25, because it has five clans and five Covenants in the core rules (as well as a sixth Clan later on and talk of other Clans and Covenants).
(Bias note: I know the then line developer.)
Vampire: The Requiem second edition started as Blood And Smoke: The Strix Chronicle, a second edition in all but name, before the then owners agreed to a full second edition. Introducing Touchstones for Humanity and features like Aspirations both in and out of character, it influenced the subsequent fifth edition of Vampire: The Masquerade.
It’s a modern horror game about vampires living among us, this edition having a stronger focus on their interactions with humans - they risk losing Humanity by avoiding contact with people as well as harming them, and also by experiencing things humans can’t like surviving a mortal wound.
The five clans are archetypes, each with a unique Discipline, and variety is added by various Bloodlines and by the religious and political Covenants which often coexist in a game’s city setting.
I’ve run this edition for players familiar with and new to the game, but haven’t had a chance to play it...
Joshua
Drifter
Drifter
Aspirations
Three goals, long and short term, things the character wants and things you want for the character.
Pay off my debt to the Fortune Teller.
Keep my bike running.
Try not to get dragged into city politics.
Attributes
Three categories with three Attribute each, Mental, Physical and Social. 5.4.3. Starting with 1 on a human scale of 1-5.
Mental (secondary)
Intelligence 2
Wits 3
Resolve 2
Physical (primary)
Strength 3
Dexterity 3 (4)
Stamina 2
Social (tertiary)
Presence 2
Manipulation 1
Composure 3
Skills
Eight Skills per category, 11,7,4
Mental (secondary)
Academics 1
Computer
Crafts 2
Investigation 1
Medicine 1
Occult 1
Politics
Science 1
Physical (primary)
Athletics 1
Brawl 2
Drive 3
Firearms 1
Larceny 1
Stealth 1
Survival 1
Weaponry 1
Social (tertiary)
Animal Ken
Empathy
Expression
Intimidation 1
Persuasion 1
Socialize
Streetwise 1
Subterfuge 1
Three Skill Specialties
Craft: mechanic
Drive: motorbikes
Occult: country witch lore
Stopping here give a human character (with derived statistics, human morality and Merits later) so the next steps are vampire-specific
Clan
Daeva
Daeva are strong, fast and alluring. They can bring prey to them, or chase them down at speed.
Daeva get +1 Dexterity or Manipulation, go with Dexterity. Their signature Discipline is Majesty, emotional control, and they also have Celerity for inhuman speed and Vigor for strength. They also have a bane where they can become fixated on specific victims, making some return to them again and again and others actively avoid doing so.
Covenant
Circle of the Crone
Most vampires belong to a Covenant, some political, some religious and some in between. The Circle of the Crone is a witch cult which teaches a kind of blood sorcery.
Mask and Dirge
Who you appear to be among humans, and who you are - or appear to be - among vampires. These provide Willpower, and some protection against loss of Humanity for actions that fit them.
Mask: Nomad
Dirge: Competitor
Touchstones
A person or thing that grounds the character in humanity, and defending them gives Willpower. A starting character has one Touchstone, and the player can purchase more as Merits.
The ex
Disciplines
A vampire’s inhuman powers. 3 dots, 2 in-clan and one from there or another common Discipline.
Celerity 1
Majesty 0
Vigor 1
Protean 1
Blood Potency
How quickly you can use blood to power various vampire abilities, with the downside that if also makes you more susceptible to some weaknesses. Start with 1.I’ll stay there.
1
Merits
The first edition Chronicles Of Darkness games required the The World Of Darkness core rulebook. The second edition games largely don’t require the Chronicles Of Darkness second edition core, but while VTR 2 works as a standalone rulebook it lacks some optional subsystems, and for character generation it doesn’t have a complete list of standard Merits. The rules update including this list is available free here.
10 points
Anonymity 3
Contacts 2 (blood donor centre, chop shops)
Language 1 (Spanish)
Resources 1
Safe Place 1
Crack Driver 2 (from the Chronicles Of Darkness rulebook)
Advantages
Willpower
Resolve + Composure
5
Humanity
7 to start. Clan banes only start when it drops to 6, allowing an introduction without them.
Defense
Least of Wits or Dexterity, plus Athletics Skill (and Celerity)
5
Size
5
Health
Size + Stamina (+ Resilience)
7
Speed
Size + Strength + Dexterity.
12
Joshua was a biker murdered by rivals, and saved - after a fashion - by the Fortune Teller, a vampire witch. He’s come back to the city he left in life to help some of her comrades, with no desire to stay.
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