This addendum provides the rules used in the Camarilla’s sanctioned live-action chronicle for the World of Darkness. This addendum ensures an even playing field throughout the organization: published books are often left purposefully vague so that Storytellers can fill in the blanks in ways appropriate to their games. While this license is allowed and encouraged, it should not be employed to bypass the intended setting or restrictions described by the source material or the Camarilla’s rules documents. It does not permit Storytellers to change or circumvent approval level requirements, nor does it allow more than a reasonable amount of leeway to bend the rules for the purpose of developing stories and enriching the flavor of the game. The rules from this supplement and from the sanctioned White Wolf books must be strictly observed in situations when character death is likely to occur.
Additional documents describing sanctioned rules used in the chronicle are posted on the Master Storyteller’s website at http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/rules/ . The site also contains setting information to help players and Storytellers better understand the direction of the chronicle. The Master Storyteller’s office also maintains a Frequently Asked Questions document, built in response to commonly asked questions made on the cam-rules-answers email list and accessible from the website. The FAQ does not contain official rules changes; only explanations for those who may not fully understand certain frequently misunderstood mechanics.
This document is the property of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All trademarked terms within are used with permission. This document may be freely distributed for use by members of White Wolf’s official fan club, the Camarilla. Any other use of this document in whole or in part requires written permission from the Camarilla’s Club Director.
Chapter One: Universal [U.0.00]
This chapter provides general rules applicable to all genres and incorporates Mind's Eye Theatre (WW50000) into the Camarilla’s large-scale sanctioned chronicle.
The optional rules from Mind's Eye Theatre are not used in the sanctioned chronicle, with the exception of Morality Derangements (page 103) and A Matter of Resolve (page 174).
APPROVALS [U.1.00]
These rules supplement the information in your membership materials regarding approvals.
How Approvals Work [U.1.01]
All character sheets require Low Approval for creation and for every modification, a function performed by the player’s direct Storyteller. Anything from sanctioned material that can be applied to a character sheet is considered by default to require Low Approval, unless assigned a higher approval level by this supplement. Do not confuse “Low Approval” with “no approval;” your direct Storyteller is an active participant in your character sheet’s creation and development, not someone who simply makes sure experience point expenditures add up or who rubber stamps your own decisions with no consideration for the balance of the local game. Your direct Storyteller is charged with restricting uncommon character elements to a practical number of characters within his or her venue.
Higher levels of approval (Mid through Global) are called “special approvals” and require applications through the approvals database at http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/approvals/. When an application requires special approval at a certain level, it also requires the prerequisite approval of each proceeding Storyteller in the chain of command. For example, an application that requires High Approval must first be approved by the Low Approval Storyteller, followed by the Mid Approval Storyteller. This system is facilitated by the approvals database.
If it is found that an approval has been abused, is not mechanically balanced, or simply does not work with the themes and style of the chronicle, any of the principal Storytellers in the player’s current chain of command, from the direct Storyteller to the Master Storyteller, may revoke it at any time. Storytellers and coordinators are available to answer questions and provide members with further information about the approvals process and the database.
Notifications [U.1.02]
Sometimes an application needs only a cursory acknowledgment from certain Storytellers, usually because it is only required for tracking purposes. In these cases, the word “Approval” is replaced with “Notification.” Such items do not require standard approval, though they must be entered into the approvals database and advanced up the chain of command to the appropriate Storyteller level. Low Approval items do not usually need to be entered into the approvals database, unless the Low Approval Storytellers requires it. A notification will usually only be denied if the item in question is improperly created or obtained, or includes insufficient information. Any additional information requested by a Storyteller in a comment upon the notification must be supplied.
Universal Approval Rules [U.1.03]
The following rules are applicable across the board. They are not repeated at various points in the supplement unless they note exceptions.
The term ‘character type’ in this supplement is used to refer to the inherent (and usually unchangeable) classifications of supernatural beings, such as clans, or classifications that once made become unchangeable (such as bloodlines). The term ‘character class’ is used to refer to groups or classifications that are optional to join, such as orders and covenants. The term ‘genre’ refers to a World of Darkness game based around a type of supernatural, e.g. Forsaken or Awakening. The term ‘place of power’ refers to a location in which the power or presence of the supernatural is especially strong in some way. These locations include the following: Loci, Hallows, Wyrm's Nests, Verges (Shadow, Abyssal, or otherwise), magical nexus points, glades, Wounds, and Demesnes. The term ‘power stat’ refers to the fundamental measure of a supernatural creature's inner strength and affinity with the supernatural. In Requiem this is Blood Potency; in Forsaken it is Primal Urge; in Awakening it is Gnosis; in Created it is Azoth.
* Any canonical character type or character class that has weaknesses or flaws expressed as dramatic failures treats all “failure” as “dramatic failure” (using the text and mechanics from dramatic failures) where those weaknesses are concerned. This is an exception to Mind’s Eye Theatre not utilizing dramatic failures.
* In the Camarilla, there are a number of “booster” categories. You are limited in a given category on how high the value in that category may be boosted, but it doesn't matter what power or combination of powers you use to hit that cap. The categories are:
* Mundane items (equipment) used in play only provide up to a +5 bonus to test pools; any other mechanics require Global Approval (e.g. computerized kits that provide 9-again rules, etc).
* Storytellers are encouraged to require extensive waiting periods (usually six months) between buying each dot of a power stat, but this is not mandatory. Characters with power stats at 6 and above must have a background of reasonable length on file with their direct Storyteller, and will otherwise be removed from play until such a background exists. Power stats at 9 and 10 require Top Approval.
* Unless otherwise specified, player characters usually require Low Approval to possess anything intended for their character type or class from their core genre books and subgroup-specific books (e.g. it would be Low Approval for a Guardian of the Veil to have access to mechanics from the Guardians of the Veil book); characters require High Approval to have access to items and mechanics from their own genre but for another character type or class, unless those items or mechanics are supernatural (as an example, it would be High Approval for an Iron Master to have a social Merit that was usually only available to Storm Lords); characters require Top Approval to have access to non-supernatural items or mechanics from another genre (e.g. if a Daeva wanted to possess that Storm Lord social Merit). Unless otherwise specified, characters may never have access to supernatural mechanics or benefit inherent to another character type or class (e.g. only true members of the Carthian Movement may learn supernatural powers from the Carthian book, and only true members of the Invictus may join bloodlines from the Invictus book). An exception would be powers that are activated (“used”) by one character but that bestow benefits on another character who normally wouldn’t have access to them (e.g. members of the Invictus being given items enhanced by Lancea Sanctum powers): this doesn’t require any approvals unless stated otherwise. These rules are often superseded by genre-specific details in this document’s Appendix for items and mechanics that are more commonly shared. By default, becoming of a character type (e.g. bloodline) or character class that a character wouldn’t normally have access to (joining an Invictus bloodline if not Invictus, see above) requires an approval level two steps higher than normal (e.g. Global instead of High Approval).
* Mid Approval is required for all places of power except where otherwise noted by this document; one exception is that a werewolf pack’s first locus (at 1-3) only requires Low Approval. These supernatural places have a high potential for easily attracting and affecting creatures from multiple genres within a domain. Temporary sites that last no more than a month do not require special approval, unless recurring, in which case normal approval levels apply. Non-location (mobile) places of power such as loci and Hallows and places of power granting XP breaks or benefits require Top Approval. Regional Storytellers may implement reporting guidelines for places of power if the realistic modeling of shortages or economies becomes necessary.
* Storytellers need to send Mid Approval to use cross-genre storyteller characters (NPCs) that appear at a game or directly interact with player characters (or have storylines approved at Mid for repeated use of such characters). Cross-genre NPCs are characters that are not normally available as player characters in that genre, such as werewolf NPCs in the Awakening genre. The presence in the city of a new pack of werewolves being used as antagonists to an Awakening game might easily be heard about by characters in the Forsaken genre. Their reactions to the presence of a previously-unknown pack can have serious repercussions for more than one venue. Mid Approval Storytellers may implement guidelines for such cross-genre antagonists to coordinate between venues.
* Types of antagonist that appear in genre-specific books are Low Approval to use in that genre and Mid Approval outside of it (e.g. types of NPCs from Predators would be Mid Approval in the Requiem genre). Antagonists from genre-neutral books (usually titled with World of Darkness, e.g. Mind’s Eye Theatre or Antagonists) are Low Approval to use in any genre.
* Types of antagonists that are available as player characters in a given genre require no approvals to use as NPCs for that genre, e.g. Bruja in Requiem. They may only utilize custom mechanics if those would be available at Mid Approval for them as player characters. As another example, Pure require no special approvals to use in Forsaken.
* The use of game mechanics or performance of in-character actions that would significantly affect a large area requires the approval of the principal Storyteller with the lowest approval authority over that entire area. For example, performance of a ritual that affects all of New York City requires the permission of the New York City Domain Storyteller. If such a ritual affects parts of Scotland and Northern England, it requires the approval of the UK National Storyteller. For an action to affect/extend from New York City to Northern England, for instance, if would require Global Approval.
* It requires Top Approval for player characters to be antagonist character types (even in their histories) or to have mechanics like Merits or supernatural powers that are specific to antagonist character types. The only types allowed are those with full rules and write-ups published in the sanctioned books listed by this document’s Appendix, such as left-handed Legacies, members of the Brood, and Bale Hounds.
* Access to military personnel or use of military-grade hardware (anything more military-specific than an assault rifle) requires Top Approval for each instance or use.
* Access to any sort of storyteller character ‘hit squad’ (e.g. Moroi) called in by a player character on another player character requires Top Approval.
* All unique (“named”) characters and antagonists from source material are reserved for use by the Master Storyteller. The Unholy from Nomads, for example, requires Global Approval for use by any other Storyteller.
* All unique magic items from source material (including
mage Artifacts) are reserved for use by the Master Storyteller. Though a magic
item may be unique, it can still serve as an example for other Storytellers
when creating their own. Any magic items in any venue
that are obtained and subsequently benefit player characters must be purchased
as the appropriate Merits (Enhanced Item, fetish, Imbued Item) with the
appropriate approval level and XP cost (e.g. fetishes in the Requiem venue).
Mages and Forsaken all use the Lore of the
Forsaken mechanics to create fetishes.
* Significantly reshaping the paradigm of one or more genres requires Global Approval. This includes such things as wide scale destruction of the Masquerade or the use of nuclear weapons. This approval must be secured in advance of reshaping actions taking place. Without this approval, any such actions automatically have only a very limited, local impact.
* Custom mechanics that have guidelines for creation in sanctioned books always require Global Approval and are otherwise not possible, unless noted in this supplement. For example, Mind’s Eye Theatre: The Requiem provides guidelines for the creation of new Devotions. Because this supplement does not specifically allow this at a lower approval level, Global Approval is required when creating new Devotions. Custom mechanics with no guidelines in sanctioned books are also always Global Approval. Custom Invictus Oaths, Crúac rituals, Theban Sorcery and Coils of the Dragon are not currently available.
Any custom item approved after March 1st, 2007 will thereafter require a reduced approval level if discovered and learned in-game from other characters already approved for said items. The new approval level is consistent with the standard one for published items of the same sort. Previously approved items with custom mechanics require Global Approval for other characters to learn, until such a time as they are individually reviewed and their approval levels lowered.
For example, a vampiric bloodline with custom mechanics (new Devotions and/or a new Discipline) would require Global Approval for the first player character and then High Approval for all subsequent player characters brought in by an Avus, as bloodlines normally require High Approval.
The approval requirement for custom mechanics is waived for minor magic items, rituals, and other effects that are part of local (properly reported) storylines or Storyteller characters. These can only be temporary effects, not beneficial to player characters (unless used only against Storyteller characters for storyline purposes), and only effective within the bounds of the local venue. This allowance does not permit other standard restrictions and approval levels to be bypassed.
* Anything impossible or disallowed according to sanctioned material or this rules supplement may be allowed with Global Approval. Applications to bypass those restrictions for player characters must demonstrate an overwhelming benefit for the chronicle and the paradigm, not merely the character.
GENRES [U.2.00]
The Camarilla’s sanctioned chronicle maintains separation of its games with genres called Requiem, Forsaken, Awakening, Created, and Mortals. These genres group character types into believable settings where cross-genre interaction is limited. All characters are automatically assigned to the genre specific to their own character type. For example, characters with the werewolf template or the wolf-blooded lesser template are automatically assigned to the Forsaken genre. Mundane mortal characters can be assigned to any one of the genres at creation (this is not to be read that a mundane mortal character can be created and unassigned to a genre – they must enter play being assigned to one).
Cross-Genre Play [U.2.01]
Cross-genre play is when player characters interact with other characters or settings belonging exclusively to different genres. For example, when a werewolf character and a mage character have a private scene (role-played in downtime), or when a mage character attends a Requiem-genre gathering of vampires. All Storytellers must take great care to ensure that their settings remain true to their particular genres. Cross-genre interaction will remain uncommon and controlled, infrequent instances colored by appropriate levels of mystery, paranoia, and danger.
The only type of cross-genre play that doesn’t require further approvals is local, brief, small-scale role-playing scenes in which no challenges are employed. Good reasons and detailed mechanisms are needed to find characters from other genres, meaning they can’t find each other easily by just looking around or using similar quick means. For such brief cross-genre contact, no approvals are needed, but the players must inform their characters’ direct Storytellers after the scene’s conclusion. No approvals, mechanical effects or direct effects on any characters may result from those interactions; an example of such a scene would be a vampire contacting a werewolf to inform them of his passage through territory acknowledged as belonging to a domain’s werewolves. Any Storyteller in a character’s approval chain may ban the involved characters from such further cross-genre interaction (for a limited amount of time up to six months) should characters seek to exploit these short scenes for more than brief, casual contact.
All other types of cross-genre interaction are described in-depth in a settings document available on the Master Storyteller website, which must be followed when engaging in cross-genre play in the sanctioned chronicle.
EXPERIENCE POINTS [U.3.00]
Membership Benefits [U.3.01]
The Camarilla uses an enhanced creation process when creating characters for its chronicle. Members who have performed certain duties or attained positions in the real world organization (as described in the Camarilla’s membership materials) receive higher levels of Member Class, permitting them to create more experienced characters for use in sanctioned games. This allows the Camarilla’s global chronicle the advantage of using player characters to populate the whole range of power levels, whereas a small-scale game would usually rely upon Storyteller characters for all but the lowest rungs of power and influence.
Each player character is assigned a Primary or Secondary designation that determines if it will benefit from the player’s Member Class. Each player can have one Primary character in each sanctioned genre. A player may choose a single genre in which to have a second Primary character. A player may only have one genre “doubled up” in this manner at any given time. Characters that are not Primaries are called Secondary characters, and are made without any addition from Member Class. Players may create any number of Secondary characters. (A player’s characters must be created and played in such a way as to not interact with one another.) The distinction between Primary and Secondary is applied to a character at its creation.
Characters are created according to the sanctioned source material appropriate for the character’s genre. Players are allowed to voluntarily take fewer than their full allotment of starting dots. After the normal character creation process, Primary characters add 30 experience points, plus another 20 experience points per Member Class of the player. (Secondary characters are made with 50 experience points, as though made at Member Class 1.) A bonus of 40 additional experience points is given (on extant and new characters) upon reaching Member Classes 3, 6, 9, 12, and 14, in order to augment the reward for achieving these significant milestones. For example, at Member Class 5, a primary character receives 170 experience points [(30 + 5*20) + 40 for having reached the third Member Class].
These additional experience points are considered to be added after normal character creation is completed but before the character enters play. (They cannot be used, for example, on “character creation only” Merits) No more than half of the experience points applied before the character enters play may be spent into a single area: Attributes, Skills, Supernatural Advantage (including Azoth, Blood Potency, Gnosis, Primal Urge, and equivalent Traits), Merits, or supernatural powers (such as Arcanum, Bestowments, Devotions, Disciplines, Gifts, rites, rituals, rotes, and Transmutations). This limitation does not apply to characters created with MC1, to mundane characters in the Mortals venue, or to characters run by Storytellers (NPCs). Up to ten experience points can be left unspent when the process is completed; all other unused points are lost when the character enters play.
If a player earns new Member Class levels all of her Primary characters add 20 experience points per Member Class gained (as well as +40XP at the aforementioned MC milestones). These points are spent as if they were earned in-game, and are not subjected to the monthly experience point earning caps (see below). If a player loses Member Class levels, each of her Primary characters lose experience points equal to what those Member Classes are worth (60 points for 3, 6, 9, 12, and 14, or 20 points for any other Member Class). If a character does not have sufficient unspent experience points to cover this, the remainder of the loss is counted as “experience point debt” (the character sheet doesn’t actually lose dots). This debt must be paid off with experience points earned in play or from later gains of Member Class before experience can be used to buy anything else for the character.
Experience Point Earning [U.3.02]
Once a character enters play, it may earn no more than ten experience points per calendar month. (Exceptions are described below.)
A “Flat Rate” award of no more than three experience points per game is recommended (page 309), though up to five experience points (the maximum for a game) may be awarded. Storytellers may employ the After a Chapter and the After a Story systems instead of using Flat Rates. The system used must be noted in the game’s Venue Style Sheet.
A player’s direct Storyteller may award up to three experience points per month for activities not related to attending a game. These may include bonuses for writing downtime reports or character journals for the Storyteller to read, end-of-story bonuses (including Arcane experience points for mages), and points derived from in-character effects (such as having Legacy apprentices or benefiting from the Confessional Apostolica).
Over-Cap Experience Points [U.3.03]
Each of the following types of award may be applied by the earning character in excess of the monthly maximum of ten points. Multiple over-cap awards in a month are cumulative unless otherwise noted.
Affiliate nations and US regions may each, once per calendar month per genre, sponsor a Featured Game of the Month (regional games require the approval of principal regional officers, national games of principal national officers). These events may award up to three over-cap experience points for attending characters. Players who have been allowed to portray multiple characters in the same session may split the over-cap experience between them as they see fit (the full bonus is not applied to both characters). Such awards must be entered in the approvals database for Low Approval. Characters can only get over-cap experience once per calendar month from online events of any sort.
Official regional conventions sponsored by the Camarilla may award a total of up to four over-cap experience points for characters in each genre played. Official national or multi-regional conventions may award up to six over-cap experience points for characters in each genre played. Official global events and conventions such as the International Camarilla Conclave may award as many over-cap experience points as the Master Storyteller desires. Players who have been allowed to portray multiple characters in the same session may split the over-cap experience between them as they see fit (the full bonus is not applied to both characters). Such awards must be entered in the approvals database for Low Approval.
For a particularly well-played death scene (where the player accorded herself with proper decorum and acted to make the scene memorable and appropriately stylistic), bonus experience points may be awarded for use on the player’s next character in that genre. Five points may be awarded with Low Approval, ten with High Approval, or 20 with Top Approval. (Double these awards for players who have been Camarilla members for less than six months.) These awards are applied as a bonus to the character’s first month of play. Such “good death” awards may only be approved for a player once per year.
PLAYER CHARACTERS [U.4.00]
Character Sanctioning and Records [U.4.01]
All characters must be approved by the player’s direct Storyteller. A copy of the sheet must be kept up to date and on file with that Storyteller or in the approvals database. If there is uncertainty over a discrepancy between what is on the player’s character sheet and the copy kept in records, the Storyteller’s copy will be considered accurate.
A complete character record includes the character sheet, verification records of any special approvals made on the character, and its experience log. An experience log will detail how starting dots were spent at character creation, and how experience points applied after were spent. It will also list games attended and the number of experience points gained for each one. Dates must be noted for each entry in the log.
A direct Storyteller may allow minor changes to character sheets for inexperienced players (those who first played in the genre less than three months prior). For experienced players to reallocate experience points retroactively (rewrite a character sheet), Top Approval is required. Such changes should be kept very rare and must be recorded in the experience log. Significant changes to character types or other fundamental concepts of a player character are never permissible for experienced players. Changing a character’s Virtue or Vice is Low Approval. Converting a Secondary to a Primary is a rewrite and requires Top Approval.
Retirement [U.4.02]
A player may choose to retire a character. Sometimes players do this because they feel that the character’s story has come to an end, or they wish to play a different Primary character in that particular genre. Once retired, the character becomes a Storyteller character under the control of the player’s direct Storyteller (or under the temporary control of the supervising Storyteller of a particular game or convention, if retired there). The character’s activities thereafter must be limited to resolving any unfinished business that may exist with other characters or story elements, unless the player and Storyteller have agreed that it should become a regular recurring Storyteller character. A player may regain normal control of a retired (still living) character with High Approval. Dead player characters can be resurrected with Global Approval.
Character History [U.4.03]
Players are encouraged to create well-researched backgrounds with player
character tie-ins and must to exercise common sense when creating character
backgrounds. Player characters and storyteller character cannot genuinely have
been major historical figures or fictional characters (though the character may
mistakenly believe such). Player characters (and even storyteller characters)
are never made so as to engage in activities that would set off immediate
real-world alarm bells. Avoid using IRA bombers, Nazi torturers, Al-Qaeda
hijackers and the like, and be aware that their use as concepts in our game and
over our email lists can result in unwanted attention from the authorities of
particular countries. The Master Storyteller strongly encourages Storytellers
to deny any backgrounds (see above) that may produce conflict with real-world
authorities or civic organizations. References to real world terrorist
organizations in emails and any form of communication used as a prop to enhance
the mood of the game, a legible disclaimer indicating that this communication
is strictly an entertainment prop must always be provided.
Characters, groups, and other descriptions should avoid reusing names or titles from current or prior White Wolf works or other copyrighted works of fiction.
You must get approval (via email) from the local ST of any area where your PC resided as a supernatural for more than a year or had an impact on local affairs as a mortal or supernatural (such as a mortal Governor of Sidney, a visiting mortal serial killer, or a LS Cardinal of New York) so that your PC's history can be integrated with the local IC timeline and consistency can be ensured (for example, a domain may have in their history that no Free Council lived there ever until chronicle start).
You must get that Camarilla Affiliate's Top Approval (via email) if you were a major figure in either mortal or supernatural affairs in another affiliate nation (Example: a Member of Parliament, head of a very large company, head of a Forsaken Tribe in that affiliate), are tied into the published IC timeline/ major IC events of that affiliate, or continuously present in that country for more than 100 years. If background presence requiring such Top Approval exists in a country without a Camarilla Affiliate (Dark Places on the Map), contact the appropriate member of the Master Storyteller's Settings team. Presence in non-affiliated territories should be regulated loosely unless the character was a figure of considerable relevance there.
Examples of activity in another nation requiring Top approval: any activity that would conceivably influence or modify an affiliate nation's mortal or supernatural historical background; activity or presence in a major mortal or supernatural cult or culturally significant organization (such as the IRA or the Sons of Liberty) there; activity in politics in a leadership role; still-extant connections to the current day environment there (i.e. important mortal law enforcement/media/etc). Background in or influence over the Vatican requires Master Approval as well as approval from the Italian affiliate.
Members are encouraged to create character backgrounds that feature their characters in relatively mundane roles, requiring no approval at first, allowing their character to enter play with greater ease. It may be possible to negotiate such approvals at a later stage, if necessary.
Background approvals are given under the same conditions as any other approval; such character concepts are a privilege and not a right. Any storyteller in the player's chain, or of the area affected, may revoke the ability to play a character if a player abuses the privilege. Any appeal of an affiliate background denial is subject to standard appeal process within said affiliate, not the home affiliate of the player in question.
Interaction with unique (named) storyteller characters or major historical figures requires Global Approval; such approval isn’t necessary if it happens as part of storylines or chronicle interaction with officers on the Master Storyteller staff.
Supernatural player characters and storyteller characters under the age of twelve are High Approval. This rule includes those characters that became supernatural creatures before the age of twelve, even if they are now older. For example, a vampire who was Embraced at the age of 10, but is now 150 years old, is High Approval.
Character Knowledge [U.4.04]
Characters have access to in-character information applicable to their genre types. Unless her history specifically prevents it, a werewolf would usually have access to the casual knowledge from Werewolf: The Forsaken, as well as from books or portions of books that are also specific to her character type and class.
Characters that have had so much contact with or opportunity to study another type of creature or supernatural society as to be able to produce casual knowledge on the topic require special approval. They must have at least one dot of the Occult Skill, with a Specialty specific to their area of expertise: an auspice, bloodline, clan, covenant, creature type, faction, Legacy, lodge, order, Path, tribe, etc. Specialty in off-types within the same genre (a vampire knowing about a specific bloodline of which she is not a part) requires High Approval. Specialty from another genre (a werewolf understanding a mage Legacy) requires Top Approval.
Common sense must be employed with this rule. If a source book says certain information is commonly known, it does not require such a Specialty. If source material claims that certain information is secret or rare, an applicable Specialty still might not provide that information to the character. This rule is not intended to affect knowledge that characters acquire in game, though players must be careful and realistic when considering which knowledge their characters decide is true. Too often players choose for their characters to believe information they are told that matches the source books and ignore what they are told if it doesn’t.
STORYTELLER CHARACTERS (ANTAGONISTS) [U.5.00]
Each Storyteller character must be approved by a principal Storyteller. Storyteller characters are created just like player characters, but are not subject to special approval limitations that specify “player characters.” (Pay close attention to the wording of such restrictions.)
Storyteller characters can be built with experience points equating to no more than Member Class 10 (or the controlling Storyteller’s own Member Class, whichever is higher). Additional experience points may be added, up to twenty per month since January of 2005. These restrictions can be waived with High Approval.
Spirits and Ghosts [U.5.01]
To enforce the appropriate rarity of spirit Storyteller characters, those of Rank 5 require High Approval. Spirits of Ranks 6, 7 and 8 require Top Approval. Higher-ranked spirits are so rare as to be unique, and are reserved for use by the Master Storyteller.
Numina that duplicate the powers of other supernatural creatures (such as spells or Gifts) cannot duplicate powers rated higher than the spirit’s Rank. An exception are example spirits (such as those required by canonical powers), which don’t require any special approvals; otherwise doing bypassing these mechanics requires High Approval. Spirits and ghosts cannot spend more than half of their normal Essence pools per turn.
Some genres, Requiem in particular, are not built to handle spirits or ghosts; the characters therein have insufficient means of protecting themselves from the attacks or spying of such creatures. Player characters require High Approval to call, control, or otherwise employ spirits or ghosts against other player characters who exist outside of the Awakening and Forsaken genres. This does not restrict or protect Storyteller characters.
The appearance of angels, demons (or similar creatures), infernalism, demonic investments or pacts in the sanctioned chronicle is always achieved through the use of spirits or ghosts and their powers. Using “truly” demonic or angelic beings as defined by Judeo-Christianity requires Global Approval. Use of a true Deity or divine entity from any religion will also require Global Approval. Examples of such Deities include: Bast, Thor, Artemis, Vishnu and Morrigan.
SYSTEMS [U.6.00]
Testing for all genres is performed using systems presented in Mind’s Eye Theatre, equating dice pools to draw bonuses (with the exception of “multi-draws,” mentioned below). Ignore any reference to dramatic failures or exceptional successes. These do not occur in live-action play. If a tabletop source book calls for a system permutation, always use the live-action version (pages 181-184). For example, the Probable Cause spell (Fate 4) provides a mage with the “rote quality,” allowing her to “re-roll failed dice.” Use the live-action version of this system permutation in its place.
All Morality draws (including those for creature-specific versions like Humanity, Harmony, and Wisdom) use the “multi-draw” system of pulling multiple cards (pages 101-102). Bonuses and penalties add or remove draws.
There is conflicting text regarding the maximum number of characters that can attack one target at a time. Page 26 is correct (four attackers is the maximum).
There is conflicting text regarding Willpower being spent to bolster a draw. A Willpower point adds +2 to a Resistance Attribute during a resisted test or to Defense (situations when the Willpower user is not drawing). When used to bolster the spender’s draw, including a contested resistance draw, it adds +3.
Limitations to One-Shot Kills [U.6.01]
Any powers or mechanics that would fully incapacitate or completely paralyze a character have their effects modified for sanctioned play: any single test that would deny a target their Defense in subsequent attacks now allows for the target to retain their Defense (vampiric staking is the sole exception). As an example, if a magic spell would normally render a target fully paralyzed (and therefore unable to defend themselves at all) still leaves the target their Defense against further attacks (meaning they are not ‘paralyzed’ as per Mind’s Eye Theatre). It takes High Approval to bypass this restriction. As a reminder, the grappling maneuver ‘immobilize’ does not place a character in a killing blow/coup de grace situation.
This limitation also applies to such things as objects that would kill a character despite previously perfect health (or fully paralyze them and deprive them of any escape) or particularly ingenious devices that would lead to immediate or inevitable deaths (automatic decapitation mechanisms, inescapable incineration vaults, and the like). The constraint against “one-shot kills” serves the Camarilla’s emphasis on the dramatic participation of characters (even in their own death scenes). Player characters that disregard Storyteller warnings when venturing into extremely dangerous storyline scenes may still be subjected to very difficult tests to avoid instant death.
Poisons and Toxins [U.6.02]
None of the poisons and toxins in the Camarilla’s chronicle inflict their damage all at once. Storytellers define the parameters of a poison’s effects, within certain guidelines. At least one turn passes before a toxin begins to take effect. Damage is inflicted at a rate of no faster than one per turn, minute, or hour, depending on the substance. A resistance draw is made each time damage would be imposed until a number of tests equal to the poison’s virulence have been drawn. Multiple applications of poison do not mean multiple draws at a time, but add their virulence to the total number of draws made in a row.
Weapons and Equipment [U.6.03]
New weapons are allowed in the sanctioned chronicle if their mechanics are identical to existing, standard weapons. Existing weapon statistics can be modified, but only to make those statistics worse (for example by giving the new weapon a lower equipment bonus or range, or by increasing the Size or the Resources requirement). Weapons that use new (custom) mechanics are Global Approval for the first, then reverting to Mid Approval for subsequent items.
The range of a derringer is ten yards (30 feet).
Crossbow bolt/arrow damage is not downgraded from lethal to bashing by the presence of bulletproof armor. Attacks from non-firearms projectile weapons like crossbows are made using the attacker’s choice of Firearms or Athletics, and do not deny the target the use of her Defense.
Player characters require High Approval to use mundane weapons and projectiles that inflict aggravated damage to supernatural creature types like vampires and werewolves, including those that utilize fire and silver. Storytellers may allow player characters to occasionally use improvised weaponry or other objects to inflict aggravated damage, but this will not be common or during a planned attack. Approved items of this nature must be carefully tracked by the Storytellers, ensuring that ammunition used is removed from item cards, and that transfers of these items have the appropriate approvals attached. Players may still improvise weaponry (or use objects) that would inflict aggravated damage, but this cannot be a common way of circumventing the required approval levels. This does not apply to other means of inflicting aggravated damage as per sanctioned material. Storyline effects that inflict aggravated damage to supernaturals require no approvals but must be carefully supervised.
Proxy Play [U.6.04]
The term ‘proxy’ refers to sending your character sheet to a Storyteller (other than your direct Storyteller) to portray a character without your physical presence, for instance as part of a downtime outside of your own game. At least 48 hours notice must be given to the Storyteller handling the proxy scene, unless the Storyteller makes a specific exception. In order to proxy a character, the player must provide their character sheet and a brief written description of the character’s intentions, motivations, personality, and reactions to some possible situations. By giving a character over for proxy play, the player grants the Storyteller all rights to the character for the duration of the proxy scene. Storytellers may further modify proxy play rules through their Venue Style Sheets. Storytellers need to keep players informed of proxy progress, providing status updates on at least a weekly basis, and must portray proxied player characters to the best of their ability should unforeseen situations arise. For proxy approvals, a Low Storyteller email that specifically gives approval for the proxy to commence is usually sufficient.
Economies of Power in Venue Style Sheets [U.6.05]
Storytellers may devise their own guidelines for the collection, distribution, and tracking of the commodities that fuel supernatural creatures like Vitae, Essence, Mana, and Pyros. These must be recorded and approved of in Venue Style Sheets. For example, Requiem Storytellers can create their own feeding mechanics for vampires, to adapt to the local environment and setting.
MERITS [U.7.00]
All genres in the Camarilla’s chronicle use the simple or graduated Merit costs described in Mind’s Eye Theatre (page 32). Simple cost Merits either have only a single rating or have an “or” separating multiple listed ratings (rather than a “to”). For example, Fast Reflexes is a simple cost Merit because it is rated “* or **” rather than “* to **.”
Gaining and Losing Merits [U.7.01]
If a player character acquires ownership or access to something in-game which is normally represented by Merit dots (a fetish weapon, a loyal Retainer, etc.), then after a one-month period the character must pay the requisite experience points and the new Merit dots become a part of her character sheet. This may result in an experience point debt. Characters must not be allowed to circumvent this cost by passing ownership of items back and forth, or by “discarding” them in convenient locations so as not “own” them but still have access to them.
Merit dots are permanently lost when the things they represent are lost or destroyed (a fetish is broken, a Retainer is sent to prison, Resources are liquidated, an Animal Rapport creature is killed, etc.). A player’s direct Storyteller adjudicates whether in-game attempts to destroy Merit dots are permanently or temporarily successful. Note such changes in the character’s experience log. Storytellers may opt to temporarily remove or reduce Merits as part of a story if it is their intention that the Merits be later recoverable without experience point expenditures.
If a character lost dots invested into a shared Merit such as Haven, Totem, or Library, those dots are removed from play and the Storyteller should give the remaining invested characters a chance to cover the loss with further expenditures of their own.
Specific Item Merits [U.7.02]
Characters can possess multiple versions of Merits that represent specific items, places, or people. Multiple instances of the Merits Allies, Haven, Herd, Retainers, Sanctum, Status are not cumulative when calculating the maximum rating that can go into the Merit. For example, a character can have a dozen 3-dot Retainers without exceeding the Merit’s rating (* to *****).
Magic Item Merits [U.7.03]
Merits for magic items (Artifact, Enhanced Item, Fetish, and Imbued Item) are simple-cost Merits in the Camarilla’s chronicle. These items are not considered custom items if built strictly according to existing creation rules. They require Low Approval except for 5-dot items and above, which are High Approval, and must always be entered for tracking purposes in the database, unless different approval levels are defined elsewhere.
Merit-Based Storyteller Characters [U.7.04]
The Camarilla uses the Large Scale Games mechanics for Retainers (MET, page 146). Allies, Mentors, Retainers, and similar Merit-based Storyteller characters are created and portrayed by the Storyteller, not the player. Those that represent or interact with government agencies require the special approval of the Storyteller with jurisdiction over that level of agency or governmental body. For example, having Contacts in the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Allies among the Secret Service requires Top Approval from the US National Storyteller. The same applies to any Merits with impact or influence over a larger area, e.g. to influence the Red Cross would require Global Approval.
Retainers can have lesser templates specific to the character’s genre (ghoul for Requiem, wolf-blooded for Forsaken, or sleepwalker for Awakening), but cannot be any other type of supernatural creature unless specifically allowed by this supplement. Vampire regnants are expected to pay the monthly Willpower point cost to upkeep each of their Storyteller character ghoul Retainers.
Fighting Style Merits [U.7.05]
The Fighting Style Merits Boxing, Kung-fu, and Two-Weapon Fighting may not be used in conjunction with any form of form shifting power, be that natural claws and teeth, Feeding the Crone, or claws derived from supernatural powers, nor effects that transform the user into inhuman shapes (except the werewolf Dalu form).
As stated in Mind’s Eye Theatre, the Gunslinger Merit is for firearms (pistols only); it is not usable with any type of crossbow or bow.
Society Status Merits (Generic Rules) [U.7.07]
In some source material books, Status levels are equated to certain organizational positions. Because of the Camarilla’s large-scale revision of Status, such positions will often not make sense requiring their previously-associated Status levels. Unless otherwise noted in this document or other sanctioned supplements, associated Status levels are not requirements for in-character organizational positions that are described by source material as only city-wide in scope (such as a Circle of the Crone Hierophant).
Multipliers and Speed [U.7.08]
Whenever a multiplier is given, such as for Speed, animal forms and
Celerity, or whenever something gives “double” or “best of two” abilities,
those abilities are additive, not multiplicative. An example would be the
Gunslinger Merit and Time 2 (“Glimpse of the Future”) each of which provides
the better of two draws.
Chapter Two: Requiem [R.0.00]
This chapter is for incorporating Mind's Eye Theatre: The Requiem (WW50001) into the Camarilla’s large-scale sanctioned chronicle.
Of the optional rules in this book, only the following are used: True Covenant Status (page 135), Deceitful Creatures (page 162), Soul Shards (page 224), and Travel and Vampiric Gatherings (page 18). Storytellers may use The Price of Blood (page 327) or other alternate feeding systems if described in their Venue Style Sheets. The Fourth Tradition (page 21) is also available if approved in the Venue Style Sheet.
CHARACTERS [R.1.00]
Backgrounds [R.1.01]
In the Requiem genre, player characters require High Approval to have existed prior to 1650AD, or Top Approval to have existed prior to 1000AD. Pre-Longinian characters require Global Approval and are not usually permissible.
Having sired childer in one’s background (before the character enters play) does not require the expenditure of Willpower dots.
Ghouls [R.1.02]
Player character ghouls may have vampire Merits with High Approval. They may learn their regnant’s covenant-specific powers with Top Approval. Coils of the Dragon may not be learned by ghouls.
Blood Potency [R.1.03]
Physical augmentation with Vitae in the Camarilla’s chronicle is limited. When a character spends Vitae to gain bonuses to her physical test pools, the applied bonus from Vitae expenditures can be no higher than the vampire’s natural, unmodified Attribute or +5, whichever is higher. Player characters who must feed from vampires have to feed from other player characters (not storyteller characters or similar mechanisms).
Humanity [R.1.04]
Because it is so very rare, Top Approval is required to make any significant steps toward Golconda (merely buying Humanity isn’t such a step). The unique mechanics that come with achieving Golconda require Global Approval.
Diablerie [R.1.05]
Each instance of a player character diablerizing must be entered into the approvals database as a High Notification for the purposes of tracking. The application must include information about all the players and characters involved, and what was gained from the act. A diablerized Storyteller character provides no benefits to the diablerist, but still has all the usual downsides. Background diableries require no tracking.
ORGANIZATIONS [R.2.00]
Bloodline [R.2.01]
All bloodlines from sanctioned materials require High Approval for player characters in order to ensure a geographical distribution that reflects the setting of the source material. It should not be particularly difficult to join a bloodline if recruited in-game by another player character. Storytellers should hesitate to approve bloodlines that are specific to other areas of the world. Usually it is better to create a custom bloodline with a similar theme than to write elaborate, canon-bending stories about how the vampire came to be so far away from her fellow bloodline members, or why she is not a member of the same coterie as every other member of her bloodline.
Characters that create or join bloodlines prior to entering play must meet the appropriate Blood Potency requirements at the time they enter play, despite any occurrence of torpor after achieving the bloodline in the character’s history. When applying for a custom bloodline, a character may “rediscover” (rather than “create”) a bloodline that was formed some time in history, but the “rediscoverer” must meet the same requirements as a bloodline founder. For player-created custom bloodlines that don’t have any active characters in play anymore, Top Approval is needed to “rediscover” them.
Custom bloodlines that use only the basic Disciplines (those
described in Mind’s Eye Theatre: The Requiem) require High Approval, despite
the presence of custom mechanics for the bloodline weakness. Custom bloodlines
that meet either of the following criteria are Top Approval: has two or more of
the Uncommon Disciplines (Auspex, Dominate, Majesty, Nightmare, Protean); swaps
out two of the three favored disciplines; allows two or more clans to join.
Custom bloodlines may not duplicate bloodline-specific Disciplines from other
bloodlines, in whole or in part. Example: A Daeva bloodline with Obtenebration
is not allowed. No custom bloodline may have two custom disciplines.
To make a character that enters play as part of someone else’s custom bloodline, agreement is required from the player of the character who has the most seniority in the bloodline and is still being played (almost always the player of the bloodline’s creator or “rediscoverer”). This requirement is waived for characters who find a way to join in-game.
MERITS [R.3.00]
Society Status Merits (Clan and Covenant) [R.3.01]
Ghouls require Top Approval to have Clan Status. They may have Covenant Status 1 with High, 2 with Top and 3 or more with Master Approval.
It requires High Approval for vampires to enter play with more than two dots of Clan or Covenant Status, as it is meant to be developed in-play through role-playing and achievements. Characters must wait a number of months equal to twice the dots of status they are buying between purchases of Clan Status dots or purchases of Covenant Status dots, including the re-purchase of dots stripped in-game. (As an example, if a character bought Crone Status 4 in January, ten months have to pass before she can apply for Crone Status 5).
Clan Status 3, 4 and 5 require Mid, High and Top Approval, respectively, and use the same mechanics as Covenant Status for removal, etc. Status in multiple clans is Top Approval.
Joining a covenant (and gaining True Covenant Status) requires no special approval for a character that has no previous True Covenant Status. Changing True Covenant Status requires Top Approval. Having True Covenant Status in more than one covenant and receiving simultaneous mechanical benefits from both is Top Approval. Having True Covenant Status in more than one covenant without receiving any additional mechanical benefits from the second is High Approval. Renouncing membership in a covenant in a public manner leads to immediate loss of all dots of that covenant’s status and removal from covenant-specific lists, groups, etc, but not previously acquired mechanical benefits. Joining another covenant then requires only Low Approval, but Top Approval is needed to then also get the new covenant’s mechanical benefits, unless the character removes all already bought powers from her old covenant, and enters into an XP debt for all non-supernatural covenant benefits bought at a lower cost.
Covenant Status previously required higher approval levels, which have been refocused to emphasize recognition of player characters within their own game. Covenant Status 4 and 5 require High Approval. The Camarilla is releasing a Kindred Status settings document in Spring of 2007 which will further define how Covenant Status works in the global chronicle.
When Clan or Covenant Status is being stripped, the Storyteller supervising the removal must inform the affected player of the attempt as the declaration to remove Status is made public. The affected character has 14 days after notification to organize a list of characters that are in opposition to the removal (which can include previously hostile characters changing their allegiance publicly to support rather than remove). The loss is only countered if more total Status dots of support back the character than were provided to remove her Status. Characters participating in any failed attempt to remove Status cannot participate in another attempt against the same character until 90 days have passed.
If a character acts in reasonably open ways against her city, clan or covenant’s Sins or principles, any Storyteller in her chain can (and should) remove the appropriate status dots (without an XP refund) if there aren’t enough dots available otherwise to enact a status stripping. Characters that are True members in any covenant cannot have more than three total dots of Covenant Status if they are also members in another covenant (e.g. they could have Crone Status 2 and Invictus Status 1, but no higher).
DISCIPLINES, DEVOTIONS, AND RITUALS [R.4.00]
Disciplines at level 6 or higher are not currently available in the sanctioned chronicle (and cannot be artificially made available by any power that provides bonuses, including any ritual, discipline, or other power that grants a bonus to activation rolls that would take the Discipline above 5).
Only player characters may teach Disciplines that require teachers as per MET Requiem. The basic Disciplines (those described in Mind’s Eye Theatre: The Requiem) require only Low Approval to learn, regardless of clan affiliation. Bloodline-specific Disciplines cannot be taught to any character not of that bloodline, including ghouls. Devotions that are associated with a bloodline (described within its write-up) are specific to that type and cannot be learned by those who are not members of the bloodline. Devotions from sanctioned material are Low approval to learn, provided the character has learned all prerequisites at their normal approval level.
Vampire characters have the option of developing their own custom Devotions as per Mind’s Eye Theatre at Global Approval. It is High Approval to learn a Custom Devotion from a Player Character teacher. Custom Devotions may not be learned from storyteller characters. Custom Devotions may not be developed or learned in a character's background unless they are submitted as part of a custom bloodline (maximum of two devotions). There are a few established rules for the types of powers that custom Devotions must follow. Currently existing Custom Devotions that are considered to be in violation of these guidelines by any Storytellers in their Approval chain become invalid at the time of sanctioning of this document and need to be rewritten and re-approved.
Custom Devotions are ideally a natural progression achieved by combining two Discipline powers. Their XP cost is normally the total number of Discipline dots involved times three (e.g. a Devotion using Resilience 2 and Dominate 3 would cost 15XP). The creator must know all the required Discipline dots before the Devotion can be approved.
For a custom devotion, it takes time to develop a new application of the blood. The character should engage in appropriate research activities and make creating it part of the story. The character must spend a number of months equal to the dots in whichever discipline has the highest rating in the devotion in studying and development. The character’s waiting period starts as soon as the custom devotion is approved.
Custom Devotions developed in-play can never banish the banes of the vampiric curse: a Devotion that uses Resilience, for instance, couldn’t make a vampire less vulnerable to sunlight or to staking. The ravages of the vampiric condition can be alleviated by Coils of the Dragon; custom Devotions do not offer such benefits.
Custom Devotions can’t significantly modify extant Discipline powers to help them overcome their built-in limitations. Some book-published Devotions do this, and they are usually limited to certain groups for a reason. As an example, some Discipline powers are Instant; a Devotion that would make them Reflexive would not normally be permissible. If a power specifies that “it can only be used…” or “the user must be/have…,” then it’s usually a good indicator that a custom Devotion cannot change its limitations, or its activation cost.
Custom Devotions can’t replicate existing powers from other Disciplines, Devotions or types of sorcery, even in somewhat weaker forms. The secrets of some clans and covenants are treasured for a good reason. If a custom Devotion appears to be similar to what a custom sorcery ritual or custom Coil would be, it is also disallowed. Groups such as covenants and bloodlines are interesting and unique partly due to their special powers. If, for instance, the effects of Carthian-specific Devotions were to be replicated by Devotions developed in-play, it would detract from the uniqueness of the Carthians. If everybody is special… then no-one is.
The same limitation, in broader terms, applies to the powers of other supernatural creatures, e.g. werewolves or mages. Custom Devotions need to be limited to powers that are typically vampiric in nature.
Clash of Wills (Auspex) [R.4.01]
The systems provided for Clash of Wills (page 159) are conflicting and incomplete due to an editing error. Use this system in its place.
A character with Auspex that encounters a use of Obfuscate may draw Wits + Investigation + Auspex to establish a number of Clash of Wills successes. These successes last for an hour and are compared to the number of successes achieved on the activation of Obfuscate powers to see if the Auspex user can pierce them. The Auspex user needs more successes than the Obfuscate user, unless the Obfuscate power was activated under her direct observation, in which case she needs only equal successes to pierce the effect. For this reason, it is important for Obfuscate users to carefully record the number of successes they achieve with any particular activation of Obfuscate. Players may not attempt to re-draw Clash of Wills or re-activate Obfuscate powers for the purpose of achieving more successes. It is the players, not the characters, who know the number of successes involved.
The Clash of Wills can also be employed to pierce the illusory effects of Obfuscate-based Devotions or, at Storyteller discretion, other illusory powers that conceal or alter images.
Twilight Projection (Auspex) [R.4.02]
The sensory Auspex powers Heightened Senses, Aura Perception and Spirit’s Touch may be used by a character in Twilight Projection; no other powers will function for her during its use, including Auspex-dependant Devotions unless otherwise specified in the Devotion. A character whose body is destroyed while projecting requires Top Approval to continue its existence.
Sovereignty (Majesty) [R.4.03]
Ignore the text that describes this power being used against repeated aggressions. Sovereignty is only tested against any particular character once per scene, with the Majesty user being the attacker in that contested draw. The test result dictates whether or not that character can attack the Sovereign vampire during the rest of the scene. An aggressor’s attempt to break Sovereignty does not count against the maximum number of characters that can attack the Sovereign vampire that turn.
Haven of Soil (Protean) [R.4.04]
The sentence “Some Gangrel rely on this ability while traveling from domain to domain, as its power gives them the ultimate freedom to do so” means that a character has a safe haven wherever she travels, not that she can move while interred in the earth.
Shape of the Beast (Protean) [R.4.05]
Characters with this power may learn to assume different natural animal shapes, each of which provides a package of mechanical benefits. The form’s Size must be appropriate to the animal shape (as small as Size 1). Each form can take up to four of the following advantages. (Only the Size bonus can be taken more than once.)
Options are: claws inflict lethal damage; bite is possible with no prerequisite grapple test; + 1 bonus to attack pools; running speed is doubled; form is capable of flight at regular Speeds (Speed 1 when not flying); + 3 bonus to mundane perception tests when using a specific sense; + 2 bonus to mundane perception tests using any sense; + 2 Defense if the animal is smaller than a human; + 1 Size if the animal is larger than a human (can be chosen twice); or + 2 bonus to a non-combat task such as climbing, digging, or swimming. A character's base Attributes remain unchanged in the new form - reduced Size reduces STR and Health level bonuses from Size to a minimum of 1, but doesn't count as an Advantage.
Primarily-airborne forms have Flight as their primary movement type, with ground- and water-based movement dropped to Speed 1. Primarily-aquatic forms have Swimming as their primary movement type, with ground-based movement dropped to Speed 1 and air-based movement is not possible.
Vigor [R.4.06]
Vigor adds to Athletics tests for jumping, though it does not allow “flight-like” leaps. Vigor also applies to holding on and breaking free in grappling, though not the test to initiate it.
Dominate [R.4.07]
A subject unable to act because of use of
Dominate may defend herself and act normally if attacked.
Rituals [R.4.08]
Ignore the Extended Actions and Sorcery sidebar on page 197. Performing either type of ritual requires that all costs and expenditures be paid on the first turn of casting (unless the ritual itself specifies that costs are paid over multiple turns). The ritual is completed on the turn when at least as many successes as the ritual’s level have been accrued. Only the final draw is used when opposing a resistance draw or determining the effectiveness of the ritual according to its description.
For example, a character casts the level 1 ritual Blood Scourge. On the first turn of casting, she pays the Willpower point cost inherent to all Theban Sorcery rituals, and the 1 Vitae required for the ritual’s offering. The player draws three successes. Since the target number of one success is met, the ritual is completed that turn. Because that was also the final draw of the extended test, its three successes are used to determine the ritual’s particulars (the weapon lasts for three turns).
Chapter Three: Forsaken [F.0.00]
This chapter is for incorporating Werewolf: The Forsaken (WW30000) into the Camarilla’s large-scale sanctioned chronicle.
CHARACTERS [F.1.00]
Enhanced Form Bonuses [F.1.01]
Werewolves in the Camarilla’s chronicle are creatures of legendary might; awesome and terrifying to behold in battle. The physical Attribute bonuses provided for the Uratha’s alternate forms are doubled. This also affects derived Advantages such as Speed. Storytellers who want to run Forsaken games with a greater emphasis on social interaction have the option to not make use of this rule by specifically stating so in their approved Venue Style Sheets. This enhanced form bonuses rule is always used in cross-genre interaction.
Bale Hounds and Pure [F.1.02]
Bale Hounds and Pure are Global Approval as Player Characters. Ex-Pure are Top Approval as Player Charactes and are incapable of having an Auspice.
Background [F.1.03]
In the Forsaken genre, player characters require High Approval to have existed since 1905 or earlier, or Top Approval to have existed since 1885 or earlier. Characters that have existed since 1850 or earlier require Global Approval.
ORGANIZATIONS [F.2.00]
Lodge [F.2.01]
Standard published lodges require High Approval if the character joins in her history or is indoctrinated by a Storyteller character. They only require High Notification if a player character member indoctrinates the new character in-game. Storytellers should hesitate to approve any lodges that are specific to other areas of the world. It is a disservice to the game’s believability to allow elaborate, canon-bending justifications about how a werewolf came to be recruited by a distantly-based lodge. There are dozens of lodges, both large and small, and it makes little sense that each would have a foothold (even just one or two members) everywhere in the world.
Characters may only ever gain mechanical benefits from a single lodge (with which they have “True Lodge Status”).
For example, a character leaving the lodge of Garm can still purchase Athletics, Brawl, Persuasion, and Weaponry at reduced cost, but the player’s direct Storyteller might rule that some lodge members show up to retrieve the minor fetish she was given upon joining. If the character joins another lodge thereafter, she gains no mechanical benefits from it.
For player characters to have membership in non-Forsaken lodges (even for background purposes) requires Top Approval.
MERITS [F.3.00]
Fetish [F.3.01]
New fetishes require Low Approval and database entry when built using the Fetish Creation Mechanics in Lore of the Forsaken, pages 144-149. It is a level 2 power (+ 20 Fetish points) to make a fetish usable by wolf-blooded.
Totem [F.3.02]
Totems may not make use of more than 25 of the Totem Merit points invested
into them. If changes to the totem negate a totem cost discount, the additional
Merit point cost must be covered at the time of the change.
GIFTS [F.4.00]
Attunement (Full Moon) [F.4.01]
Defense ignored is equal to the user’s Primal Urge, not half of the user’s Primal Urge.
Death Grip (Full Moon) [F.4.02]
Strike the sentence: “Once a hold is achieved and maintained, the character gains an additional six dice to rolls for overpowering maneuvers to bite the target are doubled.” The rest of the text remains applicable (the user doubles damage with overpower maneuvers and applies successes as a penalty to victims’ attempts to break free or apply maneuvers of their own).
Feet of Mist (Stealth) [F.4.03]
The cost to activate this Gift is one Essence, not one
Willpower.
Savage Might (Strength) [F.4.04]
Physical augmentation with this Gift is limited in the Camarilla’s chronicle. When a character uses this Gift to gain bonuses to her Strength, the applied bonus can be no higher than the werewolf’s natural, unmodified Strength or +9, whichever is higher. Note that Attribute bonuses from a werewolf’s alternate forms are considered to be “natural” to her, so this Gift can be more potent when the character has assumed a non-human form.
Rage Armor (Full Moon) [F.4.05]
Rage Armor receives one level per success, not per two successes.
Chapter Four: Awakening [A.0.00]
This chapter is for incorporating Mage: The Awakening (WW40000) into the Camarilla’s large-scale sanctioned chronicle.
CHARACTERS [A.1.00]
Backgrounds [A.1.01]
In the Awakening genre, player characters require High
Approval to have existed since 1905 or earlier, Top Approval to have existed
since 1855 or earlier, or Global Approval to have existed since 1805 or earlier.
Non-Player Characters [A.1.02]
The Bound require Top Approval for Storytellers to use in
their games.
ORGANIZATIONS [A.2.00]
Order [A.2.01]
Mage player characters have a “True Order Status,” meaning they are only members of a single order at a time for the game-mechanics purpose of what rotes can be learned, what Merits can be accessed, etc., regardless of which orders they have Status Merits for (non-True Order Status in multiple Orders is High Approval). If a character has acquired the basic mechanical advantages of one order (she has order-specific rotes or an order-specific Legacy) or has acquired type-specific items like Merits from an order book, it requires High Approval for her to change her True Order Status. Characters that join an order (other than their first) do not learn new rote Specialties.
Legacy [A.2.02]
All Legacies from sanctioned materials require Mid Approval if recruited by another player character in-game, and High Approval otherwise. Storytellers should hesitate to approve Legacies that are specific to other areas of the world or whose membership is supposed to be rare or restricted according to the source material. Left-Handed and antagonist Legacies are more rare and require Top Approval to join. A character may be mentored into a Legacy at two approval levels higher if they don't meet the parent Path/Order requirements.
Though custom Legacies do not require the applicant’s character to be the actual creator, the applicant must meet the Gnosis requirements for developing the new Legacy. This is to make sure that players do not utilize character histories to circumvent these costs and requirements. To make a character that enters play as part of someone else’s custom Legacy, agreement is required from the player of the character who has the most seniority in the Legacy and is still being played (almost always the player of the Legacy’s creator). This requirement is waived for characters who find a way to join in-game.
REALMS [A.3.00]
With the exception of a single Awakening per mage, characters may not in any way access the Supernal World or other unique areas, such as the Underworld. Characters may access the realm of the Abyss with High Approval. Abyssal verges require High Approval.
MERITS [A.4.00]
Artifact [A.4.01]
Artifacts are rare and require High Approval. Artifacts listed in the source books are unique but can serve as examples for Storytellers who are creating their own.
Enhanced Item [A.4.02]
Enhanced Items can be created in-game with spells of
indefinite Duration, though such items still cannot have a higher total Merit
rating than five. “Special Property” alterations can be achieved with a variety
of different Matter spells. The specific listed alterations require the
following: Alter Integrity (for Increased Durability or for Increased
Structure), Alter Efficiency (for Increased equipment bonus), and Alter Size
(for Decreased Size from Guardians of the Veil or for Increased Size). Several Enhanced Items cannot be combined, e.g., one cannot
make a Self-Repairing engine, and then put it into a limousine with bulletproof
windows - taken together, the limo would exceed the 5-dot limit. Enhanced Items
can be treated as Imbued- e.g., a 3-dot spell and two 2-dots spells would
create a 5-dot Enhanced Item.
The Mana capacity itself cannot exceed the Enhanced Item Merit rating (maximum of five). Thaumium is only available if made in-game, and requires a significant monetary expense.
Use of any Matter effect to permanently improve an
item makes the item improved into an Enhanced Item equal to the level of the
effect used to create it. For example, since Forge Thaumium and Self-Repairing
Machine are five-dot effects, items with such improvements are five-dot
Enhanced Items. This is only used where another
method (such as the level of bonus from Enhanced Item) doesn’t already apply).
Imbued Item [A.4.03]
Imbued Items rated higher than five are only available if made in-game.
If an item is both Enhanced and Imbued, calculate the rating limitations as though it were two separate items, one Enhanced and one Imbued.
It is rare, and therefore High Approval, to exceed the imago limit presented in A.6.03, and Top Approval to exceed it while casting any spell of Indefinite or Lasting duration. Imbued items of 5 dots or less are Low Approval, and High Approval otherwise.
Society Status Merits (Consilium and Order) [A.4.04]
For characters to have Consilium Status, the out-of-character Status mechanics employed for the consilium must be included in the adjudicating Storyteller’s Venue Style Sheet. Dots of Consilium Status do not require experience point expenditures in such systems.
In the Camarilla’s chronicle, Order Status reflects a large-scale system designed to support a global game. Status 1 characters are well-established members of their order. Status 2 comes with long-term recognition and indicates a high level of importance within a city or interconnected multi-city area. Status 3 (High Approval) indicates significant prominence within a state, province, or other large regional area. Status 4 (Top Approval) represents a national influence, and Status 5 (Global Approval) indicates multi-national or truly global recognition. Note that this expanded scale does not apply to Consilium Status.
Characters may not begin play with more than 2 dots of Order Status. True Status in multiple Orders in Mage is Top Approval. False Status is High Approval.
ARCANA [A.5.00]
Arcana at levels 6 and above are not currently available in the sanctioned chronicle. Epic in scope, the use of the Imperial Mysteries is reserved for Storyteller characters under the Master Storyteller’s control.
Counterspell (Any Arcanum) [A.5.01]
The rote versions of Counterspell described on page 123 utilize Composure and Occult.
Create Demesne (Any Arcanum) [A.5.02]
The caster of this spell can increase Duration using the advanced Prolonged Duration factors. One cannot create a demesne with someone else’s soul stone.
Wards and Bans (Space) [A.5.03]
Objects and creatures cannot themselves be the target of a Ward, though they are protected while within a Ward’s area. (The text of Ward is somewhat ambiguous on this point.) Supernatural powers cannot be wholly abrogated by a Ban (see Sanctum and Sigil, in the Appendix).
Rewrite History (Time) [A.5.04]
The example given in this spell contradicts the limitation of keeping dots in the same category. Ignore the example and stick with the normal restriction. Dots cannot be shifted into anything that requires a special approval or a notification in the approvals database. The shifting has to happen within categories, e.g. Mental Attributes to other Mental Attributes, not into Social Attributes.
Grant Familiar (Spirit) [A.5.05]
This spell’s Duration is Lasting (the Familiar Merit does not disappear at the spell’s end.)
Spells to Employ Spirits (Spirit) [A.5.06]
Because Numina do not suffer limitations like the other Arcana, the Camarilla’s chronicle restricts the number and power level of spirits that mages can wield with the Spirit Arcanum.
Spirits at rank 3 cannot be called, bound, or otherwise controlled using the advanced Prolonged Duration factors. When calling, binding, or otherwise controlling spirits at ranks 4, Prolonged Duration spells are considered Transitory. Spirits of ranks 5 or higher cannot be called, bound or otherwise controlled short of archmastery. Furthermore, a Willpower point is spent for each spirit called, bound, or otherwise controlled, which cannot be recovered until the spell ends or a Willpower dot is spent to release it. Each such spell can only affect a single spirit.
These new restrictions do not apply when a spell is simply used to justify the purchase of a Merit such as Familiar or Guardian Spirit (something already balanced by experience expenditures). They also do not apply to spells that simply awaken spirits or make them favorably disposed toward the caster; spells such as Rouse Spirit or Spirit Court, where the spirits retain their own motivations and freedom like any other Storyteller characters. Familiars are rank 1 spirits.
SPELLCASTING [A.6.00]
Rotes [A.6.01]
When a rote title includes the name of an order, assume that the rote is a common one, with versions available to members of every order (and to apostates). If an alternate test system is allowed for another order, only members of that order can learn the other test system without High Approval.
For example, the Alter Oath spell (page 154) has a rote titled “Silver Ladder Rote: Nullify the Contract.” Every order has a version of the rote with the standard test system (Manipulation + Politics + Fate). Only members of the Free Council have the option to learn their order’s own rare version (Wits + Politics + Fate) without special approval.
When a rote title includes the name of a legacy, faction, or other group that is not an order, there is no common version of the rote. It requires High Approval to learn the rote if the character is not a member of the proper legacy, faction, or other group. An Improvised Spell that duplicates the effect of a rote requiring an approval also requires that level of approval.
Instant Spellcasting [A.6.02]
The factors of an Instant spell’s Imago cannot be boosted to such a degree that the caster is reduced to a chance die after all bonuses have been added to the casting pool. Non-factor penalties applied after the creation of the Imago can reduce the caster to a chance die.
Extended Spellcasting [A.6.03]
A maximum number of successes can be achieved for a ritual spell equal to the caster’s base pool: (Gnosis + Arcanum) or (Attribute + Skill + Arcanum + Rote Specialty). If these values are modified by effects such as Supreme Honing or Rewrite History, the changes do not increase the maximum number of successes allowed.
The maximum number of successes is equal to the base pool: the maximum only increases with helpers, High Speech and Willpower. (It isn’t boosted by Enhanced Dedicated Tools, Forge Destiny or the Destiny Merit, Grimoires, use of a Demesne of the proper Arcanum, etc)
Limitations to Bonuses and Traits [A.6.04]
To maintain an appropriate scale of power for live-action play, no single Trait or bonus created by a spell can exceed the level of the caster’s relevant Arcanum. This limitation applies only to Traits or bonuses that are variable based on successes. It is not applicable in the case of created or summoned creatures like spirits, as those have their own Trait caps.
This means that a Body Control spell cannot provide a higher Initiative bonus than the caster’s Life dots. A Phantasmal Weapon spell cannot create a weapon with a higher equipment bonus than the caster’s Prime dots, nor can a Sculpt Ephemera spell give a ghostly weapon a larger addition to its standard equipment bonus than the caster’s Death dots. Alter Size cannot add more to an object’s Size than the caster’s Matter dots because the increase is variable based on successes. The bonus to Size from Shapechanging is not bound by this limitation because the increase is not based on successes.
When a Mage activates a Prepared spell against a living target, that target is allowed resistance to the spell per the following: If the spell is Resisted (by subtracting Stamina, Resolve, or Composure from the spell's activation roll), then it becomes Aimed. When activated, the caster must gain at least 1 success on an activation roll with the same dice pool used to cast the spell, and modified by the target's defenses (see the rules for Aimed spells in Awakening for details). If this activation roll succeeds then the spell takes full effect on the target; if it fails, then the spell disappears without any further effect. If the spell is Contested (by the target rolling Stamina, Resolve, or Composure with Gnosis against the spell's activation roll), then the Mage must gain at least 1 success more than the target on an activation roll with the same dice pool used to cast the spell, and modified by the target's defenses (such as a Magic Shield). If this activation roll succeeds then the spell takes full effect on the target; if it fails, then the spell disappears without any further effect.
If a character requires information from another character's sheet (e.g. contested, resisted, etc.), then it cannot be ritually cast and held Prepared for any offensive use.
Bonuses added to an item through use of Arcana do not “stack” - only the highest bonus is applied (e.g. one cannot use a +5 Phantasmal Weapon be added to with Matter, then given a Lucky Coin Fate boost of +5 more).
Prepared spells are still limited by the damage cap, even for ‘environmental’ effects such as “Worlds Collide.”
Failed Social and Mental Tests [A.6.05]
For the purpose of determining which failed tests are not repeatable within the same scene, consider improvised spells to be Social or Mental tests if their rote version are opposed by Composure or Resolve. (See Mind’s Eye Theatre, page 162.)
Paradox [A.6.06]
After all Paradox mitigation, the remaining Paradox is tested using a “multi-draw” system like the one employed with Morality draws.
Chapter Five: Created [C.0.00]
This chapter is for incorporating Promethean: The Created (WW60000) into the Camarilla’s large-scale sanctioned chronicle.
Prometheans are very rare in the Camarilla’s sanctioned chronicle because their very existence tends to provoke hostility. “As if it weren’t bad enough that animals fear them, supernatural creatures are ever more likely to lose their minds around them, and human beings can’t seem to keep themselves together after a few exposures to them, Prometheans must deal with yet another disastrous side effect of their condition”—the fact that their presence despoils the land around them (page 174). Stories for Created are about alienation and isolation; they never mix well with any but their own kind. Created games must be set geographically so as not to force interaction with other genres because of the Wasteland effect. This usually requires interaction with Regional or National Storytellers, as the games are geographically set in areas normally under their control (usually outside of city/Domain limits).
Backgrounds [C.0.01]
In the Created genre, player characters require High Approval to have existed prior to 1900AD, Top Approval to have existed prior to 1700AD, and Global Approval to have existed prior to 1500AD. Characters may only benefit from a single refinement's reduced cost transmutations at character creation.
Prometheans in Play [C.0.02]
Promethean storyteller characters require Top Approval outside of the Created genre. For a Promethean player character to be eligible for cross-genre play or to have effects on other genres, Top Approval is required. For a Promethean character to be based in another genre, Global Approval is required. Other cross-genre rules apply as normal, but no powers of any sort from other genres may ever be used to alleviate or cure the Promethean’s inherent weaknesses.
Player characters may not be nuclear Prometheans. Storyteller character nuclear Prometheans are so rare that they require Global Approval. Mortals capable of creating Prometheans are rare (Top Approval). Supernatural and partially supernatural beings (other than Prometheans) cannot create Prometheans. Refinement change is a normal part of the Promethean setting, and may take place at Low Approval. This change must reflect an actual change in the philosophy and process being followed by the character on their pilgrimage. To gain any XP benefits from more than one refinement change in 6 months requires Top Approval.
Centimani are an antagonist refinement; they are available for player characters at Top Approval and are otherwise Low Approval antagonists in the Created genre.
The Repute Merit represents stories spread about a character and requires Low Approval for level 1, High Approval for level 2, and Top Approval for level 3.
Prometheans may learn Pandoran Transmutations with High Approval.
The following alterations or clarifications are made for Transmutations: Use of Might falls into the “Attribute Booster” category for purposes of stacking, despite the flavor text stating this is “normal” strength. Use Titanic Vigor cannot increase an Attribute above 20.
Rank 5 Pandorans require High Approval. (For the chart on page 222, shift the title of each column one to the left, with “Transmutations” re-appearing on the far right.) Greater qashmallim require High Approval. Arch-qashmallim are so rare as to be unique, and are reserved for use by the Master Storyteller.
Chapter Six: Mortals [M.0.00]
Mortals is a new genre developed by the Camarilla for the exploration of stories focused on the human experience in the World of Darkness. A variety of different settings are possible within this genre. National Storytellers, in consultation with the Master Storyteller, may sanction their own settings for the Mortals genre. All of these settings are nevertheless a part of the same genre. and may interact freely in background, history and at events. Templates of any kind require a minimum of High Approval in this genre; lesser templates belonging to other genres, (e.g. Ghouls, Redeemed, Sleep-walkers, and wolf-blooded) are not available in the Mortals genre. A mortal who gains a greater template must be retired as a storyteller character into appropriate venue. A player may regain control of the character in their new venue at Top Approval. It is not possible to play a character with a greater template in the Mortals venue.
The Round Table [M.1.01]
This setting makes use of new flavor material provided on the Master Storyteller’s website. This new material constitutes a possible “foundation book” for the Round Table setting of the Mortals genre. While this is the default setting, it is far from the only setting for the Mortals genre. Other settings are possible, and encouraged. Simply note the setting used in the approved VSS.
Round Table Organizations [M.1.02]
Player characters may not be members of more than one Round Table organization at a time. If a character has acquired Merits at reduced cost due to membership in one of these organizations, it requires High Approval for her to switch membership to another. Player characters cannot be members of the Rex Deus Scions. Storyteller characters that are Rex Deus members or Rex Deus Scions are reserved for use by the Master Storyteller.
Society Status Merits (Round Table) [M.1.03]
In the Camarilla’s chronicle, Round Table Status reflects a large-scale system designed to support a global game. Status 1 characters are well-established members of their organization. Status 2 comes with long-term recognition and indicates a high level of importance within a city or interconnected multi-city area. Status 3 (High Approval) indicates significant prominence within a state, province, or other large regional area. Status 4 (Top Approval) represents a national influence, and Status 5 (Global Approval) indicates multi-national or truly global recognition.
Camarilla Addendum Conversion Guide
[Camarilla Approvals Addendum (30 September 2006) to Camarilla Addendum (01 April 2007)]
National Storytellers may supersede the following conversion guide by releasing a different mechanism prior to the release of this document.
Rewrites that are only to bring a character into compliance with newly sanctioned rules, and make no changes other than those absolutely necessary to make a character legal, are Mid Approval. This clause cannot be used to change a character concept, drop powers/stats previously used in-game, or make a PC more “efficient” (i.e. no min-maxing!). Using this clause as a means to otherwise re-write a character for an advantage is cheating. Only items that were paid for with experience points are eligible for experience point refund. For example, Blood Potency or a Discipline dot gained via diablerie may not be refunded in this manner.
Converting MC Dots to Experience Points
Character sheets created prior to the release of this document do not require changes to be made; they will not lose dots or go into experience point debt. Such characters are NOT remade according to the new creation system above. Instead, update previously existing characters by doing the following:
1) Multiply your current number of Member Class dots by 40.
2) Subtract the total experience point value of your current Member Class dots.
3) If the result is positive, add it to your experience log as a bonus, which can exceed the monthly experience earning cap. If negative, ignore it.
Grandfathering
Unless otherwise noted, anything listed at a specific approval level in previous rules documents whose approval requirement has increased here will be “grandfathered.” In order to be kept, such items require a notification to the same level at which the item is now set for approval. The following approval items listed in this document are not automatically grandfathered:
* “Werewolf fetishes” previously made by mages with Create Fetish (at the direction of the previous addendum) are grandfathered. These Fetish Merits must be entered into the approvals database for Top Notification.
* Approved custom mechanics are grandfathered, but existing custom items will be reviewed by representatives of the Master Storyteller within three months of the introduction of this document. A number of these may be altered to ensure conformity to a set of universal precedents, or removed from play.
* Ghouls that previously bought bloodline powers from one or more bloodlines are refunded the experience points as those Disciplines and Devotions are removed from their character sheets.
* Order Status levels and levels of Society Status from the Mortals genre are not grandfathered at their current level. If a character has such Status of a rating which now needs a higher approval level than the previous rules required, the rating is reduced by 1 point and the XP spent on that point are refunded.
Option to Reduce Supernatural Advantage Traits
Players who wish to lower their characters’ Blood Potency, Gnosis, or Primal Urge may do so at this time with Low Approval. Members wishing to utilize this option must do so before April 1st, 2007. A reduction of these Traits results in an experience point refund for them, as well as for any Attribute or Skill dots lost because of the reduction. Characters that have used these Traits significantly in previous conflicts with other player characters should not be approved for a reduction. Characters that have used Supernatural Advantage Traits to secure advantages like joining a Legacy or founding a bloodline must maintain the requisite levels for those feats.