Keening
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Contents
Introduction
Keening is one of the primary thirteen Arcanoi from Wraith: The Oblivion. Those who can use the arts of Keening can manipulate emotions through sound.
Although it does not produce as useful effects as Inhabit or Castigate, Keening is nonetheless a treasured art in the Shadowlands because of the potential power it has. More than anything else, it makes a wraith feel emotional again. Chanteurs can create strong emotions and reactions in almost anyone they chose, and it’s an experience that some wraiths would give their unlives to have again, even if the emotions are artificial sensations made from a manipulative wraith.
Chanteurs primarily work through song, although merely speaking or shouting may have their desired effect. Although Keening can be used with large groups of wraiths, Chanteurs prefer to focus on one target at a time.
Mistakes made with Keening can have severe repercussions. The most common is for an intended positive emotion to backfire and become a negative one, but in extreme cases of misfortune, a Chanteur has been known to be driven mad by his own power.
Basic Abilities
○○○○○ Perfect Pitch: A Chanteur can tell when another wraith is using Keening.
○○○○○ Sotto Voce: A Chanteur can hide their use of Keening from other wraiths.
Standard Powers
{First / Second Edition}
●○○○○ Dirge: A Chanteur can strengthen a listener’s darker emotions (sadness, anger, grief).
●●○○○ Ballad: A Chanteur may inspire a listener's higher emotions (love, happiness, joy).
●●●○○ Muse: A Chanteur can make a suggestion to others to do their bidding.
●●●●○ Crescendo: A Chanteur can physically damage wraiths with a scream. If Embodied, they can terrify the Quick to the point of harm.
●●●●● Requiem: A Chanteur can fill someone with a completely overwhelming emotion.
{20th Anniversary Edition}
Basic abilities were dropped in the 20th anniversary edition.
The standard powers of Fatalism are the same as previous editions, with the following exceptions, which replace the skills of the same level or where noted.
●○○○○ Kismet: An Oracle can read the deathmarks on a wraith or mortal, and can also see that person's importance in Fate's plans.
●●●○○ Reading the Bones: An Oracle can see a person or object's future, save for their own.
●●●●○ Sidestep: Kin to Guesswork and Presage, the Oracle can foretell forthcoming attacks, allowing them to prepare a defense, or place themselves in the way of an attack meant for someone else.
●●●●● Breathing the Mists: An Oracle's foresight allows them to prepare for future events.
Alternate Powers
{Guildbook: Spooks and Oracles}
●○○○○ Distant Visions: An Oracle may clearly see what relevant events are happening elsewhere.
●●○○○ A Quick Read: An Oracle can read using a relic attuned to a living person.
●●○○○ Malocchio: An Oracle may mark another with an "evil eye" that curses them with bad luck, which only other Oracles can see.
●●●○○ Pulling Strings: An Oracle may make small changes in the Web of Fate, learning something of what is to come and preparing accordingly.
●●●●○ Tangles: An Oracle may twist, tangle, or knot another wraith's Thread of Fate, causing bad luck when they attempt to pursue a particular Passion.
●●●●● Ensnare: An Oracle can tangle a wraith's threads to the point they no longer control their own destiny, instead serving another's ends.
{Wraith: The Great War}
Fatalism abilities during the Great War are the same as the basic abilities and standard powers with the following exceptions, which replace the skills of the same level or where noted.
○○○○○ Augur: Other than the name change, this is essentially the same as Kismet.
●○○○○ Sensing the Strands: An Oracle can read an object and determine who used it and how it was used.
●●●●○ Presage: Other than being applied more to combat actions, this is essentially the same as Guesswork.
{20th Anniversary Edition}
The 20th anniversary edition introduces the initiate arts, a set of Fatalism abilities available to members of the Oracles' Guild with sufficient standing.
●○○○○ Friendly Card: An Oracle can select the best option when faced with a random choice.
●●○○○ Retrace: An Oracle can see how a person's fate has been changed in the past.
●●●○○ Malocchio: Aside from the rating, this is essentially the same as the original Malocchio.
●●●●○ Entangle: An Oracle can bind the existences of multiple wraiths together.
●●●●● Ensnare: An Oracle can redefine someone's fate.
Other Books
{WTO: The Book of Legions}
●●●○○ Fate's Hand Apparent: An Oracle can detect the death of a mortal that Fate has chosen.
●●●●● Eldritch Awareness: An Oracle may become aware of Fate as it relates to the Ladies of Fate.
References
- WTO: Wraith: The Oblivion Second Edition, p. 142-143
- WTO: Wraith: The Great War Rulebook, p. 119
- WTO: Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 162-166
- WTO: Guildbook: Spooks and Oracles, p. 124-127
- WTO: The Book of Legions, p. 92
