by Damien Moore aka. Sean O'Connell (25 Jun 93)
This Discipline reflects the Gaerini's ability to change, use and adapt to any number of liquid environments or surroundings. It is a descendant of the Gangrel Protean ability, and is the original ability which the Tremere have tried to copy with the Path of Neptune's Might
[1] Sense of the Dolphin: The gaerini can emit a high pitched noise signal, and use their ability to sense the return of that signal to judge distance, and other spatial relationships.
The distances can be judged exactly by the Kindred and will work in darkness, or if the Vampire is blind. There is a range of 20 feet when this power is used in air, but this is increased 100-fold when the gaerini is underwater.
One disadvantage to this power is that those who may be able to sense these sounds, like individuals with Auspex, or Garou, will be able to 'home in' on the vampire, after a length of time (depends on distance), if the Kindred keeps using this power.
[2] Bonds of Poseidon: As the second level Neptune's Might power.
[2] Eyes of the Sea: As the first level Neptune's Might ability.
[3] Watermeld: Much like the Protean ability of Earth Meld, this ability allows the Kindred to sink into a sizaeble body of water, and become part of that water. Someone seeing a watermelding Vampire will simply see them sink into the water.
It does not matter whether the water in question is flowing or not, or fresh or not, nor what it is contained in. All that is neccessary is enough water to submerge the gaerini using this power. So a gaerini who initiates a Water Meld in a creek will need to find either a deeper pool, or a long stretch of water to meld with. The gaerini will not be swept away by the current, instead remaining anchored where they melded. As with Earth Meld, a botch indicates that the Vampire is trapped within the water, and they must use Willpower to extricate themselves. A blood point must also be spent when melding or unmelding.
One benefit of Water Meld over Earth Meld is the lack of ability to sow the water with salt. However some chemical contaminants may cause damage to Kindred melded with water, especially things like heavy metals such as cadmium or lead.
[3] Gift of the Nymph: This ability is rare, even amongst the Gaerini. It allows the Kindred who invokes it, on spending one blood point, to cause up to 100 litres of water to behave in any manner they decree. Thus, the water may be made to flow up hill, to solidify into ice, to boil, to behave similarily to the effects of the deepers from 'Abyss'.
However, on changing state from liquid to solid or gas, the Kindred lose control of the water, thus they cannot simply boil 100 litres of water and parbroil another Kindred. The Kindred must be in contact with the water they wish to affect, although the degree of contact is not important, and at least one drop of their blood must mix with the water in question.
This power may be used to allow Kindred to walk across water, ir to allow others to walk across the water, by altering the surface tensions on the top of the liquid.
[4] Gifts of Aeolus: This ability alllows the Kindred to call forth a mist, fog, rain- storm or any other type of weather that is mostly moisture based. Thus the rain-storm called cannot cause lightning strikes, unless the area would naturally have them.
This weather has little affect except to conceal the Kindred. However, if a fog is called, it has the additional effect that any being tracking the Kindred or sensing them, loses 2 additional dice to roll.
[4] Break the Bonds of Brotherhood: This ability allows the Vampire to cause blood to turn to water, on a difficulty of 7. The number of successes achieved is the number of blood points changed.
A botch means that if the target was a vampire, the targets blood pool is actually increased by one, as the blood is thickened, rather than thinned.
[5] Bring forth the Flood: Create lots of water
[5] Form of the Dolphin: As Protean 4, but with the form of a dolphin instead of a bat or wolf.