Ex
Inferis
by
Adamus
The exact origins
of this path of Assamite Sorcery are obscured in the mists of time. Some say
that Al-Ashrad developed it after the clan's warrior caste's curse at the
hands of the Baali. Other rumors are told that this path was incepted by an
infernalist Sorcerer who managed to break his bonds of demonic slavery.
Regardless of its origins, this path has become widely spread among the
clan's blood magicians.
The path uses the same system as other Assamite Sorcery: the player rolls
the Sorcerer's Willpower against a difficulty of the path's level + 3.
Botches on this path usually result in fierce infernal retribution against
the Sorcerer.
1) Pervideo (Survey)
Before you can fight the taint of the infernal, you must first find it. The
first level of the Ex Inferis path enables the Sorcerer to locate
infernalists in his vincinity. This power counts as a means of supernatural
perception, thus enabling the Sorcerer to pierce Obfuscate and other
cloaking powers in the same way as Auspex.
System: The number of successes determines the accuracy of this
sensory input. One success will give the Sorcerer a vague indication of an
infernal presence, while five successes will enable the caster to pick an
infernalist accurately out of a thick crowd, and also determine the
approximate level of corruption of the infernalist.
2) Venatio (The Chase)
Infernalists that have been spotted rarely stick around to suffer their
righteous punishment. As such the Sorcerer must have a means by which to
track the infernalist. The movements of infernalists that have been
discovered by use of Pervideo can be tracked by this power.
System: Once a Sorcerer has spotted an infernalist, he may cast Venatio
and, if successful, a trail of light indicating the infernalist's travelled
path will be visible to the Sorcerer. The number of successes determines the
duration of this awareness:
1 success - 1 scene
2 successes - 1 hour
3 successes - 1 day
4 successes - 1 week
5+ successes - 1 lunar month
While this power is in effect the infernalist will experience a continuous
feeling of being watched.
3) Adversor (Oppose)
Upon attaining this level of the path the Sorcerer can invoke a warding
sphere against infernal creatures. Infernalists and demon-possessed beings
coming into contact with this ward will be expelled from it and will suffer
intense pain, and even injury.
System: The warding sphere extends ten feet around the Sorcerer for
every success on the activation roll. Infernalists attempting to pass the
warding sphere and approach the Sorcerer, or already inside the sphere when
it is cast, will need to succeed in a contested Willpower roll against the
Sorcerer. If the infernalist wins the ward is broken. If the Sorcerer wins
the infernalist suffers a number of health levels of lethal damage equal to
the excess successes of the Sorcerer (minimum 1, may be soaked normally),
and will be physically expelled from the warding sphere. The ward lasts for
one scene unless the Sorcerer decides to drop it sooner.
4) Nominatim (By Name)
The greatest weapon of war is information. With this power the Sorcerer can
discover the name of the demonic patron the infernalist is enslaved to. This
name can then be used for other sorcerous powers.
System: The Sorcerer must first have spotted the infernalist through
the use of Pervideo, and must have a direct line of sight to the
infernalist when invoking this power. The number of successes determines the
accuracy of the information received. This power can be used only once per
lunar month on an infernalist.
1 success - the infernalist's demonic master's nature will be revealed
(earth demon, Succubus, Yomi demon, Wyrm spirit, etc.)
2 successes - nature and the primary name by which the demon is known (which
is almost never its true name)
3 successes - nature, primary name and a vague indication of the demon's
power
4 successes - nature, primary name and an accurate assessment of the demon's
power and rank
5+ successes - nature, primary name, power, rank and the demon's True Name
Should the roll lack the number of successes required to learn the demon's
True Name, it is possible for the Sorcerer to gain the information from
intense study of demonic lores, using the clues that this power has
revealed. To successfully discover the demon's True Name the Sorcerer must
have access to an Occult Library worth a number of background points equal
to 7 minus the number of successes rolled. For the Sorcerer to learn the
demon's True Name from the gathered lore of such a library, the player must
succeed on an Intelligence + Investigation roll, difficulty 9.
Example: Ahmed Jamal Hadd, an Assamite Sorcerer, uses Nominatim on a
spotted infernalist. The Sorcerer's player rolls Ahmed's Willpower
against a difficulty of 7 and has 3 successes. The Sorcerer discovers that
the infernalist is enslaved to a Succubus commonly known as Azramaeon, which
is moderately powerful. In order to learn Azramaeon's True Name the Sorcerer
must gain access to an Occult Library worth 4 background points (7 minus 3
successes rolled), where he can further study the demon, using the already
gained information as a starting point. As Ahmed begins his research his
player must succeed on an Intelligence + Investigation roll against a
difficulty of 9. Ahmed could also choose to wait one lunar month and then
try to use this power again.
5) Periurium (Break the Oath)
If a Sorcerer has successfully discovered the True Name of the infernalist's
demonic patron, the Sorcerer can temporarily sever the connection between
the infernalist and its master, robbing the infernalist of its investments
and daemonic powers.
System: If successful, the infernalist is unable to use any power
(Investments, Dark Thaumaturgy) that was granted to it by its infernal
patron. Powers inherent to the infernalist, such as those originating from
the Demonic Heritage merit, remain unaffected. The number of successes
determines the duration of this effect:
1 success - 1 turn
2 successes - 1 scene
3 successes - 1 hour
4 successes - 1 day
5 successes - 1 week
6+ successes - 1 lunar month
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