Why the main character is so ugly?

[Clownory]

To be frank even with all the drama, I still want to give this game a chance, it is a vampire game after all and I'm all for it.

But the design and even the aura of Phyre? Isn't the main character supposed to be an elder vampire? Why to they look and even feel like some random Thinblood or NPC?

Come on, they don't feel noble or even remotely clever by the way they speak, that's actually scary to a terrible degree.

Where is the charm of the elder vampire, bloody heavens!!

[Dragon Master]

Unless the story has Phyre actually being a thin-blood who thinks they are an elder with the memories of one the look just doesn't work.

[Clownory]

Originally posted by Dragon Master:

Unless the story has Phyre actually being a thin-blood who thinks they are an elder with the memories of one the look just doesn't work.

That would explain the voice in their head actually, but this would be sooo, cringe... Please not that!

[warb]

Main character is not ugly.

Main character is generic and boring. A voiced protagonist with 3rd person NPC interactions is a shockingly stupid choice for a VTMB game. Those changes feels like vandalism.

[Clever Name]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

What I'm curious about is who in the actual hell thought it was a good idea to appoint Phyre as the Prince's Sheriff, when they're going around telling people that their powers have been sapped, and there is apparently some kind of Thinblood mystery cult that can mess with their mind?

Phyre has got to be the weakest, most vulnerable Elder to ever disgrace vampire society, and the Prince decides they're going to be appointed as their right hand agent?

If there were other elders around, it'd be stupid. But in a power vacuum, even a weakened elder can still beat up most of the high-gen trash that remains.

If we actually had a character sheet--god forbid--we'd have 4-5 dots in brawl, athletics, persuasion, etc. We could also have several important attributes at 4-5 dots. Meaning, even with our disciplines nerfed by the ritual, our innate strength is still way higher than average.

Beyond that, giving us a formal title allows us to investigate what happened to us, and gives us the official blessing of the local leadership. In turn, by operating in an official capacity, rather than acting as a vigilante, the prince or whoever can keep tabs on us.

[Gesuma]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

What I'm curious about is who in the actual hell thought it was a good idea to appoint Phyre as the Prince's Sheriff, when they're going around telling people that their powers have been sapped, and there is apparently some kind of Thinblood mystery cult that can mess with their mind?

Phyre has got to be the weakest, most vulnerable Elder to ever disgrace vampire society, and the Prince decides they're going to be appointed as their right hand agent?

I assume Phyre would have proven herself strong enough before being appointed, but we will see.

[AdahnGorion]

Originally posted by warb:

Main character is not ugly.

Main character is generic and boring. A voiced protagonist with 3rd person NPC interactions is a shockingly stupid choice for a VTMB game. Those changes feels like vandalism.

This game is just your random Action Adventure.
Tbh. I understand why they went this route, since they had to scrap almost everything and redo it all.

[Axus]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Vampires are selfish, paranoid, power hungry predators by nature. No vampire, especially not one as old as Phyre, would ever, EVER openly confess to being in a weakened state.

I was wondering about that too when Phyre immediately tells Willem the marks have weakened her. Little doubletake there - like wait girl, what you doin?

[Gesuma]

We do not know the whole story... could be it was discovered and it is a known bit of info anyways, but it might also be known than Phyre killed someone strong anyways...

But yeah it could be bad writing. Again we will see...

[Clever Name]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Originally posted by Gesuma:

I assume Phyre would have proven herself strong enough before being appointed, but we will see.

I don't care!

Vampires are selfish, paranoid, power hungry predators by nature. No vampire, especially not one as old as Phyre, would ever, EVER openly confess to being in a weakened state.

They might make inquiries about the marks' existence and who put it there, but they would never divulge information about what the mark actually does to them.

It's like Phyre is practically begging somebody to diablerize them!

Without knowing the nature of the ritual, it could well backfire on anyone who tried to diablerize Phyre.

Pretty sure my gut reaction to seeing a rune-carved elder would not be, 'ooh, dinner!'

[Gesuma]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Originally posted by Gesuma:

We do not know the whole story... could be it was discovered and it is a known bit of info anyways, but it might also be known than Phyre killed someone strong anyways...

But yeah it could be bad writing. Again we will see...

But if it's become known, then that's even worse. The Sheriff is supposed to be a sign of the Prince's authority. Like the giant Nargaloper that Lacroix had at his side in the first game. Their presence is meant to intimidate the city's vampires into following the rules.

If Phyre has been depowered, and that information became public knowledge, then it means their ability to enforce the law is weakened; and by extension, the Prince's authority is likewise weakened.

Which might be why it is impressive enough if she has proven she is stronger than anyone else anyways... All comes down to how they do it.

[Clever Name]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Originally posted by Clever Name:

Pretty sure my gut reaction to seeing a rune-carved elder would not be, 'ooh, dinner!'

Maybe not to a fellow elder, who's more knowledgeable about these kinds of things. But most of the elders have gone missing, and we're left with the 'modern generation' who have probably been chafing under their oppressive rule for decades.

Well, as I said here and in another thread:

As a 300-active-years-old elder, Phyre could easily have 4 attributes at 5 dots. and two skills at 5 dots, or some variation thereof. Even with her disciplines weakened, she's got enough innate power to dust anyone stupid enough to come after her.

By the rules, any XP gained by diablerizing a vampire must be spent on either increasing your blood potency or on disciplines the victim possessed. Meaning you aren't 'stealing' the XP from their skills or attributes. These things cannot be drained or stolen.

[Clever Name]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Because as I see it, getting rid of the Elders was V5's attempt at sweeping the 'old folks' under the rug. So that nobody makes any faux pas and says racist ♥♥♥♥ at the family dinner.

I used to think this, but not anymore.

Like I said, ancillae can go back to 1780 and are playable in V5. Neonates can go back as far as 1940.

There's nothing mechanically stopping you from playing a Hitler Youth-turned vampire. How many storytellers would allow that is beside the point; the salient fact is that we can still play characters from eras that were replete with political incorrectness.

In fact, you can even take a few flaws if you're ancillae (and really, it should be permissible for older neonates too) that explicitly allow your character to hold retro and currently unpopular views. The mechanical effect is a loss of social dice when dealing with modern people.

The goal of V5 is seemingly to mechanically tie us to the beast and its hunger system. As we get lower in generation and higher in blood potency, we get higher chances of not rousing hunger, and we have to murder mortals left and right to sate our hunger.

Neither mechanical feature is something V5 wants to focus on. That's why they don't want us to play elders.

[Clever Name]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Why are these mechanical flaws, and not something you explore organically through role playing?

V5 basically gave them a free pass to play the "It's what my character would do" card.

Each new character must take 7 dots in advantages and 2 flaws. However, if you're ancillae, you get 2 more advantages and 2 more flaws, thus 4 flaws in total.

I'd much rather pad out my flaws with social debuffs--especially if I'm making an anti-social prick of a character anyway, like, for instance, a Hecata--rather than picking flaws that are detrimental to more important functions.

[Clever Name]

Oh, and another ancillae-only flaw is that you can't ever raise your technology skill. Permanently 0. I like that one, too.

That being said, I don't pick it often. I give most of my characters, especially neonates (I refuse to play a fledgling), at least one dot in technology. If they were Nosferatu (which I don't play, but in theory I mean), I would give them 2-3 dots.

[Clever Name]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Actually, upon retrospect, I realize that racism is a relatively new ideology in human society.

So, ironically, it would be the Fledglings and Neonates who are more prone to being racist, not the Ancillae and Elders!

Um...

Er...

I think it's more plausible to assume racism is as old as one caveman not liking the way another caveman's brow sloped at a different angle.