House Rules
• Night . . . Falls • Shadows on the Mall • Fredericksburg: Dark Frontier •

Unless otherwise noted in this document, we use the rules from MET Laws of the Night: Revised (LotN:R), MET Camarilla Guide, MET Sabbat Guide, and MET Storyteller’s Guide. Revised Clanbooks and MET Journals are accepted with Storyteller discretion.

Blood
When checking in to game, all players must perform hunting tests with a Storyteller.

  • Win = full capacity
  • tie = ½ capacity (round down)
  • lose = 4 blood traits.
    Applicable retests are hunting, vamp, and seduction. If you need additional blood after this test, either utilize applicable backgrounds/advantages (toreador advantage, herd, health influence - see Influences - etc.) or perform a hunting scene with a Storyteller.

    Healing aggravated damage: requires a full day of rest and 3 blood traits. A willpower can be spent to heal an additional aggravated wound beyond the first, once a day.

    Willpower
    Temporary willpower refreshes completely on the 1st of every month. Temporary willpower can also be restored by ST discretion through achieving goals, properly playing a character’s nature, or use of the meditation ability.

    Virtues
    Virtue traits risked to retest an applicable challenge are lost permanently if the challenge is lost, in addition to the usual effects of a lost virtue challenge.

    Abilities
    Blindfighting - as per Dark Epics page 49

    Meditation - as per Dark Epics page 51

    Lores - A teacher is always required. Characters are limited to no more than 3 levels in any specific lore considered to be out-of-genre for that character. For example, a Camarilla Ventrue would only be permitted to have level 4 or 5 in Cainite lore, Camarilla lore, and Ventrue lore. Lore approval is always up to Storyteller discretion.

    Crafts - Each item created with crafts takes a number of weeks equal to the target craft level of the item, up to your ability rating. You must have a Storyteller sign a card with the start date and a description of the item desired. When the required time has passed, perform a test with a Storyteller. Difficulty 3 traits for crafts level 1 and 2, difficulty 6 traits for crafts level 3 and 4, and difficulty 9 traits for crafts level 5. Crafts can be used as an ability retest for this challenge. If the challenge is won, the item is created at the target crafts level; if the challenge is lost, the item is flawed and will be 2 crafts levels lower.

    Merits/Flaws
    All merits and flaws are dependant upon Storyteller discretion.

    Trait bonuses from multiple merits cannot be added to any single challenge. Only one merit-related trait bonus may be utilized at a time.

    Blasé - this merit is discontinued and will not be permitted for purchase. For the purposes of those who already have the merit, it will function as follows: by LotN:R rules for iron will, replacing "Dominate" with "Presence," and "mental" with "social."

    Luck - luck refreshes completely on the 1st of each month.

    Backgrounds
    All backgrounds are approved and defined by Storyteller discretion.

    Fame - be prepared to roleplay the consequences of being famous. You need fame of level 3 or higher in order to use influences in any city your character is not based in.

    Resources - we do not use money cards. Equipment acquisition will be approved based on your level of resources. If it is absolutely necessary for you to have a card representing an amount of cash, see a Storyteller.

    Influences - we use the influence rules from Dark Epics, with one amendment. No "combine" action may bring an influence above level 5. All influences cost experience points and require roleplay to attain. Storytellers may permit the 1st level of an influence to be purchased for free, on a case-by-case basis.

    Disciplines
    Animalism

  • Feral Whispers - functions on unawakened animals only.

  • Quell the Beast - does not prevent the expenditure of permanent willpower traits.

    Auspex
    Auspex provides one bonus mental trait per level in the resolution of ties versus Obfuscate and Chimerstry

  • Aura Perception - when perceiving the aura of an animal under the effects of Subsume the Spirit (Animalism), the aura will be that of the subsuming vampire. When perceiving the aura of someone under the effects of Possession (Dominate), the aura will be that of the person being possessed. No "double" auras.

  • Telepathy - Line of sight is always necessary to establish and maintain telepathy.

  • Psychic Projection - While astral, characters cannot spend blood or employ any blood magic.

    Celerity
    The bonuses from rapidity and fleetness cannot be used with projectile weapons.

    Chimerstry
    Chimerstry provides one bonus trait per level in the resolution of ties versus Auspex.

  • Horrid Reality - wounds caused through use of this discipline are not unsoakable.

    Dominate
    All uses of mesmerism and forgetful mind require an index card signed or stamped by a Storyteller.

  • Forgetful Mind - this discipline cannot stack multiple false memories over the same time period.

  • Conditioning - be aware that use of conditioning is a violation of many morality codes, Storyteller discretion. "Soft" conditioning (psychology) is not allowed. Effects are by the book.

  • Possession - be aware that use of possession may be a violation of many morality codes, Storyteller discretion.

    Fortitude

  • Aegis - use of aegis may be declared at any point in the round, even after having been staked. Declaration of aegis will retroactively negate all effects of the damage taken during that round, such as staking.

    Necromancy
    Necromancy is blood magic.

    Casting blood magic requires verbal components and hand gestures. Aptitude in a Path, though, can reduce the need for these somatics. When casting, if your rating in the Path is basic, then both verbal somatics and gestures must be used. If you possess the intermediate levels of the Path, you may choose to use only verbal or hand gestures. If you possess the Path at the advanced level, no somatics are necessary at all.

    Free rituals only come with your primary path of Necromancy (max 2 basic, 2 intermediate, 1 advanced). All other rituals must be purchased with experience points; basic = 2xp, intermediate = 4xp, advanced = 6xp.

    All rituals and paths which affect another character require a contested challenge, even if not stated in the books.

    Be aware that Necromancy often requires activities that are violations of some morality codes.

    A vampire in the Shadowlands is not aware of what transpires in the Skinlands, or any other realms, unless utilizing a power which specifically denotes the capacity to do so.

  • Soul Steal - a stolen soul can activate any disciplines that do not require blood. In order to Compel a soul which has been stolen, you still must first successfully use Summon Soul on the target, as per the requirements listed for Compel. Note that vampires do not have fetters. Unless somehow destroyed, a stolen soul will always return to its real body at the end of the scene/hour. Soul Steal can only be declared against targets in the same realm as the caster (ie. no soul stealing from the Shadowlands). A "vacant" body can still use Fortitude.

    Obfuscate

  • Mask of 1,000 Faces - an additional mental trait can be spent with this discipline in order to mask clothing as well.

  • Cloak the Gathering - A vampire may only cloak others with one Obfuscate power at a time (ie. mask or vanish, but not both), although a target may be effected by multiple cloaks from different sources.

    Obtenebration

  • Shroud of Night - proper amounts of fire (Storyteller discretion) can dispel a shroud, but it takes a full round to do so.

  • Arms of the Abyss - the number of arms a summoner can create and control at a time is limited to their level of Obtenebration (max limit is 5 arms for any PC).

  • Black Metamorphosis - the social traits gained through activation of this discipline are for the purpose of resolving ties only; they cannot be bid or spent.

    Potence

  • Might - declaration of might is your last retest (except Luck or Nine Lives). Opponents can use applicable ability retests after your might has been used, but you may not.

    Protean

  • Shape of the Beast - Gangrel choose a fight form and a flight form when this discipline is purchased. Use the rules in "Clanbook: Gangrel, Revised." Only 2 total forms may be chosen, and additional forms may not be purchased. Non-Gangrel do not have the option of choosing their forms; they shift to wolf and bat only (use Lotn:R).

    Presence

  • Awe - in order to use awe, the target must be aware of the user’s presence.

  • Summon - the range on summon is global, but you may only summon characters who are checked in to game at the time of the attempt. A target cannot be summoned to or through a known life-threatening situation. The subject of a successful summons must travel in the fastest way possible (Storyteller discretion) and will bypass any situations that they know could hinder their ability to complete the summons. The subject must present themselves within 3 paces of the summoner.

  • Majesty - activation of majesty is instantaneous. Majesty affects anyone within range (10 feet) who is aware of the user’s presence. Majesty will continue to affect anyone who has been in range of the power at any point while active, and will continue so for the duration of the discipline. As long as a character with active majesty has done nothing to violate the terms of the discipline, anyone wishing to do harm to the character must spend a willpower trait and win a social challenge each round.

    Quietus

  • Silence of Death - does not negate the casting of blood magic.

  • Scorpion’s Touch and Baal’s Caress - The maximum number of coatings placed on a weapon at any given time is limited to the number of bonus traits the weapon provides. These coatings last until the next sunrise, or until used.

  • Dagon’s Call - use of this discipline can only utilize the caster’s own willpower.

    Thanatosis

  • Ashes to Ashes - aegis "teleportation" is not allowed.

  • Withering - in order to wither someone’s head, both simple tests must be won outright, not tied. There are no retests for these simple tests. Successfully withering someone’s head limits them to using no disciplines except Potence, Celerity, and Fortitude.

    Thaumaturgy
    Banned paths: Curses, Blood Curses

    Banned rituals: Puissant Shield, Chill of the Windsaber, Mindcrawler

    Somatics - casting blood magic requires verbal somatics and hand gestures. Aptitude in a Path, though, can reduce the need for these somatics. When casting, if your rating in the Path is basic, then both verbal somatics and gestures must be used. If you possess the intermediate levels of the Path, you may choose to use only verbal somatics or hand gestures. If you possess the Path at the advanced level, no somatics are necessary at all.

    Free rituals only come with your primary path of Thaumaturgy (max 2 basic, 2 intermediate, 1 advanced). All other rituals must be purchased with experience points; basic = 2xp, intermediate = 4xp, advanced = 6xp.

    All rituals and paths which affect another character require a contested challenge, even if not stated in the books.

    All active rituals require a Storyteller when cast. All active rituals require a stamped and signed index card. "Pre-cast" rituals are only allowed per Storyteller discretion. If the book a ritual is printed in does not specifically say a ritual can be "pre-cast" and then triggered/activated at a later time, it can not be done.

  • Path of Blood: Blood Rage - will wake (heal) a vampire from torpor, providing the torpor is due to wounds.

  • Path of Blood: Potency of Blood - although a vampire’s blood capacity increases with use of this discipline, it does not change the amount of blood in the vampire’s body. In order to fill to capacity after casting, the vampire must ingest more blood.

  • Hands of Destruction: Atrophy - in addition to regular costs, the caster must expend a temporary willpower trait to employ this discipline.

  • Dry Nile: The duration on effects generated by this Path is a number of weeks equal to the caster's permanent willpower minus the target's permanent willpower.

  • Pavis of the Foul Presence - this ritual functions against the first 4 levels of Presence only. Pavis has a number of charges equal to the caster’s occult ability level. Pavis will reflect Presence, not reverse it (for example, someone summoning a Tremere with Pavis active would end up summoning themselves (rather ineffective); they would not find themselves being summoned to the Tremere).

  • Principal Focus of Vitae Infusion - a caster may only have a number of "blood beads" equal to their level of occult ability, multiplied by their level of the Path of Blood.

  • Stone of the True Form - can be used by the caster only.

    Vicissitude
    Note that the only uses of Vicissitude allowed in combat are for damage and the delivery of negative traits. You cannot blind, fuse limbs together, remove bones, etc. with Vicissitude while in combat.

    Vicissitude cannot be used to grant bonus social or physical traits.

  • Bloodform - aegis "teleportation" is not allowed.

    Combat
    The order of actions in each combat is decided by number of traits relating to the declared action, from greatest to least.

    No more than 5 combatants may challenge the same target in any given action, no matter what the declared action may be.

    Negative traits in combat - delivery of negative traits upon a single target are limited to a total of 2 traits delivered by any one discipline, per scene.

    Strike declarations - "instant-effect" discipline stacking is not allowed. A strike declaration can only include the activation of one discipline per action. Disciplines that are already active before the strike, such as Potence, Celerity, feral claws, horrid form, etc., do not count toward this limit.

    We use the 2-weapon combat rules from Dark Epics (page 71), not the "2-gun mojo" rules from LotN:R.

    Retests
    Abilities are the only retests that can be used to cancel each other in a challenge. All other retests gained from sources such as disciplines or merits cannot be cancelled.

    Bidding Traits
    No vampire can ever bid more than double their natural generational trait maximum in any one challenge. For example, an 8th generation Tzimisce uses blood and horrid form to pump physical traits. His generational maximum is 14, so he can never bid more than 28 in the resolution of ties. Likewise, a 10th generation Tremere can use potency to drop her virtual generation to 7th, but since her natural generational trait maximum is 12, she can still bid no more than 24 in a challenge.

    Form Powers
    No more than one shape changing power may be active at any one time. In this regard, the shape changing powers are: black metamorphosis, tenebrous form, feral claws, earth meld, shape of the beast, mist form, skin of the adder, form of the cobra, ashes to ashes, elemental form, horrid form, and bloodform.

    Torpor
    Torpor lasts for a duration of 6 weeks minus one week for every level of morality the character possesses.

    Waking a vampire from torpor early requires the blood of a vampire 3 generations or more lower than the person in torpor (LotN:R page 111). Also see "Thaumaturgy: Path of Blood: Blood Rage" for alternate methods of waking someone from torpor.

    Staking
    A vampire who has been successfully staked is paralyzed as long as their heart remains impaled. This means the vampire cannot move at all, cannot spend blood, and cannot use any disciplines except Fortitude.

    Combo Disciplines
    Characters must always have a teacher for a combo discipline. Combo disciplines presented in revised clanbooks are considered to be only available to that clan. Other clans simply cannot learn those powers. If a combo discipline comes from another book, and does not have a clan specified, then one of the required disciplines must be in-clan for the character. The learning time for a combo discipline is a number of weeks equal to the sum of all discipline levels required to learn the power. For example, Iron Heart (Potence 3, Presence 3) would take 6 weeks to learn.

    Learning Times
    In-clan disciplines can be purchased without learning times. Out-of-clan disciplines take 2 weeks for basics, 4 weeks for intermediates, and 6 weeks for advanced. You can only learn one discipline at a time.

    Precedence
    Storytellers have to make split second decisions sometimes when presented with an abnormal situation. Do not expect something to work the same way twice unless it is specifically written in these house rules.