WHAT I SUGGEST DOING - and I can 'cause it's my site. Copy it all (Use select all or something), and paste it into a Word Processing programme and print at leisure. That way it saves on Internet bills and you can actually take the time to take it all in! Oh, and you'll need Laws Of The Night to fully complete your character, as I haven't detailed EVERYTHING.

Tired of your average Celtic Gangrel warrior? Bored with the Loner Gangrel you all ways seem to choose when trying to come up with a new character? I know I am! So I've set out to create a page to help people create their new Gangrel characters. Y'know, ideas, inspirations, websites to check out etc.

I hope it helps bring some more diversity to the Clan and helps new players who don't know where to start.

But bare in mind one thing. This is not the Definitive guide to Gangrel. We are gamers. Our only limits are our imaginations. If you can't find an idea that interests you, don't let it dishearten you. All that means is that my opinions don't match up with mine.

Come up with your own ideas from what I've written. And if it works, mail me and tell me, and I'll put it up here with a writing credit for you!! Cheers, and I hope you enjoy......

• 1) Firstly - Make sure you know what the hell your doing!!! If you don't know what I'm on about, or need more help, go to the Camarilla UK National Website. There, you can find details of what the Camarilla UK is, where your local games are, and Download the registration form.

• 2) Now you know what the Camarilla is, check out - An Introduction To The Clan, The Ways Of Clan Gangrel and Relations With Others pages on this site. Even if you've already got your character. They provide inspiration and history for characters. Even if I do say so myself : )

• 3) Need more inspiration? Check out the CDBIE. It's a messaging service to help forge international links. Later on in this page, there will be more character concepts, so don't worry.

• 4) Got that inspiration now? Good. Picture the character in your head. Why was (s)he sired? Why is (s)he still a Kindred? Why is (s)he living where (s)he does? You need to know these things before you can make the character properly. Trust me, I had too, and made some bloody big mistakes when I didn't know them.... : )

• 5) Now to the nitty gritty. Creating the character. It should be easy now. You know what they look like. Where they're coming from, and where they're going too! Get a character sheet from your ST, mates that visit the local game, or theres a Downloadable one on the Assamite National Website. Choose a Name. Then a Nature and Demeanor. There are some possible ones listed below, but any from any White Wolf book should be OK with your soon to be ST.

• 6) Decide your Primary, Secondary and Tertiary trait scores. 7, 5, 3. Physical, Social and Mental, in any order. But use the picture of the character in your head to guide you... I'm not going to list off the traits for each category, because then there would be no point buying the White Wolf Laws Of The Night book. Go out, buy it. Trust me, it's WELL worth it, and you'll need it to work out the stuff I'm NOT going to cover on this site, like Willpower, Blood Pool, Negative Traits, and other essential things.

• 7) Now Disciplines. All 3 of them. Clan disciplines Fortitude, Protean and Animalism are ours, and all you can pick from at this moment. I suggest putting all 3 into one discipline. After all, the other basic levels of the disciplines are easily purchased with just a little Experience, but the higher levels cost loads of Experience, and now you can get them for free. Makes sense really. Just wish I'd done it!

• 8) Now something exclusive to Minds Eye Theater. Influence. These are the areas of the world you can get access too. You wanna get your character a new haven, pay off the local Ventrue and hide from the Hunters. The only way your gonna do it is with Influence. People underestimate Gangrel, thinking we don't go for Influence. Trust me, get as much as you can and use it only when you need to... You get 3 points to start off with. Camarilla UK has slightly vague rules on Influence, deliberately, to reflect real life. Each domain determines how much influence is needed for purchasing different companies / objects. But I've put down a list of what TYPES of influence you'll need for different industries. But again, that may change depending on Domain ST's!

  Oh and a special note. The Laws Of The Night Street and Underworld Influences are different for Britain. You need 5 in either to be able to get hold of a basic gun and hardly any ammo. And then it takes a couple of weeks. No fun I know, but it's different because there are different gun laws in America. i.e. you can have them!

• 9) Abilities now. You get to pick 5. Laws Of The Night has the basic list. But I'm going to put up ones from Vampire 3rd Edition books that could be useful to Gangrel. But clear them with your ST before you assume you've got them. Each ability allows you to test when doing something that the ability covers. If you've got it more than once, it means that you can retest. e.g. Your new character has 3 in Computers, then you get to test up to 3 times when trying to access the local Princes computer. But it doesn't mean you are any good. Your level of skill is measured by how many traits you have in that skills field. So if you wanna know how good you are at computers, measure it off of the number of traits you have, assuming 4 is human Average. 5 traits, your OK, 7 your good, 10 is the best any mortal can ever get. You can talk astrophysics with the best, or win an Olympic Gold medal, or diffuse World War 3, all depending on what you've got the traits in, Mental Physical, or Social.

• 10) Almost there. Beast Traits. You HAVE to pick one. It corresponds to your connection with the beast. If you do something to make you question your humanity (ST's decision) you have to test to see if you get a new one. The more you have, the less human you are. 5 and your character becomes an NPC... and you've been a BAD boy! If you manage to get rid of your final one (and trust me, its almost NEVER done) you've reached Golconda. Yey! But till then, look through the Laws Of The Night and get one.

• 11) Now Merits and Flaws. I've included a list of ones especially useful to Gangrel, but White Wolf is always updating and changing them in it's latest books, so look through them first. All Merits and Flaws need to be cleared with ST's first. Why do I need them? I hear you cry. Well, your character starts as 13th Generation. Buy more. And to do that you need freebie points. 2 Freebies buy's you one point in Generation. 10th is the Maximum you can reach without Diablerie or ANST (Assistant National StoryTeller) permission. I've also included Freebie points you get for Derangements, Negative Traits and Extra Beast Traits. Use them, they'll help A LOT. You never know when you'll have to use Danger Sense merit. : )

• 12) Record your Clan. (I wonder what that could be...). Being part of the Gangrel, you gain a Clan benefit and a disadvantage. Your benefit is the fact that other Kindred smell of the Wyrm, automatically, to any Lupine. You don't. The wilderness shows through in you. They don't sense anything different from a human in you, as long as you have less than 3 Beast Traits. Remind your ST of this, as they can't be expected to remember everything. But bare in mind, that doesn't stop a Lupine noticing a lack of pulse, ability to regenerate or pale skin. Your disadvantage... Sometimes you will frenzy. When you do, you gain an animalistic feature. A list of possible ones, I'll add below, but collect 5 and you gain the negative Social trait Bestial. And you can get it multiple times. Be warned!!

• 13) Now your characters done, read the Grand Unification Theory. It's the only existing guide to Camarilla politics and damn near essential. And it's on my website. In two parts. Don't ask..... something to do with the size of uploading it. But it's up anyway.

Character Concepts

• Park Warden / Ranger - Experienced in the ways of nature, with possible knowledge of the local Lupines. Embraced to protect the land he watches forever. What could be there that needs protecting forever? Time to talk to an ST I think......
• Computer Hacker - Always useful in the modern age, and information is the currency of the Kindred. Everyone stores SOMETHING on a computer. After all, thats how you can read this. What else do those Kindred have on their computers? And those Technocracers.... oh, so much information and so little time....
• Environmentalist Saboteur (always good for a laugh) - Break stuff in a righteous cause, blow it up, set it on fire and make sure it 'aint coming back. No one liked that chemical factory anyway. Only problem is you usually piss off some Kindred. But Lupines like you! (if your ST's thinks it's OK)
• Family Man - Injured in the wilderness, embraced out of sympathy. Thrown out into a World of Darkness and Vampires, and WAY out of his depth. Makes for good roleplaying. "What do I do about my family?" "Vampires are just a figment of your imagination. I'm calling the Police..."
• Film Star - Embraced by an Undead fan to add that hint of realism. Automatic grounds for the Superstitious flaw. Now you really can become a Wolf or a Bat. But all these other Kindred aren't worth your attention. After all, they didn't appear in the movies!
• Embrace Gone Wrong - Maybe your sire stopped half way through, and started again, maybe your genes are different, maybe you were someone elses Ghoul first. Who knows? But whatever it was, your not a Gangrel by Blood, you are a Caitiff, (re)born with different Clan disciplines. No one knows, not even your Sire. And no one will. If they do.... well, accidents do happen.
• Pushed Beyond The Brink - You were living your life fine until that Vampire guy came along. Now your undead. And you cannot cope. Maybe your obsessed with something, or you hallucinate in times of trouble. Whatever it is, its a symptom of you pushed beyond your limit. You never asked to be a goddamn Vampire, and someones gonna pay.... now which one to choose?
• Corporate CEO - Strange for a Gangrel I know... Head of a company / companies, you thought you had it all. So what about the animals and all that nature? It was all profit to you. Until some strange guy came bursting in and embraced you. Told you it would teach you for all your crimes against nature. Now your an immortal, forbidden from revealing your power. Your death was announced and you went into hiding. Now you see things from the outside, you realize what you did, how much damage you caused. You've got to set it right. Or maybe you don't. After all... you always liked designer clothes. You don't HAVE to tell them a Vampire. Just work at late. Easy (?)
• Garou Kinfolk / Mage - Embraced by mistake, your on the run. Denied your Kinfolk heritage or Mage spheres, you are viewed as an abomination buy your own kind, ripe for killing, and viewed with worry by the local Kindred. The Lupines or Mages are going to exact their revenge sometime, as soon as they find you, and the local Kindred know that. You've got to hide, and maybe the best place is in a crowd. After all, the other Kindred will protect you... won't they?

Natures / Demeanors - Pick well, they determine how you play your character. There are an infinite number. But look at the ones in Laws Of The Night, and these extra ones may help......

• Autist - Act normal, tell no one, and hope they don't discover what your hiding.....
• Cavalier - A knight of old, the tragic hero. Fearless to the end.
• Chameleon - Change to suit your situation. Blend in, adapt. Study the situation and become one with those you are watching. You hide amongst them, waiting for the signal to reveal yourself. Fools, all of them....
• Competitor - You HAVE to get the best of them. You know your better than them, and now it's time to prove it.
• Conformist - Obey orders, they are your everything. You do what you are told, you've got no reason to doubt what your superiors say. After all, try hard and do what your told, and they'll leave you alone. For a little peace and quiet, you just have to work hard and keep your head down.
• Idealist - Utopia can be ours. Golconda is within our grasp. Whatever you believe in, it is EVERYTHING you believe. Everything is a sign, the world is there to help you achieve your goal. You are chosen, and everyone knows it. No one can hold a torch to the thing you hold dear.
• Jobsworth - Do what your told, get on with it and you'll be recognized for it. Whatever you do, your dedicated to, whole heartedly. You know what you've got to do, regardless of how dangerous it is, and you WILL do it.
• Loner - The classic Gangrel quality. All alone in the dark. Never gonna trust no body, 'cause no body trusts me. That kind of thing.
• Manipulator - They are not worthy. All are just pawns to you. Push them, change them. You are in control. And none of them know. Ahh.... now to have some fun.
• Plotter - Think two steps in advance. They all have limited vision. If they could only see what you could......
• Soldier - Too independent to be a Conformist, too tied to the idea of command to be a loner, you exist to do your job. Not follow orders or kiss ass. You ARE gonna do it. The ends justify the means, and no one can convince you differently. So what if people die? They shouldn't have been there in the first place.
• Survivor - You live to survive. You do what is necessary to live another day. You get by, either by confrontation or avoidance, or both. "By any means necessary". Another Gangrel favorite.
• Thrill Seeker - Crash and Burn baby. It's the only way to go. Your an immortal. And boy are you gonna live up to your title. Wooooooo HA! Sabbat? Bring 'em on! Lupines! HAH! And Army of Formori? You needed a work out!!!

   

  Possible Uses Of Influence - Bare in mind, ST's descisions are final. If they say your influence can't purchase that industry there's gonna be a bloody good reason why. Don't moan and complain, investigate. You never know, there could be a plot in there.

• Purchasing Guns - Street, or Underworld, either at least 5. Police could be used to get "hot" weapons from the evidance locker, but the Police are gonna want to know why you have them.
• Arranging Transport for a Wanted Supernatural - High Transport. Bare in mind though, someones gonna want to know what you are shifting....
• Getting in Contact with Lupines - Church Influence is nice 'cause homeless Kinfolk have a tendancy to hide out in soup kitchens, run by said organisation. High Legal Influence can designate an area as a nature reserve. Now theres a way to get in contact with a Lupine.
• Piss off Local Kindred - Beuracracy. Turn off their havens power. Have their building condemened or repossesed. Have the Health and Saftey inspectors visit their industry and shut it down.
• Make ANYTHING - From swords to toilet rolls, industry is IT. The higher the better, because the more you have, the more you produce, the more money you can get.
• Blackmail a Mortal - Finance helps to cripple their businesses, reposses their homes and stop their bank accounts. Police can help if they have a record their trying to cover up. And arrange a false search warrant.
• Finding a particular mortal - Legal for birth certificates, Beuracracy for recent transactions, movements and papertrails. High Society is needed to get in and associate with the best of them.
• Framing Someone, mortal or Kindred - Finance, Beuracracy and Legal can seize assets and evict people. Or purchase that little love nest they never knew they had.... Police to have them arrested. Occult sometimes helps if you wanna get evidence to give to the Inquistion or Prince that the Kindred you are framing is an Infernalist. Oh and you've seen the X-Files about Vampires. The one where they put the Vampire in a Police cell and the sun rises. What a great way to get rid of that pesky Kindred who accused you of being Sabbat....
• Research a Manuscript or Stone Tablet etc. - Occult of course to find out where it came from, and University to translate, date and hide it.
• Bribing / Paying someone off - Finance, pure and simple. The more, the better.

Extra Abilities - ST permission is needed for ALL of these, so get them checked out before you use them. They are taken from The Guide To The Camarilla (Cam), The Guide To The Sabbat (Sab) and the Vampire Storytellers Companion (VSC) read them if you need further definitions / clarifications etc. There are LOADS of Abilities in just about every White Wolf book, but go off the ones in Laws Of The Night if your just starting out. These are just some I thought could be useful to Gangrel Players. If you find anymore, mail me!

• Computer Hacking (Cam) (Mental) - This ability covers everything from accessing a computers files to implanting a Virus. All very illegal, even for a Kindred. But luckily, you can hide you were ever there..... you hope. Note: You also need Computer Ability to use this. The higher your computer, the higher you can have this. But bare in mind, you allways have to have more in Computer Skill than you do Hacking.
• Cryptography (VSC) (Mental) - Breaking codes of every sort. From Computers to Morse.
• Demolitions (VSC) (Mental) - You know how to stop stuff blowing up. And how to set it up so it does... however there are VERY tight ST limits on this skill.
• Diplomacy (Cam) (Social) - The ability to calm or enflame any situation. Essential when dealing with Garou.
• Disguise (VSC) (Mental) - The ability to disguise either yourself or another. If you frenzy too often, your gonna need this.
• Fortune Telling (Sab) (Social) - Often learnt from the Rom, and hardly ever right, it can often provide a quick buck, and sometimes stumbles across the truth (ST's descision).
• Hunting (Cam) (Social or Mental) - The ability to hunt. From Deer and Foxes to Humans and Kindred, you can hunt it. And quite probably kill it....
• Pilot (VSC) (Mental) - You wanna fly? You've got to get this.
• Ride (VSC) (Physical or Mental) - You wanna ride a horse? You've got to get this. But be warned, some ST's rule Vampires make horses uneasy, so ask first....
• Scrounging (Cam) (Mental) - The ability to find USEFUL junk or nesessary objects amoungst trash. Everything from lost manuscripts to spare fuses, you can find it. Most of the time.
• Search (Cam) (Mental) - Quite simply the ability to find stuff and people that are deliberately hidden, something Scrounging doesn't cover.
• Sleight Of Hand (VSC) (Mental) - From magic tricks to straight out theft, this helps. A Lot!

   

  Useful Merits and Flaws - Again, clear them with your ST first, as some Merits and Flaws need ANST permission. And bare in mind. You have to play them ALL to their FULL extent. If your character has Twitch flaw, you've got to act it out, regardless of how impractical it is.

  There are tonnes more than this, but I'm not going to feature them. If you don't like any Merits / Flaws, don't be disheartened, talk to your ST about possible other ones.

  Note: You can only have 5pts of Flaws and 5pts of Negative Traits, Derangements and Beast Traits. If your totals go over this, tough, you don't get extra points, but you still keep the flaws etc. And don't complain, it makes for better roleplaying. And anyway, ST's look favourably on people who take Extra Flaws for no extra points. After all, who would be that silly? (he says trying to avoid undue attention.....)

• Derangements - the first gives you 2 freebie points. The next gives you 1 freebie point, and after that you don't get any for them. Sorry!
• Negative Traits - on a one for one basis. Check out Laws Of The Night for more details on what they are, and how they work.
• Beast Traits - 2 points a piece. See Laws Of The Night for details of what they are.

   

  Merits / Flaws

• Acute Sense (1pt per sense Merit) - Improves a sense to enhanced levels. Can be bought multiple times, to cover the 4 senses, but only once for each sense.
• Superstitious (2pt Flaw) - The character believes himself / herself to be one of the Vampires of Legend. Held back by crosses, unable to cross running water, held at bay by garlic.
• Ruse Of The Wolfs Clothing (2pt Merit) - In Wolf form the Gangrel appears to be a normal wolf, complete with pulse and saliva. Enough that other wolves and Lupines believe the character is a real wolf, and won't suspect the Vampires true nature, unless they do something stupid.
• Prey Exclusion (1pt Flaw) - You refuse to feed on a particular type of person, even Dominate cannot make you do so, you simply cough the blood back up. Useful subects include Children, and the Homeless, as many Garou kinfolk hide amoungst the homeless, and feeding off of Children is BAD. And an automatic Beast Trait test.
• Danger Sense (2pt Merit) - This merit allows you 5 seconds of game time warning before something attacks, and a sense of unease when in a dangerous situation.
• Overconfident (1pt Flaw) - You believe wholeheartedly in your abilities. You speak your mind, and the world be damned. Which makes for some interesting encounters with Elders.
• Clan Emnity (2pt Flaw) - You hate a Clan, and they you. Maybe it was something you said, or did, who knows? A common one amoungst Gangrel, is Clan Emnity Ravnos.
• Dark Secret (1pt Flaw) - You've done something BAD, and no one knows about it. Whatever it is / was you worry that sometime, someone is gonna find out. This is often taken by Caitiff trying to masquerade in a Clan.

Possible Bestial Traits - You only need to pick ONE each time you frenzy. Bear in mind the Masquerade when picking these. Obfuscate - Mask of 1000 faces could be useful!

• Eyes - Possible forms: Black / Deep Brown / Golden / Red Rimmed Eyes, Slitted Pupils, Bulging Eyes, Second set of eyelids (vertical).
• Fur - Thin layer of fur over body, Patches of fur eg. on back, Stiffening of body hair (inc. head) till it becomes a corse Fur layer.
• Reptilian Features (ST verification needed) - Ridged eyesockets, Ridges at body joints, Soft Scale patches, Lisp due to elongated tounge, Spiny ridge along the back, Loss of lips.
• Skeletal Changes - Slight Hunch due to extra spinal joint, Continually bent knees due to elongation of upper leg, Production of small tail (8 - 9"), Permenant Wolf Claws, Increase in rib cage size, Flattening of facial features, Permenant Fangs, Secondary Fangs on lower jaw, All teeth become Fanged and sharpened, Protruding lower jaw.
• Ears - Tufts of fur on ear tips, Pointed Ears (ALA Spock), Batlike ears, Flattening of ears against the skull, Loss of ears all together (just circular holes left).
• Behavioural Changes (ST verification needed, and these need to be roleplayed out. But boy are they fun!!) - Twitches, Nervousness, Continual Paranoia, Deepening of Voice, Slight appearance of "Growls" in Speech, Need to sniff air every 10 mins as if trying to catch a scent, Aggressive responses to sudden movements, Avoidance of large gangs of people.