Lure of Subtle Whispers

Dominate 4

Description: A vampire skilled in Dominate comes to consider his retainers and other dominated subjects as among his most prized possessions. Over time, this ability allows the Cainite to break in and mold a subject's will like a leather glove, using constant manipulation and insidious temptations to sap her spirit. After weeks or months of torture, the result is a subject who is unable to further resist the vampire's Dominate, obeying him even to the exclusion of other supernatural influences. The Cainite must pay a price for this unquestioning servitude, though. His servants are passionless and unimaginative, showing no initiative on their own behalf -- or their master's. Capable only of following orders, they are like the walking dead.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Leadership with a difficulty of the target's Willpower. Completely conditioning a subject requires an extended action, and the player may attempt only one roll per night. Storyteller determines in secret the number of successes required to break the subject's will (typically between five to 10 times the subject's Self-Control). The player can never be certain he has achieved success based simply on die rolls; the Cainite must judge his degree of control from interactions with his victim. A botch during this process eliminates all accumulated successes and generally causes the would-be subject to act out against the vampire according to her nature -- responses ranging from a desperate attack to a quiet report to church authorities are possible.

Once the subject's will is broken, she becomes so thoroughly Dominated that the Cainite does not have to make eye contact or be physically present to enforce her will. (The Auspex power Steal secrets can be used to telepathically give orders to subjects, and even a mundane item like a letter affixed with the Cainite's seal very likely invokes the conditioned response.) Additionally , the difficulty for other Cainites or supernatural beings to dominate the conditioned servant increases by two, to a maximum of 10.

Orders must perhaps be even clearer and more carefully worded than before, since the subject lacks the initiative to puzzle out confusing commands. When the vampire gives an order by an method, the player must make the appropriate command roll. Both success and failure give a positive result' only a botch indicates an anomalous failure to impose the vampire's will. During this break in control, the subject may make a Self-Control roll with a difficulty of the controlling Cainite's Willpower. Success allows the victim enough freedom to remove herself from the vampire's power by suicide if the means are available.

The effects of this level of Dominate on the subject's psyche are relatively easy to notice. Any Cainite (or knowledgeable mortal for that matter) has a chance to notice the telltale signs during a brief meeting, such as an audience with the viscount or transaction with a merchant. The player rolls Wits + Empathy with a difficulty of 7. During extended interaction, such as shipboard or living under the same roof, anyone familiar with the effects of Dominate cannot fail to notice the subject's condition, although it will not be obvious who is responsible.