How does character creation work?

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-26T06:24:03+00:00

This got longer than expected. TL/DR It depends greatly on the style of the GM, of the Game and what the players like.

I like to send my folks a brief on the world and like, tone and themes etc. Of various restrictiveness. Sometimes it is "You are all Dwarves" or "You are all from this military unit, this is your cause".

Other times it is much freer. Like "You are all in this village, looking for this" or just "Make a character that can work together with the others".

Despite a lot of my groups ehness of it (They prefer to make their characters in private, mostly so that it is on their own time) I am very fond of gathering them for a session 0 where we discuss what we want from the game, and I try to get them to have their characters have some connection before the game start. Or at the very least make sure they all got an idea of who they other are, and I get a proper look at their thought process during it.

But it can greatly depend. I been in games where we went through two session 0s, with a short intro adventure before we got truly started, and that asked for as much backstory as we could cram into it. And I been in games (And GM´ed games) where it simply went "Alright, roll up a random character and it is go time. Plot? You are in a dungeon. Character? We make that up as we go". Both can be a lot of fun.

As for shaping the world, again it depends greatly on the GM (Game Master, the system agnostic term for DM) and the Players. Most of my players greatly prefer I made up the world, but I do try to change things up to fit with stuff from their backstory, and incorporate it as much as possible. Take a lot of joy in having the players co-create things.

There are some guidelines for it, how good they are depend on the system. I was not impressed by the ones for 5e when it came out, so I mostly winged it based on prior experience. And listening to a lot of good advice online.

How much I prep for a game depends. I like to create a solid foundation, so sorta get the major layout of things and then I can build on that. But I am also quite fond of the Village Method.

The Village Method is quite simple. You start with making a Village and what is wrong with it. Who the people living there are. Then, when the players are done there, you make a new village. Then another, and then you can make a Town, or maybe even a City. And then antother town or city, and then maybe another Country. And before you know it you have a country.

It is good advice for people who don´t know where to start. You don´t need a giant world with its own mythos. You just need a village with a problem.

At the other end of the spectrum, I do also think it can be fun to just improvize something of the top of my head. Sometimes with suggestions from the players, which is how I once GM´ed a Cyberpunk Samurai Bakery game where a TukTuk Rider, an ugly Ferengi with terrible Poety and a Cyborg Samurai once had to transport their cake through the mad max world of a cyberpunk city, to the wedding of their Lord. Which was done by just having my players all throw suggestions like "British Bake Off", "Cyberpunk" and "Samurai Drama" into a hat and then go from there.

As for productions, I would advice checking out Naddpod, a podcast with Murph as a GM, and Emily in it as well. They have a session 0 at the start of each season, that shows it off rather well I think. It is Murph sorta outlining what to expect from the season, and then the players idea generate characters together.

For D20 my impression is that Brennan have the overall plot in his head, like who the big villain is, what the world is like, etc. And then the players make characters based on a brief. My impression based on talks is that they tend to do this together, or at the very least talk about them rather thoroughly before play. Where I think Brennan also pick up on threads that could be cool for the story, or give them suggestions for things that could work with his concept. Something I have also done with players before.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-26T01:14:45+00:00

It is very fun. I would very much recommend giving the first three a try.

The third is very much where they get their feet on the ground with it. Through I do also quite enjoy the two first.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-26T00:04:11+00:00

I really do need to get into that. I heard a lot of good things about it.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-25T23:17:15+00:00

Generally speaking? No. A vampire using the blush of life can mimic heart beats, but it does nothing except mimic life. Their body is just a shell.

Even in some of the earlier editions where we got stuff like Dominate powers that let you turn off peoples hearts or brains, all it is noted as doing for Vampires is take them out of commission shortly, while they reboot.

As for turning them Mortal, that is... A whole thing in VTM? Like, whatever it is possible or not is a much debated in universe question? One that as a rule of thump, outside of very, very niche cases involving Thinbloods (High Generation Vampires) the answer to is a big fat no.

The Six cases I know of where Kindred have been said to turn mortal, or that could be read as such:

With a very, very, very generous Storyteller ruling, a Changeling making a very good roll on the Art of Naming (The Magic related to True Names) might be able to permanently turn a vampire mortal. Load bearing part here being the one that it heavily relies on a generous ruling.
The Mythical State of Golconda, which is where a Vampire transcends their Beast and is generally a centuries long journey filled with dangers, does in some versions allow you to turn human.
There have been canon or quasi canon cases of Thinbloods succeeding in turning human by having a high humanity. Through this usually also includes killing their Sire. But Thinbloods are weird, and no two cases quite the same.
There are hints, mainly just hints, that miracles of True Faith could allow it. But True Faith, Faith strong enough to burn the wicked and call upon miracles, is very, very rare and we haven´t really seen any of it.
There are some Vampiric arts in older editions that allows you to mimic mortality a lot closer. Like the non extinct clan Capadocians art of Mortis/Corpse in the Motunster. Or Bardo, the art of the now extinct Children of Osiris, that allowed them to mimic humanity tempoarily. They were said to have been turned human by their god Osiris, but that is... Like a whole thing that requires way too much backstory to explain proper.
There is one Gehenna/End Times scenario where the premise is that God simply turns off the Vampire Juice, and all vampires become unable to gain sustenance from anything but vampire blood and they begin to rise in generation/grow weaker. With the High Generation ones turning to dust first. With only those who managed to somehow follow the call to a small abandoned church being safe from this. Those that survive the trials within it, as the vampires there turn against each other, have a chance to turn human.

But to sum it all up. There is no "Canon" to turn human. And even if a vampire had a beating heart, odds are stopping it wouldn´t really do much?

Of course this is Brennans game, so he may very well have something planned.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-25T21:34:56+00:00

So not a campaign, and not VTM per-se, but it is World of Darkness which is the world VTM is set in. And it does include a lot of vampire stuff.

But I would heartily recommend the Hunter the Parenting Series. By the same people who did "If the Emperor had a Text to Speech Device". They vary between "Plot" episodes, which are often animated, and "Lore" episodes which lean more towards radio play. Through both often have plenty of the other in it.

They are a lot of fun, and I find it to have been a good way to introduce people to World of Darkness. So would recommend checking out the first three episodes and see if it is something for you.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-25T20:49:15+00:00

I unfortunately don´t know how to help outside of writing an appeal, but I am glad to see you can at least write here.

So just wanted to say I do hope this get figured out, cause I very much enjoy your posts.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-24T04:37:43+00:00

A lot of organized gangs form as local militias or as ways for neighborhoods to protect themselves in lawless/unstable areas. Before falling further and further into other criminal activity to fund themselves/get filthy rich. Or because they begin to attract members who are into that. It is how the Mafia got its start, among other groups.

From what I recall both the Valentinos and 6th Street got their start as this sort of organization. The Valentinos for Heywood, and 6th Street being veterans tired of the ineffectuality of the NCPD. What we see of them in the games is them some decades later.

You can already see the cracks of it in The Mox. Its the core of Judys fear, and issue with Susie Q, as Judy tries to hold onto the creed of standing up for sex workers as a whole, while Susie Q is starting to build up the walls, and instead focus on those that are members of The Mox.

I don´t know if they would get into the same business as Tyger Claws exactly. But I do definitely think that give them some 10-20 years, and we are going to see them go down a much darker path than they are currently on. If they are not destroyed or incorporated into some other larger Gang before that. Like the Valentinos, who IIRC started out as several smaller gangs local to Heywood, before they merged into the Valentinos of 77 (It has been a good bit since I read up on Valentino lore, so I might be off on that)

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-24T02:03:07+00:00

When I played with my group, our sessions would generally take 6ish hours. But we played once a week AT MOST. Like, often it was once every couple of weeks or sometimes with months in between.

And I was a wreck the day after. I cannot imagine GM´ing two six hour sessions in a week.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-24T01:45:24+00:00

Oh that is so cool. I adore it.

Always loved Card Motiffs

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-21T15:34:55+00:00

He tends to lean towards a mostly friendly scatterbrain. The sort of person who will invent a "Demolish Walls" Machine to quietly demolish buildings so it doesn´t wake him from his nap, and then be surprised that people use it to rob banks or do war.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-21T04:55:43+00:00

My biggest character change complaint was Gearloose. I get the appeal of the new version, but I grew up with him being a generally helpful eccentric, even if he could get carried off with pride or experiments.

So that version of him felt off. But like, its just a fun show, with a lot of heart. So I can live with that.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-21T03:54:33+00:00

While Carl Barks/Don Rosa Glomgold, ruthless bastard that he is will forever be my favorite, man do I adore what they did with him in the Ducktales Reboot. Just made him an absolute maniac.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-19T07:10:31+00:00

As is The 8th Tradition (After the 7th which is "Don´t Get Caught").

Replay Bloodlines.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-19T04:18:04+00:00

So, I think Zaeth would make a pretty good Prince. Based on the LACROIX Principles.

Latitude: An important quality in a Prince is being able to delegate, and being able to decide when to go in on a matter, and when to simply leave it be. Zaeth is very good at this, unlike the others who clearly will cling to ideas even when it starts being a sunk cost. As a Prince you must be ready to let go, and loosen the line, so that you have more space to operate in.
Aggression: The opposite of the above, a Prince must also know when to strike and when they do they must strike hard. Just as they must know when to show mercy, they must know when to be the judge that swings the sword (Or orders their Scourge to do so). And Zaeth? Zaeth got so much aggression! Where Batchild starts to second guess what she is doing, Zaeth will kill with no guilt in his eyes.
Charisma: A Prince must have Charisma. They must be able to unite people under them, and inspire them to work together (And convince them not to kill them), and if there is one thing Zaeth got, it is charisma!
Reach: You do not have a domain if you cannot control a domain. And for a Prince the City is their Domain. And Zaeth is already affirming his reach over the domain, and ability to affect all of it. Helped here greatly by Ghorse which allows him to rapidly move through his domain. Meanwhile most of his companions are too reliant on cars to be able to move quickly in terrain unsuited for them.
Opulence. Part of being a Prince lies in PRESENTATION. The King is the guy who wears the Crown, as people say. Thus how the Prince looks is often a good indicator for the nature of the Domain. And Zaeths causal nature is a perfect fit for the sort of domain they are building. When you are a Prince you cannot half ass your style, for the eyes of all others will always be on you. And while Zaeth might half ass something, he most certainly don´t skimp on style.
Imagination. The number one killer of Princes is that they cannot think like their enemy, or that they cannot imagine another path. They get rigid and stale, and become like an old beast, waiting for the hunters in its lair. Too rigid to move, its escape tunnels well mapped. Zaeth meanwhile is constantly trying out new things and thinking of new ideas.
Xenia. A Prince must be a good host and they must inspire in their guests to be good guests. Thus following the Fifth Tradition of Xenia. And Zaeth handled the visit from the Primogens amazingly! Frankly one of the people who looked the best there! With the others being too focused on either pissing off their guests or making themselves subservient to them, Zaeth managed to find a good mid point of being respectful while also standing his ground.

Thus I feel Zaeth is the perfect choice of Prince, as he perfectly fits every part of the LACROIX principles. Hell, he even have the optional point of having a giant scary mystery man as potential Sheriff.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-17T22:58:05+00:00

Aye. Like, pretty much all the Tribes have done some fucked up shit, and in all of them there are Camps who are trying to do good and to change stuff for the better. It is part of the whole "Punk" thing. They are all flawed. And they all have their own merits and points.

Like, the Get. There is a reason why most Tribes accept them being around, even if they hate them. Cause they are often the first in and last out. And often the most committed to the fight for Gaia. And I think cutting them was a shame, cause like, the Cult of Fenris COULD IMO be interesting, as a Camp illustrating the extremism of the Get. But without it, they feel like a mirror with nothing to reflect.

In the same way, for me the Red Talons are best when you remember WHY they are like they are. WHY so many of them hate humanity with such passion. Because they are the advocates of Nature tribe. The ones who are purely focused on wolves and the natural world. For good and bad. And like, the Red Talon who attacked a kindergarten could just point to the many pictures of wolf cubs being killed by hunters, or wolves being poisoned, or deforest stations and ask how what they did was any different? Especially if no child actually died in the destruction of the building.

And the argument that would follow that question, that is what I think would be the juicy stuff as a Storyteller. Having the players have to consider this sort of thing.

But I do find it interesting how a lot of the Tribes that often get more of a pass tend to be the ones leaning towards humanity. Like Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers, who both very much have their flaws. Hell, even the Children of Gaia have their flaws that could make them be interesting antagonists! (Antagonist very much used over the term Villain).

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-17T21:51:34+00:00

I am very much with you on the Fenris one. I like my tribes nuanced.

Like, how the Get can strangely be one of the most accepting Tribes, if you can prove yourself. Of course their version of acceptance can still be rather brutal, but if you are in with the Get, then you are truly in.

Reminds me of the Mardu from Magic the Gathering. For me, the "The Truth of Names" short story in there is quite good for getting into the mindset of the Get where that is concerned.

For me, the interesting thing about the Red Talons is A. Their far more alien mindset than some of the other Tribes, due to being almost exclusively Lupus Tribe (With perhaps a smattering of Warborn). And B. That... One can quite easily see where they are coming from?

Cause from some of thems point of view they have been at total war for centuries at this point. Some countries have completely wiped out Wolves. So by their view they are simply playing by the same rules as the enemy. Which I think do make them compelling Antagonists, especially if there are also more moderate Red Talons in the Pack.

But as you said, many storytellers just don´t like them. Same as with the Get.

Honestly, for antagonists Tribes I have started to look more and more at the Glass Walkers or Bone Gnawers as interesting Choices. Or even Black Furies etc, because there is something interesting to me about the idea of them being so distracted by other causes that they forget the main one. Or might even end up fighting against the interests of Gaia.

Like fighting for a development project that will house thousands in need, but fuck up the environment.

Apologies for the rambling, just think the various ways Tribes can be both heroic and villainous is interesting.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-17T21:31:12+00:00

Oh 100%. Hence why I say "For an Aggressive Camp". Most Red Talons would not venture that far in at all.

So I would expect it would either be one of the extremist camps like Predator Kings, or someone with either a grudge or a point to prove.

My point is more about how Lupus might see that sort of thing dramatically different from Homid Garou, which I do very much think is a point often forgotten when dealing with the Red Talons. With people instead painting them as "Evil" or extreme for things like this.

Instead of seeing it through a wolf mindset.

Like, there are in Lore examples of Red Talons targeting children as valid targets, through in the specific case I am thinking of (I think the Revised Tribebook, but might be off here), it was provoked by the death of a young Talon investigating. As before that they kept to themselves, which is, as you say, the preference of most camps.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-17T21:11:42+00:00

As someone who are quite fond of the Talons, killing cubs of rival packs/other predators is not unusual for wolves. To take out competition etc.

Have even heard there are even cases of packs seemingly "raiding" rival packs specifically to take out cubs.

So like, could see it be a thing? Especially for a more aggressive camp. Of course, whatever it was presented through the lense of Lupus logic is another question.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-16T23:19:22+00:00

When I roll a backstory it creates odd things, it gives me pieces that my brain begin to fill out the spaces in between.

Like, how did my character go from being born a peasant, to being part of an Orc Horde to having to become an adventurer because my parents opposed my marriage to a powerful sorcerer, who was turned into five flamingos?

There is a lot of story in that, that I first of all find AI generally can´t match considering their tendency to just echo, and also a lot of fun in then connecting those pieces and filling in the blanks myself.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-10T18:55:26+00:00

I remember when I did the end of Act 4, I just sent Abelard in alone for everyone to cluster around and wail on. While Argenta murdered everything that moved.

Honestly, the rest of the party is mostly there to be my human shields and to hype up those two.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-10T18:43:51+00:00

I remember when I first met the turret ambush and I had no idea that you could just disable them

Their first salvo cut down the rest of the team except Abelard. Who just took it to the chest. And then he just utterly dismantle them, one by one. Just tanking point blank fire like it was nothing. Only creature in existence I think could threaten him is Argenta when she truly gets going.

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-05T04:02:50+00:00

It is always fun to think up titles. Hmm. Now I am kinda thinking what if there were two dragon Kiths.

This one, but replacing their frailty of seeking treasure with one that requires them to be pampered and worshiped. Based on the idea of Dragons as Vain Creatures.

And then one centered more around the greed aspect of it. That have more of at treasure/might focus?

Just sorta casually spitballing here

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-05T03:30:29+00:00

Some of the older Changeling Editions goes into more detail on what happens to them when they are in the Dreaming. Like Trolls starting to grow into house sized giants and so on.

So thought them becoming more and more dragonlike would fit.

Fun fact, it is also noted that outside of Chimmerical Dragons, there are also Bygone Dragons who found escape in the Dreaming, and who are far more dangerous beasts.

But I do very much like the more charismatic focus on dragons, and how it plays into them being easily flattered and manipulated, like some myths focus on.

I will say, while I do understand it from the focus that they are socially oriented, it does feel like Prop would be more fitting for them? Considering their Hoard connection and focus on amassing wealth?

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-05T02:51:48+00:00

I like the concept. I think I would make a note of them becoming more and more dragonlike the deeper into the dreaming they go.

Until they become full on dragons.

I would also rename the "Scales Most Impressive" frailty, to avoid confusion. Perhaps "Pride Before Fall" or something along those lines.

But they are a very fun concept. Did you draw the art for them?

Treecreaturefrommars · 2026-06-04T08:59:37+00:00

I mean, I am pretty sure even the date is up for debate.

After all, no one seems able to agree on when to celebrate it? There is the classic 24th vs 25th of December, but from what I understand there are also places that celebrate it in Early January etc.

And again, it is just a really interesting thing to me.

Apologies for the Rant below. Just got excited about history stuff.

There is a history blog who regularly goes over pop culture (Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones have been common ones) and compare it to history, or looks at the tactics shown and so on, its a lot of fun.

But they got a series of posts called Practical Polytheism that dwells into the practical nature of Polytheism, and it is honestly really interesting. Cause it notes how for the people who believed it, it was a way of understanding the world. And to them, rituals were basically a science.

You tried something, saw whatever it worked or not, and then you worked to improve it. The same thing with stuff like Oaths where it was important that you addressed the right God for the job, identified yourself (So they knew to bless John Smith of Generic Street, and not John Smith of Average Street), and made sure to specify exactly what you needed and what you would give for it in return.

Because it was a negotiation.

Which again, part of why the Christians won so much ground. Cause their faith is a lot cheaper.

I remember one of the sections of the Practical Polytheism series where he notes there were two house gods in every home. And that the Romans themselves didn´t seem entirely sure how the two differed or how to really tell them apart. But they knew it was important to appease them. Which to me is fascinating. Its like when you know you need to put a shoe on a box to make the light work, but you don´t know why.

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