•••• Mortal Balm
It is said in many cultures that the flesh and blood are the body of the soul, and when someone dies, her body becomes an empty shell, rotting slowly away until nothing remains. The Noctuku have discovered through their perverse rituals that the body that remains — when properly prepared — can act as protective armor. The Noctuku removes the skin of the victim, preparing it like the hide of an animal, and can then drape it over himself for protection. The flesh becomes a leathery, ablative casing, protecting the vampire from the rays of the sun, the heat of flames or other attacks. This cured hide is heavy and semi-flexible, trading freedom of motion for protection.
Mortals and Kindred who encounter a Noctuku wearing the hide may not understand exactly what it is that they’re seeing. Most will mistake it for poorly prepared or hastily stitched leather unless they get a good chance to look it over. An observer attempting to identify it must garner a success on a Wits + Academics roll. Those who wish to identify the person (or specific creature) the hide came from will have to take the opportunity to examine it at length, acquiring a number of successes (as directed by the Storyteller) on an extended Intelligence + Investigation or Intelligence + Science roll. A Noctuku can choose to make identification more difficult by working or warping the hide (represented by a further Dexterity + Crafts roll, adding to the number of successes required on the extended forensic attempt).
Rather than sacrificing mobility for protection on a hunt, most Noctuku will keep a supply of prepared hides in their havens, sleeping under a pile of them for safety.
The process of preparation takes one night for each hide — the skin must be removed from the victim, scraped, dried and mystically imbued with the vampire’s will. Putting on the hide takes one turn.
Mortals and Kindred who encounter a Noctuku wearing the hide may not understand exactly what it is that they’re seeing. Most will mistake it for poorly prepared or hastily stitched leather unless they get a good chance to look it over. An observer attempting to identify it must garner a success on a Wits + Academics roll. Those who wish to identify the person (or specific creature) the hide came from will have to take the opportunity to examine it at length, acquiring a number of successes (as directed by the Storyteller) on an extended Intelligence + Investigation or Intelligence + Science roll. A Noctuku can choose to make identification more difficult by working or warping the hide (represented by a further Dexterity + Crafts roll, adding to the number of successes required on the extended forensic attempt).
Rather than sacrificing mobility for protection on a hunt, most Noctuku will keep a supply of prepared hides in their havens, sleeping under a pile of them for safety.
The process of preparation takes one night for each hide — the skin must be removed from the victim, scraped, dried and mystically imbued with the vampire’s will. Putting on the hide takes one turn.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: The hide produced is worthless, and the vampire exhausts herself in the process of attempting to activate the power, expending an additional point of Willpower.
Failure: The hide does not preserve properly, and will provide no protection.
Success: The hide is preserved, transforming it, for all intents and purposes, into armor with the following qualities: Rating 2/2, Strength 2, Defense –1, Speed –1. The hide can be layered, as with normal armor, with the attendant addition of bonuses and penalties. If the hide absorbs two points of damage, the hide disintegrates immediately and cannot be used again. The hide will absorb aggravated damage caused by sunlight or flame as well as that of normal attacks, so long as the whole of the Noctuku’s body (or whichever part is exposed to the damage-dealing factor) is wrapped in the hide.
Exceptional Success: The hide produced has the following qualities instead of those listed above: Rating 3/3, Strength 2, Defense –1, Speed 0.
Failure: The hide does not preserve properly, and will provide no protection.
Success: The hide is preserved, transforming it, for all intents and purposes, into armor with the following qualities: Rating 2/2, Strength 2, Defense –1, Speed –1. The hide can be layered, as with normal armor, with the attendant addition of bonuses and penalties. If the hide absorbs two points of damage, the hide disintegrates immediately and cannot be used again. The hide will absorb aggravated damage caused by sunlight or flame as well as that of normal attacks, so long as the whole of the Noctuku’s body (or whichever part is exposed to the damage-dealing factor) is wrapped in the hide.
Exceptional Success: The hide produced has the following qualities instead of those listed above: Rating 3/3, Strength 2, Defense –1, Speed 0.