A Matter of Faith: Dragoncat's Vampire: Dark Ages 20th Anniversary (Inactive)

Game Master Dragoncat

The year is 1197 AD.

The ashes of the Third Crusade have settled over a Muslim-claimed Jerusalem, and in the wake of the death of Saladin the whispers of Christianity carry rumours of another quest to retake the Holy Land. Heedless of such rumours, the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI of the House of Hohenstaufen, has launched a Crusade of his own to avenge the ignoble death of his father, Frederick Barbarossa.

But, as is the case with much of human history, a darker purpose guides his actions.

By day, the Holy Roman Empire is a bastion of piety and zealotry within the Roman Catholic faith. By night, the darkened city streets and foreboding forests of the Empire’s many kingdoms play host to a society of monsters. Wretched and foreboding, these creatures survive off of the blood of humans and are said to have subtly guided the actions of all mortals, from beggars and thieves to clergy and kings. The monsters who make their homes in this Empire know the land by a different name… the Fiefdoms of the Black Cross.

Whether you wanted it or not, you are part of this society now. Within the past five years, you have been Embraced and have found yourself within the city of Magdeburg. Perhaps you lived in this city for all of your mortal life, or perhaps you have come to this city for your own reasons. Whatever the circumstances of your arrival in Magdeburg, you know that you have to introduce yourself to the city’s Prince if you are to be permitted to stay here.

The Prince’s court is being held in the Cathedral of Saint Maurice. Don’t be late.
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Hello everyone! I’m looking for 5 PCs to join me in a Vampire: Dark Ages game using the 20th Anniversary edition rules. The chronicle will be set primarily within the Fiefdoms of the Black Cross (a.k.a. The Holy Roman Empire by Night) and will immerse the PCs in the vampiric intrigues of the turn of the century, from the end of the Long Night to the beginning of the War of Princes.

Character Generation rules are as follows:

Starting Generation: 12th.
Clans: Any of the main 13 and Caitiff, with Bloodlines to be approved on a case-by-case basis.
Attributes: 7/5/3
Abilities: 13/9/5
Backgrounds: 5
Disciplines: 4
Virtues: 7
Freebie Points: 15
Merits/Flaws: 7 points maximum for Merits and Flaws.

Recruitment ends July 10th, 2020.

Haven't played VTM in forever!

I am thinking of a Tzimisce Physician. He would be a Moldovan gentleman who studied at the Schola Medica Salernitana in Salerno, Italy.

Likely to dust off (pun intended) an old Malkavian, but I'll entertain some other ideas, too.

I wouldn't mind giving this a try, but I will admit that I tend to find the level of terrible that many people who play/run Vampire are interested in to not be something I'm interested in. Consider this my tentative dot.

I wouldn't mind giving this a try, but I will admit that I tend to find the level of terrible that many people who play/run Vampire are interested in to not be something I'm interested in. Consider this my tentative dot.

Yep, once the group is formed we'll hammer out what level of violence, horror and whatnot everyone is comfortable with and I'll adjust play accordingly.

Question regarding backgrounds: Is Generation a purchasable background for this game (i.e. using Background points to buy 10th, 9th, etc.) or are we fixed starting at 12th? The rules, as I recall, indicate that Generation is only purchasable if the Storyteller allows.

Generation is a purchasable background.

I'm potentially interested in Old Clan Tzimisce, if you don't object?

Old Clan? Sounds interesting to me. What'd you have in mind?

Old Clan? Sounds interesting to me. What'd you have in mind?

Was thinking of a Romanian fledgling sent to Magdeburg by her mentor for... whatever reasons you want to give (mentors have their own motivations, after all, and will happily use fledglings for their own agendas). Part of a decrepit lineage from the old country that looks askance at the "newer" Tzimisce with their flesh-warping, and really hates the Turks. Too young to be deeply entrenched in Kindred politics yet, but likely to develop her own personal grudges with time and experience. A pragmatic but not cruel individual, who embraces the "lord/lady of the manor" stereotype. Educated and socially adroit.

Yep, once the group is formed we'll hammer out what level of violence, horror and whatnot everyone is comfortable with and I'll adjust play accordingly.

Okay, just wanted to put that out that ahead of time before I start working on a character.

So- since someone asked about Old Clan Tszimice. . . what are your thoughts on True Brujah?

For what it's worth, I think that playing Vampire as an exercise in "how awful can I be to other players and get away with it by saying that it's a game about monsters" is an attitude that's definitely worth booting from the game table.

So- since someone asked about Old Clan Tszimice. . . what are your thoughts on True Brujah?

While I think they're a neat concept, I'm leery of their Discipline of Temporis.

Heck ya, count me in for any VTM goodness thinking assamite vizier got to love me some thaumaturgy.

Oxnard Kettlebeak wrote:

So- since someone asked about Old Clan Tszimice. . . what are your thoughts on True Brujah?

While I think they're a neat concept, I'm leery of their Discipline of Temporis.

That's fair. . . I'm working a couple of different angles-- possible Tremere Thaumaturgist, possibly some kind of crusader/knight concept?

Still kicking around ideas.

Oh, if Old Clan Tzimisce is too weird, I can fall back to Lasombra or Cappadocian (different kinds of weird).

Old Clan Tzimisce sounds fine to me.

Here is my first draft of my Tzimisce physician, Alexandru Creangâ.

I'm not sure if it fits into your current campaign plan, but part of his backstory is a driving goal of corrupting the mortal nobility and clergy as a means of hastening the Empire's decline. I can change this if it doesn't work for you.

Basically, he appeals to the vanity of mortals by offering them beauty by way of Vicissitude, forcing them to make certain concessions (money and political favors) in exchange for his work. He also uses his proximity to the nobility to 'overhear' secrets and use them for blackmail.

Anyway, let me know if this works, or if I need to change anything.

So here is kinda a rough idea for my character:

Have to do a bit of editing as he gained a bit of xp but here is the idea

Here is my first draft of my Tzimisce physician, Alexandru Creangâ.

I'm not sure if it fits into your current campaign plan, but part of his backstory is a driving goal of corrupting the mortal nobility and clergy as a means of hastening the Empire's decline. I can change this if it doesn't work for you.

Basically, he appeals to the vanity of mortals by offering them beauty by way of Vicissitude, forcing them to make certain concessions (money and political favors) in exchange for his work. He also uses his proximity to the nobility to 'overhear' secrets and use them for blackmail.

Anyway, let me know if this works, or if I need to change anything.

Just one question for now: where did you get the Compulsion and Driving Goal flaws from?

Quick question:

Will you allow me to use my freebie points to purchase a new path for Thaumaturgy? It costs 7 xp to add one, and was hoping I could add one for the same price.

Ok- one more oddball request:

Gargoyle bloodine.

Basic pitch- gargoyle struggling with becoming a truly free/sentient creature now 50 some years removed from the war and with the Tremere integrated into Kindred society.

(Only works with a Tremere in the group who I can ostensibly serve- which it looks like we have.)

Dottore Alexandru Creangâ wrote:

Here is my first draft of my Tzimisce physician, Alexandru Creangâ.

I'm not sure if it fits into your current campaign plan, but part of his backstory is a driving goal of corrupting the mortal nobility and clergy as a means of hastening the Empire's decline. I can change this if it doesn't work for you.

Basically, he appeals to the vanity of mortals by offering them beauty by way of Vicissitude, forcing them to make certain concessions (money and political favors) in exchange for his work. He also uses his proximity to the nobility to 'overhear' secrets and use them for blackmail.

Anyway, let me know if this works, or if I need to change anything.

Just one question for now: where did you get the Compulsion and Driving Goal flaws from?

I have a copy of the original Vampire: Dark Ages rule book (1996, p. 279). That’s what I was referencing while making the character. If those flaws don’t exist anymore, I can drop them and figure something else out.

Alrighty. Just wanted to know where they came from.

Will you allow me to use my freebie points to purchase a new path for Thaumaturgy? It costs 7 xp to add one, and was hoping I could add one for the same price.

In Dark Ages Vampire V20, adding a new Blood Sorcery (Thaumaturgy) path costs 4 freebie points, in fact.

Basic pitch- gargoyle struggling with becoming a truly free/sentient creature now 50 some years removed from the war and with the Tremere integrated into Kindred society.

(Only works with a Tremere in the group who I can ostensibly serve- which it looks like we have.)

An interesting idea, but I don't think it quite fits what I have in mind for the chronicle.

Thinking of going for a Gangrel.

I promised my next submission would be normal, so I present:

Frederick von Hapsburg- a Ventrue born to the rising Hapsburg family, slain during the Crusade but saved from final death by his sire who embraced him to heal his wounds. Finishing the Crusade by night, Frederick picked up his dark secret at this time-- diablerising a fellow Cainite, an Assamite who was fighting for the Turks. Only his sire who aided him in the battle and witnessed the final act, knows the truth, but some Assamites know it was Frederick who killed their brother and he earned a dangerous enemy (enemy 3 below). Back in Madeburg, the city of his life, Frederick is beginning the process of turning his considerable mortal assets and allies to the task of raising his status in Kindred society where he is ultimately still a neophyte despite his considerable blood power.

I am a tentative dot; I got a lot going on but vampire is such goodness and Dark Ages is a rare treat for sure.

@JonGarrett: Looking forward to seeing them!

@Oxnard: Looks good!

@KingHotTrash: Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

I have two concepts I am playing around with.

The first is the mixed raced (European - middle eastern) bastard son of a crusader knight. Raised as a servant and lancer in his father's house, he was taken by the Assamites as an intriguing pawn in the game between west and east.

The other would be a crusader man-at-arms that contracted leprosy and was fighting out his final days when the knight he served lead them into a ruin occupied by a Nosferatu. With the battle over, the Nosferatu saw one twisted like himself and embraced him.

@Oblivion's Scion: Both sound like interesting concepts!

I had several ideas at first, but those two rose to the top of the crowd. I'll have to write a few things down and see if either stands out over the other. Sometimes the hardest part in making a character is choosing what to make.

Okay, so here is my tentative character build. I realized that there were a few things that I would need more than another path for Thaumaturgy, so I ended up going that route instead:

@Vrog Skyreaver: Looks good! You still have three more rituals to pick from.

@Storytelling Cat - Would the Kiasyd Bloodline be an available option?

What sort of character did you have in mind for it?

About 9 days left in recruitment!

I think I finally have an idea...I'm going to make a barber-surgeon. Not sure the Clan yet but I think he began to investigate the strange deaths, disappearances, and such of people before being "recruited" by one of the clans. Maybe a Toreador.

@KingHotTrash: Looking forward to hearing more!

Ok, mostly done here: Elena Roșu

Ok, mostly done here: Elena Roșu

Looks good!

And now... we wait.

"Patience, childe. 'Tis one of the only virtues of the kine worthy of us."

;)

I'm going to take Warding Circle vs. Ghouls, Warding Circle vs. Lupines, and Warding Circle vs. Kindred as my other 3 rituals.

I plan to make it really hard to break into my forge, unless you're a mortal, in which case, you get what you deserve.

Of course, I have a whole host of other rituals I want to learn (Were such a thing possible, I would have made ritual casting my primary path), but these ones will help me the most I think.

@Vrog Skyreaver: Alrighty. Looks good.

I've been watching the thread and considering ideas idly for a while... of which I have man. Narrowing my options has been the main challenge. I think I'll likely just go with a Capadocian since it's the only time when you can reasonably play one.

Would you be willing to consider a path of enlightenment from one of the older books, they're easy enough to port in. Nothing too exotic but I found Path of the Vizier worked really well for a Capadocian character I got to play for a brief period before.

https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Path_of_the_Vizier

@Kevin O'Rourke 440: Sure, I'll allow that path.

I've been trying to think of a concept that I would really like to play and just nothing is really settling in. Thank you for the opportunity but I'm going to have to pass for now <3