Scions Character Creation
This game uses the standard V20 character creation rules found in the V20 rule book on page 77, but many aspects of the creation process have been house ruled, make sure to read this guide carefully.
All first time players must use the Neonate template, the Ancillae template is available to veteran players with storyteller approval.
The Fledgeling/Shovelhead template is only available upon request and may not be granted to everyone.
Player characters should be Sabbat only. No exceptions.
Click here for the Scions Blank Sheet
Clans with a * are primarily available to experienced players and should be avoided by players who are new to Vampire: The Masquerade and the World of Darkness.
| Clan | Slots Available |
| Assamite ( Warriors only ) | Full |
| Brujah | Opened |
| City Gangrel | Opened |
| Daughters of Cacophony * | Limited |
| Gangrel | Limited |
| Hecata Clans (Except Giovanni) * | Limited |
| Lasombra * | Opened |
| Malkavian * | Opened |
| Nosferatu | Opened |
| Pander | Opened |
| Ravnos * | Limited |
| Salubri * | Limited |
| Serpents of the Light * | Opened |
| Toreador | Opened |
| Tremere * | Limited |
| Tzimisce * | Full |
| Ventrue * | Opened |
Three templates are available in this chronicle, however, only the Neonate template is readily available for anyone. The Fledgling/Shovelhead template will be awarded on a case by case basis, and will often be reserved for newer players as they require to have an in-game sire, whether playable or non playable character. The Ancillae template is only available to players that we know and trust, keep in mind that the Ancillae template comes with responsibility to help Storytellers keep the game alive and interesting, and usually involves taking on the role of Coven Ducti or Priest. Ancillae players may also be asked to serve as new players' sires.
| Templates | Fledgling/Shovelhead | Neonate | Ancillae |
| Attributes | 7/5/3 | 7/5/3 | 7/5/3 |
| Abilities | 13/9/5 | 13/9/5 | 13/9/5 |
| Disciplines | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Backgrounds | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Virtues | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Freebies | 25 | 35 | 50 |
| Max Generation | Determined by Sire's | 10 | 8 |
Please follow the creation rules from the base V20 book, but also heed the additional guidelines and rules in this section.
Character Concept
- BEFORE you even begin working on filling a sheet, please check with a storyteller so you can hash out a viable character concept. Note that there are two playable Covens in this game. The Queens of Mercy accept any and all Cainites, without restrictions. The Sacred Band however is a male only Coven, they are a war pack who only accept warriors within their ranks. Players who wish to join The Sacred Band are expected to make a character who fits the pack's concept, including; Physical attributes must be primary or secondary; the character must have at least one of the following at 3 dots: Athletics, Brawl, Melee or Firearms, also, a suitable face claim will have to be picked.
Attributes
- A maximum of one attribute at 5 is allowed.
- Do not min/max attributes to maximize discipline dice pools, ensure that your character is believable. Make sure to pick specialties for all attributes at 4 and above. You can find specialties here: Attribute Specialties
Abilities
- No abilities above 3 before the freebie phase of character creation.
- Remember that an ability at level 3 means that you are proficient enough in that ability to make a professional career out of it, as such 3s and up should be fairly sparse, especially for Fledglings and Neonates.
- As a general rule: No dicepool at creation can exceed 7 (that means Attribute+Skill). We feel that this is important both for balance and the creation of a well rounded character. Avoid min-maxing, delegate your points to your character's strength as well to traits that speak to their background and personality. A good rule of thumb is to have at least one method for problem solving for each sphere (IE- physical, mental and social).
Disciplines
- Fledglings/Shovelheads start with 1 dot in each of their clan disciplines. No further dots may be purchased with freebies at creation.
- Neonates may only raise disciplines up to level two at creation, and may purchase one dot of out of clan discipline with freebies. The only exception is for Nosferatu who may purchase the level 3 power Mask of a Thousand Faces.
- Ancillae may only raise two disciplines up to level three at creation, and may purchase two dots of out of clan discipline with freebie points.
- Note that if you pick the Pander Clan, you do NOT get to pick your starting disciplines. A storyteller will roll three discipline combination options for you to choose from, these discipline combinations will be rolled in the presence of the player for complete transparency. These discipline combination cannot include more than one Clan Exclusive Disciplines.
- Only the following disciplines can be bought as out of Clan at creation: Animalism, Auspex, Celerity, Dominate, Fortitude, Obfuscate, Potence & Presence. The rest of the disciplines are considered as Clan exclusive and may only be purchased in-game under specific rules ( See House Rules ).
Backgrounds
- Most backgrounds are maxed out at creation, below you will see the maximum dots available at creation for each background, depending on your template. Only backgrounds found in the V20 core book are accepted in this chronicle. A * means house rules apply to this background Visit the House Rules page for more information. A * next to a background means it can be picked multiple times. A purple number represents the number of times a background can be picked at creation.
| Background/Template | Fledgling | Neonate | Ancillae |
| Allies | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Alternate ID * | 2 / 1 | 3 / 1 | 4 / 2 |
| Armory | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Black Hand | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Contacts | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Domain | Banned | Banned | Banned |
| Fame | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Generation | Sire -1 | 3 | 5 |
| Herd * | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Influence ** | 1 / 1 | 2 / 2 | 3 / 3 |
| Mentor | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Resources | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Rituals | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Ghouls | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Status | Banned | Banned | Banned |
Note that at creation, each character gets a free background dot depending on their chosen Coven:
The Queens of Mercy: The Queens have a choice between a dot in an Influence of their choice, or a dot in the Herd background to reflect the Queens of Mercy's hold on the Gay Village and its inhabitants.
The Sacred Band: The sacred band receives one dot in Armory to reflect the fact that each member of the Sacred Band receives a Ceremonial Weapon and Armor upon joining the pack. The weapon should reflect your character's favored weapon, and the armor, while it provides no protection bonus, is usually quite revealing and beautifully crafted. The armor is usually made of forged steel pieces, fur, leather straps, mail and draped fabric to resemble greek, roman or spartan armor of old. It sometimes also includes helmets and shields.
Merits & Flaws
We accept only merits and flaws from the following books: V20 Core Book, V20 Lore of the Clans, V20 Lore of the Bloodlines. Not all merits are available to everyone. Please see the Merits & Flaws page for the complete list.
In this section you will find information on how to write your character's background, and what to include. Make sure you go down the list and check every item before submitting your sheet.
- Format: We do not require you to write a character background that is 10 pages long and makes use of elaborate prose. We do accept character backgrounds that come in the form as bullet point lists, especially for Neonates. That being said, if you wish to play an Ancilla, your character background needs to be up to snuff and take the game's metaplot into account.
- Tropes to avoid: Avoid comic relief or silly character concepts, make characters that are believable as the dark, dignified monsters that kindred are supposed to be. Man children, Mary-Sues, Fish-Malkavians, Damsels in Distress, Lovesick Emo Noys, Anime Bishounens and Tentacle Rape Schoolgirls are all examples of characters archetypes that should be avoided at all cost.
- Mortal Years: Your character's years as a mortal are just as important in defining who and what they are as their life as a kindred. Make sure you detail their life as a mortal, including their birth, youth, adulthood, and important details such as what did they study? What trauma did they experience? What important life events shaped them as individuals? Who were the important figures in their lives? How were they introduced to the supernatural world? and so on.
- The Embrace: The embrace is another very important aspect of your character. First and foremost, make sure your character's embrace makes sense; Sires never take the embrace a childe lightly, they embrace the exceptional, the gifted, the fascinating. Make sure you answer the following questions: Why did their sire embrace them? Why did their sire think it was a good idea to bring them into the clan? What caused their sire to take notice? How did your character react and cope with their newfound undeath? How were their years as a Fledgling among the Sabbat? What was their relationship with their sire? How did they come to join their chosen pack or are they still a free agent?
- Kindred Years: Finally, make sure you detail what have they done since their release? Which city/cities have they resided in and what did they accomplish? Do they have a reputation that follows them around? Did they betray someone of note, or were they betrayed? What are their goals? Their ambitions? Their fears? What do they long for?
