What is Vampire: Council of Blood?

These are by no means the completed rules. These are simply to give you an idea of what to expect. Why so many changes/rules? Simple. Some of the rules in the MET books are written poorly, broken, or just don't work for this game. Other rules that have been added/changed just work better in this game. Some of you may pick up relatively quickly, others it may take you awhile. Don't be afraid to stop what your doing and ask a Storyteller for clarification. Most of these rules have been implemented for years in my other games and they are tried and true. Others are brand new and we will see how they work out.

Storytellers

Marshall Jones, CoB Creator - Head Overfiend Storyteller

Character Creation - Laws of the Night: Revised w/ a few notes (also on pg. 62 in LotN:R)

• Step One: Inspiration - Who are you?
  -- Choose a concept
  -- Choose a house
  -- Choose a Nature and Demeanor
  -- Choose a Morality Path
• Step Two: Attributes - What are your basic capabilities?
  -- Prioritize Attributes (seven primary, five secondary, three tertiary)
  -- Choose Traits
• Step Three: Advantages - What do you know?
  -- Choose five Abilities
  -- Choose three Basic Disciplines or Blood Magic
  -- Choose five Backgrounds (Influence may only be bought up to level 3 to start)
• Step Four: Last Touches - Fill in the details.
  -- Assign Blood Traits
  -- Assign Willpower Traits
  -- Assign Virtue Traits
  -- Choose Negative Traits and Flaws (if any)
  -- Choose a Derangement (if desired)
  -- Spend five (or more) Free Traits and choose Merits (if any)
• Step Five: Spark of Life - Narrative descriptions

Step One:
House - May choose any of the 9 great houses.
Morality Path - May choose any of your house's Morality Paths.

Step Two:
Attributes - Primary trait category is +1 to generation maximum, and the teriary trait category is -1.

Step Three:
Abilities - +1 Lore for whatever house you are part of. This is in addition to any house-specific advantages.
Disciplines and Blood Magic - If you wish to have a power or ability or whatever, that is not covered in the main “Laws of the …” books, then you must have a photocopy or have the particular book with you. If you don’t, you cannot use it at that time.
Backgrounds - The Generation Background is not allowed in this game. All characters are of the 10th Generation. Mentor does not allow you to buy out-of-house Disciplines, only Blood Magic Paths.

Step Four:
Flaws, Negative Traits, and Derangments - You may take up to five points in Negative Traits and seven points in Flaws. you may also take one Derangement that will give you two addition points, and you may lower your Path by one point to gain two more. This allows a starting character to begin with up to sixteen extra Freebie points to spend. You may choose even more, but you will not gain any extra points for them.
Merits - Unbondable, Luck, and Nine-Lives and only available at one per chronicle and are on a first come first serve basis at this time. Iron-Will may only be bought with express permission of the Storyteller (most likely you will not get it). You may also buy Merits/Flaws out of the White Wolf Clanbooks as well. For these you should consult a storyteller to see how some of them are used in MET.

Step Five:
Spark of Life - All new characters are from out-of-town, or have been embraced by a local vampire. Every vampire is a maximum of 25 years active.

Experience:

-- 1 xp for attendance, 7:00pm is the cutoff time for the xp. I suggest you get there early.

-- 1 xp for good roleplaying

-- 1 xp to be given out by the STs each night to one (and only one) person that showed exceptional roleplaying or impressed us with something they did.

-- If you are killed, the only way you will receive up to half of your total experience is if you have the total written down on your exp sheet and if you die a good death, not "Well, I got bored so I got myself killed". You can retain up to a maximum of 30 exp for your next character..

Spending Experience:

-- 1xp= 1 trait per Attribute category per week

-- 1xp= 1 per Ability per week

-- 3xp= 1 Willpower per week

-- 3xp= 1 per Virtue per week

-- 3xp= 1 Influence per category per week. Influence gains will also be handled the way they are presented in Dark Epics.

-- You may only learn out-of-house Disciplines with strict approval from the Storyteller. Don’t try to slide it by because you will be caught. See the "More Rules" section for deatils on punishments.

-- You may learn out-of-house Blood Magic as a normal out-of-house Discipline.

-- You may only buy one Blood Magic Ritual per week. Rituals are not free when you learn a Blood Magic level, and you must pay for them with experience. You must also put in the time to research them and learn them.

-- Haven ghouls can be bought with 1, 2, or 3 exp depending on how tough you want the ghoul to be. Storyteller approval for level 3 ghouls

Rules Clarifications, Changes, and Additions

Attributes
Strength: Brawny, Ferocious, Stalwart, Tough, Wiry, Tenacious, Vigorous, Vicious, Agressive
Dexterity: Dextreous, Graceful, Lithe, Nimble, Quick, Agile, Steady, Fast, Fierce
Stamina: Enduring, Resilient, Robust, Rugged, Tireless, Energetic, Deadly, Savage
Charisma: Charismatic, Charming, Dignified, Eloquent, Exressive, Genial, intense, Threatening, Diplomatic, Friendly, Witty
Manipulation: Beguiling, Commanding, Ingratiating, Persuasive, Empathetic, Intimidating, Cruel, Manipulative
Appearance: Alluring, Elegant, Gorgeous, Magnetic, Seductive
Perception: Attentive, Discerning, Insightful, Observant, Vigilant, Patient, Analytical
Intelligence: Cunning, Disciplined, Knowledgeable, Rational, Reflective, Dedicated, Determined, Wise, Focused
Wits: Alert, Clever, Creative, Intuitive, Shrewd, Wily, Insidious

-- Initiative is calculated by adding Dexterity and Wits-related traits together.

Abilities
-- When resolving challenges, add your Ability traits to your total traits.
-- Only 1 Ability retest per person per challenge.

Merits and Flaws
Rules Additions and Changes
-- Luck can be overbid.

New Merits

• Lunar Child (2 Trait Supernatural Merit) - You share a special tie with one of the moons phases amd benefit more than usual when it is at its zenith. When your phase is at its waxing phase, you receive a bonus trait to all ties, though you are down one trait in its waning phase (either determined by the Storyteller or the real moon).

New Flaws

• From the Tap (1 Trait Physical Flaw) - For some reason, you must drink blood directly from a body. It doesn't matter if it is alive or dead. You do not gain any nourishment from drinking blood from a glass or blood that has been spilled. Note that just because you cannot get benefits from it, this does not prevent you from Blood Frenzying.
• Persistant Family (2 Trait Social Flaw) - When you died and became a vampire, you most likely dissappeared from your old life. Your family could not seem to let your memory go with you and began searching for you. Perhaps even to the point of hiring detectives to find you. You also know that you cannot let your parents know what you are, for fear they may not take the news very well or perhaps they are devout church-goers and they would see you as some abomination and try to put you down to "save your soul".
• Ward (3 Trait Social Flaw) - You are devoted to the protection of a mortal. Perhaps he is one of the friends you have hung onto since your Embrace, or perhaps it is just someone you feel a particular kinship for, or perhaps even one of your ghouls. You may describe your Ward, but the Storyteller will actually create him. Such people are often targeted by your enemies, or just get caught up in the action too well. If he is a ghoul, you must have a particularly special relationship with him (spouse, lover, longtime friend, ect...)
• Inept (6 Trait Social Flaw) - You are incompetent and unskilled. Until you buy off this Flaw, you may not have any of your Abilities or Influences above 1.
  

Disciplines and Powers

The 'Vampire Leap' is something that all vampires can do as of the first moment they are Embraced. Vampires can leap great distances by utilizing the power of the blood in their veins. By spending a Blood Trait, a vampire can leap five feet up and across for every Strength-related trait they possess. Example: If a vampire has 3 Strength Traits, then they may leap a total of fifteen feet. A vampire may only leap once per turn no matter how much blood they are able to spend. The maximum distance that a vampire can leap is 25 feet. It is said that older vampires can leap even farther.

Following powers can be enacted instantly by spending a Willpower Trait: Mist Form, Down Pour, Form of the Cobra, Fleshcraft, Cloak of Fog, Shape of the Beast, Bonecraft (1 for limb, 5 for whole body), Tenebrous Form, Horrid Form, Blood Form, Earth Meld. If there is anything that was missed, please consult an ST.

Potence:

• Might can be overbid.
• Might may be retested against with Luck.
• You do not have to announce that you have "The Bomb" before using it.
• Limbs (not the head) can be pulled off of opponents upon reaching the third level of Potence. To do so, you must win a Physical Challenge and then win two simple tests (exactly like staking). If you win, you have successfully removed whatever you had ahold of.

Fortitude:

• Aegis wins against all stamina-related ties (like Puissance and Fleetness).

Celerity:

• You do not have to announce that you have "The Bomb" before using it.
• Vampire Leaping does not override Celerity. Anyone with Celerity may Fair Escape against someone that does not, as per the normal rules.
• You may only Vampire Leap once per turn, no matter how many extra actions you have from Celerity.

Blood Magic

• You must learn rituals separately from Blood Magic Paths. You do not get any free rituals upon attaining a new level in Blood Magic.
• Blood Magic Paths cannot be bought intially from your starting Disciplines. They can only be bought with Freebie points.

Generation Table

Combat

Dragon Rules
In an effort to speed up combat, I am allowing Dragon Rules. It must be agreed upon by the other players involved and once chosen, cannot be changed during that scene. It will, however, be determined on a scene-by-scene basis whether or not they will be used. Due to the powerful nature of this, it will be highly governed by the Storytellers. If you choose Dragon Rules for a combat, you must let a storyteller know that you are doing so prior to the fight.
*PLAYERS: If you do not know what Dragon Rules are, do not just agree to use them. If you do know what Dragon Rules are and you sucker a newbie into using them, you will be in alot of trouble and will be punished severely.

Common Misconceptions about Vampires

Dining
All vampires are able to eat and drink food (as per the Eat Food Merit). This does not mean they gain any sustenance from this activity, it merely is a tool that allows them to function more readily in human society. After a while, their bodies reject what they have consumed and make them vomit it back up. Not too pleasent, but effective at keeping the mortals from knowing something is out of place.

Appearance
Vampires are able to make their fingernails and hair grow. They can also get tattoos, piercings, and other such things as well. By redirecting their blood to or from a specific area, they can decide on what they want to keep and what they wish to get rid of. A vampire may have had a tattoo for years then get tired of it one night and remove it while she sleeps during the day, waking up with no evidence that there was ever any marking there. The only things they cannot fix without extensive effort (Disciplines, Blood Magic, ect...), are things that were there prior to their Embrace.

Sex
Sex. Yes, vampires can and do have sex. They don't have the reputation for being the most alluring and erotic creatures in existance from mere fairy tales. They are able to enjoy it as much in death as they did in life. In fact, some of them crave it so much they could possibly become addicted to it. Now then, does this mean that a vampire can get pregnant or get someone else pregnant? No, because they are creatures fueled by unlife, they are unable to reproduce. It is, however, rumored that those of such dilluted generations may be able to accomplish this, but it has yet to be proven.

More Rules Thou Shalt Never Break (See p. 14 in LotN:R for the originals)

If its not on your sheet, you can't do it/don't own it.
Do not attempt to sneak anything by us either, for if you do so and later we find out about it, prepare to be punished extremely severely. Cheating, metagaming, and powergaming will not be tolerated at all. A First offense will get you a warning and possible decrease in exp. A Second offense means your character suddenly explodes and you make a new one from scratch. A Third offense will get you banned from the game. If you then show up, you will asked to leave. Keep in mind, STs do not have to follow this format. They may skip to the third if they feel it is warranted.

Storytellers have the 'Voice of God'.
What they say goes. Do not attempt to ask another Storyteller if one has already made a judgement. You will be punished severly if you try to do this (we always find out).

You are always in-character.
Only Storytellers may grant an exception to this. None of this "Well, I'm out of character so what I said didn't count." If you wish to talk out of character, then go into the OOC Room or far away from the ears of others.

If Thoust Pouts, Thoust Shall Be Asketh To Leaveth.
Nobody likes a crybaby and nobody likes cheater. If you are either of these, please don't come. Our game is built on having fun. The Storytellers don't get paid to do this, we do it cause we love the game. Have no fear, we have no compunction about asking problem players not to return to the game. And if your one of those players who absolutely, positively has to play a 3rd generation Xie Long even though you don't know a thing about them... beware what you ask for. I have no problem kicking a troublemaker to the curb.

Mature themes and material.
Anyone under 18 years of age is required to have a parental waver. This is to cover myself, my storytellers, and any location we may be playing at should anything happen while playing in the game or at the site.

Leave your problems at the door.
If you have any problems with anyone bring it up to a storyteller who is free at the moment or wait until the game is over to confront the person. There will be no arguing with any other member for any reason while the game is in session. If you cannot settle your differences, then please do not come and spoil other people's enjoyment. This game is based people having fun, and bickering and anger will only bring it down. The STs are not babysitters and since we all pretend to be adults, every player will act like one while the game is in session. Rudeness and bad behavoir will not be tolerated, and if someone exhibits such, they will be asked to leave for the evening to cool down.

Trust in your Storytellers.
Everything we do is for a reason. You may not understand why certain things happen to your character. Rest assured that we do. It may be because way back in your character’s youth, you pissed off some elder who has decided that now is a good time to get even. You may have pissed off another player who is using his or her influences to mess with you. If you really have no idea, don’t worry…we do. Trust your STs.

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