Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

animalism • auspex
being overwhelmed by excessive stimuli. Sudden or severe occurrences such as a gun report
or fl ash bulb in the eyes can distract the character unless the player succeeds on a Resolve
draw. Failure disorients the character, making him effectively unaware of his surroundings
until the end of the following turn.
CLASH OF WILLS
Although Auspex is a potent Discipline, especially at high levels of mastery, a given
Kindred’s execution of it is not always fl awless. Other supernatural powers and abilities
can cloud or contest the power of Auspex, the most common of these being Obfuscate
— the direct opposite of Auspex, in many ways.
The heart of any Auspex-versus-Obfuscate contest is a clash of mighty wills, for both
powers stem from and rely upon the power of the Kindred mind. When a character
with Auspex uses his acute senses to see through another’s Obfuscate, make a contested
draw of Wits + Investigation + Auspex versus Resolve + Stealth + Obfuscate. Whoever
accumulates the most successes wins the battle of wills. Ties go to the defender,
usually the Obfuscate user. Most of the time, ties result in the Obfuscated character
remaining hidden (as the Auspex-user is the initiator), but not always. In the event
that a vampire uses Obfuscate right in front of a Kindred with Auspex, the hiding
character is the challenger, as it is he who tries to hide in plain sight.
To activate Obfuscate, perform the appropriate test with your Storyteller. For
as long as you maintain that fi rst invocation of Obfuscate, indicate the number
of successes gained on that test by the number of fi ngers extended as part of the
invisibility symbol. Similarly, on the fi rst invocation of Auspex for the purposes of
looking through invisibility, run the appropriate draw with your Storyteller and
display a number of fi ngers equal to your successes in the symbol for supernatural
sight. When trying to see through an Obfuscated character’s invisibility, indicate your
Auspex successes to her; she will in turn indicate her number of Obfuscate successes.
Obfuscate and Auspex users cannot re-test for their powers if they are dissatisfi ed
with their number of successes: Obfuscate users test again only after dropping and
re-establishing Obfuscate. Auspex users must make another Auspex test every hour
to fi nd their current number of successes. For larger games, the Storyteller running
the Obfuscate or Auspex test should write the number of successes gained on Auspex
or Obfuscate on a card for the character to ensure that no miscommunication with
other Storytellers takes place.
Obfuscate is not the only supernatural ability with the potential to foil the clarity of
Auspex. For example, a character using the Twilight Projection power might be seen by
a character using the Heightened Senses power. The general rule of thumb is to apply
the same system, but in regard to whatever mechanic is used: Wits + Investigation +
Auspex is still drawn for the perceiving character, and Resolve + an appropriate Skill
+ the Discipline in question is drawn for the defender.
• HEIGHTENED SENSES
When this power is activated, all of the vampire’s senses sharpen to a razor’s edge, effectively
doubling both the range and clarity of all stimuli received. Heightened eyesight allows the
vampire to perceive the most minute details of objects at great distances, while a heightened
sense of smell might alert a character to the presence of trace amounts of alcohol on a mortal’s
breath. Kindred with this power also have the option of magnifying a single sense, as opposed
to all fi ve, in order to better block out unwanted stimuli from other sources. Note, however,
that the risk of sudden distraction remains, regardless of how many or how few senses are
currently heightened. (Note that vampires do not breathe. As such, the Kindred do not smell
unless they actively will themselves to do so, and thus cannot be overwhelmed suddenly by
smells unless they are actively smelling at the time.)
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