Talk:Scavenging Tongues of Darkness

Scavenging Tongues of Darkness

Jamie, I would very much like your opinion of this discipline technique and I am likely to try to buy it rather soon. -- Bruce

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I'm seeing it as a lesser version of the Lamprey power - or am I wrong?

Firstly, it needs some refinement of the system: How large is the cloud, how long does it last, and what is the cost?

Second, I don't believe Potence 1 is strong enough for this effect: An Obtenebration cloud can be useful for defining the extent of the effect. The only similar power I can find is the abominably named "suck it up," which uses Protean and Animalism (I don't see anything that helps in either of these disciplines either - Vicissitude seems more useful for this power which requires physical contact with the spilt blood). The power you propose is much more efficient - potentially bringing vast amounts of blood to the user all at once, and if I read it right, cleans surfaces of potentially masquerade-violating vitae.

In short, I think that if it has limited duration and size, the minimum Potence would be 3. If it is capable of creating a cloud large enough to engulf a "60 car pileup," you might be looking at a 5 potence required.

As a side note, the greater fear effect of the more solid, more invasive darkness probably should be outlined: Mortals and neonates can easily panic when exposed to Nocturne. This is worse.

But, I may be being overly harsh in this judgement. Does anyone else have any comments? -Jamie

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No, your not wrong, in a way it is a vastly weaker version of the Lamprey power (level 6 Obtenebration).

It has no power to take blood from anyone living or undead; I don't think it can even take it from inside a dead mortal or animal carcass.

The diameter of the tongues is probably based on Nocture, however, it doesn't really obscure sight or sound.

I have no problem with increasing the Potence level required, but 5 seems a bit high; after all, we have agreed that a level 5 Potence in combination with Obtenebration could make Arms of Ahriman aggravated. Frankly, it seems like over-kill to require more than a 3 Potence to achieve the ability to lick up blood-splatter.

I think the number of successes scored by the user should equal the number of blood that is recoverable; perhaps splitting successes between area of effect and the blood-pool that can be recovered would make a kind of sense.

When the tongues have reached saturation for lack of a better term, the mass of tongues returns to the user, providing the vampire with equivalent of mortal blood equal to some fraction of the user's successes and then the effect comes to an end. Alternately, and I favor this idea, the user's successes equate to the diameter of the effect, all shed blood is sucked up within the area and the user's successes are the number of blood that he is guaranteed to receive when the effect ends, while the the rest of the shed blood is received by the Abyss. A nice neat scenario as it certainly is a suitable tithe to the Abyss; or wouldn't you agree??

Clearly, the duration under this circumstance is one round, as the area of effect is based on Obtenebration 2 and one round sounds right to lick up all the blood and then at the end of the round the dark mass of tongues return to their master.

Since fear isn't an intended, its a side-effect and thus should hurt the user in some way. It doesn't seem unreasonable that the user would be looked upon as somewhat diabolical by mortals and neonates after witnessing or being subject to the effect. Perhaps it makes the user harder to be around like Clarity of Emptiness?