Storyteller's Corner: Using the Brood

Many Requiem ST's make a grievous mistake of how they use the members of Belial's Brood as antagonists. All too often, they are regulated to little more than the same purpose as orcs in a fantasy game, being that they are worthless fodder for the PC's to cut down without a second thought.

First, let us cover what the Brood are not, and unfortunately what they are often portrayed as. They are not, for the most part, mindless thugs looking to flippantly breach the Masquerade and cause havoc. Whereas they do go on a rampage on occasion, especially the members of the Pandemonium, such activities would only lead to their quick destruction, and their end goal is for not.

There are several factions amongst the Brood whom are more subtle with their work, and whom actually have goals that are not merely anarchy and wanton destruction. Brood are more like terrorists than an invading force. They have limited resources in a territory that they generally do not claim, and therefore, they have to be smart about what they do. Charging Elysium with claws and fangs bared is never a good idea, as it usually ends with minimal effect, and afterwards, the Kindred of the city realize that their gathering has been compromised, and move on to a new location.

Terrorism is the use of violence or the threat of violence, to instill fear in a target for purposes of obtaining political goals. A person whom carries out such acts is a terrorist, though the term is often used to describe political dissidents as well.

As defined by the United States Department of Defense, "Terrorism is a very specific type of violence, although the term is often applied to other kinds of violence felt to be unacceptable. Typical terrorist actions include assassinations, kidnappings, bombings, drive-by shootings, lynchings, hijackings, and random killing."

Remember, the Brood are vampires first, and even though the majority of them might be little more than savage foot soldiers, there are generals who are careful to use their resources to full effect. What do they really gain by throwing a dozen of their soldiers at a well fortified enemy? Obviously the Brood wouldn't do that, and instead they would resort to acts of guerrilla war, fighting against an obviously superior enemy. Thus, I've compiled a list of things that Brood can do in order to make them seem more of an actual threat against your local characters.

Opening Moves:
This stage of the Brood's occupation is set up by a number of ghouls belonging to the Doulosi Revenant family. The ghouls arrive in town, and begin preparing disposable havens for the Brood through either direct purchase of property, blackmailing the owners, finding a suitable location that the owners will not return for some time (seasonal residents), etc. They also 'lightproof' the interior through use of dark colored tarps duct taped over the insides of windows (behind the blinds so that it isn't readily apparent from outside), or by targeting homes that already have extensive 'hurricane protection'.
The Revenants also begin to spread their own influence throughout the city, so that they can effectively gather intelligence or neutralize the PC's influences.

Phreaking:
The Brood clone a PC's cell phone and begin making phone calls that give counter orders and sow confusion. This can be easily used to send favored ghouls and members of the city into ambushes. Cloning a phone is the process used to make one phone appear as another, which will often make calls appear to come from one phone (such as the Prince's), while in actuality coming from another. There are several varying ways to clone phones, much of which can be found on the internet.

Bag and Tag:
Kidnap a PC, ensure that the Brood have a method of tracking them, and let them go, generally leaving them torpored in a location that easily found by their allies, or by having them conveniently rescued from a small pack of lesser Brood (read acceptable losses). The PC can either be Conditioned to return to the Brood after a set amount of time (with Forgetful Mind covering up the act of Conditioning), or the combination of the Investments Mark of Hunger's Prey (Belial's Brood p.136) and Scent of Socius (Belial's Brood p.133). Such a combination only lasts for a number of nights, during which the Brood may track them and make note of their activities. The PC should be fully unaware of either act, unless they learn of the Forgetful Mind.

Epidemic Scare:
One way to create a panic in a society and to destroy an enemy is to deny them a resource that they need for survival. For Kindred, there main resource they require is blood, the very blood that pumps through mortal stock. The easiest way to deny blood to the Kindred populace is through a blood borne illness. Whereas a Morbus would be readily capable of spreading an infection via mystical means, more practical methods can be used by a Brood cell without a member of the bloodline. Hypodermic needles hidden in pay phone change slots in the downtown or nightclub district, a mortal Conditioned to jab people with infected needles, or a Retainer that works in the hospital whom is capable of infecting the supply of fresh blood (such as a phlebotomist), are all viable methods for delivery. Once a Kindred feeds from one of the tainted supplies, they too become a carrier for the disease, spreading their very anathema. Once the media or medical facility realizes they have an epidemic in a medical facility, all suspect blood is destroyed, also possibly causing lean times for a kindred whom relied upon that same facility for sustenance.

Fight Fire with Fire:
The biggest advantage an entrenched Invictus or Carthian PC has is his mortal influences. The Brood, specifically the Nameless faction, also have their own mortal influences, relying upon the Doulosi ghoul family. When the PC's learn that their mortal agents have been encountering difficulties with a previously unknown faction of influences that are all aimed at targeting their influences, it creates an influence war.

This tactic also creates a method for the characters that have focused upon such aspects to get involved and share the limelight.

The Inside Job:
The easiest way to get around the defenses of a maximum security location is to turn someone whom is already regularly granted access past the security measures. The Brood can already assure that any retainers that are allowed that close to any paranoid Kindred are already under multiple stage vinculum and possibly under various Dominate commands. Therefore, they must contact the Retainer while they are away from their regnant, such as when they go about daylight business, which requires the Brood to utilize Retainers of their own. Once they meet with the target Retainer, they need to convince them of how lowering the defenses, or doing one little thing for them, is well within the best interest of their regnant. Hence a liberal application of Majesty as well as the Investment of Predator's Allure (Belial's Brood, p.141) might be needed.

Jihad:
A single Brood member, perhaps a former member of the Lancea Sanctum, or the Circle of the Crone, enters the city, and proclaims themselves a member of either Covenant. If no one bothers to investigate their story too closely, they can pass themselves off as a member of that Covenant for long enough to cause some internal damage. Learning where the Sanctified Churches are, or the holy spots where the Acolytes gather, they can send their allies amongst the Brood to defile or destroy the location, and, to stir up a holy war, they simply frame members of the other Covenant, possibly with only using iconographic graffiti. Once those two factions are fighting amongst themselves, it neutralizes most of the mystical abilities that a city can call forth.

Roses are Red:
A kindred is king of his castle, lord of his domain. A predator needs to have his territory, and within his den, his sanctuary, he has the sense of security. By far, the easiest way to penetrate his defenses, without actually staging an assault, is to arrange a florist to deliver flowers with a veiled message. Not only does it reveal that the Brood know where they live, but that the target is defenseless. This will put a target on edge, or possibly even anger Frenzy when they realize what has just happened, causing them to be their own worst enemy.

Bank Robbery:
Many terrorist organizations fund their efforts through bank robberies. Unfortunately, most branches shut their doors long before dark, therefore, a heist requires that it be done by either ghouls, or mortals whom have either been convinced to commit the robbery, or whom have no free will to argue against the desires of their master. A robbery should be thoroughly planned out, possibly by having pawns enter during normal business hours and pulling the information from their mind. A successful robbery never bothers with going for the contents of the vault itself, but rather empties the registers of a few thousand dollars. Once the perpetrators successfully escape and elude authorities, the Brood can dispose of them, leaving a nigh unsolvable crime.

A more profitable version of this scenario involves a longer term 'sleeper agent' whom is employed by an armored car service, whom robs the vehicle from within.

Storyteller's Corner: A Half-Dozen Quick Plot Ideas

Since it's the Holiday Season, I've decided to give everyone a little something extra. Thus, I've compiled a number of interesting plot summaries, which you can readily use for your own games.

Eco Friendly
A group of militant environmentalists begin a reign of terror, starting with mild vandalism, then setting fire to a car dealership, and then more heinous acts of terrorism against businesses that they deem to have a negative impact on the environment.
(in part inspired by the real actions of the Earth Liberation Front)

Emergency Response
When you're calling for emergency assistance, you're in a very helpless state. What happens when a group of individuals take advantage of this with a fake ambulance and a radio scanner, attending to areas that traditionally have an extended waiting time? What nefarious purpose do the fake EMT's serve by picking up patients, and who are they being delivered to?

The Beast Within
What happens when a vampire elder loses it's grip on humanity, and becomes nothing more than a cunning beast that exists only to feed. What happens when it can only feed on the blood of other vampires?

The Risen
When a man has lost all that he loves and holds dear, what depths will he go to reclaim what he has lost? When such a man resorts to calling upon eldritch powers, is he really prepared for the thing which answers his call, and breaths life back into his loved one. What depths of depravity would he delve into in order to keep his end of the bargain, and what happens when he realizes that his loved one may be alive, but their body still goes through the process of decay?

Thousand Words
Artists are already known to be eccentric, and many dwell on the borders of insantity. There are thousands of starving artists in every major city, and in order for an artist to rise above the chaff, they have to get noticed by doing something unique. Anyone can paint on canvas, but how many can say that their canvas is made of human flesh?
(for more inspiration, watch the 1959 movie "Bucket of Blood")

Fire in the Mind
A number of cases of 'spontaneous human combustion' begin happening in the area. The reason is a pyrokinetic woman whom was recently the victim in a rape which ended with her in a coma. When she awoke, she found that she was capable of igniting things with her mind. She now searches for those that committed such a heinous act, yet her memory is foggy, causing her to ignite people who are actually innocent. The "antagonist" is a woman who developed the power of Pyrokenisis from Second Sight (p.50).

Storyteller Corner: Plot Inspirations

People often ask me where I come up with ideas for plots, and quite frankly, most of them are stolen ideas. Of course, I don't lift a plot in it's entirety from a single location, instead I grab ideas from half a dozen sources, throwing things together in some weird amalgamation, some odd Frankenstinian monster, and then I let it loose on unsuspecting players. Often they will notice an element here and there, staring at this stitched together work, and seeing a hint of a familiar face. Sometimes the familiarity is comforting, and sometimes it is altogether disconcerting, like that leering face in the window resembling your old, dead grandfather...

When I first started writing plots for roleplaying games, the internet was in it's infancy, and the amount of online resources was minimal at best. I was inspired from a number of famous writers as I poured through anthologies of short stories, and my evenings were often filled with watching classic horror movies, which devolved into B-rated flicks that rode the airwaves after hours.

There is a skill in being a mad scientist and cobbling together these thoughts and ideas. Some simply do not mesh together, and others don't work within the genre. A few bastard creations sound amazing on paper, but don't quite work in a game. Others are spectacular with a tabletop group, but utterly fail in a Live Action setting. There is an Art to knowing what will work, and what needs to be cast aside in it's infancy, left like a deformed Spartan child for the wolves.


Real World News

Unfortunate as it may be, the real world is often a dark and gritty place, filled with atrocities that our species inflicts upon one another. One of the sites I check on a regular basis is dailyrotten.com, which has a list of some of the most horrific things that hits the news.

I feel I must warn you about using the news, as you may inadvertently use something that has some sort of relation to one of your players. Thus, it is imperative that you change the names and locations around, and you should probably also alter a few of the particulars of the article. I also suggest that you don't pull from anything too recent, give yourself a good six month buffer and you shouldn't have a problem with something that is immediately recognizable by someone that stays abreast of the news.


Short Stories

With things like Kindles and iPads being readily available (to those with cash), it's easy to pick up an anthology without needing to find a physical place to store it when you're done.

Additionally, there are thousands if not millions of blossoming writers out there, publishing their works for free on the internet in hopes of grabbing the right attention. Even if someone isn't all that talented at actual writing, they may have an interesting idea or three.


Comics and Graphic Novels

The comics industry has a decent amount of material to draw from, especially because they have to publish another part of an ongoing story about once a month. The contents of a single monthly comic sometimes equates to roughly the same amount of action that you might see in a single Live Action game.

I'm not terribly acquainted with the comic or graphic novel scene, however, I do know of a few series which fits well with the World of Darkness:

"Transmetropolitan"
A tale of political corruption, and how one man makes sense of it all and fights injustice.

"Preacher"
A man finds himself set upon a mission, after being blessed/cursed with a dangerous power.

"Hellblazer"
The setting is very similar to the World of Darkness.


Movies

I'm a pretty big fan of movies, I probably watch something new a couple times a week. With the advent of services that stream movies directly over the internet for relatively cheap, I have a wide variety to choose from.

When I notice a particular aspect of a movie that I enjoy, I write it down as a brief synopsis and file it away. I later go through my collection, and figure out how to use any of this information. Quite often, elements are determined to only work within the realm of the film, and thus I discard them. Occasionally, I get things that will work in one particular genre but doesn't translate well into others.

I also peruse sites like IMDB and pour through the synopsis of movies. If it's a movie I've seen before, I often recall various elements, or if my memory is a little hazy, I watch it again, taking notes as I go.


Television Series

There are quite a few series out there that have a very "World of Darkness" feel to them, even though they may not have a supernatural angle. Over the years I've incorporated bits and pieces from many into the games that I've run. As with movies, I often go through and write down parts that were interesting, and plots which might work for me later on.

I've gone ahead and compiled a list of some of the better ones, and I know that there are others I am completely unaware of (feel free to add those in the comments).

"Breaking Bad"
A tale of a man faced with his own end seeks to leave something for his family to survive on. What begins as an altruistic act slowly devolves into a morality tale as you can see how Walter White slowly becomes a villain.

"Game of Thrones"
The political manuevering alone is worth watching it, and it gets players into the mindset that bad things can happen to the protagonists.

"Deadwood"
This emphasizes the rough characters of the Old West, and shows what happens when a bunch of predatory individuals are thrown into a situation in which there is very little law beyond the rule of might.

"The Shield"
A morality tale of a man who begins with the best of intentions, who is corrupted by the very thing he fights against, and he slowly loses his friends, his family, and barely manages to survive it all... but at the cost of everything. The gang interactions and the police brutality and tactics inspired countless plots and characters to populate the setting.

"The Borgias"
Byzantine politics, Machiavellian manuevers, and abuse of power... this series screams out to be the inspiration for many a Requiem character's motivations and schemes.

"The Wire"
Often heralded as one of the closest depictions to real police work, as well as the criminal and gang side of things, I've used this series as a primer on many aspects of the seedier plots and police capabilities.

"Sons of Anarchy"
A biker crew seeking freedom and to protect their own, this series also has a complex web of inter personal relations. The writing and plots of the series are superb, and many of them have inspired me to my own creations.

"Justified"
Showcasing the dirty underworld of the South, as well as a rough lawman, this is very much a 'modern day Western'.

"Supernatural"
I enjoyed the first season of the show, when it was entirely episodic, however the later seasons started to feel a little epic for my tastes.

"Suits"
So far only a single season has inspired me quite a bit, giving me a new vantage point on how the more well off Kindred might operate among and against one another.

Storyteller's Corner: A Motley Collection

Following is a list of many of the available antagonists for the World of Darkness. Most of this list is geared toward the standard World of Darkness and Vampire: the Requiem venues, with certain venue specific antagonists from other venues purposefully left out.


Aswang (WoD: Antagonists, p.112 and Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.16)

Azlu (Werewolf: the Forsaken, p.239)
More detailed information can be found in Werewolf: the Forsaken - Blasphemies, p.55

Baykosh (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.22)

Beast of Bethlehem (WoD: Antagonists, p.115)

Belial's Brood
While they provide an interesting antagonist, they are much more in depth than simple mindless hordes. I will touch further upon how to utilize them in an upcoming post.

Beshilu (Werewolf: the Forsaken, p.241)
More detailed information can be found in Werewolf: the Forsaken - Blasphemies, p.57

Bhüta (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.26)

The Black Hounds (Mythologies, p.130)
As the Black Hounds only hunt Kindred, they are rarely useful for other venues.

Blood Bathers (Immortals, p.24)

Body Thieves (Immortals, p.56)

Cihuateteo (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.30)

Cultists (WoD: Antagonists, p.74)
While a fiery religious group makes a decent antagonist, you have to come up with a reason that they are butting heads with the local supernaturals. Perhaps what they hold sacred is a heresy to the Lancea Sanctum, or they seem to be targeting the pagan cults of the local Acolytes.

The problems with running religious cults are several, the first being their core beliefs. In order to make such a cult believable, it's best to pour through established real world religious texts, find a particular passage that might lead to an extremist viewpoint, and then find other passages that support this viewpoint. You don't need to flush out the entire belief structure, but having a decent amount of context in what makes them different from already established religious groups (especially the one they have splintered from) makes the cult more believable as an antagonist. For examples, you can look at such real world examples as the People's Temple (Jonestown Massacre), Koreshians (Waco Incident), and Aum Shinrikyo (Tokyo Sarin Gas attack).

The second largest problem with running a cult as an antagonist is the potential to alienate or offend certain players who have similar beliefs. The best way to avoid losing players is to make the cult extremists to such a degree that the similarities between the player's belief and the antagonists are few if any.

Additionally, Cults can be formed around Reality Bending Horrors (Second Sight, p.147)


Cymothoa Sanguinaria (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.36)

Dampyr (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.135)

Demons (Inferno)

Draugr (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.86)

Dreadful Night of the City (Mythologies, p.138)
The Urbiphage is a very powerful antagonist, and should be used sparingly, if at all. It is a great way to either end a chronicle, or to provide a "reset".

Eternals (Immortals, p.136)

Formosae (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.44)

Ghosts (WoD MET, p.332, Ghost Stories and Book of the Dead)

Ghûls (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.51)

Groetnich (WoD: Antagonists, p.117)

Harvesters (Immortals, p.140)

The Hunger (WoD: Antagonists, p.118)

The Hunter (Mythologies, p.136)

Hunters (WoD: Antagonists, p.46 or Hunter: the Vigil)
I'm always a fan of using mundane mortals as hunters, as they always bring the characters back to the idea that they can be brought low by their prey. Mortals are at a disadvantage against supernaturals only if you allow them to be, while your characters will have a swath of powers to call upon, the hunters should utilize tactics of surprise and subtlety. They should never just walk up to the characters and throw down, instead they should keep an eye on their target and find a method to exploit their weakness.

Imbued (WoD: Antagonists, p.29)

Jiang Shi (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.57)

The Just Angel (Mythologies, p.106)

Larvae (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.100)

The Living Web (WoD: Antagonists, p.121)

Mnemovores (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.62)
Removing a character's memory is difficult, because the player will remember the situation, and the potential for slipping up about what was taken from their memory is large. Thus, like with all memory-altering plot elements, it's best to craft a scene of something that happened to the character, and then let the events of that scene slowly leak out through other witnesses or through outer evidence. Nothing is more frightening than learning that you were involved in something that you can no longer recall.

Passion Shade (WoD: Antagonists, p.122)
More info on such spirits can be found in the Werewolf: the Forsaken venue and Book of Spirits.

The Patchwork People (Immortals, p.128)

Penanggalan (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.67)

The Phanariot (Mythologies, p.119)

Psychics (Second Sight, p.27)

The Purified (Immortals, p.90)

Ragged-men (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.73)

Reality-Bending Horrors (Second Sight, p.124)

Reborn (Immortals, p.134)

Red Jack (Mythologies, p.100)

Revenants (WoD: Antagonists, p.33)

Ridden (Werewolf: the Forsaken, p.242)
More detailed information can be found in Werewolf: the Forsaken - Blasphemies, p.47.

The Rizzetti Apparatus (Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.77)

The Strix (Requiem for Rome, p.225 and Night Horrors: Wicked Dead, p.115)

Thaumaturges (Second Sight, p.69)

The Thief (WoD: Antagonists, p.124)
For an interesting take on this antagonist, watch the movie "Jeepers Creepers".

Toxicum Mold (WoD: Antagonists, p.126)
I'm normally hesitant to use such things (see my previous post of Storyteller's Corner: The Four Worst Plots), however, the Toxicum Mold is one of those rare instances that it actually has an answer for all the issues I've raised.

The Virus (WoD: Antagonists, p.130)

The Visitors (Immortals, p.124)

Wardens (Immortals, p.131)

Werewolves (Werewolf: the Forsaken)
Either the Forsaken or the Pure can make for interesting antagonists for a number of reasons. Perhaps a Kindred's activities have endangered some Wolf-Blooded, or perhaps the local Ordo Dracul have found a Wyrm's Nest which is a powerful Loci that they are unwilling to share.

Witchcat (WoD: Antagonists, p.128)

Zombies (WoD: Antagonists, p.20)



Postscript: A Note on Ghosts and Spirits

While using either in venues that are equipped to handle them (Awakening and Forsaken spring quickly to mind), the Storyteller who chooses to utilize ghosts or spirits, of any sort, should be careful. First off, there are some venues (notably Requiem) which are not readily built to handle much contact with either, as there is no specific power that allows for easy resolution of a plot involving them. Thus, it is the responsibility of the Storyteller to create a number of methods that they can be dealt with, and have that information avaliable to the characters.

Of course, that could be the entirety of the plot, and often is in various tales, that the ghost or spirit is laid to rest when a specific set of circumstances are met. Ghosts often have "unfinished business" that must be resolved or their remains need to be buried in hallowed ground, and spirits need to feed upon specific emotions or else weaken and disappear.

Storyteller's Corner: The Four Worst Plots

...or "Just Say No"

Over the years as both a Storyteller and player, not only in Live Action games, but also Tabletop games, I have come across a number of plots that were... extremely lacking in plausibility, or the Storyteller simply didn't think through the repercussions. Oddly, many of these things popped up with frightening regularity, so much that you can say "Oh, it's this plot again."

Unfortunately, most Storytellers who run these plots start off with a "Wouldn't it be cool if X happened?" to which the only response is "No, no it would not." Sadly, because they cannot come to a logical conclusion why they shouldn't do these things, I've compiled the list below:


The Virus

There's actually several variants of this, there's the Mundane Virus, the Epidemic, and then there's the Supernatural Contagion.

The Mundane Virus is anything but. It's just an amalgamation concocted by the Storyteller to be a unique and special contagion that erupts in their jurisdiction, it's something that has never before been witnessed. Unfortunately, the Storyteller doesn't go to much length to determine much about the particular pathogen, onset time varies from minutes to weeks (almost as bad as some zombie movies), the side effects, the vector for transmission is rarely well defined, etc. What they do know is the contagion is usually lethal, in a manner similar to some of the most horrid diseases already in existence, and that it can only be cured via supernatural methods.

The Epidemic is an already existing pathogen that somehow is released into the local area and quickly erupts out of control. Rarely is it something as simple as H1N1, instead the Storyteller has to ramp it up to something along the lines of Ebola or Captain Trips.

Both the Mundane Virus and the Epidemic fail in that the Storyteller is rarely well versed in biology or pathology, and has little to no understanding of how quickly and thoroughly the Center for Disease Control will react and establish a quarantine. Instead, they let the plague monkeys roam about freely until the Player Characters solve the plot, generally with their powers.

The Supernatural Contagion is something that has no real world comparison, and it only affects individuals of a specific supernatural race. Unfortunately, the reason this can never be viable as a plot is due to the severely limiting factor of the number of hosts that the contagion can gestate in, and thus it would never evolve as such. Evolution requires that a mutation of an organism be something that makes it more likely to pass on genetics to a new generation, and a mutation that requires an extremely rare circumstance causes the organism to become an evolutionary dead end.

While an infectious disease/virus/bacteria/parasite can be a very interesting plot, it is best left to mundane methods of resolution, and few characters should be capable of doing anything about it, making it a poor choice as a plot (unless it's the backdrop for a short-term campaign).


The Magic Baby

Perhaps one of the plots I despise the most is what I call "The Magic Baby". The reason that the plot arises has a whole host of psychological issues of the Storyteller, the Player, or both, insomuch that I could write a dissertation on those factors alone.

Needless to say, the "Baby" is magical for one of two reasons. The first reason is that the baby exists in a situation for which it should not be viable, and pregnancy should not be possible. Many times this is because of a vampire mother, a zombie uterus, etc.

The second definition is that the child itself is magic, anything from a fully awakened Mage in utero to a creature that shouldn't be (like a vampire female getting knocked up by her werewolf lover). What most Storytellers forget is that such creatures should develop a very alien way of looking at things, and giving them such powers is like giving a child a fully loaded assault rifle with a hair trigger. The baby has not gone through any development of ethics or intellect, and will most likely function entirely upon an instinctual basis, without morals, and without consideration for the results of it's actions. It could be quite an interesting antagonist, however, it is rarely utilized as such.

The reason the "Magic Baby" is a poor plot is because it causes the entire game to suddenly grind to a halt while everyone focuses on the baby and the player that happens to be the mother. Everything else is completely ignored by a decent amount of the player base.

And once you've unleashed this monster, there's no calling it back. Characters that act against the mother or abomination will come under fire from a decent portion of the game, and woe to the man that brings up the word that rhymes with shmashmortion. Then you have the ire of the majority of your player base if you decide to have the little monster be anything but a perfect infant. If you choose to have it chew it's way out, have horns, self-terminate, etc. you will be labelled some of the most horrid things ever and your career as a Storyteller will either be over, or you will lose players.


The Broken Masquerade

While it may be an interesting premise for an entire chronicle to revolve around, generally, as a Storyteller, having the Masquerade or whatever veil of secrecy lifted allowing the mortals to know about the supernatural world is a bad idea and something you don't want.

Many have a notion that once the Masquerade is lifted, the mortal population would be accepting and complacent with having predators and such creatures in their midst (as in True Blood). Not only would it beget a situation that would put the Red Scare of the 50's to shame, but it would also end with the destruction of the entirety of the supernatural population over time.

It would be similar to what happens when a wild animal gets loose and attacks someone in suburbia, it always ends poorly for the animal. What would you do if you knew that there was someone who was most likely not just a murderer, but a serial killer, living in your community?

That is, of course, if there is a way to bring this about. Many people have stated that by releasing videos on Youtube, or "evidence" sent to news sources would irrevocably rupture the Masquerade. Of course, how many "viral marketing" strategies have had similar videos on Youtube? And how often do you think newspapers or broadcasting stations get tapes with such evidence, and they are immediately deposited in the garbage with the belief that it is just another crackpot conspiracy theorist looking for their 15 minutes.

The truth is, the Masquerade is very, very difficult to break, because people simply do not want to know about the awful stuff happening just out of sight. For the most part, people willfully ignore horrible things, so long as it doesn't affect them (this principle actually assisted the Holocaust).



It Was All A Dream

Often Storytellers take great liberties with the source material, under the guise that they will have a grand "reveal" that it was all merely a dream and things are back to normal. They also use this to bring back characters that died and attempt to reverse situations that didn't go according to plan.

This plot is horrible because it draws player's ire to a degree that no other plot ever will. It combines the worst aspects of railroading and retroactive continuity into one festering toilet. It also gives them expectations that if something goes wrong, they can always have a free "get out of jail" by convincing you to pull the stunt again.








Now that I've ranted about the worst plot ideas, and why you shouldn't do it, my next post will be a Christmas gift on where to find plot inspirations, as well as a list of canon antagonists to use.

Useful Skills

...or as some people might say "Those Skills That I Never Bother With"



Mental Skills

Academics: primarily useful for Researching information, this doesn't just cover pouring through old books. Searching through tax deeds (to find out whom owns what building), searching for obscure legalities to screw someone with, etc.

Computer: hacking is the most obvious, and most widely used application of this skill. However, anyone with internet knowledge can run down records (in conjunction with Academics), retrieving data from "erased" drives, etc.

Crafts: upgrading cars (see Armory), forging documentation, jury-rigging electronic surveillance equipment, repairing broken equipment, finding out the quickest way to break something...

Medicine: making sure you don't kill someone while feeding. This is paramount for keeping your Humanity high.

Politics: discerning someone's status, figuring out if someone is susceptable to bribes (and how much to bribe them), finding out what issues really interest a politician, getting through red tape (useful for getting interior modifications to a building).



Social Skills

Empathy: empathy is needed to read people, and a Wits + Empathy (vs. Manipulation + Subterfuge) gives you a chance to discern lies.

Streetwise: used in all sorts of illegal activities. Any sort of criminal associated PC should have at least a single dot.

Subterfuge: all Requiem PC's should have at least a single dot of Subterfuge, as it allows you to lie or disguise yourself. It also can be used to perform a con job, which isn't capped by your Humanity when dealing with mortals.

Useful Merits

Note that many Merits aren't listed, as their usefulness is inherently stated, or they aren't nearly as useful in a LARP setting as a Table Top game. This list is also partly skewed from a Requiem perspective, and works with generalities, rather than focusing on Clan/Covenant specific items.


Mental Merits

Common Sense: often unappreciated, this Merit works well for newer players whom wish to avoid getting into too much trouble during their first few games. It also allows for you to run things by a ST member and ask if it's a "good idea".

Encyclopedic Knowledge: this Merit is helpful in following plot, allowing you to garner pieces of the puzzle that other people may not have.

Language: there are a plethora of languages in existence, and if you are going to be in a coterie with others, finding a seldom used language to communicate secretly is perhaps paramount.



Physical Merits

Ambidexterity: while it doesn't allow you a second attack, this merit is useful, but only when paired with either the Gunslinger Merit, or Two-Weapon Fighting. The fact that it takes 3 dots of your Creation Merit dots means that it actually costs you 24 xp for this Merit, as it precludes you from spending 6 Creation Merit dots on Blood Potency. Thus at most, you can make BP 2 with Creation Merit dots, as opposed to BP 3, which would cost 24 xp. Before taking this Merit, make certain that it is something that you're going to use with the PC.

Disarm: A disarmed combatant often ends a fight, unless they are truly desperate. If someone has built their PC to be extremely efficient with a big axe, removing it from their possession makes them less efficient with anything else they might be carrying, or forcing them to fight unarmed.

Fast Reflexes: this is the cheapest method for increasing your Initiative, giving you an edge which allows you to dictate the flow of combat, or to remove yourself from such a harmful situation.

Fighting Style: Boxing: this is the best fighting style to avoid the claws of an enraged Gangrel, or to avoid being grappled. Note that it only applies when your opponent is using a Brawling based attack against you.

Fighting Style: Combat Marksmanship (Armory): if you're going to go with a gunslinger character, this Merit is a must, especially when combined with Fast Reflexes and a power that boosts Initiative (such as Celerity), it allows you to shoot first, giving an edge in combat.

Fighting Style: Fencing (Armory): trading your Defense for a larger bonus on your attack works well with a Rapier versus an armed opponent, allowing you to trade the +2 Defense a Rapier grants for a +2 to hit.

Fighting Style: Fillipino Martial Arts (Armory): this has the drawback of only being applicable when fighting against unarmored opponents while you have a weapon. It is a great accomplice to Two Weapons, allowing you to gain a Defense bonus versus almost any attacker, by switching between the two Merits.

Fighting Style: Kung Fu: as this fighting style only applies against unarmed opponents (i.e. they are using Brawl attacks), it often lacks some usefulness. Combined with the fact that it only subtracts from their Base Defense, and buying more than 2 dots in this Merit has severely diminishing returns for the amount of XP you are spending.

Fighting Style: Two Weapons: as with the rest of the fighting styles in the core MET book, this only apples to specific circumstances, namely when your opponent is using Weaponry based attacks (or the occasional thrown weapon). This style also only works with weapons that have a damage rating of 2 or less (p.234), making it highly efficient with the Rapier/Main Gauche combination.

Gunslinger: this Merit is very effective, allowing you to take the better of two draws, in every venue except Requiem, where vampires take Bashing from bullets. Also remember that when using this Merit, you lose your Defense.

Quick Draw: tired of wasting an entire round pulling your weapon out of a sheath or holster? Buy this Merit. Also, if you have this Merit and your opponent does not, make sure that the ST enforces them taking an entire turn to pull out their weapon.



Social Merits

Allies: the drawback to this Merit is that they require a successful Social Challenge to motivate them to pursue a task, which in Requiem is often capped by your Humanity. The benefit is that they are a nebulous group of people, thus harder to remove from your sheet.

Contacts: very useful in gaining information on plot related situations. Unfortunately, people often underestimate this Merit and it is absent on many sheets.

Retainer: unlike Allies, Retainers never need a Social Challenge in order to be persuaded to pursue their task, however, their drawback is that they are easier to lose, as they represent a single individual.



Other Merits

Anonymity (Blood of the Wolf, p.46): this Merit makes it very difficult for people to track your character down through any sort of government or business database.

Armory (Banishers, p.51): this represents a cache of weapons, which is useful when you have a group of ghouls you wish to arm, or if the Freehold needs to combat a threat.

Feeding Ground (Damnation City): once the Prince grants your Kindred such, this Merit effectively aids in Feeding Challenges.

Haven: every vampire whom wishes to stay in the city more than simply passing through should invest in a Haven, even if you're a Gangrel, as it gives you a location to store your possessions. Often having a number of locations represented by Haven Security 1 is more efficient than having a huge mansion, as it allows you to change locations on a regular basis, and keeps people from tracking you down during those pesky daylight hours.

Luxury (Seers of the Throne): having use of nice things, and a rich person's lifestyle, without actually having the resources to back it up. This Merit allows you to play with all the nice things, without having Resources that can be stripped away.

Shadow Contacts (Book of Spirits, p.110): Low Approval for lesser supernatural templates (ghouls, sleepwalkers) or mortals. In essence, this grants you the ability to go somewhere, and ask questions of a Shadow, much as you would a mortal contact, although the information is often of a different nature. This Merit is handy for plot.

Staff (Ghouls, p.74): represents a group of individuals whom tend your haven/sanctum/etc. This is a necessity for anyone wishing to have a mansion or other large edifice.

Ten Cliches to Avoid in Character Creation

Now, I'm going to put my instruction on hold for a bit, to rant on a pet peeve of mine. In my nearly two decades of being involved with LARP's in a variety of formats and with a couple thousand different players, I've run across some cliches that seem to repeat themselves on a fairly regular basis. When I encounter "That Guy/Girl" in a game doing one of the things on this list, I tend to ignore them and make sure they aren't involved in anything I'm doing.

The following cliches weren't cool the first time I saw them, they aren't cool after seeing them repeatedly for two decades. These are things that you should avoid when making your Requiem character.

1. The Highlander
Seriously, everyone has seen the movie, you can stop now. Katanas aren't as epic as you think they are. When there's a half-dozen characters all running around with katanas and trench coats, all attempting to decapitate things, they become the fail squad.

2. The Unoriginal Movie Character
Tied in with the Highlander, but without the sword. Yes, we understand that you really liked the movie, but please don't blatantly rip off someone's Intellectual Property. Playing one of the brothers from Boondock Saints doesn't make you cool, it makes you just like all the other people playing the same character.

Also, the Unoriginal Character Stolen from Another Genre and the Unoriginal Character Stolen from Fiction falls into similar realms, but won't take up slots here. We all understand you have a hard-on for King Arthur, or Superman, or Wolverine, or Spider Jerusalem... but we also can tell when you're lifting someone's work.

3. The Rock Star
In Requiem, your image blurs on camera, thus making it impossible for you to ever become even semi-famous. Let's face it, your rocking days are over.
Supernatural type characters should never be in the lime light, especially if they have a particular reason to conceal their existence.

4. The Blind Master
...or other characters that overcome a severe handicap (a.k.a. the Flying Cripple). If you're playing a cripple, play one, don't find a cheap method to overcome your weakness, as it cheapens the real people that have to suffer with the handicap. If you're blind, it doesn't make you Mr. Miyagi.

5. The Character From Another Venue
Yeah, I get it, you have a hardon for playing Werewolf, or Dungeons and Dragons. That doesn't mean the rest of us care that your Gangrel worships the earth mother and you spend most of your time on all fours sniffing crotches. Stand up and put shoes on. Make a character type that's appropriate for the venue, don't try and force other people to make exceptions for you. If you want to play a different game, go do so.

6. The Character that Blatantly Breaks the Fourth Wall
Your PC doesn't know that they are part of a game. You are not playing Deadpool.

7. The Player that Breaks the Fourth Wall
I have a good imagination, however, even the best actors would have a difficult time imagining that a 400 pound behemoth of a man is actually a petite little catgirl. If you want to do that, play on the internet, where nobody needs to see the real you. Also, if you show up to game wearing shorts, sandals, and a World of Warcraft t-shirt, don't tell people your character is wearing an Armani suit. Players react to what they can see, not what you try and cram on a name-tag.

8. The Last Survivor
No, you are not "the Last X", nor are you the sole survivor of some once-epic race/Clan/organization. The fate of the world/universe does not rest upon your shoulders.

9. The Vampire Priest
Especially amongst the Lancea Sanctum, you can't throw a stone at one without hitting the person that was the repentant priest or nun in life.

10. The Whedon Girl
A frail looking little girl that apparently is so badass that she can whip up on thugs all day long. It only works on film because you have fanboys drooling over that character (and doing other unmentionable things with visions of that character in their head).

Vampire Characters: Stop Thinking Like A Human

...or "You Are Not Playing Yourself With Supernatural Powers"

Most players are still stuck in a mindset of being human. Whereas many neonate vampires would also be of the same mindset, anyone playing a PC that is more than a lifetime old would quickly become accustomed to a completely different way of thinking.

If you're still thinking like a human when you're playing Requiem, you're only putting yourself at a disadvantage. There are those people that have immersed themselves in character, and they view weaker people as prey.

First off, separate yourself from your character. It's perhaps the most difficult task to master, but you're playing with friends, and it's all just a game. You may have the inclination to be nice to them In Character, and do things for them because you're friends Out of Character. Resist those temptations, as not only does it cheapen the venue, but it also makes your character look weak.

You are playing a predator, a creature that hunts prey. Your character is in a society of other predators, creatures that are competing for food, and each one is dangerous, and seeks nothing more than to take what you have, or to eat you. Even if they don't willingly admit to such, all vampires have that little whisper in the back of their mind, that they can eat you and take your power.

Any time someone asks your character for a favor, ask yourself what you can gain from it. If they don't offer tangible recompense, and they don't offer boons, there's little reason to assist. Why would a vampire risk their unlives without any gain?

If such predators are so dangerous, why do they gather together? Simple, they have egos. They have an innate desire to one-up one another, and to size up the competition. They seek to socially maneuver to positions of power over lesser predators. Vampires are the pinnacle of selfishness, and never act with altruistic intentions. Never let other players sway you with phrases like "for the betterment of Kindred society", they are simply playing at your emotions and hoping that you give in and give up what power you have, so that lesser predators don't have to try as hard.

Vampire: the Requiem is about being an antagonist in a sea of antagonists. Each vampire has their own motivations, and while they may coincide with the motivations of others for a time, conflict always happens, and should happen. It is conflict that drives stories.

How to Write Plots

I'd like to take a minute, as you sit right there, and discuss something from another angle. This post is all for the Storytellers, people wanting to be Storytellers, and those that might find themselves in the position in the future. I've come to realize that there's no real standards or qualifications to being in the position, other than having players that look to you to run the setting and to adjudicate rules. In some games, this leads to poorly constructed plots, or Storytellers that simply come up with something on the drive to the game site.

What is a Plot?

The two most relevant definitions of a "plot" are; "the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story" or "to draw a plan or map of".

A plot is more than just setting material, it is a number of scenes which describe at least one conflict. Without conflict, you simply have a series of events which unfold, regardless of the involvement from the PC's. Conflict doesn't always need to be straight up violence, it could be a contest of valuable resources, or internalized drama.

Purpose

Each plot should have a purpose. Never throw a monster at the PC's simply because you saw it in a movie and thought it would be cool. Everything must have a point of origin, and a purpose for existing. What are you attempting to say with this plot? Is it to give emphasis to the loss of Humanity, or to showcase the ongoing strife between gangs? Are you trying to make players pay attention to an important aspect of the venue? Ask yourself what exactly the purpose of a plot is before developing it.

Layout

To get a fairly good idea on how a plot should be laid out, check out the Storytelling Adventure System format, available free at the following link

In my own plots, I deviate very slightly from the provided format, however, such is to eliminate sections which are irrelevant, contain information that duplicates things already known, or things that are subject to change depending upon the local venue. I do so only after asking myself "Can another member of the Storyteller run this competently without this information, or is it imperative that it is included?"

Scenes

Plots should have a semi-detailed listing of scenes, with a short description of location or actions, and even possible outcomes. All relevant information should be included in the plot write-up, including information that can be gleaned from Investigation draws, or Auspex: Spirit's Touch. If a NPC is involved, their knowledge of a relevant topic should be summarized as well.

A healthy plot has a number of scenes which may occur. These lead from the introductory scene, where a piece of information is found by a PC, or an event happens, to the final climax and conclusion. The scenes may have time frames involved, or they may progress depending upon the interaction with the PC's, or it could have a mixture of both.

The first scene should be designed to hook your audience, to engage your PC's. If none of your players have designed characters to be involved in mortal city politics, a lengthy political scandal that rocks the city government isn't really a plot that should be written about. You can touch upon it in news articles that you come out with during downtime, and if a player becomes interested, further develop the potential plot. Write for your audience by referring to their sheets and backgrounds to determine what would interest them.

Plots that have PC involvement should progress just fast enough to keep players interested, but not too fast to be unbelievable. Judging that is difficult to do, however, a good idea is to run no more than two scenes of a particular plot each evening. Remember, always leave them wanting more.

Mechanics

When writing a plot, you should include at least a synopsis of all relevant mechanics that are not immediately discernible. This includes any modifications due to house rules or lingering effects. The stats for every 'named' NPC should be provided, if they are important to the plot, even if the extent of such is just a list of resistance traits and pools.

If your antagonists have Disciplines, you should provide a short synopsis as well as their calculated pool for such. These should include any errata from house rules. If a Merit or other stat has information that is pertinent to how a scene occurs, it too should be referenced.

All the relevant pools for non-Discipline mechanics should be included as well. For example, if the intention of the scene is combat, then the antagonist's Initiative, Defense, and pools for most common attack form should be included. This speeds up combat and ensures that you are using the correct numbers when things get heated.

A brief synopsis of relevant Anger/Fear Frenzy rules should also be included, especially if combat is the likely outcome of a scene.

Balancing Against Your Player Characters

When I design a plot, I take the average amount of XP on the sheets of the 'target audience', and build the main antagonists with that much XP each. Secondary NPC's only get as much XP as someone that is brand new to the game.

Determining stats, I try to make sure that the NPC doesn't have a higher pool than anyone in the venue, regardless of their role. This is because the game is about the PC's, and NPC's are 'supporting cast'. Do not outshine the PC's, the story is not about how you're capable of pulling out uber NPC's.

NPC's should never be members of the local city court, unless they are filler that are going to pull a "Kowalski". The term refers to a NPC that is only around long enough (a session or three) to make the players used to them, and then the "Kowalski" disappears or perishes for the sake of plot.

The Rule of Three

There are always times when your players simply cannot see the path that you want them to take in order to resolve the plot. Thus, institute the 'Rule of Three', wherein after three honest attempts to solve something, and your players are getting frustrated, the next try works, regardless of if it was what you had originally planned or not. There's nothing worse than having players simply give up on a plot or ignore it because they are incapable of putting the pieces together.

Quick players may figure out the 'Rule of Three' fairly quickly, thus you may wish to change the number of attempts. Also, make sure that such attempts are actually honest and well thought out, not something they are simply throwing at you in hopes that you'll give in and let them have a win.

Darkness

While all plots should have a conclusion, not all plots should have a defined 'win'. The setting is supposed to be grim. The plot should have a chance of the players losing, not necessarily PC death, but loss should be felt.

Stripping Merit dots, from dead Retainers, burnt Havens, Allies that no longer want to associate, are a very valid method of loss. However, these shouldn't be taken without a reason. Make every loss the result of a PC's actions. Never begin a plot with removing something permanently.

Artwork

Lastly, not really overly important, however, artwork in your plot goes the distance. Even if you have to reuse artwork from White Wolf books, they can often make the difference when you cannot accurately describe something. "A Picture Paints a Thousand Words".

If your plot is going to be spread to the masses, artwork does wonders to grab attention.

Props are also a wonderful idea to hand to players, to give them something tangible to work with... however, that is a post for another time.

How to Write Plausible Backgrounds

...or "Your Background Doesn't Make You Cool"


Your background isn't as much of a definition of your character, but rather events that assist to explain why your character behaves in the manner in which they do. This writeup of your character will be viewed by few people besides yourself and your Storyteller chain (who largely gloss over it), so you don't need to be excessively elaborate.

Keep your background real first. Avoid being a major historic figure, or having interacted with them. There's only so many people that can claim to have been "the secret assassin of Hitler" or "the last true ninja" before plausibility is shattered and you get lumped into the same group as the kooky guy that thinks he is Napoleon.

Research the Time Period

There is nothing worse than having your character claim to have been involved in an event, only to have someone else correct you on what actually transpired. Stick with what you know, and if you have to be older than dirt, gloss over time periods you are unfamiliar with, or make those convenient times while you were in torpor.

Wikipedia, despite receiving some bad press from some academics due to the fact that anyone can edit a page, is actually a very valid resource useful for researching time periods and locations where your character was active. Also, at the bottom of every article is a bibliography and list of reference material, making Wikipedia your starting point for any research. Read up on these resources, and take a few notes, so that you can refresh yourself every few months so you don't look dumbfounded when another character asks you about such events.

Don't Bend Social Customs 

Social customs, especially those existing in rigid hierarchies or caste systems, aren't bent often without extreme repercussions.

Seriously, if your character is female, they have no real chance at becoming a samurai. Sure, there were a few onna-begeisha in Japan's history, however, they were the exception. By the same token, female mafia bosses also don't exist, as the mafia is a strictly fraternal organization.

Older isn't Better

If you cannot portray your character as a stodgy elder, and insist upon using modern euphemisms and slang, it is probably a better idea to make your character younger, such as having been embraced within the past few decades. There is very little benefit to making a character that is incredibly old, with rare exceptions (such as gaining a single semi-useless title in the Invictus).

It's been my experience that by keeping characters to have been born within the last century, not only do you get over the stigma of being a hapless neonate, but you don't have to considerably alter your own beliefs, viewpoints, and prejudices. In addition, the amount of research material on the last five decades is bountiful, with first hand accounts and televised history. Each decade within the last century has had a major theme, ripe for character immersion.

Concise

Keep your background short and to the point. No storyteller wants to read a novella about how epic your character was, and will likely ignore much of it, as they have several other characters to keep in mind. Expounding upon the greatness of your character also falls flat, if the only people whom are ever going to see it are your Storyteller and yourself.

Choose a few events that would be important to your character's current mindset, and expound upon them, while glossing over periods which were uneventful. Make it known that your character was involved in these signature events, so that other players have a frame of reference and a conversation topic when dealing with your character.

Don't Over-hype Yourself

It doesn't matter how epic or how awesome your character was in their back story, if you can't pull off a grandiose character, nobody is going to care about your background. Don't let your reach exceed your grasp when writing backgrounds.

Not every character is the last scion of some ancient house or race, and most people who try and write themselves as being an important epic character end up being ignored. Make your greatness in play, so that everyone will witness it and remember, anyone can write how they were awesome in their background.

Areas of Influence

Vampire: the Masquerade broke down mortal influence into a number of categories (Bureaucracy, Church, Finance, Health, High Society, Industry, Legal, Media, Occult, Police, Political, Street, Transportation, Underworld and University), however, the new World of Darkness doesn't have such "cut-and-dried" delineations, and instead let's the Storyteller further define the scope of capacity of a particular NPC or group of NPC's.

That being said, here are a number of various areas of mortal society that are effective at being part of your grand scheme, along with the reasons. Note that this is a far from complete list, and I'm sure that a clever individual can come up with a few ideas of their own. This also doesn't include some of the more obvious potential candidates, such as police officers, doctors, lawyers, and union leaders.

Clerk - clerk of the courts, or at the tax collector's office generally have a large amount of information at their fingertips, depending on their department. They can also conveniently lose information filed, slowing down projects or losing someone in the system.

Chop Shop Mechanic - illegal car modifications, or cars that have no identification numbers are the hallmark of a good chop-shop mechanic. They might be able to get their hands on a vehicle that won't be traced back to anyone for illicit dealings.

Coroner - need a corpse for a sinister ritual, or a John Doe to plant on someone's property to lead authorities to asking very pointed questions? The coroner can also hide a vampire in a light proof, semi-secure area should the need arise.

DMV Clerk - making license plates or car registrations appear legitimate, or tracking down information on a particular person is what makes the DMV clerk useful. They can also invalidate a license plate, which could cause major hassles for an unfortunate target.

Emergency Dispatcher - simply be relaying an incorrect address, a dispatcher can condemn a building to burn, or for reports of screaming to go unanswered as emergency services report to the wrong place.

Engineer/Surveyor - not only can they provide you with information about where freshly cleared lots are about to have a concrete slab poured over them (thus sealing any evidence away for years or decades), but they can also slow down a construction project considerably, or even make copies of construction projects that they were previously involved with.

Fence - these purveyors of black market and stolen goods can often get their hands on almost anything, for a price.

Health Lab Technician - a lab tech might notice particular trends, or be able to obscure certain problems, such as anemia or various blood-borne diseases.

Homeless - the homeless see all sorts of things, because most people have tuned them out, allowing their suffering to become invisible simply because it's inconvenient. Thus, homeless people are often very good sources of information, as well as convenient spies. They are also cheap to maintain, as a few warm meals a week maintains their loyalty. Ghouls even has a ghoul family known as "The Alley Men".

Janitor - these often ignored custodians hold the keys to some of the most secure places, and are able to slip people in after hours, or through back doors.

Loan Shark - need a nice lump of cash quick? A loan shark "friend" can let you borrow it. Or you can get them acquainted with someone else you need some leverage on, such as the local politician with a gambling problem, or the lackey of another vampire that needs a loan to keep his business from going under.

Local Musician - even a local musician is sure to have groupies, and will often be able to part velvet ropes and get you in touch with influential people, making the musician is a handy gatekeeper.

News Editor - even though a journalist can write an expose on an individual, an editor can shut it down, or remove particularly damning bits of information that would threaten the Masquerade. They can also shuffle stories to pages that nobody reads, effectively burying a article.

Railroad Worker - very few people remember the elaborate rail system that is still in use and criss-crosses this country, because airplanes have largely replaced them for commuter transportation. Thus, hiding a coterie of Kindred that want to enter or exit a city nearly undetected has a good chance of doing so through the rail system, especially because they don't need to breathe, allowing them to be hidden in such places as liquid filled compartments.

Taxi Driver - need to get around the city in a hurry? A taxi driver will know the shortest and longest routes. Few people question the presence of a cab in a neighborhood, as they assume someone called for a ride. More faithful drivers can also deposit intoxicated individuals to your doorstep for easy feeding.

Utility Worker - a damaged electrical line or backed up sewage can ruin a grand opening, close down an Elysium, or make things generally uncomfortable. Such is often better used to flush a target out into the open, or force them to make a last-minute change of plans. They can also gain access to a variety of places simply by showing up in uniform and stating that there's a problem they need to check out.

Building an Empire

... or "Setting Up a Power Base"

This post is focused on how to quickly and efficiently create a power structure of mortal influence, allowing you to have more sway with Downtime Actions, as well as interact with plot and work against other characters.

The first choice is what areas of influence you want to have your fingers in (examples will be provided in a future post). The second is if you're going to be using Allies and/or Retainers to represent your web of influence. The second question is often the easiest to determine, if you happen to be Carthian or Invictus, as they both receive one of them at half-price.

Allies have the benefit of being a nebulous group of individuals, making them slightly more difficult to counter, and extremely difficult to remove your sway over. Their main drawback is that they require a Social Challenge (Manipulation + Persuasion + Allies) in order to do anything that is considered an "unreasonable request" (MET WoD, p.139). This pool is capped by your Humanity (MET Requiem, p.265), which means that influential Carthians need to maintain a higher Humanity.

Retainers, on the other hand, have the benefit of doing what you ask of them without much question. However, they suffer from only being a lone individual, easier to counter or remove.


The Three Month XP Route


This step-by-step is for all characters, and does not factor in the half-cost benefit of certain Covenants. Those Covenants could effectively double-purchase what is presented here. In the Camarilla Global Chronicle (of which I've been a member for several years), each month your character is in play, you can earn up to 8 xp with the attendance of two games and using Downtime actions (which should be your bread-and-butter for building your power base).

Month One-
The first month, assuming that you begin play with no previous mortal pawns, is just to get the ball rolling, and starting small. For 8 xp, you can buy four One-dot Retainers or Allies (2 xp each), giving you a range of areas that you are capable of utilizing. There are benefits to both spreading them out over a number of areas and also collecting them in a single facet of mortal influence, however, you will probably wish to cast your net as wide as possible, and worm your fingers into as many aspects as possible.

Month Two-
Focus on two of your previously purchased Retainers or Allies, and boost them to a Two-dot version, for 4 xp each.

Month Three-
Repeat the process of Month Two, giving you a stable base of four Two-dot Retainers or Allies, either representing a diverse capacity to influence mortal events, or giving you a stable "power bloc" in one or two areas of mortal society.

After the third month, you should have a fairly tangible idea on where you want to expand or strengthen your control over mortal affairs.


On Combat Retainers


Many players have a notion that they can spend a quantity of xp and get a cheap "goon squad" which they can then push at another PC and eliminate them through violence, such as by spending 10 xp and getting five One-dot Retainers with little more on their sheets than combat skills.

Whereas this is effective in certain instances, Requiem has far too many variables for this to work as often or as well as one would hope. A few common Disciplines (Obfuscate: Cloak of Night springs to mind) would render your "goon squad" ineffective, and only serve to bring you to getting caught for an attempted assassination. There is also a section in the MET World of Darkness rulebook that further addresses "Downtime Kills" (p.174).

Also, players shouldn't be writing the sheets of their Retainers, either their Storytellers should create them, or they should be taken from the list of Stock NPC Retainers to accurately represent believable characters.

However, such a cadre is quite efficient at dealing with NPC threats, eliminating the Merit NPC's of a rival, or safeguarding your Haven, providing additional security beyond what is provided with the Haven Security Merit.




Next up... "Areas of Influence"