Background: Herd

I'm planning to make the character creation more p&p like. That means a background with generation, resources, and herd.
What I need now is ideas for humans who may act as a blooddoll, why the character knows them, and where to find them.
I need at least 5 different people, if possible even more. And some of them must also be available for Nossies.
One idea I have is someone you knew in your living days, who you can call and ask to come to one of the clubs.
Maybe even make the Santa Monica blueblood "herd". So you meet him only if you have chosen him in the background. And after the warehous he wil be available in the Empire hotel bar.

More suggestions?

Samantha, for obvious reasons. Details and availability should depend on the quest related choices.

Girl you give to Vandal. Never got her name, that one from Asylium. She come to LA for a wild night, no? Give her more she bargained for.

The bum with the sign from S. For the LOLs.

How about moving Samantha from Hollywood to Downtown. You could meet her much the same way as you do in Hollywood, and she gives you her address which is the old Skyline haven.

Or maybe the girl from the Asp Hole club who tells you that is where she lives so come and visit.

As for Samantha. Hollywood, or even downtown, is a bit late in the story to get something you have paid for in advance. Afaik, a background you have "bought" in character creation should be immediately available. So I could say, if the player chooses her as herd, the Hollywood cutscene doesn't happen. She lives in the skyline haven, and while you're stuck in Santa Monica, you can call her and ask to meet you in the Asylum.

@Feral. That girl is not a good choice. Any player (Except Nossies of course) can seduce and use her as a blooddoll, before you send her off to Vandal, or instead.
Uh, you really have bad taste in blood...
And for Nossies we have the rat catcher from Hameln. He plays his pipe and breakfast comes running...

Maybe I can also use Tawni Sessions. Then the player has the choice of giving her up or not doing the quest for Imalia.

What about making Heather only available if you have chosen her in character creation? She will meet you when you come to your haven after ghouling her.

I see what you mean now about Samantha. I did not think of that. You really want somebody like a old school friend you can call on to visit you.

I like the idea about Heather.

Are you planning to use them just as blood dolls? or could you send them out to buy lets say blood packs for you?

Childe of Malkav wrote:

As for Samantha. Hollywood, or even downtown, is a bit late in the story to get something you have paid for in advance. Afaik, a background you have "bought" in character creation should be immediately available. So I could say, if the player chooses her as herd, the Hollywood cutscene doesn't happen. She lives in the skyline haven, and while you're stuck in Santa Monica, you can call her and ask to meet you in the Asylum.

I like that idea. Although there might be a need for a line to convince her to allow you to stay with her, but if she is ghouled by you, that shouldn't be an issue("Sure, you are pretty much family, after all." Or something like that). Maybe add something also to suggest that once you start living there - or perhaps once you go to the Dane(perhaps without killing anyone), or after you do Grout's mansion or the Museum, LaCroix starts dealing with the rent for the place.

Before this, i.e once you get downtown, perhaps she asks you for at least fifty bucks to cover the rent(which might be much higher than that, but maybe she's a bit short this month). If the player wouldn't want to pay this, maybe you'd have to speak with the manager, or hack his computer to reduce the price(which could depend the Hacking feat, say with 1 the price would be lowered by $15, and with 5 it would be lowered by $75), perhaps to below what is current month's amount is.

What about Hannah (the prostitute who got it from Jezabel) ?

How would that work given that she's already sick by the time you get to her?

Childe of Malkav wrote:

What about making Heather only available if you have chosen her in character creation? She will meet you when you come to your haven after ghouling her.

That. For one point, you can get Heather - she meets you in SM, after warehouse (maybe just sometime when you're passing by the bloodbank)? She lives with you, but doesn't talk to you.
For each point in herd, you'd have one always willing blood bag in each area. That would make Samantha viable in Hollywood.
For five points, Heather comes with usual benefits (Discuss.)

Downtown: Feed Patty. Then she's silent and available to you (Skelter pissed?)
Chinatown: The assassins (ok but come with better idea )

I want to have one doll for each point of "herd". So I will give a number of options and the player can choose which one(s) to use.
I'm also thinking about having all the hubs open right from the start, and just leaving some places closed or the npcs not there until it's time for that particular quest.
So maybe:
-Heather: If you select her for background, you meet her as usual in the clinic. The first time you leave the asylum after ghouling her, she will be there. If you wait until after your last visit in the Asylum before ghouling her, she will be at the tower as usual.
-Tawni Sessions: You know her from before she became famous, and still meet her sometimes in her Apartment in Hollywood. Not available for Nossies, and you probably refuse Imalia's quest?
-Samantha: Also in Hollywood. Old friend or family member, as the cutscene suggests. But if you have her as herd, you can get her to accept the fact that you're a vampire, and meet you in the Asp Hole when you need her.
-Some guy/girl you met that fateful night in the Asylum before you went off with your sire. But you still have his/her number and can ask him/her to any of the clubs or the red dragon lounge. Probably also not so good for Nossies.

Any other ideas? Can be more than 5, so the player has a choice.

Maybe Heather could be a Retainer instead of Herd? She does give you more than just blood. And then how many dots you pick in Retainers would determine how many benefits you get from her.

Maybe she could be handing out free armor, whenever the story advances to the point where you could buy it, but is limited by the number of dots you invest.

1 dots - You get Heather and all the normal benefits, but no armor.
2 dots - After you blow up the warehouse she will give you Heavy Clothes the first time you talk to her.
3 dots - After the museum she gives you Light Leather the first time you talk to her.
4 dots - After Gary sends you to Chinatown she gives you Heavy Leather the first time you talk to her.
5 dots - After your visit to the Soicety of Leopold she gives you Body Armor the first time you talk to her.

@Dragatus: Sounds interesting. Luckily with the creation system set up as a dialog, I'm very flexible.
Maybe give the player a choice what to ask: a gun, a melee weapon, or armor.
2 dots: after the warehous you can ask her to organize a glock, a fireaxe, or heavy cloth, deliverd after teh Nines intro.
3 dots: after Grout you can ask for a colt anaconda, a sledgehammer, light leather, or any of the previous items. Maybe ammo too.
4 dots: after talking to Gary you can ask for uzi, bushhook, or heathy leather.
5 dots: well, after the society only body armor is left, so you get that when you return. Question is, does she have to die for it?

Yes she does. For the emotional drama
Most players know what's coming to her, there is option to let her go. Is she worth the armor?

I'd say make it so that you either get the Body Armor and she dies or you can save her and get Humanity instead. That way you still get something for investing that fifth dot.

I think I'll allow only 4 dots for Heather. And the body armor stays in her dialog as it is, and so can be obtained with one or more dots. At the cost of her life of course.

That works too.

Childe of Malkav wrote:

I'm planning to make the character creation more p&p like. That means a background with generation, resources, and herd.
What I need now is ideas for humans who may act as a blooddoll, why the character knows them, and where to find them.
I need at least 5 different people, if possible even more. And some of them must also be available for Nossies.
One idea I have is someone you knew in your living days, who you can call and ask to come to one of the clubs.
Maybe even make the Santa Monica blueblood "herd". So you meet him only if you have chosen him in the background. And after the warehous he wil be available in the Empire hotel bar.

More suggestions?

Most of these are unnammed character, only concept ideas.
Sorry if it's not what you were asking for

SANTA MONICA
-Nosferatu (maybe even Brujah, Gangrel and similar characters): The old vagrant lady near the sewer gutter in santa monica (the one near the bailbonds).
-All: The diner lady, after being shot (saving her and recruiting her in the herd)
-Only Females: Arthur Kilpatrick
-Ventrue (and all the ones with enough Persuasion/Seduction, but mostly Ventrue): The guy waiting for a taxi near Mercurio Haven.
-Brujah: Young punk in the Game Arcade on the Santa Monica Pier
-Toreador: Dancer on the second floor of the Asylum
-Socialites: Hooker near or in the Parking Garage
-Background Profile: Medic in the Medical Clinic (he can give you medicines, if you need 'em for "something")

-Not a person, but maybe, you can use the Red Devil Tattoo as rendezvous point for feeding, after "unlocking" it in the proper quest, or even the room 507 in the Pawnshop Lodgings.

LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN
-All (not Ventrue): One of the vagrants in the alley near The Last Round (LA downtown), when you take down Brother Ciriuacco Kanker (maybe this could even become a sub-quest).
-All (Toreador + All character with Appearance at least 4 or Seduction at least 5): You can "recruit" Patty in you herd seducing her.
-Socialites: People in the "empty" apartment in the Skyline Apartments (could be possible to add even more floors?), maybe could be disguised as a "subquest", something like "meet your neighbours" which can lead to their adding in your herd.
-All: The guardian on the Skyline Apartments (hell, he can even be ghouled)
-Socialites:Venus in the Club confession, maybe even a customer
-All: Waiter in the Empire Hotel

HOLLYWOOD
-Background Profile: Waiter in the Italian Restaurant
-Socialites: Party girl/guy in the Asp Hole
-All: Stripper at the Sin Bin (after the related quest, you can recruit or intimidate her into joining your herd)
-Socialites: Elegant girl at the Vesuvius (only if you get VV approval)
-Nosferatu: Tawni Sessions if you betray Imalia and tell all to Tawny (as a note, the quest could be changed, making both Tawny alive and your herd-member and Imalia happy, if you wish I can elaborate).
-Strong-stomach Kindred: Fresh corpses in the Cemetery

CHINATOWN
-Tremere/Occultist Profile: Occult geek in the White Cloud Shop
-All: Kiki, Wong Ho's daughter (you will need great Appearance for coaxing her and great Intimidate for surviving her rants)

Add Heather: Is it wise to keep her out of the game completely, if you do not invest a single point in her? She could still be in the clinic (and just not find you).