Not precisely Traits, as they have no numerical rating, a character\u2019s core beliefs nevertheless drive their story. For that reason, they have mechanical effects in the game, which exist to depict and play out exactly that drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each character begins with one to three Convictions<\/em>: human values they attempt to uphold even after death. \u25a0\u25a0 Thou shalt not kill Incurring Stains in the service of your Convictions mitigate some of the Stains, see p 239. Each vampire begins with as many Touchstones as Convictions: humans who represent what you used to value in life, someone who represents or seems to incarnate one of your Convictions. If lost, the Conviction is lost as well. \u25a0\u25a0 Your surviving human spouse, lover, or parent Touchstones provide links to and mechanical support for your Humanity; see p. 239 for detailed rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not precisely Traits, as they have no numerical rating, a character\u2019s core beliefs nevertheless drive their story. For that reason, they have mechanical effects in the game, which exist to depict and play out exactly that drama. Convictions Each character begins with one to three Convictions: human values they attempt to uphold even after death. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-784","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":785,"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/784\/revisions\/785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/msika.fr\/vampires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The specifics of these Convictions are up to the player. They might reflect a religious code, a personal ethical core, a vampiric path, or just things the character does or balks at doing without ever really considering their philosophical weight. The Storyteller should feel free to reject suggested Convictions on the grounds of taste or of suitability for the type of story they intend.
Some example Convictions might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25a0\u25a0 Kill only the unworthy\/unbelievers\/in fair combat\/in self-defense
\u25a0\u25a0 Never expose children to violence
\u25a0\u25a0 Love thy neighbor as thyself
\u25a0\u25a0 Disobedience is dishonor
\u25a0\u25a0 Protect the innocent from harm
\u25a0\u25a0 Courage is the highest virtue
\u25a0\u25a0 Always keep your sworn word
\u25a0\u25a0 The truth is sacred; thou shalt not lie
\u25a0\u25a0 Slavery is evil
\u25a0\u25a0 Obey authority
\u25a0\u25a0 My country, right or wrong
\u25a0\u25a0 None may control me
\u25a0\u25a0 Never do drugs (or drink alcohol)
\u25a0\u25a0 Thou shalt not torture
\u25a0\u25a0 The guilty must be punished
\u25a0\u25a0 From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs
\u25a0\u25a0 Rob from the rich, give to the poor
\u25a0\u25a0 Reject wealth, for it corrupts
\u25a0\u25a0 Never act against another (insert own group\/faith\/sect)
\u25a0\u25a0 Always aid women in need
\u25a0\u25a0 Stand up for the disenfranchised
\u25a0\u25a0 Respect (insert religion here) as sacred and obey its moral laws<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Violating a Conviction may also, at the Storyteller\u2019s discretion, incur one or more Stains as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTouchstones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A Touchstone must be a living human being; connecting to Humanity through the inhuman is, at the very least, going the long way around.
A Touchstone might be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u25a0\u25a0 Your human child, or (for older vampires) a descendant of your family line
\u25a0\u25a0 A human who looks exactly like someone you loved in life
\u25a0\u25a0 A human you admired in life or their descendant
\u25a0\u25a0 A human related to someone you killed very early in your unlife: someone you swore you didn\u2019t have to kill because you aren\u2019t a monster, not really
\u25a0\u25a0 Someone you have come to recognize as a rare decent person even in your eyes: a volunteer at the animal shelter, a priest, a nurse, a social worker, a nice old lady in the neighborhood
\u25a0\u25a0 Someone who represents something you once held dear in life and still cling to: a soldier, a baseball player, a musician or artist, clergy from your faith
\u25a0\u25a0 Someone who guards, symbolizes, or protects a thing you value: the doorman of the building you used to live in, the cop on your old beat, a crusading reporter, the single mom living in your childhood home, the caretaker who sweeps your gravesite<\/p>\n\n\n\n