Vampire Player Character System, Not "munchkin"ing, just want some advice Options

[Ol' Scratch]

So you're saying they can regenerate a shotgun blast to the face, but if you whack 'em with a baseball bat or if the shotgun is loaded with stun shells they're goners?

Also, the rules aren't slinky at all about it. "Damage" when used by itself, has always meant any type of damage. When they mean only Physical Damage, they actually say "Physical Damage."

[Tanka]

[Ol' Scratch]

It doesn't bend the rules. Critters Powers aren't spells and magic, and aren't bound by their laws. Take Fading as an example. By the laws of magic, that's not possible; it's akin to teleportation, which is strictly forboden with magic.

If critters with regeneration are that easy to eliminate, it takes only the two easiest-to-cast and incredibly common spells in the game (Stunball and Stunbolt) to eliminate them. I'm positive that this isn't intended to be the case.

[Tanka]

While I do see your point, it also makes Vampire Mages tons more to deal with. They can cast Hellblast at Force 6 and not worry about it, because next turn they'll be up again with another one ready to go.

[Ol' Scratch]

I remember a special rule somewhere relating to Shapeshifter magicians. Something about Drain being a special case that only regenerates one box per minute or something like that.

Your interpretation also causes some even weird anomolies to occur. Like a vampire who's in a bad way (Essence 5 or lower) casting a Force 6 spell that results in Deadly drain. If the vampire were "healthy," he'd be as good as dead... but because he's now hungry, distracted, and everything else, that drain -- which is now Physical -- regenerates at the end of the Turn? That's silly. :)

[Tanka]

That would be much, much more appropriate. Perhaps that could be tied to Critter Regeneration, since, technically, Shapeshifters are Critters too.

I suppose they never did that because they never made Vampires playable PCs.

Edit: I also don't apply the Essence:Magic rule. That'd mean, at some spots, they'd have Magic Rating of 12, then a year later with no feedings, no Magic at all (And dead, of course). That'd be a bit tough to work around, because they'd need to learn every Force of a spell they wanted to use.

[Ol' Scratch]

No, you can always cast any spell you have at a lower Force rating. If you have Stunbolt 6, you can cast it at Force 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1.

Also, don't you think it's odd that you have to go the route of creating a house rule to circumnavigate another house ruling?

[Tanka]

Didn't it say somewhere that you only know it at the force you have written down? If not, then I'm sorely mistaken.

So which house rule am I house ruling? Either I'm vastly confused or it's too early.

[Ol' Scratch]

1) That Regeneration only applies to Physical Deadly Damage. It doesn't, that's a house rule. "Damage" means any damage. "Physical Damage only" means only Physical Damage, just like it does in every other sourcebook. Critters is no exception, as shown in the Possession power just above it where it specifically mentions Physical Damage instead of Stun. Regeneration does have a special rule that applies whenever you take Deadly damage (in which case it doesn't differentiate between Physical or Stun either, as both can apply in some cases); if you take a Deadly wound, you have to do the 1D6 thing. Otherwise, and in any other case just as it states in the rule, damage is healed at the end of the turn.

2) Because of the problem your house rule causes by that interpretation (regarding low Essence and magic), you had to create another house rule to compensate for it.

And no, it doesn't say anywhere that you can only cast a spell at the Force you learned it. You just can't cast it at a higher Force. See page 178, "Force," in the core rulebook where it specifically mentions that.

[Tanka]

Hm. Fair enough. However, it wasn't to houserule the houserule, it was to replace some of the variability. It helps if you look at it as an Adept Vampire instead. Every month, they'd lose one point of powers. Usually the ones they've taken most recently. So, because they don't get their Essence one month, they suddenly lose something? Sure, it helps to taper off some of the insanity of Vampires, but it just doesn't make sense!

[Backgammon]

[Tanka]

No, I actually don't know Matrix rules very well. :P

However, I probably just misread the ruling somewhere along the line, or got a really bad example from somebody.

[leemur]

[Tanka]

Actually, Nosferatu can only use their Enhanced Attributes (Body and Strength only) two times per day.

[Backgammon]

[spotlite]

The one time we allowed it, these are the rules we used:

Regen works on all types of damage BUT you have to spend an essence point per box to regenerate it. When you get below 3 essence you frenzy until you can raise your essence to 4 or more. I might be inclined if we did it now to make it an essence point per wound LEVEL just to make it that bit closer to the critter versions which don't have to spend anything at all.

Mages used their current essence rating for magic. Yes this means it fluctuates. Drain must be healed as per standard rules. This horrendous amount of power sounds horrid, but we extended all the above rules to cover NPC vampires as well and had the Tir create a special vampire mage/physad core within the ghosts with which to scare the players into behaving.

Other than that, they worked just like they did in the rules, with enhanced physical stats maintained with no extra effort, with the caveat that you had to split your essence over the 3 stats, and changing the amount on a particular stat took a complex action to 'refocus'.

These might not suit everyone, but they worked for us. Just thought I'd put the ideas in the mix.

[JudgeIto78]

[snowRaven]

This is how I would run a Vampire PC:

Firstly, run regeneration as stated for shapeshifters in SC (this is how I run regeneration for all beings who has it).

Let him/her have all the powers and benefits, and drawbacks, of being a vampire.

While Magic shouldn't go up with Essence, it should go down with it - if Essence falls below the Magic rating, the Magic rating is temporarily lowered until the vampire can feed again. Maximum essence is twice of what the character's race normally has.

If you want to balance the vampire against rest of the characters, simply forbid the PC to make an awakened vampire. Without spells/adept powers and (more importantly) Masking, he/she isn't really all that unbalanced, since a vampire cannot have cyberware or bioware (except under extremely unusual conditions, maybe)

Also remember this - there is no reason any normal medical procedures should work on a vampire. If it fails those regeneration rolls it has to rely on magic healing. Mist Form leaves the vampire without clothes or gear. Sure, it gets alot of nifty powers instead - but those come with a number of drawbacks.