Discipline Powers

At this level of understanding, the sorcerer can command his blade with such precision that he can strike at an opponent’s physical protection rather than his body. The sword transfers its full fury to the intended target, shredding even the toughest chain or plate. This strips away the victim’s defenses, leaving him vulnerable to the next attack. While this power is of limited utility in modern nights, as traditional armor has fallen by the wayside, it remains in the path’s progression of lessons due to its utility in destroying other obstacles.

System: While Pierce Steel’s Skin is in effect, an attack against an unarmored target inflicts half damage (rounded down). However, for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled, each successful attack the character makes against an armored foe inflicts damage on the target’s body armor rather than injuring him directly. Only metal armor can be damaged by this power. When the character makes a successful attack against an armored target, the player does not roll damage. Instead, he rolls a number of dice equal to the sword’s damage bonus (the number of dice that it adds to his Strength) against a difficulty of 7. Each success reduces the armor’s soak bonus by one die. Armor that is reduced to zero soak dice in this manner is completely destroyed and unsalvageable. Additional successes beyond those needed to destroy a piece of armor have no effect.

At the Storyteller’s discretion, Pierce Steel’s Skin may destroy other inanimate objects (walls, doors, cars, dramatically appropriate obstacles) without significant damage to the sword. For the purposes of this power, Fortitude counts as part of the target’s Stamina, not external armor.