Sabbat Character Creation Guidelines

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Sabbat | Armidale | Brisbane | Newcastle | Sydney ● Main | Packs | History | Factions | Paths | Ritae | Documents | Rules | Character Creation


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To play a character you need to submit a stat sheet and a basic background of who your character is, how they got embraced, what's happened to them since and where you intend to go with them in a game. This can be point form if you like, or a story, and should be about an A4 page in length.

Rules

In order to create a Sabbat Character you will need access to the following books:

These references are ESSENTIAL for making a character. If you don't have access to these, talk to the VST about getting hold of them. There are other books that may also be of use, such as the Storyteller's Guide and even the Camarilla Guide.

Remember: Clans can have different mechanics when playing in the Sabbat. A Brujah (Laws of the Night: Revised) is created differently to a Brujah Antitribu (Laws of the Night: Sabbat Guide), and a Toreador Antitribu has a different Clan disadvantage to a Toreador, so you need to check that you're looking at the right information.


Get the Venue Directory

The Masquerade Venue Directory is a pdf that was created by Jessica Orsini, which lists all the Clans, Bloodlines, Traits, Abilities, Merits, Flaws, Disciplines, Rituals, etc that are part of our game... AND it lists what book and page number they are printed in. It is the ultimate quick reference guide when you're creating a character.

Trying to create a Masquerade character without this document... That way lies madness!


Talk to your VST!!!

Before you do anything, talk to your VST! This cannot be emphasised enough! There are some things that the VST may not not be keen to approve. Before you get too excited about your new character concept, have a chat with your VST first. The last thing you want to do is to spend hours writing up a background for a character that isn't going to work with the game and/or that the VST isn't going to approve for play.


Documents and Templates

The following documents need to be submitted in order for your character to be reviewd by the VST for approval:

  • A Character Sheet - it is strongly recommended that you use the Excel Spread Sheets hosted on the Canadian Camarilla website
  • A Background - one page story

In addition, you may want or need to complete one of these additional documents:

  • An Australian Special Approval Form - If you wish to play a character with a restricted Clan, Discipline, Merit, etc... you will need to complete this form
  • The Extended Character Certificate - a list of questions that will assist the ST to create plotlines specific to your character. When completed, you will be rewarded with 8xp (over cap) that you can apply to your character

Once you have completed your character, e-mail it to your VST as an attachment, along with your background and any documents as appropriate.


Creating a Sabbat Character, 101

Making a Sabbat character is different to making a standard Masquerade Character. There are elements that are really important to a Sabbat character so this document has been created to help out new players that aren't familiar with Sabbat, to help them make a character that will fit in with the genre and to make sure that they've ticked all the boxes prior to submitting their character to the VST for approval.

Pick a Pack

Sabbat is not a game about being a Unique Snowflake; Sabbat run in packs. Your character needs to be in a Pack. Most of the time, you'll have an idea of what sort of character you wish to play, but you may need to tweak your character idea in order to fit in with your Pack's concept. Embrace it! Having a common element will strengthen the ties between your characters and your pack will kick arse as a whole.

Creating a Pack

A pack needs to have a unifying element or else it will crumble over time. For example, the Unholy Ones are a pack based on a Motorcycle Gang; all their members are Bikers, their pack uses a Motorcycle Club (MC) culture, they have a pack logo that fits in with the Outlaw MC theme, and all of their members will be identifiable because they will wear their MC Colours.

Work with the other players to create your Pack Theme.

  • Define what it is about your character's background/personalities that binds them together
  • Find a name that fits
  • Create a pack logo - this will be used to mark members of your pack and your pack's territory
  • Design your pack "colours" - this can help with costuming as well as pack identy and unity
  • Create a Sabbat Pack template and put it on each of your pack member's Wiki pages


Pick a Path

The Sabbat can be likened to a religion, and your Path of Enlightenment is your moral code within that religion. There are many Paths that have been developed within the Sabbat and are detailed in Laws of the Night: Sabbat Guide. The following links offer more information about the Paths of Enlightenment described in Laws of the Night: Sabbat Guide.


Make sure you read and understand the Path you pick for your character


Virtues

Your Path of Enlightenment determines which Virtues you get;

  • Self-Control OR Instincts
  • Conscience OR Instinct

There is a big difference between how these Virtues work both thematically (how you play them) and mechanically.


Self-Control Vs Instincts

Only characters with Self-Control get a chance to resist Frenzy. If you have a Path with Instincts, you will automatically Frenzy depending on how high your level of Instincts is. If you have a path with Instincts, the only way that you can resist Frenzy is to spend a Willpower point to stave off Frenzy for 10mins (or until something else happens to make you test again).


Changing Path in Game

Ref: The MST's Guide to Changing Morality Paths

Some people may wish to start the game on the Path of Humanity and then change over to a Sabbat Path of Enlightenment in game. This is absolutely OK and has the potential to create a fantastic storyline with one or more Sabbat trying to recruit you to their way of thinking. Changing Paths requires a willing teacher with a Path Rating of three or more.

During play, your teacher will want to erode your morality. This will involve getting you to do things that violate the path of Humanity (but won't violate the Path that they are teaching), until you get to humanity zero. A character at Humanity zero is very fragile and should be protected from any and all stimuli that might invoke frenzy. If your character frenzies at this point they enter wassail and is no longer playable. So, this storyline does come with a very real risk to your character.


Pick a Clan

The Clans in the Sabbat are different to their cousins in the Camarilla. Choose which Clan you wish to play based on the culture and identity of the Clan, not which Disciplines they get. Sabbat can get Out of Clan Disciplines far easier than Camarilla characters, so choosing your Clan based on a discipline spread is pointless. You may as well play a Pander and pick the disciplines you want.


eg. Dan wants to play a character that was a plastic surgeon that was obsessed with physical beauty and creating someone that was "perfect". Dan wants to use Vicissitude in games to make his pack mates, "better", and chooses to play a Tzimisce. Tzimisce culture and/or identity has nothing to do with Dan's character concept, so the VST recommends that Dan play a Toreador Antitribu, as the idea of beauty, perfection and obsession is far more akin to the thorned Roses of the Sabbat. Dan's character will be interested in learning 1st Intermediate Vicissitude, which he can learn from a Tzimisce with Advanced Vicissitude. This will require High Approval, but so long as he can find a PC teacher, he could (pending approval) start play with this discipline. Dan's character has no interest in the fourth and fifth powers of Vicissitude as being a monster (one of the core themes of being a Tzimisce) is of no interest to his character and is not in keeping with his character concept.


Go to the Sabbat main page for more information on the Clans and Bloodlines you can play in the Sabbat - remember to check the Approval Level for your Clan in the Masquerade Addendum.


A Note on Bloodlines

There is an ideology in the Sabbat that the existence of Bloodlines are an inpurity of Caine's blood. While Cainites that belong to Bloodines are accepted within the Sabbat, there are some positions within the Sect they will never be able to attain. If you're playing a Kyasid you should be happy that you're playing a Kyasid, so missing out on achieving the rank of Bishop or becoming a member of the Inquisition shouldn't be an issue.


Chose Your Generation

File:Sabbat-pepsi.png
Promo for Brisbane's Sabbat game

Your character's starting Generation (their Generation when they enter play) is limited by your Membership Class (MC). Check the Masquerade_Addendum to see what the lowest Generation you play is.


Lineage

Vampires don't manifest out of the blue, everyone had to come from somewhere. The Australian game has several established lineages for most of the Clans. Players are encouraged to fit themselves into one of these established lineages.

If you can't find an appropriate candidate to be your PC's Sire/Childe within your own game, players are encouraged to check out the games hosted in other cities within Australia.

It is possible for your character to have a Sire or Childer that are not part of the Sabbat; while this may restrict the contact your character has with them during gameplay, it can add to roleplaying opportunities as characters struggle with clashing Sect Loyalties within families.

A VST may award xp to PCs with a PC Sire and/or PC Descendents (Childe, Granchilde, etc...). Check with your VST for details.


Traits

Characters start with Seven traits in one category (Physical, Mental or Social), five in another and three in the last. Each trait is a descriptive word that describes a personality trait or physical aspect of your character, and will be used to initiate (or defend against) challenges with other characters.

Chose a bunch of descriptive terms that are appropriate to your character.

You can purchase additional traits in each category for 1 Freebie Point or 1xp per Trait. The maximum number of traits you can have in each category is limited by your Generation (Laws of the Night: Revised, pg 95).

Hint: There are some physical Disciplines that require the expenditure of a Strength, Dexterity or Stamina trait, so don't pick any Miscellaneous Physical traits.

Abilities

You will get one (if not two) Abilities for free based on which Clan your character is - some Clans get two skills, some Clans get an Ability and an Influence or Background instead.

There are some skills that are REALLY important to Sabbat characters;

  • Rituals - if your character is asked to perform an Auctoritas or Ignoblis Ritae they will need make a social challenge to successfully perform the rite; if you do not have Rituals 1 you will automatically fail this test and gain the Negative Status, Unfaithful
  • Fire Dancing - A Fire Dance is an important Sabbat Rite. Not having a retest to successfully jump a bonfire may be a "career-limiting" move
  • Blind Flighting - The Sabbat have Lasombra; they like to throw up Shroud of Night. Characters fighting in the dark will need to undertake a Darkness Retest, or you can spend a level of Blind Fighting to avoid that retest

Discipline Retests

Most Disciplines have an Ability that can be used for retests. Make sure that you have the Abilities that are listed as retests associated with your Disciplines. Sometimes you may wish to take levels in certain Abilities so that you can defend against other characters using Skills and Disciplines against your character.

eg...
  • Animal Ken to defend against Animalism
  • Empathy to defend against Dementation
  • Intimidation to defend against Dominate
  • Investigation to defend against Auspex (telepathy)
  • Investigation to defend against Obfuscate
  • Leadership to defend against Presence
  • Occult to defend against Thaumaturgy and Necromancy
  • Subterfuge to defend against Chimestry
  • Dodge to defend against physical attacks


Free Traits and XP

Free Traits

The Maximum Free Traits any player can have is 17, this total is made up of three categories: Free Traits + Negative Traits + Flaws. Each category has a maximum number of Free Traits it can provide. You may not wish to take up all the options that give you extra Free Traits. Here's the breakdown...

  • Free Traits - 5. Everyone gets five Free Traits at character creation


  • Flaws - 7. You can have as many Flaws as you like, but you will only get a maximum of 7 Free Traits for them. Flaws have different values, reflecting how debilitating they are in game.


  • Negative Traits (up to a total of 5 Free Traits from sources listed below)
    • Up to 5 - Negative Traits - You can take up to five Negative Traits across Physical, Social and Mental Traits
      • 1 - Each Negative Trait gives you 1 Free Trait (it will cost you 2xp to buy it off later)
    • 2 - Reducing Morality - You can choose to reduce your starting Morality by one to gain 2 Free Traits
    • 2 - Derangement. You may have more than one Derangement though only one Derangement counts for Free Traits

XP

The following XP sources are available at Character Creation.

  • MC
    • New Members with the Free Six Month Trial Membership have MC 0
    • Once you pay your membership fee you will gain MC 1 and thus will gain 5xp
  • Longevity XP
    • if you have Longevity XP from a character in the Sabbat Venue that was removed from play for any reason other than disciplinary action, you may apply the approved amount at Character Creation.
  • Extended Character Document
    • If you complete this document and submit it to the VST you will get 8xp. While this sounds like a fantastic thing that you should do straight away when you make your character, it's usually easier to complete this document after you've played your character for a few sessions as you'll have a better idea about who your character is, where they've come from and what's important to them

Top-Up XP


The Difference Between Freebies and XP

There are some things that you can only buy with Free Traits. Merits can only be purchased with Free Traits. Characters can purchase two basic levels of ONE Out-of-Clan Discipline at In-Clan costs at Character Creation using Free Traits, not XP (ref: Laws of the Night: Revised, pg 72).

eg. A Nosferatu that likes to lurk around in the Sewers may wish to take a level of Auspex so that they can see where they're going in the low light. This would normally cost 4xp, but they can purchase it at character creation for 3 Free Traits (and so long as they have a PC teacher).


Submitting Your Character - Checklist

Before you submit your character to the VST, you should check the following things:

  • Read the Masquerade Addendum & the Australian Addenda
    • Check the rules for all your Merits and Flaws
    • Check the rules for all your Disciplines
      • If you have an Out-of-Clan Discipline, you must have an active PC teacher for it (ref: Masquerade Addendum V.A.1 Learning Disciplines)
    • Check Your Approval Levels
      • The VST can approve all characters and items at Low Approval
      • If you wish to play a Clan that is Mid Approval or higher, you will need to submit a Special Approval Form
      • If you wish to play a character that has a Merit, Lore, Ability, Morality Path that is Mid Approval or higher, you will also need to submit a Special Approval Form for your character to have those elements
  • Double Check your Points!
    • Count your Free Traits, how many you gained from each category and how many you've spent
    • Count your XP, how many you've gained and how many you've spent


GST "No Go"

There are some things that the GST has announced that they are not going to approve, no matter how good your application is. These can be found on the Masquerade GST Policies page. Talk to your VST about what your idea is and they may be able to offer advice on what you could do to tweak your character concept so that you can still play the essence of what you're wanting to play without breaching these restrictions.

If you decide to submit an application anyway, that decision is up to you, but you surrender your ability to complain if the GST decides to stick to their policy rather than submitting to your awesome concept and mad application writing skillz.



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