I didn't mean to take so long to reply, I was just tossing around ideas for what a group featuring our 3 characters would be like. I really like your setting- I'm not sure that 3 characters is enough for a 'critical mass' to carry the game on, but I'm certainly willing to try!
I can see Richard assigned as a mentor, trying to get Thomas and Natasha to relax and *enjoy* their death and appreciate the city... he would also take advantage of the opportunity to understand the new generation a bit better and figure out what the 'youth' culture is (both mortal and vampire).
He would see their choice of lifestyle as somewhat self-defeating; they both seem to genuinely care about helping mortals, yet they willingly place themselves in the midst of wounded (bloody) people. That's just teasing the beast, and it's only a matter of time until it slips their leash (if it hasn't already). He could lead them through some of the more refined pleasures that Pendros has to offer... that's make a decent introduction, then it's Goblin's job to introduce some conflict ;)
Still here.
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Yippie!
Alright, let me check everyone again:
@Natasha:
Look back to my
•previous post. Please make those changes. As we found out with Richard, sometimes, for some stupid reason, those changes don’t “take” so I’m sorry if you’ve already made them previously.
• If you just got turned, let us say that you were told you were a Carthian, but don’t even know what that means. Is that okay?
@Thomas:
• Tell me a bit about your haven.
•*Giggle* Fast reflexes still has a +•. Please change it to +1 (I know, I’m an anal retentive ass.)
• You list Carthian under patriotism. Which do you side with? The Queen’s, which isn’t really Carthian at all, or the true Carthian movement? Pendros has two: One deals with the rule of the strongest, the other is more Socialist. The Queen’s is all about capitalism: She who has the most toys rules. And she has the most.
• I need to get your guns’ stats. Might take a bit, very busy at the moment.
@Richard:
•I think you’re good
Alright, I think that’s it! Is there anything left to know, fill in? Richard, you've pointed out what needs filling in, is there anything else you can think of?
Changes made.
Richard, you've pointed out what needs filling in, is there anything else you can think of?
The only other thing that I think we should have spelled out before we begin is the role of an 'enforcer' in the queen's court. Is her rule strong (and enforcers are basically just the reminder of her strength), or is her rule tenuous (and requires frequent actions from her enforcers to continue the rule of law)?
Also, now that I think of it, Richard would have had to work *hard* to keep his humanity at 7 over the years. I'll work in a more philosophical/introspective bent to his personality.
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Enforcer is kind of the 'idea' of who you are, not an actual role. Nobody in game recognizes each others Requiems.
That said, the Queen's rule is tenuous. She holds it together with luck and stellar charisma.
A buddy made a good example:
A group of Bruja walks towards Club V to make their demands known.
"We're going to tell that b*~%~ what we think of her once and for all! She'll have to change things! Equal rule for all!"
"YEAH! EQUAL RULE FOR ALL! EQUAL RULE FOR ALL!"
Two hours latter, as the same Bruja walk out of Club V.
"Wow. She had some good points,"
"Oh I know! I would have never thought of that! I can totally see how that is a much more effective method! Wow. The Queen is amazing,"
That said, an Enforcer could work for anyone. Here is the Enforcer text:
Description
Somebody has to be the Bad Man. When you strip away
all the political bullshit and flapping noise-holes, vampires
are creatures of violence and violation. They kill people
to go on living. If a vampire wants to drink a beer or f%!@,
he’s got to use a little stolen life to do it. Even something
as simple as having a piss means somebody had to die a
little bit. Instincts demand dominance, and can turn the
thinking mind off like a light, and send even the most
cultured Kindred into a blind killing rage.
In the end, the only thing imposing a semblance
of order in the pressure cooker of court politics is the
implicit threat of horrible pain and extinction looming
over everyone who defies the hierarchy. Every domain
runs a little different, but even the most liberal Carthian
cities have their heavies lurking at the doors, waiting for
the signal to unload on somebody threatening the order
of things.
Enforcers use violence or the threat of violence
to impose order. They’re forces for stability in the
Kindred world—keeping in mind that that world has
been described not-inaccurately as a ‘neo-feudal hell.’
It might be oppressive and primitive and unfair, but it
keeps the vampires from ripping each other’s faces off
most of the time.
And when it doesn’t, there’s you.
Enforcers can serve the Prince, the Court, within
Covenants, or even local Clan hierarchies. Enforcers
with official roles often judge and sanction actions, while
less management-oriented Kindred hit the streets and
pound the pavement then hit people and pound them
into the pavement.
It’s not a complicated Requiem, but then there’s the
investigative angle some Enforcers miss entirely. There’s
got to be some determination about whether somebody is
a danger or not, whether a crime was committed or not,
and just who should suffer for it. Enforcers with some
brains to go with the brawn often find themselves having
to do their own digging, infiltration, interrogation, and
then judge whether to bring the hammer down.
Ton ig ht
You wake up still hurting, and the burns across your back
wept all night, and stuck to the sheets. A shower helps a
little, but your phone is ringing before you’re done. It’s the
‘office’ calling, and they’re asking whether the message was
delivered last night. Yeah, it was, and if there’s nothing
else, a night to eat and recover might be... ah... yeah, all
right. Somebody’s thrall tried to deliver a message to the
new gang downtown, let them know the score, but they
put him in the hospital. Going to be a goddamn slog
tonight, then. With gangs, it’s got to be all or nothing
in one night, or they’ll talk themselves into trying some
kind of payback bullshit. You gotta hurt the whole thing
bad enough to make it stick. A couple of calls, and you
know who’s running it and where they live—where they’re
moms live too. File that one away in case they need
things explained to them again. From the closet, your
hand lingers over the cut down shotgun, and then goes
for Old Reliable. The rebar with its duct-tape wrapping
brings back memories of early days, and you scratch blood
from the rough iron with a thumbnail as you call in your
status for the night.
Background
Enforcers come from all walks of life and unlife, and
are loosely divided between those who favor investigation
and those who tend towards the hands-on aspects of the
Requiem. An Enforcer can get by fine without thinking,
and asking as an instrument of somebody else’s policy. Go
here, smash X person’s face through Y breakable surfaces,
and remove Z fingers with a bolt cutter. The moderately
intelligence are going to occasionally wonder why they’re
inflicting all this pain, and then they’ll either have a
crisis of conscious (if they still have one), or possibly get
promoted to a more brain-intensive aspect of enforcement.
Concepts: Big F%+&ing Thug, Bouncer, Bloodhound,
Sympathetic Torturer, Undead Gumshoe, Legbreaker
Key Discipline: Protean
And hell, here is the Courtesan
“Thank you, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the party. Have you
tasted the pretty confections wandering about yet? Oh, you
simply must. Each is high on one exotic narcotic or another.
Mix and match, the effect is delightful.”
Description
She’s the life (metaphorically speaking) of the party. The
Courtesan’s territory are the social functions, parties,
and gatherings of the Kindred, especially those less
formalized gatherings where tradition and rote don’t rule
so absolutely. Vampires are social monsters, but their
politics are the politics of wolves—dominance, temper,
ego, and aggression always threaten to break lose in
vampire gatherings.
So to the Courtesans fall the duty of greasing the social
wheels, easing tempers, keeping enemies on opposite
sides of the ballroom with casual grace, and seeing to
it that the gather doesn’t curdle into factional clots.
It’s a bit like being a chemical engineer in an explosive
factory. Keep stirring, monitor the temperature, mix new
ingredients carefully, and if it all blows up make sure the
walls are strong and the roof is weak to channel the blast
harmlessly upwards.
Courtesans are influential, but generally not leaders
in their courts or covenants, rather they facilitate the
powerful. Without an able hand managing tempers and
keeping the party jovial, even the most able prince may
find this gatherings turning somber, and his own instincts
interfering with his desired impression.
Courtesans also help make introductions, and as they
generally know everyone in the local Court’s social scene,
they’re in a position to get people talking. Brokering
these meetings is one of their most overt forms of power,
and places those who request their aid subtly in their
debt. As fixers, they facilitate alliances, betrayals, and
political overthrows. Their neutrality is something most
prize, and the key to their survival as social brokers is
maintaining their usefulness regardless of who rules. They
may conspire like any other vampire, but do so with more
care less they commit to the losing side.
While they’re valued, their neutrality makes it hard to
trust a Courtesan.
Ton ig ht
You wake, and check your messages, email, texts, and
Fangbook to see if there’s any news or upcoming events
you might want to get in on, anybody looking for advice,
or introductions. You review your calendar, noting any
events tonight, and any prep for events coming up soon.
You dress carefully, crafting your public persona, and go
to meet your intimates at a venue chosen to convey a
certain message. You take a call from a new arrival in the
city who wishes to meet a representative from the local
Circle of the Crone adherents. He mentions that an old
ally of yours gave him your number, and the recognition
phrase he uses when you answer tells you the call is on
the level. You take his info down, and then on a whim
invite him to the little gathering you’re attending that
evening. The recognition phrase also included code-sign
for “potentially interesting” and “hot,” and appearing at
an event with a good-looking stranger never hurts ones
social stock. A few more phone calls between barely
sipped espresso arranges an arms deal, ruins the career
of a mortal politico who’d unwisely defied the Lancea
Bishop, and starts a rumor that will dog your chief rival
at tonight’s event, distracting him while you discuss the
Prince’s upcoming wedding plans with her.
Background
Most Courtesans are socially adept before the Embrace,
quickly allowing them to start playing the same role in
Kindred society, but it’s not required. Some are Embraced
by sires who also pursue this Requiem, and are selected for
artistic facial features, charisma, or even as a challenge.
My Fair Vampire.
Some antisocial people find to their surprise that they’re
better at being social after they die, and segue into the
Courtesan Requiem entirely on their own. Not every
Courtesan is elegant and cultured, and not every Court
responds wells to that anyhow. In some places a good old
boy brogue and back-slap supplant the air kiss, and in
others fortunes are made and broken over Xbox live chat
between smack-talk and Halo teabaggings.
Concepts: Airhead Mastermind, The Magnification
Bastard, Social Assassin, Matchmaker, Courtly
Chessmaster
Key Discipline: Majesty
You could always just lower Richard's Humanity if you'd like.
Works fine on my phone and nook. Sometimes it wont resize, but I think thats a browser issue. *shrug*
Updated politics, haven. Did -not- update the fast reflexes. :)
Updated weapon stats. I used the WoD corebook, since the guns Thomas would carry fit neatly in one of their charts. If I need to edit anything, lemme know!
You could always just lower Richard's Humanity if you'd like.
I think I'll keep it. From a metagaming perspective, it explains why he's been around so long but is only middling-power (all the xp went into buying humanity back up!). When I was reading up on the rules, I also noticed that I can't use more dice on social tests with mortals than my humanity score. Influencing mortals is important to him and with the negative examples he would have seen from the other Ventrue (clan weakness), fighting to cling to his humanity makes sense.
It sounds like we're ready to go!
Ayep. We're recruiting. :)
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Alrighty then. I'll have something to post early tomorrow, but I wanted to clarify one aspect of the game (I've played a lot of the old WoD, but I'm still finding my feet on the new one).
If you can explain to me the Martyr and Magus requiems, I should be able to choose one and get a character up.
Cheers!
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These are copy-pasta:
the long hard path to regretting it. Most vampires who
can remember what it felt like to breathe both regret their
condition and are repelled by it, but time erodes those
memories, and eventually they’ll realize they’ve been
undead longer than they were alive and just settle into it
for the long haul (the slow decay of their humanity also
helps ease them into a comfortable rut). But the Martyr
regrets it like heartache, and is soulsick with the urge to
somehow atone for the horrible things he’s done.
The older the vampire, the deeper the hole when
his sins finally catch up with him, and the burden of
atonement seems more and more impossible. There’s a
prime age for Martyrs, and most fall somewhere in the
middle of their first century. They’ve seen the world they
remember from their childhood vanish, and every living
person they knew as a mortal is dead. It’s a make or break
point, where they either go with the vampire thing and
get on with it, or have a crisis of conscience about it
(sometimes, it’s just a matter of whether there’s enough
humanity left in them to give a shit about atonement).
Other Martyrs experience some kind of traumatic
revelation. Probably in the rain. Cue the swelling music,
drop to your knees, spread your arms wide and scream
heavenwards as your tears are washed away in the blah
blah blah. That’s a problem for martyrs right there—their
weakness for misery masturbation and self flagellation
that’ll get laughs or disgusted head shakes from some of
the better adjusted (or at least, more resigned) monsters
in the community. It’s possible to seek some kind of
redemption without being a complete tool in the process.
Martyrs tend to stay connected to regular people, to
help them out. There’s the occasional temptation to play
superhero by protecting a neighborhood and working to
improve it. A vampire’s got power, and there’s no reason
it can’t be used to help people, except for the bit about
how you have to hurt people to get the power to help
them. Atonement isn’t about adding up the columns and
making sure Good totals more than Bad: no amount of
“only feeding on evil people” is going to clear a troubled
vampire’s conscience.
Some Martyrs really do work to help people, others
look for ways to control their condition, or pursue the
proverbial cure. It’s best they not think to hard about how
much blood is needed to fuel a ten year research program
because if they were really genuinely committed to atoning
and preserving others from the monster they’ve become,
then taking a walk outside at noon is the fastest way to
make that happen.
follower’s obsession with the occult—literally, in that which
is hidden. Ever secret is another tiny revelation, another step closer to the spiritual alchemy and the perfection
of the self. There’s a voyeuristic quality to the way the
Magus gazes into occult windows- the obsession driving
it isn’t healthy.
The newly made modern vampire tries to make sense of
his condition, resorting to half-remembered lessons from
Biology class. It’s a virus... that makes people allergic to
the sun... slows down the metabolism... makes us anemic
and crave blood... it also lets us control animals and
jump over cars. Ah! It all breaks down when they look
in the mirror, and see the smear where their face should
be. Light doesn’t bounce off a diseased body differently
than a healthy one, and there’s no heartbeat. There’s no
breathing. There’s no... it... it doesn’t make sense, it’s like...
Magic.
And there it is.
It’s an unholy miracle— the corpse rising up every
sunset and walking about and talking and seeking to fuel
its life on the blood of the living. The vampire’s existence
is fundamentally dependent on hidden occult forces. It
isn’t science or rationality which will explain it, but magic
and metaphysics, and only by pursuing those things can
this whole hideous thing be finally understood.
There’s also power. Once can’t forget the power. Some
Magi lose track of that quandary which first drove
them into occult research, and become enamored with
the power implicit in understand magical principles,
learning litanies, demon names, ritual invocations. Some
covenants teach magical practice, but that’s not enough
for most Magi, and the progress comes too slow.
The obsession of the Magus can be a dangerous one.
True horrors have in the past been born by the curious
meddling of such individuals, but there is no atrocity so
great that another won’t attempt the same operation later.
Alright then. Here's Phillip Esterhase, newly arrived senior-citizen neonate.
If you'll double-check my numbers, I'll start to hammer out some more details on what he's up to (at this point, not much - that's what the story is for!).
In terms of personal goals, he's trying to find one himself. Nearing 100 years old, his children are dying and his grandchildren are getting old (he follows them on Facebook but never posts himself). He's essentially worked two careers worth of counter-intelligence bureaucrat and his principal motivation to go on, up to now, has been a massive dose of Protestant Work Ethic. Having just got out from under the thumb of his sire, who used him up and tossed him out, he's in the midst of trying to redefine himself.
Masquerade ••• (Investigator)
Networking: Contacts (Law Enforcement, Journalists,)
Vouchsafe: Retainers (Police File Clerk, Journalist), +3 to subterfuge rolls to protect identity
Deep History: False identity, -4 to research background/identity, automatically pass routine checks
@Phillip: With 3 dots you should have 3 different contacts for networking and people will get -3 to research your background from Deep History. Other than that everything looks like its where it should be...
EDIT: Also, I noticed you don't have a haven. Not necessarily an issue, but potentially inconvenient.
EDIT: Also, I noticed you don't have a haven. Not necessarily an issue, but potentially inconvenient.
Made the edits - I figure an investigator with few scruples would have criminal contacts as well.
He's still in the market for a proper hidey-hole. With no ranks in it, I presume that means that his haven is small, easy to find, and insecure: either a small apartment or even a flophouse hotel room on an interior hall with no windows. Should he survive long enough to get the lay of the undead land, he'll look for a more secure dwelling.
Shifting over to discussion. I have a few ideas on how to get in with the group.
This is the character I'm slowly making
Bump! For great justice!
We have a great story going here, but the more the merrier!
Bumping back.
What you need?
What he means to say is, take a gander at the campaign info tab, G85 wrote up like an entire guide to char creation, read through the campaign, come up with an interesting vampire, and get ready. ;)
Right then one wacko...I mean Malkavian coming up.
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No fishmalks please.
Edit: What I should say is that in my game, Malkavian's are Oracles first, madmen second. You should play someone who receives visions, and after they receive their vision, their derangement activates for the rest of the night. However, when they don't have a vision, they are generally not insane people. Michael is a bit odd, but that is because his derangement is 'insomnia' and he hasn't slept in 4 days, which is quite bad for a Vampire. Thankfully, he knows it's coming, and his haven is made for the long trials of the beast freaking out during the day. He isn't quite so odd when he gets his 'sleep'.
Did not even consider a Fishmalk, In my opinion slapstick is not a form of madness. Your view of Malkavian's as oracles first dovetailed nicely into what I had already planed. I was thinking playing your typical schizophrenic, in his case he believes that one night he was drugged and blacked-out then someone stole his skin and eyes then replaced them with someone else's. His normal symptoms are twitchy behavior like someone wearing clothing 2 sizes too small or too large. Uncomfortable starring, he is studying other people to see if they are the wearing his old skin and are one who stole his skin. Bad days bring out hysterical shouting, accusations of skin theft, and an occasional collapse into the fetal position. His oracular ability's manifest through his schizophrenia as sensory illusions. Sometimes he'll smell and taste something that isn't there other times feel things or peoples touching his skin also seeing and hearing the past or present.
Hope you like and approve.
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Actually, my only actual problem is that as a Malkavian, you're only 'nutso' when you roll anything but an average success on Dementation, or after a vision. You'll be 'normal' otherwise. Of course, it's fine for him to act a bit odd most of the time; I imagine that if you went insane whenever you use a discipline (well, only one actually) or receive a vision, you'd dread the experience. But otherwise, you aren't actually insane.
Ok, let me think of something else then.
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Well, having known (honestly) people with Schizophrenia, you could also play it as having nothing wrong with you until something goes wrong. People with Schizophrenia who know they have it try to ignore it, and pretend to not have it, and sometimes they have attacks, and they can't contain themselves.
It's odd, but when I hear someone say: I wanna play a Malkavian, I just know that they'll choose Schizophrenia.
Bump!
We'll find our 4th player sooner or later...
Howdy folks, I've submitted a character to G85 over on enworld for this game with just a couple final questions. So I might be able to join you soon.
Ok my alias tab has no options at all in it, so I must be missing something site related that allows me to make aliases.
Maybe I have to post 10 times before it will let me make one?
Ok there we go, all aliased up now :D
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@Oroku:
While I understand your explanation for Fu-Chiao-Pai, it sounds like it’s use would just grant you a free die everytime you use the Brawl skill, which I will not allow. While you can call it that, you need to codify, within the rules, when you would use it.
There is a merit involved with having access to a research center (I'll get some information up on it), that gives you bonuses to research and have access. For now, the temple's information allows you to research certain topics, but does not give a bonus. The merit would basically be Oroku better understanding where things were within the library, allowing him to do research faster, in that library only mind you, and having unlimited access to certain areas. Also, you should know that the temple's monks would have shown Oroku their knowledge center, which is (mostly) scrolls, but to access it’s deeper secrets, you need to petition the temple's head master, Kasumi, each time. Until the merit is purchased. Each dot in the merit would be him being allowed to see more and more of it.
LOL! Just be aware, there are two Zoe’s in the game:
Zoe Maximoff: Female Vampire leader of the Triad
Zoey Quiler: Human owner of the Zazzle club, a gay club in the city.
And, each train at the temple, both are martial artists. Zoey is just a human who does not know the truth though.
So, Zoe and Zoey. The Y matters!
Like I mentioned before, the Queen already has all the people she needs to dispose of other people; she wouldn’t have contacted Oroku, except to bring him before her to make sure he knew who was in charge. In fact, that is where I thought I’d bring you in.
Also, be aware that his implant wouldn’t grant access to all languages, that is what a plugin merit would be for. I will allow it for English for free, but that is all. Because the setting allows for many languages to be spoken, I do see that as overpowering; each dot in plugin would allow him access to another language.
@Richard:
Indeed! Here is the dictionary definition:
Slang: a gangster or gunman hired as a bodyguard, assassin, etc.
I changed the brawl specialization simply to "claws" to make it easier. Woof 2 Zoeys in 1 town, when I see Zoe I think Zo like Bo Derrick or Joe the plumber, at any rate fixed (I do mean Maximoff, the one Yui is friends with). I removed the bullyboy last sentence, and as far as deepest secrets of the temple go, I only meant so far as Saki knows. No extra benefits intended. Language fixed as well, English should work for most situations this being America and all (We're so lazy) :P
It's been a while since we bumped this so... *BUMP*
Well, we can do you blood and love without the rhetoric, and we can do you blood and rhetoric without the love, and we can do you all three concurrent or consecutive. But we can't give you love and rhetoric without the blood. Blood is compulsory. They're all blood, you see.
There's always room for one more! Join us in exploring an interesting city with colorful characters and labyrinthine conspiracies. There's a campaign wiki at Obsidian Portal where you can read up on the setting and decide if this is something you'd be interested in...
sooo... how much knowledge of the system or world would be required to join this?
I played Werewolf and Vampire: The masquerade in the late 90's if I recall correctly and the pc game last year (second play through actually) so I have something of a passing familiarity with the theme and system but nothing substantial.
If you'd be willing to accept a noob I'd be willing to dive into the World of Darkness.
Sigz.
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I think myself and the group as a whole are willing to overlook that...also, the group was about as up to speed on Vampire's rules as it sounds you are currently when they started!
Just be aware, this is Requiem, not Masquerade; I enjoyed many elements of Masquerade, but not it's Metaplot, which has been tossed out the window, and we use Requiem's rule system and world as a template, not V:tM's. If this is okay with you, it's okay with me! I am more than happy to help you into the system and setting.
Here is the wiki article page to start you on character creation, if you are still interested! I encourage you to play a freshly embraced Kindred, to help ease you into the rules and setting.
How's that all sound?