Vampire: The Masquerade - DC By Night

[Nicolae]

DC by Night

"Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality." -- Emily Dickinson

I'm planning on running a favorite campaign of mine from the Classic World of Darkness, heavy on roleplaying and both character development and character interaction. Ultimately, I want interesting characters with hopes, dreams, fears, flaws, and if you want, even a fetish or two. That will keep the game fresh and alive (even though the character aren't!) and keep us coming back for more.

Before you read anything else: Don't post your Character Sheet here! I want you to send me a PM containing your character sheet, typed out. My next post will contain the format I want it typed in.

And another thing: Because of the nature of Vampire: The Masquerade games, players may occasionally work against each others' purposes. This means that occasionally, In Character actions may need to be performed in secret (a secret meeting with an NPC, a secret sabotaging of another player's efforts, etc.). We will handle this via PM between the player and me, the Storyteller. If some characters want to conspire in secret from the other player characters, that is perfectly fine, as long as they include me in their PMs. If I don't see it and am not given a chance to respond, it doesn't happen In Character. It goes without saying that metagaming is not allowed.

As for the details of the game setting:

Where? Washington, DC, and the surrounding areas.

When? The game will begin with its setting in early March 2012. (The actual game will start in a week or two when I get enough good applications.)

Playable Clans? Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue are fine. Any other clan, you'll have to pitch me the idea, and they must be either Independent or Camarilla -- no Sabbat or Giovanni at the moment.

Character Ages? Your characters will be neonates, so no matter how old they were when they were Embraced, they are relatively young Kindred (less than 50 years old) who are trying to establish themselves in vampire society. They're no longer under the direct supervision of their sires, but they're still newcomers to Kindred society.

Sourcebooks allowed? We'll be using the Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, also called V20. If you want a flaw or merit out of a different book, run it by me first. Rules for building a character using the V20 ruleset can be found here. http://www.thesubnet.com/portal/wod/vtm20/index.html I HIGHLY recommend you use it. (If you want to use a clanbook, let me know.)

Paths? For now, only Humanity is available. If you have a different preference, we can work toward it in character.

Disciplines? Clan disciplines only for now. If you want to learn other disciplines, that can be handled in character.

Character Backgrounds? This should include your character's life as a mortal, their Embrace, and the activities they have pursued in their unlife. If you have a dot on your character sheet, it should make sense when I read your background. Did your character go to college (Academics)? If so, what did he or she study (various Knowledge abilities)? Do they know how to find what they need on the streets (Streetwise) or can they win a fistfight (Brawl)? Essentially, what I'm asking is that your character sheet make sense with your backstory. Don't take four dots in Firearms and have no clue when or where your character was trained to be an expert marksman. If your character was a doctor in life (and maybe still is), you should have at least four dots in Medicine (nurses should have at least two or three dots in it).

Sexual Backgrounds/Preferences? I need to know what your character's sexual orientation or preference is, whether they have been intimate with another person in the past (your character would interact differently in some situations depending on whether he or she is a virgin, moderately sexually experienced, or very sexually experienced), any fetishes they may have, and anything else you think may be relevant, especially if it is relevant to how your character would act around NPCs. Did your character have a regular romantic partner or partners before your Embrace? Did your character ever had mortal children, and if so with whom? Does your character have other sexual kinks? Is he or she an exhibitionist or a voyeur?

Religion? Did your character have religious leanings before their Embrace? Religion plays a large role in the World of Darkness, and while I honestly don't care about my players' religious leanings, their characters' religious affiliation and beliefs are important. The World of Darkness has a strange approach to religion, which is sort of that for the purposes of metaphysical contemplation (True Faith, et al.), all religions are somewhat true. If we were playing in the Dark Ages, there would be Christian vampires (especially the Lasombra) and Muslim vampires (especially the Assamites), and virtually every character would accept as a given that a god or gods exists. In a modern setting, this is not the case, and while there is still the occasional religious vampire, the majority will be Deists, Agnostics, or Atheists, with the noteworthy exceptions being the Assamites, Followers of Set, and members of the Sabbat.

Moral Shortcomings? I expect your character's Humanity score to have an impact on how you roleplay your character. Consider what your character would be willing to do to achieve their goals, protect their loved ones (if they have "loved ones"), gain more power, etc. What vices do they have (gambling, booze, prostitutes, etc.)? What would tempt them to turn their back on their coterie, on their families, or on their clan/sect? For many of those, your character may never be tempted to those depths, but let your answer reflect (among other things), your character's personality. This will help to make your character feel more real and much more interesting.

Hopes, Dreams, Wishes, and Fears? Via a PM (not publicly), tell me what your character's hopes, dreams, wishes, and their fears are, and what YOUR hopes, dreams, and wishes for your character are, since they may not be the same. Concerning fears, take into consideration any family they may have, potential loneliness or ennui, and any traumatic experiences they may have had that still haunt their nightmares.

Anything else? Your character can be from virtually anywhere in the world as long as their backstory explains their reason for being in DC, and they must be able to speak English.

If I've forgotten anything, please feel free to ask about it. So is anyone interested?

[Nicolae]

Name:
Clan:
Player:
Nature:
Demeanor:
Concept:
Generation:
Sire:

STR:  DEX:  STA:
CHA:  MAN:  APP:
PER:  INT:  WIT:

Talents:
Skills:
Knowledges:

Backgrounds:
Disciplines:
Virtues:

Humanity:
Willpower:
Blood Pool:

Merits:
Flaws:

Freebie Points (15):

Age:
Apparent Age:
Date of Birth:
Date of Embrace:
Hair:
Eyes:
Race:
Nationality:
Height:
Weight:
Sex:

Send me your sheet without the freebie points added, for approval. Then we'll add your freebie points. (Remember, no Abilities can be more than 3 without freebie points added.)

[Nicolae]

Completed Character Sheets

AndyZ with Joanna Kyleson
RubySlippers with Altagracia Santiago
Finn MacKenna with Amara Lewis
Ebb with Norman Black
VonDoom with Sebastian D. Richter
Miroque with Ingrid Schwarzegeist
kckolbe with Robert Dwyer
Anon315 with Deitrich Anderson

[Florence]

INTERESTED.

Question: Can I play a Nagaraja?

They're my favorite clan, but given that they're extremely rare, I'd completely understand if you'd rather I didn't.

Otherwise, I'm not sure which clan I want to play, but I've got a few in mind. Maybe a Malk or a Brujah... or maybe a Ventrue, I usually don't like the Ventrue but it might be an interesting change of pace... maybe a Toreador.

[Nicolae]

I'd rather you didn't play a Nagaraja. They are rare and they'd have a harder time fitting into a coterie than most other clans.

[Florence]

Alright. Like I said, I totally understand.

I love Malkavians, but I'm always afraid I'll delve into 'fishmalk' territory if I make one, so I might do Brujah, Ventrue or Toreador. Tremere is a possibility too, but I'm not sure.

[RubySlippers]

Definitely interested but can I play a Caitiff?

I'm thinking she learned mostly from movies and take classic vampire powers.

1. Everyone knows vampires can take damage so Fortitude, come on Dracula and tons of vampires can get shot and stabbed with no real impact right.

2. Now vampires are super strong they can toss people around and punch peoples faces off so Potence fits.

3. Vampires seem to have powers over mortals so either Dominate or Presence depending if she went the classic Dracula vampire route or the female vampires are all hot and sexy route.

Her Sire didn't teach her much as in stay out of the sun, a little bit about vampire society and how to feed and not kill mortals and the Traditions but left before teaching her powers so relied on what she knows about them and she worked on those ideas.

[AndyZ]

Very interested but not sure what I'll play.

[Nicolae]

@RubySlippers: You can certainly play a Caitiff, though to begin with pick a maximum of two of those disciplines and give them one dot each. Being a Caitiff, her only real source of discipline discovery and use would be from instinct. (Ultimately, her sire had a clan, the blood of which runs in her veins, and which disciplines you choose will point us in the direction of which clan that was, for In-Character discovery.)

[RubySlippers]

Not necessarily Caitiff can make Caitiff, but I might be 14th Generation so may have a Clan Sire of some clan or another likely rejected or one not from the Camarilla.

I will go with to help hunting go with Dominate.

And basic survival with Fortitude.

Both should be easy enough to get from practice if over a few years, she is likely no more than 5 years old, leaving one to be found out which could be any clans unless something she would need to train in like Thaumaturgy. If something unusual pops up it would be fun.

[AndyZ]

Current plans involve a strip club owner, and if anyone playing would be interested in working there, by all means.  Will need a bit before the character is fully set up.

[Nicolae]

@RubySlippers: Gotcha, you've definitely got approval for your character idea.

Anybody who wants to make a stripper for AndyZ's strip club, feel free to do so!

[Nicolae]

Had someone just mention Blush of Health. It's a two point physical merit, and here's the description.

"You look more hale and healthy in appearance than other vampires, allowing you to blend with human society much more easily. You still retain the color of a living mortal, and your skin feels only slightly cool to the touch."

I'll rule that taking this merit would also allow you to engage in sexual activities (achieve and maintain an erection if male, become aroused/lubricated if female) without expending a Blood Point to do so.

Edit: Another thing I need to mention is the Eat Food merit, which is a 1 point physical merit.

"You have the capacity to eat food and even savor its taste. While you cannot derive any nourishment from eating regular foods, this ability will serve you well in pretending to be human. Of course, you can't digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you have to heave it back up."

Without taking this merit, anything that you consume (solid or liquid) that isn't blood is going to turn to ashes in your gullet, which forces you to cough it up along with a Blood Point worth of blood. If you succeed on a roll, I'll probably let you hold off until you can get to a private location if one is available, or I'd certainly let you roll to try to conceal the fact that you're only pretending to eat or drink.

[RubySlippers]

@RubySlippers: Gotcha, you've definitely got approval for your character idea.

Anybody who wants to make a stripper for AndyZ's strip club, feel free to do so!

You mean WORK?!?!    Ah, no.

She is a trust fund baby with the Lazy flaw.   

[Florence]

Question I've never really been sure of.

Apart from the mechanical differences in how they regain will, what exactly is the difference between a Visionary and an Idealist in terms of how you'd roleplay them?

[Nicolae]

Ultimately, from what I read, the Visionary is a more evangelistic form of the Idealist. Other than that, they are very similar. The Idealist is more about defending the cause and pushing the cause's agenda, while the Visionary is more about getting others on board with the cause (i.e., creating Idealists).

[Florence]

Hmmm... I'm trying to figure out which sort of character I'd rather play.

Clan wise I think I settled on Brujah, though that's still subject to change xD

[Nicolae]

Well, do you want to be a Doer (Idealist) or a Talker (Visionary)?

Edit: Granted, that's a drastic oversimplification, but Visionaries only get their extra point of Willpower when they convince someone to act in accordance with your cause. Idealists get one when THEY act in accordance with their cause. One of those you have more direct control over.

[Florence]

Aye, I think she might be more of a visionary. I'm thinking I may play her as more of sort of an internet-age rebel. Hacker and charismatic activist type; rather than a brute punk brawler.

[Nicolae]

@Finn: VERY interesting! There's a favorite NPC of mine you may run into with a character like that.

[Florence]

Ooooh, I can't wait!

Edit: This is the first time I've seriously used V20 and oh my god the book is killing me. I love the modern references they threw in xD

An example specialization for "Computers" "The YouTubes" an example of who might possess "Intimidation" "Anonymous".

[Ghostwheel]

Big fan of the ruleset, let me think a bit about what kind of character to make...

[Flana]

Oh my god, Vampire the Masquerade! I love this setting, but sadly have never had anyone to play with. Alas, sadly, my heart belong to Clan Malkav and its shattered mirror. I do have a couple questions though! (If you'd allow a heartfelt Malkavian roaming the streets.) First, is Dementation alright? Just want to make sure if you'd rather be in the Dominate bloodline, or if Dementation is open. Second, if it ever gets to the point where I grab the tier 3 Dementation (assuming it's open), would it be alright with you to rarely work in small or abscure hints to various babblings of the mind? Of course, I'd send whatever it is to you first for approval. Can't have it be too easy to decipher.

That or I just try to find a really elaborate way to rickroll anyone looking for a message. It'll be so worth it.

[kckolbe]

As much time as I've spent around tables, I actually have very little experience with this setting, or playing any kind of vampire.  I'd like to give it a shot, but I'd likely need some help with the flavor portion of character creation.  Anyone down for helping with that?  At first glance, Malkav, Ventrue, and Brujah seem the most appealing.

[RubySlippers]

I can help you. It will cost four pints of a rare blood type t body temperature. 

Seriously just ask me what you need help with.