• Dreams of the Many
The first sign of alignment with Alucinor blood is manifestation of this basic capability of the Insomnium Discipline. The vampire becomes attuned to the dreams of people around her. Since the Alucinor is generally active at night, the dreams of mortals are a constant, subconscious flood, one that is usually ignored. Other vampires tend to weave dark dreams from their own personal vices, and these can impact an Alucinor during daily sleep. A line member is especially sensitive to dreams of her own lineage, their visions seeming to merge into powerful nightmares.
While the pressure of outside dreams is usually a mere distraction, an Alucinor can also pull bits of emotion from them. By concentrating on the fleeting impressions left by dreams, the vampire can discern useful information or gather currents of thought from nearby sleepers. The mind defends itself, however, even while subjects sleep; deciphering the dreams of individuals with great mental fortitude can be a challenge.
An Alucinor can attune to dreams of only people who are asleep, and only to those within a number of miles equal to the character’s Insomnium dots (which is the range for all the powers of this Discipline). As with all vampiric capabilities, this range is subject to vagaries. On rare occasions, an Alucinor may fail to notice the blissful slumber of someone nearby, or may sense the anguish of a powerful dream from a greater distance. Gazing into the Dreams of the Many does nothing to give a character a sense of a subject’s location. The Sandman simply “swims” through a sea of dreams until he finds pieces of identity that conform to his notion of the desired subject. On some occasions, an Alucinor even gleans bits of prophetic insight from collective dreams.
Although swimming through dreams requires nothing more than a few moments of concentration, many Alucinor find it helpful to hold and caress an item of some value to an intended subject. A favored childhood doll, a vial of Vitae or some similarly personal memento can act as a focus that aids in chasing down the dreams of an individual.
While the pressure of outside dreams is usually a mere distraction, an Alucinor can also pull bits of emotion from them. By concentrating on the fleeting impressions left by dreams, the vampire can discern useful information or gather currents of thought from nearby sleepers. The mind defends itself, however, even while subjects sleep; deciphering the dreams of individuals with great mental fortitude can be a challenge.
An Alucinor can attune to dreams of only people who are asleep, and only to those within a number of miles equal to the character’s Insomnium dots (which is the range for all the powers of this Discipline). As with all vampiric capabilities, this range is subject to vagaries. On rare occasions, an Alucinor may fail to notice the blissful slumber of someone nearby, or may sense the anguish of a powerful dream from a greater distance. Gazing into the Dreams of the Many does nothing to give a character a sense of a subject’s location. The Sandman simply “swims” through a sea of dreams until he finds pieces of identity that conform to his notion of the desired subject. On some occasions, an Alucinor even gleans bits of prophetic insight from collective dreams.
Although swimming through dreams requires nothing more than a few moments of concentration, many Alucinor find it helpful to hold and caress an item of some value to an intended subject. A favored childhood doll, a vial of Vitae or some similarly personal memento can act as a focus that aids in chasing down the dreams of an individual.
Effect
Dramatic Failure: Pieces of dreams wash over the Alucinor’s mind, causing hallucinations and figments of imagination. These hallucinations may include strange noises, changes in scenery, distant voices or other haunting effects. All rolls involving Resolve or Composure suffer a –1 penalty for the remainder of the scene. Multiple dramatic failures in the same scene cause a cumulative penalty, as your character becomes more and more absorbed in fantasy.
Failure: Your character loses or ties the contested roll. He senses only incoherent babble from the subconscious minds of the world’s sleepers. A successive attempt may be possible at the expense of more Willpower.
Success: Your character wins the contested roll. The Alucinor garners a symbolic moment from the dreams observed, briefly stealing a glimpse of the deeply held feelings of the subject. Your character may learn of an item or person of value to the subject, or of a hidden fear. The Storyteller decides what is seen and what significance it holds. In practical terms, you gain a +1 bonus on Social rolls in regard to the subject for the next month. This bonus is not cumulative for multiple successful uses of the power.
Alternatively, the Alucinor may simply sift through the tide of dreams, gleaning insight into the future. Interpretation is often difficult, but it sometimes gives a startlingly clear image of some upcoming event. Performing this sort of “oneiromancy” grants a re-roll on any one dice pool for the remainder of the night. No more than one re-roll can be achieved per night.
Exceptional Success: Peering into the subject’s innermost fears or desires, your character immediately learns one of the subject’s Virtue, Vice, Morality or Humanity score, or that the subject is a diablerist (your choice). Repeated applications of the power and repeated exceptional successes in a single month do not allow other pieces of information to be learned. If the Alucinor applies Dreams of the Many as a prelude to using a greater Insomnium power on the subject, a +1 bonus is also gained on the activation roll of that power, as long as it is within a month. No more than a single +1 bonus is gained to other activation rolls against a target. An Alucinor who swims the sea of dreams is still aware of her own surroundings. If she performs an action aside from meddling in dreams, the connection to her subject is broken immediately.
Failure: Your character loses or ties the contested roll. He senses only incoherent babble from the subconscious minds of the world’s sleepers. A successive attempt may be possible at the expense of more Willpower.
Success: Your character wins the contested roll. The Alucinor garners a symbolic moment from the dreams observed, briefly stealing a glimpse of the deeply held feelings of the subject. Your character may learn of an item or person of value to the subject, or of a hidden fear. The Storyteller decides what is seen and what significance it holds. In practical terms, you gain a +1 bonus on Social rolls in regard to the subject for the next month. This bonus is not cumulative for multiple successful uses of the power.
Alternatively, the Alucinor may simply sift through the tide of dreams, gleaning insight into the future. Interpretation is often difficult, but it sometimes gives a startlingly clear image of some upcoming event. Performing this sort of “oneiromancy” grants a re-roll on any one dice pool for the remainder of the night. No more than one re-roll can be achieved per night.
Exceptional Success: Peering into the subject’s innermost fears or desires, your character immediately learns one of the subject’s Virtue, Vice, Morality or Humanity score, or that the subject is a diablerist (your choice). Repeated applications of the power and repeated exceptional successes in a single month do not allow other pieces of information to be learned. If the Alucinor applies Dreams of the Many as a prelude to using a greater Insomnium power on the subject, a +1 bonus is also gained on the activation roll of that power, as long as it is within a month. No more than a single +1 bonus is gained to other activation rolls against a target. An Alucinor who swims the sea of dreams is still aware of her own surroundings. If she performs an action aside from meddling in dreams, the connection to her subject is broken immediately.
Material Components
Cost: 1 Willpower
Gestures & Ritual
Related Discipline
Effect Casting Time
Dream-reading is contested; resistance is reflexive. Oneiromancy is instant.
Level
1
Applied Restriction
Modifier | Situation
+2 | Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie
+1 | The Alucinor holds an item of special significance to the subject
–1 | The Alucinor does not know, has never seen or has never met the subject
–1 | The Alucinor cannot see the subject when the power is used
+2 | Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie
+1 | The Alucinor holds an item of special significance to the subject
–1 | The Alucinor does not know, has never seen or has never met the subject
–1 | The Alucinor cannot see the subject when the power is used