So, I've been working on a V:tM influenced build of Tiny D6. I want something that is super easy to run (Tiny D6), but has the overall feel of V:tM, but without all the identifying bits and the overarching meta-plot. If there's enough interest, I'd love to run it as a forum-based play-by-post game a la some of the games I've run in the past.

Ideally, I want to do away with the RP restrictions that clan and sect bring with them. If your character believes that mortals are playthings to be ruled or destroyed at your whim, you shouldn't be forced to pick specific clans or join specific sects to have that belief, and you shouldn't automatically be enemies with characters that believe otherwise. That said, there should be repercussions if you do believe that mortals are playthings and you run around openly feeding, killing, and generally causing chaos. Mortals organize much better in current nights, and they stopped coming after threats with pitchforks and torches a LONG time ago.

Also, I wanted to do away with the RP problems that age, status, and position bring with them, especially in games where you got one player character who has some major age or status advantage (like a Primogen or Sheriff) compared to the rest of the player characters. All that should matter should be what a vampire can do, and what a vampire can't do.

So! Here are some of the ideas I have:

Blood: I wanted there to be less throwing around of blood. So, each man-sized creature (vampires included) can hold up to 6 points of blood. Mortals can be drained of 3 points before hospitalization is needed. Vampires loose blood regularly from waking each night (1 BP), rising from an incapacitated state (1 BP), creating a ghoul (1 BP), creating a child (1 BP) and blood can be used to stave of damage from direct sunlight (1 BP per point of damage staved). At 3-4 BP, feeding is constantly on the vampire's mind but they can act freely; at 1-2 BP every action that the vampire takes should be in support of feeding; at 0 BP, the sight or scent of a living being will send a vampire into frenzy where they feed from the closest source until they are full, regardless of who or what that source is. Vampires can feed from animals, but animal blood does not contribute to BP total (so a vampire at 1 BP who ran into a field and drained 3 BP from a cow would no longer feel the need to feed, but would still be at 1 BP). If a vampire retires for the day with 0 BP, rising the following night causes 1 point of damage; should a vampire find itself in a situation where it has retired - or is incapacitated - and has no BP or hit points, it will slip into torpor from where it will not awake until fed 1 point of blood.

Healing: in support of the above, and to make the threat of combat a bit more serious, vampires only heal when they sleep during the day, and only then under specific conditions as dictated by their lineage. If they get a full day's sleep under those conditions, all hit points will be restored. If their sleep is interrupted, no hit points will be restored.

Lineage: past immediate sires, each vampire ultimately descends from a progenitor taken out of classic literature which embody a classic vampire trope. The vampire's progenitor commands special traits and suffers specific weaknesses which have filtered down from sire to sire to sire to each vampire. The progenitors are Count Dracula (roughly analogous to Ventrue), Countess Mircalla Karnstein (AKA Carmilla or Millarca, roughly analogous to Toreador), or Count Orlok (roughly analogous to Nosferatu). Dracula's children tend to see mortals as inferior beings to be ruled or destroyed at whim, can take the form of wolves or bats and can heel the most headstrong, and must sleep in the soil of their native homeland in order to heal. They make all tests with disadvantage when objects of faith are presented by those of strong faith. Karnstein's children tend to see mortals as playthings to use for their own enjoyment, tend to know things they shouldn't and can virtually enslave those around them, and must feed from a mortal human before retiring to heal. When they have been alone for a full night, they make all tests with disadvantage the following night, until their loneliness ends. Orlok's children tend to see mortals as things to shy away from (until feeding time), can command the animals and move about unseen, and must sleep in a used coffin (meaning formerly containing a corpse and used in a funeral) to heal. They take 2 points of damage per minute from direct sunlight, whereas other vampires only take 1 point.

Daylight hours: vampires are sluggish and exhausted during the daylight hours. They make all tests with disadvantage during daylight hours.

Inhumanity: when a vampire performs an overtly evil act (killing a mortal, etc.), the vampire's player needs to make a save test; if it's a failure, the vampire is shackled with an inhumanity point. At 1-2 humanity points, vampires are still more or less human in their emotional makeup. At 3-4 inhumanity points, they become emotionally detached and desensitized. At 5-6 inhumanity points, the vampire is truly a monster with no human emotions or conscious at all.

Immortality: vampires are immortal; they'll never age, suffer disease, or die of natural causes. When reduced to 0 hit points, they are incapacitated. After the combat, they can rise from that state for the cost of 1 BP; if they do not have 1 BP, they will sink into torpor. They can only be brought to final death if beheaded, or if their body is completely destroyed by fire, acid or something similar. A wooden stake through the heart will render a vampire incapacitated until the stake is removed.

Trade: at character creation, the vampire chooses a trade which represents what they did as a mortal. As a vampire, if they test something which could benefit from skill in that trade, the test will be made with advantage.

Traits: similar to Tiny Supers, at character creation vampires can choose 3 traits from the regular trait list or the vampiric powers lists. Some vampiric powers require specific progenitors (the progenitor name is in parenthesis). The vampire powers are: Beast-Form (Dracula; analogous to Protean), Domination (Dracula; analogous to Dominate), Clairvoyance (Karnstein; analogous to Auspex), Manipulation (Karnstein, analogous to Presence), Beast-Mastery (Orlok; analogous to Animalism), Obfuscation (Orlok; analogous to Obfuscate), Heightened Senses, Heightened Speed (analogous to Celerity), Heightened Strength (analogous to Potence), Heightened Toughness (analogous to Fortitude).

Many vampiric powers will require an activation test, and if they're being activated against a vampire the test will be made at disadvantage. Other vampiric powers will grant a save test when used against a vampire. This is because it's harder to affect a vampire with vampiric powers than mortals.

Any thoughts?