10.) Vampire-Specific Ability Choices

=====Subraces ("Clans"):=====

(Vampires choose one subrace)

====The Qeteshi: ====

The Qeteshi are the blood descendants of Qetesh, known in some cultures as Astarte. Qetesh was the first daughter of Isis and Osiris, and it is said her beauty was "terrifying to look upon", and that many men killed themselves after seeing her. The curse of Qetesh, however, was that she could not see her own beauty, and when she looked at her reflection in the Nile, she saw only a rotting monster. Although this curse has weakened over the centuries, it still haunts the Qeteshi. They are obsessed with their own beauty, but see flaws and hideousness constantly attacking them, creeping in. The more they thirst for blood, the more they see themselves, and others, as monstrous and hideous. Nonetheless, the Qeteshi are the pinnacle of all things seductive and beautiful, and it is they who have crafted the current media image of "beautiful vampires". (The Qeteshi are intensely beautiful to behold, and pleasing to the senses, not just sight. One does not have to be a sexual being, or even typically 'attracted' to what they look like in reality, because their appearance is magical in nature. They can use this power to compel people to want to please them and treat them like movie stars. Their beauty rivals that of the Sidhe. However, if the Qeteshi is aggressive, cruel, or rude the effect will rapidly wear off and remain gone for 24 hours. Qeteshi have no effect on other Qeteshi.)

====Shades: ====

Originally known as "The Shades of Apophis", and now generally just referred to as "Shades". Apophis was the shadow warrior who protected his mortal brother, Horus, from a slew of assassination attempts. His bloodline has continued the tradition, working from the shadows. During the early days of the bloodline wars, they killed indiscriminately, and were exiled from most vampire lands. Many of them ended up at the remote island of Japan, where it is believed they were instrumental in the formation of the ninja clans. When the Carpathian Council convened, the once chaotic killers were now refined warriors, living by a strict code. Shades are some of the most honor-bound vampires, despite their immense capacity for death. They will rarely go against their word and are known to be trustworthy. For instance, it is considered a terrible dishonor to lose one's weapon during battle, and if one does, they may not purchase, make, or be given another. They must steal one, or kill someone and take theirs to restore their honor. Additionally, it is considered dishonorable to kill someone over a personal matter in secret. Assassinations may only be done via contract. Other battles, those over personal matters, must be done via a duel or publicly. Shades take contracts very seriously, as it is another form of oath, and those who are oathbreakers are scandalized. Oathbreakers must give up all possessions, even their clothing and weapons, and start from scratch in order to atone for their dishonor. (Shades have exceptional swiftness on their side, and may be the fastest creatures known, able to move so fast they are unseen to the naked human eye. However, this swiftness, if used in more than short bursts, will begin to burn blood rapidly. As falling to a hunger frenzy is dishonorable, not to mention dangerous considering recent proclamations, Shades use this ability sparingly.)

====The Sekhmeti: ====

The goddess who would be portrayed with the head of a lion, known as the Eye of Ra, was known for her exceptional wrath. It is said that she once succumbed to such intense bloodlust that the gods themselves had trouble keeping her from destroying the entire human race. Often warriors and tacticians, their ranks are occasionally drawn from human politicians or positions dealing with the justice system. They are fueled, forever, by a cause they see as righteous, whatever that cause may be. When channeled correctly, the Sekhmeti spirit is inspiring and world-changing. But it can become damaging, ending up in wrath or untempered bloodlust and a love of violence. The Sekhmeti have intense charisma and an ability to inspire. It is additionally known that Sekhmet and Apophis are bondmates and an argument between them is somehow responsible for what was later believed to be the 'random eruption of Mt. Vesuvius' which destroyed Pompeii, and two of their childer, also bondmates, are responsible for the destruction of the Library at Alexandria. The older a Sekhmeti gets, the hotter they tend to be even at rest. The air around them may heat up with their anger. However, generally, only the first generation of Sekhmet's children can burn a person without touching them. (The Sekhmeti have a power known as 'Burning Hands' which allows them to raise the temperature of their blood enough to burn their opponent if they are touched. This burn will continue to increase in painfulness and area over the next day. This additionally marks the opponent, and the mark will call to the Sekhmeti over the next twenty-four hours, allowing them to hunt their prey even if they escape an initial conflict. Like the power of the Shades, Burning Hands burns the user's blood swiftly and must be used sparingly. This power inflicts fire-level damage to other vampires. The Sekhmeti, unlike most vampires who are always cold to the touch, are always warm. Their ability does not make them in any way immune to the vampire weakness to fire.)

====The Disciples of Thoth: ====

Also known as the Scribes, the Disciples of Thoth are the vampiric bloodline of the 'god of writing, wisdom, medicine and history'. They are the intellectual powerhouse of the vampires, the original writers of the True Book of the Dead, and promoters of many advances in science within human culture. Sometimes not in the best way, and it is said that the basis of Doctor Frankenstein was a Disciple of Thoth vampire. Blurring the line between science and magic, the Scribes often get accused of being 'mad scientists', and many of them become unscrupulous in their quest for knowledge. Indeed, some of them do go quite mad. However, the Disciples of Thoth also have cured diseases which have afflicted vampires in the past, as well as made some blood substitutes, which taste horrible, and are only half as nutritious as normal blood. These are now difficult to find in the D13 world, but can be made in small amounts by knowledgable Disciples. (The Scribes have the ability to access The Vault. The Vault is a magical pocket dimension which contains a massive library and laboratory which rivals the internet for it's thoroughness, containing reference materials of many kinds. Generally, Scribes can only go there in their minds, their bodies remaining in the real world. However, an extensive hour-long ritual can be done to go there bodily, which is sometimes done to bring samples to the laboratory. This ritual is a bit different for each. It is forbidden and impossible to remove anything from the Vault once entered into the Vault's coding system. Additionally, the Disciples of Thoth can tell if a person is lying or telling the truth, though they must maintain physical contact with, or look into the eyes of, the person to do so.)

====The Sobeki: ====

Sobek, the 'crocodile god', was the kind and wise philosopher, a twin brother of the beautiful Qetesh. It was said that he was the one person who saw through her beauty to her heart, and that he dedicated himself to finding a cure for her sorrowful curse. His quest took him far and wide, until he came to the land beyond the sun, a dark world ruled by people resembling crocodiles. (These people are sometimes believed to be Underkin Lamia or Erzheka.) Their evil queen fell in love with Sobek, but when he refused her advances, she became malicious and jealous of Sobek's dedication to his sister. Feigning taking pity on Sobek, she gave him a potion that she said would lighten his sister's heart. He tried it first, worried it might be poison. The potion turned him monstrous, with the head of a crocodile and the body of a corpse. Sobek was furious and in his wrath, killed the queen and fled to hide. Qetesh found him, however, and when she did, she was delighted despite the queen's attempts to drive a wedge between brother and sister. She could not see anything wrong with the monstrous body of Sobek. To this day, the monstrous looking Sobeki are one of the only things the Qeteshi can look at and see only perfection, and in return, the Sobeki are unaffected by the beauty of the Qeteshi, seeing only their hearts. The Sobeki have since embraced their calling as 'monsters' and 'hideous things', some taking this beyond the physical appearances into the realm of torture and grotesquery. Others follow a path seeking wisdom and enlightenment. And some do both, seeing no paradox between the two. Most of them learn the magical art of illusion so that they may hide themselves in human society. (The Sobeki can cause a person to see nightmarish visions. Typically, they can't control these visions. However, their bite delivers a deliriant more directly, allowing them to manipulate and control the visions for as long as they have a hold on the person, as well as learn by tasting their blood what the person's greatest fears are. The Sobeki MUST touch the person to activate this power, or bite them to activate the more intense version. Additionally, the Sobeki get the ability to insta-cast level 1 illusion spells, if they take Illusion.)

====Children of Khonsu: ====

Also sometimes derogatively called "Moonies", the bloodline of Khonsu, god of travel, the moon, and childlike wonder are perpetual explorers, and imaginers. Their desire to see new worlds often drives them to travel extensively. Those who don't travel tend to build worlds of their own through their sheer imagination, often via writing and poetry, and in recent years, via the internet. Their knowledge of the world and cultures makes them the natural diplomats of the vampire race. But, one should not believe the Children of Khonsu some sort of harmless dreamers. They do not allow access to their worlds easily, and often are the creators of tests, riddles, and enigmas. The Khonsu are believed to be behind the legend of the Sphinx and other similar riddles. For those they deem unworthy, there are often malicious pranks ranging from cute, to humiliating, to downright deadly. A few of the Children of Khonsu were said to have defected Egypt with the Shifters, and for this reason, this clan alone has long had a truce with the Shifters and their kin. Khonsu himself is known to still be walking the Earth, whilst most vampire progenitors are said to slumber now, and it is believed that the Khonsu have a DEEP tradition of hospitality and charity due to the fact that 'Khonsu may be weary traveller in disguise'. It is believed that along with the mage 'L'Etoile Arcana, the Children of Khonsu are responsible for the bohemian and hippie movements of the 20th century. (The Children of Khonsu can pull people into their imaginations. This is basically like a controlled acid trip. It can't hurt the person physically, but it can inspire them to become more creative, frighten them, reveal things to them, or take them on a mental "trip". Willing or weak subjects are easier to do this to than healthy or unwilling ones, and vampires have increased resistance to it. The Child of Khonsu MUST be touching the other person to use their power, and the Child of Khonsu is unable to defend themselves when this is in use. The Khonsu may not use this power on a single person more than once a moon (28 days).)

====The Selkene: ====

Although the children of Isis and Osiris were the first vampires, according to the legends depicted in the True Book of the Dead, there were other vampires made shortly thereafter whose clans sit upon the Carpathian Council. Legend states that the Selkene are the children of the scorpion goddess, Selket. Chosen from amongst the purest maidens in Isis' temple, so pure that even a scorpion's fatal sting could not harm her, a marriage was arranged between Horus and Selket. However, before their wedding night, innocent Selket was seduced by one of the newly turned vampires, and turned into one herself. The usual suspects are Qetesh and Apophis. Selket has never said who it was. This contention, and the subsequent exile of Selket by Isis, led to one of the largest early disagreements between the vampire progenitors. Some said Selket couldn't have known what she was doing, whilst others said that she was very aware of her wrongdoing and was, in fact, the one doing the seducing after she saw something she wanted. Either way, the Scorpion Whore wandered Egypt ever after, vengeful in her loneliness. She became identified with not only deadly stings and insects, but transmission of disease to the impure, and later all plagues. By the time the Carpathian Council convened, the Selkene were too powerful to ignore, and were invited to reconcile with their kind. The Selkene, whilst often presenting themselves as paragons of cleanliness and virtue, are driven to corrupt, defile, and infect. They are excellent at getting inside someone's head and making them do all those naughty things they want to do, and in turn, they usually play off that naughtiness to get fodder for blackmail or control people via addiction. (In addition to the normal euphoric vampire bite, the Selkene get an alternate bite effect of their choosing, which they must explain fully upon creation, which they can activate (or not). It can be anything from loosening inhibitions, to a type of poison, to transmission of a particular disease. They additionally get Intensity, the ability to (by touch) purify a person of the effects of an outside toxin or intoxicant, or intensify the effects of an outside toxin or intoxicant. They can purify intoxicants within themselves as well. On the downside, the Selkene all have a particular type of blood they will only drink, be it the blood of young women, or redheads, or priests, or coma victims. Whatever it is, anything else tastes foul.)

====The Priests of Sesmu: ====

Little is known about Sesmu, who in legend is known as the god of blood, wine, and execution. It is known that he helped Isis reconstitute her dead husband, Osiris, using wine created from magical "blood grapes". As a reward he was later allowed to sacrifice himself to Osiris and view the underworld, and then was brought back from the dead with a chalice of Osiris' blood. Ever after, Sesmu was charged with bringing 'sustenance' to Osiris and his offspring. The High Priest would sacrifice those unworthy or unrighteous, and their blood would be given to the vampires. This practice of human and animal sacrifice permeated throughout many cultures and religions, including Aztec culture in the form of the god Mictlantecuhtli. Although the Disciples of Thoth wrote the True Book of the Dead, the priests of the cult of Sesmu were those who most strictly followed its tenets. They are said to have infiltrated almost every religion on the planet, even Christianity, and that they wage a secret war from within, working to weaken those religions, waiting for the time when Isis and Osiris may be re-awakened as the prominent deities on Earth. The dark priests are those who hold the traditions of the vampires most dear, and preside over almost all ceremonies, festivals, and holidays. The are immune to the vampire weakness of being unable to enter holy ground, or the places of god. However, they have an alternate weakness that they must bleed or see blood spilled before they can activate their magic, the more complicated the magic, the more blood that needs to be spilled. They must cut themselves or another before casting magic. (The Priests of Sesmu can, with a touch, replenish the blood of any non-vampire creature that has been fed from up to three times per day. The Priests only learn one casted magic. This is because their second magic is Thaumaturgy, which allows them to use the magic of another by tasting their blood, but only to the level to which they have obtained Thaumaturgy (level 1, 2, or 3). They may only borrow one magic at a time, and may only use it for three days. The other person retains their magic during this time. Although they can use the magic of another, they will never be as good at that magic as a natural caster of it, and it will take more energy and time than a natural caster to utilize.)

======(In addition to their clan abilities, vampires may choose two forms of magic to utilize.)======