Disciplines and Dread Powers

[RogerD]

Okay so just re-reading some of my books, had a long time away, so getting re-familiarised so to speak.
But I started to wonder.

What is the difference between vampire disciplines and dread powers? Narratively speaking they seem very much the same, but I am guessing it is more of a game mechanics things that sets them apart?

[proindrakenzol]

Dread Powers are designed to be single-shot abilities that an ST can use to build a generic monster.

Disciplines, and the other powers that are designed for PC gamelines, are designed to fit within a particular theme and are balanced around how many experience points are required to obtain them (or more of them).

So, yes, it's mostly game mechanics.

[RogerD]

Dread Powers are designed to be single-shot abilities that an ST can use to build a generic monster.

Disciplines, and the other powers that are designed for PC gamelines, are designed to fit within a particular theme and are balanced around how many experience points are required to obtain them (or more of them).

So, yes, it's mostly game mechanics.

Thanks mate, that is brilliant.

[Griautis]

Not necessary a generic monster either, quite possibly a unique monster, which simply does not follow the lines of the more predominant supernatural splats.

[Tessie]

Generic as in non-specific; in this case monsters that doesn't have writeups or established rules.

[Draconis]

Note that the 2e Vampire corebook turns "Dread Powers" into Discipline-esque progressions for Strix to use. If you want to use Strix but don't want to deal with that, throw out all the progression stuff, detach it all from Shadow Potency, and give Strix any Dread Powers that are appropriate (from the Requiem book or the Hunter book or the blue book or whatever).

But I think Requiem's the only one that does it that way. All other books use "Dread Powers" as the name for monster abilities for STs to use, without any more structure than that.