CHARGEN

Vampire CGEN (Camarilla / Anarch / Independent Example)

  • Chargen Tip: Talk to Sundance first if you want to make a character who was born or Embraced before 1945. It is considered impressive in Los Angeles for any vampire to still be around who was Embraced before the 1990s, and those Embraced during the 60s-80s represent the ‘old school’ leadership of many factions. There are only a few canonical characters who are that much older. Additionally, ours is a very detailed setting, and the older a vampire is, the more they’re expected to be aware of. Check out the timeline here.
  • +selfsplat Vampire
  • +selfstat/faction 1=Camarilla OR Anarch OR Independent
  • +selfstat/type 1=Vampire
  • +selfstat/type 2=<Clan>
    • Encouraged Anarch & Camarilla Clans:
      • Brujah — The Rabble are rebels and insurgents, fighting passionately for their disparate causes. The Brujah rage against tyranny — occasionally even their own.
      • Caitiff — Claiming no Clan at all, the Caitiff exhibit no common characteristics, and often find themselves outcast by vampires of distinct pedigree.
      • Gangrel — The nomadic Outlanders are feral and wild. These solitary wanderers are the source of much of the lore that likens vampires to dark beasts.
      • Malkavian — Dangerously deranged, the Lunatics nonetheless possess uncanny insight.
      • Nosferatu — Disfigured and skulking, the hideous Sewer Rats find themselves shunned by Kindred society, but gather secrets from the darkness that hides them.
      • Tremere — A Clan of sorcerous blood magicians, the Warlocks are widely distrusted… and just as widely feared.
      • Toreador — Lovers of the sensuous and the aesthetic, the Degenerates are trapped in the stagnancy of undeath.
      • Ventrue — The reluctant aristocracy of the Kindred, the Blue Bloods atone for their damnation by enforcing the Traditions and the Masquerade.
    • Independent Clans are potentially applicable if they meet certain narrative requirements:
      • Assamite — The righteous chosen of a blood cult, the Assassins are masters of silent death and an arcane tradition of wisdom.
      • Follower of Set — Guardians of the world’s blackest secrets, the Serpents are feared for what they protect, and all too often seduced by it.
      • Giovanni — Insular and incestuous, the Necromancers ply their trade in blood, money, and the souls of the dead.
      • Ravnos — The Deceivers are adept with the craft of illusion and guile, and often come to embody the prejudices held against them.
    • Everything Else: Most of these are unavailable at this time.

  • Commence with the basic process described on page 80 of the Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Edition. I will kindly TLDR some of it below, though that doesn’t entirely absolve you from needing access to the book or PDF.
  • Select Attributes, prioritizing Physical, Social and Mental to allocate (7/5/3) dots.
    • Ghoul PCs allocate (6/4/3) dots.
    • Example: +selfstat Charisma=3 would set your Charisma to 3.
  • Select Abilities, prioritizing Talents, Skills and Knowledges to allocate (13/9/5) dots (Both vampires and ghouls). Type +sheet to see all Abilities and Secondary Abilities.
    • GENERAL HOUSE RULE: All Abilities and Secondary Abilities cost the same to raise, and may not be raised past 3 at character creation except with freebie points (see below).VAMPIRE HOUSE RULE: You must have at least Auspex 1 to buy the Awareness Ability.
    • Example: +selfstat Alertness=2 would set your Alertness to 2.
  • Choose Backgrounds (5 dots;)
  • Choose Disciplines (three dots worth of your Clan Disciplines)
  • Spend freebie points (15)
  • Ghoul PCs get 21 freebies.
  • Merits cost 1 freebie point per dot.
    • GENERAL HOUSE RULE: Supernatural characters (vampires) are limited to 10 dots of Merits. Languages do not count against this limit. Ghouls do not count as supernatural characters for the purpose of this HR.
  • Flaws give 1 freebie point per dot.
  • Attributes cost 5 freebie points per dot.
  • GENERAL HOUSE RULE: All Abilities & Secondary Abilities cost 1 freebie point per dot, up until level 3. They cost 2 freebie points per dot to raise above 3.
  • Backgrounds cost 1 freebie point per dot.
  • Disciplines cost 7 freebie points per Gift (Level One only).
  • Virtues costs 2 freebie point per dot.
  • Humanity/Path 2 freebie points per dot.
  • GENERAL HOUSE RULE: Willpower costs 2 freebie points per dot, and may not be raised in chargen more than three dots above your starting Willpower rating.
  • Spend Tier XP
    • Depending on the nature of your application, and whether you are applying for an incentivized PC or a leadership feature, you might be able to buy additional stats with Tier XP in Chargen, which doesn’t count against your eventual softcap.
    • Use +selfstat to set these XP purchases the same as above, and make a +note recording your spends, as described below.
    • There will be a list of Vampire Tiers for potential application added to this page, soon.
    • GENERAL HOUSE RULE: Willpower costs a flat 10 XP per dot to raise.
    • GENERAL HOUSE RULE: Backgrounds and Merits cost a flat 5 XP per dot to purchase.
  • +sheet Finishing Touches: Make sure you’ve set all the following on your +sheet
  • +selfstat Concept=<2-3 word concept>
  • +selfstat Birthdate=<birthdate>
  • +selfstat Embrace date=<Date of Embrace>
    • VAMPIRE NOTE: Unless you receive special permission (such as applying for a Tier II), I will only approve Vampires who were Embraced in the 20th or 21st century.
  • +selfstat Nature=<Nature Archetype>
  • +selfstat Demeanor=<Demeanor Archetype>
  • +selfstat Full Name=<Your full, legal name>
  • Begin setting up your +notes (see +help notes). Here are a few examples that most players will have:
  • +note/story me/Backstory=<Your character’s backstory>
    • Please stop writing your backstory when you’re no longer having fun with it. If your own character’s backstory is boring even to you, imagine how boring it will be to someone else reading it.
    • I’m more curious about recent events, and how your character interacts with Los Angeles and with the setting info, than say, childhood recollections.
  • +note/backgrounds me/<Background>=<Any background that needs explanation, like Fetish, Allies or Contacts.>
  • +note/merits me/<Merit name>=<A description of any Merit that needs further explaining or justification.>
  • +note/flaws me/<Flaw name>=<A description of any Flaw that needs further explaining, such as Enemy.>
  • +notes/general me/Freebies=<What you spent your freebie points on>
  • +notes/general me/Tier XP=<A record of how you spent any Tier XP that you were granted in chargen.>
  • Finally, consider setting your +finger (+help +finger) and descriptions (+help +mdesc). You are not required to have a description for every form prior to approval. You must have at least a Homid form description however, (which can be set with @desc me=<description> if mdesc is too scary).
  • When you’re completely done, type +approveme
  • If you’re an Anarch or Camarilla Vampire, you can also earn an easy nom by making a post on +bboard 13, giving your character’s name in the title, and telling the rest of the sphere what might be known about your character ICly. You can either present this as a straight bulletpointed info dump, or a letter, or like a one-sided IC conversation, or vi any other narrative technique. It’ll help you find RP and get integrated into Los Angeles.
  • Rate Virtues (All virtues start at 1. You can distribute 7 more points on top of that. Don’t take Courage 5 without flawless reasoning.)
    • Ghouls may allocate Virtues, and may record a Path Rating, but Humanity doesn’t affect them mechanically (outside an RP context) and does not decide their starting Willpower.