Preamble

The Character Creation system for participation in the Chronicle is based entirely on a free-form age system. Each player chooses the age of their character and, from that age, calculates the minimum and maximum traits to distribute on the sheet. All sheets are reviewed by the admin/moderation team.

From the outset, characters thousands of years old are not accepted. This is mainly to preserve chronicle balance, and also because portraying a millennia-old vampire is both extremely difficult and rarely viable.

We strongly recommend starting with vampire characters up to a maximum undead age of 250 years. If a character exceeds this limit, the team will request clear narrative reasons. If those reasons are not viable, that sheet will be rejected and a new one requested.

At this point, a common question appears: "Why play a neonate if I can choose any age? And if older means stronger?". Fair question, already accounted for. To keep balance and avoid concentration of overpowered PCs, all PCs with more than 100 years of unlife cannot belong to Sabbat Packs, Camarilla Coteries, or Anarch Bands. The older a vampire is, the more independent and solitary their actions become. Younger characters, instead, tend to rely on group action to face those ancients.

Without further preamble, below is the character-sheet creation system. For doubts, questions, or suggestions, click here.

Character Creation

Prelude

Start by choosing a Character Concept, Nature and Demeanor, Clan, Sire, Faction, Embrace Date, and Position (if any), following the schema below.

Example: The player chooses Hans: a Ventrue Embraced around age twenty in 1792. His sire is unknown (or narratively unimportant). For Demeanor, the player chooses a concept fitting a Scourge: serious and solitary, using the Sullen archetype. Beneath that isolation, however, Hans is upright and loyal, so the player chooses the Just archetype for Nature.

Attributes

The PC starts with the standard point distribution: 7/5/3 in primary, secondary, and tertiary Attributes. Choose the priority category (Physical, Social, or Mental) according to concept. Add two dice per century the character has been active as undead, then distribute them among all Attributes.

Example: Hans is currently 212 years old. He receives the base 7/5/3 Attribute spread plus 4 additional Attribute dots to distribute freely among the three categories.

Skills

Start with the base point spread: 13/9/5. Determine category priority according to concept. Add five additional points per century of unlife and distribute them among all Skills, remembering that the maximum starting Skill level is 3.

Example: Hans, Scourge of Prague, has 212 years of unlife. After base distribution among the three categories, he receives 10 additional points to distribute freely among Skills, without exceeding starting level 3 in any Skill.

Disciplines

Take the square root of the character's years of unlife and distribute those points among Disciplines, taking into account concept, Nature, Demeanor, and role in the story.

Anarch, Camarilla, and Independent characters round the result down. Sabbat characters round up. If there is no decimal to round (exact integer result), Sabbat characters add +1 to the final result.

You must allocate at least 3 points per century of unlife among the three in-clan Disciplines.

Finally, a character may have one out-of-clan Discipline per century of unlife, as long as it is neither exclusive nor rare. Only common Disciplines are allowed (Ex: Animalism, Auspex, Dominate, Celerity, Fortitude, Obfuscate, Potence, and Presence), and those Discipline ratings cost double. Exclusive or very rare Disciplines are extremely unlikely to be approved.

Example: Hans's player calculates the result for 212 years of unlife: 14 Discipline points (rounded down because he belongs to the Camarilla; a Sabbat character would have 15). Of those 14 points, with two centuries of unlife, 6 points must be placed among in-clan Disciplines. The remaining points can improve in-clan Disciplines at normal cost or buy common out-of-clan Disciplines at double cost.

Hans distributes the mandatory 6 points among his three clan Disciplines: Dominate 2, Fortitude 2, Presence 2.

As a Scourge, he also needs investigative force, so he buys two out-of-clan Disciplines: Auspex 2 and Potence 2. At double cost, this consumes 8 points instead of 4. Final Discipline spread: Auspex 2, Dominate 2, Fortitude 2, Presence 2, Potence 2.

Backgrounds

Anarch, Camarilla, and Independent characters receive 5 Background points. Sabbat characters receive none and must spend Free Points to acquire Backgrounds.

Example: Hans spends 3 of his 5 Background points on Generation (10th). With the two remaining points, and considering his role as Scourge, he buys Position 1 and Resources 1.

Virtues

Characters normally distribute 7 points among the three Virtues. Sabbat characters distribute only 5. Characters following Paths of Enlightenment must also apply these additional rules:

-Alternative Virtues start at zero: a character with Conscience, Self-Control, and Courage receives one free dot in each; one with Conscience, Instinct, and Courage starts with two (Conscience and Courage). One with Conviction, Instinct, and Courage receives only one free dot (Courage). Sabbat characters must raise at least one inhuman Virtue to 1.

-A vampire following a Path of Enlightenment must start with Willpower 5 or higher, reaching that minimum by spending Courage points or increasing Willpower.

-Starting characters cannot have a Path rating above 5. If Virtues produce a result above 5, it is capped at 5. Free Points cannot raise it above that limit.

Example: Hans, as Camarilla Scourge, follows Humanity and Masquerade precepts. With Conscience and Self-Control as key Virtues, his spread becomes: Conscience 2, Self-Control 5, Courage 3.

If Hans were a Ventrue antitribu following the Path of Power and the Inner Voice, he would have 5 points to distribute among Conviction, Instinct, and Courage, and only the initial free Courage dot.

Willpower

Willpower is acquired in the standard way.

Example: Hans checks his starting Courage and gets initial Willpower 3, which can later be increased with Free Points.

Morality

Initial Humanity or Path rating equals Conscience + Self-Control (value 5 to 10). Players are encouraged to improve this trait with Free Points, since low ratings place the Beast closer to the surface.

Characters on Paths instead of Humanity may use different Virtues to determine initial score. See the Appendix (page 286 of the V:TM core rulebook) for the Virtues and point distribution used by each Path.

Finally, subtract one point from the total per century of the character's unlife. Alternatively, the player may avoid that loss by taking a Permanent Mental Disorder. This choice is up to each player.

Example: Hans adds Conscience + Self-Control for initial Humanity 7. With more than two centuries of unlife, he loses 2 points and starts at Humanity 5. His mind remains stable compared with many Kindred, at the price of becoming more taciturn and reserved.

Free Points

The player can now spend 15 Free Points to buy additional dots in Traits. Free Points are required to raise Skills above level 3, buy Merits/Flaws, acquire Backgrounds, and improve Willpower, Morality, Virtues, and related traits.

Example: At the end of the sheet, Hans avoids disruptive Flaws and invests all 15 points in improvements: 4 to raise Willpower from 3 to 7, 2 to increase Investigation from 2 to 3, 3 to raise Resources to 4, 4 split between Contacts and Allies, and the final 2 in two Retainers to assist his investigations and guard his haven by day.

Hans, Blue-Blood Scourge, is now ready for play.

End

To speed up review and publication on the website, submit sheets following this simple schema. Sheets not presented with this structure may be returned without correction.

Background: at least a few brief lines about the character, in your preferred format (1st or 3rd person), ideally between 20 and 40 lines maximum.

Name:
*Clan:
Faction:
*Sire:
Nature:
Demeanor:
Generation:
*Embrace Date:
Apparent Age:

Physical: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
Social: Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance
Mental: Perception, Intelligence, Cunning

Talents:
Techniques:
Knowledge:

Disciplines:
Backgrounds:
Virtues:
Morality:
Willpower:

Merits/Defects:

Mental Disorders:

*Quote: "..."

Note: Sections marked with * are optional for public publication in the Cainites section, but mandatory in the private sheet.

Notes

Clans allowed for Camarilla PCs are
-Major Clans of the Camarilla: Brujah, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere and Ventrue.
-Minor Clans of the Camarilla: Caitiff, Gargoyles (slaves), Lasombra Antitribu and any clan that swears allegiance to the Camarilla.
-Common Bloodlines in the Camarilla: Daughters of Cacophony and Samedi.

Clans allowed for Sabbat PCs are
-Major Sabbat Clans: Lasombra and Tzimisce.
-Antitribu of the Sabbat: Assamites Antitribu, Brujah Antitribu, Gangrel Antitribu (Rural, Urban or Aquatic), Malkavian Antitribu, Nosferatu Antitribu, Ravnos Antitribu (consult the masters due to changes in their background), Toreador Antitribu, Salubris Antitribu, Serpents of Light, Ventrue Antitribu.
-Sabbat Bloodlines: Blood Brothers, Kiasyd, Heralds of the Skulls. PCs from the Heralds must be at least 8th Generation and therefore must spend the corresponding Free Points to meet that requirement, in addition to having at least around 200 years of unlife.

Clans allowed for Anarch PCs are
-Anarch Clans: Assamites, Brujah, Caitiff, Gangrel, Lasombra, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Ravnos, Toreador, Tremere and Ventrue.

Clans allowed for Independent PCs are
-Independent Clans: Assamites, Gangrel, Giovanni, Ravnos (consult the moderators of the corresponding section due to changes in their background) and Followers of Set.

Bloodlines allowed for PCs are
-Bloodlines: Daughters of Cacophony, Laibon, Salubri (healer line) and Samedi.

Rare Clans allowed for PCs are
-Exclusive Clans: Baali, Nagaraja and True Brujah (these clans are difficult to justify, so consult the moderators of the corresponding section before submitting a sheet).

Only one PC may be created to participate in the chronicle. If that PC is destroyed or leaves play by roleplay choice or player decision, a new PC may be created; however, each player may participate in the plot with only one PC at a time. Note as well that some exclusive clans and bloodlines may have player caps to represent their rarity even among Kindred, so consult the administrators before creating a member of those categories.

Skills

Only Skills actually present on the sheet, after category-based point distribution, are those the PC can competently interpret. During character creation, PCs may acquire Skills up to level 3; higher levels must be purchased later with Free Points.

Not buying dots in Dodge at creation does not mean the PC cannot shout "Get down!". But not buying dots in Medicine does mean the PC has little or no chance to treat or even identify an illness, its symptoms, how it spreads, or even its practical name.
Missing Skills make the difference between Talents, Techniques, and Knowledge clear. Talents are relatively easy to use instinctively, Techniques are harder, and Knowledge is categorically impossible without training. When an Attribute + Skill roll is required and you lack the Skill, you roll Attribute only. The modifier depends on the category of the missing Skill. For Knowledge, if you do not have the proper Skill, no roll is possible and it fails automatically; the PC acts from total ignorance of the subject.

-Missing Talent: No additional penalty.
-Missing Technique: +1 to the Attribute roll Difficulty.
-Missing Knowledge: No roll possible (automatic failure and ignorance of the subject).

Disciplines

Character creation starts with the three corresponding clan Disciplines and the base points as indicated above in Character Creation.

Additional or out-of-clan Disciplines may only be acquired by spending Free Points, purchased at 2 points per dot during Character Creation (see above).

Discipline Combos can be purchased only if the prerequisite Discipline levels are met. Combo powers cost 2 Free Points per 3 experience points required to learn that combo (rounded up). Thus, a Brujah who wants "Pulse of Undeath" must first have Auspex 1 and Potence 1, then spend 5 Free Points to acquire it.

Only Pander/Caitiff can access such a wide Discipline spread, with the following limits:

They may acquire common vampire Disciplines such as Potence, Celerity, Fortitude, and powers such as Auspex, Animalism, Dominate, Presence, or Obfuscate.

They may not acquire exclusive Disciplines such as Dementation, Vicissitude, Thaumaturgy, Quietus, Serpentis, Valeren, Deimos, Chimerstry, Temporis, Koldunic Sorcery, Necromancy, Daimoinon, or Obtenebration (if embraced/created by non-Sabbat), nor similarly rare options such as Protean, Visceratika, Bardo, Sanguinus, or Mytherceria.

Pander are the only ones with explicit access to choose between Vicissitude and Obtenebration, since both are common in the Sabbat.

Remember that by default, Caitiff/Pander may start with Potence, Presence, and Fortitude as traditional baseline vampire Disciplines.

Ghoul characters receive 1 starting point in Potence, though it may be another common vampire Discipline fitting concept (for example Celerity, Fortitude, Auspex, Animalism, Dementation, Presence, Obfuscate, or Dominate). Exclusive Disciplines remain unavailable at this stage.

Apparition characters begin, as expected, with their three familiar Disciplines, according to their own rules.

Finally, administrators reserve the right to correct or warn players about Discipline choices that do not fit the character or are implausible within the chronicle.

Backgrounds

The following Backgrounds are allowed at the indicated cost.

-Allies 1 point per dot.
-Contacts 1 point per dot.
-Herd 1 point per dot.
-Resources 1 point per dot.
-Retainers 1 point per dot.
-Influence 1 point per dot.
-Domain 1 point per dot.
-Fame 1 point per dot.
-Clan Prestige (all clans except Antitribu, Bloodlines, and Caitiff) 1 point per dot.
-Position 1 point per dot.
-Arcane 1 point per dot.
-Generation 1 point per dot up to 8th Generation, and 5 points per dot up to 5th Generation.
-Black Hand Membership 1 point per dot (membership in the Hand does not grant Position outside it).
-Military Forces can only be acquired under the following minimum requirements:

·An Influence rating higher than Military Forces.
·At least 1 dot in Allies.
·A Resources rating equal to Military Forces.
·And (optional) having some Contacts is strongly recommended.

Willpower, Virtues and Morality

Increasing Virtues with Free Points does not automatically increase either Willpower or Morality (Humanity or Paths).

Merits and Defects

Remember: taking 7 points of Defects is not mandatory, but 7 is the maximum that grants additional Free Points. If a character exceeds 7 points in Defects, extra points grant no further benefit. Players may still choose more Defects for roleplay reasons.

Specific Clan Merits/Defects

Merits listed in clan books are exclusive to that specific clan. No PC from another clan may take them. For example, a Ventrue cannot take Addictive Blood (Setite), and a Brujah cannot take Dulled Senses (Malkavian), etc.

Others

Also not allowed:
-Non-official Bloodlines/Clans.
-At present, other World of Darkness creature types are not contemplated. This may change later if the chronicle reaches a stable minimum number of vampire characters.

ALL THESE RULES FALL UNDER "THE DREADED ERASER LAW (by True)" and, of course, its cousin "THE LENTIL LAW (if you like them, great; if not, leave them)", so THEY MAY BE MODIFIED IN THE FUTURE FOR IMPROVEMENT OR ADJUSTMENT.

Finally, remember that these rules are based on Vampire: The Masquerade THIRD EDITION. Therefore, any rule, discipline, ability, merit, etc. from a 2nd Edition source must be consulted with the corresponding moderators before it is acquired.

Thank you and we look forward to your characters, which you must send to: