Gurps Vampire vs Hunter balance concerns.

[Boge]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

That isn't likely to work very well.

Playing a character that is disruptive is, IMO, much worse than not playing at all.

Maybe you should try to convince them to play something else where you could not play a vampire and they can. Many of the campaign frameworks suggested in GURPS Monster Hunters definitely allow this, and that has the advantage of being all in 4e rules too.

Why would I end up being disruptive to the campaign?

And unfortunately, there is no way they'll play anything other than the white wolf style vampire stuff, which limits us to the old books if I'm not mistaken.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Boge

Why would I end up being disruptive to the campaign?

Because the vampire society and lifestyle in the World of Darkness isn't very compatible with maintaining any significant human connections - let alone connections with a vampire hunter.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Boge

Sitting out seriously isn't an option. We're very tight net and they would decide not to play without me. I'm not that selfish to make that happen by deciding not to play. So I'm trying to figure out a way for me to not absolutely hate it while I still decide to play with them. I can't do ANY kind of strange being with any kind of powers. I just can't do that kind of thing. No matter what it is, I hate it.

I should note that I expect the GM to separate me from the others. I'll have my turn while they have theirs. I won't be included in their "party", if you will. I expect to be included in a group of NPC hunters, maybe bumping into the other players somewhere along the line, but we'll have to see if we fight or if we befriend each other for whatever reason my character could be convinced to do so.

How about simply going all out an be a co-GM? So you do not play a "character" as such. But get to have control over several NPC's. This way you do not have to worry as much about balance, as you don't have to balance your vampire hunter against a vampire, but a group - or even organisation against them.
You can, if you want, and your GM is up for it, have some creative control over one or more of the NPC's about their motives or even statting them up. This way you wouldn't take play-time away from the others as you are only "on" when interacting with the rest of the players.

But you might even still be able to do have some "screen" time alone with the GM. To showcase what the NPC's are doing. A sort of "meanwhile"-scene.

[dataweaver]

WoD-style vampires are creatures of the night, in a way that enforced by their nature: they fall asleep when the sun comes up, and sunlight is lethal to them. That right there gives you a role to play, one that's usually handled by ghouls: you get to take care of things when the rest of the group is incapacitated. Sure, you also need to sleep at some point; but you don't need to sleep as much as they do. If you're concerned about being disruptive by having your character doing things while everyone else is asleep, try focusing on downtime activities like equipment maintenance or research. You still get things done that are an asset to the team; but you don't have to roleplay hours of activity while everyone else is inactive.

The point is, you don't need to worry about point accounting so much as finding things that you can contribute that vampires can't. Don't try too hard to meet them strength for strength; let them be the combat monsters etc., and find your own niche to fill.

Also, keep a can of hairspray and lighter on you in case of emergencies.

Another option would be to hunt down a copy of Hunter: the Reckoning, a gameline from near the end of the original World of Darkness that featured protagonists who were empowered by vaguely angel-like patrons to fight monsters. They were granted immunity from mental control and sensory deception, and could also develop some supernatural Edges to help even the odds. You'd have to convert the material to GURPS yourself; but it shouldn't be too hard to do.

[Jasonft]

How about a human ally of the local vampires that has lived for way longer than normal humans due to vampiric blood consumption? Could even have all of the lethal Hunter skills and/ or be a social adept assigned to watch over the neonates and keep them from getting in *too* much trouble.

Possibilities for this person's personality profile are endless. Just has to be able to smooth things over for the vamps during daytime. And shoot the occasional Hunter.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by dataweaver

If you're concerned about being disruptive by having your character doing things while everyone else is asleep, try focusing on downtime activities like equipment maintenance or research. You still get things done that are an asset to the team; but you don't have to roleplay hours of activity while everyone else is inactive.

You might as well be an NPC at that point. I don't see any point in actually showing up to game sessions if everything you do is downtime.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Boge

Why would I end up being disruptive to the campaign?

Because you don't care about anything they are doing, so either you are going to sit around doing nothing or doing things that detract from the game they wanted to play.

And unfortunately, there is no way they'll play anything other than the white wolf style vampire stuff, which limits us to the old books if I'm not mistaken.

It sounds like they are really into playing neonate kindred in the World of Darkness, which means that if you aren't, you aren't really interested in playing in the game at all.

Originally Posted by Jasonft

How about a human ally of the local vampires that has lived for way longer than normal humans due to vampiric blood consumption? Could even have all of the lethal Hunter skills and/ or be a social adept assigned to watch over the neonates and keep them from getting in *too* much trouble.

Possibilities for this person's personality profile are endless. Just has to be able to smooth things over for the vamps during daytime. And shoot the occasional Hunter.

This is possible, but I would think "ancient ghoul" is a "kind of strange being with any kind of powers", and it still makes the PC a very distant second class citizen in the campaign, which is okay if the OP is cool being a servant, under a blood bond, and generally without significant agency.

[Andreas]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Because the vampire society and lifestyle in the World of Darkness isn't very compatible with maintaining any significant human connections - let alone connections with a vampire hunter.

Do the vampire characters have to be in the middle of vampire society? Couldn't they for example be on the run because of crimes they might or might not have commited against their superiors, or perhaps they could have been sent on some kind of mission?

I have only limited knowledge of Vampire: The Masquerade, but it seems to me that there are ways that the GM could make a hunter fit in with the others.

[Phantasm]

To help the OP out, I'm going to post a link to my dedicated vampire hunting character. Yes, she uses a bit of magic, but the OP can strip that stuff out.

As I said earlier, the biggest problem I had keeping up with a bunch of vampires was finding in-character excuses not to stake the rest of the party, especially when the one decided to turn a dying werebear into a vampire; I basically got overruled OOCly by the others.

Didn't help that in the game we were supposed to be playing the things that hunt the things that go bump in the night, not be the things, and I was the only one that made a character geared for that...

[Eidoloclast]

I think you could definitely have one person playing a mortal hunter or vampire-knowledgeable professional character and have him be useful, interesting and not disruptive.

Examples that should be fairly easy for a GM to integrate:

Hunter/bodyguard who, although personally disliking vamps, makes money by being paid to kill rival vamps and/or protect neonates. May have to impersonate a ghoul / have some kind of faked up credentials to explain why everyone shouldn't kill him for knowing about the Masquerade. Having an unreasonably high guns skill, and high Perception, Basic Speed, etc (plus taking advantage of vampire vulnerabilities) will get you farther than you might think in GURPS.

Priest who seeks to redeem vampire souls by assisting them in overcoming their hunger or whatever, possibly with some cool Divine Favor powers or whatever.

Mage or necromancer who has made vampiric allies.

Doctor or director of a hospital or blood bank who sells blood to vampires, possibly in order to keep them from taking lives, and uses the money to have something useful in an RPG context, like a network of contacts, safehouses and vehicles.