TEXT: Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  1 
  The Storytellers 
  Handbook 
  The Complete Handbook for Storytellers of Vampire 
  Credits: 
  Written by: Andrew Greenberg,Graeme Davis, Dustin Browder, Dan Greenberg, Steve Crow, Frank Frey, 
  DannyLanders, Rob Hatch, Mark Rein·Hagen, Stewart Wieck, Travis Williams,Sam Chupp 
  Editing: Rob Hatch, AndrewGreenberg 
  Development: Andrew Greenberg,Rob Hatch 
  Layout: Sam Chupp 
  Production: Richard Thomas 
  Art: Richard Thomas, Josh Timbrook,Tony Harris, Gloria Yuh, John Cobb, Larry McDougal, Seri Mohm, Jon 
  Skoglund,Chris DiNardo 
  Cover: Clark Mitchell 
  Back Cover: Chris McDonough 
    
  © 1992, 1997 by White Wolf. All rights reserved. Reproductionwithout written permission of the publisher is expressly 
  denied, exceptfor the purpose of reviews. Storyteller's Handbook, The Hunters Hunted,Vampire: The Masquerade, 
  Werewolf, Chicago by Night, The Players Guide,Milwaukee by Night, the Storyteller System, World of Darkness and Ars 
  Magicaare all trademarks and copyrights of White Wolf. 
  Disclaimer: The characters and events described in thisbook are fictional, any resemblance between the characters and 
  any person;living or dead, is purely coincidental. 
  The mention of or reference to any companies or productsin these pages is not a challenge to the trademarks or 
  copyrights concerned. 
  Special Thanks To: 
  Mark "Piggly" Rein·Hagen,for scarfing so many freebies at the ABA convention. 
  Stewart "Wiggly"Wieck, for learning how big people enjoy traveling in coach. 
  Travis "Has This CityGone Crazy" Williams, for learning firsthand the idiocy of Atlanta'sfinest. 
  Ken "Double Daddy"Cliffe, for learning what happens when you feed lonely fish protein-enrichedbloodworms. 
  Josh "Joshtime" Timbrook,for telling Wes to be ready for the Cranes/Cure show by 6, and not gettingthere until 8:45. 
  Wes "Axe Handle"Harris, for his reaction when his roommate made him miss the Cranes. 
  René "Always aBridesmaid" Lilly, for her excruciatingly high standards inthe mating game ("Well, he is the same age as 
  I am"). 
  Rob "The Impaler"Hatch, for the flight of the Bumblepen. 
  Chris "Ragmag" McDonough,for turning the magazine into an awesome-looking piece of art (and not leavingbefore 2 
  a.m. the whole time he was working on it). 
  Richard "Free Lunch"Thomas, for knowing how to get the production staff into a jollymood. 
  Sam "Vacationtime"Chupp, for getting two whole days off. 
    
  Word From the White Wolf Game Studio: 
  Now there are three more recent hires to talk about. Firstcame Travis Lamar Williams - shipping man, writer, America 
  Online guru andall-around sweetheart. Ask him about the "Doodoo Man" next timeyou see him. Then came René Lilly, 
  our sales machine and Stewart'smuch-desired relief. Last (and hopefully there will be no more for at leasttwo products) 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  2 
  came Richard Thomas, White Wolf Magazine's art director forlonger than he (or we) care to remember. He will be 
  handling the same dutieshere full-time as well as heading up the production department. By the way,we appreciate 
  everyone's concern for helping our staff grow, but the nextfoundling left in swaddling clothes on our doorstep gets fed to 
  Ken's fish.  
  The Storytellers Handbook 
  Chapter One: The Story - 7 
  Chapter Two: The Chronicle - 25 
  Chapter Three: The Setting - 41 
  Chapter Four: The Motive - 57 
  Chapter Five: The Enemy - 79 
  Chapter Six: The Ways - 105 
  Appendix One: Enchanted Items for Vampire- 139 
  Appendix Two: Lists for Storytellers - 143 
  The voice of the dead was a living voice to me. 
  - Lord Alfred Tennyson, 
  In the Valley of Cauteretz  
  At the heart of all communication lies the story -theholder of hopes and dreams, fears and hatreds, passion and 
  mystery. Whatwe are, what we will be and what we want to be comes to us in this form.But it is not enough to just 
  create a tale. 
  Images must flash past the shocked faces of those around.Pulsing noises have to fill their world, allowing them little 
  respite. Scentsswirl around, and even the feel and taste of existence should flow throughtheir bodies. Here exists the 
  essence of the story; here it has life meaningbeyond the voice of the Storyteller. 
  The Story can be no greater than its creator; the Storyteller,little better than her creation. But together they forge new 
  ground, becomingfar more than either alone.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  3 
  Chapter One: 
  The Story 
  Storyteller: 1. One who is accustomed to tell storiesor anecdotes in conversation; 
  2. Euphemistically: a liar; 
  3. One whose business it is to recite legendary or romanticstories. 
  - 
  Oxford English Dictionary 
   
  Storytelling is the focus of this book. It is also thewhole 
  point of the Vampire game. But what exactly is 
  Storytelling?There are two trite answers to this question: 
  Storytelling is what Storytellersdo, and Read this book 
  and find out.. Both are true, but neitheris particularly 
  helpful. 
  Storytelling is what Storytellers do. In Vampire,the 
  Storyteller creates and presents Stories in which the 
  players participatethrough the control of their characters. 
  The result is an interactive typeof storytelling, where 
  everyone in the group contributes to the progressand final 
  form of the Story. The Story is at the heart of the whole 
  process,and it is the Story with which this Chapter 
  concerns itself. Other Chapterswill cover different aspects 
  of the Storyteller's role - Read this bookand find out. 
  What is a Story? 
  Story, n. A narrative of real or, more usually, 
  fictitiousevents, designed for the entertainment of the 
  reader or hearer; an incident,real or fictitious, related in 
  order to amuse or interest. 
  - Oxford English Dictionary 
  A Vampire Story is more complex than many otherforms 
  of tale, because it is interactive. The audience (that is, the 
  players)do not sit passively and simply absorb the story; 
  they take an active partin shaping it through the words and 
  deeds of the characters they control.It is very difficult to 
  formulate a simple, pithy definition of this kindof Story; 
  the definition which follows is by no means perfect, but it 
  ishopefully enough to work with: 
  Story: a situation, event or series of events requiringaction 
  on the part of certain characters, presenting problems and 
  challenges,and offering rewards for successful action. 
  Story Parts 
  Just as a character in Vampire is an amalgamationof 
  many component parts - trait scores, nature, demeanor, 
  equipment andso on - so a Story is made up of several 
  things. On one level, the Storyconsists of characters, 
  locations and situations - these will be discusseda little 
  later. For now, we will concern ourselves with the bones of 
  a Story- concept, plot, theme and mood. These will 
  normally be the first four thingsyou decide on when 
  planning out a Story, whether you are conscious of doingso 
  or not. 
  Paying attention to these basics can help you create aStory 
  more easily, and combined with a little practice you can 
  use themto create something with as much depth and 
  originality as anything in literatureor films. Of course, you 
  have to be prepared to put something of yourselfinto the 
  process; the notes in the next few paragraphs can't do the 
  workfor you. There is no such thing as a wholly mechanical 
  system for  
  creating a Story - and hopefully there never will be,for the 
  products of such a system would inevitably be without 
  depth or soul.But this chapter is intended to help the 
  bewildered or nervous Storytellerthrough the process of 
  creating a Story, and point out a few useful ideas,tricks and 
  techniques. 
  Concept 
  They only have six plots, but they swap them round abit. 
  - George Orwell, 1984 
  This quote - according to some literature teachers at least- 
  was originally intended to reflect cultural impoverishment 
  under the nightmarishrule of Orwell's Stalin-clone Big 
  Brother, rather than telling a universaltruth about the 
  narrative form. However, the Vampire Storytellerwill 
  certainly find that certain themes and types of story crop 
  up againand again, in Vampire Chronicles as well as in 
  vampire literatureand films. 
  The information in this section is by no means 
  exhaustive,and Storytellers are actively encouraged to find 
  and develop new types ofStory to add variety and depth to 
  their Chronicles. It does, however, providea basic 
  treatment of the more common themes and narrative 
  structures; aswell as being a useful last-resort source of 
  inspiration, it should helpthe Storyteller identify and avoid 
  clichés and repetition withina Chronicle. 
  There are as many types of Vampire as there are beastsof 
  prey. 
  - Captain Cronos: Vampire Hunter 
  There are certainly as many types of vampire story as 
  thereare types of story, and most of them have been 
  covered in one medium oranother. Consider the shelf and 
  section labels in your local bookstore:aside from the 
  fantasy, science fiction and horror sections where most 
  vampiresare to be found, there will also be mystery, 
  romance, thrillers, adventure,western, literature and many 
  other genres and subgenres of fiction. Allgenres have 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  4 
  featured vampires at one time or another, and each has its 
  ownpotential as a concept for a Vampire story. 
  Mystery 
  I can't find your face in a thousand masqueraders 
  You're hidden in the colors of a million other lostcharades 
  - Alice Cooper, Hell is Living Without You 
  Mystery stories ("whodunnits" to British readers)start with 
  a mystery (normally something like who killed someone 
  and why),and follow a character or characters through the 
  process of discoveringfacts, piecing together clues and 
  finding the guilty party. They can rangefrom the 
  comparatively simple to the fiendishly baroque - some of 
  AgathaChristie's later work became particularly 
  convoluted, as increasingly savvyfans demanded ever more 
  baffling mysteries. 
  Vampire stories lend themselveswell to the British style 
  of mystery writing. The company is rarified, resourcesare 
  scarcely a problem, political infighting, jealousy, revenge 
  and othermotives abound, and the fear of a Blood Hunt is a 
  powerful incentive toplot the perfect murder. It is almost 
  irresistible 
  to 
  envision 
  Christie'sHercule 
  Poirot 
  immortalized as a Ventrue Justicar, feeding exclusively 
  frommortal murderers. 
  The main American mystery style is the "hard-
  boileddetective story," springing from the works of 
  Raymond Chandler andDashiell Hammett, and carried on 
  today by the likes of Ed McBain and MickeySpillane. It was 
  once said of Hammett that he took murder out of the 
  vicar'srose garden and gave it back to the people who were 
  good at it. Cynicismand gritty realism are the keynotes of 
  this genre. Motivations are nearlyalways sordid, characters 
  and locations sleazy and interactions violent.This kind of 
  mystery is ideal for Stories involving the Sabbat, Brujah 
  andother less stylish Clans. 
  The mystery/manhunt theme has long been a favorite in 
  vampirefiction and movies, whether the main characters 
  are mortals like the reporterKolchak or Kindred like Nick 
  Knight. Always remember, too, that there areother crimes 
  than murder, especially among the Kindred. Barbra 
  Hambly'sImmortal Blood is a manhunt, as the Kindred of 
  London work togetherwith a coerced mortal specialist to 
  find a Cainite who is becoming dangerouslyprolific in the 
  creation of Progeny. The search for a known or unknown 
  vampireis a subplot that  
  has appeared again and again in Anne Rice's 
  VampireChronicles, and le Fanu's classic Carmilla has the 
  heroine (orvillainess) leading Fearless Vampire Hunters a 
  merry dance as she flitsaround the central European 
  countryside under a number of anagrammatic 
  pseudonyms. 
  Romance 
  If she was an ace and I was just a jack 
  And the cards were never seen 
  We could have been the king and queen 
  - Dire Straits, The Planetof New Orleans 
  Romantic fiction is the most widely -read, and at the 
  sametime the most widely reviled, literary genre, and there 
  are good reasonsfor both. But Vampire is in many ways a 
  romantic game, and a greatmany vampire stories have 
  been of the type generally described as "gothicromance." 
  John Polidori's seminal The Vampyre, with its herobased 
  on Polidori's employer Lord Byron, was a spectacularly 
  unsuccessfulforay into gothic romance; Carmilla was 
  essentially romantic, andmany commentators have seen 
  Dracula itself as being essentially aromance, with the 
  cadaverous Count obsessed by Mina Harker. Both film 
  versionsof Nosferatu play up romance, casting the vampire 
  as victim as wellas monster; Fred Saberhagen's modern-
  day Dracula stories - especially AnOld Friend of the Family 
  - also owe much to the Count's romantic attentionto Mina. 
  Themes used in romantic fiction are normally loss, 
  yearningand triumph over adversity. There is frequently a 
  section where one of theprotagonists must overcome 
  immense 
  internal 
  obstacles 
  - 
  obsession 
  with 
  work,personality problems, the hurt of past affairs or 
  whatever - in order forthe relationship to succeed. All of 
  these can be used within the contextof a Vampire Story, 
  and of course there are the additional problemsof the 
  Hunger and the Beast. A Cainite falling in love with a 
  mortal willface many problems, ranging from the farcical 
  (Love at First Bite)to the soul-wrenching (for example, the 
  dilemma presented in the song MoonOver Bourbon 
  Street), and players who enjoy throwing themselves 
  intotheir roleplaying will be able to make a great deal of 
  this kind of situation. 
  Romance makes a better subplot than main plot, but 
  cansometimes carry a story all on its own; subplots are 
  discused later. 
  Thrillers 
  War makes rattling good history; but Peace is poor 
  reading. 
  - Thomas Hardy 
  Thrillers are probably best regarded as a subgenre of 
  theadventure story (see below), but are distinguished by 
  the fact that theyalmost always involve espionage, politics, 
  advanced military hardware anddirty dealing in high 
  places. Depending on taste, the reader might considerJohn 
  le Carré, Tom Clancy, Len Deighton or Robert Ludlum. 
  Themes generally involve discovering secrets, gaining 
  possessionof objects or people before The Opposition does 
  so, and so on. Since Cainitesaround the world (especially 
  the power-hungry Ventrue) gravitate to highplaces, there 
  are many opportunities to work with Stories of this kind.It 
  also gives the Storyteller the chance to come up with some 
  truly wonderfulpieces of alternate history, conspiracy 
  theories, and general what-iffing.The two words "what if" 
  are probably the most powerful tool instory creation. 
  What was the role of Vampires in the Cold War? Was 
  theBrahms Network headed by a Cainite? What if Red 
  October was actuallydesigned as a safe, floating Haven, 
  and American Ventrue found out and wantedto get hold of 
  it? Are Kindred highly placed in the CIA? Do espionage 
  agencieshave teams of Vampire operatives? Plenty of 
  roleplaying games have addressedthe thriller genre - with 
  varying degrees of success - but adding Vampiresinto the 
  equation turns the adventure into something quite 
  different. 
  Adventure 
  I have made the big decision, 
  I'm gonna try for the kingdom, 
  'Cause when I put a spike into my vein, 
  I tell you things aren't quite the same, 
  When I'm rushing on my run, 
  And I feel just like Jesus's son, 
  And I guess but I just don't know... 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  5 
  - Velvet Underground, Heroin  
  Adventure is the most miscellaneous and polyglot fictional 
  genre. About the only constant factor is a hero (usually, but 
  not always, male) with considerable combat and survival 
  skills who faces and overcomes a number of life-
  threatening situations before finding the gold, thrashing 
  the evil genius, winning the girl and doing whatever else 
  passes for success in the particular setting and story. Most 
  science fiction and fantasy stories are pure adventure; so 
  are the Indiana Jones movies, any swashbuckler film you 
  care to name, most Westerns, and the vast majority of 
  historical novels which are not romances. 
  The keynote is action, and plenty of it. John le Carré's hero 
  George Smiley  takes part in espionage stories; Ian 
  Fleming's James Bond stars in adventure stories. Thought 
  and investigation take a back seat, and intellectual 
  challenges are often limited to ways of getting out of the 
  latest life-threatening situation. 
  This type of story has become such a staple of roleplaying 
  games that it is almost fatuous to mention it here. Much 
  vampire fiction is based in the action-adventure genre, 
  often with the vampire cast as the threat to the mortal 
  hero. Sunglasses After Dark, Lost Boys and Near Dark all 
  count as adventure stories. In Vampire, there are 
  numerous physical threats to a character's existence, which 
  are adequately covered in the main rulebook.  
  Plot Archetypes 
  Just as players can use archetypes to help define the 
  personality of their characters, so the Storyteller can use 
  archetypes to assist in the process of developing a Story 
  plot. The list of archetypes here is by no means exhaustive, 
  and it is intended merely to provide the Storyteller with a 
  starting point. 
  Mystery: An event or series of events has taken place, and 
  the characters must find out what it all means, who is 
  behind it and what action, if any, must be taken to 
  safeguard the interests of themselves, their Clan, the 
  Masquerade, or Kindred in general. Events might involve 
  killings of mortals and/or Cainites, breaches of the 
  Masquerade, destruction of Kindred-owned property, or 
  almost anything else where the perpetrator and reason is 
  not clear. 
  Bug Hunt: A killer is on the loose, and must be found and 
  stopped. Unlike the Mystery, the Bug Hunt is purely a 
  search-and-destroy mission, with little investigation and 
  no interest in reasons and wider implications. The target 
  might be a Vampire against whom a Blood Hunt has been 
  called, a Sabbat cell, another supernatural entity, a mortal 
  serial killer, a Fearless Vampire Hunter who has been a 
  little too successful lately, or any of a number of others. 
  Treasure Hunt: The existence of something of immense 
  value has become known to the characters, and they must 
  try to obtain it before anyone else, and preferably without 
  anyone else finding out. Other Kindred who also discover 
  the existence of the item will want it for themselves, and 
  will probably stop at nothing to obtain it. The treasure 
  might be a fragment of the Book of Nod, the person of an 
  Elder or Methuselah in Torpor (which can be used as a 
  political bargaining chip or for Diablerie), knowledge 
  which can be used for blackmail or political gain, or even 
  an enchanted item of some kind - a weapon which causes 
  aggravated wounds, a cup which enhances the nutritive 
  effect of blood drunk from it, and so on. 
  Escape: The characters are threatened by something very 
  powerful which they cannot hope to defeat - such as a 
  Blood Hunt, a powerful renegade Vampire, or a Sabbat 
  uprising which has destroyed all their potential allies. 
  Their only hope for survival is to escape and find a place 
  where this threat cannot reach them. They must arrange to 
  travel a long way (or at least, get out of the city or fief 
  where they currently exist), dodging aggressors and agents 
  of all kinds. 
  Rescue: The characters must penetrate an enemy 
  stronghold, find a friend imprisoned there, and effect the 
  escape of this character. The prisoner might be a mortal, 
  such as a retainer with too much knowledge of a 
  character's Haven, protections and dealings, or a Cainite, 
  such as the Sire or Mentor of one or more characters. The 
  prisoner might be held by mortal authorities - perhaps in a 
  cell with a window or skylight, adding a time element to 
  the rescue of a Vampire prisoner to whom the light of dawn 
  will 
  be 
  fatal. 
  Or 
  a 
  Kindred  
  rival or enemy might have the prisoner, surrounded by 
  faithful guards including Ghouls and possibly Neonates. 
  Villains often bait traps by kidnapping those dear to a hero. 
  Attack: The characters must find and neutralize an enemy 
  stronghold. This is similar in many ways to the Bug Hunt 
  archetype, except that the accent is less on searching and 
  more on destruction. Problems will involve analyzing the 
  stronghold's defenses and choosing the correct tactical 
  options to maximize the characters' effectiveness in 
  mounting the attack. 
  Defense: The characters have been targeted for an attack. 
  The enemy might be rival clan members, servants of an 
  Elder they have recently crossed (knowingly or 
  unknowingly), servants of one of more Methuselahs 
  and/or Antediluvians involved in the Jyhad, Sabbat strike 
  troops, Witch Hunters, Lupines, and so on. The characters 
  may or may not have prior warning of the attack, and must 
  either defend the area in which they find themselves or try 
  to escape (see above). 
  Siege: A special case of the Defense archetype, in which 
  the characters are surrounded or otherwise unable to 
  escape. May be combined with the Guard archetype (see 
  below). Think of Assault on Precinct 13 with Vampires, 
  Ghouls, Werewolves and other supernatural elements. 
  Guard: Another special case of the Defense archetype, 
  where the characters have to retain possession of an item 
  or individual. Items might be of the types listed under the 
  Treasure Hunt archetype above, while individuals might be 
  of the types listed under Rescue. 
  Betrayal: The characters are sent on a mission which 
  appears to be of another kind, but they have been betrayed. 
  They may be pawns in the Jyhad, to be sacrificed for some 
  obscure political advantage, or  they may be sent out to 
  throw a mortal witch hunter off the trail of a greater 
  Cainite. It may even have been decided, over the 
  characters' heads, that their Embrace was not authorized 
  by the Prince and/or Primogen, and the betrayal is a way of 
  getting rid of them, like unwanted kittens. 
  Jealousy: The characters have inspired envy or jealous 
  rage in another, and steps are being taken against them. 
  Their enemy might be someone who one or all of them 
  recently crossed, or a rival of the Sire of one or more of 
  them, enraged at not being allowed to make Progeny of 
  his/her own or jealous of their Sire's support and 
  determined to remove her manpower base. This might lead 
  to an Attack (see above) to to some other kind of hostile 
  action. 
  Conspiracy: Two or more antagonists or groups of 
  antagonists are planning a course of action which 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  6 
  threatens one or more of the characters, either directly or 
  through Sires or clan ties. The means by which the 
  conspiracy comes to fruition can be various; direct assault 
  is a possibility, but others include Framing (see below), 
  attacks on the character's resources, allies and contacts, 
  the placing of traps or assassins in their Havens, and so on. 
  This archetype can lead naturally  
  to a Mystery as the characters try to discover the identity of 
  their enemies and take action to neutralize the threat. 
  Framing: One or more characters are maneuvered into a 
  situation where they appear to have committed an offense 
  of some kind. This might be a breach of the Masquerade, a 
  plot against the Prince, an attack on the interests of a rival 
  Elder or clan, and so on. The characters may need to 
  Escape (see above) for a while, and events may unfold into 
  a Mystery as they try to find out who is responsible for 
  framing them and uncover enough evidence to clear 
  themselves. 
  Love: One or more characters (ideally one) are suffering 
  the pangs of love, and must find some way to resolve the 
  situation. The object of affection might be a Cainite from a 
  rival clan (Romeo and Juliet), an Elder or other superior 
  who is hopelessly out of reach (any number of historical 
  romances), a prominent figure on the other side of the 
  Anarch-Primogen divide (Wuthering Heights), or a mortal 
  whose involvement with the character threatens the 
  Masquerade, facing the character with the problem of 
  convincing a skeptical Prince to allow the character to 
  Embrace this mortal. Enemies will find many 
  opportunities to thwart or spite the character through the 
  loved one. Perhaps the love is unrequited, or the character 
  cannot reveal her true nature. This archetype is best suited 
  to subplots (which are discussed in a later section), but can 
  carry a Story all by itself if done well. 
  Injustice: A wrong has been perpetrated, and the 
  characters feel obliged (or are ordered) to right it. The 
  wrong might have arisen from an accident, a 
  misunderstanding, or from conscious action on the part of 
  the characters or others. The consequences of the wrong 
  are likewise diverse in their possibilities; an individual 
  might be the subject of a Blood Hunt, or might sit in a jail 
  cell awaiting execution, or might have been ruined 
  financially, politically or personally. Injustice might force 
  the characters to take the side of the Anarchs against a 
  tyrannical Prince or Primogen. 
  Theme and Mood 
  It can help tremendously in the design of a Story if you 
  spend a few minutes thinking about the theme and mood 
  you want to project. More is said about these two things in 
  the Vampire rulebook, and in the Chronicle chapter of 
  this book. 
  The theme of a Story is a summary, in a word or phrase, of 
  what the Story is about. Note that it is not a summary of 
  the Story itself, but of what the Story is about. This is a 
  subtle but important distinction. For example, the theme 
  of 
  Macbeth 
  might 
  be 
  summarized 
  as 
  ambition/power/corruption, while the theme of Hamlet 
  could be seen as revenge/tragedy and the theme of Othello 
  as jealousy. A theme is a broad concept which underlies the 
  Story as a whole. It is useful as a focus - a starting point 
  around which to build the Story. 
  Mood is much more of a surface feature, but no less 
  important. The mood of a Story provides a basic idea for 
  the Storyteller to keep in mind when presenting the Story 
  to the players. To repeat the examples above, the prevailing 
  mood  
  of Macbeth is brooding and somber, whileOthello is angry. 
  Moods correspond fairly closely to human emotions, and 
  choosing a mood for a Story allows the Storyteller to select 
  which of the players' (and/or characters') emotions will be 
  most stimulated by the story. 
  Choosing Theme and Mood 
  A plot archetype will normally suggest a range of themes 
  and moods, and you'll find plot, theme and mood 
  developing together as an organic whole. Sometimes, 
  though, it can be fun to stretch things a little. Combining a 
  plot with themes and moods which would not normally 
  match provides an interesting intellectual challenge for the 
  Storyteller, and can also produce a unique and very 
  memorable Story if things work out. Never be afraid to try 
  something unusual - testing preconceptions and pushing 
  against perceived limits is the best way to develop your 
  Storytelling skills, and will help avoid hackneyed, two-
  dimensional plots. 
  For example, let's start with the Bug Hunt archetype. 
  Logical themes for this kind of Story would be exploration 
  and searching, while tension and horror are the moods 
  most strongly suggested. As might be inferred from the 
  name of the archetype, we're dealing with something like 
  Alien. But how about if the theme and mood become - to 
  pull two words out of the air - betrayal and grieving? 
  Betrayal: who has been betrayed - the killer or the 
  characters? And by whom? A whole range of motivations 
  and general skullduggery opens  
  up. Grieving: has the killer just destroyed a friend or loved 
  one of one of the characters? Or has a deeply -felt loss 
  pushed the killer over the edge, allowing the Beast to break 
  through? Immediately the Story begins to develop depth 
  and atmosphere. 
  Experience and Other Incentives 
  Have you ever been experienced? 
  - Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced 
  As well as having ideas about the plot, theme and mood of 
  a Story, you will also need to know what rewards it offers 
  to the characters. It is best to start thinking about this at an 
  early stage, for a number of reasons. 
  First, at least some of the rewards will provide an incentive 
  for characters to involve themselves in the Story; these will 
  have to be sufficiently obvious from the outset, and will 
  therefore need to be built into the design of the first few 
  scenes. 
  Other potential rewards will reveal themselves as the Story 
  unfolds. They will affect many things in the course of the 
  Story: the character's choice of directions at key points, the 
  attitudes of various encounters, and the likelihood of the 
  characters being faced with opposition, competition or 
  cooperation, to name but three. The Storyteller has to be 
  aware 
  of  
  these potential rewards before the Story starts, in order to 
  gauge their effects on the Story's progress. 
  Here are brief notes on a few types of reward and 
  incentive. As with plot archetypes, the possibilities are 
  literally endless, and this list is only intended to serve the 
  Storyteller as an example and a source of inspiration. 
  Experience 
  Experience points will be earned by nearly every character 
  from nearly every Story in which she participates. The 
  reward of experience points, and their promise of 
  increased character Traits, are a powerful motivation to 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  7 
  players, but not to characters, who of course have no 
  perception of game mechanisms. Characters may have 
  some awareness of learning and sharpening their abilities, 
  but very few will risk their lives for the sake of experience, 
  although some may do so for the sake of adventure. 
  Knowledge 
  This is the main prize of investigative Stories, and in many 
  other kinds of Story, Neonates will have the opportunity to 
  learn about the society of the Kindred, the power structure 
  and politics of their particular home area and so on. The 
  most coveted knowledge is that contained in the Book of 
  Nod,  
  although there are so many fragmented, falsified and 
  otherwise unreliable versions in existence that the 
  knowledge gained may never live up to the characters' 
  expectations. Knowledge can be divided into three types, 
  which for the sake of argument might be named Lore, Dirt 
  and Savvy. 
  Lore has been formalized into a series of Knowledges in 
  The Players Guide, and can be useful to characters who 
  are still coming to terms with their own abilities and who 
  wish to understand the abilities of those around them. 
  Dirt is detailed knowledge of the Kindred of the city, their 
  relationships, dealings and plans - the sort of thing which 
  might be used for political advantage and blackmail.  
  Savvy is knowledge of the nature of Kindred, what it means 
  to be one, and how to survive. This also includes a certain 
  knowledge of politics and power structures in the city. 
  Favor 
  A powerful incentive for resolving problems is the favor of 
  powerful Kindred. Like knowledge, favor comes in a 
  number of guises. It may enhance a character's status with 
  the higher levels of the city's Kindred, simply causing 
  certain influential Cainites to look favorably on the 
  character. This may be done purely through roleplaying, or 
  it may be formalized into a bonus to dice rolls for dealing 
  with them. It may lead to some reward, such as patronage, 
  intercession with the Prince or protection from enemies. It 
  may even lead to the character being able to claim a favor 
  from an Elder, although this is very rare. 
  Like the gratitude of princes, the gratitude of Vampires is 
  grudging and does not last. A Neonate who holds a favor 
  over an Elder had better use it quickly, or risk being seen 
  as a threat. However, if worked properly, the characters 
  can tie an Elder to them through the bonds of Prestation, 
  as detailed in The Players Guide. 
  Allies 
  It is a far easier and safer thing to make allegiances with 
  those on one's own level, forming a network of friends, 
  allies and contacts among the city's Kindred and kine 
  without the political tensions and dangers of becoming 
  involved with the Elders. In almost any Story, characters 
  will interact with mortals and with other Kindred, and 
  friends are always a good thing to have. More will be said 
  later about non-player characters, or NPCs - those 
  characters controlled not by the players but by the 
  Storyteller. 
  In play, this can be reflected by die roll bonuses for 
  dealings with certain individuals or it can take the form of 
  an increase to one or more of a character's Background 
  scores - Allies, Contacts, or some other score, as 
  appropriate. Strict Storytellers will insist on these 
  increases being bought with experience points. 
  Influence 
  Characters who regularly solve problems and overcome 
  difficulties will find that their reputation is spreading 
  among the Kindred of their home city. This can be a 
  double-edged sword - along with the good opinions of 
  some will come the enmity of those they have crossed, 
  embarrassed, or simply caused to become envious. As with 
  favor and friends, this might be reflected by appropriate 
  die roll modifiers, or dealt with more formally by increases 
  to Traits bought with experience points earned during the 
  Story in question. 
  Material Rewards 
  Wealth is always useful to Kindred, whose opportunities 
  for raising a little extra cash by conventional means are, to 
  say the least, somewhat limited. 
  Other material rewards might take the form of actual 
  goods - equipment which is difficult and/or illegal to 
  obtain openly, such as heavy weaponry and specialized 
  ammunition, for instance. Obviously, the availability and 
  desirability of certain items of equipment will vary 
  according to the tone which the Storyteller has chosen for 
  the Chronicle. This is covered in a later chapter. 
  On rare occasions, characters might be able to obtain more 
  specialized items, perhaps even enchanted items like those 
  mentioned in the description of the Treasure Hunt plot 
  archetype. 
  Survival 
  For all the appeal of fame, influence and material gain, 
  nothing impels a character to action like the prospect of 
  continued survival - or the lack of it. This is the strongest of 
  all motives, and should not be overlooked or overworked. 
  Patronage 
  If a character has friendly contact with a Sire, Mentor or 
  Elder, this individual can become a patron. The advantages 
  of patronage have been explained under the heading of 
  Favor above; in return, the patron might well require 
  certain small services, giving the Storyteller an ideal means 
  of introducing the character to a Story and a good reason 
  for the character to become involved. 
  For all its attractions, though, patronage should not be 
  overused; in certain games it has become as much of a 
  cliché as the time-honored "you are all sitting in the village 
  tavern when..." opening. Overusing a patron encourages 
  characters to become passive, waiting for the next 
  assignment to be handed to them; this can lead to lack of 
  player initiative and the eventual stagnation of the Story 
  and the Chronicle.  
  Creating a Story 
  Having so much fun with the poisonous people 
  Spreading rumours and lies and stories they made up 
  Some make you sing and some make you scream 
  One makes you wish that you hadn't been seen 
  - David Bowie, Candidate 
  The Story Worksheet has been designed to help the 
  Storyteller develop a full-fledged Story from the bare bones 
  discussed in the previous section. Like everything in this 
  chapter, it is intended as an aid to the Storyteller's own 
  creativity, and not a substitute for it; essentially, it is a 
  blend of checklist and scratch pad, helping the Storyteller 
  organize thoughts and ideas. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  8 
  Setting 
  I always wanted your surroundings 
  A room to rent when the lizards lay crying in the heat 
  - David Bowie, We Are The Dead 
  This first thing you need to know about a story is where 
  and when it is going to take place. If the Story is part of an 
  ongoing Chronicle, it will probably be set in much the same 
  time and place as the rest of the Chronicle, although this 
  need not always be the case. If the Story is a one-shot 
  designed to stand alone, the choice of setting is much more 
  open. 
  As a game, Vampire is set primarily in the present day, 
  and favors urban over rural settings. When choosing a 
  setting for a Story, the Storyteller should bear in mind not 
  only which time and place would best suit the events of the 
  Story, but also how easily the players and their characters 
  will be able to come to grips with the setting. By setting a 
  Story in the present day, and in a place which is well 
  known to both Storyteller and players, it is possible to save 
  a great deal of work, both in researching the setting and in 
  communicating it to the players during play. 
  Main Plot 
  Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as 
  much as you please. 
  - Mark Twain 
  This is perhaps the easiest part of the Story to create. 
  Earlier in this chapter a number of plot archetypes were 
  discussed, along with other things which can assist the 
  Storyteller in designing a main plot. The Story Worksheet 
  has a space for jotting down brief notes about the main 
  plot - these notes are all that are needed at this stage, 
  although any details which spring to mind might be kept 
  on some scrap paper until the process of writing begins. 
  Subplots 
  Subplots are optional, but they can be very useful in 
  creating the feeling that the characters are part of a real 
  world, with more than one thing going on at a time. It is 
  quite possible to run a Story with a single plot very well, 
  but the illusion can begin to waver if the players form the 
  impression that everything their characters experience is 
  part of the same plot. If the action begins to flag, for 
  instance, and there is a period of time where nothing can 
  happen to advance the main plot, then you are faced with a 
  blank area. 
  Subplots give you something to fill the blank areas, and can 
  also add to the challenge and entertainment value of a 
  Story by facing the characters with minor problems and 
  plotlines which have to be resolved while dealing with the 
  main plot. 
  Details 
  The next thing the Storyteller needs to know is what major 
  NPCs will be involved in the Story, and what role each of 
  them will play. This comes mainly from the setting (see 
  above), although in many cases the Storyteller will also 
  have to invent new NPCs, as required by the plot of the 
  Story. At this planning stage, all that is needed is a list of 
  names and a few notes on the role each will play, and the 
  way they will react to the characters' involvement in the 
  Story. 
  As well as characters, the Story needs locations. The events 
  of the Story need somewhere to happen, after all. Again, a 
  few names and general descriptions are sufficient at the 
  planning stage, and in the case of an ongoing Chronicle 
  some locations may already be known to the Storyteller 
  and/or players. 
  Other details are largely a matter of taste. Plot twists, 
  double-crosses and the like can be planned in at this stage, 
  or added whenever inspiration strikes. Many Storytellers 
  prefer to leave these out of the original design of a Story, 
  and add them according to whim during actual play. The 
  possibilities for plot twists are endless, but the two most 
  popular types are the reversal (your friend is your enemy, 
  your protector has betrayed you, the prisoner you rescue is 
  a terrible Beast who should have remained imprisoned, 
  etc) and the unexpected continuation (out of the frying pan 
  into the fire, wheels within wheels). 
  Another type of embellishment is the throwaway - an 
  incident or encounter that has absolutely no connection 
  with the Story, but happens anyway. Players can make 
  what they will of these things, and like subplots they give 
  the impression that the characters are operating in a 
  complete and"real" world. They can also allow the 
  Storyteller to accomplish various goals: to sow the seeds of 
  an upcoming Story or subplot, to confuse and misdirect 
  players and characters and even to break tension with 
  comic relief or an urgent distraction.  
  Story Structure 
  Having worked out the bones of a Story, it's time to start 
  adding some flesh. The first big decision is the overall 
  shape of the thing: how long it will be (in terms of 
  individual Scenes, gaming sessions or elapsed time), where 
  the key events will be, and so on. The first step in doing 
  this is to break everything down into three basic categories: 
  the beginning, the middle and the end. 
  The Beginning 
  (The) opening section is called 'the lead', and if you don't 
  write a good lead, it doesn't matter what you call the rest 
  of the article. Nobody's going to read it. 
  - Marshall J. Cook, Journalism Lecturer, University of 
  Wisconsin 
  The beginning of a Story is by  far the most important part, 
  and if the beginning fails, there isn't much future for the 
  rest of the Story, no matter how much work you may have 
  put into it. This part of the Story has to do three vital jobs: 
  · It has to catch and hold the interest of the players. 
  · It has to provide some incentive or imperative for the 
  characters to become involved. 
  · It has to give both players and characters some idea of 
  what is going on - although it doesn't matter whether or 
  not this idea is accurate. 
  This can be achieved in a number of ways. 
  Crescendo 
  Opening with a crescendo is often useful. An initial flurry 
  of action is sure to get everyone's attention, and may create 
  enough waves to ensure that the characters become 
  involved, if only in the interests of self-preservation. No 
  one is left in any doubt about what has happened, and 
  players' natural inclinations will be to look for explanations 
  and try to ensure that the same thing doesn't happen 
  again. 
  Slow Build 
  The opposite of the crescendo is the slow build, which 
  requires some expertise to handle effectively. If overdone, 
  it might be so subtle as to be imperceptible, but go too far 
  the other way and the characters begin to see metaphorical 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  9 
  neon signs reading "I am a significant event." The best way 
  to handle a slow build is to start the Story with a couple of 
  subplots, adding in clues and minor elements from the 
  main plot more or less as throwaways, and building up 
  their frequency and intensity until the main plot takes 
  over. Done well, this can make for a breathtaking plot twist 
  later in the Story. 
  Patrons and Rumors 
  The perfect turn of phrase is one where crafty placing 
  makes an old word new. 
  - Horace, Ars Poetica 
  Patronage and favor have already been discussed as the 
  rewards of a Story successfully completed. An individual 
  who is in a position to give the characters information, or 
  even commands, provides a good way of getting a Story 
  started with a minimum of fuss. The NPC simply calls the 
  characters together, gives them the information which is 
  available at the start of the Story, and asks or orders them 
  to get on with it. 
  Another way of achieving pretty much the same result is to 
  leak rumors to the characters through their social contacts, 
  hopefully piquing their curiosity enough to stir them into 
  action. Nightclubs and other meeting places offer ideal 
  facilities for this, just as the ubiquitous tavern does in 
  generic fantasy games. 
  This type of opening goes back a very long way, and is 
  regarded by some as stale and clichéd. Some refuse to use 
  it at all any more, but the patron/rumor opening still has 
  its uses. It can quickly become stale if overused, and it can 
  lead to players becoming passive, simply waiting for the 
  next order or rumor rather than looking for themselves.  
  The trick is never to use this opening straight. It's fine to 
  have the characters' Sire, Clan leader or Prince send them 
  into a Story in this way, but they should always be left with 
  something to discover and a few surprises to experience 
  along the way. The patron may know more than the 
  characters are told, or may lie to them, or may simply be 
  misinformed; they may find themselves betrayed or 
  sacrificed, or discover that things are not as they seem. 
  Patrons are difficult to refuse, of course, but they cannot 
  always be trusted. 
  The same is true of rumor. The tale may have grown in the 
  telling, or may have become distorted by a process 
  something like the parlor game of Chinese Whispers. It 
  may even have been started deliberately by an enemy of 
  the characters or their patron, as part of some fiendish 
  plan. 
  The Middle 
  Don't Panic. 
  - Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 
  This is the main part of the Story, and the part which has 
  to have the most flexibility in it. Having experienced the 
  beginning, the characters set out to resolve the problems 
  that face them, uncover a heap of additional problems and 
  challenges, and try to get to the end of the Story in one 
  piece. 
  Troubleshooting 
  The Edsel... must be the most thoroughly planned product 
  ever introduced. 
  - Fortune Magazine, September 1957 
  As Storyteller, you'll have an idea from the outset about 
  what the characters should do - and as you grow in 
  experience as a Storyteller, you'll learn that they will never, 
  ever do what you expect; hence the need for flexibility. You 
  have to be able to cope if the characters miss a vital clue, 
  leap to the wrong conclusion, or simply do something 
  weird. Sometimes you'll face the heartbreak of having to 
  dispense with a scene you love, one you spent hours 
  carefully plotting out, because the characters have taken 
  another approach and short-circuited your plans. It's all in 
  the game. 
  The midsection of a Story is a balancing act. You have to 
  prevent the characters from wandering entirely out of the 
  Story without appearing to limit their freedom. This is not 
  an easy task. It helps if, while designing a Story, you decide 
  what the critical events are - those without which the Story 
  would collapse completely - and try to map out a few 
  contingencies for use if the characters don't approach these 
  events as expected. Obviously  it's impossible to anticipate 
  every possibility, and there will be times where 
  improvisation is necessary, but it's often possible to get a 
  Story back on track by moving a key event which the 
  players have missed into the characters' path somehow. It 
  is ev en possible to do this without the players ever 
  knowing. 
  Say, for example, the Story demands that the characters 
  uncover some vital information about the location of an 
  opponent's Haven before things can progress to the next 
  scene. Clues have been placed, but the characters have 
  passed them by, ignored them or gone somewhere else. 
  Think carefully. Do the characters really need to find this 
  out? What happens if they don't? Perhaps they will give 
  their opponent a tactical advantage, but still somehow be 
  able to carry on. If the Story really will fail without the 
  characters acquiring this knowledge, then it has to be 
  placed where they can find it. An easy way around this 
  (perhaps too easy) is to have an Ally come up with the 
  information, but there are several other possibilities. The 
  characters might be attacked by their opponent or by 
  his/her minions; the attack can be beaten off, but the 
  retreating enemy can be tracked to the Haven, or some 
  clue as to its whereabouts can be dropped during the battle 
  or found on the dead or unconscious body of one of the 
  attackers. 
  The Easy Life 
  Perhaps the greatest luxury of all is to sit back and let the 
  players do as they will, simply reacting on behalf of the rest 
  of the world. This takes considerable nerve on the 
  Storyteller's part, as well as thorough preparation and the 
  ability to think on one's feet. But in many ways, it's a good 
  deal less stressful than constantly worrying about the 
  planned course of the  
  Story and how to keep the players moving along the 
  intended route. 
  The main thing is to know the setting and the major NPCs. 
  Whatever the characters do, wherever they go, whoever 
  they meet, you have to be ready. This is not as hard as it 
  sounds; it's more a matter of practice and self-confidence 
  than anything else. Do not be afraid to freeze game time in 
  order to check up on something or think something 
  through - the players will probably welcome this 
  opportunity to hold an impromptu tactical conference of 
  their own. When the characters stray into terra incognita, 
  be careful not to let the players realize this; it might be a 
  good idea to have a prepared stock of generic locations 
  (shop, warehouse, station, church) and NPCs for use in 
  such situations. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  10 
  Also remember that the Story keeps on going even if the 
  characters are not taking an active part in it. The master 
  villain is not going to sit and wait just because the heroes 
  have not shown up on cue to foil the plan. As well as 
  keeping on top of what is happening where the characters 
  are, the Storyteller should at least try to have some idea of 
  what is happening where they aren't. 
  Always remember, the storytelling in Vampire is 
  interactive, and the final form of the Story is the joint 
  creation of the Storyteller and the players. Forcing the 
  direction of things robs players of the freedom to create 
  their part of the Story, and can reduce them to the status of 
  a passive audience. If that happens, they might as well go 
  and read a book instead - and eventually, many will. Allow 
  the characters to get into a mess, and let them get ou t of it 
  by themselves as much as you can. Mollycoddling can be as 
  bad as forcing wipeout situations - both deprive characters 
  and players of their own initiative. When characters head 
  off in some unexpected direction, think of them as writing 
  their own subplot. Let them go. Sooner or later there will 
  come an opportunity to rejoin the main thread of the Story. 
  The End 
  If you start out to take Vienna - take Vienna. 
  - Napoleon Bonaparte 
  When exactly does a Story end? This may seem like a 
  fatuous question, but it is vital to know from the outset 
  what conditions must be fulfilled in order to bring the 
  Story to an end. Remember, too, that there's more than 
  one way to do it. Even the simplest Story has two possible 
  endings - success and failure. 
  Like the beginning, the end of a Story has a number of 
  tasks to perform. It must resolve the main plot of the Story, 
  one way or another. Everyone involved in the Story (NPCs 
  as well) must have a sense that things have changed as a 
  result of the events of the Story. This is important, or 
  players will develop the feeling that their characters exist 
  in a kind of sitcom limbo, where everything is left the same 
  for 
  the 
  start  
  of the next episode. TV networks need this kind of fudging 
  so they can show the episodes in any order, but Vampire 
  demands something more than that. In most cases - but by 
  no means all - the ending of a Story must also give those 
  involved a sense of whether they have won, lost or merely 
  survived. 
  Types of Ending 
  The most common type of ending is the climax - the 
  showdown with the enemy, the discovery of the desired 
  item or information, the removal of the threat, or 
  whatever. Once this tense, action-filled scene is resolved 
  the Story is over, and the winner in this scene will almost 
  always be the winner in the overall Story. 
  Anticlimax can also be effective, but needs careful 
  handling. If the sense of anticlimax is communicated from 
  the characters to the players, there is a chance that the 
  players will become frustrated or disillusioned. When you 
  have risked your life and seen close friends lose theirs, it 
  can be hard to come to terms with the fact that it was all 
  for nothing. Even if the result of the main plot is an 
  anticlimax, the Storyteller should make sure that the 
  subplots and other circumstances give the characters 
  something over which they can feel a sense of achievement. 
  Anticlimax works best when it is combined with a lead 
  forward. Both players and characters will be happy to 
  channel their frustration into a new Story, and if the blame 
  for the anticlimax can be laid at the door of a particular 
  NPC or group, the characters will have a ready motivation 
  for further action against them. 
  Loose Ends 
  I'll be back. 
  - T101 -800, The Terminator 
  While the ending of a Story should resolve the main plot 
  one way or another, loose ends can often benefit from 
  being left untied. Especially in an ongoing Chronicle, these 
  are the things which provide continuity, lead to subplots or 
  new main plots, or hang unresolved over characters' heads 
  for some time to come. If the ending of a Story brings the 
  Chronicle to a major crossroads, then it may be better to tie 
  up all the loose ends at once, but in other circumstances 
  loose ends can have their uses. 
  Aftermath 
  Once the Story is over, the characters are awarded 
  experience, and players busy themselves with developing 
  and updating their characters. This is also the time when 
  the Storyteller should take stock and update the setting, for 
  the events of the Story will not have left it unchanged.  
  The Characters 
  There are guidelines in the Vampire rulebook to help the 
  Storyteller award experience to surviving characters. These 
  are sufficient in most cases, but those Storytellers who use 
  the additional rules in The Players Guide may need to 
  take certain extra details into account. 
  Increased character knowledge has been discussed under 
  the heading of Experience and Other Incentives above. 
  The Setting 
  The events of a Story leave very little of what they touch 
  unchanged, and while the players are busy updating their 
  character sheets, the Storyteller should take a few minutes 
  to note changes to the setting. As well as material things 
  like buildings which have been destroyed and artifacts 
  which have changed hands, there are intangibles like NPC 
  attitudes, alliances and power structures. 
  NPCs 
  The events of the completed Story will have wrought some 
  changes on the NPCs who took part in it as well as the 
  players' characters. Some may be dead, and others injured, 
  forced into Torpor or reduced in power and influence. 
  Many will have gained knowledge and changed opinions 
  and attitudes. Some may now be friendly to the characters, 
  and others will want them extinguished. 
  Most of this is merely a matter or making a few notes in the 
  appropriate places. Optionally, the Storyteller may decide 
  to award experience points to key NPCs, according to their 
  actions in the Story, and to advance these characters just as 
  the players are advancing theirs. This is a lot of work, and 
  should be restricted to those NPCs who were directly and 
  actively involved in the events of the Story. 
  Troupe-Style Play 
  My name is Legion; for we are many 
  - Luke 8: 30 
  Troupe-style play is a concept which was introduced in 
  White Wolf's Ars Magica game. Instead of each player 
  controlling only one character, a player may control several 
  characters of different types, selecting the most 
  appropriate character to play in any given situation. This 
  style of play has a number of advantages. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  11 
  First, having several different characters to choose from 
  allows a player to take an active part in the Story even if 
  the "main" character is absent, injured or killed. It also 
  allows a player to undertake several actions at once - for 
  example, a more scholarly character might be off 
  researching a dilemma while a more active character is 
  taking a direct approach to the problem. The group as a 
  whole 
  has 
  a 
  wider 
  range 
  of  
  abilities to draw upon, and is not so severely weakened by 
  the death or incapacity of one character. And from the 
  storytelling point of view, this style of play reflects minor 
  characters like friends, allies and contacts very well, 
  without giving the Storyteller the added burden of playing 
  additional NPCs. 
  Troupe-style play is not for everyone, and the Storyteller 
  has the final say over whether it will be used in a particular 
  Chronicle. 
  Approaches 
  There is more than one way to handle troupe-style play in 
  Vampire, and again the Storyteller must decide which is 
  most appropriate for the Chronicle. 
  Clan Spread 
  Consider this situation: the group has discovered some 
  vital information, and must get it to the Prince, who is 
  currently attending a very exclusive Kindred affair in the 
  Elysium. Most of the group are Brujah and Nosferatu, 
  whose fighting and stealth skills have enabled them to get 
  this far without too many problems - but these characters 
  are hardly likely to be welcomed in the Elysium. All are 
  Neonates, and lack the authority to simply barge in on 
  their own. Brujah are fractious and unrefined, and nearly 
  all are suspected of having Anarch sympathies. And as for 
  Nosferatu - well, they're hardly likely to get past the 
  Toreador Ancillæ who are guarding the door. 
  Normally, the characters would be faced with a problem. 
  They might be able to find an ally from the Ventrue or 
  Toreador clans who could get word to the Prince for them, 
  but by the time they have done so it might already be too 
  late. It could be that everyone from the more socially 
  acceptable clans is already attending the Prince, behind 
  closed doors and unreachable. And from the storytelling 
  point of view, to go through an NPC at this stage takes the 
  action out of the players' hands, leading to a feeling of 
  anticlimax and inevitably breaking the tension that has 
  built up in the Story so far. 
  One solution to this problem is to have each player create a 
  character from a different clan, so there is at least one 
  Ventrue, one Tremere, one Toreador, and so on. But then 
  again, this can lead to tensions within the group - 
  especially if the characters are played to the full - which 
  could lead to the whole Story breaking down. What 
  Toreador would be seen in the company of Nosferatu? 
  What Ventrue would trust his or her life to the 
  companionship of a Brujah - or worse, a Malkavian? 
  The problem might be solved if each player were allowed to 
  create a number of characters. From this pool of 
  characters, it would then be possible to put together a 
  party with the appropriate skills and background for 
  almost any situation. Intrigue in high places? Leave the 
  Brujah at home and bring out the Ventrue, Tremere and 
  Toreadors. Tough fight ahead? Load up on Brujah, with a 
  couple of Nosferatu scouts and  
  perhaps a Tremere for supernatural coverage. A foray into 
  the Barrens? Concentrate on Gangrels, with Nosferatu and 
  Brujah for support. 
  When a player creates a troupe of characters, the 
  Storyteller and the other players should get together to 
  work out the details. Since this pool of characters will all 
  know each other and be able to cooperate to an extent, they 
  will need reasons for overcoming their normal clan 
  hostilities and prejudices, and these will need to be worked 
  out in order for the whole troupe to work effectively. 
  It's no good switching from a Brujah to a Ventrue character 
  if the Ventrue refuses to have anything to do with these 
  near-Anarch rabble, for instance, so relationships and 
  connections have to be found. In many cases these will 
  strengthen and deepen in play, but there should be at least 
  some connection to start off with. Two characters might 
  have been colleagues, buddies or even relatives in their 
  breathing days, or they might be drawn together by some 
  common interest or priority. 
  Don't neglect the character archetypes when considering 
  this. A Caregiver might well feel impelled to look after a 
  Child, even if the Child is from a normally hostile clan. A 
  Conformist will stick with a Director or Architect of 
  another clan in the absence of any clearer lead from closer 
  to home, while a Fanatic or Visionary will use anyone to 
  further the Cause. A Rebel, on the other hand, might take 
  pleasure in associating with those of other clans, especially 
  if this outrages the more traditional clanmates of either 
  character. 
  The Warband 
  In Ars Magica, a player typically controls one of the 
  powerful wizards, along with a small entourage of men-at-
  arms and other companions. In Vampire, this idea might 
  be translated into a player controlling one Cainite, along 
  with any Ghouls, retainers and other hangers-on 
  associated with that character. In the language of skirmish 
  wargames, this would be described as a hero and warband. 
  Playing this way frees the Storyteller of the need to play 
  these NPCs, who would normally hang around with the 
  Vampire character anyway. It gives the player a few more 
  pairs of hands, and the ability to be active in daylight. But 
  it is not without its drawbacks, especially when dealing 
  with inexperienced or power-hungry players.  
  Most of the time, the player will be fully occupied by the 
  Vampire character, and it will be more or less assumed 
  that any hangers-on follow this character around 
  obediently. When the action becomes intense, an 
  inexperienced player can sometimes be a little 
  overwhelmed by the strain of having to look after three or 
  four lesser characters as well as the main one. The 
  Storyteller can overcome this by handling the lesser 
  characters most of the time, and only handing control of 
  them to the player upon request, or  when one of the lesser 
  character has something important to do or some critical 
  decision to make. 
  A greater problem is the cannon fodder syndrome, where 
  the lesser characters take all the risks, and are generally 
  pushed around and thrown away for the benefit of their 
  Cainite master. Unless the Kindred has them sufficiently 
  Dominated to turn them into mindless slaves, this is not 
  only unbelievable, but it is not using the lesser characters 
  to their full potential. In the end, it devalues the whole 
  game. 
  There are various ways to deal with this. One is for the 
  Storyteller to insist on some kind of loyalty check for lesser 
  characters whenever they are required to do something 
  life-threatening, against their nature (remember, these 
  lesser characters should be created with as much detail as a 
  main character), or just plain unpleasant. This dice roll 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  12 
  should take into account things like Domination, how well 
  the master has treated the lesser character in the past, 
  potential rewards, and so on. A good roll would be the 
  Vampire's Manipulation + Leadership vs the servant's 
  Intelligence + Courage (it takes a certain amount of nerve 
  to refuse a command from a Vampire), but the Storyteller 
  can vary the Traits used to reflect the situation. 
  Another way to prevent the abuse of underlings is to have 
  the Vampire character make a Conscience roll to avoid loss 
  of Humanity each time a lesser character is knowingly sent 
  into a dangerous situation. This tends to make even the 
  most autocratic of Kindred think twice, and is, after all, one 
  of the things that the rules mechanism of Humanity is 
  intended to cover.  
  Live-Action 
  Just a game that you like to play 
  Sleepwalking through a world of pain 
  Just another pretty face in the romeo rain 
  Now you're wide awake in dreamland 
  -Pat Benatar, Wide Awake in Dreamland 
  The Vampire rulebook makes some mention of live-
  action roleplaying in the game as a means of bringing 
  certain scenes more vividly to life. Live-action roleplaying 
  is where the distinction between game and improvised 
  theatre almost v anishes altogether, and with the right 
  scenes, characters and players a live-action session can be 
  very effective indeed. Like troupe play, live action is not for 
  everyone, and should always be considered as optional. 
  Choosing Scenes 
  Just as some scenes in a Story might be particularly 
  suitable for a live-action treatment, so some scenes might 
  be particularly unsuitable. When preparing to play out a 
  Story, the Storyteller should decide which scenes, if any, 
  will be played live. 
  Scenes which are most suitable for live action tend to be 
  those without combat or other kinds of dice-rolling; it can 
  ruin the atmosphere of a scene if it becomes necessary to 
  swing constantly from live play to dice-rolling. Discussions 
  and negotiations are easy to play live, and indeed many 
  people do so without even realizing it - they are sitting 
  around a table face-to-face with the Storyteller, just as 
  their characters are sitting face-to-face with one or more 
  NPCs. Other, less static types of scene can also be played 
  out live, but these tend to require a little more preparation. 
  More will be said of them later. 
  Combats are the least suitable scenes for playing live, 
  mainly because of the amount of dice rolling involved in 
  the average combat, but also because of the risk to players, 
  as opposed to characters. In most cases, specialized 
  facilities are required for handling live-action combats. 
  Such facilities do exist, and can be found advertised in 
  most hobby games magazines, but few if any of them are 
  either compatible with Vampire in their setting or flexible 
  enough to accommodate a story or scenario which they 
  have not designed themselves. 
  Styles of Play 
  Anything can happen in the next half-hour! 
  -Commander Shore,Stingray 
  The question of style in live-action play really revolves 
  arou nd one question: How far do you want to go? Do you 
  want to cover every possible scene live, or only use live play 
  when it is particularly easy or appropriate to do so? Do you 
  want to get involved with scenery, props, costumes - or 
  would  
  you rather keep these in the imagination, and concentrate 
  on the words and deeds of the characters? Do you want to 
  seek out suitable locations, or adapt the space you 
  normally use for gaming? How much extra work do you 
  want to put into things? What resources do you have to 
  devote to setting live play up? This is a decision that each 
  group will have to make for itself, according to its own 
  preferences and resources. 
  Props 
  I'm putting on my top hat 
  Tying up my white tie 
  Brushing off my tails 
  - Fred Astaire, Top Hat 
  Props can add a great deal to a live-action play session, and 
  some players like to use props as a part of their characters. 
  Something like a silver-topped cane, a monocle or a certain 
  item of clothing can quickly become a trademark, 
  identifying a character as much as an attitude or a catch 
  phrase. Groucho simply isn't Groucho without the tailcoat 
  and cigar, no matter how well you do the walk. Where 
  would Obi-Wan Kenobi be without his hooded robe and 
  lightsaber, or Darth Vader without his mask? Or Don 
  Corleone without his ring? Or Ripley without an enormous 
  gun? What would Stan and Ollie do if they didn't have their 
  hats and ties to fiddle with? You get the idea.  
  This is just as true of NPCs - it's normally just a figure of 
  speech when people say the Storyteller wears a number of 
  hats during the course of the game, but it can become 
  literally true in live action! A prop, a mannerism or a style 
  of speaking can all help bring an NPC to life and separate 
  her from the many other characters the Storyteller must 
  play during the course of a Story. 
  Some props are part of the action instead of being part of a 
  character. The most common type of prop is the "player 
  handout" - a copy of a map, picture or document which can 
  be given to the players when their characters find its 
  counterpart in the Story. But in a live session, the 
  possibilities broaden. Books, pieces of jewelry, scraps of 
  paper or cloth - almost any kind of clue or significant item 
  can be represented in the flesh, so to speak, instead of the 
  Storyteller simply describing to the players what it is that 
  their characters have found. Props are also good for set 
  dressing (see Settings below), helping to convey the 
  atmosphere of a location more eloquently than any amount 
  of verbal description can. 
  Props are neither as difficult nor as expensive to obtain as 
  you might expect. Thrift stores, "nearly -new" shops, yard 
  and garage sales, and house clearance auctions are all good 
  sources. If you make a habit of cruising such places, 
  keeping an open mind and looking for useful and 
  interesting items rather than having a rigidly fixed idea of 
  what you want, then you can find a good collection of 
  interesting props fairly inexpensively. 
  Settings 
  My set is amazing 
  It even smells like the street 
  There's a bar down at the end 
  Where I can meet you and your friend 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  13 
  - David Bowie, Candidate 
  Most live-action gaming sessions will probably take place 
  in much the same surroundings as the "'round-the-table" 
  sessions: someone's home or another convenient meeting 
  place. There are some occasions, though, where another 
  setting can add a great deal to the experience of the game. 
  Even when planning a live session in the normal gaming 
  location, there are ways to make the place look and feel 
  more like the location in the Story. Props have already 
  been mentioned, and simple things like moving a few 
  pieces of furniture can go a long way. Other senses, such as 
  smell, can be as important as sight in creating the feel of a 
  place, but is a little more limited in its possibilities. You 
  might not want to make your home smell like a city sewer 
  for a scene in a Nosferatu stronghold, for instance, but a 
  little incense and perhaps a tape of Gregorian chanting in 
  the background, and you have an atmosphere ideal for a 
  Tremere Chantry or an Elder's Haven. 
  For special scenes, you might even find an outside location, 
  but this must be done with great care. First, permission 
  must be obtained for any activity on private land, and 
  gaming  
  is no exception. Second - and perhaps more difficult - it is 
  important to make sure that no members of the non-
  gaming public get the wrong impression about what is 
  going on. This may sound like a minor point, but it is quite 
  possible to get arrested for attacking (or appearing to 
  attack) another person in a public place, and many people 
  tend to become worried when they see black-cloaked 
  figures flitting in and out of churchyards or abandoned 
  houses late at night. 
  There have been a few unfortunate incidents in the history 
  of this hobby where such misunderstandings have led to 
  arrests and even death. Rare as these incidents are, they 
  are always seized upon by the sensational press, and by 
  those who would like to prove that this type of gaming is 
  dangerous, 
  unwholesome, 
  satanic 
  or 
  otherwise 
  undesirable. Nonparticipants have a hard enough time 
  understanding what this hobby is about, given the often 
  confusing statements of gamers and the scaremongering 
  claims of the hobby's enemies. Don't get your hobby a bad 
  name, or help reinforce harmful misconceptions about it. 
  That harms all of us, not just yourself and your group. The 
  key words are permission, planning, safety and 
  responsibility. 
  As with all aspects of live play, the Storyteller must choose 
  exactly how far to go in the pursuit of realism. Few will 
  have the time or other resources to create movie-like sets 
  for their live gaming sessions, but everyone can do 
  something to create a sense of place. 
  Cheap Tricks 
  From ghoulies and ghosties 
  And long-leggity beasties 
  And things that go bump in the night 
  Good Lord deliver us 
  - traditional English prayer 
  The ruses and techniques discussed in this section can 
  apply to round-the-table gaming as much as live-action; in 
  many ways, they provide a kind of halfway house between 
  the two. As with everything in this section, the ideas 
  presented here are only examples, and the Storyteller is 
  encouraged to develop his or her own ideas and 
  techniques, according to the tastes and gaming style of the 
  group. 
  Sound 
  Music and sound effects are among the oldest techniques 
  for establishing atmosphere in a gaming session, and 
  several companies - White Wolf among them - produce 
  collections of music and sound effects specifically designed 
  for gaming. Many record stores also stock recordings of 
  sound effects - the BBC series is particularly recommended 
  - and enterprising Storytellers with recording equipment 
  can easily make their own. 
  As well as being part of the background ambience of the 
  gaming session, sound can be used for specific purposes as 
  well - especially sound effects. At its simplest, this involves  
  playing a sound effect instead of describing to players what 
  they hear at a particular time. In a more developed form, it 
  can involve concealing small speakers about the place, and 
  playing previously -cued sounds at the appropriate time 
  without letting the players see you hit the switch. 
  Unexpected crashes of thunder, explosions or sounds of 
  breaking glass can produce much the same feelings in 
  players as in their characters. 
  Searching 
  Another of the basic semi-live tricks is to have players 
  search for clues instead of letting them roll dice for their 
  characters' searching. This works particularly well in 
  conjunction with a moderate amount of set dressing, and 
  of course the clue or clues should be concealed before the 
  gaming session begins. Apart from adding some live-action 
  realism to the game, this technique can also stop players 
  whining about the Storyteller's restrictions on how large an 
  area can be searched in a given amount of time - they'll 
  realize it takes longer than they thought! 
  Of course, a Storyteller who uses this technique does have 
  to be prepared for the players to take the room apart, and 
  make sure there is nothing there that they are not 
  supposed to find. 
  Tasks 
  In a round-the-table gaming session, players roll dice to 
  decide the success or failure of many of their characters' 
  actions, and it is often the case that the amount of dice-
  rolling necessary determines the suitability of a scene for 
  playing live. In some circumstances, it is possible to have a 
  player attempt a task, instead of merely rolling dice as the 
  player's character attempts the same task. Searching, 
  discussed above, is one example of this, but there are many 
  other possibilities. 
  Say, for example, a character is trapped in a semi-ruined 
  building at dawn. Sunlight is beginning to filter in through 
  gaps in the walls and roof. These can be simulated by 
  setting up a number of narrow -beam flashlights at various 
  points in the room, and turning out the other lights. The 
  character has to make it to the darkness of the cellar in 
  order to rest for the day, and so the player might be 
  required to make it across the room. Every time the player 
  breaks a flashlight beam, the character has stumbled into a 
  shaft of sunlight, and suffers accordingly. 
  Some gamers prefer not to have players attempt tasks on 
  behalf of their characters, pointing out - quite reasonably - 
  that the character often has very different abilities from the 
  player. It's no good expecting a player who has never had a 
  music lesson to play the piano, for instance, even if that 
  player's character does happen to have Music 5 specializing 
  in keyboard instruments. There are some tasks which a 
  player simply cannot perform on behalf of the character, 
  and in these cases it is far better, and fairer, to fall back on 
  dice rolls.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  14 
  VAMPIRE STORY WORKSHEET 
  Storyteller:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Chronicle Name:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Geographical Setting:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Start Date:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Characters:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Story Concept:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Plot Archetype(s):  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Subplot(s):  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Theme: 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Mood: 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Plot Summary:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Key NPCs:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Key Locations:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Key Situations:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Troubleshooting:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Rewards:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Reward Conditions: 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Opening:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Location:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  NPCs: 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Ending: 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Location:  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  15 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  NPCs: 
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Conditions for success:  
  _____________________________________________________ 
  Conditions for failure:  
  _____________________________________________________  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  16 
  Chapter Two: 
  The Chronicle 
  When in the chronicle of wasted time 
  I see descriptions of the fairest wights, 
  And beauty making beautiful old rime 
  In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights. 
  - William Shakespeare, The Sonnets of Shakespeare 
   
  Not all Vampire players and Storytellers want to engage 
  in a Chronicle. Many stay perfectly happy with one-shot 
  Stories, complete in and of themselves, with no 
  relationship to the next Story. Some may even use the 
  same characters, settings and antagonists, but still not 
  want to tie them together. However, most players and 
  Storytellers prefer the character growth and interaction 
  that only comes from a Chronicle, which explains why 
  Vampire has been set in its current form. 
  Characters develop and grow, their enemies' schemes 
  change and evolve, and slowly the characters begin to piece 
  together what their existence is all about. The layers of the 
  onion unravel, unveiling deeper and deeper intrigues, 
  greater and greater enemies, and more and more exciting 
  stories. Both the crescendo and the culmination that can 
  only be experienced in Chronicles add additional levels of 
  excitement absent from single Stories. 
  However, it remains possible to ruin Chronicles with 
  poorly thought-out actions, mistakes in planning or just 
  plain bad luck. The unplanned actions of characters can 
  easily sabotage all the Storyteller's careful work and 
  scheming. Thus developing and reshaping a Chronicle 
  around the characters' actions can be just as important as 
  the original setup devised by the Storyteller, but both are 
  essential to an enjoyable Chronicle. 
  Where to Begin 
  Vampire itself details a number of ways to begin 
  Chronicles, as well as aspects to consider in their 
  establishment. As with character and Story creation, the 
  place to start is with a concept of what the Storyteller 
  wants the Chronicle to be. Will it follow one of the classic 
  lines, with the characters as members of a gang defending 
  its turf against Anarchs, the Prince, hunters, Lupines, 
  demons and others? Will it be more roleplaying-oriented, 
  with the characters desperately caught up in their Clans' 
  politics? Or will it be far more bizarre, with the characters 
  some of the few Kindred still existing in a world that 
  believes in the Undead - and hunts them down with 
  ruthless efficiency? 
  Chronicle concept often takes a meandering route through 
  the Storyteller's brain. Many times the process begins with 
  a Storyteller flipping through a book (maybe even the 
  Vampire rulebook) or talking to someone when 
  something will click in her head. Maybe it will be the 
  setting ("Wouldn't it be wild to set a Chronicle in Berlin, 
  with the East and West parts of the city still being run by 
  competing Princes?"), a major antagonist ("What if one of 
  the characters' Sires, under the delusion the characters 
  betrayed him, made a deal with the devil in order to get 
  revenge?") or even just a mood ("How  
  would the players handle a Chronicle where everything was 
  designed as sensually as possible?"). 
  Even if the Storyteller has a fairly clear idea of all these 
  aspects - where the Chronicle will be set, who will play 
  major roles in it and what will happen - it is probable that 
  much remains vague. Exactly what role will the characters 
  play in the Chronicle? Will they be pawns of higher forces? 
  Wild cards uncontrolled by the powers that be? Or a potent 
  force in their own right, working together to drive their 
  enemies from power? 
  In developing the concept, the Storyteller must look at 
  what the players seem to want out of the game. If they all 
  make up Anarchs, then she can safely make the 
  assumption they hope to battle it out with the Prince and 
  Camarilla. If they all make Toreadors, Ventrue, Tremere 
  and Malkavians, then it is likely they hope to have a game 
  of politics most treacherous. Finally, if they end up with a 
  mixed bag of Brujah and Ventrue, Toreador and Nosferatu, 
  Gangrel and Tremere, she should be prepared for intense 
  roleplaying, with the stories serving as a backdrop for the 
  coterie's internal conflicts as much as anything else. 
  Chronicle concept requires more Storyteller-player 
  dialogue than does any other aspect of creation. The 
  Storyteller might hope to have the Chronicle revolve 
  around the characters' battles with the egotistical Prince, 
  but those battles will take a far different form if the players 
  run 
  Ventrue 
  and  
  Tremere than they would if the characters were Brujah and 
  Caitiff. 
  Were this the case, the Storyteller might tell the players the 
  setting she has in mind, and something about the situation 
  ("A new Prince recently seized power here in Dallas, and 
  nobody is quite sure what the future holds."). Then the 
  players can start developing their characters and she can 
  begin to see what direction you hope to go in. So if the 
  players start saying "I want to run a Ventrue who was 
  allied with the old Prince," or "My character is going to be a 
  Gangrel who hates all Princes," she can see what will be 
  coming. And thus the concept is born. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  17 
  Prelude 
  Many Chronicles begin with the Preludes, an excellent time 
  for players to get to know their characters and for the 
  Storyteller to figure out what the players want out of the 
  Chronicle. Usually Storytellers heavily script the Preludes, 
  for they must ensure the characters become Vampires and 
  survive up until the time the Chronicle is supposed to start. 
  However, even here things can begin to go wrong. What if 
  the characters befriend the Elder the Storyteller hoped 
  they would hate? How about the time they attacked a 
  member of the Inconnu by accident? What if they seek out 
  and join the Sabbat a month after the Embrace? 
  None of these occurrences is especially critical to the 
  Chronicle, despite their apparent significance. Since the 
  Storyteller has great leeway during the Prelude, anything 
  which happens here can change. Additionally, she should 
  be able to draw ideas from this part of the Chronicle for 
  future Stories. Thus if the characters do meet and impress 
  the Clan Elder who should have proven a great 
  impediment to their advancement, she still has time to 
  make the Elder change her mind about them. 
  Just remember, the Prelude does more than just serve as 
  an exciting Story. It gives the player a chance to get to 
  know his character and get into the role before the 
  important scenes of the Chronicle begin. The Storyteller 
  should also take the opportunity to size up the character 
  and the events of character creation. While the concept 
  behind the Chronicle should already be firmly planted, one 
  can alway s add to it. If the players seem more intent on 
  violence than she first thought, now is the time to make 
  their enemies more brutal. If the players appear to enjoy 
  schemes and plots, add even greater layers of conspiracy to 
  your concept. 
  Where to Go 
  Now that the Storyteller has the concept down pat, fleshed 
  out with setting, characters and major players, she needs to 
  devise a plan. The plan details in what directions she 
  wishes to see the Chronicle go and what the goals are. This 
  can be as specific as "The characters shall track down and 
  slay their  
  Sires, thereby regaining their mortality," or it can be as 
  fuzzy as "The characters slowly unravel the mysteries of the 
  city, learn who is behind what actions and thus become a 
  power in their own right." 
  The easiest way to handle this plan often involves setting 
  up a final destination and establishing checkpoints which 
  should be reached if the Chronicle is on course. For 
  instance, if the goal of the Chronicle is to have the 
  characters drive the evil Primogen from power and take its 
  place, ushering in a new era of peace and harmony, then 
  she can set up a number of checkpoints. 
  First the characters must learn just how evil the Primogen 
  is, accomplished easily enough by having the Primogen 
  persecute them unjustly, perhaps turning them into 
  scapegoats for the sins of one of the Primogen's own 
  Childer. The next stage would be for the characters to 
  achieve a position of relative safety, either by leaving the 
  city or by recruiting powerful allies (perhaps from their 
  own Clans). 
  Now the characters should start learning about the 
  Primogen's weaknesses, be they its inherent friction, the 
  hatred it has earned from all the city's Kindred or the fact 
  that half its members are diabolists, Setites or turncoats 
  from the Sabbat. The characters reach the fourth 
  checkpoint when they begin using this knowledge to their 
  own advantage, and the Primogen begins to weaken. 
  The fifth and final checkpoint comes when the characters 
  finally drive the Primogen from power, perhaps by turning 
  its members upon each other, and either take over the city 
  themselves or install someone of their liking. This may 
  have taken anywhere from 10 to 100 or more individual 
  Stories to accomplish, with a number of odd Stories 
  (hunters, encounters with Lupines, Clan meetings, etc.) to 
  add spice and variety. Now the characters have met the 
  goal and the Storyteller can consider the Chronicle 
  through. After all, now the characters rule, and most of 
  their time gets taken up with the petty aspects of 
  government, not always the stuff of enjoyable Stories. 
  However, perhaps the members of the Primogen were the 
  pawns of powerful Methuselahs, and the characters' 
  actions force one to rise from Torpor. Now a whole new 
  Chronicle begins, where the concept revolves around this 
  new evil power loose in the characters' city, and the goal 
  has to do with their tracking it down and doing away with 
  it. 
  The Chronicle Map 
  An alternative to the game plan is the story map. Similar to 
  the game plan, its main difference lies in the amount of 
  control the players have over what will happen. The 
  Chronicle map takes the same form as the Story map which 
  is used in White Wolf products like Ashes to Ashes to 
  show Storytellers what may happen depending on the 
  characters' actions. At its most basic, the Chronicle or 
  Story map has two points on it - where you plan to start the 
  characters and where you hope they will end up. 
  Most maps have more, however. Since any Scene or Story 
  can end in a number of different ways, the map points out 
  the results of what may happen given the characters' 
  actions. For instance, if one scene calls for the characters to 
  meet and interrogate a police officer in order to find out 
  what prompted the raids on their havens, the scene would 
  have arrows pointing to what could happen should the 
  characters get the information they need, not get the 
  information, get partial information or even get arrested. 
  Each of these results would lead to a different scene, which 
  would then become a new point on the map from which 
  new arrows to new scenes would be drawn. Thus, if the 
  characters get the required information from the cop, they 
  can seek out the Cainite who ordered the raids, present the 
  information to the Prince for its high risk to the 
  Masquerade or do nothing, in which case the arrow points 
  to the next fiendish (and potentially lethal) plot of their 
  enemy. 
  While the map can be extremely useful in planning 
  individual Stories, its true utility becomes apparent when 
  planning out the Chronicle. This sort of map has to be 
  vaguer than the story map since it covers much greater 
  events. Thus the Story about the Cainite who ordered raids 
  on their havens would only take up one point on the map. 
  From this point would come such options as: Characters 
  slay Cainite, Characters driven out of town, Characters 
  drive Cainite out of town, Characters bring pressure to 
  bear on Cainite so he stops overt action against them, and 
  even Characters make peace with Cainite (not bloody 
  likely). 
  This Chronicle map, instead of showing the route the 
  characters should take (as the game plan does), shows the 
  routes they may take, and allow the Storyteller to get a feel 
  beforehand of what consequences their actions may cause. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  18 
  While this map will not have the same definition of either 
  the game plan or the story map, it allows the Storyteller to 
  anticipate what the characters may do and how to handle 
  it. 
  Additionally, each point on the map should have an arrow 
  leading to a blank space to allow for completely unforeseen 
  results. Other events should have arrows going both ways 
  between it and another nexus, showing how the characters 
  can take either route and still get to the same place. 
  Stops Along the Way 
  Nothing ever works as easily as this. If the Storyteller 
  thinks for one minute the players will happily follow the 
  game plan or stor y map, she is sadly mistaken. Perhaps 
  one or more hope to side with the Primogen, turning in 
  their coterie in exchange for favorable treatment. Perhaps 
  they chuck the whole thing and head out to the Anarch 
  Free States. Maybe in seeking power to combat the 
  Primogen, they become so caught up in diablerie that they 
  forget the original purpose of their murders. 
  The changes may not even result from character actions. 
  The Storyteller, in taking the characters through some sub  
  plot or another, may well notice the players and herself 
  becoming more interested in this side aspect than in the 
  main part of the Chronicle. Maybe a red herring you throw 
  out attracts so much attention you decide to make it a 
  major element of the Chronicle, and the players need never 
  know it originally played no role. 
  In any case, the Storyteller needs to prepare for that which 
  cannot be prepared for. Unexpected twists and turns are 
  one aspect of roleplaying which makes it so interesting and 
  exciting. These can occur at any moment, from the first 
  session to the last. 
  Expansion 
  Once the actual Chronicle has started, it cannot help but 
  grow as Storyteller and players explore the different facets 
  of the Vampiric existence. Handling that growth is no easy 
  task, as new plot lines develop, new enemies form while 
  old ones fall by the wayside, and the characters begin 
  turning their desires into Stories. In fact, it is during this 
  period of growth, after the action has gotten underway but 
  before it approaches a conclusion, that the Chronicle is at 
  its most vulnerable. 
  Keeping it Together 
  The most obvious problem lies in keeping the Chronicle 
  compact. A Chronicle can quickly unravel amidst a flurry of 
  captivating, yet unconnected, Stories. No matter how 
  exciting battling Buddhist Witch-Hunters one night and 
  Ravnos Archons the next may be, eventually you and the 
  players lose all sight of what is going on around their 
  characters. Real life has never been a series of random 
  events, and while there is no reason to make the players 
  feel everything in the world rests on their shoulders, they 
  should at least understand that their actions one night will 
  effect what happens the next. 
  The easiest way to bring this about is through the use of a 
  unifying theme and mood for the Chronicle, as explained 
  in Vampire. For instance, if you follow the leadership 
  theme presented in the rulebook, then characters will 
  begin to get a sense of how control and authority affect 
  them and the Gothic-Punk world. Thus they see how their 
  own actions related to being leaders and followers changes 
  the game. 
  Even with a sustained theme and mood, however, the 
  Chronicle can begin to branch off in a million different 
  directions as characters follow their own plans and stories 
  take a life of their own. In this case the Storyteller needs to 
  combine her two great weapons - planning and 
  improvisation - into one. 
  The plan has been discussed above, and the Storyteller 
  should already have a good idea of what she wants the 
  characters to accomplish. As they start getting off track, 
  maybe by turning someone else's ghoul retainer into a 
  Vampire and then running off to Gary instead of rescuing 
  the Salubri who could tell them about the Methuselah 
  Dominating the Justicar, the Storyteller needs to carefully 
  weigh 
  just  
  how important it is to point the characters back in the 
  original direction. 
  A Storyteller can always follow the high-handed method to 
  bring the characters back into line with his plans (a loved 
  one threatened, the characters kidnapped, offers too good 
  to refuse, etc.), but many players resent being treated in 
  this way. On the flip side, the Storyteller can chuck all the 
  careful preparation she has made in order to go with the 
  characters' whimsy - a result as unsatisfying as the one 
  which forced the characters to toe the line. 
  However, it is almost always possible to bring the players 
  and the Storyteller into a mutually agreeable solution. One 
  way to handle this situation is to weigh the benefits of 
  getting them back into the original Chronicle against the 
  potential of these new events. Is it possible to accomplish 
  the same goals within the framework of what the 
  characters have done? 
  For instance, if the Storyteller hopes to have the characters 
  uncover the true power behind the throne, can they find 
  clues in their new location which will set them back on 
  track, but on their own timetable? Or, if the goal was much 
  broader in scope, perhaps forcing the characters to choose 
  between siding with two evils (say the Salubri and the 
  Tremere), then there is no reason why the Storyteller 
  cannot create a compromise. 
  Another way to handle this situation is with redirection. 
  Something has caused the characters to diverge from the 
  course the Storyteller had hoped they would follow - now it 
  is up to the Storyteller to give them a reason to return 
  Which Way Did He Go 
  Another area which can quickly blow up is the setting. As a 
  Chronicle grows and grows, more and more places begin to 
  take on greater and greater importance. By now the 
  characters may have developed a number of back-up 
  havens, visited other cities, been forced to seek shelter 
  among the Lupines during a Blood Hunt and generally 
  been around so much that the Chronicle no longer revolves 
  around one location. 
  While good in itself, multiple settings can quickly become 
  too much for a Storyteller. Not only does she have to know 
  something about a variety of different places, but each 
  setting is filled with its own fascinating individuals and 
  their interactions. Each area undergoes change whether 
  the characters are there or not, and it becomes 
  exceptionally difficult to keep track of these when the 
  Storyteller needs to make decisions for four or five 
  unconnected areas, especially when a number of these are 
  large cities. 
  The easiest way to keep the settings from blowing up in the 
  Storyteller's face is to designate one as the main place of 
  business. Using the setting from Vampire as an example 
  of this, Gary would be the main location for the characters, 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  19 
  though they would make regular incursions into Chicago 
  and occasional forays to Milwaukee. Thus the Storyteller 
  would have to put the most work into Gary, keep a close 
  eye on  
  Chicago and let Milwaukee simmer in the back of her mind 
  - a much easier task than trying to juggle all three. 
  Deciding which setting should be the main location for a 
  Chronicle should be a relatively easy task -which one is the 
  Storyteller most interested in, and which can provide the 
  most interesting Stories? While characters might become 
  more attracted to the other places, the Storyteller should 
  have little difficulty keeping the characters in one place. As 
  they spend more time there, they will begin to have more 
  and more invested in it. Thus, no matter how often they 
  leave town to seek allies or safety, they will eventually 
  return to their "home." 
  An alternate way of handling a plethora of settings is by 
  giving each one a sole purpose, and only having to look at 
  that location in a specific light. To use Gary once more, it 
  would be the place for power plays as the characters strive 
  to take over. Chicago would be a place of quiet conspiracies 
  and plots while Milwaukee would allow the characters to 
  let loose with spasms of violence. Thus the Storyteller 
  would only have to stay cognizant of those factions the 
  characters would be interacting with instead of the entire 
  spectrum of Kindred. 
  Who Do I Hate Tonight 
  Another area which can easily grow out of control are the 
  villains of the Chronicle. While it may be true that there is 
  no such thing as a "good" Vampire, not all of the Kindred 
  need be hostile to the characters. However, it can be a 
  great urge to have every Vampire want to use them for 
  their own appalling purposes. 
  If the characters find they can never trust another of the 
  Undead, or that every mortal is a pawn of some Cainite or 
  another, their players can swiftly become fed up with 
  always being in conflict and the Storyteller will find she 
  spends more time keeping track of the villains than having 
  fun with the Chronicle. It becomes very tedious when every 
  time the characters are attacked they have to run through a 
  growing checklist to decide who it might have been. 
  Finally, it detracts from the impact any one foe can have 
  when the characters must battle every other individual 
  they encounter. 
  The best method for avoiding this fate is to follow a tactic 
  similar to handling the settings - establish a main enemy or 
  group of enemies. While only fighting one enemy would 
  rapidly become boring, the characters should at least be 
  able to concentrate their attentions in one direction. Of 
  course, this does not mean the characters will necessarily 
  know who their enemy is - there should always be a level of 
  uncertainty in the game. However, they should at least 
  have something to aim at (the Prince's brood, the Anarch 
  gang, two Clan Elders, etc.). 
  Once you have decided on the overarching evil of the 
  Chronicle, it becomes much easier to integrate the other 
  foes the characters will meet. Each will have a purpose and 
  job, becoming something more than another punching bag 
  for 
  the  
  characters to pound on. Finally, the minor villains, thanks 
  to their very pettiness, will make the main ones that much 
  more impressive by comparison. 
  The Web 
  A final area the Storyteller has to keep a close eye on is the 
  growing web and depth of entanglements and conspiracies 
  the characters become involved in. Vampire lends itself 
  well to deep plots and intricate ties between characters and 
  NPCs, but these also make the Storyteller's job that much 
  harder. It is not always enough to just keep in mind that 
  the Anarch gang boss is Blood Bound to the Toreador Clan 
  leader. 
  Instead, the ties between the Clans, its Elders and its 
  Neonates all play a role in how the leader will use the 
  Anarch. Whether or not the leader will have the Anarch 
  help, hinder or ignore the characters (or even if the leader 
  lets the Anarch act freely) will depend as much on outside 
  factors as it will on how she herself views the characters 
  and their mission. 
  Only the loosest of Storytellers should try and keep all this 
  information in her head. Chicago by Night and 
  Milwaukee by Night provide coterie maps which show 
  how individuals feel about each other, and these are good 
  starting points for Storytellers. As your Chronicle develops, 
  you can add each major player to the map, and illustrate 
  her relations with the others. Change these as the 
  characters change, and feel free  
  to make major revisions should the Chronicle seem headed 
  off course. 
  Additionally, you can interconnect these webs as you 
  desire. No coterie exists without feeling the impact of other 
  Kindred, and the more connections existing on your map, 
  the more detailed the Chronicle can be. This also aids the 
  Storyteller in keeping the Chronicle together, as even 
  though she may add more pieces, they stay in an 
  organized, planned manner, usable as the Storyteller wills. 
  Consistency 
  The final factor which can cause an entire Chronicle to fall 
  apart is a lack of consistency. All the above suggestions 
  should help keep it together, but if players begin getting 
  the feeling that the Storyteller never knows what is going 
  on, and cannot keep things the same, then they lose the 
  trust and credibility which is the basis of the Storytelling 
  experience. 
  This lack of consistency does not refer to just forgetting 
  which building the Prince makes her haven in or what side 
  of the room has the hidden doorway. Instead it becomes 
  important when the Storyteller has villains act differently 
  from one Story to the next for no reason, when taking one 
  pattern of action works sometimes and inexplicably fails 
  other times or if the Storyteller seems to be backtracking 
  constantly to recover when things go against her. 
  Consistency is as much a matter of perception as it is 
  reality. If players see the Storyteller as inconsistent, it does 
  not matter if she really is or not, and vice versa. Thus the 
  Storyteller should first endeavor to be consistent, keeping 
  accurate notes and listening to player worries as soon as 
  they crop up. 
  However, other tricks can help as well. For instance, 
  keeping a motif to the Chronicle (as described in 
  Vampire) immediately gives it the illusion of stability. 
  After all, if players see events happening in a constant 
  manner or at least with the appearance of a plan 
  supporting them, then they assume everything operates in 
  that way. 
  Another way to keep the consistency together is to avoid 
  even the slightest hint of favoritism. Nothing causes a 
  Chronicle to degenerate as quickly as players believing they 
  are being treated differently from each other. Even if you 
  feel everything has been equal, the players may not see 
  things the same way. Listen to each player as much as any 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  20 
  other, pretend to give their plans the same amount of 
  consideration and never let them see the dice when you 
  fudge a roll. 
  Handling Time 
  One problem unique to Vampire lies in the handling of 
  time. In roleplaying games, the characters are usually 
  mortals with relatively brief lifespans. In Vampire, 
  however, the characters have the potential to live forever, 
  and the Chronicle can last eons. The obvious problems 
  begin when the Chronicle begins advancing faster than real 
  time does, until the Storyteller is left trying to decide what 
  her city and world will be like in 10 or 100 years. 
  Storytellers have used a number of tricks to deal with this 
  predicament. The easiest involves keeping the Stories 
  related to the night-to-night events of the characters, thus 
  preventing the game from advancing far beyond the rest of 
  the world. The opposite side of this coin requires the 
  Storyteller to plan for a science fiction Chronicle, and let it 
  advance at a high rate of speed in order to avoid ever 
  having to get too deeply involved in one place and time 
  (which would require the Storyteller do prodigious 
  amounts of work for multiple eras). 
  Neither of these angles is particularly satisfying, and both 
  limit the Storyteller in the ways she can direct her 
  Chronicle. Thus there are two other ways to handle the 
  passage of time, each of which keeps the Storyteller from 
  having to do too much work but gives greater freedom to 
  advance the clock at will. 
  Sleeping Beauties 
  The first way requires the characters to enter torpor, 
  preferably voluntarily. At some point, most Kindred who 
  have survived the better part of a century begin to tire of 
  the waking world. They have seen most of what they want 
  to see, and the latest innovation barely attracts their 
  interest. At this  
  point they create a heavily protected resting place or seek 
  out a quiet place in the wild where they can meld with the 
  earth. 
  Voluntary torpor differs from that which Kindred enter 
  when they suffer grievous wounds. Kindred who enter this 
  state without being forced to can generally awaken at the 
  time they desire (or at least within a decade or so). Those 
  with Auspex may be able to keep a vigil over the world and 
  pick their time of revival. Indeed, many who have 
  involuntarily entered torpor due to wounds can awaken 
  earlier than they do, but opt to continue sleeping until they 
  feel ready to come out. 
  Thus at some point the characters should decide, as a 
  troupe, to enter torpor and when to arise. One easy way to 
  bring this about is to have them battling some great foe 
  who himself disappears for decades at a time. With the use 
  of the proper ritual (thoughtfully supplied by the 
  Storyteller), the characters can revive themselves whenever 
  their archenemy comes out of torpor as well. Thus the 
  characters stay in hiding from the villain's minions, but can 
  still combat him as necessary. 
  While this method can also be used with the downtime 
  rules found later in this chapter, it works best when the 
  characters sleep the years away. Given years of downtime, 
  far too many players would begin demanding gobs of 
  experience for their characters, possibly increasing the 
  power level of the game before the Storyteller is ready. 
  Back to the Future 
  Another way to handle the passage of time involves 
  starting the Chronicle at an earlier date. If a Storyteller 
  began the actual game in 1950, she would have a wealth of 
  details about the time and be able to slowly advance it to 
  the present day. While she might have to take care about 
  keeping the characters from changing the present (no 
  characters allowed in Dallas on November 22, 1963 or 
  sleeping in the Watergate Hotel nine years later), even that 
  can be fun. 
  Storytellers can handle the Back to the Future method one 
  of two ways. With the first method, time passes normally, 
  with the characters spending as much time on the Stories 
  as they would if the Chronicle started today. In the second, 
  the Storyteller speeds up time leading up to the present. 
  After all, many players find it difficult to separate their 
  knowledge of the past from their characters' actions, so if 
  the Storyteller keeps events moving quickly, the players 
  cannot exploit the situation. Still, the Chronicle will be able 
  to encompass at least some of the scope of what being 
  immortal is all about. 
  Humor and Tension 
  The final aspect of the Chronicle to keep in mind is the mix 
  of player moods. This does not refer to Chronicle moods 
  like suspense and darkness, but instead to how the players 
  themselves feel. No Chronicle can survive if it always 
  makes the players feel the same way. Even if the horror is 
  of 
  the 
  best  
  kind, or the suspense always dramatic, eventually people 
  get fed up with the same menu over and over. 
  Varying the emotions in each scene cannot always be 
  planned out. You may be able to say when the characters 
  will be in the greatest danger, and when they face their 
  most horrendous foe, but the players themselves might feel 
  the most horror during the anticipation of what is to come, 
  and find the actual battle a relief (at least they know what 
  they're up against). 
  The Storyteller can maintain some control over how the 
  players feel, however. Modulating the tension requires as 
  much attention to what the players are doing as to what 
  their characters are up to. When they are distracted from 
  the game, nothing will make them feel the suspense you 
  have spent so long building up. On the other hand, when 
  their concentration becomes complete, they will feel every 
  emotion of their characters. 
  Once you know how the players themselves feel, you can 
  begin the process of manipulating their moods (after all, is 
  that not what storytellers of all kinds aim for?). Contrasts 
  are probably the easiest way to handle this. For instance, if 
  the dramatic Scenes won't happen for a while, use 
  humorous situations to relax the players. Then, as the 
  tension begins to rise, cut back on the levity. Have the vain 
  retainer you've been playing for laughs return home and 
  ship the bumbling cop off to the doughnut shop. 
  By the time the most important scene comes up, you have 
  prepared the players both with a buildup of tension and a 
  reduction of humor. While the players remember (at least 
  subconsciously) past times of whimsy, you have readied 
  them for the more serious moments to come. 
  The same holds true for Chronicles as it does for Stories. 
  Have some episodes played for laughs. Put the characters 
  up against one of the Prince's brood who has become 
  renowned for his incompetence. While the players will 
  enjoy laughing at the amazing ineptitude of this foe, the 
  Storyteller can set up the first in a series of Stories which 
  will allow the players to realize the Prince has set the city 
  up for an attack by Lupines. When the culminating battle 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  21 
  against the Lupines and their demon allies takes place in a 
  deep salt mine on the night of a full moon, both the 
  characters and the players will be ready. 
  Their Own Devices 
  All of this can be happily blown out of the water by that 
  most ephemeral of Chronicles - the character-driven 
  campaign. Instead of the players taking their cues from the 
  Storyteller, the Storyteller devises the scenes around the 
  plans of the players. For instance, if the characters decide 
  they want to set one of their number up as Prince while 
  establishing the others as ruling candidates, the Storyteller 
  need do nothing to begin the Stories or keep the running. 
  Instead, the characters decide what they plan on doing. For 
  instance, the first step in their schemes might involve  
  discrediting the Prince, which they will do by setting up a 
  number of threats to the Masquerade which the Prince will 
  be unable to deal with. The players describe what actions 
  their characters will take - perhaps revealing the Prince's 
  control of the police to the media at the same time they 
  begin a series of "Dracula" attacks - and the Storyteller 
  leads them through each scene, throwing obstructions in 
  their path and generally adding to the excitement level. 
  This sort of Chronicle is both easier and harder than a 
  normal one. While the Storyteller does not have to spend 
  as much time beforehand getting everything ready, he has 
  to be deeply involved in the players' planning in order to 
  make the Scenes as interesting as possible. 
  Additionally, he needs to add depth to the Chronicle so it 
  does not degenerate into a series of wish fulfillments for 
  the players. The challenges must still be there, the scenes 
  must still require effort and sacrifice on the characters' 
  part, and characters should not be allowed to assume 
  things will always go their way. 
  The character-driven Chronicle requires great Storyteller 
  involvement, but little preparation for each story. Instead, 
  character sheets for a number of important figures, a free-
  wheeling imagination and a willingness to go along with 
  the players' hair-brained schemes will take the Storyteller 
  through all but the roughest parts of the Chronicle. 
  Other Times, Other Places 
  By now, most of us are familiar with most features of the 
  Gothic-Punk world of Vampire. After all, it is our own 
  world. Keeping up with current events and changes is as 
  easy as watching television or reading a newspaper. If the 
  Storyteller sees something she believes would add flavor to 
  the Chronicle, she simply makes a note of it or cuts it out 
  and incorporates it. The Chronicle gains a bit more detail 
  and becomes richer for it. The players have one more little 
  thread to consider in the tapestry of their unlives. 
  But one of the most exciting elements of roleplaying is the 
  fact that we are not limited to our own late 20th century 
  world. Through the medium of our own collective 
  imaginations we can adventure with mighty heroes in the 
  dawn of prehistory or walk down the dark and mysterious 
  streets of 1920s Arkham in search of mind-blasting terrors. 
  We can travel to lands under the earth or to the farthest 
  reaches of the galaxy. Vampire should be no exception to 
  this. That's what this section is about - how to travel to 
  those far and fabulous times and places through the 
  medium of a Storytelling Chronicle. 
  There are a few basic concepts, however, that need to be 
  discussed before we proceed to those strange places. The 
  first and most important is internal consistency. What this 
  means is that there are certain basic premises that govern a 
  world. Things can be expected to work in a certain way, at 
  least most of the time. One example of this would be a 
  world in which Magic worked with the same regularity as 
  science  
  does in our world while Science was a very arcane and 
  chaotic undertaking whose principles were understood 
  only by a learned few. 
  This may seem crazy and at first, but think about it. If it 
  works consistently throughout the world then it isn't 
  chaotic, now is it? Another example is the world of 
  Vampire. It can be summed up in two words - "Vampires 
  exist." Everything else is built outward from this basic 
  premise. This is a very important consideration whether 
  you are creating a Chronicle set in 12th century England or 
  21st century California. It must have its own internal 
  consistency; otherwise it will fall apart under its own 
  weight. 
  The Famous Few 
  The next consideration applies to historically -based 
  Chronicles and relates to handling historical figures and 
  celebrities. Virtually every place and time in human history 
  has produced at least one individual who made it into the 
  history books as well as famous works of literature 
  associated with specific times and places. The Storyteller 
  should give a great deal of thought as to whether or not to 
  include encounters with some of the rich and famous of a 
  particular time period as well as notable figures from 
  literature. They provide color and give a feel of reality to 
  the Chronicle, but risk making the action of the players 
  fated if the Storyteller does not want to change history, or 
  turning a Chronicle into an undead version of an "Excellent 
  Adventure." 
  If the Storyteller does decide to use historical personages, 
  then the next question is how big of a part are they going to 
  play. If the Storyteller isn't careful, the celebrities may 
  overshadow the characters, which is definitely something 
  to be avoided. Experience has shown that the best way to 
  handle celebrities is to have them make a cameo 
  appearance. An encounter at a social function is usually the 
  best way to do it. It is also more fun if the celebrity in 
  question is relatively young and unknown at the time. Be 
  forewarned, however, that there will probably be at least 
  one player who may decide to try and Dominate the 
  celebrity. This is not a good idea unless the results can be 
  part of your overall Chronicle. 
  Another form of celebrity is, of course, the celebrity 
  Vampire. This NPC requires some special work and a 
  special criterion for deciding whose made it into the ranks 
  of the undead and who sleeps quietly in their grave. First of 
  all, the celebrity Vampire should be an extremely rare 
  occurrence, for otherwise the entertainment value is lost. 
  After all, if everybody who was anybody winds up with 
  fangs, it becomes boring, the one thing a Vampire 
  Chronicle should never be. So keep them a rare item and 
  the Chronicle will be the better for it. 
  Another criterion for a celebrity Vampire is avoiding those 
  who are too obvious a choice. A perfect example of this 
  would be the notorious Roman Emperor Caligula. Here is a 
  man who is known for his sadistic excesses and his famous 
  quote: "Would that all of Rome had but one neck." Having  
  Caligula turn up as a Vampire would probably come as no 
  great surprise to anybody familiar with Roman history or 
  the movies. Another example would be Lord Byron, the 
  English Romantic poet. Lord Byron's poetry contains many 
  allusions to death and the undead, so having him turn up 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  22 
  as a Vampire would hardly raise an eyebrow. Like all rules, 
  however, there are always exceptions. 
  Playing the Past 
  Now that we've gone through some of the basic ideas, let's 
  talk about the most important aspect of historical 
  Chronicles: research. It is through good research that we 
  can really make a Chronicle "come alive" by providing 
  atmosphere and detail. It is not necessary to be an expert 
  on the era, but a good basic working knowledge can 
  increase both you and your players' enjoyment. 
  As an example of how to conduct research, let us say that a 
  group of players have gotten together with the Storyteller 
  and expressed an interest in doing a Chronicle set in 
  Victorian England. The Storyteller knows a little about the 
  period, but not enough to feel comfortable running a 
  Chronicle set there. It is time to put that Investigation Trait 
  to use. 
  Where do you start? The best place is, of course, a good 
  library. You should get a pad, some pens and/or pencils, 
  and a pack of index cards. Some change for the copy 
  machine may also be helpful. The first place to look in the 
  library is in the Reference Section. You should find a good 
  set of encyclopedias (preferably the Encyclopedia 
  Britannica). Look under "England" to get a general 
  overview of the country and its history, paying special 
  attention to the Victorian Era. Make a quick outline and 
  use the index cards to note prominent figures, including 
  some from before the era who might make interesting 
  celebrity Vampires. At this point, you should also begin to 
  consider whether or not to include Werewolves, Magi and 
  other strange denizens in your Chronicle along with the 
  Kindred. 
  By now, you should be getting some basic plot and theme 
  ideas for your Chronicle based on the setting. The time has 
  come to start to really focus in on the Victorian Era. Check 
  the encyclopedia again as most of them should have a 
  separate section on the Victorian Era, including a 
  bibliography for more in-depth research. Now you can 
  begin to really get a feel for the period. Look in the 
  encyclopedia for the entry for London, which should have, 
  among other things, a fairly extensive history of the city 
  itself. 
  If possible, you should photocopy this material and make it 
  available for your players to help them develop their 
  characters' backgrounds and Preludes. This background 
  will also help the Storyteller develop various plots and 
  subplots for the Chronicle. By now the Storyteller should 
  also begin to consider the starting year for the Chronicle. 
  (For the sake of example we'll say that the Storyteller 
  decided on the year 1881.) 
  By now, there should be a number of index cards with 
  names of famous people on them. Now comes an 
  important decision point. Victorian London was home to 
  many famous fictional characters and one all too 
  terrifyingly real one. Sherlock Holmes, Doctor John 
  Watson and their archenemies, Professor Moriarty and 
  Colonel Sebastian Moran, are probably the most famous 
  fictional residents of Victorian London. 
  The question the Storyteller should ask is, "Do they exist in 
  my campaign and if they do, how large a part do they 
  play?" Certainly, Sherlock Holmes, with his vast intellect, 
  powers of deduction and iron will, would make a 
  formidable Vampire hunter, as would Professor Moriarty. 
  Having such powerful NPCs running about would certainly 
  add a great deal to any chronicle but would also require a 
  bit more work on the part of the Storyteller. 
  Other popular fictional characters from this time are Bram 
  Stoker's Count Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Fagin 
  and the Artful Dodger, Captain Nemo, Phileas Fogg, 
  Professor Challenger and Allen Quartermain. Pick with 
  care which you use, but most times have a wealth of such 
  characters from which to choose. 
  It is ironic that the most infamous and terrifying of 
  Victorian London's denizens actually existed. Jack the 
  Ripper was real, and in the space of a few short months in 
  the fall of 1888, he created a reign of terror with few 
  equals. His body count was modest compared to more 
  modern serial killers,  
  but none can equal him in evoking terror whenever the 
  name is mentioned. Perhaps it was the fact that he was 
  never caught or even remotely identified that makes him 
  such a terrifying specter. Who he was (or is) and why he 
  (or she) did what he did is left up to the Storyteller to 
  develop and work into the Chronicle. 
  At this point, the Storyteller should sit back and 
  consolidate all of the information gathered so far; there 
  should be enough to get the Chronicle up and going. As the 
  Chronicle progresses, the Storyteller should be prepared to 
  return to the library. This time, the Storyteller should use 
  the card catalog to find books and other materials to 
  provide even more detail to further enrich the Chronicle. 
  These will help add authentic attitude and feel, for every 
  era has had its distinct features. For instance, the people of 
  Victorian England were far more convinced of their 
  superiority and place in the world than are people today. 
  Now comes the nuts and bolts of setting up the Chronicle. 
  A good way to start is to go through the character sheet and 
  skills list in both Vampire and The Players Guide and 
  decide which ones will be applicable to a Chronicle set in 
  Victorian London. At this point, the Stor yteller should also 
  decide what Flaws and Merits will be available. Assemble 
  the Troupe, have it start setting up characters and proceed 
  from there. 
  An example of a Victorian London Chronicle might go 
  something like this: The Chronicle starts in 1881 with the 
  theme of the struggle to advance socially and what kind of 
  ruthlessness it takes to do so. The Players are Neonates 
  who have recently been presented to the Prince of London. 
  The Storyteller plans to use the Followers of Set and some 
  of their human allies in the London underworld as the 
  main villains of the piece. 
  Sherlock Holmes and company will gradually make their 
  presence felt as the Chronicle progresses. Count Dracula 
  will also make his presence felt, but in an indirect way. The 
  climax of the first Chronicle will be the hunt for Jack the 
  Ripper. The Storyteller hasn't quite decided yet who or 
  what the Ripper is but that can be decided later on. 
  As a subplot, the Storyteller is going to have the Followers 
  of Set attempt to infiltrate and subvert an occult society. 
  All of this is done against the panoramic backdrop of the 
  foggy streets of one of the greatest cities in the world. 
  Careful attention will be paid to social status and class 
  differences. (If you think the Ventrue are snobs now, 
  imagine what they must have been like in Victorian 
  England.) With enough research and attention to details, 
  the world of Victorian London can be made to seem real. 
  There are other worlds as well, so let's have a look at some 
  of them and the possibilities they present. 
  Other Worlds 
  Carpe Nocturnem (Seize the Night) - Ancient Rome 
  figures quite prominently in several Vampire 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  23 
  publications. The same research methods used for 
  Victorian England would work well here. Consider the 
  following questions: Why did Nero play the harp while 
  Rome burned? What really went on in the catacombs 
  beneath the city? Who caused the downfall of this great 
  empire? All of this and Attila the Hun too. 
  The Hundred Years War - It is a time of great 
  turbulence in Europe. France and England are busy tearing 
  each other apart. Heresies abound and the Black Plague is 
  everywhere. Who were those voices that guided Joan of 
  Arc? Gilles de Rais, one of her most trusted lieutenants, 
  was in reality a sadistic child molester who practiced 
  Satanism and indulged in torture-murders as a hobby. It is 
  during this time that the Sabbat wars are at their fiercest. 
  Again, the same research techniques that were used for the 
  Victorian Chronicle can be used here. 
  The Renaissance - If you want a Chronicle filled with 
  intrigue and Machiavellian plottings, what better time than 
  that of Machiavelli himself? It was a period of rebirth for 
  the arts and sciences, so the Toreador Clan would probably 
  figure prominently in the proceedings. The first Conclave 
  of the Inner Circle of the Camarilla was held at this time in 
  Venice. Why was it called? What was the problem? What 
  were the consequences? The themes of corruption and 
  decadence would fit in quite well here. An entire Chronicle 
  could be based around the rise of Clan Giovanni. 
  The Terror That Was Paris - Paris during the French 
  Revolution can provide an excellent setting for a Chronicle  
  that combines both action and intrigue. The Anarchs and 
  the Sabbat are battling it out for control of the streets. The 
  Camarilla are trying desperately to preserve their existence 
  while being hunted by both sides. Perhaps the characters 
  are a group of Kindred who are trying to smuggle their 
  Elders out of Paris as in The Scarlet Pimpernel. The 
  Marquis de Sade was active at this time - who knows what 
  strange and diabolical plots this twisted madman may be 
  up to? All in all, a time of great excitement and 
  revolutionary fervor. 
  The Second World War: The Really Untold Story - 
  The Nazis have occupied Europe. What was the Kindred 
  response? Some may have aided Hitler and his cronies 
  while others fought against them. Most probably tried to 
  avoid the whole thing and enjoy the opportunity to feast 
  freely. An interesting setting in this period would be 
  Vienna, Austria, the home base of Clan Tremere. It also has 
  a Foundation house of the Arcanum there as well. What if 
  elements of the Gestapo coerced members of the Arcanum 
  into helping them try to prove the existence of Vampires? 
  Think of the possibilities there. Imagine what kind of 
  hunters the Gestapo would make. Here's another tidbit: 
  the Nazis developed "Operation Werewolf," allegedly a 
  guerrilla movement. What if there was another part of 
  "Operation Werewolf" with a much more sinister meaning? 
  The next couple of Chronicle ideas use background 
  material from other roleplaying games. There are some 
  advantages to this. First of all, there's a very good chance 
  that either the Storyteller or at least one of the players will 
  have access to the material. Second, several of the Players 
  may already be familiar with the background, which saves 
  a great deal of time in the initial setup phase. Last, but not 
  least, a lot of this material is just downright interesting. 
  The Deepest Darkness - It is the 1920s and the Players 
  must not only face the daily terrors of Vampiric existence 
  but must slowly come to grips with the existence of Great 
  Cthulhu and its minions. You should read the works of 
  H.P. Lovecraft and check out Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu, 
  an excellent source of background information on the 
  1920s and the Cthulhu Mythos. The actual mechanics of 
  converting the critters to Vampire may take a little work 
  but the results will be well worth it. Be forewarned, 
  however, that this Vampire/Call of Cthulhu crossover can 
  produce an extremely grim Chronicle. Not even the 
  Kindred should be immune to the terrors of Great Cthulhu. 
  Darkness: 2000 - Game Designers' Workshop has put 
  together a post-holocaust setting for its Twilight: 2000 
  game series. It is well detailed and has generally withstood 
  the test of time and world politics. The devastation of post-
  holocaust Europe provides an eerie background with high-
  tech barbarians charging about in the form of ruthless 
  marauder bands. The characters could be soldiers who now 
  find themselves Vampires. This is a chance to introduce 
  some techno-thriller elements, especially if their Vampiric 
  condition was the result of a biological warfare weapon 
  rather than the more traditional Embrace. How would 
  other 
  Kindred  
  regard them? Will they ever make it back home? Do they 
  even want to? Was the nuclear war the result of human 
  stupidity or has Gehenna truly arrived? 
  CyberFang - It's a grim future out there, folks. It's hard to 
  tell the real Vampires from the biosculpted ones. R. 
  Talsorian Games has created a vision of a dark future with 
  their Cyberpunk 2020 game. The background is well 
  fleshed out and easily adaptable, especially to a "Lords of 
  the City" style of Chronicle. The Night City Sourcebook is 
  an excellent example of a Cyberpunk-style city. Besides, 
  choomba, if you think the Inquisition is bad news, just 
  think of what it would be like having a major 
  megacorporation gunning for your undead butt! 
  Well, there you have it. Remember, the key to creating a 
  good alternate setting for your Chronicle is research. It's 
  the little details which help give your setting a life of its 
  own. It's the little things that help build and maintain the 
  internal consistency that is so necessary to hold everything 
  else together. It pays off in enjoyment for you and your 
  players. After all, isn't that what we are here for? 
  Organizing Downtime 
  The unlives of Vampires can last many thousands of years, 
  spanning periods of intense action and complete inactivity. 
  Even though few Chronicles last a similar amount of time, 
  periods still occur when the players may find their 
  characters' actions boring. Known as downtime, these are 
  the essential yet less interesting parts of roleplaying. One 
  cannot play out every moment of the character's unlife, yet 
  that unlife goes on. Events during these periods of stability 
  are the essence of most normal people's lives, yet they are 
  anathema to the roleplayer who always wants her character 
  to be involved in interesting and exciting events. 
  Thus, to facilitate the inclusion of "real life" in a Chronicle 
  without boring both Storyteller and player, we have 
  included a section on events going on during downtime. 
  This has been divided into background changes and story 
  threads. While characters' Backgrounds should not change 
  during downtime (anything that important should be the 
  result of an adventure into which the players have input), 
  forces of time and coincidence can affect them and the 
  characters' abilities to use them. 
  The following charts have greatest impact during periods 
  of extended downtime - generally more than a month's 
  worth. Simply roll a die to see which Background is 
  affected. Another die roll indicates what happens to that 
  Background. If the character does not have the 
  Background affected, than she goes through no change. No 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  24 
  charts have been included for Status, Generation and 
  Mentor, as these Backgrou nds should not change during 
  downtime. 
  Backgrounds are not the only things affected by downtime. 
  After all, the character does have a life. For this we have 
  added story threads. These threads, divided up by  
  theme, allow the Storyteller to tell the player about 
  significant events which occurred during downtime or 
  which could be turned into stories of their own. 
  Storytellers use these charts much like they use the ones 
  for Background - roll to see which theme to follow and 
  then roll on the theme chart. 
  One final note: please feel free to ignore the dice 
  altogether. If one Background change or story thread leaps 
  out at you, grab it and use it as you will. Do not feel bound 
  to obey the dice. 
  Backgrounds 
  Roll - Background 
  1  - Allies 
  2-3 - Contacts 
  4 - Fame 
  5-6 - Herd 
  7  - Influence 
  8-9 - Resources 
  10 - Retainers 
  Allies, Contacts and Retainers 
  1 -4 Mortal is ill and will be of little help to the character in 
  the upcoming adventure. 
  5-7 Mortal has been promoted or received additional 
  training which makes him more useful to the character. 
  8-9 Mortal has moved and will be of only limited use in the 
  future. 
  10 Mortal has gained access to significant information 
  which will be of great use to the character. Can the 
  character find out about it in time? 
  Fame 
  1 -4 Due to positive publicity, the character's fame has been 
  waxing. For the upcoming Story, treat him as though his 
  Fame were one point higher. If this gives him a six, then 
  almost everyone knows him. 
  5-7 Due to a lack of publicity, the character's fame has been 
  in decline. For the upcoming Story, treat her as though her 
  Fame were one point lower (which could mean nobody 
  knows about her). 
  8-9 The character's fame has attracted the attention of 
  (media representatives, advertising agencies, obsessive 
  fans, etc.). Whatever it is will hound the character 
  throughout the next Story. 
  10 Negative (possibly true, possibly false) information has 
  given the character a very bad reputation in town. Anyone 
  who recognizes him will be highly put out. 
  Herd 
  1 -4 One point worth of the character's Herd is not available 
  for the adventure (a truly terrifying experience for a 
  Ventrue). 
  5-7 The character's Herd increases (either due to 
  conventioneers in town, a birth, new employees or 
  whatever). She begins the next adventure with one 
  additional blood point (as long as it does not take her over 
  her maximum) and has one additional point of Herd for 
  the upcoming adventure. 
  8-9 Character's Herd has come down with a communicable 
  disease. If the character does feed on any member of her 
  Herd for this adventure, she loses one point from Strength, 
  Dexterity and Stamina. 
  10 The character's Herd has been discovered, either by 
  hunters, other Vampires or the members of the Herd itself.  
  Influence 
  1 -4 One of the character's main followers temporarily gains 
  additional power, effectively increasing the character's 
  influence. 
  5-7 One of the character's main followers temporarily falls 
  out of power, making it harder for the character to 
  manipulate events. 
  8-9 Power plays among the kine cause the character to lose 
  some major followers, but in the shakeup which follows, 
  new ones are gained to replace those who were lost. While 
  the character still has the same amount of influence, decide 
  how the changes have affected it. 
  10 Media outlets have become aware of the character's 
  influence (though not the character's true nature). Unless 
  the character deals quickly with this threat, her influence 
  will suffer. 
  Resources 
  1 -4 One of the character's Resources (car, house, bank 
  account) is in sorry condition. She will be unable to take 
  use it during the upcoming Story. 
  5-7 Unless the character takes prompt action, she will 
  likely suffer a great loss of Resources. This can happen due 
  to lawsuits, bad investments, gambling or other Vampires' 
  malevolence. 
  8-9 The character has impressed somebody in a position of 
  importance. Whoever it is offers the character employment 
  or contracts which would substantially increase her 
  income. However, if she accepts, her freedom may be 
  curtailed. 
  10 The character has a chance to increase her Resources 
  (through stocks, gambling, employment, inheritance or 
  whatever), but it requires her to take some chances. 
  Theme 
  1  - The Beast 
  2 - Intrigue 
  3 - Introductions 
  4 - Nostalgia 
  5 - Premonitions 
  6 - Pursuit 
  7  - Romance 
  8 - Secrets 
  9 - Vengeance 
  10 - Weirdness 
  The Beast 
  At the core of Vampiric existence lurks the Beast - that 
  inhuman creature of passion yearning to be free. While 
  most Humanity losses and frenzies come about during 
  game play, the very horror of day-in, day-out blood feeding 
  brings with it its own penalties. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  25 
  1 -4 Hunting areas are becoming sparse. Character starts 
  with half the normal blood for the next adventure. 
  5-7 Hunting has become extremely difficult. Not only does 
  the character begin the next adventure with half the 
  normal amount of blood but she is much more likely to 
  frenzy. The target number for any roll to avoid frenzy 
  increases by one. 
  8-9 Blood is the only thing on the character's mind. 
  Character begins with one blood point and had better find 
  some soon (but make it tough). 
  10 Rumors that a clue to Golconda is to be found in the 
  area have been spreading. Characters get a hint as to what 
  they should do. 
  Intrigue 
  More goes on in the world of the Vampire than any of them 
  know. These conspiracies are still in action even when the 
  characters are not. 
  1 -4 As the characters go about their nightly existences, 
  plots are being hatched which will threaten their 
  Masquerade. Someone wants to (1-4) recruit their aid, (5-
  7) move against them, (8-9) manipulate them or (10) turn 
  them into scapegoats. 
  5-7 War of Ages heats up. If the characters have not 
  already chosen sides, they may soon have to. 
  8-9 There is a plot afoot to overthrow the Prince. While the 
  characters do not necessarily have to choose sides, if they 
  fail to do so both sides may view them as potential 
  enemies. 
  10 The Camarilla has called a Conclave in the characters' 
  area. There can be no limits to the intrigue involved here. 
  Introductions 
  Vampires are always interested in new blood, and the very 
  nature of the characters' feeding habits requires that they 
  meet new people constantly. 
  1 -4 Character meets a mortal in a position of power. If 
  handled correctly during the game, the kine could turn into 
  a contact, a retainer or even an ally. If mishandled, he or 
  she could become a potent enemy, 
  5-7 Character meets the Prince or some of her main 
  supporters at a mortal affair. They do not have much time 
  to interact there, but they now know of each other.  
  8-9 Character encounters a powerful non-Kindred 
  supernatural entity. Be it Magus, Lupine, ghost or hunter, 
  the character becomes aware of someone who could pose a 
  powerful threat. 
  10 Character runs into one of the area's powerful Elders, 
  but remains unaware of the individual's true nature. 
  Nostalgia 
  The characters had a life before they died and were reborn; 
  this previous existence can appear in numerous ways. 
  1 -4 Reminders of the character's old life have begun to crop 
  up all around him. If he does not handle it well, it may well 
  lead to frenzies in the next Story. 
  5-7 Someone significant to the character's mortal existence 
  has gotten into trouble. However, helping her might be 
  perilous for the Vampire. 
  8-9 The person the character would least like to see in this 
  new form seeks her out. 
  10 Malicious rumors have begun to spread about the 
  character's past life. Stopping the spread of gossip might be 
  beyond even a Vampire's power. 
  Premonitions 
  Even Vampires without the Auspex discipline know their 
  minds sometimes give them hints about the future 
  Therefore, they pay greater attention to their dreams and 
  feelings of deja vu than do most mortals. 
  1 -4 While passing a place, feelings of the area's importance 
  overwhelm the character. In fact, the place will play a 
  significant role in the Chronicle. 
  5-7 The character has a dream in which the symbols spell 
  out what will happen in the upcoming Story. More than 
  likely the player will misinterpret them. 
  8-9 Someone else is having dreams about the character. 
  Could it be their family, a hunter or another Vampire? 
  10 While feeding on a mortal, the character has a vision of 
  an enemy Vampire feeding on him the same way he feeds 
  on the kine. It is up to the Storyteller as to why or even if 
  this ever happens. 
  Pursuit 
  Many chase the Vampires - media, hunters, family, magi 
  and even other Vampires. Their pursuit never stops. 
  1 -4 Someone with ties to the character's mortal existence 
  begins to gather clues as to her current location or 
  condition. 
  5-7 Police have begun investigations into the stories of the 
  kinky assailant who attacks people and kisses their necks 
  (yes, the character or another Vampire). If the  
  character does not take care, he may find that his next 
  victim is a police officer serving as bait. 
  8-9 A new Witch-Hunter has come to town and has 
  managed to find out something about the character. 
  10 The character's Sire has come to town and is looking for 
  her. 
  Romance 
  Despite their sexless lives, Vampires remain creatures of 
  great passion. For them romance is still one of the most 
  important emotions. 
  1 -4 Character encounters a mortal who reminds him of 
  someone he used to love. 
  5-7  Character meets a Cainite who reminds her of someone 
  she used to love. 
  8-9 Character meets someone he used to love. 
  10 Character meets an old lover from her mortal life, and 
  the lover has become a Vampire. 
  Secrets 
  Even during the day-to-day tedium of most people's lives, 
  there are still secrets to be learned and questions to be 
  answered. 
  1 -4 Somebody (either Kindred or kine) has discovered a 
  major secret of the character's. 
  5-7 Character comes across a clue which could lead to 
  significant discoveries about the mortals in the Chronicle. 
  8-9 Character comes upon a clue regarding the Cainites in 
  the chronicle. 
  10 Character gets a clue as to who is behind it all. 
  Vengeance 
  The lust for revenge does not wait for the story to continue. 
  Whether someone hunts the characters or the characters 
  hate someone else, vengeance never rests. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  26 
  1 -4 Somebody who despises the character begins a 
  campaign of harassment against him; all the little things 
  start going wrong. 
  5-7 Character becomes involved in someone else's plans for 
  v engeance, either as a pawn or an ally. 
  8-9 Somebody the character despised during his mortal 
  existence appears on the scene in a role which cannot be 
  ignored. However, taking vengeance on this old foe via 
  Vampiric powers could lead to a Humanity loss. 
  10 Character discovers somebody has the dirt on an 
  individual she despises. If she manages to obtain this 
  information, it can be used now or saved for later 
  blackmail.  
  Weirdness 
  Weird things happen in everyone's lives, but since the 
  existence of a Cainite is so strange to begin with, what they 
  consider odd is correspondingly stranger. 
  1 -4 Character becomes ill from feeding on tainted blood. 
  Lower her Physical Attributes by one point for the next 
  Story. 
  5-7 A chance encounter with an ancient, philosophizing 
  gypsy has given the character a mystical amulet. With the 
  amulet, she can contact the gypsy any time and vice versa. 
  Thus when the character is deeply involved in the Story, 
  the gypsy will ring her up to discuss the paradox of Zeno's 
  Arrow and whether it can move where it is or where it is 
  not. 
  8-9 Rumors begin to fly through the Kindred community 
  about a new Discipline similar in effect to Golconda. 
  However, to learn the truth of these rumors, the characters 
  must track down a hunter with a deadly reputation. 
  10 Mars Needs Vampires! Another coterie has decided to 
  blame space aliens for its actions, and will attack 
  characters under the guise of bug-eyed little green men. 
  After all, if the characters believe in the undead, why not 
  Martians?  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  27 
  Chapter Three: 
  The Setting 
   
  Death is everywhere 
  There are lambs for the slaughter 
  Waiting to die 
  And I can sense 
  The hours slipping by 
  Tonight 
  - 
  Depeche Mode, Fly on the Windscreen – Final 
   
  The Cainites, often bored of their immortality, wage 
  constant war in the great Jyhad. Across the empty wastes 
  of the wilds the Werewolves reign supreme, challenging 
  any who would violate their ancestral lands. Around the 
  world in deep, secret places Magi practice their cunning art 
  for their own purposes. Into the madness that is the 
  Gothic-Punk world your Troupe is cast. This chapter will 
  help you, the Storyteller, design a city, describe a scene and 
  build the Gothic-Punk world into a place that can contain 
  the struggles of your greatest heroes and shroud the deeds 
  of your most sinister villains. 
  In Vampire the action often centers around a city in 
  which the Kindred hide during the burning rays of day and 
  skulk out at night to feed and play. When building your 
  Chronicle you will no doubt choose a basic mood and 
  theme, but your city can have a mood and theme as well. In 
  many cases they will be the same as the Chronicle itself, 
  but they do not have to be. The Chronicle may emphasize 
  the Vampires' struggle and the hope they find to continue 
  their miserable existences. At the same time the setting 
  may dictate that the world is nothing but a wretched place 
  where there is no law, no order and no hope. These two 
  contradictory themes work against each other in a 
  dramatic way that allows for more conflict and makes a 
  more intriguing Chronicle. 
  Choosing a City 
  After deciding what flavor your want your Chronicle to 
  have and what themes and moods your setting is going to 
  project or reflect, you must choose a city. Choose carefully. 
  All cities have strengths and weaknesses that will both 
  expand and limit your Chronicle. Some cities are too small 
  to support a large population of Vampires, while others are 
  so big that it would be difficult for the players to have any 
  effect on the city at all. On the other hand, a small city (like 
  Gary) might allow the Vampires to be critical in fighting off 
  the Vampires from a larger city, while a big city (like Paris) 
  with a large Kindred community can allow for an 
  immensely complex game that keeps you and your players 
  on your toes for months of game play. 
  Each area of the Gothic-Punk world has its own tone. 
  Choose your city accordingly. Europe houses one of the 
  oldest Vampire communities. The Kindred here, often very 
  ancient and the Princes very powerful, enforce the rules of 
  the Lextalionis more fiercely than their counterparts in the 
  New World and often strictly control the number of 
  Kindred in their cities.  
  In North America, the East Coast resembles Europe. The 
  Vampire Princes are more powerful and tend to have more 
  control over their kingdoms, though in the eyes of the 
  European Vampires the Kindred of America are wild and 
  out of control. The further west you go in America, the 
  younger the cities get and the wilder the Kindred become. 
  West Coast cities are almost free of the rules imposed by 
  the Camarilla. Many say that these cities more than any 
  others endanger the Masquerade, while others feel that 
  western states serve as a pressure valve in Vampiric society 
  that releases the wild Kindred to places where they will be 
  less noticed. 
  There are many other more exotic areas of the world that 
  are much less constrained by the politics of the Camarilla. 
  This makes these areas vary widely in their attitudes and 
  distribution of power. An innovative Storyteller could 
  easily set a Chronicle in Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut or 
  Tehran. Many of the cities in Africa, India or South 
  America could produce rare and unusual environments for 
  Vampire. In these out-of-the-way places, away from the 
  economic power centers of the world, Kindred are safer 
  from the Camarilla and the Sabbat who vie for control of 
  the prime real estate. Not that either organization would 
  not interfere if it thought it could gain power in that area; 
  they certainly would, but they will not likely actively 
  involve themselves in the cities of poorer nations unless 
  they are invited by some faction. 
  The Orient is another exciting place for your adventures. 
  Tokyo, Saigon, Beijing, Seoul, or Manila are all exotic cities  
  with much to offer a Storyteller. In these cities the 
  Camarilla does not exist at all. The Orient is controlled by 
  its own Vampires, with different forms and customs than 
  those who rule the west. A Chronicle set in the East would 
  require a Storyteller to spend more time in preparation, 
  but would provide an extremely unique setting for the 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  28 
  game and is ideal for a troupe who has been playing long 
  and needs a change. 
  The important thing to remember is that each city in each 
  part of the world has its own character. Stick to that 
  character and the city will soon gain its own distinct flavor 
  and style that will be unlike any other city. It is, 
  unfortunately, easy to generalize and say that Tokyo is 
  much like Los Angeles which is just like New York. All 
  three are modern cities, with a great deal of wealth, 
  population and influence over their respective regions. 
  When one does not generalize, we begin to see that these 
  cities are very different in style and character. New York is 
  considered grimier and darker than the other two. Its 
  problems with crime seem to be much greater, and in the 
  Gothic-Punk world it is largely controlled by the Sabbat. 
  Los Angeles is wilder than the other two, with a feeling of 
  youth and energy which can only be found in the youngest 
  of cities (a city of Anarchs perhaps?). Tokyo is a shiny new 
  city of glitz and neon, but underneath it lie centuries of 
  ancient tradition. All of these cities face the problems of 
  urban life that are becoming only too common in the 20th 
  century, yet each will choose different ways to deal with 
  them. Find your city's character and your saga will become 
  strong and very real. 
  Of course you may want to choose a city a little closer to 
  home. You may even want to use the city you live in or one 
  nearby. Choosing a familiar city has its good points and 
  bad points. The advantages are that both you and your 
  players are likely to know what certain areas of the city 
  look like, and it will be easier for your players to envision 
  the settings you describe. Information about the city will 
  be readily available, and you will not have to research the 
  city too thoroughly. Finally, everyone knows of mysterious 
  parts of their own city, and what better setting can there be 
  than an area already imbued with mystery? 
  The disadvantages are that your players will know the city 
  as well or better than you do. They may have certain 
  expectations as to what the city is really like and may argue 
  with you over trivial facts. Furthermore, while the Gothic-
  Punk world is not entirely identical to our world, some 
  changes you make to your city may be difficult for your 
  players to swallow. 
  Choosing a city far from where you live is always a safe bet, 
  but it will require you to obtain maps and information on 
  the city before you begin. Maps are easy and can be 
  obtained from a map store or from AAA. Other 
  information can be obtained in the same places or you can 
  go to a library for more information. Most large cities also 
  have tourist bureaus that you can call to receive pamphlets, 
  maps and other tourist information through the mail.  
  Once you have chosen a city you must find a "look" for it 
  (or a "look" for each city which your Troupe will spend 
  time in). The look of a city is the element that makes it 
  unique. A city with a distinctive feel and look could be 
  recognized as soon as you stepped into it. While many of 
  our cities today in the real world seem to look very much 
  alike, a close inspection will reveal many differences which 
  all go into characterizing the city. For instance, Los 
  Angeles has practically no buildings over three stories high 
  (The First Interstate World Center notwithstanding) and 
  most are only a single story. The roofs are hardly sloped at 
  all because of the lack of rain. Almost all the buildings have 
  air conditioning and the sunsets are mostly pastel colors, 
  perhaps because of the smog. The heat of the day can still 
  be felt in early evening, but because it is a desert climate 
  the evenings often cool off quickly, even in the summer. 
  New York, on the other hand, has tall, old buildings, many 
  of which date from the early part of the century. The 
  climate is fairly cold, with warm months lasting for only 
  about four months out of the year. It rains frequently, 
  giving the city a damp, fresh feeling. The tall buildings cast 
  stark shadows and create vicious wind tunnels that funnel 
  the offshore breezes. New York has many slums and even 
  some of the nicer buildings look old and dilapidated on the 
  outside, though their interiors are lavish. It snows in the 
  winter, and the hurrying of the pedestrians and cars about 
  the streets quickly turn the soft white snow into a grey 
  slush. The commuters can be seen standing in their blue 
  and black winter coats, blowing at their cold hands while 
  waiting for a bus or taxi. 
  This is just an example of the differences between two 
  cities in our world. Los Angeles and New York are both 
  extreme cities with rather extreme characters and are easy 
  to depict. Cities like St. Louis, Seattle, Atlanta, Orlando, 
  San Francisco, Tulsa, Boston, and Dallas may be a little 
  harder to characterize, but with a little research you will 
  find that each city has its own flavor and character which 
  you need to bring out and keep alive in your Chronicle. 
  In the Gothic-Punk world, your city may well be more 
  extreme. For instance, since New York is controlled by the 
  Sabbat, the buildings might be more rundown, their 
  upkeep ignored by a Sabbat which does not care for human 
  suffering. The crime is more rampant and the city a little 
  dirtier. All of these effects are brought about partially by 
  the Vampire rulers. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is 
  probably dominated by Anarchs who fled west from other 
  Princes who would not tolerate their indiscretions. The 
  Kindred who control this city have made it wilder than it 
  already is. The gang problems are much worse and the 
  culture is much wilder, more exotic and more avant-garde 
  than it is in the real world. 
  Once you have found your city's character, you may wish to 
  alter it to better reflect the effects that its Vampire 
  inhabitants would have on it. But you are not done with the 
  city's look there. You must decide how much "Gothic" you 
  wish  
  to add to your city and how much "Punk." These are the 
  parts of the city that make a look uniquely Vampire. 
  Without these qualities, your city is just a modern city with 
  some Vampires in it. It has no flair, no flash of style. 
  To New York, one could add more Gothic than Punk. New 
  York's tall brooding buildings suggest Gothic architecture. 
  Since New York in reality does have a very large group of 
  street people and is an intensely urban community, you 
  might not want to build on these aspects. Too many 
  changes will make the city unrecognizable. Los Angeles, on 
  the other hand, has hardly any Gothic look to it at all. To 
  make the city look more Gothic (tall buildings with 
  elaborate architecture and many statues) would make the 
  city almost unrecognizable and goes completely against its 
  character in the real world. However, Los Angeles has 
  quite a street life which could well be expanded to give L.A. 
  more Punk. In L.A. you might not make anything Gothic at 
  all, fearing that this would look silly since everything else 
  looks so modern. 
  Once all of this is done you  will be left with a city that is 
  very much like its counterpart in our world yet has been 
  subtly altered by its Kindred inhabitants and has all the 
  flair and style of the Gothic-Punk universe. Once the city's 
  "look" has been established in this way you will find that 
  other settings just seem to come naturally to your stories. 
  The Kindred 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  29 
  To make a city seem real you have to fill it with real people. 
  It is impossible to separate the city from characters in a 
  game like Vampire. Thus, once you have chosen you r city 
  and found its special character, you must begin to populate 
  it with Vampires. Before beginning play, detail the 
  personalities (not necessarily the Attributes) of at least half 
  the Vampires you plan on including in your city. This will 
  allow you to ad-lib with minimal effort and will not require 
  you to make up too many Vampires on the spot. 
  The Camarilla generally enforces a rule of no more than 
  one Vampire for every 100,000 people. This is a good rule 
  for you to follow as well, but remember that it is not in the 
  slightest bit binding. Many cites are far more overcrowded 
  than this and many others (especially in less-developed 
  parts of the world) are almost empty of Kindred. In other 
  words, put in as many or as few Kindred as you like. To 
  keep your game seeming "real" you will need to explain 
  why you chose the number of Kindred you did, especially if 
  you went for an extreme. Lots of Kindred can always be 
  because of overcrowding (many of the American cities have 
  this problem) and a lack of Vampires could be attributed to 
  a strict Prince or a recent purge (maybe by the Inquisition, 
  the Lupine, a Magus or other Kindred). 
  The Prince 
  The most influential person in your city the characters are 
  likely to meet is the Prince. While the Primogen and even 
  the  
  Anarchs hold a kind of power, the Prince alone can often 
  stand against them all. He may well have been holding the 
  throne for years, shaping the city in his own image. His 
  power will include many of the mortal institutions, which 
  he may well have twisted for his own needs. So choose your 
  Prince first and choose carefully. If you find that he does 
  not suit your needs later you can always arrange an 
  "accident." 
  Whichever Clan the Prince is from will probably be the 
  most powerful in the city. By tradition the Prince is the 
  only one who may create Progeny freely and so he 
  frequently surrounds himself with a bodyguard of his own 
  creations to extend his power and protect him from his 
  enemies. He also frequently comes from Clans Ventrue or 
  Toreador. 
  This is the norm in Kindred society, but by no means the 
  only option. A more interesting city might be ruled by a 
  Nosferatu Prince whose power resides only in her own 
  personal abilities and who refuses to create Childer to help 
  her maintain control. She may be so powerful that no 
  Kindred in the city can dare oppose her singly and she may 
  be so clever that she can keep her enemies from ever 
  getting together. Do not feel bound by tradition like the 
  Vampires do. Make your Prince unique above all else. 
  The Primogen 
  The leading group of Elders are often called the Primogen. 
  They sometimes represent all seven major Clans and hold 
  power alongside the Prince. The Primogen often helps the 
  Prince rule his city by performing the less important day-
  to-day tasks, while he worries about general policy and the 
  big picture. At least that is what they are supposed to do. 
  More often than not they are a very dangerous group who 
  seek only power over other Kindred. Many members of the 
  Primogen think they would make wonderful Princes, and 
  frequently it is from this group that a new Prince emerges 
  when an old one has "passed away." 
  Depending on the kind of campaign you want to run, these 
  people may require the most detail. If your Vampires are to 
  be involved in the Jyhad, vying for power and blood with 
  the Elders, then this group will be critical. Make sure that 
  the relationships between them are complex and 
  passionate. If your Chronicle is going to be centered 
  around some other conflict you can give the Primogen less 
  detail. Remember, though, that as a group the Primogen 
  will have a huge effect on the city, and their actions are 
  likely to affect the Vampires of your Troupe whether or not 
  your Vampires want them to. 
  The Anarchs 
  The other camp into which your Troupe may fall is that of 
  the Anarchs. Constantly rebelling against the power of the 
  Primogen and the Elders, this group includes some of the 
  most violent and unpredictable Kindred in the city. Your 
  players' Vampires may well fall into the ranks of this group 
  as young Vampires of the 20th century are prone to do. 
  If you want your city to center around this group, you may 
  wish to increase the informal limit of one vampire per 
  100,000 mortals to twice that number. This creates a city 
  with more conflict and the Anarchs will have to duel one 
  another for feeding grounds. Like the Elders, there will be 
  more than one faction among the Anarchs and you should 
  detail at least two or three different groups before the game 
  begins. 
  Others 
  There are many other Vampires that do not fight in the 
  War of Ages between the Anarchs and the Elders. These 
  are the neutrals, and they play a very dangerous game. 
  Having no friends, they are often targets for Diablerie or 
  worse for Vampires from either camp who need the power. 
  Still, they tend to be very independent, and therefore 
  powerful, Vampires who can make good allies for your 
  player Vampires. 
  Some of these other Vampires may work for the Sabbat as 
  spies or assassins, while others are Caitiff or other rogue 
  Vampires hiding from the establishment. Many may be 
  political refugees from other cities who would not be 
  allowed in by the Prince of your city if they officially 
  Presented themselves, so they hide, knowing that if they 
  are ever discovered they will be slain. This group can also 
  include powerful Kindred seeking Golconda or Cainites 
  who are among the ranks of the Inconnu and disdain 
  contact with other Kindred. This group of Kindred will 
  require the least  
  detail and you can add members to its ranks as your 
  Chronicle progresses. Few are powerful enough to 
  seriously affect the dynamics of the city, so their addition 
  later in the Chronicle will not change things. 
  Mortals 
  It is for the mortals that the Cainites come to the cities. 
  Some respect and appreciate the mortals. The Toreador try 
  to save the best among them from the ravages of time, and 
  many use the mortals for protection and power. Some 
  Kindred, especially the younger ones, identify with the 
  mortals and see little difference between themselves and 
  their prey. Many Vampires, such as the Sabbat, view the 
  mortals as cattle to be slaughtered and used at the whim of 
  the immortals. This group of thinkers often commits the 
  most atrocious acts of violence against the mortals to 
  satisfy their own sick and twisted psychological needs. 
  Mortals are very important to your city. Who is the mayor? 
  Does he know about Vampires? Does he care? An 
  interesting mayor might be one who is a Vampire or, 
  worse, one who knows about Vampires and is secretly 
  making a plan to hunt them down. Mortals have as many 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  30 
  varied reactions to Kindred as Kindred do to them. Many 
  respond with fear, but there can be no doubt that many 
  humans find something attractive about being able to live 
  forever, whatever the cost in blood. 
  The Mayor 
  The mayor's office can be very influential in mortal politics, 
  and in order to control and manipulate the mortals the 
  Kindred often control the mayor. Control of this office is 
  easier than control of other mortal organizations because 
  you only need Dominate one person and the power is in 
  your hands. You can easily use the mayor already in your 
  city, or you can make up your own. 
  The advantage of using real public officials in your games 
  is that you can then use real newspapers as the newspapers 
  from your version of the city. If in the real world the mayor 
  is called before a grand jury on corruption charges you can 
  use this as source material for a Story. This is easy if you 
  have set your Chronicle in your home town but even if your 
  city is across North America you can frequently have the 
  paper delivered (sometimes a day or two late) or keep up 
  with it at a library. 
  Whoever controls the mayor's office and the mayor himself 
  will have a chokehold on the city. Give careful choice to 
  which member of the Primogen (or perhaps the Anarchs) 
  controls this important mortal. Conflict over control of the 
  mayor could lead to many Stories for your Troupe. 
  The Police 
  The police have the greatest immediate effect on the lives 
  of the Cainites. It is the police who watch the streets and 
  their inhabitants and guard them from harm. Since 
  Vampires must kill or at least harm people to live, they 
  frequently come into conflict with the police. Furthermore, 
  the police are trained in combat. Though Vampires aren't 
  vulnerable to most weapons, guns can hurt a Vampire or 
  even force her into Torpor. Once captured by the police, a 
  Vampire may be forced to stay in jail for at least one night 
  and into the daytime, a catastrophe for the Vampire as well 
  as the Masquerade. Additionally, the police keep detailed 
  records. If any organization is in a position to discover and 
  reveal Vampires to the world, it is a police department. 
  It is only natural that the Vampires would seek to control 
  the police if for no other reason than their own protection. 
  This is easier said than done, however. While controlling 
  the police chief will give y ou a certain amount of power 
  over general policy, it will not allow you to get yourself 
  released from jail. You need to control a particular precinct 
  captain to do that, and even then the detectives are going 
  to ask questions. In order to coordinate a search for a 
  particular individual (like an enemy Vampire you want to 
  find), you need to control the police chief or specific 
  detectives. Even then, if you start having those policemen 
  you control do strange things for no obvious reason, 
  Internal Affairs will arrest or suspend them. 
  There are five levels of the police department, each of 
  which may be controlled by different Vampires. They are: 
  · Police Chief. This office orders general policy and can fire 
  the policemen from other areas lower down in the power 
  structure. He can have precinct captains fired or hired. 
  · Precinct Captains and the detectives handle most of the 
  investigations; they can be used to hunt down enemy 
  Vampires you wish captured or found and they can also be 
  used to get you out of jail. Control of this group is difficult 
  because there is no centralized authority. 
  · The uniformed policemen on the streets. These men can 
  be used for a localized search or to avoid capture if you 
  happen to know the cop who is about to capture you. You 
  can direct them to patrol areas you wish protected and they 
  can also be used by the precinct captains to conduct a 
  large-scale search. 
  · Internal Affairs. These guys are in charge of finding cops 
  who are committing crimes or altering procedure and have 
  them arrested or fired. Vampires who control this group 
  use it to gain control of the others by having all of the 
  mortals that other Vampires control fired. 
  · The police bureaucracy. This low -level group is often 
  overlooked by Kindred who want flashy, dramatic results. 
  However, these are the people to go to when you want 
  specific information, an APB sent out or officers 
  maneuvered away from a specific area by Dispatch. These 
  are also the folks who can cover up autopsy reports, make 
  crime scene photos disappear and keep you updated on 
  investigations. 
  As you can see, the internal politics in the police 
  department can get horribly complex. If different Vampires 
  control  
  each group, then they may use the police against one 
  another in an attempt to gain control of the entire station 
  or force. The problem is that if the police are involved in a 
  civil war created by their Vampiric masters, then the 
  streets are not being properly protected and the city 
  suffers. For this reason, many Princes lay claim to the 
  police and do everything in their power to control the 
  entire force. This prevents Vampires from squabbling over 
  the department and risking a breach of the Masquerade. 
  You may also want to consider creating the characters of a 
  few individual policemen to use in your Chronicle. These 
  guys may know or start to guess at the existence of 
  Vampires. They may begin hunting down Vampires, 
  specifically your players' coterie, which might require your 
  Vampires to "remove" these nosy policemen. 
  The Media 
  The media threaten the Masquerade constantly. Reporters 
  from newspapers and television stations constantly comb 
  the streets, looking for stories and bizarre occurrences - a 
  massive threat to the Vampire community as a whole. To 
  make matters worse, reporters are usually headstrong, self-
  reliant individuals who are difficult to bribe or control for 
  any length of time, especially if they smell a story or cover-
  up. 
  For this reason Vampires who wish to control the media 
  usually do so through the administration. This way the 
  administration simply kills those stories the Vampires do 
  not want printed or produced, and the Masquerade is 
  protected. This makes the media easier to control than the 
  police, but the consequences of a loss of control can be 
  much more severe. The media announces things to large 
  audiences, and it would be impossible to cover up such a 
  story if it was released to the world. As a result the 
  Vampires do not fight for control of the media; the costs of 
  discovery are too high. Frequently this organization is 
  simply left for the Prince to handle. As a result it is a 
  symbol of power to have sway in the media, and is usually 
  the mark of a powerful Elder or the Prince himself. 
  When planning your Chronicle and your city, consider 
  what part the media will play and invent a few journalists 
  and producers. The key to creating a realistic setting is to 
  make it filled with realistic people, so sprinkle in a few 
  journalists to keep the players on their toes. 
  Fire Department 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  31 
  This may not seem like a particularly important 
  organization for Vampires, but when you consider 
  Vampires' weakness for fire, you will see that this 
  department does have more than a few uses. Its primary 
  concern is, of course, fire fighting, but if the trucks are late 
  or committed to a fire elsewhere, a Vampire's Haven which 
  might be otherwise saved could be burned to the ground. 
  Combine this sort of thing with a few Assamite assassins, 
  and any Vampire in the city you want "removed" is as good 
  as gone. Consider who controls the fire department, 
  because they can be used to deadly effect. 
  The Gangs 
  Mortal street gangs are a common problem in many cities 
  across America. These gangs, often organized racially, are 
  usually violent, emotionally disturbed and very well armed. 
  They make ideal pawns for the Anarchs because they 
  embody the Anarchs' philosophy of rebellion against 
  society. Anarch gangs often control lesser mortal gangs 
  through Dominate or other Vampiric powers, though 
  simple force and intimidation is also effective. 
  When you create your city, give some thought to the mortal 
  gangs. They should be placed around your city, centering 
  around the poorer areas, and they all have turf which will 
  likely share a border with the turf of other gangs. These 
  gangs often fight with one another over the size of their 
  turf. Decide which gangs are already enemies and which 
  ones are allies. Then you need to give control of some of 
  the gangs to the Anarchs or even to some of the Elders if 
  you think any of the Vampires in your city are inclined to 
  use these unreliable troops. Invent a few gang leaders and 
  some of their most dangerous warriors. These characters 
  will be useful when your Vampires are on the street. You 
  can also use them to spice up a Vampire's nightly hunt for 
  blood. 
  Other Creatures 
  Vampires are not the only mystical beings to inhabit the 
  Gothic-Punk world. Other creatures have their own goals 
  and motivations, some of which are detailed in Chapter 
  Five, but the most interesting antagonists are the ones you 
  come up with. You also may wish to make up your own 
  mystical creatures. 
  The Lupines have the most interesting relationship to the 
  Kindred. The two are enemies in their very philosophy. The 
  Kindred live off mortals and think that whatever promotes 
  the growth of human society is good, no matter what the 
  cost to the earth. The Lupines worship nature and feel that 
  it must be preserved even if it hurts mankind. As the cities 
  spread into the wilderness, the Lupines get more desperate 
  as they try to preserve their way of life in the face of the 
  new urban life of the coming century. 
  The Magi are humans who have mastered the arcane art of 
  magic to higher levels than even the Tremere. They too live 
  among mortals and hide their activities from those who 
  would not understand. These humans search for many 
  bizarre artifacts with their arts and sometimes require 
  special ingredients, like a drop of Vampire blood. Their 
  overall plans and goals are their own and are specific to 
  individual Magi, so you can add a few of these mysterious 
  wizards to spice up your city. 
  Among the other creatures your Vampires may have truck 
  with are Ghosts. These beings are sometimes bound to  
  specific locations or at least they seem to like certain areas 
  better than others. Sometimes they will appear to 
  Vampires and haunt or talk with them. When creating a 
  few ghosts to add to your city, consider how they died and 
  how that might affect their behavior in their afterlife. 
  Violent deaths may produce violent ghosts, while calmer 
  deaths may produce more friendly ghosts. 
  There are, of course, the Faeries. These creatures don't 
  make too many appearances in urban areas, so the 
  Vampires are unlikely to meet too many of them. Even so, 
  the Faeries don't stay in one place as much as the other 
  magical creatures do, so you don't have to plan them out as 
  part of your setting. Just include them as your plot 
  demands later on. Whatever you do, don't overuse these 
  creatures. This is a game about Vampires, so don't make 
  these beings very common. 
  Locations 
  Once you have decided on the characters who inhabit your 
  city, you need to give them places to live, meet, hunt and 
  gather for parties. Here is where your research on your city 
  will come in handy, as you can use the locations described 
  in your travel guides and other literature as the locations 
  for Vampiric activity. You also may want to look ahead at 
  the section "Choosing Settings" to get some ideas for 
  Vampire locations, if your research material isn't helping 
  you any. 
  The first thing you have to decide is where the Prince and 
  the Primogen meet. This will be the center for Vampire 
  politics, a kind of Cainite town hall. Do they meet in the 
  Elysium like the Vampires of Chicago? Or, like the 
  Vampires of Milwaukee, do they meet in a hotel complex? 
  Perhaps they meet somewhere really different, like outside 
  of town, in the sewers, on a yacht, in a cave, or in a funeral 
  home. Where the Primogen and the Prince meet will often 
  characterize your city and the kinds of problems it has. 
  Once you have placed Vampire Town Hall, you need to find 
  Havens for the Vampire characters you have created. The 
  Havens of older Vampires like the Prince, Primogen and 
  other Elders will be more important because these Kindred 
  move around a lot less, and their Havens will remain 
  consistently the same through much of your Chronicle. 
  Choose these Havens carefully, and keep in mind the 
  character of the Vampire when you do so. No doubt your 
  Troupe will have contact with most of the major Vampires 
  in the city at some point, so you want their Havens to 
  characterize them well. 
  You also have to place your Anarchs' areas of control. 
  Frequently (though not always) the Anarchs take control of 
  certain parts of town just like mortal gangs. These areas of 
  turf should be marked out on a map so that you know 
  where certain Anarch groups are likely to be found. This 
  will also show you where it is dangerous for the characters 
  to hunt because many Anarch gangs are very rigorous in 
  controlling their territory. 
  Finally, once you have placed the Havens and controlled 
  areas of all of the major Vampires, you need to add other 
  areas  
  that hold interest to the Kindred. The most important of 
  these are the hunting grounds. Many cities in the Gothic-
  Punk world have a "club row" where all manner of clubs 
  and and bars can be found. This place is called many things 
  by the Kindred, including "the Rack" and "The Crucible". 
  Here Vampires can be found, hunting for fresh blood or 
  meeting with others of their own kind to make plans or 
  negotiate deals. There are other kinds of hunting grounds 
  as well. Indeed there are as many hunting grounds as there 
  are Vampires. See the Vampire book for the different 
  styles of hunters. Slummers will need to go to the slums, 
  while those who seek to get a rush by drinking from the 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  32 
  drunk or the stoned might need to go to entirely different 
  places. 
  The Wilds 
  Despite all the work you have put into your city, eventually 
  your Vampires are going to leave it. They may be moving to 
  another city or they may be simply fleeing into the 
  wilderness, having been on the losing side of some great 
  (or more likely petty) battle in the Jyhad. Either way you 
  need to realize that while the same basic principles for 
  making a scene dramatic still apply, there are some 
  important differences that arise as soon as your Vampires 
  leave the neon lights of their home and enter into the 
  musty darkness of the wilderness. 
  In Vampire, all of the cities are Gothic-Punk. Simply put, 
  they have aspects of the Gothic horror novels and aspects 
  of  
  street culture today. In the wilderness, there is little street 
  and therefore little Punk. However, the Gothic is still very 
  much alive. The Gothic wilderness has a very distinct look 
  that you will want to make use of in your Vampire 
  Chronicle. 
  The Gothic wilderness is very dark. There are nearly no 
  streetlights, except for one out in the middle of nowhere at 
  an intersection to make a harsh light. The moon is often 
  full (or hidden behind ominous clouds), and the wind 
  whistles eerily through the trees. If it is not a clear night, 
  then rain pours down in torrents to buffet the weary 
  traveller. In the real world, the rural areas often have little 
  gas stations or motels dotted about to take in the lonely 
  traveler. In the Gothic world many of these are gone, 
  leaving larger areas of open space, free of man-made 
  buildings and devices. 
  Under the open moon and in the swirling mists lie a few 
  small towns that close up their doors at night. These little 
  hamlets are sometimes distrustful of strangers and are 
  usually poor, unless they are just bedroom communities 
  for a nearby city. The Kindred do not exist out here so the 
  people are free from their hunting. The mor tals must, 
  however, deal with the ravaging Werewolves, whose fury 
  can know no limits. These monstrous beasts travel in packs 
  on nights of the full moon when their rage consumes them, 
  hunting for victims to rend and destroy. 
  Just make sure you don't overdo it. You don't want to make 
  the Gothic-Punk world seem so different from our world 
  that your players cannot identify with it. Make sure  
  that you tailor how much Gothic you add to your 
  wilderness to the amount of Gothic you added to the cities. 
  If your city is covered in gargoyles and made of dark black 
  stone, then the wilds should have dark, brooding mansions 
  on hills overlooking cold, stony moors. The moon may well 
  be full, and there should always be an icy mist creeping 
  across the landscape, accompanied by the howl of a lonely 
  wolf. If your cities are not so Gothic, then make the rural 
  areas more like the real rural areas in our world. 
  When describing rural areas, realize that Vampires tend to 
  see them differently than mortals. A lack of mortals means 
  no v itæ, and for a Vampire this means death. Thus the 
  Vampires tend to see the wilderness as despairingly lonely, 
  unlike many humans who see the wilderness as a place for 
  comforting solitude. The woods are full of Werewolves, 
  who are the mortal enemies of the Vampires, and while 
  many find the wilderness to be filled with a kind of peace, 
  the Vampires only find war here. Just like the city, there is 
  no safety for them even here. 
  Thus with all of these problems to confront a Vampire in 
  the woods, they will see the rural areas differently than you 
  may. Do not describe birds as "chirping from a tree." 
  Rather, the birds would "cackle at you from above." The 
  moon is not beautiful and soft; rather, the Kindred see it as 
  a watching eye illuminating their position with stark 
  shadows and gives them away to the wolf men who lurk all 
  around. Wide, open expanses of terrain, which many 
  mortals find lovely due to  
  their peacefulness, are merely empty to Vampires, who feel 
  naked when out in them. The open sky overhead seems to 
  threaten to swallow the Kindred up in its great black void, 
  and the stars which are rarely visible in the brightly -lit city 
  seem to laugh maliciously at them. 
  You need to describe the rural areas as the Vampires 
  perceive them, not as we perceive them. For many 
  Vampires the wilderness is a frightening, unknown place 
  they have not visited in many years. They have only heard 
  rumors about the terrifying Werewolves who live there and 
  what they do to the Kindred they catch. When you describe 
  the scenes in this way, your players will learn to distrust 
  the wilderness, as they should. 
  There is always the possibility, however, that you wish to 
  run your Chronicle as a traveling story where the Vampires 
  never stay in one place for any length of time. There are a 
  number of possible reasons for this and many are given in 
  Vampire. In this case you will wish to do a little research 
  and find good, dramatic settings to place your Vampires in. 
  You will also want to make the rural areas seem a little less 
  desolate and dangerous than I have recommended above, 
  or the Chronicle will quickly become extremely oppressive. 
  The possibilities for setting in rural areas are a little more 
  limited than in the city, so you will need to work a little 
  harder if you want a mobile Chronicle. The Vampires will 
  rarely meet the same people more than once, and they will 
  spend a lot of time away from the large concentrations of 
  people. Thus you will have to find more ways to make the 
  Chronicle interesting. This will also affect your plots and 
  your characters, of course, but here are some suggestions 
  about setting. 
  Think of exotic places in the wilderness that will make 
  good settings for scenes, such as abandoned houses, deep 
  mines, ghost towns, misty swamps, forbidding caverns, 
  brooding forests, old rock quarries and lofty mountain 
  peaks with dangerous cliffs. You must look at the terrain 
  that exists in the area of the world that your Chronicle is in, 
  so choose your initial location very carefully. New England, 
  Eastern and Western Europe and the new states of the old 
  Soviet Union are all classic Gothic terrain which would 
  make wonderful settings for a rural Vampire Chronicle. 
  The more adventurous Storyteller might choose a more 
  exotic area like northern Africa, but this can lead to more 
  trouble than it's worth, so only do it if you're sure of your 
  knowledge and ability. 
  Making It All Come Alive 
  No matter what kind of Chronicle you are planning on 
  running or in what part of the world you have placed your 
  Vampires, you must be able to make the setting seem real, 
  dramatic and dynamic. This section includes tips and 
  secrets for novice and experienced Storytellers alike. 
  Choosing Settings 
  Once your city is complete the setting for your Chronicle is 
  still incomplete. You only have the larger framework in 
  which you  will build the more important scene settings. 
  Your Troupe will experience the Gothic-Punk world only 
  through the settings you describe to them. If your city has 
  all of this great flavor and great style but you do not let that 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  33 
  come out in the individual scenes, then it was all for 
  nothing. You must let the look of your city shine through in 
  each individual scene. 
  In order to best create an individual scene, the biggest and 
  most important task is to choose a location. Once you have 
  found your location, you can think about what makes it 
  different from other similar locations in other cities. For 
  instance, an inner-city slum in Los Angeles may have a 
  cultural mix of Mexicans, African-Americans and Asians, 
  though many are racially segregated. One in New York 
  wou ld have mostly African-Americans and Hispanics with 
  a mix of European nationalities. Both are inner-city slums, 
  but once you add the flavor of your own city they look, 
  sound and smell very different. 
  You need not spend as much time with the settings for 
  y our scene as you do with your plot and characters, but 
  each time you create a scene, ask yourself who will be 
  there, what will they be doing and where will they be? 
  Exotic and interesting settings can bring to life an 
  otherwise ordinary and even boring scene. Following is a 
  list of a few exotic scenes that have been popular in 
  chronicles. The list is by no means exhaustive, but it may 
  help you when ad-libbing or improvising a Story. 
  On the upper strata of wealth, the penthouse apartment is 
  always an interesting location. The extravagance can make 
  for an interesting place to bargain and negotiate in. It's 
  also quite fun to stage large fights in penthouses as the 
  resulting collateral damage is guaranteed to be very high. 
  Usually the whole city is laid out in front of a big picture 
  window with a marvelous view. This also can make the 
  scene more dramatic if, for instance, two opposing factions 
  are fighting for the city while the city is laid out behind 
  them in panorama. 
  Mansions are another good place to locate your Elders and 
  to negotiate deals and treaties. Try to stay away from the 
  typical Hollywood mansion that we see in every other 
  movie. Do something different with it. Include an elaborate 
  garden in the back, a maze of bushes, a sculpture garden, 
  or a zoo. With Vampires and wealth, anything is possible. 
  Why not make the mansion a grand old castle that some 
  old Vampire had brought from Europe stone by stone or 
  had a replica built here to remind himself of his past? A 
  grand castle on a hill overlooking the city would be an 
  impressive sight and an unusual landmark for your city. 
  Yachts can be very exotic and interesting locations for 
  deals or fights. Again, try to make the yacht unique. There 
  are not too many strange things that you can do with a 
  yacht because of the space limitations, so you will probably 
  simply  
  have to describe it differently. The yacht could have exotic 
  railings and a beautiful wooden deck. Or perhaps there is 
  about to be a party and the deck is covered in streamers, 
  balloons and sweet treats for the guests. 
  On larger ships you can include swimming pools, bars and 
  a whole host of luxuries. Indeed, a cruise could make a very 
  interesting place for Vampires to have an adventure. 
  Cabins inside the hull might not have windows, so 
  Vampires could hide safely in the day and only come out 
  for the great night life. You could even include old sailing 
  vessels. The U.S.S. Constitution still lies in Boston harbor 
  and sails often enough to keep it commissioned in the U.S. 
  Navy. There are many other ancient ships still around from 
  the last few centuries that could well have been bought by 
  some Vampire who wished to remember his old days. 
  Some Vampires still hold positions in corporations and 
  may want to meet your characters in one of the corporate 
  towers that dot many cities. These tall glass and steel 
  buildings make very dark and grim settings at night. Most 
  of the lights are off and the elevators open up on dark and 
  silent carpeted hallways. There might be security cameras 
  to be dodged as well as the odd guard or two that must be 
  subdued or avoided. If you play up the silence and 
  darkness of this enormous building, the effect can be quite 
  creepy. 
  Many Elders belong to social clubs. While most of these 
  clubs center around daytime activities like golf and tennis, 
  there are often parties and other events going on at night at 
  which Vampires might be found. This setting is just as 
  exotic as the mansion or the yacht with the advantage that 
  it is probably neutral ground for the Vampires who are to 
  meet here (for whatever reason). Huge chandeliers glitter 
  from the ceiling and crystal fountains bubble colored water 
  down into their marble basins. The decadence of these 
  places can be quite extraordinary. 
  Expensive restaurants always work well as a good setting 
  for a Vampire adventure. Vampires cannot keep food 
  down, and this can pose some very unusual problems for 
  Vampires who are expected to eat (watch as the characters 
  dump drinks into plants and hide food in their pockets). 
  Some Vampires who can actually keep the food down for a 
  while will agree to meet other Vampires at restaurants. The 
  Vampire capable of eating is much less likely to be 
  embarrassed and thereby gains an advantage in any social 
  transaction. 
  Restaurants do not make good places for open fights, but 
  they are great for subtle battles where silenced guns are 
  fired under tables when the cymbals are hit in the band's 
  performance or when champagne bottles are being opened. 
  This can make for a very tense scene as each Vampire 
  knows that murder is taking place but is unable to do 
  anything that would risk the Masquerade. 
  Bars are a very common place for adventures to take place 
  in Vampire as well as many other games. So common, in 
  fact, that all bars in games may look alike to your players - 
  happily, an avoidable phenomenon. Vampires spend lots of 
  time in bars because they don't have to drink, and bars are 
  great places to get vessels. Make each bar different. Have a 
  small band play reggae, hard rock, jazz or punk. Or have 
  the bar decorated in particularly strange theme. One 
  favorite is "Arabian Nights," decorated with murals of the 
  desert and with silky cloth hung over the ceiling like a huge 
  Persian tent. The music tends to be softer than in many 
  places, and it is known as a good place to bring a date. Give 
  each bar its own style and it will come alive; describe it just 
  as "a bar" and it will remain dead and uninteresting. 
  The Elysium, as it is called in Chicago and many other 
  cities, is the area where the Primogen meet to argue, 
  debate and vote on various subjects. The Elysium offers 
  many setting possibilities. Art museums can be used for 
  several different kinds of encounters. Many of the 
  museums are closed at night, leaving their rooms free from 
  the prying eyes of the mortals. Furthermore, these 
  beautiful halls filled with the greatest works of art from 
  history are often occupied by Elders who gather here for 
  meetings or for their own pleasure. The works of art 
  themselves can reflect the action taking place in your 
  adventure. For instance, an Elder might be looking at a 
  Greek statue of a fallen warrior while he threatens an 
  Anarch player with death. The art can thus become 
  symbolic of the action that is taking place in the story. 
  This works equally well with plays (if not better). The play 
  that the Vampires have gone to see can mirror the action in 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  34 
  the story itself, except perhaps with a twist. It can be used 
  to  
  foreshadow doom and death to a particular Vampire who 
  sees himself as one of the characters in the play. Look at 
  Shakespeare for good plots that may well mirror plots of 
  your own (especially  Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and 
  Romeo and Juliet). These plays have the advantage that 
  their plots are likely to be known by your troupe and you 
  will not have to read them the play for them to get the 
  point. 
  Movies can work even better to convey this effect. While 
  movie houses are not often part of the Elysium, they can 
  make great places to use this parallel plot effect. Movies 
  your troupe has seen can be used to great effect. Many 
  cities have out-of-the-way little movie houses that show old 
  movies that were either "cult" or artistic. While these 
  places might lack the deadly intrigue of the Elysium, your 
  troupe may well be more aware of the plots of movies than 
  those of many plays and so they are useful for your 
  symbolic purposes. A movie or a play can even give a hint 
  as to what is actually happening in the adventure. If the 
  Vampires cannot understand what is wrong with a 
  particular Vampire - why he seems so strange and upset 
  perhaps - when they see Hamlet they might guess that the 
  disappearance of their friend's Sire may not have been an 
  accident. 
  Sporting events often take place at night and are a great 
  place to find vessels. Some Kindred follow sports teams 
  like mortals do just to add a little excitement into their 
  lives. Here in the flash of the artificial lighting and amidst 
  the roar of the crowd, the Kindred can conduct their 
  business, whatever it may be. The movement and shouting 
  of so many excited mortals is like a drug to the Cainites. To 
  be close to so much excited vitæ stimulates their senses 
  and gets their adrenalin pumping. Those who have little 
  self-control should avoid such places, though this can allow 
  the Storyteller to cause interesting problems. 
  Shopping malls can always be found in today's world. Most 
  shopping malls close at around nine at night, so Vampires 
  may often find themselves having to break in. A mall late at 
  night can be a sad, eerie place. The halls that should be 
  filled with people are empty for the Vampires and the 
  mannequins stare vacantly through their cold windows. All 
  the shops are closed up with cages for doorways and all the 
  fountains are off. If the Kindred have taken over the mall , 
  they could arrange to have the fountains on and they might 
  even be able to get keys to the doors of the stores. With the 
  music on and the fountains going, it could actually be quite 
  fun, having the whole place to yourself with items there for 
  the taking. So you see, a mall can be a rather creepy place 
  or a lot of fun, depending on how you describe it. 
  Another great place to go for fun is an amusement park. 
  Many cites have at least one of these to visit. In the Gothic-
  Punk world, Kindred can come to these places for vessels 
  or to relax. They could also be meeting somebody here to 
  negotiate some sort of political deal or ev en for violence. 
  Depending on the park, you may want to describe how 
  artificial everything looks. Carnivals are especially great 
  places to give Vampires the creeps. Just look at how 
  many Twilight Zone episodes took place in a carnival. 
  Carnivals seem overly  gaudy and extremely fake. The 
  cheap ones look tattered and worn down. There is 
  something chilling about those wild rides, flashing lights, 
  almost grotesque Harlequin faces and the strange shows. 
  The mortals are often lost souls who have no family and no 
  home because they are constantly on the move. A strange, 
  gaudy, flashy, tattered old place filled with lost souls and 
  glaring, laughing clown masks can be extremely horrid. 
  If your city has a television industry (like L.A. or New 
  York), it can be fun to have your Vampires fight across 
  movie sets. One encounter between Vampires and a 
  contact began with a meeting inside a television studio, 
  turned into an ambush, and the Vampires soon found 
  themselves defending themselves inside the sound stage of 
  a popular sitcom. All the players had seen the show, so it 
  was easy to imagine the scene. I would not recommend 
  doing this more than once. It makes for a very strange, 
  somewhat comical battle. You can also set battles in more 
  interesting (and darker) places than the set for a sitcom. 
  How about a set from Hook, Robin Hood or Aliens 3 ? 
  Obviously the movie will have to have been out recently to 
  justify the set still being up, but this shows you how wild 
  you can get when you let your imagination go. 
  Parks are typical places to meet if you don't trust the 
  person you're meeting. They are open and it is harder to 
  hide an ambush. You want to make your parks as 
  distinctive as possible. Remember to include swingsets and 
  jungle gyms in some and botanical gardens and outdoor 
  theaters in others. Some will have memorials to war heroes 
  with statues or long lists of names engraved on stone walls. 
  Parks are good spots to hide from the police and many 
  parks are very dangerous for mortals if not for Kindred 
  (Central Park in New York has become infamous). 
  Every major city in America has a zoo. Almost all the zoos 
  close at sunset, so Kindred will have to sneak in after dark. 
  Social situations in front of the lions can add a little 
  background to an otherwise ordinary scene, and a battle in 
  the snake house is one to remember. Dancing among tigers 
  in the middle of a gunfight always adds a little thrill as 
  well. 
  There are also several places that deal in illegal goods 
  which could make for a very interesting setting. How about 
  a brothel? Every city has at least a few of these. Kindred 
  might go to one to get easy vessels. There might even be a 
  house that deals specifically with Kindred and their needs. 
  Whorehouses can either be very slimy, horrible places that 
  use runaway teenagers for their bodies, or they can be 
  slick, clean establishments that keep their girls well cared 
  for and charge big bucks from their wealthy clientele. 
  Many cities outlaw gambling, and the crimelords may have 
  set up private gambling clubs for those who cannot do 
  without. Only  the very rich and decadent would be found 
  in such a place and the money that could correspondingly 
  be made would be enormous. No doubt the whole interior 
  would have plush rugs and bright lights, just like a Vegas 
  casino. Since Vampires are often the richest members of 
  the  
  community, they would likely have been invited to enjoy 
  the festivities. 
  The wealthy social places in the city are all very good if you 
  want your Vampires to make deals or get information, but 
  if you want a little more action you're going to have to find 
  some places a bit more out-of-the-way. There are lots of 
  really great places scattered throughout every ordinary city 
  that make great action scene locations. One favorite is the 
  cemetery. These are located randomly across every major 
  city in America today. At night they are very creepy, and 
  the gravestones make for interesting cover and tactical 
  possibilities. The graveyard is also a reminder of death and 
  can make a fight all the more fearful. 
  A slaughterhouse is wonderful for a fight or a chase. In the 
  first place, it is smells horrible. The stench makes the scene 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  35 
  uniquely grotesque. Second, the great slabs of meat 
  hanging from hooks from the ceiling make for disgusting 
  cover in a firefight. Your players will not likely forget a 
  fight they  had in an abattoir, and it will seem different 
  from all the other battles they have had, even if in many 
  ways it was the same. 
  These are just a few ideas for dramatic places where you 
  can set scenes in your Chronicle. Use them in an 
  emergency when you can think of nothing else, or let them 
  spark your imagination for your own scenes and locations 
  with in your city. 
  Describing Scenes 
  Once you have the scene in your head, you must describe it 
  to your troupe. This is much easier said than done. 
  Ultimately all you can do is practice and eventually it will 
  come to you. There is no substitute for experience in this 
  matter and it is one of the things that separates a good 
  Storyteller from an inexperienced one. Still, there are some 
  techniques that writers use and some techniques that other 
  Storytellers have used that may be of some use to you. 
  When describing a scene, you must first decide on the 
  mood you wish to set. While you will often simply describe 
  the scene in a very utilitarian way, you will often want to 
  set a tone or mood for the scene to come. This can be 
  creepy, dangerous, peaceful, safe or whatever else you 
  want. For example: "When you open your eyes you realize 
  that you might as well have left them closed. The darkness 
  completely surrounds you. You can see nothing, hear 
  nothing and feel nothing except the cold concrete floor 
  under your back." Here the darkness is an unknown that 
  could very well hide an enemy or something worse. On the 
  other hand: "When you open your eyes you see that you are 
  shrouded in darkness. There is a peaceful silence and the 
  floor beneath you is cool on your skin". Here the darkness 
  is peaceful. It offers protection from your enemies and 
  peace to those who require it. 
  Once you have chosen your tone, you must choose your 
  methods - the tools you can use to create an image. Writers 
  and poets have been using many of these methods for 
  centuries, and there is no reason why you shouldn't use 
  them as well. These are only here to help you get started. 
  Ultimately we can never teach you how to describe a scene; 
  you must learn the knack for it. It is something that is done 
  at an intuitive level through a combination of a hundred 
  thousand places and things that you have seen. Inventing 
  and clearly describing new, imaginary places isn't easy and 
  it takes experience and talent to do it well. Use these 
  methods to get you started or to expand your abilities if 
  you are already an experienced Storyteller. 
  Individuals experience much of the world through their 
  eyes, so you must learn to describe the world in terms of 
  color and shape. "His ashen face glares at you, with the 
  fangs protruding from beneath the upper lip are as sharp 
  as knives, and his eyes gleam like two bright coals." This is 
  an example of a use of color and shape. Here we have only 
  two colors, grey and red. However, realize how boring the 
  description would read if you said "His face is grey -white 
  and his eyes are red." Be specific. If his face is grey, what 
  shade of grey? If his eyes are red, what kind of red? Be as 
  specific as possible and give as much detail as you can on 
  important people or things. 
  Hearing is usually the second most important sense used 
  in setting a scene. Sounds make your scene seem much 
  more real. Whenever you can, listen to sounds and try to 
  describe them. We usually take sound for granted, but as a 
  Storyteller you cannot. You must be able to describe the 
  sound of a gunshot, an explosion, scratching on a door, a 
  wolf howling, a beautiful voice or a car accident (was there 
  a minor thunk signifying a fender bender, or was there a 
  tremendous crash followed by an explosion?). Make sound 
  effects if you can. To add to our description of the ashen-
  faced Vampire we might say "His silk suit rustles as he 
  moves and his voice is harsh and raspy, like a heavy 
  smoker's." 
  Now we have to add smell. Smells really do it for a 
  description of a place in a game. We identify so many 
  things with smell that we don't even realize it. Pay 
  attention to the smells in your life; they will come in handy 
  as a Storyteller. Think about the smell of rain, cars, 
  alcohol, sweat, food, exhaust, dust, stale air, something 
  dead, garbage, the ocean, the subway and blood. Every 
  scene you describe will include smells, even if it is only the 
  smell of mortal vitæ. To continue our description of the 
  Vampire with the ashen face we will add a little smell, such 
  as "His soft clothes are soaked in a thick, sweet perfume 
  that smells of cherries." 
  Touch can be used to great effect in the description of a 
  scene, but it is not essential to every one (the same goes for 
  taste). Do not leave touch out though. Whenever the 
  Vampires make a special point of picking something up, 
  describe how it feels. For instance when a Vampire draws 
  his gun, you could say "You fumble inside your jacket until 
  you find it; it seems to slip into your hand and the icy 
  metal fits snugly into your grip." This helps the player 
  experience the Gothic-Punk world to its fullest.  
  Now if we put our ashen Vampire together we get: "His 
  ashen face glares at you, with the fangs protruding from 
  beneath the upper lip are as sharp as knives, and his eyes 
  gleam like two bright coals. His silk suit rustles as he 
  moves and his voice is harsh and raspy, like a heavy 
  smoker's; all the while his soft clothes are soaked in a 
  thick, sweet perfume that smells of cherries." This is a 
  complete description of the Vampire, including all of the 
  essential elements, but it lacks technique. It lacks little 
  methods that can bring a scene to life and make it that 
  much more real to the players. 
  Two of the greatest methods we have to help us paint a 
  scene are metaphor and simile. For instance, in the 
  description of the Vampire we might say "his eyes gleam 
  like two bright coals, as though his face were a dying fire." 
  This implies that the Vampire is old and burnt out. We 
  might also change the description of his voice to read "his 
  voice is harsh and raspy, like broken glass." 
  Metaphors like those above can be used to add flavor but 
  they can also be used for many other things. Use 
  metaphors to give an inanimate object action. Don't say 
  "the old house sits on the hill" but rather "the old house 
  squats on the hill like an enormous toad." Don't say "the 
  light is incredibly bright." Instead, "the light sears your 
  eyes like the afternoon sun." Sometimes you want your 
  metaphors to be wild (like comparing a house to a toad) 
  and sometimes they will be very conservative (saying a 
  light is like the sun), but you want to use both kinds. Wild 
  metaphors make your troupe think and it can make 
  ordinary objects take on a character of their own. 
  Conservative metaphors make a description more vivid 
  and do not confuse the listener with a strange comparison. 
  A cousin to metaphor is personification. To personify 
  something is to turn a concept or object into a person. To 
  say that "death knocked on the door" is to personify death, 
  implying that death is a person who can ring a doorbell. In 
  Vampire you can say things like "the moon stares down at 
  you like a lidless eye" or "the shadows seem to dance wildly 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  36 
  about as you light the fire" or "the storm shouts and 
  thunders as it hurls its rain at the uncaring city streets." 
  Giving an unthinking object thought or emotion can add a 
  great deal to your setting. It adds life and dimension to 
  otherwise bland and flat objects. 
  There are many other tools that you can use to improve 
  you r scenes but we will leave these for you to discover on 
  your own. If you want new ideas, just read a good book. 
  Writers and poets have spent literally thousands of years 
  trying to find different ways to say things, so you should 
  not overlook them as a valuable resource. 
  Tools of the Trade 
  Not only are there many ways to create setting with your 
  voice, but there are also methods to create setting with 
  lighting, music and other special effects that can add a 
  great deal to your Chronicle as a whole. You may find some 
  of  
  these devices to be useful and some not to your taste, so 
  use only what you think is necessary to create the mood 
  and set the scene for your Chronicle. Also be aware that the 
  techniques you use on one night to create a mood may not 
  be appropriate on another night when the mood of the 
  Story for that evening is totally different. These tools are 
  designed to help your troupe "get into it" and have been 
  used by other gamers for years for just that purpose. 
  Music is perhaps your most powerful tool in making a 
  setting and indeed, a whole game come alive. Choose your 
  music carefully. Compact Disks are best if you can get them 
  because you can easily select the kind of music you want by 
  track. This allows you to quickly skip over music that does 
  not fit the current mood of the Chronicle. The ultimate is a 
  five CD changer that allows you to skip from CD to CD with 
  a remote control. This keeps the hassles of being a DJ to a 
  minimum and does not require you to stop the game to get 
  up and fix the music. 
  Music without words is frequently the best because it does 
  not distract the players with lyrics. As a result classical 
  music and movie themes are frequently the best for your 
  purposes. Make sure you review your music carefully 
  before 
  a 
  game.  
  You don't want to be suddenly surprised when the music 
  changes from a battle song to a love theme. You may also 
  wish to consult with your players before choosing music for 
  an evening of play. Musical taste is very personal and one 
  of your players may loathe the music you have planned, 
  distracting her from the game. 
  Lights are also a great creator of mood. Vampire almost 
  always takes place at night. It is best to begin just as the 
  sun sets if you can, as this is the first thing a Vampire 
  would see when he awakens and it can be the first thing 
  your players see as they get into a game. Also, there is 
  something beautiful and lonely in a sunset that makes us 
  pensive. By forcing your players to think what it would 
  mean to their lives if the first thing they saw upon arising 
  from sleep was a sunset, you get them into the mood of 
  Vampire and they are reminded what the world looks like 
  when it is dark. Candles and colored lights (especially red) 
  are very useful for Vampire. 
  It is the practice of some theater directors to gather their 
  actors together before a performance, turn out the lights 
  and give a little pep talk to allow time for the actors to get 
  into character. Once the lights come back on, the actors 
  have left their own selves behind and there is only the 
  character left. This technique has proven very useful for 
  roleplaying. The most destructive elements to a game are 
  the digressions the players are prone to (the latest movie, a 
  party on Saturday or whatever). 
  If you can get the players to stay in character until you turn 
  the lights off again at the end of the Story and "reenter" the 
  real world, your game will run more smoothly and your 
  troupe will have fuller, more developed characters. By 
  turning the lights off at the beginning of the session you 
  make the darkness a kind of doorway into the imaginary 
  world of Vampire and your players will only leave the 
  Gothic-Punk world when you open the door (turn off the 
  lights) to let them back into our real world. 
  You can say anything you want when you turn the lights 
  out. For Vampire you may  have a theme song you listen 
  to, and playing it is a signal that it is time for the players to 
  leave this world behind and forget all that would distract 
  them in the game. You can also say nothing at all and just 
  let your troupe meditate on the darkness or the music. 
  Both work well for Vampire. 
  Lighting, music and other theatrical techniques can have a 
  great influence on how well your troupe sees the Gothic-
  Punk world. A well-constructed atmosphere for the game 
  will make your troupe more open-minded in picturing in 
  their minds the world in which you describe, so use these 
  techniques to enhance the descriptions of the places that 
  your Vampires experience and your games will reach new 
  levels of reality and imagination.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  37 
  CITY WORKSHEET 
  City: _________________________ 
  Mortal Population: ____________ Vampire Population: _________________ 
  Mood: _________________ Theme: _________________ 
  Describe your City's "Look":  
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
    
  Prince: _________________ Clan: _________________ Haven(s): _________________ 
  Primogen Role: 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  Names and Clans: 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  Anarch Overlord (if any):_________________ 
  Gangs and their Leaders: 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  Sabbat Presence:  
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  Notable Neutrals: 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
  Mayor: __________________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  Police Chief: _____________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  Precinct Captains: __________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  Prominent Uniformed Cops: _________________________ 
  Controlled by:__________________________________ 
   
  Internal Affairs Detectives: __________________________ 
  Controlled by:__________________________________ 
   
  Newspaper: _______________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  Newspaper: _______________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  TV Station/Network: ________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  TV Station / Network: ________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  Radio Station: _______________________________________ 
  Controlled by:__________________________________ 
   
  Radio Station: _______________________________________ 
  Controlled by: __________________________________ 
   
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  38 
  Lupines: _________________________ 
  Magi: ________________________ Ghosts: ____________________________ 
  _______________________________________________________________________ 
    
  Vampire Town Hall: _________________ 
  Elysium: _________________ The Rack: _________________ 
  Other Hunting Grounds:  
  ___________________________________________________________________  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  39 
  Chapter Four: 
  The Motive 
  Softly to swim inside your veins 
  Softly in ripping cellophane 
  to float and glide in time 
  to the rushing in your brain 
  I wanted your lips. yes I wanted your kiss 
  Siouxsie & the Banshees, Softly 
   
  Why do your characters do those crazy things they have 
  become so known for? It would seem the easiest thing for a 
  Vampire to do would be disappear into hiding, far from the 
  wars of the Jyhad, feeding on obscure visitors or secret 
  herds. In fact, some Kindred follow this path, disappearing 
  for decades from the sight of others. What a dull game that 
  would make. 
  Thankfully, your characters (and their players) are special. 
  Not for them these unlives of quiet desperation. Set up a 
  series of odd events for them to investigate, and they fall 
  over each other seeing who can get into the most trouble. 
  Imply that the west side of town has become a dangerous 
  place to hang out, and your characters rush out there, guns 
  ablaze, to prove you right. 
  Bringing characters into Stories like this, with some event 
  or tale sparking their interest in the scenario you have 
  created, is often the easiest and most effective way to get 
  the ball rolling. However, it is not always the best. 
  The following sections involve motivations which are both 
  Storyteller- and player-driven. Stories involving these plots 
  only rarely begin with the Storyteller presenting a situation 
  to the players and having them go through planned events. 
  Instead, the Storyteller creates the greater framework (who 
  the antagonists are, where major events occur, what 
  unforeseen occurrences throw well-laid plans off kilter, 
  etc.) and the characters work to fulfill their goals within it. 
  These sections on politics, Golconda, rebirth, Diablerie and 
  the others are suitable for creating an entire Chronicle, or 
  can be mixed together. Either way creates a satisfying 
  string of Stories for all participants. 
  Politics of the Camarilla 
  Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations - 
  entangling alliances with none. 
  - Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address 
  This section describes the formal conventions, polite lies 
  and harsh realities of Camarilla politics. The punishing 
  demands of the Vampiric existence and the exacting 
  requirements of the Masquerade have created a society of 
  deceitful minds and sterile hearts. Whereas the family of 
  man is grounded in the nurturing ties of empathy and 
  abundance, the family of Caine is grounded in fear, 
  suspicion, and scarcity. In the mortal world, deception, 
  duplicity and betrayal are aberrations. In Vampiric society 
  they are the unwritten law that undergirds the 
  Masquerade. They are the heart of Vampire politics. This 
  section builds on the Status rules laid out in The Players 
  Guide to aid Storytellers in establishing Chronicles based 
  on Camarilla politics. 
  The Prince motioned the five Anarchs forward, saying 
  "You may present yourselves for audience." His words 
  dripped with false charm, but he scowled at the sight of 
  them.  
  Dark thoughts settled onto his mind like a billowing black 
  shroud as the quintet approached him. They brashly 
  strode across the soft ermine rugs of his court, indifferent 
  to the soil and filth on their battered boots that soiled 
  everything they passed. They walked with the very sort of 
  studied insouciance that the Prince despised. Their 
  cockiness was utterly unwarranted, and yet it had to 
  stand. For now. 
  Enduring the visit from these disrespectful hoodlums filled 
  the Prince's mind with despair. He fought back the bleak 
  melancholia, and with an effort, succeeded in replacing it 
  with a wine-red rage. Rather than feeling oppressed by 
  the brazen whelps, he felt searing anger. He longed to 
  tear into the children, to rip out their hearts and feast on 
  their fresh, young, virile juices. His son Lyle had told him 
  they were formidable fighters, but they would be no 
  match for the Prince in full bloom of anger. He felt himself 
  rapidly losing control of his rage, and struggled to rein in 
  the passions that now welled up in him. Only by 
  reminding himself of all the status he stood to lose by such 
  an unseemly display could he overcome his fury. He knew 
  the Harpies were eagerly awaiting just such a moment. 
  Waiting for him to lose control, just for an instant. To 
  succumb to the Beast. Their wagging tongues would tear 
  him down faster than they could slip a stake in his heart. 
  So he kept his honest emotions firmly in check. And still he 
  felt closer to the Beast. 
  The leader of the coterie stepped forward. Closer than she 
  had permission to, the Prince noted, but too far away for 
  him to complain without seeming petty in front of his 
  court. The damnable court. The worm-tongued Harpies. 
  The Anarch paused for a moment, her lips slightly parted, 
  as if she were about to speak. But she didn't speak. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  40 
  Instead she paused, sizing him up. The Prince waited 
  impatiently for her to start. He wanted to prompt her to 
  begin, but knew it would be unseemly for him to speak 
  first. It would make him look too eager, bringing him 
  down to her level. He would seem less imperial before his 
  court. And she knew that, so she prolonged the pause, 
  going so far as to imitate the drawing of breath to speak. 
  The Prince yearned to scorch her with his tongue, to 
  reprimand her in a voice like thunder. But he knew that if 
  he opened his mouth to chastise her, she would begin 
  speaking at once, and make his reprimand look foolish 
  and petty. So the Prince waited, struggling to conceal his 
  agitation. In that achingly long moment, he noted that the 
  Anarch leader was very beautiful, exactly the sort of 
  woman that once delighted him, so many worlds ago. She 
  knew she was beautiful, and yet she dressed in insolent 
  defiance of her beauty: all torn denim and ripped leather 
  that exposed inappropriate flashes of soft, pale skin. Her 
  dress, her demeanor, her very existence were an affront to 
  all the Traditions. 
  As the first flickers of annoyance finally showed on the 
  Prince's face, she began. Perfect timing, he noted darkly. 
  "My lord Prince, regent of all the city, master of all 
  Kindred," she began. She knew her flattery too. Perfect to 
  the letter, and as insincere as a harlot's kiss. 
  "We present our petition for pardon. We ask that Clifton 
  Derrik of the Brujah be pardoned for violation of the 
  Second Tradition, for hunting in your city without 
  permission. For hunting on the Strip south of the 
  Knightsbridge." 
  The Prince indulged in a slight smile of satisfaction. He 
  felt his red-hot anger turn to a warm glow of satisfaction. 
  "Alas, the area in contest has been ceded to Selene, and 
  she has suffered material loss from the Brujah's rash act, 
  and so he must be punished. I cannot intervene there." The 
  girl looked crestfallen. The Prince added offhandedly, 
  "Though he has the forgiveness of the Prince." There! Now 
  the damnable Brujah could not accuse him of always 
  seeking to punish their members more than those of other 
  Clans. 
  The Anarch leader brightened considerably and said, "The 
  generous, forgiving Prince will be relieved to know that 
  Mistress Selene has granted complete clemency." She 
  produced a sheet of crisp parchment. "Here's her mark." 
  The Prince's rage returned in full force as the Harpies that 
  milled in the room murmured to themselves. What vicious 
  double dealing had this crew been up to? Were they 
  Selene's pawns? 
  "Very well," he said. "Punishment repealed. Now begone. 
  And cleave to the Traditions."  
  "Yes, my Prince," she said. "Oh, one more matter. I crave 
  a boon." 
  The Prince pondered this. Why did she wish to put herself 
  into his debt? Was she that foolish? Or was she looking to 
  end her Anarch ways and bend the knee to her betters? 
  "We request the right to hunt on the Strip from the north 
  of Knightsbridge to the pier." 
  "Such impertinence!" the Prince snarled. "Never." They 
  were fools to think he would let them into prime land he 
  reserved for his progeny and favored courtiers. They 
  would lose face just for asking such a foolish thing. "What 
  could you possibly do for me that could be worth that?" 
  "Done," she said. "We have already served your progeny 
  with a Life Boon. To secure clemency from Selene, we had 
  to provide protective services to her guests at her most 
  recent party, where we defended her household from a 
  Lupine attack. In the course of the party, we defended 
  your offspring Lyle, and saved his life." 
  "Ridiculous! Even if such a thing were true, the debt was 
  paid. You were to defend her guests!" 
  "It grieves me to dispute the word of the Prince," she 
  replied with feigned sincerity, "but in truth, Lyle had not 
  been invited to the party, and hence was not a guest. 
  When we saved him, he incurred a debt. But since the 
  Strip north of the bridge are not available, we'll have to 
  return when we have another request." 
  "Wait! No! Ask now!" he demanded. Frantically, he 
  considered actually giving up the Strip to them. It would 
  cause great disruptions among the powerful members of 
  the city, but it might be worth it. Having his progeny owe 
  a Life Boon to such scum was unacceptable. It would let 
  them get away with nearly anything! 
  "Your lordship is too kind," the leader replied. "But I must 
  decline. Should we formulate a suitable arrangement, 
  we'll tell you. Until them, our humble thanks for lifting 
  Derrik's punishment." She bowed low, her false humility 
  barely masking her derision. 
  She had trumped him and she knew it. He held his ageless 
  face in a stoic mask of composure, but inside he was 
  screaming great oaths to the gods that had long ago 
  abandoned him. 
  The Prince's fiery rage turned to black despair once more. 
  He choked down the taste of bitter bile. They had bested 
  him. These upstart children had actually beaten him at his 
  own game! Was this some silly child's pastime to them? A 
  mere game? How dare they? Didn't they know the stakes 
  involved? 
  Suddenly he felt too hemmed in: too cramped. It was as if 
  he were again entombed beneath the imprisoning ground, 
  in his dank, fetid womb of earth. 
  He was so careful! He was so powerful! How could it have 
  come to this? How could these mere infants make a fool of 
  him like this? How would he live it down? They would pay 
  for the indignity. 
  Competition for status, glory and power are no abstraction 
  to the Vampiric community. They are nothing less than 
  issues of life and death. A Vampire with low status must 
  content himself with second-rate hunting grounds. 
  Offspring are the key to Vampiric survival, but a Vampire 
  who has no status is not allowed to sire Get. A Vampire 
  with no offspring is unprotected from witch-hunters, 
  Diabolists, Lupine attacks, and internal political 
  maneuvering within his Clan and the Camarilla. And if he 
  ages without offspring, he will have no Kindred to tap for 
  vitæ when his own blood thins. 
  So, status is the key to survival, and the formula is simple. 
  Political power means continued existence. Loss of power 
  means extinction. 
  Intrigue and Combat 
  Ah, political intrigue. Breathes there a soul so dead she 
  does not thrive on the idea of subtly maneuvering to gain 
  the upper hand through her own high cunning and low 
  guile? Who does not respond to the allure of learning 
  someone else's rules, mastering them, and using them to 
  triumph? From films to novels to the daily newspaper, 
  political intrigue is a form of conflict rich with dramatic 
  possibilities. And yet it rarely crops up in roleplaying 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  41 
  games, where the main staple of conflict is that old reliable 
  standby, physical violence. 
  Combat is simple and straightforward. Two creatures tear 
  at each other till one is incapable of continuing the fight. 
  Skills, spells and Disciplines may jazz it up, but the basic 
  premise is always the same: crush 'em into the dirt. 
  Obliterating an opponent in a roleplaying game may satisfy 
  our primitive need for conquest, but it is an unsatisfactory 
  mirror for our own experiences. Our lives are less like a 
  rapid game of Rock-Paper-Scissors than an ongoing game 
  of chess. Rather than singular, clear-cut battles that end in 
  utter triumph or loss, we make moves and countermoves, 
  achieve victories and suffer setbacks. Because of the thin 
  veneer of civilization that overlays our actions, we must 
  find approaches that accomplish our goals without wiping 
  out the enemy or being eliminated ourselves. Cooperation 
  and competition lock in a perpetual dance. 
  Political intrigue can be an immensely satisfying form of 
  gaming. While it does not always provide the same low 
  investment/high payoff blast of instant gratification 
  combat does, it has a subtle charm of its own. And its 
  seductive appeal often lasts long after the jubilant glow of 
  combat has faded. 
  Because roleplaying games excel at scenes involving verbal 
  sparring and clever dialogue, they are an ideal medium for 
  scenarios rich with scheming, double-dealing and 
  conspiracy. Vampire is an especially rich setting for 
  political intrigue. With pressure to resolve generational 
  conflicts, inter- and intra-clan rivalries and personal 
  vendettas through civilized means, the Kindred of the 
  Camarilla have become expert political manipulators.  
  A Civilization of Vampires: The 
  Politics of Scarcity 
  Civilization is nothing else but the attempt to reduce force 
  to being the last resort. 
  - Jose Ortega y Gasset, The Revolt of the Masses 
  Humanity builds civilizations for many reasons, including 
  safety, strength and the exaltation and perfection of itself 
  and its ideals. The Kindred build civilizations for all these 
  reasons but one: they are not out to exalt their ideals. They 
  have no illusions about the possibility of perfection. 
  Though some hold the goal of Golconda as an attainable 
  perfect state, reaching that state of bliss is not a goal of 
  Vampire society in general. 
  Instead, the main purpose of the Camarilla is to keep 
  themselves hidden from the world of humanity, their 
  primary food source, and to carefully husband their scarce 
  resources. If Vampires bred and fed with the reckless 
  abandon of humans, the world's sources of fresh vitæ 
  would quickly become depleted. A planet of Vampires 
  would destroy itself in a few short generations, with 
  genocidal internecine warfare wiping out the entire undead 
  species before starvation could claim them all. 
  All Kindred are acutely aware of this, and if any renegade 
  builds his own Vampiric family without permission, the 
  Justicars swiftly remind him of the Masquerade Tradition 
  forbidding it. Few survive the reminder. 
  However, it is still possible for an ambitious Kindred to 
  circumvent the Masquerade, and secretly produce an army 
  of Blood Bound undead. The only thing preventing this 
  major threat to the Camarilla is the political pressure 
  forbidding it. The Masquerade is successful mainly because 
  it is self-enforcing. Jealous Kindred would never let 
  another Vampire engage in unrestrained breeding, even 
  though that Kindred may be hate the same draconian laws 
  that also forbid her from breeding. 
  For the good of the race, most Vampires must be prevented 
  from breeding. As long as each Vampire thinks she may 
  one day earn the right to breed, she will help to keep 
  everyone else in line, just as everyone else helps keep her 
  in line. 
  This is the fundamental difference between Kindred and 
  kine, and is a prime source of political friction. For most of 
  human existence, we have lived in a world of virtually 
  limitless resources that can sustain as many children as 
  people have cared to have, while Vampires simply do not 
  have the resources to produce Progeny indiscriminately. 
  A World of Abundance and a World of 
  Scarcity 
  To understand this phenomena, we must see the world 
  through the eyes of kine and through the eyes of Kindred. 
  To each mortal, the world is full to overflowing with 
  resources for her and her progeny. While each human may 
  feel an animalistic, competitive need to zealously prevent 
  others from gaining access to vital resources, her intellect 
  and her heart tell her there remains plenty for all. People's 
  highest faculties of rationality and empathy meet to 
  produce the civilizing skills of cooperation, harmony and 
  belonging. 
  To Kindred, the world is a cold, hostile, frightening place. 
  They suffer under the unforgiving curse of Caine, and have 
  no welcoming place on Earth. Their higher faculties of 
  reason assure them that there is a scarcity of vital 
  resources, and that any attempt at unrestrained breeding 
  will extinguish the race. 
  They do not call the mortals in their hunting grounds their 
  herds without reason. The metaphor is very real. They 
  think of the whole world's human population as hunting 
  grounds, grazing pastures and farmlands. They see 
  themselves as caretakers of rich, abundant fields of a 
  seemingly endless food source that must always remain 
  greatly underharvested. 
  So while humans have a consciousness organically 
  informed by a sense of belonging and abundance, Kindred 
  have a consciousness informed by alienation and lack. 
  Scarcity and fear of loss pervade every action Vampires 
  make, and colors their dealing with one another and with 
  the mortal world. Because their political and psychological 
  influence on the institutions of the world of man is so 
  subtle and so profound, the Vampires have infused the 
  mortal population with a similar sense of scarcity. 
  This scarcity consciou sness has infected the thinking of 
  leaders of the mortal world, who are in the most direct 
  contact with the Vampiric manipulators, and it filters down 
  to the general population from there. Because it appeals to 
  the animalistic part of man that wants to hoard resources 
  and keep them from others, it has spawned war, 
  persecution and genocide. This attitude can be 
  characterized as starvation in the midst of plenty, and 
  gorging while others die from lack. This is an artificial 
  condition in humans, and the degree to which mortals 
  follow it is the degree to which they have been influenced 
  by Vampiric thinking. 
  This scarcity consciousness is strongest in the oldest, most 
  powerful Vampires who have the most to lose. Unlike 
  human leaders, who have the potential to become more 
  generous as they gain more power, Kindred leaders 
  invariably become less generous and more avaricious. As 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  42 
  they rise in power, they become responsible for preventing 
  more and more Kindred from siring offspring. As their 
  blood thins, their needs geometrically increase. Instead of 
  requiring ten Vampires to suffer to meet their ravenous 
  needs, they must now take a hundred. They need more and 
  more Kindred blood to live, and see no end in sight. Some 
  Kindred scholars have suggested that the Vampire's 
  natural immortality should give him a natural outlook of 
  infinite abundance, but a closer examination reveals that 
  as Cainites age, they become more and more aware of the 
  Thinning of the Blood. If each  
  successive generation is weaker than the last, the whole 
  race could be doomed. 
  This is the real reason status is so important to the 
  Vampires of the Camarilla. Lacking natural empathy and 
  compassion, and with the hot fear of extinction looming 
  over their line and their entire race, they had to codify 
  stronger and more rigid social conventions to keep their 
  young in line. 
  Their solution was to use the powerful Prestation system. 
  If other Vampires, especially the young, are obligated to 
  feel indebted to the one who provides them with some 
  basic requirements, then the young will be less likely to 
  break the Traditions. It makes the young eager to make 
  and keep promises, since that obligates others to them. By 
  the time a Vampire has accrued enough power to become a 
  threat, he is held firmly in place by the bonds of debt to 
  those above him. And those Vampires who do not play the 
  game well enough to gain great status remain pitted 
  against one another at the bottom of the vitæ food chain, 
  fighting with one another over scraps. 
  Because of the innate scarcity consciousness woven into 
  the very fabric of the Vampiric existence, the race suffers 
  from a tremendous shortage of the key human sentiments 
  of understanding, trust, sympathy, and compassion. As a 
  result, their lives are undergirded by suspicion, fear, 
  paranoia and betrayal, all veiled behind an ill-fitting mask 
  of high-minded integrity and honor. 
  This fear and suspicion is the true face of the Beast. With 
  so little they can rely on, is it any wonder that so many 
  Vampires fall prey to it? 
  Politics of Scarcity in the Game 
  As a Storyteller, you can add to the natural pathos and 
  tragedy of the Vampiric existence by keeping this 
  distinction strongly in mind when running Vampire NPCs. 
  Though only a few Elder Vampire scholars really 
  understand the phenomena of scarcity consciousness, all 
  Vampires act on it. It colors every decision Vampiric 
  leaders make, and has been at the heart of virtually every 
  bad decision in Cainite history. Magnanimous gestures 
  often turn out to be a cynical sham. Vampires give nothing 
  away without regard to what they get in return. They keep 
  track of boons owed them with a miser's zeal, and 
  remember boons they owe with a smoldering loathing. 
  Most political deals are made this way, and many strong 
  alliances have been sundered because of an undying fear of 
  lack. In the end, scarcity consciousness keeps the Vampiric 
  community weak, divided, and more suspicious of one 
  another than they are of outside threats. This scarcity and 
  alienation is one face of the Beast that grows as the 
  Vampires lose their humanity. It is also the basis of all 
  Camarilla politics. 
  Mortal and Kindred societies impose restrictions on 
  violence and death. Attacks and killing may only occur 
  when sponsored by the formal leaders of the civilization. 
  All unauthorized violence is punished harshly and swiftly. 
  Stripped of the freedom to skirmish like animals for 
  territory, sustenance and progeny, civilized beings create 
  official channels for controlling the flow of resources. But 
  that doesn't stop both groups from seeking to subvert the 
  official channels for a greater stake of territory, sustenance 
  and progeny. Political intrigue is sublimated violence, and 
  conspiracy is sublimated war. 
  In mortal society political systems often remain strong 
  because the people who live under them have faith in 
  them, and believe in the fairness the systems impart. 
  Among Vampires, these political systems and alliances 
  exist to be subverted. The Kindred know they may not lash 
  out and kill their enemies, but they can gain power and 
  status through duplicity, double-dealing and betrayal. 
  The Vampiric social order is good at recognizing, 
  preventing and punishing outright violence, but is in 
  difficult waters when it tries to stop political intrigue. The 
  hand of corruption is upon every Kindred, and is not easily 
  lifted. 
  Disloyalty is so common in the history of Vampires that the 
  Camarilla leaders created a system that places a high 
  premium on oaths and oathkeeping. The leaders strictly 
  enforce oaths, but are far more guilty of outrageous 
  dishonesty than the petty deceptions of the lower-status 
  Kindred. 
  This is the main source of political tension among 
  Vampires. Because the Elders have the power not only to 
  make rules, but to often break them with impunity, the 
  young  
  Vampires often feel little respect or reverence for their 
  leaders. The Status rules heavily favor the old, and leave 
  little room for the young to compete. When Anarchs do 
  gain the upper hand, the Elders try to shift the rules. 
  Anarchs rarely gain uncontested victories, but have done 
  so more and more often in the last few centuries. Young 
  Vampires have more opportunity for power now than at 
  any time in the past. 
  These generational conflicts continue to tear at the 
  Camarilla, and there is no peace in sight. 
  Political Intrigue in the Game: The 
  Art of the Deal 
  All this angry contention and internecine strife is fertile 
  fodder for your games. Players love to get their hands dirty 
  with political machinations and score hard-won triumphs 
  over crusty Elders. Well-fleshed out political systems are as 
  fun to adventure through as ancient crypts crawling with 
  monstrous dangers, and are often just as laden with traps, 
  treasure and surprises. 
  Storytellers can keep all the political machinations in the 
  background, and keep the players from having any real 
  impact on their Clan and race, but many players jump at 
  the chance to do some real political string pulling. 
  If you give your players fleshed-out, working models of 
  political systems and let them manipulate those systems, 
  they will worship you always. OK, maybe not worship, but 
  they  will greatly appreciate the effort you put into the 
  game. You can give them the experience of learning to play 
  the manipulator's game: exalting when their plans work 
  out, and paying the price when their plots fail. 
  So the question is, how do you provide a consistent, 
  workable political framework for the players? It must clear 
  enough that the players can find a way in, but not so 
  transparent that there are no surprises. It must be flexible 
  enough to allow real manipulation, but not so flimsy that 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  43 
  the players gain complete control over it and always get 
  their way. 
  The secret is in agreements: small deals and large 
  compacts. Dealmaking is the heart and soul of political 
  systems, and Vampires are no exception. 
  The Map 
  To make a framework for Camarilla dealmaking, map out 
  the main political power flow in the city, complete with 
  major alliances, rivalries, feuds, and temporary non-
  aggression pacts. You need to work out the goals of the 
  Clans and the goals of their leaders, which may not be the 
  same. 
  You need to know who is superior to whom, who owes 
  whom, and who is plotting against whom. The By Night 
  sourcebooks contain a wealth of information on the 
  relationships between major Vampires in that area, and 
  the Clan  
  connections. Use those books as a starting place to get a 
  handle on the political landscape. Then chart the Status of 
  each of the main figures in the city. This information 
  should be generally available to the players, or at least 
  accessible to inquiry. 
  As the game progresses, determine which NPC's schemes 
  succeed and which fail. Chart the resulting balance of 
  power, and let the players know about it. Their characters 
  can hear about the changes in status in meetings with their 
  Clan, or through rumors at interclan gatherings. 
  It is important that players see the system as a fluid model 
  capable of change over time. This will make them more 
  confident that their schemes and plans can affect their 
  fellow Cainites. 
  The best times to report these shifting changes are the Clan 
  meetings outlined in The Players Guide. These are all 
  perfect opportunities for intrigue. 
  Player Plots 
  Once you have the overview of the political situation 
  mapped out and properly capable of changing over time, 
  you are ready to add the most crucial ingredient: player 
  interaction. To open the incestuous inner world of 
  Camarilla politics to the ambitions and tinkering of the 
  players, you need the potential for dealmaking. Develop 
  some goals, needs, resources and motivating factors for the 
  key individuals. 
  This means you must know what the major NPCs need, 
  what they want, what they say they want, what they'll do to 
  get it, and who they already owe. Here is the format: 
  · Ultimate Goal: (What they need, or believe they need.) 
  · Immediate Goal: (What they want.) 
  · False Goal (if any: What they say they want.) 
  · Resources: (What they have to offer for it.) 
  · Debts: (Who they already owe, and who owes them.) 
  Ultimate Goal 
  The Ultimate Goal is the character's main, driving need, 
  and is often an obsession. It is what drives her undead 
  passion and fires her immortal heart. It may be a focused 
  goal, like the destruction of a hated rival, rulership of his 
  city's branch of his Clan, permission to found a family, or 
  conquest of the Princehood. The goal may be unfocused, 
  like the destruction of all enemies or acquisition of all 
  available power, but Vampires always have an Ultimate 
  Goal. Even the mad ones. 
  The player will not likely be in a position to offer others 
  their Ultimate Goals, but if his character can learn their 
  main goals, he can make intelligent offers. Those who want 
  to make a career out of behind-the-scenes maneuvers or 
  knowledge brokering can profit from knowing Ultimate 
  Goals. 
  Immediate Goal 
  The Immediate Goal is the current objective in the 
  Vampire's plan of attack. It is what she plans to do next. It 
  may be a simple thing, like winning an invitation to a 
  closed meeting of her superiors or learning some damaging 
  gossip about a rival. It could be an important achievement, 
  like gaining recognition from the Prince for superior 
  loyalty, or winning a boon from an important Clan leader. 
  Learning the Immediate Goal is of prime importance to 
  players. In the short term, it is far more important than 
  learning the Ultimate Goal. When the player knows the 
  Immediate Goal, he can find a way to meet it. Knowing 
  another's needs and maneuvering into a position to meet 
  them builds a very strong negotiating position. 
  No foe has to slavishly stick by their Immediate Goal. Sane 
  Vampires will seriously consider any offer that builds 
  power and is in line with the Vampire's Ultimate Goal. 
  False Goal 
  Not everyone has a False Goal. The more powerful and the 
  more paranoid have them. Lesser Vampires have nothing 
  to lose by being open with their needs, and will reveal them 
  to anyone. But more powerful (and more ambitious) 
  Vampires often have goals which threaten rivals (or 
  friends) in and out of their Clan. They need to use 
  misdirection to keep their enemies from knowing their true 
  designs. So they create fraudulent Immediate Goals, and 
  sometimes fraudulent Ultimate Goals. 
  Resources 
  Under Resources, record the assets available to the NPC. 
  This includes the important things he has access to and can 
  trade for what he wants. It includes physical things like 
  weapons, sources of blood and hunting grounds; services 
  like protection, Auspex or intercession with a superior; and 
  intangibles like contacts and information. It can include 
  anything he has or has access to, even if it is not something 
  he will immediately offer. 
  Rank the Vampire's resources in the order of their value to 
  her, from lowest to highest. She will offer the least of her 
  resources in a bargain, and only consider parting with the 
  important material under extreme circumstances. 
  However, the two Kindred locked in negotiations may not 
  know each other's real values, and may insult the other by 
  offering far too little, or risk making a bad arrangement by 
  offering far too much. 
  This information can come straight from the Traits section 
  of the Rulebook. The Background Traits are the most 
  useful for fleshing out this information. Allies, Contacts, 
  Fame, Herd, Influence, Mentor, Resources, Retainers and 
  Status all directly apply, and can be parlayed directly into 
  deals.  
  Debts 
  Most Vampires are already ensnared in a web of boons 
  owing and owed. Make a note of the important ones, 
  because they will sometimes change the complexion of new 
  political deals. 
  A large debt will generally preclude the Vampire taking 
  action against the Kindred she owes. Because of the power 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  44 
  of Prestation, the debtor sees herself as slightly lower in 
  status than the Vampire she owes a boon to, even though 
  he may be below her in real status. 
  This prohibition is entirely self-motivated, as the Vampire 
  is not actually prevented from betraying someone he is 
  indebted to. Still, it is good policy, since the Vampire owed 
  the debt may strike back by calling the boon due in a 
  manner that is painful or difficult to achieve. In addition, 
  the Justicars frown on killing as a matter of policy, but they 
  loathe Vampires who kill for trivial reasons like getting rid 
  of a debt. They rarely show any leniency in such cases. 
  Debts due the Vampire are less influential to his actions, 
  but are still important. These function like resources, since 
  they can be called upon or traded away (see below). 
  Ranking Boons 
  The Players Guide explains that boons can vary in size 
  (The Scope of the Debt), but does not explain how to 
  manage it. 
  There are actually five levels of boons, ranging from the 
  trivial boon to the life boon. The life boon is given only 
  when one Kindred saves the life of another. This debt is 
  very rare, and very potent. Vampires who owe a life boon 
  are often very subservient, if grudgingly so. There is a boon 
  rumored to be greater than the life boon. This legendary 
  debt is one owed to a Kindred who helps one attain the 
  state of Golconda, a state reputedly more precious than life 
  itself. To the main Vampire community, that boon is as 
  much a myth as Golconda itself. 
  The ranking of the boon is very subjective, since the 
  Camarilla does not conveniently catalog them on a one to 
  five scale as the Vampire game does. It remains up to the 
  two Vampires trying to make a deal to understand the level 
  of assistance requested and rendered, and come to some 
  agreement about it all. Generally, a Vampire may ask for a 
  boon equivalent to the favor granted. Here are some rough 
  guidelines for equivalents. 
  1 Trivial boon: Delivery, helping with a plan. Unsolicited 
  information. 
  2 Helping carry out a plan. Important advice. Solicited 
  information. 
  3 Aiding in battle. Helping the other out of trouble. 
  4 Direct intervention in a very dangerous situation. Saving 
  the life of the Vampire's immediate kin. 
  5 Life Boon: Saving the life of the other Kindred. 
  Example: 
  For example, Toreador Arlan Minor may consider the 
  cache of automatic machine guns brought in by his ghouls 
  to be of trivial value, and his collection of Ralph Steadman 
  sketches to be of supreme value, second only to his life. 
  Brujah gang leader Ygrainne may prize her control over the 
  local Chief of Police very highly, but consider her skills in 
  brawling cheap, and offer them casually. 
  In making an arrangement between the two, Ygrainne may 
  want the guns very badly. If Arlan offers her the guns in 
  return for her attacking his oppressors, she may consider 
  that a great bargain. On the other hand, if he asks her to 
  pull strings to get the police to nose out of his art 
  smuggling business, she may consider that less of a deal, 
  though Arlan may not see the difference. If he needs to get 
  the police off his back immediately, he may offer the 
  sketches, thinking that she'll understand how much he 
  values her services. She may consider the sketches to be 
  trash, and may even be offended to be offered them. A 
  negotiator's lack of clarity into the other may damage the 
  negotiations. Knowing a lot about the other may allow him 
  to win great bargains. 
  Transferring Boons 
  Though it is not commonly known, boons are 
  transferrable. A Vampire may transfer a boon owed to 
  another, simply by informing the Vampire who owes him 
  the boon. 
  For example, after negotiations broke down, the cruel 
  Brujah Ygrainne has been building her own Clan Status by 
  tormenting and ridiculing effete Toreador Arlan Minor at 
  every possible occasion. Arlan has very little status among 
  his fellow Toreador, who disdain his Poseur ways. They 
  also do not wish to anger the contentious Brujah for one so 
  insignificant, so they refuse to assist him. Unable to get 
  assistance from his own Clan or obtain satisfaction from 
  the Prince, Arlan investigates other avenues of 
  recompense. 
  He learns Ygrainne owes a boon to the hideously defor med 
  Nosferatu, Malchizadek, who once came to the Brujah's aid 
  during a difficult battle with a savage Lupine. Ygrainne was 
  not near death at the time, so she does not own the 
  Nosferatu a Life Boon, but she does owe him a potent boon 
  nonetheless, and she takes her debts very seriously. 
  Ygrainne always defers to Malchizadek, and treats him 
  with great respect while she waits for the day he calls the 
  debt due. 
  In a private bargaining session, the Nosferatu asks Arlan 
  for valuable inside information about the local Toreadors 
  and their plans, and offers to expend the boon to compel 
  Ygrainne to stop the harassment. Arlan does not wish to 
  see the valuable boon spent for so little return, and holds 
  out for a complete transfer of the unspent boon. 
  Malchizadek ups the ante by asking for an eternal pipeline 
  to inside information from the Toreador clan. Arlan 
  accepts.  
  Results of Transferred Boons 
  In return for betraying his own Clan, Arlan gets the 
  powerful boon intact. Malchizadek calls Ygrainne and her 
  pack to a conference, tells them that he owes Arlan a boon, 
  and says he is repaying it by transferring Ygrainne's boon 
  to Arlan. The Brujah fumes, but can do nothing about it. 
  Her own brood knows that she now owes Arlan a debt, and 
  that Arlan has risen in status above her as a result. She 
  cannot harass or even insult him without an irrevocable 
  loss of status with her gang, Clan and all the Camarilla. 
  Arlan can call the debt due at any time by having Ygrainne 
  perform any act short of dying for him. Unless his life were 
  in jeopardy, it is likely that Arlan will never call it due 
  anytime soon. Ygrainne could easily go back to tormenting 
  him if he did. 
  Enforcement of Transferred Boons 
  Malchizadek is reasonably assured that Arlan will remain 
  loyal to him despite the difficulty of the Toreador's 
  treacherous position, because if Arlan refuses to divulge 
  valuable information, he has broken his oath. Malchizadek 
  can then exact private revenge by going to Ygrainne, telling 
  her that the transferal of the boon is complete, and 
  announcing that she is free to act as she pleases, including 
  harassing Arlan in full. 
  Arlan has gotten relief from torment, and won greater 
  status among the Brujah and his own people, who see the 
  powerful, untamable Ygrainne defer to him. Ironically, he 
  won this elevation among the Toreador in return for the 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  45 
  utter betrayal of his own Clan. This will inevitably weaken 
  his people, as Malchizadek puts the inside information to 
  good use, but that's the price the Toreador unknowingly 
  pay for their strict adherence to the scarcity game. Had 
  they stood up for him early on, it never would have 
  happened. 
  Public Enforcement, Private 
  Enforcement 
  At its heart. the whole political system of favor and boons 
  is mostly self-enforcing. It is supposed to be maintained by 
  the good intentions of the entire Vampire community. 
  More often than not, it is propped up by fear of retaliation. 
  The enforcement of boons has caused more rifts in loyalty 
  in the Camarilla than any other source. The entire 
  Camarilla has been forced to take sides in private conflicts 
  so often that many Kindred are in the uncomfortable 
  position of having to fall in line behind both parties in a 
  conflict. To keep the entire community of Vampires from 
  being torn apart by this infighting, the Elders recommend 
  that Kindred enforce their own boons, and only come 
  before the Camarilla when they have tried all options.  
  Personal Revenge 
  A Vampire who tires of a deal he has made could just 
  ignore it. If he does so, he will face the wrath of the other 
  party in the deal. Oathbreaking is enforced the same way 
  as status infractions. The offended party may sabotage the 
  offender's plans, destroy holdings and poison his name 
  without fear of reprisal from the Camarilla. 
  In addition, breaking oaths can result in an immediate loss 
  of status (as described in The Players Guide). For a low-
  status Anarch, this may not seem important, since he has 
  no status to lose. But the Harpies who confer status (all the 
  Camarilla except the Anarchs) may withhold status even 
  when the Anarch has earned it, as a punishment for his 
  earlier actions. 
  Some Kindred have specialized forms of revenge. Some 
  Nosferatu taint the information they provide, to make the 
  offender look far more treacherous than he is. Certain 
  Gangrel make pacts with Lupines or other elemental forces 
  to attack the offender. The Malkavians have been rumored 
  to be capable of transforming the life of the offender into a 
  psychotic hell. Some Ventrue use their connections with 
  the mortal world to harass the offender. (This is a very 
  dangerous practice, as it can put forces in motion that can 
  adversely affect the Masquerade. The ultimate betrayal is 
  the turning over of a fellow Kindred to a witch-hunter, 
  because it jeopardizes the safety of all.) 
  Campaign of Reprisal 
  If the aggrieved party cannot get satisfaction on his own, 
  he may petition the entire Camarilla for redress, and 
  attempt to direct the wrath of all Kindred toward the 
  offender. If the offense is great enough, the Camarilla will 
  respond with a coordinated Campaign of Reprisal. This is 
  rare, since it can cause great splits between factions loyal 
  to each party, and dangerously divide the Camarilla. 
  What usually happens is that a few old enemies use the 
  Campaign of Reprisal as an chance to settle old scores, and 
  a few opportunists take advantage of the Campaign of 
  Reprisal to collect valuable goods, territory or services 
  belonging to the offender. 
  If a Campaign of Reprisal seems inevitable, the offender 
  often backs down, and yields to the wishes of the aggrieved 
  party. If he does not feel he was at fault, he can still opt for 
  a mediated solution. This has the disadvantage of allowing 
  the gossips of the Camarilla to probe into private affairs, 
  and may be worse than yielding outright to the offended 
  Kindred. 
  Factions: Boons and Betrayals 
  Once you know  how to create the goals, resources, previous 
  debts, and modes of enforcement, you can put them all to 
  work in the game. These connections form the framework 
  of Vampire politics. A myriad of political factions exist at 
  all levels of Vampire society, propped up by debts owed 
  and debts collected. 
  The boon system has created a race of beings who owe 
  loyalty to leaders they do not respect and would often 
  gladly tear down. Because most members of the Camarilla 
  chafe under the loyalties they are forced to uphold, 
  treachery and political backbiting are rampant between 
  and within factions. 
  Unlike human political factions, which are often designed 
  to promote inspirational leadership based on trust, Cainite 
  political systems promote treacherous leadership based on 
  fear. Betrayals are common in the Camarilla, as are 
  reprisals for betrayal. One reprisal leads to another, which 
  brings on yet another, and drags in more and more 
  Kindred into the complex web of loyalty. This creates 
  rivalries, feuds, inquisitions, wars and, some say, the 
  Jyhad. Many current conflicts have origins that were 
  forgotten centuries ago. All that remains are the reprisals. 
  When two Elders tell the history of a disagreement, they 
  are often so divergent that they seldom sound like the 
  same incident. This madness inevitably spills over into the 
  mortal world, where the petty feuds of two squabbling 
  Cainites can cause the suffering and deaths of thousands. 
  The older and more powerful a Vampire gets, the more she 
  becomes ensnared in political alliances and inevitable 
  betrayals. The more allies she makes, the more enemies 
  she gets. Sometimes it is impossible to appease one 
  Kindred without betraying or at least slighting another.  
  But the Vampires must all line up behind one political 
  faction or another. To do otherwise is to be alone and 
  friendless in an increasingly dangerous world. When the 
  player's Vampire allies with a faction, he agrees to take on 
  all their causes, be bound up by conflicting loyalties, and 
  agree to attack Kindred with whom he has no quarrel. To 
  stay outside factions is to be vulnerable, and risk attack by 
  those who are bound to a faction. 
  Anarchic Abstinence 
  This damned-if-you -do-and-damned-if-you -don't system 
  is crippling to Neonates, and breaks their stubborn will. 
  Some swallow their pride and accept it, hoping to one day 
  master it, or at least use it to their advantage. But other 
  Anarchs reject it outright. They refuse to be bound by it, 
  and refuse to feel the sting of low status. They become 
  steadfastly self-reliant, and take care of themselves without 
  the aid of the Camarilla. 
  Their dealings with one another become surprisingly 
  democratic, with Anarchs coming to the aid of other 
  Anarchs not out of debt, but out of a sense of camaraderie 
  and fellowship. 
  They do not ignore the status system, because they know 
  the rest of the Camarilla is bound by it. The youths can use 
  the status system to manipulate the Elders who are bound 
  up within it. They must be careful not to overuse the 
  system of boons, because they too risk being caught up 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  46 
  within it. Instead, they must walk a fine line between the 
  two. 
  By staying outside the system, Anarchs are in a unique 
  position to do great damage to it. Because their actions 
  cannot be easily manipulated by the Elders, the Anarchs 
  are wild cards. They can deliv er great shocks to the 
  Camarilla factions, and even have the potential to tear it all 
  down. 
  The central war in the Vampire community is the battle of 
  generations. The Elders are well-fed, and thus content to 
  leave things as they are. They preserve and defend the 
  status quo. The malnourished Anarchs are not willing to let 
  things remain static, insisting that they are out to create a 
  new order from the ashes of the old. 
  Those who benefit from the status quo see all attempts to 
  establish a new status quo as mad ravings, nothing more 
  than the attempted destruction of the established order. 
  Factions 
  A prince is always compelled to injure those who have 
  made him the new ruler. 
  - Niccolo Machiavelli 
  The main sources of intrigue within the Camarilla are the 
  many factions which vie with one another and their own 
  members for strength, ego and dominance. These factions 
  include the Prince, the Harpies, the Elders, the Clans, the 
  Anarchs, the Mortal World and the Jyhad. 
  The Prince 
  Since men love as they please but fear when the Prince 
  pleases, a wise prince should rely on what he controls, not 
  on what he cannot control. He must only endeavor to 
  escape being hated. 
  - Machiavelli 
  Most political intrigue in a city is initiated by the Prince. 
  Since Princes have no clear hereditary title, and no claim to 
  power other than the fact that they won the right to rule by 
  undermining another Prince, they are often isolated, 
  paranoid and overburdened with the thankless task of 
  maintaining the Masquerade. As a result, Princes are prone 
  to overreacting in the name of preserving their rule. They 
  see threats where there are none, and lash out with undue 
  force against all potential challengers. Princes have often 
  accidentally galvanized resistance against themselves by 
  persecuting popular figures and launching unprovoked 
  preemptive strikes against any who might one day pose a 
  threat. This has turned neutral Kindred into enemies, and 
  real challengers into martyrs. 
  It's difficult to be a Prince, and few carry it off with 
  equanimity. The older a Prince becomes, the more 
  paranoid and insulated he grows, until he loses touch and 
  ceases to be effective as an admirable leader to the people 
  he rules. 
  As a direct result, Princes often spin webs of intrigue 
  throughout their domains. They hire spies, seek out 
  Kindred willing to betray others, and fight to keep their 
  community divided and arrayed against itself. This creates 
  disunity and weakens the Kindred to outside attacks. 
  If you have not already done so, make a determination 
  about just how popular the local prince is, and how 
  paranoid. How threatened does he feel? Are his fears 
  justified by a strong opposition against him, or is he 
  creating an opposition by unfairly persecuting others? How 
  credible are the threats to his rule? Is any one potential 
  challenger rapidly gaining ground? 
  Does the Prince wisely wait till a threat is proven before 
  striking? Or is the Prince blindly lashing out? Or is he 
  timidly afraid to make a stand against potential usurpers? 
  Some Princes have a strong blind spot, and zealously  make 
  moves and countermoves against Kindred who pose no 
  real danger, while ignoring a genuine threat? These two are 
  not mutually exclusive. A Prince may well be repressing 
  Anarchs who look like they hate him, but have no power to 
  use against him. At the same time he may be turning a 
  blind eye to, and unwittingly nurturing, some real rivals 
  while they plot his overthrow.  
  The Harpies 
  The first opinion that is formed of a ruler's intelligence is 
  based on the quality of men he has around him. 
  - Machiavelli 
  The Anarchs consider any Kindred who has any degree of 
  status within the Camarilla to be a Harpy. This includes the 
  Prince's court, Elders of the city and powerful who 
  regularly advise and petition the Prince. Princes use the 
  term Harpy to refer to anyone they believe is gossiping 
  about them. 
  The official role of the Harpies is to help the Prince set 
  policy by acting as his eyes and ears in the Cainite 
  community. The unofficial (but crucial) role of the Harpies 
  is to keep the elaborate Status system in place by reaching 
  a broad consensus about who has gained status and who 
  has lost it. They enforce the Status system by treating other 
  Kindred in accordance with their perceived status. Usually 
  the rest of the Camarilla follows their lead, and even 
  youthful Anarchs join in by honoring (or resenting) those 
  elevated to high status, and by disregarding those brought 
  low. 
  As a result of their shared power, the Harpies are hardly 
  neutral enforcers of oathbreaking. Instead, each individual 
  has opportunities to undermine their personal enemies 
  and build up their allies through whispering campaigns. 
  The only stipulation is that they not make their favoritism 
  too obvious, as that would hold them up to scorn. 
  The Elders 
  Men must either be pampered or crushed, because they 
  can get revenge for small injustices, but not for grievous 
  ones. 
  - Machiavelli 
  The Elders are a very potent source of Camarilla policy, 
  and are at the heart of the political life of the Kindred. They 
  issue the strongest directives, control the most followers 
  and conduct the strongest reprisals. Most of their actions 
  take place in the background, as opposed to Clan actions, 
  which are often open and obvious. 
  Most of the power the Elders wield comes from a single 
  source. They are unified around the central issue of control 
  over their progeny. This gives them unprecedented power 
  to act in concert and present a unified front. They would be 
  an unstoppable force were it not for one issue: Clan 
  loyalties. 
  Because Elders establish their power and build ranks of 
  loyal retainers through their Clans, they must remain 
  faithful to their people. This means the Elders will part 
  company on crucial issues if their Clan is threatened in any 
  way by the decision. Given the choice between having all 
  Elders benefit and having just the Clan benefit, most 
  Elders choose to support their Clan. This big exception to 
  generational warfare has kept many an irreverent Anarch 
  in existence to fight another day. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  47 
  Powerful Elders are among the most intractable foes on 
  Earth, and Ancillae warn their progeny against rash 
  political attacks on the aged Vampires. The Elders have the 
  hard-won lessons of many centuries of domination at their 
  fingertips. They are masters at their game. However, 
  sometimes as their Blood fades, their resolve fades as well, 
  and takes with it passion, patience, ambition and even 
  lucid thought. When their weaknesses show, the younger 
  generations can strike and win. 
  This is the most direct extension of the Jyhad into the day-
  to-day life of the Camarilla. 
  The Clans 
  A Prince can never make himself safe against a hostile 
  people: there are too many of them. 
  - Machiavelli. 
  The most direct political organizations in the Camarilla are 
  the Clans. Of all groups of Kindred, they are the focus of 
  the most group identity. They exert the most direct control 
  over the lives of individual Cainites. The Clans have 
  advanced structures for linking members together through 
  ties of obligations. The most debts owed and boons owing 
  in a Vampire's life are to and from other members of his 
  Clan. 
  In addition, the Clans plot the most detailed day-to-day 
  strategies. They have regular plotting sessions on many 
  levels, and execute plans that affect all the members of 
  their ranks, as well as many other non-Clan members. 
  When the Clans work in concert, they have the power to 
  topple Elders and Princes. When they are divided, they can 
  scarcely control their own members. 
  Outside their Clan, they try to present a unified front, 
  defending all their members. Inside the Clan they are 
  treacherous and backbiting, as high status members resist 
  power encroachment by rising stars. 
  The Anarchs 
  Liberty is the freedom of operation without intercession 
  by a higher authority. 
  - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty 
  Anarchs are the victims of political intrigue far more often 
  than they are the authors of it. As a disorganized, unruly 
  mob with no focused agenda, they are often manipulated in 
  the power games of the Elders. 
  These rebels do have some measure of power unique to 
  their group, since they can opt out of the crippling Status 
  system that hamstrings all but the most powerful Ancillae 
  and Elders. By rejecting the social pressure to conform, the 
  more daring Anarchs know a freedom and political liberty 
  that is the secret envy of their superiors. 
  There can be great power in refusing to play the games of 
  the powerful. The politically connected Elders stack the 
  deck against the young, and use the ambitious but 
  powerless  
  Ancillae to keep the wayward Neonates in check. All 
  Anarchs suffer under this political disenfranchisement, but 
  some refuse to be humbled. They make all their deals as a 
  one for one swap, with no boons owing or debts 
  uncollected. By owing no one, they do not have to later 
  pass up better deals or desist from actions that could be 
  lucrative. 
  The Mortal World 
  A city used to freedom can be more easily ruled through 
  its own citizens, provided you do not wish to destroy it. 
  - Machiavelli 
  Most Vampires see the world of mortals as a place to find 
  sustenance, but some are adept at making pawns which 
  can topple kings. Because mortals are so controllable by 
  the force of Kindred vitæ, and so susceptible to power 
  games in general, links to the mortal world are essential for 
  any would-be political manipulator. 
  The institutions of the kine offer ripe opportunities for 
  control and domination. By pitting the resources of 
  humanity against enemies, a Vampire can divide and 
  conquer both. This is a tricky proposition, since it risks 
  compromising the Masquerade. 
  To avoid this, most Kindred are content to use the outside 
  world for information gathering and acquiring temporal 
  power. They use this wealth against their foes only with 
  great care. If an angry Vampire pits human institutions 
  against the players, the Anarchs may be able to retaliate by 
  accusing him of threatening the Masquerade. 
  Building Politically Manipulable 
  Characters 
  The best way to create workable political characters is to 
  use all the pre-existing design material you have. This will 
  not only make your job easier, it will make the new 
  political factors integrate with the game and your players' 
  perceptions of the world. 
  The data in the character templates is your starting place 
  for designing political systems and political intrigue. 
  There's a wealth of information on each NPC that can be 
  turned directly into political material. What drives the 
  character? What are his blind spots? The more powerful 
  Vampires tend to be closer to madness. 
  Use the Madness, Rage and Terror Derangements to 
  determine blind spots. Is he Delusional? Does he 
  Procrastinate? Does he show too much restraint? Play 
  these personality quirks up as much as possible. Accent 
  them at every occasion. The process of figuring out which 
  derangement is in action is a lot of fun. 
  Once the characters figure out or find out the NPC's 
  derangements, they can begin to manipulate him. They can 
  feed his Delusions of Grandeur, and make him feel so  
  important that he will always back them. A Vampire with 
  the Moralistic Derangement can be manipulated by players 
  claiming to champion his morality. Convincing a Vampire 
  obsessed by the Vengeance Derangement that your 
  enemies wronged him can trick him into an all-out assault. 
  Rebirth 
  In the long run we are all dead. 
  - John Maynard Keynes, Tract on Monetary Reform 
  As noted in Vampire, returning to human existence is 
  never easy. Realize that, as with Golconda, a player whose 
  character seeks to regain her humanity will usually (but 
  not always) be retiring from your campaign. The player 
  whose character achieves mortality (and survives) may 
  wish to continue running the character. However, it is 
  unlikely to be much fun unless you give that character 
  certain abilities to compensate for the loss of their 
  vampiric powers. 
  A better option is to retire the human character, and let the 
  player start a new character. As the need arises, you can 
  allow the player to run the old character. Of course, there is 
  a danger that other Kindred may view the NPC as a threat 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  48 
  to the Masquerade. After all, what reason does the 
  character have to remain secret about what he knows of 
  the Kindred? Loyalty is a fleeting thing, and not to be 
  trusted. It is unlikely that the now -human individual will 
  be able to assume a  
  normal life, much less be of assistance to his still-Vampiric 
  comrades. 
  There are four known ways for a character to regain one's 
  humanity. Note that the character should actively seek, or 
  at least desire, these methods for them to work. 
  Death of the Sire 
  If a Vampire kills the one who Sired her, then she can 
  regain her mortality. Sometimes. As is noted in Vampire, 
  sometimes the Vampire may have to kill her Sire's Sire. 
  And her Sire's Sire's Sire. And so on. 
  The Storyteller is free to determine exactly how many 
  Generations back the Kindred seeking humanity must go. 
  She should perhaps not even decide until the character 
  kills her Sire. Was it an easy kill? Did the Vampire seeking 
  humanity simply gather 10 comrades and open fire with 
  Uzis? If the kill was easy, then require the would-be mortal 
  to proceed down the bloodline. 
  There do appear to be two constants, however. The first is 
  the generation of one's Sire, while the second is whether a 
  Blood Bond or strong Domination exists. Both of these 
  factors tie into the difficulty of the killing. Obviously, if a 
  Vampire is Blood Bound or Dominated, it will be much 
  harder to kill her Sire. And if the master is of an older 
  generation, then the victim has enough powers at his 
  disposal to make a murder more difficult as well. 
  A character who regains her humanity in this fashion 
  becomes fully mortal, but rarely keeps any Vampiric 
  abilities. The character always loses the ability to 
  regenerate and spend Blood Points. Occasionally the 
  character keeps a point of Celerity, Fortitude, or Potency, 
  but no other Disciplines. Thaumaturgy is also kept, but 
  only if the Kindred was of Tremere blood. However, since 
  the Tremere command their Clan members through the 
  Blood Bond, and are scrupulously careful about picking out 
  Neonates, Tremere rarely choose to regain mortality, and 
  the Path of Blood is never retained. 
  If the human character maintains Vampiric abilities, 
  Willpower is substituted for Blood when a cost must be 
  paid. 
  Character Sacrifice 
  If a character sacrifices herself for another person, or for 
  some great cause, then her death may be that of a mortal. 
  If the sacrifice is for an individual, then the individual 
  should be deserving of the Vampire's sacrifice. Sacrificing 
  one's life to save a Prince, just so the other characters in 
  the group (and the soon-to-arrive new character controlled 
  by the sacrificing player) can be in his good graces, would 
  not count. Sacrificing one's life to save a priest who seeks 
  to help the Kindred would. 
  The cause should be one of great good, not just among 
  Kindred, but among the world as a whole. Sacrificing one's 
  life to prevent a magical rift into the land of Faerie would  
  count; sacrificing one's life to kill the Prince of Chicago 
  would not. Vampire hierarchy is so strongly organized that 
  another Kindred would take the position, and secretly 
  control the kine as effectively. In general, only individual 
  Kindred will benefit from a Prince's death. 
  Such a means of restoring mor tality should only be used if 
  the player has expressed such a desire, or you feel that it 
  would be in character for that particular Kindred to regain 
  her mortality upon dying. If the player has not expressed 
  an interest in regaining his humanity, his reaction to the 
  character's deathbed conversion will be, "Ho-hum, I died a 
  human. Can I create a new character now?" For all the 
  dramatic impact this reaction has, you, the Storyteller, 
  might as well not have bothered. 
  Always make sure that the dying character gets a final 
  speech. If the player desired such a final redemption, such 
  speeches can be high dramatic moments for all involved. 
  Needless to say, this form of transformation is the end for 
  the character. They don't become a Magus, they don't 
  retire. They might become a Ghost, but that is left to the 
  Storyteller. 
  Mystic Rituals 
  This is probably the (relatively) easiest and most survivable 
  means of regaining one's mortality. It is known that several 
  factions of Magi, including the practitioners of the 
  Kabbalah, have access to rituals which can transform 
  Kindred to kine. Such rituals usually require a willing 
  victim, so wary Vampires do not have to worry about 
  transforming back to human form in the middle of a fight. 
  These rituals seem to be an outgrowth of the Magi's 
  research into life-extending spells. Of course, only the most 
  powerful of sorcerers can perform these spells. 
  If a Vampire wishes to deal with the Magi and regain his 
  humanity, the Storyteller should begin an entire Chronicle 
  dealing with the quest for humanity. This should be treated 
  in some ways like the quest for Golconda. First the 
  characters will have to search to determine if such a thing 
  is possible. Second, they must seek the Magus who can 
  perform the ritual, and win her favor. Third, they must 
  undergo the ritual itself, which usually involves a great deal 
  of soul-searching and anguish. 
  The first thing a seeker of lost mortality must do is 
  determine if such rituals exist. At least four levels of Magus 
  Lore, or five of Occult Lore, will be necessary before a 
  character can even begin to perform the necessary 
  research. The character can perform research using the 
  rules in Vampire. The Difficulty is almost always 9 or 10. 
  In addition, the research should be played out. The 
  Vampire will have to deal with booksellers, occultists, 
  Elders, Princes or any number of individuals to get access 
  to enough material to allow them a die roll for a given 
  period of time. 
  This research will provide the character with an occult 
  order, and possibly a specific Magus, that has the 
  information they need. It will also provide them with a 
  vague idea of where to begin looking for the order and/or 
  the Magus. 
  The Storyteller should design at least one Story involving 
  this search. Since the relationship between the Magi and 
  the Kindred is usually strained, the character will receive 
  very little encouragement and will undoubtedly have to 
  contend with strong opposition. It will be very hard for the 
  character to convince the Magus of her sincerity. 
  Undoubtedly, other Kindred will hear of the character's 
  quest. Some may try to manipulate her to gain some power 
  over the Magus. 
  Once the character has contacted the appropriate order or 
  specific Magi, and convinced them of her sincerity, she will 
  have to bargain. Kindred rarely have anything the Magi 
  need. The character may have to complete some mission to 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  49 
  win her transformation. The Magus may desire the 
  destruction of a particularly despotic Prince who interferes 
  with his operations in a given city. He may require the theft 
  of a Tremere ritual. 
  Worst of all, they may require some future service. Often, 
  the Magi leave themselves a loophole where they can 
  reverse the transformation if their future request is not 
  honored. Such reversals are invariably fatal. 
  Finally, the ritual is performed. No Magus guarantees 
  success. Much like the quest for Golconda, the character 
  must prove her worthiness to regain her mortality. Often, 
  the character will have to confront her greatest fears, or 
  tests which force her to make moral choices. These tests 
  are part of the ritual, and the Magus has no control over 
  them. The Magus still expects payment even if the 
  character fails her personal tests. 
  A character who regains her humanity in this fashion 
  becomes fully mortal, and almost always retains some 
  Vampiric abilities. Sometimes, however, they may be 
  reduced somewhat in strength. The ability to regenerate 
  and spend Blood Points is always lost. 
  If the human character maintains Vampiric abilities, 
  Willpower is substituted for Blood Points when a cost must 
  be paid. 
  One example of such a transformation, and what abilities 
  the Kindred retains in human form, can be seen in A 
  World of Darkness, in the chapter dealing with Jordan 
  and the Valley of Petra. 
  A character who becomes mortal through this method has 
  the best chance of continuing in the Chronicle. She still has 
  Disciplines allowing her to survive the Jyhad. However, as 
  noted above, other Kindred will undoubtedly view the 
  now -human character as a threat. She can easily reveal the 
  secrets of the Kindred with no danger to herself. Elders, 
  being a suspicious lot themselves, will believe the character 
  to be as scheming and fundamentally disloyal as 
  themselves. The now -human character will have new 
  threats to plague her existence.  
  Achieving Golconda 
  Some Kindred believe that when one completes the final 
  stage of Golconda, the candidate may choose to become 
  human instead of gaining control of their Beast. Whether 
  this option is available is left to the discretion of the 
  Storyteller. In some cases this can give the character 
  choosing the path of Golconda a new option, and a last 
  chance to reconsider his fate. 
  If a character regains his humanity through Golconda, he 
  can maintain all Vampiric disciplines, although he cannot 
  spend Blood Points. As noted above, any Disciplines which 
  require Blood use Willpower instead. Also, he is likely to 
  meet with the same suspicion as magically transformed 
  humans from common Kindred. However, the Inconnu 
  will accept him as one of its own, whether they are kine or 
  Kindred. The human character is now subject to all the 
  restrictions of the Inconnu, but will also receive its 
  protection. 
  For comments on a post-Golconda campaign with a 
  character who has reached that stage, see the section on 
  Golconda, below. 
  Other Means 
  As Storyteller, you may of course come up with other 
  means of returning a character's mortality. Mystic potions, 
  extended quests, radioactive bombardment, the bite of 
  Caine or alien vaccines may all do the trick if you so desire. 
  Realize that when the characters regain their humanity, 
  and the player continues to use that character, the tone of 
  your Campaign will be significantly changed. 
  Golconda 
  With one wish we wake the will 
  within wisdom. 
  With one will we wish the wisdom 
  within waking. 
  - Dead Can Dance, Song of Sophia 
  You may not see many characters achieving Golconda in 
  your Chronicles. The primary reason for this is that many 
  players have no interest in achieving this exalted state. 
  After all, if they wanted to play peaceful individuals who 
  avoid interaction with humanity and most Vampires, they 
  probably would not be playing Vampire in the first place. 
  Therefore, the first thing to do is make sure you do not 
  have the rare player that immediately seeks Golconda upon 
  completing their Embrace. Golconda is something 
  characters with well-developed goals and desires should 
  seek. Characters should not be seeking Golconda until they 
  have been around quite a while. However, there is always 
  the player that wants to be different. 
  First, remind the player that her character is probably 
  unaware of Golconda, even if the player has read 
  Vampire. Few Sires tell their Childer of this state of being. 
  Hearing word of Golconda may take months of roleplaying 
  before someone volunteers the information. Any character 
  brash enough to come out and ask other Kindred would 
  either get a hostile stare for breaching social etiquette, or 
  brusque dismissals. 
  If you believe a player is going to have his character 
  immediately seek Golconda, make sure the Embrace is as 
  painful as possible. The character's Sire will have plenty of 
  kine on hand for the Childe's first feeding. These kine 
  should be closely affiliated with the character. 
  If a player informs you of his character's intent to seek 
  Golconda after his initial creation, but before they have 
  fallen prey to the Frenzies that drive the Kindred, put them 
  in a situation where they end up submitting to Frenzy. 
  Otherwise such a character will probably take great steps 
  to avoid Frenzy situations. 
  The ultimate point of all this is: make sure the characters 
  have plenty to show remorse for when they seek Golconda. 
  Some Vampires may be content to feed on animal blood, 
  and avoid the conflicts of Kindred society. The characters, 
  however, will inevitably be drawn into conflict, feeding on 
  humans when they must sustain their powers on short 
  notice. Once they have crossed that line, you will not find it 
  difficult to give them more and more to repent for. 
  Golconda Chronicles 
  Characters who have achieved Golconda will change the 
  face of your Chronicle. In some cases, a character seeking 
  Golconda means that the player has grown tired of their 
  character, and wants to retire her after one last "great 
  adventure." Others may wish to continue playing their 
  characters after Golconda has been achieved. 
  If a player seeks to retire her character, then you can deal 
  with the results of the quest for Golconda with relatively 
  little difficulty. The character (or characters) can 
  eventually complete the quest, with the aid of associates 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  50 
  who do not seek Golconda. The associates may be 
  interested in learning the steps necessary for their own 
  future use, which is why they choose to help. Remember, 
  however, that ultimately the burden for achieving 
  Golconda will fall directly on the shoulders of the character 
  who wishes to achieve it. 
  Once the character(s) reaches Golconda, she retires. New 
  characters are brought in, and a new Chronicle begins. You 
  will almost certainly use a different route to Golconda if 
  some of the associates make a later try. They may have 
  learned much from watching their comrade, but it should 
  not become automatic for them. Also, the characters who 
  follow will not be at the Golconda character's Suspire, 
  although the players may participate (see below).  
  If a player wishes her character to remain active after 
  achieving Golconda, or you intend to write a new Chronicle 
  revolving around characters who have all reached 
  Golconda, realize first that you have a difficult task. As has 
  been noted, the quest for Golconda is not something for a 
  large group. It is a personal quest. As such, it is unlikely 
  that every character in your Chronicle will reach it 
  simultaneously. 
  If one or two characters reach Golconda, they should not 
  be able to act as tour guides to lead the other player 
  characters to that exalted state. The route that the 
  characters use to reach Golconda should not be repeatable. 
  The characters in Golconda can provide suggestions, aid 
  and comfort. However, the characters who follow them will 
  have to struggle to find their own route. 
  One option is to split your Chronicle in half. The characters 
  who achieve Golconda will have to deal with the Inconnu 
  and its behind-the-scenes manipulation. While the 
  Inconnu is made up mostly of Fourth- and Fifth-
  Generation Kindred, they will accept Kindred of any 
  Generation who reach Golconda. The problem is that they 
  almost always expect one who has reached Golconda to 
  join the Inconnu, and forbid their members from 
  interfering in the Jyhad. 
  The other characters, those who did not reach Golconda, 
  can act as unofficial assistants for the Golconda characters. 
  To them will fall the duty of acting as their comrades' eyes, 
  ears, and hands in the outside world. 
  A Chronicle can be done this way, but it will require 
  patience on everyone's part. The Golconda characters will 
  have to become much more subtle, usually remaining 
  uninvolved during the gaming session once they have given 
  orders to their agents. The Storyteller will have to find 
  things for them to do. 
  The non-Golconda Players will have to get used to 
  accepting the role of agents for a greater power. This is not 
  uncommon in Vampire. What makes it harder is that they 
  will have to accept other players as that greater power. The 
  Golconda players will have to be careful not to become too 
  commanding, lest your Chronicle fragment as the players 
  draw into factions. 
  Also, such a Chronicle is dangerous in the extreme. As 
  noted, the Inconnu forbid their members from 
  participating in the Jyhad. Such a Chronicle will involve 
  the player characters violating this edict, giving them a 
  whole new set of enemies. Needless to say, you should only 
  employ such a Chronicle if the players are willing have 
  become extremely powerful. 
  Undoubtedly, you can think of other ways to run a 
  Chronicle 
  once 
  characters 
  achieve 
  Golconda. 
  Unfortunately, most of them lead to characters becoming 
  NPCs. If players wish to participate in a Golconda-oriented 
  Chronicle, you will have your work cut out for you.  
  Achieving Golconda 
  So you have characters looking for Golconda. The first 
  thing you will have to realize is that players must volunteer 
  to look for it. You can drop hints through other Kindred 
  that it exists. However, never create a Chronicle that sends 
  the characters off looking for Golconda if the players do 
  not request it. 
  Golconda is a personal quest, and should never be required 
  to complete an unrelated Story. You should never create a 
  Chronicle where the objective is, "One of our number must 
  reach Golconda to defeat the Tremere's evil scheme." 
  You can, however, use many of the same quest elements 
  involved in Golconda for such a story. The artifact that can 
  defeat the Tremere ritual may be sealed in an Indian 
  cavern where the characters will have to face their 
  innermost fears and desires, much as they do during 
  Golconda. Just make sure that, if you're going to use these 
  quest elements, you leave something for the future. If a 
  character meets his greatest fear during such a quest, you 
  will lose much of the impact if you confront him with the 
  same fear during the quest for Golconda. 
  Ideally, as Storyteller you should keep track of the major 
  personal stories of each character in your Chronicle. 
  Determine which victims they prey on, who they kill, what 
  personal tragedies they face. This information will prove 
  necessary if a player later seeks Golconda. Even if your 
  players never seek Golconda, you can use this information 
  to play upon their sense of personal horror at a later time. 
  If a player or players inform you they are going to seek 
  Golconda, you should immediately go to these notes. If you 
  haven't kept notes, try to remember specific actions of the 
  characters in question. You should ask the players what 
  they feel the characters' most personal moments are. It is 
  better if you can surprise them with the family member 
  whose brother either the character or the player have 
  forgotten killing, but not absolutely necessary. 
  If characters do not express an interest, but you intend to 
  convince them of Golconda's allure, you have come to the 
  first stage of the quest for Golconda, described in 
  Vampire. A character may grow tired of fighting the 
  Beast, or may have reached a stage where he wishes to 
  remove himself from Kindred society, and believe 
  Golconda is the solution. You can use these elements by 
  emphasizing them to characters who are already beginning 
  to feel this way. This is the time to determine if the players 
  truly are not interested in having their characters seek 
  Golconda, before you begin that line of Stories. 
  The second stage of Golconda is seeking someone who can 
  put them on the path. The more commonly encountered 
  Elders rarely have an interest in providing clues to 
  Golconda. After all, if a character retires into solitude, that 
  is one less pawn for the Jyhad. 
  Elders of the Inconnu that are even remotely willing to 
  provide this information are rare. They dwell in seclusion, 
  and are difficult to track down. Players can spend entire 
  Chapters travelling the globe finding such an Elder. Of 
  course, characters may also have to deal with Elders who 
  would thwart them, or the Kindred, Lupines or Magi ruling 
  over the areas they must search for their mentor. 
  When an Elder is found, the characters will have to 
  convince her of their sincerity. The Elder will almost 
  certainly require the characters to repent for every evil 
  deed they have ever committed, every life they have ever 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  51 
  taken. The Elder's knowledge of the characters' pasts may 
  well appear omniscient. This is when the Storyteller will 
  have to review his notes and discussions with the players 
  seeking Golconda. 
  Of course, these acts of repentance may take months, years 
  or even decades. You may feel a temptation to rush these 
  situations, but don't. You will, however, want to work up 
  Stories deriving from the various acts of repentance. 
  Perhaps the mother of a victim is being bothered by police 
  under the influence of a Prince, or the father of a Magus 
  needs spell components that the characters have to obtain. 
  Other situations may be staged by the Mentor to test the 
  character's commitment. Will the character resort to 
  violence when pushed and pushed and pushed? Which 
  threats to which Virtues are likely to send the character 
  into Frenzy? If you haven't already, realize now that the 
  quest for Golconda is a long-term commitment on both the 
  characters' parts and your own. 
  When repentance has finally been made, the character(s) 
  must return to the Elder. It is at this, the third and final 
  stage, that the Elder will help the character begin the 
  Suspire. All who seek Golconda and have successfully 
  repented must go into seclusion. The mentor will begin 
  them on the way to their "visionquest," as they must relive 
  their lives, facing their worst fears and fondest desires. 
  It is unlikely all characters will be seeking Golconda. They 
  may either have been playing in a separate Chronicle, or 
  accompanying the seekers for the thrill of adventure. These 
  characters will not go into Suspire. How ever, the players 
  should be involved. As Storyteller, use them to populate 
  the dreams of the characters in Suspire. 
  Although actual combat rarely takes place in these 
  visionquests, the Golconda characters must overcome 
  moral dilemmas which appear. The other players can take 
  the role of Princes offering them power, Magi offering 
  them artifacts, or Lupines forcing them to choose between 
  their own existence and the lives of their friends, 
  innocents, or most effectively, their enemies. Many players 
  enjoy the chance to step out of character and play a one-
  shot role where they can be evil, seductive, and charismatic 
  without worrying about later consequences. 
  Also, remember the three criteria that are required of 
  anyone seeking Golconda. The character's Humanity must 
  remain at 7 or greater, his Conscience at 4 or greater, and 
  he  
  must avoid all Frenzies by the use of Willpower, spending 
  at least 15 points in so doing. 
  If a Golconda seeker ever fails a single challenge during the 
  Suspire, then the visionquest has failed. For the character 
  to ever again seek Golconda, he must go to great, even 
  legendary steps. Almost none of those who have stumbled 
  on the path to Golconda ever regain their footing. Most die 
  grappling with their worst fears. A lucky few end up in 
  permanent Frenzy, with the Beast in complete and total 
  control. Mentors usually take it upon themselves to destroy 
  such failures. Additionally, word of the character's failure 
  will spread among the Inconnu, and none will accept her. 
  A story of one who failed to reach Golconda, but survived, 
  relates a visionquest involving disgrace and exile, with the 
  quester seeking throughout the astral plane for some way 
  to redeem himself. The visionquest eventually led the 
  seeker to stand guard over a hidden cave in the astral 
  plane, where she was defeated by a great monster and 
  returned to Earth. 
  It is up to you, the Storyteller, to determine what form the 
  visionquest takes and whether a character who has 
  ascended to Golconda may choose to become human. 
  Again, if a character chooses this option, he will almost 
  certainly have to be retired by the player. 
  As noted above under Golconda Chronicles, the 
  Inconnu will expect the character to join the sect. If the 
  character wishes to retire, fine. If he chooses to remain 
  active, perhaps using his comrades as assistants, he will be 
  violating the tenets of the Inconnu and gain powerful 
  enemies. Make sure that the characters realize what they 
  are doing before they take this possibly lethal step. 
  Diablerie 
  The forbidden act of Diablerie, a violent part of so many 
  Stories, can be equally effective as the basis for an entire 
  Chronicle. It most commonly takes the form of the 
  characters hunting down powerful Elders for their blood. 
  However, it also takes the form of Elders who can no 
  longer feed on humans hunting down Neonates or 
  Neonates hunting down the characters if they are of a low 
  enough Generation to increase the Neonates' power. 
  Characters as Cannibals 
  Most commonly it is the characters who become the dread 
  diabolists, tracking down Elders for their vitæ. Although 
  usually only comprising part of a Chronicle, some few 
  Kindred (perhaps your characters) spend their entire 
  existences going from victim to victim, continuing only for 
  the rush such potent blood provides. 
  If this is the sort of Chronicle you hope to run, you need to 
  take great care planning the defenses of the Elders. The 
  characters will have to work closely together, meaning 
  either they alternate drinking the final draught, or they 
  discover the Ritual of the Bitter Rose (from Awakening: 
  Diablerie Mexico) so all can benefit. Of course, if the 
  latter is the option, then the characters can only hunt those 
  of Fifth Generation or earlier. 
  Take great care in plotting out havens. After all, the 
  sought-after Elders are powers in their own right, and 
  expect any who come after them to be either as powerful or 
  more so. Thus they plan accordingly. Mortal and immortal 
  defenders, scientific and mystical traps, and the Elder 
  herself should prove effective foes for the characters. 
  Should the characters prove successful in their hunting 
  expeditions, they risk becoming outcasts with a price on 
  their heads. Diablerie can be detected, though most of 
  those who notice it will probably hope to use that 
  information to their own advantage rather than announce 
  it for all to hear. Soon the characters will find themselves 
  hunted by those who wish to see their destruction and 
  those who want to use them in personal Jyhads. 
  Additionally, what happens when one of the characters 
  reaches an earlier generation than the others? Do they 
  begin to stalk their comrade? No end of intra-party conflict 
  can stem from this situation. 
  In any event, with this sort of Chronicle the Storyteller 
  never has to think of ways to keep the characters occupied. 
  They will find more than ample opportunity to get into 
  trouble, and the Storyteller need but chuckle to herself as 
  she thinks up new traps for them to trip.  
  Characters as Dinner 
  The characters face three types of Vampires who would like 
  to suck them dry. First, and most infamous, are those 
  Elders who need Kindred vitæ in order to survive. When 
  one of these becomes active in your city, no Vampire is 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  52 
  safe. There is no set time when a Kindred must begin 
  feeding of others of his kind, but generally those older than 
  500 years, with a Humanity under 5, had better look out. 
  Some Cainites say those who have already been diabolists 
  are at risk, especially those who slew someone within their 
  own Clan or lineage. 
  The easiest way to handle this sort of Story is to have a 
  Fifth-Generation terror rise from torpor and start offing 
  Licks, with the exposed characters next in line. This 
  generally turns into a high-power firefight (i.e. Aliens) with 
  the characters trying to use their greater familiarity with 
  the present day and its weapons to counteract the Elder's 
  immense Disciplines and powers. 
  More devious, and with more potential Stories, is the 
  secret drinker. Some old Kindred, preferably one the 
  characters have come to trust (a Sire?), begins to find the 
  blood of mortals does little to slake his thirst. He could 
  breed and create new victims, but that would require using 
  up what little vitæ remains in his system, as well as risking 
  an all-destroying frenzy. Time to invite one or more of 
  those trusting characters for a tea party. 
  The final form of these kinds of Diablerie Stories involves 
  the secret feeder. Some well-established Cainite has been 
  quietly feeding off Neonates for decades. Somehow the 
  characters get wind of this situation - perhaps they are next 
  on his list - and must decide whether to use the 
  information for their own gain, announce it to everybody 
  or whatever. In any case, they are likely to make a powerful 
  enemy. 
  Since the enemies in these sort of Stories are so powerful, 
  the characters should have some sort of blatant warning 
  that something is wrong. Perhaps Kindred across the city 
  are starting to disappear, or just ones from certain areas. 
  Maybe they come across a drained body, or interrupt a 
  mysterious figure ambushing another Kindred. In any 
  case, don't just send them into combat with some ancient 
  power - the game won't last very long. 
  Characters as Power 
  Also greatly feared are the individual or band of diabolists 
  who hopes to rise in generation by slaying the characters. 
  After all, if characters do it, why wouldn't others? This sort 
  of Story should be handled with care, because the 
  diabolists pick their target(s) carefully, hoping to get the 
  blood with as little risk as possible. Nothing will upset the 
  characters more than feeling they had no chance to avoid 
  having some punk Neonate suck them dry.  
  Still, some clues should be available. Perhaps some Elder 
  knows the diabolists are in town, and offers the characters 
  this information in exchange for a favor. Maybe the 
  characters notice themselves being followed, or see 
  someone staking out their havens. This kind of Story can 
  work well when it forces the player to think more about her 
  character's environment - how is her haven protected, 
  where does she go most nights, who is aware of her plans, 
  etc.? 
  Eventually, however, the character(s) have to protect 
  themselves. The diabolists have spent time planning their 
  attack. They know at least some of their target's strengths 
  and weaknesses. They are desperate (not as desperate as 
  the character will soon be) and willing to do what it takes 
  to accomplish their goals. While they will avoid killing the 
  character in any way but by Diablerie, they will use every 
  method available to immobilize her. 
  This sort of Story is best used when characters have either 
  been flaunting all those points spent on Generation or have 
  committed Diablerie themselves. Not only is the 
  punishment a fitting reminder of the risks of their 
  existence, you can blame the attacks on the players ("Well, 
  if you hadn't let it become known about your Generation, 
  the diabolists would never have attacked you!"). 
  Additionally, it will give the characters a whole new 
  appreciation for those Caitiffs they have been picking on. 
  Characters as Pleasure 
  Finally, and most insidious, are those Kindred of about 
  equal power to the characters who have developed a taste 
  for Kindred blood and the Rebirth (the moment the victim 
  of Diablerie reaches final death). They do not care about 
  the power involved, and they do not need the vitæ for 
  survival. Instead, they just love the thrill. 
  This is the only Diablerie Story which does not usually 
  involve a great deal of violence. Since the victim and the 
  diabolists are of approximately equal power, the attacker's 
  best weapons are trust and betrayal. He must get the 
  character into a position where she cannot escape and then 
  sink his fangs into her. 
  Subterfuge and seduction are two ways to go about this. 
  Getting the character to trust any NPC may be difficult, 
  especially if she resides in a city like Chicago, but all the old 
  tricks still fit. The diabolists can pretend to be forming a 
  Blood Bond with the character, and then drain her when 
  she least suspects it. Or perhaps romance (fueled by 
  drinking alcohol-enriched mortal blood) flares up between 
  the two. Then WHAM! Time for the character to struggle. 
  Using Diablerie Effectively 
  Diablerie Stories and Chronicles rank among the most 
  symbolic of Vampire tales. Survival, the lust for power 
  and addiction make up just the tip of the iceberg. 
  Storytellers can fill every Scene of such a story with more 
  metaphors than you can shake a stake at. Simultaneously, 
  these are also among the most violent Vampire stories. 
  However, going too far with either aspect risks making the 
  story trite and predictable. Establish before the Story 
  begins just how much of both you will include and stick 
  with it. Avoid the temptation to break from your original 
  game plan unless it becomes obvious the players want 
  more or less. Till then, make your game plan and keep to it. 
  The Battle for Immortality 
  Only slightly less violent (and symbolic) than Diablerie 
  stories are those of the struggle to survive. In most 
  Chronicles, the characters' night-to-night lives proceed 
  with little threat, and those times they are threatened 
  become the Stories. In the Battle for Immortality, the 
  characters' every move is a struggle, and everything they 
  do is part of a fight for survival. 
  This kind of Chronicle generally involves the characters on 
  the run for some real or imagined misdeed. Perhaps a 
  Justicar has declared a world-wide Blood Hunt on them to 
  cover up his own treacheries. Maybe their Sire hunts them 
  to keep them from revealing dark secrets to the world. 
  Even a skilled hunter, dedicated to the characters' 
  destruction, could send them packing. 
  With no established havens or feeding grounds, cut off 
  from the civilized lands of the undead, hounded by Elder, 
  Anarch and Lupine alike, the characters find every 
  moment dangerous, and see foes behind every tree. 
  These sorts of Chronicles tend to be extremely high on 
  excitement, as the characters find adventure everywhere 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  53 
  they go, and the Storyteller can send any sort of foe she can 
  think up against them. However, these Stories also risk 
  burning out the players. After all, they have little input in 
  the shape of the Chronicle. They stay too busy reacting to 
  ever become an active force. 
  For this kind of Story, the Storyteller must be careful to let 
  the characters' actions have an effect on how the Chronicle 
  shapes up. Obviously they should be working to again 
  become part of Kindred society, perhaps by clearing their 
  names or slaying their Sire, but it should not be easy. They 
  must be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, 
  however.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  54 
  Chapter Five: 
  The Enemy 
  His dominion shall also be from one sea to the other: and from the flood unto the world's end. They that dwell in the 
  wilderness shall kneel before him: his enemies shall lick the dust. 
  - 1662 Prayer Book 
   
  What's a good Story without a good enemy? Moriarty had 
  his Holmes, Dracula his Van Helsing and Ahab his Moby 
  Dick. While the characters in your Chronicle may have 
  little cause to go head-to-head with a great white whale, 
  anyone else is fair game. Even little children can be 
  effective foes for Vampires (especially if they are innocent 
  enough to have True Faith, are neutrals, and have the 
  Prince of the city for an ancestor). 
  Still, just having an adversary to pound on is not enough. 
  For a Story to get the most it can out of the villains, they 
  must be fleshed out, livened up and made believable. With 
  such three-dimensional foes, you and your players will 
  remember your Stories as com plete tales - something more 
  than just a chance to practice brawling and weapon skills. 
  Creating a Good Bad Guy 
  Enemy creation begins the same place character, Story, 
  Chronicle and setting creation do - the concept. Do you 
  need a mighty Amazon, capable of mopping up the floor 
  with an entire troupe of characters? How about a seductive 
  manipulator, who uses his wily charms to set troupe 
  members at odds with each, making them fulfill his own 
  devious goals? Or what about the upstanding, highly moral 
  Elder whose one main goal is ensuring no wet-nosed 
  Neonates (like the characters) violate the Masquerade? 
  Such concept work can follow any form you desire, but the 
  following is one method. First, come up with the villain's 
  goal. Is it the accumulation of power? How about 
  vengeance on a long-hated target? Making a certain 
  someone fall in love with her? Looking through the lists of 
  demeanors and archetypes can be one good way to come 
  up with their goal. 
  Now determine the antagonist's role in the Story or 
  Chronicle. Is she the main villain, the one everything 
  revolves around? Is he some bit player, having little effect 
  other than being an annoyance? Or is her role something 
  which the players will determine through their characters' 
  actions? If they treat her with compassion and 
  understanding, might she become an ally, instead of the 
  undying foe she is sure to be if they lash out at her? 
  Next, decide what place this foe has in society. Whether 
  Prince, outcast or mortal hunter, the opponent's position 
  in the world plays a great role in determining how much 
  and in what ways he can effect the Story or Chronicle. 
  The fourth stage of this process involves deciding what 
  weapons and tools the foe can use. Is she a master of 
  martial arts, using a long Japanese spear to stake her foes? 
  Does he have billions in assets and armies of followers to 
  do his every bidding? Are her Disciplines so advanced she 
  can slay the characters with but a wink of her eye? Or are 
  his only weapons his wits and determination - a 
  combination which may well prove too much for many 
  characters?  
  Determining the villain's own allies and enemies comes 
  next. Her allies do more than just come to her aid when 
  she is in danger (though they may not do that). They feed 
  her information they hear on the streets, take her side in 
  political maneuvering, and put pressure on her foes to do 
  what she wants. On the other hand, her enemies may be 
  the characters' sole hope to defeat her. Imagine their 
  surprise when they hear a Justicar is investigating that 
  member of the Primogen who has been screaming for their 
  heads. Think how happy they will be when they find out a 
  number of Anarchs have a score to pick with that Brujah 
  gang leader. Of course, there is always the problem of 
  eliminating the evil you know for the one you do not. 
  The antagonist's history should be determined at this 
  point. After all, a Gangrel who has traveled across the 
  world will be significantly different from one who has 
  never left the wilderness where her Sire Embraced her. 
  Was that Caitiff 10th generation when created or have 
  there been a few episodes of Diablerie along the way? What 
  kind of a human was he before the Embrace? Perhaps most 
  importantly, who Sired her and why? 
  An antagonist's history can help a great deal when 
  understanding his motivations, the next stage in the 
  creation process. Does he lust for power? Hope to create a 
  Vampire dynasty which will do his every bidding? Seek to 
  overthrow those Kindred now in power and create an 
  egalitarian utopia? The antagonist's nature can help a great 
  deal in figuring out his motivations, but these motivations 
  should be more specific. 
  Now that the Storyteller has all this information down, she 
  can easily put numbers down on paper. Vampire gives 
  guidelines for how many points certain foes should have, 
  but there is no reason to stick rigidly to these. Feel free to 
  create extremely powerful Neonates who walk down the 
  streets as if they own them, or weak Elders who huddle in 
  their havens when the Neonates do swagger. 
  The final stage in the antagonist creation process comes 
  when you decide how to roleplay the enemy. Is she a 
  confirmed romantic, a swaggering brute or an introverted 
  wallflower? What kind of odd personal habits does he have 
  - a nervous tic, a penchant for pinstripes or an endearing 
  smile? This is the most likely aspect of the antagonist to 
  evolve throughout the length of the Story as you figure out 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  55 
  what works and what doesn't, but if you begin with some 
  notes in mind, then at least you have a direction in which 
  to go. 
  Caring for the Enemy 
  While it is easy enough to send a stream of opponents at 
  the characters for them to kill, detailed, interesting foes 
  remain the heart of the Storyteller system. From the police 
  detective who always seems to be there during feedings to 
  the Primogen Elder with a permanent grudge or the 
  werewolf 
  pack 
  which  
  stalks the characters whenever they leave the city, good 
  foes make good stories. 
  However, good enemies won't just play themselves. The 
  handling of opponents can be both easier and harder than 
  handling a character in continuous play. While the 
  Storyteller has as many points to play with as desired and 
  usually has a role, purpose and personality already in 
  mind, it is impossible to put the same kind of work and 
  time into making them whole as players put into their 
  characters. 
  Thus the Storyteller needs to figure out what will happen to 
  the antagonist over time. The characters interaction with 
  this figure is not the only aspect of his existence, and the 
  fact that other things go on should be reflected. Thus, let 
  the characters hear about their immortal enemy showing 
  up at the Toreador ball. Have others speak kindly about the 
  Primogen member they suspect is a Diabolist. And, most 
  importantly, have the antagonist grow through experience 
  just as the characters do. 
  The Storyteller is lucky in this regard as many Vampires 
  fall easily into a rut, staying almost exactly the same for 
  decades at a time. Only the greatest of events shake them 
  from the rigidity of their existences, and they almost never 
  learn anything new. Few Vampires created before World 
  War I ever learned to drive cars. And don't dare talk 
  computers to any but the most recently made. 
  Still, the characters' enemies should be exceptions to this 
  rule. While they should not develop as quickly as the 
  characters (if you find they need to be more powerful, then 
  just give them the points), they should not stay static. 
  Think of the players' surprise when their characters' 
  greatest foe suddenly shows he can possess them from 
  afar. Imagine their shock when the enemy gang leader 
  demonstrates an emerging knowledge of Thaumaturgy. 
  And anticipate your own enjoyment of how they are going 
  to have to scurry to change all their plans. 
  Of course, the antagonists do not just develop new powers. 
  Their personalities, like everyone else's, change with the 
  passage of time. The hunter, once so set on the path of 
  vengeance, becomes sidetracked. Maybe a close brush with 
  death makes her want to savor life instead of risking it (or 
  even make her want to become immortal). Perhaps an 
  encounter with the Sabbat has convinced her to only hunt 
  the Camarilla, and in her fixation she has begun to lose her 
  grip on sanity, becoming a babbling, raving murderess. 
  The same can happen to the Undead, though it may take 
  longer. The Prince, who for so long has cared for nothing 
  but keeping an iron hand on his city, falls in love. The 
  Primogen Councillor, who has fought the characters at 
  every turn, falls under the sway of one of the forces in the 
  Jyhad, and suddenly becomes the characters' secret ally. 
  Or an Anarch leader, after years of battling the 
  establishment, sells out and joins the Camarilla, quickly 
  becoming a power in its politics. 
  Vampires rank among the most static of creatures, 
  changing less and less as the decades pass, but that is no 
  reason to  
  allow the antagonists in your Chronicle to become stale. 
  Everyone changes, everyone develops for better or worse, 
  and reflecting this in your Stories can keep them fresh and 
  exciting. 
  The Kindred 
  The most obvious and common foes in a Vampire 
  Chronicle are the other Vampires. The Jyhad may be the 
  most dramatic manifestation of Vampiric desires, but not 
  everything has to tie into this great war (actually, it all ties 
  in, but players should not realize that. But then again, 
  players can read this book and find that out. So, ipso facto, 
  that statement must be false. Or is it?). 
  In any case, the Damned want for many things. Power, 
  respect, prime feeding grounds, material goods, followers, 
  fun, Golconda, learning, art or even just wanting to be left 
  alone can lead to innumerable conflicts with the characters 
  as desires clash. 
  The Camarilla 
  In most Chronicles, the Camarilla makes up the dominant 
  organization of Vampires. It controls the local community 
  of Vampires with a combination of Traditions and internal 
  and external agents. Just as people who fudge on their 
  income tax respond with recrimination when someone else 
  breaks the law, so do Vampires who quietly bend the 
  Traditions respond to those who get caught (and don't 
  have the power to quiet it up). 
  Thus you have the basic conflict of Anarchs against Elders. 
  The Neonates want to get away with the same things 
  members of the Primogen can. However, this is only the 
  most basic battle. Every Camarilla Vampire has her own 
  agenda to fulfill, and, with just a little imagination, it is 
  easy to make the characters come into conflict with it. 
  For instance, rogue childer may start stalking the streets of 
  your city, seeking the vitæ of those characters whose 
  Backgrounds include a few points of Generation. Various 
  manipulators want the characters to do their bidding. They 
  maneuver the characters into aiding them in increasing 
  their power, dealing with their enemies or even just for the 
  sake of manipulating them. Territorial disputes crop up 
  with Cainites the characters would have preferred not to 
  mess with, and unless they sooth some ruffled feathers 
  quickly they should seek out some place to go into torpor. 
  The very fact that the Camarilla is an umbrella 
  organization, providing a place for all Kindred who might 
  hope to join, means there can be no end to the diversity of 
  antagonists available. Any figure from myth, fiction or your 
  imagination can show up in its cities, providing the 
  characters with no end of surprises. The following 
  templates are just some of the possible enemies the 
  characters can make within this great assemblage. 
  Paranoid Prince 
  Quote: "I have made my judgement. You shall not 
  question it." 
  Concept: How does one become Prince in the first place? 
  It certainly does not follow any patterns of birth or 
  marriage as it does among the kine. Only rarely (very 
  rarely) is a Prince elected. Thus most Neonates seem to feel 
  becoming Prince requires power and strength, and lots of 
  both. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  56 
  The Paranoid Prince has these qualities, but he knows that 
  is not why he got the job. He saw the behind-the-scenes 
  maneuverings of powerful Elders. He felt the influence of 
  unseen forces, but has yet to determine why they brought 
  him to reign. Until he finds out, then everyone is suspect. 
  Should he find out, then everyone is condemned. 
  The Paranoid Prince does have som e trusted advisors, but 
  he watches even these with hawk's eyes. His allies are those 
  Elders who side with him on important matters, and his 
  retainers are Vampires and Ghouls he has created to help 
  him rule the city. Should any of these get out of hand, 
  how ever, one can be sure they will soon disappear. 
  Roleplaying Hints: Your paranoia remains slightly 
  below the surface of your emotions, only rarely bubbling 
  over the top. Usually you look at everyone with a piercing 
  gaze you hope will keep them from questioning you. 
  Should your suspicions about someone (you have 
  suspicions about everyone) prove valid, you become 
  merciless. However, if you can use this victim to discover 
  who is the true power behind your throne, then that will be 
  his misfortune. 
  Nature: Fanatic 
  Demeanor: Director  
  Generation: 7th 
  Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5 
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 6, Appearance 5 
  Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 5  
  Talents: Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 4, Empathy 1, 
  Intimidation 4, Leadership 4, Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Etiquette 6, Firearms 2, Melee 4 
  Knowledges: Bureaucracy 4, Finance 3, Law 2, 
  Linguistics 2, Politics 6, City Secrets 5, Kindred Lore 5 
  Disciplines: Auspex 4, Dominate 6, Fortitude 4, Potence 
  1, Presence 5 
  Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 5, Influence 3, 
  Resources 4, Retainers 5, Status 5 
  Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 3, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 4 
  Willpower: 8 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 20/5 
  Primogen Councilor 
  Quote: "You may do as you like, but I will not be 
  responsible for the consequences" 
  Concept: Some Primogens serve as the Prince's advisors. 
  Others are de facto rulers of the city with the Prince 
  serving as their main enforcer. The Primogen Councilor 
  serves with a coterie of Elders who are a mixture of both. 
  The Prince may be the single most powerful Kindred any 
  Neonate of the city is likely to see, but a united Primogen 
  can easily countermand her orders. Thus all the Elders 
  carry out a careful dance of politics, taking care not to step 
  on another's toes and making no move to take 
  responsibility for something unless it will work. 
  Thus the Primogen Councilor does his best to keep 
  everyone on friendly terms, making sure Elders and 
  Neonates alike feel they can confide in him. However, he is 
  more than willing to turn on anyone at a moment's notice 
  should that prove advantageous. His two allies are fellow 
  members of the Primogen, while his mentor is a very 
  powerful member of his Clan. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You listen carefully and you watch 
  carefully. Make sure the characters feel they can trust you. 
  Never commit yourself to any course of action, and 
  position yourself so you can take the credit if it works or 
  pass the blame if it fails. 
  Nature: Conformist 
  Demeanor: Confidant 
  Generation: 8th 
  Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4 
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 
  Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 4 
  Talents: Acting 2, Alertness 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 3, Empathy 
  3, Leadership 2, Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Drive 1, Etiquette 5, Firearms 2, Melee 3, Music 2 
  Knowledges: Bureaucracy 5, Finance 2, Investigation 3, 
  Linguistics 2, Occult 3, Politics 4, City Secrets 4, Kindred 
  Lore 4 
  Disciplines: Auspex 5, Dominate 4, Fortitude 1, Presence 
  2, Thaumaturgy 5 (Movement of Mind 5, Lure of Flames 4, 
  Taste of Blood 3, Conjuring 2) 
  Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 4, Influence 2, Mentor 
  5, Resources 4, Retainers 3, Status 4 
  Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 4, Courage 1  
  Humanity: 5 
  Willpower: 8 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 15/3  
  Brujah Bully 
  Quote: "OK, so you're not a shit-faced, rat-sucking, butt-
  kissing, Justicar-toy Blood Doll. I'm still gonna kick your 
  ass up between your teeth." 
  Concept: The Brujah Bully fits all the vilest stereotypes of 
  the Clan. Violent, sadistic and thickheaded, many have a 
  hard time distinguishing their regular frenzies from 
  normal behavior. Even other Anarchs hate having to deal 
  with this  
  one, but they know exclusion from their plans and 
  meetings will only mean another fight with the Bully. 
  There is nothing subtle about the Bully. Combat-centered, 
  few Elders would be willing to take this one on in a straight 
  fight. Additionally, the Bully never runs alone. The allies 
  and retainers are members of a gang committed to 
  brutality in all its forms. If the Bully does not want to waste 
  time with you, expect the entire heavily -armed gang to 
  jump in. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You live for one thing, and one thing 
  only - breaking heads. Still, you pretend to be a committed 
  Anarch, using their movement as a cover for your own 
  sadism. Go along with plans to fight the Elders, but bust 
  them up as soon as you can over some imagined slight, and 
  then go at it with whomever you like. 
  Nature: Deviant 
  Demeanor: Rebel 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4 
  Social: Charisma 1, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3 
  Talents: Alertness 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 5, Dodge 3, 
  Intimidation 5, Streetwise 3 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  57 
  Skills: Drive 4, Firearms 3, Melee 4, Music 1, Security 2 
  Knowledges: Investigation 2, Law 1, Area Knowledge 3, 
  City Secrets 2 
  Disciplines: Celerity 4, Potence 5, Presence 3 
  Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 2, Resources 1, Status 1  
  Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 1, Courage 4 
  Humanity: 3 
  Willpower: 5 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Gangrel Protector 
  Quote: "If you insist (growl) in continuing your present 
  course (snort), I shall have no option (growl) but to 
  destroy you." 
  Concept: The Gangrel Protector cares for something, and 
  cares for it as deeply as any being possibly can. Whether it 
  be animals, a certain place, children or anything else, you 
  can be sure anyone who threatens this treasure will meet 
  death in all its fury. 
  A combat monster, the Gangrel Protector will take no pity 
  on a foe, but will go to the ends of the Earth to protect what 
  it believes it must. Characters might stumble across the 
  objects guarded by accident, but claims of ignorance will 
  not save them. Or, if you prefer a less violent story, the 
  characters might become what the Gangrel protects. While 
  this may appear an advantage at first glance, soon the 
  Gangrel might be protecting them to the point where they 
  are 
  not 
  allowed 
  to  
  leave their havens, and the Gangrel brings them dead 
  animals to feed from. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You know your course of action is 
  right, and nothing can sway you from it. You would give 
  your existence for what it is you guard, and will not listen 
  to those who question your commitment or attempt to turn 
  you from your duty. The only trace remaining of those who 
  have tried to violate your wards are the animal features 
  which resulted from the frenzies when you slew them. 
  Nature: Fanatic 
  Demeanor: Caregiver 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5 
  Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 2 
  Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 1, Wits 4 
  Talents: Alertness 5, Athletics 4, Brawl 5, Dodge 4, 
  Intimidation 3 
  Skills: Animal Ken 5, Stealth 4, Survival 4 
  Knowledges: Medicine 3, Area Knowledge 5 
  Disciplines: Animalism 4, Celerity 2, Fortitude 4, 
  Protean 5 
  Backgrounds: Herd 2, Mentor 2, Status 1  
  Virtues: Conscience 4, Self-Control 1, Courage 5 
  Humanity: 7  
  Willpower: 7  
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Malkavian Psychotic 
  Quote: "It is a beautiful night to die. But then, aren't they 
  all?" 
  Concept: That wild look in the eyes, the hair flying out in 
  all directions, the graveyard dirt under the fingernails - all 
  these point to the truth of the Malkavian Psychotic's 
  existence. Who knows the truth of our existence? Who 
  could possibly understand the depths of the agony? Who 
  can know  
  the purpose behind this immortality? Well, the Malkavian 
  Psychotic does, and the purpose is to extinguish the 
  characters. 
  Violence is not the Psychotic's main, or even most effective, 
  weapon. After all, being psychotic does not necessarily 
  mean one wants to be at risk. Maneuvering others to do 
  your dirty work can be more pleasurable, especially when it 
  puts them and their target at risk. The only constant in this 
  insanity is the Psychotic's desire to have a personal hand in 
  the culmination of your plots, even if it only means 
  hovering by in astral form. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You live for the torments you can 
  put others through. Torture and brutalization are old hat 
  with you. You take any means available to fulfill your 
  fiendish desires and, while you may appear friendly 
  enough when first met, very quickly unnerve others with 
  your mad appearance and crazed laughter. 
  Nature: Deviant 
  Demeanor: Bon Vivant 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3 
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 2 
  Talents: Acting 3, Dodge 2, Empathy 2, Subterfuge 5 
  Skills: Etiquette 5, Firearms 4, Melee 1, Stealth 1  
  Knowledges: Bureaucracy 2, Investigation 3, Linguistics 
  2, Occult 2, City Secrets 2 
  Disciplines: Auspex 5, Dominate 4, Obfuscate 4 
  Backgrounds: Resources 4, Retainers 1  
  Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 3, Courage 2 
  Humanity: 2 
  Willpower: 9 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Nosferatu Sewer Rat 
  Quote: "..." 
  Concept: A member of a Clan notorious for its silence, the 
  Nosferatu Sewer Rat is legendary for her taciturnity. 
  Always watching from the shadows, making no noise which 
  would draw attention, she learns much, even about those 
  who do not believe she exists. In combat she can be an 
  effective foe, but that is not her main role as an antagonist. 
  She is a spy of unparalleled ability. With the advantage of 
  Obfuscate, she can both watch in secret and escape with 
  ease. Battling her is frustrating at best, as one can only 
  react to her invisible attacks and hope for the best. 
  Over the long run, she can be an especially effective foe for 
  instilling extreme paranoia in the characters. Most 
  obviously, one can never be sure when she is spying on you 
  and when she isn't. Additionally, her contacts, led by her 
  ghoul retainer, are street people - the kind many Vampires 
  would never give a second glance. Finally, her powers over 
  the animals mean the characters can never be sure if that 
  black cat in the alley is just licking its paw or watching 
  them for its mistress. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  58 
  Roleplaying Hints: You watch and you wait, staying as 
  quiet as a church mouse (even if you are as ugly as a sewer 
  rat). You feel uncomfortable dealing with others because of 
  your appearance, so you stay in hiding and are extremely 
  reticent to deal even with those you consider your friends. 
  Your enemies, however, get the full brunt of your pent-up 
  frustrations. 
  Nature: Loner 
  Demeanor: Curmudgeon 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5 
  Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 0 
  Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 2, Wits 4  
  Talents: Alertness 5, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Dodge 4, 
  Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 2 
  Skills: Animal Ken 3, Melee 1, Security 3, Stealth 5, 
  Survival 2  
  Knowledges: Investigation 3, Linguistics 1, Area 
  Knowledge 4, City Secrets 4 
  Disciplines: Animalism 3, Auspex 2, Celerity 1, Obfuscate 
  5, Potence 2 
  Backgrounds: Contacts 2, Retainers 1  
  Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 3, Courage 1  
  Humanity: 5 
  Willpower: 6 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Toreador Degenerate 
  Quote: "Oh please. Why don't you seek out a dark coffin 
  somewhere if you are so intent on embarrassing yourself 
  further?" 
  Concept: No one is as good as the Toreador Degenerate. 
  She is far more intelligent, sophisticated, attractive, 
  cultured and urbane than anyone (at least in her own 
  mind). It should take no time at all for her to make 
  enemies of the characters, commenting snidely on their 
  dress, habits, personalities and anything else you can think 
  of. Attempts to deal with this overbearing, highly 
  obnoxious person violently will be met with disdain and 
  snide comments from all corners. 
  The Toreador Degenerate's main strength lies in her 
  friends and allies. While these friends and allies may not 
  like her, they desperately want her to like them. They 
  believe strongly in her myth of superiority and will do 
  anything to stay on her good side. Most of these allies are 
  Ancillæ, but there may well be one or two Elders (or even 
  the Prince) among them. 
  Her second main weapon is gossip. A master at spreading 
  lies and rumors, she can turn any Kindred from a 
  respected member of society to a despised enemy of all. 
  And if you do seek revenge, beware her well-armed ghoul 
  attendants. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You are far superior to those others 
  of your type, and you know it well. None can measure up to 
  your standards, and you let them know it. Put down all the 
  characters' accomplishments in the most demeaning of 
  ways, informing them that what they devoted tears and 
  blood to deserves nothing more than your laughter. 
  Nature: Bravo 
  Demeanor: Bon Vivant 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2  
  Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 5 
  Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 3 
  Talents: Acting 4, Alertness 2, Dodge 1, Intimidation 4, 
  Subterfuge 4 
  Skills: Etiquette 5, Firearms 2, Melee 1, Music 4, Painting 
  4 
  Knowledges: Linguistics 4, Occult 1, Politics 3, Art 
  History 5, City Secrets 3, Literature 5 
  Disciplines: Auspex 4, Celerity 2, Dominate 2, Presence 5 
  Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 4, Fame 1, Influence 1, 
  Resources 5, Retainers 5, Status 3 
  Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 3, Courage 1  
  Humanity: 4 
  Willpower: 8 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Tremere Warlock 
  Quote: "Is it power you want? You know not what that 
  word means. Should you open yourself to but a fraction of 
  the might I command, you would be snuffed from this 
  dimension like a taper in a tornado." 
  Concept: The Tremere Warlock serves his Clan with 
  fanatical devotion, offering it his heart and soul. He has 
  struggled for ages to get to his place within the Tremere 
  structure, and will struggle for ages more just to move one 
  inch higher. But struggle he will. 
  Just because the Tremere Warlock is Blood Bound to his 
  Clan does not mean he has abandoned his own schemes. In 
  his efforts to climb the eternal Clan ladder of success, he 
  will use anyone and go to any extremes. If the characters 
  happen to come between him and what he wants, or can be 
  used as a vehicle to fulfilling his desires, so much the worse 
  for them. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You strive to keep others from 
  realizing the extent of your devotion to the Clan, but will 
  not deny that you serve its will. However, you do your best 
  to ensure others that doing your masters' bidding does not 
  mean you have to hurt them. When it does, oh well.  
  Nature: Plotter 
  Demeanor: Architect 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2  
  Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3 
  Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 4 
  Talents: Alertness 3, Brawl 1, Dodge 2, Intimidation 2, 
  Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Etiquette 3, Melee 1, Security 1  
  Knowledges: Investigation 4, Linguistics 4, Medicine 3, 
  Occult 5, Politics 3, City Secrets 3, Kindred Lore 2, Magus 
  Lore 2 
  Disciplines: Auspex 5, Dominate 3, Necromancy 1, 
  Thaumaturgy 4 (Taste of Blood 4, Weather Control 4, Lure 
  Of Flames 3) 
  Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 2, Resources 3, 
  Retainers 2, Status 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 4, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 4 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  59 
  Willpower: 9 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Rituals: Devil's Touch, Communicate with Kindred Sire, 
  Deflection of Wooden Doom, Principle Focus of Vitæ 
  Infusion, Mourning Life Curse, Pavis of Foul Presence, 
  Splinter Servant 
  Ventrue Manipulator 
  Quote: "Listen. I have what you want and you have what 
  I want. I see no reason why we cannot come to some 
  mutually agreeable solution." 
  Concept: The Ventrue Manipulator has become a 
  common feature in many Chronicles - so familiar, in fact, 
  that few characters trust them anymore. However, this 
  manipulator has a few key differences. First of all, 
  friendliness is the main weapon in her arsenal. There is no 
  reason why the characters should have to do something 
  against their will when the manipulator can convince them 
  it is what they want to do. 
  Second, this Ventrue deals with the Anarchs and the 
  Establishment equally. It may even take the characters a 
  few encounters with the Manipulator to realize she is a 
  Ventrue due to her friends outside the establishment. 
  Finally, she is completely capable in combat and if the 
  characters become a hindrance to her plans for power, they 
  may well pay the final price. 
  Roleplaying Hints: Your friendliness is not just an act - 
  you prefer to like others and have them like you. However, 
  power is your main goal, and nothing can be allowed to get 
  in your way. Were you Prince, your rule would be an iron 
  hand in a velvet glove; until then, make the characters 
  believe your rulership would be paradise itself. 
  Nature: Autocrat 
  Demeanor: Architect 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5  
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3 
  Talents: Acting 2, Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 3, Empathy 
  2, Subterfuge 1  
  Skills: Drive 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Melee 3, Security 
  3 
  Knowledges: Bureaucracy 3, Computer 2, Finance 1, 
  Investigation 4, Law 2, Linguistics 3, Politics 4, Area 
  Knowledge 3, City Secrets 4, Kindred Lore 3 
  Disciplines: Dominate 5, Fortitude 3, Presence 4, 
  Protean 2 
  Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 4, Influence 1, 
  Resources 3, Status 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 3, Self-Control 3, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 7  
  Willpower: 7  
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Caitiff Diabolist 
  Quote: "You thought because I was of the Clanless that I 
  was nothing, or less than nothing. But now we both know 
  the truth. Prepare for your end." 
  Concept: The Caitiff Diabolist has been beaten on, 
  ignored and abused. Other Kindred have taken advantage 
  of the precarious existence of the Clanless, and the 
  Diabolist is no stranger to pain and suffering. But now the 
  Caitiff will be the giver, not the receiver. 
  Through all the abuse the Diabolist has taken, some good 
  has come (good for the Diabolist, anyway). The Caitiff has 
  access to far more Disciplines than other Kindred of 
  equivalent age, and there seems to be no end to his bag of 
  tricks. Additionally, mercy is a foreign quality, so the 
  victims should expect nothing more than their deaths. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You have experienced the Rebirth 
  once, and will do anything to enjoy it again. Any other 
  Vampire is fair game, for all have taken advantage of you in 
  the past. Now you have the ability to make them pay, and 
  that is what you shall do. 
  Nature: Conniver 
  Demeanor: Martyr 
  Generation: 12th 
  Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3  
  Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 2 
  Talents: Alertness 2, Brawl 1, Dodge 2, Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Animal Ken 2, Firearms 4, Melee 2, Security 2, 
  Stealth 3 
  Knowledges: Computer 3, Investigation 2, Occult 1, Area 
  Knowledge 3, City Secrets 2, Kindred Lore 1  
  Disciplines: Animalism 3, Auspex 2, Celerity 2, Dominate 
  2, Fortitude 3, Obfuscate 2, Potence 3, Presence 2, Protean 
  2, Thaumaturgy 2 (Taste of Blood 1) 
  Backgrounds: Ally 1, Contacts 2, Resources 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 5, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 4 
  Willpower: 6 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 11/1  
  The Sabbat 
  Feared beyond reason by Camarilla Neonates, the Sabbat 
  gladly plays the role of the evil bogeyman, with no horror 
  being too vile for it to perpetrate. Prime enemies for the 
  characters, these monsters lack all humanity and revel in 
  their inhuman nature. They burst into frenzies with but a 
  moment's notice, seeming not to care what havoc they 
  wreak. 
  Of course, to the Sabbat, its way is the right one, and 
  everyone else follows the fool's path. Members of the 
  Sabbat crave absolute freedom above everything else, 
  striving with all their might to prove they can do anything 
  they desire. At the same time, they possess a 
  supernaturally strong loyalty to one another, and to 
  Camarilla Vampires it appears as if every member of a 
  Pack has been Blood Bound to each other. 
  It is this supernatural tie which keeps the Sabbat from 
  erupting in writhing spasms of violent anarchy. Not only 
  do individual packs have their internal connections, but 
  individual members will have their own bonds with other 
  Sabbat. Thus the entire Sect has one giant web of loyalty 
  spun throughout it, keeping its members from destroying 
  each other out of hand. 
  The Sabbat appears set on the destruction of the Camarilla 
  and, once that goal has been fulfilled, enslaving the human 
  race. Even Anarchs fear its brand of freedom, and join with 
  the hated Elders in battling this hated scourge. Everything 
  about the Sabbat, from its wild abandon, grotesque love of  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  60 
  combat to its horrendous, flesh-rending Disciplines, only 
  serves to strengthen this revulsion. 
  However, members of the Sabbat seem capable of their 
  own kind of virtues. They possess an intense loyalty to one 
  another. Indeed, among more knowledgeable members of 
  the Camarilla, rumors fly regarding Sabbat mystics, who 
  spend their unlives in quests after knowledge about the 
  history of the Kindred. Others talk about honorable Sabbat 
  leaders who strive desperately to keep the Vampiric world 
  from going up in smoke. Some members of the Camarilla 
  even whisper that greatest of heresies - that there may be 
  much the Camarilla can learn from its eternal enemies. 
  Sabbat Pack Leader 
  Quote: "You have your choice. Join us or die." 
  Concept: The Sabbat Pack Leader was created years ago 
  during the Sabbat takeover of a city. Most of the members 
  of her original pack met their Final Deaths during those 
  battles, but she joined a new group. As the years past and 
  the pack suffered normal (for the Sabbat) attrition, she 
  decided the time had come to seize control. This she did, 
  slaying the previous pack leader in the process. 
  Now she and her pack have become nomads, travelling 
  between Sabbat-controlled cities and making frequent 
  excursions into Camarilla territory. She herself has become 
  an extremely capable fighter, but is also highly skilled in 
  the diplomatic arena as well as various disciplines. Her 
  allies are fellow members of her pack, all almost as capable 
  as she in combat. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You exist solely for the freedom your 
  Vampiric form offers. Those who get in your way or 
  interfere with this freedom deserve nothing short of 
  horrible deaths. However, those who would make good 
  members of the Sabbat should be given the chance to prove 
  themselves. Remember, the good of the Sect comes first. 
  Nature: Architect 
  Demeanor: Gallant 
  Generation: 9th 
  Physical: Strength 5, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5 
  Social: Charisma 5, Manipulation 2, Appearance 5 
  Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4 
  Talents: Acting 2, Alertness 4, Brawl 5, Dodge 4, 
  Intimidation 4, Leadership 5, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Drive 4, Firearms 4, Melee 4, Security 2, Stealth 4, 
  Survival 4  
  Knowledges: Occult 3, Sabbat Lore 4 
  Disciplines: Celerity 2, Fortitude 3, Presence 4, Protean 
  3, Vicissitude 3 
  Backgrounds: Allies 5, Status 3 
  Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 0, Courage 5 
  Humanity: 0 
  Willpower: 8 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 14/2  
  Notes: The Discipline of Vicissitude allows a Vampire to 
  shape and change the body's form, though the changes are 
  not limited to the Vicissitude practitioner alone. The first 
  level allows the Vampire to actually change aspects of her 
  appearance, which is the way this character developed a 5 
  Appearance. The second level allows the character to shape 
  her or another's skin in any way she likes. The third level 
  allows the Vampire to mold bones in the same way. 
  The Inconnu 
  The characters who have the Inconnu as their enemies 
  might as well hang it up. Ticking off someone powerful 
  enough to remain out of the direct maneuverings Jyhad 
  has never been a wise idea. However, just because the 
  characters haven't a chance does not mean you should 
  avoid using these ancient powers as their enemies. 
  First of all, only rarely do members of the Inconnu become 
  directly involved in conflict. Doing so not only exposes 
  them to danger but also means they risk coming under the 
  sway of one faction in the great war. After all, taking action 
  against the Prince means they aid those who want her out 
  of power, who are, in turn, no doubt under the control of 
  someone else. The only truly safe course lies in doing 
  nothing, the very tack so many of the Inconnu take. 
  However, even these Monitors, who watch over certain 
  areas or organizations, have weapons at their disposal. 
  Should you interfere with a Monitor's activities, or slay a 
  favored member of the kine, be prepared for the worst. 
  First the little things begin going against you. Then your 
  other foes begin to gain near-supernatural knowledge of 
  your activities. Next those you once called your allies begin 
  to turn against you. Finally you wake up one night to 
  discover a Sixth-Generation  
  Hittite named Magog hovering over your bed, flaming 
  stake in hand. 
  For all their power, members of the Inconnu should be 
  used sparingly in a Chronicle, and even more sparingly as 
  an enemy. Only t he rarest of events could cause one of 
  these Cainites to take a personal interest in any Neonate or 
  Coterie of Neonates. Even when the characters do upset 
  such a creature, they should have ample chances to make 
  amends for their crimes. 
  For instance, an irritated Monitor might give them an 
  assignment, such as gathering information on some target 
  the Inconnu cannot approach. Perhaps she has them begin 
  the journey to Golconda, setting them up in situations 
  which cause them to feel remorse (and if they do not feel 
  remorse, she slays them out of hand). Or maybe she puts 
  some restriction upon them, like forbidding them to feed 
  on the innocent. 
  Using a member of the Inconnu as an enemy can be a great 
  opportunity for roleplaying, as characters who try to fight 
  her will find themselves in truly dire straits. However, by 
  using their wits and whatever may be left of their 
  Humanity, they may still come out alright. 
  Inconnu Monitor 
  Quote: "Go away." 
  Concept: The Inconnu Monitor, commonly found 
  wherever the Kindred play their games, should be an 
  enigmatic figure at best, and an invisible terror at worst. 
  While most Inconnu maintain a non-interventionist 
  posture, acting only when threatened, some become 
  involved in affairs on a regular, if covert, basis. 
  Thus the Inconnu Monitor has developed substantial 
  abilities of observation and deduction, but also has more 
  than enough experience in combat and other stress-filled 
  situations. Allies and contacts have come to his aid through 
  the passage of time, and no few of these rank among the 
  other members of the Inconnu. Of course, these is no 
  reason 
  others  
  would not be spies in either the Sabbat or the Camarilla, 
  Lupines, Magi or even Mummies. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  61 
  Roleplaying Hints: Your main goal is to remain aware of 
  potentially threatening events and individuals under your 
  jurisdiction. To this end you will go to any extreme, 
  including sneaking into meeting places, Dominating Licks 
  into telling all and them making them forget the meeting, 
  and anything else you deem as necessary. 
  While normally quiet and removed, should something 
  become a direct threat to you, you will spare no effort in 
  ensuring its suppression. Additionally, despite having 
  reined your passions in to a great degree, you have yet to 
  achieve Golconda. Thus you remain capable of frenzies, 
  and if aggravated beyond your tolerance, will respond with 
  all the powers at your command. 
  Nature: Judge 
  Demeanor: Traditionalist 
  Generation: 6th 
  Physical: Strength 7, Dexterity 5, Stamina 6 
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 6, Appearance 4 
  Mental: Perception 7, Intelligence 6, Wits 5 
  Talents: Alertness 6, Brawl 5, Dodge 4, Empathy 3, 
  Intimidation 5, Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Animal Ken 3, Etiquette 5, Firearms 2, Melee 4, 
  Music 3 
  Knowledges: Investigation 7, Law 3, Linguistics 6, 
  Medicine 5, Occult 6, Politics 6, Science 4, Area Knowledge 
  5, City Secrets 6, Kindred Lore 6 
  Disciplines: Animalism 3, Auspex 7, Celerity 4, Dominate 
  6, Fortitude 4, Obeah 4, Potence 3, Presence 6, Protean 3 
  Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 7, Resources 3, Status 5 
  Virtues: Conscience 5, Self-Control 4, Courage 5 
  Humanity: 9 
  Willpower: 10 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 30/6 
  Independents 
  Not all Vampire Clans belong to one of the three Sects. 
  While most do fall under their aegis, others carry out their 
  existences without alliances, going through each night 
  unencumbered by their wars of their Kindred (or so they 
  believe). Thus Ravnos wander the wilds of the planet in 
  search of pleasure, Giovannis do the same in the wilds of 
  the boardrooms, and Setites and Assamites carry out their 
  own plots and schemes. 
  So just when the characters think themselves safe from the 
  manipulations of the Camarilla and the Sabbat - Boom 
  Baby! - there's a whole new ball game to play. Suddenly the 
  world twists and turns as a Ravnos warps the very fabric of 
  reality. The characters' minds scream with pain as the 
  Setites lead  
  them quickly into temptation. Their very souls wail as the 
  Giovanni pry them from their bodies. And in the dark, an 
  Assamite waits to strike. 
  These Clans, as well as the Bloodlines which follow, are the 
  wild cards in Vampire. Never predictable, always 
  mysterious, their objects and actions often seem to follow 
  no reason or pattern. That Assamite trailing you might 
  have been hired by the Prince, an Anarch gang, an Elder, 
  or just be watching you in case she someday is hired to kill 
  you. 
  These independents can create a great change of pace in a 
  Story, allowing characters to develop a greater sense of 
  what goes on in your Gothic-Punk world. The fact that a 
  Setite even operates out of a Camarilla-controlled city 
  means something -maybe the Prince has become lax, been 
  bribed or even corrupted by the Followers of Set. Whatever 
  the reason an Independent has come to town, you can be 
  sure it means bad news for the characters. 
  Ravnos Con Artist 
  Quote: "I have just what you need. It's in this alley right 
  over here." 
  Concept: The Ravnos con artist lives for the scam. If 
  given an opportunity to steal a baby's glass eye, you can be 
  sure the opportunity (and the glass eye) will be seized. 
  However, the best cons come from trickery, especially 
  when someone's greed can be used in the game. 
  Thus the con artist has become a student of Vampiric 
  motivations, watching carefully what people do and why 
  they do it. This Ravnos may not be the best fighter, but 
  allies are always around (your own family) and you can 
  escape most problems with the help of your wits, 
  Chimerstry and speed. 
  Roleplaying Hints: Watch the characters carefully. See 
  what it is they want, and then offer it to them. Once they 
  are ready to take it, pull the switch and get away while your 
  laughter yet rings in their ears. 
  You generally prefer to pull scams against the pompous 
  and overinflated, but if they are not available, anyone will 
  do.  
  Just be ready when they take offense to your innocent 
  games (especially when you steal their havens while they 
  sleep). 
  Nature: Jester 
  Demeanor: Rebel 
  Generation: 10th 
  Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4 
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4 
  Talents: Acting 4, Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Dodge 
  4, Empathy 4, Streetwise 5, Subterfuge 5 
  Skills: Animal Ken 3, Drive 2, Etiquette 2, Melee 2, Music 
  3, Security 2, Stealth 4, Sleight of Hand 4, Survival 2 
  Knowledges: Investigation 3, Law 2, Linguistics 3, Occult 
  3 
  Disciplines: Animalism 4, Auspex 2, Celerity 1, 
  Chimerstry 4, Fortitude 3, Presence 1  
  Backgrounds: Allies 2, Resources 2, Retainers 4 
  Virtues: Conscience 2, Self-Control 3, Courage 4 
  Humanity: 6 
  Willpower: 8 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 13/1  
  Minor Bloodlines 
  Although the 13 major Clans comprise the vast majority of 
  Kindred society, there are other families of Vampires 
  scattered throughout the world. Unable to rival the Clans 
  in either numbers or raw power, these families - or 
  'bloodlines' as they are referred to - remain formidable 
  forces to be reckoned with. 
  Usually a branch of an established Clan, their major 
  differences come from their Disciplines and weaknesses. 
  Many boast Disciplines wholly unique to themselves, while 
  others stress their special outlook on existence. For 
  instance, some Kindred speak longingly of a bloodline 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  62 
  dedicated solely to the practice of love in all its forms. 
  Others talk with awe and loathing of a now -extinct 
  bloodline which set itself up as the protectors of the human 
  race. 
  Bloodlines have formed from  many sources - begun by one 
  powerful Kindred who then Sired and passed on the 
  changes, created by cabals of wizards or established by one 
  Cainite who has never passed on the Gift. Lacking an 
  Antediluvian founder, the members of these bloodlines 
  often believe themselves above the Jyhad, much to the 
  amusement of other Vampires.  
  Gargoyles 
  In the early days of the Middle Ages, the newly founded 
  Tremere line was in grave danger. Hounded from all sides 
  by agents of the Inconnu, even the power of the recently 
  created Circle of Seven did not seem enough to save the 
  line from extinction. Though they were individually 
  mighty, they simply did not have the hordes of lesser shock 
  troops that they needed to fend off their enemies. 
  It is rumored to have been the Clan fou nder himself who 
  thought of a solution. Capturing several other Vampires 
  and mystic creatures, including a Gangrel and a Nosferatu, 
  Tremere and his Circle used their extensive alchemical 
  knowledge to synthesize a race of new Vampires, ones 
  which would serve the Tremere. Deep beneath the 
  Carpathians, the first Gargoyle rose from the steaming 
  ichor of their cauldron. In a mocking parody of the Bible, 
  they commanded it, "Go forth and multiply." 
  And go forth it did, rapidly creating swarms of Progeny 
  from the terrified peasantry and leading them against the 
  Inconnu. It was largely due to the terrible strength of the 
  Gargoyles that the line of Tremere survived their first great 
  battles. 
  For centuries the Gargoyles served the Tremere with great 
  loyalty, despite the numerous abuses heaped on them by 
  their masters. Finally, the ill-treatment grew too great for 
  even their dull spirits to tolerate. During the late Middle 
  Ages, the Gargoyles broke away from the Tremere; some 
  scattered into the wilds of Europe, some flocked to the 
  great cities such as Paris, while others offered their services 
  as mercenaries and sentinels to any Kindred or Magus who 
  could pay their price in gold and vitæ. 
  Appearance: Gargoyles are grotesque and repulsive, 
  much like Nosferatu, and generally have a "demonic" 
  appearance. They begin with small bat-like wings which 
  grow as they advance in the Discipline of Visceratika. Each 
  level they have gained in that Discipline allows them to fly 
  at an additional five mph. Also, as they age, their skin 
  becomes more rocklike and various strange protrusions 
  appear on their bodies. 
  Haven: Gargoyles greatly prefer interior or underground 
  areas with lots of stone and earth to manipulate. 
  Abandoned buildings (particularly tall ones, where they 
  can sit at night), warehouses, sewers, caves and the like are 
  ideal. 
  Background: Gargoyles reproduce rarely, and only for 
  their own twisted reasons. As Gargoyles are a composite 
  and artificial race, once a victim is chosen, his own mind 
  becomes sublimated in the wash of magic and memories 
  already ingrained in the Sire's vitæ, and he almost forgets 
  his prior life. Gargoyles can come from any background. 
  Character Creation: Gargoyles are not really suitable 
  for playing, but make ideal sentries, guards and 
  mercenaries. Physical Attributes and Talents are primary. 
  Weaknesses: Gargoyles have an appearance of zero, 
  much like the Nosferatu from whence they are partially 
  derived. Also, as a race created to be slaves, their 
  Willpower is treated as two lower when resisting 
  Domination or Magi mind-control spells. 
  Disciplines: Fortitude, Potence, Visceratika 
  Quote: "You intrude on master's property. I count to 10 - 
  you leave or I feed the earth with your entrails. One 10." 
  Visceratika 
  Level One:  
  Whispers of the Chamber: By making a Perception + 
  Alertness roll against a difficulty of 6, the Gargoyle is able 
  to detect others within an enclosed area of about the size of 
  a large apartment, even if the intruders are out of sight, in 
  darkness or protected by Obfuscate. If the target is actively 
  seeking to avoid being detected, she gets an opposed roll of 
  Self-Control + Stealth with a 6 difficulty. 
  Level Two:  
  Skin of the Chameleon: By spending a blood point, the 
  Gargoyle's skin takes on the texture and color of its 
  surroundings, adding five to the dice pool for Stealth as 
  long as it moves slowly (half speed or less). 
  Level Three: 
  Voices of the Castle: As Whispers of the Chamber, 
  above, but affecting an entire building or physical 
  structure. 
  Level Four:  
  Bond With Terra: Similar to the Protean power Meld 
  with Earth, this power also allows the character to melt 
  into stone, brick or asphalt. However, this power does not 
  allow the character to actually sink deep into the protective 
  surroundings. Instead, the character seeps just below the 
  surface, and a faint outline of her form can be seen above 
  where she rests. 
  Level Five: 
  Stonestrength: The Gargoyle's flesh hardens and pain is 
  deadened, giving the character one extra Stamina point for  
  the purposes of resisting wounds, subtracting one from all 
  wound penalties, and halving the damage received from 
  fire. 
  Level Six:  
  Rockheart: The Gargoyle's innards become rocklike. Any 
  weapons which pierce the body (including bullets) do half 
  damage, and staking is effectively impossible unless the 
  attacker's Strength + Potence is at least 7. 
  Dark Statue: By remaining completely still, the character 
  can avoid the effects of direct sunlight. However, should 
  the character move or even twitch for any reason, the full 
  effects of sunlight begin. Not moving for a day requires a 
  Stamina + Fortitude against a difficulty of 9. Note that the 
  character must have Fortitude to make this roll and must 
  still roll to avoid frenzying at the sight of the sun. 
  Level Seven:  
  Crawling Chamber: By spending three blood points, the 
  Gargoyle may animate approximately a 10' by 10' volume 
  of stone, giving it a base sentience and allowing it to ooze, 
  reshape itself and even attack foes. Statues and the like 
  may be animated as well. The Gargoyle rolls its 
  Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty of 8 to 
  achieve this end. 
  Levels Eight through Ten:  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  63 
  There are no known Gargoyles beyond the Sixth 
  Generation. 
  Blood Brothers 
  The Sabbat continually seeks new ways to overthrow the 
  Camarilla, and many of their efforts involve the creation of 
  Vampiric shock troops. The Sabbat is also renowned for its 
  creative uses of the Blood Bond. Recently, a conclave of 
  Sabbat Tremere and Tzimisces gathered in a certain 
  unnamed stronghold in Eastern Europe for a bizarre 
  experiment. Their devilish plan: to refine the Blood Bond 
  to new heights, thus creating a pack of Vampiric warriors 
  who would for all practical purposes think and act as one. 
  With the Tremere using their Blood magic and the 
  Tzimisces employing their flesh-altering powers, they 
  would create an army of invincible servants. 
  A band of captured Caitiffs provided the first test subjects. 
  And the second. And so on. Finally, after a number of 
  grotesque failures, a pack of fanatically loyal soldiers, with 
  their own unique abilities related to their bond, crouched 
  befor e them. This was the origin of the Sabbat's special 
  weapon, the bloodline known ironically as the Blood 
  Brothers. 
  Appearance: Blood Brothers usually look a little strange, 
  as their reshapings and blood exchanges often leave them a 
  bit misshapen. They generally shave their heads and prefer 
  to wear simple T-shirts, jeans and boots. 
  Haven: Blood Brothers often live in Sabbat communal 
  havens or in secret bases under the cities of the Camarilla, 
  where they can venture out to wreak havoc. 
  Background: Blood Brothers are chosen by the Tremere 
  and Tzimisces for their tough-mindedness and skill at 
  keeping themselves alive. Individuality is not a prized 
  quality. Many Blood Brothers come from military or 
  criminal backgrounds, and members of street gangs seem 
  especially prevalent. 
  Character Conception: Most Blood Brothers come from 
  criminal or gang concepts. Physical Attributes and Talents 
  are primary. 
  Organization: Blood Brothers are bound in tightly -
  formed packs, or "circles," of between three and seven 
  individuals. Usually all are equal, but the Brother with the 
  highest generation is the nominal leader; they are virtually 
  a communal being anyway, so questions of leadership are 
  nearly irrelevant. 
  Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Sanguinus 
  Weaknesses: All Blood Brothers feel each others' pain. If 
  one is damaged, all the rest take the same wound penalty 
  to their actions for the next round (only). If more than one 
  is hit, the highest penalty is taken. They are also all Blood 
  Bound to each other. 
  Quote: (in unison) "DIE!" 
  Sanguinus 
  Level One:  
  Brother's Blood: By spending a blood point, any Blood 
  Brother can heal a wound level of anyone in his circle 
  without actually having to allow the target to drink his 
  blood. This can be done at a distance, but only one level 
  can be healed in a turn. 
  Level Two:  
  Borrow Organs: The donor and recipient must each 
  spend a blood point and the donor must concentrate. The 
  next round, one of the donor's exterior organs - eyes, arms, 
  ears, legs, whatever - will vanish from the donor and 
  reappear on the recipient's body, allowing for increased 
  senses, extra dice for multiple attacks, or anything else 
  appropriate. Internal  
  organs - the brain, the heart, etc. - cannot be donated, nor 
  can Disciplines be given away. Only the donor must have 
  this power for  it to be used. 
  Level Three:  
  Coordinate Attacks: By spending a blood point each, all 
  the Brothers in the circle can enter into a group mind link, 
  allowing them to function as one entity. This allows them 
  to share perceptions, tactics and even knowledge for as 
  long as they maintain the bond. There are several aspects 
  to this power: 
  · Powers such as Dominate, etc. attack against the highest 
  Willpower of the entire circle, and must score one 
  additional success for every member of the circle. If the 
  power succeeds anyway, a mental 'circuit breaker' 
  activates, severing the targeted Brother from the link, so 
  only she is Dominated, etc. 
  · A dice pool of one extra die per person is set up; any of 
  the Brothers can draw on this pool per round, although 
  each die used by an individual subtracts from the total in 
  the pool for that round (i.e., if there are five Brothers in the 
  circle, there are five total extra dice available in the pool 
  per round, not five per Vampire per round). 
  · Surprise attacks, etc. almost never work while in the 
  bond; assume that if ANY of the Brothers could see an 
  attack coming, all in the circle will know. Otherwise, 
  reduce all Perception difficulties by three. 
  · By staying out of combat and concentrating, a Brother can 
  give an Ability to another. Thus, a wounded Brother with 
  Brawl 5 could rest while at the same time concentrating on 
  her circle-mate who is fighting with Brawl 2; while the 
  other Brother is concentrating, the Vampire in combat 
  fights with Brawl 5. 
  · Any other logical advantages of being linked, such as 
  tactical advantages and the like, may be given to the circle. 
  Group acrobatics, etc. are quite common. 
  A Brother does not have to have Sanguinus at this level to 
  enter into the bond as long as someone in his circle does. 
  However, if the does not have at least a three Sanguinus, 
  then he will be subordinate in the link to others of his 
  circle. He will subtract one from all advantages listed (if 
  five dice are available in a pool, the character could only 
  use a maximum of four, Perception difficulties reduced by 
  only two, etc.); the Brothers who control the bond are 
  going to divert all the most useful sensory information to 
  themselves. Additionally, because the character is not 
  attuned to the level of interaction involved, he loses one die 
  in his own pool to compensate for the competing sensory 
  input. 
  Level Four:  
  Concentrate Generation: With this power, the Blood 
  Brother may draw upon the vitæ of her circle to increase 
  her own generation. She may take one generation level 
  from each member of her circle to add to her own. The 
  'donating' Brother must be willing or this power fails. 
  Additionally, the donating Blood Brother effectively 
  becomes 
  one 
  generation  
  younger. If this would take the Blood Brother below 13th 
  generation, she can only spend a Blood Point every other 
  turn and can only have nine blood points in her pool. The 
  generation can be given back later. 
  Level Five:  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  64 
  Coagulate Entity: With this grotesque power, all the 
  Blood Brothers may unite, physically as well as mentally. 
  All the Brothers spend three blood points and join hands, 
  spending a round in concentration. On the next round, 
  they will meld together into a composite entity, an 
  enormous blob of flesh, entrails and stringy muscle tissue 
  covered in eyes and mouths. The Generation of the 
  creature will be that of the earliest Generation, reduced by 
  one for every Brother who forms the entity. The creature 
  will have a Strength, Stamina and Perception equal to the 
  highest rating in the circle, +1 for ever member, and all 
  other attributes will be equal to those of the Blood Brother 
  with the highest rating. All physical actions will receive one 
  extra die in their dice pool for every Blood Brother in the 
  circle, usually used to take multiple actions (extra limbs, 
  extra fangs, etc.). Only one Brother in the circle needs to 
  have the discipline at this level, but any Brothers who don't 
  have Level 5 will be automatically subordinated to the will 
  of the Brothers who do possess Level 5 while in this form. 
  Levels Six through Ten:  
  There are no Blood Brothers above the Eighth Generation. 
  Baali 
  This line of Vampires originated in Mesopotamia; it was 
  once much more extensive and powerful, but was 
  decimated by a coalition of several other Clans who found 
  the Baali's rituals vile even by Kindred standards. Since 
  then, the line has existed in anonymity for millennia; most 
  other Kindred believe them to be a legend, and Baali 
  usually pose as Caitiffs around other Kindred. They have 
  slowly spread over Europe and into the Americas, and 
  some have joined the Sabbat. 
  Baali are devil-worshippers. They are more committed to 
  utter evil then the most psychotic Malkavian or brutal 
  Sabbat Bishop. They firmly believe in the eventual 
  ascension of utter darkness and that Vampires are the 
  chosen minions of the Powers that Wait on earth. They do 
  not wish to maintain a Masquerade from their chosen prey, 
  or even for Vampiric supremacy like the Sabbat - they wish 
  to summon their great lords back into the world, to turn 
  the planet into a demon-ridden hell. 
  Appearance: Baali are almost studiously nondescript, 
  but those with high Presence seem to give off an aura of 
  evil. They can be of any race and either sex. 
  Haven: Baali usually maintain Havens far away from 
  Kindred or kine, such as in abandoned houses or farms - 
  the better to practice their rites. 
  Background: Baali only choose to Embrace humans who 
  are intelligent, driven and completely callous. Most of their  
  Progeny are interested in the occult even in life, and all 
  Baali practice it once Embraced. 
  Character Conception: Most Baali are between 25 and 
  45 when Embraced, although some are Chosen at a much 
  older age. Many come from a Dilettante or Professor 
  background. All Baali have an Occult score of at least 1; 
  Mental Attributes and Talents are primary. 
  Organization: Baali usually form small, coven-like 
  groups ('flocks') of between three and six Vampires. The 
  most powerful sorcerer of the flock is the leader, ruling 
  with an iron fist. 
  Weakness: Baali are affected by religious symbols, just 
  like the traditional movie Vampire, and take double 
  damage from Faith. 
  Quote: "Your struggles are futile. What is to be will be. 
  Accept your place in the fires eternal." 
  Disciplines: Obfuscate, Presence, Daimoinon 
  Daimoinon 
  Level One:  
  Sense the Sin: By making a Perception + Empathy roll 
  against a difficulty of the target's Self-Control + 4, the Baali 
  can sense the subject's greatest character flaw - be it a low 
  Virtue, a weak Will, a Derangement, or whatever. 
  Level Two:  
  Fear of the Void Below: The Baali must first use Sense 
  the Sin (above) to discern the tragic flaw of the target. She 
  must then speak to the target, telling him of his inevitable 
  damnation and lack of any hope for redemption. If the 
  Baali makes a Wits + Intimidation resisted roll against the 
  target's Courage + 4, the victim will fly into a Terror frenzy; 
  if the Baali scores three or more successes, the target will 
  collapse in a useless panic. 
  Level Three:  
  Flames of the Netherworld: The Baali may hurl blasts 
  of flame which do one die of damage per blood point spent; 
  the  
  Baali must roll Dexterity + Occult, with a difficulty 
  dependent on range, to hit. 
  Level Four:  
  Psychomachia: The Baali is able to summon the Beast in 
  an individual. After using Sense the Sin (above) to discern 
  weakness, the Baali can actually coax the Beast to the 
  surface. The victim must roll against his greatest weakness 
  (i.e. lowest Virtue) with a difficulty of 8 or fly into a frenzy; 
  any Derangements possessed by the victim will be in 
  evidence. 
  Level Five:  
  Curse: By making an Intelligence + Occult roll against the 
  target's Willpower, the Baali may cast a curse on the target. 
  One of the target's Traits, chosen by the Baali, will drop to 
  zero for a duration depending on the number of successes: 
  One Success - One night 
  Two Successes - One week 
  Three Successes - One month 
  Four Successes - One year 
  Five Successes - Permanent 
  Level Six:  
  Ignore the Searing Flames: Fire no longer affects the 
  character. 
  Level Seven:  
  Summon the Herald of Hell: This power requires a 
  one-hour ritual, three blood points' expenditure and a 
  human sacrifice. The Baali may then summon a lesser 
  demon from Hell to do her bidding. Demons vary greatly in 
  abilities and form, but will usually be built on something 
  approximating the following statistics: Attributes: 10/7/3, 
  Abilities: 15 points worth, Willpower: 8, Disciplines: 10 
  points worth, as well as a Fortitude of at least 3 and the 
  ability to heal like a Lupine. Form can vary wildly - some 
  demons are beautiful seductresses, others reptilian 
  horrors. The demon may be summoned without the hour-
  long ritual or the sacrifice, but the Baali must spend six 
  blood points and the demon will be uncontrolled - it may 
  well decide to drag the Baali down to Hell with it for her 
  temerity. 
  Level Eight:  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  65 
  Great Curse: This curse is more subtle than the Level 
  Three power, and affects a much wider area. With this 
  curse, the Baali afflicts an entire city or province with a 
  feeling of gloom, despair and malaise. The more successes 
  rolled on the Baali's Intelligence + Occult against a 
  difficulty of 9, the greater the effect. Crime and violence 
  soar, petty angers become seething hatreds, the economy 
  takes a downward spiral, marriages break up over trivial 
  causes, and the world just becomes a nastier place in 
  general. Even Kindred organizations become more 
  fractious and less efficient - thus, this power is ideal for 
  undermining Camarilla power structures in a city. A 
  successful use of Auspex 9 or above will  
  enable the user to determine that there is a malevolent 
  outside aura on the region affected; otherwise, the 
  populace will simply assume that the times, they are a-
  changin' - for the worse. 
  Level Nine:  
  Call the Great Beast: This ritual takes four hours to cast 
  and requires the sacrifice of 50 victims (Kindred or kine) 
  with at least 4 Humanity each. One of the Great Demon 
  Lords of the Netherworld will thereupon erupt from 
  Hades; the details of this are up to the Storyteller, but it is 
  safe to say that such entities are more powerful than any 
  Vampire, and that the world is in serious trouble. This is 
  presented more as a plot device than a way for sadistic 
  Storytellers to waste the Troupe. 
  Ghouls 
  Ghouls, while nowhere near as powerful as their Vampiric 
  masters, have a number of advantages over their lords. The 
  most obvious of these advantages is the ability to go about 
  during the day with no fear of the sun. Other advantages 
  include their ability to sleep as they please, mix in human 
  society with less risk of frenzy and the fact that many 
  Kindred underestimate their strength, believing them to be 
  but lowly servitors. 
  While that role may fit some ghouls, others have become 
  powers in their own right, and provide the Storyteller with 
  ample enemies. Additionally, there is no reason why a 
  player could not run a ghoul as a character, especially if 
  you are using the troupe-style of play discussed in Chapter 
  One. 
  Note that ghouls do have some significant disadvantages. 
  After three months, most have been Blood Bound to their 
  masters, and now will suppress their own desires for the 
  Vampire's - part of the reason they are often seen as little 
  mor e than slaves. 
  Their powers also suffer limitations. Except for the Potence 
  they gain from first becoming a ghoul, they can learn no 
  Disciplines which their feeder does not have. Second, they 
  are limited in how far they can advance in those 
  Disciplines based on the Generation of their most recent 
  "host," as illustrated in the following chart. 
  Generation - Maximum Discipline Level 
  Eighth and Younger - One 
  Seventh - Two 
  Sixth - Three 
  Fifth - Four 
  Fourth - Five 
  Also, increasing Disciplines is much more difficult for 
  ghouls than it is for Vampires. Just gaining a new 
  Discipline requires 25 experience points and, if the ghoul 
  has an old-enough host to allow progress beyond the first 
  level, each additional point requires the Discipline's 
  current level x 20 in experience. 
  Finally, ghouls' bodies can hold no more blood than an 
  average human's can. They have a blood pool of 10, and 
  imbibing blood above what they can contain causes a level 
  of damage per point. That blood is not available for 
  increasing Physical Attributes or healing wounds. Thus a 
  ghoul must be drained of blood before taking in more. 
  Each point of blood taken acts as a wound level, though 
  those effects are cured by the drinking of Vampiric blood. 
  No ghoul can spend more than one blood point per turn. 
  If the ghoul loses more than five blood points at any time, 
  he is in danger. If he loses more than seven, then he will 
  die unless he can make a Stamina + Fortitude roll against 
  the number of blood points lost (8 or 9). Obviously, if 10 
  points are taken, the ghoul dies and will become a Vampire 
  if fed any Kindred blood. In this event, the ghoul keeps any 
  Disciplines already held, but from then on progresses as 
  does a normal Vampire. 
  As long as ghouls do imbibe Vampiric blood, they can 
  prevent aging. They remain susceptible to death by other 
  causes, including violence, starvation or disease. They 
  must also fear the results of missing their feedings, for if 
  they go without their blood, they resume aging according 
  to the following chart. 
  Real Age - Aging 
  Less than 100 years - normal 
  100-250 years - 10x normal (each day counts as 10) 
  250 or more years - instantly crumble to dust 
  If a player wishes to create a ghoul character for your 
  Chronicle, a good number of points to use during character 
  creation would be 6/4/3 for Attributes, 11/7/4 for Abilities, 
  5 for Backgrounds, 7 for Virtues, a Potence of 1 and 8 
  Freebie points to be spent as do Vampires. This format is 
  used best in conjunction with troupe-style play. For 
  antagonists, the two ghouls presented below give a good 
  indication as to how this class of Undead can be used.  
  Ghoul Retainer 
  Quote: "Yes master. Very good master. Will there be 
  anything else?" 
  Concept: The Ghoul Retainer has been a faithful servant 
  for decades. She lives for nothing but the drinking of her 
  master's blood and serving his every whim. She is not the 
  most combat-efficient ghoul, though she does sometimes 
  act as her master's bodyguard. Otherwise she works as 
  chauffeur, courier, butler, maid, travel agent, accountant 
  and anything else the Vampire desires. 
  This character may be weak as an antagonist in her own 
  right, but gives her master more freedom. Thus if you 
  upset her boss, rest assured that she shall be after you as 
  well. She has learned a great deal about the Undead 
  through the years and that, coupled with the undying 
  devotion brought on by her Blood Bond, makes her a most 
  dangerous foe. 
  Roleplaying Hints: Your master is your life. If he says 
  "Jump," you do not have to ask how high - you already 
  know. Thus, unless you must take action, sink into the 
  background and let your master deal with others. 
  Nature: Jobsworth 
  Demeanor: Conformist 
  Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3  
  Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  66 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 2 
  Talents: Alertness 2, Brawl 3, Dodge 2, Streetwise 1  
  Skills: Animal Ken 1, Drive 4, Etiquette 4, Firearms 4, 
  Melee 3, Repair 3, Security 2 
  Knowledges: Computer 2, Finance 2, Investigation 2, 
  Law 1, Medicine 3, Occult 3, Science 2, Area Knowledge 3, 
  Kindred Lore 2 
  Disciplines: Fortitude 1, Potence 2, Presence 1  
  Backgrounds: Contacts 1, Mentor 2, Resources 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 4, Self-Control 4, Courage 4 
  Humanity: 8 
  Willpower: 5 
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 10/1  
  Independent Ghoul 
  Quote: "Don't worry. I'll only take a little bit at first." 
  Concept: The Independent Ghoul is bound to no 
  Vampire. He takes vitæ whenever and however he can. 
  Sometimes he trades favors for blood, offering hideouts to 
  Anarchs, assassinations for Elders and money to anyone. 
  Other times he simply takes what he wants, killing and 
  draining a Vampire of all the blood he can wring from the 
  corpse. 
  Since this ghoul has no one host, his immortality is 
  precarious at best. However, he can draw from a wider  
  number of available Disciplines, and can live as he wants. 
  He has become capable in a number of areas, and can fight 
  as well as most Neonates. Additionally, since he appears 
  human to Aura Readings and other sensory input, most 
  Kindred tend to underestimate him. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You have one goal -satisfying your 
  addiction to immortality. You have no desire to become a 
  Vampire, having seen what kind of paranoid, precarious 
  existence they lead. However, yours isn't much better. 
  Nature: Conniver 
  Demeanor: Bon Vivant 
  Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2  
  Social: Charisma 1, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2 
  Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 4 
  Talents: Acting 2, Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 4, Dodge 
  1, Intimidation 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Drive 2, Firearms 3, Melee 3, Security 2, Stealth 3, 
  Survival 2  
  Knowledges: Investigation 3, Medicine 1, Occult 3, Area 
  Knowledge 2, Kindred Lore 1  
  Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate 1, Potence 1, Protean 2 
  Backgrounds: Ally 1, Contacts 2, Resources 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 1, Self-Control 3, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 5 
  Willpower: 7  
  Blood Pool Max/Per Turn 10/1  
  Werewolves 
  Cainites and Lupines have been at war for as long as either 
  group can remember. Some Vampires more familiar with 
  Kindred Lore even blame them for the destruction of the 
  Second City. For eons their wars with the Undead have 
  stretched across the world, becoming most intense at those 
  places where civilization and the wilds met.  
  For years it appeared to the Vampires as though they had 
  the upper hand. As decades past, civilization spread and 
  the wilderness died out. However, almost 100 years ago, 
  Cainites began noticing a resurgence in Lupine 
  aggressiveness. Areas which had never before suffered the 
  wrath of the Garou began feeling their rage. Places where 
  Vampires and Werewolves had been in conflict found 
  themselves overwhelmed by swarms of the shapeshifters. 
  Theories for this revived ferocity abound, especially among 
  Gangrels, and range from population pressures put on 
  them by decreasing amounts of wilderness to threats to 
  their holy areas (or Caerns) to the eruption of the Krakatoa 
  volcano. Most of these theories have been discounted, and 
  the perpetually paranoid Kindred continue to look for the 
  power manipulating the Werewolves. 
  Those Vampires who have to deal with Lupines have 
  learned a good deal about these opponents, however. Some 
  Princes have labeled nearby Werewolf Caerns off limits, 
  threatening to destroy any Kindred who disturb them. 
  Additionally, Gangrels have noted how Lupines become 
  more effective fighters the angrier they become, increasing 
  the speed of their attacks as the battle goes on. They have 
  also noted the command of spirits held by some 
  Werewolves. Another power which has caused comment 
  among the Undead include the way all Lupines seem able 
  to heal almost as quickly as they are injured. 
  Humans seem to have an especially hard time battling 
  werewolves. When the Garou take their half-wolf, half-man 
  form, some mortals go mad, fleeing in terror. Others drop 
  to the ground in agony. Very few attack the Lupine or 
  otherwise act as though they can control themselves. 
  Finally, rumors abound about Lupines who could 
  disappear and reappear at will, control the weather, fight 
  with claws and fangs of silver, and even cause earthquakes 
  at will. Thus, while even one Werewolf is usually more than 
  enough for one Vampire, a pack of them, fighting in 
  conjunction, can bring down the strongest of coteries. 
  Garou Pack Leader 
  Quote: "You carrion scum curse Gaia with your very 
  existence. Prepare to feed her with your bones." 
  Concept: The Garou Pack Leader is a commander without 
  compare. A tactician, strategist and motivator of renown, 
  she can inspire those who follow her to great heights of 
  heroism. Alone she is more than a match for any Neonate 
  and most Ancillæ. With her pack behind her, Methuselahs 
  quake at the prospect of fighting her. 
  However, she has her goals and sticks closely to them. She 
  does not necessarily have to kill every Vampire she meets 
  (though that is the most likely outcome of a meeting with 
  her). Even those she plans on killing may be kept alive a 
  little longer as she pumps them for information. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You care first for your mission, then 
  for your pack and finally for yourself. Your mission may be 
  the elimination of a toxic waste dump, the recovery of a 
  tribal artifact or a raid on the death-causing Kindred of a 
  city, and its success comes before anything else. Let 
  nothing sway you. 
  Nature: Visionary 
  Demeanor: Cavalier 
  Physical: Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5 
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2 
  Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 4 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  67 
  Talents: Alertness 5, Athletics 4, Brawl 5, Dodge 4, 
  Leadership 5 
  Skills: Animal Ken 5, Stealth 5, Survival 4 
  Knowledges: Occult 3, Area Knowledge 4, Lupine Lore 4 
  Disciplines: Animalism 1, Auspex 1, Celerity 5, Fortitude 
  5, Potence 5, Presence 2, Protean 4, 
  Backgrounds: Allies 5, Resources 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 3, Self-Control 3, Courage 5 
  Humanity: 6 
  Willpower: 8 
  Notes: If you like, you can remove the Pack Leader's 
  Celerity and give her 10 points of Rage. She can spend as 
  many of these points a turn as she likes, getting to take an 
  extra action (with her full dice pool) for each one. She 
  regains Rage whenever anything bad happens to her - she 
  gets hit, she misses, a friend gets hurt, her back itches 
  where she can't scratch, etc. 
  Magi 
  Vampires and magi coexist in an uneasy, often-violated 
  truce. Most Kindred have very little to do with mortal 
  spellcasters, but the sorcerers keep coming after them. 
  Reports exist of magi who kept Vampires captive for 
  decades,  
  draining them of blood bit by bit, cutting off parts of the 
  Kindred and then allowing the victim just enough vitæ to 
  regenerate, all for the sake of their diabolical research. 
  While it would seem most Cainites should have little to 
  fear from any mortal, the average magus has spent decades 
  honing his craft, and is the equal of most Ancillas. Some 
  magi have existed for centuries and, while their minds 
  seem to be slowly slipping away, are still a match for any 
  Elder. Anyway, even if a Vampire could defeat a magus, 
  most (though certainly not all) magi work in groups, 
  sharing their research and facilities. 
  Even if the Undead could marshall their forces to destroy 
  these mortal powers, they would have a hard time tracking 
  down their foes. Some magi houses only exist in this reality 
  for a few hours a day, varying their times seemingly at will. 
  Others shroud their homes from detection, and not even 
  the most accomplished users of Auspex can track them 
  down. 
  Vampires can take some comfort from the fact that they 
  are not the only group receiving unwanted attention from 
  magi. The Lupines seem to be an even more frequent foe of 
  the practitioners of magic, and some Kindred have had the 
  pleasure of finding themselves in a three-way fight 
  between themselves, a magus and a werewolf. 
  Recently, some sort of upheaval has been noticed among 
  the magi. While the occult practices have always been 
  many and varied, including Voodoo, the Qabala, alchemy, 
  spirit mastery and others, new forms have shown up and 
  old ones invigorated. The most powerful magi have always 
  followed the Hermetic tradition, but now even they seem 
  afraid. 
  Vampires who have regular contact with them tell tales of 
  mysterious deaths among the sorcerers, the appearance of 
  mighty magi none where familiar with and mighty mystical 
  battles fought in hidden grottoes. While some blame the 
  Tremere, others whisper that even that Vampiric Clan has 
  begun battling ancient enemies. 
  Hermetic Magus 
  Quote: "Why don't you make this easy on both of us? If 
  you would just give me one of your fangs, no one will be 
  hurt. Oh yes, while you're at it, would you mind terribly 
  just inserting this acuminated bit of timber through your 
  left ventricle? Thank you ever so much." 
  Concept: The Hermetic Magus has studied her forbidden 
  arts for decades. She has practiced fire magic with its most 
  accomplished devotees, toured the bottom of the ocean 
  with the masters of Neptune's Might, gazed at the stars for 
  nights on end and already vivisected more than one 
  Vampire. 
  Now she seeks the secrets of immortality. With little to go 
  on, she goes after those things which are immortal - like 
  the characters. Not only are Vampiric parts like fangs 
  useful in magic, but perhaps the Vampire's very body will 
  yield up the information she needs. If it doesn't, well, she 
  will tell the characters' departed spirits she is sorry. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You are the consummate researcher, 
  with no emotions towards your lab equipment and test 
  creatures (like the characters). As far as you are concerned, 
  they exist only for your benefit. Of course, you would never 
  mistreat them. Unless you are studying pain, you will take 
  great care to carve them up painlessly. 
  Nature: Plotter 
  Demeanor: Architect 
  Physical: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3  
  Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 5, Wits 3 
  Talents: Alertness 3, Intimidation 2, Leadership 2, 
  Subterfuge 2 
  Skills: Animal Ken 1, Etiquette 1, Firearms 1, Repair 2 
  Knowledges: Computer 3, Investigation 5, Linguistics 5, 
  Medicine 5, Occult 5, Science 4, Alchemy 5, Anthropology 
  3, Archeology 2, Astrology 4, Faerie Lore 2, Kindred Lore 
  2, Lupine Lore 2, Magus Lore 4 
  Disciplines: Animalism 3, Auspex 5, Dominate 5, 
  Obfuscate 3, Presence 4, Thaumaturgy 5 (Lure of Flames 5, 
  Weather Control 5, Movement of Mind 4, Spirit 
  Thaumaturgy 4, Neptune's Might 3, Elemental Mastery 3, 
  Conjuring 2) 
  Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 2, Resources 4, 
  Retainers 3 
  Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 5, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 6 
  Willpower: 10 
  Faeries 
  Older Cainites remember a time when Faeries ran free on 
  this planet, going where they liked, doing whatever they 
  would. Now Faeries are as rare as honest politicians (well, 
  maybe not that rare). Those same Cainites who remember 
  those long ago times speak of a great cataclysm which split 
  our realm from Arcadia, the birthplace of the fey races. 
  Some Faeries live here permanently, making their homes 
  in out-of-the-way places where humans are unlikely to 
  bother them. Others manage to sneak their way into our 
  realm for their own purposes. Some of these get trapped 
  here and quickly wither away and die. Some come to steal 
  children to take back to Arcadia with them and some have 
  been discovered living for years as humans. 
  No Kindred claims to understand why Faeries come to 
  steal children. The most popular theories have to do with 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  68 
  the nature of Arcadia as a place of magic wholly lacking in 
  reality. Some believe the Faeries need the children to 
  provide an anchor of true creativity for their actions, for 
  otherwise they would be caught in eternal loops of their 
  own actions, unable to break old patterns.  
  The few Kindred that have ventured into Arcadia have 
  never returned. Most believe them to be deceased, while 
  others think they have joined with the Unseelie court of 
  Arcadia, doing battle with the noble Seelie. Some also 
  believe the Tremere actively support the Unseelie, but then 
  everyone believes the worst of that Clan. 
  Faerie powers vary widely. Illusions and insight, entropy 
  and energy, levity and levitation all seem to exist side by 
  side. Even the results of drinking Faerie blood are not 
  constant. Sometimes the Kindred will be filled with great 
  power and other times the drinker will become lost in a 
  land of hallucinations. Sometimes it acts as poison and 
  other times as water. 
  Faerie Kidnapper 
  Quote: "Hee hee hee. You mean you really don't know 
  how you got here? Hee hee hee." 
  Concept: The Faerie Kidnapper has come to our reality in 
  hopes of capturing the characters. Whether he needs them 
  as warriors in a great battle, prizes in a scavenger hunt or 
  attractions at a new zoo, he will hunt them and his other 
  prey down and bring them back to Arcadia with him. 
  An expert at illusion and deception, the Faerie Kidnapper 
  will bring his targets back with him by hook or by crook. 
  He will use promises, lies, mind control or brute force to 
  accomplish his goals. He has specific requirements 
  regarding anyone he will bring back to Arcadia (they must 
  be bound, willing, laughing or whatever), but once they 
  meet the requirement they will find themselves in a new 
  realm. 
  Roleplaying Hints: Your type of logic is quite for eign to 
  anyone you are likely to meet on this plane, just as theirs is 
  likely to be alien to you. Laugh at totally inappropriate 
  events, burst into tears for no apparent reasons and 
  completely befuddle your targets. 
  Nature: Deviant 
  Demeanor: Jester 
  Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4 
  Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 
  Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4 
  Talents: Acting 4, Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 5, 
  Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Melee 3, Music 5, Security 3, Stealth 5 
  Knowledges: Linguistics 2, Occult 4, Faerie Lore 4 
  Disciplines: Auspex 4, Celerity 2, Chimerstry 5, 
  Obfuscate 3, Presence 2, Protean 5 
  Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 0, Courage 2 
  Humanity: 0 
  Willpower: 9 
  Ghosts 
  The spirits of the Netherworld interact with our plane with 
  unnerving regularity. Some have been stuck here, tied to 
  the Earth by past misdeeds, the suddenness of their deaths 
  or by the spells of others. They haunt their locations, some 
  seeking freedom to go beyond and others wanting only to 
  stay as they are. 
  They have little effect on the physical plane, spending most 
  of their energies on the Spirit world. Many Vampires have 
  come into contact with these beings, controlling them via 
  spells, rituals and disciplines. Some ghosts have been 
  known to laugh at these Kindred, saying such manipulators 
  are merely pawns in a game of mighty spirits anyway. 
  Most ghosts have powers relating to manipulations of the 
  mind or emotions, while others, generally referred to as 
  poltergeists, have some small effect on the material plane. 
  However, while ghosts are the most common spirits 
  Vampires encounter, they are not the only kind. 
  Some Cainites theorize that every part of the Earth has its 
  own counterpart in the spirit plane, and that there are 
  spirits who are the reflection of beings and objects in our 
  plane. Other Elders believe there exist numerous spirit 
  realms, and that almost anything which can be imagined 
  could be found in one of these domains. 
  In any case, records and legends do exist of a wide variety 
  of spirits which have passed onto our plane. Research 
  documents refer to beings which possessed animals, trees 
  and even army vehicles. Some spirits stayed in one place 
  for ages before being discovered, while others made so 
  much impact upon entering our plane that their presence 
  was noticed at once. 
  Spirit of Vengeance 
  Quote: "It is your fault I am stuck here. Your doing. Your 
  creation. Now the books will be balanced." 
  Concept: The Spirit of Vengeance has been stuck on the 
  material plane by the actions of the characters or beings 
  they mistake the characters for. Perhaps the characters 
  accidentally slew its mortal form, or else it found itself 
  unable to live without the Kiss and, when the characters 
  began feeding elsewhere, it committed suicide.  
  Now it exists only to cause the characters the sort of pain it 
  suffered. It can manipulate minor items via its Movement 
  of the Mind or try to Dominate the characters into killing 
  themselves. However, it is more likely to try and drag out 
  the agony, possessing donors in the middle of a Kiss and 
  having them attack the characters at their most vulnerable, 
  spraypainting messages to reporters which leads them to 
  the characters' havens or anything else you can think of. At 
  first the characters may find this little more than an 
  annoyance, but as it continues, the acts of revenge will 
  become more dangerous and the characters' patience taxed 
  to the fullest. 
  Roleplaying Hints: Your existence has been ruined by 
  the characters. Now nothing will stop you from making 
  them pay. It is rare that you will converse with your 
  tormentors, and if you do, it will be to gloat or lie. 
  Nature: Fanatic 
  Demeanor: Fanatic 
  Physical: Strength 0, Dexterity 4, Stamina 1  
  Social: Charisma 1, Manipulation 2, Appearance 0 
  Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 1, Wits 2 
  Talents: Acting 1, Alertness 1, Empathy 5, Intimidation 2, 
  Subterfuge 3 
  Skills: Stealth 3 
  Knowledges: Occult 3, Spirit Lore 2 
  Disciplines: Auspex 5, Dominate 5, Obfuscate 2, 
  Thaumaturgy 2 (Movement of the Mind 1) 
  Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 3, Courage 4 
  Humanity: 0 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  69 
  Willpower: 8 
  Notes: The spirit is both noncorporeal, meaning it cannot 
  be hurt, and offensively Empathic, meaning it can 
  broadcast emotions to its intended victims. Broadcasting 
  emotions requires that the spirit be in near proximity to 
  the victim and make a Manipulation + Empathy roll 
  against the target's Willpower. The more successes, the 
  more intense the emotion.  
  Others 
  More beings haunt this Gothic-Punk Earth than can easily 
  be imagined. Humans have been involved in trying to 
  penetrate the occult for as long as they have existed on the 
  planet. Thus almost any sort of antagonist you can imagine 
  can stalk your Chronicle. We offer some suggestions below, 
  but feel free to come up with your own, be they space 
  fiends, mutants, giant apes or whatever. 
  Mummies 
  Not the bandage-wrapped monstrosities of cinema, the 
  Mummies are ancient beings (many from ancient Egypt) 
  who reincarnate into their old bodies upon death. Thus 
  they have kept the same forms throughout history, dying 
  and returning time and time again. Thus they usually 
  appear as Coptics of either sex, dressed in whatever garb 
  fits the era and place where they live. 
  Many possess mighty magics developed over centuries of 
  practice and almost all have vast personal fortunes only the 
  immortal could possess. Those few Vampires who have had 
  contact with these mysterious figures talk of an ancient, 
  globe-spanning battle involving the Followers of Set, 
  demons and other powerful beings. 
  Mummy Occultist 
  Quote: "You do not understand the evil which you serve. 
  I grieve for your soul and ask your forgiveness for what I 
  am about to do to you." 
  Concept: The mummy has existed for millennia, growing 
  more and more powerful with each passing year. During its 
  numerous deaths it has spent a great deal of time travelling 
  the worlds of the spirits, and is almost as familiar with 
  them as it is of the Earth. It understands the depths of the 
  Jyhad, and plays its role willingly. 
  Somehow the characters have become involved in the great 
  war the Mummies fight. Without even knowing it, they are 
  a threat to that which the Mummy desires, and now it will 
  either try to exterminate them or convert them to its side. 
  Its main weapons are its magic and long life - through time 
  it has developed some exceptional abilities and gained the 
  help of numerous spirits. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You have lived forever and seen it 
  all. Despite this, you have not become disenchanted with 
  your existence. You still see yourself as a major player in 
  this great battle of immortal beings, and play your role 
  with vigor and skill. 
  Nature: Architect 
  Demeanor: Director  
  Physical: Strength 6, Dexterity 6, Stamina 5 
  Social: Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3 
  Mental: Perception 7, Intelligence 5, Wits 6 
  Talents: Alertness 4, Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Empathy 2, 
  Leadership 4 
  Skills: Etiquette 4, Firearms 1, Melee 4 
  Knowledges: Finance 3, Investigation 4, Linguistics 4, 
  Medicine 4, Occult 5, Science 3, Area Knowledge 3, History 
  4, Kindred Lore 2, Spirit Lore 2 
  Disciplines: Thaumaturgy 4 (Spirit Thaumaturgy 4, 
  Elemental Mastery 3, Path of Conjuring 3) 
  Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 5, Influence 2, 
  Resources 5, Retainers 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 4, Self-Control 5, Courage 5 
  Humanity: 8 
  Willpower: 10 
  Demons 
  Much discussion continues among the Undead as to 
  whether such a thing as demons ev en exist, but none can 
  deny that there are incredibly powerful malevolent beings 
  which exist outside of our plane. Some call these beings 
  demons, some call them spirits and a demented few call 
  them gods. 
  It would seem Vampires would be the last to have anything 
  to fear from such creatures of darkness, but this is not 
  necessarily so. More than one of the Kindred has met her 
  end in conflict with a Demon, and others have dealt with 
  them only to come out the worse for the bargain. Some 
  Cainites laughingly tell of having sold their nonexistent 
  souls to demons, though others shudder at the thought. 
  Some demons have evidenced a particular interest in the 
  Undead, though the reason for this remains unclear. 
  Whatever their purpose, however, they are invariably 
  friendly to Kindred unless they feel crossed, in which case 
  their rage is truly horrible to behold. 
  Quote: "Oh, that? Just the fine print - those boring little 
  details so it'll hold up. Ipso facto, quid pro quo, you know. 
  Congratulations - you did the right thing"  
  Concept: The ultimate goal of the Demon is to steal souls 
  to take with it to Hell. Even Kindred have their uses (so 
  little the blood-drinkers really know) and the Demon will 
  recruit them just as it would mortals. Indeed, Kindred are 
  so much easier to tempt, for there are so many things they 
  want: power in the Camarilla, vengeance on their many 
  enemies, knowledge and Disciplines, or simply to be 
  mortal again. All of these things can be arranged - for a 
  price 
  While the Demon knows violence will not bring about its 
  desires, if frustrated, it may resort to such. If so angered, it 
  can call on the powers of Hell itself to accomplish its 
  desires. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You remember the Other Place with 
  longing and loathing, the bright shining land of your 
  creation before the plunge that twisted your form and 
  immured you in an abyss beyond light and time. You will 
  aid your fellows in expanding the mouth of that abyss out 
  into His hated creation, to corrupt His puppets to the will 
  of your Master until all are damned and screaming. 
  Nature: Conniver 
  Demeanor: Visionary 
  Physical: Strength 6, Dexterity 4, Stamina 7  
  Social: Charisma 6, Manipulation 7, Appearance 0 (5) 
  Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 4, Wits 6 
  Talents: Alertness 4, Acting 5, Brawl 4, Empathy 3, 
  Intimidation 6, Subterfuge 6 
  Skills: Etiquette 4, Melee 5, Stealth 2 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  70 
  Knowledges: Bureaucracy 3, Investigation 3, Law 6, 
  Linguistics 5, Occult 7, Politics 3, Science 2 
  Disciplines: Auspex 6, Celerity 1, Dominate 6, Fortitude 
  5, Necromancy 5, Obfuscate 4, Potence 3, Presence 6, 
  Protean 2, Serpentis 6, Thaumaturgy 4 (Lure of Flames 4, 
  Path of Corruption 4, Movement of the Mind 3) 
  Backgrounds: Allies 5, Influence 2, Mentor 6, Retainers 
  4 
  Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 0, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 0 
  Willpower: 8 
  Witch-Hunters 
  Witch-hunters are such important foes of the characters as 
  to have already warranted their own sourcebook, The 
  Hunters Hunted. Little more need be said here except to 
  reiterate that they can have any motive, follow any method 
  and go to any extremes to fulfill their goals. The following 
  template is just one example of the hundreds of different 
  kinds of hunters which exist. 
  Mad Scientist 
  Quote: "So, the electrical shocks to your temple did little. 
  Let us see what happens when we increase the power to 
  5,000 volts and set fire to various parts of your body at 
  the same time." 
  Concept: The Mad Scientist lives for knowledge and 
  nothing else. Somehow he heard about the Kindred, and 
  now goes to any extreme to study this mystery of 
  mysteries. While not exactly a physical threat to the 
  characters, he has developed some kind of weapon which 
  proves more than effective against them. Perhaps it is a 
  laser which does aggravated damage, an aerosol virus 
  which has no effect on humans but remains dormant on 
  their skin, mixes with their blood when spilled and 
  paralyzes Vampires when drunk, or an acid spray of such 
  virulence as to cripple even Kindred. 
  However, the Mad Scientist will not use these potent 
  weapons to slay Vampires indiscriminately. While he may 
  extinguish a Vampire if threatened, he would infinitely 
  prefer to get one into his laboratory for study, 
  experimentation and eventual vivisection and dissection. If 
  the characters fall into  
  his clutches they may have some hope of escape, but they 
  had best do so quickly. 
  Roleplaying Hints: You are dedicated to your research 
  and believe anyone who cannot understand this is a fool. 
  You would prefer that your subjects voluntarily strap 
  themselves down on your cutting table, but since they 
  persist in their irrational resistance, you must use the tools 
  you have available.  
  Nature: Deviant 
  Demeanor: Visionary 
  Physical: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, Stamina 1  
  Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 2 
  Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 5, Wits 2 
  Talents: Alertness 1, Leadership 2 
  Skills: Drive 1, Firearms 1, Repair 3 
  Knowledges: Bureaucracy 2, Computer 5, Investigation 
  4, Linguistics 3, Medicine 5, Occult 1, Science 5 
  Backgrounds: Ally 2, Contacts 4, Fame 1, Resources 4, 
  Retainers 2 
  Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 5, Courage 3 
  Humanity: 4 
  Willpower: 9  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  71 
  Chapter Six: 
  The Ways 
  Whatever was required to be done, the Circumlocution Office was beforehand with all the public departments in the art 
  of perceiving - HOW NOT TO DO IT. 
  - Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit 
   
  New Drama Systems 
  Their can be no way to come up with a system for every 
  situation the Storyteller may face, but the following are 
  some suggestions. Some, like combat and humanity loss, 
  are variations on systems already provided, while others, 
  like interrogation and flight, are altogether new. Feel free 
  to pick and choose which you want to use and when you 
  want to use them; that is what they are provided for. 
  Multiple Actions 
  You can perform multiple actions in a turn (such as 
  running and shooting a gun), but unless you have Celerity, 
  you have to divide up your dice. 
  To split your dice pool between two different actions, take 
  the dice from your initial action (probably the one you are 
  best at) and divide that pool among all the actions you wish 
  to perform. However, you cannot use more dice on the 
  second and subsequent actions than you have in the 
  appropriate ability for that action. Thus if you wished to 
  dodge as well as fire your pistol, you could only roll as 
  many dice on your dodge roll as you have Dodge skill, 
  though you may opt to use less. 
  If you want to move while taking other actions in a turn 
  (such as firing your gun), you may do so simply by taking 
  away one die from the number you are rolling for every 
  yard you move. Movement is already considered in the 
  rules for dodging, so no extra penalty is accrued to 
  characters who are diving for cover. 
  Characters with multiple actions within a turn take their 
  first action in their normal order of initiative (unless they 
  delay). They may take no more than one action at this time. 
  After all characters have completed their first (or only) 
  action, characters with more actions may take their second 
  action, again in order of initiative. After everyone has taken 
  their second action, play proceeds with the third and 
  subsequent actions taken in order of initiative, as above. 
  While characters may delay their action, they must take it 
  before the rest of the characters move on to their next 
  action, or it is lost. 
  For example: Jaeger, with a two Celerity, faces off against 
  two of the Prince's ghou ls. He announces that he will 
  punch each once and dodge, all with full dice pool. Ghoul A 
  must cover two yards before attacking with her stake, while 
  Ghoul B, will split his dice pool so he can dodge and attack 
  with his stake. The players determine initiative and arrive 
  at the following order: A, Jaeger, and B. A moves in, and 
  will have two less dice for her action. Jaeger launches an 
  attack at B, who dodges. Now that all participants have 
  taken an action, the sequence starts over. A attacks, Jaeger 
  dodges and B attacks. Now only Jaeger has an action left, 
  and he punches B's lights out.  
  Narrative Combat 
  There are many occasions where someone will use violence 
  to solve a situation, but you as the Storyteller either won't 
  want to deal with it, or won't want to encourage it. There 
  are other times when you want a simpler, more 
  roleplaying-oriented combat system. If this is the case, 
  then narrative combat is for you. This may sound good, but 
  it might not be your cup of tea. If you like full-fledged, 
  balls-to-the-wall combat, then go to the Advanced Combat 
  section of this chapter for details on how to give it a 
  preeminent place in your roleplaying. Only use this system 
  if you are looking for something else entirely. There are 
  certain situations (and troupes) for which one or the other 
  will work better. Pick and choose on a case-by -case (or 
  even scene-by -scene) basis. 
  These combat rules are very simple, but they require 
  intense roleplaying. In order to make them work, the 
  Storyteller needs to use a lot of imagination and a great 
  deal of common sense. More importantly, the players need 
  to give the Storyteller as much trust during combat as they 
  do during any other sort of dramatic resolution. 
  Remember, rules are never necessary to make a story seem 
  real - only imagination is required. 
  In order to encourage roleplaying, the Storyteller is 
  encouraged to award Willpower points whenever 
  characters take actions especially appropriate to their 
  personalities, such as a Conformist who follows orders to 
  the letter, or a Caregiver who risks life and limb to rescue 
  another character. This should not be allowed to get out of 
  control, but only to encourage the narrative aspects of the 
  combat. 
  Note: The basics of this system are the same as the basics 
  to the Advanced system; thus, reading this will help you 
  understand the Advanced system. Merging the two would 
  not be a difficult chore. 
  Initiative: The Storyteller needs to decide who will make 
  this roll first, and in what order everyone will follow, thus 
  determining who shall strike first (or she can simply 
  declare that everything is pretty much simultaneous). 
  Certain rolls, such as Perception + Streetwise or Wits + 
  Alertness, might be called for. Assuming you are using 
  turns at all (you don't need to), this order could simply 
  repeat itself each turn. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  72 
  Attack Roll: Whoever wishes to attack another character 
  must make an attack roll depending on the style of combat 
  being entered; this can vary from action to action. 
  ·Fisticuffs -Dexterity + Brawl 
  ·Shooting a gun -Perception + Firearms 
  ·Using other weapons - Dexterity + Melee 
  The difficulty is determined by the Storyteller, and is 
  strictly a judgment call, based on factors such as the 
  visibility, the gun being used, and other circumstances. 
  Other actions are often taken during combat as well, and 
  usually require some sort of roll. Integrating the two types 
  of action is fairly simple and is the responsibility of the 
  Storyteller. 
  Dodge: If people have enough warning, they can attempt 
  to dodge. They simply make a Dexterity + Dodge roll, and 
  the Storyteller determines the difficulty based on factors 
  such as the distance to the nearest cover, the amount of 
  room to move in and how encumbered the character is. 
  Each success obtained on a dodge roll reduces the number 
  of 
  successes  
  obtained on the attacker's roll; if the number of successes 
  is thus reduced to zero or less, then no wound was received 
  whatsoever. 
  Damage: There is no roll for damage - the number of 
  successes rolled for an attack is added to the damage factor 
  of the weapon (given below) to indicate the total damage 
  inflicted. This is the number of health levels the target 
  loses. 
  Weapon - Damage 
  Pistol - 3 
  SMG - 4 
  Rifle/Assault Rifle - 5 
  Shotgun - 6 
  However, the target is given a chance to reduce this 
  potential damage by rolling Stamina + 2 against a difficulty 
  of the weapon's damage factor + 3; each success reduces 
  the damage by one. 
  Well, that's it - the rest is all bells and whistles and you get 
  to add it in yourself. Use your powers of description to 
  make the scene as vivid as possible, and leave yourself as 
  open to creative actions taken by the character as you can. 
  If they want to swing down on the chandelier, give them a 
  chance to do so. Remember, narrative combat is whatever 
  you make of it.  
  Advanced Combat 
  Advanced combat is neither a complete slugfest nor a 
  number-crunching calculator frenzy. We have attempted to 
  capture the drama of violent conflict while not 
  downplaying the grim reality of what is going on. We have 
  made every effort to create a system true to the dynamics 
  and limitations of real combat, while still allowing for the 
  unique elements that Vampires bring to it. 
  The object of combat is to harm someone else (or at the 
  very least, restrain him). Therefore the object of almost all 
  combat actions is to inflict harm. The rolls made in combat 
  are used to determine whether or not an attack has 
  succeeded, and the number of successes determines how 
  much damage has been caused. 
  Almost all combat turns are around six seconds long in real 
  time, though they will take somewhat longer than that to 
  resolve. You need to work to keep the combat fast-paced; if 
  it gets too bogged down it loses much of its dramatic 
  impact. 
  Types of Combat 
  There are three types of combat, all of which use the same 
  basic system, yet have some minor differences. They are 
  the firefight, the melee and the brawl. Each has its own 
  section which details some of the options and 
  complications of that form of combat, but the framework 
  they all use is described below. 
  As with all action scenes, combat turns begin with an 
  initiative roll. However, because combat can sometimes get 
  a little sticky, it is divided into three stages to make it 
  easier to keep track of things. They are the Initiative, 
  Attack and Resolution stage. 
  Stage One: Initiative: 
  This stage is used to organize the turn, and is where 
  characters must declare their actions. When characters are 
  in a situation where combat is likely to ensue, the 
  Storyteller must be sure to describe what is happening, and 
  what is possible and likely to happen so the players can 
  fully understand their options. 
  Declarations: There are a number of different actions 
  which characters can take - anything from leaping behind a 
  wall to trying to shout a warning. The player must declare 
  what he is doing in as much detail the Storyteller requires. 
  Within the context of the combat system the actions are 
  described as maneuvers, and include such things as Dodge, 
  Fire Weapon, Run, Leap and Crawl. It is at this point which 
  everyone needs to decide what weapon to use, if any. If a 
  weapon must be drawn, it may affect the difficulty of the 
  Initiative roll. 
  Initiative Roll: Initiative rolls are made using Wits + 
  Alertness against a difficulty set by the Storyteller, who 
  judges it according to the circumstances. 
  However, the number of dice which can be rolled may be 
  increased or reduced because of the Initiative factor of the 
  weapon or maneuver. Some actions simply take longer 
  than others, and some of the more bulky weapons take a 
  relatively long amount of time to draw and aim. Those who 
  already have their w eapons oriented toward their target at 
  the beginning of the turn (if, for instance, they were 
  shooting at it last turn) can ignore the initiative factor if it 
  would hurt them. 
  If your dice pool for initiative is reduced to 0 (or less) by 
  the initiative factor, then you go after everyone who had 
  any successes on their rolls. Subtract the initiative factor 
  from the total before figuring in wound levels - if they leave 
  you with no dice to roll, then you cannot act with that 
  weapon or attack. 
  Who goes first: The character with the most successes 
  goes first, with those characters who rolled less successes 
  taking their actions in descending order of successes. Any 
  who gain no successes at all on this roll go last. Those who 
  botch do not get to take an action at all. 
  The first person describes to the Storyteller what she is 
  doing, and resolves the action in the manner described in 
  Stage Two. Only when that character is done do you go on 
  to the person with the next highest number of successes. 
  People who have the same number of successes take their 
  actions at the same time. 
   
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  73 
  Initiative 
  Difficulties 
   Difficulty 
   Situation 
   2 
   Waiting in ambush for target 
   3 
   Weapon is ready 
   4 
   Weapon is in hand (but not aimed) 
   5 
   Target is very close by  
   6 
   Standard difficulty 
   7 
   Weapon 
  must 
  be 
  drawn 
  from  
  hip-holster 
   8 
   Weapon is in sock, scabbard, pants 
  leg, etc. 
   9 
   Weapon must be drawn from bag 
   10 
   Character in total surprise 
  Stage Two: Attack  
  The attack is the meat of the combat turn. It is where the 
  success or failure of an attack is determined, as well as 
  something of its potential impact on the target. The more 
  successes on an attack roll, the more damage inflicted - the 
  relationship is direct.  
  The Roll: There are three different types of attack rolls; 
  which one to use is determined by the type of combat you 
  are engaged in. 
  · For firearms combat, you roll Perception + Firearms 
  · For melee combat, you roll Dexterity + Melee 
  · For brawling, you roll Dexterity + Brawl 
  The difficulty is determined by the Storyteller, who bases it 
  on the circumstances around the roll. The difficulty is 
  partially based on the Storyteller's whimsy; it is upon her 
  imagination and vision that everything must be based. 
  If no successes are obtained then the character has failed 
  his attack and no damage is inflicted. If a botch is obtained 
  then not only does he fail, but something nasty happens; 
  the Storyteller needs to make up something awful.  
  However, if you are using weapons, the number of dice you 
  roll might be modified by the Accuracy Factor of the 
  weapon. If your dice pool for the attack is reduced to 0 (or 
  less) by the Accuracy Factor, then you may only attack by 
  using Willpower. Subtract the initiative factor from the 
  total before figuring in wound levels - if they leave you with 
  no dice to roll, then you cannot act with that weapon or 
  method of attack. 
  Dodge: If your opponent gained the initiative, you still 
  have the option to dodge at any point. In fact players may 
  announce at any time that they are using their action (or 
  part of it, by dividing their dice pool) to make a dodge, 
  simply by declaring "Dodge!" In some situations a dodge 
  many 
  not 
  be  
  allowed, such as in confined quarters or in cases where you 
  have been completely startled. 
  After a turn in which a dodge is performed, a character's 
  initiative difficulty should be increased by 2 
   
  Accuracy 
  Difficulties 
   Difficulty 
   Situation 
   2 
   Weapon is touching target 
  3 
   Gun muzzle is inches from target/Target's back is 
  turned 
  4 
    Standard for point blank range/Target is not paying 
  attention 
  5 
   Point blank, visibility is reduced/Target is easy to 
  reach 
  6 
   Point blank, visibility is severely reduced/ Target is 
  open 
  7 
   Standard for close range/Standard difficulty with 
  cautious target 
  8 
   Standard for medium range/Target is moving swiftly 
  9 
   Standard for long range/Target is difficult to reach 
  10 
   Target is tiny, or is nearly completely concealed by  
  cover 
   
  Stage Three: Resolution 
  This is the stage in which the practical outcomes of attacks 
  are determined, and the Storyteller describes what has 
  occurred in the turn. It is a mixture of game and story, for 
  though the dice never lie, the Storyteller must interpret 
  what luck has decreed. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  74 
  Damage: The amount of wounds which have been 
  inflicted on the target is determined by adding the number 
  of successes obtained to the damage score of the weapon. 
  The resulting number is called the damage total and 
  indicates how many health levels the target loses. 
  Soak: The target is allowed to make a roll in order to see 
  how many wound levels might be avoided. Not every injury 
  actually causes as much damage as it is capable of. The 
  victim rolls Stamina + 2, with the difficulty based on the 
  general deadliness of the weapon + 3, or in the case of 
  guns, the caliber of ammunition that is being used; this 
  number is listed separately for each weapon as the Impact 
  Factor.  
  The character may also add a number of dice to this roll 
  equivalent to any dodge successes which have been 
  obtained. A successful dodge not only makes it more likely 
  you will not be hit, but makes it less likely that you will be 
  hit in a vital area. (Vampires may also add their Fortitude 
  as well.) 
  General Complications 
  · Delaying an Action: Characters who gain initiative can 
  voluntarily decide to delay their action until later in the 
  turn. At any t ime they can decide to step in and take their 
  action - even during another character's action (for 
  example, if they wanted to dodge someone else's blow), as 
  long as it was before the dice were rolled. Unless the two 
  actions directly conflict, the Storyteller should first resolve 
  whatever action is being performed at the moment, just to 
  keep things as simple as possible. 
  · Multiple Opponents: Characters in melee or hand-to-
  hand combat with more than one foe lose one die from 
  their Initiative roll for every opponent fighting them that 
  turn. 
  Firefight 
  A firefight is any type of armed combat that is engaged 
  using projectile weapons - things like Uzis and sawed-off 
  shotguns. You normally need to be within sight of your 
  opponent in order to engage in a firefight. 
  Characters can take more than one action within a turn by 
  splitting their dice pool (or using Celerity). However there 
  is a practical maximum on the number of bullets that a gun 
  can fire, as noted in the weapon's rate.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  75 
  Expanded Weapons Chart 
  Firearms Chart by Type 
  Revolver 
  Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil Cap Con 
   Smith&WessonM640 
   .38 
   -1 
   +1 
   15 
   3 
   3 
   4 
   2 
   5 
   P 
   Smith&WessonM686 
   .357 
   -2 
   +1 
   30 
   4 
   2 
   4 
   2 
   6 
   J 
   Colt Anaconda 
   .44 
   -2 
   +2 
   50 
   4 
   2 
   5 
   2 
   6 
   J 
   Colt Python 
   .357 
   -2 
   +1 
   30 
   4 
   2 
   4 
   2 
   6 
   J 
   Ruger Redhawk 
   .44 
   -2 
   +2 
   65 
   4 
   2 
   5 
   2 
   6 
   J 
  Light Pistols 
  Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil Cap Con 
   Glock 17 
   9mm 
  -2 
  +1   
  20 
  3 
  4 
  4 
  1 
  7+1 
  J 
   Walther PPK 
   .380ACP  -2 
   +1 
   15 
  3 
  4 
  4   
  1 
  7+1  
  P 
   Heckler&KochP7M13 
   9mm 
   -2 
  +1 
  20 
   3 
  4 
  4 
  1 
  13+1 
  P 
   SigSauer P226 
   9mm 
    -2 
  +1   
  20 
  3 
  4 
  4 
  1 
  15+1 
   J 
   HammerliM280Target 
   .22LR 
   -1 
   +2 
  30 
  2 
  5 
  3    
  1 
   5 
   J 
  Heavy Pistol  
  Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil Cap Con 
   M1911 
   .45ACP 
   -3 
   +2 
   30 
   4 
   3 
   5 
   3 
   7+1 
   J 
   Glock 22 
   .40S&W  -2 
   +1 
   25 
   3 
   3 
   5 
   2 
   15+1 
   J 
   SigSauer P220 
   .45ACP 
   -3 
   +2 
   30 
   4 
   3 
   5 
   3 
   7+1 
   J 
   Glock 20 
   10mm 
   -3 
   +2 
   30 
   4 
   3 
  5  
  3  
   15+1 
  J  
   Heckler&KochP7M10  .40S&W  -2 
  +1   
   25 
   3 
   3 
   5 
   2 
   10+1 
  P  
  The "Big Boys" 
  Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil Cap Con 
   DesertEagle  .50AE 
   -4 
   +2 
  30  
   5 
   1 
  6 
  4 
  7 
  J 
   Cassull 
   .454 
   -3 
   +2 
   40 
   5 
   1 
  6 
  4 
  5 
  J 
   Linebaugh 
   .475 
   -3 
  +2  
   40 
   5 
   1 
  6 
  4 
  6 
  J 
  Light Submachine Guns 
  Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil 
  Cap 
  Con 
   IngramMAC-10* 
   9mm 
   -2 
   0 
   1 8 
  4 
   1 8 
   5 
   2 
   30 
   J 
   Mini-Uzi * 
   9mm 
   -2 
   0 
   25 
  4 
  21 
   5 
  2 
  20/30 
   T 
   Heckler&KochMP-
  5* 
   9mm 
   -2 
   0 
  40 
  4 
  21 
   3 
   5 
  30  
  T  
   Skorpion 
   .32ACP  -1 
   0 
   20 
  2  
  15  
  3 
  2 
  15/20 
   J 
   TEC9 
  9mm  
   -2 
   0 
  20  
   4 
  1 8  
   5 
   2 
  20/32 
  T  
   Spectre * 
   9mm 
   -2 
   0 
   25 
   4 
   1 8 
   5 
   2 
   30/50 
   T 
   Calico 950 * 
   9mm 
   -2 
   0 
   25 
   4 
   21 
   5 
   2 
  50/100  
    
   TEC22 * 
   .22LR 
  -1   
   -1 
   20 
   2 
  15  
  3  
   1 
   30 
   J 
  Heavy Submachine Guns 
  Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil 
  Cap 
  Con 
   Uzi * 
   9mm 
   -3 
   0 
  50  
  4  
   21 
  5  
  2  
   25/32 
  T  
   Heckler&KochMP-
  5* 
   10mm 
   -3 
   0 
   45 
  5  
  15  
   6 
   2 
   30 
  T 
   Thompson M1928 
  * 
   .45ACP  -3 
   0 
  50  
   5 
   15 
  6  
  2  
   20/100 
  T  
  Machine Pistols 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  76 
  Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil Cap 
  Con 
   Glock18* 
   9mm 
   -2 
   0 
   20 
   3 
   1 9 
   4 
   1 
   17/19 
   J 
   Beretta 93R * 
   9mm 
   -2 
   0 
   20 
   3 
   15 
   4 
   1 
   15/21 
   J 
   Steckin * 
   9x18mm 
   -2 
   0 
   1 8 
   3 
   15 
   4 
   1 
   1 8 
   J 
   Heckler&KochVP-
  70z* 
   9mm 
   -2 
   +1 
   20/30 
   3 
   9 
   4 
   1 
   1 8 
   J 
    
    
     
  Firearms Chart by Type 
  Rifles 
   Name 
   Caliber  Init  Accur  Range  Dam  Rate  Im  Recoil  Cap Con  
   Remington M700  .30-06 
   -4 
   +4 
   300 
  5  
   1 
   6 
   2 
   5 
   N 
   Ruger 10/22 
   .22LR 
   -3 
   +3 
   100 
   3 
   4 
   4 
   1 
   10/50 
   N 
   Browning BAR 
   .30-06 
   -4 
   +3 
   275 
   5 
   2 
   6 
   3 
   4 
   N 
   Remington M740 
   .223 
   -4 
   +3 
   275 
   4 
   3 
   5 
   3 
   5 
  N  
   WeatherbyMarkV  .460WM 
   -4 
   +3 
   300 
   6 
   1 
   7 
   4 
   3 
   N 
  Assault Rifles 
   Name 
   Caliber  Init  Accur  Range  Dam  Rate  Im  Recoil  Cap 
  Con  
   SteyrAUG* 
   .223 
   -4 
   +2 
   200 
   5 
   21 
  5  
   3 
  30/42  
  N  
   M16 * 
   .223 
   -4 
   +2 
   200 
   5 
   20 
   5 
   3 
   20/30 
   N 
   Famas * 
   .223 
   -4 
   +2 
   200 
   5 
   25 
   5 
   3 
   25 
   T 
   AK-74 * 
   5.45mm 
   -4 
   +1 
   200 
   5 
   20 
   5 
  3  
   30 
   N 
   SA-80 * 
   .223 
   -4 
   +2 
   200 
   5 
   15 
   5 
   3 
   30 
   T 
   Mini-14 * 
   .223 
   -4 
   +2 
   200 
   5 
   15 
   5 
   3 
   5/30 
   T 
  Battle Rifles 
   Name 
   Caliber 
  Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil Cap Con  
   M-1 4 * 
   7.62mm 
  -4  
  +3  
  275  
  6  
   10 
   6 
   3 
   20 
   N 
   AK-47 * 
  7.62x39mm  -4 
   +3 
  250  
   6 
  10  
   5 
   3 
   30 
   N 
  Heckler&KochG3* 
   7.62mm 
   -4 
   +3 
   300 
   6 
   10 
   6 
   3 
   20 
   N 
   Fn FAL * 
   7.62mm 
   -4 
   +3 
   275 
   6 
   10 
   6 
   3 
   20 
   N 
  Pump-Action Shotguns 
   Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil Cap Con  
   IthacaM37(Stakeout)  12gauge  -4 
   +3 
   15 
   6 
   1 
   7 
   3 
   5 
   T 
   Remington 870 
   12gauge  -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
   1 
   7 
   3 
   8 
   N 
   Mossberg M500 
   12gauge  -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
   1 
   7 
   3 
   5 
   N 
  Automatic Shotguns 
   Name 
  Caliber Init Accur Range Dam Rate Im Recoil 
  Cap 
  Con  
   Fianchi 
  Law 12 
   12gauge 
   -4 
   +3 
   20 
  6  
   3 
   7 
   3 
   8 
   T 
   BenelliM-
  3Super90  12gauge 
   -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
   3 
   7 
   3 
   7 
   T 
   SPAS 12 
   12gauge 
   -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
   3 
   7 
   3 
   8 
   N 
   Remington 
  1100 
  12gauge 
   -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
  3  
   7 
   3 
  8  
   N 
   USAS 12 *  12gauge 
   -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
   3 
   7 
   3 
   10/20 
   N 
  * indicates the gun is capable of three-round bursts 
  Firearms Chart 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  77 
  Weapon 
  Init Accur Range Dam Rate Impact Recoil Clip Con 
  Revolver,Lt.  -1 
   +1 
   15 
   3 
   3 
   4 
   1 
   6 
   P 
  Revolver,Hv.  -2 
   +2 
   20 
   4 
   2 
   5 
   2 
   6 
   J 
   Pistol,Lt. 
   -2 
   +1 
   20 
   3 
   4 
   4 
   1 
   17+1  P 
   Pistol,Hv. 
   -3 
   +2 
   25 
   4 
   3 
   5 
   3 
   7+1  J 
   Rifle 
   -4 
   +4 
   200 
   4 
   1 
   7 
   3 
   5+1 
   N 
   SMG,Small*  -2 
   0 
   25 
   4 
   1 8 
   5 
   2 
   30+1  J 
   SMG,Large*  -3 
   0 
   50 
   5 
   21 
   6 
   2 
   30+1  T 
   AssaultRifle*  -4 
   +2 
   150 
   6 
   21 
   7 
   3 
   42+1  N 
   Shotgun 
   -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
   1 
   7 
   3 
   5+1 
   T 
   Shotgun,S-
  auto 
   -4 
   +3 
   20 
   6 
   3 
   7 
   3 
   8+1  T 
  * indicates that the gun is capable of three-round bursts, full auto and sweeps. 
  Rate: The maximum number of bullets the gun can fire in a single turn. 
  Clip: The number of bullets that can be held in one clip or in the barrel. The +1 
  indicates that a bullet can be held in the chamber, making the gun ready to fire. 
  Conceal: P = can be hidden in pocket, J = can be hidden inside jacket, T = can be 
  hidden inside a trenchcoat, N = cannot be hidden on one's person at all. 
  Range: This is the practical range of the gun in yards. You may fire up to double the 
  listed range, but it is considered to be a long-range shot. Close range refers to any 
  target within 25 percent of the gun's range (thus a light pistol has a close range of 5 
  yards) and medium range includes the distance between close and the range listed 
  on the chart. 
  Initiative Factor: The number of dice you add or subtract from your dice pool on 
  initiative rolls. 
  Accuracy Factor: The number of dice you add or subtract from your dice pool on 
  attack rolls. 
  Damage: The number you add to your success to determine how much damage is 
  caused. 
  Impact: The difficulty of the target's Stamina roll to soak the damage inflicted. This 
  is based on the size of ammunition used by the weapon. The Firearms Chart presents 
  the standard damage for that weapon; if the Storyteller decides the weapon is a .22 
  caliber or .44 automag the Impact should be adjusted. 
  Recoil: The cumulative penalty on your dice pool in attacks for multiple shots. 
   
  Init: The Initiative Factor. The number of dice added to or 
  subtracted from a dice pool on the user's initiative roll. 
  Accur: The Accuracy Factor. The number of dice added to 
  or subtracted from a dice pool on the user's attack roll. 
  Range: The practical range of the gun in yards. 
  Damage: The number added to attack roll successes to 
  figure out amount of damage done. 
  Rate: The maximum number of bullets a gun can fire in a 
  turn 
  Impact: The difficulty of the target's Stamina roll in 
  soaking the damage. 
  Recoil: The cumulative penalty on dice pools for multiple 
  shots. 
  Capacity: The number of bullets the gun can hold 
  Concealment: P = can be hidden in a pocket; J = can be 
  hidden in a jacket; T = can be hidden in a trench coat; N = 
  cannot be hidden on your person  
  Complications: 
  ·Point Blank Range: The standard difficulty is 4. The 
  damage score is also +3. 
  ·Close Range: The standard difficulty is 7, and can be 
  adjusted depending on such factors as the size of the 
  target, the amount of cover it has and outside factors such 
  as wind and visibility. 
  ·Medium Range: The standard difficulty is 8, or can be 
  more, again depending on conditions. 
  ·Long Range: The standard difficulty is 9, or can be as 
  high as 1 0 depending on circumstances. 
  · Reloading: This takes at least one full turn, unless your 
  gun uses clips, in which case it is possible that a new clip (if 
  handy) can be loaded quickly enough to enable you to 
  shoot on the same turn. Roll Firearms + Wits against a 
  difficulty of 6; if three or more successes are obtained then 
  the gun can be shot on the same turn - however the 
  Accuracy Factor is reduced by 3 and the action takes place 
  after all other actions have been completed. 
  ·Armor: The armor rating is actually the number of extra 
  dice that can rolled on the soak roll when wounds are 
  calculated. 
  ·Two Weapons: You can use two weapons at the same 
  time by having one in each hand (if the weapons normally 
  require two hands, you need a Strength rating of at least 4). 
  You still have to divide up your dice pool as standard, but 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  78 
  are able to bypass the recoil rules limiting the number and 
  reducing the efficiency of the shots that are taken. 
  ·Dodge: Dodging in firefights is a bit different from other 
  forms of combat. The difficulty for the roll is strictly 
  determined by how close cover is, for the dodge roll 
  incorporates diving for cover as the means to avoid getting 
  shot. Even if your opponent gains the initiative (gets off the 
  first shot) you still have the option to dodge, thereby 
  gaining the potential to get out of the field of fire. You can 
  declare a dodge anytime before an opponent rolls the dice 
  simply by announcing "Dodge!" and then making a dodge 
  roll. However, if you have already used all your dice for the 
  turn, you may not dodge. In some situations, declaring a 
  Dodge will not be allowed by the Storyteller because it does 
  not make sense (e.g. an ambush). 
  To dodge, you roll Dexterity + Dodge. The difficulty is 
  dependent on the availability of nearby cover. Each success 
  takes away one of your opponent's successes. You can even 
  take away successes from different opponents, though this 
  means splitting your successes between them. 
  Remember that a Dodge involves finding some sort of 
  cover from which to avoid the bullets aimed at you. This 
  will probably have a detrimental effect on your intended 
  action that round, as you give it up in favor of self 
  preservation. After a dodge attempt, you usually end up 
  behind some sort of cover or, at the very least, lying on the 
  ground (if there was no cover to be found). 
  You can also Dodge while already behind cover. This 
  assumes that you are ducking back and forth behind the 
  cover, only exposing parts of your body for brief moments 
  while shooting and then pulling back behind protection. 
  The  
  cover makes the difficulty higher for shooting the character 
  while a successful Dodge will take away a number of the 
  successes gained. This can be a very potent defensive 
  maneuver. 
  The availability of nearby cover determines the difficulty of 
  the Dodge. 
  Difficulty - Terrain 
  8 - Flat and featureless, no cover (you dive to the ground or 
  crouch and run at angles). 
  7  - Partial cover within running distance (three yards). 
  6 - Full cover within running distance (three yards). 
  4 - Full cover within diving distance (one yard). 
  2 - By moving back half a step, you are back under full 
  cover. 
  Options: 
  ·Full Auto: The full auto option is the most damaging 
  attack a firearm is capable of. It involves unloading the full 
  contents of a gun's ammunition clip within a very short 
  span of time. However, the gun becomes a bucking bronco, 
  difficult to control and even harder to aim. 
  You get seven additional dice to roll on the attack and the 
  Impact of the gun increases by 2; thus you are that much 
  more likely to hit and cause damage. However, the 
  difficulty is raised by 2 (to a maximum of 10) due to the 
  aiming problems. 
  Whenever you use the full-auto option, the entire clip of 
  the weapon is used up, and you cannot take any other 
  action that turn using that weapon (except to swing it as a 
  club or use the attached bayonet). However, some rare 
  weapons have especially large clips which allow two turns 
  of full-auto fire instead of just one. 
  You need a Firearms score of at least 1 to employ this 
  option properly; those with no skill have an automatic 
  difficulty of 10. 
  ·Spray: When on full auto you can decide to spray across a 
  number of different targets instead of focusing on only one. 
  This is a tricky procedure; it is possible you will not do 
  your full damage on the targets, some bullets being wasted 
  on the spaces between the targets. 
  You make your roll and figure damage as per the full 
  automatic rules. However, the difficulty of the attack is 
  based on the size of the area being sprayed. Thus the 
  difficulty becomes 3+ the number of yards across being 
  sprayed, modified at Storyteller's discretion by the amount 
  of cover available, visibility and other factors.  
  If the attack succeeds, you then choose who you would like 
  to be your first target, and assign a certain amount of your 
  damage to that target - anything from 1 -10. You must then 
  roll a single die. If the result is equal to or less than the 
  number you have chosen, then the number rolled + the 
  gun's damage factor is the actual damage inflicted, while 
  the number rolled is the amount of damage lost from your 
  pool. If you roll greater than the damage chosen, then no 
  damage at all is inflicted an that particular target, and the 
  damage points you "risked" are lost from your pool. 
  If, after all potential targets are gone, you still have 
  potential damage points to assign, then they are wasted 
  and not used. If the targets are too far apart from one 
  another, the Storyteller may determine that a certain 
  amount of the damage score is "lost" as you step between 
  targets. 
  All dodge rolls made against a spray have their difficulty 
  increased by 2. 
  ·Three-Round Burst: The semi-auto option is the 
  middle ground between the full-auto and the one-shot 
  options, and has some of the strengths and weaknesses of 
  both. A burst, unlike a spray, can only be aimed at one 
  target. 
  You gain three additional dice to your attack roll and the 
  Impact increases by 1. However, the difficulty is one higher 
  than it would be otherwise on all three-round bursts, due 
  to the recoil. 
  ·Multiple Shots: If you want to take more than one shot 
  per round (other than the burst or full-auto options), then 
  you must divide your dice pool into two or more actions. 
  However, for every additional action you take after the 
  first, the difficulty is raised by an amount equal to the 
  recoil factor of the gun. Ten is, of course, the maximum the 
  difficulty can be raised to. 
  This penalty is cumulative. Thus you would subtract twice 
  the recoil factor on your third shot, and three times on 
  your fourth. It is not usually wise to blindly take off 
  potshots, as the recoil always catches up with you. Using 
  these rolls, it is permissible to take two or more three-
  round bursts in a single turn 
  ·Cover: Characters will often use cover to help protect 
  them against enemy fire. Targets hiding behind cover are 
  harder to hit, simply because there is less of them to see. 
  Cover causes the difficulties of those shooting at you to 
  increase by an amount determined by how much of your 
  body is still out in the open. However, though it acts to 
  protect you, it can also hamper you from returning fire, 
  and in some rare instances it can completely prevent you 
  from doing so. This restriction is indicated by an increase 
  of your own difficulty by an amount between 1-3, 
  depending on how restrained you are. For instance, 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  79 
  ducking out from arou nd a corner to shoot may increase 
  your difficulty by one, while watching a shoot out through 
  cracks in a battered wall will prevent you from firing back 
  at all.  
  Cover - Difficulty  
  Lying flat +1 
  Running +2 
  Behind pole +3 
  Behind wall +4 
  Only head exposed +5  
  · Aiming: You get to add your Perception rating to your 
  Perception + Firearms dice pool twice if you spend time 
  aiming. However, it takes one turn for each die you add, to 
  the maximum of your Perception - it takes time and 
  patience to aim. Additionally, the target may not be 
  moving at a speed faster than a walk. You can aim for fewer 
  rounds than your Perception rating, but you can only add 
  one die for each round spent aiming - you may not reach 
  your 
  full 
  potential 
  if 
  you  
  don't aim long enough. Shotguns and SMGs cannot be 
  aimed. 
  If the gun has a scope, then you get to add +2 to your Dice 
  Pool in addition to the die you add to your Dice Pool for 
  your Perception after one round of aiming. After the +3 
  you add in the first round (+2 for the scope and +1 for your 
  Perception), you add one die for each successive round up 
  to your Perception + 2 as outlined above. 
  Melee 
  Melee refers to fighting with weapons - anything from 
  broken bottles to silver axes. You need to be within one or 
  two yards in order to engage an opponent in a melee. This 
  system describes combat without guns but with hand-held 
  weapons of any sort. 
  Options 
  ·Parry: Instead of making a dodge, a player can elect to 
  parry instead, which means using your weapon to block the 
  blow. You roll Dexterity + Melee (plus the parry bonus) 
  against a difficulty of your opponents Melee + 4. Every 
  success reduces your opponent's attack successes in melee 
  or hand-to-hand combat by one. 
  · Dodge: A character can actively dodge instead of trying 
  to match her opponent head-to-head. Instead of Dexterity 
  + Brawl, you roll a Dexterity + Dodge (difficulty being the 
  opponent's Dexterity + 3). Every success takes away one of 
  the opponent's successes. Normally you will want to divide 
  your roll in order to get a dodge roll, but som etimes that 
  will 
  be 
  your 
  sole 
  action.
   
  Weapons Chart 
   Weapon 
   Initiative  Accuracy 
   Damage 
   ParryBonus 
   Conceal 
   Sap 
   -1 
   0 
   -1 
   Strength 
   P 
   Club 
   0 
   +1 
   0 
   Strength +1 
   T 
   Knife 
   0 
   +2 
   +1 
   Strength +1 
   J 
   Foil 
   +3 
   +3 
   +1 
   Strength +2 
   T 
   Saber 
   +2 
   +1 
   +2 
   Strength +4 
   T 
   Axe 
   0 
   -1 
   0 
   Strength +4 
   N 
   Stake 
   0 
   +2 
   +2 
   Strength +2 
   T 
  Initiative Factor: The number of dice you add or subtract from your dice pool on 
  initiative rolls. 
  Accuracy Factor: The number of dice you add or subtract from your dice pool on 
  attack rolls. 
  Damage: The number you add to your success to determine how much damage is 
  caused. 
  Parry Bonus: The number of extra dice you get on a parry roll. 
  Conceal: P = can be hidden in pocket, J = can be hidden inside jacket, T = can be 
  hidden inside a trench coat, N = cannot be hidden on your person at all. 
   Maneuvers Table 
   Maneuver 
   Initiative 
   Roll 
   Accuracy 
   Damage 
   Bite 
  - 2 
   Dexterity+Brawl 
  +2 
  Strength + 1  
   Grapple 
  - 1 
  Strength+Brawl  
  0  
  Special  
   Body Slam 
  0  
  Strength+Brawl  
  +1   
  Special  
   Dodge 
  -  
  Dexterity+Dodge  
  -  
  0  
   Immobilize 
  - 1   
  Dexterity+Brawl  
  -1   
  Special  
   Kick 
  0  
  Dexterity+Brawl  
  -1   
  Strength +1   
   Punch 
  0  
  Dexterity+Brawl  
  0  
  Strength  
   Claw 
  0  
  Dexterity+Brawl  
  0  
  Strength+2  
   
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  80 
  You can declare a dodge at any time before an opponent 
  rolls the dice simply by announcing "Dodge!" and declaring 
  the number of dice from your dice pool you will employ. If 
  you have already used all the dice from your dice pool, then 
  you can no longer dodge. In some situations, declaring a 
  dodge will not be allowed by the Storyteller because it does 
  not make sense (e.g. a surprise attack). 
  Complications 
  · Immobilization: If a target is immobilized (e.g. 
  someone is holding them down), but is still struggling, 
  then the difficulty for the attack roll is lowered by two. 
  However, if the target is completely immobilized (e.g. is 
  tied up or has a stake through the heart), then no roll is 
  required and the attack roll is an automatic success. 
  Brawl 
  A brawl describes a hand-to-hand battle, fighting with bare 
  hands and claws - combat without weapons. You need to 
  be within touching distance to engage in a brawl. Brawl is 
  very different from the other two forms of combat in that 
  instead of being organized around weapons used, it is 
  organized around maneuvers taken. 
  The following are the different maneuvers available to 
  combatants engaged in brawl combat. Just below the 
  maneuvers table there is a list of descriptions for each 
  maneuver, going into more detail about how each works. 
  Maneuver Descriptions 
  ·Bite: With savage fury you lock your jaws onto an 
  opponent, fangs digging into tender flesh. You may 
  subsequently drain your victim's blood. 
  ·Grapple: You grab your foe, hoping to either immobilize 
  him or get a better shot at biting into a vein. If you score 
  more successes than your opponent's Strength, you can 
  knock her down. Next round you will have the advantage of 
  having the target immobilized. Add the successes you 
  rolled  
  above your opponent's Strength to your Strength dice for 
  damage determination. Any character struck by this attack 
  loses her attacks for the current turn. 
  Characters who do not wish to harm their target must 
  reduce the number of Strength dice they use before 
  attacking. Thus, if you are holding back, you are less likely 
  to succeed. If your opponent rolls more successes than you 
  in grappling, she has knocked you down and you will be 
  stunned for one round. For every success you roll less than 
  your opponent's Strength, she rolls one die for damage 
  purposes. When determining damage done to you, do not 
  add in your opponent's Strength; she was merely defending 
  herself, not actively attempting to injure you. If you miss 
  this attack altogether (by failing your Strength + Brawl 
  roll), you are knocked down. You will need to spend an 
  action to get to your feet. 
  ·Body Slam: You charge forward, hurling your weight 
  into your opponent in an attempt to damage him. It is 
  possible to damage yourself with this attack, as bodies 
  were not meant to be used as battering rams. You will need 
  three successes to unbalance your opponent. You do one 
  point of damage to yourself for every success less than 
  three that you roll. If you succeed, your opponent is off 
  balance, and the difficulty of the rest of his actions for this 
  round will be increased by two. Also, if another Body Slam 
  is done to the same target in this round, she will fall to the 
  ground and be stunned. Strength is the basis for damage, 
  plus as many dice as the number of successes you scored 
  over your opponent's Strength from the attack roll. Your 
  opponent may not attack this round if this attack is 
  successful. If you do not roll at least three successes, this 
  maneuver has failed. Your opponent may attack you as if 
  you had no dice left to roll this turn, even if you still have 
  dice remaining.  
  ·Dodge: You leap and spin and jump and dive; this savage 
  dance of combat hopefully keeps you from harm. While 
  this maneuver inflicts no damage, every success you roll 
  reduces your opponent's number of successes by one for 
  purposes of attacking and damaging you. 
  ·Immobilize: Full nelsons, arm locks, figure-four leg 
  locks or anything else you can think of. The idea is to exert 
  pressure on some part of your opponent's body in order to 
  keep him from moving. Normally this maneuver does no 
  damage. Each success you roll more than your opponent 
  reduces the number of dice he may use on his next action 
  by one. However, it is possible to allocate dice from your 
  pool as damage dice, with a difficulty equal to the 
  opponent's Stamina +3. If you reduce an opponent's 
  number of available dice to zero, you have successfully 
  immobilized him. You will need only one success every 
  round to keep your hold on her. Only two characters may 
  grapple a person-sized target in any one turn. 
  · Kick: You lash out with your foot at the enemy, hoping to 
  hit a vulnerable spot and not break your toes. 
  ·Punch: You ball up your hand into a tight fist and swing 
  it with all your might. With luck you'll hit your opponent 
  hard in his soft parts. 
  · Claw: Those Kindred skilled enough in Protean wield the 
  Wolf's Claws, which can cause aggravated wounds. The 
  same rules apply for Lupines battling the characters. 
  Humanity Loss 
  It is often difficult to properly gauge the severity of a 
  particular transgression for which Humanity rolls have to 
  be made. One way this can be done is to break the roll 
  down based on how moral the character has been and the 
  severity of the vile deed. 
  The difficulty is equal to the difference between the 
  character's Humanity and the Humanity level necessary to 
  commit the crime, +5. Example: A character with a 
  Humanity of 6 commits a murder (the level of Humanity at 
  which this act is acceptable is 2). The character rolls 
  against a difficulty of 9 (6-2=4; 4+5=9). If the target 
  number is 11 or higher then the character automatically 
  loses a Humanity point as the Beast inches closer to the 
  surface. 
  If the Storyteller feels automatic Humanity loss is too 
  harsh, then he may assign a number of extra successes that 
  must be achieved. The number of extra successes needed is 
  equal to ([Difficulty over 10]-10). Example: A veritable 
  saint of a Kindred (Humanity 9) commits murder (level of 
  Humanity at which this is acceptable is 2); the difficulty is 
  12 and thus she would need three successes. 
  Interrogation 
  The purpose of interrogation is to make your subject reveal 
  information he ordinarily would not. These rules cover two 
  types of interrogation. Physical intimidation (i.e. torture) 
  involves inflicting pain (or pleasure) until the subject can 
  take no more and breaks down. This requires a contested 
  roll of the torturer's Wits + Interrogation (target equals 
  victim's Willpower) versus the victim's Stamina + Self-
  Control (target is usually high (8 or so). This can be a long  
  and arduous process, as the interrogator must accumulate 
  successes equal to the victim's Wits + 4 before any 
  information can be gained. After the subject's will has been 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  81 
  broken, the rolls continue each turn that the interrogator 
  poses a new question to the subject; each success gains the 
  interrogator more precise and correct information for an 
  answer, while a botch means that the interrogator must 
  start the contest all over again. 
  Although torture/physicality seems fairly effective, it has 
  no real place in our modern world (although it fits quite 
  nicely into the Gothic-Punk world of Vampire). In 
  circumstances where it would not be wise to physically 
  harm the subject, more subtle methods must be used. This 
  often requires that the subject be physically isolated in 
  unfamiliar surroundings. After isolating the subject, there 
  are many methods to use; a few examples and their 
  appropriate rolls follow. 
  Good Cop: Amicable, soothing personality - explains that 
  you should talk for your own good. Roll Charisma + 
  Subterfuge (or possibly Empathy). 
  Bad Cop: Hard-nosed, abrasive personality - explains that 
  you're gonna swing either way; maybe it'll just be quicker if 
  you talk now. Roll Manipulation + Intimidation. 
  Silent Psycho: Sits and stares, never utters a word. Roll 
  Stamina + Intimidation. 
  The subject resists with his or her Wits + Self-Control. The 
  target number for both rolls is determined by the 
  Storyteller, but should reflect the Natures of those 
  involved. The interrogator must accumulate successes 
  equal to the subject's Wits + 4 before he can ask questions 
  as in the physical interrogation section above. At this 
  delicate stage any botches on the interrogator's part cause 
  the subject to completely clam up (will not break except 
  under Domination); however, if the subject botches, he will 
  spill his guts about anything and everything. This is a time-
  consuming method - assume it normally takes a number of 
  hours equal to the victim's Stamina + Wits before the first 
  roll can be made; a new roll can be made every half hour 
  thereafter. 
  Flight 
  Some Kindred gain the ability to fly through various means 
  (Form of the Bat, Thaumaturgical flight) and this can 
  greatly increase mobility. Flight through wings or other 
  means requires room and constant motion on the part of 
  the Kindred. This method allows the flier greater speed 
  and mobility than Thaumaturgical flight at the cost of the 
  ability to hover motionlessly. The flier can also develop the 
  secondary Talent of Flight; this greatly enhances his 
  maneuverability. The flier can move as fast as the form 
  assumed could normally move, although speed could be 
  enhanced through the use of Celerity . Attacks made in 
  flight use the flier's Dexterity + Flight regardless of 
  whether the attack is melee or ranged.  
  Thaumaturgical flight is a product of Willpower and Wits. 
  The Thaumaturgist can only move as fast as he or she 
  could normally run, but does gain a greater degree of 
  control. To levitate themselves, Thaumaturgists typically 
  roll Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6), but manipulation 
  thereafter becomes more complicated. Hovering is no 
  problem, but rising, moving, changing direction, etc. all 
  require control rolls to be able to accomplish that action. 
  Rising requires a roll of Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6). 
  Moving and changing direction are a function of Wits + 
  (appropriate ability). For example, if a Vampire using 
  Thaumaturgical flight were to charge into a fight, he or she 
  would roll Wits + Brawl. A Vampire using Thaumaturgical 
  flight wishing to change direction and move around a 
  corner would roll Wits + Athletics. As Thaumaturgical 
  flight relies heavily on concentration, all the caster's other 
  rolls suffer a two-dice penalty due to this level of 
  distraction. 
  Aerial combats are a function of natural ability, not 
  carefully practiced maneuvers. Movement is not restricted 
  by the plane of the earth; thus, combat in midair involve a 
  lot of diving, wheeling and jockeying for position. In 
  combat between fliers, both opponents roll Wits + Flight 
  (difficulty +1). Fliers in animal form can only use attacks 
  appropriate to the animal (bats can bite, but remember 
  that Kindred with the ability to shapechange most likely 
  have the ability to form claws for aggravated damage), but 
  Thaumaturgists can use any appropriate weapon. 
  Hunting 
  While Vampires have no real need to eat mortal food, there 
  are those Kindred who possess this skill from mortal days. 
  Oftentimes, Kindred must provide for retainers and other 
  kine while on the move. This does get a bit more difficult, 
  as an animal's senses often tell it when something isn't 
  right and a Kindred nearby definitely isn't right. Roll Wits 
  + Survival (usually a gainst a 7) to locate and catch game. 
  Some sort of missile weapon is needed; otherwise, some 
  incredibly inventive method must be thought of, and the 
  difficulty increases to 9 or even 10. If you wish to roleplay 
  hunting without weapons then make it very free with lots 
  of dice rolling as characters climb trees (Dexterity + 
  Athletics), stalk prey (Dexterity + Stealth), wait in the 
  darkness (Stamina + Survival), or leap from the branches 
  onto an animal's back (Dexterity + Athletics with a 
  difficulty of the animal's Dexterity + 4). Animals may, of 
  course, dodge out of the way (animal's Dexterity + Dodge) 
  or detect Kindred by scent (animal's Perception + 
  Alertness; the difficulty is two lower if the character wears 
  perfume/cologne/hairspray); the possibilities are endless. 
  Trapping, etc., can also easily come into play.  
  Hedge Magic 
  Not everyone who uses magic has become so accomplished 
  as to use Thaumaturgy. There are individuals who use 
  minor spells and charms in everyday life, and some who 
  use these spells in conflict with the Undead. The Hunters 
  Hunted presented the basic system, as well as a number of 
  different spells. 
  Hedge magic requires the magician learn the new Ability of 
  Casting, with the skills of Duration, Extent and Ritual also 
  being helpful. These can only be bought with Freebie 
  Points as they are not Talents, Skills or Knowledges, but a 
  combination of all three. They cost as much to buy and 
  increase as do normal Abilities. Learning these skills 
  during play costs three experience points; however, it 
  would require Storyteller permission (and probably a 
  special Story) for someone who has no sorcerous abilities 
  to learn these skills. 
  Each spell must also be learned separately, as if it were an 
  Ability, and can increase just like any other. Additionally, 
  while a character can become as good in a spell as his 
  generation will allow, spells are rated for the Attribute a 
  character must possess in order to be able to cast it. Thus a 
  character with a Perception of 3 cannot cast a Perception 4 
  spell. 
  Casting a particular spell requires the character roll 
  Casting + her level with the spell itself against a difficulty 
  of the spell's Attribute rating + 4. All spells have an instant 
  duration (though casting the spell requires one turn) and 
  only cover the area directly around the caster. In order to 
  manipulate the spells for greater potency, the caster must 
  use the other abilities. To extend its range requires a roll of 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  82 
  Extend + (spell) while to increase its time requires 
  Duration + (spell). Difficulty remains the spell's Attribute 
  level + 4, while success varies based on the following 
  tables.
   
    
  Duration 
  Extend 
   One success 
   Two turns 
   10-foot radius from caster 
   Two successes 
   One scene 
   Line of sight 
   Three Successes 
   24 hours 
   100-foot radius from caster 
   Four successes 
   One week 
   One-mile radius from caster 
   Five successes 
   One month 
   Same city 
  The other ability is Ritual, which allows the character to 
  cast Thaumaturgical rituals. Not only is Ritual the basis for 
  the success roll, but a character cannot learn a ritual unless 
  he has at least as many levels of Ritual as the Spell. Thus 
  learning Splinter Servant (Level Four Ritual) requires at 
  least four levels of Ritual. Note that without massive study, 
  no human can learn any ritual higher than level five.  
  Learning spells follows a similar pattern, but requires the 
  character have a mental attribute to match the appropriate  
  level of the spell. Thus there are Perception spells, 
  Intelligence spells and Wits spells. 
  Sample Spells: 
  Warning Sirens (Perception Four): This spell allows 
  a character to sense when she is in danger. It will not 
  pinpoint what form the danger will take, but will give the 
  character enough of a warning to allow him to dodge. 
  Vistas of the Mind (Intelligence Three): With this 
  spell, the caster can incorporate and utilize great amounts 
  of data, effectively adding one die to any roll involving the 
  use of a knowledge. 
  Flash (Level Five): A burst of light fills the area around 
  the caster, blinding those who can see and sending 
  Vampires into frenzy. While it does not cause physical 
  damage to the Kindred, they must make a Courage roll 
  against a difficulty of 6 to not frenzy. Kindred and humans 
  alike will be blinded for a number of turns equal to the 
  number of successes in casting. 
  Note that these are just some examples of spells. There are 
  certainly many more, and the Storyteller should feel free to 
  come up with her own. 
  Car Chases 
  The great car chase, with autos careening down desolate 
  streets at speeds even Elders with Celerity cannot match, 
  seems an inevitable part of most Chronicles. This system 
  expands on the Pursuit system given in Vampire, but 
  provides more room for narrative involvement. 
  The first stage of the car chase is the initial take-off where 
  both characters speed-shift, weave into or out of traffic and 
  basically try to close the gap/put distance between 
  themselves and their pursuers. Both the pursued and the 
  pursuer make Wits + Drive rolls against a standard 
  difficulty of 5; the character getting the most successes 
  carries them over to the next stage. 
  The second stage, the actual chase, requires the characters 
  make Dexterity + Drive rolls against a difficulty 
  determined by the terrain and traffic. Conditions on the 
  right side of the chart require four-wheel drive or similar 
  vehicles. If one of the characters does not have such a car, 
  increase her difficulties by 3. 
  Conditions - Terrain 
  Open, level road - 2 
  Outlying area/Flat fields - 3 
  Suburbs/Winding dirt road - 4 
  Normal urban street/Rough offroad - 5 
  Midtown (weekday night)/Rocky terrain - 6 
  Downtown (weekend night)/4WD-only terrain - 7  
  The Strip on a warm Friday night/Rock quarry - 8  
  Aside from choosing the terrain, the Storyteller also needs 
  to determine what effect different vehicles have. The 
  easiest way to handle this is to decide which attribute is 
  more important - speed or handling. If the situation calls 
  for speed to be more important, take the difference 
  between the two vehicles' maximum speeds, divide it by 10 
  and give that many dice to the driver of the faster one. The 
  same can be done with maneuverability, though there is no 
  need to divide by 10. The Storyteller may want to modify 
  these rolls and difficulties if the vehicle is in an 
  environment it is not suited. 
  Crime 
  While most crimes are best resolved through roleplaying 
  and not dice rolling, the situation can be resolved with a 
  resisted roll involving the criminal and the investigator. 
  Remember, some of the best criminals make mistakes and 
  even Sherlock Holmes erred in his work from time to time. 
  Embezzling 
  Embezzling involves unlawfully appropriating money with 
  which you have been entrusted. One of the more common 
  white collar crimes, this can truly mess up the characters' 
  plans when they discover their accountants have taken all 
  their resources. Successfully stealing the money requires 
  five successes on an extended Wits + Finances roll against 
  a difficulty based on the organization stolen from. Any 
  botches mean the crime has been so ineptly carried out as 
  to be discovered before any money has been taken. 
  Company - Difficulty 
  Giant Brokerage House - 9 
  Large Bank - 8 
  Large Charity* - 7  
  Medium-sized law firm** - 6 
  Roleplaying game designers*** - 2 
  * May cause a Humanity loss 
  ** May cause a Humanity gain 
  *** Requires a Perception + Finance roll against a difficulty 
  of 10 to discover any cash at all 
  Sooner or later an investigator or auditor will go over the 
  books. The Storyteller may wish to keep embezzling to 
  pure roleplaying, but rolls can make this aspect easier. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  83 
  Successfully covering up the embezzling involves encasing 
  one's actions in the normal flow of business and requires a 
  simple Intelligence + Bureaucracy roll against the same 
  difficulty as taking the money. The number of successes 
  achieved on this roll equal the number of successes an 
  investigator must exceed on a Wits + Finance roll to 
  discover the embezzling, as well as the number of successes 
  needed on a Wits + Bureaucracy roll to trace the culprit. 
  Both rolls have a difficulty of the embezzler's Intelligence + 
  Bureaucracy, and neither are extended rolls. 
  Note that Computer Knowledge can take the place of 
  Finance and/or Bureaucracy if the Storyteller feels it is 
  appropriate. 
  Fencing 
  Selling stolen goods requires both contacts and patience. 
  This can be handled with roleplaying or dice rolls, 
  depending on the Storyteller and players' wishes. Generally 
  fences buy common goods for anywhere from 10 to 50 
  percent of their real worth. More exotic items require a 
  character roll Charisma + Streetwise against a difficulty of 
  7 (generally), with one success indicating an interested 
  buyer within the month, while more both increase the 
  number of interested purchasers and the speed with which 
  they respond. 
  Roleplaying is crucial to the next stage since criminals look 
  out for themselves and go to extremes to avoid being 
  caught. Fences only meet under their own terms and 
  conditions, and one never knows if they have been sold out 
  to the police or an old enemy. Also, remember to play up 
  the shady aspect of the buy itself, using places the 
  characters associate with danger and treachery for the 
  meetings.  
  After meeting the characters, the fence looks over the 
  goods and appraises their value and authenticity; roll her 
  Intelligence + Finance with a difficulty based on the rarity 
  of the item. At this point she makes her bid (10 percent to 
  someone she does not know for something which may take 
  a while to sell to 50 percent to friends with a quick seller). 
  The fine art of haggling comes into play at this point, 
  although the characters generally get the short end of the 
  stick of they push too far. The Players Guide includes 
  rules for haggling, but this aspect should always be 
  roleplayed out in addition to any die rolls. 
  Demolitions 
  Explosions won't kill the Kindred as often as they do 
  mortals, but a Vampire catching the full brunt from 50 
  pounds of C-4 has next to no chance of avoiding 
  decapitation. The problem for the person using the 
  explosives is to make sure they have the intended effect, 
  and so the Demolitions Skill covers far more than just 
  making bombs. Far more important is the ability to place 
  and shape the explosives properly for best results. 
  When a character with Demolitions wishes to place an 
  explosive correctly, he rolls Intelligence + Demolitions 
  against a difficulty of 6, with each success adding one to 
  the blast power. Using any kind of trigger other than 
  simple fuses or radio detonators requires the user make a 
  Wits + Demolitions roll against a difficulty of 7. Botching 
  either of these rolls can have spectacular results. 
  If a character is trying to demolish a structure and has time 
  and access to it, he can make a Perception + Demolitions 
  roll  
  against a difficulty of 6 to pick out the key supports. 
  Destroying a third of these brings down the house. 
  Escapology 
  Escapology is considered a Secondary Ability, but those 
  without it must add three to all their difficulties in 
  attempting escapes. The following chart lists the difficulty 
  and number of successes involved in escaping from 
  different bonds. 
  The character must roll separately for each type of bond, 
  and being bound by one kind (locked in a coffin) will make 
  it more difficult to escape from others (handcuffs). 
  Generally the difficulty increases by 2 or 3. Also note that 
  especially well-made items can also increase the difficulty 
  by 1 or 2.  
  No one can explain exactly how this ability works since no 
  one practiced in it speaks willingly, so suffice it to say it 
  involves aspects of contortion, dislocation, flexing, muscle 
  control, lockpicking skills, etc. It may more correctly be 
  called the ability of an exceptional person to remain 
  unfettered and unbound. 
  Example: A certain Mr. Weiss finds himself handcuffed 
  twice, manacled at the ankles and thrown to the bottom of 
  a rather deep well. He immediately goes to work 
  extricating himself from this predicament - he rolls 
  Dexterity + Escapology as he works on the first set of cuffs. 
  Since he has two on, the Storyteller increases the difficulty 
  to 8, but with nine dice to work with, Weiss manages four 
  successes. The second set only has a difficulty of 7, but 
  Weiss makes exactly three successes, barely twisting his 
  wrists out. 
  With his wrists free he proceeds to snake his way out of the 
  manacles and must roll against a 9 since the Storyteller 
  rules they are well made. The first turn he only gets one 
  success and must try again. His second attempt results in a 
  botch, causing him to lose his sole success and wrench his 
  knee in the process. The Storyteller rules future attempts 
  require the expenditure of a Willpower point. Weiss marks 
  it off and makes three successes exactly, finally freeing 
  himself to figure a way out of the well. 
  Mortality 
  Often Kindred must pass themselves off as just another 
  member of the kine. Those Kindred with a high Humanity 
  have a relatively easier time of this since they maintain 
  control over the Beast within. Conversely, the more bestial, 
  low-Humanity Kindred who gave the Beast within a free 
  reign suffer greatly when trying to do the same. 
  In order to perform actions such as breathing, bringing 
  blood to the surface for skin color and even bleeding when 
  cut should make a Self-Control + Acting (or Masquerade) 
  roll against a difficulty of 10 - the Kindred in question's 
  Humanity. Every success on this roll indicates an 
  increasing level of camouflage, with one success allowing 
  the character to fit easily into a crowd and five meaning the 
  character fools almost all Kindred. 
   Item 
   Successes 
  Needed 
   Difficulty 
   Chinese Finger Puzzle 
   2 
   6 
   Police Handcuffs 
   3 
   7 
   Prison Manacles 
   4 
   8 
   Straitjacket 
   3 
   6 
   Box Prison 
  (cabinets, coffins, etc.) 
   4 
   7 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  84 
  Someone who knows what to look for must make a 
  Perception + Occult roll against the target's Humanity to 
  determine whether someone is a Vampire or not. If the 
  searcher knows what he is looking for and his target tries 
  to masquerade as a mortal, the two make resisted rolls 
  until one garners three additional successes, at which point 
  the searcher either discovers the target is a Vampire or 
  becomes convinced of his humanity. 
  Piloting 
  Sometimes cars and motorcycles do not get characters 
  where they want to go. Additionally, the ability to drive a 
  car has little to do with piloting planes, boats and 
  dirigibles. These vehicles require Pilot or Boat Handling 
  for the characters to use them effectively. 
  In order to arrive exactly where you want (there are no 
  road signs in the air), roll Intelligence + Piloting (or Boat 
  Handling) against a difficulty of 6 if you have time to plot a 
  course; otherwise roll Wits + Navigation against a difficulty 
  of 8. The Storyteller might also require extra successes if 
  the destination is out of the way or concealed. 
  A botch on these rolls draws the character off course by at 
  least half the time of the trip. Thus if the character botches 
  an eight-hour trip, it takes a total of 12 hours to get there 
  after a botch (unless the Storyteller decides to have the 
  character run out of fuel and land in the middle of a Sabbat 
  celebration). 
  Pilot and Boat Handling can also take the place of Drive in 
  pursuit and stunt driving rolls when another kind of 
  vehicle is used. 
  Riding 
  Animals have never fully trusted the Undead, but that has 
  never prevented the Kindred from harnessing beasts as 
  they do humans. Kindred with any powers of Animalism or 
  with two or more dots in Animal Ken have no problem 
  mounting horses and other riding animals. Those without 
  these Traits must make a Humanity roll against a difficulty 
  of 6 to avoid having the animal shy away or even buck and 
  kick to keep from being ridden. 
  Once the character has gotten aboard the animal, getting it 
  to follow her commands requires an initial Wits + Athletics 
  roll against its Willpower. Once the character makes this 
  roll, the horse will willingly follow the character's 
  commands unless faced with an obstacle, in which case the 
  character needs to make Wits + Athletics rolls against 
  difficulties set by the Storyteller (getting it to cross a 
  stream may be a difficulty of 4, while having it gallop into a 
  burning house requires 10s). Ride can be taken as a 
  Secondary Skill, in which case the character can exchange 
  it for Athletics. 
  Shooting a gun while on a horse requires a Perception + 
  Athletics (or Ride) roll, though the character cannot add in 
  more points of Athletics than she has Firearms. 
  Additionally, the difficulty of all shots should increase by at 
  least one depending on speed and terrain. Finally, unless 
  the animal is used to combat or the gun is silenced, the 
  character needs to make a Dexterity + Athletics roll to keep 
  it from bucking - botches mean a nasty spill. 
  Melee or brawling combat while on an animal follows a 
  similar pattern. The roll is Dexterity + Athletics (or Ride) 
  with the maximum number of points Athletics can add 
  equal to the rider's Melee. However, the difficulty rarely 
  increases during combat from horseback. Indeed, in most 
  cases it decreases thanks to the attackers height advantage 
  (subject to Storyteller approval). Also, if the character 
  charges and has a weapon suitable for such an attack (such 
  as a lance), she may use the animal's Strength instead of 
  her own when determining damage.  
  Expanded Hunt Chart 
  The hunt is one of the activities paramount in Vampire: 
  The Masquerade. If Kindred want to survive, they must 
  feed. Sometimes you may not wish to play through the 
  entire hunting scene; in that case, the chart below may be 
  used instead of the chart in the rulebook. The character 
  may make one roll every hour, and each success gained on 
  the represents a vessel from whom the Vampire may take 
  vitæ. 
  All hunters do not hunt the same. There are a few ways in 
  which Vampires may hunt for vitæ. These methods are 
  called The Prey Method, The Don Juan Method and 
  the Dominate Method. 
  The Prey Method - This method involves stalking your 
  victim, catching him alone and drinking your fill. This 
  method is best used in the Barrens where no one is around 
  to hamper your hunt. Every roll using The Prey Method 
  takes one hour of searching. Roll: Perception + Streetwise. 
  Prey Method Area Difficulty 
  Area - Difficulty 
  Slums - 5 
  Lower Class - 6 
  Nightclub - 9 
  Downtown - 6 
  Warehouse District - 6 
  Parks - 6 
  Upper Class - 9 
  Barrens - 4 
  The Don Juan Method - Using The Don Juan Method, 
  the character simply "romances" the blood from her prey. 
  This usually involves approaching the victim, saying a few 
  witty lines and getting him to follow you to a secluded 
  place. Every roll using The Don Juan Method takes two 
  hours of searching. Roll: Manipulation + Subterfuge (or 
  Seduction) 
  Don Juan Method 
  Area - Difficulty 
  Slums - 8 
  Lower Class - 7  
  Nightclub - 6 
  Downtown - 7  
  Warehouse District - 8 
  Parks - 7  
  Upper Class - 8 
  Barrens - 9 
  The Dominate Method - Using this method, the 
  character employs his Dominate Discipline in order to 
  "attract" his victims. There is no chart for The Dominate 
  Method. Simply reduce all rolls by 3 if the Vampire is using 
  this method. 
  Botching the Hunt 
  Victim is a Lupine. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  85 
  Vampire is seen by someone. 
  Victim is a hemophiliac. 
  Victim is a Magus. 
  Victim enjoys the Kiss. 
  Victim wants to become Vampire. 
  Victim searches out the character later. 
  Victim is an over-enthusiastic Blood Doll. 
  Vampire drinks too much blood. 
  Victim is a neutral. 
  Victim is a Hunter. 
  Victim has True Faith. 
  Adjustments to Roll 
  +1 die for every 30 minutes spent looking for victims. 
  +1 Difficulty for every hour after 10 p.m. 
  +2 Difficulty if the character is a Ventrue. 
  +3 Difficulty if the character is a Nosferatu (if seen). 
  +1 Difficulty for every point of Appearance under 2 (if 
  seen). 
  -1 Difficulty on a weekend. 
  -1 Difficulty for every hour before 10 p.m. 
  -1 Difficulty for each point of Appearance over 3 (if seen). 
  -1 Difficulty if the Vampire has Presence 
  -3 Difficulty if there is a major event in city (holiday, 
  sporting events etc.) 
  -4 Difficulty if there is a civil disorder in locale.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  86 
  The Art of 
  Storytelling 
  by Mark Rein·Hagen 
  It seems that a myth itself, as well as the symbols it brings into play, never quite disappears from the present world of 
  the psyche; it only changes its aspect and changes its operations. 
  Mircea Eliade, Myths, Dreams and Mysteries 
   
  I will never forget my first experience as a Storyteller, not if 
  I live a thousand years. I was a little snot-nosed kid, who, 
  having roleplayed for over a year already, was beginning to 
  feel confident in his abilities. So confident, in fact, that I 
  though running a game would be no problem at all. 
  Therefore one rainy afternoon I gathered together my 
  mother, father and sister and had them create characters - 
  all of whom were to be secret agents in the employ of the 
  CIA. 
  Character creation went well enough; such structured 
  activities usually do. But when we began the story 
  everything began to go wrong. First of all my father 
  insisted that he be given the exact parameters of the 
  mission, their exact objective and what they could and 
  could not do in the pursuit of that objective. After much 
  haggling I finally had to write it all down: "Objective: 
  Recover the Department of Treasury master $100 bill 
  plates, taking no longer than 48 hours from this moment." 
  Keep it simple, I thought; that way he won't be able to twist 
  my words. 
  My father didn't mean any harm, he just took his game 
  playing seriously. He played to win, and understanding the 
  winning conditions is the only way to do that. 
  He then proceeded to construct a plan which completely 
  sabotaged the story I had so laboriously prepared. They 
  were supposed to enter an underwater complex through an 
  open airlock after a pair of guards went on swim patrol, 
  sneak past the complex security, remove the stolen plates, 
  encounter the mad scientist who was behind the whole 
  thing, and in the process rescue a certain British agent 
  known only as 007. 
  Gathering together nearly 10 pounds of plastic explosive 
  the characters swam immediately to the complex, attached 
  it to the side of the bulkhead, backed off a bit, and set it off 
  (before the patrol could get out of the airlock). The whole 
  base was flooded with water and everyone inside was 
  killed. The characters then swam inside (past the drowned 
  body of James Bond!) picked up the plates, and left. 
  The story was over in 10 minutes. They had "won" but in 
  the process everyone had lost out. I was stunned and then 
  enraged, "You didn't do it right," I yelled, desperately 
  trying to think of some way to salvage the story. My father, 
  how ever, was sincerely puzzled. The team had 
  accomplished what I had wanted them to do, so why was I 
  angry? At the time I didn't know how to reply to his oh so 
  logical question, all I could shout was "you don't get it, you 
  don't get it!" 
  I didn't try to be a Storyteller again for another year and a 
  half. I had been burned by my experience, and the memory 
  of it affects my storytelling to this day. Though I didn't 
  know what to say to my father then, now I have a better 
  idea how to explain to him what went wrong, and that's 
  what I want to relate to you now. 
  What my father did not understand, and what I did not tell 
  him, was that storytelling is about stories and roleplaying, 
  not missions and objectives. A character should be 
  concerned with the mission, but the player should be 
  concerned with the character. The Storyteller should be 
  concerned with making and keeping the character at the 
  center of the story. It is as simple as that. But though the 
  concept is straightforward, applying it is not. 
  I never really made this clear to him however, not before 
  the story began and not since. He was operating under the 
  premise, largely unconsciously, that this was a game, and 
  that you play a game to win. This is a premise many of us 
  operate  
  under; the game element of what we do is often central to 
  our enjoyment of it. 
  However much we may enjoy winning, however, we must 
  never sacrifice the story to the game. I should never have 
  allowed things to progress as far as I did in the mission 
  without bringing the story back into it. All I needed to do 
  was add a plot twist, such as a perimeter guard already out 
  on patrol, and it would have become a story again, but I 
  didn't, for a variety of reasons. 
  My first mistake was to let myself start thinking of the 
  players as enemies. Though I didn't want them to fail, I did 
  think of them as my opponents, and my job as putting 
  obstacles in their way. In a way, I was playing to win as 
  well. Moreover, even when I was thinking in terms of 
  opposite sides, I was letting them (my father at least) run 
  all over me. I didn't establish myself in the beginning as 
  the final authority, and in the process of trying to 
  reestablish some sort of control I set myself up as the 
  antagonist, as the enemy. As soon as I did that, the story 
  became less important than the game, and the only test left 
  was how fair I would be in judging the efficacy of their 
  efforts. 
  My second mistake was to believe that my job was to stay 
  in control. I tried to tell the story rather than letting the 
  story tell itself. I wanted to be in charge because I thought 
  that was what my job was; the thought of being a "game 
  master" had gone to my head. Achieving mastery over the 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  87 
  game was my motivation, and I thought that meant 
  achieving mastery over the characters and story. 
  My third mistake was to have designed the story without 
  the characters in mind, and with a complete plot already in 
  place. I had expectations for the story which were 
  unrealistic, even silly, and was angry when the characters 
  decided to bypass all my careful plans. Born and raised on 
  dungeon crawling, I knew no other way to roleplay than 
  the presentation of a static setting and story. My 
  experiences had warped what I knew of storytelling. In 
  terms of what I thought about the story, the characters 
  were annoyances when they should have been major 
  players in it. 
  What I didn't realize is that as the Storyteller you have the 
  responsibility to create the dream, and to bring the players 
  into it. But once you have created the dream, you must 
  stand back and let the characters take it over, and to 
  become the engine that drives it. They must sit at the 
  center of the story, not you. 
  Always let the Players decide what to do in setting the 
  course of the plot. It not only makes them feel as if their 
  characters really have control, but it saves you a lot of 
  work. Always give them the opportunity to decide what 
  they want to do, and how they want to go about it. Your job 
  then becomes both incorporating these desires and plans, 
  and placing entertaining hindrances in the way. Your job is 
  reactive - a process of adapting and embellishing. 
  However, in order to do this well you need to set the scene 
  well, to establish the basis of the Chronicle in luscious, 
  exciting detail so the players know and care enough to take 
  significant action in relation to that environment. You 
  must first create a world so detailed and complete that the 
  players can direct the story productively. 
  Your ultimate aim as the Storyteller is not to tell any of the 
  Story yourself, but to guide the players into telling it for 
  themselves. You should be the guide, not the path itself. 
  What I should have done is to have designed the entire 
  setting and then created a complete story and timeline of 
  what would occur within that setting if the characters were 
  not involved. I would decide what would happen if they did 
  nothing, and then change those events as they influenced 
  the story's progress. 
  It takes a lot of energy to keep a story going, especially if 
  you are doing it on your own. The energy required to 
  sustain a story is immense, and it is impossible for a 
  Storyteller to do it alone. The players need to be part of the 
  process as they are the ones who add the fuel that allows 
  the story to move, and only if they are directing the story 
  can they supply this energy. 
  Some players actually suck away energy from a story, with 
  their very demeanor making everyone else feel more 
  lethargic. These individuals I call vampires, for they take 
  the emotions and energy of others without ever giving 
  anything back. They are cynical, hostile, arrogant and 
  selfish - though perhaps in subtle ways. These players 
  demand excitement in a story but do nothing to create it 
  themselves. Vampires are the death of any story (and 
  paradoxically, the life of this game). 
  The best test as to whether or not you are doing a good job 
  or not is to see what happens when you sit back and say 
  nothing. If they players are still roleplaying among 
  themselves -planning, squabbling, plotting, commiserating 
  - then you are doing something right. If when you stop 
  interacting with the players the story stops cold, then you 
  know something is going very wrong, and you need to start 
  to do things differently. 
  I do not pass that test as often as I would like too. In some 
  way that first experience scarred me, and left me with a 
  number of bad habits. After losing control that one time, I 
  am now obsessed with always keeping control. After 
  having players escape my preplanned plot, I seem to be all 
  the more eager to manipulate them into it. I seem to keep 
  making the same mistakes over and over again, and I have 
  noticed others doing the same. 
  You may think I am joking, but I assure you that I am not -
  just ask anyone who has ever played with me. They might 
  say that the Chronicle was imaginative or perhaps even 
  exciting, but if you press them they will always have to 
  agree that there was something missing, that they just 
  never quite got "into it," that they never had an 
  "experience."  
  I think that this problem revolves around my inability to 
  keep my own imagination in check long enough to let the 
  players get theirs in gear. I barrage players with so much 
  story material it becomes difficulty for them to create any 
  of their own. In short, I don't give my players enough 
  room. 
  A deadly flaw by any standard. One I have never fully 
  managed to overcome, despite years of trying. 
  Moreover, I still have problems with being consistent 
  enough to make the world seem real. I go for the glory, the 
  immediate payback, instead of building a story slowly. I am 
  more interested in making the story exciting than in 
  making it realistic. I try to focus on evoking a complex, 
  elaborate world, but always the drama seems to come 
  before the details. Players are always catching me in 
  inconsistencies, and a story can be ruined by that. 
  What it all boils down to, I think, is that I try to control and 
  dominate the story too much, that I don't give the players 
  enough room to direct and guide it themselves due, 
  perhaps, to that still lingering fear of losing control. A fatal 
  flaw that can perhaps be traced to that first bad experience, 
  a flaw many others share with me. It is something I must 
  fight to overcome every time I play, and it is something you 
  should think about as well. 
  If you walk away from something, sometimes you find 
  yourself closer to your goal. Walk away from needing 
  control over your stories, and give that power to the 
  characters. Give your players some breathing room, and let 
  them breath some life into your Chronicle. 
  PAX! 
  Benefit of the Doubt 
  by Sam Chupp 
  "You know, in a way, I envy you. I've watched you, every 
  minute. So beautiful, so powerful. Every night , since 
  Remember Marcia? You don't remember Marcia? The 
  one, like me, the one who followed you, the one who dared 
  to ask you to dance. You thought it a cute joke to turn her 
  over to those Hunters, to save yourself. She was my one 
  true love, who loved me despite my horrible Curse, and I'll 
  never forget her. What's wrong? Yes. I guess you're 
  beginning to see the Light. I can stay here a little longer, 
  but then I'll have to be off. 
  Did I tell you that I found her found her after the Hunters 
  had staked her? She cried blood for me, even though she 
  couldn't move just as you can't. I reached out to her. I 
  wanted to be with her, but I couldn't force myself to stay. 
  But you know, in a way, I envy you you're going to see the 
  glory she saw. I saw it reflected in her eyes, you know. I 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  88 
  keep that memory close to my heart. I have to go now. 
  Please say hello to her when you see her if you can see in 
  Hell. Of course, I doubt she'll be able to see you. Her eyes 
  were the first to burn."  
  How long do your players spend on their characters? I've 
  seen players spend days at a time defining, detailing, 
  thinking, writing and developing their characters into 
  three-dimensional creatures not easily definable by a set of 
  stats on a Vampire record sheet. It's gratifying to see 
  them work so hard. They have hopes and dreams for their 
  characters: they want to survive, they want revenge.  
  How much time do you spend on your characters? Do you 
  jot down a few statistics, or lift them directly out of one of 
  the supplements? Or do you create them, give them life? 
  Too often Storyteller characters get the short end of the 
  stick. How can they stand up to the players' characters 
  then? 
  Is your Prince wooden and boring? How about the Anarchs 
  in your game; do they rebel, do they cause trouble for no 
  good reason, do they shake the world? What happens while 
  your players sleep every day? What is going on outside the 
  bubble of your player's lives? Do your characters have 
  hopes, dreams, desires? Or do they "turn off" like the 
  audio-animatrons in an amusement park ride after the 
  players interact with them? 
  In order for you to have full, rich stories, you need to spend 
  at least half as much time on your characters as your 
  players do on theirs. This means giving your characters 
  personalities of their own, and giving the players the sense 
  that "offstage" a whole world is out there moving, seething, 
  and changing while they do what they do. If things aren't 
  drastically different, for example, when the players return 
  from another place or city to their home city, then 
  something is wrong. In the volatile world of the Kindred, 
  things can totally change overnight. 
  One easy way to ensure you have fully -developed 
  characters is to use characters from previous stories (both 
  player's and Storyteller's) and evolve them to fit the 
  current scenario. For example, in many of the adventures 
  we publish there is mention of a street-smart 
  reporter/private investigator/cop who may or may not 
  know about the Kindred. You could easily take this 
  character and revive him for each new story that you run. 
  Characters who have been run by players before often 
  mines of good stories and it gratifies the players who ran 
  them to know their characters live on, even if they can no 
  longer play them. Many players create characters and 
  never get a chance to play them, or are forced to leave the 
  story halfway through. Take these characters and make 
  them your own. 
  Your stories need characters with driving goals, obsessions 
  and contradictions. This makes them unpredictable, and 
  keeps the players alert to the fact that nothing should be 
  taken for granted. Just because the Prince is friendly to you 
  once or is grateful that you helped him one time doesn't 
  mean that he'll be forever grateful or friendly. There are 
  always ulterior forces at work in the background in 
  Vampire, and those forces can cause former allies to 
  become bitter enemies, and vice versa. 
  Don't forget to give your characters all the advantages you 
  give your players. Give them the benefit of the doubt, the  
  lucky break, the turn for the worse. Have them fall in love, 
  become jealous, angry, or happy. Have them make vital 
  discoveries about their own mysteries. Most of all, don't let 
  them stagnate. Have them change, for better or worse. 
  Make it a rule, if you want, to change a Storyteller 
  character's Demeanor once for every five stories she 
  appears in. 
  They are, however, Storyteller characters and you need to 
  use them like the tools they are. Use them as plot devices, 
  to get a story moving again or to segue into a new story. 
  When you are playing y our characters, adopt a specific 
  voice, way of speaking, etc., which conveys to your players 
  who they are talking to. Then it's exciting to surprise them 
  by simply speaking in character and forcing them to 
  remember to whom they are talking. 
  Having three-dimensional, well-developed Storyteller 
  characters means that the players can no longer simply act 
  and expect that no equal (and often opposite) reaction will 
  follow. People they have wronged will seek to get revenge 
  or will go crying to their protectors for  aid. People they 
  have helped will show up when they themselves need help. 
  People they've never seen before will develop ideas and 
  perspectives on them that may get them marked for 
  extermination or approval. 
  What your characters do will have consequences, for they 
  cannot gain power without offending or coming into 
  conflict with some Kindred somewhere. The players will 
  stop treating your characters like two-dimensional puppets 
  and start treating them like real threats, characters with 
  real purpose and meaning. 
  Be good to your characters. They're the only thing between 
  you and a group of hungry Vampires. 
  Entertainer 
  by Steve Crow 
  I am the Entertainer, 
  I've had to pay my price, 
  The things I did not know at first, 
  I learned by doing twice. 
  - Billy Joel, The Entertainer 
  If you're going to be a Storyteller, you've got to face facts. If 
  you want to be a good Storyteller, you've got to be willing 
  to put in a lot of work. 
  We're not talking about sitting down and rolling up 
  hundreds of creature hit points, or making sure there are 
  enough monsters and treasure to fill your 300-room 
  dungeon. We're also not talking about how many 5th rank 
  whatsits  
  equal a 10th rank warrior. If you're designing an adventure 
  of this sort, you've already given up any creative effort. The 
  only work you'll be doing is exercising your wrist with all 
  that die rolling. 
  To be a good Storyteller, you've got to work with your 
  brain. Your profession is now that of an entertainer. 
  The players are the actors. However, they are also the 
  audience. You are the director, the scriptwriter, the 
  producer, the supporting cast, and the costume and 
  background designer. A good amount of the time you're 
  going to be center stage in the theater the players are 
  attending. 
  Some games (Vampire primary among them) can let you, 
  the Storyteller, sit back and watch the players perform for 
  each other. However, these times are rarer then one might 
  hope. Even if players are merely interacting with each 
  other, you should probably be there as an NPC. After a 
  while, player characters will come to know each other's 
  mannerisms. It's up to you to throw in the NPC no one can 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  89 
  anticipate. When the player characters start to do so, bring 
  in another. Always keep them guessing. 
  You've got to be willing to entertain. Players will follow 
  your lead. The more exorbitantly you portray a character, 
  the more they play theirs. Each NPC who has a speaking 
  role should be presented differently. Can you snarl like a 
  street bum Nosferatu? Waddle and sneer like an 
  overweight Ventrue? Smile knowingly and act superior like 
  a Tremere? 
  And that's the easy part. Can you play Tremere characters 
  differently? If they all stereotypically sneer and act 
  haughty, then the players will soon grow bored. All your 
  Tremere characters will soon blend into one. The last thing 
  you want to hear are players saying, "Was that Garwood 
  Marshall or Abraham DuSable who gave us that book last 
  week?" 
  Chicago by Night makes this easier. The characters are 
  well-defined, with lots of mannerisms and personality you 
  can convey. But some of y ou may not be playing in Chicago 
  all the rest of your days. Not every game can provide you 
  with that much detail. 
  When you put together an adventure in any game system, 
  look at the individuals you will be using as NPCs. Pick out 
  the two or three main characters. They're the ones that, if 
  they were in a movie, would be listed in the credits after 
  the player character actors. Home in on two or three 
  mannerisms for each one. Pick at least one physical and 
  one speech or mental mannerism you can portray. Realize, 
  however, that you are going to want to go out on a limb. 
  Don't feel self-conscious. Be prepared to alter your voice, 
  your walk and your body posture. 
  When your player characters are engaging in non-combat 
  interaction with your NPCs, don't sit down behind your 
  Storyteller screen. Get up, move around, face the person or 
  persons you're speaking to. You can't convey much when 
  all  
  the players see are the pretty green stone patterns on the 
  screen. 
  Now that you know how to present the major NPCs, look at 
  the minor ones. No gamemaster is expected to roleplay an 
  entire street gang in the middle of a brawl. However, try to 
  pick out one or two things that individual gang members 
  might do during the battle. Have one spit in a player 
  character's face. Have another curse loudly. Give another 
  an affection for exaggerated Bruce Lee martial arts moves. 
  Toss these in from time to time and your players will look 
  at fights as more than die-rolling exercises. 
  It is an unfortunate fact that subtlety rarely works when 
  playing NPCs. Since a Storyteller is supposed to stay in the 
  background when acting as an arbitrator of the rules, 
  players often can't distinguish you from the NPCs. If you're 
  playing a sly, subtle character, exaggerate. It may not be 
  realistic, but it will make a deeper impression on your 
  players. 
  Also, take a look at your setting, and do the same thing for 
  each location that you do for each NPC. If it's a location of 
  major importance, study it carefully. You are obviously not 
  going to portray a building. However, picture the location, 
  the "set," in your mind. Make sure the location has several 
  distinguishing features that you can convey. In a horror 
  game, smells and odors are good at conveying a particular 
  mood. 
  For minor locations, do the same thing as for minor 
  characters. Toss in something quick that will make an  
  impression. It should be something short, yet unique to 
  that location. If one deserted house has thick cobwebs, the 
  next might be suspiciously clean, and the next might have 
  dead spiders lying on the floor. 
  Remember: when describing locations, keep the verbiage 
  somewhat limited. Try to avoid the "40' north-south, 20' 
  east- west, 3 chairs and a chest" descriptions. Make each 
  visit to a setting unique. On the other hand, don't overload 
  the players' senses with data. They'll remember one or two 
  unique details better than 15 minor points. 
  Setting the Stage at the 
  Theatre of the Mind 
  By Daniel Greenberg 
  This is a very dangerous and uncertain world. 
  - John Fitzgerald Kennedy  
  Once the Vampire game is launched and the Chronicle 
  solidly under sail, Storytellers often pause to survey the 
  way they have come, and to peer into the uncharted waters 
  ahead. This is always a good point to assess the game. It 
  gives you a clear vantage point to see what is working well, 
  what needs to be addressed and where you want the game 
  to go.  
  This assessment takes many forms, but the questions I like 
  to ask once a Chronicle is well under way sound something 
  like this: What stories am I trying to tell here? What stories 
  do the players respond to? What can I bring out unique to 
  this game system? What can I bring out unique to my 
  Chronicle? What are my players and I looking for? What is 
  our myth? With the Vampire game, the questions take on 
  a sharper aspect. What stories are we trying to tell with 
  these bleak tales? What's the point to these frightening, 
  melancholic forays into the shadowed corners of the 
  human heart? And in the darkest moments, where can we 
  Storytellers go to find renewal among these tragic 
  creatures of parasitism and despair? Here are some of the 
  answers I have found. 
  Our stories are often tales of darkness. Of corruption. Of 
  ugly, unspeakable deeds done on moonless nights. Of the 
  harsh glare of neon reflected in puddles of black blood. 
  These exhilarating excursions to the brink of madness 
  ironically provide uplift and inspiration to the players. In 
  The Players Guide I addressed the appeal and rewards 
  that these dark games have for players. Now I'll do the 
  same for Storytellers. Players often experience a 
  paradoxical purging and cleansing sensation from playing 
  the doomed, tragic undead. They have a golden 
  opportunity to grapple with their own inner demons, and 
  gain insight into and power over their own hidden 
  motivations. 
  So what about the Storyteller? What are the masters of the 
  game looking for here, and what can they expect to find? 
  Rather than immersing herself in the psyche of one Gothic-
  horror character, the Storyteller must create a rich tapestry 
  in which she plays all the forces in a Gothic-horror world. 
  This gives her the unique opportunity to be more than just 
  an actor on the microcosmic stage. She is the stage. 
  Roleplaying takes place in the Theatre of the Mind, the 
  shared universe prepared, updated and hosted by the 
  Storyteller. The players are the ensemble acting company 
  populating the space, but the Storyteller must set the stage 
  before they appear, and act as stage manager, dramaturge 
  and director as the unscripted, unrehearsed, spontaneous 
  drama unfolds. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  90 
  To provide the players with an experience suitably rich in 
  darkness, fear, oppression and horror, the Storyteller must 
  populate his stage with suitably frightening situations and 
  creatures. Heroes are made by the quality of their villains. 
  Protagonists can only rise as high as the antagonist stoops 
  low. In movies this is often accomplished by having the 
  irredeemably evil villains kill the hero's girlfriend or best 
  pal or dog or all three. But we require more than that. 
  Our myths are pallid, uninspiring and ultimately 
  unsatisfying if they are nothing but passion plays of 
  vengeance. The overall menace must be extraordinary. It 
  must reek of the very foulest iniquity. The players have got 
  to reel with the impact when they learn the full extent of 
  the villainy. Simple wickedness is not enough. Pawns of the 
  real Enemy can be merely nasty bad guys, but the 
  overarching scope of the Enemy's crimes must be pervaded 
  with 
  a 
  rich 
  mire 
  of  
  corruption and horror. Only then will the players' triumphs 
  actually be meaningful. But where do we find sufficient 
  corruption? Where can the Storyteller go for inspiration 
  and guiding principles? As always, your source is the 
  world. All the primary building blocks you need to set your 
  stage are there, in the actions of real people in the real 
  world. 
  Look around you for the worst examples of villainy, and 
  incorporate them. What are they? Adolf Hitler? Saddam 
  Hussein? Ah, dear Storyteller, there are far richer veins of 
  evil to mine than those. Far fouler than naked aggression is 
  aggression clothed in the rich new robes of the emperor. So 
  what do we look for to find these examples? The secret is 
  betrayal. Rank, malignant betrayal. 
  The real villains in our world are not petty tyrants with 
  thugs and guns and clumsy, fumble-fingered power plays. 
  The real horrors are the leaders who hide behind noble 
  purposes as they betray our trust: those who rule in our 
  name, but not with our permission, and silently betray the 
  shining promises they make. The greater our trust and 
  faith in them, the greater the possibility for rank betrayal, 
  and true horror. 
  Despite rosy pronouncements and optimistic forecasts, 
  there is a bleak pall hanging over much of the world. 
  Humanity towers over the earth like a noble colossus, but 
  its mighty form casts a long and poisonous shadow over 
  the land. In that shadow, starvation, war, genocide and 
  corruption blight a world of abundance and plenty. Self-
  serving leaders exploit public trust on a regular basis. 
  Hidden powers lurk in the background, uninvited, 
  unelected and unwanted. Minor functionaries usurp 
  constitutional powers on an alarmingly regular basis, 
  committing outrageous acts of betrayal against the promise 
  of democracy. Bureaucrats hidden in basement offices steal 
  constitutional power from well-intentioned, cowardly, 
  gullible, forgetful or senile leaders. Hidden forces wage 
  covert wars overseas, smuggling drugs, corrupting 
  elections, assassinating foreign leaders and suppressing 
  democratic dissent with our money but without our 
  consent. They cover their tracks, and rely on our elected 
  leaders to be too steeped in denial or too fearful to 
  challenge them. 
  The reports we receive of their conduct of these shadowy 
  manipulators are fragmented, incomplete, censored and 
  subject to a barrage of official denials. In these dangerous 
  covert wars, we citizens are arrayed against forces we 
  cannot name or accurately locate, let alone effectively 
  stand against. We are unknowing, unaware and virtually 
  blind as we struggle in the dark to find our way and 
  uncover answers about matters done in our name to people 
  in other countries. And we fear that if it can happen 
  overseas, it can happen here. 
  From proof of stolen election materials in Watergate to 
  proof of illegal predations by the Iran-Contra gang to new 
  evidence of stolen Presidential elections and Presidential 
  assassinations, it is clear that it can happen here, and does. 
  It never was morning in America. It's been the pre-dawn 
  Hour of the Wolf for a long time. The thought of an 
  American coup d'etat is truly frightening, more so than all 
  the mournful tales of vampiric horror we wan weave.  
  So here we have the great horror that can illuminate our 
  games. This is the horror the Anarchs face every day. The 
  terror of not knowing who the greater enemy is - the 
  scowling leader of a rival Clan or the smiling Elder of your 
  own. All the worst elements of the shadow government of 
  America are present in the Camarilla, but are magnified to 
  the Nth degree. The treachery, covert wars, double-dealing 
  and assassinations are even more common among the 
  undead. 
  The secret deals made in sumptuous boardrooms and fetid 
  alley s at the middle and high levels of the Camarilla leave 
  the young Vampire isolated in a frightening world. 
  Shadowy cabals of powerful Elders plot with Methuselahs 
  above, Ancillae below and Elders of rival Clans to suppress 
  the young and keep their lofty positions intact. They grasp 
  at power for the sake of power. They hoard vitæ for the 
  sake of continuing their unlife forever, at all costs. At the 
  bottom of their undead hearts, their greatest loyalty is not 
  to a cause or even their people, but to conserving their own 
  position and power. 
  There is no one they will not betray in their mad quest for 
  fresh blood and their own eternal survival. They have no 
  real interest in the younger Vampires except as pawns, 
  soldiers, workers and food. They profess great loyalty to 
  their young, but always weigh the amount of sustenance 
  the young Kindred could provide against the resistance he 
  could muster in defending himself. The Elders work to 
  keep the trust of the young until they decide to attack that 
  particular Neonate. 
  This puts the Neonates in a double bind. To gain power in 
  the Camarilla, the young Vampire must be absorbed into it, 
  and then become part of the problem. They must 
  participate in the system of oppression of the young that 
  they once suffered under and despised. But if they do not 
  play, they are forced to remain outside the Camarilla, and 
  have no chance to come to real power. As long as they 
  remain outside the interlocking web of deceit that is the 
  Camarilla, they are forever vulnerable to attack. 
  This is the way it has always been, even though it is 
  possible for the Vampire community to function without 
  the age-old Jyhad. They would clearly be better off if they 
  could make peace with their own kind. But this would 
  mean that the Elders would have to release some of the 
  power for which they betrayed so many. And once they 
  have tasted power, they are unwilling to give it up. Should 
  any young Vampire suggest changing this deadly system, 
  she'll be met with resistance and scorn. If she persists, and 
  begins to gain the power necessary to make changes, she 
  will be mercilessly destroyed. 
  The secret to breaking this vicious deadlock lies with the 
  Anarchs. Only the unrestrained young are free to choose 
  their own path outside the Camarilla and build power. 
  That frightens the decrepit leaders who have hoarded 
  control of the Vampiric world. This mirrors the real 
  struggle of our world: the battle of new and fresh forces 
  against the old and stagnant. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  91 
  Storytellers can set the stage with many layers of rough, 
  impersonal, and sometimes invisible forces of greed, 
  depravity, and unexamined fear. By building a labyrinthine 
  web of trust, betrayal and counter-betrayal the players can 
  enter, become trapped, and struggle to extricate 
  themselves from the craven plots of those stronger than 
  they. This gives them a chance to experience futility, terror 
  and perhaps ultimate victory against overwhelming odds. 
  On the surface, the Vampire Chronicle revolves on 
  promises made and promises broken, and foul secrets 
  growing in the dark. So out of all this anguish, where do we 
  find any solace, meaning or catharsis? The answers are in 
  the triumph of the human heart, or the inhuman heart, as 
  the case may be: the triumph of individual will over dark, 
  overwhelming forces. There is renewal here for players and 
  Storyteller alike as they all emerge from the underworld of 
  corruption, denial and dread. 
  By using the worst of our world as a backdrop and setting 
  for your stories, you as a Storyteller can immerse yourself 
  in it, understand it, integrate it and perhaps gain insight 
  into it. Only when we open our eyes to corruption can we 
  be truly effective against it. 
  This is the same process many players go through in 
  examining their own beliefs and motivations through the 
  safety of a game, and gaining a greater control over them 
  as a result. You can do this too, but on a far greater level. 
  Storytellers can learn to comprehend much more than 
  personal motivations. They can gain invaluable insight into 
  governmental systems and the motivations of official and 
  unofficial leaders. It is precisely this sort of insight that 
  allows citizens to gain greater influence and control over 
  the systems that govern them. There is power in being a 
  Storyteller, and unique perspective. Use it, and you can 
  learn about real power. 
  Above and Beyond the Call of 
  Duty 
  by Travis Lamar Williams 
  Sleep with one eye open, 
  Gripping your pillow tight. 
  Exit Light. 
  Enter Night. 
  Take My Hand. 
  We're off to Never Never Land! 
  - Metallica, Enter Sandman 
  There are limits to roleplaying. In this expanding hobby 
  there are things better off left alone. Or are there? Most of 
  us would like to call ourselves "mature roleplayers," but are 
  we? Granted, Vampire was not created as a means of 
  psychotherapy by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it  
  was created to help us to peer at the beast within us all and 
  grow from it. 
  But the mind is a strange thing. There are no absolutes in 
  psychotherapy, just extremely good speculations. We don't 
  really know what will happen if we choose to tamper with 
  our psyche. One thing is certain: artful simulations of 
  traumatic experiences will surely shed light on our 
  understanding of ourselves as well as others. This 
  information will come in useful somehow. Or will it? 
  Perhaps, perhaps not. 
    
  I Am Legend 
  Normally when you play Vampire you create an alter ego 
  with whom you journey into the violent, grisly Gothic-
  Punk world. Instead of relying on this alter ego I suggest 
  you urge your players to create themselves as the enigmatic 
  Kindred. Before you decide to undertake this challenge, be 
  forewarned: this could be the most chilling experience you 
  have taken part in as a roleplayer. Some of the members in 
  your troupe may not like to try this. The reason is simple. 
  Some of us would rather flee in terror than to face our own 
  inner beast. This is understandable. Becoming one of the 
  Kindred is not so attractive when it is your players who 
  have become monsters. 
  First and foremost, when your troupe has decided to create 
  themselves in Vampire they must agree to be honest about  
  themselves. Admit it, we all have flaws that we would 
  rather not have others see. Everyone is imperfect; it is a 
  fact of life. Inform your players that unless they are willing 
  to be truthful about how they recreate themselves then 
  they might as well create someone altogether different. 
  However, if they do decide to go through with this, follow 
  the steps below to make the most believable you. 
  Step One: Conceptualization 
  Like normal character creation, your players need to sit 
  back and reflect on who they are. What are their goals in 
  life? Stress the fact that this should have nothing to do with 
  Vampire. Vampires are not real. They are simply figments 
  of our imagination. Most of your players will have dreams 
  of becoming successful in whatever it is that they do, 
  getting married, finding someone to love, raising a family, 
  or perhaps just graduating. Unfortunately, these dreams 
  will most likely be destroyed due to their new condition. 
  Write nothing down at this time. This should just be a time 
  for your players to really think about themselves as a 
  whole. To focus on who they are. Or who they believe 
  themselves to be.  
  Step Two: Natures And Demeanors 
  More often than not those persons within your troupe are 
  friends, and associate with one another outside the game. 
  If this is indeed the case then step two shall be one of fun, 
  as well as controversy. No one knows yourself better than 
  you. You can hide your true personality behind a veil of 
  false actions, but with time this becomes harder and 
  harder. To reflect this observation let the player choose his 
  Nature. Scan through the basic rulebook as well as The 
  Players Guide for an appropriate Nature. If one cannot be 
  found, allow the player to describe his overall Nature and 
  then decide how he will regain Willpower. 
  The players' demeanors, however, are not solely up to 
  them. When the time has come for the players to select 
  their Demeanors, have the troupe vote on each other's, and 
  don't discourage debates. This does not mean encourage 
  chaos, but everyone must support their vote. The players 
  must accept the majority vote. This is not a time for players 
  to take potshots at one another; rather it is a time for the 
  players to see exactly what others think of their general 
  personality. The players should not take these opinions in 
  the wrong way. Their Demeanors are how they choose to 
  express themselves. If they do not like what their troupe 
  has chosen for them, perhaps they should consider why 
  their troupe selected this unbearable Demeanor. 
  Step Three: Attributes 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  92 
  The assignment of attributes should be one of the easiest 
  parts of creating themselves. Most players will know their 
  limits and respect them. Do not have the players spend 
  points on any of the Traits. Instead, merely have them 
  assign points as the troupe believes fit. If one player can 
  benchpress 400 lbs., then give her a 4 Strength. 
  Unfortunately, here is where you will meet some 
  opposition. Conflict will be inevitable in any saga; 
  therefore many players are in the habit of making their 
  characters "combat ready." This will manifest itself in 
  unusually  high physical statistics. Inform your players that 
  although they will more than likely get in their share of 
  fights, a more accurate portrayal of attributes will best suit 
  them. 
  Step Four: Abilities 
  Once again your players will want to lean towards the tried 
  and tested formulas for survival - high Firearms and Brawl 
  scores. Athletics and Alertness will also be at unusual 
  highs. Once again, you must assure the troupe that honesty 
  will pay off in the end. With any luck they will live absurdly 
  long lives. There will be plenty of time later to excel in what 
  they must master in order to survive. 
  Step Five: Advantages 
  At this point in time inform the players that they need not 
  worry about their Disciplines. They are not Vampires so 
  they need not concern themselves with them. However, 
  Backgrounds and Virtues must be purchased now. If they 
  have a well-paying job at a tanning salon, make them 
  purchase the Resources Background. It will not matter that 
  after they are Embraced they will effectively lose this 
  Background. They are creating themselves, not Vampire 
  wanna-bes. 
  Virtues are something that the players may do in private. 
  How much Self-Control, Courage or Conscience someone 
  possesses is personal. Virtues tend to be very private, and if 
  the player really is intent on being honest about how he 
  views himself, he may not wish this information to be 
  common knowledge. As a Storyteller you should respect 
  this and not pressure anyone to make their Virtues public. 
  Step Six: Humanity and Willpower 
  Yet another subject which might be touchy is your players' 
  Humanity and Willpower. The best way to determine 
  Humanity is to examine the Hierarchy of Sins (page 130 in 
  Vampire) and decide at what point the sins really start to 
  disturb them. We do not assume to rate all of these sins as 
  more heinous than one another; this method is simply 
  used for the ease of game play. 
  Willpower is really not as personal as Humanity, but is 
  nonetheless important. Try and make the best guess at how 
  much Willpower you possess by comparing yourself to the 
  Willpower chart on page 109 of Vampire. Choose the word 
  which best describes your Willpower and work towards 
  this number. 
    
  Step Seven: Smoothing Out The Edges 
  After coming this far creating themselves in Vampire, the 
  players will have undoubtedly learned more about 
  themselves, as well as about others within the troupe. 
  Allow no one to spend freebie points until after the Prelude 
  has ended. This will simulate the drastic change from a 
  "common" mortal to one of the Kindred. 
  Everyone has their favorite Clan. The Clans are merely 
  representations of the myriad outlooks of life. Simply by 
  observing others you can almost classify them as one of the 
  many types of Vampires. Instead of allowing the players to 
  select which Clan shall Embrace them, allow the other  
  players in the troupe to vote on the Clan the players would 
  attract. In secret, have everyone write down each others' 
  names as well as the Clan of Vampire they envision them 
  becoming. They must write down everyone except 
  themselves. Take them up and tally the votes. Do not 
  reveal what has been decided until after the Prelude (in the 
  event of a tie, break the tie with your vote). No one has 
  complete control over their own destiny; why should they 
  start now? 
  Final Step: The Prelude 
  After everyone has completed the steps above, it will be 
  time to begin the Prelude. How to get everyone together? 
  Easy - they're friends; perhaps they are going to a party. 
  Perhaps they might have come together for a nice 
  roleplaying session. A trip to the mall? The possibilities are 
  endless. Unfortunately, the end result will be the same. 
  After the many chases down dark alleys and the pitiful 
  reliance on superstition, the troupe shall irrevocably 
  emerge from the Prelude as members of the Damned. 
  The Prelude should be one of suspense and terror. The 
  troupe will come to find that those things that go bump in 
  the night are very real, and not just some old wives' tale. 
  The terror the players will feel will be all the more real 
  because now they not only identify with their character, 
  but everyone's character. Not only that, but the character 
  must now conquer what most people never truly confront. 
  Themselves. Do not attempt to play this alternate style of 
  roleplay if you do not wish to confront some of your 
  deepest, darkest fears. 
  My God What Have I Done!? 
  Most players will become Vampires unwillingly. To become 
  immortal might sound fine at first, but it is doubtful that 
  any of your players will welcome the sacrifices that must be 
  made after they have been Embraced. They must now 
  separate from those they love and care for to join the 
  society of the Damned. 
  The consequences for not separating from the mortal 
  world could be grave. Not just for the player, but those 
  around her. At any time the Beast could rear its head and 
  demand to be appeased. Only when they have gazed into 
  the shock-filled eyes of their bloodless young child will 
  they finally realize what it is that they have wrought on 
  those they love. The truth shall be unavoidable; they have 
  become the hunters of men, monsters of legend, drinkers 
  of blood. Beasts in every sense of the word. 
  Coming to grips with their new existence shall be the least 
  of their problems. Thrust into a world of intrigue, 
  deception and bitter rivalries, the Troupe will be hard-
  pressed to simply survive. Then again, what's the rush? 
  Now they have an eternity, right? 
  The Sound of Music: Songs for 
  a Gothic-Punk World 
  by Rob Hatch 
  Did you keep a watch for the dead man's wind 
  Did you see the woman with the comb in her hand 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  93 
  Wailing away on the wall on the strand 
  As you danced to the Turkish song of the damned 
  - The Pogues, Turkish Song of the Damned 
  The world of Vampire is a Gothic-Punk milieu, and it is 
  crucial to evoke that mood of looming shadows, spired 
  buildings overlooking grungy streets, and ominous 
  foreboding. In doing this, music is essential, but the music 
  must be appropriate to the game atmosphere. Whatever 
  one may think of Van Halen or Tom Petty, they are not 
  particularly effective in creating the proper atmosphere for 
  Vampire (though if they work for you, more power to you). 
  The following songs are either Gothic, Punk or both, and I 
  have found them useful as background music and 
  inspiration. Although you may well have entirely different 
  tastes in music, if you feel the urge, give a couple of these 
  songs a  
  listen. They may well assist you in creating that delicate 
  mood of isolation, inner struggle and bleakness necessary 
  to a Vampire Chronicle. 
  She's Lost Control (Joy Division) - the classic Gothic-
  Punk song from one of the darkest albums (Unknown 
  Pleasures) in modern music history, this song is ideal 
  when the player faces frenzy, particularly frenzy from one 
  of the character's tragic weaknesses, when she has no 
  Willpower left and the Beast is rising fast. 
  Bela Lugosi's Dead (Bauhaus) - So obvious it's a cliché, 
  but you can't not put a song whose chorus is "Undead, 
  undead, undead" on the list. Probably the classic Vampire 
  song, although I still like "She's Lost Control" better. 
  She's In Parties (Bauhaus) - Toreador having a bash? 
  Turn on this one. The moody, elegant/grungy music and 
  the depressing lyrics convey the ultimate futility of the 
  undead haute couture and their desperate quest for beauty 
  in a decaying world. 
  Inside the Termite Mound (Killing Joke) - One of the 
  best "The city is a stagnant, industrialized hell" songs ever 
  written, this song is ideal for groups of Kindred walking 
  around the deserted, rusting industrial parks, crumbling 
  slums, faceless corporations and stagnant malls of a 
  Gothic-Punk city. After hearing this, Kindred might well 
  not care about their feeding habits anymore. From 
  Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions. 
  Blood & Family (Liers in Wait) - Liers in Wait is a local 
  death-rock band native to Atlanta, so you may not be able 
  to find this in your area, but if you can find the album 
  (Spear of Destiny), snatch it up. "Blood & Family" is an all-
  out musical assault, a mixture of metal, grunge and techno 
  music ideal for Sabbat havens and the like. 
  I Remember Nothing (Joy Division) - Another cut from 
  Unknown Pleasures, this song is best reserved for when 
  the characters have lost something important (a friend, 
  their self-worth, a crucial fight, or the last vestiges of 
  Humanity) and are wallowing in a nihilistic stew of 
  meaninglessness. Possibly the most depressing song I have 
  ever heard - the bass sounds like the countdown to 
  Doomsday and the glass shattering at the beginning and 
  end of the song evoke a sense of desolation and futility like 
  nothing else. 
  Vacancy  (Scratch Acid) - Probably containing the best 
  drumming I have ever heard, this song about slow, 
  creeping insanity merges a razor -edged garage-style guitar 
  over a dark and sweeping keyboard. Perfect background 
  music for capturing the gradual disintegration of Vampire 
  society - the lies they tell themselves in order not to face 
  the terrible truth they subconsciously know exists. 
  Police Truck (Dead Kennedys) - Wanna get your Anarchs 
  good and mad and ready to stake and bake the Prince, the 
  Primogen, the Elders, the Inquisition, the Lupines and the 
  Methuselahs behind the whole mess? If this song doesn't 
  motivate your Troupe to get up and kick some Fifth-
  Generation butt, they really are walking dead. From Fresh 
  Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. 
  Lucretia My Reflection (Sisters of Mercy) - If your city 
  has a dance club catering to Anarchs, this one'll be playing 
  inside. Every 15 minutes. The throbbing dance beat 
  screams night life and easy blood while also conveying the 
  ultimately mechanical and meaningless aspects of the 
  whole scene. For all I know, Andrew Eldritch is a Vampire 
  - he sure looks like one. From Floodland, an all-around 
  great album for this genre. 
  Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) - A poignant, 
  dirgey cry of desperation and need, this song is both 
  beautiful and depressing, and makes good background 
  music for failed relationships and the like, such as when a 
  Kindred's mortal lover discovers her true nature. From 
  Substance. 
  Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age (Holst) - From Holst's 
  symphony The Planets, very few pieces of music are as 
  shockingly gloomy as this. With this slow, crawling 
  soundtrack in the background, the players will truly feel 
  Damned. 
  A Forest (The Cure) - So they wanna go Lupine hunting 
  out in the great outdoors? Not after they hear this one. The 
  throbbing bass and lost, reverberating vocals will paint a 
  rather unpleasant picture of the wilderness ("Suddenly I 
  stop/But I know it's too late/Lost in a forest - all alone"). 
  From Seventeen Seconds. 
  Three Imaginary Boys (The Cure) - Eerie. From their 
  first album (Boys Don't Cry), this song evokes pictures of 
  leering, deserted houses and silent churches covered with  
  gargoyles. Robert Smith's voice, crooning in the middle of 
  the gloomy strumming like a demented child, ends on a 
  plaintive "Can you help me?" 
  Fight Fire with Fire (Metallica) - From the classic 
  thrash album Ride the Lightning, this song is fast as hell 
  and a must for gory combat or Diablerie ("Do unto 
  others/as they've done to you/but what the hell is this 
  world coming to?") 
  Three Days (Jane's Addiction) - When the long dark 
  night of the soul is finally over, when the crisis of the 
  Vampire's humanity has passed - for better or worse, or 
  when Golconda is finally attained, play this. Great for 
  coming down off really hard and tense scenes - this song 
  isn't necessarily happy, but it evokes the peace of 
  resignation nicely. From Ritual de lo Habitual. 
  The Last Beat of My Heart (Siouxsie & the Banshees) - 
  A relaxing yet still haunting song, this is a good first song 
  to play in a session, right when the players are waking up 
  and watching the sun go down and the shadows lengthen. 
  From Peepshow. 
  Kerosene 
  (Big 
  Black) 
  - 
  Another 
  industrial 
  wasteland/Anarch song, it also conveys the stagnation of 
  Vampiric life and futility of struggle ("Nothing to do/But 
  sit around at home/Sit around at home and stare at the 
  walls/Stare at each other and wait till we die"). Good for 
  conveying a mood of senseless violence, such as when two 
  factions who should be working together are manipulated 
  into conflict. From Atomizer. 
  Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens) - Another classic 
  Vampire song, the slow, plaintive beginning, gradually 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  94 
  picking up into a whirling crescendo, is ideal for Nosferatu 
  gatherings and Toreador balls alike; the cockcrow at the 
  end will also remind your players of their eternal enemy, 
  the sun. 
  Cracked (Jesus & Mary Chain) - THE song to play at 
  Malkavian clan gatherings, this song from Barbed Wire 
  Kisses features a crunching drone in the middle of a 
  feedback whine like ground glass and ominous vocals that 
  break into a reverbating insane wail at the end. 
  Shadowplay (Joy Division) - Yet another song from 
  Unknown Pleasures, the dirgey bass drone carries this 
  song into gloomy realms of locked doors and unfriendly, 
  staring buildings. Good for building a mood of lurking 
  doom. 
  The Three Shadows (Part 2) (Bauhaus) - If you can 
  ignore Peter Murphy's comical mispronunciation of the 
  word "Oedipus," this is a really twisted and scary song. 
  Ideal for really eerie and vile parts of the city, as well as 
  when the characters meet an Elder of the Sabbat face to 
  face. From The Sky's Gone Out. 
  I Don't Want to Push It  (Sonic Youth) - Desperate and 
  brittle, this is the one to play when the characters are 
  falling in over their head and are starting to freak out; 
  Sonic Youth is one of the weirdest bands around in terms 
  of playing style, and is guaranteed to keep your players on 
  edge. From Sonic Death. 
  Body Count (Ice-T) - The ultimate Anarch song next to 
  "Police Truck." The unrelenting lyrics and speed-metal 
  guitar will whip your Troupe into a frenzy of combat and 
  bloodsucking, hopefully directed at the Elders this song 
  castigates. From O.G. Original Gangster. 
  Trapped Under Ice (Metallica) - Combining manic 
  emotion with a sense of hopelessness and impending 
  doom, this song will frustrate your players to no end if they 
  are staked, in torpor or otherwise imprisoned. From Ride 
  the Lightning. 
  Day of the Lords (Joy Division) - This one is from 
  Unknown Pleasures as well (hell, just play the whole 
  album - it's that good). Slow, droning and ominous, this 
  one epitomizes Gehenna, the Jyhad, and the return of the 
  Antediluvians. Good to play when the characters finally 
  realize to their horror that they've been manipulated by a 
  Methusaleh all along, and now she's thirsty 
  Headhunter (Front 242) - A song from one of the best 
  techno bands around today, Front 242's "Headhunter" will 
  get the characters into predatory mode. Almost 
  cyberpunkish, the mechanical, fluid rhythm lets the 
  characters merge into the crowds of the Rack looking for 
  that special someone ("One: you lock the target/Two: you 
  bait the line/Three: you slowly spread the net/And four: 
  you catch the man"). 
  Paranoid (Black Sabbath) - One of the first heavy metal 
  songs ever written, and in my opinion the best. The 
  crunchy riff and whining distorted guitar is ideal for an 
  Anarch adventure, the despairing, suicidal lyrics about the 
  loss of humanity are suitable for any Chronicle. The line: 
  "Happiness I cannot feel/And love to me is so unreal" 
  perfectly captures the tragedy of Kindred existence. From 
  the album of the same name. 
  Tin Omen (Skinny Puppy) - A great song for Vampiric 
  battles in an urban hell-zone, this song combines 
  techno/industrial grunge and a classic punk bass beat. The 
  insectoid, screeching vocals are also sinister and 
  unnerving. 
  Will We Survive? (Swans) - Like most Swans songs, 
  deep, sweeping and utterly hellish - if you were to peer 
  over a bottomless abyss, this song is what would be 
  floating up out of the depths. Good for building tension - 
  something always seems about ready to happen, but not 
  quite. From White Light from the Mouth of Infinity. 
  Marian (Sisters of Mercy) - From the Sisters' first album 
  (First and Last and Always), Marian is a moody dirge 
  about emotional collapse and lost love - themes running 
  through many a Vampire Chronicle. 
  The Drowning Man (The Cure) - A stark song devoid of 
  hope, the flat, sorrowful vocals and wall-of-sound ending 
  depict a world slowly sliding into oblivion, which is, 
  perhaps, what will inevitably happen to the Kindred in the 
  long run. A good song to end an adventure with, just to 
  remind them what they are - Vampires, bloodsucking 
  parasites will almost no chance to avoid the Beast. From 
  Faith.  
  The Subtle Weaver 
  by Stewart Wieck 
  A noiseless patient spider, I mark'd where on a little 
  promontory it stood isolated, Mark'd how to explore the 
  vacant vast surrounding, It launched forth filament, 
  filament, filament out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever 
  tirelessly speeding them. 
  - Walt Whitman, A Noiseless Patient Spider 
  From the perspective of the Storyteller, a player and his 
  single little character can seem awfully one-dimensional. 
  Certainly  by working within such a solitary frame of 
  reference, the player can forge a powerful bond with this 
  new aspect of his personality, but the permutations and 
  possibilities available to a player cannot come close to 
  rivaling the frame of reference of a Stor yteller. 
  I have said before, and will say again here, that the single 
  most important duty of the Storyteller is to entertain the 
  players. To be effective in this, the Storyteller must use all 
  of the weapons in his arsenal. The greatest of these 
  weapons is his perspective, or the sense of scope and size 
  he can lend to a Chronicle. This is something beyond the 
  power of one poor player with his one poor character. 
  A player can know the rules better than the Storyteller, be a 
  better roleplayer than the Storyteller, and even have a 
  character central to the action of the Chronicle, but a 
  player cannot give a Chronicle the ability to be anything 
  other than what the Storyteller allows it to become. It's the 
  Storyteller who establishes the ceiling for the potential of 
  the Chronicle, and it's up to the players to live up to the 
  potential. 
  Telling a good story is obviously important in a storytelling 
  game. That is, after all, what these games are about. The 
  hallmark of the outstanding Storyteller, though, is 
  maintaining the larger story - what we call in Vampire:The 
  Masquerade the "Chronicle" - on a continuing basis. It is 
  the Chronicle that allows the events of the stories to 
  resonate within the players. In the Star Wars trilogy of 
  movies, Luke's study under Obi-wan Kenobi is a story, but 
  this story acquires immense power when it is woven into 
  the larger tapestry of the Chronicle of Star Wars. The fact 
  that Luke must use his new skills with the Force to 
  eventually battle another pupil of Obi-wan's, who also 
  happens to be Luke's father, is the powerful result of a 
  well-planned Chronicle. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  95 
  The depth of the action in a Chronicle provides contrast for 
  all of the stories that form it. Only with a sense of the scale 
  of the world and the events that take place within it can 
  players fully enjoy the new personas they have created. In 
  other words, there is nothing for them to explore if your 
  world is flat and static. Remember, the character is the 
  only tool that a player has to participate in a storytelling 
  game, so the more you can do to support the character and 
  the player's concept  
  of it, the greater the involvement of the player in the game 
  and hence the greater the enjoyment the player 
  experiences. 
  While the strategy of providing a sense of scale for your 
  world may seem like a simple tactic, it can truly become 
  the foundation of the primary goal of the Storyteller - to 
  entertain the player. A Chronicle with a careful attention to 
  detail creates continuity that substantiates the illusion of 
  reality for the players. Such a Chronicle also provides 
  connections, real or perceived, between the characters and 
  other events in the Chronicle. When there are events going 
  on behind scenes that proceed whether or not the 
  characters are involved, then the players, through their 
  characters, suddenly gain a sense of themselves as part of a 
  real world and not just a game. 
  Finally, the players will develop an appreciation for the 
  amount of time you invest in their Chronicle when they 
  begin to see how events they thought at first to be 
  completely unrelated slowly begin to merge into one big 
  story with one big theme. They thought at first that Luke 
  would simply rescue Princess Leia from the Death Star. 
  Little did they know that the two were actually siblings 
  battling a father who had been corrupted by a Dark Force 
  that had driven their breed of warrior, the Jedi Knight, into 
  near-extinction. 
  Each and every thread you weave into the tapestry will 
  create a picture that is brighter, more colorful, and more 
  engaging. In the intrigue-ridden world of Vampire:The 
  Masquerade, such a beautiful tapestry is amazingly simple 
  to construct. Just look at the number of different levels of 
  action presented in Chicago by Night alone. Almost every 
  single Kindred can justify all of the events of his stratum of 
  knowledge and lower in terms of events that he can 
  explain. Some Neonate may hate the Elders of the city 
  because they will tolerate him to live, but little does he 
  know he has been put in this situation by a Sire who 
  himself hates the Elders. But the Sire is in turn directed to 
  create trouble for the Elders by another Kindred involved 
  in the politics of the city anxious to gain a greater position 
  of power. But this Kindred is really only interested in 
  acquiring that position of power because a different Elder 
  needs another supporter in the upper echelon of the city. 
  But that Elder only needs more support in the city so he 
  can keep the Prince in line for a Methuselah who wants to 
  remain hidden for many more years. In this game, nothing 
  is ever as it seems. 
  However, beware the trap of looking only at the big 
  picture. This is a mistake that has befallen me personally 
  on a number of occasions. Remember that a Chronicle with 
  scope is only a tool for creating good stories that will 
  entertain the players. Don't let it overwhelm the Chronicle 
  by allowing stories that only fit the tight weave of the 
  tapestry. And it may seem silly to suggest that it can 
  happen, but don't let the best patterns be wasted. Let your 
  Chronicle unfold naturally by revealing all of the secrets 
  you have woven. These secrets may seem capable of 
  supplying energy for any number of little stories, but each 
  little story will diminish the power of the big one and at 
  some point they will even make the big story obsolete by 
  robbing it of all its thunder. 
  In the end, my best advice for a Storyteller intent on doing 
  her best is to create a Chronicle with depth. Create more 
  than just characters and places and events. Establish 
  connections between all of these things that go far below 
  the level you expose the characters to at the beginning. 
  Each story of the Chronicle can then become a process of 
  unveiling these hidden secrets. Undoubtedly, this will 
  delight the players, for these connections will help the 
  theme of your Chronicle move them more deeply.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  96 
  Appendix: 
  Enchanted Items for 
  Vampire 
   
  Many Kindred view themselves as creatures of magic, 
  supernatural beings brought into existence by forces 
  science can never comprehend. They point to the affinity 
  many Vampires have with occult artifacts to buttress their 
  position. While these items are rare, they do crop up from 
  time to time - usually at the moment they will most aid the 
  characters (or completely mess them up). 
  Monocle of Clarity - This device, created by the Tremere 
  for the purpose of unmasking Nosferatu spies, appears as a 
  heavy glass monocle framed in gold and silver filigree. By 
  peering through its lens and concentrating, as well as 
  spending a blood point, the gazer effectively has the 
  equivalent of Auspex 7 for the purpose of seeing through 
  Obfuscate and Chimersty only. On a roll of Perception + 
  Occult against a difficulty assigned by the Storyteller, the 
  user might also be able to see hidden doors, spirits, et al. 
  On any botch with this item, the user has seen something 
  something beings of this cosmos were not meant to see, 
  and loses a die's worth of Willpower. 
  Argent Baton - This potent weapon appears to be a rod 
  about two feet long, plated with silver. In truth, the entire 
  baton is made from silver and inscribed with mystic runes. 
  The device only works at night (no real restriction for most 
  Kindred) and there must be at least a sliver of a moon in 
  the sky; under these conditions, by spending a point of 
  Willpower, the baton becomes imbued with a silvery gleam 
  up and down its length. The baton may then be used as a 
  melee weapon against Lupines, inflicting a number of 
  aggravated  
  damage dice equivalent to the Strength of the wielder +3. 
  By spending two points of Willpower, the wielder may 
  actually fire a beam of the silvery light at a Lupine, 
  inflicting three dice of aggravated damage at a range of up 
  to 100 yards on a successful roll of Dexterity + Occult with 
  a difficulty of 7. This weapon is essentially useless (except 
  as a club) against any creature but Lupines. 
  Powder of Rigidity - Made from a variety of ingredients 
  and specifically including the blood of a Gangrel, this 
  powder usually comes in tubes, each tube containing one 
  dose; usually around 1 - 10 tubes will be found. When 
  blown on an individual capable of transformation (Gangrel 
  or other Kindred with Protean, Lupines, Magi), the powder 
  prevents them from exercising their ability to shapeshift. 
  Thus, Lupines  
  will revert to human or wolf form (depending on their 
  natural form), Protean and Vicissitude users will be unable 
  to use any powers of those discipline, Magi's 
  shapechanging spells will fail, etc. To hit with the powder 
  requires a roll of Stamina + Firearms, and the victim must 
  be within a range of two yards for every point of Stamina 
  the wielder possesses. To resist the effects, the victim must 
  roll their Self-Control with a difficulty of 9, accumulating 
  more successes than the wielder rolled to hit. The effects of 
  the powder last approximately four hours. 
  Rowan Ring - This weapon appears to be a simple band 
  of polished wood, worn around the finger. When a 
  command is spoken, the ring expands, sharpens and 
  elongates into a wooden stake extending from the hand of 
  the wielder like an Indian punch dagger. The wielder may 
  then attack with her Brawling or Melee skill, whichever is 
  higher. To activate the device, the wielder must spend a 
  blood point (or Willpower, if the user is a Vampire). 
  This item is exceedingly useful in missions of 
  assassination, where one must get into a haven without 
  any obvious weapons, and is occasionally given to trusted 
  Neonates by Assamite Elders. 
  Tapestry of the Blood - This is a legendary item, and 
  has only appeared in a few records of the Kindred. No one 
  knows precisely where the item is located, though the 
  Tremere would pay much to find out. The tapestry is a 
  huge and ornate wall hanging, woven in scintillating hues 
  by 
  obviously 
  expert  
  hands, and adorned with patterns that seem to change as 
  one looks at them. To properly use the item, it must be 
  saturated with at least 10 blood points. It will then show a 
  variety of scenes in its weavings; tales vary as to precisely 
  what can be viewed there, but accounts have stated things 
  as different as the Great Flood, the near future, the 
  founding of the Second City, the secret weaknesses of a 
  mighty Methuselah, and Gehenna. 
  All the visions, however, relate directly to the Kindred, 
  past, present or future. There is so much to see in the 
  tapestry that gazing into its depths requires a full night and 
  a roll of Perception + Occult; the more successes gained, 
  the more useful or relevant the information acquired. A 
  botch may either give misleading information or lead to 
  the discovery of a horrible truth about the Kindred, 
  resulting in a Derangement. 
  Elixir of Distillation - a viscous bluish liquid, this item 
  is much in favor by Anarchs. When tossed on an enemy 
  Vampire (roll of Dexterity + Athletics to hit), it will reduce 
  that Cainite's Generation (and all affiliated abilities) by one 
  for every success rolled. All Traits which require a 
  Generation minimum (such as Abilities and Disciplines 
  above 5) will likewise be reduced to the maximum possible 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  97 
  for the new Generation. Dropping below the 13th 
  Generation reduces one's blood pool to nine, but has no 
  other effects. The effects last one hour per success, though 
  some Kindred claim to have encountered a dark, 
  scintillating blue version of the elixir which permanently 
  reduced its victim to a younger generation. 
  Ring of the Inscrutable Eye - a ring with an Egyptian 
  motif scarab on it, there is a gem in the shape of an eye in 
  the midst of the beetle's carapace. The workmanship of the 
  ring is incredibly ancient, and the ring will feel cold to even 
  a Kindred's flesh. When concentrating on a specific 
  Vampire, there is a 30% chance (1 through 3 on a die) that 
  his location and activities can be determined by a roll of 
  Perception + Occult against a difficulty of 8; the more 
  successes gained, the more exact the information gained. 
  Whenever checking for a new Vampire to locate with the 
  ring, the 30% chance must be rolled first, but if this roll is 
  successful, then that particular Kindred is always 
  susceptible  
  to location by the ring, while if it is unsuccessful, then that 
  particular Kindred may never be located through the use of 
  this ring. Note that if a 0 is rolled on the initial roll to see if 
  the wearer can detect a giv en Vampire, the wearer instead 
  sees a clear vision of herself at the present time. 
  Two blood points must be spent to activate the ring. There 
  is only one of these rings known to exist. It is unknown 
  why only certain Kindred may be viewed with the ring. 
  Cloak of the Abalone - made by the Tremere specifically 
  for use against the Toreador, this cloak is dull brown on 
  the outside, but when lifted and the interior displayed, a 
  gorgeous cascade of colors in all shades of the rainbow will 
  be displayed, and lights, patterns and the like will whirl 
  and dance around the wearer. This display is incredibly 
  beautiful, and Toreador who view it must check as per their 
  Clan weakness or be transfixed with rapture. 
  Bloodstones - found mainly among the Sabbat, these 
  simple, clear crystals let the Kindred who bathed it with a 
  point of her own blood keep track of it wherever it may be. 
  Often placed secretly on enemies or new members of the 
  Sabbat, few members of the Camarilla know of their 
  existence or how to keep them from working. 
  Waxen Poetica - feared by all who have encountered 
  these little wax tablets, the Waxen Poetica have caused the 
  horrid destruction of more than one of the undead. When 
  washed in a point of blood, the user can spend a Willpower 
  point and throw it at a foe. Upon hitting that foe, the wax 
  latches on and begins to spread across its victim's body. 
  Extremely hot, it begins to cause damage once it has 
  covered at least half of the body (usually after three turns). 
  For every succeeding turn it causes an additional die of 
  aggravated damage, which may be soaked normally. Thus 
  by the 10th turn after it has hit someone, the wax causes 
  seven dice of damage. The wax cannot be removed unless 
  the Storyteller botches its damage roll, in which case it 
  stops growing and begins to cool to the point where the 
  character can peel it off. Note that after six turns it 
  completely covers its victim, prohibiting action and 
  smothering mortals.  
  Appendix Two: 
  Lists for the Storyteller 
   
  Archetypes 
  Archetypes have become one of the most popular optional 
  rules in Vampire. The following compilation lists those 
  published to date as well as their source. V = Vampire 
  and PG = The Players Guide. 
  Architect (V) 
  Autocrat (PG) 
  Autist (PG) 
  Avant-Garde (PG) 
  Bon Vivant (V) 
  Bravo (V) 
  Caregiver (V) 
  Cavalier (V) 
  Child(V) 
  Competitor (PG) 
  Confidant (PG) 
  Conformist (V) 
  Conniver (V) 
  Critic (PG) 
  Curmudgeon (V) 
  Deviant (V) 
  Director (V) 
  Fanatic (V) 
  Gallant (V) 
  Jester (V) 
  Jobsworth (PG) 
  Judge (V) 
  Honest-Abe (PG) 
  Loner (V) 
  Martyr (V) 
  Masochist (PG) 
  Mediator (PG) 
  Optimist (PG) 
  Pedagogue(PG) 
  Penitent (PG) 
  Perfectionist (PG) 
  Plotter (V) 
  Poltroon (PG) 
  Praise-Seeker (PG) 
  Rebel (V) 
  Simpleton (PG) 
  Slob (PG) 
  Survivor (V) 
  Sycophant (PG) 
  Traditionalist (V) 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  98 
  Visionary (V)  
  Abilities 
  Primary Talents 
  Acting 
  Alertness 
  Athletics 
  Brawl 
  Dodge 
  Empathy  
  Intimidation 
  Leadership 
  Streetwise 
  Subterfuge 
  Primary Skills 
  Animal Ken 
  Drive 
  Etiquette 
  Firearms 
  Melee 
  Music 
  Repair 
  Security 
  Stealth 
  Survival 
  Primary Knowledges 
  Bureaucracy  
  Computer 
  Finance 
  Investigation 
  Law 
  Linguistics 
  Medicine 
  Occult 
  Politics 
  Science 
  Secondary Talents 
  Artistic Expression 
  Diplomacy  
  Intrigue 
  Mimicry 
  Poetic Expression 
  Search 
  Seduction 
  Sense Deception 
  Scan 
  Scrounging 
  Singing 
  Instruction 
  Ventriloquism  
  Secondary Skills 
  Acrobatics 
  Animal Training 
  Archery  
  Artillery 
  Blacksmith 
  Boat Handling 
  Brewing/Distilling 
  Bribery 
  Camouflage 
  Carousing 
  Carpentry 
  Climbing 
  Cooking 
  Dancing 
  Debate 
  Demolitions 
  Disguise 
  Escapology 
  Falconry 
  Fast-Talk 
  Fast-Draw 
  First Aid 
  Fishing 
  Forgery 
  Gambling 
  Game playing 
  Gunsmithing 
  Haggling 
  Heavy Weapons 
  Herbalism  
  Hunting 
  Hypnotism  
  Interrogation 
  Jeweler 
  Journalism  
  Leather working 
  Lip Reading 
  Lock Picking 
  Martial Arts Weapons 
  Masquerade 
  Mechanic 
  Meditation 
  Orienteering 
  Parachuting 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  99 
  Photography 
  Pickpocket 
  Pilot 
  Police Procedure 
  Pottery 
  Psychoanalysis 
  Public Speaking 
  Research 
  Ride 
  Scuba 
  Sign Language 
  Skiing 
  Sleight-of-Hand 
  Speed-Reading 
  Style 
  Swimming 
  Throwing 
  Tracking 
  Traps 
  Melee 
  Secondary Knowledges 
  Accounting 
  Alchemy  
  Anthropology 
  Area Knowledge 
  Archaeology 
  Architecture 
  Art History 
  Astrology 
  Astronomy 
  Biology 
  Chemistry  
  Criminology 
  Cryptography 
  Economics 
  Electronics 
  Engineering 
  Faerie Lore 
  Forensics 
  Geology 
  Heraldry 
  History 
  Kindred Lore 
  City Secrets 
  Literature 
  Lupine Lore 
  Magus Lore 
  Mathematics 
  Metallurgy 
  Meteorology 
  Naturalist 
  Physics 
  Psychology 
  Spirit Lore 
  Theology 
  Toxicology  
  Disciplines 
  At the heart and soul of every Vampire lie the Disciplines, 
  those mighty powers of the Undead which help keep them 
  separate from humanity. The following list includes all the 
  Disciplines published to date and their source. V = 
  Vampire, PG = The Players Guide, HH = The 
  Hunters Hunted, and SH = The Storytellers 
  Handbook 
  Animalism (V) 
  Level Power 
  1 Song of the Beast 
  2 Call of the Wild 
  3 Sweet Whispers 
  4 Sharing of Whispers 
  5 The Roving Beast 
  6 Species Speech, Shepherd's Innocence, Animal 
  Succulence, Shared Soul 
  7 Conquer the Beast, Master's Voice 
  8 Twin Spirits, Mass Summons 
  9 Flesh Bond 
  10 Army of Beasts 
  Auspex (V) 
  1 Heightened Senses 
  2 Aura Perception 
  3 The Spirit's Touch 
  4 Telepathy 
  5 Astral Projection 
  6 Telepathic Communication, Clairvoyance, The Dreaming, 
  Eagle's Sight, Prediction, Sense Emotion 
  7 Soul Scan, Spirit Link 
  8 Psychic Assault, Omniscience 
  9 Precognition 
  10 Pulse of the Canaille 
  Bardo (HH) 
  1 Restore Humanitas 
  2 Banishing Sign of Thoth 
  3 Gift of Apis 
  4 Pillar of Osiris 
  5 Paradox 
  6 Boon of Anubis 
  7 Bring Forth the Dawn 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  100 
  8 Mummification Ritual 
  9 Ra's Blessing 
  10 Rebirth 
  Chimerstry (PG) 
  1 Ignis Fatuus 
  2 Fata Morgana 
  3 Apparition 
  4 Permanency  
  5 Horrid Reality 
  6 Fatuus Mastery, Mass Reality 
  7 Far Fatuus 
  8 Pseudo Blindness 
  9 Sensory Deprivation 
  10 Reality 
  Daimoinon (SH) 
  1 Sense the Sin 
  2 Fear of the Void Below  
  3 Flames of the Netherworld 
  4 Psychomachia 
  5 Curse 
  6 Ignore the Searing Flames 
  7 Summon the Herald of Hell 
  8 Great Curse 
  9 Call the Great Beast  
  Dominate (V) 
  1 Command 
  2 Mesmerize 
  3 The Forgetful Mind 
  4 Conditioning 
  5 Possession 
  6 Obedience, Loyalty, Rationalize, Tranquillity 
  7 Mob Rule 
  8 Far Mastery 
  9 Best Intentions 
  10 Puppet Master 
  Necromancy (PG) 
  1 Insight 
  2 Summon Spirit 
  3 Compel 
  4 Haunting 
  5 Soul Stealing 
  6 Zombie 
  7 Torment 
  8 Soul Exchange 
  9 Possession 
  10 Death Pact 
  Obeah (PG) 
  1 Panacea 
  2 Anesthetic Touch 
  3 Neutral Guard 
  4 Treat the Sick Mind 
  5 Unburdening of the Bestial Soul 
  6 Renewed Vigor, Pain for Pleasure 
  7 Repulsion 
  8 Vitæ Block 
  9 Spirit Marionette 
  10 Resurrection 
  Obfuscate (V) 
  1 Cloak of Shadows 
  2 Vanish 
  3 One Thousand Faces 
  4 Unseen Presence 
  5 Cloaking the Gathering 
  6 Mind blank, Soul Mask, Conceal 
  7 Cache ,Cloak 
  8 Old Friends 
  9 Create Name 
  10 Memories Fading Glimpse 
  Presence (V) 
  1 Awe 
  2 Entrancement 
  3 Compulsion by Attraction 
  4 Summon 
  5 Majesty 
  6 Love, Enrage 
  7 Mind Numb, Mask Empathy 
  8 Invoke Frenzy  
  9 Heart of the City 
  10 Dream World 
  Protean (V) 
  1 Gleam of Red Eyes 
  2 Wolf's Claws 
  3 Earth Meld 
  4 Shadow of the Beast 
  5 Mist 
  6 Flesh of Marble, Earth Control 
  7 Homunculus, Form of the Ghost 
  8 Movement of the Slowed Body  
  9 Dual Form 
  10 Body of the Sun 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  101 
  Quietus (PG) 
  1 Silence of Death 
  2 Weakness 
  3 Diseased 
  4 Blood Agony 
  5 Taste of Death 
  6 Blood Sweat, Blood Empathy  
  7 Leech 
  Foul Blood 
  8 Blood Clot 
  9 Erosion 
  10 Immaculate Vitæ 
  Sanguinus (SH) 
  1 Brother's Blood 
  2 Borrow Organs 
  3 Coordinate Attacks 
  4 Concentrate Generation 
  5 Coagulate Entity 
  6-10 There are no Blood Brothers above the Eighth 
  Generation. 
  Serpentis (PG) 
  1 The Eyes of the Serpent 
  2 The Tongue of the Serpent 
  3 Mummify  
  4 Form of the Serpent 
  5 The Heart of Darkness 
  6 Temptation, Obsession 
  7 Phobia 
  8 Corruption 
  9 Form of Corruption 
  10 Mark of Damnation 
  Thaumaturgy (V) 
  The Taste of Blood (V) 
  The Lure of Flames (V) 
  Movement of Mind (V) 
  Weather Control (V) 
  Path of Conjuring (PG) 
  Neptune's Might (PG) 
  1 Eyes of the Sea 
  2 Jail of Water 
  3 Dehydrate 
  4 Flowing Wall 
  5 Blood to Water 
  Spirit Thaumaturgy (PG) 
  1 Evil Eye 
  2 Spirit Eyes 
  3 Spirit Slave 
  4 Fetishes 
  5 Journey  
  Elemental Mastery (PG) 
  1 Elemental Strength 
  2 Wooden tongues 
  3 Animate the Unmoving 
  4 Elemental Form 
  5 Summon Elemental 
  Corruption (PG) 
  1 Contradict 
  2 Disfiguration 
  3 Change Mind 
  4 Cripple 
  5 Corrupt Soul 
  Visceratika (SH) 
  1 Whispers of the Chamber 
  2 Skin of the Chameleon 
  3 Voices of the Castle 
  4 Bond with Terra 
  5 Stonestrength 
  6 Rockheart, Dark Statue 
  7 Crawling Chamber 
  8-10 There are no known Gargoyles beyond the Sixth 
  Generation  
  Thaumaturgy Rituals 
   
  Thaumaturgists find rituals an extremely effective way of 
  handling many situations. Through the years they have 
  created hundreds, though many die with their creator, 
  never to be passed along. The following are some of those 
  which have stood the test of time. The listing also includes 
  the sourcebook where the ritual can be found. V = 
  Vampire, CN = Chicago by Night, MN = Milwaukee by 
  Night, PG = The Players Guide, HH = The Hunters 
  Hunted, DM = Awakening: Diablerie Mexico. 
  Level One 
  Defense of the Sacred Haven (V) 
  Wake with Morning's Freshness (V) 
  Communicate with Kindred Sire (V) 
  Deflection of Wooden Doom (V) 
  Devil's Touch (V) 
  Purity of Flesh (PG) 
  The Rite of Introduction (PG) 
  Engaging the Vessel of Transference (PG) 
  Rebirth of Mortal Vanity (PG) 
  Incantation of the Shepherd (PG) 
  Level Two 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  102 
  Calling the Restless Spirit (CN) 
  Learning the Mind Enslumbered (CN) 
  Blood Walk (PG) 
  Ward Versus Ghouls (PG) 
  Donning the Mask of Shadows (PG) 
  Principle Focus of Vitae Infusion (PG) 
  Mourning Life Curse (PG) 
  Level Three 
  Eyes of the Past (CN) 
  Illusion of Peaceful Death (CN) 
  Gentle Mind (CN) 
  Ritual of Darkness (MN) 
  The Watcher (MN) 
  Bladed Hands (MN) 
  Illusion of Perfection (MN) 
  Haunted House (MN) 
  Ward Versus Lupine (PG) 
  Pavis of Foul Presence (PG) 
  Shaft of Belated Quiescence (PG) 
  Flesh of Fiery Touch (PG) 
  Noncorporeal Passage (PG) 
  Level Four 
  Innocence of the Child's Heart (CN) 
  Rending Sweet Earth (CN) 
  Protean Curse (CN) 
  Puissant Shield (DM) 
  Ward Versus Kindred (PG) 
  Binding the Beast (PG) 
  Heart of Stone (PG) 
  Splinter Servant (PG) 
  Bone of Lies (PG) 
  Invigorate Vitæ (HH) 
  Geas (HH) 
  Level Five 
  Curse of Clytaemnestra (MN) 
  Quenching the Lambent Flame (DM) 
  Escape to a True Friend (PG) 
  Ward Versus Spirit (PG) 
  Blood Contract (PG) 
  Stone Slumber (PG) 
  One Mind of the Covens (PG) 
  Sway Beast (HH) 
  Level Six 
  Raise the Dead (PG) 
  Ritual of Holding (PG) 
  Utter Destruction of Bonds (PG) 
  Level Seven 
  Divorcing the Soul (PG) 
  Level Eight 
  Chain of the Blood Line (PG) 
  Bone of the Kindred (PG) 
  Level Nine 
  Weapon of the Kindred Soul (PG) 
  Level Ten 
  Invulnerable Weakness (PG)  
  Merits and Flaws 
  Psychological 
  Merits 
  Code of Honor 1 pt. 
  Higher Purpose 1 pt. 
  Beserker 2 pt. 
  Dual Nature 2 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Intolerance 1 pt. 
  Over-confident 1 pt. 
  Mind Phobia 1 pt. 
  Prey Exclusion 1 pt. 
  Speech Impediment 1 pt. 
  Shy 1 pt. 
  Compulsion 1 pt. 
  Soft Hearted 1 pt. 
  Nightmares 1 pt. 
  Dark Secret 1 pt. 
  Low Self-image 1 pt. 
  Short Fuse 2 pt. 
  Vengeance 2 pt. 
  Hatred 3 pt. 
  Severe Phobia 3 pt. 
  Driving Goal 3 pt. 
  Mental 
  Merits 
  Common Sense 1 pt. 
  Concentration 1 pt . 
  Lightning Calculator 1 pt. 
  Time Sense 1 pt. 
  Light Sleeper 2 pt. 
  Eidetic Memory 2 pt. 
  Iron Will 3 pt. 
  Calm Heart 3 pt. 
  Self-Confident 5 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Deep Sleeper 1 pt. 
  Confused 2 pt. 
  Amnesia 2 pt. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  103 
  Weak Willed 2 pt. 
  Absent Minded 3 pt. 
  Perception 
  Merits 
  Acute Hearing 1 pt. 
  Acute Sense of Smell 1 pt. 
  Acute Sense of Taste 1 pt. 
  Acute Vision 1 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Color Blindness 1 pt. 
  Hard of Hearing 1 pt. 
  Bad Sight 2 pt. 
  One Eye 2 pt. 
  Deaf 4 pt. 
  Blind 6 pt. 
  Aptitudes 
  Merits 
  Crack Driver 1 pt. 
  Mechanical Aptitude 1 pt. 
  Computer Aptitude 1 pt. 
  Pitiable 1 pt. 
  Eat Food 1 pt. 
  Ambidextrous 1 pt. 
  Natural Linguist 2 pt. 
  Daredevil 3 pt. 
  Fast Learner 3 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Illiterate 1 pt. 
  Inept 5 pt. 
  Unskilled 5 pt. 
  Uneducated 5 pt. 
  Supernatural 
  Merits 
  Inoffensive To Animals. 1 pt.  
  True Love 1 pt. 
  Danger Sense 2 pt. 
  Clairaudience 2 pt. 
  Faerie Affinity 2 pt. 
  Magic Resistance 2 pt. 
  Occult Library 2 pt. 
  Unbondable 3 pt. 
  Werewolf Companion 3 pt. 
  Luck 3 pt. 
  Spirit Mentor 3 pt. 
  Destiny 4 pt. 
  Charmed Existence 5 pt. 
  Guardian Angel 6 pt. 
  True Faith 7 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Cursed 1 -5 pts. 
  Taint Of Corruption 1 pt. 
  Repulsed By Garlic 1 pt. 
  Magic Susceptibility 2 pt. 
  Repelled By Crosses 3 pt. 
  Can't Cross Running Water 3 pt. 
  Haunted 3 pt. 
  Dark Fate 5 pt. 
  Light Sensitive 5 pt. 
  Kindred Ties 
  Merits 
  Special Gift 1 -3 pts. 
  Boon 1 -3 pts. 
  Prestigious Sire 1 pt. 
  Reputation 2 pt. 
  Pawn 3 pt. 
  Clan Friendship 3 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Enemy 1 -5 pts. 
  Sire's Resentment 1 pt. 
  Twisted Upbringing 1 pt. 
  Infamous Sire 1 pt. 
  Insane Sire 1 pt. 
  Mistaken Identity 1 pt. 
  Diabolic Sire 2 pt. 
  Clan Enmity 2 pt. 
  Notoriety 3 pt. 
  Mortal Society 
  Merits 
  Mansion 2 pt. 
  Nightclub 2 pt. 
  Media Ties 2 pt. 
  Police Ties 3 pt. 
  Political Ties 3 pt. 
  Underworld Ties 3 pt. 
  Corporate Ties 3 pt. 
  Judicial Ties 2 pt. 
  Church Ties 3 pt. 
  Corporation CEO 5 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Anachronism 2 pt. 
  Ward 3 pt. 
  Hunted 4 pt. 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  104 
  Physical 
  Merits 
  Double-Jointed 1 pt. 
  "Baby Face" 2 pt. 
  Misplaced Heart 2 pt. 
  Efficient Digestion 3 pt. 
  Huge Size 4 pt. 
  Flaws 
  Allergic 1 -3 pts. 
  Short 1 pt. 
  Disfigured 2 pt. 
  Monstrous 2 pt. 
  Selective Digestion 2 pt. 
  Permanent Wound 3 pt. 
  Thin Blooded 3 pt. 
  Child 3 pt. 
  Lame 3 pt. 
  Deformity 3 pt. 
  One Arm 3 pt. 
  Mute 4 pt. 
  Paraplegic 6 pt.  
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  105 
  Summary 
  The Storytellers Handbook ........................................ 1 
  The Complete Handbook for Storytellers of Vampire... 1 
  Credits:................................................................. 1 
  Special Thanks To:................................................... 1 
  Word From the White Wolf Game Studio: ................. 1 
  The Storytellers Handbook ........................................2 
  Chapter One: The Story - 7 ..................................2 
  Chapter Two: The Chronicle - 25 ..........................2 
  Chapter Three: The Setting - 41 ............................2 
  Chapter Four: The Motive - 57..............................2 
  Chapter Five: The Enemy - 79..............................2 
  Chapter Six: The Ways - 105 ................................2 
  Appendix One: Enchanted Items for Vampire- 139...2 
  Appendix Two: Lists for Storytellers - 143...............2 
  Chapter One: The Story ............................................3 
  What is a Story?......................................................3 
  Story Parts..........................................................3 
  Concept...........................................................3 
  Mystery...........................................................4 
  Romance.........................................................4 
  Thrillers..........................................................4 
  Adventure........................................................4 
  Plot Archetypes.................................................... 5 
  Theme and Mood .................................................6 
  Choosing Theme and Mood .................................6 
  Experience and Other Incentives .............................6 
  Experience.......................................................6 
  Knowledge.......................................................7 
  Favor ..............................................................7 
  Allies ..............................................................7 
  Influence.........................................................7 
  Material Rewards..............................................7 
  Survival...........................................................7 
  Patronage........................................................7 
  Creating a Story ...................................................7 
  Setting............................................................8 
  Main Plot.........................................................8 
  Subplots..........................................................8 
  Details............................................................8 
  Story Structure....................................................8 
  The Beginning ..................................................8 
  Crescendo........................................................8 
  Slow Build .......................................................8 
  Patrons and Rumors..........................................9 
  The Middle ......................................................9 
  Troubleshooting................................................9 
  The Easy Life....................................................9 
  The End........................................................ 10 
  Types of Ending .............................................. 10 
  Loose Ends .................................................... 10 
  Aftermath...................................................... 10 
  The Characters................................................ 10 
  The Setting .................................................... 10 
  NPCs ............................................................ 10 
  Troupe-Style Play.................................................. 10 
  Approaches....................................................... 1 1 
  Clan Spread.................................................... 1 1 
  The Warband................................................. 1 1 
  Live-Action .......................................................... 1 2 
  Choosing Scenes ................................................ 1 2 
  Styles of Play ..................................................... 1 2 
  Props............................................................... 1 2 
  Settings............................................................ 1 2 
  Cheap Tricks..................................................... 13 
  Sound........................................................... 13 
  Searching ...................................................... 13 
  Tasks............................................................ 13 
  VAMPIRE STORY WORKSHEET ............................. 1 4 
  Chapter Two: The Chronicle .................................... 1 6 
  Where to Begin ..................................................... 1 6 
  Prelude ............................................................ 1 7 
  Where to Go......................................................... 1 7 
  The Chronicle Map ............................................. 1 7 
  Stops Along the Way .............................................. 1 8 
  Expansion......................................................... 1 8 
  Keeping it Together ......................................... 1 8 
  Which Way Did He Go...................................... 1 8 
  Who Do I Hate Tonight..................................... 1 9 
  The Web........................................................ 1 9 
  Consistency.................................................... 1 9 
  Handling Time...................................................20 
  Sleeping Beauties ............................................20 
  Back to the Future...........................................20 
  Humor and Tension ............................................20 
  Their Own Devices.............................................. 21 
  Other Times, Other Places....................................... 21 
  The Famous Few ................................................ 21 
  Playing the Past .................................................22 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  106 
  Other Worlds.....................................................22 
  Organizing Downtime ............................................23 
  Backgrounds .....................................................24 
  Allies, Contacts and Retainers............................24 
  Fame............................................................24 
  Herd.............................................................24 
  Influence.......................................................24 
  Resources......................................................24 
  Theme.............................................................24 
  The Beast.......................................................24 
  Intrigue......................................................... 25 
  Introductions................................................. 25 
  Nostalgia ....................................................... 25 
  Premonitions.................................................. 25 
  Pursuit.......................................................... 25 
  Romance....................................................... 25 
  Secrets.......................................................... 25 
  Vengeance ..................................................... 25 
  Weirdness......................................................26 
  Chapter Three: The Setting......................................27 
  Choosing a City.....................................................27 
  The Kindred......................................................28 
  The Prince .....................................................29 
  The Primogen .................................................29 
  The Anarchs...................................................29 
  Others...........................................................29 
  Mortals.........................................................29 
  The Mayor .....................................................30 
  The Police......................................................30 
  The Media .....................................................30 
  Fire Department .............................................30 
  The Gangs...................................................... 31 
  Other Creatures .............................................. 31 
  Locations.......................................................... 31 
  The Wilds......................................................32 
  Making It All Come Alive.....................................32 
  Choosing Settings............................................32 
  Describing Scen es............................................ 35 
  Tools of the Trade............................................36 
  CITY WORKSHEET...............................................37 
  Chapter Four: The Motive.......................................39 
  Politics of the Camarilla..........................................39 
  Intrigue and Combat...........................................40 
  A Civilization of Vampires: The Politics of Scarcity .... 41 
  A World of Abundance and a World of Scarcity......... 41 
  Politics of Scarcity in the Game..........................42 
  Political Intrigue in the Game: The Art of the Deal.....42 
  The Map........................................................43 
  Player Plots.......................................................43 
  Ultimate Goal .................................................43 
  Immediate Goal..............................................43 
  False Goal......................................................43 
  Resources......................................................43 
  Debts............................................................43 
  Ranking Boons ...............................................44 
  Example: .......................................................44 
  Transferring Boons.............................................44 
  Results of Transferred Boons.............................44 
  Enforcement of Transferred Boons......................44 
  Public Enforcement, Private Enforcement ............... 45 
  Personal Revenge............................................ 45 
  Campaign of Reprisal ....................................... 45 
  Factions: Boons and Betrayals............................... 45 
  Anarchic Abstinence ........................................... 45 
  Factions...........................................................46 
  The Prince .....................................................46 
  The Harpies ...................................................46 
  The Elders.....................................................46 
  The Clans ......................................................47 
  The Anarchs...................................................47 
  The Mortal World............................................47 
  Building Politically Manipulable Characters.............47 
  Rebirth ...............................................................47 
  Death of the Sire................................................48 
  Character Sacrifice..............................................48 
  Mystic Rituals....................................................48 
  Achieving Golconda ............................................49 
  Other Means.....................................................49 
  Golconda .............................................................49 
  Golconda Chronicles...........................................49 
  Achieving Golconda ............................................ 50 
  Diablerie ............................................................. 51 
  Characters as Cannibals....................................... 51 
  Characters as Dinner........................................... 51 
  Characters as Power............................................ 52 
  Characters as Pleasure......................................... 52 
  Using Diablerie Effectively ................................... 52 
  The Battle for Immortality....................................... 52 
  Chapter Five: The Enemy........................................ 54 
  Creating a Good Bad Guy ........................................ 54 
  Caring for the Enemy ............................................. 55 
  The Kindred...................................................... 55 
  The Camarilla................................................. 55 
  Paranoid Prince .............................................. 55 
  Primogen Councilor ......................................... 56 
  Brujah Bully ................................................... 56 
  Gangrel Protector ............................................ 57 
  Malkavian Psychotic ........................................ 57 
  Nosferatu Sewer Rat ........................................ 57 
  Toreador Degenerate........................................ 58 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  107 
  Tremere Warlock ............................................ 58 
  Ventrue Manipulator ........................................ 59 
  Caitiff Diabolist............................................... 59 
  The Sabbat........................................................ 59 
  Sabbat Pack Leader..........................................60 
  The Inconnu......................................................60 
  Inconnu Monitor .............................................60 
  Independents................................................. 61 
  Ravnos Con Artist............................................ 61 
  Minor Bloodlines............................................. 61 
  Gargoyles ......................................................62 
  Visceratika.....................................................62 
  Blood Brothers................................................63 
  Sanguinus......................................................63 
  Baali................................................................64 
  Daimoinon.....................................................64 
  Ghouls............................................................. 65 
  Ghoul Retainer ............................................... 65 
  Independent Ghoul..........................................66 
  Werewolves.......................................................66 
  Garou Pack Leader ..........................................66 
  Magi................................................................67 
  Hermetic Magus..............................................67 
  Faeries.............................................................67 
  Faerie Kidnapper ............................................68 
  Ghosts .............................................................68 
  Spirit of Vengeance..........................................68 
  Others..............................................................69 
  Mummies......................................................69 
  Mummy Occultist ............................................69 
  Demons.........................................................69 
  Witch-Hunters...................................................70 
  Mad Scientist .................................................70 
  Chapter Six: The Ways............................................ 7 1 
  New Drama Systems.............................................. 7 1 
  Multiple Actions................................................. 7 1 
  Narrative Combat............................................... 7 1 
  Advanced Combat ..............................................7 2 
  Initiative........................................................7 3 
  Difficulties.....................................................7 3 
  Accuracy........................................................7 3 
  Difficulties.....................................................7 3 
  Expanded Weapons Chart ....................................... 7 5 
  Firearms Chart by Type .................................... 7 5 
  Revolver ........................................................ 7 5 
  Firearms Chart by Type ....................................7 6 
  Firearms Chart ..................................................7 6 
  Melee...............................................................7 9 
  Weapons Chart ...............................................7 9 
  Brawl...............................................................80 
  Humanity Loss ..................................................80 
  Interrogation .....................................................80 
  Flight............................................................... 81 
  Hunting ........................................................... 81 
  Hedge Magic..................................................... 81 
  Duration........................................................82 
  Extend..........................................................82 
  Car Chases........................................................82 
  Crime..............................................................82 
  Demolitions......................................................83 
  Escapology........................................................83 
  Mortality ..........................................................83 
  Piloting ............................................................84 
  Riding..............................................................84 
  Expanded Hunt Chart ............................................84 
  Prey Method Area Difficulty .................................84 
  Don Juan Method...............................................84 
  Botching the Hunt ..............................................84 
  Adjustments to Roll............................................ 85 
  The Art of Storytelling ............................................86 
  Benefit of the Doubt ...............................................87 
  Entertainer ..........................................................88 
  Setting the Stage at the Theatre of the Mind................89 
  Above and Beyond the Call of Duty............................ 91 
  I Am Legend...................................................... 91 
  Step One: Conceptualization................................. 91 
  Step Two: Natures And Demeanors........................ 91 
  Step Three: Attributes ......................................... 91 
  Step Four: Abilities.............................................92 
  Step Five: Advantages .........................................92 
  Step Six: Humanity and Willpower.........................92 
  Step Seven: Smoothing Out The Edges....................92 
  Final Step: The Prelude .......................................92 
  My God What Have I Done!? ................................92 
  The Sound of Music: Songs for a Gothic-Punk World....92 
  The Subtle Weaver.................................................94 
  Appendix: Enchanted Items for Vampire ...................96 
  Appendix Two: .....................................................97 
  Lists for the Storyteller ...........................................97 
  Archetypes........................................................97 
  Abilities............................................................98 
  Primary Talents ....................................................98 
  Primary Skills.......................................................98 
  Primary Knowledges..............................................98 
  Secondary Talents.................................................98 
  Secondary Skills....................................................98 
  Secondary Knowledges...........................................99 
  Disciplines........................................................99 
  Animalism (V)......................................................99 
  Auspex (V)...........................................................99 
  
  Vampire Storytellers Handbook 
  108 
  Bardo (HH)..........................................................99 
  Chimerstry (PG).................................................. 100 
  Daimoinon (SH).................................................. 100 
  Dominate (V) ..................................................... 100 
  Necromancy (PG)................................................ 100 
  Obeah (PG) ........................................................ 100 
  Obfuscate (V) ..................................................... 100 
  Presence (V)....................................................... 100 
  Protean (V)........................................................ 100 
  Quietus (PG) ...................................................... 101 
  Sanguinus (SH)................................................... 101 
  Serpentis (PG).................................................... 101 
  Thaumaturgy (V)................................................. 101 
  Neptune's Might (PG)........................................ 101 
  Spirit Thaumaturgy (PG) ................................... 101 
  Elemental Mastery (PG)..................................... 101 
  Corruption (PG)............................................... 101 
  Visceratika (SH)............................................... 101 
  Thaumaturgy Rituals ........................................... 101 
  Level One....................................................... 101 
  Level Two....................................................... 101 
  Level Three..................................................... 102 
  Level Four ...................................................... 102 
  Level Five....................................................... 102 
  Level Six......................................................... 102 
  Level Seven ..................................................... 102 
  Level Eight...................................................... 102 
  Level Nine...................................................... 102 
  Level Ten ........................................................ 102 
  Merits and Flaws.............................................. 102 
  Psychological...................................................... 102 
  Mental.............................................................. 102 
  Perception ......................................................... 103 
  Aptitudes........................................................... 103 
  Supernatural ...................................................... 103 
  Kindred Ties....................................................... 103 
  Mortal Society .................................................... 103 
  Physical............................................................. 104 
  Summary........................................................... 105 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/unsorted/Vampire the Masquerade/Storytellers Handbook, 2nd version (1992,1997).pdf