Character Sheet + Consolidated Mechanics
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Julius Montgomory
Background: Julius and his mom were never well off (and his father died years ago to cancer), but they usually manged to scrape by where it counted; enough to keep Julius in school and the lights on. Recently his mom was injured in a drive by, and the medical bills (plus her inability to work while at home in recovery) have pushed Julius into an ironic method of making ends meet, until now.
Clan: Banu Haqim
Description: Julius is one of the Judges, a clan with a powerful predisposition towards Law, though it may not be mortal law, or anyone else's but his own. The early days after his embrace are likely to be even more turbulent than normal, as Julius finds himself increasingly unbalanced by his lack of such convictions, but once Julius finds a code worth devoting himself to he's likely to become very stalwart about it. Julius is most likely to desire to embrace mortals capable of assessing and handling threats, enforcing laws and traditions, and punishing transgressors. Those with personal competence and integrity, in other words. An honorable mafioso or clean cop might both be valid options to embrace, depending on what Julius' own moral code winds up being.
Weakness: Julius is drawn to feed from those deserving of punishment, either by his own code or whatever codes that person would normally be subject to (such as, for example, the United States legal code if they happen to be citizens of the United States). This is especially true for vampire Blood, the very essence of transgression. If Julius tastes the Blood of another vampire, he finds it very hard to stop, requiring the expenditure of a willpower point lest he do his best to drain his victim dry. This may also trigger for non-vampires with massive transgressions under their belt (serial killers, mass murderers, serial rapists, etc).
Background: Julius and his mom were never well off (and his father died years ago to cancer), but they usually manged to scrape by where it counted; enough to keep Julius in school and the lights on. Recently his mom was injured in a drive by, and the medical bills (plus her inability to work while at home in recovery) have pushed Julius into an ironic method of making ends meet, until now.
Clan: Banu Haqim
Description: Julius is one of the Judges, a clan with a powerful predisposition towards Law, though it may not be mortal law, or anyone else's but his own. The early days after his embrace are likely to be even more turbulent than normal, as Julius finds himself increasingly unbalanced by his lack of such convictions, but once Julius finds a code worth devoting himself to he's likely to become very stalwart about it. Julius is most likely to desire to embrace mortals capable of assessing and handling threats, enforcing laws and traditions, and punishing transgressors. Those with personal competence and integrity, in other words. An honorable mafioso or clean cop might both be valid options to embrace, depending on what Julius' own moral code winds up being.
Weakness: Julius is drawn to feed from those deserving of punishment, either by his own code or whatever codes that person would normally be subject to (such as, for example, the United States legal code if they happen to be citizens of the United States). This is especially true for vampire Blood, the very essence of transgression. If Julius tastes the Blood of another vampire, he finds it very hard to stop, requiring the expenditure of a willpower point lest he do his best to drain his victim dry. This may also trigger for non-vampires with massive transgressions under their belt (serial killers, mass murderers, serial rapists, etc).
First Bloodline: Sorcerer
Description: Though he hadn't touched the occult even once before his death, Julius has been infused with the power of blood sorcery, and has consequently gained a new interest in the occult.
Weakness: Julius' aura (and thus his soul) is so stained with magic that there is little way to mistake him for anything else but a sorcerer. He also tends to have trouble using powers to hide himself due to his blazing aura resisting concealment.
Second Bloodline: Annunaku
Description: Julius has become both territorial and more assertive, seeing his territory and anyone who dwells there as his. How he treats his territory and his people is up in the air as of now, but whether his leadership is as silk or iron will not change the fact that he will abide no other true authority in his territory. A lord loves guests but hates intruders, and Julius is no exception, though the line between those can be blurry for others.
Weakness: Julius finds himself significantly uncomfortable when not in his own demesne, such that he will underperform a bit at pretty much everything. If the territory is friendly to him he might be less impacted, and similarly being accompanied by a dear companion can also lessen it, but it can never be fully nullified.
Weakness: Julius' aura (and thus his soul) is so stained with magic that there is little way to mistake him for anything else but a sorcerer. He also tends to have trouble using powers to hide himself due to his blazing aura resisting concealment.
Second Bloodline: Annunaku
Description: Julius has become both territorial and more assertive, seeing his territory and anyone who dwells there as his. How he treats his territory and his people is up in the air as of now, but whether his leadership is as silk or iron will not change the fact that he will abide no other true authority in his territory. A lord loves guests but hates intruders, and Julius is no exception, though the line between those can be blurry for others.
Weakness: Julius finds himself significantly uncomfortable when not in his own demesne, such that he will underperform a bit at pretty much everything. If the territory is friendly to him he might be less impacted, and similarly being accompanied by a dear companion can also lessen it, but it can never be fully nullified.
General Vampire Powers/Mechanics
Healing and Damage
Julius can easily heal himself of injuries by burning vitae to allow his dead flesh and bones to repair themselves, although some wounds, such as those inflicted by fire or sunlight, can only be healed slowly and with great effort. (Healing damage takes 1 Vitae and takes a few seconds, Healing Aggravated damage takes 5 Vitae and takes the whole night).
This quest will not have a health bar; damage to Julius will be handled narratively, as will him possibly losing combat. You can assume that one heal, once paid, will fully heal him over the duration. If he is defeated by non-aggravated damage, he enters Torpor. If he is defeated with Aggravated damage, such as fire or sunlight, he suffers final death.
The Kiss
Julius is also able to subdue his prey with an intoxicating effect known as the Kiss, a flood of pleasure and lassitude that overcomes anyone he bites. Mortals in the throes of the Kiss are almost physically incapable of fighting back or doing anything but giving in to the overwhelming sensations; even other impressive beings, while not necessarily incapacitated, have trouble resisting the physical bliss. Additionally, bite wounds are special in that they can be easily closed with just a lick from Julius, so long as he's in control and has the time to do so. [/SPOILER]
Ghouling and The Embrace
Feeding his vitae to mortals while they are still living can create immortal ghoul servants to aid him during daylight hours and in the human world, and feeding vitae to a dying mortal results in the Embrace, allowing him to create a new vampire, though that act is spiritually taxiing in the extreme. (Creating a Ghoul takes 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower, Embracing a new Vampire takes 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower, and reduces your maximum willpower by 1 permanently)
Blush of Life
Julius can force Vitae into his outer tissues to give his skin a lifelike flush, called the Blush of Life, and to force his heart to beat and his lungs to inhale and exhale in a normal rhythm. Kindred who want to engage in sexual intercourse — perhaps to feed upon a suitably distracted mortal vessel, or perhaps for simple pleasure — can force blood to the appropriate section of anatomy as well. (This costs 1 Vitae and lasts a few hours at most)
False Consumption
Normally Julius automatically vomits up any food or drink he consumes immediately. If he wishes to consume food or drink, must spend a Vitae. This is in addition to the "blush of life" a character may have already paid during the course of the scene, though these are entirely separate abilities. Before the end of the night, Julius noisily, messily, and bloodily eliminates the consumed matter by way of regurgitation, so it's best to make sure that no one's around to see Julius when that happens. (This costs 1 vitae and lasts a few hours at most)
Lost Visage
Lost Visage distorts Julius' appearance in mirrors, reflective surfaces, photographs, and even video over CCTV or film. His image distorts gradually over the first three nights after his Embrace until it becomes unrecognizable. He can make his reflection or images momentarily clear, but it requires a degree of mental concentration (spending a willpower). In the case of photographs and video, the picture will remain clear only while Julius concentrates, before it blurs again. Vocal recordings are not affected by this power. Any recordings made after his Embrace are automatically funny distorted, and he always appears blurred in mirrors and other reflections.
Vitae and Willpower
Vitae is a unit measuring Julius' stolen blood and the power contained within. He spends 1 Vitae every night just to continue existing. You start with a maximum Vitae Pool of 10, but will be able to increase that later (see Blood Potency). There is no inherent punishment for Julius' Vitae Pool reaching 0 during the night, aside from him being at risk of a Hunger Frenzy, but if he goes to sleep with 0 fall into Torpor.
Willpower is a unit measuring Julius' mental power, and is usually only spent on powers that require a lot of mental focus or to push through some debilitating effect. Julius starts with a maximum Willpower pool of 5, and might be able to increase that later. If his willpower reaches 0, Julius blacks out and falls unconscious. If his maximum willpower reaches 0, Julius burns out his soul and becomes a drauger as if he had reached Humanity 0.
Humanity and The Beast
The change from life to undeath affected more than just Julius' body. It changed his soul. Julius shares his human consciousness with The Beast, a force completely opposite to humanity; a thing devoid of reason, conscience or any emotions except hunger and rage. In times of extreme duress the Beast can overwhelm Julius and force him into a state of pure animalistic drive out of rage, fear, or hunger.
Julius' Humanity measures the strength and integrity of his soul, the reasoning part, the only part which keeps the Beast from taking over and turning him forever into a draugr. If he finds his Humanity decreasing, he'll face an increasing inability to interact socially with normal people, except through intimidation and Disciplines. Low Humanity also limits his ability to function, even merely to remain awake, during the day (such as if he were to awaken while being attacked in his sleep). Julius' Humanity starts at 7, and can be raised to a maximum of 10. He becomes a mindless draugr at humanity 0, which is the death of his soul, though not his body.
Julius stands to lose Humanity when he experiences a breaking point; an extreme psychological stresser. They can vary widely, but often occur when he performs certain actions or endures certain experiences (often traumatic in eithe rcase) that outstrip his ability to rationalize or handle.
Blood Potency
The trait that determines how deep Julius' Vitae pool is, as well as what he can gain sustanance from. At low levels, his vitae pool is limited to 10, but he can feed on animals or drink bagged blood if he must. At high levels, he might only gain vitae from superhuman beings, but in exchange might be able to hold three or more times as much vitae. Additionally, high blood potency will increase the potency of his Disciplines and reduce their Vitae cost, but will exacerbate his clan/bloodline weaknesses. [/SPOILER]
Torpor
The word torpor refers to the state of deep slumber that vampires enter into for prolonged periods of time. Torpor may be entered into voluntarily, such as when one seeks to escape the monotony of eternal life and awaken in a different age, or, more commonly, involuntarily if Julius starves, is staked (with a wooden stake), or suffers damage sufficient to kill a mortal. The amount of time he spends in torpor depends on the reason for hibernating, his Humanity, and his Blood Potency, ranging from one day at the shortest and five centuries at the longest.
During this time his body swiftly dries out and takes on the appearance of being mummified. The skin contracts around the bones, the eyes dry out and sink into their sockets, hair become fine and brittle. The muscles of one's mouth retreat, forming a rictus around the teeth. To all appearances, Julius is a long dead corpse.
Diablerie
Consuming the hearts blood of another being always costs 1 Humanity. Drinking the soul of another vampire would permanently enhance Julius' own vampiric power. Drinking the soul of some other type of being... who knows what that would do? Do note, however, that only vampires can be diablerized just by drinking them dry; other beings will require you to use Blood Essence to capture their soul first.
Disciplines, Psuedo-Disciplines, and Devotions
Disciplines are the supernatural powers of vampire folklore; things like shapeshifting, invisibility, super speed and strength, and more. There are many, though Julius doens't have access to all of them. They often require the expenditure of Vitae, Willpower, or both. Most disciplines have 10 levels, each of which comes with a new power in addition to making all uses of that discipline more potent. Psuedo-Disciplines function the same, except they only have 5 levels.
Devotions are stand-alone powers, which require and build off of the powers gained from Disciplines. For example, Animalism Level 4 comes with the power to possess an animal. If someone wanted to be sure they couldn't be detected in that animal, there's a Devotion that requires Animalism 4 and Obfuscate 3, which makes the vampire undetectable to supernatural perception while posessing an animal. Most devotions require a combination of 2 disciplines, though some can require more.
Blood Sorcery
Blood Sorcery is different from Disciplines, and even Devotions, both of which come naturally (almost instinctually) to Julius as he grows in power. Blood Sorcery requires study, research, exparimentation, materials, time, and a lot of blood. Blood Sorcery uses a system of paths and rituals to focus the thaumaturge's will. Paths are learned expressions of thaumaturgical principles developed into reliable, repeatable effects. Paths have 5 levels, much like pseudo-disciplines.
Rituals, by contrast, are elaborate, sophisticated and codified instructions for producing set magical effects. Rituals vary in complexity, and require varying levels of thaumaturgical knowledge to complete successfully. They often require the trappings of Hermetic magic – circles drawn in chalk, locks of the victim's hair, meditation, chanting ancient words of power, and the like. Rituals can take hours, days or even months to perform, but - if successfully completed - will always produce the same result.
Disciplines:
Obfuscate:
Obfuscate is a versatile Discipline that gives its user the power to cloud minds so as to become invisible, or better.
Touch of Shadow
Description:This first level of Obfuscate allows Julius to hide a single object from sight, unless someone actively searches for that specific item. "Specific" is very literal here — a character looking for "an Obfuscated book" does not find it, though if she's looking for "the Ordo Dracul Kogaion's handwritten and leather-bound copy of 17th-century rituals" and has seen it before, she would find it.
Cost: Free
Duration: One hour, though it can be ended early.
Modifiers: It works best on items small enough to be hidden in a jacket or fit in a man's pants pocket, though it can be used on objects up to the size of an average human with only a bit of extra effort.
- For the expenditure of a Vitae it can be used on items up to the size of a car.
- For the expenditure of a Willpower point, it can also be used to hide areas of unfilled space, like an open window, or a peephole.
These two effects are separate, but can be used together (such as to hide a section of hallway).
Description:This first level of Obfuscate allows Julius to hide a single object from sight, unless someone actively searches for that specific item. "Specific" is very literal here — a character looking for "an Obfuscated book" does not find it, though if she's looking for "the Ordo Dracul Kogaion's handwritten and leather-bound copy of 17th-century rituals" and has seen it before, she would find it.
Cost: Free
Duration: One hour, though it can be ended early.
Modifiers: It works best on items small enough to be hidden in a jacket or fit in a man's pants pocket, though it can be used on objects up to the size of an average human with only a bit of extra effort.
- For the expenditure of a Vitae it can be used on items up to the size of a car.
- For the expenditure of a Willpower point, it can also be used to hide areas of unfilled space, like an open window, or a peephole.
These two effects are separate, but can be used together (such as to hide a section of hallway).
Mask of Tranquility
Description: Julius' beast hides itself well, making it very difficult for other beings to sense the beast within him. Those who can discern auras/souls are also likely to fail to register Julius as undead; his aura is no different from a mortal's (the colors are not pale like a normal Kindred's).
Cost: Free
Duration: Until deactivated.
Modifiers: None
Note: This does not counter the Sorcerer Bloodline weakness; it just means when people sense you through powers, they'll see you as a mortal sorcerer instead of a vampire sorcerer.
Description: Julius' beast hides itself well, making it very difficult for other beings to sense the beast within him. Those who can discern auras/souls are also likely to fail to register Julius as undead; his aura is no different from a mortal's (the colors are not pale like a normal Kindred's).
Cost: Free
Duration: Until deactivated.
Modifiers: None
Note: This does not counter the Sorcerer Bloodline weakness; it just means when people sense you through powers, they'll see you as a mortal sorcerer instead of a vampire sorcerer.
Estate:
Estate is a Discipline that supernaturally connects a Kindred to their domain, for a myriad of effects.
The Web Speaks
Description: Julius knows automatically when the boundary around his property has been crossed, even if he's in daysleep or torpor. Additionally, he can automatically distinguish if the tresspassor is another vampire or not, and can even sense flying or incorporeal tresspassors (though he may not be able to do anything about them).
Cost: Free
Duration: Until deactivated.
Modifiers: None.
Description: Julius knows automatically when the boundary around his property has been crossed, even if he's in daysleep or torpor. Additionally, he can automatically distinguish if the tresspassor is another vampire or not, and can even sense flying or incorporeal tresspassors (though he may not be able to do anything about them).
Cost: Free
Duration: Until deactivated.
Modifiers: None.
Ichor:
Ichor is the Discipline of direct blood manipulation.
Celerity:
Celerity grants Kindred the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing their reflexes and improving their reaction time.
Vigor:
Vigor is the Discipline that endows vampires with physical vigor and preternatural strength.
Resilience:
Resilience grants Kindred unearthly toughness.
Ichor is the Discipline of direct blood manipulation.
Blood Essence
Description: Blood Essence demonstrates one of the most frightening aspects of this Discipline: the ability to distill the essence of a being into their "heart's blood," the holy or unholy life force that contains a being's soul. To use it, Julius must have the target entirely incapacitated, and then he concentrates his spent vitae into a few drops on the target's chest, near their heart. That blood will seep into the target, damaging them very painfully, until it reaches their heart. Once it has done that, Julius can tear open their chest and pull their heart out at his leisure. Said heart has calcified into a semi-translucent grayish-white flask known as a "Debitum," which endures indefinitely. The Debitum enshrouds the spiritual essence (the "heart's-blood") of the victim-which, if examined in detail, can be seen encased within, swimming in despair. If vampiric fangs pierce it, the heart reanimates, pumping a cupful of celadon-colored, aqueous, non-burning flame vaguely resembling the victim into the vampire's maw. Doing so counts as diablerizing the victim (see below). A Debitum crumbles to ash if left vulnerable to fire or sunlight, or when emptied of its contents, all of which free the soul within.
Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
Duration: Permanent
Modifiers: None.
Description: Blood Essence demonstrates one of the most frightening aspects of this Discipline: the ability to distill the essence of a being into their "heart's blood," the holy or unholy life force that contains a being's soul. To use it, Julius must have the target entirely incapacitated, and then he concentrates his spent vitae into a few drops on the target's chest, near their heart. That blood will seep into the target, damaging them very painfully, until it reaches their heart. Once it has done that, Julius can tear open their chest and pull their heart out at his leisure. Said heart has calcified into a semi-translucent grayish-white flask known as a "Debitum," which endures indefinitely. The Debitum enshrouds the spiritual essence (the "heart's-blood") of the victim-which, if examined in detail, can be seen encased within, swimming in despair. If vampiric fangs pierce it, the heart reanimates, pumping a cupful of celadon-colored, aqueous, non-burning flame vaguely resembling the victim into the vampire's maw. Doing so counts as diablerizing the victim (see below). A Debitum crumbles to ash if left vulnerable to fire or sunlight, or when emptied of its contents, all of which free the soul within.
Cost: 1 Vitae and 1 Willpower
Duration: Permanent
Modifiers: None.
Celerity:
Celerity grants Kindred the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing their reflexes and improving their reaction time.
Celerity
Description: The use of Celerity grants Julius the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing his reflexes and improving his reaction time, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of speed.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Minute
Description: The use of Celerity grants Julius the ability to move at supernatural speeds, increasing his reflexes and improving his reaction time, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of speed.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Minute
Vigor:
Vigor is the Discipline that endows vampires with physical vigor and preternatural strength.
Vigor
Description: The use of Vigor grants Julius more physical might, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of strength.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Hour
Description: The use of Vigor grants Julius more physical might, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of strength.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Hour
Resilience:
Resilience grants Kindred unearthly toughness.
Resilience
Description: The use of Resilience makes Julius more resistant to damage, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of durability.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Hour
Description: The use of Resilience makes Julius more resistant to damage, with each Discipline level granting him a greater degree of durability.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 Hour
Devotions:
None Yet.
Blood Sorcery Paths:
None Yet.
Blood Sorcery Rituals:
None Yet.
Current 'Stats':
Maximum Vitae: 10
Maximum Willpower: 5
Humanity: 7
Blood Potency: 1
Blood Sorcery Paths:
None Yet.
Blood Sorcery Rituals:
None Yet.
Current 'Stats':
Maximum Vitae: 10
Maximum Willpower: 5
Humanity: 7
Blood Potency: 1
