Mediumship
The Romani who function as mediums are far more than mere table-rattlers who bilk unfortunates out of their life savings. Romani with this Affinity are actually able to contact the ghosts and spirits inhabiting the spiritual planes of existence. As the Tree of Knowledge once bridged the gap between the spiritual and material planes of existence, so no does the Romani medium.
The Romani always know which of their members will have this Affinity, as a medium is born with the birth caul still covering his face. A piece of this caul is placed in an amulet, and the medium bears this amulet for the rest of his life. When used in the creation of a protective piece of draba, known as a soul-chain, the caul protects its bearer from spiritual attack.
The Rom have a small connection to the group of gaje known as the Benandanti. These gaje are also born with cauls and know how to journey into the Underworld. Or the spiritual plane to contact the ghosts of the dead by making a Mediumship + Charisma roll. The difficulty level of such a task starts at 10. However, if the character has an item that once belonged to the person, or is in the presence of someone close to the person, the difficulty drops to 9. If the medium is in the former home of the person or the place of her death, the difficulty level drops to 8. If both of these physical contacts are available, the difficulty level drops to 7. Similarly, if the medium is located at a place where the veil between the spiritual world (or the Underworld) and the living world is particularly thin (such as a caern, nihil, node, etc.) the difficulty of the attempt is reduced by two.
If the Storyteller uses Wraith: The Oblivion, then mediums who have a fetter of the wraith they are trying to contact reduce their difficulty by one for each fetter used. Note that botches on this roll can be truly devastating, for who knows what might arise from the Underworld.
Maintaining contact with the spirit world is a very difficult task. For every success the medium achieves, she may speak to the spirit for one minute. This time period can be doubled if the medium expends another point of Willpower in the effort.
A medium may also attempt to banish a ghost or spirit from a building or area it is haunting. For such attempts the medium makes a sustained Mediumship + Manipulation roll (difficulty of the ghost's Willpower + 3). A botched attempt here may cause the ghost in question to begin harassing the medium. The medium must make a number of successes equal to twice the ghost's Willpower in order to banish the spirit. Launching such an attack costs the medium one point of Willpower, but she may continue to attack for the duration of the scene (or until the battle is decided).
As the medium's level of control increases, she may gain one or more spirit contacts. Such spirits are friendly with the medium and will even do brief errands for her. It is up to the Storyteller to decide when such a contact is made, but the medium will generally have to do something for the spirit, such as aiding a still-living relative or avenging the ghost's murder, to achieve such a contact.
The medium may also send her spirit into the Underworld (not the astral plane), leaving her body behind in the living lands. While the medium's body is vacant, it is vulnerable to possession by both spirits and the souls of the dead. Certain draba (for example, a soul-chain) may protect the mediu8m's body during her spirit's absence, while others may allow the Gypsy to attack spirit-beings and defend herself in the Underworld. Any draba that affects spirits in the living world may be carried by the medium and used in the Underworld.
The length of time the Gypsy medium may remain separated from her body depends on her degree of skill. However, she may only journey to the Underworld between sunset and sunrise. If she remains away from her body after sunrise, the medium will be unable to return to her body until the next night. Very few mediums survive by themselves in the Underworld for a full day and night. If the medium's body is left vacant for more than 24 hours, it will slip into a coma.
After 12 hours away from her body, the medium must make a Stamina + Mediumship roll (difficulty of 5) to return to her body. The difficulty level of this roll increases by one for every twelve additional hours the medium remains away from her body (to a maximum of 10).
If the medium remains away from her body for longer than she is capable of (based on her ability in Mediumship), her body will begin to take damage at the rate of one Health Level per six hours she remains away from it.
1) The medium may remain away from her body for up to six hours at a time before taking damage.
2) The medium may remain away from her body for up to twelve hours before taking damage.
3) The Gypsy may remain away from her body for a maximum of one day before taking damage.
4) The Gypsy can remain away from her body for one week before taking damage.
5) The medium may remain away from her body indefinitely, although, as always, if her body dies, she dies as well.
