Talk:Icelus
A Previous Clan Flaw
The Icelus as purveyors of dreams often find that their bloodline discipline of Pasithea can be a two edged sword. When a member of the Icelus botch one of their Pasithea rolls, or similar powers like the thaumaturgic path of Gift of Morpheus, or the oracular Path of Oneiromancy, that they inadvertently conjure forth a Nightmare. Nightmares brought on by a mishandling of Pasithea aren't just horrors trapped in the mind of the dreamer, they are free to invade the dreams of other dreamers, supernatural or mundane. The upside, if there is one is that the nightmare made manifest cannot roam very far afield from their creator. The distance varies greatly based upon the power of the Lotus Eater that spawned them, but those born from the fevered imaginations of the most powerful Icelus can roam no more than a mile from their creator before they reach the end of their leash.
Nightmares spawned in this way are very much signature creations of their creator and they bear the hallmarks of their master, making them identifiable to those who know the Lotus Eater well. In typical vampire fashion, the longer the nightmare lasts, the stronger it becomes. Initially, the nightmare is entirely intangible and may move from victim to victim, making it almost untraceable. But over time, the nightmare can take physical form, either by possessing its current victim or more rarely, by manifesting a body of its own. All nightmares seek to torment their creator and go about their business in a ruthless fashion. But nightmares are not all created equal and their intelligence, creativity and abilities vary wildly. While anyone with luck or skill can incapacitate a nightmare for a time, only the nightmare's creator can put it to rest permanently.
As befits a bloodline of dreamers, the Icelus are deep sleepers who find rising before their appointed time extremely difficult. Dreamers roll to awaken at a (+2 difficulty) above and beyond their normal difficulty to rise for the night.