I went for something that encourages a playstyle best described as Paranoid, Insane, and Nuclear Armed. Not Fishmalk insane, of course, that's just asinine, more like GigaHitler, the sort of completely unironic hypocrisy that allows you to hold your friends and enemies both to the highest possible moral standards while at the same time ordering multiple genocides.
The full intent is to give the player an excuse to sneak into the White House and Dominate the President into launching a Minuteman at some Elder who pissed him off at a Kindred meet & greet while pointing to his sheet and declaring that it's totally in character. Unless, of course, he can find some way to get his own personal nukes at chargen.
I presume that this is going to completely ruin someone's carefully planned chronicle.
I decided to repost it here just for vanity's sake. And maybe someone will get a larf out of it.
And yes, the first two sins are intentionally contradictory.
Knowledge is power.
Power is control.
Control is safety.
Restraint in the pursuit of safety is impermissible
Restraint in the pursuit of control is intolerable.
Restraint in the pursuit of power is unforgivable.
Restraint in the pursuit of knowledge is blasphemy.
To destroy a thing is to control it absolutely.
Path of Science
I want to kill the lampreys.
-RandomJ, Tactics: Let's Conquer an Alien Planet
Nickname: Spacebattlers
Basic Beliefs: Those Vampires who follow the Path of science seek nothing less than absolute power over the entire universe. They believe that extensive study of the universe and practical application of science will eventually allow them to become unliving gods equal to the creator of the universe, if such a being exists.
The Path of Science borrows heavily from speculative fiction and space opera, though it concerns itself more with domination and control than with heroism. Followers of this path are absolutely devoted to their own aggrandizement. Their every action is calculated to wank themselves to a higher level of power, either physically, politically, or socially. Emphasis is placed on physical power, however. Spacebattlers know that all authority ultimately flows from the barrel of a gun and that the power to destroy is the greatest lever in any political negotiation.
Spacebattlers reject the idea that there should be a power greater than themselves and the Path encourages its adherents to destroy all potential threats via any means necessary. They see elder vampires, Antediluvians, Cain himself, and even God as obstacles to be overcome and threats to be destroyed using the power of Science.
Ethics of the Path
- Duck and Cover
- Exploit Everything
- Don't make girls cry
- Never fight fair.
- Always seek more dakka
- 'Raw Raw Fight Da Powah
Vampires on the Path of Science uphold the virtues of Conviction and Self-Control.
History
The Path of Science arose during the blood-soaked nights of the early atomic age. It began amongst young high generation vampires with a taste for pulp fiction that was greater than their taste for blood. The scientific optimism of the era, combined with the looming horror of nuclear war created a new breed of vampire fascinated with rocket ships and planetary devastation.
Current practices
It is simple to say that Spacebattlers do Science to things and that is mostly accurate. They can commonly be found in cluttered labs, experimenting with some genetically engineered monstrosity or building anti-matter bomb. Most Spacebattlers are Anarchs, though many pay lip service to the Camarila or the Sabat if it suits their goals. In truth, factional politics don't interest them. They're much more concerned with building mass drivers capable of launching dinosaur-killer asteroids at the Earth, which should render all sects irrelevant.
Description of followers
This path is almost exclusively upheld by younger vampires. Few of its followers are lower than 11th generation and fewer still were embraced earlier than the 1940s. The path appeals most to the young and the weak. Those who follow it seek to enhance themselves far beyond what would otherwise be possible.
Following the Path
Followers of the Path of Science of first and foremost seekers of knowledge. Whether it be arcane lore or particle physics or personal secrets, all knowledge can be exploited for power. Most are reclusive, working alone or in small groups of like-minded Spacebattlers, though their extensive weapon caches and paranoid planning makes them formidable adversaries.
Common abilities: Many Spacebattlers tend to focus on knowledge to the exclusion of other abilities, though many are more well-rounded. Science, Medicine, Occult, Academics, Computer, Alertness, and Firearms are prized.
Prefered Disciplines: Spacebattlers are min-maxers. All of them have Celerity, because Celerity is broken.
Hierarchy of Sins
10 Refuse to help a fellow Spacebattler. We're all in this together.
9 Fail to kill a fellow Spacebattler. There can be only one!
8 Fail to eliminate a potential threat. I want to kill the Lampreys.
7 Submit to Authority. Fight the Powah!
6 Alienate potential allies. Don't make girl's cry.
5 Show mercy to a dangerous anathema. Nothing is too cruel for the Draka.
4 Get caught with your pants down. I hate it when a plan falls apart.
3 Fail to own a weapon of mass destruction. We worship Oppenheimer's light.
2 Fail to use an overwhelming advantage. There is no overkill.
1 Refuse a risk-free opportunity to become more powerful. Never enuff dakka
