The Hand

The Black Hand, feared by all, who insure the cohesion of the Sabbat, have been a mystery for countless centuries... Where do they originate from? Who are their leaders? Even the Sabbat Arch Bishops themselves do not know. The Hand has remained clouded to the Sabbat by the very members who join it. Not all make it in, and few new Hand members survive their first assignment. But any Kind will tell you, the Black Hand is nothing to toy with, and everything to fear. The oaths of loyalty are so strong they can overcome frenzy and individual survival. Magical rituals are used by the members to bind their undead souls to dark beasts and powers of the night. They are the Ninja of the Vampire community, available to the bidding of their local dominions, and the higher Seraphims called the Four. They are loyal to first themselves, and second to the Sabbat. Detailed below are some of the levels of the mysterious discipline called the HAND, given to only the most courageous and proven of the Black Hand members.
The Hand originated in Enoch under the careful tutelage of the True Black Hand Elders. How it came to pass into the Sabbat is still under debate in the Halls of the Black Palace. It is employed by some of the most powerful members of both the True and false Hand.

Level One
Silent Passages: The hand may employ this level to pass with out a trace, leaving no unconscious marks that they were there. No fingerprints, DNA samples, bent blades of grass, dust impressions, etc. are left behind. For example, a member may walk across a leaf strewn field and leave no trace that he had passed, unless the member consciously breaks a twig or makes a trail for others to follow. This power is activated at will and includes all members of the Hand who are using it. This power will still the movement of air around the member, making his passage silent, and preventing noise from alerting those around him that he is near. The member leaves no footprints, and makes no sound when employing this level when walking, but may at any time speak or focus this power to allow others to hear something necessary (like echoing footsteps). Add 2 dice to all rolls that require stealth, being sneaky, silent or leaving no trace of one's presence. Difficulty numbers to investigate a place that the Hand has done something in that this applies to are raised by two (max 10) and require twice the amount of successes (or five more, which ever is appropriate).

Level Two
Blood Hardening: The Hand's Blood thickens and becomes more impervious to damage, the skin knits and becomes like iron. Reduce the amount of damage the Hand takes in an attack by two successes (two health levels) after the Soak roll. This level is usable against all trauma including fire and sunlight (and aggravated wounds).

Level Three
Grasp of the Shadow: The darkness of the Hand becomes more apparent as parts of his being are infused with the stuff of shadows. The Hand at this level may cause the shadows around his area to reach out and engulf his form, usually while in combat or to remain unseen. Reduce the amount of successful to hit rolls made against the Hand by two. This is usable against all attacks, even if the attacker can see in the dark, or is using a mental power to see the target (aiming, indirect, etc.). Reduce all target numbers to hide in shadows or stealth by two.

Level Four
Cloudy Minds: When activated, this level causes all those who view the Hand to creatively forget the occurrence and situations that surround the Hand and what happened. This memory loss is replaced by the subjects own fantasies or best guess as to what should have occurred to produce the outcome. Say, for example, a Hand draws a shot gun and shoots a Camarilla vampire, wanted for questioning and torture by the Sabbat bishops, and then drives a stake into his heart. All in front of a family of tourists from Wisconsin. After the Hand carries the body off in his Vector, the police come to question the witnesses. Each family member will recount a different, probably conflicting stream of events about the Hand member. What the Hand looked like, what weapon was used (a pistol! no, a large green banana! wait- it was a hair dryer!!), what the car was that he got into, etc. The details that Mr. Vampire was shot, the blood evident upon the sidewalk, the tire tracks, etc. are unchanged. Only the events surrounding the Hand when this power is employed. Another example; say a Hand walks into a bar and orders a drink. Once the bartender turns around to get him a drink, he forgets that the Hand was ever there, that he ordered a drink, that he even spoke (if the Hand wanted this). The bartender then makes up a situation to fill in his apparent lack of memory of the time, say that the woman down the bar ordered this nice gentleman here a drink, and then follows that course of action as if it really happened. This power is used with care, for several vampiric and mortal conflicts can arise that only leads to a more detailed investigation of something the Hand may want covered up. To successfully use this power the Hand rolls Manipulation + Empathy (tn=7) and must get three successes. A botch means that all actions by the hand are remembered clearly for 24 hours by all who would actively take notice in what he is doing (secret service people always notice everything). To actively find out what is going on in a situation like this when this power is used against you, roll Intelligence + Investigation (or Meditation. tn=8) and get 10 successes (for a normal investigation, some things are simpler and may only require half that amount). An individual may be Dominated out of this, and the memory set straight with four successes at the power The Forgetful Mind. The Hand themselves are not affected by this power.

Level Five
The Black Hand: The Hand strikes the subject with his or her right hand, and utters a curse. If successful in hitting the target, the subject bursts into flame. The damage of this blow is strength + 5, and each success at damage is resisted normally (tn=6). The following action (the Hand's) the target must again resist the flames, this time with Fortitude only (tn=7) and the damage is 5 agg dice. The fire is magical, and continues to burn for one turn after (extinguishing it's self at the end of that second turn). The Hand member may use this power by expending one blood point and concentrating. If the attack misses, then the Hand may reserve this power until the next strike occurs, but not more then five minuets may pass before the Hand looses this ability.

Level Six
Here are the higher levels of the Hand. As detailed in the Hand Discipline, these are merely suggestions as to the powers that can be developed. Each hand member must research his or her own to develop the Hand.

Killing Mind: To kill your opponents with a thought. You must have sight of the person that you wish to use this power against, or at least some knowledge of that person. If you have some personal item, this can be used instead- but the target number is two higher. Roll Manipulation + Occult, tn=stamina of person or difficulty of object (ST ruling as to tn, depending upon what it is you are affection and how you wish to destroy it). Each success is two normal damage, soak with willpower, without armor bonus, at tn=6. For objects, soak with dice equal to its strength to use/lift it (ST ruling).

Shadow Shroud: To become unseen to your opponents. The Hand's shadowy substance (as from the Grasp of the Shadow) grows out to encompass the Hand member to hide him from sight. This is usable against technological devices, but not a higher level of Auspex (i.e. if the person looking for the Hand member has a higher Auspex rating then the Hand members Hand rating then the Shadow Shroud appears as a misty black form superimposed over the Hand member). Else, the Hand member is hidden from view. This does not make him or her silent, however; and the Shroud can not extend to encompass objects or people that the Hand acquires after invoking the Shroud. The general mass is 1/2 vampire to carry it and still be in the Shroud. In all aspects, it generally conforms to the lvl 4 power of Sombra: Roll Manipulation + Stealth [7] and get one success. The Shroud also hides the Hand's aura, so the lvl 2 Auspex power will only work if the user's Auspex is higher then the Hand Discipline.

Manus Nigrum Temportal: (also called Mystic Passages) To move your body through portals and over distances with but a thought. Usable up to 50', this power acts as a limited form of teleportation. Roll Intelligence + Stealth, tn=7 to get one success to arrive at your destination. Nearly any sort of trick can be added to the teleportation- ninja smoke cloud, fading out of sight, sinking into the ground, becoming smaller until disappearing, stepping into a shadow, et.al. Getting no successes means that you go nowhere, while a botch means that you have angered the ST and anything can happen (ST discretion). You need not know exactly where you want to go to get there, teleporting 50' straight down would get you into a sewer that was 10' below you if nothing was available at the 20'to 50' mark. Teleporting to the 5th floor can put you straight up, or stuck in a closet. If the ST ordains that there is just nothing there for you to get to, then you won't move (power fails, although with some proper thought and wording this can be avoided). This power is slightly similar to the Lvl 6 power of Obtenebration in the PGSH called 'Shadow Step' with obvious modifications.

Body of Night: Once this power is achieved, the body of the Hand Vampire becomes cloaked in shades of mist and shadowy darkness, as if the shadows around her stretch out to fall upon her features. The TN for all Perception based skills and powers are at +2 to affect the Body of Night. This power makes the Hand nearly impossible to damage by conventional means. System: 10 successes are needed to stake the Hand member who has reached this level of the Hand power (to hit). furthermore, the Hand takes only 1/2 damage from everything except fire and sunlight, with all fractions rounded down.

Dark Sight: By spending 1 bp the Vampire can see in all forms of darkness, even those created by other powers or abilities (rotes, Obtenebration, etc.). The Dark Sight also pierces Obfuscate up to the Hand’s level, although it does not allow Aura Reading or other Auspex related Discipline powers. The Vampire’s eyes change to a misty black gray, and are noticeable unless some means are devised to conceal their nature.

Ward Cloud: (also called the Black Death) By spending one action, the Vampire can cause the darkness of the Hand to coil around a number of targets equal to a Perception + Occult [7] roll. The Hand must see the targets for this power to work. This darkness is absolute- no sound or sight can penetrate it. Targets with an Auspex or Protean level higher then the Hands may pierce the darkness and see/hear normally. All difficulty target numbers for those in the cloud are raised by the amount of successes generated on the roll (a bigger, thicker cloud can cover more area and envelope more people). Area can also be targets of the cloud- the bigger the area, the more successes needed to cover it in darkness. In this case, the Hand must spend 1 bp and roll versus tn=6. If a character is targeted by this power, then the darkness moves with her in what ever form or plane traveled to. In all cases, the darkness dispels when sunlight strikes it, or the Vampire Hand turns it off. A botch indicated that the Hand member and the area 20’ around her plunges into darkness for a number of minuets equal to the amount of one’s rolled (before cancellation).

Level Seven
Further study into the power of the Hand Discipline brings powers like these below, available to those of 6th generation or lower. The student at this level is a Hand Master, and mutually respected and feared within the Hand.

Fade to Black: The Hand Master has control of her powers to such a degree that she may alter the form that her body takes, becoming a body of mist, or fully passing into the realm of the shadows, with an insubstantial body upon the real world. The Hand has a form similar to the Protean Level seven discipline Form of the Ghost. All disciplines are still applicable, and the Hand is cloaked in misty darkness, increasing her Stealth pool by 5 dice and raising all target numbers to perceive her by 4. The Vampire Hand may turn any part of her body into darkness and shadows, and gains a version of flight in the Fade to Black. The Hand does not require a passageway or opening to pass through, she may merely Fade into and out of a door or wall, passing through it unhindered. The Hand may grasp objects and engage in melee combat, but must first Fade back into the real world. All items that leave the Hand’s body return to their original form, loosing the Fade to Black. Only items that are on the Vampire’s body can be Faded, anything else falls through her with the use of this power. This level of the Hand requires 5 blood points.

Rego Corporem Perdo: Control of the Bodies Destruction. The Hand Master is able to cause the air to ripple around her, in a fiery sphere of blue/white and dark black; whipping around her and expanding into the victims of this power. [B This level of the Hand Discipline controls and destroys Corporem, the Body. If the targets exist in this plane in any amount, this power can affect them, including Form of Mist, Obfuscated characters and Mages who have turned Invisible through a rote. The wielder of this level may effectively move and destroy the matter of the body. The area is dependent mostly upon the scene the Hand is in- a room, garage, store, parking lot or building roof. To use this level of the Hand the wielder rolls Stamina + Occult [7]and must concentrate. Everyone in the area is thrown one uniform direction (up, down, outwards, away is common, back, etc.) at 10’ per success and suffers two normal health levels of damage per success. The soak roll is Stamina + Fortitude [7]. The effect lasts one segment. Characters hitting items may break through them if the amount of successes that the Hand scored is equal or greater then the strength required to break it. Example: Ashton is in thick melee combat with several of the Souleaters. He uses Hand-7 to destroy the creatures utterly. Rolling 10 successes, he does 20 normal damage at soak=7, and throws each one 100’ away from him (a great roll for Ashton). Some of the Fleshy Creations hit lamp posts and brick walls. Ashton has generated 10 successes, which (on page 213 VH) is enough to send the Creations crashing through the brick walls (strength=9) but not enough to have them snap the lamp posts (that would be strenght=12).

GameMaster Notes