Glimpse of Yomi ●
This power allows the akuma to infuse a victim's mind with images of the Yomi World and what occurs within it. It is a brave soul indeed that can withstand such an assault without running screaming into the night.
System: The akuma must make eye contact with his victim, while the player spends a point of Demon Chi and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 6). Success means the victim is tormented with visions of the Yomi World. The victim must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) and achieve more successes than the akuma did, to avoid the effects of the power. Failure means he will flee in terror from the akuma; weaker victims (mortals with a Stamina of 1 or 2) may die of heart failure.
Sacrifice: Gold (at least one coin's worth).
Razor Winds ●●
The akuma opens up a temporary window into the Yomi World, releasing a tiny blast of the lacerating winds that howl through the Thousand Hells.
System: The player spends one point of Demon Chi and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6). Success releases the Razor Winds to shred the target's flesh and soul. The player rolls Dexterity + Firearms or Archery (difficulty 6) to hit his target. Success indicates that the target suffers the akuma's Stamina + 2 dice of lethal damage; this can be soaked. The Razor Winds will do +1 health level of damage for every additional point of Yin Chi or Demon Chi the akuma spends.
Sacrifice: A point of Yin Chi or Demon Chi (in addition to the points spent to activate the power).
Favor of the Yama Kings ●●●
To their more powerful servants the Yama Kings and their greater vassals grant this power: a warping of joss to bring good fortune to those who work the Kings' evil will.
System: The player spends a point of Demon Chi. For the rest of the scene (or longer, at the Storyteller's discretion), all rolls he makes in direct furtherance of his and the Yama Kings' evil purposes are at -1 difficulty. Of course, it is up to the Storyteller to determine what tasks are involved in "furthering evil." Not everything an akuma does directly furthers evil. For example, an akuma's hunting trips among the slums of Hong Kong probably would not qualify for a Favor of the Yama Kings bonus, since he is just seeing to his own physical needs (even though, arguably, anything that supports an akuma supports the Yama Kings and furthers their purposes). Conversely, hunting to find sacrifices for the Kings probably would qualify.
If the akuma has a Demon Mentor (see Kindred of the East, p. 94), then he derives even greater benefits from this power because of his intimate connection with a member of the Kings' courts (or even one of the Kings himself, perhaps).
The reduction in difficulty should last longer (up to a night or more, in some cases), and if the Yama Kings see fit, may even be increased to -2 to all difficulties in crucial situations (for example, arranging and performing a ritual to open a gate to the Yomi World to bring forth an army of goblin spiders into the Middle Kingdom).
Sacrifice: A point of Demon Chi (in addition to the point of Demon Chi spent to activate the power).
Remembrance of Yomi ●●●●
All Kuei-jin have a recollection of the time their P'o spent in the Yomi World - and that recollection is never pleasant. This power allows an akuma to bring those memories to the forefront of a Kuei-jin's mind and accentuate them, forcing him into depraved acts.
System: The akuma touches the victim (who must be a Kuei-jin) as the player spends a point of Demon Chi and rolls P'o (difficulty 8). If successful, the akuma immediately forces the Kuei-jin to enter shadow soul. (See Kindred of the East, p. 151.) The Kuei-jin spends at least one hour in this state, during which he may commit acts of unspeakable abhorrence. Thereafter, the Kuei-jin's player may roll once per hour, pitting his Hun against a difficulty equal to 4 plus the number of successes the akuma achieved on his roll (maximum 9). Success allows the Kuei-jin's normal nature to re-assert itself; otherwise, shadow soul continues. If it continues long enough, я Kuei-jin's Dharma may be imperiled.
Sacrifice: Jade.
Weavings the Yomi World ●●●●●
This powerful ability allows an akuma to corrupt a dragon nest, defiling it and rendering it a source of dark, evil power and woe. Instead of being a source of power for all shen, it becomes an outpost of the Yama Kings in the Middle Kingdom, a font of energy that only akuma and others like them can tap.
System: The akuma must physically be in or on the site of the dragon nest to be corrupted, and concentrate for at least three turns. The player spends three Demon Chi and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 9). Success indicates that the dragon nest has been defiled. This defilement is permanent; thereafter, no energy can be drawn from the nest. Weaving the Yomi World may be counteracted with the Feng Shui power Broom of Heaven; otherwise, its effects may be cleansed and purified only by a great quest and noble sacrifice.
Sacrifice: A service, rendered to the Yama Kings, Demon Mentor, or other inhabitant of the Yomi World who grants the akuma the power to perform the ritual.
Flood of Wickedness ●●●●●●
Even those Kuei-jin who actively study or cultivate their P'o secretly fear it. Transcendence of the P'o, even temporarily, represents a loss of control and a giving in to one's most bestial nature and desires. However, some powerful akuma have learned how to harness their P'o so that they can release it more easily than a typical Kuei-jin, the better to exploit its powers.
System: The player spends a point of Yang Chi and rolls Intelligence + Meditation (difficulty 6). Success indicates that he has control over the release of his P'o for this scene. This means that all difficulties to invoke the P'o (see Kindred of the East, p. 91) are reduced by 2, and the akuma is considered to have two extra points of temporary Demon Chi. (These must be spent while Flood of Wickedness is invoked; after it ends, they dissipate automatically.) Furthermore, the difficulty of any of the akuma's attempts to resist being taken over by his P'o, or to make him enter fire soul or shadow soul, are also decreased by two. This power lasts for one night.
Sacrifice: A service, rendered to the Yama King, Demon Mentor, or other inhabitant of the Yomi World who grants the akuma this power.
Yomi Portal ●●●●●●●
At this level, the Yama Kings grant the akuma the power to summon and bind creatures from the Yomi World. This provides the akuma with a source of valuable servitors, assassins and terror-troops.
Systems: The akuma spends three turns concentrating while the player spends 2 Chi (Yin or Yang), and rolls Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 7). Success indicates that the gate into the Yomi World has been opened, and the akuma may then call forth the creatures he desires. They heed his call, but may not be entirely pleased about it. (The more powerful they are, the less likely they are to enjoy having their free will curbed this way; lesser spirits are not as inclined to complain, since they are used to being ordered around by greater beings.) If necessary (Storyteller's discretion), the akuma must spend a point of Willpower to compel the being to serve him for a night.
Alternately, this power can be used to bind Yomi spirits and similar evil powers that the akuma encounters. The player must spend a point of Willpower and roll Intelligence + Leadership (difficulty 8) to succeed.
Sacrifice: The akuma must provide the particular Yama King, Demon Mentor, or other being who gave him this power with a human soul. (A Kuei-jin's Hun or P'o would suffice.) How he obtains it, and from whom, is up to him.
Gift of P'o ●●●●●●●●
When the akuma invokes this power, he calls upon a Yama King or his demonic mentor to grant him naked P'o souls from the Yomi World. He may then use these souls to create servants, or simply consume them for power.
System: The akuma spends two points of Demon Chi and rolls Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 8). For every success obtained, the Yama Kings grant him one P'o soul to do with as he wills. He may fuse that P'o into a corpse, thus creating a primitive, yet powerful, chih-mei that serves him slavishly (but which can never advance beyond chih-mei state to greater enlightenment) for a night. Alternately, he can consume the soul, gaining two temporary Demon Chi for every soul consumed (maximum of 10 Demon Chi). These temporary points of Demon Chi remain for one night per success, after which they dissipate if not already spent.
Sacrifice: Eight corpses.
The Red Bridge ●●●●●●●●●
Sometimes the Yama Kings wish for their most powerful servants in the Middle Kingdom to come visit them and pay fealty. If so, they grant them this power, which allows them to open a doorway to the Yomi World - and a means to survive there.
System: The akuma spends three turns concentrating and the player spends two Yin Chi and rolls Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 7). Any success opens the door to the Yomi World; the number of successes indicates how resistant the akuma will be to the deadly Yomi forces, as follows:
1 success 1 hour
2 successes 6 hours
3 successes 1 day
4 successes or more 1 week
For every time interval, the player must roll Stamina + Survival (difficulty 9). Success means the akuma takes no damage; failure means he suffers one health level of damage. This cannot be soaked, nor can it be healed until the akuma leaves the Yomi World (or the Yama Kings rule otherwise).
Sacrifice: Various. The sacrifice required depends upon the motives of the Yama Kings for allowing the akuma to come to the Yomi World, or the akuma's motives for asking to come. The Storyteller should choose something proportionately difficult and dangerous to obtain in relation to the powers or favors to be requested.
