46 The Blood - Lake's Library

# [[46 The Blood|The Blood]] The Blood seethes at the core of every [[39 Vampires|vampire]]. Not quite sentient, but far from mindless, it prods and cajoles its host into actions unthinkable to mortals. It can yield immense power, but sooner or later, someone always pays a price. ## Generation | Generation | Minimum Blood Potency | Maximum Blood Potency | | ---------- | --------------------- | --------------------- | | 4th | 5 | 10 | | 5th | 4 | 9 | | 6th | 3 | 8 | | 7th | 3 | 7 | | 8th | 2 | 6 | | 9th | 2 | 5 | | 10th-11th | 1 | 4 | | 12th-13th | 1 | 3 | | 14th-16th | 0 | 0 | All [[039 Vampires|vampires]] gain their unholy prowess from the Blood, but not all Blood is equal. The closer a vampire is to their mythic progenitor [[046 The Blood#Caine and the Second Generation Myths|Caine]], the greater the potential of their vitae. Vampires talk of *generation*, with Caine (and perhaps Lilith) as the mythic progenitor of the First Generation. Following a vampire’s [[010 Lexicon of the Damned#^TheEmbrace|Embrace]], they rise from death one generation higher – one generation weaker – than their sire. Thus the [[046 The Blood#Third Generation Antediluvians|Antediluvians]], [[010 Lexicon of the Damned#^Childe|childer]] of childer of Caine, comprise the Third Generation, their childer becoming the [[046 The Blood#Fourth and Fifth Generations Methuselahs|Fourth Generation]]. A vampire’s Embrace sets their generation. Only through the forbidden act of *[[10 States of Damnation#Diablerie|diablerie]]*, by consuming the Blood and very spirit of another vampire, can it be changed. $\quad$A vampire’s generation does not necessarily indicate their age. An [[046 The Blood#Sixth through Ninth Generations Elders|elder]] might have sired a vampire of the [[046 The Blood#10th and 11th Generations Ancillae|10th Generation]] when Columbus sailed; a methuselah could have begotten a vampire of the Sixth Generation last year. ### Caine and the Second Generation: Myths The first vampires remain almost entirely the province of legend and theological speculation. Perhaps most vampires who believe in this myth identify Caine with the Cain of the Bible, but anything might have happened under the cover of the first nights. ### Third Generation: Antediluvians The founders of the 13 vampire [[11 Clans|clans]], the Antediluvians, somehow brought about the biblical flood – or were its target. Their bloodlines continue to shape the [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Kindred|Kindred]] to this night, even as the plots they set into motion millennia ago still drive the endless [[05 Jyhad|Jyhad]] of vampire-kind. For the last thousand years, many Kindred assumed the Antediluvians were asleep; only a few believed they continued their struggle in subterfuge, conspiracy, and guile deep behind the scenes even of secret history. [[06 The Camarilla|The Camarilla]] insisted the Antediluvians were long-dead, or even mythical, until the [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^TheSabbat|Sabbat]] forced their hand. $\quad$The Sabbat at least seeks to end the Jyhad. The Sword of Caine declared war on the Antediluvians in the name of the first vampire, unleashing [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Gehenna|Gehenna]] and slowly rousing the Third Generation from their torpid retreat in primordial labyrinths and passage-tombs. The Antediluvians now call their descendants to their defense, sounding a clamor in the Blood that younger vampires term the Beckoning. ### Fourth and Fifth Generations: Methuselahs Nearly as powerful as the Antediluvians, the methuselahs withdrew from the Jyhad in its earliest millennia – their power made them favored tools and chosen targets. Many methuselahs remain asleep beneath older human cities, tended by devoted cults or forgotten entirely. Others become [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^TheInconnu|Inconnu]], withdrawing completely from vampire society and from the Jyhad. ### Sixth through Ninth Generations: Elders Mostly Embraced before the modern age, vampires of these generations long-held the ruling places in both the Camarilla and the [[06 The Camarilla#The Anarch Movement|Anarch Movement]], continuing squabbles old when the Renaissance began. The Beckoning calls them from their towers and nests, toward the front lines of the Gehenna War. A few elders hold out or claim not to hear the call of their Blood, gripping their cities ever-tighter. Ironically, after centuries of condescension, the Ninth Generation finds itself accounted true elders: they, too, hear the Beckoning. ### 10th and 11th Generations: Ancillae Typically, older ancillae eventually convince the hierarchy to include them, or they anger the hierarchy into eliminating them. Between this winnowing effect and the boom in global population, most vampires of these generations can mark less than 250 years of age. Long-excluded from elder status, thus acting as intermediaries between court and street, ancillae have nevertheless cut their teeth (so to speak) in the [[01 A World of Darkness|World of Darkness]]. $\quad$The lowest-generation player characters in this game book come from the ranks of the ancillae. ### 12th and 13th Generations: Neonates Even more than the generations just below them, the 12th and 13th Generations dwindled slowly for centuries before exploding in modern nights. Most members of these generations have relatively little experience of the curse of vampirism, but slightly more understanding of technological and social change. Stodgy Camarilla elders blame the renewed Anarch Revolt on the influx of these generation. ### 14th through 16th Generations: Thin-bloods Many Kindred scholars look with fear on the flood of these generations, so far from Caine that both curse and gifts weaken into nothingness. *[[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^TheBookOfNod|The Book of Nod]]* speaks of the “Time of [[20 The Thin-Blooded|Thin Blood]]” as precursor to Gehenna, the rising of the Antediluvians, and the end of vampire-kind. ## Blood Potency Even within a [[46 The Blood#Generation|generation]], the potency of the Blood varies. As the years pass by, the Blood thickens and matures within the limits of a [[39 Vampires|vampire’s]] generation. Being Embraced by a powerful sire or braving the foul *amaranth* provide shortcuts to this power. But with increased potency comes also a price – you require more blood to sustain you, and the curse of your lineage also becomes more evident. $\quad$Blood Potency increases as a vampire ages. As a general rule, a vampire gains a dot of Blood Potency every 100 years while active, but especially intense experiences or exposure to extremely potent Blood can speed the process. A vampire in [[46 The Blood#Torpor|torpor]] loses Blood Potency at the rate of one level per 50 years. The Blood Potency of a vampire can never fall below the minimum for their generation, nor be increased above the maximum. [[20 The Thin-Blooded|Thin-bloods]] can never increase their Blood Potency unless they [[48 States of Damnation#Diablerie|diablerize]] their way to 13th Generation or above. $\quad$Blood Potency yields the following effects at each level. For a complete breakdown of the effects of Blood Potency, see the table on p. 216. The bullet points below each level here describe only the effects that change along with your character’s Blood Potency. | Blood Potency | Blood Surge | Damage Mended (Per Rouse Check) | Discipline Power Bonus | Discipline Rouse Check Re-Roll | Bane Severity | Feeding Penalty | | ------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 0 | Add 1 die | 1 point of Superficial damage | None | None | 0 | No effect | | 1 | Add 2 die | 1 point of Superficial damage | None | Level 1 | 2 | No effect | | 2 | Add 2 die | 2 point of Superficial damage | Add 1 die | Level 1 | 2 | Animal and bagged blood slakes half Hunger | | 3 | Add 3 dice | 2 point of Superficial damage | Add 1 die | Level 2 and below | 3 | Animal and bagged blood slakes half Hunger | | 4 | Add 3 dice | 3 point of Superficial damage | Add 2 dice | Level 2 and below | 3 | Animal and bagged blood slakes no Hunger Slake 1 less Hunger per human | | 5 | Add 4 dice | 3 point of Superficial damage | Add 2 dice | Level 3 and below | 4 | Animal and bagged blood slakes no Hunger Slake 1 less Hunger per human Must drain and kill a human to reduce Hunger below 2 | | 6 | Add 4 dice | 3 point of Superficial damage | Add 3 dice | Level 3 and below | 4 | Animal and bagged blood slakes no Hunger Slake 2 less Hunger per human Must drain and kill a human to reduce Hunger below 2 | | 7 | Add 5 dice | 3 point of Superficial damage | Add 3 dice | Level 4 and below | 5 | Animal and bagged blood slakes no Hunger Slake 2 less Hunger per human Must drain and kill a human to reduce Hunger below 2 | | 8 | Add 5 dice | 4 point of Superficial damage | Add 4 dice | Level 4 and below | 5 | Animal and bagged blood slakes no Hunger Slake 2 less Hunger per human Must drain and kill a human to reduce Hunger below 3 | | 9 | Add 6 dice | 4 point of Superficial damage | Add 4 dice | Level 5 and below | 6 | Animal and bagged blood slakes no Hunger Slake 2 less Hunger per human Must drain and kill a human to reduce Hunger below 3 | | 10 | Add 6 dice | 5 point of Superficial damage | Add 5 dice | Level 5 and below | 6 | Animal and bagged blood slakes no Hunger Slake 3 less Hunger per human Must drain and kill a human to reduce Hunger below 3 | ### Blood Potency 0 (zero): Thin-blood You are a thin-blood, scorned and dismissed by true vampires. - You take damage like mortals. When Mending Damage ([[46 The Blood#Vampiric Mending|p. 218]]) you can remove one point of Superficial [[25 Conflicts#Damage|damage]] per [[44 Rousing the Blood|Rouse Check]]. Your Bane Severity is 0 since you lack a [[11 Clans|clan]], and thus also lack a clan bane. - You cannot create Blood Bonds ([[48 States of Damnation#The Blood Bond|p. 233]]), perform the [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^TheEmbrace|Embrace]] with certainty, or create ghouls ([[48 States of Damnation#Ghouls|p. 234]]). - Only supernatural means can drive you to frenzy ([[46 The Blood#Frenzy|p. 219]]). - You take only one point of Superficial damage per turn in direct sunlight. For more details on the restrictions on and abilities of thin-bloods, see [[20 The Thin-Blooded|p. 109]]. ### Blood Potency 1 You are a true vampire, though only barely so according to some [[46 The Blood#Sixth through Ninth Generations Elders|elders]]. Still, your vampiric Blood can accomplish some spectacular things when roused. - Add two Attribute die to your [[23 Simple Tests#Pools|dice pool]] when performing a Blood Surge ([[46 The Blood#Blood Surge|p. 218]]). - When Mending Damage, you can remove 1 point of Superficial damage per Rouse Check. - Roll two dice and pick the highest when rolling a Rouse Check for level 1 discipline powers. (Or re-roll the Rouse Check) - You have a Bane Severity of 2. ### Blood Potency 2 A cut above lesser [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Lick|licks]], your Blood sustains your vampiric existence better than theirs. However, blood not fresh from a human [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Vessel|vessel]] starts to lose its power, as it has long since lost its savor. - When Mending Damage, you can remove two points of Superficial damage per Rouse Check. - Add one die to your dice pools when using or resisting discipline powers. - You must drink twice as much animal or bagged blood to [[45 Slaking Hunger|slake]] 1 [[41 Hunger|Hunger]] level. - You have a Bane Severity of 2. ### Blood Potency 3 For more conservative elder vampires, your Blood has thickened enough to render you no mere lick, but a true [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Cainite|Cainite]], worthy of consideration and notice. However, even as your Blood bestows great gifts, it nourishes your clan weakness. - Add three Attribute dice to your dice pool when performing a Blood Surge. - Roll two dice and pick the highest when rolling a Rouse Check for discipline powers of level 2 and below. - Animal and bagged blood no longer slake any of your Hunger. - You have a Bane Severity of 3. ### Blood Potency 4 So close, and still so far, you occupy an unenviable position, both exercising lordship over the low and remaining a runt to the high. You require ever-more human gore to slake your Hunger, and you feel your [[49 Humanity|Humanity]] slipping from your red-stained fingers. - When Mending Damage, you can remove three points of Superficial damage per Rouse Check. - Add two dice to your dice pools when using or resisting discipline powers. - When you feed from humans, slake 1 less Hunger per human. - You have a Bane Severity of 3. ### Blood Potency 5 On the cusp of elderhood, you remain but one tempting step from what many would consider godhood. - Add four Attribute dice to your dice pool when performing a Blood Surge. - Roll two dice and pick the highest when rolling a Rouse Check for discipline powers of level 3 and below. - Only by draining and killing a mortal can you drive your Hunger below 2. - You have a Bane Severity of 4. ### Blood Potency 6 and Greater As the Beckoning strips the world of its elders, these levels of Blood Potency become increasingly rare. The reclusive, strained remaining ones surround themselves with myth and legend, as well as more puissant guardians. With Blood more potent than it is human, these vampires turn quite alien, both in mind and body. Vampires at this level are not intended as player characters, and they are included in the Blood Potency table for [[02 Roleplaying and Storytelling#The Storyteller|Storyteller]] purposes only. ## Gifts of the Blood A [[39 Vampires|vampire]] gains more than unlife from the blood they consume. Vampiric Blood grants a number of abilities, all of which cost one or more [[44 Rousing the Blood|Rouse Checks]]. A vampire must be cautious when employing these gifts, lest they be consumed by their [[41 Hunger|Hunger]]. $\quad$Remember, failing a Rouse Check does not mean that the ability fails, only that the vampire’s Hunger increases by 1. ### Blush of Life Unless intentionally brought to a semblance of life, the body of a vampire is functionally dead. Undeath signifies its presence in pale or ashy skin, cold flesh, and lack of breath (except to speak) or a heartbeat. By sending their Blood through the dead capillaries of their skin and into their shriveled heart, a vampire can appear completely human for a night, including but not limited to a heartbeat, body temperature, and breath. The vampire can even pass a cursory medical examination, though they still fail more intrusive screenings for minute tells such as the absence of intestinal flora. $\quad$Non [[20 The Thin-Blooded|thin-blooded]] vampires must use *Blush of Life* to use touch screens – such as those on smart phones – unaided, which don’t work without the skin moisture and conductivity of the living. $\quad$Blush of Life generally allows a vampire to consume food and drink without vomiting for up to an hour. Without it, vampires must make an immediate [[32 Core Traits#Composure|Composure]] + [[32 Core Traits#Stamina|Stamina]] test ([[23 Simple Tests#Difficulties|Difficulty]] 3) to be able to get outside or to a bathroom in time. $\quad$Depending on their Humanity, vampires can fake or sometimes even enjoy sexual intercourse while Blush of Life is active (see [[49 Humanity|p. 236]].) $\quad$At [[49 Humanity#Humanity 9|Humanity 9]] or higher, vampires appear ill or “heroin chic” rather than dead; their heartbeat, pulse, and breath seem thready but detectable. They do not need to use Blush of Life for other than cosmetic purposes. $\quad$Bringing on the Blush of Life requires a Rouse Check. ### Blood Surge Any vampire can call upon their Blood to temporarily augment their Attributes, whether Physical, Social, or Mental. When the character wills a Blood Surge, the player can add a number of dice to a [[23 Simple Tests#Pools|dice pool]] incorporating an Attribute. The number of dice a Blood Surge adds depends on the character’s [[46 The Blood#Blood Potency|Blood Potency]]; characters can only use Blood Surge once per roll. $\quad$A Blood Surge requires a Rouse Check. $\quad$Blood Surge applies only to a single roll of the dice. (Dice added in a Blood Surge remain throughout any Willpower re-rolls.) Characters cannot use a Blood Surge for [[32 Core Traits#Willpower|Willpower]] or Humanity rolls, for rolls that apply to more than one scene, in One-Roll Combat ([[69 Advanced Conflict#One Roll|p. 296]]), or whenever else the [[02 Roleplaying and Storytelling#The Storyteller|Storyteller]] disallows them. Do not apply automatic wins ([[23 Simple Tests#Difficulties|p. 120]]) or “[[24 Contests|Take Half]]” to rolls augmented by a Blood Surge. ### Vampiric Mending Being dead, vampires do not heal naturally. Their unliving frames can still knit themselves together, given enough effort. **Mending Superficial Health Damage**: Depending on their Blood Potency, a vampire can mend one or more points of Superficial Health damage with a single Rouse Check. Vampires can make one Rouse Check per turn to mend Superficial Health damage. **Mending Aggravated Health Damage**: To mend Aggravated Damage, a vampire must wait until the next nightfall and make three Rouse Checks, in addition to the regular Rouse Check made when rising. $\quad$This process removes one point of Aggravated damage as well as one Crippling Injury or similar impairment. A vampire can only mend one point of Aggravated damage per night. $\quad$As with awakening, if these Rouse Checks raise the vampire’s Hunger above Hunger 5, they fall into [[46 The Blood#Torpor|torpor]] rather than testing for hunger [[46 The Blood#Frenzy|frenzy]]. ### Disciplines The raw power of the Blood fuels all but the most basic [[52 Disciplines|Discipline]] powers, many of which require multiple Rouse Checks. Every turn, a vampire can activate one Discipline power, regardless of that power’s duration. $\quad$There is no limit to the number of Discipline powers a vampire can have active simultaneously. $\quad$At higher levels of Blood Potency, the [[02 Roleplaying and Storytelling#The Players|player]] rolls two dice for each Rouse Check to activate some Discipline powers, keeping the higher die result. As noted in the table ([[46 The Blood#Blood Potency|p. 216]]), the greater the vampire’s Blood Potency, the higher the levels of power they can activate this way. $\quad$In a single turn, a vampire could activate one power of a discipline, take on the Blush of Life, increase an Attribute pool with a Blood Surge, and mend Superficial damage. This process would, however, require at least three Rouse Checks in addition to the cost of the discipline power. ## Prices of the Blood Despite all of the gifts bestowed by their condition, the Blood extracts a heavy toll. A number of terrible curses afflict a [[39 Vampires|vampire]], each one an enemy waiting just beneath the skin. ### Awakening Every night a vampire rises from day-sleep they must make a [[44 Rousing the Blood|Rouse Check]]. If failing this Rouse Check would raise the vampire’s [[41 Hunger|Hunger]] above 5, a failure sends the vampire into [[46 The Blood#Torpor|torpor]] instead of forcing a test for hunger [[46 The Blood#Frenzy|frenzy]]. $\quad$During the day, vampire Blood becomes quiescent, even gelid. Awakening during the day requires a [[49 Humanity|Humanity]] roll at a [[23 Simple Tests#Difficulties|Difficulty]] depending on the level of crisis. A fire or other life-threatening situation is Difficulty 3; an urgent message or decision is Difficulty 4; an inconvenience to deal with is Difficulty 5 or higher. $\quad$Once awakened from day-sleep, a vampire can only act for a single scene. At the end of that period, to remain awake longer, they must make a Humanity roll at Difficulty 3; a win permits an additional scene. A critical win lets them stay awake for as long as needed. If a [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Kindred|Kindred]] acts during daylight hours, the maximum dice pool they can roll equals their Humanity rating. ### Frenzy *Frenzy* waits for every vampire: a constant threat to their fragile peace. Outside circumstances usually provoke a frenzy, snapping the thin leash of the snarling [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^TheBeast|Beast]] within. The ultimate expression of the basest drives of the Blood, a frenzy looses the Beast without thought or remorse: the predator in full abandon. $\quad$A vampire in frenzy loses all capacity for rational thought, driven solely by rage, starvation, or panic. They do whatever it takes to rip their provocation to pieces, slake their Hunger, or escape the perceived threat, usually violently and with plenty of collateral damage. Unlike many other impulses of the Blood, a frenzy is never subtle. $\quad$To resist frenzy, the vampire rolls [[32 Core Traits#Willpower|Willpower]] against a Difficulty set by the [[02 Roleplaying and Storytelling#The Storyteller|Storyteller]] based on the level of provocation. Vampires add dice equal to one-third of their Humanity (rounded down) to their Willpower pool when resisting frenzy. $\quad$A vampire resists frenzy on a normal win but must spend a turn to suppress the impulse. On a [[23 Simple Tests#Dice Pool Results|critical win]], they resist the frenzy without losing a turn. **Riding the Wave**: A vampire can also choose to *Ride the Wave*, intentionally succumbing to the frenzy without making a test. This act follows the usual frenzy rules, though the Storyteller should let the player play out the frenzy themselves, such as choosing who they feed on first, rather than having the Storyteller take complete control of the character. If not Riding the Wave, a vampire in frenzy becomes the property of the Storyteller for the duration. **Effects of Frenzy**: While in frenzy, vampires remain immune to any Health-based penalties short of mutilation. They can only use physical [[52 Disciplines|Disciplines]] (such as [[56 Celerity|Celerity]], [[58 Fortitude|Fortitude]], and [[60 Potence|Potence]]), but they resist mental disciplines (e.g., [[57 Dominate|Dominate]], [[61 Presence|Presence]]) with three extra dice added to their resistance pools. (If the Discipline has no resistance [[23 Simple Tests#Pools|pool]], the user adds +2 to their Difficulty.) $\quad$The player can [[32 Core Traits#Spending Willpower|spend a Willpower point]] to assume control of their character for a single turn while in frenzy, but may not use Willpower to re-roll dice. $\quad$The frenzied vampire cannot be provoked into frenzy by another stimulus, nor can they gain Compulsions. They try to achieve their goal at any cost (see Types of Frenzy, below), and their frenzy remains until they do so or until the scene ends. **Types of Frenzy**: Different stimuli provoke different types of frenzy, roughly classified in three categories: fury, hunger, and terror. Each type of frenzy expresses itself in a different way, albeit through the actions of a maniacal Beast. **Fury Frenzy**: Provocation causes *fury frenzy*; insults, humiliation, or aggression risk unleashing bestial violence. A vampire in fury frenzy stops at nothing to tear the cause of the provocation to pieces, often together with anyone nearby: friend or foe. After destroying the subject of their ire, the vampire can make a Willpower test at Difficulty 3 (or 5 if other enemies remain standing). Success ends the frenzy, while failing drives them deeper into the rage; they keep slaying anyone in the vicinity unless subdued. $\quad$Sample fury frenzy triggers: | Provocation | Difficulty | | ---------------------------------- | ---------- | | Friend killed | 2 | | Lover or Touchstone hurt | 3 | | Lover or Touchstone killed | 4 | | Physical provocation or harassment | 2 | | Insulted by inferior | 2 | | Public humiliation | 2 | **Hunger Frenzy**: Temptation causes *hunger frenzy*; the Beast always craves more blood. Every time a vampire fails a Rouse Check while at Hunger 5, they must make a hunger frenzy test. $\quad$Depending on the chronicle, the Storyteller can enforce hunger frenzy tests more or less strictly, but they should always remain a possibility. During a hunger frenzy, the vampire seeks fresh human blood from the closest source. (If the closest source is their [[33 Beliefs#Touchstones|Touchstone]], one hopes the player still has some Willpower to spend to take control of the vampire and send them after a different target.) The hunger frenzy ends when the vampire reaches Hunger 1 or below. $\quad$Sample hunger frenzy triggers: | Provocation | Difficulty | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------- | | Sight of open wound or overpowering smell of blood while at Hunger 4 or higher | 2 | | Taste of blood while at Hunger 4 or higher | 3 | | Fail Rouse Check while at Hunger 5 | 4 | **Terror Frenzy**: Danger causes *terror frenzy*; the Beast must preserve itself against all threats. Also known as *Rötschreck*, a terror frenzy manifests when a threat like sunlight or open flames confront the vampire. Grave damage to the body of the vampire can also elicit this response. While in terror frenzy, the vampire flees from the source of danger, without regard to anyone or anything in their way. The terror frenzy ends when the vampire can no longer perceive any danger or when the scene ends. $\quad$Sample terror frenzy triggers: | Provocation | Difficulty | | ---------------------------------------- | ---------- | | Bonfire | 2 | | Inside a burning building | 3 | | Being burned | 2 | | Obscured sunlight (through window, etc.) | 3 | | Fully exposed to direct sunlight | 4 | ## Dangers to the Blood Bullets merely bruise [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Kindred|Kindred]]; swords crease their flesh. Even should they contract a disease from infected human blood, they pass it on to the [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^Kine|kine]] they feed upon, while the germs die in their own system. However, a few means yet remain that inflict genuine harm upon a [[39 Vampires|vampire]]. ### Sunlight Sunlight burns the undead, incinerating their unholy Blood and flesh under the eye of heaven. A vampire exposed to direct sunlight suffers Aggravated Health damage at the rate of their Bane Severity in points per turn. > [!recite] Example: > *Klaus has a Bane Severity of 2. Direct sunlight therefore deals 2 points of Aggravated damage to Klaus per turn.* Obscured sunlight, as through curtains or on a heavily overcast day, or protective clothing such as a heavy coat, gloves, mask, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and boots, reduces the rate of damage to every other turn or less. **Thin-Bloods and Sunlight**: [[20 The Thin-Blooded|Thin-bloods]] take only one point of Superficial damage per turn in direct sunlight. Thin-bloods can wear high-SPF sunscreen and swaddle themselves in less clothing (floppy hat, long sleeves) than full Kindred must in order to reduce their rate of damage to every other turn. ### Fire Unless used as a weapon (such as in the case of a burning torch, incendiary rounds, or a flamethrower), fire deals Aggravated Health damage to a vampire based on the amount of their body exposed, as dictated by the [[02 Roleplaying and Storytelling#The Storyteller|Storyteller]]. Having one’s hand shoved into an open flame might deal one point of damage, while being engulfed in a roaring inferno would deal three or more per turn. Although vampires burn no faster than mortals, fire remains a very real and omnipresent threat to the undead. ### Extreme Cold Though vampires cannot die from cold, they can suffer the effects of frostbite and even become entirely frozen in severe temperatures. Cold presents a special danger to vampires, because they have no bodily warmth save for a few minutes immediately following a feeding, and thus cannot easily detect dangerous drops in temperature. $\quad$After an hour of extreme cold (-30°C or below), vampires must roll [[32 Core Traits#Stamina|Stamina]] + [[32 Core Traits#Resolve|Resolve]] (Difficulty 2) to keep moving. They test again each hour, increasing the Difficulty by 1 for each roll. On a failure, they stop moving and can only exercise mental disciplines. An hour after that, their flesh freezes solid and they enter [[46 The Blood#Torpor|torpor]]. $\quad$Water conducts heat more efficiently than air; vampires in icy water test every half hour. A frozen vampire sinks, as they have no air in their lungs to provide buoyancy. ### Decapitation Successfully decapitating a vampire destroys them instantly. Beheading a vampire in close combat requires a called shot with a -2 penalty (see [[69 Advanced Conflict#Ranged Combat|p. 302]]) using an edged beheading weapon (axe, scimitar, broadsword, etc.) that causes 10 or more Health [[25 Conflicts#Damage|damage]] of either type (before halving, in the case of Superficial damage). ### Stakes To stake a vampire through the heart, a hunter needs to either hammer the stake into the vampire while they lie sleeping or strike them through the heart during combat. In circumstances where time and disturbance is not a factor, no roll is required to stake an incapacitated or sleeping vampire, at the Storyteller’s discretion. For a combat staking, the hunter must make a called shot at a -2 penalty and inflict 5 points or more of damage of either type (before halving). This damage can stem from a ranged weapons test using a grenade launcher or a crossbow firing sharpened wooden bolts (or some similar stake-firing weapon), or it can stem from close combat with a [[32 Core Traits#Strength|Strength]] + [[32 Core Traits#Melee|Melee]] attack, using the stake as weapon. A stake always has a damage modifier of +0, regardless of how it is applied. $\quad$Being staked through the heart with a wooden stake paralyzes a vampire, though it initially remains conscious. By spending a point of [[32 Core Traits#Willpower|Willpower]], the vampire can perform minute movements, such as twitching a finger or opening their eyes, but that is the extent of their mobility. The vampire can still use mental [[52 Disciplines|Disciplines]], such as [[55 Auspex|Auspex]], [[61 Presence|Presence]], and [[57 Dominate|Dominate]], but they cannot issue commands unless they can communicate telepathically. $\quad$While staked, a vampire still rolls a [[44 Rousing the Blood|Rouse Check]] every sunset to awaken. Sooner or later their waking Hunger drives them into torpor, as noted on [[46 The Blood#Awakening|p. 219]]. ### Torpor Kindred dwell in a halfway state between life and death. Between vampiric unlife and Final Death lies an undead hibernation known as torpor. While in torpor, the vampire lies completely dead to their surroundings, reduced to the appearance of a shriveled corpse. They cannot use any disciplines or react in any way to ordinary stimuli. $\quad$Vampires remain in torpor for a length of time dictated by their [[49 Humanity|Humanity]] (see Humanity Table, [[49 Humanity#When Humanity Fails|p. 241]]). If staked, the vampire remains in torpor past that time until someone or something removes the stake. Removing a stake after their period of torpor expires awakens the vampire immediately, or that night. Vampires awaken from torpor at Hunger 5. $\quad$Once their period of torpor expires, vampires in torpor who are not staked can make a Resolve + [[32 Core Traits#Awareness|Awareness]] test (Difficulty 2) every time a potential victim enters their vicinity. If successful, they can awaken long enough to feed, likely entering a hunger frenzy during the process. Once their Hunger drops to 4 or below, they rise fully recovered from the effects of torpor. $\quad$Vampires enter torpor in three ways: from Hunger, from damage, and voluntarily. - If a vampire attempts to rise for the night with a Hunger level of 5 and fails their Rouse Check, they enter torpor. - If a vampire takes enough Aggravated damage to fill their Health tracker completely, they automatically enter torpor. They then unconsciously attempt to mend damage, trying to heal one Health point per night. If they fully restore themselves (heal all Health damage, and mend or recover from all impediments or critical hits), they can rise again. If failed Rouse Checks to mend damage drive them above Hunger 5, they enter torpor as above. - A vampire who entered torpor voluntarily still increases their Hunger every night, until they enter torpor as above. The same rules then apply. To cut short a period of torpor, one can feed a slumbering vampire enough vampire Blood of higher Blood Potency than theirs to [[45 Slaking Hunger|slake]] one [[41 Hunger|Hunger]]. ### Final Death Though no longer mortal, vampires still face the possibility of [[10 Lexicon of the Damned#^FinalDeath|Final Death]]. A vampire who dies once again may not be brought back to unlife and is said to have suffered the Final Death. In addition to fire, sunlight, and decapitation, acid that completely dissolves a vampire’s body kills them, as does explosive overpressure that dismembers it (though equally fatal fire accompanies most explosions), or deep-sea pressure that pulps it. The Storyteller may also know of certain vampiric diseases that bring Final Death from within. $\quad$Many vampires suffer Final Death in combat with werewolves, their own kind, or increasingly against human inquisitors. Even vampire flesh cannot withstand endless traumatic force; enough bullets can drive them into torpor. Once in torpor, the vampire becomes a helpless target for their foes. $\quad$The Society of St. Leopold prescribes burning to ashes for torpid vampires. Other Final Deaths revert the vampire to a dead body of the same age. A vampire less than a year old becomes a rotting corpse; older vampires become skeletons or even dust. $\quad$Mechanically, when a vampire’s entire Health tracker is filled with Aggravated damage, the vampire enters torpor. Any additional Aggravated damage from fire or sunlight sustained in this state causes Final Death, as does decapitation or total destruction of their body. [[45 Slaking Hunger|⬅️ Previous Section]] | [[Vampire - The Masquerade 5th Edition Core Book#Structure|Table of Contents]] | [[47 You Are What You Eat|Next Section ➡️]]