Post Your Scales of the Dragon (Forum Port)

[PenDragon]

Harvested from the WW Forum. Original thread by Ramza.

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"I can't be the only person that saw the new scales of the dragon and started furiously thinking of examples. Here's what I've come up with so far, please feel free to comment on these, criticize them or post your own scales or scale ideas."

Aversion Therapy
Prerequisite Coil: Taste of Fealty
Procedure: The dragon injects or feeds a vessel a dose of poison, it needs to be enough to cause painful effects (and cause the sickened condition) but need not be lethal. Then the dragon feeds on the vessel and experiences the effects(causing the sickened condition). Next the dragon pours some of this tainted vitae into a container of some kind and mixes it with nasty tasting substances. It is then left out until it has nearly lost its mystical potency, at this point it is fed to the subject.
Outcome: The subject develops the sickened condition. For each point of vitae consumed add a +1 modifier(or remove a -1 modifier) to the roll to resist vitae addiction. Despite consuming kindred vitae no blood bond is formed.

Learned Helplessness
Prerequisite Coil: Lease the Beast
Procedure: Some method of confining the dragon is prepared, possibly a small chamber with a solid door, or heavy chains. Then a stimulus that could provoke frenzy is placed to be visible but not accessible from the confined position. This could be a flame, a container of blood, a mortal, something irritating(loud disliked music, picture of foes, etc). Then the dragon frenzies while confined, letting the beast see but not escape from or deal with the stimuli. This is done for at least an hour every few days.
Outcome: The beast grows numb to the presence of the stimuli. Depending on how often and for how long the dragon engages this scale they gain a +1 to +3 modifier to resist frenzy that would cause a frenzy type associated with that stimulus(fear for fire, hunger for blood, anger for annoying things, etc).

Stake Proofing
Prerequisite Coil: The Warm Face
Procedure: Several thin sheets of metal are inserted into the chest, surrounding the heart. The procedure is fairly straightforward and simple, requiring only 2 or 3 hours. A single Medicine + Intelligence roll is made, on a failure the plates are ejected from the body the next time the subject sleeps, otherwise they remain in place.
Outcome: The plates prevent a wooden stake from piercing the heart. As long as they remain in place the kindred has a single point of lethal damage that cannot be healed.

Sober Love
Prerequisite Coil: Taste of Fealty
Procedure: The heart of an animal is removed, symbols are carved in it, and all the openings but one are sealed. The dragon then bleeds into the heart and mixes in several herbs and drugs. The concoction is then poured out and fed to the subject.
Outcome: The subject advances one step in blood bond towards the dragon but does not develop vitae addiction. The substance is unpleasant tasting but not toxic.

SPF 50,000
Prerequisite Coil: Sun’s Forgotten Kiss
Procedure: The dragon concocts a substance based on suntan lotion taken to its extreme. The process is time consuming(generally at least a week is required), the ingredients expensive(3 dots of resources, at least) and it requires access to at least a bare bones laboratory, though the substance lasts indefinitely once created.
Outcome: An extremely strong form of suntan lotion is created. Some of the ingredients are toxic so it cannot be used by humans(not that it would give them any more benefit than a normal suntan lotion). It is generally placed in a bathtub and soaked in it to prevent any chance of missing a spot, though it can be applied normally. It lasts until the kindred sleeps, at which point it is forced out of the skin. The lotion reduces the exposure of the kindred to the sun, downgrading all damage taken from the sun. It is extremely greasy, and not absorbed fully by the skin giving the kindred a slimy appearance, additionally the smell is a terrible harsh chemical odor that prevents the kindred from smelling much of anything and may give social penalties.

Moons Fury
Prerequisite Coil: Beasts Power
Procedure: The dragon must first obtain blood from a werewolf. Next the blood is mixed with things that irritate or infuriate the dragon, and vitae taken from the dragon while in a frenzy. The result is then consumed.
Outcome: The dragon feels fury beyond what the beast is ordinarily capable of. All rolls to resist frenzy at are -3 and willpower cannot be spent to resist frenzy. The kindred may reflexively enter anger frenzy by specifying a target, though it must be something at least a little annoying or irritating. While in frenzy the kindred’s blood potency is considered to be 3 dots higher for purposes of dice bonuses, discipline use and resistance. This effect lasts until the next full moon, at which point the kindred gets only a chance die to resist frenzy and the blood potency increase is 5 dots rather than 3. The effect then ends at daybreak.

Spare Parts
Prerequisite Coil: The Warm Face
Procedure: The kindred subject has an arm or leg removed. The wound on the limb is cauterized with a brand containing mystical symbols. The subject may regenerate the limb at any point for the normal cost. The removed limb is stored in a refrigerator and fed a small amount of blood once a month.
Outcome: The limb is preserved. At any point in the future if the limb has been injured or destroyed the injured limb may be removed, then the preserved limb’s brand is removed then the limb is joined to the kindred and sewn on. The limb works normally and the stitches are ejected the next time the subject slumbers.

Clean Consumption
Prerequisite Coil: Leash the Beast
Procedure: To commit this Scale, two vampires must be attached to a cyclical pump and filtration system, such as a kidney dialysis machine. One of the monsters is the recipient, one the victim. The victim suffers diablerie as the machine draws his blood from his husk and feeds it into the recipient. The diablerie works as per p. XX, but assign the machine a dice pool instead of using the recipient's Strength + Resolve. As a rule of thumb, double the Availability of the item. Unlike standard diablerie, each roll takes ten minutes of pumping and filtration. The victim must be restrained or torpid during the process.
Outcome: Usually when a vampire commits diablerie, she gains the Tainted Condition, reflecting the last vestiges of the victim's soul fighting back against his killer. With this procedure, the vitae drawn is filtered and purified, and prevents the Condition. The recipient receives Experiences and Disciplines per a standard diablerie. However, due to the purity of the blood, she does not gain diablerie addiction. She does still suffer vitae addiction.

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Bestial Invigoration
Prerequisite Coil: Stir the Beast

Procedure: Every day, for at least a week, at a designated time (decided by the Dragon) the subject of the scale must gorge himself to capacity on blood and vitae, then promptly enter a prolonged frenzy lasting at least a half-hour. After a week or so of this repeated process the subject’s beast comes to eagerly await its scheduled ‘playtime’.
Outcome: The subject adds three dice to all actions performed within roughly two hours (plus or minus) of the designated time. However, he also becomes much more prone to frenzy, subtracting two dice from all rolls to resist during that time. This scale will persist indefinitely so long as the subject continues to gore and frenzy on a regimented schedule. Failure to do so for more than five days consecutively will undo scale’s effect.
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Sunspot Exhaustion
Prerequisite Coil: Conquer the Red Fear

Procedure: The subject, a vampire, is exposed repeatedly to bursts of light and fire in close proximity (close enough to risk frenzy, but not harm). At the same time the Dragon practitioner whispers a hypnotic mundra, often accompanied by soft music.
Outcome: The subject will not frenzy from exposure to sunlight or fire for the next 24 hours. However, the process is exhausting, and she gains the Enervated condition compounding every six hours until she next slumbers.
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Dissident Cowing Treatment
Prerequisite Coils: Viovode Undisputed

Procedure: As with most scales practiced by the Viovodes, the subject is first restrained. The more complete their binding the more effective the treatment is likely to be. Then the practitioner, along with any allies she wishes to bring, then surrounds the subject and pulverizes his beast. This is accomplished by repeatedly invoking the predatory aura, targeting the subject while he is totally helpless.
Outcome: The subject’s beast is smashed into submission, he develops a deep subconscious fear of other kindred and loses the ability to lash out with his beast. This affliction lasts one month against all kindred, but endures for a full year when confronting anyone actually involved in the scale.
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[Ramza]

Nice, I had hoped to see more of this thread but never got around to copying it myself. Here's a few more:

Bestial Training
Prerequisite Coil: Lease the Beast
Procedure: The subject is put in a sealed area with a test designed to require a behavior usually involving patience, long term thinking or restraint. For example a button that must be pressed at intervals or a puzzle that requires thinking several moves ahead. Completing the task dispenses blood either from a mechanism or a servant with a hatch. The kindred then frenzies in the chamber and the beast solves the challenge for blood. This is done for a least an hour every few days, over time the tasks grow harder.
Outcome: The beast is forced to learn patience, long term thinking or restraint depending on the challenge. While in normal frenzy the beast is capable of exhibiting greater patience or foresight, achieving its goals in ways more in line with the mans goals.

Pouch
Prerequisite Coil: The Warm Face
Procedure: A bag is made of leather from the kindred's own skin and inscribed with symbols from her vitae. Next it is surgically inserted into the body, generally in the abdomen after being filled with whatever the subject desires, often a weapon, lockpick, cash or important artifact. The procedure is fairly straightforward and simple, requiring only 2 or 3 hours. A single Medicine + Intelligence roll is made, on a failure the bag is ejected from the body the next time the subject sleeps, otherwise it remains in place. Often a small string or wire is attached to the bags opening and left just under the skin to allow easy access.
Outcome: The bag is sealed in the subjects flesh, the subject suffers a single point of lethal damage that cannot be healed as long as it is present. When the subject wishes to access the pouch they can pull on the string if one is present or must dig into their flesh. This causes one or two points of bashing damage depending on the size of the objects stored. Usually the bag is attached to a bone preventing it from being pulled out when accessed, in this case it can be resealed after use by healing the wound.

Numb Stomach
Prerequisite Coil: Peace with the Flame
Procedure: The kindred consumes blood from a vessel on painkillers then consumes a carefully measured quantity of flammable material, then a fire source. Often the subject is restrained first to prevent a frenzied escape.
Outcome: The subject suffers a point of aggravated damage(if this is downgraded the scale fails). As long as this damage remains unhealed the subject is unable to feel the inside of the mouth, stomach, and throat. Consequently holding down food or anything that can be swallowed no longer requires the blush of life. Anything swallowed can be held down as long as the damage remains or vomited up whenever the subject wishes.

[Maskah]

I did two recently.

Warm Body or Warm Bodies (in honor of the movie)

Perquisite: The Warm Face

Procedure: In order to perform this scale, the Dragon must obtain a non-supernatural human vessel that will act as the medium. The dragon then makes an alchemical concoction that includes a point of the vessels vitae and a point of kindred vitae that is shed while the donating kindred has the blush of life. The vessel is then taken to a Wryms Nest where they consume the alchemical concoction and are imbued with spiritual essence.

Outcome: The first kindred to feed on the vessel gains blush of life for 24 hours. Only one kindred can feed on the vessel in this manner, after which the vessel loses the property to bestow blush of life on kindred. It does not matter how much blood the kindred drinks from the vessel, the blush of life always last for 24 hours. If the vessel is not fed on within the scene, they lose the ability to bestow blush of life until warm body is performed again.

Feast of Blood

Perquisite: Level 5 Coil of Blood

Procedure: While the scale is being performed, the Dragon recites an ancient Sumerian lyric describing a crop’s growth into bounty and fall into harvest. While reciting the Sumerian lyric, the vessel’s mouth is stuffed with material from the site, such as grass, dirt or shavings of linoleum. This must be done in the presence of a non-supernatural human or animal that is to be the intended vessel and within the boundaries of a Wryms Nest.

Outcome: The vessel is imbued with the mystical essence of the Wryms Nest and can be fed on by a number of Kindred equal to the vessel’s Stamina simultaneously as though each were the only one drinking from him. Thus, a vessel with Stamina 3 would be able to feed as many as three different vampires simultaneously. The scale does not actually create Vitae; instead, it explodes the Vitae’s power within the body of the consuming Kindred. This means the feeding kindred can ignore feeding limitations. The vessel loses these properties at the conclusion of the scene.

[Ramza]

I've cooked up a few more, gotta take the time to finish work on a mystery or two I've been toying around with and then make some scales for them.

Toxic Cleansing
Prerequisite Coil: Peace with the Flame
Procedure: A kindred subject who is infected with a disease first empties their blood pool. Next they consume several points of blood mixed with highly toxic chemicals and activate the blush of life, focusing on making their heart circulate the toxic mix all throughout their body. Lastly they enter a modified sauna which goes to extremely high temperatures that would kill a mortal.
Outcome: Roll a dice pool equal to the number of hours the subject remains in the sauna. On success they are cured of all diseases.
Just a Taste
Prerequisite Coil: Leash the Beast
Procedure: The kindred victim is placed(almost always restrained or staked though some submit to it in exchange for favors or as punishment) face down on a table. Then custom acupuncture needles carved with runes based on the victims name are carefully placed in their back similar to normal acupuncture but designed to fracture rather than fix the victim’s qi. Lastly the user goes through all the normal steps to perform diablerie on the victim.
Outcome: The user consumes a portion of the victims soul. This is almost as pleasurable as the real thing and causes diablerie addiction, but not the tainted condition. Depending on the pattern of needles the user may consume up to half of the victims soul which causes them to lose the appropriate fraction(round up) of their willpower dots. The user gains the corresponding fraction (round up) of the exp necessary to buy the traits they would gain from normal diablerie. This exp can only be used to purchase the corresponding traits, in the case of out of clan disciplines no teacher or consumption of vitae is needed. While multiple uses on the same subject are possible the victim must have at least half of their willpower dots for it to work.
Predatory Gift
Prerequisite Coil: Leash the Beast
Procedure: The kindred paints a ring of vitae around one of their finger and then repeatedly lashes out with the beast at the finger while meditating. The finger is then removed and fed to a human or ghoul.
Outcome: Roll the number of hours of the trance as a dice pool. The kindred transfers the predatory aura to the subject for a number of days of their choosing up to the number of successes. For that time the kindred may not use the predatory aura to identify or be identified as a vampire or to lash out. The subject is read by others predatory auras as a kindred and can identify other kindred but may not lash out either. Ending this scale early requires the kindred to drink the victim dry.
Just Add Water
Prerequisite Coil: Taste of Fealty
Procedure: The dragon mixes together blood with several preservatives, the liver of an animal that hibernates and several cocooned caterpillars. Next this mixture is blended till its a liquid. Then in a carefully timed and precisely measured procedure the mixture is heated such that all the liquid is removed.
Outcome: The result is a powder that looks like cherry kool aid mix. When mixed with water it turns into a nasty tasting blood like liquid which a kindred can drink as if it was the blood used to make it. This liquid only gives you a single unit of vitae for every four used to make it but is compact, incredibly easy to conceal and stays good indefinitely
Life Sustaining Tumor
Prerequisite Coil: The Warm Face
Procedure: The dragon removes a piece of their abdomen which contains at least portions of several organs. This causes at least 2 points of lethal damage. This tissue is coated in cancer tissue soaked in vitae and surgically inserted under an animal's skin. This tumorous mass is then injected with a number of points of vitae equal to the damage done. An animal can only support a single such tumor.
Outcome: The vitae is sustained by the lifeforce and blood of the animal and does not revert to regular blood. For a number of days equal to the dragons blood potency it remains fully potent, capable of causing vitae addiction and the vinculum. After that it settles into a weaker but still potent state, it no longer causes vitae addiction or the vinculum but can still be consumed without spending willpower by vampires of any blood potency. Typically a vampire simply bites the hump to consume the vitae, its blood pool is separate from the animals. An empty tumor can be refilled up to the number of points of damage suffered to create it (or the animals size, whichever is lower) usually by injecting more vitae.
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[Horodrigo]

A generator that runs on blood. It doesn't even have to be human. You just fill it up with blood, it gives you electricity. Simple. Problem is, it doesn't really work that well. It's not efficient, it's a pain to keep the blood fresh, and there's no real reason to use it over a regular generator. It would have been forgotten, had it not turned out that while normal blood doesn't do much in it, blood that's been absorbed by a vampire and processed into Vitae does. With Vitae in the tank, the device works far better than a normal generator. Oh, and the news is some Ordo Dracul scientist got her hands on one, and somehow managed to implant the thing in her body with a new Scale of the Dragon. So there's a vampire running around who can power stuff with her blood. And zap people. Dragons, man.

Based on this post I came up with the rules for the Scale:

Zap Cannon
Prerequisite Coil: Unknow
Procedure: The dragon craft a strange eletric generator and replace his liver with it. The generator is them linked to the dragons hand with fine isolated cabbles that passes inside his veins. This is a delicate surgery that requires 3 hours and a test of Inteligence + Medicine. You need an assistant, but you can try to do it alone with a -3 penalty for the test. This cause 1 point of agravatted damage. Healing the damage will also heal the liver wich will broke the machine. You can expend a willpower point while implanting the machine to not heal the damage in daysleeping.
Outcome: As long as the machine is working, you can spend a point of Vitae to charge machines of size 4 or less with eletricity for a scene. You can also zap someone by spending a point of Vitae and touching them(or punching, because why not?). This counts as a 2 Lethal weapon(vampires take bashing). It's like you have electric fists.


Solipsistic Potential
Prerequisite Coil: Embolden Potential
Procedure: The vampire mix the mystical blood of a changeling with his own Vitae and a series of complex alchemical substances. The final product is a potent poison(potency 7) for normal human beings, but a strange serum for Ghouls. The serum is injected in small doses over the course of a week. In this time, the ghoul is transformed in some sort of monster.
Outcome: The ghoul gains benefits similars to a changeling kith. He can use Vitae instead of Glamour to activate these strange powers, for powers that need a value of Wyrd, use the vampire Blood Potency instead. This last for a number of weeks equals to the Blood Potency of the vampire, after this, his body reverts to his original form over the course of another week, causing imense pain. This effect does not grant the ghoul a changelings Mask, he appears to be a monster.
Personal note: Solipsistic Potential was developed in a crossover campaing, suffice to say, the changelings were not happy when they discovered this.

[Arduras]

Berserker Draught
Prerequisite: Eternal Frenzy
Procedure/Outcome: Essentially Augmented Vitae Draught, but longer lasting. Instead of lasting a scene and taking bashing, choose from:
1 hour per Blood Potency for lethal - their tendons ripped and ligaments torn from sudden relief after relentless supernatural strain.
1 night per Blood Potency for aggravated - their body dissolves into a puddle of their own blood as they're devoured by the power.

Vicious Draught
Prerequisite: Beast's Hunger
Procedure: The Dragon distills his fury into a potent drink, repeated frenzies targeting the blood but not being able to reach it. Each attempt to distill is approx. an hour, rolling Resolve + Science. The target successes are equal to double the Dragon's dots in this Coil, for the more they force their beast to submit, the more it desires a chance to wreak havoc on it's own terms. Each attempt to create the brew requires double the dragon's Blood Potency in vitae to be condensed into a single dose.

Effect: Gain the dragon's dots in the Coil on Clash of Wills, but if you lose a Clash of Wills you're provoked to Frenzy with a penalty applied equal to the bonus you received on the Clash of Wills - this frenzy lasts until the draught would've expired.

Dramatic Failure: If they choose to imbibe their tainted brew, they are treated as having failed a Threnody with a dot rating equal to their Coil dots. The provocation to frenzy due to failure has it's hunger penalties doubled, and you suffer damage as per BS:S&B p40.
Failure: Roll to resist frenzy with coil dots as an additional penalty. If they fail, they cannot Ride the Wave for the rest of the night once their frenzy ends.
Success: This draught once created remains potent for a number of weeks equal to blood potency, and once imbibed it lasts for a number of hours equal to the Dragon's Blood Potency + Coil dots.
Exceptional Success: Normal effects, as well when you're provoked to frenzy due to failing a Clash of Wills and fail to resist you only frenzy as normal (not until the draught would've expired).

Relentless Hound
Prerequisite: Eternal Frenzy

Procedure: The dragon meditates and concentrates on his beast, until some twisted bargain (metaphoric) is wrought from flesh and blood. Roll Wits + Science as an extended action, with 10 successes as the target. While the effects are active reserve your right most willpower box. This also costs vitae as though activating the abilities you desire throughout the extended action.

Effect: Once done, a number of disciplines or devotions equal to your blood potency may last the entire night but are only active while in frenzy - otherwise they must be activated normally. This reserves your right most willpower box for the night, this scale somewhat mimics the "Red Surrender" taxing your will heavily and giving you benefits (With additional risks, as it's frenzy oriented)

Dramatic Failure: You can't use any Disciplines or Devotions for the night, have fun.
Failure: You can't use the Disciplines or Devotions you wanted to last the entire night as the beast balks at your restraints.
Success: You can have a number of Disciplines or Devotions equal to your Blood Potency last for the night during frenzy.
Exceptional Success: You may reserve additional willpower 1 for 1 for this scale to last for additional nights, you don't regain any of the reserved willpower until the scale's effects have ended.

[Strictura]

Hey everyone. Not 100% relevant but I was wondering if there is a thread about conversions of VtR Bloodlines to the new rules format. I really liked what was done for Strix with Obtenebration and was looking for similar devotions to represent more bloodlines.

[Pale_Crusader]

Thinning the Blood
Prerequisite Coils:l: Voivode (Vast Dynasty)
Procedure: The Dragon takes a volume animal blood mixed with trace barely lethal amounts of various alchemical solutions associate with particular ancient embalming practices equal the volume of blood the mortal subject would normally have and using a modified dialysis machine, which is inscribed with Hermetic symbols of transformation and also Mesoamerican glyphs warding versus evil creatures of the night (The device can be made from scratch or modified from a normal dialysis machine via the Equipment Building Rule CofD Pg. 100, rolling Intelligence+Crafts if done under pressure, but then must also be subject to Binding of a small Area CofD Pg 140), that slowly replaces the the subject's human blood. As the transfer nears completion and the subject starts to die from shock as the body rejects the blood and poison, the Dragon's own Vitae is freshly and willfully drawn via tube into the machine filling the human with this blasphemous concoction but is diluted, which is successfully timed via a Wits + Medicine Roll.
Outcome: If the above procedure is successful at every step the mortal dies and rises as a Revenant with the Dragon as their Sire on the third night after their death, they retain their Blood Sympathies with their creator as normal except the Blood Sympathy is enhanced so that being uplifted to another Clan through Diablerie or intervention by Surrogate Sire (As per VtR 2E Pg. 94) does not remove the Blood Sympathy at the heightened Revenant levels (+5 instead of the mere +3). This ensures a stronger bond to the Dragon than any potential Surrogate Sires. Successfully using this Scale is a Breaking Point for Dragons of Humanity 4 or higher, regardless of whether the Dragon has Vast Dynasty Voivode Coil or not. Unsuccessful use of this Coil counts as manslaughter, and since death isn't Exsanguination but rejection of blood and poison accidental Revenant happen if it fails.

[falco1029]

For the fun of it, since I know a lot of people don't like Grafting Unholy Flesh, I made a toned down version of it that still lets you get some benefits by doing weird grafting experiments with supernatual body parts, but doesn't involve potentially unbalancing things by bringing in other gamelines' powers for direct use:

Grafting Unholy Flesh (Redux)

Prerequisite: The Dragon’s Breath (Zirnitra 4)
Procedure: The Dragon must take a body part from another Kindred, psychic, or other supernatural creature. He must work quickly, and graft the body part onto his own form or that of another Kindred, ghoul, or supernatural creature with regenerative abilities, letting his Vitae vitalize the tissue before it completely decomposes. The Dragon must know of a supernatural ability possessed by the subject, and choose a body part symbolic of that skill. This procedure may only take place on a Wyrm’s Nest.
Outcome: The subject spends a point of Vitae or their own appropriate energy to fuse the part to their own form. Choose one supernatural power (though this may be a full Discipline, or entire Gift, for instance, not just a single level or facet) that the subject possesses that symbolically matches the one chosen from the ‘donor’. For so long as the body part remains attached, they gain 9-again on the activation of that power and any Clash of Wills, or 8-again if they already have 9-again (if they already have 8-again, they just gain an additional +1 dice bonus). The donor, meanwhile, if alive, may regenerate the body part, but treats it as aggravated damage. The body part has health levels equal to its Size, and any damage targeting it cannot be healed through any means but direct supernatural intervention. When destroyed, the bonus is lost.

I have a bunch of others I can gather together later, too. I love scale development.

[Prince of the Night]

I had an idea a Scale for Coil of the Voivode that lets you embrace someone into another clan then your own.


got a few ideas, involving the help of members of the clan in question

Problem is, most likely an elder would be seeking to do such a thing if theirs a paucity of the clan in Question in the city

I think that its reasonable for a scale of the Voivode


oh another Idea?

a Scale to Shed blood potency more rapidly?