Lores Policy.
Esoteric vs. Specific Lores
Too often, we see folks with Lores from different Venues. When you really think about it, save for rampant crossover of Venues, the likelihood of having Garou Lore when you're a Kindred is pretty slim. Creatures from other Venues are mysterious, and it's important that we reinforce that mystery through tight regulation of just what Lores characters can learn. One way to encourage the idea of creatures from other Venues as fantastical figures is through esoteric Lores for out of Venue knowledge. This means that the Lore for another Venue is very general and wide in scope. Kindred do not learn Garou Lore...they learn Lupine Lore. As they progress in levels, they go from the typical horror movie stereotype of the Wolfman, later learning that they are indeed vulnerable to Silver, but aren't necessarily slaves to the waxing and waning of the Moon, on to the different forms of these creatures, and their incredible prowess in combat, until eventually gleaning some idea that they organize themselves in some form of tribal structure not unlike the Aboriginal peoples. Esoteric Lores are less about direct knowledge, and more about dispelling many of the misconceptions about these creatures. The difference from the system outlined above is that Level 5 is attainable without being a Lupine, but requires direct, face-to-face interaction. If you survive that, then you have breached the barrier necessary to learn actual Garou Lore, and perhaps even Tribal Lores as well. This is an important distinction to note as well. If you only know Lupine Lore, there's no way you know anything about the different Tribes, so Shadowlord Lore is out of your reach. Your knowledge is simply too general. The Esoteric Lores are as follows:
Vampire Lore (as opposed to Kindred, Sect, or Clan Lores)
Werewolf Lore (as opposed to Garou, Wyrm, Bete, or Tribal Lores)
Faerie Lore (as opposed to Changeling, Sect, or Kith Lores)
Ghost Lore (as opposed to Wraith, Sect, Legion, or Guild Lores)
Wizard Lore (as opposed to Mage, Sect, or Tradition Lores)
Hunter Lore (as opposed to specific Hunter Organizational Lores)
The system that I suggest is not dissimilar to the one we already use. Level 4 Lores would still be Mid approval, and Level 5 Lores would still be High approval, though in the case of Esoteric Lores, attaining Level 5 would allow the purchase of Level 1 in the Specific Venue Lore (also at High approval). Once a character has progressed in such a manner and thus attained the first Level in another Venue's Specific Lore, attaining greater levels in that Lore will require Mid approval, save for Level 5, which cannot be gained by those outside that specific group. Learning a Specific Lore outright, without progressing through the levels of the corresponding Esoteric Lore first also requires High approval, though once this approval has been granted for the first level, the greater levels (again, save for 5, which is always High approval) would be Mid approval.
Example:
Darius the Gangrel has acquired an ever-increasing knowledge of Werewolf Lore. He finally requests and receives High approval for Level 5 Werewolf Lore, which then gives him opportunity to apply to purchase Garou Lore 1. Thereafter, Darius needs Mid approval to increase his Garou Lore until he reaches Garou Lore 4, which is as high as he can attain. Similarly, Should he subsequently gain Shadow Lord Tribe Lore, he can gain only so high as level 4. Cadius, on the other hand, requests High approval to obtain Garou Lore 1 outright, since he associates regularly with the Garou in his area (maybe he doesn't stink too much of the Wyrm). He receives the approval, and from there must gain Mid approval to learn any more Garou Lore, up until Level 4, which is once again as far as he can progress, not being Garou.
See The Lores Template for further details and explanation.
Michael Dascenzo
Camarilla # CA9408-153
Regional Storyteller, Canada
ICQ: 99184211
[email protected]
http://www.livejournal.com/users/baelasarius/
07 December 2001; amended 08 December 2001 - proposed ruling.
Policy regarding Puissance Resistant/Proof Weapons
There are no such things as Puissance-proof weapons. Any weapon could possibly be broken, especially by the extreme use of Puissance or higher levels of Potence. However, weapons can be constructed to resist the damaging effects of Puissance. Puissance-resistant weapons, because they exist outside the normal rules for weapons as they exist in Prime, are High approval. The need for various levels of influences and such differ from weapon to weapon. Some weapons are naturally resilient, and will likely require less exertion of Influence and use of industrial facilities than others, at ST discretion.
A normal weapon, when wielded against "soft" targets (aka flesh, bodies, etc.) with the force of Puissance or greater potence behind it, will break on a loss of a simple test. If the blow with the weapon misses, and could hit a "hard" target (stone, brick, asphalt, armour, or other unyielding surfaces), or if the weapon is intentionally used on a hard target, the weapon will break on a loss or tie of a simple test.
A Puissance-resistant weapon, due to its special construction, will easily shear through soft targets, even when used with Puissance. No simple test is required. When the weapon misses and hits a hard target, or when used specifically against a hard target, the weapon is less likely to break, and will only do so on a loss of a simple test.
The presiding ST will be the final authority as to whether a target is considered hard or soft, and whether a miss with a weapon would contact a hard surface.
Special Note: Despite their special construction, Puissance-resistant weapons are still as vulnerable as any other weapon when interacting with such powers as Flesh of Marble or Personal Armour, and use the same rules as any other weapon would in checking for breakage, as per the disciplines' descriptions.
Michael Dascenzo
Camarilla # CA9408-153
Regional Storyteller, Canada
ICQ: 99184211
[email protected]
http://www.livejournal.com/users/baelasarius/
18 December 2001 - adopted policy
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