Overview
The Banality scores of many denizens of the World of Darkness have been changed in C20. Where, for example, Changeling 2nd Edition gave Vampires moderate-to-high Banality estimates, C20 places them along a spectrum that dips as low as 3 for Neonates of certain Clans.
Of course, the C20 rulebook being what it is, the Banality scores listed are by no means comprehensive or complete, and leave large gaps in terms of where specific character types might fall. In light of this, the Anywhere Cafe has prepared this quick guide for recommended Banality ratings.
These guidelines cover Vampires, Garou/Fera, and Mages, primarily. Additional guidelines will be developed and added in to outline recommendations for playing the various flavors of Mortal+ (vanilla Mortals, congratulations, you should be between 6 and 8, depending on whether or not your player is boring AF. You know who you are.)
At the time of this writing, no plans are in place to evaluate Wraith, Demon, or Hunter: the Reckoning (as opposed to Hunters Hunted), and the various ‘of the East’ game lines are not supported for the Anywhere Cafe.
As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or want to get your character approved with stats that wildly diverge from ‘normal’, please talk with Chance.
Vampires
Vampire Banality is a combination of the rigidity of their worldview, and attachment to the static nature of their own existence. The Kindred Mind is not what it was before the Embrace: They are predators with heightened awareness of everything around them, even before Auspex. They see the lights as brighter, and the shadows far, far darker, than they ever could in life. And when they are made, they have the blinders torn away, forcing them to accept that there is far more to the World of Darkness than the mortal mind could ever accept.
As a result, the baseline Banality for ‘Generic Vampire’ is 4, well below the 6-8 range that normal humans occupy. However, this is modified by a number of factors. Which Clan the Kindred belongs to has an impact, as some Clans are more given to spontaneity and creative impulse than others. In addition, age and Generation play a role as well: the more potent the blood, and the longer a vampire has existed in their pseudo-stasis, unchanging through the centuries, the higher their Banality becomes.
For every 2 dots of Generation a vampire possesses, their Banality increases by 1, to a maximum of +2 for 4–5 dots. For every hundred years one of the Kindred has existed as undead, they also gain a dot of Banality, up to +4. Thin Blood (Gen 14–15) does not lower a vampire’s Banality Rating.
| Vampire Banality: | |||||
| By Clan Group: | Base: | ||||
| “The Inspired” (Malkavians, Toreador, Daughters of Cacophony): | 3 | ||||
| “The Flexible” (Brujah, Caitiff, Ravnos, Tzimisce): | 4 | ||||
| “The Predators” (Assamite, Setite, Gangrel, Kiasyd, Nagaraja, Nosferatu, Samedi, Ventrue): | 5 | ||||
| “The Hidebound” (Gargoyle (Free), Giovanni, Harbingers, Lasombra, Salubri*, True Brujah): | 6 | ||||
| “The Damned” (Baali, Gargoyle (Enslaved), Tremere): | 7 | ||||
| Blood Brothers** | 8 | ||||
| *–Because all Salubri have Generation 5, they begin with Banality 8. | |||||
| **–Blood Brothers have no individuality or creativity. If they weren’t magical in nature, they’d be 10s. | |||||
| Generation: | 10–11 | 12–15 | |||
| +1 | +0 | ||||
| Age: | +1 per century of undead existence (Max +4) | ||||
Werewolves/Fera
Garou and other Fera are both changing creatures of the Wyld, and in almost all cases, extremely traditional beings, caught in societies that have been largely unchanging for centuries, if not longer. Their very connection to the natural world, in some ways, limits their ability to move past what they have always been, and keeps them firmly rooted in the past.
Within each type of shapeshifter are additional variations. As they increase in Rank, they become more firmly tied to the specific practices and ways of thinking that the spirits encourage and want to see repeated. As a result, Banality slowly increases, though not by much.
Mages
Mages possess the most variability with regard to Banality, precisely because mages are the most varied group in their nature and approach to the supernatural. First, each Tradition or Disparate group brings along with them their own baggage. And of course, the Union is, well, the Union.
To start, there are five broad categories that Willworkers fall into for Banality’s purposes, based on their belief systems. In order of increasing Banality, those groups are: Marauders, Mystics, True Believers, Modern Cynics, and Technomancers.
| Mystics: | Ahl-i-Batin, Akashics, Cult of Ecstasy, Dreamspeakers, Verbena, Wu Lung | |||||
| True Believers: | Celestial Chorus, Euthanatos, Kopa Loei, Ngoma, Order of Hermes, Sisters of Hippolyta, Taftani, Templar Knights | |||||
| Modern Cynics: | Children of Knowledge, Hollow Ones | |||||
| Technomancers: | Society of Ether, Technocratic Union, Virtual Adepts | |||||
Each of the categories is given a range, rather than a specific number, because there are as many variations on each theme as there are mages. Orphans, by virtue of having no one set way of approaching magic… can end up basically anywhere.
As an example: Choristers and Hermetics are both True Believers, but Choristers (perhaps surprisingly) are more flexible in their approach and relationship with magic, where the Order of Hermes is regimented, formulaic, and so unwilling to step outside their own collective paradigm that the entire Council of Nine Traditions, despite being nominal equals, have been forced to use Hermetic nomenclature and structures. This stretches from the use of bani, a Hermetic term, to indicate Traditional affiliation, all the way to the Council adopting the Order’s framework of Nine Spheres. As a result of this rigidity and insistence on, in essence, ‘my way or the highway’, Hermetics in general end up just a bit more banal than other True Believer types. That doesn’t mean a given Hermetic has to be at the higher end of the range, only that they’re more likely to, as a result of their training.
In addition to this, a Mage’s Essence—their own internal drive toward order or spontaneity—plays a role as well.
As a somewhat ironic result, the basic chart for mages becomes relatively simple and straightforward:
| Mage Type | Banality Range | Essence: | Modifier: | |
| Marauder | 1-3 | Dynamic | -1 | |
| Mystic | 3-5 | Questing | -1 | |
| True Believer | 5-7 | Primordial | 0 | |
| Modern Cynic | 6-8 | Pattern | +1 | |
| Technomancers* | 8-10 | |||
| *—This is for Technomancers who remain locked into the scientific mindset, which is most of them. Your typical Etherite or VA tends to believe that other willworkers’ abilities are a form of science they just don’t understand, and that those willworkers are fooling themselves talking about mystical practices. Even psychic and spiritual energies can be quantified, analyzed, and understood. If your technomancer doesn’t believe this, you need to be able to explain why. Once freed of those blinders, most Technomancers fall in the ‘True Believer’ range. Union Mages cannot be broken free of this mindset. | ||||
NOTE: Your Banality will not go below 3. The flakiest Cultist is still not more in tune with the Dreaming than literal creatures of the Dreaming.
Mortal+
- Sorcerers are mage-ish, but should trend 5-8.
- Psychics are on the low end of normal people (cuz they’re normal people w/ESP, and ESP means you’re not normal. CONTRADICTION, BEEYOTCH!)
- Kinfolk are normal in terms of Banality. 6-8.
- Kinain are covered by the Kinain rules. Go fig.
- Ghouls (vanilla) are basically mortal Banality, but they get the same +1 per 100 years old as vamps.
- Revenants (aka Ghouls: Extra Crispy) Not yet sure, re-review Revenants in 20th (did they ever public Revenant rules in Revised, because a whole RevRev sourcebook would be hilarious). +1 per century like vamps.
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Additional Modifiers
Faerie Affinity — Reduces Banality by 1. Cannot lower below 3.
Touched — Depends on the Aspect of the Triat:
- Wyld Touched: -1 Banality per 2 full dots (max: -2). Banality cannot be lowered past 3.
- Weaver Touched: +1 Banality per 2 full dots (max: +2).
- Wyrm Touched: No change.
Kinain — Overlay on non-dead splats: as per Kinain rules.
Legend — Reduces Banality by 1 per 2 full dots (max -2). Banality cannot be lowered past 3.