Vampire The Requiem - Reap the Whirlwind

8/10/2019 Vampire The Requiem - Reap the Whirlwind

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Dare to Walkthe Onyx Path...

Onyx Path Publishing was founded by industry veteran andlong-term White Wolf Creative Director Richard Thomas.

The company has partnered with CCP/White Wolf and

collaborates with other experienced designers, developers, artists,

and writers to bring new (and existing) games like Scion,

Vampire: the Requiem, and Mage: the Ascension

20th Anniversary Edition.

Games from Onyx Path Publishingand

CCP/White Wolfare currently available at

DriveThruRPG.com.

This free RPG Day quickstart for

Vampire: the Requiemfeatures:

* Fully playable excerpts from the updatedWorld of Darknessand

Vampirerules from

Blood and Smoke: The Strix Chronicle.

* Character creation for vampires.

* The first two dots of all the revised Clan Disciplines.

* A free copy of the best-selling adventure "Into the Void,

by noted horror author Chuck Wendig.

For more information, visit the Onyx Path

website at: http://www.theonyxpath.com


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Reap The Whirlwind2

CreditsWriters:

Reap the Whirlwind: Rose Bailey, David Hill, AlecHumphrey, Stew Wilson

Into the Void:Chuck Wendig

Developers:

Reap the Whirlwind:Rose Bailey and Audrey WhitmanInto the Void: Eddy Webb and Chuck Wendig

Editors:David Hill and Genevieve Podleski

Creative Director: Richard Thomas

Interior and Cover Design: Mike Chaney

Artists: Avery Butterworth, Jean Sebastien Rossbach, MarkNelson, Pat Loboyko, Greg Boychuk, Mark Poole, Pat Loboyko,Sam Araya

2013 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the writtenpermission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposesof reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced forpersonal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, and The World of Darknessare registered trademarks of CCP hf. All rights reserved. Storytelling

System, Vampire the Requiem, Mage the Awakening, Werewolf theForsaken, World of Darkness, and The Danse Macabre are trademarksof CCP hf.

All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein arecopyrighted by CCP hf.

CCP North America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCP hf.

This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fictionand intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.

Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com


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ContentsVampire: The Requiem 4Introduction 4

Themes 4

How to use this book 4

Life After Dark 5Character Creation 5

Rules of the Night 6

Conditions 12

Laws of the Dead 14

Humanity Examples 16

Common Actions 17

Combat Summary Chart 19

Ranged Weapons Chart 20

Melee Weapons Chart 21

Size 21

Disciplines 23

Animalism 23

Auspex 24

Celerity 25

Majesty 27

Obfuscate 29

Protean 30

Into The Void 32Introduction 32

Whats Inside 32

Treatment 32

A Chapter in Your Chronicle 33

Background and Setup 33

The Cast 35

Prince Tiberias 35

Harmon Kale (Sheriff) 36

Amelie (The Princes Attach) 37

Vampires of the City 38

Miscellaneous Enemies 40

Scene Flowchart 42

Scenes 43

Good Night, Sweet Prince 45

Secrets on the Wind,Like Blood in the Water 47

Pandoras Box 50

Encounter Scenarios 53

Aftermath 57


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IntroductionVampireis a game of visceral drama and personal horror.

Vampire is about sex and murder, about power and wilddefiance. Its about urban squalor and the romance of the city.Its about whats wrong with you -- yes, you -- and how thatshapes the monster youll become.

Vampire is also about thrilling action and nail-bitingparanoia. Its about dying young and being a great-lookingcorpse. Its about acting out in all of the ways we imagine wewould, if only we couldnt see ourselves in the mirror.

Vampireis a game about dead people and it should makeyou feel alive.

ThemesVampireis built on contrast, taking place in a World of Darkness

with blinding whites and pitch black. Characters try to stay in thecool, comfortable grays, but they cant hide all the time. And, hey,they look good in black.

Requiem + MasqueradeWhat are you going to do to make it through tonight? What

about tomorrow night? And after the deeds are done and yourbellys full, how are you going to live with yourself? What areyou going to do with your damnation that makes it worth allthe sins along the way?

Thats the Requiem.

Only half the question, though. Mortals are dinner buttheyre also what youve got for dates. No matter how callousyou become, youll need to move among them. How will youkeep your connection to Humanity, even as a sham?

Thats the Masquerade.

The song and the dance dont always play well. Devote

yourself to redeeming human sinners and you may discovertheyre the only creatures you understand.

Spend your nights in a vault perfecting your monstrosityand you may find yourself trapped, unable to flee through themasses when the hunters bash down the gates.

VAMPIRE: THE REQUIEMOld + New

Established 1856. Thats what the firms sign says. The ownerwas established 1856, too, even though his sharp-cut suit wasmade tomorrow. Hes one of your guys. One of the sharks youswim with.

The Kindred are the real predators of the modern age.Theyre hip to our tricks but theyve got a hundred years ofhistory behind them. Youre one of them. So, congratulations:you are the child-stealer, the plague-bearer and the facelesscorporate titan sucking the life out of your own hometown.

Piety + BlasphemyHow did you get to be what you are? Were you a good girl,

dragged kicking and screaming from heaven? Or a bad boy,brought back from the grave cause hell didnt deserve you?

Little of both, probably.

Somebody cheated death to bring you back, and now you have tomake up the debt. You can devote yourself to faith and good works.Play philanthropist. Play superhero. Or you can accept that youredamned and get the party started. Piss on the cross. Get some head.

Little of both, probably.

How to use this bookReap the Whirlwind is an introduction to Vampire: The

Requiem which previews Blood and Smoke: The Strix Chronicle.

Blood and Smoke is a reimagined core rulebook for Requiem,containing a complete set of overhauled rules and a brand new setting.It replaces the original Requiem core book and is standalone.

Reap the Whirlwind is divided into two parts.

Life After Dark(p. 5) contains all the rules you need to createyour own vampire and play the included story.

Into the Void(p. 32) presents an adventure that kicks offwith the unthinkable: murdering the Prince of your city. Andthen things get crazy.

Together, these give you an exciting look into the world ofVampire, a world like our own, but sexier, glitzier, and much,much bloodier.


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Life After Dark

LIFE AFTER DARKCharacter Creation

Step One: ConceptCome up with a basic concept for your character. Pick an

Aspiration -- something your character hopes to gain from thePrinces death.

Step Two: AttributesPrioritize categories. They receive 5/4/3 dots, distributed

among the primary, secondary, and tertiary categories.

Step Three: SkillsPrioritize categories. They receive 11/7/4 dots, distributed

among the primary, secondary, and tertiary categories.

Step Four: Add Kindred TraitsChoose clan, covenant, Masquerade, Requiem, and

Disciplines.Set Blood Potency to 3. This enables your character to hold

up to 12 Vitae and spend up to 3 of it per turn.

Set Humanity to 5.

Step Five: AdvantagesWillpower is equal to Resolve + Composure. Humanity is 7. Size is

5. Health is Size + Stamina + Resilience. Speed is Size + Strength +Dexterity. Defense is the lower of Dexterity and Wits, plus Athletics.

ClanChoose the clan to which your vampire belongs. A clan is

an extended family of vampires, with common powers andsometimes common personality traits. Sometimes, ty worktogether. But theyre family, so thats not always the case.

DaevaHungry, passionate, seductive. The ones you die for.

Disciplines:Celerity, Majesty, Vigor

GangrelPrimal, hardy, feral. The ones you cant kill.

Disciplines: Animalism, Protean, Resilience

MekhetQuiet, cunning, knowing. The ones watching you sleep.

Disciplines:Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate

NosferatuUnsettling, mysterious, fearsome. The ones you fear.

Disciplines:Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor

VentrueUnflappable, domineering, confident. The ones who win.

Disciplines:Animalism, Dominate, Resilience

CovenantChoose a covenant to which your character belongs. Covenantsare groups of vampires who take a similar approach to life afterdeath; a combination of political party and support group.The Carthian Movement applies mortal solutions to immortalproblems with modern and experimental government.The Circle of the Crone venerate the Mother of Monsters and theold ways. The Invictussafeguard the Masquerade with old worldtradition, cutting edge intelligence gathering, and ruthless violence.

The Lancea Sanctum are the twisted conscience of theKindred, and keep the secret history of vampires.

The Ordo Draculseek to turn vampiric Damnation into

monstrous Transcendence.

DisciplinesPick four dots of Disciplines. Three must be from Disciplines

belonging to your characters clan. This book covers only thefirst two dots of each Discipline.

Animalism:The ability to communicate and commandanimals.


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Auspex:Sight beyond sight.

Celerity:Inhuman speed.

Dominate:The ability to control the mind.

Majesty:The power to sway emotions.

Nightmare:The power to harness terror.

Rules of the Night

Obfuscate:Powers of invisibility and distraction.

Protean:The power to change shape.

Resilience:Immense toughness.

Vigor:Impossible strength.

The BasicsWhen your character tries to accomplish something or avoid

danger, you roll dice to determine the outcome. The dice youlluse are ten-sided, and youll roll a pool of them based on yourcharacters relevant traits. For example, to punch someone inthe face, you might add your Strength Attribute of 3 to yourBrawl Skill of 2 and pick up five dice.

When you roll the dice, each one that comes up 8, 9, or 10 is a

success. Usually, you only need one success to accomplish whatyou intended, but more are always better. (Especially if youretrying to hurt someone -- successes add to damage in combat.)

Any die that comes up a 10 counts as a success, but re-rollit, potentially adding another success. In fact, if it comes up 10again, roll it a third time, and so on.

Many rolls will have modifiers, ranging from -5 to +5, but usuallywithin the range of -2 to +2. These reflect circumstances that makeyour characters action easier or harder. You add or subtract theappropriate number of dice from your pool before rolling.

If modifiers reduce your dice pool to zero, you roll a singledie, called a chance die. A chance die counts as a single success

if it comes up 10. Any other result is a failure, and a 1 is anautomatic dramatic failure.

There are a few different kinds of success and failure:

Success:Your characters action goes off as planned. (Oralmost as planned.) Achieved by having one or more dice comeup greater than or equal to 8.

Failure: Your characters action fails. Sometimes, that meansnothing happens, other times it means complications are onthe way. This occurs when none of your dice are successes.

Exceptional Success: Your characters action succeedsbeyond her expectations. This is achieved when you roll fiveor more successes. Your character also gains the Inspired

Condition. She can take this for herself or, if appropriate tothe story, give it to another players character.

Dramatic Failure:Your characters action fails badly... andthings are probably going to get worse. This is suffered undertwo circumstances. The first, and less common, is when youroll a 1 on a chance die. More often, youll choose to turn aregular failure into a dramatic failure. When you do that, youget a Willpower point, which can make a big difference downthe road. (In the full game, rather than Willpower, you getpoints which help you improve your character.)

WillpowerWillpower represents a characters determination to carry

through and see her desires fulfilled. Spending a point ofWillpower adds three dice to most dice pools. Only one pointof Willpower can be spent in this way on a single action.

Types of ActionsMost actions are instant. They take place in a relatively small

space of time. In a fight, an instant action takes up your turn.

An action can also be reflexive, something your characterbarely has to think or act to do. Reflexive actions can happenat any time, and dont take your turn.

Some actions are contested. These work just like instantactions, except youre rolling dice for your character againstanother player or the Storyteller rolling dice for theirs. In acontested action, victory is achieved by rolling more successesthan the opposing player. Contested actions only take the turnof the player who initiated the contest.

Characters can use teamwork on a single action. One character

is the primary actor, and her player assembles her dice pool asnormal. For example, Dexterity + Medicine to administer first aid.However, anyone assisting rolls the same poolfirst. Their successesbecome bonus dice on the primary actors roll. Obviously, somekinds of action lend themselves better to teamwork than others.

The Passage of TimeWeve talked about turns, periods of about three seconds

each. The games tracked in turns when in combat or othertime-critical situations.

The second important measure of time is the scene. Scenesare an abstract measurement of time, lasting roughly longenough to take care of all of the action the characters want totake part in in a particular place.

CharactersCharacters are made up of a set of traits. Some of them are

numbers, others are descriptors that have an effect on othergame mechanics.


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Life After Dark

Attributesare raw potential.

Skillsare trained areas of expertise.

Advantagescover things like how fast a character movesor how much Willpower she can bring to bear.

Disciplinesare the monstrous powers of the dead.

AttributesAttributes are a characters innate capabilities. Theyre rated

from one to five, and come in three categories: Physical, Mental,and Social. They determine the power a character can applyto a task, the finesse with which he can perform it, and hisresistance to harm and interference by others.

Mental Attributes Intelligence:Your characters ability to recall information,

form plans, or solve puzzles.

Wits: Your characters ability to think on her feet and improvise.

Resolve:Your characters raw determination.

Physical Attributes Strength:How much your character can lift, and how

hard he hits.

Dexterity:How fast your character can react physically,and how deft her movements are.

Stamina:Your characters ability to suffer physical stressand power through obstacles.

Social Attributes Presence:Your characters assertiveness and raw appeal.

Manipulation:Your characters ability to appeal to the

desires of others and get them to cooperate. Composure:Your characters poise, and ability to keep

apparently calm under pressure.

SkillsWhile Attributes represent innate ability, Skills represent

abilities trained and honed over years. Theyre also rated oneto five.

Skill Dots Prociency Level

Novice. Basic knowledge or techniques.

Practitioner. Solid working knowledge ortechniques.

Professional. Broad, detailed knowledge or

techniques.

Expert. Exceptional Depth of knowledge

or techniques.

Master. Unsurpassed depth of knowledge or

techniques. A leader in the eld.


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Skills can also have Specialties, which contribute an extradie when relevant. For example, a character with the DriveSkill might focus on trucks, giving him +1 when behind thewheel of a big rig.

Mental SkillsMental Skills are applications of a characters insight, acumen

and focus, such as examining a crime scene for clues, unravelingan enigma or diagnosing an illness. If your character tries to usea Mental Skill she doesnt possess, take a -3 penalty.

Academics:Academics is a broad-based Skill that representsa characters degree of higher education and general knowledgein the Arts and Humanitieseverything from English tohistory, economics to law.

Computer:All characters can perform basic tasks with acomputer, such as using office programs or social networkingsites. Characters possessing this Skill have the necessarytraining or experience to operate a computer beyond the level ofa normal user. With 1 dot, a character can program at a casuallevel or replace hardware components in a desktop computer. At

2 dots, the character is a moderately skilled programmer. At 3or more, hes qualified for work on major software applications.People with this Skill are often familiar with a variety ofprogramming languages and operating systems.

Crafts:Crafts represents a characters training or experiencein creating works of physical art or construction with hishands, from paintings to car engines to classical sculpture.Characters possessing this Skill typically have the knowledge,but not necessarily the tools or facilities to make use of theircapabilities. A character might be an exceptional mechanic,for example, but still needs to sweet-talk her boss into openingup the garage after hours to work on her friends car.

Investigation:Investigation is the art and science of solvingmysteries, examining seemingly disparate evidence to find aconnection, answering riddles and overcoming paradoxes. It notonly allows your character to get into the head of a killer to grasphis motives or plans, it allows her to look beyond the mundaneworld to guess at answers to mysterious problems, or to have aeureka moment that offers insight into baff ling circumstances.

Medicine:The Medicine Skill reflects a characters trainingand expertise in human physiology and how to treat injuries andillness. The trait represents knowledge of human anatomy andbasic medical treatments. Characters with a low level in thisSkill (1 to 2) often possess only rudimentary first-aid training,

while characters with high levels (3+) are the equivalent ofnurses, physicians or surgeons.

Occult:The Occult Skill reflects a characters knowledgeand experience with the worlds various legends and lore aboutthe supernatural. A character with this Skill not only knowsthe theories, myths and legends of the occult, but can generallydiscern fact from rumor.

Politics:Characters possessing this Skill are not only familiarwith the way the political process works, theyre experienced withbureaucracies and know exactly who to call in a given situation

to get something done. Your character keeps track of whos inpower and how she got there, along with her potential rivals.

Science:This Skill represents your characters understandingof the physical and natural sciences: biology, chemistry, geology,meteorology, physics and so on. Science is useful not only forunderstanding how the world works, but it helps charactersmake the most of the resources at hand to achieve their goals.

Physical SkillsPhysical Skills are applications of a characters might,

endurance and coordination, such as climbing a mountain,driving a car or shooting a gun. If your character tries touse a Physical Skill he does not possess, take a -1 penalty.Athletics:Athletics encompasses a broad category of physicaltraining, from rock climbing to kayaking to professional sports.The Athletics Skill can be applied to any action that requiresprolonged physical exertion or that demands considerable agilityor hand-eye coordination. Examples include climbing a highwall, marching long distances and leaping between rooftops.

In combat, the Skill is combined with Dexterity to determine

the accuracy of thrown weapons, and is also factored into yourcharacters Defense.

Brawl: Brawl defines your characters prowess at unarmedcombat, whether hes a black belt in karate, a hard-bitten streettough or a college student whos taken a few self-defense courses.Characters with this Skill know how to hit an opponent, where tohit for maximum effect and how to defend themselves from attack.

In combat, Brawl is combined with Strength for unarmed attacks.

Drive: The Drive Skill allows your character to operate a vehicleunder difficult or dangerous conditions. Characters dont need thisSkill simply to drive a car. Its safe to assume in a modern societythat most individuals are familiar with automobiles and the rules

of the road. Rather, this trait covers the training or experiencenecessary to operate at high speeds, to tackle hazardous roadconditions and to push a vehicle to the limits of its performance.Drive is the difference between a typical suburban parent with aminivan and a police officer, car thief, or racecar driver.

Firearms:Firearms allows your character to identify, operateand maintain most types of guns, from pistols and rifles, tomilitary weapons such as submachine guns, assault rifles, andmachine guns. This Skill can represent the kind of formaltraining provided to police and the military, or the basic,hands-on experience common to hunters, criminals and gunenthusiasts. Firearms also applies to using bows. Your character

can use guns and bows equally.In combat, Firearms is combined with Dexterity to make

ranged attacks.

Larceny:Larceny is a broad Skill that covers everythingfrom picking locks to concealing stolen goods and everythingin between. Most characters obtain this Skill the hard way,by committing crimes and often paying the price for theirmistakes. Some individuals such as government agents andmembers of the military receive formal training in bypassingsecurity systems and stealing valuable assets.


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Stealth:The Stealth Skill represents a characters experienceor training in avoiding notice, whether by moving silently,making use of cover or blending into a crowd. When attemptingto sneak silently through an area or to use the local terrain asconcealment, roll Dexterity + Stealth + equipment. When tryingto remain unseen in a crowd, Wits + Stealth is appropriate.

Survival:Survival represents your characters experience ortraining in living off the land. He knows where to find food

and shelter, and how to endure harsh environmental conditions.The more capable your character is, the fewer resources heneeds in order to prevail.

Weaponry: As the name implies, the Weaponry Skillrepresents your characters experience or training in fightingwith everything from beer bottles to pipes, knives to swords.While formal instruction in Weaponry is uncommon (restrictedto military and law-enforcement training and a few martial arts),any character who has grown up on the street or spent a lot oftime in seedy bars has had ample opportunity to learn this Skill.

In combat, Weaponry is added to Strength to make armedattacks at close range.

Social SkillsSocial Skills are applications of your characters bearing,

charm and poise, such as negotiating with a bank robber,wooing a crowd or telling a faultless lie. If your character triesto use a Social Skill he does not possess, take a -1 penalty.

Animal Ken:Anticipating and understanding humanemotions is one thing, but being able to interpret and recognizethe behavior of animals is something else entirely. Yourcharacter intuitively grasps or has been trained to read animalsto know how they react to situations. The Skill also involvesinnately understanding how the animal mind operates, and

what may appease or enrage beasts.Empathy:This Skill represents your characters intuition

for reading peoples emotions. For some, its a matter ofobserving body language and nonverbal cues. Others employan extraordinary sense that helps them divine a persons truemood. As the name implies, Empathy also involves the capacityto understand other peoples views and perspectives, whetheryour character agrees with those positions or not.

Expression:Expression reflects your characters trainingor experience in the art of communication, both to entertainand inform. This Skill covers both the written and spokenword and other forms of entertainment, from journalism to

poetry, creative writing to acting, music to dance. Characterscan use it to compose written works or to put the right wordstogether at the spur of the moment to deliver a rousing speechor a memorable toast.

Intimidation: Intimidation is the art and technique of persuadingothers through the use of fear. Your character can intimidatesomeone with a show of brute force (Strength + Intimidation),through more subtle means such as verbal threats (Manipulation +

Intimidation), or simply through menacing body language (Presence+ Intimidation). It can be used to get other people to cooperate (evenagainst their better judgment), back down from a confrontation, orreveal information that theyd rather not share.

Persuasion:Persuasion is the art of inspiring or changingminds through logic, charm or sheer, glib fast-talking. Persuasionis the Skill of convincing others by force of personality alone,making ones point through carefully chosen words, body

language and emotion.Socialize:Socialize reflects your characters ability to interact

with others in a variety of situations, from chatting people up atbars to comporting himself with dignity at state dinners. ThisSkill represents equal parts gregariousness, sensitivity, etiquetteand custom. Knowing how to make friends is no less importantthan understanding how to treat guests in formal situations.

Streetwise:Characters possessing this Skill know how life onthe streets works and are adept at surviving by its harsh rules.Streetwise characters can gather information, make contacts,buy and sell on the black market, and otherwise make use ofthe streets unique resources. The Skill is also important for

navigating urban dangers, avoiding the law, and staying on theright side of the wrong people.

Subterfuge:Subterfuge is the art of deception. Characterspossessing this Skill know how to lie convincingly, and theyrecognize when theyre being lied to. Subterfuge is used whentelling a convincing falsehood, hiding ones emotions orreactions, or trying to pick up on the same in others. The Skillis most often used to trick other people, but characters alsolearn it to avoid being tricked themselves.

AdvantagesCharacters possess a few inherent Advantages used in play.

Health:Determines the overall amount of physical harm acharacter can suffer, and how that harm affects their performance.

Defense:A characters ability to avoid being hurt in violentconfrontations.

Speed:Determines the number of yards or meters a charactercan move in a turn without sacrificing their instant action.

Initiative Modifier:Affects when a character takes his turnin combat.

Size:An adult human has a Size of 5.

AnchorsVampires are no longer human, but they yet have ties to theworld. These anchors, whether they provoke the vampire tohumane actions or cruel ones, reinforce her sense of self, andgive her the strength to carry on. Accordingly, each anchorprovides ways to refill the vampires Willpower.

(Mortals have Virtues and Vices -- moral strengths andweaknesses -- in place of these anchors.)


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MasqueradeThe Masquerade is the face a vampire wears before his prey.

Its the immaculately groomed executive, the long-haired guru,or the cute hipster with the black-rimmed glasses. A vampiresMasquerade allows her to operate in human society, withoutthe herd recognizing her presence.

Any time a vampire overcomes a small hurdle in defenseof her Masquerade, she gains a point of Willpower. Whencommitting atrocious or existentially risky acts in defense of

her Masquerade, she regains all her spent Willpower points.Example Masquerades:

Artist

Priest

Junkie

Investigator

Scholar

Socialite

Child

RequiemThe Requiem is a vampires life among the Damned. The

enforcer with the calloused fists, the preacher of dark salvation,the martyr who longs to atone. A vampires Requiem is who sheis in the dark... and to the people who dwell there.

Any time a vampire withdraws from the false life of hisMasquerade and into the world of the Damned, she gains a point ofWillpower. When committing terrible, damning acts in defense ofones personal identity, she regains all her spent Willpower points.

Example Requiems:

Courtesan

Enforcer

Horror

Manipulator Prophet

Martyr

Nomad

MeritsMerits are special distinctions that give characters access to

abilities or resources. Merits relevant to this book are includedwith the appropriate character descriptions.

DisciplinesDisciplines are the disturbing powers of the Kindred, ranging

from controlling hearts and minds to moving in the blink ofan eye. Many are fueled by Vitae, the stolen blood that clotsin Kindred veins. Discipline powers are included with theappropriate character descriptions.


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Action

CombatVampires affect civility. Among the prey, they may even

affect innocuousness. But the truth is, theyre creatures ofviolence. They want and they take and they hurt. And thatgets them into fights.

Combat starts when two or more people who are, ninetypercent of the time, rational individuals, fail to come to anagreement, and come to blows instead. Violence, for vampires,is generally a means to an end.

The first step in starting combat, then, is to determine whateverybody wants. You dont have to be formal about it... justmake sure you know why it is the characters are in this fight.

After that, start tracking time in turns. At the start of theturn, each player rolls Initiative. Unlike a normal roll, Initiativeis a single die, the result of which you add to your charactersInitiative Modifier. (A characters weapon may also add orsubtract from Initiative.)

After that, players choose actions for their characters inInitiative order, highest to lowest. When a characters turncomes up, they can perform one of the following actions.

AttackA character can lash out blindly, or take careful aim. When

your character attacks somebody, roll one of the following dicepools.

Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl - victims Defense

Melee Combat: Strength + Weaponry - victims Defense

Ranged Combat:Dexterity + Firearms

Thrown Weapons:Dexterity + Athletics - victims Defense

Judge the attack roll the same as any other action. Thedamage inflicted by a successful attack is equal to the successeson the attack roll plus the weapons damage bonus. See Injury,below.

DodgeA character can also sacrifice their action to dodge. In this

case, double the characters Defense rating, but dont subtractit directly from attackers dice pool. Instead, roll the doubledDefense as a dice pool and subtract the successes from the

attackers successes.Willpower may be spent to increase a dodge roll. Ranged

attacks cant be dodged.

InjuryFists and feet deal bashing damage. Weapons, like brass

knuckles and knives, crack skulls and pierce lungs. To mortals,they deal lethaldamage. Vampires only suffer bashing damagefrom mundane weapons, since theyre less fazed by pain and

dontdepend on their internal organs. Vampires still sufferlethal damage from massive bodily destruction, like being hitby a truck.

A special type of damage, aggravateddamage, is only sufferedby vampires when theyre exposed to their great banes, fire andsunlight. Each vampire suffers aggravated wounds differently.Flesh may brittle and burn like paper. Tissue may bubbleand stink. Blackened veins may streak across the victims

body. Foamy pustules may taint the area around the injury.Aggravated wounds appear as manifestations of the naturalworld violently eliminating something that does not belong.

If a mortals health track is filled with bashing damage, hefalls unconscious. If it fills with lethal, he dies within minutes.If a vampires health track is filled with bashing damage, heremains conscious. If it fills with lethal, he falls into torpor.If it fills with aggravated damage, he suffers the Final Death,and his body rapidly decays to the point it would have if it hadbeen left to rot when he was first Embraced.

Marking Damage: When a character suffers damage, theplayer marks off that number of Health points, starting with the

box under the leftmost dot of his Health trait and proceedingleft to right. The symbol used depends upon the type of damage.

Bashing damage is marked with a slash (/) in the firstavailable empty box. So imagining that Thomas (who has sevenHealth dots) had just taken one point of bashing damage, hisHealth boxes would look like this:

Lethal damage is marked with an X, and it pushes anyexisting bashing damage right on the track (so that it alwaysappears to the left of bashing damage). If Thomas next took apoint of lethal damage, his track would be:

Aggravated damage is marked with a large asterisk (*) byadding a vertical bar to an X. It also pushes any existing lethaland bashing damage right on the track (so that it always appearsto the left of lethal or bashing damage). If Thomas next suffereda point of aggravated damage, his track would be:

No More Health:Marking off a characters last Healthbox usually means the character has become incapacitated. If

that rightmost wound is bashing, he falls unconscious. If thatrightmost wound is lethal or aggravated, the character quicklybleeds to death. Note that this would mean the character hasno bashing damage at all, since it will always be the rightmost.These are the rules for humans see below for vampires.

Additional Damage: An unconscious or severely batteredperson can still be damaged by further attacks. Without furtherHealth boxes to mark off, you represent this damage by upgradingexisting wounds. Any new bashing wound upgrades an existingbashing wound to lethal (make the leftmost / into an X), while


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new lethal damage can upgrade older wounds to aggravated(make the leftmost X into an asterisk). Additional aggravateddamage also converts a point of bashing or lethal damage toaggravated (make the leftmost / or X into an asterisk).

Healing: Mortals recover from damage with rest and medicalattention. Left to heal naturally, characters recover one pointof bashing damage every 15 minutes, one point of lethaldamage every two days, and one point of aggravated damage

every week. Lost Health is recovered from right to left on thecharacter sheet.

For vampires, spending a single point of Vitae heals twobashing damage, or one lethal damage. A single aggravatedwound requires five Vitae and a full days sleep. Aggravateddamage is the only type of wound that leaves a scar on Kindred.

ConditionsConditions are (usually temporary) states that affect what

your character can do. For example, your character mightdefeat a complex security system with ease and be Inspired by

her exceptional success.A Condition typically consists of a modifier in the +2 to -2range to a certain type of action, or actions taken with a certainmotivation. Larger modifiers are rare, but exist.

Conditions are resolved and removed when the charactersdone something significant to act on the Condition oraddressed the original source. The sample Conditions herehave example resolution Conditions, but you can also resolvethem after other events if it just makes logical sense.

When a character resolves a Condition, she gains a point ofWillpower. For certain Conditions, if a Condition biases hertowards a certain type of behavior... say, a Reckless Condition

that encourages her to throw caution to the wind, she alsogains a point of Willpower.

Youre encouraged to make up Conditions to fit events inyour game. Theyre little reminders of how whats gone beforeinfluences character abilities and behavior.

(In Blood and Smokeand The God-Machine Chronicle,Conditions help your character gain experience, rather thanreplenishing her Willpower. These books also contain manymore sample Conditions.)

InspiredYour character is deeply inspired. When your character takes

an action pertaining to that inspiration, you may resolve thisCondition. An exceptional success on that roll requires onlythree successes instead of five.

Common Causes: An exceptional success, a comradedelivering a stirring call to arms.

Resolution:You spend inspiration to spur yourself to greatersuccess, resolving the Condition as described above.

Willpower:n/a

WantonYour character wants, for the sake of wanting. Hes distracted with

temptations of excess and indulgence. Any Composure or Resolverolls to resist temptation suffer a -2 penalty. As well, the character thatbrought forth this Condition achieves exceptional success on threesuccesses instead of five, when making any rolls to tempt your character.This could apply to Majesty rolls as well as mundane social rolls.

After resolving Wanton, your character cannot be subjectto this Condition again for a full month.

Common Causes:A seductive predatory aura conflict, afailed Detachment roll

Resolution: Indulge in something that constitutes a breakingpoint (see Humanity, p.15)

Willpower:n/a

CharmedYouve been charmed by a vampires supernatural force of

personality. You dont want to believe that anything he says is

a lie, and you cant read his true intentions. The vampire addshis Awe successes to Manipulation rolls against you, and anyrolls you make to detect his lies or uncover his true motivessuffer a penalty equal to his Awe successes; any supernaturalmeans you use to detect his lies become a Clash of Wills.

You want to do things for the vampire, to make him happy. If heasks, youll do favors for him like he was one of your best friends giving him a place to crash, lending him your car keys, or revealingsecrets that you really shouldnt. You dont feel tricked or rippedoff unless you resolve the Condition. It expires normally (withoutresolving) after one hour per dot of the vampires Blood Potency.

Common Causes:The Majesty Discipline.

Resolution: The vampire attempts to seriously harm youor someone close to you, you make a significant financial orphysical sacrifice for him.

Willpower:You divulge a secret to or perform a favor forthe vampire.

CompetitiveYour character must assert dominance and superiority. Either

she gives it her all, or she falters. Any time shes in directcompetition with another character, she suffers -2 on any rollswhere she doesnt spend Willpower. This includes contestedrolls. As well, any rolls to tempt or coerce her into competitionachieve exceptional success on three successes instead of five.

After resolving Competitive, your character cannot besubject to this Condition again for a full month.

Common Causes:A challenging predatory aura conflict, ora failed Detachment roll.

Resolution:Win or lose a competition where someonereaches a breaking point

Willpower: n/a


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DominatedA vampire has given your character a specific command that

she cannot go against. You dont have a choice whether or notto follow the command your will is no longer your own. Ifyour task has a natural end, such as Follow that man until heenters an apartment then call me with the address, you resolvethe condition once you complete it, otherwise it ends at sunrise.

Once you resolve this condition, you cant quite remember whathappened while you were under the vampires spell.

Common Causes:The Dominate Discipline

Resolution: Take more bashing or lethal damage than yourStamina. Experience a breaking point when following the command,and succeed at the degeneration roll. Follow the vampires command.

Willpower:N/A

FrightenedSomethings scared you to the point where you lose rational

thought. Maybe youve just looked down at a hundred-story

drop, or seen a tarantula the size of your fist crawling up your leg.Whatever the case, you need to leave right the hell now.

Your only priority is getting the fuck away from the thing thatsfrightened you the hell with your stuff, your friends, andyour allies. If someone tries to stop you escaping, youll attackthem. You cant approach the source of your fear or act againstit and if the only way out involves going near the source ofyour fear, youll collapse on the ground in terror.

Supernatural creatures prone to loss of control, includingvampires, must roll to avoid frenzy. This Condition lasts untilthe end of the scene; suppressing its effects for a turn costs apoint of Willpower.

Common Causes: The Nightmare DisciplineResolution:The character escapes from the source of his fear.

Willpower:N/A

MesmerizedYour characters will is subordinate to that of a vampire.

Youre not obviously hypnotized youre a bit quiet andreserved compared to normal, but nothing out of the ordinary.When the vampire who inflicted this condition gives you acommand, you cannot resist. If its something that you wouldntnormally do, you might look like youve been hypnotized or thatyoure sleepwalking, but otherwise you look and act normally.

Once you resolve this condition, gain 3 dice to resist furtherattempts to Mesmerize you in the same scene; you also cantquite remember what happened while you were under thevampires spell. This Condition fades naturally after a scene.

Common Causes:The Dominate Discipline.

Resolution: Take any amount of bashing or lethal damage.Experience a breaking point as part of a vampires command.

Willpower:N/A


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Laws of the DeadTricks of the Damned

The Blush of Life:Normally, a vampires body maintainsonly a semblance of human function. She has no pulse, her bodyis room temperature, and her eyes always look a little dry. Solidfood is disgusting to her, and results in immediate vomiting.

However, by spending one Vitae, she can counterfeit life.She doesnt really feelalive (thats something most vampiresexperience only while feeding), but her heart pumps, her fleshwarms, and shes persuasive enough to pass the most personalinspections.

Kindred Senses:As nocturnal predators, vampires can see inthe dark better than humans. Storytellers are encouraged not toapply vision-based penalties against them. The vampires sense ofsmell is attuned to the scent of blood. She can smell the presenceof blood from about ten yards per dot of Blood Potency withoutrolling. If shes tasted a particular humans blood, she can add her

Blood Potency to any rolls to track him by scent. Kindred blooddoes not offer this advantage, since its mostly old, dead, and itssmell is a blend of all the vampires recent victims.

Predatory Aura: As rival predators, vampires knowtheir own. By touch, by sight, by smell. This awarenessis called the predatory aura. In a social situation or aconfrontation, a vampire can manipulate her aura to tryand provoke a fight-or-flight response from the other party.A vampire can make her aura take on the feel of a MonstrousBeast, who wants to rend and destroy; a Seductive Beast, whooffers blasphemous intimacies, or a Challenging Beast, whoseeks control.

She lashes out, rolling Blood Potency and one of threeAttributes: Strength (for the Monstrous Beast), Presence (forthe Seductive Beast), or Intelligence (for the ChallengingBeast). The defender has two choices: fight or f light.

If he fights, he rolls Blood Potency plus the Attributeappropriate to the Beast hes countering with. Whoever rollsmore successes inflicts the Condition associated with theirBeast on the loser. The winner also gets +2 to pursue actionsassociated with the theme of their chosen Beast for the rest ofthe scene. (Mortals cant inflict a Condition.)

Fighting costs a Willpower point for the defender if his BloodPotency is less than the aggressors.

If he flees, he withdraws from the situation. In a social setting,this might mean making a convenient excuse. He takes theCondition associated with the aggressors Beast.

The Monstrous Beast inflicts the Bestial Condition, theSeductive Beast inflicts Wanton, and the Challenging Beastinflicts Competitive.

Physical Intensity:Vampire tales speak of creatures strongerand faster than anything humans could strive to. With Vitae,any Kindred can accomplish massive bursts of physical prowess.

By spending a point of Vitae, he may add two dice to rollsinvolving his choice of Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina forthe turn. This does not increase traits derived from theseAttributes. However, it will increase relevant resistances. Forexample, a Strength increase will reduce an opponents rollsto grapple him.

Healing:Vampire flesh wants to returnto the moment of itsdeath. Vampires can heal as described onp. 12.

FeedingThis is the moment it all turns on. The moment when a

vampires teeth sink into the flesh of someone who fears heror trusts her or doesnt even know shes there. The momentshe tastes his blood. The moment she start to feel alive again.

Vampires call it the Kiss.

Human blood is best warm, from the living. Kindred canpull a number of Vitae from a mortal equal to the mortalsunmodified Health dots. Every point of Vitae she takes causesone point of lethal damage.

Humans have different reactions to being fed from. Thevictim of a savage attack may suffer lingering fear, while adonor who gave himself willingly succumbs to a pleasantlanguor. These reactions are explored in more detail in Bloodand Smoke.

Daysleep and WakingKindred sleep by day. As they dream long, slow dreams,

they appear truly dead to any observer. At sunset, they comeshuddering to life again.

When something disturbs a slumbering vampire or puts herat risk, roll her Humanity. On a success, she wakes.

Waking, either normally or because the characters slumberis interrupted, costs one point of Vitae. If the vampire cantpay this cost, she falls into torpor.

TorporWhen starved or grievously wounded, a vampire falls into

torpor, unable to rise during at night -- or any other time. Asa vampires heart becomes less human and her blood becomesmore potent, the duration of torpor increases. Multiply herBlood Potency by the chart below.

Torpor can also be caused by a stake through the heart. Inthat case, the torpor ends as soon as the stake is removed. Incombat, an attempt to pierce a characters heart is a Weaponryattack with a -3 penalty. The attack must cause five damageto pierce the heart.


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Humanity Base Duration

10 One night

9 Two nights

8 One week

7 Two weeks

6 One month

5 One year

4 Five years

3 Ten years

2 Fifty years

1 100 years

0 250 years

FireFire represents humanitys defiance against the dark, and the

things that dwell there. It is therefore inimical to the Kindred.

To determine how much damage a fire does per turn, add thebase damage for size to the damage modifier for heat.

Size of Fire Base Damage

Torch 1

Bonre 2

Inferno 3

Heat of Fire Damage Modier

Candle (rst-degree burns) 0

Torch (second-degree burns) +1

Bunsen burner

(third-degree burns)

+2

Chemical re/molten metal +3

SunlightThe sun gives life to the world. The Kindred, not truly alive,

must shun it. Sunlight burns them... and as they begin to trulyembrace their inner predators, as the concept of human sin andeven Humanity itself means less to them, it burns all the more.

The type and amount of damage inflicted by the sun isdetermined by the vampires Humanity. The frequency with

which the damage occurs is determined by his Blood Potency.Humanity Dots Damage Type

7-10 1 lethal

6 2 lethal

5 3 lethal

4 1 aggravated

3 2 aggravated

2 3 aggravated

1 4 aggravated

0 5 aggravated

Blood Potency Dots Damage Frequency

1 Half-hour

2 Ten minutes

3 One minute

4 One turn

5-6 2x / turn

7-8 3x / turn

9-10 5x / turn

FrenzyThe Beast is anger, fear, temptation. And most of all, it

is hunger. When provoked strongly enough, the Beast canoverwhelm a vampires Humanity. This raging storm of instinctshas the vampires best interests at heart, but it doesnt much

plan and it certainly doesnt care who gets hurt.When the vampire is exposed to strong provocations, such

as fire, injury to a loved one, or the sight of that loved onesbleeding wounds, he must fight to remain in control. RollResolve + Composure. On a success, the vampires human sidestays in the drivers seat. On a failure, he enters frenzy.

When in a frenzy, a vampire acts on the feeling that provokedthe frenzy. He does so free of moral restraint or long-termplanning. He remains smart enough, though, that he can acteffectively to fulfill his desires, and cautious enough to minimizerisk to himself. Frenzy isnt suicide.

Frenzy lasts until the end of a scene, until another character

calms the Beast with a Manipulation + Empathy roll, or untilthe Beast has satisfied its rage, fear, or hunger.

HumanityVampires are not human. They were, once, but now theyre

something entirely different. However, to blend in withmortals, to walk among the flock, Kindred must maintainperspective and understanding of their former existences.Humanity reflects this perspective. Vampires that maintainhigh Humanity scores live side-by-side with mortals, and canrelate to the living. Vampires with low Humanity scores grow

distant and alien, and lose sight of who they once were, andmore importantly, who they prey upon.

When a vampire faces (or self-inflicts) trauma that calls herHumanity into question, she hits a breaking point, and mustroll to resist Detachment. Weve listed some sample breakingpoints. In general, a vampire must roll when she reaches abreaking point tied to her current Humanity or lower.

If she fails the Detachment roll, she gains one of the threeConditions also associated with the predatory aura: Bestial,Wanton, or Competitive.


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Humanity 10 (Five Dice)

One night without human contact.Lying in defense of the Masquerade.Spending more than one Vitae in a night.

Humanity 9 (Five Dice)

Watching humans eat a meal.Committing a superhuman feat of physical prowess.Feeding from the unwilling or unknowing.Urging anothers behavior with a Discipline.Spending an hour in the sun.

Humanity 8 (Four Dice)

Creating a ghoul.Rejected by a human.

Riding the wave of frenzy.Taking anothers consent with a Discipline.Spending most of a day in the sun.

Humanity 7 (Four Dice)

One week without human contact.Surviving something that would hospitalize a human.Injuring someone over blood.

Humanity 6 (Three Dice)

Falling into torpor.Feeding from a child.Reading your own obituary. Surviving something that

would kill a human.

Humanity 5 (Three Dice)

Two weeks without human contact.Reaching Blood Potency 3.Death of a mortal parent, sibling, or cousin.

Humanity 4 (Two Dice)

Impassioned violence.Spending a year or more in torpor.Surviving a century.Accidentally killing. Taking a leadership role in a covenant.Learning a dot of Crac.

Humanity 3 (Two Dice)

One month without human contact.Reaching Blood Potency 6.

Death of a mortal spouse or child.Impassioned killing.

Humanity 2 (One Die)

One year without human contact.Premeditated killing.Seeing a culture that didnt exist when you were alive.Surviving 500 years.Creating a revenant.

Humanity 1 (Zero Dice)

One decade without human contact.Heinous, spree, or mass murder.

Humanity Examples

Description of how each Humanity level affects the vampirefollows.

Ascetic (Humanity 9-10):A rare vampire with this degreeof Humanity goes out of her way to immerse herself in mortalaffairs, and to feed sensibly. Shes poised and confident in herdealings, shes an expert in the way humans behave, feel, andthink. Gain +2 to any rolls to relate to humans.

Humane (Humanity 7-8): Most vampires in this range ofHumanity are either very good at maintaining their attachments,

or theyre very new to the Danse. She has little difficulty blendingin with humans. She remembers with perfectly clarity whatmortal life was like. She remembers the way food tasted. Sheremembers the way sweat felt across her skin. She feels pain forthose hurt by her actions and those of her kind.

Balanced (Humanity 5-6):At this point, shes been around theblock. Most neonates and some ancilla fall into this range. Shes seenpain and anguish as result of her condition, and is beginning to acceptit as part of existence. She still has no issue relating to mortals; shejust recognizes that shes never going to be one again. Shes selfish,

and lies like second nature. Take -1 in any roll to relate to humans.

Weathered (Humanity 4):A weathered Kindred has seenmore death and devastation than most mortals will in a lifetime.Most ancilla fall into this range of Humanity. While notspree killers, most Kindred at this level have taken lives, andunderstand that they probably will again in order to guaranteecontinued survival. They see humans as fragile and temporary.Take -2 in any roll to relate to humans.

Callous (Humanity 3): At this level, a callous Kindred

maintains a cynical and jaded world perspective. Hell step overanyone and anything in the name of survival, and humans arelittle more than tools. Most elders fall into this range. By thispoint, Humanity takes its toll, and the vampire appears deathlyand pallid. This appearance isnt unnatural, per se, but it makeshumans uncomfortable. Take -3 in any roll to relate to humans.

Monstrous (Humanity 2):A monstrous Kindred is barelyrecognizable as human, unless hes specifically acting the part andusing the blush of life. Hes short-tempered, selfish to a fault, andwill kill to suit minor interests and petty desires. Not only does


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he have difficulty dealing with people, he doesnt want to. Mostof the mortals in his life are servants and feeding stock, viewed as

resources at best. Take -5 in any roll to relate to humans.

Animalistic (Humanity 1): A Kindred this close to the

Beast barely registers as sentient most of the time. She can

speak and interact just like anyone else, but she chooses notto. Every action is a step toward the next meal; nothing but

blood is worth her time. While she could fake humanity with

a bit of blood, she cant be bothered, and instead looks like acorpse, a statue, a morbid doll. Shes a menace, and crowdspart when she walks through. Your character cannot relate to

humankind. Any such rolls use only a chance die.

Draugr (Humanity 0):A character that reaches zero Humanity

dots becomes draugr, lost to her Beast. She becomes ravenous andanimalistic, no longer able to interact with societyKindred or

mortal. Draugr are forever lost to their monstrous natures; only

the vaguest rumors suggest they can be redeemed. In most cities,

the authorities kill draugr immediately and without mercy.

Common ActionsHere are some sample ways you can apply your skills.

Remember, you can invent your own at any time.

ARGUMENT(Intelligence + Expression - victims Resolve)

You try to sway someone with a rational argument. (If arguing

with a crowd, use the highest Resolve in the crowd.

Dramatic Failure: You convince them of quite the

opposite.

Failure:They listen, but are ultimately unaffected.

Success:They accept the truth (or apparent truth) of

your words.

Exceptional Success:Theyre convinced, and become a

recruit to your point of view. Though they might change

their minds if they find themselves at risk.

CAROUSING(Presence + Socialize or Streetwise)

You mix with a group, bringing high spirits with you andusing them to loosen tongues.

Dramatic Failure: A faux pas reveals that you dontbelong... and maybe even hints at your supernatural nature.

Failure:You end up a wallflower, with a drink in yourhand that you dont even want.

Success:You make a single-serving friend, who might bewilling to pass secrets or go with you somewhere private.

Exceptional Success:You make a friend you can contact again

FAST-TALK(Manipulation + Subterfuge - victims Composure)

You may not be able to win the argument with facts, but you

can try to get out of trouble with a little judicious spin.

Dramatic Failure:The other party has a good idea what

the truth is.

Failure:The other party doesnt believe you.

Success:The other party swallows your story.

Exceptional Success:The other party believes you so

thoroughly that theyre even willing to offer a little aid...

though they wont put themselves at any kind of risk.

INTERROGATION(Manipulation + Empathy or

Intimidation - victims Resolve)

You try to dig secrets out of a reluctant informant.

Dramatic Failure:The informant is alienated or injured

beyond the point to which he will reveal information.

Fai lure: The informant blabs a mix of truth and

falsehood -- even he may not know the difference.

Success:You get the information you were looking for.

Exceptional Success:You get the information you were looking

for, and the informant is willing to continue cooperating.

INTIMIDATION(Strength or Manipulation +

Intimidation - victims Composure)

You try to get someone to do what you want by making them

afraid of you.

Dramatic Failure:They dont take you seriously, even

if you knocked them around a bit. They wont be doing

what you want.

Failure:Theyre unimpressed with your threats.

Success:Theyre coerced into helping you.

Exceptional Success:They develop a lasting fear of you,

which could make them easier to coerce in the future.

INVESTIGATING A SCENE(Intelligence + Investigation)

You look for clues to whats happened in the recent past... or

tidy up so that no one else can find them.

Dramatic Failure:You find clues, but you contaminate

them, or you leave evidence of your presence.


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Failure:You find evidence, but its damaged and hardto interpret. Or you miss a spot in your cleanup that you

wont find out about until later.

Success:You find a clue of exactly the sort you need, or

manage to significantly confuse future investigators.

Exceptional Success:You find a clue, and know exactly how it fits

in, or you leave the scene immaculate and impossible to decipher.

REPAIR(Intelligence + Crafts)

You try to fix something thats broken down.

Dramatic Failure:The broken objects a lost cause. Itllnever work again.

Failure:Youre stymied by the problem, but could comeback to it in another scene.

Success:You get the thing working... for now.

Exceptional Success: The object works better thanbefore. It wont break again anytime soon.

RESEARCH(Intelligence + Academics or Occult)

Using your existing knowledge, you look for information on

a current mystery.

Dramatic Failure:You learn something, but it doesnt

help. In fact, it sets you back. If using Occult, it mightalso give you nightmares.

Failure:You turn up a lot of promising leads, but theyreall dead ends.

Success:You find the basic facts you were looking for.

Exceptional Success: You find what you were looking for,

and leads towards a much bigger score of information.

SHADOWING A MARK(Wits + Stealth or Drive)

You follow someone, perhaps in the hopes of ambushingthem, or of finding out their destination.

Dramatic Failure:Youre caught, either by the mark or

some observer thats become suspicious of you.

Failure: The mark senses hes being followed, and

manages to lose you.

Success:You follow the mark to his destination.

Exceptional Success:You find some means by which you

can continue following the mark, such as an unlocked

entrance into the building he arrived at.

SNEAKING(Dexterity + Stealth)

Youre trying to avoid notice by someone... or multiple

someones. Maybe you want to get into a place undetected.

Maybe youre trying to break out.

Dramatic Failure:You attract a lot of attention... enough

that now its going to be hard to get out.

Failure:Youre noticed, but still have the chance to slip away.

Success:You avoid notice and get closer to your goal.

Exceptional Success: You avoid notice and get awaybefore anyone has another chance to catch you.


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Combat Summary Chart

Stage One: Intent The players and the Storyteller describe what their

characters want out of the fight.

Decide whether characters can surrender and canbecome Beaten Down.

Stage Two: Initiative Everyone rolls Initiative: the result of a die roll +

Dexterity + Composure. If the character has a weaponreadied, apply its Initiative Modifier.

Stage Three: Attack Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl - victims

Defense

Melee Combat: Strength + Weaponry - victimsDefense

Ranged Combat: Dexterity + Firearms

Thrown Weapons: Dexterity + Athletics - victimsDefense

A characters Defense is normally subtracted from any

attack dice pools where it applies. If she chooses to Dodge,the defender rolls her Defense as a dice pool against eachattack. Each success reduces the attackers successesby one.If the attacker is reduced to zero successes, the attack doesnothing. If the attacker has successes remaining, add anyweapon modifier to the number of successes to determinehow many points of Health the target loses. All weapons deallethal damage to humans, bashing to vampires.

Stage Four: The Storyteller describes theattack and wound in narrative terms.

Possible Modifiers

Aiming: +1 per turn to a +3 maximum (aiming takesa characters action for a turn)

All-Out Attack: +2 with Brawl or Weaponry attack;lose Defense

Armor Piercing: Ignores amount of targets armor

equal to items rating Autofire Long Burst: 20 or so bullets, no target limit

pending Storyteller approval. A +3 bonus is applied toeach attack roll; 1 per roll for each target after the first

Autofire Medium Burst: 10 or so bullets at one to threetargets, with a +2 bonus to each attack roll; 1 per rollfor each target after the first

Autofire Short Burst: Three bullets at a single targetwith a +1 bonus to the roll

Concealment: Barely 1; partially 2; substantially 3;fully, see Cover

Cover: Subtract 2 from damage for light cover, 4 fromdamage for heavy cover

Dodge: Double Defense, roll as a dice pool with eachsuccess subtracting one from the attackers successes

Drawing a Weapon: Requires instant action

Firing from Concealment: Shooters own concealmentquality (1, 2 or 3) reduced by one as a penalty tofire back (so, no modifier, 1 or 2)

Offhand Attack: 2 penalty

Prone Target: 2 penalty to hit in ranged combat; +2 bonusto hit when attacker is within close-combat distance

Range: 2 at medium range, 4 at long range

Shooting into Close Combat: 2 per combatantavoided in a single shot (not applicable to autofire);4 if grappling

Specified Target: Torso 1, leg or arm 2, head or heart3 (requiring 5 successes), hand 4, eye 5

Surprised or Immobilized Target: Defense doesntapply

Touching a Target: Dexterity + Brawl or Dexterity +Weaponry; armor may or may not apply, but Defensedoes apply

Willpower: Add three dice or +2 to a Resistancetrait (Stamina, Resolve, or Composure) in one rollor instance


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Ranged Weapons ChartType Damage Ranges Clip Initiative Strength Size Example

Revolver, lt 1 20/40/80 6 0 2 1 SW M640 (.38 Special)

Revolver, hvy 2 35/70/140 6 2 3 1 SW M29 (.44 Magnum)

Pistol, lt 1 20/40/80 17+1 0 2 1 Glock 17 (9mm)

Pistol, hvy 2 30/60/120 7+1 2 3 1 Colt M1911A1 (.45 ACP)

SMG, small* 1 25/50/100 30+1 2 2 1 Ingram Mac-10 (9mm)

SMG, large* 2 50/100/200 30+1 3 3 2 HK MP-5 (9mm)

Rie 4 200/400/800 5+1 5 2 3 Remington M-700 (30.06)

Assault Rie* 3 150/300/600 42+1 3 3 3 Stery-Aug (5.56mm)

Shotgun** 3 20/40/80 5+1 4 3 2 Remington M870 (12-gauge)

Crossbow*** 2 40/80/160 1 5 3 3

Damage:Indicates the number of bonus successes addedto a successful attack. Firearms deal lethal damage against

ordinary people. The type of damage may vary againstsupernatural opponents.

Ranges:The listed numbers a short/medium/long ranges inyards. Attacks at medium range suffer a 1 penalty. Attacks

at long range suffer a 2 penalty.

Clip: The number of rounds a gun can hold. A +1indicates that a bullet can be held in the chamber, readyto fire.

Initiative:The penalty taken to Initiative when wieldingthe gun.

Strength:The minimum Strength needed to use a weaponeffectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a 1

penalty on attack rolls.Size: 1 = Can be fired one-handed; 2 = Must be fired

two-handed and can be hidden in a coat; 3 = Can be firedtwo-handed but not hidden on ones person

* The weapon is capable of autofire, including short bursts,medium bursts, and long bursts.

** Attack rolls gain the 9-again quality

*** Crossbows take three turns to reload between shots. Acrossbow can be used to deliver a stake through the heart (3penalty to attack rolls; must deal at least 5 damage in one attack)


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SizeObject/Creature Size Object/Creature Size

1 Human infant, pistol 6 Gorilla

2 Sword 7 Grizzly bear

3 Human child 10 2-seat sports car

4 Wolf, spear 15 SUV

5 Adult human, Door 20 Dump truck

Melee Weapons ChartType Damage Initiative Strength Size Special

Sap 0 1 1 1

Brass Knuckles 0 0 1 1 Uses Brawl to attack

Baton 1 1 2 2 n/a

Crowbar 2 2 2 2

Tire Iron 1 3 2 2 +1 Defense

Chain 1 3 2 2 Grapple

Shield (small) 0 2 2 2 Concealed

Shield (large) 2 4 3 3 Concealed

Knife 0 1 1 1

Rapier 1 2 1 2 Armor piercing 1

Machete 2 2 2 2

Hatchet 1 2 1 1

Fire Ax 3 4 3 3 9-again, two-handed

Chainsaw 5 6 4 3 9-again, two-handed

Stake* 0 4 1 1 n/a

Spear** 2 2 2 4 +1 Defense, two-handed

Type:A weapons type is a general classification that canapply to anything your character picks up. A metal club mightbe an antique mace, a metal baseball bat, or a hammer, whilea hatchet might be a meat cleaver or an antique hand-ax.

Damage:Indicates the number of bonus successes addedto a successful attack. Weapons always deal lethal damage.

Initiative:The penalty taken to Initiative when wieldingthe weapon. If using more than one weapon, take the higherpenalty and increase by 1.

Strength:The minimum Strength needed to use a weaponeffectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a 1penalty on attack rolls.

Size:1 = Can be hidden in a hand; 2 = Can be hidden ina coat; 3+ = Cannot be hidden.

Concealed:A character who wields a shield but doesnt useit to attack can add its Size to his Defense, and uses its Sizeas a concealment modifier against ranged attacks.

Grapple: Add the chains weapon bonus to your dice poolwhen grappling.

Two-handed: This weapon requires two hands. It can

be used one-handed, but doing so increases the Strengthrequirement by 1.

* A stake must target the heart (3 penalty to attack rolls)and must deal at least 5 damage in one attack.

** The reach of a spear gives a +1 Defense bonus againstopponents who are unarmed or wield weapons of Size 1.


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ArmorType Rating Strength Defense Speed Coverage

MODERN

Reinforced clothing* 1/0 1 0 0 Torso, arms, legs

Kevlar vest* 1/3 1 0 0 Torso

Flak Jacket 2/4 1 1 0 Torso, arms

Full Riot Gear 3/5 2 2 1 Torso, arms, legs

ARCHAIC

Leather (hard) 2/0 2 1 0 Torso, arms

Chainmail 3/1 3 2 2 Torso, arms

Plate 4/2 3 2 3 Torso, arms, legs

Rating: Armor provides protection against normal attacksand Firearms attacks. The number before the slash is forgeneral armor, while the number after the slash is for ballistic

armor. Reduce the number of damage levels your charactertakes by the appropriate number.

Strength: If your characters Strength is lower than thatrequired for her armor, reduce her Brawl and Weaponry dicepools by 1.

Defense: The penalty imposed on your characters Defensewhen wearing the armor.

Speed: The penalty to your characters Speed for thearmor worn.

Coverage: The areas of a character protected by the armor.Unless an attacker targets a specific unarmored location (SpecifiedTargets, above), the armors protection applies. Wearing a helmetincreases the armors coverage to include a characters head.

* This armor is concealed, either as normal clothing (e.g.biker leathers) or being worn under a jacket or baggy shirt.Attackers have no idea the target is wearing armor until afterthey land a successful hit.


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DisciplinesThe Kindred wield strange powers a vampire could

sway mens minds, vanish from plain sight, or manifest hervictims worst nightmares. These powers come unbidden in

the vampires blood, and call on not just his human mindbut the Beast hidden just under the surface. The Beast walksunseen through the world of men and cows lesser animals.It slips the bonds of flesh and inspires awe and jealousyfrom other people.

AnimalismA vampires Beast is not just a facet of her predatory

nature, but a predator in and of itself and it is top ofthe food chain. A Kindred can slip the leash of her Beastjust a little to overpower weaker animals, forcing her willon them. Most Animalism powers affect predators andscavenging animals. In a city, the Kindred can cal l on feralcats and dogs, pigeons and crows, foxes and more rats thananyone suspects. Rural vampires can summon bats, wolves,mountain lions, and even bears any animal that feastson the f lesh of another.

Feral Whispers To those she would command, a vampire must first make

herself understood. So it is with beasts as well as men. A vampireusing Feral Whispers overpowers the animals instinctivereactions and forces it to understand. She can ask questions ofa creature and it must respond as best it can, and with a furtherslight nudge, she can compel it to obey her. A canny vampirecan use magpies and crows to spy on her victims from above, orcommand a gangsters mastiffs to savage their owner.

The vampire talks to the animal, either using human words orby making animal sounds of her own. She can command groups ofanimals, such as a flock of birds or a swarm of rats, as long as she is closeenough that the animals can all hear her, and she can see all of them.

Cost:None

Dice Pool:Manipulation + Animal Ken + AnimalismAction:Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure:The victim misunderstands the vampirescommand, giving false information when the vampire asks, orobeying a twisted version of the vampires command.


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Failure: The animals fear the Beast, fleeing from asuperior predator.

Success:You can communicate with an animal, asking itwhat it has perceived. Most animals can remember what hashappened over the last night. Animals relate what they haveencountered through the lens of their own perceptions dogs answer in terms of smell and hearing, while birds relatewhat they could see. The vampire can also give the victim a

simple command, equivalent to what the animal could do onits own, such as attack him, follow her then return here,chew through these cables. The command doesnt normallypersist for more than a night, but the vampire can add simplecontingencies such as forcing the beast to go to ground ifnoticed, or to return once the command is complete.

Exceptional Success:The animal is exceptionally obedient to thevampire, improvising to follow the spirit of the kindreds command.

Raise the Familiar If a vampire needs an animal servant, death is no obstacle.

This Discipline raises a creature from the dead as her servant,infusing it with her Vitae and making it more obedient to herwill. The undead creature looks like it did when it died, butcan still function a coyote crushed by an SUV has a tiretrack running across it but no crushed bones, and a crow with abusted wing has bone jutting out of the wound but can still fly.It doesnt act like a normal animal it doesnt hunt for food,nor is it spooked by loud noises. It sleeps throughout the day, butbecomes active at night. Even a human observing such an animalcan tell somethings wrong, but most dont take the time to look.

Cost:1 Vitae

Requirement:Feed 1 Vitae to the corpse (included in cost)

Dice Pool:NoneAction:Instant

The vampire feeds one point of Vitae to the animals corpse.The animal returns to a semblance of life for a number of nightsequal to (Blood Potency x animals Stamina). Once she has raiseda beast, a vampire can feed it more Vitae; each point ensures theanimals continued unlife as though the vampire had just raised it.

The raised creature gains a semblance of intelligence anda certain low cunning, enough to follow complex orders thatmost animals could not understand, and to interpret the spiritof commands rather than the letter. Treat the familiar as havingone dot of Intelligence.

Infused with Vitae, the familiar takes bashing damage fromattacks like a vampire, and does not fall unconscious or bleedout. Unlike a vampire, the familiar continues to decompose.

The Vitae burning within the animals dead veins forgesa sympathetic link it and the vampire. The vampire can useFeral Whispers on her familiar at any time, over any distance,communicating silently or issuing commands at any range.Though she must still roll to see i f her familiar interpreted hercommand, the animal does not resist.

AuspexAuspex turns the Beasts predatory instincts loose on secrets,

finding points of weakness and hidden gems that the vampire canexploit to his advantage. Auspex is an internal Discipline, revealinginformation to a Kindred through visions that range from the directto the hallucinatory. Other vampires have no way to know whensomeone is using Auspex to discover their secrets, and for that reason

many Mekhet feel the stares and whispered barbs of other vampireswho worry what secrets the clan of shadows will uncover next.

Its easier for a vampire to use Auspex on another person ifhes spent some time in intimate contact with her. The contactdoesnt need to be sexual, any period of platonic physicalcontact is enough. Digging a bullet out of someones side orcarefully severing her arm reveals her secrets to Auspex.Intimate contact gives a bonus to the vampires roll equal tohis Auspex rating.

Beasts Hackles The Beast focuses on danger and weakness. A vampire who

borrows his Beasts senses can use that focus to know if someone isabout to attack her, or to pinpoint the weakest person in the room.The Beast is sensitive to things that other people cannot normallysee; using this Discipline can pierce Obfuscate with a contestedBlood Potency + Auspex vs. Blood Potency + Obfuscate roll.

Cost:Varies; the first use in a scene is free, but subsequentuses in the same scene cost 1 Vitae each.

Dice Pool:Wits + Empathy + Auspex

Action:Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The player asks a question as thoughhe had rolled a success; the Storyteller should give false ormisleading information.

Failure:The vampires senses cloud; his Beast doesnt seeany immediate point of weakness.

Success:The player can ask one question of the Storyteller. TheStorytellers answer should include the imagery conjured by theBeast to convey the answer. This level of Auspex can only answerimmediate questions about danger or weakness; the sample questionsbelow cover much of the information the Beast can provide.

Exceptional Success:The player can ask two questions.

Sample Questions

Who here is the most likely to give me what I want?Blood throbbing through the victims jugular vein. Thesound of jingling coins from the victims pocket.

Who/what here is most likely to lapse into violence?The victims hands stained with blood. The smell ofgunpowder wafting from the victim.

Who here is most afraid? The smell of urine from thevictims pants. A whimpering sound from the victim.


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Who/what here is most likely to hurt me? Blood dryingon a car crusher. Waves of hot rage boiling off the victim.

Who here is closest to frenzy? The victims face twistsinto a frenzied rictus. The taste of hot bile when facingthe victim.

Is a vampire here using Auspex ? A pall of greysmoke hanging in the air. A feeling like someone walked

over the vampires grave.

Uncanny Perception The vampire focuses on a single victim, peeling back the

layers of lies and misdirection to the truth underneath. TheBeast sniffs out the victims dark secrets, things that she doesntwant anyone else to know. What the vampire does with thatinformation is up to him.

Cost:Varies; the first use in a scene is free, but subsequentuses against the same target that scene cost 1 Vitae each.

Dice Pool:Intelligence + Empathy + Auspex

Action:Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The player asks a question as thoughhe had rolled a success; the Storyteller should give false ormisleading information.

Failure:The Beast unveils no secrets. Does the victim reallyhave nothing to hide?

Success:The player can ask the Storyteller one question persuccess. The Storytellers answer should include the imageryconjured by the Beast to convey the answer. This level of Auspexfocuses on questions the secrets and weaknesses of a single character.

Exceptional Success:The images give the vampire furtherinsight into the questions asked.

Sample Questions

What is this persons mood? A flash of emotion on thevictims face. A smell that the vampire associates with theemotion the smell of fresh blood signifying rage, the sound

of grinding stone signifying isolation.

What is this person afraid of right now? Shock as lightssuddenly shine on the victim. The sound of dogs barking.

What is this persons Vice/Requiem? The whisperingsound of conspiracy. The smell of drugs wafting off a junkie.

What is one of this persons Derangements? A suddenfeeling of incredible depression. Shifting walls and colors as

if in a hallucination.

Is this person a diablerist?The smell of brimstone and clottedblood. Thick black blood dripping off the victims chin.

Is this person being controlled by someone else? Marionettestrings leading from the victims limbs up to the ceiling. A

whispered voice that tells the victim what to do as she acts.

Is this person a supernatural creature and if I haveseen them before, what is she?The taste of torn flesh. Theglowing halo of a mages nimbus.

Who here does this person want to hurt most?A bloodydagger drops from the victims hand, pointing to the answer.

The taste of bile when looking at the target of the victims ire.

CelerityVampires can cross vast distances in the blink of an eye,catch a thrown punch before their attacker has even moved amuscle, or snatch a gun barrel away from a mans temple beforehe can pull the trigger. Celerity makes a vampire so fast thatits as if she never has to move at all.

Cost:None (or 1 Vitae per effect)

Dice Pool:None

Action: Reflexive

Duration:Turn or permanent

Like other physical Disciplines, Celerity has two types of

effects: passive and active. Passive effects are always on.Active effects require Vitae to be spent and actions to be used.

Passive:Add the vampires dots in Celerity to her Defense, andto the Wits or Dexterity + Athletics roll when defending actively.Celerity also permits feats of evasion far beyond human reflexes,such as dodging gunshots. Any time a Firearms or Athletics attackdenies the character her normal Defense, the attacker takes apenalty on the attack equal to her celerity rating. The vampiremust still be aware of an incoming attack, and capable of evasionfor the benefits of Celerity to apply. If she is restrained, slumbering,or otherwise unable to respond, Celerity offers no advantage.

Active: By spending a point of Vitae for each effect, thevampire may reflexively do one or more of the following.

Immediately move to the head of the initiative queue.If this function is employed as an opening move, beforecombat begins, it is still necessary to roll initiative,despite being assured to act first. This boost in initiativelasts only a single turn, after which point charactersreturn to acting in the rolled order. If multiple vampiresattempt to jump ahead simultaneously, they roll BloodPotency + Celerity and act in order of their results.

Spend her own action to interrupt the action of anothercharacter.This may be an attack, making it possible to disarmor damage an opponent in the instant before they act. It may

be a movement, which allows the vampire to dodge harmmerely by shifting out of reach.The decision to interrupt ismade after another characters intended action is declared,but before it actually occurs (i.e. before they roll). Once theinterrupt action is taken, the enemy must continue withtheir action as declared, even if it is no longer viable.Celeritycannot interrupt reflexive actions, or actions of which thevampire is unaware.Finally, a character may not interruptmore actions in a scene than she has dots in Celerity.


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Multiply her speed by her Celerity rating plus one. Forexample, a character with two dots of Celerity and aSpeed of 9 has an effective 27 Speed for the turn. Movingin this way is sudden, jarring, the vampire appears to

move from point to point without crossing the spacein-between. This can therefore be activated to brieflyavoid detection or to launch sudden surprise attacks.

DominateThe Beast demands obedience from lesser creatures. It slips

into the Kindreds voice, modulating his tone and his wordsto control anyone it can. It progresses from the simple barkedcommands of a guard dog or a drill sergeant to creating falsememories of whatever the vampire desires or letting her stealher victims body to walk in the sunlight once again.

Mesmerize All a vampire has to do is meet her victims eye to catch him

in her thrall. Her control isnt obvious; she just asks him to dosomething and her victim acquiesces. He could unlock a door,pass her a gun or forget ever meeting her. Some cruel vampiresmesmerize passers-by just to take the rap for their crimes.

Cost:None

Dice Pool:Intelligence + Expression + Dominate vs. Resolve+ Blood Potency

Action:Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure:The victim sees through the vampires attemptto control his mind, emboldened, he gains the Steadfast Condition.

Failure:The vampires victim proves stronger-willed thanshed thought.

Success:The vampire holds her victims gaze for just asecond, but its enough to inf lict the Mesmerized Condition.

Exceptional Success:Your control flows over the victimsbrain like water. They want to do whatever you say. You canissue a command in the same action as mesmerizing your target.

Once she has inflicted the Mesmerized Condition, the vampirecan command the victim as an instant action. Her commands

cant be longer than three or four words, and she has to bedirect her control doesnt extend to issuing vague commands.Follow me, Shoot your husband, and Repeat after me areall suitable commands, while Forget, Submit, and Do mybidding have too much room for interpretation. She can evenmess with the victims memory, making one statement about thecurrent scene that victim will remember as truth. While she canstill only use simple and unambiguous commands, she can packa lot of changes into four words: You killed that man and Iwas not here combine to frame the victim for murder.


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Iron Edict Once shes got a hotline into her victims mind, the vampire

can take some time to play with his thoughts and memories.While it takes more of her power to relay complex commands,she goes from jerking her victims strings to controlling himlike a puppeteer, making his ever movement dance to her tune.

Cost:1 Vitae; none if victim is in Viniculum with the vampire

Dice Pool:NoneRequirement: The vampire must have inflicted the

Mesmerized Condition on the victim

Action:Instant

The vampire can issue a longer command to a Mesmerizedvictim. This edict can be up to three sentences long, and caninclude a successive series of actions. The command takestwo turns per sentence. As with Mesmerize, the vampirescontrol doesnt extend to commands that rely on the victimsinterpretation. The victim takes the Dominated Conditionand will follow the vampires commands as soon as she finishesspeaking them. He continues to follow the order until he has

completed his task, or the sun rises. A few Kindred use IronEdict to issue a simple command, such as Obey my directinstructions whe

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