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VtR Custom Disciplines
Subvolo: Discipline of Flight
Credit: Username Pendragon.
Tales tell of a time, thousands of years before the first written records, when the Kindred ruled the sky. Like great owls they emerged each night from high mountain dwellings to drift across the clouds. From on high they selected their prey, calmly, carefully, they drew them from the earth with subtle forces to feast upon beneath the open stars. But those times are long past, and the fabled Kindred of the Sky long extinct.
However, through the blood of ancients and the accursed strix their signature Discipline lives on. Dubbed Subvolo in modern times, it is the disciple of subtle force and weightless terror. Coveted by the distant elite, few ever learn of Subvolo’s existence, and fewer still practice it. Indeed there are only a handful of routes to learning Subvolo.
The first is by tutor, studying at the hands of an Elder. For most this requires the vampire be among the elders Children, or to have earned a place in his good graces. There are also a few Bloodlines, such as the Tengu of Japan, who have brought this Discipline back into their blood. But their numbers are few and their outlook elite, the lines do not like to share. The final way is through the Strix. On rare occasion Subvolo will manifest, as though an in-clan discipline, in vampires who have been possessed by the Owls. Amongst the Ordo Dracul this has spawned a unique theory, that the ancient Kindred of the sky did not die out, they simply found new prey.
Weightless Step (•)
Cost: None.
Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive
Duration: Scene
Description: The first step in mastering the sky, a practitioner of Subvolo discards his own weight. The Vampire moves smoothly, making no noise and leaving no prints. He can cross any vertical or horizontal surface without issue, even moving up walls or over liquids without sinking. But he may not yet fly and remains locked to surfaces. Should Weightless Step be activated in open air the vampire drifts downwards slowly and silently, landing without a sound and taking no damage regardless of the distance he fell.
Invisible Hand (••)
Cost: 0 or 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Larceny + Subvolo vs. Stamina + Supernatural Advantage
Action: Contested
Duration: Variable, See Text.
Description: With a simple gesture the Vampire robs an object (or being) of its weight, lifting it with his will alone. The object moves slowly, at a stately walking pace, and cannot be used to attack (though creative use of great heights is acceptable). Objects are manipulated as though cupped in the Vampire’s hands, rendering fine manipulation difficult. For smaller objects, size 1-2 this ability has no cost. Size 3-4 objects require 1 Vitae, and size 5+ remains out of the Vampire’s reach at this level.
Objects manipulated must be and remain within Blood Potency * 10 yards of the Vampire, otherwise the effects of Subvolo end. Should the object be struck by a firm external force it is knocked free and immediately drops to the ground. Living beings lifted with Subvolo no longer add Athletics to their Defense, but have other options to arrest their movement. By kicking off walls or clinging to anchored objects one breaks the hold of Invisible Hand.
- Note: Weightless Force?
Subvolo is not psychokinesis, it does not apply physical forces. Subvolo robs things of their weight, as though gravity itself has abandoned them. Therefore while Subvolo can certainly make objects fly, it cannot crush, choke, break or otherwise damage them on it’s own.
On Wings of Shadow (•••)
Cost: +1 Vitae
Dice Pool: None, Improves Weightless Step
Action: Reflex
Duration: Scene
Description: The Kindred of the Sky did not content themselves to simply drift about the earth, they soared the heavens On Wings of Shadow. By spending a point of Vitae while activating Weightless Step the Vampire may abandon the earth altogether, taking to the sky. She flies at her standard move speed, unmodified by merits or other Disciplines, with total control over her movement. Should she be incapacitated while flying she will not immediately plunge to the earth, but instead drifts weightlessly to the ground.
The Gentle Talon (••••)
Cost: +2 Vitae
Dice Pool: None, Improves Invisible Hand
Action: Reflex
Duration: Scene
Description: A master of Subvolo needn’t dirty herself with decent, her prey will be brought to the sky. By spending 2 Vitae while using Invisible Hand the Vampire expands her abilities. For this invocation she may move objects and entities up to size 10. People and objects lifted in this fashion are not so easy to wrench free, it requires a roll of Strength + Athletics to contest the Discipline activation. This can only be performed if the contesting force is firmly rooted to the ground, otherwise it will simply be carried off along with the vampire’s victim.
Boundless Horizon (•••••)
Cost: 3 Vitae
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Athletics + Subvolo
Action: Instant
Duration: [Successes] Actions
Description: The fury of Subvolo is something to behold, though the Discipline creates no force, it is not without power. With a sweep of her hand the Vampire unleashes waves of weightlessness. Everything within her Blood Potency * 10 yards not firmly fastened to the ground is robbed of it’s weight. When invoking this power the Vampire may choose to dictate a vector (traditionally “Up”), sending all objects drifting in that direction at a walking pace. If no direction is given, they simply float in place, unmoving unless disturbed by an outside force.
Living creatures may attempt to arrest their movement by clinging to entrenched objects and structures, but doing so will not free them of Subvolo’s grasp. The vampire, on the other hand, can move freely via Weightless Step, and use Invisible Hand to manipulate floating objects normally too large for her power. When the power finally ends all people and objects drift harmlessly back to the earth.
