Let's try to focus today's topic on homebrew and house rules. What changes do you use to make the games run smoother when you run them? What advice would you give to new STs? Does anyone have resources or notes for their game or city they can share?
Previously >>44173701
-----------------------
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/deluxe-changeling-the-dreaming-20th-anniversary-ed
http://theonyxpath.com/
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/
https://mega.nz/#F!wpB0ib4a!EsAU0AE4ihrNlDWzp3-MIw
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Abn1a6PgUCa19KbjdNcmNMWms/view?pli=1MWms/view?pli=1
>>44188586
Not really a change, so much, but I tend to make NPCs like the new core book does. That is to say, a collection of likely and relevant dice pools rather than fully statted out. It does require notes to make sure you're keeping the pools consistent when you make up a new one of the top of your head for a recurring character.
I finally figured out how to make D-Omega-G in Changeling 2e
>Be turned into a Cyclopean Manikin
>Take the Beast way out.
How does possession work in CofD? (Man, it feels so weird calling it that.) Specifically, what are the side-effects of it? Does the possessed person give off some sort of vague, supernatural aura? Do they do the clichéd eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head thing? Or do you just have to judge by their behavior, like, "Sarah, since when did you enjoy tormenting the souls of the living so much?"
>>44188586
I'd chronicle her darkness
>>44188808
>How does possession work in CofD?
In a very complicated and convoluted way. The spirit / ghost / angel has to be able to use its influences to apply the Anchor / Open / Urged Condition onto their target then more time to move that to Possessed. Lots of rolls with varying penalties and some are resisted.
>Specifically, what are the side-effects of it?
Depends on the entity. Not much from a ghost, but a spirit can change your vice to something that matches their preferred flavor of Essence and contact with an Angel at that level makes the person a stigmatic if they weren't already.
>Does the possessed give off some sort of vague, supernatural aura?
Nothing concrete on this mechanically, but you can flavor it however you want. As an ST I'd allow people to make a Perception or Occult skill check to notice something was off.
>>44188808
Any kind of aura sight would definitely show possession.
What's CofD and why does it look so legit.
>>44189342
It's the rebranded name for the New World of Darkness 2nd Edition games.
Translating Tzimisce to VtR2e
Do they /have/ to look alien or could they look like a normal Kindred?
Ventrue bloodline
>>44189699
They can, but why would they? They believe their 'enhanced' appearance is a sign of their superiority. Why go through all the trouble to learn skincrafting if you're just going to look like any other fucker?
>>44189708
>Why go through all the trouble to learn skincrafting if you're just going to look like any other fucker?
So you can skincraft other people
>>44189735
Nothing stopping a Tzimisce from skincrafting others just because of how they themselves look. If anything it's good advertising to show how skilled you are in the art. If you're trying to do it on the sly tip, sure, you can have a spare super-beautiful face you can reflexive shift to, but a true Tzimisce will want to be in all his glory most of the time.
>>44189735
Transformation fetish, the clan.
Would never allow. Might as well just have a bloodline that can only suck blood from feet.
>>44189919
Dare ye enter my magical realm?
All kindred are bloodletting fetish
>>44189919
>He thinks a foot fetish is anywhere near as gross as a transformation fetish
>announced and scheduled but not announced projects
What?
>>44190069
I think it means those projects that have been announced, and those projects that OP has scheduled but hasn't yet publicly announced - ie has planned but not revealed.
>>44188681
This. I had already started using a modified version of this thing I found on the wiki:
http://worldofdarkness.wikia.com/wiki/Quick_NPCs_(nWoD)
Having something like this right in the corebook is a step ahead IMO.
Now I wish they did something like this with the ghost stuff too, it's a bit of a mess as is (particularly for a game that's not 100% about ghosts).
>Still not using Realms of Darkness
We're never going to get a chance like this again when Dracula's flooding the airwaves with WoD commercials and there needs to be two threads.
>>44190181
Yeah, I figure it's stuff they were planning to announce at 2016's GenCon that wasn't VtM4, which is no longer theirs.
>>44190479
I used that too, i even made a couple of mini character sheets for usage. I have one for large groups of minor characters as well (though mostly for combat)
Just a question (because I can't BELIEVE I didn't notice this till the CofD book came out).
With nWoD the combat felt relatively fast pace and deadly.
Does 2e's new defense (low Dex/Wits + Athletics) slow the combat down any?
Having enemies at 5+ defense seems like you'd spend several turns with no one getting hit.
>>44191573
Defence goes down by 1 per attack on you since your last turn, regardless of whether each attack succeeded or failed. Party hammering one target with a heavy hitter acting right before the enemy = probably a hit.
>>44191573
Keep reading the combat mechanics. You should be making strategic decisions like spending Willpower and making All-out Attacks, inflicting Tilts and so on.
Combined with the Weapon Modifier damage, combat is very deadly. It is very easy for a normal human to get dead if they're not careful, which is pretty good for the kind of sudden, nasty violence that the game models.
tl;dr the only way your combat is going slow is if you're facing a person who is exactly as capable as you are (that's one thing that doesn't usually happen) and you do literally nothing but roll the dice with no interest in actually trying anything.
>>44191573
Increased defense combined with automatic damage produces a lot of whiffing, but when people get hit they always take multiple health levels of damage.
Guns still ignore defense, and now that defense is so high, this makes them insanely lethal compared to any other weapon.
http://theonyxpath.com/light-your-candles-for-hunter-the-vigil-2nd-edition/
>>44191573
>>44191633
Important note: Your opponents will also be spending Willpower (sometimes) and making All-out Attacks and trying to inflict tilts on you. Watch out.
>>44191668
>making All-Out-Attacks
If they want to fucking die, maybe. They'll lose their entire defense after that.
>>44191573
I have very limited experience as I've just started storytelling a chronicle and we had maybe two fights.
Melee combats look like whiff fests, at least against average opponents the attackers' dice pools get very small. When you bring out guns, though, things take a pretty lethal turn.
To be honest, we're still getting used to the new rules, and it's a mortals game so there hasn't been any noticeable supernatural fuckery in the fights yet. Thinking about it I could have probably solved at least one of the fighters with the quick and dirty rules - I realli like 2e on paper but sometimes I forget about the new subsystems.
>>44191660
So the three tier system is confirmed for returning, as are Ashwood Abbey. Interesting.
>>44191725
And very likely do things like Stun you or Arm Wrack you so you drop your Weapon if they don't flat out kill you with their successes and weapon modifier. +5 Dice on a roll with your Machete that's got a damage modifier of 2L is no laughing matter, anon.
>>44191633
>making All-out Attacks
This advice is a trap, do not follow it. You will die. You're getting a +2 bonus to your pool, but you're giving everyone trying to hit you a bonus to THEIR pool equal to your Defense by no longer knocking any dice off. Unless you're only fighting one guy, you are ABSOLUTELY SURE you're only fighting one guy, and you know for a fact that those extra 2 dice are going to be the difference between putting him down this round or losing, you do not ever want to make All-Out Attacks.
>>44191782
All-Out Attack grants 2 dice, not 5.
You don't need to All-Out Attack in order to spend willpower.
And then your friend STILL murders him immediately after that because he's got no Defense.
Are all the fights in your game one-on-one cagefights? I don't think I've ever seen a one-on-one fight in WoD that wasn't explicitly a formal duel.
>>44191798
>anon thinks people make All-out Attacks without spending Willpower
bro
>>44191781
>Ashwood Abbey
>A compact
>Not mentioned anywhere in the post
The post mentions a Conspiracy starting with A. Odds are, that's Aegis Kai Doru.
>>44191830
Spending Willpower has nothing to do with making an All-Out Attack. You're looking at +3 dice vs +5 dice and losing your entire defense.
+3 dice is the better option.
>>44191573
I've found with Forsaken that it absolutely doesn't slow combat down, but then Forsaken has a pretty high-velocity combat paradigm with a tendency towards large dice pools even for relatively 'mediocre' combatants.
>>44190069
>>44190181
For example, I know what the Awakening supplement *after* Tome of the Pentacle is, and it was approved by CCP - but it wasn't announced at GenCon because it's off the end of the releases we talked about.
We generally plan our books much further in advance than you lot see.
>>44191828
no, I'm just sensible enough to realize you'd never make an All-out Attack WITHOUT spending Willpower for exactly the reason you outlined
and no, usually if my character's fighting and they're with the rest of the group, they're usually facing down one opponent when they make a move like that. It's a gamble that frequently pays off, unless you're using fucking Brawl or something (if you're using brawl and not grappling AND don't have Martial Arts, I just...)
now, since you have friends and they're ALSO engaging people that are fighting around you, they should be keeping enemies off your back, right? If they don't and your character is a savvy enough fighter to notice this (roleplay, people) then yes, they probably will fight more defensively until they have an opening.
this isn't even getting into the roleplay aspect of it, where if you think about it, untrained fighters are probably far more likely to doan All-out Attack, both because they don't realize the danger it'll put them in, and because that's one of the ways they'll hit people.
>>44191864
And with both, you're looking at +5 and a significantly greater chance to go over the threshhold (Usually a Stamina of 2-3 for most people, note how the Machete is already going to do more damage than your average Stamina if it hits) for inflicting a tilt like Arm Wrack, Stunned, Knocked Down or Bleeding, which turns into a little death spiral of advantage.
Here's an insight into the Gift-designing process: I have now reached the stage where I want to punch myself in the face.
See, you begin with the idea of a Gift and brainstorm and wow, you have all these ideas, great. Then you try and write them up and soon start chucking some of them because they're unworkable or don't really fit the theme you're going for after all. Then you pin down the ones you really like, but actually getting the mechanics to *click* remains an elusive goal and it just doesn't quite gel. Meanwhile there's at least one Facet that you just cannot, for the life of you, think up a good power for. That changes as you shift some of the powers between Facets to try and get them to better fit thematically, then end up shifting them back to where they started in the first place.
Then you close the document, go away and think about something else for a while in the futile hope that the next time you open it back up, inspiration will somehow happen.
Truly, I am an artist.
>>44191908
>this isn't even getting into the roleplay aspect of it, where if you think about it, untrained fighters are probably far more likely to doan All-out Attack, both because they don't realize the danger it'll put them in, and because that's one of the ways they'll hit people.
This is basically metagaming so hard you come back in from the other side.
Vizzini would be proud.
>>44191971
This means nothing.
>>44191831
Or Ascending Ones.
>People actually use the Beaten Down tilt.
Are there any new MAGE books out? Is this rebranding b.c of the paradox purchase?
>>44192179
I'm pretty sure because saying "New" to refer to a system that's been going for more than 10 years is silly. Especially when 2nd edition is out.
>>44191908
I admit that "overreach in order to land a hit and then get my shit kicked in because I'm a fuckup who has no idea what to do in a fight" would be one of the few acceptable places for a character to do an All-Out Attack.
You'd better have made "get my shit kicked in because I have no idea how to fight" an Aspiration, though, if you're playing that character.
>>44192179
>Is this rebranding b.c of the paradox purchase?
The short version is "yes". Paradox bought the IPs, decided they wanted to do more with them than just crank out TTRPG books, and decided that having two separate, completely-unrelated products both called "World of Darkness" was retarded if they were going to try to sell other companies on it.
>>44188586
>Cliroriicles
> olf Cdarleriess
That font is fucking unreadable to anyone who isn't already familiar with the game.
>>44191961
That sounds like my experience with homebrewing, yeah.
>>44192230
New York is still New York, despite being more than 200 years old.
It, like New World of Darkness, are used to differentiate the "New" from the "Old".
>>44192349
Maybe if they have problems reading things already, sure. Even before I played World of Darkness, I could tell what the font said.
Your example reading of it is pretty terrible; if that's honestly what it looks like to you, I suggest getting glasses. At the very least, you might be dyslexic.
Otherwise, nice bait.
>>44191573
Y'know I'm kind of glad for this because otherwise my players wouldn't be taking points into athletics and I can never have a god damn chase scene without someone getting mauled.
>>44192582
Yeah but do you still hear people talking about "Old York"? Didn't think so. Next!
>>44191573
>>44191798
>>44191633
I think that Defense actually matters in 2e, as opposed to 1e where Defense was useless (-3 to a 12 dice pool). That said, now it's a bit high. My biggest piece of advice (that I'm still testing out myself) is this:
DEFENSE IS ATHLETICS OR BRAWL INSTEAD OF JUST ATHLETICS
This means that you can't just go all-in with one Skill and get super high defense. You'll always be using the lower Attribute of two and the lower Skill of two.
Second, in an effort to encourage All Out more (which while nice, in 2e it's trading +2 in exchange for giving your opponent +5) I'm changing it so that All Out gets rid of you Skill to Defense. If you have Dex/Wits of 3 and Athletics/Brawl of 2, when you All Out, you still have a Defense of 3.
Anything that as-is causes you to lose Defense (so mostly combat maneuvers) now causes you to lose Skill-to-Defense, but if you lose that twice (or have no skill to sacrifice) you lose all of your Defense.
Of course, this is on top of things like Willpower. I've found that on average, a decent combatant can still find 3 dice over their opponent even without trouble, but I want even weak people to be dangerous in a fight. That nerdy guy could get one over on the bully and clock him.
>>44193211
>This means that you can't just go all-in with one Skill and get super high defense.
If you want this you'd better have fucking banned the Defensive Combat merit.
That thing is hilariously broken.
>>44191961
Will the "desire to punch yourself" aspect of Gift design be in the blog?
>>44193282
That goes without saying. Brawling Defense and Weaponry Defense are gone. I do think that I'll allow Brawling/Weaponry/Athletics Dodge, though. You use the skill in question when Dodging (and only Dodging).
Originally Weaponry was going to be part of Defense in my houserules, but having Defense change based on whether you have a weapon and whether you're against someone with a weapon seemed complicated.
I mean, I don't want characters to have two Defenses.
>>44193341
It might be at this rate.
...wait a minute, I have an idea...
So hey, I am going with Gotham City for this game.
Not sure how to handle the fact that one player is probably going to live in Burnside, which is basically "Gotham's Queens". Is that weird? A character living in Queens when the game is set in Manhattan?
Does anyone know a site where I can set up a Google Maps type thing for a fictional map? I've seen some for Azeroth and whatnot.
Also, does anyone have any suggested plot hooks? I'm outright going to use Gotham City from the comics, minus super comicy stuff like superheroes. I'm going to work in things like the Court of Owls and Solomon Grundy. Probably even the Wayne family death tainting the Resonance of Park Row.
>>44193579
>Is that weird? A character living in Queens when the game is set in Manhattan?
I don't see why. I mean, the characters ought to have lives outside of whatever supernatural shit they're dealing with, right? As long as he's got a compelling reason to work with his buddies in Manhattan, I don't think it'll be a problem. He can always crash on someone's couch when they're in the middle of an investigation (or whatever it is they're gonna be doing).
>>44193579
Also, how do I convey that the town has messed up Resonance.
I should probably read the sample cities.
Also, Chris, how do I have a city with organized crime and gangs that also exists in a world with Werewolves that will straight up murder a dude? I mean, I guess it's as ridiculous in the comics that Batman doesn't straight up cripple any of the mob bosses, but should I just make Carmine Falcone a straight up Gentleman Johnny Marcone type with supernatural body guards and spiritual wards, so that Werewolves or wizards can't just shank a dude magically?
>>44193708
I suppose. I'm just trying to get a handle on how "close to home" werewolves generally are. Although I imagine that if the pack chooses Amusement Mile as their territory, chances are the character who lives with her parents is going to get an apartment in New Town at least.
I also went with Chris' suggestion of "pack sends some newbies to an unaffiliated territory, tells them to work shit out". I've got one player who's pretty familiar with the setting, as well as an NPC. They can function as team leader while the newbie Rahu both get their feet under them.
Also >>44193572
Hey, how many Werewolf packs are likely to live in Gotham? >>44193579 It's like six miles wide and then maybe 12 miles across.
>>44193579
It might be a bit too "superheroey", but you could always have the concept of Bludhaven in all its trash pile glory being a thing.
>>44192146
>weak-willd ST lets players just randomly ignore rules they don't like
Sweet, my vampire can now hold 1000 units of vitae
>>44193791
Have you read Damnation City? You're not running Vampire, but it doesn't matter. It will give you everything you need to capture a feel for it.
>>44193791
For calculating that, I'd start by wanting to know the rough population of Gotham, then look at some other factors. Could be anything from one to a dozen packs. Just glancing at the map I'd probably go 6-8, but would want a better feel for the place first.
>>44193799
Isn't Bludhaven less superheroey?
I mean, I do plan on probably having references to Bludhaven and Metropolis and whatnot. Also, I have no idea how to read this map. Bludhaven doesn't show up in the tiny map in the corner, at least, nothing in the tiny map LOOKS the same as Bludhaven.
>>44193802
>randomly ignore
It's an optional rule that most player characters won't have to deal with because they're combat hardened or at least combaty. It says it's an optional rule for the ST to use, and it's not for every character.
>>44193863
I assume it has the population density of Manhattan. I mean, it's Gotham. From Batman.
How wide would territory be? is it likely to overlap or touch?
>>44193940
I wasn't sure if you were committing to the greater DC universe for your game, since "superheroey" can mean a lot of things. I mean, I could suggest Professor Pyg being a thing in your game but that could cross some lines of tone.
>>44193940
Well, assuming a rough density like Manhatten (which is smaller) then you're gonna have a human population producing a shitload of werewolves. *However*, with a place like Gotham, chances are that a lot of werewolves will leave the city/migrate out to the US countryside, so the packs should be fewer than the raw numbers would indicate. I'd want to run 5-6 Forsaken packs, plus some Ghost Wolf/neutral presences. Pure numbers depend on how I'd want the chronicle set out - Forsaken all jammed in the city with the Pure in the outlying areas as a ring of fangs? Or is there actual valuable territory the Pure want to get in there and fight over?
Some territories will have unclaimed no-mans-land around them, others will be jammed together cheek by jowl. It depends on where the packs claim their territory and how desirable it is/how powerful the pack is. I'd want at least two significantly contested boundaries to make sure there's plenty of inter-pack strife to start with.
Guys
What ifSHH- HOLD ON
GUYS! What ifwe used the 2e Chase rules but with Dueling?!?
>>44194059
And Gomez Addams is a Werewolf.
Pull the other one it's got bells on.
>>44194059
That... is actually pretty good. My testicles do tingle. Well done, Anon.
Right, that's the new Gifts for the blog article all written up. Just getting some eyeballs on them to check for obvious or glaring flaws, then I'll do a final draft and submit to Stew.
If we're lucky we might get it onto the blog before Xmas, but I can't promise anything.
>>44193992
I'm mostly going to replace superhero stuff with WoD stuff. So no costumed vigilantes or criminalsalthough I may have a Year One-ish vigilante Brucebut instead of Killer Croc you've got a Crocodile Host in the sewer.
>>44194059
In what way?
>>44194086
What?
Would Oogie Boogie be a Gristleginder Darkling?
>>44193802
The Beaten Down rule is explicitly labelled as "Optional Rule" every time it comes up.
>>44194147
>In what way?
Not the original poster, but think about it. In reality, combat is more than just a test of your ability to use your weapon (whether that is an actual harmful tool or your fists) to hurt. It is a test of your Wits, to strategise under pressure, to read your opponent, to understand the environment. And it is also a test of being able to press the advantage. The "Edge" one might say.
So having a player earn"The Edge" and dictate other dice pools besides "Strength + Brawl/Weaponry" makes perfect sense. You just do not shoot for required number of successes, but instead deal damage and Tilts with different dice pools.
>>44194147
as opposed to it being a back and forth "attack each other until the other person is dead", its a contest of skills that would change depending on where the fight was headed.
>Character with Edge decides that he kicks his opponent into a dark obscured room, the Die Pool now becomes Dex+Stealth (or Fighting Skill + Stealth, still deciding on the mechanics)
>>44194247
>>44194278
>The Edge
I wasn't aware of how CofD did chase scenes. Sounds like they've changed them a bit.
>>44194308
The Pursuit rules are actually pretty cool. It's suggested that you can use them for social combat too and it totally works. It's not explicitly stated that you should do this, but I would use Doors for long term influence and Social Pursuit for scene-to-scene attempts at influencing people.
>>44194308
Looking back at GMC rules and I can't find it, I guess its one of the new things they added to CofD.
>>44194382
Well, it *is* said that Doors is long term. But I'll check out these Pursuit rules.
>>44194433
Oh, I know, I just mean that Social Pursuit is presented as an alternative to Doors in the book, when I think using both is viable.
>>44194143
That would be an amazing Christmas present.
I have a few questions about Mage: the Ascension rules:
1) when I take an extended roll for casting a spell do the difficulty raise by 1 each turn I extend the casting?
2) When I fail casting but without botch how much paradox do I gain?
>>44196040
1. You get a cumulative difficulty increase for each roll past the first.
2. Failing does nothing but you gain nothing. If you botch the roll you get paradox, unless you're doing a ritual. Rituals let you spend willpower and keep going, but if you botch again you lose everything.
Keep in mind that each roll past the first nets you an extra point of paradox should you botch.
>>44193441
There is a 1 dot merit for that. It's called "defensive combat"
>>44194382
>It's not explicitly stated that you should do this, but I would use Doors for long term influence and Social Pursuit for scene-to-scene attempts at influencing people.
Considering what a clusterfuck Doors is for social influence if your game isn't operating on a scale of days between scenes, I think I'm going to need to check this out.
>>44196803
CofD actually slightly rewrote Social Maneuvering. Impression level is not entirely mechanical anymore. If the ST thinks it is appropriate, you can start at a higher Impression level than Average, even before you do anything.
>>44196430
He just said that the fact that he bans that merit goes without saying. Because it's hideously broken. Having a high offensive stat suddenly makes your Defense impossible to overcome as well, making combat entirely single-skill-dependent.
>>44196430
That's not how that merit works.
That merit outright replaces Athletics with Weaponry or Brawl.
I'm saying that in my games, Defense is [Lower of Dexterity or Wits] + [Lower of Athletics or Brawl].
>>44196848
It's about time! Always starting from Average seemed strange to me.
>>44196987
So to be good at parrying with a sword you need brawl?
>>44197094
I was tempted to split things into [Athletics or Brawl] when fighting unarmed and [Athletics or Weaponry] when armed. But I didn't want to split Defense up. I suppose having a Parry wouldn't be too big an issue, though. or that could be what Defensive Combat does.
Someone mentioned David Hill not appearing much online. According to the newest V20 Dark Ages kickstarter mail, he suffered from pneuomina the last few months.
>>44198713
Man, that's gotta suck. I figure he's better now but still, I hope he's feeling better.
>>44198713
He's the dev who lives in GLORIOUS NIPPON right?
>>44198713
What, is Japan not a socialist country?
He lives in japan and is the developer for Changeling 2E and the developer for V20 Dark Ages
>>44198834
I'm pretty sure the country that's still feeling the hurt from its 1980s housing bubble to the point where it has yet to recover is not a socialist country.
>>44198834
A semi-famous voice actress in Japan died of untreated pneumonia a couple months back; apparently just not going to the doctor when you're seriously ill is a thing there?
>>44199015
Taking time away from any job, especially if your life is as controlled as an idol's is, is a big deal.
>>44199015
No, no, no she died of the Flu. The Japanese Flu. Very rough flu strain, that.
>>44189342
I really like it. The new investigation system is cool, I'm glad they have recommendations on how to abstract NPCs and "big bad guys." I do find the ephemeral being rules somewhat convoluted, but maybe I just need to warm up to them.
>>44199433
Even when you're used to them, they still end up feeling a bit more convoluted than they need to be. It does get easier, though.
>>44199497
In practice, they run pretty easily.
I suspect they are the way they are so they have more points of interaction for powers, either by the ephemeral beings or by players interacting with them.
Why are vampires gay
Hello, it is time for your threadly Wraith20 update.
Rich Danksy has locked himself in a cabin in the woods with a haunted book, and has written 6000 words of Wraith. He plans to not leave the cabin until Wraith20 is done. He has enjoyed a plate of hush puppies. This is important to the process.
Thank you, this has been your threadly Wraith20 update.
>>44200351
Because they like to suck things.
Why did the minus page of picture have to die? Shit was useful.
>>44199155
She was a seiyuu, not an idol.
>>44199413
I thought it was untreated flu that turned into pneumonia.
So the VtR 2e book doesn't mention the calculation for Initiative Modifier. What is it?
>>44202774
It should still be Dexterity+Composure, like in the last edition.
>>44202889
Alright, thanks.
Weird that the Blood and Smoke copy doesn't have it.
>>44202907
maybe you have the advanced pdf instead of the final one, especially likely if you pirated it
so pirate or buy the final copy of 2e
So does Good Time Management work on Mage rituals?
>>44188808
There are three kinds of possession:
Outright Possession: The host is no longer in control of his own mind, the possessing entity is.
Urging: An entity - normally a spirit - has bound itself to the victim and gives him supernatural urges.
Claiming: An entity - normally a spirit - has completely fused This gradually transforms the host to be more like the claiming entity, and it becomes tough-as-bloody-nails to kill.
The first and the last kind are the easiest to notice. The second kind is more subtle, but alas necessary for the third kind.
>>44194054
On the other hand there might be crusading packs who migrate to the city explicitly because how shitty it is!
>>44203641
Considering that rituals in 2e won't be Extended Actions, no.
That said, I'm pretty certain the merit says that it's only mundane stuff.
>>44203892
2e version of the merit doesn't say anything about it.
Also what will rituals be in 2e Mage?
>>44203904
Instead of rolling every X amount of time, you wait however long you need to wait, then make the roll once.
>>44203904
Just normal actions. They will simply take time.
You can speed them up, but that increases the paradox risk.
Eh. Basically, you have a set amount of bonuses you can use, based on your arcanum level, and the difficulty of the spell. If you go above this, you risk paradox, the further above, the more paradox you get.
Casting a spell as an instant action takes up one bonus.
>>44202306
All of Minus died.
Is anyone running any Christmas themed sessions this month?
>>44204111
I'm still trying to even get *A* session in this month.
>>44204392
What's wrong?
Does anyone know if Dave's covered whether a legacy's attainments cause Quiescence in the same manner as normal willworking?
One of the best aspects of Legacy attainments, beyond their ludicrous free reach, is that their use 'can never' be a sin against Wisdom, as they're an expression of the form you've beaten your soul's container into.
So does using an attainment in view of a Sleeper still cause Quiescence, and thus the test against Wisdom should they degenerate as a result?
Or is it merely the act of using an attainment itself is immune, rather than the consequences which may arise as a result of it... Actually that sounds more reasonable. I doubt many Mages would be very happy with saying 'oh, my ability to levitate objects with my legacy means that dropping them on babies isn't a misuse of Magic'.
>>44204111
My Christmas present will be ending the one I run now.
>>44204674
They do not.
>>44204666
Player seemed uninterested in the game and couldn't come up with a concept, but got really upset when I was wondering aloud in the channel if they'd be okay giving up their spot. I was told to stop flipflopping about it and make a decision, so I decided to kick them so that I could get the game under way.
But now it turns out I don't have anyone to replace them with, and I'm not going to make the Thursday first session I'd planned, since another player has her birthday and Star Wars.
>>44204890
i would love to join you but i just got into the game :(
have you tried going to reddit white wolf or websit forums and getting a team?
>>44204890
Is this voice or text
>>44204994
>>44205020
I tend to prefer people I know, plus this is onF-list. I may have just got a fourth, though he's someone I've argued with in the past.
Gonna have to try and get people squeezing in some time Saturday.
Pic is related to warwoofs.
>>44205071
how can you even manage to have boobs with such low body fat, absent implants ?
>>44205102
>implants
>>44205115
i think the body would eat that as well
Do we know if we're getting hunter 2E anytime soon? A full book, not just a lil rules update.
>>44205115
>>44205102
Might be, but if so, they're a cut above the ones most female bodybuilders get. I think this is her.
https://www.instagram.com/fit_milyva88/
Although it's important to keep in mind that a) Breasts aren't *just* lumps of fat, and b) most of the female bodybuilders you see with implants are bulked and cutted to the extremes.
>>44205161
It seems like open development will be kicking off soon. The new developer just released her first statement about Hunter 2e: http://theonyxpath.com/light-your-candles-for-hunter-the-vigil-2nd-edition/
>>44205161
Hunter ruined mortal games.
>>44205174
Also, something that's worth noticing is that there's going to be a Hunter-specific Open Call for writers once Monica feels ready. If some of you are interested in writing for CofD, that's not a bad way to get your foot in the door.
>>44205071
F-List? can I watch/fap?
>>44205189
Fuck off.
>>44205174
Hot damn, I didn't even realize it was on the horizon, let alone close to open development.
>>44205217
It was actually announced at GenCon this year! I assume we're only getting posts about it now because the Paradox talks have finally ended.
>>44205071
Rory can you post logs of the game on here?
Also please link your past bin again
>>44205197
>>44205261
>No
>Maybe
>Not here
In that order.
I'm planning on taking detailed notes, though, so that I can actual play and so that I can see what I like or dislike about the system and so I can change parts of it if need be.
Basically to see how I feel about the Conditions/Beats system in-play.
>>44205312
Why not bro? It ain't fun if the homies can't have none.
>>44205312
Will you post in the f-list general then?
>>44205334
I find that opening up a channel to a bunch of strangers on the internet is a bad idea even under the best of situations. Doubly so if it's on a place like F-list. I mean, you can't even voice or devoice people in rooms you mod.
Also it's worth noting that this won't really be a "lewd" game. I just happen to be running it on a typefucking website.
>>44205343
Fine.
>>44205312
The guys in the back are the best part of the webm
>>44203641
No, for two facts. Mage ritual casting in 2nd will be one roll, futher more as based from blood sorcery in vampire 2nd merits have no effect on casting effects. Not sure if that holds true with werewolf.
can specialties be applied to derived stats? Like, could a player take a specialty in defense, or does it have to be a dice pool?
>>44205976
By RAW, a Specialty just gives +1 to a roll.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaFfQDhdyQ
I wonder...would The Burnt be a good name for an enemy in Geist?
>>44200351
at the end of the night, the manliest of vampire fights ends with male on male necking.
How strong should a Werewolf Pack's Totem be?
Is it assumed that every member of the pack, even NPCs, has at least a dot in Totem? Because that'd mean like 15 dots. Is it weird for the PCs to have a Power 5, Finesse 5, Resistance 5 spirit buddy?
Thank you, kind anon.
In Mage the Ascension do you reroll 10s? The corebook says no, every player of VtM and WtA says yes. What should I do? Rerolling arete rolls would dramatically change my game.
>>44206327
>How strong should a Werewolf Pack's Totem be?
Varies hugely depending on the size and power of the pack, and what they've done to strengthen their totem.
>Is it assumed that every member of the pack, even NPCs, has at least a dot in Totem?
No. You'll note that Totem is a werewolf Merit, meaning human pack members can't purchase it. Wolf-Blooded pack members need the Pack Bond Merit to be able to access Totem.
>Is it weird for the PCs to have a Power 5, Finesse 5, Resistance 5 spirit buddy?
Not really. If they've invested enough effort into the totem to get that, then so be it. Nothing wrong with that at all.
>>44206662
I think you only reroll 10s if you're using a skill specialty, so you wouldn't explode arete rolls.
What would the Shadow be like in California City?
https://youtu.be/gO3LUhFwx6k
>>44206688
I'm mostly looking to get a bead on what a "starter" pack would be like. I was thinking of just giving the players a free 15 dot Totem to sidestep some players putting in more points than others. Or should I just not worry about that? Shared merits are always difficult.
>>44206327
>Is it weird for the PCs to have a Power 5, Finesse 5, Resistance 5 spirit buddy?
It would mean they gave quite a boost to their totem, but it's not impossible. A Pure Pack starts with a totem that strong to compensate their lack of auspices, but for Forsakens, it would require investing in it.
>>44206734
A 15-point totem is quite a lot of free stuff. I wouldn't worry about some players putting in more points; those players get more bonuses to social rolls with the totem, and the totem is probably going to pay more heed to characters with more totem points. If one pack member has put 5 points in and another 1 point, you can expect that the totem is generally gonna care a lot more about what the 5-pointer character wants and thinks.
>>44206857
That's exactly why I'd be worried!
>>44206892
But that's good, game-making stuff!
>>44206930
I suppose...
>>44206981
Worrying about it, would be similar to being worried that a character with Presence 1 and Manipulation 1 will fail a lot of Social Rolls.
The things you are good and bad at, the things your character is invested in, those are part of the package your playing. If a player only invested one dot then not being favoured by the Totem is part of that.
in 2e Mage, does anyone know if an Integrity 0 mortal still counts as a witness when it comes to Paradox?
>>44207258
Well, yeah, but we're talking about who's got more favour with the boss.
How soon do you guys think before we get Chronicles of Darkness PoD? I really want to try getting my friends into CofD.
>>44207346
That's a good thing. It creates pack tension. Packs shouldn't be at each other's throats all the time, but potential power conflicts should be there.
>>44203692
Neat. Is this stuff in the new CofD rulebook?
>>44188586
>image
Is this what playing Geist is like?
>>44208299
I ran a Geist campaign where one of the characters fought malevolent spirits with a ghost skateboard.
So yes.
>>44208263
Yeah, it is. It's got a flow chart and everything.
Anyone found some fun(?) ways to break some of the new rules yet?
>>44208299
>Is this what playing Geist is like?
It does get that stylish easily; One big thing in Geist is that being alive is fucking awesome, and that looking the part's certainly never wrong.
>>44208263
>Neat. Is this stuff in the new CofD rulebook?
Yes, there's even a big chart flowchart, though most of the rules were somewhere before they made it into CofD core.
>>44207617
A month minimum. OPP's probably going to want to squash bugs in the text THOROUGHLY this time.
>>44200426
thank you Rich. Looking forward to trudging through Stygia. It can't come soon enough
>>44208364
Apparently there's references to a discarded mechanic in the CofD draft. So yeah, they'll want to dona VERY tight search.
Haven't gotten the chance to play with the rules yet, but I'm looking forward to it.
>>44208398
What mechanic?
>>44208405
Fates. Apparently in a very old draft of the GMC rules, all characters had Fates. The God-Machine assigned every being, human or not, with a grisly and terrible fate. From what we've seen, Fates seem to be a mechanic you could play into it or perhaps rage against it for bonuses. Given that Fate Sense seems to be a Numen based on this mechanic, Fates also seemed to serve as a character's ID tag to the G-M and the Angles.
I assume this was cut because of potential setting implications. That and Aspirations/Anchors probably do the job of "this is my schtick" better.
I had some ideas for versions of Santa within some of the CofD gamelines.
>Werewolf: the Literal Spirit of Christmas
>Hunter: Nicholas St North
>Promethean: Ole' Nick the Extempore
>Beast: Krampus
I didnae know what to do for Vampire or Mage, You could make a Freehold in Changeling based on his Workshop, and you could have Christmas themed versions of the various Geists, that's about as far as I got with the other Gamelines.
What exactly does hermetic magic look like?
The picture for the Order of Hermes mage is less than helpful, and I can't get a clear visual of them because of their house structure.
Right like you've got the main hermetical wizards (which I think is just them doing divine math?) and then you've got House Ngoma or the Asian House and their practices as well.
Remember when WoD was good?
What's the point of some of the Conditions that don't actually have any discernible effect? Like Shaken or Spooked—they don't DO anything. Why would someone bother resolving them outside of pure roleplaying inclination?
>>44208847
... Don't they penalize Res/Comp rolls?
>>44208735
2004-2015? I remember it quite clearly.
>>44208945
No, it's just roleplaying. Which BTW is the answer to anon's question, since we're talking about a roleplaying game.
>>44208963
Of course you do, that's your entire lifespan.
>>44206662
In Revised? Only if the Sphere you're using is at 4 and the specialty for it is applicable.
In M20? As above, except the 10's aren't rerolled, they count as 2 successes.
>>44208847
Shaken has an effect. In order to resolve it, you have to fail a roll.
Spooked's effect is more narrative, but the concept behind it is this: Y'know when the cast arrives on the island and sees something that hints at how spooky it is, so they decide to go into the haunted house to investigate?
yeah, that's pretty dumb, but curiousity got the better of them. They resolve Spooked.
Another way to resolve it might be that you're hiding behind the wall in the decrepit house while the serial killer stalks outside. You get a good look at his head and realize there's a huge butcher's knife embedded in it, he can't possibly be alive. When you make the Integrity check and take Spooked, another way to resolve it might be to have your character cry out in horror and try to flee.
Those are broadly the two circumstances in which Spooked are resolved. Either you get yourself deeper in the mess, or you try to extricate yourself in a way that isn't wise.
>>44208847
Beats
>>44208735
WoD Revised was the best oWoD edition, you are right.
>>44208945
>>44209049
It just seems weird, is all. Most of the Conditions have a roleplaying purpose AND mechanical penalty or bonus so that the fluff is reflected in the crunch. These are just all fluff, though. If they really wanted to, a character could choose to spend their entire life in a constant stake of being Shaken and never suffer any penalties.
>>44209122
I see what they were going for conceptually, but I wonder how well it actually works in play. Strong roleplayers will obviously be able to pick up on the narrative opportunities that Shaken and Spooked present, but what about the average player? Will they go, "Hey, I've got this condition now. It doesn't actually DO anything, but... it gives me the option to automatically fail a roll whenever I want? That's... cool, I guess?"
I don't know, since I haven't gotten to try out the new rules yet, but I do know that my group is a mix of strong and mediocre roleplayers, so I can't necessarily count on all of them to pick up on this stuff immediately. I'll be curious to see.
>>44209176
Oh shit, I can't believe I forgot about that. Resolving any Condition gives you a beat, huh? I guess that makes a lot more sense.
Why do WoD books have such terrible layout?
I mean, I keep finding lots of little things that really SHOULD be somewhere else in the book. Kuruth triggers and personal Harmony Breaks aren't the sections for character creation, like they should be, for instance. Why is WoD still so bad at this?
I'm remembering last thread when someone thought Esoteric Armory was new, but it was in GMC in the section on ephemeral entities instead of in the MERITS section, where a Merit belongs.
>>44209225
>I see what they were going for conceptually, but I wonder how well it actually works in play. Strong roleplayers will obviously be able to pick up on the narrative opportunities that Shaken and Spooked present, but what about the average player? Will they go, "Hey, I've got this condition now. It doesn't actually DO anything, but... it gives me the option to automatically fail a roll whenever I want? That's... cool, I guess?"
It's how they get more Experiences. It need be said that CofD is not an adversarial game between storyteller and roleplayer, and they should recognize that their characters taking lumps like that is both a part of the experience and beneficial in the long-term.
It's an incentive based system, you just need to make sure they realize that, and then Conditions become a way to incentivize playing characters who are interesting and have faults, and it can be very satisfying when you rack up the Beats for playing your Integrity well.
>>44209190
I disagree with you for V20 and W20, but I will for M20. M20 sucks dick compared to Revised. Revised was just flat better and wasn't Mage the Vampire Dick Sucking.
>>44209388
>It's an incentive based system
This is what I love most about 2e. It encourages you to play in certain ways by incentivizing certain things.
Having Touchstones is good, it makes losing Humanity harder. Talking to your Touchstones is good, it restores Willpower.
>>44209388
Yeah, alright, that jives a bit better—I forgot you get to take a beat whenever you resolve a condition, too.
I'm used to running games like FATE and Hillfolk, so the concept isn't too unusual to me, but it might take some work to get my players to buy into it. I guess that might be my biggest concern. I have a few players who I know this system will click for immediately, but I'm not so sure about all of them.
I'm actually planning to run a sort of mini-campaign just for the weaker roleplayers in my group, since they've never even played WoD before and I haven't had the chance to run it since the pre-GMC days. I'm pretty excited to see how all the new rules actually come together at the table, 'cause on paper it looks like they've taken the game in an interesting direction.
>>44209475
Take note of my Defense suggestion up above. >>44193211
[lower of Wits or Dexterity] + [lower of Athletics or Brawl]. Should give the average attacker one more die.
>>44209475
Just as a suggestion, for those who aren't super comfortable, you might offer suggestions on where to fail a roll to resolve Shaken (ex. if there's the serial killer chasing you and you come across a weakened section of the wall, you might need to roll Strength + Brawl to break it. Since he murdered your best friend in front of you, you got the Shaken Condition. As the ST, you might say "here would be a good place to fail the roll" to reflect the character being so scared, they don't gather the proper momentum to break through. They bash on it, then have to take another turn to bash on it, all while their enemy draws closer....
and then there's the new advice similar to failing forward. In some situations (like the above), the inability to accomplish the action within the turn timeframe is sufficiently interesting, but in others, it might not be. You might say "Okay, you manage to bust through the door, but you bruise your arm and taking 1B in the process." if you really want to avoid the chance that the killer may confront them.
Just keep that in mind, and good luck! I highly recommend looking at the OPP forums posts on the new core for any systems you're interested in using but haven't fully grasped.
>>44209422
All I know is that I'm hype for Wraith20. It's taking forever, but it seems like they're approaching it with the right philosophy. I loved the mechanics chapter they released.
>>44209601
Thanks. I'll definitely keep that in mind. I'm usually a fairly hands-off Storyteller, but it sounds like this might be a good idea to help ease the newer players into the right mindset.
Does anyone know if the GMC Condition Cards are the same as what's in the new CofD book? I was considering picking those up to make it easier to keep track of this stuff at the table without having to pull players out of the narrative too much.
>>44210617
They are.
>>44207321
Integrity doesn't go down to 0. But if it did, yes they would.
>>44211258
Yo, Dave, you like my interpretations of Santa for the gamelines? >>44208510
>>44203990
How are you supposed to get the shitton of successes for the major workings?
Or did Mage become some sort of postmodern magicians game with tophats and bunnies?
>>44211405
>>44211258
Please explain if possible.
>>44211258
What's the real point of Integrity if it doesn't go to 0? I mean, you're never in danger of becoming an NPC if you go mad.
>>44191573
My experience has been that even if missing attacks against roughly equal opponents is more of a thing, every attack does worrying amounts of damage. Honestly it's pretty jarring from Nwod because you'll be in combat with someone for a round or two and dismiss them as a chump and then next round you take 5 lethal off of them and you're struggling to figure out a way to limp out of the combat before they finish you off.
>>44211258
Hay Dave.
A question concerning Hunters.
Any hope we'll see more government-agency hunters like TFV or VASCU? Maybe their foreign - eg. USSR, Chinese colleagues? What about participation of supernatural forces in IRL wars like WWII or Iraq? Cause Dogs of War only touched on the subject.
>>44211470
If you asked me, the danger of becoming an NPC isn't really all that scary. In practice it's less "What have I done?!" and more "Well, OK, I'll just reroll I guess". It's just like when a character loses their health, it's just whatever.
>>44211544
Why not ask MonicaV, the new Hunter dev? She's got that blog post and everything.
>>44211258
Hey Dave, I was wondering what you think of using Cabal Beats and whether you would use it for regular Beats only or also Arcane?
>>44211258
Oh and yeah, Dave. Any advice on using nWoD for role-playing fantasy games and stuff, especially about magic? I mean, anything beyond what we might have read in Mirrors. Cause for example DnD-style fireball throwing combat-heavy stuff doesn't work out that good, primarily cause the combat-worthy stuff is only on 4-5 ranks of most Arcanae, and when just tossing piles of rotes on top of mages as their template, the capability of level-upping is, well, you learn them one-by-one. Which doesn't really reflect magical schools or something like that.
>>44211405
A very obvious way that no commentator seems to have figured out. Maybe it'll be you who realizes, Anon!
>>44211405
Yantras. You only roll once, but a BIGHUEG spell will have a super penalty on it. Then you use your Yantras to offset them, giving you a good chance to succeed regardless.
>>44205334
>It ain't no fun if the homies can't have none.
Thanks, now I gotta go spin that shit.
>>44211684
Finally, the enshrinement of the "bribe your ST with food" mechanic. A bold new change.
>>44211684
Is the obvious way "they aren't supposed to"?
Because what I like about Mage is that it gives you tools to do awesome stuff, workings that are story-driving, and major effects that have a lot of repercussions. So if you're not saying, can you please tell me that 2e Mages wouldn't be "nerfed" in that regard?
I really really want to like Mage 2e, but this is probably a dealbreaker point.I sometimes have an urge to cry from how intense is my hope and my anticipatory, if so far, baseless, disappointment
>>44211684
I follow the one and true lord viper and power my magic by smoking his A1 work. Or is it just spending mana?
>>44209346
I wonder how many people even know about City Walker and some of the other Merits hidden in the GMC Chronicle section?
>>44211405
What would you nead a shitton of successes for?
Unless you think the 40+ potency wards and things like that of first edition was good gameplay.
>>44211684
>>44211690
Yantras are limited by Gnosis, and the bonuses are generally lower than the -2 penalty for each increase in a pertinent factor.
My guess is that big magical workings require the ritual efforts of multiple mages and assistants using some form of teamwork rules.
>>44211690
That's not fun. As far as I'm reading it, you would spare yourself 1 reach, regardless of how long or how awesome the ritual is. What's the point of it then?
>>44211570
She's never posted on here.
>>44211683
I might do a proper WoD fantasy game after I do werewolf.
Use the Gifted Merit from Hunters for Magic.
>>44211785
I hope he disappoints you because you are exactly what's wrong with the Mage playerbase.
>>44211816
I know about City Walker because it's on thesubnet.
>>44211835
Well yeah, but she's the only person who'd have any real authority. It's not like Dave's writing on it and she's actively looking for suggestions before starting development.
>>44211839
Actually, never thought in that direction, thanks.
It's that I was trying to buid a Witcher role-playing game on nWoD chassis.
>>44211684
So Disbelief (Or whatever 2e calls it) is like the 'Curse of the Commentator'?
>>44209346
It's actually still only in the Ephemeral Beings section in CofD core.
>>44211850
I'm not him, but could you expand your point further? What exactly was wrong there?
>>44211822
Well, that's exactly what I'm hoping for. A system that disallowed that bullshit while, fundamentally, allowing cool stuff. I as a homebrewer, went the way of drastically upping requirements for sacraments, but it's a fix and nothing more.
>>44211913
Mage attracts some of the worst powergamers in the entire of roleplaying. If anything even slightly constrains them from being able to personally wield cosmic power then they feel like the game has failed somehow rather than their ambition running contrary to the theme of the game.
>>44211994
The theme of the game is hubris. How are you supposed to face repercussions of your actions if your actions don't repercuss?
>>44211994
Well, that makes me wonder why these people aren't off on their way for the Exalted rulebook then.
>>44212040
Because Exalted 2.x is too rules heavy and Ex3 is a mess, probably. Or desiring to play in the modern world.
>>44212072
>Because Exalted 2.x is too rules heav
Bb... bbut m-muh Quixalted...
>>44212089
Your what?
>>44211994
What is the theme of the game, then?
Isn't it hubris, and reaching beyond what you can grasp?
>>44212123
http://aakin.net/wiki/doku.php?id=qwixalted
>>44212029
>>44212157
Hubris is a theme for the characters, not the players and their expectations of the game's mechanics.
>>44212167
I'm not that anon, but I had a friend who broke it into pieces. Powergamers seek to wield system mastery, so such a thing would not appeal to them.
>>44212213
But the mechanics should reflect setting assumptions and character capabilities, otherwise you would get a schizophrenic divide between what Mages are demonstrably and obviously are limited by and what they believe that they can do. And that is not good and not fun.
You only ever need one success. Getting more does nothing for you, unless you specifically get three or more (for one of your specialty spells) or five or more (for everything else). 2e's spellcasting mechanics are balanced around the idea that you really want to get an exceptional success - your spell will *work* with just one, but most of the time you'll be rolling with an idea of what you'll spend your exceptional on.
Of which there's a list. It's not just "get a condition" - although that's one of the things you *can* have. But there's a list of options the player picks from when he gets an exceptional on a spell, on top of which mages always get a willpower point back with exceptional spellcasting, as though "be awesome with magic" was a second Vice they all have.
In 1e, your giant rituals were used to build the ridiculous number of successes you needed in the extended cast system to pull of utter insanity. In 2e, you build all spell factors as dice penalties, which yantras and other dice bonuses are there to offset. There's still a bottom-out limit, where if your casting dice pool is -6 or less you don't even get a chance die - you just can't do it.
So who's going to apply for Hunter 2E?
>>44212269
No, that's completely wrong. If that were correct then Hunter nor Promethean would exist. There can and should be limits to character's capabilities well beyond what the characters themselves imagine them to be.
>>44212272
But you don't get to use a lot of yantras.
Also, how free are you to discuss Legacy mechanics? If I bring you several write-ups for Legacies in 2e style modeled after the one you showed, can you say if it's good or not, in private conversation? (If you're interested in discussing it of course.)
>>44212324
Well fuck you too. I like my characters having at least an inkling of the scientific method.
>>44212072
Ex3 is pretty good, all things considered.
>>44212310
I am, but I'm already a freelancer so that's either going to severely help or severely hurt my chances. I'm a huge fan of Hunter and I'd love to get a crack at some part of it.
>>44212356
>Magic
>the scientific method
Choose one, senpai.
