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This is a list, in no particular order, of the house rules for the Onyx Rose Role Playing Troupe’s Vampire: The Masquerade live action role playing game. These rules have been adopted based on the years of experience of your storytellers (James, Sondra and Jerrilee) and the preferences of players we’ve worked with. Any questions should be addressed to James and appeals are made by the Rule of Three.
We operate on the philosophy that the game exists for the players, not for the storytellers. Our goal is to provide as enjoyable an experience as possible. Therefore, these rules are not totally set in stone. As the players demonstrate a desire for a change in the rules, it will be addressed, considered, debated and finally decided upon with a decision published at the next game session along with justification whether the request was approved or denied.
This game is run by three storytellers, each presiding over certain clans. James handles the Malkavians, Nosferatu, Tremere and Giovanni. Sondra takes care of the Toreador, Ventrue and Ravnos. Jerrilee oversees the Brujah, Gangrel and Followers of Set.
Rule of Three: The most important house rule is the Rule of Three. It states simply that any decision of any one storyteller can be overruled by a majority vote of the other two. All decisions are above further appeal and are therefore final.
18 and Up: Your Storytellers have found that by limiting the players to those 18 and older, they can better provide everyone with an enjoyable and mature atmosphere. There have been exceptions in the past and there may be in the future. Any prospective player under the age of 18 must have a sponsor already in-game who will be responsible for their transportation and conduct while the game is in session.
Player Conduct: The storytellers agree that no mind-altering substance is allowed at game. This includes alcohol as well as illegal substances. Regardless of how you live your personal life this is our game, and a part of our job is to make sure that everyone has fun and is safe. We fully understand that you are adults, but we can not be responsible for what happens when players are under the influence.
Making your character: When making a character, please decide before hand what clan you would like to play and have a concept in mind. That helps us greatly, because we will know where to send you for approval. Character creation is through the Storyteller responsible for your clan. Any questions or requests are made to him/her. Disputes are settled by the Rule of Three.
Character Sheets: All character sheets must be generated, printed and signed by a Storyteller to be valid.
Generation: No character may buy his generation lower than 10th without Storyteller approval.
Clans: As of now the following clans and bloodlines are currently allowed for play with the following restrictions - 10 Brujah, 5 Gangrel, 5 Malkavians, 5 Nosferatu, 6 Toreador, 8 Tremere, 6 Venture, 2 Ravnos*, 2 Followers of Set*, and 1 Giovanni*. Clans with (*) are at storyteller discretion only. Bloodlines are on a case by case basis and at Storyteller discretion only.
Unusual Characters: Unusual characters may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Present all questions to your Storyteller at character creation. Truly unusual requests (any that don=t fit under a single storyteller) automatically default to James. You may be turned down for a certain character only for another player to be granted the same character. This is not favoritism. The Storytellers decide each case based on perceived role-playing ability and philosophy as well as player dependability and game impact. If you are turned down you may, of course, appeal to the Rule of Three and if that fails you may try again with your next character.
Ghouls: Prospective Ghoul characters who are not hunters must have a Regnant in-game before character creation can begin. As your Storytellers do not possess the 3rd edition rules for these characters, they will be adapted from Liber des Ghouls (2nd edition).
Mortals: Government Agents, Hunters, Inquisitors, etc. are allowed on a case by case basis at Storyteller discretion and are adapted from Antagonists. Remember that Numina is extremely rare and True Faith is all but unheard of in the World of Darkness.
Clan Advantages: The Malkavians now have access to an ability called "The Malkavian Madness Network," please see the abilities section for more information.
Negative Traits and Flaws: No character may have more than 5 points of Negative Traits and 5 points of Flaws. Flaws are at Storyteller discretion and both Negative Traits and Flaws must be role-played faithfully. Remember, Big Brother is watching you.
Specialization: A character must possess three levels of a given ability to specialize. There is only one specialization per ability. When using your specialized ability you are up one trait, when using the ability for any other task you are down a trait. A specialty must be specific, a field of study or particular task.
Ties: In a tie, each character may apply their current level of the applicable ability to their Trait totals for comparison. IE - In a standard unarmed physical challenge, both players may add their Brawl Ability to their Trait totals for resolving ties.
Awareness: Awareness as stated in LotN is a character's ability to detect supernatural happenings in the area. For example, if a Nosferatu enters Elysium using Unseen Presence a player may not automatically turn on heightened senses, there must be a reason for the activation. If the player has awareness they may spend a trait of awareness for a static mental challenge, retesting with occult for a chance to know that a discipline is in use and what discipline it is.
Allies: An ally has his level of the ability required for the task at hand.
Contacts: Contacts allow a player to receive normally inaccessible rumor's and influence action information. Contacts are chosen at the end of the game session for the following weeks use.
Fame: Fame allows a character to spend up to their level of fame to conceal an influence action for free. With Fame a player must choose a category of influence to connect to their fame. ie A world famous opera singer would probably be more affluent in High Society, where a teamster would be attached to industry. The free concealment is in the influence category connected with your fame only.
Herd: Herd allows an automatic success on hunting. One must still decide how much blood to take. See hunting for further information.
Retainers: Retainers does not start with backgrounds of their own. The player must spend their own exp to advance the retainer.
Influence: Influence will now work as follows. Using Influence: A player must come to a storyteller with an action that they would like to perform using their influence, at that time the storyteller will set a influence level to the action (LotN details what you may or may not do with your influence). If you are spending the exact influence level then you must win or tie a simple challenge. Spending a level below what is required you must win a simple test. If you spend a level higher then you are allowed a retest. Concealing Influence: In order to conceal an action a player must spend an action two levels higher in order to conceal the action. Thus a level three action will cost a level five action to conceal, which will grant a retest if needed.
Dementation: A vampire with no derangements may not learn or use Dementation.
Voice of Madness: In order to invoke Voice of Madness, you must verbally antagonize your subject. This may be done in a low, conspirator’s tone of voice and the intent is to induce fear, anger and/or paranoia. Also, this will be apparent to anyone who can hear you although the use of a discipline will not be obvious. This should be role-played completely in character before the test is initiated.
The Beckoning: Each social trait you spend summons one animal equal to or larger than the size of an average housecat, two animals of average rodent size (feeder mouse to rat, including bats and most non-predatory birds), or a swarm of insects fly sized and up equating to approx. 10 or tiny insects equating to approx. 20. Animals must be germane to the area (i.e. African killer bees are out). Remember that the availability of animal(s) that are being called is up to the Storyteller.
Quell the Beast: A vampire under the effects of Quell the Beast may not spend willpower to fuel disciplines, regain traits, gain abilities, negate a frenzy, or suppress a derangement for the remainder of the evening. He or she may spend double the required willpower to retest or to ignore wound penalties only in situations of imminent grave danger (ask your storyteller if the situation you are in could be considered grave). Once a frenzy is over Quell the Beast is negated.
Drawing out the Beast: The victim of Drawing out the Beast may not engage in a virtue test to avoid frenzy.
Spirit’s Touch: Keep in mind when using Spirit’s Touch that the images/information received is likely to be very vague and may even be unrecognizable. Many factors influence the effectiveness of this discipline. The Storyteller has the final word on what you may or may not glean from this ability. Appeals are by the rule of three.
Telepathy: In order to break another characters concentration, one must successfully contacted the victim. The victim must then win a static mental challenge against a difficulty of six traits to ignore the distraction. If the test fails the victim looses any mental actions for the next round and is down a single trait on all other challenges in the next round. The merit Concentration gives the victim an automatic success.
Rapidity/Might: You do not have to declare that you have the Bomb prior to a challenge to use it in a challenge. One of the advantages of these disciplines is to catch opponents unaware.
Celerity: Activating a level of Celerity also activates all lesser levels, therefore by activating Legerity you gain a preemptory action, two additional actions plus the option to use the Bomb in a challenge related to speed.
Resistance: A successful use of Resistance will negate two levels of Bashing damage or one level of Lethal damage.
Necromancy: Under no circumstance can a wraith be used to create a Fetish of any kind. Nor can the powers or abilities of a wraith be imbued to an object. Wraiths and Spirits are two completely different entities. Also keep in mind that Daemonic Possession does not create a Risen.
Anesthetic Touch: Anesthetic Touch grants Endurance in lieu of negating all wound penalties for the duration of the effect.
Obeah: A Malkavian under the effects of Obeah to an extent of Aremoving@ all derangements may not use Dementation until one or more of his derangements return.
Obfuscate: You don=t have to hold up fingers to advertise your highest level of obfuscate.
Potence: Any use of Potence: Vigor and up will break almost any mundane melee weapon. To get a weapon specially made to withstand your immense strength will require the aid of a Storyteller and may require Influence. Puissance will break anything other than a magical melee weapon.
Summon: When in psychic projection, the umbra or spirit journey you are not you are not effected by summon. The aggressor must still make the challenge and risk the traits, they do not automatically know that you are unavailable.
Cauldron of Blood: Cauldron of Blood will kill a mortal outright. Any other non-kindred supernatural creature takes an aggravated level of damage from the boiling, and then an additional lethal from loss of blood.
No Sabbat anything is available for player characters. This includes rituals, thaumaturgical paths, disciplines, archetypes, or abilities (Sabbat abilities applies to generally nasty big fuck off evil crap. Like torture. Fortune telling, fire eating, fire walking and such are not considered big fuck off evil crap and are at storyteller discretion). Neiner neiner.
Also, Nectar of the Bitter Rose and Night of the Red Heart are not available. This is not to say that rumor's of these rituals do not exist, the storytellers feel that for the scope of our game they are unbalancing.
Oracular Ability: Your retest may not be used to resist frenzy, the two simple tests for staking or for influence actions.
Iron Will: Iron Will acts as might for the purpose of dominate and mind altering magic. You must still expend a willpower trait, but your opponent cannot counter it with a willpower and there are no further retests. Iron Will can only be used if you are on the defensive.
Common Sense: A player may ask a player for advice three times a night, never more then once in a single scene. No test is necessary.
Eat food: Without this merit you may not ingest ANY solid food. A willpower expenditure will allow you to drink fluids other then blood for one scene.
Acute Sense: Does not equal heightened senses for the particular sense. You are up two traits in challenges relating to that sense.
The following merits and flaws are not available, because we think that they are more of a pain in the ass then a role playing tool: Mistaken Identity, Probationary Sect Member, Haunted, Nightmares, and Blind.
Two Gun Mojo: The ability to take two actions in one round is commensurate with the use of two weapons (no matter how much karate you know your hands/claws are not weapons.). If the applicable retest for your action is brawl you may not take two actions regardless of specialization or ambidexterity. Specialization and ambidexterity do not convey the ability to take an additional action, they simply reduce the penalty.
Conversions from paper game and 2nd Edition LARP will be allowed on a case by case basis. This refers to rituals, merits, flaws, clan specific abilities and such. We are not allowing previously played characters, please be ready to make a character when you get to game.
The following conversions will function as such:
Rituals: The following rituals have been adapted. Most rituals from 2nd Edition LARP books function exactly as written although the requirements may differ. I will publish these as they are brought to my attention.
All Wards - Wards inflict 1 Aggravated wound. They require the expenditure of a permanent Mental Trait.
Shaft of Belated Quiescence - Extended Static Physical Challenge (defensive Traits only), Victim VS Stake (3 Traits) until the Stake wins. Each win by the victim add another night to the Stake=s journey. Exact time is at Storyteller discretion. If the Victim wins 10 in a row, the Stake runs out of energy and the tip is ejected from the victim=s body 1 to 3 (simple test win = 1, tie = 2 and loss = 3) weeks after the 10 days are up. Again, exact time is at Storyteller discretion. Ex- Victim of the Shaft engages in the Extended Static Challenge and wins 5 in a row. Sometime on the fifth day (including the night of the test) the tip finds the victim=s heart and paralyses her. Creating a Shaft requires the expenditure of a permanent Mental Trait.
Splinter Servant - Automatic stake. Creation requires the expenditure of a permanent Willpower Trait and when activated it requires a temporary Mental Trait to direct it.
Willpower: Willpower may be used to retest any Social or Mental challenge when a Discipline is not involved. If a Discipline IS involved, you are granted a retest only if your generation is equal to or lower then your opponent. This applies only to direct manipulation-type challenges including Dominate, Presence, Telepathy, Animalism and so on. In any case where Willpower is applicable the defender is the only one allowed to spend it first. Then the aggressor may spend a Willpower to re-double his efforts, negating the defender’s Willpower.
Regaining Willpower: Any time you spend Willpower, note it on your character sheet and inform your Storyteller at the end of the evening. He/She will tell you when you get it back (usually 1 per week). If you feel you deserve to regain a Willpower trait based on your Nature, tell any Storyteller what you did and why you feel you deserve a Willpower. The Storyteller will then decide on the spot whether or not you are entitled to a Willpower and will then inform the cognizant Storyteller if it was granted.
Hunting: Here is the system for hunting. Everyone gets one free hunt per night. This hunt may be used before the game begins in order to enter play with a full blood pool and in that case requires no out of game time. Otherwise, perform a simple test to find a victim (you may spend a level of Herd for an automatic win). Each test takes 30 minutes out of game. A win indicates that everything went well and you got the blood. A tie indicates that you got the blood, but you feel that the Masquerade may have suffered due to your excursion. Whatever it was you had better investigate it and fix it soon. A loss indicates that not only did you not get the blood, but you KNOW that the Masquerade was broken. The Sheriff will be wanting a few words with you very soon. Humans have 7 blood points. A mortal down 1-2 points is in no danger at all. They will be a little light headed but they will be fine. After 3-4 points that mortal is going to need food, rest, lots of both and right now. Simple test (win) to survive, win or tie if the victim will be found (AND CARED FOR) within the next 15 minutes, automatic win if the victim is in the immediate vicinity of food and rest (home or a shelter). After 5-6 points, a human is in serious danger of dying. Simple test (win) to survive, one retest if the victim will found and cared for in the next 5 minutes, two retests if in the immediate vicinity of ADEQUATE medical care (you=d better be hunting in an emergency room). A human down 7 points is dead. See your storyteller for your new humanity rating (Jackass).
This list is as complete as we can make it. Updates will be distributed at least once a month and perhaps more frequently if necessary. If you have anything to submit or if you have any problems with these rules, contact your storyteller.