# [[Vampire - The Masquerade 5th Edition Core Book|Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition Core Book]] --- Author:: [[Kenneth Hite]], [[Martin Ericsson]], [[Matthew Dawkins]], [[Karim Muammar]], [[Juhana Pettersson]] Genre:: [[Role Playing Games]] [[How to Read a Book|Type]]:: Imaginative ![[Vampire the Masquerade Corebook.pdf]] ## Summary ### Structure #### Concepts - [[01 A World of Darkness]] - [[02 Roleplaying and Storytelling]] - [[03 V5 Example of Play]] #### Kindred Society - [[04 Ancient and Contemporary Outlooks]] - [[05 Jyhad]] - [[06 The Camarilla]] - [[07 The Autarkis]] - [[08 Endings and Beginnings]] - [[09 Kindred Fashion]] - [[10 Lexicon of the Damned]] #### Clans - [[11 Clans]] - [[12 Brujah]] - [[13 Gangrel]] - [[14 Malkavian]] - [[15 Nosferatu]] - [[16 Toreador]] - [[17 Tremere]] - [[18 Ventrue]] - [[19 The Caitiff]] - [[20 The Thin-Blooded]] #### Rules - [[21 Rules]] - [[22 Time]] - [[23 Simple Tests]] - [[24 Contests]] - [[25 Conflicts]] - [[26 Examples of Rolls]] - [[27 Experience and Improvement]] - [[28 The Golden Rule]] #### Characters - [[29 Characters]] - [[30 Character Fundamentals]] - [[31 Character Creation]] - [[32 Core Traits]] - [[33 Beliefs]] - [[34 Predator Types]] - [[35 Advantages]] - [[36 Coterie Creation]] - [[37 Character Creation Summary]] - [[38 Vampire - The Masquerade Summary Sheet|Vampire: The Masquerade Summary Sheet]] #### Vampires - [[39 Vampires]] - [[40 Truth and Lies]] - [[41 Hunger]] - [[42 Hunger Dice]] - [[43 Compulsions]] - [[44 Rousing the Blood]] - [[45 Slaking Hunger]] - [[46 The Blood]] - [[47 You Are What You Eat]] - [[48 States of Damnation]] - [[49 Humanity]] - [[51 Using the Vampire Dice - Hunger Dice|Using the Vampire Dice: Hunger Dice]] - [[50 True Faith|True Faith]] #### Disciplines - [[52 Disciplines]] - [[53 General Rules]] - [[54 Animalism]] - [[55 Auspex]] - [[56 Celerity]] - [[57 Dominate]] - [[58 Fortitude]] - [[59 Obfuscate]] - [[60 Potence]] - [[61 Presence]] - [[62 Protean]] - [[63 Blood Sorcery]] - [[64 Rituals]] - [[65 Thin-Blood Alchemy]] #### Advanced Systems - [[66 Advanced Systems]] - [[67 Scenes and Modes]] - [[68 Extended Tests]] - [[69 Advanced Conflict]] - [[70 Systems of the Blood]] - [[71 The Hunger Game]] #### Cities - [[72 Cities]] - [[73 The Feudal System]] - [[74 Atmosphere]] - [[75 Your City by Night]] - [[77 The Marks - Vampire Graffiti|The Marks: Vampire Graffiti]] - [[78 Whats Happening|What's Happening?]] - [[76 Hitting the Streets|Hitting the Streets]] #### Chronicles - [[79 Chronicles]] - [[80 Planning a Chronicle]] - [[81 Styles of Play]] - [[82 Running a Game]] - [[83 The Second Inquisition in Chronicles]] - [[84 Hunters Hunted]] #### Tools - [[85 Tools]] - [[86 Antagonists]] - [[87 Items]] #### Lore Sheets - [[88 Lore Sheets]] #### Appendices - [[89 Appendix I - Standard Feats|Appendix I: Standard Feats]] - [[90 Appendix II - Projects|Appendix II: Projects]] - [[91 Appendix III - Advice for Considerate Play|Appendix III: Advice for Considerate Play]] ## Main Takeaways - [[How to Build a Vampire - The Masquerade Character]] ## Quotes and Notes ### Introduction - "The World of Darkness is a fucked-up place. It’s full of corruption, violence, and hypocrisy. In this, it’s similar to the real world, but it also has to contend with the supernatural terrors who amplify all the worst tendencies of humanity. Watch the news and consider which events might have been influenced by the subtle touch of the undead: our world, our time; right here, right now." - Biblical Caine was the first vampire - From biblical times to the end of the Dark Ages, vampires ruled the Earth - The Inquisition forced them to adapt to human culture and convince them vampires did not exist - They sponsored Newton and Descartes (philosophy and science) to ensure their existence seemed an impossibility - Caine's children's children (the third generation, known as Antediluvians) are the progenitors of modern (~~13~~ 14) clans (Plus Caitiff and Thin-Blooded) (See: [[Vampire - The Masquerade Players Guide]] for the remaining clans) - Brujah - The Learned Clan, Rabble, Punks, Hipsters, Prometheans, Rebels, Philosopher-Kings, Hellenes - Commonly underdogs, oppressed, revolutionaries, and members of counterculture - Punks, gang-members, immigrants, rioters - Passionate fighters, critical thinkers - Philosophical subculture known as Hellenes - Work to bring systems down from within, strive for progress - Once considered a High Clan (superior to most and respected by all) and some still believe their blood is stronger than others and they should hold power over them (fundamentalists, right-wing groups, academic elite) - Claim they are most bonded to humanity - Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence - Bane: Violent Temper - Gangrel - The Clan of the Beast, Animals, Ferals, Savages, Barbarians, Outcasts, Wolves, Strays - Have little respect for civilization - Outcasts, wanderers, rogues, hunters - Leaders of prison crews and gangs, explorers - Claim few domains, defer to no prince - Care for accomplishment and reputation, not looks nor title - Desperate for freedom, storytellers, causes fear and respect - Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean - Bane: Bestial Features - Malkavian - The Clan of the Moon, Lunatics, Madmen, Jesters, Oracles, Dervishes, Visionaries, Children of Malkav - Interprets dreams, perceives spirits, predicts futures - High insight (empathy), philosophical - Mental illness, traumatized - No other Kindred feels completely comfortable around a known Malkavian - "Flashes of insight are rarely worth the fits of insanity" - Seek to influence others, reveal spirits, pick apart minds - Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate - Bane: Fractured Perspective - Nosferatu - Horrors, The Clan of the Hidden, Sewer Rats, Lepers, Hives, Carnies, Scabs, Vagrants, Orloks - Grotesque aboniations, deformities akin to birth defects or cancer growths or injuries or sores - The most humane of the Kindred, wearing their curse on the outside - May rely on magical disguises or prosthetics and make-up - Investigators, animalistic, monster-hunters, brutality, espionage (rats) - Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence - Bane: Repulsiveness - Toreador - Divas, The Clan of the Rose, Degenerates, Artists, Harlots, Arikelites, Hedonists, Sensates, Perverts - Sensuality, aesthetic perfection, artists, fixation on beauty and innocence - "Art encompasses all forms of entertainment and stimulation" - actors, singers, writers, dancers, sex workers - Creators, stage managers, customer manipulation, art collector/patron, spy - Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence - Bane: Aesthetic Fixation - Tremere - Usurpers, Warlocks, Hemetics, Thaumaturges, Transgressors, The Broken Clan, Blood Witches - Magicians obsessed with knowledge and power - Mercenary magi, occult expertise, blood sorcery, power-hungry - Eternal scholar, intensely loyal, pagan, new-age, ambitious outsiders, security chiefs - Disciplines: Auspex, Blood Sorcery, Dominate - Bane: Deficient Blood - Ventrue - The Clan of Kings, Blue Bloods, Tyrants, Warlords, Patricians, Borgias, The Cult of Mithras - God-kings of Babylon, nobility or the Dark Ages - now majority shareholders, campaign fund backers, bankers, chiefs of staff - Unrivaled clan in power and wealth - Leaders of the Camarilla - Tradition, lineage, establishment, loyalty - Secret societies, reclusive leaders, conservative politician, media manipulation, organized crime - Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence - Bane: Blood preference - The Caitiff - The Clanless, Panders, Orphans, Trash, Scum, Freestylers - Accidentally clanless - Disparate, individualistic, chaotic survivors, strong-willed - Disciplines: Three of your choice - Bane: Suspicious and low status - The Thin-Blooded - Duskborn, Mercurians, Thin-Bloods, The Young Ones, Run-Off, Weaklings, Chameleons, Abortions - 13th or higher generation vampire embracing a mortal - Cannot create Blood Bonds or Embrace with certainty, considered clanless, sustain damage like mortals but heal like vampires, hunger is less overt - Disciplines: Gain disciplines based on their blood consumed ### Sects - The Camarilla is the most widely influential organization, purpose is to preserve the masquerade, but is also a society and akin to the United Nations - Runs like a feudal court - Six traditions - The First Tradition: The Masquerade - Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing such shall renounce they claims of Blood. - Only universally respected tradition, but the most broken tradition - The Second Tradition: The Domain - Thy domain is thine own concern. All others owe thee respect while in it. None may challenge thy word while in thy domain. - The Third Tradition: The Progeny - Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine elder. If thou createst another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain. - The Fourth Tradition: The Accounting - Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure. - The Fifth Tradition: Hospitality - Honor one another's domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing. - The Sixth Tradition: Destruction - Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt. - The Blood Hunt - Ultimate punishment, anyone can hunt and kill the target - Helps getting into Camarilla's graces, frowned upon by Anarchs - Anarch Movement - Originally the "Anarch Revolt" against the Camarilla, younger Kindred who fight back as the number of elders dwindle - Commonly led by gangs with territories - The Autarkis - "Outside society," those who keep their heads down and keep to themselves or their small community ### Mechanics - Time - Turn - Amount of time to take a fairly simple action - Scene - Series of actions and interactions between a single set of characters in a single location (as used in movies, books, etc) - Session - Sometimes called a chapter - Story - Full tale (1-a few sessions), sometimes nothing more than a single scene - Chronicle - Series of stories connected by the characters and their ongoing narrative (campaign), common tone - Simple Tests - Use dice pool of traits against difficulty, 6 or higher = success - Difficulty - 1 success = Routine - 2 = Straightforward (DC 5) - 3 = Moderate (DC 10) - 4 = Challenging (DC 15) - 5 = Hard (DC 20) - 6 = Very Hard (DC 25) - 7+ = Nearly Impossible (DC 30+) - Consider equipment and modifiers for increasing or decreasing difficulty - Change the size of the dice pool for a change in circumstance for the character - If dice pool = 2 * Difficulty, Storyteller may decide the character wins automatically (streamline play) - Opposition - Opposed actions can either be contests or represented by SPC's dice pool divided by 2 (rounded down) - Contests = competing dice pools between an SPC and a character or 2 characters, if acting character rolls equal to or more than the number of successes by opposition, that is a win - Margin = Number of successes over difficulty (0 in automatic successes) - Result of 10 on two die counts as a critical success (2 additional successes, aka 4 total) (requires a pair... three 10s = 5, four 10s = 8) - Win at a cost = Some successes but not enough to pass difficulty (achieve goal but something happens to make things worse anyway) - No successes = Total failure (didn't achieve desired result + dire consequences) - Teamwork - Roll the larger pool of those helping and add one additional die for each character assisting who has at least one dot in the involved skill - Taking Half - For SPC rolls during basic contests, count number of die in pool, divide by 2 (rounding down) and that equals number of successes - Conflict - Characters act in descending order of action (break ties by Dexterity + Wits or comparing dots of skill used) - Ranged weapons - Usually defender's Dexterity + Athletics (-2 if no cover, or up to +2 with superior cover) - Dodging - Dexterity + Athletics - A character facing multiple opponents loses one die from their pool when they defend against each successive opponent that targets them. To attack multiple foes, a character must split their dice pool. - In a physical conflict, Health is damaged by success margin - In a social conflict, Willpower is damaged by success margin - Types of Damage - Superficial Damage = not immediate life-threatening injury (Bruise, sprain, punch, kick) - Standard weapons do superficial damage to vampires - In a social conflict = embarrassment, bruised ego, but no lasting effect - Divided by half (rounded up) - Aggravated damage = Life-threatening injury (Broken bones, wounds, sharp and piercing weapons against humans) - Typically fire, sunlight, claws or teeth of supernatural creatures against vampires - In a social conflict = Revelation of secret knowledge from close friends or trusted figures - If trackers are filled, they are Impaired (lose 2 dice from all relevant pools (Physical from Health, Social and Mental from Willpower)) - Mortals are incapacitated - Every level of damage at this point converts superficial to aggravated - Full aggravated trackers - Physical - Mortals = Dead and Vampires = Torpor - Willpower - Defeated character completely breaks down and loses face (exile, lose Status or Merits, etc equivalent to the social death of a character) - Healing (at the beginning of a session) - Health - Mortals can remove a number of Superficial damage levels up to their Stamina from their Health - Vampires can remove a number of Superficial damage levels from their Health tracker by Rousing the Blood each turn - Medicine can convert Aggravated damage to Superficial damage in Health (for mortals... Intelligence + Medicine vs total Aggravated damage... Attempts to heal oneself add +1 to difficulty... Maximum of half the character's Medicine rating, rounded up converted) - Vampires can mend 1 level of Aggravated Health damage each night by Rousing the Blood - Willpower - All remove Superficial damage equal to their Composure or Resolve (use higher) - A character who has acted in accordance to their Ambition can heal 1 level of Aggravated Willpower damage (loss of reputation, Status, etc may continue) - Should end after 3 turns (unless everyone is having fun) - Invite players to break the conflict off - If foes have taken unexpected losses, they leave - Award victory to the side that won the most conflicts or with the fewest points of aggravated damage - Change the situation (new options to both sides through new character or venue) - Experience and Improvement - 1 experience point per session, plus 1 point per completed story - Trait Costs: - Increase Attribute - New level x 5 - Increase Skill - New level x 3 - New Specialty - 3 - Clan Discipline - New level x 5 - Other Discipline - New level x 7 - Caitiff Discipline - New level x 6 - Blood Sorcery Ritual - Ritual level x 3 - Thin-blood Formula - Formula level x 3 - Advantage - 3 per dot - Blood Potency - New level x 10 - Traits - Attributes or skills, measured 0-5 (0 = puny, 2 = average, 5 = Olympic level) - Attributes - Innate and potential abilities - Physical - Strength - Dexterity - Stamina - Social - Charisma - Manipulation - Composure - Mental - Intelligence - Wits - Resolve - Tracker Pools (Numbers go up and down based on usage or damage) - Health = Stamina + 3 - Willpower = Composure + Resolve - 1 point can be spent to re-roll up to three regular die on any one Skill or Attribute roll (including Disciplines), but cannot be spent to reroll Hunger die or a tracker roll or on checks (the point is counted as superficial damage, or aggravated if all points are superficially damaged) - Skills - Application of abilities - Physical - Athletics - Brawl - Craft - Drive - Firearms - Melee - Larceny - Stealth - Survival - Social - Animal Ken - Etiquette - Insight - Intimidation - Leadership - Performance - Persuasion - Streetwise - Subterfuge - Mental - Academics - Awareness - Finance - Investigation - Medicine - Occult - Politics - Science - Technology ### [[How to Build a Vampire - The Masquerade Character|Character Creation]] - Core Concept - What was your character’s name in life? What did they do? Where and when were they Embraced? What is their name now? Where are they now? Write your character’s name on the Relationship Map. - Clan and Sire - Pick clan and write Sire on the Relationship Map - Attributes - Take one Attribute at 4; three Attributes at 3; four Attributes at 2; one Attribute at 1. Health = Stamina + 3; Willpower = Composure + Resolve. - Skills - Pick one skill distribution. Add free specialties to Academics, Craft, Performance, and Science Skills. Take one more free specialty. - Jack of all trades: One Skill at 3; eight Skills at 2; ten Skills at 1 - Balanced: Three Skills at 3; five Skills at 2; seven Skills at 1 - Specialist: One Skill at 4; three Skills at 3; three Skills at 2; three Skills at 1 - Alternative Skill Decisions - Professional Skills - You probably did best at what you had to do to earn a paycheck. You certainly got the most practice at it. Your profession gives you two Skills at three dots (•••) and two Skills at two dots (••). The words in parentheses represent specialties, which give a bonus to tests of that Skill in that specific area. Whenever you acquire your first dot in Academics, Science, Craft, or Performance, take a specialty in that Skill. Choose a professional specialty in one of your professional skills. - Life Event Skills - What major life events shaped you? Did you serve a tour in Iraq, go through an abusive relationship, win the lottery, or have kids? Did you get mugged and take up taekwondo? Whatever it was, it taught you something. Specifically, one event taught you a Skill at three dots (•••) and another one taught you a Skill at two dots (••). - Leisure Skills - What did your profession pay for or your events interrupt? Did you run a triathlon or go to EDM festivals every weekend? What you do for kicks also teaches you things. Take three leisure Skills at one dot (•) based on hobbies or other pastimes: - Extra Skills - Now go ahead and take those Skills you’ve had your eye on this whole time. Pick one of the options below. Ideally, come up with a plausible reason for why you have these new Skills, but don’t bog down or kill yourself trying to figure it out. - Specialist: Take one more Skill at four dots (••••). If you like, you can change your professional specialty to a specialty of this Skill. You cannot move a free Specialty from Academics, Craft, Performance, or Science to a different Skill, however. - Generalist: Take two more Skills at two dots (••) and four more Skills at one dot (•). - Disciplines - Choose two of your clan Disciplines. Put two dots in one and one dot in the other. For Caitiff characters, choose any two Disciplines. Put two dots in one and one dot in the other. Thin-blood characters have no intrinsic Disciplines. - Predator - Pick your Predator type (p. 175) and apply it: - Add one of the listed specialties. - Add one dot to a listed Discipline. - Apply any associated Advantages or Flaws. - Fresh bloodsuckers, like thinbloods and many fledglings, do not select a Predator type as they are still figuring out this aspect of their nocturnal existence. - Advantages - Spend 7 points on Advantages, and take 2 points of Flaws in addition to the ones gained from your Predator type. Thin-blood characters must take between one and three Thin-Blood Merits and the same number of Thin-Blood Flaws. Add any new supporting cast from Advantages and Flaws to the Relationship Map. - Loresheets - A special type of Advantage connecting the character into the metaplot of VTM - Convictions and Touchstones - Select one to three Convictions. (p. 172) Create an equal number of Touchstones (p. 173), each connected to one Conviction and add them to the Relationship Map. Set your Humanity to 7. - Convictions - A person's core values, set of moral principles that fortifies their actions against the degeneration of the Beast. Create 1-3 statements beginning with "never" or "always" concerning strong beliefs likely to come up in play (killing, love, loyalty, core ideals, political principles, religious codes, etc) - Touchstones - Who would you risk everything to see again? Whose memory keeps you from tearing out a helpless throat? Mortals who define the best in humanity for you - Humanity - Defines how far your character has degenerated into monstrosity. A character with zero Humanity has completely succumbed to the Beast and can no longer be used as a player character. Your Humanity begins at 7. The Storyteller may allow characters in an all-fledgling chronicle to begin with Humanity 8. See more Humanity rules on pp. 236-241. - Ambition - What was your greatest aspiration as a human? This goal may change after you enter the night, but at the moment of death, what was your life’s purpose? This question often just informs your prelude, since death and Embrace tend to change your priorities. That said, many centuries-old bloodsuckers still strive to complete their mortal Ambition, sometimes in a warped and debased form. See the Ambition section on p. 173 for more ideas and guidance. - Sea of Time - Together with the Storyteller and other players, decide if your coterie are: - Childer: Embraced within the last 15 years - 14th, 15th, or 16th Generation (thin-bloods): Blood Potency 0 - 12th or 13th Generation: Blood Potency 1 - Neonates: Embraced between 1940 and a decade ago - 12th or 13th Generation: Blood Potency 1 - Each player spends 15 experience points - Ancillae: Embraced between 1780 and 1940 - 10th or 11th Generation: Blood Potency 2 - Each player adds 2 points of Advantages - Each player adds 2 points of Flaws - Each player subtracts 1 Humanity - Each player spends 35 experience points. - Build Your Coterie - Each player gets one Coterie dot, used together with leftover Advantage dots to determine hunting grounds in the city and buy shared Coterie Backgrounds ### Blood - Hunger - Ranging 0-5 (0 = Satisfied, 5 = Ravenous) - For each level of Hunger affecting a character, they gain a hunger die. Regular die are exchanged from a dice pool for Hunger die (Hunger die aren't included in Checks, Willpower, or Humanity dice pools) and Hunger die can't be rerolled using Willpower - Messy Critical - A critical win in which one or more 10s appears on a Hunger die - The Beast scored the critical, not you. Succeeds without foresight or self-control. - Character gains 1+ Stains, breaches the Masquerade, loses one dot from an Advantage (temporarily), or must act out a Compulsion - Bestial Failure - A failed roll where one or more Hunger dice comes up as a 1 - Character must act out a Compulsion, loses an Advantage dot, suffers 1+ points of Aggravated Health damage, or increases Hunger by one - Compulsions - Hunger - Vampire will do anything to immediately slake their Hunger - Dominance - Vampire must singularly establish dominance, taunt the weak, challenge the strong - Harm - Vampire must hurt and destroy, revel in the pain of others - Paranoia - Vampire tries to disengage from any perceived threat - Clan compulsions - Each sunset (waking up), call upon their powers, or stir of their Blood risks rousing their Hunger - Rouse Check - Single die, on a failure the vampire gains 1 more point of Hunger (added after the desired effect for the check resolves) - Vampire cannot intentionally Rouse at Hunger 5; if forced to make a Rouse Check, the player must make a hunger frenzy test at Difficulty 4 - Drinking blood reduces a vampire’s Hunger level by a fixed amount. Only draining a human of blood, thereby killing them, can reduce Hunger to 0. Younger vampires can reduce Hunger to 1 without killing a human victim. As a vampire’s Blood Potency increases, so does their resting Hunger level. Above Blood Potency 7, for example, vampires cannot reduce their Hunger below 3 without killing a human victim. - "The bite of a vampire can seem downright euphoric to the victim; vampire fangs produce a supernatural intoxicating effect while opening up a blood vessel. Assuming the vampire takes the time to hit a vein or artery correctly and licks the wound closed afterward, the victim may only remember the encounter as a drug trip, an interlude of weird rough sex, or just a delirious fog of drunken intimacy. Even a closed wound and happy hallucination for the victim might still leave behind an air embolism, to say nothing of long-term anemia." - Feeding from an animal kills it unless it is larger than human mass - Animal blood doesn't nourish vampire appetites and never harbors Dyscrasias - Vampires above Blood Potency 2 cannot slake Hunger from animal blood - Bagged blood is typically processed (plasma is separated from the red blood cells, or blood is stored with anticoagulant preservatives) that make it unpleasant at best to drink - Unprocessed bagged blood cannot slake Hunger for drinkers with Blood Potency above 2 - Bagged blood has no Resonances - Vampires can feed on other vampires, slaking 1 point of Hunger for each point of Hunger they inflict on the donor - "Feeding from a vampire of at least two levels of Blood Potency higher than the drinker slakes 2 points of Hunger for each point of Hunger gained by the donor. Conversely, feeding from a vampire of at least two levels of Blood Potency less than the drinker slakes only 1 point of Hunger for each 2 points of Hunger inflicted on the donor." - Feeding risks a Blood Bond - Bite Attacks - Must succeed a grapple contest or can directly bite using Strength + Brawl with a 1 success penalty - A win on the latter deals 2 Aggravated Health damage, and the foe can escape through a Strength + Brawl contest or the attacker can continue without the penalty - Feeding does 1 point of Aggravated Health damage and slakes 1 Hunger - Generations - Vampires measure their distance from Caine through generations (does not necessarily indicate age) - Can only be changed through Diablerie - Caine and the Second Generation - Myths, legends, theological speculation - The Third Generation - Antediluvians, founders of the 13 clans, brought about the biblical flood (or were its target), likely asleep or dead - Fourth and Fifth Generations - Methuselahs, likely asleep or withdrawn from society - Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Generations - Elders, rulers of the current Sects, currently being called by The Beckoning towards the Gehenna War - Tenth and Eleventh Generations - Ancillae, intermediaries between court and street - Twelfth and Thirteenth Generations - Neonates, relatively little experience with vampirism but more understanding of technological and social change - Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Generations - Thin-bloods, so far from Caine that the curse and gift are weakened - The Book of Nod speaks of the "Time of Thin Blood" as precursor to Gehenna, the rising of the Antediluvians, and the end of vampire-kind - Blood Potency - Generally increases every 100 years, but intense experiences or potent blood can speed the process - Vampires in torpor lose Potency at 1 level per 50 years - Potency can never fall below the minimum for their generation, nor above the maximum - Thin-bloods cannot increase Potency unless they diablerize to 13th Generation or above - Gifts of the Blood - Cost 1+ Rouse Check (Failure means the vampire's Hunger increases by 1) - Blush of Life - Allows a vampire to appear human (heartbeat, body temperature, breath) - Requires 1 Rouse Check - Allows a vampire to consume food and drink without vomiting for up to an hour - Otherwise Difficulty 3 Composure + Stamina test to get outside/to a bathroom - Can allow vampires to fake or enjoy sex - Necessary for vampires (other than Thin-Bloods) to touch screens (smartphones require skin moisture and conductivity) - Humanity 9 or higher vampires don't need Blush of Life other than for cosmetic purposes - Blood Surge - Vampires can augment attributes once per roll by adding a number of dice (dependent on Blood Potency) - Requires 1 Rouse Check - Cannot be used for Willpower or Humanity - Cannot be used for rolls applying to more than one scene, nor in One-Roll Combat - Do not apply automatic wins or Take Half to rolls augmented by Blood Surge - Vampiric Mending - Vampires can heal themselves - Superficial Health Damage - 1 Rouse Check per turn can be used to mend a number of Superficial Health damage determined by Blood Potency - Aggravated Health Damage - After rising upon nightfall, a vampire must make 3 Rouse Checks (in addition to the check made when waking) to remove 1 point of Aggravated damage as well as 1 Crippling Injury/similar impairment - Only one point can be mended per night - If these Rouse Checks raise the vampire's Hunger above 5, they fall into torpor rather than testing for Hunger Frenzy - Disciplines - Many powers required at least 1 Rouse Check, Disciplines can be activated once per turn - Prices of the Blood - Awakening - Every night a vampire rises from day-sleep they must make a Rouse Check - If failing would raise a Hunger above 5, the vampire is sent into torpor rather than testing for hunger frenzy - Awakening during the day requires a Humanity roll (Difficulty 3 for a life-threatening situation, 4 for urgency, or 5+ for an inconvinience) - Once awakened from day-sleep, a vampire can only act for a single scene (remaining awake requires a Difficulty 3 Humanity roll for an additional scene, while a critical win permits them to stay awake as long as needed) - A Kindred acting during daylight hours can only roll dice pool of a maximum size equivalent to their Humanity - Frenzy - A frenzied campire loses all capacity for rational thought and is driven solely by rage, starvation, or panic - Willpower roll to resist frenzy dependent on Difficulty - Vampires add 1/3 of Humanity rounded down to Willpower vs Frenzy - A win requires a turn to suppress the impulse - A critical win resists without losing a turn - Riding the Wave - A vampire can choose to Ride the Wave and succumb without making a test - Player chooses who they feed on, rather than Storyteller taking control of the character - While in frenzy... - Vampires are immune to Health-based penalties short of mutilation - Can only use physical Disciplines (Celerity, Fortitude, Potence) - Resists mental Disciplines (Dominate, Presence) with 3 extra dice added to their pools, or +2 difficulty if no resistance pool - Player can spend a Willpower point to assume control of their character for a single turn, but may not use Willpower to re-roll dice - Types of frenzy - Fury Frenzy - Insults, humiliation, aggression initiates bestial violence - Vampire stops at nothing to tear the cause of the provocation to pieces, often together with anyone nearby - After destroying the subject of their ire, vampire can make a Willpower test (Difficulty 3, or 5 if other enemies remain) - Success ends the frenzy - Failing drives them deeper into rage - Hunger Frenzy - The Beast craves more blood - Vampire seeks fresh human blood from the closest source - Ends when the vampire reaches Hunger 1 or below - Terror Frenzy - Danger (sunlight, open flames, grave damage) causes the vampire to flee - End when the vampire can no longer perceive any danger or when the scene ends - Dangers to the Blood - Sunlight, Fire, Extreme Cold, Decapitation, Stakes, True Faith, Torpor, Final Death - Resonance - Blood type is expressed as resonance - Resonance flavors blood in the same way spices flavor food (turning eating/drinking into dining) - Resonance is based on a combination of the vessel's temperament and the victim's state of mind in the moment of feeding - Four "humors" make up the parts of blood, one of which is typically most prominent - Choleric - Codified as Choler or Xanthecholia (yellow bile) by [[Hippocrates]] - Associated with fire, feeling, the Adrenaline hormone - Angry, violent, bullying, passionate, envious - Celerity and Potence Disciplines - Melancholy - Codified as Melancholia (black bile) - Associated with earth, thinking, the Thyroid hormone - Sad, scared, intellectual, depressed, grounded - Fortitude and Obfuscate Disciplines - Phlegmatic - Codified as Phlegm (saliva, lymph, liquids of lungs and brain) - Associated with water, intuition, and the Pituitary hormone - Lazy, apathetic, calm, controlling, sentimental - Auspex and Dominate Disciplines - Sanguine - Codified as Hema (blood) - Associated with air, sensation, and the Testosterone/Estrogen hormones - Horny, happy, addicted, active, flighty, enthusiastic - Blood Sorcery and Presence Disciplines - Resonance is described in three temperments - Fleeting - Occurs in the moment, based on momentary stimuli - No mechanical effect (except in Thin-Blood Alchemy) - Intense - Occurs in humans with a very strong tendency towards a Resonance (due to mental illness, trauma, drug addiction, an active reward loop) - Gives the drinker one additional die for dice pools involving a corresponding Discipline until their next drink dilutes it or their system empties of blood when their Hunger reaches 5 - Acute - Resonances so intense they have a self-sustaining reaction in the blood - Referred to as Dyscrasia, aka "bad mixture," or simply as a "clot" - Animal Blood does not provide Dyscrasias, but is associated with the Animalism and Protean Disciplines - Provide the same mechanical bonus as intense resonance, plus a Dyscrasia - Dyscrasia Examples - Choleric Dyscrasias - Bully - Drinker does +1 damage against weaker foes (or against the kinds of foes the vessel most enjoyed bullying) in social and physical combat - Cycle of Violence - Your next feeding on choleric blood slakes one additional Hunger, other blood slakes one less Hunger - Envy - Drinker does +1 damage against better (more attractive, younger, more talented, taller, richer, higher-status, etc.) foes in social and physical combat - Principled - Reroll any one roll in a conflict with a perceived ideological enemy (You may not reroll Hunger dice that originally resulted in a 1) - Vengeful - Add 2 dice to one test against the type of target on which the vessel wished revenge (cheating spouses, social rivals, loud neighbors, the government, etc.), or on all rolls against the specific individual the vessel hated - Vicious - Reroll any rolls using the Intimidation skill (You may not reroll Hunger dice that originally resulted in a 1) - Driving - Gain 1 free experience point towards the purchase of Celerity or Potence (this fully consumes the Dyscrasia) - Melancholic Dyscrasias - In Mourning - Add 1 die to Remorse tests - Lost Love - Add 1 die to all pools to resist seduction attempts, including Presence - Lost Relative - Slake 1 additional Hunger when feeding from remaining members of your family - Massive Failure - Constantly reminded not to fail in the same way, the drinker can reroll tests that remind them of the vessel's failure (You may not reroll Hunger dice that originally resulted in a 1) - Nostalgic - Add 1 die to all pools for rolls that connect to the specific decade, art form, or social group about which the vessel was nostalgic; add 3 dice to a Memoriam pool exploring the subject - Recalling - Gain 1 free experience point towards the purchase of Fortitude or Obfuscate (this fully consumes the Dyscrasia) - Phlegmatic Dyscrasias - Chill - Add 2 dice to pools to resist frenzy - Comfortably Numb - Receive no penalties or other negative effects from pain (both physical and social) - Eating Your Emotions - Eat and digest food without becoming nauseous - Given Up - Your next feeding on phlegmatic blood slakes one additional Hunger, other blood slakes one less Hunger - Lone Wolf - Add 1 die to your test when alone, subtract one die from tests to assist others or use teamwork (lasts only one scene) - Procrastinate - Regain 1 point of Willpower if you delay something important by a day or more (can only be used once per session) - Reflection - Gain 1 free experience point towards the purchase of Auspex or Dominate (this fully consumes the Dyscrasia) - Sanguine Dyscrasias - Contagious Enthusiasm - If you can touch your target skin-to-skin and sweat-to-sweat, you can add 3 dice to one test to convince them to do something (treat this as Dominate with regards to core beliefs, secrets, etc.) - Smell Game - Add 3 dice to all rolls to detect other Sanguine vessels - High on Life - The drinker can use Blush of Life without making a Rouse Check - Manic High - The drinker adds 1 die to all tests until they fail a roll; after that point they subtract two dice from all tests - True Love - Slake 1 additional Hunger when feeding from the vessel's true love. If the drinker has Auspex, they can see through the true love's eyes by Rousing the Blood - Stirring - Gain 1 free experience point towards the purchase of Blood Sorcery or Presence (this fully consumes the Dyscrasia) - Smart vampires study feeding habits to learn strengths and weaknesses of other Kindred - Most vampires observe their victims from a distance or engage in conversation to determine Resonance (a Resolve + Insight test to clarify if unsure) - A successful social test or good roleplaying scene can increase a temperament by one step - A Dyscrasia can be manipulated into a mortal through months or years of a love affair, torture, or other affliction before they develop a clot - Blood Bond - Those who drink the Blood of a vampire become progressively more attached to their donor until finally, after three drinks or more, the Bond reduces them to servile lackeys when in the donor's presence - "When under a completed Blood Bond, the thrall experiences a sense of loyalty, sometimes even infatuation, toward their regnant. They attempt to please their master, becoming wary and eventually even terrified of angering them. Unlike many Disciplines, nothing prevents a vampire employing a Bond against a vampire of lower generation or one whose Blood is more potent. Many Kindred do not even acknowledge that they’ve been Bound, believing their feelings to be true and even noble. A mutual Blood Bond, sometimes called a Blood wedding, is not love – it’s obsession and addiction. Abusive and dysfunctional doesn’t even begin to describe how nasty these blood-enforced affairs tend to get after a few centuries, and they are frowned upon (to say the least) in Camarilla society." - Bonded are called the "thrall," source of the Bond are called the "regnant" - Blood must be consumed directly from a vein (loses its power to Bond in a matter of seconds) - Drinker must repeat the act on three separate nights with no more than a year between drinks for the Bond to fully form - During their first year post-Embrace, a childe remains 1/3 of the way Bound to their sire, having tasted their Blood once - A regnant can have a number of thralls equal to their Blood Potency - If a regnant Bonds with another thrall above their maximum limit, their oldest Bond fades over the course of a week - A thrall can only have one regnant (immune to other Bonding attempts while Bound) - Creates and enforces severe allegiances within the Camarilla - Anarchs generally philosophically reject Blood Bonds between vampires - Some radicals even refuse to Blood Bond mortals - Bond Strength is equal to the number of times the thrall ahs consumed the regnant's Blood (maximum of 6) - Decreases by 1 for each month during which the thrall consumes none of the regnant's blood - To attempt something against their regnant's wishes, the thrall must succeed a Resolve + Intelligence vs Bond Strength test - Once per turn in the presence of the regnant, or once per seen outside of the regnant's perception - Breaking the Bond requires the thrall to reduce the Bond Strength to 0 through avoiding the regnant for an extended time (defiance roll once per session to do so) - Ghouls - A mortal or animal who drinks a vampire's Blood - Immediately halts the aging process until weaned off vampire Blood, when the imbiber deteriorates rapidly as the years catch up with their halted aging - Vampires use ghouls as retainers - A single Kindred can Bond as many Ghouls as they can manage - Vampire Blood retains ghoul-sustaining properties for a few days while stored in an airtight container and not exposed to sunlight - A Rouse Check's worth of blood bestows the following benefits to a mortal or animal for approximately 1 month - The ghoul gains the first dot in one of their master's Disciplines, along with a single level 1 power possessed by the vampire (only happens on first drink) - The aging process halts - Wounds are healed twice as fast, unless caused by fire - Ghoul who use powers above level 1 (thanks to Draught of Elegance, powers, alchemical effects, etc.) take 1 point of Aggravated damage to their Health instead of making a Rouse Check - Diablerie - Drinking another vampire dry, ingesting both their Blood as well as their essence (soul) - An entire scene in length - Only one drinker can attempt to gain the target's power, even if partners help - Diablerist must win a number of Difficulty 3 Strength + Resolve tests equal to the victims Blood Potency - One roll per turn - If even one roll fails, the victim's animating spark dies unconsumed - Effects: - Diablerist loses 1 point of Humanity - Diablerist must roll a contest of Humanity + their own Blood Potency vs the victim's Resolve + Blood Potency - Every success rolled (even if the contest fails) gives the diablerist 5 experience points to immediately spend on increasing Blood Potency (to a maximum up to the victim's Blood Potency) or on Disciplines known by the victim - Should the contest fail, the diablerist loses an additional point of Humanity for each success by which they failed - If this corrodes their Humanity to 0, their prey's mind replaces the diablerist - If the victim was of lower generation, the diablerist lowers their generation by 1 - Black veins become visible in the diablerist's aura, persisting for a year (or if the diablerist's generation was higher than their prey's, a number of years equal to the original difference in generation) - Humanity - Measures how close a vampire is to their human life, towards specific people that draw them towards life and light, and towards humans generally - Typically lost through aging as the Beast gnaws them away - Stains - More usual corruptions and deformation of a characters Humanity - Remorse - If a character has Stains on their Humanity track at the end of the session, they roll a Remorse test (a number of dice equal to the unmarked, unfilled dots on the Humanity tracker (minimum 1)) - At least 1 success = Remove all Stains - No successes = Lose 1 point of Humanity and remove all Stains - If a character accumulates more Stains than empty boxes on their Humanity track, they are Impaired (2 dice penalty to all pools) and take 1 point of Aggravated Willpower damage for each Stain that could not fit in the open boxes - The character is incapable of further intentional Tenet violations - If forced to commit one, they test for Terror Frenzy (Difficulty 4) - Impaired condition remains until the end of the session's Remorse test, or they can snap out of it by losing a point of Humanity as they wipe away stains and rationalize their actions - A vampire who loses their last point of Humanity goes out in a spectacular fenzy - All Attributes increase to 5 - If they survive, they become a wight (SPC) - Humanity can only be increased by selflessly involving yourself in human life and concerns (extraordinarily humane actions) - Through these actions, Humanity can be bought at 10 x the new Humanity rating (at Storyteller's discretion)