st_necro_guide

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OWbN ST Reference Guide to Player Created

Necromancy

March, 2009

Notes:6) Necromancy in this guide is intended to be a reference tool for both Storytelling Staff and

the Giovanni Coordinator office and for OWbN players as a whole. This is for a few

reasons not the least of which are: to provide a more codified listing of player madeNecromancy, to give STs and Players of Necromancers a collected source of the available

player-made powers of Necromancy to better understand and track this often

misunderstood, quoted and generally disliked discipline. This is intended to be an official

OWbN resource guide for player-made Necromancy.7) This packet will add onto Section 7 (Necromancy) of the OWbN blood magic packet.8)

OWBN Rituals: These are OWbN paths/rituals that have been created by

players/storytellers/coords in OWBN that are within this packet. They are included herebecause they have been approved and in play over the years and may be included in your

game only with ST permission. Storytellers are encouraged to use their own discretion

when allowing any player or Coord created Paths/Rituals. Disclaimer: The paths/ritualsherein have all been logged with the Giovanni Coordinator, but Storytellers of OWBN

games are free to and should disallow any ritual they feel are unbalancing to their game.

9) Learning Necromancy for those with Necromancy In-Clan comes about easily. It is partof the blood, and inherent to necromantic ally inclined vampires who may learn and teach

any necromancy in their paradigm. Individual rituals of necromancy do require some

instruction. No clan currently with Necromancy as an In-Clan discipline practices

Voudoun Necromancy. For those with Necromancy Out-of-Clan, every level of

necromancy must be taught separately, by a Vampire with Necromancy In-Clan. Theylearn the style of Necromancy that their teacher knows (Voudoun, Western, etc.).

10)This is to be considered player-made (Unique)available Necromancy to ALL charactersthat study Western Necromancy.

11)When allowing a player to learn a path/ritual from this guide, the ST staff should informthe Giovanni Coordinators office so that any scene run with the player is recorded withus since all the player made paths/rituals are housed within the Venice Library located in

the Mausoleum. This will simplify players tracking down these unique paths/rituals and

allowing ease of running a scene for the ST staff.

12)This packet will be kept up to date by the Giovanni Coordinator. When creating newplayer-made Necromancy, the ST staff should inform the Giovanni Coordinator's office

so that new paths/rituals can be logged and included in this packet.


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Contents:

How To Use This Reference Guide.Pg. 3

Path Descriptions:

Path of Israfil...Pg. 6

Path of Maelstrom Manipulation.Pg. 8

Path of the Shepherd....Pg. 9

Veil Path..Pg. 11

Ritual Descriptions:

Basic RitualsPg. 14

Intermediate Rituals.Pg. 21

Advanced Rituals.Pg. 38


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How To Use This Reference Guide:

Story Telling Staff:

This guide is mainly built for your use. There are times when players will visit fromanother chronicle and have something on their sheet that looks alien to you. Dont worry, its just

crack. Lol. Seriously though, this guide is for you to have on hand if you have a player with

home-made Necromancy on his sheet that you have never seen before. The descriptions withinthis guide will help you determine if you wish to allow or not allow a certain ritual or two as they

may be unbalancing in your specific chronicle.

There will be a time when a player in your own chronicle may want something out of this

guide. Again, it is up to you first and foremost to allow the player to learn the player-made power

or not to allow it. We, the Giovanni Coordinator Office, leave that decision to you. If you wish toallow anything out of this guide to be learned by one of your players, all we ask in return is that

if a scene is run, to cc us so that we have it on file. All player-made necromancy is taught in

Venice, Italy at the Mausoleum. We also recommend that the player have a minimum of Lore:

Giovanni x3 since most of these rituals are not well known throughout the Family.

Necromancy Paths

Path Family/Path

Path of Israfil All

Path of Maelstrom Manipulation All

Path of the Shepherd Humanity Only

Veil Path All

Necromancy Rituals

Ritual Name Family LevelAnimal Kingdom All BasicApproaching the Shroud All Basic

Bestowing the Kamiyo Li Weng Basic

Black Blood All Basic

Consecrate the Tomb All Basic

Dead Mans Tales All Basic

Feed the Angry Ghost Li Weng/della Passaglia Basic


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Lions Pride Ghiberti Int.

Luck of Actaeon All Int.

Moldering Presence All Int.

Nightmares All Int.

Numb the Restless Soul All Int.

Patch Job All Int.Reapers Passing All Int.

Replace the Tattered Flesh All Int.

Riding the Bull Ghiberti Int.

Ritual of the Stygian Coin All Int.

Salamandra Rothstein Int.

Skeletons Kiss All Int.

Skull Sentry All Int.

Spirit Contract All Int.

Stay the Zombu All Int.

Strength of Rotting Flesh All Int.

Terrifying Visage All Int.

The Servant Undying All Int.

Thirst of the Beast All Int.

Thy Masters Will All Int.

To the Grave All Int.

True Calling All Int.

Un Eco entre Ojos Pisanob Int.

Unto the Void All Int.

Vengeance from Beyond the Grave All Int.

Ward off the Prying Eye All Int.

Warping the Morbid Visage All Int.Weaving the Aesthetic Pattern Li Weng Int.

Bestow Death All Adv.

Blood of the World Beyond All Adv.

Bone of Soulfeasting All Adv.

Calm the Storm All Adv.

Consume the Dead All Adv.

Corporo All Adv.

El fin el Grillete Pisanob Adv.

Empowering the Shadows Mantle All Adv.

Exorcism All Adv.

Exorcism Ex Nihilo All Adv.

Flesh of the Walking Dead All Adv.

Fortress of the Undead All Adv.

Gift of the Neverborn All Adv.

Grip of Hades, The All Adv.

Innocuous Presence of the Damned All Adv.

Inscribing the Kamiyo Li Weng Adv.


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Incendiary Bones All Adv.

Jade Surrogate Li Weng Adv.

Lay the Cornerstone Ghiberti Adv.

Leap into the Shadowlands All Adv.

Lore of the Dead All Adv.

Posses the Fallen All Adv.Preparing the Ancestors House Li Weng/della Passaglia Adv.

Preparing the Spirits Vessel All Adv.

Prison of Meticulous Harmony Li Weng Adv.

Ritual of the Bitter Blood All Adv.

Ritual of the Haunted Home All Adv.

Sanctum of the Undead All Adv.

Severing the Ties of Death All Adv.

Shadows Calling, The All Adv.

Soul Contract All Adv.

Spirit Bringer All Adv.

Summon Forth the Warped Host All Adv.

Unattach Fetter All Adv.

Unholy Creation All Adv.

Ward Versus Wraith All Adv.

Wraithly Prison All Adv.

Necromancy Paths:

Path of Israfil

All ages come to an end, all lives cease to be, and eventually all things crumble to dust.

It is the way of the world, and no group knows this better then the Necromancers of clan

Giovanni. As an outgrowth of several different paths of necromancy this path focuses the

energies of the blood and the strength of the corpse into deadly harmony. The Necromancer that

wields this path wisely is truly a dark and twisted throwback to the Angel of Judgment Day,

Israfil.

Basic Path of Israfil Necromancy

Masque of Death

You can with this power grant yourself the appearance of an aged corpse. Expend a blood

trait. Once this effect begins, flesh draws taut, and the body takes on an entirely corpselike

appearance and texture.


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The Necromancer is down one trait on all social tests except for intimidation but may

ignore all wound penalties. The Necromancer also gets the negative traits Ghastly x2 till the

power ends. This power may last until the next sunset, but the caster may end it early.

If one wearing Masque of Death attempts to emulate a corpse, it takes a successful mental

challenge to see through the disguise.

Visage of the Damned

An even more twisted and sickening extension of the magics used to create the Masque

of Death, the Visage of the Damned is truly a horror to gaze upon. The Necromancer focuses the

energies of a decayed and rotted corpse throughout her body. The Necromancers eyes sink in

and glow her skin begins to slough off her bones and turn a deathly pale, with large open

fissures, and rotted hideous splotches.

To activate this power expend one blood trait and one temp willpower trait to activate. At

the end of the turn the transformation is complete, and the power grants the user the following

powers, which last for the next scene or hour.

The Necromancer gains the bonus social traits Intimidating x 2, as well as a bonus

strength related physical trait. In addition anyone who has never seen such a monstrosity come to

life must make an immediate courage test at difficulty 3.

Due to the Necromancers hideous features however for the duration of the power the

Necromancer has Ghastly x 3.

Intermediate Path of Israfil NecromancyCorpse Breed Carapace

The Necromancer bows his head holds his hands palm out and whispers of the death that

should have taken him. His body responds by exuding bone in a hideous attempt at escape the

unnatural fate of the damned.

By spending two blood traits, the Necromancer develops spiked bone armor over portions

of his body at the end of the turn. This cant be hidden by any unassuming means. This power

last a scene or hour and can only be activated once in a scene. The Armor is worth two Healthy

health levels and causes the Necromancer to do an extra lethal with his strikes. This counts asarmor and is incompatible with other armor. The health levels from this power are lost first.

Sanguine Lash

The Necromancer need never be without a weapon as with this power he can forge one

from his own body and blood. The Necromancer spends two blood traits and exudes a razor

sharp blood whip from his wrist.


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Sanguine Whip

Bonus Traits: 3

Negative Traits: Due to this weapon being part of you it has no negative traits unlike all

normal weapons

Concealability: Jacket (wrapped around the forearm)

Damage: Two Lethal

Special Ability: Speed

The whip can be from two feet to thirteen feet and shifts length at the Casters mental

command at the cost of one mental trait per change in length. This change in length does not take

an action and is instantaneous. This power lasts until the end of the scene or one hour.

Advanced Path of Israfil Necromancy

Gift of the Corpse

By taking the aspects of the dead upon yourself, you are able to temporarily avoid some

of the vulnerabilities to which Cainites are subject.

Expend a Willpower Trait and perform a Static Mental Challenge (against a difficulty of

seven Traits). If you succeed, your Cainite nature is submerged for two turns, and you are closer

to being an animated corpse than a Vampire. Holy artifacts and ground have no effect on you;

you are immune to Rotschreck and frenzy. Sunlight causes bashing damage at worst, fire only

causes lethal damage, and a stake in the heart is no different from a stake in the liver. At the

beginning of the third turn, make a Simple Test; if you win, the Gift of the Corpse stays with you

for another turn. Gift of the Corpse does not interfere with the use of any vampiric abilities.

Should the effect end while you are exposed to any of the circumstances it protects against, they

immediately take effect.

Those who possess Soulsight or similar abilities may notice an alien appearance in your

halo. Also, since this experience amounts to the rejection of any semblance of life, the Storyteller

may rule that it interferes with certain roads/paths.

Path of Maelstrom Manipulation

While the Giovanni have been, master Necromancers for around a millennium their

power deals with dominion over the dead. The power of the Maelstrom is beyond their direct

control, however; through subtle manipulation of the shroud some measure of control can be

obtained.


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Basic Path of Maelstrom Manipulation Necromancy

Sense the Tumult

The Occultists study of the chaos of the Maelstrom and its echoes within the shroud

allow them to gauge the strength and direction of a Maelstrom. Though a static mental test, theoccultist may detect approaching Maelstrom within a mile per Maelstrom rating, determining its

strength and direction of travel. This may be done from the skinlands or the shadowlands. Given

the Maelstrom is of significant size and speed this could do the Necromancer little good.

Bulwark

The dangers of the storms of the shadowlands are a reality to necromancer and wraith

alike. The necromancer at this point can blind a Maelstrom to his presence, bulwarking the

strength of the shroud to gain protection from the damaging effects of a Maelstrom with a mental

test at a difficulty of10 + the storm rating. This protection can be extended to nearby allies for a

mental trait each. This protection lasts until the end of the night. Further, specters involved with

the Maelstrom are down two traits to affect the protected individuals.

Intermediate Path of Maelstrom Manipulation Necromancy

Sigil of the Storm

The occultist may now weaken the shroud between the skinlands and shadowlands in a

localized area allowing a Maelstroms effects to pass across to the skinlands. The Necromancer

through mental exertion marks a person, place, or object with which he comes into contact,

leaving a handprint of his vitae. This requires a physical challenge against an unwilling target.Even if the blood is removed the subject is effected by any Maelstrom they would be in if they

were in the shadowlands reflection of their current location. This affect lasts for the rest of the

night.

Command the Cyclone

At this point in his studies an occultist has deluded himself into believing he has mastered

some level of control over the primordial storms of the netherworldsthis is obviously wrong.

Through intense concentration and an exertion of will, the storm itself can be directed by the

necromancer through manipulation of the shroud. The necromancer spends a willpower trait and

makes a mental challenge at a difficulty of 15 + the storm rating. This can change the direction of

the storm up to 45 degrees. This change lasts up until the end of the scene or the storm changes

back by its erratic nature or the will and arcanoi of the specters in the Maelstrom. (Basically the

duration is up to ST discretion but one scene is generally appropriate.


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Advanced Path of Maelstrom Manipulation Necromancy

Birth the Maelstrom

The Necromancer through fine manipulation of the shroud learns to imitate the power of

a level one Maelstrom. By twisting and tugging the shroud in its weakest places a thin layershatters causing winds and damage similar to a level one storm. This power doesnt significantly

weaken the shroud to any degree.

The Necromancer spends three blood traits and a mental trait. Once the traits are

expended, the power activates. This power does not create actual Maelstroms as far as wraiths

and specters are concerned it is just an area of stinging and damaging winds, wraiths like

anything else in the area in the shadowlands take damage as a level one Maelstrom. Birth the

Maelstrom may be used in conjunction with Sigil of the Storm.

Path of the ShepherdOnce protection from hostile spirits and wraiths was the sole providence of the church,

the task of protecting the family from the predations of such hostile spirits of the dead fallen to

family in this modern age. While most that follow this path are family and clergy some have

taken up the mantle without the cloth. Those few outside the clergy that accept the charge are

often those most devoted to the protection of the mortal family and their connection with it.

While the greatest problem for the family tends to be vengeful and cunning wraiths the Family

trained Exorcist may recognize the position of a daemon or other entity, though his ability to

handle it is as limited as any other catholic.

It should also be noted that unlike most studies of necromancy the effects of the Path of

the Shepherd may be employed upon a wraith within the skinlands as well as in the shadowlands.

Basic Path of the Shepherd Necromancy

Sheep from the Goats

Through study and observation the Necromancer can recognize the telltale signs of

possession on an individual vessel, be it man, beast, or object. The idiosyncrasies of behavior

and the tell tale resonances are as plain a painted billboards to the studied. The Necromancer

makes a static mental test on an object, person, or beast to recognize a spirit riding, boundwithin, or inhabiting the item. Once this is done a test to recognize the type of entity therein may

be required based on the relevant knowledge and lores of the Necromancer.

The Armor of Faith

Through focus and training a necromancer can harden his personal defense and prepare

himself to weather the most insidious assaults of the restless dead. While the necromancer is still


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at the mercy of a wraith prone to emotive and overt acts on any those arts that are attacks against

the mind, emotion or the soul itself.

The necromancer gains a free retest when a wraith employs the arts of Keening,

Intimation, Puppetry, Phantasm, Mnemosynis, and Fatalism upon him. He has hardened himself

to attacks upon the mind, the emotions, and on the soul in hopes of better protection the familyfrom the predications of wraiths.

Intermediate Path of the Shepherd Necromancy

Console the Inflicted

The necromancer lays his hand upon the possessed, and then through mental exertion

may channel the spirit of the possessed man or beast. He or another may communicate with the

being, being possessed. While this can be used to comfort friends and family, it is more often

used to offer hope to the possessed or to seek out information from them on possible motives and

past activities of the wraith or specter.

After succeeding in a physical test the Ritualist expends a mental trait, and then for the

remainder for the scene he may speak for the puppeteered individual so long as physical contact

is maintained. Inquiring from the contained unfortunate may provide details of the possessing

wraiths motivation in the possession and further revelation of secrets that may be used to cause

release of the puppet. The storyteller my choose to resolve this though a series of tests or role-

play as it suits him.

Subvert the Legion

The greatest weakness of the restless dead is themselves and in a time of need the

Necromancer can call upon this inner battle and through careful manipulation an exertion of

force of will. The spiritualist causes either the recessive id or ego to rise to the surface either for

a temporary respite, an attempt at conspiring, or to counsel it to assert permanent authority.

The Necromancy must succeed in a contested social challenge against the wraith or

specter. If successful the necromancer may spend a willpower trait to allow the psyche or

shadow to make a test for Catharsis (to assert dominance) without the normal expenditure or

prerequisites. If the psyche or shadow is successful the necromancer may solicit information to

be used against the dominate personality. Examples include, but are in no way limited tomotivations, fetters, and passions. In the event of a psyche being called to the surface the

necromancer may even call upon the services of a Pardoner to help redeem the specter though

repeated uses. If use of this power fails, the wraith gains one temporary angst.


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Advanced Path of the Shepherd Necromancy

Banishment

Properly prepared the Necromancer can cast an unrelenting wraith from the skin lands

and its shadow sealing the shade away for the protection of the family. To accomplish this, thenecromancer must have an object of importance to the wraith or specter, or have physical control

of its possessed form.

The Necromancer must grasp the possessed or an object of importance to the wraith or

specter and then succeed in a social challenge. If successful the wraith is banished from the skin

and shadowlands for the remainder of the night, this may be extended to a month for the

expenditure of a temporary willpower or for a year for a permanent willpower trait. It should be

noted that the banishment to the tempest or the labyrinth is often a consignment to destruction for

the unprepared wraith and a path check may be necessary. In addition if a wraith has crossed into

the skinlands the form, vessel, or puppet of the wraith may be employed as the object ofimportance for banishment.

Veil Path

The study of the Sudario/Shroud/Veil in the modern nights has revealed many uses of the

Shroud by manipulating this fabric that separates the world of the living and the world of the

dead. With the Shroud weakening due to the last Maelstroms, it has become increasingly easier

to make the Shroud pliable and useful to a resourceful Necromancer.

Basic Veil Path Necromancy

Entropy's Grasp

With but slight concentration, the Necromancer can pull objects from the Skinlands into

the Shadowlands (He must be in the shadowlands to accomplish this). The object may weigh no

more than a few pounds, and be no larger than the size of a fist. The Necromancer spends a

mental trait and then does a static mental challenge difficulty equal to the shroud rating, retesting

only with Occult. If he succeeds, he may grasp one object with his hand and pull it into the

shadowlands. To onlookers, it appears as if the object merely decays out of existence leaving

nothing behind. If the Necromancer fails, however, he is unable to pierce the shroud and takes a

lethal damage as the sudario closes in on the Necromancer's hand. This item must be inanimate

and becomes a relic of the shadowlands, liquids cant be transferred over.

Piercing the Veil

By activating this power, the Necromancer opens the mind of another to allow them to

pierce the Shroud and perceive the Shadowlands. This can have multiple uses, from intimidating


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a target, to allowing allies to perceive the Necromancer across the shroud for coordinating

attacks, to confusing the target. To activate this power, a Necromancer makes a social challenge

versus the target he wishes to perceive the shadowlands. If he succeeds he may expend a mental

trait to have the effects of Shroudsight extended to the target for the next scene or hour,

whichever ends first. The Necromancer must have the power of Shroudsight in order to utilize

this power.

Intermediate Veil Path Necromancy

Burial Shroud

This power allows the Necromancer to pull the shroud around him, using it as a blanket

of protection from the storms of the Shadowlands. This power also allows for a kindred within

the Shadowlands to remain hidden from mediums and or other beings within the Shadowlands.

This is basically Obfuscate 2 in the Shadowlands only. The Necromancer spends a WP and

engages in a static mental challenge, difficulty 15 minus the Shroud rating. He is grantedimmunity to maelstrom damage. This only protects against the maelstrom itself, and not against

anything that might be traveling within the maelstrom. Furthermore, the Necromancer is then

invisible in the Shadowlands and invisible from mediums as well. He should cross his arms

across his chest to represent this effect. This lasts for a scene or an hour. This acts as Obfuscate

in regards to all other powers.

Persephone's Portal

Necromancers have long been able to open temporary portals into the Shadowlands.

These portals allow travel between the Shadowlands and the Skinlands. However, a

Necromancer with this power now may open a more permanent portal into the Shadowlands. On

the night of a full Moon, the Necromancer draws a chalk doorway on a solid stationary object as

if he were going to employ the power of Ex Nihilo. The Necromancer then mixes 2 traits of vitae

with 6 pomegranate seeds and consumes it while chanting a prayer to Persephone. He then

spends 3 WP and opens the gate to the Shadowlands. At this point, a word is chosen that will

open the gate to the Shadowlands and a second to close it. Only the Necromancer may enter the

gate, as well as any inanimate objects he might bring. (No, torpored kindred are not inanimate

objects) The gate lasts for 3 months and may be used as many times as the Necromancer wishes.

The door may not be moved, however, and within this spot, the Shroud is drastically thinner. Any

wraith attempting to pierce the shroud within 30 feet of this portal gains a free retest to do so andreceives a +2 bonus when using it's arcanoi within this radius. This power takes an entire night to

activate, however the effects are drastically increased beyond that of the Ash Path power of Ex

Nihilo.


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Advanced Veil Path Necromancy

Embodiment of Death

A Necromancer so skilled in the Veil Path may now materialize within the Skinlands. The

Necromancer spends a temporary Willpower and burns up to 5 mental traits. He then does aprimary test against the shroud. If successful, he then does a mental challenge for each mental

trait expended. For every win (not tie), the Necromancer may affect the Skinlands for one round

with Mental or Social actions only. Though not physically there, the Necromancer appears to be

a ghostly figure. The Necromancer is immune to physical harm, but may still be affected by

magic, wards and or mental/social disciplines that do not require physical contact. If the

Necromancer fails the initial challenge to pierce the shroud, he is forcibly ejected from the

Shadowlands and takes 3 lethal damage as his body rips through the shroud. While in this form,

the necromancer may only use Auspex, Dominate, Presence and Obfuscate. No form of Blood

Magic may be used in conjunction with this power.

Ritual Descriptions:

Basic

Animal KingdomThis is a simple ritual designed to allow the Necromancer to animate animals. By simply burying

an animal and pouring some of his own Vitae on the grave, the caster allows the animal to be

animated by the Bone Path. This ritual only takes 10 minutes to perform.System: By pouring out one blood point and succeeding on the ritual test, the Necromancer cannow animate animals. See the Animal Table for relative Health Levels and Attributes.

Animal TableSmall Animal (rat, cat, bat, small dog): 6 Physical Traits, 4 Mental Traits. 5 Health Levels.Medium Animal (larger dog, wolves, eagles, crows): 8 Physical Traits, 6 Mental Traits. 7Health Levels and can cause Lethal Damage with attacks

Large Animal (tiger, horse, gorilla, panther): 10 Physical Traits, 8 Mental Traits. 12 HealthLevels and can cause Lethal Damage with attacks .

Approaching the ShroudThis disturbing ritual brings a vampire closer to the grave, making her body unfeeling and pale,like that of a bloodless corpse. It takes an hour to cast, and requires a handful of soil from thegrave. When the ritual is activated, the caster will feel her body grow cold and numb. During the

ritual, the caster is down one trait in all Social Challenges and acquires the Negative Physical

Trait "Sickly" for the duration of the ritual. However, because the Vampire can feel no pain, shesuffers no wound penalties to traits bid. The effects of the ritual last for one night.


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Bestowing The KaimyoUpon death a wraith will return when his name is called, to prevent this, the deceased's relativesselect a name and have a priest carve or write this new name on an appropriate medium to

prevent this.

Bestowing The Kaimyo is a basic ritual that can be done only once to a particular wraith. An

eight-hour ritual of chanting sutra and carving the name into the ancestral shrine culminatesgiving the wraith a new name. Only using the new name can a wraith be controlled.

Black BloodThis ritual allows the Necromancer to enchant his own Blood, or the blood of a recently dead

person, and turn it into the legendary Black Blood of fables. If done on the Necromancer himself,

this ritual 'consumes' Blood but remains in the system, waiting for a fool to try to drink it. Shouldsomeone taste this Black Blood it will cause terrible pains and may even damage them. The

Black Blood created from a corpse's blood may be used to make the casting of rituals easier.

By dipping his hands in the Black Blood and absorbing this into his hands (which turn blackuntil a ritual has been performed) he connects to the Shadowlands much easier.

The Necromancer may spend as many points of Blood as he wants to when casting this ritual.These are turned into the Black Blood. Anyone that drinks this will lose one trait from hisphysical traits per point of blood drunk. He will also suffer one bashing damage for every point

of this Black Blood he drinks. If this ritual is enacted on the blood of a corpse, it reduces the

difficulty for one Necromantic Ritual by one trait to a minimum of one trait.

Consecrate the TombThis is a simple ritual that allows the Necromancer to aid his allies in the Shadowlands by

making sure that they go to the Afterlife with a few more items than normally. The Necromancermust be present when the person is buried and there he must chant for 15 minutes. All the things

with which the person was buried will enter the Shadowlands once the burial is complete.

Every success on the ritual test, up to 5, is one point worth of the Relic background for aWraith. (If not using Wraith: the Oblivion, treat this as if the Wraith has one item per success

with him that he can use in the Shadowlands)

Dead Men's TalesThe problem in a family of necromancers is that a 'final solution' may not keep a problem quiet.

Sure you can pluck out the eyes or wear a disguise to fool a fellow necromancer's inquires to a

murder; but if youre unlucky enough and the sap crosses over and tips off a necromancer aboutattempted 'friendly competition', you can catch the foul end of a shit storm. When this ritual was

developed remains a mystery, though there are records of murders of the family where analyzing

the remains showed missing tongues. The true confirmation of this rituals existence has neveroccurred to the rest of the family, though the rumors fly when another family corpse pops up

'sans tongue'.

The necromancer whispers the single secret he wants hidden into the ear of the corpse,fresh or otherwise. Then the tongue is removed and pierced with three iron nails, and the

employer of the art expends a willpower trait, making it impossible for the wraith to relay

anything to anyone about the secret, through an inner prohibition. The tongue is then secretedaway by the necromancer for if the nails are removed the necromantic effect is nullified.


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Feed the Angry GhostChopsticks are never stuck into food except at funerals so the dead wraiths may feed. TheNecromancer can restore an injured wraith by preparing a bowl of rice mixed with his blood and

the ashes of a sutra. The wraith then consumes the rice causing the rice to putrefy. The wraith

gains up to three health levels on a one for one exchange of blood for health levels. This cannot

heal aggravated damage or permanent corpus.

From a Sow's EarFor all the effort Giovanni have done: dug for fetters, mastered paths of necromancy, and

researched elaborate rituals all to control wraiths, there are still doors in the land of the dead that

cash can open faster and better. Don Enzo tired of having a wraith hold his funds for bargaining

developed a way to handle his own wallet for oboli and soulfire.The ritual needs a small piece of leather; this should be sewn into a small pocket by the

necromancer using a thread woven from his own hair. After the completion of the pouch the

ritual repairs the cure. The necromancer must find the corpse of an individual that became awraith. From within the torso of the corpse, the caster must gather connective tissue and muscle

around the heart. The necromancer then fills the pouch with a mixture of herbs, salt, and a poundof the flesh gleaned from the corpse, and then must leave it with the body for a period of 30 daysand nights. After that time has passed the pouch has solidified within the shadowlands and as

such can be used to carry and manipulate small objects, primarily used to carry oboli. Nothing

larger than a cell phone can be carried in the pouch, equating to roughly a fifteen obolimaximum.

Grant the Touch of Death MagicBy touching the item or place and smearing ash from a corpse that has been mixed with thecasters blood, the item or place is slightly infused with the essence of death magic. The

Necromancer makes a standard Ritual challenge. This ritual causes an item or place to glow with

magic. Aura Perception or other means to detect magic will show that it is magic. It leaves noother effect.

Incense of PurificationThe necromancer spends an hour grinding, soaking and preparing herbs. Resources 2 or Occult

influence 1 to find. After which the herbs are sprinkled with the casters blood and dried. When

lit this incense smells salty and leaves a white smoke in the air .Wraiths are at a two trait penalty

when in the area of the smoke and will not go near where the incense is burned. 1 stick will lastfor one hour and can fill a medium sized room or 2 smaller rooms. The smoke will last for three

hours or till sun up whichever comes first. These last till the end of the season if stored properly.

Over use in one location can raise the shroud rating however wraiths will then haunt the burnerswhen they leave the place.

In MemoriamGood necromancers understand that sometimes you get further with honey than with vinegar. It

is sometimes best to "befriend" the wraith that you are trying to control rather than force him to

your will. That is where this handy ritual comes in. It is known that wraiths need to draw upon areserve of power in order to use their mystical abilities, a power they refer to as Pathos.

Normally, a wraith's Pathos is restored by the energies created when those in the living world


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invoke the wraith's memory. This ritual invokes the memory and enhances the power given;

giving your bodily challenged friend the extra reserves he needs to carry out your commandsImean, requests.

By building a small shrine to the memory of the target wraith, the necromancer can

confer upon him a certain amount of Pathos. Make a mental challenge: difficulty five. Each

mental trait beyond the first spent gives the wraith one point of Pathos. It can only be cast onceper week and the necromancer must spend an hour at the shrine built for the wraith,

contemplating on the wraith in question. Having an intimate or important item that once belongto the wraith as part of the shrine lowers the difficulty by two.

Preserve the fleshEvery necromancer learns that first priority in thanatology is actually getting the varied remainsand viscera back to the lab. With some unusual corpses or old vampires this can be difficult as

their forms corrupt and wither away quickly upon their passing. So consuming was Malic's

frustration with the all to rapid decay of vampires that he'd 'find' that he developed this art toensure the these samples would make it back to his lab and survive for further study.

The Necromancer lays the flesh to be enchanted upon a layer of salt. Then he applying alayer of his blood to the flesh, a point typically, but more may be required for larger remains. Thenecromancer then expends a number of mental traits equal to the months he halts the decay of

the flesh while sprinkling salt upon on the meat. It should be also be noted that successive

applications over time are cumulative to the duration of the preservation

Reveal the Mortal CoilThe necromancer mixes one blood trait with a pile of ashes from the victim in question. The

ashes are then consumed and spat out in a bloody mass. After regurgitation the mass will hardeninto a fragile mask of the deceased's face at the moment of death. The amount of ash used in this

ritual determines the size of the mask, and a Mental Challenge may be required to clearly see the

features should small amounts be used. Should the ashes not be from a being with a soul, theritual has no effect. Should this ritual be performed on a Samedi or anyone in ash form the

necromancer immediately regurgitates the ashes and knows something is wrong. Occasionally

ash remnants of individuals who have not passed are encountered (e.g. hands cut off and turnedto ash), in such cases it is often only the portion in question that forms from the ash instead of the

face.

Ritual of Wraithly FocusThis ritual unearths what powers a wraith possesses and how powerful they are. It also allows the

Necromancer to generally assess the general age of the Wraith in question. The ritual also

requires a thighbone from a buried human that has been sharpened at one end. This pointed endmust then be pointed at either the wraith in question or one of its Fetters. It only takes an hour to

perform this ritual.

Success on the ritual allows the Necromancer to know the approximate age (take or gain50 years) and the Arcanoi in which the Wraith has the highest rating (the Necromancer will also

learn the approximate power of this Arcanos mastery). Each success beyond the first test narrows

down the age even more and gives any other Arcanoi and their powers to the Necromancer. Theritual ends on the first failed test.


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Sepulchral BeaconThis ritual allows the caster to sense the last place the Shroud has been breached within hisvicinity. It reaches about 500 meters, and will reveal someone's death or the use of Arcanoi or

Necromancy Paths, as well as any other effect that may have disturbed the barrier between living

and dead. Once located, to the necromancer the location of the breach glows with the black light

of Oblivion. The more time has passed since the event, the weaker the light glows, indicating theapproximate hour. The ritual takes about an hour to perform, and requires the caster to inhale

bone dust into his withered lungs. This ritual can be performed in both the Shadowlands andSkinlands.

Shrouded LightThis ritual allows the Necromancer to see with his very own eyes where the Shroud was lastbreached in his vicinity. The breach glows with an eerie green light, only visible to the

Necromancer himself. Depending on the time that has passed since the breach was made, the

strength of the light changes. The longer time since it happened, the dimmer the light becomes.This ritual takes about an hour to perform and requires the Necromancer to inhale bone-

dust into his lungs. If anyone has died nearby (within 500m.) or if someone has used aNecromantic Path it will show as a breach of the Shroud. The higher the level of the power usedthe larger the breach.

Sight of the Restless DeadThis simple ritual, enacted by placing a coin under the tongue and chanting for ten minutes, will

allow the Necromancer to view the decay in material objects. He can see how much damage a

wall can take before it crumbles and where it is the most decrepit. The ritual works for as long as

the Necromancer keeps the coin under his tongue, which will make it exceedingly difficult tospeak normally.

The user makes a normal ritual test. If successful the user can now perceive how long an

object might resist attacks or pressure as well as finding weak spots in armor or walls.

Soups OnThis dark art first developed by a couple of Dunsirn bully boys to take advantages of theirnatural habits. They found though epicurean experimentation that the flavor of the food was

more nutritious, the otherworldly screaming made for enjoyable dinner entertainment and the

teeth marks you could see on their ghostly forms was always good for a giggle.

Then while concentrating on flavor and the meat the necromancer consumes a smallamount of the flesh of someone who has become a wraith. The strength of the flesh adds a

Vigorous physical trait to the necromancer for the remainder of the evening; the wraith however

endures severe pain during the casting and the loss of a corpus. No more than 1 physical trait canbe gained a night through use of this ritual.

Speed of the CheetahThis ritual was the byproduct of the long necromantic cooperation between the Ghiberti and the

Della Passaglia. The success of this mutual collaboration has cemented an exchange of ideas that

continue between the families to this day. Though channeling the essence of the cheetahs spiritthough is essence and made more potent though the inclusion of the mercury allows the imbiber

of the concoction of move as fast as death itself, if only for a moment.


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The caster must imbibe a concoction of a Cheetahs blood prepared for 10 minutes.

Successfully downing the mixture and proper casting opens up the spirits of the animal'sabombo, infusing it into the caster. Until sunrise, the caster gains the power of Alacrity (level one

celerity) whether or not he or she possesses it already. This power is in effect the entire night,

requiring no blood expenditures for its use. However, this granted Alacrity in no way helps in a

combat situation, rather it is only effective when running.

Stained SightThis ritual, like so many others, is designed to curse someone. By invoking the powers of

Necromancy, the caster forces the Wraiths Deathsight upon a single victim. This victim will see

everything as decaying, rotting and dying. Even though the ritual takes three hours to perform, it

only affects a victim for a single day. Those that have been affected by this ritual are oftenterrified of their surroundings or become depressed very quickly.

If the ritual test is successful, the Wraiths Deathsight will affect the victim for an entire

day. (See the Flaw: Deathsight in Guide to the Camarilla)

Stealing the Deads voiceThis ritual allows the necromancer to take a wraith's mortal voice, and bestow it upon a physicalbeing. This ritual takes 20 minutes to cast and requires a fresh human tongue torn out by its roots

from a living human. This new voice will completely replace the pre-existing voice until the

ritual is broken, and also renders the "donor" wraith without any kind of voice, until the ritual isbroken. The voice will work on a person who is unable to speak regardless of physical or

supernatural handicap (this does not permit speech in areas affected by Quietus: Silence of

Death). This ritual costs 1 blood by necromancer who must also beat a wraith in a social

challenge to "steal" its voice. The effects last for one month or until the voice recipient breaks itby expending a temporary willpower, or until the wraith manages to remove the recipients

tongue.

Tasting the Secrets of the DeadIn order to use this ritual the caster must whisper the 13 secret names of this ritual into the mouth

of the corpse and then French kiss the corpse so deeply that they can taste the sickening rot andsour taste of death on their tongue and in the depths of their being. This requires a willpower

expenditure. Once this is done the caster may ask one question of the corpse and have it

answered to the best of its knowledge in life. The corpse speaks the answer aloud. The corpse

must have a jaw bone in order for this ritual to work.

The Shadow of DeathWhile the control over death is surely the strength of the clan, even the mention of death canhave a disquieting effect upon those that still fear its approach. This simple ritual surrounds the

caster with an aura of death that causes pause in the most stalwart of hearts to quiver, and be

hesitant in the necromancers presence.The necromancer burns a tuft of her hair with a bit of myrrh inhaling deeply of the vapor.

At this point the necromancer takes a step closer to death, her pulse slowing if she haves one, the

skin and aura pales, and for the remainder of the evening has an additional intimidation trait.The process of maintaining this step closer to the abyss is mentally taxing enough to require a

mental trait to be expended in the effort. It should be noted that the shadow of death has no effect


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on the restless dead themselves, as having met the reaper, its presence no longer hold the horror

it once did.

Through the Monster's EyesThis ritual allows the Necromancer to see through the eyes of the Blackest Shade and to control

it as if he himself was there. Unfortunately the ritual requires that the Necromancer rip out bothhis eyes and cuts off a hand to acquire complete control over the creature. The control doesn't

take long to establish, only thirty minutes of chanting during which the eyes and hand areremoved. When the eyes and hand are regenerated, the control is lost. Nothing else but the

removal of the eyes and hand (which cost a total of 5 points of Blood to regenerate) and the

chanting while doing this is required, except for the standard ritual test.

Tongues of their FathersThe animal origin of wraiths on the Dark Continent is the most startling piece of necromancy

that has been noticed of the Ghibertis homeland, and their mastery of them has long beenattributed to their skill in this strange environment. While there is truth in the assertion the

learning of the speech of the honored animal death endears then to the spirits greatly oftenmaking the issuing of demands unnecessary.The character makes a sacrifice of blood from themselves or an animal, chanting the

names of the wraith with whom you wish to entreat with. Think of it as being enabled to talk to

the animal side of the wraith. To those watching the player do this it will appear as if that isexactly what they are doing using feral whispers to an unseen entity. The player should make the

appropriate animal noises in the act of communication. This particular ritual allows the player to

have three extra social traits when negotiating with an African animal wraith.

Touch of the World BeyondThis disturbing ritual brings a vampire closer to the grave, making her body unfeeling and pale,

like that of a bloodless corpse. It takes an hour to cast, and requires a handful of soil from anewly dug grave that has to be smeared over the Necromancers body. The Necromancer will

grow cold and numb, feeling less and becoming as cold as if she was dead.

Once the ritual test is successful, this ritual increases the difficulties of all appearance anddexterity-based tests by one. However, because the vampire can feel almost no pain, she suffers

one less trait of wound penalties. The effects of the ritual last for one night.

Una AmonestacinIn an era of cellular phones ease of communication is the norm but once speed was rate. The art

that the Pisanob employed to hold advantage over the surrounding was genius if only for its

simplicity. By chopping off the ear of a specially chosen corpse in matched sets they couldcommunicate over long distances relating messages and commanding minions.

The necromancer must find a corpse that has become a wraith, though natural or

unnatural means, having removed the ears he dries them and cast the ritual upon the preparedflesh. Henceforth whenever the necromancer wishes to be heard though the ear he may expend a

mental trait and wherever the matched pair is the voice of the necromancer is audible. This voice

is often used to report, but can be used to command, and the wary necromancer should not thinkthe one eared zombies mindless. Ears prepared with this ritual last only a year and a day, at


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which point decay renders them useless. Any attempts to cast the ritual Preserve Flesh on these

ears will disrupt the previous rituals, rendering them useless.

Voodoo EconomicsWhile the mundane matters that the vault deal with are often looked upon as the antithesis to

family occult efforts, the Vault is always in pursuit of the almighty dollar, and no avenue will beignored. Through the use of this ritual the occultist connects himself to the underlying

metaphysical provincials involved with resource allocation and finances.The caster inhales the fumes from a stick of burning myrrh as he slips into his earlobe a

sliver of bone from a victim of Death by starvation. The caster then makes a mental challenge

difficulty 5 and expends a metal trait. If successful, the occultist becomes aware of the

supernatural ebb and flow of the financial system, an awareness that last till the bone is removedor the next full moon. This awareness correlates to the equivalent of a 3 point watch influence

action for all finance influence.

Warding the Family

This ritual is frequently used by the Giovanni to ensure the well being of those family membersthat are ghouls rather than Cainites. The ritual takes a whole night to cast, but its effects last forone year. The Giovanni must anoint herself with the fluids from a human eyeball, and then drink

at least two points of blood from the recipient of this ritual. Then the recipient drinks a bit of

blood from the Giovanni to complete the ritual. For the duration of this ritual's effect, when therecipient of this ritual dies, the caster will sense this.

Whispers from the Other SideThis ritual allows a Necromancer to whisper across the Shroud when he has used Ex Nihilo toenter it. It's a simple ritual, which only demands that the caster chant for fifteen minutes, often

telling a story about someone who came back from the dead to warn his or her descendants.

Upon success, the vampire may whisper across the Shroud, without expending Willpower.

Intermediate

Arrange the remainsIn a traditional urn in which the remains of the deceased are placed the skull bones face north.By placing them in another direction the Necromancer can cause the wraith discomfort. The

remains are removed and then placed facing another direction while a sutra is chanted.

South: wraith is down one trait in resisting summoningEast: wraith loses a point of pathos

West: wraith gains a point of angst

Binding the FetterThis ritual binds a material Fetter so intensely to a place that it is dangerous to remove it from

this place, risking its destruction, but also empowers it as long as it stays within a certain set ofwalls. To finish this ritual, which takes three hours of continuous chanting, the Necromancer

needs the Fetter in question. This is often used as a bargaining tool with Wraiths.

As long as the Fetter remains within a set of walls (a house, room, mansion or closet)

decided upon when the ritual was enacted, it takes tremendous effort or magic (of some sort) to


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destroy the Fetter. As soon as it is moved out of the set of walls, it will begin to corrode and fall

apart. With 3 successful tests against the fetter are reached, the item is destroyed. TheNecromancer on the other hand can move this item, by spending a Willpower point and a blood

point and re-enacting the ritual in another location.

CerberusCerberus was the 'guardian dog' of Greek myths, and with this ritual, the Necromancer mayguard his own haven with a guardian reminiscent of the Greek myth. He must slay three largehounds and cut of their heads and bury one corpse with three heads in the same grave. Then he

must pray and chant on the grave for three nights, while spilling his Blood before the sun rises.

On the fourth night, the earth will move away when the Necromancer approaches and a ghostly

image will appear. It is a ghost-hound with three heads, each with glowing eyes. Thismonstrosity is visible in the Skinlands but is real in the Shadowlands. It can terrify people not

used to it and physically attack Wraiths that get too close. It is loyal to its creators Blood but will

try to scare or attack all other people even those that are the Necromancers friends.One blood-point must be spent for every night for three nights and the Necromancer must

spill his own Blood, not the blood of others. Once it rises from its grave, the guardian hound willtry to terrify anyone that doesn't have the casters Blood (Ghouls count, as well as the person whodiablerizes the Necromancer) or attack those Wraiths that try to approach the inner sanctum of

the haven (where the vampire sleeps). It makes a mental challenge against intruders when trying

to terrify people. Each success lowers their Courage by a point for half an hour. If it reaches zero,they won't enter the place the hound guards. In the Shadowlands it has the following stats: 10

Physical Traits, 12 Mental Traits - Brawl 3, Alertness 2 - Bite for Strength +1 damage andclaws for Strength damage.

Cloak of ShadesThe Giovanni looked for a way to hear and see in the physical world while in the Shadowlands.

After talking with many Wraiths and Giovanni elders came up with this idea. The ritual makes animage of the caster for others to be able to interact with while he stays in the Shadowlands. This

allows for communication. By spending two Blood Traits and one Willpower Trait the ritual

creates an incorporeal image of the caster. The image cannot touch anything around it and thecaster must be in the Shadowlands where the image would be in the physical world. If anything

passes through the image, the caster must make a mental challenge against their Physical Traits

to maintain the image. If the image is disrupted, the ritual must be recast. No powers may be

used through this image by the caster or anyone else. The effects of this ritual, if undisturbed, lastfor one hour.

Consumption of LifeThere is no flesh as filling nor any that tastes as sweet as that of your fellow man. This ritual

allows the necromancer to take advantage of this inhuman potency in healing even the most

grievous wounds. Through the willful murder of his fellow man and careful butchering of theirvitality, the very essence of life is preserved and made ready for consumption. This meat either

prepared in fine cuisine or consumed tartar has notable restorative properties and a flavor of

hauntingly good taste. While the health of those who consume the flesh always improves, the useof this rite is reserved only for times of severe strife, as Mama has noted a correlation in

frequency in this disturbing dining and madness amongst her brood.


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The necromancer murders his victim spending a willpower trait in the process. After the

deed the 'dressing' of the kill is done in a proscribed manor. Those mortal or proxy familymembers nourished from the meat may heal one lethal health level a day or an aggravated wound

in just a week, and most diseases inflicting the diners just wither on the vine. In addition, the

undead family members receive no benefit from this necromantic nutrition, though the flavor is

still succulent.It should also be noted this is a wantonly evil act and even the Dunsirn, habitual cannibals

that they are participate in only in time of illness and war. Down this road lays path checks,addiction, derangements, and wyrm taint, much more so than usual.

Craft the KeystoneThe need to have the home protected is no more necessary than it is in the hostile IvoryKingdoms. To enact a rather formidable defense, the necromancer must convince a willing

wraith to entomb all their remaining fetters to the safety of the Ghiberti's home, in exchange for

their surveillance over the area. This Ghiberti ritual is done to a useful and willing wraith with asmall number of fetters left. The fetter is taken and is literally built into the building in some

way. The fetter is often inlayed into the wall, framed as art, or hidden behind a floor board in ashoe box. Through the sealing appropriate chants and dances of the ritual the wraith is then ableto commune with their fetter(s) as needed without needing to inhabit them. This is generally

viewed as a positive thing by the wraiths as they can heal and maintain this connection without

the downtime one would normal experience. Wraiths that are being stalked or hunted may evenlook to the Ghiberti to do this for them, though this is less common outside of Africa than they

would like. The one drawback is that the range of travel is then limited to the size of the

structure, requiring the wraith to spend a mental trait for every scene they are outside the area.

The largest benefit comes from the fact the wraith may sense and manipulate themselves inreaction to the structure as if it were their own fetter though arcanoi. While some curse the fact

the ritual requires a voluntary wraith, in truth being locked in a building with a hostile ghost is

fate only wished on one's enemies.Storytellers Note: It should be obvious that convincing a wraith to enact this ritual is

difficult and it is important that the happiness of any wraith thusly entombed is of paramount

importance to the resident. An unhappy wraith can end up as a combination of many unpleasantaffects.

Cry of Death and BloodThis ritual links two or more willing participants to death through the Blood used in the ritual. Ifone of those connected through this ritual (called a Blood Circle, or Circle for short) dies, the

others will instantly be struck by a vision of the participant's death as well as a flash of the

emotional state in which the person died. To enact this ritual, the skull of a priest must be takenfrom his grave and opened over the top of the skull. Upon this skull, a brand has to be carved for

every Blood Circle bound through this ritual. The participants have to pour their Blood into this

skull, which will begin to pulsate with a dim red glow while the ritual takes place and the Bloodboils away over the open fire. This was first and foremost created for the Necromancer to make

sure that he knew how his Ghouls died, but it is as easily applicable to Kindred. The ritual takes

seven hours to cast.Each participant (up to the number of twice the Necromancer's Occult ability rating) to be

linked to each other and to death must donate two points of Blood to the skull-chalice. Over the


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course of the seven hours the Necromancer boils the Blood away over an open fire. Once the

Blood has boiled away, the ritual test is made. If successful, all participants will be permanentlylinked to each other in the manner described above. There's no limit to the amount of people one

person can be bound to. (Note: By drinking this Blood the participants become one point blood

bound to each other, or more if blood bonds already exist among them)

Dark AssistantThis ritual animates a hand or a head, returning it to the physical world. The hand acts as anassistant, moving to fetch things for the Necromancer or by turning the pages on a book or

something equally simple. The head can be told things which it will later recount to the word. To

create this Dark Assistant the Necromancer must prior to the ritual bathe the intended part in his

own blood and chant for almost nine hours. System: The caster spends three blood points andbathes the hand or head in it. During this time he must chant and the hand or head absorbs the

Necromancers blood. After the nine hours the hand or head will be animated and ready to receive

orders. The hand only understands simple orders like 'fetch that book' or 'close the door' andcannot cause any real damage. The head will look like it's a severed mans head, but once it

begins to speak it has an eerie resemblance to whomever it belonged to from the beginning.

Destroy the HuskThis power turns a corpse into a pile of ash roughly the size and shape the corpse was, though

only about 10% its former mass. Drip one blood trait onto the corpse, and then make a staticmental challenge (dif 5). The body will ash within 5 minutes, unless a mental trait per minute is

expended to make the process go faster.

Death's MaskVariants of this ritual were known to mortal Giovanni, Ghiberti and Pisanob prior to their

embraces. Among the realms of the dead, masks are often a sign of status and a way of making a

vivid impression upon the restless dead. They also have the advantage of not being recognizablein day to day existence by a possibly hostile spirit. In recent years, rumors have abounded about

a variant known to the Putanesca that merely changes the appearance to wraiths, but does not

cause them appear vividly in the shadow lands, allowing them to carry out questionable deedswithout being recognized.

The necromancer prepares ahead of time a mask out of any natural material that suits

him, the result is often elaborate as it may used time and again. Upon its completion it must be

laid upon a fresh corpse for three full nights. From that point forward, when the necromancerwishes to employ the art the caster burns a pile of lilies and Mir in the mask, expends a mental

trait and dons it. His appearance changes to the appearance of the mask while in the shadowland

and causing him to appear vividly and different to the restless dead than most members of thequick. Donning a mask allows the necromancer to switch his appearance related social traits for

other appearance related traits, representing the effort put into the construction of the mask for

replacing the casters own appearance traits. A mask created with this ritual in no way willresemble a Guild Mask.

Death of the Written WordLooking for a way to protect the Family secrets besides leaving out vital information or adding in

mistakes that those who knew Necromancy could find, Malic Dunsirn found a way to bind the


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energies of the Shadowlands to a book in a ward. Keeping them suspended until the ward was

broken and releasing the forces of decay onto the book. This ritual is simply a ward cast andscribed on the inside cover of a bound book where, after casting the book cannot be opened

without intoning a phrase (set during the casting). If the correct phrase is not uttered before

opening the book, it decays to ashes in seconds.

Descubrir Hacia Abajo HuesosPreserving the flesh for proper zombies in the historically swampy plateau lands often proved achallenge for the Mexico City family. Before the development of embalming the family solved

the issues by exposing the bones and then threading then joints together with hemp ropes.

Though it had fallen out of practice it has had resurgence in the last few years for a couple of

reasons: A skeleton painted black is awful hard to see against nights sky, and the reattachmentsof bones can be done in several ways.

The necromancer assembles the bodies from bones and rope dousing the connections with

a mix of his blood and alcohol. Upon the raising as zombies an additional mental trait must beexpended for each such form raised. Skeletons far more fragile but should be treated like

zombies in other ways.

Embrace the KaimyoSeven days after his embrace or on any auspicious day afterward a necromancer can have their

name erased and a new one taken. The caster petitions the leader of her clan in the area for theright to take a new name. Once permission is received she spends the 3 nights prior to the ritual

is meditation and ritual purification, contemplating the most appropriate name. The caster then

goes before an assemblage of her clan in the area gives proper respect to each member and

announces her desire to take a new name. She then tells her name to the heavens, the hells andeach of the directions (a total of 7 times). After this those in attendance formally introduce

themselves to the caster and the caster spends a point of willpower and blood. Once this is done

the casters former names holds no power over her. Any magics that would involve the true nameof the target dont function with the casters old name. The casters new name can be discovered

normally and is her true name for all purposes including powers that require the targets true

name. This ritual requires no challenge.

Eternal ServantSome servants never stop serving their masters. This powerful ritual allows a Necromancer to

bind his Ghouls souls when they die and enter the Underworld. The Blood Bond will hold asstrong in the Shadowlands as it will in the Skinlands when the Ghoul was alive. Even though this

ritual is powerful, the Necromancer must either hope for luck that the Ghoul will indeed become

a Wraith once he dies or make the servant drink the liquid created through 'Grip of Hades'. Aswell as being powerful, it also puts the Necromancer in some danger. He must sit on his knees

completely naked and bathed before the Ghoul, who lies on his back. Once the chanting begins,

nothing except the Ghoul exists before the Necromancers eyes and if attacked the vampire ishard-pressed to return his mind to this world before he dies. System: The chanting, which takestwo hours, indeed puts the vampire in a trance that makes it exceedingly easy to attack him. All

attacks are up 2 traits and the vampire will only awaken if he succeeds on a Willpower check(difficulty 4). If the ritual is successful, the Ghoul will, if he becomes a Wraith, still be

bloodbound to the Necromancer and try to serve him as well as he can on the other side.


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ExpelA power common to exorcists, this power lets a necromancer banish any and all wraiths from a

particular building. The casting time for this is 30 minutes. The wraiths stay out for a variable

period of time, depending on the necromancers desire. If a house is a fetter for a wraith, chances

are it will stick around the house and try to get back in when the spell ends, and it wont like thecaster too much either.

(Note: Discretion must be used with this spell. While a mansion might be able to be fully affects,the Sears Tower will not; its simply too big. On large buildings, the Necromancer may cast the

ritual on two or three floors at a time.)

The necromancer must find the exact center of the household prior to beginning this

ritual. She then draws a circle on the ground with chalk and fills it with sigils of faith, pain,placation of threat (depending on the caster), then sits down and begins chanting. Any ghosts in

the house immediately realize the chanting for what it is, and will do anything in their power to

stop the necromancer (unless they want to be expelled). The caster must make a mental challenge(Difficulty 10 +2 per wraith present during the casting). On a successful casting, the wraiths in

the house are expelled for two days per mental trait spent during the casting. Immediately afterthe casting, any wraith within the affected area may spend a temporary willpower to ignore theeffects of the ritual for one hour. This ritual also affects wraiths that were forced to stay in the

house through necromantic means. The expulsion may be increased by three months with the

expenditure of a temporary Willpower point, or by a year and a day with the expenditure of apermanent Willpower point. If the caster fails the test, nothing happens (although wraiths in the

area may not be pleased with him), but he may try again, albeit with less concentration (the base

difficulty increases by 2 mental traits per failed successive attempt).

Fruit of Poisoned TreeThere was a point when the ritual Fruit of the Poisonous Tree was common knowledge in the

libraries of Europe. Many credited it with success in the early years of the families warding offplotters and players in the jihad, an incident in Milan resulting of 31 family, proxies and loyal

retainers lead to the Society of Death destroying all known copies of the ritual, in the late 1700.

The necessity of protecting ones city and the safety of the family has is costs and the Order ofthe Blood Rose has decided, regardless of the Society of Deaths prejudice, to pay it.

As the necromancer sets himself in a quite location, into a pool or shallow bowl

necromancer bleeds a point of his blood and he lights a candle and places it so its reflection can

be viewed in the vitae. Then a piece of flesh or ash from a Giovanni murdered by his own kin isdipped into the bloods and consumed. The taint of treachery and the knowledge that death opens

allows the necromancer to the treats to the blood of the family. Though the information can be

helpful the truth about the enemies arrayed against the family have lead to nightmares and insome cases paranoid delusions.

In the casting of this ritual, the necromancer spends a point of his blood, makes a static

metal test difficulty 7, and spends a perception related mental trait as he consumes the betrayedflesh and opens his mind to oracular foresight of those that wish him harm. The images are often

jumbled and difficult to understand, and STs are encouraged to use symbolism in the flashes. The

insight gained is also represented by one free retest that maybe employed when attempting tosave his life or help with the survival of his family. After the initial ritual test, a static test should


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be made, with a failure resulting in the necromancer being plagued my nightmares for the next

night. This works like a directed oracular ability.

Gate of HellBased on ancient legends of the Gates through which most spirits must enter into the afterlife,

this ritual is devised to protect the Necromancers haven. Anyone trying to enter through a portal(door, opening, window) protected by this ritual will meet his darkest fears before he can enter. If

he can overcome these horrors, then he can enter freely, otherwise they often flee from the place.The Necromancer must place a bone over the portal to be guarded and chant for nine hours. Once

the invocation is complete, he must steal the dreams of a mortal sacrificed at the end of the ritual.

System: The caster must complete the ritual as above, including sacrificing a sleeping mortalbefore the test is made. If it is successful, then anyone trying to enter through the portal thusguarded will meet darkness and despair. He must make a Courage check at a difficulty of 4. If he

fails, he won't enter the building through that portal, but might as well walk right through the

wall or destroy the building through other means. If he's successful, he may freely enter thebuilding.

Halls of the DamnedThe Necromancer who invokes this terrifying ritual will effectively make it impossible to speak

in his haven without his permission. The ritual summons an unearthly wailing and screaming

which assaults the hearing like a blizzard rends trees apart. The Necromancer must slay threeyoung females in a ritual, slitting their throats, cutting of their ears and taking out their tongues.

This is symbolic for the ritual, which allows the Necromancer to give his blessing to up to two

other people at the same time who will not hear the wailing. The ritual during which he slays

these three girls takes almost six hours. System: First the character must perform the ritual asabove. If the ritual test is successful, the room will be warded for a year. For every year that he

wants to ward it after the first, he must sacrifice another three girls to keep the power intact. The

caster may exempt two people by placing a mark on their foreheads created by his own Blood(usually made by opening the thumb and pressing it against the person's forehead). These two

will not be affected by the ritual until they leave the room again and returns without the

Necromancers blessing. Anyone that has not been blessed will suffer a 4 trait penalty to allperception tests that involve hearing. Those that enter the room and haven't got used to the

howling must roll Courage (difficulty 5 for mortals, 3 for Cainites) or flee the room.

Incense of the Welcoming DeadThe necromancer spends an hour grinding soaking and preparing herbs. Resources 3 and Occult

influence 1 to find. After which the herbs are sprinkled with the casters blood and dried. When lit

this incense a dark smoke streams out and burnt smell fills the room. Wraiths are up 2 traits whenin the area of the smoke and will seek the area where it is burned. The burner is seen more

favorably but not so much he can abuse the wraiths. 1 stick last for one hour and can fill a

medium sized rumor or smaller rooms smoke last for three hours or till sun up whichever comesfirst. These sticks last 1 lunar month.

Judgment of AiakosThis ritual can make a Wraith believe he has been dragged down into Hell itself (whatever that

Wraiths thoughts are about his Hell, this will correspond to it) and that the Necromancer can


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offer freedom from this terrible place. The ritual demands that the caster crushes a skull and

scatters the powder in a burning fire while chanting. This takes no more than 30 minutes, but theWraith that is going to be targeted must be present. Part of the ritual is making sure the Wraith

doesn't understand what the ritual has done (at least not until its effects are over). This makes

Wraiths very susceptible to doing favors for the Necromancer.

The caster makes his ritual test. If successful, the Wraith will believe that he hassomehow been dragged into Hell itself and that the Necromancer is the only one that can save

him from this horrible place (which is very real to the Wraith). The Necromancer may return theWraith to his normal perceptions at any time. Unfortunately this ritual can only be used once on

a Wraith, and only on a Wraith who believes in Hells (whatever shape they might take).

La Sed InquietaBefore the family came to the new world the Pisanob knew the value of blood and pain. Their

tortuous inflictions and human sacrifices fed the dark passions of their servants strengthen them

for the task at hand. The necromancer slices open the victim and collects the blood which isoffered to the waiting wraiths. The pain, excitement, anguish, religious reverie, and terror flows

as freely as the offered vitae, the passions overwhelms the restless dead filling them with thevibrancy of the quick now lost to them. It should be noted that the dark nature of the source hasan unpleasant effect upon the occasional wraith.

The Ritualist expends a willpower while murdering a human by slicing open the belly,

removing the viscera and draining the vitae into arranged bowls while chanting a litany about thepleasures of life and exultation to the gods. Those wraiths nearby the shadowlands that are able

to hear the litany are suffused by the passion of the event filling any emptiness within them. This

passion is overpowering, causing any wraiths who hear the litany to gain three temporary pathos

and one temporary angst.

Lion's PrideThe animal fathers of Africa honor the king of cats and mankind too heeds their presence. Thecaster makes an offering to the ghost of the lions and then braids into his or her own hair a lock

of a lion's mane that they have removed themselves for this ritual. Displaying it openly, the caster

is granted the lions favor of the noble beasts commanding presence.This intermediate ritual allows you an extra social trait for the remainder of the evening.

The components are the hair from a lion's mane that you harvested and your own hair braided

together. This could be a braid in your hair or hung around your neck, but this must be visible for

the favor of the spirits to be granted. The ritual requires a trait of blood to be sacrificed in respectof the spirits; the blood need not be kindred, indeed wildebeest is preferred. Also note that the

lion providing the hair need not be alive at the time of casting, but the beast must be respected

and as such not kept in storage or as a captive. The trait granted is Commanding, and it remainsthe discretion of the storytellers if the favor of the Lion's Pride is granted. The Lions Favor can

be judged with a static social test, difficulty 8 or ST discretion.

Luck of ActaeonThe energy of oblivion and entropy are antithetical to all creation and as such those marked by its

taint suffer fates in compare to that of mythic figures. The world around them seems to bend totwist and corrupt all their efforts.


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The caster does a mental challenge with the target after marking them with a mixture of adrop of vitae with the blood of a stag and the ashes of a hound. Once the target is marked with adrop of the mixture the challenge can be initiated any time within the next three hours provided

the target is within line of sight. If successful the target gains 3 bad luck retests that the ST can

call at the worst possible times. When these retests are used is not determined by the caster. This

power works in line of sight.

Moldering PresenceBy casting this ritual, which demands that he concentrates for a full hour and then devours fetid

blood that has turned sour and disgusting, the vampire's very aura emanates waves of decay and

entropy. Any unliving matter that comes near him falls prey to the decay that affects all things,

though extremely hastened and premature. Wood and paper will rot, metal will rust, and evenplastic and glass will slowly taint and then erode. Even people (and Kindred) will feel a strong

sense of decay emanating from the caster, though they are not otherwise affected.

The Necromancer spends two points of Willpower to keep his concentration (unless hehas the Concentration Merit) and must then consume four points of fetid blood. Make a Self-

Control test (difficulty 3) to keep this blood down. If he retches, the ritual fails and must bebegun anew from the beginning. For the rest of the night all material within one foot of thevampire will corrode and become useless in varying amounts of time. Complex objects like a

gun would stop functioning after a couple of turns, though it would take days for them to

completely corrode. A wooden stake would lose its point immediately, but not becomecompletely rotten until a few turns. Weak objects like paper or pencils may feel the effects from a

further distance. Caution must be applied however, for wooden floorboards will last but a turn, as

will the Necromancer's clothing.

NightmaresBy invoking the powers of the dead, a Necromancer can haunt an individual with terrible dreams

of his own demise and visions of terror. The components of this ritual are the cracked head of aman who died due to head injuries and the beak of a raven. By crushing the beak over the

cracked head and chanting for three hours, the haunting dreams begin to terrorize the so damned.

Upon success, the victim suffers one day/night of damned sleep with nightmares andhorrible visions of the targets death. The cracked head may be used again, but the Necromancer

must find a new beak for every time he wants to perform this ritual.

Numb the Restless SoulPassions, of all kinds, keep the Wraiths tied to the Shadowlands. By enacting this ritual, the

Necromancer can begin to corrode these passions, numb the Wraith's feelings for them and

eventually destroy them. The Necromancer must first find out about a Wraith's Passion, thenwrite it down in a book to be burnt later in the ritual. He must then make seven people

experiencing this particular feeling write down something in this book. Once the ritual begins in

earnest, he burns the book and chants. As the smoke dissipates, the Wraith will begin to feel hisPassions being lost to the numbness of Oblivion.

Once the prerequisites are fulfilled the character must succeed on the ritual test. Each test

success lowers a Wraith's Passion rating by one point. The ritual ends on the first failed test. If hecompletely looses a Passion he takes an amount of damage to his Corpus equal to the original

rating of the Passion.


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Patch JobOver the centuries in the service to the family much pain and suffering has been endured. It is a

sad fact that at times a family member's services are needed regardless how banged up they may

be at the time. In those moments, a short term substitution a limb or eye and a return to service

may suffice turning the tide for the family at a crucial moment. While the ability is known tomany necromancers throughout the family its use is infrequent due to both effort in creation and

the negative long term effects.The necromancer must 'trim' away any rough edges on both the subject and the

replacement part to ensure an approximate fit between the wound and new flesh. Some of these

trimmings are set aside at this point. The new flesh is placed appropriately with the mated ends

anointed with the necromancers blood, then the piece or appendage is secured typically throughsewing, though surgical staples have been used effectively as well. At this point a mental

challenge is made, difficulty of 7 traits, retest with medicine to ensure the surgery is done

correctly. Then a piece from both parts are placed within the halves of a broken egg shell withboth haves mated and sealed with wax, and then placed upon the dead addition.

The subject then may will the flesh to work and it will respond as if it were his own,though physical disciplines known cannot be employed through the new flesh. In addition theflesh has no feeling and causes no pain no matter how mangled. Traits to represent it degree of

decay present should be assigned upon its use. Upon each night that the recipient wishes to use

his new appendage, he must spend one will trait for it to function. While attached, the undeadcannot regenerate the wound, and if the subject is mortal care must be taken to ensure gangrene

does not set in.

Peek Past the ShroudThis hour long ritual enchants a handful of ergot (a mold that grows on grains prior to harvest in

cold, damp weather) to act as a catalyst for second sight.

By eating a pinch of the magical mold a subject gains the benefits of the Nigrimancy 1power Witness of Death for a number of hours equal to the subjects stamina related traits. One

dose of enchanted ergot is created per casting.

Punishment from BelowThis ritual is one created to punish those that did not keep their end of a bargain or for some

misdeed done against the Necromancer. The caster must get blood, sweat or urine from the

person to be punished (this works against vampires as well, but only with Vitae) or a part of theperson himself (a finger, a tuft of hair, a bone). He must then perform a ritual over a corpse

during which he smears himself with the 'black blood' (coagulated blood of a dead person, or the

ritualized Black Blood) of the corpse. He must then continue with dripping the liquid (blood,sweat or urine) on the corpse or placing the 'part of the person' inside the mouth of the corpse.

After this he raises a ritual sword and cuts of the corpses hand. At this moment the victim senses

a strong pain in his right hand and over the course of three days it begins to shrivel, rot and willeventually fall off. This ritual takes two hours to perform. System: In addition to getting theliquid or part of the person himself, the Necromancer must also spend a point of Willpower if

this ritual is used against another Cainite. A mortal may never heal the damage done byPunishment from Below, but a vampire may heal it as aggravated wounds. A temporary

willpower trait (up to three) spent during the ritual translates to an 'illusionary' level of


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aggravated damage that the vampire must heal to return his hand. Note that it isn't any real

damage and that he functions perfectly well, except for the loss of his hand.

Reapers Passing

The power of this ritual renders the casters flesh into Corpora for a tiny moment, allowing him to

pass through walls and any other solid matter by shedding some of his 'flesh'. The grinning skullthe Necromancer must hold makes this look like a grim coming indeed, passing through walls

and doors without a problem. This is one of the few almost instantaneous rituals the

Necromancer may ever hope to learn, as it takes about a minute to perform. System: The

Necromancer must have a skull, completely free from flesh and other tissue and hold it between

his hands, in front of himself. If he so wishes he concentrates and pushes the skull against some

solid thing and it will then become incorporeal together with the caster. This costs him a health

level and he'll stay incorporeal for his current stamina trait number of turns. This ritual lasts until

morning breaks the night. The skull turns to dust once the rituals time elapses.

Replace the Tattered FleshNecromantic surgeons, through the use of this ritual, may "heal" grievous wounds brought uponthemselves and others. This ritual is primarily used to help during extended combat situations,

when a Kindred has little blood to spare on healing.

The Necromancer must have strips of treated flesh from a corpse. One adult size corpsewill generally provide up to ten such Strips of Flesh. First

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