New Player Question

[MistyDP]

Hello all, this is my first post here. I just bought the game and I have a question. I'm not into the combat much but so far, I think it looks like an awesome game. is it possible to play the game with little combat (through persuasion, computers, picking locks, etc)? if so, which clan is the best for that? Any tips would be appreciated.

Misty

[MistyDP]

Another Question

I really like the Venture, however, being new to the game, it concerns me that I can only embrace higher class citizens. Is that going to be a serious challenge?

[yrthwyndandfyre]

Ventrue are good for minimising combat, yes, but combat is going to rear it's ugly head a few times. In the game, you can never embrace anybody - the option never appears. For the Ventrue, the bigger problem is that they can't feed on rats, bums, or some of the prostitutes, which kind of limits your diet a bit.

[MistyDP]

Sorry, I didn't mean embrace, I meant feed on.

[Lady_Lithium]

Malkavian is a good choice; it has obfuscate and dementation, both of which are good for avoiding battles. The dialogue can be confusing at times, but once you get into it, it makes more sense than the other six clans put together.

Or is that just me?

[Faust]

[QUOTE=MistyDP]I really like the Venture, however, being new to the game, it concerns me that I can only embrace higher class citizens. Is that going to be a serious challenge?[/QUOTE]

It's not a big deal. Just avoid feeding on bums or rats, and you'll be in good shape. Ventrue are a fine choice for clan. The dominate discipline will enable you to avoid some combat. Fortitude and Presence will carry you through the combat you do take.

The game is complex, in that many encounters can be handled with combat/stealth/ or persuasion. Some significant combat in places of the game, however, is inevitable in the game for any clan. For the most part, any clan can work on any of these means (i.e. through developing stealth, computer, and persuasion skills). However, Ventrue have a bit of advantage in talking their way out of things, as dominate can be used in some dialogue. Likewise, Malkavian and Nosferatu excel at stealth, because of their obfuscate or invisbility discipline.

Probably, the best clan to avoid all combat would be stealth based ones that have obfuscate, which allows you to become invisible (i.e. nosferatu or malkavian). Personally, I wouldn't recommend Malks for your first time through the game, it's a very different set of dialogues. It's more of a second play through type of clan. Nosferatu, though, are hideous and have to avoid public eye. So, the play through is slightly different there as well. So even the obfuscate clans are a mixed bag.

[SoberFix]

Clan Ventrue was the first clan I played as starting the game. The use of Dominate in dialog and Trance during combat proved very useful. As said before in previous posts, combat is inevitable no matter what clan you choose. That said, most clans for the first timer are good.

The clans I don't recommend for the first timer are Nosferatu and to some extent Malkavian and Tremere. All three clans are good choices after you've played the game through.

[Anaximander]

My first vampire was a Ventrue as well. I believe they are an excellent choice for new players. It's a very well rounded clan. Of all the playable clans, they are the only ones that can use Dominate in dialogue, so even if you don't have very many points in your social skills, you can still talk your way around some obstacles. The combination of Fortitude and Presence make them very strong defensively, and with Mass Suicide from the Domination line you can wipe out large groups of weak enemies in a single shot. With the maximum 5 points in Fortitude and Presence, and a couple points in Stamina, the average "grunt" type enemy will be unable to harm you at all. By the end of the game my Ventrue could calmly stand in the center of a group of enemies and pick them off with his shotgun while taking literally no damage.

The boss fights in the game are another matter, and things aren't quite so easy before you get the full 5 points in your disciplines, which takes a while. Still, I think having a powerful defense is the best way to make combat easier.

[brujahnewbie]

my feeling on a being a new player being relatively new myself is that sometimes muscle is easier used than sneaking around, although that does have it's advantages as well.

[SoberFix]

Lets just put it simply, there are advantages to both stealth and strength.


I can tell you what NOT to spend your experience on-

Haggle-If you spend time doing all the sidequests, and not spending your money on every little item Mercurio and others have to offer, you should come
out of the game with more than enough cash. Even with a Haggle rating of 1.
Don't waste points on Finance or Manipulation.

Inspection-Okay, granted it came in handy a couple of times for me during the first go around with Bloodlines, Inspection is worthless. If you take the time to inspect your surroundings in combat and elysium areas, you'll find those lil goodies.

Finally, pick one of the three - Intimidation - Persuasion - or Seduction, and only spend experience points on that one social skill till game end. They all have the same outcome. Persuasion is probably the best overall, but Seduction is nice too, mainly if your character is female.

[cannon fodder]

[QUOTE=MistyDP]Is it possible to play the game with little combat (through persuasion, computers, picking locks, etc)? if so, which clan is the best for that? Any tips would be appreciated.

Misty[/QUOTE]

If you're looking to avoid combat, Malkavian is likely to be the easiest as, in addition to obsfucate, dementation gives you extra dialogue options (have to spend blood), and auspex improves your hacking in the same way that blood buff improves lock-picking. The bonus to inspection doesn't hurt either. the only downside to Malks is that they are less powerful in combat than other clans (except tremere and they make up for it with thaumaturgy)

[Lestat]

[QUOTE=cannon fodder]If you're looking to avoid combat, Malkavian is likely to be the easiest as, in addition to obsfucate, dementation gives you extra dialogue options (have to spend blood), and auspex improves your hacking in the same way that blood buff improves lock-picking. The bonus to inspection doesn't hurt either. the only downside to Malks is that they are less powerful in combat than other clans (except tremere and they make up for it with thaumaturgy)[/QUOTE]
Dementation is also a fairly OK offensive discipline (but to be really useful you better stock up on bloodpacks)
Auspex also improves your shooting feat (bonus on perception) and that doesn't hurt either, especially with bat boy at the end. I played with all seven clans now, basically using the autolevel with some tweaks, and Malkavian is the best sniper.

[yrthwyndandfyre]

[QUOTE=MistyDP]I really like the Venture, however, being new to the game, it concerns me that I can only embrace higher class citizens. Is that going to be a serious challenge?[/QUOTE]
Actually, that's not limited to the Ventrue. I once yoinked a bum in a back alley as my typical Tremere character and she yakked on the spot. That's one rancid bum if I have no problem with rats, but the bum makes my character want to view her own insides.

[Lestat]

[QUOTE=yrthwyndandfyre]Actually, that's not limited to the Ventrue. I once yoinked a bum in a back alley as my typical Tremere character and she yakked on the spot. That's one rancid bum if I have no problem with rats, but the bum makes my character want to view her own insides.[/QUOTE]
Actually it is. For Ventrue any bum anywhere can cause him to puke.
But in downtown LA quite a lot of the bums are infected by the plaguebearers and thus not OK for consumption for any of the clans. That's why I never feed on bums downtown (there are quite enough other people that pass through Suck Alley, as I have come to call the little alley behind the building with the gargoyles).