WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Vampire the Masquerade
White Wolf Entertainment Västgötagatan 5 118 27 Stockholm Sweden
[email protected] www.white-wolf.com
VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE 5TH EDITION PRE-ALPHA PLAYTEST BERLIN – MAY 2017
Karim Muammar, Karl Bergstrom and Kenneth Hite, with contributions, editing, and testing from Martin Ericsson and Jason Carl
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL – NO PART OF THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE COPIED OR PHOTOGRAPHED. © WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT AB, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Hello, and thank you for being part of the pre-alpha playtest for Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition. Today you’ll be among the very first to see the shape and direction for VTM 5E (or V5). What is Vampire the Masquerade? Vampire is a storytelling game of personal and political horror. In Vampire, you are the monster; you are a vampire struggling for survival, supremacy, and your own fading humanity. You’re afraid of what you are capable of (personal), and afraid of the inhuman conspiracies and mysteries that surround you (political). Design Goals Before we wrote any rules, we spent a lot of time thinking about what we want the rules to accomplish. Some goals were clear and easy for us to describe: speed up play, make the rules easier to teach and to learn, and create options for players to customize the rules to suit their preferred styles of play. But some goals are expressed less easily in rules, and it’s these areas in which we ask for your help today. As we begin work on V5 and the next 25 years, we're inviting artists, writers, and fans to offer their views of the Vampire—to explore it through the lens of this century, to push its limits. But you, the player community, will always provide its heart and soul Development Status This pre-alpha playtest draws on 25 years of Vampire the Masquerade. We have selected some rules and concepts from different editions, choosing what we felt each edition did best to help us create this newest version of the game. Some rules, like Hunger, are completely new. Nothing here is final, and almost everything will go through several iterations of design, redesign, and testing before it’s ready for the Alpha Playtest later this year. Feedback We appreciate your help today. Please help us improve these prealpha rules by sharing your opinions about it with us. You can provide us with feedback as part of the playtest or immediately after, any time that you see us at the World of Darkness Berlin
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT convention, or through the playtest survey that we will share with you in email after the convention.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT BASIC ACTION RESOLUTION Dice Pool
Vampire is a dice pool game. This means for most actions,
you’ll roll a pool of 10-sided (d10) dice that represent some combination of traits on your character sheet. The most common dice pool is Attribute + Skill.
Example: Helen and Timothy are vampires who are sneaking around in a police department headquarters. They are looking for some information about a recent crime that may compromise Helen’s childe, Lucas. While Timothy keeps an eye on the lone police detective working the night shift at the front desk, Helen attempts to access the department computer files from a laptop in an adjoining room. The Storyteller sets the Difficulty at 2. Helen’s Mental Attribute is 3 and her Computer Skill is 2, so she has a dice pool of 5 (3 + 2 =5) to accomplish this task.
How to Succeed When you roll a dice pool, every die result that is 6 or higher is a success. This includes 10 (represented as “0” on most d10s).
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT The Storyteller determines how many successes you need for each role, depending on the difficulty of what you’re trying to accomplish. Example difficulties:
Easy = 1 success
Standard = 2 successes
Moderate = 3-4 successes
Challenging = 5 successes Hard = 6 successes
Very Hard = 7-8 successes
Nearly Impossible = 9-10 successes IMPORTANT: In V5, Difficulty means the number of
successful dice required to succeed at a task, not the target number for the individual dice (which is always 6+)!
Some rolls are opposed. Instead of comparing successes to a static difficulty number, you and the Storyteller (or another player) will both roll dice pools, and compare the total
number of your successes. The highest total of successes wins the contest. Note that the individual pools need not include all the same traits.
The Price of Failure If your roll includes no successes, your character failed.
Failure sometimes means only that your character didn’t achieve the desired result; sometimes it means dire
consequences occur. The Storyteller defines what failure means according to situation and circumstances, and
decides whether or not you can try again after a failure. You may spend a point of Willpower to re-roll any or all dice; see Willpower, below.
Example: Timothy distracts the mortal detective at the front desk while Helen searches the files. He decides to pretend to
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT be an ordinary citizen who wants to file a missing person’s report. The Storyteller decides that the officer is suspicious and that this will be an opposed roll. Timothy’s dice pool is Social 3 + Persuasion 3 = 6. The detective’s pool is Mental 2 + Subterfuge 2 = 4. Timothy rolls six dice and gets 2,3,5,5,5,9, that’s only one success. The detective rolls 1,4,8,8, that’s two successes. He’s not buying what Timothy is selling, and reacts with very open disbelief. Timothy could opt to spend Willpower and re-roll any or all of the dice in his pool.
If your roll included some successes, you can try again later
in the scene, but you suffer a setback. The next time you try, the task gets harder: the Difficulty increases by at least 1.
The Storyteller may ask you what you do differently the next time to justify getting to retry an action.
Succeed at a Cost If your roll includes any successes, but fails by one success, you may opt to “succeed at a cost.” You succeeded in your
attempt, but something happened to make things worse for you anyway: you take damage, attract unfriendly (and
powerful) notice, lose something you value, etc. Any player
(including you) or the Storyteller can suggest the cost; if it’s too high, you can always opt to fail instead.
Example: Timothy failed by one success; he suggests that he successfully pretended to file the report but left a fingerprint behind. The Storyteller thinks that’s not immediately costly enough, and counters by suggesting Timothy accidentally used Lucas’ name in the report, linking the two of them in police records. Timothy decides to take the failure rather than piss off Helen by getting her childe more heat. The Storyteller may rule that you cannot succeed at a cost in circumstances in which nobody can think of an adequate cost.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Take Half
We encourage the Storyteller to "Take Half" when making
opposed rolls for Non-player characters (NPCs), to speed
action resolution whenever the situation seems appropriate.
To Take Half, count the number of dice in the opposed pool,
divide in half, and that’s the number of successes. Round up any fractions.
Example: In the previous example, the Storyteller could have
chosen to Take Half instead of rolling for the police
detective. The detective’s pool is 4, and so if the ST decides to Take Half the detective gets 2 successes on his roll.
Basic Action Summary 1. Storyteller identifies the task or situation (throw a punch,
climb a wall, intimidate an enemy, etc.) and whether the test is Static or Opposed.
2. Storyteller determines a Difficulty: that is the number of successes required if Static, or what pool to compare if Opposed.
3. Player creates a Dice Pool of d10s using a number of dice equal to the total number of appropriate traits. For vampire characters, one or more of these dice may be Hunger dice. 4. Player rolls the dice pool. Every 6+ rolled equals one
Success. If the roll is opposed, Storyteller rolls dice pool or Takes Half.
5. Player needs Successes equal to or more than Difficulty, or the number of opposed Successes.
6. Only one success short = Player can opt to Succeed at a Cost
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT 7. Not enough successes = Setback (temporary failure, can retry later)
8. No successes = Total Failure (very bad consequences,
cannot retry)
DESIGN NOTES •
We removed some rules found in previous editions: o o o
•
Botch
“10-again”
1s cancel 10s
When a dice pool includes a trait that has its own
pool, such as Willpower, always use the current value of the trait. This is a change from previous editions, which always used maximum trait values. •
Some situations may impose penalties to a roll, and sometimes the penalties are so severe that the dice pool drops to 0 or less. Penalties can never cause a pool to drop below 1 die.
CHARACTER TRAITS Attributes Characters all have 3 Attributes measured from 1 to 5: Physical Social
Mental Characters may also have one specialty in each Attribute, which describes an area of special expertise, focus, concentration, or luck. Attribute
Specialities
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Physical
Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
Mental
Intelligence, Wits, Perception
Social
Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance
A speciality grants a +1 bonus to dice pools (adds 1d10 to the dice pool). The Storyteller decides when and if it’s
appropriate to include the speciality bonus in a roll.
Exceptional characters may have more than one speciality in the same Attribute.
Example: Timothy waves discreetly at Helen to warn her that the police detective is suspicious. Helen must think fast, and decides try a different kind of hacking: she’ll access the building security system and create a fake alert message that will display on the detective’s computer screen. This might lure the mortal away from his desk to another part of the building. She has a Mental 3, with a Specialisation in Wits; the Storyteller decides that this is an appropriate situation to apply the specialization, so she rolls 6 dice (Mental 3 + Technology 2 + Wits 1 = 6) instead of her normal 5. DESIGN NOTES •
We reduced the number of Attributes from 9 to 3 and created these specializations because this allows players to customize and personalize their
characters. Some Brujah, for example, will have
Dexterity as their Physical specialization; others will choose Stamina. Not every Brujah is the same!
Skills Skills are the abilities, knowledges, aptitudes, and expertise that each character possesses, rated from 1 (novice) to 5 (expert).
Skills can have specializations, just like Attributes. Skill
specializations add +1 to your dice pool, and the Storyteller decides when it’s appropriate to add them.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT For the purposes of this playtest we’ll assume that Skills do
exactly what their names suggest, and that the Storyteller
can make any rulings that seem required for ease of play.
Using Skills To use any skill, add the number of dice equal to the skill
rating to a number of dice equal to the relevant Attribute:
that’s the basic dice pool. (Before rolling, add dice for any applicable specializations or situational modifiers, and remove dice for any penalties.)
Example: Helen’s ploy worked: the Police Officer saw the fake alert that she created, and left his desk to investigate. Now Helen has a little extra time to finish her original task. The Storyteller decides that the situation allows her to include her Technology (Databases) specialization on her next roll to hack the department’s records. Her pool is 6 (Mental 3 + Technology 2 + Databases 1). Note that if the Storyteller decides that her Mental (Wits) specialization also applies in this situation, Helen would gain another +1 for a total of 7 dice. DESIGN NOTES •
Although skills are grouped under the attribute
they’re most commonly associated with, there is nothing preventing you from rolling a different
combination, should the ST deem it appropriate. •
We’ve introduced two new skills: o
Physique – feats of pure physical strength, such as lifting heavy objects or jumping across a long distance
o
Technology – using, modifying, or harming
common technological devices such as smart
phones, laptop computers, tablet computers, household appliances, televisions, etc.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Backgrounds and Merits
Backgrounds are character traits that define assets. They can be material, social, or supernatural, and they are usually acquired as part of character creation or between game
sessions. They can be used during play or between games. Merits are advantages that are linked to Attributes, Skills, Backgrounds, Clan, faction, or a character trait. They are
usually acquired at character creation, but can sometimes be acquired or lost during or between game play.
Please note that any Backgrounds or Merits that appear on
your character sheet are present to help you in roleplaying your character. It’s beyond the scope of this playtest to
model the systems for Backgrounds or Merits beyond noting
that they exist, and acknowledging that they are still in deep development.
Willpower Willpower measures a character's inner drive and
competence at overcoming unfavorable odds. It’s a reserve of personal strength that characters can expend to exert themselves forcefully. Willpower is a spendable trait (or
“pool”), but the current value is always rolled rather than the maximum (noted on the character sheet). •
After rolling a dice pool, spend a Willpower to reroll any or all dice used in a single roll once, except
Hunger dice (Hunger dice that result in a 1 may not be re-rolled)
Willpower is also used to model resistances by adding it to a
relevant Attribute in situations where your character is facing extreme stress, terror, coercion, provocation, etc.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Example: Outside the police precinct office, Helen’s childe Lucas is trying to find a way into the building. Investigating a dark alley he interrupts another vampire as it feeds from a victim. This vampire is huge and horrifically scarred, perhaps a Nosferatu (or something else?). It tries to scare Lucas, punching a hole in the alley wall just a few centimetres from his face. The brute vampire has a dice pool of Physical 4 + Strength 1 + Intimidate 3 for a total of 8, and the Storyteller decides to Take Half, giving him 4 successes. The Storyteller decides that Lucas must roll Social + Willpower to resist. His dice pool is Social 2 + Willpower 3, so he rolls 5 dice and gets 1,4,4,7,8. That’s two successes but the brute vampire has four, so Timothy suffers a setback: he turns around immediately and leaves the alley very quickly. Alternately, Lucas could have spent a Willpower to reroll his failures. DESIGN NOTES •
We reduced the Willpower scale from 1-10 to 1-5 for several reasons: o
To make it easier to build helpful sub-
systems that can combine Willpower with Attributes and Skills more easily
o
To increase the dramatic stakes by having
Willpower fluctuate more often during a story or a chronicle.
Virtue and Vice Virtue and Vice are traits that are central to defining your
character. Both are adjectives that describe these dominant personality traits. Virtue is a point of strength and integrity in the character’s life, Vice is a place of weakness.
You’re always tempted by your Vice, and surrendering to this
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT temptation always refreshes 1 spent Willpower point (up to 1 per scene).
Being virtuous is always harder than giving in to your Vice, so whenever you follow your Virtue at personal risk, your entire spent Willpower points refresh.
Sample Virtues: Generous, Just, Loyal, Ambitious,
Courageous, Honest, Hopeful, Loving, Patient
Sample Vices: Arrogant, Competitive, Greedy, Addictive, Corrupt, Cruel, Deceitful, Dogmatic, Hasty, Hateful
It’s beyond the scope of this playtest to examine Virtue and Vice mechanics deeply. Use these rules as guidelines while playing today, and do your best to apply them when regaining Willpower.
CONFLICT Who Goes First? Every character has an Initiative rating which is Mental(Wits)
+ (Highest Combat Skill). Participants act in descending
order of this rating (the participant with the highest initiative
score acts first). No roll is necessary. For this purpose, a combat skill is Brawl, Melee or Firearms.
Fighting Attacks with weapons (melee or ranged) are opposed rolls.
Remember that NPCs can always Take Half instead of making an opposed roll, to speed up the conflict.
In a melee conflict, both attacker and defender can score hits, depending on who rolls the most successes (unless
Dodge is used, see below.)
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT When firearms are involved, the defender can only avoid getting hit.
Melee Attack (attacking with a hand-held weapon that is not
a firearm other ranged weapon)
Physical + Melee vs. Physical + (Melee, Brawl or Dodge) If Dodge is used, no hit is scored by the defender no matter how many successes the defender wins by.
Unarmed Attack (attacking with fists, feet or teeth) Physical + Brawl vs. Physical + (Melee, Brawl or Dodge) If Dodge is used, no hit is scored by the defender no matter how many successes the defender wins by. Ranged Attack Mental + Firearms vs. Mental + Dodge If no cover is available, usage of Dodge will cause loss of next action as the character goes prone.
Multiple Attackers:
When engaged by multiple opponents, the defender must
subtract one dice for every opponent from his resisting dice pool. As actions are not declared simultaneously, this
penalty is added in sequence with the first defense receiving no modifier, the second -2, the third -3 etc.
Damage If you win the opposed attack roll, you inflict damage on
your opponent depending on how many successes you beat their roll by. Damage is the number of successes scored
above the results of the opposed attack roll, plus the
Damage Value of the weapon (if any). See below for how to handle Damage and Health.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Sample Damage Values: Brass knuckles: +1 Switchblade: +2
.38 Revolver: +3
Assault rifle: +5
Health and Damage Health represents the amount of damage a character can
suffer before becoming incapacitated in the current scene.
Health is represented on the character sheet as Physical +5. There are two types of damage: Superficial and Aggravated. Superficial Damage
Superficial damage is painful and can impair a character’s
actions, but is usually not lethal unless inflicted in massive amounts. For mortals this is bashes, sprains, bruises and
general body fatigue. For vampires, it’s all this plus damage from things that could kill mortals, such as bullets, knives, swords, and animal bites. Mark superficial damage on the character sheet by making a “/” on the Health Track.
Superficial damage sustained is always halved before applying it to the Health Track. Aggravated Damage
Aggravated damage can kill very quickly. For mortals, it’s
nearly anything exceeding bashes, sprains, bruises and
general body fatigue. For vampires, it’s limited to a very few
things, including fire, sunlight and the teeth and claws of
other supernatural creatures. Mark Aggravated damage on the character sheet by making a “X” on the Health Track. The Health Track
A character has a Health Track equal to 5 + Physical(Stamina) spaces. When enough damage (of any type or mix thereof)
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT has been sustained to fill the track, the character is said to be Impaired, and suffers a -2 penalty to all dice pools.
Further damage to the character has serious effects:
1. For every damage point a character takes of any type while Impaired, one previously sustained Superficial
damage point is converted to Aggravated damage, on a 1-for 1-basis. (Turn the ”/” to a ”X” on the track, but remember to halve the Superficial damage as usual before converting it.)
2. Additionally, once damage conversion is done, a roll is made on the Critical Injury table (Appendix #2), adding the number of Aggravated Damage point
currently on the track to the roll. This can lead to
further penalties (or even instant death) that are
tracked independently of the abstract damage on the Health Track.
A character who has the track completely filled with
Aggravated Damage falls into a coma (if mortal, see below)
or Torpor (if a vampire), and probably has some pretty serious Critical Injuries to deal with on top of this.
Example: Eric the vampire has a Physical value of 3, and thus has a Health Track of 8. He has sustained 6 points of Superficial damage from bullets in a fight against some security guards. As he tries to escape, a guard manages to hit him again, dealing 6 damage. As gunshots are Superficial damage to vampires, this is halved to 3, and thus the two final boxes on his track is filled, with the third point of damage turning a previous Superficial damage into Aggravated. This puts him in an Impaired state, and requires a roll on the Critical Injuries table, adding his number of Aggravated damage (1) to the roll. The result is 7 – he is temporarily stunned. Armor
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT For the purposes of this playtest, assume each point or armor changes one point of Aggravated damage (per
damage roll) to Superficial damage, which is then halved according to the standard rules for Superficial damage, above.
Recovering from damage
For mortals (including ghouls), the natural recovery of the living body allows them to remove all Superficial damage
from the track at the end of a scene. Aggravated damage
and Critical Injuries take weeks and medical care to heal, and that is beyond the scope of this test.
For vampires, their inert bodies stay bruised and pummelled until the Blood is called upon. A vampire needs to Rouse the Blood to remove Superficial damage on a 1-for-1 basis.
Aggravated damage needs five Rouses and a day’s rest to heal.
Each point of Aggravated Damage removed allows for the removal of a Critical Injury sustained.
(Final) Death
A mortal with his Health track filled with Aggravated Damage will die in Physical(Stamina) minutes, unless first aid is
applied. A mortal can also die as a result of Critical Injuries (see chart).
A vampire in Torpor will suffer Final Death if their head is removed or their body is destroyed.
DESIGN NOTES •
We’ve removed soak and damage rolls, to make the
game faster. Physical(Stamina) is represented in the number of Health boxes while Fortitude and body armour will grant damage reduction.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT •
Aggravated damage now means any potentially lethal
damage to the defender. Many more types of damage
are potentially lethal, and therefore Aggravated, to mortals than to vampires. •
Superficial damage that exceeds the track is
converted to Aggravated to represent what happens when a character is incapacitated but still suffers
damage. An incapacitated vampire will start to fall apart if shot often enough. Humanity You’re a vampire, not a human. But you must walk among
them, blend in, and remember how they view the world to hunt them successfully.
Kindred who manage to maintain high Humanity scores—
usually through constant struggle against their Beasts—can move more easily in mortal society and relate to humans without undue strain. A low Humanity score means the
vampire is growing distant and alien, losing the ability to
understand its prey as anything more than sources of food. It’s beyond the scope of the playtest to focus on the
Humanity system, so for the purposes of this playtest all characters have the same Humanity. Assume that your
character has seen enough of the pain and anguish of her
condition to begin to accept it as part of existence. You can
still relate to mortals without strain, but you know that you’ll never be one of them again.
A BEAST I AM LEST A BEAST I BECOME Blood, Hunger, and Compulsions
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood.” -Macbeth III.iv
A vampire is always hungry. Always. And this hunger—the
constant, inescapable, thirst for blood—is the single most
important truth about being a vampire. In many ways, it is the very essence of Vampire the Masquerade.
To reflect this in the game, all vampires have a unique trait: Hunger, measured on a scale of 0 (sated) to 5 (ravenous),
and represented by dice that are used only for this purpose (we like ours red). So, if your character has Hunger 3, she has 3 Hunger dice too.
The default Hunger is 1. Only by completely draining a
human victim can the Hunger be totally, though temporarily, sated, which is Hunger 0.
And being Hungry can lead to some very dangerous problems….
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Blood
When you call on the supernatural powers of your blood to
heal, activate Disciplines, or increase your strength, you are
choosing to access the benefits of your vampire nature—and this choice always carries the serious risk that you will grow even hungrier (increase Hunger dice).
Below are the most common reasons to rouse the Blood. Not all of them will occur in this playtest. Kindred call these actions “Rousing the Blood.”
Every time you do one of these things in a scene, make a note of it: you’ll need this information at the end of the
scene. For the purposes of this test, there is no limit to the number of Rouses you can make per dramatic turn (but remember to check for Hunger at five, see below). • •
Rise every evening
Temporarily increase an Attribute by one dot for the remainder of the scene (up to a maximum of 5)
• • • •
Use a Discipline
Heal damage
Heal impairments incurred from Aggravated damage
To appear human for one scene (simulate breathing, skin warmth, eye blinking, etc.)
Note that Blood doesn’t have a separate score in Vampire:
it’s represented abstractly by Hunger. Exactly how much
blood you have in your undead body isn’t important: what’s
important is how hungry you feel, and how long you can
avoid dealing with your hunger before it forces you to do terrible things.
When you rouse the blood you may gain Hunger (add Hunger
dice to your Hunger pool; see below), and when you feed you reduce Hunger (remove dice from your Hunger pool).
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Feeding on blood reduces Hunger dice. When your character feeds on blood, remove Hunger dice as follows: Source of Blood
Several small animals
Large animal
Human (not killed) Human (killed)
Hunger Dice removed 1
2
3
5
Unless you feast on a human until they are completely
drained of blood (killing them) you can never reduce your Hunger below 1 dice.
Hunger Being hungry is a constant problem for all vampires, and to
deny yourself blood is to deny your very essence. Whenever you are hungry (whenever you have at least Hunger 1, or 1 Hunger die), you’re at risk of falling victim to your own undead nature.
To reflect this in the game, always use your all Hunger dice
(if you have any—and remember that the only time you don’t
have any Hunger dice is when you’ve just fed from and killed
a human) as part of every dice pool. Form your dice pool
normally, and then substitute your current Hunger dice for
an equal number of normal dice from your pool, so that you
have a dice pool that combines normal dice and Hunger dice. Example: Helen thinks that her childe, Lucas, has been
running with those filthy Anarchs who hang out in the Barrens and wants proof, so she tries to search his haven for evidence linking him to the group. Her dice pool is 6 (Mental 3 + Investigation 2 + Perception 1 specialty). Helen has Hunger 2, so before she rolls she removes 2 dice from her pool and adds both Hunger dice to it. Her dice pool is still 6, but 2 of the dice in the pool are Hunger dice. Now she rolls normally.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT If any of your Hunger dice result in a 1 on any roll, the gnawing hunger in your veins has inflicted you with a
temporary but significant behavioural compulsion. Hunger
dice otherwise function as regular dice, scoring Successes on a 6+.
Example: Helen’s roll has the following results: 1, 3, 5, 7, 7,
9. That’s 3 successes, enough for her to find what she is looking for in the haven. But the 1 result is on one of the Hunger dice. Helen didn’t deal with her hunger, and suffers an immediate compulsion at a not very convenient time. Note that it’s not the action itself that inflicts the
compulsion: it’s that hunger that you haven’t dealt with yet
by feeding. Searching through a haven or driving a car are relatively mundane tasks, but the effects of Hunger can
strike anytime, anywhere, and without warning. You must stay well fed in order to reduce these risks.
If only one of your Hunger dice came up 1, the Storyteller
either chooses Blood Whisper (the “1” result on the table) or suggests some other unsettling emotional effect that also distracts you for one minute (or one action in combat).
If two or more Hunger dice come up 1, the Storyteller either
chooses an appropriate affliction from the compulsion table (see Appendix 1) or rolls randomly on the table. Acting out the compulsion rewards you with a point of Composure, at the Storytellers discretion.
The only way to avoid this consequence is to spend
Composure, allowing you to quash the unwanted impulse, at
least temporarily. If the compulsion table is used, the
Composure must be spent before rolling. Just like Willpower, Composure is a spendable trait, with a current and a
maximum value. When making a Composure roll, always roll the current value.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT When to check for increased Hunger
Remember rousing the blood (using your blood to heal
wounds, power your Disciplines, etc.)? You made a note
every time you did this in a scene. Now, when the scene
ends, count up all the times you roused the blood. The same check is also made the instant you’ve roused the Blood five
times in the same scene, or the instant you start feeding.
Roll 1d10 for each time you roused the blood. For every die that is not 6+, add a new Hunger die to your Hunger dice
pool. If this takes your Hunger above 5 make an immediate
Hunger Frenzy check with a -1 penalty for every step above 5.
Example: Helen enters a fight with a dangerous hunter when she has Hunger 1. She roused her Blood four times in the fight. When the scene ends, she rolls 4 dice (one die for each time she roused the blood in this scene) and gets 3, 3, 4, 7. So she gains 3 Hunger dice, raising her total Hunger to 4…she is now very hungry! When to check for increased hunger, repeat: 1: At scene end (Roll current number of Rouses) 2: When initiating feeding (Roll current number of Rouses) 3: When you’ve Roused the Blood five times in the same
scene (Roll current number of rouses, in this case 5)
Any time your Hunger dice reach a total of 5 (you have Hunger 5), check for a Hunger Frenzy (See below)
immediately—even if this happens in the middle of a scene.
Frenzy
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Frenzy is a state of intense fear or anger that can bloom
suddenly and cause the vampire to lose control completely. It is usually provoked by outside circumstances but can sometimes be triggered by a vampire’s own unchecked appetites (see Hunger).
Check for Frenzy by rolling a dice pool equal to current
Composure. If you roll at least 1 success (6+), you master your emotions and do not frenzy.
If you don’t get at least 1 success, you Frenzy. In this state
you try immediately and indiscriminately to destroy or run away from the source of provocation. You will also call
unconsciously on the power of your Blood to help you fight or flee as long as your Hunger is at 5 or less. Frenzy Provocations Strong smell of blood when Hunger is 3+ Physical provocation
Fire (uncontrolled flames)
Sunlight
Public humiliation
(If Blood Bonded) Regnant Hurt DESIGN NOTES •
We have chosen very deliberately to make blood a more fundamentally important part of Vampire.
Calling on the blood to help you can grant incredible advantages, but it also carries an inherent risk that can trigger a rapid downward spiral of terrible consequences. The temptation is real. •
For the sake of this test, ignore Generation. Systems are in place internally to allow this to be properly
represented in the future, but for now the system
needs to be evaluated without too much complexity.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Appendix 1 Compulsions “The blood is the life!” – Dracula, Bram Stoker A compulsion is an irresistible urge caused when a vampire fails to resist her Hunger. Her desire for blood becomes so acute that it’s nearly overwhelming: in that moment, her
Beast stirs and her vampire nature surges close to the surface.
A Storyteller may roll randomly on the compulsion table or
choose an appropriate effect, at her discretion. Storytellers are encouraged to give players room to interpret
Compulsions according to character and situation, but
shouldn’t be afraid to dictate character actions if a player
shirks responsibility in portraying the compulsion.
General Compulsions
1: Overpowering blood whisper. Memories or emotions of your last victim rise to the surface, whispering insistently
in your ears. Lose an action if in combat, otherwise remain immobile listening to the murmurings for 1 minute.
2. Check the surroundings! You feel an overpowering
predatory need to survey the area for prey. You’ll stop at
nothing to get a better view of the situation, spending
precious time to reach a good vantage point, or become disabled by claustrophobia-like anxiety for a turn (or more, depending on scene and circumstances).
3: Life nostalgia. You feel a sudden urge to do something that reminds you of the person you were when you were
still alive. Call someone you knew in life. Zone out over a
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT smell from childhood. Eat your favourite food and then throw it up. Do something comforting and familiar to
temporarily forget you are a blood-addicted monster.
4: Dead people problems. Fail at being human during this scene, with consequences. Forget to use the lungs
properly. All that comes out is whispers. You grow
temporarily cold and pale. Touch screens stops working.
You stop blinking. (If you spent blood to appear mortal in this scene, the blood ceases to have the desired effect immediately.)
5: Predator’s taint. Lash out. Hurt the person in the scene you like the most, socially, emotionally, or physically. 6: Clan specific – 1 7: Clan specific – 2 8: Clan specific – 3
9: The hunger rises. You suffer an overwhelming urge to feed during this scene. You must have blood. You must taste it, drink it! At least 1 blood must be consumed. If
impossible, feed from self, causing 1 Aggravated wound. 10: Frenzy! Make an immediate frenzy roll against perceived provocation or fear.
Brujah
1: Triggered. You are offended by something in this scene and react to it with extrovert anger.
2: Devil’s advocate. Take the opposite stance to the next suggestion that comes up and refuse to budge.
3: Frenzy! Make an anger frenzy roll. If you fail react with terrible anger at a perceived slight or provocation.
Gangrel
1: Check the surroundings! You feel an overpowering
predatory need to survey the area for prey. You’ll stop at
nothing to get a better view of the situation, spending
precious time to reach a good vantage point, or become
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT disabled by claustrophobia-like anxiety for a turn (or more, depending on scene and circumstances).
2: Animalistic. You lose the ability to communicate with language, temporarily unable to speak for the entire
scene. With an effort you may make a few grunts, growls, or snarls.
3: Regression. Your higher brain functions are temporarily subdued, reducing you to acting on instinct for the entire scene. Self-preservation becomes a top priority, though you can still tell friend from foe.
Malkavian
1: Sanguine animism. You become haunted by your last
victim for the rest of the scene. You may do something to help your victim or even believe that you are your victim for the rest of the scene.
2: Madness Network – You are overwhelmed by a flash of
insight about the current scene. Storyteller chooses the exact details and information, which you see as images and sounds in your mind. This is never pleasant.
3: Derangement triggers in a severe way (See character sheet)
Toreador
1 Aesthetic fugue state. Enter a fugue state over a face, a voice, an image, a smell, a taste, etc. for the rest of the
scene. You lose all sense of your surroundings, becoming immobile and focusing all your attention exclusively on this one thing. Describe the experience.
2 Crave intimacy. You crave intimacy with a mortal, or a
kindred if no mortals are in the scene. You want and need someone to whisper that it’s all gonna be fine, to feel the
primal intimacy of the motions of mortal sex, someone to hold you tight. The intimacy can be one-sided. If you fail you must feed
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT 3 Obsession. You fall in love or hate with someone in this
scene. This feeling continues until you act clearly on it, then the feeling passes.
Ventrue
1: Be seen. Make a declaration or speech, and make sure no one ignores it. Do whatever you must to be heard:
stand on a chair, a table, a rooftop; shout if you must, and silence anyone who dares to interfere with you.
2: Obey orders. Look for instructions from above to
comfort you—demand them if necessary!—and then carry
them out to the letter. If you are alone God is always there. 3: Assert dominance. Give a command and make sure someone obeys it. Threaten, coerce, persuade, or use
Dominate if you have to, but make sure your instructions are carried out.
Appendix 2 Critical Injuries Roll a D10 and add current Aggravated damage on the Health track. 1-3: Stunned – Lose a turn. Can be shaken with a point of WP.
4-6: Knocked Out (Mortal) / Stun as above (Vampire) 7: Eyes gouged – Vision-based rolls at -3 8: Dry gulch – Social rolls at -3
9: Kneecapped – Movement reduced. Athletics at -4 10: Head wound – Mental rolls at -4 11: Massive wound – All rolls at -3
12: Disarm – Limb lost or mangled beyond use
13+ Death (Mortal) or immediate Torpor (Vampire)
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Appendix 3
Disciplines Auspex
Heightened Senses
Description: This power increases the acuity of all of the
vampire’s senses, effectively doubling the clarity and range of sight, hearing, and smell. The Kindred may magnify her
senses at will, sustaining this heightened focus for as long as she desires. Occasionally, this talent provides extrasensory or even precognitive insights.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate for one scene. While
active, add the characters Auspex rating to any dice pool involving Alertness or Awareness. For exceptional
precognitive insights, roll only Auspex, but unless the threat is immediate and somewhat obvious, multiple successes are required.
Aura Perception
Description: Using this power, the vampire can perceive the
psychic “auras” that radiate from mortals and supernatural
beings alike. The stronger the emotions involved, the more intense the hues become. Aside from perceiving emotional
states, vampires use Aura Perception to detect supernatural beings.
System: The character Rouses the Blood and stares at the
subject for a few seconds. Roll Mental(Perception) + Empathy.
Successes Result
1 success: Can distinguish only the shade (pale or bright). 2 successes: Can distinguish the main colour.
3 successes: Can recognize the colour patterns. 4 successes: Can detect subtle shifts.
5 successes: Can identify mixtures of colour and pattern.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Aura Colors Emotion/Type Afraid
Aggressive Angry Bitter Calm
Aura Color
Orange Purple Red
Brown
Light Blue
Compassionate
Pink
Depressed
Gray
Conservative
Lavender
Desirous or Lustful
Deep Red
Envious
Dark Green
Distrustful Light
Excited
Green Violet
Generous
Rose
Hateful
Black
Innocent
White
Happy
Idealistic Lovestruck Obsessed
Sad
Spiritual
Suspicious Anxious
Confused
Vermilion Yellow Blue
Green Silver Gold
Dark Blue
Auras appear scrambled
Mottled, shifting colors
Diablerist
Black veins in aura
Frenzied
Rapidly rippling colors
Daydreaming
Sharp flickering colors
Psychotic
Hypnotic, swirling colors
Ghoul
Pale blotches in the aura
Vampire
Magic Use
Aura colors are pale
Myriad sparkles in aura
Werebeast
Bright, vibrant aura
Faerie
Rainbow highlights in aura
Ghost
Weak, intermittent aura
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT The Spirit’s Touch
Description: A vampire with this level of Auspex can “read”
the psychic impressions on objects, learning who handled
the object, when he last held it, and what was done with it recently. These visions are seldom clear and detailed, registering more like a kind of “psychic snapshot.”
System: The character Rouses the Blood and touches the
target object for a few seconds. Roll Mental(Perception) +
Investigation. The difficulty is determined by the age of the impressions and the mental and spiritual strength of the person or event that left them.
Assume that each success offers one piece of information, as per the chart below.
Spirit’s Touch Successes Information Failure:
No information of value.
1 success:
Very basic information: the last owner’s
2 successes:
A second piece of basic information.
3 successes:
4 successes:
gender or hair colour, for instance.
More useful information about the last owner, such as age: and state of mind the last time he used the item.
The person’s name.
5+ successes: A wealth of information: nearly anything you
want to know about the person’s relationship
with that object is available.
Celerity Alacrity
Description: You are capable of an incredibly fast response
time. By activating Alacrity, you have the ability to make
incredibly rapid movements, increasing both dexterity and reflexes.
System: When you Rouse Blood to activate Alacrity, your
Initiative value doubles, and you can add your Celerity rating to all rolls involving Physical(Dexterity) and/or Athletics. Alacrity lasts for one scene.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Swiftness
Description: Your body responds so quickly that the world
around you seems to slow down. You can use this extra time to avoid dangers that would otherwise be unavoidable.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Swiftness for one scene.
While active, Swiftness allows you to use your Dodge skill
against firearms even with no cover without losing your next
action. You also don’t suffer penalties when fighting multiple opponents.
Rapidity
Description: You can move faster than humanly possible.
Before a normal human can move or breathe, you are already acting a second time.
System: When you Rouse Blood to activate Rapidity, you gain an extra Action (including normal movement) at the end of the round. This action can only be used for physical
activities. Rapidity lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Celerity rating.
Dominate Command
Description: The vampire locks eyes with the subject and
speaks a one-word command, which the subject must be
obey instantly. The order must be clear and straightforward: run, agree, fall, yawn, jump, laugh, surrender, stop,
scream, follow. If the command is at all confusing or
ambiguous, the subject may respond slowly or perform the task poorly. The subject cannot be ordered to do something directly harmful to herself.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted
Social(Charisma)+Intimidation roll vs Willpower. (Roll dice equal to targets remaining Willpower.)
Mesmerize
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Description: With this power, a vampire can verbally implant
a false thought or hypnotic suggestion in the subject’s subconscious mind. Both Kindred and target must be
free from distraction, since Mesmerize requires intense concentration and precise wording to be effective. The
vampire may activate the imposed thought immediately or establish a stimulus that will trigger it later. The
victim must be able to understand the vampire, though the two need to maintain eye contact only as long as it
takes to implant the idea. Mesmerize allows for anything from simple, precise directives (handing over an item) to
complex, highly involved ones (taking notes of someone’s
habits and relaying that information at an appointed time). It is not useful for planting illusions or false memories (such as seeing a rabbit or believing yourself to be on fire). A subject can have only one suggestion implanted at any time.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted
Social(Manipulation)+Leadership roll vs Willpower.
The Forgetful Mind
Description: After capturing the subject’s gaze, the vampire
delves into the subject’s memories, stealing, or re-creating them at his whim. The Forgetful Mind does not allow
for telepathic contact; the Kindred operates much like
a hypnotist, asking directed questions and drawing out
answers from the subject. The degree of memory alteration
depends on what the vampire desires. He may alter the subject’s mind only slightly (quite effective for
eliminating memories of the victim meeting or even
being fed upon by the vampire) or utterly undo the victim’s memories of her past.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted Mental(Wits)+Subterfuge roll vs Willpower.
Forgetful Mind Success Result
1 success: May remove a single memory; lasts one day.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT 2 successes: May remove, but not alter, memory permanently.
3 successes: May make slight changes to memory.
4 successes: May alter or remove entire scene from subject’s memory.
5 successes: May reconstruct entire periods of subject’s life.
Fortitude Endurance
Description: You are beyond pain or fatigue, ignoring such
hardships. Your body simply does not feel such minor inconveniences.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Endurance for one
scene. Your character does not suffer the regular -2 pool penalty to being Impaired and other critical injuries have their penalties reduced by 1. Mettle
Description: Your body can take more damage than others,
suffering only light injuries even under circumstances that should do serious harm.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Mettle for one scene.
Each time your character takes Aggravated damage, you may convert 1 point of Aggravated damage to Superficial damage.
Resilience
Description: Beatings that would slow or maim others mean
nothing to you. You can shrug off such detrimental injuries.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Resilience for one scene. Each time your character takes damage, you may ignore 1 point of Superficial damage. You can use this power in
conjunction with other powers that convert Aggravated
damage into Superficial damage. (You can use Mettle to
downgrade a point of aggravated damage into normal
damage, then you can use Resilience to ignore that point of normal damage.)
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Obfuscate
Cloak of Shadows
Description: The vampire conceals herself from sight by
relying on nearby shadows and cover to assist in hiding her
presence. She steps into an out-of-the-way, shadowed place and eases herself from normal sight. The vampire remains unnoticed as long as she stays silent, still, under some degree of cover (such as a curtain, bush, door frame,
lamppost, or alley), and out of direct lighting. The immortal’s concealment vanishes if she moves, attacks, or falls under direct light. Furthermore, the vampire’s deception
cannot stand up to concentrated observation without fading.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Cloak of Shadows. No
roll is necessary. The power lasts until the user moves or otherwise makes herself noticed, or the scene ends. Unseen Presence
Description: The vampire can move around
without being seen. Shadows seem to shift to cover
him, and people automatically avert their gazes as he
passes by. Others move unconsciously to avoid contact with the cloaked creature; those with weak wills may even scurry away from the area in unacknowledged
fear. The vampire remains ignored indefinitely unless
someone deliberately seeks him out or he inadvertently reveals himself.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Cloak of Shadows. No
roll is necessary. If the user takes any action other than walking, roll Mental(Wits)+Stealth with a difficulty
determined by the ST to avoid breaking the stealth. The power otherwise lasts until the scene ends. Mask of a Thousand Faces
Description: The vampire can influence the perception of
others, causing them to see a face different from his.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Although the Kindred’s physical form does not change, any observer who cannot sense the truth sees whomever the vampire wishes her to see.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate the power for the
duration of a scene. Roll Social(Manipulation)+Subterfuge. Mask of a Thousand Faces Successes Result 1 success: The vampire retains the same height and build,
with a few slight alterations to his basic features.
Nosferatu can appear as normal, albeit ugly, mortals.
2 successes: He looks unlike himself; people don’t easily recognize him or agree about his appearance.
3 successes: He looks the way he wants to appear.
4 successes: Complete transformation, including gestures, mannerisms, appearance, and voice.
5 successes: Profound alteration (appear as the opposite
sex, a vastly different age, or an extreme change of size).
Potence
Prowess
Description: Your strength is clearly supernatural. You attack
with mighty force, overwhelming your enemies and awing your allies.
System: Rouse the Blood to add your Potence rating as
automatic successes in any Physical(Strength)-based roll for
a turn.
Mighty Leap
Description: Vampiric strength can not only be used to crush
and break, but to propel the user further than any natural muscles would allow, in flight-like leaps.
System: Rouse the Blood to leap through the air, travelling a
distance equal to five times the number of successes on a
Physical(Strength)+Athletics roll if jumping horizontally, or times two if going for a vertical leap. (Yes, this can be
combined with Prowess for some truly spectacular flying.)
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Penetrating Strike
Description: The user is able to concentrate her strength
with such speed and focus to make a mockery of armour.
System: Rouse the Blood to make the next brawl or melee
attack ignore armour.
Presence
Awe
Description: Those near the vampire suddenly desire to be
closer to her and become receptive to her point of view. Awe
is extremely useful for mass communication. It matters little what is said — the hearts of those affected lean
toward the vampire’s opinion. The weak want to agree with her; even if the strong-willed resist, they soon
find themselves outnumbered. Awe can turn a chancy
deliberation into a certain resolution in the vampire’s
favor almost before her opponents know that the tide
has turned. Despite the intensity of this attraction, those so
smitten do not lose their sense of self-preservation. Danger breaks the spell of fascination, as does leaving the area. Those subject to Awe will remember how they felt in the vampire’s presence, however. This will influence
their reactions should they ever encounter her again. System: The player Rouses the Blood and rolls
Social(Charisma) + Persuasion. The number of successes
rolled determines how many people are affected, as noted on the chart below. The power stays in effect for the
remainder of the scene or until the character chooses to drop it.
Awe Success Result 1 success
One person
2 successes
Two people
4 successes
20 people
3 successes 5 successes
Six people
Everyone in the vampire’s immediate
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT vicinity (an entire auditorium, a mob)
Those affected can roll Willpower points to overcome
the effect, with one Success granting immunity for a round and three or more negating the effect for the rest of the scene. If a roll fails, no further attempts can be made to resist for the scene.
Dread Gaze
Description: While all Kindred can frighten others by
physically revealing their true vampiric natures — baring
claws and fangs, glaring with malevolence, hissing loudly
with malice — this power focuses these elements to insanely
terrifying levels. Dread Gaze engenders unbearable terror in its victim, stupefying him into madness, immobility, or reckless flight. Even the most stalwart individual will fall back from the vampire’s horrific visage.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted roll of
Social(Charisma)+Intimidation against Composure of a single target. On 1-2 Successes the target is cowed, effectively
losing the next action. On three or more successes the target tries to flee by any means necessary. Vampires affected thus need to make an immediate fear frenzy test. Entrancement
Description: This power bends others’ emotions, making
them the vampire’s willing servants. Due to what these
individuals see as true and enduring devotion, they heed the vampire’s every desire. Since this is done willingly,
instead of having their wills sapped, these servants retain their creativity and individuality.
While these obedient minions are more personable
and spirited than the mind-slaves created by Dominate, they’re also somewhat unpredictable. Further,
since Entrancement is of a temporary duration, dealing
with a lapsed servant can be troublesome. A wise Kindred either disposes of those she Entrances after they
serve their usefulness, or binds them more securely by a
blood bond (made much easier by the minion’s willingness
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT to serve).
System: The player Rouses the Blood and makes a resisted
roll of Social(Appearance) + Empathy vs Willpower; the
number of successes determines how long the subject is Entranced, as per the chart below.
(Subjects can still make a Willpower roll to temporarily resist,
resisting for one round on 1-2 successes and breaking the spell on 3 or more. Any failure make further rolls impossible.)
The Storyteller may wish to make the roll instead, since the
character is never certain of the strength of her hold on the victim. The vampire may try to keep the subject under her
thrall, but can do so only after the initial Entrancement wears off. Attempting this power while Entrancement is already in operation has no effect.
Entrancement Success Result Failure:
Subject cannot be entranced for the rest of
1 success:
One hour
the night.
2 successes:
One day
4 successes:
One month
3 successes: 5 successes:
One week One year
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Appendix 4
Skills
Mental Academics
This skill covers the character’s erudition in one academic
field, specified at skill purchase. This can be as general or
specific as the Storyteller decides, and is not limited to the Humanities, but can equally well be of a more “hard
scientific” nature. A character with dots in Academics is
generally well rounded in this field, and at high levels may
be considered an expert in her area of study. Alertness
This is your basic knack for noticing things that go on
around you, even when you’re not actively looking for them.
Alertness describes the attention you pay to the outside
world, whether otherwise occupied or not. Awareness
Awareness is an instinctual reaction to the presence of the supernatural. It differs from Alertness (which measures
sensitivity to mundane events) and Occult (which covers
actual knowledge about the supernatural). Characters with
Awareness sometimes get hunches, chills, or sudden flashes of inspiration when they are near supernatural creatures,
objects, or events. This insight is purely subconscious, and knowing that something’s wrong doesn’t mean that the
character knows what it is. Firearms
This Skill represents familiarity with a range of firearms,
from holdout pistols to heavy machine guns. Further,
someone skilled in Firearms can clean, repair, recognize, and accurately fire most forms of small arms. This Skill is also
used to unjam guns. It is never used in a defensive capacity,
however. (Use Dodge instead).
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Investigation
You’ve learned to notice details others might overlook, and
might make an admirable detective. This skill represents not only a good eye for detail, but also an ability to do research and follow leads. Such research may include Internet
searches or more specific research techniques like hitting
the law books and periodicals archives at the library. Medicine
You have an understanding of how the human body — and
to a lesser extent the vampiric body — works. This skill covers knowledge of medicines, ailments, first-aid
procedures, and diagnosis or treatment of disease. Medicine
is of great use to those Kindred with an interest in repairing, damaging, or reworking the human body. Occult
You are knowledgeable in occult areas such as mysticism,
curses, magic, folklore, and particularly vampire lore. Unlike
most other skills, Occult does not imply a command of hard
facts. Much of what you know may well be rumor, myth,
speculation, or hearsay. However, the secrets to be learned in this field are worth centuries of sifting legend from fact.
High levels of Occult imply a deep understanding of vampire
lore, as well as a good grounding in other aspects of the
occult. At the very least, you can discern what is patently false.
Technology
The Technology skill represents a broad acumen with
electronics, advanced machinery and computers, both
hardware and software. This is the wide-ranging skill used
to build one’s own computer, hack a security system, repair
a mobile phone, or kitbash a shortwave radio. Just like
Academics, you must choose a specialization in Technology,
even though you possess some skill in multiple fields.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Physical Athletics
This skill represents your basic athletic ability, as well as any
training you might have had in sports or other dynamic
activities. Athletics concerns all forms of running, jumping,
throwing, swimming, sports, and the like. However, Athletics doesn’t cover static motor actions such as lifting weights
(that’s Physique, below), nor does it govern athletic feats
covered by another, more specific, skill such as Dodge. Brawl
The Brawl skill represents how well you fight in tooth-and-
nail situations. This Talent represents skill in unarmed
combat, whether from formal martial arts training or simply from plenty of experience. This skill is especially important
to a vampire, as it not only covers the use of hands and feet, but fangs as well. Dodge
This represents a characters aptitude for immediate selfpreservation, whether it’s avoiding blows and sharp
implements or finding the best cover in a surprise firefight. A character can use Dodge in place of any combat skill in a resisted combat roll, but will in that case never inflict any hits on the opponent, no matter how many successes are
rolled. Note that, as per the combat rules, trying to dodge a bullet without available cover will result in going prone. Larceny
This Skill entails familiarity with the tools and techniques for the sorts of physical manipulation typically associated with
criminal activity. Picking locks, manual forgery, safecracking, simple hotwiring, various forms of breaking and entering,
and even sleight-of-hand all fall under the auspices of
Larceny. Larceny is useful not only for theft, but also for
setting up “the unbeatable system” or deducing where a thief
broke in. This skill does not confer any aptitude with
advanced security or anti-crime technologies such as video
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT surveillance or alarm systems — those are covered by the Technology Knowledge. Melee
Melee covers your ability to use hand-to-hand weapons of
all forms, from swords and clubs to esoteric martial-arts
paraphernalia such as sai or nunchaku. And, of course, there is always the utility of the wooden stake.… Physique
This skill represents your physical training in feats of static strength and stamina. Whereas Athletics is usually about
movement and traversal, Physique covers static feats such as lifting weights, tests of endurance or both. Stealth
This skill is the ability to avoid being detected, whether
you’re hiding or moving at the time. Stealth is often tested
against someone else’s Perception + Alertness. This skill is,
for obvious reasons, highly useful in stalking prey. Survival
Although vampires have little to fear from starvation and
exposure, the wilderness can still be dangerous to a Cainite. This skill allows you to find shelter, navigate your way to
civilization, track prey, establish a makeshift haven, and
possibly even avoid supernatural threats like werewolves that
also prowl the World of Darkness. Note that Survival need
not be used only in areas considered “wilderness.” There’s
plenty of Survival that goes into getting by in various parts of modern cities.
Social Art
Art represents both your knowledge of, and ability to
socialize in, the world of art and artists, as well as your abilty to express yourself in one or more forms of art. Each
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT specialization allows you to pick an art form to be proficient in.
Empathy
You understand the emotions of others, and can sympathize with, feign sympathy for, or play on such emotions as you see fit. You are adept at discerning motive, and might be
able to discern when someone’s lying to you. However, you
may be so in tune with other people’s feelings that your own
emotions are affected. Intimidation
Intimidation takes many forms, from outright threats and
physical violence to mere force of personality. It needn’t be
course or callous, and a well-placed intimidating word under
the right circumstances might well be called “diplomacy” in
certain circles. You know the right method for each occasion,
and can be very… persuasive. Leadership
You are an example to others and can inspire them to do
what you want. Leadership has less to do with manipulating
people’s desires than it does with presenting yourself as the
sort of person they want to follow. Anyone can lead a group into some sort of conflict; a good leader can get them back out intact.
Persuasion
Persuasion is your character’s ability to change minds and influence behaviours through logic, fast-talking, or
appealing to desire. It relies on the force of your character’s
personality to sway the listener. Persuasion is perhaps the
safest way to convince a potential meal to meet in private.
Socialize
Socialize reflects your character’s ability to present herself well and interact with groups of people (alive or dead). It
reflects proper (and setting-appropriate) etiquette, customs,
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT sensitivity, and warmth. A character with a high Socialize is the life of the party. Streetwise
The Streetwise skill is your character’s knowledge of life on
the streets. It tells her how to navigate the city, how to get information from unlikely sources, and where she’ll be
(relatively) safe. If she wants to get something on the black market, Streetwise is how. Subterfuge
Subterfuge is the ability to deceive. With Subterfuge, your
character can lie convincingly, project hidden messages in what she says, hide motivations, and notice deception in
others.
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT Appendix 5
The Generation Game
If you want to try to model Generation using these pre-alpha rules, a suggestion is given below. Note that this is an
untested addition to the previous playtest, so proceed at
your own risk. Numbers are probably skewed. Unforeseen
consequences are sure to abound. You have been warned. According to the table below, each Generation is given a
level of Blood Potency, representing the concentration of
Antediluvian power coursing in the veins of said Kindred. It has three effects on gameplay:
1 – When checking for Hunger increase (either at scene end,
when initiating feeding or when five rouses have been made), subtract dice from the test pool equal to the Blood Potency of the Vampire. Remember that no dice pool can fall below one, though. In this way, vampires of lower generation will not grow hungry as fast as those of weaker blood.
Example: Brigit is an 8th Generation vampire (Blood Potency of 1) and has made four Rouses in a Scene. At Scene end she would usually roll four dice to see if her Hunger increases, but her Blood Potency allows her to subtract one dice from that pool, making her roll only three dice. 2 – When Compulsions occur, add the Blood Potency value to the roll on the Compulsion table.
3 – When feeding, subtract Blood Potency from the amount of Hunger lost.
Generation
Blood Potency
9-7
1
13-10 6-5 4
0 2 3
Vampire: the Masquerade Name
Virtue
Chronicle
Age
Vice
Faction
Player
Concept
Clan
WHITE WOLF NTERTAINMENT Mental
Physical
Social
Academics
Athletics
Art
Alertness
Brawl
Empathy
Awareness
Dodge
Intimidation
Firearms
Larceny
Leadership
Investigation
Melee
Persuasion
Medicine
Physique
Socialize
Occult
Stealth
Streetwise
Technology
Survival
Subterfuge
Disciplines
Backgrounds
Other Traits
Willpower
Health
Composure
Blood Roused
Humanity
Hunger
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL – NO PART OF THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE COPIED OR PHOTOGRAPHED. © WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT AB, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL – NO PART OF THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE COPIED OR PHOTOGRAPHED. © WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT AB, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
