Ceilican Tribal Gifts

The Gifts of the “lost” Ceilican show their old affinity to the fae. Illusion, enchantment and other trickery inspire the arts of the faerie cats, which mix wonder and terror in equal measure. Some talents have come to the fore in recent decades, but the majority of the tribe’s Gifts retain their link to lost faerieland – fallen Arcadia, where dreams and reality were one. Despite rumors of their extinction, these cats have no intention of following their allies into oblivion

Level 1

Mother’s Blessing/Curse

Folklore holds that a cat had the ability to either bless or curse a pregnant woman. In the case of the Ceilican, this legend is true. A kind Bastet can offer a boon to the mother, while a spiteful one can harm her in some minor but memorable way.

System: This Gift’s effects are more psychological than physical, and get an extra boost from the way the Ceilican acts toward the mother while offering his wishes. Setting things in motion demands a Gnosis point and a roll of Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7). While touching the mother's belly, the cat either wishes her well or ill, usually in some poetic rhyme. After that, some good or bad event befalls the woman or her child. Although the event itself is outside the character’s control, the number of successes he rolls should reflect the power of the Blessing or Curse. Blessings can include an easy delivery, unusual good looks or great health. Curses include breech birth, minor disability or poor constitution. Once one event has occurred, the gift is discharged.

Satyr’s Wisdom

By calling upon the talents of his tribe’s fae allies, a Ceilican can play any musical instrument as if he’d been reared with it in his hands. Although this talent is fleeting, it can make one hell of an impression.

System: With a Manipulation + Occult roll (difficulty 7), the cat gains a few temporary points in Expression, Performance or the optional Singing secondary Skill. For each success, he adds one dot to the chosen Trait. This lasts for as long as the Ceilican plays; afterward, the skill fades from his fingers until he either learns it for good or uses the Gift again.

Level 2

Banish Burning

This Gift became necessary during the Madness, when sorcerers and witch-hunters both tossed cats on the pyre to please demons and God. With it, the Ceilican may protect herself or a companion from normal fire. While the Moon Mother and Mistress of Catkind originated this Gift, Burning Cat is as well.

System: Before the Bastet meets the flames, the player must roll Gnosis (difficulty 7) and spend one Willpower point to protect the Bastet. If she succeeds, no nonmagical fire will hurt the Bastet for the Gift’s duration. Magical fires reduce their effects by one Health Level for every success. Banish Burning lasts one scene, and does nothing to protect the cat from smoke inhalation, oxygen deprivation or falling debris.

Sorcerer’s Blade

By casting this Gift on a weapon, a cat can enchant a blade so that it harms supernatural beings. A favorite trick of swashbuckling Ceilican who wandered the open roads in bygone eras, this Gift often comes from the King of Cats or Mistress of Catkind.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Occult while the cat cradles the weapon in her hands. The blade then inflicts aggravated damage until the next sunrise. Although this Gift allows the cat to enchant missile weapons, each bullet or arrow must be Gifted separately. Although the arrows may be reused, bullets cannot be.

Level 3

Data Flow

As the Glass Walkers Gift (in the Player’s Guide).

Phantasm

Twisting the fibers of illusion, the Ceilican create majestic nonsense to baffle and entertain their companions – or horrors to torment their enemies. This secret obviously comes from forbidden faerie lore, and can be quiet powerful in the hands of a cat with an active imagination.

System: To cast a Phantasm, the player rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge and spends a Willpower point. The resulting illusion lasts for one scene unless the cat chooses to dismiss it, and can extend through an area roughly 10 feet square. Simple illusions are easy; the more complex the trick, the harder it is to perform. Although the illusions have no solid form, a casual witness might be fooled into believing that a Phantasm was real.

Level 4

Monkey’s Uncle

As the Level Four Homid Gift of the same name.

Small Cousin

Some Ceilican over-steeped in human culture call this Gift Blofeld’s Cat after James Bond’s nemesis (who, they insist, was the white cat, not the man). This Gift allows a Bastet to physically become a house cat. While this form can be limiting, it’s very unobtrusive. Best of all, it doesn’t hamper cat magic in any way, and screens out routine mystic senses. Unless the victim subjects his housecat to a rigorous magical appraisal, the Bastet is free to enter and observe whatever he likes.

System: The Ceilican’s player spends a Gnosis point and rolls her Gnosis against difficulty 8; for each success, the Ceilican can retain her feline form for one hour. During this time, her Physical Attributes become those of a domestic cat, although her Social and Mental Attributes remain the same. She cannot speak, but can use any Gift that her feline form will allow. Although a person who makes a successful Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 8) might realize that “there’s something weird about the cat,” her true nature remains hidden unless someone penetrates her disguise magically (with Disciplines or True Magick, for instance). Attempts to do so add 3 to their difficulty. It should be noted that few vampires or wizards bother to check every passing cat with magical sight unless they have some compelling reason to be so paranoid (over and above their usual paranoia).

Level 5

Chariot of Lions

This less-then-subtle Gift lets a Ceilican conjure a Chariot drawn by huge cats. Like the craft of the goddess Freyja, this chariot is made of coarse-cut wood and covered with Nordic designs. The two huge cats that pull it run as fast as the average car, and can, in a pinch, carry the Ceilican and one passenger into the air for a few moments. Only the Mistress of Catkind teaches this Gift; learning it without her blessings is a grave insult.

System: The player rolls Gnosis against difficulty j8 and spends three Gnosis points. The chariot appears from think air and lasts for one scene, or for an hour – long enough to make a quick getaway, but not long enough to use as regular transportation. by spending a Willpower point, the Bastet’s player may urge the chariot into the air for two turns; each additional turn costs another Willpower point.

The Madness of Crowds

As tales from the with-craze demonstrate, some Ceilican indulge their darker appetites after sundown. The more sadistic of these games involve bystanders whipped into a frenzy by this nasty secret, then set loose. By capering around a room or clearing, the Ceilican can stir up the wild side of everyone nearby, causing an orgy or riot unless her “subjects” are unusually stubborn or controlled. The same Gift can tame an angry mob, although it’s generally easier to start trouble than to end it.

System: The fae cat’s player rolls Manipulation + Empathy to turn the mood of a crowd her way. By adding a Willpower point to the mix, she seizes control of their collective will. The difficulty of the task depends on the size of the mob, and on how inclined it is to follow her suggestion. A packed nightclub is more likely to be led into an orgy than a Baptist congregation (though the results of the latter might be more disturbing...). All targets must be within 700 feet when the cat begins to use the Gift. Circumstances and surroundings may add or subtract from the overall difficulty; calming a disturbance raises the difficulty by 2. A person caught up in the Gift can attempt to resist with a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). The Madness lasts for one scene, and leaves the werecat’s control once in motion.