Vampire weakness Limit

[Mouse]

I've been conceptualizing Limits for a vampire that works like the version of Dracula from the novel. Specifically, the sort of vampire that gets weak during the day rather than burning. Although some of this covers more than just the sun.

I wanted to bounce some ideas off the board and see what sticks.

The most obvious and blunt idea is that the Power Set shuts down during the day. Vampires are after all nocturnal and they're weak while the sun is up. I'm not positive I like this because, "Recover when the sun sets," seems kind of arbitrary and out of control. Once the vampires powers are gone, they're just sort of gone, and he's now a chump.

Then I considered a sort of scaling Complication. This might allow for the sort of situation where you can have running water, a home into which the vampire isn't invited, etc. Each check on the list of things ups the ante and increases the scope of the Complication.

So the check list might be: 1. crossing running water, 2. daylight, 3. the threshold of a home, 4. the presence of the divine (crosses, ringing church bells, etc), 5. wards against vampires (mirrors, garlic, etc). It'd probably start as a d8 and each additional thing on the check list scales it up one die type until the vampire is Complicated out. Recover at the end of the scene or by acting against the Complication (breaking mirrors, escaping the rays of the sun, etc).

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. Anyone have any thoughts?

[Duck Call Lass]

This sounds like a "turn POWER TRAIT into a complication" style of limit.

[MidnightBlue]

You could run Dracula as a two power set character like Emma Frost.

Power set - Vampire at Night

Power set - Vampire at Day

Make the power sets Mutually Exclusive.

The Watcher has to let the Dracula player know when each power set would be in effect and then the player has to choose to play the character with the concept in mind.


The other limits that you mentioned (mirrors, garlic, etc.) could be sprinkled among the power sets. One thing that I would consider, make the minor limits less daunting on the lower powered Vampire at Day power set. This would give an opportunity for the Vampire at Day to be weaker, but in a way have more freedom of action...like maybe less bloodlust and restrictions on where he can go. Maybe garlic is only a minor turnoff to Vampire at Day than a true repellent of Vampire at Night. That sort of thing.

I could see having fun with this kind of character...especially in a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen kind of game.

[Spatula]

I think stepping down the powers instead of outright removing them might be a better approach. But I like the escalating complication idea, as well. For a "regular" burn-in-the-sun vampire, it could be escalating stress.

[Supplanter]

You could run Dracula as a two power set character like Emma Frost.

Power set - Vampire at Night

Power set - Vampire at Day

Make the power sets Mutually Exclusive.

Oh man, that's an awesome idea. And I never would have thought of it in a million years.

Of course, I kept reading the title of this thread as "Vampire Weekend Limit" . . .


Jim

[Mouse]

You could run Dracula as a two power set character like Emma Frost.

Power set - Vampire at Night

Power set - Vampire at Day

Make the power sets Mutually Exclusive.

You'd really need three Power Sets. He already has one for being a vampire and one for being a sorcerer. Because his sorcery really doesn't have anything to do with his vampire powers; this is why none of the other vampires can perform magic.

While it works, I'm just not certain that I like the setup. Stepping all powers in that Set down by 1 seems simpler. The only real advantage I see to your way is that you can change the Limits and SFX around a bit. Which is interesting, but I'd need to actually write up the character completely before I could really tell whether I like it enough.

It's something to think about. Thanks.

[Spatula]

He could be like Sauron and have two different datafiles. Although if they are both pretty similar, then I don't think it would be worth it.

[blackwingedheaven]

Here's my writeup for the Lord of Vampires. It doesn't include Milestones, since those should be focused on what's going on in your campaign or the current Event. It takes a middle stance between modern movie Dracula and the classic Bram Stoker figure. I also left "vampire weaknesses" intentionally vague; it could mean fire, silver weapons, wooden stakes, mirrors, or whatever works on vampires in your particular game.


Count Dracula (Vlad Tepes)

Solo d10, Buddy d8, Team d6

Distinctions
•Prince of Darkness
•Lord of Vampires
•Ancient One

Master Vampire
•Animal Control d10, Animal Shapeshifting d8, Enhanced Senses d8, Mind Control d10, Superhuman Durability d10, Superhuman Reflexes d10, Superhuman Stamina d10, Superhuman Strength d10, Wall-Crawling d6
•SFX: Claws and Fangs. Add a d6 to your dice pool for an attack action and step back the highest die in your poor by –1. Step up physical stress inflicted by +1.
•SFX: Immunity. Spend 1 PP to ignore stress, trauma, or complications from poison or disease.
•SFX: Invulnerable. Spend 1 PP to ignore physical stress or trauma unless caused by magic or a vampire weakness.
•Limit: Daylight Fatigue. Shutdown all Master Vampire powers rated at d8 or lower and step down all other Master Vampire powers by –2 steps while exposed to sunlight.
•Limit: Vampire Weaknesses. Earn 1 PP when affected by vampire-specific Milestones and weaknesses.

Immortal Sorcerer
•Sorcery Adept d8, Weather Control d8
•SFX: Untapped Reserves. Step up or double any Immortal Sorcerer power for one action. If the action fails, add a die to the doom pool equal to the normal rating of the power die.
•Limit: Dark Forces. Both 1 and 2 on your dice count as opportunities when using an Immortal Sorcerer power.

Specialties
•Business Expert d8
•Combat Master d10 (reduce to d8 or remove entirely if your Count Dracula isn't the Prince of Wallachia feared by the Turks)
•Covert Expert d8
•Menace Master d10
•Mystic Expert d8 (increase to Mystic Master d10 if you're going for a more magical Dracula, like the one in the Castlevania games)
•Psych Expert d8


Hope that helps!