Natures & Demeanors
Who You Are When No One Is Watching
A character's Nature is their true self — the core personality that drives their behavior when no one is watching, when things get hard, and when they must decide who they really are. Acting in accordance with your Nature regains Willpower.
A character's Demeanor is the face they show the world — the mask, the social performance, the image they choose to project. Demeanor doesn't affect Willpower recovery; it shapes how others perceive the character and can differ dramatically from their Nature.
Any archetype on this list can serve as either Nature or Demeanor unless otherwise noted. Even a ⚠ Use With Care archetype is generally fine as a Demeanor — the caution applies to selecting it as a Nature.
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ★★★ Perfect Fit | Deeply resonant with Requiem by Night's themes — strongly recommended |
| ★★☆ Strong Fit | Works well with minor adaptation — good for most characters |
| ★☆☆ Niche Fit | Valid but narrower — best for specific concepts, discuss with your Mentor |
| ⚠ Use With Care | Requires Mentor discussion and/or Admin approval before selection as a Nature |
★★★ Perfect Fit
Recommended as first choices for new and experienced players alike — these connect directly to the setting's themes of survival, rebuilding, and the weight of history.
- Survivor — Regain Willpower by surviving a threatening situation through tenacity. The single most appropriate Nature for RbN: every character alive in 200 TE is, at their core, a survivor.
- Penitent — Regain Willpower on achieving absolution for a grievance. Two centuries of catastrophe leaves everyone with something to atone for.
- Guardian — Regain Willpower by saving a weaker group or character from destruction. Ideal for Hunters, Mentors, Veil Keepers, and Werewolves.
- Fanatic — Regain Willpower by accomplishing a task tied to your cause. The world was rebuilt by people with a cause strong enough to survive the end of everything.
- Architect — Regain Willpower by establishing something of lasting value. Fits the Basilica's reconstruction theme perfectly.
- Caregiver — Regain Willpower by protecting or nurturing someone. Mentors, Physicians, and Children of Eshtarra by calling.
- Judge — Regain Willpower by solving a problem through evidence, or uniting dissenting parties. Strong for Veil Keepers and Thorned Circle mediators.
- Loner — Regain Willpower by accomplishing something alone that still benefits the group. Rich internal conflict with the sim's faction-based structure.
- Rebel — Regain Willpower by adversely affecting your chosen opposition — the God Machine Guild's grip, the Veil itself, or the Ashen Court's presumption.
- Visionary — Regain Willpower by convincing others to follow your vision. Dangerous in RbN: followers attract God-Machine attention.
- Martyr — Regain Willpower when your suffering leads to tangible gain. Martyrdom is written into the setting's mythology — Gaia, Luna, Lilith all paid a cost.
- Soldier — Regain Willpower by achieving difficult orders. Pairs well with faction, Hunter, or God Machine Guild protocol characters.
- Pedagogue — Regain Willpower when someone benefits from wisdom you shared. Knowledge is survival in the post-Sundering world.
- Conformist — Regain Willpower when the group achieves a goal due to your support. Underappreciated but deeply fitting — collective survival depends on people knowing their role.
- Guru — Regain Willpower by moving another to enlightened action, or through personal epiphany. Fits Lost Mirror and Children of Eshtarra spiritual communities.
- Idealist — Regain Willpower when pursuing your ideals furthers your goals. Rare and precious in a setting that has ruthlessly punished idealism for two centuries.
- Optimist — Regain Willpower by championing the bright side of a grim event. An act of radical resistance in this setting.
★★☆ Strong Fit
Work naturally into the world with minimal adaptation — suitable for most players and concepts.
Activist, Competitor, Conniver, Director, Explorer, Gallant, Capitalist, Barterer, Crusader, Enigma, Perfectionist, Pragmatist, Trickster, Mediator, Thrill-Seeker, Bon Vivant, Alpha, Mentor, Romantic, Prophet, Vigilante, Zealot, Anarchist, Heretic, Gambler, Chameleon.
★☆☆ Niche Fit
Valid but narrower in application — best for specific character concepts. Discuss with your Mentor.
Autocrat, Bravo, Celebrant, Deviant, Contrary, Eye of the Storm, Innovator, Scientist, Curmudgeon, Follower, Avant-Garde, Tycoon, Benefactor, Artist, Dabbler, Rogue, Traditionalist.
⚠ Use With Care
These carry themes that require careful handling in a community roleplay environment. Not forbidden, but selecting one as a Nature requires a conversation with your Mentor first, and some need Admin approval. They work freely as Demeanors.
- Monster — Regain Willpower by indulging a defined atrocity. Requires narrative purpose, not shock value. Best reserved for experienced players with a clear dramatic vision.
- Masochist — Regain Willpower through suffering itself. Carries self-harm-adjacent themes; discuss with a Mentor before selecting.
- Sadist — Regain Willpower by inflicting pain for pleasure. Rarely appropriate as a PC Nature — works far better as an NPC archetype. Discuss with Admin.
- Sociopath — Regain Willpower by maximizing body count. Structurally in conflict with the Veil and community-coexistence themes central to the sim. Admin approval required.
- Nihilist — Regain Willpower through self-destructive behavior. Better suited to a character arc toward recovery than a permanent Nature.
Who you are when no one is watching — that's your Nature. Who you are when everyone is watching — that's your Demeanor.