World of Darkness (any edition) rules questions

[fireinthedust]

So here's the situation: I found a copy of two books (kindred of the east and hunter: the reckoning) from 1998 and 1999, respectively. Looking at them I can't find any info on editions of WoD games. I had access to way more WoD books years ago (around 98 and 99, come to think of it) but now the white wolf site has new editions (apparently having a game with an apocalypse in the year 2000 that devastates everything isn't great for the long term viability of a line of products?).

Questions:

1) where do my books fit in, which edition?

2) how do other editions work with the new stuff that's out now?

3) Are there any WoD/Cthulhu crossover products using the story-teller system? Like, how to use Vampires to tell a CoC story? (or is it left to flavour of the storyteller?)

4) lots of build questions, actually, like how easily a vampire can collects different powers (disciplines I think they're called), like between cathayan and kindred; or if mages and vampires and werewolves can swap some abilities; or if there's a big book of lost disciplines for vampires out there, like that only methusalahs know and can teach rather than the ones unique to each clan.

[TheElfLord]

1. Those would be revised, or 3rd edition books.

2. As far as I know they are completely incompatible. World of Darkness 2.0 is a completely different game that barely uses a handful of the same terms, and almost no mechanics. I believe the flavor/theme/mood is different enough that it would be hard to use the books for fluff info.

3. I don't think they are made by the same company and I have no knowledge of crossover products.

4. Availability of disciplines is up to the storyteller, but most clans guard their unique disciplines very closely. Haven't not read kindred of the East I don't know Western vampires can learn eastern vamp powers or if Cathayans can learn disciplines.

Mages can be ghouled and remain a mage, though some books give negative side affects for that. The Embrace kills the Avatar, so no vampire mages. It is possible for a mage to be a kinfolk, and have gnosis, so they can learn some gifts, but werewolves, not being human, do not posses and avatar to awaken. In extremly rare circumstances a werewolf can be embraced (I think they get a role for it to not work and they have to botch it to be embraced). They then become abominations. I think they lose their gnosis and gifts but gain some vampiric powers.

Lots of books have different disciplines in them, though most are connected to some rare clan or bloodline.

[Te'Shen]

. . .
2. As far as I know they are completely incompatible. World of Darkness 2.0 is a completely different game that barely uses a handful of the same terms, and almost no mechanics. I believe the flavor/theme/mood is different enough that it would be hard to use the books for fluff info. . .

Well, they share more terms than that... and I like some of the mechanics of the new system... but if there is anything I really like, I see if I can graft it on to my old world of darkness stuff. But all in all, yeah, two different systems.

. . .
4. Availability of disciplines is up to the storyteller, but most clans guard their unique disciplines very closely. Haven't not read kindred of the East I don't know Western vampires can learn eastern vamp powers or if Cathayans can learn disciplines. . .

Technically, they can't. Cathayans powers are based off yin energy and yang energy which is similar to blood in the beginning, but as an eastern vampire 'lowers his generation' he can do more with it. Cathayans are kind of like splitting the difference between vampire and wraiths, as some of the powers are more like wraith abilities... they also have no clans but do have different paths of enlightenment that function kind of like clan does. There is also no 'in clan' powers for cathayans.

Though there is stories of Saulot studying in the east and creating a few childer there, there really isn't a way for one to learn 'powers' from the other... unless you use something like the caitiff's ability to create powers, which is itself not often used.

. . .
Mages can be ghouled and remain a mage, though some books give negative side affects for that. The Embrace kills the Avatar, so no vampire mages. It is possible for a mage to be a kinfolk, and have gnosis, so they can learn some gifts, but werewolves, not being human, do not posses and avatar to awaken. In extremly rare circumstances a werewolf can be embraced (I think they get a role for it to not work and they have to botch it to be embraced). They then become abominations. I think they lose their gnosis and gifts but gain some vampiric powers. . .

True enough. They also become chronically depressed (more or less) and have to roll every night to see if they can do anything. Even kinfolk with gnosis can roll gnosis to avoid becoming a vampire.

One of the things I'd point out here, though not nearly as strong as true magic, sorcery in the old world of darkness can be learned by anything... all it takes is performing a ritual to achieve the desired effect. However it's usually much weaker than most of the disciplines/gifts/spheres/arcanos/etc. that do something similar... or possibly stronger if you have a thin blooded character.

[puppyavenger]

3) Are there any WoD/Cthulhu crossover products using the story-teller system? Like, how to use Vampires to tell a CoC story? (or is it left to flavour of the storyteller?)
.

I think there's a "World of Cthulhu" web supplement somewhere.

[Krrth]

So here's the situation: I found a copy of two books (kindred of the east and hunter: the reckoning) from 1998 and 1999, respectively. Looking at them I can't find any info on editions of WoD games. I had access to way more WoD books years ago (around 98 and 99, come to think of it) but now the white wolf site has new editions (apparently having a game with an apocalypse in the year 2000 that devastates everything isn't great for the long term viability of a line of products?).

Questions:


2) how do other editions work with the new stuff that's out now?

3) Are there any WoD/Cthulhu crossover products using the story-teller system? Like, how to use Vampires to tell a CoC story? (or is it left to flavour of the storyteller?)

4) lots of build questions, actually, like how easily a vampire can collects different powers (disciplines I think they're called), like between cathayan and kindred; or if mages and vampires and werewolves can swap some abilities; or if there's a big book of lost disciplines for vampires out there, like that only methusalahs know and can teach rather than the ones unique to each clan.

Since #1 has already been answered, I'll skip it.
#2 They don't. At all. Even the names indicate something different.

#3 Probably not. If you really want to do something like that, you would need the Book of Banes, and possibly the books that end the series. Demon: The Fallen might be your best bet.

#4) Iffy. If it's only available to one clan (like protean, thaumaturgy, vicissitude and the like) you have to find someone to teach it to you.
Cathayans are completely different creatures than kindred. They cannot learn each otherspowers. Different sources, different means. Same for mages, kindred and garou. You cannot learn the powers of another supernatural group without GM fiat. It doesn't work. The best you can do is get one of the lesser templates (like ghoul, kinfolk, or enchanted). You can be turned into a kindred, but you loose your previous powers. Weres can be embraced, and keep some of the powers. However, they don't live very long, as they can never regain gnosis. Heaven help you if you manage to embrace a Mokole

[puppyavenger]

here's the crossover fan-supplement
http://www.zombienirvana.com/miscdebris/wocrules.pdf

[Collin152]

Technically, they can't. Cathayans powers are based off yin energy and yang energy which is similar to blood in the beginning, but as an eastern vampire 'lowers his generation' he can do more with it. Cathayans are kind of like splitting the difference between vampire and wraiths, as some of the powers are more like wraith abilities... they also have no clans but do have different paths of enlightenment that function kind of like clan does. There is also no 'in clan' powers for cathayans.

Ah, so they are like Asian vampires.
I will now consider this book more... heavily.

[Krrth]

Ah, so they are like Asian vampires.
I will now consider this book more... heavily.

...Like Asian vampires? They *are* Asian vampires. As I recall, they book mentions that only those with Asian heritage have ever become one.

[Collin152]

...Like Asian vampires? They *are* Asian vampires. As I recall, they book mentions that only those with Asian heritage have ever become one.

Nono, I mean, like, it fits the asian vampire thing, wherin it's not so much blood as spiritual energy. You know, Asian folklore?
It fits that.
See, I'm big on Asian history, especially China and Japan.
Chinese vampires are not like European Vampires.
These are like Chinese vampires.
True to source.

[Krrth]

Nono, I mean, like, it fits the asian vampire thing, wherin it's not so much blood as spiritual energy. You know, Asian folklore?
It fits that.
See, I'm big on Asian history, especially China and Japan.
Chinese vampires are not like European Vampires.
These are like Chinese vampires.
True to source.

Ah, yes they are true then. The book focus mostly on China, with mention of Japan and Korea. They DO feed off of blood at lower levels, but can eventually feed directly off of Chi. You even have to decide to be Yin or Yang aspected. (I don't remember if you can be balanced or not. The book is sitting in a box in my garage). Do you have access to one of the editions of Wraith? If not, I'd recommend getting one. Kindred of the East pulls heavily from that setting. To the point each character has a shadow-type side.

[Collin152]

Ah, yes they are true then. The book focus mostly on China, with mention of Japan and Korea. They DO feed off of blood at lower levels, but can eventually feed directly off of Chi. You even have to decide to be Yin or Yang aspected. (I don't remember if you can be balanced or not. The book is sitting in a box in my garage). Do you have access to one of the editions of Wraith? If not, I'd recommend getting one. Kindred of the East pulls heavily from that setting. To the point each character has a shadow-type side.

I've been meaning to acquire Wraith, my current library is naught but Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Demon: The Fallen.

I've been meaning to get more sourcebooks, though. I have an idea that includes breaking the rules for a plotline and have an antagonist that draws powers from just about all sources.

[Krrth]

Heh. Look at the books that ended the edition. If you want to talk about breaking the rules.....See if you can find the book that deals with bane spirits. Those things can infect just about anything (except wraith...that line had been discontinued by the time this book came out).

[DeathQuaker]

(Apologies for repeating some stuff said; being completist...)

1) where do my books fit in, which edition?

Kindred of the East came out IIRC late during the Second Edition run. Hunter was "Revised"/Third Edition. Despite being slightly different editions, the two could work together though.

2) how do other editions work with the new stuff that's out now?

Canonically, not at all. The Old WoD was completely destroyed in official fluff written by White Wolf. Some of the very basic mechanical stuff like Merits and Flaws might be usable or adaptable.

3) Are there any WoD/Cthulhu crossover products using the story-teller system? Like, how to use Vampires to tell a CoC story? (or is it left to flavour of the storyteller?)

Nothing official, but if you have access to enough materials and a good imagination, you could probably liken the Cthuloids to the Malfeans or Greater Wyrm Beasts and go from there. And I'd probably be more inclined to use Mage or Werewolf to do a CoC crossover. Particularly Mages, as they're powerful yet crunchy, and can go mad by using their powers. Perfect stuff for something with a Lovecraftian flavor.

4) lots of build questions, actually, like how easily a vampire can collects different powers (disciplines I think they're called), like between cathayan and kindred; or if mages and vampires and werewolves can swap some abilities; or if there's a big book of lost disciplines for vampires out there, like that only methusalahs know and can teach rather than the ones unique to each clan.

As said, crossing over powers is a real no-no. There's usually even mechanical explanations for why some of this can't happen (because the designers knew someone would want to try to build a cyborg mummy werewolf mage).... mages who are vamped get separated from their Avatar and therefore lose their Magick (and go nuts to boot).... mages can't become werewolves because the werewolves effectively have a single "collective" avatar that is Gaia.... and likewise werewolves can't learn mage magic because their abilities work through the Gaia paradigm and not through the individual avatar paradigm of the Awakened (i.e. Gnosis based Gifts and Mage Spheres are incompatible). Fae have to be bound to the Dreaming, vampirism undoes that, and Fae have no Avatars because they're faefolk, not human... and likewise if you belong to the Dreaming you can't belong to Gaia... and so on. And nobody can have Wraith abilities because you have to be dead to have those. If a Mage or Vampire dies and becomes a Wraith, they just are rebuilt as Wraiths, with no abilities from life (and Changelings and Werewolves can't become Wraiths).

There is the earlier "crossover" of the Abomination... the Vampirized Werewolf, but they had no Gnosis (no Gifts) and some other serious problems.... and they were still generally considered so broken they were disregarded as the game's development progressed.

Also, it's not a great idea to do an extensive oldWoD crossover as the books weren't well designed to work like that (one of the reasons why they did the New WoD the way they did is so it was mechanically more consistent to crossover some things if you wanted)--you could borrow stuff from the different sourcebooks, but it was really best to stick to one series overall (I say this having played and STed a LOT of oWoD, both mega-crossovers and mostly-single-genre/game stories, and the mega-crossovers always got painful to play and run, where as the single genre ones worked well, with the other WoD races being NPCs managed by the GM).

All that said, as Krrth touches on, the only way you could have some crossover of powers is in the demi-supernatural realm. You definitely can't have a vampire mage, but you can have a ghoul who practices hedge magic. Or someone who is both kinfolk and kinain (though you can't have gnosis AND glamour, for the same reasons a werewolf or fae can't--and not all kinfolk and kinain have gnosis/glamour). Generally, any human who is NOT a full super can learn hedge magic or be ghouled. So you could have a ghoul kinfolk, kinfolk hedge mage, kinain hedge mage, etc. Part of this is because all of these subtypes can be taken as a Merit (so you can, say, build a Hedge Mage/Sorcerer and add the "Ghoul" Merit, etc.).

But even a supertwinked demi-supernatural character would still probably be torn apart by a full-on vampire, werewolf, mage, etc.

[Krrth]

But even a supertwinked demi-supernatural character would still probably be torn apart by a full-on vampire, werewolf, mage, etc.

...True. I do have fond memories of a Kinan sorcerer who was pretending to be a vampire though.

[TheElfLord]

Death Quaker is right I stand corrected, I thought they reprinted KotE for revised, but it only came out at the end of 2nd edition.

As to the superpowerful crossover, White Wolf made that mistake with Samuel Haight. This werewolf kinfolk became a ghoul, then discovered a ritual to turn himself into a werewolf by using the skins of slain werewolves. After that he acquired a staff that give him the powers of an awakened mage. About this time White Wolf said, "OMG what have we done" and killed him off, never to repeat that mistake. My advice, don't mess with mixing the power from multiple sorces unless it is the theme of the game and is meant to end badly for the mixers.

One of the DMs in our group loves to have crossovers. We normally see all the main groups (save the late comers hunter and demon) in our games. He is being quite restrained in our current werewolf game, while he's introduced several different fera breeds, they can technically be considered part of the werewolf world. Vampires are the only group he considers to have crossed over.

[Gavin Sage]

Just on doing Cthulu in the WoD.... the ST system is inherently flexible enough that you could construct entities appropriate for that mythos with existing rules. In the book "Dark Ages: Mage" there are stats and write-ups on dragons establishing them as magical creatures. Just change the fluff, appearence, and use that to generate your stats. This is for the Old WoD

nWoD, hasn't gotten that powerful yet. Vampires only have disciplines to 5 as far as I know. Still the system is inherently still flexible. In either case you have rules for madness so it just becomes a matter of rolling to cause them.

[fireinthedust]

Okay, so I've splurged and gotten my hands on copies of all the new books!

Wow, I like nWoD waaay better. Firstly, how the main book details character creation for *everybody*; if you want to go beyond investigator humans, you get a splatbook.

Mage: I really like what I see.

Vampire: oooo... wait, no. The clans. I think I'd prefer it if they had a generic "Cainite" vampire (pick a weakness and strength from a broad standard list), and then certain special bloodlines that allow easier access to specific disciplines. (example: Nosferatu, Setites, Gangrel, Malkavians (who aren't in it, grrr), Lasombra (see Malkavians), etc.) It could specify more refined lineages, like those "descended from Malkav" or something.
I just don't see why there's a distinction between ventrue and daeva vampires enough to make them mechanically different.
Anyway, other than that I'd have more extended organizations they can belong to (like how the mages have orders) that could also teach specific disciplines.
So really some minor tweaking to get what I want.

Werewolf: not there yet, though I'd likely tweak it somewhat; kinda like how I'd tweak the Vampires. I think having Breeds could be good (like those from the Black Forest, and those from Russia vs. American werewolves (in london? no?)).
Tribes I'd want to have as more of a local thing, like how in the Howling the group runs a retreat center. Meh, I dunno yet, but it should be more optional. Theoretically, if I was in a Buffy campaign, the party werewolf wouldn't be some obscure sneaky wolf-mage.

Granted, these criticisms are in light of having a mixed group. Like Buffy, but more serious.

I think the nWOD could benefit from a book that covers traits for non-major groups. Like supernatural mertis for non-mages.

All in all, though, I think it's a big improvement over the previous versions.

[DeathQuaker]

Mage: I really like what I see.

Just a warning: I have a friend--a veteran GM--who tried to run Mage: the Awakening and ran into LOADS of problems with the spellcasting system. None of the players were happy with the game, and it all boiled down to unclear rules and rules arguments, and most of the players had played White Wolf stuff for ages.

Now, you may have great luck with it, but just a note.

I've heard generally the other nWoD books don't run into this problem, and Vampire and Werewolf are pretty solid. I've heard Changeling is great too.

[Krrth]

The NWoD mage can be a little confusing, as rules may not be where you expect them to be. Spellcasting gets easier to understand once you get to the part about what is generally possible at each dot, not just looking at the examples.

Changeling is fun as well. It is however, much much darker than it's predecessor. Fun, but darker.

[Dragor]

Just a warning: I have a friend--a veteran GM--who tried to run Mage: the Awakening and ran into LOADS of problems with the spellcasting system. None of the players were happy with the game, and it all boiled down to unclear rules and rules arguments, and most of the players had played White Wolf stuff for ages.

Now, you may have great luck with it, but just a note.

I've heard generally the other nWoD books don't run into this problem, and Vampire and Werewolf are pretty solid. I've heard Changeling is great too.

I had exactly the same problem. It just didn't boil down to fun in the end. Too many rules, I got confused, especially after being used to the D&D spellcasting system. But that's probably why. I liked the fluff and the flavour, but when it boiled down to it we just felt we couldn't.... do much. Actually using your powers is so discouraged it's unbelievable. Some of us do want to use our powers without getting eaten by a void. That annoys me.

I don't know enough about Changeling, but my SM wants to buy Hunter, which sounded kinda cool.

[Krrth]

I had exactly the same problem. It just didn't boil down to fun in the end. Too many rules, I got confused, especially after being used to the D&D spellcasting system. But that's probably why. I liked the fluff and the flavour, but when it boiled down to it we just felt we couldn't.... do much. Actually using your powers is so discouraged it's unbelievable. Some of us do want to use our powers without getting eaten by a void. That annoys me.

I don't know enough about Changeling, but my SM wants to buy Hunter, which sounded kinda cool.

To be fair, it's only the obvious uses of power that get you eaten. "minor" changes are safe. Some paths have more problems than others withthis.....Obrimos have to be very, very careful. Moros and Acanthus, not so much.

[Thrud]

The NWoD mage can be a little confusing, as rules may not be where you expect them to be. Spellcasting gets easier to understand once you get to the part about what is generally possible at each dot, not just looking at the examples.

Changeling is fun as well. It is however, much much darker than it's predecessor. Fun, but darker.

I DESPISE the new Mage system. They took what was to my mind the greatest magic system ever created and then neutered it in the new system. FEH!

Ahem.

As to your other stuff, yes, your books are probably 3rd ed, no the new stuff isn't compatible, I know nothing about CoC used within WoD, and crossing over is tricky but can be rewarding if handled well.

All the rest of this applies to 2nd/3rd ed WoD rules.

As far as crossing over with Mage, you have to remember that Mages use true magic, everything else is static magic. A Mage doesn't have abilities that are defined. They just have ratings in the 9 different spheres of magic. Within certain guidlines you can do ANYTHING with that sphere. For instance matter 3 covers creating a small object out of nothing, converting one inanimate object into another, etc. Static magic is abilities powers that are defined. You activate X power and it produces Y effect. Once a Mage is awakened they just cannot learn static magic any more. So I would have a big problem with allowing anyone to be a Mage with any other powers. I even rule that if a true mage with any points in Prime drinks vampire vitae they just extract the quintessence and store it as quint with Entropy resonace. As for being kinfolk, well, I allow it but I don't allow them to have gnosis any more. However, with Prime 1, Spirit 1, they can create their own Gnosis out of Quintessence. And if they are Kin they can duplicate certain gifts as coincidental magic.

As others have pointed out, Mage being turned into a vamp = just a vamp, with no extra powers. Werewolves are born not made, and cannot be mages. Vamp embracing a werewolf, werewolf rolls his gnosis. Can't remember target number off the top of my head, but I think it is 5 or 6. 1 or more successes the werewolf just dies. 0 successes the werewolf dies slowly and agonizingly. BOTCHING the werewolf is turned into an abomination, and then can learn vampiric disciplines. They can never learn any new gifts, and they no longer have any rank. I am fairly sure they also can no longer cross the gauntlet into the Umbra. And spirits won't have anything to do with them. (Even Banes don't like 'em)

Mokole and Corax are children of Helios and cannot be embraced, period. They just die instantly. The other changing breeds would probably work out roughly similarly to Garou.

Virtually anything that dies could become a wraith, I suppose, but they have their own set of powers and abilities and don't really interact with the living world, so no worries there. I have never played Changeling, though I was interested. Just never got the chance. So I can't really help you there.

Hmm, I think I have covered all the possible crossovers. I had a long standing campaign that crossed over Mage/Werewolf/Vampire using 2nd ed (which is honestly pretty much the same as 3rd. Mostly just cosmetic rules changes.) So I have had lots of times that I have needed to houserule stuff. It was fun, but can be an awful lot of work.

Mage is to this day probably my favorite RPG of all time.

[Collin152]

Hmm, I think I have covered all the possible crossovers. I had a long standing campaign that crossed over Mage/Werewolf/Vampire using 2nd ed (which is honestly pretty much the same as 3rd. Mostly just cosmetic rules changes.) So I have had lots of times that I have needed to houserule stuff. It was fun, but can be an awful lot of work.

Demon.
In theory, couldn't a Demon possess some other supernatural?

[Krrth]

Demon.
In theory, couldn't a Demon possess some other supernatural?

That depends on what you mean by "Demon". A bane spirit can possess almost anything. A real demon (as in Demon: The Fallen)? Not so much. As I recall, they can only possess those who have no soul to begin with....such as the recently dead, or those with "diminished" faculties. In other words, the get the body but nothing else.

[Collin152]

That depends on what you mean by "Demon". A bane spirit can possess almost anything. A real demon (as in Demon: The Fallen)? Not so much. As I recall, they can only possess those who have no soul to begin with....such as the recently dead, or those with "diminished" faculties. In other words, the get the body but nothing else.

Demon the Fallen, yeah.

I thought the point of Vampires and other supernaturals being mutually exclusive was that they lacked souls, thus making them prime targets for demonic possesion?

[Selrahc]

Just a note on the Cthulhu thing. In the new world of darkness there are quite a lot of Cthulhuesque monsters you can fight. Two books leap to mind immediately, Predators an expansion book for werewolf which mainly details spirits, but whose last chapter deals with wierd cthulhuesque monstrosities that aren't related to the spirit world. And Second Sight(Which I seem to bring up every thread!), whose last chapter is concerned with cultists and the dark beings they worship.

[Krrth]

Demon the Fallen, yeah.

I thought the point of Vampires and other supernaturals being mutually exclusive was that they lacked souls, thus making them prime targets for demonic possesion?

...Iffy. Vampires still have souls, but they are locked. As evidence, I present the fact that vampires can become wraiths upon death. It's rather rare, but it can happen.
For Demon:The Fallen, "Soul" is basically a personality. If free will is involved, they cannot be possessed.

[AngelSword]

I was recently roped into starting a World of Darkness game, and have thus spent way too much money on getting the books necessary for all of the roles the party wants. Thus far, I've liked what I've seen. But I have run into a bit of a problem.

I need to rethink my DMing style.

All of my experience in running games have always revolved around swords, sorcery, and a fictitious world only vaguely like our own. That's not the case here. I have no idea what to throw at the party, nor do I know how to properly challenge them. Can anyone give a new Storyteller some advice?

[Krrth]

I was recently roped into starting a World of Darkness game, and have thus spent way too much money on getting the books necessary for all of the roles the party wants. Thus far, I've liked what I've seen. But I have run into a bit of a problem.

I need to rethink my DMing style.

All of my experience in running games have always revolved around swords, sorcery, and a fictitious world only vaguely like our own. That's not the case here. I have no idea what to throw at the party, nor do I know how to properly challenge them. Can anyone give a new Storyteller some advice?

Pick one of the types, and don't do crossovers until you've mastered whichever you chose. Best advice I can give yo.

[Thrud]

Pick one of the types, and don't do crossovers until you've mastered whichever you chose. Best advice I can give yo.

DANGER! WALL OF TEXT AHEAD, AIMED AT GIVING TIPS TO 1ST TIME ST

Yeah, I would agree for a starting ST. Stick to one game until you really understand the nuances. Crossovers can be fun but take a lot of homebrewing to balance.

As for ST style, well, a WoD storyteller is pretty different from a D&D style game. I know I am going to be jumped on here, but I am just going to come out and say it. D&D is based on combat. Certainly you can roleplay with it, and even do it well. (I think 3ed was great for this because of being such a skills based game, but that might be just me.) Still, whatever else you say about roleplaying possibilities the game revolves around combat. Experience is based on combat, and everything really revolves around killing stuff. In a storyteller game that is just not the case. In D&D the DM can give discretionary XP for roleplaying, or you can even homebrew something up giving leveled awards for certain non combat actions. But that is homebrew stuff. In Storyteller the XP awards are very different. You will, on average, recieve 1XP just for playing. 1XP for doing a good job roleplaying. 1XP for being in a dangerous situation, (with possibly 1 more XP if it was really really dangerous with major effect on the game world) and there is a vote taken at the end of the game for best roleplayer of the session who will recieve an extra XP. You are of course free to modify this as you wish, but you can see that it is quite possible to never get into combat and still increase your characters power.

A few traps to avoid. The game specifically prohibits anyone starting with more than 3 dots in any ability (skill/talent/knowledges) It says you MAY allow players to spend freebie points to increase these above 3. But this can only be done with freebies, NOT the discretionary points.) Merits and flaws. The game only allows players to take 7 points of flaws to gain more freebies. It also says you MAY allow them to instead take any 2 flaws. Even starting Attributes I would suggest not letting players have a 5 in anything to begin with, unless they have a very good reason in their character background.

If you are playing mage, make sure you remember that no sphere may have a rating higher than starting Arete, and be careful with familiars. They are incredibly powerful. And have FUN with Paradox. It is the only limiting factor to Mages, so make it painful, and make it have major roleplaying effects. Mages sink into Quiet as they gain paradox, and they become separated from the real world. And that is without their paradox grounding out as flaws that last for as long as you want them to.

In a vampire game make sure you keep track of their humanity. It is there for a reason. Don't let humanity rolls slide. They are an essential mechanic. And I suggest not allowing disciplines to start higher than a 3. (Once again this is possible with freebies, but can cause issues). Also, remember that for a vampire NOT to look waxy and lifeless, they must spend an amount of blood equal to 8-humanity. IF they do that, then for the scene they will be breathing, their cheeks will be pink, they are warm to the touch etc. But it is important to remember that if a character is NOT breathing then they can give themselves away in interesting ways. Like on a cold day they don't have a plume of breath in front of them. Or can be icy cold to the touch. On hot days they don't sweat. And a fun one I like to use, if they are not breathing then their sense of smell is going to be REALLY lousy. It takes air moving through the nasal passages to let you smell. IF you have a humanity of 8, then you can maintain that look all the time. Any less than that and you are using up your most precious resource. Blood.

One more thing, in a vampire game I STRONGLY suggest that you don't allow generations of less than 10. The 10th-13th generation can only spend 1 blood per turn. 9th and 8th can spend more, and that can become overpowered REALLY quickly. It is probable that starting players might not know that to begin with, but it will become apparant over time.

In werewolf, likewise, rage is very important, so keep track of the PCs frenzying. If a player has a Rage higher than their Gnosis, then they have that psycopath feel to them when they are around ordinary humans. If they spend too much time around ordinary humans when they have a high rage, then humans WILL get freaked out. And that is current gnosis, not max gnosis. If their willpower is not higher than their rage then they may well not remember their frenzies. And remember, in werewolf the Delerium is NOT a blank check to let Garou run around in Crinos form. Yes, humans will be freaked, and probably not remember exactly what happened, but the more the party runs around relying on the Delirium to make people forget, the more it will lead others to them. Also, remember, the delirium has no effect on mages, vampires, etc. But come up with some good stories for Rationalization though. Since the human mind won't accept Werewolves (Except at a willpower of 10) they see them as other things. One of my favorites, and a running gag in the game, was that they were seen as terrorists in gorilla suits. They even had an FBI unit after them.

Those are some of the more common issues I have seen starting STs have. If you let me know which game in particular you are interested in playing I might be able to help more. HOWEVER, I have never STed Wraith(just played it) and I have never even played Changeling or Demon.

Hope this helps a little.