| Challenges Your characters will do many things. Some of these tasks are considered challenges, while others are not. Speech and Conversation are not considered actions, but primarily everything else is. Anything that has a chance to fail is known as a challenge, and involves dice. Obviously, most challenges are simple enough that you can just Roleplay them out; loading a pistol, walking around, talking, crossing a street getting dressed, dancing, etc., but if you are trying to cross a four-lane highway full of speeding trucks, or trying to reload while you're hanging from a fire escape by one hand, there's a chance you might fail. When you or another has reasonable doubt that an action will be successful, you roll dice. DRAMATIC SYSTEMS Dramatic systems are rolls relying on the character, his goal, and the chances of success. Some predetermined dramatic systems are below, but if in question (or something fits more accurately), feel free to create your own at the Storytellers Approval. There are some situations which are automatic, requiring an action but no real roll. There are some exceptions, though here are the predetermined automatic feats --  Blood use (Healing, Augmenting attributes, e.t.c.,): A vampire character can use her blood to heal herself... Doing so the character ought to concentrate and do nothing else for a full turn (healing during battle is a bitch). Now, a character may attempt to heal while performing other actions, but this requires success on a Stamina + Survival rol (difficulty 8). If the roll is failed, then the vampire loses all the blood spent to heal with no effenct, while a botch means that the wound increases another health level. When spending your blood to raise physical attributes or power disciplines can be done without concentration, but a character can spend only a certain amount of blood depending on generation. Spending blood should be shown in the game as "A beating heart, throbbing veins, fresh skin color, so on."
Getting to Feet: If you get knocked down, you can get back up pretty easily. If something is going on that would require some difficulty standing (like a Multiple action), roll Dexterity + Athletics (diff 4).
Movement: Walking, jogging, or running shouldn't be too difficult. Technically, (since a turn is about 3 seconds), walking carries you maybe 7 yards. You really don't need to know that. If a situation arises where you need to attribute out your movement: Jogging is (12 yards + Dexterity) and all out running is (20 yards + [3x Dexterity]) per turn. Sometimes stamina might be a factor... depends on the storyteller.
Readying Weapon: This is just preparing a weapon or reloading it. As long as a character takes no other action that turn, it requires no roll. If it is a multiple action, you must do (Dexterity+Melee/Firearms difficulty 4).
Starting Car: Self explanatory
Physical Feats Definition wise, a physical feat involves the physical attributes (Strenth, Dexterity, Stamina). Climbing [Dexterity + Athletics]: Whether your character climbing a rocky slope or the side of a building, you make the roll. It is usually an extended roll, as long as handholds are available your character can move 10 feet for every success. If the ST decides that this building is too slick/steep/no obstacle, the amount of feet per success can be reduced. If you botch a climbing roll; you probably will fall. If your character has Protean power of Feral Claws, or constructs bone spurs with the Vicissitude power of Bonecraft (or any other advantage), decrease the climbing difficulty by 2.
Driving [Dexterity/Wits + Drive]: You don't need to roll under normal circumstances, as long as your characte rhas atleast one dot in the Drive Skill. Obstacles/Complex Maneuvers can challenge even the most competent drivers. Specific difficulties are up to the ST. If there is a failed roll, you ought to make an additional roll to avoid crashing. If you botch - well, ouch. Cars are designed differently - some for speed and some for safety. So anyway, there is a chart below - for every 10 miles over the recommended safe-speed, add +1 to your difficulty. Vehicle - - - - - - - - - - Safe Speed - - - Max Speed - - - Maneuver Diff. 6 Wheel Truck - - - - - 60 - - - - -- - - - - - 90 - - - - - - -- - -- 3 Tank (modern)- - - - -- 60 - - - - - - - - -- 100 - - - - - - -- - - 4 Tank (WWII) - - - - - --30 - - - - - - - - - - - 40 - - - - - - -- - -- 3 Bus - - - - -- - - - - - - - 60 - -- - - - - - - - - 100 - - - - - - - - - - 3 18-Wheeler -- - - - - - -70 - - - - -- - - - - - 110 - - - -- - - - - - 4 Sedan - - - -- - - - - - - 70 - - - - -- - - - - - 120 - - -- - - - - - - 5 Minivan - - -- - - - - - 70 - - - - - - - - - - - 120 - - - -- - - - - - 6 Compact - - - - - - - - - 70 - - - - - - - - - - - 130 - - - - - - - - - - 6 Sporty Compact - - -100 - - - - - - - - - - - 140 - - - - - - -- - - 7 Sport Coupe - - - - - - -110 - - - - - - -- - -- 150 - - - -- - - - - - 8 Sports Car -- - - - - - - 110 - - - -- - - - - - - -- 160 - - -- - - - - - - 8 Exotic Car -- - - - - - -130 - - - - - - - - - - - -- 190+ -- - - - - - -- - 9 Luxury Sedan - - - - -85 - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- 155 - - - - - - - - - - 7 Midsize - - - - - - - - - - 75 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 125 - - - - - - - - - - 6 SUV - - - - - - - - - - - -- 70 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 115 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 Formula One Racer - 140 - - - - - - - - - - -- 240 - - - - - - - - - -- - 10 Encumberance [Strength]: Simply attempting to perform feats of strength. A character can carry maybe 25 pounds per str. dot without 0penalty. The potence discipline adds to this as well. When attempting to lift/budge/kick in/break through/snap something beyong the weight limit or of specific difficulty (like handcuffs or a door), a strength roll is made. Difficulty 7 usually. Also, if a Storyteller wants to be particularly cruel, feel free to learn how much weight one character is carrying and inquire about her Strength - for every 25 pounds over her weight limit, add a +1 difficulty to every action.
Hunting [Perception]: Primarily focused from a Vampire vs. Human status quo, but of course it can be reversed. A character has to hunt for food (whether it person or NPC), and must make a perception roll before each Hunt (or after every hour spent hunting). Difficulty is as follows:
Area - - - - - - - - - - - - - Difficulty Slum Neighborhood/The Rack - - 4 Lower-income/bohemian - - - -- 5 Downtown Business District - - 6 Warehouse District - - - - - - 6 Suburb - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 Heavily patrolled area - - - - 8 remember, Hunting and SUBDUING is one thing, tackling down and killing is another. Intrusion [Dexterity/Perception + Security]: Breaking an entering, a favorite; evading security deivces; picking locks; cracking safes -- or preventing others from doing the same. Sometimes you have to bypass active security if you are doing something illegal in this area (maybe you are a thief, trying to get into Nicolae's penthouse). You must make a roll, failure indicates that someone is alerted/you make a dumb noise/or an alarm goes off. In some circumstances, like opening locks, you may attempt several times. Intrusion difficulties range from 5 (Standard Lock) to 10 (Fort Knox), depending on security system or complexity. Most involve tools- a botch breaks those tools, or something goes awry. You may also set up security this way (if you have the right things to do so), and this may be made an extended action if you have time... which effectively increases difficulty to breach it. Jumping [Strength or Strength + Athletics for a running jump]: Jumping usually isn't that hard, when you have to jump from rooftop to rooftop though, well... Jump rolls are generally made a Difficulty 3, every success allows for 2 feet vertically or 4 feet horizontally. Jumping successfully- a character must clear more distance than what there is. If you fail, you miss - but can do a Dexterity + Athletics roll (diff 6) to grab onto a ledge or other safety. On a botch, your character can leap right into a wall, or fall to her death.
Lifting/Breaking [Strength]: The following chart provides minimum strength needed to deadlift or break something without a die roll. If a character tries to lift something beyond your limit - make a Willpower roll (Diff 9) to add another success. Occasionally - people can gather and lift something, combining all their (Str. roll successes) to push something over, if a roll is required at all. Every dot of potence adds its dots to the effective str. of the character.
Strength - - - - - - - - Feats - - - - - - - - - - Lift 1 - - - - - - - - - - -- Crush a Beer Can - -- -- 40 lbs 2 - - - - - - - - - - -- Break a Wooden Chair - -- 100 lbs 3 - - - - - - - - - - -- Break Open a Wood Door -- 250 lbs 4 - - - - - - - - - - -- Break a 2'x4' - - - - -- 400 lbs 5 - - - - - - - - - - -- Break Open a metal door - 650 lbs 6 - - - - - - - - - - -- Throw a Motorcycle - - -- 800 lbs 7 - - - - - - - - - - -- Flip over a small Car - - 900 lbs 8 - - - - - - - - - - -- Break a 3' Lead Pipe - -- 1000 lbs 9 - - - - - - - - - - -- Punch through cement wall - 1200 lbs 10 - - - - - - - - - -- Rip open a steel drum - - 1500 lbs 11 - - - - - - - - - -- Punch through 1" metal -- 2000 lbs 12 - - - - - - - - - -- Break a lampost - - - - - 3000 lbs 13 - - - - - - - - - -- Throw a station wagon - - 4000 lbs 14 - - - - - - - - - -- Throw a van - - - - - - - 5000 lbs 15 - - - - - - - - - -- Throw a truck - - - - - - 6000 lbs Opening/Closing [Strength]: Opening a door with brute force is a Strength roll (difficulty 6 to 8 depending on Door). A standard door takes about 1 success, a reinforced door takes maybe 5. These can be handled as an extended action.
Pursuit [Dexterity + Athletics/Drive]: Pursuing prey, or fleeing. If you want, you can generally calculate this by using the formulas for running somewhere above, if a party is clearly faster than the other- than she catches or escapes. In other pursuits- use this rather complex formula if you wish: For every 2 yards on foot or every 10 yards in a vehicle, the Pursuant has begins with that amount of successes. The characters (while roleplaying) make their appropriate rolls, every success they get adds to their accumulative of successes -- every success the quarry has beyond the amount of the pursuer adds +1 difficulty (usually 6 to begin with) to the rolls and continue pursuing. Once the pursuer gains more successes - she can catch/knock away/do her thing to the quarry. When the pursuer fails the roll, the target seems to have "slipped" away, rather into a crowd or into an untrailable area. If the quarry fails or botches- she ends up in a bad position and is usually at a dead-end or trips.
Shadowing [Dexterity + Stealth/Drive]: Shadowing requires that a character tabs a target without necessarily catching her - and while not being noticed. The target can roll Perception + alertness if she finds something supicious or has a chance to spot her tail, the character opposes this with the formula at the beginning of this paragraph. The target must score atleast one more success than her shadow does to spot the trail; if so, she can act accordingly.
Sneaking [Dexterity+Stealth]: Using stealth and cunning instead offighting through every situation. A character uses this to resist actions against Perception + Alertness from anyone able to detect her passing. The difficulty of both rolls is 6. Noise, unsecured gear, lack of cover or large groups can increase the difficulty. Security is dealt with accordingly - every success (and if whoever is the "lookout" fails, or no one is looking, you can continue on your normal pace). Vampires using obfuscate don't have to make rolls at all to stay out of sight. Usually. A botch makes a character stumble into someone, or performs some obvious act.
Swimming [Stamina + Athletics]: If your character can swim, and you need to swim some long distance for some reason that requires a roll... well then, use this. Difficulty is 4-10 depending on water conditions, if you fail... you might sink below, stop moving, be caught in a bit of a current -- if you botch, you could very well drown yourself.
Throwing [Dexterity + Athletics]: Throwing stuff (Grenades, Knives, Bottles) with a mass of three pounds or less can be thrown at a distance of Strength x 5 in yards (meters). For every additional two pounds - the throwing distance is decreased 5 yards. Throwing with any accuracy requires that a roll be made with diff 6 (Half range) or 7 (maximum range). On a botch, your character can drop the object or strike a friend.
Mental Feats By definition, a mental feat includes Perception/Intelligence/Wits, as well as Virtues, Humanity, and Power. Still, depend on the roleplay to solve problems mentally, instead of die rollings. Awakening [Perception,Humanity]: Since vampires are nightstalkers, awakening during the day is difficult. If there is a disturbance in her haven while the sun is still in the sky, the vampire must roll Perception (+Auspex rating if she has it) to notice it, difficulty 8. When stirring and attempting to awake, you must make a Humanity roll difficulty 8. Five successes mean the vampire is completely awake for the scene, failure indicates the vampire slips into slumber but a reroll may occur - a botch means that she falls to sleep until sundown.
Creation [Variable]: Artist? Artiste? Creation requires Perception + Expression or Crafts, usually common roll, to think up and express it in some vibrant way. Depending on whatever wants to be created- the according attributes will be put together (if in doubt, ask an ST). The number of successes determines the quality: 1 success is a mediocre piece of work; while 5 is a masterpiece. Some works (novels, large sculptures) might require extended success rolls. On a botch, the character creates the greatest work ever known to Kindred or Kine (Everyone else who sees it realizes it as crap.)
Hacking [Intelligence/Wits + Computer]: Most business and political transactions involve computers... a hacker will use the formula (difficulty 6 for standard system, diff 10 for military mainframes). Successes indicate the number of dice that can be rolled to interact with the system once it's been breached (like hunting for files).
Investigation [Perception + Investigation]: Any search for clues or evidence. The ST may add to the difficulty. 1 success reveals basic details, while multiple successes provide detailed information and may even allow deductions based on evidence. On a botch, obvious clues are missed or destroyed.
Repair [Dexterity/Perception+Crafts]: After figuring out what needs to be done, an inspired roll may offset some factors. A simple tire change is difficulty 4, while rebuilding an entire engine might be 9. Basic repairs take a few turns to complete... more complex repairs are extended actions that last for 10 minutes each success needed. On a botch, you may simply waste time, or make the problem worse.
Research [Intelligence + Academics/Occult/Science]: Research is performed when searchign computer databases for facts, looking for obscure references in ancient documents, so on. In all cases, the number of successes achieved determines the amount of info discovered; 1 success is basic, more produce more. Difficulty is usually 6, can change depending on whats up.
Tracking [Perception + Survval]: Discovering footprints, trails, and other sorts to target something specifically that has passed recently. The quarry can cover her tracks through a successful Wits + Survival roll (Difficulty 6) - while each success adds +1 difficulty to being tracked. Commonly, if nothing is done, consider tracking difficulty 6 or 7. On a botch, you lose the trail and destroy signs of passage. Also - poor tracking conditions (city streets, like here in NYork) will add to difficulty.
Social Feats By definition, Social Feats include (Charisma, manipulation, and appearance.) Since roleplaying this is better than any social skill roll, the list will be shortened dramatically. Carousing [Charisma + Empathy]: best used non NPCs, this is your influence on others to relax and have fun. The difficulty is typically 6. Certain natures (Bon vivant, Curmudgeon) can also influence the roll's difficulty. On a botch, your character becomes an obnoxious boor, or people begin to question why your character hasn't touched her own food and drink...
Credibility [Manipulation/Perception + Subterfuge]: Scamming? Being questioned? Lying? Might as well sound credible. All parties involved, whether detecting the lie or perpetrating it, makes an appropriate roll (diff 7). The scam's "marks" must roll higher than the peretrator to detect any deception. False credentials nad other convincing props may be used to dupe, while teamwork may help reveal the scam. Hacking and/or intrusion rolls may be called for to pull of an inspired scam successfully. A botch tears the plan apart.
Fast - Talk [Manipulation + Subterfuge]: When there's no time for subtlety, baffle them with nonsense. The target can be overwhelmed with a rapid succession of almost-believable half-truths. This is a resisted action -- your character's Manipulation + Subterfuge against the target's willpower. The difficulty of both rolls is 6, and whoever scores more successes wins.
Interrogation [Manipulation + Empathy/Intimidation]: Anyone can ask questions. Interrogation Ability allows for questions to have leverage. Interrogating someone peacefully requires Empathy and resisted by the target's willpower, when scaring it out of them requires Intimidation. Violent interrogation involves torturing the mind or body until she reveals what she knows. This is a resisted action between your character's roll and the target's Stamina + 3 or Willpower (whichever is higher). Rolls are made every turn, depending on the sort of torture used. The subject loses health for every physical torture, per turn, or one temporary WP for mental torture. A botch roll can destroy the subject's body or mind. But, it's up to you to reveal what you know without it just coming from you in currents. Best roleplayed out
Intimidation [Strength/Manipulation + Intimidation]: Intimidation has two effects. Intimidation's passive effect doesn't involve a roll; it simply gives your character plenty of space -- The higher your intimidation rating, the wider the berth that others give him. Intimidation's active application works through subtlety or outright threat. Subtlety is based on a perceived threat (losing one's job, going on report, pain and agony in later in life). Roll, in a resisted action against the Subject's Willpower (difficulty 6 for both); the target must get more successes or be effectively cowed. Best used on NPCs. On a botch, your character looks ridiculous (especially if you are going for a Brute intimidation involving strength).
Performance [Charisma + Performance]: When performing live before an audience, roll Charisma + Performance (diff 7). The audience's mood can increase the difficulty, as can the performance's complexity. 1 Success indicates an enjoyable, if uninspired, effort, while additional successes make the performance a truly memorable event to even the most surly crowd. On a botch, your character forgets lines, hits the wrong chord or otherwise flubs.
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