Nearly every vampire legend across the globe expresses the preternatural strength possessed by the undead. In truth, not all Kindred possess such inhuman might, but the Discipline of Vigor makes those who do far more powerful than any mortal could ever hope to be. Vigor allows Kindred to strike opponents with the force of a falling boulder or speeding car; to lift enormous weights as though they were paper; to shatter concrete like glass; to leap distances so great that those elders with obscenely high levels of Vigor may, in fact, be responsible for legends of vampiric flight. Each dot of Vigor increases the character’s Strength by one while the Discipline is active.
- Vigor is unlike many other Disciplines in that it is not actively rolled. Rather, it provides an increase of physical strength that lasts the duration of the scene in which it is activated, affecting other rolls.
- Vigor cannot be invoked more than once per scene. That is, you may not spend a second Vitae and double the benefits of the power.
- Note also that certain derived traits (such as Speed) might also be affected by the use of Vigor.
- Example: Arnold Culler has Vigor 3 and Strength 4. He is surprised to find a ghoul creeping about his haven after he returns from a meeting with the Prince. Arnold decides to teach this ghoul a lesson and activates his Vigor — his Strength increases to 7 for the duration of the scene. The ghoul’s eyes widen in fear, anticipating the brutal beating she’s no doubt about to receive.
Jumping
Additionally, a character’s Vigor affects his ability to jump. The dice pool to jump is Strength + Athletics + any relevant equipment. When using Vigor to augment a jump, the character’s Vigor dots are added to the number of feet leapt per success:
- On a vertical leap, a character jumps (Vigor + one foot per success rolled).
- For a standing broad jump, the character jumps (Vigor + 2 feet per success rolled).
- On a running jump, the distance jumped is Size + (Vigor + 4 feet per success rolled).
For example, say a character has Strength 3, Athletics 3, Size 5 and Vigor 2 and makes a vertical leap. Six dice are rolled and three successes are achieved. The character leaps nine feet upward (2 Vigor + 1 foot, multiplied by the three successes rolled). Now say the character makes a running jump. The character crosses a base of 5 feet + another 6 (2+4) per success rolled. If he gets three successes, that’s 23 feet (6 more feet then he would have achieved without Vigor).
