The Vodoun (or, sometimes, Kindred Vodoun) discipline is a fairly unique discipline; its requirements are not covenant affiliation or bloodline, but rather, the character's relationship to a powerful spirit known as a Loa.
Vodoun is a ritual discipline, meaning that it is learned like CrĂșac or Theban Sorcery, with more than one ritual per dot; it is not a bloodline discipline, so new levels must be purchased at 7x New Dots experience, like all out-of-clan disciplines. New rituals cost 2x New Dots.
For the first two levels, a Kindred with Vodoun is known as a vodouisant, and can learn any one or two dot Vodoun ritual. However, the third dot is when everything changes; in order to obtain this dot, they must undergo a ritual known as a bat guerre, binding their soul to a Loa, and becoming a houngan (male) or a mambo (female). Once a Loa has been chosen, it cannot be changed or revoked. The choice of Loa has an effect on which Vodoun rituals the player may learn.
The level of a vampire's relationship to the Loa is known as Rapport; this is, functionally, the same as the vodouisant's level in the Vodoun discipline.
This discipline is detailed in Ancient Bloodlines, as part of the section on The Haitian Revolution.
New Orleans: City of the Damned also makes reference to the existence of Kindred with Vodoun powers, but does not go into anymore detail; a sidebar in Ancient Bloodlines suggests that, when running those characters, these rituals are acceptable for enriching their abilities.
Discipline Rituals[]
The following are all the Vodoun rituals, arranged by Loa, rather than power level. Rituals in italics may only be taken by patrons of that Loa.
Rituals of Ghede[]
Death Echo - Perceives how a vampire that has met Final Death came to that fate, as if the caster was meeting his own Final Death.
Ghede's Touch - The power of death flows through an object, causing it to be ruined or destroyed.
Create Zombi - Brings a corpse back from death as a puppet of the caster.
Return to Dust - Allows a slain vampire to temporarily gain consciousness, but only to answer the questions of the ritualist.
Cheat Death - If the houngan who uses this ritual is supposed to undergo Final Death, they will stay alive for a short window of time.
Rituals of Kalfou[]
Kalfou's Misfortune - Creates a brief, single-action curse that makes the next action of the victim less likely to succeed.
Kalfou's Oath - Requires someone to make an oath that, if broken, will cause terrible luck to befall the oathbreaker.
Ill Omen - Inflicts a nightmare upon a target that renders them afraid of whatever they saw in the nightmare.
Curse Object - Places a curse on a personal item that causes all actions to be penalized as long as that item is held.
Vodoun Doll - The infamous phenomenon by which a simulacrum is made of a target, and, as the simulacrum is defiled, harm is also inflicted on the victim.
Rituals of Papa Legba[]
Spiritual Intermediary - Allows a vodouisant to both perceive and communicated with spirits.
Universal Translator - Allows the caster to understand all languages, even extinct and fictitious ones.
Legba's Curse - Removes a word from the target's mind, making them unable to communicate or comprehend that noun in any way.
Leech Understanding - Permanently removes skill from a target, and transfers it to the mind of the caster.
Create Gris-Gris - Places a spirit in a talisman, requiring it to use its Numina to benefit the bearer.
References[]
- VTR: Ancient Bloodlines, p. 73-80