Potence

Potence is a Discipline that endows vampires with physical vigour and preternatural strength. Vampires with Potence possess physical strength beyond mortal bounds. This Discipline is responsible for the legends of vampires possessing the strength of 10 men. Potence allows vampires to leap great distances, lift massive weights and strike opponents with terrifying force.

Even the lowest ranks of this Discipline gift a vampire with physical might far above human capacity. More powerful immortals have been known to leap so far they seem to be flying, throw or toss cars aside like tin cans, and punch through concrete as if it were cardboard. In the Dark Ages, vampire nobles were known to break open fortress gates with their bare hands and cut war horses in two with one stroke of a greatsword.

Members of Clans Parox, Tenebrous, Thanatos and Vorvolak are naturally gifted with this Discipline, although almost every clan finds some use for it, and members of other clans often make a point to find someone who can teach them this awesome power. It is also a fairly common discipline among dhampirs.

Potence's aspect in the curse is that a vampire slowly forgets how to be gentle. Those who rely too much on Potence begin to show complete disregard for what they perceive as the fragility of others, putting all their strength in any physical action, regardless how mundane it is.

0 - Brawn
Your undead muscles are endowed with supernatural clout. You get a bonus to your STR score equal to your levels in Potence (minimum bonus of +1 at level 0).

1 - Sundering Strike
Your unarmed and clubbing attacks hit incredibly hard, and you may choose to deal lethal damage with them if you so wish.

2 - Might of the Damned
You are capable of feats of supernatural strength. You may re-roll any attempt to carry out a task that is modified by your STR score or your STR Rating.

3 - Fist of the Maul
Your attacks strike with such force that they gain Armour Surpass equal to your levels in Potence/2, rounded down.

4 - Unrelenting Force
Your unnatural strength grows further. On any roll that involves STR, you may spend 1 Vitae to double your roll total.

5 - Herculean Strength
Your physical power begins to reach impossible levels. By spending 1 point of Vitae, you may double your lifting and body slam capacity for a single scene.

6 - Render of Steel
Your punches hit with the power of a locomotive. By spending 1 point of Vitae you may deal a number of additional points of damage equal to your levels in Potence. You must succeed on your attack before this bonus is added to your attack total, however.

7 - Tremour
By striking the ground at your feet, you create a shockwave that can knock opponents prone, shake the foundations of buildings and crack hardened earth, leaving small fissures. This power requires 2 points of spent Vitae.

8 - Beneath My Contempt
A backhand from you could send another flying through the air with ease. By making the smallest of gestures (shoves, flicks of your fingers etc.) you are able to bring to bear your full strength against any opponent that you can touch. This does any damage that you would normally do in hand to hand combat.

9 - Engine of Destruction
Your blows can connect with such force that they disrupt the tissues of those you strike on the molecular level. By spending 3 points of Vitae, you may choose to convert a number of points of damage on your next attack equal to your STR Rating to aggravated damage. You must make this decision before you make the attack roll, of course.

10 - Atomize
By concentrating all of your strength into a single blow, you attempt to hit with energy sufficient to annihilate your foe. This power requires you to spend 5 points of Vitae. You make a single attack roll against your opponent. If you hit, he rolls Conditioning (Life Force) against your attack total. If he succeeds, any damage he suffers from your attack is aggravated damage. If he fails, he disintegrates, in spectacular fashion, under the force of your impact. Vampires explode into fine dust; mortals into a bloody mist.