Paradox have revealed the next vampire clan, The Tremere, for their upcoming RPG set in the World of Darkness realm in Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2. They join the Brujah and Thinblood Clans for hold of the Seattle streets.
The Tremere have learned to control a vampire’s blood (called Vitae), and combined it with magic to use it as a powerful weapon. Tremere blood magic comes in two forms: One is called Auspex, which provides heightened awareness and the ability to detach one’s consciousness from their body, and the other is Thaumaturgy, or destructive blood magic.
Using Auspex abilities is allowed within the Masquerade (the rules that demand vampires conceal themselves amongst humanity), but using Thaumaturgy abilities in view of witnesses violates the Masquerade.
For Auspex, Paradox has revealed two abilities so far. Aura Sense enables the vampire to spot NPCs through walls, read crowds at a glance, and mark individuals to keep them in their sights over long distances. It also enables the vampire to spot the weaknesses in a marked NPC’s attack and defence. Psychic Projection detaches the vampire’s mind from their body, allowing them to explore the area in astral form, remaining free to use Aura Sight to mark any character they spot. In addition, the vampire’s mastery of their own senses allows them to telepathically overwhelm the senses of others for a short while.
As for Thaumaturgy, it reads like something out of Scarlet’s handbook from the Mortal Kombat series. Skewer launches a small portion of the vampire’s blood at the feet of their enemies, where it erupts in a patch of razor-sharp spikes. Purge allows the vampire to make their victims vomit blood, damaging them heavily. And Blood Boil allows players to cast Purge for a second time on an affected NPC, causing the blood in all their veins to sear, making the victim explode. Bystanders in the area will be damaged as a result. As with all Thaumaturgy, blood from each victim streams back to the caster.
You can read up on more of the Tremere reveal over at VentureBeat.
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 will hit PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One next year.
