Character and Traits

Concepts

Auction Shark
Money’s like blood; it flows, it swells, and it’s the reason to stay alive. You follow its tracks, seeking out antique paintings owned by senile old ladies and Revolutionary War memorabilia in the hands of heirs who think their grandfather’s hobby was a waste of time. Then, you strike, and once there’s blood in the water, you don’t stop until your belly’s full.

 

Burning Man
You’re a wild child, a rambunctious thing, a worker of metal and a survivalist on the desert playa. Every year, you roamed out to Burning Man and several other festivals, indulging yourself in drugs, alcohol, camaraderie, art, and the joy of utter wildness. Surviving as a vampire was easy — you knew where the orgy tent was, and you were more than capable of convincing a few friends to give in to your new “blood fetish.” When your sire showed up again the next year, you were the one with things to offer: a herd of your own, and a new art project centered on the  hides of the animals you hunted to survive.

 

Executive Headhunter
Cold-blooded, type-A, and ruthless, you’ve transferred your predatory instinct to the business world. When people think “Gangrel,” they think barking and rolling in the dirt, and they couldn’t be more wrong. Your claws are just as sharp, and your business acumen is the equal of the greatest trackers in the world. You love to find weakness and exploit it, and you’re not afraid to shoot to kill. 

 

Grease Monkey
Your sire Embraced you because he couldn’t figure out these “new-fangled machines,” and you ran with it. Despite a few years that’ve passed, you’ve kept up with engines, cars, and motorcycles. It’s a passion. You don’t mind being covered in dirt — literal or metaphorical. If they want to keep things running in this city, they’ll have to come to you. 

 

Hostel Hitchhiker
Your father pushed you to go to university, but your mother’s gift was a bank account with enough Euros to spend a year wandering Europe. You packed a backpack, downloaded a list of hostels, and bought a map of the train lines across the continent. Little did you know you’d never be coming home again. The Embrace was difficult for you, and hiding from Interpol was even worse, but after a few months, your sire took pity on you and showed up again. You’ve done better with a little education, but you’re still comfortable only when you’re on the road. Settling down is just asking for trouble. 

 

Mother Bear
Your brood’s one of the largest, and the strongest. You’ve taught them well, cared for them, and you know when to step in and when to let the childe learn his lesson. You have a bad habit of adopting Caitiff and other lost cubs, which has been a boon and a bane. You’re protective and a bit feral, and everyone knows not to anger the mother bear.

 

Nature Documentarian
Gentle and peaceful, the Embrace has been something of a nightmare for you. You struggle against the loss of Humanity, fearing that you’ll become an animal if you lose control. When you were alive, you appreciated the beauty of nature — a sunrise you’ll never see again.  You struggle to make something of your afterlife, but all too often, you sink into depression, drinking blood from cold-storage bags and ruminating on the way things were.

 

Roller Derby Girl
You’ve always been a “fight to survive” sort of girl; a tough cookie who made it through an abusive childhood and supported her younger siblings after both parents were gone. You sacrificed your own education for theirs, worked in a coffee shop until late hours just to keep food on the table, and the only fun you managed to have were the nights when you got to be a derby girl and take your anger and resentment out on the opposing team. Now you’re a vampire, and you get off on the power. You’re finally in control of your life, and nobody’s ever going to take that from you again. 

 

Transportation Specialist
In life, you were the guy who could sneak things across any number of borders: people, drugs, munitions. In death, you’ve maintained that role, increasing your prices and inflating your lifestyle. Now, in addition, you move vampires and information central to the Sabbat-Camarilla war. You aren’t afraid to work both sides, so long as the price is right.

 

Urban Shaman
An urban shaman may be an older vampire who has recently awakened and become infatuated with the world, or it may be a younger primitivist who has accepted the Embrace with vitality and eagerness. In either case, you see the modern world through the smoke of the past, realizing that the old ways and the new sciences aren’t so very different. 

 

Merits and Flaws

 

Hive-Minded (1 or 2pt. Merit)
Your Animalism works on insects and other creepy-crawlies in addition to animals. If you select the two-point version of this merit, your Protean forms may take the form of an insectoid swarm rather than a single creature (though the swarm must be of a size and mechanical equivalent to a wolf or a bat, as appropriate).

 

Skald (2pt. Merit)
Anytime you make an Occult roll to know a fact about vampiric history, you may add a die to your dice pool. Further, you have exceptional memory for oral histories, and you are a quick study when it comes to memorizing large amounts of rote information. This is not true eidetic memory, but constitutes the ability to memorize poetic eddas, codes, or complex messages with only a few hours of study.

 

Lesser Mark of the Beast (4pt. Merit)
Common to the Gangrel known as the Knights of Avalon, you are able to control how your Beast manifests more than others do. Whenever you would gain an animalistic feature (V20, p. 55), roll your current Willpower (difficulty 12 - Humanity rating, maximum 9). If successful, you manage to channel your humanity to avoid gaining an animalistic feature. However, your Beast is further from you, making you at +2 difficulty to rolls involving Animalism or Protean (or combo Disciplines involving those powers) for the rest of the evening. Vampires on a Path of Enlightenment lose all access to this Merit.

 

Totemic Change (5pt. Merit)
Your Protean forms are flexible; you may choose a different animal form each time you change shape. The form you choose each time must follow all the conventions and rules of standard Protean animal shapes (see p. 91); you simply may choose to appear as a different animal each time you take Beast Form.

 

Member of the Pack (2pt. Flaw)
You can only summon, speak to, and command a specific type of animal — ravens, rats, and so forth — with Animalism. Your Storyteller is the best adjudicator of what types of animal are appropriate for this Flaw, but the choice should be fairly limiting. Other animals do not respond to your uses of Animalism at all. 

 

Rat in a Cage (2pt. Flaw)
Anytime you are penned in or physically restrained (such as by a cage, or with handcuffs), you suffer acute anxiety. The difficulties of any rolls made under such circumstances are increased by two. 

 

Elder Discipline Powers
 

Blissful Summer (Protean Level ••••• •)
Although most vampires must return to their normal physical form when they sleep, Gangrel who have mastered Protean to this extent may remain in Mist Form even while comatose during the day. This power offers great protection, though it is not invulnerable, and fire and sunlight can still injure the vampire. Further, a vampire sleeping in Blissful Summer is not roused by noise or activity in her area. 
System: No roll is required to activate Blissful Summer, but the transformation requires the expenditure of five blood points. Once activated, the user remains in Mist Form (V20, p. 200) until the next dawn, whereupon the vampire resumes physical form. Physical attacks cannot affect a vampire sleeping in Mist Form, though fire and sunlight can still harm her. The vampire cannot awaken before dusk unless her Mist Form is injured.

 

Shape Mastery (Protean Level ••••• •)
It is one thing to master your own flesh and shape your form, but it’s something else to force your will upon another, demanding that his or her physical form take the shape you command. Certain exceptional elder Gangrel have mastered this ability, and can use his or her blood to overcome another individual’s native command of shapeshifting. For this power to function, some portion of the Gangrel’s blood must have been ingested by or otherwise be in contact with the target’s flesh or worn clothing, whether unwillingly or willingly. 
System: The Gangrel must first place her blood on the target. If the target has successfully attacked the Gangrel with natural weapons, or with a short weapon like a knife, it fulfills this requirement. Otherwise, the Gangrel must smear at least one blood point worth of her vitae on the target by making a successful attack or by making a small blood mark on an unsuspecting target. This may be done in advance, but the blood must still be wet (within a few minutes), and the subject must be in line of sight in order for this power to be viable. Thereafter, the Gangrel activates this power by spending an additional blood point and making a Perception + Survival roll (difficulty 7). Two successes are required to force the target out of his shape-shifted form and into her native (original) shape. While this power is active, the individual cannot assume any other form. This power persists for a full scene, or until the target removes the Gangrel’s vitae from his body (or clothing), whichever is sooner. The process of cleansing oneself of the Gangrel’s blood takes at least one full turn of action. If the target has actually consumed the Gangrel’s blood, then she cannot remove the blood so easily. Use of this power will persist for the full scene, and Shape Mastery may be attempted again thereafter (this power does not consume the blood with its use), so long as the Gangrel still has line of sight. If the target chooses to resume his adapted form after this power ends, she must reactivate that power, incurring any associated costs, and performing any appropriate rolls. This power is effective on the shapeshifted forms of Obtenebration, Protean, Serpentis, Thaumaturgy, and Vicissitude at levels equal to or lower than the vampire’s Protean. Further, it also confounds the native shapechanging abilities of other supernatural creatures, such as Lupines and Fae. 

 

Smoke and Mirrors (Protean Level ••••• •)
One of the most notable and fascinating powers of the Gangrel is the ability to turn to mist. Some elder Gangrel have found a way to harness this power and use it on instinct, converting themselves to mist in order to avoid the most threatening blows. 
System: When attacked, you may spend four blood points to turn instantly to mist, as per Mist Form (V20, p. 200). The attack automatically misses you, and you revert to your physical form once the immediate danger is past. You may activate this power reflexively once damage is determined, but as soon as damage is marked down or the scene has moved on from damage determination, you may no longer use this power on that damage.

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Animal Swarm (Protean Level ••••• ••)
Upon activating this power, the Gangrel dissolves into a swarm of small creatures, such as rats, crows, or scorpions. The creatures remain under the Gangrel’s control, and he may direct them in unison or as individuals. 
System: The Gangrel may disperse into as many creatures as he has blood points, with each creature carrying that one blood point; he may choose to form fewer creatures, in which case the blood points are divided as evenly as possible among them. The creatures may act in concert, or individually follow a simple plan such as “scatter and hide.” The Gangrel may pay close attention to only one component creature at a time. For example, he may listen in on a conversation using the body of one rat, while directing the dozen others to keep moving and avoid detection. While using this power, each creature within the swarm of animals must remain within 300 yards/meters of one another; any animal that leaves this radius immediately dissolves into ash, and the vampire forfeits the blood carried by that creature. The vampire may reform from any of the creatures in the swarm, but when she reforms, all animals within 10 yards/meters are drawn back into her physical substance. Other animals (those who are too far away) dissolve into ash, and the vampire forfeits their blood. This power takes one turn to take effect, and lasts until sunrise or until the Gangrel chooses to retake his humanoid form. At that time, all of the component creatures present are re-absorbed into the Gangrel’s body, along with the blood points that animal carried. If this leaves the vampire with less than three blood points, she must immediately check for frenzy. Creatures who do not rejoin the Gangrel’s body may be reabsorbed at any time, though if there is only one creature left in her swarm, the Gangrel immediately reverts to her natural physical form. The vampire must reform at sunrise. She may choose which creature out of the swarm in which to re-incorporate. Any creatures not reabsorbed dissolve into small piles of ash and blood at dawn. The vampire may use the following Disciplines while in Animal Swarm: Auspex, Celerity, Fortitude, Obfuscate, and Potence. The individual creature that is the tangible source of the power must fuel any Disciplines that require the expenditure of blood. Creatures reduced to zero blood points are immediately destroyed. 

 

Mythic Form (Protean Level ••••• •••)
Some ancient Gangrel have hunted long-forgotten monsters and stolen the skin of the creatures of legend — massive beasts whose existence has been lost to myth. Whispers of griffins, sphinxes, dragons, thunderbirds, and kirin are the tales of these old Gangrel that still wander, looking for prey that doesn’t exist. In addition to the great size and terrifying form of these creatures, a Gangrel who takes Mythic Form also acquires some of the special abilities commonly attributed to the beast; a griffin, for example, would have the ability to fly and a devastating claw attack. Once a character’s mythic form has been chosen, it is set for the character’s existence. 
System: A character must spend three blood points to transform into Mythic Form. The transformation requires three turns (spending additional blood will not speed the change, but the Gangrel may continue to act normally as the transformation occurs). Mythic Form lasts until the next sunrise, or until the vampire returns to her natural form. The type of creature, and its specific mechanics, must be determined when the vampire first learns this ability, and may not be changed thereafter. When you purchase this power, divide 9 points as bonuses to Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina. In addition, choose one defensive bonus, one offensive bonus, one movement bonus, and one special power (listed below). Non-standard bonuses are possible, but require Storyteller approval. 

Defensive Bonus (Choose 1)
• Armor Plating: You have 4 points of armor while in this form.
• Invulnerability: You are invulnerable to (take no damage from) one of the following sources: fire, acid, electricity, or poison.
• Quick: Your dodge based defense pools increase by +2.
Offensive Bonus (Choose 1)
• Deadly: Your bite and/or claw attacks receive a +3 bonus to damage.
• Grappling: When you hit a target with a normal attack, you are also considered to have grappled her. Attempts to break your grapples suffer a -2 penalty.
• Multi-Attack: When making brawling attacks, you receive two dice that can only be used when you split your attacks (the dice apply to each attack).
Movement Bonus (Choose 1)
• Aquatic: You can swim at twice your normal movement speed.
• Fast: On the ground, you can move at twice your normal movement speed.
• Flight: You can fly at your normal movement speed. 

 

Special Power
Choose any Discipline power at 5 dots or lower. While in Mythic Form, you may use that power as though you had purchased it. You are not required to purchase the power’s prerequisites (i.e., the lower level powers in that Discipline tree). If your chosen power is based on Thaumaturgy or Necromancy, you do not need to speak or gesture to activate the power while in this form. 

 

Combination Disciplines

Blood Thorns (Protean ••, Potence ••)
This power allows the user to expend the force of her blood in order to make a ranged attack with her natural weaponry. With this ability, the Gangrel shoots a barb or claw at her target, potentially injuring them as though she had struck them with her Feral Claws. It takes three rounds for a claw expended in this manner to grow back. Claws or barbs expelled by use of Blood Thorns turn to dust within ten minutes of leaving the Gangrel’s body. 
System: The character spends a blood point and rolls Dexterity + Firearms (difficulty 7) to perform a ranged attack against one character within 10 yards/meters. If successful, this attack inflicts Strength +1 aggravated damage. This power costs 12 experience points to learn. 

 

Claw Immunity (Animalism ••, Fortitude ••••)
Quite a number of high-Generation Gangrel have developed the ability to shrug off claw and bite attacks of normal animals, hardening their flesh against nonsupernatural threats. This talent is extremely useful in areas where dangerous predators roam, and particularly when one must fight against animals whom an enemy commands… such as the Ravnos. This power does not work against Feral Claws or supernatural attacks such as werewolf claws and fangs. 
System: The player spends two blood points to activate this power. For the remainder of the scene, the Gangrel receives extra soak dice equal to his Animalism + Fortitude to resist damage from any non-supernatural animal attack (claws, fangs, or other natural weaponry). These dice are in addition to the vampire’s usual Stamina + Fortitude (i.e., Fortitude is counted twice). This power costs 18 experience points to learn.

 

Flesh Wound (Fortitude ••, Obfuscate •••)
True predators know when to rely on cunning and trickery to defeat enemies. Using this power, the Gangrel gives the appearance of taking no damage from attacks. In reality, the attacks hurt like hell, but the Gangrel maintains a facade of invulnerability in order to unnerve opponents. Particularly canny vampires may convince foes that they are, in fact, immune to assault. 
System: The player spends one blood point to activate this power. For the duration of the scene, the Gangrel appears as she did upon activation of this power; any wounds or scars already present will remain visible. Further damage does not show on the Gangrel’s form, nor do any logical results, such limping or leaking blood. This power ends if the Gangrel reaches the incapacitated health level or is staked. Under no circumstances can the wounds be discerned by an outside source before the power ends. This power costs 15 experience points to learn. 

 

King of the Beasts (Fortitude ••, Animalism ••••)
The vampire who masters this power has the ability to extend the auspices of her Fortitude to those animals who are summoned by her blood, ensuring that they are protected. This power requires no further expenditure on the user’s part; her very nature steels and fortifies her minion against damage.
System: Creatures you summon with Animalism gain one dot of Fortitude so long as they stay within your line of sight. This power costs 18 experience points to learn. 

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See the Reflected Form (Auspex ••, Protean ••••)
Using this power, the Gangrel may use Aura Perception to pull detailed information from his subject’s aura. In that aura, he can see the beast forms of Gangrel or other vampires possessing Protean; the forms of the Lupines and other shape-changing beasts; the half-real dream forms of fairies; and the shadows of vampiric forms from Disciplines such as Obtenebration, Protean, Serpentis, and Vicissitude. Further, the user of this power can tell which form is “native” or original to the subject.
System: The player rolls Perception + Awareness (difficulty 6). One success gives the character knowledge of the individual’s native form, regardless of the form that the user inhabits at the time. Three successes allow the user to see all forms that the individual in question may assume, and know the Disciplines used to achieve those forms. With five successes, the user may see the images of all forms assumed by non-vampires (such as Lupines or Fae), though the user may not understand the powers used to transform into those shapes. This ability does not reveal the visual changes of Obfuscate, as those are not truly transformative powers. This power costs 18 experience points to learn. 

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Shatterproof (Protean •••, Fortitude ••••)
A Gangrel with this power toughens his flesh and allows her body to absorb damage, spreading a blow’s impact throughout her entire form to avoid significant injury. 
System: The Gangrel may roll both Fortitude and Stamina together to soak aggravated damage. Each turn the Gangrel uses this ability of this ability requires the expenditure of one Willpower. This power costs 21 experience points to learn.

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Spirit Tracking (Protean ••, Animalism ••)
Your beast is an exceptional tracker, sensing the lingering trails of another beast through the spiritual ether rather than relying on physical senses alone. Indeed, your Beast can sense and follow the path of another vampire’s Beast, tracking it even when the prey takes physical precautions against being followed or found. Your inner senses are so keen, in fact, that it is difficult to fool you with mirages or false trails, making it more difficult for the powers of the Ravnos to trick you.
System: When tracking a vampire, you may roll Perception + Survival (difficulty 7) in order to track the individual so long as they are within 10 yards/meters. With three or more successes, you may continue to track the individual so long as they are within 100 yards/meters. With five successes, you may sense specific individuals who have been in a location within the last three days, though you may not track them unless they are still currently within 100 yards/meters. Further, you are not fooled by Obfuscate or illusions created using the power Ignis Fatuus (V20, p. 144). Unless the Ravnos creates an illusion that appeals to all of the senses (i.e., uses Fata Morgana or some greater power), your animalistic nature can instinctively tell the mirage is false. This power costs 12 experience points to learn.

 

Animal Forms

Any vampire that learns Beast Form can change into a wolf and a bat. But Gangrel have a stronger connection to the wild. Like the berserkers of old who slaughtered bears so they could become them, Gangrel are hunters in a way no other vampire understands. They don’t meekly accept the wolf and the bat; they steal the forms of other animals. They hunt them, kill them, eat them. They wear their skin, grind the bones, mix it with blood, and force it all down their throats. Once they have taken every part of the beast, the animal form is theirs.

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When a player makes a Gangrel character and purchases the Protean power Shape of the Beast, she should choose her animal forms. One of those forms should be that of a large predator (such as a wolf), and the other should be that of a smaller, flying or swimming predator (such as a bat or a fish). Once those forms have been chosen, they are set for the character’s existence. She will always change into that specific wolf, and that specific bat, with individual markings and appearance. Note that nonGangrel characters always turn into a wolf and bat, unless they select the Totemic Change Merit.

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Furthermore, assuming an animal’s form gives the character certain abilities based on that creature. In wolf form, the vampire’s teeth and claws inflict Strength +1 aggravated damage, he can run at double speed, and the difficulties of all Perception rolls are reduced by two. In bat form, the vampire’s Strength is reduced to 1, but he can fly at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour/30 kph, difficulties for all hearing-based Perception rolls are reduced by three, and attacks made against him are at +2 difficulty due to his small size.

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The Storyteller may allow Gangrel to choose a different animal shape when they purchase this dot of Protean, as well as hunting and killing the creature they wish to turn into. If the player does so, then the player and Storyteller should establish what natural abilities that form grants the character, based on the mechanics of the standard wolf and bat forms. Remember that animals which are too “humanesque” (such as monkeys) and animals that are not predators or scavengers (such as horses or other herbivores) are not appropriate for Protean forms. Here are a few examples of alternate Protean forms that a player may choose:

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Fight Forms

•Bear: In bear form, the vampire’s teeth and claws inflict Strength +2 aggravated damage, he can run at double speed, and the difficulties of all Perception rolls are reduced by one.
•Hyena: In hyena form, the vampire’s teeth and claws inflict Strength +1 aggravated damage, she can leap twice as high as a normal human, and the difficulties of all Perception rolls are reduced by two.
•Lynx: In lynx form, the vampire’s teeth and claws inflict Strength +1 aggravated damage, he can run at double speed and halves all damage from falling, and the difficulties of all Perception rolls are reduced by one.

Flight Forms

•Barracuda: In barracuda form, the vampire’s Strength is reduced to 1, but she can swim speeds of up to 20 miles per hour/30 kph. Difficulties for all sight-based Perception rolls are reduced by three, and attacks made against her are at +3 difficulty due to her small size and agility.
•Hawk: In hawk form, the vampire’s Strength is reduced to 1, but he can fly at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour/40 kph. Difficulties for all hearing-based Perception rolls are reduced by two, and attacks made against him are at +1 difficulty due to his small size.
•Vulture: In vulture form, the vampire’s Strength is reduced to 2, but she can fly at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour/30 kph. Difficulties for all hearing-based Perception rolls are reduced by three, and attacks made against her are at +1 difficulty due to her smaller size.