Changing one element into another requires familiarity with both elements. One cannot suddenly decide he wants to change a balloon’s worth of helium into a sphere of solid titanium if he has never dealt with either of those elements before. It is worthwhile to note, however, that Alchemy makes no distinction between naturally occurring and man-made elements — it affects Einsteinium as readily as it affects carbon.

Note also that this path has fallen out of practice because it is less useful in modern nights than it was in the past. Transmutations create Hermetic “ideals” rather than perfect real-world resources which cannot be broken down into lesser constructs. A hunk of gold is a hunk of gold — an attempt to cast coins with it will reduce the hunk to a pile of inert sludge. Before you as — yes, this means your Tremere anarch will not be able to create nuclear bombs by turning the prince’s shoes into uranium. There’s nothing wrong with converting lead into gold and selling that hunk of gold to someone else, however — caveat emptor!

Use of this path assumes the thaumaturge works with the elements in a laboratory-style (or at least controlled) environment. No vampire will be able to walk down the street and turn the iron in people’s blood to helium with a simple touch. A vampire’s knowledge of Alchemy determines how greatly she may change a given element.

Kindred control the souls of inanimate objects. Often seen as control of the 4 elements, this Path gives its followers the ability to manipulate all forms of insensate objects.

Once digitized, a complete set of the Books of al-Az the Elder will upon a collection of CD-ROMs approximately the size of a sandwich, rather the 29 volumes with which most of us are familiar. And no longer do younger Kindred guard the "secrets of the clans". An understanding of the limitations, effects, and abilities of most common disciplines is available to anyone who asks, and even those rare disciplines, such as those of the Samedi, are often recognizable to at least one person in a domain. Only Thaumaturgy is treated as precious knowledge, and the other clans hold it against us. New means must be used to guide our fellow Kindred into heeding our superior advice.

For this purpose, I have developed what I humbly called the Faux Path. It commands little actual power. Few rituals that will affect others are contained within. However, the clever Thaumaturge may use the Faux Path to great effect by playing on the fears and preconceived notions of his or her fellow Kindred. At the highest levels, the line between falsity and reality blur, but wise Tremere take heed: most Kindred do not take well to being opening deceived.

Enought talk. Step with me onto the False Path.

Geomancy is the practice of a set of abilities that can allow you to assist or hinder yourself or someone else depending on its use. The victom can resist levels three and four by skill of willpower.

The Tremere Antitribu developed this path and are rumored to have developed more with the aid of the Tzimisce. This path allows the vampire to put others to sleep and enter their dreams. There is a telepathic link that lets the vampire enter the mind of someone sleeping.

This is practiced almost exclusively by the thaumaturges of the Sabbat. A few Camarilla Tremere have managed to learn the secret. This embodies the violent nature of its Sabbat wielders, existing solely to cause entrophy and decay.

For those Tremere who maintain private havens, secrecy is paramount. The Hearth Path seems to have evolved from a collection of rituals designed to protect the integrity of a vampire’s sanctum sanctorum. Havens protected by these powers often acquire reputations as “haunted” houses and the like. The Tremere are quick to point out, however, that these reputations help to strengthen the Masquerade rather than jeopardize it. When people find out that the house is just a house with a spooky atmosphere, they chastise themselves for being so foolish as to believe in ghosts.

ire conjured by this must be released for it to have any effect. Palm of flame wouldn't burn the vampire's hand--it only produces light. Once released, it burns normally.

A thaumaturge practicing Mastery of the Mortal Shell explores the fundamental functions of the body, granting control over the physical workings of a subject. Lesser powers of this path are clumsy in their control of the body, but become increasingly precise and complete.

In the early nights, Mastery of the Mortal Shell was created to assist in the hunting the Tzimisce and Gangrel enemies of the Tremere, but its uses were expanded to enforce subservience among enslaved Gargoyles after their first revolt. The powers of this path form the foundation for many tales of witches’ curses and possession in folklore.

Objects under the vampire's control may be lifted, spun, juggled, or even thrown. To cause damage requires mastery of the fourth level or greater. Some thaumaturges use this to guard their havens by animating axes, swords, firearm, etc.

Although the corrupt dream-magic of the Path of Morpheus had been used by the Sabbat for decades, the original augury that it was based upon has been a long-held secret by the Tremere. Oneiromancy, divination rooted in the somnolent state of consciousness, is actually based upon ancient Greek philosophies of prophecy. The Tremere, adopting these ancient sortileges, developed them into the thaumaturgical path of Oneiromancy shortly after their transformation to vampiric magi.

With the recent loss of the Sabbat’s Tremere antitribu, the Path of Morpheus has since fallen from common knowledge, and Oneiromancy no longer carries the stigma once associated with its practitioners. With the approaching of Gehenna, the elders of Clan Tremere have again rethought their disdain of Oneiromancy in the clan in an effort to gain more information on unfolding events.

Use of any of these powers requires at least five minutes of reading the signs during which the Warlock goes into a trance similar to sleep. Awareness of his surroundings is limited, and he can “awaken” from the trance at any time but will suffer the same penalties as if awakening during the day for three turns. Oneiromancy powers can also be used while the thaumaturge is in torpor.

Almost every Tremere studies the Path of Blood as his primary path.

Elder vampires have forever flaunted their powers over their lessers, the ancillae and neonates. With the approaching threat of Gehenna, young Kindred actively pursue ways to circumvent the stranglehold these powerful elders possess in the Jyhad. With this desire driving their ambitions, a few rogue Pander and Caitiff thaumaturges gathered together and developed this thaumaturgical path as a means of ousting those above them. These rebels resorted to a very basic concept for this path of thaumaturgy by exposing the inherent disadvantages that accompany the vampiric Embrace. The elders’ paranoia has only increased exponentially due to this movement toward a new method of usurping their power and vitae. These new thaumaturges give rise to the whisperings of the Day of Reckoning soon at hand in the courts of Elysium.

When cursing a victim, a thaumaturge is obvious--curses must be spoken aloud and directly towards the target, although the curse itself is often comprised of dead languages and sounds like gibberish. Additionally, the thaumaturge requires some essence of the victim to curse him. Hair, blood, flesh or any other part of the victim. The victim can use his strength of will and personality to resist but the severe psychological effects can take their toll. The thaumaturge can lift the curses that she brings down whenever she wishes.

To use the Path of Duat, the magician must carry a talismanic gem of black onyx carved with the image of a mummified man--the form of Sokar, the god of Duat. A few minutes before using the path, the magician smears the talisman with a drop of her own blood as an offering to Sokar and whispers a short prayer. Except for the last power, the effects last as long as the magician concentrates upon maintaining it. This means the magician cannot engage in any violent physical activity, or employ other path or ritual magic. The character can, however, use passive amulets. None of the Duat powers cost blood points. The magician relies upon her blasphemy-shrine's power.

Difficulty increases if the lector-priest does not catch the victim's attention using the darkly glittering talisman on the turn when she initiates the magic. The Path of Duat can affect any victim that the magician can see with his own eyes. Once the magician can no longer see the victim, it ends.

This path, based loosely on powerful thaumaturge’s interpretations of the Book of Nod, devotes itself to delivering justice to the race of Cainites. Each power supposedly has some precedent in the parables of the ancient book, and focuses on teaching the lessons of Caine via the power of blood magic. Use of this path is hotly debated in the Sabbat, as some consider it tantamount to claiming to hold Caine’s right over all vampires oneself. The power of this path comes not only from the magic of blood, but also incantation of verses from the Book of Nod. For any of these powers to take effect, the thaumaturge must speak the actual condemnation. For example, to invoke the third-level power, the caster must state plainly to his target that she may eat only ashes. Obviously, the subject must be able to hear the thaumaturge for these powers to take effect, though writing them and showing them to the subject will do. These powers apply to Cainites only. They do not affect Lupines, mortals or ghouls.

The few Sabbat who have retained Thaumaturgical talents have turned their focus to the assistance of the sect in times of war. This path has proven useful to Sabbat War Parties, and it has turned the tides of several confrontations with elder vampires. It is quite unusual among Thaumaturgical paths, in that it adopts a very martial stance, whereas other blood magics tend to have subtler, less violent effects.

The limit on the size of objects conjured is only limited by the size of the thaumaturge. Nothing larger than the conjurer can be summoned. A familiarity with the object is makes it easier to conjure. And the conjured objects will have no flaws, Items summoned more than once are always identical.

Students of this learn to manipulate shades, but not in the same fashion as the Lasombra. While Shadowcrafting tugs at the absence of light, Tremere who have fought the Lasombra firsthand come away with the distinct impression that Obtenebration manipulates something else--a tangible darkness, a sort of abyssal nothingness coaxed into the material world. This path does not function for Kindred with the flaw Cast No Reflection.

The newest path to be accepted by the Tremere hierarchy as part of the clan's official body of knowledge, the Path of Technomancy is a relatively new innovation. It was developed in the latter half of the 20th century, and has not yet spread far beyond the North American Pontifices. More conservative Tremere state that mixing Tremere magic with mortal science borders on treason or even blasphemy, and some European Regents have gone so far as to declare knowledge of this path grounds for expulsion from their chantries. The Inner Council did approve the introduction of the path into the clan's grimoires, but has yet to voice any opinion on the conservation opposition.

Thaumaturges practicing the art of Alchemy can manipulate the forms of solids, liquids and gases. Guns and knives melt into pools of liquid, wood petrifies and becomes brittle, and common boundaries such as walls and doors transmute to vapor. This path is looked upon somewhat unfavorably among the Tremere, as it reflects a "quick and dirty" effect rather than true mastery of alchemical transmutation.

Tremere who study this Path dedicate themselves to defending the holdings of the clan. They can practically hold off entire armies. They are also capable of exposing infiltrators before they breach the clan's havens and hiding places. The Cainite paints a Blood Point's worth of vitae in the form of a sigil on the target. The glyph functions until it expires or the object is destroyed. Contact with sunlight or fire automatically destroys the ward.

Spirit Manipulation is a recent innovation of the Tremere. It is the art of forcing spirits into actions and situations that would normally be anathema to them. Any botch not only inflicts normal loss of Willpower but also turns the full force of the spirit's wrath against the offending vampire.

This Path of Thaumaturgy involves using spirits to do one's work; if one fails, the cost is not only a pt of Willpower but a pissed off spirit too. This is one of the rarer Paths, generally found in the most primitive regions of the world. Contacting spirits can be very hard for Kindred. There are also some Sabbat who know this Path.

Thaumaturgists who practice this Path can transmute solid iron into a puddle of slag, or petrify wood with a thought. Thaumaturgical Alchemy ignores the laws of chemistry, forcing a change in state regardless of temperature.

System: The player spends a Blood Point. Effects vary depending on the level of the power, but the number of successes determines the number of turns the effect lasts. The vampire can increase the duration of the effect by spending more Blood Points — each additional Blood Point extends the power’s effectiveness by one turn.

This is less of a path than it is a separate discipline, as the power to resist Thaumaturgy can be independently of Thaum, even to those Kindred who are incapable of the simplest ritual. However this is rarely found outside the Tremere so any non Tremere with it will find themselves under fatal scrutiny. This can only be used against Tremere at full effectiveness. It works halfed against non Tremere blood magic and mortal hedge magic. It does not work against non-vampiric magic and powers. Any non Tremere with this ability automatically earns Clan Enmity (Tremere). This power cannot be taken during character creation or spontaneously earned.

Any pratitioner of the Vine of Dionysus often refers to himself/herself as a thyrsus (females are occasionally called "Maenads", preferably from a safe distance), These Warlocks sometimes wear jewelry or other accouterments with ivy and/or pinecone motifs as symbols of their dedication.

Lower levels allow subtle manipulations, the higher can call up raging storms. Usually only affects an area 3-4 miles in diameter.

It takes one week to learn a level one ritual, one month to learn a level 2, three months to learn a level 3, six months to learn a level 4, and one year to learn a level 5.

1 • Blood Mastery
Whispered rumors tell that one should never allow the Tremere to gain access to the blood of another vampire. Paranoid tales in hushed tones tell of the Tremere's mastery over other Kindred through the sole use of a small quantity of vitae. Such caution is well-deserved. A Tremere with even rudimentary understanding of blood can focus its power into sympathetic forms. By destroying another Kindred's blood, the Tremere gains symbolic power over that Kindred. This in turn allows the Tremere to manifest his supremacy over the victim. The thaumaturge must mix a small quantity of his own vitae (a negligible amount, less than a point) with that of his victim, then slowly burn it in a fire or boil the blood slowly over an open flame. The caster speaks the phrases symmetry as he finishes. Once completed, the Tremere has magical mastery over the victim, however briefly.
In the next contention that caster brings against the victim, the ritualist automatically succeeds. One success alone is not enough to decapitate any enemy, but it might influence him briefly with the Dominate Discipline. If the victim uses some Discipline that requires the caster to resist, then the thaumaturge automatically counters it and thus ends the power of the ritual. This can only guarantee success in one limited endeavor= -- a thaumaturge cannot burn multiple points of blood to gain additional successes. Once this ritual is in place, it must be discharged before it can be invoked again against the same subject. Blood Mastery expires if its effects remain used by sunrise.

1 • Blood of Peace (Assamite)
This ritual involves two points of Assamite blood (one to be enchanted, one to be used to enchant the other). This ritual turns Assamite blood into a strong tranquilizer, that may be swallowed, or applied to the skin. A Willpower roll may be made to resist the effects, difficulty the Intelligence + Science of the caster.
1 • Blood Rush (Sabbat)
This ritual allows the vampire to create the sensatin of drinking blood in himself without actually doing so. A vampire who has performed this ritual automatically succeeds in keeping the beast in check. This feeling lasts approximately one hour.

1 • Communicate with Kindred Sire
This ritual involves possessing an object belonging to the Sire, and takes five minutes. The vampire may speak with her sire, telepathically (this does not facilitate mindreading). Variations of this ritual exist to allow telepathic communication between one’s thralls, progeny, or those who have tasted the caster’s blood.

1 • Brand of the Paramour
Thaumaturges cast this to maintain an active awareness of their ghoul's physical condition. The thaumaturge must first perform this ritual over the blood of mortal twins, then share the vitae with his ghoul. After drinking the blood, the vampire remains remain of any physical harm befalling his ghoul by feeling a phantom pain. If the ghoul is hit in the shoulder by a stray bullet, the caster feels acute pain in his shoulder. The extent of danger is unknown to the thaumaturge, simply the fact that his ghoul has been harmed in his chest. Both the caster and ghoul must drink one of the two blood points of the mortal twin. The pain does not translate as damage to the vampire. Remains active so long as the ghoul is alive and remains a ghoul; the Embrace will negate this bond.

1 • Defense of the Sacred Haven
This ritual takes an hour to perform, and uses up one blood point. The vampire may put a drop of her blood on each window in an area, up to twenty feet away from the ritual site. All sunlight that would go in through these windows is instead reflected by them. This ritual lasts as long as the vampire is in the area.

1 • Deflection of Wooden Doom
This ritual involves standing in a circle of wood, and putting a splinter in one’s mouth. One wooden melee weapon that is about to penetrate the vampire’s heart will instead disintegrate. A weapon that is only held threateningly, without the intent to stab the vampire, will not be affected. Lasts until sunset, or until it affects a weapon.

1 • Dedicate the Chantry
Common practice includes the casting of wards over a chantry site, to prevent unauthorized entry and to make the place more difficult to locate. This ritual expedites this process, making it easier to place subsequent enchantments over the area.
The caster must walk a counterclockwise circle around the entire grounds and sprinkle stagnant water as he travels. Once the ring is completed, the thaumaturge must return to the (rough) center and anoint his hands with the stale water, then the lowest level of the floor. A dedication functions over a single building. 1 • Devil’s Touch
This ritual must be cast in the presence of its victim, and involves putting a coin on her person. The vampire can make all other mortals react to a mortal victim with hostility. Lasts one night.

1 • Dominoe of Life (Sabbat)
The vampire may simulate one human trait. Any trait, from the warmth of human flesh, to tears, can be assumed. Lasts one night.

1 • Encrypt Missive
To ensure messages remain secure against prying eyes, Tremere sometimes use this ritual to encode documents magically. The thaumaturge writes the message over the course of a night and speaks the name of the person he wishes to read it. Only the writer and person to whom the letter is addressed can read the document, but numerous counter rituals exist that can be used to confound the magic of this ritual. To any others who observe the letter, the writing simply appears as gibberish.

1 • Engaging the Vessel of Transference
This ritual involves putting blood in a container, sealing it, and engraving a rune on it, and takes three hours. This container will take some blood from, and empty its current load into, anyone who touches it, who will only feel a shiver. If the rune is not covered, it can be read to reveal it to read "change blood". This container will act as described, again and again, until broken open.

1 • Expedite Paperwork
This ritual expedites paperwork through the bureaucratic systems of governments and other hierarchies. By preventing the document from being misplace, the paperwork goes through the swiftest channels, even bypassing normal daytime agencies that would hinder the Kindred's nocturnal lifestyle. The ritual requires the hairs of a dog, known for protection and loyalty, to protect and guide the paperwork.

1 • Illuminate Trail of the Prey (Sabbat)
The vampire may make the trail of a specific victim glow in such a way that only she can see it. All paths, from an airplane’s vapor trails to footprints, will be shown. A starting point is required, as is an initial sighting of the victim, and the spell is nullified if the vampire wades in or is immersed in water.

1 • Impressive Visage
A thaumaturge may enhance his sexual appeal and charm when interacting with other individuals after casting this. For this ritual to take effect, the caster places a sprig of dried mint in a pocket or in his shoe. Last a number hours equal to successes.

1 • Imp's Affliction
This curses someone by aggravating his ears, nose and throat. Mucus membranes inflame, ears fill with liquid, the throat becomes raspy and dry, and the subject's eyes brim with tears. The thaumaturge simply writes her victim's name on a scrap of paper. No effect on Kindred.

1 • Incantation of the Shepherd
This ritual involves holding a glass object over each of one’s eyes, and turning slowly, for fifteen minutes. The vampire may locate each vessel of her herd, starting with the closest and working outward. She must have tasted a vessel's blood on at least 3 different occasions for this to work.

1 • Learning the Mind Enslumbered
This is used to determine the cause of torpor in a vampiric body or the cause of destruction in a Kindred's ashen remains. To conduct this ritual, the vampire places a penny or other small coin over the eye of the torpid Kindred, and she hears in the vampire's voice the cause of her cold rest. If the Kindred is ash, the thaumaturge need only lay a penny in the ashes. Require 30 minutes. This power has no effect on creatures other than Kindred.

1 • Preserve Blood (Sabbat)
Also known as Sanguineous Phial in BMST.
This ritual involves burying an earthenware container for three nights. Blood may be preserved in such a container by putting in a little burdock, reciting a few incantations, and sealing it with wax. This blood will be preserved until the container is broken or opened. The blood will spoil at the normal rate and the container cannot be resealed containing the same blood. The container can be used again but the ritual must be reenacted.

1 • Preserve Corpse
The vampire may create, from a mixture of decaying organic matter and herbs, a liquid that, once poured on a corpse, will preserve it. This ritual produces enough of this material to cover a large corpse. The liquid will last indefinitely once applied, but will lose its potency within a week if not used before then.

1 • Purge the Inner Demon
All Kindred have a raging monster within their souls. A thaumaturge invoking this ritual can silence the Beast in a vampire for a time, even removing the vampire from the Beast's control. The caster must push a sturdy pin through his own hand to begin the ritual. This causes the subject to become strangely submissive, even pulling her out of frenzy. In actuality, her bestial nature has been temporarily separated from her psyche. According to legend, some Kindred have willingly starved themselves into torpor after having been subjected to this ritual. Lasts for a number of night equal to successes. During this time, the subject cannot frenzy. The thaumaturge may not use this ritual on himself.

1 • Purify Blood
Diseases, even blood-borne ones, rarely have any effect upon Kindred, but that vampire can carry such diseases and pass them to their victims. The caster simply decants the blood into a suitable container and makes a few passes of his hands over it, combined with some thaumaturgical phrases and a mixture of ash and crushed ginger. The blood lightens slightly in color if the ritual succeeds, and the rite cleanses all poison or disease from the sample. This does not function on blood that's still in a creature's system.

1 • Purity of Flesh
This ritual involves concentrating for ten minutes in a lotus position, surrounded by thirteen sharp stones, and then spending a blood point. This ritual will remove all foreign matter from the vampire, good or bad leaving only a ring of gray film around the place where he sat. (This includes fake limbs, breast implants, surgical appliances, poisons, drugs, wooden splinters, etc.) This also affects matter touching her, and those performing this ritual would be advised to do it in the nude. This is useless against diseases of the blood or any sort of mind control. If the remaining grey is analyzed it will show traces of the ejected material and the caster's blood.

1 • Rebirth of Mortal Vanity
This ritual requires strands of hair from mortal children, and involves gesturing in front of a mirror for an hour. This ritual causes the vampire’s hair to grow one inch for each child from whom hair was taken and used. This hair will remain until cut. If the vampire wishes to perform this ritual for another, she must also be in front of the mirror.

1 • Rite of Introduction
This ritual involves reciting a half-hour incantation, and then speaking into water vapor (steam or fog). The vampire may contact the Regent of the nearest Tremere Chantry first, and then others, descending the hierarchy. By tradition, only the Regent is bound to answer, and a brief dialogue with each person is possible. Used often to announce one’s presence, or to call for help.

1 • Scent of the Lupine's Passing
This simple ritual lets the caster scent Lupines in the area. The thaumaturge prepares a small herbal bundle with milkweed, wolfsbane, sage, and a handful of simple green grass. With a short set of phrases she takes a whiff from the mixture, after which she can immediately tell any Lupine by scent. This does not mean that can detect Lupines at a distance, merely that she can tell if a specific person's smell happens to be Lupine. Lasts one scene.

1 • The Scribe
This ritual creates a written document from the spoken words of the caster. The thaumaturge simply speaks, and her words appear on paper. Some thaumaturges have developed a variant that records their words directly to computer files. This ritual requires the beak of a bird or the tongue of a lizard to be crushed between the caster's thumb and forefinger. Last one scene. Any words spoken will be transcribed to whatever surface she wishes. Paper, a wall, the head of a pin. This can be cast on another and ended anytime for the scene is done.

1 • Serenading the Kami
Through invocation and incense, the thaumaturge gains the temporary support of spirits known as kami, "highly placed beings" that are found in all things. Developed by a traditional Japanese Kindred to aid in a duel, this ritual is used prior to a major feat of strength. A stick of incense must be burnt to invoke this ritual. Takes a half an hour. Reduces the difficulty of any single physical action. This may be an extended action such as digging a ditch , or it may be as brief as guiding a deadly blow.

1 • Sense the Mystical
This ritual provides the ability to sense the "mystical residue" left by magical objects and effects. This was originally developed to seek out non-Tremere who use Thaum and magical artifacts, and is common among young Tremere seeking a name for themselves. While this power is in effect, the thaumaturge carries a lit candle, whose light causes the stuff of magic to glitter. Chant for five minutes. This will detect Thaumaturgy, Necromancy and similiar blood-related vampiric magic if used within several yards of the object or person in question. It does not distinguish between the different types of blood magic, nor does it pick up "normal" disciplines. Lasts one scene.

1 • Wake with Evening’s Freshness
This ritual takes a half-hour to perform, and involves burning feathers, and spreading the ashes over the sleeping area. The vampire who performs this ritual may awaken at the slightest sign of danger, and the rules involving Humanity, regarding the ability to awaken and remain awake, are waived for the first few turns. Lasts until sunset.

1 • Will o’ the Wisp (Sabbat)
The vampire may turn a small branch from a willow tree into a floating ball of light that is under her mental command, that will continue to glow if within sight of the vampire. The ball can glow brighter, dimmer, divide into many smaller balls, fly about, bathe someone is its magical glow, swirl or remain stationary. This is useful for a diversion or light source. This ritual requires the branch, recitation of the magical incantations then thrown into the air where it will burst into the ball of light. Lasts as long as the vampire concentrates on it.

2 • Black Water
The vampire may create a liquid that, once poured into a body of water the size of a larg swimming pool, will turn it opaque black. The liquid will lose its potency in a week, but once used, it lasts until dispelled, diluted, or evaporated.

2 • Blood Call (Assamite)
This ritual requires a point of blood from each of its participants, and takes a half-hour to cast, though only one participant need know the ritual. Two willing vampires may be made to share an empathic bond with each other. Lasts until one of the vampires is destroyed, at which point the other will receive insight into how it happened.

2 • Blood Mead
A thaumaturge casting this ritual will be able to withstand a greater of damage then he would normally tolerate. By adding two blood points with a honey brew, the thaumaturge creates a potent anesthetic and intoxicant. Must be drank by caster. Lasts number of hours equal to successes. This does not make it harder to damage your character, it just makes your char not notice some damage that he normally would, he also suffers the effects of intoxication, ie. being drunk. Towards the end of the evening, the vitae within the Blood Mead dilutes and loses its mystical properties so cannot refill a vampire's blood pool. The mead may, however, continue to act as an intoxicant, depending on how much the vampire consumed.

2 • Blood Walk
This ritual involves a point of the target’s vitae, which is tasted, and three hours of meditation. The vampire will learn the true name of the target, her personality, any and all blood bonds, etc. Each success reveals the next step of the vampire’s lineage.

2 Bureaucratic Condemnation
Opposite of Expedient Paperwork, this ritual causes forms, letters, or other paperwork to be lost in red tape. Interesting tales have developed among Tremere, who boast of rivals' havens foreclosed upon, cars repossessed, building permits revoked. The time any single bureaucratic action takes is tripled, including mailing documents, applying for licenses, etc. Characters with sufficient Influence or the like should be able to push things through. But they will experience additional difficulty.

2 Burning Blade
Allows a thaumaturge to temporarily enchant a weapon to inflict unhealable wounds on supernatural creatures. The weapon will flicker with an unholy greenish flame. The caster must cut their palm during the ritual--with the weapon if it is edged, with a stone if it is not. Once the ritual is cast, the weapon inflicts aggravated damage for the next few turns.

2 • Craft Bloodstone (Sabbat)
This ritual involves allowing a stone to soak for three nights in three points of one’s own vitae. By the third night, the result will be a bloodstone sitting in clear fluid. On each of the nights, a special incantation is said over the container and the Bloodstone ingests one point of vitae. The vampire will always instinctively know where it is at all time. This is not so much knowledge of its precise location as it is an understanding of its direction and distance from the caster. The bloodstone is useful to track enemies, ghouls, other pack members, etc.

2 • Deny the Intruder
To protect chantries from unwanted observation, Tremere rely not only upon mystic wards but also upon mortal bureaucracy. An enemy can hardly drop in if the chantry isn't listed in any directories or real estate paperwork. Better still, a little judicious paper-shuffling can ''lose'' records for electrical payments, telephone calls, and other incriminating evidence.
To set up a chantry's bureaucratic defense, the Tremere simply scrawls a series of mystic characters on a piece of paper. This page goes out by mail (some modern Tremere even scan the page and use email) and promptly becomes lost in the system. One the paper makes it into ''the system'' -- by the hands of the mailman, by e-mail to some server, or what have you -- it vanishes without a trace. For the next year, the chantry becomes difficult to track via the usual paperwork routes. This doesn't hinder the chantry's normal functions; the telephone still works and the electricity still runs. It's just that nobody ever sends the bills directly to the chantry or writes anything in the credit memos that reveals the building's location.

2 • Donning the Mask of Shadows
Roll: Willpower, difficulty 6 Resist: Intelligence + Alertness, difficulty Wits + Stealth
This ritual takes twenty minutes to cast. The vampire may make herself unnoticeable to others, for one hour per success. Those with Auspex have more difficulty seeing the caster. Animals will automatically sense the vampire.

2 • Enhancing the Curst
Ghouls can survive almost indefinitely as long as they have vampire blood in their system. A thaumaturge casting this ritual on a ghoul enhances the strength of the vampire blood in his body but causes him to suffer similar adverse effects to sunlight. Every moment the subject spends exposed to daylight will generate third-degree burns over the ghoul's body. The vampire must scratch the subject and draw blood, some variants require the thaumaturge strike the ghoul. This is used by thaumaturges to discipline or test their ghouls. So long as the victim has vampiric blood in his body, he will suffer in sunlight. For the next month, anytime the ghoul ingests and retains vampiric blood in his body, he will suffer damage in direct sunlight.

2 • Eyes of the Night Hawk (Sabbat)
This ritual involves soaking birdseed in a solution of black cohosh root, hemlock bark, heartsease, and other bizarre ingredients, then feeding it to a bird. The bird must be touched by the vampire when the ritual is cast. What the bird hears, the vampire will hear. What the bird sees, the vampire will see if she closes her eyes. The bird may be commanded where to travel, but no other commands may be made.

2 • Extinguish
This ritual eliminates the threat that fires poses to Kindred. The caster is able to douse dangerous flames, leaving vampire hunters quite surprised when their torches and brands are no longer effective. To enact this ritual, the caster pinches out a candle's flame while spitting on the floor. The ritual is set up in advance, but for the entire night the vampire has but to speak a single magical syllable to extinguish one fire up to the size of a bonfire. This power can be used a number of times equal to successes.

2 • Impassable Trail (Sabbat)
This ritual involves wrapping one’s feet in deerskin. The vampire may pass through even a dense forest, leaving only olfactory evidence of her passing. Lasts one night.
According to BMST, the vampire can travel through even the densest woods without leaving any sign of his passing. He will still leave a trail for creatures with powerful olfactory senses, but that will be all. The thaumaturge must carry an owl's feather steeped in Kindred blood or burn the legs of a dead toad and carry the ashes with him while this ritual is in effect. The vampire will leave no evidence behind, save for a faint odor that takes successes to detect. Lasts one night.

2 • Inscription
Not everyone can be proficient with Thaumaturgy. Some Tremere build mystic items to aid their suborndinates or allies. A neonate with only the rudiments of skill may have need of a specific ritual, or another Kindred might desire to purchase the special services of Thaumaturgy but need them for his own later use. A proficient thaumaturge can build an annotated version of a ritual, fueled with his blood, to make the formula accessible to someone else. This allows the thaumaturge to place any other first-or second-level ritual in a written form. This generally requires the equivalent of a full page of paper. A reader can then unlock the power of that ritual by reading the inscription and following its instructions. The scribe uses his blood as a base for the ink, and his vitae's power remains in the mixture to help fuel the ritual. After use, the inscription dries into a fine, illegible ash, with all the power expelled from the vitae-based ink. To prevent an inscription from reaching the wrong subject, many scribes also use Encrypt Missive with this ritual. It cannot be used to learn Thaumaturgy. Rumor holds that more powerful forms of inscription can create annotations for higher-level rituals, but only elders would know for certain. It is known that the blood powering Inscription can be used for links of Sympathy and Identity--an incautious Tremere could find his blood in the hands of an enemy who can use it against him.

2 • Jinx
This ritual concerns itself with using the blood of other Kindred to afflict them with various minor banes. It consumes the blood of the subject. The thaumaturge must have in his possession one point of his victim's blood, which vanishes one the sending is attempted. The thaumaturge briefly vexes his victim with bad luck, causing her to fail in a mundane task. This can cause everything from typographical errors to automobile accidents and everything in between, depending on how the magus jinxes his mark. The next action a jinxed character makes automatically fails. This does not cause a botch, just a failure. If applied to an extended action, it simply yields no successes.

2 • Machine Blitz (Sabbat)
By concentrating on a machine, the vampire can make machines go haywire in the manner of her choosing, but within reasonable behavior for the machine.

2 • Mourning Life Curse
This one-hour ritual involves the ingestion of crocodile blood. The vampire may whisper a magic word in a mortal’s ear, which will cause the victim to cry blood until the vampire removes her gaze from her, at a rate of one blood point per five minutes. The effects of this are slightly swollen capillaries around the eyes, and the usual effects of blood loss.

2 • The Open Passage
Walls, locked doors, and even sealed vaults cannot stop a thaumaturge with the Open Passage ritual. The caster smears snake or vermin excrement over the surface in an intricate pattern, which takes an hour to complete. Once finished, the caster becomes insubstantial with respect to that surface--she can walk through a wall or door, yet can still touch and interact with anything attached to it. Lasts one turn so the caster must be quick in stepping through the barrier.

2 • Power of the Invisible Flame (Sabbat)
This ritual must be cast around a fire at least the size of a torch, and the vampire must know the Thaumaturgy Path Lure of Flames. The vampire can make flames made by the Thaumaturgy Path Lure of Flames invisible. The flames cannot be seen but can be felt. Lasts one night.

2 • Principle Focus of Vitae Infusion
This four-hour ritual requires an object that can be easily be held in both hands, it can be as small as a pea. A blood point belonging to the vampire may be stored in this object, and the enchantment can be dispelled by touch, the object will disintegrate, releasing the blood. This ritual may be done for another vampire, but the blood must still belong to the caster and the other vampire must be present. The object takes on a slightly more ruddy hue and is oddly slick to the touch. The best use is to swallow it before letting it decompose.

2 • Recure of the Homeland (Sabbat)
This ritual puts an enchantment on any amount of dirt from the place of the vampire’s birth. A handful of dirt so prepared may be used to heal one aggravated wound per night. This ritual may only be cast once per night. This dirt can only be so used once.

2 • Ritual's Recognition
Some rituals don't have an immediately visible effect. A ritual's success or failure may not be immediately apparent; cautious thaumaturges need a way to tell if their rituals work. Even a competent thaumaturge's rituals fall from time to time. Most would consider a few extra minutes work worth the trouble to make sure that, say, a Deflection of Wooden Doom ritual functions properly, instead of finding out the hard way.
The caster must sever the last eigth inch of his nose or an earlobe and crush the fleshy bit in an ivory mortal and pestle. Immediately afterward, the thaumaturge casts another ritual; upon completion, the thaumaturge can tell whether the ritual succeeded or failed. The caster feels a warm flush upon completion of a successful rite.

2 • Steps of the Terrified (Sabbat)
This ritual requires a perfect cube of dried mud. The vampire may slow down a specific foe. The faster that foe tries to run, the slower she moves.
BMST - The harder the subject tries to run, the slower he becomes. Eventually, he slows to the point that he can barely move. The vampire must cast a handful of poplar buds at the target and then douse her hands in oil while repeating a short incantation seven times. She then wrings the oil from her hands before following the target. The first turn after the ritual is completed, the subject moves at half speed. If he tries to speed up, he slows to one-quarter his normal speed. Each time he tries to go faster, his speed is halved. This lasts until the following sunrise.

2 • Summon Guardian Spirit (Sabbat)
The vampire may summon a spirit to alert her to danger should it arise, the vampire can see the spirit, and it is mute. It must warn the vampire by creating physical disturbances, ringing a bell or knocking on the bed. The spirit remains for twenty-four hours. Vampires often use spirits to fill this duty while they are asleep.

2 • Trima
This type of oinos is made with spices and herbs, serving to heat up the blood in a body, and therefore, cause drowsiness in a victim. A magus will sometimes serive this drink to many mortals, possibly at a party or other social event. This serves to better protect the Masquerade before Kindred guests drink their share from drowsy victims. Kindred taking vitae from mortals under the effects of trima feel a slight buzz of the aftereffects. The caster mixes at leastone point of his blood with the desired wine and spices. After drinking is overcome by an artifically induced lethargy. This lasts a number of hours equal to number of blood points the caster uses. Cainites and other supernatural creatures are not affected by this drink.

2 • Ward Versus Ghouls
This ten-hour ritual requires a point of mortal blood, in addition to the object being made into a ward. A strange symbol will appear, emblazoned on the object. This object, when touching a ghoul will do damage, and the ghoul must spend a willpower point to touch it again. If this ward is placed on a door or an unbroken circle, the ghoul will be unable to pass it.

2 • Whispers of the Ghost
Using this, the vampire may communicate from his Psychic Projection form into the material world. While employing this ritual, the Kindred can speak with anyone he encounter, but his words come out as ghostly whispers. People who hear these whisperings often mistake them for the words of ghosts or spirits. When this ritual is performed, the thaumaturge must have the ear of a still-living creature in his left hand. This ritual applies only to vampire using Auspex:Psychic Projection. The Cainite can speak for one scene or until sunrise, whichever comes first. The thaumaturge can only speak to the physical world, he may not be seen, touched, etc.

3 • Blood Allergy
Kindred suffering from an allergy of the blood cannot keep vitae within their bodies. Attempts to hold down any blood will result in moments of severe nausea followed by episodes of vomit-induced heaves that only abate when all the blood is expelled from the system. After spilling his blood onto the dead petal of a red rose, a magus may infect a target with this allergy. Requires 10 minutes preparation before casting, during which a thaumaturge must spend a blood point and mingle it with dead rose petals. A target suffering a blood allergy is affected for one night per success. Vampire are unable to keep blood within their bodies, so are unable to do much that concerns their vampiric powers. Vampires will not throw up blood if they have 3 or less blood points remaining, and this power does not work on Kindred older than the caster. While the loss of blood is not enough to cause a Kindred to enter torpor, he will be on the threshold of hunger, and may have a problem with frenzy if he encounters blood.

3 • Cleansing of the Flesh
In drinking mortal blood, there is a risk of becoming addicted to mortal vices: illegal narcotics and alcohol. In some cases, Kindred lead their lives as hosts to a number of sexually transmitted diseases, suchs as AIDS. The Warlock casting this ritual must spend one full night in a bathtub filled with purified water. Throughout the night, the thaumaturge must expunge all but the smallest drop of his blood from his body, a little at a time over the course of one night, roughly two blood points an hour. As the blood is released from the body, all addictions and diseases, not supernatural in nature, will no longer burden him. Though he is likely to be quite ravenous after performing this. This ritual may be performed on another, who must open his own veins, with the Warlock chanting beside the tub.

3 • Clinging of the Insect (Sabbat)
This ritual involves eating a small spider alive. The vampire may climb on any wall or ceiling that will support her weight, teflon and similar surfaces excepted.

3 • Craft Dreamcatcher (Sabbat)
By combining the knowledge of the Spirit Lands and this ritual magic, the caster is able to create a minor artifact that helps protect a sleeping person. A Dream Catcher is a personal item, crafted for an individual and only working for that person. The caster takes bits of hair, blood and spittle from the owner, mixing them together into the creation of the Dream Catcher. This provides two protections to the owner. First, spirits trying to affect the character will have an increased difficulty. Second, any of the Thaumaturgy powers of Oneiromancy may be harder or easier to affect the owner depending on the caster's desire. These benefits apply only when the character is in possession of the Dream Catcher.

3 • Eldritch Glimmer (Sabbat)
This ritual requires a piece of vinegar-soaked sandstone. The vampire may, for the cost of one blood point each, shoot any number of bolts, one energy bolt per turn. The vampire glows in pale green light for the duration of this ritual.

3 • Fire in the Blood (Sabbat)
The vampire may heat a target’s blood. The result is extremely painful. The heat starts slowly, but as victim becomes more active, the blood becomes hotter and hotter. The victim suffers aggravated damage each action. The victim is forced to remain inactive or face extreme pain and injury. No materials needed.

3 • Flesh of Fiery Touch
This ritual involves swallowing a small burning coal, taking one die of aggravated damage. (The vampire must spend one willpower point to bring herself to do this.) Any vampire who touches the caster will take one die of aggravated damage in the form of a searing burn for each turn that she is touching the caster. This ritual lasts until the next dusk, and for the effective time of the ritual, the vampire’s skin is slightly tanned. This is only a defensive ritual; the caster can not do aggravated damage by touching another vampire.

3 • Friend of the Trees (Sabbat)
This ritual involves planting an acorn. In woods, those following the vampire will only be able to move half-speed, due to an unusual tendency of the trees, vines, and roots to get in their way.

3 • Gentle Mind
This ritual involves sharing a blood point with the target, and therefore can not be cast on one’s self. The target is considered to have four extra dots in Willpower, but only as applicable to stopping a frenzy.

3 • Illusion of Peaceful Death
This ritual involves dusting a corpse with a white feather, and has the effect of hiding all signs of unnatural death on a corpse, making the deceased appear to have died of natural causes. This will not hide exsanguination; only obvious signs.

3 • Inherited Affinity
Although it's possible to learn Thaumaturgy with long and difficult study, experienced Tremere can help a student to ''attune'' his blood more closely to the twisted form of the Curse necessary for thaumaturgical practice. Students who are sluggish in mastering the basics of Thaumaturgy often suffer through this ritual once, which seems to ''open the door,'' so to speak. Non-Tremere have a rougher time--should they find a willing tutor, this ritual can help in learning Thaumaturgy, but it's still a slow and painful process. To awaken the Inherited Affinity, the caster must have uninterrupted access to the subject for an entire night. Typically the subject is chained to a wall, so as to avoid having her break loose and cause havoc. The caster feeds the subject a nauseating concoction of rendered fat, various herbs and powdered garnet all steeped in blood. Then the thaumaturge inserts six heated, gold plated needles into various points of the subject's anatomy--points of bodily power, generally, though the exact locations vary from caster to caster. Over the next three hours, the caster instructs the subject to infuse her body with the power of her vitae. The needles block off usual sources of blood circulation and alter the results (often quite painfully), complete with bloody splotches, profoundly distended veins and bleeding from various pores. Once completed, the subject may practice the new vistas of Thaumaturgy. This, of course, requires that the subject ingest yet more vitae to replace that lost through the ritual.
Many regents know how to use the Inherited Affinity, and it's common to put a newly Embraced neonate through this process to help awaken the power of blood magic. The subject must remember the feelings of the blood flow from the course of the rite; for most Tremere, this comes naturally after one application. This does not guarantee that a subject will learn Thaumaturgy, but it helps. The ritual itself takes three nights of time and requires the subject to suffer through five levels of lethal damage and to expend all but one blood point; it's most helpful if the subject then imbibes additional blood and comtemplates the feelings evoked. Obviously, a Kindred is subject to the usual chances of frenzy from hunger and injury due to this ritual.

3 • Major Creation
Normally the Path of Conjuring is restricted to items the size of the thaumaturge, both in size and weight. However, by the application of this ritual, the conjurer is able to create items that exceed this normal limit. Tremere magi can surprise enemies by creating a motorcycle ''out of thin air'' for an escape or anything else they can think up. This ritual requires the caster to severe his own thumb, which disappears during any conjuration. Many thaumaturges suspect that the thumb provides the additional mass for large conjured objects. Number of successes determine the multiplier that the conjurer can exceed his own weight. 3 successes means 3 times his weight. Use of this ritual costs an additional 3 blood points, in addition to the normal cost of conjuring an item. What the thaumaturge creates is still limited by the Path of Conjuring power being activated. And severing one's thumb will cost a Willpower point.

3 • Moonlight Dancers
The vampire may create illusions of persons and music from a period of history of her choice, which will then dance. These illusions will be mistaken for ghosts by those unfamiliar, but are not real or even sentient -- just figments of everyone’s imaginations created to put on an entertaining show. Lasts until sunrise, though the vampire may end it before then.

3 • Incorporeal Passage
This one-hour ritual requires a fragment of a mirror, and makes the vampire incorporeal for one hour per success, as long as she can see herself in the mirror. In this state, she may move through solid objects (in a straight line only), and is impervious to physical attack. The caster maintains a slightly hazy image. Will last a number of hours equal to successes. Can be broken by shifting the mirror to no longer reflect her image.

3 • Pavis of Foul Presence
This ritual requires a blue silk cord, tied around the neck. All powers of Presence used on the vampire are instead turned on the user. Lasts one night, as long as the cord remains tied.

3 • Power of the Pyramid
To combine thaumaturgical strength, Tremere Kindred can use a linking ritual. The Power of the Pyramid rite requires that each participant know and invoke the ritual simultaneously, and requires physical contact--so a group of Tremere, formed in a circle with linked hands, all chanting the same words in unison, indicates that the clan prepares for a daunting task. Once completed, this rite allows the Tremere involved to gather their mental strength together so that they can multiply their power. This ritual only works for Kindred of Tremere lineage. Requires the casters to fast for 24 hours before performing it. Additionally, one of the thaumaturges participating in the group must wear a brooch or pin made from mortal bone, which must pierce his flesh (though it need not be visible to the rest of the group). Once completed, a single Tremere can break from the circle without nullifying the ritual, but if any others lose physical contact the ritual ends. Once a caster has broken from the circle, he cannot return and release someone else.

3 • Rotten Wood (Sabbat)
This ritual must be set up in advance. The vampire may, by use of a word and a touch, turn any wooden object to dust. Lasts for one night.

3 • Rutor's Hands
Gargoyles and homunculi remain relatively common in some Tremere chantries, but few Kindred know of Rutor's Hands, or would want to. A thaumaturge of sufficient will can pluck out his own eye and set it atop on of his own severed hands--the ritual preserves them from disintegration--and animate this thing as a scurrying, malevolent spy. The eye rests on the back of the hand and swivels about to watch its surroundings, while the hand scuttles like a desiccated spider. The construct obeys the will of its owner and can relay what it sees and hears (even if it has no ears) back to its master, as the thaumaturge desires. Causes five levels of unsoakable aggravated damage. Once this damage is healed, the Tremere regenerates his hand and eye, though the ghastly homunculus may still prowl. The caster mentally directs the thing's movement at will (so long as they thaumaturge remains conscious, of course). The Hand must have one point of blood each week, or else it will crumble to dust. Likewise, if the hand is exposed to sunlight or fire, it vanishes with a squeal and leaves a greasy stench.

3 Sanguine Assistant
Allows a Thaumaturge to create a temporary assistant. The vampire slices open his arm and bleed into a specially prepared earthen bowl. This rituals sucks in and animates whatever happens to be lying around the workshop. Glass beakers, dissection tools, pencil, etc and binds them into a small humaniod form. This ritual almost never takes in any tool that the Thaumaturge finds himself needing during the assistant's lifespan. The servant is about one foot high. It lasts one night per success. At the end of its last night, it will crawl into the bowl and fall apart. The assistant can be re-animated through the same ritual. It reforms from the same materials with the same memories and personality. It will flee if attacked and has no disciplines, but a full understanding of its master's Thaumaturgical ability and can instruct others if necessary. Also impervious to mind control from others. It is completely bound to its creator.

3 • Shaft of Belated Quiescence
This five-hour ritual involves carving symbols on a stake of ash, coating it with one’s own blood, and blackening it in an oak wood wire. The resulting stake’s tip will break off in a victim, and travel towards the heart, with predictable results. It will reach the heart in 1-10 days, and can only be removed by cutting the target open... and the stake point will try to dodge anyone who tries to do this.

3 • Summon Mischievous Spirit (Sabbat)
Roll: Charisma + Spirit Lore, difficulty 7 The vampire may summon a poltergeist. This spirit will not usually intentionally injure a victim; it just wants to drive her bat-shit. However... accidents happen. The spirit may cause inanimate objects to move, mess with appliances, plumbing, furniture, etc. This spirit remains for the following periods of time:
1 suc. one hour
2 suc. one night
3 suc. one week
4 suc. one month
5 suc. one year

3 • Telecommunication
This modern magic allows the caster to influence what is displayed on a TV. The caster can create a picture to communicate with people near the set or create fictional stories for broadcast. ''We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast...'' Since the thaumaturge can view the image from the set itself, this riual also serves as an effective surveillance device. Any TV the thaumaturge has touched with the last week is subject to the effects of this ritual. Each success allows the caster to view and communicate through the TV for five minutes, during which time the thaumaturge drops into a meditative state. He can observe anything from the TV and can regulate everything that appears on the set.

3 • A Touch of Nightshade (Sabbat)
This ritual involves rubbing a little nightshade juice on one’s hand, and touching a victim. Will poison the first person that is touched. Damage can range from nausea, severe cramps to death. According to BMST, the victim will feel nauseous and queasy for three nights which makes things more difficult for him.

3 • Track Transgressor
Following the recent destruction of the Tremere antitribu, a subsect of Clan Tremere has undertaken hunting what they call transgressors, non-clan Kindred who wield the secrets of Thaumaturgy. This crackdown on those violating the most sacred of Tremere laws has not been widespread, but this expected to change soon with the recent addition of this ritual. This ritual finds and tracks down these trangressors, presumbably to be dealt with at the Tremere's discretion. The thaumaturge spills her own blood on the ground, which briefly reveals the footprints of the transgressor. The thaumaturge must conduct this ritual at a site where Thaumaturgy has been used within the past 24 hours. After casting, the Tremere is able to flawlessly trackdown the exact path that the magus took after leaving the area the magic was used. This will track down only Thaumaturgy and not Necromancy or other types of magic. The caster must spend one blood point to activate the ritual.

3 • Transubstantiation of Seven
Even many outsiders know that the Tremere hold a blood loyalty to their clan. How it is accomplished remains a secret. Almost every Tremere holds a slight blood bond to the Council of Seven. Of course, the Council cannot expect every newly Embraced neonate to come to Vienna to drink of their blood. Nor can they ship their blood around the world. To overcome this problem, most regents know and use this ritual.
After the Embrace, a Tremere neonate typically goes through a formal oath-swearing. No magic compels that oath, but the presiding regent (or higher ranking Tremere) ends the formality with the Transubstantiation. The ritualist fills a large chalice with his own blood and intones the syllables of the ritual. The neonate, still grappling with the new phenomenon of blood-thirst, drinks the entire contents of the chalice. As the blood enters and spreads through her system, the rite mystically transforms it into the blood of the Seven. The caster must sacrifice a full quart of his blood--volume, not blood points, are required.

3 • Ward Versus Fae
In tonight's society, only people tied to the occult and supernatural might possibly have some knowledge of changelings, but nothing concrete. Although this ritual is not cast very often, it remains unforgotten, recorded for a later time when it is needed.

3 • Ward Versus Lupines
This ten-hour ritual requires some silver dust, in addition to the object being made into a ward. If this ward is placed on a door or an unbroken circle, the lupine will be unable to pass it. If a bullet is warded, then five successes are required on the appropriate Firearms roll to leave the bullet in the body where it will continue doing damage. (This only works on smaller calibers.) This object, when touching a lupine, does three dice of damage, difficulty Stamina + Survival of the lupine, and the lupine must spend a willpower point to touch it again.

4 • Binding the Beast
This 10 minute ritual involves drinking a point of the victim’s blood, and pushing an iron spike through one’s own hand. (This ritual inflicts two levels of damage that can not be soaked.) The target will be unable to frenzy, regain willpower, or spend more than one blood point per turn. In addition, she must roll Courage, difficulty 6, to feed, and roll Willpower, difficulty 7, to use any of her disciplines. Lasts one day per success. The caster cannot use ritual on herself.

4 • Blood Certamen
This exists as one of the oldest forms of dispute resolution between wizards, or so the elder Tremere say. Perhaps only a half-dozen Tremere below the rank of regent know the ritual itself, and a handful more remain aware of its existence. The rite opens with a formal declaration of challenge, though that does not constitute part of the actual ritual. The rite itself sees the contenders in a circle of blood. A circle 10 paces across marks the boundaries of the competition, while each participant stands in an interior circle two paces wide and faces the opponent. The interior rings outer edges just touch upon the inner ring of the large circle. The participants state their terms immediately upon entering the circle, challenger declaring what he stands to gain and defender declaring three limits upon the forms of combat. Each one intones the ritual for certamen; when both complete it, the test of blood begins, to end only in death, submission or the judgment of a presiding arbiter. By tradition, each participant brings a second, who makes the announcements of his contender and handles offices such as holding the participants trappings or ritual accoutrements. The seconds stand behind and to the right of their participants. A (supposedly) neutral party arbitrates and can end the certamen at his discretion. The arbiter determines or ratifies the victor, and also overrules the apparent victor in rare cases of cheating (though technically, the only way to ''cheat'' is to bring in magical artifacts or excess blood without announcing their presence to the arbiter and opponent). Should a participant frenzy, his second must put him down immediately; he loses the contest. Similiarly stepping from the inner circle immediately results in forfeiture.

4 • Bone of Lies
This one-day ritual involves soaking a bone of a mortal who has been dead for two hundred years, in ten points of kindred blood. The resulting dull red bone will force anyone who is holding it to tell the truth. Each time that they intended to lie, it forces them to tell the truth, and darkens, until it has absorbed ten lies, at which time it will be pitch black. The spirit of the mortal whose bone was used forces the holder to tell the truth, and is thereby corrupted by each lie. If summoned later, it will be appropriately malevolent. The used bone is then buried and can never be used again.

4 • Bottled Voice (Sabbat)
This ritual involves reciting an incantation to remove the voice, and sealing a specially prepared bottle (with somatic symbols) with wax seal. The vampire may steal a target’s capacity to speak, and put it into a bottle, where it will remain until it is opened or broken.

4 • The Curse Belated
Warlocks normally reserve the casting of this ritual for a ghoul who is prized above all others, or one near and dear to a thaumaturge's unbeating heart. By performing this ritual on a ghoul, the thaumaturge can all but guarantee his thrall's chance of survival, for the moment the ghoul dies, the vampiric blood inside body courses through his system and thereafter resurrects him a full-fledged vampire. The thaumaturge brands the ghoul with his sigil, which vanishes once the ghoul becomes one of the undead. The thaumaturge, as part of this ritual, will temporarily lose one permanent point from his blood pool. This is invested in the ghoul he wishes to safeguard. A second point must be fed to the ghoul, which remains in the ghoul's body until he dies (The ghoul may not use it to power disciplines, heal, etc.). Upon death, the inaccessible point of vitae will save the ghoul and bring him back as a vampire of the same clan as the caster, usually after a short delay to allow the ghoul's killers to depart. The temporary blood pool point then returns to the thaumaturge after the ghoul becomes Kindred.

4 • Drawing upon the Bound (Sabbat)
When carrying a vial of the blood of any individual who is blood bond to them, the vampire may use any disciplines possessed by her victim, who may not use them if the vampire is using them. The Kine or Kindred must be bound directly to the vampire; the Vinculum does not count.

4 • Fire Walker (Sabbat)
This ritual involves rubbing a prepared salve on one’s bare feet, and gives the vampire twice her normal soak against fire. Lasts one hour.

4 • Haunting (Sabbat)
The vampire may summon a spirit, who will try to scare a mortal. How long the spirit stays, and continues to try to scare the mortal, is determined as follows:
1 suc. one hour
2 suc. one night
3 suc. one week
4 suc. one month
5 suc. one year

The spirit will try to scare her victim with effects of Pandemonium, Phantasm, or Outrage, of levels between 3 and 5. Standard rules for Fog are applied.
1 suc. The victim is scared
2 suc. The victim is scared beyond any capacity for action for minutes to hours
3 suc. The victim faints
4 suc. The victim goes into shock, and really needs to see a shrink
5 suc. The victim rolls Stamina + Self-Control, difficulty 8. If the roll is failed, she dies of heart failure. If she survives, having her hair turn white is a distinct possibility

4 • Heart of Stone
This 7-9 hour ritual involves laying naked on one’s back in a three-inch high circle of dirt made on a stone surface (no concrete), lighting a candle directly above one’s heart, and waiting until the candle has gone down all the way, and has extinguished itself in its own wax. (This ritual inflicts one die of aggravated damage.) This ritual turns the vampire’s heart to stone. This spell will last as long as the vampire wishes, as long as she doesn’t use willpower points. The vampire’s Conscience drops to one, or zero if it was already one, and she loses half her dice pool on Empathy rolls, and other rolls where feelings are important.

4 • Infirm Inert
One of the mystical powers of vitae possessed by the Kindred is the supernatural ability of healing. With blood fueling the mending of their injuries, everything from stab wounds to the loss of appendages may knit and heal. When a thaumaturge drips some of his blood onto a target and casts this ritual, the victim loses the ability to use his vitae for healing. Before casting this, the thaumaturge must drink a small quantity of blood laced with laudanum. For every success, a target lacks healing ability for one night. Requires 20 minutes of concentration from teh caster, during which time the caster spends one blood point. The effect is immediate to the victim who may not even realize what is wrong until they try to use their blood to heal. Victims can spend a point of Willpower to ignore this effect for one turn. When this ritual expires, all wounds heal as normal.

4 • Innocence of the Child’s Heart
This ritual requires that the vampire who casts it be carrying a child’s toy, and for as long as she is carrying it on her person, her aura will be bright white.

4 • Invisible Chains of Binding (Sabbat)
The vampire may, with a few gestures, immobilize up to four victims in invisible restraints, and these victims may not move. The caster must make bold hand gesture but no materials are required.

4 • Keening of the Banshee (Sabbat)
This ritual requires a pendant carved from a old tombstone. The vampire makes a loud, frightening noise. Whomever is closest at the time ages one to ten years, and her hair may turn white. This ritual has no effect on vampires. Lupines are affected normally.

4 • Mark of Amaranth
The thaumaturge must destroy another Kindred by his own hand, while holding or wearing some possession of the subject. He may then invoke the ritual by placing the object in the dead's Kindred's corpse before it crumbles to ash. Once the ritual is completed, the subject exhibits the evidence of a diablerist to all forms of divination until the next sunrise. This includes Aura Perception, the Blood Walk ritual and any other from of scrying. The Mark of Amaranth cannot be deferred by the Soul Mask Discipline, though higher levels of Obfuscate or certain advanced rituals might be able to counter it. The ritual doesn't cause the victim to think that he's a diablerist--an innocent victim can truthfully answer that he is not a diablerist, even as his aura contradicts him. Naturally use of this ritual is an efficient way to rapidly erodes one's Humanity.

4 • Mirror Walk (Sabbat)
This ritual requires a ring with an emerald in it. The vampire may use any sufficiently large mirror for them to crawl through as a portal to the nearest other sufficiently large mirror, and may take one person with her. The mirror liquefies forming ripples, and the emerald glows, as this ritual is performed. One other person may be pulled through if grabbed by the arm. Once the mirror stops rippling, the vampire can not be followed. If the mirror stops rippling with a pursuer halfway in, she is cut in two, though she may be allowed to escape.

4 • Protean Curse
This ritual involves having the target drink the blood of a rabid vampire bat, and it turns her into a bat. If the target has already been turned into a bat, repeating this ritual will transform her back into her original shape.

4 • Rend the Mind
Being able to infiltrate the minds and directly attack the psyche of an opponent is vastly superior to a physical attack and near impossible to detect. The thaumaturge must consume the brain of a rapid animal when preparing this ritual. Takes one hour to cast and allows the caster to use one telepathic assault before the next sunrise. This can effect anyone the thaumaturge can see. Each success is translated into a health level of unsoakable bashing damage (though Kindred halve the damage suffered).

4 • Rending Sweet Earth
This ritual involves repeatedly thrashing a section of ground with a leather whip. When it is performed, a 10' × 10' section of earth will disappear. If a vampire happens to be earth-melded in that section of earth, she will be awakened as the earth around her disappears, unless she is in torpor. 4 • Respect of Animals (Sabbat)
The vampire will not be considered as a meal, sprayed, mutilated, or otherwise outraged by any animal she meets. Lasts four hours. No components necessary.

4 • Return of the Heart (BMST)
This ritual is a severe course to the less humane Kindred. Cainites that are the target of this power have the portion of their soul that has been slowly dying returned to them. Murderers become racked with remorse over their actions and lament their deeds. Fore more debasted members of the Sabbat this power is particularly crippling and may well result in their destruction at the hands of their packmates. Invoking this power requires either knowledge of the subject's true name or a quantity of her blood. The subject becomes temporarily governed by the Hierarchy of Sin for Humanity as if she had a Humanity of 9. This does not actually give a Humanity rating of 9--she is simply overwhelmed by a sense of her own damnation. The subject still has the same Path rating that they normally would have, but they are no longer inured to the cruelities of the world. This will have Cainites Degeneration tests for the most minor of deeds. This power lasts one hour per success.

4 • Scry
The thaumaturge causes a body of water to become a scrying pool, able to center on a person or location. The caster is able see and hear as if he was personally there. This ritual requires a bit of owl's blood to be mixed with the water. Natural pools and bowls of water are often used. Though this is similiar to Auspex:Clairvoyance, it has 3 differences. The caster cannot used Auspex powers through the Scry magic. If used to center on a person, the caster must have a personal item of the individual's in his possession, or he must know the subject's true name. If a location is in the center of the Scry, this location cannot be changed throughout the duration of the ritual. Successes determine number of hours.

4 • Shadowgate
This ritual involves a powder made from coal and human ashes (which can be made ahead of time), with which the vampire draws an X over each of her eyes, and stepping into a shadow. By performing it, the vampire can enter and exit the Shadowlands, and any objects she can carry are taken across the Shroud with her.

4 • Soul of the Homunculus
Crafting a homunculus takes several hours of the uninterrupted work, and a thuamaturge can only have one homunculus at a time. The horrid little entity takes shape in a bubbly morass of oil, blood, denuded bone and chucks of the caster's body. At the conclusion of the ritual, the homunculus crawls from its fatty birthing caul to serve its master. The homunculus can move about under its own power, and may be used as a spy or means to fetch materials. Many types of homunculi exist; different thaumaturges create different sorts of beasts. The most common are flyers (which resemble tiny winged demons), grubs (which look like worms with their master's face), and hoppers (small, bald creatures with their casters' features reduced to miniature). The homunculus acts according to its master's orders, which may be issued nonverbally as long as the beast is in its creator's presence. Over time, some homunculi develop their own personalities and goals, and more than one unnerved Tremere has discovered his homunculus playing malicious pranks behind his back.
A homunculus cannot fight effectively, but can push or carry objects, and can often hide or spy on locations unnoticed due to its small size. Though the homunculusis initially wholly loyal, its experiences may eventually (over years) cause it to form its own personality, often spawned from the worst qualities of its creator. They are damaged by sunlight and fire like Kindred. They must be fed one blood point each week or will wither and die. Feeding may be an unsettling act to witness--some Tremere suckle them at their own breasts acting on some undead parental urge, while others treat their imps derisively, holding their opened wrists far above the creature's head while forcing it to caper about for its sustenance.

4 • Splinter Servant
This two-day ritual involves reciting incantations over a stake from a tree that grew in a graveyard, wrapping it in nightshade twine, and sealing it with wax. The resulting object may be peeled, and commanded to attack a target, at which point it will splinter to make appendages to propel itself toward its target. It will continue pursuit until destroyed, or reduced to so many splinters that they are inanimate. This stake will always go for the heart, and will often continue to splinter once in the heart.

4 • Stolen Kisses
Thaumaturges cast this ritual when they don't want to feed by mouth. This allows them to drain portions of vitae through other parts of a vessel's body. Some vampires prefer the strong handshake, others by choking the victim. Blood can also be drained during sex. The vessel is usually not immediately aware that blood is sucked out of his body, though he will experience a slight sensation of dizziness and light-headedness. This ritual requires the caster to carry a ''witch's kiss''--a thistle steeped in the blood of a vampire--somewhere on her person. The magus must first make a small incision on his body where he intends to make physical contact with a vessel. The ritual is then cast; once complete, the wound closes. However, it opens to createa lip-and-mouth type orifice when continually pressed against a vessel's fleah, which mystically sucks out one blood point every other turn as long as contact persists. After the second point of vitae is consumed, a vessel is likely to feel whoozy, while taking five probably causes the victim to black out. This ritual remains active for one night. A Warlock does not cause ectasy or rapture when taking blood in this manner, as he would were he to feed upon a vessel by mouth.

4 • Ward Versus Kindred
Once a Tremere manages to identify the enemy ritual under which he labors, it's possible to build a counter-sorcery to unweave it. First the caster must figure out what ritual currently afflicts him. The caster must secure a component that would be used in the casting of the offending ritual, then destroy it in some fashion. A quick end to Bind the Accusing Tongue would allow the Tremere to speak ill of his enemies again, but a premature end to a Blood Contract would painfully shove him into torpor, and a premature end to Night of the Red Heart would result in Final Death. Only rituals that have duration can be unwoven. For example, a Tremere who has thrown off a blood bond through Abandon the Fetters is not constantly under effects of that ritual--once the ritual is complete, the bond is gone and the ritual is done. However, a Tremere suffering from Steps of the Terrified would be considered under the duration of the ritual as long as it slowed his movement, so it could be unwoven. A thaumaturge can only unweave a ritual on himself and if suffering from multiple rituals must unweave each one separately.

This ten-hour ritual requires a point of vampire blood, in addition to the object being made into a ward. This object, when touching a vampire, will do three dice of damage, difficulty Stamina + Fortitude of the vampire, and the vampire must spend a willpower point to touch it again. If this ward is placed on a door or an unbroken circle, the vampire will be unable to pass it. If a bullet is warded, then five successes are required on the appropriate Firearms roll to leave the bullet in the body where it will continue doing damage. (This only works on smaller calibers.)

5 • Abandon the Fetters
As closely guarded as any secret within the clan, Abandon the Fetters seems to depart from normal conventions of Thaumaturgy. Occult theorists note that it has more in common with primal, passionate sorcery than the cerebral, systematic approach to Hermetic blood magic. A few even darkly hint at its similiarities to the Vaulderie--for the ritual to Abandon the Fetters shatters the blood bond.
Breaking a blood bond is a grueling process. The thaumaturge must have unrestricted access to the subject, as well as a sample of blood from the master. The ritual requires an entire night; its execution is excruciating for both caster and subject. The thaumaturge forms a bond to the subject and master with a mixture of blood from all three, placed in a glass container. Next, the caster must exsanguinate and excoriate the subject--the manner is up to the ritualist's individual style; some might mortify the flesh with lashes, while others might apply brands. Once the subject hangs on the thread of demise, the caster shatters the glass container, spilling the blood to the ground and snapping the thread of the blood bond. The mixture of blood evaporates in a hissing, scalding steam, and the subject is freed. Of course, Abandon the Fetter's remains one of the rarest of Tremere secrets. The merest hint that a Tremere can perform this ritual is enough to cause other Kindred to eye her with renewed suspicion--the Tremere have sorcerous ways to steal blood, so who's to say that a thaumaturgee couldn't release someone thralls and bond them to herself instead? Even those Kindred who suffer under the bond's lash would rarely trust a Tremere enough to risk going through this process.
The thaumaturge must have one blood point from himself, the subject, and the subject's regnant. The excoriation causes three levels of unsoakable aggravated damage to the subject, as flesh is flayed away or burned away. The final venomous steam inflicts an additional level of unsoakable aggravated damage upon both the caster and subject. The subject loses a permanent point of Willpower, but if the ritual succeeds, the blood bond atrophies immediately. This offers no protection against the formation of another, later bond.

5 • Blood Contract
This three day ritual involves writing a contract in one’s own blood. The resulting contract will, once signed by all parties that it concerns (in their own blood), bind them to its terms. This contract may only be circumvented by burning it.

5 • Cobra's Favor
As a precaution from having their blood stolen against their will, the Tremere manipulated their vitae via this ritual to burn with a toxin that causes it damage anything it touches. It requires an herbal poultice and the venom of a snake to be mixed with some of the thaumaturge's blood. After spilling one blood point into a container and combining it with the necessary herbs and poison, the thaumaturge recites an incantation and the concoction turns jet black. The caster must drink the elixir suffering one level of unsoakable aggravated damage. For one month, anything consuming the blood of the caster suffers a level of aggravated damage per blood point ingested.

5 • Court of Hallowed Truth
Although this ritual was developed to be used in Tremere tribunals, recent nights have seen princes call upon Tremere to use it within their political halls in exchange for favors. Unbiased testimony and blatant truth become standard within the court. A pair of crossed bones must be laid before every entry to the rooms, including windows. The magic weaves its spell upon one room and all within abide by the truth-telling edict it creates. No falsehood may be spoken, and direct questions from the presiding judge or power are answered candidly with no omissions or deceit. This magic lasts for one month.

5 • Dominion (Sabbat)
This ritual requires three hours of advance preparation, and prevents all uses of Animalism, Auspex, Dominate, and Presence within an area up to 500 cubic feet, except by the caster of this ritual. Iron seals must be embedded over all doors in this area; if one is removed or damaged, the ritual is dispelled. Lasts one week.

5 Enchant Talisman
Allows the Thaumaturge to enchant a personal magical item (the fabled wizard's staff) to act as amplifier for her will and might. A talisman is a great source of pride to the Thaumaturge and an insult to it is an insult to the Thaumaturge. Many are laden with other rituals including every ward known to the Thaumaturge. It must be a rigid object close to a yard long. Swords and walking sticks are most common. But some have used shotguns, pool cues and violins. This ritual requires 6 hours per night for one complete cycle of the moon, beginning and ending on the new moon. Over this time, the thaumaturge carefully prepares it, carving symbols that signify her True Name and the sum of her knowledge. Can only have 1 talisman at a time and cannot be transferred to another.

5 • Escape to a True Friend
This 3-4day ritual involves a circle burned into the ground with symbols about it, using five blood points. The vampire may step into this circle, repeating a friend’s true name, and be transported to her. This circle may be reused until it is broken or otherwise defaced. Only the caster may step into the circle. The caster will materialize within earshot of the friend, but usually out of sight.

5 • Eyes of the Beast (Sabbat)
The vampire may, by touching a beast on the head, see what the beast sees, if she closes her eyes. No commands may be given. Last 24 hours.

5 • Ghost in the System
This ritual causes old computer and hardfile copies to disappear and new ones to spring up. Useful for creating new identities. Invoking this ritual requires the caster to melt a pile of sand into glass and suspend an ant within the cooling silicon. Takes one week to perform from the chanting and ceremony. Only breaks are to sleep each day. A botch means complete corruption of all files dealing with the Cainite, to the point that a major government agency takes an active interest in the activities. Failure results in problems for a few months before it gets straightened out. As in--''We're sorry, sir, but this file says you're dead.'' This will effectively create a series of false documents that allow the vampire to be a modern citizen, including drivers' license numbers, false birth certificates, Social Security number, etc.

5 • Haunting Breeze
The vampire may summon a very cold breeze which carries the sounds of the dead (curses, threats and such), and in which the shapes of ghosts can be seen. This wind may even be summoned in an enclosed area. All those in the area suffer a +2 difficulty to Perception rolls, and a +1 difficulty to all other rolls. Mortals are also affected as per Fog.

5 • Lion Heart (Sabbat)
The vampire gains 2 Strength, 1 Dexterity, 1 Stamina, 3 Courage, 2 Brawl, and 2 Leadership. This lasts for twenty minutes. If the vampire does not rest within two hours afterward, she will lose one Health level every ten minutes until she rests.

5 • Light of Vengeance (Assamite)
This ritual involves a light source, which is covered with a thin layer of Assamite blood, so that the light is filtered through it (IE smearing the blood on a flashlight lens, lightbulb). The character can turn any light source into a temporary weapon with almost the potency of the sun. The ritual takes three turns and it lasts until the blood is dried (two to ten minutes). Does not cause aggravated wounds.

5 • Mindcrawler (Sabbat)
This ritual involves dyeing a tick red, painting a symbol on it, and crushing it and putting it on a victim’s head. Victim will feel minor burning. In a week's time the victim will lose one mental attribute per day, in the order of 1 Perception, 1 Intelligence, 1 Wits, 1 Perception, 1 Intelligence, 1 Wits, 1 Perception, etc, until all mental attributes are at one. The victim may rebuild them at a rate of one per week.

5 • Night of the Red Heart
Neonates whisper that Tremere elders can utterly destroy their enemies with but a sample of vitae. Although little is ever that simple, some truth lies behind the dread rumor. With Night of the Red Heart, a thaumaturge can send his enemies shrieking in terror, slay them outright or force a confrontation.
The thaumaturge needs only a quantitative sample of the victim's blood. Over the course of an entire night, the caster chants the syllables of the ritual continously. After the first iteration of the ritual (which takes about 10 minutes), the victim suddenly feels a foreboding sense of dread. Whenever the subject faces the caster, he realizes that a ritual is in progress to slay him--and that he must either escape its power, or else find and interrupt the caster by following the supernatural knowledge imparted. Once the ritual ends at sunrise, f the victim is within its range, he spectacularly crumbles into ash in a matter of seconds.
In addition to the victim's blood, the caster must have an effigy of the victim that he has carved himself from bone, rotten wood harvested at midnight or stone from the grave of a faithful priest's headstone. Chances are, as soon as it begins, the victim will either flee the city or else hunt down the caster. Because there are no holds barred--death or failure--this likely means that victim will not stop until he can destroy the thaumaturge. Should the caster manage to complete the ritual with a full point of the victim's blood, though, the hapless subject immediately collapses to Final Death. This has a limited range of about 30-35 miles. Regardless, the subject can immediately tell if he has managed to escape the ritual's range, because the sense of dread vanishes--but if he returns while the ritual remains in progress, he once again comes under its influence. The caster will not know if the victim is in range or not; its possible to cast Night of the Red Heart upon someone who's not in range, without knowing the ritual will fail. If the ritual is interrupted, it ends immediately without effect.

5 • One Mind of the Covens
This one-hour ritual involves chanting for an hour, and stare into a silver mirror. This ritual is only used by the Regent of a Tremere Chantry, to communicate with all other Regents of the other Tremere Chantries.

5 • Paper Flesh (Sabbat)
This ritual involves ripping apart a piece of paper which has a picture of one’s victim on it. The vampire may cause a victim’s Stamina and Fortitude to go down to 1. If the victim is earlier than eighth generation, then she may keep one Stamina and one Fortitude for each generation she has below eighth, if 4th generation she keep 5 points. Lasts one night.

5 • Sculpting the Perfect Servant
By manipulating an unborn fetus in the womb of a pregnant woman, a magus has the ability to grant exceptional abilities and attributes that develope in the child. These Warlocks may also be exceedingly cruel, cursing these innocents with scars and defects. Children affected by the this ritual, though possibly growing up normally, always feel a supernatural connection to the magus. To use this ritual, the caster must rend a stillborn baby in half and allow its blood to flow over the belly of the pregnant woman. While it only takes a moment to curse or damage the child, a caster who spends the time and energy in blessing (which requires five hours every week until the pregnant mother comes to term) will reap the benefits. This results in the baby possessing exceptional Attributes (3 or sometimes 4 points per Trait) and gaining an extended lifespan (100-120 years). Despite being strong, handsome and healthy, these mortals are also cursed by a lack of moral development, their Humanity can never be raised above 6.

5 • Severed Hand
During the Dark Ages, this ritual was used as a punishment for Cainites who did not deserve destruction. This ritual prevents a severed body part from healing normally. This can also affect eyes, fingers, tongues, and other body parts and is almost always performed at the maiming. Takes an entire night to perform, during which time the wound is treated with different alchemical compounds to prevent regenerative powers. Although health levels can heal in the normal way, the severed body part is unable to be restored to its former condition without magical healing (such as Obeah).

5 • Shadowland Passage
The vampire may appear in any location in the Shadowlands where she has already been. She does this by stabbing herself in the heart with a silver dagger which has a vampire fang in the hilt. (This ritual inflicts at least two levels of damage that can not be soaked.) She then falls into a body of water that can completely cover her.

5 • Spirit of Torment (Sabbat)
Roll: Manipulation + Spirit Lore, difficulty 7 The vampire may summon a spirit into physical form which stays for the following time periods:
1 suc. one turn
2 suc. one hour
3 suc. one night
4 suc. three nights
5 suc. one week
The spirit has the following traits: Physical Attributes 13, Social Attributes 3, Mental Attributes 7, Brawl 4, Empathy 3, Intimidation 3, Stealth 3, Occult 1, Spirit Lore 2. Spirit Thaumaturgy 2, Obfuscate 5, Auspex 2, and Potence 1. The spirit may also spend a willpower point to achieve a physical form, and gains three dice on all attempts at frightening someone. The spirit can be used to attack another but will leave if it is wounded.

5 • Stone of the True Form
This ritual banishes the false form of an individual and causes him to return to his original, natural form. This ritual will also expose, say, an Obfuscated Nosferatu who lurks unseen in the shadows. This flesh of a zulo-formed Tzimisce will crawl around its body and reform to its original guise. Even enraged Lupines have been known to lose their lives shifting into mortal or wolf form, unable to shift back to their warrior-form before being drained of blood and torn to pieces by a thaumaturge. This ritual requires a small, round stone, which changes the subject's shape after coming in contact with her. The thaumaturge must cast this ritual on a small round stone the size of a marble. After completing the incantation, the thaumaturge coats the ball with a point of his vitae. The marble must touch a victim in order to force a transformation to natural form.

5 • Stone Slumber
This two-hour ritual is started two hours before dawn. The vampire can turn herself into solid stone, which is invulnerable to sunlight. She will stay completely dormant in this state until the next sunset. To sleep for a day in this form costs three blood points per night. Communication and Telepathy are not possible. The statue can be moved and pieces can be broken off.

5 • Thirst Unquenchable (Sabbat)
This ritual uses a handful of salt. The victim will only get half the vitae needed from feeding and more likely to frenzy. Last one night.

5 • Umbral Walk
This ritual requires a human sacrifice. The vampire may travel into the Umbra, and may even take others with her, though an additional human sacrifice is required for each passenger. All such travelers appear in the Umbra naked, though some talismans can cross the Gauntlet.

5 • Vires Acquirit Eundo
This is simply a way of extending the effect of another ritual. The caster recites an elaborate incantation, then breaks an hourglass and casts the sand over a green flame while performing the other ritual.

5 • Ward Versus Spirits
This ten-hour ritual requires some sea salt, in addition to the object being made into a ward. If this ward is placed on a door or an unbroken circle, the spirit will be unable to pass it. This object, when touching a spirit, does three dice of damage, difficulty Stamina + Lifeweb of the spirit, and the spirit must spend a willpower point to touch it again. If only Vampire rules are available, the ward does three dice of damage, difficulty Stamina + Fortitude.

6 • Bone of Contention
Weak princes sometimes rely on a Bone of Lies to ''interview'' new arrivals in their domains. Like the Bone of Lies, a Bone of Contention comes from a hundred-year-old fingerbone steeped in blood over several nights. Unlike a Bone of Lies, the Bone of Contention doesn't compel truth; rather it aids the Tremere in deception.
Naturally, this ritual's very existence is a viciously guarded secret. If princes discovered that their Bone of Lies actually just gave whatever answers the Tremere wanted...well, it wouldn't be more than they'd expect, but it wouldn't be pretty, either.
A Bone of Contention looks like a Bone of Lies: an aged fingerbone with ritual magic placed upon it. While a Bone of Lies darkens and forces truth whenever the holder lies, a Bone of Contention acts in this fashion only when its caster so wills. The Tremere can cause the bone to darken and then force the holder to speak a lie that the speaker is forced to believe, so long as the thaumaturge can see the bone. The Bone only functions 10 times. In the creator's absence, it functions like a normal Bone of Lies.

6 • Evade Curse (Assamite)
This ritual enables the character to tolerate the blood of other Kindred for a short time. This ritual takes five minutes while feeding, and lasts one turn per success, and once the effect is worn off, any non-Assamite blood in the Assamite does one die of aggravated damage, and is lost.

6 • The Gift (Sabbat)
The vampire may give any number of her disciplines to another. If failed, she gives too many, or not as many as she had intended. If botched, she loses the disciplines, and they are not transferred to the target. Each point takes five minutes. The discipline can be relearned in normal manner.

6 • Iron Mind (Sabbat)
This ritual requires an iron object worn on the head, the object must have the ritual cast on it. All Auspex users who try to read the vampire will get static, and no useful information. They will know that their discipline is not working, but they won’t know why. Last one day.

6 • Mass Grave
This ritual involves mixing dirt with the remains of a newly deceased sentient creature. A large number can be transported to the Shadowlands, by burying them in this dirt.

6 • Raise the Dead
This eight-hour ritual involves pouring black candle wax over the heart and throat of a corpse. Also branded on the forehead with mystical symbol meaning debtor. The ritual must be in a circle of salt around the corpse in complete darkness except for candlelight. A spirit may be bound into the body for as long as flesh remains on it (this ritual does not slow or stop the putrefaction of a corpse), or until the vampire frees it. The attributes of both spirit and body (when it was alive) are halved for the duration of the spirit’s stay in the body. This ritual will not raise a destroyed vampire.

6 • Refined Digestion
This power magic makes Kindred vitae a necessity for a Cainite target. Unable to draw true sustenance from mortals, the Kindred turns to hunting his own kind. Such an effect is almost certainly a death sentence for most vampires. Preparation for this ritual takes 3 nights and requires 5 blood points from both victim and thaumaturge. This ritual is normally permanent, but the thaumaturge can cancel its power by a reverse incantation requiring an additional 5 blood points from the victim and the sacrifice of a normal mortal.

6 • Ritual of Holding
Will extend a ritual by six hours or add to effectiveness of other rituals.

6 • Sands of Time
Roll: Dexterity + Occult, difficulty 7
This ritual involves enchanting a marble bowl, and mixing white sand and powdered glass in it, and takes five hours. At the end of this ritual, she . When this powder is sprinkled on a target, time will be slowed down with respect to her; actions normally taking one turn will instead take one turn per success on the powder.

6 • Spider’s Web (Sabbat)
This ritual involves crushing and eating a black widow. The vampire can make a web that will not affect her, but will trap anything else by using her hands and spreading it out. The web is large enough to cover a room. The web comes out slowly and must be woven into place.

6 • Utter Destruction of Bonds
This 10 minute ritual involves cutting out one’s own tongue, crushing it, and spreading its remains over the closed object. (This ritual does three levels of aggravated damage that can not be soaked, and the vampire must spend a willpower point to go through with it.) The vampire may open any object, permanently. This applies to windows, doors, locks, volcanos, dimensional boundaries, and permanently destroys wards, it does not apply to emotional bonds or blood bonds.

7 • Bone of Eternal Thirst
This three-night ritual creates an ensorcelled weapon made of bone or ivory. The thaumaturge must carve the weapon himself and then bathe it in the lifeblood of a year-old-fledgling each night. All of the blood is absorbed into the weapon and cannot be used for any other purposes. The third ''contributor'' must be the caster's own childe. The enchanted weapon becomes a powerful tool, able to sever flesh and even bone with ease, draining the strength of those it injuries. It is nearly impossible to destroy this weapon. All damage done by this weapon is aggravated, for each level of damage done, the weapon ''drinks'' a point of the victim's blood. This weapon can only be destroyed if it absorbs 20 points of blood from a single victim and is immediately incinerated.

7 • Chill of the Windsaber (Sabbat)
This ritual involves breaking a thin one-inch by two-inch rectangle of glass. The vampire may create an invisible cutting surface, and try to behead people with it. Such an attack does not require that the vampire sees her victim, but she must know where her target is. The glass must be snapped in two for the ritual to be activated.

7 • Divorcing the Soul
This ritual involves dropping dead pomegranate seeds in a circle around one’s victims, and reciting a thirty-second chant with each seed. The victims may not use or regain willpower, all of their abilities and virtues drop to one, Empathy drops to zero, and they lose half of their dice pools to resisting Dominate, Presence, etc. They also become apathetic, unmotivated, and incapable of creative thought. This effect lasts until one of the seeds is disturbed. There is no upper limit on the size of the circle. It can be around a single person or even a city. After the initial 7 hour incantation, the ritual can take from 10 minutes to years.

7 • Eyes of the Ever Vigiland
This extremely powerful ritual is used in the most important chantries and strongholds. Few outside House Tremere even are remotely aware of its existence, let alone its power. At the locations where this is used, the powers that deceive the mind are almost negated. All that reside within have the unearthly power to pierce these illusions. It requires the eyes of seven vampires who have lied to any of the Kindred invoking the ritual to be steeped in a special alchemical preparation, which is boiled away during the ritual's performance. Requires 5 nights and 3 thaumaturges concurrently to perform its incantations. The ritual enchants one structure and will last for a decade. Renewing the ritual requires a dedication by only one of the thaumaturges who cast the original ritual. While in effect, all Kindred within the structure are unaffected by Obfuscate, Chimerstry and similiar powers of misdirection, including some permutations of Dominate.

7 • Healing Blood (Assamite)
By meditating for ten minutes, without interruption, the Assamite can use blood points to heal aggravated damage as if it were normal damage. This may be done as frequently as desired. Healing takes place at the rate of one blood point per health level.

7 • Shadow of the Wolf (Sabbat)
The ritual uses a wolfskin cloak, and turns the vampire into a Garou. This includes taking no damage from sunlight, taking aggravated damage from silver, etc. Lasts until the next night.

8 • Blade of the Forbidden Flower
The Tremere guard the knowledge of this ritual closely, and with good reason. If even a whisper of its existence reached the ears of the Camarilla it would likely cause accusations of diablerie. The ritual requires the body of a vampire skilled in the use of the weapon to be enchanted. The body should be completely drained of blood, though the thaumaturge should set aside a small quantity of the subject's blood for later use. The weapon must be cast and forged seven times as the thaumaturge recites an incantatio. The magus then drinks the final point of the victim's blood and then drives the blade of the weapon in its chest. The body immediately crumbles into cloud of ash, which is absorbed into the blade, leaving nothing behind but a black scorched mark. The weapon then becomes the vessel for the soul of the slain Kindred, imparting the wielder with strange powers and knowledge.
The creator of the weapon, or anyone she freely gives it to, are the only ones who may use it without harm; anyone else who attempts to do so suffers one health level of aggravated damage for every turn he continues to touch it. The blade retains all of the dead vampire's Abilities and Disciplines, which can be used by anyone wielding the weapon as if they were his own. Additionally, the weapon inflicts aggravated damage upon those attacked with it. The spirit inside is unable to speak to others via any means, unless the weapon is destroyed, releasing the spirit.

8 • Bone of the Kindred
This two-day ritual involves draining the blood of a vampire (destroying her), and allowing a bone or ivory weapon to absorb the blood. All damage done by the resulting weapon is aggravated, and it will appear to absorb any blood on it.

8 • Chain of the Blood Line
This three-night ritual involves diablerizing a vampire on the new moon at the end. The vampire may command a certain degree of dominance over all vampires that descend from the one she diablerized in the ritual. The affected vampire will begin to grow fond of the caster.

9 • Weapon of the Kindred Soul
This two-day ritual involves draining all of the blood of a vampire (destroying her), and allowing a weapon, in the use of which they were an expert, to absorb the blood. The weapon will keep all of the disciplines, abilities, etc, of the vampire who was slain to create it, though it will lose the memories. This weapon can be made to serve the vampire, as part of the ritual, but it has its own goals. The weapon is given a new name during the ritual and can communicate telepathically with the caster.

10 • Invulnerable Weakness
This one-year ritual involves allowing a large diamond to absorb a day of sunlight, engraving symbols on it, and swallowing it on the final night of the ritual. The vampire who performs this ritual is invulnerable to sunlight, fire, etc, for one year per success, at the end of which time, the diamond has fully dissolved. The vampire can also remain awake during the day. Those who drink the vampire’s blood will share these traits for one hour per blood point imbibed.