F.A.Q.
How do you soak aggravated damage? In Vampire: The Masquerade proper, Fortitude, and only Fortitude, can be used to soak aggravated damage, including damage from Lupine claws and vampire bites. You don't have Fortitude, you're SOL. Well, unless you're wearing armor, which I think should be able to add its soak rating against "physical" aggravated damage (werewolf claws, etc.), but not against "energy/mystical" aggravated damage (fire, sunlight, etc.). So, a vampire with Stamina 4, Fortitude 2, and Class One body armor has seven dice to soak bullets, three dice (Fortitude + armor) to soak werewolf claws, and only two dice (Fortitude) to soak fire. How does Celerity work? In Vampire: The Masquerade, a Celerity-using vampire spends one Blood Point per turn of use. One turn, one point - kinda like one man, one vote. One itty-bitty Blood Point, regardless of whether he's got Celerity 1 or Celerity 7. The vampire may then take a number of extra actions up to the rating in Celerity. He may always choose to take fewer actions. So, you've got a vampire with Celerity 5 and a cheese grater. (Two great tastes that taste great together...) The vampire in question spends a Blood Point and kicks herself into overdrive. She may choose to scrape her cowering victim up to six times with the cheese grater, or she may choose to prolong the torture and scrape him only twice. No matter what, she spends one and only one BP for each turn of extra action(s). Yeah, those elders can get positively Tasmanian Devil-esque. Oh, and Celerity works only with physical actions. You can't "rapid-fire" a power like Dominate or Presence. Okay, so far, so good, Hatch. Now...(derisive snort)...what about Thaumaturgy Paths, smart-ass? Well, you see...err, if you hold the book to a mirror and turn it upside down...no, that's not...OK, we're dumb. The places where the Path charts say "successes" should instead read "Path levels." So, a character with Movement of the Mind 3 can attempt to lift a 200-pound man, a character with Lure of Flames 4 can create a bonfire, etc. The Paths themselves are cast with the typical Willpower roll, at a difficulty equal to the LEVEL OF THE EFFECT YOU'RE TRYING TO EVOKE, +3. So, if you're trying to lift 500 pounds telekinetically, you'd a) need Movement of the Mind 4 even to try it; b) roll Willpower versus difficulty 7. If you're trying to move only 20 pounds, you'd roll versus difficulty 5. One success is typically needed to cast the magic, though the Storyteller can always decree additional successes are needed for exceptional actions (for example, conjuring a bonfire in the shape of a pentagram, or using telekinesis for delicate work). A Perception + Alertness roll is still needed to place a conjured flame at a distance from the caster (use standard firearms difficulties of range, etc.). Oh, and the Weather Control Path's Manipulation + Survival roll should be deleted and replaced with the standard Willpower roll; the "strength of the new environmental force" is governed by the caster's dots in Weather Control, while the lightning bolt always inflicts 10 dice of normal damage. How much blood can I boil with Cauldron of Blood? Theoretically, as much as you want. However, boiling more than six Blood Points increases the number of successes needed (and remember, the difficulty is 10 at this point). So, boiling seven BPs requires two success on a Willpower roll (difficulty 10), boiling eight requires three successes, etc. That Assamite blood-spitting power is vague to the point of unusability. Well, yeah. How 'bout this: The roll to hit a target is Stamina + Athletics (difficulty calculated as if the Assamite were using a firearm), and the blood-spitter can expend as much vitae on a shot as her generation's "Blood Points/Turn" rating allows. However, all the vitae must be expended and spewed forth in one turn; otherwise, the caustic blood burns the Assamite's mouth. So, effectively, a 13th-generation Assamite can spend one Blood Point on the power, an 8th-generation Assamite can spend three Blood Points, etc. Can't you people do anything right? I mean, at least make up your bleedin' minds about whether a point of Willpower costs one freebie point or two! A dot of Willpower costs one freebie point to purchase. Otherwise, you might as well just inflate your Courage/Morale as high as it'll go. I want to know all the information about/more about/a complete list of/all the powers and Disciplines for (Topic X). And can you send me (a book's worth of free information)? Uhh, guys...these kinds of questions are impractical for two reasons: Number One, cool as it would undoubtedly be, I can't type up a multipage dossier for everyone who asks. Please, please, please try to keep your questions answerable in a paragraph or under. Okay? Pretty please? Number Two, if this stuff is in a book, our intent is to sell that book for, like, a profit. If I were Howard Hughes or Marla Maples or Mike Tyson or somebody like that, I'd be happy to give away all our world's secrets for free, but while I live in the impoverished squalor and misery that are de rigueur for WW employees, I have to insist that you buy the products. (Hell, I'll even beg if I have to.) When are you going to make a bloodline book for (my favorite bloodline)? Err...umm...well, actually...(take a deep breath)...I'm not really planning to make any bloodline books. (wince...here it comes...) AAAAAAHHHHH! (choked-off ululation of epileptic rage) You suck, Hatch! The Three-Eyed Rotting True Daughter-Children of Cacophonous Ahrimane are my FAVORITE bloodline and now you're not going to cover them and their Shadowlands Fortress of Solitude?!? I hate you and wish an excruciating aneurysm upon you, you cretin!!! Ahem. I agree. I do suck, and often wish death upon myself. I could have gone to law school, but I wound up here. I am a pathetic wretch. Nonetheless, we're stuck with each other for the time being, so allow me to explain my position by way of that long-neglected subject, mathematics. The vampire-to-human ratio is 1 to 100,000. Last I checked, the human population was 5.5 billion or so. Let's assume that the World of Darkness, scumulous place that it is, is even more overcrowded than our own garbage-strewn sphere, so we've got six billion agonized souls trudging and plodding their way through the WoD. That gives us 60,000 vampires, of which at least 20,000 are Cathayans and thus not "Kindred" at all (see KINDRED OF THE EAST, plug, plug). So, in all the great wide world, a mere 40,000 Cainites exist to commit atrocities, concoct Machiavellian* plots, and wear sunglasses at night. Of these 40,000, most either belong to one of the 13 great clans or are Caitiff. The more populous, less choosy clans, like the Brujah, might have all of 3,000-5,000 members, while insular types like the Tremere and Giovanni sport a mere 1,500 or so members worldwide. (Same population as my high school. There's a reason why vampires don't control every facet of human history.) However you work it, there are maybe a thousand or so Kindred to divide among all the multitudinous bloodlines in the entire world. If you're a member of a bloodline, you are special, sweetie - there are only a few dozen or so of you in the entire WoD. But guess what that means? Your history chapter consists of "What Bubba Ray and D-Von Nagaraja did on their Big Day Out back in 1557." Your culture chapter consists of "Well, Susie Mae Daughter of Cacophony likes the Toreador, but Jezebel DoC doesn't, and Billie Jo is nice to mortals, but Jane is mean, and Ramona, like, dresses in black and stuff." Your "famous folks" chapter doesn't exist, because, basically, nobody pays much attention to you - and you like it that way. In other words, not enough fodder for a book, or even a chapter in a book. A footnote in the Jyhad, at best. (I mean - and I say this in a strictly good-humored fashion - a look at the "Salubri" entry in TVPG reveals that there are ONLY SEVEN OF 'EM! I can see the templates now: "Joe-Bob the Salubri." "Fred the Salubri." Etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., we're done, end of book.) Hey, enjoy the anonymity. Trust me, you don't WANT to be in Column A on the Antediluvians' dim sum menu. And here's a little hint: Try playing a character sometime. Like, you know, a person, with hopes and dreams and goals that can't be summed up in three words. Try pretending for a minute that your character's personality and motivations are actually as important, IF NOT MORE SO, than whatever freakish, game-wrecking Discipline combination you want to have. I think that by doing this, you'll find that even a boring old Brujah or Toreador can be rewarding to play. * Hey, kids, remember those old guessing games in which you had to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar? Tell ya what: I'll give away a free product (of my choice) to the first person who correctly guesses the number of times WWGS has used the word "Machiavellian" in all its products, promotional fliers and other detritus. How can I get a job at White Wolf? Listen to me. Run, don't walk, to a guidance or career counselor. Find something meaningful to do with your life. Something that makes a difference. Something that rewards whatever talents you may or may not possess. Something that keeps a roof over your head and the heads of your loved ones. It's too late for me, but you can still save yourself. Why are there discrepancies between the Disciplines in V: tM and V: tDA? This is deliberate; it was intended to show how even the undead gradually evolve (devolve?) over the centuries. Use the V: tDA Disciplines for V: tDA games and the V: tM Disciplines for V: tM games. How high can a vampire boost her Physical Attributes with vitae? The rule I've cobbled together is that a vampire can boost a stat to a maximum of twice its normal value (so a 12th-generation vampire with Str 3, Dex 3, Stm 3 could, by spending nine turns and nine Blood Points, raise herself to Str 6, Dex 6, Stm 6). Are you on crack, Hatch? This means that player vampires can raise their Dexterity scores to 10, and elders can pump themselves up to 14, 16, or even higher! Number One: Mages empower themselves through their Avatars and Quintessence, allowing them to warp reality itself. Werewolves attune themselves to Gaia and the spirit world. For vampires, the ticket to power is the Blood. We're talking about the undead here - the night-fiends of legend and myth. They ought to have a little power. Number Two: To raise stats to grotesque levels requires massive blood expenditure, which simply shouldn't be an issue in realistic chronicles. Notice the example above. The 12th-generation vampire's just spent nine of her 11 Blood Points. Assuming she had that much blood in her body to begin with - assuming she'd already replaced the automatic point spent on awakening for the night - assuming that humans are just lying around like Pop-Tarts, placidly waiting to be fed on - she's going to be ravenous at this point. She can't use more than two dice to resist frenzy. And yes, elders have more Blood Points available. But to refill their Blood Pools completely, Methuselahs and the like must completely drain four or five humans - murdering them in the process. Not the smartest move for beings whose Humanity scores are already teetering on the precipice to damnation. Just to reiterate something here: If your vampire takes more than five Blood Points from a given victim, that victim is going to need hospitalization. If your vampire takes seven, eight, nine Blood Points from a victim, that victim is probably going to die. There's a reason for those Virtues and that Humanity stat, and this is it. And even the most vile Sabbat warrior can't indiscriminately walk down the street, shredding victims left and right, without suffering consequences. Number Three: Blood spent activates for "a scene." In this case, that time needs to be measured tightly. Once your vampire spends vitae, the clock is ticking on how long it remains potent. This means that a vampire can't "hulk up" on 10+ Blood Points, immediately recharge herself on whatever derelict the Storyteller happens to place conveniently in her path, and then drive across town to kick her enemy's ass while she's still "supercharged." My common-sense ruling here is: If you have time to stop and replace the blood you just spent, you just wasted your rush. All that having been said, if my eminently reasoned arguments haven't swayed you, here's an alternate system mandating more controlled blood expenditure. A vampire may raise her stats to the maximum her generation allows (so long as this isn't more than twice the normal stat). This is done per the normal rules governing blood expenditure. Once the "cap" is reached, she may raise the stat further, up to the maximum of twice her normal stat - but once the stat has been raised to the level desired, the extra energy stays with the vampire for a single turn. (This is the "Popeye's spinach" or "Hulk Hogan's miracle comeback" school of blood expenditure, allowing the vampire to perform a single heroic feat.) Example: A 12th-generation Brujah with a Strength of 4 is in a tough fight. He spends a Blood Point to raise his Strength to 5, the maximum allowable to a vampire of his generation. Feeling that he needs more help, he spends two more turns "adrenalizing" his Strength to 7 - but once the stat reaches 7, he may use the "adrenaline rush" for only one turn, after which the stat decreases to 5 again (although the Brujah may repeat the process with additional Blood Points). Use whichever system works best for you. Why haven't you answered my question yet? Not because I'm ignoring you. I enjoy answering your questions, believe it or not. Cyberspeak gives me a welcome break from damaging my eyesight yet further in this windowless, lightless, cramped cell in which the Powers That Be force my underpaid, overworked wreck of a body to atrophy. However, Vampire is the most widely played of the Storyteller games, which means I receive dozens of emails per day. I have to try to answer these on top of my normal job, which consists of "adherence" to a schedule straight out of a factory in a Dickens novel (see Why are there so many fuckups in White Wolf products?, elsewhere in this FAQ). So sometimes there's going to be a bit of a delay in response. Now, if you want to be really sweet and considerate, here are a few itty-bitty things you can do to facilitate a response. Try as best you can to phrase questions in such a way that I can respond with a phrase, a "Yes," a "No," or a number. In any event, try to avoid huge essays or pages upon pages of questions. Generally speaking, I answer questions during a brief lull from the attentions of the deadline-cracking slavedrivers who "pay" me; when I see 10 pages of rules microdissection, my fragile psyche shuts down, and I assume the fetal position underneath my desk. Disregarding the moronic omission of the Mummy 2nd character sheet, the new rules for freebie-point expenditure and Sekhem costs are atrocious. We were trying to do something different with the freebie-point costs for mummies, much as we were with the Discipline variations between (say) Dark Ages Celerity and Masquerade Celerity. And, much as with the Dark Ages Discipline differences, this proved to be a foolish, bone-headed decision on WW's part. Mea culpa. So, without further ado, here are some alternate charts for mummy freebie-point expenditure. Attribute 5 Ability 2 Hekau Path 7 Background 1 Virtue 2 Sekhem 2 Ba N/A Ka 4 Humanity 1 Willpower 1 Cost to Increase Sekhem: current rating. Weather Spells: Certain Celestial magic and a couple of other spells cannot be figured per the normal method. In this case, treat the cost as (Level of the Spell + 4). The EMP that ate Ravnos The line that got annihilated on p. 24 of Clanbook: Ravnos should read "the presence of the goose-". Name that Fiend: In the USA, zuh-MEE-see. European Kindred often say d'ZHIM-uh-zee, SHAH-muh-say, or d'ZY-muh-zee. Also, American vampires tend to say BROO-zhuh, while European and Spanish-speaking Kindred say BROO-hah. Can I Embrace a (whatever)? Werewolves can be Embraced, but almost always die in the process; those who survive become Abominations, loathsome hybrids forever estranged from Gaia. This ain't a good thing. Mages can be Embraced, but lose their Avatars and become normal vampires. Wraiths are already dead, so they cannot be Embraced. Changelings die hideously if the Embrace is forced on them (wimps). Mummies cannot be Embraced; they simply die, and their souls split and perform their respective functions. Other shapeshifterswell, you're on your own, but a vampire crocodile or shark sounds pretty goofy. See the Werewolf: The Apocalypse FAQ for more details. When is [Product X] coming out? The new Upcoming Products schedule: Ghouls: Fatal Addiction (June '97) Clanbook: Giovanni (August '97) Transylvania by Night (October '97) [for Dark Ages] Giovanni Chronicles 3: Dust to Dust (January '98) Kindred of the East (February '98) Dark Tide Rising (March '98) [Dark Ages/Masquerade crossover] Hong Kong by Night (April '98) Demon Hunter X (June '98) Revelations of the Dark Mother (August '98) Explanatory notes: No, the title of Giovanni 3 bears no actual connection to the years-anticipated conclusion to Ashes to Ashes. Kindred of the East is exactly what you feverishly anticipate: a hardcover, VPG2-sized tome detailing the undead of China, Japan, SE Asia, etc. Yes: new Disciplines, new rituals, new vampires, the whole nine yards. Dark Tide Rising is the first in a Dark Ages/Masquerade chronicle crossover spanning over 800 years. This one'll let your characters get all old and powerful and influential and stuff, assuming they survive the attentions of Lucita, Anatole, Vykos, Goratrix, and a few other party people. Demon Hunter X is an Inquisition-style book for Asian witch-hunters. Like anime? Buy the book, little grasshopper! Revelations of the Dark Mother? Well, you know all those vague references to Lilith, the Crone, etc., from The Book of Nod? I figure it's time to let WW's own Queen of the Damned have her say on how it all REALLY happened between her and that fratricidal, angst-ridden farmer. Now, astute readers will note that a) Kindred of the East has been moved from October '97 to February '98; b) Sabbat 2nd Edition has been dropped outright. Why, you ask? Well, the Kindred of the East decision was made to save our production staff's sanity; after Wild West, AEON and Changeling 2nd, they're going to need a brief respite from making megabooks. Also, frankly, I'm writing the vast majority of this voluminous tome, and I can use the extra time to make KotE the cool, kick-ass book it needs to be. Sabbat 2nd Edition? Honestly, I'm at a loss for a writer, and I'd rather pull the book than assign someone who's not going to do the subject matter justice. Imagine that, Gentle Readers: White Wolf actually deciding to hold off on releasing something in the interest of quality, rather than churning a haphazard abortion of a project out the door for the sake of a quick cash fix. Whatever is the world coming to? Oh yeah: I guess that means that proposals for Sabbat 2nd Edition are now open. Show me whatcha got. In MET, what does(blah, blah, blah)? I'd love to be able to help you, but I don't know anything about Mind's Eye Theatre. Please write to Cynthia Summers, chalice@white-wolf.com, and she'll be happy to help you. Why are there so many fuckups in White Wolf products? Primarily because our understaffed E&D Department must constantly rush hundreds of thousands of words out the door in a matter of weeks or even days. You try rewriting 200,000 words of dyslexic swill in 10 working days, pal. I have an idea for (Product Y); do you want to publish it? The writer's guidelines found elsewhere on this page list what I do and do not (emphasis on do not) want. What's going on with the Vampire cult murders? White Wolf is terribly upset by this senseless tragedy. Until justice has run its course, WW staffers would prefer to refrain from commentary. Where can I find (New Clan Z, published on the Net)? Sorry, we can't help you here. Anything published on the Net is "unofficial," and we don't keep track of it. What's the truth about/real name of/stats for Caine, the Antediluvians, etc.? I prefer not to divulge this information, as doing so destroys a lot of the mystery behind the game. The best horror stories ("The Colour out of Space," "The Haunting of Hill House," "The Willows," etc.) are shrouded in mystery and uncertainty, and that is the tone I want to emulate with V: tM.