Paths & Numina

This disturbing power enables a psychic to forcibly enter the victim’s subconscious and destroy pieces of the personality. Ultimately, Soulstealing reduces the victim to a shell of his former self, devoid of Willpower and stripped of any Gnosis he might have. Soulstealing doesn’t cause insanity; the victim’s mind is too empty to be insane. Most practitioners of this power belong to Black Spiral Dancer Kinfolk, but a few other dangerous or unhappy Kinfolk have been known to possess it. Some Shadow Lord Kin seek knowledge of this power in order to build their own power base within their tribe. Kinfolk who know Soulstealing generally keep their knowledge to themselves and use it carefully, knowing that the punishment for possessing this Numen would be extremely harsh — if not fatal.

To use Soulstealing, the psychic makes a Willpower roll (difficulty equals the target’s Willpower + 2, with a maximum of 10) and spends a Willpower point. The victim must be in the psychic’s line of sight.

Victims usually do not remember the incident unless the Storyteller allows them a Perception + Enigmas roll (difficulty equals the psychic’s Willpower) to notice the process. If the target actively resists, the difficulty of the Soulstealing increases by 1 (up to a maximum of 10).

A Soulstealer may attempt to use this power once per scene on any living being. Stargazers have some lore that speaks of Soulstealers who lost their minds after attempting to tangle with a vampire or a wraith.

Roll: Willpower Cost: 1 Willpower

• Dream Invasion: The psychic enters the victim’s dreams and interacts with the subconscious. He cannot plant or steal memories, but can participate in the dream as an “actor,” remembering what he sees.

•• Will Sapping: Each success allows the psychic to drain a temporary point of Willpower and transfer it to himself (up to his maximum). The victim recovers Willpower in the usual way.

••• Drain Vital Essence: Every two successes drain one Health Level from the victim. The wounds are not aggravated; the victim recovers normally. Because the damage is mental, rather than physical, the victim appears unwounded.

•••• Shift Life: Every two successes enable the psychic to transfer one of the victim’s Health Levels to his own body, giving him an extra Bruised Health Level. Alternately, the psychic can use the stolen Health Level to heal one of his own lost Health Levels. The Soulstealer may add up to twice the normal number of Health Levels (up to seven).

••••• Gnosis Theft: For every two successes, the psychic may steal and keep one point of Gnosis, retaining it until it is spent. Even if the psychic does not possess the Merit: Gnosis, he may use the stolen Gnosis to power Gifts or use fetishes. Once it is