Core Concepts

Health & Damage

Health is determined as usual from the RMU Body DevelopmentRMU attribute skill, but the hit point pool is calculated as if characters were Big (1.5x, an increase of one size category). Mixed Human is used as the race. Pain penalties (normally -10 from every 25% of lost hit points) are calculated from the total hit point pool until death/torpor.

Ex 1: Body Development skill of 85 would result in total hit points of
\({1.5}\times{(85 + 30)} = {173}\) and
\({1.5}\times{(85 + 30)} + 86 = {259}\) until TorporDeath like state.

Ex 2: With Body Development skill of 85, and total hit points of 259 until torpor, hits taken in the range 65-130 would result in a maneuver penalty of -10.

Ex 3: With Body Development skill of 85, and total hit points of 259 until torpor, the penalty limits are (HP left out of max :

Superficial Health Damage

Attacks against Kindred resolve as Small attacks: read the Small size matrix of the weapon's attack table instead of the Medium one. The size column already prices in the vampire's resilience — both the hits and the CriticalsCritical hits from weapons come out reduced, so no further adjustment is made.

Ex 1: A roll that reads 11C against a mortal on the Medium matrix reads roughly 8B on the Small matrix against a vampire.

Aggravated Health Damage

Aggravated sources — fire, sunlight, the fangs and claws of supernatural beings — cut past the Kindred resilience: resolve them at full value, without the Small-attack reduction. Track the aggravated total separately from other damage: mending it takes far more effort (see Healing below — once per night, and only with multiple RouseRouse the blood for supernatural usage checks).

Willpower

Determined by the average of PresenceRMU attribute and Self DisciplineRMU attribute ability score divided by 20 and rounded to the whole number. i.e. \(round(\frac{PR + SD}{40})\)

Spending Willpower

Using 1 point of Willpower:

…gives a 3d10 to add to a roll. The number of d10 dice available is determined by each full 10-point difference between the resulting roll and 100. However, the normal open-ended roll rules are not applied.

Ex 1: With a roll of 67, the full 3d10 may obtain a maximum roll of 97.

Ex 2: With a roll of 74, only 2d10 may be used to obtain a maximum roll of 94.

Ex 3: With a roll of 91, no Willpower may be spent to make the roll better.

…may control the character for one turn during Frenzy or when under the influence of supernatural coercion, such as Dominate or Presence VTMVTM p. 255.

…may perform a minute movement (twitch a finger, open your eyes) while impaled with a wooden stake through the heart.

… to ignore all Health damage penalties for one turn.

Penalties

If willpower is ImpairedGrippled state a penalty of -20 is applied for all socialSocial maneuver rolls and mentalMental maneuver rolls rolls.

Aggravated Willpower Damage

The Willpower track has one box per point of WillpowerVTM tracked value. Superficial damage marks a box with a slash, aggravated with a cross; when every box already carries superficial damage, further superficial damage upgrades slashes into crosses. With the track completely filled — by either type or a mix — Willpower is ImpairedGrippled state (see Penalties above). Aggravated Willpower damage comes from StainsVTM: If a character violates her Tenets or Beliefs they may gain Stains to their Humanity overflowing the Humanity Track and from overwhelming social damage VTMTrackers VTM p. 126, Willpower p. 158.

Hunger, Dice Pools & The Beast

Margin

Excess over success is every +10 compared to 1 dice, if applicable.

Difficulty & Modifiers

1 added/removed DiceVTM dice pool‘s single die corresponds to +/- 10 modifier

1 added/removed DifficultyRMU difficulty modifier for a maneuver corresponds to +/- 20 modifier

Hunger Dice

HungerVTM need for blood sustenance affects how many d10 dice may be used to buff a roll with WillpowerVTM tracked value.

Hunger DiceVTM mechanic for the effects of hunger affect all actions and maneuvers, except do not use Hunger DiceVTM mechanic for the effects of hunger for ChecksA roll of a single d10 dice where 6+ corresponds to a success, WillpowerVTM tracked value, or HumanityVTM mechanic to track the Humanity of a character. They cannot be re-rolled with WillpowerVTM tracked value.

Messy Criticals

If an open-ended rollRMU d100 roll of 1-5 or 96-100 of 96-100 is made, and it is a successful maneuverA maneuver roll of 101+, roll the hunger dice. Any 10’s will result in a messy criticalVTM concept of a critical success fueled by the Beast.

The success stands, but the Beast delivers it — the mess scales with the size of the success. The character gains one or more StainsVTM: If a character violates her Tenets or Beliefs they may gain Stains to their Humanity, breaches the Masquerade, or loses a dot from an Advantage (repairable faster than a normal loss). If none of those fit the scene — a stealth or awareness roll, say — the character acts out a CompulsionAn urge from the Blood that penalizes everything but obeying it — see Core Concepts, Compulsions (below), or the maneuver fails completely as the Beast clouds their senses VTMMessy Critical, VTM p. 207.

Bestial Failures

If an open-ended rollRMU d100 roll of 1-5 or 96-100 of 1-5 is made, and it is a failed maneuverA maneuver roll of less than 101, roll the Hunger diceVTM mechanic for the effects of hunger. Any 1’s will result in a bestial failureVTM concept of a critical failure fueled by the Beast.

The Beast exacts a price: the character acts out a CompulsionAn urge from the Blood that penalizes everything but obeying it — see Core Concepts, Compulsions (below). For troupes preferring less urge-driven play, the Storyteller may instead apply a lost Advantage dot (as with messy criticals), one or more points of Aggravated Health damage (bloody sweat — fits failed resistance rolls well), or +1 HungerVTM need for blood sustenance — which above Hunger 5 forces an immediate hunger frenzy test at Extremely Hard (-30) VTMBestial Failure, VTM p. 207.

Compulsions

A CompulsionAn urge from the Blood that penalizes everything but obeying it — see Core Concepts, Compulsions is the Blood subtly dictating behavior for a while: the urge feels utterly natural, and the vampire may never realize they were influenced. Unlike frenzy, WillpowerVTM tracked value cannot be spent to ignore one. The Storyteller picks a fitting Compulsion or rolls a d10 on the list below; the player decides how to act it out — doing so memorably feeds the play-out recovery rule (see Healing) VTMCompulsions, VTM pp. 208-210.

Hunger (1-3): Every thought strays to feeding, and the vampire will do anything to get it — violence, subterfuge, outright begging. Any action not immediately conducive to feeding takes -20. Ends when the vampire slakes at least 1 Hunger.

Dominance (4-5): The Blood urges its host to come out on top: the next interaction becomes a competition to win and gloat over. No teamwork, and any action that avoids establishing dominance or challenging authority takes -20. Ends once the vampire has won and rubbed the loser's nose in it.

Harm (6-7): The Hunger wants ruin for its own sake — physical, social, or emotional. Any action not immediately resulting in someone or something getting harmed takes -20. Ends when the vampire incapacitates, destroys, or drives away a target; an object only counts if it holds serious value to someone the vampire values.

Paranoia (8-9): The need for vigilance flares into full-blown suspicion of anyone and anything. Any action not aimed at disengaging from perceived threats takes -20. Ends after roughly an hour somewhere safe — a rooftop with good visibility, the haven, deep underground.

Clan Compulsion (0): The clan founder's ancient pattern asserts itself — see below. Caitiff and thin-bloods re-roll instead.

Clan Compulsions

Brujah — Rebellion: The vampire takes a stand against whatever they see as the status quo of the situation. All rolls take -20 until they defy their orders or expectations, perceived or real — changing someone's mind (by force if necessary) or doing the opposite of what was expected of them.

Gangrel — Feral Impulses: The animal surfaces: for one scene, speech comes only in one-word sentences and rolls involving Empathy or Reasoning take -30 VTMThree-dice penalty to Manipulation and Intelligence rolls (VTM p. 210).

Malkavian — Delusion: Truths, portents, or figments skew the senses. For one scene, rolls involving Agility, Empathy, Self Discipline, or Intuition take -20 — as do rolls to resist terror frenzy VTMTwo-dice penalty to Dexterity, Manipulation, Composure, and Wits rolls (VTM p. 210).

Nosferatu — Cryptophilia: Secrets become almost as delicious as blood — and are only shared in strict trade for greater ones. Any action not spent working toward learning a secret takes -20. Ends on learning a secret big enough to be useful; sharing it is optional.

Toreador — Obsession: One beautiful thing — a person, a song, an artwork, blood spatter — captures the vampire entirely; spoken to, they only talk about it. All other actions take -20 until the object leaves their perception or the scene ends.

Tremere — Perfectionism: Nothing but flawless will do. All rolls take -20 until the vampire scores an Absolute Success (176+) on a skill roll or the scene ends. A repeated attempt at the same task lowers the penalty to -10; a second repeat removes it.

Ventrue — Arrogance: The need to rule surfaces, and the vampire stops at nothing to take command. Any action not directly associated with leadership takes -20 until someone obeys one of their orders — an order not supernaturally enforced, so Dominate does not count.

Checks

Roll a single d10; a 6 or higher succeeds. Used for Hunger gain checkVTM concept to make a single d10 check whether hunger score is lowered, e.g. as part of a Rouse CheckVTM concept to make a single d10 check whether hunger is gained. It may not be re-rolled with WillpowerVTM tracked value.

Acting During Daytime

During the day the Blood lies quiescent. Waking before nightfall is a maneuver against the pull of day-sleep, modified by how loudly the world intrudes.

While awake during the day, the maximum action or maneuver bonusRMU concept of added modifier to the dice roll result is \(Humanity Score \times{10}\).

Blood Surge

Temporarily augments attributes. Requires a Rouse CheckVTM concept to make a single d10 check whether hunger is gained. Once per roll, add \({10}\times{(2 + floor(\frac{Blood Potency - 1}{2}))}\) VTMBlood Surge dice by Blood Potency, VTM p. 216 (2 dice at BP 1-2, 3 at BP 3-4, up to 6 at BP 9-10; 1 die at BP 0) to the roll. Willpower re-rollWillpower may be used to gain maneuver bonuses for a single d100 roll may be used with the extra bonuses. The Blood Surge cannot be used for WillpowerVTM tracked value or Humanity rollsVTM: Rolls related to Humanity, such as Remorse test to see if Humanity is lowered or for rolls that apply for an extended time period.

Frenzy

Resisting FrenzyUncontrollable state of rage or fear is a standard RMU maneuver (see the table below). WillpowerVTM tracked value is the current unspent, undamaged Willpower — a vampire worn down during the session resists the Beast poorly.

Ex 1: With Willpower 4 (+40) and Humanity 7 (+20), seeing a Touchstone hurt (-10) is resisted with \(d100_{OE} + 40 + 20 - 10\). At Hunger 4 the penalty worsens by -40, making the roll \(d100_{OE} + 40 + 20 - 50\).

Ex 2: A partial success (total 76-100) on that roll keeps the Beast down for the round; the retry next round gains +10, i.e. \(d100_{OE} + 40 + 20 - 50 + 10\).

One point of Willpower may be used to control the FrenzyUncontrollable state of rage or fear for one turn, however, WillpowerVTM tracked value cannot be used to boost resisting the FrenzyUncontrollable state of rage or fear.

The FrenzyUncontrollable state of rage or fear lasts until the subject has achieved their goal (at any cost) or the scene ends.

Effects of Frenzy

There are no penalties for damage or injuries short of mutilation. May only use physical Disciplines, but may resist mental Disciplines with a +30 modifier (a mental Discipline with no resistance roll instead takes a -40 penalty on its activation roll when used against a frenzied target). A frenzied vampire cannot be provoked into another frenzy, nor gain a CompulsionAn urge from the Blood that penalizes everything but obeying it — see Core Concepts, Compulsions. Unless the vampire is riding the wave, the Storyteller takes the character for the duration VTMEffects of Frenzy, VTM p. 220.

Riding the Wave

A vampire may also choose to let go — declaring the frenzy rather than testing against it. No resistance roll is made and the frenzy runs by all the usual rules; what riding the wave buys is the wheel. The player keeps narrating their own character — who they go for first, what they wreck on the way out — instead of handing them over for the scene. Playing it out memorably also feeds the Willpower recovery rule (see Healing) VTMRiding the Wave, VTM p. 219.

Fury Frenzy

The vampire stops at nothing to tear the cause of the provocation to pieces, often together with anyone nearby: friend or foe. After destroying the subject of their ire, the vampire can make the Frenzy resist roll at Hard (-10), or Sheer Folly (-50) if other enemies remain standing. Success ends the frenzy, while failing drives them deeper into the rage; they keep slaying anyone in the vicinity unless subdued.

Hunger Frenzy

Every time a vampire fails a Rouse CheckVTM concept to make a single d10 check whether hunger is gained while at HungerVTM need for blood sustenance 5, they must make a hunger frenzy test at Extremely Hard (-30). The Hunger frenzy ends when the hunger reaches 1 or below. During one, the vampire goes for fresh human blood from the nearest source — and if that source is a Touchstone, one hopes there is Willpower left to spend on a turn of control.

Terror Frenzy

Danger provokes terror frenzy — Rötschreck, the Beast preserving itself against what it cannot fight. Fire and sunlight are the classic causes; grave damage to the body can serve as well. The vampire flees the source of danger without regard for anyone or anything in the way — allies, bystanders, a plate-glass window between them and the street. It ends when the vampire can no longer perceive the danger, or when the scene does VTMTerror frenzy (Rötschreck), VTM p. 220.

Tainted Blood

Poison poured down a corpse's throat does very little. Whatever rides in a living victim's bloodstream, though, rides into the vampire who drains them — and some Kindred hunt for exactly that. Juicers and heads stalk the drunk, the high, and the overdosed for a secondhand buzz the Blood offers no other way VTMTainted Blood, VTM p. 310.

A substance always tells on the Kindred far less than on the mortal it came from. The values below are two things at once: the ordinary effect on a mortal or ghoul dosed to the point of incapacitation, and the ceiling for a vampire — what they suffer after draining a victim saturated with the stuff. Between those poles, scale by how much tainted blood went down VTMThe dose scale is this conversion's own: VTM gives the values as a mortal baseline and a vampire ceiling (p. 310) without a scale between them. The substances and their per-substance effects are the book's.

Stat-based entries read the usual way: a modifier on "Agility-based rolls" hits every maneuver whose formula draws on that stat, whatever the skill (see Attributes & Skills). Where a victim carries more than one substance, the modifiers stack.

The stimulant exception: cocaine and its cousins buy the one case where Hunger DiceVTM mechanic for the effects of hunger may be re-rolled. Spend the two WillpowerVTM tracked value after the Hunger dice are read and the re-roll stands, wiping the messy criticalVTM concept of a critical success fueled by the Beast or bestial failureVTM concept of a critical failure fueled by the Beast if no 10 or 1 comes up again.

Poison and the dead nerves: few poisons trouble the undead in any real way. The hits are short circuits — the tainted Blood animating dead nerves and then paralyzing them — so they mend as ordinary damage does.

How long it rides: a drug lasts a scene or two, by its nature and the amount taken. Poison is stubborn: it clings until the tainted Blood is spent or diluted — until the vampire reaches HungerVTM need for blood sustenance 5, or feeds again, whichever comes first.

Healing

Superficial Health Damage

Usually, mends \(10 + 1d10\) concussion hits per Rouse CheckVTM concept to make a single d10 check whether hunger is gained VTMVampiric Mending, VTM p. 218, depending on the blood potency. With higher blood potency more damage is healed per Rouse Check.

Aggravated Health Damage

After a rest period, make up to three RouseRouse the blood for supernatural usage checks in addition to the RouseRouse the blood for supernatural usage check for AwakeningVTM rule for waking up for the night. This heals \(\frac{10 + 1d10}{3}\) points of aggravated concussion damage and one CripplingCrippling injuries are any permanent damage from critical hits injury or similar impairment. Aggravated damage may only be healed once per night. If RouseRouse the blood for supernatural usage checks raises HungerVTM need for blood sustenance above 5, they’ll fall into TorporDeath like state rather than testing for hunger frenzyUncontrollable state of hunger for blood

Superficial Willpower Damage

Willpower is recovered at the rate of 1 point per rest period.

Additionally, once per session, a character who definitively acts to further their Desire — a session-level want, lighter than an Ambition, picked each session or carried over while unfulfilled VTMDesire, VTM p. 174 — may immediately recover 1 point of Superficial Willpower damage.

Moreover, a character who plays outRole plays the character a messy critical, a bestial failure, a frenzy, or a CompulsionAn urge from the Blood that penalizes everything but obeying it — see Core Concepts, Compulsions in a sufficiently dramatic way can recover 1 or more Superficial Willpower damage as they briefly satiate the Beast VTMMessy criticals and bestial failures VTM p. 207, Compulsions p. 208, frenzy p. 219.

Aggravated Willpower Damage

A character can recover 1 or more points of Aggravated Willpower damage when acting to significantly benefit a Touchstone or uphold a Conviction against their best interest.

Additionally, at the end of a session where the character has actively worked toward their Ambition, they recover 1 point of Aggravated Willpower damage.

Dangers to the Blood

Bullets bruise the Kindred; blades crease them. Disease finds nothing to live on and dies in the dead blood — passed along to the kine, never kept. A short list of things, however, does the undead genuine harm VTMDangers to the Blood, VTM pp. 221-223.

Sunlight

The eye of heaven does not forgive. Direct sunlight burns Blood and flesh together, dealing one damage level of Aggravated damage per point of Bane Severity, every round — each level \(10 + 1d10\) Aggravated concussion hits. Sunlight obscured by curtains or heavy overcast, or a body covered against it — heavy coat, gloves, mask, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, boots — slows the burning to every other round or less.

Bane Severity is read off Blood Potency, and it is the same severity the clan banes use — the Brujah row on the frenzy table above scales from it VTMBane Severity per the Blood Potency table, VTM p. 216; sunlight damage p. 221. Thin-bloods take one damage level of ordinary (non-Aggravated) hits per round instead, and can get by with high-SPF sunscreen and far less clothing than true Kindred need.

Fire

Fire wielded as a weapon — a burning torch, incendiary rounds, a flamethrower — resolves on its own attack table. Fire simply endured is measured by how much of the vampire is in it, and deals Aggravated damage every round: roughly one damage level for a hand held in an open flame, three or more for a body engulfed. Vampires burn no faster than mortals do; it is only that so little else truly threatens them.

Extreme Cold

Cold cannot kill the Kindred, but it can still take them. A vampire carries no warmth of their own save for a few minutes after feeding, so they feel a dangerous drop coming far too late. After an hour at -30°C or below the Blood begins to thicken, and the vampire tests each hour to keep moving — every hour harder than the last. In icy water, which pulls heat far faster than air, test every half hour instead.

Stakes

A wooden stake through the heart does not kill — it pins. The vampire is paralyzed but stays conscious, aware of everything done to them and able to do nothing about it. A point of WillpowerVTM tracked value buys a minute movement: a twitched finger, an opened eye. Mental Disciplines still work — Auspex, Dominate, Presence — but commands need a voice, so nothing that must be spoken lands unless the vampire can reach a mind directly.

A staked vampire still makes their Rouse CheckVTM concept to make a single d10 check whether hunger is gained at every sunset. Sooner or later the waking Hunger climbs past 5 and takes them into torpor — which is precisely what the stake is for. Driving one in, and taking a head off, are combat actions: see Staking & Decapitation.

Torpor

Between unlife and Final Death lies an undead hibernation. A vampire in TorporDeath like state lies dead to the world, shrivelled to the appearance of a corpse, unable to use Disciplines or react to anything. Three roads lead in:

From Hunger: rising for the night at Hunger 5 and failing the Rouse CheckVTM concept to make a single d10 check whether hunger is gained. From damage: taking enough Aggravated damage to fill the health track to the torpor line (see Health & Damage) — after which the body mends unconsciously, one damage level a night, and may rise again once whole. By choice: lying down and letting go — though Hunger still climbs every night until it would have taken them anyway.

How long it lasts is a measure of how much humanity is left to hold on with. A vampire wakes from torpor at Hunger 5 VTMTorpor lengths from the Humanity table, VTM p. 241; torpor rules p. 223:

A stake overrides the clock: a staked vampire stays under past their time until someone pulls it out. Pull it after the term has run and they wake at once, or by that night. Torpor can also be cut short from outside — feed the sleeper vampire Blood of higher Blood PotencyVTM tracked score for how potent the characters vampire blood is than their own, enough to slake one HungerVTM need for blood sustenance, and they rise.

Once the term has run, an unstaked vampire is not quite gone. Every time prey wanders close, something under the dust takes notice.

Final Death

A vampire who dies a second time does not come back. When the health track fills to the torpor line with Aggravated damage, the vampire drops into torpor — and in that state they are a body on a floor waiting for whoever is still standing. Any further Aggravated damage from fire or sunlight taken there is Final Death.

So is decapitation, whenever it lands. So is the outright destruction of the body by any means that leaves nothing to mend: acid that dissolves it, explosive overpressure that dismembers it, deep-sea pressure that pulps it. The Society of St. Leopold prescribes burning torpid vampires to ashes, and they are not wrong to. What is left afterward reverts to a corpse of the right age — a fledgling of under a year rots like anyone; older Kindred go to bone, or to dust VTMFinal Death, VTM p. 223.

True Faith

Most mortals believe something. A few — no more common among clergy than anyone else — carry the burning thing itself, and it works in every faith that holds it: a Star of David, the Qur'an, an Aum symbol on a t-shirt. In a bishop's hands without the ardor, a cross is a piece of metal. True Faith rates 1 to 5 and cannot be bought with experience; it grows or erodes through what a life does to a soul VTMTrue Faith, VTM p. 222.

Humanity & Diablerie

Humanity

The Humanity TrackVTM tracked score of character‘s Humanity has 10 boxes: the Humanity rating fills boxes from the left, and StainsVTM: If a character violates her Tenets or Beliefs they may gain Stains to their Humanity are marked from the right onto the unfilled boxes. Violating a chronicle Tenet gives 1 Stain — 2 or more for a truly bestial act — and a violation committed in service of a Conviction reduces the Stains gained by one or more. Stains beyond the free boxes trigger Degeneration (below) VTMHumanity track and Stains, VTM pp. 236, 239.

Remorse Check

A character with any StainsVTM: If a character violates her Tenets or Beliefs they may gain Stains to their Humanity at the end of the session tests whether enough of the human remains. The bonus comes from the unmarked boxes on the Humanity TrackVTM tracked score of character‘s Humanity (between Humanity and Stains) — always at least one. The +30 base is the standard conversion of the test's low difficulty: in VTM a single success suffices.

Degeneration

If StainsVTM: If a character violates her Tenets or Beliefs they may gain Stains to their Humanity surpass the available Humanity TrackVTM tracked score of character‘s Humanity, the character becomes ImpairedGrippled state (-20 to all actions and maneuvers). Additionally, takes aggravated WillpowerVTM tracked value damage for any excess over the track capacity.

Diablerie

Drinking another vampire dry — Blood, essence, soul. An act reviled across Kindred society, and one that stains the perpetrator's aura for all with eyes to see VTMDiablerie, VTM pp. 234-235.

Committing it: The victim must first be immobilized — heavy chains, a stake, torpor, or enough hands. Drinking them dry takes a full scene of feeding (per the feeding rules on Combat); partners may share the draining, but only one drinker may attempt the true diablerie. Then the spark is torn loose: once per round, test \(d100_{OE} + 40 + {2}\times{(St_{bonus} + Me_{bonus})} + BP\)BPBP is the Blood Potency power bonus: +5 per point of Blood Potency — for example +5 at BP 1 and +30 at BP 6. In a victim’s Resistance formula, use the victim’s own. at Hard (-10) VTMStrength + Resolve tests at Difficulty 3, one per turn (VTM p. 235), collecting successes equal to the victim's Blood PotencyVTM tracked score for how potent the characters vampire blood is. A single failed test kills the animating spark unconsumed. Either way, the victim's body decays into Final Death.

Consuming the soul: Tear the spark loose, and the alien Blood must still be mastered. Lose 1 point of Humanity outright, then roll the contest below — the victim's spirit resists from within, rolling first as the passive side:

\(Resistance = d100_{OE} + (20 + {2}\times{Me_{bonus}}) + {10}\times{Blood Potency_{victim}}\)

Aftermath: The gained DP are spent immediately — on Blood PotencyVTM tracked score for how potent the characters vampire blood is(never above the victim's rating) or on DisciplinesVTM: Supernatural abilities of vampiresthe victim knew. If the victim was of lower generation, the diablerist's generation drops by one. Black veins mar the diablerist's aura — plain to Scry the Soul and its kin, and the mark A Taste for Blood reads — for one year, or for a number of years equal to the original generation gap if the diablerist's generation was the higher one.