Have Your Say: Vampiric Abilities – Carrion Arts Part 2: Cognate

Content Warning: Contains references to abuse and suicide. Do not read if you will find this upsetting or offensive.

Picking up from Part 1, Cognate Carrion Arts are the supernatural abilities tied directly to your Legacy, the vampiric bloodline your character descends from. Each Legacy grants access to one particular Cognate Carrion Art, reflecting the nature of that bloodline.

If you haven’t already, we recommend reading Part 1 before continuing.

While the Carrion Arts themselves, their themes, identities, and how they are tied to specific Legacies, are firmly established, the individual Artifices within them are still open to change.

Individual Artifices, mechanics, and even names may change over time, though they will always remain true to the overall theme of the Carrion Art they belong to.

Your feedback is an important part of this process. We want to hear what stands out to you, what feels exciting, and what you think could be improved as we continue shaping these systems.

How Carrion Arts Work

To clear up a little confusion after the first part, here’s how Carrion Arts are planned to work.

The idea is you will choose one of the three Artifices from each Carrion Art you have (except Heartstone). Each Artifice has a single effect that gets more powerful as you level it up. You can unlock other Artifices, but this requires a much larger amount of XP, because you are learning something new, not simply improving.

You will earn XP from completing tasks and you will be able spend these points when you rest. Some of the abilities will need a target, others you will effectively use on yourself. Many of the abilities will be combat orientated but the plan is for some abilities to have other effects like in dialogue.

Soma

Soma is put upon Tormented Legacies, those whose Revenants were mentally or physically abused then simply left to die. Soma is available to the Camian, and the Baohan.

Just as these founders were bent out of shape and twisted to fit the whims of their abuser, Soma allows you to alter your undead body beyond mortal limits.

The Soma Artifices are currently planned to be:

• Blades of Bone: Reshape your bones into blades that come out of the wrists.

• Protective Husk: Temporarily reform your bones into an exoskeleton, an outer shell reducing damage from attack.

• Lend a Hand: Temporarily detach your arm from your body which can be controlled. The detached arm will be able to attack enemies or do other tasks.

Vox

Vox is burdened upon Wretched Legacies, those whose Revenants committed suicide after some great shame of their own making and cursed to return to a twisted semblance of life. Vox is available to the Apostatics, and the Iscariots.

Vox allows you to channel your strong negative emotions into your voice in order to affect the world around you.

The Vox Artifices are currently planned to be:

• Travelling Voice: Confuse your enemies by ‘throwing’ your voice.

• Shattering Scream: Release a high frequency scream that damages enemies, innocents, lights, glass and anything else in distance.

• Primal Shriek: Frighten those around you, making them flee or less affective attackers.

Celestis

Celestis is granted to Touched Legacies, those who Revenants perished in mysterious and often supernatural circumstances. Celestis is available to the Annwnians.

As their Revenant’s death apparently involved Demimyths, creatures of legends and fairy tales, far stranger than vampires, Celestis manifests in this instance as the ability to manipulate others through sleep.

As vampires do not dream themselves, the effect on your undead peers is limited though may affect other supernatural creatures.

The Celestis Artifices are currently planned to be:

• Twisted Lullaby: Send a target to sleep though some targets may be able to partially resist.

• Sleep of Reason: Fill a target’s head with disturbing nightmare-like visions. Weaker targets will flee or cower in fear while stronger targets will be distracted for a few moments then become more aggressive.

• Stuff of Nightmares: Influence a target by visiting them in their dreams, allowing you to scare them into fighting for you though stronger targets may be able to resist.

Ardour

Ardour is bestowed upon Slain Legacies, those whose Revenants were killed in cold blood in acts of human violence. Ardour is available to the Borru, and the Mercari.

Just as once murderous rage took over the killers of their founders, Ardour allows you to inflame the negative emotions of others like anger and hatred and turn these emotions into forces that damage their holder.

The Ardour Artifices are currently planned to be:

• Boil The Blood: Cause an enemy to become so angry that their blood literally boils causing them to explode.

• See Red: Cause an enemy to become so angry they attack anyone in distance, whether that’s you, other enemies or innocents.

• Run Cold: Cause an enemy to use up all their anger and find it difficult to attack as a result.

Animalia

Animalia is conferred upon Hunted Legacies, those whose Revenants died in an animal attack. Animalia is available to the Minervae.

Animalia allows you to control animals and beastspawn (animal vampires). It is especially useful for calming living animals as they do not tend to care for the undead though influence over them is limited.

The Animalia Artifices are currently planned to be:

• Beast Eyes: Actively take control over your own beastspawn as if possessing it.

• Tame the Wild: Calm aggressive animals and beastspawn.

• Feralise: Make calm animals and beastspawn aggressive and attack anyone in distance, whether that’s you, other enemies or innocents.

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