American Necromancy

A bastardized, crude form of necromancy employed by American members of the Giovanni clan.
Practitioners can be seen cursing under their breath and throwing “the horns” to direct the dark
energies of this Discipline.

This set of powers works by manipulating the chaotic and entropic energies of the shadowlands
to seemingly alter fate, bring ruin, and consort violently with the spirits of the dead. It can be
subtle at times, but to those knowledgeable in more formal Necromancy, Thaumaturgy, or
Auspex it screams like a banshee across the magical landscape.

Just like Blood Sorcery, this Discipline unlocks the ability to use rituals of the same level.
Necromancy rituals work just like Blood Sorcery rituals, except that Manipulation + Necromancy
level is used for the dice pool instead of Intelligence + Blood Sorcery. For ease of use, we’ll
simply be using the existing rituals from Blood Sorcery. The Americans simply aren’t
sophisticated enough to come up with their own rituals.

Nicknames:​ That Old Black Magic, The Evil Eye, Flatlining

Characteristics
Type:​ Sorcery

Masquerade Threat: ​Low to high. Some effects are simple and subtle, while others defy the
rightful order of life and death.

Blood Resonance:​ ​Melancholic. ​The unlucky, downtrodden, and destitute. Those with nothing
left to lose. Those who are on the verge of death or self-destruction.

Level 1

Beyond the Sea

The vampire peers into the chaotic shadowlands, while losing sight of the material world.

Cost: ​One Rouse Check

Dice Pools:​ Composure + Necromancy

System:​ The character’s vision is replaced by a sense of what’s going on in the desolate land of
ghosts. She may see nearby ghosts, get a sense of the weather in the Shadowlands
(sometimes it gets bad enough to rip spirits apart), and knows when she stands in a place of
dark power, such as a recent murder scene.

Duration:​ Until the necromancer switches back to her normal vision

Snake Eyes
The necromancer curses the result of a simple game of chance or other moment when a few
obvious outcomes are equally likely. A roll of the dice, draw of a card, or spin of the wheel ends
in a predictably bad outcome. The effect is always the same: the player loses.

Cost:​ Free

Dice Pools: ​Manipulation + Necromancy

System: ​The player of the game or most obvious potential recipient of the bad luck is always
the victim, even when several parties are involved in the game or situation. The house always
wins.

Duration:​ N/A

Level 2

Crooning
The practitioner draws upon the dark energies of the underworld to force a nearby ghost into
telepathic contact.

Cost: ​One Rouse Check per question asked and answered

Dice Pools:​ Charisma + Necromancy vs the ghost’s Composure

System: ​If no ghost is visible, viewed with Beyond the Sea, or otherwise known about, this
power affects the closest ghost within 100 feet. Initial success allows the necromancer and the
affected ghost to communicate telepathically, even if they don’t share a language.

Success on the roll allows the necromancer to force the ghost to answer one question truthfully.
Additional Rouse checks during the conversation allow for additional answers to be compelled,
at a rate of one question and answer per round.

Duration:​ One round per success

Hit Me
The necromancy user pulls negative energies from the shadowlands into herself, with potentially
dark consequences.

Cost:​ One Rouse Check

Dice Pools:​ Composure + Necromancy

System: ​The character gains the benefits of a Blood Surge to a physical attribute of her choice,
but the effects of the surge last for the duration of this power, rather than just one roll. However,
during this time, whenever the surging attribute is rolled, all of the dice in that roll count as
Hunger dice (in addition to the character’s normal Hunger dice).

Duration:​ A number of rounds equal to successes rolled

Level 3

Roll the Bones

The necromancer calls upon fate to intervene, randomizing the outcome of what seems certain.

Cost:​ One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: ​Composure + Necromancy

System:​ When an event appears certain to occur within one round, the necromancer forces a
dice roll, even when the Storyteller would not have made or called for one. For most effects, the
result should be determined on the roll of a single die, with success indicating a generally
positive outcome for the necromancer, and failure indicating a negative one.

This power may not be used on a character who simply has a big dice pool. It’s more about
affecting random events (“acts of god”) and impending consequences of earlier events. It may
not be used to counter magical effects or other intentional, controlled situations.

(dev’s note: this power may need to be replaced or significantly altered. It could be abused.)

Duration:​ N/A

Shotgun Wedding
The necromancer binds a ghostly spirit to a person in the material world, forcing it to follow
along like a lost puppy.
Cost: ​One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: ​Manipulation + Necromancy vs the combined Composures of both the ghost and
the material person affected.

System: ​The ghost is bound to the mortal or vampire affected, causing it to remain within 100
feet at all times. The ghost may haunt the person, manipulate them into going where the ghost
wants to be, or may simply resign themselves to the situation. The material world person
affected may have no clue that they’ve got a ghost tied to to them.

This power may be used to bind a ghost to oneself, in which case your own Composure is not
added to the resisting pool.

Duration: ​1 week

Level 4

Cold Cards
The practitioner forces necromantic energies into an object touched, making it “cursed” for most
purposes. An object that exists in a set, such as a pair of dice or a deck of cards may be cursed
as a single object, subject to Storyteller discretion. May affect an object up to the size of a small
car.

Cost: ​One Rouse Check

Dice Pools:​ Composure + Necromancy or Dexterity + Necromancy vs Dexterity + Wits to affect

an item in someone else’s possession.

System:​ The object affected causes the person using it to suffer a -3 die penalty on any roll
related to the item in any way. The object is cold to the touch and feels intensely wrong (enough
to overwhelm an Auspex user that touches it).

Duration: ​Until the item is used in its intended way, somehow garnering 5 or more successes
on a roll.

Let it Ride
The necromancer draws a ghost within 100 feet she is aware of into herself, empowering her
with creepy powers.

Cost:​ One Rouse Check, plus one additional check at the start of your turn if you choose to let
the ghost remain in your body.
Dice Pools:​ Manipulation + Necromancy vs the ghost’s Composure + Resolve

System: ​The ghost enters the necromancer’s body, and the two become one. For the duration,
the necromancer may perform any of the following as an action on her turn:

● Move an object or person up to 200lbs with telekinesis (using Manipulation +

Necromancy for attack rolls)
● Cause the walls to bleed, the area to feel cold, or some other creepy ghostly effect on
the room.
● Curse every person within 100 feet to suffer -3 dice on their next roll. This does not affect
you, but it does affect your allies.

After this ability is used, the ghost exits the necromancer’s body and may be quite angry at the
abuse of its form and power.

Duration:​ One round, or until the necromancer chooses to stop making Rouse checks.

Level 5

Fear and Loathing

The practitioner causes an entire city block to suffer depression and loss, in that order.

Cost:​ One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: ​Charisma + Necromancy

System: ​All mortals (including ghouls) on the same city block as the necromancer immediately
becomes depressed or fearful, with blood resonance going to Melancholic for all affected within
the hour.

The mortals affected in this way suffer a -3 die penalty on rolls that have consequence to their
lives. Trivial tasks suffer no penalty, but if a roll really counts, the penalty applies. This
represents both lack of energy and motivation, as well as the bad luck that necromantic
energies bring.

Duration:​ One night

What Happens in Vegas...

The necromancer rips a ghost into the material world, harming the world in the process.

Cost:​ One Rouse Check

Dice Pools: ​Manipulation + Necromancy vs the ghost’s Composure + Resolve

System: ​The ghost affected becomes material, allowing it to be harmed using conventional
weapons and powers, while allowing it to affect the world directly with its own abilities.

The physical location where this power is used is permanently affected, with the barrier between
this world and the shadowlands torn. All Necromancy powers used in this area have a +2 die
bonus on related rolls. On the other hand, ghosts may sometimes slip into this world through
this rip. The area will forever be rumored to be haunted.

Duration: ​The ghost remains corporeal for a number of rounds equal to successes. The barrier
between this world and the next is permanently affected.