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I can still feel it, yeah? In my head. I call it “it” even though I know it’s her. She got inside my damn head and won’t stop laughing. She got in there and won’t shut up! I’m sorry. I can be calm. First I thought God was answering my prayers. It said it wanted to get to know me and I’d been so lonely. It started telling me things about myself I’d forgotten. It knew every part of me. It felt nice, I guess, for someone to take an interest.

But then it started using my brain against me. It started telling me what I was going to do before I did it. It started telling me that if I didn’t dance to its tune, I’d never be free of it. I didn’t want to be alone, but I didn’t like where this was going. That’s why I took the drill to my head.

The thing is, and listen: I’m not crazy. I know crazy, and I know I look crazy, but I’m not. What I was dealing with was something, someone, projecting her mind into mine and picking me apart when I was at my most vulnerable. I still don’t know why she did it other than for some cheap thrills and the combination to my company safe, but now I’m left with the memory of that intrusion and am convinced the only way I can stop it is by killing the woman responsible. That’s why I was recruited by the government. All I have to go on is the word “Asylum,” but I won’t stop until her laughing does.

Nicknames: Voyeurism, Scrying, Anima Visus

Among the greatest gifts and worst curses afflicting vampires, the Discipline of Auspex allows Kindred to discern truth from lies, probe the minds of those around them, and perceive reality on a different level than other beings. What appears to be the ultimate power in foresight and vision grants its wielders perhaps too much knowledge. They may detect an assassin’s blade before it strikes or get into an enemy’s head to turn them around, but they can also sense every shift in emotion, good and bad, see things they wish they had not, and discern futures they may not wish to explore. Users of Auspex invite paranoia, but using it is addictive. Once you know the truth rests within your grasp, you seek it out at every opportunity.

Kindred use Auspex in many ways. Some vampires act as spies for their courts or factions. Others act on their own, blackmailing mortals and immortals with secrets gleaned from quiet conversations, subtle emotional shifts, and telepathic intrusion. Auspex allows its user to play the role of domain detective, studying the scene of a vampire’s destruction for tell-tale spiritual clues or interrogating suspects with unnatural accuracy.

Characteristics

Storytellers may wish to make Auspex rolls for characters in order to more convincingly provide wrong or incomplete answers after failed rolls.

• Type: Mental
• Masquerade threat: Low. Auspex never by itself manifests in a way visible to the naked eye or causes effects that can’t be rationalized, if only as dumb luck.
• Blood Resonance: Phlegmatic. Artists (especially photographers) and visionaries, certain schizophrenics, users of psychoactive substances, detectives.

Level 1

Sense the Unseen

The senses of the vampire become attuned to dimensions beyond the mundane, allowing them to sense presences otherwise hidden from the naked eye. This can be anything from another vampire using Obfuscate to someone using Auspex to spy upon the character to a ghost in the middle of the room. Dormant Blood Sorcery spells and rituals might also be found with this power, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

• Cost: Free
• Dice Pools: Wits + Auspex or Resolve + Auspex
• System: Whenever there’s something supernatural hiding in plain sight, the Storyteller makes a hidden roll of Wits + Auspex against a Difficulty they choose. Against an entity actively trying to stay hidden, the Storyteller can call for a blind roll (“Lisa, roll seven dice for me”) as a contest against the target’s relevant pool. (For example, detecting a vampire using Obfuscate would be a roll of Wits + Auspex vs Wits + Obfuscate) If the vampire actively searches for a hidden supernatural entity, they roll Resolve + Auspex similarly.
• Duration: Passive

Level 2

Premonition

The vampire experiences flashes of insight. These may take the form of raised hackles, sudden inspiration or even vivid visions. While never too precise, these visions can nudge the vampire out of harm’s way or reveal a truth previously overlooked.

• Cost: Free or one Rouse Check
• Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex
• System: Whenever the Storyteller deems it appropriate, this power gives the character a sudden hint that aids them in some way: letting them find a clue they’ve missed or saving them from danger. Whether it gives the character a sudden vision of themselves walking into a trap, an inviting red glow over the second right turn during a chase, or the brief flash of a skeleton beneath the floorboards in the Prince’s office, this power always gives the Storyteller license to subtly speed up play or move the story onto a desired track. The suggested limit is one premonition per scene, even if more than one character has Premonition.
  The user can also actively provoke a premonition by focusing on a subject, making a Rouse Check and rolling Resolve + Auspex. The number of successes rolled determines the level of insight on the subject, if any.
• Duration: Passive