recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Amberhold

Amberhold is a city in the Holy Dresvin empire. It is ruled by Governor Reginald Hawthorne.

## Economy

The city of Amberhold is a wealthy city mainly due to its proximity to both a major river and mineral rich hills and mountains. The river in old times was frequently panned for gold but it hasn't had enough to be a profitable endeavor in a long time. The large export of valuable minerals has allowed the citizens of the city to focus their time on the production of luxury goods such as clothing and art. The city's natural beauty also attracts many fine craftsmen such as talented blacksmiths who focus more on specialized and ornate goods than on common household items. There are small villages further from the city that are ruled by the Governor Hawthorne; these villages house lower class workers such as miners, farmers and fishermen. What Amberhold gains in wealth dug from the ground it lacks in wealth grown from it. The soil around the city while good is not nearly enough to sustain its bustling population, the city relies on trade for large shipments of meat, and grain products and instead uses its farmland to grow specific luxury crops such as fruit trees.

## Religion

The vast majority of citizens follow The Phoenix Lord but there is a small sect who still hold onto religions from before the rise of the great phoenix lord during this time the patron goddess of the city was Auroras, Goddess of the dawn. Shortly after the rise of The Phoenix Lord the city renounced Auroras and publicly committed itself to the worship of the phoenix lord.

## Culture

Amberhold is well known for its annual Festival of Lights. Held on the longest night of the winter the citizens of the city would honor their patrons' conquest of the night each morning by adorning the city with thousands of beautiful stained glass lanterns to spite the longest night of the year. In modern times the festival has been repurposed to celebrate the phoenix lord and his great flame. The wealthiest citizens of the city pride themselves on their colorful well made clothing and the possession of unique well made jewelry is seen as an important social symbol. The people of Amberhold are famous for their sweet tooth and rightfully so as the nearby orchards make fruit pies and other deserts abundant.

## Military

Amberhold has a very well equipped and dedicated group of guards under the command of chief Nicholas Manred.

## Ruler

Governor Reginald Hawthorne is an older stern man. The Hawthorne family has ruled over Amberhold for more generations than anyone in the region can remember. His wife Danielle Hawthorne tragically died of illness a few years ago.
Prayden

## Overview

Prayden is a single continent on the planet of Prayden. The continent is the source of a powerful source of natural magic that spews from the center of the continent where the three nation's borders meet. In the center of that point lies the Adventuring Academy HQ which is its own sovereign ground.

In Prayden, the player characters are Adventurers. Adventurers are people who are born with a natural affinity to the magic sourced from the world. This power can awaken from the day you are born to the day whatever race reaches peak maturity Once the magic develops, a representative from the Academy will shortly appear to take them to a nearby Academy based on what their affinity (class) seems to be. This awakening can be mundane magical effects or catastrophic. An untrained Adventurer is a dangerous thing, as they have no training to control their innate magical abilities.

Being an adventurer means that you can reach levels of skill and power that is unreachable by a regular person (basically a normal person cant get past level 6). Less than 10% of the population are adventurers. Adventurers are looked down upon in normal society, they are usually seen as too powerful for their own good, or thugs who will do anything for money. Adventurers are mostly prohibited from taking positions of power or leadership by Academy law to keep a level of neutrality, though there are some exceptions.

## Regions

Below is a quick tl;dr of the four primary regions in Prayden

Holy Dresvin Empire: Very Roman and Western European in design with some Warhammer 40k thrown in for flavor. In Dresvin, the primary threat is great beasts like griffins, dragons, hydras, ect.

Vugaria: Very slavic and Eastern European in design. Much more dark fantasy in design. In Vulgaria, the primary threat is the undead.

Bosquetierra: North and South American in design but not Native American stereotypes. The primary threat in Bosquetierra is that of named creatures known as the Eternals. These creatures are singular characters that appear throughout history.

Vaanika: Its all vikings baby. Vaanika is the farthest away from the magical font, as such they have the least amount of adventurers. To the relief of the rest of the world. Vaanika's primary threat is sea monsters and elemental creatures.

## Factions

Below is a quick tl;dr for some of the factions in Prayden

The Adventuring Academy

The Society of Merchants

Headhunters

The Thieves Guild
Zachary (13)

*This article is about the chapter. For the character, see Zachary Ezra Rawlins.*

## Zachary (13)

### Book

Book III: The Ballad of Simon and Eleanor

## Order

### Followed by

a girl is not a rabbit, a rabbit is not a girl

> Zachary Ezra Rawlins finds himself in an elevator with a pink-haired lady with a gun who he's pretty sure has just committed arson on top of the already committed crimes of the day and an unconscious man who might be an attempted murderer and his throbbing head cannot decide if he needs a nap or a drink or why, exactly, he feels more comfortable now in present elevator company than he had before.
>
> Book III: The Ballad of Simon and Eleanor, **Zachary (13)**

"**Zachary (13)**" is the thirteenth chapter from Zachary's perspective, and the thirty-second chapter overall.
List of Episodes

## BFDI Extras Battle

1. Setting a Bad Example
2. Talent Isn’t Everything
3. Don’t Be Suspicious
4. A Visitor Has Arrived
5. Colors Clash
6. Meat & Tidy
7. The Day is Mine
8. Eyes Laid on the Target
9. The Gold Inside of You
10. Building a New World
11. The Epic Epilogue

## BFDI Extras Battle Again

1. Growing New Bonds
2. Take the Cake
3. Common Cents
4. Like Lava, Like Fire
5. Ads Are Annoying
6. Clowning Around
7. Take the Plunge
8. One Night at Leafy’s
9. Seven Ate Nine
10. The Flame Has Changed
11. It’s Early Christmas
12. Lost Frost
13. A Corrupted Society

## BEB: Golden Purity

1. Assembling Your Team
2. Hide And Sweet
3. New Recruits
4. Battle For Scream Island
5. Forgotten Friendships
6. Return of the Red
7. Bringing the Heat
8. The ‘Fro is Lava
9. Deserted Dreams
10. Recovering the Recovered
11. A Glistening Ending

## BFDI Extras Battle But Less Exciting

1. A Start of a New Era
2. Passion for Fashion
3. Slipping and Sliding
4. Ungrounded
5. Jungle Jumble
6. Sugar Rush
7. This Episode is So Bad

## ABOSTIMFFBINRC

1. This isn’t BEB, But it’s Better! Hopefully.
2. Katie
3. I’m Taking Your Pickle
4. The King, The Queen, And The Little Kitty Cat
5. Slowly Losing Sanity
6. Behind the Lies
7. GIFTY WIF BOOF LEG
8. Return of the Puff Bucket!
9. Outlasting Everyone
10. An Ending Unlike Any Other

## BEB: Puppet’s Evil Insolence

1. A Small Surf Through Space
2. Looks Can Be Deceiving
3. Bring Back the Brothers
4. Escaping the Regretful Past

## Battle For Camp Wawanakwa

1. New Campers, New Contests!
2. Doctor’s Orders
3. Say Goodbye to Your Fudge
4. Totem Trouble
5. The Fetus Farm
6. Trip Through Memory Lane
7. Beaming With Pride
8. Throughout the World
9. It’s Almost Time!
10. It’s Time!!!

## BFCW Season 2: Battle Between All

1. Everyone Is HERE!
2. Confined and Cramped
3. I Wanna Sob
4. The New Gang in Town
5. The Sun
6. Just How it Should Be
7. No-Winged War
8. Painting Un-Proudly
9. The Voice
10. Evacuation in Order
11. Those Still Alive Must Survive
12. The Lavender Travelers
13. Gifty’s Purse
14. Heartless Heartache
15. Mess
16. The Date
17. The Day Before it Began
18. Project EOE: End Of Everything

## Battle For Camp Wawanakwa III

1. Not What it Seems…
2. Fishy Frenzy
3. The Bestie Banquet
4. Teeny Tiny You
5. Shattered Fragments of Alternate Worlds
6. This Episode Has Lore In It

## BFDI Extras Battle: Next Generation

1. Obsidian, You Lazy…
2. Ditching Class
3. We’ll Keep The Tradition Going!
Lego Brick

Lego Brick is a male character that appeared among 10 other contestants in BFDI Extras Battle. His first appearance was in BEB 1, but he failed to make a reappearance in BEBA, as he was shot in BEB 10 by Yellow Face. His last appearance (as of BEBA 2) was in BEB 11, when he was mistakenly recovered from the HPRC, and then once again killed from being eaten by Yellow Face.

In BEB, Lego Brick was on the team "Best Friends", along with Steamy, Waffle, Purple Face, and Clip (and later Yellow Face), until the teams were abandoned in BEB 7. He ended up getting third-place in the show overall, getting only 118 votes to win.

Although Lego Brick had a chance to rejoin in BEBA, he only got 40 votes, 6th place out of the 11 contestants.

### ***Appearance:***

Lego Brick appears to be a red Lego brick, with two studs on his head. Unlike some other contestants, he also has no arms. In BEB 10, after hearing that he only got third-place, he grows arms and transforms into an amalgamation, with hands and arms spewing out of the top of his head. This is the only change that happens to his character design throughout the show.

### ***Personality:***

Lego Brick had a very shy personality, never really talking a lot and always seeming quite sad or looking down. He was very uneasy about Clip stealing part of Waffle, and didn't seem to like it. However, he never really argued and put up with his team. Although he didn't talk much, his charming character design and quiet personality was able to put him into the top 3. However, in BEB 10, his personality completely flips around, turning into an angry killing machine.
Dorian (3)

*This article is about the chapter. For the character, see Dorian.*

> Dorian has not spent much of his life covered in honey so he had never before realized how it can get absolutely everywhere and insist on staying there.
>
> Book V: The Owl King, **Dorian (3)**

"**Dorian (3)**" is the third chapter from Dorian's point of view, and the 60th chapter overall.
Book I: Sweet Sorrows

## Sweet Sorrows

*This page is about the first book of The Starless Sea. For the in-universe book, see Sweet Sorrows (book).*

**Book I: Sweet Sorrows** is the first book in *The Starless Sea*. It consists of eighteen chapters: ten stories from *Sweet Sorrows*, seven chapters from Zachary's point of view, and an interlude from Mirabel's point of view.

## Chapters

The chapters within this book are mostly untitled and unnumbered. The chapter titles below have been created for the sake of the wiki.

1. Once, very long ago...
2. There are three paths. This is one of them (1)
3. To deceive the eye
4. Zachary (1)
5. Invented life
6. Zachary (2)
7. There are three paths. This is one of them (2)
8. Zachary (3)
9. A knock upon the memory of a door
10. Zachary (4)
11. Those who seek and those who find
12. Zachary (5)
13. There are three paths. This is one of them (3)
14. Zachary (6)
15. Lost cities of honey and bone
16. Zachary (7)
17. ...Time fell in love with Fate
18. Interlude I
Aspirations

Aspirations are a Requiem concept used to aid the storyteller in guiding a Vampire narrative while providing Players with roleplay goals and a means of earning Experience.

## Organizing Aspirations

1. Keep your aspirations for each PC on your character spreadsheets.
2. Share what aspirations ***you want made public*** to the rest of the players in the #aspirations-public thread in the Backstage Content category on the Charnel House Blues Discord server.
	* Post once in the thread listing your current public aspirations, including long-term and would-be group aspirations, and then continue editing that single post over time so that the thread remains easily readable.

## Reward for Achieving Aspirations

Players will earn Willpower and Experience for pursuing and completing aspirations in accordance with the Willpower and Experience rules for CHB.

Source: Requiem & House Rules
Amalgam

Amalgam is the term used in the 5th edition (V5) of Masquerade to refer to Devotions. In CHB, the term will continue be used to refer to Discipline powers created by combining two or more Disciplines for a particular effect. Amalgam dot ratings are determined in line with the required powers. If the amalgam is a small effect gained from combining two disciplines, it will generally be half the required power dots rounded down. If the effect is more broad and more of a unique effect unto itself, it may be closer in dot rating to the total of the required powers.

*For example, combining Fortitude and Celerity for the ability to maintain the high speeds of Celerity over long distance runs.*

Source: V5 & House Rules
Roundtable

A Roundtable, sometimes simply called "post-game" are what we call the post-game debrief with players and the storyteller. This process was a natural evolution of the post-game XP and WP awarding process that our group developed over time.

## Roundtable Process

1. **Experience:**
	* The Storyteller calculates the earned XP for each Player.
2. **Roleplay Nominations:**
	* Each Player gives one shoutout for a moment of roleplay or story that they really enjoyed.
	* Nominations can be for Players or the Storyteller, but no one can earn more than *two* per game.
	* Players earn back spent Willpower points when they get a Roleplay Nomination; the Storyteller receives Drama Points.
	* Willpower points earned must be applied to the character which earned the nomination.
	* If a Player is already at full willpower points, then the Player instead earns a free Bestial Insight roll.
3. **Super Dice:**
	1. Super Dice are a Player's reward for superior roleplay as nominated by the Storyteller.
	2. Super Dice can be used to re-roll any roll in the game without penalty. Additionally, any Willpower spent on the original roll applies to the re-roll, and 1s do not detract from the successes of Super Dice.
	3. The Storyteller awards two Super Dice per game but may award more if the session had several stand-out moments.
	4. Players can only earn *one* Super Dice per game and my have up to 3 sets of Super Dice on hand at any given time; they do not expire.
	5. If a Player receives a Super Dice, they also receive a point of WP, if they have not already recovered their maximum.
4. **General Willpower Bids:**
	* Player bids to recover spent WP points not already recovered as outlined on the Willpower page.
5. **Highs & Lows:**
	* Highs are each game participant's chance to list all of the things they most enjoyed about the session and what they might then be looking forward to for the next game.
	* Lows offer feedback to the Storyteller and other Players regarding moments which a participant found to be less enjoyable.

Source: Requiem, Masquerade, & House Rules
Elena

> "I don’t like to commit to an opinion until the end of a book because you never know what might happen."
>
> Elena, Book I: Sweet Sorrows, Zachary (3)

**Elena** is a minor character in *The Starless Sea*.

## Appearance

Elena sometimes wears her hair in a bun, held in place with a ballpoint pen. She wears cat-eye glasses.

## Personality

Elena is cheerful, helpful, and insightful. She enjoys reading mysteries, specifically Raymond Chandler. Elena spent time researching the origin of *Sweet Sorrows* for Zachary, though he did not ask her to. She participated in Kat's 'Innovation in Storytelling' discussion group, contributing often and meaningfully to the conversation.

## History

Zachary first met Elena at the campus library. She helped him to check out *Sweet Sorrows*. By correcting the book's record in the system, she inadvertently brought Zachary to the attention of Allegra and the Collector's Club.

After checking out the book to Zachary, Elena researched it further, discovering that it was donated by the Keating Foundation from the collection of J. S. Keating. After Kat's discussion group, she waited outside for Zachary in order to bring him this information. Later, she continues to help him locate other books donated by the Keating Foundation.

Finally, when Kat is searching for Zachary in Book VI: The Secret Diary of Katrina Hawkins, Elena helps once more by filling Kat in on her conversation with Zachary after class and his activity in the library. She lets Kat look through library files while her supervisor is on lunch break, and she locates some more of the books donated by the Keating Foundation.

## Relationships

* Zachary - Elena is likely more interested in the mystery of Zachary's book, rather than Zachary himself. Kat warned Elena that Zachary was "orientationally unavailable" - i.e., gay - but there is no indication that Elena was attracted to Zachary before that warning.
* Kat Hawkins - Elena and Kat appear to have a friendly relationship. They are on a first name basis, and Kat is comfortable discussing Zachary's sexuality with her. Elena also made an effort to attend Kat's discussion group.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 From "Zachary (1)", Book I: Sweet Sorrows
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 In "Zachary (2)", Book I: Sweet Sorrows
3. ↑ Book I: Sweet Sorrows, Zachary (3)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Book VI: The Secret Diary of Katrina Hawkins, Kat Hawkins (3)
Tilts

"Maneuver Complications," are conditional side effects of having been subjected to certain types of attacks. For CHB we will be using the VtR term "Tilts" for these as well as similar conditions resulting from environmental complications such as rough terrain.

## Combat Tilts

Below are the basic conditions that can impact mobility or combat reactions. Depending on the circumstance, there may be others. Also remember that wound penalties may apply depending on the amount of damage a character has accrued.
Addicted Condition

When a character has grown dependent on a particular substance or experience, they become addicted. This condition highlights the destructive effect such dependencies have on a character due to their inevitable decision to prioritize their addition over more important needs. Players can earn Willpower for roleplaying the condition and can resolve it by either gaining or losing Humanity/Integrity or rolling an exceptional success for detachment.

*Source: VtR 2.0*
Bestial Insight

Bestial Insight is a homebrew mechanic which evolved from similar loose concepts discussed among our player group. It is any sort of instinct derived from some aspect of a Kindred's *beast* and how it in turn relates to other *beasts*. There is a bit of a philosophy to it, and one could argue that any information derived from blood sorcery or disciplines would also qualify as a type of Bestial Insight.

But the purpose of this mechanic is to give both Players and the Storyteller a way of articulating base, animalistic understandings or instincts in terms of power, desire, or need rather than the more sophisticated politics or sciences of Man. While this sort of information may also be gleaned with sorcery or disciplines, this mechanic in and of itself does not draw on any such ability.

## Rolling for Bestial Insight

To roll for Bestial Insight:

1. Spend a point of Willpower or a Bestial Insight point (built up from rolled over Willpower) and roll your character's Wits + Blood Potency.
2. The Storyteller will privately message you the results of your roll.
3. You can have as many Bestial Insight points up to your total Willpower rating. After Willpower and BI are maxed, players cannot build up any further BI.

## Examples of Bestial Insight

* Recognizing another Kindred on sight.
* Gaining insight into base aspects of another's beast, i.e. clan tendencies or weaknesses.
* Realizing that another Kindred is older or stronger than you.
* Instincts or side effects of Lashing.
* Blood Sympathy

Source: Homebrew inspired by various mechanics in Masquerade and Requiem iterations.
Combat Maneuvers

There are a great many types of actions that one can undertake amidst combat, and the most common ones are outlined below. Combat broadly falls into two categories: *Close* and *Ranged.* However, there are some actions that apply to combat whether close or ranged.

## General Combat Actions

General combat actions are things which could apply in either close or ranged contexts. Movement is of course how far a character can move on a combat turn, whereas targeting is a reflexive decision to specify the intended location of intended damage.

Movement
* You can move your normal speed distance and still take an action.
* You can double your speed and cover that distance without taking any other actions.
* Or, a character can move while attempting an action, and each yard moved detracts 1 die from the applicable pool for the action.
* Celerity impacts speed.

Targeting
 Small
 Precise
 Immobilized

## Close Combat

Close combat denotes up close and personal fights composed of melee and/or brawl attacks. The most basic offensive and defensive maneuvers are listed below.

* **Damage Calculation**: All successful close combat attacks automatically deal the attackers **Strength + Victory Margin\* + Modifiers** in damage unless otherwise noted in the additional information or before rolling.
	+ **See the Weapon** modifiers on the weapons page.
	+ If an attacker wishes to deal reduced damage (for example, in a spar) they can roll with an increased difficulty proportionate to how much they are trying to hold back.
	+ *Potence* scores automatically apply to a character's strength without having to spend blood to activate it.
	+ Armor can help defenders avoid damage from successful attacks.
	+ Many combat merits can further improve the attack rolls for the listed maneuvers or provide buffs to the damage dealt.

## Ranged Combat

Ranged combat denotes attacked launched from a distance which are typically made with munitions based weapons such as gun but could also include thrown weapons which are considered projectiles.

* **Damage Calculation**: All successful ranged attacks automatically deal the attackers **Strength + Victory Margin\* + Weapon Modifier** in damage unless otherwise noted in the additional information or before rolling.
	+ If an attacker wishes to deal reduced damage (for example, in a spar) they can roll with an increased difficulty proportionate to how much they are trying to hold back.
	+ *Potence* scores automatically apply to a character's strength without having to spend blood to activate it.
	+ Armor can help defenders avoid damage from successful attacks.
	+ Duel Wielding Guns:
	+ Many combat merits can further improve the attack rolls, speed reload, or provide buffs to the damage dealt.

Sources: VtM and VtR 2.0 (Speed)
House Rules

House Rules is the general term for adaptions to a game's originally written rules made to accommodate the Players and Storyteller's needs and preferences. For CHB this generally denotes mechanics which needed to be adapted to work well with the base rolling system from Masquerade since the game as a whole is a hybrid of mechanics from various editions of both Masquerade and Requiem. There are also some adaptions and even outright creations, such as Super Dice, which were made or created purely to improve upon the use or function of a theme or aspect of play.
Table of Contents

The table of contents is organized alphabetically by major content type.

1. Arcs
2. Blood
3. Bloodlines
4. Characters
5. Character Creation
6. Clans
7. Conditions
8. Covenants
9. Creative Content
10. Disciplines
11. Embraces
12. Episodes
13. Experience
14. Glossary
15. Homebrew
16. House Rules
17. Mechanics
18. Merits
19. NPCs
20. PCs
21. Plot
22. Setting
23. Sorcery
24. Splats
25. Timeline
26. Willpower
Knee High

Bentley
Dante
Ezra
Godric
Josiah
Lyric
Peter
Portia
Raegan
Reese
Riddler

 A
 1. GG meets up with Portia outside the gym.
2. Ross, the gym owner, is outside vaping, so he and GG exchange flirty banter before the girls enter.
3. Inside, GG waves to her fellow gym rat friends and thankfully dodges the attention of Anna Beth, Trey’s sister.
4. Annabeth is made at GG for Trey having been hurt in his last fight with Gianna even though the others have tried to discourage her.
5. GG and Portia go up to one of the unused ballet studios on the top floor.
6. GG teaches Portia some moves, and she picks them up quickly.
7. GG also learns that Portia’s sire was killed back in Birmingham where she’s from, which is how Portia wound up in NOLA. Portia felt it when he died.
8. Portia saved her brother from a mortal wound by ghouling him, but he stayed back in NOLA. So she hopes the blood bond will wear off and he can live a normal life.
9. Portia also admits she was told that some Setite hangs out here, but she doesn’t know who; she’s never managed to be here when they were present.
 B
 1. GG goes to the Inferno and tries feeding on a human, doing so successfully.
2. But Riddler catches her in the act, stating that GG will have to make good on that debt since she didn’t have permission.
3. Riddler takes GG to The Ring so she can talk to Dante.
4. GG comes in just in time to see Lyric beating the crap out of Josiah, with Anthem, Godric, Peter, and Reese looking on.
5. Bentley is standing next to Dante wanting to ask about something,
6. While GG waits, Ezra and Raegan fight, with it ending in something of a draw.
7. After that, talks to Dante who says they can talk one on one to settle her terms, and when she asks about how it works to fight someone, he explains that sometimes there are bets but it’s generally about just finding someone to take you up on your offer.
8. Ezra is willing to go a round with GG.
9. While he initially holds his own, she cements her victory with a sudden and devastating knee to his face.
10. Afterwards, GG talks to Reese and Peter for a bit while Raegan goes to get the supply of animal blood they keep on hand to help the younger Kindred heal up and top off before leaving.
11. GG says she hopes to be able to fight Raegan some night.
Sunlight

Sunlight, one of the two banes all Kindred share, is deadly. It can inspire Rotschreck, and can kill in seconds. Damage suffered by sunlight per 3 second turn is determined by a Kindred's Humanity and Blood Potency as in the chart below.

Effects of Sunlight
 5-6
 4-0

### Suffering Sunlight Damage

* Direct Sunlight: Flesh begins to sear and smoke, turning black and burning away with direct sunlight; elder Kindred may even catch fire.
* Indirect Sunlight: Makes Kindred feel ill, their bodies beginning to rot, at a level and speed as noted above.
* If a Kindred manages to avoid frenzy at being exposed to sunlight, all rolls are made at the difficulty listed above as matches the level of exposure.
* The charted difficulties also apply to Fortitude soak rolls.
* Examples of Direct Sunlight:
	+ Standing in broad daylight.
	+ Being caught at a window or door as the suns rays enter a room.
	+ Being outside with minimal or no protection.
* Examples of Indirect Sunlight:
	+ Outside at twilight.
	+ Heavy cloud cover.
	+ Outside with heavy protective clothing.

Sources: M20, VtR 2, and House Rules
Blood

Rich, red, glorious blood - Vitae. It is life, and to Kindred, sustenance - the thing that keeps them rising each night. So, naturally, there are quite a few aspects of the game that if affects. The various mechanics of blood are listed below.

1. Blood Alchemy
2. Blood Bonds
3. Blood Potency
4. Blood Sorcery
5. Blood Sympathy
6. Kindred Feeding
7. Spending Blood
8. Vitae Addiction
Armor

Armor of course helps characters avoid damage, but in modern nights it is more about Kevlar and reinforced materials than full-plate get ups. Armor works as follows;

1. The armor rating adds to the wearer's soak dice if a hit lands on an area protected by their armor.
2. However, armor may impose a penalty on Dexterity.
3. Armor does not protect against sunlight or fire unless specifically made to do so.\*

Armor Chart
 2
 3
 4
 5

Sources: VtM & House Rules
Blood Alchemy

Blood Alchemy is the term for various studied schools of scientific or psuedo-scientific strategies for enhancing the feats possible with vitae. Where Blood Sorcery is sensual and arcane, Blood Alchemy is rational and disciplined. Rather than drawing on the primordial essence of the world, it perseveres the intellect of man in communion with or overcoming one's beast. It is based on the faith in one's understanding of the relationship between one's self and the world around you. The Ordo Dracul are the most significant proponents of the practice, but it is not unknown outside of their ranks.

Alchemy is therefore not innate and requires a teacher to be learned. Additionally, the cost to invest in sorcery paths is more expensive than disciplines. There is ample room to homebrew merits related to sorcery casting.

Mechanics

* Blood Alchemy Rolls = Intelligence + BP
* Standard Difficulty for Blood Alchemy Rolls = 8

Source: House Rules & CoD
Episodes

Episodes are listed in order of recording, with Chronicle Games designated by (CG) and Side Stories designated by (SS). Titles link to the summary pages for the given episode, including the link to the You Tube recording for that session. For an in-universe chronology of events, refer to the CHB Timeline.

* Episode 31 - CG: A Stirring in the Deep
* Episode 30 - SS: Blood Doll
* Episode 29 - SS: Tooth and Nail
* Episode 28 - SS: Secrets and Magnolias
* Episode 27 - CG: Blood and Fisticuffs
* Episode 26 - SS: What About Shiloh?
* Episode 25 - CG: About the Giovanni
* Episode 24 - SS: A Walk in the Park
* Episode 23 - SS: Knee High
* Episode 22 - CG: Grazie
* Episode 21 - CG: Ground Beef
* Episode 20 - CG: Ghost in the Warehouse
* Episode 19 - CG: We're All Monsters Here
* Episode 18 - SS: Friends in Spiritual Places
* Episode 17 - CG: Answers
* Episode 16 - CG: Questions
* ***Episode 15*** - CG: Sacrificial Lambs - Carver, Gianna, Ivy, and Suzannah's Embrace Game
* Episode 14 - SS: Runaway Presentee
* Episode 13 - SS: A High Stakes Arrangement
* Episode 12 - SS: Sisters Forever - Eva and Dorothée's (Riddler) Embrace
* Episode 11 - SS: I Promised - Emery's Embrace
* Episode 10 - SS: Legacy - Laurel's Embrace
* Episode 9 - SS: Let's Make a Wager
* Episode 8 - SS Daddy's Back
* Episode 7 - SS: You Give Love a Bad Name - Raegan's Embrace
* Episode 6 - SS: A Dangerous Game
* Episode 5 - SS: Find the Door with the Split Laurel
* Episode 4 - SS: We Should Talk
* Episode 3 - SS: Loose Ends
* Episode 2 - SS: A Good Man - Arrus's Embrace
* Episode 1 - SS: You Deserve Better - Nico's Embrace
Willpower

Willpower (WP) is, in game terms, a measure of how strong willed a character is. It is used to ensure at least some success on dice rolls and to fuel certain abilities. It may also be used in resisting others' attempts to influence a character. CHB House Rules calculate a character's total Willpower rating is equal to the total of their Composure and Resolve attributes. Spending a "point" of Willpower does not deplete the dots of the rating, meaning that Willpower is a resource pool from which a Player Character (and NPCs for the sake of abilities and resistance) can draw.

*For example, if a character has two dots in Composure and three dots in Resolve, their total Willpower rating = 2 + 3 = 5.*

## Earning Back Spent Willpower Points

1. Players will automatically earn back 1 spent Willpower point at the start of every Chronicle Game.
2. Players can earn back spent WP points by taking action to pursue the completion of a long-term (multi-session) aspiration. *Note that completed long-term aspirations earn Experience points instead.*
3. Players may petition the Storyteller to replenish spent Willpower points as reward for having roleplayed their character's Nature/Demeanor (Vice/Virtue, etc.) or an existing, unresolved Condition such as Vitae Addiction, etc. *Note that resolved conditions earn Experience instead.* The Storyteller may also award Willpower for such performance unprompted, if examples of a Player doing so are not called out in post-game.
4. Players can earn back **one** spent Willpower point from Roleplay nominations made in post-game roundtables. If a Player receives a Roleplay nomination but is at full Willpower, they will instead receive a free *Bestial Insight* roll.

## Spending Willpower Points

1. *Players can spend more than one Willpower point per roll and/or scene.*
	* If a player spends WP to activate an ability, they can still spend a second WP point any applicable roll for the ability, but no more than two WP points can be spent per roll.
	* Players can spend as many points of WP as they need/want in any given scene until they run out.
2. Spend Willpower to activate powers as dictated by the rules of any given power/ability such as Disciplines, Blood Sympathy, etc.
3. Spending a point of WP on a roll will guarantee at least one success on the roll.
4. Willpower still applies if re-rolling with Super Dice.

Source: Masquerade & House Rules
Blood Bonds

Blood Bonds, otherwise known as Vinculum, are a tactic often employed by Kindred to ghoul or bind someone to their will.

## Creating a Blood Bond

1. Drinking vitae results in a blood bond for any average mortal, as its potency cannot be resisted save by supernatural means.
2. Kindred or other supernatural beings who drink vitae can attempt to resist it by rolling their power trait (Blood Potency for Kindred) with difficulty increased in conjunction with the amount of blood ingested at a rate of 1 per blood point consumed.
3. Each night a person drinks from the same Kindred within a year will escalate the bond to the next stage.
4. Blood-bonded individuals will find it difficult to resist those to whom they are bound, which can prompt Composure-Resolve rolls and Willpower expenditure.

## Stages of a Blood Bond

1. First Drink - The drinker feels something like butterflies or a basic desire to please those to whom they are bonded. They want to be noticed and seek the approval of the Kindred whose blood they have consumed.
	* The drinker may still share other lower-level bonds with multiple Kindred.
	* The bond expires after 1 year.
2. Second Drink - The emotion tied to the source of the blood deepens to infatuation and a stronger need to be in their presence or service.
	* The drinker may still share other lower-level bonds with multiple Kindred.
	* Bond expires a year from the last dose.
3. Third Drink - The bond reaches peak influence on the new thrall, and the Kindred from whom they have feed, now their Regnant, is not only an object of desire but the most important person in the thrall's life - their god. The feeling can morph into a perverse love, or remain single mounded loyalty.
	* Thralls cannot be bonded to any other Kindred; all lower bonds are broken.
	* Regnants can use Dominate without eye contact with the Thrall.
	* The bond is now permanent, barring extreme supernatural interference, though if neglected, it may eventually cool or lead to the thrall resenting their regnant.

Source: Requiem & Masquerade
Blood Potency

Blood Potency (BP) is a concept introduced in Vampire the Requiem to replace Masquerade's original Generation mechanic. It was combined with an updated version of Generation in V5 mechanics, but the CHB version is based off of 2nd Edition Requiem with a nod towards Generation in that the sire's BP determines the childe's BP. Thin Bloods are an idea introduced in V5.

The higher one's BP, the more powerful their blood. High potency is also a good indicator that a Kindred has either been around for at least a few hundred years or has committed Diablerie.

*Source: VtR 2.0, Masquerade, V5, and House Rules.*
Fire

Fire, one of the two banes all Kindred share, is devastating to Kindred and can quickly lead to final death if they cannot escape exposure. Fire damage can be soaked only by Fortitude.

Exposure Damage per 3 Second Turn
 Half the body
 Entire body

Fortitude Soak Difficulty
 Torch (2nd Degree Burn)
 Bunsen Burner (3rd Degree Burn)
 Electrical Fire
 Chemical Fire
 Molten Metal

Sources: M20
Cover

Cover is the term for physical barriers (or sometimes positions) which make it more difficult to fire and hit a target. Rules for Cover;

1. While they can offer protection, it can also inhibit defensive shots fired back at attackers.
2. Therefore there are modifiers both to hitting a target behind cover and to firing behind certain types of cover.
3. Modifiers are cumulative, meaning that if you are behind cover and also firing at someone behind cover, you must take both the applicable modifier for being behind cover when firing as well as the modifier for hitting someone behind cover.

Cover Modifiers
 2
 3

Sources: VtM
Zachary (30)

*This article is about the chapter. For the character, see Zachary Ezra Rawlins.*

## Zachary (30)

### Book

Book VI: The Secret Diary of Katrina Hawkins

## Order

### Followed by

Kat Hawkins (2)

> The son of the fortune-teller stands in a snow-covered field.
>
> Book VI: The Secret Diary of Katrina Hawkins, **Zachary (30)**

"**Zachary (30)**" is the 30th chapter from Zachary's perspective, and the 70th chapter overall.
Drama Points

Drama Points are the Storyteller's reward for a Roleplay Nomination as given by Players in a post-game Roundtable. This is the CHB iteration of similar, loosely framed concepts our roleplay group has suggested over the years.

## Drama Point Uses

Drama Points are used to spur narrative development and roleplay in two ways:

1. Prompting a dramatic (critical) failure for a typically rolled task.
2. Sending *unprompted* Bestial Insights to Players.

Source: Homebrew & House Rules
Vitae Addiction

Vitae, glorious, rich, delicious vitae, is literally life condensed, and fucking tastes like it. Consequently it extremely addictive. Any character drinking it must roll to determine if they succumb to its powerful high:

1. Roll Resolve + Composure with an increased difficulty for each point of blood consumed.
2. If the roll succeeds, the character avoid addiction.
3. If the roll fails, the character gains the Addicted Condition.
	1. As long as the condition remains active, any instance of the character being tempted by their addiction results in one of three outcomes: indulgence, a successful Resolve + Composure roll, or Deprived Condition.
	2. This condition could easily result in additional blood bonds.
	3. Resolving this condition requires regaining or losing Humanity (Integrity for humans) or rolling exceptionally well on a breaking point.

*Source: VtR 2.0 and House Rules*
Obeah

Obeah is the iconic and purportedly blasphemous (if one believes the Tremere) Discipline of the Salubri clan. Though few in number due to the slanderous efforts of the Tremere and those who joined the hunt against the Salubri, their power is as potent as it ever was. Obeah is a discipline of healing and protection that will leave even the most jaded Kindred in awe of its vitality. See the sources at the bottom of the page for inspiration on the version listed here.

## Other Powers of Obeah

Obeah Amalgams and Devotions
 Rayzeel's Song

Sources: VtDA, M20, House Rules, and a dash of Homebrew.
A Walk in the Park

Colt
Cressida
Fedora
Julian
Sebastian
Silas

 A
 1. Suzanna meets up with the Sheriff at a park, the two talking as the stroll the paths.
2. They talk about Kindred life and how there are only 10 - 12 dozen of them in the town due to its circumstances.
3. Bartholomew advises her not to cling too harshly to her current life because she is bound to lose it, though Suzanna is not sure she can act on the advice.
4. She is interested in his work and learns that it is slow and varies but amounts to investigating breaches of the traditions.
5. Bartholomew informs Suzanna that a woman named Siobhan handles Masquerade breach cover ups specifically, and that Ajax is another member of Jezebel’s court who may act as backup muscle where needed.
6. Suzanna thinks the idea of new Kindred failing to accept what they’ve become is weak, and Bartholomew realizes her sentiment.
 B
 1. Otto is manning the door that night.
2. Suzanna then returns to Elysium and is again let in without cost on the condition that it is the last on the house entry she’ll have until she of course returns to work.
3. Suzanna asks to talk with Cressida, and the two go to the back where the feeding occurs to do so.
4. Cressida explains that her sire died and that in his absence, this was the life she settled into, feeling lost. She is addicted to the feeling of being fed on, and in this way, she gets what she wants and people become willing to underestimate her.
5. Suzanna learns of the harpy massacre a few fifty years ago when the harpies attempted to work with the Camarilla to oust Jezebel, but she instead trapped them in a hall at a feast laid in their honor. She left them staked to the table as the hall burnt down around them, and her sire was among them.
 C
 1. After talking with Cressida, Suzanna spends some time in the main room, where Julian introduces himself in all his slimily suave manner.
2. Colt remains at the bar with Silas, so Suzanna never learns his name.
3. He tries to goad Suzanna into revealing more details about herself or her companions, but she doesn’t take the bait.
4. Fedora leaves somewhere in the midst of this.
5. Eventually, Sebastian, frustrated with Julian’s loud mouth, inserts himself into the conversation to irritate Julian and offer Suzanna a lifeline.
 D
 1. Sebastian is gone by the time Suzanna makes it up the ladder again, but as she steps out of the alley, someone grabs her arm.
2. She turns around to see Fedora holding her hands up to show she doesn’t mean harm.
3. The woman introduces herself and says she merely wishes to make herself known since the group never made their way to the Menagerie the night Bartholomew told her about them.
Blood Sympathy

Blood Sympathy is the term for a Kindred's connection to others of their kind. It is similar to the biological connection between humans except that it has strong, demonstrable, and emotional affects. Closely related Kindred feel one another's torpor and final deaths, additionally, they may also feel strong emotions - particularly frenzy. Sympathy ties can also make it easier to affect related Kindred with disciplines or to determine another's mood.

When sympathy is triggered, depending on the strength of it, the receiver will experience some sort of sensation which communicates the state of the sender. The stronger the trigger/sensation, the more real the feeling for the receiver. Kindred can also willingly trigger their sympathetic bonds with others.

## Blood Sympathy Rolls

1. Spend a point of Willpower to initiate.
2. Roll Wits (or Empathy - TBD) + Blood Potency
3. Difficulty is determined by the chart below but the CHB version of the Close Family merit can add bonus dice and decrease the difficulty.

Degrees of Relation
 2nd
 3rd
 4th

Source: VtR 2.0
Main Page

"I walk the street's of New Orleans

With the girl of my dream's

I've seen a dozen brass bands play and swing

While little children laugh , dance & sing

I've seen old men drunk singin' the blues

With top hats, canes and spectator shoes

I consider myself lucky to have fallen in love

With a girl, the city and the river of mud...

New Orleans, New Orleans."

~ From "Save My Soul" written by Scotty A. Morris and performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

## Our Story

New Orleans- a culture steeped metropolis by day, and by night, many a monster's haunt. Naturally all monsters guard their territory jealously. It is there home, after all. But these nights some find themselves wondering if the city is still willing to indulge their ghastly existence. The city's Kindred grow restless; their numbers are dwindling, bolstered only by the desperate outcasts of other domains seeking refuge in a cursed city none other dare enter. It has been a century - when will the blight be lifted? What price must be paid, and who must pay it? Follow the cast of Charnel House Blues as they discover the soul of the city they call home and fight to save - or destroy it.

## Our Game

Charnel House Blues is a hybrid Vampire game based in the lore and mechanics of old-school Masquerade while borrowing favored mechanics from Requiem and V5. See the Sources page for a break down on the phrasing and abbreviations for the various source books and homebrew items.

## Where to Start

1. The Story So Far
2. Table of Contents
3. Episodes
4. Creative Content
Experience

Experience is of course the points earned throughout game play which can be used to purchase character upgrades. For CHB, players can earn Experience in line with the Masquerade model (as opposed to VtR beats).

1. ***Players - Please keep track of the total experience points allotted to, earned, and spent on each of your player characters! Your storyteller will use this to gauge additions to PCs and to allot spending amounts for new PCs in the event of a PC death.***
2. **All templates and questionnaires are linked below for Players to copy and complete.**
	* *To complete the **Character Disposition**, save it locally as a picture, use Paint to color the bars, then upload it to the Backstage Content Discord thread for the applicable character.*
3. ***All creative content, templates, and questionnaires should be linked on Discord in the Backstage Content thread for your character in order to receive credit.***
4. **Wiki and Setting contribution items will be added to the Wiki by the Storyteller as needed in line with chronicle events and revelations.**
Deprived Condition

When an Addicted character fails their Willpower roll (Resolve + Composure) to resist the siren's call of their addiction and still refrain from indulging or are prevented from doing so, they become Deprived. In this state their temper and intellects are frayed, making them easily angered and distracted, and all the while the ever-present itch they can't scratch hovers in the back of their minds, causing an anxious fog.

**Mechanically**, this means that the character's resistance trait (Stamina, Resolve, and Composure) *dice pools* are reduced by one. *For example, a deprived character rolling Strength (3) + Stamina (2) to damage a door would be rolling 4 instead of 5.* Roleplaying the condition is also grounds for earning back spent willpower points during the post-game Roundtable.

**Resolution** requires the deprived person get the fix they are craving.

*Source: VtR 2.0*
Devotion

Devotion is the term typically used in both Requiem and older versions of Masquerade to indicate powers achieved through the applied combination of separate Disciplines. However, as the term "Amalgam" is a more accurate label for such abilities, Amalgam will be used in lieu of the word Devotion for this purpose in CHB.

Therefore, in CHB terms, Devotion will only refer to powers created by furthering competency in a single Discipline. This may be used to for custom, homebrew effects created in the vein of a particular Discipline or as a way of incorporating abilities from various iterations of a discipline into CHB.

For example, V5 has multiple abilities that can be bought for each level of the common Disciplines. CHB does not, due to basing mechanics largely off of old-school Masquerade rules. But one of those ability options could be purchased for use in CHB as a Devotion.

Devotion dot ratings are based off of the dot level of the power required before the Devotion can be used. If the effect is lesser than the required dot, the rating is half of the required dot rounded down. If the power is equivalent in scope of effect to the required power, it will be one dot less than required power.

Sources: Masquerade, Requiem, & House Rules
Final Death

Final Death is the term for a Kindred truly dying. Final Death occurs when a Kindred's body is fully destroyed by aggravated damage or their soul\* is somehow detached from their body. If a Kindred's soul is detached from their body, it will decay at the expected pace for the age of the Kindred. Neonates bodies decay to a point relative to how long they have been "dead," that is, existed as Kindred. Young ancilla's bodies are typically reduced to bone, while older ancilla and elders turn to dust.

Sources: VtM and House Rules
Close Family

Close Family is a merit that augments Blood Sympathy. The idea is to reflect a character's heightened connection to their Kindred relations by improving the odds of rolling well when trying initiating sympathy.

 3
 5
Additionally, you receive the 8 again re-roll benefit on Blood Sympathy rolls.

*Source: VtR 2.0 modified for Masquerade and House Rules*