by Timothy Toner
The result of the access to the secret, Intercourse literally means "running through." It acts to pierce through the barriers of all things, as the Malkavians have done with their dementia, to get at the truth which hides within.
It is the special discipline of the Inheritors, aka Children of Caine.
[1] Sine Cera: With this power, the Child can perceive things hidden from normal senses. All attempts to detect hidden things, sounds, lies, etc. are at -2 to difficulty. Further, by burning a point of blood, no Obfuscate effect is automatic. A Perception+Auspex roll (diff 7) will reveal the Obfuscated object.
[2] Walk Through: A very limited form of telepathy, the power nevertheless has powerful applications. With it, a Child can do a mind walk through several minds, ostensibly travelling around the world. The Child peers into the mind of a vampire within line of sight, rolling Man+Empathy (diff 6). When contact is made, the Child perceives all the mind perceives. What she senses from the target mind is limited to what is perceived by any sensory apparatus, normal or supernatural. Further, any conscious thoughts are open, but nothing deeper. The Child can do no other action, except concentrate, and talk about what she sees.
What makes this power exceptional is that the Child can "bridge" into another mind, waiting for the mind she is currently in to think of someone else. By rolling Wits+Empathy (diff 6), the Child can transfer into the new mind, perceiving all the new target perceives. Each "jump" costs one success. Thus, to make four jumps requires four successes on the final roll. The target is wholly unaware of the mental presence of the Child.
[3] It's Written All over Your Face: This ability is the true power of the Children, the one that the Inconnu fear most. By spending a point of blood, and concentrating on a singular trait, every person who bears that trait will glow with an aura visible only to the Child. The Trait can vary from "Are you a vampire?" to "Are you a member of the Inconnu?" to "Have you ever committed Diablerie?" to "Anyone who ate quiche lorraine today." Changing a trait costs 1 blood point. In this manner, a Child can discovver any and all secrets a crowd may hold. Note that Walk Through may be used with this power, for very long ranged effects.
[4] Wall? What Wall? By spending two points of blood, the Child merely passes through physical matter as if it was not there at all. No passengers can be taken, and the Child remains physical throughout, so an attack that strikes midtransit will hit.
[5] Come Together: For those who study the Children, this power is virtually unknown. No one within the group will speak of it at all. Neonate Children know only that this level feeds power directly into the Inheritor, and most strive to get it for that and that alone.
Indeed, the concentrated effort of all the Children does feed power to the Inheritor, but there is some reciprocal effect. The Child gets a power very similar to Blood Rage, gaining the ability to control the flow and utilization of vitae by other Kindred. The Child rolls Wits+Subterfuge (diff 6), and for every point the Child spends, a point of blood can be spent at the target, who must be in the line of sight. What makes this power so exceptional is that by spending TWICE the amount of blood, a Child can negate the use of blood. For instance, by spending two points, a Gangrel's claws will retract. Damage can be done by undoing the repair at a rate of 2 per level, aggravated at a rate of 10 per level. However, this damage must have been inflicted and healed on that same night.
The power extends to any discipline that uses blood to work. With only a little effort, it can cure a victim of vicissitude, or reveal someone disguised.
Another nasty ability is known as the vitae dam, where the Child creates an "anti-vitae" aura around a vampire. The child invests a certain amount of blood, x, and when a vampire tries to access his blood reserves, the first x/2 he uses has no effect. This should panic the average Kindred to no end.
Finally, there are some powers which cannot be negated, only temporarily suspended. For the expenditure of 6 points, a Child can negate the effects of a blood bond for one scene.
All the while, the Child needs make no gestures to work the power. Thus, they can work their special form of malevolence, and no one can be the wiser. Further, Walk Through works in conjunction with this power, to insure anonymity.
[6] and up: Some further powers are only hinted at, and looking at the innate powers of the Inheritor may give clues as to their extent. The only one that is certain is the notorious Blood Walk, which allows the Child to appear instantaneously where there is a Kindred, utilizing the blood of the Kindred to reform. This, of course, usually kills the Kindred, and stains the Child's clothes. Most of the time, however, it is done to an already dead Kindred, or a sample of bottle vitae.