Gargoyles​

Credit: Baldur (Venue ST)

Through the use of complicated and brutal occult procedures they serve as powerful combat forces for their masters.

They have several powerful advantages and equally potent disadvantages that come with their condition. See below:

• Stone-like Skin – These ghouls gain a stone like skin that makes them incredible though granting them an armor rating of 3. This rating isn’t reduced by continued exposure to fire.
• Inhuman Form – Gargoyles also permanently gain up to three Protean 2 Predatory Aspects (minimum of one). Typically these are Claws, Patagia and Wall Crawling which is where these ghouls get their name. These traits are set when becoming a Gargoyle and cannot be changed.
  
  • The nature of a Gargoyle forever marks them as being inhuman and have difficulty pretending to be human. They take a -1 penalty, increasing by -1 for each trait chosen for their Inhuman Form, to hide their nature.
• Clay Flesh – Due to their altered nature Gargoyles heal three bashing per point of Vitae spent on healing.
• Sunlight Vulnerability – Gargoyles however take the Deprived and Lethargic Condition when exposed to sunlight. 
• Water Vulnerability – Being soaked in water removes their natural armor rating while consecrated water deals damage as if it were fire and ignores their armor rating. (Threat a ‘flask’ of holy water as Torch in Size and Intensity). Rain gear and water repelling clothing might provide some armor against these attacks and delay how long before the Gargoyle suffers from this vulnerability.
• Stone Coffin – Finally Gargoyles who would lose their Ghouls status do not revert to being human again. Instead they become stone statues entering a state similar to torpor and can be revived by feeding them enough vitae (equal to their Size).

Though it’s never been attempted Gargoyles that are Embraced are theorized as keeping the majority of their traits such as their Predatory Aspects and stonelike skin. The exact details remain unknown.

Mnemonic Ghouls

Credit: Baldur (Venue ST)

Through the occult-science of the Ordo Dracul the first of these ghouls came into existence. They possess the special ability to store memories and discipline powers in blood.  

These ghouls for the most part are identical to regular ghouls but suffer from the biological and psychological process required to create them. They are frequently lethargic and low energy when not on task and are prone to bouts of depression.

Disadvantage: Mnemonic Ghouls do not restore the first point of Willpower for fulfilling a Vice or Virtue in each Chapter (One Week)

Advantage: A vampire may drink one point of Vitae from the Ghoul and then concentrate on a memory or activate a discipline. The Mnenomic ghoul then ingests a point of Vitae from the vampire in question and captures the memories or discipline’s power. The Ghoul then rolls Intelligence + Resolve. On a successful roll the ghoul has properly extracted the memory or power from the donor Kindred and extracts it into a container, usually through the use of a syringe but some vomit the Vitae up. On a failure the Vitae becomes inert and useless. The ghoul has no recollection of the memorie collected. To deliver the memories the process occurs in reverse and the vampire (or other ghoul) gains those memories. By default the memory taken only contains a few minutes of memories with only sight and sound included. The donor vampire may include longer memories and more detail if they wish. Extending the memories to include up to an hour is a -2 penalty and each additional sense is an additional -1 and can also include emotions.

• If the Ghoul extracts a power then the donor vampire pays all the costs normally associated with the powers use (and cannot include Sorcery). The ghoul takes a penalty equal to the Discipline or Devotions highest rated discipline level to their Intelligence + Resolve roll.
• These stored samples of Vitae last no more than one night per the dot of Stamina the Ghoul possesses but this duration can be doubled if the sample is kept refrigerated.

New Merit: Embed In Blood (•)

Prerequisite: Mnemonic Ghoul

Description: You can hold on to a memory or power inside your own blood for a time before being forced to extract it, helping conceal it and extend its lifespan.

Effect: You may hold onto the extracted memory or power for up to one week per dot of Stamina instead of one night per dot. In addition you may spend a point of Willpower at the end of this duration to refresh the duration. 

Using this merit comes with a few caveats. The ghoul can only hold on to one such memory or power at a time and if they suffer a breaking point during this time they must roll Stamina + Composure. On a failed roll the memory or power is damaged or changed in some way. Mark one of the Ghouls Vitae to represent this stored memory or power. If the Vitae is spent or lost the Ghoul loses the store memory or power.

New Merit: Borrow Knowledge (•••)

Prerequisite: Mnemonic Ghoul

Description: A Kindred may donate some of their knowledge and skills to the ghoul. Through a more drawn out process taking an hour or so the vampire recalls and mentally practises a skill of their choosing.

Effect: The vampire rolls Intelligence + Composure with a penalty of the Mnemonic ghouls current dots in the chosen skill. If the vampire is successful the Mnemonic Ghoul gains one dot in the chosen skill so long as the new rating does no bring them above the vampire’s own.  Kindred can choose to impart a skill specialty instead so long as the ghoul has one dot in the skill and requires a simple success.

The Mnemonic ghoul can only benefit from one instance of this merit at a time.

Guru Ghouls

Credit: Baldur (Venue ST)

The elite and honor-bound ghouls of powerful Kindred to the East that exist as warriors for their Masters. Though rare outside the East they still sometimes are found in North America usually as a result of a bargain between vampires or the Ghouls’ master being slain.

Guru ghouls often exhibit signs similar to a Kindred close to Frenzy and so many wear masks to hide these animalistic and violent ticks. Another side effect is that these ghouls require more Vitae than normal to satisfy their body’s ghoul status.

Disadvantage: These ghouls require more Vitae each week to maintain their Ghoul Status as a result they begin each scene with a -1 penalty to their starting Vitae.  These ghouls also suffer a -1 penalty to almost all Social rolls except Intimidation if they’re faces are not covered.

Advantage: These Ghouls can move dots between the Physical Disciplines. They can spend an Instant action and one point of Vitae. They can then move dots from one Physical Discipline to another which remain until the end of the Scene. These dots cannot go over five.

In addition, they may choose one additional Physical Discipline to count as an In-Clan discipline.

Heisenbergs

Credit: Baldur (Venue ST)

A strange form of ghouldom that was recently discovered but remains poorly understood. These ghouls exist at the death’s threshold but with a foot firmly planted on the living side… so long as they continue to receive Vitae. 

Most of them were saved from death by Kindred feeding them Vitae shortly before their deaths, sometimes from deadly diseases or physical trauma. Creating an Heisenberg has unknown factors involved and cannot be guaranteed let alone properly predicted even if the Kindred has studied the phenomena making these kinds of ghouls a rarity and sometimes highly sought after.

Disadvantage: You’re dying and only Vitae is keeping death away. Should you failed to maintain your status a ghoul death will come for you in less than a day. In addition you seem to draw the attention of spirits and have a unique vulnerability to them taking a -1 to rolls to resist their Numina.

Advantage: You can always tell when there’s a ghost nearby and if you can see them you can tell they are a ghost. The same is true for Vampires. It’s possible this might apply to other creatures related to death but is unknown. If something is using a supernatural power to conceal their presence you may Clash of Wills using your Res + Composure. Additionally, whenever you narrowly escape death you regain a point of Willpower and gain a Beat.