Vampire: The Masquerade - Boston by Night - OOC

Just setting up the necessary threads for the rp.

If you have any questions at all, weather about the system or clarifications about a post or anything else, please feel free to post them here.

Hope that character looks alright (was writing it before I noticed the updated rules so hope I removed the extras, if you want I can spend the freebie points now instead of waiting).

Yup. You'll need to spend freebies now, as well as choose merits/flaws.

Cool have updated:
After freebies
Abilities: Empathy went to 4, streetwise went to 1.
Backgrounds: a bit rejigged and a bit spent resulting in: Contacts (), Fame ()(), Mentor ()()()(), Resources (), Retainer ()
-Contact former agent when she was acting modeling.
-Retainer likely one of the sisters in her order.
-Mentor - up to you.
Humanity: up to 8
Willpower: up to 5
Merits (if acceptable): Eat Food, Inoffensive to Animals, Light Sleeper
Flaws (if acceptable): Bound (I would see a lot of vampires bounding new childer while they learn the ropes and show they can be trusted - whether they tell the childe this is what is happening is a different matter, and if they release them is a seperate one).

Let me know if you have any concerns.

I have a mentor for you, but it wont be available from the very start. Is that acceptable?

Im ok with fame, but know that it might very well become a hindrance for you, especially after you are embraced.

Ill need to look up bound, since the very embrace forces a blood bond on you. I think this is a bad choice, since becoming blood bound to someone simply may or may not happen through regular rp, whether or not you have this flaw. It definitely will happen when any of you are embraced, since that alone forces a level 1 blood bond on the childe, and so its unfair you get freebie points for it while the others do not. If you want to keep the flaw, it will mean something beyond your usual blond bond, possibly a level 3 bond.

Otherwise your character is... APPROVED!

That isn't an issue with Mentor (I often find them to work better in the background where there mere interest can protect a character - rather than them actively helping out) - and I fully expect that fame would be a problem more than a help in many areas (part of the fun in a way).

For bound the wording is:

You are blood bound to another vampire. Your regnant may not necessarily treat you badly, but the fact remains that your will is not entirely your own. The knowledge gnaws at you, even as you find yourself lost in devotion to your vampiric master. Sabbat vampires cannot take this Flaw.

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Where normally one would only be one step bound after the embrace the flaw has you fully bound (the worse version is Loathsome Regnant where you are actively mistreated - considered that one but decided against it).

Erinye said:

Otherwise your character is...

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Not sure if this means you missed the background at the end (in the spoiler tag), or if you are just mulling it over.

Oh, I was going to edit when I had a chance to check some stuff. Scroll up.

Just so we are clear, you are aware how messed up a level 3 blood bond can be, right? Your regnant could tell you to commit suicide and you'd do it, happily. Just making sure we are on the same page here.

Yea - my thinking is that mortal parents spend ~15-25 years with their kids solely dependent on them where the consequences of getting sometime wrong are normally not that harsh and where the kids entire world view is guided by them from birth.
As such kindred could easilly use that same amount of time where they want the childe fully dependent on them and obediant, the consequences of getting sometime wrong are harsh for both sire and childe and they have a mortal lifetime of experience to reteach rather than a blank slate.

Just from a realism prespective any sensible sire would bound their childe at least while they learn the ropes and possible ween them off the bond as time goes on (depending on if the sire regards them primarally as a tool, an accessory, a juniour partner, a childe, a slave etc) - in the same way that parents utterly control there newborns and allow them more freedom as they get older (and some maintain some control all through the life of either of them).

I went with Bound rather than Loathsome Regnant to avoid the requirement that you misuse my character - but I fully understand that some misuse may occur (in whatever method).

Your regnant could tell you to commit suicide and you'd do it, happily.

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I would look at this a bit differently, while the character would do it they would be utterly miserable and depressed when they did - but knowing that the happiness of the Regnant is more important than their own, (there may be angst and delays subject to personality but ultimately it would be done).

You are right. Siring a new vampire is never done lightly, and until the childe is released into kindred society as a neonate (I think the term is), her sire is 100% responsible for her actions, and any blunders will reflect poorly on him, including potential masquerade breaches and the childe's training in kindred laws and customs. So yeah, it takes time, responsibility and patience to mold a person into a proper vampire.

Yup. Of course I wont just kill off your character, that would be a waste. I do think its very cool of you to go along with this, since it will open for some nice rp opportunities.

This actually brings up an interesting point, that I forgot about earlier. Think about why someone would embrace your character, what makes them special enough to warrant the embrace? This really goes for all of you. Keep it in mind when creating your character.

Erinye said:

This actually brings up an interesting point, that I forgot about earlier. Think about why someone would embrace your character, what makes them special enough to warrant the embrace? This really goes for all of you. Keep it in mind when creating your character.

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I am kindof happy enough to leave this to you, as the whole clan, mentor, bound thing is in your court and I wouldn't want to preempt it (they might all be different people after all).

Some ideas:
A prince might embrace her because her beauty acts as a symbol or thier refined taste and knowing that more beautiful people will appeal to the toreador in the city.
A criminal might embrace her as a scapegoat for some breachs of the masquarade - only to be caught and destroyed where she is granted mercy and bound to the price and has her training pawned off on an ally of thiers.
A nosfertu might embrace her as her charatible work for the church and her beauty might offend them and so would want to see how compassionate they are when they look like a monster.
A tremere might embrace her as she might be the perfect lure for potential experiments - and her broad knowledge base when refined might be useful the clan in the coming century.
A Brujah might embrace her due to her work with the common people despite that she could have had a life far removed from them and see her compassion as something to preserve.
etc...

It really depends on your NPCs I am happy enough to roll with whatever you decide I think I would be fine with, (as a note I am very dubious about playing a nosfertu for her - but if that makes the best story I can deal with it).

As a note I updated her Nature from Deviant to Bon Vivant as I think it sits a bit better - she thinks she is a Penitent but she slips up at times causing her to be more have to repent, but ultimately the reason she slips up is that she ultimately really wants to enjoy herself she just associates enjoying herself with being like her parents (I intend to play with those a bit in the game).
Her sire might very well decide to try and break her from her self-delusion which might also be what attracted their interest.

Regarding your character dancrilis, I think I already got the circumstances around her embrace covered, its a nice little story actually, and the embrace makes sense in this case. But it is still something to think about; the embrace is not given lightly, not when you could just as easily ghoul or dominate someone to be your puppet, no, it requires something extraordinary.

Of course, each kindred has their own reasons for embracing; some just seek a companion, others might want to preserve a pretty face, or believe the individual has certain skills that will help out the clan, especially if the sire is out of touch with the modern world. Then there are those who embrace as punishment, like the Nosferatu.

Then of course, there are the horrible mass embraces of the Sabbat... Muahahahahah!

I'll confess that I am, by nature, more of a Dark Ages: Vampire player than a Masquerade (You young pups don't know you've been embraced, and already you're trying to rule the city! Back in my day... *goes to find false teeth and Fleshcrafted walking-ghoul) player, so my concept might not work too well.

The idea would be: a struggling French writer, come to Boston to make it big. The advance from the publishing house was quickly spent on vices to try and lift writer's block. The result? Perfect Toreador-bait. A tortured artistic soul in need of inspiration, on the edge of despair, ready to pack it all in and find a more ordinary life. He'd be a social character, knowing 14 ways to describe a sword, but not a single way to actually use one.

Resources 1 (to become 5 on embrace) - because fuck being immortal and poor! And besides, as a Frenchman, I look damn-fine in a sharp suit.

Are you OK with alternate Roads? Again, this is probably my Dark Ages-ness showing, but I was always a sucker for the Road of Kings. It also helped my Vampires feel... less human.

Sounds good to me. I'm not aiming to go heavy on combat, at all, but things will get dangerous from time to time. And that guy really, REALLY looks French, heh.

There. First draft is up. It was really tough finding things to spend Freebies on >.>

How do people not play lasombra and live?!

EDIT: I'm concerned I overlap a wee bit with Mary. I propose dumping points from Empathy so that she can do the bleeding-heart bit.

Been very partial to Dark Ages myself (always felt Dark Ages Revised was the most streamlined system that White Wolf produced) - but while it is obviously up to Erinye I don't think the Roads from it suit a modern game (and certainly not in the Camerilla for new kindred).
Kings would have became 'The Path of Honorable Accord', one of the backbones of the Sabbat (and argueable one of the things that actually manages to keep them unified).

Edit: wouldn't worry about overlap really - can add a bit of a dynamic to some elements (I think you might have used VtM Revised rather than 20th Edition though - some ability changes).

dancrilis said:

Been very partial to Dark Ages myself (always felt Dark Ages Revised was the most streamlined system that White Wolf produced) - but while it is obviously up to Erinye I don't think the Roads from it suit a modern game (and certainly not in the Camerilla for new kindred).
Kings would have became 'The Path of Honorable Accord', one of the backbones of the Sabbat (and argueable one of the things that actually manages to keep them unified).

Edit: wouldn't worry about overlap really - can add a bit of a dynamic to some elements (I think you might have used VtM Revised rather than 20th Edition though - some ability changes).

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Quite possibly! I have a zillion and one character sheets. I'll go back and re-review. Thanks.

Yeah. You can view the current abilities from dancrilis's sheet, and languages are bought as 1 point merits, check the sample character I made.

Your character looks fine, and I'm not going to tell you what you can and cannot play, but I do hope the other two dont make socialites as well, heh.

Dancrilis has a retainer! We'll hide behind him / her / it!

Well. Ok. I'll adjust a wee bit and take melee but on the understanding it's Fencing rather than something useful. Because aside from the berret-wearing bicycle-pusher, the other historical French stereotype is also rather cool.

I'm assuming that Specialties come free when you have an attribute or ability on 4, right?

mystictiger said:

I'm assuming that Specialties come free when you have an attribute or ability on 4, right?

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I think so, yeah.

But I will need justification for taking such high ability ratings. It must be part of your background somehow.

For Jean:

Charisma 4 - because I have to put the dot somewhere, and he's definitely appearance 2. And Cha 4 seems more 'him' than Man 4 does.
Expression 4 is his raison d'etre - he's a writer from a family of writers.
Melee 4 is a wee bit more iffy. 3 is "you could make a college fencing team". He was the captain of the prestigious French university's team!

You dont need to justify attributes, only abilities. Yours seem fine. I'm just trying to avoid the whole, "I have a pistol for self-defense that I shoot at the firing range once a month = firearms 5," stuff.

As long as you can give a reasonable explanation, we're good.

I once wrote a book about spies, therefore I have Larceny at 6 dots! >.>

My character sheet is now done. I'll keep adding the fluff stuff, though. I will apologise in advance, because it'll end up... rather long.

I love how you weave pictures into the sheet mystictiger, very nice. And consider your dots stolen, much better than my crappy semi dots... ( )

Otherwise, your character is very much APPROVED!

Thank you kindly.

I tend to end up playing swashbuckling musketeer types. Except they're normally Lasombra in the 14th Century Paris. And female. I'm at least breaking SOME of my cliches. Are you sure you don't have space for a 7th Generation Lasombra female who fangirls after Lucita? Oh well. Worth a try.

Is there anything else I should write about in my ... er... fluff-ing, or just go where the keyboard takes me?

And yes, the name of my Cafe translates (poorly) as "Plot Hook" >.>

Feel free to write as much background as you want, the more the merrier really, especially if there is something I can use, such as characters from his life showing up.

Oh, I'd love to do an rp in the style of the Three Musketeers, in 1625 France, for Vampire. That whole era is just really sexy I think. BUT I still prefer modern age, particularly because my historical knowledge is quite lacking, so I dont think I could do it very believably, as a storyteller at least.