Ecstatic Agony

Auspex 7

Description: This power, which changes the user's perception of pain so that it becomes pleasure, is known to be possessed by the Tzimisce elder Mazikheen. Always looking for ways to transcend the flesh, she found a way to switch two of the most primal sensations. When this power is in effect, all the pain that the user feels is transformed into a feeling of bliss that invigorates the user and makes everything seem clearer. Fighting someone who uses this power is a rather disquieting experience -- slashing someone with a sword the having him utter an orgasmic moan in response is not what one normally expects.

While Ecstatic Agony seems to appeal mostly to the Fiends, members of other clans, especially those who have traveled through the lands held by the Tzimisce and who have taken an interest in their arts, might develop it. It is also a power one might find among some elder warrior Salubri, who gain a great deal of understanding of pain through their Valeren.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower to activate this power, which lasts for a scene. Any wound penalties the user suffers become bonuses instead, adding dice instead of subtracting them. This bonus is applied to almost all rolls, except for those dealing with concentration or self-control. The user does not suffer from movement penalties due to wounds, unless limbs are severed or the body suffers similar structural damage. When the user reaches the Incapacitated health level, she is overcome with ecstasy and collapses. Torpor and Final Death are handled normally.

The blissful sensations induced by this power are quite powerful and, at the Storyteller's discretion, may be addictive to frequent users. In addition, a user might not want to heal wounds while this power is in effect -- the Storyteller might deem that a Willpower roll must be made before the user may spend blood to heal.