Caroscapha
by: Belladonna |
For some time, this discipline has been mistaken for a fine manipulation of the Tzimisce ability of Vicissitude, but very recently certain learned observers have come to realize that this is a unique discipline unto itself. Unlike Vicissitude, Caroscapha does not involve the infestation of the vampire with the alien organism that can grow to encompass and destroy its host.
Note: In every case of its use, the vampire must touch the subject, and a certain temporary melding of flesh occurs at point of contact. With Cognitio, it is little more than a melding of skin, but at higher levels the vampire's hand can be seen to actually disappear entirely below the skin of the subject.
The vampire must - in all cases - spend blood to achieve these effects, the blood cost being equal to the level of the discipline used. This expenditure also dictates the minimum time period for these changes to be effected, based on how much blood the vampire can spend in a given time frame.
Cognitio ●
With this, the vampire begins to find they can feel the shape and nature of flesh under the skin, discerning the greater pattern, health, and forms inherent to the body and its functions. Larger masses and forms are relatively easy, with difficulty growing as finer tuning is required to perceive smaller vessels, forms, and relationships. At its highest focus, this ability can reach into cellular mysteries and beyond the human limitation into the aspects of kindred blood and the properties therein. It has been found to work equally well on human, animal, and kindred alike, and may extend to more esoteric creatures as well. This ability serves as the guidance and navigation for all subsequent abilities of Caroscapha. Indeed, this ability is essential for the higher levels to work at all, and in every case, the vampire must "read" a healthy pattern of the type they wish to emulate through whatever changes they enact.
System
Blood Cost: 1
The user must make a Perception + Intelligence roll, with the difficulty being modified by what they are attempting to perceive.
Large masses, i.e. : muscles, bones, organs - difficulty 6
Finer masses and forms, i.e. : connective tissues, blood vessels, nerves, etc. - difficulty 7
Patterns and nature of cells and tissues - difficulty 8
Viruses, disease, and infections - difficulty 9
Overall physical pattern - difficulty 10
Corona ●●
With this, the vampire is able to see beyond the human limitation into the realms of the metaphysical pattern of living beings, discerning the essential nature of the subject, (ie : aspects of kindred blood and clann, etc.). This ability serves in conjunction with Cognitio as the guidance and navigation for the higher abilities of Caroscapha, and in every case, the vampire must "read" a healthy pattern of the type they wish to emulate through whatever changes they enact.
System
Blood Cost: 2
The user must make a Perception + Intelligence roll, with the difficulty being modified by the subject they are attempting to read.
Human - difficulty 6
Mage/awakened - difficulty 7
Garou - difficulty 8
Thrall/ghoul - difficulty 9
Vampire - difficulty 10
Tracto ●●●
This is related to the gross manipulation of flesh, blood, bone, and tissue. With this the vampire is able to knit broken bones and torn flesh, repair or move organs and tissues about within the body, even transferring them from one person to another painlessly. This also allows the vampire complete control over the gross functions of the subject's body, the heart can be stopped or started, blood flow can be completely controlled, breathing can be controlled, etc.
System
Blood Cost: 3
The user must make a Caroscapha + Intelligence roll, with the difficulty being modified by what they are manipulating. Vampires with more than a 3 in Medicine have their difficulties reduced by one for each point over three in that knowledge.
Skin, muscle, large tissues - difficulty 6
Bones - difficulty 7
Inner organs - difficulty 8
Blood vessels, blood itself - difficulty 9
Nerves, nervous tissues, and brain tissue - difficulty 10
Sculptura●●●●
At this level, the vampire becomes a sculptor of flesh, able to reshape flesh, bone, features, and more. They are able to stimulate the body's production or cannibalization of fat, blood, and tissues - even bone - to enhance the effect of the changes. Height, weight, coloration, and features become fully at the command of the vampire. The outward appearance of age and sex can even be changed, though sexual nature and function cannot be altered at this level.
System
Blood Cost: 4
The user must make a Caroscapha + Intelligence roll, with the difficulty being modified by what they are manipulating.
Coloration and/or facial features - difficulty 6
Bone structure - difficulty 7
Height, weight, body shape - difficulty 8
Muscle masses, fat ratio, level of fitness - difficulty 9
Fine features (i.e. : fingerprints, retinal patterns, etc.) - difficulty 10
Magister ●●●●●
Reaching even deeper into the aspects of the flesh and its components, the vampire can now manipulate the finer processes of the body, its cells, and the subtle interplay between them. The applications of this ability are such things as curing disease, halting the perception of pain, destroying viruses, eliminating cancers, and so forth. The vampire is able to discern the difference between natural and unnatural forms, masses or presences within the body, and even find and correct malformed or damaged tissues that have scarred.
System
Blood Cost: 5
The user must make a Caroscapha + Intelligence roll, with the difficulty being modified by what they are manipulating.
Removing pain, manipulating sensation - difficulty 6
Destroying infections, diseases, viruses, parasites, etc. - difficulty 7
Curing cancers and tumors - difficulty 8
Restoring scarred or missing tissue - difficulty 9
Reforming defective tissues to proper function - difficulty 10
Dominus Sanguinus ●●●●●●
Moving beyond the flesh into the essence of the vampire, the wielder of Dominus Sanguinus can now enact changes in the essence of blood and vitae itself. This allows curing of blood diseases, changing of blood type, restoration of purity (including the breaking of enthrallment and bonding), and even the restoration of potency in thin-blooded vampires.
System
Blood Cost: 6
The user must make a 'Caroscapha + Intelligence' roll, with the difficulty being modified by what they are manipulating.
Curing blood disease - difficulty 6
Changing blood type - difficulty 7
Restoring potency - difficulty 8
Restoring purity, restoring ghoul/thrall to human - difficulty 9
Breaking binding - difficulty 10
Substantia ●●●●●●●
This level of the craft moves into the essential nature of the physical. With Substantia the vampire can change in its entirety the nature of the being, altering the metaphysical pattern of the subject permanently, (i.e. : male to female, vampire to mortal once more, or mortal to vampire, with appropriate losses or gains in ability).
System
Blood Cost: 7
The user must make a Caroscapha + Intelligence roll, with the difficulty being modified by what they are manipulating.
Changing gender - difficulty 6
Garou to human - difficulty 7
Vampire to human - difficulty 8
Vampire to garou or vice-versa - difficulty 9
Human to vampire or garou - difficulty 10
(Other variations are possible with difficulties as appropriate based on the above benchmarks)
Dominor Vitae ●●●●●●●●
Increasing the potency of Substantia, this level of the craft allows the vampire to change the vital essence of vitae itself, allowing a raising or lowering of generation and strength of the blood. (As with all other changes, the vampire must "read" a healthy pattern of the generation desired in the change.)
System
Blood Cost: 8
The user must make a Caroscapha + Intelligence roll, with the difficulty being modified by the generation they are manipulating.
Twelfth, thirteenth, or lower generation - difficulty 6
Ninth, tenth, or eleventh generation - difficulty 7
Sixth, seventh, or eighth generation - difficulty 8
Third, fourth, or fifth generation - difficulty 9
First or second generation - difficulty 10
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