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| Area Knowledge - You are familiar with an area usually a city - and know a fair amount about its structure, history, geography and mortal politics. This Knowledge does not include Kindred affairs, which are covered by the Knowledges of Kindred Lore and City Secrets. * Student: You've read Fodor's. ** College: You may have lived there for a year or two. *** Masters: You may have lived there for 5-10 years. **** Doctorate: You're native born, and never left. ***** Scholar: You could write the definitive book on the area. Specialties: History, Geography, Politics, Transportation, Law, Customs, Celebrations Bureaucracy - Your ability to get what you want out of "the system," whether through paperwork, phone calls or bribery. * Student: You can keep a small company organized ** College: You understand the real basics of power structures *** Masters: You can perform stalling tactics for as long as it takes **** Doctorate: When you talk, your senator listens ***** Scholar: When you talk, the IRC listens Specialties: Negotiation, Bribery, Diplomacy, Bluffing, Stalling, Government, Military Camarilla Lore - You know information about the Camarilla. You know who many of the princes are, who many of the real rulers are, details about the Masquerade, Camarilla history, legend and propaganda. * Student: What any member could find out if they cared ** College: What pretty much most of the Ventrue know *** Masters: What most Tremere or Nosferatu know **** Doctorate: What most princes and archons know ***** Scholar: What only the justicars and Inner Circle representatives know City Secrets - This Knowledge describes a character's knowledge of a particular city (you choose which); who is who, who has power, how its vampires relate to one another and what is going on. This Knowledge cannot be taken during character generation; it can only be obtained through direct experience. Knowing about the Kindred of Chicago gives character no information about the Kindred of Los Angeles. * Student: But a childe. Not even presented to the Prince. ** College: Na�ve. Occasionally, you can make a connection between reality and appearances. *** Masters: You know what not to do, which can be more important than what to do. **** Doctorate: You may be advisor to the mayor or the prince. ***** Scholar: Only the prince and the elder of the local Nosferatu might know more than you. Specialties: Prince/Archbishop, Primogen/Prisci, Coteries/Packs, The Opposition, High Society, Masquerade, Where the Power Lies, Who's Screwing Who, Historical Rivalries, Political Mistakes Cryptography - You are skilled at both creating and cracking codes and ciphers. With an Intelligence + Cryptography roll (base difficulty 7, but harder for extremely complex or technical messages), you can construct a code that can be read only by someone who scores as many successes as you on the same roll. You can also break a code in the same manner. Some codes require specialized equipment and a corresponding level of Computer, and government ciphers may take weeks or may be literally unbreakable. * Student: Crossword puzzle master: simple word transpositions and the like ** College: Military signals officer: simple mathematical formulae *** Masters: Intelligence analyst: PGP or other commercial ciphers **** Doctorate: CIA cipher specialist: low-security military communications ***** Scholar: The NSA's finest: top-secret burn-before-reading codes Specialties: Data Compression, Specific Nation's Ciphers, Mathematical Encryption, Alphabetical Encryption, Radio Communications Computer Hacking - The player must have at least two dots in Computer before purchasing this Knowledge. Hacking allows the computer user to break the rules. *Novice: You are a computer geek who knows a few tricks, such as changing your grades in the university computer network. ** Practiced: You have great "luck" in guessing computer passwords. *** Competent: You thought your electric bill was too high last month, but you can fix that with a few keystrokes. **** Expert: Now that you have cracked the bank codes, which is it: Rio or Bermuda? ***** Master: The European Community was pretty annoyed about that thermonuclear incident, but you know they can never trace it back to you. Criminology - You have studied the nature of crime when, where, how and why it is committed, the nature of the criminal mind and the history of famous cases. You are an expert on crime and law enforcement. * Novice: Amateur ** Practiced: Enthusiast *** Competent: Scholar or detective **** Expert: Criminal historian or senior detective ***** Master: The Shadow Cryptography - You may skillfully compose and interpret codes and ciphers. *Novice: Grade-school spy fan ** Practiced: Word puzzle buff, military signals officer *** Competent: Intelligence officer **** Expert: Intelligence cipher specialist ***** Master: James Bond Enigmas - You can pull together information for puzzles of all shapes and sizes. You can also use this to pierce the multiple veils of deception that Kindred and kine alike surround themselves with on a nightly basis. * Student: You can put together a large jigsaw puzzle or solve simple riddles from mythology ** College: Magazine logic problems are a snap. *** Masters: Your powers of deduction cast a blinding light on the dark schemes of lesser minds. **** Doctorate: Chaos or conspiracy theories are your mental toys ***** Scholar: You understand some higher power's designs on the inner workings of the universe. Specialties: Riddles, Dream Interpretation, Conspiracies, Quantum Physics, Chaos Theory Research - You can attempt to find specific pieces of information. Many Research projects involve extended rolls and several nights' work, and some things just may not be accessible at all. * Student: You are familiar with public libraries and Web search engines ** College: You may work part-time as a research assistant. You know how to use Gopher and FTP systems, as well as several obscure hardcopy filing methods. *** Masters: You are familiar with some private archives in your areas of study. **** Doctorate: With time, you can find almost anything you need to know. ***** Scholar: You are virtually a walking cross-reference library, and know where to start looking before the question has been fully phrased. Specialties: Online, Arcane and Occult, Oral Traditions, Folklore, Specific Knowledge, Interviews, Speed Reading, Keeping Your Search Quiet Sabbat Lore - You know information available only to members of the Sabbat. If you are not Sabbat and you possess this Knowledge, you had better keep it a secret. If the Sabbat were to find out, your unlife expectancy would plummet. * Student: What most members who live long enough to ask know. ** College: What most pack priests and leaders members know *** Masters: What most bishops and Lasombra know **** Doctorate: What the archbishops and paladins know ***** Scholar: What only the prisci, cardinals and regent know Specialties: History, Legends, Leadership, The Sabbat Inquisition, High-Level Politics, Current Affairs, Auctoritas Ritae Sewer Lore - You know much about sewers in general and a great deal about the sewer system in your own city. You know where the havens of the Nosferatu are, and you know where the city's Giovanni meet. You also have enough general knowledge to navigate through unfamiliar sewers and emerge close to your destination. * Student: Teenage runaway ** College: City maintenance worker *** Masters: Nosferatu or Giovanni neonate **** Doctorate: Nosferatu guide ***** Scholar: Nosferatu elder Specialties: Food, Hiding Places, Shortcuts, Havens, Information, Gathering Places, Staying Clean Expert Knowledge - This primarily encompasses anything that the Storyteller deems to be intellectual or mental in nature (and requires study). Storytellers should first examine the list of existing Knowledges and Secondary Knowledges to determine if a particular activity might fall under one of those (e.g. Forensics would be a specialty of Investigation). * Student: You've taken an undergraduate course or read a few books. ** College: You may have minored in the field *** Masters: You might hold a degree and are well-versed in what's been written. **** Doctorate: You are well-versed in what hasn't been written. ***** Scholar: You know the hidden mysteries of your field and are a veritable font of information. Suggested Expert Knowledges: Archaeology, Engineering (Aerospace, Architectural, Mechanical, etc.), Military Science, Philosophy, Psychology |
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