Replacement for Auspex level 1

[Vamps Like Us]

So, I plan on giving all Kindred Heightened Senses. I think the Healer Valeren level one from DAV20 might be a good thing to switch for Auspex one.

I also think it might be a good idea to just leave Auspex level one and make it more advantageous, sort of boost what everyone else gets, but it feels like they would go from one of the best level one abilities to a slightly improved something everyone gets for free. The one everyone gets I would tie to Alertness to lower the target number of perception rolls instead of Auspex.

Basically, I like the fiction (pretty much most all vampire prose) where they track by sent, hear heart beats, don't get surprised, etc...

If anyone has any thoughts on what might be a good Auspex one replacement I would appreciate it.

[Heavy Arms]

I would check out Requiem 2e for inspiration on what you're doing here. VtR 2e basically did this too.

It gives all vampires a sensory boost, but rather than being the more generic boost of Heightened Senses, it's more specialized to being nighttime blood parasites: No penalties for operating in partial darkness, reduced penalties for operating in complete darkness, can always sense exposed blood (even spotting dried blood in a carpet as an example), increased awareness of heartbeats and the smell of blood, a bonus to tracking blood they've tasted (doesn't work on vampires), a bonus to finding hidden things (including hiding people) if blood could reveal them.

The only snag there is the bonuses are scaled to Blood Potency (and some of them get a boost from Auspex too). But it's not too hard to find an alternative depending on how powerful you want this to be and if you want it to scale with something like Generation.

VtR 2e's new Auspex 1 is a rolled power that lets you ask one or two questions on a successful roll, but are restricted to weakness or danger, as the power is tapping into the Beast's animal nature. The sample questions are designed to be very broad and survey the whole area like, "Who here is most likely to Frenzy?" rather than having to peek at individuals. The downsides of the power are that the answers (though they have to be true on a successful roll) are given from the Beast's sensory perspective. So the most dangerous person in the room might smell of gunpowder but you don't know if that's because they're an expert marksman or if they're carrying a gunpowder based bomb. Asking "Who is the most likely to take a bribe?" lets you find the most weak individual to greed present, but doesn't mean you can just walk up with some cash and get your way, and you don't want to necessarily try that if you have a limited set of targets in mind (not that it's useless, but trying to bribe your way past some bouncers only to find out one of the people in line is particularly open to bribery is a twist that could easily happen). Second the power has no cost the first use, but then 1 bp ever subsequent use that scene. This is mostly so players don't spam the power, but it is a significant change from Heighten Senses.

VtR 2e's whole Auspex setup is pretty easy to port over really. The rest of the progression is basically the same, though 2 and 3 retain the "ask a number of questions based on your roll," format.

[MyWifeIsScary]

Premonitions/ spidey-sense / sherlock-holms-like ability to pick up on odd but very relevant details (mud from the garden/ring rarely worn)

[adambeyoncelowe]

I've also, as Heavy Arms suggests, stolen Kindred Senses from VTR2e. To make up for it, like MyWifeIsScary, I made Auspex 1 further multiply the range of Kindred Senses (x [Auspex +1]), kept Spidey Sense, kept Sense the Unseen and basically always allow you to roll against surprise (but it's automatic against anyone whose Celerity is lower than your Auspex, and therefore nearly always against mortals).

That's a boost over the VTR2E rules, in my games, because Auspex makes it easier to read intentions anyway. I don't use fluctuating target numbers (TN is always 7+, 10s count twice), so Auspex instead adds dice like Potence, and these dice would add to a Perception + Empathy or Etiquette roll to see how someone is feeling or behaving. (You could allow a PC to spend 1BP to convert Auspex to auto successes, too, if you really wanted to.)

[Vamps Like Us]

I read the VTR2E rules on a bunch of disciplines. Level 1 Auspex is similar to Dav20 level one Valeren in the ask questions aspect. alternately I also like the idea of upping the danger sense aspect. I think it was vol 1 and maybe vol 2 of VTM with the danger sense merit when combined with Auspex it became really good. Still thinking about it but thanks for everyones thoughts.

[adambeyoncelowe]

Good luck!