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Path of Madness (Dark Thaumaturgy Path)

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Know Internal Passions ●

This power allows the Thaumaturge to sense the true emotions of the target. Most importantly, it allowed the magician to gage the mental state of the victim.
System: The Thaumaturge must roll Perception + Empathy against a target number equal to the targets Wits + Subterfuge. The number of successes determines the depth and accuracy of the probe, using the same scale as Aura Perception.

Manipulate Passions ●●

This power enables the Thaumaturge to actually control the emotions/mood of a person. This power is especially effective against people of lower willpower, or those with Derangements already.

System: The Thaumaturge must be able to talk to the victim, telling them how they should feel, spends a Willpower Point and rolls Manipulation + Empathy, difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. The victim resists against the Thaumaturge's Willpower with their own. If the Thaumaturge gets more net successes, the victim's mood changes to order. If the victim beats the Thaumaturge, the effect is reflected back upon the Thaumaturge. Effect lasts for a length of time determined by the number of successes:

1 Success: One Hour.

2 Successes: One Day.

3 Successes: One Week.

4 Successes: One Month.

5 Successes: One Year.

Mass Manipulation ●●●

The Thaumaturge can now control the emotions of a group. Using this ability, the Thaumaturge can calm or incite a riot, or have a crowd believe he is the Messiah returned. The drawback is that the Thaumaturge must address the group.

System: The Thaumaturge spends 2 Willpower points and rolls Manipulation + Psychology, target number 8.

1 Success: Three People affected.

2 Successes: Eight People affected.

3 Successes: 20 People.

4 Successes: Everyone in the immediate vicinity.

5 Successes: An entire community.

Calling the Lords of Madness ●●●●

This power is a twist on simple demonic conjuration. It asks one of the Nahemoth to come close, and therefore the world is going to be affected. The power allows the Nahemoth to affect any souls in a reasonable radius. It also causes the 'Malkavian Madness Network' to go into overdrive, touching sensitive souls close by. Mad people start seeing what the magician and the demons see, and what they are discussing and what they are doing. This power is an invitation to horror.

System: The Thaumaturge must spend 1 Willpower and 1 Blood point a turn for three consecutive turns, then roll Thaumaturgy + Occult, target number 8. See below for more details on the Nahemoth themselves.

This can make an interesting 'McGuffin' for other stories. All of a sudden the mad are gibbering, the nearby psychics are clawing their eyes out, suicides are jumping. The lords of madness are close by.

Twisting Perception ●●●●●

This is the magical power which makes a mockery of mortal magicians. It gives the magician a similar control over reality as a powerful Mage might exercise. However it is completely illusory. The followers of this magical path know that the world is always as it is, flawed and broken, God's mistakes, but the mind is its own place. And this power directly affects the mind. And it particularly affects those Mages who deal in paradigmic philosophy. The magician can make anyone see what he wants them to see. Because he is now in their heads, changing things.

System: The Thaumaturge must lay on hands, then spend one Willpower and one Blood point per turn for 4 consecutive turns and roll Manipulation + Thaumaturgy, with a target number of 8. The player describes to the Storyteller what the victim sees, and the victim sees it. The victim is no longer aware of the magician. He exists in a world made by the magician for as long as the Storyteller desires. As for affecting Mages - if someone is getting really read by discussing the nature of reality, hit them with this.

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