Ripples of the Heart

Quietus 6

Masters of Quietus can not only change the physical properties of their own blood, but lace others' vitae with emotions and other sensations. With Ripples of the Heart, a vampire can leave an emotional trace in one from whom she has fed, which then resonates in any Cainite who feeds from it. Assamite elders are said to use this power to mark and protect their herds from rivals, but it can also be used quite easily to send tainted mortals into an enemy's domain to be fed upon and hence weaken the area's defenses. Iberian elders still tell tales of stout Cainite warriors going mad just before their cities fell to the Almohads and the Assamites who rode with them.

System: The character drinks at least one blood point from the subject mortal then spends a minute in physical contact with the subject while concentrating on the emotion he wishes to leave in her blood. The player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 7 under normal circumstances, 5 if the character is currently experiencing the intended emotion, 9 if he is currently experiencing a strong opposite emotion). The subject's blood carries the weight of the intended emotion for one lunar month per success on the roll. A mortal's blood can only carry one emotion at a time. Subsequent attempts to use Ripples of the Heart on the same individual have no effect until the previous application has worn off.

Any vampire who drinks from a vessel under the effects of Ripples of the Heart must succeed in a Self-Control or Instinct roll (difficulty of the mortal's Willpower) as soon as she swallows the first blood point. If she fails this rill, the vitae-borne emotion immediately overtakes her. The strength of the emotion depends on how many blood points she drinks. One blood point results in a momentary mood swing, two cause a significant shift in demeanor, and three or more generate a complete change in emotional state. Depending on the circumstances and the precise emotion, the effects of this may be spectacular or catastrophic. A vampire overtaken by romantic passion might temporarily believe that she is in love with the mortal (or any other convenient bystander). One who drinks from a hate-infused vessel may rend her prey to shreds, and one who takes a draught of a mortal touched with fear may run away screaming. The vampire remains subject to the emotion for a number of hours equal to the mortal's Willpower, although she is still subject to other feelings after the initial rush of sensation.

The mortal who is under the effects of Ripples of the Heart is unaware of the power's effects on him, though he is slightly predisposed toward the emotion in question while the power is in effect. The vampire who used Ripples of the Heart on a mortal is immune to any of its effects he places on targets through the use of this power.