Children of the Blood (VTM)

CHILDREN OF THE BLOOD

domain, consider how the cult affects its chasse, lien, and Networked (Portillon) (•)
portillon. Below are a few Merits and Flaws you might
wish to apply or adapt. You share access to the cult’s security precautions. If
they have security cameras around their temple, you can
Built-in Flock (Chasse) (•) log in to the live feed. If a security team patrols the block,
the guards recognize you as a member. Once per story,
The cult maintains a front that attracts mortals such the coterie can use this asset in defense of its domain. For
as a Shalimite self-help center or Cinder Institute-spon- example, it may pull footage of an intruder, or ask the
sored retreats. Once per week, coterie members may visit patrol to expand their beat for a few nights.
this establishment to feed, reducing the Difficulty to hunt
by 1. Flaw: (•) Shared Vulnerabilities Despite your cote-
rie’s precautions, the cult’s own security is lax — a weak-
Mithraeum (Chasse) (••) ness your foes can exploit to get to you. Enemies who take
advantage of this ignore the coterie’s Portillon rating so
Your coterie’s domain overlaps with the local Mithrae- longer as they breach the cult’s security system first.
um. Your coterie acts as enforcers for the cult’s protection
racket, and in exchange gains access to its resources. This Bloodlines and
Merit provides the coterie with 2 dots of Haven Merits Loresheets
they can swap for other Haven features at the start of each
story, representing borrowed stockpiles, watchmen, or The Children of the Blood are varied and unique.
other resources from the Mithraeum. With these Bloodlines and Loresheets, you can tie their
faiths, beliefs, lives, and heritages closer to your character.
Flaw: (••) Disputed Domain (Chasse) Your cult’s do-
main overlaps with a rival organization’s territory, causing Bloodlines
frequent tension and conflicts over resources. A group of
Bahari may butt heads with members of Gorgo’s Nest, or Bloodlines are a special kind of Background that
Church of Set square off against the Cult of Mithras. When- represents a unique heritage your character has. These
ever you encounter its members, immediately roll to resist represent the Rossellini and Milliner families in Clan
fury frenzy. For each subsequent encounter, subtract one die Hecata.
from the roll. The start of a new story resets the dice pool.
You can only choose one Bloodline, but you may
Community Outreach (Lien) (•) purchase one Bloodline and one additional, non-lineage
related Loresheet.
The cult performs acts of community service and has
earned the residents’ goodwill. It makes frequent dona- Loresheets
tions to food banks or turns abandoned lots into commu-
nity gardens, though it might hide these activities under a Most of these Loresheets are connected to some of
different name. Locals recognize your character or coterie the characters in this book. For example, the Ashfinders,
as part of that group. Add one bonus die to all Manipula- the One True Way, and the Cleopatrans allow your charac-
tion and Subterfuge rolls when working with mortals in ter to join the faiths of The Operator (p. 24) Miss Fitzim-
your domain . mons (p. 52), or Belinde Buch (p. 69).

Flaw: (••) Visibility Someone’s got it in their heads The Amaranthans, Cleopatras, and Meneleans are
that the cult’s bad news. Whether they’re right or not, other Kindred faiths your character may join. These
any spaces associated with the cult are watched. This Loresheets expand upon their descriptions in Cults of the
may take the form of a lone conspiracy theorist posting Blood Gods.
members’ comings and goings on social media, a handful
of bored teens holding up signs outside the meeting-place
of the cult’s self-actualization classes, or a full-on protest
attracting journalists and TV cameras. All failed hunting
tests become total failures and rolls to conceal the cote-
rie’s activities in the domain increase their Difficulty by 2.

10 0

NEW ADVANTAGES

LITTLE SIBLINGS

T (BLOODLINE, HECATA CHARACTERS ONLY)
he Rossellini and the Giovanni were once rivals
in necromancy. The Rossellini had more talent,
but the Giovanni had more ambition. That led to
the latter becoming the Clan of Death for 500 years, and
the other becoming a minor bloodline. The two families
share many traits, save for one: ghost manipulation. The
Giovanni prefer to coax and cajole, with an occasional
threat. The Rossellini begin with threats, browbeating,
and dominating wraiths into doing their bidding. The
Family takes a sadistic glee using Oblivion.

As a Rossellini, the Shadowlands are your play-
ground. Sure, your enslaved wraiths were human, just
like you were, but you conquered death. They are the
pitiful remains, doomed to lament about what they once
had. The least you can do is give purpose to their miser-
able unlives. One day you’ll die and join their sorrowful
ranks, but for now, you will show your cousins the true
depths of Oblivion.

• Grave Attitude: Your experi- LORE age it or cause it injury, the fetter
ence commanding wraiths taught bleeds ectoplasm drawn from the
you that even the Kindred will ••• Necromantic Expertise: ghost’s corpus. Consuming this
eventually cross the Shroud. This Your siblings in the Giovanni see bitter, stringy substance mends
certainty gives you peace. In any Oblivion as a means to an end. an amount of Aggravated or
attempt to intimidate or manipu- You know Oblivion is more than Superficial Willpower damage
late you, your aggressors always that. It’s a wonderous art, one equivalent to the ghost’s current
suffer a one die penalty, which that rewards those with the pa- Willpower rating.
stacks with other penalties. tience and ruthlessness to exam-
ine its depths. When you perform ••••• Purge: You shred corpuses
•• Ghostly Dominance: You an Oblivion Ceremony, decrease with ease. Any attack made on a
brook no tolerance for the pleas the Difficulty level by one. ghost always causes Aggravated
and threats of the intangible dead. Health damage, even outside of
They are your tools. If they don’t see •••• Stolen Will: Ghosts are the Shadowlands. You are also
it that way, you will remind them. bundles of emotion cased in an capable of striking them when
When you damage a wraith’s fetter, ectoplasmic shell. While some they are intangible.
loved ones, or ectoplasmic form, Hecata slake their hunger from
you receive three bonus dice to any ghosts, you know a more sus-
rolls to command them. tainable use. When you bite into
the fetter of a ghost under your
command hard enough to dam-

101

CHILDREN OF THE BLOOD

GRUDGE MASTERS

(BLOODLINE, HECATA CHARACTERS ONLY)

In the 1950s, the Milliner family joined Clan Gio-
vanni out of spite. They weren’t known for their
prowess with Oblivion, but their connections helped
the clan survive major shifts in organized crime, and the
rise of the Second Inquisition. Their only reward was
more work and tighter restrictions on feeding and the
Embrace, something the Family Reunion did little to
rectify. The Milliners have the most responsibilities and
the least respect.

As a Milliner, you’re not a household name like the
Clintons or the Waltons, but the right people dou-
ble-take when they hear it. You know that the Giovan-
ni haven’t and won’t give you the credit you deserve,
and it’s a deep and simmering grudge, one of the most
important among the many you hold. Now everyone is
one big happy family, it’s time to air all those grudges
out. After all, you’ve got plenty of new cousins that’d just
love payback.

• You Know Who I Am: The LORE you a favor in secret, and it’s
Milliners are a true American ••• Perfect Grudges: The now due. The SPC must fulfill
dynasty, and the name carries a Milliners are known for their that favor to the best of their
power even now and outside of grudges, but you’re the true ability by the end of the story,
the United States. Once per sto- poster child. When you are as decided by the Storyteller.
ry, when you invoke the legacy slighted or beaten on a roll ••••• Friends in High Plac-
of the Milliner line, you may add by a SPC, you may create a es: The Milliners’ connections
three dice to a Social roll. Project (Vampire: The Mas- in law enforcement turned
querade, p. 415) dedicated them on would-be vampire
•• Family Bank: The family to taking revenge. Its Launch hunters. This is more difficult
has plenty of money, but an- Roll automatically succeeds, these days, but you still have
yone that calls upon that for- and you may add two dice to the little black books. Pick a
tune needs to repay with cash, any Goal Rolls. The charac- faction within the Second In-
blood, or labor. Once per ter can have as many grudge quisition (FIRSTLIGHT, the Enti-
story, you may borrow money Projects as their dots in Com- ty, a local intelligence agency,
from a new or existing Milliner posure. Any aspirations of etc.). Once per story, when
SPC. You have Resources 5 for revenge beyond that limit are that faction acts against you,
the rest of the story but owe that regular Projects. you may automatically redi-
SPC a favor that must be ful- •••• You Owe Me: The Milli- rect that action onto any en-
filled before the end of the sto- ners always get their due, even emy Kindred SPC. If they sur-
ry. Your Storyteller will tell you at the worst possible times. vive, that SPC will know you
the favor, and the consequenc- Once per story, you may are to blame.
es you face if that debt isn’t re- spend a Willpower and de-
paid when the story ends. clare an SPC in the scene owes

102

NEW ADVANTAGES

THE ASHFINDERS

(THIN-BLOODED CHARACTERS ONLY)

The Ashfinders is a cult for the modern era. Its word
is spread over the internet, its holy land is the
island of Ibiza, and its sacred ritual is developing
designer drugs. The brainchild of a renegade Tremere and an
influential Duskborn, the Ashfinders are a radical new form
of Golconda cult. They seek transcendence through the cre-
ation and consumption of Ashe, formulated from the ashes
of deceased full-blooded vampires. The drug is ineffective
on mortals and full-blooded vampires, but in thin-blooded,
it enhances their blood and can even grant them memories
or abilities from the dead vampires mixed into the concoc-
tion. The cult hypes themselves with social media posts and
advertises as a New Age solution to mortals, and an exciting
journey into enlightenment to Mercurians. What the trend-
setters don’t talk about is Ashe’s highly addictive nature,
and the strange creatures the drug’s creation generates.

As an initiate of the Ashfinders, you find yourself in a
thrilling, dangerous time. You’re certain that you’ve found
a new path out of your condition, even if some of your
full-blooded peers consider your faith a complicated form
of diablerie. Let those wizened old has-beens believe what
they want. They can either get with the program or find
themselves in your furnaces.

•Influencer: As a member of LORE additional Thin-Blood Alchemy
the Cinder Institute, the Ashfind- forms of semi-material weaponry, distillation, you may choose up to
ers’ mortal-facing front, you’ve you always take −1 damage. four formulae to carry over to that
developed some sway among new form of distillation without
mortals. This keeps your cult ••• Addiction Resistance: having to spend experience
hidden in plain sight. Pick a local Ashe addiction (Cults of the points. Ashfinder Blood Alchemy
subculture. You receive two dots Blood Gods, p. 46) drives a (Cults of the Blood Gods, p.
of Influence over that subculture. Duskborn into a vicious cycle of 44) cannot carry over to other
hunger and frenzy. You’ve devel- forms of distillation.
•• Shard Defense: Beast oped a natural resistance to that
Shards, known among the cycle. When you use Ashe, you ••••• Cook: As an important part
Ashfinders as “Shards,” are the no longer make a Rouse Check. of the Ashfinders’ supply line,
monstrous remains of dead vam- you’ve had plenty of opportu-
pires used in the Ashe creation •••• Strange New Forms: nities to hone your craft. It’s im-
process. They flicker in and out of Ashe is exclusively made using proved your overall prowess with
existence and manipulate human the fixatio distillation method Thin-Blood Alchemy. All times to
emotions. You’ve become an (Vampire: The Masquerade, research formulae are halved.
expert a hunting and destroying p. 284). Alchemists who join the
Shards, and it’s carried over to Ashfinders quickly become versa-
similar creatures. When you are tile in multiple forms of distillation
hit by spectral claws or other to accommodate, and you’re
no different. When you learn an

10 3

CHILDREN OF THE BLOOD

AMARANTHAN

Legend states that Amarantha, a childe of the Tor-
eador Antediluvian, was one of the first victims of
diablerie. Her grieving lovers took vengeance upon
the act’s first culprit, and as the practice came into fashion,
swore to ensure anyone who drained a vampire would face
Final Death. The Amaranthans survive to this very day
hunting down diablerists with little mercy. While they
had long been tolerated in Camarilla domains for their
swift action against the Sabbat, the sect’s withdrawal has
led many domains to reject the cult as their focus turns
towards the Ivory Tower and the Anarch movement.

You were Embraced by an Amaranthan and indoc-
trinated. You know the true evils of diablerie, and what
must be done once rumors of the act surfaces in your
domain. You hunt without regard to allegiance or status.
When you catch your quarry, you are courteous enough
to deliver their final message, carry out any non-blas-
phemous final wish, or perhaps grant mercy. Your faith
may clash with your coterie and domain, but you will see
justice done.

• Judge: You know time and LORE dots in the eyes of any Kindred
supernatural forces hide the who view diablerie in a negative
telltale black veins in a diabler- until you feel their crime has been way. Conversely, you earn a one
ist’s aura. You’ve been taught to repaid. dot Adversary, who holds the act
look for psychological signs, like of diablerie as sacred.
panicked glances or smiles that ••• Executioner: While you
are too haughty. Whenever you may take pleasure in turning ••••• The Final Hunt: Unlike
interrogate suspected diabler- diablerists to ash, there is a other Amaranthans, you’re dedi-
ists, you receive three dice to all process to the execution that must cated to hunt down and consume
relevant rolls. be obeyed. That’s how you keep the cannibalistic descendants
your conscience clean. When of Amarantha’s murderer. It’s
•• Jury: You are capable of you deliver a diablerist’s final dangerous, but you’re prepared
granting clemency. It keeps message or complete their final to sacrifice your soul for justice.
your faith from being a glorified wish, you may erase one Stain When you perform diablerie
excuse to murder people. Once from your Humanity tracker. on a confirmed descendent of
per story, when you catch a Amarantha’s diablerist, you do
diablerist, expose their crime be- •••• Tense Respect: Your refusal not suffer an automatic drop
yond any doubt, and argue truly to acquiesce to sect and domain in Humanity, but may still lose
for the sparing of their life, you traditions regarding diablerie Humanity if you roll poorly in the
may take that vampire (if they doesn’t make you well-liked, contest between souls. All other
survive sentencing from a Prince but it does bring about grudging effects still apply.
or Archon) as a two dot Mawla admiration. Even if you hold no
position in your domain, you
have a Status equivalent to three

10 4

NEW ADVANTAGES

CLEOPATR AS

L (NOSFERATU CHARACTERS ONLY)
ong-lived Nosferatu know the story of Yima, the
beautiful and virtuous childe of Absimilliard. She
either sacrificed herself to take the full brunt of
Caine’s curse, or was rejected by her sire when the curse
refused to take hold in her. In the modern nights, some
Nosferatu are visited in daysleep dreams by a woman
who removes their blemishes and guides them to rule
the Kindred. These Vagrants defy the clan’s stigmas
and stereotypes, dressing in fine clothes and adorning
themselves in oils and perfumes. The confidence and
charisma they project brings them into positions of high
society often denied to the clan. Though no one is sure
if the dream woman is the influence of a Methuselah,
the machinations of their Antediluvian, or the spirit of
Yima herself, few can deny the results.

You are a Cleopatra, one of the few Nosferatu that
receives these communal dreams. The woman who visits
you in your slumber shows you the person you could be,
and when you see them, you know it’s attainable. She
tells you about the secret ugliness in your superiors, the
kind that aesthetics just papers over. You can exploit
them. With the woman’s counsel, you can conquer any-
thing, even a clan’s Bane.

• Close Examination: You LORE of a vampire who also wants the
remember things the woman position.
told you at just the right time. ••• Dream Appearance: Your
Once per story, you may select Bane fades while you experience ••••• The Beauty Within: You
an SPC, and tell the Storytell- daysleep, allowing you to look are destined to rule the Kindred,
er you want to discover their like you did as a mortal until you and not even Caine’s curse
deepest flaw. You gain three wake, although you still bear hinders you. Once per story,
bonus dice to a Wits + Insight wounds if you’re suffering dam- when you are dressed in your
roll against that individual, with age. The return of your horrific finest clothes, you may negate
a critical success conveying the appearance is incredibly trau- your clan’s Bane entirely for
desired information. Revealing matic, and if anyone witnesses the duration of a session for the
this knowledge is a certain way your Bane return they undoubt- purposes of interaction with other
to earn a long-term Adversary edly know what you are. vampires. Your appearance has
Background, however. not changed, but your intense
•••• Figure-in-Waiting: Follow- confidence radiates and negates
•• Clothed in Power: You know ing your dreams paid off. Name your blemishes. This Lore has no
how to make the ideal self in your a titled position in the domain. effect on kine.
dreams a reality. Pick an outfit, The current titleholder considers
perfume, hair style, make-up rou- you next in line should some-
tine, or skin-care routine. When thing happen to them, granting
you use this, you may reroll a four dots to spread between
Social roll failure or roll to resist Mawla (the present titleholder)
fury frenzy once per story. and Status. However, being
second-in-line also earns you a
one dot Adversary, in the form

10 5

CHILDREN OF THE BLOOD

MENELEANS

The Meneleans once sought to rebuild Carthage.
Under the guidance and vitae of Menele, their
patron Methuselah, they learned the lost city’s
secrets. They believed vampires had a higher purpose
and enlightenment could be found through assimilation
with humanity. They struggled for a fairer society for the
Kindred. To the Meneleans, one of the greatest forms of
tyranny was one that elders held over younger genera-
tions. When Menele vanished and the cult’s Blood Bonds
shattered, his cultists were fully aware of the irony.

Abandoned by their Methuselah, the Meneleans
search for meaning. How much of their faith came from
their own morals, and how much came from Menele’s
direct influence? Though they may never know for sure,
some press on.

You are one of those adherents. You’ve set aside any
questions of whether or not you’ve been manipulated,
because you still feel that Menele had ideas worth spread-
ing. You’ve come away from the experience with insights
into the Blood Bond that the rest of the domain is keen
to hear.

• Mortal Empathy: You believe LORE on this Mask, you take on mortal
in the importance of cleaving to connections, including family and
humanity and ensure you see ••• Show of Defiance: Tyranny friends (assumed to have been
them as people, not just as food. is the enemy of peace. One of cultivated in the build-up to this
Once per session, you may reroll the best ways to prevent it is Loresheet), though they pose risks
up to three dice on a Social roll to humble the powerful. Once to your security and privacy as
involving mortals without spending per story, when you chastise or they’ll ask the usual questions of
Willpower. humiliate someone in a higher “where are you going to work
position of authority than you, these days?”, “why are you out
•• Peacemaker: Menele’s you may add the number of dots all night?”, and “why did some-
school taught you the impor- you possess in Status as bonus one come to my door saying
tance of conflict resolution. Those dice to your roll to cajole the you’re a vampire and part of
around you tend to see you as individual or persuade the crowd something called a charcuterie?”
a voice of reason. Once per to turn against them. The outcome
session, when you are involved of using this Loresheet is a likely ••••• Bond Breaker: The dissi-
in a social or physical conflict, Adversary possessing dots equiv- pation of Menele’s Blood Bond
you gain two bonus dice in an alent to your target’s power level. permanently changed you. You’ve
attempt to resolve things through become Unbondable (Vampire:
diplomacy. If one of your allies •••• Becoming the Mask: The Masquerade, p. 181), and
(such as a retainer or member You’ve assimilated into humanity feeding a Rouse Check’s worth
of your coterie) then breaks the so well you have a separate, of vitae to a thrall immediately
terms of your negotiation, you almost mortal life. You receive breaks the regent’s hold. Howev-
must roll to resist fury frenzy. an identity represented by er, you are incapable of creating
Mask 2 and may split two dots your own Blood Bonds.
between Contacts, Resources,
and Influence. When you take

10 6

NEW ADVANTAGES

THE ON E TRU E WAY

Led by the “Master of Ravens,” the One True Way
encourages vampires to seek Golconda by master-
ing the Beast and becoming the ultimate predator.
Followers gather in meetings and encourage everyone,
including curious newcomers, to openly discuss the
lowest, darkest moments in their unlife. This is for two
reasons: to advise the Kindred on how to overcome their
inhuman natures, and to gather secrets the cult can use to
gain followers and power. The One True Way is banned in
many domains across the world, but this has only seemed
to increase its popularity.

As a traveler on the One True Way, you know that
Golconda isn’t about redemption, but about progression
and mastery. You’ve learned much about the darkness
within yourself and others. Taming the Beast is agonizing,
and it resists at every turn, but you work at it the best
you can. You know there’s times when the Beast must run
free, but you take heart in knowing even this is under your
control. You know the benefits of confession, which sooths
the spirit and gives you secrets to hold over your friends
and enemies. You hope you can fully understand your
place as a human predator, and that one night your higher
instincts and your Hunger will work in tandem.

• Trust Me: Showing vulnerabil- LORE ately enter frenzy and Ride the
ity is dangerous among Kindred, Wave (Vampire: The Mas-
but it’s necessary for the One ••• Beast Communion: You see querade, p. 219).
True Way. You know how to your Beast as a separate perso-
sidestep a vampire’s hesitance na. When it comes to the surface, ••••• The Road from Hune-
and get them to say things they’d it finds details you’ve missed. doara: When the Master of
never tell their closest friends. Whenever you roll a Messy Ravens himself invited you to
When you speak to a vampire Critical or a Bestial Failure, you journey to Hunedoara, Romania
with genuine empathy, the Diffi- may ask one question about to meet him, you accepted. He
culty of any roll to get them to tell the situation to your character’s taught you much, and you have
the truth is lowered by one. Beast. Your Storyteller gives you returned a near apex predator.
a truthful answer in the voice of No matter what heinous acts you
•• Secret Keeper: Attending or the Beast. commit in frenzy, you never suffer
running meetings let you in on more than 1 Stain. This can only
so many secrets the Nosferatu •••• Calling the Wave: You see be applied once per story, and
consider you a trusted source. your Beast as a companion. It’d Convictions cannot further reduce
Once per story, when you act on be wrong to keep a companion these Stains.
a secret, a single roll concerning locked away forever, and so
that secret gains two extra dice. you release it on your own terms.
Once per story, you spend a
point of Willpower to immedi-

107

CHILDREN OF THE BLOOD

STA RFA LL R A NCH

(M A L K AV I A N CH A R ACTE R S ON LY )

Starfall Ranch is well-known as one of the top
ranches in the Northeastern United States. Its cat-
tle are consistent state fair winners. Its horses have
been seen at dressages and other equestrian sports events
around the world. Owning these animals come at a high
price, and part of that premium involves the quality
service of Alberta Pennilee and the expert training of a
man only known as “Dr. Starr.”

Starr is Kindred. He serves the One Moon, a faith
that believes that Clan Malkavian is actually one single
person, experiencing themselves and the world around
them through the lives and perspectives of those they
Embrace. Aside from being a popular grange, Starfall
Ranch serves as a halfway house for dispossessed Malka-
vians. There, they can work, feed, and learn their place as
part of the One Moon.

Starfall Ranch plays a major part in your life, Whatever role Starfall Ranch has in your life, one thing
whether you once worked there after your Embrace, is for certain. Whenever someone tells you, “you’re a part of
or you still call it home. You might know the secrets something greater,” you can’t help but shake your head and
of Starr’s ranch hands, or the basic philosophies of the smile. As you’ve learned on the ranch, that turn of phrase is
One Moon. Perhaps you had the privilege of meeting the truer than the rest of the Kindred could imagine.
Methuselah that sleeps beneath the farmland.

• Herd Mindset: Your time on LORE you forever. You may take Dr.
the ranch brought you closer to Starr as a four dot Mawla. Once
your fellow wayward Malkavi- you start a Project at Starfall per story, Marta will speak
ans. Sometimes this was a bit too Ranch, you receive three bonus through him. You may ask her
close, and parts of their identities dice to the Launch roll. any relevant question to the story,
still linger within you. Once per and she answers truthfully, to the
session, you may either take ••• New Perspectives: You best of her knowledge.
two dots in a Skill you do not understand some basics of the
know for a single roll, or ask the One Moon, and you’re starting ••••• But I Saw You Die: Starr
Storyteller for one fact about an to discover how you are only a is infamous for cheating death.
SPC that you do not know. The single aspect of a greater person. He’s shared his secret with you.
Storyteller decides on which fact You can even borrow the talents Once, when you undergo final
is received. and abilities of your faith’s other death, you may select another
followers. Once per story, you One Moon cultist SPC. This SPC
•• Clarity of Mind: Starfall may take one Skill rating and is now you, even taking on your
Ranch is a peaceful place. Here, replace it with that of another physical likeness if possible. Your
Malkavian from all levels of soci- One Moon cultist. This may either Skills, Advantages, Flaws, and
ety can rest and reflect upon their be another player’s character or any out-of-clan Discipline dots
future. Those that do find that they an SPC. This Lore is in effect for remain, but you must redistribute
have a better chance of achiev- the remainder of this story. your Attributes and your in-clan
ing their greater ambitions. When Discipline dots.
•••• Starr and Marta: You’ve
had the chance to see Marta with
your own eyes, and it changed

10 8