Childe, Loyal (3 pt Merit) Your childe's loyalty goes beyond any Blood Bond, being born of true affection and admiration. She would do almost anything to aid you, and you trust her as you do no other among the Kindred. You would be grief-stricken should anything happen to her
Holdings (1-5 pt Merit) You own a number of properties that have been in your possession for years. These have all been modified to provide you with protection, numerous places to rest and emergency escape routes. Although such holdings are often ancient castles, museums and the like, they can also be specially prepared apartment complexes, mountain lodges, old churches, etc. For every point taken in this Merit you have two such holdings, which can be almost anywhere in the world.
Paramour(3-5 pt Merit) You have had a long-term (minimum of 75 years) relationship with a fellow Kindred. Although you may have had your disagreements over the many years, you are generally loyal to each other. You know most, if not all, of your paramour's secrets, and your paramour knows as much about you. You have both come to each other's aid several times over the years, and you would be aggrieved were anything to happen to your love. The cost of this Merit depends on the relative power and position of your paramour in Kindred society (3 for an ancilla, 4 for another elder of equal power, 5 for a more powerful elder).
Paranoia, Limited (2 pt Merit) You know that there are many vampires, hunters, Garou and the like who would love to destroy you. You go outofyour way to prepare contingency plans, vary your movement patterns and habits, and otherwise make yourself a difficult target. As a result, you are less likely to be attacked unawares (-1 difficulty to spotting ambushes and the like).
Patience (3 pt Merit) You have learned the wisdom of patience in all things. Passions may burn brightly; but as they say, revenge is served best cold. Often, with enough patience, new avenues of endeavor open, enemies grow careless and favors shift. Those who wait and watch are in a position to take full advantage of the vagaries of time. Due to your mastery of patience all Frenzy rolls are made with a -1 difficulty modifier.
Powerful Childe (1-5 pt Merit) You have a childe in a position of power within vampiric society. This childe is loyal, and often serves as both an information font and protection. Although she sometimes asks favors of you, you are most definitely in control of the relationship, as it is right fora sire to be. The cost ofthis Merit depends upon the power and position of the childe (1 for leading anarch, 2 for an Archon, 3 for a primogen, etc., determined in conjunction with the Storyteller). This Merit must be taken separately for each such childe. Having this childe Blood Bound to you costs an extra two points.
Elder Flaws
Bastard Childer (2 pt Flaw) You have sired one or more childer without the permission of the local prince or Justicar. Under Kindred law, both you and your childer may be subject to a Blood Hunt should other vampires discover your secret. This Flaw is cumulative, and must be taken once per bastard sired.
Childe, Vengeful (2 ptFlaw) You have sired a childe who has grown to loathe you. Not only does your chi Ide not aid you in your dealings with other Kindred, he actively works toward your detriment. At times you feel your childe would commit diablerie upon you if given half a chance, and you could be right.
Death Wish (1·5 pt Flaw) You have an unconscious wish to die the True Death. The search for blood, the politics and pain, the constant knowledge of all eternity looming ahead of you, and perhaps your own cowardice, all have their effect on you. Although you never deliberately do anything to harm yourself, you do tend to hinder yourself at awkward times. At any time during a story, the Storyteller may ask you to reroll a successful Skill check. The least successful of the two rolls is the actual result of your action. The Storyteller may do this a number of times per story equal to the number of points taken in this Flaw.
Paramour, Jilted (1-3 pt Flaw) You had a long-term relationship (minimum 50 years) with a fellow Kindred . Although the relationship proved useful and pleasant while it lasted, you grew weary of your former paramour and ended the long-term tryst. Unfortunately, your former paramour did not take the ending of the affair well, and has apparently developed a strong antipathy for you. You both know many of each other's secrets and this has caused a stalemate thus far, but you are concerned that your ex-paramour may interfere in your affairs at some time in the future. The cost of this Flaw depends on the relative power and position of your ex-paramour in Kindred society (1 for an ancilla, 2 for another elder, 3 for a more powerful elder).
Paranoia, Extreme (3 pt Flaw) You are certain that the world is full of creatures and people who wish to see you destroyed. However, you do not worry overmuch about those individuals who loathe you from a distance. It is the ones you let get near you, the ones who profess some caring towards you, who are the real danger. Of course, not all your associates and so-called friends are actually your enemies (at least they probably aU aren't). However, you know that no one ever does anything they don't believe to be for their own benefit. You are constantly alert for signs that one or more of your acquaintances are actually seeking to commit diablerie upon you, stake you, or worse. Whenever someone you know performs an act that appears selfless, you must make a successful Self-Control roll to resist branding them a traitorous, implacable enemy bent on your destruction (and taking appropriate actions against such a monster!). The Storyteller may also decide that your companions' actions are suspiciously altruistic and necessitate such a roll.
Poverty (1 pt Flaw) You are very poor for an elder vampire. Either you never bothered to save anything over the years, or you throwaway any accumulated wealth for your own, obscure reasons. You may not take any Resources.
Recently Arisen (3 pt Flaw) You have been lying in a state of torpor until very recently. The years have left you in their wake and the world has been remade in your absence. The culture shock is very jarring, and you still find it difficult to make your way in this strange new environment. Only the general flow of Kindred politics and society remains reasonably familiar; the rest of the world is gibberish. You receive a +2 to the difficulty level of rolls involving technology and to social interactions with everyone save other elder Kindred.
Routine (2 pt Flaw) Through the ages you have settled into somewhat of a routine. You tend to go to the same places at the same time of year, and to proceed from haven to haven in a regular order. If others studied your behavior closely, they might be able to take advantage of it to do you harm. The Storyteller may lower the difficulty level for anyone attempting to surprise the character from 1-3 points depending on the specific nature of the situation.
Vainglorious (1-3 pt Flaw) You are boastful and know that you deserve any praise you receive. You are particularly fond of Kindred who realize their lesser standing in the face of your obvious superiority, although you tend to view any who speak well of you as more intelligent and deserving than most. Due to your arrogance and love of sycophants, you receive an increase of one to three points on the difficulty level for resisting any attempts at Manipulation using flattery (the modifier is doubled if the flatterer has a flattery specialty) . The modifier is determined by the rating of this flaw.
You are well known among the elders who are the backbone of Kindred society. Even among the jaded elite you have carved out a name for yourself, whether in the halls of Elysium or the political arena. This Trait reflects a combination of factors including your sire's Status, your pedigree, your own actions and how well you have managed to keep the attention of other elder Kindred.
The more Elder Status you have, the more willing other elders are to treat you as an equal, or even to defer to your judgment and tastes. Elder Status is sometimes used with Social Traits when dealing with other elders, and it reflects your prestige in such instances. Elders without this Trait are often considered minor nobles in the eternal court that is Kindred society: Pretenders almost never have any dots in Elder Status.
Younger Kindred are almost always unaware of the subtle nuances of unseen power plays and alliances that make up Elder Status and are thus unaffected by it, instead recognizing only your general Status among Kindred
Thus it is possible for an elder to be seen as of little importance by most Kindred infants, but to actually have tremendous influence among the elders of the vampiric community.
• Known: A recognized player •• Respected: Connected to many powerful elders ••• High Status: Other elders often come to you for aid and advice. •••• Powerful: You have the power to command respect and fear from even the most noted of other elders. ••••• Luminary: Your name echoes through the halls of Elysiums the world over.
Pretenders are vampires who are elder in generation but not in age. Such vampires are only technically considered "elders" in the eyes of their more experienced peers, especially those who have existed far longer than any Pretender can truly imagine. However, the Camarilla emphasizes respect for purity of bloodline, and thus Pretenders are still grudgingly admitted into elder society due to the power of the vitae flowing through their veins. Pretenders are honored for their lineage, not for themselves.
Players who wish to create Pretender characters to use in an elders chronicle should follow the character creation system outlined in the character creation thread, with the following modifications:
• Pretenders receive a +2 modifier to the difficulty level of all social rolls involving "true" elders. • Pretenders may not take the Elder Status Backgrounds • Pretenders can take the following Elder Merits and Flaws: any Childe/Childer (save Powerful Childe), any Diabolist, Matricide, Vainglorious.
