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View Full Version : The Morality meter in nWoD games...



Aron Times
2010-10-16, 09:12 PM
The various Morality meters in the nWoD always struck me as a bit odd. Accidentally killing someone (manslaughter) dings a vampire's Humanity but enslaving someone using Dominate or the Vinculum or both does not. Not that I'm complaining, as I play Ventrue and I like being able to use my clan's signature discipline without having to worry about going nuts.

Also, you gain derangements as you lose Morality. Sometimes you get lucky with the dice and you retain your sanity, but if you make a habit of randomly massacring people, you will eventually get slapped with a derangement or two.

And then it struck me. The Morality meter isn't exactly a measure of how "nice" a character is; it's more a measure of his sanity after turning into a vampire/mage/werewolf or finding out that vampires/mages/werewolves exist. It fits into the underlying theme of "Power Corrupts," as vampires/mages/werewolves are more powerful than your average human bean.

Becoming a supernatural with all the cool powers that it brings changes you in a way not unlike going from rags to riches overnight. Stories abound of celebrities who grew up poor, struck it rich, then lost everything to drug addiction/alcoholism/both. It takes a strong will not to lose it when you get a windfall/turn into a powerful supernatural.

What do you think?