Vampire Domination effect

[theboss]

Hi there,
Couple sessions ago I have become a vampire when our main DM used to DM.
Now, as a part of letting our DM have a rest (He wants a break), one of our group member who DM'ed last session told me that now, because I'm a vampire I don't have Free Will anymore, I'll explain.
She told me that now I'm a kind of slave to my maker and can do nothing regarding my personal life, she even told me that now I don't have anymore inspirations,disappointments, I'm no longer inspire to gain power, as my character did when he was still Human.
I responded that indeed I'm a slave to my maker BUT it has nothing to do with my inspirations or disappointments, I can have free will when im making a decisions which regarding my personal life. The DM said no, and that was it...
Couple questions:
Who's right? I dont have free will anymore?
Can you find a source which explains more about the subject? Cause I couldn't find any...


Thanks in advance

[Nettlekid]

You can both be right given the context. A vampire's spawn is a total thrall, it's an unshakable domination effect that the master can use to control every action of the spawn should the master choose. Newly created, you have every reason to have the same motivations and drives as any sapient creature, and should your master be destroyed these would manifest readily. But if your master gives you a command then none of your internal monologue plays into it at all, you would have to follow that order. If that order is "Don't allow any of your thoughts and feelings to rise to the surface" then you would be forced to remain a blank slate.

My suggestion would either be to roll with it and roleplay being a thrall because that's an interesting direction to take a character, or try to subvert the commands. If the master doesn't order you to defer to them with literally everything you do then you can regain a modicum of free will if an issue that your master's commands don't cover comes up. If your master has covered literally everything, and given you some command like "Defer to me before making any decision so that I may influence the outcome," then be incredibly annoying about it ("Master, should I move toward my opponent? Master, should I walk in a straight line, or should I curve around to the left, or should I curve around to the right? Master, should I attempt to strike my opponent? Master, should I attempt to strike using my left fist or using my right fist?") and your Master will probably allow you greater autonomy to be rid of the nuisance.

Alternatively, ask your old DM to request that the new DM rule things in the way that the old DM was ruling it, on the grounds that it's unfair to you as a player to be stuck into a situation with restraints that weren't agreed upon OoC.

[theboss]

You can both be right given the context. A vampire's spawn is a total thrall, it's an unshakable domination effect that the master can use to control every action of the spawn should the master choose. Newly created, you have every reason to have the same motivations and drives as any sapient creature, and should your master be destroyed these would manifest readily. But if your master gives you a command then none of your internal monologue plays into it at all, you would have to follow that order. If that order is "Don't allow any of your thoughts and feelings to rise to the surface" then you would be forced to remain a blank slate.


I agree that if my master commandes me to let go my feelings and thoughts, that's what I'd do. But it seems that if the DM decide such thing, it's just to present the "holes" in my character and shove it on my face like "look, you got owned"...



My suggestion would either be to roll with it and roleplay being a thrall because that's an interesting direction to take a character, or try to subvert the commands.

This, this is the most intersting part. That's what I thought in the same excatly moment when she said her opinion about Free Will, and I think I did pretty well at not answering my group members as my old character would have, or just acting Thrall Like...



If the master doesn't order you to defer to them with literally everything you do then you can regain a modicum of free will if an issue that your master's commands don't cover comes up. If your master has covered literally everything, and given you some command like "Defer to me before making any decision so that I may influence the outcome," then be incredibly annoying about it ("Master, should I move toward my opponent? Master, should I walk in a straight line, or should I curve around to the left, or should I curve around to the right? Master, should I attempt to strike my opponent? Master, should I attempt to strike using my left fist or using my right fist?")

This is brilliant, thank you.


and your Master will probably allow you greater autonomy to be rid of the nuisance.
Upon paper, yes.



Alternatively, ask your old DM to request that the new DM rule things in the way that the old DM was ruling it, on the grounds that it's unfair to you as a player to be stuck into a situation with restraints that weren't agreed upon OoC.

You're right, the problem is that every DM is selfish about making his own rules, even if it bends the RAW.
I don't think that the same DM in the last session will listen to our old DM, because as mentioned, they're selfish at making their own rules.

But great advices, many thanks.