This Ritual allows a vampire to invoke the anguish of fire in a victim’s blood. Blistering heat emerges from the target’s veins and causes intense pain. The power from this Ritual differs from Cauldron of Blood (see Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 274) in that it is usable from a distance and an efficient way to incapacitate rather than kill the victim.
Ingredients: A sample of the target’s blood, a visual depiction of the target such as a photo, painting, or video recording, a candle made from red wax or a lighter made of iron.
Process: The vampire concentrates on the visual depiction of their target (which can be the individual in person) and burns the target’s blood sample, usually held in a petri dish, glass bottle, or vial, over the flame. The effect occurs almost immediately, as the victim’s blood heats up in their veins.
System: The player makes a Ritual roll following the incantation versus the target’s Resolve + Occult (or Resolve + Fortitude, if the target is a creature with this Discipline). Each point of the vampire’s margin is applied as Superficial Health damage that also inflicts wracking pain upon the victim, forcing them to incur a −2 dice penalty to Physical pools for the remainder of the scene. On a critical win, the penalty increases to −3. A Kindred target must make a Rouse Check due to the damage to their vitae.