What would you want in the Big Mcguffin Book of Magic and Exposition?

[DubiousRuffian]

At the start of our campaign, I had my players steal Three Burnt Journals that belonged to the Big Bad during their rebellious nomadic vampiric youth (100~200yrs).

The Journals are coded, so anything can be in them, and I'm going to use a slight variation on the Investigation Rules to determine most of the books' content. But I want to have at least some stuff prewritten, in case they don't have anything in mind that they want to look for.

So, what would you want to find in the Secret Evil Prince's Secret Evil Diaries who could know anything or have been anywhere? Spells? Lore? Why your boyfriend's family overcooks everything?

[Neos01]

1 - Personal reminder on the location of the big emergency cash coffer.
2 - A bunch of notes on possible Devotions developing
3 - Dirty secret of a vampire noted for possible future blackmail
4 - Report of a story about a strange place, never had time to investigate

[Baaldam]

A list of devotions, rituals and threnodies learned from other kindred as payment for favors owed, with remainders of which kindred taught it what, when and if they are still around.

[Yossarian]

Thematically, something that's both a huge benefit and a massive liability.

[DubiousRuffian]

I really appreviate the responses.

For most of the spells and Devotions, I figure I'll handle it on an ad hoc basis with a basic variation on the Investigation Rules. So when the PC puts in time decoding, they get a Clue Placeholder, to be redeemed upon player request. Whenever the player wants a boost or whatever, they can be like "I want an escape route," or "I want to curse that guy," and they'll make a relevent roll to have understood/applied the information correctly. Then any Elements they get can be exchanged for the requested advantage (use of a Cruac ritual, or a nearby entryway to the abandoned Necropolis).

My plan is that each Clue lets the player reveal a portion of the Three Final Pages, which seperately reveal who the Evil Prince is (or maybe instead, just his touchstone), the components of the spell he used to cloister the city, and that he made deals with owls.

3 - Dirty secret of a vampire noted for possible future blackmail

For something like this, would you want it to be a whole thing? Like, a narrative? Or just a "You've got blackmail!" notification?

Thematically, something that's both a huge benefit and a massive liability.

Do you mean something that's dangerous to know, dangerous to use, or easy to misinterperate? Do you have an example of what you have in mind?

[Neos01]

I really appreviate the responses.

For most of the spells and Devotions, I figure I'll handle it on an ad hoc basis with a basic variation on the Investigation Rules. So when the PC puts in time decoding, they get a Clue Placeholder, to be redeemed upon player request. Whenever the player wants a boost or whatever, they can be like "I want an escape route," or "I want to curse that guy," and they'll make a relevent roll to have understood/applied the information correctly. Then any Elements they get can be exchanged for the requested advantage (use of a Cruac ritual, or a nearby entryway to the abandoned Necropolis).

My plan is that each Clue lets the player reveal a portion of the Three Final Pages, which seperately reveal who the Evil Prince is (or maybe instead, just his touchstone), the components of the spell he used to cloister the city, and that he made deals with owls.



For something like this, would you want it to be a whole thing? Like, a narrative? Or just a "You've got blackmail!" notification?




Do you mean something that's dangerous to know, dangerous to use, or easy to misinterperate? Do you have an example of what you have in mind?

If i understand it rightly, it s a sort of journal, a reminder.
I think that i would use some short notes about the target, his secret, how to exploit it and the date

[Aurumae]

I would have it be his notes on something that the big bad was legitimately terrified of (unfortunately convenient burn marks obscure what this was exactly). The journals contain his research into this mysterious creature, and various devotions, blood magic sorceries, and caches of weapons and resources he put together to help him fight it when it came for him.

If the players decide to take advantage of his stuff, start dropping hints that whatever he was afraid of is after them now.

[Yossarian]

I really appreviate the responses.


Do you mean something that's dangerous to know, dangerous to use, or easy to misinterperate? Do you have an example of what you have in mind?

Dangerous to know is where my thinking was going. Something that would be extremely useful to whomever has control over it, enough that people are willing to kill for it. A lost, powerful blood sorcery spell makes a lot of sense for that, especially if you could only learn it from the book.

[DubiousRuffian]

I would have it be his notes on something that the big bad was legitimately terrified of (unfortunately convenient burn marks obscure what this was exactly). The journals contain his research into this mysterious creature, and various devotions, blood magic sorceries, and caches of weapons and resources he put together to help him fight it when it came for him.

If the players decide to take advantage of his stuff, start dropping hints that whatever he was afraid of is after them now.

I really like the idea of something malevolent becoming aware of you only slightly faster than you become aware of it. But I don't want to fall into the whole thing where the antagonist is reallly a bulwork against a worse antagonist.. I'll have to think about it.

Dangerous to know is where my thinking was going. Something that would be extremely useful to whomever has control over it, enough that people are willing to kill for it. A lost, powerful blood sorcery spell makes a lot of sense for that, especially if you could only learn it from the book.

I think I laid the seeds for something like what you're describing. This chronicle is a prequel to a chronicle I played with some of the same people, in the same city. In that chronicle, evidence of a particular ritual appeared in multiple contexts.

I'd planned for the ritual to be a final reveal/super secret in this story. But on reflection, that's no fun for the players who weren't part of the modern day game. I'll have to retool pacing so they have the opportunity for a lot more choices/drama/trouble to get in to.

I'll have to think of a few ideas for the ad hoc stuff that can be similarly double edged. The Acolytes know you shouldn't know Cruac. Rogers-the-very-violent isn't actually a Gangrel, Leer's ghoul is actually his only remaining familymember. This section of the necropolis was abandoned for a reason.

[Baaldam]

I really like the idea of something malevolent becoming aware of you only slightly faster than you become aware of it. But I don't want to fall into the whole thing where the antagonist is reallly a bulwork against a worse antagonist.. I'll have to think about it.

Well, it could be that the mystery entity has something personal against the prince, not the PCs - but also so distrusting, hurt, paranoid it can't really trust them to simply leave it alone and not try to (ab)use any knowledge in the diaries against it somehow.

I think I laid the seeds for something like what you're describing. This chronicle is a prequel to a chronicle I played with some of the same people, in the same city. In that chronicle, evidence of a particular ritual appeared in multiple contexts.

I'd planned for the ritual to be a final reveal/super secret in this story. But on reflection, that's no fun for the players who weren't part of the modern day game. I'll have to retool pacing so they have the opportunity for a lot more choices/drama/trouble to get in to.

Well, one can always use the "flashback vignette through Psychometry misuse" gimmick as long as there's at least one PC with Auspex in the group.
Or come up with some blood magic related excuse for it to happen if they don't have the right plot-convenient power.

[Craig Oxbrow]

Taking "where the bodies are buried" literally, the location of a staked vampire.

Some shocking dirt on the sire of a prominent local Kindred, which that vampire might not even know about.

Enough blood seeped into a page that eating it can spark a memory.

[DubiousRuffian]

Taking "where the bodies are buried" literally, the location of a staked vampire.

Some shocking dirt on the sire of a prominent local Kindred, which that vampire might not even know about.

Oh god:

"Told Nico of course I'd help kill her childe's boyfriend. Wore her face while I staked him. Left him in the foundation of that new construction site on Dean Ave. She's been helping him through the grieving process, and they seem closer than ever."

[Live Bait]

Don’t forget you can use clues from investigations to aid other rolls, let your players request useful information on the spot if they want a few extra dice.

[Eldagusto]

References that will blow their mind when they find out who those being referred to became in Modern times. Like a grandchild becoming the founder of a major Cult or a gentle broodmate being a demonic big bad.