House Rules for Kings of New York, an OWbN VtM LARP

VER. 3.0 (August 2011)

Written by Adam S. (HST) & Edited by Joan M. (AST)

KoNY Staff: supersabbatst@gmail.com ; cloud.gazing@gmail.com;  vescriva@gmail.com

General Rules

1. The Storytelling (ST) Staff reserves the right to make any ruling they see fit to any scene, as necessary.

1. For anything not presented here, please check with the ST Staff for either OWbN Documents (i.e. OWbN Clan Genre Guides, By-Laws, etc.) or ST rulings.
2. The House Rules is a living document and items not listed will be up to the discretion of the ST Staff as to the ruling of said item (whether it be a scene or discrepancy on how a power is used, or whatever the case may be).

2. Powers and Abilities (Merits, Disciplines, Rituals, etc.) not presented in Laws of the Night (Revised Ed.) (LotN:R) or The Sabbat Guide (SG) must be written down on either an item card or within the notes section of the the player’s character sheet, with citation (book/document source, page number) and mechanics.

1. These powers will be at the discretion of the ST Staff as to whether or not they will be allowed in Kings of New York (KONY).
2. Any player who has a question about whether or not something will be (or should be) allowed in-game should see a member of the ST Staff for clarifications.

3. All players (visitors and home) must physically sign-in to the game to play at Kings of New York. This is mostly for records purposes.
4. All players (visitors and home) must treat both the ST Staff and other players with respect. Those who do not will be asked to step out of game until the ST Staff believes the player has composed his or herself satisfactorily.
5. A PC may not use more then ONE out of clan advanced discipline until he has mastered all of his In Clan disciplines to Advanced level.  After such time, they may use as many Out of Clan Advanced disciplines as they may possess.

Outside Interactions (i.e., Interacting with NPCs of other games/Coordinator Offices/etc.)

1. All players of KONY must, when interacting with NPCs of other games (online) or interacting with any Coordinator’s office in OWbN must log the conversation in their PC’s PuppetPrince Journal (a brief summary will do), as well as courtesy copy (CC) their emails with these offices to their respective home game’s Staff.

1. This is for records purposes and for the protection of our players.
2. Those that do not log these interactions with their home game’s staff will have those interactions considered “invalid” and any items received or abilities/disciplines learned will be considered red-lined.

2. Any player, when dealing with Staff outside their home chronicle or members of Coordinator’s offices, should feel free to contact staff if they have issues with said individuals.

Backgrounds/Abilities/Etc.

1. Frenzy Tests: Willpower may be spent to ignore Frenzy for 15 minutes. If the stimulus is still present at the end of this time, the Player Character (PC) will frenzy. There is no test. Willpower must be spent before the check for Frenzy is made.
2. Traits: All Vampire PCs between 15th and 8th Generation may bid only a max of 30 traits. This does not affect how many max traits you have, only the maximum you may bid.  Max traits are still based on a PC’s Generation.
3. Expending Traits (Maximum): If a power does not state otherwise in regards to expending traits of any kind, the maximum amount of traits you may spend is 5.
4. Linguistics: is handled as in Laws of the East, which states “This version...supercedes the rules for Linguistics given in all previous Mind’s Eye Theatre games” and, as such, the Linguistics ability is handled as follows:

1. Level 1 = 1 additional language (to your native language)
2. Level 2 = 2 languages (in addition to your native, so 3 total languages incl. native)
3. Level 3 = 4
4. Level 4 = 8
5. Level 5 = 16

1. The Merit Natural Linguist doubles the number of languages a character may possess.

5. Retainers: Retainers may earn XP.  For every month that a PC is active/in-play, their retainer (so long as they have bought it as a background) recieves XP equal to ½ (rounded up) its rating on the PC’s sheet. I.E. - A Retainer x3 gains 2 xp per month the PC is active.
6. Rituals: This ability is used to retest Ritae (the Background Rituals is used to actually possess Rites, found in the tabletop version of Guide to the Sabbat).

Merits

1. Ambidextrous: provides an additional trait when wielding two weapons, not an additional action.
2. Luck: Luck is disallowed for use in Kings of New York.

Disciplines

1. Animalism:

1. Drawing out the Beast: Your beast will always return to you at the next sunset.

2. Auspex:

1. GENERAL: In tests of Auspex versus Obfuscate or Chimerstry, the PC gains a number of bonus traits (1 to 5) equal to the PC’s level of Auspex.
2. Heightened Senses: If this power is active, the PC must have it obviously active (out-of-character, such as with the gesture for Heightened Senses) or declare it to an ST in a scene.
3. Psychic Projection: When using this power, the location of your body must be logged with the STs. You may not spend Blood while using this power.

3. Celerity:

1. Fleetness: A PC may only win ties ONCE in a challenge; the game does not observe the “Win ties Twice” rule.

4. Chimersrtry:

1. GENERAL: Levels 1 through 4 do not require a challenge to use.  The only time a challenge against these powers may be issued is if the target/victim has the Auspex power “Heightened Senses” active (or has reason to activate it) at the time Chimerstry is used on said target/victim.  A challenge may also be issued if the illusion is deemed truly unbelievable in some way (as to give reason to question the illusion).  The challenge would thus be a normal Social versus Mental challenge.
2. GENERAL 2: In tests of Chimerstry versus Auspex, the PC gains a number of bonus traits (1 to 5) equal to the PC’s level of Chimerstry.
3. Horrid Reality: An ST must be present for the use of this power.  If this power is used to stake someone or cause a fatal blow, the victim may spend Aegis to negate the staking/damage.

5. Dementation:

1. Voice of Madness: A Willpower may not be spent to ignore this challenge.  The Virtue test must be thrown against this power.

6. Dominate:

1. Possession: When using this power, the location of a PC’s real body must be logged with staff and must be in the jurisdiction of the game.

7. Fortitude:

1. Aegis: A PC may only use this power PRIOR to the two simple challenges for staking (not after) to negate a staking challenge.

8. Necromancy:

1. Sepulcher Path (Soul Steal): When “Soul Stolen,” a PC may still use any of his or her Mental and Social powers.  Additionally, the Necromancer must be able to see the SOUL at all times for the soul to remain out of the body.  In other words, this power requires line of sight into the Shadowlands to maintain.

9. Obfuscate:

1. GENERAL: In tests of Obfuscate versus Auspex, the PC gains a number of bonus traits (1 to 5) equal to the PC’s level of Obfuscate.

10. Obtenebration:

1. Arms of the Abyss: You may only summon/control a number of tentacles equal to the sum of your levels of Obtenebration plus number of Occult abilities, divided by two and rounded down [(lvls of Obtenebration + lvls of Occult) / 2, rounded down].

11. Presence:

1. Summon: The target cannot know who is summoning him or her.  However, he or she cannot be summoned into a dangerous situation (i.e., a PC cannot be summoned into a “boot party”).
2. Majesty: This power is line of interaction.  If a PC can interact with the character with Majesty active, he or she is under the effects of Majesty.  This power does not translate through electronic means of communications (e.g., through a phone call).  Additionally, the test to break Majesty is thrown for EACH aggressive action to be made (NOT once for the scene), so long as Majesty remains active.

12. Quietus:

1. Scorpion’s Touch: Traits lost from this power do not return until the next night.
2. Dagon’s Call: This power also destroys one blood trait per successful level of damage inflicted.

13. Thanatosis:

1. Withering: If a victim’s head is Withered, then the only Disciplines the victim may then use are Potence, Celerity, and Fortitude.

14. Valeren:

1. Burning Touch: A Willpower may be spent to ignore the effects of this power.  This is spent on a “one for one” basis.  One Willpower covers one use of this power against the victim.
2. Ending the Watch: This power is replaced by “Armor of Caine’s Fury” (found in the MET book “Faith and Fire”), which may only be activated once per scene.

15. Vicissitude:

1. Blood Form: This power is instantaneous and may be used reflexively.  When attacked, a PC may turn any part of his or her body to blood and negate the physical damage of the attack, at the cost of one Blood trait.  Other sources of damage will still apply (e.g., sunlight, fire, wards, etc.).  To avoid staking, the PC must declare turning his or her heart to blood PRIOR to the two simple staking challenges.

16. Blood Magic:

1. GENERAL: Please consult a ST for any and all house rules on Blood Magic/Thaumaturgy.

Combat

1. Carrier Attacks: PCs may not combine damage from carrier attacks (for example, you may either strike for damage or strike to quell, not both).
2. End of Round: The end of the round is after the end of everyone’s normal actions.  Thus, all powers that activate at “the end of the round” happen at the end of normal actions, not at the end of all actions (including Celerity).  For example, if Majesty is dropped, it will go up at the end of normal actions.
3. Order of Damage Applied: is always to armor (including supernatural forms) first, prior to being resisted with Fortitude or similar powers.

Morality Paths

To change morality paths, the following rules apply:

• To change one’s morality path, one must throw a chop. The chop is a static Willpower challenge, with three different difficulties (based on the differences between a PC’s current Path and the one the PC is trying to change to).  The different difficulties are as follows:

• Difficulty 5: Switching to a Path that has the same Virtue categories as your current Path (e.g., paths that both have Self-Control/Conscience/Courage, such as Humanity to Honorable Accord).
• Difficulty 6: Switching to a Path that has only two Virtue categories in common with your current Path (e.g., paths that only have Courage and one other Virtue category in common, such as Humanity to Death & the Soul).
• Difficulty 7: Switching to a Path that has only one Virtue category in common with your current Path (e.g., paths that only have Courage in common, such as Humanity to Power and the Inner Voice).

• A player make make their first attempt to switch onto a new Path at a morality of 2.  If the player wins outright, he or she may start at a rating of 2 on the new Path.
• If a player’s first attempt to switch Paths is at a morality rating of 1, he or she may make a free retest if they fail the initial challenge.  If the player wins outright on the initial challenge, he or she may start at a rating of 2 on the new Path.
• When making the challenge to switch paths, a PC may expend as many PERMANENT Willpower traits as he or she wishes (up to current permanent Willpower) to continue retesting.
• When making a path switch, a player must still spend experience points (XP) on his or her PC’s new Path traits and Virtues.  Morality Traits are 2xp each and Virtues are 3xp each.

Other Random Notes

• The people who handle R&U approvals (that need to brought to other entities in OWbN, such as PCs which need Council Approval or Coordinator Approval) is Adam (HST).  Please seek this individual if you need help with any approvals.
• Special “thank you” to the players of Kings of New York.  We can’t do it without you.