Which clan for what?

[Tenser]

@Raa: Maybe you should always get one of the combat disciplines right. But you don't need to focus completely on combat, do you ?

[yrthwyndandfyre]

Absolutely not. My Tremere characters tend to focus almost completely on stealth, dominate and thaumaturgy. If I concentrate on any one combat feat, I try to max out ranged weapons, because it's handy in fights with some of the end-bosses that are all but immune to domination and thaumaturgy, and are brutally hard to kill in melee (for a Tremere, of course).

Many's the time I've finished the game with strength 2, dexterity 3, melee 2, dodge 1 and even bash 1 magically augmented to 2. About the only times my character has to resort to physical violence is in the very beginning and in the end-game, where I normally only have to resort to combat with Ming and the Sherriff. Oh, and the head-runners, of course. They're too weak to bother with using anything but bare fists. Not that thaumaturgy or ranged wouldn't work against them, but why waste the blood and/or bullets?

[Madame Mina]

I dunno, I seem to make all my characters Melee fighters. It seems to be the style that works best throughout the game, both early and late. And of course max out the best disciplines too. I don't like using guns and having to wait for the reticule to get small between every shot. Machineguns are so inaccurate I've only had success on point-blank range. Maybe because I never bothered with Ranged skills.

My Tremere was a melee fighter aswell as Disciplines, and now my Malkav is turning out the same way, I'm over halfway in the game so not gonna change.
I mostly only upped Wits, Strength and Melee. And now I just maxed out my Obfuscate, level 4 in dementation (level 5 seems rather useless? A random unleashing of the previous 4 amongst the closest enemies? Hmm.)

I usually leave out one of the major disciplines that is less useful..auspex I see no practical use for at all. I seem to forget about the Obfuscating unless the mission specifies not to kill anyone, and just run at enemies and finish them with a few sword slashes.

[Raa]

@Tenser

Unfortunately, since this game is based on FPS engine, I feel most comfortable fighting through it. Not that it's my usual MO, in games like VtM:Redemption and BG, NWN & such, I usually play a spellcaster. Simply, I don't feel comfortable playing Bloodlines that way. Although, I haven't tried Tremere yet. From what yrth says I reckon their Diciplines can be put to quite good use. But still... I think I'll go run one more Redemption to enjoy Thaumaturgy...

Of course I don't just fight. Here is a list of stats I focus on (in that order):

1) Melee or Unarmed fighting
2) Fight-supporting Disciplines
3) Ranged fighting
3) Persuasion (great one I tell you )
4) Lockpicking
5) Hacking

Well... I could stay out of the fights more of the time, if only those War Ghouls, Inquisitors and bosses could be Persuaded...

@Mme Mina

Auspex can be put to good use to raise Ranged attack and Hacking. If you don't use them, then you probably won't need it... well except if you think it could be useful for detecting the enemies...

[Lestat]

Auspex 4 + Ranged 7 + Jaime Sue = 1 quick death for Chiropteran Behemoth (in flight).

I'm now playing each clan as typical as possible (so I'm using Autolevel with tweaks to maximise inputs from books & teachers). That forces you into different playing styles, which is better for replay value. Otherwise each clan ends up the same in the end, apart from the disciplines.

The first time through I didn't (with a female Toreador). But since I started playing the series in alphabetical order, alternating male/female. I hope to finish all 14 options before my next holidays (half September). But I fear that won't be possible. Up until now:
Male Brujah: hack & slash, a bit bland (also in terms of clothing)
Female Gangrel: liked this a lot: the predator, silent hunter type of character (sneak & combat skills + communion of the bloodsuckers).
Male Malkavian: hilarious. Good ranged skills + obfuscate & dementation: except for bosses I did hardly any combat.
And currently female Nosferatu (in hollywood): quite fun, and I LOVE the gear (leather & latex , pity she's ugly as hell). And again: little or no combat apart from the bosses.
(I don't consider stealth kills as combat)

[yrthwyndandfyre]

[QUOTE=Madame Mina]I dunno, I seem to make all my characters Melee fighters. It seems to be the style that works best throughout the game, both early and late.[/QUOTE]

Of course, Madame Mina, but the point is that the choice to go Melee is YOUR choice, not an imperative that is shoved down your throat by the game itself.

Of necessity, some of the bloodlines will necessarily lean more toward a melee character because certain of the bloodlines just happen to lean that way. The Gangrel and Brujah lines are natural warriors, so if they happen to work out well as melee fighters, that is axiomatically obvious. The Toreador have obvious strengths as seductors/seductresses, and may be able to play up that strength to good effect. The Tremere bring to their line natural skills as mystics and treachers. The Nosferatu are natural spies. The Ventrue bring natural skills as strategists and commanders.

In the end, however, it is you, the Player Character, who gets to determine how you choose to exploit your bloodline's strengths and/or weaknesses. I'm sure that I could concoct a Tremere that was a hearty warrior. It's not like it can't be done, it's just that the particular bloodline is more useful in different ways. The fact that the choice is yours to make is what makes it so much fun!

Much can be determined from style. Let me guess (assumption is that you are female in Real Life):

You grew up pretty much as a tom-boy. Probably very attractive physically, and at least pretty. You are willful, in a fun kind of way, and very determined. Probably more of a dominant than a submissive. You are one of the few that can fit in with a group of men as "one of the guys" and be comfortable with that. You are probably at least pretty intelligent, if not very much so. You like to read. Almost certainly white-collar, if not actually a scientist of some sort. If not science, then probably some form of psychology, or some other sort of relationship-based profession. If some schmuck were to slap you across the face, you'd punch his lights out. How am I doing?

You see, you bring your own personality into your character one way or another. It's very hard to play contrary to your own nature.