[2] [CONVICTION] Always fight for those who cannot.
[1] [CONVICTION] Always help those in need.
[4] [CONVICTION] Always keep your promises.
[3] [CONVICTION] Always stand up for what you believe in.
there are few stories that involve a vampire with some morals in this universe and i hope we can change that.
Our hero is Arturo "Artie" Delacruz – a soldier-turned-starving artist who stands up for what they believe in.
If there's one thing you've learned from your older brother, it's to stand by your beliefs, no matter the external pressures. You still remember the vicious arguments Nick had with your parents over his decision to stop attending church - one of the few times you've ever seen him angry. That memory gave you the strength to abide by your own decision to leave behind your parents' religion.
You then notice that Nick has raised his glass of Coke. "To Artie Delacruz!"
"To Nick Delacruz!" You say, raising your pint of beer. Unlike your brother, you don't have to worry about driving home.
"To the Delacruz siblings!" The two of you chorus as you down your drinks. The evening draws to a close as your glass of beer grows emptier and emptier, until at last, your waitress arrives.
Nick is quick to smack his credit card down onto the table before you can even so much as voice the possibility of you paying for once. Then, just as he always does, he asks, "Want me to give you a ride home?"
"No thanks," you answer as you always do. The two of you get up from your table once the waitress returns with Nick's card, and you walk side by side up the stairs leading up to the street.
Once the two of you are on the sidewalk, Nick holds out his hand. You take it, and your older brother pulls you in for a quick hug. "Text me when you get home, Artie. See you next week."
You wave goodbye as Nick gets into his eminently practical sedan and drives off. The train station isn't far from Douglas's but in the darkness of the evening, the distance seems to stretch on forever. Still, it's a path you've taken dozens of times before, so you stride into the shadows without fear.
You've only taken a few dozen steps before a bad feeling comes over you. It's a feeling that's helped you survive long enough to shoot back at whoever ambushed you, and it's something you were hoping to never feel again after finishing your tour of duty. You look around, squinting as you try to peer into the darkness.
The next few moments are a blur as someone grabs hold of you with the strength of a dozen bodybuilders. For some reason, you feel the sensation of twin needles plunging into your neck. Then your mind is overwhelmed by a sudden ecstasy, followed by the feeling of raw hunger, as though you hadn't just eaten dinner. Something blunt and heavy slams into the back of your head hard, and you find yourself sprawled on the ground. Another smack is all it takes for whoever attacked you to knock you unconscious.
-
When you finally come to, the first thing you notice is the feeling of loose dirt against your face. You shake your head vigorously to try and get it off, but there's just so much of it. In fact, your whole body seems to be buried in a shallow grave. By the time you manage to dig yourself out, ninety minutes have passed. Part of you notes that you should've suffocated to death long before, but you're mostly concerned with the raw hunger gnawing at your insides.
You thought yourself familiar with hunger. The rations they supplied you with back in the Army weren't always fit for human consumption. As a civilian, you were often forced to choose between paying rent, paying for art supplies, and paying for whatever was on sale at the grocery store. However, the sensation causing your stomach to rebel in protest against you is a different animal entirely.
You look at your surroundings and see rusty cars stacked atop each other like metal bricks. As far as you were aware, there weren't any junkyards close to Douglas's. Whoever dragged you out here must have come a long way. You check the pockets of your dirt-stained clothes, only to find that your phone, wallet, and keys are missing. Wonderful.
The sound of boots clapping against dirt catches your attention, and you turn to see a figure wearing night-vision goggles and dark fatigues, as though they'd stepped off the box art of a Splinter Cell game. What concerns you, however, is the assault rifle pointed squarely at you.
You hold up your hands with your palms facing the armed figure, trying your best to look as nonthreatening as possible. In a hoarse voice, you rasp, "Please... help."
In response, the figure reaches for the radio strapped to their shoulder. A deep, masculine voice states, "Got a blankbody here. Get a flamethrower here for disposal."
Flamethrower? Before you can fully digest the implications of what the soldier just said, he's already fired his weapon. His aim is true, and you feel the bullets rip through your body. Something dark and primal inside you screams at you, and without thinking, you rush to obey its whim. Even now, you're not entirely sure what happened. All you know was that it ended with you straddling the gunman who had shot you. From your position atop his stomach, you can see the exposed flesh of his neck. Thank God! Food!
On instinct, as though you've done it a thousand times before, you open your mouth wide and plunge your canines deep into your attacker's throat. You feel the blood from his carotid artery splash against the inside of your mouth, and it is glorious. You immediately begin chugging more of the red stuff down, hunger driving you to extract every last drop. Part of you is actually disappointed when you finally pull away from the exsanguinated husk beneath you, but the rest is indulging in the satisfaction of a good meal.
You wipe your mouth clean with the back of your hand, and you look down at yourself to see a huge bloodstain covering the design of your graphic tee. You then look up to see another armed commando come out from behind a leaning tower of Toyotas.
The pilot light flickering in front of the mouth of the barrel is the only warning you get before the area between you is engulfed in flames. Fortunately for you, the attacker misjudged the distance between you. The Beast within you screams at you to run, and you do not hesitate to comply.
-
Even with all your military training and combat experience, you would have been dead meat. Waking up in the middle of unfamiliar territory surrounded by heavily-armed enemy commandos tends to not end well. Yet you survived to see another night with the aid of your newfound abilities. What happened?
Pick TWO. The two with the highest vote count will be your starting vampiric powers. Choose wisely, though – this choice will determine which clan Artie Delacruz is now part of.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I howled for help – and the local junkyard rats answered.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I used my new superhuman senses to avoid the patrols and locate a safe exit.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I simply outran my assailants, their armored truck, and even their bullets.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I ordered one of the commandos to give me his gun – and he obeyed.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I got caught in an ambush – yet I survived getting shot from all sides with nary a scratch.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I literally vanished from sight and used my newfound invisibility to escape the junkyard.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I took down a fireteam with my bare hands, tearing through their body armor like it was tissue paper.
[] [DISCIPLINE] The gunmen fled in terror at the sight of me, as though I were some dark god risen to take their souls.
[] [DISCIPLINE] I used night vision to target isolated gunmen, ripping them to shreds with my newfound claws.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I took down a fireteam with my bare hands, tearing through their body armor like it was tissue paper.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I got caught in an ambush -- yet I survived getting shot from all sides with nary a scratch.
I prefer characters who can take a hit and deal it out, instead of either having tissue paper for skin or twigs for strength.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I used my new superhuman senses to avoid the patrols and locate a safe exit.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I literally vanished from sight and used my newfound invisibility to escape the junkyard.
The best way to fight is to make sure you never get into one in the first place.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I used my new superhuman senses to avoid the patrols and locate a safe exit.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I literally vanished from sight and used my newfound invisibility to escape the junkyard.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I used my new superhuman senses to avoid the patrols and locate a safe exit. [X] [DISCIPLINE] I simply outran my assailants, their armored truck, and even their bullets.
I prefer the choice to get out of a situation or run into one as we need and I think a combination of speed and heightened sense work well for this.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I took down a fireteam with my bare hands, tearing through their body armor like it was tissue paper.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I got caught in an ambush -- yet I survived getting shot from all sides with nary a scratch.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I literally vanished from sight and used my newfound invisibility to escape the junkyard.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I took down a fireteam with my bare hands, tearing through their body armor like it was tissue paper.
I see merits to both arguments, but in the military it's better to dodge a bullet than take one in the first place. Now typically for such a phrase I'd go for the super speed. But the ambush potential of someone with super strength and invisibility is immense. I really consider taking the animal control because minions are versatile but I could decide which of these two to drop.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I literally vanished from sight and used my newfound invisibility to escape the junkyard.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I took down a fireteam with my bare hands, tearing through their body armor like it was tissue paper.
I'm glad to hear all your opinions about what Disciplines Artie should take. You guys have some solid reasons behind your decision-making. Remember that the combination of Disciplines will also determine Artie's new vampire Clan. If you guys have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
I'm glad to hear all your opinions about what Disciplines Artie should take. You guys have some solid reasons behind your decision-making. Remember that the combination of Disciplines will also determine Artie's new vampire Clan. If you guys have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
1) My knowledge of VTM lore is very limited, I only recently got into because of 'Hunter the Parenting'. I know a few clan names but not any of their powers.
2) Is it possible to gain more disciplines as the Quest goes on? I still really like the animal control due to its versatility but I don't think many people would vote for it.
1) My knowledge of VTM lore is very limited, I only recently got into because of 'Hunter the Parenting'. I know a few clan names but not any of their powers.
It's nice to meet another fan of the crew behind If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device. I'm still mad about Games Workshop's ban on fan animations, but I'm glad the team is still making stuff.
The main reason why I chose to start the PC out as a mortal is because I wasn't sure about the level of knowledge anyone who took an interest in this Quest would have. Thus, I decided to make the PC a total neophyte to vampire society, so that both they and less knowledgable questers would learn about the Old World of Darkness in what I hope will be an organic way. If any of you are veterans who started with older editions of Vampire: The Masquerade, I would appreciate the chance to take advantage of your knowledge and experience.
Your votes for invisibility and super strength would make Artie a fledgling vampire of Clan Nosferatu, the monstrous-looking spies and information brokers of the vampire world. Other players have voted for Discipline combinations that would make Artie a member of the artistic Toreador clan, the lunatic Malkavians, or an outcast Caitiff lacking any discernible lineage.
2) Is it possible to gain more disciplines as the Quest goes on? I still really like the animal control due to its versatility but I don't think many people would vote for it.
The great thing about being a Nosferatu is that learning "Animalism" will come naturally to you if you guys vote to spend the 5 XP necessary to gain the first dot in the Discipline.
Learning "out-of-clan" Disciplines is a trickier process, though. First, you'll have to find a vampire who already knows the Discipline and is willing to teach you. Second, you have to drink some of your teacher's vitae, which forms a Blood Bond between the two of you. As the thrall, you'll have to roll to perform actions against the interest of your regnant. Finally, learning an out-of-clan Discipline costs more XP than taking a dot of an in-clan Discipline at the same level.
In other words, you guys will have to take care in choosing who you trust. The pretty young Toreador that taught you how to dodge bullets will have an easier time talking you into a dangerous situation in which you'll have to use your newly-acquired Celerity. That being said, having an out-of-clan Discipline could be the ace up your sleeve that you need to accomplish your goals.
[X] [DISCIPLINE] I howled for help – and the local junkyard rats answered. [X] [DISCIPLINE] I ordered one of the commandos to give me his gun – and he obeyed.
I believe this is the combo for Tzimice, aka the Transhuman vampires, which sounds cool.
Yes, that would be one of the Discipline combinations that would result in a Tzimisce fledgling. However, if you want to get in on the body-modding Vicissitude antics ASAP, swap the Animalism option for the Protean one.
In Vampire's 5th edition, the clan-specific disciplines were either merged or made amalgams of two different disciplines. In Vicissitude's case, you'll need dots in both Protean and Dominate to gain access to powers that fell under Vicissitude in older editions of the game.
It's nice to meet another fan of the crew behind If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device. I'm still mad about Games Workshop's ban on fan animations, but I'm glad the team is still making stuff.
The main reason why I chose to start the PC out as a mortal is because I wasn't sure about the level of knowledge anyone who took an interest in this Quest would have. Thus, I decided to make the PC a total neophyte to vampire society, so that both they and less knowledgable questers would learn about the Old World of Darkness in what I hope will be an organic way. If any of you are veterans who started with older editions of Vampire: The Masquerade, I would appreciate the chance to take advantage of your knowledge and experience.
That makes a lot of sense. Today, I found a channel called 'The Primogen', he seems to do a lot of videos about the World of Darkness VTM is based on. I have watched a few, they seem to be a good collection of lore.
Your votes for invisibility and super strength would make Artie a fledgling vampire of Clan Nosferatu, the monstrous-looking spies and information brokers of the vampire world. Other players have voted for Discipline combinations that would make Artie a member of the artistic Toreador clan, the lunatic Malkavians, or an outcast Caitiff lacking any discernible lineage.
Okay interesting, you could make the monstrous appearance a separate vote. Perhaps he looks like an animal hybrid in appearance, half bat or rat or insect. Though I guess that could slow your story down and it may not be as interesting for you.
The great thing about being a Nosferatu is that learning "Animalism" will come naturally to you if you guys vote to spend the 5 XP necessary to gain the first dot in the Discipline.
Learning "out-of-clan" Disciplines is a trickier process, though. First, you'll have to find a vampire who already knows the Discipline and is willing to teach you. Second, you have to drink some of your teacher's vitae, which forms a Blood Bond between the two of you. As the thrall, you'll have to roll to perform actions against the interest of your regnant. Finally, learning an out-of-clan Discipline costs more XP than taking a dot of an in-clan Discipline at the same level.
In other words, you guys will have to take care in choosing who you trust. The pretty young Toreador that taught you how to dodge bullets will have an easier time talking you into a dangerous situation in which you'll have to use your newly-acquired Celerity. That being said, having an out-of-clan Discipline could be the ace up your sleeve that you need to accomplish your goals.
That is awesome! Though given what I've seen of Pyotr from 'HtP' we'll have to be careful of who we pick. We may not be able to trust our vampire 'friends' but we might be able to find those we can rely on when we need it. I feel kinda bad for Artie and his brother Nick. Artie's turning is going to affect their relationship so much.
The votes have been tallied, and it appears that Artie will be a member of Clan Nosferatu. He will start with two dots in Obfuscate and one in Potence.
The night you were Embraced should have been your last one. However, the power of the Blood allowed you to survive to see another one. You remember the rush you felt as your fist struck the ballistic helmet of one commando, cracking it and the skull beneath as though you were punching an eggshell. You remember laughing in sheer exultation at your raw power as you hurled one gunman at their comrades as if they were a pillow.
However, even super-strength couldn't protect you from the roaring flames the soldiers' more specialized weapons spewed, and so you were forced to flee. You ducked behind rusty cars and attempted to break your pursuers' line of sight, but your luck seemed to run out when you reached a dead end in the maze of abandoned automobiles. In one last desperate attempt at self-preservation, you scurried beneath a rusty Honda Civic and held still, praying to whoever would listen that your hunters wouldn't find you.
As you lay there beneath the car, you witnessed your ashen fingers turn translucent. Your hunters did not find you that night, but it was not for lack of trying. You distinctly remember staring at the green lenses of night-vision goggles for what seemed like hours before the soldier got up, cursing their bad luck. As you crawled out from your hiding place, you found that you were able to stay invisible, even while moving. It certainly helped you avoid the armored trucks searching for you.
By the time you made it back to your shitty basement studio, the sun was just beginning to peek out from the horizon. What should have been a sign of hope instead became a symbol of fear as the first rays began burning your flesh. It took everything you had to not scream and wake the neighbors as you rushed for the darkest part of your apartment. Compared to the excruciating pain of the sun, your shower curtains and bathtub were a welcome, if undignified alternative.
-
The first few weeks of your new life were the hardest since boot camp. It wasn't the sudden change in sleep schedule that threw you. As a former soldier, you were well-acquainted with having to wake up at odd hours of the night for sentry duty.
Instead, it was the sudden and unyielding pain that wracked your body. Painkillers did nothing for the painful sensations overwhelming your body. Sometimes, you felt your Blood boiling like magma beneath the surface of a volcano. At others, you felt your bones crack and shift as though you were being shaped into some grotesque sculpture. Occasionally, your ashen skin just itched in that way that drives people to madness. The only time the pain became bearable was when you were actively on the hunt for blood to feed the Beast.
Eventually, the pain subsided. However, the joy of that first painless night was short-lived. As you walked along the street, quietly reveling in the ability to move without any sort of discomfort, you spotted a group of young punks dressed in black leather with metal studs. However, as your gazes met, their eyes went wide with horror. The gang immediately ducked behind the corner in a failed attempt to casually change directions. It wasn't until you saw your reflection in the window of a nearby storefront that you understood their reaction.
The face staring back at you is unhealthily pale, almost stone grey, with a large mass of purplish burn scars drawing attention to the left side of the face. It reminds you of an old war wound you received back when you were still in the Army. It had been a dark night, and you didn't see the RPG coming towards your Humvee until it was too late. By some miracle, you survived with only minor burns to your face and made a full recovery. Now, that old injury is back and worse than ever, as though your favorite hobby was resting your head atop a burning stove.
It isn't just the scars, though. You can't quite put your finger on it, but there is something unsettling about your appearance. The scars provide a convenient explanation for observers if pressed, but even if they weren't there, you suspect that people would still make excuses to get up from their seats should you draw near.
Whatever your feelings about your new appearance are, the Beast within leaves you no time to indulge them. It wants blood, and it wants blood now.
-
The Hunger for blood you felt that first night reawakened with a vengeance the night after, and you had been at a loss for how to slake your thirst. Your first instinct had been to try and pick up a hot date at one of Chicago's many nightclubs. (Vampires are supposed to be sexy, right?) Unfortunately, your unsettling appearance makes scoring a long shot at best. Thus, you tried other hunting strategies and choices of prey. Eventually, you established a pattern of feeding...
[] [PREDATOR TYPE] On the homeless. No one cares about the odd bum left bruised and bleeding out in the middle of a dark alley.
[] [PREDATOR TYPE] On criminals. Chicago has a problem with street crime and gang violence, so I might as well do my civic duty.
[] [PREDATOR TYPE] From blood bags from the black market. They taste awful, but at least I don't have to get physical with a victim.
[] [PREDATOR TYPE] On my old Army buddies in secret. As long as I foot the bar tab, they won't be able to ask too many awkward questions.
[] [PREDATOR TYPE] With permission from my old Army buddies. They may not know what my whole deal is, but they've still got my back.
[] [PREDATOR TYPE] On stray animals and whatever I can find at the local kill shelters. Better than harming people, right?
[] [PREDATOR TYPE] On sleeping victims. I've gotten pretty good at breaking into people's homes.
This will be an instant-runoff vote, so rank your top choices.
Be careful, though. The only way to fully satisfy the Beast in V5 is to kill while feeding. If the person isn't actively trying to cause your Final Death, you run the risk of losing your sense of Humanity and becoming a mindless wight.
EDIT: Don't forget to rank your other choices, if you have a preference.
Be careful, though. The only way to fully satisfy the Beast in V5 is to kill while feeding. If the person isn't actively trying to cause your Final Death, you run the risk of losing your sense of Humanity and becoming a mindless wight.
EDIT: Don't forget to rank your other choices, if you have a preference.
[7] [PREDATOR TYPE] On the homeless. No one cares about the odd bum left bruised and bleeding out in the middle of a dark alley.
[4] [PREDATOR TYPE] On criminals. Chicago has a problem with street crime and gang violence, so I might as well do my civic duty.
[2] [PREDATOR TYPE] From blood bags from the black market. They taste awful, but at least I don't have to get physical with a victim.
[5] [PREDATOR TYPE] On my old Army buddies in secret. As long as I foot the bar tab, they won't be able to ask too many awkward questions.
[1] [PREDATOR TYPE] With permission from my old Army buddies. They may not know what my whole deal is, but they've still got my back.
[3] [PREDATOR TYPE] On stray animals and whatever I can find at the local kill shelters. Better than harming people, right?
[6] [PREDATOR TYPE] On sleeping victims. I've gotten pretty good at breaking into people's homes.
Friendship! Maybe well be able to work together with our old army buddies to understand the whole vampirism too.
The people trying to kill us appearently were normal humans and they were pretty ineffective. I wonder if we can work on creating a vampire force for the army, it looks like they need it if a newly turned person can kill multiple army soldiers.
And they really need better protocols then "kill them all", thats not sustainable if its so easy to create new vampires that you can just leave one laying around in a scrapyard.
[6] [PREDATOR TYPE] On the homeless. No one cares about the odd bum left bruised and bleeding out in the middle of a dark alley.
[2] [PREDATOR TYPE] On criminals. Chicago has a problem with street crime and gang violence, so I might as well do my civic duty.
[4] [PREDATOR TYPE] From blood bags from the black market. They taste awful, but at least I don't have to get physical with a victim.
[5] [PREDATOR TYPE] On my old Army buddies in secret. As long as I foot the bar tab, they won't be able to ask too many awkward questions.
[1] [PREDATOR TYPE] With permission from my old Army buddies. They may not know what my whole deal is, but they've still got my back.
[3] [PREDATOR TYPE] On stray animals and whatever I can find at the local kill shelters. Better than harming people, right?
[7] [PREDATOR TYPE] On sleeping victims. I've gotten pretty good at breaking into people's homes.
[7] [PREDATOR TYPE] On the homeless. No one cares about the odd bum left bruised and bleeding out in the middle of a dark alley.
[4] [PREDATOR TYPE] On criminals. Chicago has a problem with street crime and gang violence, so I might as well do my civic duty.
[2] [PREDATOR TYPE] From blood bags from the black market. They taste awful, but at least I don't have to get physical with a victim.
[5] [PREDATOR TYPE] On my old Army buddies in secret. As long as I foot the bar tab, they won't be able to ask too many awkward questions.
[1] [PREDATOR TYPE] With permission from my old Army buddies. They may not know what my whole deal is, but they've still got my back.
[3] [PREDATOR TYPE] On stray animals and whatever I can find at the local kill shelters. Better than harming people, right?
[6] [PREDATOR TYPE] On sleeping victims. I've gotten pretty good at breaking into people's homes.
To clarify, killing unnecessarily will put Stains on the Humanity tracker, regardless of how you do it. Artie might be the type of person who'd kill for the cause. However, murdering a dumb teenager who's dropped their Glock and has their hands up in surrender is at a minimum, close enough to a war crime to be bad for his soul.
If you want more practical reasons not to go on a killing spree, the force you encountered in the junkyard is still active. The exsanguinated corpses of gangsters would definitely attract their attention. Besides, who's to say that you're the only vampire in town with an interest in the gangs?
The people trying to kill us apparently were normal humans and they were pretty ineffective. I wonder if we can work on creating a vampire force for the army, it looks like they need it if a newly turned person can kill multiple army soldiers.
And they really need better protocols than "kill them all", that's not sustainable if it's so easy to create new vampires that you can just leave one laying around in a scrapyard.
To be clear, Artie survived that night because he had plot armor he got lucky and had just fed. Future encounters with what Kindred call the "Second Inquisition" will require you to manage your Hunger while avoiding Final Death.
There are definitely people in the US government who believe that a military unit of "blankbodies" answerable to Uncle Sam would be useful. However, voicing this opinion to others may lead to getting labeled as a risk to national security. Uncle Sam is fully aware that there are vampires with mind control powers out there. Who's to say that the FBI agent advocating for the creation of the Dracula Battalion hasn't been compromised by the enemy?
Regarding the creation of new vampires, most don't Embrace willy-nilly. One, doing so without permission is punishable by Final Death. Two, more mouths to feed means more competition for blood. As such, most will carefully choose potential candidates from among mortals who'd make the most useful pawns. Artie was Embraced because their sire needed cannon fodder and didn't expect them to live all that long.
Don't forget to rank your other choices in your vote as well. If for some reason, people don't want to play vampire Batman, then you'll probably want a backup option.
