Black Candle Visage

Cost: 18m
Target: One ghost

The character spills drops of blood from both hands, and her Essence spins it into a cat's cradle of crimson strands. Pulling and tugging at any ghost in line of sight, the character shapes her target's corpus like an artist shapes wax. Alterations require a (Dexterity + Craft [Moliation]) roll. The necromancer can cause the following effects, which consume a number of successes as noted:

• Superficial Change to Appearance: One success. The ghost can look like a specific individual or just look different. Add a number of dice equal to the character's Craft (Moliation) score to the relevant disguise roll.

• Terrifying: Two successes. Players of any characters who see the ghost must attempt Valor rolls. Failure indicates that the character cannot face the ghost directly. Extras flee, and the ghost enjoys a +2 DV bonus against those who stay and fight.

• Increased/Decreased Appearance: One dot per success. The character cannot increase Appearance beyond his (Craft [Moliation] + 2) or reduce it below 0.

• Disgustingly Hideous: One success. The player of anyone who sees the ghost attempts a Willpower roll. Failure indicates that disgust overwhelms the character, placing a -1 external penalty to all physical actions.

• Natural Weapons: One success per weapon. The ghost inflicts lethal damage unarmed and gains either claws or fangs. Claws: Speed 5, Accuracy +1, Damage +2L, Defense +0, Rate 2. Bite: Speed 6, Accuracy +0, Damage +4L, Defense -2, Rate 2.

• Thickened Skin: +1L/2B soak per success. The character may also reverse this benefit, spending one success to reduce the ghost's soak due to Stamina to 0.

• Ruined Form: One success per dot lost. For each success spent thus, the necromancer reduces the ghost's Strength or Dexterity by one dot as she mangles its form.

The character's player makes a resisted roll of (Essence + Willpower) against the ghost's Conviction. For each net success, the necromancer binds the ghost into its altered form for as long as a week. Should the ghost's player win or tie the roll, the ghost snaps back into its normal form on its next action. Ghosts who choose not to resist or whose players botch the roll may be locked into the form for as long as the necromancer desires. The corpus of a ghost affected by this spell takes on the slick, glossy look of melted and remolded wax until it regains its normal form. Ghosts familiar with necromancy might recognize the effect.