Combination Discipline Power: Supplant the Flesh's Soul
by: Don Lara for Sanguinus Curae |
Requirements: Vicissitude 3 + Auspex 3
The horror of the Tzimisce's talent for sculpting skin and bone is a terrifying thing to behold, unto itself. But some of the Fiends are able to extend their heightened mental acuity into the very flesh itself; drawing out the memories and even skills of those they might steal certain body parts from.
With this ability, a Vampire may remove, say, an eye from a victim, transplant it into his own eye socket, and retrieve the last few visual memories that eye witnessed before being removed. A transplanted ear may elicit the last few words it overheard in a conversation.
But, probably the most startling consequence of this talent is the latent "memory" a Vampire can draw out from a victim's limbs.
Should a Vampire remove the legs of a trained kick boxer, for instance, and graft them onto his own form, for a time, that Vampire may gain the abilities inherent within those limbs. Along the same lines, the arms of a Mechanic may enable the Vampire a better chance of fixing something, as he gives in to the reflexes within the soul of the flesh he has stolen.
Tabletop
Player must first inform the storyteller as to who he is removing a body part from, and what his intentions are in doing so.
Player must first remove and then graft the intended body part onto his own person. He then makes an Empathy + Perception roll, Difficulty 7. If trying to catch the last few "memories" of say an eye, ear, or even tongue, each success gains the Vampire 2 minutes of the flesh's last memories. Once a body part has been used in this way, it may not be tested again: the remnants of the soul have been exhausted. However, the Vampire can first test one eye, and then the other eye, to try and gain more information. The same goes for the ears, of course.
When attempting to graft the arms, legs, or any other limb (I digress from making further examples here; the R-rating nature of Tzimisce and the Sabbat is duly implied to begin with) the player makes the same roll as above, but with a Difficulty of 8.
The results of this roll are wholly up to the storyteller, but generally, if successful, the Vampire will gain the temporary skill, talent, or attribute level most prevalent in said limbs. An expert marksman's arms might lend the Vampire a couple points of Firearms, while a proficient runner's legs may lend the Vampire a point or two in Athletics, or Dodge. A muscled set of Arms may also lend the player a temporary gain in his Strength attribute. The end results, however, are up to the ST (a nice twist to add might be to allow the player to 'think' he's getting a gunslinger's arms, when in fact the person in question practices Sewing much more often than Firearm).
This stolen ability lasts for one night, or as long as the storyteller deems necessary.
There are more possibilities for the use of this power than there is room here to list. Reward creativity, and remain flexible.
MET
Player must inform the ST who he is taking a part from, and for what purpose. After removing the limb and grafting it to his person, the player makes a static challenge against the social traits possessed by the individual he stole the body part from.
If attempting to see from an eye, or hear from an ear, a success provides the last 4 minutes of the part's experiences, or as much information as the ST is willing to relay.
If stealing arms or legs, the limb(s) is up 1 social trait in the initial challenge, as it is more difficult to extract the physical knowledge within the flesh. If successful, the Vampire gains as many points in whatever aspect of the character's makeup the ST decides the limbs possess. Strong arms may provide a couple of points in Brawl, or perhaps another Physical trait. Trained legs may give martial arts abilities, or a Dexterity related trait or two. It is up to the ST.
A failure on either test, eyes/ears or limbs, is the final test that may be made against that body part or parts. The Vampire opened a slit for the soul of the flesh to enter his body. If he fails to catch it, it is gone for good.
Tabletop cost: 12 experience points
MET cost: 6 experience points
P.S. - I suppose it might be possible to graft another person's head onto a Vicissitude-crafted extension of one's own brainstem, and try to gain someone's knowledge. But, we STs know what kind of fun things to do to anyone silly enough to try that trick...
(Note: If anyone needs ideas for some icky side effects of this talent, I recommend the film Body Parts, starring Jeff Fahey. It's ooky spooky!)
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