House Rules
Character Creation | Changes to the Mechanics | Merits | Changes and Addendums to Disciplines | Bloodlines | Gameplay Etiquette | Awarding and Spending Experience Points
Character Creation
Starting XP
First, we are not using the optional rule "I Wasn't Embraced Yesterday" found on Page 119 of MET: Requiem. When you come into play, you are starting out as a base point character. Now, the ST team does reward Death XP in certain situations for players whose previous character died.
Humanity Sell Off
If you decide to sell off your humanity at character creation you will still have to do a derangement draw for each level that you drop. There is no cheating madness.
Caps to Clan and Covenant
First off, we are limiting character creation to the 5 clans listed in MET: Requiem. No bloodlines at character creation. Also, characters can only be one of the 5 main covenants listed in MET: Requiem, or Unaligned. There will be no VII, Balial's Brood, or any other covenants listed in other books. We currently do not have an caps in place upon the clans or covenants allowed, though the ST's a reward process for players who choose less populated clans and covenants.
Character Approval
The ST Team may approve or deny your character for a number of reasons including (but not limited to) the nature of the concept, the stats on the sheet and the current nature of the game. The ST Team may deny certain concepts upon submission or within the first three games of play. The ST Team may ask you to adjust your character upon submission or within the first three games of play.
Duel Covenant Membership
Your character can hold membership in two covenants. If you have Covenant Status in more then one covenant you are limited to a combined total of 3 dots of Covenant Status (see pg. 134 of MET: Requiem). You only gain the covenant ability of the covenant that you hold the most Covenant Status in.
Example:
Cameron is a member of both the Invictus and the Lancea Sanctum. He can only have a combined total of 3 dots of Covenant Status. He could have Status (Invictus) 1 and Status (Lancea Sanctum) 2. In this case since he holds more status in the Lancea Sanctum he could buy Theban Sorcery. He would not be able to get merits (Herd, Mentor, Resources and Retainers) at a discounted XP cost.
Blood Potency
We do not allow players to use their character's starting merit points to buy up blood potency.
Changes to the Mechanics
Lowered Success Interval
We are employing the optional rule listed on (pg 182 of the MET: Core Book) where successes are measured at an interval of 3 instead of the interval of 5.
Total Draw / Roll Number of Successes
10-12 / 1
13-15 / 2
16-18 / 3
19-21 / 4
22-24 / 5
25-27 / 6
Feeding Tests and Blood Tracking
Our feeding system is modified from the one presented on pg 230-231 MET: Requiem. We track blood usage during downtime and at game. When a game session ends, players are to submit their blood tokens with their character sheets so the ST team can keep track. Between games the STs uses a spreadsheet to track Ghouls, Coils and other merits/abilities that increase and decrease vitae consumption. Activities done in downtime may also be taken into account.
The STs also apply a domain stability rating to the tracking. The value of the domain stability rating depends on the state of the domain. High crime, poverty, the presence of police will lead to a big negative modifier. Low crime, lots of tourism and special events will lead to a low negative modifier.
Example:
-5 if the military is in town,
-4 for lots of crime
-3 for normal
-2 for low crime
-1 for Frosh Week
0 for Octoberfest
Once we've taken all of these values into account and the calculations have been completed all characters then have a "Starting Vitae" total found on the sign in sheet.
When players arrive to game they are entitled to a feeding test based off a character's applicable skills. This test is representative of a character's personal skill at feeding. Every success a character scores on their feeding test translates into, an additional point of blood on top of their starting total. Merits such as Herd, Haven (Location), and Barfly may apply on this test.
If a character is still low on blood he/she can make a draw from The Rack Deck. The Rack Deck represents a character making a quick, risky stop at the rack before coming to gathering. The Rack Deck has a number of different possibilities to draw from. Most consist of +1 or +2 vitae. Some are less favourable as they indicate that a character's feeding was successful but something bad happened. For instance the person a character fed off of could have been intoxicated (resulting in the character suffering from negative traits). Then there is the 'Scene Card of Doom'. This will card will result in a scene with an ST and something bad will happen.
Here is an equation that shows how the blood tracking works:
End Vitae + Domain Stability Rating - 1 (per ghoul per month) + [Resolve -1] (If you have Blood Seeps Slowly) – Damage +/– Downtime Uses
Willpower Tracking
We also track willpower usage between games. We are using the rule listed on page 110 of MET: Core Book where you get 1 point willpower back per week of downtime (usually 2). We track willpower used for downtime actions, on ghouls and other things. . Once we've taken all of these values into account and the calculations have been completed all characters then have a "Starting Willpower" total found on the sign-in sheet.
Here is an equation that shows how the willpower tracking works:
End Willpower + Weeks in Downtime – 1 (per ghoul per month) +/– Downtime Uses
Increasing Blood Potency
In order to demonstrate the good and bad that happens a character ages, we have instituted an automatic blood potency increase. Your character's Blood Potency rises with the characters age (# of games you've played the character) after embrace. These increases are mandatory. Blood Potency goes up by the following increments.
Start At Blood Potency 1
After 9 Games = Blood Potency 2
After 12 More Games = Blood Potency 3
After 15 More Games = Blood Potency 4
After 18 More Games = Blood Potency 5
After 21 More Games = Blood Potency 6
After 24 More Games = Blood Potency 7
After 27 More Games = Blood Potency 8
After 30 More Games = Blood Potency 9
After 33 More Games = Blood Potency 10
Games played as a human or ghoul do not count towards this total. If a player increases their character's blood potency using either XP or merit points at character creation the character moves up on the table one slot.
Example: James, while playing his character Doyle, spends 16 xp at character creation (with some death XP) to get blood potency 2. In order for Doyle to reach Blood Potency 3, James will to wait until his character has played 12 games.
If a character gains blood potency through diablerie, that character counts as one blood potency higher then they would by the chart.
Example:
If at the 6 game mark (BP 1) John diablerizes Anne (BP 2) he goes to blood potency 2. When John reaches the 9 game plateau, he goes to blood potency 3 - one step earlier that he normally would.
Blood Potency and Torpor
If your character falls into torpor for an extended time, your blood with automatically decrease, at a rate of ½ the time it would take to go up.
Example:
Iris Griffith while at BP 3 sinks into torpor. Since the rate of increase from BP 2 to BP 3 is 12 games her blood potency would go back down to 2 after 6 games.
Visual Representation of Blood Potency
Use your fingers (on your right hand) to represent your Blood Potency (one finger per point of Blood Potency), point across your torso towards the floor, so your hand ends up near your left hip.
If you have no Blood Potency (or have Obfuscate 2 active) simply use your thumb and forefinger to form the number zero.
For a demonstration, simply ask a Narrator, and they will show you.
Ranged Staking
When a character is attempting to stake a Kindred from a distance they subtract the targets defense from their attack roll.
Merits
Retainers
We are now using retainers as outline in the MET: World of Darkness book on page
Lost Merits
During the course of the game, either through the actions of antagonists, or the actions of other players, a character may lose access to some of their merits. This could be a killed retainer, an upset ally, a burned down haven or reduced resources. If this occurs to you your character's XP is not lost. Any merit that is lost can be re-grown at a rate one dot per downtime action spent. The STs reserve the right to slow the re-growth or eliminate it outright in certain situations.
Example:
You have Status 3 police and you are charged with the murder of a police officer. You would not be able to re-grow that status until you are able to clear your name and even then it will be tough.
The STs will especially block regrowth if you use your allies in an attempt to kill another PC and they are killed in that manner.
Example:
Will sends five of his 1 pt retainers into Robert's haven and tries to kill him in his sleep. Through good security and cunning use of dominate Robert is able to survive - killing three of the retainers and send the other two packing. The player of Will would not be allowed to re-grow the lost retainers.
The STs will always attempt to warn a player before they attempt to use their merits in a way that will get them permanently removed.
Clan and Covenant Status
We have changed Clan and Covenant Status to match City Status. They do not cost XP, but rather earned through roleplaying. If you are interested in raising your clan/covenant status, speak to an ST, your Priscus or Covenant leader, and they will explain to you what you need to do to raise your status.
Growing Merits with Downtime
To grow a merit, players will need to spend time in OH recruiting new merits for future use in downtime. When the OH is submitted, you will need to include how your character is going about the recruitment as well what skills come into play with this acquisition.
The STs will determine based on your actions and pools how successful the action was and indicate the merit earned and the level that it can be purchased to. If your character doesn't succeed the character can try again. While most physical and mental merits are pretty clear what pool is needed to learn them, social merits are quite variable and the pool will be determined by the narration given in the downtime.
Changes and Addendums to Disciplines
Auspex 1 – Heightened Senses
We have given a mechanical aspect to the ability to heighten your senses with Auspex 1. When your character activates a given sense (most likely hearing or sight) the player may take a number of steps equal to their Wits + Investigation + Auspex closer to the target of their heightened sense. To indicate your character is using heightened sense use your right hand to point to the organ representing the heightened sense (see pg 17 of MET: Core Book) and use your left hand to point to where there character actually is.
Example:
Solomon Birch answers his cell phone and Loki wants to listen in on the conversation from across the room. He activates Heightened Senses: Hearing. The player of Loki then points to his ear, walks toward Solomon Birch, taking 12 steps (Wits 4, Investigation 5, Auspex 3) while using the other hand to point to where his character is actually standing. Hopefully, those 12 steps will get him close enough to overhear the conversation.
There are modifiers to the number of steps a character can take. Background noise, dim light, and other sources cause the number of steps to decrease.
Listening:
• Conversation Close By - 1 step
• Heated Argument Near By - 3 steps
• Through a Door - (Door's Structure -3) steps (see page 189 of MET: Core Book)
Seeing:
• Dim Lighting - 1 step
• Darkness - 2 to 5 steps (Variable)
Smell:
• Overwhelming Scent Nearby - 1 to 3 steps (Variable)
Auspex 2 – Aura Perception
We are using the optional rule "Deceitful Creatures" listed on pg. 162 of MET: Requiem. This rule states that using Aura Perception cannot give you a definitive knowledge about whether someone has told a lie. Instead flickers of deceit will appear in their aura. You can know that someone wasn't being completely truthful but you cannot outright determine if they were lying. Aura perception is an indicator of deceit rather than a lie detector.
Vigor
Vigor will now directly add to all of a character's strength pools before the draw is made. This is a drastic change from the way Vigor works on pg 196-197 of MET: The Requiem. This also means that dots in Vigor add to Jumping Pools and Running Speed as well. Vigor adds to a character's defense when you are in a grapple.
Example:
George and Paul are in a grapple. George has Strength 3, Brawl 4 and Vigor 3. Paul has Strength 2, Brawl 3, and no Vigor. First, George tries to crush Paul and draws a card. George's base pool is 8 (Strength 3 + Brawl 4 + Vigour 3 – Paul's Strength 2). George's player draws a 8 giving him a total of 16 which causes three bashing to Paul. Paul wants to break free. Unfortunately, Paul is down to a chance draw (Strength 2 + Brawl 3 – George's Strength 3 – George's Vigor 3). Paul realises he is in trouble and starts to prey to Longinus.
Cruac Ritual – Cheval
The duration of this ritual has been changed to 2 hours per success.
Bloodlines
Sire's Bloodline
You can join your sire's bloodline when you are reach blood potency 2 using the rules outlined in the MET: Requiem book. This will be most commonly done when you play the childer of a PC that is on a bloodline. We do not allow players to write into their background the fact that their sire is on a blood. Otherwise to join a bloodline you MUST wait until you are at Blood Potency 4.
Getting on a Bloodline
It will require role-playing and time to join a bloodline. You will also need a teacher. This will most likely represented by the Mentor Merit. Just because a bloodline is published does not mean that it will be allowed. We are not going to present of list of appropriate and inappropriate bloodlines. When your character reaches blood potency 4 we want you to come to the STs (either at OH, or before game, not during game) and let us know. We will then look at the bloodline and get back to you.
Gameplay Etiquette
IC v.s. OOC
Please use common sense when it comes to using what you know in and out of character. We do not want to see the game break down into accusations and fights over meta-gaming. Please be sensible.
Awarding and Spending Experience Points
XP Awards
The XP awarding listed on pg 308-310 of the MET: Core Book has been increased. We want to encourage players to concentrate more on plotting and role-playing and not the slow accumulation of XP.
XP is awarded as following:
Game Play – 3 XP. Coming to game, put effort into playing your character, being involved and you will earn yourself 3 XP.
Roleplaying – 1-2 XP. At sign out everyone will be asked to nominate a fellow player for role-playing award. The top 3-6 vote getters will get extra XP. The ST Team will also each award a player with an XP for things we have seen. Truly exceptional role-playing will be awarded with multiple points of XP.
Extra Mile – 1-2 XP. To encourage players to be more involved in game the STs watch and give extra XP to those players who go a little further to make the game better. Wearing a costume, bringing props, doing downtime, coming to Office Hours, helping set up the game site, and helping clean up the game site will be recognized and awarded. This is not a one for one deal. Doing three things from the list does not get you 3XP. Doing those things will get you a point of XP. Doing things from the list exceptionally will get you two points of XP.
Other – 1-2 XP. Sometimes we will give XP out for other things. Stuff like the end of major plots, reaching attendance plateaus and holidays have been known to make us generous.
Downtime or Roleplaying Justification
Here is list of things you may purchase at game without any justification whatsoever:
• Attributes
• Skills
•Skill Specializations
• In Clan Disciplines
Here is a list of things you may purchase with justification a Storyteller:
• Out Of Clan Disciplines
• Any Magic
• Coils
• Devotions
• Merits
Justification is waived for characters whom are within their first 35 XP because you are still fleshing out your characters from character creation
Justification
In order to purchase a trait from the list of things that need justification the player must (either through the role-playing of a scene or the submission of downtime) be granted permission from an ST. Some merits, such as Mentor, can pretty much only be grown through roleplaying and completing projects and quests. Other merits, such as Languages, pretty much can only be learned through Downtime, as roleplaying a scene doesn't really make sense. Please refer to the Downtime Submission section of the website for more information.
