Vampire: the Masquerade for Horror Hero

Conversion by H. Ryan Clark

                       

Vampire Abilities:

 

Undead Toughness:  50% Damage Reduction vs. PD & ED, Resistant; Only vs. Stun (-1/2); Not When Body is Reduced to Zero (-1/4)                        Total Cost: 34pts

 

(Note to Undead Toughness: I became fed up with humans "K.O.ing" my vampires left and right. I thought the undead were tougher than that. According to the GURPS V:tM, vampires are a lot less prone to being stunned. Therefore, I thought it only appropriate to reduce stun damage by half. This nicely simulates the ability of vampires to take frightening amounts of damage and keep coming. Notice that the Vampire will take normal stun if she is reduced to zero Body.)

 

Regeneration:  Body REC/ Week (5pts), Regenerate Limbs (+10pts), Regenerate from Death [unless by beheading or killing blow from aggravated damage] (+20pts)                          Total Cost: 35pts

 

Life Support: Does not need to Breathe, Eat or Excrete. Verses High Radiation, Heat/Cold. Immune to Disease and Aging.                        Total Cost: 27pts

 

Does Not Bleed: See Automaton Rules (pg.180)                        Total Cost: 15pts

 

Blood Pool:  END Reserve; Must be equal to Character's Body x2 modified by Generation Level (-0) (Assuming a Body of 20)>                        Total Cost: 4pts

 

(example: Phillipe, a 13th Gen. Toreador, Has a body of 8 which gives him a beginning Blood Pool of 16 END. Tyrone, a 13th Gen. Brujah, has a Body of 15. His beginning Blood Pool will be 30 END.)

 

(Note to Blood Pool: I've used the END Reserve approach (as opposed to Charges) to power vampire abilities because it's easier to Transfer Body points to an END Reserve than to a charges pool [see Feeding]. The reason I charge for the Blood Pool, instead of giving an END pool figured from Body for free, is that vampires are "buying" access to their Blood Pool. All living creatures have one, but only vampires (and their ghouls) can use it to fuel their powers and Disciplines.)

 

Blood Aid Multipower:  (base: 42pts); Fade Rate=5pts/10 minutes (+1/2); Self Only (-1/2), END from Blood Pool (-0)                                                                                 Cost: 42pts

>STR Aid: 2D6, +8 to maximum;                                                      [2 END]   u: 2pt

>Body Aid: 2D6, +8 to maximum; Does not heal aggravated damage (-0),

                                                                                                            [2 END]   u: 2pt

>Dex Aid: 3D6, +12 to maximum; 1/2 END (+1/4)                          [2 END]   u: 3pts

                                                                                                            Total Cost: 50pts


 

(Note to Blood Aid: This Multipower was built to work in the following manner: When a Vampire spends 2 points of Blood Pool End she receives 1D6 Real points to the boosted attribute (Str, Dex, Body). The Blood Aid may boost the attributes up to 10 points past their normal rating.

     Also note that Hero 5th edition has increased the cost of Aid to 10pts/ 1D6.

   This write up also assumes that Str costs 2pts/ point, thus the larger Str Aid.)

 

Teeth: 1pip Hand Killing Attack (1/2D6 w/ Str)                        Total Cost: 5pts

 

(Note to Teeth: A vampire's teeth are meant to be used to feed with, making small incisions in a victim's skin and veins. In combat, they make poor weapons (except that they cause aggravated damage to other vampires). Attacks made with the teeth are al ways considered Off Hand and take the standard -3OCV to hit (as a rule, I do not allow the purchase of combat levels to counter this.)

   A special-effect of the teeth is that wounds caused by them can be immediately healed by the vampire who caused them. The vampire has only to lick the wounds and they will fade away, leaving no trace)

 

 

Feeding: Transfer 1D6 Body to Blood Pool END Reserve;

Body Recovery: 5pts/Week (+1 1/2), Continuous (+1), Requires a successful Grab and Bite (-1), Concentrate: 0DCV (-1/2), Full Phase (-1/2), Blood Pool only receives 25% of active points drained (-1/2), Drains Blood Pool instead of Body vs. other vampires (-0)                        Total Cost: 15pts

 

(Note to Feeding: "Blood Pool only receives 25% of active points drained" disadvantage means that for every point of Body Transferred the vampire receives only 1 END instead of the usual 4 END. This means the number rolled on the 1D6(divided by 2) is not only the amount of Body darned but the amount of Blood Pool END received.)

 

Blood Bond: Transform Victim into loyal servant;

[this imposes the Psy Lim: must obey wishes of vampire master (Com, Total)]

1D6 Major Transform; Cumulative Uncontrolled (+1 1/2), No Range (-1/2), Charges: 4 (-1), OIF: Blood (-1/2), Gradual Effect: Every 6 Hours (-1 1/2), Only one dose per day per victim (-1/4), Blood must be ingested by victim (-1/4), Costs 1/2 Blood Pool END (-0)  [8 END]

                        Total Cost: 7pts

 

(Note to Blood Bond: The vampire must spend 8 Blood Pool and feed her blood to her victim. Within 24 hours the victim receives the equivalent of a 4D6 Cumulative Transform. No sooner than 24hours later can the vampire administer another dose of her blood. Die averages being what they are, most victims should be under the vampire's control within 2 or 3 doses. The victim's Recovery stat slowly heals this mental transformation. Thus, vampire's must regularly give of their blood to keep their Thralls under control. Once a month is usually sufficient.)

 

The Embrace: Transform blood-drained human into a vampire.

1D6 Major Transform; Cumulative (+1), Full Phase (-1/2), Concentrate: 0DCV (-1/2), OIF: Blood (-1/2), Costs 2x Blood END (-1/2) [Blood Pool END Cost: 6pts]                        Total Cost: 10pts

 

Vampire Abilities Total:  202pts!

 

 

Vampire Disadvantages: (the Vampire's Curse)

*Secret Identity: "I am a Vampire"                                                                              -15pts

*Psy Lim: "Rotschreck"  (Very Common, Strong)                                                            -20pts

*Phys Lim: "the Draining" Lose 2 Blood Pool END every night (Inf, Slt)                        -5pts

*Phys Lim: "Wooden Doom" (Infrequent, Totally)                                                           -15pts

*Phys Lim: Does Not Heal Body Normally (Infrequent, Slightly)                                  -5pts

*Susceptible to Sunlight (Very Common, 1D6/ Turn)                                       -20pts

*Vulnerable to Fire (Common, x1 1/2)                                                            -10pts

*"Frenzy": Berserk under Very Common circumstances,

   Go and Recovery Rolls based of Self Control [see Virtues].                          -25pts

*Distinctive Feature: Dead Aura (Con. w/ Effort, Noticed, Lim. Group)                        -5pts

*Distinctive Feature: Vampire Appearance (Con. w/ Effort, Noticed)#                        -10pts

     #(Note: Nosferatu do not take this disadvantage)

*Hunted by Lupines (More Powerful, 8-, Limited Area)                                                 -10pts

 

Vampire's Curse Disadvantage Total:  -140pts!

 

Clan Weakness:

*Assamites: Addicted to Kindred Vitae (Phys Lim; Freq/Slightly)                          -10pts

*Brujah: "Weak Will": Self Control begins at -4

                                  and can never exceed +1                                                        -10pts

*Gangrel: 1D6 Cumulative Minor Transform, Activated each Frenzy,

                gaining animal-like features. Gangrel gain a Distinctive Feature

                Disadvantage (worth no points) every excess of Body x2.                        -15pts

*Giovanni: Phys Lim: Mortal blood is considered 1/2 as potent, the vampire

                must drink twice as much (All the time/ Slightly)                                                 -15pts

*Lasombra: Dis Fea: Casts No Reflection (Concealable, Mjr Reaction)                         -15pts

*Malkavian: Any One Psychotic Limitation of Common occurrence and

                    Strong intensity                                   -15pts

*Nosferatu: Dis. Fea: "Ugly!" (Con. w/ Effort, Mjr. Reaction)                                -20pts

*Ravnos: Psy Lim to commit any one type of criminal act (Com, Stng)                        -15pts

*Setites: Vulnerable to Light-based Flashes (UnCom, x1 1/2)

              & More sensitive to sunlight (1D6/ Phase)                                                   -10pts

*Toreador: Artistic Distraction (Uncommon, Strong)                                    -10pts

*Tremere: Watched by Elders (More Powerful, NCI, 8-)                                  -10pts

*Tzimisce: Phys Lim: Must rest in unspoiled earth from one's homeland

                 or receive a cumulative -1 to Skill/Attribute Rolls and Combat

                 for each night without. (Frequent/ Greatly)                                   -15pts

*Ventrue: Psy Lim: Blood Restriction (Uncommon, Total)                                      -15pts

*Caitiff: Kindred Status as a Caitiff*                                                                                -3pts

                (*Optional: can also take parent clan disadvantage)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kindred Character Creation:

 

 Kindred start with a base of 165pts to begin. All Kindred must start with the Vampire's Curse (140pts normally, 130pts for the Nosferatu) plus their Clan Weakness. Vampires can also select additional disadvantages up to a disadvantage maximum of 190pts total.

[145pt Base + Vampire's Curse+ Clan Weakness+ additional Disadvantages.= 355pts!]

 

Vampires spend 202pts for Vampire Abilities and ,typically, set aside 50pts for attributes, 63pts for skills and perks (Backgrounds, see Vampire Conversion) and 40pts for Disciplines

 

Humanity:

   This is a new attribute that begins at 12 (instead of the usual 10) and costs 2pts/ point. Humanity is the measure of  how much of a vampire's mortal nature remains. Humanity influences how well a vampire is able to resist her new urges and instincts. Starting humanity cannot be higher than 16 or lower than 8. Maximum is 20 (a saint), the minimum is 3 (an animal).

Effects: [Appearance] To a large extent, Humanity determines how human a vampire appears and how easily she can pass for human in the general populace. The less Humanity the Kindred has, the more bestial she appears. Vampires with a humanity of 8 or less will be easily spotted among humans.

  [Waking] Vampires tend to sleep very deeply (Lightsleep Talent might help in some cases). During the day, even if there is danger, a vampire must make a normal Ego Roll -5 to awaken without aid. If someone is trying to wake them up: Ego Roll -2. After awakened, a player cannot roll higher than her character's Humanity rating for any skill or Perception rolls. This penalty is in affect at any time during the day. Once the sun goes down, all waking restrictions no longer apply.

  [Self Control] Humanity directly controls how well the vampire is able to resist Frenzy! Regardless of the character's Self Control +Ego Roll, the player cannot roll higher than the vampire's Humanity rating. Therefore, as a vampire slips towards bestiality she can no longer resist the call of the wild.

  [Torpor] When a vampire becomes injured beyond negative Body and loses all Stun, she goes into torpor. Torpor is similar to a coma and can adversely affect the kindred's body or mind. When a vampire emerges from torpor she loses 2 active points from one of her attributes permanently. It can only be replaced with the expenditure of experience later on.

  The time that a vampire spends in torpor is measured by her Humanity rating. When a vampire slips into torpor consult the following chart.

Humanity:                        Length of Torpor:

20                              One Day

19                              Two Days

18.................................................................................……………........................Three Days

17                              Five Days

16                              One Week

15.......................................................................................……………..................Ten Days

14                              Two Weeks

13                              Three Weeks

12.......................................................................................……………..................One Month

11                              Six Months

10                              One Year

  9...............................................................................................……………..........Five Years

  8                              Ten Years

  7                              20 Years

  6...................................................................................……………......................50 Years

  5                              75 Years

  4                              One Century

  3......................................................................................……………...................Five Centuries

 

A vampire uses up her Blood Pool normally while in torpor (thanks to the Draining). This can spell trouble for any warm bodies nearby when the vampire awakens. A character may go into torpor voluntarily. When the character goes to sleep the player simply informs the GM that her character is entering torpor. Many ancient kindred voluntarily enter this state in a protected place to avoid the risk of frenzies or other dangers. Voluntary torpor does not require the loss of two active points from an attribute.

 

Paths of Enlightenment:  Not all vampires wish to retain any glimmer of their former mortality. For them there are only the Paths of Enlightenment: other philosophies and ways of living that allow them to avoid the beast within while divorcing their own humanity. These Paths are too many and varied to list here in any complete form. Though vampires following a path are no longer in danger of losing Humanity through immoral acts, they still have strict codes of conduct to follow. Failure to do so means victory for the Beast.

  Although in terms of role-playing there is a vast difference between Humanity and the Paths of Enlightenment, as game mechanics the two are handled virtually identically.

 

A short list of paths:  Path of Caine, Path of Cathari, Path of Death and the Soul, Path of Harmony, Path of Honorable Accord, Path of Power and the Inner Voice,  Path of Paradox (Ravnos Only), Path of Typhon (Setites Only)

 

Virtues:

(I hope that those of you familiar with V:tM need no lengthy description on how the following are used in the game. The standard Ego Roll is allowed to increase to reflect the character's Willpower. Virtues is taken directly from GURPS Strong Will advantage.)

 

The character's Ego Roll is divided amongst four categories:

Normal (This is the standard  Ego Roll)

Conscience (allows the kindred to retain her Humanity)

Self Control (used to resist Frenzy!)

Courage (used to resist the effects of Rotschreck)

 

The many paths outside of Humanity have virtues as well which serve the same function:

Normal (Standard Ego Roll)

Conviction (retain one's Path when led astray)

Instincts (used to resist Frenzy!)

Courage (resist Rotschreck)

 

To increase the Ego roll in each category costs 2pts/ +1. The maximum any one category can have is +4.


 

Generation: The measure of a vampire's separation from Caine. The default generation of a vampire character is 13th. The player may lower this at Character Creation Time for 3pts/ lower level. The maximum a vampire's beginning generation can be is 8th generation.

  Each level below 13th adds two points to a vampire's Blood Pool (These points ignore the 40pt limit).

 

(Note to Generation: According to the V:tM rulebook vampires with lower generation are able to use more than one Blood Pool point per turn. In Hero, a phase is roughly equal to the Turn used in the Storyteller system. Therefore: Vampire's under 10th Generation must pay an extra 10pts for this privilege. This covers the cost of adding a limited form of Autofire to the multipower (the Autofire is limited by the vampire's Generation: 2 for 9th, 3 for 8th Gen., etc.)

 

(0pts) 13th Generation

(3pts) 12th Generation

(6pts) 11th Generation

(9pts) 10th Generation

(22pts) 9th Generation

(25pts) 8th Generation

 

Backgrounds: Consult the Vampire Conversion file for new Perks, Talents and Skills for Hero 5th edition Vampire: the Masquerade.

 

Disciplines: Each level of an in clan discipline can be purchased by the vampire at -2 to the Total Cost. Out of clan disciplines are purchased at +1 to the Total Cost. Caitiff purchase disciplines at cost.