Here is a collection of Necromantic rituals that have been harvested from the NET. I claim no credit for any of them and give credit to those who invented them well done whoever you are.

Level 2 Rituals

Blood Beads

Using this hour long ritual enables blood to be stored inert inside a bead. The beads must be round stones no larger than the diameter of a penny. Each blood bead holds one blood point and will store it until the desires of the creator are met (i.e. "when the beads are swallowed" or "when the beads are exposed to air"). The trigger that releases the blood must be specified during the rituals casting. The stones are reusable.

System: Each blood point infused must be of the casters and therefore spent during the creation of each bead. 18 minus the caster's generation equals the number of beads that may be created per casting.

Spirit Item

Casting this ritual on an object creates a usable counterpart in the spirit realms. The caster may bring the enchanted items with him in spirit form or when he enters the shadowlands. Large objects (bigger than a coffin) cannot be enchanted, nor can machines with complicated moving parts (no guns or watches). They appear as they would normally there, and the physical object is left where it is in the physical realm, the representation of the object is all that is actually transported.

System: One blood Point must be spent during the initial casting of this ritual per item enchanted.

Level 3 Rituals

Spirit Servant

Using this ritual will bind a spirit to serve you in a contract for an amount of time. The spirit is compelled to obey the casters requests to the best of its ability. Masters who are lenient often employ the same spirits year after year, but harsh ones make immortal enemies.

System: The caster must have an initial way of interacting with spirits in order to cast this ritual. With the expenditure of one blood point, the caster makes a Manipulation + Occult + Spirit Lore roll, difficulty 7. The amount of successes determines the length the contract can bind the spirit for.

Flesh Familiars

The caster of this ritual may animate and control his own severed limbs. Each becomes like a pet under the verbal control of the thaumaturgist. He is linked to them emotionally and can sense if they are destroyed. They perform various duties, most importantly and practically, spying.

System: The caster must cut off one of his body parts (hand, eye, ear, etc...), causing an aggravated wound for entire limbs or complex organs, like an arm, leg, hand or eye, regular wounds for less extreme parts. These limbs will regenerate upon healing normally. The caster may only operate as many limbs at a time as his Thaumaturgy rating. The limbs must have a means of locomotion, although hands can easily transport themselves, but the caster can use their senses by concentrating on the severed limb. The heart or the skull of a vampire may not be removed. Trying to do so results in Final Death

Level 4 Rituals

Spirit Curse

This ritual binds a mischievous spirit to another creature, in effect cursing him for a period of time. The spirit follows the subject and causes him distractions, irritations, and annoyances until the time is up. Those plagued by such a spirit seldom succeed in whatever tasks they are trying to accomplish.

System: The player must roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 9) to determine the length of time the spirit is bound to the target. The caster must have a possession or piece of the victims body.

Spirit Walk

By stabbing himself with a bone ritual dagger, the vampire performing this ritual may enter the shadowlands, the home of the wraiths, in the corresponding location he is in.

System: Once complete, the caster disappears into the shadowlands. The caster may move about and react as a wraith in the shadowlands, although he gains none of their unique abilities. The caster generally appears in the shadowlands naked. By laying flat on his back with his arms folded over his back, he may leave the shadowlands. If he suffers the loss of all his corpus (ten levels) there, he is also cast out of the shadowlands and back into his body. All wounds suffered in the shadowlands will be compensated in blood points (5 wounds in the shadowlands will cost the caster's body 5 blood). The time the caster may spend in the shadowlands is not unlimited, however. The successes on a Wits + Occult roll determine the length of time he may remain.

Moldering Presence

By casting this ritual the vampire's aura emanates a wave of decay. Any matter that comes near him falls prey to the decay that affects all things, though extremely hastened and premature. Wood and paper will rot, metal will rust, and even plastic and glass will erode. Even people (and Kindred) will feel a strong sense of decay emanating from the caster, though they are not otherwise affected. For the time this aura is concentrated on, even the vampire's Auspex reading will appear as nothing but feelings of death and decay.

System: By spending 2 Blood Points and concentrating on the effect, all material within one foot of the vampire will corrode and become useless in varying amounts of time. Complex objects like a gun would stop functioning after the first turn, though it would take days for it to completely corrode. A wooden stake would lose its point immediately, but not become completely rotten until a few turns. Weak objects like paper or pencils may feel the effects from a further distance.

Level 5 Rituals

Feast of the Worms

This grotesque and brutal ritual births a host of maggots and worms within a target, causing intense pain and terror. The carrion insects feed off of the target and eat their way inside and outside his body over a period of time. Those affected by this heinous ritual are not likely to forget the experience.

System: The caster must feed a bit of the intended targets flesh to a maggot (ghouled maggots are more ravenous and prove more effective and expedient in this process). The target suffers 4 aggravated wounds. The target is able to make a single soak roll when she begins suffering the damage with Fortitude alone. The effects are not instant, however. The wounds accumulate over the duration of the night. Every hour the target suffers another of the wounds.

Skeleton Kiss

Used effectively by many Giovanni who have mastered the art of Mask of a Thousand Faces, this attack requires very close contact with a victim. After bestowing a kiss to the target, the target's flesh starts melting away as if burned by acid.

System: The skin in the kissed area immediately begins to melt until only bone remains. The attacker rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge to determine the amount of damage done (non-aggravated). The more the damage, the larger the area affected. This ritual received it's name after it's creator used it succesfully with a passionate kiss to hiss victim's lips.

Thaumaturgy Paths

The Path of Flesh

Called by some the Elemental Path of Flesh, this Path has circulated among a few Giovanni concerned more with the physiology and manipulation of dead matter, particularly human flesh. It is believed in some camps that in addition to the traditional four elements there are other quasi-elements, or perhaps more than four basic elements to begin with. Arguably, flesh is one of these. In any case the Path of Flesh both strengthens the caster by concentrating his own skin and bone or weakening others, and allows the Thaumaturgist to communicate with and animate dead flesh.

*Strength of Flesh

This ability strengthens the caster by increasing the durability of both her skin and bone. It becomes harder and more solid to the touch, and also takes on a rotten greenish tint, resembling putrified skin. It becomes more difficult to harm or otherwise affect the skin of the vampire.

System: The Thamaturgist must spend one Blood Point to increase her Stamina by 1, not withstanding generation limits. The difficulties of all rolls that involve changing the Thaumaturgist's skin are increased by one (for example, Vicissitude). The effects lasts until the end of the scene.

**Recall the Memories of Life

By touching the remains of a human or a specific limb, the vampire may experience an event from the persons past, or experience the sensations the subject felt. The images are fleeting, and typically only reveal but a flash of memory, similiar to the Auspex power of Spirit's Touch.

System: The target must be the flesh of a mortal or vampire who no longer lives. Diablerized vampires and those who have reched Golconda, and mortals who possessed True Fath are exempt. The amount of time the subject has been dead does not affect the attempt. The vampire must make a Perception + Empathy roll. Each success grants one fact about the scene the vampire recalls. The vampire may target a specific time to recall, but no more than once.

***Harden the Host

By borrowing the flesh of fresh corpses the Thaumaturgist can increase his own supernatural stamina. The skins of full sized human corpses, no more than eight hours dead, must be stripped from thier bodies to be used in the casting. The vampire can even resist aggravated wounds with the added strength gained from this power. During the casting, the skins melt into a pool of blood and muscle that entwine themselves around the vampire. The skin of the caster becomes noticeably thicker, and adds several pounds of flesh to his own. The flesh appears raw, like bare muscle, but dried and decayed.

System: For every two successes on a Manipulation + Medicine roll, the vampire gains one point of Fortitude. The effects last until the next sunset.

****Weakness of the Dead

By invoking this power, the vampire reduces the hardiness of others. Those affected by this power find their flesh and bones becoming brittle. Bones become hollow, skin becomes weak and papery. Victims also appear as an old, brittle corpse. They therefore become less resilient and more vulnerable to physical attacks, not to metnion a lot less pretty.

System: After a succesful brawl attack, or when the vampire makes skin contact with the victim, the target loses one point of Stamina (which cannot be increased by using blood). For every round that contact is maintained thereafter, the target loses an additional point of Stamina. After the target is reduced to 0 Stamina, he begins losing Fortitude at the same rate. In addition to the Stamina loss, targets also lose a point of Appearance per Stamina point lost. Victims at 0 Stamina suffer a -3 to all physical rolls.

*****Reanimation

By using the power of Re-animation, the Thaumaturgist may animate dead flesh, limb by limb. The limbs do not necesarily need to be detatched from a body,nor does it need to be attatched. It must only be of a corpse (not a vampire), though a severed limb of a still living target would suffice. An animated hand could grasp objects, a head could moves it's eyes, and if vocal chords were still intact, could even speak, though in a somewhat halted and grinding monotone. Severed limbs can move all they want, but without a means of locomotion, they would not be able to travel (thus a severed leg could wiggle its toes or twitch a little bit, but it isn't going anywhere).

System: The Thaumaturgist must completely concentrate on manipulating the limbs and take no other action. The successes on a Wits + Occult roll indicate the number of limbs that may be animated in a turn, though in any given round the vampire could try to increase that number by rolling again without risking control of the limbs animated at the present. One success is necesary for any one limb to be animated,while five successes are needed to animate a whole body. Only one body can be animated at one time.

Path of Putrid Vitae

This Path concentrates on befouling the blood of both the Thaumaturgist and his victims. The vampires blood itself becomes a weapon and instrument of destruction. Through his blood, the vampire is able to create toxins and diseases that can harm Kindred and Kine. This Path was once known as the Discipline Deimos, practiced by the Cappadocian Bloodline, the Lamia, who are now extinct completely, as far as anyone knows, Cappadocian, Samedi, or Giovanni. After their destruction, Cappadocian practitioners transformed their Discipline into the Path of Putrid Vitae.

*Blood of Sickness

The vampire may transform a portion of Blood Points into a debilitating poison. The poison spreads throughout the body and becomes contagious through exchanges of blood. This poison has no effect on Kindred, although the blood, if consumed, will be transmited to mortals they drink from or feed their Vitae.

System: The vampire must spend the amount of Blood Points to be transformed. The blood may not be used to increase Attributes, heal, or on other Disciplines, though it may remain in his body as long as it remains effective. The poison is only potent for a number of days equal to the vampires Stamina. When ingested by a mortal, the disease will spread throughout his body in a number of days equal to the mortals own Stamina. During this period, he suffers a -2 to all dice pools. At the last day, the mortal must roll his stamina vs. a difficulty of 8 or die a long, horrible, drawn out and painful death.

**Sanguine Ichor

Blood becomes the enemy of mortals and Kindred with the use of this power. The Thaumaturgist may turn his enemies blood against him by causing wounds to bleed excesively. The ichor appears as a thick black blood, thick as honey.

System: The vampire spends two Blood Points to create the substance and must touch the skin of the victim with the ichor. Any wound the victim has is unable to be healed until the next turn, and the victim loses an additional Health Level. A Stamina roll (difficulty 8) may be made to resist the effects.

***Foul Vitae

The putrid blood of the Thaumaturgist is now able to cause direct damage to victims. The infected target can feel the invading blood permeating his body, causing biting pain in every limb.

System: The vampire must spend two Blood Points to create the toxin. The blood, upon skin contact or when ingested, causes aggravated damage to mortals, normal damage to vampires, equal to the Thaumaturgist's Stamina. This may be soaked normally.

****Black Breath

The blood of the Thaumaturgist may be excreted in the form of a mist, which she must breath on a target. The mist creates thoughts of hopelessness, despair, and death in both Kindred and Kine. It is visisble as a wisp of opaque black vapor that surrounds the victims sinuses, mouth, and ears, seeping in to corrupt their mind.

System: The vampire must spend three Blood Points, and breath into a target's face (must be within brawling distance). The victim must then make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) to resist the effects. If the target does not make more than three successes, he is plagued by hopelessness and despair, and unable to gain or spend Willpower for the entire scene. Vampires and mortals are effected differently by the use of this power. If the victim is mortal and fails to recieve any succeses, she will become suicidal for the remainder of the evening. She will have to spend a Willpower Point in order to resist commiting suicide when the opportunity presents itself. If a vampire fails to recieve any successes, she will enter Rotshcreck as well. Botching this roll can be deadly, lest someone is able to stop the victim from ending their lives. The methods of suicide are many; while jumping off a building or shooting oneself in the mouth may be effective, a victim will take the route easiest and most familiar to them, and can be unique from individual to individual. A hunter could go on a wild vampire killing spree (sounds suicidal, right?), an anorexic might starve to themself to death, a vampire might stay up to see his last sunrise or etc. The only way to escape this fate is if a friend is able to physically stop them from carruying out the atrocious deed. Those who botch their Willpower roll and are stopped from commiting suicide still suffer the effects of a botched Willpower roll (losing a point of permanent Willpower). Note that many suicide attempts have failed throughout history.

*****Blood of Resileince

The final power of the Path of Putrid Vitae empowers the Thaumaturgists own Blood. He becomes more resilient, by transubstantiating her blood with the blood of the dead. Her blood becomes toxic itself, and increases her ability to withstand damage.

System: The vampire must spend one Blood Point and one Willpower point. Her blood becomes a toxin that acts as the third level power, Foul Vitae. In addition, the vampire gains an additional two dice to all soak rolls and does not suffer wound penalties. This power lasts for the entire scene

Necromantic Rituals

Level 4 Rituals

Thy Masters Will

I must confess, if I were to pick a favorite path it would be The Bone Path. Nothing makes me feel more secure than a large horde of zombies watching my back. They can be wonderful servants but their limitations are also frustrating, I invented this ritual myself and I know you will enjoy it. It allows one to "program" a single zombie to perform a more complex task. They can now fetch someone or something for you. They can even be told to repeat certain actions when something triggers them. Of course, they still are not applying for MENSA anytime soon. Even a programmed zombie will complete his tasks in the most direct fashion.

I'm afraid the casting of this one is a bit messy. One must write out the implicit instructions and place them in the creature's chest cavity. You may want to sew him back up after you're through. A good set of mortician's tools is helpful.

System: Allows a necromancer to program a zombie that he has already created with The Bone Path level three. The programmed zombie can carry out a series of orders that do not require free thinking or free will. For example; a zombie can be told to go to someone and kill them but the zombie would not be able to find them by itself or determine when it was a good time to do this. It requires the necromancer to place a written set of instructions within the zombie's chest cavity.

In Memoriam

Good necromancers understand that sometimes you get further with honey than with vinegar. It is sometimes best to "befriend" the wraith that you are trying to control rather than force him to your will. That is where this handy ritual comes in. It is known that wraiths need to draw upon a reserve of power in order to use their mystical abilities, a power they refer to as Pathos. Normally, a wraith's Pathos is restored by the energies created when those in the living world invoke the wraith's memory. This ritual invokes the memory and enhances the power given, giving your bodily challenged friend the extra reserves he needs to carry out your commands… in mean, requests.

System: By building a small shrine to the memory of the target wraith, the necromancer can confer upon him a certain amount of Pathos. Roll Intelligence + Occult: difficulty five. Each success gives the wraith one point of Pathos It can only be cast once per week and the necromancer must spend an hour at the shrine built for the wraith, comptenplating on the wraith in question. Having an intimate or important item that once belong to the wraith as part of the shrine lowers the difficulty by two.

Preparing The Spirit Vessel

Now, one problem you may have with your new found friend is that you want to keep him in one place. Binding them is good but it's not permanent. You are going to live forever, so you might as well bring them along for the ride. You have all heard stories on how the great necromancers in Venice have had some wraiths bound for centuries. Want to know how they did it? Of course you do and I'll tell you. You see, a proper vessel must be prepared. You must be in possession of one of the wraith's fetters and have a splinter from the lid of its coffin (or other internment device, such as stone from a sarcophagus or a chip from the put they are keeping the ashes in). Then you prepare a vessel. It could be anything, a bottle, a chair or even a room. (I fondly remember placing the wraith of the Ventrue Primogen of Chicago; one Mr. Ballard, into a piggy bank. I gave it as a present to his arch rival Al Capone, Al still thanks me every time I see him.) The ritual takes an entire night to complete and is quite exhausting. When it is done you have a friend forever.

System: This ritual allows a necromancer to permanently bind a wraith. The necromancer must have a splinter of the wraith's coffin (or other suitable alternative) and one of the wraith's fetters. After an eight hour ritual and the expenditure of a permanent Willpower point, the vessel is prepared. Any time after that the necromancer can perform the level four power of The Sepulchre Path: Haunting. Another permanent Willpower point is expended and the roll made. If the Haunting is successful the wraith is bound to the object or place for all eternity.

True Calling

So you've got your new friend's undivided attention and you've tried being nice to them but they still aren't very cooperative. Well maybe you're not speaking to whose really in charge. I'll let you in on another secret, all wraiths have a problem with multiple personalities. It seems that our transparent comrades have two personalities, one that is more or less the way they were in life and one that feels a need to be bad, really bad. The bad side they refer to as their Shadow. Now the wraith's Shadow may be self destructive and have poor manners but sometimes they are the ones you need to talk to when a particularly brutish job needs to be done. The best part of this ritual is the casting of it. These Shadows are attracted to pain and suffering, so all you have to do is go down to the rack and bring home a vagrant or two. After you get your friend the wraith to sit still, proceed to perform ritual torture on some living victims. This will attract the wraith's Shadow in no time.

System: Once again the wraith must be bound with Haunting and you must know the wraith's true name. The necromancer must also have a human or vampire victim (actually any type of corporeal victim that can feel pain). During the casting of the ritual the necromancer rolls Manipulation + Intimidation: difficulty the torture victim's Willpower. Every round that this goes on the wraith rolls his own willpower and must have more success than the necromancer or the wraith's Shadow immediately takes control. The necromancer does not control the Shadow, he just gets to talk to it. Also, the wraith may disagree with any bargain made with its Shadow and refuse to have any part of the deal after it regains control of its Shadow.

Unto The Void

You've tried and tried but you still can't get your new friend to cooperate. Well, you can't always be Mr. Nice Guy. This is a very nasty ritual, don't cast it unless you're truly sure that you want to make the wraith in question pay dearly. Don't bluff, this sort of thing is very serious. The wraith must already be bound and you must know its true name and be in possession of one of its fetters. After a strenuous ritual, taking a full three hours to complete, the wraith is cast into madness, an abyss from which they may never return. No, they don't like this… not one bit.

System: After binding the wraith using the level for power from the Sepulchre Path: Haunting and coming into the possession of one of the wraith's fetters, a necromancer may cast this three hour ritual. When it is complete, roll Intelligence + Occult: difficulty is the target's Willpower. If any successes are gained the wraith is immediately cast into the Tempest and experiences The Harrowing. Of course, the wraith may do anything in its power to disrupt the ritual.

Exorcism Ex Nihlo

Some days, you just get sick and tired of spooks altogether. When this happens it's time to clean up and start all over again. This ritual will clean out any area that wraiths are haunting. It will even expel wraiths that have been bound by other necromancers. Of course you would never cast this on an area owned by a fellow family member without their permission.

System: This ritual will make any area up to and including the size of a large building, totally free of wraiths. It requires a full compliment of ritual components, including; bells, incense and candles. It takes three hours to cast, after which the necromancer rolls Intelligence + Occult: difficulty six. Wraiths are unable to return to the area for as many months as the necromancer rolls successes. Wraiths can resist this by spending a willpower point for each hour they wish to remain in the area.

       Giovanni Title        Ameins Bio                      Dr Amein's Chat-line         

   Rituals                     Wraiths and retainers