Heart Thief

Serpentis 8

The Serpentis Power Taking the Heart normally takes hours to perform upon other vampires, and only works at the dark of the Moon. Some Setite elders, however, can pull the heart from another vampire's chest with a quick snatch of the hand. This does not destroy the vampire... unless the Setite then destroys the stolen heart. Heart Thief is not an easy power to use despite its speed, but few Discipline effects can place one vampire in another's power so suddenly and completely.

System: The character must expend one Willpower point. Removing the heart of a reluctant vampire is a difficulty feat, comparable to staking a vampire through the heart: the attacker must receive at least three successes on a Dexterity + Brawl attack (difficulty 9). The victim may use Fortitude to "soak" the attacker's successes, but mundane Stamina has no effect against this magical attack.

A vampire who loses his heart this way takes one unsoakable level of aggravated damage, and receives all the benefits and problems of being without a heart (see Cheat the Scale of Anubis). Resisting frenzy becomes easier (-2 to difficulties) and he cannot be staked by wood that impales his breast. On the other hand, thrusting a stake through the removed heart will instantly force the vampire into torpor and exposing the heart to fire or sunlight will burn the vampire to ash; Damaging the heart will cause aggravated wounds to the vampire in question, and drinking its blood effectively diablerizes the victim.