Post by Katie on Sept 5, 2020 0:20:44 GMT -5
[Many of these House Rules have been adopted and adapted from another VtM game called Emerald City Nights; you can find a link to this server in our “recommended games” section. Others, such as the variation on Influence, have been provided by Queen of Roses from our Discord server!]
Allies and Retainers are NPCs attached to your character. We want to encourage a developing relationship between your character and their associated NPCs, but at the same time we certainly feel that PCs should always be in the spotlight. We do not want a player so focused on their Retainers, Allies or Spirit Slaves to the point that they are running multiple characters in a scene! For that reason, we have decided to adopt these house rules for our server.
ALLIES: Allies are NPCs closely tied to your Player Character. They are confidants, friends, former lovers or family members. They may also be saps, taken in by careful manipulation. Whatever the case, these Mortals are loyal to your character and will help out wherever they can. They may also ask for a favor in return, or even just out of the blue need help with something even if you have not recently tapped them for a favor.
In mechanical terms, Allies in our FOTA chronicle will give Player Characters to another pool of Backgrounds, including those traits that PCs do not themselves possess. Each Ally you name at creation is given a rating. The number of dots you assign to a single Ally increases the size of the Background pool your Ally can lend you. An Ally can lend your character their Ally Rating + 1 in Backgrounds of any combination once every 14 Days, but the totals must be decided when the Ally is purchased. It breaks down like this:
- Moderately Powerful (Allies:1) Access to 2 points of Backgrounds
. - Influential (Allies:2) Access to 3 points of Backgrounds in any combination.
- Quite Powerful (Allies:3) Access to 4 points of Backgrounds in any combination
- Very Powerful (Allies:4) Access to 5 points of Backgrounds in any combination.
- Extremely Powerful (Allies:5) Access to 6 points of Backgrounds in any combination.
The type of Backgrounds that your Allies can lend you are subject to Storyteller approval, as some Backgrounds do not make sense to “lend” to another character (things like: Title, Status, Generation, etc). Allies do no possess any Backgrounds above level 5.
Allies granted to your character in the course of the story will have Backgrounds chosen by the Storyteller, but we'll of course ask for your input as well!
Purchasing the Allies background allows you to allocate the points spent into one or more Allies. For example, if you purchase Allies: 4 at creation, you are free to outline four “Moderately Powerful” allies, one “Very Powerful” Ally, or any combination up to four dots.
When detailing your Allies on your expanded character sheet or your character thread, please be sure to give us all of the relevant information. For example:
[Allies] Grigory Ruthven, local merchant. (Allies:3 Quite Powerful) Resources 2, Contacts 1, Retainers 1
RETAINERS: Retainers are NPCs that serve the Player Character. These NPCs (either hired hands or blood slaves) are a supporting role rather than a focus of the story. Retainers get three (3) Abilities in which they excel. Ghoul Retainers (which are by far the most numerous Retainers) also get Potence 1 and one level in any in-clan Discipline of their Domitor.
Each Retainer who is not a Ghoul also requires the Player Character to have a corresponding point of Resources which represents the PC's ability to pay a salary to this Retainer.
Retainers are considered to be protecting their Domitor during the day, but may not always be with that character every night. Please clearly state when you are accompanied by your Retainers (even if they are hidden from other characters) either in the scene or in a DM to a Storyteller.
As Retainers are considered “extras” in the story rather than a leading role, anything your Retainer does off-screen should be handled in a request to your Character: Backstories and Bluebooks thread.
Choose three Abilities in which your Retainer has a dedicated focus. For any action using these three Abilities, your Retainer is considered to have 8 dice. For all actions not directly related to your Retainer's area of expertise, your Retainer will have only 3 dice.
Optionally, you may substitute a Merit in place of one Ability with Storyteller approval.
Choose your Retainer's Disciplines. Retainers receive Potence 1 automatically; the other Discipline should be chosen from the three “In-Clan” Disciplines of your character. If this includes any for of blood magick, choose a Ritual for your Retainer as well.
For purposes of rules mechanics and powers that might target them, Retainers are assumed to have all other stats at 3, including Virtues and Willpower. Humanity is considered 6. Retainers may not follow any Road other than Humanity. Retainers are considered to have 3 Blood Points for the purposes of healing themselves and activating Disciplines each night.
For particularly old or exceptionally skilled Retainers, you may invest ONE additional background point in exchange for either: 1 more Ability at 8 dice, or 1 additonal Discipline. If your character is of the 7th Generation, this can increase your Retainer's Discpline rating to 2. NO MORE THAN ONE ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND POINT MAY BE INVESTED IN THIS WAY.
Ghouled Animals: Animal Retainers use the same system as above, with some small changes.
- Animal Retainers get Potence 1 for free and can choose either Fortitude or Celerity for their second Discipline dot. No other Disciplines are available to Animal Retainers.
- The Abilities that Animal Retainers excel in are more limited in scope. Use common sense here, and ask a Storyteller if you have questions. Consider Abilities like: Brawl, Alertness, Stealth,
- Survival (Tracking), Animal Ken (Subduing other animals) and potentially even Legerdemain (for those rascally rats, weasels, monkeys and the like).
- Animal Retainers cannot be improved with the investment of a second dot in the Retainers Background and cannot trade an Ability for a Merit.
Retainers of any kind will never be able to teach Disciplines, though they might instruct in one of their exceptional Abilities.
SPIRIT SLAVES: This Background is only available to Necromancers. For each dot in this background, the Player Character has control over one Wraith, almost always through possession of that Wraith's fetter (a physical reminder, memorial or representation of the spirit's time among the living). Please note, this background is called “Spirit Slaves” for a reason! 99.999% of these relationships aren't exactly friendly. The Necromancer has possession of a Wraith's major tie to the living world, and can threaten to sever that connection unless the Wraith follows the Player Character's orders. There are some rare instances in which a Wraith might risk the dangers of breaking their own ghostly society's laws to serve a Vampire without this coercion, but please keep in mind the power dynamics at play here. Wraiths are expressly forbidden from interacting with the Skinlands due to the laws of the mysterious “Hierarchy” of the dead. To break this prohibition, a Wraith would need an extremely compelling reason. The most obvious answer to this equation is the possession of the fetter and the threat of it's destruction (and therefor the destruction of some of the Wraith's power), in addition to either making the Wraith more afraid of the vampire than of it's own society OR convincing the Wraith that your vampire is able to grant it suitable protection from it's enemies.
Wraiths are incorporeal and exist beyond the Sudario (aka the Shroud). To see or hear a Wraith, a Vampire must have at least one of the following:
Merit: Medium, Sepulchre Path Necromancy, Ash Path Necromancy.
Necromancy must be rolled in order to hear or see your Spirit Slaves.Your Spirit Slave is assumed to be resting “inside” of their Fetter unless ordered to do otherwise. Additionally, it is often beneficial for a Necromancer to carry with them any Fetters belonging to their Spirit Slaves. It may be seen as strange to lug around a moth-eaten dinner gown, but it may come in handy when you need to invoke the banshee's shriek of that long dead debutante.
Spirit Slaves can also temporarily manifest themselves in the Skinlands, but will only do so if compelled. Vampires can use Path of Sepulchre 3: Compel Soul to force their Spirit Slave to manifest physically. Otherwise, the vampire could attempt to bully their Spirit Slave into breaking their society's laws, making the Wraith fear the vampire's immediate punishment more than the Hierarchy's disapproval in the long term. Finally, it is possible (though much harder) to convince a Spirit Slave to manifest without a threat, relying on inspiration for some greater cause.
To bully your Spirit Slave into manifesting, roll Manipulation+Intimidation, difficulty 7. You will need at least three successes to accomplish this. (Note: physically threatening a Spirit Slave's Fetter gives you a -1 difficulty benefit on this roll.)
To try compelling your Spirit Slave with your personal magnetism, roll Charisma+Leadership, difficulty 8. You will need three successes to accomplish this.
To manifest in the Skinlands, your Spirit Slave will make a Passion roll. The baseline difficulty for manifesting is 7, but this roll is easier in certain “haunted” places where the Sudario is thinner and the Underworld's influence bleeds into the Skinlands. Every success on this roll allows your Spirit Slave to manifest for one combat turn (or about 3 to 6 seconds outside of combat).
Each Spirit Slave receives two (2) Abilities in which they excel, similar to Retainers. Spirit Slaves have 8 dice to roll for those 2 Abilities and 3 dice for any action outside of those Abilities.
In addition, every Spirit Slave has: Humanity (6), Willpower (5), Passion (5).
Your Spirit Slave's Passion pool can be used to fuel it's ghostly powers. Additionally, this pool represents the Spirit Slave's “health levels” in the Shadowlands. If the Spirit Slave's Passion pool is reduced to zero it is immediately forced to return to it's Fetter.
As listed on pg. 403 (DAV20), Spirit Slaves inherently have Lifesight and Deathsight. Spirit Slaves that have not Manifested are unaffected by many Disciplines, including: Dominate, Obfuscate, and Presence
Also, you may choose one power from the following list for your Spirit Slave:
Chimerstry 2
Daimonion 1
Dementation 2
Dominate 1
Obtenebration 2
Presence 2
Creatio Ignis (Lure of Flames) 1
Potestas Motus (Movement of the Mind) 1
PLEASE NOTE: Only the specific power listed is available. If you choose Presence 2 (Dread Gaze) for your Spirit Slave, it does not also gain any ability to use Presence 1 (Awe). Some powers call for the use of Blood Points; spend the Spirit Slave's Passion pool instead. Also, please feel free to creatively interpret these Discipline powers in appearance! The effect of the power is the same, but how it manifests could coincide with many of the legends and lore around ghosts and haunting. Example: Presence 2 (Dread Gaze) could be blood seeping from stone walls, or just a sudden, sharp feeling of fear and dread.