BSD Rites
| Type | Roll | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Accord | Charisma + Rituals | 7 |
| Pit | Varies | 7 |
| Death | Charisma + Rituals | 8 - Rank |
| Mystic | Wits + Rituals | 7 |
| Punishment | Charisma + Rituals | 7 |
| Renown | Charisma + Rituals | 6 |
| Seasonal | Stamina + Rituals | 8 - Pit Level |
| Minor | None | None |
General rules: (WtA 155-156)
- Most rites require at least 3 participants, including the ritemaster
- Exception: Certain minor rites and mystic rites can be performed by the ritemaster alone
- In non-stress situations, assume that NPC assistants are available
- Most rites take 10 minutes per level
- Exception: Minor rites take 2 to 5 minutes
- Every five extra participants gives -1 difficulty (minimum 3)
- This requires that all participants be PCs
- Ritemaster must have Rituals knowledge greater than or equal to rite level
- Time/XP requirements for learning rituals are listed here.
- Performing a rite that you've assisted but don't know: +3 difficulty, any Gnosis spends must be doubled, may lose Honor/Wisdom renown
Contents
Rites of Accord
Rite of Blood Taint (Level One) - If the Dancers suspect that someone contains the taint of Dancer blood in their heritage, they perform this rite. The ritemaster spends one Gnosis point. While the target does not need to be present, the ritemaster must have possession of something that the target touched within the past five days. This rite "activates" the tainted blood subtly, giving glimpses of violent and terrifying past lives, or causing Garou or Kinfolk to hear voices that urge them to commit atrocities. The stronger the taint of blood is, the more pronounced the effects are. A full-blooded Dancer Kinfolk might suffer a psychotic break, for example. These effects last for one session.
Rite of Vice Assumption (Level One) - Dancers use this rite to uncover a vice or weakness in an opponent that might be used to corrupt her. For one full week, the vice that is strongest in their prey (be it greed, lust, envy or something more specific like gambling or alcoholism) is evoked in participating Dancers. The compulsion to follow the vice may serve to distract the Dancers from their attentions to their prey, but it can also give the Dancers a way into someone's heart, if they use it cunningly. For example, a Dancer uses this rite on a Garou whose chief vice is gluttony, appetite for food. For the rest of the session, the Dancer finds that he's always hungry, sometimes for traditionally inappropriate things or for items that he doesn't usually like.
Rite of Desecration (Level One) -- As the Rite of Cleansing, but this mockery of that rite desecrates an area with Wyrm taint. - 1 to difficulties when performed at nightfall.
Rite of the Small Push (Level Three) - This rite increases the target's worst urges. The effects are mild, and they last for one session. The idea is to make the target believe that everything she did was of her own will, so the effects of this rite are not intense or dramatic. Using this rite may serve to push weak or guilt-prone people into their own downward spiral or to foul up their relationships. The ritemaster chooses one of the following options, after rolling: He spends one Rage to increase the subject's temper, and the subject considers her difficulty halved for the purposes resisting frenzy. The ritemaster spends one Willpower to weaken the subject's resistance to temptation, and the subject must spend twice as many Willpower points as normal in order to resist bad actions. The ritemaster spends one Gnosis in order to increase one vice in the subject, and the subject's interest in the vice expands accordingly. For example, our ritemaster performs this rite on our gluttonous Garou from the Rite of vice Assumption, spending one Gnosis point. The Garou finds his appetite increased, making it easier for food to distract him from his duties. He's tempted by foods that are inappropriate, such as human flesh or the flesh of other shapeshifters.
Rite of Evocation (Level Five) - This rite drastically increases the subject's worst vice (the same one that the Rite of Vice Assumption would uncover) for one session. The Ritemaster spends one Rage and one Willpower during the ceremony. The target's vice becomes so pronounced that he has little interest in other activities or relationships, and allows it to override even common sense. For example, this rite is performed on our gluttonous Garou. He goes on a rampage of hunger, ignoring his duties, leaving his post and possibly attacking a human or fellow Garou in his hunger. During this haze, he may be a fine target for a Bane, or he may commit an atrocity that drives him to Harano or into the Wyrm's embrace.
Pit Rites
Moot Rite (Level One) - The mechanics are the same as for the Garou Moot Rite. However, the expenditure of Gnosis must be accompanied by a sacrifice of fresh blood - one health level per Gnosis point - which must be allowed to sink into the earth of the Caern, stain the stone or mark the place in some other way. If the Caern in question has been corrupted by the Wyrm, then the sacrifice must come from the Dancers present; no one else is allowed within a Dancer Pit. If the Caern in question remains uncorrupted, then the Dancers may sacrifice the blood of either shapeshifter or human, the more corrupt the better. Some packs have tried sacrificing innocent blood during a Moot Rite, but doing so always causes the Caern or Pit to drop one power level. (Note: Just RP the bloodletting, which we've always done. We're already good to go with this.)
Rite of Synchronization (Level Four) - The mechanics are the same as the Garou Rite of the Badger's Burrow. However, in order to enact this rite, the ritemaster must first spill his own blood at his Pit's moot for two months in a row. If he ever fails to enact this monthly sacrifice, he loses his connection to the land around the Pit and must start this rite over again. (Note: Same as Badger's Burrow, just use that, and RP the bloodletting.)
Rite of Caern Corruption (Level Five) - Once the Dancers take a Caern from the Garou, their work is not done. This rite must be performed once a week (no more, no less). It takes a full 24 hours to perform, and it requires at least five Dancers from the same pack to perform it. The rite must be performed twice for each level of the Caern. During this time, the Dancers may not perform other Caern or Pit rites there, with the exception of the Moot Rite, which is performed as a part of the day-long Rite of Caern Corruption. This rite is typically enacted as a perversion of the Garou Rite of Caern Building. (Note: Same number of successes are required as Caern Building. However, getting them is much easier, with 48 hours allowed for rolling per Caern level. Corruption is easier than building something 'from scratch.' However, corrupting a Caern is not held in any lesser regard than building one by the Wyrm, especially since the Gaians have weeks to plan a counter assault, before a Caern completely falls. Ritemaster gains three temp points of Power, five temp points of Infamy and seven temp points of Cunning. Participants gain five temp points of Power and three temp points of Infamy.)
Rites of Death
Rite of the Goodbye Party (Level One) - This rite is performed to send off Dancers who have died. Some Dancers only perform it for those who died in battle against the Garou, but most Dancers have widened the use of this rite in the interest of having a good time more often. The rite is meant to push the Dancer along on his journey around the wheel and make sure he comes back soon. It's a wild, raucous party, including drinking, mock battles (that sometimes turn real), sex and possibly the torture and death of prisoners. Some Dancers throw this party to honor particularly difficult-to-kill enemies. The hope is that the rite will push the Garou's spirit toward the "right" side the next time around. (Note: It's the same as Gathering of the Departed. Adding it here for the difference in flavor.)
Rite of the Unburdening Soul (Level Three) - This rite is performed by any Dancer too sick, wounded or old to serve the tribe, and it is performed alone or only with the Dancer's pack. If a Dancer is sick or old enough that her peers see her as a burden and she refuses to perform this rite herself, her packmates can perform it for her, forcibly holding her down and killing her. Some young pups refer to this rite as the Rite of the Sick Puppy. (Note: On second thought, this is basically Rite of the Winter Wolf. Use that instead. Keeping the text here for flavor purposes.)
Rites of Mysticism
Rite of the Sacred Tattoo (Level Two) - Through this rite, a Black Spiral Theurge may permanently mark a sacred tattoo on another dancer. This serves as more than decoration. The sigil forms a spiritual connect between the initiate and the Wyrmish spirit represented. The first tattoo is usually the Dancer's chosen head of the Hydra, displaying his personal totem; the second is often his pack's Bane-totem.
The recipient must make an important choice during the casting: Will the tattoo be visible or hidden? Visible tattoos are worn with pride by Dancers who have no desire to hide their true natures. Granted, the sigil may be concealed under clothing, but the Black Spiral knows that if he is captured, his clothing may be torn from his body to reveal signs of his dark alliances.
Hidden tattoos are inscribed by the tracery of a profane fetish. Though not immediately visible, these marks are revealed during the Rite of Woad. Scared tattoos may also be used to inscribe patterns used in Gifts, showing the Dancer's mystical accomplishment. Alternatively, a series of glyphs can show the achievements that granted the dancer Renown - every scarified decoration brings back delightful memories.
Rite of the Broken Wing (Level Two) -- If a suitable human and a still-functioning Spirit Egg are brought together, the next step is the Rite of the Broken Wing. This mockery of the Rite of the Fetish Egg allows the Black Spiral Dancers performing the rite to bind the wounded egg to a new host. The actual rite is relatively short, but does necessitate that the leader of the rite take a bird and systematically shatter every bone in its left wing before the final binding can take place. Any bird will do, but the insult to Raven is greater if a raven - or a captive Corax - is used.
If the rite goes poorly, the egg's essence fades away and the mortal child dies. If the rite goes well, however, the egg and the child are bound together in a travesty of what a Corax should be. While human and raven essences still combine in this faux-Corax, the combination of the forced joining and the loss of whatever essence leaked from the egg before the rite was enacted produce a beast that is lacking certain of the essential qualities of a Corax. Such a monster is called a Buzzard or a Scab by true Corax, when the Corax deign to speak of them at all.
Rite of the Bane Totem (Level Three) - This rite binds a Bane totem to a pack of Black Spiral Dancers. The ritemaster begins the rite, and the pack steps into the Umbra at the first light of day. There the pack finds some trace or trail of the totem it has chosen. For normal Garou totems, the tracking is a formality. Bane totems take Dancers through dangerous territory, forcing them to prove themselves right away. The test that the pack undergoes will in some way require the pack to show that its goals or attitudes match up with the totem's. Dancers who fail to research their future totem might never get the chance to speak with it. If they fail the test, the trail disappears, ending the rite. Powerful totems sometimes require a trial, task or quest in addition to this test. (Note: Same as Rite of the Totem, obviously, just leaving this here for flavor purposes.)
Rite of the Corrupted Fetish (Level Three) - The mechanics for this rite are the same as the Garou Rite ofthe Fetish. Dancers prefer to use Wyrm-spirits in their fetishes. When they use other spirits, they prefer to compel, torture and torment the spirit, forcing it into a fetish rather than gaining its cooperation. Doing so typically robs the spirit of the will to possess an item, leaving it cursed instead. Cursed fetishes are deemed particularly valuable by Dancers. In a variant of this rite, the ritemaster may channel one Gnosis and a full 24 hours of ritual into the torture and corruption of an existing Gaian fetish, causing it to become cursed. (Note: Mostly as Rite of the Fetish, except for the corruption mechanic.)
The Rite of Woad (Level Three) - The name of this rite is derived from the blue pigment once used in Pictish tattoos. That particular hue was intended to draw upon a mystic's deepest energies, showing his most sincere beliefs. Others apply the term to the blue warpaint worn by Scottish tribalists in battle. A Theurge casting this rite reveals the hidden Sacred Tattoos (see above) worn by a Black Spiral. Even if those present are wearing clothing, the sigils and glyphs become visible, glowing with an unnatural blue tinge.
The Wyrm's servitors must assent to the casting of this rite; it is by no means automatic. Thus, though some Garou may think that capturing a mystic and forcing him to enact the Rite of Woad may reveal all enemies present, the spirits may prevent this from occurring. The rite also has a curious effect on bastards of the Hidden Foe - their glyphs shine on the wall where their shadows are projected. As a side effect, the rite may also reverse the Doppelganger Gift, the Obfuscation of any vampires present, and so on (compare the number of success against the level of the Gift or Discipline used.).
When all hope of subtlety has been lost, Theurges cry out the invocations of this rite to reveal the warriors who aid them. Those who are unerringly loyal to the ritualist may even shift the colour of their skin to a brilliant blue to show their battle frenzy. This is a sign that the Black Spiral Dancers will show no quarter, fighting until their enemies are utterly destroyed.
Rite of the Opened Eyes (Level Five) - This rite enables the ritemaster to see through the effects of the Rite of the Shrouded Glen. He must still pick where to look, and must roll Perception+Occult against one-third of the Gnosis spent in the veil's creation (rounded down), rather than all of it. This rite requires the expenditure of one Willpower point. Any target can spend a Willpower point to see through the hallucinations for one scene, although he will still see flickers of movement and shadow from the comers of his eyes and feel as though he is being watched.
Rites of Punishment
Rite of the Survivor (Level One) - This is one of the most dangerous rites a Black Spiral can learn. It is only bestowed by a spirit, Incarna or Black Spiral elder who has victimised the poor bastard in a particularly brutal manner. If the victim survives, she cannot recall what she experienced, but inherits this rite instead. The Black Spiral never realises the source of her continuing pain, but still feels an overwhelming need to exact her frustrations on others. The survivor can then perform similar abuse on selectively chosen victims. The most common application of this ritual is during ceremonies of abduction and breeding.
Rite of the False Memory (Level One) - This rite has most of the same effects as the Rite of the Survivor, but the memories are false. A Dancer uses this rite to instill memories of horrific experiences in the mind of someone whom she hasn't actually victimized. The rite must be cast while the victim sleeps, but it needs not be cast in his presence. The Dancer expends one Gnosis and one Willpower and spends an hour constructing the false experience in her mind. During this time, she anoints an item that belongs to the victim with three drops of her own blood. Once the item has been returned to the victim's possession or home, he will suffer flashbacks and nightmares of the fictional experience. If he spends a Willpower point to get a better picture of what happened, he'll develop a temporary and strong feeling of disconnection and unreality, and the details of the event will slip just beyond his grasp. If the anointed possession is destroyed, the false memories slip away, never to return.
Rite of the Haunting Moment (Level Three) - At its height, this rite causes a target to see briefly what the ritemaster wants her to see. The effects can be subtle (shadows out of the comer of her eye; the silhouette of a friend looks like that of an enemy; a packmate's face grows dark and cold), or they can be straightforward (the face of the ritemaster superimposed over that of a friend, speaking the ritemaster's words). The effects last for 15 seconds maximum, and the ritemaster must spend a Gnosis point during the ceremony. Such dark visions are often mistaken for true prophetic visions.
Rite of the False Hunt (Level Five) - This rite tums an evening into one long waking nightmare. The target( s) of this rite spend the time from dusk to midnight having hallucinations, usually of their enemies. A pack of Garou might find themselves fighting phantom Dancers, some of whom turn out to be their own packmates when the dust clears. The ritemaster and his pack spend the entire evening performing this rite, and if they're interrupted, the effects end immediately. The ritemaster must spend one Gnosis plus one Willpower per target. The ritemaster has no control over the hallucinations.
Rites of Renown
Rite of Passage (Level Two) - This rite is performed when a Black Spiral Dancer cub or Garou prisoner is first sent into the Shattered Labyrinth. (Note: Mechanical rules and lore are in Book of the Wyrm 2nd Ed, page 93. Unlike usual, however, it's been houseruled that Spirals on their Rite of Passage can only Dance to the First Circle. Garou who were previously Gaian gain rank 1 for surviving the Labyrinth, but lose all previous renown, starting with 0's in temp and perm Power, Infamy, and Cunning.)
Rite of Transmogrification (Level Two) - This rite is performed whenever a Black Spiral Dancer is ready to go up in Rank. Functionally it is identical to the Rite of Passage. (Note: It's been houseruled that Spirals can only Dance one Circle at a time, and must have the requisite renown in order to do so, including time limits listed under +rules shifter rank.)
Rite of the Sixth Circle (Level Four) - This rite is performed for any Dancer who attains the Sixth Circle of the Shattered Labyrinth. It is solemn and reverential, and it involves many gifts, valuable or symbolic, from the Dancers of a Hive to the Dancer being honored. This rite rarely has occasion to be performed. When it does, Dancers come from several Hives away to participate. (Note: This can be used by PC ritemasters, but not on PC Elders, except those who are about to retire, and want their characters to achieve 6th Rank status as an epilogue of sorts.)
Seasonal Rites
Autumn Harvest of Souls (Level One) - The Dancers may perform this rite only during the autumn. The rite enables them to see and speak with ghosts for the next three days. Whether they can convince those ghosts to aid them in any way is another matter entirely. This rite also gives its participants a brief chill down their backs when they're dealing with a Spectre as opposed to a normal wraith.
Springtime Procreation Rite (Level One) - The Dancers use this rite to encourage high pregnancy rates and large litters among their Hives. It primarily consists of sex, but it's a surprisingly solemn rite.
Summer Rite of No Holiday (Level Three) - With summertime comes the emotional need for rest, and the Dancers are happy to take advantage of this need. A Hive performs this rite on the first day of summer. Its purpose is to give the Hive a good sense of timing, so that their raids on local Garou will always come when the Garou are most in need of a rest. For the rest of the summer, he feels restless and angry any time the Garou within a five-mile radius collectively start to relax.
Winter Rite of the Wandering Soul (Level Four) - Any given Hive of Dancers may perform this rite only once each year, on the winter solstice, within six hours of having killed a Garou. The purpose of the rite is to keep the soul of that Garou from moving onward properly to be reborn, to cause it to haunt its former friends. Treat such Garou as wraiths. The Dancers must have the body of the Garou in their possession in order to perform this rite on it, and the ritemaster spends two Gnosis points. The ceremony itself takes from sundown to sunup. Such spirits may be set to rest, but only by the completion of a great quest performed in the dead Garou's name. Garou who take on this quest give up any individual renown they might acquire during the quest, giving it instead to their dead comrade. They receive a single Honor Renown award for freeing the lost spirit.
Minor Rites
Note: For official staff +requests, real life wait time is required to gain the bonus. Take this into account. For instance, you can choose to wait 3 actual weeks before rolling on the +request for the extra social die that Greet the Wyrm gives.
Curse the Soul: The Dancer steps into the Umbra after killing an enemy and curses the spirit of her prey in the name of the Wyrm. If she does so for a complete month, she receives a +1 thereafter when using rites or Gifts that harm her enemies directly. This bonus returns after each enemy so treated, maximum once per week.
Greet the Wyrm: This Dancer howls an elaborate greeting to the Wyrm when night falls. If he performs this rite over three weeks, he gains a free +1 that can be spent on any Social roll. This bonus returns each week, after being spent, so long as the bastard continues to perform the rite every evening.
Hunting Prayer: The Dancer chooses an item associated with death and destruction (preferably a weapon) and prays over it in praise of the Wyrm for three turnings of the moon. Thereafter, the Dancer receives an additional die when tracking and hunting her enemies. If the Dancer loses the item or fails to take it with her when hunting, she must start the process over with a different item. (Note: This is the same as the Gaian minor rite, but I'm adding it for flavor purposes.)
Respect the Totem: The Dancer meditates for at least 15 minutes a day, praying silently to his personal or pack totem for one full month. Doing so gives the Dancer a -1 difficulty bonus to be spent when performing any task that her totem mandates. This bonus returns each week, after being spent.
