Fire of Conviction
- Presence 7
With this power, a Cainite may whip a crowd into frenzy, convincing them of the truth in a certain matter and sending them into action. This can be used by a general to inspire his troops, a firebrand preacher to send peasants after heretics or a shrewd manipulator to send an enraged, devil-hunting mob away from her own haven to that of her rival. The Brujah Furore and Diablerist Gonsalves de Cruz have caused problems for princes in both Christian and Muslim Iberia with this power.
System: In order to use Fire of Conviction, the character must first command the attention of at least 3/4 of the crowd she wishes to affect, usually by shouting at them, though other Presence effects can be used. She must then speak passionately about a certain topic (heretics, rich nobles, corrupt bishops), and what must be done about it, for at least one minute. The player then rolls Charisma + Expression. The difficulty varies according to a number of factors. If the character speaks for only a minute, the difficulty is 9. If she speaks for five minutes, it is 8, and if she manages to hold the crowd’s attention for 15 minutes, the difficulty is 7. If the character actually does not believe in the cause, or if what is being suggested is especially dangerous, the difficulty rises by one. The power affects a part of the crowd depending on the number of successes, starting with those of the lowest Willpower.
| Successes | Effectiveness |
| 1 success | 1/10 of the crowd responds |
| 2 | 1/3 of the crowd responds |
| 3 | 1/2 of the crowd responds |
| 4 | 2/3 of the crowd responds |
| 5 | The whole crowd responds |
If the roll is successful, the people affected immediately start on the suggested course of action, generally in a loud and destructive manner. Important characters (such as those controlled by players) may resist Fire of Conviction with a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the orator’s Charisma + Expression). Anyone affected by Fire of Conviction is considered to have a Willpower rating of three higher than normal for the purpose of Willpower rolls and difficulties based on Willpower. In addition, he may draw upon an extra point of Willpower, above and beyond his normal pool, for such things as automatic success or ignoring wound penalties.
