E M E R A L D  C I T Y  C H R O N I C L E S

Nature & Demeanor: You don't spend XP on this, but if you want to one day attempt a Nature or Demeanor change for your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change.

Attributes level 1-3. These can be self-taught. Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. Easy. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, Attributes cost Current Rating x4.

Attributes level 4-5. These need a teacher. If you don't have a  teacher for this level of attribute, you can't raise it, so if you're stuck for ideas, talk to a storyteller before you email paperwork at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. If you do have a teacher, use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. If another player's character is teaching your character, you need to send an email to vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com stating this, and they must reply-all and confirm. If they do, you're set. If you don't include another player in that kind of spend (in that particular example) we can't approve the spend. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, Attributes cost Current Rating x4. More about Attributes & Abilities Errata here.

Attributes above 5. Outside of game scope. 

Abilities level 1-3. Like attributes, the lower levels can be self-taught. Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. Easy. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. (We also use this XP scale for Background costs.) More about Attributes & Abilities Errata here.

Abilities level 4-5. These need a teacher. If you don't have a  teacher for this level of ability, you can't raise it, so if you're stuck for ideas, talk to a storyteller before you email paperwork at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. If you do have a teacher, use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. If another player's character is teaching your character, you need to send an email to vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com stating this, and they must reply-all and confirm. If they do, you're set. If you don't include another player in that kind of spend (in that particular example) we can't approve the spend. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, the first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. (We also use this XP scale for Background costs.) More about Attributes & Abilities Errata here.

Abilities above 5. Outside of game scope.

* Please note: Languages and Lores are Merits in V20, not Knowledges.

In Clan Disciplines level 1-5. Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. Easy. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, the first dot of a new Discipline costs 10XP and all subsequent dots of in Clan disciplines cost Current Rating x5. More about Discipline Errata here.

In Clan Disciplines above 5. Outside of game scope. 

Out of Clan Disciplines level 1-3. These need a teacher for whom the discipline. This teacher may only teach a Discipline that is in-clan for them. If you don't have a  teacher for this level of attribute, you can't raise it, so if you're stuck for ideas, talk to a storyteller before you email paperwork at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. If you do have a teacher, use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. If another player's character is teaching your character, you need to send an email to vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com stating this, and they must reply-all and confirm. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, the first dot of a new Discipline costs 10XP and all subsequent dots of an out of clan Discipline costs Current Rating x7.More about Discipline Errata here.

Out of Clan Disciplines above 3. Outside of game scope. 

Caitiff Disciplines level 1-5. What is 'in clan' for Caitiff is pre-selected at character creation. Only those 3 disciplines are considered in clan for Caitiff.  Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. Easy. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Discipline costs 10XP and all subsequent dots of Caitiff Disciplines cost Current Rating x6.More about Discipline Errata here.

Caitiff Disciplines above 5. Outside of game scope.

In-Clan Combo-Disciplines. Combo disciplines are unique to each Clan and can never be learned by any other Clan. Some combo-disciplines are unique to other Sects, such as the Sabbat and are not available to vampires in rival sects without spending Concept Rarity at character creation. To learn an in-clan combo-discipline is a two step proccess; research & mastery.

• You must first submit a combo-discipline or ritual research downtime to research the existence of a particular combo-discipline. Once you have succeded at the research downtime, staff will send you an email to confirm this. If you have a teacher who already knows this combo-discipline, then you may skip this step and email email the paperwork storyteller at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com with the combo-discipline teacher defined, ("My character has been taught by this player about this Combo-Discipline. I've CC'd that player to confirm / OR am using my Mentor to learn about the existence of the in-clan Combo-Discipline.")

• Then you must submit a downtime to master the combo-discipline. It's possible to use a PC or Mentor to assist with this as well, by adding 1/2 thier Mentor rating or Occult rating to this check, and you must indicate that in your mastery downtime. Once you have succeded at that downtime, staff will send you an email to confirm this. Forward that email to the paperwork storyteller at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com and request to spend XP on the combo-discipline. Then use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to purchase it.Each combo discipline has a unique XP cost that is defined in the Lore of the Clans V20 book. More about Discipline Errata here.

Out of Clan Combo-Disciplines. Outside of game scope. You get your Clan's stuff only at our game, which defends and highlights your build.

New Paths. V20 does an excellent job of defining which Thaumaturgical, Sorcery and Necromancy each Kindred Clan has access to precisely which Paths, both in the Core book, and in the Rites of the Blood. Anything outside of those well-defined limits are not available to PCs without spending Concept Rarity at character creation. To learn a new Path is a two step process; research & mastery. 

• You must first submit research downtime(s) to research the existence of a particular path. Once you have completed the research of the path, you must then submit a downtime(s) to master the Path. For more information on research and mastery downtimes click here.

• Once you have succeeded in the research and mastery, you will receive a confirmation email from staff. Forward that email to the paperwork storyteller vampire.paper@emeraldchronicles.com and use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. According to pg. 124 of the V20 core book, the first dot of a new Path costs 7XP and additional dots of a Secondary path cost the current rating x4. More about Paths and Rituals Errata here.

Rituals -  Most Rituals are unique to each particular paradigm of magic and can never be learned by any other type of spellcaster. V20 does an excellent job of defining which Thaumaturgical, Sorcery and Necromancy each Kindred Clan and Sect has access to precisely which rituals, both in the Core book, and in the Rites of the Blood. Anything outside of those well-defined limits are not available to PCs without spending Concept Rarity at character creation.Some Rituals are unique to other Sects, such as the Sabbat and are not available to vampires in rival sects without spending Concept Rarity at character creation.

• To learn an in-clan, in-paradigm, Ritual you must first submit research downtime(s) to research the existence of a particular ritual. Once you have completed the research of the ritual, you must then submit a downtime(s) to master the ritual. For more information on research and mastery downtimes click here.

• Once you have succeeded in the research and mastery, you will receive a confirmation email from staff. Forward that email to the paperwork storyteller vampire.paper@emeraldchronicles.com and use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. According to pg. 137 of the Rites of the Blood, for Tremere, learning a new Thaumaturgy ritual costs ritual level x2. The same rules apply for any character who has Necromancy as an in-Clan discipline and who wishes to learn a new Necromancy ritual. For all characters for whom Thaumaturgy and/or Necromancy are not Clan-favored (such as Setites, Assamites, etc.) the cost is ritual level x3 and to ritual level x4 for all other characters. More about Paths and Rituals Errata here.

Allies - Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP and define the Ally's Name, and the Skills or Influences associated with them and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Allies here.

Alternate ID - Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP and define the Alternate Identity's Name, and then email the storytellers at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com any details you want associated with the identity's backstory. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Alt ID here.

Anarch Information Network- To raise this Background, Anarchs must have Rep (Anarch Status) equal to the number they are attempting to raise it to. If this prerequisite is met, Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Anarch Info X-change here.

Business - First define the business Perk with the storytellers at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. You need to decide on the business name  (no real names please) an address where it will be located (it needn't be a real business location) and the perk that will be gained by owning a business. Then you need to decide if you'll be growing a business or purchasing it outright. Growing a business takes rolls to accumulate successes. Purchasing a business requires a certain Resources rating, that is 'tapped' while the Business is being purchased. Once that has been defined with the storytellers, Submit a downtime to grow or purchase this business. If grown, no XP is spent on the background.. More about Business here.

Communal Haven - This Background can be purchased by any number of dots from 1-5 per character all at once, and can be joined together with other character's dots. There are three 'tracks' of Communal Haven (4 if you are a Tremere), Size, Security and Luxury and Tremere characters may also purchase a unique track called Library. Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it and define the address of the haven (It needn't be a real house's location, any address in the area you want it to exist in will do, regardless of what is there in 'real life') then you need to specify how many levels of the Communal Haven Background will be put into Size, Security, and Luxury, (and possibly Library) and request to spend the XP to raise it.

• If you ever completely move an actual haven or where you're staying permenantly for some reason, we will need to know the new address and the haven dot configuration.  

We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Communal Haven here.

Contacts - Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it and define the Contact's Name, and the Influence associated with them and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Contacts here.

Domain - These need the player of the Prince to grant them. If the Prince hasn't granted your character Domain, you can't raise it, so if you want Domain, you must wheel and deal in-character with the player of the Prince to get it. The Prince may grant multiple dots of Domain at once. If the Prince does grant your character Domain, email the paperwork storyteller at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com with the request to add it to your sheet, ("My character has gotten some Domain from the Prince and gains X dots of the Domain background. I've CC'd that player to confirm.") and request to raise it. The Prince player then needs to respond and confirm. If they do, you're set. If you don't include that player in that kind of email we can't approve the addition. No XP is spent on this background. More about Domain here.

Fame - If you want to one day raise the Fame rating for your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Fame here.

Generation - The only way this changes after character creation is either a successful Diablerie of another vampire, or a certain Assamite ritual. First commit diablerie in-game or request a roll for the ritual (if your character has it). Email vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and the staff will confirm (or deny) the success of either of these, and paperwork will update the sheet. No generation can drop below 8th at our game, ever, regardless of the method. More about Generation here.

Herd - Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Herd here.

Influence - Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it and for the 1st, 3rd and 5th levels define the Influence sphere. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities per pg. 124 of the V20 book. The first dot of a new Background costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Backgrounds cost Current Rating x2. More about Influences here.

Mentor - The first time you purchase a Mentor, you must pre-define it's rating with the Storytellers at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. We will work with you to define the name, flavor and type of Mentor, based on the guidelines in the V20 core book and your character's backround. You will not be able to raise (or decrease) Mentor's rating with XP. Once the Mentor's rating is set, story could potentially modify their standing (or existance) in the world. The full cost of the pre-defined Mentor level must be paid up front before the Mentor can be used.

• Once you have defined the level and basic details of the Mentor with the storytellers, Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it all of the levels of it that we have discussed all at once. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2.

• Once the paperwork storyteller has confirmed that the purchase of the mentor is complete, email storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com with an in-character letter written from your character's perspective, with whatever request you have of that mentor. Staff will respond in-character, allowing staff to craft a persona for the NPC and define the kind of relationship that the character's have.

• Future requests of the mentor should usually also be handled with an in-character letter to the storytelling staff, along with the method you will be using to gain the mentor's assistance, be it Boon, or XP spend.

• PC mentors (other player's characters in the game) don't need any of this. They just need to confirm anything they are teaching you in an email to staff. More about mentors here. 

Resources -  If you want to one day raise your Resources background rating for your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that, and likely make some Finance rolls with you. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Resources here.

Retainers - Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. and define the Retainer's Name, and the Skills, Merit or Influences associated with them and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Retainers here.

Status - (Limited by Caste rarity bead draw) Once a character enters play, these need the player of the Prince to grant them any additional dots of status. If the Prince hasn't granted your character Status, you can't raise that trait for your character, so if you want more Status, you must wheel and deal in-character with the player of the Prince to get it. The Prince may grant multiple dots of Status at once. Not even the Prince can raise your character's Status above thier Caste limit for the game, which is based on the Caste rarity bead draw done at character creation. Common caste is limited to status 2, Uncommon is limited to status 4 and Rare is limited to status 5. If the Prince does grant your character additional Status, email the paperwork storyteller at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com with the request to add it to your sheet, ("My character has gotten some Status from the Prince and gains X dots of the Status background. I've CC'd that player to confirm.") and request to raise it. The Prince player then needs to respond and confirm. If they do, you're set. If you don't include that player in that kind of email we can't approve the addition. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Status here.

Titles (Clan) - (Limited to levels 1-4) Once a character enters play, these need the player of their Clan's Leader to grant them any Clan Titles. If the Clan Leader hasn't granted your character a Title, you can't purchase it, so if you want a Clan Title, you must wheel and deal in-character with the player of the Clan Leader to get it. The Clan Leader may grant one Title per Clanmate. Not even the Clan Leader can grant your character's a Title above thier Title's rank, which is 4.

• Each Clan Title has a responsibility and an authority, which must be defined. If the Clan Leader does grant your character a Clan Title, email the paperwork storyteller at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com with the request to add it to your sheet, ("My character has gotten a Title from the Clan Leader and gains an X dot Clan Title, whose responsibility is Y and authority is related to Z. I've CC'd that player to confirm.") and request to purchase it. The Clan Leader player then needs to respond and confirm. If they do, use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to purchase the title.. If you don't include that player in that kind of email we can't approve the addition.

• To become a Clan Leader (AKA Clan Head), you must gain a consensus from the characters playing the Clan and express that to the storytellers as a group. Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it, once a storyteller confirms there is an OOC consensus. Per the V20 core book, each dot of a Clan Title must be purchased all at once, and the cost is 1XP per dot of the title. More about Titles here.

Titles (Sect) - (Limited to levels 1-5) Once a character enters play, they need the player of the Prince  to grant them any Sect Titles. If the Prince hasn't granted your character a Title, you can't purchase it, so if you want a Title in the Camarilla, you must wheel and deal in-character with the player of the Prince to get it. The Prince may grant one Title per character. Not even the Prince can grant your character's a Title above thier Title's rank, which is 5. Each Clan Title has a responsibility and an authority, which is pre-defined in the V20 books. If the Prince does grant your character a Clan Title, email the paperwork storyteller at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com with the request to add it to your sheet, ("My character has gotten a Title from the Prince and gains an X dot Title. I've CC'd that player to confirm.") and request to purchase it. The Prince player then needs to respond and confirm. If they do, use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to purchase the title. If you don't include the prince player in that kind of email we can't approve the addition.

• To become Prince, your character must take and hold Praxis for a consecutive number of weeks (or perhaps months, depending on circumstances) without being unseated, and staff must feel that there is a general consensus not to unseat them. Per the V20 core book, each dot of a Title must be purchased all at once, and the cost is 1XP per dot of the title. More about Titles here.

Chantry (Tremere only - Library track) - Only Tremere players may purchase this. Use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. This is a function of a Tremere's communal haven, discussed below: More about the Chantry Background here. (tremere clan section)

Memento de Morte (Giovanni only) - Only Giovanni players may purchase this background, ever. If you want to one day raise the Memento de Morte rating for your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Clan Only Backgrounds here. 

Mortal Backrounds - You have to be playing a mortal or ghoul who has spent Concept Rarity at character creation in order to qualfy for any of the backgrounds from The Hunter's Hunted II. If you want to one day raise a Mortal background rating for your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Mortal Only background here.

Nosferatu Information Network - To raise this Background, Nosferatu must have a Clan Title equal to the number they are growing to. If this prerequisite is met, use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. Nos Info Network otherwise uses the Anarch Information X-Change rules. More about Anarch Info X-change here.

Spirit Slaves (Giovanni only) - Only Giovanni players may purchase this background, ever. If you want to one day raise the Spirit Slaves rating for your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. We charge the same cost for Backgrounds as Abilities. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, The first dot of a new Ability costs 3XP and all subsequent dots of Abilities cost Current Rating x2. More about Clan Only Backgrounds here.

Virtues - If you want to one day attempt to raise the Virtues of your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then you need to use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, raising Virtues cost Current Rating x2,and do not raise any of the associated derived values, such as Humanity or Willpower (those must be raised seperately).

Humanity/Paths - If you want to one day attempt to raise the Humanity of your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, send an email to vampire.paperwork@emearldchronicles.com and request your sheet be updated. Staff will chime in and approve the spend. Then you must use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it.

• Paths require a Mentor in our game. We'd suggest s Level 3 or higher Mentor for this kind of request. Once the Mentor has been selected staff will put your character on a series of quests (given by the NPC) set to illustrate the tenets of the path. Staff's expectation is that the transition to a Path will take about 1 year from the time the Mentor begins teaching, with a new quest about every couple of months, leading up to the change.  As you might expect, not every Path is open for use in a Camarilla Modern Nights setting and starting with a character on a Path always requires Concept Rarity to spend. Paths unique to specific Clans are Uncommon to that Clan (all vampires start on Humanity at the Embrace because they start out as humans). Some Paths of Enlightenment are decidedly Sabbat or Inconnu or specific Clan oriented, and may be Rare, or simply Out of Scope for the game. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. 

• Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, raising Humanity costs the Current Rating in XP. It should be noted that per the book, raising Virtues after character creation does not raise any of the associated derived values, such as Humanity or Willpower (those must be raised seperately).

Blood Pool - Your character's maximum blood pool is only raisable if they lower their Generation Background. The only way this changes after character creation is either a successful Diablerie of another vampire, or a certain Assamite ritual. First commit diablerie in-game or request a roll for the ritual (if your character has it). Email vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and the staff will confirm (or deny) the success of either of these, and paperwork will update the sheet. No generation can drop below 8th at our game, ever, regardless of the method. More about Generation here.

Willpower - If you want to one day attempt to raise the permenant Willpower of your character, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then you must use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to raise it. Per pg. 124 of the V20 core book, raising Humanity costs the Current Rating in XP. It should be noted that per the book, raising Virtues after character creation does not raise any of the associated derived values, such as Humanity or Willpower (those must be raised seperately)..

Merits - In most case we do not allow new Merits to be purchased with XP after character creation, however there are a few exceptions to this, such as Languages and Lores, detailed separately. If you think there is some exception that is merited, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll consider guiding you toward a story about that, however please set your expectations beforehand that in most cases we will decline to do so. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then you must use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to purchase the Merit. We charge the Rating x3 cost for Merits after character creation with XP. We charge 3XP and all subsequent dots of the worth of a Merit costs Current Rating x3, so a Merit bought with xp would follow that progression per dot of the Merit, but would need to be purchased all at once. More about Merit & Flaw Errata here.

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Merits (Languages) - These need a teacher. If you don't have a  teacher for this trait, you can't purchase it, so if you're stuck for ideas, talk to a storyteller before you email paperwork at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. If you do have a teacher, email the paperwork storyteller at vampire.paperwork@emeraldchronicles.com with the teacher defined, ("My character has trained along side this other character and learns French. I'd like to buy the Language Merit French for my character. I've CC'd that player to confirm / OR am using my Mentor/ Or am using my Ally / OR have used a previous Influence action successfully to find a teacher / OR some other thing the staff has approved to learn this.") and request to spend the XP to purchase it. If a player is teaching your character, they need to respond and confirm. If they do, you must then use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to purchase it. If you don't include another player in that kind of spend (in that particular example) we can't approve the spend. Per pg. 484 of the V20 core book, a Language is a 1 point merit. We charge 3XP and all subsequent dots of the worth of a Merit costs Current Rating x3, so a Merit bought with xp would follow that progression per dot of the Merit, but would need to be purchased all at once. so a new Language costs 3xp, total. More about Merit & Flaw Errata here.

Merits (Lores) - Lores are either Common, Uncommon or Rare to your character, based on their build. Some Lores are about other Sects, Clans or even different kinds of Supernatural creatures, such as the Sabbat, and are not available to vampires in rival sects without spending Concept Rarity at character creation.

• You must first submit research downtime(s) to research the existence of a particular Lore. Once you have completed the research of the lore, you must then submit a downtime(s) to master the lore. For more information on research and mastery downtimes click here.

• Once you have succeeded in the research and mastery, you will receive a confirmation email from staff. Forward that email to the paperwork storyteller vampire.paper@emeraldchronicles.com and use the Experience Expenditure form  and request to spend the XP to purchase it. Common Lores cost 3 xp, Uncommon Lores cost 6 xp, and Rare Lores cost 9xp. More about Merit & Flaw Errata here.

Flaws - If you want to one day attempt to buy off a Flaw on your character sheet, you need to talk to the Storytellers about it first. We'll guide you toward a story about that. Contact us about that at storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com. Once the story is complete, then you would email paperwork at vampire.paperwork@chronicles.com and request the sheet be updated. Storytelling staff will chime in and approve the change. Then you must use the Experience Expenditure form and request to spend the XP to remove the Flaw. We charge 3XP for the first dot and all subsequent dots of the worth of a Merit costs Current Rating x3, so a Merit bought with xp would follow that progression per dot of the Merit, but would need to be purchased all at once. More about Merit & Flaw Errata here.