Road of Heaven (Disciplines, Merits and Flaws)

Road of Heaven or Via Caeli
Sobriquet: Faithful

Aura: Holiness, those around the Faithful feel closer to the Heavens

Christians follow the Path of Christ (Catholicism)
Jews follow Derech Chaim or the Path of Life (Judaism)
Muslims Follow the Path of the Prophet or Tariq el-Sama(Islam)
Heretics follow Via Divinitatis (the Path of Divinity)
Penitents follow Via Pinaculum (The path of Penitence)
Crusaders follow Via Vinnicta (The path of Retribution)
Fanatics follow Via Dolorosa (The Path of Tears, or Tariq El-Alaam)

The following roads are not based on the God of Abraham but are still based on faith in a higher power/powers

Raiders follow Via Aesirgard ( Road of Aesirgard) - Based on the Norse pantheons
Pagans follow the Path of the Eightfold Wheel - Based on Druidic, or Germanic practices thought to be wiped out by Christianization
Old ones follow the Path of Watchful Gods - Based on the old Greek, and Roman pantheons

New Disciplines

Many believe these techniques should only belong to the Faithful though not all followers believe this. Finding a mentor to teach these techniques to someone not on the Road of Heaven can be dangerous.

Righteous Gaze: Potence 3 Presence 2 XP Cost 11

The Faithful place great stock not only in their own virtue above other Cainites, but in their duty as judges over their accused brethren. By means of this power, the Faithful can burn a foe from the inside out using the oil of his own sin as fuel. All that is required is a moment’s eye contact – and of course the moral superiority of the user.
The Cainite must make eye contact with the target and initiate a test of her own Road traits against her targets. (Courage/Willpower if both tie and have equal road traits.) Success means that at the beginning of the next turn the target immediately suffers burning inner pains and receives on level of aggravated damage for each road trait possessed by the faithful character. Fortitude may be used to reduce this damage but no other powers or armor can protect one from the gaze. In the case of employing this power against other Faithfull of the road the damage is equal to the accuser’s road traits minus the targets road traits, reducing the damage somewhat or even negating it. AT ST discretion particularly foolish or judgmental Cainites who attempt to judge a superior Faithful may actually suffer the difference in Road as aggravated damage reflected back on themselves, fitting punishment for daring to question those of more blessed standing. If the user fails to apply this power successfully she must immediately make a simple test, on a loss, she must perform an act of contrition before applying it again. Once used on a particular target, this power may not be used on that target again until his road traits change.
Halo of Steel: Fortitude 3, Willpower 5+ XP Cost 11
Truly devout faithful can call upon their faith to provide them with the extra bit of strength necessary to face down evil. By means of this power the Cainite learns how to funnel his faith through his supernaturally toughened body, allowing him to shrug off the deleterious effects of his own wounds, no matter how grievous they may be.
As a reflexive action, the Faithful character can call upon the strength of her devotion to continue to fight on longer after others would have been reduced to ash. The Cainite must spend a blood trait to active this power; this allows her to ignore all wound penalties including incapacitated and torpor but not final death, for a number of turns equal to her road rating. In other words, only decapitation, staking, total destruction of the vampires for, fire or sunlight will prevent a Cainite with this power from continuing to act. Anything less and she will continue to fight on, although her eventual fate will still likely be quite dire. This power may be used more that once each subsequent activation requires another blood trait. Blood spent to activate this power does not count against the character generation maximum per turn. At the end of this power, the Cainite suffers the normal penalties for her injuries, she may even be reduced to dust if her injuries are severe enough. (ST Discretion)

Moment of Grace: Dominate 4, Presence 3 XP Cost 14

The road of heaven is the one true way, and anyone who doubts that ultimately courts Hell, truly powerful Faithful can impose no only their way of thinking, but their very Via on other Cainites for a short time. All that is required is a touch and glance, and even the foulest Sinner or the most animalistic Feral becomes of one God’s own, if only for a short time. Some Cainites have been known to end their own existence rather than regress to their former brutality. Others experience a moment of truth while under the effects. All, however, are bound by the Via Caeli.
By spending a willpower trait and a blood trait, the Faithful may attempt to defeat her target in a test of her road traits against his. (Compare Willpower scores if a tie occurs and both have equal road) These power does not function against other faithful- let them progress in their own time- nor does it function against other Cainites with higher road ratings then the user. Only those of exceptional devotion typically have any luck with this power.
If successful the targets road is effectively changed to the road of heaven for the next scene or hour, whichever is longer. His effective Road Traits are considered equal to that of the caster, and during this time he must also test for degeneration as any follower of the Road of Heaven would with the same number of road traits. Any loss of road traits during his time on the road of heaven count as losses against his old road even if the sin would normally not affect him. It should be noted that this is a genuine conversion as well as an in game mechanic – while the player may know that the change lasts for a short time, the character does not, and should roleplay their sudden shift in perspective and values accordingly. More than one Cainite has lapsed into extreme self-loathing over their depraved past acts, and some few even destroy themselves in shame.

Sada Ghadub Allah (Echoes of Allah’s Wrath) Assamite Sorcery Path

This magical path of study was developed in the tandem between Faithful Assamite sorcerers and their non-Assamite brethren among the practitioners of Sihr (Islamic blood magic) By spending a blood point and succeeding on a Road Chop the Faithful may temporarily pass along aspects of God’s curse upon Caine, through these sympathetic experience (echoes to the Ashirra) it is hoped that understanding and eventual repentance might be achieved. While the path’s most efficacious targets are those who sin against God but have not yet been cursed themselves with undeath (Mortals, Mages, Lupines etc.) it’s power is equally effective against Cainites, as it refreshed their existing afflictions – a reminder of their accursed nature and of God’s will. Among the Shirra, voluntarily submitting to this renewal is believed to be good for the soul. To this end, some Penitents both within and outside the Ashirra sect proper make confessors of local sorcerers, going so far as to receive regular infusions of this magic as part of the routine ablutions. Although the powers of Sada Ghadub Allah are moderate in the over effects they have on the accused, their potency comes in two key factors: the potential for both multiple effects and extended durations. If a blood magician possesses sufficient master of this Path, he may choose to impart any or all of the effects leading up to and including his current level. In essence, he determines just how much of the vampiric nature to “bestow” upon his target. The blood magician may pass along one curse for each level of road rating they have. In addition to potential multiple effects, a given curse or curses may also last for quite some time. In the case of Faithful targets, this time can be shorted by a successful Act of Contrition, but the administration of such deductions is as ST discretion. Otherwise the paths effects may on be prematurely relieved by the will of the sorcerer. No other non-mystical means, not even the sorcerer’s final death will grant surcease of the curse before they have run their course. The practitioner must be able to see those whom he would curse with this Path, but there are no outward signs of a subject being cursed. Indeed, it may be some time before the subject himself realizing something is amiss.
Those with one Road Trait can curse their enemies for ten minutes per mental trait spend on the curse, those with two road traits may curse for half an hour per mental trait spent, three road traits equal on hour per mental trait, four road traits equal one day per mental trait, and five road traits equals one week per mental trait. At ST discretion, these times may be altered for cursed intended to affect a target during downtime as opposed to during play.

First Basic – Curse of Lifeless Mien - The first, and some would say principal aspect of the curse on Vain was being stripped of his acceptance in the brotherhood of Man. When a man is embraced, he is made dead to the world of men but forever forced to dwell within it, as a stranger in his own home. This power casts that same pall of ostracism over the target, making him an outsider among his own kind. For those to whom close social interaction is a requirement for daily survival, this can mean a world of trouble. Mortals received the negative social trait: Callous, and will generally be poorly received even by their closest friends and relatives. Cainites suffer the effects as well as the negative physical trait lethargic and must roleplay the listlessness and depression of the true realization of their undead state. Either type of target also suffers a one trait penalty on all creative endeavors for each mental trait spend on this curse.

Second Basic - Curse of Heavenly Dolor – According to the faithful, the curse of vampirism is one brought down from on high – a physical and spiritual damnation straight from the hand of the almighty, upon his embrace, a vampire is forever after humbled by the power of Allah, wherever he may encounter it.  This level of the path echoes and imparts that vampiric weakness to faith.  
The Caster makes a test of his road traits against a difficulty of the targets willpower traits, each level of true faith he possesses, if applicable, adds one to his bid.) If successful, the target is affected by True Faith just as though he were one of the damned – he may be turned back by the faithful, holy ground is blocked to him, etc. Cainites afflicted by this power find themselves at a two -trait penalty on all tests to resist true faith and suffer an additional level of damage from all true faith based attacks.

First Intermediate – Curse of Unfettered Rage – Vampires are creatures of ferocity and instinct, driven by a raging beast within. At this level of master, the practitioner gains the ability to arouse such a beast inside others as well. This force heightens the nerves of the subject, making him susceptible to sudden onslaughts of instinct that force him into mindless fight or flight reactions.
Mortals affected by this power must test against frenzy at most times a Cainite would be required to do so, although they need not fear sunlight or test for self-control when confronted with a large quantity of spilt blood. Fire and other forms of aggravated injury still provoke strong responses, however, as do any number of ordinary provocations such as insult, humiliation or attacks against loved ones. STs may also wish to devise additional uniquely mortal stimuli, or emphasize any specific hatreds of phobias that an individual possesses. If employed against Cainites or other creatures already susceptible to frenzy, they are considered two traits down on all tests to resist frenzy for the duration of the curse, and are two traits down all tests of animal ken or other interactions with animals.

Second Intermediate – Curse of Boundless Thirst – At this level, the beast unleashed within an opponent has grown strong enough to demand actual blood from its host. For so long as he remains thus cursed, the target gains nourishment only from the ingestion of blood; normal food will no longer sustain him.
Mortals or other non-Cainite targets must consume at least one Blood Traits worth of fresh blood per day in order to sustain themselves; other food and drink provide no nourishment and is immediately regurgitated unless the subject spends a willpower trait. A mortal target of this power may choose to abstain rather than indulge this dark craving, but soon begins to suffer the effects of starvation/dehydration – one lethal level of damage every 12 hours which cannot be healed until proper nourishment is obtained. In addition, for each such period he chooses to abstain, he must make a self-control test equal to a difficulty of one trait plus an additional trait for every period that has passed where he had not indulged his hunger. Failure means he must immediately indulge himself as quickly as possible. Cainites simply find themselves spending an extra blood trait on top of the normal cost every time they would normally spend blood, forcing them to hunt more often or risk falling into a hunger frenzy.

Advanced – Curse of Forbidden Sol – Perhaps the most dreadful aspect of Caine’s curse was God’s commandment that he never walks again in the light of day. Those afflicted with this power gain the vampire’s terrible sensitivity to daylight, turning otherwise sun-loving individuals into nocturnal denizens of darkness and shade.
Mortals and other non-Cainites afflicted with this power suffer normal damage from exposure to sunlight, just as though they were ordinary Cainites. They also find themselves growing lethargic, needing rest during the daytime and becoming active at night, which while beneficial given their sudden allergy is likely to incite all manner of rumors and suspicions from their friends and neighbors. Cainites suffer from this power receive an extra level of aggravated damage every time they are exposed to sunlight, and operate at a one trait penalty in areas of bright light.

Merits and Flaws

Angel Face 1pt. Merit or Flaw

Your outward visage reflects your spiritual purity or fallen depravity. In addition to its usual effects, your Aura modifier add to or subtract from your actual appearance rating. Taken as a merit this trait allows you to purchase additional Gorgeous, Graceful, Elegant, or Dignified traits equal to your aura rating, even if this causes you to exceed your normal generational limits for Social attributes – your exceptional is the reflection of the grace o the creator, and as such is not bound by even the curse of Caine. Should your Aura rating later decrease, these excess traits are lost until it is restored to its former glory and do not need to be purchased again. Taken as a flaw, the judgement of God has clearly marked your countenance – you suffer a number of Bestial, Repugnant or Ghastly negative social traits equal to your aura rating. These traits cannot be bought off until your Aura modifier is at least neutral. Should you ever slide back into a negative Aura rating, these traits return once more, forcing you to continue buying them off every time you slide into depravity.

Jacob’s Twin 1 pt. Merit

Through the divine providence, or perhaps simple accident of birth your face is identical to that of a saint whose image is commonly found etched in wood and glass around the region in which you reside. You are one trait up on all social tests with followers of the appropriate faith, and you should wear a descriptive tag indicating your resemblance. Take note, however – you may well be held to a higher standard than others due to your resemblance of one so holy.

Noted Confessor 1-3 pt. Merit

You have a particularly well-respected confessor, an ashen priest of the Via to whom many look up. Your association is most likely an open and highly envied one. This merit differs from the mentor background in that your confessor need not provide you with any real service aside from taking your confession (and thereby increasing your own reputation among the Faithful) The cost of this Merit is determined by the relative position of your confessor. For one point, he is likely a locally revered ashen priest with a large congregation and disciples of his own; for three points, you have the ear of one of the road’s true paragons, and may enjoy the envy of all Faithful who know of the relationship. While confessionals are theoretically sacrosanct, STs may note the potential for double-edged sword of willingly pouring your soul out to a Cainite of both power and influence.

Save Thy Servant 3 pt. Merit

This Merit is most commonly found among those on the Path of Penitence, but it is available to any of the Faithful. All Cainites, it is those who walk the Via Caeli that are most often given to ritual self-abuse and vicious bouts of flagellation in their attempt to do what they believe is God’s will on Earth. The paradox of such behavior, however, is that it can leave terrible wounds when taken to extremes – wounds that invariable require the vampire to hunt down and shed yet more innocent blood.
All self-inflicted damage inflicted in the name of penance or atonement is considered bashing damage. It can be healed with a single Blood Trait, regardless of how many levels of such damage the Cainite has inflicted on himself. Note that this merit only applies to the Cainite himself. What’s more, It only applies to damage knowingly inflicted out of a sense of true penance or devotion – attempting to abuse this Merit for personal gain of any kind results in damage suffered requiring the normal Blood Trait expenditure to heal, as well as possible some act of contrition for the Cainites hubris. Likewise, it does not cover damage inflicted in frenzy, even against the Cainite himself – no matter what the justification might be.

Blessed Myroblite 4pt. Merit

By some divine providence, your blood has been blessed with a strange saint-like quality. The bodies of saints are believed to be composed of, and thus to break down into a substance called chrism. (One who demonstrates this upon his demise is known as a myroblite) It is believed that this chrism carries with it certain mystical properties, and such is the case with you and your vitae. For narrative purposes, your blood is considered to be slightly “less damned” than your soul. It shares the regenerative properties common to all vampiric blood, but it has more “life” in it, and when given in small amounts to living creatures, it can and will heal them without creating ghouls. Your blood is not infernal per se, and you may still create ghouls and childer normally, if you so desire. Likewise, this reverse is thus true, your blood is commensurately toxic to others of your own kind. If a Cainite drinks of your blood, he finds it at once succulent and painful, and will suffer one lethal wound for every point he consumes. Not soakable through Fortitude.

Of Embrace Foretold 5 pt. Merit

You are the Cainite equivalent of a prophet or even a true messiah. Some theological scholars claim to have predicted your Embrace long before it happened. Most believe that God has some special purpose in mind for you, and you are something of a luminary among the other Faithful. This merit has the following effects. You are believed to have the status Blessed when dealing with Cainites who believe in or recognize your embrace and your new unlife as something special. When confronted with a challenge that directly pertains to God’s plan for you (ST Discretion) you gain a free retest, you may do this up to three times per story. Once per story when confronted with dire or overwhelming circumstances, you can draw strength from certain knowledge of your place in God’s plan and regain a point of willpower immediately, even if you have no temporary willpower left.
At ST discretion that are many omens, portents, or prophecies concerning you, and various sorts of divinations may show your involvement in certain events. There may also be forces out to thwart your destiny. Circumstances will tent to conspire to ensure that you have the opportunity to fulfill it, so you will never be able to lead a humble or isolated unlife.

Redeemed 7pt. Merit

When you crossed into the world of the Damned (or perhaps, after stepping onto the Via Caeli for the first time) your soul arrived without the fullness of the mark of Caine upon it. While you are still one of the undead, with all the powers and restrictions the condition brings, you find that True Faith of any variety causes you no distress whatsoever. Indeed, you are quite comfortable by its presence. This spiritual purity comes at a price, however. If you falter or are found wanting in your own faith, you will lose this benefit until you can somehow redeem yourself and atone for your sins. Every time you lose a point in your Road you must immediately make an additional test of their new road trait rating against a diff 7, players may add any true faith they possess to overcome ties. If they fail this second test, this merit is lost until a sufficiently impressive act of penance is performed. STs should spare no expense in being as demanding as possible regarding Faithful with this Merit – it is extremely rare and powerful, and demands an accordingly high amount of respect and care to maintain it.

Cryptophage 2pt. Flaw

You have a particular fascination for what you deem the “mysteries of God” and you pursue such secrets with all the passion of your undead heat. You are convinced that the presence of the Faithful among the Damned childer of Caine is a sign that they figure prominently in His plan, and you’ve taken that responsibility personally. In short, you seek to gain a real and personal understanding of God’s plan on Earth. To this end, you follow every lead, pursue every scrap or clue, and strive to read if not collect every holy writing or tablet you can find. What the Heretics are to Vain, you are to the Almighty – with a commensurate rise in direction and drive – and you likely view the former as eternal time-wasters fixating upon the effect rather than the source. When faced with a genuine opportunity to advance your understanding of either the Cainite condition or holy mysteries of any kind you must make a willpower test (diff determined by how promising the lead is.) Failure means that you must immediately abandon what you are doing in order to investigate this lead; it should be noted that even success generally only means that you’ll probably put off investigating until you have time for it later, as your curiosity is truly a driving force.

Soul of Darkness 2-4pt. flaw

You have a great difficulty in actually walking the Via Caeli as a means of controlling the beast within. This might be due to some inborn heresy in your veins – perhaps you are the descendent of Dhabi revenant, or the lovechild of some orgiastic rite in the name of Satan – or some spiritual taint that makes you somehow more damned that other Cainites. Whatever the cause, your faith in your chosen morality is not as solid as it is for other Faithful. In addition, you find it harder to increase your understanding of your road. Increase the diff of all tests involving your road traits by one per level of this flaw. In addition, it costs and additional experience trait to purchase a new road trait for each level of this flaw. This flaw continues to apply even if you later abandon the road of heaven for another path; such as darkness as yours is not so easily overcome. In addition, at the ST discretion you may occasionally attract creatures of darkness seeking a like-minded companion, and who are only too happy to try and tempt the character to turn away from the faith and embrace his “true nature”.

Stigmata 3pt. Flaw

Sometime after adopting the Via Caeli, you awoke to find your form stricken by one of the common sufferings associated with the Passion of Christ: A wreath of small holes around the crown of your skull, an inch-wide hole through the palm of each hand, a vicious puncture wound in the side, or a stinging grid of lash marks on the back. You begin each night at the Bruised health level upon rising fro slumber. Unlike the Flaw: Permanent Wound, however this wound may not be healed with blood. Barring some especially potent magic’s, the wound reappears each night when you rise. (Players may purchase this flaw twice, with the character adopting another wound, in doing so he begins play at the hurt health level instead.)
First, the critical out of game disclaimer: This flaw may only be taken with explicit ST permission. She should never allow players to take it who merely seek to use it to inappropriately shock and horrify other players – or worse still – bystanders who are unaware of the game. The significance of the stigmata invokes very powerful feelings in many people. Even within the context of the game and/or when portrayed by mature and sensible players, it can seriously disturb onlookers, including quite a few of those who understand and enjoy LARP. It is highly recommended that its portrayal be limited to wearing an appropriate description card unless all participants in the game have discussed it and are comfortable with its graphic depiction; this ensures that no one else is made uncomfortable out of game just for the sake of one player’s trait flaw. What’s more, it is also strongly advised that this flaw never be actively represented in games where there is a chance that the uninvolved individuals might see it and misinterpret what the player is doing – the negative emotions and responses from such accidents can quickly lead to heated confrontations and other unpleasant incidents best avoided. All that having been said, in game terms your character begins at the bruised health level and cannot heal this injury through the expenditure of blood traits or any other means. You are likely to attract a great deal of attention from those who notice your wounds with a great deal of unlikely favorable to one of the undead.