Vampire Masquerade 20th anniv
en
English
Vampire 20th anniv homebrew DAV20
No politics of any kind: right, left, sexuality, real world religions, excessive feminism/whatever etc not allowed, if you have a need to make a fuss about that, you will be kicked out. It's perfectly fine to have those views, but don't bring them to the game (this is meant to be fun, social, intellectually challenging). If you have major psych problems that get in the way of simple social interaction (explosive outbursts etc) don't contact me. I do ask for telephone number just in case of you not showing up to game and you didn't tell me otherwise. Emergency stuff, like if you get sick or something. I do care about my players! FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT PLOT AND GROUP COMPOSITION!
1 Give me warning 24 hours before the game if you are gonna cancel. I need the time to tell the others and cancel the game if I don't have enough people to play. This is non negotiable! 2 Play well with others. If you are too disruptive, I will boot you after several warnings. 3 Take a different role each new campaign. Try new things! 4 You have to show up to play 75% of the time. If you cancel too many times, there's no point to having you in the group. 5 Sometimes you will be required to take a role you don't really want because the rest of the group made their picks already, this is meant to help the group have versatility. If this happens, the next campaign I will make sure you get first pick as to your role/class. 6 If you have to make sacrifices for the group, like blowing feats on item crafting etc, I will try to send good things your way. Teamwork is important.
I have been GMing since 1997 or so, cut my gaming teeth on AD&D first ed. I go above and beyond for my players. I am very adept at teaching, btw. This campaign is on Mondays at 6pm Central time Discord video chat, but we could change time/day if the other players are willing and able. Set in Chicago, I've added abilities to the NPCs to support their discipline powers, and set the whole timeline from Chicago 1 to 2 and beyond more gradually, changed who lives. Note that I have changed some of the clans a bit, like switched Gangrel(Sabbat) and City Gangrel (Camarilla), turned certain Brujah into True Brujah, a Ventrue into a Nosferatu, that sort of thing.
Vampire has characters that are difficult to create without my assistance if you don't know how the numbers and discipline powers work (you distribute dots, there are no classes). However the game play dice mechanics/rules are easy as heck. The hard part is that it demands more forethought to play, because there's a lot of deceptive NPCs, including your own. It is oddly more ethical/moral than medieval fantasy games by far, even though you don't play a hero normally, and even though you're a vampire feeding on humans and aren't human yourself. It's darker I suppose, lots of intrigue and figuring out what is really going on. Kinda like watching Babylon 5 or Dune, you have to take notes to recall everything that could be vital later. A LOT less combat than medieval fantasy games! It's rare, but nasty when it does occur. Maturity is advised. Note that I broke my campaign down in a timeline, it can be altered by PC actions, even down to the year and month.
VERY DETAILED homebrew campaign that can be changed given PC choices. RIght now they are in late 1990 somewhere between Oct and December, you will get the PC's average xp to start with, along with a host of extra little benefits outside what the creation rules normally grant. You dictate the parameters, I figure out how to make the mechanics do what you want and tell you about potential problems, and I pick out flaws so as to give you your own story arc. Its also a great way to get rid of problem NPCs. The Dark Fate flaw is reserved for anyone meeting their end during Gehenna, the end of the world. See, the Antediluvians rise, and they are hungry for their clan members.... That doesn't mean you can't play, you can still run other characters even after your main one croaks.
Official list of clans/bloodlines you can take in Chicago compatible with the group as it is: Nosferatu (must take Dark Fate flaw), Toreador, Ventrue, Brujah, Gangrel (Sabbat), Malkavian, City Gangrel (Camarilla), Tzimisce (must take the Dark Fate flaw), Gargoyle, Caitiff (Anarch typically), Assamite (Milwaukee Sabbat), True Brujah (Camarilla).
Obscure list (you can take them if you want, but you won't have support from fellow clan members in Chicago): Daughter of Cacophony, Nagarajah, Lamia.
Got a Cappadocian (a hospital morgue doctor and a necromancer), Salubri (one Healer(an FBI agent), one Watcher (a homicide Chicago police detective), one Salubri Warrior, and Lasombra (an amateur boxer and criminal lawyer, he wants to go Camarilla). I have set up each pc to have fast growth, to have really good rolls for their disciplines right away. The party could use a member that has Vicissitude, Animalism as clan, or possibly Thaumaturgy. Luckily there's a 5 point merit that allows anyone to buy clan xp rates, hint hint. If you go into this expecting to create your character without regard to the setting or the group composition, you can kiss your entitled butt goodbye. Even if I did nothing different as GM, the group would suffer and your PC might not make it. I do get your back when I get the chance if you are willing to try a clan you don't normally.
You gotta also pay for mentor ratings since you need a teacher to increase your disciplines outside of Celerity, Fortitude, Potence. BTW, I made these 3 powers much easier to use, and less vitae expensive. If you pick from the obscure list, you can BUY up to 7th generation, but you blow 6 background dots to pull it off.
Caitiff are interesting, I made them able to teach ANY discipline they learn; normally the 13 clans can only teach their clan disciplines. A Tremere is possible, but you'd need to be a diehard Anarch (meaning the local Tremere want your keister dead, although good news for you that the Chicago ones are less than competent).
If you don't know the clans, I can give you information but you will need the V20 core rulebook (learning the setting and abilities but not the disciplines), the dark ages core rulebook (mostly just for the super powers/disciplines), tome of secrets (all forms of vampire magic, even Obtenebration), and Erciyes Fragments (this will feature heavily in the campaign, its the Vampire bible of sorts including prophecies) books. Also a total of 20 d10's, basically two matched sets of 10 d10's, but the 2 sets cannot match each other. Preferably translucent dice, not solid. Chuck out any that have bubbles inside. Game always starts at 6pm central Mondays.
The Guide to the Camarilla from the Revised edition might be handy, but not strictly necessary. Prince's Primer is nice for understanding elder vampires' mindset. They are very manipulative, and deceptive.
This is a copy of an update I gave to a player that missed a session: Both Michael Payne Toreador and Son of the Malkavians are dead, and Jay found another body in the basement, this time of a dead boy, a formerly months old vampire Caitiff. His name was Neon, and Damien of the Brujah (one of 2 anarch leaders was caring/teaching for Neon) Damien will have to be told. Neon was chained via manacles to the basement floor in Son's Skokie residence, his throat ripped out and his face gnawed upon.
Evidence was found that Son was blackmailing Horatio Ballard into insane and demeaning acts. You could get a major boon from Ballard using this, or use it against him in other ways. (the players gave this information to the Nosferatu, who now owe them big time)
Ballard apparently has been naughty. Michael accidentally killed Son, and Michael is dead thanks to the party knocking him into torpor, and the elders ending him.
recall, Michael was suicidal, and homicidal after the party ended his ex wife.
plus had a rep for being a thug who used to cause chaos
your character Salubri Healer just rescued the young couple that Son was psychologically torturing, and you shot Michael (bashing damage, just reduced him to torpor) as he tried to use Ben the Cappadocian as a shield