Post by Storyteller on Jan 31, 2016 1:16:42 GMT
These are guidelines I am working with. I have observed over the years that characters and players need to have personal goals to help give them direction. Vampires find vampire abilities easier to develop than mortal ones.
Named traits (physical, social, mental) can be purchased anytime, as these represent the characters becoming more attuned to their vampiric natures.
Disciplines
Similarly, in clan disciplines can be purchased anytime. Although I reserve the right to limit discipline improvement to 1 incremental increase per game. (i.e. you would need one heckuva good reason to go from potence zero to potence 4 in one game!) Out of clan disciplines require a teacher with mastery of the discipline one category higher than the student wishes to learn.
For example, a Brujah is teaching a Ventrue about potence (heh heh). In order for the bruised Ventrue to learn Vigor (intermediate potence) the teacher needs at least advanced potence. Standard costs apply. Drinking the blood of the teacher may be required to learn an out of clan discipline. See cainite or appropriate clan lore for details....
Willpower can be bought up anytime. Cainites are a willfull lot.
Virtues can be purchased based on in game and between game roleplaying. Tough, but not impossible for the vampires. Essentially, we need a decent in story reason.
Buying off negative traits generally easy, unless they are central to the character concept. Tired of being lazy? Just spend 2 xp! [think about it]
Buying off flaws requires a good in story/ in character reason. Truely superior roleplaying may mitigate the usual double point costs.
Abilities
Purchasing abilities(human skils) ironically, are actually the most difficult of all. A vampire can learn telepathy or puissance as fast as you can gain the xp but human learning requires, time, patience and someone to teach you.
There are no "how to" manuals or internet in this era! Typically a mentor or teacher is required and it usually takes a game per point being acquired to learn. Most teachers must exceed by at least one the level the student wishes to learn. (Have craft 2 to teach craft 1 or have melee 7 to teach melee 6)
For example:
melee 1 = 1 year (1 game)
melee 2 = 2 years (2 games)
melee 3 = 3-5 years (3-5 games)
melee 4 = 5-10 years
melee 5 = 10-20 years (human master level)
melee 6 = 20-50 years (super human mastery)
melee 7 = 50-100 years (several human lifetimes experience)
melee 8 = 100+ years (talented ancillae or elder experience)
Lores and other knowledge-based skills may take even longer.
Characters generally possess more mental, physical and social traits than humans, so it is possible to mitigate these times a bit. (Intuitive x5 might shorten the amount of time it takes to learn Empathy, or Brilliant x4 could help with Cadaver Lore, for example)
As you can see, the highest levels of a skill or ability are effectively out of reach within the scope of this chronicle.
Exceptions exceptions do exist for the ambitious.
Skill specialization costs a measly one point and is generally available with a brief explanation.
Diablerie
Diablerie of elder blooded cainites can bring all sorts of rewards and penalties.
But even if the diablerie is of someone lesser in generation, there is still a 2xp "reward" for committing this heinous act, but more importantly, skills or knowledges of the victime become available to the diablerist. This could effectively grant a "lifetime" of insight or ability upon the drinker of knowledge. There are even dark rumours of fanatical cainite cults that seek the memories of the eldest among you...
Magick
The fae, mortal magi and even the ghosts and lupines have weird abilities which may alter a vampire in unexpected ways, confering strange or enhanced powers. But usually, they just kill the cainite in question.
Demons It is said that trafficking with the Dark Ones can grant an infinite number of skills, lore (forbidden or otherwise). What does a damned vampire need with a soul anyway?
This is from Thomas' game can we fix it and use it?
Named traits (physical, social, mental) can be purchased anytime, as these represent the characters becoming more attuned to their vampiric natures.
Disciplines
Similarly, in clan disciplines can be purchased anytime. Although I reserve the right to limit discipline improvement to 1 incremental increase per game. (i.e. you would need one heckuva good reason to go from potence zero to potence 4 in one game!) Out of clan disciplines require a teacher with mastery of the discipline one category higher than the student wishes to learn.
For example, a Brujah is teaching a Ventrue about potence (heh heh). In order for the bruised Ventrue to learn Vigor (intermediate potence) the teacher needs at least advanced potence. Standard costs apply. Drinking the blood of the teacher may be required to learn an out of clan discipline. See cainite or appropriate clan lore for details....
Willpower can be bought up anytime. Cainites are a willfull lot.
Virtues can be purchased based on in game and between game roleplaying. Tough, but not impossible for the vampires. Essentially, we need a decent in story reason.
Buying off negative traits generally easy, unless they are central to the character concept. Tired of being lazy? Just spend 2 xp! [think about it]
Buying off flaws requires a good in story/ in character reason. Truely superior roleplaying may mitigate the usual double point costs.
Abilities
Purchasing abilities(human skils) ironically, are actually the most difficult of all. A vampire can learn telepathy or puissance as fast as you can gain the xp but human learning requires, time, patience and someone to teach you.
There are no "how to" manuals or internet in this era! Typically a mentor or teacher is required and it usually takes a game per point being acquired to learn. Most teachers must exceed by at least one the level the student wishes to learn. (Have craft 2 to teach craft 1 or have melee 7 to teach melee 6)
For example:
melee 1 = 1 year (1 game)
melee 2 = 2 years (2 games)
melee 3 = 3-5 years (3-5 games)
melee 4 = 5-10 years
melee 5 = 10-20 years (human master level)
melee 6 = 20-50 years (super human mastery)
melee 7 = 50-100 years (several human lifetimes experience)
melee 8 = 100+ years (talented ancillae or elder experience)
Lores and other knowledge-based skills may take even longer.
Characters generally possess more mental, physical and social traits than humans, so it is possible to mitigate these times a bit. (Intuitive x5 might shorten the amount of time it takes to learn Empathy, or Brilliant x4 could help with Cadaver Lore, for example)
As you can see, the highest levels of a skill or ability are effectively out of reach within the scope of this chronicle.
Exceptions exceptions do exist for the ambitious.
Skill specialization costs a measly one point and is generally available with a brief explanation.
Diablerie
Diablerie of elder blooded cainites can bring all sorts of rewards and penalties.
But even if the diablerie is of someone lesser in generation, there is still a 2xp "reward" for committing this heinous act, but more importantly, skills or knowledges of the victime become available to the diablerist. This could effectively grant a "lifetime" of insight or ability upon the drinker of knowledge. There are even dark rumours of fanatical cainite cults that seek the memories of the eldest among you...
Magick
The fae, mortal magi and even the ghosts and lupines have weird abilities which may alter a vampire in unexpected ways, confering strange or enhanced powers. But usually, they just kill the cainite in question.
Demons It is said that trafficking with the Dark Ones can grant an infinite number of skills, lore (forbidden or otherwise). What does a damned vampire need with a soul anyway?
This is from Thomas' game can we fix it and use it?
