Drink Blood

[Bernd]

Hey Guys,

this might be a silly question, but I have to ask: What is the "+1 to your attack" from the Drink Blood effect of Blood Drinker for? Does a RCV get this bonus if he attacks someone with his knife (because of some kind of frenzy or something) or is this for a real blood drinking attack? I thought the regular blood drinking is covered by grappling and not by a single attack...

Thanks in advance!

[JosephKell]

If you can inflict a bleeding related aspect (either as a maneuver aspect or by inflicting a physical consequence) you can drink some of their blood to be supercharged against that guy.

The +1 basically treats your skills as higher once the conditional is met.  But it only applies against targets you have fed on during that scene.

[KOFFEYKID]

Not quite, you dont have to drink blood, but Im pretty sure the idea is that, in the presence of the scent of blood, you fight harder. Once blood is spilled your predatory instincts come out.

[JosephKell]

Really?  Because my book says, "Any time you draw blood in close personal combat--with your claws or your teeth--you can ingest some of it to gain sustenance."  And as I said before, the +1 bonus you get is specific to attacking the target you drank some of.

It is more of a "I have tasted you and have taken some of your power into me, so now I can better anticipate you."

The thing about smelling blood is actually the THIRD effect of Blood Drinker (Blood Frenzy).

[Bernd]

Really?  Because my book says, "Any time you draw blood in close personal combat--with your claws or your teeth--you can ingest some of it to gain sustenance."  And as I said before, the +1 bonus you get is specific to attacking the target you drank some of.

It is more of a "I have tasted you and have taken some of your power into me, so now I can better anticipate you."

The thing about smelling blood is actually the THIRD effect of Blood Drinker (Blood Frenzy).

This is what I thought, but where does that come from? I cannot recall a situation in the novels which leads to it...

[JosephKell]

By the time a vampire is tasting you, you probably are about to die.  Since we haven't seen any main characters (or any characters actually) die to Red Court hands on camera, we just haven't seen it.

I imagine it happens more off camera (all those Wardens that fall to the Reds?).

But the +1 is what makes the power worth having at [-1] refresh.  The blood frenzy is purely drawback (and can require an RCI to keep a fate point to avoid death feeding) and the "clear out stress track and mild (and moderate with Inhuman Recovery) by feeding to death" is once per scene (also, it ruins Red Court Infected PCs).

The Blood Frenzy happened in Storm Front when Dresden bleed in front of Bianca.  And then when Bianca ate her girl (Rachel?).

[KOFFEYKID]

Hrm, good point, I guess in my games i've just ignored that but, since it seems sort of... forced? I dont know. I think it is more aesthetically pleasing that way.