Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines/Characters: Difference between revisions

The Ventrue Prince of Los Angeles' Camarilla kindred, and therefore the leader of the 'new kids in town'. LaCroix is a classic Ventrue: Aa domineering, manipulative politician with entitlement issues and a taste for Realpolitik. It soon becomes obvious that he is on ''very'' sandy ground concerning both the Anarch and his own Camarilla "underlings", with nobody really respecting him at all. After condemning the main character's Sire to death in the opening cutscene for breaking the second tradition, he is forced to leave the PC alive when it's obvious he's got a PR nightmare on his hands. {{spoiler|He's also made an alliance with the Kuei-jin in order to eliminate the Anarchs in Los Angeles, and plans to open the Ankaran Sarcophagus to diablerise the Elder sleeping within.}}.

* {{spoiler|[[Big Bad Duumvirate]]: With Ming Xiao, until they stab each other in the back.}}.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Can be surprisingly caustic at times, especially in regards to the Anarchs or a Malkavian PC[[Player Character]].

* [[In-Series Nickname]]: The Malkavian PC[[Player Character]] has a thing for calling LaCroix "The Jester-Prince" or "The Jester", but never to his face.

** The Ventrue PC[[Player Character]] calls him "Captain Dramatic" during the dialogue about {{spoiler|Grout's death.}}.

** Gorgeous Gary, The Nosferatu Primogen, refers to him as "Prince Priss" during his introductory dialogue, and later calls him "Little Lord Flauntlacroix.".

* {{spoiler|[[Karmic Death]]: In the Anarch, Independent and his own ending.}}.

* [[Reassigned to Antarctica]]: This one requires [[All There in the Manual|a bit of knowledge of]] [[Old World of Darkness|the setting]], but basically, he has been sent to retake control of a section of the US the Camarilla hasn't controlled for the last hundred years, without the necessary backing to actually gain any control and lives on the Anarchs' sufferance. By Camarilla elders' standards, someone is playing a very cruel joke on him, and he's already seen the punch-line. No wonder he's so bitter.

** This also explains how he can be a Prince while unusually "young" for the office by Kindred standards. In the World of Darkness setting, you can easily find Princes who are over a thousand years old.

* {{spoiler|[[Villainous Breakdown]]: Suffers one of these because of the player character's refusal to die. It comes to a head if he opens the sarcophagus - he sees the bombs and simply laughs madly until he's incinerated.}}.

* [[Xanatos Gambit]]: After being forced to spare your life at the Camarilla meeting, LaCroix sends you on a series of increasingly impossible suicide missions. If you die (or fail, giving him an excuse to have you executed,), he gets what he wanted in the first place; if you survive, he gets whatever he wanted out of the mission you completed. [[Spanner in the Works|If you choose to oppose him, you shoot these plans all to hell.]].

The Tremere Primogen and Regent, Strauss is a mysterious, unfailingly polite sorcerer often found in the Tremere chantry Downtown. Unlike many of the other Elders, he actually shows some respect to the Fledgeling. {{spoiler|He becomes the new Prince in the Camarilla ending.}}.

If you get off that pogo stick, sure.|'''shittakaburi01''', ''Youtube video: HOW TO guide to get the Camarilla ending.'' }}

** If the PC[[Player Character]] is a Tremere, he even gives them a swanky new pad and adopts them into the clan.

** {{spoiler|Even furthermore, he is one of the only two "factions" (the other being the Anarchs/Nines) who you siding with in the endgame ''doesn't'' end up screwing you over. In fact, in his ending his first act as the new Prince is to make you his honorary right hand.}}.

* [[In-Series Nickname]]: A very telling one from the Malkavian PC[[Player -Character]]: "Wizard King.".

* [[Mad Scientist|Mad Sorcerer]]: He created the Gargoyle that the PC[[Player Character]] has to deal with.

* [[Man Behind the Man]]: The Malkavian run more or less says that Strauss is the real "King of the City", noting when he makes hints at ambition, "Your iron crown begins to sparkle"."

** Not to mention giving your PC[[Player Character]] several good reasons to like him.

'''PC[[Player Character]]:''' [[Sarcasm Mode|Uh, thanks, DAD.]] }}

* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: To the point that {{spoiler|he doesn't doublecross you or otherwise leads you to your downfall in his ending. In fact, his ending leaves you extremely well off as second in command of LA's Camarilla.}}.

* [[Achilles' Heel]]: In his bat form, he's vulnerable to bright lights -... especially the spotlights on the roof of the Venture Building.

* [[Our Vampires Are Different]]: The Sheriff doesn't seem to fit any of the clans in the Camarilla.<ref>He is a Nagloper (African Tzimisce).</ref>

* [[You Killed My Father]]: The PC[[Player Character]] may have this motivation when dealing with the Sheriff.

The Nosferatu Primogen and former Hollywood star, now the sarcastic king of Hollywood's underworld. One of the most secretive members of the local Camarilla, {{spoiler|he masterminds the theft of the Ankaran Sarcophagus and its sale to the Giovanni.}}.

* [[At Least I Admit It]]: His stance towards uppity Toreador PCs[[Player Characters]]; in various lines of dialogue, he rails at them for trying to deny their inherent monstrosity with "Paris Fashions and Pomp.".

* [[The Barnum]]: Loves playing visitors and customers like puppets, especially in {{spoiler|playing both sides of the fence in the search for the Ankaran Sarcophagus.}}. Clan lore suggests that this is actually ''the preferred position'' to take when dealing with distasteful non-Nosferatu clients, vis-a-vis providing false information. Thankfully, he seems to like the PC[[Player -Character]]... especially if you're a Nosferatu.

* [[Hearing Voices]]: Introducing himself while [[Invisibility|Obfuscated]], he pretends that he's actually a voice in your head. And when the Malkavian PC[[Player Character]] remarks that he doesn't sound like the usual voice, Gary counters with "Maybe I ''killed'' the voice in your head, boss."

* [[Verbal Tic]]: He ends just about every sentence with "Boss.".

* [[Younger Than They Look]]/[[Wise Beyond Their Years]]: If his backstory is true, Gary is probably no more than 70–80 years old (and if he worked in ''The Misfits'' while still alive, his embrace happened 40 years ago at most). Despite this, he's ''way'' more cynical and politically savvy than many LA vampires several times his age.

The Malkavian Primogen, a former psychiatrist obsessed with finding a cure for his wife's Malkavian catatonia. Little is known of him until you're asked to inspect his mansion, whereupon you find that {{spoiler|he's been killed by Ming Xiao.}}.

* [[I Hate You, Vampire Dad]]: Grout voices frustration that he never had the chance to question his sire (or "my infector" as he calls her). Apparently an asylum inmate, she attacked and successfully Embraced him, only to be set upon by orderlies and locked in the roaming pen; by the time Grout regained consciousness, the sunrise had killed her. In the same entry, he mentions this, he bitterly notes that she'd probably be just like the "mewling wretches" that make up his current crop of test subjects.

* [[The Spock]]: By Malkavian standards, to the point that the Ventrue diplomats that persuaded him to become Primogen hand-tailored their arguments to his "obvious infatuation with reason.".

* [[Graceful Loser]]: If you manage to figure out that he's manipulating you, he reacts with grudging admiration, unless you're a Tremere, in which case, he'll respond with utter disgust. And if you play as a fellow Nosferatu, [[So Proud of You|he just about gives you a round of applause.]].

{{quote|''Oh my god, are you kidding me? What are you using for security down there, a Trash-80? Guys, it's called "encryption.". This is too easy; I'd let you off the hook, but stupidity always brings out the asshole in me...''}}

* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: compareCompare and contrast with [[wikipedia:Kevin Mitnick|Kevin Mitnick]].

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: Subverted -: like Beckett, Mitnick is one of the more personable characters in the game.