Blood

Blood is that gooey red stuff you find in your body.

Blood can be used as the most basic power source, drawing on the donor's own Self. This has the advantage of always being available, no matter how desperate the situation, but has the disadvantage of weakening the person giving blood as their Self is depleted. It also has the disadvantage that it can form a Connection that might be exploitable to draw more power than you wish; giving your blood to some types of Other is unwise.<ref>Blood is power, basically the most distilled and direct form you can offer. The caveat being that when you deal with some Others, you give an inch, they take a mile. And you don’t want them taking a mile of your blood or personal power. [...] Remember that every second that you’re using your blood to keep it here, you’re making yourself just a bit weaker. - excerpt from Damages 2.3</ref> Giving blood draws on the physical Self more than any other part, leaving the donor especially physically weakened.<ref name=":23">When we pay power for something and we don’t say how the payment will be made (and if we haven’t set some expectations in advance with pattern or label) then we’re assumed to be paying with Self. This can be hard to notice until we pay a lot, but makes us weaker, slower, less able to change things, hurts our friendships and relationships, and maybe the worst thing of all, makes our practice worse.
Tends to take away from everything about our Self evenly. But depending on how you pay, it might lean one way or the other. (Pay with blood, get physically weaker).
- 8.2 Bonus: Soul & Self</ref>

The blood of an Other can have useful supernatural properties of it's own. For example, the blood of a Fae carries Glamour, although using it can risk giving that Fae power over you.

Redcaps will bathe in the blood of their victims for power

Blood Mages, as the name suggests, will often use the blood of their sacrifices in Practice (although they may also use other forms of sacrifice.) Some Incarnate Practitioners may use specific types of blood (blood of the mad, blood of those who died by disease, etc.), alone or in combination, as a source of power. Bloodied Heartless may bathe in the blood of their victims or similar things to absorb their youth and strength.

Notable Users[edit]

Blake Thorburn - attract a ghost, empower various runes and lines
Alexis, Tyler, Tiffany - heal Blake
Maggie Holt - empower a ghost
Gerhild - bathes her hair in the blood of foes for power
Daniel Alitzer - ate the blood and flesh of Maricica for glamour
The Carmine Beast - coverd Kennet in her blood before she died

References[edit]