The Nahualli take the name of their unique Discipline from the Nahuatl word for “mirror.” The term ties closely to the bloodline’s belief in the aspected nature of undead existence. Each side of their being, civilized individual and raging Beast, is considered a mere reflection of the other. The Nahualli claim that Tezcatl isn’t truly a Discipline at all, but a manifestation of their ascension toward duality. The powers can seem to lend credence to that assertion, allowing users to mask certain elements of one side of their nature or the other. The line’s founder met Final Death fairly early in Nahualli history. That combined with the brood’s fairly specific focus and relatively young age limits the number of powers developed so far.
A mortal can resist the effects of a Tezcatl power for a turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point and a successful Stamina roll (the Willpower point does not add three dice to the roll). This roll is reflexive. If the roll fails, the Willpower point is lost and the mortal remains under the effects of the power. If the roll is successful, the subject can act normally for a turn. A vampire who is the victim of a Tezcatl power, and who has a higher Blood Potency than the Nahualli, can resist the power for an entire scene if a Willpower point is spent and a successful Stamina roll is made.
This aspect of Tezcatl more than any other lends some credence to Nahualli beliefs. The user obliviates the effect of Predator’s Taint (Vampire, p. 168) when encountering other Kindred. It does not mask the fact that the line member is a vampire. It merely prevents the usual urges of frenzy or Rötschreck.
Cost: —
Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Tezcatl
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The vampire encountered is immune to further uses of Tezcatl by the character for the remainder of the night. A roll must be made normally for the Nahualli to avoid frenzy or Rötschreck as appropriate to the encounter.
Failure: The vampire encountered is unaffected and Predator’s Taint applies to both vampires normally.
Success: Neither the Nahualli nor the subject is affected by Predator’s Taint. Checks for frenzy are not required. Each is, however, aware of the other’s Kindred nature.
Exceptional Success: The effect occurs as a reflexive action. Another activity can be performed in the same turn in which the power is used.
A Nahualli can use this power immediately upon encountering another Kindred — quickly enough to avoid triggering the effects of Predator’s Taint. The user must be aware of the other vampire to activate it. So, if the Nahualli is caught off guard in a surprise situation, it’s too late to use this power to avoid frenzy rolls. Not even an exceptional success allows use of the power when the Nahualli is caught completely off guard.
Since Predator’s Taint arises only when Kindred meet for the first time, subsequent uses of the power on the same vampire are probably unnecessary. If more than one foreign vampire is encountered when this power is used, successful activation avoids the effects of Predator’s Taint for the whole group.
A Willpower point and successful Stamina roll, as discussed above, cannot resist the effects of this power once contact between undead has been made. That is, once two vampires have encountered each other and the meeting is civil thanks to use of this power, the Kindred met cannot “reset” the meeting and invoke Predator’s Taint again.
Through this power, a Nahualli is able to draw some of the negative effects of the Beast from herself. The vampire does not inspire the usual repulsion that mortals feel around one of the Damned with a low Humanity. The power causes the vampire’s flesh to suffuse with Vitae and counterfeit life, generating an almost palpable aura of calm and trust.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Composure + Empathy + Tezcatl
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: All Empathy, Persuasion and Socialize pools suffer a –2 penalty for the remainder of the scene, and Life’s Reflection may not be attempted again in that time.
Failure: The power has no effect, but a successive attempt may be possible at the expense of another Vitae.
Success: The Nahualli receives the benefits of “the blush of life” (see “Counterfeiting Life,” Vampire, p. 156). In addition, Empathy-, Persuasion- and Socialize-based dice pools are not limited by the character’s Humanity dots.
Exceptional Success: The character receives all the benefits of success. Empathy, Persuasion and Socialize pools also receive a +2 bonus for the remainder of the scene when dealing with non-vampires.
This power affects all non-vampires who come into contact with the Nahualli for the duration of the power. It has no effect on other Kindred. Life’s Reflection does not grant the vampire the ability to consume food or drink. That requires a separate Vitae expenditure. The effects of the power persist for the remainder of the scene.
The Nahualli assert that all beings, mortal or Kindred, possess aspects. According to them, all emotions are merely expressions of a particular facet of identity. Focus the Aspect allows a Nahualli to impose a subtle and temporary change on another being. The bloodline claims it has learned to amplify the emotions of others to free their aspects. Other Kindred argue that this power is merely a result of Nahualli tinkering with Dominate.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Tezcatl versus Composure + Blood Potency
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The power fails and the intended subject is immune to further uses of the Nahualli’s Tezcatl until the next sunset. If a dramatic failure occurs for the subject, an exceptional success is consider to apply for the Nahualli.
Failure: An equal number or the most successes are rolled for the intended subject. The power has no effect, but a successive attempt may be possible at the expense of another Vitae.
Success: The most successes are rolled for the Jekyll. He may intensify any emotion that the subject currently feels such that it becomes a driving force to the exclusion of all other concerns. A new Virtue or Vice is chosen for the subject and it takes precedent over the subject’s normal one. The subject could even regain Willpower by performing acts in keeping with his new trait.
Exceptional Success: The most successes — five or more — are rolled for the Nahualli. The user actually creates a new emotion in the subject and makes it all-consuming.
When successfully employed, the emotion chosen becomes the focal point for any of the subject’s decisions. Exactly what effect that may have on her actions depends on the situation and the emotion, as determined by the Storyteller. The Nahualli cannot dictate the specific actions that a subject takes, only the inspiration behind them. This power normally intensifies only an emotion that a subject already feels. Happiness could be turned into the Hope Virtue, for example. A Nahualli could not create Hope in a subject who grieves or is in pain. He cannot change the object of an emotion, either. Love could not be transferred from a mortal wife to a Kindred enemy. With an exceptional success, however, any emotional response is fair game. A subject could be made to feel pity for an enemy he tried to kill a moment before, acquiring the Wrath Vice temporarily.
This power cannot trigger a frenzy, Wassail or Rötschreck roll in another Kindred (not even with an exceptional success). It can, however, complicate another vampire’s attempt to remain under control. If a Nahualli successfully uses this power against a vampire exposed to an event or object that requires a roll to resist frenzy, Rötschreck or Wassail, rolls made for the subject suffer a –2 penalty.
The Nahualli must be able to see a subject directly to use Focus the Aspect. Looking at him on TV or in a photo does not apply. The subject’s amplified emotion persists for the remainder of the scene, unless a Willpower point is spent and a successful Stamina roll is made to gain some control (see above).
Regardless of the covenant to which a Nahualli belongs, the focus of her philosophy is being an “aspected” creature. One facet is civilized and even benevolent. Balancing that state is the Beast. This power allows a Nahualli to harness her dark aspect, intentionally hurling her into an anger frenzy for a limited time.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Tezcatl
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The power fails and the vampire cannot attempt to frenzy voluntarily — whether by this power or by “riding the wave” (Vampire, p. 181) — until the next sunset.
Failure: The power fails. A successive attempt might be possible at the expense of another Vitae.
Success: The character immediately enters an anger frenzy, with effects listed on p. 179 of Vampire.
Exceptional Success: No additional effects beyond extended duration.
The duration of the effect depends on the number of successes obtained on the power’s activation roll.
Successes Duration
1 success Two turns
2 successes Five turns
3 successes 20 turns (one minute)
4 successes 10 minutes
5+ successes One hour or the remainder of the scene
A controlled frenzy can be ended sooner than indicated if the Nahualli wills it.
Repeated use of this power in the same night does not impose a penalty to subsequent uses, as riding the wave does. Nor does it impose penalties on or is it penalized by actual attempts to ride the wave.
This power cannot be activated to control a frenzy that occurs spontaneously, say by being confronted with fire. After the Smoking Mirror is active, phenomena that would normally provoke a frenzy, Wassail or Rötschreck have no effect; the vampire is already in the throes of the Beast and (in this case) his own identity. A vampire can be subject to only one use of this power at a time. The effect cannot be applied to other Kindred.