EDIT: The point is that you either talk the girl into coming back or shuffle off her mortal coil. Otherwise, T-Bone won't help you meet Olaf.
Does he want proof of her death than?

I guess we could try convincing to come back temporarily by telling her a lie like, "I'm a undercover cop trying to pinch T-bone and his boss. I need your help to get a meeting with Olaf. When this is over all get you out of this mess myself, I promise."


He'll inflict violence on her before we can get him arrested.
Oh I'm legitimately worried about that. T-bone seems like a big enough sleaze to just off her himself if she comes back. You know to set an example for the other girls. If that happens, I say we go full Kindred on the bastitch, put the fear of God and Batman into the man.
 
We really shouldn't convince her to go back into knuckleduster range no matter how temporary we intend the arrangement to be. It will kill or injure her. We need an alternate method. Fake her death, turn up or fabricate blackmail, get access to T-Bone's phone, shadow him when he goes to meet Olaf, or something else, just not the two methods T-Bone's asked for.

If that happens, I say we go full Kindred on the bastitch, put the fear of God and Batman into the man.
If we do that, we don't get the meeting with Olaf, which'd defeat the purpose of sending her back. Violence is a failure state, not plan B.
 
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We really shouldn't convince her to go back into knuckleduster range no matter how temporary we intend the arrangement to be. It will kill or injure her. We need an alternate method. Fake her death, turn up or fabricate blackmail, get access to T-Bone's phone, shadow him when he goes to meet Olaf, or something else, just not the two methods T-Bone's asked for.


If we do that, we don't get the meeting with Olaf, which'd defeat the purpose of sending her back. Violence is a failure state, not plan B.
1) This is the option I prefer, just not sure if this is a viable option at least according to Rogue.

2) I agree, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't feel cathartic. Hmmm…maybe we could beat him silly with a wet pool noodle? That's an accept form of aggressive non-violent action right?
Edit: I'm joking. 🙃
 
First, do vampires get tired from physical activity?
Given that the Stamina attribute remains a thing even after the Embrace, I'll say yes, even if Kindred don't need to breathe.

Second, are specialties a thing in your game, or nah?
I thought about including skill specialties, but I eventually decided against it. I didn't want to invite arguments over whether a specialty was applicable to a situation.
 
"The intelligence I've received indicates that we may be dealing with a fledgling abandoned by their sire."
Maybe the woman we're looking for is the very same fledgling Sierra wants us to find? Now maybe she left T-Bone because of the obvious reasons, but maybe it's because she was turned into a vampire. We know that Malenkov's favourite victims were sex workers and that he wanted to cause trouble, so maybe between his escape from the Camarilla and us finding him, he embraced someone in the hopes of causing havoc. We might be about to hit two birds with one stone.
 
Maybe the woman we're looking for is the very same fledgling Sierra wants us to find? Now maybe she left T-Bone because of the obvious reasons, but maybe it's because she was turned into a vampire. We know that Malenkov's favourite victims were sex workers and that he wanted to cause trouble, so maybe between his escape from the Camarilla and us finding him, he embraced someone in the hopes of causing havoc. We might be about to hit two birds with one stone.
That would be an amazing coincidence but it would also make for awesome character moments. Wait what it it was that dying women we chose not to drink from in that basement. It's possible that Malenkov gave her some of his vitae after bleeding her to the point of death. Than she came to in a morgue after her body was taken by the police.

I'm afraid the runaway is but a mere mortal, but god damn if that isn't a good backstory.
She would make for a heck of a foil to Artie. They both went through the same circumstances being embraced out of nowhere by a monstrous presence. While struggling to make ends meet by taking any client willing to pay for their services. Than having to navigate the existence of their new condition all by themselves. Artie had a close support network of friends and Allie's to keep him grounded. She might not have had that, and had to juggle doing her 'job' every night and actually feeding her hunger.

This would either create a Batman-Joker dynamic, where two characters both had 'One Bad Day'. One due to love and support rose above the trauma. While the other fell due to isolation, hunger, and the threat of violence. Or this is the start of a 'found family' journey, that shows the best of human empathy.
 
That would be an amazing coincidence, but it would also make for awesome character moments. Wait, what if it was that dying woman we chose not to drink from in that basement? It's possible that Malenkov gave her some of his vitae after bleeding her to the point of death.
Malenkov wouldn't waste his vitae on what he deems to be just another hooker unless he was looking to create shovelhead cannon fodder. He'd prefer to Embrace a warrior like himself.

She would make for a heck of a foil to Artie. They both went through the same circumstances, being Embraced out of nowhere by a monstrous presence. While struggling to make ends meet by taking any client willing to pay for their services. Then they had to navigate the existence of their new condition all by themselves. Artie had a close support network of friends and allies to keep him grounded. She might not have had that, and had to juggle doing her 'job' every night and actually feeding her hunger.
I agree that it would make for an interesting contrast. However, being a prostitute would likely facilitate feeding far better than Artie's freelance artistry could.

This would either create a Batman-Joker dynamic, where two characters both had 'One Bad Day.' One due to love and support rose above the trauma. While the other fell due to isolation, hunger, and the threat of violence. Or this is the start of a 'found family' journey, that shows the best of human empathy.
That could make for an interesting story. I might write a side story with this plot once we hit a natural pause in the Quest.
 
Malenkov wouldn't waste his vitae on what he deems to be just another hooker unless he was looking to create shovelhead cannon fodder. He'd prefer to Embrace a warrior like himself.
That makes sense and I suppose he wasn't really in the right state of mind to starting building up canonfodder. Oh well.

I agree that it would make for an interesting contrast. However, being a prostitute would likely facilitate feeding far better than Artie's freelance artistry could.
Oh right! In my excitement I forgot that the act of feeding is usually a very pleasurable one, with some exceptions amongst the clans. I suppose a prostitute once they learn this fact would not only be well fed, but wouldn't have to technically do the deed unless they want to. The client/potential blood bag would be kinda out of it so they may not realize they never got serviced.

That could make for an interesting story. I might write a side story with this plot once we hit a natural pause in the Quest.
That would be interesting, if I get some time I might try to write up an Omake or something for the story.
 
The One-Eyed King 6.04
[] Lie to T-Bone and say you'll do it. You'll figure something out.
While getting in contact with Olaf is vital for the safety of Clan Nosferatu's informants in Riverdale, you aren't willing to murder an innocent person for the sake of the mission. On the other hand, dragging someone back into a shitty situation they fled from is perhaps an even less palatable alternative. At least when you kill someone, that's the end of their misery.

Fortunately, your poker face is good enough to conceal the disgust at T-Bone's request, even as you start thinking up ways to avoid doing as he asks. "Alright. What's the girl's name? Can you show me a picture of what she looks like?"

"Yeah, Emma Louis," T-Bone says as he pulls out his phone. He shows you her social media page, filled with selfies of an attractive black woman in her mid-twenties. Almost every pic shows her posing with expensive things, but the handbags and dresses aren't what catches your eye. As T-Bone gleefully shows you the more recent photos, you notice a certain weariness in her expression, even as the makeup becomes more elaborate. "She bad, right?"

"She is," you say, taking note of her social media handles. "Thanks for the info. I think I'll be able to take care of things from here. You got a number I can reach you at?"

"Yeah," T-Bone says. Once you two have finished swapping the numbers for your burner phones, T-Bone jabs a sausage-like finger in your scarred face. "Once you've found Emma, bring her back here, alright? Or show me a photo as proof of her untimely demise."

The two of you part ways, and as you shut the front door of the beat-up Honda lent to you for the mission, you dial Wauneka's number. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for your packmate to pick up the phone. "Artie. You found something?"

"Yeah, I got in touch with T-Bone. He says he's willing to get me a meeting with Olaf if I bring back or kill one of his prostitutes that ran away from him. Can you help me find her? Her name's Emma Louis."

"Emma Louis… Yeah, we should be able to find her. I'll ask my people in Riverdale if they've seen her, and I'll get Gabriella to see if she can track her online. If we find anything, we'll let you know."

"Alright, thanks."

-​

It takes a couple of nights for Clan Nosferatu's information network to find Emma Louis. Unlike Malenkov, Ms. Louis doesn't leave an easily traceable trail of death and destruction in her wake. However, as soon as your clanmates find her, you're immediately alerted by the buzz of your shitty Motorola. You flip open your "work phone" to see a text from Gabriella, a member of your clan appointed by the Sheriff to be one of his Hounds for her technical expertise and hacking skills. From her, you receive an address to a motel on Chicago's North Side and an accompanying room number.

"Aurelio, there's been a change of plans. I need you to drive to this address."

Within the hour, your driver deposits you in the parking lot of the Owl Motel. It's much cleaner than the Top Rung motel where T-Bone makes his base of operations, with white walls and painted teal railings illuminated by lightbulbs hanging from the eaves. As you get out of Aurelio's car, you double-check your clothing. Smoothing the creases in your nice suit won't do much to mitigate the curse of Clan Nosferatu, but when it comes to making a first impression, every little bit counts.

You make your way up to the Owl Motel's second floor. It's early enough in the night that you're sure Ms. Louis is still awake. You firmly knock on the door to Ms. Louis's room before stepping back and assuming parade rest. When you think she's not here or is refusing to answer, the door opens, revealing Emma Louis, dressed in her pajamas. Her expression is guarded and suspicious as she stares at the burn scars on your face. "Who are you?"

You open your mouth, electing to:

[] Claim authority you don't have. "Detective Cross, CPD."
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Subterfuge - 2 (Difficulty: 5)

[] Appeal to her emotions. "My name is Arturo Delacruz, and I need your help."
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Persuasion - 2 (Difficulty: 4)

[] Help her understand that I'm the one in charge here by manipulating the shadows with Oblivion.
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Intimidation + 2 (Difficulty: 4)

[] Convince her not with your silver tongue but with your pockets full of green.
Automatic Win. Lose one dot of Resources until the end of the story arc.

[] I'll write in a different plan that might work.
 
[x] Appeal to her emotions. "My name is Arturo Delacruz, and I need your help."
-[X] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[X] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

This is what Artie is good at, 6 dice in this.
 
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[X] Appeal to her emotions. "My name is Arturo Delacruz, and I need your help."
-[X] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[X] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.
 
[] Claim authority you don't have. "Detective Cross, CPD."
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Subterfuge - 2 (Difficulty: 5)
This would be a difficult check to make with everything thrown in. 5d10s with 3 rerolls for a check of 5.

[] Help her understand that I'm the one in charge here by manipulating the shadows with Oblivion.
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Intimidation + 2 (Difficulty: 4)
With everything thrown in we would sadly be very good at this check. 7d10s with 3 rerolls for a check of difficulty 4. I personally don't want to scare the poor women half to death. I don't mind going Batman some time in the future but not here and now.

[X] Plan: Quid-pro-Quo
-[X] Appeal to her emotions. "My name is Arturo Delacruz, and I need your help."
--[X] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
--[X] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Persuasion - 2 (Difficulty: 4)
Artie is good at being at the best in others. Like we discussed with Sierra, it's his inner artist on display to the world as a philosophy.

Okay as for the dice, we are rolling 6d10s as a base with Blood Surge it cancels out the Mali's from our Clan Bane. That leaves with 6d10s and three possible rerolls potentially giving us 9d10s to make a difficult 4 check. My personal rolls are showing me a high margin of 7s for some reason, so I feel lucky.

-[X] Convince her not with your silver tongue but with your pockets full of green.
Automatic Win. Lose one dot of Resources until the end of the story arc.
I don't mind giving her the money, so let's use it as a fall back plan. We don't know anything about her, but if our appeal to her fails, because she's not a charity or she doesn't trust our good intentions. She might be willing to accept the money in exchange for her help. It's an attitude that might have been cultivated by her profession.

This plan can be summed up to I need your help and I want to help you enough to pay you for it too.
 
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[X] Convince her not with your silver tongue but with your pockets full of green.

Spending rerolls and chancing Hunger AND giving ourselves a chance of failure is a hell of a lot worse than simply spending a single dot of Resources for a guaranteed win. This is an amazing option compared to the alternatives. We should spare our re-rolls and Hunger for times where we can't spend a single dot of Resources to complete an objective.

EDIT: And a reminder, that dot of Resources will come back once we're done with the story arc. It's not a permanent loss.
 
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[X] Convince her not with your silver tongue but with your pockets full of green.

Spending rerolls and chancing Hunger AND giving ourselves a chance of failure is a hell of a lot worse than simply spending a single dot of Resources for a guaranteed win. This is an amazing option compared to the alternatives. We should spare our re-rolls and Hunger for times where we can't spend a single dot of Resources to complete an objective.

EDIT: And a reminder, that dot of Resources will come back once we're done with the story arc. It's not a permanent loss.

You make a good argument. Part of my reasoning for how voted is how she might see our intentions. I don't know I'm conflicted right now, an automatic win isn't always the best answer but I was okay with giving her money anyways. I'm gonna sleep on my vote for now and maybe change it in the morning.
 
I'm a bit too stoned to make a valid judgement call here, but I'll place my confidence vaguely behind outright bribery instead of convincing or "convincing". We might need that capacity later, when we're up against a potentially hostile Kindred and no amount of money can help us.
 
I'm a bit too stoned to make a valid judgement call here, but I'll place my confidence vaguely behind outright bribery instead of convincing or "convincing". We might need that capacity later, when we're up against a potentially hostile Kindred and no amount of money can help us.
That's right, all this is to get a meeting with a vampire we suspect of being an elder. It's best to stack the deck in our favour with the right cards before we tangle with him.
 
That's right, all this is to get a meeting with a vampire we suspect of being an elder. It's best to stack the deck in our favour with the right cards before we tangle with him.
That's true, while all of our expendable resources will be restored at the end of the mission. Hunger and Will are less expendable than Resources and have far more influence over rolls.
🤔 Hmmm…Alright, you convinced me.

[X] Convince her not with your silver tongue but with your pockets full of green.
 
I'd like to point out one of the mechanics.
For every level of Hunger that affects you, a Hunger die replaces one of the regular dice in a roll. Rolling a ten or a one on a Hunger die makes unlife more complicated by causing either a messy critical or a bestial failure.
At Hunger 1, which is where we're at, that's a 1 in 5 chance of something bad happening every time we roll. Sometimes it's not really an issue, like when we're in a fight to the death, but generally speaking, the less we have to roll, the better.
 
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Once again sober in the morning, and I agree with my past selfs assessment.

[X] Convince her not with your silver tongue but with your pockets full of green.
 
The One-Eyed King 6.05
[X] Convince her not with your silver tongue but with your pockets full of green.
Instead of answering Emma's question, you respond with, "Who I am is less important than what I can offer you."

You withdraw a roll of hundred-dollar bills from the inside pocket of your suit jacket. Emma's eyes widen as you hold out the money. "This is just for not slamming the door in my face. I can give you even more if you're willing to help me."

Emma's gaze switches between your face and the money, revealing her suspicion of the situation. Who shows up at night, looking for you and offering cash? Finally, Ms. Louis takes the money from your hand and carefully watches your face. "What is it that you want, Mister?"

"My name is Arturo, and I know you used to work for T-Bone."

At the mention of her old pimp, the suspicion returns to Emma's face. However, before she can get a word in edgewise, you continue. "He promised me a meeting with his boss if I could get you to come back."

"Oh really? And why should I come crawling back to T-Bone for you?"

In response to Emma's mocking tone, you lift your jacket just enough to expose the butt of your Glock. "Because the alternative is me bringing you back to T-Bone in a body bag, and I don't want to kill you."

Emma slightly relaxes as you cover up the Glock, but only just. She lets out a shaky breath before finding her voice. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"First, you deposit that money I just gave you in a new bank account. That way, you'll have funds T-Bone can't just take away from you. If you help me, I promise I'll give you enough cash to skip town and set yourself up elsewhere. All you have to do is to hold out long enough for T-Bone to forget about me and keep him from finding out about the money coming from me. Do you think you can do that?"

The ensuing silence is a long one. Finally, Emma sighs and looks up into your eyes imploringly. "Alright. We'll do things your way."

Art Collection (Resources 3 2)
-​

A few nights later, you arrive at the parking lot of the Top Rung motel. However, you don't see T-Bone nor his girls. Instead, a large group of men surrounds you on three sides. Some lean against the second-story railing, smoking cigarettes. Others are with you in the parking lot as they lean against their cars. The vehicles here are a curious mix of beat-up lemons and brand-new sportscars - the kind only bought by people with poor financial sense who have recently come into a lot of money.

As you draw closer, the crowd in the parking lot parts. Not because of your ugly mug, but to make way for T-Bone and an incredibly scarred and filthy homeless man who walks doubled over with a lowly shambling gait. The latter's head is bald save for a few stray tufts of once-fine blonde hair, and adorning it is a yellow paper crown marked with the Burger King logo.

Though T-Bone stands closer to you, the seemingly out-of-place hobo flanking him is the one that has your attention. Once-alabaster skin and formerly sharp features are now lumpy and reddened. Black scars line his cheeks, surrounded by scorch and burn marks. His left eye is a terrifying, lidless gouge staring blackly into the night. In contrast, his right eye is a piercing blue, with the bitter and determined gaze of an impoverished patrician determined to reclaim his previous fortune or be destroyed in the process.

You turn your gaze away from the One-Eyed King and back to T-Bone. You've been a vampire long enough to recognize a test set forth by an elder. How you handle T-Bone as Olaf's proxy will set the tone for your interactions.

Still, you can't help but be conscious of the woman behind you. You could try to get T-Bone to treat Emma and her fellow prostitutes better. However, if you screw up the ask in front of this crowd, Emma and her fellow working girls will be the ones to pay for your mistake. Perhaps even worse is the damage you could do to Olaf's impression of you.

With those factors in mind, how will you handle T-Bone?

[] No need to make an already delicate situation more complicated. I hand over Emma, just as promised.
Automatic Win

[] Persuade T-Bone to treat his employees more respectfully, in a way that won't cause him to lose face with the rest of Olaf's gang.
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Persuasion (Difficulty: 5)

[] Subtly put the fear of God into T-Bone with Oblivion, promising retribution if he ever lays a hand on his employees without permission.
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my pool.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.

Manipulation + Intimidation + 2 (Difficulty: 4)

[] In reality, the Emma behind me is a fellow Nosferatu I asked for a small favor. She'll deal with T-Bone while the real one skips town.
Automatic Win
 
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[X] In reality, the Emma behind me is a fellow Nosferatu I asked for a small favor. She'll deal with T-Bone while the real one skips town.

Olaf is watching. He consents to T-Bone's management style so he'll think poorly of us if we openly try to do good, and we still need to get his plans. That puts intimidation off the table, even though it's got better odds than persuasion. I don't think we should resign Emma's co-workers to abuse, so I'm not a fan of the first option.

Persuasion has a 10.9% chance of success, 36.3% with rouse the blood. Even with rerolls, that's not particularly good odds, especially if you throw in Hunger which could foul even a success.

I don't like how big our pile of debt is growing, but this is the best option available to us right now. I think we should begin paying off our debts with xp.
 
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