Path of Duat - revisions for diablerie roleplaying Network

Through the Path of Duat, a practitioner of Akhu conjures he attributes of the Egyptian netherworld and inflicts them upon an enemy. The effects are mental and hypnotic rather than physical; an obsrever sees no physical cause for the victim's malady.

Each power within the path calls for a Charisma + Occult roll. Most of the powers (unless otherwise stated) last as long as the magician concentrates. This mean that the magician cannot engage in any violent phyusical activity, or employ other path or ritual magic, or disciplines. [Note: discipline usage added, the Path of Duat cannot be combined with other disciplines such as obfuscate or presence]

To use the Path of Duat, the magician must carry a talismanic gem of black onyx carved with the image of a mummified man - the form of Sokar, the god of Duat. A few minutes before using the path, the magician smears the talisman with a drop of her own blood as an offering to Sokar and whispers a short prayer.

The hypnotic aspects of the Path of Duat mean that all powers require the lector-priest to catch the victim's attention using the darkly glittering talisman on the turn when she initiates the magic. [Note, the +1 difficulty for not seeing the talisman has been removed, the attention is a requirement]. The victim does not need to see the magician on subsequent turns. Once the magician can no longer see the victim, the Path of Duat attack ends.

A Sending of Serpents

Serpents, the spawn of Apep, haunt the 12 caverns of Duat. They swim in the river and coil about the limbs of the unredeemed dead. Through this power, the magician makes her victim hallucinate about snakes. The victim starts by seeing a single asp slithering nearby. No matter what the victim does, the snake comes closer. If he runs, another snake drops down befoe him or slithers from behind the furniture. If he attacks the snake, it vanishes but another serpent takes its place. Before long, more serpents appear, and one manages to coil around his body...Although the snakes look real and deadly, they never actually bite. They can only frighten the victim.

Other people, of course, do not see these phantom serpents and might assume that a frightened victim is on drugs or has lost his mind.

System: The Charisma + Occult roll has a difficulty of 4 and lasts as long as the magician concentrates and can see the victim.

Darkness of Duat

The dead in Duat exist in darkness, relieved only by the nightly passage of the ship of Ra. This power casts the darkness of Duat into a victim's eyes, rendering him blind. The victim also hears the soft lapping of the River of Death as it flows through the Underworld.

System: The magician rolls Charisma + Occult at diffulty 5, the number of successes on this roll determines the number of rounds the blindness lasts. The victim can resist by rolling willpower at diff 8 (similar to presense resists). Any successes on this willpower roll subtracts from the magician's successes. [System changed from printed version]

.....more to come

 

 

 

 

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