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Rumble Street
Paths of Enlightenment
Some vampires chose to let go of the mortal concerns that are the Path of Humanity. There are a mass variety of reasons that a Kindred could decide to walk a different Path, but the most common foundation is that they are no longer human, so do not need to apply the sentiments of the living onto themselves. No matter what, some behavioral system must be in place. To accept utter randomness is to invite the Beast to rule, and no vampire wishes to sink into that depravity.
While the Paths of Enlightenment mechanically are similar to Humanity, they often have little to do with the mores of mortal culture. Adopting a Path means to give up everything that matters to a "normal" person, or most vampires. Paths are used as a spiritual protection against the talons of the Beast, but do not free characters from penalties for wanton murder or perversion. It is important to think about and know a few things before you commit to a Path of Enlightenment.
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Paths are exclusive. Few are invited onto them. Not just anyone can follow a Path. A person seeking a path must have the ability to discard their human nature as well as possess the fortitude to survive the change of thinking.
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Paths are utterly inhumane. They require the character to interact with the world in different ways and this should be reflected through their RP.
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Paths shock conventional moralities. Some codes allow killing, while others remain bothered by it. Indeed some codes are so selfish that even thinking about helping another is a moral failure.
Some paths have a mechanical change within their Virtues, making Conviction and Instinct the ones that apply. All characters still have Courage no matter the path that they follow.
Conviction: This is the sense of reason when faced with desire, suffering, or need. It represents the reconciliation of the predatory urge with the character's capacity for atrocity. A character with Conviction can deal their failures and plans to overcome them, rather then feeling remorse and atoning for breaking a sin.
Instinct: This is the ability for a character to control the Beast through familiarity rather then denial. It allows characters to "ride the wave" of frenzy and emotional excess by keeping a close rein on their passions, rather then allowing them to control them. Instinct is the Virtue of a monster who accepts their nature. When a character possesses Instinct and faces frenzy, they always enter frenzy unless the difficulty to avoid it is less than the trait. Anytime the player wishes to make a conscious action (ride the wave) they must make an Instinct roll against the difficulty of the frenzy.
Switching from Humanity to a Path
The following is when a character already in game wants to change from the Path of Humanity onto a Path of Enlightenment. This process is exceedingly difficult and should not be taken lightly.
A character seeking to change must be at Humanity 3 or lower, as well as a rating of 1 in the Virtue(s) that are needing to change.
The process of changing and being able to be accepted by another character mentor for the path should be roleplayed out. They should start rigorous study under their mentor and slowly work towards gaining a serious understanding of what is expected and what the path requires. This will require serious dedication. During this time the initiate will have to forcibly lower their Humanity ratings and their human Virtues to match the path's new system. Once this is completed the vampire then undertakes a test that can be roleplayed by the player and the ST.
This test can include study of forbidden lore, answering of riddles, completion of ordeals and tasks, or whatever else is deemed appropriate for the given Path. The test always involves the vampire committing acts that would normally be viewed as atrocity by the human standards. They are not done out of mindless evil, but instead are lessons on the nature of the Path itself.
Following these tests, the character makes a willpower roll. The difficulty at Humanity 3 is 8, Humanity 2 is 7 and at Humanity 1 it is 6. Willpower can not be spent to gain an automatic success on this roll. If it is successful then the character sheds his human nature and the Virtues associated with it, gains a rating of 1 in all appropriate Path Virtues and gains a Path rating of 1. If the character gains 3 or more successes, he has made a profound change and gains a Path rating of 2.
if the character fails the roll, they have done a pointless atrocity without gaining the knowledge that should have gone with it. The lose a point of Humanity, fails to attain their rudiments of the Path, but can attempt again in a months time. If the character botches the roll, they lose a point of Humanity and can not retest for an entire year.
Should this be done at Humanity 1, they will drop down to Humanity 0 and be taken as an ST controlled character as they have failed and lost themselves to the Beast.
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