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

gothic ways that the secret lords of the night
could use a proposed Discipline to maintain
their power, not how the Discipline would
work in a fl ashy monster smackdown.
Very few Disciplines directly cause damage
to an opponent. Of the “old standards,”
only Protean, Vigor and one specifi c power
of Nightmare increase a character’s capacity
to deal physical damage. Vampires can
already harm each other (or mortals) using
their claws and fangs… or plain old guns
and knives. They don’t need much more.
Instead, most of the standard Disciplines
enable the Kindred to infl uence the actions
of other creatures (Animalism, Dominate,
Majesty, Nightmare), gain information
(Animalism, Auspex), enhance their own
physical capacity (Celerity, Protean, Resilience,
Vigor) or hide themselves from
threats (Obfuscate, Protean).
Don’t feel too constrained by existing
legends and fi ction about vampires. Like
bloodlines, Disciplines offer a chance to
extend the vampire myth. Your new Discipline
might affect some common aspect of
Kindred experience. For instance, vampires
are creatures of darkness, barred from the
light of day. A new Discipline for a member
of the Mekhet bloodline might help a vampire
thrive in darkness and master it. Other
Disciplines might show a more symbolic
link to undeath. Vampires exist in a state
between life and death.
New Disciplines should probably be less
powerful than the familiar Disciplines.
The “old favorites” became the standards
because they were especially useful. The
Kindred spent thousands of years learning
how to use them to great effect. A new or
obscure Discipline has not received such
unilateral refi nement. From a story point
of view, a rare Discipline’s value lies in its
ability to surprise other characters, not in
its raw power. A character with a new Discipline
is a mystery to other Kindred. Perhaps
she’s a resource to exploit or a menace to
destroy, but no matter what, she’s someone
to watch.
chapter origin one: stories society • select of the a damned theme
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