House Rules

General House rules
We will be using just V20 sourcebooks only as standard. (V20 Dark Ages rules for Disciplines and other systems). Anything from other older books will need to be checked and agreed it can be used by all players and GM. Some things may be accepted if they are changed if they are thought to be overpowered for what they are or don't fit V20 rules.

Combat damage is always a minimum of 1 before soak.

1s do not detract from successes. If a 1 is rolled and no successes, it is a botch. Examples at difficulty 6


 * rolling 1,1,3,6 is 1 success.
 * rolling 1,1,3,5 is a botch with 2 failures.

Character Creation
Here are the character generation rules for the upcoming A Very Victorian Monster Chronicle.

Standard Victorian character creation rules. That's 3 Discipline points and Generation 12 and this ability set

Talents: Alertness, athletics, awareness, brawl, empathy, expression, intimidation, leadership, streetwise, subterfuge

Skills: animal ken, crafts, etiquette, firearms, larceny, melee, performance, ride, stealth, survival

Knowledges: academics, enigmas, finance, investigation, law, medicine, occult, politics, science, technology

Abilities
It is recommend at least 2 in Occult, Enigmas or Investigation, but not essential.

Fields of expertise
Crafts


 * Any craft that makes something from raw materials

Performance


 * Acrobatics
 * Acting
 * Dance
 * Musician (instrument)
 * Poetry
 * Public speaking
 * Singing

Academics


 * Arts - Physical
 * Arts - Performing
 * Classics (Greek and Roman)
 * Ecclesiastical
 * Geography
 * History
 * Literature

Science


 * Astronomy
 * Biology
 * Botany
 * Chemistry
 * Earth science
 * Mathematics
 * Military
 * Physics
 * Psychology

Technology


 * Electricity
 * Mechanics
 * Metallurgy
 * Steam engineering

Academics
If you take Academics  Highly recommended to take 1 dot at least, you get as many languages as you have points in Academics including your native language. Nil points in it means you can speak your native language but it is not at an educated level. 1 point means you speak your native language as an educated individual. Points above 1 get you additional languages.

Common Victorian Languages were: French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian but also Colonial languages, especially Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Afrikaans, Swahili.

Less known were Dutch, Flemish, Portuguese, Danish, Hungarian, Turkish etc.

Everyone may also take an uneducated (broken) language (This allows characters not native English to take English without having to have Academics). Your broken language needs to make sense in your background.


 * 0 = illiterate, speaks Native language well enough to be understood but uses simple terms and phrases rather than complex longer words.
 * 1 = literate, speaks Native language well, speaks a second language poorly
 * 2 = Speaks Native Language well + 1 language well and speaks an additional language poorly
 * 3 = Speaks Native Language well + 2 languages well and speaks an additional language poorly
 * 4 = Speaks Native Language well + 3 languages well and speaks an additional language poorly
 * 5 = Speaks Native Language well + 4 languages well and speaks an additional language poorly

Speaking a language poorly typically means you know a few words and may be able to say a few phrases or words to get by such as saying hello or goodbye, counting a few numbers or ordering something or knowing how to pronounce words or recognise the written or spoken language but it does not mean you can speak or read the language or interpret someone.

Also you may spend additional starting background points to have further additional languages

Any character taking Academics will also receive the Merit Literacy for free. You can otherwise take this with a Merit point as normal. Characters without Literacy, cannot read or write or at least struggle to do so.

Backgrounds
Do consider using freebie points to get additional backgrounds. These will be more important in this game and will otherwise have to be earned through active gameplay.

Generation
This may not be taken as a Background. You will be 12th Generation.

Resources
These are your personal resources. I recommend taking at least 1 with an upper limit of 3

Domain
Any Domain you take is in addition to the business you operate. Domain covers that you have a recognised place in a given city and may remain. It also gives you the right to hunt at all open hunting locations and within your assigned hunting location (this will be provided to you once I know your characters). Hunting outside these is forbidden (and will receive punishment if caught) except upon any herd you take or your ghouls (assuming they are with you when you feed of course).

I find domain a hard background to fully understand and they expanded on it in the V20 dark ages companion but it still doesn't quite work for me. Domain to me is more about the right to exist in a city rather than the building per se because resources covers that. With each domain point increases you obtain more rights within a city in terms of hunting and maybe a bigger area of control but you don't get a building to actually live in. In your domain your rules are law (within reason of the Prince since your domain will fit within theirs).

Domain Security
Domain security is an additional background that may be taken. It is the security of that domain (created by me on some level as a house rule) specifically your resting quarters which are the most precious and could be the same or separate from your resource generated building but would be within your domain so you need at least one point of domain to have domain security.


 * 1 dot - has good locks (DR7 to Pick) and has covered security from sunlight (blacked out windows, heavy drapes etc.).
 * 2 dots - has above average locks (DR8 to pick), has solid security from sunlight (no windows to outside or underground)
 * 3 dots -  as 2 dots but has additional hidden resting quarters.
 * 4 dots - Has exceptional locks (DR9 to pick), solid security from sunlight and secret (not just hidden) resting chambers and traps or other mundane security systems.
 * 5 dots - Has magickal or complex locking mechanisms (DR10 to bypass without the right know how), solid security from sunlight and secret resting chambers and magickal traps and wards or other complex security systems.

You get 1 domain and 1 domain security for your business at the start.

Employing mortal guards to watch over you domain would come under herd and would increase the security of your domain also but not as a score but more on gameplay.

You will receive background business retainers including security, butler etc. but you may take personal ones too.

Status
You will receive Status 1 for your business. Any you take is for you alone and not your business operations. They do not stack. You cannot take more than 1 in Status though to start with. Higher Status will need to be earnt during gameplay

Retainers
If you take Retainers (ghouls/revenants) I expect you to make these yourself. Individual ghoul animals count towards your count. Even small ones like rats.

Any Allies, Contacts, and Herd also need to be made (I can do these should you wish but its useful if you let me know what you want them to be as a profession).

Allies
Allies must be mortals with a profession (usually skilled) that makes them relatively important or useful.

Contacts
Contacts can be: mortals with important or less important professions (less skilled - street sweeper, chimney sweep, labourer etc. but have a valued connection for something), or ghouls of other vampires, or even vampires or other supernaturals. Feel free to discuss this with me.

Herd
Herd are mortals that are either discipline controlled (see below), threatened, or willing blood dolls (and/or guards). The latter are more dangerous because they are more free-willed and may become addicted to the kiss and thus could be a threat to the masquerade. You

Permanent

 * Auspex 4
 * Dominate 2
 * Presence 3

Temporary

 * Dementation 1
 * Dominate 1
 * Presence 1
 * Serpentis 1

You get to choose where you want them to live in London or elsewhere.

Other Notes
In the Chronicle there will be trips elsewhere. So far this will include Paris, Egypt, India, and possibly New York, so feel free if you want or have legitimate backstory connections here.

This is a useful London map of around the time the chronicle starts

https://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/g0890184.html

Here is a useful profession list but some might not exist yet given scientific and technological breakthroughs

http://www.census1891.com/occupations.php

Character backstories and chronicle brief
The initial prelude story starts in 1820 which will be 1-3 years after the characters are deemed independent from their sires so I hope this helps with creating your age and your embrace dates etc. For most clans I would say 15-30 years of time is reasonable time for being dependent from your sire from your embrace but this would depend on what a Sire thought a Childe needed to know and how good they were at learning it. Those practicing blood magic are likely to be longer. Those wilder clans might be as low as 1 year or even just a few months.

World Map 1820: http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/world_map_1820.htm

Europe Map 1820: https://omniatlas.com/maps/europe/18200928/

This prelude will be the trigger that brings the characters together. Sometime after this prelude the characters set up an investigation company in London called Black, White and Grey Investigations named after the characters surnames Dr. Black, Mrs. White, and Mr. Grey. The company basically looks into unusual activities for both kine and kindred. In most kine requests you business ghouls handle this and provide you with anything they think requires your special attention. You focus on those supernatural activities that are of interest to you. (your characters need a reason to be interested in supernatural things)

Sylvester, with regards to the company name, for your character you have a few choices, you could be either related to one of the other characters and thus have the same name as them, by coincidence have one of the same surnames but are not related in any way or may choose to have a completely different surname and just not have your name in the company name. Its your choice but let the others know if you want to be related to one of them.

After the Prelude
Once the prelude scene is played out the characters will need to determine the following things on their character:

A.     The things they like and dislike about each other and create a coterie relationship map

B.     They should share their strengths and weaknesses, well those that are obvious anyway

Once they have done this, they can each choose one of the following options to enhance their character

A.     Raise three one-point clan disciplines to two points

or

B.     Raise one two-point clan discipline to three points and one one-point clan discipline to two points

or

C.     Raise one one-point clan discipline to three points.

or

D.    do one of the above and have an additional 10 xp (cannot be used on road rating) but lose 1 humanity.

Each character will also get a bonus 1 point in some ability that is unusual for them assigned by the GM and receive bonus group backgrounds.

The First Story
The first story starts in 1840 and it is assumed that you have done a few investigations for minor individuals within the City of London and outside of it and have a gained a little bit of reputation as being good hence the Status 1 for your business. This has helped you to become established although you have had little dealings with the powers that be in the city and await that big job so to speak. You are all generally of the lower clans so respect from the Ventrue, Brujah, Toreador etc. will be hard to earn although Mrs. White is thought of as a strange Toreador so probably has a bit more respect. Mr. Grey is also a Malkavian and the City has a Malkavian Primogen called Dr. Timothy so he also has support that gives him a bit more respect. Although the Ravnos and Setites are generally accepted in the city they are not broadly liked and are viewed with suspicion. It is up to you if you want it broadly known what clan you are or you are intending to hide it and pose as a different clan.

Black, White, and Grey Investigations

 * Retainers: 4 (Butler (Mr. Octavius Collins), Seneschal (Mr. Charles Staid), security (Mr. Victor McGuinness) and scout (Miss Emilia Jilani))
 * Resources: 2 (Business funds and assets)
 * Domain: 1 (House and hunting ground)
 * Domain Security: 1 (daytime security and good locks)