1 Evil Eye
2 Minor Curse
3 Psalm of the Damned
4 Barreness
5 Greater Curse
Striga
1 Strix
2 Scobax
3 Masca
4 Hexe
Fractura
The Maleficia Discipline is the power to use the evil eye, to
bestow curses and to invoke plagues. Maleficia inflicts madness
and misfortune on its targets. It is said that infernalist Malkavians
developed this Discipline with the aid of demonic patrons.
Maleficia’s effects may be turned on the infernalist if the
victim knows that she is being afflicted and can confront the
infernalist. Likewise, if the inferalist’s attempt botches, she
suffers the effect herself. The victim can also flee to the
Church, where an exorcism or blessing ritual will free her from
a curse. All of the powers of Maleficia are dispelled if the
infernalist is killed.
These particular disciplines are normally known by those who were active during the Dark Ages.
This power allows the infernalist to afflict someone’s life
with a minor mishap. This may prove fatal in combat. Costs a Blood Point.
This power causes the victim a string of mishaps and
accidents. Costs one Blood Point. Lasts from one to several hours.
By chanting strange verses, the infernalist causes her foes
to be distracted and unable to concentrate. Once begun, the
psalm is heard by the victim wherever he flees, so long as the
infernalist keeps chanting.
The victim must be within earshot of the infernalist when the
power is activated, but as long as the infernalist chants, the
victim remains penalized. This power may be used on a group.
The target of this power is rendered barren. Given the
importance of children to medieval people, this power is
dreaded by all.
This power affects even vampires, rendering them unable to sire,
and so is greatly feared. The effect may be removed only
through exorcism, high-level Thaumaturgical Rituals, or the
slaying of the caster.
The target of this power suffers torments night and day;
her skin breaks out in boils and she is shunned by others. The curse is invoked with the expenditure of
three Blood Points. The effects of which last for
one year. During this year the victim is unable to sleep
comfortably, takes on the
appearance of a leper (Appearance drops too), and suffers all
the effects of a Minor Curse. Vampires are able to resist the
effects of a Greater Curse by spending an extra four Blood
Points as they sleep each day.
This Discipline is associated with secret witch-cults of
Europe. It draws on traditional folk powers and twists them to
evil purposes. Its practitioners are often called strigmaga, or
“nightwalkers,” and they virtually comprise a bloodline unto
themselves among infernalists.
The reputation of the strigmaga for knowing all things is
based on this simple power of governing the night winds to
carry gossip to the infernalists.
System: The infernalist calls the night winds. The winds will transmit the words of anyone talking
in the open air within one mile. The strigmaga does not
necessarily understand the language in which the words are
spoken (she is limited by her own knowledge).
The strigmaga is able to influence the actions of swarms
of vermin and insects. This power neither calls nor controls
the vermin, but incites them to harass others.
The
vermin are incapable of doing any real damage, but are greatly
distracting. The response can be insects and vermin swarming, biting or attacking.
The name of this power derives from both the Latin for
eating and from the word for a mask. By drinking the blood of
a bird or beast, the infernalist can mask herself in the creature’s
form and carry out her dark business. The transformation lasts
until the next dawn, and the infernalist gains all the advantages of the animal form. However, the infernalist cannot use
any other Disciplines while wearing the mask.
Transforming into a small creature such as
a bird or mouse costs only one Blood Point, whereas changing
into a large beast like a wolf costs three. Becoming a huge animal
such as a bear costs five or more Blood Points. Only animal forms
may be assumed, though any inherent traits of a beast (claws,
poisonous bite) are available to the strigmaga.
This power curses a single individual. It is said that in ancient
times, this power was strong enough to strike a person dead. The infernalist must spit blood on the target inflicting
one Health Level of aggravated damage. This damage manifests
in a hideous fashion as the victim’s body twists and mutates.
On a botch, the strigmaga swallows her own poisonous
blood and suffers three levels of aggravated damage.
This power allows the strigmaga to control her own blood in strange ways. Her vitae bubbles out of her skin to form barbed tentacles that surround and protect her. Costs one Blood Point and enables one
tentacle to be extruded. Each tentacle is six feet long and has
Strength and Dexterity scores of 5. Additional Blood Points
may be “fed” to the tentacles to increase these parameters
(each Blood Point spent increases either Strength or Dexterity
by one). A tentacle does Strength + 2 slashing damage and has
four Health Levels (though the “parent” does not suffer any
wound penalties from damage suffered by the tentacles). The blood spent on creating tentacles does not return to the infernalist’s Blood Pool when the power ends.
There are rumors that a infernalist can be diablerized via her
tentacles, but few are willing to test the theory.
(VDA Companion 109-111)
