An Alternate Amber, by David Moore, Used With Permission.
Part V:
Rules of the Masque
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History | Setting | Elders | A Sample Character The players in Blood of Amber, as in the standard Amber game, are the next generation; vampires created by the princes and princesses of Amber, either illicitly and defiantly during Oberon's life and career, or more flagrantly during the century-long interregnum or in the year since Patternfall. The story is about what happens next: there is no one would-be ruler strong enough to declare himself Demon King and hold the title; the people of Amber are rising up, forcing their masters to subject them to ever more terrible demonstrations of their authority; and without the Gem to protect them from Amber's true sun, the vampires' home may well soon be anathema to them. We live, as they say, in interesting times... This page is divided up into the following sections:
Click on the section headings to return to the top of the page. Character CreationCharacter creation in Blood of Amber is identical to that of Amber DRPG, including attributes, powers, artefacts and creatures, and stuff. A standard Blood of Amber character is created on 150 points. Basic traits are described below; then the Powers available to a vampire character are detailed and finally amendments to the rules for Artefacts, Creatures and Stuff. Character Allies and Shadows act exactly the same way in Blood of Amber as in Amber DRPG, so they are not covered in these rules. AttributesVampires are much stronger than mortals; their minds are more focussed, and able to sway lesser beings; their reflexes are faster, and their un-living bodies are less susceptible to the frailties that afflict mortal men. All four of the character attributes in Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game are significantly increased by the Becoming; Chaos attributes are the standard even for a standard vampire, as for Chaosians in Amber DRPG. The Communion increases these still higher, and full-blooded members of the Court have Amber as default attributes. The BecomingThe process of becoming a vampire is known in Amber as the Becoming. Far from creating another spawn every time he feeds, a descendant of Oberon must take quite deliberate steps to turn another, and the process doesn't always succeed. First, the vampire must completely drain his victim of blood. This task is made easy in the case of mortals from shadow, who enter a soporific stupor when the vampire begins to feed, but more potent beings aren't affected in this way, and the life must be taken with force. Once the victim is entirely bloodless, the vampire feeds her a few drops of his own blood; the mortal should return to sudden, frantic life, in terrible pain, confused, and hungry. In a few, rare cases, the process fails, sometimes because the victim was too far gone before the attempt, or because she was especially pure. The new vampire is an undead creature; bereft of natural life, she yet mimics the functions of life. Pale and slightly cool to the touch, a vampire does not have a pulse or any need to breathe or eat. She changes little aside from that and gaining extended canine teeth and more angular features; this is sometimes referred to as the Mark, but usually by mortals and enemies of Amber (see Stuff and Appearance for more detail on this change). Her appearance, in fact, is locked by the Becoming; a vampire never gets any older, gains or loses weight, or grows her hair or nails. Her internal organs, large and small, stop functioning in any meaningful way; a vampire that somehow persuaded herself to weep, or even urinate, would produce blood rather than any other fluid. The most radical change a vampire undergoes is to her persona. She becomes amoral, cruel, and predatory. All the emotions love, joy, curiosity, anger and the hundred other feelings that man is heir to are suppressed except for hunger and fear. The drive to feed, to consume, to take for herself, and fear of fire, sunlight and the small handful of other things that are now capable of killing her become all-encompassing and overwhelming, and the feelings that used to drive her become muted and dull. Those who were strongly emotional before the Becoming find themselves resorting to more and more extreme actions to try and invoke emotional responses; sadism and perversion are common to once-sensitive souls who have been subjected to the Becoming, which is perhaps the greatest tragedy of their existence. Strengths and WeaknessesVampires do not need to eat, sleep or breathe. They are immune to virtually all poisons and diseases (although a vampire can be a carrier of some infections) and do not age. In fact, their bodies do not change at all, and in general all but the most critical of injuries will heal during the day, taking any changes to the body (even utterly cosmetic ones like cutting the hair) with them. Lesser injuries fade in minutes or seconds, flesh and bone knitted together using the stolen life-force in the blood. Even serious injuries do not slow down a vampire as much as they would a mortal: he no longer has any use for his internal organs, and is unaffected by shock and blood loss. Piercing weapons are particularly ineffective, except for those made from living materials; see below. Beheading or other serious brain trauma, or destruction of the body by fire or sunlight, is usually required to kill him. The bite of a vampire sends shadow mortals into an ecstatic, soporific stupor that makes them easier from which to feed and blurs their memories of the bite. A vampire is able to seal injuries his own fangs have inflicted with his tongue, but not another injury or a bite from another vampire. However, vampires react strongly to sunlight. Even fleeting, indirect contact is painful, and direct sunlight will burn in moments. Longer exposure to direct, strong sunlight will start to literally burn a vampire's flesh, and can kill him in less than a minute. Aside from this, vampires are also highly susceptible to fire, their dried flesh burning like paper or cloth. They have a terrible hunger and an overwhelming, irrational fear of fire and sunlight, and can become quite frantic when driven by either of these. Animals can sense a vampire's predatory nature and will either fear or challenge him, unless he has studied the power of Beast-Mastery, below. The Unicorn's Curse lingers with all of Dworkin's line, whether they have taken the Communion or not, and any piercing weapon crafted from once-living material like horn, wood or bone can paralyse a vampire, leaving him conscious but unable to act or communicate, or to use any power, if thrust through the heart. When paralysed, a vampire is even unable to heal his wounds, so becomes short work for an enemy even with mundane weapons. Most notoriously, a vampire requires blood. Human blood is most potent, but some are able to survive on animals. In general, a vampire will either need to kill and exsanguinate a mortal approximately once a week or "graze," feeding sparingly, from one mortal every night. However, this requirement can climb, sometimes sharply, if the vampire uses his powers often or heals injuries frequently. The GM should judge how quickly the PCs are using blood and how often they should feed; a vampire who ignores his hunger and does not feed will weaken, fade and eventually pass out, possibly remaining unconscious for years or centuries until happenstance brings blood to his lips again. Or worse, he could give in to his hunger, becoming a thoughtless, ravening beast, killing indiscriminately and glutting himself. Vampiric PowersOver the next several pages are listed the Powers available to vampires in Blood of Amber. Blood Pattern Communion and Blood Pattern Attunement replace and modify Pattern Imprint; Trump Artistry and Magic are identical to the Powers of the same names in Amber DRPG; Shapeshift is a modified version of the same Power from Amber DRPG; and Fascination and Beast-Mastery are unique to Blood of Amber. The following pages also introduce Blood Powers (see below), which are unique to vampires who have undertaken the Blood Pattern Communion.
The Blood PatternThe source of the Amber Royal Court's power is the Blood Pattern, an intricate design painted on the floor of the family crypt in Dworkin's blood, using the Gem of Law as an inscription tool. The primary organising force in reality grants those who are properly attuned to it the ability to manipulate reality itself; it also binds Oberon's brood together with ties of blood. The CommunionThe Communion is the name given to the process of walking the Blood Pattern, since all those who do so share in each other's blood and the blood of the founder, Dworkin. The vampire is led down to the dungeon beneath Castle Amber to the Crypt; the sanctuary of Oberon's Brood, and home to the Blood Pattern, the source of their power. Stepping on to the beginning of the Blood Pattern seals the vampire's fate: he must either complete the ordeal or die. Formed of Dworkin's blood, the Pattern is potent and hungry. As the Pattern assails the initiate with physical and psychic assaults, it also tries to drain his blood from his body to feed itself. The only way for him to survive this is to allow it to, and to exert his will to draw its own blood into him in turn. A mortal is doomed to die here, the husk of his body drained dry and then physically absorbed into the Pattern to feed it. Even another creature of power, if not of Oberon's line, is likely to die; the Blood Pattern knows its masters. When a vampire has navigated the physical pattern on the ground, the design itself is etched into his body and soul. The Pattern is the organising principle of all reality, and the initiate who has made it part of himself becomes more substantial: tougher, stronger, better able to resist powers and influences, and able partially to overcome the weaknesses of vampiric existence. He also becomes sensitive to the relationship between shadows, with the potential power to manipulate reality itself. Amberites are aware of a rhythm underlying reality, unseen and unheard but felt. This rhythm, the "pulse" of the Pattern, beats in unison throughout reality and in the hearts of the Royal Court, and by concentrating on the pulse, vampires can bring the power of the Blood Pattern closer to mind, using it to protect himself or to sense the powers that are tied to it. Blood PuppetsSucceed or fail, those who walk the Pattern leave something of themselves with it, and take something of it with them. It appears to be able to use this, manufacturing, from the blood of which it is made, copies of those who have walked it. These entities, called Blood Puppets or Pattern Pawns, have the appearances and all the memories and abilities of the originals at the moment they last walked the Blood Pattern. They appear to be created to fulfil certain goals for the Pattern, and have only limited free will, although this can increase the longer the Puppet exists. On their own, Puppets have very short lives, but Pattern Blood, whether directly from the Pattern itself or donated by other Princes of Amber, can extend their lives. The Other PatternsThe Kingdom of Ash has a Crypt, and a Pattern, of its own; presumably the Kingdom of Bone does likewise, but it has never been discovered. All that is known for sure is that Oberon forbade his brood from walking the Ash Pattern, promising that only death and madness awaited those who tried. Few can even guess what might occur should one walk one or the other of the reflected Patterns; speculation is insistent that Moins and Llewella may have walked the Pattern of Ash, causing their madness. The Ash Pattern may offer the same power as the Blood Pattern, or a different power altogether, or it might, as Oberon warned, offer only ruin. Blood Pattern Communion (30 points)A vampire who has undergone the Communion rises above some vampiric weaknesses and gains a resilience to magic and other Powers. He first becomes aware of the rhythm of the Pattern (see above), and is able to start using it to protect himself or gain information. Focusing on the power of the Pattern and studying the interaction of shadows will yield yet more power (see Blood Pattern Attunement, below). Attributes. Most of the powers of Blood Pattern Communion are passive, requiring no attribute to back them up. That said, a degree of Psychic strength and sensitivity can aid in sensing Pattern energies or exerting Pattern defences, and Endurance aids in resisting vampiric weaknesses and rapid healing. As with Pattern Imprint in Amber DRPG, it is very unlikely a character without at least Amber rank in both of these will have survived the Communion. Resistance to Fire and Sunlight. Vampires with this power are no longer affected by the light of suns from Shadow. Walking about in the day is not a pleasant experience, but not harmful. It is generally agreed that the light of Amber's sun, were it ever to rise, would still have the power to destroy Amber's vampires; the Court keep an uneasy eye to Amber's paling eastern horizon. Fire can still injure them, but only as much as any mortal. With the loss of these two great banes, the irrational fear that accompanies them fades as well. The Communion has no effect on the Unicorn's Curse; even the vampires of Amber are susceptible to the stake. Healing and Resurrection. The Pattern preserves a record of a vampire's body, mind and soul. A vampire can draw on that record, and on the power in the Pattern, by drinking from or even sleeping in the same room as the Pattern. This enables him to heal even critical injuries very quickly. Most extraordinarily, though, the Blood Pattern has the power to restore a vampire whose body has somehow been killed to life, weaving (if need be) a wholly new body, like a Blood Puppet. This leads to the biggest question as to the deaths of Dworkin, Osric and Finndo; how do you kill something that returns from the dead? One of the most popular suspicions is that they're not dead, but merely held in magical prisons of Oberon's devising. Blood Pattern Defence. The power of the Blood Pattern permeates every element of the vampire's body and soul. By spending a minute or two focusing on the rhythm of the Pattern, he can call upon it to protect him from Powers and interference. As in Amber DRPG, the Pattern is generally strong enough to dispel or at least temporarily deflect Logrus, most Magic, and the vampiric Powers enclosed here. However, the level of Power being used, the Psyches of the attacker and defender, and the circumstances of the attack can all have an impact. This ability is equivalent to that described in Amber DRPG, pp.42-43. Blood Pattern Sense. The pulse of the Blood Pattern resonates with all Pattern manifestations. By listening to the beat within him, the vampire can try and sense other Pattern phenomena in the immediate area. Other Pattern initiates, Pattern-powered artefacts, applications of Pattern power, Blood Puppets and other phenomena all have distinctive "sounds," and the vampire can sense their presence and, with practice, differentiate between them. Weakness: Native Soil. While a vampire who has taken the Communion rises above the threat of sunlight in Shadow, he exchanges it for a different weakness. As the Blood Pattern is drawn on Amber's soil, so too are the fates of the Royal Court tied to the soil of their homeland. If a vampire in Shadow fails to sleep in at least a couple of handsful of soil from Amber for three nights in a row, his powers start to wane. Gradually, he becomes weak and sluggish and eventually loses consciousness. While it's not possible to die this way, as with his requirement for blood, a vampire could lay in rest for centuries, waiting for someone able to take him back to Amber or to scatter Amber soil around his resting place. Blood Pattern Attunement (35 points)Pre-Requisite: Blood Pattern Communion A vampire who has undertaken the Communion and then focuses on the Pattern itself, the design as an analogue of the underlying reality of all worlds, learns to use that underlying reality, both as a means of travelling between worlds and as a means to influence them. It is this awesome ability, more than almost anything else it has at its disposal, that gives the Royal Court its power; the ability to edit reality itself makes gods of a kind of them. This is the bulk of the Pattern Imprint Power from Amber DRPG. Aside from Oberon himself, the most accomplished users of the Blood Pattern's powers are believed to be Clarissa and her brood, especially Fiona. However, Paulette, Random and Corwin should not be overlooked; seasoned travellers, they have spent more time away from Amber than any of the others, and have doubtless picked up a few tricks on the road. Attributes. Psyche is the most important attribute when using Blood Pattern Attunement, determining the speed, power and finesse with which the vampire can bring about changes in the world around him. Travel through Shadow. The initiate has the ability to travel through infinite Shadow by willing himself towards any place, person or object he can picture. Literal physical movement is required for this. For a change of pace, he can also Hellride or take The Royal Way. For this and all the following abilities, see Amber DRPG, pp.40-43. Lead Others through Shadow. The initiate can lead other individuals or groups through Shadow, whether they're normally able to or not, although travelling in groups will tend to bring them into contact with difficulties that might otherwise not affect them; the larger the number of people he leads, the more difficulties that arise. Shadow Resources. With infinite parallel worlds to choose from, a vampire can be in possession of pretty much anything he can describe. With time and familiarity this can include objects of power, but some objects (like the Gem of Law) are unique in Shadow, and have to be taken from their owners or guardians. He can also locate a custom-tailored Shadow of Desire, where everything conforms to his ideal, or exploit differences in Shadow Time to outwit or outpace his opponents. Power over Shadow. Through the power of the Blood Pattern, the vampire can manipulate shadow reality, steering the way events transpire and people behave. This includes the ability to Affect Probability and influence the outcome of what would normally be random events. ShapeshiftingThe Becoming locks a vampire's body in stasis, unaging and unchanging. Deprived of the fundamental chaos inherent in all life, he is incapable of ever learning true shapeshift power, as practised by the Courts of Chaos. Dworkin developed this power to compensate for the loss, using Magic as his starting point. Less versatile than the Chaosian art, this power gives the vampire a handful of specific forms to which he can change rather than the ability to shift and mould his flesh to his will. Shapeshifting (30 points)The vampiric Shapeshifting power is more powerful but more limited than the Chaosian power. While the vampire has the ability to assume only a handful of forms, he can change very swiftly, adopting one of his defined forms in only a few seconds. He can also hold an assumed form without needing to expend effort or concentration to keep it, although his body always returns to its natural form at local dawn in Amber, of course, there is no dawn. The greatest practitioners of this ability are undoubtedly fierce Rilga's offspring. Wily Caine is believed to have made a number of extraordinary innovations with this power, Gérard's great black bear form has dominated more than one battlefield, and Julian sometimes appears more comfortable as an animal than as a man. Attributes. As in Amber DRPG, Endurance is important to this power, as changing forms puts the body under a great deal of stress. Psyche also influences how quickly the change takes place, as this power has a little in common with Magic. Blood Use. More than any of the other Powers listed here, Shapeshifting taxes a vampire's supplies of blood. The GM should keep an eye on how often a character shapeshifts; a vampire that changes too often and casually will find himself needing to feed very frequently. Mortal Form. A vampire's features are only slightly different from how they appeared in life, but that difference can be important (see The Becoming, and Stuff and Appearance). This power allows the vampire to temporarily force blood back to his cheeks, smooth out angular features and restore functions like pulse, breathing and even sweat and oil production on the skin. While in this form, the vampire overcomes the Mark; he will seem mortal, even to close medical scrutiny. Animal Form. All vampires with this Power have at least one animal shape they can assume, and some have many. The number and manner of forms a given vampire has appears to vary, although it may be that more come with time and experience. The bulk of vampires have two animal forms, usually a wolf or black dog for fighting and a bat or crow to spy and escape; some have three or more, but the limit appears to be about half-a-dozen forms. Dworkin left his mark on this Power: students find his preferred forms of wolf, dog, bat, crow, toad, and rat come quickly to them, while other shapes are less common and harder to perfect. It would be very unusual for a PC to have more than one form not chosen from this list, although the GM may allow a player to pay extra points for greater versatility. Dispersed Form. One of the most remarkable aspects of Dworkin's research was the ability to take a non-solid form, suited for escape or concealment. Dworkin himself assumed the form of a cloud of mist or dense gas, and the majority of shapeshifters in Amber have the same ability; but Caine is rumoured to be able to change himself into a pool of water, and Julian changes into a murder of crows. In any case, a vampire in dispersed form must remain more or less in one place, as the shapeshifter who allows himself to get too scattered becomes confused and unfocused, and risks losing consciousness. If a vampire reforms with part of himself missing, he is injured and will need to heal. Dispersed form has no special resistance to fire or sunlight. Horrific Form. This is the form in which the vampire does battle. Each Horrific Form is a unique nightmare with a bestial, though wholly unnatural appearance. Some have pale, stretched skin; others lumpy and discoloured. Some become short and malformed; others spindly and grotesque. The claws and fangs are exaggerated, and some gain spines, wings, or long, lashing tongues. In this form, the vampire becomes immensely strong and fierce, with an arsenal of contact weaponry, and mentally all but incapable of withdrawing from conflict. Shapeshifting Blood PowersThe following are among the better-known powers to have been derived from the study of magical Shapeshifting and of the Blood Pattern. To learn one of these powers, the student will have to fulfil the pre-requisites, then persuade someone who already knows the Power to pass it on. Rilga and her children are great masters of Shapeshifting, but renowned for their secretive, self-sufficient natures. Failing that, he can attempt to research the power himself or any other application of Shapeshifting and Blood but this will take a great deal of time.
FascinationThe willpower of a vampire is orders of magnitude greater than that of a mortal man. Simply by locking eyes with a man, he can usually force him to concede the psychological advantage, and may be able to influence his actions or rip secrets from him (See Psyche Combat, Amber DRPG pp.94-95). With this power, the sledgehammer of a vampire's Psyche becomes a scalpel, able to mould and sway people's thoughts and memories, bending them to his will sometimes without them even becoming aware of the intrusion. These powers can even be used on another Vampire, although often to lesser effect. While most of the powers used by the family are generally held to have been innovated by the mythical Dworkin himself, Fascination is sometimes credited to the second Demon King, Oberon. Humans and Animals. Note that Fascination and its Blood Powers may only be used on humans or manlike beings, including supernatural humanoids. Animals, or unnatural creatures that behave more like animals than men, are not swayed as are the more complex minds of men; for this, the vampire must learn Beast-Mastery. Fascination (30 points)Fascination is less about influencing or gaining control over another being's mind anyone who can enter into a mind-to-mind contact can attempt that so much as the range and subtlety of actions the vampire can take upon making such contact. The powers below allow the vampire to inspire a range of feelings and responses, to confuse and disorient, and to erase or alter memories. The family's mistresses in the use of this power are Faiella and Dybele. Faiella has used this power for millennia to enter and twist the minds and hearts of her conquests, focusing on one individual at a time. Her creations never felt a great need to master this power; perhaps memories of being its victims haunted them. Dybele, on the other hand, makes use of this power chiefly to sway and control crowds and social contexts. Her daughter, Florimel, has followed in her footsteps, and both are believed to keep ongoing subtle influences and alliances in and around Amber's Court and the Crimson Circle. Attributes. Psyche is by the far the most important attribute in using this power. Inspire Awe. The most elementary ability bestowed by the Fascination power. With this power active, the vampire appears to fill the room with his presence. He seems larger, stronger, and nobler than anyone else there, and that impression will colour everyone's responses to him, usually favourably. The effectiveness of this power is based on the vampire's Psyche; the sense of grandeur will accompany him even if his Psyche is weaker than every else's in the room, but they will be aware that it is not true greatness, rather a magical trick. The particular sensation created is moulded by his self-perception and Stuff: a cruel or callous character will cause discomfort and fear, whereas a humanitarian or leader will inspire pride and admiration. Control Emotions. Through mere speech, the vampire can sway his audience's feelings, choosing a sentiment to amplify, dull, or alter at whim. This effect takes more time, between several minutes and several hours depending on the vampire's and victim's relative Psyches and how pronounced an affect is being attempted, throughout which time the vampire must be able to speak and be heard clearly. The chosen emotion can be greatly amplified, or dulled to near-oblivion, although this power cannot fabricate an emotion the subject did not feel at all, nor can it totally squash a genuine sentiment. Feelings can be altered subtly, though, turning love into lust, or self-respect into conceit. Confuse. A vampire with this power can bewilder and distract the mind of any subject within line of sight. A victim of this character loses his sense of time and direction, and gets lost and disoriented easily. His concentration and memory slip as well; he becomes unable to keep track of what he's doing, and forgets all but the most pressing or important details of the things that are happening to or around him. The effects fade after the victim leaves the vampire's line of sight, although how quickly depends on their relative Psyches. Mesmerise. By locking eyes with him and engaging in Psychic combat, the vampire can paralyse his subject, forcing him to put all his concentration into the duel and neglect the material world. This effect is ended when the Psychic duel is resolved or either the vampire or subject are attacked. The effect is also spoiled if the vampire moves to attack his victim, although the vampire's allies may move freely. Once the first blow has landed, though, the effect is also broken. If the vampire wins the duel, he can control his victim verbally, giving him directions that he will follow, zombie-like, until the eye contact is broken. The vampire can also achieve the following other effects. Implant Suggestion. During the mesmeric trance, the vampire can issue one or a small handful of orders that will, once the trance is broken, remain in the victim's subconscious mind. The victim will have no recollection or awareness of the orders, so a trigger has to be defined, such as "when you encounter a one-eyed man, tell him that Comatus is dead," or "when you hear the words 'the Unicorn lives,' immediately return to Amber." How long the suggestion remains effective, and how compelling it will be, will depend on the vampire's Psyche; issuing more than one order will also water down the power's effectiveness. Note that it is very difficult, with this power, to make someone take an action that is entirely against his nature. Control Memories. Gaining access to the memories of a mesmerised victim is easy enough, as he can be ordered to describe them; in the hypnotic state induced by the power, he can remember even obscure details. With this power, the vampire can also manipulate them, wiping memories out or inventing new ones. The authenticity of new memories depends on how detailed the vampire's description of them is; if he only has time to specify sketchy details, the victim will flesh them out himself, but may get confused if pressed. This may also happen if the memories are very out of keeping with the victim's personality. Fascination Blood PowersFollowing is the most common Blood Power associated with Fascination; several of the more experienced manipulators in Amber use it to keep control of their servants. To learn this power, the vampire needs to meet the pre-requisites, then find someone to teach it to him. Although widespread, it is a dangerous Power, and its would-be student may have a difficult time finding a teacher. As with other powers, the vampire may also attempt to research it, or another application, herself.
Beast-MasteryIf a vampire's mind is greatly superior to normal men, then so much more than the beasts of the field and the wood. If able to enter into a Psyche contest with an animal generally through physical or eye contact, since few of Amber would think it worth crafting a Trump of an animal he can easily dictate its every action, controlling it utterly. This power creates an affinity between the vampire and the beasts, which allows him to steer and command them without the need to laboriously assert his dominance over them. In their eyes, he is part animal himself, their commonality making his will readily known to them. Beast-Mastery (25 points)Beast-Mastery is the skill of manipulating animals singly or en masse by appealing to them on an animal level. Vampires leave a part of their humanity behind when they undergo the Becoming; they are made into predators with little recourse to reason when confronted with issues of self-preservation or desire. This art exploits that, presenting its subjects with a dominant beast that appears to offer little tolerance for challenges to its authority. Few vampires in Amber have even taken the effort to learn this power, but its undisputed expert is Julian, the Master of the Hunt. Aside from the loyalty of his favoured creatures, Morgenstern and the Hellhounds, he is aware, and the master, of almost every wild creature that makes Forest Arden and the other surrounds of Amber its home. Attributes. As the use of this power entails an authority challenge between the vampire and his subject, it is highly dependent on Psyche. Beast-Speech. The earliest stage in the development of this power has the vampire learning how to communicate with any animal. This is chiefly Psychic in nature, amounting to a form of telepathy, but the vampire must use some form of verbal communication, whether speaking in a human language, imitating the noises normally made by the animal, or using some other, stranger, way to speak. This is an underestimated ability, since the ubiquity of animals make them excellent spies; their usefulness, of course, is limited by their ability to understand what they see. Communicating with an animal does not lend it special intelligence or insight. Summon Animals. While one or two mundane animals may offer little threat to a serious enemy, especially a supernatural one, a great many of them may eventually overwhelm even a determined and powerful foe. By loudly crying out in the voice of the species she is trying to call, the vampire can summon to her side a number of animals of that species. This is constrained by availability; standing on a crowded modern street corner, a vampire could readily summon hundreds of rats, but would have little success calling on lions. The success of the power also depends on the vampire's Psyche. Command Animals. The essential use of Beast-Mastery is controlling animals. Without this power, a vampire is limited to commanding beasts one at a time, touching or meeting gazes with each in turn; the Beast-Master may simply speak to beasts and her commands will be obeyed. The effectiveness of this power depends on the vampire's Psysche and the number of animals she is attempting to master. One animal can readily be given relatively complex instructions, forced to disobey its nature or issued a command that will endure for a day or more after the vampire leaves its presence, but a vampire that seeks to do the same to larger numbers of creatures will prove less effective unless her Psyche is respectably Ranked. Animal Spy. If an animal's effectiveness as a spy is limited by its intelligence, the simple solution is to use its appearance to conceal the vampire's own consciousness. A Beast-Master who has defeated an animal in a Psyche contest generally a trivial task can use its senses as his own, spying through its eyes and ears as it goes about its business. He cannot completely control the animal once it is out of earshot (although see Bind Familiar), but he is able to steer its urges, generally to make it move where he wishes so that its perceptions are useful to him. There is also some danger to this power: the vampire may end the effect at any time, but if the vessel is killed while he is looking though it, or he remains within its senses past local dawn, he will temporarily lose a sense for a while, struck generally blind or deaf, but sometimes losing another sense. This effect usually only lasts a few hours, but can endure for days, or rarely longer. Beast-Mastery Blood PowersFollowing is the most common Blood Power learned with Beast-Mastery; while the power is not pursued by many as closely as by Julian, those who do study the control of animals can all see the virtue of a close, loyal pet or animal servant. To learn this power, the vampire has to meet the pre-requisites, then find a teacher. While those who know it are unlikely to fear much from passing it on, the difficult part would be finding the teacher in the first place. As with all Blood Powers, the vampire could also research it, or another application of Blood Power and Beast-Mastery, himself.
Trump ArtistryThe manufacture of the magical cards that allow the users to communicate and travel across Shadow has been a part of the Amber Royal Court for as long as the court itself had existed; it would not have occurred to any but a few of them that the art had originated anywhere else. Prince Corwin, however, discovered on his adventures that it is an old and highly-regarded skill in the Courts of Chaos where the enemy live. He has surmised that Dworkin brought it and the arts of Sorcery with him, leaving all else behind when his breathing days ended. The deck held by Oberon was painted by Dworkin himself, and showed various places around Amber and the Crimson Circle, but Oberon never had the patience to study the power. When Dworkin disappeared or was killed, the art seemed lost to Amber forever. However, Oberon's third wife Clarissa managed, as a mortal, to devise a simple Trump effect using summoning spells and certain rare images from her own Shadow; with some of Dworkin's old cards to work from she was able to revive their creation. The portraits in the Throne Room have a sense of Trump to them, detectable to Trump Artists or to those who have taken the Communion, although they may not themselves be used as Trumps are; some say these paintings are early, partially-successful experiments, and others that they are Trump devices of some sort, that allow their mistress to monitor or control all the family. Amber vampires may learn the 40-point Trump Artistry power from Amber DRPG (see ADRPG, p.50). The family's authority on the power is, of course, Queen Clarissa. Of her children, Brand most pursued its secrets, although Bleys and Fiona both dabbled in it. Others of the House of Amber have sought the training, but Clarissa's incestuous coven reluctantly give up their secrets; generally, any vampire who has learnt this power will yet owe a severe debt to the witches of Amber. Trump Artistry Blood PowersBelow are two powers learned from the conjunction of Trump and the Blood, although they are certainly not the only techniques Oberon's third wife and her youngest protégé devised. To learn either power, the vampire needs to meet the pre-requisites, then find someone to teach it to him. This is an order of magnitude more difficult than finding a teacher of Trump Artistry in the first place. A vampire who had learned these powers at the hands of Clarissa or any of her brood would have to be a trusted servant, or else to have a powerful hold over them, which the scarlet witches would find intolerable. As with other Blood Powers, the vampire may also attempt to research them, or another application, herself.
MagicThe arts of Magic were well known in the Courts of Chaos, and along with the knowledge of Trump were among the few crafts that remained to Dworkin when the Curse robbed him of the power to Shapeshift or invoke the Logrus. These skills left him a potent foe, of course, and with cunning, patience, and the new powers granted him by the Blood Pattern he was able to develop talents to compensate for his loss. It is perhaps thanks to this that Magic remains a treasured and widespread study in Amber; all the Queens of Amber, and many of their progeny, know at least a little of the subtle arts, and some of the vampires of the Royal Court are powerful magicians. The most knowledgeable practitioners of magic, unsurprisingly, are Clarissa and her brood. Any vampire of Amber may begin play with knowledge of Power Words (see Amber DRPG, pp.58-60), Sorcery (ADRPG, pp.60-64), or Conjuration (ADRPG, p.65). These Powers work normally as in the Amber DRPG. Note that High Compelling (Shadow Knight, p.16) is not known in the Blood of Amber universe; members of the Royal Court who wish to control the emotions of others should learn the vampiric Power of Fascination. Blood Magic PowersBelow are two powers learned from the conjunction of Magic and the Blood, although they are certainly not the only techniques the Royal Court has devised. To learn either power, the vampire needs to meet the pre-requisites, then find someone to teach it to him. While many Blood Magic powers originate with Clarissa and her surviving offspring, they are by no means the only magicians in the Kingdom of the Damned; a student of Magic will find it easy, relative to most other uses of the Blood, to find teachers. As with other Blood Powers, the vampire may also attempt to research them, or another application, herself.
Artefacts and CreaturesThe vampires of Amber may craft extraordinary items or beings, quest for them in Shadow, or be given them as gifts, as standard Amber characters do. These are designed as per Constructing Personalised Artefacts and Creatures, on pages 66 to 72 of ADRPG. However, Blood of Amber adds several new traits to the setting, for which there are special rules. Items of Power. See ADRPG, p.67. Naturally, items exist that are fuelled by vampiric Powers such as the Blood Pattern or Fascination. As with items crafted with other Powers, these are unlikely to find their way into the hands of starting characters, but may be found or created with as-yet unknown applications of those Powers.
Personal ShadowsThe vampires of Amber may find shadows of their desire with differing properties, and lay claim to them or be given them as gifts, as standard Amber characters do. AlliesThe vampires of Amber may Allies, Family Friends and Devotees, as standard Amber characters do. Good, Bad and Zero StuffThere are few genuinely optimistic or good-natured souls in the City of Eternal Night, but there are fortunate ones, and those who are adept at first impressions. Good, Bad and Zero Stuff characters all exist in Blood of Amber, and are subject to all the standard rules for their Stuff (see Amber DRPG, pp.25-28 and throughout). The following additional rule applies to vampires with Stuff.
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