IC Pages
Handbook
The Guilds
The Clan
The Art!
Lineages
Links
The Site

Questions to Ask During Toreador Character Creation

1. Is your Toreador going to be an Artiste or a Possuer? Why is your character an Artiste or a Possuer?

2. When and where was your character born? What was the culture and lifestyle like there that is so different from the culture and lifestyle your Toreador will be starting out with in the game? Has this impacted your character in some way? And if so, in what ways was your Toreador impacted by the change in culture or lifestyle?

3. Who consists of your Toreador's herd? Do you have specific names of those in your Toreador's herd? What do they look like and how do they act? How did your Toreador meet his/her herd? How does your Toreador character get in touch with his/her herd?

4. Besides social politicking and art, what are your character's other interests and pastimes. Why has your character choosen these other interests and pastimes? What are the benefits of those interests and pastimes? What are the drawbacks of those interests and pastimes?

5. What were the three most defining moments for your character [besides embrace] when s/he was mortal? How did each of these impact your character?

6. What were the three most defining moments for you character after s/he was embraced? How did each of these impact your character?

7. What sort of schedule does your character keeps? Does s/he visit places regularly? Are there shops, botiques, clubs, coffeehouses, etc., where s/he often patronizes? Why did your character chose those places to visit?

8. If your character is an Artiste, what sort of art does s/he do? Could you fully describe the genre of work s/he does? Is there a genre within that art that s/he absolutely despises? Why would your character enjoy one genre of that art over another?

9. If your character is a Possuer, what sorts of social gatherings would s/he host? Could you detail exactly how your character would prepare for such gathering? What sorts of gatherings does s/he absolutely despise? Why does your character enjoy that particular sort of gathering s/he hosts over the type of gathering s/he despises?

10. What are you, as a player, wanting to accomplish with this character? What aspects of the World of Darkness are you planning to explore with this character? What challenges do you anticipate in playing your Toreador? What is most important to your Toreador, and how will your Toreador go about planning and setting goals?

11. What makes your Toreador unique among his/her clanmates?

12. What are three things that you, as a player, enjoy about a person who is like your Toreador character? What are three things that you, as a player, would hate about a person who is like your Toreador character?

13. What are your Toreador's views of Kindred Society? What aspects of each sect does s/he agree and disagree with? How does your character feel about each of the clans and why?

14. What is your Toreador character's innermost self like? How does your Toreador see him/herself? What will your character want other characters to perceive him/her as being?

15. What circumstance would be most debilitating to your character, either emotionally, intellectually, or socially?

16. Based on your character's background, would you say that s/he is a more physical character, a more social character, or a more mental character? What in your character's background has made him/her that way? Why are you, as a player, choosing to play a more physical, social, or mental type character?

17. Would your character have any special abilities? What would those special abilities be? What abilities would your character aspire to having?

18. What exactly does your character look like? What costuming for you, the player, need to accomplish looking more like character?

19. What would your character do in the following situations?
    • A mortal realizes that your Toreador is a Vampire and is freaking out badly.
    • The Inquisition busts down your character's front door.
    • Another character has destroyed art outside of Elysium.
    • Another character displays art that is either profane or ugly in your character's mind.
    • Your Toreador realizes that another character is trying to use the Toreador Clan disadvantage against your character.
    • Your character is among a group negotiating with Garou, and it appears as though diplomacy is breaking down.
    • Your character is given a minor boon.
    • Your character owes a minor boon.
    • Your character is given Toreador Status that s/he did not earn nor deserve.
    • Your character is stripped Clan Status for reasons that were beyond his/her control.
    • Your character encounters a member of an enemy sect outside of Elysium.

20. What is your character's haven[s]? What sort of things would s/he surround her/himself with in his/her own home? Why would your character have those sorts of furnishings? Has your character taken extra precautions to make his/her haven safe? What precautions, if any, are those? Why does your character have a haven like that?

Integration into Chronicle

There are many ways to integrate your new Toreador character in with the current chronicle. The easiest is to simply get your CSTs approval on the character, and simply arrive at the next Kindred gathering. However, there are more options available to many Toreador players that not everyone is aware of. There are many lineages within the Clan that are known in this chronicle which are enjoyable to be a part of. There are also a great number of coteries to ally your character with. And then, there are of course, the Guilds. With so many options, where is a player to turn to get everything he wants for his character? Below are the steps to follow, recommended by the Office of the SA Toreador.

Please note: The Office of the SA Toreador works in full compliance with the Camarilla's Chapter Strong Philosophy. The steps indicated below are recommendations for a player to make to integrate his character into Toreador Lineages, Coteries, and the Guild System with the most efficiency and fewest hassles. These steps are based off of precedents taken by the Toreador SA in coordination with Toreador players around the world. The players admitted into the Lineages, Coteries, and Guilds have complied with this set standard of integrating their characters. And though the Office of the SA Toreador cannot over-rule any decisions made by a CST, the Office of the SA Toreador respectfully requests that all players and storytellers abide by this recommended system, if for no other reason, than for the fairness of all players who have been integrated.

Lineages

There are many lineages for a player's character to join, should the player choose to do so. There are also a great deal many characters available who are looking for player characters to fill roles of Sire and Childer for their own. To inquire about placing your new character with a PC Sire or childe, you can contact the ASA Toreador Lineages by emailing Kwei-Cee Chu.

There is an online resource available to post and reveiw requests for PC Sires and childer. Click here to view The Toreador Lineage Connection.

Each major Toreador Lineage recognized by the SA Toreador has a representative who plays one of the major characters of that lineage. This representative is the primary negotiator in determining whether or not characters are accepted as part of that lineage. When the ASA Toreador Lineages receives a request from a player to join a lineage, he forwards this message to the lineage representative. The lineage representative will then make the initial contact to the player. The player can feel confident that the lineage representative will keep any information passed strictly out of character for the duration of the negotiations. The lineage representative and/or the player of the prospective Toreador Sire can make reccomendations to the requesting player on how best to taylor changes to the requesting player's character to fit the needs of the lineage.

There may be particular rules that the new Toreador player may have to adhere to, or specific traits which the character may have to take to fit the profile of the lineage [family codes and similiar flaws derived from the bloodline are most common]. Most often, the lineage representative will also confer with the other players of the Toreador lineage on whether or not to allow that character in to their lineage. The lineage representative has the final word on any matters in regards to admitting a character into a lineage, as he is the cheif expert and archivist for that lineage as well. The Office of the SA Toreador recognizes the rights of the players who are included in a lineage before the rights of a player who is seeking a lineage for their character in these matters. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the ASA Toreador Lineages by emailing Kwei-Cee Chu.

Toreador Specific Coteries

Coteries follow much the same approval process and structure as approval for lineages. Each major cotorie recognized by the SA Toreador has a representative who plays a character within that coterie. That representative serves the for the same purpose as detailed above in the Lineage section. Changes to the prospective character's background, a set of rules, or certain abilities may be in order for the new character to be admitted to that coterie. Usually, the coterie representative will confer with the other players of the coterie before allowing the prospective character in to the coterie. The coterie representative had final word on matters in reguards to admitting a character into a coterie, as he is the cheif expert and archivist for that coterie as well. The SA Toreador recognizes the rights of the players who are included in a coterie before the rights of a player who is seeking a coterie for their character in these matters. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the ASA Toreador Societies by emailing Kelley Barnes.

Guilds

A player may opt for having a Guild presence in their character's background, pre-approved by the Office of the SA Toreador, upon character creation. The ASA Toreador Societies staff may choose to approve upto, but not exceeding the rank of Journeyman within the Toreador Guilds. Rank any higher should be role played in chronicle.

To apply for a pre-approved Journeyman ranking, send an emailed description of your character's "Journeyman's Piece" to the ASA Toreador Societies by emailing Kelley Barnes. This email will be forwarded to the player of the character who represents your character's Guild as Grand Master of that region. The player may play his character to review the work, and will send the player results of the review. In almost all cases where a player submits a very well detailed description of his artwork along with the performance level at which it was completed, copied to his CST as well, the character is accepted as Journeyman. In cases where the "Journeyman's Piece" is rejected, the player may opt via role play for an appeal upon his work, or can try to create another. This is basically the same process used for when a character actually role plays as part of the chronicle, becoming a Journeyman with the exception that it is done before the character is introduced into play.

The Office of the Toreador Storytelling Staff will not pre-approve Master, Grand Master, Didaskalos, or Syndaskalos Guild standings, except in special circumstances when requested by an RST or by the Office of the NST.

More information about the guild system is included here