Vampire: The Requiem For Dummies

Justin Achilli, Ken Cliffe, Colleen Totz Diamond0-470-03745-8, 978-0-470-03745-4

Includes tips on characters and storylines for storytellers Develop your character, understand the World of Darkness, and play today! Vampire lore has intrigued ordinary mortals for centuries. Sink your teeth into this book and find out how to slip into their mysterious, mystical world! Create the vampire of your dreams (or nightmares), choose attributes, skills, and advantages, understand the characteristics of each clan, enter the World of Darkness — and throw away the garlic. Discover how to * Calculate your character’s advantages and Blood Potency * Set the mood for the game * Select a clan and a covenant for your character * Explore sources of inspiration * Master the art of storytelling

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Table of contents :
Vampire: The Requiem For Dummies……Page 5
Dedications……Page 7
Authors’ Acknowledgments……Page 9
Contents at a Glance……Page 11
Table of Contents……Page 13
About This Book……Page 23
How This Book Is Organized……Page 24
Icons Used in This Book……Page 25
Where Do I Go from Here?……Page 26
Part I: Introducing Vampire: The Requiem……Page 27
Understanding Storytelling……Page 29
Who Are the Undead?……Page 32
Creating Theme and Mood……Page 34
Separating the Myths from the Facts……Page 35
Getting Sources and Inspiration……Page 36
Creating Your Character……Page 41
Calculating Your Character’s Blood Potency……Page 45
Adding the Final Touches……Page 46
Understanding the Rhythm of the Game……Page 47
Nailing the Rules……Page 48
Engaging in Combat……Page 49
Understanding the Vampiric Condition……Page 55
Understanding Rolls and Traits……Page 62
Part II: Choosing a Clan……Page 67
Choosing a Character from Clan Daeva……Page 69
Roleplaying a Daeva Character……Page 70
Sample Daeva Character: Tina Baker……Page 72
Choosing a Character from Clan Gangrel……Page 77
Roleplaying a Gangrel Character……Page 78
Sample Gangrel Character: Becky Lynn Adler……Page 80
Choosing a Character from Clan Mekhet……Page 85
Roleplaying a Mekhet Character……Page 86
Sample Mekhet Character: Jack McCandless……Page 87
Choosing a Character from Clan Nosferatu……Page 91
Roleplaying a Nosferatu Character……Page 92
Sample Nosferatu Character: David Walker……Page 94
Choosing a Character from Clan Ventrue……Page 99
Roleplaying a Ventrue Character……Page 100
Sample Ventrue Character: Louis Maddox……Page 102
Part III: Creating Your Own Vampire……Page 107
Step #1: Creating a Concept……Page 109
Step #2: Selecting Attributes……Page 110
Step #3: Selecting Skills……Page 111
Step #4: Select Skill Specialties……Page 112
Step #5: Embrace of the Vampire……Page 113
Step #6: Selecting Merits……Page 115
Step #7: Determining Advantages……Page 116
Step #8: Feeling the Spark of Unlife……Page 117
Questions, Questions………Page 118
Coming Full Circle……Page 121
Understanding Attributes……Page 123
What Do the Dots Mean?……Page 124
Understanding Mental Attributes……Page 125
Understanding Physical Attributes……Page 127
Understanding Social Attributes……Page 130
Understanding Skills……Page 135
Understanding How Skill Dots Work……Page 136
Grasping Mental Skills……Page 137
Getting a Handle on Physical Skills……Page 144
Understanding Social Skills……Page 150
Using Disciplines……Page 157
Animalism……Page 158
Auspex……Page 160
Celerity……Page 162
Dominate……Page 163
Majesty……Page 165
Nightmare……Page 167
Obfuscate……Page 169
Protean……Page 171
Vigor……Page 173
Purchasing Blood Potency……Page 175
Putting on a Good Defense……Page 176
Taking Initiative……Page 177
Being in Touch with Your Humanity……Page 178
Racing with Speed……Page 181
Testing Your Willpower……Page 182
Dealing with Derangements……Page 184
Playing Virtues and Vices……Page 187
Mental Merits……Page 189
Physical Merits……Page 191
Social Merits……Page 195
Vampire-Specific Merits……Page 199
Part IV: Stepping into the Night……Page 201
Enduring the Isolation……Page 203
Beginning Your Requiem……Page 204
Trapped in the City……Page 205
Understanding the Traditions……Page 209
Title, Rank, and Position……Page 210
Blood to Blood Influences……Page 214
Understanding the Role of Covenants……Page 217
Joining the Carthian Movement……Page 219
Aligning with the Circle of the Crone……Page 221
Wielding the Power of the Invictus……Page 223
Aspiring to the Lancea Sanctum……Page 225
Achieving True Power through the Ordo Dracul……Page 227
Thinking Freely with the Unaligned……Page 230
VII……Page 231
Part V: Mastering the Art of Storytelling……Page 233
Creating the Story……Page 235
Filling Out Your Characters……Page 236
Picking a Setting……Page 237
Knowing Your Supporting Cast……Page 240
Understanding the Different Types of Plots……Page 243
Resolving Conflicts……Page 244
Developing the Story……Page 246
The Commandments……Page 248
Animals……Page 251
Encountering Non-combatants……Page 256
Coming Up against Combatants……Page 260
What’s the Lesson?……Page 271
Accepting Your Flaws……Page 274
Part VI: The Part of Tens……Page 279
Home, Sweet Home……Page 281
Old School……Page 282
Fire Bad……Page 283
Cannibalism……Page 284
Dirt Nap……Page 285
Public Transit……Page 286
Penthouse Suite……Page 287
Bomb Shelter……Page 288
Mob Rules……Page 289
Blood Addict……Page 290
Wizards……Page 291
Werewolves……Page 292
Blood Seeps Slowly……Page 293
Malediction of Despair……Page 294
Feeding the Crone……Page 295
VII……Page 297
The Invictus……Page 298
World of Darkness: Chicago……Page 299
Vampire: The Requiem……Page 300
Part VII: Appendix……Page 301
Game Terminology……Page 303
Vampire Terminology……Page 307
Index……Page 315
Insert……Page 339