Yin
The Yin Virtue quantifies the character's attunement to dark, negative energies. It is used when resisting the fire soul, when powering and channeling Yin-aspected Disciplines and when dealing with ghosts and other Yin-spirits. Vampires with high Yin scores commonly master Disciplines relating to death and the manipulation of negative forces. Because such Kuei-j in are repositories for so much negative energy, mortals often find these Cathayans repellent or creepy — although some mortals, ones with high Yin energies themselves, find themselves drawn to high-Yin vampires. Vampires who have imbalanced themselves with Yin tend to appear corpselike or even putrescent; these undead are referred to as ch'ing shih. Kuei-j in have two Yin ratings. The permanent Yin rating (the circles) measures the character's control over negative energy. The temporary Yin rating (the squares) measures how much Yin Chi is actually in the vampire's body. If the character ingests much more Yin than he is capable of handling, a number of ill effects may result.
Using Yin
- Fire Nature — First and foremost, the Yin Virtue is the Trait used when rolling to resist fire nature. Vampires with high Yin are simply too cold and detached to be overly affected by rage.
- Ghostsight — By spending one Yin point, Cathayans can attune themselves to their Yin, allowing them to view Yin's marks on others. This power functions similarly to the wraith ability of Deathsight, and it lasts for an entire scene. Ghostsight allows the Cathayan to view creatures from the Yin World; such creatures include wraiths, Spectres, and others.
To do so, the Cathayan must concentrate for three turns and roll Perception + Occult (difficulty of the local Wall + 2). A Cathayan using Ghostsight can scan objects or living prey (undead and Risen count, ghosts don't) for structural weaknesses. By spending three turns in concentration (no attacks, no movement faster than walking speed) and rolling Yin + Medicine (living) or Crafts (inanimate) versus difficulty 8, the vampire can make an "atemi" strike against the object, inflicting one extra level of damage per success. This technique is good for a single physical attack; once the attack is made (hit or miss), the vampire must re-attune herself to the object if she wishes to make another focused strike. The vampire can study the mystic blotches caused by Yin's erosion. In this manner, the vampire can detect and analyze any damage, disabilities or illnesses from which the target suffers. Doing so requires a Perception + Medicine roll (difficulty 4 to 8, depending on the nature of the ailment). Success allows the vampire to make a rough diagnosis of the target's health, level of injury, and whether or not the target suffers from disease, blood loss, etc. A vampire without high levels in the Medicine Knowledge probably cannot recognize the precise ailments of the target, only that he is "sick," "feverish," "weak," and the like. By using Ghostsight on a broken inanimate object, the vampire can make a Perception + (appropriate) Crafts roll (difficulty 4, to 8, depending on the extent of the damage).Success allows the vampire to analyze the damage and gives her some idea of how to repair the item.
• Somewhat tense
•• Relaxed
••• Meditative
•••• Stoic
••••• Icy
••••••+ Inhumanly calm
