Dark Ages Character Inspiration

I've been thinking about writing a Dark Ages series of stories lately but I have no idea where to begin or even what character to make. I'm not particularly sure where I want it to take place, but I'm leaning towards Britain, Brittany or somewhere in Central Europe.

My main problem is choosing what kind of character to write about, however. This character is to be my "main" character for Dark Ages, so I want to put a lot of depth into him. Clan means a lot to me and that's where I've had the most trouble. Below are a list of clans that I'm considering, based on their themes and what I like:

Malkavian- this is my favourite clan. I love madness and insanity so it would make sense for me to write about it, right? Well, I just don't know how to write about someone who is insane in the mediaeval era. I know that people who were insane were thought to be touched by some dark evil, but not much beyond that. Also, my "main" character for the modern nights is a Malkavian. I feel that to make another Malkavian character would be sort of overkill, but I'm not sure.

Toreador- my original favourite clan. I really love the themes of beauty and aesthetics that are evoked from the Toreador- but what else? I know that's a pretty ignorant thing to say about the Toreador, but I just can't get my mind to churn out something more deep about them in the mediaeval era than I could in the modern nights. I really liked characters like Mi-ka-il, Ma-ri, and other deep Toreador characters but I'm just not sure where I want to go. I had some kind of idea of a Toreador who had a deep obsession with beauty to the point that he would destroy anything that he considered ugly but I think that that's an overused theme (though I'm sure I could make something more of it, just not right now).

Cappadocian- I've always had an interest in the Cappadocians but I never knew just how to make an appropriate character out of one. My interest in the Cappadocians was renewed when I read about Apacia, a very atypical Cappadocian. I really love what the Cappadocians are about but I can't seem to get my mind around a good character concept for them.

Anyway, I'd really love feedback. I really could use the inspiration.

Toreador wrote:

Malkavian- this is my favourite clan. I love madness and insanity so it would make sense for me to write about it, right? Well, I just don't know how to write about someone who is insane in the mediaeval era. I know that people who were insane were thought to be touched by some dark evil, but not much beyond that. Also, my "main" character for the modern nights is a Malkavian. I feel that to make another Malkavian character would be sort of overkill, but I'm not sure.

There are various ways to go about it. While it could be that the character is generally mistrusted, it could either be that they play into this(with harmless pranks, or things meant to inspire more fear), or they subvert it. Although for the time, it's likely that you try to help someone as a Vampire, it isn't entirely viewed as an act of charity, even if there is nothing but sincerity behind the act.

Toreador wrote:

Toreador- my original favourite clan. I really love the themes of beauty and aesthetics that are evoked from the Toreador- but what else? I know that's a pretty ignorant thing to say about the Toreador, but I just can't get my mind to churn out something more deep about them in the mediaeval era than I could in the modern nights. I really liked characters like Mi-ka-il, Ma-ri, and other deep Toreador characters but I'm just not sure where I want to go. I had some kind of idea of a Toreador who had a deep obsession with beauty to the point that he would destroy anything that he considered ugly but I think that that's an overused theme (though I'm sure I could make something more of it, just not right now).

The most obvious is subversion - a character who hates all the humanity and passive bullshit, or simply just doesn't care. Of course, it could also take a more, macabre turn, in that the character certainly cares about humanity, only they like to display the finer examples within their havens(all ghouled, to preserve their beauty). Any mistakes, any blemishes or imperfections, and they choose to drain the person to death, if only to force some use out of the now damaged piece.

"Do I care about you? Yes, yes I do. Your face, your body - every inch appeals to me. However, you change one aspect, if you make yourself imperfect in my eyes, then your only use to me, becomes slaking my lust for blood. Do not disappoint me.

Toreador wrote:

Cappadocian- I've always had an interest in the Cappadocians but I never knew just how to make an appropriate character out of one. My interest in the Cappadocians was renewed when I read about Apacia, a very atypical Cappadocian. I really love what the Cappadocians are about but I can't seem to get my mind around a good character concept for them.

I haven't really tried to do a Cappadocian, save for a character whose clan is supposed to be Giovanni, but looking at her, it suggests otherwise. Still, I'm unsure of it, but even so, the character really isn't exactly obsessed with death, but rather life - meaning that she constantly reads, with the intention of learning whatever she can about history, or anything else she takes even the smallest interest in.

No Tzimisce? Disgraceful

The "beauty obsessed" character has been done to death. It's a trope that has been used in every anime villain of ambigous gender. Besides, it's boring as fuck. Toreadors are boring as fuck as a whole, no offense. Always whining about their feelings, art and whatnot.

I think that some idiot at white wolf, when they were building the clans, said something like "We need an Italian clan! The Godfather is hit now!" so they made that pile of stinking lore crap that is the Giovanni. The Cappadocians always seemed much more interesting and alluring to me. But I don't know crap about them, so I can't help you there.

Malkavians? meh, most overrated and overused clan of all time.

BTW, I want to see some roundhouse kicks and superman punches when Claudia arrives on this thread. I already have my popcorn ready, thank you.

For the Cappadocians:

On Malkavians, it all depends on if you play them right.
IIRC, the Derangement depends on the individual, as it's created on who they are. A person who flips emotions may have "Borderline Personality Disorder", a sullen/grim individual might have "Depression", and on and on and on...
The thing is, don't play them for fun (Ok, maybe a little, but not so much that it encompasses their every waking moment). Their madness is a weakness, a curse and a tragedy. Something that bites into their unlives, gnashing and chomping on their mind and draining away any "sanity" that remains.
Their insight is not a cheat sheet to the future. The madness network is just as liable to completely "betray" a Lunatic as it is to not say anything at all.


As for Toreadors...

Well, I honestly can't seem to make any counterpoints. Except that they as a whole have the most influence in the Camarilla. MUCH more than the Ventrue.

Maxus Corvin wrote:

Toreador wrote:

Malkavian- this is my favourite clan. I love madness and insanity so it would make sense for me to write about it, right? Well, I just don't know how to write about someone who is insane in the mediaeval era. I know that people who were insane were thought to be touched by some dark evil, but not much beyond that. Also, my "main" character for the modern nights is a Malkavian. I feel that to make another Malkavian character would be sort of overkill, but I'm not sure.

There are various ways to go about it. While it could be that the character is generally mistrusted, it could either be that they play into this(with harmless pranks, or things meant to inspire more fear), or they subvert it. Although for the time, it's likely that you try to help someone as a Vampire, it isn't entirely viewed as an act of charity, even if there is nothing but sincerity behind the act.

My thing is that I want to explore various themes of insanity. I also want to tap into that seer aspect that the Malkavians also have. I don't want him to be a typical court jester (the majority of Dark Ages Malkavians weren't even jesters and viewed it as humiliating) or anything not very serious. I kind of have him in the idea of being accutely aware but also having that alien and terrifying insight and semi-psychotic behavoir (not all the time, of course) that my modern character does but I also want them to be different enough.

I have him as being extremely eccentric and hearing all kinds of voices. Kind of oracular, I suppose.

I think I'll take a look into some clinical pyschological madnesses to see if I can come up with anything. I just feel that this could either be a very good character or a very bad character.

Toreador wrote:

Toreador- my original favourite clan. I really love the themes of beauty and aesthetics that are evoked from the Toreador- but what else? I know that's a pretty ignorant thing to say about the Toreador, but I just can't get my mind to churn out something more deep about them in the mediaeval era than I could in the modern nights. I really liked characters like Mi-ka-il, Ma-ri, and other deep Toreador characters but I'm just not sure where I want to go. I had some kind of idea of a Toreador who had a deep obsession with beauty to the point that he would destroy anything that he considered ugly but I think that that's an overused theme (though I'm sure I could make something more of it, just not right now).

The most obvious is subversion - a character who hates all the humanity and passive bullshit, or simply just doesn't care. Of course, it could also take a more, macabre turn, in that the character certainly cares about humanity, only they like to display the finer examples within their havens(all ghouled, to preserve their beauty). Any mistakes, any blemishes or imperfections, and they choose to drain the person to death, if only to force some use out of the now damaged piece.

"Do I care about you? Yes, yes I do. Your face, your body - every inch appeals to me. However, you change one aspect, if you make yourself imperfect in my eyes, then your only use to me, becomes slaking my lust for blood. Do not disappoint me.[/quote]
This actually inspired me a little. I've always wanted to play a Toredor who was completely obsessed and consumed with the idea of beauty and aesthetics. I also have him in the idea of being on the Road of Sin, having debaucherous moments. I have this character in the idea of being inhumanly obsessed with the beauty of living things to the point of destroying anything that offends him.

I really don't want him to be the stereoytipcal weak Toreador. Perhaps an early Toreador antitribu (yeah, they don't exist yet).

Toreador wrote:

Cappadocian- I've always had an interest in the Cappadocians but I never knew just how to make an appropriate character out of one. My interest in the Cappadocians was renewed when I read about Apacia, a very atypical Cappadocian. I really love what the Cappadocians are about but I can't seem to get my mind around a good character concept for them.

I haven't really tried to do a Cappadocian, save for a character whose clan is supposed to be Giovanni, but looking at her, it suggests otherwise. Still, I'm unsure of it, but even so, the character really isn't exactly obsessed with death, but rather life - meaning that she constantly reads, with the intention of learning whatever she can about history, or anything else she takes even the smallest interest in.[/quote]
I feel that there is a lot of untapped potential to be had with the Cappadocians, but I just don't know where to direct it. I really want to have the depth of Apacia because she's such a unique and different Cappadocian.

I am also building up their lives from before they were Kindred. I think it's an extremely important thing to do when making a character. Granted, my character won't be a neonate, but I still feel it necessary to draw their lives out from before because it will have a profound affect on who they become.

If you're not sure what to write about, you risk that any story you create will feel forced. I would suggest waiting until you get a really good idea for a story and then writting about whatever character best fits into it.

Ye as I'm not sure about what kind of story this is, I'm not quite sure what kind of character would suit into it.
Or at all if I wanna be a part of it for that matter, but ye let us know what you have in mind and I'll give my opinion from there.

Creating characters out of the blue is fine, but it's not good for a fanfic, a story, or a campaign setting

Damnit all, I'm fucking opening a blog now XD

btw, this is a little random something I wrote in between meals


A little "how to" create a campaign :

As a ST for beginners and "local" characters, I've always made sure to create settings and stories that would create unforgettable events. So imma gonna write this for you real short and dummy proof

How to create the best campaign ever (BCE) :

First, forget about the campaign part. This ain't no Dungeons, this ain't no adventure or all over the world trips. There's no such thing as a "campaign" for Vampire, deal with it.

Second : Pick a city. Any city will do. Study it thoroughly, read about it, memorize the map, print out google street views, learn about the history of certain buildings, learn about its politics, its socio-economic strengths and weaknesses.. and its population... Pick your own city if it's interesting enough, or a city you know a whole lot about. It took me a good five months just to learn about the history of my city to be sure the foundations of my story were strong enough to build the rest. This is mandatory !
Once you've followed a few night classes in your local university about the history if your city and region, take a timeline with important changes, and going backwards, think about "what was behind" those changes : a change of Prince ? a change of sects ? Some of these changes are canon (the Tremere and the Nazi for instance), but if you're not convinced by the canon, throw it away like a boss.

Fourth, once your skeleton for "the world of darkness history" of your city looks like a proper something that has no inconsistencies, go back as far as proper writings on the city go. In European cities, I tend to go up to around 1000 BC or so, but I will make a few lines on the Roman eras (mostly christian Roman empire). Starting from there, and with the general geopolitical, economical and social background of each century or so, start placing some Clan Interests. Your Ventrue clan has strong ties with the Roman Catholic Church ? That's fine, but what happened during the Reform ? The Toreador had financial interests in Slave Trade in your port city ? How did they manage to get over the changes ? Your Tremere had ties with nobles ? What happened during the different Revolutions ? Your Malks had a local hold on health and mixtures ? What happened when the inquisition (led by the Ventrue :p) stepped in to cut down their influences ? etc, etc. Take every single event, all clans you want, and draft general clan golden eras and loss in interest. My favorite one was the Tremere taking profit from the feodal system, until Industry blew their minds away.


Once these sways are written on your timeline, with different colors for each clan as a whole.. Now interesting shit can happen. NOW you get to place your NPCs personal timelines in the city.
You've got a decrease in one clan's power or the other, then it's a good excuse to embrace new useful kindred : 1800 is a great time to embrace new ventrue (new financial capitalism to be understood), 1850 for the brujah (universal vote and several revolutions), etc, etc.
Place in the character that took/lost power, and tie them, each and every single time, to the historical events, both nationally and locally : Marie-Antoinette losing her head ? Certainly a backstabbing to a hedonist Toreador. WWII German occupation of Poland ? The Tremere using the machine to force gain of influence as a whole. Manifest Destiny ? Big Corps, pioneers to "bring civilisation", Malks needing more people to experiment upon, anthropologist Gangrel thinking they've got much to learn, and, of course, religious persecution.
Bad public works New Deal ? Probably a Nosferatu plot to keep their secret secrets and to render themselves indispensable : One who controls urbanization controls the city.

Now zoom in your timeline, and write the whole story again from each important character's perspective : Does the current Ventrue Prince know exactly had the power before him ? Maybe there was a blood bond somewhere. Does he know ? If he found out, how ? Who helped him get power ? Why did they help him (true reasons) ? Why did they help him (what the prince thinks are the true reasons) ?... And make sure to add to each character a huge amount of misinterpretation, lies, and of course, plain ignorance. Make sure there are botched embraces, personal drama, and plain errors (for instance, I once had a Toreador embrace a girl he thought was an awesome novelist, but in truth, she was just the Masquerade cover the Toreador Primogen used to publish his works... This botched embrace, the fact that she was good enough an actor to survive her presentation, and make herself become a harpy was interesting enough ; of course the Sire lost all status and is still being taunted by the harpies because he didn't check his facts.. and didn't recognize the Primogen's writing style). Make coterie sheets for them all (the coterie sheet are these : http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/pdf/VtM/VtMCoterieChart_4.pdf ) : and do them each twice : Once about their true feelings to each other and to other clans, but also once about what OTHERS thinks their feelings are : "I think Tom Tremere likes Greg Gangrel" isn't the same as "Tom Tremere owes a favor to Greg Gangrel". People thinking the first is interesting to create alliances, coteries, and of course, world domination plots.
Each NPC needs an AGENDA : things they want done, things they don't want done, people they'd like to harm, people they'd like to get closer to... And make as much conflict as necessary. Create an unstable balance, a strong status quo, a wtf. The city IS too small for kindred. Make sure oppression, politics, favors, and social relations are far more important than a rabid brujah assaulting the prince's haven to get his head. Add in a few secrets (maybe the old sheriff isn't dead, but he turned sabbat... maybe that toreador who didn't come back from a trip actually never left and is being kept captive by a ghoul in need for vitae...).
An example is finding out a kindred was murdered ; but her remains did not look like her age stated they should have looked like : was that murder faked ? Now the ones interested in finding out the truth can't investigate on their own because they do not want to believe the Sheriff is lying... They'll exchange favors with the PCs if they find interesting stuff. This isn't your regular "quest giving NPC", as the NPC has an agenda to try on her own to find out the truth.. and needs to PC to distract the Sheriff to test her theories.

Try to stick to the basics as much as you can : You don't need a fancy bloodlines to have a great character. Think of the concept of the character first, then think about who could embrace him, then manage to place that inside your city. Extra points for you if you manage to use historical characters (try and take the less obvious ones, like, vice presidents, unheard of captains of the guard...). You also do not need fancy disciplines, nor moaaaar dots. A good Prince can have five dots in his clan disciplines, but have shitloads of influences in the right place, as well as people that find an interest in having him in power. You don't need Majesty to be Prince ; those princes don't last.

Now.. what ? Just let your players hear about the NPC views on certain topics, and watch it evolve on its own. Force them to make choice : religion, politics, welfare, hate on roms, hate on gitans, hate on capitalists, voting choices, social security, people aging, policy to embrace (or not). Add in marriage, divorces, and some mind blowing events such as launching a god damn mini copper on freaking MARS. Remember all people over 60 find it perfectly "normal" to be racist/nationalist/xenophobic. Up until not-to-far ago, women didn't have voting rights, or the right to open a bank account on their own. Parental authority was called "father authority" until the 80's. The Guillotine was used until the 70's !
So if your kindred was embraced at 20 and lived 80 years as a kindred, well, she's already crazy enough : British empire ? Binge drinking ? Think about your regular "informatics incompetents" around you, now multiply this, add in megalomania, egocentric leeches who have power trips... Sure they get around technology a little better than your grandpa, but not that much. Make sure to add contrast between their looks and their age. And make sure they say "negro", "maure" or other very derogatory and insulting words, which they seem to think are perfectly acceptable because that's the vocabulary they used. Contrast that with the same kindred actually having some deal of charity and good morals... always for a reason, always belittling. Add in a hint of colonization. Get into regular mindset and "context", and take some of those ideas up to now. And make sure to let your PC understand that if one NPC thinks that civil casualties are wrong in Irak bombings, that it's amazingly exceptional.. and that this one NPC is mocked and looked down by the Court (some members of which participated openly in the Kosovo war, or the Napoleonic wars, you know, actual total wars).

Now your city is created... just throw a grain of salt, and a few actual events the PCs hear about; link them to the events, and present them the city from their sire's or contact's perception of the city.. and of its inhabitants.
You don't need a storyline. PCs do not follow storylines ! EVER ! Watch your local newspapers closely, as well as national wtf news : watch public works : why are they happening ? Who takes benefit in the Moscow olympics ? What about South Africa world cup ? Who's founding your local college ? It's always a consequence of someone's action, even if it's not direct, even if it's not even wanted. Make sure to have a few secrets "which are meant to be found out" (who's actually a traitor, who's actually hating the prince, who wants someone else dead...), and make them chose sides, chose who's "visible agenda" suits them best. Useful neonates (because the PCs are the protagonists, so the NPCs would want to have them on their side, even if they're not aware of it.... See Strauss's behavior to the Neonate, in the video game Bloodlines) can be interesting.
And then, make sure that they can't do it all, that NPCs will take certain actions unless X or Y happens. They'll have to chose the less worse path, and at each something they don't do, there will be terrible consequences. Make sure they feel it. Make sure the job will try and get done by other NPCs who have another agenda to it... And of course, the PCs will get consequences right when they shouldn't.

Keep a track of general feelings of each clan and each npc towards each PC : it will let you know easily if the Malkavian Primogen might give them a hand on something (behind the curtains..), or if the Tremere Regent might offer one of them an Inscription that contains the ritual to walk through walls. It'll also let you know if said or said NPC will believe the PCs and will listen to them.

And this is just in one, sole, lonely city. You don't need justicars, you don't need Vienna, you don't need archons, and you don't even need the sabbat. Simple, good tools are always the best, and your players will fall in love with the city and its characters. They'll imagine "what if...", they'll want to know more about why the childe of the Tremere Regent seems so afraid of her sire, they'll want to know why the Brujah Primogen is so supportive of the Ventrue Prince, they'll want to know how did they manage borders with Nossie Domain and other domains... And once they learn an important secret (someone lying about their clan..) they'll have to think about unveiling the secret or keeping it secret : the secret owner may be too important for the City's balance and Social Peace, and the Truth isn't worth it.

Keep things personal. And make sure each (public and known) NPC has a very basic concept everyone can understand in a couple of lines. Make sure they think of the character first, before they take into account of their clan. "Let's see a Gangrel" is like "let's ask a Texan" ; they all need to have an unique personality and each needs to have made a certain impression on the PCs.
Add mortals, add ghouls (nobody suspects the ghouls), add in a little mysticism, lots of paranoia, and "I need an excuse to kill this guy...".

Do not guide your PCs, if they've got part of the cards (what's publicly known, what they've been taught, and what they think), they'll use them all fine. Do not create a "tutor character", nor a "good guy/bad guy" character. And make sure they always suspect a Tremere.

Sabbat games are exactly like Camarilla games, except they are a little more hypocrite and a little more brutal and violent. If someone here thinks the Camarilla is more humane, kinder, you misunderstood completely the whole thing and you were owned by the dogma those fucking elders put up as a vague social corpus. There's no justice, just vengeance, there isn't a wish to find out the truth, just making sure you have the least enemies possible...

Some people call it sandbox. I call it "urban scary world of darkness life"
Seriously, even the most uninspired player will be moving around because they have their influences, their comfort, their status or even their survival at stake. I force them to get interested because coincidences make that they'll be interviewed by a curious journalist about the sudden death of many roms, or someone will notice they aren't seen during day time.. Link their background to anything that could (and will) go wrong. Make sure that they create their characters in a way that you can link them deeply to your city-setting (common sire, mortal family, something in there is part of their Agenda...)

I usually tend to give tips to certain players about what their characters may guess or not. We do not all have the same stats as the characters ; we don't ask the player to have STR. 4, why should I expect them to have INT 4?

Thank you Claudia.  This should help cure my usual insomnia later tonight.  I'll read it then.  LOL

(Not that it's boring... just loonng...)

Great work Claudia!
I finally had time to read it.
Although I must admit your post lacks description and depth.



 

I love you Phil!

Can't you read? He expressed his love for a man named Phil.

My statement stands.

This Phil happens to be me, by any chance?

ThePhilosopher wrote:

This Phil happens to be me, by any chance?

Nobody knows. Sorry.
*puts wet snout on Philo's lap*

ThePhilosopher wrote:

This Phil happens to be me, by any chance?

One in a 201,032,714.

Jad.3 wrote:

ThePhilosopher wrote:

This Phil happens to be me, by any chance?

One in a 201,032,714.

Close enough. Let's bang

ThePhilosopher wrote:

Jad.3 wrote:

ThePhilosopher wrote:

This Phil happens to be me, by any chance?

One in a 201,032,714.

Close enough. Let's bang

Banging is fun. And Phil is now legal...  

I'd love to keep this platonic!

...else I couldn't be sure of my form in the morning. Or evening. Whatever.

Jad.3 wrote:

I'd love to keep this platonic!

...else I couldn't be sure of my form in the morning. Or evening. Whatever.

There is always room for enhancments! Why to trust online pharmacies? Call your friendly neighbourhood Tzimisce! 

Feral wrote:

There is always room for enhancments! Why to trust online pharmacies? Call your friendly neighbourhood Tzimisce! 

I may be mad, but I'm certainly not that mad.
Btw, what's an online paramedic?

- 

Childe of Malkav wrote:

Feral wrote:

There is always room for enhancments! Why to trust online pharmacies? Call your friendly neighbourhood Tzimisce! 

I may be mad, but I'm certainly not that mad.
Btw, what's an online paramedic?

- 

Dunno. Online pharmacy is an internet store that sells half-priced viagra that makes you half hard, though.

Feral wrote:

Childe of Malkav wrote:

Feral wrote:

There is always room for enhancments! Why to trust online pharmacies? Call your friendly neighbourhood Tzimisce! 

I may be mad, but I'm certainly not that mad.
Btw, what's an online paramedic?

- 

Dunno. Online pharmacy is an internet store that sells half-priced viagra that makes you half hard, though.

How can you know that I wonder...

Personal experience I reckon