Official rules and differnet VTES based game concepts
In addition to the standard rules, there are several variants that have been made to make different games based on the VTES Concept. On this page you'll find links to different rules and game variants.
1. The standard Vampire the Eternal Struggle rules
- the way it's meant to be played
2. Create-a-Clan rules and tools
- build your own clan and vampires
3. Team Jyhad
- 6 people showed up? Play team Jyhad!
Create-a-Clan
THE RULES
Disclaimer
The rules below have no association with the actual vampire design method. This set of rules has been selected as a framework in which vampires could be created. There are many such frameworks. This particular one was chosen more or less arbitrarily from the myriad of ones that could be considered reasonable. It is not the framework used by the WW card designers (myself among them). No guarantee is made that any point cost specifications given below match or even approximate the "point costs" applied by the designers when designing cards for WW. The net.rep (that's me again) is free to silently ignore all messages which contain any attempts to tie the framework described below with the design of vampires printed by WW in regards to questions about the latter (or may choose to respond, of course). This framework is provided for fun, not for ammunition. :-)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Ben Peal for the Create-A-Clan format idea and for laying the groundwork for these rules.
Thanks to Scott Johnson for this page's contents which are more or less completely stolen from him
OVERVIEWYou make a crypt of up to 12 vampires (you may use fewer if you wish to double-up some of them in your deck). Each vampire is designed according to the rules below, basically getting 1 level of Discipline per capacity (a superior Discipline counts as two levels, as usual). Instead of additional levels of Disciplines, you may also give a vampire a special ability (like +1 intercept). When you're done, you build a library from your regular V:TES cards and a crypt from your custom crypt.
The basic rules are included below. Some sections have links to more advanced construction rules.
DETAILSCLAN AND CRYPT
The clan must have a name and default sect.
All vampires in crypt must be of that clan (except to include some bloodines, see below, and up to 1 Caitiff). The rules marked with "(Whole Set)" below apply to your set of vampires as a whole (including bloodlines and/or Caitiff).
At least 75% of the vampires of that clan must be of the default sect for that clan. (That's 9 of 12 if you don't have any duplicates, Caitiff, or bloodlines in your crypt. "At least" means that you must round fractions up to the next integer.)
All vampires must have unique names. Vampires with the same name will contest.
Keep the names clean. Vampires (and other cards) with offensive or vulgar names, as determined soley by the discretion of the judge, will be burned upon entering play just as if the vampire (or other card) would self-contest.
Building the Crypt:
You may only use the vampires you have created.
You must use all of the vampires you have created.
You may have no more than 2 copies of each vampire in your crypt.
POINT ALLOWANCE
Vampires get points to spend on disciplines, titles, attributes, and specials as follows, based on the capacity of the vampire:
2 capacity: 1 point
3 capacity: 2 points
4 capacity: 3 points
5 capacity: 5 points
6 capacity: 6 points
7 capacity: 8 points
8 capacity: 9 points
9 capacity: 11 points
10 capacity: 12 points
11 capacity: 14 points
Each vampire need not spend all of his or her points. Leftover points are simply lost.
DISCIPLINES AND CAPACITY
The clan must have three "in-clan" Disciplines. You choose the three "in-clan" disciplines for your clan.
The Bloodlines Disciplines are not allowed.
Disciplines cost 1 point per level.
Basic Discipline: 1 point
Superior Discipline: 2 points
A vampire with 5 different Disciplines gets an additional 0.5 points to spend. A vampire with 6 (or more) Disciplines gets an additonal 1 point. (that is, the fifth and sixth Disciplines cost a half point less each.)
A vampire with only one or two Disciplines must have only in-clan Disciplines.
A vampire with three Disciplines can have at most one out-of-clan Discipline.
A vampire with four or more Discipline must have all three in-clan Disciplines.
(That is, the first two Disciplines must be in-clan, and one of the next two Disciplines must be the final in-clan Discipline).
In all cases, each vampire must spend more points on in-clan Disciplines than on out-of-clan Disciplines.
No vampire may have a bloodlines discipline as an "out-of-clan" discipline
No more than two different vampires of the clan can have the same capacity. (Whole Set)
No two different vampires of 5-cap or less may share the same superior Discipline. (Whole Set)
No two different vampires may share the exact same discipline spread (For example, AUS POT QUI and cel AUS POT QUI are OK, but not two vamps with AUS POT QUI) (Whole Set)
Out-of-clan Disciplines may not be shared by more than two different vampires of the same clan.
No two different vampires of the same capacity and clan may share the same out-of-clan Discipline.
TITLES
Primogen/Bishop: 0.5 points (min Cap: 6)
Prince/Archbishop: 1 point (min Cap: 8)
Justicar/Cardinal: 1.5 points (min Cap: 10)
Priscus: 1 point (min Cap: 8)
Independent with 1 vote: 0.5 points. (min Cap: 5)
Independent with 2 votes: 1 point (min Cap: 7)
A vampire has to belong to the appropriate clan/sect in order to have a title.
You may have only one justicar or cardinal. (Whole Set)
A prince or archbishop title must be of a specific city. Allowable cities are:
- Indianapolis
- Sao Paulo
- Newcastle
- Heidelberg
- Canberra
- Budapest
If you have more than one city title (Whole Set), the second may also use:
- one city chosen from the current list of Praxis Seizures and Crusade cards.
If you have more than three city titles (Whole Set), the fourth may also use:
- your own hometown (as listed on your V:EKN membership).
You can have only one city title of a particular city. (Whole Set)
ATTRIBUTES
Attributes, like Advanced, Anarch, and Black Hand are available (for a price).
Advanced: 0 points. Only 1 vampire may have this trait. His name must be the same as another vampire in your set (and he doesn't count as a different vampire from the base for purposes of choosing Disiplines). The advanced vampire's capacity must be the same as or higher than the base vampire's. Each capacity difference costs 0.5 points. The advanced must have the same disciplines (and maybe more) at the same level or higher as the base. Merged attributes, titles, and special cost half as much as normal. You can use the "leftover" points from the base version of the vampire as well. No more than 4 points worth of stuff (for which the vampire pays only two points) can be in the merged text. The abilities, titles, and attributes in merged text don't count against any of the "only 1 vampire may have this" restrictions, but cannot have been used in either the base version's text nor the advanced version's non-merged text. When builing your crypt, you can have two copies of your base vampire and two copies of your advanced vampire.
Anarch (Independent only): 1 point. Only 1 vampire can have this trait (not counting merged text). (Whole Set)
Baron (Anarch Title). When using both anarch and advanced attributes, if your merged vampire has the anarch attribute, you may also choose to have the merge text include a baron title for 1 point (min Cap: 6). This title is not available any other way. The city for this title is chosen from the same set of allowable cities as the prince and archbishop titles.
Black Hand (Sabbat only. Non-titled vampires only): (X-1)/2 points, where X is the number of (non-merge-text) Black Hand vampires. (Whole Set)
i.e., if you have just one, he pays nothing for it. If you have 2, they each pay 0.5 for it. 3 pay 1 each. 4 pay 1.5 each. And so on.
Seraph (Black Hand only): X/2 points, where X is the number of (non-merge-text) Seraph vampires. Min Cap: 6. (Whole Set)
Flight: Minimum Capacity 2, Each vampire pays 1 point for this ability.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Only one vampire can have a given special ability (not counting merged text). (Whole Set)
Each vampire can have any number of special abilities, but cannot spend more points in special abilities than in Disciplines (attributes and titles are not counted as special abilities).
CostAbilityMinimum
Capacity1,5+1 bleed61,5+1 strength61,0+1 intercept62,0+1 stealth80.5+1 stealth when hunting50.5+1 stealth on political actions60.5+1 stealth when equipping20.5+1 stealth when employing or recruiting (both)21+1 strength when in combat with a specific sect31+1 bleed when bleeding the controller of a ready vampire of a specific sect41+1 bleed when bleeding a Methuselah with no ready titled vampire41.5Blood hunts may not be called against this vampire91.5Vampires of a specific sect cannot cast votes in referendum called by this vampire101.5+1 bleed (may be taken in addition to the basic +1 bleed)101.5+1 strength (may be taken in addition to the basic +1 strength)101+1 intercept (may be taken in addition to the basic +1 intercept)103+1 stealth (may be taken in addition to the basic +1 stealth)10-1.5Red List ( Max 2 Vampires per clan )-1Can mark a minion red list as a +1 stealth political action81.5Can mark a, untitled younger vampire red list as a (D) action6
LIBRARY CARDSYou may spoof a normal hunting ground library card (2 pool, unique location, usual text). Give it a new name (and a new picture) and make it require your clan instead.
Unique spoof cards with the same name will contest each other.
Spoofing a Clan CardYou may spoof one additional (non-hunting ground) clan card. Choose any library card that requires a clan (but not a bloodlines clan). Give it a new name and picture and increase its cost by 1 pool. If it costs blood, increase the cost by one blood instead. Change all references to the original clan to references to your main clan instead. The text must be identical to the base card otherwise (not counting flavor text, of course).
A unique spoof card with the same name as a non-unique spoof card will not contest.
THE OTHERS
You may have up to one Caitiff and up to four vampires from a bloodline you create.
CaitiffYou may have up to one Caitiff. A Caitiff is a one capacity vampire. A Caitiff has no points to spend. A Caitiff may either have no Disciplines or one non-bloodlines Discipline. Caitiff are Camarilla.
A Caitiff with no Discipline may take one of the following specials for free:
- Gets +1 strength the first time he diablerizes an older vampire.
- Gets +1 bleed the first time he diablerizes a vampire controlled by another Methuselah.
- Once he has diablerized an older vampire, he gives you +1 hand size while he is ready.
- When he diablerizes a vampire, the controller of that vampire burns 1 pool.
- When he diablerizes a vampire, you may draw 4 cards (discard down afterward).
A Caitiff with one Discipline (1 point) must take one of the following -1 point specials (which are not available to non-Caitiff):
- This vampire cannot block older vampires.
- This vampire cannot strike in the first round of combat against an older vampire.
- You discard one card from your hand at random each time this vampire is blocked.
- If this vampire goes to torpor, burn him instead.
- This vampire cannot have equipment or retainers and cannot play action cards.
- Combat cards cost this vampire an additional blood to play.
- Cards this vampire plays are not replaced until your next untap phase.
BloodlineYou may create a custom bloodline to augment your clan if you wish. The bloodline must have a distinct name (different than your main clan's name). The bloodline is constructed according to the normal clan rules, but with the following changes:
The bloodline must have one (and only one) bloodline Discipline (dai, mel, myt, obe, san, spi, tem, thn, val, or vis) as an in-clan Discipline. Other bloodline Disciplines cannot be taken, even as out-of-clan Disciplines, by any vampire.
The bloodline cannot share more than one Discipline as an in-clan Discipline with your main clan.
The bloodline can have no more than 4 distinct vampires. (No more than 2 for a scarce bloodline.)
If the in-clan bloodline Discipline is Obeah or Temporis, the clan is "Scarce" and each member must take the scarce attribute (at 0 points). The scarce rule is modified as follows: when you move a vampire with Obeah from the uncontrolled region to the ready region, you pay three pool for every other vampire in play with Obeah. Similarly for Temporis.
If Sanguinous is chosen as an in-clan discipline for the bloodline, a Circle must be chosen for that clan (may be any real city you like), and all vampires in the clan must belong to that Circle. In addition, all instances of the text "Blood Brother" in your deck's Sanguinous library cards are changed to "vampire of your clan".
Flight maybe be purchased as a special ability for 1 point, and does not count towards the number of allowed special abilities, and it may still be used as a special ability by one of your main clan's vampires. Any number of your bloodlines vampires can take the flight ability.
You may choose to make every vampire in the bloodline infernal. An infernal vampire with capacity between 2 and 7 (inclusive) gets an additional 2 points to spend. One with capacity above 7 gets an additional 3 points.
You may choose to make some or all of your bloodlines vampires slaves of your main clan. This is a 0 point special.
SUBMISSION FORMUse the following form to submit your clan to the tournament organizer.
Create-A-Clan Form (
Excel Do*****ent ).
LAYOUT TOOLSBen Peal recommends these tools for his C-A-C events, so I guess I will too:
PRIZESWe'll have prizes for the following categories:
- Overall Winner
- Best Clan That Didn't Use Dominate.
- Best Layout
The judge's decision as to which clan had the best artistic design (in background and art selection). - Most Entertaining
Each round, each player votes for one other deck at her table for the "most fun to play at a table with, Does crazy stuff" award. The player whose deck gets the most votes wins. - Most Creative/People's Choice.
Directed actions and Combat (a la carte):Up to two vampires may have a la carte specials (one each from A,B,C,D,E or E,F,G ). The second, if any, cannot have any choices (A,B,C,D,E,F or G) in common with the first (note that there's only one E choice, so that means that only one vampire can have a Discipline special). (Whole Set)
Text of special is one from A, one or zero from B (as indicated), one from C, and one from D.
If the total points for the action is negative, the action costs 0 points (the negative portion is lost and cannot be spent elsewhere).
A
May enter combat with a vampire controlled by [B]: 1.5 points
May enter combat with a tapped minion controlled by [B]: 1 points
May enter combat with a younger vampire controlled by [B]: 1 point
May enter combat with a vampire of a specific sect controlled by [B]: 0.5 points
May enter combat with a titled vampire controlled by [B]: 0 points
May steal up to 2 blood from a ready vampire controlled by [B]: 2 points
May steal up to 2 blood from a younger ready vampire controlled by [B]: 1.5 points
May steal up to 2 blood from a vampire in [B]'s torpor region: 0.5 points
May only hunt by stealing a blood from a ready vampire controlled by [B]: 1.5 points
May burn 1 blood from a vampire controlled by [B]: 1 point
May tap a minion controlled by [B]: 0.5 points
May burn a location controlled by [B]: 1 point
May burn an equipment on a minion controlled by [B]: 1 point
May look at [B]'s hand: 0 points
May discard a card at random from [B]'s hand: 0.5 points
May bleed your prey at +1 bleed: 0.5 points
May steal the Edge from [B]: -1 points
May move a blood from a vampire in [B]'s uncontrolled region to [B]'s pool: 0 points
May move a blood from a vampire in [B]'s uncontrolled region to your pool: 1 point
B
your prey: 0 points
your predator: 0 points
any Methuselah: 0.5 points
C
as a (D) action: 0 points
as a +1 stealth (D) action: 1 point
as a +2 stealth (D) action: 1.5 points
D
[blank]: 0 points
that costs 1 blood: -0.5 points (not usable on hunting actions)
that costs 2 blood: -1 point (not usable on hunting actions)
E
Discipline special (a la carte):
Text of the special is as below, with [Discipline X] chosen to be any one non-bloodline Discipline. This ability is unique by Discipline. If two vampires have this ability with the same chosen Discipline, the ability will be contested by the vampires (who each pay one blood during their untap phases or yield the ability). As usual, vampires in torpor cannot choose to contest and must yield. The ability cannot be used while it is contested.
Cards that require [Discipline X] cost this vampire one less blood to play. 2 points (min Cap: 8)
F
Once each combat this minion: [blank]:
0 pointsMay burn 1 blood to:
-0.5 pointsMay burn 2 blood to:
-1 pointG
Dodge as a strike:Gain an optional Maneuver:
1 pointGain an optional Maneuver, only usable to go to long range:
0.5 pointsGain an optional Maneuver, only usable to go to short range:
0 pointsGain an optional Press:
1 pointGain an optional Press, only usable to continue combat:
0.5 pointsGain an optional Press, only usable to end combat:
0 pointsGain an additional strike:
2 points (min cap: 8)Treat 1 point of aggravated damage as normal:
1 point
TEAM JYHAD
6 Player game
Based on the Team Rules for Jyhad by "B. Sago" and Team Tournament by “Chris Berger”
Set up
Three teams, two players each. Team 1, player A&B; Team 2, player C&D; Team 3, player E&F. Team members are allied.
Seating order, clockwise is A, B, C, D, E, F. This seating order reflects the turn order and proffered bleeding for the players.
Ground rules
Teammates are allowed to discuss cards in hand, as long as this is done before the other players. Cards are still not allowed to be shown to players.
Vampires in the uncontrolled region do not come under these rules, they are not allowed to be named or discussed.
Prey and Bleeding
Prey is to the left, but with directed action e.g. Computer hacking you may bleed any player. Including your teammate, if it seems worthwhile.
Direct Actions
Directed actions against minions can be played on your teammate.
Transfers and Pool
You may use 2 transfers during your influence phase to move a pool from yourself to your partner, as many transfers as you have may be used.
Ousting
When a Methuselah is ousted, his teammate receives six pool. The predator who did the ousting still receives his standard six pool, and a victory point.
If to teammates are seated next to each other, (due to players being ousted), they both have the same prey. (The team member on the left bleeds his normal prey; the team member on the right bleeds his partner’s prey.) This does not apply to when applying the effects of a Reins of Power vote (RoP selects a person’s prey in the usual manner). There may be other cards which mess up this dynamic.
Combat
Teammates can choose not to play strikes for their minions.
Exceptions to this are Frenzy cards, and effects that force you to attack other minions. E.g. Madman’s Quill.
Winning
The winning team is the one with the most combined VP’s.
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