The 5 paths to trait acquisition: Teaching, Training, Studying, Research and Epiphany

NOTE: This information is outdated and is no longer being enforced in-game. We are only keeping this page for archival purposes. Please ignore everything here as it pertains to in-game rules, and refer to your splat's books for all matters related to justification and spending XP. When in doubt, just ask your ST. - Sindrillion, Head ST


As for the news gears in place, which will enforce more strictly the need for Justification in spending XP, I present to you rules for several ways for In-character advancement beyond the "dry" XP purchase forums, these will carry benefits as well as risks and make Justification easier:

  • Every character can study up to her intelligence score simultaneous advances, of all kinds.
  • Successes of each such advancement are counted separately.
  • When you gathered 4 + current rating successes, study has been completed and immediately takes effect
  • Those study scenes/journals needn't be on consecutive days, your successes are kept with you.
  • You make the purchase request with a justification of "Will Train/Study". don't wait for approval unless you think this may not be possible.
  • Each such advancement has a single track, you can combine, say, some teaching with some personal studying.

Teaching

Player Characters can teach each other through training and instruction. A character can, of course, only teach an ability he or she has.
A single teacher can teach several students, up to his rating in Charisma. (So a Charisma 4 teacher can teach 4 students).
Teaching and learning is a scene. The scene can be as long as you feel like it, but only one teaching scene can be made per day. A teaching session (unlike the scene) takes about 4 hours, in which both characters can't do anything else.
At the start of such a session:

  1. The teacher rolls Charisma + Instruction (it's a talent, so if you don't have it just roll Charisma), diff 4 + current rating (So when teaching, e.g., Athletics 2, diff is 5).
  2. The student(s) roll an appropriate dice pool (ask an ST), diff 7-[successes of the teacher]. You add 1 automatic *extra* success to this roll (the way you use WP). So if you rolled 0 successes, you accumulate 1 success.
  3. Both these rolls should be attached to the scene log. You roll at the start of scene so you can role-play how good/difficult this teaching session was for extra fun.
  4. Successes accumulate from scene to scene, each trait learned has its own separate 'study/train progress'. The teacher receives 1 XP as scene XP (once, not per study scene. note this in the scene log for me to add it to your XP log).
  5. If the teacher fails his Instruction roll, then that simply is 0 successes for the reduced difficulty on the student's roll. If the teacher botch his roll, add the number of *extra* 1s to the study difficulty (our dice roller counts these for you in the form of negative success count).
  6. If the student failed the roll (so he rolled a -1 botch which turned to a failure by that automatic success), he simply accumulated 0 success.
  7. If the student botched the roll (rolled a -2 or worse), he hit some major block in his understanding and can't go on until it is resolved.
  8. * Resolving the blockage (which is why we roll before the scene): The teacher, and any other student also studying, roll their Charisma+Instruction, diff 6. They need to score at least 3 total successes to "explain that difficult point", and then study can continue. If the botched study roll was done at the start of the scene, this roll can follow immediately after, as part of the same scene. The teacher and the other students help the student resolve his problem of understanding. This roll can be performed once for every hour spent in the study session, successes gather as usual (botch reset the success count).
  • Note that since a study session is ~4 hours, studying 4 such topics on the same day is a full on 16 hours day, leaving just enough time to eat and sleep.
  • Teaching is not just for studious mental traits. One can teach Martial Arts, fencing or even running.
  • The following can't be taught: Alertness, Awareness, primal Urges, Kenning, Empathy, Streetwise.
  • All other talents are at +1 difficulty for the teacher.
  • An NPC teacher can be found by rolling Charisma+Contacts. Contact an ST for specific details.

Training/Studying

Player Characters can train or study various traits (attributes, abilities, "extras", etc.). This is a more uninstructed attainment, without a teacher, and requires journaling.

  1. Each day you may invest up to 2 hours training and/or studying per trait, and up to your intelligence rating traits.
  2. Make the appropriate roll (see table bellow) and copy it to the journal entry for that day.
  3. If you succeed, add 1 to your 'study/train progress'. If you net at least [current rating] successes, you add an additional 1.
  4. If you fail, you add 0, if you botch you reset your progress.
  • This method is slower, but there is less risk of botching, a lowered difficulty, and takes only 2 hours a day. There is a benefit, and a cost, to having a teacher.

CR = Current Rating

Training Rolls
TraitAppropriate RollComments
AttributeAttribute, diff 3+CRAppearance raising require special ST approval but no rolls
AbilityAppropriate Attribute + This Ability, diff 4+CR 
WillpowernothingRequires no training. Just make the request and wait the time.
BackgroundN/AMust be acquired in appropriate IC manner
Vampires
Vampiric Discipline (Other then Fortitude, Celerity and Potence)The roll you would make to use the new Discipline level.Must be taught by a teacher. Can't be studied alone.
Potence, Celerity and FortitudeAppropriate Physical attribute, diff 4+CRMust be studied alone. Can't be taught by a teacher
Path (Necromancy or Thaumaturgy)Intelligence+Occult, diff 4+CRMust be taught by a teacher. Can't be studied alone.
VirtueN/ARequires special ST approval
Humanity or Path of EnlightenmentHumaanity/Path, diff 6+CR.Must be taught by a teacher. Can't be studied alone.
Werewoves
RagenothingRequires no training. Just make the request and wait the time.
GnosisnothingRequires special ST approval. Just make the request and wait the time.
Reborn
Hekau/Immu/ArtIntelligence+Occult, diff 4+CR 
Spell or RitualThe roll you would make to use the new Discipline level. 
Balance/Direction/QuestN/ARequires ST-run scene
Mages
New sphereArete, diff 4+CR 
AreteN/ARequires ST-run scene
Hunters Hunted 2
NuminaIntelligence+Occult, diff 4+CR 
Changeling
Fae ArtThe roll you would make to use the new Art level.Must be taught by a teacher. Can't be studied alone.
RealmIntelligence+Greymare, diff 4+CR, or Glamour, diff 5+CR 
GlamournothingRequires special ST approval. Just make the request and wait the time.
Demon
LoreThe roll you would make to use the new Lore level.Must be taught by a teacher. Can't be studied alone.
FaithnothingRequires no training. Just make the request and wait the time.
TormentnothingRequires special ST approval. Just make the request and wait the time.
Wraith
ArcanosThe roll you would make to use the new Lore level.Must be taught by a teacher. Can't be studied alone.
New Passion/FetternothingRequires ST pre-approval and active journaling
Passion/FetternothingRequires ST pre-approval and active journaling

Research

Aimed specifically at super-natural traits that can be learned with studious work (Spheres, blood magick rituals, Esoterica, Occult, etc.) this method involves all sorts of prolonged knowledge gathering. Internet searches, libraries, reading books, and even interviewing experts, YouTube videos, online classes and so on. If in doubt, ask for permission to "research a new rank" from the appropriate ST.

  1. Each day you invest 8 hours in research. This is done via journaling.
  2. You roll Intelligence+Research, diff 5+current rating. if you botch, you add negative successes to your progress (so for diff 5 if you rolled 3,3,1,1 = -2 progress).
  3. Obviously you can't research every trait. Use common sense.
  4. If you have access to a Library, under ST approval you may roll Intelligence+Library, diff 5+current rating. successes on this roll reduce the difficulty of the study roll. Botching increases difficulty.
  5. If you want help and guidance from your mentor (and have a mentor), roll Charisma+Mentor, diff 4+CR. successes on this roll reduce the difficulty of the study roll. Botching increases difficulty.
  • Your mentor will want things in return, STs can and will use that as future plots.
  • This is different then having your Mentor as an NPC teacher, for this contact the appropriate ST.
  • The mentor in question must have the appropriate trait to help you, ask an ST when in doubt.

Epiphany

The slowest in meta-terms but quickest in IC-time, Epiphany is a sudden realization your character have over her abilitis which allow her to progress. This is possible for every trait you can study/research.

  1. Make a log of all uses of said trait (so, say, every time you roll Str+something for Strength).
  2. You gain 1 epiphany from failing but not botching (you do indeed learn from failure), 2 for every successful roll, +1 if that roll had at least 1+CR successes (yes, that does mean you get 3 for a single success if your CR is 0).
  3. When you gathered [XP needed] epiphany progress you can submit this log as justification, investing XP and gaining the benefits immediatly upon ST approval.

Abusing this system by needlessly aimlessly and repeatedly rolling will end BAD for you