The Nightfall Society
Character Creation: Rarity, Elders, and Age
In order to ensure that all players have the opportunity to play both something more powerful and something unusual, whilst at the same time trying to avoid flooding the game with such characters, Nightfall limits the quantity of rare and elder characters in the game.
It is permitted for each player to play a single Elder amongst all vampire games at any one time. This is defined as any Master or Luminary character. Characters with Machiavellian Prodigy do not count towards this limit, nor do Pretender generation characters, who are redefined as Ancilla (see the section on Status). It does not prevent characters diablerising to Elder, but once there they may not create another Elder character in a different game.
It is permitted for each player to play a single Uncommon rarity character across all games at any one time.
Any player may choose to give up their Elder slot in order to expand the use of their Uncommon slot to allow them to play something classed as being of Rare or Restricted rarity. Restricted rarity characters also require Lead ST approval.
In other words, each player may have either:
- One master or luminary elder character who is also of an uncommon or rare clan/bloodline, with no other master/luminary elders nor uncommon, rare, or restricted characters.
- One master or luminary elder character who is of a common clan/bloodline, no further elders, and one other character who is either uncommon, rare, or restricted.
- One neonate, ancilla, or pretender character who is of a restricted clan/bloodline, with no further elders nor uncommon, rare, or restricted characters.
If intending to play an elder, it is also recommended to read the setting document about elders and the expectations on them in play, which is available here.
Character Age
Characters may not have been born prior to 1500 AD unless they have suitable merits or flaws to support their age.
Suitable examples are Architect of the Tower, Archaic, Blood of the Ancients, Chosen of Cappadocius, Illiterate, Intense Vitality, Methuselah’s Thirst, Old Dog, Path of Chivalry, Path of Heaven, Path of Orion, Reputation, or Social Nobility.
This has been done to reduce the quantity of pre-Camarilla characters and those that were around for early kindred events, to make such characters the minority and help encourage the in-game focus on accepted kindred history.