Post by Triple 7 on Feb 24, 2019 13:12:44 GMT -8
EQUIPMENT
Seattle by Night can be a dangerous place. Outfit your Vampire or Ghoul with the latest and greatest gear here. Weapons, Armor, Vehicles & Equipment are to be listed on your sheet if you wish your character to rely on their mechanical effects in any dramatic situation. Any other item that you may wish your character to rely on in a dramatic scene should also be listed on your sheet. It does you no good to go and pick the lock of a building you're breaking into if you don't have a good set of lock picks. Melee and Ranged weapon and armor stats are per Pg. 280-281, V20.
Item Rarity
- Common Items: Items that are readily available and not controlled in any way are typically considered to be “ Common ”. This includes things like cell phones, cars, basic weapons, clothing, craft supplies, computers, property, etc. Typically, all that is required to acquire these items is a comparison of your Resources to the value of the item to make sure your character can afford it. There isn't a minimum Difficulty or number of Successes required to locate Common items.
- Uncommon Items: These are typically the same as a Common item, but made of something special, higher value, or is otherwise controlled and not available to the general public. Things like special medical equipment that requires a license to acquire, illegal drugs, something made by a specific artist, equipment from any Blood Magic, and exotic animals are all examples of Uncommon Items. Uncommon Items provide no mechanical benefit as a rule. The standard Difficulty for searching for Uncommon items is Difficulty 6, with Successes dictating how much information is learned.
- Rare Items: Masterpieces fall into the category of “Rare”. Almost always, these Rare Items provide some sort of a mechanical benefit like +1 Dice to the die pool or a -1 Difficulty for the roll. These mechanical bonuses effect only Abilities. When they don't, the items are specialized equipment like a computer terminal with access to SchreckNet, a sword that does +1 damage, armor that provides -1 Dexterity penalty, or any mortal item from the Artifact background. Specialized Retainers, such as a Gargoyle or Szlachta, fall under this category.
Similar to any Specialty, the item must be used in the manner for which it is designed to effect the roll with a mechanic. As examples; a ritual dagger must be used to draw blood in order to invoke an Occult bonus. Magical tomes read from to do the same. A ritual must be performed in a sanctum to effect the rolls. Clearly any weapon must be used appropriately to gain the bonus. Just having an item on your sheet doesn't deliver a bonus, you must use it effectively. The standard Difficulty for searching for Rare items is Difficulty 8, with Successes dictating how much information is learned.
OBTAINING WEAPONS & ARMOR
Simple things like baseball bats and over-the-counter handguns are usually no problem. Semi-automatic and automatic weapons may require some Influence with those that can get a hold of them (Criminal or Law Enforcement Influences, or Allies with those Influences). If your character doesn't have the influence dots for it, fear not! Doubtless there are those in game with the hook up. Seek them in-character and contribute to the Boon economy in exchange for the schwag your character desires.
Common Weapons and Ammunition: For the appropriate Resources rating, most weapons can be purchased by characters at your local all-night sporting goods store or katanaemporium.com or whatever. Anything without an * (asterisk) in the core V20 book is considered common. You need only to make an equipment request for these items provided you have the Resources or connections to obtain the item.
Common Armor: If you have Resources 2 or more, you can buy up to Class 1-2 armor (Reinforced clothing, armored t-shirt) in general stores or online. This can be anything from sporting goods equipment to going into a military surplus store and making something that works for you.
Uncommon Automatic Weapons: Items from the Firearms chart with a * (asterisk) are considered illegal weapons by mortal authorities. (Those are the ones that go full-auto). These are considered Uncommon. Gaining illegal weapons require Influence over the Criminal or Law Enforcement sphere of mortals. That means either your character having those Influences themselves, or by having mortal Allies with those Influences that they can turn to their advantage. Contacts in these Influences could also point a character in the right direction, but will stop short of obtaining them on the character's behalf. (Alternately, your character could track down a criminal or police officer in-game and try to take their automatic weapon from them, but they tend to have friends with automatic weapons.)
Uncommon Weapons and Ammunition: Functional Silver, Gold, Cold Iron or other 'supernatural killer' weapons can't be purchased 'off the shelf' (and must be specially crafted to be at all usable) are considered Uncommon as well. This includes a single clip of 'silver bullets', which must be declared for a specific caliber of bullet and can only ever be fired from the kind of weapon that fires those rounds (shown in the core book). Additionally, this covers older forms of melee weapons that are actually functional (two handed swords, battle axes, maces, etc.) instead of ornamental. These weapons can still be made by modern blacksmiths, but it isn't common to acquire them.
Uncommon Armor: Similar to Uncommon Automatic Weapons, Class 3-5 (Kevlar vest, flak jacket, full riot gear) is considered Uncommon Armor and requires certain connections to obtain. Gaining these levels of armor require Influence over the Criminal or Law Enforcement sphere of mortals. That means that either your character has those Influences themselves, or by having mortal Allies with that Influence that they can turn to their advantage. Contacts in the Criminal world could also point a character in the right direction, but will stop short of obtaining them on the character's behalf. (Alternately, your character could track down a criminal in-game and try to take their armor from them, but could draw attention to your character.)
Any Rare Items: These things are one-of-a-kind! King Arthur's Sword, Jack Sparrow's compass, The President of the United States' limousine; the Beast. These are all good examples of Rare Items that provide a mechanic bonus effect in the game that require mystical or rare materials not commonly or even uncommonly found. To acquire these items you either have to find one in game during a scene, quest for the item specifically (discovering rumors, facts, or legends about an item with Academics), or acquire the extremely rare materials to properly build a masterpiece item. Either way, it isn't easy and typically always involves a story on how you obtained the thing you wanted.
DO I NEED THIS ON MY CHARACTER SHEET?
If it has a mechanical effect in-game, put it on your sheet. This means Weapons, Armor, Vehicles, Technology (cell phones), and Computers specifically.. "But my character would have had," is not an excuse once they have entered a scene. Plan ahead.
Per V20, if you foresee your character needing to rely on an item in a dramatic situation, (like a combat scenario) get the stats for it (in our game, listed on your character sheet Notes section). Is it dramatically interesting to be without a cell phone at an inopportune moment? Totally! Is that the drama you want? Up to you.
This is to prevent Players from miraculously having the one thing they need for something important. This is especially true if it is affecting another Player's Character to have an item. Intentions are important as well. If you're just using something as fluff, okay; you may not need to put it on your sheet to have it. But, if you randomly need an item to affect another Player's Character, you may have to figure out an alternative solution to your problem. The bottom line is; if it is important to the action you're taking, it is important enough to put it on your sheet, acquire it last minute with an Action in Private, or submit a DTA to get hold of an Uncommon item.
VEHICULAR PARTICULARS
Cars, vans, trucks and such have the only vehicle stats in the core book. There are no stats for motorcycles in the V20 books, however as a sole exception, we've lifted the stats for them from the Werewolf 20 core book (Pg. 276). Everything else should have a relevant stat associated with it.
- Standard common vehicles (sedan, minivan, compact, sporty compact, sport coupe, sports car, exotic car, luxury sedan, sports sedan, midsize, suv/crossover) are considered to have "Light (lying prone) +1 Difficulty" rating found on Pg. 278, V20. NOTE: Standard common armored vehicles exist, but are considered Rare Items. This rating adds +1 Difficulty to the Common Vehicle's cover rating and follows the Rare Item rules listed above.
- Uncommon armored vehicles (6-wheel truck, bus) like security trucks in charge of delivering money have a "Good (behind wall) +2 Difficulty" rating.
- Rare military vehicles (6-wheel truck, modern tank, world war two tank) like modified HMMWV (Hummers) or actual tanks have a "Superior (only head exposed) +3 Difficulty" rating.
EXPLOSIVE MOTIVES
The V20 Companion wisely states on Pg. 58: "Of course, such weapons of mass destruction are better handled as plot devices than as inventory items in most Vampire chronicles." We take that to mean that explosive devices are plot devices; which make them the sole realm of the storytellers. As such, they may never be purchased or used by PCs. Do not expect to get your hands on "Dragonsbreath" rounds, tracer rounds, or even a grenade or a functional rocket-propelled-grenade. You might see them in the story, but your character will never have them on their sheet or have the audacity to operate these weapons. We will ignore the mechanics found on Pg. 65, HH2 on the pretense that I'm not going to take the time to associate quantity into damage. We will simply state that explosives are not a part of this Chronicle.
POISON
While Kindred are unaffected by poison (unless ingested according to Pg. 301-302, V20 or supernatural based in the case of Quietus), they are harmful to their minions. Based on the method of delivery, mortals will receive wither 1-3 Lethal Health Levels of damage. Ranged weapons will deliver 1HL, injections will be 2HL, and ingestion will be 3HL and considered by per turn, per action. Meaning by example; if a mortal chose to harm themselves by drinking a gallon of drain cleaner, it would take three turns before they died because they were harmed 3HL's over three turns to equal 9HL's (more than their 7HL's could handle). I'm not going to get specific regarding quantities or types. It's all just harmful in the end. Clearly this is meant as a guideline. If you have an interest in using some sort of poison in a specific manner, talk to your Storyteller first.
FIRE, ..BAD
While we don't allow explosives as personal weapons, we accept fire just fine. While looking in V20, you won't find stats on weaponized fire other than a few Thaumaturgy related interests. For that reason, I have had to either home brew or accept a past edition's stat descriptions on a couple of common fire based weapons. The weapons I will allow all fall under these stats if Players are looking to utilize them in character. NOTE: If applicable; the threat of Rötschreck applies to not only using these weapons, but being attacked by them.
- Aerosol Can and Flame (Common): Any kind of aerosol can directed toward a target with a flame in between will deal 1A of damage after a successful Dexterity + Crafts, Difficulty 6 attack. Defenders will roll Fortitude, Difficulty 3 to soak the damage. (Dmg: 1A, Rng: 2, Rt: 1, Cap: 10, Cn: J).
- Flare Gun (Common): These break action recreational pistols deal 3A at Difficulty 8 to shoot. Defenders will roll Fortitude, Difficulty 3 to soak the damage. Rate is 1 shot per turn. (Dmg: 3A, Rt: 1, Cap: 1, Cn: P)
- Road Flare (Common): Your common survival equipment road flare will deal 1A in Health Levels per successful attack, Difficulty 5 to soak. Flares last 20 turns before burning out.
- Molotov Cocktail (Common): A glass bottle and a flaming source will deal 5A at Difficulty 7 to throw, and Difficulty 5 for the target to soak. Flames lasts 3 turns on surrounding environment.
- Flaming Arrow (Common): Placing corked tips on an arrow or crossbow bolt will turn their damage to aggravated.
- Flamethrower (Common/Uncommon): Depending on the type; range is either 10ft. for civilian variants (Common) or 20ft. for military variants (Uncommon). Damage will be 5A, at Difficulty 7 to soak for target. Ammunition last for 10 turns and rate is 1 per turn. Flames last 3 turns on surrounding environment. (Dmg: 5A, Rng: 10/20, Rt: 1, Cap: 10, Cn: N). NOTE: Targeting the tank and dealing 3 Successes in damage will cause a rupture. The tank has a 70% chance of causing an explosion rather than a simple failure of the equipment.
Fire retardant suits are available for the public to purchase. With that in mind, we will use similar mechanics to the armor chart on Pg. 280, V20 when referencing a suit that specifically retards fire damage. When this is used, the same penalty for destroying the armor applies found on Pg. 274, V20. These suits are not fashionable and only Flame Armor Class 1 will be concealable due to the nature of the material. Making these items rare can lower the conceal rating once, such as making a Flame Armor Class 3 rating into a concealable Flame Armor Class 1 rating (Dexterity penalty still applies). These suits will offer physical protection at AR -1 per level.
- Flame Armor Class 1 (Common): A thin body suit made of retardant materials meant to be worn under clothing to be concealed for the film industry with a hood (AR 1, PN 0).
- Flame Armor Class 3 (Uncommon): A two-piece fire-fighting suit with boots, gloves, with a top and bottom design (AR 3, PN -1).
- Flame Armor Class 5 (Uncommon): A full on reflective industrial suit with hood and face shield meant to walk through fire and handle high temperature (AR 5, PN -2). Note: Flame Armor Class 5 will never be concealable in the traditional sense.
MUNDANE SECURITY GADGETS
If your character wants to secure a location without using the Background: Communal Haven, you can purchase store-bought cameras and locks for a location (though the Background: Communal Haven is far more robust in terms of security). It will need to established on you sheet or sett up as an Action in Private if the shelter is temporary.
THE GREAT SILVER DEBATE!
Why is acquiring silver a Downtime Action Request (DTA) if I can walk into a pawn shop and buy up grandma's old wedding set? Because it is. In a Chronicle where "I'll go get silver!" is the number one answer to any Werewolf problem; I want to make it difficult to obtain, representing the process involved in acquiring enough materials for the challenge while also allowing access to the solution for my Players. I do not care how easy it is for you the Player to acquire silver off the Internet in stamped bricks. In the World of Darkness it will be a controlled substance and counted as Uncommon to acquire. Whether you dive down and steal the plunder off a Spanish galleon, harvest the silver from the fillings in the teeth of corpses, or walk into a bank and negotiate all the silver out of their vaults; it will take effort to acquire enough of the material to do anything you want to do with it. Use Finance Influence, acquire it off the black market using Criminal Influence, collect the teeth off the dead using Medical Influence; whatever your preferred method is, it will be a DTA to acquire "enough material to make anything you want to actually make from it."