The name of this Discipline refers to an opium-and-alcohol mixture given to Helen of Troy by an Egyptian queen. The drink was said to lull all pain and anger, and bring forgetfulness of every sorrow. Although Anvari use of this Discipline may predate the time of Helen, the bloodline could have used this name for over a millennium. The Discipline arises from the bloodline’s familiarity and close association with opium and other narcotics. Through it, an Anvari can manipulate the very nature of a subject’s blood, inducing euphoria, desire and even debilitating pain — despite the connotations of the Discipline’s name. A common use of Nepenthe is to set mortals on the path to narcotics addiction, providing a Pusher with both a suitable vessel and a contact she can blackmail or coerce.
Not surprisingly, Nepenthe is more effective against mortals than Kindred. Perhaps this is due to the subtle differences in Kindred and mortal blood, or because vampires have more control over their own bodies in many ways, or because one is still alive and the other is dead. Regardless of the reason, nearly all of the Discipline’s effects are contested, allowing a vampire’s Blood Potency to provide him with an often-decisive advantage.
A mortal can resist the effects of certain Nepenthe powers for a turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point and a successful Stamina roll (the Willpower point does not add three dice to this roll). The roll is reflexive. If it fails, the Willpower point is spent and the mortal remains under the effects of the power. If it is successful, the victim can act normally for one turn with no modifiers to traits or dice pools. A vampire with a higher Blood Potency than the Anvari using Nepenthe can resist a specific power for the remainder of the scene with a Willpower point and a successful roll.
In Sumeria, the opium poppy was known as the hal gil. With drugs and drug-users playing such an important part in Anvari existence, being able to identify likely vessels is a necessity. Sampling allows an Anvari to detect any drugs in her presence.
Cost: —
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Streetwise + Nepenthe
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character receives completely false or misleading information about the presence of drugs. Storytellers may make rolls on players’ behalf for this reason.
Failure: The character receives no information at all about the presence of drugs, but a successive attempt may be possible.
Success: The character gains a sense of the location of any narcotics within 30 yards for the remainder of the scene. As this power can provide information with senses other than sight (smell, touch, taste), the Anvari does not necessarily need to have direct line of sight to the substance as long as she can some how sense it. Fragrance of the Hal Gil also allows an Anvari to determine if someone in her line of sight is under the influence of a narcotic.
Exceptional Success: As per a success, and the character can identify all types of drugs in her presence. An Anvari can also use Fragrance of the Hal Gil to identify any Kindred who has fed on a vessel under the influence of a narcotic since sunset. Use of Obfuscate defies this power just like it does normal senses.
This power does not detect individuals who suffer an addiction, only those who currently have a narcotic (or perhaps any drug on an exceptional success) active in their system. Combining this power with that of Heightened Senses (Auspex; Vampire, p. 119) extends the range to 60 yards.
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier Situation
+2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162)
+1 Subject has used drugs in the past hour
–1 Crowded room or area
–1 Numerous drugs or other addicts in area
This power allows an Anvari to instantly strip himself or another of the effects of a narcotic substance. It is most often used as a punishment for a disobedient vessel than to cleanse the Anvari himself (few members of the bloodline willingly give up the euphoria of opium once they’re in its thrall). In an emergency, however, the power does allow a vampire to return to his senses quickly. Recently, some Kindred have found it useful for hiding overdose deaths from forensic scientists by using it immediately after a user passes.
The Anvari must be able to see the subject with the naked eye to use this power. The vampire does not need to be able to see himself to apply it to himself. Note that this power eliminates the effects of drugs in a subject in the moment. It doesn’t alleviate him of drug addiction, or eliminate the effects of drugs taken in the future.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Medicine + Nepenthe versus subject’s Stamina + Blood Potency
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The vampire’s attempt fails and the subject is immune to any other uses of the vampire’s Nepenthe until the next sunset. If a dramatic failure is rolled for the subject, the Anvari is considered to get an exceptional success.
Failure: An equal number or the most successes are rolled for the subject and he remains affected by the drug. Successive attempts might be made at the expense of more Vitae.
Success: The most successes are rolled for the Anvari and the subject is instantly cleansed of all traces and effects of narcotics.
Exceptional Success: The most successes — five or more — are rolled for the vampire and the subject suffers the effects of a success. Any efforts on the subject’s part to resist the effects of toxins or drugs are also at a +1 bonus until the next sunset.
A subject cannot restore the effects of drugs in his system with the expenditure of a Willpower point and a successful Stamina roll. He needs to dose himself up again.
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier Situation
+2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162)
This power stimulates a powerful desire in the subject for a hit of a specific drug — usually a narcotic, but not necessarily — as chosen by the Anvari. Nothing more than a gaze in person is necessary to inflict this desire. Members of the bloodline make frequent use of Crave the Caress, whether to quickly produce a vessel suitable for feeding, to provide themselves with an edge in a negotiation, or to start someone down the path to addiction.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Seduction + Nepenthe versus subject’s Composure + Blood Potency
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The Anvari’s attempt to stimulate a desire for a drug is so clumsy that the subject finds the substance repulsive. The subject is immune to further uses of Nepenthe by the vampire for the remainder of the night. If a dramatic failure is rolled for the subject, the Anvari is considered to get an exceptional success.
Failure: A tie is rolled or most successes go to the subject. The vampire may try again in a successive attempt if more Vitae is spent.
Success: The most successes are rolled for the Anvari and the subject is overcome with a powerful desire for the drug in question, which persists for the remainder of the scene. The subject readily accepts and immediately takes the drug if anyone provides it. Alternatively, the vampire may use the subject’s desire as leverage, gaining a +2 modifier to any Social rolls involving her.
Exceptional Success: The vampire wins the contested roll with five or more successes and the subject reacts as per a success. In this case, however, the desire for the drug lingers in the subject for the remainder of the night.
To take full advantage of this power, an Anvari should have ready access to whatever drug for which he inflicts a hunger. Once the drug is taken, the subject suffers all its normal effects. A wise Anvari therefore withholds the drug until the subject is of little further use.
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier Situation
+4 Power is turned on a subject who has both the Gluttony Vice and Addiction (narcotics) Flaw
+2 Power is turned on a subject who has the Gluttony Vice or Addiction (narcotics) Flaw
+2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162)
+2 Power is turned on a subject who already is or used to be addicted to narcotics
An Anvari with this power is so familiar with a narcotic’s effects that she can reproduce them in another at will. A single touch allows the vampire to affect the chosen subject’s blood, inducing the effects of a drug in his system. (See “Touching an Opponent” on p. 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook.)
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Presence + Medicine + Nepenthe versus subject’s Composure + Blood Potency
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The power inflicts the vampire, not her chosen subject, with the effects of the narcotic until sunrise. If a dramatic failure is rolled for the subject, the Anvari is considered to get an exceptional success.
Failure: An equal number or the most successes are rolled for the subject. The character is unable to affect her this turn, although successive attempts may be possible at the expense of more Vitae.
Success: The most successes are rolled for the Anvari and the subject immediately suffers the effects of the narcotic, becoming euphoric and relaxed. The subject’s ability to feel pain is greatly reduced. He does not suffer wound penalties for the duration of the power, but all his dice pools and Resistance traits such as Defense are reduced by two for that time. (See “Drugs” on p. 176 of the World of Darkness Rulebook.)
Exceptional Success: The character wins the contested roll with five or more successes and the subject reacts as per a success. The subject is also overcome by the initial rush of the drug’s effects and loses his next action if Initiative has been rolled.
Use of this power satisfies the hunger for a narcotic created by other powers (such as Crave the Caress) at least temporarily, giving the Anvari a powerful carrot-and-stick bargaining chip.
The Kiss of Hal Gil does not usually last as long as a natural dose of a narcotic. The duration depends on the number of successes rolled.
Successes Duration
1 success Two turns
2 successes Five turns
3 successes 20 turns (1 minute)
4 successes 10 minutes
5+ successes One hour or the remainder of the scene
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier Situation
+4 Power is turned on a subject who is currently addicted to opiates
+2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162)
+2 Power is turned on a subject who used to be addicted to opiates or who is currently under the effects of the Crave the Caress power
Even the Anvari recognize that there are limits to the beneficial effects of a narcotic. A mortal vessel can take only so much exposure before he suffers damage and could die. The more resilient bodies of vampires aren’t as susceptible to harm, but even they can feel the effects of an overdose. A Pusher need simply look at an intended victim directly to apply this power.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Strength + Medicine + Nepenthe versus subject’s Stamina + Blood Potency
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Use of the power against the intended victim fails and she is immune to further uses of the character’s Nepenthe until the next sunset. If a dramatic failure is rolled for the subject, the Anvari is considered to get an exceptional success.
Failure: The contested roll ties or the most successes are rolled for the subject. The vampire may make a successive attempt if another Vitae is spent.
Success: The most successes are rolled for the Anvari and the victim is affected as if he had suffered a potentially lethal overdose of a narcotic. Stamina + Resolve is rolled once for the victim to resist the effects of a poison with a toxicity of 5 (see World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 180). The power inflicts damage a single time, but the victim’s dice pools and Resistance traits are reduced by three and he does not suffer wound penalties for the remainder of the power’s duration.
Exceptional Success: The Anvari wins with five or more successes and the victim is affected as per a success, but the toxicity of the poison is 7.
Since the primary effects of a narcotic overdose restrict breathing and heart functions, other Kindred are immune to damage from this power. The lingering narcotic effects have normal consequences (the vampiric victim’s dice pools and Resistance traits are reduced by three and he does not suffer wound penalties for the remainder of the power’s duration). While the victim resists the toxicity of this power only once, the duration of the lingering narcotic effect depends on the number of successes rolled when the power is invoked.
Successes Duration
1 success Two turns
2 successes Five turns
3 successes 20 turns (1 minute)
4 successes 10 minutes
5+ successes One hour or the remainder of the scene
The effects of this power cannot be ignored temporarily with the expenditure of a Willpower point and a successful Stamina roll.
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier Situation
+2 Power is turned on a subject who is already under the effects of a narcotic
+2 Power is turned on a subject who is or was at one time addicted to narcotics
+2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162)