Tale of the Vampyres Players Guide

Rules Created by: Taryn Elliott

Players handbook created by: Rob Windon

Table of Contents
Character Creation

2-3

Were all drama lammas really

Magic

Specials Rules
Psychic
Super science
Demon and half-Demon
Vampires
Werewolves

5-7
5
5
5
6
7

Skills

8-11

Science

occult

Contacts

Art

Languages

Doctor

Getting Medieval

Kung-Fu

10

Gun-Fu

10

Thrown

10

Dodge

10

Alchemy

11

Archery

11

Additional Rules

12-16

Fear Checks
What has it got in its pockets?
Fighting and Staying Alive

12
12
12

The one second rule

Get out the way son!!
Hit points and
damage calls
Dont die on me man
Healing damage
Carrying Unconscious
Characters

13
13
13

Calls

13
14
14
14

Special Attack Calls

Resistible Calls
Ref Calls
Safety Calls

14
15
15
15

Downtimes and XP

15

A random few notes

16

Character Creation
Each character has 10 Creation Points (CP) to spend
at creation which can buy either a special template,
stats or skills.

Stats

Specials

Each character start with 1 rank in each stat. Stats can

then be purchased for a cost of one CP per rank to a
human maximum of 4 points

A special costs three CP and each character may only

have a single special applied. Stat Ranks gained from
special can take a characters ranks over the human
maximum.

Stat Name

Stat Description

Strength - (Str)

How physically strong you are, Adds to

some damage types
How tough you are, hit points are
equal to your Con x 5
How nimble you are, Base dodges are
equal to your Dex. Adds to some
damage types
How much force of will you have,
Effects Magic and fear resistance.

Special Name

Special Description

Vampire

+2 Str, Dex, and Con. Burns in sunlight,

cardboard chest syndrome.

Werewolf

In wolf form +2 Str, Dex, and Con.

Cannot use non-combat skills in wolf
form.

Witch/Warlock

Has Spells (See Magic section).

Skills

Psychic

Each character starts with 0 points in each skill. Skills

can be purchased for a cost of one CP per rank up to a
maximum of 3 ranks.

+1 Will, Telekinesis, and Visions from the

refs

Slayer

+3 Str, Dex, and Con, regenerate 1hp/5

min. Only 1 Slayer allowed.

Constitution - (Con)
Dexterity - (Dex)
Willpower - (Will)

Skill Name

Skill Description

Kung Fu

Str+Kung Fu = unarmed/claw damage call.

Super Science

Begins each game with a super useful

gadget.

Getting
Medieval
Dodge

Str+1 + Getting Medieval = armed melee

damage call. At 2+ may ambi
+2 dodges per point.

Demon

+4 attribute points to spend and a

special ability linked to their type.

Gun Fu

Half Demon

Half demons may appear human but

have a secret ability linked to their type

Art

Dex+Gun Fu = ranged damage. Cannot use guns

without this skill.
Can interact with objects with RED tags.

Computer

Can interact with objects with YELLOW tags.

Doctor
Languages

Can heal Doctor score in HP/min with

appropriate RP
Can interact with objects with BLUE tags.

Occult

Can interact with objects with BLACK tags.

Science

Can interact with objects with GREEN tags.

Alchemy

can use herbs to create potions with interesting

results.
Str+Thrown = ranged damage. Cannot use
thrown weapons without this skill.
Dex = ranged damage. Reusable ammo.

Thrown
Archery

Every player may only play one special in every three

characters that they play, because there are far more
normal human beings than things that go bump in the
dark.

The advantages of not being special

It should be pretty obvious that specials add more to
stats than 3 points would just buy, so why would you
be normal? Well, two reasons; firstly, many of the
specials have drawbacks, some plainly stated in the
rules and some more hidden, such as how people will
react to you, or the number of people who want you
dead just because of what you are. The second reason
is that any character that begins the game with no
specials has a drama point cap of 5, while specials
have a cap of 3, and characters with no specials will

Plot Twist: You just happen to have remembered that

book that has the cipher for the puzzle thats stumped
you, you didnt leave that important ritual piece on the
table and start the ritual without it, etc This is not
guaranteed to work, you must ask a ref and they will
decide whether to allow it.
Act of Will: for 1 drama point you may call resist on
one magic effect (spells mostly) which targets you.
Saving Grace: If a machine doesnt work, or you
cannot find the right components, spending a drama
point may allow you a way around this.
Stitch In Time: If you are missing a piece of the
puzzle, a Drama point may earn you a clue as to where
to look.
Leap of Faith: one drama point can be used to call a
time freeze whereby the character can move five
meters away from the source of impending doom
before calling time in.
Drama Point Resurrection: if a character died while
the player still had drama points then it may not be
curtains quite yet for that character, 3Dp will resurrect
them for next game. 2, for second and 1 for the third,
should the player wish to hang onto the character.

begin each game with +1 drama point.

Were all drama llamas

really (Drama points)
Role-play is about being dramatic; about the big
moments that would make an audience go wow!
Nowhere is this more relevant than in the Buffy system
(which is based on a TV show, and therefore had an
audience it had to make go wow!). This system
contains a mechanic called Drama Points, these are an
expendable resource which characters generate by
being dramatic. So lets look at how they are earner
and how they are spent. The refs will always be
carrying a stock of drama point tokens, and can award
these to players. Drama points are awarded for:

To preserve the flow of the game, you can spend a

Drama Point even if a Ref isnt present as long as one
is not immediately required, but see one as soon as
possible after.

Quotable Quotes: Those one liners that stick with

you, the perfectly timed witty comeback, etc No
parroting lines from the show make you own new
lines.
Heroic Acts: Those acts of greatness and risk to the
character that stand out.
There is an upper limit to the number of drama points a
character may have at any one time, this is 3 for
characters who have a special and 5 for characters who
do not. Once you have your shiny drama point, what
can you do with it? Well, several things actually:
Heroic Feat: You automatically succeed at something
you would otherwise fail at, due to running out of time,
not having the right bits, etc
I Think Im OK: instantly heal 50% of the damage
you took in the last encounter as you realise its just a
flesh wound and all that blood made it look worse that
it is.

Magic
Spells

Magic Addiction

Witches and warlocks have magic (its part of the job

description). Characters with the Witch/Warlock
background have access to the following 2 spells:

Magic is a drug, it just is, deal with it. Casting too

much of it will lead to addiction, and this has bad
effects. After you cast every 5th spell, you must see a
ref as soon as possible, the ref will inform you of what
happens to you. If a magic user goes 30 mins without
casting a spell they lose a magic addiction effect if
they have any and their spell count resets to zero, if
they have multiple addiction effects they lose the effect
they have had the longest. A characters WILL
determines how many addiction effects they can
survive at any one time.

Shield of Ra: with a wave of your hand you stop

incoming missiles and ranged monster attacks dead in
the air. If you are within one meter of the target, you
may cast this spell to shield another person. As long as
you see it coming you can repel fire from guns, thrown
weapons, monster attacks etc (please obey rule 7)
Bolt of Horus: magic leaps from your fingers to strike
your foes. At a range of up to 10 meters you may call
3 damage, Magic X at a single target you designate
by pointing, where X is your will.

Magic Checks
Most spells can be resisted if you are mentally tough
enough. If you are on the receiving end of a spell with
the phrase magic X in the call you are now involved
in a magic check (congratulations, I guess) compare
your Will stat to the number called (the X) if it is
higher than the called number you resist the spell, call
resist so the caster knows what has happened. If your
Will stats are equal to or lower than the called number
then the incoming magic is too strong for you and you
take the effects of the spell (usually stated before the
Magic X call). Eg. Billy is a competent but not
spectacular warlock (His Will is 3, and he has the
Warlock special), one night he finds himself in a bad
part of town and sees a nasty looking guy with a knife
walking towards him. Fearing for his safety he casts
Bolt of Horus, he calls 3 damage, magic 3 as his
Will is 3, Mr knife only has a will of 1 as hes a lowly
thug, and this is not enough to stop the spell. The bolt
slams home and the thug runs off in a panic.
Later Billy is trying to get home and is still a bit wired
from his previous encounter; he is surprised by a girl
who appears out of nowhere and panics, casting Bolt
of Horus before he thinks. Again he calls 3 damage,
magic 3. Willow is far better at magic than Mr Knife
(her Will stat is 6 because reasons) this is higher than
Billys magic 3 call so she calls resist. The spell
fizzles harmlessly on Willows aura; hopefully shes in
a forgiving mood.

Specials Rules
Psychic
You are a channel for The Powers That Be (TPTB) to
communicate through. This is a great honour however
it comes at a cost. These visions can be disturbing,
traumatic, painful, and almost always come at
inconvenient times. Your visions will be delivered to
you both in downtime and by refs at events, they will
give you some degree of insight into what the Powers
want of you, and hopefully how to go about it, they
will also be open to interpretation. Fortunately, TPTB
have given a bit of a leg up in bearing you visions and
defending yourself. You gain plus one willpower (can
take over max of 4), which will help you resist the
inevitable fear affects your visions will cause.
You also gain telekinesis. With this you may call your
willpower in ranged damage as you force an unseen
psychic punch at your opponent. This does have a cost
however (just like everything from TPTB), each
psychic punch you send causes 1HP of damage to you
and leaves you with a painful headache.
Make no mistake, TPTB do not see you as an ally, you
are an asset, a tool, and failure and incompetence may
well be punished, but you still provide a large asset to
any group you are with.

Demon and half-demon

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
than are dreamt of in your philosophy". This also
applies to hell dimensions, alternate dimensions, and
even plain old hell, species of demon are as varied as
they are myriad. However, they all stand out in a
crowd, demons look demonic, without exception.
All demon characters must have a clearly demonic
appearance and will struggle to hide it. Due to the
varied nature of demons the exact appearance and
stats of the character must be agreed with the senior
ref, but the overall benefits and cost will follow these
guidelines:
+4 attribute points, which can take a stat over the
human limit of 4.
A unique power linked to the species and concept of
the character.
A weakness linked to the demon species; this will be
a major weakness which will greatly influence the
character in some way.
A demon maybe also, with agreement from the
senior ref, have a unique kill, this will either increase
the severity of the weakness or add another.

Super Science
Sometimes madness or eccentricity breeds true
genius, talents beyond the normal and an ability to
construct amazing machines. A super scientist can
build things straight out of sci-fi, lifelike robots,
freeze rays, even machines which manipulate time.
A super scientist will begin each event with a gadget
agreed upon with the Refs. Super science may also
enhance the results of any gadgets constructed at
events, and some items may even need super
science to be constructed at all.
A super scientist is also able to create a blue-print at
an event that would allow themselves or others with
the Science skill to make a gadget relevant to the
plot. It takes 10 minutes to make a blue-print. Upon
completion, see a Ref for the required cog costs, skill
requirements, and any other component
requirements.

Half-demons have it slightly easier, they can

withdraw their demonic appearance in a manner
similar to a vampire (in fact vampires are just a very
common form of half-demon), however certain
situations may force their demonic appearance to the
fore. Similar to demons they receive a species
related ability and weakness; they do not however
receive the stat bonuses.
Remember not all demons are evil, but they do tend
to be.

Vampires

Youve got red on you (vamp feeding)

Cardboard Chest Syndrome (Stakes, Vamps,

and My friend Mr Pointy)

Vamps drink blood, its what they do. A vampire

character can initiate a feed on any mortal character by
CAREFULLY placing a hand on the mortal characters
shoulder and calling strength check X where X is the
vamps strength. As with other checks if the mortals
strength is higher than the called check number they
may say resist at which point the vamp character
MUST take their hand of the mortals shoulder and
role-play being pushed away. If the mortals strength is
equal to or lower than the check then the mortal is
considered to be grabbed, no actual grabbing required,
while in this state the two are considered to be locked
in a struggling grapple (it will be useful if the mortal
somehow acknowledges to the vamp that they are
aware they are grabbed), as such neither character may
move or do anything with their hands/arms/legs, as all
are being used to some effect in the grapple. The
mortal may call for help (or hold a casual conversation
if they want to), the vamp may not speak as his/her
mouth is full. Speaking of which.
Once a vamp has successfully grabbed a mortal they
may feed, this is done by calling draining your blood
1, draining your blood 2, draining your blood 3,..
for each count the mortal loses 1 HP and the vamp
gains 1 HP until the mortal reaches 0hp and enters the
dying state, at which point the vamp can drain no more
blood.
Attacks will not necessarily cause a vamp to let go of
the mortal, but any vamp whos lived more than a day
knows that its better to lose breakfast that lose your
life.

Everyone knows that the best way to kill a vamp is a

stake through the heart, and the fastest way to a vamps
heart is through their surprisingly flimsy chests. I mean
seriously, a big buff vamp can take a hit from a
moving truck and keep going, but a primary teacher 2
years from retirement hits a vamp in the chest with a
pencil or a blunt tent peg and POOF, no more vamp. If
a vamp character is hit in the chest with a weapon
representing a stake they take 3 times the damage
called, once reduced to -10 HP the vamp is dust.
Should the vamp still be upright after the hit then
clearly the blow only grazed the heart, but still did a
spectacular amount of damage.
Attacks with these weapons should be announced by
calling X stake where X is your normal melee
damage, the vampire you have struck must apply
appropriate multipliers.
The same but not equal (Crafted stakes and hastily
made stakes) Not all stakes are made equal and the
quality of a stake impacts heavily on its durability.
Named stakes (crafted stakes), such as Mr Pointy, are
built with the purpose of being re-useable, they are
made of good quality hard wood with no flaws in it.
These stakes can be used repeatedly to attack with like
any other melee weapon. A ref will inform you if you
have a named stake. Hastily made stakes are a different
matter. Breaking up cheap pine furniture (or even
decent furniture), smashing convenient wooden poles,
etc., leaves you with a stake that is not particularly
tough. A hastily made stake may be used for a single
successful attack (doesnt miss and isnt dodged)
before the stake breaks, splinters, crumbles, or
otherwise becomes useless. You may not use this stake
to make any further attacks with and should hand it to
a ref as soon as is reasonable. Any stake that you have
not been told by a ref is a named stake is automatically
considered to be hastily made.

Imma make you juuuust like me. (vamps

making vamps)
Vamps can turn mortal characters into vamps during
the course of play. To do so a vamp character must
reduce the target character to between 0 and -9 HP, or
find a character who is already in that state and
perform 5 mins of appropriate role-play (feeding blood
etc), during this time the mortal characters death
count is bound to reach max, this is fine. If this is
successfully done then the character has not died (well,
they did, but they didnt, ahhh you know the deal) but
returns to un-life as a vampire. Both players must find
a ref and the ref will inform the newly made vamp of
their stat alterations and let both players know if any
interesting effects happen due to who did what to who.
If the 5 mins is interrupted before it is over then the
turning was unsuccessful, if the player who was being
turned is healed to above 0hp before they reach their
max death count they are fine, if not healed they will

Ive just got sensitive skin (Vamps and sunlight)

Sunlight is bad for vamps, plain and simple. Any
Vamp outside in during sunlight hours takes 1 point of
damage per second. Effects may occur which alter this
(up or down), these will be communicated by the refs
should they become relevant.
Vamps take no damage from sunlight while inside, this
is to avoid difficult calls about windows etc...

die as normal.
They is a strong sire bond between a vamp and the
person who turned them, as such if you are made into a
vamp during the course of play the following rules will
apply to you: You will do most things your sire
asks/tells/commands you to, short of killing yourself
for no good reason (this is not an excuse for you sire to
have you fetch and carry drinks all night, unless you
are happy to). You will not attack you sire. You will
not perform actions you believe will place your sire in
danger
Within the bounds of these effects, you are still
yourself however, all be it a demon possessed, blood
thirsty, evil, yourself.

Werewolves
The dangers of fine cutlery
Just as a stake through the heart will mess up a
vamp, the households silverware spells bad news for
werewolves, silver weapons deal double damage
called against werewolves.
Attacks with these weapons should be announced by
calling X silver where X is your normal melee
damage; the werewolf you have struck must apply
appropriate multipliers.

Is that Fur coming out of your ears?? (Getting

werewolfed)
Lycanthropy is bite transmissible, and a lot easier to
catch than vampirism. However it is also a lot less
obvious to begin with. If you are a werewolf and are
actively trying to turn someone (with or without their
knowledge) speak privately to a ref. If you are on the
receiving end of this or a ref sees that you are bitten
by a werewolf in a combat then they may come to
you to brief you on your new and exciting lunar
lifestyle.
Werewolf characters who have bought the trait as a
three point merit may transform into their wolf form
when the moon is full and risen, this will be dictated
by the refs. The refs may also inform a werewolf they
have transformed at other points due to plot or roleplay reasons.
Werewolves are not always blessed with self-control,
however, and those who catch Lycanthropy from
another must spend years in training before they
have full control over their curse. Should a character
have the Werewolf template applied to them as a
drawback, then that characters actions under a full
moon may be directed by a ref.

multiple people can cast a ritual. Some rituals may

require additional power. Power has been known to
solidify and show its face to the world in times of
crisis. If you encounter one of these tiny faces then you
can use this item as one power towards the cost of the
ritual. Search around regularly to see what you can
find.
Increasing levels of the occult skill allow characters
access to greater sources of knowledge as well. At an
occult skill of 2 you have access to a few personal
occult tomes. At an occult skill of 3 you have access to
rare occult books in the De Winter Library.

Skills
SCIENCE!
There may be items out there that need repairing; there
may even be things you can build with bits you find.
To achieve these things requires the science skill and
10 mins appropriate role-play. Inform a ref before you
begin such an attempt and the ref will inform you of
the results once you have finished.
Increasing levels of the science skill allow characters
to do more complex things as well
1.
You can interact with objects marked with
green dots and construct gadgets.

Computers
You know your way around a computer pretty well,
youre the person your friends, your mum, basically
most people you know, calls when its doing
something funny. A character with this skill can make
use of computers in game to achieve various results,
from picking up that email from the out of town
Watcher to re-purposing traffic cameras to follow a
target. The level of the characters skill dictates the
extent of what they can achieve.

2.
With appropriate tools a scientist of this lvl
can disassemble objects for components.
3.
After spending ten minutes study a scientist
can work out how a science or super science
gadget works-without needing to be taught.
Cogs, dials and sprockets are tiny items that are
invaluable to a scientist because all devices require a
set amount of pieces to be assembled. Search about
regularly to see what you can find.
Science and super-science gadgets constructed at
events will break down shortly after the end of the
event, they were hastily constructed and just werent
built to last.

1.
You can interact with objects marked with
yellow dots.
2.
You can spend ten minutes on Google fu to
research any given topic.
3.
You can also spend ten minutes role play to
hack into a system.

Occult
Ancient texts contain powerful magics, scrolls of
power sit forgotten on dusty shelves, and those in the
know are constantly seeking them. There will be
BLACK lammied items in the play area which contain
spells which can be learnt, this requires the occult skill
and 10 mins appropriate role-play. Inform a ref before
you begin such an attempt and the ref will inform you
of the results once you have finished.
Whilst learning a spell is the same for anyone with the
occult skill, casting it is a different matter. If the
character that has learned the spell has the
Witch/Warlock special then they may cast the spell
like any of their inherent magic powers so long as they
are holding the spell. If the person who has learnt the
spell does not have this special the item will be
destroyed in the casting.
Some scrolls may contain rituals rather than spells.
Any character with the occult skill can contribute their
level in occult in power towards a ritual, and so

Contacts
You have a link to a person who can get you stuff,
hard to come by stuff, maybe even illegal stuff. When
selecting the contacts skill the player must decide with
the Ref on a particular type of hard to come by item
that their contact can get for them such as ammunition,
alchemical potions, ritual components, fake access
cards and IDs, etc This is the only type of item that
the contact will be able to provide. At the start of each
event a character with this skill will receive a number
of these items which have been provided by their
contact. They will usually receive the characters
contacts skill in D6 of the item, however for some
items this may be modified, eg ammunition will have
the dice result multiplied by an appropriate number
(between 2 and 6, depending on whether you are after
pistol rounds, shotgun shell, military sniper rounds
etc..).
8

Art

Doctor

You have a keen eye for the aesthetics of the world, an

ability to see form where others do not and skill in
bringing that form out. Characters with this skill may
attempt to solve puzzles and may even be able to
create art items.
Increasing levels of the art skill allow characters to do
more complex things as well.

Is there a doctor in the house? A question you have

mixed feelings about. You have some degree of
training in the proper treatment of injuries, be it a
current first aid certificate, St Johns ambulance
training, being a paramedic, or a fully qualified doctor.
Characters with this skill can treat wounded characters
and recover their hit points.
The level of skill dictates the speed you can restore HP
to a character.

1.
You can interact with items marked with red
spots

1.

2.

You restore 1 HP per minute of role-played

treatment.

You can craft simple items using artist tools

after ten minutes roleplay (freeform but for
example well-made stakes or missing puzzle
pieces)

2.
You restore 2 HP per minute of role-played
treatment.

3.

3.
You can use your artistic ability to spend ten
minutes creating geometric patterns on the
ground to reduce the cost of a ritual or
experiment. (Effect based on entertainment
value of the roleplay)

You restore 3 HP per minute of role-played

treatment.
For further rules on who you can treat, and what you
need to do, see the healing section of the combat rules.

Languages
Getting Medieval (Do you like my new axe?)

Cmo ests? You are fluent in well not quite over

six million forms of communication, but you can
always get but when you go on holiday. Characters
with this skill can, with ten minutes of appropriate role
play, translate various scripts and scrolls that may be
found throughout the course of an event. inform a Ref
when you wish to begin translating a text, the Ref will
then bring you an english copy of the text, you must
transcribe this so you have an IC copy of the
translation as the Ref will take back the provided
translation once you are done with it.
The level of skill dictates the age of the languages a
character can read:

A characters getting medieval skill not only adds to

their damage but also dictates what sizes and
combinations of weapons they may use.
0.
May use a short (18 or under) one handed
melee weapon in their main hand to call Str
+1.
1.
May use any single handed weapon up to 42"
in their main hand to call Str +2.
2.
May use single handed weapons (up to 42) in
either, or both hands to call Str +3.

1.

3.

You can read and speak all modern languages

and interact with objects marked with a blue
dot

may use single handed weapons (up to 42) in

either, or both hands, to call Str +4 or a two
handed weapon to call Str +5.

2.
You can read all classical languages and can
interact with items with two blue dots.
3.
You can read all dead languages and can
interact with items marked with three blue dots

Kung-Fu

Thrown

Contrary to what the song claims, not everybody was

in fact Kung-Fu fighting, many were just flailing,
while a small few saw the difference and moved with
true grace, you are among that graceful few and can
actually hold your own while unarmed. Characters
with this skill may make unarmed melee attacks
following the rules in the Combat section.
Increasing levels of the Kung-Fu skill allow characters
to do more complex things as well.

The trick is not in hitting the target, its in hitting it

with the right end of the knife, or axe, or whatever else
youre using. You have mastered this trick and as such
will always have gainful employment in the circus. A
character requires this skill to use a thrown weapon to
any effect and their level in this skill affects both their
damage and their versatility in these weapons.
1.
Str plus 1 with any thrown weapon.

1.

2.
A character may call their strength plus one in
unarmed damage.

Str plus 2 with any thrown weapon. You can

use your off hand to dual throw.

2.

3.
Plus two unarmed damage-and the fighter can
parry weapons and blows with a bracer.

Str plus 3 with any thrown weapon.

You can use an approved larp safe thrown stake to call
stake damage on a vampire with a ranged throw.
Thrown attacks can be dodged or parried if they
succeed in hitting their target.

3.
Plus three damage and the character can call
*stun* along with their damage call on striking
an enemy once per encounter.

Gun-Fu

Dodge

Whilst firearms are rare some people know how to use

them. The military man/woman, the shooting club
member, the gun nut, the criminal element. Whatever
your reasons, with this skill you know how to hit a
target smaller than a barn door without risking injuring
yourself. A character requires this skill to use firearms
and their level in this skill indicates both their accuracy
and the types of firearms they are skilled in.

The greatest defence against an attack is to ensure it

doesnt hit you in the first place, be it the graceful
ballet of the oriental martial artist, the bob and weave
of the boxer, or the terrified flailing dive of the fleeing
geek all are valid if they work. While a characters
Dex stat provide some dodges from natural talent and
flexibility, the dodge skill represents a level of
training, practice, or personal experience in not being
where the hurt is. Each point in dodge provides +2
dodges to a character up to the usual skill max of level
3 (+6 dodges). The dodge skill does not affect the
recharge rate of a characters dodges (see Get out the
way son!! in the combat section).

1.
Call dex plus one with a handgun.
2.
Call dex plus two with a shotgun/rifle or
handgun.
3.
You can dual wield handguns and call dex plus
3 with any firearm.
Ranged attacks with guns cannot be dodged or parried
if they succeed in hitting their target. Characters with
this skill begin the game with weapons appropriate to
their skill level and agreed with the head ref, they will
also begin with two full magazines of ammo for each
weapon they begin with.

10

Alchemy

Archery

Mystically brewed concoctions or carefully prepared

pharmaceuticals, alchemy allows you to create potions
to aid you and your group in their endeavours.
Healing, poisons, firebombs, all are the produce of
alchemy.
Dorian Fade can teach a character about alchemy
should someone wish to enquire of him in their
downtime. This skill cannot be bought at start up.
Pre req for this skill at least one point in either occult
or science.
Ingredients are required for potions and may be found
around the site.
Alchemical mixtures must contain at least two
ingredients but may contain more. Additional
ingredients may improve the effects of the resulting
product.

Many great heroes have been skilled with a bow,

Robin Hood, William Tell, That chick from the film
about being hungry. You are trained in this ancient and
noble art of pushing long sticks through people from
far away.
Arrows are a reusable ammo type, after recovering an
arrow you must perform a safety check on it to ensure
it is still in useable condition, if it is you may use the
arrow again. This provides an archer with the
advantage of needing to worry much less about ammo
conservation than someone with a gun.
A character requires this skill to use bows or
crossbows and their level in this skill indicates
additional abilities they may use. Skill level does not
however affect your damage call, this is always your
Dex.

1.

1.
Can interact with ingredient lammies and can
spend 10 mins rp to make a potion which can
heal 10 HP or equivalent effect.

Call Dex in damage with a bow.

2.

10 mins rp makes 2 potions or a single potion

with higher potential. You can add or remove
effects to potions.

3.

Call Dex in damage with a bow. May also

make a call of disarm once per encounter on a
successful hit.

2.

Call Dex in damage with a bow. May use

wooden or silver tipped arrows in you can find
them.

3.
10 mins rp makes 3 potions or an airborne
potion that would have a mass effect with a
diameter of 10 meters.
Anyone with the skill can freeform potions from
ingredients laying around. Effects contingent on
ingredients, skill and entertainment value of the roleplay.

11

Additional Rules

Fighting and Staying Alive

Combat

Fear Checks

Fights happen, such is life.

There may well be moments when a character must
fight to defend themselves, either from supernatural
terrors or from other characters, combat in this system
will be a LARP style with melee weapons represented
by cored foam and latex weapons (LARP weapons)
and firearms represented by NERF guns.
When fighting an opponent in melee combat you must
successfully strike an opponent with an appropriate
LARP safe melee weapon, you must pull your blow so
the it lands with negligible force (remember whilst
your character may be hitting a character or monster,
you are actually hitting one of your friends who is
playing that being, and you dont want to hurt them).
You must avoid aiming for the head or sensitive parts
of whoever you are fighting and must not thrust with
any cored weapon. You must not strike another
character with the pommel or hilt of your weapon. You
must not grab or trap an opponents weapon when they
are wielding it. You must only throw a weapon if it has
no perceptible core and you know the weapon is
approved for throwing by a ref. You must not use
firearm phys-rep as a melee weapon; these are usually
made of hard things and are not safe for melee combat.
Unarmed combat is simulated by GENTLE open
handed touches with the only target area being the
upper arm (shoulder to elbow). You may not kick.
Claw combat must use a relaxed open hand and
horizontal strikes, out to in, with the target areas being
the upper arm (shoulder to elbow), the abdomen
(below the diaphragm to above the pelvis), and the
outside to the upper leg (hip to knee).
Ranged combat is simulated using NERF guns or small
un-cored LARP safe throwing weapons, with such
attacks wait and see if your attack hits before calling
damage, if you miss with the attack you deal no
damage. You must avoid aiming for the head or
sensitive parts of whoever you are aiming at. Special
care should be taken when using NERF guns at close
range as the darts hurt more up close and there is a
danger of striking your target with the gun at point
blank range.
All weapons must be checked and approved usable (we
dont use the S word, feel free to ask Dave why in
person) before being allowed in the play area. Small
un-cored weapons might be approved usable as thrown
only and not as a melee weapon. Stakes are a slightly
more complex matter, they should be uncored and stab
safe, and are used as a melee weapon primarily. They
can only be thrown if they have been passed as thrown

The world is full of scary things, and not everyone is

mentally equipped to deal with them. When a
frightening event occurs a call will be made (usually
by a ref) of Fear Check X as with a magic check if
you have Will greater than the called number you are
unaffected and call resist. If your Will is equal to or
lower than the called number you are overcome by fear
and quite frankly freak out, you must spend the next 1
min roleplaying some form of appropriate fear
response (get away, hide, freeze, etc) after that
minute is up you have calmed down enough to cope (in
some way) with the situation and may act normally.
Coloured Tags
Certain skills allow players to interact with tagged
items or location boxes with specific coloured tags on
them; these will be dotted around and indicate that a
person with the appropriate skill can glean more info
from the situation than the untrained eye can.
If you encounter a box with a coloured tag on it which
your skills allow you to interact with you may open the
box and read the information sheet within, you must
then return to sheet and may not move the box.
If you encounter a lammie or item with coloured spots
on then these spots will be followed by information, if
you have the appropriate skill at a level equal to or
greater than the number of spots of that skills colour
you may read this information, otherwise please try to
ignore this text on the lammie. If you find a tagged
object, you have found it whether or not your character
is able to use it.

What has it got in its pockets?

searching
A downed (on 0hp or below) or unresisting character,
NPC or PC, may be searched to find out what they
have on them. To do this requires both hands to be
free, you must be close enough to the target that you
could touch them (although you should only touch
them if the player to be searched is comfortable with
it) you must then loosely role play searching them for a
count of 10 searching 1, searching 2, searching 3..
At the end of a successful 10 count a searched
individual must hand over all IC items they have about
them to the searching player.

12

safe and then only by a character with the thrown skill

at 3. Stakes cannot be used to parry with for safety
reasons, the IC justification being that a small wooden
stick just isnt up to the job of stopping a sword or the
likes. Special care should be taken when attacking with
stakes to ensure injuries do not occur. All stakes are
subject to weapons check.

mins
Characters with DEX 3 reset their dodges every 40
mins
Characters with DEX 4 reset their dodges every 30
mins
Characters with DEX 5 reset their dodges every 20
mins
Characters with DEX 6 reset their dodges every 10
mins

The one second rule

You can only call damage once each second.
This rule also applies to all other calls in the game
except RESIST and DODGE.
As part of the play balance of the game, you may only
strike an opponent once per second. You may parry or
feint as fast as you wish, but you must leave one clear
second between each strike. This is called the one
second rule.
The one second rule exists to allow you to legitimately
ignore blows that follow each other without drawing
breath. It is not intended to be measured with
stopwatches, rather it is intended to give every player a
reasonable basis for what is an acceptable repetition of
attacks.
While a character with the Getting Medieval skill at 2
or higher may wield two weapons at once, the one
second rule will apply to all your attacks, not one
second per weapon.
The one second rule encompasses magic as well as
other aspects of combat. You cannot fire two pistols at
once, or wield a sword and cast a spell at the same
time because you must leave one clear second between
each call that you make. Any call counts, even one
doing no damage. The only exceptions are the RESIST
and DODGE calls.

Hit points and damage calls

Every character can call their strength +1 as damage
with a melee weapon. Weapon skills and spells can
allow additional damage.
Each character starts the evening with a number of hit
points equal to 5 times their Con stat. If you take
damage you are expected to role-play appropriately.
Your hit points can go into negative numbers, up to 10.
When HP reaches 0 you are unconscious and dying.
Dying takes 5 minutes (when you start dying you start
a slow count from 0 to 300 by saying Dying 1, dying
2, dying 3,.), you remain in the unconscious and
dying state until your HP has been raised above 0, if
you are not healed to positive HP within this time your
character is dead. If your HP ever reaches -10 you are
instantly dead as your body is torn/blasted to shreds.
If, when reduced to 0 or less hp, you feel that the area
you are in is not safe for you to lie in (due to
continuing combat, rocks, nettles, etc..) you may
swoon/stagger to a safer area. Please do not abuse this.
After receiving a blow that reduces you to 0 or less hp
you take no further damage from hits until you are full
on the ground. This is to allow people to move to safe
areas and to lie down safely without being incidentally
reduced to -10 hp and killed.
If you wish to deliver blows to a character who is
down to finish them off and reduce them to -10 hp,
please use dramatic swings to make it obvious you are
attempting to execute them.

Get out the way son!! (Dodges)

Dodges represent your character twisting out of the
way at the last second. A Dodge may be used to negate
all damage and effects from a melee, unarmed or
thrown weapon attack that you see coming and
successfully strikes you, to indicate you have used a
dodge to negate the attack call dodge. Attacks with
magic, telekinesis, and firearms cannot be dodged.
Dodges may not be used against firearms or magic
attacks, or against melee or thrown attacks which catch
you by surprise (commonly attacks from behind).
The rate at which a character recovers dodges is
dictated by the characters DEX score, the higher the
DEX the faster the recovery.
At an event, a characters Dexterity determines how
quickly they recuperate after a battle.
Characters with DEX 1 reset their dodges every 60
mins
Characters with DEX 2 reset their dodges every 50

Dont die on me man (staunching)

A character without the doctor skill may still be of
some use to a dying character. Any character may
attempt to staunch a dying characters wounds, this
requires both hands and most of the staunching
characters concentration. Staunching effectively
doubles the dying characters death count, while you
are staunching a character you take over their death
count for them, from the number they were on, but say
staunching your wounds 1, staunching your wounds
2, staunching your wounds 3,.., this take roughly
13

twice and long per number to say as the dying count,

thus extending the time a character may remain in this
state. Should the staunch be stopped for some reason
the dying character continues their death count as
normal, from the number you reached.
Characters being staunched may not be move at the
same time.
Characters may be healed and staunched at the same
time, as long as it is by two different characters.

Calls
Special Attack Calls
Some attacks will have effect calls attached. Calls and
their effects are listed below:
Stun- this effect causes a character to role play being
stunned for ten seconds. They can take no aggressive
action during this time.
Disarm- This effect causes the struck character to drop
their weapon. The weapon cannot be recaught as it
falls. If you are wielding two weapons you drop the
weapon in your on hand
Sleep- this effect causes a character to immediately fall
asleep. This sleep is magically in nature and lasts for
10 minutes, during this time the character cannot be
awakened by anything less than recieving damage.
Paralysis- this effect instantly freezes the target in
place for 5 minutes. During this time the character is
aware but unable to move by themselves, they are
however poseable by any character and will remain in
the new pose (please use this fact in a reasonable way
and avoid causing the targeted player discomfort, lest
you find yourself in a similar situation).
Holy- this effect indicates that the damage source is of
a divine nature, this damage will only affect certain
types of creature, the undead for example. Creatures
and characters who are affected by this damage will be
briefed before each game.
Flaming- this effect indicates that the damage source
is burning or heat based, this damage affects most
characters normally (however appropriate roleplay
response is encouraged), however certain types of
creature may take additional effects or damage from
this attack type. Creatures and characters who have
additional effects from this damage will be briefed
before each game.
Cold- this effect indicates that the damage is from an
extremely cold source, this damage affects most
characters normally (however appropriate roleplay
response is encouraged), however certain types of
creature may take additional effects or damage from
this attack type. Creatures and characters who have
additional effects from this damage will be briefed
before each game.
Stake-this effect indicates that the damage is from a
wooden stake, this damage affects most characters
normally (however appropriate roleplay response is
encouraged), however certain types of creature may
take additional effects or damage from this attack type.
Creatures and characters who have additional effects
from this damage will be briefed before each game.
Silver- this effect indicates that the damage is from a
silver weapon, this damage affects most characters
normally (however appropriate roleplay response is

Healing damage
Any character with the doctor skill can treat a
wounded or dying character. You can heal your level
in doctor in HP per minute to a target you role-play
medical treatment on (no treating yourself, tough!).
This roleplay does not need to be continuous stitching
and bandaging of the patient, and can include
monitoring vitals and ensuring the patient rests, thus
allowing you to continue roleplaying with others rather
than spending 20 minutes head down bandaging a
warrior.
Yes, all supernatural specials, even vamps, can be
healed.
No, you cannot spot a vamp or a werewolf while
healing them.
Appropriate healing props are encouraged.
When roleplaying this skill please do not physrep
medical supplies which are adhesive as there are
allergy considerations, and the adhesive can damage
people's props and/or costume.
Once a character is healed, any bandages may be
removed and the physreps re-used for further healing.
All characters will recover their CON in HP by
sleeping overnight.

Carrying Unconscious Characters

An unconscious character may be moved at walking
speed by any combination of characters whose strength
totals 4 or more. Unconscious characters may never be
moved at more than a walking pace, and players
should take care when doing this (do not carry
players).

14

encouraged), however certain types of creature may

take additional effects or damage from this attack type.
Creatures and characters who have additional effects
from this damage will be briefed before each game.

Safety Calls
Man Down: If someone is actually hurt, everyone
should shout MAN DOWN at the top of their voices. If
you hear someone shout MAN DOWN, be careful.
Don't rush in and stand on the injured person! Also, try
to make sure a first aider knows about the injury!
Fire: In the highly unlikely event that something
actually catches fire for real you should shout FIRE, If
you hear someone shout FIRE then immediately leave
through the appropriate safe fire exits, a ref or fire
warden will locate the fire and assess and deal with it
appropriately.
Tescos: If a player calls this then they have become
OOC uncomfortable with the situation that they are in.
Players should pause and allow they player whole
made the call to move out of the area, or suggest a way
of continuing the role-play in a way they find
comfortable.

Resistible Calls
As a brief reminder, there are two other calls that will
be commonly used to cause roleplay effects, these are
Magic X and Fear X. If you characters Will is greater
than the number called then your character resists the
effects of the call, in the case of Magic X, the damage,
or in the case of Fear X, the fear effect.

Ref Calls
There are several OOC calls that may be made during
the event; these can be split into ref calls, which tend
to affect the game state or allow the refs to do things,
and safety calls, which inform people about real world
issues that have arisen. Safety calls may be made by
any player, monster, or ref, and should always be
heeded immediately, do not use these calls as a joke.
Ref Calls
Time In: Once time in has been called then if you are
in the IC area you are considered to be IC and should
role-play your character unless you have reason not to
be (Spell effects, being dead, refs, etc....) and are
indicating the fact by raising your hand or wearing a
yellow arm band.
Time Freeze: If you hear time freeze called then you
must freezing in place, close your eyes and wait to be
given further information. This call is used to allow
refs to give players information on an event that has
just occurred which all would be aware of, or for refs
to set up some occurrence which we do not have the
budget, safety, or dark arts to do in real time. One
everything is ready a ref will give a countdown and
call time in, you may then open your eyes and respond
to any information or changes as if they had just
occurred instantaneously.
Time Out: At the end of the evening a ref will call
time out to bring the game to an end, this indicates that
the game is over and will not be restarting that
evening, feel free to relax, de-kit, etc... The battle is all
over, for now.
Cut Scene: All characters are bound in place and can
take no actions other than watching what occurs; this
will often be used to allow refs/monsters to enact a cut
scene that the characters cannot do anything about.
Barrier: Creates an invisible circular barrier at
approximately 10 meters from the source which all
characters cannot cross until the refs inform players
that the barrier has dropped, those inside are trapped
inside, those outside are stuck outside. Melee attacks,
ranged weapon attacks and spells may not pass through

Downtimes and XP
There's no xp system in Tales of the Vampyres. This is
because it lets the team keep an eye on where players
are headed and allows players to introduce new skills
into the system, rather than just buy pre written onesfor example if someone spends a season working as a
joiner- we might write up a 'mr fix it' skill and add it to
the rules and begin writing some plot including it.
While the game is a fledgling we see no reason to not
allow players the chance to shape it. Within reason.
After each event players will have downtimes where
they write in explaining what they're doing over the
months and the plot team will reward them with either
plot/ skill/ attribute or drama point. (Or multiple)
A skill lvl at 2 is college level so may take multiple (23) downtimes or an amazingly written story from the
player; whereas lvl 3 skills would be postdoc level
knowledge-so will take multiple (3-4) down times as
it's years of study.
We are restricting players from taking multiple skills at
max lvl so that players are encouraged to work
together to solve plot
Only a single stat increase may be gained each year as
developing these is a slow process.
Downtimes should be sent to
Haunted.Thunder@gmail.com no later than four weeks
before the next event, to allow time for proper
responses.
Downtimes can be short and sweet if a players time is
limited, however a lengthier downtime, that reads as a
story, may yield more fruitful results than a mere
couple of sentences. If a downtime is not received
from a player, they simply miss out on character
15

progression for that period, as they come to terms with

the reality of what had happened during the event.

A random few notes

Just as in the table-top game, some characters are
White Hats, some Heroes and some are experienced
Heroes. The world is unfair, and some people are more
skilled than others, because theyve been doing what
they are doing for much longer. For this reason some
characters have been given additional start up points to
reflect their skills.
Props- Player should bring props appropriate to their
skills. Doctors may bring bandages or surgery kits,
Occultists and alchemists may bring generic
paraphernalia, computer geeks may bring laptops,
artists may bring sketchpads or notebooks,etc.
Whilst generic items are acceptable, any item with a
specific/stated impact such as defib paddles,
cryptological software, powdered rhino horn
suspended in monkey blood, etc.. will require an
appropriate contacts skill and ref approval. Do not
assume refs can or will provide the basic generic props
though, please bring your own.

16