Important
The information below walks you through creating your first Vampire: the Masquerade character, whether Kindred or mortal, for the specific LA in Anarchy setting. If you are not completely brand new to V20, please refer to our standard character creation page instead, as these rules are different to help introduce new players to Vampire.
Books
Character Sheets
Important
For information on how to use the character, please see: Using the Sheet
“For the past several decades, Vampire: The Masquerade has addressed the darkness in the real world through horror stories: it has talked about AIDS, capitalist exploitation, sexual predation, the resurgence of far-right political extremism, religious fanaticism, state and private surveillance, and many other issues. This version of the game does not shy away from any of the above, and we believe exploration of subjects like these is as valid in roleplaying games as it is in other media. Including a problematic subject in a Storytelling game is not the same as glorifying it, and if you take the chance to explore it critically, it can be the exact opposite. If we understand the problems facing us, we are better armed to fight them.
[This game] includes in-world references and expressions of the following: sexual violence, political extremism, physical violence and gore, mind control, torture, abuse, imprisonment and kidnapping, racism, sexism, and homophobia, to name a few. It’s a game about monsters.
“Why are you telling me this?” you might be saying.
Someone at your table is not familiar with this game. Someone at your table has dealt with some of these issues in real life. Someone at your table wants to know that you read this warning and know you will be considerate to them as players, while putting their character through the wringer.
This is a game about monsters. But it is only a game.
Don’t use it as an excuse to be a monster yourself.”
~ V5, White Wolf Entertainment
- Humans: They are easier to create, as all you would be doing is making a normal person to put into play. While you won’t be able to get behind the masquerade immediately, they have the benefit of learning in-character as you do out, and play through the embrace should you decide later on. Mechanically, less is open at this time but would become available once they become Kindred or are ghouled.
- TL;DR - If you want to ease into things, this is the best option.
- Vampires: It will take a little more consideration to create a vampire, but doing so leaves you various plot threads to expand as you see fit now or later on, such as the state of their mortal family and sire. They still have the opportunity to be in the dark about their existence, but the initial shock of behind dragged behind the curtain has passed. In return, more would be available immediately in a narrative and mechanical sense, but this also means there is more to learn out-of-character to compensate.
- TL;DR - Only choose to begin with a vampire if you don’t mind jumping right off into the deep-end.
- Place of birth, where do they live today, where have they lived and why?
- Do they have living family? Are they close to them? Why?
- Are they religious? What religion? How religious? (mass on Sundays, pray every meal, tithe regularly and donate time, etc.)
- What is their place in the world from your character’s point of view? Where would you like it to be?
- What little things are important to them?
- What weighs heavy on their soul? What sins have they committed, or if they don’t believe in such things, why?
- What habits do they have? Not just smoking, drinking, but also do they read the paper every morning, have a routine, etc.?
- What matters to them?
This might seem like a lot, so take your time! Our goal is to create people, not character sheets. With that in mind, try and keep the person more average than not, as playing a super famous celebrity or the best mathematician of the 21st century has the potential to overshadow others playing in the setting.
“Everyone plays a role, often several, every day. Every individual displays multiple layers of personality, varying from the contrived to the sincere. Each of these roles defines how we interact with the people and places around us, and we choose which parts of ourselves we wish to show.
It is the same with Kindred. The concept of Nature and Demeanor corresponds directly to the different masks we wear when we interact. A Vampire character’s Nature is her true self, her innermost being — the person she truly is. It is dangerous to show this, though, as it lets others know who we are and what is important to us. Thus, characters also have Demeanors, faces they show to the world. By choosing how we relate to the world, we are able to choose how it relates to us as well, as we guide the responses others give us.
Philosophy aside, personality also has an effect on the mechanics of Vampire. A character may regain her drive and sense of purpose by acting in accordance with her Nature. Every time a character fulfills the requirement of her Nature Archetype (see below), that character has the opportunity to regain a point of spent Willpower (see p. 267). If the Storyteller allows, the character regains the point.
Archetypes allow players to build a sense of personality for their characters, and to define a bit of what makes the character tick. It is worth noting that Archetypes are not rigid; characters need not slavishly devote themselves to their Natures and Demeanors. Rather, the character should act as the player reasonably or emotionally believes she would act in a given situation.”
~ V20, 87-88
Each character has two archetypes, their Nature and their Demeanor. This is where you should begin to consider your character’s personality. Their Nature reflects who they truly are, while their Demeanor is how they act in public. They should not be the same, as everyone wears a mask to some degree or another.
If you have absolutely no idea where to begin, try to take this personality test from their perspective. Don’t just make a perfect representation of the result, however. Instead use it as a base to modify and build from!
You can find a full list of the archetypes you’re able to pick from here.
- Vampires: 7 in Primary, 5 in Secondary, 3 in Tertiary
- Human: 6 in Primary, 4 in Secondary, 3 in Tertiary
First, prioritize the three different categories. If your character is more smart than social, they would be a mental primary. If they are really athletic and not that good with people, they would be a physical primary.
Once you do this, now we assign the dots within the category!
Example (Click me!)
For example, let’s say we’re making a Boxer who had just gotten embraced. He would use the Vampire attribute dots, and be a physical primary due to his occupation. I decided to make him a mental secondary since he needs to be quick on his feet and is good at momentary problem solving, and social tertiary because his social skills are overall about average. This is how it might look on a sheet:
- Physical: I chose Stamina first because he is rather resilient after boxing for so many years, he’s able to take more hits than the average person and stay on his feet for long periods of time. Dexterity and Strength were set equal, since it’s hard to be in his profession without picking up both speed/coordination and a bit more muscle than average.
- Social: He’s a people person, which is why Charisma was chosen first. He’s extroverted and likes to talk, which is how he got his foot in the door with his coach who didn’t think he was anything special at first. Because he likes to make more friends than enemies, lying or cheating isn’t his strong suit, leaving Manipulation alone. Appearance was brought up because he looks average, not ugly.
- Mental: He’s always been quick on his feet, and this doesn’t just relate to boxing. Even if he isn’t the smartest person in the room, he’s usually one of the first to offer a solution to a problem or crack a joke. Wits was chosen, with Perception following because he is pretty good at spotting small details, whether it’s the favorite food of a new friend or a shift in his opponent’s gait. A dot was saved for Intelligence because he’s average in the classroom, but nowhere near being a genius.
Important
Each attribute will have 1 dot in each. These don’t count towards the totals you’re distributing.
Anything at 4 dots should be well reasoned, like I did above, as they should be using that trait constantly. Nothing can be at five dots for right now, we’ll get there eventually!
Now we’ve reached the real mechanical meat of the character: the individual things that the character can do. There are 30 of them, which might make it seem overwhelming, but it won’t be as difficult as it might seem!
Just like before, Vampires and Humans have different numbers of dots they can assign in the different categories:
- Vampires: 13 in Primary, 9 in Secondary, 5 in Tertiary
- Human: 11 in Primary, 7 in Secondary, 4 in Tertiary
Before we start assigning them, take a free dot in both drive and computers. Vampire is a little dated, so you need the first dot in drive to drive a car and the first dot in computers to use a touch screen. Unless there’s a specific reason why your character wouldn’t be able to do either of those things, add those dots now and remember to mark them in orange. They don’t count against your totals.
Once again need to prioritize the categories. If someone spent a lot of time in school, they’re likely a Knowledge Primary, while someone really good with technical things might be a Skills Primary. It’s highly encouraged to take a look at what each dot means before assigning them, as they might be different than what you believe. That can be done here.
Important
Nothing at this stage can be at 4 dots or higher. This is a standard character creation rule, not a house rule. If you have dots that are at 4 or 5 at this point, please place them elsewhere.
Example (Click me!)
For our boxer, I made him a Talents Primary because of his athletics, a Knowledges Secondary because of his schooling and hobbies, and a Skills Tertiary because there aren’t a lot of technical things he’s good at. The breakdown looks like this:
- Talents: His Alertness comes from how perceptive he is. The Athletics and Brawl come from his occupation and how he is constantly training. Past that, things need to get a little more specific as to how he has this traits. So, Empathy comes from how extroverted and social he is, always wanting to be around others. Because he’s always around others and speaking his mind, he’s able to articulate himself well which is why he has a dot of Expression. His Leadership is from coaching others when they look to him for help in the gym, as he’s always willing to lend a hand. Finally, the Streetwise is because he grew up in a rough part of town, so he had to learn his way around a city at a young age to stay safe.
- Social: He has the first dot of Animal Ken because he loves animals and has owned a few pets, even if they weren’t the most well trained, and can be found watching animal shows on TV when he has free time. While he got the first dot of Drive for free, he has the second because the car he drives is an old and beat up with a manual transmission. Even though he could afford something nicer, he wants to stick with what he has, since his Dad bought him the car a gift before he passed away. The Survival comes from having been in boy scouts since he was old enough to join all the way through high school, and his Performance is from an embarrassing tenancy to towards drunk karaoke.
- Mental: Our boxer did go to college, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He spent his time hopping from pre-law, to business, and ultimately settled on political science as his major. It did take him an extra year to graduate due to his indecisiveness, but he learned a lot from the classes he did take. Academics comes from the American history classes he took, specifically fascinated with the colonial period. Computers is because of how much of his free time, as little as it might be, he spends online. Doing his own taxes and budgeting, keeping up with the news, and being an active participant in his local political scene is what keeps his Finance, Law, and Politics up, as he knows more than the average person.
Anything at 3 dots should be something they are doing all the time. Our boxer can have 3 dots in Brawl because he’s in the ring for a living, but having 3 dots in Larceny when he doesn’t know how to pick a lock or case a building wouldn’t make sense.
- Difficulty: How easy the clan is to portray, both narratively and mechanically managing their weakness
- Disciplines: The supernatural powers the clan has innate access to.
- Weakness: The weakness that ties them to their clan
The clans that you have access to, being a new player, are as follows:
Brujah still feel the flames of the passions that once inspired them as mortals. Clan Brujah loves a cause and is quick to act on a stirring speech, accusation of injustice, or a call to arms. This connection to passion can be a blessing, but inspiration can also yield to the madness and hunger of the Beast. While commonly drawn to mortals with violent or ungovernable personalities that share similar outlook or enthusiasm for a cause as the prospective sire, they often Embrace without really thinking much about it, and their childer are from anywhere and everywhere one can think.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence
- Weakness: The difficulties of rolls to resist or guide frenzy are two higher than normal. Additionally, a Brujah may never spend Willpower to avoid frenzy, though they may spend a point of Willpower to end a frenzy that has already begun.
The Kindred of Clan Toreador often involve themselves greatly in the world of mortals. They have any number of reasons, whether enjoying proximity to the blush of life, cultivating veritable cults of doting followers, or influencing and following the trends that their own kind simultaneously mock and venerate. To hear the Toreador tell it, they are the Muses of a desperate mortal world, inspiring through their beauty or patronage. Because of this, many Toreador hail from high-society or “bohemian” backgrounds. Indeed, many are themselves artists or influential among local art scenes or other subcultures. Actors, singers, musicians, sculptors, poets, playwrights, authors, and creative folk of any stripe may well find a home in the Clan.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence
- Weakness: When a Toreador experiences something truly remarkable — a person, an objet d’art, a lovely sunrise — the player must make a Self-Control or Instincts roll (difficulty 6). Failure means that the Kindred finds herself enthralled by the experience. The dazzled Toreador cannot act for the duration of the scene aside from commenting on or continuing their involvement with whatever has captured their attention. If the experience no longer affects her (whether by moving, being destroyed, or whatever is appropriate to the situation), the captivation ends. Enraptured Toreador may not even defend themselves if attacked, though being wounded allows them to make another Self-Control or Instincts roll.
More than any other Clan, the Gangrel resemble the beasts associated with the legends of vampires: bats, wolves, and other creatures of darkness. Many shun the elaborate social constructs of both Kindred and kine, preferring to move alone or as a member of small coteries. As a Clan, the Gangrel are wary and aloof. Most would prefer to spend their nights stalking prey or wilding on the rooftops than minding Princely edicts or lobbying for recognition of domain. Gangrel sire childer like they seek prey: after long hunts during which the prospective childe doesn’t even know they’re being followed. Creating a fledgling means sharing limited resources, so each sire childe relationship is unique and significant. Outlanders Embrace because they choose an individual, not out of whim or recklessness. Those who earn their attention are hardy, whether physically or emotionally.
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean
- Weakness: Every time a Gangrel frenzies, they acquire a temporary animal characteristic (which may replace an existing temporary one). Players should work with the Storyteller to determine what new animal trait is acquired (whether the frenzy involved the fight-or-flight impulse may be relevant). Over time, or in an exceptional situation, a particular animal feature may become permanent, with the next frenzy adding a new feature. A good guideline is to require each frenzy-gained trait to have some effect grounded in system terms (such as the temporary reduction of Social Attribute dots or a permanent loss of Humanity), though Storytellers may allow narrative-only traits that can shape the story
Twisted by the mark of Caine, members of Clan Nosferatu are warped by the Embrace into hideous monsters. As such, they skulk and keep to the shadows, and they often rouse the ire and mockery of other Kindred for their nightmarish appearances. Still others are so terrified or revolted by the Nosferatu that these warped Kindred have little social interaction at all. Because of this, some Nosferatu Embrace the damaged, flawed, outcast, or vile, feeling some degree of kinship with them. Other Embrace spitefully, dragging the beautiful or privileged into an immortal hell of disfigurement and monstrosity.
- Difficulty: Hard
- Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence
- Weakness: All Nosferatu have an Appearance score of zero, and they may never improve it. Cross it off the character sheet. Dice pools that use the Appearance Trait are inherently difficult for these hideous Kindred.
Throughout history, while the other Clans have skulked about their petty intrigues, the Ventrue have curried favor with Caesar, whispered into the ear of Charlemagne, bankrolled the Age of Exploration, and even swayed policy in the Holy See. Theirs is a legacy of rulership, from Ventrue fledglings starting their climb to the top to the mightiest elders whose influence spans the world. Long have they played kingmaker in the shadows in the mortal world, and long have they been the Clan of Kings among the Kindred. Anyone who has “made something of herself” may attract the attention of the Ventrue, who judge their childer based on their prominence and success even before they start to groom them for the Embrace. Socialites, moneyed family, corporate wunderkinds, military leaders, and even untested newcomers who show great promise are keenly valued among the Blue Bloods.
- Difficulty: Hard
- Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence
- Weakness: The Ventrue have rarified tastes, and they find only one specific type of mortal blood palatable and vital for them. When a player creates a Ventrue character, he should decide with the Storyteller what specific type of blood suits the character, and this choice is permanent. Blood of other types (even animals) simply offers the vampire no blood pool increase, no matter how much he consumes — he simply vomits it back up. This refined palate may be very narrow or very broad — say, the blood of younger sisters, or the blood of nude children. Vampiric blood is exempt from this restriction.
Once you decide on a clan, make sure to read their entry in the core rulebook, and then their section in Lore of the Clans. This should give you a great idea of the clan you are going to portray.
The process is simple: the childer-to-be is killed by their Sire, the vampire turning them, and then fed some of their blood. This immediately awakens the childe into their first hunger frenzy where they’ll attack the closest blood container to them, whether that’s their Sire, prey their sire provided, or an unfortunate passerby.
It’s important to really consider why your character was embraced by their Sire. Did a Toreador find their art utterly captivating, to the point where they had to eternalize the artist? Did a Gangrel stalk them along nightly treks in the woods, drawn to their resilience?
Once you create a rough outline of who their sire is, you need to decide their generation, as your character’s generation will be one step higher than theirs. Commonly, older vampires are of lower generations. The lowest generation the sire of a new player can be is 9 for the purpose of keeping things simple. Once you decide, add it to the top bar. Then fill out their blood pool maximum and blood pool per turn from the chart below.
| Generation | Blood Pool Max | Blood Per Turn |
|---|---|---|
| Tenth | 13 | 1 |
| Eleventh | 12 | 1 |
| Twelfth | 11 | 1 |
| Thirteenth | 10 | 1 |
Example (Click me!)
For our boxer, let’s say his Sire had been boxing in his prime, but an injury left him unable to continue at a young age. He attended the same gym as our boxer every night, slowly growing more impressed with not only his skill in the ring, but also his passion for others. After growing to be decent friends over the nights they were able to meet, he was embraced after accepting a job offer from him.Example (Click me!)
Our boxer’s look like this:
I gave him Presence 2 because of his social aptitude, and Potence 1 because of his fighting strength.
For a quick reference, here’s a basic summary of what they do before you decide:
Disciplines
Beasts grow distinctly agitated in the presence of a vampire who lacks this Discipline or the Skill of Animal Ken, often to the point of attacking or running from the vampire. In contrast, vampires possessing Animalism exude a dominant vibe to lower creatures, which attracts them.
Animalism is commonly found with vampires of the Gangrel and Nosferatu Clans. Manipulation and Charisma are important for the use of Animalism powers; the stronger the vampire’s personality, the more influence he has over animals.
However, a vampire with Auspex needs to be careful. Her increased sensory sensitivity can cause her to be drawn in by beautiful things or stunned by loud noises or pungent smells. Sudden or dynamic events can disorient an Auspex-using character unless her player makes a Willpower roll to block them out (difficulty of at least 4, although the more potent the source of distraction, the higher the difficulty). Failure overwhelms the character’s senses, making her oblivious to her surroundings for a turn or two. While the Malkavians and Toreador are more prone to these kinds of distractions, the Tremere and Tzimisce aren’t immune.
Dots in Perception are very useful for using Auspex powers, as more successes help the character gain more sensory information.
Not all vampires are slow, meticulous creatures. When needed, some vampires can move fast — really fast. Celerity allows Assamites, Brujah, and Toreadors to move with astonishing swiftness, becoming practically a blur. The Assamites use their speed in conjunction with stealth to strike quickly and viciously from the shadows before they are noticed. Brujah, on the other hand, simply like the edge that the power gives them against overwhelming odds. The Toreador are more inclined to use Celerity to provide an air of unnatural grace to live performances or for an extra push to complete a masterpiece on time, but they can be as quick to draw blood as any assassin or punk when angered.
Dominate is one of the most dreaded of Disciplines. It is a vampire’s ability to influence another person’s thoughts and actions through her own force of will. Dominate requires that the vampire capture her victim’s gaze (see p. 152); as such, it may be used against only one subject at a time. Further, commands must be issued verbally, although simple orders may be made with signs — for example, a pointed finger and forceful expression to indicate “Go!” However, the subject won’t comply if he can’t understand the vampire, no matter how powerful the Kindred’s will is.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, vampires to which Dominate comes naturally tend to be from willful, domineering Clans. The Giovanni, Lasombra, Tremere, and Ventrue all consider an iron will to be a boon, and are eager to impose that iron will on any who would move against them.
Although all vampires have an unnatural constitution that make them much sturdier than mortals, Fortitude bestows a resilience that would make an action movie hero envious. Vampires with this Discipline can shrug off agonizing trauma and make the most bone-shattering impact look like a flesh wound. The power even offers protection against the traditional banes of vampires, such as sunlight and fire, and the Gangrel, Ravnos, and Ventrue all find that edge incredibly useful.
Unless the Kindred chooses to make herself seen, she can remain obscured for as long as she wills it. At higher levels, the vampire can actually fade from sight so subtly that those nearby can’t actually recall the moment at which she left.
Usually, few mortals or supernaturals (even those trained in Awareness) can pierce through the fog of Obfuscate. Animals, who rely more on their instincts than their normal senses, can sometime perceive (and be frightened by) the vampire’s presence. Children and those to whom deception is foreign may also be able to pierce the illusion, at the Storyteller’s discretion. Finally, the Auspex Discipline enables Kindred to see through Obfuscate. Even that is not guaranteed, however; refer to “Seeing the Unseen,” p. 142, for more details. (Storytellers needing a die roll for animals or children can use this quick and dirty guideline: treat them as if they had Auspex 1 in terms of contesting Obfuscate. They do not have the Auspex 1 power, but are considered to have it when determining whether a vampire is noticed.)
Since Obfuscate clouds the mind of the viewer, vampires can’t use it to hide their presence from electronic or mechanical devices. Video and photo cameras, for example, capture the vampire’s image accurately. Even so, the person using, say, her cell phone to record an Obfuscated vampire will still have her mind impacted by the power, and she won’t see the Kindred’s image until she views the video at a later date (if even then).
Several Clans cultivate this power — the Assamites, Followers of Set, and Malkavians, for example — but the Nosferatu are particularly known for this Discipline. Some elder Kindred believe that Caine, or perhaps Lilith, bestowed the Clan with this Discipline to compensate for the hideous physical deformities its members suffer.
Most Obfuscate powers last for a scene, or until the vampire ceases maintaining them. Once evoked, they require very little mental effort to keep in place.
The Brujah, Giovanni, Lasombra, and Nosferatu are naturally gifted with this Discipline, but members of other Clans often make a point to find someone who can teach them the awesome power of Potence.
Anyone can resist Presence for one scene by spending a Willpower point and succeeding on a Willpower roll (difficulty 8), but the affected individual must keep spending points until he is no longer in the presence of the vampire (or, in the case of Summon, until the effect wears off). Vampires three or more Generations lower than the wielder need only spend a single Willpower to ignore the Presence for an entire night and need not roll Willpower to do so.
The major drawback of Presence is that it controls only the emotions. It causes others to feel a certain way toward the vampire, but does not give her outright control over them. While people weigh strongly the orders that the vampire declares, their minds are still their own. Suicidal or ridiculous directives don’t sound any more sensible just because the person giving them is unusually fascinating. Still, inspired eloquence or significant wealth used in combination with this Discipline can enable the vampire to urge others along a desired course.
The Brujah, Followers of Set, Toreador, and Ventrue Clans are all adept in this Discipline. The Ventrue are arguably the most skilled with its application, however, due to their ability to use Presence and Dominate in efficient combination.
Transformed Kindred can generally use other Disciplines — vampires in wolf form can still read auras and communicate with other animals, for example. However, the Storyteller may rule that certain Disciplines may not be used in specific situations. The Kindred’s clothes and personal possessions also change when he transforms (presumably absorbed within his very substance), although armor and the like do not provide any benefit while transformed.
Vampires cannot change or transform large objects or other beings; Protean is a personal expression of power. A Kindred who has been staked (thereby trapping his soul within his body) cannot transform. Some vampires believe that those who have mastered the highest levels of Protean can deny this limitation, however.
The Gangrel Clan is well known for their mastery of Protean, although other Kindred have learned some of this Discipline’s secrets from these bestial Cainites.
Backgrounds are the other “things” your character has that needs to be represented mechanically, but doesn’t/can’t have an associated XP cost. That being said, backgrounds can’t be increased with experience points and must be earned throughout roleplay.
You get 5 dots to spend however you like, although we have some restrictions:
- Generation must be taken to be lower than 13th. 1 dot would be 12th, 2 would be 11th, to a maximum of 3 at 10th. Allies, Alternate Identity, Contacts, Fame, Herd, Influence, Mentor, Resources, and Retainers must be pre-approved past 3 dots
- NPCs might need character sheets, refer to our NPC guide for more
- Status and Domain (official territory granted by an NPC Baron) must be pre-approved regardless of dots
Important
Please note that Storytellers will not play your PC’s mentor, retainers, or other personal NPCs.
Available Backgrounds
Allies are mortals who support and help you — family, friends, or even a mortal organization that owes you some loyalty. Although allies aid you willingly, without coaxing or coercion, they are not always available to offer assistance; they have their own concerns and can do only so much for the sake of your relationship. However, they might have some useful Background Traits of their own, and could provide you with indirect access to their contacts, influence, or resources.
Allies are typically persons of influence and power in your home city. They can be of almost any sort, depending on what your Storyteller will allow. You may have friends in the precinct morgue, at a prominent blog, among the high society of local celebrities, or at a construction site. Your Allies might be a clan of nomads who move their mobile home camp around the area, or they might be a family of generations of police officers. You may even count the mayor himself among your friends, depending on how many dots you spend on this Trait. Your Allies are generally trustworthy (though they probably don’t know that you’re a vampire, or even that vampires exist). However, nothing comes for free. If you wind up drawing favors from your friend in the Cosa Nostra, he’ll probably ask you to do him a favor in kind in the future. This often leads to the beginning of a story.…
Allies must be listed on a character sheet with their name and relation to the character.
One ally of moderate influence and power
Two allies, both of moderate power
Three allies, one of whom is quite influential
Four allies, one of whom is very influential
Five allies, one of whom is extremely influential
You maintain an alternate identity, complete with papers, birth certificates, or any other documentation you desire. Only a few may know your real name or identity. Your alternate persona may be highly involved in organized crime, a member of the opposite Sect, a con artist who uses alternate identities for her game, or you may simply gather information about the enemy. Indeed, some vampires may know you as one individual while others believe you to be someone else entirely.
This must be justified within the character’s backstory and be roleplayed at the appropriate dot level.
You are new at this identity game. Sometimes you slip and forget your other persona.
You are well grounded in your alternate identity. You are convincing enough to play the part of a doctor, lawyer, funeral salesman, drug-smuggler, or a capable spy.
You have a fair reputation as your alternate persona and get name-recognition in the area where you have infiltrated.
Your alternate identity has respect and trust within your area of infiltration.
You command respect in your area of infiltration, and you may even have accumulated a bit of influence. You have the trust (or at least the recognition) of many powerful individuals within your area.
You know people all over the city. When you start making phone calls around your network, the amount of information you can dig up is impressive. Rather than friends you can rely on to help you, like Allies, Contacts are largely people whom you can bribe, manipulate, or coerce into offering information. You also have a few major Contacts — associates who can give you accurate information in their fields of expertise. You should describe each major contact in some detail before the game begins.
In addition to your major contacts, you also have a number of minor contacts spread throughout the city. Your major contact might be in the district attorney’s office, while your minor contacts might include beat cops, DMV clerks, club bouncers, or members of an online social network. You don’t need to detail these various “passing acquaintances” before play. Instead, to successfully get in touch with a minor contact, you should roll your Contacts rating (difficulty 7). You can reach one minor contact for each success. Of course, you still have to convince them to give you the information you need, assuming they can get it.
Contacts must be listed on a character sheet with their name and relation to the character, as well as fleshed out in the character’s backstory as to why they’re a contact in the first place.
One major contact
Two major contacts
Three major contacts
Four major contacts
Five major contacts
You enjoy widespread recognition in mortal society, perhaps as an entertainer, writer, or athlete. People may enjoy just being seen with you. This gives you all manner of privileges when moving in mortal society, but can also attract an unwanted amount of attention now that you’re no longer alive. The greatest weapon fame has to offer is the ability to sway public opinion — as modern media constantly proves. Fame isn’t always tied to entertainment: A heinous criminal in a high-profile trial probably has a certain amount of fame, as do a lawmaker and a scientist who has made a popularized discovery.
This Background is obviously a mixed blessing. You can certainly enjoy the privileges of your prestige — getting the best seats, being invited to events you’d otherwise miss, getting appointments with the elite — but you’re sometimes recognized when you’d rather not be. However, your enemies can’t just make you disappear without causing an undue stir, and you find it much easier to hunt in populated areas as people flock to you (reduce the difficulties of hunting rolls by one for each dot in Fame). Additionally, your Storyteller might permit you to reduce difficulties of certain Social rolls against particularly star-struck or impressionable people.
Fame needs to be justified within the background of the character.
You’re known to a select subculture — local club-goers, industry bloggers, or the Park Avenue set, for instance.
Random people start to recognize your face; you’re a minor celebrity such as a small-time criminal or a local news anchor.
You have greater renown; perhaps you’re a senator or an entertainer who regularly gets hundreds of thousands of YouTube hits.
A full-blown celebrity; your name is often recognized by the average person on the street.
You’re a household word. People name their children after you.
You have pull in the mortal community, whether through wealth, prestige, political office, blackmail, or supernatural manipulation. Kindred with high Influence can sway, and in rare cases even control, the political and social processes of human society. Influence represents the sum of your opinion or policy-swaying power in your community, particularly among the police and bureaucracy. In some cases, cultivating Influence is a path to generating Resources (see below).
Some rolls may require you to use Influence in place of an Ability, particularly when attempting to sway minor bureaucrats. It’s easier to institute sweeping changes on a local level than a worldwide scale (e.g., having an “abandoned” building demolished is relatively easy, while starting a war is a bit more difficult).
Where/With who the character has influence and how they earned it has to be specifically stated within their backstory.
Moderately influential; a factor in city politics
Well-connected; a force in state politics
Position of influence; a factor in regional politics
Broad personal power; a force in national politics
Vastly influential; a factor in global politics
Resources are valuable goods whose disposition your character controls. These assets may be actual cash, but as this Background increases, they’re more likely to be investments, property, or earning capital of some sort — land, industrial assets, stocks and bonds, commercial inventories, criminal infrastructure, contraband, even taxes or tithes. Remember that vampires don’t need to arrange for any food except blood and their actual needs (as opposed to wants) for shelter are very easily accommodated. Resources for vampires go mostly to pay for luxuries and the associated expenses of developing and maintaining Status, Influence, and other Backgrounds. A character with no dots in Resources may have enough clothing and supplies to get by, or she may be destitute and squatting in a refrigerator box under an overpass.
You receive a basic allowance each month based on your rating, so be certain to detail exactly where this money comes from, be it a job, trust fund or dividends (Storytellers, decide for your locality and any relevant time period what an appropriate amount of cash this monthly allowance is.) After all, a Kindred’s fortune may well run out over the course of the chronicle, depending on how well he maintains it. You can also sell your less liquid resources if you need the cash, but this can take weeks or even months, depending on what exactly you’re trying to sell. Art buyers don’t just pop out of the woodwork, after all.
The jobs, investments, and/or assets that make up a character’s resources must be explained and justified in their backstory.
Sufficient. You can maintain a typical residence in the style of the working class with stability, even if spending sprees come seldom. (Working dollar-to-dollar, low-class)
Moderate. You can display yourself as a member in good standing of the middle class, with the occasional gift and indulgence seemly for a person of even higher station. You can maintain a servant or hire specific help as necessary. A fraction of your resources are available in cash, readily portable property (like jewelry or furniture), and other valuables (such as a car or modest home) that let you maintain a standard of living at the one-dot level wherever you happen to be, for up to six months. (Low Middle-Class)
Comfortable. You are a prominent and established member of your community, with land and an owned dwelling, and you have a reputation that lets you draw on credit at very generous terms. You likely have more tied up in equity and property than you do in ready cash. You can maintain a one-dot quality of existence wherever you are without difficulty, for as long as you choose. (Mid/High Middle-Class)
Wealthy. You rarely touch cash, as most of your assets exist in tangible forms that are themselves more valuable and stable than paper money. You hold more wealth than many of your local peers (if they can be called such a thing). When earning your Resources doesn’t enjoy your usual degree of attention, you can maintain a three-dot existence for up to a year, and a two-dot existence indefinitely. (Low High-Class)
Extremely Wealthy. You are the model to which others strive to achieve, at least in the popular mind. Television shows, magazine spreads, and gossip websites speculate about your clothing, the appointments of your numerous homes, and the luxury of your modes of transportation. You have vast and widely distributed assets, perhaps tied to the fates of nations, each with huge staffs and connections to every level of society through a region. You travel with a minimum of three-dot comforts, more with a little effort. Corporations and governments sometimes come to you to buy into stocks or bond programs. (Highest of High-Class)
This Trait represents a Kindred or group of Kindred who looks out for you, offering guidance or aid once in a while. A mentor may be powerful, but his power need not be direct. Depending on the number of dots in this Background, your mentor might be nothing more than a vampire with a remarkable information network, or might be a centuries-old creature with tremendous influence and supernatural power. He may offer advice, speak to the Prince or Archbishop on your behalf, steer other elders clear of you, or warn you when you’re walking into situations you don’t understand.
Most often your mentor is your sire, but it could well be any Cainite with an interest in your wellbeing. A high Mentor rating could even represent a group of like-minded vampires, such as the elders of the city’s Tremere chantry or a Black Hand cell.
Bear in mind that this Trait isn’t a “Get out of Jail Free” card. Your mentor won’t necessarily arrive like the cavalry whenever you’re endangered (and if she does, you’re likely to lose a dot or more in this Background after rousing her ire). What’s more, she might occasionally expect something in return for her patronage, which can lead to a number of interesting stories. A mentor typically remains aloof, giving you useful information or advice out of camaraderie, but will abandon you without a thought if you prove an unworthy or troublesome protégé.
How they acquired a mentor, who the mentor is, and their relationship must be detailed within the character’s backstory.
Mentor is an ancilla of little influence, or a Ductus or Pack Priest. Mentor is respected: an elder or highly-decorated veteran, for instance. Mentor is heavily influential, such as a member of the Primogen or a Bishop. Mentor has a great deal of power over the city: a Prince or Archbishop, for example. Mentor is extraordinarily powerful, perhaps even a Justicar or Cardinal.
Not precisely Allies or Contacts, your retainers are servants, assistants, or other people who are your loyal and steadfast companions. Many vampires’ servants are ghouls (p. 496) — their supernatural powers and blood bond-enforced loyalty make them the servants of choice. Retainers may also be people whom you’ve repeatedly Dominated until they have no free will left, or followers so enthralled with your Presence that their loyalty borders on blind fanaticism. Some vampires, particularly those with the Animalism Discipline, use animal ghouls as retainers.
You must maintain some control over your retainers, whether through a salary, the gift of your vitae, or the use of Disciplines. Retainers are never “blindly loyal no matter what” — if you treat them poorly without exercising strict control, they might well turn on you.
Retainers may be useful, but they should never be flawless. A physically powerful ghoul might be rebellious, inconveniently dull-witted, or lacking in practical skills. A loyal manservant might be physically weak or possess no real personal initiative or creativity. This Background isn’t an excuse to craft an unstoppable bodyguard or pet assassin — it’s a method to bring more fully-developed characters into the chronicle, as well as to reflect the followers for which the Kindred are notorious. Generally, retainers are more like Renfield than Anita Blake. (If the player and Storyteller agree, a player may create a more competent single Retainer by combining more points in this Background, putting more eggs in one basket, as the saying goes.)
Who the retainers are, how they were acquired, and how they are kept under control all need to be detailed in the character’s backstory. Sheets must be made if they are to be used as frequent NPCs.
One retainer Two retainers Three retainers Four retainers Five retainers
You have something of a reputation and standing (earned or unearned) within the local community of Kindred. Status among Camarilla society is as often derived from your sire’s status and the respect due your particular bloodline as it is by personal achievement. Among the Sabbat, status is more likely to stem from the reputation of your pack or the zeal of your outlook. Elders are known for having little respect for their juniors; this Background can mitigate that somewhat.
High status within the Camarilla does not transfer to Sabbat society (and will most likely make you a notorious target for your Sect’s rivals), and vice versa. Similarly, Autarkis generally have zero Status, unless they have somehow garnered so much power and attention that they are considered forces to be reckoned with. You may have occasion to roll your Status in conjunction with a Social Trait; this reflects the positive effects of your prestige.
Known: a neonate/Pack Priest Respected: an ancilla/respected Ductus Influential: an elder/Templar Powerful: a member of the Primogen/ a Bishop Luminary: a Prince/Archbishop
Example (Click me!)
For our boxer, I went with the following:
Generation was to lower him to 11th. His sire is still around and is teaching him about Kindred society, making him a low-tier Mentor. The Resources comes from his small boxing career in amateur venues, and a mediocre job he was able to keep since his Embrace.
In a game about monsters and trying to stave off becoming the Beast, there needs to be some type of gauge of a character’s morals and how well they’re able to abide by them. These are known as Virtues: Conscience, Self-Control, and Courage.
Each character starts with one in each Virtue automatically, and has 7 dots to distribute between them. As with Attributes, 2 dots is considered a “normal” human level.
Example (Click me!)
Above, our boxer has high Conscience because of his strong beliefs in right and wrong, and high Courage because of his boxing career. His Self-Control is average, though he can be a little impulsive at times.
“Let’s make one thing clear: just because a vampire follows the Path of Humanity doesn’t mean she is a friendly, congenial saint. Vampires are predators by nature, and Humanity only gifts them with the ability to pretend they’re not. It is an internal charade that protects a Kindred from herself, much as the Masquerade protects vampires from the mortals outside.
Unfortunately, the very nature of existence as a vampire is anathema to one’s Humanity. As the centuries wear on, the Beast takes hold, and Kindred become less and less concerned with the wellbeing of the kine (after all, they’ll die eventually, anyway). As such, characters are likely to lose Humanity over the course of the game.
Mortals also typically follow the Path of Humanity, though this is largely out of ignorance: They don’t know they can be anything else. As such, this mechanical system for morality rarely comes into play for them. Certainly, some mortals — rapists, murderers, and the like — have low Humanity ratings, but they have no Beast roiling within them, as do the Kindred. It is possible for a vampire with a high Humanity rating to be more humane than some mortals are!”
~ V20, 311
Speaking of a morality system, every character as a rating that reflects how well they’re staving off the Beast: their Humanity. The initial value is going to be calculated by adding the total of dots between Conscience and Self-Control for both Human and Vampire characters.
Humans are normally considered to be at 7 for an ‘average’ score, and this is where we recommend your character to be, though 6 is also acceptable. If they aren’t around this level, you can fix that a little later.
Since our boxer had 4 in Conscience and 3 in Self-Control, that would put his humanity at 6. We can justify this by saying that since he had grown up in a rough neighborhood, he was desensitized to a lot of the grimier parts of life, such as death and destruction.
To learn about the effects of Humanity, what each level means, and what happens when you reach 0, more information can be found starting on page 309 of the Core Rulebook.
“Willpower measures a character’s inner drive and competence at overcoming unfavorable odds. Unlike other Traits, Willpower has both a permanent rating and a temporary pool of points. The rating is rolled or tested, while the pool is spent. When a player spends a point of a character’s Willpower, she should cross off the point from the Willpower pool (the squares), not the Willpower rating (the circles). The rating stays constant — if a character needs to roll Willpower for some reason, she bases the roll on the permanent rating. The pool is used up during the story.
A character’s Willpower pool will likely fluctuate a great deal during the course of a story or chronicle. It decreases by one point every time a player uses a Willpower point to enable his character to do something extraordinary, like maintain self-control or gain an automatic success. Eventually, the character will have no Willpower left, and will no longer be able to exert the effort he once could. A character with no Willpower pool is exhausted mentally, physically, and spiritually, and will have great difficulty doing anything, as he can no longer muster the energy to undertake an action or cause. Willpower points can be regained during the course of a story, though players are advised to be frugal with their characters’ Willpower pools.”
~ V20, 120
Willpower is regained at one point per evening, although this doesn’t mean that it should be spent on every roll one undertakes. It should be seen as an extreme exertion on the character’s part which takes quite a bit out of them each time.
The character’s initial Willpower is based on their Courage rating. Humans normally have 2-4, whereas Vampires can have more. Anything higher than 6 should be well justified, as reaching high levels of mental fortitude isn’t easy.
With 4 Courage, our Boxer is going to start with 4 Willpower.
Vampires need blood to sustain themselves, that’s a focal point of the curse that’s befallen them. All vampire characters will start with 8 in their pool to keep anyone from being too hungry.
To see how blood can be spent, please read “Using Blood Pool” on page 268 of the core.
Congratulations! You’ve finished the bulk of character creation. As-is, this sheet is mechanically playable, however there’s another, optional, step that can be done to give the character a little more depth.
Vampires get 15 freebie points, and Humans get 21 (as compensation for their lack of dots elsewhere.) This can be increased by 7 for each by taking Flaws to maximums of 22 and 28 respectively. Think of these points as supercharged experience points. They’re to help round out a character.
You can spend them according to the following table. Note that if you’re playing a Human, you won’t be able to purchase disciplines and background dots might be hard to justify. Remember to keep a receipt of what you spend them on in the space on the sheet, and to mark any dots bought in blue.
- Willpower: Humans should be around 3-4 and vampires 4-5.
- Humanity: Humans should be at 7, and vampires at 6-7.
- Attributes: Any attributes at 1 dot that they shouldn’t be below-average in should be increased to 2.
- Abilities: If there’s anything the character is exceptional at, you can increase it from 3 to 4. Remember to apply a specialty if you do.
| Trait | Cost |
|---|---|
| Attribute | 5 per dot |
| Ability | 2 per dot |
| Discipline | 7 per dot |
| Backgrounds | 1 per dot |
| Virtue | 2 per dot |
| Humanity | 2 per dot |
| Willpower | 1 per do |
“Properly used, Merits and Flaws help players create and individualize their characters. Merits are special abilities or advantages that are rare or unique in the general Kindred population, while Flaws are liabilities or disadvantages that pose challenges to a character’s nightly existence. These Traits can provide player characters with added depth and personality, but Storytellers should be careful to ensure that any Traits chosen will not adversely influence the course of the chronicle or give one character an unfair advantage over the rest.”
~ V20, 479
Merits and Flaws should be taken with the goal of adding depth to a character, not to buff them in a purely mechanical sense. If you imagined that your character would’ve been wearing glasses from the start, give them Bad Sight, and if you think that your character has never been in a fight before, they should have Combat Novice.
Read more about the merits and flaws we allow here.
Remember:
- Merits and Flaws are earned and cannot be purchased with experience as long as it says they’re learnable. Flaws earned this way seldom provide compensation.
- Check to make sure what you would like to take isn’t restricted based on your character type or clan
- Banned Merits and Flaws will not be allowed in play
- Anything restricted will require approval before it can be taken
- You can take more Flaws past the 7 points without compensation
- Flaws can be “bought” away with experience later if it seems the character has worked past it (such as someone with Incomplete Understanding being taught about Kindred society and gaining a mentor.) This won’t remove the Freebies you gained from having the flaw.
You’re allowed to save as many freebies as you would like to spend on merits after being Embraced or ghouled in-character, just make sure you note that you’re saving them on your sheet.
Humans can’t start with bonus experience. Vampire characters over a year of age can have 1 point per year of unlife to a maximum of 10 for the purposes of keeping your character young. If you have any, add them to your sheet, as you’ll be able to spend it at a later time.
Aside from the character sheet, we require a backstory with a 500 word minimum. If you don’t have an idea of how to start this, or you’re unsure of how to structure it, use this as a guide:
Guide (Click me!)
Target: 500+ Words, 4+ paragraphs, 125+ words for each paragraph.Paragraph 1
- Introduction of their parents (or lack of thereof)
- Circumstances of birth
- Place of birth
- Social status of their family
Paragraph 2
- Childhood
- Relationship with family
- Friendships
- Life lessons (ex. Learned not to touch the stove because it’s hot)
- Interests forming (ex. They loved playing music since they bonded over it with their mother)
Paragraph 3
- Adolescence and adulthood
- How their relationships changed with family and friends
- Learning more about themselves (sexuality, strengths and weaknesses, etc.)
- How they got to LA if they were born elsewhere
- Occupation and if that aligned with their dreams and why. (Ex. They realized that making a living as a musician wasn’t realistic and went to college for something technical instead) If they are unemployed explained why and how that has impacted them!
Paragraph 3.5 (Vampires only!)
- Their Sire and reason for embrace
- Embrace
- Introduction into the World of Darkness
- Reaction
Paragraph 4
- Current day
- Where are they living
- Their current outlook on the day-to-day of their life
- Goals and dreams for the future (ex. They play music at small local gigs to make some side cash because they enjoy it so much)
- Current relationships or ones that have advanced still since the last paragraphs
All character sheets are submitted directly through our bot, Caine. Please visit his documentation here and refer to #getting-started for more information.
If you have further questions, please message the Storyteller, an Assistant Storyteller, or post in #roleplay-discussion. Thank you!
