4 SELECCIÓN DE LOS ALCOHOLES DE ESTUDIO
4.1 Propiedades de un combustible
4.1.1 Proceso de combustión
With this power, the Promethean’s body is his to command and shape. He may mold it however he wishes, changing its size and mass or altering facial features.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Medicine + Azoth Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean loses control over how her body shifts. The cosmetic details are left to the player and Storyteller but whatever form they take, these alterations inflict a –2 penalty to the character’s actions for the remainder of the scene.
Failure: The character is unable to make her body malleable.
Success: The Pariah alters her body however she would like. She may increase or decrease her Size by 1, shift facial features, hair/eye color, skin tone, or gender. The Pariah has nearly complete control over the appearance of her body. The Pariah can alter his features to mimic a person of the same general build. She cannot mimic any supernatural abilities, but almost anything else is fair game.
The change lasts for one turn per success. The player can extend it by making another roll when the duration ends; this requires no further Pyros expenditure.
Exceptional Success: The change lasts for a full scene.
Mesmerism
A Mimic or Cathar who has dedicated himself to understanding human psychology can learn to use Azoth’s affinity for the humors to influence them. This causes effects similar to Disquiet but that are more subtle and easily controlled, though limited to influencing emotions rather than controlling minds. Mesmerism is a brute force tool, affecting the target’s emotions rather than controlling their mind. As such, it can have unpredictable results. The risk is that such manipulation can provoke Disquiet; the more powerful the effect, the more likely it is to harm the subject.
The Refinements experience this Transmutation in different ways. For a Cathar, emotional imbalance represents a weakness.
Pushing the humours out of balance is a matter of introducing impurities, shorting one ingredient or adding too much of another.
His understanding is focused on dysfunction and disorder. He sees the final stage of each Alembic as a means to purge the imbalance and return things to right. A Mimic, on the other hand, experiences Mesmerism as a heightened empathy. She feels what her target feels and uses this sympathy to shift the tides of his emotions. For a Mimic, the terminal stage of each Alembic is as traumatic for her as it is for the target.
Charging a Mesmerism Distillation without flaring disfigurements imposes the Callous Condition (p. 307).
Mesmerism is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics are: Phobos (invoking fear), Eros (creating devotion), Eris (causing confusion), and Penthos (eroding self-worth).
Phobos
The Promethean saps the choleric humour of the target, making her more susceptible to fear and anxiety. Her passion, aggression, and confidence are sapped and she becomes passive and skittish.
If enough of the humour is drained, the condition can become terminal. Even without the expenditure of Pyros, the Promethean has an instinctive understanding of how to cause fear in people and force them to back down. The range of these Distillations is three yards per point of Azoth.
Persistent: The player only needs three successes on Intimidation rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose the Shaken Condition.
Rattle
A slight adjustment of the humour merely makes the subject nervous, which can serve to expedite social interactions as she wishes to be rid of the object of her anxiety. This ability is best used against those the Promethean never intends to meet again, as it makes the experience highly unpleasant. Even if the subject does not enter Disquiet, she will not remember him fondly.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Composure + Azoth
Action: Instant and contested
CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it. If the character is attempting Social maneuvering, it immediately fails.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Success: The target is afraid of the Promethean and prefers to limit their interaction. She doesn’t flee, but attempts to shorten the time she has to interact with him and refuses to engage him unless absolutely necessary. A guard might wave him through a checkpoint while only glancing at his papers, a cop might let him go with a quick warning, or a secretary might give him the information he wants just to get him to leave. If using Social maneuvering, this counts as Hard Leverage and removes one Door.
Exceptional Success: The target risks even dire consequences in order to be rid of the Promethean. The guard might let him into a secured area with no identification, the cop might ignore the illegal weapon he is holding, or the secretary might give him her employer’s home address. If using Social maneuvering, this counts as Hard Leverage and removes two Doors.
Terrify
A sudden, severe adjustment to the humour inflicts the subject with unreasoning terror, causing her to flee from the Promethean’s presence. Although this terror eventually fades, the subject will always be nervous around him and won’t associate with him will-ingly. Using Social maneuvering, her impression of him is hostile.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target resists the effort to adjust her humours.
Success: The target gains the Frightened Condition (p. 309) with the Promethean as its focus for the rest of the scene.
Exceptional Success: The target cannot spend Willpower to suppress the effects of the Condition.
Swoon
The strongest use of this Alembic causes intense, physical terror that can threaten the life of the subject. At the very least, her terror robs her of consciousness and puts a strain on her sanity.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth – Stamina Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target is unaffected.
Success: The target suffers a moment of terror so intense that it causes physical distress. She takes one point of bashing damage per success and falls unconscious. She won’t regain consciousness until
Exceptional Success: She instead takes lethal damage as the shock causes a heart attack.
Eros
By stoking the subject’s sanguine humor, the Promethean encourages her to become smitten and more easily manipulated.
Used sparingly, this can be a very useful social lubricant, but if pushed too far it leads to obsession and madness. The stronger the humour, the more concerned she is with shallow estimations of attractiveness and pursuit of pleasure. She becomes playful, friendly, and eager to make new acquaintances. She also grows flighty, forgetful, and overconfident. Even without Pyros, the Promethean has a natural instinct for seduction. The bonus from the Striking Looks merit is applicable to their dice pool.
Persistent: The player only needs three successes on Persuasion rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose the Swooning Condition.
Lure
The smallest change to the humour merely makes the subject amiable and friendly. This makes all social interaction more pleasant and attempts to persuade significantly easier. As a bonus, unless soured by Disquiet, the subject will continue to think fondly of the Promethean after the initial effects have worn off. Using Social maneuvering later, her impression of him is still good.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Azoth vs. Composure + Azoth
Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it. If attempting Social maneuvering, it fails.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Success: The target is taken with the Promethean and becomes more easily persuaded for a scene. Small, easy to fulfill requests are generally granted. She becomes friendly, talkative, and flirty. For creatures used to hostility at every turn, this level of congeniality is a relief. All Social rolls involving her are at +2. If using Social maneuvering, he makes an excellent impression.
Exceptional Success: The target even fulfills difficult requests or those that entail small risks. If using Social maneuvering, he makes a perfect impression.
Seduce
Greater adjustment causes a surge of infatuation so strong that the subject will do anything the Promethean asks to prove her de-votion. Unlike with the subtle application, this Distillation causes no long-term effects, as the rush of endorphins is so brain-addling that it may erase the memory of the experience much less leave a solid foundation for future friendship.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion +Azoth vs. Resolve +
MEsMERisM
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Success: The target is so overwhelmed by emotion that she obediently obeys one request. She does exactly as she is told. The downside is that her intellect is suppressed so she cannot elaborate or creatively interpret.
She is very literal and won’t draw on her own knowledge to avoid complications. If he tells a guard to go into the security room and turn off a camera, she does precisely that. She doesn’t wait for the other guard to leave or otherwise conceal her actions, nor does she mention that doing so will trigger an alarm with the home company.
Exceptional Success: The target won’t remember what she did once the scene is over.
Inflame
The most severe change in humours turns the subject into a devoted thrall, willing to follow the Promethean anywhere and do anything he asks. However, her affection is now dangerously obsessive and she defends him from even imagined slights with an insane fury. This always leaves the subject in Disquiet after it has run its course and is often psychologically damaging, particularly as she remembers what she did while in the grips of her mad love.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target is unaffected.
Success: The target gains the Obsession Condition focused on the Promethean and will not leave his side, doing everything she can to assist him for the scene. If he is attacked or otherwise threatened, she immediately gains the Insane Tilt focused on murdering the offender.
This behavior will usually result in a breaking point. At the end of the scene, she immediately enters Disquiet or advance to the next stage.
Exceptional Success: The target can resist gaining the Insane Tilt with a successful Resolve + Composure roll, but still focuses on defending the Promethean at the expense of her own well-being, even acting as a human shield.
Eris
The Promethean can manipulate the phlegmatic humor to cause the subject to turn inward, becoming easily confused and unable to focus. Likewise, her physical movements become slow and clumsy.
The main benefit of this Alembic is that it usually leaves the subject unclear on what happened to her. Some consider it less damaging than the other Mesmerism Alembics, but those who have used it extensively note that the side effects are just more subtle. Even without spending Pyros, he is adept at instilling confusion through convoluted reasoning, misdirection, and lies. Eris’ Distillations are limited in range to three yards per point of Azoth.
Persistent: The Promethean only needs three successes on Subterfuge rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose
Misdirect
The simplest changes cause the subject to lose track of what she was doing. This is most useful when the subject’s goal is obvious, such as a police officer actively searching for the Promethean or a homeowner investigating a strange noise in her home.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth
Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it, and gains the Steadfast Condition.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Success: The target becomes confused and addled with regards to whatever goal is foremost in her mind at the moment. She suffers a –3 modifier to any Mental actions related to this goal.
Exceptional Success: The Promethean gets to choose what goal to affect.
Baffle
More radical adjustments cause a general state of confusion where the subject finds herself unable to focus or act. She is lost in her own muddled thoughts and just stares straight ahead.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Resolve + Subterfuge + Azoth – Resolve Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Success: The target is subject to the Stunned Tilt for one turn per success rolled. Willpower spent to allow the target to act does not end the Tilt prematurely.
Exceptional Success: She is unable to clearly remember anything that occurred while stunned.
Fog
Drastic adjustment of the phlegmatic humour causes the subject to be completely lost in her mental fog, eroding her memory of what occurred prior in the same scene. While not traumatic, the damage caused by the dissolution of memory has subtle long-term effects on her sanity and inflicts Disquiet.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Subterfuge + Azoth – Resolve Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target is unaffected.
Success: The target immediately falls into a catatonic state. When he wakes, he suffers from the Amnesia Condition about everything that happened in the scene. This lasts for one day per success with the
CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY
a breaking point with a –2 on the roll, and the target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage.
Exceptional Success: The Condition is Persistent.
Penthos
Perhaps the cruelest of the Mesmerism Alembics, Penthos reinforces the subject’s melancholic humor, causing her to become withdrawn and pessimistic. Its use is an erosion of will and self-image that can destroy the subject if pushed far enough. She loses the capacity to feel joy and becomes suspicious of everyone, including herself. Even without expending Pyros, he is able to easily find ways to make a person feel guilty. Penthos has a range of three yards per point of Azoth.
Persistent: The player only needs three successes on Empathy rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose the Guilty Condition.
Undermine
Even the subtlest alteration causes the subject’s confidence to be undermined so that she doubts herself. The early stages of de-pression set in and she has difficulty feeling enthused or motivated while under the influence of the Alembic.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance
Action: Reflexive and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Success: The target is unable to spend Willpower for the rest of the scene.
Exceptional Success: The effect lasts a full day.
Defeat
Feeding the subject’s melancholia leaves her feeling defeated.
She surrenders to any aggression, having lost any confidence that she can win the conflict. She feels worthless and begins to suspect her life has no value.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance
Action: Reflexive and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Success: The target acquires the Beaten Down Tilt.
Exceptional Success: The target cannot spend Willpower to take violent actions.
Depress
malleable as her will is broken. It is not unknown for someone subjected to this power to commit suicide.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target is unaffected.
Success: For the rest of the scene, the target cannot take actions without first spending a point of Willpower. She also cannot use Resolve as a resistance trait. In addition, she suffers from the Broken Condition (p. 307) for one day per success rolled.
Exceptional Success: The Broken Condition is persistent and the target will engage in self-destructive and suicidal behavior.
Saturninus
Unlike many Created, who keep their eyes on the prize, the Originist finds enlightenment in exploring the Saturnine Night itself. She may play mentor to other Created, become a steward of Promethean culture (such as it is), or transform herself into an exemplar of her kind. By altering the formula of her humours and tapping into the raw power of her Azoth, she gains a measure of confidence in what she is in order to bolster her courage for what’s to come.
Charging a Saturninus Distillation without flaring disfigurements imposes the Regressive Condition (p. 311).
Saturninus is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics are: