General World of Darkness Discussion Thread QQ Edition

[shadowdice]

So would the VTM 20th Anniversary Edition be better?

Click to shrink...

Yes. The only thing I take out of V5 is loresheets which are weird background bundles

the game says to treat it as if lower levels don't apply if you get a higher level one, but I ignore that and instead treat it as more of a faction/favor tracker or something from a long term project

ex
Kindred Iconography works for if your person is actively making waves in the fashion world

Descendant of Montano is something I treat as shadow magic Merlin watching his descendants and showing favor (similar for other loresheets where it comes from relation to a methuselah) and I've made custom loresheets based upon the ancestry of player characters, though it is not necessarily always helpful as enemy lines exist and means an ancient is interested in them

 

[Maragas]

V5 is something alright...but not very good.

Just stick to V20 or even CofD VTR

 

[Triumvirate_PHO]

Does anyone know a good interactive character sheet for VTM and a creation system for elder vampires?

 

[shadowdice]

Does anyone know a good interactive character sheet for VTM and a creation system for elder vampires?

Click to shrink...

Kismet Rose's elder creation system is good (can probably just put in that title as that is what it is literally called)

I think that there is an official one for VTM v20 that you can download of off drive thru RPG

 

[Maragas]

Does anyone know a good interactive character sheet for VTM and a creation system for elder vampires?

Click to shrink...

If you are going to play an Elder or above game, consult ST. Different STs have different ways of creating them.

If you are the ST, providing for players then either adjust the normal character creation for Elders, like say doubling the available points for normal Elders and allowing abilities to raise past 3 in character creation or just use some homebrew of somebody else.

If it's for NPCs and ST only characters, don't bother and just make a character with what you think appropriate.

Fun fact of the day, if needs arise forget Hitmarks or Drone Strikes, you will get Orbital Strikes to support you as a Technocratic Member.

Spoiler: Drone Strikes? Try Orbital Strikes!

 

[Ragura]

Just tried Werewolf: The Savage Age (i.e. WtA: Ice Age) and it is really good
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/288401/The-Savage-Age-Intro-Bundle---BUNDLE

 

[heralding_bubble]

I am going to read through this thread one day.
The lore is interesting as fuck and I'm going to drown myself in it.
One day.
Thanks for writing these.

 

[Maragas]

You know what, let's forget about that disappointment and learn about some Monsters! Specifically Dragons! Why Dragons you ask? Because I started writing a general Bygones post but it turned into Dragons. I don't know how to be honest.

Now Bygones, they are your ye old monsters and beings from legends and myths. Similar to Changelings they also got basically decimated by Humans not believing in them and actively disbelieving in them. But unlike Changelings, they weren't able to circumvent it and just died or got banished to the Umbra. Those who got banished to Umbra are usually the most powerful Bygones, like Dragons.

But first what are Bygones exactly?

Spoiler: The Six-Million-Dollar question

They are mythological beings from legends. Depending on your campaign, they could be dying, dead or doing just fine. They may not even exist if you don't want to crowd your game.

But why are they Bygones?

Spoiler: Disbelief, Consensus, White Wolf wanting it, it could be anything

Basically, they are dying because they can't survive in the modern world. Apparently, they are even more sensitive to this kind of thing than even Werewolfs. Even if humans believed in them they are basically unable to adapt to the modern world by large (There is an exception, I will show it at the end)
In fact, one of their main problems is that humans basically become their hunters. Whatever it be Magi, Vampire, Hunters, etc.

Though in the end, what will happen to Bygones?

Spoiler: The Last Stand

If the Age of Reason continues, they will just die out. If not, they will continue to live and a new breed of monsters born from the desperation and nurtured by human fear might rise from the ashes of the Age of Reason.
Once again, I can't tell if we are supposed to feel bad for Bygones or just shrug our shoulders. Like Werewolves I suppose.

By the way, I pranked you guys, this is from the perspective of a 12th-15th century observer. They are already extinct on Earth by modern times.

Spoiler: Future Fate

Really though, let's learn about Dragons!

Spoiler: Here be dragons.

They are the greatest enforces of Gaia's order. Even more than Werewolves. Fitting that they are a reflection of humanity, be it on our desires or our phenomenal cosmic power.
They are the storm, the hurricane, the blight and the famine, the fire and the flood. They are quite literally walking disasters. (Yes, you could have a Godzilla as a Dragon in a modern setting, nuclear breath can be a thing. If you are curious ask me)

Spoiler: Types of Dragon and Dragon Meetings

There are three types of dragons.

Spoiler: Celestial Dragons

Celestial Dragons; the power incarnate. They are usually powerful enough to face a minor god and are servants of Gods. No joke, unless you have a cabal of Master Mages (or you are an Archmage), a powerful Voidcraft from Void Engineers, a high torment powerful Demon or an Antediluvian don't even try facing one. I would rather face a Space Behemoth than face a Celestial Dragon because the former at least lacks numerous magical abilities. Imagine Shenron from Dragon Ball.

Spoiler: The Greater Wyrms

Greater Wyrms: They are your classic dragons. They are much smaller and powerful than the Celestials but they are still a force to be reckoned with. No really, look at their stats, and Health Levels, when they mature. Oh yeah, the X/X/X/X format in their Attributes shows their stats in their different stages of maturity. Which is in order; Hatchling, Young, Mature, Elder. Everything else is for Mature dragons.

Spoiler: The Lesser Dragons

The Lesser Dragons: They are sad dragons. No really, I feel bad for them. They are still scary in combat and hard as fuck to put down but they are the weakest type of dragon for a reason. (I only included Lindworm here because I am tired of splicing images)

Lastly, before we end this I said I was going to show you an exception to the whole "not being able to adapt to the modern world" thing. My favorite Dragon;

Spoiler: Caduceus and the City of Brass and Flame

My boi here is a Dragon of Technology! You can see the bias against him even while they were writing this. (Nature good, technology bad) He isn't even a Malfean Wyrm.

I have to end this here because I hit the image limit and if I continue without images it wouldn't fit the purpose of this thread, citation with sources. But generally, they are about where dragons live, their interaction with the Umbra and how the modern world changed them (They mostly went to the Umbra with some remaining in Africa and the Americas but it's still painful to live on Earth. Some become willing servants of the Wyrm, the Malfean Wyrm I mean, and getting ready to destroy the modern world.)
So how did you guys find the Dragons? Would you play as one? Though you are heavily encouraged to play a Lesser Dragon rather than a Greater Wyrm.

 

[Maragas]

I said I was going to do Changing Breeds and so I will.

Let's learn about all the Weres other than Werewolfs!

Spoiler: Other Skins

First thing you should know that Gaia created each of her children with different purposes. Garou the Warriors, Corax the Messengers, Bastet, Kitsune and Camazotz the Spies, Gurahl and Grondr the Guardians and the Purifiers, Nagah the Assassins, Apis the Caretakers and Matchmakers, Mokole are the Lore Keepers and lastly Rokea to survive as they are ageless beings.
Later Gaia even created Ratkin for the purposes of culling the Human population. They each had a specific duty to the world.

On a smaller note, Ananasi aren't children of Gaia. They are the children of Ananasa, the daughter of the Weaver. And thus they are Granddaughters of the Weaver. When the War of Rage started and Garou accused them of Wyrm-taint, like they always do when they want to slaughter someone or genocide, they slipped away using the secrets of the Weaver.

Spoiler: Here comes the Rage Train

All of this changed when The Fire Nation Garou Nation attacked. It was a slaughter, every Fera, shapeshifting species other than Garou, was the target of Garou's Rage and it was thus called War of Rage. It caused the total extinction of Apis and Grondr, caused the extinction of Camazotz in Europe, reduced the numbers of every other shapeshifter species, and caused Rokea to retreat from land entirely. (Except Kitsune, they were fine as they just escaped.)
Then when America was discovered and the Garou Nation found the remaining Camazotz they declared another but smaller War of Rage and finished the job, totally killing Camazotz.

Spoiler

Especially tragic ones are the Apis and Grondr. Apis were the caretakers of all, including being one of the most peaceful Changing Breeds. Grondr on the other than was Gaia's primary answer for corruption and taint. Able to cleanse huge chunks of land from any corruption and come back unchanged.

But let's see what remains one by one.

Spoiler: Ajaba

Ajaba, they are the werehyenas. Once they ruled all of Africa by their ideals, cull the weak, sickly, old, misshapen and warped. They were a Matriarchy and lived in packs of at least a dozen up to 100.
But after Simba, the Werelions subtribe of Bastet, kicked their shit in, killed the majority of them and showed what happens when they are the ones weak and now they are mostly on the run in Africa. Their numbers are low, they even abandoned thousands of years of tradition and duty like culling the weak and even their Matriarchy as there aren't enough females to fill all the spots.

Basically, if you want to play as Hyenas from the Lion King, they are your jam. Plus who doesn't love an underdog story? (Remember, they might become strong warriors or shamans but they still start with Willpower 3. They aren't exceptional.)

Spoiler: Ananasi

Ananasi, the werespiders. Unlike anything in this list, they aren't a child of Gaia. They are actually granddaughters of the Weaver. They are usually very focused on their to free their Mother, Queen Anansi. They are easily one of the most numerous breeds and no one knows their exact numbers as spiders breed fast. But they are solitary in nature. They possess no weakness and brag about it. They are incredibly connected to The Great Web aka Tellurian aka the Universe and they are expert manipulators of the Gauntlet. (They are best at it when they are in a City or better yet, near a computer. They are basically best friends with Technocracy and it isn't surprising if you get a creepy stalker when playing a Technocratic character*)
Their emotions are muted compared to Humans and they are downright emotionless compared to Werewolfs.

They also use Blood rather than Rage, unlike any other breeds. They are quite shittier at it than Vampires unless they specialize and it's usually weaker than Rage but it can be handier and replenish faster than Rage as long as they have prey in sight.
If you want to play a loner or mixed packs with multiple different breeds this is for you. Ananasi usually don't play together.

*I am not joking, if you are playing with an ST who knows his stuff about WTA in a Technocracy campaign, you may get a stalker. Like how some Tradition Mages find Bubasti stalking them.

Spoiler

Spoiler: Bastet

Bastet, the werecats. The most important thing to know about them is that they are vain. No joke, half the reason why they are included in the War of Rage by Garuo is that they annoyed them so much that they were pretty much added to the list of races to genocide because of their vanity.
Other than that they are awesome. Do you want to play a Werelion? A Werepanther? A Weretiger? Here is your breed. They are like Ananasi very solitary hunters except for Simba with their prides. But they have very strong Master-Student relationships. Plus all cubs get trained before they are let go.

Important tip, if you are going to play Bubasti, they are an Egyptian-bound subtribe that can never leave Egypt or they will go extinct. You can thank Set for that. Set cursed Bubasti with the opposite of the Silent Striders, they can never leave Egypt unless they are willing to test it.
Another tip, if you want to play Bastet but you are new to the whole "Fera" thing. Go play Simba. Werelions are exactly like Werewolfs but better. (Fight me

)

Spoiler: Simba

They are a great Fera to play.

I will continue this later but for now, my room is too hot and I am tired of sitting on a chair. I hope you guys like it.

What are your thoughts about Fera? About War of Rage? Which one would you play as? Which one sounds coolest?

 

[Maragas]

Wyrm, the big bad of the Werewolfs.

Spoiler: Wyrm's Madness and Weaver's Existential Crisis

Originally he was the Keeper of Balance. The Wyld creates, the Weaver directs and gives form and the Wyrm destroys the excess and the broken.
Then the Weaver become conscious enough to realize "WTF am I doing with my life" and decided that she doesn't want her creations getting destroyed so she trapped the Wyrm. The Wyrm went mad and decided that if he can't destroy as much as before, he will corrupt others so they could destroy themselves.

Now before we continue. Why no one managed to free the Wyrm? It is possible after all, hell you only need 160 Garou for a ritual powerful enough to free the Wyrm. (Though if you want most of them to survive, a few thousand would be better)
Easy, no one who could actually do it really wants to do it. Malfeans actually want Wyrm to be imprisoned because they will have no job*, any human-based help doesn't want to help because it will result in Humans getting reduced to the stone-age** which means no Archmages or Gods and Demons definitely don't want humans getting reduced to the stone age.
*

Spoiler

**Pff "If they have competent guides in the form of the spirits of the Garou" yeah right.

Spoiler

Anyway, fast forward to modern times and we have the familiar corruption of the Wyrm. From Pentex to Black Spiral Dancers to Malfean Nephandi. Let's start with the Hydra, defacto leader of the Wyrm's forces.

Spoiler: The Triatic Wyrm

The Three-Headed Hydra, the dread beast. They are the mockery of the original Triat. Respectively they are;
Beast-of-War: The Calamity Wyrm: It's the mockery of the Wyld. . It's a beast of absolute destruction and it's been known by many names, like Jourmungandr or Apophis.
Eater-of-Souls: The Consuming Wyrm: If the Beast of War is the mockery of the Wyld, this is the mockery of the Weaver. Greed, obsession and all-consuming desire to consume.
The Defiler Wyrm: It has no name because this is Wyrm's reflection of itself. The most powerful of them, the force of corruption we are all familiar with. What an irony is that this is basically Wyrm's self-hatred.

They are incredibly powerful, requiring entire tribes to defeat just a single manifestation. Thankfully they are extremely hard to manifest.
Another fortunate thing for the world is that each of the heads is against each other and barely manages to cooperate.

Aside from this, we have Urge Wyrms and Maeljin Incarna. They can be considered one step below leaders of the Wyrm forces. Usually under one of the heads.

Spoiler: Urge Wyrms and the Maeljin Incarna

You could say that Urge Wyrms are the original Banes born from the Wyrm's desperation and panic to escape its prison. They are the twisted reflections of emotions and usually the most extreme variety.
When one of them possesses someone, they become a Maeljin Incarna. Similar to how banes turn people into Fomari. Their numbers are few compared to the endless amounts of Banes and their possessed Fomari but each of them is much more powerful. Requiring at least 100 Garou to face off.

On the flips side, if the Wyrm Heads are against each other, all Maeljin Incarna are bitter rivals and they backstab each other*. In fact, Pentex and the Maeljin Incarna are rivals and of similar rank under the Three Heads of the Wyrm.

*No really, even when all Wyrm Triat agrees on something Maeljin Incarna is more likely to disturb others' plans than actually do the thing.

Spoiler

Speaking of Pentex, let's look at them for a moment. I will not go into details because I already went through them in "Pentex "Captain Planet, we met again I see!"

Spoiler: Are we evil enough yet? No? More puppy burning then!

"Capitalism is bad, money is evil, they euthanize healthy animals and experiment on them, they build orphanages to poison children, capitalism is bad." in short.

Just imagine a cartoonishly evil megacorp that wants to corrupt the world while profiting from it.

Let's get back to the spiritual Wyrm.

Spoiler: Elemental Wyrms

They are Elemental counterparts of the Urge Wyrm. They are the corrupted version of the elements. Their Maeljin Incarna is the strongest elemental of their type.

Lastly, before we end this, let's see where they reside when they aren't on Earth.

Spoiler: Malfeas

The place where the Wyrm resides because this is the place where the Weaver imprisoned the Wyrm in her web. It's basically a hellhole of eldritch geometry and spending any time here will slowly corrupt you.
A perfect place for the Wyrm Triat, Urges, and Elementals along with all sorts of Banes and corrupted spirits.

It's also in the Deep Universe/Umbra.

I would continue as there are many, many things I could talk about the Wyrm but we have an image limit and I just met it.
So, which part of the Wyrm you guys like most? The mockeries of the Triat? The extreme emotions turned Urges? The corrupted Elements? Cartoonishly Evil Pentex?
As always I am open to suggestions and questions. Happy discussing.

 

[Maragas]

Here is the inspirational video for Wyrm. Wyrm Elementals especially.

I am going to read through this thread one day.
The lore is interesting as fuck and I'm going to drown myself in it.
One day.
Thanks for writing these.

Click to shrink...

If you have any questions while you are reading I am happy to help. Just have fun and know that having fun is the most important.

 

[shadowdice]

crossposting this from where GMs come to scream since it is about my VTM game

When players just ask the GM what to do or not realize foreshadowing/consistent themes

Spoiler

So, more recently in vampire. two of my players got oneshots

The Toreador was offered an exchange of lessons in magic from the Tremere primogen in exchange for transporting a Tremere ghoul who had a magic book to a neutral location as the Prince wanted it to be kept away from anyone who might fuck with things (they were told that it was a fragment of the Erincyne text involving Lilith). She did so, killing a lot of gangsters and others who tried to steal it, got captured by 2 hunters, and killed them after they opened the book and a demon hand ripped out a dude's eye.

A toreador NPC came in and asked for the book, saying that they can just kill the ghouls and say someone stole it, then he can have Toreador translate it so that their clan gets prestige

it is made clear that the Toreador Primogen, her mentor, is friends with the Tremere primogen

This guy isn't working for her and is a fairly young vampire

he has nothing to offer other than potential prestige

Toreador actually considers this

Me: The Tremere ghoul, and the Revenant Knight on loan to you from the prince look at each other and complain about how vampires forget that they exist. The Revenant Knight who is blood bonded to the prince and likely giving her information

Toreador: *continues to consider betraying multiple primogen and the prince for a theoretical clan prestige offered by a neonate* I don't see any option other than killing the ghouls or killing this guy

Me: There are third options

Toreador: *continued to ponder this and say that he doesn't know what to do*

Me: Roll alertness *success on that but not able to actually penetrate obfuscate* it looks like someone stole the book. Someone who might have been obfuscated. Looking in the hunters stuff you see that they have notes about a plan where they leaked information about a magic book that was actually fake and were following it.

Toreador: So, someone switched the fake for a real one.

Me: yes

Toreador: Oh

Me: the Revenant and Ghoul are just talking to each other, taking notes, laughing about how they have you over the barrel.

Which is how a Gangrel that is secretly a Baali got favor in the court by replacing a fake magic book with a real one about diiablerie and dark magic, and translating it for the court while warning them about how insanely evil it is, and offering to help destroy it. Also how the Toreador is now blackmailed by the Prince, two primogen and Actually a Baali for plotting to betray them and kill their servants.

Meanwhile, with Gangrel

Gangrel: *talks to a Methuselah Castor about Ventru and others* So Mekhet told me that Ventru was a woman

Castor: Mekhet? What are you talking about

Gangrel: Mekhet, the Caesar's palace guy

Castor: You mean Hortensius

Gangrel: Well yes, Hortensius is Mekhet.

Castor: The Antedeluvian who no one knows which clan he is

Gangrel: Oh he is his own clan, and Lilith is somewhere with a bunch of other antediluvians trying to kill Caine and God and everybody else

Castor: One of the Prince's favored servants is an Antedeluvian

Gangrel: yes

Castor: Well, I guess we are safe from there being Baali interference

Gangrel: Oh, they might be involved

Castor: Why do you think that?

Gangrel: I think they were mentioned

Castor: But Mekhet hates the Baali, they made it so he had to kill his wife

Gangrel: What?

Castor: Caine said to kill every Baali, and his wife became a Baali because they forcibly embraced her when he was away, so he had to kill his wife back when the Fist City was around and had a personal vendetta

Me: This does not fit the story you heard from Mekhet before, because he said that his wife was killed by the Baali in Carthage.

Gangrel: Well, I have no idea why Mekhet would lie, so Castor must be wrong

I had previously made a lot of allusions to Carthage, they had seen a portrait made in Carthage that Mekhet preserved which depicts him, his friend Menelaus, Helen, and his wife (with a very specific description of her), and they later used a ritual to ask questions about Carthage, which showed them a vision of a Ventrue Methuselah fighting alongside a person who had the same description casting a spell as a mortal (and they know that Mekhet used to be a mage) and being bitten by a Baali methuselah and Troile while sealing them all away, and they have repeatedly been told while using the same ritualistic magic, that the Ventrue Methuselah is stuck underneath Carthage with the Baali Methuselah, Troile, and a different vampire, with it being repeatedly stated that the three things that are there with the Ventrue vampire are deeply tied to demons and evil.

Mekhet is also telling them to go down to the underworld and make their way into Enoch to break a magic stone that he gave them that will "Deal with" the people squatting there.

My players are really slow on the uptake that the friendly Antedeluvian has ulterior motives (explicitly telling them that they need to get Ventru up and around so that they can get ALL of the thirteen mainline antediluvians around, and how he needs Ventru's insane presence and dominate for things to work while also working on freeing a different Antedeluvian with reality warping insanity powers from an extra dimensional seal that is somewhat connected to hell)

Just, obsessive vampire god who talks about how things are a soap opera, makes ghosts look like his wife so that he can dance with them, and does other seemingly insane shit while actively trying to get Antediluvians with mind control on his side, with a very clear implication that his wife was either always a Baali or was turned into one.

There have been similar talks with multiple Methuselahs and Antedeluvians directly telling the players that even Caine has a soft spot for his wife, and that they are pretty sure that they could get Caine to go along with what they want if they had a way to get Zillah from underneath the dome of the rock, and others explaining that love has caused people to do incredibly stupid things such as: everything involving the Brujah, multiple antediluvians now having a blood feud with the Nosferatu one because of two timing, Ravnos and Ennoia wanting to murder each other due to being exes who came to a massive disagreement, Everything involving Lilith, how Constantinople went to shit due to miscommunication between people who loved one another, my explanation fo the Caine and Abel myth (the murder was about the marriage of Abel to Caine's twin sister, a piece of IRL apocrypha)

 

[shadowdice]

They have another text based VTM game, this one focusing on humans, thin bloods, and not so powerful vampires

I was reading a summary and have decided that Choice of Games should not be allowed anywhere near the IP even if Night Road was okay

A thin blood apparently becomes human by killing their sire

No, just no. VTMB for all of its faults, poked fun at the "you can change back by replacing all of your blood or killing the head vampire" idea.

 

[S.I.N]

They have another text based VTM game, this one focusing on humans, thin bloods, and not so powerful vampires

I was reading a summary and have decided that Choice of Games should not be allowed anywhere near the IP even if Night Road was okay

A thin blood apparently becomes human by killing their sire

No, just no. VTMB for all of its faults, poked fun at the "you can change back by replacing all of your blood or killing the head vampire" idea.

Click to shrink...

I'm sorry what now are they stupid.

 

[Maragas]

So, I am back to my computer so let me share the parts I found most interesting in Technocracy Reloaded.

Let's start with some Void Engineer stuff. Because honestly, they got the best treatment out of all the Conventions. Though there are some weird parts. (Syndicate got the worst treatment if you are wondering)

Spoiler

First off, Deep Universe colonies and bases are doing just fine if there is no Dimensional Anomaly. The Copernicus Research Station for example is still a shining beacon of light in the darkest places. Always vigilant against all sorts of threats.

Spoiler

In fact, if Dimensional Anomaly didn't happen Pan Dimensional Corps is basically the strongest arm of the Void Engineers but they are mostly focusing on the Deep Universe than Earth. Though I doubt it will truly leave the Technocracy as long as Tychoides is their leader. (Plus what are they going to do after separating from the larger Void Engineer support? Without R&D Corps of VE? Without the support of the most important place in the universe aka Earth?)

Spoiler

Speaking of Dimensional Anomaly, if that didn't happen Technocracy is basically the same as always and powerful as ever. Not losing like, half of your assets and forces does that to you. Which is the default assumption if you want to play Wraith 20th and also like, 90% of the World of Darkness rather than being stuck on Earth.

Spoiler: Upper Management

Also not getting fucked by Dimensional Anomaly are the Archmasters of the Technocracy! They are as always, similar to Tradition Archmages, keep themselves busy with, you know, phenomenal cosmic power rather than wallow in mud like us plebs. And the lower management of Technocracy better sends glowing reports or God help them.

Hmm on that note, let's take one look at one New World Order experiment.

Spoiler: Dystopia and Utopia Experiments

Experiments are still continuing to make Utopia possible but it's slow. Entire dimensions are used to simulate dystopias and would-be Utopias.

Getting back to the management of Technocracy. Who runs the yearly operation on Earth if Archmasters are not involved and Grand Old Men are even more distant? The answer is the Shadow Parliament! Which is made out of one member from each Symposium on Earth.

Spoiler: The Shadow Parliament

They are basically leaders of every Symposium coming together to make decisions. Then they announce/communicate it through their own Avatar named Management. What are Symposiums?

Spoiler: Symposium

They are basically the highest-ranking lower management of Technocracy. Represented by each convention, they oversee large geographic areas like say "South Africa" or "Eastern Europe" and when large/important enough, cities like "New York" or "London".

Now on some miscellaneous stuff I liked.

Spoiler: Attuning Werewolfs

You know how with a certain Gift Werewolves can cause Delirium on every human, formerly Human and part Human creature?
Well now you should know that you can also Mind Fuck them back! If they can put the fear of past culling to us, you can put the fear of Authority to right to their faces with your badge. Or the fact that we tamed the wolves to dogs if you want to humiliate them.

Spoiler: Force and Escalation Thresholds

This is "Designated Target Force Thresholds" and "Acceptable Force Escalation Thresholds"

As long as you are below DTFT 3 (you are either neutral and avoid violating Consensus or beneficial in a small way like running Charity or helping the poor), even if you are a Reality Deviant, no Technocratic Agent is authorized to use lethal force nor weapons on you unless special circumstances exist.
And AFET 1 and 2 are legal for Technocracy agents to oppose each other. So you basically have the same "Authorized Force Use" as the conflicting Technocracy Agents and with the Masses.

Basically, as long as you aren't a risk and even beneficial, you ain't gonna get killed.

 

[Maragas]

Also, something I found incredibly hilarious for some reason. Even though it's not that funny.

Spoiler: PAWS Taser

 

[Ragura]

So the designated operatives for dealing with werewolves are the PAWS Patrol?

 

[shadowdice]

I'm sorry what now are they stupid.

Click to shrink...

I am probably going to end up getting it if it is cheap just to see if it is true.

In my experience, most of the people who play Choice of Games stuff don't ever actually complain when they do stupid shit.

Said as someone whose main gripe in Night Road was Julian until the DLC fucked up in adding the Lasombra/Nosferatu while going "Oh, this shouldn't work, but luckily it does" and "Thankfully you have your mask ability"

Mask of a Thousand Faces, where V5, which is what they are using, requires ANOTHER 3 dot power to work on electronics and everything else

 

[Maragas]

I am probably going to end up getting it if it is cheap just to see if it is true.

In my experience, most of the people who play Choice of Games stuff don't ever actually complain when they do stupid shit.

Said as someone whose main gripe in Night Road was Julian until the DLC fucked up in adding the Lasombra/Nosferatu while going "Oh, this shouldn't work, but luckily it does" and "Thankfully you have your mask ability"

Mask of a Thousand Faces, where V5, which is what they are using, requires ANOTHER 3 dot power to work on electronics and everything else

Click to shrink...

Maybe they were using a merit like False Reflection from Revised?

 

[shadowdice]

Maybe they were using a merit like False Reflection from Revised?

Click to shrink...

They explicitly say that they use V5 rules, and have you spend XP on Everything.

 

[shadowdice]

I'm sorry what now are they stupid.

Click to shrink...

Okay, did a playthrough

Yes, that happened.

Gripes though.

I statted myself as someone who started out as a hedge mage (can do actual magic and faith miracles), somehow, this never fucking comes up when dealing with all of the others who learned about vampires

People brought together by a teenage girl who figure out vampires are real: We don't really believe this is happening.

Me: Why am I not allowed to use actual fucking magic to prove this stuff to them and have to persuade by other means?

Choice of Games also really needs to learn to have the images for the characters who do have art show up multiple times, I completely forget what people look like after their first bit because descriptors and the like never fucking show up after the first time, and there are like two dozen people involved. Which is really weird because it is incredibly fucking short.

I expected you to be able to ignore stuff to focus on the store left to you by your grandfather, yet there wasn't really the option to do so. Also, when you are about to have the conclusion in a game, you should be allowed to use your XP instead of leave ten points hanging. Given Night Road, I have the feeling that they are going to somehow squeeze in having DLC for this.

Night Road is much better in letting you feel like a completionism where you researched everything possible.

Plus side, you can join the Arcanum in the end.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Hey, guys! Didn't know this thread existed!

I made a crossover between the Nasuverse (Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Apocrypha) and Mage the Awakening (from the Chronicles of Darkness/New World of Darkness 2e), btw!

This baby.

And, well, I want to ask: Would my character, a Self-Insert who gets powers over Prime and Forces, be able to siphon all the Mana from Gilgamesh or a Servant of Comparable power?

Also, would an Exarch (Mage the Awakening) be able to overwhelm the Counter Force and Gaia combined?

Edit: Wait, most of this thread involves the Old World of Darkness, not the New one/Chronicles. I presume this is a faux pas?

Edit 2: To keep this relevant, I presume that Mage the Ascension Mages would be gimped in the Nasuverse, as the Magus' Association there gets stronger from fewer people believing in magic, not more?

 

[Maragas]

And, well, I want to ask: Would my character, a Self-Insert who gets powers over Prime and Forces, be able to siphon all the Mana from Gilgamesh or a Servant of Comparable power?

Click to shrink...

It mainly depends on your paradigm and how deep are you in Prime/Forces. But servants like Gilgamesh, especially Gilgamesh since golden boi probably has good countermagic wonders, will most likely resist average attempts.

As a Technocrat, I would mainly suggest a precision Orbital Strike over "Ghost Buster" units against a Servant like Gilgamesh. Accompanied by something like "Entropic Foresight Inhibitor" using Entropy to disturb his "Sha Naqba Imuru" if Gilgamesh doesn't ignore it like always.

Also, would an Exarch (Mage the Awakening) be able to overwhelm the Counter Force and Gaia combined?

Click to shrink...

An Exarch is basically Goetia but worse. A True Immortal that doesn't care about causality, Concepts, or even the old True Gods.

Spoiler

I would argue your average Archmage can deal with Counterforce and Gaia together. For an Archmage, the universe itself is just a playboard they use against other Archmages and Ascended beings. Hell, Goetia's Plan to go back to Genesis and become the planet fits incredibly well with some Archmages Omens.

Spoiler

Edit 2: To keep this relevant, I presume that Mage the Ascension Mages would be gimped in the Nasuverse, as the Magus' Association there gets stronger from fewer people believing in magic, not more?

Click to shrink...

Depends on what you mean by Gimped. If you mean their capacity for Magic, not really. Mages all cast their magic through their Will. Mystery or not doesn't matter.
This is doubly true for Technocracy because in Fate terms, they made the Human Order. They are the reason why you have friction, why there is Electromagnetism and why modern medicine work.

Spoiler: Michael Faraday

The Paradox is already way more threatening than the disappearance of Mysteries and Gaia's effects on magic. At least they don't personally make sure you are gone from existence if you fuck up.

Spoiler

Plus the strongest of mages, similar to Mage the Awakening, Archmages are way beyond the mud pit we call Earth and the so-called Mysteries.
Even a non-lethal duel between Archmages can include creating or destroying stars or planets.

Spoiler

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Maragas , thank you very much! I love your post!

Edit: Want to read my fanfic, btw?

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

I made an NSFW version of my Nasuverse + Mage the Awakening Crossover fic, and so I have to ask:

1.) Would Prime/Forces (Obrimos Path) fit Lord El-Melloi II (canon Nasuverse character) if he were somehow to gain Awakening Mage powers through crossover? Add Space as his Non-Affinity Arcana, too.

2.) Would Awakening Mage powers remove the ability to use Nasuverse Magecraft, just like most Awakening!Magi no longer need to bother with 'Lesser Thaumaturgy' now that they are immensely powerful? I'm currently going with no, they can still use Magecraft along with Supernal Magic, but I am open to changing my mind.

3.) Should I make a Mage the Ascension fic in the future to attract more readers? I kinda want more viewers, but do not want to touch Vampire (either Masquerade or Requiem, I just don't like Vampires in general).

 

[shadowdice]

I am debating whether to have my players having to deal with the concept of Set being reborn as a baby from the Gehenna opening fiction.

It fits given that one of the PCs is an egyptian woman who had abandoned her child when she was young and has spent time reconnecting after becoming a vampire. Along with adopting a human

Another is a Gangrel guy who learned egyptian and named his ghoul crow Cairo

Me: So, there is a pregnant thin blood and everyone is trying to capture her

This will either end in the kid being born, or someone killing the mother, and Set crawling out like a hellspawn

The way things are when he is reborn will determine how things go.

In general, the idea that the opening fiction suggested (and wasn't expanded upon in the scenarios) is just really interesting since you have a tens of thousand year old god-king in a baby body, seemingly with all of the power from before, and "Alive" in a manner greater than what Osiris managed.

Plus players having to get baby food for Set The Magnificent under threat of sand storms killing the city around them

 

[Maragas]

Could work and it's an amusing idea but Set is also the guy who when he realized he is too dead to come back alive from the Underworld just had all of his followers and descendants commit mass suicide so they can come to him.

interesting since you have a tens of thousand year old god-king in a baby body, seemingly with all of the power from before, and "Alive" in a manner greater than what Osiris managed

Click to shrink...

Heh, Set always managed to show up to Osiris. When they were both Antediluvians, Set killed him. When Osiris came back as a Super Mummy he still killed them.

Only thing Osiris managed but Set couldn't, at least fully, reach Godhood like Osiris. Who reached Godhood after dying to Set the second time.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Snip.

Click to shrink...

I presume that my questions up above are beyond the scope of this thread, btw?

 

[shadowdice]

Could work and it's an amusing idea but Set is also the guy who when he realized he is too dead to come back alive from the Underworld just had all of his followers and descendants commit mass suicide so they can come to him.


Heh, Set always managed to show up to Osiris. When they were both Antediluvians, Set killed him. When Osiris came back as a Super Mummy he still killed them.

Only thing Osiris managed but Set couldn't, at least fully, reach Godhood like Osiris. Who reached Godhood after dying to Set the second time.

Click to shrink...

My players are assholes who when having a mass of xp available to use and on a crashing passenger plane, jump out and abandon everyone instead of trying to come up with any option to save anyone else instead of trying to land the plane or check of the pilot is alive

Just, the moment the wing catches fire, they all jump and don't bother trying to help the mortals

They also once had to walk back killing a city block with obtenebrate once they realized that they would have no way to cover the masquerade violation

 

[Maragas]

I presume that my questions up above is beyond the scope of this thread, btw?

Click to shrink...

Mostly because there is like 3 people active in this thread and at most 10-20 people who knows about WoD in the entire site.

I could answer it but didn't feel like it. Let me answer some because I feel bad now.

2.) Would Awakening Mage powers remove the ability to use Nasuverse Magecraft, just like most Awakening!Magi no longer need to bother with 'Lesser Thaumaturgy' now that they are immensely powerful? I'm currently going with no, they can still use Magecraft along with Supernal Magic, but I am open to changing my mind.

Click to shrink...

It wouldn't remove it in my opinion but when Awakening and the Ascension is literally road to the "Indestructible, Unchanging and Imperishable Truths of the World" most people leave behind their past.

Its basically seeing the glimpses of The Root.

3.) Should I make a Mage the Ascension fic in the future to attract more readers? I kinda want more viewers, but do not want to touch Vampire (either Masquerade or Requiem, I just don't like Vampires in general).

Click to shrink...

It's not going to change much, even if you get more viewers and readers from it majority of the people will be from the Type Moon side.

My players are assholes who when having a mass of xp available to use and on a crashing passenger plane, jump out and abandon everyone instead of trying to come up with any option to save anyone else instead of trying to land the plane or check of the pilot is alive

Just, the moment the wing catches fire, they all jump and don't bother trying to help the mortals

Click to shrink...

That actually sounds like a normal behaviour to me

Though as a ST, seeing as one of the wings were on fire, I would had them roll for Rotschreck.

They also once had to walk back killing a city block with obtenebrate once they realized that they would have no way to cover the masquerade violation

Click to shrink...

Now that's just plain stupid.