A number of different circumstances can bring Mages and vampires into conflict with each other: the Kindred could be preying upon the contacts, friends, or acolytes of the Mages, or the chantry might possibly be fighting with the vampires for control of the city, as is the case in New Orleans.

It's Personal

As individuals, Mages sometimes become hunters for personal reasons: a vampire in blood frenzy might have murdered a loved one, or a Kindred could possibly have harmed or disfigured the Mage sometime in the past. Over time, their desire for vengeance against a certain vampire could grow into an all-consuming hatred for Kindred everywhere, causing the Mage to dedicate his or her life toward the ultimate extermination of the undead. Unfortunately, such actions might bring the wrath of every vampire in the city down upon the Mage.

Their activities might ultimately threaten the Masquerade, while the continued use of vulgar magick to destroy vampires would certainly attract the attention of the Technocracy, inviting censure, ostracism, or even more extreme sanctions from the members of their own Tradition.

Among those Mages who refuse to acknowledge any human traits at all within the Kindred, there are those who see vampire hunting as a somewhat dangerous method of acquiring large amounts of Tass, since the stolen blood which flows in their veins is charged with life energy, and through the use of Prime, each blood point can be converted into one point of Quintessence. (see below) Some Technomancers are even rumored to keep staked vampires on life support in secret laboratories - slowly pumping human blood into them and then extracting the Quintessence, leaving them with just enough blood to Survive and keep from going into Torpor. (Note that the process of transforming blood points into Quintessence requires Life 3, Matter 3, and Prime 3.)

The Traditions and Vampire Hunting

Each Tradition has its own methods of vampire hunting based on its particular style of magick, history, and philosophy (although there can be exceptions because of the Nature, Essence, and personality of a given Mage). In general, Mages act much like mundane vampire hunters except that they have the advantage of magick. "Normal" abilities useful in vampire hunting can include Intuition, Streetwise, Research, Stealth, Culture, Investigation, Occult, and (of course) Kindred Lore, although the latter knowledge is usually found among the Hollow Ones, Euthanatos, and Order of Hermes. (For more information on standard methods of vampire hunting, see The Hunters Hunted by White Wolf Games, which at the time of this publication is unfortunately out of print).

Styles of vampire hunting used by particular Traditions include:

Akashic Brotherhood

Although conflicts between vampires and the Akashic Brotherhood are rare, Mages of this Tradition sometimes have problems with Gaki and other blood-sucking creatures of the Orient.

For some reason, Japan seems to be a major focus for these conflicts, although Hong Kong is another source of trouble for Mages because of its high Kindred population.

Members of the Akashic Brotherhood can be very effective vampire hunters since their knowledge of the Mind sphere allows them to read minds, sense the psychic impressions left behind by at the scene of a crime, (using the spheres of Matter, Mind, and Time) and remember obscure details which would otherwise be forgotten. Although members of this Tradition prefer to avoid direct confrontations with the Kindred (usually tracking the monster to his lair and slaying him while he sleeps), there are members of the Akashic Brotherhood who prefer to battle the Undead in mortal combat, slaying the Kindred with Coincidental magick and Do rotes such as the Dragon Fist. (see Book of Shadows, p. 147.) As a rule, practitioners of this method have very brief but spectacular careers, unless they are exceptionally talented martial artists, and have some knowledge of the spheres of Life, Matter, Time, and Entropy.

Akashic Rotes

Mental Ward Life 1, Mind 1, Prime 2

Created by the Akashic Brotherhood, this rote defends the Mage against Dominate and Auspex powers, preventing the vampire from reading their minds or taking control of their thoughts. Similar to the Virtual Adept rote Encrypt Thoughts, the effect subtracts two successes from any attempt to read the mind. Kindred attempting to control the mind of a Mage using this rote must have a level of Dominate greater than or equal to their Mind sphere.

Note that if the level of Dominate used by the Kindred is equal to the Mage's Mind sphere, the two must make an opposed roll of Arete versus Dominate, with the vampire controlling the Mage if he wins the contest.

Celestial Chorus:

Among the Traditions, members of the Celestial Chorus most often become vampire hunters, since many of them view the Kindred as inhuman monsters who must be destroyed for the good of mankind. The Celestial Chorus prefers to use traditional methods of vampire hunting, which can include crosses, holy water, blessed weapons and wooden stakes. Since many Chorus members have True Faith as well as magick, they can be the most deadly opponents that a vampire can face, and even a Methuselah will think twice about direct confrontations with them. Many Elder vampires remember the part that the Celestial Chorus played during the Inquisition.

The Celestial Chorus has developed a number of rotes for slaying vampires, some of which are listed below; a favorite rote used by this Tradition is Mark of the Beast (in first edition Mage: The Ascension, p. 226) which allows the Mage to track a vampire back to its haven and safely slay the monster during the daylight hours. For those players with access to only the second edition of Mage: The Ascension, this Celestial Chorus rote requires the use of Prime 3 , Correspondence 3 and Life 1.

Chorus Rotes

Sense Undead Entropy 1, Life 1, Prime 1

This simple rote is taught by the Celestial Chorus, and allows the Mage to sense the presence of vampires by revealing the minimal amounts of Life and Entropy in their pattern.

A Vampire's pattern is also much stronger than that of a mortal, and analysis will reveal that Quintessence does not freely circulate through it, but seems to be locked in stasis within them. Combined with Kindred Lore, this rote allows the Mage to have a general idea of both the clan and generation of the vampire, although at least five successes will be needed to have any accurate information in this area. Three successes allows the Mage to know the general health level of the Kindred as well as how many blood points they have in their veins.

Note that the Technomancers know a similar version of this rote, and have often been known to place its effect within a Talisman, allowing them to detect the vampires in their midst.

Piercing the Veil Correspondence 1, Life 1, Matter 1, Prime 1

This rote was created by the Celestial Chorus to locate Kindred who have concealed themselves with Obfuscate. It allows the Mage to sense their presence with Correspondence, while the spheres of Matter, Life, and Prime identify the supernatural creature as a vampire.

To use this rote, the Mage must have a Sphere rating equal to or higher than the Obfuscate of the vampire; if the two are equal, the Mage must roll his Arete against the Kindred's Discipline; if successful, the Mage can sense the presence of the Kindred.

Note that when the Mage has a higher Sphere rating, any magickal success will allow him to locate the vampire, but at least three successes will be needed for firearms or melee weapons to be targeted against them.

Vitae Block Life 3, Matter 2, Prime 4

This powerful rote was invented centuries ago by the Celestial Chorus, and has been the bane of many vampires. Using the fourth rank of Prime, this rote renders the blood inert with the body of a vampire, preventing them from using their blood pool to either heal injuries or power their disciplines. Each success neutralizes one blood point, and only by using the inert blood points can the vampire purge herself of it. Note that the Kindred receives no benefits from this vitae - it has lost the special properties which they require for sustenance.

Should this spell cause all of their blood to become useless, the vampire will immediately fall into torpor.

Since this spell duplicates some of the powers of Blood Thaumaturgy and has no visible effects, it is considered to be Coincidental magick.

Aura of Unlife Life 3, Mind 2, Prime 3

This rote was created by the Celestial Chorus to disguise themselves as vampires, allowing themselves to pass unnoticed among the ranks of the Damned. In addition to reducing the flow of blood to the skin surface, the rote also alters their aura, making it appear pale like that of the Kindred. Vampires with at least rank two in Auspex attempting to scan their aura must roll more successes than the Mage to pierce this disguise. Kindred with higher levels of Auspex that the Mage's highest Sphere will not be fooled by this rote.

Cult of Ecstasy:

The members of this Tradition are often quite familiar with the Kindred, but very few of them are Hunters - the Cult of Ecstasy is dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure and many of its members are on rather friendly terms with the Undead. More than a few Cultists give their blood to vampires in exchange for the ecstasy of the Kiss, and a few Mages are even blood-bound to their Undead companions as Ghouls.

However, there have been cases where members of the Cult Of Ecstasy have turned against the Kindred especially when the vampires have slain someone they love - and when that happens, their vengeance can be terrible indeed. Although most vampires would dismiss the Cult of Ecstasy as dilettantes, perverts, and drug addicts of little consequence to the Kindred, members of this Tradition can be dangerous opponents, since their use of Time Magick can prevent vampires from using Celerity, allowing the Mage to slow them down and finish them off at their leisure.

However, most members of this Tradition prefer to avoid direct combat, using Time magick to view the past and track the vampire to their haven, where they can slay the monster while he sleeps through the day. (Note: when using Time 3 to counter the use of Celerity, every success above the first cancels one action by the Kindred).

Dreamspeakers

Because most Dreamspeakers prefer to live in the wilderness where they can be close to Gaia, they seldom have contact with vampires; however, since some members of this Tradition are on friendly terms with the Garou, they are sometimes recruited by the Werewolves to hunt Kindred - especially when their friends or Kinfolk have been harmed by the Undead. Dreamspeakers prefer to use occult powers to battle the Kindred, often summoning the departed souls of those who have been murdered by the Kindred and using them to harass or track the vampire to their lair, or by summoning elementals to destroy them while they sleep - causing electrical fires or other such disasters.

Dreamspeakers are even more deadly when joining forces with the Garou, since a combined team of Mages and Werewolves can be the most dangerous opponents that a vampire would ever encounter. Few can survive a combination of Garou Gifts and Mage Spheres, especially at the higher levels of power, where even a Methuselah can be defeated by such a dedicated team of Awakened spellcasters.

Euthanatos

Among the most deadly of vampire hunters are the Euthanatos, the masters of Entropy and death magick. Although many Euthanatos are on friendly terms with the Kindred, others regard them as abominations - undead monsters who feed upon the blood of the living so that they can live beyond their mortal span of years. These Euthanatos believe that such monsters deserve to the Good Death as quickly as possible, using such abilities as Streetwise, Stealth, Occult, and Investigation to track the Kindred to their haven before slaying them from a safe distance with Entropy magick.

Those vampires who know about the Euthanatos usually avoid them whenever possible, since the forces of Entropy can cause horrific aging effects in those several centuries old...

Euthanatos Rotes

Vengeance of Time Entropy 4, Life 3, Matter 3, Prime 2

This terrible spell was created by the Euthanatos, and accelerates the entropic energies within the pattern of a vampire - causing the forces of time to catch up with and immediately age the vampire into dust. The spell inflicts aggravated damage on Kindred and cannot be soaked; each success also results in the temporary loss of one point of Appearance due to unnatural aging.

Break the Blood Bond Life 4, Entropy 3, Mind 3, Prime 1

This powerful rote shatters the blood bond, freeing Ghouls and Retainers from the control of a Vampire. Note that the Mage must know that the blood bond exists in order to learn this spell, possibly requiring research into Kindred Lore and complemented by rolls on Medicine and Occult. The Celestial Chorus, Euthanatos, and Verbena all take credit for this rote's invention.

Hollow Ones

Although most Hollow Ones are usually on friendly terms with Wraiths, Kindred and other Undead, they too sometimes have reasons for wanting to become vampire hunters. Most Hollow Ones prefer to use a combination of mundane and mystical methods to hunt vampires, but because they are more of a social club than a Tradition, their methods are as unique as the Mages themselves.

They often use Gothic-Punk variations on traditional methods of vampire hunting, utilizing their own "home brewed" rotes to compliment the more mundane "stalk and stake" approach. Since Hollow Ones are the wild cards in the World of Darkness, many are familiar with vampire culture, and can have high scores in Occult, Kindred Lore, City Secrets, and Camarilla (or Sabbat) Lore.

This can make them exceptionally dangerous opponents - some Hollow Ones know more about the Kindred than most vampires know about themselves...

Hollow One Rotes

Curse of Conscience Spirit 4, Time 2

This curse was invented by Mona Chrome, a Hollow One who was having problems with a group of Anarchs preying upon her friends. It is a cruel variant of Free the Mad Howlers. Using the spheres of Time and Mind, the Mage looks into the past of a vampire and summons forth the departed spirit of someone whom the Kindred has murdered, then causes the Wraith to possess them, binding the angry spirit within the immortal body of the Vampire.

Although the Kindred is allowed a Willpower roll to resist the possession (difficulty 7), should the Mage score more successes than the Vampire, they will be possessed for the duration of the curse.

Note that if the Wraith in question knows the arcanos of Puppetry, the spirit can attempt to remain in control after the spell expires, since the spell has allowed them to Skinride the vampire, with each success in the curse (after subtracting for Willpower in the initial roll) acting as a point of Willpower for purposes of Attunement.

Note that cruel spellcasters could also use a variant of the Hollow One rote Danse Macabre to turn the vampire into a one point Fetter for the Wraith. This latter rote requires the use of Correspondence 3, Matter 2, Life 3, Prime 3, and Spirit 4 when used on Kindred.

Order of Hermes

With the possible exception of the Celestial Chorus, the Order of Hermes is the Tradition most likely to come into conflict with the Kindred. They are the one Tradition which is most concerned over the welfare and political control of the Sleepers - an area hotly contested by the Kindred community. Many Elder vampires can remember the Order of Hermes and their social experiments in the Middle Ages when they revealed themselves to the Sleepers. They do not usually think kindly on such experiments.

That, coupled with the fact that the Order of Hermes has since become the very essence of the western occult tradition, makes the Order the most easily identifiable when the Kindred think of Mages.

Since members of this Tradition prefer to think of themselves as occult scholars, it is not surprising that they prefer to avoid direct confrontation with the Kindred, using their abilities as an occult detective to track the vampire to their haven before destroying both the building and the Kindred sleeping within with Forces magick.

However, some of the more radical members of the Order of Hermes prefer to fight the Kindred in a face-to-face confrontation, using Forces magick to increase the power and penetration of firearms, crossbows and even flamethrowers. When necessary, they can use vulgar magick to destroy the vampire with lightning bolts and fireballs like some wizard out of a Sword & Sorcery novel.

Unfortunately, these latter Mages usually have very brief careers as vampire hunters, since their use of dangerous Forces effects such as The Ball of Abysmal Flame (Forces 5, Prime 2) often result in attracting the attention of the Technocracy - providing that the Mage in question does not enter into Quiet or experience spontaneous combustion as a result of Paradox.

A few members of the Order of Hermes prefer to beat the Kindred at their own game by turning the vampires against each other, using their contacts in Sleeper society and knowledge of City Secrets and Kindred Lore to their best advantage. But few of them are ever successful at playing this game, since most Kindred have had decades or even centuries to practice the art of manipulating others.

Order of Hermes Rotes

Heartseeking Missile Forces 3, Matter 1

This rote was invented by the Order of Hermes, and controls the speed and accuracy of crossbow bolts, javelins, thrown stakes and other missiles. The caster may add the number of successes he receives to inflict further damage on the vampire, or use them to increase the accuracy of the missile, adding to the successes of the attack roll and directing it toward the vampire's heart.

As stated in Vampire: The Masquerade, a minimum of five successes are required in melee to accurately pierce the heart with a stake, and at least one level of damage must: be inflicted after soaking.

This spell is especially useful against vampires with the 6th rank Protean discipline, since an opponent needs at least ten successes in melee combat to stake them.

Light of Day Forces 3, Prime 2

This deadly spell creates an intense burst of magickal sunlight capable of harming vampires as if it was actual daylight. Damage from this rote may only be resisted with Fortitude, and the vampire must make a Courage check or immediately go into Rotschreck. (see second edition Vampire: The Masquerade P. 194, for the effects of sunlight on Kindred).

Note that at least three successes must be rolled to create the effects of direct sunlight upon the Kindred. Although this spell can be explained by coincidental effects during the daylight, (i.e. sunlight reflecting off a mirror or a passing automobile windshield), during the hours of night this rote should always be considered vulgar magick. Both the Celestial Chorus and the Order of Hermes take credit for the creation of this rote.

Sons of Ether

With the exception of studying vampires in their native habitat (preferably from a safe distance) in an attempt to understand their Undead physiology, the Sons of Ether generally do not have much contact with the Kindred. Scientists of this Tradition, however, have been known to become vampire hunters when their experiments, laboratory assistants, or other loved ones have been harmed by them.

When this occurs, the Sons of Ether can be deadly opponents - their knowledge of science combined with their understanding of the Matter Sphere allow them to exploit the vampire's weaknesses very quickly. Unfortunately, most members of this Tradition refuse to accept the fact that vampires are supernatural beings, believing that there is a scientific explanation for their paranormal abilities. They can thus be caught off guard if the vampire in question does something which completely trashes their scientific theories (using the Thaumaturgy discipline, for example).

One of the most deadly devices ever developed by the Sons of Ether is the Solar Photon Generator, (better known as the Sun Lamp) which generates artificial sunlight using Forces and Prime (Forces3 , Prime 2) and inflicts three levels of aggravated damage per turn of exposure. Other devices include gyrojet pistols capable of launching a stake into the vampire's heart at high velocity, specialized Ether goggles allowing the Scientist to view living auras and identify vampires on sight, and devices which generate high-frequency vibrations through the ether which can break the vampiric blood bond. A gadget-laden Son of Ether can be a holy terror to the Kindred.

Verbena

As the masters of blood magick, the Verbena are quite familiar with the Kindred but generally prefer to avoid them, since members of the Tradition are more concerned with life than death. However, some Verbena regard the Kindred as monsters whose very existence is a crime against nature and who should be destroyed whenever possible.

As vampire hunters, the Verbena are formidable opponents, since their Tradition concentrates upon knowledge of Life magick. With the Life sphere the Verbena can destroy the blood in a Kindred's veins or render it completely useless to them, sending the vampire into Torpor. Most Verbena prefer to use sorcery when vampire hunting, destroying their opponents with either blood magick or summoned spirits. Some witches are also occult detectives, tracking the vampire to their haven with Occult, Investigation, and Research before destroying the Undead with a final curse.

Verbena Rotes

Consume Vitae Life 3, Matter 3, Prime 3

This rote allows a Mage to tap into the blood pool of a vampire by touch, transforming their blood points into Quintessence and absorbing it directly into their pattern.

Each success on the spell roll subtracts one blood point from the Kindred and adds one point of Quintessence to the Mage, up to the limit of their Avatar rating. Excess points of Quintessence beyond their Avatar rating are dissipated into the surrounding environment, although the vampire still loses a number of blood points equal to the number of successes rolled. This spell is believed to have been created by the Celestial Chorus, although the Verbena claim to have invented it centuries before.

Poison Vitae Life 4, Matter 3, Prime 2

This rote transforms the blood of the Mage into a corrosive poison which is quite deadly to Kindred and inflicts one level of aggravated damage per blood point consumed. The damage cannot be soaked, since it literally dissolves the flesh of the vampire who consumes it.

Both the Verbena and Euthanatos claim credit for the creation of this rote, and regard it as one of the best defenses against the Kindred.

Health levels can be healed by the expenditure of willpower and blood points for aggravated wounds, but Appearance will only return at the rate of one point per day.

Note: since vampires are not supposed to exist, this rote is not vulgar unless there are Sleeper witnesses, although if they know that the Kindred is one of the Damned, coincidental effects could possibly be created by using one of the methods known in myth and folklore to destroy a Vampire, i.e. splashing the Kindred with holy water, striking them with a blessed crucifix, etc.

Sense the Undead Mind Correspondence 3, Life 1, Mind 2, Prime 1

This rote was created by the Verbena to track a vampire back to their haven, and is a special variant of the well-known Correspondence effect, Filter All Space. The Verbena enters a trance in which she reaches out with her mind, scanning the thoughts of all living things around her in a slowly expanding spiral until she encounters the mind of a creature without a living aura, then uses the sphere of Correspondence to pinpoint its location, although at least three successes will be required on the casting roll to receive any accurate information.

Note that the target number for this effect can be reduced by having Something which belongs to the vampire, with the bonus to the die roll depending on the relationship between the vampire and the object (i.e. a ring which was once worn by the Kindred would reduce the target number by one, while having a sample of their blood, hair, or flesh would lower the casting roll by up to -3).

Thorn of Vengeance Correspondence 4, Life 3, Matter 2, Prime 2

This rote was invented by the Verbena many centuries ago, and requires the witch to have something which belongs to the vampire in question - preferably a lock of hair, a piece of flesh, or a drop or two of their blood. Crafting a doll in their image, the Verbena locates the vampire through a variant of the third rank Correspondence effect Filter All-Space.

Once they have been located, the witch plunges a large thorn through the heart of the image; at the same time, the Verbena uses the spheres of Correspondence, Matter, and Prime to create a normal-sized wooden stake, which materializes in the heart of the real Vampire.

Although the Kindred can soak the damage with Stamina and Fortitude, only one damage level is needed to stake them, leaving the vampire absolutely helpless. Note that some Verbena who are skilled in the use of Forces sometimes use this rote to incinerate the helpless vampire once they are staked, destroying them through spontaneous combustion.

Although this rote is quite difficult and extremely vulgar, in certain parts of the world such as the Louisiana Bayou or the Caribbean Islands the rote is actually coincidental, especially if the vampire lives in an area where people still believe in Voodoo.

Virtual Adepts

Although the Virtual Adepts are the least likely of the Traditions to come into contact with the Undead, it sometimes happens. Most vampires would laugh at the thought of being menaced by an enraged computer hacker, but Virtual Adepts are among the most deadly opponents that a vampire can face, since their knowledge of computers and information networks gives them access to everything there is to know about their opponents.

As expected, Virtual Adepts prefer to a combination of technomagick and detective work when vampire hunting, using their Research, Computer, and Investigation skills to locate their opponents, learn their secrets, and discover their weaknesses. After that, the unfortunate vampire is at their mercy, since the Virtual Adept can easily destroy their credit rating, have the Kindred investigated by the IRS, and reveal their most precious secrets to their enemies.

To make matters worse, their knowledge of Correspondence magick allows the Virtual Adept to spy upon a vampire without being seen by their target, delivering the killing stroke only when the Kindred ceases to amuse them. Indirect means of destruction are the order of the day, and the Adept can often accomplish his goals without ever leaving his laptop.

Virtual Adept Rotes

False Dawn Correspondence 4, Forces 2, Prime 2

A rote invented by the Ahl-i-Batin, this spell co-locates the target area with another part of the globe where the sun is shining, completely filling the area with sunlight and inflicting damage as if the Kindred were being exposed to the direct rays of the sun. In addition to using Correspondence, this effect requires the sphere of Forces to focus the sunlight, surrounding the Kindred with its deadly glow.

As with Light of Day, the spell effects can be explained as coincidental magick by sunlight reflecting off a mirror or some similar effect, but is obviously vulgar if cast at night or in a sewer tunnel deep underground.

Heart of the Matter Correspondence 4, Life 3, Matter 2

Created by the famous Virtual Adept Louie Legba, this rote co-locates a wooden stake into the heart of a vampire, thereby immobilizing them without having to actually penetrate the flesh of the Kindred.

Although damage from this rote is not aggravated, it can be soaked with Stamina and Fortitude. Only one level of damage is needed to stake the Vampire, but since it is melded with the flesh, the stake will be quite difficult to remove.

As expected the rote is quite vulgar, and is all but impossible to explain as Coincidental magick.

More Notes on Rotes

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