- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Recruit Duncan MacTavish to your side.
- Declare yourself Baron of Chicago.
- Fight off the Prince and your fellow Anarchs.
- ???
- Profit!
Beat Still, My Great American Heart (V5 Quest)
He's like a vampiric chuck norris.
- Location
- Australia
Go on random.org or whatever, roll, and say what the rolls were in the update, maybe in spoilers. Mandate that Blood Surge and Willpower rerolls can only be used once per update (when we vote) so you don't have to ask us every time you roll if we want to spend Hunger/Willpower.
By a huge amount, I'd prefer more frequent updates over seeing the dice rolls on SV or granularity in spending every point of Hunger/Willpower.
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- Location
- USA
Two quotes from the TVtrope page 'Bullying a Dragon' about two of the biggest Bad@sses ever.
- A group of thugs reportedly sized up Chuck Norris, not believing his badassery to be real (memes aside, Chuck Norris is a highly skilled martial artist with multiple black belts, including one in a style he invented himself). When the police showed up a few minutes later, Chuck was leaning amicably against the wall and the thugs' arms were broken so badly the police were afraid to handcuff them lest their injuries become even more severe. That and the cops were laughing themselves sick at the whole situation.
- Friends of Bruce Lee claim that a man once snuck into Lee's home in order to challenge him to a fight. Supposedly, Lee put the man in the hospital with one kick.
Honestly if I ever had to fight a Vampire, I'd like these two at my side.
Fledgling 7.03
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[] I'll risk getting close with my sidearm if it means a better shot.
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my roll.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.
-[] I'll activate Blood Surge to add two dice to my roll.
-[] I'll spend a point of Willpower to reroll up to three regular dice.
Unfortunately, it takes more than one 9mm round to stop a vampire. The attacking Kindred snarls as she turns on you, but you dodge the swipe from her left arm. Unfortunately, the pistol in her right hand still has a few bullets left, and your reflexes aren't quite fast enough to avoid getting hit. Had you been an ordinary human, you'd be dead by now. However, since you're Kindred, the bullets do little save sting your torso.
You bring your pistol close to hold it at a forty-five-degree angle before firing back. All three of your shots hit home, though, in such close quarters, it's hard to miss your target. As you do so, Sierra and her ghouls join in on shooting the strange Kindred. The undead bodies of Kindred can only endure so much physical trauma, and with four pistols trained on her, it's only a matter of time until the unknown Kindred drops to the street - not dead, but in torpor. You have no idea how long it'll take for her to regain consciousness. It could take months, years, perhaps even centuries.
Health 5 - [][][/][/][/]
Willpower 4 - [][][][/]
Hunger 2/5
Willpower 4 - [][][][/]
Hunger 2/5
As you regroup with the Lasombra, you can hear Celia cursing in Spanish. You can't help but feel for her - you were much the same after the first time you fired a shot in anger. Ignoring Celia for now, you turn your attention to a grim-faced Sierra. "Well done, Arturo. However, I fear that this Kindred wasn't working alone. No one would try such a brazen assault unless they knew backup was on the way."
You're inclined to agree with Sierra. Though combat may not be her forte, Sierra still has a few decades of experience with the warlike Sabbat. As you glance around, you note the injuries sustained by the group. Sierra's ghouls, Warde and Beazley, are the worst off, with their mortal bodies being far less resistant to damage than yours. The vampires aren't much better off, though you can call upon the Blood to mend your wounds if you're willing to tempt the Beast. "Alright, so what's your game plan?"
"Warde and Beazley can stay here and hold our assailants off while we drive to the Succubus Club as fast as possible. The circumstances of this ambush make me believe that our attacker's coterie intended to swoop in at this location. However, thanks to your intervention, Warde and Beazley can be the ones to ambush our enemies instead. We have weapons in the car that would allow them to hold their own against Cainites."
You nod as you put your military experience to work in assessing Sierra's plan. While you could go along with it, two ghouls going up against several vampires is a matchup that tends to go poorly for the humans. Even with the element of surprise, Warde and Beazley's existing injuries will leave them in a bind should the first strike prove ineffective. Still, the ghouls should be able to buy you and the Lasombra enough time to reach the safety of Elysium.
The second option would be to give Sierra the keys to your car so she can drive Celia to the Succubus Club while you stay behind with her ghouls. Your presence would make holding the line easier for Warde and Beazley, though this stand could easily be the end of all three of you.
The third option is to leave no one behind. The inside might be tight with five people inside your sedan, but there's safety in numbers. Of course, you risk getting into a high-speed chase that will attract attention from Chicago's finest, to say nothing of the unknown vampires.
With those thoughts in mind, how do you wish to proceed?
[] [PLAN] Sierra's plan should work. I trust the ghouls to buy us enough time to escape.
[] [PLAN] The Lasombra can drive themselves to safety while I stay behind with the ghouls.
[] [PLAN] We all need to make a fighting retreat together. Splitting up invites defeat in detail.
Would you like to roll some Rouse checks to heal?
[] [HEAL] No, thank you.
[] [HEAL] I'll tempt the Beast once to heal a single point of Superficial Health damage.
[] [HEAL] I'll roll twice to erase two slashes from my Health tracker.
[] [HEAL] I want all the damage gone, even if it means rolling three Rouse checks.
[X] [PLAN] The Lasombra can drive themselves to safety while I stay behind with the ghouls.
Artie has too much morals to just let the ghouls die. And if we do it right we could ambush them more effectively and we could take down some of them.
[X] [HEAL] I'll roll twice to erase two slashes from my Health tracker.
Feels like to much of a risk to tempt the beast for 1 superficial.
Can we get Sierra to take the kindred in torpor, they could be useful for getting some information and we don't want the enemy to get one of their guys back.
Artie has too much morals to just let the ghouls die. And if we do it right we could ambush them more effectively and we could take down some of them.
[X] [HEAL] I'll roll twice to erase two slashes from my Health tracker.
Feels like to much of a risk to tempt the beast for 1 superficial.
Can we get Sierra to take the kindred in torpor, they could be useful for getting some information and we don't want the enemy to get one of their guys back.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yeah, they'll throw her into the trunk of Artie's car. It'll be one of the first things I mention in the next update.
[x] [PLAN] We all need to make a fighting retreat together. Splitting up invites defeat in detail.
Too many unknowns to split up.
[X] [HEAL] I'll tempt the Beast once to heal a single point of Superficial Health damage.
Too many unknowns to split up.
[X] [HEAL] I'll tempt the Beast once to heal a single point of Superficial Health damage.
- Location
- Australia
@Rogue Attican, is there a sewer grate we can escape through? It's a long walk back to Elysium, but the sewers are home ground for a stealth build Nosferatu, Sierra can see in the dark, and I think we could lose our pursuers there without a rear guard or chase scene.
EDIT: Didn't see the other question answered above. My bad.
EDIT: Didn't see the other question answered above. My bad.
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I feel like the fighting retreat together will make way too much noise. Which is real bad for the masquerade, I feel like we shouldn't sacrifice the ghouls so I choose to stay behind and take part in the ambush as the middle ground between practicality and morals but making it more personally risky.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
None you'll be able to reach before the rest of the attackers arrive. However, rest assured that by the time the rest of the mysterious coterie shows up, Artie will "regain stealth," so to speak. They'll have a chance to make a devastating first strike before making a run for it.
Yes, Sierra will take the vampire in torpor with her, regardless of the option chosen.
- Location
- Australia
[X] [PLAN] The Lasombra can drive themselves to safety while I stay behind with the ghouls.
[X] [HEAL] No, thank you.
Healing isn't a good idea, ESPECIALLY healing two. At Hunger 4, we have to test against hunger frenzy if we see open wounds, and our ghoul compatriots have open wounds. Maybe we get lucky, but maybe we don't.
Healing one superficial damage is better, but we'll want Blood Surge for combat and if we do both, we risk getting up to Hunger 4.
[X] [HEAL] No, thank you.
Healing isn't a good idea, ESPECIALLY healing two. At Hunger 4, we have to test against hunger frenzy if we see open wounds, and our ghoul compatriots have open wounds. Maybe we get lucky, but maybe we don't.
Healing one superficial damage is better, but we'll want Blood Surge for combat and if we do both, we risk getting up to Hunger 4.
Sorry about that, didn't see the question was asked and answered above. Tried to edit my post in time but couldn't make it.
- Location
- Australia
But damn, this is not a good intro to vampire society for Celia. Night two and someone's already driving buses into you. On the bright side, things can only get better for her at this point.
One thing I'm worried about is her humanity. She seems like a pretty decent person so far, but we know that the higher levels of Oblivion drain Humanity and she's already started down that road, controlling shadows. Sierra does thankfully seem to regard that as a downside, going by how she warned us about that, so I think she'll help Celia from sliding down the slippery slope.
One thing I'm worried about is her humanity. She seems like a pretty decent person so far, but we know that the higher levels of Oblivion drain Humanity and she's already started down that road, controlling shadows. Sierra does thankfully seem to regard that as a downside, going by how she warned us about that, so I think she'll help Celia from sliding down the slippery slope.
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- Location
- USA
@Rogue Attican
If we stay to perform a Counter Ambush with Wards and Beazley. Can we ask Sierra to get us backup from the Succubus? I know both the Prince and Annabelle are there, and it very well could cost us a boon. But I wanted to know if we could expect some backup from someone if we get bucked off the bull.
I'm going on the fence right now. The primary objective of our Attacker seemed to have been to take out Sierra's vehicle. That way she would have no chance of escaping the rest of the Ambush team when they moved in. Their expecting her to still be in the same area more or less. If we all drive away, their search area becomes a whole lot bigger as their not expecting another vehicle on site. There is assuming they don't already have eyes on us and the situation.
Alternatively if we counter-ambush them, we could gain some good intel. We could learn about the number of attacks, maybe what clans they are, maybe their identities. We don't know how many will show up so if Artie doesn't think the three of them can succeed then we can just bug out. Worst case it becomes a running retreat. If we had some backup like the Sherif and his hounds coming to help, I'd feel a lot better about this option. Combat in Vtm 5e is less forgiving then D&D, so I'm hesitant to go up against multiple enemies.
If we stay to perform a Counter Ambush with Wards and Beazley. Can we ask Sierra to get us backup from the Succubus? I know both the Prince and Annabelle are there, and it very well could cost us a boon. But I wanted to know if we could expect some backup from someone if we get bucked off the bull.
I'm going on the fence right now. The primary objective of our Attacker seemed to have been to take out Sierra's vehicle. That way she would have no chance of escaping the rest of the Ambush team when they moved in. Their expecting her to still be in the same area more or less. If we all drive away, their search area becomes a whole lot bigger as their not expecting another vehicle on site. There is assuming they don't already have eyes on us and the situation.
Alternatively if we counter-ambush them, we could gain some good intel. We could learn about the number of attacks, maybe what clans they are, maybe their identities. We don't know how many will show up so if Artie doesn't think the three of them can succeed then we can just bug out. Worst case it becomes a running retreat. If we had some backup like the Sherif and his hounds coming to help, I'd feel a lot better about this option. Combat in Vtm 5e is less forgiving then D&D, so I'm hesitant to go up against multiple enemies.
- Location
- Australia
It'd take too long for backup to arrive, same reason why we can't simply duck into a sewer.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Rest assured that Sierra will bring in the cavalry if Artie manages to survive the next three rounds holding the line. She wants you to buy time by covering her retreat, not make a last stand that ends in Final Death. Of course, whether you survive that long is another question.
- Location
- USA
[x] [PLAN] We all need to make a fighting retreat together. Splitting up invites defeat in detail.
[X] [HEAL] I'll tempt the Beast once to heal a single point of Superficial Health damage.
I don't know, running away from the ambush site seems smarter. I just don't have confidence in Artie's ability to last through the fight. If I get outvoted that's fine and all do everything to backup the choice of the rest of the thread. I want Artie to continue his journey, I'm just worried about this combat system.
[X] [HEAL] I'll tempt the Beast once to heal a single point of Superficial Health damage.
I don't know, running away from the ambush site seems smarter. I just don't have confidence in Artie's ability to last through the fight. If I get outvoted that's fine and all do everything to backup the choice of the rest of the thread. I want Artie to continue his journey, I'm just worried about this combat system.
- Location
- Australia
We need to survive three rounds. The first round we'll pass because of stealth mode, and thanks to our health, we'll likely survive the first round we lose. We only need to win one proper combat round, and between the stealth attack and the anti-vampire weaponry, I think we can pull that off. We will want Blood Surge available for that though.
- Location
- Australia
Huh, throwing weapons are Dexterity + Athletics. Artie's a better shot with our throwing arm than with guns. Must've been the best with grenades in their unit.
Not saying we want to start carrying around a grenade like Nines, but if we want to stake someone, we're better off throwing it like the Bloodlines intro than shooting it from our launcher.
Not saying we want to start carrying around a grenade like Nines, but if we want to stake someone, we're better off throwing it like the Bloodlines intro than shooting it from our launcher.
Wouldn't the difficulty have been 8 since it was a called shot?
- Location
- USA
Maybe we could get some throwing weapons? Like baseballs, shot put balls, throwing knives, tomahawk, going from subtle to unsubtle.
- Location
- Australia
Of those, only throwing knives are good. They do max throwing weapon damage (+2 damage) while being the most compact of the lot.
Finding the best combat build for Artie is difficult given the skills, attributes, and disciplines he has and those he can attain.
To that end, I've written up a summary to help work out the cost/potential of the various builds. For some of the builds, I've got two versions: one is the minimum viable build, the other is the build with enough xp in it to be around the same as the others.
Current Build:
-Damage: +3 with gun, +0 with fists, +0 with stake
-Dice pool: 5-7 with melee gun, 4-6 with normal gun, 5 with fists, 5 with stake
Soldier build:
-Cost: 7xp (Lightning Reflexes); 16xp (Lightning Reflexes, Firearms 3)
-Damage: +3 with gun, +0 with stake
-Dice pool: 6-7 with melee gun, 5-6 with normal gun, 5 with stake | 8 with melee gun, 7 with normal gun, 6 with stake
Addendum: Since crossbows give a damage bonus to staking, this now works very excellently with the Stake Fighter loresheet. We'd have a pretty good chacne at staking people!
Throwing build:
-Cost: 6xp (Athletics 2); 15xp (Athletics 3)
-Damage: +3 with gun, +2 with throwing knives, +0 with stake
-Dice pool: 5-7 with melee gun, 4-6 with normal gun, 6 with stake, 6 with throwing knives | 7 with stake, 7 with throwing knives
Addendum: This build was unfairly judged and is way better than it seemed to me at first.
Dog build:
-Cost: 15xp (Bond Famulus, Feral Whispers)
-Damage: +3 with gun; +1 dog
-Dice pool: 5-7 with melee gun, 4-6 with normal gun, 5 with stake; 6 dog
I finally got around to looking at the rules for this and Jesus Christ, I can see why Kebarton's wanted one for so long! 6 dice in combat, subtracts 1 die from the enemy during team attacks, has utility uses, can turn invisible thanks to being our ghoul, and won't get us arrested. Pretty great pick!
Rank: S-tier
Blood Waterfall build:
-Cost: 18xp (Firearms 3, Science 2)
-Damage: +5 agg with explosive rounds desert eagle, +3 with gun
-Dice pool: 6-8 with melee gun, 5 with explosive rounds desert eagle
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We are nothing more than dust, and to the dust we shall return. Amen.
Rank: S-tier
EDIT: Three builds have been removed because they had Prowess in them. It was initially judged to be good, but after more information on how it works, it was judged to be bad. However, people continued thinking that it benefited us regardless, even though it didn't benefit us at all.
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