Baali

Demons, Satanists, Succubi, The Damned

Who are the Baali?

The Baali are known as advanced schemers and evil occultists only interested in
bringing about the downfall of mankind, but like any other kindred, they were once people, and
are now struggling with a curse. Many have no choice but to join the cult that embraced them as
they are left without other options. They aren’t a real clan but are united by the traces of
demonic blood that still runs through their veins. The Baali know they are damned, very
damned, and most have made peace with this fact and seek knowledge and power in this
damnation. Domains sought after by the Baali include ancient places such as ruins and crypts
more likely to host demons. Many lack a true domain and are forced to hide among the other
clans while meeting up with their true families in secret.
The Baali Embrace from devout cultists, hated outcasts who have nothing to lose, and
anyone else they think would devout themselves to their cause. Many Baali are a result of the
re-embrace, a taboo ritual in which the vampire loses connection to their clan and are reborn as
Baali. It can be highly profitable to convert an already powerful vampire who has had a blood
hunt called on them or is otherwise in a vulnerable position than it is to embrace a mortal and
have to bring them into the fold with all the complications that come from doing so.

Baali Archetypes

Classic Cult Leader: Charismatic cult leaders are well known for their ability to draw the
vulnerable to separate from society and devote themselves to inhuman conditions, and fervent
worship. Many of them were actual cult leaders in life cultivated and converted over time to
bring their herds with them into the fold. These Baali serve as shepherds to the herd and act to
direct demon worship. The Cult leader uses their vast herds and neonates to gain power and
fuel high-level Oblivion ceremonies to bring demons into this world.

Succubus: A cult is an unstable and precarious organization with many enemies, and one of
the strongest forms of damage control is blackmail. That frat bro who showed you a good time
last night actually extracted your life story and will ruin you if you attempt to harm the cult. These
Baali employ their Presence alongside Sense the Sin and elaborate illusions to gather
information both on outside threats, and other members of the Baali. Many were sex workers in
life, some therapists, others priests who serve in the confession box. These are the members
who interact with the outside world the most and tend to avoid the abilities of Oblivion that would
risk stains. Many succubi find themselves as the ones with the actual most power in the cult
holding their secrets above the heads of even the cult leaders who control the flock.

Punished: The unlife of a Baali is difficult as no clans look favorably upon the dark powers they
employ. Baali know this and on rare occasion embrace others as a punishment. A neonate who
threatened the cult may find themself a victim of the re-embrace and without support from their
clan or the cult who damned them further. Not much unifies this group, some were snitches in
life and snitches in death. Many are arrogant faithful who find themselves forced to contend with
the fact they are now damned to hell. These Baali do not often last long without a support
network.

Faustian: While the Baali tend to worship in covens and are known for their secret
organizations, some leave the group to seek knowledge and power on their own. These Baali
are the most likely to be in direct service to a demon rather than a cult leader, and also the most
secretive. Contractors, wife guys, and librarians, many think they can use a personal
relationship with a demon to serve their own ends rather than serving with a religious angle.

The Happy Disciple: It can feel good to have a purpose and devote yourself to a community, or
goal higher than yourself. While others struggle for power and die trying to devour their leaders,
it is freeing to simply submit yourself to servitude. Everyone knows the political campaigner,
missionary, or employee of the month who has a goal and takes pleasure in the mission rather
than thinking too hard about what is right or wrong; this is the happy disciple.

Disciplines:
Obfuscate: Similar to the Ravnos, Baali have access to the Chimerstry, and Fata Morgana
amalgams previously known to them as Psychomachia. Baali employ illusions to play on their
victim’s fears and past sins both for torment and to craft situations more to their liking. If their
cult is discovered, Baali employ Obfuscate to take on new faces, slip away and pick their plans
back up where they last left off.

Presence: Many Baali would rather talk their way out of a dangerous situation and fall back on
their machinations than engage in actual battle. Baali leaders employ Presence to draw in new
cultists and intimidate would-be usurpers. A willing sacrifice is much easier to deal with than a
struggling one, and less likely to cause the authorities to show up. Despite their increasing
numbers, Baali of the modern nights often must disguise themselves among the members of
other clans such as the Tremere and Lasombra, this makes being able to talk themselves out of
bad situations essential.

Oblivion: The Baali’s most famous and taboo discipline, Daimoinon, is a subsect of Oblivion
taught to the first Baali by their dark masters. These Demonic powers are heavily suppressed by
the Sabbat, Camarilla, and Anarchs so the Baali must be incredibly careful when practicing
these powers. Baali use their Daimoinon powers to grow their ranks and gather information for
blackmail to protect the cult. These are also the powers directly related to summoning and
dealing with Demons. For oblivion levels not listed below, consider powers such as Aura of
Decay and Withering Spirit that would allow a Baali to wreak further havoc on society and
prevent victims from coming back as wraiths.
Clan Bane:
Baali cannot bear to look upon or handle objects of any faith. They must avert their
gazes from such objects or spend a willpower to ignore it for a scene, Touching them burns their
flesh sustaining an amount of superficial damage equal to their bane severity per turn in contact
with a simple holy symbol. In addition, should a Baali run afoul of True Faith, any hindering or
damage effects have an additional amount equal to the Baali’s bane severity. For example, if a
Baali has a bane severity of two, one stain, and is targeted by the fifth level True Faith power,
they will grovel for three turns.

Note: Baali cannot take the mythic block flaw for holy objects similar to how Ventrue may not
take prey exclusion.

Clan Compulsion:
Baali consider themselves in it for the long run, scheming, plotting, and preparing the
world for the arrival of their masters. Contrary to this more calculated nature, the demon blood
that runs through their veins longs for the conclusion of the end times when the world is in
flames.
The blood flares in their veins, drawing the Baali to long for contemplation in the ruins of
their creation. The Baali suffers a two-dice penalty to all rolls not related to their compulsion until
they have started a raging fire, or destroyed a room and then sat for one scene in quiet
contemplation amongst the ashes or rubble.

New Powers:

Oblivion
Level 1
Sense the Sin
■ Amalgam: Presence 1
A real mark always convinces himself. The most dangerous Baali aren’t the ones that use
extortion, threats, or over displays of power; the most dangerous Demons simply know how to
talk their victims into cutting their own throats. This power allows the Baali to find a target’s
particular vice

■ Cost: Free
■ Dice Pool: Composure + Oblivion vs Composure + Subterfuge
■ System: While engaging in conversation with a victim, the user can activate this power. The
user rolls Composure + Oblivion vs Composure + Subterfuge. With a win, the user can read the
weaknesses of the blood determining the victim’s lowest trait or traits. A critical win also reveals
one of the target’s touchstones and the related conviction; if a victim walks a path, a critical win
instead reveals any path tenants not currently fulfilled. Victims are unaware that this power has
been used however observers using Sense the Unseen may detect this power.
■ Duration: N/A

Level 2
Fear of the Void Below
■ Amalgam: Presence 2
■ Prerequisite: Sense the Sin
Once the Baali has mastered reading a subject’s darkest secrets, he can reach into the victim’s
mind and twist what he finds there. The shock of feeling one’s most deeply held beliefs and
darkest fears manipulated can send the victim into catatonia or fits of panic. This is often used
to humiliate an Elder in front of their clan or scare off would-be attackers.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pool: Manipulation + Oblivion vs Fear Frenzy
■ System: The Baali must first employ Sense the Sin (above) or use some other method to
discern the tragic flaw of the target. She must then speak to the target, playing upon his
inadequacies and the inescapable consequences of his shortcomings. The user rouses the
blood and rolls Manipulation + Oblivion difficulty 2. If the user previously obtained a critical
success with Sense the Sin they may add a modifier of two to this roll. On a success, mortals
suffer a panic attack, fleeing. Cainite victims must make a fear frenzy test with a difficulty equal
to the margin of success on the initial roll. Vampires that have achieved Golconda or are at
Humanity 10 are immune to this power.
■ Duration: One Scene

Level 4
Conflagration
Not all of the Baali’s powers are designed for manipulation and subtlety, sometimes you just
need to kill someone quickly by any means necessary. The Demons can call up the fire from the
realms of their infernal patrons, hurling it at their enemies in exultation of the Outer Dark. This
fire spreads and burns normally, but at the moment of creation, it is black and cold, as though
drawn from a place where terrestrial physics do not apply.

■ Cost: One or More Rouse Checks.

■ Dice Pool: Composure + Occult
■ System: The user ignites some of their own vitae transforming it into a floating orb of dark fire.
The ball can be freely manipulated to set other objects on fire and illuminate spaces. The user
makes between one and three rouse checks to set the size of the ball. The ball of flame deals
one aggravated damage for each rouse check originally made. The user can roll Composure +
Occult to make an attack flinging the ball at a victim who can dodge as normal. The user must
make an additional number of rouse checks equal to the amount initially made for each turn this
power is maintained and not used to damage a Cainite (it extinguishes when not fed vitae).
It is obvious if a vampire has been using this unholy power as it leaves scorch marks on its
users where the blood exits and ignites. These scorch marks cannot be healed until the vampire
rouses to awaken the next night.
■ Duration: Until ended

Oblivion Ceremonies
Many of these ceremonies are best used by Baali using Baali blood, however, if other oblivion
users are taught these ceremonies, similar effects can be gained with access to actual demon
blood.

Level 3
The Re-Embrace
■ Prerequisite: Sense the Sin
The Baali are not a true clan, but a bloodline spawned from kindred corrupted by demons. The
Baali can embrace mortals as any other clan, but this ceremony allows the transformation of
kindred from other clans into Baali. The nature of the Baali causes them to be somewhat
infectious in their spread, and this ceremony, first performed by demons, is seen as
blasphemous to voluntarily undergo among the other sects of kindred.
■ Ingredients: At least one rouse check’s worth of demon or Baali blood
■ Process: The target kindred is entirely drained of blood and placed in hunger torpor; this is
often accompanied by being heavily chained to prevent the target from entering a hunger frenzy
and feeding. Their body is then refilled with Demon or Baali blood
■ System: Once emptied the ceremony test is made as the kindred is slowly refilled. On a
failure, the kindred awakens with 1 less Humanity per margin of failure on the roll as the
demonic blood corrupts any connection they may have had to humankind. On a successful
ceremony test, the kindred awakens as a Baali. They maintain their stats and memories, but
their clan bane is replaced with the Baali clan bane, and in-clan, disciplines are replaced by
those of the Baali. All dots currently in disciplines are transformed back into XP that must be
spent only on disciplines that can be learned by the Baali as part of a now in-clan discipline, or
bought as an out-of-clan discipline from those previously owned or those possible from
previously drank kindred blood.

Level 4
Condemnation
■ Prerequisite: Fear the Void Below
Kindred curses were first conferred to clans by the original Sire, Caine, and passed down
through the blood. Through the demonic manipulation of the blood, these curses can be
temporarily bestowed upon others.
■ Ingredients: Baali or demon blood, sulfur, and Blood from a kindred with the curse the caster
wishes to emulate.
■ Process: The caster mixes the two blood samples and boils them to slowly dissolve the sulfur.
This fluid is further boiled until it is reduced to a thick paste.
■ System: The caster makes a ceremony roll as the blood is reduced, and failure causes the
paste to burn releasing an obvious and acrid odor that renders the blood useless. This paste
can be stealthily applied to the skin of unsuspecting victims with a roll of Composure + Stealth
vs Wits + Awareness. Applying the paste to resisting victims requires a contest of Dexterity +
Athletics vs Dexterity + Athletics. Once applied, the victim must make a successful Resolve +
Occult test against the number of successes the caster made on their ceremony roll. Success
allows them to resist the curse while upon failure the paste instantly confers an additional clan
bane to the victim. This transformation might be obvious and even painful in the cases of
Nosferatu, or Salubri, or subtle and unnoticed until it affects them in the case of Ventrue, Brujah
and Lasombra. This curse affects the victim until the following sunset and can affect the victim’s
day sleep in the case of the Tzimisce curse.

Level 5
Summon the Herald of Topheth
■ Prerequisite: Conflagration
Using the same skill that allows for conjuring up demon fire from hell itself, the Baali can call a
minion of his masters to Earth in a form that does not require possession. Although the names
assigned to them differ (angel, demon, daeva, djinn, efreet, malakim, shedim, and countless
others), the end results are the same. This being is under the Baali’s control, at least for a short
time after being summoned. Scholars who have studied the blasphemous rite by which this
Discipline is enacted note that no provision is made for banishing the Demon save simply
destroying it with holy means such as True Faith.
■ Ingredients: 1g Plutonium, demon or Baali blood, and a mortal to perform as a vessel.
■ Process: The victim swallows the plutonium and a rouse check’s worth of demon blood
causing them to become a vessel for the birthing of a lesser demon possibly incurring stains in
the caster if forced. Over the course of a week, the victim's stomach swells until it bursts to
release the demon. During this week the demon is incredibly vulnerable and the victim must
remain well fed; any trauma to the victim’s stomach will kill the demon ending the ritual early.
■ System: As the victim intakes the plutonium and blood, the caster makes a ritual roll to call a
demon into the victim. On failure, no demon is called, and the sacrifice suffers the normal
consequences of swallowing plutonium. This ritual yields a lesser demon with stats as detailed
below. The demon can be blood bound but otherwise acts as an agent of chaos causing wanton
destruction. If the caster is Baali and uses their own blood in the ritual, the demon is summoned
blood bound to the caster with a bond strength equal to three.

Herald of Topheth
Standard Dice Pools: Physical 4, Social 2, Mental 4
Secondary Attributes: Health 7, Willpower 6
Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl 9, Intimidation 5
Special: Their claws are imbued with properties equivalent to Feral Weapons (+2 damage,
deals unhalved superficial to supernatural entities) and they take aggravated damage only from
Divine sources. While they cannot generate flames inherently, fire allows them to recover from
superficial damage (or convert aggravated damage into superficial damage) equal to the
damage source.
When a Herald's health tracker is filled with Aggravated damage, they do not die. Instead, they
take on a gaseous form and attempt to travel somewhere safe in order to recover. Recovery
occurs over the course of a full day, during which time they are incredibly vulnerable and
incapable of healing via fire. When in Hell, this recovery occurs over the course of an hour. Any
damage taken from a Divine or Demonic source during this time of vulnerability will permanently
destroy the Herald.

Heralds can produce a portal that leads to Hell when given constant sacrifices and a week to
work. Should multiple Heralds work together to create a portal, this time can be reduced
comparably. This will attract the attention of a nearby Greater Demon, who can be potentially
bartered with once the portal is opened. Otherwise, they will attempt to close the portal to
prevent anything "divine" from slipping through.

Loresheets:
Demonic Pact
(Baali Characters Only)

Like Baal-the-Destroyer before you, you seek power through pacts with those below.
Whether it is a Fallen possessing a mortal, an earthbound tied to a reliquary that has been
contacted by your cult, or an unknown demon seeking to devour your faith, you are in contact
with that which is most unholy. Work with your storyteller to determine what expectations are put
upon you for being in this pact. Many Baali seek to bring about the end times, and this lore
sheet will most likely align you with that direction.
For Storytellers looking for motivations to give these demons: demons feed on mortals
by devouring their faith and prayers to fuel their power. Demons may ask you to expand their
cult or perform acts that truly show your devotion such as betraying those close to you or
causing unnecessary destruction. Demons also look to expand their numbers in our world to
eventually bring about its end, and as such may ask for suitable hosts for their allies to inhabit.
Demons are best able to possess the weak, infirm, and those who have committed great sins
because these are all souls that are loosely tied to their bodies. A demon may ask you to
provide sacrifices to become easy hosts for their whims. More powerful demons destroy their
hosts over time and will need a steady supply of mortals to avoid returning to hell.

• First Contact: You are able to get in touch with your demon whether through a seance, calling
her up, or visiting the reliquary. Demons are ancient and knowledgeable and know that one of
the most tempting things to bring a lick farther into their influence is to give information. Once
per story, you may contact your demon to seek an answer to a question. Gain three extra dice
on any occult roll to uncover a secret of supernatural nature. This advantage may be used more
than once per story if the Baali is willing to offer the demon something in return.
•• Advanced Bargainer: False promises are the best way to the top and you are used to
making deals you can’t back up. Gain a free specialty in persuasion for striking a deal, and once
per story when you are asked to make good on a boon, you can delay the due date to a more
convenient time as determined by the urgency of the boon, and the storyteller’s discretion.

••• Ferryman: Your contact has made you aware of a demon looking for an easy host to
possess. If you can prepare an unwitting and easy mortal, the demon will take control and be in
your debt. This demon counts as a Retainer (•••••) with four dots of effectiveness and one dot of
reliability. They are in your debt until the end of the chronicle after which it is free to do as it
wishes. The demon has its own agenda and when not working for you may cause advanced
issues for the city at large. The major sects of a city will frown upon the fact you brought a
demon into the mortal plane if they find out what you’ve done. This is often grounds for a blood
hunt.

•••• Resist the Thirteen: The first Baali followed Baal-the-Destroyer in a war against the 13
clans of the second city, and to this day their masters have plans far grander than the petty
squabbles of the antediluvians. Your masters have warped your mind to serve their ends
enough that obeying lowly princes feels silly. You gain a 2 dice bonus against all forms of
Disciplines that would affect a character's mind (Dominate, Presence, and Obfuscate, but other
Disciplines may be affected at the storyteller’s discretion). Additionally, you can stone yourself
against embarrassment: all willpower damage taken from social combat caused by
embarrassment in front of non-Baali is reduced by two after other calculations.

••••• Concordance: You have impressed your master enough through devoured faith, treachery,
and destruction, that they have been bestowed upon you a gift. Your flesh has been warped and
changed to ascend past what is merely kindred. Fire no longer deals aggravated damage to you
instead causing unhalved superficial damage, additionally, fire no longer provokes frenzy. This
warping comes at a cost and you gain an obviously demonic feature such as glittering bronze
skin, goat legs, or curled horns. This feature must be a breach of the masquerade, and signal to
other kindred that you have sold your soul to something evil. This feature can be covered by
heavy makeup, robes, or hoods, and is equivalent to the Flaw: Dark Secret (••).

Angellis Ater
(Lasombra Characters Only)