Bloody London’s Character Creation Guide

“Blood and Lies Built Us”

Getting Started Page 2

Experienced Players, New to Bloody London! Page 3
Building Your Character Page 4
Sects Page 5
Clans and Bloodlines Page 6
Attributes Page 7
Abilities Page 8
Disciplines Page 9
Backgrounds & Virtues Page 10
Willpower, Humanity, and Blood Pool Page 11
Freebie Points Page 12
Experience Page 13
Everything Else Page 14
High Level Stats and You Page 15
Backstory, Faceclaim, and Submission Page 16
Becoming Another Type Page 17
Humanity Page 18
Example Character Creation: Fae Westin Page 19
 Getting Started
How the Process Works and What We Look For
FIRST CHARACTERS
Getting a character approved can take anywhere from one day to a week. Your first character will be your
Every character follows the following steps: introduction to Bloody London and
1. Creation: Create your character, start to finish. This step must be Bloody London's introduction to you.
complete before moving forward. We restrict first characters to mortals,
2. Submission: Send it to us! See page 16. ghouls, and vampires of the
3. Revisions: The Approvals team will review the character and will following clans:
open a thread on Discord to go over the changes that should be made
to fit our chronicle and to help your character achieve its goals. Don’t • Assamite
feel discouraged – nearly everyone receives revisions. They are • Brujah
meant to help you! • Followers of Set
4. Resubmission: Once you have made changes, resubmit the updated • Gangrel
application through the form. If there are only 1-2 changes remaining, • Giovanni
you may be able to submit it directly in the Discord thread.
• Malkavian
5. Approval: Welcome aboard! You will be given the Approved tag
and your sect/clan tags, and can post your roster and begin play. • Nosferatu
• Ravnos
What the Staff looks for in a Backstory: • Toreador
• Why were they Embraced? Is it reasonably lore compliant? Some • Tremere
clans have specific 'types' they Embrace or have particular practices • Tzimisce
surrounding it (Ventrue, Tremere, and Giovanni are good examples). (Independent/Anarch)
How does your character's embrace fit within that? If it doesn't fit, • Ventrue
why not? It's fine to break the mold, but there needs to be a given • Caitiff
reason. It’s strongly recommended to read your clan’s section in the
Lore of the Clans supplement. Ask on the server if you need a copy! And the following Sects:
• If they are young, what was their mortal life like? If they are older,
what has their unlife been since the Embrace? The ratio of mortal to • Camarilla
Kindred focus in the backstory should be roughly the same as the • Anarchs
ratio of years spent as mortal versus Kindred. • Independent
• How does their sheet fit in with their history? We look for high level
dots to be addressed in the backstory. First character must be on Humanity.
• What sect are they a part of? Please make sure we can tell! We strongly suggest playing a
• Are they going to cause constant problems for the server? Firearms Neonate or Fledgling for your first
dealers, casual Masquerade breakers, and purely antagonistic character for easier integration,
concepts like vampire hunters are not allowed.
although mortals and ghouls are also
Things the Staff considers on the sheet: available.

• Willpower: Is this Willpower right for the character presented? Most

Kindred have 5-7 Willpower, depending on how many challenges BANNED CONCEPTS
they have faced, and mortals may have less. We do not allow
Willpower 8+ on creation.
• Baali
• Humanity: Does the Humanity fit for the character presented? It
doesn’t matter how many dots in Conscience/Self-Control they have; • Dissociative Identity
if they spend their nights murdering people they are not Humanity 7. Disorder/Multiple
You can choose to underspend if needed. Personality
• 4-5 dots in anything: 4-dot traits require justification in the • Amnesia
backstory. 5-dot traits require their entire character to revolve around • Child Characters(Mentally
them. See ‘High Level Stats and You’ for further explanation. or Physically)
• Disciplines: No more than 6 total Discipline dots for Neonates!
• Age: Generally 200+ years engenders heavy scrutiny with 400 years
• Infernalists
our hard limit. We will ask why this character is this old and whether • Tremere Antitribu
it can work any younger. This is a Camarilla neonate chronicle and • Hunters
we heavily prefer younger neonate submissions. They are also much
easier to integrate into the setting.
 Experienced Players, New to Bloody London!
Much of this guide is geared towards new players but that doesn't mean experienced players shouldn't read it.
Every server and tabletop comes with its own set of house rules and BL is no exception. The following is
information you'll need regarding our house rules and what is required reading before building your character.

First Character Requirements:

• Must be a Fledgling, Neonate, Ghoul, or Mortal.
• Camarilla, Anarch, or Independent from one of the following clans: Assamite, Brujah, Followers of Set,
Gangrel, Giovanni, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Ravnos, Toreador, Tremere, Tzimisce (Independent/Anarch),
Ventrue, Caitiff.
• Path must be Humanity.
House Rules to note:
• Nature and Demeanor are not tied to Willpower regeneration; choose what makes the most sense.
• Occult gains a specialty at the first dot.
• Basic tasks such as googling/checking e-mail/basic driving can be done without dots in Computers or
Drive. Dots in these abilities represent some sort of specialized focus.
• Characters may not take out-of-clan clan-specific disciplines at character creation. This includes but is
not limited to Thaumaturgy, Necromancy, Protean, Serpentis, etc.
o Caveat: There is some flexibility here with the merit Setite Initiate, but that is something that
should be discussed with Staff.
• Backgrounds:
o Status does not cost freebies.
o Unused background dots are transferred to freebies.
o Domain represents a vampire’s exclusive feeding rights within a specific area, personally awarded
by the Prince (the more dots in Domain, the larger or more secure the area is). Other Kindred may
travel through or even live in another’s Domain, but they may not hunt without permission. In
addition, London is a Camarilla city so an Anarch or Independent gaining Domain is very
unlikely.
o 8th and 9th Generation require talking to Staff ahead of time and are highly scrutinized - if you
have to reach for a reason your character is low generation, increase it to 10-13.
o The only thing you need for a haven is one dot of Resources – we do not use the specific Haven
background or require Domain.
• To own a business, you need at least 2 dots in Resources. Most characters have Resources 2. This covers
the entire middle class range in London, an expensive city.
• Freebies not spent at creation are lost and can’t be saved for later expenditure under any circumstances.
• Characters gain three languages upon character creation for free - this includes their native tongue.
• BL has its own Merits & Flaws list that can be found in the #character-creation-resources channel on the
Discord server. Many things are changed/added/banned, so be sure to read it. Any Merits and Flaws
marked ‘Talk to Staff First’ MUST be discussed with Staff or the Approvals team before submission.
• Firearms require a Firearms License merit to be legal in London, and a very good reason to have one.
Even most police do not carry firearms. Keep in mind that actually using a firearm is dangerous and
attracts attention (requires notifying Staff of any firearms discharge in case of consequences).
Ammunition is also hard to come by.
Required Reading:
• Getting Started
• High Level Stats and You
• Backstory, Faceclaim, and Submission
 Building Your Character
Restrictions
People create their characters different ways. Some start out with a base
concept, others start with a particular clan or backstory idea. There is no
Certain characters come with
one way to get started, but for the purposes of this guide we are going to
restrictions: start with concept and then jump straight into sheeting them.

Ancilla: To make an ancilla Concept

character, you must have at least Determine what you would like to do or achieve with the character and the
two younger characters. Further, type of interactions you’re interested in. Think of what place they’d have
only one Ancilla may be approved in the city, what kind of connections, how they live, how they hunt.
per six months per person. If you're ready to begin, think about Nature and Demeanor. The differences
between the two are:
Paths: You may submit one
character with a path other than • Nature: Who you are at your core.
Humanity at character creation. • Demeanor: How you present yourself/behave around others.
These must be second+
Nature and Demeanor are drawn from the same list of archetypes. There
characters, and you must wait 3 are too many to easily describe here. For some, see the V20 Core
weeks after approval of the first Rulebook, starting page 87. Don’t worry too much if these don’t fit
character. If this character is exactly or you think they’ll change – you can change them at any time by
killed or permanently retired, you notifying Staff, and they are not tied to Willpower regeneration.
may submit a new one. Characters
may also path in game. If you Second+ Characters
After having a character approved, you must wait two weeks before
would like your character to do
submitting a second, or three weeks before submitting a bloodline. After
this, please speak to a member of the second character, the wait increases to one month between characters
Staff. For more on paths, see to help us keep up with approvals. After the fifth character, the wait
‘Willpower, Humanity, and becomes four months between submissions.
Blood Pool.’
Before submitting a new character, you must play in and complete two full
scenes with other players (not solo scenes) on your last approved character
Bloodlines: Bloodlines must be to prevent the creation of throwaway characters that won't be played.
second+ characters and you must
wait 3 weeks after approval of the You may have up to 10 total characters in play at one time (although most
first character. people have far fewer). After that, you must kill or retire one before
creating another. For more details, see the Retirement section in the #rules
channel on the Discord server.

When we say you must have ‘X’ Low Generation

many characters in play before Having an 8th or 9th generation character requires you to talk to Staff and
you can play ‘Y’, this means that obtain approval before submitting the character. If a character is submitted
you need to have not only gotten without preliminary conversation, we will ask you to raise their Generation
to 10+ without further discussion.
them through Approvals but also
that you have completed 2+ full Please note that this is a Neonate focused chronicle and as such lower
scenes with them. generations will usually be declined. Please only request one if you feel
they are absolutely integral to your character concept. You may do so by
asking to speak to a member of Staff or the Approvals team in the
#character-forge channel and noting in your submission who you spoke to.
 Sects
The world of Vampire the Masquerade is rife with political intrigue, sabotage, and struggle. There are three different sects your character
can belong to as a Kindred or Ghoul with different ideologies and goals. Mortal characters are always Independent (without a sect). There
are some clans of vampires that prefer to be Independent as well.

The Camarilla, also known as “the Ivory Tower”, is the biggest sect in the city and members of it enjoy all the perks, and rigid laws, that
come with it. For those unfamiliar with Vampire the Masquerade, think of the Camarilla as the local government that wants to rule and to
uphold the “Masquerade” (hiding the existence of vampires from mortals). The Camarilla aims to maintain the status quo of Kindred
society; as such, much of its structure and traditions mirror that of society in feudal Europe.

Associated Clans: Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue

Since the Camarilla is the governing body of London and this is primarily a Camarilla neonate chronicle, it is easiest to play a member of
the Camarilla in this chronicle as they have access to most of the political intrigue and the plots that come with it.

The Anarchs, or the Anarch Movement, are nominally a faction within the Camarilla, and the Camarilla still considers most “Anarchs” to
be under the authority of the Ivory Tower. However, the Anarchs themselves would disagree with this notion. They see themselves as
fighting for freedom from oppression, and equalizing Kindred. Anarchs would prefer if leadership positions and power be granted on a
meritocratic level, and not due to Court politics or nepotism.

Anarchs vary by character in how much they differ from Camarilla. Some agree with most of the Traditions but wish not to be told what
to do. Others think all but the Masquerade is bullshit.

In this setting, Anarchs are tolerated on individual Kindred-to-Kindred levels, but they do not receive any special treatment and protection
that comes with Camarilla membership. Still, these characters offer a unique experience for those players who enjoy siding with the
underdogs, drive more grounded plots and get down and dirty with establishing themselves on a more personal basis.

Associated Clans: Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavians, Nosferatu, Toreador, Ventrue.

The Sabbat, or the Sword of Caine, are very specialized and lying low for the time being, but that doesn't exclude them from being the
horrible monsters they are. Or so the Tower would have their neonates believe.

The Sabbat is united as ever in their goal of destroying the antediluvians, and disrupting the ‘Jyhad’ or eternal struggle for dominance
played between the elders of the Camarilla. They embrace their true natures as creatures of the night, casting aside the weakness of humanity
in favor of the strength Caine bestowed upon them.

As a Sabbat character, you are treading a dangerous line of plotting against the other two Sects and Final Death. It’s very dangerous, but it
can be a great deal of fun to play an antagonistic force in this setting. The Sabbat are headquartered in Oxford and do not often venture into
Camarilla territory.

Associated Clans: Brujah Antitribu, Gangrel Antitribu, Lasombra, Malkavian Antitribu, Nosferatu Antitribu, Toreador Antitribu,
Tzimisce, Ventrue Antitribu

The Independent Clans stand separate from the Sects. Whether it be for a combination of ideological reasons, disorganization, insulation,
and/or history, these clans have their own goals from the rest. Occasionally some of their number may be found in another Sect, but this is
not standard. Please keep this in mind when choosing one of these clans.

Independent Clans: Assamites, Followers of Set, Giovanni, Ravnos

 Clans and Bloodlines

Clans
Assamite – Silent masters of assassination, killing for hire and collecting blood MALKAVIANS
for rituals to bring them closer to their progenitor. Malkavians are always a tricky clan,
Brujah – Once philosopher-kings of an ancient civilization but are now rebels no matter the player or the setting.
and rogues with a fearsome inclination toward frenzy.
While every chronicle handles them
Followers of Set – Venerate a chthonic god while seeking out the world’s secret
places and protecting ancient artifacts. differently, we have assembled a list
Gangrel – Bestial and untamed, often coming to resemble the animals over of supernatural derangements to pick
which they demonstrate mastery. from that can be found in the
Giovanni – An insular family of vampires who practice the art of commanding #character-creation-resources section
the dead while commanding global finances, as they have since the Renaissance. of our Discord server. If you don’t
Lasombra – Proud nobles who command the very essence of darkness and see one that you like, reach out to the
shadow – to the point of worshiping it, some say. Staff or Approvals team. We strongly
Malkavian – A clan fractured by madness, each member irrevocably suffering prefer supernatural derangements
under the yoke of insanity. over real-life mental illnesses.
Nosferatu – Hideously disfigured by the Embrace, so they keep to the shadows
and traffic in the secrets they collect.
Ravnos – Nomads and tricksters who can force the mind to see what isn’t there, CAMARILLA CAITIFF
though they are slaves to the compulsions they indulge in. Caitiff are allowed within the
Toreador – Cainites that enjoy every sensual pleasure the world has to offer, Camarilla but are treated as third
idolizing physical beauty and the adoration of their thralls. class citizens. This is inherently a
Tremere – Cainites that wield the supernatural power of their sorcerous past, high threat concept and could be very
though they became vampires through treachery and artifice. dangerous to play for those who
Tzimisce – Eldritch Old World lords who have little in common with the mortal enjoy the challenge. Please see our
world and can manipulate flesh and bone at a whim. Setting Guide (found in the
Ventrue – Leaders who observe the noblesse oblige of vampire society, though #character-creation-resources
their entitlement and greed encourages them to seek ever more at the expense of channel) for more.
others.
Caitiff – Caitiff have no inherent Clan society, support, or even characteristics;
they are like orphans among the great families of vampires. REVENANTS
The following Revenant families are
available for second+ characters:

• Bratovitch
Bloodlines • Ducheski
If you are choosing a Bloodline, remember that Bloodlines are rarer than other • Grimaldi
clans and will always require communication between the Player and a
Storyteller. Most Bloodlines will also cost “Freebie Points,” which are further • Kairouan
described in the Freebie Points section. Their costs are the following: • Obertus
• Oprichniki
• Rosselini
• Servants of Anushin-Rawan
• Zantosa

Antitribu of Core Clans other than Tremere and Lasombra (Including

Free (0 Freebie Points) Serpents of Light, City Gangrel, etc), Assamite Variants, Daughters of
Cacophony, Gargoyles, Wyllt
3 Freebie Points Nagaraja, Salubri, Samedi, Ahrimanes
5 Freebie Points Koschei

Players cannot submit a character that belongs to a bloodline or follows a path until they have had an active character in our
server for 3 weeks.
 Attributes

Attributes are traits that measure a character's innate capabilities from a storytelling perspective, but also have an important
game mechanic.

Attributes are placed into three categories: Physical, Social, Mental. They can be broken down further into “attributes” which
you can invest dots into. They are the following:

Strength: Raw physical power (lifting cars, tackling people)

Dexterity: Speed and ease of movement, covering both full body
Physical movement (i.e. gymnastics) and hand-eye coordination.
Stamina: Physical hardiness, including resistance to disease and
physical trauma and how fast you can recover.
Charisma: How you come across to others socially; how effectively
you entice others or win their trust or sympathy.

Social Manipulation: How easily you bend others to your will, whether
through persuasion or threats.
Appearance: How well you make a first impression. This can be
style, confidence, and posture – not just physical attractiveness.
Perception: Your ability to notice things, to perceive the world
around you, through all your senses.
Intelligence: Memory and raw brain power, complex thinking,
Mental
ability to evaluate the consequences and alternatives of actions.
Wits: Quickness of thinking; measures how easily you make leaps of
logic or intuition.

No matter if Mortal of Kindred, your character automatically has one free starting dot in each Attribute that does not count
against your total. You never have a 0 in an attribute, unless a clan/bloodline weakness or a flaw states otherwise.

If you are a Kindred you can assign either 7 dots, 5 dots or 3 dots into one of the three categories.

Example: You’re making a Kindred who in their life - and unlife - is a fitness junkie. You decide to make the
Physical category your primary focus. You decide to allocate 4 in Strength, 4 in Dexterity and 2 in Stamina. You
spent: 3 on Strength, 3 on Dexterity, and 1 on Stamina.

If you are a Mortal, Revenant or Ghoul you can assign either 6 dots, 4 dots or 3 dots into one of the three categories.

Example: You are a human who is very good at getting people to do what you want. You may decide to make the
Social category your primary focus. After deciding how the character works, you have 2 in Charisma, 4 in
Manipulation, and 3 in Appearance. You get there by spending: 1 on Charisma, 3 on Manipulation, 2 on Appearance.
 Abilities

Abilities are traits that represent a character's acquired/learned capabilities. Typically, an Ability is combined with an
Attribute whenever a check is called for. Abilities can be ranked on a scale of 0-5 and cannot be raised in most circumstances.
Like Attributes, Abilities are broken down into 3 categories: Talents, Skills, and Knowledges. You must assign priorities to
these categories, determining how many points may be allocated to each. For Kindred it is (13/9/5) while for Ghouls/Mortals
it is (11/7/4).
Talents are things for which the character can have an intuitive knack. Skills are things the character has directly learned to
do. Knowledges are areas of scholastic expertise.
Freebie points or experience points are required to raise an Ability above 3. To understand the particulars of what each ranking
means, see below:
Poor, Inexperienced, or Untrained. You probably haven’t received any training or tried it out much
0 Dots
yet. You will receive roll difficulty penalties for having 0 dots in an ability, expanded upon below.
1 Dot Novice: You know the basics of this ability. Most people have their casual Abilities at this level.
Practiced: You’ve been trained in this ability, and most people have Abilities related to their
2 Dots job/interests at this level. Nothing to sneeze at, this level means you’ve had your fair share of sword
fighting, academic insight or smooth talking, enough to make a living.
Competent: A lot of time and effort went into getting to this level. Most mortals cap their Abilities
3 Dots
at this level, be it athletes, or brainiacs, this tier is something you truly excel at.
Expert: Only a few mortals can ever reach this scale of skill. For exceptionally gifted mortals, and
4 Dots
especially Kindred, this bar is easier to cross. This is an ability that defines your character.
Master: You have gained absolute mastery over the chosen Ability. The fifth dot means you’re above
5 Dots the level of Olympics runners, stealthier than the Invisible man, and smarter than any living or
unliving being. At this level you are so masterfully skilled that there is no room for improvement.

Having no dots in Abilities comes with some drawbacks. When you are called to make a roll with an ability at 0 dots, your
roll difficulty increases according to the following chart, making it much more difficult to succeed at these rolls.

Rolling for an action with 0 dots that is a Talent +1 Difficulty

Rolling for an action with 0 dots that is a Skill +1 Difficulty
Rolling for an action with 0 dots that is a Knowledge +2 Difficulty

Specialties
Every Attribute and Ability with 4 or more dots in it requires a specialty to denote expert knowledge in its usage. When a
specialty is in play, any die that comes up “10” counts as two successes rather than one. Certain Abilities receive a specialty
at the first dot. These are: Academics, Crafts, Performance, Expression, Law, Occult, Science, and Technology. For examples
of specialties for every Attribute and Ability, see the core rulebook.

Specific Abilities
Special notes:
• Awareness: Most mortals won’t have any Awareness. If they do, there should be a very good reason for it.
Awareness is normally associated with ghosts and with Auspex.
• Firearms: If your character is from the UK it is unlikely they have high Firearms skill without a specific reason.
• Occult: Most mortals won’t have any Occult. If they do, it should have a mortal-themed specialty such as folklore,
witchcraft, vampire myths, etc.
 Disciplines
(Skip if Mortal)

If you are creating a Kindred, you have 3 dots to distribute amongst your In-Clan Disciplines. The disciplines of the 13
core clans are as follows:

Clans
Clan Disciplines Notes
Disciplines for Warrior Caste; see Assamites guide in
Assamite Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
#character-creation-resources channel for other castes.
Brujah Celerity, Potence, Presence
Setites may also learn Sorcery as an out-of-clan discipline (as
Followers of Set Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis
well as in play).
Gangrel Animalism, Fortitude, Protean
Giovanni Dominate, Necromancy, Potence
Lasombra Dominate, Obtenebration, Potence
Malkavian Aupsex, Dementation, Obfuscate Malkavians may exchange Dementation for Dominate if desired.
Nosferatu Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence
Ravnos Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude Brahmin Ravnos may exchange Fortitude for Auspex.
Toreador Auspex, Celerity, Presence
Tremere Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy
Tzimisce Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude
Ventrue Dominate, Fortitude, Presence
Caitiffs must pick three disciplines at creation even if actually
Caitiff Any 3 common Disciplines
purchasing fewer, as these are the ones they may teach.
Please fully read the Discipline text in the core rule book and check our house rules (located in the #rules and #character-
creation-resources channels) for any modifications before choosing a Discipline. Feel free to ask Staff if you aren’t sure
whether a house rule exists.

When creating a ghoul, you have the option to take either one dot of Potence and one dot of a common Discipline in your
domitor's in-clan Disciplines, or any two common Disciplines of your domitor's in-clan Disciplines. If you are making a
Revenant, then you may take either one dot of Potence and a Family Discipline, or any two of your specific Family's specific
Disciplines. You may potentially learn additional dots in these disciplines depending on the generation of your domitor up to
the amount listed below. See the #rules channel for further information on Ghouls and Revenants.

Domitor’s Generation Maximum Discipline Level

13th - 11th 1
10th or 9th 2
8th or 7th 3
6th or 5th 4
4th 5

Rituals
If you play a character with either Thaumaturgy or Necromancy, you gain one ritual each time you gain a new dot. The ritual
can be of any level you can now cast. For example, a character with three dots in Necromancy can have one 1st level ritual,
one 2nd level ritual, and one 3rd level ritual, or they may prefer to take three 1st level rituals.
 Backgrounds & Virtues

Backgrounds
Backgrounds are items or people that give your character additional advantages. For more information about these, see our
separate Backgrounds document which can be found in #character-creation-resources.

You have a total of 5 dots (no matter if Kindred/Ghoul/Moral) to spend on Backgrounds, and additional Backgrounds must
be purchased with Freebie Points. Any single background at or above 4 dots will need to be properly justified in the backstory.

If you do not spend all your dots in backgrounds, you can use them as Freebie Points later (make note of this on your sheet).

Status: Status does not cost Freebie Points.

Domain: Domain represents a vampire’s exclusive feeding rights within a specific area, personally awarded by the Prince
(the more dots in domain, the larger or more secure the area is). Other Kindred may travel through or even live in another’s
Domain, but they may not hunt without permission. In addition, London is a Camarilla city so an Anarch or Independent
gaining Domain is very unlikely.

Resources: To keep up with London’s high cost of living, resources are scaled upwards. One dot is lower class (e.g. you
have a basic job), two is the full range of middle class (e.g. you have a well-paying job, or maybe even a small business of
your own), three is upper class (including low level millionaire level), four is an exorbitant level of wealth. Please do not
submit resources 3+ without good justification within the backstory. We do not allow Resources 5 at all. Even the Prince has
only 4 dots.

Generation: Having an 8th or 9th generation character requires you to talk to Staff and obtain approval before submitting
the character. If a character is submitted without preliminary conversation, we will ask you to raise their Generation to 10+
without further discussion.

Please note that this is a Neonate focused chronicle and as such lower generations will usually be declined. Please only request
one if you feel they are absolutely integral to your character concept. You may do so by asking to speak to a member of Staff
or the Approvals team in the #character-forge channel and noting in your submission who you spoke to.

Virtues
A Virtue is a measure of the moral and personal convictions of your character. The three default Virtues are Conscience, Self-
Control and Courage.

Some vampires follow Paths of Enlightenment rather than Humanity. Many of these Paths use the alternate Virtues of
Conviction and/or Instinct, which may replace Conscience and Self-Control, respectively. First characters must always be on
the path of Humanity.

You receive 7 points to allocate among your virtues if you are a Mortal, Kindred, or Ghoul. You receive 5 points if your
character is a Revenant. Your character automatically has one dot in each Virtue.

Kindred and Path of Enlightenment: if your character is following a Path of Enlightenment, the character must have a
Willpower of at least 5, and the changing Virtues (Self-Control to Instinct, Conscience to Conviction) start at 0 dots. You
will also need a teacher that should be mentioned in your backstory.

House Rule: Characters on Paths of Enlightenment start with a path rating of their Conscience/Conviction+Self-
Control/Instinct instead of starting at 1.
 Willpower, Humanity & Blood Pool
First, record Humanity score (Conscience/Conviction + Self Control/Instinct). Humanity is how
close you are to humanity, but also more importantly – how close you are to your Beast. For an
example of what each Humanity score means see page 20.

Then record Willpower (equal to Courage rating). This will most likely be adjusted with freebies
and experience later on. Willpower measures a character’s inner drive and experience with
overcoming significant challenges. Unlike other traits, Willpower has both a permanent rating and
a temporary pool of points. The rating is rolled or tested, while the pool is spent. When spending a
point of a character’s Willpower, cross off the point from the Willpower pool (the squares), not the
Willpower rating (the circles). The rating stays constant – if a character needs to roll Willpower for
some reason, the roll uses the permanent rating. The pool is used up during the story and regenerates passively at a rate of 1
Willpower point every two days.

Willpower Rating Description

1 Spineless, feeble, or just too overall drained to do nearly anything. Tired.
Most ordinary mortals rank at this range; it's enough to get through day-to-day stress with
2-3
its own hardships. It's nothing major, but hey, it works.
Common Kindred and willful mortals (PCs) rank at this range. Going through with the
4-6
nightlife is a test of willpower and mental fortitude in itself, and not all are made for it.
Most older or experienced Kindred rank at this range. Battling through the ages and overcoming
7-8 challenges will make you resolute and strong-willed, as long as there have been situations that you've
been tested in. Characters cannot start with more than 7 Willpower at creation.
At this rank, there's something special in you. Nothing can keep you down or deter you
9
from your goal or mission and something seriously fierce inside drives you.
The pinnacle of Willpower, perfection is nearly impossible to reach. All that was said for
10
the previous rank is doubled down on this one.

If you are making a Kindred, mark down your Maximum Blood Pool and Blood spent per turn, using the chart below:
Generation Maximums
Generation Blood Pool Blood Points/Turn
8 15 3
9 14 2
10 13 1
11 12 1
12 11 1
13+ 10 1

If you are making a Mortal, your Blood Pool is 10. If you are making a Ghoul/Revenant, your Blood Pool is 10 + Stamina
rating for Vitae (which you can use to power Disciplines). See house rules in the #rules channel for more information on
Ghouls and Revenants.

Paths of Enlightenment
Characters on paths or roads may be submitted as a 2nd+ character. The path must be the primary theme of their backstory
and they must behave like a member of that path in order to be considered. As a rule of thumb, if your character can
function on Humanity, keep them on Humanity. They can choose to attempt to path in play.
• Banned Paths: Orion, Evil Revelations, Hive, Scorched Heart, Self Focus, Asakku, Road of Pleasure, Screams,
Metamorphosis, Lilith, Paradox
• Roads will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Check with Staff.
 Freebie Points
You are almost there! Now it is time for Freebie Points. Freebie Points are used to bump up any trait we mentioned before,
but they can also be used for Merits and Flaws.

Merits and Flaws

Merits and Flaws are central to your character, allowing you to define their mannerisms, headspace, quirks, and struggles.
Keep in mind that not every character flaw warrants a mechanical counterpart. For example, your Kindred may be quick to
hold grudges without actually taking the Vengeful flaw if you prefer just to roleplay it without being bound to the exact
mechanic. Bloody London has its own Merits and Flaws list that denotes which are banned, approved, or changed. There are
also many new Merits and Flaws adapted from other sources that you might not have seen! Please consult our #character-
creation-resources channel for the full list.
• If you are creating a Kindred, you receive 15 Freebie Points
• If you are creating a Ghoul/Revenant/Mortal, you receive 21 Freebie Points

Each merit has a number assigned to them - this is the number of freebies they cost. Likewise, flaws also have a number
assigned - these are the number of freebies they grant. You can take as many flaws as you want but you can only gain 7
additional freebie points from flaws.

Note on Languages: Every character begins play with their native tongue + two bonus languages for free. Additional
languages can be learned through the language merit.

Note on Out-of-Clan Disciplines: Characters may not take out-of-clan clan-specific disciplines at character creation. This
includes (but is not limited to) Thaumaturgy, Necromancy, Protean, Serpentis, etc. There is some flexibility here with the
merit Setite Initiate, but that is something that should be discussed with staff.

Note on "Talk to Staff" Merits: These MUST be discussed BEFORE an application is submitted!

Freebie Point Costs

Attribute 5 per dot

Ability 2 per dot
Discipline 7 for Kindred per dot, 10 for Ghouls per dot
Background 1 per dot
Virtue 2 per dot
Humanity or Path 2 for Kindred per dot, 1 for Ghouls per dot
Willpower 1 per dot
Merits As stated in the Merits/Flaws Sheet
 Experience
Being a certain age and status will give your character additional bonus experience which you can add to most of the stats we
have addressed earlier. If you feel that your character should not have this much XP or you would like to bank some to use
later, feel free to underspend.

• If your character began as a ghoul but was later embraced, add up both the time spent as a ghoul and the time spent
as a vampire for your XP package.

Type Experience Time Spent as Kindred/Ghoul

Fledglings/Young Ghouls/Revenants and mortals under 35 0 Less than 5 years
Neonates/Normal Ghouls/Revenants 35-70 Up to 25 5-15 years
Advanced Neonates/Advanced Ghouls/Revenants 70+ Up to 50 16-100 years (50+ years for ghouls)
Ancilla Up to 75 100+ years

Experience Costs

Trait Cost
New Ability 3
New Discipline 10 for Kindred, 20 for Ghouls
New Path (Necromancy or Thaumaturgy only) 7 for Kindred, 20 for Ghouls
Attribute Increase Current Dot Rating x 4
Ability Increase Current Dot Rating x 2
For Kindred: Current Dot Rating x 5
In Clan Discipline Increase
For Ghoul: Current Dot Rating x 15
For Kindred: Current Dot Rating x 7
Other Discipline Increase
For Ghoul: Current Dot Rating x 25
Caitiff Discipline Increase Current Dot Rating x 6
Secondary Path (Necromancy or Thaumaturgy only) Current Dot Rating x 4
New Ritual Ritual level x 2
New Specialty 2
Virtue Current Dot Rating x 2
Humanity or Path of Enlightenment Current Dot Rating x 2
Willpower Current Dot Rating

Important Notes:
• Increasing a Virtue with XP does not increase traits based on that Virtue (Humanity, Path, Willpower, etc.).
• Each path of Setite Sorcery, Koldunism, and Dur-An-Ki for Assamite castes other than Sorcerers are treated as out-
of-clan disciplines for purposes of XP costs.

Spending Log
Keep a running tally of exactly where and how you spend experience and freebie points! This needs to include specifics
(not just ’15 XP on abilities’ – we need to know which abilities). The Approvals team needs this to ensure your math is
correct. This should preferably be directly on the character sheet somewhere, but it may also be provided on the backstory or
in a separate sheet linked on the backstory.
 Everything Else
Expanded Backgrounds
Fill in the minor details for your backgrounds – normally a one-sentence
description for each point works (each major contact gets a sentence for example.)
Where do your Resources come from, who makes up your Herd, what does your
Fame entail – all of these are things we need to know.

Details
Age, Date of Birth, Date of Death, etc. While a lot of this will be covered in the
backstory, having everything in one place makes the Approvals team’s job easier
when going over your sheet.

Haven(s)
Where does your character spend the day? If they are a vampire, they need a secure
place to sleep. Nosferatu are all welcome within the Warrens, Tremere within the
Chantry. Everyone else – where does your character live? Being homeless is risky
for a vampire as it just takes one curious kid wanting to explore that abandoned
building.

Combat
We are not a combat focused game. We do not want to see this entire chart filled
out. That being said, let us know what sort of weapons you have. Remember that
Bloody London is set in England – guns are rare and usually illegal, and finding
ammunition will be difficult. In addition, unless you have the merit ‘Firearm
License’ you do not own them legally which could cause problems in RP.

Possessions
Note anything out of the ordinary or noteworthy. You don’t need to list your cell
phone and shoe collection, but if you have any unusual items that aren’t easy to order online, we want to know about it. This
could include ritual reagents, a wraith fetter, the object of your Obsession, or anything that might be illegal. Please ignore
feeding grounds.
 High-Level Stats and You
(Or really, your character)

Attributes
Every character is probably going to have at least one attribute at 4 dots, often two. We do not allow more than two 4-dot
Attributes for neonates under 25 years dead. If an Attribute is at 5 dots on character creation, we will usually ask for it to be
reduced unless it is heavily justified. Keep in mind that everything can be improved in play. An example of justifying
Dexterity 5:

Lifelong Athlete who trained for the Olympics, member of Marine Force Recon for multiple tours, and extended
service as a bodyguard in life have all led him to continue refining his physical abilities. After Embrace he served
as a Hound for the Sheriff and was frequently involved in physically driving the Sabbat out of the city. He chose
speed and dexterity over other options to refine with a particular focus on his reactions and reflexes.

Abilities
It’s not uncommon for characters who aren’t mortals or fledglings to have an ability at 4 dots. However, it should feature
heavily in their backstory. If a character has a 5-dot ability, the entire concept should revolve around it. An example of
justifying Occult 5 (Ritual Spec):

Ehlayra is a 150-year-old ritual master who devotes all of her time to the study of the occult, rituals, and hermetic
practices. Rather than branching out into various thaumaturgical paths she has focused all of her time and energy
in creating and tweaking rituals and learning the ins and outs of the occult. She does not play politics, does not
teach fledglings, and has spent most of her time since Embrace studying. To reflect this, she has taken the flaw
Obsession and does not have experience with other Disciplines.

Disciplines
Disciplines are more tightly regulated than abilities or attributes. It is very unlikely that a neonate will have four dots in a
discipline at character creation unless there are special circumstances (Mage Blood Tremere for example). Any time a
character has four or more dots in a Discipline it should feature heavily in their background. Characters must be 150+ years
old to qualify for a 5-dot Discipline on creation, and it must still be heavily justified. A good example of justifying
Obtenebration 5:

Jacob is a 230 year old Abyss Mystic. He spends his unlife seeking out the secrets of his craft, spending more and
more of his time communing with the Abyss. His days are wracked with nightmares and even those of his clan try to
avoid his presence.

Note: We do not allow more than six total dots of Disciplines for Neonate characters, including secondary magic paths.
Neonates that have not been very active or are still very young should have fewer. The sole exception is that Gargoyles may
have a 7th dot for their free Flight dot. Disciplines can be easily improved in play!
 Backstory, Faceclaim, and Submission
Backstory
Now your sheet should be ready and all you need is a faceclaim and a written backstory for your character. Your backstory
should answer the following questions:
• Who were they as a mortal?
• What was their Embrace like? What drew their sire to them, and how do they fit within their clan?
• How have they adjusted to being a vampire - what have they done since?
• What is their personality like? What skills do they use particularly often?
• What sect are they in and how active are they within it? How well do they fit in?
• In general, the older the vampire/ghoul the less we care about their mortal life. We still want to know about the
basics but after a certain amount of time they will be more defined as their life as Kindred than who they were while
alive. Some people prefer to just summarize their characters’ mortal past as a bullet point timeline.

The backstory should also explain their higher-stat abilities and roleplay-heavy merits and flaws (such as Enemy, Old Flame,
Bound, etc.). The backstory should also make clear how the chosen backgrounds fit the character.

Keep the length between 500 and 1000 words. There is a hard limit of 1,200 words - any longer and we will ask you to
revise it. For format, you are welcome to be creative. However, it should be readable. Although we aren’t judging prose, this
is a writing intensive server and we need to be able to understand your writing.

Note: If your character is any way related to another character – whether Server NPC or PC – note which player/staff member
you have consulted with. This does not count towards the word limit.

Second Note: Characters cannot be personally connected to canon NPCs. This means knowing personally, being the childe
or grand-childe of, or having said NPC know of them. Being descendant of a low generation from lore is fine (looking at you,
descended-from-Mithras-Ventrue).

Third Note: If your backstory involves themes such as heavy violence, suicide, suicide ideation or anything else that would
require a content warning if it were a post (see the #rules channel) please note it at the top of your backstory!

Please include your backstory in a separate document from your character sheet.

Faceclaim

A picture of your character to give an idea what they would look like. This can be a drawn picture or something you found
in Pinterest, google, etc. Try not to use face claims of real-life politicians or celebrities, or any other public figure. Do not use
faceclaims of famous people, or faceclaims in an anime or overly cartoonish style. In general, if they were a lead in any show
or movie, they will be considered too famous.

When determining if a faceclaim is acceptable we generally go through the following questions:

• Art: Are their features clearly visible and defined (nose, lips, face shape)? Are they art of a famous character?
• Do we recognize them – and if so where from? Might someone recognize them on the street?
• How many followers do they have if they are from Instagram?
• Is this another person’s OC and if so, do you have permission to use it? It is required to have the OC’s player’s
permission to use their faceclaim, even if they are not on our server.

Submission
You should now have three-four separate files: One for sheet, background and face claim each. Label each of them in the
following format: Player Name_Character Name_Date Submitted (or date revised if this is a revision).

Submit your Character Sheet, Backstory, and Faceclaim here. Then please wait for us to get back
to you! You can check the status of your character here.
 Becoming Another Type
Part of VTM is the possibility of changing your 'type' if you begin play as a mortal or ghoul. The following sheet changes are
needed for each type of character transition in Bloody London. Contact Staff about any Merits or Flaws marked ‘Talk
To Staff Before Submission’ PRIOR to submitting your rework!

Your submission must include a log summarizing all changes made (either on the sheet or in an additional document).

Mortal to Ghoul
• Remove Merits/Flaws that no longer apply to being a mortal.
• Player creates list of potential Merits/Flaws, Staff reviews list.
• Gain 2 One Dots in Non-Academic In-Clan Disciplines of Domitor and/or Potence.
• Ghoul Blood maximum equals Stamina.
• Discipline level limit determined by Domitor's Generation.

Mortal to Vampire
• Remove Merits/Flaws that no longer apply to being a mortal.
• Player creates list of potential Merits/Flaws, Staff reviews list.
• Raise your Attributes to vampire spread determined by Primary/Secondary/Tertiary (7/5/3). Raising to these spreads
is free, but if you spent XP in play and have now met or exceed the base vampire spread, you may refund that XP;
dots that reached this point in Character Creation may not be refunded.
• Same Process for Abilities (13/9/5).
• Same Process for Disciplines (reach 3 dots total).
• Blood Pool and Limit determined by your new Generation.
• Gain Clan Weakness.

Ghoul to Vampire
• Remove Merits/Flaws that no longer apply to being a ghoul.
• Player creates list of potential Merits/Flaws, Staff reviews list.
• Raise your Attributes to vampire spread determined by Primary/Secondary/Tertiary (7/5/3). Raising to these spreads
is free, but if you spent XP in play and have now met or exceed the base vampire spread, you may refund that XP;
dots that reached this point in Character Creation may not be refunded.
• Same Process for Abilities (13/9/5).
• Same Process for Disciplines (reach 3 dots total).
• Blood Pool and Limit determined by Generation.
• Gain Clan Weakness.

Note: Since you do not receive more freebie points when transitioning to a new type, you have the option to gain more merits
by paying for them with an equivalent amount of new flaws. For example, if you would like to buy 3 points of additional
Vampire-only merits and do not want to drop any of your existing merits, you will need to acquire 3 points of additional
flaws. This is a special exception to the rule that only 7 points of flaws count towards freebies.
 Humanity
Humanity 10-8
Kindred with Humanity ratings this high are, ironically, more human than human. Many fledgling vampires sometimes adhere
to codes more rigorous than they ever held in life, as a reaction against becoming a predator. Older Kindred scoff at this
practice, laughing at the thought of newly whelped neonates cowering beneath fire escapes and subsisting on the foul blood
of rats, vainly rebelling against their murderous natures.

In truth, vampires who maintain high ratings in Humanity are rare, as every Kindred must kill sooner or later. Vampires with
high Humanity are almost unbearable by their peers, who find frustration in their perceived naiveté and self-righteousness;
most Kindred prefer to suffer through unlife without kicking themselves.

High Humanity ratings indicate aversion to killing and even distaste for taking more vitae than is necessary. Though not
necessarily passive or preachy, Kindred with high Humanity uphold excruciatingly exacting standards, and often have very
clearly defined concepts of moral right and wrong.

Humanity 7
Most human beings have Humanity ratings of 7 or so, so vampires at this level of Humanity can usually manage to pass for
mortals. Vampires with 7 Humanity typically subscribe to “normal” social mores — it’s not acceptable to hurt or kill another
person, it’s wrong to steal something that another person owns, but sometimes the speed limit is just too damn slow. The
vampire is still concerned with the natural rights of others at this stage of morality, though more than a little selfishness shines
through.

Humanity 6-5
People die. Stuff breaks. A vampire below the cultural human norm has little difficulty with the fact that she needs blood to
survive, and she does what needs to be done to get it. Though she won’t necessarily go out of her way to destroy property or
end a victim’s life, she accepts that sometimes that’s what fate has in store for some folks. Though not constantly horrid,
Kindred at this stage of Humanity are certainly at least mildly unpleasant to be around. Their laissez-faire attitudes toward
others’ rights offend many more moral individuals.

Humanity 4
The vampire begins an inevitable slide into urge indulgence. A Humanity of 4 indicates that killing is acceptable to this
Kindred, so long as his victim is “deserving.” Many vampire elders hover around this level of Humanity, if they haven’t
adopted some other moral code. Destruction, theft, injury — these are all tools, rather than taboos, for a vampire with
Humanity 4. The vampire’s own agenda becomes paramount at this point, and screw whoever gets in the way.

Humanity 3-2
The lives and property of others are irrelevant to a Kindred this far gone. The vampire likely indulges twisted pleasures and
aberrant whims, which may include any manner of atrocity. Perversion, callous murder, mutilation of victims, and wickedness
for its own sake are the hallmarks of a Kindred with very low Humanity. Few vampires maintain ratings this low and lower
for very long — their damnation is all but certain at this point. Physical changes show up at this stage; while not hideous in
the sense of the Nosferatu or certain Gangrel, the vampire acquires a pallid, corpselike, and noticeably unwholesome aspect.

Humanity 1
Only nominally sentient, Kindred with Humanity 1 teeter on the edge of oblivion. Little matters to vampires this far gone,
even their own desires outside of sustenance and rest. There is literally nothing a vampire with Humanity 1 won’t do, and
only a few tattered shreds of ego stand between him and complete devolution. Many who attain this stage find themselves no
longer capable of coherent speech, and spend their nights gibbering blasphemy in their gore-spattered havens.

Humanity 0
Must sleep. Must feed. Must kill. Players may not run characters with Humanity 0. Vampires at this stage are completely lost
to the Beast. You cannot play a character at Humanity 0.
 Example Character: Fae Westin

Getting Started
Concept: Youtube Singer
Nature: Caretaker
Demeanor: Bon Vivant

This is the very core of the character. She is a fun-loving Toreador who loves animals and small children and is very protective
of those she cares about. Generation makes absolutely no difference for the concept, so 13th it is! More freebies to play with.

Attributes
Fae will be a Social primary, Mental secondary and Physical tertiary. She’s very likable, very pretty and charming, but not
very manipulative (Charisma 4, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4). Her Intelligence is average, but she is quick-witted and she
tends to be fairly observant (Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3). Physically she’s average. This really has no effect on how
I the player plan on playing her, so the three Physical dots get spread out evenly.

Abilities
Fae’s abilities will be: Talents (primary), Knowledges (secondary), Skills (tertiary). As stated before, she’s a bright-eyed
Torrie who tends to notice the details. This is also where you start to think more in depth in the character. Some skills she’ll
focus on:
• Alertness - She's just good at noticing fine details. Sometimes people are just good at things (most common for
Talents)
• Empathy - A care bear who tries to be emotionally available for her friends, Fae also uses empathy to express her
own emotions.
• Expression (songwriting) - Fae writes a lot of her own songs
• Performance (singing) - She's a singer.
• Computer/Technology (Computers) - These are vital for editing the videos before posting them.
 Specialties
Fae has two four-dot attributes: Charisma and Appearance. For Charisma, witty fits best, and for Appearance we’ll go with
Fashion Sense (this also lets us play dress up with her wardrobe after she’s been approved!)

Currently there are no four-dot abilities, but Expression, Performance, Academics and technology always get specialties at
first level.

Disciplines
This is a baby Torrie and frankly she doesn’t use her Disciplines all that much. Because we want her to be fairly well-balanced
we’ll go with an even spread with 1 dot each in Auspex, Celerity, and Presence.

Backgrounds
Going down the list:
• Generation - Fae's thirteenth, so that's no dots.
• Resources - She makes her money from her music and is still very much an up and coming musician, so we'll go
with one dot.
• Fame - Her channel has just started to become popular. It could waver between one and two dots, but in the interest
of giving her something to work for we will stick with one dot of Fame.
• Allies - Fae's likeable and she prefers friends over tools. She'll start with two Allies, to be detailed later.

This is four dots in backgrounds, so one dot carries over for when we go for freebie points.

Virtues
Fae is a cinnamon roll. Easily her highest virtue is Conscience. We’ll put three dots there and spread the remaining four
across Courage and Self-Control.

Humanity, Willpower, Blood Pool

Fae’s Conscience is four, Self-Control is three so her Humanity will be 7. This is a
good place for a young fledgling who’s getting a hold of herself.

Fae’s Courage is three, so currently this is her Willpower. This is low and will be
raised with freebies.

Fae is 13th generation – she has a max blood pool of 10 and can spend one blood
point per turn.

Freebies
So every character starts out with 15 freebie points, can gain an additional 7 by taking
flaws, and any unused background dots are converted to freebies. So Fae has 23 to
spend: 1 unused background, 7 flaws, 15 base freebies.
 First thing I want to do is get her two dots in Performance and increase her
Willpower to 5. After that, we look at Merits/Flaws. Slowed Degeneration is
the big one for Fae because she’s supposed to be a sweet cinnamon roll. The
rest are just cool things that ultimately aren’t core to the character.

I have a few freebies left over, so Auspex gets increased to two and let’s give
her a dot in Crafts. All of these should be accounted for somewhere – I used the
Notes section on page one.

Everything Else
So we’re about done the sheet! Now all that we need to do is fill in the sections on backgrounds, fill out her goals and the
description section on page four! We aren’t going to go over backstory here because that varies from player to player. I’ve
included a finished version of Fae’s sheet on page 25.
 Credits

Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of Paradox

Interactive AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved. For
more information please visit worldofdarkness.com. This guide was
made for the Play-by-post server Bloody London and is not official
World of Darkness Material.