Path of Curses
Numina · Vampire
The curse is one of the most ancient and potent forms of Hedge Magic. It can take many forms, from the “evil eye” of the Mediterranean and the Middle East to the “jinx” of hoodoo to the “hex” of Eastern European folklore. Curses have been known to cause grave misfortune in a variety of forms: accidents, illnesses, and even death.
At the core of any curse is maleficent intent directed toward an enemy. The Hedge Magician focuses her will, her directed hatred, toward her target and releases that intent in the form of harmful energy. The curse quickly afflicts its victim’s life and slowly fades as the hateful energy dissipates.
The basic mechanic for cursing is simple. The Hedge Magician determines what level of curse she wants to inflict (within her ability), and then she spends one turn per level of severity gathering and honing her mystic hatred. Once the Hedge Magician is prepared, she discharges the curse in a cathartic fashion directly toward the target (who must be visible to her). Examples of a proper discharge include a scream, a dance, rending a puppet that represents her victim, or offensive gestures.
The Hedge Magician’s player makes a Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 7) activation roll to determine if the curse is successful and the duration of the curse, as listed under Effects.
Each level of the Path of Curses allows for a greater range of misfortune to occur. Mechanically, a curse takes the form of penalties to difficulties and, eventually, dice pools. The Storyteller should apply the effects of a curse carefully to ensure that this Numina Path does not overwhelm the entire chronicle.
When mucking about with the threads of fate, however, a Hedge Magician runs the risk of entangling herself. Botching a curse will bring the effects back upon her three-fold, in which case, the curse intended for her enemy applies immediately to the Hedge Magician.
A Hedge Magician may attempt to banish any curse, even one of her own, but it isn’t easy. Her player must spend a Willpower point and roll Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 9). Each level of success reduces the level of the curse inflicted by a single rating. If the roll botches, the Hedge Magician suffers from the very curse she attempted to banish for the remainder of the original duration of the curse, with no further chance at breaking it.
The Path of Curses eventually takes a toll upon the human soul. Practitioners rarely live happy lives, as the hate and anger required to fuel this Path tends to twist their insides. Mechanically, this often translates into a low Humanity score for characters who practice this Path. Storytellers are encouraged to require Humanity rolls for Hedge Magicians who have a high Humanity or who invoke curses more than once per month.
System
Roll: Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 7)
Modifiers: N/A
Cost: 1 Willpower
Duration: Varies (see below)
Path of Curses Levels
| Rating | Description |
|---|---|
| • | The victim suffers brief inconveniences, such as dropping an object, saying something foolish, or having a motorcycle run over her foot. Mechanically, this is represented by the Storyteller adding a +1 difficulty to dice pools appropriate to the specified situation for the duration of the curse. For example, the injured foot might increase Athletics difficulties by 1, while saying something foolish might cause Etiquette difficulties to increase thus. |
| •• | The victim suffers from a string of errors and bad luck that result in lasting injury or embarrassment, such as stepping on a nail, breaking an heirloom, or catching a minor disease. Mechanically, this is represented by the Storyteller increasing the difficulty of rolls appropriate to the curse by 2 for the duration of the curse. |
| ••• | The victim suffers severe accidents and misfortune. Typical effects might be broken bones, loss of income, or grievous illness. Mechanically, this is represented by the Storyteller increasing the difficulty of rolls appropriate to the curse by 3 for the duration of the curse. |
| •••• | The victim suffers from major catastrophes and chronic illnesses. Mechanically, this is represented by the Storyteller increasing the difficulty of rolls appropriate to the curse by 3 for the duration of the curse. In addition, the victim subtracts one from associated dice pools during appropriate moments in the story. |
| ••••• | Curses inflicted at this level are nigh upon Biblical in scope. Nothing goes right for the victim for the duration of the curse. Her life is an exercise in misery, and may well be accompanied by plagues of locusts, being stricken barren, or causing despair in those she meets. Mechanically, this is represented by the Storyteller increasing the difficulty of rolls appropriate to the curse by 4 for the duration of the curse. In addition, the victim subtracts two from associated dice pools during appropriate moments in the story. Invoking a curse of this magnitude requires a Humanity roll for those Hedge Magicians of Humanity 4 or greater. |
Curse Duration
The duration of a specific curse is determined by the number of successes achieved during the activation roll.
| One success | The next action |
| Two successes | One scene |
| Three successes | One day |
| Four successes | One week |
| Five successes | One month |
| Six+ successes | Up to one year, decided upon the activation of the curse |