This Discipline enables the Gethsemani to cause others to suffer wounds similar to those borne by Christ at the time of the Crucifixion. With a single light touch, a Gethsemani seems to imbue a target with a sense of religious rapture that most obviously manifests as open wounds. The Gethsemani, or any other, who imbibes the blood from these wounds discovers that along with any nourishment gained, certain special abilities are passed along. In most cases, the blood augments the drinker’s Strength, Stamina or Dexterity, but the enhancement from some wounds can be less visible, though no less substantial. Gethsemani of exceptional potency are said to have developed even more miraculous uses of Stigmatica, making statues weep blood and similar wonders.
Stigmatica is known to work on mortals alone, though higher levels may be able to affect Kindred and ghouls. To use the Discipline, an Ecstatic need only place his hand briefly on the target and the player spends a Willpower point. (Making such contact invokes the “Touching an Opponent” rules, p. 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, assuming a subject resists. If the subject doesn’t resist, touch can be assumed to be automatic if within reach.) The Willpower is still lost if the activation roll for a power fails.
The exertion passes a spark of divinity from the Gethsemani to the target, whose body is overwhelmed by the spiritual transference. One or more wounds spontaneously open and blood begins to flow. The experience is a traumatic one for the kine, who not only endures pain but loses a significant amount of blood. The flow provides certain benefits to vampires or ghouls who drink it, depending on the location of the wound and how much blood is consumed. Typically, the number of successes achieved on the Stigmatica roll determines how many Health points a victim loses to lethal harm. After the equivalent in Vitae has bled, the wounds begin to heal normally. If they are reopened by anything other than a subsequent use of this Discipline, any blood is considered normal and confers no special benefit.
The Gethsemani using a power may not conceal the stigmata he inflicts by licking the wounds after taking his fill. The injuries remain evident and can be healed only naturally or via a supernatural curative proffered by someone or something other than one of the Damned.
A victim of a Stigmatica power is not necessarily forced into acquiescence to feeding. The horror and excessive blood loss of the event can allow him to struggle to survive. For a mortal to resist this kind of Kiss, two or more successes must be achieved on a Resolve + Composure roll, instead of the normal three.
Regardless of how much Health a victim loses — how many successes are rolled for the Gethsemani — the victim does not shed more than the equivalent of one Vitae per turn. If five successes are achieved on the Stigmatica roll, the victim suffers five lethal damage and bleeds for five turns. Thus, no more than one Vitae per turn can be consumed from the victim by means of this power. If blood lost is not consumed in the same turn, it loses its supernatural efficacy. After that point, it is a powerless liquid (it does not even restore spent Vitae if consumed later).
The special benefits gained from drinking empowered blood last for the remainder of the evening, vanishing with sunrise. If an Ecstatic awakens during daylight hours, he does not retain any special powers gained the night before.
Any vampire or ghoul — including the Gethsemani herself — who drinks the blood from a Stigmatica wound may gain its benefits. Only one blood-drinker may do so in a single turn. So, a victim could be passed from drinker to drinker from turn to turn for multiple Kindred to enjoy the results. A mortal victim can be subject to only one Stigmatica power at a time (assuming he survives the first).
No more than one of a drinker’s traits may be enhanced by the Discipline at a given time. A drinker might increase his Strength multiple, cumulative times in an evening by consumption of mystical blood. But if his Strength is currently heightened by Palms of Blood, and he consumes blood ushered by The Dolorous Nail, he loses all bonuses to his Strength and gains only the benefit of the second power (a Dexterity increase). The most recent drinking takes precedent over previous ones where different Attribute increases are concerned. No Attribute can be increased beyond the limit allowed by a character’s Blood Potency as a result of drinking stigmatic Vitae. A vampire with a Blood Potency of 3 is still limited to five Attribute dots.
Despite the claims of most of its practitioners, no definitive proof of Stimatica’s divine nature has been revealed. Certainly there’s a preponderance of evidence to support such a claim, but even Gethsemani who declare no faith in God and who deny the spiritual origins of the Discipline appear to be able to use it. The religious devotion of kine subject to the power seems to make no difference, either. While the faithful find it easy to dismiss such discrepancies, others see them as evidence of something less wholesome at work. Hysterics are quick to lay the blame at the Gates of Hell and regard any application of Stigmatica as an insult and challenge to God. Others of a less fanatic bent simply see a mystery worthy of scholarly consideration. Whatever the opinion, this Discipline creates controversy wherever it’s practiced.
Storytellers may wish to make Stigmatica rolls for players in some cases. For example, on a chance roll, a player is unlikely to know if the stigmata that manifests will benefit his character or if it’s tainted.
The following modifiers can apply to uses of this Discipline.
Suggested Modifiers
Bonus Situation
+5 Victim is a “natural” stigmatic (without use of this Discipline)
+4 Victim is especially prone to experiencing super natural phenomena (sees ghosts, has ESP, has done real magic). Possession of the Unseen Sense Merit does not necessarily qualify a subject for this classification.
+3 Victim has frequently been subject to this Discipline
+2 Performed in a holy or supernaturally powerful place
+1 Victim is particularly religious or has already been subject to this Discipline before
Penalty Situation
–1 Victim is a fervent non-believer
–2 to –4 Performed in unsuitable and/or irreverent circumstances, such as during combat or when people are laughing
With a touch, the Gethsemani causes a mortal to experience an almost unbearable surge of pain as the flesh of the kine’s back opens spontaneously as if in response to a score of cruel lashes. The bleeding can be enough to render the victim unconscious and possibly even result in death. The blood that seeps from the horrid wounds is not ordinary. Not only can it provide the usual sustenance that a Gethsemani craves, but it’s imbued with a mystical power that supernaturally fortifies the Stamina of the Kindred or ghoul who consumes it, providing the kind of endurance that Christ required to bear his cross while suffering the sting of Roman whips. The Scourging cannot be used on Kindred or ghouls.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Stamina + Intimidation + Stigmatica
Action: Instant for activation of the power, though the full effect of the blood is conferred only after each turn of drinking. Devouring the blessed blood requires an action each turn.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Wounds appear on the victim and they bleed, but they’re poison to drinkers. After all possible Vitae has been consumed from a victim, the blood turns to ash inside the drinker, inflicting a point of lethal damage per Vitae consumed. No Vitae or other benefits are gained, either.
Failure: No wounds are inflicted on the intended victim, although a successive attempt may be made with the expenditure of another Willpower point.
Success: The mortal bleeds, losing a number of Health to lethal damage equal to the successes achieved on the activation roll. For each Vitae consumed by a Kindred or ghoul, the individual receives an additional dot of Stamina that lasts until sunrise. That also means a temporary increase in the character’s Health dots. Rules for dealing with this increase and what happens to injuries sustained when the benefit vanishes are detailed in the “Temporary Health Dots” sidebar on p. 173 of the World of Darkness Rulebook.
Exceptional Success: Numerous successes rolled are their own reward.
In classic fashion, the mortal touched feels as if nails are hammered through her palms and she watches in rapt horror as blood flows from a puncture in each hand. If this blood is ingested, the recipient discovers a miraculous vigor lent to his limbs. This power is highly controversial. Scientists and anthropologists have declared that Christ would have been nailed through the wrists, not the hands, if expected to hang on the cross for any length of time. Many Kindred point to this as evidence that Stigmatica is only a blasphemous imitation of the Passion. Believers declare that the manifestation of the stigmata depends on faith, not fact, so the wounds emulate those that Christ is believed to have suffered. Whatever the case, there is no doubting the invigorating benefit of the blood that seeps from the wounds. Palms of Blood cannot be used on Kindred or ghouls.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Resolve + Empathy + Stigmatica
Action: Instant for activation of the power, though the full effect of the blood is conferred only after each turn of drinking. Devouring the blessed blood requires an action each turn.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Wounds appear on the victim and they bleed, but they’re poison to drinkers. After all possible Vitae has been consumed from a victim, the blood turns to ash inside the drinker, inflicting a point of lethal damage per Vitae consumed. No Vitae or other benefits are gained, either.
Failure: No wounds are inflicted on the intended victim, although a successive attempt may be made with the expenditure of another Willpower point.
Success: Each success achieved inflicts one point of lethal damage and releases the equivalent of one Vitae per turn thereafter. Each of these Vitae consumed provides a Kindred or ghoul with an additional dot of Strength for the remainder of the night. Note that a drinker’s Speed increases accordingly. The injuries make it difficult for the victim to perform manual actions. A –2 penalty is applied to all dice pools involving use of the hands until the wounds are healed.
Exceptional Success: Numerous successes rolled are their own reward.
The last and longest nail driven into Christ’s mortal flesh pierced both his feet and sank deep into the cross that bore him. Victims who experience this stigmata are crippled, so great is the agony that courses from their bloodied feet. For those who partake of the resulting blood, the experience is one of ecstasy. The drinker is able to move faster and with more agility than ever before. The Dolorous Nail cannot be used on Kindred or ghouls.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Empathy + Stigmatica
Action: Instant for activation of the power, though the full effect of the blood is conferred only after each turn of drinking. Devouring the blessed blood requires an action each turn.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Wounds appear on the victim and they bleed, but they’re poison to drinkers. After all possible Vitae has been consumed from a victim, the blood turns to ash inside the drinker, inflicting a point of lethal damage per Vitae consumed. No Vitae or other benefits are gained, either.
Failure: No wounds are inflicted on the intended victim, although a successive attempt may be made with the expenditure of another Willpower point.
Success: Each of the victim’s feet is suddenly punctured all the way through as if by a large spike, leaving the stigmatic unable to support his own weight. Each success rolled inflicts a point of lethal damage and liberates the equivalent of one Vitae per turn thereafter. The victim’s Speed is reduced by two for every Health point lost, to a minimum on zero. Each Vitae consumed lends an additional dot of Dexterity to the drinker until sunrise. The result increases the drinker’s Speed and Initiative accordingly, with a possible increase in Defense.
Exceptional Success: Numerous successes rolled are their own reward.
The Gethsemani is able to cause a mortal touched to experience a rush of pain accompanied by the opening of dozens of small wounds on the scalp. In some cases, only a small trickle of blood seeps forth, but sometimes the bleeding is profuse and can result in unconsciousness or worse. In any case, the blood can make it difficult for the victim to see, as it streams down her forehead and into her eyes. Any Kindred or ghoul who consumes this blood experiences a sense of unearthly calm. Crown of Thorns cannot be used on Kindred or ghouls.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Composure + Intimidation + Stigmatica
Action: Instant for activation of the power, though the full effect of the blood is conferred only after each turn of drinking. Devouring the blessed blood requires an action each turn.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Wounds appear on the victim and they bleed, but they’re poison to drinkers. After all possible Vitae has been consumed from a victim, the blood turns to ash inside the drinker, inflicting a point of lethal damage per Vitae consumed. No Vitae or other benefits are gained, either.
Failure: No wounds are inflicted on the intended victim, although a successive attempt may be made with the expenditure of another Willpower point.
Success: The victim responds as if a wicked wreath of thorns were forcefully placed on her head. She suffers a number of points of lethal damage equal to the successes achieved on the Stigmatica roll, and an equal number of Vitae are shed, one per turn. Each Vitae consumed from these wounds by a Kindred or ghoul provides an additional dot of Composure that vanishes at dawn. Both a drinker’s Initiative and Willpower are enhanced by this increase. For each Health point lost, the victim also suffers a –1 penalty to all rolls that require sight until the bleeding stops. (See “Fighting Blind” on p. 166 of the World of Darkness Rulebook.)
Exceptional Success: Numerous successes rolled are their own reward.
The last and most dramatic of the traditional stigmata is the injury caused by Longinus’ spear in Christ’s side. Not only is the wound extremely deep, but it also has extraordinary spiritual significance. To the Lancea Sanctum and others, it is this act more than any other that establishes the divinity of Christ and the special place of Kindred in God’s Creation. The fact that the act marked Longinus as a Dark Messiah adds further weight to the legend. Those who take Vitae from such a wound experience an ecstasy unlike any other. Kindred find their own blood far more potent, while ghouls discover their physical Disciplines suddenly amplified. Spear of Longinus cannot be used on Kindred or ghouls.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Resolve + Empathy + Stigmatica
Action: Instant for activation of the power, though the full effect of the blood is conferred only after each turn of drinking. Devouring the blessed blood requires an action each turn.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Wounds appear on the victim and they bleed, but they’re poison to drinkers. After Vitae has been consumed from the victim, the blood turns to unholy ash inside the drinker, inflicting a point of lethal damage per Vitae consumed. No Vitae or other benefits are gained.
Failure: No wounds are inflicted on the intended victim, although a successive attempt may be made with the expenditure of another Willpower point.
Success: A deep wound opens in the victim’s left side, causing lethal damage equal to the successes rolled +2. A number of Vitae equal to the total is also lost, one per turn. In addition to sustenance gained for each Vitae consumed, a vampire’s Blood Potency increases by one for each three Vitae ingested. So, if three Vitae are drunk, three Vitae are gained and Blood Potency increases by one. If five Vitae are consumed, five Vitae and two Blood Potency are gained. If a ghoul drinks the blood, his highest physical Discipline is increased by one dot for every three Vitae swallowed. These effects last until the first rays of sun appear.
Increased Blood Potency allows a recipient of this power to gain higher Attributes and Skills than before (at least till sunrise), but higher Discipline powers cannot be acquired. The drinker is still limited to powers based on his normal Blood Potency. Even if a Kindred were to use this power to drink Vitae for months, she would be unable to master a Discipline that required a Blood Potency higher than what she officially has. She is able to spend more Vitae per turn, however, and to have more Vitae in her system overall. Extra Blood Potency gained by a vampire is not conferred to one who diablerizes him. The victim’s original Blood Potency determines any rewards of diablerie.
Exceptional Success: Numerous successes rolled are their own reward.