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

A Kindred may only read a subject’s aura once per scene (though if successful she may observe
it for as long as the she concentrates in the manner described), so wise vampires observe their
targets for a long time while astute players learn to choose their questions very carefully.
Lastly, applied toward reading the mood of potential combatants, this power also grants its user a
bonus to Initiative equal to the number of successes drawn in activating the effect. Doing so requires
that the vampire speaks to or is in the proximity of intended combatants and reading them for at
least one turn before a fi ght breaks out. That period of interaction allows the reading vampire to
recognize that events are about to turn violent, so he can react with advanced knowledge.
Aura Perception attempts performed on a vampire with whom the user shares a blood tie
benefi t from a +2 modifi er (see p. 228).
A situation may occur when the aura of a being is read that is supernaturally possessing
another creature, for instance a ghost or spirit who has taken over a body or a vampire who has
possessed someone using a Discipline. In those cases, the aura of the dominant soul who is in
control of the being is visible to Aura Perception – a possessed mortal would thus show up as
vampiric and even display diablerie stains if the possessor had committed the Amaranth.
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OPTIONAL RULE: DECEITFUL CREATURES
In a thoroughly social environment where lies are the common currency, allowing
for Aura Perception to conclusive reveal a lie can be deeply problematic. Intricate
webs of deceit are revealed by nothing more than a test. Complex machinations
can be uncovered by the Prince’s goons almost effortlessly. Storytellers may use
this optional rule: instead of conclusively showing that the subject is lying, Aura
Perception merely shows fl ickers of deceit in an aura. It becomes impossible to
clearly deduce whether the last statement was a lie, or precisely what the character
is trying to hide. Considering the often-paranoid nature of the Danse Macabre,
Aura Perception thus becomes a useful indicator of deceit rather than an infallible
lie detector.
••• THE SPIRIT’S TOUCH
The Kindred’s powers of perception have progressed to the point that he can pick up psychic
impressions from objects simply by handling them for a moment or two. Such impressions
can tell the vampire who last held the object, when it was last held and even what was done
with it in the past.
These psychic impressions typically come in the form of quick and cryptic images, and as
with other Auspex powers, learning how to decipher the information gleaned can be a task
all its own. Most impressions (and therefore, most visuals stemming from them) pertain to
the last person who handled the object in question, but two circumstances usually preclude
such a reading. First, a long-time owner or handler of the object leaves stronger impressions
than someone who handled it briefl y, if more recently. Second, experiences associated with
great emotion — be it hate, passion or fear — often linger in the form of intense psychic impressions
on objects. It is these impressions that likely come to the fore over anything more
recent or, in all likelihood, far less emotionally signifi cant.
All that is required in order to glean information from an object by using this power is
that the vampire turn the item over in his hands (or otherwise handle it) for a few moments,
during which he enters a shallow trance. This trance is the gateway through which psychic
snapshots arrive, and anything that prematurely disrupts the trance likely prevents any useful
information from being received. The character is aware of his surroundings enough that he
can react immediately to danger and suffers no penalty to do so, however. Needless to say,
chapter two: character