The Path of Blood - V20
Introduction
Almost every Tremere studies the Path of Blood as her primary path. It encompasses some of the most fundamental principles of Thaumaturgy, based as it is on the manipulation of Kindred vitae. If a player wishes to select another path as her character’s primary path, the Storyteller may require additional reasoning (though choosing a different path is by no means unheard of).
• A Taste for Blood
This power was developed as a means of testing a
foe’s might — an extremely important ability in the
tumultuous early nights of Clan Tremere. By merely
touching the blood of his subject, the caster may determine how much vitae remains in the subject and, if
the subject is a vampire, how recently he has fed, his
approximate Generation and, with three or more successes, whether he has ever committed diablerie.
System: The number of successes achieved on the roll determines how much information the thaumaturge gleans and how accurate it is.
•• Blood Rage
This power allows a vampire to force another Kindred to expend blood against his will. The caster must touch her subject for this power to work, though only
the lightest contact is necessary. A vampire affected
by this power might feel a physical rush as the thaumaturge heightens his Physical Attributes, might find
himself suddenly looking more human, or may even
find himself on the brink of frenzy as his stores of vitae
are mystically depleted.
System: Each success forces the subject to spend one blood point immediately in the way the caster desires (which must go towards some logical expenditure the target vampire could make, such as increasing Physical Attributes or powering Disciplines). Note that blood points forcibly spent in this manner may exceed the normal “per turn” maximum indicated by the victim’s Generation. Each success gained also increases the subject’s difficulty to resist frenzy by one. The thaumaturge may not use Blood Rage on herself to circumvent generational limits.
••• Blood of Potency
The thaumaturge gains such control over his own
blood that he may effectively “concentrate” it, making it more powerful for a short time. In effect, he may
temporarily lower his own Generation with this power. This power may be used only once per night.
System: One success on the Willpower roll allows the character to lower his Generation by one step for one hour. Each additional success grants the Kindred either one step down in Generation or one hour of effect. Successes earned must be spent both to decrease the vampire’s Generation and to maintain the change (this power cannot be activated again until the original application wears off). If the vampire is diablerized while this power is in effect, it wears off immediately and the diablerist gains power appropriate to the caster’s actual Generation. Furthermore, any mortals Em- braced by the thaumaturge are born to the Generation appropriate to their sire’s original Generation (e.g., a Tenth-Generation Tremere who has reduced his effective Generation to Eighth still produces Eleventh-Generation childer).
Once the effect wears off, any blood over the character’s blood pool maximum dilutes, leaving the character at his regular blood pool maximum. Thus, if a Twelfth-Generation Tremere (maximum blood pool of 11) decreased his Generation to Ninth (maximum blood pool 14), ingested 14 blood points, and had this much vitae in his system when the power wore off, his blood pool would immediately drop to 11.
