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Changeling: The Lost

2021-12-21T01:31:56Z

2600:6C5D:617F:B333:DD93:6C96:F691:1029: /* Entitlements */

{{Game Infobox
|name = Changeling: The Lost
|picture = [[File:Changeling2eCover.jpeg|250px]]
|type = [[RPG]]
|publisher = [[White Wolf]] / CCP
|system = [[Storytelling System]]
|authors = Kelly Barnes-Herman ''et al''
|year = 2007 (1st Edition)<br>2019 (2nd Edtion)
|books = Changeling: The Lost Rulebook
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:175px">
*''Autumn Nightmares''
*''Winter Masques''
*''Rites of Spring''
*''Lords of Summer''
*''Equinox Road''
*''Night Horrors: Grim Fears''
*''Dancers in the Dusk''
*''Swords at Dawn''
*''Goblin Markets''
</div>
}}
'''Changeling: The Lost''' is a game by [[White Wolf]] in which you play a [[Changeling]], a regular guy who fell into some mystical Fae shit through no fault of his own, and found himself transformed into a monster once he climbed out of it again. It's by far one of the most pessimistic [[World of Darkness]] splats that White Wolf has written out, but it also stands out as the closest to the traditional medieval fantasy world, filled with crazy-ass monsters, landscapes, dungeons and flora, as well as a nice hefty bag of crazed political intrigue. And it is '''AWESOME'''!

==Changelings==
So, to reiterate, Changelings are Fairies. More specifically, they're fae, and every last one of them was once a human, born on Earth, probably raised on Earth (Abducted babies and children usually don't last long and typically go barking mad if they do survive), and stolen away by god-like alien monsters to be transformed into slaves/playthings. Their souls, and indeed their personalities were shredded by thorns, and they served their usually terrible Durance in [[Arcadia]] in a mindless stupor. But on the rarest occasion, a slave catches a whiff of memory that overpowers their desire to stay in Arcadia, and they work to free themselves by outfighting, outsmarting, outcharming or outbargaining their freedom from their Keepers. They earn their sweet liberation, and can begin the healing process to mend their broken bodies and broken minds. But even so, they have to deal with all sorts of problems. Odds are that either a long time has passed in the real world since he's been abducted, leaving him anachronistically stranded, or a short time, leaving him as an adult while his family expects him to be a child. Secondly, there's a good chance that a Fetch, an identical simulacrum created by his Keeper, was left to live his life from the moment he was taken, and odds are he's not willing to give up his place without a fight, if he even knows he's a copy made to replace you (Imagine being stalked and hunted down by a monster, and OH MY GOD HE'S YOU). Even if the Changeling can get his life back on track, he's still a Changeling. He's forever changed, and being tracked by the Gentry, Changeling Privateers and Loyalists, as well as the more gutsy denizens of the Hedge, and his family is considered fair game to get his guard down; it’s enough to destroy his already fragile mental state, which is literally eroding his relation with reality.

===Kiths and Seemings===
Kiths and Seemings are more of a method of classification of what they were forced to do while in Arcadia, and what kind of powers manifested from their Durance, since no two changelings are truly alike and can fall under several categories. A changeling can look like a cat and not be a beast, or an elf-like archer can actually be an Ogre. This aspect really changes between the two editions of the game.

In first edition, your Seeming is the general class of purpose that a changeling was made to fill in Arcadia. The Changeling is granted a blessing and a curse by his Seeming, and can further expand (or eschew) his blessing with a Kith, that classifies him even further.

*[[Furry|'''Beasts''']] were taken and transformed into animals and monsters, usually by having their bodies and minds swapped around at their Keeper's discretions. They aren't very smart but they get shit done, and enjoy better animalistic perceptions and a sort of animal magnetism. In 1e their flavor of animal is determined by Kith; most are fairly literal (Broadbacks are based on working animals, Hunterhearts on predators, etc), but some are more metaphorical (Truefriends are based on loyal animal companions and beloved pets, Riddleseekers on beasts as symbols of intelligence/wisdom/learning). In 2E, they gain an extra dot of any Resistance attribute. They can also move faster and deal lethal damage in unarmed combat, but have to spend Glamour to do so if they're affected by any condition related to fear. Additionally, they risk Clarity loss if they hurt someone because they acted without thinking.
*'''[[Grimdark|Darklings]]''' were abducted when they broke some seemingly random and arbitrary rule that the Fae set in place (which can be pretty much anything). They're grimderp boogeymen, nightmare creatures, and various other fantastic things that go bump in the night. They're also smart and sneaky. The sun messes with their Contracts. Their 1e Kiths are all about specific flavors of spoopy, from slender men wriggling through the pipes to creep into your bedroom and drag you away to life-sucking monsters to Freddy Krueger-style slashers (complete with blade-hands!). In 2E they gain an extra dot of any Finesse attribute and can spend Willpower to disappear into some insubstantial substance (this also costs Glamour if there are witnesses). However, they risk Clarity loss if a secret or some other important information they know turns out to be false.
*[[Golem|'''Elementals''']] were transformed into some kind of element, hence the name. They're not really social capable or smart, but like the Beasts they can get shit done, and they can make themselves tougher with glamour. Naturally, their 1e Kiths focus on what specific kind of element they turned into, from the classic elements like fire, earth, air and water to more esoteric ones like steel, pollution, ice, etc. In 2e they get an extra dot in a Resistance stat and can act through their element if surrounded by it at a range of up to 3 yards, although this requires Glamour if their Willpower is less than half of its maximum. They risk Clarity loss whenever they are coerced or otherwise forced to act against their will.
*'''[[Elves|Fairest]]''' were treated like treasures or pets, beloved to the very limited extent that the Gentry can love anything other than themselves. Other Changelings scoff at the supposedly terrible Durances of the Fairest (how could being treasured and adored be all that bad?), but the Keepers can express “love” in some really fucked up ways. The Fairest are too often cruel and manipulative, and while some may try to fight such tendencies, the book pretty much says "nah, man. They're all bitches". Their 1e Kiths focus on exactly why their beauty was important; living art piece, courtesan, star in the night sky, noble warrior, and more. In 2e they gain an extra dot in a Power stat and can spend Willpower on behalf of other characters (albeit for a Glamour cost if the recipient distrusts them), and risk Clarity loss if their actions or inaction cause harm to their allies.
*[[/tg/|'''Ogres''']] were forced to serve brutal Durances that made them big and strong, whether it was fighting in a gladiatorial arena or building houses at the end of a whip. Though not necessarily stupid, Ogres tend to get pissed much easier than most other Seemings, and have a tenden-'''I WILL REND THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND BOIL YOUR ENTRAILS IN A STEW, HUMAN''' But seriously, they may act gruff but many just don't want to be hurt any further than they have been already. Although this may seem a fairly narrow Seeming, it's got a surprising amount of 1e Kiths, from the fairytale troll living under the bridge to Bigfoot-esque wilderness monsters to living stone golems to the magical, embittered hags who lay curses. In 2e they gain an extra dot in a Power stat and can temporarily cause the Beaten Down tilt on opponents in combat, but have to expend Glamour to do so unless they're fighting on someone else's behalf. They risk Clarity loss if they frighten anyone who's not their enemy.
*'''[[Dwarf|Wizened]]''' were the literal slaves, and the subjects of constant humiliation at the hands of their Keepers. They're usually "less" in some way, whether they're thinner, shorter or just less substantial. If you want to play a tradesman or a more traditional class ( 1e Kiths include stuff like Soldiers, Blacksmiths, etc), this is the seeming for you. They're also hella fast, so they're perfect if you want to play a character with a nimble Mien. In 2e they gain an extra dot in a Finesse stat and can turn any material into any other material as long as they have the right tools (or Glamour to jury-rig said tools), so they can literally spin straw into gold. They risk Clarity loss when taken off-guard by unpleasant surprises.
*'''[[LARP|Grimm]]''' were made for 2e, found in the companion book ''Dark Eras: A Grimm Dark Era'' (no, I am not making that up). Grimm start out as very, very boring humans. No ambition, no imagination, just heaps and heaps of dull, dependable pragmatism. In other words, the absolute last people who'd attract the attention of the True Fae-- this is given as the reason they're so rare. All Grimm tell a similar story of their escape: They had a fantastically awful durance, yet slowly but surely began to see clues and patterns that led them to freedom-- fairytale logic. On the way out, they struck a deal with the Hedge itself to forever immerse themselves in the stories mortals tell, playing myriad different roles vastly more colorful and vibrant than their real dreary selves. Their blessing is that once per session, Grimm can gain a point of Clarity when, without being asked, someone treats them as they would anyone else in their assumed role. Their curse is that have a Clarity breaking point whenever they do something counter to their role. And it's not as if a Grimm can do without a role-- role-less Grimm have to reroll all successful dice for actions eluding the True Fae and Huntsmen, and take the worse result.
**Grimm were unfortunately made for a book before the gameline they were for was finished, and as a result their crunch is kind of a mess: They don't have favored Contracts like other Seemings do, they don't get a bonus dot to an Attribute like other Seemings do, and their blessing doesn't quite gel with how the Clarity system ended up working in 2e. Then there's the issue of "roles". It's established that Grimm take on lots and lots of roles, but how exactly this works isn't really clear. The text states that while embodying a role they appear as that role, so no costuming is needed, but how exactly roles can be switched and how often this can occur is left undefined. The qualifications for taking a role aren't stated either, and in fact the text implies there are none: "Cinderella is Cinderella whether or not she can clean. Sinbad is Sinbad even if he doesn’t know how to sail." This is to justify the fact that roles don't confer any kind of bonus to actions, but it seems like it's asking for arguments about whether or not a Grimm is really adhering to a role. If you want these guys in a game it's probably best to either work out a set of house rules for them or wait for a future revision.

In second edition, Kiths are no longer linked to specific Seemings, so now it's possible to be something like an Ogre Chatelaine. Still, your Kith does define a particular blessing and a skill that you can get exceptional successes with more easily, both of which are broadly based on what you did in Arcadia (e.g. a Bright One might have served as a lantern). While 12 are outlined in the core rules, there's also a system to make your own Kiths as you see fit.

===The Mien and the Mask===
A Changeling's permanently transformed form is called a Mien. Because they're tied to the Wyrd, their Mien changes with their Power Stat, Seeming, Kith, Court Mantle, Entitlement, age and what-have-you. Their human disguise in the real world is called their Mask. When dealing with mortals, what's left of your soul forms a sort of disguise that hides your monstrous nature from the normies as long as you have Glamour reserves. The Mask retains your original form, looking like how you used to look like as a mortal, but with minor details (An Ogre looks fatter, a Beast will have leathery or calloused skin and horns will be invisible, while a Fairest may be taller or have [[DFC|a sort of strange attraction that draws people towards her]]). Higher Wyrd means more of your Mien seeps through the Mask, so very powerful Changelings doubly have a hard time fitting in with people (at that point they've got frailties up the ass, meaning, say, they run in terror from blue clothing or break out in zits when the moon is out, in addition to a diminished mental state where they lose Clarity every time they sleep.)

==The Wyrd==
If there was ever a necessary constant in the universe, it's the Wyrd. "Wyrd" is an old Germanic word or some shit that pretty much means Fate (which leads to some clever ''wyrdplay''... geddit?), and while the Wyrd is tied to everything that exists, only fae beings have the power to manipulate it. It acts as an adhesive between every single thought, atom, and concept in existence, and since it is destiny in all its forms, it determines reactions, repercussions, and causes and effects between everything in the form of Contracts. This means that it's only because fire has a number of contracts with the Wyrd that a flame is hot to the touch, that it can hurt you, that it cooks flesh, or that it dies when it runs out of fuel. Because it's only contracts sealed by the Wyrd that keep all of reality from unraveling and fucking our universe over, it's kind of a big deal that the worst antagonists can [[DM|rape reality with just a thought]] if they catch you in the wrong place.

Luckily, because they spend time being in such close proximity to where the Wyrd is the strongest, humans taken to Arcadia (are forced to) learn how to strike deals with elements and concepts, or they die from exposure to Time Cube logic. This is where Changelings get their Contracts, semi-magical spells that allow them to mess with one aspect of reality for the low, low price of a point of Glamour, an energy extracted from the extremes of human emotion. On top of that, contracts always have a loophole, known as a Catch, where you can use the power for free if certain conditions are met.

===Contracts===
Please note that there are no restrictions to learning any of these Contracts; If something is labeled as a Seeming Contract it just means that they can purchase it at a discount.

'''Universal Contracts'''
*'''Contracts of Dream''': Helps navigate and survive Dreams or the Hedge.
*'''Contracts of Hearth''': Improve or curse ones luck.
*'''Contracts of Hours''': Time is malleable for the Fae. These Contracts help age or restore items... or just mess with people by [[Samurai Jack]]-ing their ass into next week.
*'''Contracts of Mirror''': Shapeshifting.
*'''Contracts of the Moon''': Discover, manipulate and redirect the sanity of man.
*'''Contracts of Omen''': Peek into the future.
*'''Contracts of Smoke''': Hiding spells.
*'''Contracts of Thorns and Brambles''': Combative and defensive spells that manipulate hedges (except for the ''actual'' capital-H Hedge).
*'''Contracts of Blades''': Buffing and debuffing spells mostly useful for the changeling swashbuckler.

'''Beast Contracts'''
*'''Contracts of the Den''': Ups the defense of your Hollow.
*'''Contracts of Fang and Talon''': Obligatory "Talk to animals, summon animals, transform into animals, etc" deal.
*'''Contracts of the Wild''': Shared with Elementals for Affinity. Enhances your survivalism.

'''Darkling Contracts'''
*'''Contracts of Darkness''': Stealth, fear and maneuverability.
*'''Contracts of Shade and Spirit''': Deals with ghosts.

'''Elemental Contracts'''
*'''Contracts of Communion''': Magical manipulation of an element.
*'''Contracts of Elements''': Embody an element.
*'''Contracts of the Wild''': Shared with Beasts for Affinity. Enhances your survivalism.

'''Fairest Contracts'''
*'''Contracts of Reflection''': Mirrors take on magical properties.
*'''Contracts of Separation''': The Fairest have a loose grip on reality anyway, so why not loosen your grip further to do mystical escape-artistry?
*'''Contracts of Vainglory''': SO FABULOUS OH GOD MY EYES

'''Ogre Contracts'''
*'''Contracts of Oath and Punishment''': Track, chase and punish oathbreakers.
*'''Contracts of Stone''': Be tough and hit people.

'''Wizened Contracts'''
*'''Contracts of Animation''': Bring objects to life, see their history, etc.
*'''Contracts of Artifice''': Used to help make stuff.
*'''Contracts of the Forge''': A fraction of the True Fae's reality warping powers.

'''Goblin Contracts''': Quick-and-dirty contracts that come at a price. Use at your own risk.

==Pledges and Oaths==
As suggested above, the Wyrd takes any sort of promise or statement of intent very seriously. Most beings aren't connected closely enough to the Wyrd for it to have an impact on them, but Fae beings can make such statements supernaturally binding.

Given that most Changelings come out of their Durance with severe trust issues, the knowledge that their promises will be supernaturally enforced does a lot to keep them from descending into paranoia. More importantly, the Gentry's powers are dependent on the oaths they swore upon coming into existence, which means that if they ever end up breaking those oaths for any reason, they will be severely weakened or even annihilated outright.

===Sealing===
The simplest form of pledge requires a Changeling to see or hear a statement of intent being made; whether said statement was serious or made as an exaggeration is irrelevant. So if you say "if my team doesn't win this game, I'll eat my hat" in front of a Changeling and said team loses, ''you had better take a bite of that fuckin' hat'' or the Wyrd will impose some minor but immediate punishment on you for going back on your word. While Fae are not immune to sealing, they can undo the sealing before its effects take hold; among changelings, sealing is done to demonstrate willingness to keep their word on a relatively minor matter.

===Oaths===
For more serious agreements, Changelings rely on oaths. These require mutual consent to be sworn, and both parties will be permanently bound by the oath from that point forward. As long as both parties uphold their part of the oath, they will gain its benefits.

While the terms of the oath can certainly be violated, this does not erase the oath so much as change its terms, which almost always involves grave penalties for the oathbreaker. (On the rare occasions that the penalty for violating the oath isn't specified in its terms, the Wyrd will punish the oathbreaker as it sees fit. And it is a vindictive little bitch about it.) On top of the immediate consequences, oathbreakers are reviled among Changelings and the only way to be forgiven is to make restitution to all parties involved, including the Wyrd itself.

Yes, it is possible to end up bound to obey oaths that are mutually exclusive with each other. No, the penalties for breaking one oath to uphold another are not reduced, and if anything can actually be ''worse'' than usual; read up on Cu Chulainn to see how that can bite you in the ass. Moral of the story, don't make oaths that you might not be able to keep.

===Bargains===
Bargains can only be struck between a Changeling and a human aware of the Changeling's fae nature. The Changeling offers to perform some kind of service for the human that's within their ability to provide in exchange for something else, but what the human can provide is always supplemented by the Wyrd making it harder for the Gentry to track the changeling.

If the bargain is broken by the changeling, they lose its benefits but are otherwise unaffected. But if the human is the one to break it, they will be at risk of stumbling into the Hedge with all the nastiness that involves. No Changeling would wish that fate on anyone, but the Wyrd's demands for restitution are absolute.

==The Freeholds, Courts and Entitements==
For detailed info on the Freehold, Courts and Entitlements, read the Lords of Summer supplement book.

Life as a Changeling sucks. You get to enjoy PTSD and wonderful thoughts such as suicide and giving in to madness on a daily basis, on top of worrying when the Others will show up to take you back to Arcadia, or if your best friend is a privateer manipulating you into the hands of one of the True Fae. And as your connection to the Wyrd gets stronger, your lifespan increases, which would be good if you didn't have so much shit to worry about or if it didn't also start making your memories of the Durance more vivid. Luckily, Changelings aren't stupid, and they understand the value of teamwork and contact with other people.

===Freeholds===
Hence, Freeholds, keeps within the Hedge where Changelings and friendly Hobgoblins come to congregate. Pretty much all Changelings are welcome, and there's no prisons. On the other hand trust must be earned and banishment is distributed like candy, being the usual punishments for Oathbreakers and criminals, though delivering other Changelings into captivity earns you a nice death sentence instead. That's pretty much all of it, really, so let's talk about the far more interesting Court dynamic; it ties into politics anyway.

===The Courts===
The Freehold itself is usually distributed into Courts, which circulate their power to keep the Fae from showing up. It makes sense in context, since the Fae don't understand the concept of willingly giving up power and this hurts their brains. Joining a Court is usually free, and nabs you a free dot in one of their Contracts, as well as a benefit of getting two points for every one point of Glamour you would regularly harvest from your Court emotion. You can work your way up the Court ladder through your actions or through your devotion to emotion or theme, and you begin to embody your Season more and more, as well as having access to awesome powers that would otherwise be unavailable. And since Changelings usually don't have heirs, what with the infertility and whatnot, so everyone has a chance to become a Noble through their actions, even possibly earn the coveted the Court Crown, a title that grants absolute sovereignty (And nifty buffs for your bros) while your Court rules over the Freehold, and the Crown becomes Freehold King.

Just a couple notes about Courts that the average player might miss: The higher your Court Mantle is, the easier it is to identify your affiliation (A Summer Courtier will be sunburned, or have shimmering waves of heat emanating from him). However, on top of that, with every dot you add to you mantle you get a nice little advantage to go along with it, such as Winter Courtiers getting bonuses to Subterfuge.

You can also eschew the Courts and go Courtless, but you end up missing out on some beneficial stats (As well as drama). Even so, there's always Court Goodwill, which you can earn by being bros with various courts, and doing so allows you to call on them for favors, or even to have them teach you their restricted Court Contracts (Up to three dots). Note that you can earn Court Goodwill even if you're in a Court yourself, though it's usually harder.

You can leave a Court at anytime, since Changelings understand that perspectives change as they do, and when you switch over your current Mantle is cut in half to become your Goodwill level. That said, a Changeling who switches Courts ''too'' frequently is going to be very suspicious and is not likely to get any Goodwill at all.

Courts get a huge boost in importance in 2e, where their primary purpose is to provide obstructions to and shielding against the Gentry and the Huntsmen- incredibly powerful, almost unkillable shapeshifting Fae bounty hunters who can take on the form of absolutely anything and will '''never''' stop chasing a changeling until they have dragged it back to its former master.

====Seasonal Courts====
The most recent and by far the most popular Court system, at least in the Americas, was established with the Four Seasons (not the hotel). Because every Changeling is drawn to a particular opinion of Arcadia and their durance, the Seasonal Courts were designed with that in mind, to nudge Changelings into groups where they can hang out with people sharing similar perspectives, to foster friendships and to act as support groups. The circulation rule of thumb consists of every season ruling for 3 months of the year, during their respective seasons (Winter rules from December to February, etc) but as per usual the rules are different in every Freehold.

However, just because they're designed to complement each other doesn't mean that there's no conflict or strife. Differing ideologies cause hell, with Spring directly opposing Fall because one chooses to forget and the other chooses to remember, and Summer opposing Winter because one beats their chest and the other hides. For reference of how nasty politics can get, in the fluff of the 1e Core book, Grandfather Thunder, the Summer King of Miami, has forcibly taken control of the freehold and has declared that the Summer Court will be its permanent ruler, and the other Crowns are all willing to step on each other to get the chance to punch him in the face. And incidentally, his refusal to give up power just so happens to be weakening its defenses against the Gentry.

Interestingly, the Seasonal Courts embody the Kübler-Ross model of the Four Stages of Grief. Spring is Denial, Summer is Anger, Autumn is Bargaining and Winter is Depression. Acceptance is seems non-existant, though, since this probably makes you a Dusk courtier.

'''Spring Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Desire
*'''Batman Villain Best Represented''': The Joker
*Basically a Spring Court Changelings mind comes down to this: "Arcadia? Oh, you so crazy. Oh sure, I've been transformed. But, seriously, the True Fae ain't shit. Now get over here and suck on my tongue, lol asl?" They'll deny that their durance left them with anything but positive attributes, and they use passion as a way of flipping off the Fae because the Gentry can't imagine that their pets could experience pleasure without them. To that end, they'll laugh and fuck and drink and smoke, and encourage others to do the same, to enjoy life, and damn the consequences. The other Courts don't like them because they're loud and kind of crazy, but they're far from the mindless party animals who live above literally every apartment ever.

In 2e, their Bargain is that when they're in power the True Fae cannot inflict harm upon a freehold unless that violence is born of their heart's desire. This might not seem helpful, but this really means that anyone short of a Keeper coming to reclaim its absolute favorite changeling cannot attack the freehold.

**'''Contracts of Fleeting Spring''': Discover, manipulate and redirect the desires of man.
**'''Contracts of Eternal Spring''': Thematic Spring Magic. Rejuvenation and Growth granted by Spring. Animate plants, make it rain, heal a person or make something age a season.
**'''Contracts of Verdant Spring''': Cannot be learned through Court Goodwill. A series of buffs granted by Spring that encompasses pretty much any given situation.

'''Summer Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': [[Rage|Wrath]]
*'''Batman Villain Best Represented''': Killer Croc
*The reality is that the Court is little more than a loosely organized militia made of monsters, but their desire and capacity to bring violence to bear against their enemies is undeniable and grants them a level of respect. Discipline and anger makes up the psychology of a member of the Iron Spear. They're quick to blame and willing to chase down anyone who slights them. Fanatics, extremists and murderers to the last. The other Courts, while they appreciate their protection and willingness to take the fight to the Gentry, don't really enjoy dealing with these hotheads.

In 2E, Summer's Bargain forces the Others to fight to the last even when they would prefer to surrender or withdraw. The Summer courtiers use this to their advantage, goading weaker forces into drawing their weapons or setting up traps that they will be forced to fall into.

**'''Contracts of Fleeting Summer''': Discover, manipulate and redirect the wrath of man.
**'''Contracts of Eternal Summer''': Thematic Summer Magic. Summon sunlight and learn how to KAMEHAMEHA.
**'''Contracts of Punishing Summer''': Punishing oathbreakers and setting fires in general.

'''Autumn Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Fear
*'''Batman Villain Best Represented''': Scarecrow
*Know thine enemy. The Autumn Court is made up of scholars, wizards and assassins, all brought together by their capacity to understand and spread Fear. Their belief is that Fear is what keeps people in line, and fear is what will keep them safe from the True Fae (along with the copious use of Fae magic, which they specialize in). If you've got a question about the Wyrd or you need a Token looked at, come to them. But get ready for a lecture like in Hannibal, because they probably know everything that scares you already. Or they'll just jump out of the shadows screaming OOGA BOOGA if your DM doesn't understand subtlety.

In 2E, Autumn's Bargain compels the Gentry to announce their intentions before they attack, with more powerful attacks being announced further in advance. Despite the best efforts of the Gentry to work around it, the warning must be clear enough to be understood.

**'''Contracts of Fleeting Autumn''': Discover, manipulate and redirect the fear of man.
**'''Contracts of Eternal Autumn''': Thematic Autumn Magic. Cause crops to ripen for harvest, manipulate the weather and other cool fall stuff, like turning into leaves.
**'''Contracts of Spellbound Autumn''': Contracts for gathering information.

'''Winter Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Sorrow
*'''Batman Villain Best Represented''': Mr. Freeze
*Keep your head down. Be quiet. Maybe They won't find you. Since they embody sadness, The Silent Arrow ends up being probably the most conservative of the Courts. They are also take their affinity for silence to the logical level, and some of the best assassins in the Freehold claim membership. Like the Autumn Court, they collect information but it's usually more for the sake of blackmail and spying than knowledge. There's a lot of potential here for cloak-and-dagger type characters, the book mostly writes them off as being mopey emo kids. 2E mitigates this somewhat by placing a greater focus on the Court's pragmatic side and skill in eavesdropping.

In 2E, Winter's Bargain forces the Gentry to mourn for each of their deceased victims after every kill they make. As the majority of the True Fae have no idea what mourning actually involves, this makes for a rather peculiar sight- and Winter doesn't need to worry about honoring their crude imitations of grief.

**'''Contracts of Fleeting Winter''': Discover, manipulate and redirect the Sorrow of man.
**'''Contracts of Eternal Winter''': Thematic Winter Magic. Ice breath, Touch of Cold, etc.
**'''Contracts of the Sorrow-Frozen Heart''': "They can't hurt me, I'm already ''dead inside!''"

====Directional Courts====
Introduced in Winter Masques. The Directional Courts are the Asian equivalent of the Seasonal Courts, having made contracts with the mythical Four Guardian Beasts of Chinese astrology. If you're playing in Asia or in a place with heavy Asian influences (like the USA's west coast), feel free to incorporate them. They tend to split their cities into four to best isolate themselves from those filthy other-directioners. Here's the quick summary:

'''Court of the North'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Suffering
*You know how Buddhist monks can go three weeks without food, water, or sleep, then still break granite with their foreheads? That's these guys in a nutshell. They made a contract with Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise.

'''Court of the East'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Envy
*Greedy bastards with the power of CAPITALISM! Uses LOADSAMONEY to get fast cars, uses said money and fast cars to attract hot women, then uses said money, fast cars and hot women to harvest beta tears and collect Glamour. These guys' patron is Qinglong, the Azure Dragon.

'''Court of the South'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Ecstasy
*Emotion is key, no matter how uncomfortable you are. Southerners are creatures of ham and extremes who pay homage to Zhuque, the Vermilion Bird.

'''Court of the West'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Honor
*Think of the Summer Court, but replace all the sound and fury with stone-faced military discipline. The initiation for this Court is literally boot camp, and they carry swords even if they fight with other weapons. They honor Baihu, the White Tiger.

All Directional Courts have access to '''Contracts of the Four Directions''': Contracts that help the Changeling track, locate, and move vast distances.

====Courts of Sun and Moon====
The Slavic Courts, closest to the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of old. The Sun court rules during the day, and the Moon court at night. Durr. Unlike other Court systems, though, they're constantly at war with each other, undermining the works of the other as a necessity, even while being completely civil amongst each other. It's all about duality. This is deep. In short, it's kinda like the Nightwatch movie series. They don't have special Contracts, though.

'''The Sun Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Shame
*[[Lawful Stupid]] paladins and fighters that can be summarized as Judge Dredd, but with antlers.

'''The Moon Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Disgust
*[[Chaotic Stupid]] thugs looking out only for themselves. Interestingly enough, though, that their notion of Chaos is based on the rules of their court. It's a thinker.

====Auroral Courts====
Rather than circulating their power based on the seasons or the passage of time, these two Courts wax and wane with the conditions of the Lost themselves. In times of prosperity, the Dawn Court flourishes, while the Dusk Court grows in influence in times of hardship. They commonly coexist with the Seasonal Courts as well.

'''The Dawn Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Hope
*Idealistic and selfless to a fault, this Court seeks to foster change for the greater good, certain that a better future awaits the Lost if they work hard for it and are willing to make any sacrifice to ensure that better future comes to pass.
**'''Contracts of Potential''': Contracts meant to cause change for the better, strengthen bonds between individuals, and empower the convictions of the user.

'''The Dusk Court'''
*'''Court Emotion''': Fatalism
*Knowing that the worst is yet to come gives these Changelings a perverse strength, striving to make what time they have before their fates come calling as glorious as possible.
**'''Contracts of Entropy''': Draw strength from the acceptance of Fate, and break down communication (and even other active Contracts). Uniquely, it does not require Court Goodwill for Changelings outside the Dusk Court to purchase, though Dusk Courtiers do get better estimates- the Dusk Court figures that all Changelings will come to see things their way eventually.

===Entitlements===
In addition to the Courts, there are also semi-independent Nobilities that a Changeling can join once their Wyrd is high enough. An Entitlement mechanically acts as a Prestige Class, and fluffwise makes the Changeling a Noble in the eyes of the Court and the Wyrd. This can mean trouble, though, since the True Fae tend to gravitate towards Changelings of rank rather then commoners. A Changeling with an Entitlement has sworn an oath to fulfill the function of his office, which grants him benefits, such as spinning straw to gold to designing and building massive structures in an hour; in exchange for some manner of weakness. Second Ed changes them from social clubs to specialist roles you can take to receive unique benefits as long as you fulfill the duties that come with said role. Sometimes there can be only one in the world, for example The Red Queen. Entitlemens can apply to an entire motley, such as The Knights of Blades. The rules are in the Oak, Ash and Thorn supplement.

==The True Fae and Arcadia==
[[File:Fae LMAO.png|250px|thumb|right|The True Fae can take many forms, including that of the stereotypical alien abductors.]]
The threat of the True Fae can best be compared to the threat of the [[Antediluvian]]s of [[Vampire: The Masquerade]], if only the Antediluvians took a more active role in fucking with people and weren't such a hilariously contrived plot point for Gehenna.

To the Changelings, the True Fae, also known as the Gentry or the Others, haunt their nightmares, because ever since they've escaped Arcadia, the land of the Faeries, their shadowy presence looms just outside of their peripheral vision, threatening to pull them back into servitude, or worse, to take their families away if they don't comply. The Gentry are unique antagonists in that each and every single one is absolutely omnipotent, capable of doing anything they wish while they're in Arcadia, but incapable of understanding anything that's not in relation to them, and [[Troll|existing only to feed their egos and self-gratification]]. The problem is that despite their massive affinity with screwing with the Wyrd, they're both incapable of creation and require conflict to exist, as they will eventually wither away into nothing without discord. Ergo, they find both slaves and rebels in human beings, who they're eternally fascinated with (but not to the extent where they'll consider them anywhere close to their own glory). To that effect, they lord their status over their servants and screw with their perceptions and lives, doing anything that pops into their heads with them no matter how dangerous or nonsensical it might be simply because they feel like it.

The True Fae are creatures that can modify the Wyrd like they were breathing, but only while they are far from where reality is strong. In Arcadia, in their little corner of paradise, where they can change everything from the color of the sky to whether snowflakes are radioactive and weigh half a ton. The further they get from Arcadia, however, the weaker their powers become, and when they're on Earth (even though they're still powerful) they can pretty much only screw with minor things that their Contracts allow them to. Indeed, [[Neckbeard|reality itself slowly poisons them]], so they generally don't leave Arcadia unless they want something (that something being slaves). What it ultimately comes down to for the Gentry is [[That guy|"Is it fun for me? How long will it be fun for me? What should I do afterwards?"]].

But all hope is not lost! Once upon a time, the Gentry pissed Cold Iron off, and now it's fucking mad and wants revenge, and it's not gonna let godlike powers stand in its way! Still, it's going to need all the help it can get. [[Derp|This Summer, get ready for edge of your seat excitement in this action packed thriller! '''''"Cold Iron"''''', starring Kurt Russell and Jason Lee! This film is not yet rated]]. At least that's one explanation for why iron works on the fae. Another is that Iron struck a deal with humanity that humans would use it to conquer the world if it protect them against the supernatural. Lastly is the idea that iron is not magical. In fact, it's the least magical thing in the world, so much so that it crosses over into anti-magic territory. (We're pretty sure that one was stolen from a Discworld novel, but we like Discworld so we'll let it slide.)

[[Troll|A great burn on players that play Mary Sue type characters is that the rules punish you for acting like one of the Gentry, resulting in Clarity drops out of the ass, along with benefits such as suspicion and ostracism from changeling freeholds, calling the True Fae to your location through your actions, and generally being snubbed by mortals who find you unlikable.]]

Oh yeah, and if you're strong and crazy enough your character might become one of them.

2e mixes things up a little: It's established that not every True Fae is interested in kidnapping mortals and rearranging their faces and psyches. Most are, in fact, content to faff about with their omnipotence back in Faerie and ignore those [[Human|quaint, fragile monkey-things]] altogether. While an important distinction from a narrative standpoint, functionally not much has changed for the Lost except now they get to know it's explicitly ''the very worst True Fae'' who are out to get them.

==The Hedge==
If you wanna go from Arcadia to Earth or vice versa, you need to traverse the Hedge, a semi-sentient domain that appears as a vast, beautiful landscape littered with thorns. Spend too much time in them thorns and you go crazy. And for God's sake, '''DO NOT WANDER OFF THE PATH'''. You can pretty much find anything here, if you can't find it you can find it at a Goblin Market. Which is also here. Changelings can live here but so can the True Fey, and Hobgoblins can be assholes. The food here is awesome!

==Fetch==
So you've made it back home, whoop-dee-doo. Unfortunately, most people didn't even realize you ever left, since the Gentry like animating a bit of crap they find scattered around using a piece of your soul and having it live your life for you. Killing your Fetch fucks with your clarity, since, you know, he was pretty much just ''you'' without a couple of your personality traits (maybe even without your ''flaws''), but it's a necessity if you want your old life back and you get a bunch of really cool magic stuff and merits out of it.

...Or, you can do the "hard but moral" thing and try to ''merge'' with it (since, you know, it's ''you'') which gives you ''even more'' cool stuff and merits.

Of course, since your fetch is different than you are (or used to be) you could end up getting your old life back, only to ruin it because you suck. Or you could come back to find your life ruined by your doppelganger, although that does give your another reason to kill the fucker.

==Huntsmen==
2E's answer to "hang on, why aren't the fairies after me?" In short, they are-it's just that, like any Mary Sue writer, the True Fae are lazy as shit, and they get the underlings to do it. The underlings who, it should be mentioned, are not any happier about it than you are; see, True Fae aren't actually the natural rulers of Arcadia, the Huntsmen are-and because they have natural resistance to the mortal world, the Keepers thought to themselves "Hey I know! Let's catch a mind raped slave with other mind raped slaves!"

And "Mind Rape" is the proper term; when they're dragging a Huntsman out by the ear to get their property for them, a Gentry [[Grimdark|tears out his heart, replaces it with one of his own Titles, and then hides the heart in some poor sap's dream]] before blackmailing the abomination who now wants desperately for the misery to stop with its return if the Huntsman drags back the Changeling the Keeper is looking for. They literally cannot think in any other way than what the Keepers want unless they're close to their Hearts, which means confronting them in the Hedge, where they're at their most powerful and it's likely they've already placed shackle-tasers around your genitals.

Oh yeah, and they're also almost always shapeshifters and are immortal so long as their Hearts exist- and even if you destroy the heart, the Title will just return to the Keeper and can be reused to enslave another Huntsman. Have fun!

==Mortals, Ensorcellment and Oneiromancy==
You can make mortals see you and go into their dreams and fight and make stuff. Look just go read about it in the books.

==Books==
Changeling: The Lost is the second "limited run" game, aka a small series of books whose rough contents were planned from the start. This shows in its tight release schedule: in just two days short of a full year six books were released, from the core book to the "closure" book. Four of those books lined up with specific seasons, with their release matching the seasons themselves. These six books are:

*'''Changeling: The Lost Rulebook''' is the core book, detailing all the beautiful horrors that lie behind the Hedge, the terrible beauty of the True Fae, the danger of the monsters they face and the powers of the Changelings themselves.
*'''Autumn Nightmares''' is the antagonist book, detailing the True Fae, the Hobgoblins working for them, those trying to destroy the inroads to the Hedge (this is bad because this would rob the Changelings of their powers and attract the attention of the True Fae) and the Fetches created to replace people who have been kidnapped.
*'''Winter Masques''' is the option book for players, including a lot more Kiths, Contracts and details the Courts as well as adding new Entitlements.
*'''Rites of Spring''' is the magic book, expanding on the magic of the Lost, Contracts, Pledges, Clarity and the Mask and various tokens and wonders found within the Hedge.
*'''Lords of Summer''' is the faction book that explores the Great Courts, Freeholds and a bunch of Entitlements.
*'''Equinox Road''' is the finale book detailing Arcadia, the True Fae, gives rules for high-powered Changeling games and details the dread Game of Immortals, the thing that keeps the True Fae busy most of the time in search of transcendence.

This is where Changeling: The lost was planned to end. It was a tight series of books with a good scope on what it wants to be. However, it turned out that even for all its bleakness Changeling: The Lost was immensely popular. As such, White Wolf decided to make a few more books to be released over the course of a year:

*'''Night Horrors: Grim Fears''' is an antagonist book, detailing all sorts of antagonists and monsters the Changelings might run into. It is also possible to use the book in other games like [[Vampire: The Requiem]] and [[Hunter: The Vigil]].
*'''Dancers in the Dusk''' details the relationships that the Lost have with dreams and new ways to interact with them, as well as new Contracts, Entitlements and details on the Dusk Court.
*'''Swords at Dawn''' is about the conflicts and wars between the Lost, expands on Talecrafting and Fate and adds new Entitlements and the Dawn Court.
*'''Goblin Markets''' expands on the titular markets where players can buy and sell almost anything at dangerous and steep prices.

==2nd Edition==
When the jump to Chronicles of Darkness was made all the games that had been out at that point needed an update. When Vampire, Werewolf, Mage and Promethean were updated with some significant retooling here and there, and Hunter being updated in a supplement with a full 2nd edition to be released later, it was then up to Changeling to release its update. Some of the changes shown off by [[White Wolf]] are listed above, [[Troll|with the full book being released in Q2 2017]]. As of October 2018, a full preview of the book is available, and in December 2018 the physical copies became available. A companion book containing additional information is scheduled to come out in 2019. Contracts are different now, being stand-alone powers. Clarity is much more fluid, serving as a sort of mental health track. Kith blessings are much more powerful and flavorful than they were in 1e, and now it's explicit that Lost of any Seeming can be any kith (something that was only an optional rule in 1e). Courts are pretty much the same, although the benefits from Court Mantles have changed. We have yet to see what Entitlements will look like aside from loose examples from Onyx Path blog posts.

==See Also==
*[[Changeling]]
*[[White Wolf]]
*[[World of Darkness]]
*[[Changeling: The Dreaming]], its predecessor.
*[[Changeling Homebrew Kiths]]
*[[Changeling Homebrew Contracts]]
*[[Changeling Homebrew Hedge Bounty]]
*[[Changeling Homebrew Courts]]
*[[Changeling Stranger Tides]]

{{WoD-Games}}
[[Category: Changeling: The Lost]]

World of Darkness

2021-12-21T01:19:58Z

2600:6C5D:617F:B333:DD93:6C96:F691:1029: /* Fan Games */

{{Grimdark}}
{{Game Infobox
|name = World of Darkness
|type = [[RPG]]
|picture = [[Image:WoD logo.png|200px]]
|publisher = [[White Wolf]] / Onyx Path
|system = [[World of Darkness#The System|Storyteller System / Storytelling System]]
|year = 1991 / 2004
}}
The '''''World of Darkness''''' is two different lines of [[RPG]]s published by [[White Wolf]] and later [[White Wolf|Onyx Path]] (and later still by both of them at once, it's complicated) that focus on deep role-playing and, depending on the specific sub-game, the horror genre. The setting can only be described as the modern world, but [[Grimdark|worse in every aspect]]. Every creeping suspicion you have is probably true, and the world is as dirty and corrupt as it often seems to be. In the old ''World of Darkness'', each game was meant to be played separately; as a result the games often had conflicting metaplots and, despite using the same basic "Storyteller System", were incompatible when it came to various supernatural powers. The release of a new ''World of Darkness'' (with an updated ruleset, the "Storytelling System") features a core book that contains the basic rules for all the games, and focuses on normal human beings in horrific situations that may or may not be supernatural in nature. The new games interact in a modular fashion and also have little established fluff, making it more malleable for Storytellers (the in-game term for [[GM]]; abbreviated as ST). The new line has also been trying to avoid the old Gothic feel for which it was known (specifically with ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'') in favor of a slightly more traditional form of horror. As of December 2015 it has been renamed ''Chronicles of Darkness'' to allow its setting to exist separately from that of the setting of the relaunched oWoD (which is itself now called Classic World of Darkness or cWoD).

== The System ==
The basic system in both the new and old World of Darkness revolves around a dicepool of '''d10'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s. Your [[dice pool]] consists of a number of dice equal to your relevant ability score plus your skill and other relevant modifiers.

In oWoD/cWoD, the [[GM|Storyteller]] sets the difficulty for each roll depending on the circumstances, with the default being a difficulty of 7. A '''success''' is a roll of that difficulty or higher (7 or above, on most rolls). A roll of 1 is called a '''botch'''. If any number of 1's are rolled, they cancel out a single success. No more than one success can be cancelled out in this way, so critical failures (A botch with zero successes) are relatively rare. The net number of successes determines how well you succeed, with one success meaning that you are barely able and a greater number indicating better achievement. When you get zero net successes (if you get no successes or if your 1s cancel out your successes, or if you get at least one success and more ones than successes), you fail the roll. When you get zero successes and at least one 1, you botch-- a critical and spectacular failure. If you have a '''specialty''' in either your attribute or ability that is relevant on the roll, you may reroll all 10s to gain extra successes, and rolls of 1 on these rerolls do not count.

In nWoD/CoD, a success is an 8, 9, or 10, and 10s [[exploding die|explode]]. A critical success is made when you get five or more successes. Instead of altering the target number of the roll, difficulty and circumstances increase or reduce the number of dice in the pool. When your dice pool is reduced to zero or less, you get a chance die. You roll the die normally, but only succeed on a ten (which still explodes) and if you get a one you get a critical failure. All other rolls are called simple failures, although any simple failure can be turned into a critical failure by the player in return for bonus Beats (basically XP).

==== Short Summary of Old Game Lines ====
* Vampire: You're the bad guy. Your friends are also villains.
* Werewolf: You're fighting a war, and you're losing.
* Mage: You're fighting a war you already lost.
* Wraith: You lost, you died, and now you're trying to avoid a fate worse than death.
* Changeling: You're fighting a war you already lost and nobody is taking you seriously.
* Hunter: You're [[Imperial Guard|fighting a war where everyone's bigger than you and trying to kill you.]]
* Mummy: You're immortal... that's it.
* Demon: You're fighting a cold war with mixed results.
* Orpheus: You're mortal and dying temporarily is part of your job.

==== Short Summary of New Game Lines ====
* Vampire: You're still the bad guy. But there are even worse guys out there.
* Werewolf: You're with border patrol on the shores of animistic hell because of your ancestors' divine fratricide. Your distant cousins skipped out and now try to kill you, and the spirits aren't a big fan of your work either.
* Mage: You lost the first war, but are planning to win the second.
* Promethean: You're Frankenstein's monster on a journey to become Pinocchio. The world itself hates you, so you have to keep moving to avoid the mobs that spring up around you.
* Changeling: You got kidnapped, but escaped, only to find someone stole your life and your god-like kidnapper wants you back.
* Hunter: You try to kill a few monsters, then you die. Your light gets snuffed out, only to light two more.
* Geist: You died and a ghost brought you back, and that ghost now shares your body.
* Mummy: You keep coming back from the dead and are forced by your bosses to find their stuff.
* Demon: You escaped from the Matrix and are now in a cold war with God, who is the Matrix.
* Beast: You're a colossal asshole who feeds the nightmare monster that replaced your soul by scaring people into psychological trauma.
* Deviant: Your soul has been broken and your body is turning into something monstrous. The only way you can be sure to stay sane and human is to get back at the bastards who did this to you.

== Old World of Darkness/Classic World of Darkness (oWoD/cWoD) ==
=== The Big Three ===
[[Image:WOD_old_1e_cover.jpeg|thumb|oWoD 1st edition cover]]
* '''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]:''' The original World of Darkness game. Covers playing vampire characters in the modern day World of Darkness. It gains its title from "The Masquerade", an in-game set of rules and guidelines dictated by the Camarilla sect in an attempt to keep the mortal populace unaware of vampires and their influence on society. This is also basically the only thing you can get more than one sect of vampires to agree on, and a lot of the game revolves around the resulting political intrigue. It is heavily influenced by gothic imagery and by a variety of different vampire mythos, including the romanticized version of the vampire popularized by Anne Rice.
* '''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]:''' Second game to be released set in the World of Darkness. The game covers playing werewolf characters known as Garou. It gains its title from one of the major antagonistic themes in the game where supernatural forces of corruption are attempting to bring about the Apocalypse. The game tended to degenerate into hack-and-slash, mainly as it is an author tract whose authors had conflicting messages.
* '''[[Mage: The Ascension]]:''' Player characters in this game come from a variety of backgrounds, both mortal and immortal and are unified by the fact that they all practice magic of one form or another. Magic is defined by the game as a force that can shape reality with the willpower, belief or special magical techniques of the user. Had a pretty sweet metaplot/setting, but was hamstrung by the extreme clumsiness of its mechanical system.

=== The Could Have Beens ===
* '''[[Wraith: The Oblivion]]:''' You died, and now you're a ghost. Either move on by severing what anchors you have to this world, or stay and have a good time making scary noises. And oh, try not to fall into hell. Lots of ideas that sound good on paper but tear apart groups and ruin friendships in execution, like making each player ''also'' roleplay another player's manifested personal demons.
* '''[[Changeling: The Dreaming]]:''' The characters are fairy souls 'trapped' in human bodies to survive in the cold banal world. The game's theme centered heavily on the concept of Chimera, where things weren't magical or mundane, but both at once. So the real world would see an old butterknife, and it would be - but in the realm of faerie, it would also be a mystical longsword. The concept of Banality is unfortunately somewhat awkwardly implemented and requires some work by the Storyteller to appropriately function. The series was cut short and a number of expansions that were announced were never released, like the supplement for the Middle-East in the Year of the Scarab. This game was and is massively popular with otherkin since its premise is their delusion, and any people who play it likely believe themselves to be elves.

=== Apocalyptica ===
* '''[[Kindred of the East]]:''' Based on hong-kong legends, the "Kindred of the east", internally called Cathayans or Kuei-Jin, are vampire-like in appearance and in certain behaviors, but instead of being a mortal inflicted with a curse that make them thirst for blood and burn in the sun, the Kuei-Jin are mortal-ish descendants of god-like heroes who betrayed the mandate of heaven and was cursed to thirst for blood and rot in the sun. The game was built more as an extension to Vampire: The Masquerade rather than its own game and was meant to be played specifically in the Far East, in the same way that Mummy: The Resurrection was made to specifically be played in the Middle East and Northern Africa.
* '''[[Hunter: The Reckoning]]:''' Mortals are imbued with weird powers by mysterious forces in a last-ditch effort to keep the world from circling the drain. Played according to the writing, it's Call of Cthulhu in the World of Darkness: a bunch of scared people who are going to die very horribly unless they're very cautious and paranoid. Played according to the art it's, well, the licensed video games.
* '''[[Mummy: The Resurrection]]:''' You play a Mummy. Who has been Resurrected. And has access to a third-level power (out of five) that levels the town you're in. Mummies are people with unusual qualities who died too soon but were given a second chance at life. This compelled them to travel to the Middle East where they underwent a ritual that combined their spirit with that of an ancient Egyptian. Now they are the servants of Ma'at, the concept of divine justice and seek to destroy those who challenge Ma'at. Yes, this makes Mummies a lot like the Garou from Werewolf, but they don't walk around with bandages (unless they run out of Sekhem, the fuel for thier powers, and want to slow the ensuing degredation of their bodies). Mummies are the closest thing to good guys in the World of Darkness, and have a very strict Morality track called Balance that can see a Mummy destroyed by the Judges of Ma'at if they violate it at a low level. There are only two books in the Mummy line: the core book and the Players Guide which adds new powers, as well as options for Mummies from middle and south America and China. Infamous for its vague goals and antagonists.
* '''[[Demon: The Fallen]]:''' A third of the heavenly host rebelled against God out of their love for humanity and warred against Him and His angels. The rebels lost and were cast into Hell for their trouble, minus their leader Lucifer. Their stay in Hell made them all go just the tiniest bit completely, murderously ''insane.'' After thousands of years the events of the metaplot caused the gates of the Hell that the fallen angels have been trapped in to crack open, allowing the Fallen to slip back to the world and find human hosts to inhabit to avoid falling into Hell again that, as a wonderful bonus also help them regain a bit of their lost sanity. Now the Fallen quarrel amongst themselves to figure out what to do next in the perversion of their creation that is the modern world where God and His angels are absent, as well as the dread Earthbound who were once like them but were bound to unfeeling objects instead of humans and became amoral monsters. Frequently derided for its meddling with the metaplots of other game lines like Vampire, Werewolf and Wraith, as well as its prominent Abrahamic trappings.
* '''[[Orpheus]]:''' It's like Flatliners meets Ghostbusters; focusing on teams that use cryogenics and astral projection to become semi-ghosts, all funded by a corporation called the Orpheus Group. And if you thought The Underworld from Wraith couldn't get more grimdark...

=== Fan Games ===
* '''[http://www.scribd.com/doc/96117271/Gargoyles-the-Vigil Gargoyles: The Vigil]:''' A crossover with the cartoon ''Gargoyles'', there's work underway to convert it to GMC nWoD rules [http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/main-forum/the-new-world-of-darkness/383957-converting-gargoyles-the-vigil here.]
* '''[https://web.archive.org/web/20170915153606/home.pacific.net.au/~turner23/greayz/greys.htm Greys: The Abduction]:''' A short fan-expansion from 1997, has three different types of aliens.
* '''[[Highlander: The Gathering]] ([http://vampirerpg.free.fr/Rules/Highlander/ Link], [http://www.highlander.org/roleplaying/ alt]):''' Holy shit this is a fan-made supplement where life doesn't suck! You're immortal and extremely powerful, but still human. It's kill or be killed, though. So once The Gathering comes around you have to kill most of the friends you've made through the ages. Also has a neat custom sword fight system. If you've seen Highlander, you'll love it. If not, see Highlander 2 and The Source. There's also a LARP version called [http://www.greyhawkes.com/larp/highlarp.htm Highlander: The Quickening] made by different authors exists.
* '''[http://www.maison-otaku.net/~rhea/senshi.html Senshi: The Merchandising]:''' A fan-game from the 90's that is a parody of ''Sailor Moon'' and the old WoD. Remember how Mages can bend reality to their whim? Well, now imagine a bunch of 90s anime nerds Ascending... ''"The Technocracy is STILL trying to cover up the 'Tokyo-3' disaster."''
* '''[http://techinfantry.stasheff.com/ Tech Infantry]:''' oWoD meets ''Starship Troopers'', has some parallels in the ''Mirrors: Infinite Macabre'' supplement for the nWoD.
* '''[[Zombie: The Coil]] ([http://gamingnerdsrus.co/forum/index.php?topic=91.0 Link]):''' A Fan-made expansion from 2001. Brai-i-ins and grimderp ensue.
* '''[https://lunarwilderness.itch.io/atlantean-the-longing Atlantean: The Longing]:''' Long lost descendants from the city of Atlantis try to survive in modern day by fighting ocean pollution. While fighting on the surface, they continuously have to resist the urge to go back into the ocean.
* '''[[Exalted Versus World of Darkness]]:''' ex-[[White Wolf]] writer Gordon Shearer gives a possible answer to what would happen if the World of Darkness was ''actually'' [[Exalted]]'s Creation, and now at the End of Days, the Exalted come back. Will they save the day? Or will just push things over the brink?

== New World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness (nWoD/CofD) ==
=== Core Rulebooks ===
[[Image:WODcover.jpg|thumb|nWoD cover]]
* '''The Storytelling System Rulebook'''
:The core rulebook unifies the rule systems of the other game lines, as well as provides a basic system with which to play as mortal humans, and some barebones ghosts rules that are added onto in nearly every publication where ghosts are relevant. [http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/114078 The second edition update] is available as a free pdf online and it replaces the old "Victorian" morality system with one that's more modern, and also includes most of the improvements from the ''God Machine Chronicle'' (see below).
:* '''God Machine Chronicle:''' Essentially the second edition of the core rulebook. Brings in a new morality system, "Integrity", with breaking points instead of the hierarchy of sins. Along with systems of conditions and "beats". If you don't mind the notion of God being a celestial laptop or the increased micro-management of the system, it's worth looking at as it's a big update over the old version. For better or worse depends on how you look at it.

Expanding on the core rules, White Wolf decided to release a bunch of books expanding on the core rules to make the basic NWoD/CoD system a viable game in its own right. These books are, in order of release:

* '''Antagonists:''' A whole slew of antagonists for the core game, but could also theoretically be used in the main games (especially Hunter). Includes a whole bunch of zombies including the regular kind, the primitive Prometheans called the Imbued (no relation to Hunter: The Reckoning) and those ghosts who have reentered their bodies and became Revenants in order to enact revenge. Others include a basic version of Hunters (best used as antagonists), cults of all kind and a variety of other monsters.
* '''Armory:''' Guns, a whole lot of them. Also armor, vehicles and of course swords and such. A good book to have when playing any NWoD game that relies heavily on equipment. The book takes a very responsible and mature look at weaponry without disrespecting the player's intelligence.
* '''Second Sight:''' Psychic powers, Low Magic and magical monsters for those games where using Mage: The Awakening is too high power.
* '''Skinchangers:''' Yep, skinwalkers. Not all as evil as you'd think, just... don't piss them off.
* '''Book of Spirits:''' Geist of those of you who don't want to use Geist. A good book for those who fall victim to the realm of spirits as well as those who try to conquer it.
* '''Asylum:''' Horror stories set in insane asylums are very common, so it's logical that the World of Darkness jumps that bandwagon. Also includes an in-depth look at an example asylum: Bishopgate.
* '''Reliquary:''' Everybody knows that magical items are the Good Shit, even if they're cursed. There's a ton of premade items here as well as easy rules to make your own.
* '''Changing Breeds:''' You know how Forsaken removed all the bad things from Apocalypse? Now imagine if you take all those bad things, slap them together, double, triple and quadruple down on them and have "Satyros" [[Phil Brucato]] write it. One of the worst core WoD books.
* '''Innocents:''' An add-on for the core book, you're just a kid who has to deal with the realities of the world revealing themselves to you. If you survive you'll most likely either be institutionalized, a Hunter, or a serial killer. Or more than one. Or a monster, that works too. The book you'll want if you want to play a Stranger Things game.
* '''Dogs of War:''' The stories of black ops military units dealing with the supernatural. Perfect for those times you want to go all Delta Green, including how normal soldiers deal with the supernatural, how armies work as well as the more... irregular units.
* '''Inferno:''' Rules for old-fashioned demons (or angels) almost completely different from the fallen angels of both God himself and the God Machine. As it was one of the earlier supplements, it is horribly incompatible with the GMC rules update, being focused on one half of the old morality system. Contains rules for both demons themselves and the Possessed, those unfortunates possessed by a demon and now have to deal with the perverse being living inside their head.
* '''Slasher:''' Despite being a Hunter book in all but name, Slasher can still be used on its own to create a whole bunch of serial killers to use as antagonists in a core WoD game. Also contains rules for their use in Hunter games, including a gentleman's club for serial killers and those who hunt them: the FBI's Vanguard Serial Crimes Unit (VASCU) and its psychic operatives.
* '''Armory Reloaded:''' How do you stop a grisly tentacled horror from tearing you apart? [[Team Fortress 2|Use a gun. And if that don't work? Use more gun.]] Contains rules for fighting styles, high-tech weapons, blessed and cursed weapons and alternate rules for combat. Infamous for allowing the creation of some of the most powerful mortals the World of Darkness has ever seen.
* '''Immortals:''' A supplement that was released for immortal characters that follow different ideas of immortality. Except out of the 3 Immortals in the book, the first jumps off the karma meter so fast its unplayable, primarily because its Immortality is powered by bathing in a '''LOT''' of blood, preferably virgin but any human will do. The second, the Body Thief, is almost playable but again the karma meter gets in the way of anything involving the whole body swapping thing, resulting in the character becoming unplayable again. The third Immortal lives off some sort of mystic Chi/Kai stuff and is basically powered by Feng Shui. It's the only one that could be considered playable, and the authors must have realized this because its much better worked then the others which seem to have been intended as pure NPCs initially and then left as they are now.
* '''Book of the Dead:''' Think the Book of Spirits mixed with Geist and the result is poured into a sourcebook. Good for Geist games (and also its ONLY sourcebook), but if you want to use this for a core WoD game you might as well play Geist instead.
* The '''Mirrors''' supplements and '''Translation Guides:''' Modifications for the Storytelling System itself as well as hints on adapting it for different genres (the former) while the latter guides allowed mix-and-match rules from the three main game-lines of ''oWoD'' and ''nWoD''. It's notable that the Guides not only go through the crunch but also have chapters with suggestions of how you might fluffwise justify having one nWoD Mage order here or an cWoD tribe of Werewolves there for both New and Classic World of Darkness games. So if you for example really miss Clan [[Tzimisce]] in Vampire: The Requiem or think Requiem did the [[Nosferatu]] better but you still wanna run Vampire: The Masquerade, have a look in the Vampire Translation Guide and you'll get separate chapters covering both the fluff and the crunch for porting them over from Masquerade into Requiem or vice versa.
* '''''Dudes of Legend: How To Be Fucking Awesome:''''' A joke supplement released on April 1st 2010, Dudes of Legend relentlessly pokes fun at both itself, White Wolf and the conventions of the RPG genre as a whole. Expect lesbian stripper ninjas, katanas and trenchcoats, magical gays, a more traditional XP system and loot drops from everyone you kill. It's a good laugh and might make for the ideal supplement if you're into that sort of game. Unfortunately White Wolf started to take itself way too seriously since and we'll never see a supplement like this one again.

Since the advent of Chronicles of Darkness only a few core books have been released specifically for that ruleset:

* '''Dark Eras:''' A 600 page behemoth of a tome detailing a variety of historical settings in which you can play Chronicles of Darkness. From the advent of the world where you play werewolves babysitting humanity so that it won't get eaten by the monsters of the wild, all the way up to to werewolves in the New York of the 70s. Contains settings for every gameline out there, but they are rather fixed: so if you want to play a Hunter during the Great War or a Mage during the fall of Constantinople you're out of luck. Also infamous for being very expensive: the standard hardcover book is $65 while the deluxe hardcover clocks in at $100, which many people feel is way too fucking expensive for a single book that you won't even use all the content of.
:* '''Dark Eras Companion:''' The same as Dark Eras but more. A Kickstarter goal turned into a 300 page book ($40 regular hardcover $60 premium hardcore) that does the same but more and for a higher price.
* '''Hurt Locker:''' A book on pain and violence, as well as a half-dozen templates to make normal mortals a bit more attuned to violence. It takes a rather mature take on violence and injury... until you reach the Plain template; normal people who deal with violence by using radical pacifism. Yes, that's right: you can defuse a violent situation by getting punched in the face and not fighting back.
* '''The Contagion Chronicle:''' Formerly referred to as The Crossover Chronicle, this series will add a new set of chronicle hooks, potential settings, and cross-template factions geared specifically around allowing parties composed of multiple types of supernatural beings to cooperate without killing each other. Details on the metaplot are fuzzy right now, but the basic premise seems to revolve around the various supernatural being forced to form new alliances with each other in the hope of fighting against the mysterious force known only as the Contagion, which is corrupting elements of the God-Machine and threatening to destroy the fabric of reality itself.

=== Principal Games ===
* '''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]:''' 13 Clans with fleshed out, restricting histories become 5 clans with vague, open-ended histories and multiple Bloodlines (sub-clans). The Camarilla becomes 5 Covenants with mutually exclusive goals. The Sabbat becomes VII, the Infernalists become the more sporadic, less-organized Belial's Brood. Arguably the biggest difference is that you can't just make someone a Vampire by draining them and feeding them your blood, now you have to permanently spend a dot of Humanity to do it. An alternate setting in ancient Rome also exists, which contains a history of the Carmarilla (and how it collapsed with the rest of the Roman Empire). Additionally, a new set of antagonists in the form of the Strix, which are demonic owl-like creatures bent on purging every last trace of Humanity from vampire society (to the point where even a Humanity 0 vampire is ''too human'' for them) and can possess corpses and vampires to lash out at mortals and undead alike.
* '''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]:''' A slightly more "balanced" version of Werewolf. You can't run around in 8-foot tall invincible war-form all the time, and you see humans as a flock of idiotic sheep that you have to protect from malicious spirits due to a vow sworn by your ancient ancestors as punishment for divine patricide. The "adjustments" resulted, possibly intentionally, in the average werewolf no longer being a match for the average vampire, a criticism invariably met with statements regarding the relative level of coordination between werewolf packs and vampire coteries. An example of a well run Werewolf: the Forsaken game is [http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?446663-Werewolf-The-Forsaken-quot-Detroit-Rock-City-quot Detroit Rock City]. It is written in novel format for ease of reading, played over Skype.
* '''[[Mage: The Awakening]]:''' Mechanically simplified and involving more magic usage than [[Mage: The Ascension|M:tAsc]], M:tA's biggest criticism is that it doesn't have as compelling a plot — specifically, the revised political landscape is the most frequent target of attack. Its second edition fixed most of that though, and it bears repeating that its rules for magic allow for a lot more freedom than what Ascension let you do.

=== Limited Release Games ===
* '''[[Promethean: The Created]]:''' Frankenstein: The RPG. You're a scorned mockery of humanity, most likely abandoned by your creator, left to fend for yourself in a world that wants you dead. You're perpetually dazed and confused, always trying to pick up the ways of humans, but you can never make real friends and have to live as a nomad because the very thing that keeps you alive also makes people hate you and poisons the land around you. Only five books, but it pretty much covers all the bases. Surprisingly, it's actually rather optimistic since in theory you can make like Pinocchio and become a true human under the right circumstances.
* '''[[Changeling: The Lost]]:''' No longer are the Changelings faeries, but humans kidnapped by the True Fae and twisted into something not quite mortal. Managed to do the exact opposite of its predecessor and sell enough copies that they extended the series instead of cutting it short. It completed its run with nine books and a long-awaited web enhancement.
* '''[[Hunter: The Vigil]]:''' Hunter, without the ridiculously overpowered gifts. You're just an average Joe with more information than other people, and on occasion ties to people with some special toys that let you use powers that can border on the supernatural themselves. For instance, you might channel the power of your demonic heritage to smite people with hellfire, you might have bullets that are extra-effective against vampires, or you might have access to religious rites that bless your weapons with the power to hurt ghosts. That, and you can break every conceivable human moral code without going insane, provided you can justify it in light of your "Vigil." Though, of course, this slowly makes you inhuman. Well-known for its antagonists - Slashers - who are the World of Darkness take on serial killers. Once again had "lite" versions of all the other supernaturals, which tended to be more singularly powerful than the real thing, but not as versatile (or player-character-friendly). See what happens when Hunter: The Vigil meets Harry Potter [[M-COM|here]].
* '''[[Geist: The Sin-Eaters]]:''' People who die and have ghosts decide to resurrect them, getting stuck with said ghost riding shotgun to said person's body and giving them all manner of powers depending on the way the first party died, all to accomplish the ghost's goals. Instead of humanity, you have "synergy" which is how in sync you are with your spirit. When you die, someone else is forced to die in your place and you lose 1/5 of your maximum possible synergy, stunting your abilities permanently and ultimately making you a slave to your spirit "partner", who often has some rather unusual ideas about what to do with its new body. The Underworld is finally fleshed out, but somehow far more foreboding than expected.
* '''[[Mummy: The Curse]]:''' You're a slave of Irem of the Pillars (Yes, the one in the Rub-Al Khali). But the city is dead and gone, and the Sorcerers who made you into what you are now live in the lands of the dead and tell you what to do. A reversal of normal "You're young and weak, they're old and powerful", Mummies wake up with a power trait of *10*...and lose it quickly, because it drops over time as the magic animating your undying body begins to fade. Most Arisen remain active for about four months, at best. And then they have to come back to life and do it all over again.
* '''[[Demon: The Descent]]:''' Remember the God Machine? From the ''God Machine Chronicle'', and the start of the core book? Yeah, turns out it has robo-angels. Sometimes, one of them decides it doesn't particularly enjoy its function. Or it fails to perform. Or ends up getting saddled with an order it can't actually carry out. Instead of returning they go on the lam, becoming 'demons'. The God Machine sends its angels looking. You don't want to go back, so you become a robot secret agent, pretending as hard as you can to be human while ruining the occult plans of the Divine Calculator; luckily, you retain the ability to hack reality thanks to your former connection to the God Machine. The angels are still Cthulhu-robots in service to the...thing that is in total control of the World of Darkness, and they would really like you to come back so they can strip you for parts. Fortunately Demons are very good at hiding their true identities- so good that even supernatural beings (and other demons, at that matter) can't see through their disguises if they don't want to reveal themselves.
* '''[[Beast: The Primordial]]:''' The most recently published game, and another one with absolutely no tie to the Old World of Darkness. You play as a Beast, a living embodiment of primal fear running around in a meat-suit, and driven by the need to feed on fear, either passively by hanging out with your "kinfolk" (most every other monster in the WoD) or actively by going out and terrorizing folks. Pretty strongly panned, many consider it the absolute worst gameline in the New World of Darkness because it combines CtD's "otherkin" appeal with some rather hazy moral trappings that make readers wonder if the authors got beat up in school a lot. The discovery that its author was a sex offender did not help matters.
* '''[[Deviant: The Renegades]]:''' The next announced gameline, which uses a "body horror" theme. You play as a Deviant, some poor soul caught by a mad scientist, a black ops bio-corp, a fucked up cult or some other kind of conspiracy and twisted into something not entirely human. Your soul is broken and your body will inevitably collapse under the strain of your continued changes, but sheer stubbornness allows you to cling to what's left of your humanity long enough to get revenge on each and every one of the sonsofbitches who did this to you. You can decide how strong you want your starting powers to be but stronger powers come with stronger drawbacks and cause the Conspiracy that made you to become more aggressive in trying to recapture you.

=== Fan Games ===
Due to the lack of a Metaplot in NWOD, and the bigger focus on keeping things vague in-universe, Fan Games are FAR more common for NWOD than for it's older counterpart.

* '''[[Dragon: The Embers]]:''' A long, long time ago, the Dragons ruled. And then humans fought back. Now, you are one of the last of your kind, what do you do?
* '''[[Genius: The Transgression]]:''' A fan-built WoD set, Genius allows players to gorge themselves on Venture Brothers level superscience while drinking deep from the cup of mundane failure. While Inspiration allows a mad scientist to channel Mania into impossible inventions, their Obligation to humanity gradually gives way to that alien brilliance. If a scientist falls too far off the straight and narrow, they become Unmada, unable or unwilling to accept that they are crazy, that their ideas are true regardless of Mania. Without help or restraint, they become Illuminated. Think Hannibal Lecter in a lab coat and a fascination with altering the DNA of pregnant women. (Also don't even think of trying to get rich off your mad science; your inventions basically break the laws of physics through sheer force of will on your part and tend to malfunction explosively if the mundanes get their grubby hands on them.)
* '''[[Giant: The Perfidious]]:''' Another fan-made WoD gameline, in which you are a Giant.
* '''[[Hunchback: The Lurching]]:''' Even Quasimodo gets a game based on his poor ass. You're a Hunchback, and your goal in life is to find a nice master, pick up a hot chick, and die happily(?) from your horrible disfigurement.
* '''[[Leviathan: The Tempest]]:''' OOOOOCEAN MAN. In which you play as the WOD version of a Deep One/the Creature from the Black Lagoon. You're a descendent of an unknowable and powerful monster from the beginning of the planet, now you're turning into an undersea monster with your own personal cult. Yay!
* '''[[Mutant: The Aberration]]:''' A [[mutant]] is you.
* '''[[Princess: The Hopeful]]:''' Sailor Moon? ha ha no, try Sailor Nothing, or late-season Madoka Magica. Pretty dresses won't help you fight despair, but sometimes that's all you got.
* '''[[Sovereign: The Autonomy]]:''' An AI is you. Do you try to go full [[Reign of Steel]], manipulate humans into making you a physical body, or just fuck with people on the Internet?
* '''[[Wraith: The Arising]]:''' Was the NWOD version of Wraith before Geist happened and filled that spot. You're dead, and unlife is not much better, can you make it in the politics of the afterlife?
* '''[[Alien: The Stranded]]:''' You're marooned on earth with your fellow aliens, with one of two long term goals - getting off this primitive rock full of savages you can barely call sapient, or saying "fuck it" and trying to go native. But right now, your business is simply surviving the various horrors of this world and figuring out just who you can trust.
* '''[[Janus: The Persona]]:''' Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde: WOD Edition. Not only do you have to deal with the usual supernatural shenanigans, but you also have to consider your Id that somehow became sentient and eggs you on to do terrible life choices. But hey, you get a few nifty powers in return, so it can't be *that* bad, right?

==Notable Differences==
Even without getting into the specifics of each game's interpretation of one archetype (say, Masquerade vs. Requiem for vampires), the two games are very different.

World of Darkness takes place in a "Gothic Earth". Which basically amounts to an 80s-style (at least in 1e) [[grimdark]] interpretation of the world; monstrous conspiracies are involved in most major events (except World War 2, for some reason), the "Neo-Gothic" art style is popular so there's lots of [[gargoyle]]s and stuff everywhere, all forms of crimes are up, and the world is just generally a very shitty sort of place to live. Humans are generally unimportant; sheep to be fed on by vampires, slaughtered by werewolves, pushed around by mages... generally, if you don't have powers, you're pretty much everybody's bitch. Even Hunters are only viable as a threat because they have some supernatural patron giving them all kinds of nifty powers specifically to fight monsters. Lore is generally very detailed and fleshed out, but not exactly crossover compatible, at least on the meta level; one of the more prominent examples is that, in Masquerade, vampires owe their origins explicitly to a Judaeo-Christian metaphysicality (being spiritual children of [[Caine]]), whilst in Apocalypse, the world is controlled by (totally not [[Mythology#Hindu_Mythology|Hindu Trimurti]]) Paganistic/Animistic spirit-gods, with the most powerful being the [[Wyld|Wyld (Creation)]], [[Weaver|Weaver (Order)]] and [[Wyrm|Wyrm (Destruction)]] and werewolves have every reason to believe that the Abrahamic "God" is just some bullshit that humanity came up with and has swallowed. Or probably was a powerful Celestine with influence around Middle-East.

This doesn't mean that this setting, old World of Darkness, shortened as "oWoD", didn't have its merits. The struggle between Technocracy and Traditions had amazing locations, technologies and ways to make a game session fun, vampires themselves had a long and rich history and full scale war between sects, and bloodlines themselves granted an exotic and diverse [[Fluff]].

However, said separate games, like Vampire and Mage, overlap each other's territories so badly it's illogical not to clash with each other. We have Technocracy on one hand, that has a mission to root out "Reality Deviants", and have technologies that border (and cross to) supernatural, yet Technocracy protected the world from the vampires' depradations ONCE, yes, just ONCE around the 90's. We have wars of Tzimisce and Tremere across the streets of Medieval Europe like its the Lord of the Rings on crack cocaine with a cast of freaks, yet mages and their ilk, plus mortal rulers SOMEHOW ignore the supernatural conflict, which is even funnier in modern era with insane levels of Sabbat atrocities across the world ignored by virtually every non-vampire organization which number in the millions and have missions that concern the welfare of the people.

For example, with the power Technocracy is wielding (and that's not even saying Traditions by themselves are weak), how can Sabbat conduct horrid festivals in EVERY major city named La Palle Grande, kidnapping hundreds of girls and conducting snuff festivals on open techno parties with elaborate torture theatre without alerting the Technocrats, Mages, Werewolves, one of the millions of Hunter organisations, Celestines, some random Spirit, a sympathetic fairy, the President and Your Mom? How can Camarilla apply mass blackouts and buyouts of presidents without the NWO coming down on a bunch of bloodsuckers? Every year? Unless the readers liked to fap to Hostel 2 bloodbath faggotry, it simply doesn't make sense to put it. And that's just about the consistent Fluff, not the conflicting ones. Here is an example concerning Gilgamesh, a Sumerian king.:

*In Vampire: The Masquerade, Gilgamesh is a fourth generation Gangrel Vampire, fighting against Toreador Methuselah, Ishtar. The epic is shaped into supporting this claim.

*However, According to Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Gilgamesh was offered unlife by vampires, but was talked out of it by a Child of Gaia named Siduri Sabitu. It is said that Gilgamesh was the first human to organize resistance against vampiric rule and the Garou tell that the inborn suspicion against the undead stems from his early influence.

*It hits Titan-sized degrees of Derp when you add Mage: The Ascension. There, the Celestial Chorus Tradition calls Gilgamesh as one of the First Singers, Exarchs (Masters) of great power that existed during the First Age and represent an inspiration for their Tradition. Using the original myth as a basis, it is said that Gilgamesh was a man who performed many wondrous acts and sought out immortality in a quest. He was flawed like any other man, but nevertheless he is considered a hero. It is also said that the First Singers ultimately passed away or were corrupted, so both previous interpretations can be valid too. Other eminent experts in supernatural ancient history, like the Hermetic Winston Brown, believe that Gilgamesh was a mortal man who was later deified by the population of Uruk, who ruled before the Babylonian Infernalists spread.

See it now?

And that's without even mentioning the End Times chronicles, which are impossible to play out without fucking the lore in the ass concerning a neighboring setting. Mage's End Times Scenario Hell on Earth simply ignores every other gadzillions of lore and creatures with one Nephandus (Nephandi are Mages who are edginess incarnate) destroying everything. That's it. No Antediluvian or hordes of vampires and werewolves even have an ounce of effect on the strange, omnipotent monstrosity that shifts in and out of reality and turns the Earth into Mordor. Same goes for Crucible of God, where Antediluvians turn the Earth into a post-apocalyptic fiefdom where humans are their slaves. Technocracy with Aurora bomber aircraft and space stations in other solar systems, Werewolves, GOD-DAMN Kuei-jin (who are massive armies of Asian Chi-vampires) who could wipe out the get of Caine are not even mentioned once, presumably rolling over and dying when Caine rips a fart. Then there are the three stories of Demon, which can be summed up as a world-wide war against the Greater Demons, a world-wide war against the Earthbound and a world-wide war against the Earthbound but Lucifer's there.

Only two End Times stories have a passable niche in other settings, the first being "Fair is Foul" where Lilith tries to kill Caine without even breaking the Masquerade or influencing other mortals, with one city of Storyteller's choosing has Kaballah runes etched under it to shift some alleys, but that's it. Second is Wormwood where the Red Star is actually the Harbinger of a second, harmless-to-nonvampires Flood to wipe out vampires only, because humanity showed resolve and used its divine spirit to stop Ravnos, impressing God to get off his ass and do something. 40 days later, the world is clear of all vampires, with the other settings untouched.

To put it short, crossovers were all but impossible unless you utterly butchered the fluff of one line or another.

Chronicles of Darkness, meanwhile take place in "Earth, but with deeper shadows". So the world is basically like it is when you look out your window or look at the news, just a little creepier and more mysterious. Humanity is special, both on a crunch level (mortals are a lot beefier than in WoD) and on a metaphysical level; [[Hunter: The Vigil]] is often held up as literally [[Humanity Fuck Yeah]] the RPG, where you can face down and, if you're doing it right, curbstomp any and every monster out there. Alright, except maybe mages if you don't one-shot them, but that's just because it's a little hard to take on some asshole who can dick around with the laws of reality. Lore is more vague and nebulous, but also drastically more crossover friendly and provides more wiggle room for Storytellers to get creative without having to worry about canon. There is no immediate end of the world around the corner so much as a vague sense of dread, the supernaturals of different game lines typically have at least a uncertain idea of the existence of other supernatural beings and ''usually'' don't meddle too much in each other's affairs unless it furthers their own ends since no player side is a monstrous killer, the Paths of Edgelightenment consigned to dustbins, and so on.

==Video Games==
There were a number of video games made (and cancelled) for the oWoD:
*Hunter: The Reckoning series
:A linear series on ''three different consoles''. If you were interested in the plot, you had to own a GameCube, PS2, and Xbox in that order. But they were also all multiplayer hack-&-slash beat-em-ups so the plot probably wasn't what their target audience was looking for.
*Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption
:Third-person RPG from Nihilistic Software with a action-focused single-player campaign that has nothing to do with conventional tabletop (vampiric discipline scroll anyone?) and oddly customizable multiplayer.
*Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
:First-person RPG from Troika Games that used an early version of Valve's Source engine, it requires the fan-patches; but is otherwise an entertaining single-player game.
*World of Darkness: Preludes
:Two "interactive experience" non-games released by Paradox Interactive in February of 2017. Let's just let the press release speak for itself.
:*Vampire The Masquerade: We Eat Blood
::''In'' Vampire: The Masquerade - We Eat Blood ''you’re a young artist who wakes up at night to find you’re no longer human…but exactly what are you and why are you so ravenously hungry for blood?!? Told entirely through an innovate mobile messaging perspective,'' We Eat Blood ''is a sharp, mature, and terrifying story about your first nights as unwilling predator and prey. Will you join ancient vampire conspiracies, or will you turn the tables on oppressive authority and seek your own future? The temptation is real. The game is written and illustrated by Zak Sabbath and Sarah Horrocks.''
:*Mage The Ascension: Refuge
::''In'' Mage: The Ascension - Refuge ''you play a volunteer at a European camp for Syrian refugees, and suddenly you discover that magic is real, you can use it, and you’re in the middle of a secret magical war for the fate of the world. The game lets you experience today’s social and political upheavals while learning that you can shape reality itself through sheer force of belief. Your actions and choices will have profound consequences on the world and people around you. Safety or sacrifice? Let them in or build the wall? The choice is yours. The game is written by noted Swedish author Karin Tidbeck.''
*Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York
:A visual novel about a conflict between the Camarilla and the Anarchs. Also based on 5th Edition. General consensus (based on what's written in the Vampire: The Masquerade page) seems to be that its shortcomings (short length, abrupt ending, lack of meaningful choices) keep it from being great.

====Cancelled====
*Vampire the Masquerade [[MMORPG]]
:Used to be in the works of CCP, the studio that made [[EVE Online]], but it was canceled in 2014. This is probably for the best as it was going to be based on CCP's engine for EVE's "walking in stations" feature which had a habit of melting GPUs.
*Werewolf: The Apocalypse
:A brawler for the Sega Saturn made by Capcom. Got canceled around the same time White Wolf stopped printing their [[Street Fighter]] RPG books. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogyeHh0htKM All that remains is this prototype.]
*Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of Gaia
:Another canceled oWoD game, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYmiwbO5icc 27 minutes of it have been salvaged.]

====Upcoming====
*Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
:Fifteen years after the last game, the cult classic is getting a sequel. Mostly based on VtM 5th Edition, little is known about the gameplay and story at this point. What ''is'' known is that the game will take place in Seattle, where a bunch of vampires descend on Pioneer Square and Embrace a whole bunch of people, turning them into Thin-Bloods (one of whom being the player-character). This means you won't have any disciplines at first and be restricted to the handful of powers Thin-Bloods got in V5 (as opposed to prior editions where they got crap-all), though the devs have said that you will eventually pick your Clan and gain the relevant disciplines and whatnot. Exactly ''how'' you gain a clan within the narrative has been the source of much speculation, but the current favorite theory is some form of diablerie. As of early 2021, Paradox Interactive canned the dev, canceled future preorders, and put the game on indefinite hold. Don't hold your breath on a release anytime soon.
*Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt
:Standard third person multiplayer last man standing battle royale game set in Prague. Has an excuse plot involving a war between anarchs + Camarilla with a human vampire hunter organization shrinking the playable area with some kind of anti-vampire gas. In early access as of Sep 2021.
*Vampire: The Masquerade — Night Road
:A text adventure of all things. You're a courier delivering messages and supplies between other vampires in the American Southwest.
*Vampire: The Masquerade - Out For Blood
:Another text adventure, though rather than playing as a vampire, this time you're a vampire hunter.
*Vampire: The Masquerade — Parliament of Knives
:One more text adventure. The Prince of Ottawa is missing and your sire sends you to find him.
*Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
:An upcoming stand-alone expansion to Coteries of New York. You play as a Lasombra investigating the death of the Anarch leader.
*Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong
:Yet another newly announced Vampire game. It's going to be a 'social' RPG where you control three different vampires working for the Camarilla investigating a massacre at a Kindred gathering in Boston. From the devs of 'The Council '.
*Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood
:An RPG that is currently being made by Cyanide Studio. You're gonna get to play as a Fianna fighting against Pentex. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7MRD5nTTbk Here's the most recent trailer.]
*Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest
:A, you guessed it, text adventure centering on a girl trekking through the forests of Poland to research her ancestry. Spoilers: they're Werewolves. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOVT5romi-I Here's the announcement trailer.]
*Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife
:A VR game where you get to play as a new wraith, a photographer killed during a seance in a VERY haunted Hollywood mansion. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjzK8WZRzYI Here's the announcement trailer.]

== See Also ==
* [http://www.worldofdarkness.com/ World of Darkness website]
* [https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page World of Darkness wiki]
* [http://www.unmodchat.com/ Unmoderated WoD Chat]
* [https://darkcitygame.com/ Dark City World of Darkness game]
* [http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/ Mister Gone's Character Sheets]
* [[NWoD/Character Sheet | Template for a nWoD Character Sheet on 1d4chan]]

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