Obfuscate
This uncanny power enables Kindred to conceal themselves from others' sight. By simply wishing to remain unseen, a vampire can disappear, even if he stands in full view of a crowd. The immortal doesn't actually become invisible; he simply deludes any observers into thinking he has vanished. Additional uses of Obfuscate include changing the Kindred's features and concealing other people or objects.
Unless the vampire purposefully makes himself seen, he can remain obscured indefinitely. At higher levels of power, the vampire may fade from view so subtly that those nearby never register the point at which he "left."
Under most circumstances, few mortals or supernaturals can penetrate Obfuscate's cloaking fog. Animals, operating on a more instinctual level, often perceive (and fear) the vampire's presence even if they can't detect him with their normal senses. Children and other innocents to whom deception is foreign might also be able to pierce the deception, at the Storyteller's discretion.
The Auspex Discipline enables Kindred to see through Obfuscate. Even that is not guaranteed, however; refer to "Seeing the Unseen," p. 152, for more details.

Since Obfuscate affects the viewer's mind, Kindred cannot use this Discipline to cloak their presence from mechanical devices. Video recordings and photographs capture the vampire's image faithfully. Even so, such is Obfuscate's ability to bend the mind that someone using a recording device will not see the immortal's image until she views the footage at a later date, if even then.
Several clans - Assamites, Followers of Set, Malkavians, Nosferatu - use this power, but it stands as the hallmark of the Nosferatu. A number of elder Kindred believe Caine, or perhaps Lilith, bestowed the clan with this Discipline to compensate for the hideous physical deformities its members suffer.
Most Obfuscate powers last for a scene or so, or until the vampire ceases maintaining them. Once evoked, they require very little mental effort to keep in place.

O Cloak of Shadows
At this level, the vampire must rely on nearby shadows and cover to assist in hiding his presence. He steps into an out-of-the-way,
shadowed place and eases himself from normal sight. The vampire remains unnoticed as long as he stays silent, still,
under some degree of cover (curtain, bush, door frame, lamppost, alley) and out of direct lighting. The immortal's
concealment vanishes if he moves, attacks or falls under direct light. Furthermore, the vampire's deception cannot stand
concentrated observation without fading.

System: 
No roll is required as long as the character fulfills the criteria described above. So long as he remains quiet and
motionless, virtually no one but another Kindred with a high Auspex rating will see him.

_

OO Unseen Presence
With experience, the vampire can move around without being seen. Shadows seem to shift to cover him, and others
automatically avert their gaze as he passes by. People move unconsciously to avoid contact with the cloaked creature; those
with weak wills may even scurry away from the area in unacknowledged fear. The vampire remains ignored indefinitely
unless someone deliberately seeks him out or he inadvertently reveals himself.
Since the vampire fully retains his physical substance, he must be careful to avoid contact with anything that may disclose
his presence (knocking over a vase, bumping into someone). Even a whispered word or the scuffing of a shoe against the
floor can be enough to disrupt the power.

System: 
No roll is necessary to use this power unless the character speaks, attacks or otherwise draws attention to himself.
The Storyteller should call for a Wits + Stealth roll under any circumstances that might cause the character to reveal himself.
The difficulty of the roll depends on the situation; stepping on a squeaky floorboard might be a 5, while walking through a
pool of water may require a 9. Other acts may require a certain number of successes; speaking quietly without giving away
one's position, for instance, demands at least three successes.
Some things are beyond the power of Unseen Presence to conceal. Although the character is cloaked from view while he
smashes through a window, yells out or throws someone across the room, the vampire becomes visible to all in the
aftermath. Bystanders snap out of the subtle fugue in which Obfuscate put them. Worse still, each viewer can make a Wits +
Alertness roll (difficulty 7); if successful, the mental haze clears completely, so those individuals recall every move the
character made up until then as if he were visible the entire time.

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OOO Mask of a Thousand Faces
The vampire can influence the perception of others, causing them to see someone different from the immortal himself.
Although the Kindred's physical form does not change, any observer who cannot sense the truth sees whomever the vampire
wishes her to see.
The vampire must have a firm idea of the visage he wishes to project. The primary decision is whether to create an
imaginary face or to superimpose the features of another person. Manufactured features are often more difficult to compose
in believable proportions, but such a disguise is easier to maintain than having to impersonate someone else. Of course,
things get simpler if the Kindred borrows the face but doesn't bother with the personality.

System: 
The player rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty 7) to determine how well the disguise works. If the
character tries to impersonate someone, he must get a good look at the subject before putting on the mask. The Storyteller
may raise the difficulty if the character catches only a glimpse. The chart below lists the degrees of success in manufacturing
another appearance.
Actually posing as someone else carries its own problems. The character should know at least basic information about the
individual; especially difficult deceptions (fooling a lover or close friend) require at least some familiarity with the target in
order to succeed.
1 success The vampire retains the same height and build, with a few slight alterations to his basic features. Nosferatu can
appear as normal, albeit ugly, mortals.
2 successes He looks unlike himself; people don't easily recognize him or agree about his appearance.
3 successes He looks the way he wants to appear.
4 successes Complete transformation, including gestures, mannerisms, appearance and voice.
5 successes Profound alteration (appear as the opposite sex, a vastly different age, extreme change of size).

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OOOO Vanish from the Mind's Eye
This potent expression of Obfuscate enables the vampire to disappear from plain view. So profound is this vanishing that the
immortal can fade away even if he stands directly before someone.
While the disappearance itself is quietly subtle, its impact on those who see it is anything but. Most kine panic and flee in
the aftermath. Especially weak-willed individuals wipe the memory of the Kindred from their minds. Although vampires are
not shaken so easily, even Kindred may be momentarily surprised by a sudden vanishing.

System: 
The player rolls Charisma + Stealth; the difficulty equals the target's Wits + Alertness (use the highest total in the
group if the character disappears in front of a crowd). With three or fewer successes, the character fades but does not vanish,
becoming an indistinct, ghostlike figure. With more than three, he disappears completely. If the player scores more
successes than an observer's Willpower rating, that person forgets that the vampire was there in the first place.
Tracking the character accurately while he appears ghost-like requires a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8). A
successful roll means the individual can interact normally with the vampire (although the immortal looks like a profoundly
disturbing ghostly shape). A failed roll results in +2 difficulties (maximum 10) when attempting to act upon, or interact
with, the vampire. The Storyteller may call for new observation checks if the vampire moves to an environment in which
he's difficult to see (heads into shadows, crosses behind an obstacle, proceeds through a crowd). When fully invisible, the
vampire is handled as described under Unseen Presence, above.
A person subject to the vanishing makes a Wits + Courage roll (mortals at difficulty 9, immortals at difficulty 5). A
successful roll means the individual reacts immediately (although after the vampire performs his action for that turn); failure
means the person stands uncomprehending for two turns while her mind tries to make sense of what she just experienced.

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OOOOO  Cloak the Gathering
At this degree of power, the vampire may extend his concealing abilities to cover an area. The immortal may use any
Obfuscate power upon those nearby as well as upon himself, if he wishes.
Any protected person who compromises the cloak exposes himself to view. Further, if the one who invokes the power gives
himself away, the cloak falls from everyone. This power is particularly useful if the vampire needs to bring his retinue
through a secure location without drawing the notice of others.

System: 
The character may conceal one extra individual for each dot of Stealth he possesses. He may bestow any single
Obfuscate power at a given time to the group. While the power applies to everyone under the character's cloak, his player
need only make a single roll. Each individual must follow the requirements described under the relevant Obfuscate power to
remain under its effect; any person who fails to do so loses the cloak's protection, but doesn't expose the others. Only if the
vampire himself errs does the endowment drop for everyone.

Blithe Acceptance (Obfuscate level 6)
 Many Assamites undertake pursuits that would seem less than savory to most observers. Indeed, 
simply being known as an Assamite is enough to draw suspiciou in many circles. This Obfuscate 
technique serves to dampen the repercussions of its practitioner's actions to a certain extent, 
making anything he might be doing seem much more tolerable. Bear in mind that Blithe Acceptance 
has its limits: While carrying a rifle down a street might be overlooked ("I'm taking this to 
be appraised."), firing that same weapon into a passing car would alert even the most 
complacent observer.
SYSTEM: The player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (diff. 7)? Any 
observer must roll an equal or greater number of successes on a Wits + altertness rool (diff.8, 
reduced to 6 if the observer is actively looking for suspicious activity) to take note of the 
character's actions, so long as these actions are not physically threatening and the character 
does not attempt to directly interac with the observer.
 Unlike most lesser Obfuscate powers, Blithe Acceptance remains in effect even if the character 
affects his physical surroundings or acts in an obtrusive manner. While using Blithe Acceptance,
 he could pick a lock, defuse a bomb, take money from a cash register or rappel down a 
skyscraper in Times Square, and all but the most perceptive or paranoid individuals would shrug 
his antics off and promptly forget ever witnessing them, as long as those actions stayed within 
the observer's definition of nonthreatening activity. The Storyteller is always the final 
arbiter of any given character's definition of "non-thretening."

 

OOOOO O Conceal
The vampire may mask an inanimate object up to the size of a house (Obfuscate cannot be used to disguise inanimate objects without 
the use of this power). If the object is hidden, so are all of its contents. While Conceal is in effect,
 passersby walk around the concealed object as if it were still

System: In order to activate this power, a character must be within 30 feet of the object to be 
concealed and the item must hold some personal significance. The Conceal power functions as Unseen 
Presence (Obfuscate 2) for purposes of detection, as well as the duration and durability of the 
disguise. Conceal can be used on a vehicle in which the character is traveling. In this instance, 
traffic patterns seem to flow around the vehicle, and accidents are actually less likely as other 
drivers subconsciously maneuver away from the concealed auto. A police radar gun still registers a 
speeding car masked in this fashion, but the officer behind the gun is disinclined to make a traffic 
stop of the phantom blip. Using Conceal on aircraft is problematic, as the power's range generally 
doesn't extend far enough to cover air traffic controllers and the like.

OOOOO O Scrawl (Obfuscate level 6)
 The Malkavian is able to tap into the recesses of his madness and encode his irrational 
thoughts within a written form. His writting appears no diffen than any other graffiti 
(although it may be distinctly irrational, like the scrawl on the walls of a madman's cell); 
however, other Malkavians are able to look at it and filter out the message hidden within. In 
essence, the contagious madness of Malkav's blood acts as a medium for communication. If the 
writter so chooses, he can leave a message than can be read by all Malkavians, or by a specific 
Malkavian.
SYSTEM: No roll is necessary to write encrypted messages; however, if the Malkavian is leaving 
a hidden message for a specific Malkavian, he must personally know either the intended reader, 
the reader's sire or one of the reader's progeny. There is no roll neccessary to read the 
message, either.
 Non-Malkavians with Auspex 6 or higher, if they suspect a hidden message or pattern, can 
attemp to pierce the scrawl's meaning; doing so requires a Perception + Occult roll, 
difficulty 9. However, failure inflicts a temporary derangement on the reader, as he discovers 
exactly the wrong pattern in the writter's madness.

OOOOO O Mental Maze (obf level 6)
Instead of concealing or disguising the vampire or another object, this power removes a 
victim's sense of direction. he literally cannot see which way to go, forcing him to move in 
circles and binding him to an area of the vampire's choosing. The vampire can trap a person in 
his own home: to the victim's point of view the house folds back on itself, and all the exits 
lead back inside.

SYSTEM: The vampire's player must make a Charisma + Intimidation roll (diff of the target's 
Willpower). The difficulty increases by 2 if the character cannot speak to her cosen victims, 
telling them they cannot escape. For each success, the character may affect one victim. The 
effects last a full scene.
Normally, the power is used in a multi-room structure such as a house or a good-sized Setite 
temple, or an outside area about the same size, such as a section of woodland. A much larger 
area (anything from an office tower to a neighborhood) reduces the difficulty by 1 and 
increases the duration to a full day. If the vampire wants to trap a victim within a single 
room, the character must expend a poin tof willpower. A chracter must also expend a willpower 
point to use the Mental Maze upon supernatural victimes such as werewolves, mages, other 
vampires, or ghouls.

OOOOO O Confusion of the Eye (obf level 6)
This power extends the effect of Mask of a 1000 faces to another person in a specialized way. 
While under the influence of this power, the victim perceives one other person of the vampire's 
choosing as someone else. For instance, the victim might see and hear the city's Sabbat 
archbisop as amoral janitor, or a despised Anarach as a primogen whose favore the victim 
desires. The victim hears whatever the "masked" person says, but unconsciouosly explains away 
any inconsistencies in the person's responses. If the "masked" person directily tries to 
persuade the victim of his true identity, the victim will prove hard to convince and may become 
angry.

SYSTEM: This power costs one willpower to use. The vampire's player make a willpower roll 
(diff of the target's Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the victim sees one person, of the 
character's choosing, as one other person of the character's choosing. The effect lasts up to 
24 hours.
The victim will rationalize or ignore most evidence that the 'Masked" person is n ot who he 
believes. If the "masked" person tries to convince the victim of her true identity, the victim 
receives a willpower roll to throw off the Confusion of the Eye (diff 9, -1 per success the 
"masked" person might receive from a Charisma + appropriate Ability roll representing her 
attempt to convince the victim of his delusion).

OOOOO O Mind Blank
A vampire with this power is able to shrug off telepathic contact, easily withstanding invasive probes 
of her mind.

System: Any attempt to read or probe the character's mind first requires a successful 
Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty of the character's Wits + Stealth). Even if a potential intruder 
does succeed, his dice pool for the attempt itself is then limited to the number of successes he scored 
on the initial roll.

OOOOO O Soul Mask
In addition to concealing her form, a vampire who has developed Soul Mask is able to conceal her aura. 
She may display whatever combination of colors and shades she wishes, or may appear to have no aura 
whatsoever. This power is of particular use to those of elder generation who have reached such heights 
of power through diablerie.

System: The use of this power allows the projection of only one aura (or lack thereof) - the vampire 
chooses the precise colors to be displayed when she first develops Soul Mask. If the character has no 
experience with the use of Aura Perception (Auspex 2), she may not choose an alternate aura, as she has 
no idea what one would look like, though she can still choose to display no aura whatsoever. 
Soul Mask can be bought multiple times, if desired, in order to give a vampire multiple alternate auras 
from which to choose.

Unless the player states otherwise, Soul Mask is always in effect. If the character has bought Soul 
Mask two or more times, her "default" aura displayed is the first one she learned.

OOOOO O Gemini's Mirror
Legend speaks of strange disciplines, mastered only by the most annuated Kindred, that allow 
the undead to split themselves in two. Gemini's Mirror doesn't have that level of power, but it 
does allow the character to 'appear' to be in two places at once - or to move away invisibly 
while leaving an illusory double behind.

System: The character spends 2 blood points and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge difficulty 7. A 
mirror image of the character appears several feet from the character. The character may then 
move away, invoke other Disciplines or take any other action. The image can take any actions 
the character desires, though controlling both the image and himself in the same turn requires 
him to split his dice pools. The image remains visible even if the character hides his true 
self with obfuscate or other disciplines. It lasts for the scene, or until the character moves 
more than 100 feet away from it.

 

OOOOO O Mask of Janus
Mask of Janus allows the character to assume the physical appearance of another individual, in 
much the same manner as Mask of a Thousand Faces. When a character assumes someone's form 
useing Mask of Janus, however, the target's appearance also changes - to match that of the 
character invoking the power. Unlike Mask of a Thousand Faces, Mask of Janus can be used only 
to duplicate someone exactly. It cannot be used to create a new or unique image.

System: The player spends a blood point and rolls manipulation + performance (difficulty 7). 
The target must be visible to the character, though the reverse need not be true. This power 
works even over live or closed-circuit televisions. The victim can resist with a willpower roll 
if she is of equal or lower generation than the character. Compare the character's net 
successes to the chart for Mask of a Thousand Faces to determine her degree of success. This 
power lasts until the next sunrise.

OOOOO OO Cache
Most Obfuscate powers require the individual using them to be within a short distance of the subjects 
of the concealment. Cache extends this range considerably, allowing an elder with this power to leave 
people or objects safely hidden while he goes about his business elsewhere.

System: A character must be within the normal required distance to initiate an Obfuscate power. Once 
this is done, the player spends a Willpower point, which activates Cache on top of the already 
functioning use of the Discipline. The concealment will now remain in effect as long as the vampire is 
within a distance equal to his Wits + Stealth in miles from the object or person he wishes to conceal. 
The enhanced concealment fades at the next sunrise, or breaks, as always, if the Obfuscate subject 
reveals himself.

OOOOO OO Veil of Blissful Ignorance
This power's development is attributed to the Malkavians, but many Nosferatu have also found it to be 
highly useful. The Veil of Blissful Ignorance allows a vampire to Obfuscate an unwilling victim, 
removing him from the notice of others. Some Nosferatu use this power to teach a humbling lesson to 
individuals who take the presence and aid of others for granted, while others utilize it to remove an 
essential member of a group in the midst of a crisis.

System: The character must touch the victim to activate this power. The player spends a blood point and 
rolls Wits + Stealth (difficulty of the victim's Appearance + 3). If the roll is a success, the victim 
is subject to the effects of Vanish From the Mind's Eye for a length of time determined by the number 
of successes the player rolls.

No. Of Successes    Duration
1 success        Three turns
2 successes        One minute (20 turns)
3 successes        15 minutes
4 successes        One hour
5 successes        One night

The victim of Veil of Blissful Ignorance does not necessarily know that he is under the effect of this 
power. He is only aware that everyone around him has suddenly begun acting as if he were not there. The 
victim cannot break this effect, even with violence; if he attacks someone, the target ascribes the act 
to the visible individual nearest to him. More than one fatal brawl has been incited by this 
side-effect. The Veil persists even if the vampire who activated it leaves the area.

Curiously enough, Veil of Blissful Ignorance can never be used on anyone who is ready and willing to 
accept its effects

OOOOO OOO Phantom Haunter (Obfuscate level 8)
 This frighening ability taps into the victim's actual self-image and grants the power found 
therein to the Lunatic. The Malkavian using Phantom Haunter can reach into his target's mind, 
draw forth the image of the person who has most shaped (or fucked up) the target's self-image, 
and then become that person in all respects. If the victim was most traumatized by her embrace, 
the Malkavian might appear as her sire; if she was most affected by her overweening mother, 
than her mother suddenly confronts her; if a friendly priest managed to pull her back from the 
brink of self-destruction, the Lunatic might wear that priest's face. The phantom isn't 
necessarily accurate; as it's shaped by the victim's memories, the phantom might even be an 
outright caricature of the real figure from the victim's past.
 Although the change is largely illusory, it's more than skin-deep. Once the Malkavian has 
assumed the persona of the phantom, he gains whatever knowledge of the victim that the victim 
believes the phantom would have. If the victim believes her father suspected her of slipping 
off to have sex with her boyfriend on Sunday mornings, then the Malkavian learns of this little 
havit, and can use that knowledge believably. Since the Phantom's knowledge depens on the 
victim's belief, then the Malkavian can wind up lacking information that the actual figure 
would ordinarily possess, but can also gain knowledge that the real-world counterpart wouldn't 
know. It all depends on what the Victim THINKS her phantom tormentor or benifactor knows.
 Of course, assuming this form and faux memories exacts something of a toll on the Malkavian. 
Spending too much time acting (and thinking) like someone's personal bugbear can temporarily 
imprint the Malkavian with behavior patterns not his own.

SYSTEM: This power requires a Manipulation + Empathy roll, difficulty of the target's willpower.
 Each success allows the Malkavian to assume the phantom's persona for one turn. While this 
power is in effect, the Malkavian can destroy his target's confidence by using the secret 
knowledge so gained; any Dementation, Presence or Dominate attemps against the victim are at a 
-3 difficulty, and the victim loses one temporary point of willpower each turn that the 
"phantom" continues its rebuke.
 However, the Lunatic must make a willpower roll, difficulty 6, every turn past the first in 
order to retain full control. Failing a willpower roll means that the Malkavian is 
oversaturated in the conjured phantom's persona, and continues to be haunted by the phantom's 
habits and prejudices for the rest of the night. This can be treated as either mild multiple 
personality disorder or mild schizophrenia; in either case, the Malkavain temporarily loses 
some of his own self-image to the phantom's own personality. If the willpower roll is botched, 
the phantom personality remains for a month or longer. In any case, the Malkavian no longer has 
access to the phontom's appearance or "memories": the vague impressions of personality are all 
that remain.

OOOOO OOO Old Friend
Many elder Nosferatu have made reputations for omniscience with the secrets they learn through creative 
uses of this power. A variation of Mask of a Thousand Faces, Old Friend allows a vampire to probe a 
subject's subconscious and take the semblance of the individual whom that victim trusts over anyone 
else. Someone using this power does not appear as someone who the victim is frightened of or awed by, 
but rather someone to whom the victim feels comfortable revealing intimate secrets. Old Friend doesn't 
necessarily make its user appear as someone who is still among the living; a long-dead friend or 
relative is just as likely to be the assigned visage, and in such cases the subject remembers the 
encounter as a dream or a ghostly visitation.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Acting (difficulty equal to the victim's Perception + Alertness,
 maximum 10). The more successes, the more convincing the impersonation. Each success also adds one die 
to all rolls involving the use of the Secondary Talent: Interrogation against the victim. This power 
only affects one victim at a time; other observers see the vampire as she truly is, unless she also 
establishes a Mask of a Thousand Faces in addition to using Old Friend.

OOOOO OOOO Create Name
Some Toreador call this power the ultimate development of method acting. Create Name allows a character 
to create a completely new identity; face, speech pattern, aura, even thought processes are constructed 
according to the vampire's desired identity. The power can be used to impersonate an existing individual
, or it can project the semblance of a completely fictional identity with perfect accuracy.

System: A vampire working with Create Name must spend three hours a night in relatively uninterrupted 
quiet to establish a new personality by means of this power. The player makes an extended roll of 
Intelligence + Acting (difficulty 8), one roll per night. A total of 20 successes are necessary to 
construct a new identity, while a botch removes five successes from the vampire's total. Once a new 
identity has been successfully created, however, the character can step into it at any time without any 
sort of roll. Any outside observer without Auspex 9 or the equivalent sees the artificial identity. The 
character's face, aura, Nature, Demeanor, even thoughts and Psychological Merits and Flaws all appear 
to be those selected and crafted by the character.

The only way to pierce this disguise, other than Auspex 9, is to notice any discrepancies between the 
assumed identity and the Abilities it by all rights ought to possess. A character with no dots in 
Medicine should have a hard time pulling off a created identity as a neurosurgeon, for example. The 
Storyteller should make a secret roll of Perception + Alertness (difficulty 9) for each character who 
should catch a slip made by the impostor.