Editing Larp:House Rules Proposals/Fall 2024 (section)

== Character Mechanics ==

=== Graduation System ===

:''See [[Graduation System]].''

{{diff|add=A player may, ''very rarely'', be allowed to play a single character that they would not normally be allowed to play, based on their prior experience with that venue. Any other characters they make (such as additional character slots from being a Patron) must follow the Graduation rules. '''Note:''' This is a very *very* rare situation!}}

{{mdiff|add=Changes:
'''Vampire'''
* '''Assamite: Warrior''' are increased to 2 Graduations for Camarilla, and lowered to 1 Graduation for Anarch (essentially swapping them; this appears to have initially been an oversight)
* '''Brujah''' in the Camarilla are increased to 1 Graduation after the death of Theo Bell and the subsequent mass Brujah exodus.
* '''Giovanni: Premascine''' are raised to 1 Graduation for IA, because they would inherently have to be Elders.
* '''Gangrel: Coyote''' are now 0 graduations in the Camarilla, following the appointment of [[Ragnar the Jackal]].
* '''Lhiannan''' in the Sabbat are now playable with 3 Graduations.
* '''Setite''' are 2 Graduations for Camarilla, making them the same as Giovanni Camarilla.
* '''Setite: Vipers''' and '''Tlacque''' bloodlines of Setite are lowered to 0 Graduations for IA, having been recruited in the early days of the IA.
* '''Tremere''' in the Anarch Movement are increased to 2 Graduations.
* '''Tzimisce''' Autarkis  are lowered to 1 Graduation.
* '''Ventrue''' are 1 graduation for non-Camarilla; the Crusader bloodline remains unchanged. (This was the way it was originally intended per Cam settings rules, as non-cam non-bloodline ventrue are considered Uncommon)
'''Shifters'''
* '''Corax''' are lowered to 1 graduation for Rank 1, since in the age of the weaver being very powerful, the need for Gaia's messengers is greater.
* '''Cult of Fenris''' are considered ''Wyrm-Corrupted'' and are 2 Graduations for Rank 1.
* '''Weaver-Corrupted Garou Nation''' and '''[[Web Walkers]]''' (Glass Walkers) are 1 Graduation for Rank 1.
'''Mortals'''
* '''Non-Ghoul Mortals with Numinae''' at 2 Graduations.}}

=== Equipment and Stock Locations ===

: ''See [[Larp:Equipment]]''.

: ''See [[Larp:Stock Locations]]''.

=== Banality ===

:''See [[Banality]].''

=== Blood Bonds ===

In addition to the rules regarding the fading of a blood bond over time upon a vampire's death, a character is additionally immediately aware of their regnant’s death.

* For a kindred thrall with a one- or two-point blood bond, this triggers a rage frenzy check with a penalty of 2 times the blood bond level. For a 3-point blood bond, the thrall will immediately enter a rage frenzy. In all cases the thrall may spend a willpower to resist this frenzy—but it is still a very emotional and painful experience.
* For a ghoul, they should immediately feel some significant turmoil, which might result in heightened aggression, upset, or unconsciousness. Ghouls who have been bound to their Domitor for a long period of time should feel this much more strongly.

==== Breaking Blood Bonds ====

{{mdiff|del=

* A three-point blood bond must be reinforced regularly. If the thrall avoids drinking her Regnant’s blood for three months, their bond will fade and become a two point bond.
* A two-point bond lasts until the thrall is able to spend six months without meeting or speaking to their regnant.
* A one-point bond lasts until the thrall has spent a full year without meeting or speaking to their regnant.

}}

{{diff|rep=(Removing these as they are just repeating info from the book.)}}

===Wild Card Bonuses===

{{mdiff|add=There is a cap of +5/-5 on Wild Card bonuses.

Wild Card Bonuses/Penalties are defined as bonuses and penalties from:

* Merits and Flaws
* Equipment qualities
* Circumstance: Cover, Maneuvers such as ''Assist Attacker/Defender'', or narrator-granted circumstance bonuses and penalties
* Any other effect that specifically lists its bonus as a "Wild Card" bonus.
}}

===Transformations===

{{mdiff|add=The following are considered '''Major Transformations''':

* Obtenebration: Black Metamorphosis, Tenebrous Form
* Protean: Shape of the Beast, Form of Mist
* Serpentis: Skin of the Adder, Form of the Cobra, Divine Image
* Thanatosis: Ashes to Ashes
* Vicissitude: Horrid Form, Blood Form
* Visceratika: Stone Strength
* Necromancy, Mortis Path: Masque of Death, The Fourth Horseman
* Thaumaturgy, Path of Elemental Mastery: Elemental Form
* Technique: Animal Swarm
* Gifts: Signal Rider, Ancestral Incarnation, Thousand Forms, Wyld’s Undreamt Fury
* Metamorphosis: Merlin's game, Creature of Legend
* Pyretics: Star Body
* Changeling merit: Best of Both Worlds

The following are considered '''Minor Transformations''':

* Protean: Feral Claws
* Serpentis: Tongue of the Asp
* Visceratika: Armor of Terra
* Gift: Razor Claws
* Shifters changing into a form other than their Breed form
* Oakenshield: Hard as Rock
* Arboreal: Become the Green Man, One with Nature
* Metamorphosis: Impersonate, Go Ask Alice

The following are not considered transformations for the purposes of powers such as ''Stone of the True Form'' or ''Forced Transformation'':

* Fleshcrafting and Bonecrafting
* Moliate
* Spiritual Emblem
* Shifters transforming into their Breed form
}}

=== Character Slots ===
Upon earning a graduation or becoming a Patron, a player may open up character slots. This allows a player to play additional characters and earn XP on them according to the rules in the VSS.

If a player stops being a Patron or (under rare circumstances) loses a graduation, their most recent character remains in play but may not earn new XP until the character slot is reopened.

Guidelines for playing multiple characters

* It is strongly recommended that under any circumstances, a player should have no more than 4 active characters.
* A player’s characters may know of each others’ existence but should know very little about them, have little interaction with them, and have a generally neutral opinion about them. Characters absolutely may not be related to, in relationships with, or have motivations regarding their other characters.
* Players should make every effort to avoid characters sharing knowledge. This can be difficult.
* In general (though there are exceptions) players should avoid involving their characters in conflicts against another character at the same time. (Sometimes this can’t be avoided: the other person may just be a dick.)
* You may only play one character at a time. Under certain narrator-approved circumstances (such as large meetings and events) your characters may be ‘in play’ simultaneously, but one character is considered the active one and the other is somewhere else observing but not interacting (we say this character is ‘in the gallery’).
* Any interactions by your characters that can significantly impact another of your characters should be checked with a narrator first. When in doubt, ask.
* Any direct interactions (conversations, challenges, etc.) are highly discouraged, but if they are unavoidable they must be overseen by one or more members of the Narrator Team, one of whom will likely portray one character as a proxy.
* It is encouraged to diversify your characters to get the best experience out of roleplay. Having characters of different clans, sects, and archetypes will allow you to experience different viewpoints of the plot. Having multiple characters who are too similarly aligned may be problematic due to how often they would come into contact with each other, requiring narrator-team approval.

=== Diablerie ===

The third bullet point on page 307 in the section ''The Effects of Diablerie'' limiting a character to one diablerie per year is disregarded.

If a character's generation is lowered as a result of Diablerie, and this results in a change in the Generation background or flaws such as ''Lesser Generation'', record the changes to these backgrounds and/or flaws without additional XP refund or expenditure.

{{diff|add=A character who commits diablerie may purchase the disciplines of their victim as if they were in-clan without a teacher, up to the number of dots possessed by the victim.}}

=== Portraying Retainers ===
Players portraying characters who have retainers may portray them as followers, either with in-game NPC placeholders or by noting their retainer’s existence in their character tags. Players can and should direct these NPCs in combat, on their own initiative, using the stock NPC rules.
Players may, with narrator discretion, portray their own retainers independently or have them played by another player. In this circumstance:

* Retainers should act with their owner/domitor/regnant’s best interests in mind
* Retainers should have a sheet or be represented with stock NPC rules based on dots on the sheet
* Retainers who are portrayed independently do not gain Attendance XP unless the PC attends on their own, separately.

=== Proxying Characters ===
It is not the intent for players to be forced to accompany and attend off-schedule events. If a character would attend an event but the player is unavailable, one of two things may happen:

* The player may request a freeze, in which the scene is frozen until the player is available.
* If the player agrees, or a freeze is not possible in the circumstances, a player may attend an event as a proxy. In this case your character may be portrayed by a narrator or other designated individual (as determined by a Narrator). The player should be sure their instructions on portrayal are included. If a player agrees to a proxy, they understand their character may end up harmed, torpored, losing items, or even possibly killed—but the player or Narrator running the sheet should make every attempt to prevent the character from such harm.

=== Morality, Beast Traits, and Frenzy ===
We use the Expanded Beast Trait System found on page 90 of the BNS Errata with the following changes:

* {{diff|del=Feeding from a consensual human is not a level 1 sin unless you have a Humanity of 6.}}
* Breaking the law in minor ways which are not as severe as the ones described {{diff|rep=in the Expanded Beast Traits Chart}} of the Errata are not a level 1 sin.
* A person on the Path of Humanity who commits diablerie automatically loses a point of Humanity without a test.

It is not outwardly visible that any particular Vampire is on a Path of Enlightenment; they simply appear to be a mid-to-low Humanity vampire. For this reason, Status Bans related to being on a Path of Enlightenment only apply if a person is openly known to be on a Path.

Purchasing a lost point of humanity {{diff|del=costs 3 XP and}} requires your character to actively work toward this goal through their actions. Purchasing Humanity requires narrator approval.

====Frenzy====
{{mdiff|add=Kindred in Frenzy, and Shifters in Thrall of the Wyrm or Anger Frenzy Stage 2 or higher, are unable to use mental or social powers unless explicitly stated otherwise, such as ''Drawing Out the Beast''. While in this state, they also ignore wound penalties as if possessing Fortitude 1. They may however spend 1 Willpower per turn to allow their characters to retain some control during frenzy for 1 turn.

For any mental or social powers targeting a frenzied Kindred that use Willpower as the defense pool, an exceptional success is required to affect them, except for powers specifically designed to influence those in frenzy, like ''Quell the Beast''.

Powers that affect Shifters in Frenzy affect Kindred in Frenzy and vice versa.}}

The attack bonuses from frenzy do not apply to ranged attacks that use the Wits focus.

=== Torpor and Staking ===
A Vampire in Torpor may be cloaked using Cloak the Gathering; a torpid vampire is considered a willing target of this power. The user of the power is still limited by the number of people who may be targeted with Cloak the Gathering.

Mental and Social powers which can normally target a Vampire in a damage-induced Torpor (including being staked) are limited to Line-of-Sight. At storyteller discretion, certain powers which are used to track a vampire (such as Illuminate the Trail of Prey) may still target a torpid vampire.

Awareness allows you to use powers that affect only yourself while in Torpor. This does not include Obfuscate, which specifically is a mind-affecting power that affects others.

A character in damage-induced torpor does not awaken automatically when all damage is healed; they must be fed a point of blood from a vampire of 3 generations lower than the torpid vampire.

Damage dealt to a vampire in damage-induced torpor converts an equal amount of non-aggravated damage in the vampire's health boxes into aggravated damage. A vampire whose health boxes are full of aggravated damage after all damage modifiers have been applied instantly meets Final Death.

A vampire in Damage-induced Torpor may still be killed by being beheaded over a full round or receiving lethal damage over 3 rounds per the rules on page 288; this house rule is an additional way a vampire may be killed but does not replace those mechanics.

In unusual circumstances, such as situations where a target cannot reasonably avoid final death (such as falling into a pot of molten metal, or being beheaded by a guillotine) a character may be subjected to Final Death regardless of other statuses or challenges at storyteller discretion.

==== New Status Effect: Staked ====
A Vampire who has been successfully affected by an appropriate mechanic such as Pierce the heart becomes Staked.

Creating a stake requires crafting one or acquiring one in downtimes. A character may attempt to create an improvised stake per the improvised weapon rules, but as an improvised weapon it can only have Staking and no other qualities. It also has the negative trait Unwieldy giving it a -2 wildcard penalty and prevents you from gaining exceptional successes. This stake exists until the end of the scene if staking was not successful.

A staked vampire has the same status effects as a vampire in Damage-Induced Torpor (including other Damage-Induced Torpor house rules), with the following exceptions:

* They may not awaken from this state while they are still staked, even if they are fed lower-generation blood.
* If the stake is removed, they awaken instantly as long as they are not also in Damage-Induced Torpor.
* There is no way to "heal" from being staked and there is no power available to player characters which allows a vampire to remove their own stake.

A vampire may be both Staked and in Damage-Induced torpor separately.

Characters immune to the Pierce the Heart Maneuver and other anti-staking effects (such as those who have had their heart removed via Heart of Darkness) are also effectively immune to the Staked status effect.

=== Influences ===
Influence actions can be used more flexibly than stated in the book, so long as the use is of the same power level as the provided example.

Influence actions require a number of actions equal to the level of the action. For example, a character with four dots of an influence can do one level 4 action, or two level 2 actions, or a level 1 and a level 3, or four level 1.

Influence actions refresh every game, not every month.

Bonuses from loaned influences apply after all other bonuses (For example, the additional influence actions from Paragon) have applied.