Presence (VTM)

Presence
Pronounce	PRE-zəns
Nicknames	Superstardom, Enthrallment, Sublimitas
Clans	Brujah, Ministry, Ravnos (V5), Toreador, Ventrue
Bloodlines	Baali, Daughters of Cacophony, Guruhi, Impundulu, Ishtarri, Serpents of the Light, Telyavelic Tremere, Tlacique, True Brujah

Presence is the Discipline of supernatural allure and emotional manipulation which allows Kindred to attract, sway, and control crowds.

See this article on the VTM Redemption Wiki:

Presence

Overview

Presence softened God's curse upon Cainites in that it makes the vampire become the center of attention. Either be fascinating, seducing, or intimidating those in close vicinity. Regular users of Presence find themselves attracting beneficial attention easily, sometimes activating the discipline without conscious efforts.

This discipline is fairly common among vampires, especially within the Camarilla, both because of its versatility and because of its subtlety. Many Presence powers can be used upon large groups of people at once and transcend virtually all boundaries of gender, race, religion, class, and supernatural status. Though Presence can be resisted through force of will and by ignoring the user, most do not realize when it is being used upon them.

Official Abilities

Included below are the official powers described in supplements for Vampire: The Masquerade and Dark Ages: Vampire. Sources are described below in the order they were printed.

Interestingly enough, in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Presence is a progressive Discipline like Celerity or Potence. It has no individual powers, just one effect which grows in strength. Higher levels do, however, occasionally open additional options in dialogue.

Standard Powers

• ^[1]
  • Awe: Awe is simple but solid. Once the vampire employs this power, those who are near him or her either want to be closer to him or her or shudder in fear. It is an immediate and intense attraction, but temporal and not so overpowering that those afflicted lose their sense of self-preservation. Danger breaks the spell of fascination, as does leaving the area. Victims will remember how they felt, though, and this will affect their reactions should they ever encounter the vampire again. Awe is extremely useful in mass communication. It does not matter what is said – the hearts of those affected will lean towards the user's opinion.
• ^[2]
  • Dread Gaze: This power engenders unbearable terror in its victims. Dread Gaze, like the legendary hypnotism of the cobra, stupefies the victim into madness, immobility, or reckless flight. To use this power, the vampire merely shows the mark of Caine upon him or her – bearing claws and teeth, hissing loudly and with malice. Any vampire can do this, but students of this Discipline are more insanely terrifying than mere sight can explain.
• ^[3]
  • Entrancement: The Kindred makes someone obsessively want to please them.
• ^[4]
  • Summon: The Kindred compels someone to come to them immediately.
• ^[5]
  • Majesty: The Kindred appears as a figure of absolute power and authority. Where a charismatic, skilled vampire with Awe [1] may impress at a street corner, or drink undisturbed in a back alley, the power of Majesty [5] can influence an area of effect like a small concert hall or theater full of people.

Advanced Powers

• ^[6]
  • Absent Sway: Infuse either a room or a piece of art with a powerful emotion
  • Aire of Elation: Make everything you do seem so hilarious it incapacitates people
  • Capture Reality: Project the essence of a scene through photographs or film
  • Force of Personality: People are forced away from you by your aura
  • Intensification: Create an object that instills a particular emotion in those who view it
  • Kingmaker: Extend your power of Presence to another individual
  • Love: Make someone enamored with you as if in a blood bond
  • Melusine's Song: Command someone through song
  • Paralyzing Glance: Send someone into a seizure of terror
  • Passion: Fill a person or group with lust, greed, anger, or fear
  • Renew the Earthly Pleasures: Overwhelm a vampire with mortal feelings
  • Siren's Song: Instill particular emotions in a group through music
  • Spark of Rage: Provoke a group of people to Frenzy
  • Star Magnetism: Make those who see you in pictures or films in awe of you
  • Temptation: Corrupt someone into taking an action they normally wouldn't take
  • Two-Tiered Communication: Subliminally say different things to someone than what is heard publically
  • Vengeance of the Martyr's Legacy: Compel all the vampire's descendants Frenzy

• ^[7]
  • Cooperation: Lessen hostilities and promote cooperation in a group
  • Fires of Conviction: Embolden a crowd to riot in the name of some cause
  • Mask Empathy: Cut emotional bonds between people
  • Mind Numb: Drain the people around you of motivation or incentive to act
  • Phobia: Make someone irrationally afraid of something
  • Scourging the Instinct: Whip a crowd into a controlled frenzy
  • Unholy Penance: Fill someone with guilt and the desire to beg forgiveness
  • Vengeance of the Martyr's Legacy: Force all the vampire's descendants to Frenzy

• ^[8]
  • Bloodlust: Rouse your troops into an enraged horde capable of ignoring their wounds
  • Corruption/The Decaying Orbit: Make someone addicted to sadistic acts or go into a Frenzy when presented with pleasurable things
  • Invoke Frenzy: Send someone into one of three types of Frenzy
  • Ironclad Command: It becomes very difficult to resist your Presence powers
  • Perfect Paragon: Appear as the ideal person to whomever sees you

• ^[9]
  • A Perfect World: Make everyone in a city work towards making it your ideal city
  • Pulse of the City: Project an emotion into the residents of a city

• ^[10]
  • Dream World: Project dreams and nightmares to everyone in the world
  • Plot Device

Standard Powers (V5)

• ​​
  • Awe: The vampire can add their Presence rating to their Persuasion and Performance checks
  • Daunt:  The vampire can add their Presence rating to their Intimidation checks.
  • Eyes of the Serpent: The vampire can freeze a mortal in place with their gaze. Amalgam: Protean 1
• ​​
  • Lingering Kiss: The vampire can gain bonuses to their Social pools against targets that they have Kissed.
• ​​
  • Dread Gaze: The vampire can inflict terror in their target.
  • Entrancement: The vampire can add their Presence rating to all Social pools and make small requests of the target. 
  • True Love's Face: The vampire can take the appearance of someone their victim loves. Amalgam: Obfuscate 3
• ​​
  • Irresistible Voice: The vampire can now use Dominate powers with their voice alone. Amalgam: Dominate 1
  • Summon: The Vampire may summon anyone that has been under the influence of their Awe, Entrancement or Tasted the user's Blood.
  • Magnum Opus: When the vampire creates a work of art (ex: painting, sculpture), they can impart on to their work a portion of their Presence, making the audience succumb to its hypnotic allure or fear its dreadful visage. Amalgam: Auspex 3
• ​​
  • Majesty: The vampire can make everyone in their presence unable to act in conflict against them.
  • Star Magnetism: Awe, Daunt, and Entrancement can be used through live feeds and electronic streams.

Gallery

Dread Gaze

References

----

^  Level 1

Awe	Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook	Pg. 100
	Vampire: The Masquerade Second Edition	Pg. 165
	Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook	Pg. 157
	Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition	Pg. 171
	Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook	Pg. 202
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 193
	Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition Corebook	Pg 267
Daunt	Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition Corebook	Pg. 267
Eyes of the Serpent	VTM: Anarch	Pg. 185
Presence	Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines	–

^  Level 2

Entrancement	Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook	Pg. 100
Dread Gaze	Vampire: The Masquerade Second Edition	Pg. 165-166
	Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook	Pg. 158
	Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition	Pg. 171
	Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook	Pg. 202
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 194
Presence	Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines	–

^  Level 3

Compulsion by Attraction	Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook	Pg. 100-101
Entrancement	Vampire: The Masquerade Second Edition	Pg. 166
	Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook	Pg. 158
	Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition	Pg. 171
	Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook	Pg. 203
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 195
Presence	Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines	–

^  Level 4

Summon	Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook	Pg. 101
	Vampire: The Masquerade Second Edition	Pg. 166
	Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook	Pg. 158
	Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition	Pg. 171
	Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook	Pg. 203
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 195
Presence	Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines	–

^  Level 5

Majesty	Vampire: The Masquerade Rulebook	Pg. 101
	Vampire: The Masquerade Second Edition	Pg. 166
	Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook	Pg. 158
	Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition	Pg. 172
	Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook	Pg. 204
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 196
Presence	Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines	–

^  Level 6

Enrage	The Players Guide	Pg. 82
Love	The Players Guide	Pg. 82
	The Players Guide Second Edition	Pg. 78
	Guide to the Camarilla	Pg. 94
	Laws of Elysium	Pg. 69
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 196
Rage	The Players Guide Second Edition	Pg. 78
Aire of Elation	Clanbook: Toreador	Pg. 38
Capture Reality	Clanbook: Toreador	Pg. 38
Intensification	Clanbook: Toreador	Pg. 38
Siren's Song	Clanbook: Toreador	Pg. 38
Star Magnetism	Clanbook: Toreador	Pg. 39
	Lore of the Clans	Pg. 200
Two-Tiered Communication	Clanbook: Toreador	Pg. 39
Passion	Vampire: The Dark Ages Rulebook	Pg. 159
	Dark Ages: Vampire Rulebook	Pg. 204
Renew the Earthly Pleasures	Dark Ages Companion	Pg. 89
Melusine's Song	Libellus Sanguinis 2: Keepers of the Word	Pg. 37
Paralyzing Glance	Guide to the Camarilla	Pg. 95
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 196
Spark of Rage	Guide to the Camarilla	Pg. 95
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 197
Force of Personality	Players Guide to High Clans	Pg. 160
Vengeance of the Martyr's Legacy	Anarchs Unbound	Pg. 112
Temptation	Lore of the Clans	Pg. 68
Kingmaker	Vampire Twentieth Anniversary Edition: The Dark Ages	Pg. 238

^  Level 7

Mask Empathy	The Players Guide	Pg. 83
	The Players Guide Second Edition	Pg. 78
Mind Numb	The Players Guide	Pg. 82
	The Players Guide Second Edition	Pg. 78
	Laws of Elysium	Pg. 69
Unholy Penance	Dark Ages Companion	Pg. 89
Phobia	Clanbook: Followers of Set Revised	Pg. 69
	Lore of the Clans	Pg. 68
Scourging the Instinct	Guide to the Anarchs	Pg. 163
Fires of Conviction	Players Guide to High Clans	Pg. 160
Cooperation	Guide to the Camarilla	Pg. 96
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 198
Vengeance of the Martyr's Legacy	Anarchs Unbound	Pg. 112

^  Level 8

Invoke Frenzy	The Players Guide	Pg. 83
	The Players Guide Second Edition	Pg. 78
Bloodlust	Dark Ages Companion	Pg. 89
Corruption	Clanbook: Followers of Set Revised	Pg. 69
Perfect Paragon	Players Guide to High Clans	Pg. 161
Ironclad Command	Guide to the Camarilla	Pg. 96
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 198
The Decaying Orbit	Lore of the Clans	Pg. 68

^  Level 9

Heart of the City	The Players Guide	Pg. 83
	The Players Guide Second Edition	Pg. 79
A Perfect World	Players Guide to High Clans	Pg. 162
Pulse of the City	Guide to the Camarilla	Pg. 96
	Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition	Pg. 198

^  Level 10

Dream World	The Players Guide	Pg. 83
	The Players Guide Second Edition	Pg. 79
Plot Device	Gehenna	Pg. 182