Rites Du Cheval

= Rites Du Cheval = The dice pool to perform a rite is always Presence + Expression. Each Rite du Cheval targets a different spirit or general type of spirit. The more powerful the spirit to be summoned, the longer and more complicated the rite becomes. More powerful spirits can also ride their host for longer periods of time before having to return to the spirit world. Hunters may only play host to a number of spirits at a time equal to the lower of their Wits or Resolve.

Skin of the Loa (•)
One of the first lessons Les Mystères teaches its initiates is how to protect their bodies from harm. The hunter invites a minor spirit to share her body and encourages it to partially manifest in their flesh. The spirit hardens the skin of its host to better withstand the biting teeth and slashing claws of werewolves. The skin color of the ridden changes as a side effect of this merging of body and spirit, turning her flesh a shade associated with the spirit.

Spirits of earth turn the skin dark brown, spirits of water tint the skin greenish-blue, a minor spirit of pain might color flesh the pale white of clenched knuckles and so on. A Korean mudang might perform a slightly altered version of a Gangneung Danogut (a ritual to protect against attack from wild animals) to ward off attacks from werewolves or other enemies by calling on the spirit of a mountain god with an appeasement of song and dance.

Possible Appeasements: A snatch of song that compliments the spirit, the hunter slaps or pinches her own skin, drumming.

Cost: None

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The spirit is angered by the feeble attempts of the hunter to impress it. The rite fails and the spirit curses the hunter with clumsiness. The hunter has her Defense reduced by two for the remainder of the scene.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond.

Success: The spirit hears the call of the hunter and works to protect her from harm. The hunter gains an Armor rating of 2 that protects her from close combat attacks only for the remainder of the scene.

Exceptional Success: The spirit is truly impressed and puts forth a greater than normal effort. The spiritual Armor protects against both melee and ranged attacks for the remainder of the scene.

Ephemeral Disguise (•)
Even when manifested, many spirits can easily hide from the eyes of men or can take on a familiar form to lull suspicion. The hunter asks the spirits to share this power with him to hide him from his enemies sight or allow him to walk undetected in their midst. While ridden with this intention, the hunter feels an odd loss of identity as though he were just another face in the crowd. Possible Appeasements: A bite of food that is particularly pungent or sour, dousing a flame in water, an offering of a faceless doll.

Cost: None

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The hunter somehow insults the spirit and rather than helping them to hide or pass unnoticed, the spirit causes the hunter to emit a soft red glow. The glow imposes a -5 penalty to all Stealth rolls for the remainder of the scene.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond.

Success: The spirit responds favorably and guides the steps of the hunter or gives the hunter an unremarkable visage. The ridden gains a +3 bonus to all Stealth rolls for the remainder of the scene.

Exceptional Success: In addition to the above effects, the spirit reaches out and muddles the senses of cameras and other security devices. Security systems refuse to register the presence of the hunter and cameras record their image as a blur.

Elemental Rebuke (••)
This rite specifically targets spirits of elemental forces such as wind, lightning and fire. The spirit enters the body of the hunter and channels its energy to influence and damage the bodies of his enemies. The physical effects of damage caused vary with the nature of the elemental spirit: spirits of wind suck the breath from the lungs of a target, causing a sort of rapid internal depressurization; and spirits of lightning overload the electronic impulses of the brain causing strokes and seizures. Minor spirits quickly expend their energy with such overt displays of power and the flesh of a mortal has difficulty containing more powerful elemental spirits. As a result, rather than a continual ride, spirits either burn out helping the hunter or they bob in and out of the hunter’s body to avoid causing him permanent harm.

The sensation of spirits moving in and out of his body in quick secession is somewhat distracting to the hunter and he suffers a -1 penalty to Perception checks for the turn immediately following use of the rite. A hunter need only pay the Willpower and appeasement costs of this rite once per scene.

Possible Appeasements: Doing a shot of 100-proof liquor, eating a bit of the spirit’s element, enumerating the magnificent qualities of the element in a loud voice.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The spirits are disdainful of the hunter’s cries for aid and give him an unpleasant taste of their element that causes one point of bashing damage.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond. Success: The spirits give of their element willingly to the hunter. The ridden can target any single enemy within 10 yards with the power of elemental force. This is a contested action that pits the hunter’s Resolve + Occult + Les Mystères Status (greater Status brings with it the knowledge required to summon more powerful spirits) versus the target’s Resolve + Stamina. The target suffers one point of lethal damage for every success gained beyond the victim’s roll.

Exceptional Success: In addition to the above, the pain caused by elemental forces ravaging the body of the target cause him to be stunned for one turn.

Light as a Feather (••)
The hunter calls on the spirits of air, wind, birds and other flying creatures to join with him. Although true flight is beyond the power of the spirits to grant, the body of the hunter becomes nearly weightless allowing him to jump further and fall from great heights without serious injury. Enemies of the hunter also find it hard to land a solid blow, their attacks simply pushing the hunter back rather than tearing into his flesh. While he is ridden by these spirits, the hunter feels incredibly happy, giddy even, and can’t restrain the booming laughter that wells up inside him. Onlookers will probably find the sight of a man cackling as he drops 30 floors before running away uninjured more than a little disturbing. Possible Appeasements: Wild dancing, offering the blood of a bird or other creature capable of flight, a (literal) leap of faith off a building at least two stories high.

Cost: None

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The spirits decide man wasn’t meant to fly and impose vertigo on the hunter. For the rest of the scene, the hunter suffers a -1 penalty to his Defense and to any action involving a Physical Skill.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond.

Success: The spirit grants the hunter its buoyancy and revels in the sensation of physical weightlessness with him. The hunter gains the following effects for the remainder of the scene:

• A +5 bonus to any jumping roll.

• The hunter only suffers one point of bashing damage from falling, no matter how far he fell.

Exceptional Success: In addition to the above effects, the hunter can move his full Speed as a reflexive action once per turn.

The Hands of Raphael (•••)
According to the beliefs of Vodoun practitioners, the houngan and mambo pray to the Loa to intercede on their behalf rather than the one true God because they believe God has more important things to do. In a similar fashion, this rite calls on the spirit of Raphael rather than the angel himself to heal the wounded and cure the sick. When a member of Les Mystères is ridden by the spirit of Raphael, their face takes on an angelic countenance that makes even the ugliest hunter seem beautiful. After the spirit leaves them, hunters that served as host for the spirit claim to remember a feeling of warmth that flowed through them as they performed the miracle of healing.

Werewolves and demons can’t abide the sight of a hunter being ridden by Raphael and target that hunter first in a fight. The Inuit believe that humans have multiple souls and sickness is caused by soul theft, either by evil spirits or rival tribes. By communing with their tribal totems, the shaman can retrieve the portion of the soul that was stolen and restore health to their patient. Appeasement might require chanting in the shamanic tongue and certain bans on their behavior during the healing, such as not speaking certain words or referring to specific items by name. Possible Appeasements: Continual recitation of the Lord’s Prayer throughout the healing, consuming the gallbladder of a fish, facing east and tossing an offering of gold or an emerald into a natural body of water.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Action: Extended

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: Raphael decides a further test of faith is in order. The rite works, but any wounds healed or diseases cured are transmitted to the healer.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond. No progress is made towards the target number.

Success: The hunter makes progress towards his goal. The target number of the extended roll is 10, with each roll equal to five minutes. In addition to the required appeasement, the hunter must remain sequestered and in prayer during the time spent calling to Raphael. Once the spirit of Raphael takes up residence in the body of the hunter, it remains for seven hours. While the hunter is ridden by Raphael, she can perform the following miracles:

• Cure the Sick: The hunter can cure his patient of any sickness. Curing the sick is an extended Wits + Medicine roll with each roll equal to 15 minutes. Minor maladies such as colds or flu’s have a target number of 5, while more serious and life threatening illnesses such as cancer or Ebola have a target number of 15. Regardless of symptoms, any disease that is supernatural in origin has a target number of 20 to cure.

• Heal the Wounded: The hunter can mend the wounds of his patient. Mending wounds is an extended Wits + Medicine roll with each roll equal to 10 minutes. Bashing damage is healed at a 1:1 ratio of wounds to successes, lethal damage is healed at a 1:2 ratio, and aggravated damage is healed at a 1:4 ratio.

Exceptional Success: No additional benefit is gained beyond the number of successes accumulated towards the target number.

Spiritual Guidance (•••)
It might be an exaggeration to say that the spirit world is populated by enough spirits to mirror everything humans know, feel, think, see, or do. It might be an exaggeration, but not much of one. The spirit world is a busy place. The hunters of Les Mystères certainly believe this and they call on specific spirits to assist them with the job at hand.

A spirit of war can guide their weapons, a spirit of information can assist research, or a spirit of automobiles can help with difficult or dangerous driving. To invoke a spirit in this way is to become an instant expert in one field. While a hunter is ridden for this rite, she becomes a bit obsessive about her new field of expertise, mirroring the nature of the spirit within her. As a result of this obsession, the hunter suffers a -1 penalty to any roll not directly related to the nature of the spirit within her.

Possible Appeasements: Painting representations of the activity on her body in white, offering up a symbolic representation of the activity, singing or making music of some kind about the activity.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Action: Extended (10 successes necessary; each roll is equal to one minute.)

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The spirits find the nature of the task unworthy of them and curse the hunter with incompetence. Any accumulated successes are lost and the hunter suffers the unskilled penalty for whatever Skill they had hoped to enhance for 24 hours.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond. No progress is made towards the target number.

Success: The hunter makes progress towards his goal. Once the spirit joins the host it remains in the hunter’s body for 24 hours. (The hunter can forcibly expel the spirit before then by spending another Willpower point and succeeding on a Wits + Intimidation roll.) One Skill of the hunter’s choice gains the rote action quality.

Example: Mary calls upon a hound spirit before the cell goes out and attempts to physically track a werewolf pack back to their lair. She gains the rote action quality for Survival and the spirit remains with her until 24 hours has passed or her cell finds the werewolves’ lair.

Exceptional Success: As above and the hunter manages to maintain her composure and doesn’t suffer the obsessive -1 penalty to other actions.

Clinging Leech (••••)
Leech spirits are just one example of the type of spirits that hunger for the blood or life energies of the living. Most humans might consider that kind of hunger evil, but Les Mystères knows it is just the nature of the spirit. The hunger is no more evil than the desire of a pain spirit to cause agony or the need of a spirit of joy to inspire happiness. While the type of spirit targeted by this rite rides the hunter he has a ravenous appetite and suffers acute hunger pangs that can’t be silenced no matter how much food he devours.

Possible Appeasement: Eating a large amount of anything, spilling his own blood on the ground (causing one point of lethal damage), the sacrifice of a chicken or other small animal.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The spirits decide the hunter isn’t hungry enough to join, so they inflict hunger on her. The hunger is strong enough to be distracting and she suffers a -1 penalty to all actions until she is able to sate her hunger.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond.

Success: The spirit agrees to ride the hunter. For the remainder of the scene whenever she succeeds in grappling an opponent, she can steal Health from that opponent once each turn as a reflexive action. The hunter rolls Wits + Larceny versus the target’s Resolve + Stamina. For each success on the roll, the theft inflicts one point of lethal damage which the hunter can use to heal her own wounds (lethal or bashing damage only, bashing damage heals first). Additionally, the hunter clings like a leech to the body of her target. For the purposes of maintaining the grapple only, count the Strength of the hunter as twice its normal value.

Exceptional Success: As above, except the Strength of the hunter is considered three times its normal value for the purposes of maintaining the grapple.

Drawback: After the initial scene, the spirit inside the hunter refuses to exit her body or assist her further until she has gorged herself to near sickness on food and drink.

Voodoo Doll (••••)
A staple of horror tales and B-movies for years, the voodoo doll is easily the most recognizable piece of paraphernalia associated with the practice of Vodou. Voodoo dolls can be constructed from almost any material and are commonly made from wax or corn husks. Actual sewn voodoo dolls (also known as poppets) aren’t as common as is widely believed. Creating a voodoo doll requires an extended Dexterity + Crafts roll with a target number of 10. Each roll is equal to five minutes. Rather than construct a voodoo doll, the sangomas of West Africa might use a monkey’s paw to inflict good or bad juju on their targets after offering up the specially prepared and bleached bones of an animal as an appeasement.

Possible Appeasements: Burning an effigy of the target, the hunter drives pins into his own body matching the pin locations of the doll (one point of bashing damage), wearing clothes owned by the target.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Success: Voodoo dolls work though a sympathetic connection to the intended target by adding blood, hair or nail clippings from the target to the doll. If the hunter knows the target personally or knows the target’s true name, simply tacking a picture of the targets face over that of the dolls is enough to gain a sympathetic connection. Once the sympathetic connection has been made, the hunter calls on a spirit to inhabit both his body and the voodoo doll. If the voodoo doll is used to reinforce positive aspects of the target’s personality, the hunter will call on spirits of love, happiness, or positive energy.

If the doll is used to reinforce negative aspects of the target’s character or to harm the target, the hunter will call upon spirits of anger, pain, or negative energy. Once a spirit has entered the doll, the hunter determines the amount of torment or positive reinforcement the target is to be subjected to, based on the number and location of the pins pushed into the doll. A single pin placed in the extremities (hands, feet) causes minor effects.

Multiple pins placed in all the extremities as well as the head cause greater effects and the most potent effects result from placing a single pin in the heart of the doll. When the hunter has finished placing pins in the doll, the spirit is freed from the doll and speeds towards the target to administer the blessing or curse (the hunter spends a point of Willpower). Hunters may not choose themselves as the target of a voodoo doll.

• Pin Placement: Single pin in an extremity. Blessing: A +1 bonus to all (choose one) Physical, Mental or Social Skills for three hours. Curse: A -1 penalty to all (choose one) Physical, Mental or Social Skills for three hours or a single point of bashing damage.

• Pin Placement: Multiple pins in extremities plus a pin in the head. Blessing: The target gains the 8-again quality (re-roll 8s, 9s and 10s) on any one endeavor chosen by the hunter. Curse: The target may only count rolls of 9 or 10 as successes on any one endeavor chosen by the target or a single point of lethal damage.

• Pin Placement: Single pin in the heart. Blessing: The target gains benefits of both the above blessings and regains either a point of Willpower or heals a single wound. Curse: The target is subjected to both the above curses and loses a point of Willpower or a single point of aggravated damage.

Drawback: The Storyteller should keep track of the number of times a character uses a voodoo doll to cast curses. Once per chapter, the Storyteller can impose a penalty equal to the number of curses on a single roll made by the character. The character may not choose not to roll if the penalties reduce this roll to a chance die. Karma is a bitch. Regardless of whether the roll fails or succeeds, this returns the tally of curses cast to zero.

Deny the Moon (•••••)
Werewolves bear marks of favor on their bodies from the great moon-spirit in the form of shimmering silver tattoos. Why the moon would choose to honor werewolves in this way is a mystery to Les Mystères, though other spirits have hinted that the creatures might be her “offspring.” The moon-spirit herself wields a great deal of influence and power among other spirits, but there exist a few spirits that are willing to oppose her and can, for a short time, hide werewolves from her sight. Hunters call upon these spirits to join with them to negate the power of the gifts the moon gives werewolves. While ridden by these spirits, a hunter feels strangely dispassionate and may not regain Willpower by fulfilling a Virtue or exploiting a Vice.

Possible Appeasements: Breaking a bow that was used to hunt, sacrificing a dog or wolf, mixing molten silver into mud.

Cost: None

Action: Extended

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The moon-spirit overhears the hunter’s pleas and decides to interfere with the rite. Any accumulated successes are lost and the moonspirit whispers the name of the hunter to the leader of the nearest werewolf pack.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond.

Success: The hunter makes progress towards his goal. The target number of the extended roll is five with each roll being equal to 10 minutes. In addition to the appeasement, while the rite is underway the hunter must beat drums covered in black velvet and pour rum on a fire. Once the spirit has joined with the hunter, it remains in his body for two hours. While ridden, whenever a hunter witnesses a werewolf using a Dominance he sees one of the creature’s tattoos sparkle with a silvery glow. The hunter can reach out and temporarily erase the tattoo, negating the effects of that Dominion and denying the werewolf the use of the Dominance for the remainder of the scene. Touching a werewolf requires the hunter succeed at a Dexterity + Brawl roll (the Defense of the target applies, any Armor does not).

Exceptional Success: No additional benefit beyond the number of successes gained.

Wearing the Baron’s Hat (•••••)
Baron Samedi is a Loa of death usually depicted wearing a black top hat and suit along with dark glasses. It is said he stands at the crossroads between life and death and points the souls of the departed toward the afterlife. Baron Samedi is generally considered to be a smooth and sophisticated spirit with a wicked sense of humor and an earthy sensuality, but, like all Loa, when his wrath is raised he becomes terrible to behold: the bringer of death rather than spiritual guide.

It is this aspect of the Loa that hunters call upon to join them in their hunts when the time comes to battle their werewolf foes. Unlike many of the other rites that require longer to perform, Baron Samedi can be called upon at a moment’s notice. Death is never very far away. While a hunter is ridden by Baron Samedi he cannot help but to behave in a rude and darkly cynical manner, which levies a -3 penalty on all Social rolls.

Instead of calling on the Baron, a Nganasan (the indigenous people of Siberia) shaman might draw upon the strength of a polar bear after imitating the sounds the bears make, shuffling around in a bear-like manner, and consuming seal blubber. Possible Appeasements: Burning a box of expensive cigars, drinking a bottle of rum, disinterring a skull.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: Baron Samedi decides the hunter should make love rather than war. For the next six hours, any roll made to inflict damage suffers a -2 penalty. Conversely, any roll made in an effort to get laid gains a +5 bonus.

Failure: The spirits fail to respond.

Success: Baron Samedi merges with the hunter, enhancing his combat capabilities. For the remainder of the scene the hunter gains +3 to his Defense, +5 to his Initiative and five temporary points of Health (subtract damage taken from temporary Health first). Additionally, the attacks of the hunter bear the touch of death and any attack roll gains the Advanced Action quality (Draw twice, take better).

Exceptional Success: As well as the above effects, all rolls made during combat gain the 9-again quality (re-roll 9s and 10s).

Drawback: Baron Samedi is a busy man and can get irritated by frequent interruptions to his business. Each successive use of this rite in a 12hour period suffers a cumulative -2 penalty.