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In 1993, the Camarilla Prince of Lodin was torn to shreds, one of the many victims of a combined Sabbat/Black Spiral Dancer assault on the Kindred of Chicago, Illinois. The city was left with multiple contenders vying for control of the city and the title of Prince, while Elders weaved intrigues in Elysium and Anarchs railed against the inequities of their youth, weak blood, and a system that was designed to keep them down. All the while, two Methuselahs waged a shadow-war with Kindred and mortal proxies alike, seeking to slate a millennium-old thirst for vengeance over the death of a dream.
Nearly twenty-five years later, join us, and peel back the mystery of how the immortal nights of Chicago have changed. We are currently accepting applications for Chicago By Night: Time Gone By, a play-by-post game using the Vampire the Masquerade 20th edition rule-set, set in the early months of 2017 and onward.
Character Creation
General Restrictions: Characters are assumed to be neonates/ancilla no more than 50 years old as a Kindred. 8th Generation is lowest starting player generation.
Clan Choices: All Camarilla (Assamites, Brujah, Gangrel, Giovanni, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue), Caitiff, Lasombra. Anything else is unlikely to be considered without a truly amazing character background/concept.
Attributes 7/5/4
Abilities 13/9/6
Backgrounds 5
Virtues 7
Freebie Points 21
Merits and Flaws Up to 7 points
Concept/Background – We’d like at least a page or so worth of character background so we can really get a feel for the character and work in some plot hooks to help tie the character into the setting better. We’re aiming for this to be a long-term game.
We welcome submissions, as well as any questions regarding character creation, through PM here on-site or at jamagee@fullsail.edu The game will be played via private discussion board (currently being built)
Dot for Brujah OR Gangrel if you want to submit Brujah Grimdog73...
Though if Lasombra is admitted and not taken I might lean in that direction.
I am thinking Assamite or Nosferatu actually, but where can I find the revised clan weakness for Assamite???
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Depends on the caste; Sorcerers end up showing as magically active, even if they don't know Thaumaturgy or Assamite Sorcery. Warriors show as active diablerists, even if they haven't even sipped the blood of another Kindred (besides their Sire), and Vizier castes gain an OCD-related (or similar) Derangement centering around their 'speciality' (crafting, negotiation, etc).
Just as a note, btw, should be advertising for about another week before we'll have all the players finalized.
Unruly bed time last night ate into my free time. I should get the submission up tonight or possibly tomorrow night.
@Storyteller shadow, did you decide which clan (gangrel or lasombra) you were going with?
My concept has three different variations depending on Clan - gangrel, Nosferatu, or Assamite. If you are going gangrel it helps me narrow down my concept some.
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@Storyteller shadow, did you decide which clan (gangrel or lasombra) you were going with?
My concept has three different variations depending on Clan - gangrel, Nosferatu, or Assamite. If you are going gangrel it helps me narrow down my concept some.
I feel you. Have been sick today and busy working on the site stuff. Also, can anyone have enough Assamites, Gangrel, or Nosferatu?
Dotting. Leaning toward a Tremere concept, although I very well could go Nosferatu if that clan is available (pending Shadow's and wanderer82's concepts)
Possibly interested. Are V20 rules required for initial submission? I only own the 90s era rulebooks. Also, what sort of posting rate are you looking for players to maintain?
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We can always help you adapt a character to the V20 rules; the differences are, at most, relatively small. As far as posting rate, I wouldn't expect daily, but probably every other day as far as ST things going on; we aim for a fairly active board but don't plan on penalizing people who, you know, work and everything! Most of us do it!
Potentially interested in a Vampire PBP if there are still openings. What is left? :)
I am going Tremere as it turns out.
Starting Disciplines 3 or 4? I don't see it listed above.
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Starting Disciplines is 4, three must be from in-clan; the other can go into common non-Clan disciplines.
As far as openings, anything is left. We're not capping clans at one player member per or trying to create a rainbow coalition of Kindred; at this point, the applications are making a fair enough spread for us not to warrant more requests for people to go one way or the other.
Good to hear, because I had started to formulate that Tremere in my mind before Shadow opted to go that direction.
@Shadow - given that we are both looking at Tremere, any desire to link backgrounds (at least post embrace). I was looking at being an older gentleman that happened to be a curator at the Field Museum of Natural History prior to the embrace and carried on as a curator emeritus post embrace for a number of years before it became too dangerous to the masquerade to do so. He would likely still have contacts, allies, or even more likely a retainer with some sort of status with the museum. Access to all sorts of old stuff. Sounds right a Tremere's alley to me. :)
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We only have one Tremere applied for so far, and I'm not going to lie: between the character's backstory and certain portions of their character sheet, they're already getting in. I can say that we're very highly interested in looking for people with fresh ideas about VTM characters and a bit of variety; If I had a nickel for every person who app'ed an 8th generation vampire already, I'd be able to go get a venti frappe at Starbucks if my body could process coffee without horrible stomach issues.
Good to hear, because I had started to formulate that Tremere in my mind before Shadow opted to go that direction.
@Shadow - given that we are both looking at Tremere, any desire to link backgrounds (at least post embrace). I was looking at being an older gentleman that happened to be a curator at the Field Museum of Natural History prior to the embrace and carried on as a curator emeritus post embrace for a number of years before it became too dangerous to the masquerade to do so. He would likely still have contacts, allies, or even more likely a retainer with some sort of status with the museum. Access to all sorts of old stuff. Sounds right a Tremere's alley to me. :)
Sure. His Mortal life would be tough as I am mid stream there. As a Vampire he becomes a "Regent" in a Hoboken NJ Chantry during the time the Sabbat has control of NY.
Once Sturbridge's star rises and the Chicago Bloodbath of '93 takes place, he relocates to Chicago and has been there ever since serving Nicolai.
We only have one Tremere applied for so far, and I'm not going to lie: between the character's backstory and certain portions of their character sheet, they're already getting in. I can say that we're very highly interested in looking for people with fresh ideas about VTM characters and a bit of variety; If I had a nickel for every person who app'ed an 8th generation vampire already, I'd be able to go get a venti frappe at Starbucks if my body could process coffee without horrible stomach issues.
My Backstory should prove interesting whether I get in or not ;-)
I will be 8th or 9th, depends on how many Freebies I have to spare.
I'll work on the Crunch now blackaeon. Take a look Talomyr and let me know how you would like to tie in ;-)
Peter Kincaid was born in Hoboken in 1915. His father was a Banker and his Mother a housewife. Unlike most bankers of his generation, Thomas Kincaid saw the handwriting on the wall and sold his stocks months before the Great Crash remaining liquid and passing his massive losses to those who lacked his foresight. Thus, the Kincaid family was wealthy when most others were poor.
As a young man his best friend was an Italian kid named Frank Sinatra. The two had a lot of similar interests – music, girls, and generally rowdiness. When Frank dropped out of school so did Peter.
Thomas was distracted by his own appetite for the Occult writings of THE Aleister Crowley and the Golden Dawn. This left Molly to tend to her rowdy son and only child. Despite her best efforts with his father inattentive, Molly was unable to corral Peter who formed a singing duet with Frank as teens in local clubs such as the Cat’s Meow and the Comedy Club. Both of which unbeknownst to their owners, Peters’ father owned! Indeed, Thomas’ Hoboken Real Estate investments would prove telling to Peters’ future.
With Peter refusing to return to school and his late night outings with Frank to New York to perform in City clubs, Molly had enough. While Thomas was a third generation Englishman, Molly was an Irish immigrant. She convinced Thomas to move back to the United Kingdom, he was more than happy to move to be closer to Crowley who had in 1932 also returned to London.
Thus, the teen moved to London with his family where his father spent time with Crowley himself. Molly discovered that she could pull the teen out of a rowdy place but that did not pull the rowdiness out of the teen. With no friends to speak of Peter began to spend time with Thomas and Crowley sneaking out at night with his father to hear the lessons of the enigmatic Crowley.
By 1938, Peter was fully initiated into the Golden Dawn. With the Second World War looming Molly convinced Thomas to take a Holiday to Ireland to visit with her family in Munster. It was a Holiday from which they would never return.
Peter’s charisma allowed him to pursue his own small cult following in Munster. His pursuits in the Occult led him to, by the time the War ended, follow in the footsteps of Crowley who he visited one last time in Netherwood in 1946. Crowley spoke of “deeper mysteries” that Peter believed he could find only by seeing what and who Crowley had seen.
With Real Estate from Hoboken still providing the family with significant income, Peter set out for Scotland, Paris, Mexico City, San Francisco, Hawaii, Hong Kong, and India. He made the K2 climb high into the mountains seeking some wisdom there but received a vicious case of frostbite instead…
After finally recovering in 1951 Peter journeyed to Egypt seeking to hear the whispers of the ancient Gods as Crowley claimed to have heard. Having heard no such voices he next set his sights on a climb of Kangchenjunga in the Himalayas. The ascent was successful but not notably so and once again, Peter found no wisdom of the ancients or ancient cities in the mountains.
After following in Crowley’s footsteps for so long, Peter sought to do something different, having read a theory that ancient Atlantis may be beneath the ice of Antarctica he began to seek financial backers for a trip to that frozen continent back in London. During this time he was informed of an Expedition already present there, the Norwegian–British–Swedish Antarctic Expedition. Utilizing his vast resources, Peter had himself attached to the expedition. He took a team as far onto the continent searching for… something perhaps Lovecraftian but found naught but snow and damn near death from frostbite once more.
By 1953 he had returned to London and was informed of the death of his father who had long been too sick to continue traveling with Peter. His Mother now old as well convinced Peter to come back to Munster to handle his father’s affairs. He spent the next seven years in Ireland writing of his experiences and combining what he had learned with Crowley’s writings expanding his own Thaumaturgical learnings with those already written by Crowley.
Unlike Crowley, Peter never attained the fame that Crowley did and unbeknownst to him, his father had sold all but a few properties to fuel the trips around the world that Peter had organized. Never much of a business man, Peter was forced to journey back to, of all places, Hoboken New Jersey to see into the affairs of the Kincaid family.
Once there he established a new cult in one of the abandoned properties drawing many of the Occult practitioners of New York and New Jersey into his web, mainly through his association with Crowley and not for his own accomplishments. Still, by 1965 Peter had created enough of a following that he was considered one of the masters of Occult practice in the area.
On his 50th birthday, he had dinner at a local restaurant in Hoboken when he saw of all people, Frank Sinatra. The two old friends rekindled their friendship and with the help of Frank, he was able to sell all of the remaining properties in the city to some of Sinatra’s wealthy friends who saw the potential in the city and its close proximity to New York.
Peter spent the next few years traveling with Frank and attempting to lure his old friend into the Occult lifestyle. With a man of his Fame at Peter’s side, he could spread his belief systems among the wealthy and the famous of the US, making himself more powerful and influential than Crowley ever was. Sinatra resisted and soon enough Peter’s insistence on the matter had the old friends parting ways. Peter now in his early 50’s returned to his “compound” in Hoboken to consider what his next move would be.
Death once more interrupted life as word from Ireland brought news that his mother was quite ill. Peter returned to Munster leaving his Occult practice in the hands of his most faithful acolyte. Now 1967, Peter stayed with his Mother until her death in 1970 and closed up her affairs seeing to sell her Munster holdings. However, his attempt was blocked by a trust fund of which Peter had no knowledge of through his mother or father’s will.
Traveling to London to investigate the mysterious legal document Peter came face to face with two “men” he believed long dead – Thomas Kincaid and Aleister Crowley! Thus were the mysteries of the world finally revealed to Peter. The world was ruled by creatures known as the “Kindred” but known to mortals as Vampires.
Crowley claimed that he was a member of the Clan known as the Malkavians. He had arranged for Thomas to be Embraced by an ally of his among the Tremere who came to the attention of that clan due to his own Occult connections with Peter. Crowley was mistrusted by the Tremere clan and thus for his own Thaumaturgical powers to grow, he needed to find an indirect teacher.
Thomas had done all he could, it was time now for Peter to join the ranks of the Undead and transfer what it was he could learn to Crowley. Thomas agreed to receive the Embrace from his father and in the old man’s moment of weakness, diablerized him!
Indeed, Peter was no mere acolyte to the mysteries of the Kindred, as a mortal in Hoboken, his own property was claimed as a Chantry positioned to spy on the Sabbat of New York and he a Ghoul of the Irish Tremere Kindred Aidan Lyle. Peter’s destruction of his own father cut Crowley off from his source within the Tremere for expanding the Great Beasts’ magical powers and simultaneously destroyed a traitor to Clan Tremere. The plan and the diablerie sanctioned by Dr. Dee and Mithras allowed Peter to gain powers the likes of which as young as he would not normally possess.
Still, Crowley was not a Kindred to be challenged and Peter was forced to return to New Jersey to avoid the wrath of the powerful Madman and to claim his prize, Regent of the Chantry of Hoboken. Indeed, by 1970 Lyle has enough of the dangers of the Sabbat and was transferred back to a Chantry in Ireland leaving Peter as the “Master” of his own Chantry and as a Neonate no less!
The danger posed by the Sabbat kept him from dong very much more than staying indoors and expanding his own magical research into as many paths as he could Master. Aisling Sturbridge’s star began to rise in the Five Boroughs Chantry of New York marginalizing Peter. After two decades his daring splash into the Clan was forgotten and he stagnated. That all changed in 1993 when the bloodbath of Chicago took place, Peter saw it as an opportunity, with may Tremere and other Kindred slain, he gave up his position as “Regent” of Hoboken and through the aid of the Pontifex Peter Dorfman, was granted access to move to and serve the powerful Nicolai of the Chicago Chantry.
For the past twenty five years, Peter has made strides to increase his own political and magical powers, something he failed and in many ways was prevented from doing by the Sabbat who were ever looming in New York City. The fall of New York to the Camarilla in New York gave him a moment of doubt as to whether he should head back to the east coast but as Polonia was not destroyed in the attack he opted against it. Indeed, Polonia had long sought to slay Peter due to his proximity to New York. Or so Peter claimed, indeed, Peter claimed many things about his time in Hoboken that were not true…
That was in the past now though, Peter was a rising star in Chicago and he would not look back!
Peter Kincaid - 11th Gen. Willpower 9 - BP 12/12 – 1 Per Round
Clan Tremere - Sire Thomas Kincaid (D)
Nature - Pedagogue --- Demeanor --- Enigma
Attributes:
Physical (T): Social (S): Mental (P):
Strength * Charisma *** Perception ****
Dexterity * Manipulation *** Intelligence ***
Stamina ***** Appearance ** Wits ***
Abilities (P):
Talents:
Alertness ***
Athletics *
Awareness ***
Brawl
Empathy *
Expression *
Intimidation
Leadership *
Streetwise
Subterfuge ***
Skills (T):
Animal Ken
Crafts
Drive
Etiquette **
Firearms
Larceny
Melee
Performance **
Security
Stealth
Survival **
Knowledges (S):
Academics **
Computer *
Finance *
Investigation *
Law *
Medicine *
Occult *****
Politics *
Science
Technology
Backgrounds:
Allies **
Generation **
Contacts *
Herd **
Resources **
Retainers * (Acolyte)
Virtues:
Conscience **
Self-Control ****
Courage ****
Humanity 6 --- Willpower 9
Merits:
Language *** English (Base + Arabic, Chinese, & Hindu)
Elysium Regular *
Flaws:
Enemy 3 – Aleister Crowley – Malkavian Thaumaturgist of London.
Open Wound 2 – Damage to his arms due to two bouts of frostbite in his life. Upon Embrace the damage became more unsightly and blood began to flow to it upon awakening every evening to repair it. (2 BP per evening to waken).
Prey Exclusion 1 – Children and Anyone near a Child.
Dark Secret 1 – Peter sold secrets to Polonia regarding the movements of the Camarilla in Hoboken to save his own skin from the Sabbat threat in New York.
Disciplines: 4 + 2 from Freebies
Thaumaturgy – Lure of the Flames (Primary) **
Thaumaturgy – Movement of the Mind *
Thaumaturgy – Weather Control *
Thaumaturgy – Path of the Levinbolt *
Thaumaturgy – Elemental Mastery *
Dominate – 0
Auspex – 0
Freebies – 21 + 7 Flaws = 28.
Willpower – 5 Points = 23
Paths Levinbolt & Elemental Mastery 7 each = 9
Merits – 4 = 5
Backgrounds – 5 = 0
We only have one Tremere applied for so far, and I'm not going to lie: between the character's backstory and certain portions of their character sheet, they're already getting in. I can say that we're very highly interested in looking for people with fresh ideas about VTM characters and a bit of variety; If I had a nickel for every person who app'ed an 8th generation vampire already, I'd be able to go get a venti frappe at Starbucks if my body could process coffee without horrible stomach issues.My Backstory should prove interesting whether I get in or not ;-)
I will be 8th or 9th, depends on how many Freebies I have to spare.
Ended up at 11th ;-)
Just realized need to pick some Rituals, will do that and tighten up the background if the submission is accepted.
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Shadow, hate to break it to you, but one of the ST's is a bit of an expert on Crowley, Thelema, Golden Dawn, etc, and wanted to let you know that Crowley had dissociated from the HOGD by the early 1900s after his 'magickal war' with H.R. MacGregor Mathers; if he studied directly under M. Therion post writing of the Book of the Law (April 1912, we believe, offhand), he'd have likely had Crowley's Thelemic system pushed very hard on him!
Edit: Also, not sure if it was spelled out beforehand, but we're looking for characters coming into the city from outside or only having been there a year or two at most; the Chantry, at this point, is undergoing an extreme expansion precisely to accomodate what seems like well more than just an incoming group of Neonates. There also wouldn't be a reason to have two Regents at the same Chantry, and that title would've likely gone to DuSable anyhow... or so the Tremere think.
Double Edit: Also, as far as our timeline is concerned, Crowley died in 1947, point-blank. Using heroin is bad... using heroin for fifty years is horrible. Other ST also said Crowley would likely have tried to bugger the boy, his words, not mine.
Treble Edit: Book of the Law was written in 1904; Crowley was only a member of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn between 1898-99. Far more famous associations between Crowley and occult orders are the A.A. (Argentium Astrum) and the Ordo Templi Orientis - ST John (the Crowley expert)
Looking for characters that are new to the city...well there goes that concept.
Back to the drawing board.
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Honestly, if I were to put up a list of 10 occultists who would make a more interesting background center than Crowley, it'd go like this (and this isn't a knock on anyone's bio or anything; I've read most of Crowley's works and think he's a genius re: the occult, but it goes without saying the man was a bigot, sexist, pederast, and a couple other things besides):
1. Austin Osman Spare
2. Doreen Valiente
3. Kenneth Grant
4. Israel Regardie
5. Chic and Tabitha Cicero
6. Genesis P-Orridge
7. Robert Anton Wilson
8. Phil Hine
9. Scott Cunningham
10. Anton Szandor LaVey
Edit: Added a pair because they'd make a hell of a basis for a Tremere
11. Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst and Malcalypse the Younger
I'm more dotting than anything else. I have two broad concepts involving a Nosferatu artist seeking a way to mold flesh (yeah, setting my own trap for my own character...) or a Gangrel based loosely on Bart, the Holistic Assassin.
I have a feeling the Nos would probably fit into a long term game best, but I'm going to mull over the overall idea.
If I have time I'll revise, if not my submission can just be a PC in the Chicago game I run.
Still the normal cap of 3 in abilities without freebies?
Well, above question is because I'm intending to have 4 in Crafts for my walking skeleton Nosferatu sculptor. I have a background in mind that I will write up ASAP, but the rough draft of the numbers is done. The character does not yet realize he has the potential to be a decent spy, but I'm sure someone will see that potential and use the heck out of him gently guide him.
Will dot...
I 'd like to join this game.
What Clans are still open?
Ok, this is the crunch for Wanderer82's submission. As I am working to round out the fluff, I wanted to confirm that, given you are using the revised Assamite clan weakness, is it safe to assume Ur-Shugli has awoken, he has broken the Tremere curse, and the Assamite Schism has occurred??
Also, is a canine ghoul acceptable for a retainer? In going Assamite instead of Nosferatu I don't get Animalism, so i took Inoffensive to Animals and ranks in Animal Ken instead.
I never could get a background together that I really liked and have another project I think I need to focus on, so as much as I would find a Vamp game enjoyable, I'm going to withdraw. Thanks so much, and hope whatever put you in the hospital is over and done.
Just wanted to dot back in for consideration.
I have not statted out my Canine Ghoul, wanted to discuss with you if accepted.
Best of luck all.