Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

chapter storytelling one: society the predator’s of the damned taint
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ming up support in the characters’ domain spurs the Beast to a violent action. The envoy
from a nearby domain might have the best of intentions, but the Beast instinctively causes the
locals’ hackles to rise. With high emotions charging the encounter, Kindred grow confused as
to whether they can trust this interloper or must eliminate her as a possible cunning threat
to their own well-being.
Most times, the result of a frenzy caused by the Predator’s Taint is a violent confrontation.
In a few rare cases, however, other avenues may be pursued. Frenzied vampires may play a
dangerous game of cat-and-mouse across a city’s rooftops, for example, or they exert their
dominance by engaging in some test of mettle such as running through a burning building,
withstanding the impact of a speeding car or other gesture of power or endurance. As with
other considerations regarding the Predator’s Taint, let the drama of the situation dictate the
results, rather than rote adherence to the letter of the rules.
Note also, Storytellers, that the general guidelines need not always apply. In a plot development
that should cause the characters to mistrust their Primogen, maybe they haven’t yet made
her acquaintance. A pretender-Prince or some similar archetype might not have met everyone
in the domain, particularly at early stages of his rise to power. On the other hand, it might
just bog everything down to check for frenzy with every new vampire a given character sees.
For example, there’s probably no reason to check for frenzy if a character walks down the
street and a vampire passes by in a car. But if a character comes creeping home just before
dawn and sees a foreign vampire hunched over the body of a bloodless vessel left lying in
her doorway, a frenzy check is almost certainly in order. The situation should be taken into
account as well. Two vampires catching each other’s eye in a nightclub may not provoke an
outright battle, but it defi nitely sets both of their nerves on edge and makes them a bit more
alert to their surroundings than they might otherwise be. They might even “compete” to see
who can take home the most desirable vessel, or some other form of contest within the bounds
of their surroundings. A vampire seeing another vampire through binoculars, however, would
almost never suffer a frenzy check.
Certain Storytellers might wish to adapt the Predator’s Taint to other circumstances as
well. A hungry Kindred might not see another vampire but might catch the scent of her on
the wind as she prepares for the hunt (assuming her player states that the character searches
for scents on the wind, as Kindred don’t normally breathe), causing the Storyteller to call for
a frenzy check. A Kindred might slide along a wall in utter darkness, only to abruptly touch
a cold, clammy hand — and realize the hand belongs to another of the Damned, risking
frenzy in the shock of the situation. These examples and environments are far less concrete,
but might serve as good dramatic opportunities, anyway. Certainly the range of other senses
doesn’t apply as universally as vampires recognizing each other on sight, but given the proper
story criteria, they can be just as valid.
The bottom line is that the Predator’s Taint is certainly a downside to being a vampire,
as well as one more thing that makes being a new vampire that much more diffi cult. Don’t
antagonize players’ characters with the rules, though. Use them to heighten the drama of a
situation when the aspect of the unknown comes to the fore.