THURSDAY, JUNE 24 Populating the World of Darkness – The Storytelling System uses two basic formats for Storyteller characters, one for combatants and one for non-combatants. Combatants get the full treatment, with all their traits provided. Most characters who show up in a Storytelling game don’t need such full treatment, however. If the players’ characters run across a vagrant spouting strange mutterings about hidden monsters, his exact Speed or dots in Survival are not terribly important. Thus, the non-combatant write-up provides some details for characterization and a few relevant dice pools, allowing the Storyteller to fill in the rest as best suits her game. A generic template for a homeless person appears like so: Quote: “Man, you wouldn’t believe some of the shit I’ve seen out here at night. Let me have one of those smokes and I’ll tell you about it.” Background: The homeless can be found in almost every large city or town around the world, wandering the streets and back alleys in search of a meal, a fix or a warm place to sleep. Many times their disheveled appearance hides a sharp mind and the capabilities of a practiced confidence man or thief, or a proud, good-hearted individual who’s simply fallen on hard times. Description: Dirty, tangled hair, cracked lips, raw complexion. Most homeless people are thin and in poor health, and wear layers of dirty and ragged clothing. They often carry their possessions in a trash bag or threadbare duffel bag. Storytelling Hints: Homeless people are often beggars, looking for some money to feed their addictions or just their bellies. These individuals can be eager to perform a simple job in return for a handout, like posing as a lookout or sharing information about the local area. In some cases, however, these people are experienced con artists who try to swindle as much as they can out of the gullible or overly compassionate. Abilities: Awareness (dice pool 4): Many homeless people have learned to be acutely aware of their environment and are quick to take advantage of whatever opportunities fate tosses their way; Streetwise (dice pool 5): Homeless people develop an intimate knowledge of who and what goes on in their territory, mostly as a matter of survival. With the right incentive they can be persuaded to share what they’ve observed with others. Into the Ruins – Here’s some more artwork from the World of Darkness Rulebook, this time from Sam Araya.
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