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View Full Version : Player Help nWoD: Vampire Science Ideas Wanted



Grim Portent
2014-03-20, 09:10 PM
I'm playing in a nWoD Vampire game and I need some ideas for something. As the rules themselves don't matter much for this I figured this was the better place to put the thread than the Other Systems subforum.

What I'm asking for is ideas for alchemical rituals and magic rites I could develop. My character has an emphasis on occult and scientific ability and can purchase undefined (player and GM collaberated, but requiring a significant time and resource expenditure) special abilities related to his being a vampire.

So far my ideas are an alchemical blood storage system that lets me preserve blood for the times when the hunting is poor, some kind of drug + blood combination that can be used to make people hopelessly addicted to the character and an alchemical concoction that taps into the supernatural a bit more than vampires already do.

So, anyone got any ideas for vampiric blood science they'd be up for sharing?

ScubaGoomba
2014-03-20, 09:19 PM
A vampire scientist has likely learned a way to take fresh blood and "clone" it, if you will, creating a system of arteries and veins that keep blood constantly pumping and regenerating, but without the need for a host body. This cuts down on the risks involved in hunting, makes going incognito much easier, is WAY more efficient, and is much more "humanitarian" for the vampires that have gone soft.

Lorsa
2014-03-21, 03:27 AM
You could look into the Ordo Dracul book for inspiration. They have some rites that involve mysical places called "Wyrm's nests" that does fancy things to people's blood (that they then drink to get stronger). Also remember that vampire blood is ALREADY very addictive in its base form, you don't need to add drugs for that.

Preserving blood is always tricky, but there are some magic rituals for it. I think Lancea Sanctum or Circle of the Crone has a ritual or two that you could copy.

I think the most interesting thing you can do is to leave it an open question whether or not it works by actual science (which may be unlikely due to their supernatural form) or if the character has discovered some new and alternative form of magic and uses alchemy to channel it. Quite possibly the CotC would interpret it as Cruac and want to do something about it.

Altair_the_Vexed
2014-03-21, 05:53 AM
A method of analysing blood of mortals and vamps that tell you who has been feeding on them / who they've been feeding on - a DNA / aura matching mystic-science technique?

Grim Portent
2014-03-21, 07:25 AM
You could look into the Ordo Dracul book for inspiration. They have some rites that involve mysical places called "Wyrm's nests" that does fancy things to people's blood (that they then drink to get stronger). Also remember that vampire blood is ALREADY very addictive in its base form, you don't need to add drugs for that.

I am in fact a member of the Ordo Dracul. :smallsmile:

We're using Blood and Smoke (Requiem 2.0 as I understand it) and it has a few examples of the 'Mysteries of the Wyrm' and their derivative procedures called 'Scales of the Dragon'. The one I've already taken makes my blood more addictive than normal and I see no reason not to try and boost that further in future.

I do intend to try the magic angle as well, the fluff for the Ordo Dracul in BaS says that they use a mixture of magic, science and alchemy to pursue ascendance, the tricky part is getting much by way of magic without annoying the crones or the lance worshippers :smallamused:, so alchemy is safer at the early stages of my requiem.

AntiTrust
2014-03-21, 02:08 PM
Blood tracking seems like a possibility. Blood calls to blood.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll
2014-03-21, 05:36 PM
Ordo Dracul to me seemed like they deal a lot more with spirits and ghosts than the other blood sorcery things. That's one way of separating them from the Sanctum or the Circle.

As for VAMPIRES! In an adventure with SCIENTISTS!, remember that science is just a practice of rigor. The Ordo Dracul could very well simply practice a kind of blood sorcery, but if they look at it from a scientific viewpoint, it is the SCIENCE of the blood. They have constructed a scientific correlation or causation between a certain treatment of the blood and a certain effect. They know that, ex. if you go to a certain place and say a certain word, a certain effect happens if you are also a certain type of person. Of course, they know this because they tested it on all other types of people and they died screaming. Science!

Slipperychicken
2014-03-21, 05:58 PM
[Disclaimer: I have not played much WoD, and this post is full of ninja-edits]

Is there already something in nWoD for full blood transfusions?


Basically, there's a chair from the Gungrave PS2 game which basically swaps out all the main character's blood at once. It seems like that could fit well in WoD's grimdark sort of deal.

You could also do that thing where you hook a patient up to a pig and have the pig's heart pump the patients' blood. I don't remember what it's called, but I saw it on TV once.

What if you took humans, then disabled their limbs so they can't walk or do anything by themselves, then forcefeed them (and provide other medical care so they continue to produce blood) and periodically drain their blood? Your scientist could work on ways to cut down on the "extra" parts (those not necessary to produce blood) to balance risks (of escape/suicide) with efficiency (how much blood can I safely extract from each human in a given "production cycle?") and quality ("Is this blood going to satisfy the consumers' thirst and/or encourage sales?"). Once production kicks off, you don't need to hunt to satisfy your unholy urges, and you can rack up profits selling the blood to other vampires*.

*Obvious market segments for harvested blood would include creepy humans, vampires trying to retain their humanity, those trying to recover their humanity, and those who would rather not risk exposure for hunting humans. You could also let customers people pick what blood type they want, and also offer varying degrees of freshness and quality (the fresher and higher-quality the blood, the more it costs). I wonder if you could also mix the blood with flavoring and alcohol, so that customers could feel better about drinking your product.