Character Profile: Johnny Suyuti

Cheery guardian of the sleeping dead

“Well, you know, sometimes the quietest people have an awful lot to say!”

Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Ordo Dracul

Titles: Guardian of the Mausoleum, Baron of Lychgate (City Status 3)
Court: High

For someone who spends all their time in the company of torpored Kindred, Baron Johnny Suyuti is a surprisingly cheerful soul. He is a scholar through and through, always happy to help others progress their research and fond of lengthy discussions on obscure topics. Originally from Egypt, he came to England to to study artefacts that had been 'retrieved' from his home country and campaign for their return, but he came to work at the University of Norwich some years ago.

He made himself useful to the old Guardian of the Mausoleum and so was the natural choice as her successor when she had to give up the position. Johnny takes his responsibilities very seriously and is a stickler for protocol regarding the security of the Mausoleum. However, unlike his predecessor, he doesn't believe in keeping the great minds of the past locked away, and so will allow visitors to the torpored vampires in the Mausoleum, with appropriate precautions, of course. He even offers his services to act as a go-between for communication!

Likes: Downton Abbey; a good mystery; the smell of really good coffee
Dislikes: People who don't ask permission; bad debate technique; starfish

Rumours:

• He seem be all sweetness and light, but have you seen him when he's arguing with a rival in his field? Nobody's that nice all the time.
• Why’d you think he’s so interested in the Mausoleum - he’s got family in there, but not anyone he’d like you to know about.
• Has anyone checked his aura recently? If I was going to become a serial diablerist, I know where I’d get a job…
• Johnny has more than his fair share of secrets. He can speak to Kindred in torpor, and I bet they could answer a few awkward questions the higher-ups don’t want asked. Maybe he’s secretly got the whole High Court caught in a web of blackmail and corruption.

Kindred Status Merits

Given that there seems to be some confusion as to how the Status merit works when applied to clan, covenant and (the vampiric) city, we thought we’d take the opportunity to clarify and also tweak the rules to produce a better play experience.

The Status merit is bought separately for each different kind of Status at 1 Experience per dot, with each kind of Status having 1-5 dots available. This covers mundane Status (in professions or areas of the setting) but the clarifications we want to talk about are specifically the Kindred Status merits.

Each character has three kinds of Status available: clan, covenant and city. The default for each character that we recommend is one point of Status in each.

City Status means that you’re acknowledged in Kindred society and protected by its laws, and can hold Feeding Grounds.
Clan Status means that your clan accepts you as one of theirs and their structures (e.g. the Necropolis) will allow you access without any trouble.
Covenant Status means that your covenant accepts you as one of theirs and, more importantly, will potentially allow you access to their secrets.

The likelihood is that every character will have a dot of each of these - if you start the game with 2 or 0 points of Status in any of these, make sure to talk to the STs about it, as it is unusual for a starting player character. It is possible for these to change in play but thanks to the Sanctity of XP, you will have the Experiences for any stripped Status merits returned to you so you can spend them on something else or work to regain your Status.

You will have a primary Status for both clan and covenant. This is your character’s clan (or the clan they have announced themselves to be part of publicly, if they are hiding their clan) and the covenant they are part of at the start of play. If they are Unaligned at the start of the game, primary covenant Status will be the first covenant they join in play.

Their primary Status can potentially change. This is unlikely to happen for clan but is possible, if your character has their Clan Status stripped and is adopted by another clan - this happened in our previous chronicle. However, this is an exceptional situation and you should talk to the STs about it should something like this occur.

By the word of the rules, a character’s secondary Status in other covenants cannot equal their primary Status (so, if your character originally joined the Lancea et Sanctum, they would need to have 2 dots of Lance Status before they could buy 1 dot in Invictus Status). However, we are changing this: your character’s secondary covenant Status cannot exceed your primary covenant Status but can equal it (so, now the Lancea et Sanctum Kindred only needs one dot of Lance Status before they can gain a dot of Invictus Status). This is for simplicity and because of the lower power levels in our game.

Your character can only have access to the covenant secrets of your primary covenant (Cruac, Theban Sorcery, Coils of the Dragon, Invictus Oaths and Carthian Law) without risking serious in-game consequences. A player character or NPC can potentially teach you the secrets of their covenant when it is not your primary covenant, but it is highly dangerous for both teacher and pupil, leading to at best expulsion from the covenant and at worst...well, whatever punishment the covenant can cook up to fit a crime of that magnitude.

If you started in one covenant and have become disillusioned, don’t despair! You can change your primary covenant. In-game this involves finding members of that covenant who are willing to accept you into their society, then letting the STs know you want to change your primary covenant. Once you have changed your primary covenant and gained Status within it, you can learn that covenant’s secrets with minimal repercussions, though there may well be social consequences for your character from their old covenant, especially if they have learned covenant secrets in the past. Depending on your relative levels of covenant Status, you may lose some dots of Status in other covenants and mentors may become less accessible. However, any merits you no longer have access to will be refunded or you will have the opportunity to regain them.

Your total number of Status dots in all the covenants put together cannot exceed 5 at any point.

If this seems overly complicated, please do come and ask an ST to explain it. Changing covenants is meant to be a big deal in the game and should be an important part of your character’s arc, but we also need to make sure there are restrictions on and consequences for covenant secrets being shared. It is possible to hold secondary covenant Status and even be part of the Circle of the Crone’s Chorus or a Lay Member of the Lancea et Sanctum without changing covenants, but learning any of the unique mechanics of that covenant or covenant secrets will have the consequences discussed above. Covenants guard their knowledge fiercely and don’t take kindly to people joining just to learn them. For instance, we have an NPC called Melissa Pryor who has declared herself ‘covenant neutral’ - she started in the Invictus and has 2 dots of Invictus Status, but she also has a dot of every other covenant’s Status except the Carthian Movement. She does not have access to Cruac, Theban Sorcery or Coils (or at least, if she does, she’s keeping it quiet).

Example:
Larry is a Lancea et Sanctum vampire with 1 dot of Lance Status as his primary covenant Status (and 1 dot each of Gangrel and City Status). He finds himself increasingly drawn to the Invictus rather than the Lance and an Invictus player character, Tommy, helps him to gain the respect of other Invictus, meaning that he can buy 1 dot of Invictus Status. All fine and dandy. If Tommy then teaches Larry Invictus Oaths and anyone finds out, both Larry and Tommy are in all kinds of trouble.

Larry decides that he wants to learn Invictus Oaths and become a Notary, but he doesn’t want to risk him and Tommy being chucked out of the Invictus for it. He tells the STs that ha wants to change his primary covenant to the Invictus, meaning that the Lancea et Sanctum is now his secondary covenant Status. He can now learn Invictus Oaths without it negatively impacting his standing in the Invictus. However, he also knows 1 dot of Theban Sorcery - the Lance don’t like him leaving the covenant with that ability, so he has to assure them that he will not use it and if he does use it again and anyone finds out, he’s in trouble! He also finds that his mentor in the Lance is more distant and his old friends and allies there trust him less, and some in the Invictus suspect him of being a Lance infiltrator. He can work on these through socialising and proving himself trustworthy, and potentially keep his Lance mentor or have the Experiences refunded.

As a final point, the effective maximum any player character can have in a single clan, covenant, or city Status is 3.  If you get more Status than that in one group or the city as a whole, you’re moving into the lofty arena of the High Court, and so will become an NPC.  Don’t worry, we won’t impose this on anyone, although it’s a fine end of game goal to have for your character.

As ever, if you have any questions about this or want to clarify anything about your character’s Status merits, please e-mail us at shadesofnorwichdarkmetropolis@gmail.com.

Character Profile: Maxwell Phillips

Hoodie activist with political clout

“Make a difference.”

Clan: Ventrue
Covenant: Invictus

Titles: Priscus of Clan Ventrue, Regent of Lakenham (City Status 3)
Court: High

“Max”, as he is known in the Kine world, isn’t exactly the classic visual of a high-ranking Invictus, more often seen in a hoodie and jeans than a suit, and more interested in the streets than the boardroom. However, his support for social programs and insistence that society can do better has been having a positive impact on Norwich. He’s a well-known sight in the shelters and community centres of Norwich, a friendly, vocal and articulate face for those who need help and the media alike.

His Regency contains some of the more deprived parts of the city, but he’s always pushing to change that. As Clan Ventrue has tried to distance themselves from their past, he has been guiding them in a different direction, towards making the Kine world better as they go, for more reasons than just plausible deniability. While the activities of his clanmates may have provided some doubt over the years, he has always remained humble and active in the face of adversity.

Likes: Progressive social programs, street art, foosball
Dislikes: Cuts to public services, clickbait, nationalism

Rumours:

• Maxwell’s trying to make up for something he did in his past. And, looking at the amount of effort he puts into his current activities, it must have been something pretty damn bad.
• “Max” has plans for those he helps, and they aren’t as fluffy as you think.
• Maxwell, as described by the other Prisci:
• Dana: “I’m withholding judgement on that one. Something’s off.”
• Adrian: “yeah, I have a lot of admiration for the work he does. You know, he’s a good guy.”
• Sati: “his policies often seem to support his Kine politics rather than what’s in the best interests of Kindred.”
• Simone: “Priscus Phillips is playing a longer game than any of us know.”
• You’d think a Carthian sympathiser would be subtler, hm? Maybe he’s not as smart as he thinks he is...or maybe he’s just hiding in plain sight.

Character Profile: Dana Pearlman

Tech-savvy networker

“Oh yeah, I know someone who knows someone who can help with that.”

Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Invictus

Titles: Priscus of Clan Mekhet (City Status 3)
Court: High

Priscus Pearlman doesn’t fit your idea of a typical computer geek, but you can be sure she has the know-how to make your computer dance if she needs to. She’s a big deal in the local tech entrepreneurs scene, playing their social connections with as much skill as their Internet connections through her dining club, ‘The Network’.

If you want to know something about somebody, there are worse places to start, though information flows both ways, and Priscus Pearlman certainly knows its value. You might have to pony up something she likes before she’ll tell you anything, but it’ll definitely be worth the wait. Priscus Pearlman has served as Clan Priscus for a while, a clear climber in the Invictus ranks, but that doesn't make you a Priscus. She clearly knows how things work inside Clan Mekhet. I hear it’s Masks all the way down.

Likes: Encyclopaedias, meeting new people, innovative data-mining solutions
Dislikes: Dial-up, Internet trolls, 4chan

Rumours:

• Dana seems cool, but someone launched a cyberattack on her company a few years ago. Not only did it fail, but she also hunted the person down through everyone they knew and ruined their life. Not someone you want to tangle with.
• The previous Mekhet Priscus used to have the Mask of the Nexus. Now Dana does and he has the Mask of the Ash Pile.
• Dana, as described by the other Prisci:
• Adrian: ‘oh yeah, Dana’s great! Though she got my phone number before we’d even met...’
• Maxwell: ‘an extremely useful individual’
• Sati: ‘we often agree on things, though our aims sometimes differ’
• Simone: ‘Oh, Dana. Personally, I worry about that much information being in one Kindred’s hands, but who am I to say? I’m sure she’s very responsible…’
• Dana, like Batman, has a file on every single person she knows filled with their strengths and weaknesses. Let’s hope that never falls into the wrong hands.

Character Profile: Sati Barsamian

Spiritual Huntswoman

“If you can’t keep up, you shouldn’t be in the race.”

Clan: Gangrel
Covenant: Circle of the Crone

Titles: Priscus of Clan Gangrel, Mistress of the Hunt (City Status 3)
Court: High

Priscus Barsamian, Mistress of the Arena, has made her mark on the city over the years and provided a strong voice for Clan Gangrel. It might be expected that she would find conflicts of interest in representing the Prince’s clan, but either Clan Gangrel is remarkably agreeable or they manage to stop any disputes from reaching public ears. It seems that Priscus Barsamian is a good person to have in your corner.

While she might be a little blunt, Priscus Barsamian is known for putting her points across forcefully and clearly. She is one of the longer-serving Prisci, and firmly believes that the strongest person for a job should do it. She is known to take on challengers for her role with enthusiasm, though no-one has yet managed to unseat her. Her recent campaigning against the People’s Council has provoked discussion amongst Clan Gangrel, and some suspect that she has an anti-Low-Court agenda, though it is possible that a strong belief in a meritocracy could give this appearance.

Likes: To be impressed, competitive sports, tigers
Dislikes: Weak people, excuses, reality TV

Rumours:

• There is a separate, secret arena where Gangrel brutality is tested to its limits - but it’s not advertised so they don’t have to explain where people go when they lose.
• I heard Sati was a queen in India, so why is she satisfied with obeying another Prince? There must be more to that alliance than meets the eye...
• Sati, as described by the other Prisci:
• Dana: ‘she’s tough but cool’
• Maxwell: ‘she’s very...driven…’
• Adrian: ‘nice, I guess? Well, not nice exactly, but...well, she seems OK.’
• Simone: ‘a worthy opponent or powerful ally’
• She’s building an army of Gangrel on commission from the Prince to ensure Clan Gangrel’s dominance of the city - she selects potential childer and then takes them to the woods. Whoever survives is Embraced in secret and kept in a facility on the edge of the city.

Character Profile: Adrian Spooner

Hapless Priscus bullied into the job

“Uh...uh...uh...I think so?”

Clan: Daeva

Covenant: Unaligned

Titles: Priscus of Clan Daeva (City Status 3)

Court: High/Low

How do you solve a problem like the Daeva? Well, if you’re Adrian Spooner, you go along with what they want you to do. The ongoing arguments between the more excitable elements of Clan Daeva and those who just want to get along are well-publicised, so trying to find a Priscus everyone could agree on was a challenge to say the least. Enter Adrian Spooner, a nobody with no strong opinions and an unusually malleable attitude. The Pragmatists wanted someone who wouldn’t rock the boat but they could use to advance the clan’s position in the city; the Firebrands found the idea of an Unaligned Low Courtier representing their clan to be hilariously anti-establishment. He was perfect.

Remarkably, though, the walking satire that was Adrian Spooner, new blood from nowhere, became a relatively competent and trusted Priscus. While his proclivities for spending time with the Low Court are often frowned on, the clear support he has from the groundlings and the few High Court Daeva suggest that he’ll be around for a while. So, Adrian, what is your secret? Reports suggest that he’s just extremely agreeable. Let’s hope that keeps working for him.

Likes: The smell of popcorn, Star Trek, nice quiet evenings

Dislikes: Old Spice, celery, that stupid message tone

Rumours:

• His background is a mystery. Is that because no-one has bothered to ask him, or because he has something to hide?
• It was no accident that he was chosen: he is the unwitting pawn in a Daeva game, and he’s about to take the king.
• Adrian, as described by the other Prisci:
• Dana: ‘he talks a lot, says little'
• Maxwell: ‘he’s all right’
• Sati: ‘if power is handed to you on a plate, you don’t understand what you’ve got’
• Simone: ‘may have been elected as a joke, but now he’s the one laughing’
• Who is Adrian’s sire? Does he even know?

Character Profile: John Walker

Brutally loyal Sheriff

“I didn’t bring you down here to find out what you’ve been up to. I already know. But the Prince wants to show the good people of Norwich what happens to traitors.”

Clan: Gangrel

Covenant: Ordo Dracul

Titles: Sheriff (City Status 4)

Court: High

Sheriff Walker may be a bit of a legend in Norwich, but like all the best larger-than-life figures, his origins are shrouded in mystery. Many have remarked that he has a military bearing, and the rumour mill is abuzz with theories, but anyone who knows the truth isn’t talking. What we do know that he is an efficient and loyal Sheriff. If anyone remarks that he never seems to do much, well, I’d say that’s what he wants you to think. The Hounds are his most public assistants, but it’s well known that he has a lot more help than that. Be careful what you say around Norwich, because you don’t know who’s listening.

The official story of John Walker’s rise within the city is at least fairly clear: our Glorious Prince Anastasia Lockwood recognised Sheriff Walker’s clear competence and promoted him from obscurity.His methods seem to be working, though some would question whether the hard line the Prince draws is appropriate. Whatever the public perception of the Prince’s law, Sheriff Walker enforces it without hesitation or doubt, and many are simply relieved to live in peace, largely able to go about their nightly business without fear. Walker’s decisive handling of the Anika Lyle situation recently has been yet another example of why you can put your trust in our Sheriff.

Likes: Gadgets, well-tailored suits, competent people

Dislikes: Treachery, chaos, people who think they’re better than him

Rumours:

• You don’t do inhumane things for a hard-line Prince for over fifty years and still think like the rest of us. Don’t expect any mercy from our Sheriff Walker.
• Most people think Prince Lockwood holds the Sheriff’s leash, but John Walker’s the brains behind that operation.
• The Prince definitely knows what she’s doing with her pets - I heard she blood bonded the Sheriff when he decided he didn’t like her methods.
• The Sheriff had a sister, did you know that? Before he was recruited by the Prince, they were pretty close, but she hasn’t been heard from in at least half a century. Wonder where she went...

A Little Help From My Friends: the Assistant Roles in Dark Metropolis

Dark Metropolis is deliberately an NPC-heavy game in which the players are the little fish in a big pond filled with sharks. We’ve made it clear from the start that player characters are unlikely to achieve certain roles in the city such as Hound, Priscus or Harpy (let alone the more powerful roles) because the game we are running is Low Court focused. However, we have set up the possibility of Assistant roles, where a player character has a direct line of influence to the people who hold the overarching roles of Hound, Priscus or Harpy. These are intended to be competitive and active roles that are what the player makes of them, but we realised they may be a little vague from the outside. So here are our ideas of what those roles entail and the potential opportunities they give.

If you still have questions about any of these roles, please e-mail the Shades of Norwich ST Team.

Minions: annoying and easily disposable

Assistant Harpy

The Murder of Harpies have busy unlives, and even with five of them (perhaps because of the five of them) assistants are valuable. There are multiple Assistant Harpies in the setting but one clearly stated opportunity for a PC to become one.

What are the duties of the Assistant Harpy? Reporting to the Harpies on what happens in the Low Court, since the Harpies only rarely have the time to turn up at Low Court gatherings. This would usually be done between gatherings, with a brief few sentences on anything you want to tell the Harpies (note that this does not have to be what actually happened, or can be biased, but also that your character is not the only source of information for the Harpies, so outright lies may be caught). From an OoC perspective, you can feed information and reports back to the Harpies by putting it at the beginning of your downtime. Be aware that they will no doubt have multiple sources to corroborate or deny particularly scandalous information, as they have their reputations to think about as well, so any outright falsehood is likely to be ignored in favour of more accurate information.

What opportunities does this role give me? The chance to shape what the Harpies, and therefore the High Court, hear about the Low Court events and characters. The Harpies do have their own agendas and choose how to use this information. It’s a good way of interacting with more social and political aspects of the game, as well. If you feed good information back to the Harpies and prove yourself to be a good agent, you may be able to gain Status in the city, or you can make sure the right people come to their attention.

How do I become Assistant Harpy? There is currently a PC Assistant Harpy, with the other roles held by NPC Assistants, so the best way would be for one of these positions to conveniently become empty. Of course, you could also prove yourself a better person for the job than either the PC or one of the NPCs and see how that goes.

Dead-eyed expression recommended but not a must

Assistant Hound

The Hounds of the city oversee a group of other Kindred who are enforcers of the Prince’s laws. There is currently one PC Hound’s Assistant and a number of other positions that help the Hounds (not all deputised in the same way as an Assistant) which are currently occupied by NPCs. They also maintain some other trusted teams to deal with specific matters, but these are often not publicised.

What are the duties of the Assistant Hound? Supporting the Hounds in their duties, reporting any disturbances or matters of interest to them, enforcing the Prince’s laws and investigating minor matters to see whether they’re worth the Hounds’ time. From an OoC perspective, you can feed anything back to the Hounds that you want them to know at the start of your downtime, and you will probably be given investigations and duties to carry out.

What opportunities does this role give me? A chance to interact with more investigative and physical aspects of the game. You’ll be an authority in investigations and potentially given limited deputy power to enforce the status quo (though overstepping bounds is potentially dangerous). While the credit for your work will probably go to the Hounds, they are known to reward loyalty. If you make a name for yourself as reliable and trustworthy, you may be able to gain Status in the city, or make a quick buck if you're corrupt.

How do I become Assistant Hound? Due to the size of the city, there’s a lot of potential for extra hands in the Hounds’ office, so you could investigate the support teams the Hounds use or prove your usefulness directly, to the Hounds or the current PC Assistant. Of course, it’s also a role that can have a high turnover during turbulent times...

Assistant Priscus

The Assistant Prisci have only recently been introduced. The Priscus Council is the other major power in the city besides the Prince - they appoint certain roles such as the Keeper of the Low Court and have a lot of sway, as they are supposed to be the voices of the clans in the city. The Assistant Prisci are not a Council but they act as aides and helpers to the Council, who are often too busy to deal with the Low Court directly.

What are the duties of the Assistant Priscus? Act as aide to your Priscus over minor matters, be the eyes and ears of your Priscus in the Low Court, bring any matters to the Priscus that your clan wishes to be escalated and keep the Priscus clued in on anything that urgently requires their attention (such as breaches of the laws by other clan members). The Assistant Prisci do not have regular meetings scheduled, though if players of the Assistant Prisci wish to discuss things, that is up to them. There may be rare occasions when a Priscus will tell an Assistant to go and sort out their clan mates or investigate a clan matter. From an OoC perspective, at the games you can talk to your clanmates and gather any thoughts, concerns or issues, and then anything you want to feed back to your Priscus should be at the start of your downtime. This does not need to be truthful, but blatant lies will likely be caught out - a heavy dose of spin is entirely acceptable.

What opportunities does this role give me? A chance to represent your clan in a more direct way, be the direct line to your Priscus and make sure the voices of often overlooked members of the clan (especially the Low Court) are heard. You will be more involved in the political and social aspects of the game, and can potentially influence NPCs or use your position to extort favours from them in return for passing things along. It would be a reasonable justification for buying Status 2 in your clan or possibly the city (though that may require more work).

How do I become an Assistant Priscus? The Assistants are voted in by the clan in the same way as the Prisci themselves, so the role does have to become vacant before you can step into it. If the role is vacant, we’d recommend talking to other PCs and NPCs to drum up support. From an OoC perspective, more weight is given to the votes of player characters, so it’s well worth using the games to build your platform.

Character Profile: Steven Garrett

Morally flexible but fiercely loyal Hound

"I gotta say, kid, you’ve got some nerve. Would have been great if you'd got away with it. Problem is, you didn’t."

Clan: Nosferatu
Covenant: Invictus

Titles: Hound (City Status 3)
Court: High

Steven Garrett’s promotion didn’t surprise anyone. After years of paying his dues as an Invictus enforcer, Sheriff Walker recognised Garrett's usefulness and rewarded it. Garrett started out as a Nosferatu who was useful but not pretty, and he’s rumoured to have built up some boons with important members of his clan. You know, for a rainy day. He had it all figured out, that is until he was saddled with a newbie Carthian Hound, Jules Mendel. However, they quickly formed a resilient partnership and have become an effective discouragement to anyone who might try to advance themselves outside the Prince’s laws.

Steven is grumpy but a softie deep down (or so people who have seen ‘deep down’ say), and while he might be more accepting of the grey areas of the law than Jules (and not above profiting from them) his true loyalties aren’t well known. Mainly because no-one wants to try it and see. He usually only ends up at Low Court parties when there’s trouble, but he’s a reassuring presence in the city, usually found in a skeevy bar late at night. He’s known to have links to Kine law-enforcement agencies and criminal elements.

Likes: Things to go smooth (they never do), ‘mutually beneficial arrangements’, cats, artsy foreign films
Dislikes: Critics of his fashion choices, collateral damage, people dissing the Sheriff

Rumours:

• Garrett’s Embrace was illegal, but it was to cover an Invictus scandal, so the First Estate brushed it under the rug. After all, that’s what they do.
• He’s going Carthian. That’s the only explanation for why he hasn’t killed Jules yet. Watch him.
• The whole ‘gruff and uneducated’ thing is just an act to make people underestimate him.
• Ermenrich Fowler’s got something on him. That’s gotta smart.

Character Profile: Jules Mendel

Tough-as-nails Hound with a bad attitude

"Let them run. It won’t help."

Clan: Mekhet
Covenant: Carthian Movement

Titles: Hound (City Status 3)
Court: High

Jules Mendel was a surprising appointment to the position of Hound, a Carthian who would no doubt have to police rebels and dissenters as part of her job, but her initially rocky partnership with Steven Garrett, the other Hound and an Invictus, rapidly turned into a strong friendship that only an idiot would underestimate. Jules has since proven herself loyal and tenacious, and as long as the High Court are willing to let her unapologetic attitude towards authority go by, she seems to be quite happy being the strong arm of the government. Is this truly the Invictus meritocracy in action, promoting even a competent Carthian through the ranks?

A stunt driver in life, Jules is still a bit of a legend amongst racers in the city. While she doesn’t race any more, people who try to evade the Prince’s justice quickly discover that she’s definitely not out of practice. I wouldn’t try to get too close to this Kindred, though - she’s known for being blunt and antagonistic, and attempts to turn her against the Prince or the Sheriff are met with very little patience. Plenty of Kindred still don’t trust her, but they have her to thank for keeping them safe, and you can almost hear their jaws clench as they do it.

Despite mostly spending her time around the Low Court, Jules is High Court by virtue of her position.

Likes: High-speed driving, biker bars, classic rock, dogs
Dislikes: Snobs, bribes, posers

Rumours:

• Garrett’s only been paired with Mendel because the Prince wants her watched at all times. You wouldn’t want someone like that behind your back, right?
• The reason Jules isn’t driving any more is because she’s sworn an oath not to drive again until she has avenged her sire.
• Jules is secretly an Invictus plant in the Carthian Movement. Why else would they have promoted her?
• Jules uncovered a scandal right under the Prince’s nose, and that’s why she was made Hound. To shut her up.

Character Profile: Anika Lyle

Note: Since the publication of this profile, Anika Lyle was revealed to be a traitor against the Prince and the Kindred of this city, involved in blackmail, corruption and a direct attack upon the Arcology. She was arrested but died in her cell. The Keeper of the Low Court position has been reassigned.

Philanthropic Keeper of the Low Court

"You’re not talking about murdering Kine, are you? That’s not very nice at all!"

Clan: Ventrue
Covenant: Lancea et Sanctum

Titles: Keeper of the Low Court (City Status 3)
Court: Low

Anika Lyle’s dramatic rise from relative obscurity to the position of Keeper of the Low Court has impressed many Kindred, Low and High, and her ability to keep the Low Court in line without breeding resentment makes her a valuable asset to the city. She took over the role when the previous Keeper could no longer fulfil his duties, but if anyone had doubts about her suitability, she quickly dispelled them by proving herself competent and approachable. It is well known that she prefers to try and deal with minor infractions on an individual basis rather than passing people up the chain for punishment, and has made pleas for clemency in the past for Low Courtiers.

Like many of her clan, Anika is publicly involved in many philanthropic projects especially in and around the Arts and Theatre District in Tombland. Her flagship is the Brighter Futures Arts & Community Centre. She works with ex-convicts and disenfranchised people to help them get a start in life, and works with many arts and community organisations to provide opportunities in the art world. Her ethical approach has led many to re-evaluate their stereotypes of Clan Ventrue.

Likes: Helping people, pina coladas, Pride and Prejudice
Dislikes: Rudeness, cruelty, Internet memes

Rumours:

• Too good to be true? You betcha. I heard she only shows mercy to people she likes, and she sent someone to the Hounds for insulting her.
• If you think she sees her charity cases as people rather than pawns, you’re fooling yourself. She blackmails ex-cons into working for her, just when they think they’re respectable again. Blood will out.
• She had a very public spat with Carmilla Fitzgerald at the Blood Bank many years ago. Interesting how that all went away, huh?
• She deals drugs through Jack Snagsby, and keeps her public face and her secret life separate with the identity ‘Flyte’. Obviously, Brighter Futures is just a front.

Blood Sorcery

Sorcery, whether through the miracles of the Lance or the blood magic of the Circle, is a powerful force in Kindred society, but it must also be used carefully, as it often engenders suspicion and paranoia.

This blog post will most likely be of interest to those players whose characters have or are planning on developing sorcery in game.

 We are going to be playtesting a slightly modified version of the rules from the book Blood Sorcery, specifically the system for themes and improvised casting. For a more detailed explanation of these mechanics, please read the first chapter in Blood Sorcery or speak to the Dark Metropolis STs. For now, this is a provisional system, as the Blood Sorcery rules require some adaptation for live play, so we’re interested in any feedback you might have.

Please send any feedback or queries to our Dark Metropolis e-mail address: shadesofnorwichdarkmetropolis@gmail.com

Sorcery, Themes and Rituals

Your Crúac or Theban Sorcery dots now give you access to dots of ‘themes’, different areas of magical influence that can be combined to create a wide range of effects. There are some limits to what they can do, which we’ll go into later.

There are five themes, four of which are considered ‘favoured’ themes by practitioners of Theban Sorcery and Crúac. You might notice these are different to the favoured themes in the Blood Sorcery book. They are rated 1-5, but you can’t have any theme at a higher rating than your dots of Theban Sorcery or Crúac.

The themes are:
Creation (favoured by the Circle of the Crone)
Destruction
Divination (favoured by the Circle of the Crone)
Protection (favoured by the Lancea et Sanctum)
Transmutation (favoured by the Lancea et Sanctum)

Themes can be used to improvise effects or rituals can be learned that codify them. Themes can be combined to create more complex effects, but this increases the number of successes required to successfully cast them.

Buying Sorcery

Your first dot of Crúac or Theban Sorcery gives you 3 dots of themes, 2 of which must be taken in your favoured themes and 1 of which may be taken from any theme. You also get a ritual for free with your first dot of a sorcery style.

After the first dot, each dot you buy in Crúac or Theban Sorcery gives you one free dot of themes as well as increasing the ‘cap’ on your highest theme. Your free theme dot still has to be in a favoured theme.

Every time you gain a dot of themes (including when you get a free dot from buying your sorcery up) you get a free ritual of that theme and level as well.

You can also buy dots of themes and individual rituals separately for the following costs:

Crúac/Theban Sorcery – 4xp per dot (as in the current system – this gives you a free dot of a theme and a free ritual)
Themes – 2xp per dot (this gives you a free ritual)
Rituals – 1xp per ritual

Destruction has to be purchased independently of developing the sorcery discipline as it is favoured by neither sorcery type.

If you are a member of the Circle of the Crone or the Lancea Sanctum with a dot of status, you are able to learn that covenant’s sorcery without a teacher. However, it still requires an action to learn. If you have a mentor who can teach Crúac or Theban Sorcery, you may use their action instead of one of yours as they teach you.

If you wish to learn a ritual without a teacher, you will need to improvise the ritual first, as you experiment and work out how to do it.

If you wish to codify an improvised effect into a learned ritual that does not already exist, please e-mail the ST team before you attempt to do so and we can discuss what the mechanics would involve.
Improvised magic is entirely possible in uptime, and we encourage players to be creative, but please bear in mind that the ST team may need some time to briefly discuss the mechanics and that an improvised ritual may not have the same effect twice: since your character is going directly to the source and cobbling something together, the mechanics may change across different games (if the STs decide they should work differently).

We will be providing a ‘spellbook’ of sorts for Theban Sorcery and Crúac, with conversions of rituals that have been established in Vampire: the Requiem and Blood and Smoke, and we’ll try to keep adding to it as new rituals are established by PCs.

We currently have no plans to introduce variants of Crúac and Theban Sorcery for PCs or other kinds of sorcery (such as Sethite Crúac, Spirit Crúac or the Requiem for Rome variants) but if you are interested in pursuing any of these or see an interesting effect that can be reflavoured for these rules, please e-mail us about it.

Performing Rituals and Improvised Effects

Roleplaying Rituals
Roleplaying rituals is something that we encourage – in fact, we will be awarding bonus dice for rituals that are dramatic, cool and well phys-repped. If it adds to the game, we’d love to see it. That said, please bear in mind that some aspects of ritual casting may be inappropriate for hired rooms (no fake blood on the floor, please) and that there may be things that upset other player characters. We are playing a horror game with ritual sorcery, so there are certain things that will be present, but please be understanding of other players’ comfort levels. If there is anything you are concerned might upset other players, please talk to an ST, who can make an OoC announcement to make sure people are given fair warning.

Please bear the motifs for the sorcery styles in mind when deciding on how to roleplay a ritual (see below).

Casting
Before casting, you’ll need to make sure you’ve assembled the sacrifice (Vitae for Crúac, Willpower and a physical object as a focus for Theban Sorcery) and have your intended roleplay ready. If you’re improvising a ritual, you must talk to the STs about the effect you’re trying to cast before you start roleplaying it.

Sacrifice
Sorcery requires sacrifice.

Crúac always requires the amount of Vitae for the ritual equal to the highest theme involved. The first point of Vitae is absorbed into the ritualist’s body to power the ritual, the rest must be spilled or shed. Bonus dice can be gained by spilling extra blood in addition to the ritual’s requirements.
Theban Sorcery requires only one point of willpower but also an appropriate focus for the ritual, which crumbles to ashes when the ritual is finished. The more powerful the ritual, the more difficult to obtain the focus will be. Extra dice can be gained by meditating before the ritual starts.

Casting Known Rituals
Known rituals will be cast with a pool dependent on the sorcery type:

Manipulation + Occult + Crúac

OR

Intelligence + Academics + Theban Sorcery

(This is a change from the Blood Sorcery book)

We will not be implementing the additional time for bonus dice rule from Blood Sorcery, as we do not see this as adding to the game.

Casting is always considered an extended action but each roll for a known ritual only takes one turn.

Casting Improvised Effects

Improvised rituals have a pool based on the theme and kind of sorcery being used. Please check with an ST about the pool for a theme, but as a rule of thumb, the pool will be attribute + skill + the highest theme. Improvised Crúac rituals will use a social attribute (Presence, Manipulation or Composure) and Theban Sorcery will use a mental attribute (Intelligence,Wits or Resolve). However, the skill used will vary depending on the theme.

Casting is always considered an extended action but each roll for an improvised effect takes one minute.

Improvised effects may change from game to game as the STs will not be able to discuss the pros and cons of any effect fully during uptime, and may rule that it will not work the same way a second time.

Target Successes

Bonuses for good roleplay and ritual, penalties for distractions such as combat and potential blood ties are as outlined in the Blood and Smoke sorcery section.

The number of successes required is equal to the total dots of themes involved in the ritual (so a ritual that involves 5 dots of Creation has the same difficulty as a ritual that involves 3 dots of Creation and 2 dots of Divination).

There are ritual factors that can influence the target number for range, number of targets, potency, size. Any caster can increase the number of successes required by adding these factors. The rolls end as soon as the target successes have been reached – with improvised casting, any additional successes gained are lost but with known rituals, additional successes can be used on ritual factors so they are not lost.

Resistance

If the number of successes achieved on a ritual matters e.g. inflicting wounds or penalties, the roll for the casting is reduced by Composure against Crúac and Resolve against Theban Sorcery. Someone affected by a ritual knows that something weird is going on. If they are aware that the ritual is targeting them, they can spend Willpower to add to this resistance trait.

If the effect of a ritual is a question of success or failure, e.g. divining a lie, the target rolls with Resistance Attribute + Blood Potency. Dramatic failure means the target cannot make any more resistance rolls from rituals from the caster within the same scene.

Factors

The tables for these are in the Blood Sorcery rules. It is assumed that all rituals by default affect only a 1 yard radius/5 cubic yards volume, last 1 turn, affect 1 target, act at Potency 1, are used at touch range, and affect something that is size 20 or smaller.

Going above these adds successes to the difficulty you are trying to achieve. For instance, trying to affect 2 targets at line of sight for the caster’s Crúac or Theban Sorcery rating in turns would add 3 successes to the number of successes you need to achieve.

Radius – how many yards radius or cubic the effect covers
Duration – how long the effect lasts
Number of Targets – how many targets the effect targets
Potency – how strong the ritual is. This is usually the major factor in a spell but the default is 1 potency.
Size – used to affect very large targets
Range – the range the effect can be used at.

We have changed the Range factors to the following:
Touch +0 successes
Line of sight +1 success
Same District + 2 successes
Same Regency + 3 successes
Same City + 4 successes

In addition to this, anything cast at longer than Line of sight range requires a sympathetic channel of some kind, here defined as a part of the person (e.g. hair, skin, blood, fingernails), a valued possession of the person or a blood connection via blood sympathy.

Motifs

Motifs are flavour aspects of sorcery that rituals of the two types should follow. They are not mechanical, but a ritual’s performance must have at least some reference to these motifs to be appropriate. If your ritual casting actively includes motifs that are antithetical to these, you may have penalties or even not be able to attempt the ritual.

Crúac’s motifs are corrupting, wild and pagan.

Theban Sorcery’s motifs are judgemental, holy and deliberate.

If you’re unsure about how you can use these motifs, or any other aspect of ritual casting, come and talk to the STs.

Limitations

Blood Sorcery cannot:

• Create Vitae or nourishing food (though it can rip Vitae out of other people)
• Completely remove the effects of banes, only mitigate or provide defence against them
• Counter other magic (though can provide bonuses to resist it)
• Create permanent effects
• Reach between ephemeral realms – while an effect might be able to target a spirit or a ghost that is materialised or in the same realm as the caster, they cannot reach across the realms

Please note: we are aware that there is the potential for sorcery to replicate effects of the Coils of the Dragon. The Coils of the Dragon represent a fairly extreme modification of the Kindred nature and as such cannot be replicated exactly by sorcery – any sorcery that attempts to do so will likely end up with a less powerful effect in the same vein. In addition to this, sorcery is always going to be a less efficient way of producing these effects as the Coils of the Dragon do not require activation in the same way.

The same is true for areas of overlap with other disciplines (particularly Animalism and Auspex) – we have compared the similar effects and sorcery might end up with a similar result but is much more costly and less powerful at the same level. If you do have any concerns about this, however, please let us know.

Example

Perry buys his first dot of Theban Sorcery for 4 Experiences. He has to take a dot each of Protection and Transmutation, and chooses to put his final dot into Divination.

He chooses his free ritual as Vitae Reliquary (Transmutation 1).

So, Perry has Protection 1, Transmutation 1 and Divination 1 and the Vitae Reliquary ritual. He decides to buy up to Theban Sorcery 2 for 4 Experiences, and puts the free dot he gets into Transmutation. He takes Curse of Babel (Transmutation 2) as his free ritual.

He also wants Blood Scourge, however, which is Transmutation 1, Destruction 1, so he spends 2 Experiences on Destruction 1 and uses the free ritual he gets from that to gain the 1-dot version of Blandishment of Sin (Destruction 1). He now has the themes to use the Blood Scourge ritual, so he could if he wished improvise it, but his pool is potentially going to be better (and the ritual will take less time, so it will be usable in combat) if he buys it as a ritual. He spends 1 Experience to buy the Blood Scourge ritual and can perform it with 1 turn per roll rather than 1 minute per roll.

After spending 10 Experiences, he has the following:

Theban Sorcery 2

Themes:
Creation 0
Destruction 1
Divination 1
Protection 1
Transmutation 2

Rituals:
Vitae Reliquary (Transmutation 1)
Curse of Babel (Transmutation 2)
Blandishment of Sin (Destruction 1)
Blood Scourge (Transmutation 1, Destruction 1)

If he casts Blood Scourge, it will take him 1 turn per roll, cost him a Willpower and an appropriate focus and he will be aiming to get 2 successes. A Crúac spell of the same level would cost 1 point of Vitae (because it is equal to the highest theme used). He can add factors to the spell (such as keeping it going for more than one turn or making it do more damage when he strikes with it) by adding extra successes to the target number, or by hoping he rolls over the target number on his final roll, so he can allocate any extra successes to factors.

If he casts an improvised ritual, it will take him 1 minute per roll, and any extra successes he rolls on the final roll go to waste.

Development Notes

Sorcery is something that isn’t being used much in the game right now. We wanted to change that, and we have been considering implementing the Blood Sorcery rules for some time, as we love the idea of improvisational magic in uptime. We’ve made a few changes, such as the change to the range factors, to emphasise the territorial theme of our game, and to make it easier for STs to calculate in a hurry. We also felt that it was important to add the sympathetic channel aspect outside line of sight range, as it gives a reason for ritualists to interact with their targets and emphasises preparation and OoC co-operation in CvC play.

We also felt it was important, since Blood Sorcery was designed for Vampire: the Requiem, to examine the relative power levels of the themes with disciplines that did similar things, and we’re confident that with some careful handling, any overlap will be minimal and more costly to the sorcerers than using a discipline. Because, after all, the scope of sorcery is now pretty huge, so we’re hoping players will engage with it creatively, bring some dramatic ritual casting into uptime and generally run with the system. We’re also confident that because of the fairly hefty costs of these mechanics, both in resources and xp terms, sorcery isn’t going to become overpowered compared to the rest of the game. Sure, you can get up to Destruction 5 and some pretty terrifying effects, but that’s a good couple of years of dedicated xp spending. So, we’re really looking forward to the fun, flavourful low-level effects.

Word on the Street: The Cacophony and You

Vampire society has had a network of communication since long before the Internet, a semi-mystical discussion space where Kindred could share warnings, instructions, invitations and gossip. It is an inherently vampiric system, so only Kindred can read and interpret the Cacophony.

Many groups of Kindred claim responsibility for the Cacophony: the Circle claim that it is based in blood magic, but no-one can be certain.

Not all Kindred can interpret the Cacophony. It takes effort to tune in and you need to know how to read the signs, and once you’re in, you have to keep up to date with the constantly-shifting symbols, messages and memes. The Cacophony does not give without taking, and you must feed it to benefit from its knowledge.

We will sometimes drop plot into the Cacophony or give hints about current events in it, as well as it being a great resource for rumours, scandal, alliances and feuds. However, if you have heard about something through the Cacophony (or second hand through someone who can read the Cacophony), there are likely to be other ways of investigating it.

Mechanics

The Cacophony exists within Dark Metropolis independent of players viewing it, but to tune in, you must buy the Cacophony Savvy Merit with Experiences. This conveys its own benefits, to do with drawing out information about the city (see the Blood and Smoke book for more details) but it also allows you access to the Cacophony board on the Dark Metropolis forum. People without the merit can be told information from members of the Cacophony but cannot read it directly from the Cacophony.

So how do you buy into it? Well, any character can buy the Cacophony Savvy merit just by trying to interpret the signs. Maybe they’ve been told where to look, maybe they’ve heard rumours and are hunting for it, or maybe it’s just the right time for them to have a flash of understanding. Using the format covered in our downtime blog post, give us your justification or description for buying the merit, spend your Experience and away you go! You may not be put on the Cacophony board until after the downtimes are returned, but if you haven’t been put on the board by the game, shoot us an e-mail.

The merit has 1-3 dots which must be purchased in order. Once you have a single dot of Cacophony Savvy, you must start contributing to the Cacophony and can read the Cacophony board. This means that in the downtime period you need to send an e-mail to the Dark Metropolis ST address with a subject like ‘Cacophony Contribution’ containing the information you are putting into the Cacophony. Don’t worry about style: everything is fed through the Cacophony anyway, so the STs will rewrite it as others will perceive it. This is partly because we may well end up with half a dozen versions of the same rumour, so we will rewrite things as we want to.

You only need to contribute one thing per downtime to the Cacophony – if you have more Cacophony Savvy (say, three dots) you may want to consider finding more interesting things that fewer people know to contribute. You can add more contributions if you want, but there is no requirement to do so, even as you buy more Cacophony Savvy (and you cannot ‘bank’ contributions – you must still contribute every downtime). All that is required is one e-mail with one piece of information in it. The important thing is that we as STs know a) which character is contributing b) what you are trying to put into the Cacophony c) if it is unclear, what the contribution pertains to. If in doubt, go for clarity. If you want to make it super mega clear, copy the e-mail into the end of your downtime to show you have contributed, but please also send us a separate e-mail.

E-mails make it easier to keep track of who contributed what and it's clearer when someone is not contributing. If you miss a downtime cycle of contributions, you lose access to the benefits of the merit for that month (though not to the board, as that would be a faff). If you continue to miss contributions, we may remove the merit from your character sheet (because of the Sanctity of XP rule, you will get the Experiences back but you will have to re-buy the merit) and your permissions from the board.

The reason players can’t post directly to the Cacophony board is so that the rumours can remain anonymous, which adds a level of mystery to the whole thing. Players are not required to tell other players that they contribute to the Cacophony (and if they do such knowledge is to be treated as out of character until confirmed in character) but since Dark Metropolis is a collaborative game, there is not any particular reason not to tell others.

Style

The Cacophony is more than the words that players see on the board: it is information gleaned through lots of little moments, hints and symbols, passed through dozens of whisperers who all put their own spin on it. However, there are certain common threads that can be recognised by those who know how to interpret the Cacophony, and you may be able to see the styles of certain contributors showing through.

People who can read the Cacophony don’t know who else can inherently. However, voice does begin to show through and it is possible to track down who is contributing to the Cacophony with a bit of detective work. After all, the Cacophony mirrors the Kindred who contribute, and from the perspective of the game, it should be risky to spread dangerous rumours or information.

It would be useful if you could give us an idea of how your character contributes to the Cacophony (anything that leaves a mark on the city is acceptable, though it can’t be through people or animals). Do they put up neon posters for concerts that give no time or place? Do they conceal their messages in Banksy-like meme graffiti or spray-painted tags that convey more than just a signature? Do they write their messages on bathroom stalls or program the signal interruptions of a TV shop’s display models? The crosswords of the local paper? It doesn’t matter how weird and obscure the medium is, because the Cacophony interprets and reposts, and the messages spread like a virus to those who know how to read them.

The Cacophony is only really interested in Kindred news – Kine news is boring, but news of other supernaturals or weird and wonderful things of the world might pique the interest of some members.

Lying to the Cacophony

The Cacophony has no inherent truth-telling device. It can repost a lie if a member of the Cacophony tells it first. However, if your character regularly lies to the Cacophony, they risk being found out (or attracting the attention of someone who can discover who they are).

Some Kindred make the mistake of assuming the anonymity of the Cacophony means there are no consequences for lying. This is untrue. If your character is lying to the Cacophony, make it very clear and tell us what the true facts were. We want to make it fun to play with the limits of truth, scandal and the social games of Kindred, but if your character consistently lies to the Cacophony, they may well provoke unwanted interest from others with Cacophony Savvy and potentially other injured parties.

Game 2 Rules Updates

We’re making the following changes to the Vitae and Willpower rules ahead of Game 2.

Sang

The Blood Bank’s surcharge is now 1 Vitae per Vitae converted into Sang.  So 1 Sang takes 2 Vitae to make at the Bank, 2 Sang takes 4 Vitae, and so on.

Why are we making the change?

We needed to control the rate at which Sang could be manufactured, but wanted to do so in a way that didn’t impact people at the lower end of the Vitae economy too badly.  The revised surcharge makes Sang transactions fairer for all PCs. We will not be applying this retroactively, as looking at the numbers of Sang already exchanged, it wouldn’t make a significant difference to the totals.

Willpower

Willpower will refresh at the rate of 1 Willpower per downtime.  All PCs will start Game 2 with full Willpower, and we will track spends and refreshes from that point forward.

You can also regain Willpower by:

• Acting in accordance with your Mask or Dirge
• Defending a Touchstone
• Being affected by certain Merits and Conditions

Why are we making this change?

We want to make Willpower a more meaningful resource, and sizeable Willpower expenditures to have a lasting effect. This will also make Mask and Dirge more important and hopefully encourage players to ask STs when they think they have fulfilled them. By starting all PCs at full Willpower in Game 2, we’re ensuring that no-one is unduly penalised for any Willpower spends in Game 1.

As a final point, we’d encourage all of our players to take a look at the Lashing Out rules (Blood and Smoke, p. 92) ahead of tomorrow’s game.

Downtimes in Dark Metropolis

What is a downtime?

Downtimes are a way of keeping your character’s story going between games through writing - and a way of having your character perform activities that wouldn’t really work in uptime.

• Want to open a shop or develop your bank account? A downtime is good for that!
• Want to schmooze NPCs who aren’t coming to games? A downtime is good for that!
• Want to spend countless hours cracking the secrets of a coded book? A downtime is good for that too!

We would like to keep as much dramatic tension and interest in uptime as possible, and downtimes are here to supplement and support uptime play. Throwing a Kindred-only launch party for your shop, confronting an NPC about your suspicions about their motives, or using the book's code to open a locked safe are best suited to uptime.

Downtimes are also where you spend your Experiences, to mechanically develop your character. It will usually take one action to spend an Experience on an Attribute, Skill or Merit, although there will be times where the story may take longer to play out, particularly if you’re looking at making a new mechanic like a custom ritual or devotion.

If your character doesn’t have much in the way of Feeding Grounds or Herds, you can use one of your actions as a Hunting action. This means they are going out in a particular bit of the city and finding people to feed from, so your character will get more blood at the start of the game.

Plus, you can gain Beats in downtimes from achieving your Aspirations, up to a limit of 5 Beats per game/downtime cycle for each player. Downtime is also where you reset your Aspirations: when you achieve one, you have to wait till the downtime period to choose a new one.


How much can I do in a downtime?

• 4 downtime actions, representing your character’s own time and efforts.  A downtime action is a single course of action that at most takes a week of time (although this time does not need to be contiguous).

• 1 downtime action for each of the following Merits, representing the time and effort of the people represented by the Merit is question.  In general, these Merits will be at their most effective when supporting one of your personal downtime actions rather than working on their own on an independent project.
• Allies: a group positively disposed to you, and will take action on your behalf.  The more dots you have in the Merit, the more they’ll be willing to do.  1 dot Allies will do minor favours that require little effort, 3 dot Allies will do substantial favours that involve significant effort but little risk, and 5 dot Allies will do major favours that carry some risk (be it personal or legal).
• Contacts: a group who will provide you with information.  Asking for specifics is good - a general “what’s going on in your field” won’t get you much and is hard for the STs to respond to in an interesting way.
• Mentor: an individual who acts to support and guide your character. When designing your Mentor, choose three Skills the Mentor possesses (you can substitute Resources for one of these Skills).  Your character can ask their Mentor for a favour which must involve one of the three selected Skills or be within the scope of the Mentor's Resources. The Mentor is automatically considered to have successes equal to their dot rating on any rolls that might be required to do this favour. Mentors are likely to ask for favours in return, and the more you ask for, the more they’ll expect from you...
• Retainer: an individual who works for and is loyal to your character.  Choose an area of expertise for your Retainer.  If they need to make a roll within their field, double the Retainer dot rating and use it as a dice pool. For anything else use the Retainers basic dot rating as a dice pool.
• Staff: can be assigned projects during downtime, although they are generally less capable than the Merits listed above. For every dot in the Staff Merit, choose one type of assistant, and one Skill. Your staff can take actions using that Skill. These actions automatically garner a single success.

Choosing New Aspirations

If you’ve completed Aspirations during a game, or thing you’re likely to complete an Aspiration in downtime, you’ll need to choose new Aspirations to replace the completed Aspiration. Find out more about Aspirations in this blog post.

It’s worth including a note of roughly what time frame you’re hoping to achieve your Aspiration in: uptime during the next game, the following downtime, or during the game and downtime cycle after that.  Aspirations that are likely to take longer than two game and downtime cycles to complete should probably be broken down into smaller steps.

As always, if you’re struggling with choosing new Aspirations or want any advice on how to turn your character’s goals into Aspirations, please do drop us a line.


How to Write a Downtime

Please follow the following framework for your downtime:

Action 1:
-What are you trying to achieve?
-What mechanics are you using to help you?

Action 2:
-What are you trying to achieve?
-What mechanics are you using to help you?

Action 3:
-What are you trying to achieve?
-What mechanics are you using to help you?

Action 4:
-What are you trying to achieve?
-What mechanics are you using to help you?

Mentor/Retainer/Allies:
-What are you asking your Mentor/Retainer/Allies for?
-How is it relevant to them?

Contacts:
-What information are you looking for? It must be more specific than “What’s going on?”
For example:
(Homeless Contacts) “Has anyone gone missing recently?”
(Medical Contacts) “Have you heard of Dr Sanchez? What’s his reputation like?”
(Occult Contacts) “Where would I go to get proper occult texts?”
(Criminal Contacts) “Who are the big gangs in the underworld at the moment?”

If you are doing a Hunting action, please give us a brief description of your hunting method rather than going into too much detail. Most Hunting is likely to be opportunistic, and you’re going to be Hunting in someone else’s territory, so elaborate traps that require set-up are probably not suitable for a Hunting action. Please use the following format for a Hunting action:

Action X: Hunting action
I will be hunting in [District] of [Regency]
I will be hunting by [method], I have [relevant skills/attributes/disciplines]
I do/do not have permission from the Baron/owner of Feeding Ground dots

New Aspirations (if any):
- A short explanation of the Aspiration, and what time-frame you hope to complete it in. (Uptime at the next game, the following downtime, or the downtime after that.)


If you have any questions about formatting your downtime, please e-mail us in plenty of time at shadesofnorwichdarkmetropolis@gmail.com. We can’t guarantee that downtime queries received close to the downtime deadline will be answered before the deadline.

We’ll announce the downtime deadline at each game, but if you know you have a commitment that means you won’t be able to get a downtime in by the deadline, send us an e-mail before the deadline.