Sabbat Rituals
Most Sabbat skilled in Thaumaturgy know a few rituals, but most of those known are different than those known to the Tremere outside the Sabbat. The Sabbat and the Camarilla Tremere do share some rituals in common, but these were brought to the Sabbat by the Tremere who fumed traitor.
The effects of these rituals last for one hour unless specified otherwise in the specific description.
Level One Rituals
Blood Rush
This ritual allows the vampire to create the sensation of drinking blood in himself without actually having to do so. The ritual is used most often for pleasure, but it may also be used to prevent frenzy at the sight of blood. A vampire who has performed this ritual automatically succeeds in keeping the Beast in check. In addition, the vampire feels temporarily sated. This feeling lasts approximately one hour.
Dominoe of Life
This ritual allows the vampire to simulate one aspect of humans. The vampire can eat, drink or breathe just as a mortal can. The Thaumaturgist can assume the flesh tone of a mortal, cause her temperature to rise to 98.6°, make her heart beat, or anything else she desires. The effects last for one entire night.
Illuminate Trail of the Prey
This ritual causes an intended victim's wake to glow in a manner that only the vampire using the ritual can see. The footprints, tire tracks, etc., glow an almost neon color. Even ship wakes and airplane trajectories will be revealed. The ritual is nullified if the target wades through or immerses himself in water.
The vampire must have seen the person she wishes to track via this ritual. The vampire must have a starting point to begin this ritual, after which the path glows until the victim is found or manages to get into a position where he will not walk, ride or drive. The brightness of the path indicates how long it has been since the victim went past that location.
Preserve Blood
This ritual allows a vampire to preserve blood in a specially enchanted container. This ritual was very useful before refrigerators and it is still used heavily by nomadic Sabbat. The ritual requires a covered earthenware container large enough to contain the amount of blood the vampire wishes to store.
The vampire prepares the container by burying it in the earth for two nights. The following night the container must be dug back up. The container is opened and the blood is poured in, with a healthy sprinkling of burdock added. The caster recites a few incantations over the container before sealing it with wax. The container may be carried but, if broken, the blood will spoil at a normal rate. The container may be opened at any time, but may not be resealed contain ing the same blood. The earthenware container itself can be used again, but the entire ritual must be reenacted.
Will o'the Wisp
This ritual allows a Thaumaturgist to produce a supernatural ball of light. The ball of light travels as the vampire mentally commands. The ball of light, referred to as a Will o'the Wisp, can be made to travel anywhere within sight of the vampire and perform tricks.
Among the things the ball of light can do are: glow brighter, glow dimmer, divide into many smaller balls, fly about, bathe someone in its magical glow, swirl, remain stationary or perform whatever maneuver the vampire can imagine. This ritual is useful as a diversion or simply a light source.
This ritual requires a small branch from a willow tree. The vampire must recite the magical incantations and throw the stick into the air, whereupon it bursts into the ball of light. The light lasts as long as the vampire concentrates upon it.
Level Two Rituals
Craft Bloodstone
The Thaumaturgist using this ritual can make a small magical device called a Bloodstone empowered by a vampire's own blood. Cast on a real bloodstone, it allows the vampire to always know the exact location of the Bloodstone, no matter where it is. In many ways it is a mystical homing beacon. The Bloodstone provides only mental information, in a non visual way. Thus, even though the vampire knows where the Bloodstone is, he cannot see it. The uses of the Bloodstone are innumerable. It can be used to track new recruits, enemies, ghoul slaves, other pack members, etc. The Bloodstone's powers wane only after a century or more of use (some have lasted more than 500 years.)
The ritual for the creation of a Bloodstone takes several nights to perform. First, a suitable stone must be found and left in a container filled with at least three Blood Points of the vampire's own vitae. On each of those three nights, a special invocation is said over the container and the bloodstone ingests one Blood Point. As each Blood Point disappears the blood in the container becomes more and more like water on the third night, when the Thaumaturgist removes it, it is completely clear. The stone will have an unnatural perfec and depth of color.
Eyes of the Night Hawk
This ritual allows a vampire to see through the eyes of a bird and hear through its ears. The bird chosen must be touched by the vampire when the ritual is cast. The vampire is able to mentally control where the bird travels for the duration of the ritual. The bird cannot be commando. to perform any action other than flight.
The vampire must close her eyes in order to see through those of the bird. This ritual requires "magic birdseed." The birdseed is typical birdseed, but is soaked in a solution of back cohosh root, hemlock bark, heartsease and other bizarre ingredients. The bird must be fed the "magic birdseed" for the ritual to work. Most birds will not turn down the magic se ds.
Machine Blitz
The vampire makes machines go haywire with his ritual. It takes effect instantly and lasts as long as the vampire concentrates on it. The ritual causes machines of any sort, including appliances, weapons, power tools, plumbing, e electronics, etc. to animate to a certain degree, even to the point of attacking whomever the vampire desires. The ritual is much more effective when using cars, large machine or weapons.
The machines are not capable of full animation, but may perform any actions similar to those they are normally capable of. For example, a cassette player could spit out the cassette, spew tape everywhere, fall over, turn on, turn off AND change volume. It could not slide over and hit a person or eject a tape with enough force to hurt someone. The EXACT effects should be left up to the Storyteller.
Power of the Invisible Flame
This simple ritual allows a vampire skilled in the Thaumaturgic path known as Lure of the Flames to create invisible fires. The flames are just as real, however, and while they cannot be seen, they can be felt. The ritual lasts onefull night. There are no material components required for this ritual, but the vampire must cast the ritual around a fire of at least torch size.
Recure of the Homeland
The vampire can draw upon the soil of her homeland to heal any aggravated wounds she may have. The Thaumaturgist must have at least a handful of dirt from the city or town of her birth. She then places an enchantment upon it so it will heal her at a later time. One handful heals one aggravated wound, and only one handful can be used each night.
Any amount of soil may be so enchanted over a period of time, but this ritual can only be cast once per night. It takes one day for the soil to heal the wound. The soil turns and chalky after it works its magic, and cannot be used again.
Steps of the Terrified
This ritual lets the caster slow down any specific foe. The harder the victim tries to run, the slower she becomes. During the first turn, she moves at half her normal speed. If she tries to speed up, she slows to one quarter her normal speed. Eventually, she slows to the point that she cannot move faster than walking speed. This ritual is often used to catch tricky prey or terrify an opponent. The vampire is often able to walk while the victim is trying to run, and still catch up with her. The material component of this ritual is a small cube of dried mud, perfectly square on all sides.
Summon Guardian Spirit
This power allows the vampire to summon a spirit for the express purpose of guarding him. The spirit aids the vampire in no way except to alert him to danger. Vampires often summon spirits to fill this duty while they sleep. The vampire is able to see the spirit summoned, but the spirit may not speak. In addition, the spirit will only be visible to the vampire during times of danger. Though the spirit cannot speak, it may communicate by ringing a bell, knocking on the bed, etc. The spirit serves the vampire for 24 hours.
Impassable Trail
The vampire can travel through even the densest woods without leaving any sign of her passing. The vampire will still leave a trail for vampires or Lupines with powerful olfactory senses, but this will be all. This ritual requires the vampire to wrap her feet in soft deerskin, and lasts for one night.
Level Three Rituals
A Touch of Nightshade
This ritual allows the vampire to poison victims by touch alone. The ritual causes the vampire to produce a magical effect similar to poisoning in the first person she touches after casting the ritual. The victim rolls Stamina + Fortitude (difficulty 8). One success means victim survives, but has terrible cramps for the night and increases his difficulties by two. If he makes two successes, the victim feels a little queasy, increasing all difficulties by one. If the victim rolls three or more successes, he does not feel a thing. The vampire Thaumaturgist using this ritual must rub a little juice from bittersweet, deadly nightshade, or some other potent form of nightshade on her hand for the ritual to work.
Clinging of the Insect
The vampire can crawl on walls and ceilings using this ritual. The only material component is a small living spider, which must be eaten alive. The vampire is then able to crawl upon any surface that will support her weight. Completely smooth, slick surfaces (such as Teflon or slime covered glass) will negate this ritual.
Eldritch Glimmer
This ritual allows the vampire to draw upon some sort of magical force that bathes the vampire in a pale green glow. In addition, the vampire is able to fire bolts of energy from this magical source. Any number of bolts may be discharged, at a rate of one per turn, but each costs the Thaumaturgist one Blood Point. Hitting with the bolts requires a Perception + Firearms roll (difficulty6); they do three dice of damage each. The material component for this ritual is a piece of sandstone soaked in vinegar.
Fire in the Blood
This ritual allows the vampire to cause the victim's body to become extremely warm. The victim can feel the heat from her blood as it passes through her body. The effects of this ritual are extremely painful. The heat starts slowly, but as the victim becomes more and more active, the blood becomes hotter and hotter. The victim suffers an aggravated wound every time she does something which involves rolling a Physical Attribute, unless she can make a simple roll using Wits + Medicine (difficulty 7 ) in order to calm down enough for the blood to cool. The victim is thus forced to remain inactive or face extreme pain and injury. No material compo nents are required for this ritual.
Friend of the Trees
This power causes those who try to follow the vampire through woods to become entangled in roots, branches, and vines that just seem to be in the way. The power has the subtle effect of causing trees to animate slightly to provide this protection. Those trying to follow the vampire will only be able to move at half their normal speed. This ritual can only be performed in woods, and requires the vampire to plant an acorn.
Rotten wood
This ritual protects the caster against wooden stakes and similar wooden weapons. It makes wooden objects so rotten that they crumble to dust. The ritual must be set up in advance, but for the entire night all the vampire has to do is speak one magical command word to turn any wooden obj ect she touches to dust.
Summon Mischievous Spirit
The vampire with this power is able to summon a poltergeist. The poltergeist will cause a ruckus, messing with appliances, furniture, plumbing, electronic devices and any other types of inanimate objects. The spirit may cause almost any object to animate and move about, but it will seldom directly harm a person. However, it will readily cause indirect injury, such as dropping a chair on a victim's head or causing a knife to fly across the room.
It is important to keep in mind that the spirit does not intend to harm the victim it just wants to annoy the hell out of him. The effect of this spirit is left up to the Storyteller. The length of time the spirit stays is based on the number of successes the vampire rolls using Charisma + Spirit Lore (difficulty 7).
1 success 1 Hour
2 successes 1 Night
3 successes 1 Week
4 successes 1 Month
5 successes 1 year
Level Four Rituals
Bottled Voice
The Thaumaturgist draws out an individual's ability to make any sound with the voice. The victim remains mute for as long as the vampire has the voice in his possession. The voice is removed with a verbal incantation and forced into a bottle with somatic signs. The bottle must then have a wax seal placed upon it. The victim is then unable to speak, but otherwise unaffected. The vampire employing this ritual can keep the victim's voice as long as the seal and the bottle itself remain unbroken
Drawing upon the Bound
This special ritual allows a vampire to utilize the Disciplines of any individual, Kindred or kine, who is Blood Bound directly to her. This ritual does not work for the Vinculum created by the Vaulderie, as the individual must be Blood Bound directly to the vampire. This ritual is used most often with ghouls' calling upon their Potence or other Disciplines. The victim cannot use the Traits while the vampire does. This ritual requires the vampire to carry a small vial containing a drop of the Bound individual's blood.
This ritual was originally employed in Haiti, but has rapidly spread. Unfortunately, it is of much less use to Sabbat than it is to most other Kindred.
Fire Walker
This ritual protects the vampire from fire for a short period of time. The ritual temporarily toughens the vampire's skin, and lasts up to one hour. The vampire may still be burned during this time, but gets twice the normal soak against flames. The vampire is by no means invulnerable and would be extremely dumb to actually walk through a fire, but this ritual can allow the vampire to participate and even show off in the Sabbat rituals involving fire. The material component of this ritual is a specially made salve rubbed on the soles of the vampire's bare feet.
The Haunting
This ritual summons a spirit to frighten a target tremendously. It will play tricks on the person like a poltergeist, but the Haunting Spirit will try to cause a person to faint or have a heart attack (mortals only). The spirit will not directly harm the victim, but it may have almost the same effect without doing so. To determine if a mortal has a heart attack or faints, the spirit must make a resisted roll using its Fright rating + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Stamina + [Courage or Morale]). This spirit usually has little effect against Kindred.
1 success The victim is severely scared but no real harm is done.
2 successes The victim is so shocked she cannot do a thing for several minutes, possibly hours.
3 successes The victim faints
4 successes The victim goes into a state of shock and may suffer long term psychological trauma.
5 successes The spirit causes the victim to have a heart attack, killing the victim (if mortal) unless the victim can make a resisted roll using her own Stamina + Self Control (difficulty 8). Survivors may very well have their hair turn white.
The spirit will remain for a period of time based on the number of successes the vampire rolls using his Charisma + Spirit Lore (difficulty 7).
1 success 1 Hour
2 successes 1 Night
3 successes 1 Week
4 successes One Month
5 successes One Year
Haunting Spirits have Fright ratings between 3 and 5 (each point adds one die to attempts to frighten), and Intimidation ratings between 2 and 5, at the Storyteller's discretion.
Invisible Chains of Binding
This ritual allows the vampire to create a supernatural force that holds a victim immobile. The victim is actually chained with invisible and intangible chains that force her to remain where she is. The victim may try to move, but the chains are too strong to break unless the victim can make a simple roll using Strength (difficulty 8) and score two successes in one turn (Potence affects this roll normally). Up to four victims may be chained through the use of this ritual. The vampire Thaumaturgist must make bold hand gestures but no material component is required to cast this ritual.
Keening of the Banshee
The vampire makes a horrific sound so loud as to be deafening. The person closest to the vampire when this ritual is used suffers the full brunt of the assault. His hair turns white and he ages somewhere between 1 10 years (if mortal). The ritual's effects are instantaneous. The material component for this ritual is a necklace bearing a pendant carved from an old tombstone. For obvious reasons, this ritual has little effect on Kindred, but Lupines are affected normally.
Mirror Walk
The vampire can step into any mirror large enough for him to crawl through, and use it as a supernatural portal and transport to the closest mirror large enough for him to exit. If no mirror is present, the vampire exits through the closest sheet of glass. The vampire may use this ritual to transport from place to place, but it is especially useful during escapes. The mirror "liquefies" when the vampire Thaumaturgist steps through, forming ripples. Once the vampire has stepped through, it reverts to its original shape, but the vampire cannot be seen.
The material component is a ring bearing an emerald, which glows when the ritual is in effect. The vampire may transport one additional person, pulling him through by the arm. If anyone tries to enter after the vampire has stepped through, but before the mirror stops rippling, the individual is cut in half. Half ends up in front of one mirror, while half ends up in front of the other. The Storyteller may wish to allow the individual a roll using Dexterity + Dodge (difficulty 7) to see if he makes it through without getting killed.
Respect of the Animals
The vampire who casts this ritual may travel through the wilderness without danger from animals. Animals will not be afraid of the vampire, nor will they dislike her. Animals will accept the vampire as an equal and allow her to pass, though they will not aid the vampire in any way. No components are required, and the effects last for four hours.
Level Five Rituals
Dominion
This ritual makes a highly effective defense. It requires three hours to set up, but it lasts for an entire week. The ritual is cast upon a specific location no larger than 500 cubic feet. The ritual prevents all uses of Animalism, Auspex, Domination and Presence performed by anyone except the caster within its bounds. In order for the ritual to remain effective, a seal made of iron must be embedded over all doors within the area affected by the Dominion. If even a single seal is marred or pulled out, the ritual is dispelled.
Eyes of the Beast
The vampire is able to mystically see through the eyes of an animal for 24 hours. The animal must be chosen and touched on the head by the vampire for this ritual to take effect. The vampire will then see whatever the animal sees, but will have no control over what the animal looks at or does. The vampire must close his own eyes in order to see what the animal sees. This is a particularly useful power when using the animal to keep watch over the vampire's haven.
Lion Heart
The vampire using this ritual may temporarily increase her abilities as a warrior. The ritual grants the vampire two points of Strength, one point of Dexterity, and one point of Stamina. The vampire's Courage or Morale is also increased by three points. Even beyond this, the vampire gains two extra points in her Brawl and Leadership Talents. The effects of this ritual lasts for 20 minutes.
The vampire using this ritual must rest within two hours after this ritual ends or she will begin to lose Health Levels at a rate of one every 10 minutes until she rests. This can be a very dangerous to cast, but its effects are incredible.
Mindcrawler
The vampire employing this ritual creates a magical force in a victim's head which causes the victim to slowly lose his mind. The effects are dreadful and extremely effective. The Thaumaturgist simply places her hand on the victim's head for this ritual to take effect. The victim will feel only a minor burning sensation.
Over a period of one week, the victim begins losing his Mental Attributes. The first day the victim loses one point of Perception, the second day one point of Intelligence, the third day one point of Wits. The cycle repeats on the fourth day, with the victim losing another point of Perception, and so on for each day, following the same sequence until the victim's Mental Attributes are all reduced to one. The Mindcrawler then ceases.
The victim may rebuild his Mental Attributes at a rate of one point per week, applied to whatever Mental Attribute the victim decides to work on rebuilding. The material component for this ritual is a small tick dyed red and painted with a mystical symbol. The tick is then crushed and applied to the head of the victim.
Paper Flesh
This ritual causes a victim's Stamina and Fortitude (if she has the Discipline) to be reduced to one point each. The victim remains this way for one entire night. This can be a powerful ritual to cast on opponents who easily soak damage. However, if the victim is of seventh generation or less, she keeps one extra point of Stamina and Fortitude per generation less than eighth. Thus, if a vampire of fourth generation was hit by this ritual, the vampire would be allowed to keep four points of both Stamina and Fortitude in addition to the one point automatically left. The material component for this ritual is a piece of paper with a picture representing the victim. The caster rips apart the picture when this ritual is cast.
Spirit of Torment
This ritual allows a vampire to summon a spirit capable of making physical contact with those in the real world. The vampire may command the spirit to attack another being. The spirit will fight for the vampire as long as it is not in any personal danger. The spirit will stay only for a limited time; if it suffers any wounds while in a physical form, it will automatically leave. Otherwise, the length of time it remains is based upon the number of successes the vampire rolls using his own Manipulation + Occult (or Spirit Lore).
1 success One turn
2 successes One Hour
3 successes One Night
4 successes Three Nights
5 successes One Week
The spirit looks hideously inhuman and has the following statistics:
Physical: 13 points divided among the three
Social: Three points divided among the three
Mental: Seven points divided among the three
Virtues: Conscience 0, Self Control 1, Courage 4
Talents: Brawl 4, Empathy 3, Intimidate 3
Skills: Stealth 3
Knowledge: Occult 1, Spirit Lore 2
Disciplines (equivalents): Auspex 2, Fright 3 (adds one die per level to any attempt to frighten), Obfuscate 5, Potence 1, Spirit Sight, and Manifestation (allows the spirit to assume a physical form; the spirit can remain in physical form for one turn for every Willpower point expended)
Humanity: 0 Willpower: 7
Thirst Unquenchable
The vampire creates a thirst that cannot be quenched within another vampire. Only half the vitae the victim consumes for the rest of the night will actually replenish the vampire. The victim is more likely to frenzy as well (difficul ties are increased by two). The material component is a handful of salt.