FIRST THINGS FIRST: IM DIGGING THE TONE. THIS LOOKS REALLY RED.

ITS NOT. MOSTLY, I JUST WANT IT TIGHTENED SO WE CAN HAVE A

PUNCHIER END PRODUCT. YOU DEFINITELY EXPRESS WHAT I WANT
EXPRESSED, AND THATS GREAT. SOME OF MY COMMENTS GET RAMBLY. I
WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR THAT UP-FRONT. BUT, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT
OPENING FOR THE BOOK.
ONE MINOR THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THE CONFLATION OF
STORYTELLING VERSUS ROLEPLAYING. YOU REFER TO ROLEPLAYING A
FEW TIMES TO TALK ABOUT GAMES IN GENERAL. BUT, WHEN WERE
TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE DO IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS, THATS
STORYTELLING. ITS A FINE POINT, BUT AN IMPORTANT ONE.
ALSO, YOU CANT BE EXPECTED TO KNOW THIS. BUT THE SECOND EDITION
STORYTELLING SYSTEM RULEBOOK DOESNT HAVE A COMBAT
CHAPTER. IT HAS A SECTION ON VIOLENCE. YOU ACTUALLY TOUCH ON
THIS BEAUTIFULLY. BUT, UNLESS WERE REFERENCING USE OF THE WORD
COMBAT LIKE YOU DO IN YOUR BIT ON LANGUAGE, I DONT WANT IT
USED. SO CHOP IT WHERE POSSIBLE. I THINK I NOTED IT. BUT, CONTROL +
F IT JUST TO BE SURE.

Hurt Locker
Chapter One: The Meat Train
[AUTHOR NOTE: THIS IS THE HANDSHAKE TEXT]
Violence permeates roleplaying games. The first pen and paper roleplaying games sprang from war
gaming roots, adding elements of individual character, unique skills and player choice to the games.
Units became individuals, with military objectives to achieve and could withstand a defined number
of wounds before being removed from the board. The experience lacked the mud and blood and fear
but it was a start.
Some groups still want that type of experience, with the violence a numerical abstract and any
emotional impact held at arm's length, and that's fine. After a long day's work, or a stressful study
period, cutting down their enemies like blades of grass through a lawnmower helps to blow off
steam. These groups give no more thought to the brutality they inflict than a gardener gives to the
grass.
This is not the chapter for those groups. This chapter examines what combat and violence means to
the characters living in the World of Darkness; the pain it brings and the lingering effect the
aftermath has on their lives. The This chapter provides a wealth of ideas for bringing the imagined
experience into sharp focus for the players, to improve their immersion into their characters
existences. Hopefully, they'll pause to think of the human wreckage they leave behind the next time
they use their weapons and fists instead of wits and stealth to solve their problems.
[THIS IS THE END OF THE HANDSHAKE TEXT]

Violence
Violence hurts. It hurts the victim lying bleeding and broken on the ground. It hurts the society that
must pick up the pieces and try to mitigate the worst effects. It also hurts the aggressor, who feeds
the cycle of pain and feeds his self-worth through hurting others, or fills him with self-loathing at
what he has done.

But violence calls to the basest human instincts, hardwired into our psyches back when the monsters
and other humans haunting the darkness were unknown and deadly, and the only way to have
a chance of survival was to strike first and strike hard. Modern-day people still feel their hearts
flutter when violence is near. For many, this proximity is limited to televised bloodshed via news
coverage or big-screen action violence. Though their only exposure is fake images of damaged
human wreckage with too vivid blood and unrealistic reactions, their pulse races and their breathing
becomes rapid. The sSenses focus and concentrate on the carnage, as even though the observer is
separated from real threat by the electronic medium, the experience fools parts of his mind into
thinking the fighting is close, and it needs to know the outcome to decide whether he should flee or
join the fray.
Though we feel this instinctive response and think we understand violence, humans have divorced
themselves from the actual experience for the sake of entertainment. Most people no longer fully
understand the visceral thrill of the hunt and the kill,kill; instead they know the sanitized version in
vivid Technicolor without the metallic tang of blood and the stink of panicked sweat.
When a man enters his first real fight, with pain and blood and risk involved, he learns just how
much hes been lied to by TV, movies, and video games. He discovers that when it's personal,
violence isn't entertaining and fun. It's terrifying; it hurts, and it changes a person. Even victors just
survive the experience.

Tissue-thin Civility
Though few people ever see it, violence surrounds us in our everyday lives. Civilized behavior and
social norms allow us to hide it away from polite view. Some countries are less fortunate, and
violence spills onto their streets and enters their homes. The lucky countries consume footage of the
violence and unrest and say their thanks that it doesn't happen to them. They forget that civilized
niceties are only a few missed meals away from desperation and the violent breakdown of order.
Despite thousands of years of applying rules of behavior and laws around our actions, humans are
still one bad day away from making violent decisions. Everyone has limits, and a breaking points.
The mother who will kill to protect her children, the corporate climber who has just one more week
to meet his quota and keep his job, or the cop who's seen too many scum walk free on technicalities,
each of these people feel the temptation to abandon the bureaucracy and niceties and take matters
into their own hands. Each one may understand the slippery slope he or she is about to start down,
but even if they do, they may not care. When they use violence to solve their problems, each
subsequent time becomes easier, more tempting but possibly more soul destroying.

Apex Predators
The thin veneer of civilization doesn't fool other hunters, both supernatural and otherwise. They
instinctively recognize humans as predators, and the smart ones treat them accordingly.
Humans conquered the planet; as much as any animal can control nature. Lacking armouredarmored
hides or rending talons of their own, humans used what they did have smarts, large social units,
and aggression to make artificial claws and take the protective hides of other animals for
themselves. When humans wanted something, they took it. Other predators fled the oncoming death
or faced oblivion. When humans looked around and saw no other predators to challenge their
territories and dominance, they turned their aggression on the only remaining rivals other
humans.
The monsters remember this, even if it's through instinct or mystically passed down through blood.
Humans hunt. Humans kill. Humans destroy. The monsters play their own games of dominance, and
pretend the humans are their inferiors, but even the most dismissive elder vampire remembers
barely-survived nights of terror where humans bayed for her blood and came with blade and flame.
The youngest have no such memories, but they know the wellspring of brutality humans can tap
when needed until recently, they also struggled daily against that desire.

Though they may pretend otherwise, every monster hides its existence from humans for a reason.
Keep your head down, stay to the shadows, and the humans will vent their rage against each other.
They'll hurt and degrade and kill for petty reasons of color, gender orientation, or creed. When
humans have no real differences, they invent them, and find fault to fuel their displeasure. But when
humans find they are the victims of the hunt, when other predators dare come into human territory
and prey on them, the humans quickly unite against the common enemy, and destroy all before them
to once again assert their dominance and go back to inflicting misery on each other.
System option: Torches and Pitchforks
With this system, human communities have an instinctive awareness of the predators
moving among them. They don't know who, or what the predators are, but they feel
the damage they inflict as a slowly building tension in the community.
As the supernatural predator takes human victims, or manipulates them through
strange powers, or seeks to dominate, this pressure rises. Eventually it reaches
boiling point and the mob unites, calling for the head of the predator. The only way
the monster can avoid this fate is to go quiet long enough for the anger to die down,
or move onto another community.
To show the increasing tensions among the human population, each time a
supernatural predator leaves evidence of her existence where humans could find it
such as bodies from her kills add a die to a Tension pool for the community.
Whenever Tension increases, the Storyteller rolls the pool, applying the predators
Stealth as a penalty. (The Storyteller may choose to increase this penalty for
predators with persistent, or easily accessible, supernatural stealth powers.) The
Tension pool starts with a number of dice equal to the predators highest Social Merit
pertaining to that community; a predator deeply entrenched suffers greater scrutiny.
Such predators can make coverup and public relations efforts to diffuse Tension.
Once per chapter, a successful coverup effort can remove one Tension die. The
predator can temporarily expend Social Merit dots including Allies, Contacts,
Mentor, Retainer, and Status to remove a die of Tension. This requires dots equal to
the total Tension pool, and can only happen once per chapter.
Dramatic Failure: The community finds (and likely murders) a scapegoat for their
simmering anger. Reduce Tension by the predators Stealth (minimum 0).
Failure: The communitys anger continues to rise, but the humans find no outlet to
target their rage.
Success: The humans catch sight of the predator, or find some other clue that
confirms their suspicions. The predator gains the Hunted Condition.
Exceptional Success: The humans catch the predator in the act, or find proof of her
crimes and location. The predator gains the Hunted Condition, and the size of the
force hunting her is doubled.

Professionals
Even the most polite societies pay some people to inflict injury and pain upon others. Professional
soldiers fight for their country's interests after being dropped into war zones half a world away.
Prize fighters step into the ring, risking their own health and that of their opponent for the
gratification of a bloodthirsty crowd and to add to the immense wealth of the fight promoters. And
hidden in the shadows of every civilization are the criminal thugs, some of whom may have rules
and codes of behavior around what they do, but ultimately all are driven by the money and power
their violence brings. A tiny fraction of the population indulge in inflicting pain on others to
experience fun, release or in some cases, to feel anything at all. Of course, in the World of
Darkness, monsters who use violence to survive or further their twisted goals also hide in the dark.

Many of these people are the damaged products of earlier violence; survivors who embraced the
wrong lessons from their experiences.
The development of human civilization was driven by the need to establish rules and codes of
behavior to move us away from hurting one another or to give us options before resorting to
violence. Sports replaced fighting, lawsuits supplanted physical retribution, and governments now
hunt those who hurt their fellow citizens. Of course, governments reserve the right to inflict
violence for themselves, empowering their representatives to use appropriate force and codified
brutality to enforce the civilized fences surrounding everyone.
For most people, this system mostly works. Most people don't fall afoul of the restrictions
especially those who fit the wealthy or majority demographics, the ones who look and act like those
who hold the power. But within even the most well behaved group the lizard brain calls to a select
few, whispering how their problems would be solved more easily with the twist of a knife or the
squeeze of a trigger.
System option: Five minutes Minutes to midnightMidnight
Every society maintains a certain distance from violent protest or massive uprising.
This distance depends on a number of factors, such as how much the people respect
the rule of law and those who enforce it, how content the populace is, and what
opportunities they perceive for their future, or for their children.
Storytellers should assign bonus dice or penalties to initiating violent actions the
closer a society is to mayhem. Calm, prosperous nations with open justice and
respected laws should penalize a character's dice pool by 1-3 dice when they try to
start violent activities. Conversely, in areas where might makes right and everyone is
fighting for survival like war zones Storytellers should give 1-3 dice bonus to
pools abandoning other options for the quick and bloody choice.
This only applies to the first actions in a conflict. Once someone overcomes societal
pressure for peace and assaults her fellow humans, their instinct for self-defense or
revenge negate the reluctance to fight.

Violence and Storytelling Systems

When considering what constitutes violence, many people just think of bodily harm and physical
injury. This is only a small part of the different ways in which humans inflict dominance and misery
on each other. Understanding the different types of violence as applies to the World of Darkness
helps Storytellers to best use and represent violence in their games.
By necessity, any roleplaying game will grossly simplify the nuanced diversity of the different types
of violence available to assailants. The World of Darkness games categorize violence into three
basic types physical, social and mental violence. This helps guide the Storyteller to know which
systems are intended to apply to the different types of violence. Nothing stops a Storyteller from
adapting these systems in ways that weren't originally envisaged; in fact, this chapter is filled with
ideas and changes that twist and reshape the Storytelling system System into different ways to use
it.
Physical violence is possibly the most visible and easily understood type of violence. Put simply,
physical violence is when one person hits another with something. The goal with physical violence
is to inflict pain or injury to control the victim. If the pain grows too great, the victim will submit
and do whatever he thinks the assailant wants to prevent further pain. If it goes too far, the victim's
body shuts down, either falling unconscious, or possibly, dead. By default, physical violence uses
the rules for combat on p. XX of the Storytelling System Rulebook.
Social violence aims to separate the victim from her friends and loved-ones; to reduce her
perception of her worth in their eyes. The victim of social violence despairs at the lack of healthy

human contact and comes to rely on her abuser to fill that void. This gives the abuser the control he
craves, and ensures he must endeavor to forever keep his victim from breaking free, developing
healthy relationships, and learning just how much waits for her without him. Social violence is best
modeled by the Social Maneuvering system, with the aims of convincing the victim that she should
defer to the bully, agree that he is superior to her, or to place her trust in her abuser.
Mental violence targets the victim's thoughts and fears to convince him to give control to the
assailant. Toying with his emotions to make him feel worthless, stupid or embarrassed is one facet
of the violence. Another is the use of direct threats to the victim, his family or friends, to force
compliance and once again surrender control to the abuser. The Social Maneuvering system also
works best for portraying mental violence.
Chapter 2 examines how different skills apply to delivering violence, and how these are used in the
combat and social maneuvering systems.
System option: Control through Conditions
Regardless the type of violence used, or how it wounds its victims, the abuser's goal
is to gain control over the victim. Under this option, when the victim succumbs to
her abuser's assault, either by surrendering or having her defenses overwhelmed
according to whichever systems are used, she suffers the Cowed Condition. Until
this Condition is resolved, she is more susceptible to her abuser's attentions.

Types of Violence
Dividing different types of violence by system is useful for Storytellers, but experts categorize
many different types of violence, each of which
Sexual violence occurs when someone forces his victim to take part in sexual activity against her
will. She is usually compelled by threatening some other kind of violence against her or someone
she cares about if she doesn't comply. It doesn't have to include full intercourse; unwanted touching,
degrading acts, exhibition, recording or broadcasting the act without consent, all are aspects of
sexual violence.
Deliberately belittling or degrading someone with words and actions is emotional violence, as the
victim feels worthless, stupid and embarrassed. Name calling, victim blaming, denying him friends
and control of his time and money are all types of emotional control associated with this violence.
The humiliation and fear overwhelms the victim and forces him to succumb to his oppressor.
Similar to emotional violence is psychological violence, which uses direct threats and fear to
control the victim, rather than barbed words and other emotion. These threats can include harming
the victim or her family if she leaves the abuser, threatening violence against the victim but not
carrying through with the physicality, increasing the fear of when the unknown brutality will
commence or stalking and harassing the victim so she fears worse is to come.
Cultural and religious violence derive from the practices and beliefs of people from a shared
background or religion. These types of violence are often accepted by their practitioners
sometimes as an unpleasant but necessary evil but nonetheless can cause physical or
psychological harm to the victims of the abuse, and social ostracism from those who don't
participate. Honor killings and payback rituals are examples of cultural or religious violence, as are
vilification and abuse of those who don't fit into the accepted norms of that culture or religion
such as non-heterosexuals, consumers of forbidden food and drink, or followers of other religions
and beliefs.
One key commonality with all types of violence is the understanding that it is a tool for control.
Even the most depraved killer seeks control over himself, his environment, or is victims, through

his actions. The tragedy is that he's all too often also a victim, trapped in a cycle of violence, guilt,
and anger, before resorting to more violence to ease the pressure.
System option: Degraded resistanceResistance
The pressures of everyday life grind away at everyone. Sometimes, these pressures
become too great to resist. Perhaps the character needs to find cash to keep her
apartment heated and food on the table. Perhaps shes lost a loved one while facing
crushing deadline pressures at work. Regardless of the causes, the character has
exhausted her mental and physical reserves and she just cant withstand much more
pressure at this moment.
Characters under such pressure gain the Worn Out Condition. While suffering this
Condition, the character is more likely to surrender or flee from a fight, and is more
susceptible to social or psychological manipulation. Unfortunately for her, many
predators in the World of Darkness are particularly attuned to taking advantage of
these stressed individuals.

The Cycle of Violence

Violence begets violence. Those from violent upbringings, or exposed to violence as a preferable
way of fixing problems, have a tendency to use it as a means to an end when given the chance. Not
only bullies and evil people fall into this trap, either. All too often, the victims of a cycle of violence
learn that inflicting pain and misery on others gets results. After all, hasnt the victim acceded to the
bullies wishes each time to circumvent, or at least minimize, the beating? Unfortunately, many of
these victims use what theyve learned if they grow big and powerful enough, or if they gain access
to weapons that help shift the balance in their favor. Imagine the temptation for a newly embraced
created vampire or freshly changed werewolf to embrace the inherent brutality of her nature, and to
exact revenge on all who wronged her.
The cycle of violence depends heavily on the human emotional need for retribution and revenge.
Wronged parties want justice for their pain and embarrassment, and sometimes, the best way for
them to gain this justice is to inflict harm on the wrongdoers. The human drive is rarely to equalize
the balance by responding with proportionality when a disproportional revenge is available. Pushing
and shoving escalates to fists which give way to knives and other hand held weapons. The injury
and toll increases unless someone manages to break the cycle. If not, the lethality grows until the
bad blood begins a body count. Perhaps this is the point where the feud ends, but unfortunately
family and friends often feel the need to avenge their loved one, and the cycle continues.
Children who experience this cycle are more likely to mimic the behavior as they grow into
adulthood, either developing the tendency to be victims or become abusers themselves. For the
aggressors, their tragedy is that they have internalized the lessons of their childhood and often don't
know other ways of dealing with their frustration and anger. Though there's no question that they
are the abusers, they are victims of a cycle that takes great effort and support to break out of. Most
will never be given the opportunity or develop the willpower to say no and resist their urges,
no matter how much guilt and self-loathing they experience after each violent episode.
The victim's tragedy is that they often accept their role, believing that they somehow deserve the
pain and humiliation. Though they may hate their existence, they also need external help to break
free from the cycle, avoid developing relationships with abusive people, and thereby not pass a
similar existence onto any of their children.
System Option: Trapped in the Cycle Abuser or Victim
Characters that suffer (or are exposed to) frequent or prolonged violence, or grow up
in abusive situations, may come to internalize the violent lessons theyve learned and
become trapped in the violence cycle. These characters gain the Cycle of Violence

Condition and may become abusers themselves, or resigned to accepting of the

brutality they suffer.
To represent this, Storytellers can call on players to make an Resolve + Composure
roll at the end of a defined time period in which theyve encountered violence and
risked Integrity loss as result, with a penalty equal to the number of times theyve
engaged in, suffered, or witnessed violent acts within that period. Storytellers should
adjust this time period to suit their chronicles; rolling each week may be suitable for
a gritty chronicle where violence has high psychological impact, whereas actionoriented splatter-fests may only roll once per month, or even once per year. Failure
on these rolls gains the character the Cycle of Violence Condition. Dramatic Failure
gains an additional Condition at the Storytellers discretion. Exceptional success
allows the characters dice roll to forego the next periods dice roll.

Domestic Violence
Domestic violence encompassencompasses aspects of other violence types. Domestic violence is
rarely restricted to one form of abuse; it often includes emotional manipulation, verbal abuse,
physical and sexual assault. As with other forms of violence, the aggressor subjects his victim to the
terror in order to exercise control over her. One of the most terrifying aspects of domestic violence
is that the abuser often believes his these actions are justified, even if they're not accepted by others.
Women and children are more commonly the victims of domestic violence at the hands of the
partner or father. More rarely he is abused by her. Tragically, children raised in a domestically
violent home internalize the lessons and are more likely to grow to become either abusers or victims
themselves (see Cycle of Violence, above).
The domestic violence cycle generally has a defined pattern. It begins with the aggressor abusing
the victim through verbal or physical assaults which harm and belittle the victimher. The abuser
often then feels guilty about what he has done, but this is a false guilt, driven more from fear of
being discovered and judged rather than through any real concern for his the victim. He The abuser
rationalizes their his behavior and finds excuses for why it was acceptable even going so far as to
put the blame onto the victim for making him assault hercausing the assault. Once the abuser has
calmed down, and justified his actionsthe abuse internally by whatever lies necessary, he triesthey
try to make the victim feel comfortable in the relationship again, by apologies or by showering her
withgiving gifts to 'prove' his good intentions.
Over time, the abuser then builds up anger and intolerance for his the victim, finding slights in her
their actions or deliberate insult in what he sees as herthey see as mistakes. He fantasizesThe abuser
fantasizes about the punishment or revenge he will enact to satisfy his anger. Finally, he the abuser
can't resist the anger any longer and gives in to his those urges, once again abusing theirhis victim
and setting the cycle in motion again.
Its worth noting that at times, abuse can come from more than one source, and that victim can
become the abuser if the power differential shifts, and then back again.
Tread Carefully
More than many other forms of violence, sexual assault and domestic violence are
particularly sensitive topics. This doesnt mean that Storytellers shouldnt explore or
incorporate these elements into their chronicles, or to avoid using these violence
types as springboards for a story centered aroundon survivors overcoming abuse and
thriving despite their ordeals.
What it does mean is that Storytellers should be especially careful to treat these
subjects with care and delicacy. Talk to the players before considering using sexual
or domestic violence as a narrative tool. If any player is uncomfortable with their

use, listen to them and dont include these aspects. Never spring these subjects on
unwary players, or surprise their characters with them for the shock value. If an
element arises, shuffle it off stage until you can establish that everyones
comfortable with the treatment. Its one thing for a Storyteller character to refer to a
battered spouse in passing, its another to directly tackle the topic in play.
The World of Darkness encourages the exploration of difficult themes, but ultimately
this is still a game played for fun, and some themes resonate too uncomfortably with
players for them to find the fun.

Military Violence
The Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz famously wrote that war is a mere continuation of
politics by other means. Sun Tzu constructed philosophies and strategies for managing conflict, best
using a force's strength and exploiting the weaknesses of their enemies. Machiavelli also saw war as
an extension of political will and believed the prosperity of a nation relied on the security provided
by military strength.
Today's global security is still ostensibly built on a foundation of national military strengths and
alliances. After the strangling obligations that cascaded into World War I, and the global devastation
of World War II, the most powerful nations used the world's fear of their strength to prevent such
death and destruction in the future.
Despite statements of nobility and peace, such intentions don't secure national wealth or enough
energy to keep fickle citizens warm. These strongest nations soon took to using their power to exert
their will on weaker nations, to invade borders under the banner of friendship for keeping other
aggressors at bay, and to take oil and gold in tribute for their efforts.
The high-level political view of military violence ignores the fact that at its base, the wealth and
prosperity is still built on the blood and fear and pain of the soldiers. These men and women kill and
die for the honor of serving their countries but never see the riches that their upper-class masters
gain.
The World of Darkness has a place for high-powered generals and politicians who have the luxury
of viewing the soldiers under their command as pieces on a board to be moved as strategy demands.
Theyre removed from the reality and are unlikely to be the focus of most games. The players
characters in military conflicts should more often be the soldiers on the ground; the people
experiencing the long stretch of mind-numbing boredom when idle at camp, and the gut-wrenching
anxiety on patrol of never knowing when the enemy will strike, or which bullet carries the
characters name when the lead starts to fly.
The characters may grow to despise their commanders as they watch their friends die beside them,
screaming against the pain of a torn-open stomach exposed to the dirt and muck, or gasping for air
through a sucking chest wound. The characters may aspire to leave the battlefield and join the ranks
of commanders, but even if they do, theyll never have the luxury of forgetting that their orders
move real men and women into harms way, people who just want to survive against an enemy
similarly made up of people moved and directed at the whims of other unseen, powerful figures.

Terrorist Violence
Political change through violence-fueled fear defines terrorism. The goal may be for religious,
ideological or directly political reasons, but in each case the violence is intended to force the target
to yield to the aggressor's demands. Some terrorists try to limit the impact on victims not associated
with their target, but the sad fact is that terror tactics are most effective when no-one feels safe.
When the next attack could take place anywhere, anytime, the fear builds and the terrorists have the
best chance of controlling their target and securing the change they want.

The terrorist's goal may bring sympathy with people who aren't the targets and sometimes even
among the terrified people, if those in power are particularly oppressive or brutal themselves.
Regardless, whether the violence comes from terrorists or freedom fighters, everyone is a target and
this makes violent terrorism particularly difficult to use well as a Storytelling tool.
Having the characters track down and stop terrorists can make satisfying stories. The difficulty
comes from the devastation left in the terrorists' wake. Terrorist violence can appear random and
almost impossible to predict. Storytellers should begin such chronicles with the violence being
almost random, but once the characters become involved the attacks should slowly become
somewhat more predictable. The pattern shouldn't be simple enough that the characters can stop
every act of violence; some devastation should slip through to remind the characters what is at
stake. As the story reaches its climax the characters should be able to stop attacks before they occur,
or at least clear everyone out before the bomb explodes. From here, the characters learn enough to
be able to get ahead of the terrorists, to track them down and capture or kill them.

Victim Blaming
Sometimes people get it wrong. Instead of despising the aggressor for his actions, they blame the
victim for somehow 'wanting' to be hurt. This is especially true with sexual violence, where all too
often people focus on the clothes the victim wore, the location she walked through, or her state of
inebriation at a party, as if she was 'asking for' the assault to occur. Although grossly unfair, several
cultures have particularly strong disregard for (female) victims of sexual assault, as people view her
as 'unclean' or somehow 'tainted'. The social stigma the victim feels from this pressure, in addition
to the physical damage and mental scars from the violence, can make them feel isolated and guilty.
Sometimes, she even believes the blame, and starts to see herself as the guilty party everyone
else believes it, so it must be she who was in the wrong.
Blaming the victim is less common in other types of violence, but some people also tend to unfairly
judge the victims of crimes such as domestic violence, or cultural violence. They ask why the
victim didn't just leave if she wanted the violence to stop. This attitude ignores the vast number of
other reasons that could cause a victim to stay and tolerate abuse. Social pressure, financial
insecurity, even staying to prevent others being hurt could all be factors for the victim.
Unfortunately, even though it's important to remember that the victim is the victim, the World of
Darkness is an unfair place, and too many abusers escape justice for their crimes when they
successfully manipulate others to fix blame on the wrong person.
System option: Victim Stigma
When a character is the victim of violence, particularly violence that society
somehow considers dirty or shameful, such as sexual assault or, domestic, or
corrective violence, the Storyteller may consider inflicting the Blamed Victim
Condition on the character. Ideally, this should be the result of a conversation
between the Storyteller and player, and should be used to drive the narrative, not
never to punish the character (or player).
Dice rolls can also be used to decide if a character receives the blame for her
suffering. Roll the characters Presence + her choice of Politics, Empathy,
Expression, Persuasion, Socialize or Subterfuge, with a penalty determined by the
Storyteller based on how biased the characters society is against the form of abuse
she suffered, and how popular or persuasive her abuser is.
Dramatic Failure: The character suffers the Blamed Victim Condition, and the
Guilty Condition (WoD 2nd edition p. XX) as she starts believing she deserves the
blame.
Failure: The character suffers the Blamed Victim Condition

Success: The character avoids the ostracism of the community, which rightfully
recognizes her as a victim of abuse.
Exceptional Success: The character is not only recognized as the victim, her abuser
suffers the Known Abuser Condition for his crimes.

Supernatural Violence
By its nature, the World of Darkness is a dangerous, violent place. Every type of brutality that can
be inflicted is known and practiced by at least one of the various supernatural denizens of the World
of Darkness. The harm even extends beyond that which humans subject each other to on a daily
basis.
Vampires prey on human blood, biting through flesh and stealing warmth and life in a violent
mockery of the affections and comfort humans share with each other. Much like some abuse victims
trapped in the cycle of violence, the human cattle kept by hungry dead yearn for the pleasures of the
cold, loveless need. Invisible spirits permeate the world-beneath-the-world, always searching for a
way in, to steal the gift of human physical substance which the disembodied jealously covet yet the
enfleshed take for granted. Alien chthonic intelligences look onto the world through stolen eyes and
see a smorgasbord of flesh to feed their hunger.
Beyond these, clockwork demons and unwise mages cut, prune and reshape the intangible mystery
of the human soul. They carve the rarest of gifts into new forms in pursuit of their esoteric goals
that the everyday office worker could never hope to understand. These are the lucky ones. The rare
few people who gain the opportunity to open their eyes to the world around them desperately wish
they could return to sleep.
While every supernatural creature carries its own unique stain to bruise the humanity it interacts
withhumanity, they are sadly not limited to this damage. The lingering injury caused by realitytwisting powers and supernatural displays may be considered its own form of violence, but
supernaturals are just as capable of rending flesh, wounding with spite-filled words, or poisoning a
characters social network against her. The hidden nature of everyday existence for these monsters
means that theyre more likely to use mortal means of harm before resorting to their specialized
powers, as they all seek to keep their existence secret from the mob. Many have subtle powers and
influences that enhance their mundane efforts and make them more at wounding even when playing
by human rules. The sad fact is that supernatural predators have spent centuries watching and
learning the different means humans use to inflict pain on each other. The predators have learned
these lessons well, and theyre so much better at it than their teachers.

Storytelling Violence
Understanding the nature of violence is only half the Storyteller's challenge. The Storyteller also
needs to impart that understanding to the players, to draw them deeper into the narrative and let
them feel the impact of their decisions. A Storytelling games success and failure hinges on choices,
and their consequences. When their characters take a punch or catch a bullet, the players should
wince in sympathy and metaphorically feel the pain. When they set out to injure others, they should
have a good understanding of how that feels to their victim, and the ongoing impact that decision
has to the victims.
The main challenge with making violence a clear and present danger in a chronicle is how to
describe it so the players care. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through the old writer
adage of 'show, don't tell'. Don't just tell players how many health boxes their characters suffered,
show them how this affects their characters. Make the experience visceral and real. Descriptions
should gut-punch the players imaginations, the gore and confusion should make every battle a
fearful encounter that their characters may not walk away from. Storytellers can draw from the tools
described below to introduce the visceral, unflinching nature of violence into their chronicles.

System option: Brutality as Initiative

Initiative is a system that models how aware a person is of her surroundings, and
how quickly she can react to threats. When using Brutality as Initiative, this concept
is abandoned. The first to act is the one willing to resort to harming her fellow
human first. When a violent scene begins, the characters may banter or circle each
other as much as they like, but she who first decides to injure her opponent gains the
first strike.
This alternative rewards those characters who are more willing to solve problems
with their fists, and can result in a more violent game.

Evoke Humanity
Most who choose to inflict violence as opposed to those who resort to violence in self-defense
first need to enter a mindset where they dehumanize their victims. By seeing the recipients as
something less than themselves, something that doesn't experience pain, shock, and terror to the
same extent, or that somehow deserves those experiences as punishment, the perpetrator can hurt
the victim without the true impact striking home. Techniques to enter this state of mind are taught
by armed forces, gangs, and hate groups across the world to aid their members to see the target as
'other', and to inflict pain, suffering even death in the name of their perceived greater cause.
This dehumanizing is used to a lesser extent in roleplaying games. The victims are seen as numbers
on a page; imaginary victims who don't suffer whatever the characters inflict upon them; opponents
and obstacles who must be defeated or overcome to move towards the players' goals.
Storytellers must strip away this comfort and make antagonists more than just the numbers. Players
should ideally see their opponents as living, breathing inhabitants of the world, just as real as the
players' own characters. To do this, Storytellers need to tap into their player's humanity.
Death through conflict in this method should never be swift, unless it is a gut-punch to shock the
players through the loss of a valued ally or one of their beloved relatives. Human bodies are very
resilient, and the violent transition from healthy, happy person to corpse is messy and bloody.
People who are hurt shrink away from exposing their injuries. They beg for the violence to stop.
Eyes puff with damage and stream tears. Lips swell, crack and bleed, and snot flows freely, mixed
with the other leaky fluids. Most people aren't battle-hardened combatants; they piss and shit
themselves with the continued assault partially from the fear of just how far and how long the
beating will continue, and partially because their minds have more pressing survival concerns than
being socially acceptable through not stinking of feces.
At some point of injury, instinct overrules thought and the body tries to escape; even if it by
pathetically crawling away by inches, dragging a trail of sticky blood in her wake. Consider
comparing a character's Willpower to their her health any time a character carries more damage
than she has permanent Willpower, she must spend a point of Willpower or try to escape, regardless
of how unlikely or inconvenient this is for her. Millennia of survival instincts trump conscious
goals.
When an opponent reaches Incapacitated (or beyond), ensure the character understands the detail of
his actions. A barely conscious person wheezes and gargles with every breath as her lungs fill with
the blood and mucus that drips down her throat. Her face is a bruised, ruined mess, with any
semblance of beauty destroyed. Her nose is broken and mashed flat amongst the facial swelling.
She murmurs quietly and continually with delirium. Her raspy, fluid-filled voice begging for the
beating to stop, asking some deity for forgiveness, or just repeating the name of some loved one
she'll never see again.
If she dies, her bowels relax and whatever was left in them oozes down her legs. Describe the smell
in detail; the putrid stench of feces overpowering the metal-edged tang of blood. Players should

know that their characters did this; they turned this woman person from vital human to meat, and
someone is likely to grieve the loss. Was their goal worth this?

Overwhelm the Senses

In novels, an entire page without sensory detail is bland and unengaged. The same can be said of
roleplaying especially for violent scenes. Fear, excitement and adrenaline concentrate the senses;
they take in more detail in a narrower field. Pupils flare, time slows, and fine detail is enhanced.
The field of vision narrows but paradoxically peripheral awareness often also improves.
Just before violence breaks out, evoke the experience of the fight or flight response by expanding
on the small details, particularly with visual details. Despite what TV and movies often show, fights
inflict a series of small, painful, confronting injuries as well as the larger, expected wounds.
Humans didn't just invent weapons to increase the severity of their opponent's wounds,wounds; the
tools of war protect the aggressor from injury himself.
Similarly, the Health Boxes used by the Storytelling system System are an abstract way of recording
how injured a character is, and how much more damage she can sustain before succumbing to her
wounds. While functional, marking boxes on a character sheet lacks the raw imagery of savage
combat that the Health Boxes system represents. To overcome this limitation, Storytellers should
make the effort to describe the appearance and feel of each box of damage in vivid detail.
System option: Damage Spiral
The Storytelling System provides a lot of leeway for a character to suffer
considerable damage before his wounds start to impede his actions. By the standard
rules, the character doesnt suffer a penalty until marking his third-to-last Health
Box. The standard system encourages the character to continue fighting until he is
nearly beaten without suffering penalty, he still has a chance to turn the combats
tide.
This system option instead encourages players to be wary of their characters
suffering damage as it always degrades performance. With this, the players will
carefully consider if the characters goal is worth the chance of injury, or whether the
character can find a more peaceful solution to his problem.
With the Damage Spiral, characters incur a -1 modifier as soon as they take any
damage. The wound may be superficial and not life-threatening, but it is still
distracting. This penalty persists until the character reaches his central Health Box
(round up), at which point the penalty increases to -2 dice. When the character
reaches his second-to-last Health Box the penalty increases to -3, and at his last
Health Box he automatically suffers the Beaten Down Tilt (WoD 2nd
EditionStoryteller System Ruleook, p. XX).
Example: A character has 6 Health Boxes. He suffers -1 dice when he suffers any
injury, -2 dice at his third (from the left) Health Box, and -3 at his second-to-last
Health Box. Another character has 9 Health Boxes. She suffers -1 dice at her first
injury, -2 dice at her fourth (from the left) Health Box, and -3 dice at her second-tolast Health Box.

Shift the Vocabulary

Encounter. Obstacle. Challenge.
Language shapes our view of the world more than anything else even personal experience.
Memory is an unreliable, easily confused service that shifts and alters as we hear others describe
events. People seeking objective truth through questioning such as police investigators and
journalists must exercise caution to avoid giving too much detail of their own theories and

opinions, lest they lead the person with the first-hand experience away from fact and towards a
blend of fantasy and reality. Of course, sometimes this is exactly the intended outcome.
Language has just as much importance in roleplaying gamesa storytelling game as well; possibly
even more. The storytelling medium relies on language to build the imagined worlds inside the
players minds. The words used are absolutely essential to what the players see and how vividly
they experience the worlds. Even simple descriptions alter the mental landscape.
A character doesnt just see an alley, she sees a dark alley. With the addition of a single word, the
experience changes. If instead she sees a dark alley, filled with flickering pools of dim light cast
from aged, faulty fluorescent tubes, she has an even clearer image, filled with vivid detail.
Adding different senses to the description builds the picture in layers, enriching the immersion and
enjoyment. The dark alley reeks of piss possibly human almost but not quite masking the
sweet cloying decay of discarded food rotting in the dumpsters scattered haphazardly through the
darkness. The steady, echoing sound of dripping water makes the walls of the alley feel
uncomfortably close, and somewhere in the dark she hears the low, rumbling growl of an unknown
beast.
The same techniques should be used to enhance scenes of violence in a chronicle. To start, drop the
word combat from the description. Instead, replace it with violence, brutality, or murder.
When the character in the alley discovers the growling comes from a rabidly drooling dog with
flecks of dried blood on its jaws and strange, softly glowing circuitry patterns on its flanks, ask if
she wants to use violence to kill the dog and move through the alley. If the growling instead
emanates from the wheezing, rumbling lungs of a sick homeless man, deepened and made more
intimidating as the sounds bounce around the alley, ask if the character intends to assault him to
move past. Does her answer change if its clear he intends to accost the character, possibly to steal
her coat that appears much warmer than the rags he wears. Is she prepared to murder him if she sees
he has a knife and she doesnt know if hell attack if she doesnt seize the initiative?
System option: Worse than it lookedWorse Than It Looked
Often, characters may choose to change a Failure to a Dramatic Failure and take a
Beat. This system option allows a similar effect with violent damage. A player may
decide to increase the damage suffered by her character in return for a Beat, as the
blow struck home particularly hard, or hit a vulnerable area. Bashing damage is
upgraded to Lethal, and Lethal to Aggravated. Aggravated damage isnt upgraded
but the character takes a health level of lethal damage in addition to the aggravated
damage she suffers. Damage may only be upgraded once per blowscene, and
characters may not gain more than three Beats from this method per chapter..

Lingering Cost
Human resilience is only geared towards letting the body survive long enough to heal, and then to
heal well enough to continue living. The evolution of human survival biology didn't care about
beauty and aesthetics. Blows to the mouth can cause painful, bloody shattering of teeth, none of
which regrow. Broken bones need medical attention to set straight, otherwise they're different to
what they were before the injury. Cuts and abrasions fill with scar tissue that lacks the flexibility,
sensitivity and utility of the flesh it replaced. Any one of these injuries can be accompanied by
nerve damage that causes lingering aches and pains, or irritatingly ever-present numbness that
lingers long after the damage is healed.
The important point is that no one survives unscathed. Chapter XX examines lasting trauma in more
detail.
[AUTHOR NOTE: THIS CHAPTER XX REFERS TO SHEPPARDs LASTING TRAUMA
SECTION]

System option: Traumatic Stress

Characters who witness extreme violence, including combat participants, victims of
the brutality, or just viewing endless graphic imagery of slaughter, must roll Resolve
+ Composure with each exposure.
Dramatic Failure: The character bypasses the Trauma Survivor Condition and
immediately develops the PTSD Condition.
Failure: The character suffers the Trauma Survivor Victim Condition. The character
may change this to a Dramatic Failure and take a Beat.
Success: The character manages to process the experience but it lingers in the back
of her mind. Future Resolve + Composure rolls are made at -1 dice. This penalty
accumulates each time the character achieves a success on this roll.
Exceptional Success: The character manages to process the experience without the
lingering afterimages. Any penalty to her Resolve + Composure roll is reset to 0 for
future exposure to violence.
This system in no way intends to minimize the pain felt by actual PTSD sufferers, or
to imply that they have control over their condition and can choose if and when it
manifests. Instead, it imparts player agency over characters, and encourages the
players to acknowledge and explore the negative consequences of a violent lifestyle,
rather than glossing over it and moving on.

Repercussions and Consequences

All too often, players dont engage with the roleplayed violence because it occurs in isolation and
has few, if any, ongoing consequences. When a character needs to work towards his goal and
someone is inconveniently in the way, he will deal with the obstacle often brutally and forcefully
and move on, thinking no more about the experience. The character leaves the injured or dead
opponent behind and the defeated foe disappears from the game, never to be thought of again.
Perhaps the character has some wounds that require treatment and healing another purely
mechanical inconvenience but this is still of no consequence to the players experience.
When roleplaying in the World of Darkness, recall that the world is not too dissimilar to our own.
Think what our worlds reaction to such violence would be. Even in the worst parts of town, there
will be a community reaction. The fallen opponent, whether injured or dead, will have friends and
family who may ask questions, even if theyre not seeking revenge. Some will want justice and the
form that takes depends on the location, circumstances, and social pressures of those left behind.
Gangs and street cultures follow the laws of the jungle, where violence begets violence, and if they
can identify the culprit they will visit bloody retribution on him, and possibly his friends and family.
Middle class suburbanites are more likely to pursue an outcome through the police (who may have
an interest in their own street justice) and the courts, to hunt down the guilty party and punish them
through the prison system. The rich and powerful either through high class breeding or hard won
(possibly legitimate) enterprise may go either route, depending on the perceived insult to their
family. They may hire the best lawyers and call in favors with the mayor and police chief, bringing
the full force of government vengeance on the violent offender, or they may quietly fund
professionals to find the character and make their employers displeasure known.
Whatever form the ongoing toll takes, the point is that violent actions should never leave the world
unchanged. No matter what happens, the status quo is disrupted. The consequences may not be
immediate or obvious, but the Storyteller should note some ideas for the changes, to hint at later. By
building the expectation of change, the players will look for the consequences if theyre not
immediately evident, or may try to keep their violence hidden, or work hard to get ahead of the
changes and fix them before they ripple outwards. Violence changes the game world, and these

changes make the players think twice before resorting to violence as their primary problem-solving
tool.
System option: Extended Scenes
The Storytelling system uses the concept of scenes to separate and order events; it
imparts a sense of time and flow to the narrative. Tasks, powers and abilities
frequently endure for a scene before the fade. This again reinforces the concept of
combat as an isolated event, as violent scenes begin at the outbreak of hostilities
and endand end when the victor is the last one standing.
Extending the scene concept by blurring the lines between where one scene ends and
the next begins helps reinforce the impact and lingering effects of violence. Scenelong combat-enhancing powers or Conditions linger long after the violence ends,
leaving the character amped-up and twitchy for whatever comes next. Such a
character is edgy and restless; she doesnt easily engage in conversation or think
calmly and rationally about non-violent tasks. This manifests as penalties to any nonphysical or fine-dexterity actions taken in what would normally be the next scene
after the violence occurred.

The ongoing toll

Violence doesnt just hurt the victim, it hurts the perpetrator. It hurts onlookers. It hurts people who
view it later via instant video uploads and file sharing. Watching violence desensitizes, it numbs the
parts of us that are human.
Violence has consequences. Even if they don't appear as immediately as the bloody grazes on his
knuckles, or the black eye on her face, things have changed.
System option: Violence-marred Psyche
Even hardened criminals and battle-weary soldiers feel something when they see
their opponents blood and hear their cries; every violent conflict risks shaking a
combatants values and mental health.
Under this option, the Storyteller calls for an Integrity roll (The Storytelling System
RulebookWoD 2nd edition, p. XX) for each participant after combat ends.
Bystanders and witnesses arent immune they must also make Integrity rolls at +2
dice.

Alternative Systems
The Storytelling system System has a robust, brutal combat system that is sufficient for most
groups needs, but it doesnt suit everyone. Presented here are adaptations of the current rules,
suggestions for ways to twist and enhance the mechanics, and new systems to enrich your games.
Every system is optional and the Storyteller should ensure everyone knows which systems will be
used and importantly, which will not.

Conditions as Health
Vampire the Requiem 2nd edition originally presented a system of using defined Conditions instead
of Health to represent damage inflicted on characters. Those groups who like using Conditions may
want to increase their importance and use them to replace Health. This system does make the
Storytelling damage system more abstract, but also more dramatic and narratively satisfying.
To determine how many Conditions a character can withstand, add her Stamina + Size. At 1-2, she
is feeble and cannot withstand substantial damage before being close to death. At 3-5, she can take
the Incapacitated Condition. At 6-7, she can take the Maimed Condition as well. At 8 and every 2

beyond, she may take one Bruised Condition. A character with Stamina + Size of 10 would have
Incapacitated, Maimed, and two Bruised. At 12, she would have three Bruised, and so on.
Whenever the character takes damage, she must take a Condition. If she has Bruised or Maimed
Conditions available, she chooses one of these. If she has none available, she takes the Incapacitated
Condition. If she lacks Incapacitated, or has already used it, she gains the Dying Condition.
Attacks that would cause five or more health boxes of damage inflict two Conditions. Lethal attacks
against mortal characters make the Conditions Persistent. Against potent supernaturalssupernatural
creatures such as vampires and werewolves, only attacks that cause aggravated damage are
Persistent. The Conditions for this system are listed on p. XX.
Alternatively, consider abandoning the defined damage Conditions and health boxes for Tilts (or
Conditions) that suit the violence narrative. Each blow delivers another wound, either cuts and
abrasions, broken bones, internal bleeding, and other debilitating damage. Assign Tilts liberally.
Each one further degrades the victims ability to fight on torn and broken limbs all inflict
penalties, swollen eyes and detached retinas blur vision and hamper focus, busted ear drums hurt
like fuck and throw off equilibrium. Eventually the loser has so many penalties she cant even think
of fighting on. For her, the fight is done, and its just up to the abuser to decide if he keeps kicking
or leaves her body with the long task of healing.

Motivational Tilts
Every fight has a reason. This system recognizes the motivations that drive characters to violence
and rewards them for roleplaying towards these goals. The system requires some flexibility and
ingenuity from the Storyteller and players in drawing a quick discussion and description into Tilts
specific to each character.
At the beginning of combat, ask each player what her character's motivation is for that particular
fray. The motivation could be anything; one character could be desperately fighting for survival
against unfair odds and gain a 'Just Want to Survive' Tilt, whereas another could be fighting to
protect a loved one and gain a 'Must Keep Him Safe' Tilt.
The Storyteller has final say over whether a particular tilt is appropriate to the character and the
scenario a player may have difficulty justifying her character's acting in self-defense if she
started the fight against a much weaker, clearly unprepared foe who posed no particular threat to the
character. Motivational tilts are applied at the beginning of combat and linger throughout the violent
scene. Characters gain a Beat if they play to their Motivational Tilt throughout the combat.
Motivational Tilts are easy to design. The player and Storyteller agree on a name that helps describe
the motivation captured by that Tilt, and a brief description of who or what it pertains to. Then
assign a 1-2 dice bonus to a relevant situation the character may find herself in during the combat.
Similarly, assign a 1-2 dice penalty to a difficulty the character may encounter during the fight.
Multiple scenarios can instead be used instead of a single situation, as long as the bonus and penalty
dice balance within the Tilt. At the Storytellers discretion, some Motivational Tilts can be
transformed into longer-lasting Conditions at the end of the combat, in exchange for a Beat.
Example: A character fights to protect her son from the attentions of a shadowy predator. The
player and Storyteller agree on a Keep away from my son Motivational Tilt; they decide that the
player gains +2 dice against the predator when it turns its attention to the son instead of the
character, but she loses -2 dice if the predator manages to injure her child, as the character loses
focus from this distraction. Win or lose, if the character fights to protect her son throughout the
fight, she gains a Beat. If the predator places other people in danger to distract the character, and
she chooses to save them instead of grabbing her son and taking him to safety, she doesnt gain the
Beat.

Conditions

[AUTHOR NOTE: THIS SECTION COMPILES THE VARIOUS CONDITIONS]

Blamed Victim (Persistent)

Its not fair, but society all-too-often holds the victim of violence responsible for her abuse. A
character with this Condition suffers a groups scorn for her suffering. This could be limited to a
small social circle, or could be as large as a well-publicized, nation-wide campaign. The characters
First Impression is downgraded one step when she interacts with others within this group.
Resolution: The character publicly calls out the hypocrisy and unfairness, and succeeds in making
the group aware of their ignorance.
Beat: The character succeeds in Social Maneuvering against someone within the intolerant group
despite the prejudice.

Cowed (originally appeared in WtF 2nd Edition)

Your character has been put in her place through the violence and dominance of another. She suffers
a -2 penalty on any physical and social rolls to oppose the character who inflicted this Condition
where she doesnt spend Willpower.
Resolution: The character successfully injures or intimidates the character who inflicted the
Condition.
Beat: n/a

Cycle of Violence (Persistent)

The character was a victim of violence, and is now trapped within the cycle. Her experiences have
made her either more inclined to use violence against others, or to accept her lot as victim and
suffer abuse. The character must define if she is becomes an abuser or victim when she gains this
Condition. Whichever she chooses, she reinforces her self-image by playing her part in the cycle.
Abusers gain an additional Vice relating to the abuse, and regain a point of Willpower when they
inflict pain or suffering on those who cant defend themselves during a scene. Victims gain an
additional Virtue and refresh all Willpower when they are subject to abuse or humiliation during a
scene.
Others find it difficult to knowingly be near characters with this Condition, either expressing fear or
pity. Characters with the Cycle of Violence Condition suffer -2 dice to all social Social rolls actions
involving people who know or suspect the character to be an abuser or victim. This penalty may be
waived at Storyteller discretion for certain Social actions, such as Intimidation.
Resolution: It is difficult to break from violence. For each month that a character resists fulfilling
her role in the cycle, she may roll her Resolve, with the number of months she has avoided the cycle
adding as bonus dice. An Exceptional Success gives her the strength to move on from being victim
or abuser. Successful therapy can add dice to these rolls.
Beat: The character reaches out to others to either help her resist her violent impulses, or assist her
to escape her abusers.

Hunted (Persistent)
[AUTHOR NOTE: THIS CONDITION IS ADAPTED FROM THE DEMON: THE DESCENT
VERSION]
Your actions have alerted humans to your presence and theyre intent on destroying you or driving
you from their midst. The Storyteller chooses 1015 ordinary humans or a lesser number of skilled
hunters. These antagonists know where you were when you made your possibly fatal compromise

and have a general description of your identity and supernatural type. Their sole motivation is to
hunt you down by any means necessary and destroy you.
Resolution: Kill your pursuers or permanently lose them. Permanently losing them is probably an
extended and contested action, but the particulars will depend on the context of the story.
Beat: The pursuers find and attack you.

Known Abuser (Persistent)

The character with this Condition is known to be a bully and abuser of those weaker than she is.
This social stigma makes others less likely to trust her, or to want to work with her. When using
Social Maneuvering, the characters First Impression is downgraded by two steps, except if she is
using Intimidation to force others to her point.
Resolution: The character sincerely repents for her abusive past in front of the society that holds
her in scorn.
Beat: The character suffers a major setback due to the social consequences of this Condition.

Post-Traumatic Stress (Persistent)

The characters exposure to traumatic experiences has left lasting damage. She has recurring,
distracting memories of the trauma, deliberately avoids situations that remind her of the experience,
and has difficulty sleeping which leads to lethargy and irritability. When the character encounters
stressful situations, or experiences that remind her of the trauma, she suffers a -2 penalty to all dice
pools unless she spends a point of Willpower to remove the penalty for a number of turns equal to
her Resolve.
Resolution: The character receives professional counselling that helps her understand and heal the
Condition.
Beat: The characters Condition prevents her from working towards her goals, or significantly
impacts her ability to perform an action.

Trauma Survivor (Persistent)

The character is a survivor of some traumatic experience. She may have been the victim or
perpetrator of violence, a hostage, or just a witness to depraved acts. Whatever the case, the
experience lingers on in her mind and threatens to overwhelm her at some point in the future.
This Condition is persistent and can be resolved by Trauma Survivor for the Post-Traumatic Stress
Condition, or overcoming the trauma through healing and therapy.
Resolution: The character receives professional counselling that helps her understand and heal the
Condition, or the trauma overwhelms her and this Condition changes to the Post-Traumatic Stress
Condition.
Beat: The character swaps this Condition for the Post-Traumatic Stress Condition.

Worn Out
Life has worn down the characters resilience, making her more susceptible to assault. She has one
less Health Box, suffers the Beaten Down Tilt at Stamina-1 levels of Bashing damage, and has one
less Door to resist Social Maneuvering. Her exhaustion also makes her more likely to lash out with
violence in response to irritation, gaining a 1 die bonus to her first violent action each scene while
carrying this Condition.
Resolution: The character successfully receives professional counselling, or removes herself from
the causes of her stress.
Beat: The character repels an assault while suffering this Condition.

The following Conditions apply to the Conditions as Health alternative system on p. XX.

Bruised
Your character has minor wounds. While not life-threatening, characters suffer a 1 die modifier to
Initiative and any instant actions. This Condition does not award a Beat when resolved.
Resolution: This Condition disappears after half an hour, or two days if Persistent.
Beat: n/a

Maimed
Your character is seriously injured, and is deeply impaired by the harm. Initiative and all actions
suffer a 2 die penalty. Halve his Speed.
Resolution: Wait two days, or one week if Persistent.
Beat: n/a

Incapacitated
Your character suffers a terrible wound. He must succeed in a Stamina roll each turn or fall
unconscious.
Resolution: Wait one week, or two weeks if Persistent.
Beat: n/a

Dying
Your character is dying. Without immediate medical attention, he will expire rapidly. Every minute
without medical attention, he must succeed in a Stamina roll or die.
Resolution: Medical attention
Beat: n/a