Blood Drain

This devastating spell allows a wizard to drain bloodline points from a victim and transfer them to his own bloodline. The victim of this spell forfeits 2d8 points of bloodline strength, and these points are permanently transferred to the caster. A wizard can cast this spell on a victim more than once, but cannot reduce a victim to less than 1 bloodline point.

In addition, the caster has a chance to drain a blood ability from his victim. For every point of bloodline strength drained, there is a 1% cumulative chance that the caster drains a blood ability. If this change occurs, the DM chooses a blood ability to be lost, beginning with the lowest-level blood abilities. For example, if an individual with two minor and one major blood abilities becomes the victim of this spell, one random minor ability will be lost.

If the caster is eligible for the blood ability (that is, it is not restricted by his derivation and he does not already possess it), he gains the ability. Otherwise, the blood ability is lost.

The target is allowed a saving throw, which receives a 1-point bonus for each blood ability he possesses and is modified according to bloodline strength (tainted, -2; minor, -0; major, +2; great, +4). Thus, an individual with a great bloodline and two major blood abilities adds a bonus of +6 (4+1+1) to his saving throw.

If the victim succeeds in his saving throw, he suffers no effect of the spell. If he succeeds by more than 10 points, the spell backfires, forcing the caster to make a saving throw with the same modifiers. If the caster fails, he permanently loses 1d8 points of bloodline strength (his victim does not gain these points). The caster loses a blood ability only if he now has too many blood abilities for his reduced bloodline strength (see Chapter 12 in the Birthright Rulebook).

In all cases, lost bloodline strength points and abilities can be restored through normal means: gaining points through Realm Point expenditures, slaying blooded individuals with a tighmaevril weapon or directly through the heart, or earning bloodline points to roll on Table 12.

Note: A victim may voluntarily submit to this spell by forgoing the saving throw. In this case the spell succeeds automatically.

The reverse of this spell, blood restoration, allows the caster to return bloodline points stolen through blood drain to their original owner. The spell must be cast within one week of absorbing the stolen bloodline points. The caster cannot “carry” bloodline points from more than one individual during this time (if the wizard casts this spell on more than one individual within one week's time, the bloodline points are irreversibly mingled with the caster's). The wizard can cast blood restoration on the same individual more than once. If blood restoration is not cast within the allotted time, the caster permanently retains the bloodline points.

Before the original owner can get his points back, he must first pass a system shock roll. When bloodline points are returned to their original owner, the individual does not gain new blood abilities. If the individual lost a blood ability initially, he can roll a saving throw with the modifiers described above. If he fails the saving throw, he gains one random blood ability of the same level that he lost (reroll for abilities inaccessible to the individual). If he passes the saving throw, he does not regain a blood ability.

Notes: Common in Cerilia (the Birthright setting) virtually unknown elsewhere.