Egyptian Theban Sorcery

Lvl 1 Rituals

• Blessing of the Scarab

as modern "Paladin's Absolution" Ritual

Lvl 2 Rituals

• Liars Plague

The character curses her subject so that if he speaks any lies over the course of the scene, beetles swarm from his mouth. The ritual involves a contested action, pitting the sorcerer's Intelligence + Academics + Theban Sorcery against the subject's Resolve + Blood Potency. Resisting this power is a reflexive action. Offering: An insect's carapace.

• Bird of Sin

This strange ritual was one of the original collection given to the covenant in the vaults beneath Thebes, and has been linked to other ancient magical traditions of Egypt. With this ritual, the character summons forth the guilt and immorality of a subject he can see directly into the form of a shimmering phantasmal bird - often an owl, but raptors of all sorts have been cited by sorcerers through the ages. Some incarnations shed feathers like a fire sheds cinders, others have been said to be cold, hard and sharp like ice; each bird reflects the sinner, rather than the ritualist. The Bird of Sin immediately attacks the subject on the sorcerer's turn. Attacks continue for one turn per success scored on the activation roll. The bird has a dice pool equal to 10 minus the subject's Morality or Humanity for attacks; it ignores the subject's Defense. Its spectral talons and beak deal bashing damage, but can hurt only the subject of the ritual. The bird is completely intangible to all other creatures, including spirits and ghosts.The subject can will the bird out of existence with a successful Resolve + Composure roll penalized by the caster's dots in Theban Sorcery. This effort is an instant action, performed on the subject's turn. If the roll fails, subsequent attempts can be made on following turns so long as the bird remains. The action to activate this power is penalized by the subject's Resolve. Offering: A feather at least four inches long.

• Pillar of Osiris

as modern "Sanctity" Ritual

Lvl 3 Rituals

• Pharaoh's Paces

Another ritual seemingly adapted from the tombs of Egypt, Pharaoh's Paces grants the sorcerer a supernatural manifestation of an ancient royal custom. When this ritual is activated, the sorcerer is imbued with the honorary privilege of the Pharaoh: no one may touch the sorcerer (by hand or with an object) or even set sight directly upon him for the remainder of the scene. The ritual's name comes from the third effect: no one may approach within nine paces of the sorcerer. Those within nine paces immediately step away, unless doing so would cause them harm. Only those persons within direct sight of the sorcerer when the ritual is performed fall under its effects. Characters wishing to violate this arcane custom (to look at or attack the sorcerer, for example) can force themselves to do so with a successful Resolve + Presence action and a cost in Willpower. This effort of the will is an extended action with additional rolls possible every turn, provided the resisting character spends a Willpower point each turn he attempts a new roll. Willpower points spent to overcome this ritual's effects only make the extended action possible, and do not grant extra dice on any rolls. The target number of successes is equal to the successes scored in the ritual's activation action. Resisting characters can do nothing else but move their Speed while mustering the courage necessary to break through this magic. Once an onlooker has broken the spell, he cannot be made subject to this ritual again for the remainder of the scene. Anyone the sorcerer touches or makes eye contact with is instantly freed from the power of the ritual. The sorcerer can continue to activate this ritual on himself to affect new onlookers or to replace his activation roll with a second, and hopefully better, result. Successes scored on a subsequent activation roll replace those of the previous activation roll, but resisting characters do not lose the successes they have already achieved on rolls to resist the power. Offering: An article of gold, jade, or sapphire jewelry.