Gizmoh's VTM: Minutes to Midnight Discussion Thread


Play-by-Post Discussion


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Hey guys, if you've been invited to this Vampire the Masquerade Campaign thread, this is the discussion area you can chat about your character and I can provide 'starter' info for the game for you to access.

I'd like to get this campaign moving at a reasonable pace but appreciate we're all busy - as mentioned ideally checking the posting roughly every 3 or so days is probably ideal but of course, if you need to step away just shout!

being my first play-by-post RPG and my first RPG game in a loooooooong time it's plausible I'll add my own delays to this process anyway so I'm not stressing provided we're keeping it going.

A few Rules tidbits as I'm fairly sure you're each fairly new to VTM. The second post will portray what being a Vampire is all about so you understand your new uh, 'powers' inherent to your characters.

VTM is run purely on D10 rolls (no other dice are used). No more then 10 of these should really be needed and it's probable fewer will be fine as well.

To understand your character's competency in the various Attributes and Abilities that define your character use the following;
Zero dots; Abyssmal
1 dot; Poor
2 dots; Average
3 dots; Good
4 dots; Exceptional
5 dots; Superb

VTM uses a 'Difficulty' check akin to most RPG's when your characters perform the various actions including attempting to strike an enemy in melee, manipulating or cajoling another into giving you information, picking a lock, hacking a computer and much more. This Difficulty rating is determined by myself, as is the relevant Attribute and Skill involved and then the relevant player rolls enough D10 equal to dots they have invested in the appropriate attribute and skills being employed to determine success. Every D10 roll equal to or higher then the task's difficult is a 'success' - the more success indicates the more successful you completed the task (or perhaps, with more fliar, skill or with unexpected bonuses!)

Example;
Two of your characters are in a car being chased by the police (they are firing on you from their vehicle). One of you is driving, the other is in the back seat firing at them with a gun through the broken windscreen.
The Driver hits a wet patch in the road and attempts to keep control of the car at high speed. I decide the Difficulty of this task is 7 (it being fairly challenging to keep control of a high speed car in the wet whilst being shot by police!) and that the relevant Attribute and Skill involved is Wits and Drive (though perhaps under other circumstance it would've been Dexterity and Drive, etc).
You reference your character sheet and have a combined 5 dots in Wits and Drive th. You roll 5 D10 and score a 2 , 4, 5, 6 and a 9 - meaning three successes.
Based on your roll, I inform you that you manage to keep the car on the road without losing control but the drive is still bumpy imposing a higher difficult to the other player as they fire from the back seat. You're in no danger of losing control of the car though!
If you had rolled a 7, 8, 8, 9 and a 10 though I would likely say you not only keep control of the car but do it in such style and ease that you are able to avoid bumps in the road and not only does the player character in the backseat find it easier to hit the police car with their shots, but you are able to 'lead' the pursuing vehicle into the variety of potholes, bumps and other obstacles on the road in an attempt to cause them to collie.

This is purely an example and it gives you an idea of the possible scope of outcomes the game can produce. How many successes you get will demonstrate the margin between just how successful you really were.

Note that any roll of a '1' cancels out one of your success results as well!

Just like Pathfinder, there's the possibility of automatic success - this usually being the case where I decide it appropriate or you find that your number of dice exceeds the difficult rating before you even roll. Stressful situations and combat invariably never meet with these automatic successes.

Combat when it occurs does begin with rolling inititiave (which is 1D10 + Dex + Wits) with whoever rolls highest being first.

Cheers,

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5

Cool mate, it's been a long while since I've played Vampire, I will need to refresh my memory of character creation!


Ok, let's talk Vampires.

Playing a Vampire is perhaps a bit different to roleplaying Dwarfs, Humans and Elves so I thought it would be useful to portray what it's like being a Vampire and what you are each capable of.

Facts about Vampires in our campaign;
1. You are immortals and do not age, but are not invincible and can be killed. A certain level of distance from mortality is normal, but ultimately all Vampires fear the final destruction.
2. You feed on blood and will be asked to explain how this occurs for your character at intervals.
3. Feeding on a human doesn't automatically create a vampire - siring a progeny is a process in itself and permission is required from the Prince of Gary (the 'leader' of your hometown).
4. Every Vampire struggles against the monster they are and the humanity they had. This usually takes the form in game of fighting off frenzying when hungry for blood or facing moral dilemmas.
5. Sunlight will kill a Vampire (though some of the eldest are allegedly resistant or even immune to it's effects)
6. Vampires are not repulsed by garlic, running water or holy sigils though if an individual of extreme faith were to wield such a holy relic with conviction, it's possible it could have ill effects upon a Vampire.
7. Vampires do not die from being staked through the heart, though such an act will paralyse the beast so it can be killed.
8. Your Vampires are of a lower Generation (the 11th) which means you are generally, faster, stronger and more capable then your average human but do not think they are of no concern to you or incapable of harming you.

Depending on your choice of Clan, your bloodline will give you inherent disciplines (akin to spells I suppose) that your character can use (think of them as being encoded in the very blood that sustains your character). For example, the Brujah clan has access to the Celerity Discipline which allows them to spend blood points (more on that later) to gain additional actions during combat. This is the sort of power a Vampire would use to move with unholy speed during combat or perhaps even go 'matrix style' by running up walls to attack from the cieling, etc.
Meanwhile the Malkavians have access to the Dementation Discpline, allowing them to literally channel the madness that pervades their blood into other's minds, inducing paranoia, pyschosis or perhaps, just passion.

You'll choose these Discplines upon character creation but as we're still quite new to this, I'm happy to 'tweak' in time if needed and it suits your play style/character.


Mothman wrote:
Cool mate, it's been a long while since I've played Vampire, I will need to refresh my memory of character creation!

Heh - no worries mate, I know the feeling (and my playing experience was very, very limited!).

I've been reading the books again this past week - even I'm stopping reading and thinking 'oh yeah...had forgotten that..'

If you have a particular character type in mind as well, just shout - I have all the revised clanbooks for each Camarilla (the grouping of clans dedicated to upholding the Masquerade) clan, including Brujah. It may help to provide more scope then starting from scratch.

If you have any specific questions, let me know - I can call this Sunday as well to chat one on one and take you through the process in better detail.


Male Human Fighter / 3

Thanks for the summary dude, as you mentioned I think my character is pretty done, though will double check that and have a think more about a background.


Finally, here's the story start...

The city of Gary, Indiana, USA, December 31st, 1991.

Years ago, on every New Year’s Eve, The Prince of Gary, Modius would host a gathering of all the Kindred of the city. Immediately following sunset, all the Kindred of the city were expected to show up at his home and enjoy his hospitality and conversation. He has not held this party for some time, but has decided to do so again this year and word has spread among the vampires of Gary.

Gary, Indiana is a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan somewhat between Chicago and Fort Wayne. Gary has the somewhat dubious claim to fame of being the birthplace of Michael Jackson, as well as the other members of the Jackson family. It was once a prosperous industrial area, but the steel mills that comprised the main tax base closed in the 1970s. Things went downhill very quickly from there, and the area lost about 50% of its population. Only those who cant afford to live anywhere else call Gary home now, with a population hovering just over the 100,000 mark as of about 1991. These days, practically the only reliable employment to be found is substandard or minimum wage, mostly working on the docks or similar labour based roles.

Abandoned buildings and shopfronts are common with residents joking that such abandoned buildings 'outnumber the living' - a joke perhaps in poor taste considering the low Vampiric population of Gary.
Better known for it's output of Steel and whilst some factories remain in business, there is a large rusted expanse of abandoned steel mills and decaying warehouses known as the Wasteland situated within the city's boundaries. This place knows no law, not even the law of the Prince, Modius and no one knows what goes on there after the sun sets. Lupines are said to roam there, and even vampires fear to antagonize the gangs that live there.

Your Vampires are of 'Neonate' rank -you've each only semi-recently (within the last 20 years) been released from the tutelage and protection of your sire (which you are free to explain how that happened yourselves) and are expected to attend Mobius' party, each receiving a deliberately hand-delivered invitation (can't have that going through the mail!) to your residence of choice.
Feel free to discuss your character's going's on before you arrive and if you'll arrive together (or even know of one another before this gathering).


Brashen Trell wrote:
Thanks for the summary dude, as you mentioned I think my character is pretty done, though will double check that and have a think more about a background.

No stress mate, enjoy - yeah you're all good to go with no additions needed. Feel free to consider and discuss the background of your character, though not all Vampires are of course so willing to share their histories - I leave that to you guys!


Hey guys,
Continuing the introduction/refresher of how VTM works.

Whilst the premise of Vampire has you each roleplaying supernatural creatures that are of course, capable of generally a bit more then you're average human, it's important for you to understand the 'currency' of blood during the game (being fairly, integral to a Vampire's being after all!)

Each of you as shown on the character sheet has a blood pool - representative of how much of the vitae is literally in your system at the time your character joins the story. This is equal to the roll of a D10 at the start of a game.

Each 24 hours, 1 blood point is always spent in the no different a way to how a human burns calories and will be deducted from your character sheet.
As your character runs lower and lower on blood, he will need to feed to replenish his stores through feeding (though many vampires, particularly those with high humanity scores resist feeding on humans and instead attempt to feed on livestock or other animals) or worse, perhaps even entering an extreme emotional state known as frenzying that can lead to you striking out against freinds and allies.

This 'currency' of Blood though is also the fuel through which your Vampire can heal normal damage (for example, being hit with a blunt weapon, or being shot), fuel certain Discplines or to temporarily increase your character's attributes (feats of strength and speed, etc)
Certain actions may also require your character to spend blood - if you are attempting to pass yourself as human to an individual and need to make your character appear to be breathing, of flush his cheeks as examples, blood will be spent to achieve this. This all varies on your situation and your character's humanity score.


Hey chaps,

Starting equipment/possessions we'll tackle upon you completing final character creation - which despite me telling Brashen he was all done will be the on thing he'll need to do, heh.

Starting equipment/materials/weapons (if any!)/clothing/etc I'm generally happy to hear what you want. There's no set 'budget' as such and provided it's reasonable and fits your character's concept, expect it to be ok'd. Do consider it's the 1990's in terms of available tech but you could have of course inherited older clothing or weaponry from your sires/professions/jobs/any other explanation you can really think of.
Within reason, the key with this element is fitting your character.

Shoot through your details on it when you reach that stage.

Cheers!

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5

Hey man, is there any (or all?) aspects of our characters you would like us to keep secret from the other players at this stage? Conversely, do you want us to have some sort of shared background? Or are we just kind of thrown together by circumstance?


Mothman wrote:
Hey man, is there any (or all?) aspects of our characters you would like us to keep secret from the other players at this stage? Conversely, do you want us to have some sort of shared background? Or are we just kind of thrown together by circumstance?

Hey mate good question. Whilst there's no rule about this, to make our first foray simpler, I would prefer you are familiar at least with one another in some capacity or another and your characters are at the start of the story's east, committed to upholding the masquerade and maintaining a reasonable level of humanity(none of you need to be saints, you do feed on blood after all!) but this will help in our first game and for the opening story. You don't have to be best mates but here's some ideas;

Gary has a low vampire population so it's probable you know one another from hanging out at the same safe havens.
Perhaps you've hunted together.
Perhaps you were asked by the prince, möbius previously to tackle a small job.
It's up to you guys as you've see fit though.

It should be noted vampire goes into much detail about your characters from a story point of view (creating a character is easy from a stats view, explaining who he is,why he's there, What he likes, what he doesn't though can take longer!) so consider the answers to the following questions to help;
Who was your sire?
How we're you embraced? (made into a vampire)
What does your character like/not like?
Feel free to answer these queries as we play, I'm generally easy and you are always welcome to run by what you feel as appropriate to your character. It's more important to me you guys can visualise and enjoy the role playing then saying your idea about background is 'not allowed', etc

Brasher, you're most completed in terms of character creation, are you comfortable sharing your characters story?


Male Human Fighter / 3

Hey dude, sorry for lag, will work on a character background this week.


Brashen Trell wrote:
Hey dude, sorry for lag, will work on a character background this week.

No stress!

Cheers.

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5

Hey man, I'm getting through it, emailed you what I have so far. Probably won't have a chance to chat tonight, but I think I can sort of mostly maybe figure it out!


Cheers mate, no stress at all.

With all three characters almost done, I'd encourage you guys to consider the following questions to complete the final flesh out of your characters and help you during the roleplaying (no need to actually answer these questions here unless you want to, but consider how they may affect your characters morals, choices, etc);

Who was your sire? Do you still see him/her?
Do you hold any connections to your mortal life?
How did the embrace (being turned into a vampire) change you?
How did you if at all, meet the other player characters? Does any relationship exist?
Where is your haven (Safehouse)?

Let me know when you feel ready and have had any conversation with one another you wish.

Cheers!


Male Human Scribe/4

Hey Giz (yes, I am sticking with that nickname haha)

Will get onto the character background now. Have a basic concept in my head buy haven't fleshed it out yet. The questions above help.

Roughly how long would it have been since we were sired originally? I.e. how long would we have been under the protection of our sire's? Just need to know so I can work out roughly what era I would have been born into?

Cheers,
Marty


Ash Walker wrote:

Hey Giz (yes, I am sticking with that nickname haha)

Will get onto the character background now. Have a basic concept in my head buy haven't fleshed it out yet. The questions above help.

Roughly how long would it have been since we were sired originally? I.e. how long would we have been under the protection of our sire's? Just need to know so I can work out roughly what era I would have been born into?

Cheers,
Marty

Haha, yep, roll with it!

No problem! Each of your characters does share something in common at least - you've only been 'free' of your sires for no more then about 50 years and more likely, less (though at least 10 years). This means you're described as the 'rank' of a Neonate - in the Elder's eyes, you are yet to prove yourself as players in the game that all Vampires participate (wether they invariably like it or not) called the Jyhad.


Male Human Scribe/4

Is there a minimum amount of time that a vampire must spend with their sire before they are freed? I'm trying to get an idea of when is the earliest my character would have been born (i.e. would a vampire stay with their sire for 10 years minimum before they are freed? Or is it 20 years, or 50 years, or 100 years, etc?)

I will make a big difference on the background (e.g. born in the 20th century at the earliest, the 19th Century).

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5

I think it can vary pretty wildly. Also, if you want to create a character from an earlier era, you can say you've been in a torpor / hibernation for the intervening years.

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5

My character is a Brujah too Ash; I'm making him a WW2 veteran who enlisted young, then was wounded and became really disillusioned. He returned to the States and became a bit of a 'rebel without a cause' before being bit some time during the early 50s.


Ash Walker wrote:

Is there a minimum amount of time that a vampire must spend with their sire before they are freed? I'm trying to get an idea of when is the earliest my character would have been born (i.e. would a vampire stay with their sire for 10 years minimum before they are freed? Or is it 20 years, or 50 years, or 100 years, etc?)

I will make a big difference on the background (e.g. born in the 20th century at the earliest, the 19th Century).

Hey mate, as per Moth's post there's no strict time as such. It would likely depend on the invented storyline that explains your embrace to become a vampire. In other words, you're free to choose as you see fit. It's probable though that a vampire that didn't stay with a sire long would potentially have a level of 'awkwardness' towards how they hunt, or perhaps even socialise with other kindred as they are simply unfamiliar with such interactions. By the same token, perhaps they are then more apt at convincing humans they are human as well as they've had to spend more time around them.

The possibilities are limitless os feel free to decide on what you like as we've discussed though, you're each neonates (as this is important to the storyline) but other then that the sky's the limit.


Male Human Fighter / 3

I'm thinking my character will be a more recent convert to un-death, having been turned as a young man in the late 70's and a local of the area. He initially tried to resist the unnatural thirst and deny his new life, but ended up feeding on (and killing) an old school friend he ran into (thus Sanguinary Animism weakness)

Old friends and acquaintances, or even family, can still pop up (I'm thinking he was a smaller town boy just outside of Gary) which can make for some awkward situations, and add to his struggle of trying to retain his human interests and values in his new form.

Will obviously flesh things out much more, but any major issues with this so far Giz?


Brashen Trell wrote:

I'm thinking my character will be a more recent convert to un-death, having been turned as a young man in the late 70's and a local of the area. He initially tried to resist the unnatural thirst and deny his new life, but ended up feeding on (and killing) an old school friend he ran into (thus Sanguinary Animism weakness)

Old friends and acquaintances, or even family, can still pop up (I'm thinking he was a smaller town boy just outside of Gary) which can make for some awkward situations, and add to his struggle of trying to retain his human interests and values in his new form.

Will obviously flesh things out much more, but any major issues with this so far Giz?

Hey mate,

Sounds awesome, love it.

Once you guys feel you have a reasonable grip on your character back stories we can start but I'd love to start by this Saturday night if that suits you guys?


Male Human Fighter / 3

Hey dudes, now at the stage of moving in (our carpet and flooring ended up getting put in a week earlier than initially thought) so will be pretty busy this weekend.

Shouldn't be a problem to get on and do some posts though, except that I'm unsure of the internet situation - we have a plan and a modem but haven't actually tried to 'plug in' yet, so it's possible I won't really have access until work on Monday.

Feel free to kick things off though, and I can jump in a bit later.


Brashen Trell wrote:

Hey dudes, now at the stage of moving in (our carpet and flooring ended up getting put in a week earlier than initially thought) so will be pretty busy this weekend.

Shouldn't be a problem to get on and do some posts though, except that I'm unsure of the internet situation - we have a plan and a modem but haven't actually tried to 'plug in' yet, so it's possible I won't really have access until work on Monday.

Feel free to kick things off though, and I can jump in a bit later.

Hey mate, no stress - I'm just seeking confirmation from Moth and Ash and we can get started. I'm beginning to get very busy with work as well so the original suggestion of checking in every couple of day should work well anyway.

Cheers!


Male Human Fighter / 3

Dominics origins story below. Did we work out an easy way to put the info up here? Is there a way to import the character sheet Giz sent us?


Male Human Fighter / 3

Dominic Milazzo was born into a devote Catholic family of second generation Italian-Americans, in 1957. His father made a good living running the family restaurant, and Dominic and his 5 siblings grew up with the usual opportunities and experiences of an upper-middle class family, in a town just outside of Gary.

Dominic was a smart, though lazy, student who was fairly well liked by his peers. Though he would never have been seen as one of the really popular kids himself, he was friends with most of the kids who were, and thus was not particularly bullied, nor someone who received much of the spotlight. He coasted through school, well liked by most who knew him, and generally flew under the radar with those who didn’t.

After school, Dominic left home to attend collage in Oklahoma (Go Wild Cats!) where he began studying computers, and security technologies. Despite the sensible majors, Dominic was anything but sensible in Collage. Moving from his conservative home town to the liberal campus of he fell in with a different crowd, experimenting with his taste in music, fashion and drugs.

It was in this context that he met Sarah. She moved in the same circles as he did, attended the same underground gigs, and dive bars. After months of seeing her he finally worked up the courage to talk to her, and realised that she was not only incredibly hot, but also extremely interesting. She was wild, she lived her own way, not answering to anyone and flaunting authority whenever it suited her. Over another 6 months he got closer and closer to Sarah – or at least felt closer. In retrospect he realised he knew almost nothing real about her; no details on family, career, or aspirations. All they did was talk music, joke around and drink.

Until one night, one glorious night, when she finally kissed him, and invited him back to her place…


Male Human Fighter / 3

6/28/1979
Dominic stumbled against the doorframe, head spinning as he entered the dim apartment. How much did I have to drink? He wondered, belatedly. He had felt ok sitting in the club, but when he stood up the alcohol had hit him, like it had simply been waiting for him to act before launching itself into his blood stream. She led him over to the lounge, and half propelled, half collapsing, he sunk on to it. “I’ll get us some drinks. Don’t go anywhere!” Sarah called, leaving the room. He looked around, taking in his surroundings with bleary eyes. Heavy curtains covered the window in the room, though he could faintly hear the sounds of the street – car noise, even at this time, and a drunk singing incoherently.

I hope I can get it up. The thought entered his head suddenly, and fear struck him. I’ve been waiting for this for months, longer, I’ve wanted a girl like this since I wanted girls, and now I might f!@% it up coz I got too smashed. Just my luck! Maybe I can go to the bathroom and chuck some of it up. He looked around again, for any sign of a toilet or sink. He could hear Sarah in the next room, and the scratch of a record as she put on a Supertramp album.

Da da da da da da da da BA da da da …

Not much time, he cursed, and then; there’s some pretty nice furniture in this place. Forgetting his pressing erection (or lack there of) problem, he studied the room more carefully. The carpet was thick and soft, not like most of the places around here where it was thin and worn. The couch, he realised was leather, and a nice bookshelf stood against the wall. Some paintings hung on the wall. Not posters, or armature sketches like most of his collage friends, but proper impressive looking paintings!

Dreammm-Ah, you know you are a dreammm-Ah…

And then she was back again, passing him a drink and sinking onto the lounge beside him, her hand idly running over his arm and leg. Dominic felt himself start to harden. Thank God!. “This is a real nice place, not what I was expecting form this part of town. How long have you been here?”

“A while,” she laughed, “Sometimes it feels like a lifetime!” She laughed again, probably more than the joke warranted, but he chuckled along. She’s probably pretty smashed too, that can’t be a bad thing for me, he thought. Though he had never actually seen her smashed, she seemed to be able to drink all night and keep her cool, she never even got flushed like most people did.

Well you can put your head in your hands, oh no…

“I like this record. I like listening to music with you. I wish I could quit school, quit my job, and just listen to records with you forever.” He said, starting to lean forward to kiss her again. That was smooth! I’ve always known I’m better at this drunk than sober.

But she put a hand on his chest, stopping him a few inches from her face. He had never seen her look so serious; the playful little smile that seemed to suggest she was in on some joke everyone else had missed rarely left her lips. She looked at him intently, her eyes seeming to pierce right through him. “Do you? Do you really want to do that Dom?”

I said “Far out, what a day, a year, a laugh it is…

He stopped, knowing the answer to her question would be important. “At this moment I can’t think of anything I want more that to spend my life with you.”

You know, well you know you had it comin’ to you …

She smiled, clearly glad he had answered truthfully. “That’s your cock talking; tomorrow, next week, next year – whenever it is – you will want other things, other people.” She now pouted, but he could see the mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we have is now.” It was a quote from Bill Cosby, one that his collage roommate had told him was a great pickup line. Sounded great for the current situation. Who would have thought a stand up guy like Bill Cosby would be helping guys get laid? He wondered, amused by life’s little jokes.

Now there’s not a lot I can do…

“That’s beautiful. Who said that?”
“Tolstoy.” He replied, only feeling a little guilty.

Sarah’s pout turned into a wide smile, and she pushed him back into the couch, climbing on to straddle him. “Sometimes ‘now’ can last a lifetime.” And then the talking was done, and she was kissing him. I hope that last bit wasn’t about her expectations for how long this will last, he thought, knowing he would be lucky to last 5 minutes.
She started kissing down his neck, as he lay his head back on the lounge, initially enjoying the sensation.

Mmmhh. Oww, that hurts. What the fu – “Ahhhhhhh.”

Dreammmm-Ah, you stupid little dreammmm-ah….


Hey mate,
That's awesome! I'm just waiting for Ash to drop us a line and we should be ready to go!

Cheers,
MC


Male Human Fighter / 3

Dominic’s experience of the embrace was blurry at best, but seemed to be a mix of pain and pleasure. When he rose, he was ravenous, a hunger deep inside that he had never experienced in life. Fortunately, Sarah had a thrall that she allowed him to feed on, breaking him off before he drained the girl dry. She had glassy, vacant eyes, and moved around the apartment in a slow shuffle, cleaning or sleeping when she wasn’t needed as food.
He took to his new situation surprisingly well, mainly due to the fact that he was still infatuated with Sarah. After a day of horror and confusion, and lots of questions, he basically accepted this new arrangement. He knew Sarah was using her affection and body as a reward system to keep him in line, but he liked being rewarded, so played along.
His biggest sticking point was feeding. The first feed he had undertaken almost unconsciously, not really aware of what was happening. But feeding on strangers or people they lured to the apartment was hard to accept. Sometimes he felt as if he could sense the persons feelings and thoughts after he had fed on them, that they accused him and berated him for what he had done to them. But whenever he raised objections, Sarah withdrew her love. When he fed obediently, she rewarded him. And so he grew accustomed, if not comfortable, with the arrangement.
It turned out that Sarah owned 3 apartments in the building, which she had added doors and knocked out walls to join, providing a comfortable residence in a generally poor neighbourhood.
They spent there days and nights almost as they had before the embrace, minus attending classes and the like. Dominic had set up a vending machine business when he first arrived and slowly grown it. First he placed them at the university, then in hospitals and other public buildings, then at stations and the like. It had made him a good income, and was easy to manage, all he had to do was restock them. Now his inability to go out in the day forced him to hire help to take over the machines, but he was still left with a modest monthly income.
Things continued like this for years. He slowly lost or cut ties with family and friends, either because he had lost interest in them or his erratic new behaviour had driven them away. His father came to the city to try and talk to him, but Dominic simply avoided seeing him. Word got around that he had taken to drugs (in a junkie rather than cool social kind of way) and spent all day shooting up, which was fine by him.
And then one day Sarah said it was time they went there separate ways. That he needed to go out into the world and be his own vampire. That she was leaving the city for somewhere new, and that he wasn’t coming with her.
He was devastated. He tried to reason, beg, cajole and threaten but she was unflinching in her resolve, and in the end he did little more than lose her respect. That final night, she said she would check in on him, and then simply left. He tried to follow her, but she quickly eluded him, and he was alone. He realised that he had no one to turn to – the vampires he had met were all connected to Sarah rather than him, and any connections to his former life had long since left or turned toxic.
Feeling truly alone for the first time in his life (and unlife), Dominic decided to go back to his roots, return back to his hometown and try to re-establish ties with his family. He also vowed never to drink from another human again – now Sarah’s influence on him was lifted, he could make his own rules.
He made the trip over 3 nights, and by the time he got there, his hunger was a constant pull on his mind. He realised that this whole idea had been ill thought out – he had no idea what he would say to his family, where he could stay or what he could do back in his home town. In the small town it would be hard to even find somewhere he could safely avoid daylight.
Dominic spent several days hiding out in an old network of caves he had played in as a child, a few miles outside of town. He tried hunting animals, thinking he could live on their blood until he found a better solution. Yet hunting was hard, and the hunger within him grew. One night, staggering through the forest, he found himself on a quiet road that cut through the nature reserve…


Male Human Fighter / 3

2/18/1990

George turned onto the bypass, finally heading for home. He was full, uncomfortably so, as he always seemed to be after visiting Gwen’s parents. “Your parents always put too much food out,” he complained to his wife, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

“You just eat to much. I didn’t really want to say, but your getting fat.” Gwen replied, in mock seriousness. He couldn’t see her face, but George knew she would be smiling her wide grin. Her smile hadn’t changed since high school, and it always made him happy.

One of the kids stirred in the back, but then settled again and continued to sleep. George continued in a quieter tone. “We need to get to the – was that?”

He left the question hanging as he quickly slowed the car to a crawl. “Who? Who is it?” Gwen asked, turning in her seat to see the person they had passed. “Who would be going for a walk out here at this time of night?”

“It looked like Dom. Dom Milazzo. I’m sure it was him.” He stopped the car, throwing it into neutral and putting on the hand brake.

“Dom? No way, he lives in Oklahoma doesn’t he? Didn’t he end up a drug addict or something? It’s not him. Keep driving.”

“It was him.” George had heard the same rumours, they had discussed them when they found out. Dom had been a good friend at school, and had kept in touch whenever he had come home on break. “Maybe his come back to see his folks. Though I don’t know how that will go. You notice that he is no longer in any of the family pictures up in his dads restaurant?”

“Lets just go George, this is creepy. Where in the middle of nowhere.”

The figure he was sure was Dom was walking slowly in the opposite direction, taking one slow step at a time. “Exactly, he’s in the middle of nowhere. He’ll probably die of exposure if he spends the night out here. I wont let him in the car if he’s wasted or whatever.”

The couple looked at each other, and Gwen nodded, sighing. “You owe me a massage when we get home.” She said, confirming his decision.

George put the car into reverse and drove back down the road, stopping the car about level with Dominic. “Stay here with the kids. I’ll talk to him. If anything is fishy I’ll just leave him and call the cops or something.”

“Be careful. He could be dangerous, it’s been a long time since we knew him.”
He could hear the concern in her voice, but George smiled, trying to reassure her. “He was never much of the physical type. I doubt he has changed enough to be a match for me!” Chuckling at his own bravado he got out of the car, crossing the road and walking briskly to catch up with figure, which hadn’t stopped it’s slow shuffle.

Gwen looked on anxiously. What if it’s not him? What if he has a knife? She wondered. You’re too damn nice for your own good George. Should have left him out here. She felt a little guilty at the thought; Dom had been a good friend, and a nice guy. Things can change though.

George had caught up to him now, and Dominic had turned to face him. He was a little way from the car now, and it was dark, but it did look like Dom. The two men talked, though Dominic seemed to be swaying, barely able to stand. George reached out a hand to his shoulder to steady him. You said if he was high you would leave. You better not put him in the car like this! She thought, though knowing he probably would.
And now the two were hugging! It looked like Dominic was nestled into George’s neck, sobbing. George hated when people got overly emotional, and hated being hugged by guys.
Ha, serves you right!

A few moments passed and the two stayed locked in their embrace. Ok, maybe I should break this up, George must be hating this. She considered leaving him to hang a little longer, but figured that would be cruel, since he was only doing this to help someone else out. She looked back at the kids, still sleeping, and got out of the car, starting to walk towards the pair. “Hate to break up the reunion guys, but it’s freezing out here. Why don’t we take this inside somewhere?”

Dominic looked up, his eyes looking somewhat glazed, but staring directly at her. The moonlight and closer vantage gave Gwen her first good look at their long lost friend. He had the same dark mop of dishevelled hair, the same scrawny frame. His mouth split into that wide familiar grin she had been so fond of. Though what has he got on his chin?

“You look… the same. You haven’t changed a bit.” Until Gwen said the words, she hadn’t realised how true they were. He looked like the same young man they had seen go off to college. It’s like he hadn’t aged.

“Oh, I’ve changed a little.” He replied, in that familiar voice, though with an almost manic chuckle attached.

And then Geroge, knees buckling, slowly slid to the ground. “George! What’s wr…” She started towards him, before stoping, looking back to Dom and his glazed expression. “Wh – What did you do to him?”

“I told him to leave, to get away from me. He wouldn’t though. So I bit him.” Again a chuckle, that could almost be considered normal except for a hint of hysteria, and the context in which it was used. “I didn’t want to, but I…” His words cut off suddenly, and he cocked his head slightly, as if listening to something. “Get out of my head!” Dominic roared suddenly, clutching at his skull. “I can’t leave them so don’t bother… shut up George!”

Gwen turned back to the car, running. She yanked open her door, jumping in. and slamming it shut, sobbing as she realised George was gone. Hold it together, get out of here, some small, dis-attached part of her mind repeated, trying to focus her. Drivers seat! Gwen clipped her door then threw herself over the panel dividing passenger and drivers seat, locking that one as well. Where are the f*+#ing keys! Her hand scrabbled at the ignition, but they weren’t there. George must have taken them with him. She could see and hear Dominic, arguing with himself, squatting next to George, head in his hands. He sounded like a madman, ranting. George lay still.

Suppressing another sob she leant back over to the passenger side, reaching into her bag. Heart thumping in her ears, she grabbed blindly for keys. “Why is there so much shit in here!” She yanked the bag up and over on the passenger seat, spilling the contents. Keys!

“Mum, why are we stopped?” Laura asked sleepily from the back.

“Stay quiet baby, stay quiet.” She tried to force calm into her voice, but knew she sounded hysterical. She fumbled the keys, dropping them. “F%~@!” She reached down, grabbed them, and Dominic was there.

He was at her door, shaking the handle. “Get away from us!” She screamed, tears streaming down her face as she tried to put the key into the ignition again. Both kids were crying now, confused.

And then she heard the door open. The back door. I always lock the doors when the kids are in the back, but George never does. She had the thought as she froze, like a deer in the headlights, unable to move from the fear. She used to ask him to lock it, but had eventually left it, feeling like she was nagging.

She felt a hand grab her hair. The kids were screaming now. “Kids, kids I…” Her head slammed into the doors window, and she sunk into darkness.


Hey mate, awesome, just awesome!

I'll chase up Ash as we should be good to start.


Male Human Scribe/4

Cool History Brash.

I've done my character and history now (though not nearly as polished)! Sorry for holding things up.


Male African American/Scottish

Here I am; though most people know me as Jaymac (and when I had shorter hair I sometimes got Lando!)

I don't have any stats yet; has anyone created a template to use to recreate the key statistics for VTM? No probs if not; I can have a crack at it.


Hey guys, I've now got enough to get cracking, apologies for he delay, work is extreme at the moment!

Thanks for your patience.
Will get rolling tonight or this weekend.

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5

Cool!

Sorry I haven't had time to really post up a back story etc'; GMing the other game is taking up a bit of time PLUS I have been trying to get back into painting which takes up a lot of the rest of my free time ..

Ash, I started doing a template but haven't finished it yet - very basic anyway. I'll see if I can do so this weekend.

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5
Brashen Trell wrote:
Who would have thought a stand up guy like Bill Cosby would be helping guys get laid?

Ha!


Male Human Fighter / 3

Cheers dudes, that's how I've been spending some of my commutes to work. Still need to work out who my contact and ally is (background traits) Any ideas Giz?

Was thinking a cop/detective type dude who I do shady jobs for and he in turn gives me info and stuff. Not sure of another, and not sure what would be useful as far as the campaign goes (i.e, would it be better to have a vampire contact than a human etc)


Brashen Trell wrote:

Cheers dudes, that's how I've been spending some of my commutes to work. Still need to work out who my contact and ally is (background traits) Any ideas Giz?

Was thinking a cop/detective type dude who I do shady jobs for and he in turn gives me info and stuff. Not sure of another, and not sure what would be useful as far as the campaign goes (i.e, would it be better to have a vampire contact than a human etc)

hey mate, yeah good q - certainly contacts on the inside of police firms will be of good use when it comes to most situations and our campaign will be no exception.

human contacts vs vampire do have their perks - vampires (certainly of your generations!) are inactive during the day and so having a human who you can contact to glean information of the going's on is useful.

however, it's also fair to say having a vampire contact is handy - kindred are always attempting to foster leverage and information on other kindred so this could be handy. ultimately - this campaign setting won't favor one type or another so don't hesitate to go with what you feel is better suited to your character.


Ok guys, we're about set to go here!

As this is our first foray into VTM - I'm more then fine to be flexible, particularly with your chosen backgrounds/contacts/allies/resources to better suit the way the campaign flows.

I'll be posting the first start up storyline content to get cracking this evening.

Where you're unsure of the rules/checks to use, just shout but otherwise I'll likely provide steers in the opening stages of the campaign to help out.


Hey guys,
I know it technically goes without saying, but do resist reading other player's Spoilers during the posts - whilst any such information would only really be suitable for the recipient anyway, such information the recipient may not want to share (Vampires are after all, not the most selfless of beings!) to their own advantage or another's disadvantage.

You'll in time, group together, but just how much you veiw one another as 'ally' is purely at your own determination.


Hey Dom,
Your character has a point in Alertness as well, so your recent Perception check would've granted one extra D10 - all good for now (There's not a massive difference between getting one success and two anyway!).

Cheers,


Male Human Fighter / 3
DM Gizmoh wrote:

Hey Dom,

Your character has a point in Alertness as well, so your recent Perception check would've granted one extra D10 - all good for now (There's not a massive difference between getting one success and two anyway!).

Cheers,

Oh yep, gotchya. Do all the abilities link to an attribute? Would you always be making rolls based on multiple?


Brashen Trell wrote:
DM Gizmoh wrote:

Hey Dom,

Your character has a point in Alertness as well, so your recent Perception check would've granted one extra D10 - all good for now (There's not a massive difference between getting one success and two anyway!).

Cheers,

Oh yep, gotchya. Do all the abilities link to an attribute? Would you always be making rolls based on multiple?

Yeah good question. In short yes, but VTM has a very 'open' way of completing checks for anything that could involve a degree of failure. Whereas in Pathfinder, if you want to take a Knowledge (Geography) Check it's always a Wisdom Check, end of story.

In VTM however, it comes down to the player and DM to decide what's appropriate depending on the type of check and context being asked.

Here's some common examples;

Your character wants to play a musical instrument to a degree that impresses the guests at a nightclub, roll D10 equal to your Charisma + Performance against DC 6.

Your character wants to bite an enemy to wound him (not drink blood) . Roll D10 equal to your Dexterity + Brawl against DC 6.

Having been shot at by men with automatic weapons, your character attempts to dodge out of the way (Matrix style!). Roll D10 equal to your Dexterity + Dodge against DC 6.

Your character has to hack a heavily encoded computer to find certain files. Roll D10 equal to your Intelligence + Computer against DC 7 (it's a heavily encoded computer, hence the higher DC).

Your character attempts to threaten information out of an enemy Kindred you've captured. Roll D10 equal to your Strength or Manipulation + Intimidation against the opposed characters Willpower score (no fixed DC, in this example, it's a contest of who gets the most successes!)

In Dom's case - he's trying to at the very least, not come across as unsociable lout - roll D10 equal to your Charisma + Ettiquete against DC 5 (Modius is already quite happy to see you so the DC is lower).

In this way, our game will be slower - but it means you really have a range of freedom to attempt what you like - I'll ask you each to tell me what your character is attempting and I'll inform you of the test and DC required. Don't forget, simple things - opening an unlocked door, walking, speaking to someone can simply be roleplayed. Only when a true degree of failure can occur are dice needed.

Let me know if you guys need anything else.

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5

Hey mate, I'll aim to post soon!


Mothman wrote:
Hey mate, I'll aim to post soon!

Cheers mate - not a problem!

Liberty's Edge

Male Mothman Expert 5
DM Gizmoh wrote:
Mothman wrote:
Hey mate, I'll aim to post soon!
Cheers mate - not a problem!

I did manage to post last night - should be there in the game thread.


Quote:
but is clearly highly unnerved by Modius presence!! check out those rolls!

That. Was some damn fine rolling :) haha


Male Human Scribe/4
DM Gizmoh wrote:
Quote:
but is clearly highly unnerved by Modius presence!! check out those rolls!
That. Was some damn fine rolling :) haha

8d10 with the highest roll of 5 and a total of 21! that's a treeman thrown across the room right there!

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