# [[How to Build a Vampire - The Masquerade Character]] 0. Introductory Campaign Information - Storyteller will reveal relevant information to the story to help determine which character types will work best 1. City 2. Age and Generation - Childer or Fledglings - Neonates - Ancillae - Elders 3. Sect - The Camarilla - The Anarchs - Thin-Blood 1. Create a Core Concept - A brief pitch - Core concept can shift as the story and setting is clarified! - Come up with concepts that play interestingly off other player characters - Create a character who works with the coterie (party) - Questions - What was your character's name in life? - What did they do? - Where and when were they Embraced? By whom? - Questions Post-Embrace - What is their name now? - If recently and secretly Embraced, your original name works - If you're legally dead, or you died in another century, you need to choose the name of your Mask - Where are they now? - You need to explain why none of your mortal acquantances ever see you during the day - Nocturnal career ideas: - Security guard, cover band drummer, sanitation worker, coder or stock trader who works from home when India or Japan are awake, night shift reporter, night shift cop, night shift nurse, night shift therapist, night shift EMT, donut shop worker, convenience store worker, Citizens Watch group member, bartender, taxi or Uber driver, bike messenger, tabletop game designer - If you don't hang out with day people, you could pose as or be: - A scenester, swinger, gambling addict, criminal, sex worker, homeless person, paperless immigrant or refugee - Write your character's name on the Relationship Map 2. Choose Your Clan - Your clan describes your essential lineage - Banu Haqim - Brujah - The Rabble rebel against power and rage against tyranny (Celerity, Potence, Presence) - Gangrel - The feral Outlanders blend vampire and beast (Animalism, Fortitude, Protean) - Hecata - Lasombra - Malkavian - The madness of the Lunatics conceals and reveals truths (Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate) - The Ministry - Nosferatu - The hideous Sewer Rats hide their disfigured forms in the darkness, from whence they gather secrets (Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence) - Ravnos - Salubri - Toreador - The Degenerates seek thrills of art, romance, and cruelty amidst stagnant undeath (Auspex, Celerity, Presence) - Tremere - Broken by a new Inquisition, the once-mighty Warlocks seek to restore their monopoly on sorcerous power (Auspex, Dominate, Blood Sorcery) - Tzimisce - Ventrue - The aristocratic Blue Bloods enforce the Traditions and the Masquerade on the lesser breeds (Dominate, Fortitude, Presence) - Caitiff - The clanless show no common traits, except to find themselves outcast by vampires of distinct lineage - Thin-Blooded - Born too far from Caine to fully share his curse, the Mercurian thin-bloods must claw their way into the dark world - or find a way out (Thin-Blood Alchemy) - Other Clan Divisions: - Use physical prowess to fight enemies, protecting what's important to you - Banu Haqim, Brujah, and Gangrel - Stay low, lurking from the outskirts of undead society - Gangrel, Nosferatu, Salubri, and Thin-Blood - Research, investigate, and seek hidden knowledge - Hecata, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Tremere - Rule, own, and command others - Lasombra, Tzimisce, Ventrue - Seduce, please, tempt, and deceive others - The Ministry, Ravnos, Toreador - Camarilla - Banu Haqim, Lasombra, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue, and dissidents from Brujah and Gangrel - Anarch - Brujah, Gangrel, The Ministry, dissidents from Camarilla clans, some Caitiff - Other Sects - Hecata, rogue Lasombra, Ravnos, Salubri, Thin-Blooded, Tzimisce, some Caitiff - Write your character's sire on the Relationship Map 3. Set Your Attributes - As a human, determine what your physical strength, social prowess, and mental capabilities were - Physical Attributes - Strength - Exertion of force by the muscles - Dexterity - Agility, grace, hand-eye coordination - Stamina - Toughness, resilience, endurance - Social Attributes - Charisma - Charm, magnetism, personality - Manipulation - Getting others to do what you want - Composure - Self-control, cool, calm head - Mental Attributes - Intelligence - Memory, reasoning, intellect - Wits - Cleverness, intuition, snap judgements - Resolve - Focus, concentration, attention - Choose your character's best Attribute and color in 4 dots - Choose your character's worst Attribute and color in 1 dot - Pick three Attributes at 3 dots and four Attributes at 2 dots - Set your Health as Stamina + 3 - Set your Willpower as Resolve + Composure 4. Choose Your Skills - Skills tell the story of your character's life - Physical Skills - Athletics - Running, jumping, climbing - Brawl - Unarmed combat of all type - Craft - Crafting, building, shaping - Drive - Operating vehicles - Firearms - Using ranged weapons - Larceny - Breaking and entering or guarding against it - Melee - Armed hand-to-hand combat - Stealth - Not being seen, heard, or recognized - Survival - Remaining alive in adverse surroundings - Social Skills - Animal Ken - Animal handling and communication - Etiquette - Politeness in social settings - Insight - Determining states of mind and motives - Intimidation - Getting another person to back down - Leadership - Directing and inspiring others - Performance - Expressing art in person to an audience - Persuasion - Convincing others - Streetwise - Understanding the ins and outs of criminal and urban society - Subterfuge - Tricking others into doing your will - Mental Skills - Academics - Humanities and liberal arts, book-learning - Awareness - Senses, being aware of your surroundings, spotting threats - Finance - Handling, moving, and making money - Investigation - Following clues, solving mysteries - Medicine - Healing injuries, diagnosing disease - Occult - Secret lore, both real and unreal - Politics - Diplomatic and bureaucratic acumen - Science - Knowledge and theory of the physical world - Technology - Understanding and using modern technology, computers, and online activity - Skill Specialties - Expertise in a particular aspect of a skill - Examples (Non-exhaustive list, characters can create their own if the following don't fit) - Athletics - Acrobatics, archery, climbing, endurance, jumping, parkour, swimming, throwing - Brawl - Animals, armed mortals, bar fights, grappling, Kindred, sporting combat, unarmed mortals, werewolves, while in Protean Beast form - Craft - Carpentry, carving, design, painting, sculpting, sewing, weaponsmithing - Drive - All-terrain vehicles, evasion, motorcycles, street racing, stunts, tailing, trucks, vintage models - Firearms - Crossbows, gun dealing, gunsmithing, handloading ammunition, quick-draw, sniper, trick shooting - Larceny - Alarms, forgery, grand theft auto, housebreaking, lockpicking, pickpocket, safecracking, security analysis - Melee - Axes, chains, clubs, fencing, disarming blows, garrotes, improvised weapons, knives, stakes, swords - Stealth - Ambushes, crowds, disguise, hiding, shadowing, silent movement, urban, wilderness - Survival - Desert, hunting, jungle, tracking, traps, shelters, urban exploration, woodlands - Animal Ken - Attack training, cats, dogs, falconry, horses, pacification, rats, snakes, stunt training, wolves - Etiquette - Anarch, Camarilla, celebrities, corporate, Elysium, feudal, one-percenter, secret society - Insight - Ambitions, desires, detect lies, emotions, empathy, interrogation, motives, phobias, vices - Intimidation - Extortion, insults, interrogation, physical coercion, staredowns, veiled threats - Leadership - Command, inspiration, oratory, praxis, team dynamics, war pack - Performance - Comedy, dance, drama, drums, guitar, keyboards, poetry, public speaking, rap, singing, violin, wind instruments - Streetwise - Arms dealing, black market, bribery, drugs, fence stolen goods, gangs, graffiti, personal rep, sex trade, urban survival - Subterfuge - Bluff, feign mortality, impeccable lies, innocence, the long con, seduction - Academics - Architecture, English literature, history of art, history (specific field or period), journalism, philosophy, research, teaching, theology - Awareness - Ambushes, camouflage, concealed objects, hearing, instincts, smell, sight, traps, wilderness - Finance - Appraisal, banking, black markets, corporate finance, currency manipulation, fine art, forensic accounting, money laundering, stock market - Investigation - Criminology, deduction, forensics, missing persons, murder, paranormal mysteries, traffic analysis - Medicine - First aid, haematology, pathology, pharmacy, phlebotomy, surgery, trauma care, veterinary - Occult - Alchemy, Blood Magic, Faeries, Ghosts, grimoires, Infernalism, Magi, Necromancy, Noddism, parapsychology, Voudun, Werewolves - Politics - Anarchs, Camarilla, city government, Clan (specific), diplomacy, media, national politics, state/provincial politics - Science - Astronomy, biology, chemistry, demolitions, engineering, genetics, geology, mathematics, physics - Technology - Artillery, coding, computer building, data mining, hacking, networks, phones, surveillance systems - Choose a Skill Distribution OR Answer the following questions - Skill Distributions - Jack of all Trades - One Skill at 3, eight Skills at 2, ten Skills at 1 - Balanced - Three Skills at 3, five Skills at 2, seven Skills at 1 - Specialist - One skill at 4, three Skills at 3, three Skills at 2, three Skills at 1 - Life Questions - Whenever you acquire your first dot in Academics, Science, Craft, or Performance, take a specialty in that Skill - Professional Skills - Using whatever you did in life to earn a paycheck as a guideline, choose the two Skills you will give 3 dots and two Skills you will give 2 dots. Then, choose a professional specialty in one of these Skills. - Life Event Skills - Using whatever major life events that shaped you and taught you something, choose one Skill you will give 3 dots and one Skill you will give 2 dots. Consider which specific events those Skills came from. - Leisure Skills - Using whatever your profession paid for and whatever you did for fun, choose three Skills you will give 1 dot. Consider which specific hobbies or pastimes those Skills came from. - Extra Skills - Choose the Specialist or Generalist tract, and come up with a plausible reason for these new Skills without thinking too deeply - Specialist - Take one more Skill at 4 dots, and consider whether you'd like to change your professional specialty to a specialty of this Skill - Generalist - Take two more Skills at 2 dots and four more Skills at 1 dot 5. Set Your Beliefs - What were your character's moral and ethical values? Who were the most important people in their life? - Convictions - A persons core values and moral principles that fortify their actions against the degeneration of the beast - Create 1-3 Convictions (statements that often begin with "never" or "always," strong beliefs concerning something likely to come up in play) - Think about where and how your Convictions became important to you - Examples - Thou shalt not kill - Kill only the unworthy/unbelievers/in fair combat/in self-defense - Never expose children to violence - Love thy neighbor as thyself - Disobedience is dishonor - Protect the innocent from harm - Courage is the highest virtue - Always keep your sworn word - The truth is sacred; thou shalt not lie - Slavery is evil - Obey authority - My country, right or wrong - None may control me - Never do drugs (or drink alcohol) - Thou shalt not torture - The guilty must be punished - From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs - Rob from the rich, give to the poor - Reject wealth, for it corrupts - Never act against another (insert own group/faith/sect) - Always aid women in need - Stand up for the disenfranchised - Respect (insert religion here) as sacred and obey its moral laws - Touchstones - Those around you whom you most love; who would you risk everything to see again? Whose memory keeps you from tearing out a helpless throat - Pick a number of Mortals equal to your number of Convictions who define the best in humanity for you (could be physical examples of your Convictions) - Examples - Your surviving human spouse, lover, or parent - You human child, or (for older vampires) a descendant of your family line - A human who looks exactly like someone you loved in life - A human you admired in life or their descendant - A human related to someone you killed very early in your unlife: someone you swore you didn't have to kill because you aren't a monster, not really - Someone you have come to recognize as a rare decent person even in your eyes: a volunteer at the animal shelter, a priest, a nurse, a social worker, a nice old lady in the neighborhood - Someone who represents something you once held dear in life and still cling to: a soldier, a baseball player, a musician or artist, clergy from your faith - Someone who guards, symbolizes, or protects a thing you value: the doorman of the building you used to live in, the cop on your old beat, a crusading reporter, the single mom living in your childhood home, the caretaker who sweeps your gravesite - Write the names of your Touchstones on the Relationship Map - Ambition - What was your greatest aspiration as a human? You long-term goal - Set your Humanity to 7 6. Choose Your Clan Disciplines - Put 2 dots in one and 1 dot in one other - For Caitiff characters, choose any two Disciplines (2 dots in one and 1 dot in the other) - Thin-blood characters have no intrinsic Disciplines - Discipline options - Animalism - Supernatural affinity with and control of animals - Auspex - Extrasensory perception, awareness, and premonitions - Blood Sorcery - The use of the Blood to perform magic - Celerity - Supernatural quickness and reflexes - Dominate - Mind control practiced through one's piercing gaze - Fortitude - Unearthly toughness, even to the point of resisting fire and sunlight - Obfuscate - The ability to remain obscure and unseen, even in crowds - Oblivion - Necromancy and shadow shaping - Potence - The Discipline of physical vigor and strength - Presence - The ability to attract, sway, and control emotions - Protean - Shape-changing, from growing claws to melding with the earth - Thin-Blood Alchemy - Mixing blood, emotion, and other ingredients to create powerful effects 7. Pick Your Predator Type - Your reflex or habit, how you prefer to hunt - Thin-blood characters and recently embraced Fledglings do not get a Predator Type - Alleycat - Ambush in the dark, you take blood by force or threat - Add a specialty: Intimidation (Stickups) or Brawl (Grappling) - Gain 1 dot of Celerity or Potence - Lose 1 dot of Humanity - Gain 3 dots of criminal Contacts - Bagger - Blood bags drinker, you acquire preserved or dead blood, rather than hunt the living - Ventrue cannot pick this type - Add a specialty: Larceny (Lock-picking) or Streetwise (Black Market) - Gain 1 dot of Blood Sorcery (Tremere only) or Obfuscate - Gain the Feeding Merit: Iron Gullet (3 dots) - Blood Leech - Vampire drinker, you feed from other vampires - Add a specialty: Brawl (Kindred) or Stealth (against Kindred) - Gain 1 dot of Celerity or Protean - Lose 1 dot of Humanity - Increase Blood Potency by one - Gain the Dark Secret Flaw: Diablerie (2 dots) or the Shunned Flaw (2 dots) - Gain the Feeding Flaw: Prey Exclusion (Mortals) (2 dots) - Cleaver - Feed on friends and family, you take blood covertly from your motral family or friends - Forbidden by Kindred - Add a specialty: Persuasion (Gaslighting) or Subterfuge (Coverups) - Gain 1 dot of Dominate or Animalism - Gain the Dark Secret Flaw: Cleaver (1 dot) - Gain the Herd Advantage (1 dot) - Consensualist - Only feed with consent, you take blood with consent - Add a specialty: Medicine (Phlebotomy) or Persuasion (Victims) - Gain 1 dot of Auspex or Fortitude - Gain 1 dot of Humanity - Gain the Dark Secret Flaw: Masquerade Breacher (1 dot) - Gain the Feeding Flaw: Prey Exclusion (Non-consenting) (1 dot) - Extortionist - Draw blood forcefully, you force mortals to pay you in blood for your services or protection - Add a specialty: Intimidation (Coercion) or Larceny (Security) - Gain 1 dot of Dominate or Potence - Distribute 3 dots between the Contacts and Resources backgrounds - Gain the Enemy Flaw: The police or a victim who escaped your extortion and now wants revenge (2 dots) - Farmer - Animal drinker, you feed from animals - Ventrue cannot pick this type - Those with Blood Potency of 3 or higher cannot pick this type - Add a specialty: Animal Ken (Specific Animal) or Survival (Hunting) - Gain 1 dot of Animalism or Protean - Gain 1 dot of Humanity - Gain the Feeding Flaw: Farmer (2 dots) - Graverobber - Feed in graveyards, you hang around hospitals and morgues looking for victims - Add a specialty: Occult (Grave Rituals) or Medicine (Cadavers) - Gain 1 dot of Fortitude or Oblivion - Gain the Feeding Merit: Iron Gullet (3 dots) - Gain 1 dot of the Haven Background - Gain the Herd Flaw: Obvious Predator (Your cold nature makes you act in a deeply unsettling matter when hunting) (2 dots) - Grim Reaper - You feed on those about to die - Add a specialty: Awareness (Death) or Larceny (Forgery) - Gain 1 dot of Auspex or Oblivion - Gain 1 dot of Allies or Influence Background in the medical community - Gain 1 dot of Humanity - Gain the Feeding Flaw: Prey Exclusion (Healthy mortals) (1 dot) - Montero - Your retainers drive the prey to you - Add a specialty: Leadership (Hunting pack) or Stealth (Stakeout) - Gain 1 dot of Dominance or Obfuscate - Gain 2 dots of Retainers - Lose 1 dot of Humanity - Osiris - Feed on your followers, as an object of devotion, you feed from your cult, church, or fans - Add a specialty: Occult (Specific tradition) or Performance (Specific entertainment field) - Gain 1 dot of Blood Sorcery (Tremere only) or Presence - Spend 3 dots between the Fame and Herd backgrounds - Spend 2 dots between the Enemies and Mythic Flaws - Pursuer - You study and stalk your victim before striking - Add a specialty: Investigation (Profiling) or Stealth (Shadowing) - Gain 1 dot of Animalism or Auspex - Gain the Merit: Bloodhound (1 dot) - Gain 1 dot of Contacts from among the morally flexible habitués of your hunting ground: club bouncers, homeless watchers, night vendors, street dealers, etc. Someone who answers when you ask "which way did she go?" - Lose 1 dot of Humanity - Sandman - Feed on the sleeping, you feed from sleeping victims, often breaking into homes - Add a specialty: Medicine (Anesthetics) or Stealth (Break-in) - Gain 1 dot of Auspex or Obfuscate - Gain 1 dot of Resources - Scene Queen - Feed among your "scene," you feed from a subculture or exclusive group in which you enjoy high status - Add a specialty: Etiquette (Specific scene), Leadership (Specific scene), or Streetwise (Specific scene) - Gain 1 dot of Dominate or Potence - Gain the Fame Advantage (1 dot) - Gain the Contact Advantage (1 dot) - Gain either the Influence Flaw: Disliked (1 dot) or the Feeding Flaw: Prey Exclusion (A different subculture from yours) (1 dot) - Siren - Seduce and feed, you feed by seduction, under the guise of sex - Add a specialty: Persuasion (Seduction) or Subterfuge (Seduction) - Gain 1 dot of Fortitude or Presence - Gain the Looks Merit: Beautiful (2 dots) - Gain the Enemy Flaw: A spurned lover or jealous partner (1 dot) - Trapdoor - You lurk in your nest and lure prey into it - Add a specialty: Persuasion (Marketing) or Stealth (Ambushes or Traps) - Gain 1 dot of Protean or Obfuscate - Gain 1 dot of the Haven Background - Gain 1 dot of either Retainers (your roper, major-domo, etc.) or Herd (steady visitors for whatever reaon), or a second Haven dot - Gain one Haven Flaw: Creepy (1 dot) or Haunted (1 dot) 8. Spend 7 points on Advantages and 2 points on Flaws - Thin-blood characters must take between 1 and 3 Thin-Blood Merits and the same number of Thin-Blood Flaws - You may save some Advantage points for the Coterie Pool - Merits - Advantages and gifts inherent to the character: Physical, Mental, and Social (remain fairly constant over the course of the story) - Linguistics - Looks - Substance use - Archaic - Bonding - Feeding - Mythic Merits and Flaws - Backgrounds - Advantages of relationship, circumstance, and opportunity: material possessions, social networks, and the like (external, not internal) - Allies - Contacts - Fame - Influence - Haven - Herd - Mask - Mawla - Resources - Retainers - Status - Loresheets - Use these Advantages and Flaws to integrate the story of that lore into your character's lineage and connections - Add any new supporting cast from Advantages and Flaws to the Relationship Map