New Discipline Powers for V5

[Ulisses]

Not all storytellers are happy with the powers of the Disciplines.
Post and share your home made discipline powers.
Or the existing powers that you have modified.

Have you thought about the possibility of adding powers at levels where there is only one option of power?

[PMárk]

I wrote up an alternative Celerity spread back then, when the preview came out, I'll dig it up and re-post here.

[Nosimplehiway]

Wow! Funny you should ask. I was just writing this yesterday...

(It has not been proof-read or even spel-cheked. It's called a rough draft for a reason.)

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Plugging some holes in V5 Disciplines.

Okay, so I am digging V5's multiple choice discipline system. The Awe-Daunt tag team alone justifies V5's existence for me.

Tiny whine, though... some disciplines have levels with only one power, or limited choices at low levels. So, it's homebrew time. I'd especially like more options for low-level pcs, though I've thrown in a few atmospheric powers for heavy-hitters.

These are, obviously, very rough drafts, but I'm hoping to get feedback on them before I write them up in more detail. Are the power levels assigned right? Are there any major loopholes? Any just seem non-thematic for the discipline? Any mechanics that could be implemented better?

Animalism
1: Feral Menace (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: One Scene) Curse an area the size of a small house with an aura of danger. All mundane creatures with current willpower less than your Hunger at the time the power is used must succeed on a Composure+Resolve roll or leave the area in inexplicable fear. This isn't a blind panic, more of a nervous retreat. Though, with a bad failure it may be more hasty.
1: Animal Magnetism (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 scene) You enter a social setting, activate the power, and exude pure sexual fascination. Add your Animalim score to all rolls aimed at Seduction. This power does not engender love, friendship, or loyalty... more like cats in heat.
1: Blood Bait (Cost:1 Rouse, Duration: until the following sunset, from which time the animals behave normally) You can summon animals exactly as in Feral Whispers, but gain no ability to converse with or command them. Sprinkle some blood around an area, such as an alleyway, your Haven, or the Toreador primogen's new restaurant.
2: Raised Hackles (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) Any time you roll to detect unseen danger, such as a sniper's ambush, fragile floorboards in an abandoned building, or insulting the wrong elder, add your Animalism score to the dicepool.
2: Companion Animal (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You may have mundane animals as Touchstones. This may, of course, not be a ghoul or famulus.
4: Leader of the Pack (Cost: None, Duration: Passive) You can bind more than one famulus. Upon learning this power, you gain a number of new famuluses (famuli?) equal to your Animalism score. Additional Fams can be purchased for 1 xp each.

Auspex
1. Courtesan's Acumen (Cost: Free, Duration: 1 roll) Making friends is easy when you give them what they want, and say what they want to hear. You roll Manipulation+Auspex while looking a person in the eye for a few seconds. Each success reveals one thing the subject wants. First are the most obvious ones, like money or love. Greater successes reveal deeper desires. When scanning vampires or ghouls, the first success always yields "blood".
2. Babel Tongue (Cost: Special) Learning a language only costs 1 xp, but can take a great deal of time. Not for those with this power. Fully drain a human who is fluent in the language you want to learn, spend the xp, and the next evening you awaken with full fluency.
4. Preternatural Reflexes (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 combat) Also known as the Roadrunner Effect, you gain an intutive knowledge of what your opponent will do next. It appears to observers you are stumbling out of harm's way, over and over. When using Athletics to dodge in combat, add your Auspex score.

Celerity
1. Prestidigation (Cost: 1 Rouse) You can snatch an object and move it to another place (such as your pocket) faster than the eye can see. The object must be small enough to be easily held in one hand, not held down in any way, and not under someone else's control, such as being being held by them. Both the place it begins and ends must be within arms reach. This is useful for shoplifting, planting evidence, moving a smuggled item from pocket to pocket while being searched, etc. This can only be detected by someone with a total of Celerity and Auspex higher than your Celerity score. On video, the movement occurs "between frames", with only a tell-tale blur in-between.
2. Quicksilver Mind (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You apply your superhuman speed to mental rolls, resulting in faster thought processes. You may add your Celerity score to all Wits rolls that are combined with Mental skills.
2. Top of the Staircase (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You know how sometimes you think of the wittiest retort, but too late? No. With this power, you don't know what that's like. Add your Celerity to all Wits rolls combined with Social skills.
4. Haven of Time (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: Instant) You move so fast that you travel into the future faster than the rest of the world. When the power activates, you disappear. You reappear the following evening at sunset in the exact spot you left. This is useful for both avoiding the sun and escaping dangerous situations.

Dominate
1. Halt (Cost: Free, Duration: 1 Combat Turn) You roll Charisma+Intimidation. If successful, the subject finishes whatever they are doing this turn, and remains still for a single combat turn after that. This leaves them open to attack, or gives you time to flee. If they are attacked, this cannot be used on them again this story, as they would now see halting as dangerous to themselves. Not usable on vampires, but humans and ghouls are vulnerable.
2. Denial (Cost: 1 Rouse) You tell yourself that those horrible things you did never actually happened; forget about it. Roll Manipulation+Resolve while looking into a mirror. You can remove one Stain for each success through this auto-amnesia. The problem is that the Beast remembers. If someone manages to provide evidence of your sin, you lose an automatic dot of Humanity.
2. Side Quest (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: Until the Desire is achieved or 24 hours has passed) You take a few minutes to describe how much the subject has always wanted to achieve some small goal, and that goal becomes their current Desire. Limit one use per subject per night. The Desire may not endanger the subject, nor contradict a Tenet or Conviction.
3. Fact (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: Until belief is successfully challenged) You roll Manipulation+Persuasion to convince a subject of a single "true fact" about the world. It could be "The Prince is plotting to kill you", "Your dog is possessed by the devil", or "This watch is worth a fortune". The more outlandish the "fact" the higher the difficulty. The belief persists until the victim sees clear evidence it is incorrect. Until then, they will act as if the fact were true.
4: Master of Amaranth (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) When involved in diablerie, as either the perpetrator or victim, you may add your Dominate score to the contest roll.

Fortitude
1. Teflon Smile (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You have an unflappable demeanor. No matter what insults, refusals, or manipulations others hurl at you, you are able to smile and wave it away as a trifle. You may ignore a total amount of willpower damage in a social combat equal to your Fortitude score.
1. Stalwart Companions (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) In addition to not aging, your ghouls have no need for food or water. They require only a few hours of sleep each day, and can make do with quick cat-naps here and there. They have increased resistance to drugs, toxins, and disease.
2: Plan B (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You apply the supernatural stasis which preserves vampires to your holdings and affairs. Add your Fortitude score to the difficulty of any attempt to endanger, penetrate, co-opt, or research your Backgrounds and Advantages. This power originated among the Ventrue, but has become quite popular among vampire IT professionals of every clan.
2: Goal Oriented (Duration: Passive) You make a Resolve+Composure roll. With success you may consciously choose a new Desire for the evening.
3: Just Weakness Leaving The Body (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 scene) When active, this power prevents you from suffering penalties due to injury.
4: Stony Repose (Cost: 1 Humanity, Duration: Passive) When entering Torpor, your body transforms into a stone statue. In such a state, you are immune to the banes of vampires, such as sunlight and fire. However, you can be destroyed by heavy, blunt trauma, such as would shatter stone.
4: Diablerie Download (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) In the event you are diablerized, the perpetrator need not reach Humanity zero for you to take full possession of their body. Simply failing the Diablerie contest roll will do.

Obfuscate
1. Low Value Target (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) In combat, split-second decisions must be made. Most experienced combatants choose their targets for their value, aiming to take out leaders or potential threats. No one ever seems to see you as either. In any instance where someone attacks your group (physically, socially or in a debate), you are the last targeted. Until all your other allies have been targeted, you will be ignored. This is not invisibility, and will fail as soon as you do anything threatening or unusual to draw the enemy's notice. If you are alone when attacked, this does you no good. If others in your group have this power, you are targeted in order of your Obfuscate score, lowest to high.
1. Crowd Camo (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) When in a large crowd, you easily blend in and disappear. All attempts to find you have their difficulty increased by your Obfuscate score.
1. Narcotic Kiss (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) At will, you may choose to change the effect your Kiss has on your vessels. Rather than feeling ecstasy, they feel numbness, drowsiness, and find it hard to form new memories. Those who are sleeping will not awaken for up to an hour after you finish. Those who are awake reduce their physical dicepools by your Obfuscate score for the next three combat turns. Some describe the sensation as similar to taking opiates or benzos.
2. Arcane (Cost:Free, Duration: Passive) This is simply the Mage background Arcane, at a level equal to your Obfuscate score. Jeez, buy a supplement.
4. Psychic Invisibility (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 Scene) Double your Obfuscate score for purposes of resisting Auspex penetration of other Obfuscate powers.

Potence
2. Demolition (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You are really good at breaking stuff. Add your Potence score to any attempt to damage or destroy an inanimate object. Strangely, this assists even in Mental tests, such as planting explosives or sabotaging a car. Kindred scholars often cite this power as evidence of the truly supernatural nature of vampires.
2. Power Pitcher (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 Attack) By focusing all of your strength into throwing a small object with great force, you can do massive damage to mortals and vampires alike. In your hands, thrown pencils pierce skulls, coins strike like bullets, and thrown dinner plates can remove limbs. Resolve the attack as normal, but add your Potence score to the damage total.
4. Tag, You're Dead! (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You can focus your strength into a single touch. This may look like a haymaker swing, a handshake, or any other physical contact. Regardless, it sends shock waves through the victim's body, disrupting every organ in an instant. This can only be used on mundane mortals, not ghouls or vampires, but if the attack roll is successful, the target dies instantly.
4. Shift Velocity (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 Attack) Most people can bat away a thrown shoe. Some Judo guys can use a foe's own momentum to throw them off to one side. You can do this with nearly any object, up to the size and force of a speeding train. You must plant yourself firmly in the path of the incoming object, and make a Dexterity+Athletics roll. One success is sufficient to deflect a small sedan, while five will derail the Eurostar at full speed. Technically, you don't do any damage to the incoming object, though the ensuing crash will do that. Botches and failures on the roll, however, can get very, very messy for you.
5. Great Circle Leap (Cost: 1 Rouse and 1 level of Agg damage, Roll: Intelligence + Survival or Science, Duration: 1 Jump) Those with this power need never fear the sunrise, and have no need for airplane tickets. You leap upward and forward so hard you reach the edge of space, and return to Earth having cleared approximately 1/24th of the circumference of the planet. (Jumping further than this would expose you to excessive sunlight and vacuum conditions.) Sadly, navigation is not included in this power, but you land within a few hundred miles of your target on a successful roll.

Presence
2. Scholar's Focus (Cost: Free, Duration: 1 scene) You have learned to suppress your own emotions and rely on cold logic. While this power is active, you may add your Presence score to all Mental rolls which would be aided by pure logic. This mostly involves Science, Technology, Academics, and Investigation rolls, though others may apply at the ST's discretion. While this is active, you can use no other Presence power.
2. Virtuoso (Cost: 1 Rouse) You are able to supernaturally enforce Performances. Entertain a live, in-person audience, perhaps with songs, political speeches, or even religious ritual. If you succeed on your usual Performance roll, all mortals in the audience regain a point of willpower.
2. Addict (Cost: 1 Rouse) When you use this power on a mortal one pleasurable activity they are currently enjoying becomes addictive. You cannot choose which activity. So, if someone is currently drunk and having sex, the ST would select which the subject is more likely to become addicted to. Roll Manipulation+Persuasion, difficulty is the subject's current willpower. The subject gains a new Conviction "Do anything to obtain this pleasure." The addiction lasts until they spend an xp to remove it, likely requiring psychotherapy, a 12-step program, etc.
4. Protege (Cost: an amount of xp chosen by the user, and 1 Rouse check) You can choose to grant your ghoul instant celebrity. Feed the ghoul once, in addition to their usual feedings, and random people decide they must know more about this person. Public fascination spreads, as the media picks up on the newest sensation. Mechanically, at the time of the feeding the sponsoring vampire gives the ghoul a pool of xp to spend on the Fame background, and other appropriate Backgrounds at the ST's discretion. The sponsoring vampire can reclaim the pool of xp by feeding on the protege, forcing them to acquire sufficient flaws to pay for their current level of success. Addictions and the of Infamy harsh critics are common choices.

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That's as far as I got.

[Leandro16]

This is just my opinion as ST and Player but honestly i don´t like the separate paths of the disciplines in V5 becuase it strips them of versatility , yes you can say it gives the players the ability to choose and this is good "in theory".The problem is that it takes away the simplicity of the masquerade and the options avalible arent full discipline levels but broken pieces of discipline levels so at the end of the day everything is less versatile.

Now just look in comparison to the way Protean is written in Requiem 2ED (the best vampire core ever) , it is cool , it is versatile and if you want to customize then you have the devotions to create extra discipline levels https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...MZwHJHot7s/pub Meanwhile in V5 protean each animal form is a separate level taking options from the players and making customization expensive.
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That said this is my homebrew version of celerity for my games , it is not build for V5 but by replacing the vitae comsumption with a rouse check you can port it completly or partially.

Level 1 Alacrity (Pasive)
The user adds his dots in celerity to defense and iniciative.This level also increases the movement speed by one point or 20 km/h for each dot in the discipline.

Level 2 Crimsom Blink (One Vitae/Rouse check)
The vampire impulsates himself at great speeds covering 50 meters in an instant.This is great for persecutions and also allows to make an extra attack that always deals the dots of celerity in damage , this is meant to replace the classic extra actions without being broken due the damage being Fixed.

Level 3 Bullet Time (One vitae/One Rouse check per scene)
The vampire can now acelerate his reflexes to be able to track down bullets in the middle of the fight being able to dodge them with his defense.For V5 players this is just the rapid reflexes level

Level 4 Bullet Punch (Pasive)
When you activate bullet time all the physical attacks you make are like bullets and this not only means that they deal letal damage but also that they ignore defense unless the enemy can dodge bullets or other attacks of similar speed.Note In V5 as there is not letal damage (A big mistake) this level just makes superficial damage but it is not halved.

Level 5 Flower of Death (Pasive)
When you activate bullet time and ONLY if you have the highest iniciative you can make and extra attack at the beginning of the turn that causates 5 levels of FIXED letal damage or superficial unhalved damage to ALL the oponents , the idea behind this is that a true celerity user is able to finish a combat before it even starts.

[Nosimplehiway]

Leandro16
You are right about VtR2's Protean. It is flexible and allows for lots of player creativity. I especially like that they front-load Unmarked Grave.

[Muad'Dib]

Wow! Funny you should ask. I was just writing this yesterday...

(...)

Presence

2. Virtuoso (Cost: 1 Rouse) You are able to supernaturally enforce Performances. Entertain a live, in-person audience, perhaps with songs, political speeches, or even religious ritual. If you succeed on your usual Performance roll, all mortals in the audience regain a point of willpower.

When is this Power used - at start, during, or at the end of a performence ? Also, does a person have to be part of the audience for some amount of time ( a considerable part of the performence, for example ) or during specific moments ( when this Power is used, or at start of a performence, for example ) to regain a point of Willpower ?

Presence

4. Protege (Cost: an amount of xp chosen by the user, and 1 Rouse check) You can choose to grant your ghoul instant celebrity. Feed the ghoul once, in addition to their usual feedings, and random people decide they must know more about this person. Public fascination spreads, as the media picks up on the newest sensation. Mechanically, at the time of the feeding the sponsoring vampire gives the ghoul a pool of xp to spend on the Fame background, and other appropriate Backgrounds at the ST's discretion. The sponsoring vampire can reclaim the pool of xp by feeding on the protege, forcing them to acquire sufficient flaws to pay for their current level of success. Addictions and the of Infamy harsh critics are common choices.

Does the Ghoul affected by this Power have to act in a suitable way for the described results to happen ? Or does it mostly work regardless of what she ( or he ) does, as long as she is around other persons ?

[Nosimplehiway]

Onward with the Homebrew!

Protean
1. Hound Dog Nose (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You have altered your sense of smell to match that of a scent-hound, or other predator. You may add your Protean score to all attempts to track or find a target, such as a person or object you have smelled before.
2. Spider Climb (Cost: Free, Duration: As long as desired) You can climb vertical surfaces as easily as walking across a floor. Climbing across horizontal surfaces, like ceilings, and slippery or very smooth surfaces, like glass, is possible at half speed. This clinging ability requires contact with all four limbs to support your weight, so it is impossible to carry items or wield items. The ST may allow you a Dexterity+Athletics roll to perform simple actions like opening a window or carrying a flashlight.
2. Envenomed Bite (Cost: Free) You have developed poison glands behind your fangs. When feeding on a mortal you may choose to dose them with this venom. The venom does 1 point of damage per level of Protean. (see V5, p310 for details on poisons)
2. Chrysalis (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: One Scene) Not every Protean transformation must be freakish or savage. Nearly every complex animal uses sexual attraction of some sort. You have learned to change your form to perfect your natural assets. This power doesn't disguise your identity; you still look like you, just a vastly improved version. Roll Stamina+Etiquette. The difficulty to suppress a Looks disadvantage is equal to its value (ie 2 successes for Repulsive, 1 for Ugly). Likewise, the difficulty to gain "Beautiful" is 2, and for "Stunning" is 4. Multiple uses of this power can be active at one time, in theory, changing someone who is Repulsive to Stunning. (Note: Nosferatu are able to learn this power, however, using it inflicts a level of agg damage.)
3. Adaptation (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: Until the following sunset) You can adopt a variety of animal traits which allow you to comfortably exist in inhospitable environments, such as thick fur for cold, lizard scales for heat, or a semi-gelatinous form for extreme ocean depths. Such environments do not harm you when this power is active. These adaptations likely make you appear clearly inhuman, and provide no protection against attacks, fire, or sunlight.
3. Ferocious Weapons (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 scene) This power is identical to Feral Weapons, except it also does aggravated damage to supernatural creatures, including vampires. This is one of the few discipline powers nearly every Kindred agree has no place in civilized vampire society, as its only purpose is to bring final death to fellow kindred. Blood hunts against those who learn it are not unheard of. Few such hunts have been successful, of course.
4. Totemic Change (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: One scene) This power functions exactly like the level 3 power "Shape Change" except you can change into multiple animals. You always gain the form of the last animal you completely drained. If that was a human, this power is not available.
4. Spying Homunculus (Cost: 1 level of agg damage, Duration: Until the following sunset) You take a small chunk of your body, remove it, and leave it behind. From any distance, you can use sight and hearing through this remnant to spy on the area where it was left. It is destroyed by exposure to a single level of damage, a small amount of flame, or any sunlight.
4. Sleep Temple (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: 1 day or more, or until disturbed) This power is identical to Earth Meld, except you can meld into any object with a mass at least double your own.
5. Cheating the Scales of Thoth (Cost: Special, Duration: 1 scene) You are not as bound by your Blood Potency as other vampires. You can raise or lower your Blood Potency with a Stamina+Occult roll, 1 level per success. If you lower it, you gain 1 stain for each level you remove as the Beast rebels against the assault. A lowered Blood Potency lasts until the next sunrise. If you raise your Blood Potency, the effect lasts for 1 scene, at the end of which you are exhausted and famished. Remove all temporary willpower, and raise Hunger to 5.

[Nosimplehiway]

When is this Power used - at start, during, or at the end of a performence ? Also, does a person have to be part of the audience for some amount of time ( a considerable part of the performence, for example ) or during specific moments ( when this Power is used, or at start of a performence, for example ) to regain a point of Willpower ?

It would take at least a half-hour or so of performing to build up to the crescendo, but, yeah, it would be a specific moment for the audience. You miss it, you miss out. That'll teach 'em to go to the washroom during a Victoria Ash concert.

Does the Ghoul affected by this Power have to act in a suitable way for the described results to happen ? Or does it mostly work regardless of what she ( or he ) does, as long as she is around other persons ?

The ghoul has an easier time of it if they have actual merit in their own right, but it will happen whether they deserve it or not. They may not even need to be around other people for it to work.

I was inspired by the physical disciplines that grant power like Draught of Might, and Draught of Elegance. The ghoul is surrounded by a supernatural aura which makes them incredibly interesting to others. Anything they do becomes a public sensation. Random people ask for selfies at the laundromat. Pizza shops brag on their social media that the ghoul eats there. Local journalists ask the ghoul their opinion on political issues, even if they have never voted. If the ghoul does anything at all that is worthy of notoriety (good or bad) it goes viral overnight.

Of course, with the proper management (ie complete subservience to the vampire who made them a star), it can be a rocket ride to fame and fortune... even if no one can quite figure out why they're famous.

This is not just out of the goodness of the vampire's heart, of course. On the one hand, there's no guarantee fame will be as nice as the ghoul thought it would be. On the other hand, it's all borrowed luster. Being famous can be quite addictive in itself, and viewed from that angle, the patron looks more like a pusher.

The vampire can take it all back at any time with a single bite. That's the real impact of this power, the ability to have a long list of celebrities, politicians, and religious leaders whose entire career is yours to make or break. Remember, when those xp are reclaimed the fame doesn't just go away. It remains, and creates an xp deficit in the ghoul. Disadvantages quickly arise to balance the books. Addiction, family drama, poverty, stalkers, scandal, rivalries, and the incessant prying eyes of the paparazzi can ruin anyone's life. Being elected prime-minister or being on the cover of all the magazines is little comfort when your patron takes the training wheels off, and it all goes to shit.

[Muad'Dib]

Level 3 Bullet Time (One vitae/One Rouse check per scene)
The vampire can now acelerate his reflexes to be able to track down bullets in the middle of the fight being able to dodge them with his defense.For V5 players this is just the rapid reflexes level

This Power seems much too narrow, as all it does is counter direct attacks with ranged weaponry. Did you think of any alternative ?

[Leandro16]

This Power seems much too narrow, as all it does is counter direct attacks with ranged weaponry. Did you think of any alternative ?

Honestly the level is pretty good becuase it also counters partially celerity 4 (Ignoring defense is a big deal in close combat) , enchances more the bonus of celerity in iniciative , speed and defense not to mention the fact that when you activate it you also activate the level 4 if you have it becuase the idea behind my redesign of celerity is that the levels do not only stack but also sinergize with each other to give a mechanical explanation of High Speed Combat that also progresses gradually (A level 4 should not blitz a level 3 celerity user by ignoring his defense).

Metagame wise a character of celerity 5 would want to abuse his high iniciative to hit first , activate flower of death and cripple all his opponents at the begining of the turn and then use the third power and fourth power to not only be able to dodge but also make his attacks way tougher all while they are difficult to damage becuase of the high defense.This is a great build but not unbeatable (unlike the extra actions economy) as it can be countered and is balanced by fact the applied defense is substracted from the attack dicepools so the characters have to choose between doing full damage or limiting their firepower.

But if your want you can just mix the level 4 and 3 together and fill the gap with draught of elegance , i don´t do that becuase that goes against my idea of the discipline evolving progresively and the fact in my games is a common thing that level 4+ discipline users are able to teach them to others and also able to give temporal levels in physical disciplines up to the level 3 to any vampire or ghoul who drinks his blood.

[Muad'Dib]

Presence
2. Scholar's Focus (Cost: Free, Duration: 1 scene) You have learned to suppress your own emotions and rely on cold logic. While this power is active, you may add your Presence score to all Mental rolls which would be aided by pure logic. This mostly involves Science, Technology, Academics, and Investigation rolls, though others may apply at the ST's discretion. While this is active, you can use no other Presence power.

Does “Adding you Presence score” means adding a number of dice rolled ? If so, I think this is way too powerful, as it applies to all rolls ( instead of just one or a few attempts ) . I think within the rules this would make Vampire researchers, scholars, and scientists with Presence extremely skilled compared to those working without the aid of any special abilities ; as Presence 4-5 would increase the dice pools significantly ; and Presence 2-3 is also a major increase. It also gives the capability of succeeding excellently in tasks that a character has a relatively small dice pool ; so a literature researcher who has this power and Presence 5 could also be very adapt at science related research, and investigations, and using technology etc. The Toreador, the True Brujah, the Followers of Set, the Ventrue, and the Brujah would often be considered persons of great learning and varied inclinatons.
How does this Power work with extended rolls ?
I think the effect needs to be lessened. Either make it apply less often, make the character have to choose an area of interest or a field for this Power ( in this case, maybe additional areas of interest could be chosen if this Power is bought again ) or reduce the bonus. The Presence use limitation is a negligible one compared to the benefits of this Power.

Other than this – this Power should be used on others and it would be called Scholar's Muse in this case. This version should also have a lessened effect that I wrote about above. Though there is a question why such a distinct benefit would not be able to be directed by the Vampire on herself ( or himself ) . Maybe this Power could have two variants.

Overall I think that it is a good concept, but considering how often it could aid a character in regard to important and long-term activities and tasks, it's effect should be lessened, or there should be some additional limits or requirements.

[Nosimplehiway]

Muad'Dib

I see what you mean. Yes, it is either too large of a bonus, too broad of a power, or needs more downsides to its use. I suppose I could raise the level, but I like it being available to book-standard characters. It could be useful for nerdy concepts like Brujah Philosopher, Toreador Art Historian, or Setite Theologian. I don't want players to have to wait for that.

The Toreador, Followers of Set, Ventrue, and Brujah, are all, in their own way and in their own fields, thought of as being persons of great learning and varied inclinations. That said, the whole thing was a shout-out to the True Brujah. Well, that, and I've often thought the idea that Presence can also suppress emotion has been under-explored.

Hmmm, okay. What if shifting gears into pure-logic mode takes a significant amount of time, and it can't be used for off-the-cuff flashes of brilliance? If you're willing to put in the work and slog through the piles of data, you will eventually reach the most logical answer, but logic is a slow process.

So...

Level 2
Scholar's Focus

Rather than heightening emotions, the vampire removes all emotional bias, all sentimental attachment to previous conclusions, and all human fallacies from their unbeating heart. Vampires who often rely on this power may seem cold and distant, but none can deny the contributions they have made to academia.

Cost: One Rouse Check per re-roll

System: When the vampire makes a roll using Intelligence and a Mental skill, they may re-roll up to three non-Hunger dice as if they had spent Willpower. They may do so a number of times equal to their Resolve for any one test.

Each re-roll, however, doubles the amount of time it takes to arrive at an answer. So if the original test takes five minutes, re-rolling once takes an additional 10 minutes. Re-rolling a third time would take an additional 20 minutes. And, so on.

For the remainder of the scene no other Presence power can be used (any already active end), and any roll involving Charisma is penalized a number of dice equal to the number of re-rolls taken.

Duration: All re-rolls must be made in the same scene.

I've narrowed the focus of the skill enhanced to Intelligence only, rather than Mental. It now only pairs with Mental skills. So, an Intelligence+Crafts, or a Wits+Academics roll could not be enhanced.

I used the pre-existing mechanic of re-rolls to simplify the mechanic to one already used within the rules. This makes success more likely for the user, but doesn't raise the actual maximum number of successes possible. In effect, the vampire isn't any smarter, they just more reliably perform at their maximum.

I really like your idea of Scholar's Muse, maybe at a level or two higher. It fits well with many Presence-using vampires surrounding themselves with humans they patronize... in several senses.

[thebiglarpnerd]

Muad'Dib

I see what you mean. Yes, it is either too large of a bonus, too broad of a power, or needs more downsides to its use. I suppose I could raise the level, but I like it being available to book-standard characters. It could be useful for nerdy concepts like Brujah Philosopher, Toreador Art Historian, or Setite Theologian. I don't want players to have to wait for that.

The Toreador, Followers of Set, Ventrue, and Brujah, are all, in their own way and in their own fields, thought of as being persons of great learning and varied inclinations. That said, the whole thing was a shout-out to the True Brujah. Well, that, and I've often thought the idea that Presence can also suppress emotion has been under-explored.

Hmmm, okay. What if shifting gears into pure-logic mode takes a significant amount of time, and it can't be used for off-the-cuff flashes of brilliance? If you're willing to put in the work and slog through the piles of data, you will eventually reach the most logical answer, but logic is a slow process.

So...



I've narrowed the focus of the skill enhanced to Intelligence only, rather than Mental. It now only pairs with Mental skills. So, an Intelligence+Crafts, or a Wits+Academics roll could not be enhanced.

I used the pre-existing mechanic of re-rolls to simplify the mechanic to one already used within the rules. This makes success more likely for the user, but doesn't raise the actual maximum number of successes possible. In effect, the vampire isn't any smarter, they just more reliably perform at their maximum.

I really like your idea of Scholar's Muse, maybe at a level or two higher. It fits well with many Presence-using vampires surrounding themselves with humans they patronize... in several senses.

I'm slightly confused by how Presence, which is the force of personality, is translating to 'cold logic'. It would make more sense as an Auspex-based 'expanded consciousness' angle.

[Nosimplehiway]

thebiglarpnerd

The mechanical effect the power has could certainly be built using Auspex.

But, Presence works for this purpose. Presence isn't just "force of personality", it's the ability to manipulate other's emotions. In the most popular applications it says, "Love and worship me, because I am awesome!" (Awe, Entrancement, Majesty) In some it inspires fear or caution. (Dread Gaze, Daunt, Majesty)

In some previously published elder levels, Presence was extended to include reducing the intensity of emotions in a subject. "Cooperation", for example, reduced tensions in a group and made them work together more smoothly. Another early power in this vein was "Mind Numb", which drained others of their motivation and resolve.

This aspect of Presence, as a discipline which can minimize emotions, has often been mentioned as an application of the discipline.

If you think about it, for any emotion which is instilled in a target, there had to have been a pre-existing emotional state which is overwritten. This previous emotional state is implied to be minimized as a corollary to the new emotion taking precedence.

For example, in Awe the subject of the power may previously have felt boredom, inadequacy, or outright distaste for the user of the power, but with the power that underlying sentiment is replaced (that is, removed and replaced) with desire to be in the user's presence and feeling the confidence to do so. Likewise, Daunt replaces combat confidence with tactical caution, and Summoning replaces the desire to remain where you are and replaces it with a desire to go to the user.

The theory behind "Scholar's Focus" is that the user turns Presence upon themselves and removes all extraneous emotions and emotional biases. There is a long list of cognitive biases and logical fallacies which get in the way of intellectual achievement. Many grow from emotions of desire or fear.

For example, "confirmation bias" leads us to interpret new information as supportive of our pre-existing beliefs, even if the information could be interpreted as disputing those beliefs. At its base, this bias comes from a fear and aversion of the hard work of having to completely rewrite personal beliefs every time a contradictory piece of data appears.

By suppressing their own emotions, the user of the power is able to disentangle their personal biases from the actual data in front of them. This leads to more reliable intellectual performance. The downsides are that without the sort of risk-taking and creativity emotions engender, the user doesn't advance past their previous performance, and without the mental short-cuts of hunches, intuition, and the occasionally true bias, the task can take much longer.

Honestly, at the base of it all, my motivation for writing this power is that I have been hoping for twenty years to make sense of why and how the True Brujah, a bloodline with stunted emotions, make use of Presence.

[Muad'Dib]

It could be useful for nerdy concepts like Brujah Philosopher, Toreador Art Historian, or Setite Theologian. I don't want players to have to wait for that.

I agree that it is very characterful and evocative. There is also a Ventrue historian or law expert in regard to archetypal concepts. And a True Brujah scholar, of course.

The Toreador, Followers of Set, Ventrue, and Brujah, are all, in their own way and in their own fields, thought of as being persons of great learning and varied inclinations.

Yes, but this Power as originally written resulted in the Vampire being a supremely skilled polymath.“So she helped you with this, as well ? No, I don't have anything against a Toreador helping you with research regularly... it is just I wouldn't think she was so learned in regard to yet another field...when does she find the time for this, with all of these parties, galas, and balls ?” Now that it has re-rolls instead of additional dice it is no longer so.

That said, the whole thing was a shout-out to the True Brujah.

I had the notion of a Toreador scholar in my mind to such an extent that this didn't occur to me.

Level 2
Scholar's Focus

Rather than heightening emotions, the vampire removes all emotional bias, all sentimental attachment to previous conclusions, and all human fallacies from their unbeating heart. Vampires who often rely on this power may seem cold and distant, but none can deny the contributions they have made to academia.

Cost: One Rouse Check per re-roll

System: When the vampire makes a roll using Intelligence and a Mental skill, they may re-roll up to three non-Hunger dice as if they had spent Willpower. They may do so a number of times equal to their Resolve for any one test.

Each re-roll, however, doubles the amount of time it takes to arrive at an answer. So if the original test takes five minutes, re-rolling once takes an additional 10 minutes. Re-rolling a third time would take an additional 20 minutes. And, so on.

For the remainder of the scene no other Presence power can be used (any already active end), and any roll involving Charisma is penalized a number of dice equal to the number of re-rolls taken.

Duration: All re-rolls must be made in the same scene.

I've narrowed the focus of the skill enhanced to Intelligence only, rather than Mental. It now only pairs with Mental skills. So, an Intelligence+Crafts, or a Wits+Academics roll could not be enhanced.

Can this be used on an Intelligence+Intelligence roll ?
This seems balanced / sensible in regard to how much of a benefit it gives.
I think it should be anything with Intelligence, now that the benefit is less and there is the addition of having to spend more time.
I think the Charisma penalty is unnecessary, and I don't think a Presence Power should bring such a disadvantage to the Vampire using it.

Hmmm, okay. What if shifting gears into pure-logic mode takes a significant amount of time, and it can't be used for off-the-cuff flashes of brilliance?

I think it should be able to be used for such flashes of brilliance. After all, a scholar would have her ( or his ) insight at all times, and in all sorts of situations. Thus I think that rolls of Wits paired with Intelligence or a Mental Skill should also be able to benefit from this Power.

I used the pre-existing mechanic of re-rolls to simplify the mechanic to one already used within the rules. This makes success more likely for the user, but doesn't raise the actual maximum number of successes possible. In effect, the vampire isn't any smarter, they just more reliably perform at their maximum.

I was thinking that re-rolls would be more appropriate.

I really like your idea of Scholar's Muse, maybe at a level or two higher. It fits well with many Presence-using vampires surrounding themselves with humans they patronize... in several senses.

It does seem characterful – a talkative and attractive Toreador ( or a Vampire of another Clan ) dropping in to a scholar, inventor or a researcher buried in books or trying to solve some difficult problem, and using this Power while having some small talk.
Or a Vampire playing the part of a fellow scholar who comes in for a moment just to exchange a few comments. The affected person could reason that maybe it is the small amount of contact that makes the interactions so uplifting and inspiring.

thebiglarpnerd

The mechanical effect the power has could certainly be built using Auspex.

But, Presence works for this purpose. Presence isn't just "force of personality", it's the ability to manipulate other's emotions. In the most popular applications it says, "Love and worship me, because I am awesome!" (Awe, Entrancement, Majesty) In some it inspires fear or caution. (Dread Gaze, Daunt, Majesty)

In some previously published elder levels, Presence was extended to include reducing the intensity of emotions in a subject. "Cooperation", for example, reduced tensions in a group and made them work together more smoothly. Another early power in this vein was "Mind Numb", which drained others of their motivation and resolve.

This aspect of Presence, as a discipline which can minimize emotions, has often been mentioned as an application of the discipline.

If you think about it, for any emotion which is instilled in a target, there had to have been a pre-existing emotional state which is overwritten. This previous emotional state is implied to be minimized as a corollary to the new emotion taking precedence.

For example, in Awe the subject of the power may previously have felt boredom, inadequacy, or outright distaste for the user of the power, but with the power that underlying sentiment is replaced (that is, removed and replaced) with desire to be in the user's presence and feeling the confidence to do so. Likewise, Daunt replaces combat confidence with tactical caution, and Summoning replaces the desire to remain where you are and replaces it with a desire to go to the user.

The theory behind "Scholar's Focus" is that the user turns Presence upon themselves and removes all extraneous emotions and emotional biases. There is a long list of cognitive biases and logical fallacies which get in the way of intellectual achievement. Many grow from emotions of desire or fear.

For example, "confirmation bias" leads us to interpret new information as supportive of our pre-existing beliefs, even if the information could be interpreted as disputing those beliefs. At its base, this bias comes from a fear and aversion of the hard work of having to completely rewrite personal beliefs every time a contradictory piece of data appears.

By suppressing their own emotions, the user of the power is able to disentangle their personal biases from the actual data in front of them. This leads to more reliable intellectual performance. The downsides are that without the sort of risk-taking and creativity emotions engender, the user doesn't advance past their previous performance, and without the mental short-cuts of hunches, intuition, and the occasionally true bias, the task can take much longer.

Well, that, and I've often thought the idea that Presence can also suppress emotion has been under-explored.

Makes sense, Presence Powers are very varied in what they can do. Though I don't recall any of them affecting the Vampire who uses them, are there any ? I do like it as a concept.

Honestly, at the base of it all, my motivation for writing this power is that I have been hoping for twenty years to make sense of why and how the True Brujah, a bloodline with stunted emotions, make use of Presence.

I think that the True Brujah, in how it feels for them, have everything alright with their emotions ; it is just that by default they think and feel with a kind of clear, dispassionate contemplation. Thus, a True Brujah using Presence actually does so with an intensity comparable to other Vampires using Presence ; even if it differs considerably. That, or it is that the True Brujah use Presence without any considerable difference compared to other Vampires.

Additional comments in regard to the Discipline Powers you wrote-up :

Auspex
1. Courtesan's Acumen (Cost: Free, Duration: 1 roll) Making friends is easy when you give them what they want, and say what they want to hear. You roll Manipulation+Auspex while looking a person in the eye for a few seconds. Each success reveals one thing the subject wants. First are the most obvious ones, like money or love. Greater successes reveal deeper desires. When scanning vampires or ghouls, the first success always yields "blood".

What if a person has no desire or wants beyond the deeper ones, does this Power sense anything in regard to them with just one or two successes ?

Protean
3. Adaptation (Cost: 1 Rouse, Duration: Until the following sunset) You can adopt a variety of animal traits which allow you to comfortably exist in inhospitable environments, such as thick fur for cold, lizard scales for heat, or a semi-gelatinous form for extreme ocean depths. Such environments do not harm you when this power is active. These adaptations likely make you appear clearly inhuman, and provide no protection against attacks, fire, or sunlight.

Does this include adaptations that might aid in long-term travel, perception, accessing areas, or navigation ?

Fortitude
2: Plan B (Cost: Free, Duration: Passive) You apply the supernatural stasis which preserves vampires to your holdings and affairs. Add your Fortitude score to the difficulty of any attempt to endanger, penetrate, co-opt, or research your Backgrounds and Advantages. This power originated among the Ventrue, but has become quite popular among vampire IT professionals of every clan.

This needs some limits I think, it gives too considerable benefits that are directly useful. I suggest to make this require activation, and work only on one attempt ( or several, if several attempts are made against one Background or by the same person, for example ) at a time ; but there would be no need to specify which Background or Advantage would be protected. The Power would await the time that one of them is threatened and then work to counter the threat. After activation this Power cannot be used for some amount of time ; maybe it could be that it can be used one or two times per story, maybe more if a story lasts longer. Possibly it could be used more times with making some rolls and/or spending Willpower or Blood Points ; but I am not sure about this, as this Power is very strong and useful.

On what level does this Power work ? In regard to actions against Backgrounds, one could consider them to be a roll by ( for example ) a rival Vampire who is ordering and directing persons to perform activities. Or the particular activities of these persons could be considered to be actions against Backgrounds that this Power can counter. At which point does this Power counter an action ? What is considered an action ; does this Power counter the planning session of a group working against the Vampire who has this Power ? Or are the only actions countered the ones that are directly undertaken in regard to the Vampire's Backgrounds ?

Does it makes it harder for a person to convince others to act against a particular background ? How much of a mental component ( persons give less effort to tasks against the Vampire's Backgrounds ) , and how much of directly foiling activities ( persons fail at tasks for very unlikely and possibly contrived reasons ) Or does it work mainly by strengthening the inherent qualities and traits of Backgrounds ?

Can this Power affect Backgrounds shared with other Vampires ?

Also, I think it should be at least a level 3 Power, if not level 4 ; considering what the Power does is very complex.