The Nightfall Society

Rules Addenda: Vampire Disciplines

General FAQ

How do you determine whether a power is physical, social, or mental?

The official ruling is that the type of challenge is defined by its defensive test pool, so by default it is based on the standard defensive test pools of the power in question. Where no test pool is involved, base it on either the standard test pool for that power type, or make a judgement call based on the power’s description.

Some powers specifically exclude use in Celerity rounds where they are otherwise a physical power, for example Horrid Reality and all Thaumaturgy.



Dark Thaumaturgy

How do you get Dark Thaumaturgy rituals?

Dark Thaumaturgy rituals were released as part of the Vampire MET online tool, but were not discussed in any books. The details below come from the ByNight Discord where they were shared by Silja, BNS's Director of Customer Service.

Rituals are additional rituals that infernal thaumaturgists may choose from when purchasing rituals based on the advancement of their thaumaturgy discipline path(s). These function in all ways like normal thaumaturgy rituals, including their XP cost, base casting time and base activation cost. In order to select a Dark Thaumaturgy ritual a user must fulfill at least one of the following requirements.


Dark Thaumaturgy rituals are rated from levels 1 to 5, and a caster can have several infernal rituals corresponding to each level of the progression. You do not need to purchase a Dark Thaumaturgy ritual of each level before you are able to purchase another Dark Thaumaturgy ritual at the next-higher level. However, in order to purchase a Dark Thaumaturgy ritual beyond level 1 you must have at least one Thaumaturgy (infernal or regular) ritual of a lower level. For example, in order to purchase a level 2 Dark Thaumaturgy ritual, you must already possess at least one level 1 thaumaturgy ritual of either type; or in order to purchase a level 3 Dark Thaumaturgy ritual, you must already possess at least one level 2 ritual of either type, and so forth.

Unless gained through the General Merit: Infernal Power you may not buy a specific Dark Thaumaturgy ritual until you have purchased the corresponding dot of Thaumaturgy equal to the level of that ritual. For example, learning a level 4 ritual requires you to possess 4 dots in your primary path of Thaumaturgy.

Like all infernal effects the stains of infernal taint wash over your aura when employing Dark Thaumaturgy rituals. If not specified in the individual power this stain is present in your aura during the entirety of the casting process and at least briefly when you unleash the effect (if the rituals effects are not immediate upon finishing the casting time). Each ritual describes when your aura is stained if it has effects that lie dormant until utilized.

Ritual Ingredients and Targeting: If a ritual requires a focus, and you possess that focus, the ritual can be used at range beyond line of sight. Otherwise, unless specifically stated, the ritual requires line of sight. Ingredients that are specifically listed in the ritual’s description must be used to cast the ritual, or the ritual fails. A ritual’s ingredients are always consumed in a use of that ritual, unless otherwise specified in the description.



Vicissitude FAQ

Issue 1 pg. 56 "you may only use these powers' effects in your natural form". You can still affect others who are transformed, but the effects only stick to their transformed version? E.g. unconscious Gangrel in wolf form is Crippled. They transform to human mode and are now uncrippled, but if they transform back into wolf form, they are crippled again. Of course, with rule 7 caveats including "you can't give a Blood Formed friend a mouth".

Volume 2, Issue 1 goes into more detail on this.

Transformation powers are separated into Minor and Major. The first three levels of Vicissitude can be used to make long-term changes to someone’s natural form but not to any form that counts as a Major Transformation. Therefore, if the character is under any form of Major Transformation (e.g. a Gangrel in wolf form), they cannot have Vicissitude modifications. However, Minor Transformations (such as Claws) can be used alongside the first three levels of Vicissitude.


Healing Fleshcrafting. The damage from Fleshcrafting attacks is unsoakable normal damage, but takes 5 blood to heal per point of damage or all together?

Fleshcrafting used as an attack is a purely damaging effect and as such heals as normal. Effects that are harder to heal with Vicissitude are the long-term effects, e.g. Bonecrafting or Fleshcrafting used to change appearance.


What about dramatic alterations to flesh that are not listed as explicit things? E.g. giving a cat a human voice box so you can speak with Animalism 4, having excerpts of a book of nod written on the inside layers of your skin, or having your home intruder system be a ghoul with their nerves stretched out under the earth of your property.

This will depend heavily on what is being attempted. Anything that is purely descriptive with no game application shouldn’t be an issue, but it is notable that some effects are specifically part of the technique Bonecraft Prodigy, and there is every possibility that the capabilities may be extended with elder powers.

Of those mentioned, the skin-book and home-intruder system should be fine as conceptual means for how something gained separately (e.g. the Security haven trait). However, the human voice box to be able to speak whilst possessing a cat would require some consideration as it significantly improves another power and extends the capabilities of Bonecraft somewhat.


With Bonecraft, do the Heart and Brain have to stay whole?

The general response to this is yes, as the vast majorities of creatures (read, everything apart from Werewolves) will automatically die with the destruction of the heart or brain. They could in theory be split, and can be moved around, but there are specific mechanics for moving/altering them as per Transformed Biology in Bonecraft.


Does Vicissitude count as a mental power or physical power? Aka can you use it while possessing or can you use it while using celerity?

In general, Vicissitude is a physical power. It has no standard pool but the few times where an opposed test pool is used it consists of Physical challenges, and it notes the requirement for physical contact with the subject.

It cannot be used whilst possessing as it is not one of the core three physical disciplines, but you can use Celerity actions for some of the actions required for the various changes.



Technique FAQ

Fenrir's boon technique, does it radiate from a body you are possessing? (Not sure if techniques count as disciplines for purposes of using them with Animalism 4) I have thoughts of a terrifying flock of owls.

Techniques are discipline powers and as such cannot be used whilst in possession, as possession specifies exactly what powers can be used.



Thaumaturgy FAQ

What is the standard test pool for Thaumaturgy?

The core book states that the standard pool for Thaumaturgy is Mental + Occult vs Mental + Willpower. It provides an exception for powers that explicitly state that the defender uses a Physical test pool, in which case it is Physical + Dodge.


Pillar of Flame, what is going on with that power? When is damage caused? Why would you target an individual?

The write up for Pillar of Flame is exceptionally poorly organised and takes quite some work to pull apart and work out how it actually works. We’ve also added an adjustment to one part that we feel doesn’t work well.

The relevant aspect of the power as to when it does damage, and therefore why you would target an individual, is in paragraph 3, notably “Pillar of Fire causes damage to characters in its area of effect at the end of their everyman initiative.” Whilst it descriptively does damage to anyone who stands within or passes through it, the damage is only caused at one point in the round. Additionally, as it states that passing into the flames causes damage, a character will take damage at the standard time if they have newly entered the pillar after it has appeared, whether they remain within it or not.

However, this is abusable as it means that with celerity you could run in/through in celerity rounds and never take damage. Therefore, we are applying a rule that if you choose to enter the area, you take the damage as long as you have not already taken damage from that pillar of flame that turn.

Therefore, when our thaumaturge, Bob, casts a Pillar of Flame targeting Pete, which also catches Amanda and Richard in its radius, the following then occurs:

I strongly suspect that this was originally intended to be 6 steps, not 6 feet. The intention for this power appears mainly to be to allow a thaumaturge to create a dangerous area for enemies that he can stand in unaffected, but that will damage those that want to stay in melee with them. Oh, and also, fear frenzy. It is not an AOE damage effect.