Nicknames: Morphing, Shapeshifting, Mutatio
Werewolves despise vampires for their possession of this ability. They consider it a mockery of their own nature, as undead beings become wolves or bats, bearing claws and gnashing fangs like one of their own. Yet, Protean has flowed through the Blood for almost as long as the Kindred have existed. The power to mutate, shift form, and become ever-deadlier predators is as natural to the vampire as it is to the lupine.
Practitioners of Protean employ the Discipline for its utility. The power enables a vampire to become a beast, turn their limbs into weapons, or change their shape into clouds of mist to evade capture, glide through keyholes, or slip through cracks in a window.
Characteristics
Protean powers that change the shape or in other ways transform the body of the vampire also affect clothing, swallowed items, and other small (under a few grams) wearables. Protean does not affect larger carried items, including backpacks, duffel and sports bags. For this reason users of Protean often travel light.
- Type: Physical
- Masquerade threat: High. One of the most overt Disciplines available to vampires, more or less all Protean powers can breach the Masquerade on their own.
- Blood Resonance: Animal blood, especially animals matching shapeshifted forms; the blood of werewolves, changelings, and other supernatural chimeras of man and beast.
Level 1
● Eyes of the Beast
The vampire can will a supernatural red gleam into their eyes, giving them sight even in the total absence of light.
- Level: Protean 1
- Cost: Free
- System: No roll is required to activate Eyes of the Beast. While active the user ignores any sight penalties imposed by darkness, including supernatural. While active, the inhuman appearance of the eyes confers two bonus dice to Intimidation pools against mortals.
- Duration: As long as desired
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Level 2
●● Feral Weapons
The vampire can extend their natural weapons to monstrous proportions. This usually takes the form of fingernails extending into wicked talons but can also come in other forms such as fangs elongating into veritable daggers, as from a gigantic serpent.
- Level: Protean 2
- Cost: One Rouse Check
- System: No skill roll is needed to activate this power. When activated, the vampire adds a +2 modifier to their Brawl damage, and causes Aggravated Health damage to mortals. Superficial damage inflicted from Feral Weapons is not halved.
- Duration: One scene
Level 3
●●● Earth Meld
Becoming one with the soil, the vampire sinks into the earth. Unless in torpor, the vampire rises again the following night.
- Level: Protean 3
- Cost: One Rouse Check
- System: No test is required, but the vampire must be on a natural surface: rocks, raw earth, grass, etc. This power does not work on concrete, asphalt, or other artificial surfaces. It takes a turn for the vampire to sink into the earth, leaving carried objects behind atop the soil. While in the earth the vampire is aware of their surroundings, except during day-sleep. At those times, disturbances (e.g., digging or loud noises) awaken them or not as with all vampires (p. 219).
- Duration: One day or more, or until disturbed
●●● Shapechange
The vampire can assume the shape of an animal roughly the same size as their original mass. The vampire can only change into one type of animal (usually a wolf, sometimes a large feline or a giant snake), usually one associated with their clan or the type of prey they most commonly feed on. The animal, while usually a spectacular example of their species, shows no signs to a mundane observer of being supernatural.
- Level: Protean 3
- Cost: One Rouse Check
- System: No test is required. The transformation takes one turn, during which the user may take no other actions. Upon transformation, the vampire gains the Physical Attributes, senses, and native Skills associated with that animal (see p. 373) and also gains that animal’s natural limits of communication, manipulation (most animals can carry one thing in their mouth), and so forth. The vampire can use other Disciplines, at the Storyteller’s discretion. (By and large, they can use Auspex, Animalism, Celerity, Fortitude, Potence, and Protean; many powers of Dominate, Obfuscate, and Presence pose problems; Blood Sorcery is completely off the table.)
- Duration: One scene unless ended voluntarily before that
Level 4
●●●● Metamorphosis
This power grants an additional animal form to the user, this time also enabling them to change their size. Vampires most commonly metamorphose into bats, rats, unusually large insects, or snakes. (see p. 373)
- Level: Protean 4
- Prerequisite: Shapechange
- Cost: One Rouse Check
- System: Same as Shapechange.
- Duration: One scene unless ended voluntarily before that
Level 5
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