Resources
House Rules - Mechanics

With the rules slowly making the rounds of the community, I’ve decided to post some of the more pertinent rules that we’ll need to run the game.

For those with poor coordination, or just a little slow on the draw and timing, rock/paper/scissors is no longer with us. Challenges will now be done through the production of a number between 1 and 10. A die 10 is acceptable for this, or cards number 2 through 10 and the ace. Cards will be available at the game should someone need a method for determining their challenges.

While typically specialties are only applied to the specific skill they are listed under, from time to time if I feel that it fits the scene that specialties from other skills be applicable, I will allow them to be used as a modifier for the test.

In circumstances where it is possible for a character to continue challenging against a test until they succeed I will be instituting the following rule. You may continue drawing/rolling up to a number of times equal to the attribute and ability being used for the challenge. Should you not meet the requisite number of successes in that time, and it is a matter not time sensitive, you may return to the task at a later date. Consider this a chance to find better equipment, or include others with more appropriate skills to help you. Though for each time you return back to an unsuccessful task a -1 will be modified to your attempt as a result of mounting frustration.

The following section is typically referring to extend actions that your character may attempt during the course of the story.

Pace of Activity is broken down as follows:

• Quick ~ 1 turn (3 seconds)/1 minute
• Short ~ 5 minutes/10 minutes
• Long ~ 15 minutes/30 minutes
• Lengthy ~ 30 minutes/1 hour
• Consuming ~ 1 scene/1 day
• Exhausting ~ 1 chapter/1 week or month

The actual difficulty of a challenge will fall somewhere under the following criteria:

• Simple/Relaxed ~ 1 success required
• Involved/Trying ~ 5 successes required
• Elaborate/Demanding ~ 15 successes required
• Ornate/Daunting ~ 20 successes required
• Intricate/Epic ~ 25 successes required

Expenditures of willpower have the following caveat. Using it to gain the benefits of the Heroic effort rule (+3 to the task being attempted) does not apply to any attempts to attack or aggressively interact with another individual. Its purpose is typically to enhance the actions of the defender, or someone attempting to overcome environmental hindrances to your character’s action. Should the modifiers bring your draw/roll pool to 0 or less, willpower that was spent on this action is no longer considered spent, and the player may decide at that point if they still want to try the test under the Chance draw/roll.

In cases of resistance challenges the expenditure of willpower gives a +2 to the trait.

1. Your character may regain one Willpower point per scene if her actions play out in a manner appropriate to her Vice.
2. Your character may regain all spent Willpower if her actions play out in a manner appropriate to her Virtue.
3. Your character regains a point of Willpower for every week of downtime that passes.
4. If your character achieves a significant goal or performs a particularly impressive act that affirms her sense of confidence, bring the matter to me and I’ll decide if it warrants regaining a point of Willpower.
5. Character’s regain all spent Willpower at the end of a story.

Chance Draw/Roll ~ this only applies when your pool has been reduced to 0 or less. You may at that point decide if you would like to take a chance on the test. You need to draw/roll a 10. Any other number will result in a failure of the task. The 10 again rule applies to this situation, but only confers additional successes if another 10 is produced, and may continue doing so until you no longer draw/roll a 10.

In an attempt to try and keep the challenges as simple as possible I’ll be instituting the Limited Modifiers rule. No more than a maximum +5 or -5 can be applied to any challenge. The one exception to this maximum is wound penalties that are applied on top of any other negative modifiers already accrued. The only exception to the rule of 5 is modifiers from supernatural sources.

Blood Expenditures for increased physical pools is covered under the +5 modifier cap. When I refer to supernatural effects as the exception to the modifier rule I am specifically referring to the use of disciplines and any bonus/minus they may confer to a challenge.

Characters that for whatever reason has been surprised by an action taken against them will have no defense value against attacks. The only exception to this rule is characters that happen to be wearing armor at the time. The armor value will still apply.

Any character may Fair Escape another so long as they are outside of conversation distance. Characters already engaged in combat or have a combat challenge issued to them during that turn; they may not attempt a Fair Escape.

Auspex

Clash of Wills ~ this section pertains to Obfuscate versus Auspex challenges. The first test made by a character to hide and to see a hidden character must either be made with me, or one of the Test Adjudicators. The result is your total success for the remainder of the night. The individual overseeing the challenge will provide the tester with a card indicating the success garnered and the time that the challenge was made. This card can then be presented later when the same sort of challenge is being made again. The number of success can be changed for characters employing Auspex only after an hour has passed and for Obfuscate when the character has appeared, and is attempting to conceal their presence again.

Aura Perception ~ due to the deceitful nature of Kindred, Auspex does not act as an infallible lie detector. If the issue in concern is specifically relevant to the questioner, a skilled reader of Aura’s maybe able to sort out the deceit specific to them.

Celerity

Fair Escape ~ exception to this rule, Celerity allows characters to Fair Escape even from the middle of combat, unless of course a character with a higher level of Celerity attempts to keep them from leaving the combat. As well, unless doors are blocked by two individuals, a character employing Celerity can bypass an individual blocking the door so long as they have less Celerity then the fleeing character.

Majesty – Clarification on Sovereignty

Much of this is old hat to many of us, there are still some new things that we have to learn as we progress with the story – not to mention I’m aware that not everyone has had a chance to get at the rules. In this case what happens when Sovereignty is being employed?

When the employer of the discipline has it activated at its ‘normal’ level (i.e. not aggressively being challenged) people may speak freely around the vampire so long as they don’t try to openly defy or criticize him.

When standing directly in the presence of the user you become awash with feelings of devotion, respect, and/or fear. Basically some variant on these feelings will override their ability to gainsay the Sovereign kindred. But should a character feel compelled to oppose this individual they can engage in a challenge to overcome the feelings invoked by Sovereignty.

The test is made between the user's Presence + Intimidation + Majesty versus their Composure + Blood Potency. Unlike many of the other levels of this discipline willpower May Not be used to overcome the power. This test is supposed to be made every time someone attempts to challenge the resplendent kindred (social/physical/mental). Even if they are successful in overcoming the vampire’s Sovereignty the aggressor will feel the weight of their actions.

Thank you for your attention, and hopefully we’ll be able to move through the next scene that this power comes up in with a little more clarity.

Vigor

Each level of Vigor confers upon the user a +5 modifier to their damage total during Brawl and Weaponry damage resolution.

Addendum to Kindred and their Interactions with Technology

Page 6 of Mind's Eye Theatre: the Requiem states:

"Vampires show up temporarily obscured in photographic media (including video footage) and in mirrors. They can temporarily counteract this effect, but the "default" is a sort of occlusion. The same is not true for voice recordings; vampires' voices are captured normally on those."

In Flesh and Blood, the former applies, and is detailed to greater extent, and the impact this has on the masquerade on page 240.

However, contrary to what is written, the same rules also apply to voice recordings of vampires in Flesh and Blood. Curiously, this does not seem to apply to direct communication over the phone, but does apply to answering machine messages. As per the rules for images outlined on page 240, a vampire may similarly make more lasting recordings of their voices by spending a willpower point.

Addendum to Kindred and Staking

Page 251 of Mind's Eye Theatre: the Requiem states:

“A vampire enters torpor when a wooden stake penetrates his heart.”

Because I find it much more interesting for kindred to be somewhat cognizant of their surroundings, silently screaming helplessly, while their body is carted around – I have decided to implement the following house rule. Torporous states will only apply when a kindred seeks, or is knocked into, torpor; and in the case of potential mystical effects which can cause this state. Successful stakings will instead cause the victim to enter a quadriplegic state where the kindred is incapable of moving their body but still has access to their other senses (like their hearing) and what ever happens to be directly in their line of sight.

Ascendency

Covenant Ascendancy:

For those scratching their heads at the moment, Ascendancy is a mystical reflection in the city of the dominance of a given covenant over a domain. Because they have the highest collection of standing in the domain, measured by the combined status of all members of the covenant, that group of kindred will receive benefits as a manifestation of their authority. Each of the different covenants – with the exception of the Unbound – have an Ascendancy power that will occur once the covenant has assumed the greatest amount of collective status within the domain.

Invictus Ascendancy:

Power in the case of the Invictus Covenant is the inability of any member of the court – Unbound exempted – to ignore their standing. They have proven their dominance over the domain time and again clearly establishing their presence within the city. This translates into game terms as a bonus conferred to the Invictus during social interactions. The player of the Invictus involved in the social challenge adds there city status as a modifier to the test.