Black Hawk County by Night

Character Creation Tips: Vampire the Masquerade, MET

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Vampire the Masquerade is a gothic punk RPG created by White Wolf in 1991. It is set in a dark reflection of the real world where the things that go bump in the night are real. The players take the role of vampires who secretly manipulate and control the world of humans, while navigating their own political world and secret wars. There are several versions of this setting that have been published; I will be addressing the second edition live action rules, written in the Laws of the Night revised. This system has a huge amount of additional source material that I might mention, one of the best summaries of this content is the Grapevine Database software (http://grapevinelarp.com/), although it lacks full write-ups or page citations for that content and can be unstable from a technical perspective. If you are new to the system, there is a free resource, Mind's Eye Theater Introductory Kit to help make a character.

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One of the most important things to keep in mind when building a character in this system is that your character was a human before they were a vampire. Consider what sort of skills your character will carry with them from their old life. Also, consider that your character had to be special in some way in their old life to attract the attention of their sire. After their change, consider the skills their sire might require they learn before releasing them, as well as the skills that they will need to learn to adapt to their new life and new supernatural powers. Think about these questions before you start making your character and as you consider all the options you have available to you.

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The starting point that will define a lot of options your character has available is your clan (Summary LotN64, Details LotN30-55). Keep in mind the setting for your chronicle and any clans that may not be appropriate. Also keep in mind that your character should both fulfill some of the stereotypes of their clan and still be their own person. Mechanically, consider the listed advantages, disadvantages, and starting disciplines of any clans that catch your eye.

Several clans have specific considerations to keep in mind. Brujah tend to have a cause or passion that inspires them. Malkavians each have a derangement that manifests from their bloodline. Toreador have a passion for some kind of art form, often creators or performers. Ventrue can only feed from a specific category of people. Gangrel have a bestial feature that manifests in their appearance. Ravnos have a signature crime that they are compelled to commit when the opportunity is presented. Make sure that you account for these special considerations if you are considering any of these clans.

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Once you have recorded your clan, an easy next step is to consider is your starting disciplines. You can choose 3 ranks of basic disciplines (level 1-2) among those available to your clan. Generally, you will want to take 2 ranks in one discipline and 1 rank in another. Consider the discipline that will fit your character concept best, noting whether the power utilizes physical, social, or mental traits, as well as the ability it uses as a retest. I would not recommend taking only one level in Celerity or Obfuscate, in particular. Dominate, Fortitude, Potence, and Presence have very limited first level powers.

 

With that out of the way, the next consideration is your traits. Traits are sorted into three categories, which are each divided into three subcategories, plus miscellaneous traits which do not fit into a category. I recommend that you start by examining the named traits in each subcategory, choosing one in each that fits your character best using the lists at the beginning of each category section (Physical LotN80, Social LotN82, Mental LotN83). Once you have each subcategory represented, prioritize between the physical, mental, and social categories, and distribute the appropriate number of traits to your selected named traits: 7 traits in your primary category, 5 traits in your secondary category, and 3 traits in your tertiary category.

The next thing to fill in will be your abilities. Simply put, with a base character you will not have enough abilities to represent your character’s background and still take all of the core functional abilities that most characters should have. Abilities are also the area with the most options that are not listed in the core book. My suggestion for this section is to make a list of all the abilities that you will eventually need for background and function, utilizing the list in the Grapevine database if you have it, or in the core book if you don’t (Summary LotN68, Details LotN86). Functional abilities worth mentioning include: Awareness, Dodge, Empathy, Etiquette, Hunting, Investigation, Meditation, Politics, Survival, the retests for your disciplines, a combat retest such as Brawl, Firearms, or Melee, and Lore in your clan and sect. Abilities related to your background that could be appropriate could include: Academics if you went to college, Drive if your usual transportation is something other than a basic car, Linguistics if you speak a language other than the base language for the game, Streetwise if you hang out in the bad parts of town, and any abilities that would be needed for a hobby or profession you had as a mortal.

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Once you have your list finished, you need to choose 5 to start with. Keep the rest of your list on hand for any freebie points at the end of the character creation process, and additional experience your storytellers award at creation, or even for your first few sessions at game. You will likely want to start with only one point in each ability unless having more ranks is key to your concept, such as a Toreador taking multiple ranks in their Craft or Performance.

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To fill in your backgrounds, I would suggest making a similar list, remembering to include influences you are interested in (Summary LotN70, Details LotN93). Once your list is complete, the first thing to put your starting points into is Generation, as this is the hardest background to increase after creation. If you are unsure about what Generation to take, 2 points is a good average. Remember to note any free backgrounds from your clan advantage and prioritize your remaining points into what is most appropriate/necessary for your character, often Influences or Resources. I would suggest waiting on backgrounds like Allies, Contacts, Herd, and Retainers as they will have more meaning if they are obtained organically and connected to the chronicle.

 

The remaining mechanical piece of your character are your virtues (LotN108-111). For most starting characters, this will be your Conscience, Self-Control, and Courage. Your distribution of Conscience and Self-Control will also determine your starting Humanity. For most characters, you will want to put 3 points in each Virtue, and a fourth in the one that fits your character best. Conscience is used when you are required to make a Humanity challenge, Self-Control is likely the most commonly used Virtue, needed to prevent frenzy, and Courage is used to resist fear effects, including Rötschreck.

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At this point, you have 5 freebie points to work with. You can obtain more freebie points by selecting negative traits (Summary LotN72) and flaws (LotN112), with an additional 2 points available for taking a Derangement, and for reducing your starting Humanity by 1 point. While this can increase your starting freebie points from 5 to 21, keep in mind that removing any of these negative aspects of your character will cost double at a later time, and will likely require work on your part. In addition, oversaturation of negative aspects can often make a character less functional and most of the time, less interesting. Instead, pick a few appropriate negative aspects that are appropriate to your character and will contribute to your story when they come up. Flaws are another area that have material in a lot of books outside of the core, so consider using the list in Grapevine for this feature, but always consult your storyteller to know what the effects of taking a flaw will be, as Grapevine does not provide mechanics or references for a lot of the material listed.

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The remainder of character creation is spending your freebie points. Freebie points can be spent to increase just about anything on your sheet (LotN71) just like experience points. The first thing you will want to look at are merits (LotN112) since their cost doubles after creation, and buying them often requires some justification for the major change. As with flaws, taking too many merits can cause a lack of focus or an oversaturation of quirks that can take away from the character. Pick a few that are appropriate, and consider merits that will give bonuses to the tests that are used by your disciplines (such as Natural Leader if you use Presence). As with flaws, there are a multitude of merits in other books, so use the Grapevine database list as a starting point.

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With your remaining freebie points, look at buying additional backgrounds (especially influences) since those can take work to build up after creation. Consider buying up more skills on the list you assembled earlier, as there are a lot of skills you will want and you start with very few points. Also consider buying up a few of your trait categories. Personally, I like to increase each of my categories by 1 at creation, letting you win ties against people who didn’t (including most generic starting NPCs). Most of the time you won’t want to buy up any disciplines with these points, as there are other things more important. The exceptions I consider in this case are Nosferatu buying up to the third level of Obfuscate (Mask of 1000 Faces) which allows them to move around without breaking the masquerade, and Gangrel buying up to the third level of Protean (Earth Meld) which allows them to find a safe place to sleep as vagrants.

 

Some games allow you to start with additional experience points, especially as a part of ongoing games or larger organizations. These points are usually best spent fleshing out your backgrounds and skills, increasing your primary trait to maximum. You may also want to consider buying a few extra points of Willpower if you are a higher generation. If it is allowed, you may want to consider investing in an out of clan discipline that will benefit your character, such as Presence (Awe) on a character with other social powers, Potence 2 (Might) on a character who wants to fight in melee, or Fortitude 1 (Endurance), which lets you ignore most wound penalties, and Fortitude 2 (Mettle) which gives you an extra health level. Remember to account for any new disciplines you take with the appropriate traits and skills.

At this point, make sure you fill in the personality based information, such as Nature and Demeanor (LotN73). Make sure you have your blood and trait maximum and starting willpower from your generation recorded. Make sure you have your humanity recorded. Note any extra health levels from merits or disciplines. Record any items that your character would start with (with storyteller approval, of course) and record any bonuses they offer (LotN201). At this point, the mechanical portion of your character should be complete.