Haven (v20 House Rules)
Prerequisite: Vampire
A Haven is a secure location controlled and owned by a Kindred or a Coterie. This is a place where a character who invests Background dots in it can lie low, train, and plan her next move. A Haven could be as simple as an unfurnished apartment, as flashy as a mafioso's penthouse, or as complex as a military base.
Note that this Background is different from the Domain and Resources Backgrounds. Typically, Domain is "turf," while this is an actual Haven (which may well stand on contested domain).
Players who elect to purchase this Background must divide their points among three different categories, described below. The purchase of this Background may be pooled.
Luxury: Luxury is a measure of the quality of appointments inside the haven. The level of Luxury ranges from spare to opulent. Luxury is capped by the characters Resources Background. In the case of a Communal Haven, Luxury is capped by the highest individual Resource level of the groups members.
Dots | Description |
---|---|
• | What passes for furniture probably fell off the back of a truck or was liberated from a dumpster. |
•• | The place has been decorated and outfitted modestly. It has the basics expected of modern First World lifestyles (where appropriate). |
••• | The haven offers relative comfort, with a host of amenities. |
•••• | The haven is a luxurious oasis in the midst of the Jyhad, unique in both design and appearance. |
••••• | Only the extremely wealthy or celebrities usually enjoy the opulence of a place like this. |
Size: Size represents the amount of living space in the Communal. While the following breakdown gives suggested sizes and room counts, players are encouraged to be creative if they so wish -- imagine an open warehouse layout of no true "rooms," or a network of "under repair" blacked-out skywalks that have access points to various locations downtown.
Dots | Description |
---|---|
• | A small apartment or underground chamber: 1 to 2 rooms. |
•• | A large apartment or small family home; 3 to 4 rooms. |
••• | A warehouse, church, or large home; 5 to 8 rooms, or a large enclosure. |
•••• | A mansion or network of tunnels; 9 - 15 rooms or chambers. |
••••• | A sprawling estate or vast network of subway tunnels; 20+ rooms. |
Security: Security represents how tough it is to breach the haven. Each dot of Security either adds one to the difficulty of any roll made to penetrate the haven or adds one to the number of successes required to gain access. (Players and Storytellers should agree on this function before the story begins.)
Dots | Description |
---|---|
• | Cheap locks on the doors, but not much else. |
•• | You've reinforced every door and barred the windows, or you may have a dog that barks to warn you when someone comes too close to the haven. The place is relatively secure from commonplace threats. |
••• | The haven is secure but not impenetrable, relying on a modern set of locks, physical protection such as bars over the windows, electronic security measures such as alarm systems, and standard electronic monitoring such as security cameras. It may be remote or accessed only by protected routes, such as a high-rise with a security guard who watches the elevator. |
•••• | Your haven is protected by all of the security features for the previous level and then some. On par with restricted governmental buildings or even prisons, your haven has reinforced walls, sectionalized access throttles, and perhaps even several panic rooms or hidden chambers. You have invested a considerable about of time and effort to keep people out of your base. |
••••• | Your base is protected by all of the security features offered by the previous levels. Additionally, it is protected by one or more unique features, such as being far off the beaten path, incorporating a geographical boundary like being built on an island, and/or possible occult protections, like being visible only to Kindred. (Players and Storytellers should come to an agreement on the nature of such one-of-a-kind protections.) |