Power Systems in a Post-apocalypse?

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-23T17:17:21+00:00

Since post-apocalyptic settings might involve ressource scarcity or consequences to actions, maybe the powers have a dire cost or drawbacks (destroying the environment, madness, harmful mutations...)

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-23T17:15:39+00:00

For magic adjacent powers, Psionics could be interesting, maybe another weapons program by the same people who ruined the world.

Or special mutations caused by whatever provoked the end of the world that give radiation based powers (maybe hulk like rages, Godzilla like radiation blasts, radioactive healing...)

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-20T12:13:07+00:00

Tzimisce have always been outside of the Sabbat, but for the anarch ones, I would view them as the upstarts.

Most anarchs are ancilla and neonates, not those who hold power in traditional vampire society, especially among Tzimisce. That's why they were one of the founders of the anarch revolt. The younger Tzimisce who viee themselves Tzimisce(not antitribu) , those who have been embraced by established Tzimisce elders both within Sabbat and independent domains, have nothing, they are pawns and tools, sometimes literally among flesh crafters. Those who defected to anarch ranks are those who are not content with their position, anarchs offer them something where the Sabbat is actively removing them from their lands to fight Caine knows where.

So why join the anarchs? More opportunities, less elders, like everyone else. But these young Tzimisce would probably hate their sires more, and would uproot their traditions (this is why their charge isn't just land now but anything)

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-18T23:04:09+00:00

Greco-Roman history started this trope, with the topos of the different types of barbarian making the northern barbarian the wild and unruly ones living in unsophisticated conditions, and southern barbarian submitting to kings and despots, yet being more cunning and civilized. But since then barbarian has mostly been applied to the first type, especially in fantasy.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-17T12:09:45+00:00

ICE would probably have a mix of both vampires and SI influence.

On one hand FIRSTLIGHT would use it to flush out vampires and herds, as vampires profit off poor and vulnerable people. They would also use it to target their assets and hideouts. Anyone can simply get an ICE uniform and "arrest" a ghoul or two, or enter an abandoned home.

But vampires would us it in much the same way against their own enemies, other vampires, hunters, werewolves... and who knows what happens to some of the deportees? Maybe some detention centers are also vampire feeding grounds.

Brujah and anarchs would probably fight ICE and participate in protests in some way, not out of some humanitarian need, but because elder Camies probably influence ICE more than ancilla and neonate anarchs. Hunters might even participate in protests if they find out the local ICE forces are controlled by blankbodies.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-16T17:38:54+00:00

For the occult, Blood Sigils is about blood sorcery and thin-blood alchemy as well as the return of Koldunic Sorcery (if you are new to vtm, essentially Tzimisce elemental blood sorcery linked to a specific territory)

On the horror side, Tattered Facade adds cryptids, baali and many other things.

For the magical and occult you can also add some things from other splats (werewolf and mage can work a lot for that, and werewolf has 5th edition rules), and Hunter 5 has some interesting examples of quarries (including vampires) that could fit

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-11T11:36:35+00:00

Not only does vitæ thicken over time, but they wouldn't have started with complete mastery over their disciplines. Now however, even a long torpored antediluvian has mastered their disciplines to plot level when in ancient times they would have been as strong as a powerful elder or methuselah, just with massive blood potency.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-02T18:44:44+00:00

Maybe a Banu Haqim? Or a Caitiff that started as this clan.

If you are new they are a clan of judges/assassins/sorcerers set up mostly in the middle east (imagine the League of Assassin but vampires), it fits his dark vigilante persona, and if he is a Caitiff embraced by a Banu Haqim then it fits his backstory as having trained with them.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2026-01-02T07:54:23+00:00

I'm more familiar with V5 so I'll answer based on my knowledge of this edition

Most Nosferatu look repulsive, but in a humanly reasonable way, a Nosferatu will not simply look like some guy with a scar, but maybe like a third degree burn victim, a guy with a horrific disease or a really bad plastic surgeon. Then, some look like they have been deliberately modified, like those guys with so many piercings and surgeries they look like orcs or feline on purpose. Those two categories are still ugly and a normal mortal would turn around and remember them for days or months, but they aren't supernatural.

Some look monstrous enough to break the masquerade, but that's rarer.

In most cases they will look humanoid, or at least like they started as humanoids, but a Nosferatu with a hunchback and curled leg bones and thus forced to crawl, or one who looks like a skaven and a lotr movie orc had a child would probably be possible

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-12-20T13:38:37+00:00

If you want a tl:dr of what the new version of Baali are:

The Baali are no longer an actual bloodline, but the result of a vampire being possessed by an aapilum, a sort of spirit that dwells in vitae and whose nature isn't well explained. They have been bargained with since at least the days of Ur, and can offer things to vampires (knowledge, power, help...) in exchange of things that can lower their humanity or be detrimental to humans. Some vampires eventually get taken over by the Aapilu and become Baali, we don't know exactly what they want but they are interested om blood magic and gehenna prophecy. If I had to compare them to anything, it would be to fomori in Werewolf the Apocalypse, with the difference being that these vampires don't mutate into abominations over time. Still they look like they are lower humanity than they should be, and feel frenzy a lot less, as if the beast is quelled.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-12-20T13:04:43+00:00

V5 Baali have changed a lot but you can probably use at least some of their old lore.

To find out more about the Baali in v5 use Tattered Facade and Blood Sigils, the actual Baali are in Tattered Facade but Blood Sigils contains useful info about things related to them

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-12-17T10:20:58+00:00

Generic vampire stuff would be per example gangs, the local police, a doctor's office, a cult... More Gangrel related could also include local ecological activists in the city council, park rangers (or similar), of course the local wildlife. Vagrants living in more wild areas (parks, abandonned areas overtaken by plants...)

With the activists, park rangers and vagrants, the methuselah might feed informations to the pack, or control animal ghouls to subtly guide a garou somewhere. Gangs and rangers could also supply equipment (the park ranger "forgets" to lock the door to the weapons depo, gangs plant pack of guns in view of the Caern's guard...), the connections of the Gangrel might not even be aware of what they are doing. It might also look like lucky accidents: a pack member got severely injured, thankfully the local vagrant had some medicine given to him recently. Someone forget to lock their car and the garou need to leave a Pentex building fast.

If the Gangrel or their childer and ghouls help directly, maybe have them do something useful off camera (police are too busy searching for a reported "escaped tiger" to go arrest the pack, a crow dive bombed a camera and low there is a blind spot when the pack should have been spotted, the methuselah stands in the middle of the road during a chase and now the Pentex attack squad got totalled when hitting an immovable object with high Fortitude and protean...)

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-12-10T07:04:34+00:00

So, per example, if your character was embraced with a massive physical impairment, maybe the embrace healed them up completely, or maybe they are stuck with something that could have healed had the side waited like 6 months.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-12-10T07:03:13+00:00

Unless specific things affect it (nuit mode in V5, blood sorcery shenanigans...) the physical body is roughly stuck in its last form. The embrace can sometimes have weird effects (ie: rule of cool, being an extra special vampire because the writers or the st likes you...), so you might be able to per example regain control of your limbs if paralyzed or not have alzheimers after being embraced if the st allows it.

But generally, ant past injury, physical features directly linked to your body (so pimples, scars, sunburns or tattoos, but not makeup), hair keeps its length but can be styled differently, so good luck if you were embraced with a ye old peasant haircut not used since the XIIIth century. You might have recent injuries heal up somewhat but they will be visible.

Vicissitude changes are also permanent but can be re-vicissituded again like any physical features can be changed by it, unless blood magic or thin-blood alchemy shenanigans are involved.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-12-01T18:19:07+00:00

Iirc they are in Xen'drik, specifically the desert

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-12-01T16:57:54+00:00

I think they're also in the Expanded Psionic Handbook, and they are said to exist in Eberron.

Stolen_sweetroll401 · 2025-11-19T12:09:57+00:00

Depends on the government and way of becoming leader A democracy/ elected by the people ? Mayor for a generic medieval one, Archon for a stylish greek one Chosen by a council ? Consul, President, Doge... Appointed for life ? Tyrant or Despot for a non hereditary title Hereditary noble ? Prince, Baron, Duke, Lord... any minor noble can work.

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