Character Creation

# So you want to make a character

Philadelphia by night is largely based on Vampire the Masquerade Revised ruleset. However, Due to the nature and the size of a living server, as well as in attempt to make the game more satisfying, a number of houserules had been implemented. This guide aims to give you one stop place to guide your character creation.

> Players are allowed to have only one character at a time and they MUST be a vampire.
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## **Step 0: Preparations**

If you are a newcomer to the World of Darkness, you might want to ask questions in the appropriate channel before going on and creating a concept that, while amazing, might not be as viable. We will ask you to create a folder for your character in Google Drive and use the resources we provide in Character Folder . Everything that you will write for or in relation to your character will need to be uploaded there so it can be viewed by the Storytellers. We understand that this may seem complicated to less tech savvy, but due to the ratio of Storytellers to Players it's necessary to have an easy, clear and uniform place to store a lot of character information. If you are struggling, please look through this handy Tutorial that will take you through the process step by step.

## **Step 1: Concept**

Think of the type of a character you want to play, their personality, quirks, nature and demeanor, their clan and goals. Once you are ready, contact a Storyteller and ask to roll for your characters generation. You do NOT need to purchase generation with background dots.

## **Step 2: Backstory**

A backstory for your character serves to allow the Storytellers to engage them on the more personal level, as well as know what type of play interests you as a player. Each 250 words will award you 15 experience points to start with, up to 150 and depending on it, the Storytellers may choose to award additional Generation points to your character.

## **Step 3: The starting sheet**

In the drive folder you copied, you will find an exel sheet titled “Character sheet”. Be not afraid! It is your friend. It is easily editable and provides us a modifiable and easy to look up sheet. It will keep your sheet, XP spends, notes and details and whatever else you find important. We largely follow the creation rules for sects outlined in their respective guidebooks. However, due to a raging boner White wolf has for Anarchs, other sects had been awarded small boosts too. Please follow one of the templates outlined below.

### Camarilla creation

1) Character Concept

Choose Concept, Clan, Nature, and Demeanor.

2) Select Attributes

Each character starts creation with 1 dot in each Attribute.

Rank categories of Attributes in order of importance to your character: Physical, Social, and Mental.

Allocate 7 dots among primary Attributes.

Allocate 5 dots among secondary Attributes.

Allocate 3 dots among tertiary Attributes.

3) Select Abilities

Rank categories of Abilities in order of importance to your character: Talents, Knowledges, and Skills.

Allocate 13 dots among chosen primary Abilities.

Allocate 9 dots among chosen secondary Abilities.

Allocate 5 dots among chosen tertiary Abilities.

Note: No Ability shall have more than 3 dots at this stage. The points may be spent on purchasing secondary abilities.

4) Select Advantages

Choose Disciplines (3), Backgrounds (9), and Virtues (7). Your character automatically receives one dot in each Humanity Virtue.

Note: Disciplines chosen at this stage need to be Clan disciplines.

5) Finishing Touches

Record Humanity rating (equal to Conscience + Self Control), Willpower (equal to Courage), and blood pool (depends on the generation).

Spend freebie points (15), and optionally, Merits and Flaws (max. 7 points gained by flaws)

Note: Please record where your freebie points had been spent in the notes section of the Character sheet.

### Sabbat creation

1) Character Concept

Choose Concept, Clan, Nature, and Demeanor.

2) Select Attributes

Each character starts creation with 1 dot in each Attribute.

Rank categories of Attributes in order of importance to your character: Physical, Social, and Mental.

Allocate 7 dots among primary Attributes.

Allocate 5 dots among secondary Attributes.

Allocate 3 dots among tertiary Attributes.

3) Select Abilities

Rank categories of Abilities in order of importance to your character: Talents, Knowledges, and Skills.

Allocate 13 dots among chosen primary Abilities.

Allocate 9 dots among chosen secondary Abilities.

Allocate 5 dots among chosen tertiary Abilities.

Note: No Ability shall have more than 3 dots at this stage. The points may be spent on purchasing secondary abilities.

4) Select Advantages

Choose Disciplines (5), Backgrounds (0), and Virtues (5). Your character automatically receives one dot in each Humanity Virtue.

Note: Disciplines chosen at this stage need to be Clan disciplines.

5) Finishing Touches

Record Humanity/Path rating (equal to Conscience/Conviction + Self Control/Instinct), Willpower (equal to Courage), and blood pool (depends on the generation).

Spend freebie points (15), and optionally, Merits and Flaws (max. 7 points gained by flaws)

Note: Please record where your freebie points had been spent in the notes section of the Character sheet.

### Anarch creation

1) Character Concept

Choose Concept, Clan, Nature, and Demeanor.

2) Select Attributes

Each character starts creation with 1 dot in each Attribute.

Rank categories of Attributes in order of importance to your character: Physical, Social, and Mental.

Allocate 6 dots among primary Attributes.

Allocate 5 dots among secondary Attributes.

Allocate 3 dots among tertiary Attributes.

3) Select Abilities

Rank categories of Abilities in order of importance to your character: Talents, Knowledges, and Skills.

Allocate 12 dots among chosen primary Abilities.

Allocate 8 dots among chosen secondary Abilities.

Allocate 5 dots among chosen tertiary Abilities.

Note: No Ability shall have more than 3 dots at this stage. The points may be spent on purchasing secondary abilities.

4) Select Advantages

Choose Disciplines (4), Backgrounds (6), and Virtues (7). Your character automatically receives one dot in each Humanity Virtue.

Note: Disciplines chosen at this stage need to be Clan disciplines.

5) Finishing Touches

Record Humanity/Path rating (equal to Conscience/Conviction + Self Control/Instinct), Willpower (equal to Courage), and blood pool (depends on the generation).

Spend freebie points (18), and optionally, Merits and Flaws (max. 7 points gained by flaws)

Note: Please record where your freebie points had been spent in the notes section of the Character sheet.

### Independent/Other creation

1) Character Concept

Choose Concept, Clan, Nature, and Demeanor.

2) Select Attributes

Each character starts creation with 1 dot in each Attribute.

Rank categories of Attributes in order of importance to your character: Physical, Social, and Mental.

Allocate 7 dots among primary Attributes.

Allocate 5 dots among secondary Attributes.

Allocate 3 dots among tertiary Attributes.

3) Select Abilities

Rank categories of Abilities in order of importance to your character: Talents, Knowledges, and Skills.

Allocate 13 dots among chosen primary Abilities.

Allocate 9 dots among chosen secondary Abilities.

Allocate 5 dots among chosen tertiary Abilities.

Note: No Ability shall have more than 3 dots at this stage. The points may be spent on purchasing secondary abilities.

4) Select Advantages

Choose Disciplines (3), Backgrounds (5), and Virtues (7). Your character automatically receives one dot in each Humanity Virtue.

Note: Disciplines chosen at this stage need to be Clan disciplines.

5) Finishing Touches

Record Humanity rating (equal to Conscience + Self Control), Willpower (equal to Courage), and blood pool (depends on the generation).

Spend freebie points (15), and optionally, Merits and Flaws (max. 7 points gained by flaws)

Note: Please record where your freebie points had been spent in the notes section of the Character sheet.

## **Step 4: Backgrounds and hunting**

Did you take a Retainer, Brood, Spirit slave? They will need a description and a sheet. Allies, Contacts? We need to know who they are. A domain or a haven? Describe them to us. Resources or Influence? Tell us where it all comes from. Alternate Identity or Certification? Where and in what. Please record a small description of your backgrounds in the appropriate space on the Character sheet

After that, please choose your characters preferred hunting method from this list and make sure you have a dice pool for it.

## **Step 5: Submitting your Character for approval**

Once your basic sheet is complete, you need to do the following: go to the channel called #role-chages (you will find it at the bottom with other bot channels), type **!join-role @Submission** there**.** It will enable you to see the #new-characters channel. Leave the link to your folder there, as well as say whatever you may have in mind. Once done, we would ask you to return to the bot chanel and type **!leave-role @Submission.**

## **Step 6: Details and XP**

Once one of our Character Coordinators looked at your sheet and read your backstory, they will contact you and discuss any unclear points. After that, they will award you starting XP. Spend and record your starting XP in the appropriate tab of the sheet.

## **Step 7: Launch!**

After your Character Coordinator has looked over all of your spendings, they will give you the tags you need to start the game and see IC channels. We hope you will have fun here! A few tips to starting in Philadelphia: First of all, you might want to do a few social scenes with your fellow players to get the feel for the setting and your new character. After that, if you would like to start getting into investigations or plots, you may want to look at the #the-rumor-mill channel and start from there. You may also arrange meetings with NPCs, join with players in their investigations and do whatever else you might think of!

# **Things to keep in mind**

This chapter will aim to give you a short description of secondary abilities and backgrounds we use. Secondary abilities are mainly used to LOWER the difficulty of certain tasks, here you will find a short description of the most commonly used ones. NO secondary can be used in combat. If something is not on this list it can always be added.

### Two reworked knowledges:

Occult determines some common supernatural knowledge the character may have

Sabbat Ritae are treated as a knowledge, not a background

Specialties:

Ant ability or attribute that has reached 4 dots gains a specialty that allows you to reroll 10s. Please choose and record your specialties on your sheet, otherwise you will be counted as not having them.

## **Secondaries**

### Talents

**Carousing** - Carousing includes the ability to appear to eat and drink, normally, without actually doing so. Could be used for feigning humanity

**Diplomacy** - You have the ability to deal with people of all types and creeds. Is used for convincing and some Presence.

**Fortune** **Telling** - You may or may not have the gift to tell accurate fortunes, but you can make people believe you do.

**Haggling** - You are skilled at bargaining and can reduce another’s price, or get some other concession, under most circumstances. Is used in Finance related rolls.

**Interrogation** - You are able to extract information from people by fair means or foul. Is used in situation of questioning targets.

**Intrigue** - You know the finer points of plotting and deal-making in the halls of power. Can be used in some influence related rolls.

**Mimicry** - You have a very versatile voice, and can imitate accents, people and sometimes other sounds.. Can be used in pretending, some Fleshcrafting, or Mask of 1000 Faces.

**Public** **Speaking** - You are able to mold the emotions of a crowd by making a speech. This might be at a political rally, in a courtroom, at a lecture or even at the barricades once the revolution is underway. Is used in leadership related rolls.

**Scan** - You are practiced at noticing small details and changes in the environment when you purposely look at or listen to what is going on around you. Is used for perception related rolls for noticing things.

**Seduction** - You know how to lure, attract and command the attention of others in a sexual manner. Is used in feeding or, go figure, seduction, as well as most Presence powers.

**Style** - You may not have been born good-looking, or possessed of a natural charm, but you know how to dress and make the most of your appearance. May be applied to some appearance based rolls.

**Swimming**, **Running**, **Climbing** etc - You are able to perform an athletic task with great ease. Used in related rolls.

**Throwing** - You know how to throw things in general, and how to use various types of thrown weapons. Does NOT apply in combat

**Intuition** - A 6th sense of sorts. Can be used in some perception rolls, Lie checks and some Auspex powers.

**Prowling** - You know how to stick to shadows and step softly. Is used for stealth related rolls as well as some Obfuscate.

**Masquerade** - The ability to blend in with humans. Affects hunting difficulty when applicable.

### Skills

**Singing**, **Drawing**, **Writing, Sculpting, Dancing, Pottery** etc - You have the talent to produce works of art in various media. Used for creating the relevant art.

**Acrobatics** - You are a trained tumbler and acrobat, able to perform feats of agility far beyond the capabilities of an untrained character. For each success with this Skill, a character can ignore one Health Level of falling damage, as well as used in related rolls.

**Animal** **Training**- You are able to train animals to obey commands and possibly perform tricks or other feats. Can be used in hunting when targeting animals or other related rolls, some Animalism powers.

**Trickshots** - You can hit a fly in the eye if you try hard enough. Does NOT apply in combat.

**Bribery** - You know how, when and where to grease palms. Can be used in some Influence related rolls.

**Camouflage** - You can change your appearance through a mixture of clothing, makeup and movement, rendering you difficult to spot in a variety of different surroundings. Can be used in stealth related rolls, as well as during Unseen Presence.

**Cooking** - You know how to prepare a variety of meals, and present them in an appealing manner. Used in cooking. Go figure.

**Debate** - You are skilled at reasoned debate, and can present a convincing case through reason and logic. Used in convincing targets.

**Disguise** - You can conceal your appearance and even make yourself look like another specific person through the use of clothes and makeup. Can be used in pretending to be someone else or Mask of 1000 Faces.

**Escapology** - You are skilled in various techniques that enable you to escape from bonds and restraints. Is used in escaping bounds.

**First** **Aid** - This Skill allows a character to give basic medical attention to another. Does NOT work on kindred.

**Forgery** - You can copy a document or two-dimensional artwork well enough to enable it to appear as the real thing under casual inspection, and perhaps more detailed inspection as well. Can be used to manufacture documents.

**Herbalism** - You have a working knowledge of herbs and their properties, medicinal and otherwise. You can find and prepare herbs, and know which herb or blend of herbs to use in any situation.

**Hunting** - You are skilled at finding and killing animals for food or sport. Applies in hunting on animals.

**Hypnotism** - You can place a willing subject into a trance, and use hypnotism to gather information or treat psychiatric problems. An unwilling subject must be immobilized or Dominated to comply.

**Journalism** - You not only know how to write news stories, but also how to research and discover them in the first place. This Skill also gives you knowledge about the inner workings of a newsroom and a newspaper as a whole. Applies to some investigation rolls

**Lip** **Reading** - You are able to understand speech without hearing it, just by watching mouth movement. Though you will not pick up on every word, you can usually figure out the gist of a sentence without too much trouble.

**Lockpicking** - You are able to open locks without the correct key or the right combination.

**Mechanic** - You are a jack-of-all-trades with a particular affinity for mechanical devices, and can jerry-rig or repair just about anything mechanical, given the right tools and materials.

**Meditation** - You are able to enter a trance-like state at will, focusing your mind inward and dealing with a range of mental and physical problems. Is used for regaining willpower.

**Pickpocket** - You are able to remove objects from someone else’s clothing and body without the person’s knowledge. You generally bump into the person to distract her as you remove the object.

**Pilot** - You can operate a flying machine. Note that your skill limits the types of aircraft you can fly. Is required for operating flying vehicles

**Police** **Procedure** - You know the general techniques and procedures employed by law enforcement authorities, and may utilize them yourself. Can be used in some influence, investigation, law related rolls.

**Research** - You are highly skilled at finding information from conventional sources. Is used in developing new items and Investigation related rolls.

**Ride** - You can climb onto a riding animal and stand a good chance of getting where you want to go without falling off, if you can find one.

**Sleight** **of Hand** - The quickness of your hands can deceive the eyes of others. You can perform magic tricks and other feats of legerdemain. Can be used in tricks and some Chemistry powers.

**Torture** - You know how to inflict pain. Your ability is so precise as to be a science. You are capable of interrogating prisoners through torture and prolonging their suffering, keeping them barely alive — or undead. Can be used in gaining information or breaking subjects.

**Tracking** - You can identify the trail of an animal or person, and follow it under most conditions. Used in trailing or hunting.

**Crafting and Fleshcrafting related** - If you plan to do either, please make sure you have the appropriate secondaries and have read the house rules for it

**Fire Dancing** - Only available to Sabbat, the skill is only useful during the ritae of the same name.

### Knowledges

**Sciences**: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology etc

**Academics**: Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Heraldry etc

**Medical**: Surgery, Epidemiology etc

**Lores**: Kindred, Sabbat, Werewolf etc (See the full list on the site)

**Accounting**, **Economics** - You can set up and keep account in the commercially approved, conventional manner. Used in finance related rolls.

**Area Knowledge** - You are familiar with an area usually a city — and know a fair amount about its structure, history, geography and mortal politics. Used in some investigation rolls.

**Computer Hacking** - Hacking allows the computer user to break the rules. Used in Computer hacking.

**Criminology** - You have studied the nature of crime when, where, how and why it is committed, the nature of the criminal mind and the history of famous cases. Used in some investigation rolls.

**Cryptography** - You may skillfully compose and interpret codes and ciphers. Used encoding and decoding.

**Forensics** - You are trained in the recognition and interpretation of physical clues. You can examine the scene of a crime, for instance, and find out the race, sex, build, hair color, clothing type and probable social class of everyone who was there in the last three to four days. Used in some investigation rolls.

**Naturalist** - You are a student of animal behavior. Through study or experience, you know when and where to find certain animals, how to watch them without provoking them to run away or attack you, and how they react to certain things. Used in some Animalism and hunting rolls.

**Psychoanalysis** - You are skilled in diagnosing and treating mental ailments (such as Derangements) without resorting to the use of behavior-altering drugs. Even Freud couldn’t cure people in a single session, so be patient! No amount of Psychoanalysis can cure a Malkavian’s initial derangement. Is used in curing Derangements.

**Psychology** - You have a formal education in the science of human nature. You know the modern theories of emotion, cognitive development, personality, perception and learning. Is used in telling and detecting lies, as well as some Dominate and Dementation powers.

**Toxicology** - You have a working knowledge of poisons, their effects and antidotes. You must have at least one dot in either Chemistry or Biology to acquire this Knowledge.

**Enigmas** - Your ability to solve riddles, both literal and figurative. Applicable in some investigation rolls.

## Backgrounds

**Influence** - Is split between following categories: Bureaucracy, Church, Finance, Industry, Legal, Media, Occult, Police, Political, Street, Transportation, Underworld, University.

**Resources** - Had been given new values, inflation is a bitch.

**Allies** - People who will help you

**Contacts** - People who will give you information

**Mentor** - Can serve as a teacher on number of knowledges and lores.

**Human retainers** - While your character may have as many ghouls as they can feed only a certain amount of them may be retainers.

**Animal retainers** - To get most of your little furry friends you will need to have Animalism at least 1.

**Brood** - Brood are retainers but unlike Ghouls they arent fully under the characters control.

**Wraith/Spirit slaves** - To take this background your character needs to have an ability to interact and command said creatures.

**Fame** - Brings you money and makes hunting easier. What could go wrong?

**Alternate Identity** - Refers to identification you may have in kine world and infiltration into any sect.

**Certification** - Special Kine documentation

**Occult Library** - Helps with occult related rolls

**Haven** - Where you sleep

**Domain** - Where you hunt

**Herd** - Who you hunt

**Sect or Clan status** - Represents status, not a station