Path of Forbidden Pleasures
- Description
Perversion comes easily to vampires, being creatures of strong emotional echoes and stronger desires, but practitioners of the Path of Forbidden Pleasures take decadence to unnatural depths. They are masters at infecting others with their own indulgence and manipulating their desires, fanning them into self-destructive infernos of depravity.
Forbidden pleasure, often fueled by obsession, guilt and self-loathing, is a gateway to corruption, a downward spiral that damns all those who walk it. Making matters worse is the fact that everyone, from Setite temptresses to the local preacher, keeps forbidden desires hidden and locked deep within themselves. To the dark thaumaturge, these desires become a tool with which to bend the will of others to their own needs - whether for the sake of pleasure, power or something less definable.
It is whispered that Toreador and Malkavian infernalists crafted the Path of Forbidden Pleasures during the orgies of Rome, and that to this date, they gather in secret locations in indulge their wanton desires.
- Hell's Price: Insatiable Desires
Infernalist practitioners of the Path of Forbidden Pleasures sacrifice more than their souls to learn this path. They open themselves to the basest desires of their Beasts, crafting their powers from its unnatural hunger. To represent this effect, all frenzy rolls suffer a +1 difficulty modifier once the thaumaturge attains the third level in the path. The penalty is cumulative with other frenzy penalties. Brujah beware.
- Damnable Side Effects: An Infernal Addiction
The Path of Forbidden Pleasures has drug-like effects on its 'victims'. They become addicted to its effects and seek out any opportunity to indulge in it again. Each time a dark thaumaturge invokes any Path of Forbidden Pleasures power successfully, the target's player must roll Self-Control (difficulty 6) after the effects of the power have passed. If the player fails the roll, the 'character' develops the Obsessive/Compulsive derangement for a number of weeks equal to the level rating of the power used. During this time, the victim will do nearly anything to experience the sensation again - which might not necessarily involve the use of the Discipline.
- General System: Blood Expenditure & Willpower Roll +3 difficulty
- Skill to Power Ratio
Rank I: Ecstasy - With nothing more than a touch, the thaumaturge can make the target feel intense pleasure, tailoring the sensation from general sexual arousal to mimicking the euphoria of the strongest drug around. This power works regardless of the subject's tastes, simulating any kink of fetish, or simulating simpler, less complicated pleasures - whether the victim consents or not.
System for Ecstasy
Ecstasy requires the Willpower roll only if the dark thaumaturge uses this power on an unwilling target. Otherwise, physical contact and a blood point are all that are needed. Once she is under the effects of Ecstasy, the victim is flooded with physical sensations so intense that she must score more successes on a Wits + Self-Control roll (difficulty 7) than the dark thaumaturge's player's Willpower roll to do anything except enjoy herself. This power lasts as long as the dark thaumaturge continues to touch the target. Once physical contact stops, the effect wears down over the course of a number of turns equal to (10 - the subject's Willpower). During this time, the victim exists in a mollified, sluggish state and suffers a +1 difficulty to all actions.
Note: Whatever sensation the dark thaumaturge used becomes the focus of the Obsessive/Compulsive derangement if the victim fails her Self-Control roll.
Rank II: Intrusion - Intrusion functions much like Ecstasy, however, the thaumaturge doesn't need to touch the target. He can communicate the pleasure through telepathic means.
System for Intrusion
Intrusion can be used on any individual within eyesight of the dark thaumaturge. If successful, the infernalist overwhelms the individual with a pleasurable physical sensation of his (the infernalist's) choice. Because of the unexpected nature of the pleasure, the victim suffers one bashing health level of damage for each success scored on the Willpower roll. Note that this bashing damage isn't "painful" as such. It reflects the subject being immediately overwhelmed by pleasure. Mortals cannot soak this damage, but vampires can resist with a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) of their own. Each success negates one level of the bashing damage.
Note: In all other respects, this power works like Ecstasy, including Willpower and blood costs, as well as requiring a Wits + Self-Control roll (difficulty 7) to ignore the pleasure long enough to take an action.
Rank III: Daisy Chain - This orgasmic power allows the dark thaumaturge to spread pleasure to other people in a chain. Each person that the infernalist touches becomes a vector for the chosen pleasure, "infecting" anyone with whom he comes in contact.
System for Daisy Chain
The Daisy Chain works exactly like Ecstasy, however a Willpower roll is needed even if the target consents to its use. For each success, the dark thaumaturge can spread the sensation to another target (at the rate of one per turn), who then experiences the same sensation. Furthermore, each target can affect another individual through touch (the new victim is allowed a Self-Control roll to resist). Daisy Chain functions only if the dark thaumaturge remains within eyesight of the victims, or until a subject resists successfully, which also ends that particular vector's 'contagion'."
Rank IV: The Deadening - This insidious power allows the dark thaumaturge to make an individual numb to physical sensations and even most emotions. While under the effects of Deadening, the victim can feel nothing including pain or pleasure. For all intents and purposes, he is dead to any and all sensations. He exists as if in a daze, aware of being unable to feel anything and incapable of doing anything about it.
System for The Deadening
This power requires the standard blood point and Willpower roll. The target is allowed to resist by rolling Willpower (difficulty equal to the dark thaumaturge's Manipulation + Empathy). If the dark thaumaturge scores more successes, Deadening is successful. While he is in this emotionally torpid state, the victim cannot spend Willpower points, and any virtue rolls is at a +2 difficulty. The number of successes scored determines the duration of Deadening.
Successes versus Duration of Effect
- 1 success - - One turn
- 2 successes - - One hour
- 3 successes - - One day
- 4 successes - - One week
- 5 successes - - One month
Note: This power is exempt from the price: An Infernal Addiction.
Rank V: The Garden of Earthly Delights - With this power, the dark thaumaturge can totally overwhelm a victim with pleasure until it renders her catatonic, existing only in her mind and unaware of her immediate surroundings or even her physical body.
System for The Garden of Earthly Delights
To use this power, the victim must already be under the effects of Ecstasy. Once this criteria is met, the player makes another Willpower roll and spends an additional blood point. If this second roll is successful, the infernalist can flood the victim with pleasure until she becomes comatose, her mind entering a dream-like state where all she experiences are visions and sensations of pleasure. To resist this power, the victim needs to score more successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) than the dark thaumaturge scored upon invocation. Remember, though, that the target first makes a Self-Control roll as per the Ecstasy rules before this power even becomes a possibility.
For each night a victim is under the effect of this power, her body takes a level of bashing damage unless the victim is being treated at a hospital. Vampires can resist this damage with Stamina (and Fortitude). Successes determine the duration of this power.
Successes versus Duration of Effect
- 1 success - - One night
- 2 successes - - Three nights
- 3 successes - - One week
- 4 successes - - One month
- 5 successes - - One year
