House Rules & FAQ

These are not official answers to anything, they are my opinions to common questions and the rules that I use in my games. Some of this is stuff is straight rules, other parts are my opinions of answers to common questions about the different games.

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General

Soaking Damage

These are the house rules that I use for soaking.

Aggravated damage is caused by:

• The teeth and claws of supernatural creatures
• Radiation and toxic waste
• Attacks from spirits
• Vulgar Life, Prime and direct vulgar Entropy magicks
• Fetish, Talisman or other magical weapons
• Any normal source that does enough damage at the ST's discretion
• Shapechangers and Risen Suffer Aggravated damage from fire, but can soak it

And in the Shadowlands:

• Stygian steel
• Barrow-flame
• Soulfire

Some magical attacks are described as being unsoakable, if that is the case then no soak roll is allowed. The exception is some Magick attacks which are described as unsoakable, bur really are not. See the Mage part What happens with direct Pattern Magick attacks that are described as unsoakable? for more details.

Damage in the Umbra

Damage from physical attacks, blows from other Umbral travelers, falling and such things are soaked normally with Stamina. Attacks from spirits Rage are soaked differently.

• Humans cannot soak this damage.
• Shapeshifters soak this with Gnosis, difficulty 6. So do Fomori and Kinfolk that possess a Gnosis rating.
• Mages soak this damage with either Arete, difficulty 8, or Spirit Sphere countermagick, difficulty 6.
• Changelings soak this damage with their Glamour, difficulty 6.
• Kuei-jin soak with Dharma, difficulty 6.
• Wraiths can not normally enter the Umbra but should they somehow end up there they may soak spirit damage with Stamina.
• Vampires may soak this damage with Fortitude, difficulty 6. Vampires with Spirit Thaumaturgy or Spiritus may add this to their soak rolls.
• Mummies soak on either Ka or Ba, difficulty 6, which ever is highest.

These soak rolls so not apply to astral travelers who soak damage on Intelligence and take lose Willpower instead of Health Levels.

Can Damage and Soak rolls be botched?

No, infact ignore all 1's on such rolls they are just failures. This reduces those occasions when 10+ dice damage attacks do only 1 or 2 Health Levels of actual damage due to bad rolls.

Which botch system?

Vampire Revised

Which combat system?

Vampire Revised, for firearms, brawling and Armour. Use the older stats for melee weapons.

Do you use the permanent or temporary values of traits for rolls and difficulties?

Permanent. A few powers specify temporary under their description so use temporary only when it specifies. Mage has some comments about permanent Willpower for Mages and temporary for sleepers (p135) with no mention of what for other supernaturals. In general sleepers have a pretty low Willpower anyway, so just stick with permanent for everyone.

Can mortals use Willpower points for automatic successes?

Both Mage (p135) and Vampire (p178) say they can't. However, they have a tough enough time in the World of Darkness as it is. Any player character or significant mortal can spend Willpower points for automatic successes, although the ST may not want to bother for minor characters.

What are Mortals wound penalties?

Mortals are the same as everyone else OK,-1,-1,-2,-2,-5, Incapacitated. The other penalties -1,-2,-3,-4,-5,Incapacitated comes from vampire 1st edition and should be ignored.

Do wound penalties effect soak dice?

No, soak is passive (called reflexive in Vampire Revised) and not part of the dice pool.

Can '1's cancel the success gained by spending a Willpower point?

Yes. If you spend a Willpower point then roll 9,3,1,1 on a difficulty 7 roll, that's still a failure.

Do extra action affect initiative?

They really should, someone who acts faster is going to react faster. For every extra action add one to the initiative roll (using Vampire Revised Wits + Dex + 1d10 system). That applies to multiple actions that are in effect at the start of the turn, including those gained from spending Rage, Demon Chi or using Celerity, where the stuff is spent before the roll, or the previous turn. If actions are gained during the turn through powers such as Magick or Cantrips then it doesn't effect initiative that turn, but will in subsequent turns for as long as the power lasts.

Firearms

The basic firearms rules are not very good. The best simple fix is to adopt a variation of the system in the Combat book.

Single shot: remains the same.
Full auto: Requires at least half a clip and empties the whole clip. Adds +5 to the hit dice pool, and +5 to the damage dice pool. The difficulty is raised by two.
Three round burst: Adds +2 dice to the hit dice pool and +2 dice to the damage dice pool. The difficulty is raised by one.
Spray: remains the same.

Also, here are some more modifiers.

Is the Upper and Middle Umbra the same place?

In the Penumbra they are the same, but different travelers view it differently. So a Garou and a Mage who both step sideways standing next to each other will be next to each other in the Penumbra, but what they see could be very different.

Outside the Penumbra where you can go is a matter of attitude, beliefs and mind sets. Also some realms are only accessible to those in a physical form, others only in astral form.

Is the Digital Web and the Computer Web the same place?

Not quite. The Digital Web is a zone and goes all over the place, the Computer Web only exists in the Umbra. Still the two are so interlinked that they are almost effectively one place. Just have Conduits = Macro Level and Sectors = Micro Level.

Crossover

Comparing traits

Kindred of the East had some good advice, as did Werewolf: the Dark Ages, and based on those, and based on the that here is a table.

Note that these are only guidelines. Also that Banality of non-changelings should not be determined with this chart.

For the blank spaces there are two options. Either simply assign an appropriate difficulty (best for NPCs) or default to Willpower (best for PCs as it stops arguments).

If the trait being defaulted to Willpower has normally a 1 to 5 range (such as a Virtue) ignore any other trait or constant modifier. So Wits + Self-Control or Courage +3 would both roll against straight Willpower. If it was straight Virtue (such as resisting Majesty) the ST might want to half the Willpower to give a fairer approximate.

Conflicting Powers

While I know that White Wolf have published some crossover rules in the Chaos Factor, I know many people who agree with me that they suck. So I have come up with some of my own that I am using in my games.

Opposition is when two or more supernaturals are using their powers against something, but trying to achieve different things. Often the thing in question is one of the supernaturals. In some cases this occurrence is covered in the description of one of the powers being used (e.g. a vampire tries to dominate a Garou with the Mindblock gift). In such cases always use the rules given under the description of the power.

At its most basic it can be resolved in the following way:

• Compare the power levels of the two opposing supernaturals.
• If a supernatural has a power level equal to or higher than their opponent, then they simply roll as normal.
• If the opponent has a higher power level, then deduct one success from the roll for every level of difference, to a minimum of zero successes, providing the user of the higher level power doesn't fail or botch.
  This can reduce a success to a failure, but can never cause a roll to botch.
• If one power was already "activated" then the opponent has to beat the number of successes scored when it was first used. If the power does not normally require a roll, or the number of successes can not be remembered, then both parties will have to roll.
• If a power simply modifies a normal roll then add all the modifiers to the required roll and roll it as normal.
• Whoever scores the most successes wins, ties go to the defender. The power takes effect with the net number of success that the winner scored. (i.e. winner's successes - loser's successes + no of levels loser is higher than winner).

For example a Mage with Arete 3 uses a Forces 3 Prime 2 rote to throw a large object at a 4th rank Uktena Garou. The Uktena uses the Gift Hand of the Earth Lords to telekinetically redirect the object. The mage rolls Arete and scores 4 successes. The Garou rolls Dexterity + Occult and scores 1 success. The mage deducts one success for the Garou's higher level, and one for the Garou's success. This means that the effect has succeeded, with two net successes, and damage is calculated accordingly.

What about Extended Rolls?

Extended rolls follow the same pattern. If the opponent has a higher power level, then the successes are deducted from each roll. If this causes the roll to fail, this may increase the difficulty for subsequent rolls (if a failed roll would normally do so).

What happens if the power does not have a roll?

Sometimes supernaturals have powers that do not normally require rolls. If the use of that power is contested things can get a bit tricky. Here are some suggestions on who rolls what, when no roll is normally required. Ultimately use common sense and the Storyteller's discretion.

• Garou - Roll the Garou's permanent Gnosis
• Vampires - An Appropriate Attribute + Ability e.g.
  • Obfuscate - Wits + Stealth
  • Chimestry - Manipulation + Subterfuge
  • Protean - Stamina + Survival
• Mages - Always have to roll Arete for effects anyway
• Wraiths - Appropriate Attribute + Arcanos
• Changelings - Permanent Glamour rating
• Spirits - Arete for True Magick, Gnosis for Charms

If in doubt, permanent Willpower is always a good default.

Alternatively if the power doesn't have a roll, use the Mystic Power rating (see below) of the supernatural as the default number of successes. So a Ravnos with Chimestry 4 using the level 2 power would be treated as having 4 successes if her power clashed with another supernatural's.

Mystic Power

The power rating of the supernatural ability is judged from the following table:

• Vampires - Discipline rating
• Mages - Arete
• Garou - Rank
• Wraiths - Arcanos rating
• Changelings - Art rating
• Mummies - Magic Skill rating
• Psychics - Psychic Phenomena rating
• Magicians - Hedge Magic Path rating
• Faithful - Faith rating
• Gypsies - Blood Affinity rating
• Fomori - Points cost of power
• Consors and Bygones - Points cost of power
• Spirits are rather tricky, the ST may want to assign them a general level based on either their Power (such as maximum Power divided by 10 maximum 10) or the Charm cost

For some things, like creatures with innate powers and Kami it may be simplest to give them and arbitrary power level, this works well for spirits too.

What about countermagick?

Countermagick against other supernaturals powers is not considered to be opposition. There is more in the Mage section on countermagick.

More Examples

A vampire with Auspex 5 is looking for a Fostern (rank 2) Ragabash using the gifts Blur of the Milky Eye (3 successes) and Blissful Ignorance (2 successes). The vampire uses Auspex 1 - Heightened Senses and rolls Perception + Alertness to try to see the Garou. She rolls 6 dice (Perception of 3  and Alertness of three), adding +3 to the difficulty due to the Blur of the Milky Eye gift, and subtracting 5 for her Auspex. She needs at least three successes. Since both powers modify the dice roll, just apply both sets of modifiers.

A Rank 3 Garou attacks a Mage with the Gift Summon the Flame Spirit. The Mage has Arete 4 could use Forces 3, Prime 2 to create cold to nullify the heat. The Garou gets one success on the Manipulation + Occult roll, the Mage gets zero on his Arete roll. Although the Mage has a higher Mystic Power, his power didn't go off at all, so the Garou deducts no successes from her roll and the Mage takes the normal damage from the Gift.

A vampire employing Presence 5 (Majesty) encounters a Mage with an active mind shield (Mind 1). The mage has an Arete on 4, and scored two success when activating it.. Both powers are already 'on' when the two meet each other. Majesty does not normally require a roll, so the ST decides that Charisma + Intimidation would be an appropriate roll, and sets the difficulty as default 6. The vampire rolls and scores 4 successes. The mage decides to employ Mind to countermagick, so rolls his Arete difficulty 7, getting two success and reducing the vampires success to two. Now both parities have two success, so the defender, in this case the mage, wins.

Vampire

Do all Firearms do Bashing damage to vampires?

Generally yes. Even nasty rounds like hollow points, although they still get whatever extra damage bonus. Shotguns at point-blank range do Lethal damage, as do really high calibre things like support weapons at any range.

Do all Melee weapons do Lethal damage to vampires?

No, things like flick knives or rapiers only do bashing. Basically if the weapon relies on piercing the target consider it bashing. Bows, crossbows and stakes all do Bashing, although a successful hit to the heart may torpor the vampire, figure out if the attack has staked the vampire first, then if it fails halve it.

How high can Ghouls boost their stats with blood?

Since Ghouls Fatal Addiction was printed the rules for spending blood has changed, Ghouls can boost their stats up to 6.

How does a vampire learn Disciplines?

Any vampire can learn Potence, Celerity and Fortitude, just as Ghouls can. This can be done by "working out", for a vampire that means repeatedly spending blood on their physical stats (Strength, Dexterity and Fortitude respectively).

All vampire can learn their clan disciplines, even if they did not start off with them at character creation. Other powers are more tricky. The more common Disciplines (Auspex, Presence, Dominate, Animalism, Obfuscate) can be learned by anyone given time and practice. Drinking the blood of a vampire who has one as a Clan Discipline helps, as does having a teacher.

The more rarefied disciplines (e.g. Protean, Obtenebration, Necromancy) are often tied to a specific clan and sometimes that clans weakness. Learning these requires drinking the blood of a vampire who has it as a Clan Discipline (the higher the level the better) and some instruction to at least unlocking the first level power.

There are some risks with learning these powers. If the power has an associated weakness (e.g. Protean and animal features, Dementation and insanity) a student learning one of these Disciplines may occasional exhibit a lesser version of the weakness at the ST's discretion. If they botch a use of the power they may gain the full-blown weakness as a Flaw.

How many disciplines above level 5 can a character learn?

As many as they have the time and experience to. A vampire can learn multiple 6th level disciplines without them taking up the "space" of any higher level disciplines.

What happens when you diablerise another vampire?

You gain some of their power, and some of their memories, you may even gain some of their personality. The stronger the victim was in power relative to you the more you receive in terms of lowering generation and disciplines. The stronger their personality was relative to you the more memories you gain, the more abilities you may receive but also the more profound the effect it will have. A Diablerist may undergo severe personality changes afterwards, although this is best left to roleplaying. rather than systems. Also the lower the victims generation, the stronger the black veins are and the longer they last. Generally use the Vampire Revised rules and ignore the earlier things from the Diablerie books and Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand.

Can a you use a melee weapon in Frenzy?

Yes, under some circumstances. Using a weapon must be a natural thing for the character, they must have a Melee skill of at least 2 and it must cannot be more than one point lower than their brawl skill. Also the weapon must be in their hand and they can only make a basic attack with it.

How much blood does a Garou have?

Garou have 20 points worth of "life energy" but the quantity of blood changes according to their form. In roughly human sized forms, such as Homid, Glabro and Lupus, they have 10 points of blood in terms of volume with each point consumed providing 2 blood points to a vampire. In large forms, Glabro or Hispo, they have 20 blood points, each point consumed giving one point to a vampire. Use the rules in the Vampire Storyteller's Handbook for the effects of drinking it.

How do Animalism, Dominate and Presence work on shapeshifters?

Animalism 1 can always be used to talk to a creature in an animal form, or a near animal form (like a Garou's Hispo or a Bastet's Chatro). Other Animalism powers won't work on a sentient creature in animal form, even if they were born an animal (like a Lupus Garou). The only exception is when with some supernaturals who shape shift, like Mages and Reborn, spend too long in an animal form an start to think and act like an animal. When that happens Dominate and Presence stop having an effect and all the powers of Animalism will work.

Dominate and Presence will work on shapeshifters in any form, including those who are not Changing Breed like Pooka and Reborn, provided they are sentient. Dominate does require that the user makes eye contact and the target hears and understands the commands, should the animal form prevent this then it will fail.