Ashen Grey : Victorian Age World of Darkness

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Use Terms

Each and every time you login to the chat you agree to these use terms. Because of this, we recommend that you read them carefully before you participate in the chat. Ignorance is not an excuse!

New Traits

Since this is the Victorian Age World of Darkness some of the traits in the World of Darkness Rulebook have been changed, and a few new ones have been added. New Skills include Technology (Mental, replaces Computer) and Ride (Physical, replaces Drive). Obviously, there are no computers or cars in the Victorian Age, so Technology covers the use of new devices and inventions (but not building them; that’s covered by Crafts), while Ride covers riding horses (but not training or caring for them; that’s covered by Animal Ken). New Merits include Upper Class (••). By default, your character is assumed to be middle class. By taking Upper Class you join the ranks of the aristocracy. Conversely, the new Flaw — Lower Class — places you at the bottom of the social order. Another new Flaw is Illiterate, which makes you unable to read or write.

Weapons & Armor

Another area where we made changes to the World of Darkness Rulebook for use in the Victorian Age are the weapons and armor charts. Obviously, both types of SMG have been dropped from the Ranged Weapon Chart, along with both Pistol types and the Assault Rifle. The Size of Shotguns has been increased to 3, since these are bulky affairs in the Victorian Age. On the Melee Weapons Chart, the Katana has been dropped, since exotic weapons of this nature are rare. The only modern armor type available on the Armor Chart is Reinforced/thick clothing.

Unveiling the Mysteries

On this page you’ll find answers to the most commonly asked questions during character creation, as well as a few basic guidelines for playing in the Victorian Age World of Darkness. For specific details on creating and playing mortal characters, refer to the World of Darkness FAQ. Details for creating and playing vampire characters can be found in the Vampire: The Requiem FAQ, while creating and playing werewolf charcters is detailed in the Werewolf: The Forsaken FAQ.

Character Creation

The basic character creation rules for mortals are presented in the World of Darkness Rulebook, Vampire: The Requiem details the character creation template for vampires, and Werewolf: The Forsaken details the character creation template for werewolves.

• Are there any restrictions on the amount or types of characters I can play?

Yes. While you can make as many mortal characters as you like, none of them can come from the same group (see the World of Darkness FAQ). Likewise, none of your Kindred characters can come from the same clan and/or covenant, and none of your Uratha characters can come from the same auspice and/or tribe. Additionally, you can only start the game with a single Kindred or Uratha character. All further Kindred characters must be Embraced during the chronicle (if you already have a Kindred character of the same clan and/or covenant as your prospective sire, the Embrace automatically fails and your mortal character dies). All futher Uratha characters must be wolf-blooded and go through the First Change (if you already have an Uratha character of the same auspice and/or tribe then the First Change can never happen). Ghouls and thralls can only be fashioned during the chronicle. Wolf-blooded must be starting characters and can never be fashioned during the chronicle.

• Can any of my characters know each other?

No. None of your characters can interact with each other in any way, nor can they be related or otherwise linked to each other.

• Do I need to submit a prelude?

That really depends. If your character is extraordinary in any way (i.e. has high Status, hails from an obscure bloodline or far away culture, etc.) it’s probably best to submit a written prelude to your venue Storyteller. It’s certainly worth having a prelude in mind when a Storyteller sanctions your character, so you can answer any questions he might have. However, you are not required to have a written prelude in order to have your character sanctioned.

• Can I start play with a more experienced character?

No. All characters should be starting characters. Vampire characters are assumed to have been Embraced recently (one or two months ago at best, long enough to know the basics) unless they more than Blood Potency 1 (in which case you will need to discuss your character’s prelude with a Storyteller). Even then, starting Kindred are unlikely to have been in the Requiem for more than a year.

• Are there any restrictions on the kinds of equipment I can start with?

Yes. Your character should have sufficient dots in the Resources Merit to cover the equipment cost and meet all the stated trait requirements (i.e. Strength for ranged weapons, etc.). Storytellers may well assign costs for equipment that is not listed in the rulebooks. The only exception to this rule is in regard to items acquired in your character’s prelude, in which case you should be prepared to back this up with the appropriate traits and/or justification (claiming that your character just stumbled on item, that it was merely given to her as a gift or it was otherwise simply obtained probably won’t cut it — if in doubt, cover it with Resources!).

• Are you using Flaws?

Yes. However, remember that Storytellers have to witness you playing out your character’s Flaws in order for them to be able to award the bonus experience point for them. You cannot request this bonus; a Storyteller will add the bonus point to your character’s sheet when he sees the Flaw being played out and it hinders your character during a given scene. You can only gain a maximum of one experience point per 24-hour real-life day through the use of Flaws, no matter how many you take or how much you play them out (but playing them out consistently as much as possible provides you with a greater chance of obtaining the bonus).

Special Rules and Systems

• Okay, what are these Seasons all about, then?

Think of these as separate chapters in a novel, the seasons of a TV show or the installments of a movie series. There’s one continuous story being told in something like Harry Potter, the Star Wars movie series or the long-running Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show, but this is broken into sections (chapters — or even whole books — for Harry Potter, Episodes I-VI for Star Wars, Seasons 1-7 for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc.). Likewise, we’re telling a single and ongoing story in Ashen Grey, broken up into Seasons. In terms of the rulebooks, each of our Seasons counts as a story, while each time you login and play counts as a chapter (with several scenes in it) and the life span of the chat counts as the chronicle. However, it’s fair to say that our Seasons will comprise more than one story (just like Buffy’s seasons have more than one episode) even though it won’t span the entire chronicle (again, just like Buffy’s seasons). Seasons are typified with a definite beginning, middle and end. The endings are often climatic and can change the setting considerably, impacting on the chat quite dramatically. There are no set durations for Seasons, however — they last as long as needed to tell the story.

• How is night and day handled?

Unless a present Storyteller overrides it, the in-character time and weather is assumed to be as presented at Weather Underground except that the year is 1897. This is the same as the real-life time and weather in London, England.

• Can I make a night room during in-character daylight?

Yes. Players can create rooms set in any in-character period of the day, provided that these rooms are clearly labeled (i.e. “Street: Night,” or “Street: Day”). Please note that vampire characters entering a room set in the day, whether player defined or not, do not suddenly turn the room into a night room by doing so. The room must be designated as a night room before a vampire character can enter it.

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