Nomenclature (MTR)
Nomenclature is the Hekau art of utilizing True Names, called ren in Egypt, for arcane purposes. Devoted practitioners of this art are sometimes referred to as magists or scribes. Nomenclature depends on the exact pronunciation of the used Names and can only used if the scribe can speak (as such, only when he is in possession of his body).
The classification of ren often varies with the subject's spiritual strength. A simple chunk of stone uses the same true name as nearly any other block of similar material. Every granite boulder can be described with one ren, for instance. Note that true names don't necessarily correspond directly to specific elements. Rather, they function in terms of the metaphysical importance of an item. Therefore, "granite" probably describes several types and grades of granite, but "iron" and "steel" would be separate true names. Similarly, different types of animals have ren for their species. Individual humans and thinking creatures have unique ren of varying complexity. A common person who has little ambition or spiritual strength possesses a short and simple ren, one that can be discerned by unlocking the person's whole given name and applying the complexities of ren to it through a few descriptive words of power. A unique, powerful being such as a brilliant and well-educated individual or a potent mystical or supernatural creature has a highly complex and unique ren that describes her explicitly. Learning, and updating, True Names is an arduous task that can last many lifetimes, but the Immortals have nothing but time.
Powers
First-dot powers
Asking the Trees - The Amenti can control plant life to a limited degree- Forgetting the Stone - The Amenti can make certain inorganic materials vanish
- Forgetting the Tree - The Amenti can make organic materials, like wood, vanish
- Name the Secret - The Amenti can divine hidden weaknesses (like Clan Curses or similar afflictions) from studying the True Name of a target
- Naming the Warning - Through intoning syllables of their True Name, the Amenti can scare enemies away
Second-dot powers
- Becoming the Stone - The Amenti can transform his flesh into a mineral whose Name they know
- Becoming the Tree - The Amenti can transform his flesh into a plant
- Cloud the Name - The Amenti can obscure his own True Name, hiding from enemies who also use this art
- Command the Beast - The Amenti can cow an animal to his service
- Mend Flesh - The Amenti can command tissue to grow back together
Three-dot powers
- Become Animal - The Amenti can transform himself into an animal whose True Name he has divined
- Command Thought - The Amenti can issue a verbal command that a sentient target has to follow
- Name the Hekau - The Amenti can unravel other supernatural arts aimed against him
- Whispers to the Heart - The Amenti can inspire any emotion in a target
Four-dot powers
- Enslave - The Amenti can bind a target to his will for an extended period of time
- Fortify Flesh - The Amenti can grant skin the qualities of stone
- Naming The Body's Destruction - The Amenti can target his enemies' body parts by speaking their True Names and commanding them to wither
- Speaking All Names - The Amenti can gain a immediate vocabulary in any language through his knowledge of True Names
Five-dot powers
- Forgetting the Name - The Amenti can erase the True Name of a target, banishing it from existence and erasing all records
- Ptah's Word - The Amenti can create a small, inanimate object by speaking its True Name
- Whispers to the Body - The Amenti can reshape his own form by speaking its True Name and commanding it to do what he desires
- Words of Authority - The Amenti speaks one sentence that all who hear it are obliged to fulfill to the best of their abilities
Six-dot powers
- Echo the Lesser Name - The Amenti can gain an understanding of the True Name of basic things or concepts merely by listening to the resonance carried by Sekhem
- Name of Sekhem - The Amenti can command Sekhem, drawing it to himself to replenish his own reservoirs, or directing it to an ally
- Name of Skill - The Amenti can learn or enhance a skill through knowledge of the True Name of the area
- Riddle of the Sphinx - The Amenti can ask a question and instill the need into a target to answer this question
Seven-dot powers
- Becoming the Person - By utilizing a persons True Name, the Amenti becomes that person, truly gaining an understanding of what this person is like
- Echo the Greater Name - The Amenti can gain an understanding of the True Name of more complex things or concepts
- Name of the Attribute - The Amenti can raise his attributes by using their True Name
Eight-dot powers
- Names of the Forgotten - Through diligent research, the Amenti can create a True Name for a being who has lost theirs. Doing so is considered dangerous, because many creatures of Apophis were destroyed this way and some may use the chance to return to the world through this power.
- Name of the Will - The Amenti can raise his willpower by using their True Name
- Renaming the Hekau - The Amenti can rearrange the laws of a specific supernatural power, for example redefining the Discipline of a vampire or the paradigm of a mage.
References
- VTM/WOD: Mummy, p. 41-44
- MTR: Mummy: The Resurrection Rulebook, p. 124-131
- MTR: Mummy Players Guide, p. 178-181
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