V5_rulebook_Aug_19

KINDRED SOCIETY

elected to go into deep hiding to escape the wrath of The Camarilla
mortals at the Convention of Thorns, the Jyhad con-
tinued unabated. The destruction of any ancien régime The Camarilla is the most widely influential organiza-
is always a convenient cover for the dead, and both the tion Kindred history has ever known. Its stated pur-
French Revolution and the October Uprising saw the pose is to preserve the Masquerade, an elaborate veil
collection of the blood of nobles by Kindred seeking to of deception pulled over the eyes of the living to hide
destroy their elders. Well into these nights of postmo- the existence of the Kindred. But the Camarilla is so
dernity, of neon lights and CCTV, methuselahs like much more. It is a conspiracy to preserve the power of
Helena and Menele still rage against each other, though the elders, an undead secret society influencing global
Troy is no more than ash and legend.
business and politics, the closest thing the Kin-
Every Kindred wants to believe they dred have to a system of government, and
know their place in the Jyhad, but few an international union of cities akin to
do. Schemes the Prince of Cairo the United Nations – complete with
hatches to rid his city of faithless a central inner circle and a cadre of
Anarchs in the chaos of the Arab justicars and archons traveling the
Spring are not his own, but feed world to “keep the peace,” answer-
into the plans of a methuselah in ing to nameless masters. The sect
catacombs beneath Turin. Layers maintains a fierce moral stance
upon layers of intricate politi- on preserving humanity in the
cal games and strategic alliances face of the impulses of the Blood,
obscure reality, but as the Sabbat seeing themselves as the shep-
howl about Gehenna, the Anarchs herds of the blind human throng –
take up arms again, and the elders simultaneously morally superior and
of the seventh generation and lower inferior to their short-lived subjects.
are beckoned back to where it all The sheer age, power, and wealth
began, it looks like things are heading for of many Camarilla members, and the
the endgame. recent exclusion of the Anarchs from

The elders who remain in their havens their ranks, makes the sect distinctly upper
gorge themselves on fledgling vitae to stay sane and class. These are the monsters that hide behind
resist the call. Instead of governing directly they retreat $5000 cocktail dresses, meticulously tended stock
into paranoid seclusion, leaving underprepared neo- portfolios, and havens guarded by blood slaves in
nates to rule in their stead. The “inheritance coteries” private security uniforms. They are the one percent of
are everywhere now, holding fiefdoms and ganglands, the one percent and they hunger for more. Their pawns
while their masters have left for the East or are scream- are placed in banking and in Congress, making deals
ing at the invisible phantoms of their Blood madness. and passing bills. They are masters of disinformation,
Many of the stand-in rulers do not plan to give back propaganda, and blackmail, never leaving a loose end
what they got when the elders return. Why shouldn’t untied for long. These nights, there is a lot of tying to
one generation’s apocalypse be another’s beginning? do, but the Camarilla does not hesitate to lay ruin to
human lives and Kindred unlives to protect the secrets
But yes, vampires live forever, so who is to say their of their influence.
apocalypse will not last for a mortal age? If this is the To most members of the Camarilla, Caine is just
end at all. The unbound shake their heads, describing the a myth, a metaphor for their curse, rather than a
latest incidents in the blood opera of the Jyhad as nothing historical individual. That said, many still cling to
but schemes and personal vendettas disguised as prophecy their Christian, Jewish, or Muslim faiths like straws
and destiny. To them, the ancients are just people with in a storm, trying to find meaning and purpose in
power, grudges, and way too much time on their hands.

49

COREBOOK
50

KINDRED SOCIETY

their unlives. The Middle Eastern emonies, negotiations, and heated sloppy feeding with witnesses, a
counterpart to the Camarilla – the debate, protected and directed by vulgar display of undead might,
Ashirra – is entirely based on using the Keeper and their heralds, also a confession to a beloved mortal.
Islam to temper the murderous known as harpies. One may be These things happen, but Kindred
impulses of the Blood. Still, ances- hidden behind the dark rooms of are expected to clean up after
tor worship is a widespread and an upscale fetish club, another in an themselves, or there will be hell
accepted practice in the Camarilla, otherwise unused nuclear bunker, a to pay. The crime-world code
with ancient methuselah like Mith- third in the Guggenheim’s Brancusi “snitches get stitches” doesn’t even
ras and the Dracon serving the collection at night. begin to describe how seriously
function of saints. In some clans both the Camarilla and the An-
the Antediluvians have become Order in the domain at large is archs take the Masquerade. In the
objects of veneration – imagined maintained by a sheriff, gendarme, age of YouTube dares, clickbait,
as the embodied ideals of their constable or whatever law enforce- and fake news, a Masquerade
bloodlines. ment term is used locally. They are breach is easily overlooked by the
usually more hitman than cop, and masses, but any transgression can
A Camarilla city is run in the summary justice tends to be the end with a black ops team kicking
fashion of a feudal court, even if norm as the Camarilla frown on in a haven door. Only the crazi-
their gatherings may look more modern ideas like due process. If est of Cainite superiority fanatics
like slick boardroom meetings or you get dragged before the Council dream of an age where they can
rough gatherings of criminal car- to plead for mercy instead of rule openly; the rest have faced
tels. The hierarchy is absolute. At chained beneath a sunroof, you’ve reality – the undead fare better
the top we find the Prince, a crea- been lucky. as parasitic powers behind the
ture impressive or cunning enough throne than as great predators or
to be acknowledged as the absolute The Six infernal lords of human domin-
leader of their domain. Below them Traditions ions.
are the members of the Primogen
Council – representatives of the The Six Traditions form the core the second tradition:
major Camarilla factions in the framework for governance among the domain 
area. Whether they are clan elders the Kindred. While they are inter- Thy domain is thine own concern. All
or a gathering of those who hold preted in wildly different ways and others owe thee respect while in it. None
the largest hunting grounds, they given various attention by individ- may challenge thy word while in thy
speak directly to the Prince, who ual princes and councils, they are domain.
will do best by listening to their ancient customs that no initiated
advice. More than one lord has Camarilla Kindred is unaware of. A prince’s domain is the whole
been ousted by their own council. Even if they were, ignorance is no city, but they may grant rights to
Some princes choose a seneschal, excuse for breaking them. those who have served them, allow-
who acts as personal advisor or ing others to rule over a district or
replacement when the Prince is the first tradition: a city block in their stead. This cre-
unavailable. the masquerade  ates an elaborate hierarchy of liege
Thou shall not reveal thy true nature lords and lieges, reminiscent of the
When needed, the court gather to those not of the Blood. Doing such feudalism of the late Middle Ages.
in secret sanctuaries known as Ely- shall renounce thy claims of Blood. Knowing the lay of the land and
siums, often changing locations to who has the claim to its use is vital
maintain absolute privacy and using The first tradition is the only one to navigating the urban labyrinths
a myriad deceptions to hide Kin- universally respected, but also the of the night.
dred affairs from mortal scrutiny. one that is broken most often. A
Elysiums accommodate feasts, cer-

51

COREBOOK

the third tradition: the fourth tradition: the sixth tradition:
the progeny 
Thou shall only Sire another with the accounting destruction
the permission of thine elder. If thou
createst another without thine Elder’s Those thou create are thine own Thou art forbidden to destroy another
leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall children. Until thy Progeny shall be Re- of thy kind. The right of destruction
be slain. leased, thou shall command them in all belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the
things. Their sins are thine to endure. Eldest among thee shall call the Blood
Overpopulation can quickly become Hunt.
a serious threat to the Masquerade, Tonight, release into the Camarilla The Blood Hunt is the ultimate
and having to ask the Prince for is more a question of initiation punishment in Vampire society.
permission to make a childe is the than anything else. If a childe Normally the destruction of anoth-
best way to avoid it anyone has does not have what it takes to join er Kindred is seen as a cardinal sin,
come up with. A companion of the elite, they are thrown to the but anyone can hunt and kill those
one’s own Blood is one of the things Anarchs, to be hunted and stepped that are named the targets of lex
most desired by Kindred, and a on like the rest of the unbound, talionis, the law of retaliation. Even
thing they cannot freely have. Thus, if not destroyed outright. Childer the thin-blooded, the Anarchs, and
it is a coveted gift and a powerful who are accepted, but escape from the independents are invited to the
tool in securing alliances. oppressive sires are still their murder party. Anything goes in the
responsibility, so the maker better Blood Hunt, and if the one who
Vampire populations used find their wayward progeny fast. kills the target drinks it dry and
to hover around one per 100.000 And punish them. claims a part of their power – the
mortals, but tonight – who can terrible crime of diablerie – so be
say? Some cities, like London, are the fifth tradition: it. Helping a Blood Hunt is a good
almost empty after Second Inquisi- hospitality  way into the Camarilla’s graces, so
tion crackdowns and others are Honor one another’s domain. When joining one is often frowned upon
hives of thin-blood activity. thou comest to a foreign city, thou by Anarchs.
shall present thyself to the one who
ruleth there. Without the word of ac-
ceptance, thou art nothing.

In an age of spy games and iso-
lated city domains this tradition is
becoming polarized in its enforce-
ment. Keeping track of who is in
your city is a daunting task in the
era of the refugee and the global
citizen, and some princes are
actively backing harsh immigration
policies, building walls, or infiltrat-
ing border controls just to keep up.
Princes usually either give up on
enforcing this law or do it draconi-
cally with mortal assistance.

52

KINDRED SOCIETY

Kindred

Fashion

Black is still the new black. Feeding is messy and wearing a band T-shirt and has daymares about not
bloodstains are easier to hide on dark fabrics. It is that getting into Berghain. Only the handful of Kindred
simple. Toreador tastemakers in the fashion industry who still stalk the goth scene dress like “vampires”
return to black each season for this very reason. This in public.
means light-colored clothes, especially white, become
status symbols. A Brujah in a white tracksuit signals Elysiums and havens are a whole other story. In
“I’m so skilled I don’t spill a drop.” But wearing light these no-Masquerade areas the Kindred flaunt their
colors is always a risk, and many Kindred consider the age and monstrous nature. Here the complex neo-
practice as asking for trouble, no matter how tight feudal codes of their society rule, and the harpies
their blood-drinking game is. wear Elizabethan dresses or haute couture creations
that would make Lady Gaga gasp for breath. It’s all
Fashion is a secret language. Just like mortals, part of the status game. Arriving from the street into
Kindred signal affiliation, attitude, and ideology the lair of an elder is a humbling experience – no less
through their dress, both in the street and in Elysium. so, if the guest kneels in their black jeans and T-shirt
A rose print dress screams “I’m a diva” to those who before an ageless monster in a chalk-white dress made
know about clan iconography, and attire made from from human skin.
trash and rags marks you as a Nosferatu – or possibly
a Malkavian. A subtle Edwardian cut to the jacket or Anarchs tend to despise the need for embellish-
pullover you wear among mortals hints at your age, ment as a typical Camarilla thing, instead staying true
and the tenderly preserved 1905 dress you wear to to a single style, gradually changing through the dec-
court tells neonates to respect their elders. ades: a modern street interpretation of what they are
and their personal history, carefully maintaining their
Kindred dress very differently in the street and human mask. Baggy hip-hop fashion with memento
in Elysium. In public, the Masquerade is on, and mori bling and woodcut style tattoos recall the 1500s
looking like an antiquated royal is usually a very bad for the Landsknecht. A World War II bomber jacket
idea. Vampires are stealth hunters. They blend in for the rabble taxi driver with a history. Crust punk
with their prey. Most are masked with a human cov- rivet armor for the Mongol Gangrel warlord. Most
er, and all have a pattern of predation. These two wear perfectly ordinary everynight street clothes with
factors dictate their street look. A Sandman burglar hint at their nature understood only by those who
wears trainers and black Adidas with a hoodie, but know exactly what to look for.
a leech with the same modus operandi who feeds
from a psych-ward dresses like an orderly. A scene
queen stalking the psychobilly scene spends an hour
every evening on their pompadour and tattoos,
while a minimal techno fiend would never dream of

53

COREBOOK

ICONOGRAPHY The Anarch Movement
A cracked mirror left at the scene of the crime. A cross-like ankh
marking the spine of a book. A warped tragedy mask spray painted The revolution against the
on a tarp tent in Skid Row. The broken Anarchy (A), upside down, Camarilla is as old as the sect itself.
tattooed on a biker’s neck. Or wait, are those swords? Originally known as the Anarch
Revolt, in recent decades it has
Every subculture and secret society has its own ever-evolving grown vastly, as younger Kindred
language of signs and symbols, and the Kindred are no exception. find it hard to understand why
The marks of the Antediluvians and their bloodlines have been they should follow the dictates of
shaped in angular cuneiform, drawn from the broken imagination elders who seem perfectly happy to
of a child from Styria, and sketched on empty plates at the seats throw them to the Second Inquisi-
of unnamed conclave feasts. From the dawn of time, clan and sect tion if need be.
heraldry has evolved into a myriad localized and personalized
forms, but the themes and core symbology are as never-dying as The unbound are all those
the Kindred themselves. The heraldry of noble divas in the late vampires who fall outside the
middle ages (not yet named Toreador – the word was coined by Camarilla. The Anarch Movement
Bizet in his 1877 libretto for Carmen and promptly appropriated), in its various forms is a subset of
featured a rose, the Ventrue kings of Britannia have always held the unbound and also their most
scepters, and a mask of some form has been associated with the visible manifestation. Many seek to
horrors since before the rise of Greek tragedy. escape from the Camarilla’s control
by hiding. But the Anarchs have
The new clan and sect symbols presented in this book have decided to fight back, attempting
not been designed by some undead art director for universal use to conquer and control domains
among the clans. Nor were the symbols that preceded them. The originally held by those who would
new variants do however reflect some of the changes in undead claim themselves their masters.
society. The Ventrue of the 21st century often add a sword to their And why not? The Camarilla’s
scepter, marking them as the Clan of Kings at war with the An- elders are being called to the Mid-
archs and the Second Inquisition; the Tremere symbol has evolved dle East by the Beckoning, and the
to new complexity after the fall of the Pyramid, and the mirror of Second Inquisition has destroyed
the Malkavians is looking back at them. In the reality of the World princes and primogen all over the
of Darkness, the clan and sect symbols are seldom used exactly as world.
they are shown in this book. The number of elders dwindle
while there is a new crop of hungry,
One Toreador wears a crown of roses, another has fresh petals ambitious Anarch licks every year.
decorating her dress, a third wears a Victorian style brooch shaped
like a long-stemmed rose, a fourth a navelpiercing designed to be The word on the street is
a more abstracted rose with a shorter, curled stem. No clan mark revolution. No more compromises,
is ever invalidated, and the Kindred who got inked in the early no more politics, no more trying
90’s wear their old-school colors as proudly as those who branded to make deals with the Camarilla.
themselves with a new interpretation of the symbols yesterday. In The Movement has finally escaped
your game you are well served by abstracting the iconography to the centuries-long lethargy it
its core. If you keep it simple, you will be able to find hints of it on fell into after the Convention of
punk album covers and in renaissance paintings and radical street Thorns and the formation of the
art – blood-red lipstick traces left through art history by our im- Sabbat, but that time is now over.
mortal masters. The Anarchs have remembered
how to fight, galvanized by the
Camarilla’s great betrayal in being
at fault for the Second Inquisition.

54

KINDRED SOCIETY

The root causes of Anarch dis- The Movement is different in
content are not hard to find. Many each city. Sometimes an Anarch
Camarilla princes like to style city has a ruler called a baron.
themselves as enlightened and just More commonly, it is led by gangs
rulers who benevolently look after who each have their own terri-
the welfare of all Kindred. The tories. Some cities are currently
experience of the neonate-turned- divided between the Anarchs and
Anarch is very different. Once the Camarilla – both sides itching
you’ve been told you can only feed to take over.
in the warehouse district, your sire
has been executed for obscure vio- Where the Camarilla influenc-
lations of Camarilla law, and the es human society from the outside,
Sheriff has murdered your mortal the Anarchs have burrowed deep
mother because she was a “threat inside. Many maintain mortal
to the Masquerade,” princely identities, perhaps even families
rhetoric starts to ring hollow. and jobs. This makes them simul-
taneously more vulnerable and
more secure. Vulnerable because
they are in contact with their sur-
roundings every night, and sure to
make mistakes. Secure because the
Anarch is never the vampire lord in
a mansion on the hill. They’re the
DJ in the nightclub, the terrifying
cop from internal affairs, the junkie
creeping outside your window.

What motivates the Anarch
Movement most of all is the scent
of victory. For the first time in
centuries, it feels as if it might be
possible to topple the Princes. If
the old order can collapse in Ber-
lin, it can collapse anywhere!

55

COREBOOK

The Autarkis is rife with strong personalities Only the most reclusive autarkis
uninterested in pre-determined and Inconnu are unaffected. The
Even in a city like Paris, dominat- laws and monthly meetings in game is up, the use of surveillance
ed by the Camarilla, many Kindred Elysium. When all is in flux, you and high technology has blown up
remain unbound and in hiding cannot expect every creature to be in the face of the Camarilla, and
from their cousins. Their stories accounted for or adhering to rules they are caught in the worst crisis
are either so old that the sects seem that you know. The autarkis and since the Convention of Thorns
like passing trends to them or so the unbound are a reminder that and the creation of the sect itself.
fresh that they are still busy nurs- the Kindred are unique monsters, The Second Inquisition has begun.
ing connections to the people and not nations, armies, or religions.
principles that mattered to them In response the Camarilla
in life. They are autarkis, outside Endings and orders the first step, the Wipe:
society. older Nosferatu hackers dismantle
Beginnings their servers, taking SchreckNET
In Yerevan, Armenia, any at- apart to start vacuuming as much
tempt by the Camarilla to establish Mere years after the beginning of Kindred communication as they
a prince or primogen council ends the War on Terror, the Camarilla possibly can from the web.
with a rosewood box of ashes sent finds itself in a desperate situation.
to a poste restante address in Tbi- Thousands of Kindred have made The second step is a Camarilla-
lisi. In New York, there are about it onto the NSEERS and other wide edict, spread by word of
fifty Kindred that simply refuse watchlists established by Home- mouth as well as a last coded
to align themselves to any cause. land Security in the United States. transmission on Kindred commu-
Their ambitions lie with protecting In 2007, just after the passing of nication channels. Any Kindred
their own bloodlines and ethnic the “Protect America Act” and caught contacting another online
communities (something to do joining the still classified “Project will be removed from the protec-
with a terrible mistake made on PRIS,” The Vatican’s Secret Service tion of the Camarilla and declared
Ellis Island). The Camarilla does (The Entity), the CIA, and the disloyal, with the threat of the
not have a patent on order. Their NSA launch a major offensive. Blood Hunt hanging over them if
Traditions were custom long be- They do so covertly, backed by the communication is deemed to
fore they became law, and even the the mundane might of the largest compromise the Masquerade.
autarkis who keep their head down counter-terrorist agencies on the
and stay out of politics abide by planet. More than a thousand The third step is the gathering
them, or at least variants of them. Kindred are killed in the space of of the first global conclaves held in
Just try walking into Little Odessa three months. a century. Because of the difficul-
without making the steam room on ties of travel in the wake of the
Brighton Beach Avenue and kissing Very few of the strikes are Inquisition, only representatives of
the ring of Yurgi your first priority. reported as lethal to the public. primogen and princes are expected
Many are labelled “arrests,” oth- to attend. One convention is held
So no, not every “prince” is ers are hidden as gang violence, in Chicago, the greatest Camarilla
Camarilla or Anarch. One domain the worst even more odiously as city in the US, the other in the
is controlled by a clan, another by Islamic terror attacks. The Vatican- neutral city of Prague. The Con-
a group of faceless conspirators, a SOCOM destruction of the Vienna vention of Prague almost devolves
third by no one at all, a fourth by Prime Chantry in 2008 officially into civil war as the Anarch faction
a revenant playing their master’s remains a “terrorist atrocity” cred- claims that the Camarilla elite
strings, and so on. For the deter- ited to the Islamic Jihad Union. and their meddling with federal
mined Kindred there is always and national governments are to
a way out, and the underground blame for the Inquisition, while
the Camarilla point to the gung-ho

56

KINDRED SOCIETY

fashion in which Anarchs and neo-
nates in general have been using
the internet.

The Convention ends in chaos.
Theo Bell, Brujah Archon and
Camarilla loyalist, executes his old
master before a stunned gathering
of peers. The Camarilla Traditions
are changed forever. The expulsion
of the Anarchs from the sect is a
fact. Anarchs are now considered
anyone affiliated with the Move-
ment as well as all thin-blooded,
caitiff, and autarkis vampires, and
no Kindred of 14th generation or
higher is welcome in the Camarilla.

For a second it looks like open
war will break out. In the end
the Anarchs agree to uphold one
Tradition and one Tradition only:
the Masquerade. The Camarilla
establishes a “second masquerade,”
dictating that members are to cut
all ties with non-initiated Kin-
dred. A shaky peace is established.
But tensions are mounting, and if
recent events in Berlin and Prague
are anything to go by, the War of
Ages is about to turn from cold to
hot ■

57

COREBOOK

LEXICON OF THE DAMNED

alleycat (vulgar): a vampire who the beast: the inchoate drives and other Cainites, out of necessity
keeps no permanent haven, but urges that threaten to turn a vampire or depravity.
sleeps in a different location each into a mindless, ravening monster.
night. This term also refers to a bloodline: a vampire’s heritage. See
vampire who feeds exclusively from the becoming: the moment one lineage.
the homeless, vagrants, and other passes from being a fledgling into
elements of low society. See footpad. “full” vampire status as a neonate. In the book of nod: a collection of
the Camarilla, one may not Become Kindred legend and history.
the amaranth (archaic): the act until their sire deems them ready
of consuming another Kindred’s and gains the Prince’s approval. butterfly (vulgar): one who
blood. See diablerie. mingles among the mortal high so-
blister (vulgar): a vampire “Ty- ciety elements and feeds exclusive-
the anarch movement: a vam- phoid Mary” who contracts a mortal ly from the famous and wealthy.
pire sect that opposes the tyranny disease and spreads it to each vessel
of elders and has placed itself upon whom they feed. cainite (archaic): a vampire; a
outside the secret society of the member of the race of Caine.
Camarilla. the blood: the supernatural,
semi-sentient Blood of a vampire, caitiff: a vampire of unknown
ancilla: a vampire who has proven as opposed to mortal or animal clan, or of no clan at all. Caitiff are
themselves, ranking between the blood. Synonymous with vitae. typically of high generation, where
elders and the neonates. Plural: Caine’s blood is too diluted to pass
ancillae. blood bond: a mystical power on any consistent characteristics.
relationship between two indi-
antediluvian: a member of the vidual vampires, or a vampire and the camarilla: a sect of vampires
dreaded third generation. a mortal, where one has partaken devoted primarily to maintaining
of the other’s Blood thrice; accept- the Traditions, particularly that of
autarkis (archaic): See unbound. ing Blood from a vampire is an the Masquerade.
acknowledgment of their mastery.
banking (vulgar): the practice of canaille (archaic): the bovine
“withdrawing” blood from blood blood doll (vulgar): a mortal masses of humanity, especially
banks, hospital reserves, or the who freely gives their blood to a the uncultured and unsavory. The
dead and dying. This blood has vampire. Most blood dolls gain a canaille are viewed primarily as a
little taste, though it will sustain a perverse satisfaction from the Kiss, source of sustenance. See kine.
vampire. Elder Kindred eschew this and actively seek out vampires
base indulgence. A Kindred who who will take their blood. casanova (vulgar): a vampire
engages in this practice is known as who seduces mortals to take their
a banker. blood hunt: a punishment sen- blood, but does not kill them.
tencing a vampire to final death See siren.
the barrens: the areas of a city at the fangs of their peers. See lex
unfit for life, including graveyards, talionis. cauchemar (archaic): see Sandman
abandoned buildings, industrial
wastelands, and areas of irrevers- blood leech (vulgar): A vam- the change (vulgar): the mo-
ible urban blight. pire who feeds upon the vitae of ment an individual ceases to be

58

KINDRED SOCIETY

mortal and becomes one of the sometimes allowing lesser vam- footpad (archaic): one who feeds
Kindred. pires to claim domain within. by assaulting derelicts and others
unwanted by society. See alleycat.
chantry: the traditional name for domitor: a ghoul’s master; one who
the Tremere headquarters in a city, gives of their Blood and issues com- gehenna: the rumored Arma-
usually part shelter, part library, mands. geddon when the Antediluvians
and part laboratory. will rise from their torpor and
donor (vulgar): a sarcastic term devour the race of vampires and
chasse (archaic): the size and for vessel, typically human. the world. The Sabbat believe this
quality of a domain or hunting time is now and have left their
ground. duskborn: see thin-blood. traditional domains, fighting the
final Gehenna War in the shadow
childe: a vampire created through elder: a vampire who has experi- of Middle Eastern conflicts.
the Embrace — the childe is the enced at least two or more centu-
progeny of their sire. This term is ries of unlife. Elders are the most generation: the number of
often used derogatorily, indicating active participants in the Jyhad. “steps” between a vampire and the
inexperience. Plural: childer. mythical Caine; how far descended
elysium: a place where vampires from the First a given vampire is.
clan: a group of vampires who may gather without fear of harm.
share common characteristics Court functions in Elysium are gentry (archaic): a Kindred who
passed on through the Blood. strictly kept apart from mortals preys in such places as nightclubs,
There are 13 known clans, all of and surrounded by secrecy, but bars, and the red-light district.
which were reputedly founded by the Elysium building itself could
members of the third generation. be a public museum, a gallery, or ghoul: a minion created by giving
club. Berghain is an anarch Ely- a bit of vampiric vitae to a mortal
consanguineous (archaic): liter- sium. The Louvre is a Camarilla without draining them of blood
ally “of the same blood,” generally Elysium. first (which would create a vam-
denotes lineage. pire instead).
the embrace: the act of trans-
coterie: a small group of Kindred, forming a mortal into a vampire. golconda: a fabled state of
united by the need for support and The Embrace requires the vam- vampiric transcendence; the true
sometimes common interests. pire to drain her victim and then mastery of the Beast and balance
replace that victim’s blood with a of opposing urges and principles.
the damned (vulgar): the race of bit of her own. Rumored to be a state similar to
Cainites; all vampires. nirvana, Golconda is greatly touted
farmer (vulgar): a mocking term but rarely achieved.
diablerie: the consumption of for a vampire who refuses to feed
another Kindred’s Blood, to the on human blood, instead taking haven: a vampire’s “home” or
point of the victim’s final death. sustenance from animals. base; where they find sanctuary
Vampires may lower their gen- from the sun.
eration permanently through this final death: when a vampire
abhorrent practice. ceases to exist, crossing the line head (vulgar): a Kindred who
from undeath into true death. feeds upon those who have im-
domain: the area of a particular bibed alcohol or drugs, so as to
vampire’s influence. Princes claim fledgling: a newly created vampire, vicariously experience the same
entire cities as their domains, still under their sire’s protection. sensations. Those Kindred who

59

COREBOOK

prefer individual drugs have their and kine” refers to the world at the masquerade: the habit (or
“poison” prefixed to the term large; everything. Tradition) of hiding the exist-
head (e.g. meth head, dope head, ence of vampires from humanity.
smack head). See lush. the kiss: to drink blood, especial- Designed to protect vampires from
ly from a mortal. The Kiss causes destruction at the hands of man-
headhunter (vulgar): a vampire feelings of ecstasy in those who kind, the Masquerade was adopted
who hunts and feeds from other receive it. after the Inquisition claimed many
Kindred. See Blood Leech. Kindred unlives.
lex talionis (archaic): the code
humanitas (archaic): the extent to of the Kindred and the system for methuselah: a vampire who has
which a Kindred still maintains her punishing transgression; the law existed for a millennium or more;
humanity. of retaliation which is behind the an elder who no longer partici-
blood hunt. It suggests Hammu- pates in Kindred society. Methuse-
the hunger: the urge to feed. For rabian or Biblical justice — an lahs are rumored to hail from the
vampires, the Hunger replaces all eye for an eye and punishment in fourth and fifth generations.
other drives with its own power- keeping with the grievance.
ful call. neonate: a young Kindred, recently
lick (vulgar): a vampire. See Kin- Embraced but more than a fledgling.
the inconnu: a sect of vampires dred and Cainite.
who have removed themselves papillon (archaic): the red-light
from Kindred concerns and, lien (archaic): the compliance of district; the area of town punctu-
largely, the Jyhad. Many methuse- the kine in a domain or hunting ated by drinking establishments,
lahs are rumored to exist among ground. brothels, gambling houses, and
the Inconnu. other locales of ill repute. The
the life (archaic): a euphemism prime hunting grounds of a city,
juicebag or juice box (vulgar): for mortal blood. Many Kindred where the disappearance of mor-
a contemptuous term for mortals, regard this term as affected and tals goes hand in hand with the
indicating that their sole use is for effete. area’s general seediness.
sustenance.
lineage (archaic): a vampire’s portillon (archaic): the security
the jyhad: the secret, self-destruc- bloodline; the Kindred’s sire, sire’s and level of protection in a domain
tive war waged between the genera- sire, etc. or hunting ground.
tions. Elder vampires manipulate
their lesser kin, using them as lupine: a werewolf, the natural praxis (archaic): the right of
pawns in a terrible game the rules and mortal enemy of the vampire Princes to govern; the Prince’s
of which defy comprehension. race. Plural: lupines. claim to domain. This term also
refers to the Prince’s matters of
kindred: the Camarilla term for lush: a vampire who typically policy and individual edicts and
vampires as a whole, or a single feeds from drugged or drunk mor- motions.
vampire. According to rumor, this tals in order to experience their
term came about in the 15th or 16th inebriation. prince: a vampire who has
century, after the Anarch Revolt. claimed a given expanse of
mask: the mortal cover identity domain as their own, generally
kine: a term for mortals, largely a Kindred needs to maintain to a city, and supports that claim
contemptuous. The phrase “Kindred remain hidden among their prey. against all others. The term is

60

KINDRED SOCIETY

gender neutral. In Anarch cities fighting and the intra agency col- turf (vulgar): a modern affecta-
they are sometimes called Barons. laboration codenamed FIRST- tion used in reference to a domain.
LIGHT places enormous import
progeny: all of a given vampire’s on keeping their operations unbound: A vampire who remains
childer collectively. secret and disguised as ordinary outside the larger Kindred society
anti-terrorist action. of a given city, either by ignorance
the rack (vulgar): the hunting or choice. Usually considered an
ground of choice, including bars, sect: a group of vampires argu- Anarch by members of the Cama-
nightclubs, drug dens, and other ably united under a common rilla, though most unbound have
bacchanalian locales, where philosophy. The two most widely nothing to do with the Movement.
mortals go missing all the time. known Sects currently populating
See Papillon. the night are the Camarilla and vegan: a contemptuous term for
the Anarch Movement. one who drinks exclusively from
rake (vulgar): a habitual visitor animals. See farmer.
to the Rack, especially in the sire: a vampire’s begetter; the Kin-
interests of feeding. dred who created them. vessel: a source of blood for suste-
nance or pleasure, primarily mortal.
regnant: a Kindred who holds a siren (archaic): a vampire who
Blood Bond over another. seduces mortals in order to drink vitae (archaic): the Blood of a
from them, and then only takes a vampire.
retainer: a human who serves a small quantity of blood, so as to
vampiric master. Kindred rarely avoid killing them. whelp (archaic): a derogatory term
go without at least a few of these for a young Kindred, originally used
mortals, both for convenience slumming (vulgar): the practice of with exclusive reference to one’s own
and protection. feeding from derelicts, the home- progeny.
less, and other dregs of society; one
the sabbat: a sect of vampires who does this regularly is known as whig (archaic): a contemptuous
that rejects humanity, embracing a slummer. term for a vampire who possesses
their monstrous nature. They are an interest in mortal trends and
currently believed to be engaged tease (vulgar): See casanova and fashions.
in the Gehenna War, having left siren.
or been driven out of their hold- wight: a vampire lost to the Beast,
ings in the West. thin-blood: a vampire of the slave to the will of the Blood.
14th or 15th generation (and pos-
sandman (vulgar): a vampire sible above) who does not experi- witch-hunter (archaic): a mor-
who feeds only upon sleeping ence the curse of Caine in the tal who hunts down and destroys
victims. same way as other Kindred. vampires and other supernatural
beings.
the second inquisition: a col- the third mortal (archaic):
lective name among vampires for Caine, who was cast out and became
the recent coordinated efforts of the first vampire.
intelligence agencies to combat
the Kindred as if they were a thrall: someone under the effects
terrorist threat. Few individual of a Blood Bond, having drunk
agents understand what they are another Kindred’s Blood thrice.

61

62

CLANS

clans

O, could ye know the sequel
From such a deed atrocious,
According to Kindred mythology, Caine E’en would thy hate ferocious
sired three childer, who in turn sired
childer themselves. This third generation Bid me in horror stay.
came into being before the Great Flood Monster without an equal,
– and some say it was their sins that called it down. And canst thou nought but slay?
The survivors, known as the Antediluvians, became
the progenitors of the modem clans. Each Antedilu- –GAETANO DONIZETTI, LUCREZIA BORGIA
vian’s Blood endures in their descendants, feeding the
common powers, weaknesses, and perhaps even the innumerable minor bloodlines as well as the Caitiff
behaviors and beliefs of the Kindred who belong to and thin-bloods, who prouder and more powerful
the clan they begat. lineages reject. Two of the 13 (Lasombra and Tzi-
misce) have fallen under the shadow of the Sab-
Tonight, there are 13 distinct clans along with bat. Two (Giovanni and Ravnos) have been driven
nearly extinct outside their ancestral strongholds by
enemies mortal and sorcerous. Another two (Banu
Haqim and the Setite Ministry) remain in limbo
between the Gehenna warzone and the dubious
protection of the Camarilla. The final seven continue
to maneuver for position and duel for power in the
endless night of the Jyhad.

63

The Learned Clan
Rabble
Punks

Hipsters
Prometheans

Rebels
Philosopher-Kings

Hellenes

64

CLANS

The dream of the learned clan is a world visible outsiders, their desire for rebellion reaches as deep
where all injustice has been eliminated as the fraudster ripping off his own company, the lawyer
and the living and the undead can coexist representing the poor pro bono, the neo-Nazi claiming
in peace. They say it is for love of the mor- to be “alt-right,” and the basement-dweller download-
tals that they lead them against their masters. In truth, ing thousands of movies illegally for redistribution on
they may simply rage against a distant or non-existent streaming sites. Fledglings Embraced to fight and protest
God they can never fight, against a curse they can are commonly known as rabble.
never end. Theirs is a dream that poisons everything
it touches. As they infiltrate or instigate revolutions, The Brujah can be passionate fighters but also critical
their hunger and passion ensure that blood will flow, thinkers; the clan activists are often very different from
innocents die, and peace never be attained. the clan theorists. On many occasions, the latter are
Embraced from former gender studies or sociology stu-
Who are the Brujah? dents, those who have survived near-death experiences,
and people who have in other ways suffered and endured
Clan Brujah have always Embraced from the ranks of great personal loss. The philosophical Brujah, known
those sympathetic to counterculture and revolution. as Hellenes, believe the best method of dismantling the
They seek out allies who question normative ideas, and establishment is to understand the social and cultural
recognizing the fire of the oppressed, they gravitate systems that allow it to exist in the first place.
toward the underdog.
Brujah Archetypes
Common perception place punks, gang-members,
maladjusted immigrants rejected by the society that cancer in the system
should protect them, and placard-carrying and Molotov-
wielding rioters among the Brujah. While the clan This Kindred exists as a cog in a corrupt system. They
definitely includes substantial numbers of vocal and may be a night worker for a mortal corporation known
for treating its employees like dirt, a staffer in a broken
political party, or one of the remaining Brujah in the

65

COREBOOK
66

CLANS

Camarilla. They work to bring the wants to party to piss off the police, force, as it is simpler to hold a kine
system down from within, maybe or a fourth-wave token “feminist” in place or crack their skull open
hoping to replace it with something who spent more of their mortal and drink its insides than to nego-
better, but often having the process time attacking other feminists tiate for a mouthful of blood.
of rebuilding as the last of their and their allies than coordinating
priorities. responses to oppression. Short-term Presence: Brujah use Presence to
action yields massive results, but win the hearts of the crowd, turn a
voice of the people does not always benefit the Brujah. threatening mob against itself, or
send a dangerous opponent fleeing
The Brujah have always strived for monster in disguise into the night. Brujah intellectuals
progress in Kindred society. Many prefer feeding with Presence to con-
of them were progressives in life and The Brujah claim there is no clan vince vessels to give up their blood
follow the same path in undeath. closer bonded to humanity than voluntarily. Other clan members use
The voice of the people might be a their own, which is why they exhibit Presence to terrify their prey, as it
former feminist activist, eco-warrior, such fiery passions. But some take apparently adds “an exquisite, bold
or an anti-capitalist protester who it further than that, and strive to taste” and fuels the less subtle pow-
channels their passion into speaking live like mortals by keeping up to ers of their curse.
out against the Ventrue and Tore- date with modern culture, forming
ador or fomenting political unrest relationships, and building families. Bane
among mortals. Their ambitions The payoff for this behavior is a
may come back to hurt their clan, startling duality of dream and real- The Blood of the Brujah simmers
but sometimes they form the core of ity. The Beast will not be denied for with barely contained rage, explod-
revolutionary movements. long, and undead family men and ing at the slightest provocation.
working women must slip away from Subtract dice equal to the Bane Se-
blood worshipper their fake lives ever so often to avoid verity of the Brujah from any roll
seeing red, returning only after they to resist fury frenzy. This cannot
The Brujah were once considered have satiated their dangerous urges. take the pool below one die ■
a High Clan, superior to most and
respected by all. Some Brujah still Disciplines
believe their Blood is stronger than
that of other clans, and that they Celerity: Brujah use Celerity to
have the right to apply their doc- strike fast and escape uprisings
trine on others. Brujah who uphold they have started. They hunt with
this form of blood idolatry often it to snatch vessels from the streets,
come from fundamentalist back- feeding from them savagely, or to
grounds, right-wing groups, and the rapidly dispose of a mortal before
academic elite. vanishing into the night.

trolling punk Potence: Brujah use Potence as a
devastating weapon, cutting short
Clan Brujah includes many vocal any confrontation with destructive
and physical activists who follow finality. Though the clan preaches a
the zeitgeist uncritically, reveling connection to humanity, its mem-
in their righteousness. The trolling bers often take what they want by
punk cares about the fight, not the
cause. They are an aggressor who
provokes confrontation with mi-
nority groups, a squatter who just

67

68

CLANS

The Clan of the Beast Ahunger older than mankind burns inside
Animals the wolves. When other Kindred curse
Ferals their appetites and choose the gilded cage
Savages of the city and the leash of social hierar-
Barbarians chy, the wolves accept the Beast as a part of themselves
Outcasts and run free. Crossing borders between species, na-
Wolves tions, and domains with the ease of perfect predators,
Strays they belong to the wild and the wild belongs to them.
To think of them as noble savages is perilous, as the
animals have little respect for the arrogance of civiliza-
tion, and only the strongest survive their bloody hunts
and savage initiations. Trading stories of war and the
secret histories of their kind around campfires lit with
the bones of their oppressors, they have turned their
backs on the Camarilla and fight tooth and claw to
escape the endless plots of their fellow Kindred.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. I see your shoulders
hunched, your brow furrowed, your hair on end. “Rudi,”
you’re thinking, “have you brought me out to the projects just
to dust me?”

No, young blood. We’re not meeting in the shittiest part
of the city so I can snap your head off or for you to take in

69

COREBOOK

the view. This place is the wilderness Gangrel Embrace from the adventurer
we get these nights. In your grandsire’s ranks of survivors and fighters:
time, you might have been stalking the leaders of prison crews and gangs, The Gangrel are no strangers to the
woods and plains while the Ventrue ran explorers (urban and otherwise), wild, spending much of their time
the cities. But that time’s gone. They’re and any kine who sees the world beyond city limits and communing
losing control of their cities, and we are as something to traverse instead with creatures and clans outside
taking control of the ways in and out. of something to hide from. They those in the Camarilla. In life and
This is your territory now, and you care not for looks or title, but for undeath, the adventurer has seen and
won’t let it go without the pack’s say-so. accomplishment and reputation. A experienced something few could
childe may be a challenge, but the comprehend. They have walked from
You’ve got to prove your worth in clan follows rituals and initiations place to place, spending their life on
the Clan of the Beast. We’re not some to ensure the fledgling is worth the the road, living only by wits, a stran-
exclusive club for snobs and elitists, but time. Success means a new, hon- ger’s kindness, and a rich curiosity.
we believe in deeds over words and in ored member of the clan. Failure This wolf has no fear of the path
the strength of the pack and the unity means simply a forgettable reject ahead, wherever it might lead.
of family. If you defend our haven, take or a pile of ash.
out one of our enemies, bring us the folk favorite
skull of a Ravnos or shapeshifter, or Any mortal capable of project-
just humiliate the Prince by trashing ing their will onto others, leading Clan Gangrel practice the tradi-
her favorite car, you’ll be good by our a group from disaster to success, or tions of storytelling around the
standards. It doesn’t take more than fighting impossible odds draws the fire, although they are the furthest
that. Just remember that lone wolves, as clan’s attention. This fact results from boy scouts. Whether around
cool as they seem, get picked off first. in a symptom known as “too many a burning barrel, tire fire, or at
chiefs,” when the clan consists a great convocation, this animal
We’re more than just glorified bik- of more leaders than followers. knows the songs and the stories to
ers, but I accept the analogy. We don’t Customs encourage fights for celebrate the names of fallen heroes
put down roots, we take initiation into dominance, but these rarely last and enemies who must never be
our group seriously, and we accept no until final death, as Gangrel elders forgotten. In their mortal lives they
masters. Your grandsire? He or she knelt advocate against taking compe- might have been singers, entertain-
before some blue blood and learned to tition for authority personally, ers, or independent artists.
take it like a bitch. You? If you kneel, instead encouraging a culture of
I’ll kill you myself. healthy rivalry. director of the board

Who are the Gangrel Archetypes This Gangrel believes in power wield-
Gangrel? ed not merely with physical blows,
uncaged jailbird but through social presence, author-
Clan Gangrel are outcasts, wander- ity over others, and command of a
ers, rogues, and hunters. They make This Kindred spent most of their group of people such as a club or a
havens in the poorest parts of the mortal life in prison or was once corporation. The boardroom Gangrel
city and feel no shame for doing so. incarcerated for a severe crime. is an alpha who thrives on causing
They claim few domains as their Such a past conveys a reputa- fear and respect, who does not play
own but defer to no prince. If a tion and a jaded attitude toward by the rules, and who is capable of
feral enters a city, the prince will authority leavened with a desper- commanding others to perform the
either accept it or have to fight the ate taste for freedom and opportu- most unethical actions with threats
feral to get them to back down. nity to exercise liberties formerly of personal and professional losses.
denied them. They stalk their prey through office
corridors at night and in five-star
hotels paid by company card.

70

CLANS
71

COREBOOK

unrepentant beast Disciplines Fortitude: As longtime body-
guards and soldiers for the other
The Gangrel relish their animal Animalism: A Gangrel can use clans, the Gangrel have benefited
features and feral natures, and Animalism to take on an animal hugely from Fortitude. The
many behave as wild beasts do companion, sometimes called a Discipline can give them a sense
– leading unlives dominated by famulus. The animal companion of fearlessness, as it allows them
immediate physical drives and can be used for hunting, spying, to hunt across harsh terrain and
desires. The unrepentant beast and attacking. Some Gangrel will take bullets and knife blades
behaved like an animal already turn pets on their owners, hound without worry. The Gangrel who
before the Embrace. Perhaps vagrants with packs of dogs, or lure emphasize growth in Fortitude
they were a predatory criminal strays to them for a quick feeding. likely expects a lot of harm to
or an individual who used legal come their way.
means to let out their dangerous
desires. As a vampire, they are
little better.

72

CLANS

Protean: Gangrel are known for Bane musk reduces Charisma, while
their mastery of Protean, as few batlike ears reduce Resolve (“all
other clans possess its gifts. Strad- Gangrel relate to their Beast much those distracting sounds”). If noth-
dling the line between vampirism as other Kindred relate to the ing immediately occurs to you,
and shapeshifting, the Discipline Gangrel: suspicious partnership. In the feature reduces Intelligence or
allows a Gangrel to take on the frenzy, Gangrel gain one or more Manipulation.
physical properties of another crea- animal features: a physical trait,
ture, or in other ways change their a smell, or a behavioral tic. These The number of features a
physical shape. Gangrel who feed as features last for one more night Gangrel manifests equals their
animals often consider this the tru- afterward, lingering like a hango- Bane Severity. If your character
est, or at least the best, of kills. ver following debauchery. Each Rides the Wave of their frenzy
feature reduces one Attribute by 1 (see p. 219) you can choose only
point – the Storyteller may decide one feature to manifest, thus
that a forked tongue or bearlike taking only one penalty to their
Attributes ■

73

74

CLANS

The Clan of the Moon Psychologists would diagnose the children
Lunatics of Malkav with schizophrenia, depression,
Madmen obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-trau-
Jesters matic stress disorder. Sometimes all at once.
Oracles In reality, they have all of these things and none. Like
Dervishes the “wise madmen” of poetry their derangement stems
from seeing too much of the world at once, from un-
Visionaries derstanding too deeply, and feeling emotions that are
Children of Malkav too strong to bear. They self-medicate with blood, but
that is just a temporary solution.

“We’re not clowns, Jeanette. We’re not here to amuse the
other Kindred.”

“Baloney. We’re here to make them laugh, make them
cry, make them sticky with delight or embarrassment…”

“You drag our club through the muck. Our clan! Time
was, we were the Kindred the others went to for advice,
foresight, strategies in times of war.”

“Pull that stick outta your ass, Therese. Unless you like it
up there. We’ve always been jesters.”

“Jesters in times gone by assessed the court and delivered
their findings to the Prince.”

“And so do we! God. You see my skirt and makeup, and
just think ‘slut,’ don’t you?”

75

COREBOOK

“Of course. Are you not?” “they are each mad, so why should dimension to their instability. As
“Yeah, but how many nuggets of their respective origins matter?” if their thoughts and actions were
gold do you think I pried from the To the Malkavians, origins matter based on otherworldly logic, there
ghoul I was screwing, the repressed a great deal. Though sires may pick seems to be no knowing when their
warlock I loosened up, or Prince childer from all walks of life, age condition will manifest destructively
LaCroix when he was bouncing up and groups, ethnicities, and genders, eve- or when it will offer important per-
down on my love gun? Bang. Bang.” ry mortal selected for the Embrace spectives where such were previously
“You… God, you disgust me. I possesses something only visible to a lacking. As a rule, no other Kindred
acquire intelligence through visions, Malkavian. feels completely comfortable around
through sampling the blood, through a known Malkavian, often view-
debate, business transaction, reading One of the gifts the Malkavians ing them as unpredictable maniacs
emotions, drawing out uncomfortable look for in a mortal is what they call whose flashes of insight are rarely
truths. . .” “second sight.” If a person interprets worth the fits of insanity.
“You wear the suit, I wear the dreams, can perceive spirits, or
stockings. We’re mentally impaired as unerringly predicts future events, Some Malkavians claim there is
a clan, but hell, if it allows us to both the Malkavians take notice. Such a a common factor to their madness;
lower our inhibitions and get a little person acts as a beacon, calling out that they are all psychically linked
dirty to do what must be done, I say to every member of the clan that sees through a communal wavelength, a
bring on the personality disorders. It’s them. shared consciousness of sorts. Those
like a cocktail in my head.” who are aware of its existence refer
“There is nothing wrong with me. Another gift revered by the to it as the cobweb or, more recently,
You’re the one with the special needs.” Malkavians, is that of “insight.” A the Network.
“Oh, you need your daddy just as high level of empathy, finely-tuned
much as I do.” knowledge of complex subject Malkavian Archetypes
“Shut up. Shut up. For one night, matter, or just an obsessive drive to
could you go without mentioning that pursue the answers to philosophical influencing presence
we’re all headcases and instead focus questions each appeal to the clan. As
on what we accomplish?” insight is often tied to profession, This visionary is addicted to the
“Sorry, sis. I guess there’s two sides the clan benefits from a range of thrill of reinventing and present-
to being a Malkavian. The visionary academics and doctors – especially ing themselves in different ways,
and the maniac. We’re a good team!” therapists and psychologists. thriving on the attention they get
“I hate you.” through the stories they tell. They
“You hate us.” Finally, the Clan of the Moon are seek to influence others through
“We hate us.” fascinated by the “broken” – indi- words, images, or the use of their
“I love you.” viduals who have been changed by Disciplines – whether it be for
“I love me too.” traumatic experiences or who were the purpose of pleasure, to forget
simply born slightly detached from their problems, or to comply with
Who are the themselves and the rest of society. the whispers of the cobweb. As
To the Malkavians, they are but one a mortal they might have had an
Malkavians? gentle push away from having access extended network of followers on
to an altogether different plane of social media or led the destructive
It has long been the misconception reality. Rather than treating them as life of the mythomaniac.
that few Kindred families are as burdens, the clan sees them as having
disparate as the Clan of the Moon. great potential. medium
Other clans see them and reason,
All Malkavians suffer mental The ability to sense and register
illness following the Embrace - more than any other Kindred
sometimes accentuating an existing
condition, other times adding a new

76

CLANS
77

COREBOOK

afflicts the members of Clan
Malkavian with its infamous
instability but it can also reward
them with great insight. Some find
ways to use and benefit from their
curse openly without breaching the
Masquerade, such as the medium
who reveals fictitious or existing
spirits attached to objects, areas,
and individuals – to help the griev-
ing or for personal gain.

bad analyst

Some Malkavians instinctively know
how to pick apart and reassemble
minds, whatever state they are in.
Maybe the analyst was a therapist
in life, excelling in helping others
through personal crises. Or maybe
they use the experiences of their
own agonized psyche as a guiding
light, prying open the minds of
their patients and victims with the
purpose of finally healing themselves.
The analyst is respected as well as

78

CLANS

Disciplines Bane

feared for their ability to travel the Auspex: Malkavians use Auspex to Afflicted by their lineage, all
labyrinth of the mind – and trap enhance their senses, strengthening Malkavians are cursed with at least
another inside it. their sight or hearing to a supernat- one type of mental derangement.
ural level, or to determine a mortal’s Depending on their history and the
fanatic fears, illusions, and mental weak- state of their mind at death, they
nesses, so they can play on them may experience delusions, visions
Malkavians are prone to fanaticism horribly as they prepare to feed. of terrible clarity, or something
fueled by mental instability. Fanat- Many a Malkavian has persuaded a entirely different.
ics each have one purpose that con- vessel to “tell them all about it,” be-
sumes most of their existence. This fore draining their weeping victim When the Malkavian suffers a
could be anything from a strong not ten minutes later. Bestial Failure or a Compulsion,
religious or political convictions to their curse comes to the fore. Suf-
an immense passion for detective Dominate: Some Malkavians use fer a penalty equal to your charac-
novels or 9/11 conspiracy theories. Dominate to lift all distractions ter’s Bane Severity to one category
Devoted to this one passion, it from a victim’s mind, completely of dice pools (Physical, Social, or
is safe to say the fanatic knows enthralling them; others use the Mental) for the entire scene. This
almost all the details and informa- Discipline to draw forth or inflict is in addition to any penalties
tion there is to obtain about it. psychoses, through the infamous incurred by Compulsions.
variant known as Dementation.
pure blood addict While some do it mainly for the You and the Storyteller decide
sake of experimentation, getting the type of penalty and the exact
Defined by bizarre insight and fringe into a mortal’s head and convinc- nature of the character’s affliction
beliefs, many Malkavians feel that ing them that they want to give up during character creation ■
certain blood calms their symptoms their blood greatly assists the clan
or derangements. For the blood in surviving night to night. Example:
addict, this has become a constant
goal and all they think of. In life, Obfuscate: The Malkavians do not Hector decides that his character, a
they abused prescription drugs, had advertise their use of Obfuscate, Malkavian known as Gizzard, some-
hypochondria, or were perhaps a conveniently allowing many Kin- times experiences physical sensations
gourmand, and now they cannot dred to forget they even have ac- as voices rather than feeling them.
help but drink and drink until the cess to this Discipline. What they When this affliction comes to the
gnawing noises quiet down or the use it for differs vastly. While some fore, he suffers a -1 penalty (his Bane
anxiety lessens. They know which Malkavians might want to observe Severity is 1) to all Physical pools
vessels to pick to obtain the best, the court from secluded corners or as the voices become too distracting.
most filling blood, and they take play tricks on their prince, others Naturally, this is also roleplayed.
every meal seriously. secrete themselves in the houses,
wards, and care homes of the kine,
watching the sleeping faces before
discreetly feeding.

79

Horrors
The Clan of the Hidden

Sewer Rats
Lepers
Hives

Carnies
Scabs

Vagrants
Orloks

80

CLANS

For the Nosferatu the Embrace is a journey targets, we’re the easiest to identify. It’s not like my face is a
through abjection, as the Blood of the hor- subtle examination in horror. Yeah, once they learned to look
ror gradually deforms the struggling tissues at us without fleeing, they started posing a few problems.
of the human body into grotesque abomi- Still, what’s fucking new? If we weren’t hunted by our bet-
nations. Weeks of pain result in deformities similar ters, by mortals, shapeshifters, or our ancestors, we’d come
to terrible birth defects, cancer growths, crippling up with something else to run away from.
injuries, and leper-like sores. Those who endure it
find themselves as monstrous echoes of Murnau’s Does that make us cowards or doomed to final
silver-screen vision. But perhaps pain and humiliation death? No, on both counts. Of all the clans, we’re
teaches compassion. The Nosferatu, as they jokingly the most likely to survive this new purge. Roaches
call themselves, are the most humane of the Kindred, and nuclear bombs, baby. We screwed it up with
wearing their curse on the outside rather than the SchreckNET being compromised, but guess who took
inside. To blend in, some call on the Blood to wear the brunt of that blast? Not us, because we were long
the borrowed faces of their victims or disappear from gone by then.
sight, while others rely on prosthetics and heavy
make-up. We know to go to ground before the panic
starts spreading. Why would we go and try to
I guess those inquisitorial cunts can be thankful to the good explain our case in a crowded Elysium used as a
Lord above for the curse we Nosferatu bear. Of all their hideout when we can just as well send a servant
and not risk the anger of our more attractive
cousins? No, we’ll kindly refuse the outreached

81

COREBOOK
82

CLANS
83

COREBOOK

hands of those who would throw us in domain gumshoe with minimal effort. With many of
the path of danger. And as of right now, the Brujah and Gangrel gone from
that doesn’t just mean the Brujah, it Nosferatu make superb inves- the Camarilla, Nosferatu now ex-
means everyone outside our clan. tigators as long as they stick to ercise their capacity for brutality
the shadows and wear plenty of at much higher rates. Often Em-
We wait. We put up walls, take layers. The gumshoe is comfort- braced from criminal or survivalist
stock, and adapt to the new reali- able stalking the streets, darting stock, such Nosferatu suffer little
ties. And that’s why we’re a clan of from doorway to doorway in the conscience over beating an enemy
survivors because we’ve learned to like rain, and shows no qualms about to ash.
it underground, in sewers, catacombs, breaking into homes, havens, or
and deserted subway stations. Person- vaults for that precious last piece rat
ally, I prefer an abandoned rowhouse of the puzzle. Sometimes recruited
basement, while my sire occupies an as domain sheriffs, this Nosferatu The comparison of Nosferatu
old bunker, but the concept is the emphasizes research and inves- to rats goes further than sewer-
same. tigation, preferring to take the dwelling and extended incisors.
thinker’s route to most answers History reveals repeated instances
We may not be pretty or able over violent means. The domain when horrors turned on their
to blend in with the kine. We can’t gumshoe likely comes from law en- masters for their own preserva-
pretend to be anything but degenerate forcement, was an amateur sleuth, tion, betrayed their own for a little
monsters. But you know what? That or has an academic background. extra, or attempted to play both
gives us perspectives every one of those sides of a conflict. The rat may be
other deluded bastards lacks. more animal than man involved in corporate espionage or
claim to be Anarch but scurry to
Nosferatu Archetypes This Nosferatu identifies more their Camarilla prince at the first
closely with the creatures scurrying sign of trouble. Some rats do what
information hub beneath the city or flying through they do just to stay alive and are
the suburbs at night than with the not beyond sympathy.
When the Second Inquisition kine wandering the streets. Maybe
found SchreckNET, many of the a former pest controller, vet, or Disciplines
Toreador secretly proposed a toast simply an antisocial individual
to the collapse of Clan Nosferatu. this Kindred speaks to animals, Animalism: The Nosferatu treas-
The clan lost credibility and many controls them, and likely acts like ure the Discipline of Animalism
members, but those who endured one. Some Nosferatu do not limit for its utility in increasing their
and flourished had mastered the their animalistic urges to behavior spy network, gaining familiars,
arts of secure archiving, physically but become literal hives for bugs allowing the delivery of messages,
and online. They bolstered their and nests for rats. They reason that and granting the ability to sud-
existing bonds with contacts and their stomach and lower abdominal denly swarm an opponent with
clients, and steadily regained the cavities were being used for little a horde of rats, bugs, or birds. Ani-
trust of Kindred who value a cen- before, and at least the infestation malism also assists the Nosferatu
tral information hub for research benefits from the vitae. who wishes to feed from animals
and the exchange of secret mes- – it is often easier, and arguably
sages. In an era when contact and hunter of monsters more moral, to summon a pigeon
movement between domains grow and drain it than to stalk a mortal
more precarious by each night, Having for so long been associ- and feed from their neck.
Nosferatu like these have become ated with animals and isolation,
invaluable. If they can guarantee many forget that the Nosferatu
privacy, they can name their price. can smash through a wall, break a
spine, or rip a door off its hinges

84

CLANS

Obfuscate: The Nosferatu have Bane
mixed opinions on Obfuscate, as
the Discipline enables them to Hideous and vile, all Nosferatu
blend in with others, but also mas- count as having the Repulsive
querades that which defines their Flaw (-2) and can never increase
clan – some Nosferatu are proud their rating in the Looks Merit. In
of their unconcealed monstrosity, addition, any attempt to disguise
while others take every effort to themselves as non-deformed incur
hide it. Regardless of the contro- a penalty to the dice pool equal
versies, Obfuscate is an excellent to the character’s Bane Severity
tool for hunting and feeding, as (this includes Discipline powers
few other methods allow a sewer like Mask of a Thousand Faces and
rat to interact with the kine. Impostor’s Guise). Most Nosferatu
do not breach the Masquerade by
Potence: Nosferatu use Potence just being seen. They are perceived
to rapidly neutralize foes. The by mortals to be grotesque and
Nosferatu understand the merit often terrifying, but not always
of hit and run, incapacitating a supernaturally so. ■
vessel before feeding and fleeing,
or breaking the Anarch Baron’s
head before vaulting away from
their hangout. Many Sewer Rats
hesitate to use Potence before the
kine, as its unfiltered might op-
poses their deceptions.

85

Divas
The Clan of the Rose

Degenerates
Artists

Harlots
Arikelites
Hedonists
Sensates
Perverts

86

CLANS

Cursed by their unbridled because you probably won’t know what an archaeolo-
sensuality, the divas are gist is. I serve my clan – your clan – in unearthing
obsessed by aesthetic per- sleeping ancients such as yourself and intro-
fection. A fashion model ducing them to the world as it is tonight.
overdosing on a bad batch of heroin,
a YouTube clip of a perfectly executed You seem surprised that a member of
beheading, the dazed eyes of a child who the Clan of the Rose would dirty her
has seen too much, or the reflection of the hands with excavation and study.
moon in a pool of blood – these are the kinds Let me guess: you thought our
of things that make a Toreador lose them- clan more suited to parlors, ad-
selves. They say the first diva finally died in miring mortal singers, dancers, and
front of their looking glass, unable to tear their artists? It is true, the face of our clan is
gaze away from the image of their face touched one of superficial beauty, but we have not
by the reflected dawn. lost our core. At its heart, Clan Toreador is
But, to dismiss the Toreador as wanton the clan of creation. The sculptor dirties her
perverts or shallow artists is the last mistake a hands with chisel and stone. The painter
Kindred will ever make. Beauty is power, and love will accumulate all manner of stains.
can make anyone do just about anything. And that My calling is in bringing the torpid
is the promise of the Toreador. They can make even back to us and asking for their stories.
the dead feel something raw, something real. It is my art form.

Now you have fed, it is time for introductions. My Clan Toreador has not
missed a step since you fell
name is Carmelita Neillson. I am a doctor. I use that word into torpor. We still ride high,
leading a sect known as the

87

COREBOOK

Camarilla alongside our peers among To the Toreador, art encompasses and likely have great influence over
the Ventrue and Tremere. Do not all forms of entertainment and several such places and the people
believe we take second or third place in stimulation. The clan courts the who go there. Deeply connected
that triumvirate. We are the voice, the greatest actors, singers, writers, to a city’s social atmosphere, they
inspiration, and the soul that binds the dancers, and even sex workers, have the knowledge to help others
sect together. if the degenerates believe such gain or lose the spotlight as they
mortals will offer something new please.
In these nights, the Toreador are to their clan.
the burning hope for all clans. We are gadabout
proof that Kindred can be more than Despite the custom of Embrac-
slaves to their Beast. Others come to us ing only the best, the Toreador With charisma, social intellect, and
for guidance and seek to emulate our fixation on beauty and innocence a cunning smile, the world is yours
devotion to beauty and innocence. We has caused many a diva to make a to conquer. The gadabout hedon-
teach, but none will master the arts as fledgling in haste. Many a moonlit ist masters the art of manipula-
well as we. night, new clan members have tion, attraction, and empathy so
emerged as shallow hedonists, well that even shy Cainites desire
For every true artist, innovator, one-hit wonders, or just a stunning their attention or take pleasure in
and great mind in our clan, we have a body with nothing else to offer. watching as they effortlessly min-
sycophant, amateur, and vapid beauty. The greatest mistakes are erased gle into every clique and category.
It is as it should be. Everything is and forgotten. Still, the clan is This Toreador fits into any profes-
beautiful, old one, including the diverse, its members considering sion in which handling customers,
duality we represent. While the others the ensemble as a kaleidoscope of patients, or clients is key, and they
mistake us for preening fools, we work talent and beauty. use every trick in the book to get
our wonders to make all of Kindred their targets exactly where they
society a better place. Toreador Archetypes want them.

Welcome back to Clan Toreador. l’artiste patron of the arts
The night is ours. The Toreador indulge in the beauty
of all art forms and strive to be The patron is a collector of raw tal-
Who are the creators themselves. Whether com- ent and promising beauty that just
Toreador? petent on the strings of the violin, needs a guiding hand. They shape
weaving notes as lustrous as the not clay or glass into intricate
Clan Toreador has ever preached subtle glow of the crescent moon, forms but people, and they see it as
selectiveness in its rituals of the or wielding a spray-can to form their gift to the world to pick out
Embrace. The clan elders stress harsh prismatic lines on back-alley the best before they wither. The
time and again that the clan walls, this Kindred is an artist patron may pose as an eccentric
requires pioneers among the arts revered intensely by their clan. heiress whose home is open to
and every kind of avant-garde. The struggling poets and painters or
clan is at its strongest when com- stage manager they may take on the role of the
prised of the freshest thinkers and talent scout or critic, aiding their
those who desire experimentation Without a puppeteer to pull the pupils with funding and guidance
and aesthetic discovery. For this strings, the puppet would not in return for their blood.
reason, many Toreador emerge know how to dance. This diva’s fin-
from the ranks of accomplished ger is constantly on the pulse of the t
artists, both new and faded. But night. They know every happening
not all artists need wield a brush: at every club and bar worth a visit, thespian spy

The Toreador love a performance,
and the one who plays at being
a spy knows how to pry valuable

88

CLANS
89

COREBOOK

chunks of information from a tar-
get, often taking more time than
they need to properly enjoy the
game. Perhaps over-dramatic, yet
rarely suspected due to an affable
nature, the thespian spy inserts
themselves in multiple domains to
entertain, observe, and compile li-
braries of information to exchange
for other pleasures.

Disciplines

Auspex: Toreador are ever on
the hunt for exquisite experi-
ences and use Auspex to identify
the most susceptible vessels and
those who might, through their
feelings and temperament, offer
new tastes and sensations to the
drinker during the feed. Torea-
dor also frequently use the Disci-
pline on other Kindred, catering
to their desires or antagonizing
them with truths they should not
know.

Celerity: The Toreador claim they
are not combatants, but few move
as swiftly as the degenerate using
Celerity to cut an opponent to
ribbons before they have even
had time to draw their weapon.
Toreador often use Celerity to
enhance artistic or performative
skills. In feeding, they use the
Discipline to take what they need
from a vessel and vanish before the
mortal realizes the truth of what
has occurred.

90

CLANS

Presence: The Toreador master the
Discipline of Presence, often using
it in concert with Auspex to ma-
nipulate the emotions of Kindred
and kine. Presence can guarantee
an appreciative audience or cause
the failure of another artist. Some
Toreador will use the Discipline to
indulge in carnal pleasures with an
unnaturally enthusiastic partner or
to lure a vessel into their arms and
under their fangs. The members of
the clan adore willing vessels, even
if the willingness is a supernatu-
rally induced façade.

Bane

Toreador exemplify the old say-
ing that art in the blood takes
strange forms. They desire beauty
so intensely that they suffer in
its absence. While your character
finds itself in less than beautiful
surroundings, lose the equivalent
of their Bane Severity in dice
from dice pools to use Disci-
plines. The Storyteller decides
specifically how the beauty or ug-
liness of the Toreador’s environ-
ment (including clothing, blood
dolls, etc.) penalizes them, based
on the character’s aesthetics.
That said, even devotees of the
Ashcan School never find normal
streets perfectly beautiful. This
obsession with aesthetics also
causes divas to lose themselves in
moments of beauty and a bestial
failure often results in a rapt
trance, as detailed in the Com-
pulsion rules (p. 208) ■

91

92

CLANS

Usurpers AHermetic mage in eighth century Roma-
Warlocks nia, Tremere was the leader of cabal of
Hemetics magick users rightfully feared for their
Thaumaturges obsession with knowledge and power.
Transgressors Able to prolong his life unnaturally for centuries,
The Broken Clan his powers eventually lessened and his grip on youth
Blood Witches became shaky. Unable or unwilling to accept his own
mortality, Tremere cast his eyes on the hallowed secret
of immortality. In his greed, the mage instigated the
most terrifying magickal experiments ever conducted,
damning himself and his followers to a hell of their
own making. Thousands of mortals were murdered and
hundreds of Kindred vivisected and drained in ritual
circles before Tremere and his cultists thought they
had found the elixir of life. How surprised they were to
have discovered the curse of Caine. Terrified, they died
and woke again to an eternity of unlife and hunger, cut
off from their craft.

In a mockery of their former magickal rituals, now
only fresh blood allows the Tremere to cast their thau-
maturgic spells to twist reality.

93

COREBOOK

“Allow me to call to order this meeting Carna shrugged without looking ing with their fellow Kindred and,
of minds. We must discuss the kinds up. “That sounds like a problem, Karl. increasingly, with each other for
of mortals who are brought into the One you need to address. Note that anything that might allow them
fold on this and future nights.” Schrekt House Carna is still Camarilla, for the to regain some of their former
eyed his two counterparts across a time being at least.” Her head facing power. A clan-wide chase for
triangular-shaped table. The room in her hands, her eyeline flicked upward, artifacts and grimoires belonging
which they sat existed in three places and her gaze connected briefly with to their ashen ancestors rival the
at once. his. “You have heard the same voices social intrigues in ugliness, and
we have. Neither of us is wrong. We the alliance with the Camarilla
“Herr Schrekt, I do not believe our must be permitted to pursue our paths is an oft-used weapon between
practices have changed overmuch. We separately and come together when the the houses of Clan Tremere.
still Embrace only the most brilliant time is right.” Meanwhile, the term “mercenary
minds, and those already attuned to magus” is becoming increasingly
the occult. While my house does target Schrekt smiled unconvincingly. widespread, as warlocks who were
subjects with less restrictive morals The representative from House Gora- formerly Bound by the will of
than yours, I can assure you that we trix vanished. “Just you and I now. Are their masters find themselves free
will not be granting immortality to the we really going to fill our clan with to serve for whatever price they
undeserving.” The representative for amateur tarot readers, women who choose.
House Goratrix concluded his state- dawdle with tea leaves, and spiritual-
ment, leaning back into the shadows. ists? We were a noble clan.” Tremere serve in three ways:
the Warlocks serve the other clans
Schrekt stared across the table Carna faded away, her voice softly with occult expertise, they serve
at his counterparts. If the choice had following. “We were never noble. Our the Camarilla with Blood Sorcery,
been without consequence, both would clan consists of mortals who sought and they serve themselves with
be snuffed out without hesitation. power they didn’t deserve. Perhaps it’s their missions to grasp power.
Unfortunately, they served a purpose. time we Embrace those who love magic Though more Tremere ascend to
He knew because his Blood told him it for its own sake.” praxis these nights than ever be-
was so. He turned to the woman at the fore, they still claim fewer thrones
other corner. “And House Carna?” Who are the worldwide than Clan Nosferatu. In
Tremere? truth, most Warlocks acknowledge
Carna ran her right forefinger that becoming the Prince is only
over the palm of her left hand as she After the Second Inquisition useful if it helps them expand their
spoke. “Our house rejects the old ways destroyed the Prime Chantry in knowledge. Tremere see true power
shaped by men, and seeks pagans, Vienna in 2008, the Tremere fell as knowing the ways of shaping the
witches, and chaos magicians who look from gray eminences to personae world, having access to the right
to the future. For the sake of our clan’s non gratae in many regions. The ar- blood, and owning the rarest of
survival, we must cast our net wider. rogance of the Pyramid had made ancient artifacts.
Now that the old bonds wither, and the Usurpers few friends. But the
your house is one of the last keeping need for sorcery has not disap- As the Tremere ally with con-
with the regimented structure of the peared; if anything, it grows as the fused coteries seeking them out,
Pyramid, I see no reason to cling to cursed Blood shifts in the veins of hunt for well-protected relics
tradition.” the Kindred. and artifacts, or closely analyze
fragments of lore relating to the
Schrekt clenched his jaw without Without the Pyramid order- Cainite mythos – all the while
realizing it, his fists balling. “You ing them into rank and value, the miserly guarding their secrets
would abandon centuries of tradition warlocks find themselves compet- from each other – they are all
on a schismatic whim? How is it that united in their thirst for knowl-
House Tremere finds more in common
with House Goratrix these nights?”

94

CLANS

edge. A Kindred who wishes to under- clan’s prestige and notoriety. Some Pyra-
stand a piece of their history will do well mid loyalists wish to search Vienna for the
to approach the Tremere for answers, as remains of their clan’s information trove,
long as they are at peace with sharing a though Tremere elders have declared the
few secrets of their own – knowingly or domain out-of-bounds.
otherwise.
eternal scholar
Tremere Archetypes
This Tremere was a dedicated researcher
pyramid loyalist before their Embrace, and death does
nothing to stop them from their obsessive
Until recently, the Pyramid hierarchy made pursuit of knowledge. Even if the clan has
the Tremere one of the most rigid clans. always looked to the arcane, the scholar
They still include a number of conserva- does not need to be a former occultist,
tive loyalists, fiercely bound to the clan’s but might as well have been a ground-
original order by will, if not by blood. A breaking surgeon, a theologist with a taste
Pyramid loyalist might still adhere to the for sacrilegious texts, or a collector of rare
customs of responsibility between sire and books. Often this Kindred is preoccupied
childe, uphold the ranks and tutelage of with understanding their own nature, and
a formal chantry, and seek to rebuild the it is possible they have become an expert
on the history of their kind.

95

COREBOOK
96

CLANS

pagan nonconformist Tremere looking for a pliable vessel, as they can discern
the enthusiastic from the reluctant. Many Tremere use
Other Kindred often style Tremere followers of Auspex to determine what a mortal needs in order to
Carna as “new agers,” failing to understand the depth be more malleable.
of magical exploration, feminine worship, and liberty
these warlocks practice. Whether actually a former Blood Sorcery: Master thaumaturges, the Tremere’s
Wiccan or Satanist, a prior member of Clan Trem- expertise in blood magick makes them a valued, if mis-
ere who has aligned with Carna’s rebellion, or just trusted, pillar of the Camarilla. Using Blood Sorcery,
someone who in life was downtrodden and longed they can convey devastating attacks on an opponent’s
for personal autonomy and authority over those who mind and body, defend themselves, and ease their feed-
would hurt them, something about this blood witch ing. Some warlocks use Thaumaturgy to sap a mortal’s
goes against the grain of the clan’s traditions. They blood from their veins without ever having to touch
speak of change, and excitedly pursue their dreams of them.
forbidden magick.
Dominate: The Tremere will do almost anything for
ambitious outsider the sake of knowledge and influence, and Domi-
nate is the Discipline that lets them get away with
The new willingness to Embrace from outside the tra- it. Thievery, backstabbing, and the unjust murder
ditional ranks of academics and occultists brings forth of a clan member’s ghoul are all made easier by
an array of individuals with ideas for the clan and the the ability to control a mortal’s mind and body.
practice of Thaumaturgy. The ambitious outsider may When attempting to feed, a Tremere will show little
be a white witch or a rebel destined for the Anarchs. It compunction against using the Discipline to force a
is likely such a Tremere would struggle to gain respect mortal into baring their throat.
in the clan, but with a lot to prove and the nominal
support of House Carna, the ambitious outsider could
go far.

chief of security Bane

The Tremere are more than scholars and librarians. Once the clan was defined by a rigid hierarchy of
The gifts they possess allow them to identify threats, Blood Bonds reaching from the top to the bottom
manipulate minds, and destroy aggressors – even of the Pyramid. But after the fall of Vienna, their
after the dissolution of the Pyramid, many other Blood has recoiled and aborted all such connec-
Kindred still regard the usurpers with mistrust, tions. Tremere vitae can no longer Blood Bond other
remembering them as the clan of killers and tortur- Kindred, though they themselves can be Bound by
ers. The Tremere sheriff or chief of security likely Kindred from other clans. A Tremere can still bind
inherited their specialized skills from a former life mortals and ghouls, though the corrupted vitae must
as an enforcer of some kind. be drunk an additional number of times equal to
the vampire’s Bane Severity for the bond to form.
Disciplines Some theorize this change is the revenge of the
Antediluvian devoured by Tremere, others attribute
Auspex: Tremere use Auspex to perceive the auras of it to a simple mutation. Regardless, the clan studies
others, search for evidence of magical essences and im- their vitae intently to discover if the process can be
portant objects left behind, and to communicate with reversed, and, indeed, determine if they would want
each other across vast distances without fear of being to do so ■
overheard. When needing to feed, Auspex assists a

97

The Clan of Kings
Blue Bloods
Tyrants
Warlords
Patricians
Borgias

the Cult of Mithras

98