City Gangrel

Discussion about the game: rules, character descriptions, questions, etc
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Joshua
Gibbering
Posts: 2987
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:59 pm

Re: City Gangrel

Post by Joshua »

Okay, wow...

Let's start by pointing out Haven of Soil is Protean 2, Feral Claws (formerly Wolf Claws) is Protean 3. Yes they are swapped from oWoD.

Next, the wings sprout from your shoulders gargoyle (Disney) style, but are not made of stone.

Third, these are NOT Sabbat City Gangrel. If it makes you feel better, we can change the name, I just couldn't think of anything better. The next best name given was Tensers. (Tenser as an alien resident of a city.)

They are based on hiding, blending in, not making waves, and vanishing into a city. Why the bloodline founder was so terrified has not been revealed, as is why he made two childer as a smoke screen to deal with whatever was chasing him. (Or at least, that is what people may want to be asking. What gangrel chooses flight over fight, and why?)

Onto Obfuscate:
the initial inspiration for the alteration of Obfuscate in the manner: Melissidae Animalism.

If you have a copy of Bloodlines the Legendary, open it up and read Melissidae, then turn to page 110, and read their take on animalism. Note they use Animalism in devotions to make hive minds, see through an insects eyes, cause pain with a touch, construct hives out of ghouls, and bee hives in their lungs.

This is not normal obfuscate, although most of the changes are cosmetic.. (no pun intended). A "normal" gangrel cannot learn obfuscate and recreate these devotions. They are bloodline specific. As unique to the bloodline as a bloodline specific discipline would be.

So as a chameleon, blending in power, it allows some form of manipulation of self. The Gargoyle form is an expression of that chameleon mentality. It's also based relatively on the cartoon of the same name. You turn to stone when you face the sun. It's possible it just changes your skin to a thin layer of stone, more than likely, the blood used to activate it bleeds out your pores and hardens into a sunlight proof shell. Mechanically, it's not much better than Haven of Soil. A human with a sledgehammer can break it. (Unless I screwed up with the harness amount, in which case it should be lowered.)

Likewise, the wings are intended as a cheap and less broad version of partial transformation. (They are indeed bat wings, and due to the square-cubed law, don't allow flight.) The blending in effect and desire for flight (fleeing) gives a shortcut to flight in the same way that the desire to kill and fight allows for sprouting of claws before partial transformation.

For the clan flaw, it does only replace anger frenzy. Hunger frenzies are unaffected. Also, as much as I'd say it sucks, there are three things that mitigate it. First, for 7 xp, as an ordo, the first coil of the beast means you never have to worr about frenzy so long as you have one will left. Second, a fear frenzy, while it may get you out of a combat or embarrass you, is unlikely to get you killed. (compare to anger frenzying on an elder when you really should be running for your life). Third, there's a lot of gangrel options for letting their beast out and letting it infuse them with its anger, this opens a similar number of bloodline specific options dealing with fear.

The main concern, of course, is that if that's not what you want to play, it really really sucks.
duncan
Needs a Guide
Posts: 45
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:24 am

Re: City Gangrel

Post by duncan »

Agreed. These were my basic thoughts, that "City Gangrel" is an ultimate city survivor, not fighter. They blend in better than the average mook with obfuscate. For that the fear frenzy thing makes a lot of sense. Of course I will likely be working to overcome this drawback, in character, which should amuse...
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