These rules are in effect as of April 27, 1999.
Character generation
Guns
Called Shots
Special Ammo
Storytellers are allowed to have fun, too...
Character creation:
Vampires:
Note: All new vampire PC's will be neonates, embraced 30-days before their first appearance in the
game, unless approved by the Directing ST (that's Brad).
Up to 5 negative traits may be taken. Up to 7 xp-worth of Flaws may be taken. One extra Beast trait (1 xp for sub-human, 2xp for monstrous) or one extra Derangement (2xp) may be taken. These may not exceed 10 points total!
Ghouling a mortal:
Upon ingesting one (or more) trait of kindred blood, a mortal becomes a ghoul. the following
changes occur:
Embracing a mortal:
When a mortal is embraced in game, the following changes occur:
Embracing a Ghoul:
When a Ghoul is embraced in game, the following changes occur:
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On Guns:
Double Barrel Shotguns: Both barrels may be fired simultaneously. At close range, this will inflict 4
levels of damage upon a single target (2 per barrel). The gun must then be reloaded (this takes one full action if you don't have Celerity, or all of your Celerity actions, if you do have Celerity) before it can be used again.
Revolvers: If the character has a Firearms skill and the buys (for 3xp) the specialty "gunfighter"(no, it's not in the book), and the revolver has been reworked to have a lighter hammerspring (contact the storyteller to do this), he may hold back the trigger and "rake" the hammer with all 5 fingers of the other hand. This counts as firing a "burst" and will empty the gun. If the first attack is successful, the character may win (not tie) a simple test to hit with a second bullet. It is only possible to hit with two out of 6 bullets in this fashion. Drawing a second pistol to repeat this will take one full action before it can be fired again.
All other pistols may be fired once per action, total of twice per normal action if the character has Celerity active (i.e; Fire once during Normal action, again during Swiftness, and No More!)
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Called Shots:
Any called shot with a gun requires a win (not tie) on two static tests after a successful hit.
Note: If a vampire is shot in the head, he goes into Torpor for 15 minutes While the brain regenerates, regardless of how many (or few) Health levels he has left. This may only be avoided with Advanced Fortitude (Aegis).
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Special Ammunition (Must be cleared through storyteller):
.45 & .50 calibur rounds inflict 2 wounds.
Phosphorus or tracer rounds will inflict aggravated Damage. They are extremely difficult to get. You may only acquire them through interaction with the storyteller before the game, or buy them from someone who has them.
12-gauge flare rounds may be used in a shotgun. They will inflict 2 aggravated wounds, but will not "scatter" the way a normal shell does (it hits only one person, regardless of how close he is).
Mercury tipped hollow points do one aggravated wound and one normal wound.
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Storytellers Are Allowed To Have Fun Too...
Storytellers in LARPing have just as much of a right to have as much fun as as any player. In fact, fun is why we all do this. There are times for a ST that can be trying when a player wants to be a rules lawyer or persistently disagree with an ST's call. However keep in mind there are several guidelines to remember if a situation develops where a player feels a disagreement is important enough to bring up.
1. Be adult. This is only a game. If you want to be treated like a child, all you need to do is act like one. If you want to be treated like an adult, all you need to do is act like one. The Storytelling Crew will be more than happy to accommodate players either way, but we would prefer dealing with adults.
2. Stay in-character unless absolutely necessary. Unless a rules disagreement or situation develops that immediately endangers the life or well-being of the character, there should be no excuse to drop out of character.
3. When possible, discuss rules disagreements after the game. Unless a situation develops as mentioned in guideline 1, save the discussion for later. During the game all the Storytelling Crew are very busy and cannot take the time to enter into a rules debate that can possibly wait until later. This does not mean however we are not interested in hearing disagreements. We only stress that their is a time and place for it when possible.
4. Storytellers have to try to absorb a ton of rules from many books and manuals. It can occur that when a person tries to remember thousands of lines, the occasional one or two can be forgotten. A friendly reminder is always welcome and appreciated. Loud voices, bad attitude and negative criticism isn't. Again, ST's are allowed to have fun too. See guideline 1.
5. Unfortunately, there are many rules in almost all LARP books that have gray areas or ambiguous definitions. Our ST's sometimes have to make judgment calls to fill in the gaps. If this happens, then the ST's ruling is final, until it can be researched at a later time.
6. Just because another game does something or follows rules a certain way, players should not automatically assume it is the same everywhere. It isn't. When in doubt, always consult an ST for the house rule before attempting an action. A player saying he did something because he thought the rules were same as another game is not a legitimate excuse for complaint. Players should always think ahead and be sure of the house rules wherever they may play.
7. Sometimes a situation can arise that an ST must tweak a rule to either expedite a scene or compensate for unexpected happenings during a scene. It is within every right for a ST to do so and Laws of the Night and Laws of the Wild do indeed back this up. Although we do like to keep this tweaking of rules to an absolute minimum, we do not deny the situation for it to happen may occur.
If something does not sound exactly by the book, please give the ST(s) the benefit of the doubt. There may be an underlying purpose. Otherwise, refer back to guidelines 1 through 6.
8. If a player feels a rules disagreement will jeopardize their character, then several things can occur at the discretion of the ST coordinating the scene. The ST may opt to look in the appropriate manual for a rules clarification or they may ask another ST for a second opinion. However, once a final judgment is made on a ruling, the debate ends immediately and the game continues. Players are expected to play the final ruling out.
Note: It is considered improper conduct for players to leave a scene because of a rules disagreement or continue to persistently debate over a rules disagreement after a final judgment is made. Players that do so risk forfeiting any further character actions and/or character well-being during the remainder of the scene.
This does not mean a character will be terminated because of leaving a scene or continuing to debate. Rather, if a player leaves during the middle of a scene without ST permission, their character is not assumed to have left the scene with them. The character in question becomes an NPC for the remainder of the scene.
A player who continues to debate will simply be given the same consideration that their character does nothing as long as they continue to debate during the scene.
Causing a major disruption by continuing to argue with an ST after being asked to cease or leaving a scene without a ST's permission ARE grounds for ejection from the game. See guideline 1.
9. Finally, players who are unhappy with a ST's decision may address their complaint with the Directing ST, after the game. Unless the ST's judgment is deemed in error by the Directing ST, then the final judgment will stand. The Directing ST will be more than happy to hear all disagreements, but only as long as all previous guidelines in this section of the House Rules are adhered to.