Bardo
Bardo
This Discipline has been handed down since Osiris himself first discovered this path. It involves attainment of a constant state of mystical consciousness, only achieved by the rigid, ascetic unlife of the Children. This Discipline is not the same state as Golconda. Golconda is a realization and acceptance of the way things are, while the Children’s Disciplines are based on denial. They deny the Beast within them by intensely concentrating on their Humanity and their state of death. If a Child was to give up his meditations and discipline, he would be assailed by his Beast.
The Child must maintain Humanity equal to their highest level of ability, or else lose that ability. For example, a Child must have a Humanity of 2 to gain the second level of attainment.
If the Child’s Humanity ever drops below the required level, then the ability of that level is lost and must be bought all over again with experience points. The Child can counteract this with Restore Humanitas (below).
A Child of Osiris cannot follow any type of moral code other than Humanity or Heavens
Trait: Mental Ability: Occult
⚫Restore Humanitas
Challenge: N/A Cost: N/A Duration: Activated (Reflexive)
The vampire is able to meditate on their life, those around them, and their place in the world of man in order to gain a better resilience against their Beast. These effects cannot stack, but they may choose one of the three effects.
Denial of the Unfeeling-Beast: +1 Traits to Compassion Challenges.
Denial of the Coward-Beast: +1 Traits to Courage Challenges.
Denial of the Ravished-Beast: +1 Traits to Self-Control Challenges.
⚫⚫Enlightened Humanitas
Challenge: N/A Cost: N/A Duration: Passive (Reflexive)
Gives the vampire a discipline level retest on all Virtue Challenges, allowing them to exercise their enlightenment as they function at a higher level.
⚫⚫⚫Denial of Thoth
Challenge: Mentals (Occult) vs mentals (Occult) Cost: N/A Duration: Passive (Reflexive)
The Denial of Thoth allows its wielder to stop magical effects before they even happen. If a magical effect is used on a wielder of Bardo, they make a reflexive Mental challenge. If the Mental Challenge is successful, the effect does not even get to be used on them. Denial of Thoth can also be used on magical effects others are using on themselves, but the wielder must hold her action in order to intercept their use of magic. You may also break wards and other rituals by engaging the ritual in a Static Mental Challenge against the Ward's own statistics.
⚫⚫⚫⚫Denial of Day Fear
Challenge: N/A Cost: One Willpower Duration: Until Sunrise
Allows the character to stay awake during the day at a cost of only one Willpower. If the character chooses to not remain awake all day she still wins ties on the test to determine if circumstances in the environment will awaken her. The kindred connection to Humanity is also greater granting her one more action than she would otherwise be allowed.
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫Pillar of Osiris
Challenge: N/A Cost: One Permanent Willpower Duration: Varies
Creating the Pillar of Osiris requires a night-long ritual, with the difficulty determined by the location. The more remote and free from violence the location is, the lower the difficulty. The player spends a Willpower point and makes a Willpower Challenge. Success creates the Pillar, which is a physical pillar at least 8ft high.
Once the Pillar is created, any vampire with at least one dot of Bardo receives a +4 Trait Bonus to any challenge performed inside the building the Pillar is in. However, this requires regular trips to the Pillar. Once the vampire has created a Pillar, he must visit it at least once a month, or it ceases to function.
In addition, for every week he is away from a Pillar (not necessarily the one he created), the difficulty of all frenzy chops increases by one. The Beast, long denied by the Child’s ascetic practices, grows in strength while away from the Pillar, and eventually pushes the vampire to frenzy and (likely) Humanity loss. The Children of Osiris, for this and other reasons, do not leave their temples for long.
