Vampire House Rules

Note – This is a living document and is subject to change as the chronicle continues over time and
grows. This document is valid as of 11/12/17 and is meant as document for a Camarilla chronicle.

Character Creation
Please do not make characters at home unless you are told it is okay to do so before hand. The storyteller
works closely with the players to make characters so that he can more easily fit them into the chronicle.

Concept - Character creation is standard except where noted below. Remember to base everything
around a concept – not what clan you want to play. Concept helps everything fall into place on its own.
Make sure the concept fits the setting and time period that is being played.

Nature/Demeanor - Keep in mind that you only gain Willpower from enacting your Nature, and it is usually
a long-term play that benefits you, your coterie, or the chronicle that regains your Willpower. This will
usually be something that you said/did/suggested/demanded/etc. at the beginning of the session that
pans out towards the middle or even end of the session.

Abilities – Remember that there is no penalty for using a Talent that you do not have, a +1 difficulty on all
rolls for Skills that you do not have, and it is impossible to make rolls for Knowledges without possessing
them unless the ST states otherwise.

Disciplines: No Discipline may start higher than 2 dots at base character creation (they can be bought
higher with freebie points).

Backgrounds: Generation is not available for purchase. The ST will determine your Generation based on
your clan choice. Status and Domain are also unavailable for purchase and must be earned in-game.
There are several more house rules on backgrounds all listed below in their own section.

Morality Paths - All characters must follow the Path of Humanity unless special permission is given by the
Storyteller as a portion of the chronicle will center around the fight against the Beast, and following a path
other than Humanity takes some of the tension away from that inner struggle.

Freebie Points - Note that characters receive 15 freebie points (referred to as fp hereafter) at the end of
character creation. Up to 7 points of Flaws can be taken to add to those fp for a total of 22 fp. Only certain
concepts and/or character types may take an extra derangement or lower their Humanity by one for 5
extra freebie points. Those fp can be used for anything as noted by the chart on pg. 82 of V20. You may
also use them to buy a number or Merits equal to the total fp that you have.

NOTE – Keep in mind that Flaws and Derangements WILL be used against you and you WILL be
expected to role-play them if necessary.
Clan Changes/Clarifications
Any clan may be off-limits due to the needs of the story as determined by the Storyteller. Only one
uncommon clan per coterie and only one rare clan/bloodline per coterie.

Brujah – Clan Brujah is divided into three camps – iconoclasts, individualists, and idealists. These camps
also determine which of the three combination disciplines (Revised Clanbook: Brujah page 66) that the
character has access to. Iconoclasts may buy Burning Wrath. Individualists may buy Iron Heart and Pulse
of Undeath. Idealists may buy Scourge of Alecto (detailed in the disciplines section below).
Clan Advantage - Brujah gain part of their advantage based on what camp they call home. Iconoclasts
receive a dot of Streetwise and one dot of Street Influence. Idealists receive one dot of Politics and gain
one dot of Politics Influence. Individualists receive one dot of Academics and one dot of University
Influence. All Brujah gain one dot in Brawl.
The Call - Centuries of rebellion, sometimes in the face of insurmountable odds, have forged a
powerful “us against them” attitude among Brujah Clan members. Brujah are quick to side with their own,
even at the risk of personal danger. Prestation is neither requested nor offered for this aid. They frown
upon refusing a Brother or Sister aid, resulting in the offender’s loss of status and possibly even
ostracism. Those who overuse or abuse this advantage will find themselves losing Status within Clan. A
Brujah who has lost all of her Clan Status can no longer expect the aid of her former allies and they may
ignore her at no risk.

Gangrel –A Gangrel character may choose between country Gangrel (standard) or city Gangrel (replace
Animalism with Celerity). A country Gangrel may buy multiple forms for Shape of the Beast as normal.
City Gangrel do not have this option and their flight form is that of a pigeon and their fight form resembles
a large stray dog. City Gangrel may also buy Obfuscate as though it were in-clan however.
Clan Advantage – Country Gangrel receive one dot in Survival and Animal Ken, and one dot in Lore
(Lupine) to represent the Gangrel’s ability to move through werewolf territory with respect to the savage
creatures. City Gangrel receive one dot in Streetwise and Stealth, and one dot in Street or Transportation
Influence.
Wanderlust - Gangrel are not generally expected to Present themselves to the Prince of the Domain
they are passing through unless they intend to stay for more than a night. They are also generally allowed
to leave a Domain whenever they like so long as they have no Sect problems holding them down (wanted
by Sheriff, etc.) Still, Princes are happier if all Kindred show themselves while in their Domains.

Malkavian – Camarilla Malkavians have Dominate unless the time period is after 1997. Anyone who plays
a Malkavian will not play it as “cutesy” or “childlike” (unless that child is severely demented). Malkavians
represent the worst of human mental illness and should never be played as light-hearted or too over the
top. The best Malks are those that come across as insidiously normal. Either way when a Malkavian uses
Auspex there may be…additional results.
Clan Advantage – Malkavians receive one dot in Awareness and Empathy, and gain one dot in one of
the following Influences; Church, Health, Occult, or University.
Don’t Fuck with Crazy - Once per session a Malkavian may ignore the use of City Status on her or
may ignore the loss of City Status from an action that would otherwise cause a loss. This could be
anything from blurting out some blunt insight in the middle of Court (“The Prince’s hair isn’t real!”) all the
way to an embarrassing or disturbing breach of etiquette (“Oh. I thought this was a BYOB…you know,
bring your own body?” as he walks in with a corpse over his shoulder) This is due to the fact that a Harpy
or even a Prince is loath to trigger a manic rage from a Malkavian from time to time, so instead of dealing
with that headache, he just lets it slide.
Nosferatu – Nosferatu will have access to a discipline called Nightmare that they may buy as in-clan once
it is available. Once the story arc to introduce the discipline is introduced then Nos characters may trade
in their Animalism on a one for one basis for equal levels of Nightmare. Furthermore during the same
story, certain Nos (player choice) will find that their appearances may become normalized but they have a
“creepy vibe” to them afterwards (granting a different weakness – they may not have specialties in any
social attribute or ability. Furthermore all social difficulties are raised by +2).
Clan Advantage – Nosferatu gain one dot in Survival and Stealth and gain one dot in either Retainer
(usually a ghouled animal), or the Street, Transportation, or Underworld Influence.
The Monster Under the Streets – Most Nosferatu live in the under areas of the city and this affords
them many opportunities that others just don’t see. They hear conversation from the streets above, or
through the vents that lead to the back room of a club. Furthermore the warrens, sewers, and abandoned
subway tunnels that the Nos frequent are easy to get lost in, unless you’re a native.
This gives the Nosferatu two distinct abilities; firstly they act as though they had a level one Contact
from any source once per session, secondly, if the Nosferatu is near a sewer entrance, subway tunnel, or
other subterranean entrance, he may take his next turn an escape a bad situation as he vanishes into the
warrens below the city.

Toreador – Toreador have access to a specialized form of Presence that no other clan has (even if they
themselves have Presence). They replace Dread Gaze with a power called Revelation.
Clan Advantage – Toreador receive two dots in Academics, Crafts, Expression, Performance, or
Subterfuge in any combination and gain one dot in either Herd, Retainer, Resources, Fame, or one of the
following Influences; High Society, Media, or University.
Idol - Toreador may call upon their artistic Skills and Abilities to feed more easily. A Toreador can gain
1 Blood trait for each level possessed in Academics, Crafts, Expression, Performance and Subterfuge
once per story.

Tremere – Tremere characters must learn Path of Blood first unless they have a background or concept
that the ST agrees allows the character to have a different primary path at which point the character’s
second path must be Path of Blood.
Clan Advantage – Tremere start with one dot in Occult and Academics and one dot in the Occult
Influence.
Magic Perfectionist – Tremere study their art very rigorously and have little tolerance for failure,
especially in themselves. When making a roll to enact a ritual, a Tremere may reroll it if it’s a botch. He
may make this reroll once per story.

Ventrue – Ventrue have a more advanced form of Dominate that only they may learn. Their Dominate is
not restricted by Generational differences, and they may Dominate those of lower Generations, though
they suffer a penalty to such attempts (-1 for every Generation lower than the Ventrue). It is also usable
on animals. Ventrue also have a bloodline not mentioned in most books called the Rook that gains
Auspex instead of Presence and can buy Potence at in-clan cost.
Clan Advantage – Ventrue gain one dot in Leadership and Finance and receive one dot in one of the
following Influences; Bureaucracy, Finance, Legal, or Political.
Royal Family – Ventrue want to make sure that their clan has the best of everything. For that reason,
any new childer’s bank account is surgically altered and remains that way until the Kindred meets his
Final Death. This means that all Ventrue begin with one dot in the Resources background that cannot be
removed for any reason.
Assamite (Uncommon) –The curse is still in full effect meaning that Assamites may not diablerize, and
instead must collect the blood of an elder to send back to Alamut for a ritual that will allow the Assamite to
lower his generation.
Clan Advantage – Assamites gain one dot in Brawl and Melee, they receive one dot in the Underworld
Influence (they are hitmen after all…)
Alamut’s Arsenal – While the clan looks down on those who cannot use their own resources to obtain
needed equipment to finish a job, sometimes more specialized gear is needed, and the clan will move
Heaven and Earth to provide that gear to an Assamite in good standing. Once per story and Assamite can
obtain a piece of cutting edge gear that will aid him in completing his current contract.

Followers of Set (Uncommon) – No restrictions or changes. You do have the option of starting with your
heart removed and in the possession of your sire.
Clan Advantage – Followers of Set receive one dot in Streetwise and Subterfuge and gain a dot in one
of the following Influences; Legal, Street, or Underworld.
Corrupt Souls – The Followers of Set are pretty much evil incarnate, and nothing solidifies that fact like
the possession of the Thaumaturgical Path of Corruption. While it is commonly held that only Tremere
have access to Thaumaturgy, the dirty secret is that it existed long before the clan did. All Followers of Set
can learn Path of Corruption (and only Path of Corruption unless they have a teacher for other paths) at
in-clan costs. Any other path learned is at out of clan costs.

Giovanni (Uncommon) – Giovanni must learn Sepulcher Path before learning other paths, similar to the
Tremere above.
Clan Advantage – Giovanni gain one dot in Finance and Occult and they receive one dot in one of the
following Influences; Bureaucracy, Finance, Legal, Street, or Underworld.
Family Ghosts – Giovanni may take a special merit – Ghost Ally at three points. Should they take this
merit then they may have a special Retainer that is a Wraith. Storytellers may use the ghost examples on
pgs 385-386 in the V20 book or if they have access to the Wraith the Oblivion book they may build one
out of there. Every dot put into the ghostly Retainer allows it 5 experience points to spend after initial
creation at the first dot.

Ravnos (Uncommon) – No restrictions or changes, though it is highly recommended that the player read
the World of Darkness – Gypsies and the Ravnos Clanbook to get an idea of how the Ravnos and their
gypsy kumpania work.
Clan Advantage – Ravnos gain one dot in Performance and Streetwise and receive one dot in Herd
(usually his family group) or one dot in one of the following Influences; Street, Transportation or
Underworld.
The Long Con – Ravnos are sly and slick and can get away with just about anything. This allows them
to almost always talk themselves out of a bind should they be caught conning, deceiving, or otherwise
being dishonest in the persuit of his personal vice. Once per session, while pursuing his chosen vice, a
Ravnos may get out of a sticky situation by saying a quick few words of apology and leaving. Should he
return to the scene of the crime however…

Other Clans/Bloodlines - Any clan or bloodline not listed here should be considered rare. Check with the
storyteller to determine whether or not you may play a clan or bloodline not listed here. Certain clans and
bloodlines are more than likely off-limits however. Note that the other clans and bloodlines do not receive
any special advantages. This is because just the ability to play one is advantage enough. Furthermore
they are often not as established as the others clans in the modern nights.
Backgrounds

Backgrounds cannot be bought outright with experience points. Instead they must be earned in game
somehow. The character must do something in order to earn a new dot of a background, and then once
he earns it in game (sometimes completely by happenstance) he must spend the appropriate experience
within two sessions or lose the background he would have otherwise gained (the ST will find an in game
way for the character to lose it). If the player only has enough experience to buy a portion of the
background, he can keep whatever he can afford.
For example – If you were to kill a drug runner and take his briefcase full of a couple of million in cash,
you could increase your Resource background to 5. However you can only afford to buy it up to 3. You
keep the 3 dots, but alas some of the money went missing one night while you were gone from your
haven.

Mentor – You may choose the clan of your mentor, but the storyteller will determine which NPC is your
mentor. Each dot represents one level of Ability or Discipline you may learn or the level of Allies,
Contacts, and Influences you have access to borrow. Abilities learned from your mentor are at a small
price break (-1 xp per dot). Learning disciplines is described in the discipline section below, having a
Mentor teach you acts as having an NPC teacher.

Domain – Buying domain above level 2 requires the character to have the in game ability to do so, which
likely requires permission from your clan primogen (as it will likely be within your clan’s territory).Level 5
requires the Prince’s permission.

Retainer - By the book each level of retainer gives you an additional retainer, all of which are basic extras
that do menial things for your character. Alternately you may buy a more powerful retainer by dedicating
multiple dots to one retainer. Each dot spent is worth 2 experience points that the retainer may spend on
anything you wish her to. If you also take the Loyal Ghoul merit (see the “New Traits” document) each dot
is worth 5 experience points.

Allies, Contacts & Influence - The source for all Allies, Contacts, and Influences must be determined.
Likewise Allies and Contacts should at least be given names and how they are connected to the character
so that the ST has something to go on when the player calls upon them. The different sources and their
levels are described in the Influences packet. In order to increase these three backgrounds in-game, a
character must actively attempt to increase his presence in the specified area, and the system for doing
so is also described in the Influences packet.

Resources: Resources are finite, though at higher levels it may not seem like it. If you try to obtain an item
with a Resource cost equal to your Resource level, then you cannot access your Resource background
for one month (the funds are tied up in obtaining your item). You may obtain an item with a Resource cost
of up to one higher than your current Resource rating, though the rating will drop by one dot permanently
(this represents you liquidating assets to get the money to buy the item) and you will need to find a way in
game to increase your Resources again and spend the experience to buy it back.
A Few Notes on Disciplines

Chemistry – Uses of this discipline will be heavily adjudicated by the ST. It is not a catch all to do whatever
you want, and the ST reserves the right to determine how exactly the powers in this discipline work.

Potence - Potence WILL break normal mundane weapons based on the weapon and the level of Potence.
The additional dice that the weapon adds determines the highest level of Potence that can be used with it.
Thus a sword (Strength+2) can withstand up to level two Potence, while level three and above will break
it.
Industry influence and Resources equal to the level of Potence that you want your weapon to resist is
required to make said weapon rated to withstand your supernatural strength. Thus for a sword to
withstand Potence level four will take Industry 4 and Resources 4. This is because you have to have the
money to get the specialized materials and workspace, and the Industry to have it worked by specialists.
Elder levels of Potence will break anything that is not somehow magical or enchanted. All levels of
Potence can be used to fight with weapons such as sewer lids (which are already industrial strength),
lightpoles, cars etc. These weapons will vary in traits and damage (as determined by the Storyteller),
however it should be known that these weapons are massively clumsy and unwieldly, not to mention
someone lobbing cars around is bound to attract notice…

Speaking of which - note that uses of physical (and some non-physical) disciplines are very noticeable
and WILL breach the Masquerade and you will most likely get caught.

Necromancy – Only the Bone, Sepulcher, and Ash paths are available to characters with Necromancy at
this time (unless you are playing a rare clan that has access to the more esoteric paths)

Thaumaturgy - Note that Hands of Destruction and Father’s Vengeance is off-limits to Camarilla Tremere.
Path of Corruption likewise is off-limits as it is currently exclusive to the Followers of Set (though this may
change in game). Dark Thaumaturgy will never be allowed to be used by player characters in this
chronicle. If your character is ever offered the ability to learn Dark Thaumaturgy then you should only do
one thing…RUN!

Out of Clan Disciplines – A character may not start with out of clan disciplines unless she has ST
permission and has a good back story to describe how they received the discipline in question. Further
you must have the Clan Friendship merit if you want to start with a clan specific discipline and you must
have the 8 point version (see Merit section below) if you want to have a Mentor that will continue to teach
you further levels in the Discipline.

Learning Disciplines – You may, of course, learn any in-clan disciplines by simply spending the required
experience points. Learning disciplines not native to your clan is a bit harder however. The three physical
disciplines, that is Celerity, Fortitude, and Potence, may be developed without a teacher but you must pay
out of clan costs for them. If you manage to find an NPC teacher however, you may learn them at in-clan
costs. Note that PC teachers do provide this cost break as well, but it is likely the other character in
question will want something in return…
All other disciplines must have a teacher and have the standard out of clan costs. For the common
disciplines (Animalism, Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate, and Presence) this only requires the teacher know
the discipline to one level higher than the level that you wish to learn (if you want to learn Auspex level 3
for example, then the teacher must have Auspex level 4).
Specialized disciplines (Protean, Thaumaturgy, even the specialized versions of common disciplines
like the Toreador clan’s Presence, or the Ventrue’s version of Dominate) requires the student to drink one
blood trait from the teacher for each level that he wishes to learn. Keep in mind that teaching such clan
secrets outside of the clan is a sure fire way to get the student and the teacher eradicated by angry
members of the teacher’s clan. The Jyhad is unforgiving, and the clans do not like their secrets being
shared. This can be mitigated with the 8 point version of the Clan Friendship merit.
Merits & Flaws

NOTE – Despite what the books says, I do allow Merits to be bought after character creation, as long as it
makes sense and your character would have somehow gained it or if you can make a good argument for
it. Likewise, you may gain Flaws during the course of the game as well. If you do gain a Flaw in game you
will receive extra experience at the end of the session equivalent to the point value of the Flaw given.

Clan Specific - The clan specific merits and flaws out of the various clanbooks are sanctioned for play on
a case by case basis per the Storyteller’s approval.

Short – Is being revised here to be anyone under 5 foot tall (rather than under 4 and a half which is fairly
uncommon unless your character is a child, which is its own Flaw).

Fourteenth & Fifteenth Generation – The value for Fourteenth is being increased to 4 points and Fifteenth
to 6 points due to the staggering in game drawbacks, not just mechanically, but role-playing wise as well.
In some cities you would be hunted down for the sheer fact that you are a harbinger of the End Times.

Iron Will – There is a 7 point version of this Merit which makes the character flat out immune to Dominate
as well as giving the benefits of the 3 point version otherwise. This immunity to Dominate does not hold up
if the user is more than three generations lower than the character however, and he will need to spend a
Willpower to penalize the Dominate user by +5 difficulty.

Amnesia – With the by the book 2 point version of this flaw you don’t remember anything before your
Embrace and everything after. There is a 5 point version of this flaw where you remember nothing, but it
comes with a special caveat; you do not know what your character can do. You will have your Attributes
known to you, but the Storyteller will create the rest of the character, including Abilities, Backgrounds,
Disciplines, Virtues and your Humanity level and of course the entirety of your history. Good luck.

Clan Friendship – There is an 8 point version of this Merit that allows you to have a specialty clan
discipline (such as Protean or Thaumaturgy) without raising the ire of the clan. They may even consider
you one of their own.

Blasé – This is a Toreador only merit that costs the same as Iron Will (both versions) and does the exact
same thing, only with Presence and other emotion-controlling powers.
A Note on Roleplaying
This will be a fairly role-playing intense game. Keep in character as much as possible in order to maintain
the atmosphere and ambiance, especially if the role-playing is getting intense. You don’t want to be
responsible for breaking the mood after all. The game will be very mature in tone and especially in
content, so keep that in mind.

The storyteller is in no way responsible for character actions against one another. Vampire is about
politics and back-biting, so character conflict among the players is to be expected. If your character is
killed by another, take it in good stride and be a good sport about it. Sometimes a character death can
make for a good story and that’s what these games are all about - story.
Keep in mind that the world of Vampire, and indeed The World of Darkness in general, is not a fair
place. Keep that in mind when you take an action or speak out against someone, whether it be PC or
NPC.

And speaking of which, there is a high probability that there will be character death. Things are what they
are, period. I know that sounds weird, but when you decide to challenge to Sheriff within the first two
sessions and you die due to her stats being far superior to yours, remember that you read that sentence
and wondered what the hell it meant. I am not stacking the deck against the players, anything is possible
for your characters to do and accomplish (within reason, you’re not going to become the PotUS for
example) but I do have to maintain verisimilitude and a sense of realism or the game world kind of falls
apart at the seams.