Path of Enlightenment ( to )

by P. Padden Special: In addition to the experience cost of this merit, each level requires that the character spend a permanent Willpower dot. A character may only ever have one Path of Enlightenment. Effect: Each level of this merit is added to the characters humanity for the purpose of calculating time in torpor (pg. 175), and Daytime Activity (pg. 184). It has no effect on the Relating to Mortals (pg. 184) or derangements aspects of Humanity. (Optional: The merits level is added to the characters humanity to resist gaining new derangements from humanity loss.) Drawback: There is the chance that each level of this merit can be lost should the character breach the morality of their path. This potential loss is handled much like the degeneration rolls for Humanity, including the added risk of gaining a derangement. Each Path of Enlightenment has its own Hierarchy of Sins, if a charter breaches a sin of equal or lower value to their path rating, they risk stumbling on their path. Threshold of Sin Level 5 Roll 4 dice Level 4 Roll 3 dice Level 3 Roll 3 dice Level 2 Roll 2 dice Level 1 Roll 2 dice If no successes are rolled on the threshold of sin roll, the character losses a level in their Path of Enlightenment, and must check to see if they gain a new derangement. Roll the paths new level plus humanity as a dice pool. If no successes are gained the character gains a new derangement. The Ventrue clan flaw does apply. Derangements gained from losing a path trait can be removed in three ways. One, the character can raise their path of Enlightenment back up to the level where they gained the derangement (just like raising humanity can remove derangements). Two the character can raise a new path of enlightenment up to the level where they gained the derangement. (yes, switching paths is possible though a huge EXP and Willpower sink.) Finally, the character can spend a number of permanent willpower traits equal to the level of the path lose that caused the character to gain the derangement. Example: Path of Golgotha Level 5: Failing to Study or research at every opportunity. Level 4: Refusing to instruct other students of Golgotha Level 3: Failing to ride the wave, or resist frenzy Level 2: Refusing to pursue lore about vampirism Level 1: Denying the hunger or needs of the Kindred form

Paths of Enlightenment (version 2)

by Yossarian Option 1 New Merit: Path of Enlightenment ( to ) To join a Path of Enlightenment in game terms, the character must: Have at least two dots of Blood Potency; have at least a three dot Mentor who also follows the Path; be at Humanity 4; and spend a dot of Willpower. The Willpower dot represents the amount of time and effort the vampire spends grafting the new code onto her soul. Fresh vampires are too close to their Humanity to take up such alien ways of thinking, so the Kindred must have also increased her Blood Potency, whether through age, experience, or Diablerie. The Mentor is just as it sounds: a follower of the Path who is willing to teach it to the supplicant. The Humanity requirement represents the characters willingness to abandon morality in pursuit of enlightenment. System: Whenever she commits an act that would force a degeneration roll, the character may add her Path rating as a bonus, but only if the act was specifically done in line with the philosophy of her Path (using the hierarchies of various Paths from Vampire: The Masquerade as a model). This bonus is not applied to Humanity rolls to avoid derangement. Followers of Paths that do not hold Diablerie to be a sin may roll their Path rating instead of suffering an automatic drop in Humanity; again provided they are doing so in pursuit of their philosophy, rather than gluttony or Frenzy. Failure leads to loss of Humanity and a subsequent roll to avoid derangement. This Merit could also give the character access to Trigger Points (The Danse Macabre, pg. 31) that fit with tenets of her Path. Drawbacks: Path followers suffer a penalty equivalent to their Path rating on all social interactions with mortals. In addition, characters cannot increase their Humanity higher than 4, or they lose this Merit. Option 2 Paths are merely elaborate Trigger Points (see above) that have been codified. With a three dot Mentor, the character may learn the ways of the Path. For Paths that do not consider Amaranth a sin, the character may use the number of Trigger Points she has as a dice pool when it comes to resisting degeneration from Diablerie.