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Tritonis

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by: Jimbo

A Legacy Article from Sanguinus Curae

 

Tritonis is the discipline of the Children of Aquarius, developed by him and passed to his childer to help them to survive well in the oceans. Tritonis may not be learned by a member of another clan or bloodline without the guidance and teaching of a Child of Aquarius, and extremely few are taught above level three, with none ever having been taught above level five. To know Tritonis above level five is a crime warranting a massive Blood Hunt against both the individual and his teacher. Tremere and Tzimisce are almost never taught anything of Tritonis, though rare exceptions exist.

Feet of the Fish ●

The Triton may propel himself through the water at inhuman speeds, as this level of the discipline allows him to slightly restructure his body. By spending a blood point, the Triton's body becomes more streamlined and hydrodynamic, while their feet and hands become webbed. When fully clothed, he may swim as if unencumbered. If only wearing a swimsuit or equally brief or aquatically designed clothing, he may swim at double his normal speed. When completely unclad, he may travel through the water at three times his normal speed. In addition, under any of the above circumstances, the character may swim for three times as long as he normal would be able to before he gets tired. The change in appearance is subtle. An observing character may roll Perception + Alertness, difficulty 8, to notice that something is different. This roll is not required if the Triton is making no effort to hide his webbed fingers and toes, which are quite obvious. The Triton may change back to his normal form at will with no cost. This form remains in effect until the Triton chooses to revert.

The Deep ●●

The Triton may now survive, undamaged, at any depth of water, no matter the water pressure. This is obviously a mandatory ability for Children of Aquarius living at sea, and it is extremely rare for a Neonate not to be taught this at the earliest opportunity. No roll or point expenditure is required, as this power is always active, even when the Triton is asleep, unconscious or in Torpor. In addition, the Triton may see clearly through water as though it was air, no matter how much light is present. The only barrier to this exists in water pollution, which obstructs his view as smog would the view of someone on land. No roll is required for this use, either, though it grants no special night vision outside the water.

Speech of the Aquatic ●●●

At this level, the Triton may communicate mentally with any aquatic creature. This includes all other Children of Aquarius, any Tritonis users with at least this level of skill, Selkies, Rokea, Mer, fish or amphibian type Pooka and all other supernatural aquatic creatures (whether Mokole qualify as aquatic depends on the individual Mokole in question and should be decided by the storyteller). Amphibians are also included, though most reptiles are not (at the storyteller's discretion). The recipient of the communication may speak back, though it's knowledge and intelligence depend on the species or individual in question. Dolphins and Whales are mostly sentient creatures and can carry on coherent and interesting conversations. The limit of this ability is the range of sight. Note that this does not mean that the Triton must be looking at the creature, only that he must be able to look at it. The communication also need not be initiated by the user of this discipline, for aquatic animals can instinctively recognize a user of this discipline.

Wave of Neptune ●●●●

The Triton becomes capable of controlling the waves in tidal waters, or creating them for himself in still bodies of water. The Triton rolls Willpower against a difficulty of 11 minus his swimming rating (or his athletics rating for those who do not use the optional secondary abilities rules), to a minimum difficulty of 5. The number of successes indicates how much control is obtained. One success indicates creating or stopping mid-sized ripples. Three successes will turn a swimming pool into a mild wave pool, which the kiddies would love. Five successes would create respectable surfing waves. Seven successes would completely wash away an entire area of beach, but would likely be stopped at the breakwater. Ten successes could create a Tidal Wave or Tsunami of enormous proportions, the total and far ranging effects of which would have to be role-played by the Storyteller and the players. In addition to it's normal use, this power can force the water into a small, compressed wave, almost like a battering ram, directed at a structure, individual or animal, doing one level of lethal damage per success. Expenditure of one willpower point and two blood points will make this damage aggravated. This power can even be used against a target completely immersed in water. However, a sizable portion of water must be around. A glass would be affected, but would only get the target wet. The average bucket or large puddle would not do more than one or two points of damage. It is up to the Storyteller to assign a maximum to the amount of damage that can be dealt based on the amount of water present, if he so desires.

Form of the Fish ●●●●●

Now, the Triton may totally change his form into that of an aquatic animal, including amphibians and any acceptable reptiles but NOT including supernatural creatures. Each Triton chooses one form at the time of his first use of this Discipline, and that is the only for that he may change into. He may, at a later date, sacrifice a permanent point of willpower to allow himself to transform into a second shape, though this may only be done once and must be at least one month after the first use of this power. The Triton adopts all qualities, benefits, and penalties of his new form. The Triton retains control of most of the abilities of Tritonis, though not level one. He retains control of mental disciplines such as Auspex, Dominate, and Presence, though whom they affect may be altered at the Storyteller's discretion. He retains control of the disciplines of Potence, Fortitude, and Celerity. All other disciplines may be retained or lost at the Storyteller's discretion. The Triton remains vulnerable to sunlight in his animal form, though it may be soaked by a simple stamina roll against a difficulty of 6. This does not apply to supernaturally caused sunlight, such as from the Illumination discipline of the Disciples of Horus or the gifts of the Mokole or any other source, which are treated as normal. The transformation is instantaneous. The Triton spends two blood points and rolls Stamina + Swimming (or athletics, see above), Difficulty 10 - Animal Ken. Only one success is needed. The Transformation lasts for 24 hours, though the Triton may revert to his true form at will.

The Deep Others ●●●●●●

At this level, the Triton also gains the ability to extend the powers granted by the second level of this discipline to others, allowing them to travel with him. The effects on them are exactly the same, except in regards to those who, unlike vampires, need to breathe. These characters are granted the ability to breathe underwater. The use of this power on others does not confer any special swimming ability. The recipients must remain within sight of the Triton at all times, and the Triton may not affect more people than his permanent Willpower rating. It lasts as long as the Triton stays awake and conscious. Failure to do so results in the power failing in five minutes from the time of the Triton's death or loss of consciousness.

Knowledge of the Waves ●●●●●●

This ability allows the Children of Aquarius to tap into the Wisdom of the Sea. In effect, the Triton can search the sea's "memory" for answers to his questions. This knowledge is limited in that only Aquarius and the seven 5th Generation Elders can access information from before the time of the Great Flood. Whether this is a limitation placed by them or by some other means, or simply a lack of power among the higher generations is unknown. Use of this power is never taken lightly. It requires three nights of preparation and the expenditure of six blood points and three willpower points. The Triton then rolls his willpower against a variable difficulty, 5 for trivial knowledge ("Where did I leave my Car Keys last week?") to 10 for great secrets ("Is the founder of Clan Tremere currently active?"). The number of successes gained indicates the amount of knowledge gleaned. A botch causes the Triton to lose all of his temporary Willpower and a point of Permanent Willpower. In addition, that Triton is incapable of using this power for one month per 1 rolled, and must make a successful courage roll, difficulty 6, every time he tries to use this power for another year after that period ends. This power sounds similar to the first level of the Thaumaturgical Path Neptune's Might, but is far more potent in that it is the sum of the knowledge of all bodies of water in the world, from the largest ocean to the tiniest drop. Thus, no information is completely hidden from the user of this power, though some questions require three or even more successes to get even a basic answer to.

Aquatic Call ●●●●●●

The Triton may put out a call to all aquatic creatures in a 2-mile radius. A charisma + Animal Ken roll is made against a difficulty of 8. The number of successes determines the demeanor of the animals that respond. A failure means that all but the local goldfish ignore the call, while a botch summons any local predators in an angry frenzy. Supernatural aquatic creatures within range will detect the summons, but they are not bound to it and may respond or ignore it as their personalities suit them.

Form of the Sea ●●●●●●●

This power is identical to the level 5 Form of the Fish skill except that the Triton may now change into any aquatic animal he wishes, though still not the supernatural ones. The systems are identical to the level five version of this power, as are the access to disciplines.

Sense of the Waves ●●●●●●●

The Triton gains a kind of sonar sense. By rolling Perception + Alertness, difficulty 7, he may detect any submerged or partially submerged object or animal within three hundred yards of him. The Triton must be at least half immersed in the water to attempt this. The difficulty may be adjusted up or down based on favorable or poor sonar conditions, as determined by the storyteller (it is recommended that the Storyteller keep the difficulty at a constant unless he has factual, practical knowledge about the workings of sonar). An active attempt must be made by the Triton to use this power. It is not automatic.

Message in a Bottle ●●●●●●●●

This ability allows the Council of Elders to keep in touch with each other and the Bloodline as a whole. By causing mystical vibrations in all waters of the world, it allows the user to send a message to anyone else with Tritonis. The message is targeted to the level of ability that the intended recipients possess (1-8) in the Tritonis Discipline. Any Child of Aquarius with that level or higher who is in contact with a body of water within thirty-six hours of the sending of the message will receive it (for this reason, many Children of Aquarius make a habit of daily "Checking their Messages" by putting themselves in contact with the water every night). It can be as short as a single word or as much as five minutes of speech. It is used by the Council to keep in contact with each other and to keep the entire bloodline abreast of important developments. Users of Tritonis who have the appropriate level to detect a message but are not actually Children of Aquarius may roll their Perception against a difficulty of 9 to receive the massage.

 

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