Vampire: The Masquerade
Contest of Will
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CHARACTER CREATION PROCESS
To play this game you need to create a character, and there are specific guidelines for the game environment that will be uniform for all of the players. I am going to outline them here, and though the process may feel a bit time consuming because of all of the point expenditures and decisions you will need to make, at the end you will have a superb character and can join the immortal Contest of Will!
Here we go!
Step One: Clan and Mortal Concept
You will be playing an Elder Kindred in the campaign. By Elder I mean you should spend the background points and be anywhere from 5th to 7th Generation. yes, those are extremely dangerous and powerful vampires. This does not mean everyone will create an indestructable tank, however. You will be expected to have a very focused character who has one or two specialties that makes him or her very special -- this is drastically important for this game concept.
I will now elaborate:
Your character as a mortal was someone truly incredible. You accomplished something that made you a once-in-a-lifetime find, even for an immortal, and your Sire needed to embrace you to preserve you forever. You should revolve your entire concept around this idea. Review the 15 potential clans you can join and pick your favorite. Now create the kind of person that an Elder of that clan would find exceptional and write a background for a mortal that would be embraced by a member of your favorite clan. Now pitch that idea in an email the Storyteller, Alan, who will then lock your concept in as far as your clan and the basic concept.
There is a lot of extra reading material about each clan. There is an actual White Wolf book for every clan except the Samedi, and they are available via .pdf at no cost to you. Having said that, reading all 14 books could take you a few months. Just pick your top couple to read and if they aren't already on the site, send a message to Alan at alzatkow@aol.com to request the ones you want.
Available Clans
Just about every clan is playable in this chronicle, with the caveat that no player can be affiliated with the Sabbat or the Anarch Movement, as those are NPC Storyteller controlled elements in this campaign setting. Also, no caitiffs. The clanless are sometimes fun to play, but would be a significant hindrance in this particular setting. So, choose a clan.
I will now go over the basics of each clan, and its current availability. I will accept 2 players from each clan into the campaign. That's 30 slots! Even if your favorite top three clans are gone as you are reading this, there are still 12 other clans to choose from. If you are having a real problem, talk to Alan about it privately. There may be aspects of the character you want that might fit in perfectly with another clan concept for a truly unique character. For instance, if you really want to play a wizard-vampire, and the Tremere are unavailable, there are still Tzimisce and Setites. If all three of those are gone, then we can discuss it and come up with something very unique that you'll enjoy playing.
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ASSAMITE - In the game setting, a few things have happened. The Tremere curse has been broken, the Assamites are free of it, and on a rampage world wide. The war between the Assamites and Setites is on hold, however, as both clans have realized that their true enemies are found in the Camarilla and Sabbat. They managed to make peace at the highest levels. Assamites are an independent clan not affiliated with either the Camarilla or the Sabbat. You can play two kinds of Assamite:
Outsider -- a warrior or assassin so magnificent that the clan decided they had to make you one of their own. You don't really prescribe to any of their internal traditions which is why you were glad to get Mr. Confetti's invitation to join the Contest of Will. You are essentially AWOL from the clan.
Loyalist - When you got Mr. Confetti's strange invitation, you took it to your supervisor, who promptly shipped you off to Gary, Indiana to follow through and participate. The clan is completely aware of your assignment, which is now an undercover one. You will play Mr. Confetti's game. For now.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 1 of 2.
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BRUJAH - The Brujah are still a main component of The Camarilla. But they are also the backbone of the Anarch Movement. This schism has caused a rift between its Elders and its younger Kindred. You are an Elder. That doesn't mean you wouldn't help an Anarch out or want to see social change occur. But you have accepted Mr. Confetti's invitation and mean to play the game for your character's own benefit.
Elder Brujah who are True Elders are generally more intellectual than their younger counterparts. Keep this in mind when creating a concept. However, an exceptional concept will always be welcome to break the rules.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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FOLLOWERS OF SET - The independent Setites use corruption the same way a carpenter uses a hammer. Though there is no established temple in the Chicago area that you know of - the former Prince Lodin was very harsh towards members of your clan - now that he's dead, this is the perfect time for a well-meaning Elder to establish a foothold. And the Contest of Will is the perfect methodology for it. Yes, this should be very intriguing indeed. Mr. Confetti has made his first mistake, inviting you to join in his little political game.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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GANGREL - The Gangrel have officially left the Camarilla, and are considered an independent clan, but there are still alliances and truces in certain areas, and Chicago is one of them, where the Gangrel still feature prominently thanks to their ability to make the peace with the werewolves who recently demolished the city.
Gangrel tend to be less tenacious as politicians. But Mr. Confetti has selected unique individuals who break conventions. Consider that, when thinking about an original concept for a Gangrel. Plus you get claws and super speed!
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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GIOVANNI - The Giovanni Family is an independent clan that is its own private mafioso force. They explore death in all its myriad forms. For some reason, Mr. Confetti didn't leave you out of his seemingly private party, and intrigued by this Contest of Will in a region so obviously open for exploitation by the right people, you have decided to move to Gary, Indiana and see what its all about. After all, when it comes to acquiring money and power, you ARE the right people.
The Family has no real base in Chicago right now, though you heard there is one inexperienced operative in the city...
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 OF 2
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LASOMBRA - The core of the Lasombra are one of the two major clans that created the Sabbat. However, you are not a member of the Sabbat. Either you never were or you escaped them somehow and have struck out on your own. You have no ties to them or affiliation. You consider yourself an independent.
True Elders and old Diabolists can be older than the Sabbat itself, and thus never joined. Pretenders might have been segregated from the Sabbat by their Sires, or else found a way to escape before you were blood bonded to a pack and have struck out on your own for awhile somewhere. Now you have been found by Mr. Confetti, and the Contest of Will is your new purpose in un-life, as it is your first real chance at influence and power of your very own.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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MALKAVIAN - The Kooks are a part of the Camarilla. But they don't necessarily view themselves as a clan the same way the other clans do. Each member has a mental derrangement of some kind. Many are completely functional however. Mr. Confetti is a prime example of this. You are more like him than the more unfortunate members of the clan who are barely coherent or completely homicidal. You have a major problem in your brain, but you are exceptional and have clearly impressed Mr. Confetti, who has invited you to participate in the Contest of Will. You have accepted this, because you know its probably a huge prank and will be lots of laughs!
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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NOSFERATU - The cursed, ugly Nosferatu are the spies of the Camarilla. With their powers of Obfuscate and their mastery of the sewers and information gathering skills, thriving in the Contest of Will seems like a natural fit for members of this clan to achieve. And to be invited to anything is an oddity. You'll show up just to see what its all about, and perhaps, tell your local Primogen all about it. Or...if its really cool, maybe you won't.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 1 OF 2
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RAVNOS - The independent gypsies of the vampiric world, your unique illusion-casting Chimerstry skills give you the edge in subterfuge. Known as thieves and drifters, like all stereotypes, this only describes a small segment of the actual Kindred who are Ravnos. That is merely an illusion as well. You are far greater than that. Mr. Confetti is clearly one of the few who has seen through that illusion. For that reason alone, you are curious enough to join his Contest of Will and compete in earnest. After all, when has a Camarilla Kindred ever offered a single scrap of blood-soaked rag to a member of your clan, let alone the opportunity for true power.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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SALUBRI - There are only 7 Salubri at any given time in the entire world. Their dictate is to reach Golgonda, then pass along the gift of vampirism to someone who deserves it, and that person needs to struggle to attain Golgonda. Meanwhile, everybody hates you. At some point, every cycle needs to end. You have been granted immortality, plus a third eye. You can heal people with your discipline, but you see how ravaged Gary is and the destruction in Chicago, and you know that by participating in the Contest of Will, you can make a difference here. While your motives may be purer than your competitors, your way of doing it will not be. Golgonda can wait. You sense there is a deeper meaning to the Malkavian Mr. Confetti's motives, and that is worth playing his game.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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SAMEDI - The "zombies" are even more disgusting than the Nosferatu, and that's saying a lot. They were largely ignored because they all migrated in Haiti and other small island nations where they would not have to deal with anyone. The world is becoming an increasingly smaller place, and there is no opportunity for you amongst the clan. You have been bored and wanted an opportunity for some time. Mr. Confetti has come along to give one to you. The Contest of Will? Why the hell not. If anybody doesn't like it, that's too damn bad for them. Samedi have the ability to make people's limbs rot! Yikes!
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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TOREADOR - The artists of the Camarilla, Toreador are well noted for their high level of ability when it comes to political intrigue. And that is exactly what the Contest of Will is all about. Whether you are a real artist or a poser, you are exceptional enough in the art of scheming to make yourself a winning player in the Contest of Will.
Posers are the beautiful people who pretend they are artists but have no genuine talent. They have succeeded first in life and then in un-life by their looks and their guile. After all, some would say that lying is an artform too.
Artistes have genuine artistic talent and thus can become influential in the clan just by making a new exhibit. This takes time, but is well worth the effort. You may be dead, but you still have the gift!
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 of 2
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TREMERE - The Tremere are a group of wizards who intentionally sacrificed their humanity to gain the immortal powers of the vampire, so they could live forever. They are in the Camarilla, but absolutely nobody trusts them at all. And with good reason! You are a vampiric mage, and not just anyone. You are extraordinary. Unusual. The Tremere have a pyramid structure of absolute control, but because you are so unique they give you leeway to conduct side experiments that allows you to be away from the chantries and the prying eyes of those both above and below you. How perfect, then, for you to seize some personal power of your own in the Contest of Will.
After all, the more powerful you become, the more powerful the clan becomes. Nobody can argue with that!
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 OF 2
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TZIMISCE - You have the fleshcrafting discipline of your clan and you aren't afraid to use it. What you are afraid of is that this Sabbat thing has gotten out of control. You never agreed with it and never wanted to be a part of it. You were able to avoid it by sticking in clan areas that were untainted by it. And there are a few -- the Omerta League in Russia or the Native American tribes in New Mexico are two areas where your clan has always thrived, untainted by the stupid Sabbat and its ridiculous doctrines. Now you have been located and invited to play in Mr. Confetti's Contest of Will. As a purely scientific investigation, this should be quite fascinating!
Not always, but often Tzimisce are the mad scientists of the undead community. But they also have a large share of sorcerers as well.
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 2 OF 2
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VENTRUE - In the halls of power, none know how to make money and influence the mortal world like the Ventrue. With their dual abilities of Dominate and Presence, they have many methods of subverting the minds and wills of mortals, and kindred, and even other supernatural creatures. Tough as nails because of their third discipline - Fortitude, they laugh at lesser Kindred who shower them with hails of bullets.
Ventrue are often attracted to anything that will gain them personal power. The Contest of Will is an obvious example of this kind of opportunity. You're in!
CLAN SPOTS OPEN: 1 of 2
Step Two: Character Class
You have achieved the status of Elder in one of three ways, which are, for all intents and purposes, character classes in this campaign and will affect how you are perceived both by the non-player characters and your fellow players.
True Elder - You have been a vampire for at least 100 years, and possibly are as old as 500! You are well skilled in the ways of your clan and the lifestyle of immortals. Using the Age background from the Elysium book, you start off with lots of extra Freebies points but suffer the Humanity loss described by the background. That list will be described in the point allocation table later.
True Elders are not in touch with modern day technology and suffer for it by needing to spend twice as many points in character creation on anything that is modern technology-based. You are much better with an abacus than a computer, that's for certain.
True Elders have been around long enough to have generated one NPC enemy that may show up at any point in the game environment as a Storyteller controlled NPC to make your life an unliving nightmare. Create that enemy as part of your background story.
Pretender - You have only been a vampire for 25 years or less. But your Sire, the Kindred who Embraced you, is a legitimate True Elder and his powerful blood has given you incredible powers. One day you will understand your true potential and evolve into a near-god like immortal. For now, you are limited to the Elder stats without the extra freebies that Age background gives you.
Pretenders are modern day Kindred, and often are specialists with modern technology as pertains to their skill sets from their mortal days. You get to buy modern technology at half cost in character creation.
Pretenders haven't been around long enough to generate an enemy. But they have no real Elder status either. Pretenders can only take disciplines from the three that belong to their own clan.
Diabolist - You may be 5 years or 500 years old. Your Sire was weak in terms of his blood, but you overcame that weakness by drinking all of the blood of one or several Kindred, as you discovered you could steal their power forever by doing so. If your character is 100 years older or more, you can take the Age background and gain the freebie points. But you cannot get half off on modern tech like Pretenders, even if you are a new vampire.
A Diabolist gets the benefit of an extra discipline for each Kindred -- up to 4 that you ate. And what's more, the discipline can be from any clan you want. So you can have any kind of mix of powers, in addition to your clan's normal three, that you desire. However, for every Kindred that you killed, you also have an enemy lurking out there that is hunting you down for what you've done, and the signs of your diablerie are still in your blood. Anyone who reads your Aura can see it.
Step Three: Nature and Demeanor
The concept of Nature and Demeanor is very important in Vampire: The Masquerade, and you should not choose from the list arbitrarily. What you choose will be how your character will be expected to act. You should now open your third edition core book to pages 112-115 for the Master List.
If you don't like anything on the list, or you have a concept and nothing on the list fits, you are allowed to pitch new ones in an email to Alan. More than likely, if they are playable and work with your concept, they will be accepted. So do not consider what is on those three pages to be a limitation. Feel free to be creative if nothing there works for you.
Conversely, if you see the right ones for your character, then go ahead and use them as the systems for them are clear in the books.
YOUR NATURE: This is the personal attribute that accurately describes your character's true self. This may be clear to all or completely hidden beneath a layer of subterfuge, at your discretion. It is an important trait because in the game, you will expend Willpower points. One of the key ways to regain Willpower is to take an action in the game that is a reflection of your Nature. Irregardless of how you try and cover your tracks, the prying eyes of your fellow Players and many Non-Player Characters will see your actions and know you for who you truly are.
So choose wisely, you will be expected to be consistent with your Nature in both the roleplaying as well as the e-mail strategy aspects of the game.
YOUR DEMEANOR: This is the version of yourself you choose to put on display for the world around you. It may or may not be closely related to who you actually are. You may be the wolf in sheep's clothing, the bravado who is really a coward, or the hero that is pretending to be a villain, because the world of the Kindred is upside-down and you don't want to be viewed as weak in an unsympathetic Hall of Power.
You will be expected to try and play this, although your real nature should shine through in the critical moments, or, when opportunities arise that are too good to pass on.
Every single available item on pages 112-115, or your original one, can be used as either your demeanor or your nature. Or you can choose one for a character who is unsubtle as both your Nature and Demeanor.
Step Four: Generation and Age
For those already familiar with the usual Vampire character creation system, you may find buying Backgrounds here to be unusual. Usually that is among the last things you will do. However, for this game concept you will need to start here specifically when it comes to buying in two areas: Elder Generation and Age.
At this time please open the Elysium supplement to pages 67 & 68 and focus on these two areas:
ELDER GENERATION BACKGROUND
Generation is the term that Kindred use to determine the level of their bloodline. The lower the generation, the closer to the first vampire, Caine, who was cursed by God when he murdered Abel to walk the Earth forever as the first Kindred.
The 2nd Generation of Kindred were the ones who were made BY Caine. So, if you are a ninth generation Kindred, you were created by an 8th generation Kindred. This is not a reflection of your actual age as a vampire. You might be a seventh generation kindred who has walked the earth for 280 years. You might be a sixth generation Kindred who was just made into a vampire last week. It is about the potency of the blood of the vampire who made you into a vampire. The closer you are to Caine, the more power is in your blood. As the only way to lower your bloodline in-game is to murder a lower generation Kindred and drink all of his blood, thus committing the crime of diablerie, it will be a lucky day indeed if you are able to pull it off. The safer method is to spend points in character creation now.
I recommend it.
In the normal character creation process for Vampire, you start at 13th Generation, the weakest kind of vampires that exist, and can purchase generation background to get back to 8th, which is a respectable age for an Elder. Many city princes in America are 8th Generation though most European princes are far more powerful. In the Elysium book for Elder character generation which we are using in this game environment, however, you START at 10th Generation and can spend background points to get all the way down to 5th Generation. 4th Generation Kindred are the Methuselah -- ancient powerful Kindred. Imagine if one of them was your Sire.
For this campaign, I strongly urge every player to get yourself down to at least 7th Generation. The reason is because then you can have statistics higher than 5, which you'll want. When it comes to disciplines, you can make original powers for yourself at level 6, which is a great fun element to the game. I encourage originality in this regard, and I encourage you working through your concept to spend your points wisely on attributes, skills, and disciplines that all make a very tight concept into a potent, precise character who has a definitive skill set that makes him or her unique. That is why Mr. Confetti chose your character for his special little game.
AGE BACKGROUND
The Age background is a requirement based on your character concept and character class. If you are playing someone who is 300 years old, you are required to spend the background points. However, you also get a LOT of extra Freebies to use on any stat you want, including backgrounds like generation. Please consult the table on page 67 of the Elysium book and choose the correct one. It also notes that you must take a LOSS to your humanity score, and yes, this is true. Please note that on your sheet for later.
With Elder Generation rules, you have 15 background points to spend before requiring Freebies. I would, again, strongly recommend you spend at least 3 of them on Elder Generation for this campaign, or you will be at a disadvantage in the Contest of Will.
Step Five: Attributes
We are finally going to get into the point distribution system. This system is multi-tiered because you first start with the regular points you have available, then you get a batch of Freebie points to add to any statistic. Because of this, it is really important that you keep a firm track of the regular points you place, and each individual freebie point later. Trust me, if you throw points around without taking clear notes then two things will happen:
First, you may make a mistake and not even realize it. You certainly won't be able to double-check it well.
Second, there will be no way for me to examine your character and see how you constructed it to make sure it is correct.
So, as you allocate your points in each category, write a detailed grocery list. This will not be your character sheet, which will be clean later, once all of your points are approved.
In the 3rd Edition Core book it describes, on pages 115-119, what each of the Attributes in all 3 categories - Physical, Mental, and Social are. Read these over now to understand, and consider your own concept and clan powers. Now you must choose which of the three categories is your best one, which comes in second place, and which is third. We are using the Elder system found in the Elysium book. Therefore you will have 10 dots to place in your primary category, 7 in your second place category, and 5 in your third place category.
Take a blank sheet of paper -- trust me you want to do this old fashioned paper and pencil style since you will be making changes and you don't want to simply permanently erase things on the computer screen.
WRITE DOWN ALL 9 ATTRIBUTES. Your character has all nine. So write the heading of Physical and then all 3 attributes under it. Do the same with Mental and Social. Now put the number of points you'll get above the heading so you won't forget. 10 in your primary, 7 in your secondary, and 5 in your third best.
FIRST GET YOUR FREE DOTS
You get an automatic dot in all 9 attributes before you have to spend any points. The exception to this is if you are either a Nosferatu or Samedi. Then your Appearance trait is automatically zero as you look like a monster! Go ahead and put those free dots on your sheet now.
NOW ALLOCATE YOUR POINTS
Go ahead and spend your points. You may fall short of some of your goals, but you will have Freebie Points to spend later, and you can always upgrade stats in the game. For those who are inexperienced in the game -- you may want to specialize. It is far easier to turn a stat that is a 1 into a 2 in the game. It is really difficult to turn something that is a 4 into a 5 or higher.
This is because of the nature of the experience point system. You have to earn enough XP in the game to raise an attribute, then you have to find a mentor to train you, then there will be a time-factor determination. Going from novice to decent at something is far easier than going from decent to mastery. If you start your concept at the mastery level in certain choice items important for your concept, then you will be far better off then making yourself mediocre at a bunch of different things that you need to try and raise later.
That's how the game system works and you should be aware of it and make your character as effective as possible. That starts here in character creation. That you will be limited to focusing on a few areas instead of having great stats in every category is part of the challenge of the game. There will be things that your character is great at, and others where you may need help from the other players or a non-player character to get ahead. Its all part of the fun!
For those who are looking at the Elysium book, it very specifically states that if you have a trait at level 6 or above, you need to take a derangement. I guess that's White Wolf's way of equalizing things, but I don't agree with it and I am waiving that requirement. So don't worry about it.
Step Six: Abilities
Okay, get ready. This is usually among the most time-labor parts of character creation for Vampire: The Masquerade. There are a lot of options to choose from, both from the top level Primary Abilities, and from the larger specialist type Secondary Ability list featured in The Vampire Players Guide. Using secondary abilities is optional, and especially for rookie players who want to get on with it, you can just make your character using primary abilities and I may help you specifically add some secondary ones when I review your character sheet, if I feel like it is warranted based on your character concept.
For the system of playing the game, you can get by without Secondaries just fine. Its a nice option to have, though, to really round out a concept.
There are a number of things to keep in mind when putting together your Abilities. Just like with Attributes from Step 5, there are three categories in Abilities for you to choose from: Talents, Skills, and Knowledges. Depending on what kind of character you have made, you will want to specialize in the things your character would be best at. Also keep in mind that you need to roll particular abilities and attributes in combination to make certain disciplines work. So you will want to check out your clan disciplines and jot down notes on what you'll need to make those work. I would take lots of dots in those.
Please open your 3rd Edition core book at this time to pages 119-129 which describes each and every Primary Ability in all three categories. Read them over and, knowing what your concept is, figure out which ones your character would have mastered first in his mortal life, then in his vampiric one. The point allocation for Elder creation is 20 points for your primary ability category, 12 for your secondary, and 8 for your third choice.
Unlike with Attributes, there are no free points for Abilities. You start at zero for everything and must specifically spend points to get dots. As I mentioned earlier, it is a smarter strategy to master a few important abilities than to be mediocre at a bunch of them. Of course, it is also nice to flesh out a character by giving him a surprise ability. Everyone has hobbies, so making your character a card shark that can sit down and play poker with the best of them, or specialized knowledge with some quality supernatural lore that was taught to him by his Sire can bring some unexpectedly good benefits for you during both live roleplay and your e-mail roleplay strategies.
You may even make unexpected game decisions such as taking over a casino or turning a dull, unnoticed bookstore into a place where esoteric books are now brought in, because you would be able to verify the authenticity of such books with the right lore. These are just a few ideas for how to make your character more versatile and not just one-notish with your general overall concept. Think of a few things that might surprise your fellow players. That's part of the fun of roleplay. Always be the one to have that extra ace up your sleeve.
Secondary Abilities
This list is from The Vampire Player's Guide. Thanks to Graham Frye for providing it so I can add it to the site. You may take any Secondary ability for your character sheet as well. The cost on Secondary Abilities is half that of the primary ones. So you can load up on these for a specialized, well-rounded character.
Talents
Art. Expres.
Carousing
Diplomacy
Fortune Telling
Grace
Haggling
Hobby Talent
Instruction
Interrogation
Intrigue
Intuition
Masquerade
Mimicry
Panhandling
Poetic Expres.
Public Speaking
Scan
Scrounging
Search
Seduction
Sense Deception
Style
Swimming
Throwing
Ventriloquism
Skills
Acrobatics
Animal Training
Archery
Artillery
Blacksmith
Blind Fighting
Boat Handling
Brew/Distill
Bribery
Camouflage
Carpentry
Climbing
Cooking
Dancing
Debate
Demolitions
Disguise
Escapology
Falconry
Fast Draw
Fast-Talk
First Aid
Fishing
Forgery
Gambling
Game Playing
Gunsmithing
Heavy Weapons
Herbalism
Herbalism
Hunting
Hypnotism
Jeweler
Journalism
Leatherworking
Lip Reading
Lip Reading
Lock picking
Mechanic
Meditation
Meditation
Parachuting
Photography
Pickpocket
Pilot
Police Procedure
Pottery
Prof. Skill
Psychoanalysis
Ride
SCUBA
Singing
Skiing
Sleight of Hand
Speed Reading
Torture
Tracking
Traps
Knowledges
Accounting
Alchemy
Anthropology
Archaeology
Architecture
Area Knowledge
Art History
Astrology
Astronomy
Biology
Camarilla Lore
Bureaucracy
Chemistry
City Secrets
Clan Knowledge
Computer Hacking
Criminology
Cryptography
Economics
Electronics
Engineering
Enigmas
Expert Knowledge
Faerie Lore
Forensics
Geology
Heraldry
History
Kindred Lore
Literature
Lupine Lore
Mage Lore
Mathematics
Metallurgy
Meteorology
Military Science
Naturalist
Physics
Psychology
Research
Sabat Lore
Sabbat Lore
Sewer Lore
Sewer Lore
Spirit Lore
Theology
Toxicology
Wyrm Lore
Step Seven: Disciplines
Your disciplines are your supernatural, vampiric powers. All clans have a natural disposition towards three particular disciplines. Please consult the chapters on your clan in the core rules book (pages 68-97) and check out which three your clan has. Now, as an Elder rules game, you start off with 10 dots to spend on powers. This is a huge plus over the normal 3 you get with the usual rules. So you are +7 on supernatural powers in this campaign. Woo Hoo!
However, how you can spend those ten dots, plus whatever freebies you decide on later, depends on your character class. Let me elaborate.
If you are a True Elder then you have had the opportunity to meet and study with other Kindred. You must spend 6 out of your 10 points on your three clan disciplines, but then you may spend the other 4, and others you want to buy on freebies, on any other discipline, as long as you can explain it in your background.
If you are a Pretender then you haven't had enough time to cultivate the kinds of allies you need amongst the undead to learn disciplines outside of your clan. This alone may be the reason your character has come to Gary to compete in the Contest of Will. Your boredom has overcome you and you are here to expand your knowledge as well as your influence and resources. You must spend all 10 of your disciplines amongst your three clan disciplines, and likewise with any points you buy with freebies. You cannot go outside of your three clan disciplines.
Diabolists must decide what kind of Kindred they ate, and how many of them, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4. From each of your victims, you get 1 free discipline and can choose one of that clan's three disciplines -- you do not get access to all of them, just one. But, if you really like the powers of a particular clan, you could have eaten three of specifically those guys, and get all three of their clan powers. That's acceptable. It also means you have three allied enemies hunting you down. Now that you have chosen your victims and given yourself a free point in a discipline from each, you still have 10 points to allocate.
Now you can choose to spread those ten points between any of your available powers, focusing on the development of your clan powers or the ones you acquired from your diablerie as you choose. You may also use freebies to buy more disciplines later in the process. We'll get to freebies later.
SPELLCASTERS: For the Tremere and other clans that have Thaumaturgical paths, you utilize the system outlined in the Thaumaturgy rules in the core rules book on page 178. You must choose a primary Path as well as gaining a free ritual. The clan books have additional spellcasting paths and depending on what clan you are, this can lead to some unique powers. At level 6 of Thaumaturgy, you can create your own path! Yup!
STORYTELLER ADVICE: The fun thing about an elder campaign and having so many points for disciplines is that once you get to level 6 in a power, you can make up a unique power for that level if you want to. Of course, I need to approve it before you can use it, but I highly encourage you do this. Remember, once you go into the game environment, generating enough XP to go from level 5 to level 6 in a discipline will take a long time. Then you need to find someone who can mentor you, which for an advanced level like that might be an adventure in and of itself. Then of course, you will have to develop an original power in the game. You can see that deciding to stop at level 5 in the character creation process instead of 6 will cost you months of having a superior, advanced, original power.
But of course, it is totally up to you. If you decide you'd prefer to have a more versatile character who has three or four disciplines all at level 3-4, and that makes more sense to you based on what you'll get for it, then please do that. I simply want to make sure you know the options available to you now, so you don't regret your decisions later when it is too late to alter your character.
Step Eight: Backgrounds and Virtues
Backgrounds
We're getting close to the finish line! Your backgrounds are important because they outline the resources you start the game with. You might have allies and retainers you can count on for help. Or you might have a million dollars in a Swiss Bank Account that you can draw on. If you start the game with Elder Prestige, then that will help you in negotiations with other Elder Kindred. It might also make the Anarch Movement want to throw grenades at you and Sabbat packs to hunt you and drink you dry! But hey, it's all a trade-off.
You start off with 15 points to spend in Background, but don't forget, you already spent some on your Elder Generation and Age backgrounds. These must be subtracted from your 15 points. Whatever is left, you can spend on any background available in the core book on pages 130-133. There may be special backgrounds in your clan's revised book that you can purchase as well. I am ruling that due to the nature of this campaign, you cannot purchase any of the Elder Backgrounds in the Elysium book except for Age, which is required depending on your background, and as I've discussed in depth, elder generation.
Virtues
These are essential to the mechanics of the game. You will make virtue rolls constantly in the game environment and may need to as well in the strategy e-mail aspects of the game, depending on your actions and what you encounter during those missions.
First you get a free point in each of the three Virtues which are Conscience, Self-Control, and Courage. You then have 7 points to distribute amongst these three traits. I would advise you to spend some Freebies later on improving these, as when you fail these rolls in the game, bad things tend to happen. Having said that, bad things happening are part of the game, and as with all of your statistics, you should attempt to figure out where your character actually stands in these three areas and then buy the appropriate amounts for each even if that means you have to not buy something else you wanted elsewhere.
Once you have purchased these you can figure out your starting number for both Humanity and Willpower. Again, these traits are important for the mechanics of the game. They should also be correct based on your character. if you are playing an assassin who likes to squeeze the life out of someone with a garrote, I am not going to believe you have Humanity 9, even if you want to spend the points for it. If your character is a master chess player who has won many tournaments, or was a CIA agent trained in anti-torture techniques, then giving him a low Willpower roll is doing him a huge disservice that may prevent you from playing the character correctly once you start tossing dice.
To generate your starting Humanity number, please add your Conscience and Self-Control traits BEFORE you spend Freebies on them. Your initial Willpower is the same as your Courage, before Freebies are spent.
In the game rules there are alternate Virtues and paths of existence other than Humanity available. What these rules are saying is -- you are an inhuman monster and you live by a completely differnet code of ethics than a mortal would, and that most of your fellow Kindred do. Please understand this is more than a cool mechanical system, it is your character's entire way of life. If you choose to do this, and for rookie players I am disallowing it, but for veteran roleplayers, go right ahead and use them. But, I will have high expectations for your decision making skills in the game based on these in combination with your nature and demeanor.
Step Nine: Freebies and Merits/Flaws
Now you should have spent all of the general points in all areas and have a nice idea of your character's statistics. There are likely areas that you want more points, or some things that you couldn't take at all because you ran out of points.
Fortunately, you have some freebie points that will enable you to enhance your character further. Elder rules state you get 20 freebies to use in the following manner, and those with Age discipline get more based on that chart on page 67 of the Elysium supplement.
Here are the costs to increase your stats using freebies as per the chart on page 104 of your core rules book.
Attribute costs 5 Freebies per dot
Ability costs 2 Freebies per dot
Discipline costs 7 Freebies per dot
Background costs 1 Freebie per dot
Virtue costs 2 Freebies per dot
Humanity costs 1 Freebie per dot
Willpower costs 1 Freebie per dot
MERITS AND FLAWS
In addition there are optional merits and flaws that you can add to your character sheet. Merits can be found in almost every clan book and are featured in the Core rules book from pages 295-305. Whereas a Merit has a number next to it and that is how many freebies it costs to buy it, when you take a Flaw, you gain that many freebies.
So if a flaw has a 2 next to it, you GAIN 2 freebies by taking it. It is not necessary to take as many flaws as merits. You can simply use freebie points you already have on merits. Or you can take a few flaws without taking any merits and gain the freebies to use on other stats. Keep in mind that these are not just things that end up on your character sheets. I'll be paying close attention and you'll need to add these attributes, if indeed they are character traits, to your character's persona and weave them into your background. If you suddenly have a ghost companion with no occult lore or affinity of any kind, then the story better be a damn good one.
Of course if it is a damn good one then you can have your stupid ghost. That'll be good for a laugh in the game!
Step 10: Submission to the Storyteller
Before you write up your character all nice and need on your character sheet, I should go over all of the statistics. If you notated where you used all of your freebies, then this should be simple for me to look over. Just send the stats to me in an email or attached in a Word or .pdf document. Any of those methods will be fine, at alzatkow@aol.com
At this point, either I will give your character the thumbs up, or we will work to improve the character. If its just a numerical clerical error then just go back in and fix the numbers. If the concept just didn't live up to the initial enthusiasm and I can see that the character will be ineffective, then we will discuss it and you can go back in and do a makeover to create a better version of the character. I don't expect to reject much, but I also will want to see a nice balanced character that can thrive in both the roleplay environment and strategy environment, and do well in both political intrigue and in combat scenarios, of which there will be many of both.
Once your character is approved, you will be ready to join The Contest of Will. Please familiarize yourself with everything else on this site, from the game mechanics and other materials in the OOC section, as well as all of the materials in the IC section so you are caught up with what's happening in the game itself. I know making these characters is a little intense and a bit of hard work, so thanks for doing it and joining my game.