You gain 1 RPP (Roleplay Point) per post made in the rp-channels and at certain points after active roleplaying like that, you reach a new rank, detailed below.
Level 1 - 100 RPP Neonate status (unlocks Neonate tier for character creation) Level 2 - 500 RPP Ancilla status (unlocks Ancilla tier for character creation) Level 3 - 1500 RPP Design an NPC Level 4 - 3000 RPP Get Veteran Rank (special nickname colour) Level 5 - 6000 RPP Elder Rank (unlocks Elder tier, you may only have 1 Elder character at a time)
The additional character tiers you can unlock detail the amount of extra EXP you have at your disposal to create new characters and should represent a character of corresponding age and/or generation. Don’t feel obligated to use the higher end of these EXP ranges, but instead use the amount necessary to make the character come to live properly. Neonate tier characters can be created with 0-35 EXP extra. Ancilla tier characters (up to, incl. 8th Gen) can be created with 75-20 EXP extra. Elder tier characters (up to, incl. 6th Gen) can be created with 250-600 EXP extra.
Similarly to ranking up, EXP is gained based on activity in roleplay. You can gain 3 EXP per scene you actively participate in in the rp-channels, up to a maximum of 6 EXP gained per week in this way. This EXP gain goes towards the RPed character only, in case you have multiple characters. Furthermore you can gain EXP by participating in events and ST-run plotlines. After the conclusion of said events or storylines you will receive 6 EXP and potential additional non-EXP rewards.
Players newly joining the server have the Fledgling role and their first character on server is limited to base freebies (15 + max 7 from flaws), with their age reflecting a younger kindred.
Below are the server’s Freebie and EXP costs with which to make your characters. Willpower is limited to max 8 at character creation, except for Elder characters, though it should always be representative of your character.
Freebie Costs:
-Attributes: 5 Freebies per dot. -Abilities: 2 Freebies per dot. -Disciplines: 7 Freebies per dot. -Secondary Path Blood Sorcery: 4 Freebies per dot. Follow rules as appropriate for your Blood Sorcery. -Rituals: Current Rating x1 -Backgrounds: 1 Freebie Per dot. -Virtues: 2 Freebies per dot. Does not improve your Humanity/Path or Willpower. -Humanity/Path: 1 Freebie Per Dot. -Willpower: 1 Freebie per Dot. -Merits: Freebies equal to their point cost.
Exp Costs:
-Attributes: Current Rating x4 Exp -New Ability: 3 Exp. -Abilities: Current Rating x2 Exp. -New Discipline: 10 Exp. -Clan Discipline: Current Rating x5 Exp. -Caitiffs Disciplines: Current Rating x6 Exp. -Out of Clan Discipline: Current Rating x7 Exp. -New Blood Sorcery Path: 7 Exp. -Secondary Path: Current Rating x4 Exp. -Blood Sorcery Rituals: Current Rating x3 Exp. -Rituals: Ritual Level x2 Exp. -Virtue: Current Rating x2 Exp. This does not improve your Humanity/Path or Willpower. -Humanity/Path: Current Rating x2 Exp. -Willpower: Current Rating Exp. -New Background: 3 Exp. -Backgrounds: Current Rating x2 Exp. -Special Merit Dots: Cost X Current Rating
Clans: - Main 13 clans and their antitribru are automatically allowed, though may receive a temporary restriction if there is too many PC members of a certain clan. - No Baali or Infernalists. - Incredibly rare or extinct clans may not get approved for play at first or need additional discussion to make them fit.
All Sects, as well as Independents and Autarkis are allowed, but the Sabbat differ from their usual lore on server, which can be read on the [Sabbat] page.
Please use the provided Character Sheet to record your characters and upload them in the discord channel #character-sheets, a Mod, Helper or ST will get into contact with you for follow-up talk as soon as possible, though we are all still human only and on a hobby-server so have patience ;P
You can, at Character Creation or In-Character, create ghouls.
When creating a ghoul, use the V20 Book- ‘Ghouls and Revenants’ to create a custom one with input from STs. If you pick up an NPC off the streets though the STs might give some more input on where certain dots are placed. For ghouled animals, use the statblocks provided in the V20 Corebook if there is no equivalent in ‘Ghouls and Revenants’, or use a fitting, existing statblock from either book to represent the animal (f.e. Camel statblock for an Elk).
If you take the Retainer background your rules are as follows:
1 dot: Ghoul or Ghouled Animal 2 dots: Ghoul with +7 freebies or Ghouled Animal with +15 freebies 3 dots: Ghoul with +15 freebies or Ghouled Animal with +30 freebies 4 dots: Ghoul with +30 freebies 5 dot: Must be split and can't all be put into one character
You can mix and match dots for multiple ghouls, for example you could have 1 Ghoul with +7 freebies (2 dots) and 1 Ghoul with +15 freebies (3 dots), or 5 Ghouls with standard freebies (1 dot each), or 1 Ghoul with +30 freebies (4 dots) and 1 Ghoul with standard freebies (1 dot).
The below PDF has MOST of the Merits and Flaws in the game. Bloodline specific and mortal specific ones from Lore of the Bloodlines and Hunters Hunted II are not included. Merits and Flaws PDF
Any merits that provide difficulty reductions to rolls (f.e. Enchanting Voice, Acute Senses, Computer Aptitude, etc.) don't work in combination with Disciplines and Blood Sorcery unless the merit specifically calls out to work with them (f.e. Iron Will).
(Thinblood + 14th Generation or 15th Generation only) For some reason you retain the ability to walk in the day. While in sunlight you cannot use or benefit from disciplines, take damage like a mortal but otherwise retain the coldness and pallor of a vampire.
(Thinblood + 14th Generation or 15th Generation only) You retain your heartbeat, can eat food, have normal human skin tone and warmth, can enjoy sexual activities normally (though you remain unable to reproduce) and without a bloody mess and don't cry/sweat blood. All but the most advanced medical inspections reveal nothing out of the ordinary about you.
(Supernatural Merit)
You have devoted yourself to attaining Golconda, the supernatural state of enlightenment that allows a kindred to surpass the limitations of their curse. You gain the following benefits associated with the number of pts you spent on this merit.
3 pts: In preparation for your journey to enlightenment, you must achieve great study and insight of both yourself and the vampiric condition. You may add two dice to your pool when making a roll to further your study and understanding of Golconda or of yourself 4 pts: You have taken the first steps towards Golconda, and in doing so have learnt to hold tightly to your morals. All degeneration checks you make are at -2 difficulty, and you gain the benefits of the previous level of this merit. 5 pts: As you climb the path to enlightenment, you've learnt to contain your Bestial urges more easily. The difficulties of all rolls made to resist frenzy are reduced by 1, and you gain all benefits of previous levels of this merit. 6 pts: As you approach understanding of Golconda, you learn to transcend the needs and desires of the vampiric flesh. Once per week, when you wake for the night, you may choose not to expend any BP. You also gain all benefits of previous levels of this merit. 7 pts: You have survived the Suspire and attained Golconda. You gain all benefits of previous levels of this merit, as well as the benefits of Golconda detailed on page 299 of the V20 Core Rulebook.
You must have a Path rating of 7 or higher and a Conscience or Conviction rating of 4 or higher to take any dots in this merit. If your ratings ever fall below this threshold, you lose all benefits of this merit until they are restored.
Vitae keeps its bonding properties after it leaves the veins of a Kindred for about 1-2 weeks, provided it has been stored properly. Magical means can potentially preserve the bonding and other properties for longer. Vitae for the purpose of blood sorcery and the Principle of Sympathetic Magic, stays useable for about 4 days after it has left a Kindred’s veins, unless preserved by magical means.
Anyone who drinks the Blood of a vampire becomes progressively more attached to their donor until finally, after three drinks or more, the Bond reduces them to servile lackeys when in the donor’s presence. Vampires call the one Bonded the thrall, and term the source of the Bond the regnant. When under a completed Blood Bond, the thrall experiences a sense of loyalty, sometimes even infatuation, toward their regnant. They attempt to please their master, becoming wary and eventually even terrified of angering them. Unlike many Disciplines, nothing prevents a vampire employing a Bond against a vampire of lower generation or one whose Blood is more potent. Many Kindred do not even acknowledge that they’ve been Bound, believing their feelings to be true and even noble.
The Blood Bond gains a Bond Strength equal to the number of times the thrall has consumed the regnant’s Blood (up to a maximum of 6) on each separate night and decreases by one for each month during which the thrall consumes none of the regnant’s Blood. To attempt something against their regnant’s wishes, the thrall must succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to 2 + Bond Strength). If in the presence of the regnant, such defiance requires the test once per turn; if outside the regnant’s perception, the thrall need only make a defiance test once per scene.
Breaking the Bond requires the thrall to reduce the Bond Strength to 0 (zero) by avoiding their regnant for an extended time. They must successfully make a defiance roll once per session to do so (or more often, if the Storyteller judges that something has recalled the regnant to the thrall’s mind). Few thralls can resist this long, especially if their regnant actively comes looking for them.
For rules on Diablerie and Golconda, how to achieve them and what benefits they reap, reference the rules detailed on page 180 in the v20 source book “The Black Hand – A Guide to the Tal’Mahe’Ra”.
Botching examples:
Most Kindred follow the Path of Humanity, especially the younger ones. Other Paths of Enlightenment exist, though Kindred that follow them are much rarer as it takes extraordinary discipline and spiritual strength to discard one's humanity like that.
No matter the Path, each has a score and corresponding Hierarchy of Sin. Contrary to base V20 rules you don't roll a degeneration check whenever you commit an act that corresponds with your score on the Hierarchy of Sin table. Instead what triggers such a Degeneration is much more personal and depending on individual character's morality. To this extent, every character picks a minimum of three Tenets to follow, which correspond to your Path score and its Moral Guideline. (Please write down these Tenets on your Character Sheet somewhere.) Those who are on a Path of Enlightenment or have other influences on their morals (such as the Vengeful flaw or the Code of Honor merit) are likely to have additional tenets to represent these extra pressures. Tenets should reflect not only your Path Score's Moral Guideline, but also your character's personal moral compass and ethics.
When you violate one of your Tenets roll Conscience/Conviction (Difficulty 8 - though this Difficulty may be modified depending on the situation). On a success you don't lose a point of your Path score, you feel enough remorse or somehow manage to justify your transgression. On a fail you lose a point of your Path score and need to at least pick some new Tenets to reflect your changed moral compass. Should you commit an act way worse than any of your Tenets (f.e. with a Humanity score of 7 and the Tenet of 'I won't steal' committing mass murder), you automatically loose a point of your Path score.
Example Tenets for the Path of Humanity:
10: I always think of others first. I always offer help. Thou shall not lie.
9: I always try to help when asked. I put others before myself. Always keep your sworn word.
8: I never hurt anyone. I never stand by and let bad things happen. Slavery is evil.
7: I don't take from others. I try not to injure anyone. Thou shalt not torture.
6: I don't kill people. Protect the innocent from harm.
5: I don't kill unless I have no other options. Kill only in self-defense.
4: I don't kill unless they deserve it. The guilty must be punished.
3: I try not to kill innocents. Never enjoy killing.
2: I try not to kill without a reason.
1: There are some things even I won't do. I do not serve.
(WP) has one (1) point of temporary WP restored at 12am UTC on Tuesday and Friday. There is no Blood Point cost for awakening, but every EXP-giving scene your character participates in requires you to spend 1 BP instead (effectively 2 BP per week max).
Due to the lessened Blood Point tax for awakening, the Herd background has received a rework. Instead of the benefits as detailed in the V20 core book, herd provides a number of free Blood Points equal to your rating in the background x2 every week.
These rules apply for any kind of blood sorcery. There is multiple steps to complete to learn rituals.
When you gain a new dot in your primary path, you also gain a new ritual of the new primary path level or lower (f.e. gain dot 3 in primary path and can choose a ritual of lvl 1, 2, or 3).
One Dot - Augury of Sickness
On vampires, a roll of Intelligence+empathy gives one answer regarding their physical condition per success. On any other creature, Intelligence+medicine reveals any illnesses they have, and paths of treatment.
*This combines the one dot Sense Vitality with the two dot Augury of Sickness. They were almost redundant.*
Two Dots - Aesthetic Touch
On vampires, this allows then to ignore wound modifiers for one round per success on a Willpower roll. On any mortal creature, this will put them to sleep. On all it acts as an aesthetic, removing pain, and can be used in surgery.
*This is the same as the v20 version.*
Three Dots - Corpore Sano
Vampire bodies heal without instruction. On touch, this uses the actor's blood to heal wounds. Lethal can be healed for 1bp, aggravated for 2. On mortals, this can be used for surgery based on the findings of Augury of Sickness. Successes on augury lowers the difficulty for surgery. For surgery, the area or wounds must be touched directly.
*This changes healing a vampire to a simple touch so that it could be used in combat. It uses the rules for mortals from Revised.*
Four Dots - Peacemaker
Upon spending two willpower points, those in the nearby area become unable to take violent action. To break this requires a willpower roll, but the distance from the user changes the difficulty. Within 5 meters the difficulty is 8, at 5-10, it is 7, and at 10-15, it is 6. These difficulties can be raised by 1 by spending an additional 2 points of willpower. Frenzy checks become easier to pass by 2. On failure, the opponent can only sit passively, but anyone who is attacked is free to act. This is used in negotiations as well, as it promotes agreement in the moment, though it can often end in buyer's remorse later. It affects everyone in the given area.
*This is a 3 dot power from Revised, but with difficulties more defined. It's close to what the four dot power Shepherd's Watch does, but is actually useful.*
Five Dots - Mens Sana
This power purifies the mind. It can provide temporary relief from insanity by spending two blood points and succeeding on an Intelligence+Empathy roll, difficulty 8. By drawing the soul of the target into their third eye, the Salubri can repair a derangement permanently, as well as improve Path or Humanity scores. The Salubri rolls Stamina+Empathy against a difficulty of 12-the subject's current Humanity rating. This provides the target with the opportunity to buy Humanity up to their combined virtue rating. This xp cost can be shared by the Salubri. Finally, by spending a willpower point, a demonic possession can be drawn into the eye for banishment. This requires a contested roll of the Salubri's Humanity versus the opponent's willpower. The winner is the first to achieve 3 net successes. Once success is achieved, the Salubri spends a second willpower point to trap the demon.
*This combines Mens Sana and Unburden the Mind. Both are mostly rare cases that involve spiritual degeneration. It also changes the cost of repair to the xp needed to increase it normally.*
Six Dots - Renewed Vigor
The Salubri touches the target and spends a full turn concentrating. The player spends a point of Willpower. At the end of the turn, the target is healed of all damage, including aggravated damage. If the character attempts any other action but the laying of hands during this turn, the Willpower point is lost and no healing occurs. The Salubri can use this power on herself.
*This is the six dot discipline from Revised. The other choice, Father's Judgement, which is less powerful, but was too offensive to fit with the theme.*
(Potence 3, Celerity 2)
A discipline created by a Baron who loved to hurl chairs at people. You throw a chair, roll dex + ath diff 9 for each chair leg and on 3 suxx, stake the sucker.
Botch - Take 2 bashing damage from hitting yourself with the chair. Fail- You miss. 1 -2 suxx - Deal leathal dam based on a str + melee roll diff 6. 3 suxx - Stake that sucker!
This power costs 18 experience points to learn.
(Presence 4, Dominate 1)
Whenever you activate a Dominate power, you may spend 1 Blood Point in order to bypass the need for eye contact, as your considerable presence and gravitas carry the command through words alone. This does not apply to voices transmitted through electronics, media such as phones, television, apartment door-buzzer speakers, etc. As usual, this doesn't circumvent your target needing to be able to understand your commands.
This power costs 20 experience points to learn.