Prestation

 

 

 

 

 

Prestation is the name the Kindred give for the art of using Status, and technically, it is defined as when one Kindred officially becomes indebted to another  vampire for services rendered. In reality, however, prestation is far more complicated a system than that, and its rules are enforced with lethal zeal by its participants. 

Players should first make it clear who’s doing the favor and who’s receiving it. The receiver owes a boon to his bestower which must be categorized as a trivial, minor, major, blood or life boon. The players then agree on either an appropriate number of Status Traits which the receiver then gives the bestower, or they may make other arrangements such as loaning Influence Traits rather than Status. Status Traits given in this fashion are known as Boon Traits. The arrangement must be made amenable to all Kindred involved in the deal, and any other stipulations or clauses carried on the boon must be announced then. Kindred who bestow a boon typically only require one thing: “You may not take any physical action against me for the duration of this boon.”

 

The bestower may continue to use the Boon Traits just as he would any other loaned Status Traits. However, the bestower’s loss of Boon Traits is only temporary — they are restored at the beginning of the next story. The primary difference between Boon Traits

and other loaned Traits is that the original owner of the Traits may not request their return as usual with such Traits; they may only be returned once the boon has been settled.

 

The only way for a receiver to rid herself of a boon permanently is to repay or ignore the favor. Breaking boons is a serious insult in Kindred society. Ignoring a favor not only costs the receiver Status, but it also risks the ire of the bestower. Regardless of the standing of the bestower, if the receiver ignores a major, blood or life boon, the receiver always loses Status — nobody likes a vampire who brushes off someone who just went through serious hardship on his behalf.  

 

 

Giving the Devil his Dues: Repaying Prestation:

Getting yourself out of debt is usually an event arranged through roleplaying. Typically, players eliminate boons by returning equivalent favors. However, if the bestower is in sufficient danger, you might pay off your debt by returning only a small favor;

indeed, you might even be able to put the original bestower in your debt! It all rests on a sense of timing and a character’s skill at bartering. Other Kindred may resent you for doing so, but in crisis a matter of prestation may seem a small price to pay. A favor is as valuable as the Traits associated with it. Thus a minor boon (two Traits) and a major boon (three Traits) are fair compensation for a life boon (five Traits).

 

Trivial boons are one-time favors, such as protecting someone for the evening, aiding someone with a Discipline or supporting another’s political move. 

 

Minor boons can last more than one evening, and they usually entail some sort of inconvenience, such as allowing safe passage through a hostile city, revealing crucial information or disposing of a threat.

 

Major boons usually entail a great expenditure of time or resources on the bestower’s part. The effects of the favor usually last for many game sessions. An example of such a boon would be teaching the receiver a new Discipline, or purchasing a nightclub to serve as the receiver’s haven.

 

Blood boons occur when the bestower places herself in a potentially lifethreatening  situation in order to help the receiver. Thus the name “blood boon”:The bestower is willing to shed her blood for the receiver.

 

Life boons involve the bestower actively risking her immortal life for the receiver so that the receiver may live.