# House Rules (BAD) # General ### Character Limits Players are limited to 5 in-play (active) characters at any time. ### First Character BAD is first and foremost a vampire-centric chronicle. As such, new players are asked to create a vampire as their first character and this character must be a neonate. ### Ancillae and Elder Characters To play a character above Neonate (after your first neonate character has been established) you must have your concept pre-approved by Staff; please request a discussion through the ***\#ask-staff*** channel on the Discord Server. ### Banned Character Types & Concepts The character types and concepts listed below are not permitted in the chronicle. Do not propose them; they will not be approved for play. - Dhampir - Maeghar - Gargoyles (we have a few, but they are supposed to be rare, so we are not allowing more) - Giovanni are currently Restricted due to overpopulation ### Generation Caps The cap on attributes and disciplines for generations 8 & 9 is 6, but this can only be obtained through the expenditure of experience in play subject to Storyteller approval, and not as part of character generation. ### Blush of Life BAD uses a variation of VtR rules when it comes to the Blush of Life. A Kindred may mimic human life by infusing their dead tissue with Vitae. This makes them appear to be human: they are warm to the touch, their heart seems to beat, they produce natural bodily fluids. They can function sexually, becoming physically aroused, lubricated and erect. They can eat and drink (but must vomit it up later). They can effectively pass as a human including medical inspection. **System:** Mechanically, a Kindred spends 1 Vitae to active Blush of Life for 1 scene.

Certain kindred may not be able to use Blush of Life due to a specific Flaw, Weakness or Path of Enlightenment. Speak to your ST if you are not on the Path of Humanity to verify if your character can use Blush of Life. That being said, while some kindred may not be able to use Blush of Life to mimic being alive, they may still be able to produce bodily fluids and do other things that the Blush can do - but they can never be mistaken for completely alive.

### Death Death between Player Characters (PC vs PC) can only occur with consent to the risk of it occurring by all parties involved and must only occur during a scene moderated by a Storyteller. In the event that a PC is killed (with the exception of off-screen death), then any unspent XP may be transferred to the Player's next character, or with approval, it may be transferred to one of the Player's existing approved characters. ### Damage #### Limits An NPC can not inflict more damage than a PC's full uninjured track in a single hit.

Optional: Upon agreement by all participants prior to combat, this rule can be extended to include PC vs PC combat.

#### Lazy Strike You may decrease your attack dice pool as much as you'd like, down to one die, before rolling. This requires initiative declaration. ### Detecting Kindred (Non-Supernatural Means)

The use of Blush of Life, the Blush of Health merit, and many Obfuscation abilities negate the ability to detect kindred using this method.

In the absence of supernatural means (e.g. Auspex), *kindred* may be able to detect one another through careful observation. They may be able to pick-up on subtle cues like the absence of micro-ticks, no breathing, or other physical signs. The lower the target vampire's Humanity/Path rating, the easier it is for other kindred to identify them as vampires. The roll to detect a fellow kindred is:

Dice Pool	Perception + Awareness
Difficulty	Target's \[Humanity Rating + 1\] OR \[Path Rating - 1\] to a Maximum of 9

# Source Material ### Core System Book Baltimore After Dark used Vampire: The Masquerade 20^th Anniversary Edition as its Core System Book.

We are not allowing Dark Ages content. You may reference Dark Age lore, but we will not be allowing any rituals/discipline powers/character concepts/etc. that affect game mechanics.

### Supplementary System Books The following supplementary system books are available for use, but we may choose to not allow certain things from them: - Lore of the Clans - Lore of the Bloodlines - The Black Hand: A Guide to the Tel'Mahe'Ra # Backgrounds ### Influence Influence is not used in Baltimore After Dark and cannot be purchased. The effects of Influence can be obtained through Allies, Contacts, etc. ### Status Status in Baltimore After Dark is not used to denote a character's 'Rank' or title but to more generally reflect their reputation and standing among the local kindred society. Status is not purchased. Your character's initial Status will be set by the Storytellers after reviewing your sheet. In-play, Status is affected by your character's IC actions (or inaction) and is adjusted monthly. ### Title Title is used to denote a character's 'rank' or official position within kindred society. Title is not purchased but is instead set by thee Storytellers after reviewing your sheet. In-play, Title may be adjusted based on IC events. 10000 Keeper of Elysium, Hound, Herald, Chancellor, Ductus, Pack Priest, Templar/Paladin 11000 Primogen, Harpy, Scourge, Sheriff, Alastor, Whip 11100 Primogen, Inquisitor, Bishop, Priscus 11110 Seneschal, Archon 11111 Prince, Justicar, Archbishop, Cardinal ### Haven If you want your character to have a Haven, you require dots in Resources and/or Domain. You must then describe your Haven in the Haven box on your character sheet keeping in mind that the size, amenities and just how 'fancy' it is will be limited by Resources. Your Haven does not have to be located within your Domain. There are pros and cons for either case. If you have dots in Domain, but no dots in Resources, and you want your character to have a Haven, this would represent a tragically impoverished, but secure space somewhere in the Domain. For example, an old boiler room, an abandoned sewer junction, etc. If you have dots in Resources, but no dots in Domain, and you want your character to have a Haven, this would represent a safe space as big and nice as the character's Resources allow but with no feeding rights. The character is required to feed in the Rack (or poach). ### Language Merits Reasonably explainable language merits can be taken without a cost (cost 0). If your character would reasonably know a second or third language (e.g. a character from Quebec, Canada would likely know both French and English), then you can mark this as a merit with no cost. Other languages (e.g. ancient languages, something not learned as a child, etc) these would still cost 1pt. # Feeding Rules The system for feeding in RHC run Vampire chronicles (e.g. Baltimore After Dark) operates somewhat differently than tabletop rules. ### Standard Hunting Scenes Players may roleplay-out hunting and feeding. Any player may play a 'victim NPC for the hunting player's character using a generic mortal.

A player who plays a 'victim NPC' for a standard hunting scene can receive bonus XP to be applied to one of their characters so make sure that they are noted in your #scene-summaries post.

### Weekly Feeding Each character must perform a weekly feeding roll or lose half their remaining Blood Pool and be subjected to a Frenzy check at a difficultly of 6.

A successful weekly feeding roll will fill-up the character's blood pool to their generational maximum.

The results of a botched weekly feeding roll or a failed Frenzy check will be provided by the Storytelling staff.

To perform your character's weekly feeding, roll as follows: **Pool:** A justifiable Attribute and Ability combination that reflects the character's hunting technique. E.g.: Appearance + Subterfuge might be used to seduce someone, Stamina + Athletics could represent chasing down a jogger, and Wits + Streetwise could be used to find an unsuspecting homeless person. *Pool Modifiers:* Herd (+1 / dot) **Difficulty:** The difficulty depends on the area your character is attempting to hunt in as follows:

Area	Difficulty	Example In-Play Locations
Slum neighborhood/The Rack	4	The Rack: Fells Point/Patterson Park
Lower-income/bohemian	5
Business/warehouse district	6
Surburbia	7
Heavily patrolled	8

Remember Feeding Rights! IC actions have IC consequences.

*Difficulty Modifiers:* Domain (-1 /dot, no less than 3), Humanity (+1/dot less than 4), as noted on your character's sheet **Specialty:** Name a specialty if relevant to the hunting technique. **Comment:** Name the hunting technique and where (generally) the character is hunting, e.g. Seduction, The Rack. #### Example Roll: `/mm 7 6 # Sneaky hunt in the Port area` # Willpower Restoration - A character can restore 1 point of Willpower for acting in their nature/demeanor in a scene (1 point per scene); - A character's Willpower pool is fully restored when making a (successful) weekly feeding roll, per the [weekly feeding rules](https://redhandchronicles.com/books/house-rules-bad/page/feeding-rules). # Basic Retainer Rules For each retainer that a character has, a separate Retainer background must be purchased. When required to perform a roll for a retainer, the following quick stat rules will apply: - If the action is within the retainer's area of expertise, they are allocated a dice pool equal to 2x their Retainer dots plus any applicable modifiers (use of disciplines etc)

Retainer Dots	Dice Pool
1	2
2	4
3	6
4	8
5	10

- If the action is *not* within the retainer's area of expertise, they are allocated a dice pool equal to their Retainer dots plus any applicable modifiers (use of disciplines etc) - If the retainer is a Ghoul, they receive discipline dots as follows (the specific disciplines must be noted in the expanded background section of the character's sheet):

Retainer Dots	Discipline Dots
1-2	1
3-4	2
5	3

A Ghoul'd disciplines may never exceed their domitor's equivalent discipline rating.

Currently the Retainer background is capped at 4!

# (Playtest) Notes Concerning the Use of Socials Against Player Characters

These rules are being play-tested from December 2022 - February 2023. During this time, these rules may be adjusted based on feedback and following the play-test period they may be rescinded, modified further or put into permanent play.

Antagonistic actions between player characters (PC) - also know as 'Player-Versus-Player' or 'PVP' - can be contentious particularly when it comes to Social actions. However, Social builds are no-less valid mechanically than Physical or Mental ones. In the BAD chronicle, Social attributes and abilities can be used against PCs. Some examples include: persuading a character to do something, or getting a getting to believe something. These notes provide some guideline and limitation concerning the use of Social actions against PCs. Without the use of Disciplines (e.g. Dominate) a PC cannot be made to: 1. Physically harm themselves 2. Physically harm another 3. Do something entirely counter to their character, e.g. getting a vegan to knowing eat meat

Establishing what is anathema to a character must be clearly noted in the character's sheet, in the Storytellers' Book of Secrets or in previous roleplay that can be referenced. Head canon cannot be used to invoke this limit.

4. Do something entirely counter to their well-being, e.g. getting a fledgling to spit in the Prince's face 5. Perform an impossible action, e.g. getting them to turn back time.

Notwithstanding the above, these limits may not apply in the case of extended actions (e.g. convincing a vegan over time to eat meat) but such extended actions must be approved and overseen by a ST. More detail on extended actions is provided below.

If there is a dispute between players with respect to these limits or any aspect of these rules, then a ST should be asked to arbitrate.

When contemplating a Social action against a PC, the first step is determining the required number of target successes. This should be appropriate for the type of action. For example, persuading a someone at a club to drink a shot would be easier than getting someone to streak at a football game. This will also determine whether the action can be undertaken as an immediate action, or requires an extended action (multiple actions over a period of time). For example, convincing a friend to carry your luggage through customs might be possible as an immediate action, but indoctrinating someone into a cult would likely take many actions over weeks, months or years. Like Physical combat, Social actions can be defended against / resisted. In this case, the action becomes contested, with the 'attacker' using a dice pool appropriate for the type of Social action and the 'defender' using a dice pool appropriate for the type of defense. Specialty, merit and flaw modifiers should apply. The attacker's successes add to those needed (target successes) while the defender's subtract. The following are some examples of Social action dice pools that could be used. This is not an exhaustive list, but a sample of what could be possible.

Action	Attack	Defense
Lying	Cha\|Man + Sub\|Exp \[+ modifiers\]	'Detection': Per + Emp\|Sub \[+ modifiers\] 'Fact-check': Int + (appropriate Knowledge) \[+ modifiers\]
Reading a person (can be used to build a modifier on a future action)	Per + Emp \[+ modifiers\]	Man + Sub \[+ modifiers\]
Simple persuasion	Cha\|Man + Sub\|Exp \[+ modifiers\]	Wit + Emp\|Sub \[+ modifiers\]
'Pulling rank'	Cha + Lea \[+modifiers\]	Wit + Emp\|Sub \[+ modifiers\]

The standard difficulty on both sides is 6, adjusted by merits and flaws, but can also be adjusted to circumstance by agreement by both players or by a Storyteller. As it deals with social interactions a related rule has been established that when using the power of Entrancement under Presence that the power duration will max out at 1 month with 4 successes. Trying to have writers/players/STs keep track of infatuation on various characters for an entire year is a bit too much. Also any botch result will be determined by an ST as given our style of play what would "the rest of the story" even entail? So the table would look like this.

Successes	Result
Botch	To be determined by ST
Failure	Subject cannot be entranced for the rest of the night
1 success	One hour
2 successes	One day
3 successes	One week
4 successes	One month

# Clan Ravnos

While the BAD chronicle uses V20 rules, the history of the Ravnos is based on the V5 version found in Vampire: The Masquerade Companion and the clan mechanics have been House Ruled. This has been done specifically to address cultural insensitivities and stereotyped misrepresentations present in the V20 version of the Ravnos.

> A clan almost annihilated, its embers are now growing brighter with each passing night. Others know them as > message-bearers, wanderers, and mind-fuckers, but the Ravnos know their legacy to be far greater. They walk in the footsteps of Anansi, Coyote, Hanuman, Hermes, Rabbit, Loki, and their ilk, a flame of capricious divinity simmering in their Blood. The Ravnos are a broken clan whose origins and history practically wiped out during a forgotten war. Those who remain are a disorganized and motley assortment of once-footsoldiers and the newly embraced. As a consequence, there are no Ravnos less than 11th generation.

Plural	Ravnos
Pronunciation	PAHV-nohs
Nicknames	Rogues
Antediluvian	Unknown / Forgotten
Sect	Independent
Disciplines	Animalism, Chimerstry, Obfuscate
Weakness	The blood of every Ravnos burns with a need, a vice or virtuous trait that they must satisfy whenever circumstance demands. When a situation presents itself where the Ravnos can satisfy their compulsion, they must either act on the compulsion or spend one Willpower. Example compulsions: petty theft, gambling, charitable giving, protecting the meek, etc.
Other	A Ravnos cannot be less than 11th generation

# Clan Assamite

The history of the Assamites in the BAD chronicle is different than that presented in the core book and supplements.

In the BAD chronicle, the Assamites are one of two factions within an old clan called the Banu Haqim. While Assamites are playable, the Banu Ur-Shulgi faction **is not**.

The Assamites are an independent clan of assassins for hire.

Plural	Assamites
Pronunciation	AH-SAH-mite
Nicknames	Assassins, Judges
Antediluvian	Haqim
Sect	Independent
Disciplines	Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
Weakness	Due to the Tremere blood-curse, should an Assamite consume the blood of another Kindred, she suffers one automatic level of unsoakable lethal damage per blood point imbibed. Diablerie attempts result in automatic aggravated damage, one health level per point of permanent Willpower the victim possesses; the would-be diablerist gains no benefits (including Generation reduction) if he survives the process. In addition, Assamites must tithe some of the profits from their contracts to the Eayn (generally around 20 percent of all such earnings).
Other	- Assamites grow darker with age. - Assamites get 1 dot of Haven to represent access to the clan malja

The Banu Haqim (children of Haqim) were a fanatical group of religious vampires who believed that they were blessed by God to purge the world of kindred. From their middle-eastern stronghold of Alamut, the Banu Haqim spread into northern Africa and eastern Europe, diabelrizing without restraint. The Banu Haqim were greatly feared and soon this fear turned into action. The sects of Europe came together against the diabelerists. At first it looked as if the Banu Haqim would prevail, but their early victories were short-lived when the Tremere released a nuclear-bomb of a blood magic ritual, cursing them to be mortally allergic to the blood of other vampires. The curse weakened the Banu Haqim but it also tempered them. Much of the clan spread out from their central strongholds in the middle-east at that point and its religious fervor began to fade. During the 14th century, a group of Banu Haqim came together to form the Eayn al Hukam (Eye of Judgement). The Eayn practiced a version of the Banu Haqim faith but focused on cleansing the world of the wicked ("bad" vampires) a somewhat more selective approach as opposed to their previous incarnation. At some point the Eayn stopped limiting themselves to finding the wicked alone, and this is when they started to become assassins-for-hire. When the methusula and childe of Haqim, Ur-Shulgi awoke in the Victorian era, the Banu Haqim were once again transformed. Ur-Shulgi railed against what had become of the Banu Haqim. He yearned to restore the true faith and demanded the children of Haqim rally to him, and the powerful elder offered what no other could: for those who joined him, he undid the Tremere blood curse. Thus began the Schism of Haqim. Those who chose to follow Ur-Shulgi call themselves the Banu Haqim but are referred to by everyone else as Banu Ur-Shulgi. They are free from the Tremere blood curse, suffering instead from an addiction to vitae. They have begun to build up their power once again mostly in their traditional strongholds in the middle-east. Their numbers are small however and it is only a matter of time before the sects once again turn on them. Those who do not follow Ur-Shulgi call themselves the Assamites (though many also call themselves Banu Haqim). They still suffer from the Tremere blood curse. The Assamites are very loosely organized, to the point some might not even think they have much of a structure. At the heart of the clan is the Eayn al Hukam - they maintain a network of safe havens and supply redoubts (called *malja*) that all Assamites have access to (all Assamites get 1 dot of Haven to represent this). They also care for the *haqayiq*, the record of all deeds (assassinations) carried out by the Assamites. All Assamites must tithe a portion of any earnings (a minimum of 20%) to the Eayn and they must submit all proposed contracts to them for approval and if carried out, the result. Assamite fledglings are called *Fida'i* while members in good tandaing are referred to as *Rafiq*. # Custom Rituals and Other Shenanigans #### Wetting Steel

**Prerequisites:** Protean 111, Crafts (Weaponsmithing/Forging) **Cost :** 10XP

Protean is the discipline of adaptability and Protean 3 specifically is about using blood to meld with the earth. A clever Gangrel decided to adapt this ability to strengthen metal. With this ritual, a weapon can be made more durable and deadly by folding a kindred's blood into the steel. The ritualist must also be capable of forging the weapon for this ritual to work. During the forging, the ritualist will apply their blood to the steel several times layering it between the metal. The end result is a weapon that is both more durable and more deadly. ##### ***System***

The rolls for this ritual should be performed in secret by a Storyteller.

This ritual requires an extended crafting action (Int + Cra). The ritualist must obtain 20 successes; for each round the ritualist must expend 1BP, and each round represents 6 hours. A botch will result in 1 of two outcomes, determined by a coin toss: - **heads**: then weapon will shatter when it is first used in combat, but the character does not know this - **tails**: the weapon shatters during forging and the character must start over again. If successful, the character will have made a weapon with a +1 bonus damage die and supernatural durability. # Use of Willpower for Automatic Successes The use of temporary Willpower points to augment successes is allowed with the following caveats: - It is no small thing to tap into a character's inner strength. In the post before the roll, the reason for the willpower use must be explained. Willpower should not be used for frivolous reasons, and as such, the Vampire/Kindred/Cainite should have a compelling reason for *needing* that roll to succeed. - If you wish to spend a Willpower point for an automatic success on a roll, an ST must give approval for the Willpower point to be spent *after* justification is made and *before* you are given a difficulty to the roll. - In the case of Iron Will: Willpower may be used to augment your roll with an automatic success. *However*, a person Iron Will is notoriously difficult to bend. To reflect this, Staff has decided that to succeed on a roll where Iron Will applies and to reflect the power of the merit, the character rolling against the character with Iron Will must get success equal to *half* the defending character's willpower roll rounded up. # Using Powers and Posts When using a power in a post, posts are still looked at as a "turn". If you attempt to activate a power of any kind, unless you are activating multiple powers at once, pass or fail you may only activate one power per post which is considered a "turn" even out of combat. People need the chance to react to the power: pass or fail. # Merits and Flaws Tremere cannot take the merit Unbondable Giovanni cannot take the flaw Dulled Bite

Action	Attack	Defense
Lying	Cha\|Man + Sub\|Exp \[+ modifiers\]	'Detection': Per + Emp\|Sub \[+ modifiers\] 'Fact-check': Int + (appropriate Knowledge) \[+ modifiers\]
Reading a person (can be used to build a modifier on a future action)	Per + Emp \[+ modifiers\]	Man + Sub \[+ modifiers\]
Simple persuasion	Cha\|Man + Sub\|Exp \[+ modifiers\]	Wit + Emp\|Sub \[+ modifiers\]
'Pulling rank'	Cha + Lea \[+modifiers\]	Wit + Emp\|Sub \[+ modifiers\]

Plural	Assamites
Pronunciation	AH-SAH-mite
Nicknames	Assassins, Judges
Antediluvian	Haqim
Sect	Independent
Disciplines	Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
Weakness	Due to the Tremere blood-curse, should an Assamite consume the blood of another Kindred, she suffers one automatic level of unsoakable lethal damage per blood point imbibed. Diablerie attempts result in automatic aggravated damage, one health level per point of permanent Willpower the victim possesses; the would-be diablerist gains no benefits (including Generation reduction) if he survives the process. In addition, Assamites must tithe some of the profits from their contracts to the Eayn (generally around 20 percent of all such earnings).
Other	- Assamites grow darker with age. - Assamites get 1 dot of Haven to represent access to the clan malja