Vampire: the Masquerade rules mod for FARP

I am planning to run Vampire: the Masquerade (Revised) FARP. It is focused on politics and conversations between the characters but there's always a change you need rules for some resolutions. Because this FARP will focus on political power player characters being primogens I thought that the normal rules and character stats are too wide. So I narrow those down.

Vampire: The Masquerade FARP Rules

Character Stats And Creation

ATTRIBUTES

Physical, Mental and Social.
Points 5/4/3

ABILITIES

Talents, Skills and Knowledges.
Points 5/4/3


DISCIPLINES

Clan Disciplines: 7 points
Other Disciplines in ST's permission: 3 points

Find out your clan and other disciplines from V:tM Revised rulebook or consult your ST.

VIRTUES

Conscience/Conviction
Self-control/Instinct
Courage
Randomly determine each rolling 1d10. Only results 6 - 10 apply.

HUMANITY OR PATH

Choose your humanity betweeb 6 to 8. Lower humanity score gives more flexible morality but restricts the maximum of Self-control when higher humanity's morality is stricter but self controlling becomes easier.

WILLPOWER

Courage + D10 (Minimum 8).

BLOODPOOL

15

EQUIPMENT AND WEALTH

All characters are assumed to have access to almost everything what is realistic and suits the character description. For special items or really expensive or powerful items consult the ST. For armor and weapons V:tM Revised rulebook is used or consult your ST.

SECRETS AND MOTIVES

ST hands you secrets and or motives you should keep for yourself. Don't let other players know them. These are important how you play your character and the story.

RELATIONSHIPS

ST gives primogens relationships towards each other. Play these accordingly!

RETAINERS

Define five different retainers and detail them. These are important people for the primogen.
Two of the five retainers are vampires inside the clan. What they are like, what are their specialities.
Two of the five retainers are ghouls or people who work for the primogen. Who are they and what are their specialities.

Those four retainers are known for every other primogen, but there is one "secret" retainer only the primogen in question (and ST) knows about. Who he is, what he does and why is his identity and purpose kept a secret?

FINAL TOUCHES

Character description is really important. Try to detail character as well as you can. It might be important during the game and your role.

Rules

TASK RESOLUTION

Ability + Attribute. Roll 1d10.
Great success: Roll result exactly Ability + Attribute. Successes are roll result +2
Success: Roll result lower than Ability + Attribute. Successes are roll result
Failure: Roll result higher than Ability + Attribute.
Botch: Roll result is 10. Roll again. If the second roll his higher than Ability + Attribute

COMBAT

To hit and damage: Physical + Attribute* roll result + weapon damage
Subtract opponents Physical (and if dodged + Talent) roll result + Fortitude + armor
Inflicted damage is equal to to hit roll after opponent characteristic subtraction

TURNS

Initiative: Roll 1d10 + Physical OR Mental which is higher. Act in order.
One action per turn. If character or opponent decides to dodge he cannot perform any other actions that turn.
Shouting and other minor actions are performed without losing a turn.

BLOODPOOL

When primogens gather they have full blood pool. It is assumed that they have fed before a meeting.

EXPERIENCE

As the characters are already more powerful than normal starting characters experience doesn't need tracking.

WILLPOWER

Willpower can be used normally for automatic success of 3 successes equal to die roll.

Regain one willpower point whenever character does something spectacular or meaningful in a bigger picture.

[V:tM] Monster: Vicissitude enchanted albino crocodile

This creature is directly related to this post in Cradle of Rabies blog. Even though it is created for my game it is easy to adapt to other chronicles as well. Vicissitude enchanted albino crocodile uses basic stats for crocodile in Vampire: the Masquerade Revised page 302. Although because this creature is not natural the stats are altered radically. Also this creature is statted like monsters in other games to make it a combat encounter. Some of the information provided is for my chronicle but you can easily alter it for your own needs.

What Is This Creature?

It was a normal albino crocodile before the discipline of Vicissitude was used to alter its form to make it a guardian of vampire's haven. It is bigger than any normal crocodile and has more in strength and stamina. Also it has some special qualities what are dealt like disciplines (found in V:tM Revised edition).

The creator is Tzimisce who used both flesh- and bonecraft to create this monster. It also has parts of human brain merged into it's reptile brains to make it more intelligent and calculative rather than just operating by disciplines. Vicissitude enchanted albino crocodile is embraced and also blood bond to whom ever its master is.

It will rather die than escape protecting its master's territory or what ever location it is meant to guard. Crocodiles are ancient beasts still excisting but this one truly is a living monster.

Appearance


Five to ten times bigger than an ordinary crocodile. It's armor like skin is pale white and deformed to look more a battle armor than something natural. Eyes are in shade of red. From shadows it looks like an ordinary crocodile but huge but when it steps out its true unnatural monster form is revealed.

Stats


Strength: 5; Dexterity: 3; Stamina 5; Wits: 2*; Intelligence; 1*
*For partial merged human brain
Willpower 4
Health levels: OK; OK; OK; OK; -1; -1; -1; -1; -2; -2; -5; Incapacitated
Attacks: Bite for 7 dice (aggravated); Tail slap for 6 dice bashing
Abilities: Alertness: 4; Athletics: 1; Brawl: 2; Stealth: 4
Blood pool: 8
Special powers (Disciplines):
Auspex: Heightened senses
Fortitude: 2
Obfuscate: 1
Potence: 2

[oWoD] Translating old manuscript, example of how I deal with extended actions

Extended actions are those where you need certain number of cumulative successes to finish your task. Usually long term tasks like repairing a machine with several different parts in process or translating a manuscript where are several different sections. That manuscript translation is an example I am going to use here.

Core System For Extended Actions


I have to say that I've played Vampire: the Masquerade (most used oWoD system for me) so many years that I am not any more sure what is a house rule and what is written in the book. oWoD has evolved to this point how I play it now and I rarely have to check rulebook nowadays. So, I might give this core system for oWoD extended actions as it is presented officially, or there might be some house rules also. I am not sure anymore.

When Storyteller gives player character an extended action, Storyteller should determine these steps:

• What attributes and skills is dicepool
• What is the difficulty
• How many successes is needed to accomplish the task
• How much time one roll takes

Player can roll as many times as he has time to spend in his extended task or he fails miserably to negative overall successes.

Successes And Advancing

Every time player rolls his dice pool, it takes the amount of time Storyteller has ruled it to take. In that time player gets as many successes to his overall task accomplishment as he had successes in that roll. These successes are cumulative.

Example 1. Rolling successes.

Character is trying to translate manuscript. Storyteller tells, that it uses Intelligence and Occult for dicepool. Difficulty number is 7 and one roll takes 2 hours to accomplish. Storyteller might or might not tell the final successes needed, but in this example Storyteller has told that translating the manuscript needs total of 10 successes.

Player rolls his dicepool and gets 3 successes. In 2 hours he has advanced roughly 1/3 of translating the manuscript and can continue the work.

When player character gains all needed total successes, he is done with the task.

Time

Time how much one roll takes time in game world is essential. It determines, how much player character can do it in a row. For a vampire night might turn to morning before she can continue or there might be a deadline in which time period it must be ready. But in some situations studying and translating the manuscript there might be infinite time available if player does it for his character's own purposes. Still, there might be other activities what can delay the work.

Failing A Roll

When player fails his roll not gaining a single success he hasn't advanced a bit in his extended task.

Example 2. Failing.

Character has already translated 3 successes worth of the manuscript during the first 2 hours and continue his work. Player rolls dice, but doesn't get a single success. His character spends next 2 hours, but cannot advance in his translation at all.

Even though character fails advancing in his task, if there is time to continue it right after or even later some other day, he can do so without a penalty. It only means that during that last 2 hours he didn't advance in what he did. Maybe there was a hard part, his mind wasn't completely set in a task or what ever. He spent that 2 hours trying, but without advancing.

Botching

When there are no single successes and result 1's, character botches (basic rules). That means, that during that period of continuing the work something went wrong, and player character looses as many successes that far as there are 1's. But you should also include this in roleplaying. Some possibilities in manuscript translation why character's work had a step back.

Example 3. Botching.

Character has already gained 6 successes of needed 10 and he continues his work. This time his highest number is 6 what is not a success and also he got three 1's. He botched and decreases 3 from his overall successes this far. Storyteller tells, why player character's work had a drawback. He spilled coffee on his work and must do that part again.

There are several possibilities to explain botching and the drawback it caused. Here are few to give some inspiration for botching translating manuscript:

• Spilled coffee on work
• Forgot to save and computer crashed
• Fire alarm set off (in this Storyteller can roleplay this, or just tell how fire alarm set off and now player character is standing outside of the building with his notes he had time to gather some of them missing, or took his laptop in a haste and forgot to save)

Also you might not want to set drawback to successes but instead rule that something came in the way that disturbed character's work so much he cannot continue it for some time. Urgent things to take care of, office he is working in fire, hostage situation or something...

Or if character gained enough 1's for really bad botch (at least 5) then combine the two. He lost the work and also is disturbed so much cannot continue for a while.

When It Just Doesn't Work?

You might also rule, that when successes are in negative (botches after botches) the current work cannot be continued at all. It is up to you, should it be -1 to successes or even -5 when character must basically start all over again after he has for example advanced in skill dot or even gained new knowledge or new resources to continue.

It doesn't mean that character cannot ever again do it. It just means with those skills he has now or with currently available resources it is not possible. So character must re-invent the study with new resources.

It could simply be buying and installing a better software for a computer, getting a book or two around the topic of the manuscript, learning more with experience (points), talking with more experienced person to gain new ideas or even a small side quest.

If your adventures main plot is to translate that manuscript to be used it would be really inconvenient if it just was not possible. Work your way around so character can do it. It might take extra trouble, investments to better equipment or even a side quest to continue that.

Don't let dice to ruin your game, let them be your guide what possibly can happen and how.

Using specific item is a bonus (A-Z letter U)

Even though I am not that interested in new World of Darkness rules, there is one thing I find interesting and working solution. Items give bonus to dicepool. This is something, I would rip easily to oWoD game.

You got an item you can use in your task roll? Good. Item description shows do you get a bonus to your dice pool from this item. For example binoculars might give bonus to dice pool when observing something from a distance. Simple and in all of it's simplicity genious.

Also, you easily make difference in combat.
Laser sight, get +1 but if trying to shoot someone and trying to be unnoticed, it's easier to be notice.
Weapon stand gives bonus dicepool when aiming.
Silencer gives negative dicepool for surrounding guards to hear the gunfire.
Etc.

Also there might be a difference with equipment quality. Add price to item, get bonus to dicepool when using it. Cheap Wallmart tools are not as efficient as more expensive Black&Decker tools.

In general I like to give or decrease dice from dicepool in V:tM than adjusting difficulty number. It's easier to determine general difficulty, and then make small tweaks with dicepool modifications. Easily it otherwise goes into:
It's raining so the roof is slippery: difficulty 7
But player character's combat boots got good grip: difficulty back to 6.

Just keep the enviromental difficulty at 7 and give one extra die for combat boots. Much easier than tweaking difficulty number back and forth thinking about every aspect what can affect it.

This simple and quick rule works with every old World of Darkness game (I know of).

5 plots for Vampire: the Masquerade

Do you have trouble inventing plot for your game? This is a new blog label for various games. Label is 5 Plots for... I will give 5 basic plots to work on. In this blog content for Vampire: the Masquerade.

These plots are not full storylines, but ideas to work on or get kick start for your session, adventure or even campaign.

So, here are first five plot ideas for Vampire: the Masquerade. Some of these I have used in my own games, some are ideas I haven't used yet. I will leave open questions how the plot developes for Storyteller/Gamemaster to decide and work on.

1. Wrong Prince

Players' coterie gets anonymous letter or email from unknown source. The message tells, that the Prince of the city is not who he claims to be. The Prince is a sham. The source warns that if the information about false Prince is leaked, the coterie will be in big trouble. They might not be taken seriously or what worse, the false Prince could hunt them down.

What is the real identity of this false Prince? Has he taken the place of the real Prince and is just a poseur. Is he enemy of the city's sect or just power hungry strong individual? What does the false Prince want from the city?

Does false Prince want to destroy the city from inside? Does he just want power and took real Prince's place with the status earned by the real Prince earlier?

How can coterie unveil the false Prince without a question? Will false Prince find out that coterie knows his secret and what will he do to stop the coterie? Who is this mysterious informer?

2. Dead Caitiff Meat

Caitiff's are usually left alone in Camarilla and not appreciated, but even the city's councel wakes up when there are several reports of dead Caitiff. Someone is systematically killing them and in a small period of time bodycount is at it's peak.

Characters' coterie might see their time to shine in this problem, or one of their clan's primogen might give the mission for them. Caitiff are not a big deal, after all. Still someone anonymous killing kindred, thin blood or not, is not to be taken lightly.

But it is not just that simple. Coterie finds out the true power behind Caitiff massacre. Old and powerful vampire of respected generation has come into the town. He is too old and powerful to satisfy his hunger from the human and must nourish his body with vampire blood. Caitiff are easy target in Camarilla area. They are not respected and weak.

What does Coterie do when they find out who is behind the Caitiff massacre? They cannot stop him because of his power. They can be even threatened to let the powerful vampire feed for his time before he leaves to the next city. What if coterie tells about this carnivorous and cannibal vampire to higher authorities, will they be in danger? This powerful vampire could even tempt Coterie to join him for true power, as you cannot lower your generation without feeding on who are above you.

Will characters become his followers seeking for power? Will they tell about the visitor to authorities? Will they even protect him in fear of being onslauhted? What will Camarilla authorities think about this being?

3. Lost Master

Ghoul comes to ask help from Coterie. His master is lost. Been lost for few nights without a trace. Ghoul starts to be really worried and doesn't know anyone else to ask help for. The lost vampire should not be of high status, as his disappearance would be more noted in higher authorities.

What happened to the master? It's Coteries job to find out. The master might be their friend or ally from previous sessions to give some extra motive for Ghoul's trouble.

There are several possibilities and follow-ups for this scenario, depening on how deep ST will make the starting plot. Here are few possibilities:

1. Rival vampire has taken Ghoul's master as his prison. He want's his area, and is blackmailing it from trapped vampire. His area of control will be exchange for his freedom.
2. There are hunter's in town and Ghoul's master is:
A) Captured and kept in mobile laboratory for experiments about vampires. He must be freed and hunters and their experiment data wiped out to protect Masquerade.
B) Hunters have killed the master. Now what to do with the hunters and with the Ghoul who has withdrawal symptoms of blood.

4. Sabbat Shock Troop

They like to play with shovelheads. From time to time Sabbat sends shock troop to cause mayhem and trouble for Camarilla city. Now is the night for it. While hanging out minding their own business Coterie gets attacked by Sabbat shock troop. How do Coterie find out it was Sabbat troops attacked them? Was it just an random attack or beginning of a bigger attack?

5. Thou Shall Be Free

If characters are all fledlings, they might get a task to prove themselves worthy to be neonates freed from sire's control. Easy trick to give simple quest or series of quests. Depending on character's clan, initiation rite might include physical, social or mental tasks. This is quite cheap way to give characters something to do. Another way might be for Coterie to prove their worthiness for Prince.

Final Words

Some of these are simple ways to get something to do for player group (like 5th) but some might even be used for basic plot for entire chronicle. Feel free to use and experiment.

Download: Vampire: the Masquerade NPC Combat Sheet

To help my own V:tM game's combat phases, I created this tablet. There are also few house rules included I use.

So, here you are, in Excel (xls) format.

Click to download from MediaFire!

Example how I stat uniportant NPC opponents in V:tM

So, basically I start filling basic information. In this battle there are four NPC thugs. I take Excel (as I use computer as game aid) and make rows of Thug 1, Thug 2 and so on.

Basic information I need are attack pool for melee, (attack pool for ranged weapons if needed), stamina soak, dodge and wounds. As these are unimportant opponents, I use fixed wound steps of -1, -3, -5 and incapacitated.

Sometimes I use D10 to determine dicepools for enemies. In this case, I roll D10 for every thug's melee attack, stamina (for stamina D5) and dodge.

At this point it looks like this:

That's the information I need right now. If needed, I can add more. If more important NPC's, I could make more stats but that's good enough for lesser encounters. I did use D10 to determine melee attacks and dodge and D5 to determine stamina in this case.
When wounded (these are human) I simply put a cross or crosses (X) on row of damaged thug.

In row A I also wrote down the weapon thug uses for a reminder.

Next step is weapons and damage. I use simple rule of thumb here. Damage bonus from strength is ½ of melee bonus rounded down. But in damage row I put total damage (Str bonus + Weapon damage) to nullify extra calculation during combat. Some of weapon damages are fixed, as in V:tM core book there are not that many melee weapons present.
It looks like this:

And we are ready to go with this information... at least for now. If some of these NPC thugs does some manouvers or something not covered yet, I just simply decide (or roll) dicepool for that and add it to remember later. Simple and easy and fast.

You can easily make ready template for this to your PC if you use it when you ST or make printable combat templates.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot initiative!!! Roll D10 for base Initiative representing Dexterity + Wits!!!

[V:tM] Nosferatu hideout

Sacrifices and occult activity? Or just a cover up to keep unwanted visitors away?

This is main passage to New Jersey's biggest Nosferatu lair. All the rumors about evil activity are actually just cover up stories and urban legends started by Nosferatu to keep unwanted mortal visitors away.

Some of the stories are true though.

Eerie feeling is caused by foul clan Nosferatu presence. Some people can sense the presence, some cannot.

The voices and screams are also true at some cases. Might be victims drained from blood, or distant yells from specimen human, ghoul and vampire species. Also if you travel too long these sewers and you confront a Nosferatu who is not capable or willing to just erase your memories, you might be made a warning example to other mortals not to enter.

Devil worshipping and sacrifices might be true or not. There might be some dark ancient Nosferatu rites going on even other kindreds in New Jersey aren't aware of. But if there were those, how could mortals know or even have a slightest hint about them. Most likely just rumors to scare mortals, but there might be a hint of truth in it.

Many layers, hidden passages and other make perfect sense in Nosferatu lair. It is not a secret that Nosferatu know the underground better than anyone else.

Some mortals do enter the passage curiously or thrill-seeking and most of them don't see anything before they are too scared or intimitated to back off. Some of them are purpously scared off. Some of them are taken in, feed on, or even killed.

If kindred enters the lair, he is well warned. If kindred does not take those warnings seriously, god mercy on his lost soul.

V:tM/oWoD single die mechanic

Not everyone like World of Darkness' dicepool system, so I present modified single D10 mechanics.

Attribute + Skill Rolls

In oWoD you roll D10's equal to your attribute + skill and count successes from the dice what are under difficulty. Let's change this.

Total your character's Attribute + Skill. Modify difficulty:
Difficulty 4 +2 to attr+skill
Difficulty 5 +1 to attr+skill
Difficulty 6 no changes
Difficulty 7 -1 to attr+skill
Difficulty 8 -2 to attr+skill
Difficulty 9 -3 to attr+skill
Difficulty 10 -4 to attr+skill

If after modified difficulty to attribute + skill value result is 0 or negative, concider it as an "1". If after modification attr+skill is over 10, result "10" is automatic failure and possible botch.

Converting Dice Pool To Single Die:
To Success, Fail, Multiple Successes And Botch

To success roll result must be under attr+skill (after difficulty modifier).
Fail occurs when roll is higher than attr+skill (after difficulty modifier) or automatic failure with result "10".
Multiple successes are equal to die result -3. If you roll exact same as attr+skill (after difficulty modifiers) roll again and add second result's possible multiple successes to previous successes.
To botch roll +5 higher than your attr+skill (after difficulty modifier). If attr+skill (after difficulty modifier) is over 10, roll two again after result "10". If second roll is a failure, roll is botched.

Damage

Basically follow To success, fail, multiple successes and botch rules converting dice pool to single die.
To success in damage roll, roll below weapon damage + possible str bonus. Add +1 for every 2 previous to hit roll successes to weapon damage + possible str bonus as every 2 dots in strength is +1 to damage target number.
Damage equals to die result under the target number. If die roll is above, no damage is dealt.
Soaking damage with stamina: Add +3 to stamina and Roll D10 against stamina value to soak equal number of damage. No modifications are made to stamina or soak roll.

Examples

Vampire character tries to persuade guards to let him in. Use character's Manipulation 3 + Subterfuge 4 to get a target number of 7. Guards are hard to persuade, thus difficulty is 7 so decrease 1 from target number 6. Roll D10 and try to get under 6 to success.
With results 1, 2, 3, 4 player scores 1 success.
With result 5 player scores 2 successes.
With result 6 player scores 3 successes and rolls again for possible extra successes.
With results 7, 8, 9 character fails.
With result 10 roll again. If second roll is failure, roll is botched.

After rolling for attack roll with a knife (damage 3) character gained 3 successes. From successes character gains +1 to damage, 3 damage from knife and 1 from strength (3). Total target number for damage is 5. Roll D10 to determine damage. Rolls 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 equal to it's value of damage, rolls 6, 7 ,8, 9 and 10 deal no damage.
With roll 5 roll again and add possible second rolls damage to previous.

Vampire is shot with a shotgun. Attack roll gained no extra successes and shotguns damage is 8. Roll D10. Results 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 deal damage equal to die result, 9 and 10 deal no damage. Roll 8 again for possible more damage successes.

Character suffers 6 damage with stamina value of 3 +3 to soak. Player rolls D10 and gets result "2". 2 points of damage are soaked. With results 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 equal number of damage would have been soaked.

Old World of Darkness - Easy way to create a plot + Few ready made plots for you to use

You might have planned a campaign you are running, but you would like to run some side quest. Or you might have sandbox styled game but for the next session you are out of ideas. What ever the case is, here is simple way to get inspiration in creating a plot.

Take character sheet of the game you and your group are playing. You see, that skills are in three categories and in each category there are 10 skills. And V:tM uses ten sided dice.

Roll D10 for each skill category, and see what skill the die result points at. Write those skills down. They are moods, settings, ideas, actions etc. for your adventure, quest, plot or even campaign.
You just have to fill out the rest, how to tie together those skill based ideas.

You don't necessarily have to be 100% literal about the results. They are just for inspiration. If you get result "linquistics" but are inspired about political plot, do so.

I give few examples next based on Vampire: the Masquerade. It took only few minutes to come along with these plots after rolling the skills for moods.

Leadership - Firearms - Occult

Band of renegade Brujah in Camarilla city have found an old tome about city's Ventrue history what can be harmful for Ventrue leadership. Ventrue want that old tome away from Brujah renegades. Brujah renegades are heavily armed and won't give it up easily and are ready to protect that old tome to harm Ventrue leadership.

Leadership = Ventrue
Firearms = Heavily guarded Brujah renegades
Occult = Old tome containing harmful information about city's Ventrue past

Expression - Animal Ken - Politics

Gangrel are not happy with city's status. They don't like how their clan's ideas have little support in city hierarchy and Gangrel's close relations to Brujah could be dangerous. If Gangrel are not pleased, it would be easy for them to turn clan Brujah head also. Negotiations and politics are needed to keep Gangrel satisfied and loyal to Prince.

Expression - Negotiation
Animal Ken - Clan Gangrel
Politics - Gangrel who don't feel that city has anything common with their interests

Brawl - Survival - Linquistics

Characters' coterie is attacked in remote alley by unknown vampire coterie. Their clan, sect or motives remained unknown. Characters don't yet know was that only a random attack from angry caitiff, vagabond Camarilla members or even Sabbat brutes. It's character coteries responsibility to take action to find out themselves who attackers were or even tell some of the primogens or Prince what happened.

Brawl - Attack in alley
Survival - What is going on?
Linquistics - To find out who the attackers were

Athletics - Firearms - Occult

Atmosphere in the city has been dark for few nights. Everyone knows that something is about to happen. Character(s) while minding their own business in streets see in distance a strange person, who flees after notices characters seeing him. Character's might try to pursuit him. If character's capture this person, they find out he is a caitiff with strange symbol on his forehead. Caitiff refuses to talk and seems to be insane. Behind the curtains of Camarilla, there is Lasombra brainwashing city's unfortunate caitiffs to make his small shock troop army to keep Camarilly busy while Sabbat grows its roots into the city.

Athletics - Pursuit
Firearms - Brainwashed caitiff shock troop
Occult - Lasombra, who brainwashes caitiff to mindless Sabbat drones.

Final Words

Have fun with experimenting. If some result doesn't fit your idea, re-roll. If you suddenly get idea outside your rolls, use it.
This is just for inspiration, if you are out of your own ideas for plot, quest, adventure or even whole campaign.