Nekros
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Overview
Nekros is what the Disciples of the Nekromanteion call their closely guarded power of control over all things deceased. Necromancy as a word can have it’s etymology traced back to two Greek words. “Nekros” which means “corpse” and “manteia” which means “prophesy” – and combined together means divination from corpses. So, it is easy to see where the name of the power came from. Additionally, Nekromanteion means “oracle of the dead” and was a place where people went to speak to their dead. There was a temple there dedicated to Persephone which was said to have housed the mouth of the River Styx, which flowed through hell. Thus legend would lead us to believe that the veil there between this world and the next was unnaturally thin.
Nekros, like other more secret powers of other bloodlines, clans and covenants is one of the central tenants to being a part of the bloodline. Indeed, before the apprentice to the bloodline can pass beyond the rank of a mere Neophyte member, she must learn Remembrance of Life. And the only way that a person can become indoctrinated is to have a Sibyl/Bakid of the line perform the ritual Consecration of the Nekromanteion.
Due to it’s nature, Nekros (and it’s users) are often debated by those few Lancea Sanctum members who know of it’s existence. Some of the Sanctified believe that the power in and of itself is not heretical, after all vampires are dead but yet still they retain life, while other more hardline members of the covenant insist that it is a power which interferes with the transition between mortal life and death. Even still, others believe that the Vrykolakes are attempting to mock the Sanctified and it’s membership by calling it’s indoctrination ritual “Consecration” of the Nekromanteion.
While it is true that if there were a poll taken of the members of the Vrykolakes the majority of them are Circle of the Crone, it is not necessarily always the case, and even a few Lancea Sanctum members have permeated it’s ranks. Members have been known to say that their belief is of no particular mockery to any one belief-structure, and that it is more of a personal journey. However, it is interesting to see how various belief-structures have colored the actual names of some of the ritualistic practices of the discipline. In example, the more traditional members may call Envisioning the Death by it’s name, but some Lancea Sanctum membership refers to it as Unveiling the Calamity while others may refer to it as Death’s Witness.
The only way to learn Nekros is to have access to the membership’s inner workings, which means that you must be an indoctrinated member (requiring that you have Status [Disciples of Nekromanteion] of at least 1).
Cost
Uses of Nekros always cost 1 vitae unless otherwise specified in a power’s description. Nekros, like Crúac, also requires the vitae to be spent in a visual manner (which often times causes confusion for some onlookers who have seen the initiation of both powers). An example of this would be cutting oneself with a dagger or fang and bleeding onto a corpse or the ground which then activates the magic inherent in the vitae spilt.
As far as progression it is not a linear discipline, instead it is more like Crúac and Theban Sorcery. A person with Nekros at 2 may buy an unlimited amount of level one and level two rituals (provided of course, that he have both the experience to pay for them and the ability to obtain them).
However, Nekros is a power that as you learn more of it, forces you to detach more from humanity. A character’s discipline dots subtracted from 10 is as far as the character’s humanity may rise. For example, a Gangrel with Nekros 4 may have no higher than Humanity 6. If a character increases his Nekros score higher than his Humanity would normally allow, his Humanity immediately drops to the appropriate level and the player makes a humanity roll to see if the character acquires a derangement in the process.
Dice Pool
Intelligence + Medicine + Nekros. Any blood tie modifiers are doubled with regards to using Nekros on blood relatives.
Action
Extended. Unless otherwise specified in the power, the level of the ritual being invoked is how many successes needed to activate it (so a level three ritual takes three successes to enact).
Costs to use Nekros must be made before the roll can be made. Normally this isn’t an issue, as a ritual that costs one Vitae can have its activation roll made in the same turn (as spending Vitae is a reflexive action). In some cases, though, a ritual costs more Vitae than the caster can spend in a single turn. In cases like these, the caster’s player makes the roll on the turn he (reflexively) spends the last Vitae necessary to invoke the ritual.
If a character fails to complete the ritual in time (such as by being killed before accumulating enough successes) or decides to cancel the ritual before garnering enough successes to activate it, the effect simply fails. Any Vitae expenditures made are not recovered, however.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The ritual fails spectacularly, inflicting some aspect of itself as a detrimental effect upon the caster. A ritual intended to damage a subject inflicts its damage upon the caster, for example, while a ritual designed to plague its victim with pangs of hunger visits its effects upon the caster.
Failure: The ritual fails entirely, but not dangerously. Vitae is consumed as normal, but the ritual has no effect.
Success: The ritual takes place as described.
Exceptional Success: The ritual takes place as described. In many cases, extra successes are their own reward, causing additional damage or conferring extra duration, capacity or similar benefits.
Unless specified otherwise, rituals last for the duration of a scene or until the next sunrise, whichever comes first.
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier - Situation
+4 Power is turned on or applies to a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie.
- Normal casting circumstances, or the character is unaffected by threats or distractions.
-1 to -3 Decided by the StoryTeller. The character is rushed or distracted, such as by invoking a ritual in combat or while being harried by pursuers. This penalty is cumulative with multiple distractions (such as by casting a ritual in combat during a hurricane). Successes gained on a meditation roll for the night offset interruption penalties on a one-for-one basis.
Rituals
Rituals, by level, can be found here.