Vampires This is not White Wolf’s World of Darkness. There is no Camarilla or Sabbat. There are no Clans, Bloodlines, or legends of Caine, the Antediluvians or the Book of Nod. Vampires tend to be solitary creatures but many produce offspring (for a variety of reasons). Occasionally two or more solitary Vampires may form an uneasy alliance in order to protect their turf.
Laws Every city has their own rules and regulations. Some are anarchistic wilderlands, others heavily regimented city-states. The laws that most Vampires accept are:
Secrecy: Do not let the humans know that they exist. Disputes: Private duels are the safe and honorable way to handle quarrels. Terms of the duel are up to the participants. Cannibalism: Cannibals are despised, mostly as being threats to the status quo reign of the Elders. Generally speaking, the younger the Vampire populace, the greater the opportunity to perform acts of cannibalism without fear of reprisal. Status: A delicate balance of power and respect that most Vampires adhere to. Those who choose to ignore this system often become social pariahs or are even exiled from the city.
Character Creation When creating a character, you should first come up with a basic outline of the character’s background and personality. Then, assign ratings to your three Attributes. All Vampire characters possess three Attributes (Physical, Social, Mental) which are ranked by their relative strengths. The strongest, or Primary Attribute receives a rating 5. The Secondary Attribute is given
a rating of 3 and the Tertiary (or weakest) Attribute is rated at 1. Next, choose five skills, talents or areas of expertise that coincide with your character’s Concept. These are called Concept Traits and are each rated at +2, meaning that they’ll add two points to your character’s Base. In addition, you can choose two Side Traits which represent either exceptional qualities (beauty, quick reflexes, a calm heart) or outside interests apart from your Concept (for example, an excon who became a priest would still know how to pick a lock). If you so choose, you can also take just one Side Trait at +2. Although Side Traits can be "stacked" during a Test, you can only use one of your Concept Traits at a time. All characters start with three Level 1 Disciplines, which are detailed at the end of this document. Alternately, the player may opt to select the first 2 levels of any one Discipline. Example: I'm going to play Jacob, a 30 year old Catholic priest who was turned into a Vampire back in the early 1990's. Prior to becoming a priest, Jacob served some time in prison for numerous counts of petty larceny. It was there that he found religion. His Base Attributes are going to be ranked in the order of Social / Mental / Physical:
1 Physical Trait 5 Social Traits 3 Mental Traits
His 5 Concept Traits are:
Perform religious ceremonies +2 Knowledge of the Catholic Church +2 Public Speaking +2 Empathy +2 Speak Latin +2
His 2 Side Traits are:
Boxing +1 ( Jacob boxed in school and used his knowledge to defend himself when in jail) Lock-picking +1 (Jacob is an excon and used to break into cars and houses to rob them)
His 3 Disciplines are:
Animalism (Level 1: Feral Whispers) Presence (Level 1: Awe/Dread Gaze) Fortitude (Level 1: Endurance)
Blood Besides Concept Traits and Side Traits, characters also have another very effective way of increasing their Base scores (albeit temporarily). Vampires can spend ("burn") Blood Points to increase their Physical Attribute, Willpower to increase their Mental Attribute and Status (when dealing with other Vampires) to boost their Social Attribute. Blood Points are represented with red poker chips. White poker chips are used for Willpower and blue chips denote Status. Vampires start with a pool of five Blood Points (unless sired by another character, in that case his pool of Blood is one less) and must spend one Blood Point to awaken each evening. If a Vampire ever reaches 0 Blood Points, he will suffer one Damage Level for every night he awakes without using Blood. A character may elect to stay asleep through the night, in which case he won’t lose Blood or take Damage Levels. Characters without Blood Points may not regain Willpower Points. Vampires can use their Blood in a variety of ways:
Blood Points can be used to increase the total of their Physical Attribute (one Point/+1 increase)
Blood Points can be used to heal non-Aggravated Damage (one Point/level of healing) One Blood Point and one Willpower Point can be used to heal one level of Aggravated Damage per night Blood Points can fuel the use of a Discipline (though not all require the expenditure of Blood) Blood Points can be used to feed another Vampire, enthrall a mortal or create a new Vampire
Vampires regain Blood Points by consuming human or animal blood. Typically, a rat or bird will provide one Blood Point and larger animals will provide up to two Blood Points before expiring. Large mammals (cows, etc.) and humans provide up to three Blood Points before dying of Blood Loss (larger animals do have more blood but it isn’t as potent as a human’s). Vampires can also regain Blood by drinking the blood of a Vampire, although this method is not without its risks. Drinking the blood of the same Vampire on three occasions will cause the character to become enthralled to their benefactor. Elder Vampires (those with more potent blood) can completely restore a younger Vampire’s pool of Blood Points with but a single drop (in game terms one Blood Point). Once per night, Vampires with Dominate, Morpheus or Presence may gain a single Blood Trait from a human victim without resorting to a hunting challenge.
Willpower Player characters start the game with three Willpower Points, represented by white poker chips (Elder Vampires receive five). These can be used to boost your Mental Attribute during a Test and are also used to power certain Disciplines. You may also use one point of Willpower during one Physical Test per night. Willpower can also be used to ignore wound penalties for one Test.
Willpower is gained far more slowly than Blood Points — one Willpower Point is regained at the beginning of each game session.
Status
Status Points (blue poker chips) are given out according to the character’s position within Vampire society. Most Vampires start without Status and must acquire it during the game. Typically, a pool of ten Status Points is distributed amongst high-Status Vampires to disseminate throughout the populace. Those players are free to give out Status to their associates or to those who perform tasks or favors for them. Status, unlike Blood and Willpower, isn’t spent. Vampires can only use up to five Status Points per Test without actually losing any of them. If one chooses to spend more Status, that Vampire must forfeit all Status he spends past the limit of five.
Experience Experience (represented by yellow poker chips) is given out each game to represent the character's growth and experience among the Undead. All characters start the game with one Experience Point (which may be used before the game even begins) and will receive an additional point per game. Extra Experience Points may also be awarded to players exhibiting exceptional role-playing or to those who otherwise contribute to the betterment of the game. Experience may be spent in the following method:
1 Experience Point raises an Attribute score by one point (up to five). 2 Experience Points raises an Attribute score by one point (past five). 1 Experience Point will add +1 to an existing Side Trait (up to +2)
2 Experience Points will add an additional Side Trait (must be taught or learned) 1 Experience Point will replenish a lost Willpower Point. 3 Experience Points gives the Vampire an additional Willpower Point (past his or her maximum). 3 Experience Points will give the Vampire a Level One Discipline 6 Experience Points will give the Vampire a Level Two Discipline 9 Experience Points will give the Vampire a Level Three Discipline
Example: Jacob, an Elder Vampire with one Childe, starts the game with:
5 Blood Points 5 Willpower Points 10 Status Points One Experience Point
His Childe begins the game with:
4 Blood Points 3 Willpower Points 0 Status Points One Experience Point
If Jacob gives 2 Status Points to his Childe then his Status drops to 8. If he were to use 7 of his remaining Status Points to win a challenge, he would lose two of them, making his total Status 6.
Basic Mechanics Anytime your character does something which can’t be role-played (such as firing a gun or jumping a chasm), it’s called a Test. When making a Test, decide what exactly you’re trying to accomplish and what is standing in your way. If that "something" is another character, then that is called an Opposed Test. If the only thing standing in your way is the difficulty of the chosen task, then it’s called an Unopposed Test.
When dealing with an Unopposed Test, compare the character’s total with the task’s difficulty (which can be determined using the following table): Difficulty Easy Average Difficult Very Difficult
Base 3 5 7 9
When determining the winner of an Opposed Test, simply compare the totals of the two opponents. The higher score wins the test (ties always favor the defender). Combat is the most frequently used type of Opposed Test. The general rule is that both parties explain their respective goals. If one character wishes to grab the other and throw him up against a wall (and wins), then she does so. If the character wishes to get away as fast as possible (and wins the Test), then she does so.
Damage Levels If the character’s goal is to inflict physical damage on the other character (and he wins), then the other character will suffer a wound (possibly more). All characters start the game at the OK Damage Level. This means that he is free of injury and fully capable. If that character suffers one or more wounds, he will begin to suffer Damage Levels and possible deleterious effects. Damage Level
Effect
Unharmed — the starting level The character is winded but Bruised suffers no other effects The character is injured and Hurt cannot make use of any Concept Traits Incapacitated The character is unconscious or nearly so. He can only heal his wounds and spend Willpower OK
Dead/Torpor The character, if human, is Dead. If a Vampire reaches this state he will fall into a sleep-like state (called Torpor) and can only be awakened by being fed the Blood of a Vampire. Final Death Vampire can only be killed (Final Death) by receiving 5 Damage Levels of "Aggravated Damage" — caused by sunlight, fire and certain supernatural attacks).
Weapons Weapons add to the attack’s total (during the Test phase) and sometimes also to the attack’s damage. Note that Aggravated Damage will inflict the same penalties as normal Damage (or a combination of the two) but should still be kept track of separately for healing purposes. Also, incurring five levels of Aggravated Damage will destroy a Vampire. Weapon
Base Damage Damage Modifier Modifier Type
Vampire +1 Teeth Feral Claws +1 Punches & +0 Kicks Knives, small fire- +1 arms Swords, large fire- +1 arms Fire NA Sunlight NA Wooden * Stake
None
Aggravated
+1
Aggravated NonAggravated
None None
NonAggravated
+1
NonAggravated
+2 +3 *
Aggravated Aggravated NonAggravated
* A staked Vampire automatically drops to Incapacitated and cannot heal his wounds until the stake is removed. A hammer must be used to drive the stake in (which cannot be done unless the Vampire is asleep or restrained) except if the Vam-
pire wielding the stake has Potence (level 2 or higher). Note that Firearms can be used with the Mental Attribute if the character is aiming at his target. Characters may also opt to use Mental (or some combination or average of Physical and Mental) when dueling. This is at the players’ discretion. Example: Jacob is shot by a Vampire (inflicting 2 points of damage) which puts him at "Hurt." Then, his attacker slashes him with Feral Claws (causing 2 points of Aggravated damage). If Jacob can’t or doesn’t heal himself, he will fall into Torpor and only the Blood of another Vampire will be able to revive him. If Jacob does heal the normal damage, he will still be "Hurt" (from the Feral Claws attack). After suffering 2 levels of Aggravated Damage, Jacob will meet Final Death if he suffers 3 more levels of Aggravated Damage.
Mass Combat Vampires are by their nature solitary hunters, but occasionally the need will arise for two or more to cooperate in subduing a victim or an opponent. For each additional person assisting the Vampire, he gains a +1 bonus to his Base score, up to his Mental Attribute (so a Vampire with a Mental Attribute of 3 could have no more than three "assistants" and will gain no further benefit from additional help).
Cannibalism There is no formal name for the act of killing a Vampire by draining it of its Blood. To do so, the victim’s entire Blood Pool must be drained (drinking more Blood than your limit will cause you to suffer an equal number of Damage Levels as you vomit up the excess). Then, when the Vampire is drained of Blood, compare Willpower Points. If your Willpower is greater, you will (in essence) drain the Vampire’s life-force and destroy it (exceptionally old Vampires will quickly decay or turn to dust). Draining a Vampire takes
about a minute for each Blood Point drained and another ten minutes to consume its Life-force. If the Vampire was higher Generation, you will gain its Side Traits for the remainder of the evening. If the Vampire was lower Generation, then your Blood Pool is increased by one and you gain that Vampire’s Side Traits permanently.
Disciplines Animalism: Animalism allows the Vampire to communicate with the minds and spirits of common beasts. Level 1. Feral Whispers The Vampire may communicate with any animal, issue it simple commands and converse with it telepathically. Level 2. The Beckoning The Vampire may call forth a variety of birds, beasts and vermin equal to his Mental Attribute (plus any modifiers from Concept or Side Traits). Level 3. Transference By spending a Willpower Point and staring into the eyes of an animal, the Vampire is able to transfer his consciousness into that of the beast. The Vampire can perform anything that the animal is capable of doing, as well as travelling outside during the day. Auspex: Auspex gives the Vampire her powers of extra-sensory perception and acute senses. For some reason, Vampires cannot use this Discipline against their progeny to read their auras, their minds or to detect their presence if hidden through Obfuscation. Level 1. Heightened Senses The Vampire’s sense have becoming supernaturally acute, allowing
him to track by scent, see in neartotal darkness and hear the beating of a human heart. Those with Heightened Senses are also imbued with a sixth sense which will alert them to unseen presences and dangers. To use Aura Perception requires an Opposed Mental Test. Level 2. Aura Perception The Vampire can see the shimmering corona of colors surrounding sentient beings. By examining this aura the Vampire can sense moods and discern truths from falsehoods. She will also be able to discern the individual’s true nature. To use Aura Perception requires an Opposed Mental Test only if the Vampire’s target is attempting to mask his or her feelings (such as when telling a lie). Level 3. Psychometry The Vampire can now gain insight into the nature or history of anyone or anything he touches. After winning a Mental Test, the Vampire may gain an impression of any object he touches (ask the object’s owner one question regarding that object). Questions about specific individuals may not be asked. So rather than inquire "Did Jacob use this dagger to kill his Sire?" the Psychometrist should ask, "Was this dagger used to kill someone?" The Vampire can also use this ability on an individual, but must establish skin to skin contact to do so (possibly requiring a Physical Test). Like objects, individuals may not be asked questions about other people. Psychometry may also be used to learn the relative age of an object/individual and also the emo-
tional state of the person (or if an object, then the emotion most strongly associated with it). Celerity: The three levels of Celerity increase the Vampire’s reaction time and speed. Each level adds +1 to all Physical Tests involving speed and agility. Higher levels of Celerity also enable the Vampire to automatically avoid attacks or engage multiple opponents within the same round. Example: Zachariah (who has Celerity Level 2: Rapidity) is facing two human gang members. Zachariah may spend a Blood Point to pre-empt both their actions and attack them or attack one gang member and automatically dodge any attack the other or automatically avoid both their attacks. If Zachariah had Celerity level 3: Fleetness, he would be able to strike one of the humans and still automatically avoid both their attacks. Level 1. Alacrity By spending a Blood Point, the Vampire may pre-empt any character that does not possess Alacrity. Level 2. Rapidity By spending a Blood Point, the Vampire may pre-empt any character that does not possess Rapidity. The Vampire may also engage two different enemies within the same round of combat. Level 3. Fleetness The Vampire may pre-empt anyone without Fleetness by spending one Blood Point. The Vampire can also engage any number of opponents (although he must be within arm’s length in order to physically attack them). Dominate: The power to bend minds and break wills. Vampires must make eye contact with the person they wish to Domi-
nate. This ability has no effect on those of lower Generation than the Dominator. Level 1. Command The Vampire can hypnotize her victim and issue them a single command, which must be followed. This Discipline requires a Mental Test. Level 2. Forgetful Mind The Vampire can re-shape, create or erase memories of past events. This Discipline requires a Mental Test. Level 3. Possession The Vampire is able to take over the mind and body of an individual if he has more Willpower Points than his victim. This Discipline requires a Mental Test. Fortitude: The three levels of Fortitude increase the Vampire’s physical stamina and resilience. Each level also adds +1 to any Test involving toughness or stamina. Level 1. Endurance The Vampire receives an extra "OK" Damage Level. Level 2. Resilience The Vampire can spend one Blood Point to change Aggravated damage to normal damage. Level 3. Aegis The Vampire can spend one Blood Point to avoid Final Death for one round or ignore the effects of a single attack. Morpheus: The power over the sleep and dreams of both the Living and Undead. Level 1. Trance The Vampire can cause a mortal to fall fast asleep with but a word. Using this Discipline against a Vampire will cause him to become calm and complacent for the duration of
the scene (this ability cannot be used to pre-empt an attack). Using Trance requires a Mental Test. Level 2. Haunting The Vampire is able to insinuate himself into the dreams of others. He may give the victim beautiful dreams or terrifying nightmares which will cause the victim to lose a Willpower Point (either from blissful entrancement or mortal terror). This use of this Discipline requires a Mental Test. Level 3. Night Caller The Vampire can now cause physical harm to befall his victim through his dreams. The Vampire must spend a Willpower Point and win a Mental Test in order to cause a Damage Level to a human victim (who will wake up to find himself bleeding). Vampiric victims suffer the loss of an additional Blood Point upon waking (or a Damage Level if the Vampire's Blood Pool is depleted). Obfuscation: Using this Discipline, the Vampire can shield his presence others and can even disguise his appearance. Level 1. Unseen Presence The Vampire can cloak his presence from the minds of other beings. An Unseen Presence can be detected by someone with Heightened Senses (though Aura Perception must be used to learn the Unseen Presence’s identity) who beats the Obfuscated Vampire in a Mental Test. Level 2. Mask of 1000 Faces The Vampire can disguise his true appearance by becoming "a face in the crowd." A Masked Vampire can be detected by someone with Heightened Senses (though Aura Perception must be used to learn the characters true identity) who
beats the Obfuscated Vampire in a Mental Test. Level 3. Soul Mask The Vampire can prevent others from detecting his presence or his true nature and can even alter his aura at will. A Soul Masked Vampire cannot be detected using Auspex. Potence: The three levels of Potence increase the Vampire’s physical strength. Each level adds +1 to all Physical Tests involving brute strength. Level 1. Might No added bonus, the Vampire is stronger than an Olympic weightlifter. Level 2. Vigor The Vampire can do an additional level of Damage in hand-to-hand combat. The Vampire is able to lift a dumpster. Level 3. Puissance The Vampire can do Aggravated damage with his bare hands. The Vampire can pick up (and throw) automobiles. Presence: The Vampire’s personal charisma is so great that he projects an aura of grace and authority. Level 1. Awe/Dread Gaze The Vampire can call anyone within sight to his side or may instill them with mortal terror as to drive them away. Those who have been called forth will feel awe in the Vampires presence, while those driven off will be unable to approach the Vampire for the rest of the scene. This Discipline requires a Social Test. Level 2. Summon The Vampire may summon anyone she has met previously to her side.
The summoned person will try to get there as quickly as possible and will not consciously know who summoned them or why. This Discipline requires a Social Test. Level 3. Majesty No one may approach the Vampire with anything less than respect, awe and even reverence while this Discipline is active. One Willpower must be spent to even attempt to attack or otherwise show disrespect to a Vampire using Majesty. Protean: This Discipline represents the Vampires ability to alter its very shape and substance, allowing it to grow claws, transform into an animal or become a formless vapor. Each Protean Discipline costs 1 Blood Point to use and the effects last until sunrise (unless purposely negated by the Vampire). Level 1. Feral Claws The Vampire’s fingernails can become long and razor-sharp, enabling him to inflict grievous wounds upon his victims. Level 2. Shape of the Beast The Vampire can change her shape to resemble a wolf or bat while still retaining her consciousness and intellect. A bat-form gains the ability of flight while a wolf-form enables the Vampire to temporarily possess the Heightened Senses Discipline. Wolf-forms can also inflict Aggravated damage. Level 3. Mist Form The Vampire can transform into a mist-like apparition without form or substance. While in this form the Vampire is immune to fire and only takes one Aggravated wound per round from exposure to sunlight. The Vampire cannot attack or be attacked while in this form.
Psychogenesis: The power of mind over matter enables the Vampire to move objects with his mind, speak telepathically or travel the earth without leaving her seat. Level 1. Telekinesis The Vampire may reach out with his mind and move an object through space without physically touching it. The object cannot be heavier than something a normal human could carry in one hand and the object can only move at walking speed. By expending a Willpower Point, the Vampire can lift a mass equal to its own body weight (including himself, offering a limited form of levitation) or move something through space at running speed (a blade moved at such a speed could be used to slash or stab an opponent). Level 2. Telepathy The Vampire can now read the minds of those around him and communicate with others without the need for spoken words. By spending a Willpower Point, a Vampire can also "listen in" on a telepathic conversation as long as he is near one of the participants. The Vampire can only use telepathy on a number of individuals equal to or less than his Mental Attribute (so a Vampire with a 1 in his Mental Attribute can only converse with one person at a time). To use Telepathy requires an Opposed Mental Test. Telepathy may also be used to issue commands via Dominate, although eye contact must still be established. Level 3. Astral Projection By spending a Willpower Point, the Vampire’s spirit may be freed from its body, enabling it to move
through space at phenomenal speed. The Astral Spirit is intangible and invisible, save to those with Heightened Senses, and is able to appear as a ghostly apparition for ten seconds by spending an additional Willpower Point. While in this form, the Vampire is immune to all attacks (save from those by another Astral Spirit — combat is handled normally except that the Mental Attribute is used and damage is considered Aggravated), fire and sunlight (although its body is helpless while the spirit is outside). Vampires may only use the Disciplines of Auspex and Psychogenesis while Astrally Projecting. An Astrally Projecting Vampire will cease to exist if either his spirit or his body reaches Final Death. Translocation: The power to crawl up walls like a spider or travel through the air is the power of Translocation. Level 1. Lizard’s Gift The Vampire can move along sheer surfaces and even crawl along ceilings. Level 2. Ghost Walk The Vampire is able to pass through any portal (a door or window), even if it locked or barred to prevent entry. The Vampire can Ghost Walk additional persons and objects by spending a Willpower Point and touching or holding them as he uses this Discipline (Vampires can only Ghost Walk a number of people/objects up to his Mental Attribute). A portal which has been permanently sealed (or near-permanently by being bricked-up, nailed shut, etc.) cannot be passed through by the Ghost Walker.
Level 3. Levitation The Vampire may effortless float up into the air and with sufficient concentration (spend one Willpower Point), may even fly.
Credits Rules & Concepts by Jared A. Sorensen Additional Material by Mike Sause Based on Vampire: the Masquerade by Mark Rein*Hagen
Special Thanks to: Rebecca Richkus The Marin Masquerade LARP Troupe (Alex, Andy, Arlo, Brendan, Chuck, Eric, Erika, Gabe, JT Kenny, Lisa, Marc, Matt, Sara H and Sarah J)
