MACHINAE

By Sébastien Allard (seball@station3d.com)

Description

This clan is one of the latest to appear in the near-future of the World of Darkness. The founder of this pseudo-clan started his research in the Industrial Revolution. He was fascinated by the usefulness of newly created machines and what they could do for mortals. He started thinking that maybe machines could do the same for kindred and began his quest to master technology. Several centuries later, it is clear that he succeeded, but how the Great Engineer came up with these enormous results remains a mystery. One thing lasts, a fabulous discipline called Mechanomancy.

The whole clan is now centered around the use of this discipline and every member seems to be absorbed by it. They found hard to resist the appeal of this aptitude for building new devices. Other kindred don't seem to understand their twisted mind for invention. on the top of that, they seems to suffer from an obsession for their task within the clan.

Nearly four hundred years ago, the Machinae turned themselves toward technology to enhance the possibilites of their undead bodies. They presently possess an exotic technology that is very alien to other kindred: the Cyberplasmic Technology. This is the most visible aspect of the clan for it is hard to miss a cyberplasmic arm.

The main goal of the independent Machinae is to build a city called Machinapolis; all their efforts are put in that direction. Sadly, no spies have ever returned to tell where it is supposed to be build and what it will look like. Some elders claim that Machinapolis may be a metaphor, something more mystical or philosophical in nature..

Official contacts have been made with the Camarilla in New York; the independent clan struck a deal with them. The contract is clear though, when Machinapolis will be comleted they will leave their alliance with the Camarilla. Nowhere else in the world the Machinae have befriended with other factions of kindred; they are greatly feared because they're not understood.

Clan members view their clan as a well-working machine too; rank and status inside the clan are a matter of knowledge and competence. Like a good machine, each member is treated functions of what they bring to the clan, the more vital the piece, the more importance she has. Machinae are very efficient in all things. They follow a code of conduct, set by the elders long ago and updated every four years, known as the Engineering Protocols. Their combat tactics are rarely matched, even by Brujah.

Nickname

Bolt Heads

Appearance

Their skin is constantly in contact with metal, plastic and mystical alloy, so it is tainted gray, silver, bronze, golden or black. They often replace a part of their anatomy for a shining cyberplasmic counterparts covered with black rubber-like veins and arteries.

Haven

The machinae lurk in the darkness of forsaked industrial plants and old factories, out of unwanted sight. Every member stays at the factory and each one has a task within the haven. The Factories, as they call their shared havens, are always protected by very unpleasant death traps. Unwelcomed visitors are quickly and mercilessly dismissed or dissambled.

Background

They choose out of necessity; the Embrace is not an act of passion but a carefully planned choice. They "enroll" brillaint people like scientists, engineers and inventors. Mechanical aptitude, mathematical abilities and creativity are the only prerequisites.

Preferred Path

Path of Logic

Disciplines

Mechanomancy, Obfuscate, Potence.

Weaknesses

The blood of the Great Engineer carries great powers, but also a curse. The newly created vampire sees his mind slowly perverted by the bolt head blood. He slowly become obsessed with a burning desire to build mechanical device and gizmos. They must repair or build something at least 2 hours a night or become very angry. A Willpower roll at difficulty 7 may prevent this and the kindred can act normally that night.

They are also very secretive about the purpose of their creations and never tell anyone for it would break the surprise! To reveal the purpose of an important machine is against the Engineering Protocols and is punishable within the clan.

Because of the cyberplasmics the Machinae suffer additional draining each night. The more you have, higher is the demand.

Quote

"How can you say that these devices are useless? You can't understand the power invested in them. Each one of them has a utility, a reason to exist. Even this one that you took for a piece of art has a reason, a logic behind it. What does it do? Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Stereotypes

Brujah: The broken ones. They are far too curious for what they worth. We loose precious time keeping them out of our business. They will not go unpunished.

Grangrel: What can a gypsy do about modernisation? Nothing.

Malkavian: These random individuals have their utility; they make perfect guinea pigs for our research.

Nosferatu: Keeps your eyes open; they are suspected to be spying on us. We've never caught one, but they probably know what we do with uninvited guests . . .

Toreador: We admire the dreamers and visionaries. Some of them help us with the aesthetics of our machines. They are the only ones who understand us.

Tremere: They are well organized and have driving goals as us. We often need them for their mystical talents but that's it. If it's the world they wants we wish them good luck . . .

Ventrue: This clan has made its time. They'll never be ready to face the future.

Camarilla: Maybe we can walk with them for a while, a decade or two not more, after we'll have to leave.

Sabbat: These chaotic bastards will get crushed sooner or later. But they play interesting games with mortals.

Cyberplasmic Implants

Convention: All the cyberplasmics have some level of Fortitude and Potence. Several options augment attributes likes Strength and Stamina. Note that it cannot be higher than your generation allows you. The Majority of the implants give two extra dices for soaking damage.

Points Cost: Each point for a cyberplasmic conversion costs five experience points.

Freebie Cost: For a starting character the cost is two freebie points for each conversion point.

The Draining: For each point of conversion it drains one blood point per night. Each implant marked with an ^* doesn't drain blood points.

Healing: As usual. Damaged parts will regenerate or telekinetically fly back to its place, but the losts parts must be at least 10 meters away. Otherwise, treat the part as crippled.

Complexity: This is the difficulty for constructing the implant with Intelligence + Mechanomancy

Cyberplasmic Hand

Point Cost: 1 (per hand)

Complexity: 6

One or both of your hands has been converted into cyberplasmic. This is the classic implant given to a neonate after he's proved himself to the clan. They give you an extra die of damage when you are crushing. They have two extra dice for soaking damage.

^*Razor Claws

Point Cost: 1 (per hand)

Comlexity: 7

Your artificial hands are granted with very sharp metallic claws coated with blood. They are generally made of a black mystic alloy. It drains one blood point for each use and lasts one scene. They do Strength +3 aggravated damage.

Cyberplasmic Arm

Point Cost: 2 (per arm)

Complexity: 6

Shining metallic arms covered with black rubber-like veins, implanted right into the shoulder. Each arm gives two extra dice of damage for punching, squeezing and crushing. It has two extra dice for soaking damage as they are made of a meta-plasmic material. Yes, you can buy extra arms, as long as common sense allows it.

^*Blade Weapon

Point Cost: 4

Complexity: 7

You are able to create a sword from the material of your cyberplasmic arm, supposing you have one. This blade extrudes from your arm and cannot be remove unless your arm is pulled off. It requires a draining of two blood points to generate it and it lasts one scene. It does Strength +4 aggravated damage and is used like a broad sword (difficulty 6).

Cyberplasmic Leg

Point Cost: 2 (per leg)

Complexity: 6

As for the arm except that the damage is for kicking, knee strikes, and squeezing with the legs. It increases your running speed by five yards per turn as your legs pulls you quicker than you thought.

Cyberplasmic Skull

Point Cost: 1

Complexity: 7

The process of converting a kindred skull into cyberplasmic is much trickier than anything else. You must have your original head and you must still be unliving for the implantation. The skull is then coated and reinforce with metamaterials. This conversion only involves the structure of the skull and not the senses of the subject.

The skull gives two extra dice for soaking damage and two extra dice for head butts!

Cyberplasmic Torso

Point Cost: 2

Comlexity: 6

The ideal way to immunise you from stakes through the heart! This modifications grants protection to the so-called vital organs. It gives two extra dice for soaking damage. The attacker must now score two extra damage, in addition to the usual, to get through the heart.

Full Cyberplasmic Cyborg

Point Cost: 11

Complexity: 7

These very uncommon vampire who go through the full cyborg conversion are called Skulls of Arcaon. It includes hands, arms, legs, torso and skull converted into a nearly indestructible machine. The sense replacement are not include but the eyes are protected the same way as everything else.

They are very demanding to operate normally because all the blood it takes to keep them running. The majority of them, used as soldiers and guardian, are stored into hibernation-like tube.

^*Blood Storage Unit

Point Cost: 1 (per blood point)

Complexity: 8

For each blood point passed your generation you can store blood into a small compressing tank inside your torso. Your normal pool and the unit are symbiotically linked, so if a vampire drains you to death he will also have the pleasant surprise of draining your unit too! This implant don't count for the draining; it just holds blood.

^*Speed Pump

Point Cost: 2 (for each simulated generation)

Complexity: 8

This little pump is the product of the latest cyberplasmic technology and some Machinae elders still don't understand how it works. One thing is known, it allows a vampire to use his blood more faster thant normal. Note that this implant don't drain blood for its maintenance

^*Blood Pumper

Point Cost: 2

Complexity: 8

This option can be added to the razor claws or the blade weapon. It allows the part to pump blood when it penetrates a victim. It drains one blood point per turn and doesn't produce the ecstasy in mortals. Several machinae use it as a cleaner way to feed.

CyberTail

Point Cost: 1

^*CyberFangs

Point Cost: 1

Cyber Wings

Point Cost: 1

^*Cyber Thrusters

Point Cost: 2

^*Elongation Option

Point Cost: 1 (for each yard/meter/hex)

^*Cyber Armor

Point Cost: Normal cost for Fortitude

This doesn't drain blood and you can't have both this and Fortitude

^*Weapon Link

Point Cost: 1 (per link)

Add one dice to initiative and shooting. It costs one blood point to activate it. The plasmic link makes the weapon jump into its user's hands, ready to be uses. It symbiotically bonds the weapons to the user.

Merits and Flaws

Advanced Design

(5 pt. Merit)

The advanced design of your implants is of the latest technology. Your cyberplasmic is less demanding, it drains half what it should normally drain.

Symbiote

(2 pt. Merit)

Your implants can retract into your body, leaving only your flesh visible. The perfect option for keeping the Masquerade or a seemingly normal life.

Poor Maintenance

(1 pt. Flaw)

Your implants needs more attention to function well. You need to make check-ups every night or suffer a -1 penalty. A roll of Perception + Cerberplasmic at difficulty 5 is needed to make these check-ups.

Mechanical Flaw

(1 pt. Flaw)

You suffer from an additonnal point of draining each night for an unknown reason. Maybe some piece of one of your implant doesn't work well, or maybe your undead body is trying to tell you something...

Dark Symbiote

(4 pt. Flaw)

Only available if you have the Symbiote merit. Your Symbiote is awakened and has desires and goals others than yours. This can be played like a Wraith's shadow. The symbiote has abilities and a personality that the character doesn't suspect. The Storyteller or the Symbiote Guide must work the details during the conception of the character.

New Skill

Cyberplasmic Technology

This is the skill for maintaining cyberplasmic implants, to repair or modify them. The construction of a part takes one month per point cost and requires an Intelligence + Cyberplasmic Technology roll. The difficulty of the roll is determined by the Complexity of the device. Five successes must be made to complete the part.

Some parts will requires the Science skill or Thaumaturgic magic.

*	Novice: You are able to pronounce the word "cyberplasmic."
**	Trained: You can repair the squeak sound that your arm makes.
***	Competent: You are able to perform some small modifications.
****	Expert: Your last improvement was notice by the Chief Engineer.
*****	Master: You know what doesn't work by the sound it makes.
******	Legend: You have ideas that defies modern physics.