity or Path (net successes equal to target’s Humanity/Path rating) | Duration: Permanent (cannot be ended by Willpower)

Followers of Set elder power.

The Setite breaks down the mental barrier between the target’s Beast and their libido, linking pleasure and rage in a death spiral. The victim becomes addicted to sadism — anything pleasurable triggers a frenzy check; the frenzying vampire may seek pleasure in the midst of blood rage. The spiral is self-reinforcing and cannot be stopped by Willpower.

Removing the Corruption: Only death of the responsible Setite, certain lost esoteric knowledge (Cult of Ra, Inconnu, writings of the Children of Osiris), or the Setite’s voluntary removal can end it. A character with Humanity above 3 automatically loses 1 Humanity for applying this power.