Lores
Primary Abilities
| Kindred-Lore
Anarch-Lore Dauntain-Lore |
Mage-Lore
Chantry-Politics
Sorcery-Lore Arcanum-Lore
|
Bastet-Lore
Corax-Lore |
Lores: House Rules
When it comes to Lores, Occult is our basis for the system. Occult of course has other purposes as well, but if you have the Occult Knowledge, it is assumed you are aware other races possibly exist. You have heard myths, you have heard legends, and you have heard stories. Occult gives you access to generic information found in books and movies.
Your racial stereotypes may also provide you with information about other races. It is possible for a Vampire to know something about werewolves, based on their Kindred Lore stat. After all, they have been warring for a long time. What they know, is akin to the stereotypes listed in the core book. Such as: werewolves hunt in packs.
Actual Lores will give you the chance to roll for information. You lose the fiction, and start picking up fact. A dot in Kindred Lore may give you a chance to roll to know about a discipline and what a couple levels of it do. Without that stat? You get no roll. Please be aware, a Staffer or PrP Runner might state you need a Lore of X level, or you get no roll. This is acceptable and indicative that the information is considered rare, the difficulty will likely reflect this as well.
If you have encountered Vampires and you have Occult, it's ok to guess stakes in the heart make them turn to ash, it's ok to assume they either die by sunlight or start to sparkle, it's ok to assume they can't cross running water, and that they must be invited in. The key factor is, you will never be allowed a roll about Vampires with Occult. You do not know fact from fiction, even if you believe they exist.
If you have encountered Shifters and you have Occult, it's ok to guess they only turn to wolves on the full moon, it's ok to assume that a silver bullet in the heart will kill them, it's ok to assume a bastet steals the breaths of babies, it's ok to assume that a shifter bite will turn someone into a werecreature, and that they are usually really angry. The key factor is, you will never be allowed a roll about Shifters with Occult. You do not know fact from fiction, even if you believe they exist.
If you have encountered Mages and you have Occult, it's ok to guess all spells take time, it's ok to assume they are as mortal as any other human, it's ok to assume they all look and act like Gandalf, and that they have to use items to cast their magic or it won't work. The key factor is, you will never be allowed a roll about Mages with Occult. You do not know fact from fiction, even if you believe they exist.
If you have encountered Changelings and you have Occult, it's ok to guess they are tricksters, it's ok to assume they steal babies and replace them with their own, it's ok to assume they steal people away to live in another world never to be seen again, and that they are scared of science. The key factor is, you will never be allowed a roll about Changelings with Occult. You do not know fact from fiction, even if you believe they exist.
If you have encountered Sorcerers and Psychics and you have Occult, it's ok to guess they are as mortal as any other human, it's ok to assume they operate through ritual only, and that they often lose control of their powers (think Carrie). The key factor is, you will never be allowed a roll about Sorcerers and Psychics with Occult. You do not know fact from fiction, even if you believe they exist.
Lores represent the knowledge characters have on other supernatural groups. To possess lore of another super group is to know something about them beyond what is in your splat book about that group. How much you know depends on the level of one's lore.
Gaining Lores: Follow the instructions for increasing abilities in +news xp and +news xp lores.
Using Lores: Characters who possess lores may use this information ICly at any time upon which they have the appropriate lores on their +sheet. Before such a time, characters may not use such information ICly, and to do so is considered a breach of the rules. The level of the Lore determines the amount of knowledge one possesses in that area. If you have questions about what your character may or may not know given a level of a lore, please contact the appropriate Wizard for clarification, you may be asked to roll to see if its something you know.
When reading auras (or any derivation thereof), interpretation of auras requires lores. You can not equate a pale aura with a vampire without some level of Kindred Lore. Keep in mind, pale auras exist among mortals as well. Just because an aura is pale, does not mean the person must be Kindred.
XP and Lores
In Sheltering Sky, lores costs have been increased to account for their value as a stat. Although Lores are sphere-specific, they Are considered a regular Ability for XP purposes and will not count as a sphere-specific trait as outlined in +news xp all.
XP Costs:
Level 14 XP
Level 25 XP
Level 36 XP
Level 48 XP
Level 510 XP
All Lores must be taught by a PC or NPC. XP requests for Lores must detail the person from which you're learning, or it will be automatically denied. NPC teachers will be approved on a case-by-case basis by the applicable Sphere Wizard.
There is a tiered order in which you may learn Lores of any given sphere. The breakdown is fairly simple:
1. Primary Sphere Lore
2. Any and all sub lores.
Example: You can not learn Toreador Lore without having at least one dot in Kindred Lore. The same is true for all lores.
Further example: You must have Mage Lore before you can buy Tradition Lore, Technocracy Lore or the lores of the individual traditions.
PLEASE NOTE: Spirit Lore, Umbral Lore and Cosmology are considered primary lores.