House Rules for Black Hawk by Night

NOTES:

• The amount of extraneous source material for MET and White Wolf games is phenomenal, and obviously cannot be fully covered in this write up. All material that is not mentioned, and is not in the core Laws of the Night book, should be checked with the STs before it can be bought.
• All disciplines that are not listed are subject to ST discretion and should be verified with the STs before game.
• Any visitors possessing blood magic, combo disciplines, custom disciplines, rituals, or rare disciplines should verify them with the STs before your visit so that we can familiarize ourselves with your character before game.
• Anything not listed in this packet is subject to ST discretion. Calls made by the STs during a scene are final. Discussions about ST calls are welcome and ST calls that are made during game will be recorded for consistency and added to this packet.

Character Creation-

All characters start with one dot in each lore appropriate to their character (typically Clan, Creature Type, and Sect). New players receive Common Sense on their sheet for their first three months of play without cost. All players start knowing one language, which is assumed to be English unless otherwise specified. We want people to be the generation they want to be so we will offer an exp spread for generations.

• 14th - 12 meta points
• 13th - 12 meta points
• 12th - 9 meta points
• 11th - 6 meta points
• 10th - 3 meta points
• 9th - 1 meta points
• 8th - 0 meta points
• PC ghouls - 5 meta points

Ability Rulings

Area Knowledge-
This ability can be used to find mundane locations. A dot of this ability can also be spent to reduce travel time at ST discretion.

Awareness-
To use this ability you may make a static mental challenge after any supernatural ability is used. The difficulty of this challenge will be decided by the narrator or ST running the scene based on the circumstance. If you do not possess the appropriate lores or the appropriate information in the scene to divulge what happened, you are only aware that there was a supernatural occurrence.

Athletics-
This ability is used for swimming, climbing, jumping, etc. It is not an effective retest in combat situations.

Blind fighting-
When you are not able to see you must bid two extra traits and your opponent gets a free retest against you if they can see. Each current level of blind fighting will negate having to bid one extra trait. Blind fighting may be used to cancel the negative effects of fighting blind for one action per dot spent.

Crafts-
You must specify the medium/type of item you craft when you buy the ability. You can buy multiple craft abilities. Only one item can be crafted during each down time. What you can do with your craft is dependent on your level in that craft. You can make one adjustment once your craft rating reaches three , and an additional adjustment once your craft rating reaches five with an additional challenge. When you craft an item it does not always end up your best work , thus to reach your highest craft potential you will have to throw a chop for each level and attempt to reach your maximum. 1-Repair items of that type 2-Craft items of that type 3-Remove a negative trait or add a bonus trait (One adjustment) 4-Add a special ability, change concealability, work with rare materials (One adjustment) 5-Add a bonus damage (Two adjustments with chop)

Dodge-
You may dodge oncoming attacks that you are aware of, including against an opponent using Celerity. You must be aware of an attack to dodge it.

Drive-
You may drive a standard, automatic car or truck without having any ranks in drive. Any vehicle that is not of this standard variety requires at least one rank in drive to operate.

Etiquette-
You may expend this ability to make a mild correction to a statement just made or written. It can not be used to retract a statement.

Expression-
You must specify the medium/type of item you craft when you buy the ability. You can buy multiple expression abilities.

Hunting-
After your initial blood chop, you may expend a dot of hunting and make a physical or social challenge (retest with Hunting) with a difficulty of the area you choose to feed in (eg: rack=5, slums=6, business district or suburbs=8, edge of town=9). If you are successful, you obtain two traits of blood without endangering yourself in any way.

Linguistics/Languages-
Each language you wish to learn requires you to buy the ability Language, specified to that language. Linguistics represents the study of languages and will allow you to work with languages you are not yet familiar yet or even create your own. This ability will take time to use and is not usable on the fly.

Medicine-
This ability is used to represent knowledge of the human body and how to treat it when it is harmed or injured. It cannot be used on Kindred and it does not allow a retest for staking.

Meditation-
Each dot of Meditation can be used one per downtime period to recover one willpower. Each dot requires a mental test, difficulty 5 to recover willpower. These tests can be run at check in to represent Meditation during the downtime period. You can only spend one dot of Meditation each night, and if you choose to attempt to recover a willpower during the game it requires 30 minutes of concentration during which you will be out of play.

Performance-
You must specify the medium/type of item you craft when you buy the ability. You can buy multiple performance abilities.

Politics-
You may expend this ability to verify the status of any member of your sect. It is only usable for members of your sect.

Ride-
This ability is for riding animals.

Survival-
This ability allows you to survive in the wild, including finding shelter (usable as a haven). It is also usable as a retest when soaking.

Throwing-
This ability is used for any thrown attacks. You can throw using Potence (see Potence for more details).

Discipline Rulings

Animalism-
You may use Quell the Beast to bring a vampire out of frenzy. When you do so, it is your choice whether or not they suffer the negative effects of Quell. If you possess the merit Inoffensive to Animals you are considered one trait up when dealing with animals, including uses of Animalism. You may use Feral Whispers to talk to kindred using Subsume the Spirit or Shape of the Beast (or other powers that allow you to talk to animals) but it cannot be used as a special language to others with Feral Whispers. When you use Subsume the Spirit you gain a negative trait Feral per trait expended in the possetion, they will stay until you spend a temporary willpower trait to remove them. You do not need to test for frenzy when leave the animal and returning to your body.

Auspex-
When contesting Obfuscate with Auspex, you are considered one trait up for each level of Auspex you possess. Aura Sight may be used to detect lies as per Laws of the Night. Aura Sight may be used to detect the presence of beings on other planes within the area. To detect them you must declare which plane you are looking on, spend a mental trait, and then throw the opposed challenge. While astrally projected you are unable to spend blood or use physical disciplines, your health levels are your current willpower, and you are allowed to use mental and social disciplines that do not use blood, including obfuscate. If you are some how able to spend blood in astral it requires a willpower as well, not in clouding the one to manifest. When Astral your silver cord disappears after a few feet.

Celerity-
Mental and social disciplines may not be activated during Celerity, except during your Alacrity action. ( not Thaumaturgy ) Any additional actions gained by Celerity can only be physical. Celerity does not let you win ties with guns, but it does let you call the bomb. The basics of Celerity are not considered a breach of the Masquerade.

Chimestry-
The first three levels of Chimestry are visible to everyone and the resulting social challenge must be made with each person interacting with that use of Chimestry. If Permanency is used, the manifestations of Chimestry are visible to everyone until there is reason for disbelief (including use of Heightened Senses). Horrid Reality can only be seen by the target and can only do up to three damage each round. It can still have immobilizing effects and the target is put into torpor if they believe they should be due to the illusion’s effects. All levels of Chimestry require line of sight to be maintained unless permanency is used. If permanency is used with Horrid Reality the illusion lasts for the next scene or hour and can be extended at the cost of a blood and willpower per scene or hour extended. All retests for disbelief are subject to ST discretion. Illusions created with Chimestry exist in the dreaming for one day for each level of the discipline being used, plus an extra day for any each extra extension used with Horrid Reality. Illusions created with Chimestry disappear in all forms if the user is put into torpor or killed.

Dementation-
You must have at least one derangement to possess Dementation. You can target yourself with any level of Dementation if you so choose. Negative traits from Passion cannot be stacked and opposing negative traits from Passion cancel each other out rather than adding or changing the trait.

Dominate-
Defenders in a Dominate challenge can retest with Intimidation and are not immune to Dominate if the aggressor fails the challenge. You can be dominated into dangerous situations but not suicidal ones, this line is subject to ST discretion. You cannot force someone to teach you anything with any level of dominate. If you condition a PC there is a high probability they will become an NPC. If you are possessing a body, you must declare when you are leaving a body at the beginning of the round and you will not exit the body until the end of the round. You can still act as normal during the round.

Fortitude-
With Endurance you still suffer the wound penalties at the Bruised health level, but no other penalties including having to bid additional traits. Permanent willpower can still be expended for Aegis even when the target is Quelled. Aegis let you win ties on the intermediates without spending physicals. Aegis must be declared before the simple chops for staking are thrown. Using Aegis stops all physical effects and damage for that round.

Obfuscate-
When defending against Auspex you can add your levels of Obfuscate to your trait total for the purpose of ties. You also get these traits against others when attempting to Vanish. Obfuscate only works on people that can potentially see you (eg: you cannot use Mask to change your voice over the phone and will show up in cameras if viewed later). Mask of a Thousand Faces can alter your height by up to a foot and your build by an equivalent amount. You can spend blood up to your generational max into your social traits to better mimic someone when using Mask of a Thousand Faces. These are NOT bonus traits and their only purpose is to better mimic another person or look more attractive while masked. Obfuscated individuals cannot be targeted by standard attacks. Attacks that target an area containing an obfuscated individual can still deal damage to them, but they receive an extra retest to avoid it so long as the attacker has not broken their obfuscate. Attacks that target an obfuscated individual by circumstance, when the individual’s presence would not be known, still damage them normally. If an attack damages an obfuscated individual, their obfuscate is broken if they are not using level 4 obfuscate or better. Cloak the Gathering can only be used when the recipient is fully aware and willing. The effects of Cloak the Gathering can only be applied once to each target and do not stack with other forms of Obfuscate. The merit False Reflection can be used with Cloak of the Gathering, spending mentals on each target individually. When someone tries to break Cloak with their Auspex, they test vs. each person individually with the target’s traits and you Obfuscate rating as a bonus. If you are put into torpor or killed, everyone who is targeted by your Cloak is revealed.

Obtenebration-
Attacks that require a touch effect cannot be transmitted through arms of the abyss, nor can any discipline except Potence OR Fortitude be applied to them. Arms of the Abyss use your Dodge, Survival, and Brawl retests. You may only maintain a total number of Arms of the Abyss equal to your permanent willpower. Activating levels 1-3 take your action for the round, and levels 4 and 5 happen at the end of the round.

Potence-
Might is the last retest you can use in any challenge. Throwing with Potence only allows you to throw larger objects, throw objects farther, and do an additional lethal damage if appropriate. You do not get the ability to call the bomb or win ties when using Potence to throw. If you wish to hit for distance, you can lower the level of unarmed base damage by one to move the victim 10ft back. If using a slashing or piercing weapon appropriately it should not break.

Presence-
Awe can be used to gain eye contact in combat. To use Dread Gaze, the target must be able to see your face. If you summon someone and it cloud lead to final death, torpor or incapsation they will receave an free retest and know that they are in trouble, they can act accordingly, thus are them selfs ask friends to come, but not hinder them selfs from arriving in any way. If a target is summoned by more than one person, they go to the one with the lowest generation. Majesty affects anyone in the room you are in, plus anyone that can clearly see and hear you. Using any level of Presence does not break Majesty. When attempting to break Majesty, both sides of the challenge can retest with Leadership, Awe, and willpower.

Protean-
All transformations occur at the end of a round. While in flight form you are considered to have three physical traits except in defensive challenges and challenges involving natural stealth. In these challenges you are considered to have your base physicals, with three extra bonus traits in challenges of natural stealth (not Obfuscate). Only Gangrel can choose their forms and the appearance of those forms.

Quietus-
When you coat a weapon with Scorpion’s Touch or Baal’s Caress it lasts until that weapon is used. You can have a number of weapons coated at any time equal to your permanent willpower. If you exceed this number, the first weapon treated loses its potency. Dagon’s Call is considered one source of damage and the victim may retest with Survival. Taste of Death does two aggravated damage instead of one, and is also corrosive to non organic materials as well. Scorpion’s Touch will still affects those that used Aegis in the round.

Serpentis-
Skin of the Adder does not require you to grapple to use a biting attack. Form of the Cobra gives you the benefits of Skin of the Adder as well. The poisonous bite of Form of the Cobra will cause a mortal to die within the scene or hour.

Thanatosis-
To use Withering on someone’s head requires two hard challenges in addition to the physical challenge to make contact, unless they are immobilized. Once someone’s head has been Withered they can only use physical disciplines. You must declare any blood and willpower expenditures before the attack.

Thaumaturgy-
There is simple to much Blood magic to do a write up for it all, so please try to have a book or a copy of what you powers do, or at minimum be able to quote what source book it comes from. Pavis of the Foul Presence does not reflect Summons or Majesty as listed. Instead it negates Summons and grants an additional retest when attempting to break Majesty. Fetishes will cost Exp to create, base on what you make, at the St’s discretion. To avoid this rule being bypassed, Fetishes brought into the game from outside sources may cost Exp to use in this game.

Vicissitude-
There are no Vicissitude combat maneuvers, it takes time to perform. Vicissitude modes cost EXP, see an ST for more details. Horrid Form is meant for natural combat and any use of weapons will result in a two trait penalty. Transformations always take place at the end of a round. You cannot attack from blood form.

Backgrounds

Retainers-
Retainers very in power levels . A one dot retainer is nothing more then a servant, and good at little else. A five dot retainer is rare and powerful. To balance this system, a retainer will cost a dot per level it can learn powers up too. Thus a one dot can only have first basics and a five dot can have advanced. A retainer can increase in power during game play, which will cost you Exp. Other things that will make your retainer more powerful are, for every five dots in influence it holds or every ten ability dots past the first ten it has. A St may assign your retainer to cost more based on other thing it can do or possesses. ( these rules also apply for spirit slaves as well )

Merits/Flaws Rulings

Addiction-
There are two versions of the Addiction flaw. You may receive 1 point to be down a trait on all challenges until you receive your fix or follow the version listed in the core book.

Efficient Digestion-
You are considered one blood trait up on a lose or tie during a blood chop in addition to the normal text of the merit.

Flesh of the Corpse-
This flaw awards thee points.

Catlike Balance-
You do not gain additional traits on dodging.

Code of Honor-
All codes must be written up for ST approval.

Light Sensitive-
There are two versions of this flaw. You may receive 1 point to be down a trait in all brightly lit areas or follow the version listed in the core book.

Lucky-
There are two versions of the Lucky merit. You may pay 3 points to receive one free retest each game or 7 points to receive 3 free retests each game. These retests may be used for any chop.

Natural Leader-
This merit costs two points.

Weak Willed-
This flaw awards six points.

Miscellaneous Rulings

Combo Disciplines-
Combo disciplines listed in a clan book are only obtainable by members of that clan. Combo disciplines that are player created or listed in other books (such as the anarch book) require that the player has at least one of the disciplines required for it in clan. All combo disciplines require a documented teacher (or mentor) and the appropriate prerequisites as listed in its MET write up. Development of custom combo disciplines is possible and requires the advanced level of all disciplines being used and a year of development time, in addition to any other requirements at ST discretion, as well as ST approval. This does not mean that it will be usable outside of your home game.

Diablerie-
Diablerie veins disappear after three months. If you diablerize someone who is three or more generations lower than you, they may attempt a hard chop to become the dominant personality in your body. If you diablerize someone who has more than one derangement, you must make an additional conscience/conviction challenge or receive a permanent derangement of the STs choice. When you diablerize, you have the option of forgoing the 2 gift exp to instead take one dot of an ability they possess.

Expenditures-
Blood expenditures must be declared at the beginning of the round. Willpower expenditures are made on your initiative before the action is performed. By spending blood to gain physicals, you can exceed your generational max by one and blood physical traits do not count to initiative.

Feeding-
To drain blood from a target, you must first have successfully grappled them (opposed physicals, retest with Brawl). At this point, you can drink 3 traits each round. This cannot be increased by Celerity.

Frenzy-
When a frenzy challenge is called for you may declare a willpower expenditure before the test is thrown. This allows you to stave off the frenzy for ten minutes, but you need to leave the source of the frenzy. You can also spend a willpower trait during a frenzy to try to regain control of yourself by re-throwing the initial self control chop. When you retest a frenzy challenge and fail you gain a permanent negative social trait, callous, bestial or feral, as the beasts hold tightens on you. While in frenzy you can not use any mental or social powers. The benefits of frenzy are as follows: you gain a free retest on mental and social powers that alter mood and emotion. Also while in frenzy you ignore all wound penalties. To bring someone out of frenzy they need to be beat in two social challenges at a difficulty of ten minus their path rating that retests with Empathy. When in frenzy you are a beast, therefore you cannot use weapons or mental and social disciplines. If an ST does not feel you are acting appropriately for your frenzy your sheet will be confiscated and played as an NPC until the end of frenzy.

Healing-
Healing does not require an action and is effective at the top of each round when blood is spent. Aggravated damage can be healed by expending 3 blood. Only one aggravated damage can be healed each night under normal circumstances. To heal additional aggravated damage in a single night you must expend a willpower in addition to the 3 blood. Each aggravated damaged healed in the down time will put the character down a blood to a minimum of one, after they throw a blood chop.

Special Abilities on Items-
You must have at least one dot of the appropriate ability to gain the bonus traits of a weapon. This also includes using mental traits for firearms and archery.

Specializations-
Specializations can be bought at level 3 and 5 of an ability. Of these three specializations, up to ONE can be named in the use of an individual level of a discipline (eg: Stealth specialization in Vanish). Of the remaining specializations, up to ONE can be named in the defense of an individual level of a discipline (eg: Leadership specialization in defending against Summons). Specializations in Occult can be declared in specific personal rituals, which allow those rituals to be cast each night without any test.

Surprise-
A player can call a surprise action if they call a three count with no response from the victim, or at ST discretion (or the discretion of the victim). If you have surprise you can make one action with an additional retest for surprise on physical actions. You cannot use Vanish as an addition to your surprise action.

Two Weapon Fighting-
Anyone can take an off hand action. You must bid one additional trait on all actions during the round you are making an off hand action, two additional traits on the offhand action itself. If you do not have the Ambidextrous merit, you must declare your off hand action on your initiative. If you have the Ambidextrous merit or specialize in Two Weapon Fighting in the appropriate ability, you may reduce all the above penalties by one (you only bid one extra trait on the offhand action itself). If you have both the merit and the specialization, there are no penalties incurred for offhand actions. This specialization does not give you any trait bonuses.

Torpor-
Standard torpor last for Seven minus your path rating. To bring someone out of torpor you need to be three gens lower or if you are of the same clan only two gens lower and if you are of the same brood and Lineage and only three steps removed then only one gen difference.

Movement-
A walking pace is one step a round. Two to three steps is a jog , and six is running. Walking incurs no penalties. Jogging at two or three steps incurs a minus one trait penalty on all challenges of a social, mental or physical nature. Running allows you no action other then running and are down two traits in all physical challenges against you.

Mind affecting powers-
Some powers will cause you to Role play, this is ok and a good thing, this is a Role playing game. So please try, and you could get Exp for it too.

Learning unique Disciplines-
To learn a unique discipline you need to ingest a trait of blood from the person teaching you.

Shields/ Defending-
Shields will give you a trait bonus on defending against melee and brawling attacks, but will not stack will melee weapon traits. It will also give you traits if you attack with it but will not stack with melee weapon traits. If you do nothing but defend against melee or brawling attacks that whole round you may use your melee weapon traits to help you defend.

Vampire Death-
When a vampire dies there body turns to dust. When a ghoul dies they age to the age they really are.

Mortal Death-
Most mortals are soft and squishy, thus die easy. Most non super natural creature will only have four health levels then death ( but will still have normal blood pools ) Some mortals are not soft and squishy and are instead heroic and will be harder to kill. Also in the right situation mortals can be one shoted, but that’s up to the ST or narrator running the scene.

3 game rule-
As a courtesy if the ST’s offer you to buy off a flaw or negative trait or derangement or buy up something there is a 3 game rule on the offer. After the third game the offer is rescinded and u have to try again so plan ahead. As a side note if you are offered to buy of something over the coarse of role playing it might not cost double exp.

Cell Phones-
Phones take three combat rounds to connect, and five rounds to text message.

Willpower regeneration-
You regain one willpower a day, and with role playing your nature the St my award a willpower. If you spend your last willpower trait you become tired and weak, you can not enter any challenge in which you are thee aggressor.