Oblivion: Lasombra

Description:

Few Kindred outside Clan Lasombra and the Hecata know the Discipline of Oblivion, and as far as the Camarilla is concerned, this is a good thing. While the Lasombra favor the Discipline’s raw power, the more necromantically-inclined Hecata explore its ritual uses. With this power, vampires wield the very stuff of shadows and unlife as weapons. Some call the power’s source the Abyss, while other practitioners refer to it as the Labyrinth. The one certainty is Oblivion channels the darkest arts, from where the dead go to die. The masters of Oblivion call upon it to wreathe themselves in night, enslave spectres, or throttle victims with their own shadow. Each time they use it, wielders run the risk of losing their soul and Humanity to something darker than death and twice as hungry.

Characteristics:

The powers of Oblivion allow for the control of forces or spirits of an extradimensional element, originating from a plane of death and nothingness.
When manifest, this element projects into our reality as two-dimensional shadows on the surface of three-dimensional objects, either by themselves or as extensions of the wielder’s own shadow, snaking along the ground, walls, objects, or people. This makes them impossible to attack with most physical means as any blow will only hit the surface on which they’re projected, rather than the entities themselves.
Oblivion projections and spirits sustain damage from fire and sunlight, counting as vampires with Blood Potency 1 in this regard. They also take one level of Aggravated damage per round from bright, direct lights, and may also be damaged (Superficially or Aggravated) from blessed weapons and artifacts, depending on the strength of the blessing and any True Faith of the wielder.
Oblivion’s powers are ineffective in brightly lit areas.
Daylight and rooms without shadows are particularly prohibitive, preventing the Discipline’s successful function, though ultraviolet light and infrared light places no restriction on the Discipline’s use. Moderately lit rooms apply a one die penalty to the Discipline roll involved.
The use of these powers takes a heavy toll on the psyche of the user, and many powers cause Stains as the numbing emptiness of Oblivion seeps into the spirit of the wielder.

Type
Mental

Masquerade threat
Medium-High
The abyssal shadows rarely show up well on cameras but are obviously unnatural if witnessed in person.

Blood Resonance
Psychopaths and the emotionally detached. Blood empty of Resonance.

Note
When making a Rouse check for an Oblivion power, a result of "1" or "10" results in a Stain, in addition to any Hunger gained. If the user’s Blood Potency allows for a re-roll on the Rouse check, they can pick either of the two results.

Powers - Level 1:

Name & Requirements	Description & Cost	Dice Pools	System	Duration
Vampire the Masquerade: Core Rulebook
Shadow Cloak	Subtly applying the influence of Oblivion on ambient shadows, the user masks their appearance or seems more sinister and threatening. Cost: Free	N/A	The vampire gains a two-dice bonus to Stealth rolls, as well as on Intimidation versus mortals.	Passive
Oblivion's Sight	The vampire closes their eyes. Upon opening them, the irises of their eyes are black against the white of their sclera, and they can now see clearly within pitch blackness, and can perceive ghosts who are not actively hiding their presence. Cost: Free	N/A	On activation, the user’s eyes become supernaturally attuned to darkness, allowing them to ignore all low-light penalties, including those of supernatural origin. They still need their eyes to see and are affected by blindfolds and the like as usual. If a ghost is present and not attempting stealth or using a power to conceal its presence, the spirit becomes visible to the vampire using Oblivion’s Sight. In such cases, ghosts appear as they wish to appear, whether as humans bearing the wounds that caused their death, as spectral monstrosities, or as perfectly immaculate corpses. Ghosts do not automatically realize when a vampire spots them, but if they do, many react with fear or anger rather than passivity. This power does not grant the ability to make physical contact with ghosts.	One Scene

Powers - Level 2:

Name & Requirements	Description & Cost	Dice Pools	System	Duration
Vampire the Masquerade: Core Rulebook
Shadow Cast	Oblivion is powerful but can often be foiled by the simple lack of appropriate shadows from which to summon it. This power draws upon the darkness within the user to project a supernatural shadow from which to manifest other powers, no matter the ambient lightning. This shadow usually mimics the movement and shape of the user but can sometimes grow distorted and even monstrous, resonating with the current temperament of its owner. Cost: One rouse check	N/A	Activating the power conjures a supernatural shadow from the vampire’s body. As long as the power is active, the user casts this shadow, which cannot be removed except by direct sunlight. Anyone witnessing the practitioner notices the shadow cast from no visible light source on a Wits + Awareness roll (Difficulty 3). The vampire can direct their shadow, elongating or distorting (but not detaching) it at will, though it can sometimes act on its own accord, at the Storyteller’s discretion. For the purposes of other powers such as Shadow Perspective, the shadow can be lengthened to up to twice the practitioner’s Oblivion rating in yards/meters. For anyone standing within the shadow’s reach, the Willpower damage from social conflict increases by 1 after halving for Superficial harm. Standing in Oblivion’s shadow is a terrifying prospect.	One scene
Arms of Ahriman Requires: Potence 2	The vampire summons abyssal appendages from unlit spots in the area, within line of sight. Local shadows distort as murky tentacles snake out from them and converge on one or more hapless victims. Whether by gliding up the body of the victim or engaging in a mystic grapple with the victim’s own shadow, the arms are able to hold them in place or smother them. Cost: One rouse check	Wits + Oblivion	The user takes one turn and pays the cost, summoning the shadow appendages. Using these, the vampire can perform bludgeoning and grappling attacks against distant targets every subsequent turn. Additional arms can be created by splitting the dice pool, enabling the user to engage multiple opponents. (see Vampire: The Masquerade p. 125). The arms use the vampire’s Wits + Oblivion to attack and deal Superficial damage or grapple, adding half the user’s Potence rating (round up) as a damage bonus. The vampire can do nothing else except control the arms while this power is active. They can also be used to perform simple actions (such as opening doors and pulling levers) but nothing as advanced as typing or controlling vehicles. The arms have a length (in yards/meters) equal to twice the Oblivion dots of the user. (Note that the arms, being shadows, move across surfaces, not air, and any distances must take this into account.) As two-dimensional shadows, they can only be harmed by bright light, such as from a powerful torch or daylight. The arms have three health levels and use their owner’s Wits + Oblivion to avoid and endure attacks. The Wits + Oblivion roll allows the tendrils to attempt to snake into the dark corners of a room or overpower the light for a turn, taking a health level of damage but continuing the assault. As the shadow tendrils constrict and assault victims via magical means, it takes an act of will to escape them. A constricted victim may roll Resolve + Composure and achieve more successes than the attacker to simply pass through the tendrils incurring no harm. This action does not dissipate the Arms of Ahriman, which can attack again on a subsequent turn if the wielder wishes it and the target is still within reach.	One scene or until ended or destroyed

Powers - Level 3:

Name & Requirements	Description & Cost	Dice Pools	System	Duration
Vampire the Masquerade: Core Rulebook
Shadow Perspective	The vampire can project their senses into any shadow within line of sight, seeing and hearing as if they were hiding within any part of it. This includes their own shadow, as manipulated by Shadow Cast (see p. 293). Cost: One rouse check	N/A	Following a Rouse Check, the presence of the vampire in the shadow is undetectable by anything but supernatural means. (Sense the Unseen, for example). While this power is active the vampire perceives both their surroundings as well as what can be gleaned from the Shadow Perspective, as if looking through a screen or hole.	Up to one scene
Touch of Oblivion	The vampire using Touch of Oblivion channels the power through their vitae. When they make physical contact with a victim, the annihilating element runs through the vampire and into their prey like an electric current, except the effect is to physically wither the target area. Effective on any part of the body, the touch shrinks and shortens muscles, snaps tendons, and makes bones brittle, effectively aging the affected part catastrophically. Its main use is in withering a limb, choking a throat, or blinding a pair of eyes. Cost: One rouse check		Following a Rouse Check, the vampire grips their victim (requiring a Strength + Brawl roll if the victim is trying to avoid the vampire), with the victim suffering two levels of Aggravated damage as well as a crippling injury. If this injury is inflicted to an arm or leg, the targeted limb is rendered crippled and will in the case of mortals require lengthy rehabilitation, while vampires can mend the damage as regular Aggravated damage. Likewise, Touch of Oblivion may render a target mute, deaf, or blind. See crippling injuries in Vampire: The Masquerade (p. 303) for details on the mechanical effects of crippled limbs. Storytellers may decide that such mutilation warrents Stains.	One turn

Powers - Level 4:

Name & Requirements

Description & Cost

Dice Pools

System

Duration

Vampire the Masquerade: Core Rulebook

Stygian Shroud

Darkness spews out of a nearby shadow as the vampire blankets the area around them in gloom equivalent to a moonless night, while sounds are muffled and indistinct. Anyone viewing the effect from without see it as a shadow expanding over every surface, including the bodies of any victims, in the area. Those apart from the invoker caught in the effects find themselves struggling to see and hear their surroundings, and mortals are drained of their very life by the suffocating power.

Cost:
One rouse check

N/A

The user makes a Rouse Check and spends a turn concentrating, spreading the shadow over the desired surfaces. The effect covers a circular area with a radius equal to twice the user’s Oblivion rating in yards/ meters. The area is centered on the user or a spot in their line of sight.

Anyone caught in the Stygian Shroud receives a three-dice penalty to all rolls, unless they possess the ability to see through supernatural darkness. Any mortals caught in the Stygian Shroud suffer one level of Superficial damage for every turn they remain within it, due to the power’s suffocating effects.

One scene

Powers - Level 5:

Name & Requirements	Description & Cost	Dice Pools	System	Duration
Vampire the Masquerade: Core Rulebook
Shadow Step	Stepping into a nearby shadow, the user disappears only to reappear from the same or another shadow further away. Whether they enter the Labyrinth or merely pass along its surface is a source of conjecture among many Lasombra and Hecata, but the spiritual damage with which they can emerge implies they are touching something foul as they use this power. Cost: One rouse check	N/A	The vampire must enter a shadow large enough to cover them, and emerge from another one turn later. The target shadow must be within sight, though it can be perceived by mystical means, such as Shadow Perspective, if desired. It is possible to bring another through the passage, but unless that person is willing, they must be held by a successful grapple. If a Stain is incurred as a result of using this power, the passenger also receives one.	One turn
Tenebrous Avatar	The vampire gains the ability to change their very substance into that of a shadow, becoming a two-dimensional patch of darkness able to slither over any surface and through miniscule gaps and cracks. While in this form the vampire is only harmed by fire and sunlight. Cost: Two rouse check	N/A	The transformation takes one turn, during which the vampire is unable to do anything else. Once the transformation is complete the vampire can move at walking pace across the ground or along walls, hampered only by hermetically sealed barriers. Vampires using Tenebrous Avatar can envelop victims, causing the victim to reduce all their dice pools by three and suffocating mortals as with Stygian Shroud, above. If surrounding a mortal, the vampire can feed from them without penetrating the skin with fangs. Practitioners of this power take no damage from physical sources but can be harmed by fire and sunlight as normal. Mental Disciplines can still be used at the Storyteller’s discretion.	One scene or until ended