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

designing and using antagonists chapter • sample one: antagonists society of the • animals damned 347
capable than two or three of the players’ characters combined, but when other members of
the coterie come into play, the odds even out or possibly favor the players. Such is the value
of teamwork — which lets you mine the inherent untrustworthiness of the Kindred to add
tension to the story.
Beware Incongruous Antagonists
Incongruous characters serve a few purposes, some of which are bad while others are
good. Regarding the poor use of incongruous characters, they’re either thrown in at the
last minute to create some sort of confl ict where none existed before, or they’re “swerve”
characters, whose only purpose is for the Storyteller to lord over the players by saying, “Aha!
You fell for the red herring!” Incongruous characters can fi t into a story if their alien status
helps the story along or illustrates some aspect of the chronicle by way of contrast. Consider
an antagonist sent by a greater rival to confound the characters. The rival knows the characters
and attacks them where they’re weak. The incongruous character initially seems out of
place, but some relevant characteristic makes him very apropos. An apolitical character in
a very political chronicle might seem out of place, but his defeat at the hands of the betterconnected
characters reinforces the theme that politics are important, and those who exist
outside them will be overrun.
Sample Antagonists
The following sections contain profi les of a number of Storyteller characters that you can
drop into your stories as you need them, or as models for creating your own characters. As
with the antagonists in Mind’s Eye Theatre, non-combatant characters are individuals who
fi ll minor or “walk-on” roles. They serve as contacts, they sell secrets and they become vessels.
They have a basic description, Storytelling hints to help you convey them as distinct characters,
and a basic description of their pertinent abilities. Combatant characters are individuals who
could pose a threat to the main characters of the story. They can be all sorts of physical threats.
In addition to a basic description and roleplaying hints, they also have a much more detailed
breakdown of their relevant abilities. Note that combatant characters do not always have to
be involved in combat. The encounter might have a nonviolent resolution, or the contact
between characters might result in some resolution other than bullets and fangs.
These antagonists complement those in Mind’s Eye Theatre. The antagonists found there
help round out a cast of enemies whom characters can encounter during the course of a
chronicle. Remember, however, that meaningful interactions between characters make for
satisfying dramatic situations. These antagonists and those in Mind’s Eye Theatre aren’t meant
to be the central foes in a game, or even major fi gures. They’re just here when you need an
archetype quickly and on the spot. A wise Storyteller builds his chronicle’s central antagonists
long before play begins, custom-tailoring them to the chronicle he wants to tell.
ANIMALS
The following examples list some animals found in urban or rural environments. Note:
Unlike humans, Defense for animals is determined by selecting whichever is highest between
Dexterity and Wits.
Specialties are listed in parentheses following their associated Skills. Add one extra die to
a test pool whenever a Specialty applies. Each animal’s attack is listed with a total test pool
(including natural weapon modifi ers) for the Storyteller’s convenience.