Introductions

Who We Are

Hi prospective player!
This page holds our views on many common questions players have on character creation. If you are looking for details on House Rules or guidelines once your character is approved, please check the House Rules page.

That being said, welcome to our game. We have made generous use of the White Wolf “Golden Rule” to keep the metaplot moving forward, while staying grounded in what we feel is the most flexible of the rule and roleplay rule set systems (Revised). We work to make the World of Darkness both feel gritty and as 'realistic' as a game with involving vampires, werewolves, and mages can be. This ensures we have a viable 'World of Darkness' that provides opportunities to explore action, adventure, and a variety of ‘personal horror’ concepts.

We are thoughtful about character concept and personality, and like to collaborate and improvise with one another in an effort to bring rich and vibrant stories to the game. A focus on personal horror, interpersonal tension, hidden agendas and open ambition are all hallmarks here.


What We’re Looking For

We are always looking for intelligent and creative individuals who are able to think deeply about their character and go beyond the average collection of dots to deliver a more compelling addition to the cast. Please do not confuse unique characters with creative characters. A character from some obscure bloodline can be just as bland and boring to interact with as any other clan. What makes them interesting is the goals and ambitions you give your character. The sheet is just there to add elements of chance and risk to resolutions.

The ideal player is a self-starter who can work independently and collaboratively, can manage conflict resolution with other players in a mature manner (agreeing on if it will be roll play or roleplay, understanding if a player challenges you to roll for something your character does if failing could have a big impact, deciding how a fight should be handled, etc.). Players who have a good instinct for story and character tend to thrive.

A willingness to respect mechanics as an impartial guide to plot twists and character development is always helpful; 'rules lawyers' are not helpful.

A good mind’s eye or willingness to understand current conditions within a scene is also helpful as it helps keep scenes stable. We all multi-task, it happens, but when you're multitasking causes you to make an action or ask for information that's already been given either in character out of character, it can be frustrating for everyone. Please be respectful of the time others invest by giving the scenes/conversations you are participating in your focus.

A player who enjoys daydreaming about their character(s), thoughtful about character motivation, understands the importance of knowing their character, and are intrigued by the opportunity to delve deeply into the psychology of the world that surround them should find plenty to do.

Players who understand that this is a fictional world where extraordinary things can happen (absurd conspiracy theories, reality warping events) juxtaposed with all of the things we expect and know of the real world may find this game a good fit.


What We Offer

We offer a community comprised of mature players who appreciate well thought out characters and that have a love for a good sense of story. The game has some Story Lines “laying in wait” for curious characters. Though the storytellers are always thinking about the next Storyline (or SL) that a character might find themselves involved in.

We also understand that real-life obligations can get in the way, so there may be instances where your character may have to abruptly leave a scene (if possible), or the Storyteller will action/roll appropriately for your character until the scene ends, erring on the side of caution when possible.

The mood and theme of the game is much like life, running the gamut; characters can be larger than life, ultra-serious, quiet, or conniving. Characters are more than a collection of dots, and what you see on the surface is rarely all there is – and as in life, some will be more willing to share, others will defend their private lives vigorously, and a thousand shades in between. Ultimately this helps create an immersive experience which we can be fun and filled with compelling storylines driven by both the players and STs. However, if your character never gives anyone an opportunity to dig into those deeply protected secrets, and has no clues they may exist, then why bother with the secrets? Seeing how other characters discover those secrets and what they do with them is half the fun. No player-character is an island.

Beyond storylines involving the city, we will try to create stories that deal with the player-characters ambitions, motivations, and development. This will give players the opportunity to connect with their characters and the setting on a level that is meaningful to them, and exciting for other players as they peel back layers of the other characters.

We understand that great stories thrive on conflict. If your character is ambitious for more than getting buy, plotting and maneuvering against other players is supported by the STs. We do ask players not to misinterpret this as a lever to escalate petty conflict haphazardly.

All player characters have the opportunity to make their mark on the game setting, if they are willing to take the risks associated with such acts. We appreciate it when a clever player short-circuits a storyline by thinking of a solution we didn’t! Though we might sometimes make sure the character has the dots to have the idea, especially if the SL involves other players. Other times you may think of a solution that appears workable on the surface, but is not. The StoryTeller may not be able to give details on why it won't work, as it could reveal other parts of the story.

This game has been operating since the late 90s, and has had ‘resets’ throughout the years as cataclysms have struck or metaplots caused massive shifts. What this means is the game will be here for a long time to come, and the players will get out as much as they put in.


Our Standards

We aren’t only concerned with OOC standards of behavior. We expect a certain standard in the quality of characters brought into the game world and the types of IC behavior that go on. Both players and STs here want to see a deeper exploration of characters by their peers than is found in most RPGs. They want to be part of that journey that helps your character reach places, do things, or become something (good or bad) that is surprising, satisfying, and fulfilling for everyone.

This means that while we welcome players new to the Classic World of Darkness, we want those players to respect the time of the other players and the STs. Having access to the core books, as well as the clan book of their character and demonstrating a rudimentary familiarity with the venue they choose to play (at a minimum) is a big way to demonstrate that respect of other's time. The community is helpful and the STs will help when we can, though new players must be willing to research and put in the work. The site RPGDrivethrough has practically every White Wolf Revised book there is, and are inexpensive to download as PDFs.

ST Disclaimer

Our game world is a blended depiction of the Classic World of Darkness. Players need to understand that their characters (or the things important to them) will never ever be 100% safe. The game's setting (including NPCs) can mess with your character, and PCs may also try to manipulate, sabotage, or undermine your character.

We understand some players are looking for a social game, what some people call the “Café Culture” where players can sit in some safe(ish) location and enjoy social interaction or some interpersonal drama and storylines. That’s okay, but know you will not earn XP from surface level social play. You must participate in Storylines for XP. This is to make sure the expectation of risk vs. reward is properly set. Please see the FAQ for more info on this.

There is graphic content!! If you have a low tolerance for graphic content that depicts violence, grotesque, offensive, controversial, and sexual themes, then this game may not be for you. We do try to limit or avoid topics with sensitive players (just let us know!), using “summary descriptions” to convey the situation without getting into Stephen-King-levels of detail. There are concepts from Black Dog Games (White Wolf's "Mature readers only" RPGs) that are used in this game.

Danger can come to your character at nearly any time and any place. This isn’t to snuff out characters, but to move stories forward, or give them hooks into storylines. We will do our best to protect player agency. While there are supernatural forces that can try to force your characters to do things out of character, the vast majority of the time there are ways for them to try to resist, but they might fail (dice!). Knowing and experiencing these forced situations should help your character with the personal horror that can come in a setting that can be candy-coated on one side, and rotten on the other.


Character Creation Guidelines

1. There are a few common 'archetypes' that most stories need to complete. Fighters, stealthy, security focused, technology focused, leadership, etc. The list is not exhaustive. Your concept should start with one of these as the primary, and should think of a secondary thing they are good at for some diversity.

2. Clan, age, and Generation! Currently we are only accepting "common clans".

3. All player characters are Neonates, and should have an age appropriate to that.

4. Generation starts at 13. You can bring this down to 8th with use of the 'Generation' background.

5. After your concept is firmly in mind, you can develop the character and write the biography. These details will help the player and STs come up with stories, hooks, bonuses or secret information that character might have. It will also help the player make sure they have through through motivations and goals to drive the character to interact with others in between storylines. Good writing is realistic to the archetype and concept of your character, and not just thinly disguised min-maxing or god-moding efforts. We want to work with players to make well thought out characters, and robust biographies will help you understand your character’s personality on day one.

6. When you start filling in dots, please start with the backgrounds! Some of them have wide ranges of interpretation, and the STs would like to talk with you about what backgrounds you’d like to pick before you finalize your sheet, as sometimes backgrounds influence what other dots you may pick.

Take a look over the House Rules. Items there might impact the way you want to spend your points.

We use Secondary Abilities (with the plethora of supplement books out there, why wouldn’t you?) and so that might be worth a look when you set up your character. Secondary Abilities have prerequisites associated with them, usually 3 dots in a "parent" skill. There are many, many Secondary Abilities out there (especially in the Player Guides). The benefits of these? The base difficulty is 4, instead of 6! There is a link to a resource for them further down.

There is nothing wrong with having a character that is ‘heavy’ in particular skill branches (combat, manipulation, hacking, etc.). We encourage you to put a little in some other dots that fit the character, as it helps us work on Story Lines for them, and raises the chances of them being involved in a wider range of events! It also helps with challenges In Character, if your character is a combat expert, with average intelligence, and little in the way of knowledges, he shouldn’t be adeptly conversing about macro-economics, or the vectors of mutated virology. You’ll see extended comments on this in the “Role play vs Roll play” section under House Rules.


Character Creation Rules (about time, right?)

The good news is, with few exceptions, we beleive that if it's in the book (in the realm of a player character), then you can build it! Here are some quick reminders on some book items that people sometimes forget, along with our modifications.

1. You can only buy up to the 3rd dot in an Ability with starting points. 4th dot must be bought with Freebies (The Attribute where you put choose to put your allocation of 7 dots is excempt from the "4th dot" limiter.). 5th dot must be bought with Experience.

2. Don't forget to Specialize on that 4th or 5th dot! It's Free! Why wouldn't you?! You get only one Specialization per Ability.

3. You get 21 Freebies to start, instead of the normal 15. 7 more freebies can be gotten from taking on Flaws.

4. Don't forget to think about equipment/possessions, and if your character has the Backgrounds to support acquiring them.

5. Think about (and document in the Bio) motivations, goals, secrets, fears and weaknesses. It gives your character direction while they get to know the other characters and find or are pulled into Storylines.

6. Before you get too excited about your sheet and put in a lot of work, talk with the STs about the Merits, Flaws, and Backgrounds you are thinking of having. They may not be allowed (either by themselves or in combination with other things). For example Age is not allowed (since the player characters are neonates), and buying Merits that could 'stack' to unfairly lower your difficulty will also be rejected (you may be able to keep one or the other, but not both). Register and check the forum for any current posts about Merits, Flaws, or Derangements. What do I use to create my character?
We used to use one of the really well done Char sheet generators. Sadly, it's now obsolete. We are moving to the impressively well done Mr. Gone sheets.
Kindred
Mr. Gone also has a Patreon! Please support him. Very important. Save the file locally and open it with Adobe Reader. If you open the file with a Browser, it may not properly save what you fill out!

Character Creation Resources

There are books, and books, and books filled with great ideas and resources - bloodlines, clans, merits, flaws, equipment, you name it. To help make things a little faster/easier for people, especially new players, or players new to Revised. This list will gradually grow to include resources to great pages to help centralize some of these things.

Merits
Flaws
Specialities (even has some that aren't in the core)
Secondary Abilities

Freebie and Experience Point costs!

Freebies Point Costs

Attributes

5 Points Per Dot

Abilities

2 Points Per Dot

Disciplines

7 Points Per Dot

Backgrounds

1 Point Per Dot

Willpower

1 Point Per Dot

Virtues

2 Points Per Dot

Humanity

1 Point Per Dot



Experience Point Costs

Attributes

Current Rating x 4

Ability

Current Rating x 2

New Ability

3 Points

New Thaumaturgy Path

7 Points

Thaumaturgy Path

Current Rating x 4

Clan Discipline*

Current Rating x 5

Other Discipline*

Current Level x 7

New Discipline

10 Points

Virtues

Current Level x 2

Willpower

Current Rating

Humanity

Current Rating x 2