Sanguine Sands
Gypsy Abilities and Advantages
Blood Purity
The amount of pure Romani blood flowing through your veins dictates how much Affinity your character may possess and the drawbacks associated with your lineage. You many never have more than 5 levels of blood purity.
Every level of blood purity costs 2 points. You may over the course of a story increase your blood purity level after character creation.
To reflect tensions towards Gypsies your character possesses additional negative social traits based upon your blood purity rating while interacting with non-Romany PCs. Since these traits are only perceived you do not possess them from a personal, role-playing perspective but they may be called in a social challenge. They may never be bought off nor count towards your bonus creation points. You possess 1 negative social trait for every 2 points of blood purity, rounded up. At least one of these must be 'untrustworthy'.
For every point in blood purity you gain one Gypsy Prestige trait, these Prestige Traits may be used in all social challenges dealing with other Rom. This includes dealing with Ravnos. These are never lost except through a storyteller.
Blood Affinities
Affinities cost 3 points for levels 1 and 2, 6 points for levels 3 and 4, and 9 points for level 5. No Affinity may be taken higher than your Blood Purity rating.
For more information on each affinity (and for rating abilities) click on the name of the Affinity.
Dance of Knives: Because of the power of the blood in your veins you are able to move at speeds faster than the normal human. By expending a level of this affinity you may make an additional attack during the normal action phase for every level possesed by the Gypsy. This does not give a Gypsy any celerity actions. The first additional action will take place on the Swiftness action, providing that any Celerity is called. All addtional actions will take place once Celerity has finished. A Gypsy may never take a rating of this affinity higher than their blood purity level. Only usable in combat.
Truth of the Rom: This affinity allows the Rom to lie truthfully. Anyone attempting to read your aura must engage in a static challenge against your current affinity rating. A Gypsy may also expend a level of this affinity to guarantee a truthful aura for one scene. This must be done prior to any aura reads.
Zapadarin: You have learned the intricate, almost seductive, dance known as the Zapadarin. By expending a level of this affinity you may cause the same effects as the discipline Entrancement on up to 5 targets. Each target must win a simple social challenge against the level of this affinity or be effected by the dance. The entrancement is immediately broken if the Rom stops dancing.
Instinct: For every level that a Gypsy has in this Affinity, they gain a Simple Test to determine if there is strong or immediate danger in store for their character.
Luck: For each trait in this Affinity, the Gypsy may call for a reroll once per night.
Evil Eye: This allows the Gypsy to place and remove curses.
Mediumship: This affinity is akin to the merit 'medium' but allows more contact with the spirit world.
Draba: The ability to create magical items such as charms, potions, and amulets.
The Sight: This affinity allows a Gypsy to peer into the past or gaze into the future.
Blood Foci
The Gypsies learned through bitter struggle that in great times of need the power of the blood can be enhanced.
In order to perform a blood focus a group of Gypsies must pour several drops of blood over an object and expend one willpower. The bearer of the focus is the last to pour her blood and willpower into the object. This bonds the object to that Gypsy.
A blood focus willl only enhance a affinity possesed by the gyspy. The focus grants one extra trait in an applicable challenge while the affinity is being used for every level of blood purity embibed into the focus. This lasts for one scene and the traits may be lost in the normal manner of any challenge.
Steve the Gypsy wants to enhance his affinities for an upcoming battle. Steve then finds 4 other Rom and they perform a blood focus ritual to aid their brethren. Together the other four Gypsies have a blood purity rating of 13. This adds 13 traits to Steve's challenges for the duration of the scene unless they are lost in a challenge.
The focus must be used before the blood dries, usually 15 minutes. The focus must be worn on the person at all times or is immediately lost.
New Abilities
Bujo: A Gypsy may use this as a retest in any social challenge where they are trying to convince a PC of something. Players should always attempt to role-play the conversation first. It is not applicable in combat related challenges or in any attempt to break through Majesty.
Diversion: This ability allows a Gypsy to call a fair escape even if they are within conversational distance of their opponent. In order to use this ability they must win a social challenge with their target. They may also use this ability to get the undivided attention of a target. If the Gypsy wins in a social challenge the target is focused on the Gypsy for 1 minute paying attention to nothing else unless attacked.
Drinking: You have learned, through hard experience, how to hold your liquor. You are now able to drink a large amount of alcohol without having it impair your abilties much at all. This comes in handy in all sorts of situations, from getting information out of the local biker gang to drinking your latest gaje friend ( and benefactor) under the table and then helping yourself to the money you're sure he was about to lend you...
Characters with this Ability are able to drink large quantities of alcohol without becoming impaired. The character's Drinking rating should be added to all Stamina related challenges involving alcohol consumption.
Fortune-Telling: When it comes to gazing into crystal balls. making tables rise and rolling your eyes back in your head, you know your stuff. The gaje eat this junk up, even though it doesn't have a thing to do with real magic of the Sight. But it's a good way to get information and money out of the gullible, and anyone who falls for these tricks needs to be taught a lesson!
This Ability is simply the ability to convince others that your character knows how to tell fortunes, read palms, etc. Characters with this Ability can set up a fortune-telling business and make some money at it. Additionally, characters can add the number of Levels they have in Fortune-Telling to all Manipulation related Mental Challenges when attempting to gain information from one of their clients.
Storytelling: You are able to weave a web of language that can keep your audience entertained for hours on end. You have whiled away many an evening spinning your tales and sagas to others of your kind as well as the gaje. You are held in high esteem by your fellow Rom for your clever tongue and keen wit.
Characters with this Ability are able to tell interesting and entertaining tales. This Ability is highly prized among the Rom, and any Gypsy who can tell a good story will most certainly find herself plied with warm food, cold drink and a comfortable place to sleep.
The Talith: You are skilled in the use of a weapon know as a Talith. A physical representation is required to own this weapon. "The Talith is a heavy scarf, or diklo, of some 5-6' in length, with weighted barbs along each end." (p. 50) You may use this ability in addition to melee when using your Talith. Non-gypsy characters may have this ability but only if it is taught in game by a Rom, are limited to 2 abilities, and they cost 2 points each instead of the standard 1 point.
Romani Lore: This ability allows the Gypsy to know the legends and secrets of the Rom. A narrator must clear information gathered from this ability.