Campaign of the Month: October 2017
Blood & Bourbon
Persistent Conditions
“If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels too.”
—Tennessee Williams
Liabilities that plague a character at the most inopportune moments, Persistent Conditions offer additional opportunities for characters to earn Experience by facing dramatic setbacks. Once per game session, a player can gain a Beat when a Persistent Condition adversely impacts his character’s life, as spelled out under the Condition’s “Beat” criteria. Characters also take a Beat when they resolve a Persistent Condition and make it permanently go away.
Example: The Ward Persistent Condition grants a Beat whenever a character’s enemies threaten someone whose welfare the character is responsible for. If the character has a clingy kid brother who relies on her for protection, the character takes a Beat every time she is forced to come to his rescue or assistance. Once the character’s brother no longer needs her to defend him (whether because he dies or learns to stand up for himself), the Condition resolves and the character takes a Beat.
Persistent Conditions replace the Flaws and Derangement systems of the Classic World of Darkness by adopting a “pay-as-you-go” approach that makes them inherently self-balancing. Conditions do not grant additional Experience during character creation, but instead offer a continual stream of Beats that may be earned whenever they adversely impact a character’s life. Thus, dramatic setbacks and complications become something for players to look forward to.
Mortal Conditions
Mortal Conditions
Mental Conditions
Mental Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Addicted | You are dependent upon a certain substance or activity. |
| Amnesia | You’re missing portions of your memory. |
| Bipolar Disorder | You suffer from bipolar disorder. |
| Bulimia | You indulge in a binge-and-purge feeding cycle. |
| Can’t Drive | You do not know how to operate a car. |
| Character Flaw | You have a Vice that is especially hard to resist. |
| • Absolutist | You see things in black and white. |
| • Curiosity | You are too curious for your own good. |
| • Naive | You readily accept others as kind and caring. |
| • Problem with Authority | You don’t respond well to authority figures. |
| Code | You adhere to a stringent code of ethics. |
| • Pacifist | You adamantly refuse to use violence against anything. |
| Compulsion | You have a psychological compulsion such as perfection, bragging, stealing, etc. |
| • Compulsive Liar | You can’t resist telling lies. |
| • Kleptomania | You can’t resist stealing things. |
| Compulsive Bias | You harbor an irrational dislike for certain types of people. |
| Delusional | You believe something that simply isn’t true. |
| Dependent-Personality Disorder | You are completely dependent upon someone else. |
| Depression | You suffer from bouts of emptiness and melancholy. |
| Disconcerting | You creep people out. |
| False Memories | You remember things that never happened. |
| Fugue | You suffer random blackouts. |
| Hysteria | You suffer severe mood swings. |
| Illiterate | You are unable to read or write. |
| Isolated Upbringing | You have little exposure to the world at large. |
| Medicated | You are on medication to treat a mental disorder. |
| Megalomania | You are obsessed with accumulating power. |
| Multiple Personalities | Your mind is fractured into multiple independent personas. |
| Narcissism | You are extremely self-centered. |
| Nervous Tic | You have a habit that gives away your identity. |
| Obsession | You relentlessly pursue a single interest. |
| Obsessive-Compulsive | You engage in repetitive behaviors to relieve anxiety. |
| Panic Disorder | You suffer from panic attacks. |
| Paranoia | You believe enemies are conspiring against you. |
| Phobia | You are irrationally afraid of something. |
| Power Object Fixation | You can’t use your vampiric powers without an object. |
| PTSD | You suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. |
| Selective Mutism | There are circumstances where you are unable to speak. |
| Self-Annihilation Impulse | You have a subconscious death wish. |
| Speech Impediment | You are unable to communicate understandably. |
| Squeamish | Violence makes you ill. |
| Unskilled (Mental Skill) | You are spectacularly bad at something. |
| • Absent-Minded | You have trouble remembering things. |
| • Computer Illiterate | You have no idea how to use a computer. |
| • Politically Inept | You have no head for politics. |
Physical Conditions
Physical Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Albino | You are an albino. |
| Allergic | You are allergic to a particular food or substance. |
| Asthma | You suffer from asthma. |
| Blind | You are unable to see. |
| Color Blindness | You can only see in black and white. |
| Defective Vision | You suffer from vision problems. |
| Deformity | You are crippled in some way. |
| Disabled | You cannot walk on your own. |
| Distinguishing Characteristic | You have a physical feature that greatly stands out. |
| Hard of Hearing | Your hearing is defective. |
| Hemophiliac | You will not stop bleeding without medical help. |
| Mute | You cannot speak. |
| One Eye | You are missing an eye. |
| Seizures | You suffer from uncontrollable convulsions. |
| Short | You are well below average height. |
| Unskilled (Physical Skill) | You are spectacularly bad at something. |
Social Conditions
Social Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Beholden | You owe someone a favor. |
| Blackmailed | You are being blackmailed by someone. |
| Dark Secret | You harbor a secret that could embarrass you (or worse) if it got out. |
| • Cannibal | You eat human flesh. |
| • Double Agent | You profess loyalty to one faction while serving another. |
| • Illegal Immigrant | You do not have legal permission to be in your country of residence. |
| • Manchurian Candidate | You’re a double agent and don’t even know it. |
| • Triple Agent | You are pretending to be a double agent for one faction. |
| Destitute | You are completely penniless. |
| Duplicitous | You have a reputation for being underhanded. |
| Enemies | Someone is out to get you. |
| • Bad Breakup | You are on poor terms with an ex. |
| • Blood Feud | You or your family are engaged in a bitter, ceaseless feud with someone else. |
| • Demon Hounded | A demon has taken an interest in your soul. |
| • Fugitive | You are wanted by the authorities, mortal or supernatural. |
| • Haunted | You are haunted by a vengeful ghost. |
| • Stalker | Someone has an unhealthy obsession with you. |
| • Traitor | You defected from one faction to serve another, and its members haven’t forgotten. |
| Extremist | You belong to a radical political or religious organization. |
| Inconvenient Alliance | You regularly associate with someone who is troublesome to be seen with. |
| Infatuated | You’ve fallen for someone. |
| Mental Patient | You have run afoul of the mental health authorities. |
| Minor | You are under the age of majority. |
| Mistaken Identity | You look like someone notorious. |
| Parole | You are serving the remainder of a prison sentence on parole. |
| Pawn | You’re being used as a dupe in someone else’s schemes. |
| Revoked Driver’s License | Your driver’s license has been revoked. |
| Special Responsibility | You perform a duty no one appreciates you for. |
| Under Scrutiny | You have been placed under internal scrutiny in your organization. |
| Under Surveillance | You are being monitored by a law enforcement agency. |
| Uninsured | You have no insurance. |
| Unskilled (Social Skill) | You are spectacularly bad at something. |
| • Awful Liar | You can’t tell a lie to save your life. |
| Ward | You are responsible for the welfare of someone else. |
| • Children | You care for one or more children, whether your own or adopted. |
| • Fugitive | You are hiding a wanted fugitive, whether from the Prince’s laws or a mortal organization. |
| • Ne’er-do-well | You have a friend or relative who’s in constant trouble. |
Supernatural Conditions
Supernatural Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Bard’s Tongue | You speak uncomfortable truths. |
| Cursed | You labor under a supernatural curse. |
| Fortune’s Folly | You are naturally unlucky. |
| Magic Susceptibility | You are easily affected by blood magic. |
| Spiritually Noticeable | Ghosts are drawn to you. |
Ghoul Conditions
Ghoul Conditions
Mental Conditions
Mental Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Self-Preservation | You refuse to carry out orders that threaten your own safety. |
Physical Conditions
Physical Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Artifically Aged | You have been fleshcrafted to look older than you are. |
| Finicky Palate | You suffer an allergic reaction towards certain types of Kindred vitae. |
| Light Sensitive | You are sensitive to bright lights. |
| Nocturnal | You have difficulty being active during the day. |
| Vitae Sink | You must drink Vitae more often than every month. |
Social Conditions
Social Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Domitor Pariah | Your domitor is an outcast from Camarilla society. |
| Romantic Notions | You idolize your domitor. |
Supernatural Conditions
Supernatural Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Nascent Beast | You can frenzy like the Kindred do. |
| Offensive to Animals | Animals hate you. |
Vampire Conditions
Vampire Conditions
Mental Conditions
Mental Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Anachronism | You are unable to keep up with modern times. |
| Short Fuse | You easily succumb to frenzy. |
Physical Conditions
Physical Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Child | You were Embraced as a young child. |
| Disease Carrier | Your blood carries a lethal and contagious disease. |
| Dulled Bite | Your fangs never developed fully. |
| Flesh of the Corpse | You are unable to heal superficial signs of injury. |
| Infertile Vitae | You cannot Embrace. |
| • Dead Vitae | You cannot Embrace, create ghouls, or develop blood bonds. |
| Permanent Fangs | Your fangs cannot retract. |
| Permanent Wound | You suffered injuries as a mortal that your Embrace was unable to repair. |
| Slow Healing | You have difficulty healing wounds. |
Social Conditions
Social Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Beholden | You owe someone a favor. |
| • Blood Boon | You owe a considerable prestation debt to another Kindred. | Blood Bonded | You are under a blood bond to another Kindred. |
| • Loathsome Regnant | Your regnant is exceptionally cruel. |
| Dark Secret | You harbor a secret that could embarrass you (or worse) if it got out. |
| • Bastard Childer | You have Embraced without permission. |
| • Diablerist | You have committed the crime of Amaranth. |
| • Sleeping with the Enemy | You have an intimate connection with a rival covenant or sect. |
| Enemies | Someone is out to get you. |
| • Blood Hunted | You are the target of a Blood Hunt. |
| • Hunted | You are the target of a mortal hunter. |
| • Insane Sire | Your sire has lost his grip on reality. |
| • Jilted Paramour | A former lover resents you. |
| • Sire’s Resentment | Your sire dislikes and works against you. |
| Ward | You are responsible for the welfare of someone else. |
| • Spoiled Childe | You have a childe with too much leeway and too little sense. |
Supernatural Conditions
Supernatural Conditions
| Condition | Description |
| Cannibal | You must subsist upon human flesh as well as blood. |
| Deep Sleeper | It is very difficult for you to awaken from sleep. |
| Flammable | You are especially vulnerable to fire. |
| Open Wounds | Your wounds stay open until you sleep. |
| Static Flesh | Your body is incapable of change. |
An even more comprehensive list of Mental Persistent Conditions can be found at the below sites, and will be converted to NWoD 2e rules upon request by interested players.
* https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_EMLcagWis-plISyjr86eEczfNInxOKeOaw7gMMP5Qc/edit?hl=en_US
* http://theanarchstate.wikidot.com/mechanics:derangements
* http://snakepit.wikidot.com/derangements
Mortal Conditions
Mortal Conditions
Mental Conditions
Mental Conditions
Your character is addicted to something, whether drugs, gambling or other destructive behaviors. Some addictions are more dangerous than others, but the nature of addiction is that it slowly takes over your life, impeding functionality. If you are addicted, you need to indulge your addiction regularly to keep it under control. A specific addiction should be chosen upon taking this Condition; characters can take this Condition multiple times for different addictions.
When your character is faced with an opportunity to feed her addiction but doesn’t want to, spend a point of Willpower and roll Resolve + Composure. On a failure, she takes a cumulative -1 penalty to Stamina, Resolve and Composure rolls until she gets her fix.
Possible Sources: Alcoholism, gambling, substance abuse, vampire blood, diablerie.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: Your character fails a roll or chooses to get a fix rather than fulfill an obligation.
Your character is missing a portion of her memory. An entire period of her life is just gone. This can cause massive difficulties with friends and loved ones.
Possible Sources: Physical or psychological trauma, the Dominate Discipline.
Resolution: You regain your memory and learn the truth. Depending on the circumstances, this may constitute a breaking point.
Beat: Something problematic arises, such as a forgotten arrest warrant or old enemy.
Your character tries to drown his anxiety through activities that comfort him, especially food. Doing so leads to a binge-and-purge cycle. He stuffs himself to relieve stress, then self-disgust at his own gluttony drives him to vomit out what he’s eaten. He soon seeks to feed again, though, and the cycle repeats.
Vampire Characters: As a vampire, your character becomes hungry more easily than other Kindred. Whenever he feeds, he must roll for frenzy or feed until his Vitae pool is full. Additionally, he must use that Vitae frequently; he loses a point of Willpower whenever he doesn’t spend at least one Vitae per scene until he rests for the day. He also suffers a -2 penalty to frenzies provoked by hunger. Forcibly preventing your character from drinking his fill provokes a frenzy roll.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You spend Vitae when you don’t need to or fail a frenzy roll due to this Condition.
Your character does not know how to operate motor vehicles—a minor inconvenience if she can walk to her destination or get a lift from a friend, but a considerable inconvenience if she can’t. Your character must make Drive rolls even for mundane actions that do not normally warrant them, such as parking or backing out of a garage. If your character drives a car under circumstances where a Drive roll would be called for, such as trying to ourace another vehicle or perform a flashy stunt, any failures are treated as botches. If you purchase dots in Drive, you are still considered to have no dots in the Skill when operating a car.
This Condition is surprisingly common among older vampires, many of whom predate the invention of the automobile.
Resolution: Your character learns how to drive.
Beat: You fail or botch a roll due to this Condition, or being unable to drive causes a difficulty or inconvenience for you.
Your character lives by a code of ethics that forbids or requires him to engage in certain behaviors. He loses a point of Willpower whenever he violates his code.
Possible Sources: Never telling lies, abstaining from sexual activity, always fighting fair (i.e., never attacking an opponent with their guard down), never refusing to aid a woman in distress.
Resolution: You abandon your code.
Beat: You adhere to your code when it’s inconvenient to do so.
Your character irrationally associates a certain distinctive “type” of person with undesirable qualities, and cannot overcome his bias through normal rational or logical means. He assumes that all individuals of the chosen type embody the qualities he focuses on, and likewise assumes that any behavior typifying those qualities must be credited to individuals of that type. He takes –2 on Social rolls against individuals of the chosen type and must spend a point of Willpower not to act out in ways that alienate them when a convenient opportunity presents itself.
Possible Sources: Race, nationality, religion, gender, sexuality, vampire clan, any other general umbrella attribute.
Resolution: You overcome your prejudice.
Beat: You cause a problem for yourself by reacting with with fear, contempt or revulsion towards an individual of your chosen type, or you fail a roll due to this Condition.
You believe something that isn’t actually true—maybe you think that someone is poisoning your food, that a doppelganger has replaced your daughter, or that something lives in the shadows of your apartment. You don’t actually hallucinate images that reinforce your delusion; you may believe that you’re covered in spiders, but just looking at yourself is enough to clarify matters. Germs, on the other hand….
You can’t truly repress your belief, but spending a point of Willpower lets you come up with an explanation (albeit one that sounds psychotic when you explain it to someone else) as to why your delusion does not apply to a specific situation.
Resolution: You completely disprove your delusion, or destroy whoever or whatever is the source of your paranoia.
Beat: You adhere to your paranoid belief despite evidence to the contrary.
Choose a single person. You are utterly dependent on this individual and resist making even the most trivial decisions for yourself. You do not include Resolve in contested dice pools against this individual, and must spend a point of Willpower to undertake any significant course of action without her approval.
Resolution: You kill, abandon, or learn to be independent from the individual you are dependent on.
Beat: You back down from an important decision because your chosen individual hasn’t approved of it, or you knowingly go along with a bad decision because she has.
Your character suffers from feelings of sadness and emptiness, especially when things don’t go her way. Whenever your character fails to achieve a significant goal or suffers a dramatic failure, she takes -3 to all rolls for the remainder of the scene. As well, she must spend a point of Willpower to suggest an idea, give a command, or otherwise take decisive action for the rest of the night.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You refuse to take decisive action at an important moment or or fail a roll due to this Condition.
Something terrible happened. Rather than deal with it or let it break you, your mind shuts it out. You are prone to blackouts and lost time. Whenever circumstances become too similar to the situation that led to your gaining this Condition, the player rolls Resolve + Composure. If you fail the roll, the Storyteller controls your character for the next scene; your character, left to his own devices, will seek to avoid the conflict and get away from the area.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You enter a fugue state as described above.
The way you remember things doesn’t match up with how they happened. You might remember a son who didn’t exist, your alcoholic father abusing you despite being raised an orphan, or never getting married. You believe your memories to be true no matter what; even conclusive proof has a hard time getting through to you. Being faced with proof that your memory is fake is a breaking point for you.
Resolution: Face proof that your memory is false and succeed at the breaking point.
Beat: Your character trusts someone or takes a risky action based on his faked memories alone.
Your character is unable to control her emotions and suffers severe mood swings and violent fits. Whenever she rolls a dramatic failure or is subject to stress or pressure, she must succeed on a frenzy roll to avoid attacking the nearest available target.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: n/a. Entering frenzy already grants a Beat. This Condition simply gives characters extra opportunities to gain Beats from frenzying.
Variations
Variations
Prerequisite: Panic Disorder
You are on an anti-anxiety medication to treat panic attacks. Whenever you fail a Resolve + Composure roll prompted by your Panic Attacks Condition, you may take medication to reroll the result with a +1 bonus per pill taken (up to a maximum of +5). For every pill taken, however, you suffer a 1 penalty on Dexterity and Mental-based rolls for the rest of the scene as the medication’s side effects kick in. You also take an equal penalty on your next Resolve + Composure roll to avoid a panic attack if you do not supplement that roll with anti-anxiety medication. Finally, such medication is addictive: you must succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll (with a -1 penalty per pill taken) to avoid developing the Addicted Condition.
Resolution: You resolve the Panic Disorder Condition.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition or taking medication causes some other difficulty or inconvenience for you.
Your character hides anxiety behind a mask of arrogance and supreme self-confidence. She is obsessed with accumulating wealth and power and may do so through any number of means, ranging from intricate conspiracies to brutal murder and terror. To her, there are only two types of people: those who are weaker, and those who do not deserve the power they have and must be made weaker. If she ever loses a contest to someone she perceives as inferior, she must succeed on a frenzy roll to avoid lashing out at the target due to shame and self-loathing (which is at the heart of her megalomania; she secretly fears that she’s a fraud).
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: Your character attempts to demonstrate her power or obtain further power in such a way that alienates other people.
Your character’s personality is fractured into one or more additional personas as a result of some past trauma. This allows her to deny the trauma’s existence or blame “someone else” for any actions it causes her to undertake. For example, she might cope with past abuse by having a tough-as-nails survivor personality, a protector personality to shield her from harm, or a murderous personality to deny her abuser’s power over her. Work with the Storyteller to develop these alternate personalities and the emotional stimuli that trigger them. Whenever your character encounters that stimulus, roll Resolve + Composure – 3. On a failure, the alternate persona takes over for the rest of the scene.
These other personalities can manifest different Skills or perhaps increased or diminished Social Attributes for each identity (the number of dots allocated to your character’s Social Attributes are rearranged by anywhere from one to three).
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: Your character’s alternate personality does something to inconvenience her.
Whenever your character succeeds at a goal (not simply succeeds in a roll, but achieves a desired end such as knocking a challenging opponent unconscious or hacking into a well-protected computer), it might go to his head and pump up his overweening ego. Roll Resolve + Composure to avoid a bout of vanity. On a failed roll, your character does not work and play well with others—even if the victory that brings on a bout of narcissism was partly won with their aid. For the remainder of the scene, when called upon to aid in a task your character does so only half-heartedly, unless it’s a task focused on him or his own needs or wants. He suffers a -3 penalty when participating in teamwork efforts. And he’s such a self-obsessed bore that Social rolls all suffer a -2 penalty.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: Your character alienates someone through his overweening vanity or fails a roll due to this Condition.
Your character has some sort of repetitive motion she makes in times of stress, and it’s a dead giveaway as to her identity. Examples include a nervous cough, constantly wringing her hands, cracking her knuckles, and so on. She can spend a point of Willpower to refrain from engaging in her tic during a scene.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: Your tic gives your identity away at an inopportune time.
Your character focuses her attention on a single repetitive behavior or action as a way to distract herself from feelings of anxiety or inner torment. Determine a set of specific actions or behaviors that your character follows to the exclusion of all else. She can negate the effects of this obsessive/compulsive behavior for one scene by spending a point of Willpower. If your character is forcibly prevented from following her obsessive/compulsive behavior, she must succeed on a frenzy roll to avoid attacking the individuals preventing her.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You adhere to your chosen set of actions or behaviors at an inconvenient time.
You are prone to sudden episodes of extreme anxiety. Establish with the GM what triggers your panic attacks. When faced with a triggering stimulus, roll Resolve + Composure with variable penalty (depending on how traumatic the stimulus is). On a failure, you take 3 on all rolls and must spend a point of Willpower every turn you wish to take an action besides fleeing or hyperventilating. On a botch, you fall unconscious-potentially embarrassing at best, or fatal at worst, depending on what activity you are engaged in when the attack strikes (i.e., driving a car).
Supernatural creatures prone to loss of control, including vampires and werewolves, must instead roll to avoid frenzy.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You succumb to a panic attack at an inconvenient time.
Your character believes that enemies persecute her and make her miserable. She spins out elaborate conspiracy theories to explain who’s doing the persecution and why. Everything goes into the conspiracy. Do the neighbors stay up late? They must be spying. Does she have headaches? Her enemies have dosed her with some insidious toxin. Did she lose her job? The conspiracy arranged it. Paranoia can be hard to diagnose among the Kindred because they really do have enemies in the Jyhad. A paranoid vampire, however, can’t tell a real enemy from one that exists only in her head. Imagined enemies can range from the CIA to Satan himself.
Whenever your character is faced with a hint of suspicious behavior, she must succeed on a frenzy roll to avoid fleeing or attacking the “conspirator.” A casual remark that seems to show someone knows a bit about the character’s activities might carry no penalty to her Resolve + Composure roll, while finding an intruder in her haven should almost certainly be made at -5.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You frenzy under circumstances you normally wouldn’t.
Your character suffers from an irrational fear of something. She takes -3 to all rolls when the source of her fear is present, and must spend a point of Willpower every time she attacks or otherwise takes hostile action against the source of her fear.
Possible Sources: Certain animals or insects, a type of person (lawyers, women, police, etc.), crowds, flying, open spaces, confined spaces.
Resolution: You achieve a significant personal victory within the presence of whatever you’re afraid of.
Beat: You back down from a situation because the source of your fear is present, or you fail a roll due to this Condition.
This Condition functions identically to Phobia, except your character takes -5 to all rolls when the source of his fear is present, and he must spend a point of Willpower just to remain within the presence of his phobia for a single turn. When he reaches 0 Willpower, he faints, has a nervous breakdown, or enters a non-responsive state that leaves him helpless for the rest of the scene.
Your character’s supernatural powers remind her of her undead state, and she projects them onto a special object (a mask, ring, lucky coin, etc.) so that she doesn’t have to take responsibility for them. Whenever your character attempts to use Disciplines or spend Vitae without wearing or holding the object, she takes -5 to the roll if she does not spend a point of Willpower.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You lose your special object or fail a roll due to this Condition.
Your character feels a deep sense of revulsion for her cold, dead flesh and is terrified at the thoughts of “living” forever. This revulsion is unconscious and your character is unaware of her “death wish,” although she may demonstrate a morbid streak. Whenever your character is confronted with direct evidence of her immortality (visiting a churchyard where her child is buried, watching a ghoul die, etc.), she must roll Resolve + Composure – 3. On a failure, she must spend a point of Willpower not to undertake a self-destructive behavior during every scene for the rest of the night. This behavior might be as direct as storming into Elysium and giving the Prince a piece of her mind, or it might be more subtle, such as breaching the Masquerade by talking to a reporter. Your character will doggedly pursue her “chosen” task for a single scene, although the consequences for her actions may well haunt her for a good deal longer.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You do something that puts your unlife in danger.
Your character is easily angered. She does not include Composure in dice pools to resist frenzy.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You fail a frenzy roll due to this Condition.
Your character has a stammer or other speech impediment that hampers verbal communication. Whenever he is faced with a stressful or frightening situation, he must succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll or take -3 to all Social rolls as a result of his stuttering.
Resolution: Gain a dot of Integrity or Humanity, lose another dot of Integrity or Humanity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition.
This Condition functions as Speech Impediment, except your character constantly stutters and takes the -3 to Social rolls at all times.
Your character is naturally bad at something. Choose a single Skill or Skill Specialty, such as Expression (Singing) or Subterfuge (Lying). Your character always rolls a chance die on rolls with this Skill or Skill Specialty, no matter how high a dice pool his Attributes would normally entitle him to. This Condition can be paired with the Delusional Condition to make a character wildly overestimate his abilities and believe he is an expert at something he’s terrible at.
Resolution: Your character works to overcome his deficiency and purchases a Skill dot or Specialty for the relevant Skill.
Beat: You fail a roll for the Skill or Specialty you are deficient at.
GM’s Notes: This Condition is intended to model characters who are bad at something but have high enough Attributes to compensate for it. In one Vampire: The Masquerade setting book, there was an elder Toreador who was a poseur and a catastrophically terrible artist. His superhuman Presence and Dexterity dot ratings meant he was still better at the arts than most mortals, even factoring in the -1 untrained penalty for no dots in Expression.
Physical Conditions
Physical Conditions
Your character has asthma. She doesn’t necessarily need to take meds every day, but if she exerts herself, she’d better have her inhaler handy. If the character becomes exposed to significant allergens or airborne pollutants or has to make a number of Strength– or Stamina–based rolls equal to her Stamina score within the same scene, she starts to suffocate. Suffocating inflicts 1 point of bashing damage per turn until the character spends an instant action to use her inhaler. Another character can also administer first aid with a Dexterity + Medicine roll, requiring successes equal to the total damage suffered.
Resolution: You cure your asthma through mundane or supernatural means.
Beat: You take lethal damage from suffocating or use your inhaler at an inconvenient moment.
Your character cannot see. Any rolls requiring sight may only use a chance die. If another sense can be reasonably substituted, make the roll at –3 instead. In a combat situation, she takes a -5 penalty on all attack rolls and cannot apply her Defense against attackers.
Resolution: Your character regains her sight.
Beat: Your character fails a roll or encounters a limitation or difficulty that inconveniences her.
Your character suffers from serious vision problems. Without the use of contacts or glasses, she cannot read, takes a -2 penalty to Defense, and a -3 penalty to dice rolls that rely on sight.
Resolution: Your character heals her vision.
Beat: You lose your corrective eyewear at an inconvenient time or fail a roll due to this Condition.
Your character has some kind of deformity that negatively affects her Physical Attributes and/or Social Skills. A hunchback, for instance, would impose -2 to Dexterity rolls and Persuasion and Socialize rolls. Work with the GM to decide the penalties of your deformity.
Possible Sources: A misshapen limb, hunchback, or clubfoot.
Resolution: Your character heals her deformity.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition.
Your character has limited or no ability to walk. She takes -5 on Athletics rolls during foot chases and must rely on a wheelchair or other device to travel. A manual wheelchair reduces this penalty by (6 – Strength) and requires use of your character’s hands. Electric wheelchairs reduce this penalty to -3 and allow the free use of the character’s hands. An injury can cause this Condition temporarily, in which case it is resolved when the injury heals and the character regains mobility.
Resolution: Your character regains the use of her legs.
Beat: Your character’s limited mobility inconveniences your character and makes her slow to respond, or she fails a roll due to this Condition.
Your character’s hearing is defective. He takes a -3 penalty on all sound-based Perception rolls.
Resolution: Your character restores his hearing.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition.
Your character suffers from hemophilia. If she is cut, she will not stop bleeding without medical help. If your character suffers lethal or aggravated damage, she suffers an additional point of bashing damage every minute until her wound has been dressed to stop the bleeding (requiring 10 successes on an extended Intelligence + Medicine roll, or 15 if your character is treating her own wound). Any vampire who bites her may “dress” such wounds and end the ongoing bashing damage by licking the injury after he bites her.
Vampires may not take this Condition.
Resolution: Your character cures her hemophilia, likely through supernatural means.
Beat: n/a. Falling unconscious already grants a Beat. This Condition allows characters to collect Beat more often.
This functions as the Hemophiliac Condition, except your character suffers a point of bashing damage every turn after she starts bleeding.
Your character cannot speak. Any communication must be done through writing, gestures, or hand signs. Illness, injury, or supernatural powers can inflict this Condition on a temporary basis.
Resolution: Your character regains her voice.
Beat: Your character suffers a limitation or communication difficulty that heightens immediate danger.
Your character has only one eye—which eye is missing is up to you. She takes a -2 penalty on Firearms rolls, sight-based Perception rolls, and any other rolls involving depth perception.
Resolution: Your character regains her eye through mundane or supernatural means.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition.
Your character is well below average height—four and a half feet tall or less. He has difficulty reaching or manipulating objects designed for normal adult size, and his running speed is one-half that of an average human. He takes a -3 penalty to Athletics and Intimidation rolls, and to any other rolls where physical size matters.
Resolution: Your character grows larger through mundane or supernatural means.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition.
Social Conditions
Social Conditions
Your character harbors some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment or inconvenience to her (and possibly result in gaining the Notoriety Condition).
Possible Sources: Murdering an elder, being a former Sabbat member, betraying an ally, committing a Masquerade breach. Kindred can have all kinds of skeletons in their closets.
Resolution: Your secret is made public knowledge.
Beat: Someone blackmails you over your secret, or you go to costly lengths to cover the secret up.
Your character lacks proper lawful permission to be in the country in which she currently lives. She does not have a legitimate ID and is likely to be deported to her nation of origin if she is placed under arrest. She cannot hold a job unless it pays under the table.
Resolution: Your character becomes a naturalized citizen or other legal resident, or permanently leaves the country.
Beat: You encounter trouble with the police, get exploited by an employer, or run into some other difficulty as a result of your illegal status.
Prerequisite: Cannot have any dots in Resources
Your character is penniless and cannot spend money on anything, including basic essentials such as food, clothing, and shelter. He must track every meal he eats and may have to resort to theft or Survival rolls to feed himself. See page 175-176 of the 1st edition World of Darkness Rulebook for rules on starvation and deprivation. This Condition is frequently paired with the Homeless Condition.
Resolution: You gain a stable source of income or otherwise become able to meet your basic survival needs.
Beat: Being financially destitute causes a problem or inconvenience for you.
Your character has an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seeks to harm her. The more powerful the enemy, the more regularly you gain Beats from this Condition.
Possible Sources: An estranged sire or childe, a jilted paramour, a betrayed friend, a mortal vampire hunter, any of the characters from the NPC list.
Resolution: Your character defeats or makes peace with her enemy.
Beat: The enemy does something to cause problems for you.
You had a long-term relationship with someone, but for whatever reason, one of you chose to end things. Unfortunately, your ex did not take the termination of the relationship well. They might take every opportunity to meddle in your life, or perhaps you’re still forced to deal with them in a professional capacity and your personal history makes things complicated. Either way, your ex is bad news.
Resolution: You make peace with your ex or permanently remove them from your life.
Beat: Your ex causes trouble for you.
You are the prime suspect in a felony crime. The police actively look for you, and you cannot move openly about your usual hangouts. If you encounter cops who know that you’re wanted, they’ll call in backup and bring you in.
Resolution: You clear your name or reach an accord with the police.
Beat: Police officers try to arrest you.
A vengeful ghost haunts you, for any variety of reasons: perhaps you took the ghost’s life, perhaps it is the shade of a departed enemy with unfinished business, or perhaps it is a misfortune of your Embrace. Sometimes it strikes at you directly, but most of the time it chooses to make your life miserable by frightening your friends, moving your furniture, and making loud noises while you are trying to rest. This is a particularly common Condition for vampires in New Orleans, as the Big Easy is one of the most haunted cities in the world.
Resolution: You lay the ghost to rest or permanently banish it to the Underworld.
Beat: The ghost haunts you at an inconvenient time or otherwise causes problems.
You have connections to a political or religious organization that most people view with suspicion or fear, such as the Nation of Islam, the KKK, an insular compound of religious cultists. You are an active member of the group (likely represented by the Status Merit) and local law enforcement has an open dossier on you. Although you do not necessarily have a criminal record or engage in illegal activity, the local police view you as a trouble-maker and suspicious character. At any given time, you might be the target of undercover observation prompted by the activities of your organization.
Resolution: You leave the organization or get law enforcement to believe that you have done so.
Beat: Your membership in the group causes you a difficulty or inconvenience.
You are under the age of majority in your country. You cannot legally engage in certain activities (drinking, gambling, smoking, etc.), while others may only be legal under certain restrictions (driving, holding a job, engaging in sexual activity, etc.). Unless you have successfully petitioned a court for emancipation, you are required to live under the supervision of a legal guardian who is empowered to make numerous significant decisions on your behalf. Adults are also less inclined to take you seriously and listen to your opinions.
Characters with this Condition should not be any younger than their early teens. Preadolescent characters use the rules for children described in World of Darkness: Innocents.
Resolution: You turn 18.
Beat: You encounter a difficulty or inconvenience that a legal adult would not face.
You are currently serving the remainder of a prison sentence on parole. You have to meet with a case officer on a regular basis and are subject to random drug tests and searches of your home and person for guns, alcohol, and evidence of other illegal activities. You must also commit—or seem to commit—yourself to becoming a good citizen: maintaining a job, keeping current with debt, and other aspects of responsible life that entanglements with the supernatural make challenging.
Resolution: You serve out your sentence, get sent back to prison, or are discharged from parole early for good behavior.
Beat: Your parole officer causes a problem or inconvenience for you.
You have lost your driver’s license due to a poor driving record. If you are pulled over for any reason or are otherwise caught driving, you will be arrested immediately and your car will be impounded.
Resolution: You regain your driver’s license.
Beat: You can’t drive at an inconvenient time or get in trouble with the authorities for driving when you aren’t supposed to.
Someone has an unhealthy obsession with your character. Despite repeated calls to the police and several restraining orders, she continues to follow and occasionally harass him. Your Storyteller should create game stats for the stalker. Any time your character heads out on the town, the Storyteller can make a Perception roll on your character’s behalf, contested by the stalker’s Dexterity + Stealth. If it fails or botches, the stalker has managed to tail your character throughout the night and might put in an appearance when it’s least helpful.
Resolution: Your character gets the stalker to stop harassing him.
Beat: The stalker shows up at an inconvenient moment.
Whether you are doing too well or are acting suspiciously, the organization you work for is keeping a few extra tabs on you. Make your moves carefully and don’t slip up, because the hills have eyes and the walls have ears.
Resolution: Scrutiny is dropped or you leave the organization.
Beat: The scrutiny causes an inconvenience to the character.
Mortals: You are responsible for someone else’s welfare. This character may be a friend or relative, or simply someone you consider important and have taken it upon yourself to look after. Wards have a way of getting caught up in the action of stories, and are frequent targets of a character’s enemies.
Vampires and Ghouls: You are devoted to the protection of a mortal. This character may be a friend or relative from before when you were Embraced or ghouled, or simply a mortal you admire and consider important. Wards have a way of getting caught up in the action of stories, and are frequent targets of a character’s enemies.
Possible Sources: Children, elderly parents, younger siblings, distant descendants.
Resolution: The Ward dies or becomes able to stand on their own feet.
Beat: Your character’s enemies threaten the Ward.
Ghoul Conditions
Mental Conditions
Mental Conditions
Physical Conditions
Physical Conditions
For whatever reason, you metabolize vitae more quickly than other ghouls do. You must be fed every two weeks, rather than every month, or lose all supernatural traits and revert to a human once more. Few ghouls with this Condition last beyond their natural life spans; at this rate, missed feedings do happen…
Resolution: You cure your defective metabolism, likely through supernatural means.
Beat: You miss a dose of Vitae and revert to being human, or go to exceptional lengths to procure a dose.
Social Conditions
Social Conditions
You are bound to a vampire who, for whatever reason, is unwelcome among or even hated by the city’s other Kindred. Without Cainite allies, she finds herself relying on her human and ghoul associates to get by. You will likely find yourself given additional responsibilities, which may present opportunities for you to further ingratiate yourself with the master. However, if other Kindred discover whom you serve, your life might well be in danger. You might not even know that your beloved liege is hated at all; after all, who could dislike such a wonderful creature as she… ?
Resolution: Your domitor becomes an accepted member of Camarilla society.
Beat: Your domitor’s outcast status causes problems for you.
You believe your entire existence as a ghoul to be head and shoulders above your previous life. You feel that your domitor needs you, and that every feeding is nothing short of an act of purest love. Independent ghouls may idolize a common sort of vampire with whom she puts herself at a disadvantage in her dealings, due to her romanticized ideas.
You take a -3 penalty on all rolls to see through lies told by the object of your romanticism (after all, she loves you!), as well as a further -3 on rolls to resist when the Kindred you idolize uses Dominate or Majesty against you.
Resolution: You overcome your romanticized feelings towards the Kindred in question.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition, or you do something foolish or misguided under the assumption that the object of your affections really does love you.
Supernatural Conditions
Supernatural Conditions
Your domitor’s vitae has awoken something awful in you. You can become homicidally violent when angered or frightened, and you don’t even realize the atrocities you’re committing until it’s far too late. This murderous instinct can only be described as the Beast. Although you don’t have a Humanity score and can’t become a wight, you experience frenzies just like the Kindred themselves do—and the attendant consequences are no less terrible. This Condition is particularly common among ghouls with Brujah or low-Humanity domitors.
Resolution: You permanently quell your nascent Beast.
Beat: You fail a Resolve + Composure roll to avoid frenzying at an inconvenient time.
Vampire Conditions
Mental Conditions
Mental Conditions
Your character been a vampire for some time, and is unable (or unwilling) to keep up with the changing times. She cannot take dots in the Computer Skill and takes -3 to all rolls dealing with complex modern inventions and concepts. Her behavior (wearing anachronistic dress, using old-fashioned language, etc.) also makes her stand out to hunters, who gain +3 on all rolls to identify her as a vampire.
Resolution: Your character adapts to the modern era.
Beat: You fail a roll or are spotted by hunters due to this Condition.
Physical Conditions
Physical Conditions
Your character was a small child (between five and 10 years old) at the time of his Embrace, making it difficult to interact with some aspects of mortal society. He takes -3 on any rolls to lead or direct mortal adults. Additionally, your character has difficulty reaching or manipulating objects designed for normal adult size, and his Physical Attributes are permanently undeveloped. He may not have more than two dots in Strength or Stamina and cannot have any dots in Vigor. His running speed is one-half that of an average human, and he takes -3 on Athletics rolls, Intimidation rolls, and any other rolls where physical size matters.
Resolution: Your character grows to adult size through supernatural means.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition or looking like a child inconveniences your character in some other way.
All those you try to Embrace die. Perhaps something went horribly wrong during your Embrace, causing your blood to mutate under the stress of dying and rising again. You might also have come under a curse or suffered some bizarre supernatural accident later in your Requiem. Regardless, no matter what you do, you may not create any childer.
Resolution: Your vitae becomes fertile again.
Beat: A difficulty or inconvenience arises from your inability to sire.
Variations
Variations
As Infertile Vitae, but your vitae is completely inert. You cannot Embrace childer, create ghouls, or subject other Kindred to blood bonds (though other Kindred can still subject you to a blood bond without hindrance). While most vampires can get by without ever siring, being unable to create ghouls poses a considerable nightly inconvenience.
Resolution: Your vitae becomes fertile again.
Beat: A difficulty or inconvenience arises from your inability to sire, form blood bonds, or create ghouls.
You have difficulty healing wounds. It takes one Vitae for you to heal one point of bashing damage and two Vitae to heal one point of lethal damage. Healing aggravated damage takes three nights rather than one night per point of damage.
Resolution: You become able to heal wounds as efficiently as other Kindred.
Beat: You spend extra Vitae healing wounds, take extra time healing aggravated wounds, or run into some other inconvenience from your slow healing.
Social Conditions
Social Conditions
Dark Secret
Dark Secret
Your character sired one or more childer in a domain where doing so is illegal without the reigning authority’s permission. Your character and his bastards might be subject to a blood hunt (or worse) if discovered.
Resolution: Your character’s relationship to his childer becomes public knowledge.
Beat: Someone uses your character’s secret to blackmail him or he goes to costly lengths to cover the secret up.
You have some sort of intimate connection with a member of a rival clan or covenant. You may have a lover, a childe, a friend or a contact working the other side of the fence, but regardless of politics you retain a friendly (or more than friendly) relationship with your putative foe. Your close ties to someone on the other side would be regarded as treason by your superiors, and if you are discovered the consequences will be severe.
Possible Sources: An opposed covenant, a rival lineage of Kindred, the Sabbat.
Resolution: You bury all evidence of your connection to the enemy, or your superiors find out.
Beat: Something threatens to expose your connection.
Enemies
Enemies
Your character been made the target of a blood hunt, and it is death for her to return to the city where the hunt was called.
Resolution: The city’s Prince calls off your blood hunt.
Beat: The blood hunt causes a problem for you. This could be as direct as Kindred from the city attempting to destroy you, or more subtle, such as the Prince of a rival city attempting to use you as a pawn.
Your sire has completely lost his grip on reality, and has become dangerously insane. Any wrong committed by your sire may affect your standing, and some of your sire’s dangerous schemes may somehow involve you.
Resolution: Your sire is destroyed, enters torpor, or regains her grip on reality.
Beat: You get caught up your sire’s schemes or other Kindred take retribution against you for your sire’s actions.
You had a long-term relationship with a fellow Kindred. For whatever reason, one of you chose to end the tryst. Unfortunately, your lover did not take the ending of the affair well. You both know many of each other’s secrets and this has caused a stalemate thus far, but you are concerned that your ex-paramour may interfere in your affairs at some time in the future.
Resolution: You find a way to guarantee your former paramour’s non-interference in your affairs.
Beat: Your former paramour causes trouble for you.
Supernatural Conditions
Supernatural Conditions
Open Wounds
Your character’s wounds stay open until she sleeps. She can heal damage with Vitae, but the wounds do not close until she’s undergone daysleep. All Social dice pools except Intimidation suffer her current Health as a cap.
Resolution: You find a means (probably supernatural) to stop your wounds from staying open.
Beat: You fail a roll due to this Condition.
by:
False_Epiphany