Old World of Darkness

Help me find Harbringer of Skrulls!

Gemstone — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:42:06 GMT

Me and a friend are currently having a discussion, but we're unable to back up what we're saying because we can't find which book the Harbringer of Skulls are in (and yes, there's a pun in the Subject line and not an error). We're currently looking for their clan writeup (as in weakness, disciplines etc.).

Thanks on fore hand!

/Gemstone

My White Wolf Games Site

I Hate All Life — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:30:40 GMT

Yeah, this probably looks familiar to some of you guys. I had to take my page down due to third party adverts last year, but I have my own ads-free domain now and can put my stuff back up.

The overwhelming majority of The Howling Void's WWG site is devoted to oWoD material, with a smattering of nWoD and Aberrant thrown in for good measure.I cover a lot of game lines -- Vampire: the Masquerade, Kindred of the East, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Mage: the Ascension, Wraith: the Oblivion and Demon: the Fallen. And there's a lot of material for each game. I hope you guys find some of it useful or at least enjoyable to read.

Feedback, be it positive or critical, is appreciated; the first inspires me to continue writing while the latter helps me write better.

Chronicle: Dark Ambitions

Mordwyr — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:43:42 GMT

This is a Dark Ages to Modern Nights chronicle.

Storyteller: Isabelle

Characters:
PC: Mordwyr, Marquis de Troyes (written by me)
Isabelle de Troyes (written by Isabelle)
PC: Serafim Mironescu / the Angelus Mortis (written by jmc)
Lucia Giovanni (Mironescu) / the Virago Tenebrae (written by Isabelle)
Chretien de Beauvais / of the Blazing Noon (written by Isabelle)
Jean-Louis de Troyes (written by Isabelle)
PC: Alejandro Penasco de Toledo (written by nickcan)
PC: Bartholomaios of Thessalonika (written by nickcan)
PC: Wilhelm von Arlow / Wolf-Toter (written by kaz)
Dona Beatriz de Castile (written by Isabelle)
Giulietta Marisa Livianus (written by Isabelle)
Dimitri, Spear of the Valley (written by Isabelle)
Jurgen Swordbearer (written by Isabelle)
Beatrice Giovanni (written by Isabelle)
Daniel of the Seine (written by Isabelle)
Claudia Giovanni (written by Isabelle)
Laura Giovanni (written by Isabelle)
PC: Vikk (written by me)
PC: Charlie "Slim" Owens (written by jmc)
Moseh ben Yusuf (written by Isabelle)
Agatha Roget (written by Isabelle)
Matthias (written by Isabelle)
Diego (written by Isabelle)
Malcolm de Troyes (written by Isabelle)
Prelude, Postlude, Inner Circle missives, Parisian Interlude, Mojave Interlude (written by Isabelle)
"December 6th, 1202" decree (written by me)

********************************************************************

Chronicle: DARK AMBITIONS
Chapter I: Shadows of the Sires

***

I, Giulietta Marisa Livianus, have spent the past several years compiling the documents which make up these volumes. In most cases, I was able to find the original documents. In two cases, however, I had to resort to a combination of Necromancy and Auspex to divine the truth of unrecorded events known only by their later effects. I have entitled these “A Parisian Interlude” and “A Mojave Interlude.” Though there now remain no witnesses to these occurrences, I have been able to learn the truth of them.

My warrant for this compilation is to preserve the things that were, the things that are no more, the things that can never come again. This is the story of the saviors of our kind, of how they came to become what they became. Their story was intertwined with that of friends and foes, with ancient beings, with Kindred and kine—and with that of my own lord, Marcus Tertius Livianus. There is value in preservation, for all has changed. Our kind is not what it once was; everything is new. A new order has come. Were we of another kind than we are, I would write that a new day has dawned. But for us, we who walk only beneath the moon, it is a new world. It is to record how this world was birthed, at what cost, and from what seed, that I have made this book.

***

From the Journal of Jean-Louis de Troyes, Knight-Templar

7 September A.D. 1202

All is strange to me, and my very blood is treacherous in my veins. I am drawn to Sir Wilhelm of the Order of the Crimson Rose in ways I cannot explain. I honor him greatly, and yet I cannot understand why. At least, I know that he is a member of the same Order as Sir Chrétien, and him I have honored these ten years. But what was that draught that Sir Wilhelm gave me?

I write to organize my thoughts. These past days I have not been myself. I do not know why, but the thought of being disgraced before my brother Templars quite unmanned me. It should not have. It was shameful to have lost the relics, but I could not have prevented the theft. I should have accepted any punishment the Master-General saw fit to mete out, but for that unearthly melancholy. And then Sir Wilhelm told me that he and the angel-voiced minstrel Mordwyr knew that the relics I was to guard had not only been stolen from my care, but that they had been stolen to come into the possession of my superior officer Sir Pierre. This was an aspersion not on myself but on my Order, and I knew that it must be proven false. But how if it were true? Then someone—and from the appearance that one would be Sir Pierre—had turned traitor to our vows.

What was I to make of this? I was confused, and still that inexplicable melancholy plagued me. Sir Wilhelm then told me of an elixir which could clear my sight and grant me the power to learn the truth of all this. I knew that I must learn the truth; nothing else was more important. But why I believed Sir Wilhelm I am not certain. I accepted his offer, and I drank the elixir.

It has granted me power, that much is clear; but it has bound me to Sir Wilhelm. I am near to him, and nothing else will satisfy the drumming of my blood.

At least thus much is true: I do have the power to learn the extent of the sacrilege in the Order. I will find it and stamp it out.

***

From the Journal of Jean-Louis de Troyes, Knight-Templar

8 September A.D. 1202

The night began with another infusion of the elixir, and only now do I know it for what it is: the blood of Sir Wilhelm! I am now what They—and by They I mean those like Sir Wilhelm—call a ghoul. I can hear the pulsing of the rhythm of his blood in my veins. It nearly overwhelms me, and I cannot endure that it should continue. Nor can I endure that it should cease.

But this blood-song drives me from myself. I have not yet written of that which is most important. My sweet sister Isabelle is now like unto me! She, too, has drunk of this heady draught. But, may God be praised, she is not Sir Wilhelm’s. She is bound to the minstrel! What can I write of this? How my heart aches at the thought of her dishonor! But yet—yet is it dishonor? For I do not think that he has taken her. He seems truly to honor and love her. And that is what makes it bearable. Rank is not what it once was. My eyes have been opened. All that matters is her honor and chastity, and those I think Mordwyr respects. As for the rest, she is even more beautiful than before, if that were possible. She moves with a grace that nearly hurts the eyes. Sweet sister, may God have mercy on you!

Sir Wilhelm has promised that soon we shall learn more of those who have brought this stain upon the Knights-Templar. That must be redressed.

***

From the Journal of Jean-Louis de Troyes, Knight-Templar

9 September A.D. 1202

And now the song of Sir Wilhelm’s blood is all that I hear, all that I feel. I love him, honor him, as father and brother and master. His lightest wish is my law. And I know within myself that he is not worthy of this honor, for he deceived me into this. But still I love him. I shall serve him as best I can. All that has mattered in my life up until this point is now meaningless beside him. Only sweet Isabelle is still precious to me. I refuse to compare my love for her, the freely given veneration a man may give a saint, with the love I feel for Sir Wilhelm.

Now, however, Sir Wilhelm has given me orders. I am for Vezelay, and there I am to investigate the theft of the relics which were stolen from me. It seems that these relics were originally in a church in Vezelay, and it is Sir Wilhelm’s command that I seek out the truth of the matter. So I go, and it is the only joy I know, the joy of serving my master.

nWoD player here: can you sell me on oWoD?

Macai — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:55:54 GMT

I've played nWoD quite a while. It's measure in years, not months, now. However, I got into WoD after nWoD already came out, so that's what I learned. I've been told that some people have been "converted" to prefer oWoD over nWoD. On the other hand, I've heard people tell me horror stories (not the kind we like) about stupid metaplot and mechanics even more broken and silly than the ones in nWoD.

What about oWoD is better, from the perspective of oWoD players, than nWoD? I'm really curious to hear what about nWoD is stupid, lame, or inferior when compared with its oWoD counterpart. If I get some good answers, I really will give some oWoD books a cover to cover read through and will try playing the game.

Now is your chance to convert an nWoD heathen! lol

Random Werewolf Questions

WolfMan86 — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:16:25 GMT

I'm gonna run a campaign in a few months, so I have questions for you guys.

-What keeps the Garou from joining with the other Changing Breeds to fight the Wyrm?
-Is it possible for the Garou and the Vampires to have a truce? Kind of like "I'll let you in my city, but don't stay too long and don't start trouble. I'll let you pass through the forest, but I will guide you the entire way and if you go off track, I will cut you"

-Is it possible for the Garou and Camarrilla to team up and destroy the Sabbat and Spirals?

-If the Garou are dying out, is there anyway they can repopulate and spawn more Garou? Some type of rite or Umbral Quest?

How does one tell if a wraith is created?

CarterSpade — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:45:21 GMT

I have a character with necromancy, and wanted to summon someone part of our story. how do we tell if that person who died became a wraith or not?

Ghouls and blood

genty — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:20:29 GMT

I am considering to run a game based in Denmark during the end of the Viking era. To make things interesting my idea is to make the characters into ghouls pretty early in the story, maybe due to an upcoming raid upon an English village or something.
Reading different sources regarding ghouls have left me with some facts (or what i think is fact) and some questions. Hopefully you can confirm/deny the facts and help me with the rest.

Let's assume a human ghoul of 2 years in the service, having 3 blood points in his system and having learned Potence1 and Celerity1.

Scenario: His blood supply has been removed. No longer getting fresh Vite.

Facts:
1. After 1 month he will have 0 blood points in his system, reverting back to a human, his body aging 2 years, loosing his disciplines. Celerity will go first.
2. During this time he can still burn blood points to heal/activate disciplines/boost physical stats.

Questions:
1. During this month, will his 3 blood points be absorbed by his body bit by bit (something like 1 per week) or will it all go away magically after 1 month?
2. Will anything be affected by the amount of blood in his system during this month? I.e. will a ghoul with 1 blood point have a different experience from one with 10 blood points?
3. What happens if he spends all of his blood, will he still be a ghoul for 1 month or will he just have the craving for 1 month?

Could use some home-brew discipline balance help

Loxosceles — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:47:21 GMT

I'll sometimes allow homebrew stuff.

Usually I am pretty good when it comes to balance implications and depending on the type of game being run, I have no problem acquiescing to player creativity or desire when it comes to mechanics which achieve a certain flavor to enhance the personality of the character they're playing.

This particular homebrew has been problematic for me, week to week I seem to have to constantly discuss balance issues and dice pool tweaks with the player who requested it. I don't want to strip it from him, the overall theme of it seems to fit his character fairly well and he invested a great deal of his starting dots and subsequent experience into working his way towards higher levels. He's also played out the character's development of the discipline in a way that was pretty exceptional; following the logical steps as he spent the experience, postulating and experimenting in-character before advances were made and investing a great deal of the character's efforts into that learning. The rest of his sheet isn't mechanically useless- but that focused development has become readily apparent when compared to the development of the other player characters.

If I have no other choice, I'll strip it from him and just refund the experience spent, but it's not an ideal solution because it'd disrupt and essentially retcon the game and the character to this point. The ideal solution would be some mechanical tweak which brings it back into line as a balanced and fair power for a player character.

The initial request was for a Thaumaturgy path taken off the BJ Zanzibar site. Obviously nothing official about it... and I am always wary at best of things from that site since many of the authors approached their ideas as "Discipline of whatever the hell I want" but there are some interesting themes represented and sometimes... sometimes... some of the content is okay.

He wanted the Path of Travel, I looked it over, found it thematically acceptable, tweaked it heavily (not heavily enough in retrospect), discussed what he wanted from it, why he wanted it and how it would play... and we came to a consensus which I have come to regret, even though each decision made and each edit we implemented seemed to make sense at the time we were discussing it. The actual use of it through playtesting has made the balance issues glaringly apparent- issues I suspect some of you will see, even though I was hit by some kind of mental blindness and didn't anticipate.

I'll stick each rank into a quote box, provided I get the tags correct, then explain some of the reasoning we went through to get there. Criticism, up to and including "What kind of dumbass would let a player take this?!" is welcome. If it's got something attached that represents a potential fix, that's appreciated even more.

Some of the language was also blatantly stolen from the BJ Zanzibar author- so what follows should be partially credited to Deirdre Brooks- although I have mangled some aspects beyond all recognition. It does explain some of the shifts in language, the presentation and the shifts in gender specific pronouns though. Something that should probably be cleared up, but our changes weren't really meant for public consumption.

I also apologize for any formatting errors, I am copying and pasting these ranks from text documents.

The general description of the path is that it deals with distance, movement and inertia- there's a rather long winded bit about sci-fi style space folding theories and how velocity can only be measured as the relative movement between two points (a car may be driving at 65mph relative to the surface of the road but the planet is also rotating around it's axis and revolving around the sun which is itself moving through space as a stellar body in the galaxy, which is only one galaxy among many, moving relative to... etc).

* Swift Running

This allows short bursts of high speed. As the caster gains
skill in this path this ability can become quite potent, potentially
making the kindred move at greater and greater speeds. Though using this ability is not without cost, as maintaining this power tends to rapidly tire out most kindred. This ability while closely resembling Celerity does not actually provide any extra actions as it nearly impossible to take any other action other than just moving quickly to a desired destination. As such while the spell gifts the caster with great speed it does not allow the caster to do anything other than the simplest of movements while not running.

System: The caster may spend one blood to move at double speed and each blood spent allows one minute of maintaining the new speed. For each dot in this path an additional additive level of speed may be maintained up to a maximum of 5 times normal speed. This does not provide any inherent defensive bonuses or actions. On a turn where this ability has been activated, the caster may not make any offensive actions.

Pretty straightforward speed boost, which becomes more powerful the more heavily the character invests in the path. It is a speed change, so the idea of inertia and force is applied, thus the ban on super-speed-punching... although it leaves the vulnerability of super-speed-crashing-into-a-wall-and-becoming-a-greasy-smear perfectly intact.

I don't have mush of an issue with this rank, it's useful- to a point- and has some obvious potential combat applications as a hit-and-run tactic or a straightforward escape ability but it hasn't become an issue yet and pretty much conveys less than celerity potentially does.

** Sidestep

The caster may perform a quick sidestep to dodge an incoming attack, provided he is aware of it. If Auspex provides warning of an incoming attack, those bonus perception dice may be added to the sidestep roll.

System: Roll Alertness + Wits as if dodging. Each success subtracts two successes from any dodgeable attack. He will reappear anywhere within six feet of his original location.

I don't have a lot of issue with this rank either. It's got an enormous defensive potential since it multiplies the successes by two but it also; uses the action for the round, takes the place of a more traditional defensive maneuver (such as a dodge) and is an automatic masquerade breach as the character blips through space to appear at a new location.

*** Assail

This ability allows the kindred to vastly increase the range and
height of her leaps. For a few moments she suspends her relationship
to space and gravity in a limited sense. While she can be observed in
the process of these leaps, she is no longer subject to the natural
laws of physics. She can accelerate or slow ascent and descent, or
even pause in mid-leap. Natural forces such as wind and gravity have
no effect upon her while in this state. While dramatic this state does
not last more than a couple of seconds and the natural laws will
quickly resume business as usual. Unnatural forces such as attacks
will affect her normally during this action, however.

System: Perception+Athletics roll, difficulty 6- each success equates to one second where the character can control their movement speed or one additional distance which they can leap.
Cost: 1 Bp

The short duration makes it fairly high cost if the player tries to chain the effects, but it does allow naked parachuting and a single turn spider-man like leaping ability. I haven't got too many problems with this either.

**** True Path

      This power can be used in two ways. The first use is to allow the caster and those travelling with him to travel with the minimum of delay. The second is to cause another to travel with the maximum of delay. This manifests as coincidence: the traffic lights are always green, no traffic jams, buses and cabs arrive early. For this power to work, the caster must make the effort to continue toward his destination. Once he stops travelling (deliberately, waiting for a connection doesn't count), the effect ends. Regardless, the power always ends at sunrise.

      System: Flat willpower roll

      Successes    Increased/decreased travel time
      1    1.5x
      2    2x
      3    3x
      4     4x
      5     5x

      The target of a decreased travel time may resist this power by rolling Willpower, difficulty 8.

Using this power to hasten or ease travel will not effect animate sources trying to actively hinder the action. Thus if the character is, for example, engaged in a car chase- their increased movement speed as a result of coincidence would also affect their pursuer or quarry (so when the traffic lights are green, they are green for the chaser and the one being chased). In order to generate separation or create a difference in travel time between two parties during an active pursuit, the second application of this power is the only one which is appropriate.

Or... to put it another way, when being pursued or pursuing, the second involved party counts as "those traveling with him" and would recieve the same coincidence seeming benefits.

Mangled language, obviously... a result of our hacking what the original author had written and sending one another a chain of emails containing proposed edits. I think it can be figured out though.

The top end of five successes seems a bit overpowering to me, I have considered hacking it down to incremental benefits of 0.5, but this one hasn't been extensively playtested in a situation where it really matters- the player has just used it to pad the game when it comes to travel durations, allowing the PCs to get in an extra scene at the other end of the city about once per night. Which I haven't got a problem with, since I am pretty much arbitrarily deciding how long they have until sunrise based on what they have tried to do so far that session/night/scene.

Now the real problem...

***** Teleportation

You can instantly travel to any point within range (willpower x five miles).

Activation is a flat willpower roll.

Difficulty is based on the knowledge of the destination, using the lowest difficulty applicable.

Base difficulty- areas you're intimately and subconsciously familiar with (your haven, other locations would need to be added through gameplay and time spent- you can ask but it's ST discretion). Areas within nearby line of sight (from one side of a window to another, up to about fifty yards).

+1- areas you're moderately familiar with (favorite club or restaurant, a good friend's haven where you spend a fair amount of time), areas within line of sight but in the middle distance (50-200 yards).

+2- areas you are not familiar with but have experienced in a fashion devoid of familiarity (the hallway you were just in, the roof of the parking garage you have driven by before). Areas within line of sight in the high distance (200+ yards to the horizon, the horizon is about seven miles away if there are no visual obstructions).

+3- areas you are not familiar with and have not experienced, but with a description attached (i.e.- you have a street address or photograph of the location, a remote location you're watching on a video feed, etc.). Blind jumps to areas you can estimate but not directly perceive (the other side of a wall you have never seen, the roof of a building from inside the building when you have never been up there, jumps made to unfamiliar locations without a line of sight, etc.)

+4- Blind jumps you cannot estimate. Guess jumps. Jumps to quickly moving targets. (The center of a building from outside of the building, rather than through one predictable wall, attempts to jump through the ground into a sewer tunnel you only suspect exists, jumping into a moving airplane or speeding car).

I haven't really considered a +5 yet, but I'm thinking it'd probably be reserved for stuff like trying to jump into the Abyss or the Umbra, jumping out of a pocket dimension a mage is using to imprison you, stuff like that. Supernatural conditions that would supercede the normal laws of physics.

Jump costs are as follows-

0-1000 yards: one blood
1000 yards- 1 mile: two blood
1-5 miles: three blood
5-25 miles: four blood
25-50 miles: five blood

A character may spend blood in excess of their generational maximum to fuel this power, provided it is the only blood spent for the turn.

Jump Disorientation works as follows-

Base difficulty: no penalty
+1: no penalty
+2: -2 to initiative for two rounds after teleporting, the penalty is reduced by one die and one turn for each successes beyond the first rolled on the attempt.
+3: -3 to initiative for three rounds after teleporting, the penalty is reduced by one die and one turn for each success beyond the first rolled on the attempt.
+4: -4 to initiative for for four rounds after teleporting, the penalty is reduced by one die and one turn for each success beyond the first rolled on the attempt.

Failed rolls make you lurch in place without really moving, but you'll seem to blur for a fraction of a second and twitch in the direction you intended to jump.

Any botched attempts will mimic the failures and additionally result in a -2 dice penalty to all pools for the remainder of the scene, the character should act out the disorientation and weakness representing their incomplete relationship with normal space.

Double botches (or worse) are likely to teleport you into a solid object, which will mess you up good and hard as your character and the object do damage to one another while occupying the same space.

Adding a temporary willpower to the cost of the action allows the caster to bring about 300-350 extra pounds with them when jumping. Willing people, use the disorientation penalties above. Unwilling people or people who aren't expecting it will get across the board dice penalties of -2 for a number of rounds equal to the successes on the roll.

The last part is the real crux of the issue. The original write-up which we stole and adapted didn't allow for anyone else to be carried while using it. The player in question convinced me to knock together a cost and limit to it with the argument that he'd like to 1) potentially carry one other player character or willing NPC along with him and 2) potentially use it in combat to blink targets to a different location.

Initially he also wanted to be able to send things places without touching or accompanying them, but I axed that. I considered the combat applications of teleporting a victim into a hazardous environment and decided that he had to touch the target to teleport with them (a successful brawling or grapple attack to be touching them to activate the power) and that he would have to travel with them- which meant that they'd share at least a combat round together at their destination. So if he teleported someone into a blast furnace, he'd get to share a round in there with them and they'd get at least one action before he teleported back out without them... and he'd be spending blood and willpower at pretty high rates in order to do so.

It seemed balanced.

The very first session after he obtained rank five though, he used it to teleport two NPCs straight up to his maximum allowed range. The duration of time it takes to fall from that height allowed him to use assail when closer to the ground to save himself. Two NPCs were dead from the falling damage- which was substantial, even though one of them had a fairly high soak pool.

A successful brawling attack to touch a target followed by a willpower cost for an instant kill is... well, it's broken beyond all belief, even for a rank five power. I'm not going to start equipping all the NPCs with parachutes, so I am left with a difficult decision.

Things I have considered...

Just flat out strip the ability to carry anyone with him while teleporting. The moment he was able to, he abused the mechanic which was supposed to allow it. He was also disingenuous when explaining why he wanted to have that ability added, so do something to punish him, like cut his character's legs off.

Apply a substantial limit to the distance he can carry someone while teleporting, knock together a second table for maximum distances which wouldn't allow for more than a few levels of bashing damage from a fall.

Apply some kind of appropriate resist roll or adjust the difficulty of the roll he makes when attempting to teleport someone with him. Make the most probable outcome of such an attempt a failure, so that it'd only be a tactic used out of desperation.

Or... Well, it's why I am asking for suggestions. I've got no concrete solution which appeals to me as the obvious choice. I'd really like to get some input from other people before I make a decision.

Any help, any comments... all appreciated and thank you in advance for any consideration you give the matter.

Learning Gifts, Discplines, Spheres without a Teacher

WolfMan86 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:56:52 GMT

What's your opinion of characters learning Gifts, Spheres, or Disciplines on there on?

I say "Shenanigans". Garou can't learn Gifts unless its taught by spirits or another Garou.

Vampires can develop the Discipline on their own, but they wouldn't know how to harness it or use it effectively unless they had practice or a teacher.

Mages...I don't think it would possible for them to learn new Spheres without a teacher or some kind of literature to learn from it. Without it, I don't think they should be able to learn anything.

Opinions? I especially need opinions on the Mage part.

OWOD podcasts

Alucardd — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:15:21 GMT

I was curious if there was any OWOD podcasts out there? I know of wolf-blooded, and this modern death, and the white wolf ones, but they are mostly the new WOD... If anyone can point me in the direction of one?

Otherwise would there be any interest in listening to one? Strictly OWOD. let me know!

An Attribute+Ability=A Question From Me

Berlin Heroes — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:41:02 GMT

Hey, what's up? Which Attribute is used when singing on stage? I know the Ability would be Performance... Would it be Charisma, because that has to do with being liked by people? Would it be Manipulation, because you're kind of working the crowd with your song? Would it maybe even be Appearance if you're trying to be sexy while performing? I guess all three of the Social Attributes could be used, but are any of them used while singing more than the others? I don't usually build my characters around their dots, but I would like my character (a singer), to be good at what she does... I appreciate any of your comments. Thanks.

Hunter LARP

c34r34lk1ll3r — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:05:38 GMT

im currently in a hunter LARP game and i've been curious about hermits. can nayone give me any info aside from that already in the Laws of the Reckoning?

How do you all use Sorcery in your games?

MagicJuggler — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:41:41 GMT

Hey there. One book I found rather entertaining, if needing a bit more polish, was Sorcerer Revised. The idea of mortal magics, which might not even be noticeable as magic, touched a spot of curiosity on my part. My questions of course arise in: What sorts of complications occur with Sorcery vs. other supers, or what paradigms one uses for it?

Case in point, I run Werewolf. For balance, I allow Equal-for-All sorcerers provided they buy the Kinfolk Merit. Whenever a player wants to do sorcery, I discuss with them "How does your sorcery work" as while it may not have the same raw flexibility as Sphere Magic, there are still numerous ways a Path can work (Enchantment versus Technomancy for example). So we discuss each path, and come to a consensus that a certain skill rather than Occult may be better than the default roll of Stat+Occult. Case in point, we have one Kin who is a social engineer/professional con-man, so Path of Fascination in his case is based off Subterfuge (with *rituals* involving method acting, forging IDs, etc). If someone else wanted to be a bard-type, I would probably base Fascination off of Performance for them.

In the case of shifters that *want* to use sorcery, I've houseruled they use Gnosis in place of Mana (So reducing the difficulty of a Hellfire rite may be iffy) and cannot take Mana Manipulation (As most their abilities to regain Gnosis come from spirit pacts). However, the proper use of Gifts and Paths in conjunction with one another may provide extra dice for one or the other; for example, Shadowplay may lower the difficulty of casting Shroud.

How do you all handle Sorcery?

Baali in Final Nights

Oski86 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:06:32 GMT

I must say I'm new to Baali, but find the "clan" to be very interesting.
I've read some of their fluff in Dark Ages, as well as in the Storyteller's Handbook for the Masquerade. Feeling motivated by some sick and twisted ideas, I've managed to convince my storyteller to let me play one of those guys in his "modern" chronicle. I do have some questions that I hope someone from the board will be able (and kind enough) to answer. Let me just bounce them off.

1. By standard rules, are they playable at all, or is their purpose to serve only as antagonists for the players? I don't really see a problem with it and, as stated earlier, I've managed to convince my ST, but he wasn't very happy about it. On the other hand, that's normal for the stuff I come up with.
2. Is there any sort of explenation for this "inescapable degeneration of spirit" that claims more of them every night, or is that fragment only to underline the lingering doom?
3. Their weakness is somehow hard for me to understand, at least when it comes to the system. The True Faith Aspect is clear enough, but what am I supposed to do when I meet someone wearing a symbol of faith around their neck? Should I see is like the repelled by garlic/crosses flaw? Any other suggestions how to solve this?
4. Except for the ST Handbook, are there any other sources of information on the Baali in the Masquerade? A single book isn't really much to work with.
5. Any good tips and tricks for a vampire with (far) more enemies than friends to keep a low profile and survive for as long as possible? Possibly introducing as much havoc to the status quo as possible in the process?

That's all for now. Thanks in advance.

Vampire: The dark ages, question about torpor

Grendall — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:54:19 GMT

Quick question:
a vampire is incapacitated through agrravated damage, but still has 3 blood points, does he enter torpor immediately or only if he runs out of blood?

Thanks

Ravnos Discipline Chimerstry- Neat things to do with it.

Cole Caecus — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:56:01 GMT

So, what are some neat and useful things that one with the Chimerstry discipline can do? Im playing one in a game and he has level 5 in the discipline, and im just trying to find out some neat things to do with it.

-Cole Caecus

Running old Werewolf right? Aka, HELP.

MagicJuggler — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:59:50 GMT

Hey there. So, against the odds, I've managed to start up a relatively relaxed game of Old Werewolf online, which I've run in a very beer-and-pretzels fashion (comically over-the-top supervillains, dramatic one-liners, and explosions, which the Delerium covers up as UFO attacks, bears, or Russians). The game is designed to poke fun at every dumb thing from 1st and 2nd edition World of Darkness.

However, I want to gradually change the tone of the game to something more serious. See, I ended up flirting with a *very* horridly run old Werewolf game (and by horrid, I mean containing butterfly kami, wereunicorns, an an Ohio sept being run by a Hakken who owned a Grand Klaive that she appointed a kin keeper of [in practice, a Kin starting off with a Grand Klaive...just because], yet they complain the moment I break out the Child of Gaia Lupus lobbing grenades and flashbangs, because "Wolves can't use grenades..."), and the raw dysfunctionality of the game, how people brought in-game drama to real life, and vice-versa (the butterfly kami was made because one player knew another player "liked Asians" in real life), mean that I am looking to run a more serious game.

The game takes place in Comic Book Alaska, where The Bridge to Nowhere is umbrally turning into a gateway to The Abyss, where Endron was bankrupted and split into numerous megacorporations, Pentex funds behind-the-scenes aerial wolf-hunting killteams just for the hell of it, and the Lower Shale Lake was actually a Wendigo caern (You know...that one lake that got dumped out of a loophole that it would no longer be classified as a lake...). So far, the players have blown Ted Stevens house (UFO attack), destroyed a spectre cult, and tore up a bar when the drunkard Get Ahroun asked the kin pilot to stop for drinks. Now the werewoof justice league is under attack.

I want to throw philosophical/political issues back into this though, unrail the game so to speak, give them a very open-ended goal (e.g. reclaim Shale Lake Caern, make Alaska the first territory of the Garou Nation that is veil-free, take over the Garou Nation and pull the elders' heads out their collective ass, etc). Advice on what would make the game not a monty haul?

Also, Litany issues seem a bit out-of-touch with good gameplay. Case in point, stuff like "Leader shall not be challenged in wartime." Name a game where having all PCs follow one other PC has turned out well? Likewise "First of kill to highest in station..." You know how parties get when wanting to loot weapons, etc. (Then again, the party's main mentor is a Glass Walker, who gave him the GW litany interpretation "First of kill to greatest in need"). How does one resolve this?

Likewise, the whole "Weavertech is bad" scenario. What makes misuse of technology (draconian governments, etc) the work of the Weaver, instead of say...the Urge Wyrm of paranoia? Historically the march of progress has made life more livable for many, even if progress has been abused...I as a person found the entire concept wallbangerish. What do I do/

Demon VS Werewolf

Dashes — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:24:30 GMT

ok people. i allways wondered how a demon could kick the ass of a werewolf...
i need to know if demons are inmune to dellirium
theres a werewolf gift that pulls an spirit (his spanish name is Exprimir Espiritu), i want to know how does affect a demon?

PD: Can the vampire discipline "Dementation" affect to a demon?

Dominate (Vampire the Masquerade) question

Gemstone — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:16:42 GMT

We had a little discussion after yesterdays Vampire game, when a player tried to do something with dominate that we couldn't agree on.

The premise is that she's a Giovanni vampire (thus her bite causes pain and a lot of damage) and she has three dots worth of dominate. She managed to get information out of a vampire hunter where her fellow hunters had hidden and set out to destroy/ghoul/something (as we didn't reach that far) them.

Now, she managed to trick one of them that she was a human and that she wanted to know where the bathroom were. She made the woman follow her there and gave her a straight forward "come with me" command, which I had no problem with, as it was easily accomplished in one action.

Now however, as they entered the bathroom, she turned to her and, used dominate and said "Usher no sound and don't move!" before breaking her neck and draining her dry. I let it slip mostly because we couldn't agree on it and I wasn't in the mood for a discussion. For the next session, I'd like to know how you deal with it though.

1) can dominate do that? (especially dominate 1, 2 or 3). It seems awfully powerful, especially as it's rolled against permanent willpower (which face it, isn't much of a difficulty unless you roll 3 or less dice). It doesn't seem like a fairly straight forward command (and is at least indirectly suicidal in this case).

2) can dominate force a character to ignore their own instincts, such as "don't scream" while being caused so much pain that it would be natural to scream (or for a better example, "don't flinch when I drive this dagger through your arm").

3) is there any sort of indication, table or otherwise, to determine how long a duration a command lasts? I can't find anything other than the more successes you roll, the longer it functions.

Random Vampire Questions

WolfMan86 — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:51:08 GMT

I'll be running a game in the upcoming months and I got a few questions about vampires:

-Can vampires be born?
-Besides draining a Vampire with lower Gen then you, how do you become stronger?
-If the Sabbat are so crazy and destructive, what keeps them from destroying one another. Camarilla seem more unified and in control.

-Regeneration: They can only heal/regenerate if they spend blood points. But what if they drain the blood of a human. Do they automatically heal or does their Blood Pool just fill up?

More random questions later.

World of Darkness mIRC Role Play

doctor kevorkian — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:31:18 GMT

Hey yall this is The Doctor again, a few of you may have seen me bouncing around here(or the Nwod at least) time and time again. This particular evening I'm here with some news on a mIRC role play involving, in the beginning, V:TM and if the need arises other sections of World of Darkness.

The Setting will be in the fictional town of Eden near New Orleans it will be based to my knowledge in modern day and all Clans in the Core Revised V:TM book will be allowed, also including Gargoyles. As for other of the many clans that populate the series those will be Case by Case, meaning if the character concept is solid and it makes sense you'll probably be allowed.
( The game will be held on the server, sorcery.net )
This game may be a little different then the average game you may have played in. As such in this town by Law of The King there is no Camerilla or Sabbat (not to say there isn't one just not officially) The King was removed them from power and established his own kingdom. (I'll post more on this part when things are more known to me)

Rules for the room are relaxed, but in place. Sheets are required and made by rules placed in the Core book, most merits and flaws will be allowed as well as backgrounds. History/Back Story are required and must be submitted with a sheet, playing may not begin till approved by at least one Op/ST.
(till changed any sheets may be submitted to blindseere@yahoo.com , put the subject as name and clan or just name for human) A lot seats of power are open are open to be filled by players.

We are still in the planning stages so the channel as not been set up yet nor a website, though it will be online shortly. This is to inform those interested that the game will begin within the month and we are currently looking for a third Op/ST for helping stabilizing and planning for the Room.

More will updated as I am, I may have left something out I already know so feel free to ask here, or PM,

So anyone interested?

Eldagusto is back... and he has continued his research with using the Original World of Darkness with Scion.

Eldagusto — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:09:58 GMT

Behold ye Mighty and Tremble! The Eldagusto sees how his forum has changed in his absence of nary a year. Well I am joyous to confirm more success using the Scion system with the World of Darkness. Basically use the World of Darkness Setting and use the Scion system, and Epic Attributes for Incarnae and Antediluvians. And add in some actual Scions, but ignore the titan war.

Rotes, Wonders, and New Foundations/Pillars for Dark Ages: Mage (Hey, Prophet!)

JustJohn...again — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:18:17 GMT

Finally getting around to this thread. Going to gradually transcribe and post my handwritten notes from years ago for Dark Ages: Mage, for those interested.

Most of what I'll be posting will be conceptually trying to kill multiple birds with one stone, if possible; that is, the rotes won't simply be "oh, looky, isn't that somethin'...", but will also be trying to illustrate a broader perspective of the Fellowships in question, as well as show how the rules can tweaked in different, creative ways... which is how the rules are intended to be, anyway...

And I'll start with the first of Prophet's requests: Hermetic rotes.

Will now commence with the cut 'n paste...

For Prophet, and anyone else who was interested…

Rotes for the Order of Hermes

Vitae Cruorem (also known as The Commoner’s Transubstantiation)

(Anima: 3 Corona: 3 Primus: 3) Difficulty: 10; Successes Required: 1 per Health Level/Quintessence

An evolved form (though some conjecture it a debasement) of the old Cult of Mercury rote “Legion’s Life”, this spell allows the mage to momentarily violate a living being’s pattern and convert her life essence back into Quintessence. It is considered an “improvement” as it doesn’t require the rigorous training, resonant connection, or great numbers of people to glean Quintessence for the mage; it is of questionable merit in that botched applications can have especially detrimental effects on those drained by the spell, and the magus himself can begin to manifest… disturbing… qualities and behaviors.

System: Roll Modus + Primus +2. Each success inflicts a lethal health level to a living target and converts it to a point of Quintessence for the mage. The requirement of Anima and Primus is obvious; less obvious is the need for Corona, which helps to break down even subconscious resistance on the subjects part and gain a level of consent that most cannot consciously give, were they even willing. Beings affected must make Willpower rolls vs. (7) and accumulate 2 or more successes in order to take any action or offer retaliation while the spell is in active effect. Botches are harmful for both parties involved: the subject takes one level of aggravated damage per botch die (with no resulting gain in Quintessence for the mage) while the caster often suffers backlash in the form of undead pallor, affinity for darkness, and a desire to drink blood. Worse yet, repeated use of this rote over time can result in the mage seeking Quintessence from other living beings *exclusively*, as mystical energy from Crays, Tass, and even his own Fount no longer suffice for his ever deepening desire for the energy of others. It should be noted that given the difficulty of this rote, most mages with a less than rigid grasp of their Modus (i.e. Modus of just 1 or 2) often only “break even” in the exchange, given they often must expend energy commensurate to what they gain for the effect to work; this is one of the primary reasons why many Hermetics believed that such violation of another’s pattern was “impossible”. Technique and preparation go a long way to circumventing the obvious hurdles involved. Common Foci: Blood, Chalices, Personal Submission.

**Curiously, this specific rote will not work on the undead, though Primus-3 can drain the Vitae/Pathos they may have as normal. (Health levels or Corpus can be drained as above by upgrading to Anima-4, Corona-4, Primus-4… though this may have permanent effects on the mage’s very essence, possibly transforming him into a wraith or vampire if he is not careful… the year 1022 comes to mind… it also inflicts Aggravated damage in lieu of Lethal). Also, the aggravated damage to targets resulting from botching only occurs accidentally, and never by intention, though such instances can give insight into how such a thing might be accomplished and thus allow the advancement of Anima or Primus with experience.**

The Charms of Saturn (Primus-5, Corona-4) Difficulty: target being’s Willpower (or 6, whichever is higher, or for an inanimate object; 8 for an area); Successes Required: 3x target Willpower, or normal per an Ongoing Spell for an area/object – ST discretion.

Another powerful spell lost to current Hermetic theory that suspends time for a given target. By entreating the divine essence of Saturn (and its shard realm) and re-writing the fundamental underpinnings of reality, the mage can effectively preserve (or imprison) a person, place, or thing for ages to come. Such things affected are inert and unaware of the passage of time: the instant the ritual is completed, time for the target simply ceases to be.

System: Roll Modus+Primus+1. The non-standard difficulty results from the mage being a facilitator for a foreign, astral power, and not the direct cause, per se, of the mystical effect itself. Corona both connects to the astral essence of Saturn (whether the planet or some deific essence is a debate for many) and suppresses conscious resistance on the part of a sentient target. Primus allows for the flow of mystical power around/through the area to be suspended or preserved, thus allowing time, itself, to be suspended. Treated in most respects as an ongoing spell, and thus requiring a significant investment of both Quintessence and Willpower, though the resulting enchantment is particularly resistant to unweaving and counterspells. Obviously, this spell cannot be fast cast… at least, not as it is currently structured… Common Foci: Drawn diagrams; Conjunctions/ Astrological timing with Saturn; Specially crafted time-telling devices; Water which is then solidified.

Hermes’ Speed (Anima-3, Corona-2, Primus-2, Vires-3) Difficulty: 11; Successes Required: 1 per additional action/division of time attempted, limited toWits or Dexterity, whichever is highest. Also requires one Quintessence per success, per scene/hour.

The vast majority of Hermetic mages, regardless of House affiliation, usually envision Hermes in his magistus identity, that of an older, bearded, wise willworker , or simply think of his Caduceus and its underlying mystical properties. But the god Hermes also had another identity – that of a lithe, youthful, swift conveyor of knowledge, both in body and mind. By contemplating this latter aspect, the powers of both swift action and comprehension can be made manifest in the mundane world.

System: Roll Modus + (Anima or Vires) + 3. Anima and Vires provide great physical speed and force while maintaining the body’s integrity. Corona allows for both mental multi-tasking and for enhanced processing of information, both environmental and in abstract (such as reading or writing). Primus fuels all the Patterns involved so as to maintain equilibrium, both internal and external. As described above, for each success and Quintessence spent (to the limit of either natural Dex or Wits), the mage gains an extra action per turn for the duration of the scene (somewhat similar to Celerity, or the Warrior Pillar). However, where such multiple actions for others are often limited to physical endeavors, this more comprehensive rote also provides for mental ones as well, and as it is tempered by Vires and Corona, such actions have effects that extend beyond the mage’s immediate body. Thus, he can not only read and process a book at a much greater rate, he may also transcribe it at haste without fear of his quill breaking or ink spilling due to speed; he can throw multiple daggers in the space of a quick breath, and each carries with it great force upon impact (successes add to damage pools, though not to attack pools, as the spell does not grant accuracy or precision, merely empowered swiftness; also, the use of re-directed force, such as a bow or crossbow, does not gain bonus dice); multiple attacks may be dodged and/or parried with great ability (bonus to dodge or parry rolls that the mage makes, as long as some means – however remote- to perceive such attacks is available to him).

This spell, while useful, can be dangerous when not used in moderation; frequent users often grow impatient with the slow passage of normal time, and may even become physically dependant on any chemical foci used. Common Foci: Stimulant herbs; the hair or body parts of beasts known for speed; Winged sandals or a talisman of such; a token item from a Fae being or land.

Sending Forth the Lesser Daemon (Corona: 4 Primus: 2) Difficulty: 10 (OR, no roll required if the mage spends a point of Willpower and Quintessence) Successes required: 1 per scene (or none, if a WP and Q is spent each scene).

The concept of a Daemon, Eidelon, Avatar, Djinn, et al, is not unknown to many with a mystical bent, including most members of the Order. With concentration and an applied understanding of Quintessential Ideals, a sort of proxy-avatar can be fashioned and directed to either investigate happenings in other locations, or sent on brief sojourns to the astral realms where it can deliver messages or receive information/insight while the magus, himself, is occupied with other activities. While this “shadow-daemon” is not the true essence of the mage’s mystic self, it can act in a more mundane manner to spy on others, subtly manipulate their dreams or conscious thoughts, or even simply act as an impromptu “watch-dog”… one the mage can trust, literally, as if he were there himself…

System: Roll Modus + Corona + 1 (or spend appropriate points). Corona channels a portion of the Hermetic’s consciousness as if preparing for normal astral projection, but Primus then forms an artificial Ideal body to house the allocated essence, thus permitting the caster’s overall self to remain with his physical body while the “partitioned” essence is sent out into the Astral/Penumbral worlds. The character must determine at the time of creating the Lesser Daemon what form it will take, what its instructions are, and where it is going to go/remain. Those who may encounter the faux-avatar can communicate with it, and possibly even believe it is the mage, as it possesses most all the mundane knowledge of the character, but will note almost immediately that there is something off about the apparition, for while it can act to accomplish its mission, avoid harm, casually converse with others, etc, it possesses no true drive or sense of determination other than what the character initially invests it with. Thus, it acts as a more or less “glorified automaton” of psychic energy. It has the appropriate Attributes and Abilities of the character, including “health levels” equal to the mage’s Corona or Primus Pillars, whichever is higher. The Lesser Daemon may even, by the mage spending a point of Quintessence and Willpower per applicable roll, cast Simple Corona or Primus spells, though only affecting those targetable by it via the descriptions of those Pillars.

There are, however, several caveats to employing the Lesser Daemon, as might be expected for such a useful but taxing enchantment: as long as the spell is in effect, it counts towards the number of multiple mental actions the character can take per turn (though the initial aspect of this is included in the spell’s conception), and only one such projection can exist at any one time (though rumors abound of Batini who can not only make multiple such excursions at once, but can even exist physically in multiple locations at the same time; however, most Hermetics write that off to overactive imaginations on the part of those claiming such things…); in any given turn, only the mage or the daemon may cast a spell, but not both; except as otherwise noted, the daemon has no Willpower, as such, and cannot spend Willpower on any rolls or actions (though it still defends with a Willpower pool equal to the character’s own); while the two aspects of the character share a general empathic connection and the mage has a peripheral awareness of what is happening with the daemon, no other information or additional instructions are related unless the mage pauses for at least one or two turns to communicate with the distant eidelon – and even then, the bulk of those experiences are only related when it returns to and re-assimilates with the mage, directly. As a last ditch escape, or to bring more supernatural might to bear on a situation, the mage may shift his entire mind to the Lesser Daemon, as if he had always been astrally projecting normally the entire time. He must then, however, find his way back to his body via the usual processes. Lastly, if the daemon is destroyed or unable to return to the mage in time, its essence simply disperses and most all the relevant knowledge or experience it gained while away is lost, and the mage loses a temporary Willpower point and takes an unsoakable Bashing health level of damage from psychic feedback (or two Bashing, if no temporary Willpower remains). Common Foci: Concentration, Mantras, a small physical idol of the mage.

Note: In the case of short jaunts to the High Umbra, it usually takes at least a scene to arrive at the target destination (assuming the mage understands how to get there, himself), at least one scene to interact with the situation, and another scene for the astral shade to return “home”. Also, while using this method to deliver messages TO someone is generally accepted in the High Umbra, it is a major social gaff to send one in response to a summons FROM a High Umbral being, especially one of the powerful lords, unless there is some truly pressing reason why the character cannot communicate directly, himself. Tread carefully…

Commanding the Void (Corona: 5 Primus: 5; optional Anima: 5, or Materia: 4) Difficulty: just roll… Successes required: yeah… just roll…

Pride, indeed, goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit to the fall…

A handful of Magister Mundi, arrogant beyond hubris, know that the precepts set down by Bonisagis are less strict rules to be adhered to and more like “guidelines” for what they, the greatest mages on earth, should and should not attempt. Of course they can create true life… of course they can resurrect the dead… of course they can travel beyond the lunar sphere…

And of course they can summon and bind demons…

System: Roll… just roll… This “rote” is not so much a stand alone spell as it is a collection of nigh heretical applications of Hermetic theorem taken to their most extreme. By reaching out to touch the Void just beyond his mystical fingertips, the Master can pierce the barrier that separates Terra Firma from That Which Lies Beyond…

With Corona: 5, Primus: 5, Demons (not demons, which can refer to powerful, but Umbrally “local” spiritual entities, but Demons – beings that have existed since before the temporal world as it is known even came to be; entities whose power is very much curtailed in the physical world, but whose spiritual strength is, quite literally, unlimited) may be summoned from the Beyond and bound to a localized area in the Penumbra or the physical world (generally for one scene per success if the Penumbra, or one turn per success if in the physical world; the advantage of the former is it still keeps the Demon at bay and (hopefully) unable to directly influence the magus while being questioned or bargained with – it also is easier to keep them there in a spiritual state; the advantages of the latter is it can provide the Demon with a means of performing immediate service for the summoner as well as allowing it to begin transforming faith into miracles… even if it does leave the mage more vulnerable to direct influence and is also harder to maintain. By adding Anima:5, the Demon can be bound to either a host body, or have one fashioned for it’s use in the physical world; this makes it easier for it to exist here and makes the duration extended per the normal rules, rather than turn for turn. Alternately, Materia: 4 can be used to fashion a physical object, such as a statue(tte) or even a building or similar structure, to house the spirit as a (mostly) inanimate form – this also makes the duration permanent with 6+ successes and the consent of the Demon, though provides for less flexibility in terms of activity. Common Foci: Contemplation of the Void; Names, both spoken and (more importantly) those which are unutterable; Codex of Angelic Lore; Pure, flawless materials (Materia :4 can help with this); Sacrifices of… an unmentionable nature….

…

…….

………….

(… and waiting, on guard and ready to act, are the Ahl-i-Batin and a handful of Spirit Talkers… knowing that the Hermetic fools are in waaaaaaaaaayyyyyy over their heads…)

Will post more tomorrow, once I can decipher more of my shit handwriting. ;)

Amanda, Mercy and the Old Man

Kael Winters — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:08:06 GMT

I'm having a nostalgic moment. I recall that Amanda's previous life was Mercy and that Senex had to take care of her. I also recall that Mercy's lover came looking for Amanda. But I don't recall how that story all ended.

Can someone give me a recap on all of that please? :)

Also was I the only one that was happy on the inside when they saw the terms Senex and Old Man used in the Sin Eater games?

Elysium question

Alkey — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:15:59 GMT

Can anyone please tell me, what is needed to proclaim a certain place as an Elysium?
Here's the situation, there is one and only Elysium in the city. Tremere Priomogen announces, that his clan does not recognise safety of this place any further. Yes, this means that they are in strong opposition to the current Prince. Can the Primogen council declare new Elysium and so bypass the will of Prince? And if Prince choose to dismiss the Primogen council, how actually new Tremere Primogen can announce himself, if there is no legitimate Elysium in the city from their point of view?