Combat

Vampires are masters of manipulation and subtlety, preferring to win battles through indirect means. Every now and then, though, a vampire is forced into combat - to take down resistant prey, to defend herself from a blood-hungry anarch, or simply to eliminate a centuries-old rival once and for all.

Combat is conducted in three-second turns. It uses the task system already established; initiative is determined normally, and most combat actions are considered Physical tasks. There are two basic types of combat: hand-to-hand and ranged.

Hand-to-Hand

Hand-to-hand combat is conducted with fists, natural weaponry (claws or fangs), or weapons. Initiative is determined normally. Attacks are resolved in order of initiative. Each turn, a combatant may choose to strike, grab or dodge.

Strike: The attacker rolls Physical (difficulty 4). The combatant being attacked automatically defends (also Physical, difficulty 4). If the attacker scores a number of successes equal to or exceeding the defender's roll, he has successfully struck the defender.

Grab: The attacker rolls Physical (difficulty 4). The combatant being attacked automatically defends (also Physical, difficulty 4). If the attacker's Physical Trait equals or exceeds the defender's Physical Trait, or the attacker has a higher level of Potence Discipline than the defender, the defender is grabbed. Each turn thereafter, the attacker may automatically inflict damage, and the defender is trapped until he successfully strikes and inflicts damage on the attacker, in this or a subsequent turn. Furthermore, if the grabbing attacker is a vampire, he may choose to forego his automatic damage and instead bite his prey. A bite inflicts only one Health Level of damage, but thereafter the vampire may begin draining Blood Levels from the victim's body at the rate of one per turn.

Dodge: Actively dodging takes an action - the dodging party may not do anything else, even attack, this turn. However, the dodging combatant gains +2 to her Physical roll to avoid all attackers' blows. If the dodging defender beats the attacker's successes, she gains the initiative next turn!

Damage: If the attacker hits, he inflicts a number of Health Levels of damage equal to his Physical Trait, or (if using Protean claws or a weapon) equal to his Physical Trait +1.

Soak: Because vampires are clinically dead, they may attempt to absorb some of the damage with their corpselike bodies. An injured vampire may make a Physical roll (difficulty 5); if she succeeds, she only takes half normal damage, rounded up (minimum of one Health Level). Fire, sunlight, vampire fangs, and the claws grown through the Protean Discipline are considered aggravated damage; the vampire may not soak these types of damage unless she has the Fortitude Discipline.

Ranged Combat

To conduct ranged combat, the vampire must have a thrown object or a gun. Each turn, the vampire may throw an object or fire one accurate shot, provided she has objects to throw or bullets to fire. Celerity allows increased rates of fire.

Strikes: Strikes take place at long, medium or point-blank range. Strikes made at long range are difficulty 5; at medium range, difficulty 4; and at point-blank range, difficulty 3. (However, at point-blank range, the defender has the option to enter hand-to-hand combat with the attacker!)

Dodge: A defender may dodge normally, as above, though this does not automatically give the defender the initiative in the next turn if successful. A defender may also execute a running dodge. A running dodge takes an entire action, and the defender does not gain any bonuses to her Physical Trait; however, she automatically closes the gap between herself and the attacker by one range level (i.e., if she was at long range, she is now at medium range).

Straight Run: A defender may decide to simply charge at the attacker. This takes an entire action, and the defender may not defend against the attacker's shot; however, at the end of the turn, the defender is automatically in hand-to-hand range and may attack next turn.

Damage: Damage from thrown objects and gunshots is conducted a little differently from hand-to-hand damage. A thrown object inflicts a number of Health Levels equal to the attacker's successes on the strike roll +1. A bullet inflicts a number of Health Levels equal to the attacker's successes on the strike roll +3.

Soak: Bullets and thrown objects can be soaked normally.

Fire and Sunlight

Sunlight and fire are the vampire's worst foes. Direct sunlight automatically inflicts one Health Level of wounds every turn. Indirect sunlight (the vampire is heavily cloaked or shaded) inflicts one Health Level of damage every two turns. This damage may not be soaked unless the vampire has Fortitude.

Small/weak fires inflict damage as indirect sunlight, or one automatic Health Level for a sudden burn (a torch, etc.). Large and/or intensely hot fires (a burning building, a propane torch) inflict damage as direct sunlight, or two automatic Health Levels for a sudden burn. Again, this damage is soakable only with Fortitude.

Frenzy

At heart, all vampires bear an inner Beast. This Beast manifests in the terrifying state known as frenzy.

Whenever a vampire sees or smells blood while hungry, is confronted with sunlight or fire, or is enraged or humiliated, she must check to see if she frenzies. To do this, the player rolls the vampire's Psychic Trait (difficulty 4). If the player fails, the vampire flies into a frenzy; she must immediately attack the food source or emotional provocation (if sent into frenzy by sunlight or fire, the vampire must flee the feared substance). Vampires in frenzy may ignore the effects of pain (they are too fearful or enraged to register pain). The frenzy lasts for a scene, or until the source of the frenzy is eradicated (the vampire feeds, the opponent is killed, etc.).

Hunting

Each night a vampire must expend a Blood Level merely to rise from sleep. Vampires thus become hungry quickly, and much of a vampire's existence revolves around the search for sweet-blooded human prey.

System: A vampire's hunt depends on the general area. She must make a Mental roll; the difficulty varies, depending on the area.

The Rack (bars, nightclubs, theatres, etc.) 2

Downtown Quarter (business district, bohemian/"alternative" areas) 3

Uptown (upscale and wealthy areas) 4

Slum Area 4

Suburbs 4

Rural 5

Wilderness 6

Success on the Hunt roll merely means the vampire has found a likely target (a solitary stroller, pair of young lovers, unwatched child, etc.). The vampire must still subdue the prey.

Pursuit and Chases

Sometimes, characters will want to chase other characters. Chases are resolved as is initiative, based on the following chart:

Advanced Celerity (activated)

Basic Celerity (activated)

Advanced Potence

Basic Potence

Physical

Mental

Tie: Die roll, per initiative

Example: Maxine the Brujah is chasing a Sabbat vampire. She has Basic Celerity - but so does her quarry. She has Basic Potence - but so does the Sabbat. Moving down the chart, the Storyteller sees that Maxine's Physical Trait is 4. The Sabbat vampire's is 3. Maxine catches the Sabbat vampire.

Social Interaction

Vampires are creatures of passion and power; it is inevitable that they will become embroiled in social intrigues. Vampires may resolve social challenges in several ways; a few are listed below.

Intimidation: The vampire may try to intimidate her target through physical threats (use the Physical Trait), social condescension (use the Social Trait) or verbal bullying (use the Mental Trait). The victim may resist with her Psychic Trait. The highest roll wins.

Leadership: The vampire may issue commands, but must make a Social roll to convince a hesitant target. If the target is inclined to disobey, he may make a Mental roll to resist. The highest roll wins.

Seduction: The vampire rolls Social; the party being seduced uses Psychic to resist. The highest roll wins.

Stealth

The vampire stalking prey rolls Physical (difficulty 4); the prey, guard, etc., rolls Mental (difficulty 4). If the vampire wins, he successfully remains undetected; if the prey wins, she detects the vampire; if the vampire and prey tie, the prey "thinks she hears something" or "sees something out of the corner of her eye" (future rolls to detect the vampire are difficulty 3).