#shovelheads don't get to do that

[reality-detective]

A brief write up of my personal story. 👇

I haven't been lucky in life with getting my way, I've worked hard for everything including vehicles for myself since I got divorced in 2013 and then it got worse, I lost everything. I had 2 Harley Davidsons, a 1976 FLH shovelhead and a 1990 Ultra Classic, I had a 2010 Ford Edge and a nice house with an in ground pool (16' x 32') and a hot tub. I lost it all.

I had health issues in 2015 which damn near killed me. I continued on a downward spiral with depression and anxiety, the feeling of worthlessness, it seemed as if my life was out of control. I fell into the BIG pharma scam and walked out of an intensive care unit where I spent 2 weeks in and 3 weeks out of an ICU hospital stay with 16 different prescriptions and half were psych meds.

I fell as far as one could fall, I was contemplating suicide and then in the twinkling of an eye my life changed, I went cold turkey on all medications but one. My head lost the fogginess and I was able to think.

I went through my Dark Knight of the Soul which wasn't easy, It took me a couple of years to get through that, but I gotta say Q and having Trump as president shook me awake even more as I watched all this unfold while I fought my own demons.

I have totally regrouped my physical, mental and spiritual well-being. I'm not ashamed of the path I took because now it all makes sense and validates where I am today.

I have a small circle of friends but the ones I do have are rock solid brothers and sisters from another mother and that includes the comrades I have met from different countries throughout this war. I have excellent connections in the Netherlands, Germany, Georgia (the country), the UK, and Australia.

Anyway the point of my story is to just share more of my personal struggles, my experience, where I'm at and where I'm going. This IS a spiritual war, this IS biblical and this IS historical. It's the greatest time ever to be alive.

My life has turned a complete 180° although I don't have anyone special to share my life with I feel it is still complete, I'm happy, I have another motorcycle and a nice vehicle, a roof over my head and the blessings just keep coming. Throughout all the shit this old soul has been through I will say this: "It doesn't matter what material bullshit you have in life it's not going to make you happy if you don't have yourself. If you lose yourself, you have nothing, even if you have everything."

- My name is Terry, I was banned from Fakebook, I had a Twitter account for 6 months before being tossed off there. I had a Tumblr account for years until Trump was elected, then I was deactivated, opened another account/deactivated, so I opened another account... Boom 💥 deactivated a again. So I opened a 4th account only to be booted again but I fought them this time. As that battle continued for 8-10 months. Meanwhile I opened a 5th account which is what I use here. 10 months later I won the battle to get my 4th account reactivated which is called constantly-deactivated (now my backup account.)

Stay positive, never surrender and for God's sake... "TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF" Don't ever lose yourself, self care is important especially NOW.

We're nearing the end of this show and remember... 👇

Never give up on yourself, keep climbing thos stairs. 🤔

I care deeply about humanity surviving, you have no idea what you really are. You are the universe, seriously 💫

I Love you all. 💜

[ryttu3k]

Out of curiosity, what type of person do you think Sascha would embrace? Are they the type that would embrace someone as an experiment or would they possibly have deeper reasons for siring a childe?

Canonically, they've Embraced a heap in the past to offer them to 'the glory of Caine':

They see the Embrace as something that elevates the childe, this high honour, a way to be close to Caine (although, at this point, they're following Death and the Soul, they've followed the Path of Caine in the past, and I hc they return to it post-Dracon; there's also the 'Angel of Caine' title). It's a positive thing! However, given they completely... don't remember Anthony at all, it's probably also a thing done largely offhandedly, like, "Yeah, you seem to have potential. Embrace time!"

I could see like... there's a mass Embrace going on. Sascha browses the potential new shovelheads, finds someone with something that piques their interest, and goes, okay, that one seems interesting. They Embrace the new childe, new childe gets shovelled, and that's the end of it. Godspeed, new childe, maybe we'll meet again one day when you attempt sirecide over your abandonment issues!

There are probably also more considered Embraces too - someone piques Sascha's interest for some reason, usually a human but sometimes an existing ghoul or revenant. They see that same kind of potential, but it's in a less frenetic environment than a shovelhead party, so they can invest more time in that potential childe.

It... probably rarely ended well for said childe, given that Dracon!Sascha was like. A Hot Mess(tm).

I don't believe they've Embraced anyone post Dracon. I also don't think they Embraced anyone until the Anarch Revolt - Symeon's scars were still a bit too raw. I do hc that their first childe was Andrei, who was then a Szantovich revenant (revenant based on his comment about his 'ancestral estate', Szantovich based on @iravaid's excellent analysis of Andrei as an artist) and. Probably a fanboy of Sascha's tbh who petitioned for the Embrace himself (flesh! He likes flesh! He can totally do that! Check out his early Vicissitude experiments, it'd be much better if he was a full Cainite, hint hint).

It... didn't quite go as planned because Sascha was a Hot Mess(tm) at the time (and for the next 500-odd years following) and they were reasonably distant by 2004, although they were at least still on speaking terms (more in a "hi sire I'm Archbishop of LA now" "okay cool I'm getting bored with being Archbishop of DC so have fun with that" "cool" "cool" kinda way). Andrei definitely uses the 'first childe of the Angel of Caine' thing for clout even if they haven't spoken in a few years!

There probably are a few experimental Embraces in there too, yes. It's free building material and it needed Cainite flesh. See: Hot Mess(tm).

[mekanikaltrifle]

Failure and fear, for the OC of your choice?

Okay, I usually suck at open ended character choices cause there's too many to think of but... I'll pick an oc whose failures and flaws are known to relevant parties (fellow players) and won't be spoilers :D So I think I'm gonna go for Andrew, actually!

failure: What's your OC's greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

Although his Embrace was one of his greater failures (as far as he's concerned... even tho he had less than zero say in it-!), he actually considers the dissolution of his Pack as a failure he's to blame for. At least enough to count, anyway.

It was a messy affair; all three new fledglings that'd been brought in were very different people with very different lives beforehand, but one-- Camila-- was religious to the point of intolerance, and unafraid to get into a fight with the famously-emotional Andrew. Two recently-Embraced, very traumatised weirdos for whom the vinculum didn't bind as hard as it should, what could go wrong?

In the end, he sees it as his failure to have stopped her antagonising him, befriending his sire (who she did not know had sexually coerced Andrew in his Embrace, and like hell could he tell her, she thought he was a slut and lesser for it), antagonising him again and eventually upsetting him so hard he broke. The guy ended up frenzying often enough and intensely enough that he's picked up a frenzy weakness, and from now until a long way in the future he's going to have to work on his temper. For a Toreador, that's still a tricky fuckin ask-- especially one made for the Sabbat.

Camila ended up leaving them for good, and Andrew along with the remaining packmate Joon, fled Atlanta. They're as of now still on the road, in uncertain times... He blames himself for a lot of it all. Is it right to do that? Good luck, he's not about to talk about it.

fear: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

He's good at playing dumb. Though he's shit-scared of a few things, Camila included, there's something he fears more deeply than anything else.

Going home.

It's his goal, and he's told Joon they'll have a great time back in London, away from the Sabbat and the blood and death and misery of its running of Atlanta, but something sits at the back of his head. Not just that Camila will have got there before him, which is a problem he's ignoring, but the thought that it might not be a good place for someone turned into the Sabbat. Something he didn't ask for, and didn't know about, he was one step above a goddamn shovelhead for fuck's sakes, but now maybe home isn't going to look like home anymore.

More to the point... what happens if he does get there, and has to say hello to his family? and friends? He's got one friend from before who knows what he is now (he had to ghoul her to save her life when Joon's sire Cassy impaled the poor woman through the torso), but everyone else? What happens if he tells them? Will they even look like friends and family anymore or will they look like food??

He doesn't talk about it, because there's no way to start that conversation comfortably, and it scares him even more than the slasher that lives in... somewhere in him now, that wants him to hurt people and fucking likes it.

Maybe going home isn't such a good idea. He can't even think of England without wanting to cry.

But boys don't cry, so he won't.

[blanketempress]

Anton multiples of 5, Enzo multiple of 3, Arzel everything else.

I'm just going to ignore your attempt at making me do math and answer with whichever character I think is more interesting <3

What memory would your OC rather just forget?

Arzel : killing his boyfriend in a frenzy

What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them?

Lorenzo : He’s a pretty good physical fighter. Not the best, but he’s good. People expect him to give out orders and have goons and use magic but his first instinct is to run headfirst into the fray

What is your OC's fatal flaw? Are they aware of this flaw?

Arzel : bleeding heart. You look at him with sad eyes and he wants to help you out. It already brought him a lot of trouble, so he's aware of it, but there's nothing he can/wants to do about it

When scared, does your OC fight, flee, freeze or fawn?

Anton : freeze then flee (nobody is surprised)

How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

Lorenzo : as far as it takes. The list of what he's unwilling to do to himself and to others is shorter than the list of things he's willing to do to get what he wants

How easily could your OC be convinced to do something that goes against their moral compass?

Anton : almost impossible, he'd rather like you to kill him instead. Good thing his moral compass is pretty weak

What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

all my OCs pop fully formed into my head, I just have to get to know them but they don't change

Would your OC ostensibly be able to get away with murder?

Lorenzo : he worked as a ghoul for 5 years and he has a spell to turn corpses into dust, he's VERY good at it

Do you have a specific lyric or quote which you associate with your OC?

not really but I have a voice claim for Arzel : A Hull full of Oil and Bone by Listing Ship

What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

Anton : SHOVELHEAD ANTON AU

What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?

Arzel : his fists. He's very good at hand to hand combat yeah

Is your OC self-destructive? In what ways?

Lorenzo : kind of but he’s not aware of it. He almost died a couple times pushing himself way over his limits due to being full of hubris

How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

Arzel : oh he's VERY concerned about the image he gives out. He wants to be seen as a Blue Blood, as someone reliable and non threatening but powerful nontheless, he wants to make everything he does look effortless, he's a bit vain like that. He has a some insecurities due to his origins and his lack of education, he does his best to hide them

Does your OC have a faceclaim? If so, who?

nope

What is your OC's pain tolerance like?

Lorenzo : extremely high. He'll shrug off pain and fight until he can't get back up

What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

Anton : his entire life sucks so fucking bad I can't even pick I'm sorry Anton. Getting killed wasn't even the most traumatizing thing on the list.

Is your OC more cold and detached or up close and personal?

Lorenzo : both. He’s very cold and keeps everyone at arm’s length (or even further away if he can), but he takes everything very personally

How does your OC behave when enraged?

Arzel : it's pretty hard to enrage him, but he is a pretty proud man, and very Ventrue. He does give warnings that he's getting pissed, you do get a chance or two to back down, but if you don't take it, he might decide to tear off your limbs about it, depending on the setting.

Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest?

Lorenzo : he doesn’t know it himself because he’s Lorenzo but he actually feels inadequate in his relationships. He feels as if he can't offer anything to his friend/partner. So if he sees someone getting along better he gets jealous but it only translates in him clamming up and distancing himself.

Does your OC have any illnesses or disorders? How do they handle it?

Anton : he's malkavian so. it's a cocktail of things. He handled things by getting high when he was human, now he copes by getting himself into toxic situations/relationships. Therapy never really did anything for him

What character alignment would you consider your OC to be?

this is vtm, everyone is a flavor of chaotic or evil if not both

What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

Arzel : not exactly an emotion, but knowing he has failed is the hardest thing for him to process. Failing expectations in general. On the other hand, he's pretty alright at expressing himself and his emotions

What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

Lorenzo : he almost became a mage, he even had a few astral journey dreams, though he has absolutely no idea. His family prevented that from happening by ghouling then embracing him. Unsurprisingly he would've still been a necromancer

What is your favorite thing about your OC?

Anton : I think it's pretty fun to play a pathetic little man

[the-firebird69]

1969 HARLEY DAVIDSON SHOVELHEAD CHOPPER BUILD | KICK START SOUND & IDLE ...

A lot of these motors don't run cuz it got wet and they were kept outside or people ruin them and don't put oil in these guys are checking the oil after every use and you're more or less have to they're going on long trips like 400 miles and they check it every time they check in at a hotel at night and they go you know until they do check the oil and they put more rain usually it's down a little that's why lawn mower engines last a long time but when it's really cool and these ones that are not cool it doesn't burn oil but they're still check it then if they drive for a long time it gets a little warm but not with a new jacket and you can make it out of copper and it cools the motor a lot more aluminum too

... My husband says that you should make it out of silver that you pull out of the buildings to remind you of what Dave was up to and the max and silver is awesome it cools it off real quick you have to clean it up unless you paint it you have to clean it with metal cleaner a lot of people will and they'll polish it and they said by golly we've got something here they want to make all the parts on it silver and it's for higher ups and it's a Harley Davidson conversion and that's what we're saying as the creators and they got that in the second part is this is not a Harley-Davidson chassis it's a kicker 5150 they're putting the lawn mower engines in there and it is appropriate and a lot of them are taking now the Max lawn mowers and they're getting information they drive down the street with them and they're getting chased and they Lynch the Mac

Hera

Hahaha don't chase after him Robert Duvall oh that's some ugly s*** right there

Zues Hera

Haha I kind of get it it's funny 😂😂

Brad yeah that's me below I'm saying that too a little bit

[meo-htp]

*sitting bolt upright in bed in the middle of the night* wait--

"why didn't pyotr just kill them" --youtube commenter (paraphrased)

"pyotr really out there trying to replenish the pack he just lost" --@indiworld

actually you're a genius and this explains everything

in chapter 1 sludge lad calls the hunters "potential shovelheads." then in chapter 2 he is pretty unsubtle about offering the embrace to the family, saying outright that he likes them. he offers them "immortality, supremacy, a new family." in a weird way maybe he saw the cool ass-kicking humans as more worthy of the embrace and the sabbat cause than his comrades (who, after all, lost their combat with the hunters)? he seems to get unironically excited when marckus seems like he's going for the sales pitch. "liberate yourself, brother!" then he's disappointed when marckus reveals the fakeout.

let's assume pyotr really is as powerful as he looks in chapter 3. he incapacitates big-D when he could kill him, leaves the defenseless marckus alone at first when he could hop down from the wall and kill him, chases the unarmed kitten into a hole when he could close the distance and kill him, doesn't immediately give chase when kitten climbs out of the hole, only hurts marckus when he could kill him, doesn't take the opportunity to kill big-D even though he's lying unconscious and undefended near marckus, uses marckus to bait kitten instead of closing the distance and killing him. plus there's the shovel and the hole he dug. not just a trap for kitten. i think he intended to do the sabbat shovel thing described in the link above

if he wanted to kill any of them outright, he had multiple opportunities to just...do it. but for most of the episode that's not what he wanted. by the time he was mad enough to do more murder, the minefield and the door/boy tag team wombo combo were in play, and then it was too late

he had a lot of very human weaknesses, despite his denial of their existence. but i think the human weakness that had the biggest hand in taking him to final death was that he didn't want to be alone. as soon as he saw an opportunity to get a hella power boost, be rid of his old family, and replace them with a new family that he liked more while eliminating the threat of hunters in the area, he jumped right on it. he didn't even seem to consider that sneaking away was a possibility--even though it most certainly would be, especially for a nossie. but that would mean being alone for a while...

pyotr was the head of a pack. without subordinates, who would he be? a king needs subjects, a boss needs employees. otherwise the would-be leader is literally just some dude. the sewer childe would be a nobody, nothing but a target, pursued by the camarilla for committing diablerie, pursued by whatever other hunters are out there. alone. fending for himself. having nobody to yell at or play uno with.

i'm glad he didn't succeed because i don't want to see marckus's precious little freckleface twisted by the hideous embrace of the nosferatu

[paint-lady]

hey, if you don't mind, i want your advice: i'm going to be running a chronicle set in chicago (i am using the chicago by night 5e book) for players who are new to vampire for the most part in a few days and i can't For The Life of Me to come up with an interesting chronicle hook (yeah i have read the hooks in the book). any ideas/suggestions/general advice?

Hiya! I could talk your ears off on how I write my chronicles- so hopefully I have taken all my processes and reduced it down to a lovely World of Darkness jam. 

Here are two good hooks I just came up with- feel free to use them! The third is what I got for my first chronicle, and I just think its a narrative that works very well for new players.

>Option 1: Guilty Until Proven Innocent ”Chicago is a series of paradoxes and transitions, of ever changing paradigms and whimsy,” (CbN 47). Have your coterie be newbies to the city. Ask why they have come to Chicago. Power? A new start? Perhaps this is a political arrangement between the clan of one city with another. Whatever their reason, they have arrived right when a Primogen vanishes- and guess who is first on the suspect list? The fresh faces on the streets >:) The coterie, having barely settled, has to suddenly prove their innocence. And finding evidence lets them uncover something much more sinister....

This one is ideal for new players as it sets everyone on an equal footing. Even if they create a character that has been a vampire for 50+ years and has amassed several dots of influence, herd, status- whatever, they are still new to the city. And being new means you have to start all over again. (This may be frustrating to a player that invested all those points at character creation- but it is on you as the ST to make sure they have opportunities to use those dots and on them as a player to think cleverly.)

Starting the tale off with defending their innocence is actually a very engaging questline. It effectively sets the stage for the political powerhouses. It lets new players know there are rules- and those in power are watching. It also sets the consequences for failure. Understand that the Camarilla probably isnt going to outright kill the coterie if they fail- always make the punishment just harsh and grueling enough to make final death feel like a mercy. Failure isn’t the end of the story.

For new players- I would be lenient with the time it takes for them to find evidence. But within reason. Think like your Prince and Seneschal. Do you really want this coterie running around for a full week, unsupervised, making more messes? No. You don’t. (You might wanna send an npc with them to watch and keep em out of trouble. Your npc is also able to vouch for them.)

This story lends itself to be a Camarilla Chronicle very easily. You can go Anarch, but an Anarch leader suddenly vanishing and blaming the newbies is much more quickly going to end with blood spilled. Thank your local sweeper.

> Option 2: Containment Breach Blacksite 24 (Loresheet on page 264) was temporarily occupied by Operation Firstlight. It has now been transformed into a medical research facility. While most kindred of Chicago know of Blacksite 24, they have zero clue what happens inside other than bad news for them- the less they know the safer they are. The chronicle opens with a car crash. The captured soon-to-be coterie was in transit to this feared medical facility. The crash did kill the driver and the agent in charge of transporting them. The crash did not fully break their restraints, but it did enough damage that first responders are freaking out. They are all at hunger 3. The chronicle is a hunt. The coterie should have some knowledge of what had happened to them and how lucky they are to have escaped. Operatives are already on their way to recapture them. They must hide in this city- and do their best to survive and stay out of sight.

The point of this story is to invoke dread. I highly recommend one player either being a thin-blood (or an npc) with the Daydrinker merit, or a player to have a ghoul. If they decide to not have a daywatch, they increase their chance of being found.

This story also sets up a feeling of desperation. They would be willing to take shelter from anyone- anyone. Eventually the other kindred will catch on that these guys are on the run from something. Any sane kindred would toss them out to protect themselves. A compassionate kindred who takes them in will suffer the final death as a compassionate fool- or join them in captivity. 

This story lends itself to be an Anarch Chronicle much more easily. This is the time the Camarilla will likely be a bit more paranoid and bloody. While they might not outright kill the coterie- they will send them somewhere that is a death trap. They wont dirty their hands with this. After all, you do not want any evidence to fall into the hands of the SI if you hired the hit.

This story is ideal for newbies without background merits. No allies, no influence, no herd. Let them take more mythic merits such as bloodhound and unbondable (Consider finding some from V20 too! There are some really awesome supernatural merits!). These powers would certainly be more fascinating for a medical team to study- not how many instagram followers they have. This kind of story also lets your players feel more powerful- but out of the loop. It lends itself to them forging alliances and getting caught in one-sided favors a lot more quickly. 

The challenging aspect of this story is that is starts with a masquerade breach. New players may not know how to handle such a blatant breach and thats okay. I would let the crash slide- and the Camarilla in the background handles it. Breaches after the crash need to be handled with proper consequences. 

> Option 3: New Blood This is what my storyteller did to me and my first time players (and its also very close to the plot of CoNY). We were shovelheads. Embraced to make a huge mess for the Camarilla and die quick deaths. We were all thin-bloods. The last thing the pcs remember is the sweet rush of ecstasy washing over them, before clawing out of the earth and driven mad by an insatiable hunger. The thrill of the hunt, and the sweet, warm blood on their tongue, nothing was going to be better. All three will awake next to each other, surrounded by the corpses they drank dry in their frenzy. What a way to play the name game! The players have three nights were they figure out their new condition or coverup their tracks (if they think to do it). They contend with their hunger and hatred of sunlight, wrestle with accidentally drinking their family member dry. After three nights, the Scourge comes knocking. Rather than outright killed, they are dragged to Elysium. For some reason, they are adopted by an upstanding member of the Camarilla- or the Prince orders a political rival care for them (hoping they fail). The players are the errand childer of this kindred, and slowly they figure out what they have been gathering through all these errands....

This one lets the characters all have the moments where they discover their disciplines and powers- and bestial tendencies. It naturally flows to allow players to slowly discover the rules and mechanics as well. All players must play fledglings for this tale. 

This story is much more a personal tale than a political one. Eventually politics makes its way in...but it does not have to be a focus. 

This story has less of a hook and more of a “Figure it Out” survival mode until the errands begin. The story is how the character’s react to their condition. It very quickly lends itself to a narrative of finding your own path in the night, rather than mindlessly obeying.

So here are a few questions that I ask myself when crafting a chronicle story:

1. What kind of story do you want to tell? Not asking for a plot hook, I’m asking for a general concept. Is it a tale of good triumphing over evil? (Not necessarily a wrong answer, but if you wanna play good guys...vampire is not the best game for that). Is this a chase? Is this a race against time? 

2. How do you want your story to make your players feel? Do you want to tell a story that invokes as much dread as possible in your players? Do you want them to feel ultra powerful? Vampire is both a power fantasy and a dread inducing game- it can do both. 

3. If you don’t know what kind of story you want to tell, switch gears to worldbuilding. CbN has so many NPCs with the rumors already written for you. Its your setting, perhaps switch two rumors around with prominent NPCs. Decide which ones are true in your setting- Maybe Primogen Annabell did kill her predecessor. Perhaps the Lasombra are attempting to infiltrate the Camarilla as everyone fears- but no one is able to prove it or stop it. Deciding what is true, false, and undetermined usually blossoms into hooks and stories worth investigating.

4. What is a historical event of the city that the Vampires would have endured/ scars would have remained? For example, in my chronicle set in Richmond, the tale of the Richmond Vampire is true. Depending on who you ask, it is the Camarilla’s best or sloppiest cover up. Have the chronicle coincide with the events and the coterie live through them. No one said this must take place in 2021- you can do 2015, 2008, -hell go back the 1990s. Its actually super fun if you set your chronicle in the 90s and your Malkavian is using phrases from 2020.

5. One of my things I do when writing scenes and moments is play Dread by myself. Dread is a role playing game played with jenga. There are no dice rolls, if you want to attempt something, you have to pull pieces from the tower. If the tower falls, you die. If there is a moment where I really really really dont want to pull from the tower, though the reward for succeeding is so so sweet- I keep the moment. If its really easy to shrug and go eh, I can live without performing that action- go back and rewrite it. If you have no incentive to pull from the tower, why would they?

6. Examine your player’s desires and ambitions- and do not neglect them in your chronicle. The plot wont magically allow all of them to achieve their ambitions. However, provide opportunities for them through the plot. Its on them to strive for what their character wants- its on you to make them struggle but have the path to get there. For example, if a player wants to become a Baron, provide a political opening. Perhaps then by announcing their power, they have made a bigger name for themselves and it has become harder to hide. Perhaps by doing this, the kindred they owe a favor is suddenly much more vocal about it. 

Here are some suggestions for handling new players:

> You are going to have to handhold them through some things. New players to vtm won’t be able to see the cascading political web and how the consequences of their actions will ripple into waves. I like to use Wits+Insight and call it Common Sense. Common Sense was a merit in V20- and damn is it WONDERFUL. All they need is just 1 success (they can take half) to have you explain how whatever plan they just thought of is actually a TERRIBLE idea. 

> Do your RPG consent list. Know what is safe to discuss and what is off the table. I highly recommend utilizing something my Storyteller used for my first chronicle, and subsequently I use for all my ttrpgs now: Invoking the Veil. The metaphor is that you are slowly lessening the intensity of a scene- as if raising the opacity or looking through layers of fabric. Eventually, there is too much fabric and you can no longer see the scene. If something is too intense, the ST or the player may announce they are invoking the veil. Reduce the scene by lowering music, speaking in third person, or avoiding heavy descriptors. You can reduce it further to just dice rolls. Role play stops, and the consequences of the scene are solely dictated by the dice. Or fade to black. If a player is repeatedly fading to black on something- ask to talk to them about it. Clearly something is too intense and they are not having as much fun as they can. Debriefing after a session is also a good idea. Do something silly! Share and check all the memes in the discord chat. Its important to make sure you and your players know that at the end of the night- its all just a game.

> I find the sabbat and new players don’t tend to mix well. You may absolutely still use the sabbat in your chronicle! But the dogma and philosophical ideals of the sabbat can be offputting and downright upsetting to a first time player. You may absolutely build to it- that’s what I did to my players. And in the moment of the truth, they chose to cling to humanity. 

> The taking half mechanic is your friend! V5 says players may announce how many dice they are rolling- and if the dividend is greater than the DC- they auto succeed. This streamlines play. Of course, you as the Storyteller may say this is a roll they are not allowed to take half on. Usually these are contested rolls (combat).

> The three turns and out rule keeps combat intense but not too lengthy. It actually streamlines encounters super super well. 

> My ST used a phrase, “The quickest way to kill Cthulhu is to give it a healthbar.” If Methuselahs and Elders are involved in your game- avoid giving them stat blocks. This cultivates a conflict that new players must find a way to overcome without brute force combat. It makes them think critically and defy these super old antagonists through narrative means. This also gets the notion out of your and their heads, “if they die, its over.” Its never that easy. Never. 

[boghermit]

I.5, I.9, II.6 and III.5 for Anja? |･ω･)

Thank you for the numbers! 🙏Caveat: I'm going off V20 mostly. V5 I'm mostly unfamiliar with.

1.5 Who Sired them, and into what Generation were they Sired? What’s their relationship with their Sire like, and what were the circumstances of their Embrace?

She was Embraced into the 10th generation by a fairly young Sabbat Gangrel with decent humanity. (I think his name is Rufus Finley but I recall changing it.) Her relationship with her sire was poor and short-lived. Rufus was well-meaning but didn't really know how to care for a non-shovelhead childe, leading to some bizarre behavior that Anja didn't know how to make sense of until much later. The circumstances of her Embrace are pretty dark and due to a recent tragic musician death I don't think it's appropriate for me to elaborate in detail.

1.9 What are their Convictions (moral opinions and standings they hold fast to)?

She's not entirely for the Camarilla but sees them as a better option than the Sabbat, who she hates. She believes in being allowed to pursue happiness as long as she upholds the Masquerade - although her definition of upholding the Masquerade is pretty loose and gets her into trouble with her boss (Prince LaCroix). She has a very free-thinking carpe diem attitude that doesn't entirely mesh with the Camarilla. She would probably make a better Anarch, but her fear of the same disorder she experienced at the hands of the Sabbat means she has a low opinion of the LA Anarchs.

2.6 What were their goals and ambitions in life? How has this changed?

Her goal was to be a world-famous metal musician. Now that she is quite obviously not human, this isn't as feasible. She pursues her music career online and has even held a few local shows in theatrical gear and a rotation of masks - this way, her beast features seem like part of the act, and she runs less of a risk of breaking the Masquerade.

Largely she's bored with unlife. She feels lost and in stasis, as if her old life is simply on pause and she's waiting for it to restart. (Another sign she'd be better off as an Anarch or Independent - Camarilla life is too hum-drum for her.)

3.5 Which of their Clan’s stereotypes apply to them? Which do they act against, or embody the opposite of?

She loves to explore the wilderness, both urban and rural, as a cat. She had a wanderlust in life that carries on in death. After spending so much time learning about how to be a cat, she's developed a lot of cat-like traits, such as quiet movement, stealing objects of vague interest (ties are her favorite), and sometimes smelling objects before interacting with them. She has several beast features, such as pointed ears. (In V5 these aren't permanent? Wild.)

She's opposite of the stereotype in her association with the Camarilla. She dislikes solitude. She dislikes the idea of Embracing, and if she did Embrace someone, she would never leave them alone to fend for themselves. She has no beef with the Ravnos, and probably would have made a better Ravnos than a Gangrel.

[missn11]

My other shower thought for you is compare/contrast Ming Xiao's efforts to prevent the Sixth Age and the Sabbat's efforts to stop Gehenna in VTMB + Clan Quest Mod. I think they're the only two factions with that same goal, unless you count Beckett? We don't know exactly how much harm has been caused by the Tong, but it's probably less than however many people Andrei used to decorate his house.

@badass-at-cuddling sorry for taking so long to answer this ask😅

Yeah that’s one of the things I like about WOD there are multiple factions of the supernatural creatures trying to stop their version of the Day of Judgment and we don’t know which one is right in their methods, it’s all up to the storyteller, maybe, in this case, it’s the Kuei-jin or the Sabbat that are right or maybe no-one is right at all and they are screwing themselves over for nothing! 

And does disproving Gehenna’s existence count as stopping it from coming true? If so then I guess Beckett could count, if he is right then he’s showing that Kindred are creating their own Gehenna by their foolish actions based on fears.

But back to your question, the truth is that Ming Xiao and Andrei have caused all the innocent people who were unfortunate to get in their way or be targetted by them to lose their lives. 

I do kind of want to say that Ming Xiao has caused the most harm to the very people she is meant to be providing for, reviving the Tong has done more than get people hurt or killed. 

I think it has not only set back all the hard work Wong Ho and the people of Chinatown did to take their neighborhoods back from the original Tong, but also destroy their lives all over again, their children get addicted to dangerous drugs, their children join the Tong for money, out of anger at the racist world that hates East Asians, to prove they are tough or to find a family if they come from broken homes and their children get exploited by the Tong and unknownest to them by the very woman who has set herself up as the spiritual leader of their community.

It’s a betrayal to the highest degree Ming Xiao has committed and all for to stop the Sixth Age, to get revenge against the West or gain more power for the Kuei-jin and herself, it could be all three. But even after she either successes or is killed by the Fledgling and the Tong shut down, the Tong’s effect on Chinatown will be hard to heal from but at least they have a chance to heal, provided that the Anarchs either help them or leave them the fuck alone.

And if they knew that their spiritual leader Ming Xiao was the one responsible for empowering the Tong, that she likely comforted those mothers and fathers who worried, cried, and mourned their children who got swept up the Tong and all the while continued to allow this to happen? Again an incredible betrayal for these people to have suffered.  

Now while we might think that Andrei and his Sabbat haven’t done nearly as much harm as Ming Xiao and her Kuei-jin have and that could be very well true. But we don’t know how much influence the Sabbat had in LA, and given that they work with gangs to do their dirty, moving weapons, pushing and selling drugs to better fund their crusade against the Camarilla and the Anarchs, etc. 

But we have to remember that the shovelheads made by the Sabbat have likely been the cause of murders or missing person cases and some Sabbat play bloodsport games and we know that mortals often pay the price for their hunger and lust for violence.

And not to mention how often does has poor, lost, unwanted souls wander into Andrei’s den for safety, only to be horribly murdered or flesh crafted into/or become part of a monster and enslaved by his blood. That woman killed by the head monsters on tape was a person that someone knew once...

I’m not going into Clan Quest Mod’s Sabbat path too much as it is not canon but I do like that they showed the Sabbat pretty much doing exactly the same thing Ming Xiao and the Kuei-jin have done, downright to having Hazel Tomes being the spiritual/religious leader of the neighborhood and Victoria in charge of the gang running the neighborhood and the drug trade causing again a lot of harm that will need to be healed over time by the community.       

But since we don’t have enough on the Sabbat’s influence on LA so I’ll have to say that Ming Xiao and the Kuei-jin have done the most harm overall but both factions have ruined and ended so many innocent lives. 

[goreador]

VtM:WW(W) - The Introduction & Overview Pt. 2

“what the fuck are you talking about?” - start here. it’s my vampire campaign (vampaign)

taly potent my horrible wife dont you read any more of these after this

A quick recap:

Pierce Clements is the Tremere Prince.

Mona Iglesias is the Ventrue Primogen.

Everyone hates Ambrose.

The old coterie consisted of Humphrey Harvey Hampshire, Trevor Ygghain, and Val Diaz

VtM:WWW starts with a mass Embrace, as all good things tend to start with. The mass Embrace was also found by the Scourges, and quickly devolved into a Frenzying mass of horseshit because the Malkavian thought it would be a good idea to Dementate everyone.

There are only three survivors, brought by the Scourges to present to the Prince (and Sheriff). Typically Camarilla policy would be to have them executed, since they're practically shovelheare, but Mona has always been a bleeding heart and convinces Clements to give them a chance, provided she could find adoptive sires for them.

So she does! The three she find are:

Evelyn Caillat, the Representative (not Primogen) of Clan Lasombra. (she/her)

Valentin Aubermont, Primogen of Clan Malkavian. (he/him)

And Jesse Cowen, her childe and Scourge, name not bolded because he doesn't come up again. (they/he)

Evelyn does this because she wants to prove herself as someone who has powerful childer and what would be better than a shovelhead reformation project? Aubermont does this because he's piloted by spite. Jesse does this because. Actually they don't do it. They get mad and walk out since they have sire issues. Oops 😬

But that's fine! Clements makes a phone call to the only person he can think of, his sire. That won't end poorly.

These are the shovelheads:

Polly Marie, a City Gangrel who has already presented as such. (they/them)

Max Forrester, whose Clan has not yet manifested. (he/him)

And Mahdi Ochre, whose left eye has turned blue, but nothing else has shown up. (he/him)

Evelyn gleefully takes Max as her own. Aubermont takes one look at Mahdi's piercings and goes Oh Yes (malicious, spiteful). And Jesse sees Polly and leaves.

So the two sires and their not-childer leave and go their separate ways. At this point in time, I think the players believe Evelyn is Toreador and Aubermont is Ventrue. Aubermont gives his first speech about shit, and he talks about how appearances can always be deceiving, that everyone's a lying sunnovabitch, and that you shouldn't trust anyone in this city because they're all rotten. Evelyn is pampering Max rotten.

Polly, meanwhile, gets taken in by Clements's sire. He is a little boy named Edward Bishop, and while he is also a child, he is also six hundred years old and the childe of Karl Schrekt. Polly makes fun of him being a little boy and Bishop nearly beats their ass on the spot.

Evelyn gloats for a bit.

Mahdi is given an apartment that is cluttered and messy and horrible. There's a tin of yogurt in this fridge that's been expired for ten years. Mahdi's player is convinced that the yogurt is a clue, and she overanalyzes it and runs, like, a Perception/Occult check on the thing. It's just yogurt.

Polly is taken to the chantry and they are treated as Tremere, despite everything.

Night zero ends.