Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Brujah: The Sound and the Fury

A Clan so widely varied, yet so easily defined, the Brujah are often seen as rabble and thugs, thinking with their fists and resorting to violence as the first resort. Because of such, some people either shun them or tiptoe around them. These reactions are quite alright, because you can use them to your advantage. Sometimes the threat of violence is far more effective than the actual application of such.

Of course, not every Brujah needs to be a hard hitting thug. The Clan does play up an interesting mix of personas, and there is a place for the socialite. Many Brujah like to consider themselves individuals and free thinkers, and solving a problem without resorting to the obvious is often worth merit. At the other end of the spectrum are the violent rebellious individuals who want nothing more than to live their unlives to the soundtrack of a Sex Pistols album. That's the joy of the Clan, in that there are so many ways you can play an individual.

Costuming
The stereotypical outfit for Brujah is jeans and a leather jacket, and if you are wanting to wear your Clan on your sleeve, most certainly that route works well. It also connects you to other rabble, and will often have Gangrel and Caitiff hanging around you, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you're going the leather jacket route, put some individuality into it, pick up some buttons, spikes, chains, or some sort of flourish to make your jacket easily distinguished.

Alternatively, some people are put off by well dressed Brujah, and are at odds with a Brujah that shows up to gatherings wearing a suit. Some elder Brujah wear formal clothing, as a method of distinguishing their age, however, it is often a sign to younger members of the Clan that someone is a "sellout" the moment they throw on a suit jacket and slacks.

Cheap clothing that looks "lived in" is readily available at any local thrift shop. To give jeans an appearance that they've been worn for a long time and endured the hard life on the road, you can simply take sandpaper to the knee area and to the hems. Add a little dark paint to simulate road grime or old dried blood, and you get the appropriate appearance.

Role Playing
As Brujah tend to be very straightforward and "in your face", often guided by their emotions, feel free to take the first plan you come up with and simply go with it, regardless of it being a bad idea. Action is better than stagnation. Sure, you may end up failing, but you were actually going out and doing things while the cronies that hang around Elysium were still trying to get their heads out of their asses and figure things out. Be proactive.

Be loud. Speak from your stomach. People react to loud noises, some people will flinch back from your noise and intensity, and they will give in to your demands. Practice the difference between speaking loud and shouting, as it takes skill to make your voice carry, but any idiot can shout unintelligible phrases. If you can make yourself loud enough to be understood across a large room, you're doing it correctly.

Don't hesitate to suggest that you're willing to use violence to accomplish what you want. As the Brujah have two of the three physical disciplines inherent to them, and are known for violence, there's no harm in playing off the stereotype. While violence may not sway some Elder characters, younger characters are much more willing to give ground than to risk being beaten into torpor.

Wear your Negative Status like a badge, because you're sure to offend someone's sensibilities. A Harpy or Prince is sure to give you a label such as "Brash" or "Malcontent". Polish it and let everyone know about it, hold it high above your normal status traits, because it is what really defines you as an individual. Plus, it pisses off the people who thought it would be a social snub, but instead you've made it a point of pride.

City Positions
Brujah often end up as the Scourge and/or Sheriff in the city, simply due to their martial capabilities. If these positions are already taken, offering your services as a deputy isn't a bad idea. Sure, some people may claim that you've "sold out", but you're actually just looking out for yourself and your fellow Brujah. After all, if you're the one helping to deliver the beat down on someone that made the Prince's shit list, you can make sure that they don't end up as a pile of ashes due to some "accident".

Disciplines

Celerity
Most of the advantages of Celerity that you want to focus on is the extra actions that are granted. In combination with Potence, it increases the amount of damage you can dish out every round. Celerity is also effective in avoiding a fight, allowing you to outrun your enemies.

Potence
The advantages of Potence are many, but are almost entirely regulated to combat. Certainly crushing a table in a demonstration of your physical power can certainly intimidate people, and a locked door is rarely a barrier to a Kindred with a significant amount of Potence.

Presence
Some Brujah completely ignore Presence, as they believe it isn't as effective as loading up on the Physical Disciplines of Potence and Celerity. While this may be partly true, Presence has a great deal more utility than the other two, and can often either end a fight or prevent it from happening in the first place.

Awe is perhaps one of the most useful powers for you, when you want people to listen. Not only is it effective in that regards, but it is also the one Discipline power you should try and trade to members of other Clans. Use this opportunity to cash in and pick up a few other Disciplines that compliment what your character already has, or give them a surprising edge that no one expects.

Dread Gaze can effectively end a fight if things seem to be going against you. Entrancement can end a fight before it really starts, get someone to agree with your point of view, or even get them trusting you enough to follow you into an ambush.

While it's an obvious choice for bringing someone to an ambush (a.k.a. The Boot Party), it's overuse of such ensures that people will be looking for ways to avoid or nullify your Summon. Therefore, use the power without impunity. Want to talk to Bob, Summon his ass. Heard that Jane has a cute ass, Summon her and check it out for yourself. Once you've gotten everyone used to the fact that you use the power all the time, they won't question when you finally use it to drag someone into a fight.

Lastly, Majesty is the deal breaker. Find yourself in the midst of a well orchestrated ambush? Use Majesty and walk out of it like a pimp. Your fellow Brujah getting a little too rowdy and about to do something really stupid? Majesty them all and quiet them down long enough so you can talk sense into them.

Influence Focus
If there are enough Brujah in a Domain with decent levels of Underworld Influence, they can effectively control the Influence and keep others from gaining a foothold. It's also effective at assisting you with various criminal enterprise, and getting your hands on illegal or unregistered weapons (or preventing others from doing the same).

Additionally, the influence gets you in touch with the prostitutes and homeless people, and when you're in a real pinch, nobody notices if one of them goes missing. 

Limitations
Always remember the Brujah's greatest weakness, in that you are much more prone to Frenzy, as your enemies certainly will not. All it takes is beating down the wrong person, or hulking out in front of mortals, and the Prince sets everyone against you in a Bloodhunt. 

Shameless Promotion
Listen, rolling around as a Brujah ain't cheap. Grab a copy of one of these books to help support my blog.
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http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/70/Clanbook-Brujah--Revised-Edition&affiliate_id=35945

 

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