General WoD Discussion #1: Assemble

[TheCountAlucard]

Saw the posts about Inferno and decided to start reading it myself. Something that at stood out to me is that demons can grant humans Numina so long as that Numina is applicable (materialize for example would not be applicable because a human is already mateerial).

Yep - heck, with the right selection of Numina, a mortal who's made a pact with a demon can make for a VERY scary encounter, even for beings with lesser templates, like Ghouls or Wolf-Blooded.

[Wings of Peace]

Yep - heck, with the right selection of Numina, a mortal who's made a pact with a demon can make for a VERY scary encounter, even for beings with lesser templates, like Ghouls or Wolf-Blooded.

It's especially stylish in my mind because I immediately imagine a hunter who decides to use the enemy's tools against them only to be a Numina empowered villain for the players to clash with.

Edit: Though a gluttony viced alcoholic serial killer who uses The World is a Banquet in conjunction with Feast in Famine to murder people in bars while he drinks himself into a stupor would also be pretty sweet. Really the book is just full of possibilities.

[TheCountAlucard]

Really the book is just full of possibilities.

In some cases, very disturbing possibilities.

[The Glyphstone]

I think you mean awesome possibilities.

[Caliphbubba]

No additional effect, IIRC - basically, doing a spell in the presence of a vampire would be the same as doing a spell while by yourself. If it's vulgar enough to garner Paradox on its own, it garners Paradox, but Kindred won't add to it by being there.

I could be wrong, of course; I wasn't the one playing a Mage in the "oWoD" game.

This is how it works. other supernatural creatures are considered "awakened" for purposes of Paradox.

[TheCountAlucard]

So, have you lot seen the "My Little Masquerade" pics yet? We have Malkie Pie, Applevanni, Tremere Sparkle, and more!

[ToySoldierCPlus]

So, have you lot seen the "My Little Masquerade" pics yet? We have Malkie Pie, Applevanni, Tremere Sparkle, and more!

I have not, but they sound AWESOME! ...I need a pony avatar. Maybe a Geist pony? Is that a thing? Probably. I'mma go look those all up.

[Ichneumon]

I'm currently thinking of doing a Vampire: the Masquerade, All Flesh Must Be Eaten Crossover (basically, having the end of the world happen as a Zombie Apocalypse). With the players taking on the rolls of either mortals or Kindred, both threattened by the Zombie Curse (Kindred can turn as well) and both having to deal with the collapse of society. What are your thoughts on that?

[comicshorse]

There is no need to have Kindred being turrned into Zombies just the threat to their food supply would be enough to motivate them to deal with the problem.
Obviously human P.C.s and Kindred are going to have a very dicey relationship with Mortals aware the Kindred could, if hungry enough, kill them at any time and Vampires aware they will be at the mercy of the mortals all through the day.

[Morty]

So, have you lot seen the "My Little Masquerade" pics yet? We have Malkie Pie, Applevanni, Tremere Sparkle, and more!

Merciful gods of the underworld. Is nothing safe from those ponies?

[Selrahc]

A vampire zombie story actually makes a lot of sense.

Imagine that rather than the traditional "bite to infect people" model, this is an airborne virus. Humans are being infected just by being in proximity with the zombies, let alone actually fighting them. But the Vampire PCs are fine, since they aren't alive they can't be infected.

But in order not to starve, they need to hunt down the few remaining humans and keep them protected from the zombie hordes. At the same time they need to avoid the sun and avoid being attacked by the hordes themselves. And if a vampire gets infected, by a bite for the classic threat, then every human they feed from becomes a zombie, dangerously impacting their food supply.

[TheCountAlucard]

Drat, now I'm reminded of the "Vampires vs. Zombies" episode of Deadliest Warrior.

[Wings of Peace]

A vampire zombie story actually makes a lot of sense.

Imagine that rather than the traditional "bite to infect people" model, this is an airborne virus. Humans are being infected just by being in proximity with the zombies, let alone actually fighting them. But the Vampire PCs are fine, since they aren't alive they can't be infected.

But in order not to starve, they need to hunt down the few remaining humans and keep them protected from the zombie hordes. At the same time they need to avoid the sun and avoid being attacked by the hordes themselves. And if a vampire gets infected, by a bite for the classic threat, then every human they feed from becomes a zombie, dangerously impacting their food supply.

Sounds vaguely similar to the webcomic Last Blood.

[TheCountAlucard]

Discovered while reading the Invictus book...

Oath of the Bloody Hand
Prerequisite: Blood Potency •••+, Covenant Status: Invictus •+
Cost: 1 aggravated wound and at least 1 Vitae (all provided by the Kindred taking the Oath)
Dice Pool: No roll is necessary to activate this power.
Action: Instant
This strange power can be applied to an oath by either a lord or a vassal — only one of them must possess this power for it to take effect. The Kindred with this supernatural power makes the activation roll.
The Kindred swearing this Oath drives at least one Vitae into his fingertips and, and the conclusion of his promise, cuts his hand off to seal the oath. This causes an aggravated wound. The Kindred may choose the amount of Vitae to sacrifice, up to the total he currently has available. The Blood Oath may be sworn over a period long enough to allow the Kindred to use all of his Vitae.
If the activation roll succeeds, the Oath takes effect. A failed activation roll means the power fails completely, resulting in nothing but lost Vitae and a severed hand.

Is it just me, or has White Wolf done goofed?

[Mr.Bookworm]

Is it just me, or has White Wolf done goofed?

I know you play Exalted, man.

I don't think anything should surprise you anymore.

Although, cutting off your vampire hand to seal the Oath of the Bloody Hand? Make that into a metal album, stat.

[Morty]

Yeah, White Wolf goofing isn't such an uncommon occurence.

[Giarc]

Can someone explain to me what the Umbra is? I've read that it is deep space. I've been told that it is several layers of reality. And that's pretty much all I know about it.

[battleburn]

Discovered while reading the Invictus book...

Is it just me, or has White Wolf done goofed?

And then what??
What if you fail to live up to the oath. Are there concequences?
Basically my question is, why would you do this?

-Battleburn

[TheCountAlucard]

And then what?

Well, actually, I didn't include the entirety of the text - just the point to which they had done goofed.

What if you fail to live up to the oath. Are there concequences?

Yes. However many points of Vitae you invested into it, you are dealt that many points of lethal damage the next night, and if you decide to forever abandon the oath, it's aggravated instead.

Basically my question is, why would you do this?

It's typically made as a punishment, or as a show of loyalty or devotion to a cause.

[comicshorse]

Can someone explain to me what the Umbra is? I've read that it is deep space. I've been told that it is several layers of reality. And that's pretty much all I know about it.

Right its been a bit since I've played Old Werewolf so this will be a little rough.
The Umbra is an alternate dimension or layer of reality. When Werewolf's 'step sideways' they leave the mundane world and enter into the Umbra.
Initially they will be in the Near Umbra, here they can see the mundane world but now can also see and interact with the spirits that moves among it unseen. However they now can also travel into the Deep Umbra, the further into it you travel the weirder things get. It is the Far Realms where they will start to find the Spirit Realms such as Arcadia or Malfeas (if you really take the wrong turn).

[The Reverend]

The Pneumbra and Umbra is covered VERY throughly in the mage books. You get you know heavens and hells and Fairy worlds and worlds that are astral versions of parts of mankinds world and parts that are exactly like the phantom tollbooth. I can tell you from experience walking on calculus requires a steady mind.

edit- oh and parts of it look different depending on who is looking at it. each of the planets exist as they do for "modern scientific minds" and in.....other ways.

mars is a blasted lifeless land, and in another realm it is a dying world that has the last remnants of life holding on and is rich in Martion canals and ancient cities, and its Shard realm of Force is the home of Doissetep, The Home of the Hermetics

Venus is a hell world of high pressure and acid rain...and its a primeval wonderland a constantly shifting evolving changing wold of LIFE.

also the earth holds a number of Jules Verne style inner levels and internal suns.
Also Mages have made a number of realities. Sons of Ether have the Gernsback Continium, even the Cult of Ecstasy managed to bang together a small xanadu pleasure dome

[Morty]

A potentially silly question just occured to me - in a crossover game of Hunter: the Vigil and another gameline using the rules from both games as opposed to the Dread Powers from Hunter, would Supernatural Advantages apply to resistance rolls against supernatural Endowments? If there's an answer to that somewhere, I can't recall it.

[Mr.Bookworm]

A potentially silly question just occured to me - in a crossover game of Hunter: the Vigil and another gameline using the rules from both games as opposed to the Dread Powers from Hunter, would Supernatural Advantages apply to resistance rolls against supernatural Endowments? If there's an answer to that somewhere, I can't recall it.

I think I've seen this somewhere, and I'll try to dig it up, but I believe the answer is yes. Though this can be a bit unbalancing, since it makes Advanced Armory or other "natural" Endowments the best choice.

What I do when in crossovers is make supernatural resistance apply to everything, including Advanced Armory and such. To balance it out, I give Hunters a power stat (Conviction from Mirrors with a bit of modification is great for this), and the power stat applies to Endowment rolls as usual for other power stats.

Also, I got around to looking at the White Wolf release schedule for 2012, and I cannot wait for Victorian Changeling.

[Morty]

Hm. A power stat applying to Endowment rolls could work if Supernatural Advantages were to resist Endowments. It'd be another thing the Hunters would have to spend XP on, though. Of course, not having Mirrors, I don't know how Conviction works - I assume it's different that Conviction from oWoD Hunter.

[Jeivar]

I'll soon be running a V:tM game for the first time and I have a question:
How do magic items work in oWoD? Both making one and using one.

I have this story idea that depends on short-term amnesia: The PC's wake up Hangover-style after some serious **** has gone down, and need to retrace their steps to reach the bottom of it. So I need some method for erasing memories from multiple victims at once; Either a magic item, or a new discipline or discipline combo power.
I have an idea for a weird Malkavian bloodline that attempted to willfully forget their own insanity and created a new power in the process, but the magic item thing would be far easier to do.

[TheCountAlucard]

How do magic items work in oWoD? Both making one and using one.

With some (mostly Thaumaturgy-based) exceptions, vampires can't make them, and the gameline isn't set with the expectation of you using them.

Anyway, who's to say someone didn't use Dominate 3 on them, one at a time?

[Jeivar]

With some (mostly Thaumaturgy-based) exceptions, vampires can't make them

But they can steal them.

Anyway, who's to say someone didn't use Dominate 3 on them, one at a time?

No one, and I might fall back on that, but I'd like to do something more unique. Something a single, cornered enemy can inflict on a whole group at once, rather than spend some time with each of them alone.

[Ichneumon]

Well, depending on what kind of magic item you need for your story you could have stuff that either increases your dice pool for certain certain rolls, something like "+3 shoes of sneaking", or you could have an item grant you one or two uses of some specific power (discipline or whatever). I've only used something like this once or twice in a game. Usually I don't feel the need for including such items.

[comicshorse]

I'll soon be running a V:tM game for the first time and I have a question:
How do magic items work in oWoD? Both making one and using one.

I have this story idea that depends on short-term amnesia: The PC's wake up Hangover-style after some serious **** has gone down, and need to retrace their steps to reach the bottom of it. So I need some method for erasing memories from multiple victims at once; Either a magic item, or a new discipline or discipline combo power.
I have an idea for a weird Malkavian bloodline that attempted to willfully forget their own insanity and created a new power in the process, but the magic item thing would be far easier to do.

I saw 'Men In Black' recently so I had an immediate image of Tommy Lee Jones holding up a certain instrument and telling the P.C.s to 'Look into the Light'.
Now of course in OWoD the Men in Black actually exist as members of the Technocracy and memory alteration is one of their stock-in-trades. How on earth the P.C.s nemesis got hold of one of their items however......

Of course high level Dominate. Say Level 6 or 7 could do entire groups of people at the same time but then the person doing it is very powerful

[TheCountAlucard]

...but then the person doing it is very powerful

This is the old WoD we're talking about - being the pawns of ubiquitous elders is par for the course.