You are newly embraced Kine, emerging into a world of shadows that you didn't even know existed, you must navigate the complex web of shadows that is the supernatural world and thrive. You also have to deal with the fact that the biggest vampire sects of Europe alongside Europe itself are going to enter a great war that will become infamous in the future for the many deaths that it caused.
Try to survive. And as they say good night, good hunt.
It is the 20th century, and tensions in Europe are rising. It was clear that day to the leaders of Europe that a war would happen. The French still earned for territory lost to the Prussians, the Prussians wanted to expand their territory, the British were worried about the new fleet being built by the Prussians, and many other of the great powers of Europa had their own ambitions.
From the sick man of Europe to the rotting corpse all knew that something was going to happen, they were all just waiting for who would fire the first bullet that would be unknown to them creating one of the bloodiest conflicts in history.
But it was not only humans who would be the ones to wage war, in the world of the supernatural the various forces that composed it noticed the fact that many of the vampire clans were feeling tenser, and all came down as always to the two global vampiric superpowers the Camarilla and the Sabbat.
Tensions were always high between both factions, especially since both of their ideologies were too different, and the latter had been born of a schism with the first any centuries before as a reaction to the Declaration of Thorns of what would vampiric society do in the coming times. There had been several skirmishes and small wars waged between the two factions since that fateful day.
From the shadows the leaders of the Camarilla plot something once thought too difficult, the complete expulsion of the Sabbat from Europe, or at least reducing their presence from the continent, making so that they wouldn't have to deal with the constant headache that was the Sabbat and focus more on the other supernatural treats in what they considered to be their backyard.
Their reasoning is that after cleaning the Old World they would then refocus back on the Americas where they have been losing many cities to the Sabbat. Throwing the Sabbt from Europe would allow them to focus more and more resources and manpower allowing them to not only reclaim lost territory but claim more from the hands of the Sabbt and other supernatural factions that got in their way. They even planned to use the coming war between the mortals as a curtain to hide the extermination of Sabbat cells in Europe and so keep the Masquerade.
But the Sabbat themselves made plans, they knew that they couldn't fight the Camarilla in sheer numbers, so they made their own plans. The first was, despite its distaste, seeking allies in the form of the Neo-Anarchs among others granting them far more resources and manpower. In the case of the Neo-Anarchs, after a lengthy form of negotiations, the Sabbat played the Neo-Anarchs like fools, by playing their not-so-hidden fears of being attacked and then exterminated by the Camarilla, even if the said organization has better things to do than deal with so-called rebels.
Even with them, the Sabbat knew that it couldn't throw the Camarilla from Europe, but they could bleed them enough that sooner or later the Inner Circle would have to give up. So, they cracked down on recruitment, any Cainite that they could throw at their enemies could prove useful. Seeing this Camarilla did the same, though in lesser and slower numbers as all vampires had to ask first permission of their respective Elders
The dice were being thrown by both mortals and immortals readying for the coming conflict. And in the middle of all of this, there is the newly embraced Childe, what shall be their fate? Will they be just another body to be thrown and then discarded? Or they shall rise to become something more, something greater?
[] Name
[] Gender
Choose Your Faction:
[] Camarilla: The Camarilla is the most organized of the vampiric sects, an elite club that favors tradition and control of the mortal populace from behind the scenes. Across their domains, they enforce six major Traditions, chief among them being the Masquerade. Breaking said Traditions by any Kine will lead to their execution, especially if the Tradition they broke was the Masquerade. In addition to preventing the growing mortal masses from discovering the existence of vampires, the Camarilla aims to maintain the status quo of Kindred society; as such, much of its structure and traditions mirror that of Cainite society in feudal Europe in the Dark Ages.
[] Sabbat: The Sabbat is a loose organization of Cainites who reject the Traditions. Unlike the Camarilla, the Sabbat believes in the Antediluvians and Caine. Also known as the Sword of Caine, they believe they will be the army Caine will use to destroy the Antediluvians once Gehenna arrives. The Sabbat sees their inner beast as something to be instead of being shunned, and so they fall far more easily to the beast as they actively part ways with their humanity.
Choose Your Clan
[] Malkavian: The Malkavians are a clan of Vampires with their ranks filled with those perceived to be mentally ill, afflicted with a strange madness that varies between individuals. This doesn't mean that they aren't also insightful and highly intelligent, but they are controlled by their own variant of madness from the moment of their Embrace, some showing signs of previous traumas from their life as Kine.
- Disciplines: Auspex / Dominate / Obfuscate.
- Bane: Fractured Perspective - When suffering a Bestial Failure or a Compulsion, their mental derangement comes to the forefront. Suffers a penalty equal to their Bane Severity to one category of dice pools (Physical, Social, or Mental) for the entire scene. The penalty and nature of the affliction depend on the severity of the event.
- Compulsion: Delusion - Whether it's figments of their imagination or extrasensory perception of the truths. For one scene, the Malkavian suffers a penalty to rolls involving Dexterity, Manipulation, Composure, or Wits. As well as rolls to resist terror Frenzy.
[] Nosferatu: Nosferatu are hideously deformed by their Embrace and every Nosferatu is horrifyingly ugly. Eschewing other Vampires, they live in sewers and generally keep to themselves. Nosferatu is an information broker par excellence. Since the Gangrel left the Camarilla, the Nosferatu have shown that they are physically capable as enforcers and assassins in their place, cementing their place as invaluable. While they are mostly a part of a Camarilla overall, they put clan over the sect, protecting non-Camarilla Nosferatu from threats that'd expose them and vice versa.
- Disciplines: Animalism / Obfuscate / Potence.
- Bane: Repulsiveness - Cursed by their blood, when they are Embraced, they are twisted into revolting monsters. They can never raise their rating in the Looks merits and instead must take the Repulsive flaw. Any attempt to disguise themselves incurs a penalty equal to the character's Bane Severity, this also includes the use of Disciplines such as Mask of a Thousand Faces. However, most Nosferatu does not breach the Masquerade by being seen, they are instead perceived as gross or terrifying.
- Compulsion: Cryptophilia - Consumed by a hunger for private secrets, the Nosferatu seeks to obtain knowledge no matter how big or small as long as it's not a well-known bit of information. During this, they also refuse to give up their secrets except in strict trade for something greater than their own. Any action not actively working towards gaining them a secret takes a penalty. This Compulsion does not end till they learn a secret they deem to be useful, sharing this secret is entirely optional.
[] Toreador: The Toreador are obsessed with art and beauty and are the clan that spends the most time around humanity. Toreadors tend to get lost in art, becoming enraptured by beautiful things. This love of beautiful things sometimes is their downfall as they become obsessive about their desired beauty including in some fatal cases, the sun itself.
- Disciplines: Auspex / Celerity / Presence.
- Bane: Aesthetic Fixation - A desire for beauty takes control over the Toreador and when in lesser surroundings they suffer. When they are within settings, they find less than beautiful, they take a penalty equal to their Bane Severity when using Disciplines.
- Compulsion: Obsession - Utterly obsessed with a single thing, the Toreador cannot speak of anything but that object. Be it a person, a piece of artwork, a blood splatter in the right lighting, or the sunrise itself, they cannot take their attention off it. Any other action receives a penalty. This Compulsion lasts until they can no longer perceive the object, or the scene ends.
[] Tremere: The Tremere are a Hermetic order (originally from Ars Magica) who turned themselves into vampires to preserve their magic. It didn't quite work out as planned. Since the 11th century, the Tremere has risen from outcasts to one of the pillars of Camarilla society. Tremere are the most powerful practitioners of the Discipline of Thaumaturgy but are also tightly bound to their highly organized and incredibly paranoid clan. Only the original house of Tremere remains loyal to the Camarilla with three other major houses appearing throughout the world.
- Disciplines: Auspex / Dominate / Blood Sorcery.
- Bane: Bonds of Blood – The Tremere is defined by their rigid hierarchy of Blood Bonds within the Pyramid, which consists of controlling the minds of the recipients where they become submissive to the user, for good or bad. This extends to your own sire and attempting to reject an order from them will cause a penalty to stop you from doing so.
- Compulsion: Perfectionism - Nothing but the best will satisfy them, anything less than exceptional still instills a profound sense of failure. When afflicted by this, the Warlock suffers a penalty to all dice pools. The penalty is reduced when actions are repeated and removed entirely on a second repeat. This does not end till they manage to score a critical win on a Skill roll, or the scene ends.
[] Ventrue: The Clan of Kings. The Ventrue are the leaders of the Camarilla. They are businessmen, aristocrats, monarchs, captains of industry, and crime leaders and tend to occupy any other position where control, social status, and power are required. They are the clan from whom most Princes come. Ventrue is careful about whom they Embrace and who they feed from: every Ventrue feeds exclusively from a specific type of prey.
- Disciplines: Dominate / Fortitude / Presence.
- Bane: Rarefied Tastes - When the Ventrue drinks the blood of a mortal who does not fall within their preference, they must spend Willpower equal to their Bane Severity else they will vomit the blood from their bodies unable to slake their hunger. Their preferences range within the clan, some looking for descendants of a certain nationality to soldiers suffering from PTSD. With a Resolve + Awareness test, they can sense if a mortal they seek to feed from fits within their preference.
- Compulsion: Arrogance - Fueled by the beast and their natural desire for power, the Ventrue must force someone to obey a command given. The order cannot be given through supernatural means such as Dominate. Until they satisfy the requirements, they receive a penalty for any actions not directly related to leadership.
[] Brujah: Warrior philosophers the Brujah are a clan that seeks the Olympian Ideal which contained the perfection of both body and mind as a result many members of the clan train their bodies without relent and were well-educated in both metaphysical and scientific themes. All that a Brujah does, he does with passion is both his curse as well as his blessing. Brujah adopts passions and causes, which they support with volume and vitriol. Some Brujah follows charismatic members of their clan, while others prefer stances of blatant, defiant individualism. Many Brujah are glad to have an opportunity to speak their minds, then indulge in a bit of destruction afterward to illustrate their points.
- Disciplines: Celerity / Presence / Potence.
- Bane: Violent Temper - A rage is simmering in the back of the mind with a Brujah with the slightest provocation able to send them into a frenzied rage. Bane Severity creates a penalty against Fury Frenzy.
- Compulsion: Passion Driven – A Brujah is led by their passions even if those that seemed like a passing fancy and nothing more to an outsider, if Brujah goes against their passion they suffer a temporary penalty for all their actions not directly related to the action that led them going against their passion until the action that led them straying be resolved.
[] Gangrel: Nomads who hold closer ties to the wild places than most of their city-bound cousins, they are also closer to the animal aspect of the Beast and are masters of the Protean Discipline.
- Discipline: Animalism / Fortitude / Protean
- Bane: Bestial Features - In Frenzy, Gangrel gains animalistic features equal to their Bane Severity. These features last for one more night afterward, each feature reducing one Attribute by 1 point. The Gangrel may choose to Ride the Wave to only have one feature manifest and only lose one Attribute point.
- Compulsion: Feral Impulses - Unleash the animal hidden in their Blood. This urges the Gangrel to regress into an animalistic state where speech becomes difficult, clothes become too constrictive, and arguments and best settled with claws and teeth. For one scene the Gangrel suffers a -3 penalty for all rolls involving Manipulation and Intelligence as they are only able to speak one-word sentences during this Compulsion.
[] Lasombra: One of the two principal clans of the Sabbat. The Lasombra slew their own Antediluvian during the Anarch Revolt and since then led the Sabbat against the nascent Camarilla. The Lasombra are elegant, powerful, cruel, and predatory and espouse a social Darwinist approach toward control and leadership. The Lasombra are also masters of shadow, able to manipulate darkness in bizarre fashions; this power has a cost, however, as Lasombra cast no reflections.
- Disciplines: Dominate / Oblivion / Potence
- Bane: Distorted Image - In reflections or recordings (live or not) the Lasombra appear to be distorted, those who know what vampires know precisely what's going on, while others might be confused but know something is wrong. This does not, however, hide their identity with any certainty and they are not likely to be caught more often on surveillance than any other Kindred. In addition to this, modern communication technology, which includes making a phone call, requires a Technology DC + Bane Severity as microphones struggle with them as much as cameras. Avoiding any electronic vampire detection system is also done with a penalty equal to their Bane Severity.
- Compulsion: Ruthlessness - The next time the vampire fails an action they receive a penalty to all rolls until a future attempt at the same action succeeds. This penalty applies to future attempts of the same action still.
[] Tzimisce: The Tzimisce hail from Eastern Europe and are the former absolute masters of their nightmare domains. The Tzimisce are the least human vampires in the entire world, casually cruel and more than a little mad, and possessing the most potent shapeshifting powers of any Vampire. Tzimisce can shift not only their shape but mold flesh and bone like it was clay. The Tzimisce crave stability - they cannot find peace at night without some of their grave earth.
- Disciplines: Animalism / Dominate / Protean
- Bane: Grounded - Each Tzimisce must select a specific charge, be it a physical location, a group of people, or something even more esoteric. Each night they must sleep surrounded by their charge, if they do not, they sustain aggravated Willpower damage equal to their Bane Severity upon waking the following night.
- Compulsion: Covetousness - When afflicted with this compulsion they become obsessed with owning something in the scene, be it an object, or property to a living person. Whatever it is, they must add it to their collection, and any action taken not towards this purpose incurs a penalty. This penalty continues until ownership is established or the object of their desire is unobtainable.
Attributes: represent the character's innate abilities, with 1 being relatively bad, 2 being average, and up to 5 which represents peak ability. (12 Points to Spend)
[] Physical: Represent the mortal prowess of a vampire's body. Though using certain Disciplines, vampires often exceed the abilities of an otherwise frail-looking physique.
- [] Strength: How strong the character is, how much they can lift, and how much force they can exert.
- [] Dexterity: How agile a character is, how graceful they can be, or how nimble those fingers are.
- [] Stamina: The character's physical resistance, how long they can persevere through hazards and other strenuous activities, or how much damage they can absorb.
[] Social: Reflect how easily the character can communicate with vampires and mortals alike to achieve their goals.
- [] Charisma: Determines the character's natural appeal, charm, and grace. With this attribute they'll be able to draw people into them although do not mistake this for good looks, that is a merit all on its own.
- [] Manipulation: Showcases how skilled the character is at being an effective liar, their ability to twist others to a winning point of view, and how deceptive they are.
- [] Composure: Reflects how well the character can maintain and command their own emotions. As well as how easily they can calm the nerves and the anxieties of others. It also represents their ability to stay calm-headed in heated situations such as verbal fights and even firefights.
[] Mental: Represent the character's natural intuition, the ability to learn quickly and react quickly with thoughts rather than their bodies.
- [] Intelligence: Represents the character's ability to gather knowledge through research or reason as well as apply logic to an ongoing problem. They have an easier time recalling information they have gathered before and can analyze information from the world around them or the books they've read.
- [] Wits: Reflects the character's ability to think quickly on their feet and make decisions based on the information around them or from prior knowledge. Wits allow the character to pick up sounds and smell around them, perhaps preventing a possible ambush from happening without warning. It is also representative of a character's street smartness and knowing what to say in the heat of the moment. Rather than mulling on it the next night and realizing they had the perfect comeback to that snobby harpy the entire time.
- [] Resolve: Measures the raw determination of a character and how strong their focus truly is. This Attribute powers the all-night stakeouts. Allowing the character to create a mental block from any distractions, showcasing their mental fortitude and concentration.
Skills: Like Attributes, Skills are defined as follows. No dots mean they have no knowledge or formal training, one being that they have basic knowledge, two is general knowledge, three is a professional Skill level, four means they've specialized in this, and five is mastery of the Skill. (12 dots to spend)
[] Physical
- [] Athletics: Running, jumping, and climbing are all activities within Athletics. Dodging a well-thrown punch in the heat of combat and throwing an item or weapon is also Athletics.
- [] Brawl: Combat focused on using the body as a weapon rather than an item.
- [] Craft: Creating, building, or shaping items such as artwork but also making a makeshift catapult.
- [] Drive: Driving vehicles specifically under duress and adverse or difficult conditions. Also used for working on cars or general mechanic skills.
- [] Firearms: Using ranged weaponry such as bows and guns as well as gunsmithing and repair of said items.
- [] Larceny: Lockpicking a locked door or breaking in other ways, pickpocketing, and sleight of hand.
- [] Melee: Combat focused on using handheld weaponry such as a lead pipe or a baseball bat.
- [] Stealth: Blending into surroundings to either not be seen or not be recognized, allows characters to move around without alerting anyone of their presence either by sight or sound.
- [] Survival: Using nature to find shelter, tracking animals or people, and general survival in the wilderness.
[] Social
- [] Animal Ken: Understanding and reading animal behavior to handle them and work with them.
- [] Etiquette: The ability to interact in social settings or blend into different groups.
- [] Insight: Reading body language and other cues to discern emotions, thoughts, or motives.
- [] Intimidation: Using menacing presence or direct force to ensure compliance, submission, or fear from others. As well as using threats to persuade them to back down.
- [] Leadership: Motivating, inspiring, or commanding the character's followers.
- [] Performance: Showcasing the character's art in front of a crowd regardless of size. Singing, acting, and oration are all examples of this.
- [] Persuasion: Convincing or swaying others to do the character's will or at least agree with their stance.
- [] Streetwise: Knowledge of the streets in criminal and urban societies, being able to locate a gang or dealer, knowing which shortcut will be the fastest.
- [] Subterfuge: Deceiving others to complete the character's desires or agreeing with them or manipulating the truth to further their goals.
[] Mental
- [] Academics: Topics surrounding the humanities and liberal arts.
- [] Awareness: Vigilant to their surroundings and the ability to understand/react to threats.
- [] Finance: Knowing how to move and make money legally or not, being able to handle finances and their taxes.
- [] Investigation: Being able to find and follow clues, decipher their meaning, and solve a mystery.
- [] Medicine: Handling mortal injuries and diagnosing/treating diseases.
- [] Occult: Mystical knowledge of the supernatural and rituals, kindred-related or not.
- [] Politics: Knowing the inner workings of the government, mortal or not.
- [] Science: Scientific knowledge and theory of the real world.
- [] Technology: using technological apparatus, securing or stealing information with technology.
QM - Let's see how long this lasts. Also here is a short explanation of what the Traditions and disciplines are:
Domain: A kindred's hunting ground is his own territory, and he rules it absolutely.
Progeny: Sire only with permission of one's elders.
Accounting: Until childer are released, their actions are the responsibility of their sire.
Hospitality: Honor the domains of others, and present oneself to the ruler of any domain you visit.
Destruction: The right to kill Kindred is reserved for the Elder of a community. Only an elder may call a Blood Hunt.
Animalism is utilized by those who desire a close and supernatural bond with the animal world as well as a vampire's own Beast.
Auspex enables users to hone their senses both physical and psychic in order to bolster their awareness, and perceptions, or even see visions of the future.
Blood Sorcery is a type of blood magic that allows the practitioners to manipulate the blood, mortal or vampire.
Celerity powers up the movement of the user, enabling them to have unnatural quickness in their movement and supernatural reflexes.
Dominate allows the user to use mind control through eye contact and spoken words as well as manipulate memories of their victims.
Fortitude strengthens the user's physical and mental resistance.
Obfuscate is the art of not being seen even in crowds either through being wholly unseen or by blending in.
Oblivion has two branches. One allows the user to manipulate shadows at will and the other is through the arts of necromancy or usage of spirits, though both tap into the Abyss.
Presence enables the user to use subtle manipulation, control, and swaying of emotions to guide others toward a goal.
Protean grants the ability to change one's shape, grow claws, meld into the earth, or become fog.
Follow the available links if you want a more in-depth explanation. Finally, since this is a period of history where many things had yet to happen, I decided to change some things as veteran players can clearly see, the contest, among other things, is completely homebrewed by yours truly, and has no existence in the official canon of VTM.
