Boris' Vamp/Were research part 1.

<MrTT> hi bob, remember when boris tried that one day to get info out of the various magicals (BC, Armas, Hilevi, Gia, duke, etc) in the company about vamps and weres. you said he got nothing done in 2 hours... I clarified I meant it as a long term project and he will spend a little time every day for however many days or weeks it takes to get what they know out of them.
<MrTT> Has it been long enough for him to get any results?
<ABeardedBob> Sure.  What's been the general thrust of his questioning?
<MrTT> if someone was considering becoming one willingly, either boris himself or one of the other russians. What does it entail. What are the drawbacks (is it actually a curse?) and benefits, not just from combat perspective but also day to day living and interacting with people. What are some of the better variants to go with in their opinion. And can the transformation be boosted (and how).
<ABeardedBob> Were:  he knows that he can't become one without founding a clan or finding a were of the proper were-special-ability to infect others (and most of those don't like admitting they are that).  He knows that founding a were clan takes a triple-binding to a spirit animal while it's still alive that fuses it with the host (you).  You know this is pretty hard to do, and relatively easy to fuck up.
<ABeardedBob> Vamp: You know it's easy-peasy to become a vamp, but that it's got quite a bit of flaws.  Divine explosions, Light paralysis, need for blood.  You also know they grow faster than Weres with time, even if they die more often.  You know how the Siring works, in that you have to, PHYSICALLY HAVE TO obey those directly in line above you in the vampire clan's siring hierarchy.
<ABeardedBob> Were: You know the general gist of being a were, in that really, it's just a life-extending bloodline with an animal form 'base' to allow one to learn fleshcrafting without being a bloodliner.  In general, weres that are practiced fleshcrafters are superior to equally talented mortal fleshcrafters
<ABeardedBob> Vamp: you've learned that vampires get quite a bit of direct physical ability boosting, and can sense blood, in addition to having bloodline-analogues unique to each clan.
<MrTT> thank you.
<ABeardedBob> you can set more questions that you've as of yet gotten limited feedback on.
<ABeardedBob> Oh, for Were, you also learned that there's a rather large school of rituals for becoming a new were, as well as information brokers quite aware of who are and who aren't able to infect others.  In GENERAL, it's more carniverous/more scavenger type weres that infect others.
<MrTT> Does the "vamps must obey higher ups" mean that baggha has to obey his sire or his sire's sire etc if he meets them? Does being adopted into a different clan affect whom you have to obey?
<ABeardedBob> You have to obey orders given to you by those in the sire-chain above you until such time as you break it by consumption or they all die.  Orders can be issued through the blood, so you might want to think of vampire clans as giant ponzi scheme pyramids.
<ABeardedBob> and being adopted into a different clan doesn't really happen in practice.
<MrTT> thank you. What is that "consumption" thing that breaks obedience bonds?
<ABeardedBob> eat the one that sired you-you break out of the chain.  We've been discussing it quite a bit in chat while you've been on and contributing, I assumed you'd read it.
<MrTT> Sorry, I was swamped with work and didn't really have the time to get on quest for a little while
<MrTT> So, wouldn't all smart sires order their underlings to never eat them?
<ABeardedBob> orders aren't standing-they wear off with blood being filtered.  You'd have to re-order each minion all the damn time.
<MrTT> Ah... I see. So an attack on a sire must overwhelm them fast enough that they don't have the time to order you to stop
<ABeardedBob> Or be under the confines of a formal duel which favor the sire.
<ABeardedBob> so you either need awesome sneaky sabotage, or to be sufficiently superior to you sire you can win with a handicap.
<MrTT> I see
<ABeardedBob> You also now have heard there's a FUCKTON of rituals out there for making people weres with regular animals-but not much is said at all about rituals for magical animals.
<MrTT> also, asking each of the magicals. How do they think their own power compares to weak, average, and exceptional weres and vamps in both combat and utility. Except for duke whom instead boris asks (while plying him with booze) for some stories about his fights with weres and vamps, as well as what was the toughest were/vamp he ever encountered.
<ABeardedBob> okay, check in on those ones later
<MrTT> ok