This ability is the most primitive and primordial manifestation of the body thief’s talent. It takes the stuff of life from the target and gives it to the thief, reflecting the parasitic relationship between thieves and their victims.

In the case of Vitality Draining, there is no one social group that prefers it, although many hesitate to use it as it tends to manifest in such a flashy and over-the-top-manner that it risks exposing the thief to unwanted attention from the common people and monster hunters alike. This is not a subtle power; the victim of this power grows noticeably ill or weak while the thief in question grows empowered. (A Wits + Medicine roll allows an observer of the power to notice something amiss.) In the cases of thief and victim who are already injured, wounds might exacerbate or deepen on the victims face before closing up on the thief’s face a moment after. The caster must be able to either touch the target or have a sympathetic connection to steal the target’s vitality.

Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine versus Stamina

Duration: One day

Possible Modifiers: Victim is sleeping (+2)

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The power fails and the caster takes one lethal wound.

Failure: The power fails.

Success: Reduce the victim’s Health trait by one dot for the next day. The caster gains one dot of Health for the next day. The caster can only benefit from a number of extra Health dots equal to her unmodified Stamina at one time. A victim can only be victim to this power once at a given time.

Exceptional Success: As above, except the victim loses two dots of Health, and the caster gains two. This can exceed the limit a thief can benefit from by one.