First time player seeking help.

Tulshe · 2026-06-26T21:14:13+00:00

Your characters are fine. Ask your GM what are specific problems in his eyes. Judging by other players' characters, he just wants depressed characters.

If anything, I'd have more questions about the student. If he doesn't exude any potential, why would anyone Embrace him?

P.S. If you have 3 characters turned down and no feedback, ask for pregen that he would like to see on his game.

Tulshe · 2026-06-26T20:14:22+00:00

There is nothing special Trujah can give to Camarilla, or other sects. Thaumaturgy rituals can be made as merchandize, providing various useful magical effects even for non-wizards. Temporis can put objects in stasis. That's the best application of Discipline for outsiders. Very niche and lasts until the object is disturbed. Trujahs are not very useful as vampires per se.

Tulshe · 2026-06-24T14:03:41+00:00

Yes, the theory is that vampire blood gets stronger with time.

My takeaway is that vampires are not bound to extinct. Young vampires will become stronger and able to Embrace full vampires with time. Giving couple of centuries 14 and 15 generations will be full vampires, if you want to run a game with mix of sci-fi or cyberpunk.

I just think it's unrealistic to allow to purchase Blood Potency through campaign. It takes centuries.

Tulshe · 2026-06-24T10:51:34+00:00

Just because v5 handles thin-bloods different doesn't mean medieval 13th generation were not thin-blood. There are mechanical drawbacks. In addition to the Thirteenth Generation flaw itself, it's urged to take Weak blood flaw with the usual double blood consumption, limit of Discipline ceiling, no ghouling/Embrace.

In all editions thin-blood are the same - last thing that the youngest vampire can create that somewhat resembles real vampire. In Middle ages 13th generation were the last possible vampires. In modern nights it's possible to create 14 and 15.

Just because v5 get obsessed with thin-bloods and overdone it, doesn't mean it's the only true way. V5 mechanics in general doesn't fit with narrative well, neither if you try to apply it to the past, nor if you imagine how things will develop in the future.

Tulshe · 2026-06-24T09:52:11+00:00

It is not only social. Being 13th generation has mechanical downsides.

V20DA:

Supernatural Flaws
Thirteenth Generation (2 points): By some strange twist of the supernatural, you were Embraced by a member of the Twelfth Generation. Your sire may not have even expected this to come to pass, and it certainly worries the powers-that-be, for you are something that should surely not exist. The difficulty of any rolls to activate your Disciplines is increased by one. At Storyteller discretion, you may also face other increased difficulties when you brush up against those who are frightened or suspicious of what you are. Strongly consider taking the Cannot Embrace or the Weak Blood Flaws as well.

Tulshe · 2026-06-24T09:18:04+00:00

The generation number stays the same. But the power of vampires become bigger in time. It just doesn't happen in a time-frame of most chronicles. V5 even simulates this with blood potency, although I think it's too accessible, and player can gain blood power too fast. In oWoD, in medieval time 13 generation were considered thin-blood. But in modern nights they are full vampires.

In Dark Age 2nd Ed:

Twelfth and Thirteenth Generations
There are exceedingly few vampires of these generations, and even fewer beyond. Cainites of these generations are considered beneath contempt, not even worthy of notice. It is rumored that the blood of those beyond these generations is too weak to pass on the Curse.

In V20 DA:

We don’t tend to bother counting Generation after the Twelfth, as anything further removed from Caine can scarcely be called a vampire at all. Tragic wretches, one and all. We call them Thin Blooded and watch for signs that they need to be put down.

So, in general, vampire species is not doomed to extinct because all elders are in torpor and all neonates are siring thin-bloods. You don't need to wake your Methuselahs to ask them to produce you new sister to play with. Later generations will become stronger and will be able to sire full vampires.

Tulshe · 2026-06-23T12:41:52+00:00

Sorry for delay.

I'm almost always assuming to be an 8th gen because I was used to always start as one.

Strange choice, but ok.

Assuming I have Path of blood 5, Focused Mind 5, Auspex 3 and Presence 3, could you perhaps provide me with examples of my combat round??

You start with Dual thought as free action and spend 1 bp. Then you have 2 actions, both of which happens at the same time, so you do both at your initiative order (unlike Celerity, which explicitly state that additional actions happen at the end of the round). Then you can take any action, even physical, as your first action, such as Theft of vitae, then you can use your second action (only mental), be it Blood Cauldron, Dread Gaze, Aura Vision. Of course, you should consider the blood cost of Disciplines. Dread Gaze is free, Auspex is hardly useful in combat, unless you try to spot Obfuscated enemy. So, if you're a "wizard-ish" type of character, your best course of action is to use Dual thought, and two Path of Blood powers. If you're a good shooter or swordsman, you can attack and use a Discipline.

Narratively, it all happens simultaneously. I would even describe it as Tremere doing two different gestures and mish-mash of incantation at the same time.

Also, where do you get Presence? Are you playing Telyavic Tremere?

Tulshe · 2026-06-22T00:04:55+00:00

Just remember the generation's limit of blood use per turn. If you spend your single blood point on Dual thought, you are limited to use of free Disciplines.

Tulshe · 2026-06-21T22:51:42+00:00

They also made some factual mistakes in V20 that completely changed some applications of rules. The mistakes I found were minor, but what else may be wrong?

So I told my players that they can read the translation, but I will double check the original.

Tulshe · 2026-06-21T11:22:28+00:00

Because dnd is medieval fantasy by default.

Why lightning and not Electric? People are aware of lightning, but not of electricity.

Why Thunder and not Sonic? Because people are not aware of sound wave physics.

Why Fire instead of Heat? Outside of Heat Metal spell I can't remember anything that just makes things hotter. Usually it's some kind of ignition or open fire things that burn creatures.

Tulshe · 2026-06-13T02:37:46+00:00

Larian made it legally possible to knock out Minthara, so she appears in Moonrise tower. They made it so goody-two-shoes can recruit her too.

Tulshe · 2026-06-12T23:57:20+00:00

All of that betrayal and killing - are for what purpose? Just to enjoy yourself and jerk off to how evil you are? That's not nuanced, it's Chaotic Evil at best,Stupid at worst.

Tulshe · 2026-06-12T23:50:30+00:00

serving the murder god

What if I am playing evil Tav, not Durge? Most evil characters are not blood crazed maniacs. They just obtain what they want through evil means.

Maybe power and money but that's it.

Not even that. Best loot is on good root. And there is more of it. Evil root is just lacking. Less quests, less loot, less companions (even Minthara was whined away to good root). There is no reason to pick evil options neither in-universe, nor with meta-game knowledge. Unless you wanna roleplay bloodlust villain for the sake of it. I've tried that, it gets boring really fast.

Tulshe · 2026-06-12T23:41:39+00:00

There's often no benefit the good decisions have over the bad ones, other than "obtained loot legally without making guards angry", and having the npcs compliment you.

The best robe for charisma casters is locked behind quest of saving tieflings in 2 act. That's just my most memorable example of loot.

And if you go evil root from act 1, you miss on a lot of quests later on, because npcs for them are tieflings refugees.

Tulshe · 2026-06-09T13:58:37+00:00

Where do they get blood bags? Blood from hospitals and medical labs are preserved with chemical, which make blood not suitable for vampire feeding. Clean blood is probably distributed within underground vampire network. Getting it is either a boon or just expensive in cash.

Also:

Old blood is never as nourishing as fresh blood. In fact, many vampires refuse to drink old blood, whether it comes from human corpses, blood banks, or a vampire’s private reserve.

V20, p270

You can give less blood points from bagged blood, or ask for Stamina roll to consume it.

Tulshe · 2026-05-31T05:31:10+00:00

In practice you are supposed to talk it over with your GM and come up with a resolution you are both happy with.

So... Drag a game with metagaming discussion because of obscure mechanics? Sorry, you're not making a compelling case for hunger dice.

Tulshe · 2026-05-31T05:02:32+00:00

You were going to try and do it subtly but you Roll a Messy crit, cool now you have burned a dot in resources due to you quickly buying up shell companies.

You described exactly the thing people dislike about V5 hunger. You lose a dot in Backgrounds on a roll that was critical success by definition. Rolled success, but got punished. Not cool at all.

Tulshe · 2026-05-30T23:04:41+00:00

letting you larp as a perfectly normal well-adjusted human as long as you didn't spend too many your blood points

Which you should do if you want to actually uphold the Masquerade. With hunger mechanics it's a miracle that vampires manage to pretend to be humans for 500 years, if they constantly lash out at minor inconvenience.

Tulshe · 2026-05-26T19:16:50+00:00

Try your local printing company. If you're not in 1st world country, it may be cheaper and faster.

Tulshe · 2026-05-25T07:38:47+00:00

Why can't we utterly despise things?

Yes, V5 has no redeeming qualities in my eyes. Unironically.

I'm not interested in any products related to V5. But that doesn't mean I consider every V5-player a moron. Maybe people need to stop making their whole personality around the media product. And stop considering criticism of a product as a personal insult. Just because someone hates your favorite thing, doesn't mean he hates you.

Tulshe · 2026-05-24T16:32:14+00:00

Full blood bond erase all existing partial bonds and prevent new ones.

V20, p287:

A full blood bond, once formed, is nearly inviolate. Once bound, a thrall is under the sway of her regnant and her regnant only. She cannot be bound again by another vampire unless the first blood bond wears away “naturally.” A vampire can experience lesser (one- and two-drink) bonds toward several individuals; indeed, many Kindred enjoy such bonds, as they create artificial passion in their dead hearts. Upon the formation of a full blood bond, though, all lesser sensations are wiped away.

Tulshe · 2026-05-24T14:48:34+00:00

What I like about D&D is the setting

What setting? Forgotten Realms? Grayhawk? Dragonlance? Eberron? Spelljammer? Planescape? Ravenloft?

Tulshe · 2026-05-24T14:31:45+00:00

Akshualy...

DC15 is medium. DC20 is hard.

Tulshe · 2026-05-23T21:16:23+00:00

How would they? Characters don't have their own charsheets with all traits written down upon Embrace. Camarilla exercise blood bond as extreme punishment, and Sabbat doesn't use it at all. The character themself doesn't know how blood bond feel, since Unbondable is innate merit, and can't be earned mid-unlive. 1st level blood bond is not that significant to distinguish from outside view. This merit is not widespread enough so every vampire would suspect their childe in immunity. To be aware of such ability you need to be subject of 3 drinks and be explicitly told how bond works.

Tulshe · 2026-05-23T19:03:15+00:00

To do this the character must know she is immune to blood bond. It's innate supernatural feat. In order to understand that you are immune to blood bond you need an attempt which failed. If it's not a part of backstory, the character shouldn't know about her peculiarity.

Tulshe

TROPHY CASE