Minor/Anomalous Clan: Shiryo, the Spectres

[Troller]

Heh, this looks like a popular theme. I made a home brew Clan myself called the Alukah which I nicknamed the Spectral.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...P7QR_OuPM/edit

Looks like we both drew from Blood Tenebrous (great discipline!) but added our own spins on the last two dots. I really like how you did your take. I hope you don't mind I share my own, and crib off of you a bit.

[Stupid Loserman]

By all means, Troller (and Yossarion, your Vrykolakas are welcome too if you care to share them)!

I like your expanded fluff for the Alukah; I didn't feel quite the need to repeat the full format for the Shiryo, as you can see.

Tenebrose looks a little up and down to me — Pulse of the Invisible and Ephemeral Blood are a little limited, I think, compared to the Blood & Smoke Disciplines (especially with the required activation rolls), while the Beast's Shadow is a big step up in power.
Consume Ephemera is interesting, although it feels a little more like a Devotion or a Discipline power for a bloodline concerned with memories, standing a little apart from the theme of the rest of Tenebrose.
I like the Consumption Manifestation a lot.
Is a specter's Blood Potency meant to translate directly to Rank or be divided somehow? It mentions rounding down but doesn't specify a division.
I probably wouldn't require a Devotion to use Dominate or Majesty on an ephemeral being, provided the vampire could perceive the being to initiate the use in the first place. I think it's interesting enough that the vampire needs to learn at least one Discipline across clan to pull a trick like this — and thus needs a taste of blood.
Spectral Blow feels more in step with the Tenebrose Discipline to me — I would personally probably put it at the three-dot level of Tenebrose, and bump the Beast's Shadow up to four dots. But that's me, and my choices are already reflected in Musubi anyway.
Consume Entity is very neat, I dig it.
Spirit Ear has some awkward mechanics inherited from pre-Blood & Smoke rules. You might as well just split it into a one-dot Merit and a two-dot Merit, since there's no difference in the new system between buying both of those and buying one three-dot Merit.

[Troller]

That's really good feedback, thanks. I'm impressed with you folks how your able to judge a framework based on seeing the product without having benifit of a blueprint for it. I'm constantly neurotically digging my nose in the book to see if I'm doing all right. I only wish my gaming group was so forthcoming and helpful.

Tenebrose looks a little up and down to me — Pulse of the Invisible and Ephemeral Blood are a little limited, I think, compared to the Blood & Smoke Disciplines (especially with the required activation rolls), while the Beast's Shadow is a big step up in power.

My design does keep closely too Blood Tenebrous because it was done years ago before B&S. My original inspiration was from the old video game Soul Reaver and Raziel in specific. I definitely see your point about the first two dots being underpowered due to activation costs. Beast's Shadow, well I always thought because it could only really be done in a place where the Gauntlet was weak or at a Loci meant it wasn't as versatile nor as reliable, so merited it's power. Generally it's what the werewolves do naturally. Plus that world brings its own dangers, especially if your going there physically.

Consume Ephemera is interesting, although it feels a little more like a Devotion or a Discipline power for a bloodline concerned with memories, standing a little apart from the theme of the rest of Tenebrose.

I likened it to a lesser Diablerie. Something spirits do to each other as well.

I like the Consumption Manifestation a lot.

Thanks, I felt that was very in keeping with Vamps.

is a specter's Blood Potency meant to translate directly to Rank or be divided somehow? It mentions rounding down but doesn't specify a division.

Yeah, during one of my rewrites I messed it up. Thanks for spotting.

I probably wouldn't require a Devotion to use Dominate or Majesty on an ephemeral being, provided the vampire could perceive the being to initiate the use in the first place. I think it's interesting enough that the vampire needs to learn at least one Discipline across clan to pull a trick like this — and thus needs a taste of blood.

Maybe I described it poorly? An ephemeral in twilight in my version can't be affected unless the kindred goes into twilight themselves or the ephemeral materializes. This devotion nulls that.

Spirit Ear has some awkward mechanics inherited from pre-Blood & Smoke rules. You might as well just split it into a one-dot Merit and a two-dot Merit, since there's no difference in the new system between buying both of those and buying one three-dot Merit.

Yeah, old merit. GMC and B&S doesn't necessary disqualify the merits from the old books so its a toss up how to handle them exactly.

I got to agree with a previous poster about it being s shame there's only a few common disciplines to choose to give to our clans. I see why you went with Obfuscate, a good choice. I think your form of Embracing puts a great spin on your Clan. I only wonder about ghouling ephmera. See most supernatural's can't be ghouled. Vitae addiction yes, blood bonds no. Pendragon (I think that was his board name) has a Coil of Spirits for the Ordo Dracul. There he has ephemera gain a new Influence, Blood. I think it might be a good way to go.

[Yossarian]

Would be interesting to see - how did you make him up in your game?

Well, it was actually mostly my player, but I had some input--favored attributes and what not. I'll post the bare bones rules. I've modified them a bit for B&S. I probably would have made them a liiiiiittle more like normal Kindred, but he insisted that we get it weird (we call his character "Clan Weirdo"):
Night Horror: Vrykolakas
Use all rules for Kindred in Blood and Smoke, unless otherwise noted:

• Vrykolakas cannot create the Vinculum or Ghouls.
• Vrykolakas Vitae cannot provide sustenance for other vampires.
• Vrykolakas are damaged by sunlight, but do not day sleep unless they desire to. Instead, they must spend the whole of every Saturday completely comatose in their haven.
• Vrykolakas cannot use the blush of Health, but their bodies are functionally alive in most senses:
  • Their hearts pump, they can have sex, their hair and fingernails grow, they breathe and can be suffocated. Vrykolakas can even eat and digest food.
  • A Vrykolakas can also bear or sire children, though the child is inevitably monstrous.
  • A Vrykolakas’ body does not cleanse after each day. Any changes they make to themselves are permanent.
• A Vrykolakas's body swells upon its death, and gains a ruddy complexion, like it’s just heavily exerted itself. Its skin is tight as a drum, and actually sounds like one when struck.
• Vrykolakas cannot blood buff. Blood has little to do with a Vrykolakas’ power.
• Vrykolakas breath steal for their sustenance. This is similar in most respects to feeding. They cannot inflict the Scarred or Swooning Conditons when feeding.
• Vrykolakas can never draw sustenance from animals or other vampires, but they may always feed on humans. They cannot commit diablerie, and likewise it cannot be performed on them.
• Vrykolakas suffer from a number of banes:
  • A Vrykolakas cannot enter a private home unless a door or a window is left open. She may only ever knock on a particular door once per night. This lead to the Greek superstition of not opening a door unless someone knocks more than once.
  • Vrykolakas may not cross an unbroken line of salt.
  • Vrykolakas cannot enter torpor.
  • Staking does not paralyse a Vrykolakas
  • Fire deals lethal instead damage to Vrykolakas, but lightning and electricity do deal aggravated damage.
• Vrykolakas do not have a Beast. They never check for fear frenzy or Rotschreck, and cannot create the Predator’s Aura. Instead of anger frenzies, they experience Hamartia:
  • Vrykolakas find themselves compelled to vengeance and fear mongering. When someone angers a Vrykolakas, she must roll herHumanity (use the usual modifiers for an anger frenzy). If she fails, they take on the Hamartia Condition, which forces them to seek eye-for-an-eye revenge against the offender. Until the Condition is resolved, the Vrykolakas can only spend Willpower in pursuit of her vengeance. The Condition is resolved when their vengeance is complete.
  • Vrykolakas do experience the equivalent of hunger frenzy, though it is colder than that of Kindred.
• The following Disciplines are in-clan: Auspex, Cachexy, Protean, Resilience, and Vigor. The equivalent of the Thaumaturgy Path Movement of the Mind is considered an in-clan discipline for Vrykolakas.
• They may not learn any other disciplines, though they may learn blood sorcery.
• Their favored attributes are Manipulation or Stamina.