CONTENTS
Introduction:
Chapter One:
Character creation.
Step one: Character concept.
Character approval levels.
Step two: Attributes.
Step three: Advantages.
Backgrounds.
Step four: Finishing touches.
Step Five: Spark of Life
Step Six: Prestige benefits
Chapter Two:
Limitations and clarifications
Background and Influence
Merits and Flaws
Numinae
Chapter Three:
Systems
Metamorphosis
Miscellaneous
Experience costs for Mortals
INTRODUCTION
This is the Camarilla UK rules supplement covering the world of the Mortals in Camarilla sanctioned games. It is built upon Laws of the Hunt (LotH), Laws of the Hunt Players Guide (LotHPG) and Liber Des Goules (LdG), pocket guides to the Moral rules of Mind's Eye Theatre (MET), a live-action storytelling system published by White Wolf Game Studios.
The Camarilla UK has adopted these two books, as modified in this supplement, as our official rules for sanctioned games involving Mortal in the World of Darkness. It is therefore necessary that players have access to these rules. It is suggested that each Domain buy a copy of the two books for members to look at and study.
Because Camarilla UK does not, at the time of writing, sanction any mortal only games this supplement is designed to allow the use of mortals in the other sanctioned games.
How to Use These Rules
These rules are intended for use by the members of 'The Camarilla UK' during
Sanctioned Live-Action Storytelling games. Permission for use by any individual
not a current member in good standing is strictly denied. Permission is given
to members in good standing to photocopy these rules for distribution to other
members in good standing only.
These rules, when used for Sanctioned play, are to be applied without change, deviation, alteration or addition by any member. These rules may only be changed or amended in whole or in part by the office of the Master Storyteller of the Camarilla UK.
In simple language:
THIS SUPPLEMENT MAY NOT BE PRE-EMPTED BY ANY DOMAIN OR BY ANY MEMBER FOR ANY REASON.
This is to ensure a standardised set of rules throughout the society, ensuring that wherever a member may go they may play with a minimum of problems. These prohibitions apply only to member Player Characters; Storytellers are allowed and encouraged to use the whole cast in the World of Darkness to develop richer stories and enrich the flavour of the game. If a Storyteller judges that the flow of the story would be enhanced by minor exceptions to the rules (on an individual basis only), this creative license is allowed, provided this is reported to the UK National Storyteller with their monthly report. Any Storytellers found to be abusing this occasional liberty are subject to review and possible disciplinary action.
The material in this supplement is intended to be an addendum to LotH, LotHPG and LdG. When looking up a specific reference in the WW rules, check the same section in this supplement to determine what changes or additions (if any) we have made to the WWGS material.
The material in this supplement is meant to be used as an addendum to Laws
of the Wild When looking up a specific reference in the WW rules, check the
same section in this supplement to determine what changes or additions (if any)
we have made to the WWGS material.
Always be sure to apply the rules from LotH, LotHPG and LdG first and only use
the rules from here as a modification, clarification, or addenda to that which
you find in those books.
Character creation
Important note
There are, at the time of writing, no mortal only games. This supplement however is intended to allow the use of mortal characters in the other sanctioned game types. Whilst it contains rules for "hunter" characters players and Storytellers should be aware that by creating a Hunter you are creating an instant antagonist for a certain creature type and therefore drastically limiting the playability of the character.
Following is a step by step aid to the creation process listed in Laws of the
Hunt, as modified for the Camarilla's sanctioned games. This process is used
for all Mortal types, including Kinfolk, Kinain, Ghouls and Revenants, etc.
Liber des Goules is employed specifically to aid in the creation of Ghoul and
Revenant
characters, while Laws of the Hunt Players Guide is used for Mummies and Dauntain.
Step One: Character concept (pg. 20)
Any characters detailed by White Wolf, based on famous or historical personalities or taken from a work of fiction without the written consent of the author may not be used as the basis for your character.
Character approval
Although some character types require no approval a Storyteller may deny a
character for reasons of game balance.
The following is a general guide to approval levels for mortal characters
Approval Required Character type
None Mortals with no powers, Ghouls (In Vampire only games), Kinfolk (In Garou
only games)
Local Storyteller Characters with Psychic Numina, Ghouls / Kinfolk (in games
other than their primary type *), Kinain (in Changeling only games)
Regional Storyteller Characters with Sorcery Numina, Hunters of any type
Assistant National Storyteller: Garou Bete Kinfolk of any type outside of a
specific Bete game.
Assistant National Storyteller: Changeling Dauntain, Kinain (In non-changeling
games *)
Assistant National Storyteller: Kindred Revenants
National Storyteller Mummies, Characters with True faith Numina
* This includes Crossover games.
The approval levels of their Tribe modifies Kinfolk approval levels. See the Garou supplement for details
Step Two: Attributes (pg. 40)
As Laws of the Hunt.
Step Three: Advantages (pg. 49)
Mortals may choose to spend their level of Influence as a level of Background instead.
Step Four: Final Touches (pg. 67)
All Mortals receive seven Free Traits (except Hunters with an Association, who receive five). Free Traits can also be used to buy Backgrounds.
Also see merits and flaws in chapter two.
Step Five: Spark of Life (pg. 94)
As Laws of the Hunt.
Step Six: Enhanced Character creation due to membership benefits
There are no changes to the character creation process. Simply spend any additional XP that you might have as detailed in the prestige guidelines.Limitations and Clarifications
Background and Influence
Espionage and Military Influence are removed from play as per core rules.
The following Backgrounds are only available to characters with Sorcery: Arcane, Familiar, Mana Pool and Sanctuary.
The following Backgrounds are not allowed in Sanctioned play: Destiny, Library and Mentor.
The Artifact Background requires Storyteller approval for level four, and Regional Storyteller approval for level five
Merits and Flaws
There is no cost for the Kinain Merit in Changeling only games, the Kinfolk Merit in Garou only games, or the Ghoul Merit in Vampire only games. For Crossover games (two or more creature types) the cost of these Merits is one. In all other situations the cost is as stated in the book.
A character can only possess one of Kinain, Kinfolk or Ghoul.
Most Merits and Flaws from Liber des Goules (and many from Laws of the Hunt and Laws of the Hunt Players Guide) are lost or rendered useless if a mortal character experiences a metamorphosis (see Chapter Three for metamorphosis). The Storyteller should work with the player to determine which Merits and Flaws are no longer valid for the character, and should assign new ones that cover the same point spread. The Storyteller has the final call on these changes.
Laws of the Hunt Merits and Flaws
Players with the Merit Ghoul, should work with the Storyteller to come up with a domitor for their character, be it a Non-Player Character, or the character of one of the other players in the game. For the Merit Ghoul, use only the boxed text titled 'Powerful Ghouls'. Ignore everything else in favor of the systems presented in this supplement
The Traits given for the Soothing Voice Merit do not count when employing supernatural powers like Gifts, Disciplines, Numinae, etc.
For the Merit Kinfolk, the cost of learning a Basic Gifts is changed to four Experience Points. The character does not start with Gifts.
For the Merit Kinain/Faerie Blood, the cost of learning Basic Arts is four Experience Points, and Realms are three. All other aspects of this Merit are unchanged.
The Magic Item Merit requires Regional Storyteller approval.
License to Kill and Top secret access are not allowed for sanctioned play.
Laws of the Hunt Players Guide Merits and Flaws
Totem requires Regional Storyteller approval. It gives the character the Totem Background equal to the level of the Merit. A Mortal character must have this Merit or the Totem Sorcery to gain the benefits of a totem (as per Laws of the Wild). The level of this Background cannot be improved after character creation and cannot be combined with others (in the way a werewolf pack combines totem points).
The Traits given for the Soothing Voice Merit do not count when employing supernatural powers like Gifts, Disciplines, Numinae, etc.
The Magic Item Merit requires Regional Storyteller approval.
Mana Pool cannot be substituted for Willpower to speed the casting of Sorcery.
Liber des Goules Merits and Flaws
Mortals that are Ghouls may take Merits and Flaws from this source.
Numinae
Do not use any of the Sorcery Numinae and Rituals listed in Laws of the Hunt,
instead use the rewritten versions as given in Laws of the Hunt Players Guide.
Characters normally have access to only one type of Numina. Those wishing to develop a second (or third, etc) path must pay an increased cost for the extra path(s) as indicated in Experience Costs for Mortals (3.4). A character may only take Master level in a path of Numina if he has no other Numina paths. A character with Master level of a Numina may not take any other Numina paths without RST Approval. True Faith is not affected by this restriction.
Numinae that add Attribute Traits are not cumulative, so Physical Traits gained from an Alchemy potion would not add to those gained from an Enchantment talisman, only the highest bonus will apply.
Characters with Sorcery automatically gain one ritual (of the appropriate type) at no cost for each level of Sorcery learned (i.e. Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Master). This is providing that the Sorcery path in question has rituals of these levels.
Enchantment & Alchemy
These Numina paths are open ended in the potions and items you may make subject to the guidelines given and Chapter Storyteller approval. You must buy two basic slots of these Paths before buying Intermediate slots of these Numina and likewise two Intermediate before being able to buy Advanced.
Coiling (Implant)
Items left in the body beyond the duration expel themselves automatically at
that time. Even if the character has absorbed multiple items, only two levels
of damage (aggravated) are inflicted.
Cursing
'Permanent' affects can still be undone via Unweaving. The 'Death Curses' systems
will not be used for sanctioned games.
Daimonis
Having this Numina requires Regional Storyteller approval.
Fascination (Glory)
Majesty, Rollover, Grandeur and Glory do not cancel each other out. Each character
must deal with the effects of the other powers as normal.
Hellfire (Firestorm and Inferno, and 'Related Rituals')
Characters in the area of affect may win a Static Physical Challenge (vs. the
sorcerer's Mental Traits) to escape damage by taking cover, leaping out of the
blast area, etc.
Life Stealing
No power or ritual of Life Stealing will allow a character to exceed normal
maximums (Traits, Abilities etc.).
Life Stealing (Theft of Power)
A victim's last Trait cannot be taken with this power, so targets with only
one Trait (or one Trait remaining) are immune.
Life Stealing (Vacant Mind)
Using this spell in ritual form does not make the effects permanent. The effects
last for one week.
Life Stealing (Erosion)
Attributes lost to Erosion are not gone permanently. They are recovered after
one month.
Life Stealing (Drinking the Soul)
Ignore the chart on page 156. The gain is permanent.
Mentalis (Surface Thoughts)
Use of this Sorcery only allows for the detection of lies. Targets without mind
reading powers can only test to detect the presence of the sorcerer after several
lies have been detected, or after ten minutes.
Mentalis (Mindspeak)
Those with Telepathy and similar powers will detect that this power is in use
and can eavesdrop by winning a Mental Challenge against the Sorcerer or recipient.
Those with Mindspeak can do the same to those using Telepathy and similar powers.
Mentalis (Implanted Thought)
A character can only hold one implanted suggestion at a time from such powers
as Implanted Thought and Mesmerism (from any single character).
Mentalis (Mind Link)
This power may only be established with one person at a time, and has an effective
range of city-wide, or ten miles.
Mindbending (Destroying the Will)
This may be used against any one target no more than once per month.
Mindbending (Breaking the Mind, ritual)
The duration for this ritual is one month.
Shadows (Shackles of the Abyss)
If the victim is attacked while being held, the effect ends immediately.
Shapeshifting
Bonus Traits given by the various levels of this Numina are not cumulative.
Shapeshifting (Second Form)
Once these bonus Traits are lost in challenges, they no longer add to the Trait
for the purposes of ties. A max of 3 Physical Traits can be added, but Mental
and Social are limited to one each. Storyteller approval will allow a form to
inflict aggravated teeth or claw damage.
Shapeshifting (Change Self)
The Trait adding portion of this power can only be used once per session.
Shapeshifting (1000 Forms)
This adds only to Physical, and can only give a maximum of 5 additional Traits.
Shapeshifting (Transform Other, ritual)
Making a permanent transformation requires the expenditure of a permanent Willpower
Trait. Characters with the Restricted Range Flaw are only able to transform
others into the shapes that they themselves can assume.
Spirit Calling (Banish)
Ignore the 5+ entry on the chart. 5 or more successes will banish the spirit
for longer than one month, but the exact duration is left to the Storyteller.
Summoning (Beastmaster)
While humans can be summoned (with the Mental Challenge), they cannot be controlled
as animals can (with the Social Challenge).
Totem Link
Totems should be created using the rules presented in Laws of the Wild (as modified
by the supplement for Garou). Sorcerers with this Numina may spend experience
points to buy up to 3 levels of the Totem Background for the creation of their
totem. The Totem Merit is not required for practitioners of this Praxis, but
it will allow characters to start with the Totem Background up to level 6.
Totem Link (Opening the Senses)
The exact effects of this power vary from use to use. When a Sorcerer wishes
to employ Opening the Senses, the player must consult with the Storyteller to
determine its exact effect for that scene.
Totem Link (Wisdom of the Spirit)
Storytellers need not bend over backward to provide a certain number of details
to the user of this power. If no relevant pieces of information are prepared
(or not enough for the number of successes), the Sorcerer may find her power
to have come up short.
Totem Link (Intervention)
A guide chart for the type of assistance provided by each Totem can be found
on page 96 of Laws of the Wild.
Warding (Glancing Blow)
This power is only effective when defending against an attack (i.e. not attacking
back).
Warding (Sanctuary)
This power requires the additional expenditure of a Willpower Trait which may
not be recovered until the Sanctuary is lifted. Casting the spell in ritual
form extends the duration to one day, not one month. Others can be protected
by the ritual enactment of this power at the cost of one Willpower Trait per
hour per person.
Warding (Lesser Ward, ritual)
This effect lasts for the remainder of the scene.
Warding (Greater Power Ward, ritual)
When used on a person, this effect lasts for the remainder of the scene. When
used on an object or area, this power requires the additional expenditure of
a Willpower Trait which may not be recovered until the Greater Power Ward is
lifted.
Warding (Bastion, ritual)
This power requires the additional expenditure of a Willpower Trait which may
not be recovered until the Bastion is lifted.
Weathercraft (Elemental Ward, ritual)
Only the first level of damage from a source can be ignored.
Weathercraft (Earthquake, ritual)
Characters in the area of affect may win a Static Physical Challenge (vs. the
sorcerer's Mental Traits) to escape damage by taking cover, leaping out of the
blast area, etc.
Weathercraft (Whirlpool, ritual)
Characters in the area of affect may win a Static Physical Challenge (vs. the
sorcerer's Mental Traits) to escape damage by taking cover, leaping out of the
blast area, etc.
Systems
Metamorphosis
This is the process by which a Mortal character changes into another character Type (The Embrace, The First Change, etc). Mortals cannot simply morph at the whim of the player, the decision to allow this must come from the Storyteller.
If the character is Embraced, the character loses many benefits (Humanity, Numina, True Faith, Sorcery, Rage, Gnosis, Garou Rites and Gifts and certain Merits like Kinain, Gnosis) and the experience spent on those benefits. They do retain Attribute Traits, Abilities, and Willpower. Unspent Experience Points on the character may be carried over. The Embrace and Death are the only metamorphosis that will break a vampiric Blood Bond.
Mortal to Changeling metamorphosis is known as the chrysalis. This should be exceedingly rare and requires Assistant National Storyteller: Changeling approval for a character that was not originally intended as a Changeling. If You want to make a mortal character before Chrysalis, then make a starting Changeling without Glamour, Banality, most backgrounds, Kith and Legacy. Add those after the Chrysalis.
Mortal to Garou metamorphosis is known as the first change. This should be exceedingly rare and requires Assistant National Storyteller: Garou approval for a character that was not originally intended as a Garou. If you want to make a mortal character before the first change, then make a starting Garou without Gifts, Rage or Gnosis and Breed, Auspice and Tribe advantages. Add those after the first change.
Mortal to Wraith metamorphosis is covered in the Wraith supplement.
Miscellaneous
Delirium
Awakened Mortals are immune to the Delirium.
Ghoul and Revenant Rules
Revenants are treated exactly as Ghouls, except where otherwise noted. They
are allowed in the Sabbat venue with Domain Storyteller approval.
Ghoul Discipline learning rules follow these basic guidelines:
Ghouls begin play with only one Discipline, the first level of Celerity, Fortitude,
or Potence. (Usually whichever one the domitor has in-clan)
Ghouls need a teacher for all Disciplines except their one physical discipline
(Celerity, Fortitude, or Potence)
Ghouls may learn the in-clan disciplines of their domitor without needing the
"Learn Other Disciplines" Merit after they have fed from the domitor
for at least two consecutive months.
Cost to learn a Discipline is always out-of-clan for Ghouls (4 for Basics,
8 for Intermediates, 12 for Advanced)
Ghouls are limited as per the "Powerful Ghouls" section of Laws of
the Hunt Players Guide, p.90 (Basics if the domitor is 11th or weaker gen, Intermediates
if the domitor is 10th or 9th gen, Advanced if the domitor is 8th gen or better)
There is no special approval for learning restricted disciplines other than
the approval needed to play a ghoul to one of the clans that possess that discipline.
See Vampire 5.0 Chapter 1's Camarilla/Anarch Venue for approval levels. For
instance, in order for Joe Member to have serpentis, he needs DST approval to
be a ghoul of a Follower of Set. To have Obtenebration, he would need RST approval
to be the ghoul of a Lasombra (or Lasombra-anti as the case may be).
For clarification, the Merit "Learn Other Disciplines" permits the
Ghoul to learn Disciplines from vampires other than his current Domitor.
Revenants begin with three Basic Disciplines from those associated with their family. They pay in-clan costs for their family's Disciplines, and may never learn any Disciplines higher than Advanced level. Revenants can only buy non-family Disciplines if they have the Learn other Disciplines Merit, but such Disciplines require teachers as normal. It requires Regional Storyteller approval for a Revenant to be successfully Embraced.
Ghouls and Revenants have ten Blood Traits, but for each Trait they lose/use beyond five, they lose a health level which cannot be healed until the blood is regained. If they lose their last Blood Trait, they are reduced to Mortally Wounded, which cannot be healed unless at least one Blood Trait is regained. Revenants regenerate one Blood Trait per day. Ghouls regenerate one Blood Trait per week, but may regain blood as quickly as one per day by ingesting vampiric blood.
Revenants may begin play with a Morality Path using the rules presented in Laws of the Night Revised. Approval levels for that Path are the same as they would be for Kindred.
Experience costs for Mortals
New Attribute Trait (1 per)
New Ability Trait (1 per)
New Humanity Trait (2 per)
New Willpower Trait (3 per)
New Numina/Sorcery, (3 / 6 / 9 / 12 for Basic / Intermediate / Advanced / Master)
New Numina/Sorcery, second + path (4 / 8 / 12 for Basic / Intermediate / Advanced)
New Sorcery Ritual (2 for Basic, 4 for Intermediate, 6 for Advanced, 8 for Master)
Remove Negative Trait (2 per)