Post by Katie on Jul 12, 2020 16:19:00 GMT -5
Basics: Systems and Drama
Blood drips onto paper with a sound like a snare drum rat - tat - tat it goes. I'm using those drops they way I used to use my heartbeat, as a way to count out a few seconds when I'm trying to be calm. But my heart doesn't beat anymore, so I need to find something else to use.
Right now, it's the sound of my blood dripping from my girlfriend's mouth onto the newspaper on the floor, she 's supposed to be swallowing it, drinking it and letting it turn her into a vampire so we can be together, but nothing's happening. I don't know why.
I did it the way Riki told me you have to do it. I took all of her, blood first, then I cut my wrist open and let everything drizzle into her mouth the way she used to drizzle chocolate syrup onto her ice cream. Then I sat down and I waited for her to open her eyes again.
That was an hour ago. It 's not supposed to take that long. The blood keeps dripping out of her mouth and I keep putting more in, and it' s hot working. The sun' s coming up. And it' s not working. And the blood keeps on spilling on the floor. Honey, you've got to drink. Please drink, honey. Don't be dead. Please, don't be dead.
While Vampire's focus is on roleplaying and character interaction, dramatic scenes often involve some element of die rolling. As Chapter Five shows, the basic Storyteller rules are designed to streamline this process as much as possible, allowing you to pay attention to the story. To assist you and the Storyteller further, this chapter covers more specific dice mechanics, including general dramatic systems, combat, injury and recovery.
We reiterate that the following systems are suggestions for how we think situations can be best handled. If, in your chronicles, you come up with a way you like better, by all means use it. Also - particularly when dealing with social actions like seductions and speeches - the dice should never get in the way of roleplaying. If a player has his character make a particularly inspired (or painful) speech, deliver a particularly smooth (or cheesy) opening line, or come up with a brilliant (or laughable) alibi, feel free to let the character succeed (or fail) automatically, regardless of what the dice and Traits say.
Dramatic Systems
The only things limiting your actions are your imagination and your character's skill. During a game session, characters - both player and Storyteller personalities - may attempt numerous diverse and complicated activities. The Storyteller is responsible for keeping all of this action organized while determining success or failure for all characters.
Dramatic systems simplify the Storyteller's job by supplying rules for a number of common activities. Generally, a character attempting to accomplish a task adds together an Attribute and Ability. If a task falls within a character's specialty (p. 117), that character may be able to roll extra dice if the player scores one or more "10s" on his roll.
Storytellers should, and will undoubtedly have to, invent their own dramatic systems for new situations. The list of systems below is in no way exhaustive, but provides a solid foundation on which to base events. Bear in mind that for rolls involving Talents and Skills, characters lacking a specific Ability may default to the Attribute on which the Ability is based (albeit at +1 difficulty for Skill-based actions).
Most of these systems involve taking one or more actions (p. 190) over one or more turns. A number of these systems may be tried again if the first attempt is unsuccessful. Subsequent efforts may suffer a difficulty penalty, at the Storyteller's discretion (see "Trying It Again," p. 193).
Automatic Feats
Automatic feats require the character to take an action, but don't involve a die roll under most circumstances. The following are common automatic feats; Storytellers may decide that other feats are automatic, at their discretion.
Blood Use (Healing, Augmenting Attributes, etc.): Vampire characters may spend blood to heal themselves. To do so, the character must concentrate and do nothing else for one full turn. A character may attempt to heal while performing other actions, but this requires success on a Stamina + Survival reflexive roll (difficulty 8). Failing this roll means the vampire loses all expended blood points with no effect, while a botch causes the vampire to lose both an additional blood point and an additional health level. Spending blood to raise Physical Attributes or power Disciplines may be done automatically, without the need for concentration. A character may spend an amount of vitae equal to her per-tum rating, as dictated by her generation (p. 139).
Getting to Feet: Characters may rise from the ground in one turn without making a roll. If a character wishes to get to her feet while doing something else in the same turn, she must take a multiple action (see "Multiple Actions," p. 192) with a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 4) to rise successfully.
Movement: Characters may choose to walk, jog or run. If walking, a character moves at seven yards per turn. If jogging, a character moves at (12 + Dexterity) yards per turn. If all-out running, a character moves at (20 + [3 x Dexterity]) yards per turn. Characters may move up to half maximum running speed, then subsequently attack or perform another action; see p. 209 for particulars. Characters may also wish to move while taking another action. This is possible, but each yard moved subtracts one from the other action's dice pool. Note that injured characters (p. 216) cannot move at maximum speed.
Readying Weapon: This can involving drawing a weapon or reloading a bow with a prepared arrow. In most cases, no roll is required, so long as the character takes no other action that turn. If the character wishes to ready a weapon while doing something else in the same turn, the player must reduce his dice pool (see "Multiple Actions," p. 192) and roll Dexterity + Melee or Archery (difficulty 4) for the readying attempt.
Yielding: The character allows the character with the next-highest initiative (p. 207) to act. She may still act at the end of the turn. If all characters (player and Storyteller) yield during a turn, no one does anything that turn.
Blood drips onto paper with a sound like a snare drum rat - tat - tat it goes. I'm using those drops they way I used to use my heartbeat, as a way to count out a few seconds when I'm trying to be calm. But my heart doesn't beat anymore, so I need to find something else to use.
Right now, it's the sound of my blood dripping from my girlfriend's mouth onto the newspaper on the floor, she 's supposed to be swallowing it, drinking it and letting it turn her into a vampire so we can be together, but nothing's happening. I don't know why.
I did it the way Riki told me you have to do it. I took all of her, blood first, then I cut my wrist open and let everything drizzle into her mouth the way she used to drizzle chocolate syrup onto her ice cream. Then I sat down and I waited for her to open her eyes again.
That was an hour ago. It 's not supposed to take that long. The blood keeps dripping out of her mouth and I keep putting more in, and it' s hot working. The sun' s coming up. And it' s not working. And the blood keeps on spilling on the floor. Honey, you've got to drink. Please drink, honey. Don't be dead. Please, don't be dead.
While Vampire's focus is on roleplaying and character interaction, dramatic scenes often involve some element of die rolling. As Chapter Five shows, the basic Storyteller rules are designed to streamline this process as much as possible, allowing you to pay attention to the story. To assist you and the Storyteller further, this chapter covers more specific dice mechanics, including general dramatic systems, combat, injury and recovery.
We reiterate that the following systems are suggestions for how we think situations can be best handled. If, in your chronicles, you come up with a way you like better, by all means use it. Also - particularly when dealing with social actions like seductions and speeches - the dice should never get in the way of roleplaying. If a player has his character make a particularly inspired (or painful) speech, deliver a particularly smooth (or cheesy) opening line, or come up with a brilliant (or laughable) alibi, feel free to let the character succeed (or fail) automatically, regardless of what the dice and Traits say.
Dramatic Systems
The only things limiting your actions are your imagination and your character's skill. During a game session, characters - both player and Storyteller personalities - may attempt numerous diverse and complicated activities. The Storyteller is responsible for keeping all of this action organized while determining success or failure for all characters.
Dramatic systems simplify the Storyteller's job by supplying rules for a number of common activities. Generally, a character attempting to accomplish a task adds together an Attribute and Ability. If a task falls within a character's specialty (p. 117), that character may be able to roll extra dice if the player scores one or more "10s" on his roll.
Storytellers should, and will undoubtedly have to, invent their own dramatic systems for new situations. The list of systems below is in no way exhaustive, but provides a solid foundation on which to base events. Bear in mind that for rolls involving Talents and Skills, characters lacking a specific Ability may default to the Attribute on which the Ability is based (albeit at +1 difficulty for Skill-based actions).
Most of these systems involve taking one or more actions (p. 190) over one or more turns. A number of these systems may be tried again if the first attempt is unsuccessful. Subsequent efforts may suffer a difficulty penalty, at the Storyteller's discretion (see "Trying It Again," p. 193).
Automatic Feats
Automatic feats require the character to take an action, but don't involve a die roll under most circumstances. The following are common automatic feats; Storytellers may decide that other feats are automatic, at their discretion.
Blood Use (Healing, Augmenting Attributes, etc.): Vampire characters may spend blood to heal themselves. To do so, the character must concentrate and do nothing else for one full turn. A character may attempt to heal while performing other actions, but this requires success on a Stamina + Survival reflexive roll (difficulty 8). Failing this roll means the vampire loses all expended blood points with no effect, while a botch causes the vampire to lose both an additional blood point and an additional health level. Spending blood to raise Physical Attributes or power Disciplines may be done automatically, without the need for concentration. A character may spend an amount of vitae equal to her per-tum rating, as dictated by her generation (p. 139).
Getting to Feet: Characters may rise from the ground in one turn without making a roll. If a character wishes to get to her feet while doing something else in the same turn, she must take a multiple action (see "Multiple Actions," p. 192) with a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 4) to rise successfully.
Movement: Characters may choose to walk, jog or run. If walking, a character moves at seven yards per turn. If jogging, a character moves at (12 + Dexterity) yards per turn. If all-out running, a character moves at (20 + [3 x Dexterity]) yards per turn. Characters may move up to half maximum running speed, then subsequently attack or perform another action; see p. 209 for particulars. Characters may also wish to move while taking another action. This is possible, but each yard moved subtracts one from the other action's dice pool. Note that injured characters (p. 216) cannot move at maximum speed.
Readying Weapon: This can involving drawing a weapon or reloading a bow with a prepared arrow. In most cases, no roll is required, so long as the character takes no other action that turn. If the character wishes to ready a weapon while doing something else in the same turn, the player must reduce his dice pool (see "Multiple Actions," p. 192) and roll Dexterity + Melee or Archery (difficulty 4) for the readying attempt.
Yielding: The character allows the character with the next-highest initiative (p. 207) to act. She may still act at the end of the turn. If all characters (player and Storyteller) yield during a turn, no one does anything that turn.