Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition Core Rulebook

CHARACTERS

■■ 14th, 15th, or 16th gen- EXAMPLE: one of the Predator types on pp.
eration: zero (thin-bloods) 175-178.
Carmen is picking Disciplines for
■■ 12th or 13th generation: her Nosferatu character. She places Each Predator type template
one two dots into Obfuscate and one adds a number of traits to your
dot into Animalism. character, such as Disciplines,
■■ 10th or 11th generation: Advantages, Flaws, and other spe-
two Remember to also pick a power cifics to model or make easier your
for each dot. (See p. 244.) chosen method of taking prey.
Write this number down on
your character sheet. EXAMPLE: If a Predator type adds a
specialty for which you lack the
Record Your Humanity For Obfuscate, Carmen picks matching Skill, gain a dot in that
Humanity defines how far your “Cloak of Shadows” and “Unseen Skill instead.
character has degenerated into Passage.” For Animalism, she
monstrosity. A character with zero selects “Bond Famulus.” Fresh bloodsuckers, like thin-
Humanity has completely suc- bloods and many fledglings, do
cumbed to the Beast and can no Thin-bloods and Disciplines not select a Predator type as they
longer be used as a player character. Thin-bloods cannot reliably use are still figuring out this aspect of
the Disciplines associated with their nocturnal existence.
Your Humanity begins at 7. The thicker Blood. To compensate for
Storyteller may allow characters in this, they have developed their What Is Your Story?
an all-fledgling chronicle to begin own art: Thin-Blood Alchemy.
with Humanity 8. They also gain more from the In this stage of character creation,
Resonances of their victims (see you finish the character’s inner
See more Humanity rules on p. 226). life, and connect them to the outer
pp. 236-241. world of the chronicle and to the
Since thin-bloods likely retain larger World of Darkness.
How Do You Hunt? more connections to the mortal
world, consider selecting Contacts, beliefs by night Now that you
Every serial killer has a pattern. Influence, and other Mortal Advan- know how you kill, figure out why.
Every predator has instincts. Yours tages, or an additional Touchstone.
depend on your Disciplines and on Write any new figures from these If your character’s mortal
your Predator type. Advantages on the Relationship Ambition remains intact, write it
Map. (or its distorted Cainite version)
choose your disciplines After on your character sheet. If you’ve
characters first become vampires, No thin-blood can buy Bond- learned enough about the setting
they gain various Disciplines, grant- ing, Mawla, Retainers, or Status to want to change it, consider
ed by the Blood. See pp. 243-287 for during character creation. (A writing down a Kindred-style
descriptions of the Disciplines and mixed coterie can buy them as a Ambition instead.
their associated powers. shared Background.)
advantages We all have advan-
Pick two of the Disciplines asso- choose your predator tages and flaws that are hard to
ciated with your clan (see the Clans describe in terms of simple skills
chapter, pp. 63-113), and take two type  You, your sire, or your Blood or abilities. It can be extreme social
dots in one and one dot in the other. determines how you hunt. Pick privilege or political pull, wealth,
beauty, friends in low places, or the
If you are Caitiff, thus having no lack of those things. Advantages help
clan, pick any two Disciplines you define your character’s life further
like and take two dots in one and and come in handy even after death.
one dot in the other.

149

COREBOOK

exEexeccutuivetive

Choose up to seven dots reason they remain your friend tages produce the best story for
worth of Advantages from the even when you become a mon- your character.
Merits section (pp. 179-182) and ster.
the Backgrounds section (p. 184). You must take at least two
You should keep a couple of Depending on the nature of points of Flaws by the end of
things in mind during this step: your chronicle, the Storyteller character creation. Add any new
may restrict your Advantages. supporting cast from your Ad-
First, these Advantages need vantages to the Relationship Map.
to be relevant to your existence The Storyteller may also
as a vampire since you’re paying decide that some Backgrounds EXAMPLE:
to use them during the chronicle. should be mandatory or that
If you pick your parish priest as the coterie needs to buy a haven Looking to firmly ground his
an Ally, you’re either going to together and reserve some points character in the mortal world,
have to hide your true nature for that. If so, they might provide Klaus picks a two-dot Mask, two
from them or come up with some you with an extra dot or two. Re- dots of Resources and two dots of
ally think about which Advan-

150

CHARACTERS

Allies, representing friends and of your specific character and the dots of Advantages, two dots of
acquaintances that are still alive. unique way in which the curse Flaws, and subtracts one dot from
His last dot goes to a Contact – a manifests in them. Humanity. They also get 35 expe-
poor, overworked publisher. But rience points to spend.
nightlife is not without peril, build your coterie Every
and Klaus’ character has become player now gets one Coterie dot. TRAIT COSTS: EXPERIENCE
shunned by the local Anarchs (In small troupes, the Storyteller
because of earlier indiscretions – may give each player two Cote- trait experience
a two-point Flaw. rie dots.) Working together, the points
players spend these dots and any Increase
Choose a Loresheet leftover Advantage dots from Attribute New level x 5
Loresheets are a special type of previous stages building their co- Increase Skill
Advantage that connects your terie. Building the coterie together New Specialty New level x 3
character straight into the rich sparks story ideas, gives the players Clan Discipline 3
metaplot(s) of Vampire. Each a sense of ownership over the Other New level x 5
player may choose a Loresheet and chronicle, and helps keep everyone Discipline New level x 7
select dots in it just like any other on the same page – at least at the Caitiff
Advantage. Beware, however, that beginning of the story. Discipline New level x 6
these Advantages are often very Blood Sorcery
different in nature and may not be Use your Coterie dots to deter- Ritual Ritual level x 3
appropriate for all chronicles. The mine your hunting grounds: your Thin-Blood
Loresheets appear in the back of Domain in the city (p. 195). Formula Formula level x 3
this book; other Loresheets appear Advantage
in the Anarch and Camarilla books, Use leftover Advantage and Blood Potency 3 per dot
and more will appear in future pub- Coterie dots to buy shared Coterie New level x 10
lications. The Storyteller always has Backgrounds (p. 196).
the final word on which Loresheets The cost of a dot varies depend-
are available for player characters. Record any new supporting ing on what type of dot it is and
cast members emerging from these how many dots you already have
Remember to add any support- steps on the Relationship Map. in that Trait. The Trait Costs
ing characters mentioned in or cre- table provides these costs. “New
ated by your Loresheet Advantages sea of time This step depends level” on that table means the
to the Relationship Map. on your coterie’s age, as deter- level of Trait you want to buy.
mined earlier. For example, if you want to go
Thin-Blood Merits and Flaws from two dots of Composure (••)
No two thin-bloods are the same. Fledglings or childer: If you're this to three dots of Composure (•••),
The Camarilla hounds them partly young, you’re done! Run your prel- you need to pay 15 experience
for this very reason; not even their udes, take a quick look in the mir- points, because Composure 3 x
nature (or supernature) adheres ror (page 154), and start playing. 5 = 15.
to any rules. When creating a
thin-blood character, choose one Neonates: Each player charac- You cannot skip ahead and
to three Thin-Blood Merits (p. 183) ter gets 15 experience points to buy four dots of Composure (••••)
and an equal number of Thin- spend, representing their slow, for 20 points if you currently only
Blood Flaws (p. 182). This Advan- subtle growth throughout the have two dots of Composure (••).
tage represents the peculiarities decades. You need to first buy the third dot
of Composure (•••) for 15 experi-
Ancillae: Each ancilla adds one ence points, then buy four dots of
dot in Blood Potency, gains two Composure (••••) for 20.

151

COREBOOK

VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE ■■ leadership: Directing and inspiring others (So-
cial)
Summary Sheet
■■ medicine: Healing injuries, diagnosing disease
ATTRIBUTES (Mental)
■■ charisma: Charm, magnetism, strength of person-
■■ melee: Armed hand-to-hand combat (Physical)
ality (Social) ■■ occult: Secret lore, both real and unreal (Mental)
■■ manipulation: Getting others to do what you ■■ performance: Expressing art in person to an

want (Social) audience (Social)
■■ composure: Self-control, cool, calm head (Social) ■■ persuasion: Convincing others (Social)
■■ strength: Exertion of force by the muscles ■■ politics: Handling, moving, and making govern-

(Physical) ment (Mental)
■■ dexterity: Agility, grace, eye-hand coordination ■■ science: Knowledge and theory of the physical

(Physical) world (Mental)
■■ stamina: Toughness, resilience, endurance (Physi- ■■ stealth: Not being seen, heard, or recognized

cal) (Physical)
■■ intelligence: Memory, reasoning, intellect (Men- ■■ streetwise: Understanding the ins and outs of

tal) criminal and urban society (Social)
■■ wits: Cleverness, intuition, spur-of-the-moment ■■ subterfuge: Tricking others into doing your will

decision-making (Mental) (Social)
■■ resolve: Focus, concentration, attention (Mental) ■■ survival: Remaining alive in adverse surroundings

SKILLS (Physical)
■■ academics: Humanities and liberal arts, book- ■■ technology: Understanding and using modern

learning (Mental) technology, computers, and online activity (Men-
■■ animal ken: Animal handling and communication tal)

(Social) CLANS
■■ athletics: Running, jumping, climbing (Physical) Each clan has three clan Disciplines, listed after the
■■ awareness: Senses, being aware of your sur- brief description.
■■ brujah: The Rabble rebel against power and rage
roundings, spotting threats (Mental)
■■ brawl: Unarmed combat of all types (Physical) against tyranny. (Celerity, Potence, Presence)
■■ craft: Crafting, building, shaping (Physical) ■■ gangrel: The feral Outlanders blend vampire and
■■ drive: Operating vehicles (Physical)
■■ etiquette: Politeness in social settings (Social) beast. (Animalism, Fortitude, Protean)
■■ finance: Handling, moving, and making money ■■ malkavian: The madness of the Lunatics conceals

(Mental) and reveals truths. (Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate)
■■ firearms: Using ranged weapons, such as guns ■■ nosferatu: The hideous Sewer Rats hide their

and bows (Physical) disfigured forms in the darkness, from whence they
■■ insight: Determining states of mind and motives gather secrets. (Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence)
■■ toreador: The Degenerates seek thrills of art,
(Social) romance, and cruelty amidst stagnant undeath.
■■ intimidation: Getting another person to back (Auspex, Celerity, Presence)
■■ tremere: Broken by a new Inquisition, the once-
down (Social) mighty Warlocks seek to restore their monopoly
■■ investigation: Following clues, solving mysteries on sorcerous power. (Auspex, Dominate, Blood
Sorcery)
(Mental) ■■ ventrue: The aristocratic Blue Bloods enforce
■■ larceny: Breaking and entering, guarding against the Traditions and the Masquerade on the lesser
breeds. (Dominate, Fortitude, Presence)
that (Physical)

152

CHARACTERS

■■ caitiff: The clanless show no common traits, BACKGROUNDS
except to find themselves outcast by vampires of ■■ allies: Mortal associates, usually family or friends
distinct lineage. (None) ■■ contacts: The information sources you possess
■■ fame: How well-known you are among mortals
■■ thin-blooded: Born too far from Caine to fully ■■ haven: A place to sleep safely by day
share his curse, the Mercurian thin-bloods must ■■ herd: The vessels to which you have free and safe
claw their way into the dark world – or find a way
out. (Thin-Blood Alchemy) access
■■ influence: Your political power within mortal
DISCIPLINES
■■ animalism: Supernatural affinity with and control society
■■ loresheet: Your connection with the larger his-
of animals
■■ auspex: Extrasensory perception, awareness, and tory and legendry of the World of Darkness
■■ mask: A false identity, complete with documenta-
premonitions
■■ blood sorcery: The use of the Blood to perform tion
■■ mawla: A Kindred who advises and supports you:
magic
■■ celerity: Supernatural quickness and reflexes a mentor, patron, or confederate
■■ dominate: Mind control practiced through one’s ■■ resources: Wealth, belongings, and income
■■ retainers: Followers, guards, and servants
piercing gaze ■■ status: Your standing in undead society
■■ fortitude: Unearthly toughness, even to the
For other Advantages and Flaws, see pp. 179-184.
point of resisting fire and sunlight
■■ obfuscate: The ability to remain obscure and COTERIE TYPES
■■ blood cult: Controls a human cult and feeds from
unseen, even in crowds
■■ potence: The Discipline of physical vigor and them
■■ cerberus: Protects or guards an important location
strength ■■ champions: Fights for a good cause
■■ presence: The ability to attract, sway, and control ■■ commando: Fights for a master
■■ day watch: Guards the undead sleepers from
emotions
■■ protean: Shape-changing, from growing claws to mortals
■■ fang gang: Criminal crew, gang, or the like
melding with the earth ■■ hunting party: Captures humans with particular
■■ thin-blood alchemy: Mixing blood, emotion,
blood Resonances for others
and other ingredients to create powerful effects ■■ maréchal: Serves and guards the lord of the city
■■ nomads: Travels from place to place
PREDATOR STYLES ■■ plumaires: Social coterie that flocks together
■■ alleycat: You take blood by force or threat. ■■ questari: Seeks to accomplish a great enterprise or
■■ bagger: You acquire preserved or dead blood,
objective
rather than hunt the living. ■■ regency: Just running things until the elder gets
■■ blood leech: You feed from other vampires.
■■ cleaver: You take blood covertly from your mor- back
■■ sbirri: Disguised and covertly inserted by a rival lord
tal family or friends. ■■ vehme: Enforces the Masquerade
■■ consensualist: You take blood with consent. ■■ watchmen: Protects the city from supernatural
■■ farmer: You feed from animals.
■■ osiris: As an object of devotion, you feed from intruders

your cult, church, or fans.
■■ sandman: You feed from sleeping victims, often

breaking into homes.
■■ scene queen: You feed from a subculture or ex-

clusive group in which you enjoy high status.
■■ siren: You feed by seduction, under the guise of sex.

153

COREBOOK

look in the mirror You can bound or sinewy and corded? Let As the Storyteller, let those
detail other aspects of a character your Traits bleed into the game, who have the time or interest do
in addition to the above. You do even when you’re not rolling dice. as much shopping as they want,
not necessarily need to write these but don’t punish those who don’t
things down, but you should cer- Equipment – just have them make an Intel-
tainly think about them – not only By default, characters in Vam- ligence + Resources or Manipula-
now, but throughout the career of pire are assumed to have access tion + Streetwise test during play
your character. to whatever equipment that to see if they have access to various
lies within their Resources and possessions.
Appearance perhaps what is available through
Your character’s appearance their Contacts. Don’t spend more Quirks
makes their Traits visible to the time than you’d like detailing this; By giving your character quirks
other characters. Turn the relevant Vampire is not a game about ac- (interesting personal details and
Traits of your character – such counting, even if you do have five anecdotes) you can add depth and
as Social Attributes, levels of the dots of Finance. interest to them. Make some notes
Looks Merit, and even Resources to yourself about the strange and
– into aspects of their appearance. possibly interesting things that
High Intelligence can become a define your character. A quirk
clear, piercing gaze. High levels could be a twisted sense of humor,
of Finance might imply a be- a gentleness to animals, or a habit
spoke Savile Row suit. Does your of snarling when distracted or
Strength manifest as being muscle- annoyed ■

154

CHARACTERS

Core Traits

When a vampire wants to fast-talk Strength ••• Your agility is impressive, and
their way out of an inquisitorial your coordination is as good
interrogation, subdue the pack of Strength governs how big a mortal as any trained amateur.
hounds sent after them by a hostile you can lift, how hard you can hit
Sheriff, or dig their way through an them, and how much force you can •••• You could excel at acrobat-
abandoned Tremere library, they push your dead body to exert. ics and move in a way few
use both their natural Attributes humans can.
and learned Skills in an attempt (The rough amount you can
to succeed. Even when lacking any deadlift without an Attribute test ••••• Your movements are liquid
special training, a vampire can use appears in parentheses below.) and hypnotic – almost super-
their innate Physical, Social, or • You can easily crush a beer human.
Mental traits to attempt the task
at hand. can. (20 kg: a Christmas tree, Stamina
a stop sign)
Attribute and Skill ratings •• You are physically average. (45 Your physical resistance: Stamina
range from 1 (poor) through 2 (av- kg: a toilet) absorbs physical harm, such as a
erage) to 5 (peak ability), although ••• You might be able to break speeding bullet or a hunter’s blade,
ratings of 0 are possible. In an open a wooden door. (115 kg: a and lets you persevere through
Attribute, 0 indicates actual debil- large human, an empty coffin, hazards and arduous effort.
ity; in a Skill, 0 merely signifies no a refrigerator)
specific training or experience. A •••• You are a prime physical Your Stamina + 3 equals your
Skill of 3 might indicate significant specimen, likely with very Health.
experience, a Skill of 4 means an visible musculature. (180 kg: a • Even lesser exertions make
expert level; someone with Skill 5 full coffin, an empty dump-
is likely the best in the city or even ster) you winded.
in the nation. Most people get by ••••• You are a true powerhouse •• You can take a beating, but
perfectly well with 2 in their main and can likely break open
Skill. a metal fire door, tear open consider suing for peace.
a chain-link fence, or snap ••• Several days of hard hiking
Physical open a chained gate. (250 kg: a
motorcycle, a piano) with a backpack is no prob-
Attributes lem for you.
Dexterity •••• You could win a marathon or
Physical Attributes measure a take copious amounts of pain,
character’s general strength, agility, Dexterity governs your agility and at least physically.
and stamina. Due to the vagaries of grace, how swiftly you dodge that ••••• Even if you were a mortal,
the Blood, strong, quick, or tough stake to your heart, and how much you’d never break a sweat.
vampires need not look muscle- fine motor control you possess
bound, graceful, or meaty. Some when up against the clock. Social
of the most lethal Kindred appear • You can run, but balance and Attributes
most deceptively weak and slow.
dodging are a challenge. As manipulative creatures,
•• Your sprint is solid, and Kindred use humans as building
blocks in their power structure, in
sometimes you appear grace- addition to using them as food and
ful.

155

COREBOOK

fuel. Social Attributes determine ••••• You could convince the Prince it can fortify sinews or heighten
first impressions; the character’s to invest in desert property, cheekbones.
ability to charm, inspire, and moti- or maybe even to call off the
vate people; and the nature of their Blood Hunt on your head. Intelligence
interactions with others.
Composure Intelligence measures your ability
Charisma to reason, research, and apply
Composure allows you to remain logic. You can recall and analyze
Charisma measures your natural calm, to command your emotions, information from books or from
charm, grace, and sex appeal. If and to put others at ease despite your senses. No puzzle or mystery
you have it, it draws people to anxiety. It is also represents your can elude the truly intelligent.
you, making feeding a hell of a lot ability to stay cool in everything • You can read and write com-
easier. Charisma doesn’t depend from firefights to intimate encoun-
on good looks, which are their own ters. petently, though some terms
Merit (See Looks, p. 179). confound you.
• You can speak clearly, though Your Composure + Resolve •• You are smart enough to real-
equals your Willpower (p. 157). ize your limitations.
few people tend to listen. • The slightest insult or con- ••• You are enlightened, able to
•• Generally likeable despite piece together clues without
frontation could drive you to difficulty.
your undead nature, you may frenzy. •••• You’re likely consulted by
even have friends. •• You can subdue your preda- members of Clan Tremere for
••• People trust you implicitly, tory instincts in most non- your wisdom.
and you easily make friends. hostile situations. ••••• Genius does not cover the
•••• You possess significant per- ••• Others look to you for guid- depths and range of your
sonal magnetism and draw ance when the blood spatter intellect.
followers like flies. hits the fan.
••••• You could lead a city in rebel- •••• You can effortlessly bluff at Wits
lion, if you so choose. cards and can manage your
Beast to some extent. Wits are for thinking quickly and
Manipulation ••••• The Beast is your pet. reacting correctly on little infor-
mation. “You hear a sound” is Wits;
Manipulation is your ability to Mental “You hear two guards coming” is
twist others to your point of view, Attributes Intelligence. Wits let you smell
lie convincingly, and walk away af- an ambush or answer the Harpy
ter duping a mark without anyone Mental Attributes represent the back at court right away, instead of
being any the wiser. capacity for learning, intuition, thinking of the best response the
• As long as you stay honest, and focus. High Mental Attributes next night.
might indicate native genius, su- • You get the point eventually,
you can convince people to do perb education, or strong will. Low
what you want. Mental Attributes might derive but it takes explaining.
•• Your ability to deceive sur- from naiveté, ignorance, or just •• You can bet the odds in
passes the will of the weak- incapacity at thinking. But that
willed and simple-minded. was in life; the Blood can awaken poker or apply the emergency
••• You never have to pay full brains and nerve clusters just as brakes in time. Usually.
price for anything. ••• You can analyze a situation
•••• You could be a cult leader – and quickly work out the best
or a politician. escape route.

156

CHARACTERS

ar tiAsrttist

•••• You are never caught on the ••• Distracting you takes more A character’s maximum
back foot and always come up effort than most other people Willpower rating equals their
with a smart riposte. want to spend. Composure + Resolve. You cannot
buy extra dots of Willpower either
••••• You think and respond more •••• You can brute-force your during character creation or with
quickly than most people can way to a deduction past any experience points, but you can get
comprehend. obstacles. more through increased Compo-
sure and/or Resolve.
Resolve ••••• You can think in a gunfight
or watch the door in a blood A character’s Willpower pool
Resolve provides focus and deter- orgy and then clean up every likely fluctuates a great deal during
mination, and measures concentra- shell casing or spilled droplet. the course of a story or chronicle.
tion and mental fortitude. Resolve It is spent every time a player uses
powers all-night watches and Willpower a Willpower point to enable their
blocks out distractions. character to do something ex-
Willpower measures a charac- traordinary or to resist unwanted
Your Composure + Resolve ter’s confidence, mental stability, impulses. Social conflict can also
equals your Willpower. and competence at overcoming drain Willpower. When spending
• You have minimal attention unfavorable odds. Like Health,
Willpower is a tracker, with both a
for all but the most pressing maximum rating and a temporary
things. pool of points.
•• You can settle in for the long
haul, as long as it’s not too
long.

157

COREBOOK

TWISTING THE DIAL a point of Willpower, mark it as Superficial damage on
Manipulating the Willpower regeneration the tracker (see p. 126).
rate is a perfect way to set the level of
personal horror in your chronicle. If you A character with no Willpower points left (through
want characters to be able to live with either type of damage or a combination) is Impaired,
their bestial nature for longer without receiving a -2 dice penalty to Social and Mental tests.
consequence, or you simply run a very They still get to roll one die if required to roll their
dice-heavy chronicle, increase Willpower pool, as per the usual rules.
regeneration: Let characters recover all
Superficial Willpower damage at the start Spending Willpower
of a session, instead of the using a limit of
the highest of Resolve or Composure. A player may spend a point of Willpower for several
different purposes:
Conversely, if you want characters to ■■ To re-roll up to three regular dice, (not Hunger
be even more enslaved to their Hunger,
or you rarely roll dice at all, reduce the dice) in any dice pool except when the rules
amount of Willpower regained: Limit Will- specifically exclude Willpower re-rolls: rolling
power recovery to the lowest of Resolve tracker pools, engaging in a One-Roll Conflict (p.
and Composure, or even to just a single 296), etc.
point per session. ■■ To take control of your character for one turn dur-
ing frenzy or when under the influence of super-
natural coercion, such as Dominate or Presence (see
p. 255).
■■ To perform minute movements (twitch a finger,
open your eyes) while impaled with a wooden stake
through the heart.
■■ To ignore Health damage penalties, including Im-
pairment, for one turn.

Recovering Willpower

Characters can recover Superficial damage to Will-
power in the following ways:
■■ At the beginning of a session, a character can re-

move an amount of Superficial damage up to their
Composure or Resolve (use highest) from their
Willpower track. Exception: a session that ends on
a cliffhanger in which dwindling Willpower levels
provide tension. In such cases, the characters retain
whatever Willpower they were left with after last
session.
■■ At the Storyteller’s discretion, once per session,
a character who definitively acts to further their
Desire (p. 174) may immediately recover 1 point of
Superficial Willpower damage.
■■ At the Storyteller’s discretion, a character who
plays out a messy critical (p. 207), a bestial failure

158

CHARACTERS

(p. 207), a frenzy (p. 219), or SKILL SPECIALTIES
a Compulsion (p. 208) in a A specialty represents a particular expertise in one aspect of a Skill. This is a
sufficiently dramatic way can field where a character may be especially practiced, have a special aptitude,
recover one or more Superfi- or be engaged in deeper study. If the Storyteller decides a character is at-
cial Willpower damage as they tempting a task that falls under their specialty, the player gains one extra die
briefly satiate the Beast. for their dice pool. A character may only apply one of their specialties to a
single roll.
Characters can recover Aggravated
damage to Willpower in the fol- Each Skill includes sample specialties, but this list is not exhaustive.
lowing ways: Players can consult the Storyteller to develop other specialties that more
■■ At the Storyteller’s discretion, precisely model their characters. For most Skills, you can only have as many
specialties as you have dots in the Skill.
a character can recover one
or more points of Aggravated You should not allow specialties that are so broad that they always, or
Willpower damage when act- even mostly, apply to the uses of a Skill. Characters cannot take specific
ing to significantly benefit martial arts styles, for example, as specialties to Brawl. Since any use of
a Touchstone or uphold a Brawl could be a Muay Thai strike, taking Muay Thai as a specialty would
Conviction against their own effectively equal a free extra die in every Brawl test.
best interest.
■■ At the end of a session in Four Skills come with one automatic specialty when acquired: Craft,
which the character has Academics, Science, and Performance.
actively worked toward their
Ambition, they recover one Characters receive one free specialty during character creation to apply
point of Aggravated Willpower to any Skill, and one more free specialty determined by their Predator type.
damage.
You can buy further specialties at a cost of three experience points each.
Physical Skills

Physical Skills depend entirely, or
at least in large part, on physical
control, aptitude, or effort.

Athletics

Athletics allows you to outpace
someone in pursuit, leap out of the
way of an oncoming car, and climb
and swim like a healthy, robust
living person.

A character can use Athletics
in place of any Physical combat
Skill in a conflict roll, but in that
case, they never inflict any hits on
their opponent, no matter how
many successes they roll.

159

COREBOOK

• You were always attentive in onships even without the use adverse conditions or in stressful
gym class and you still have a of your vampiric powers. situations: to drive off-road, speed
spring in your step. away from ambushes, win street
Specialties: Animals, Armed races, and get out of chases with
•• Despite being dead, you are Mortals, Bar Fights, Grappling, the Second Inquisition.
still as fit as a mortal doing Kindred, Sporting Combat, Un- • You are a cautious driver, un-
regular exercise. armed Mortals, Werewolves, While
in Protean Beast Form likely to make any mistakes.
••• You are fit as a fiddle and •• You can put your foot down
could play professional sports. Craft
Night games, at least. without much fear of an ac-
Craft broadly encompasses artistry, cident, providing visibility is
•••• With your parkour abilities, creation of items and utilities from good.
why would you need to turn the beautiful to the functional, ••• You have won car chases,
into a bat? and arts and crafts from throwing earning a cool reputation
pottery all the way to building and among the Anarchs.
••••• Olympic records await you; reinforcing your own haven. •••• You could be a stunt driver
only a very few peak humans or the personal chauffeur of a
can achieve what you can. When you take this Skill, you Prince or Baron.
Vampires mistake your skill get a free specialty. Unlike most ••••• You know cars inside and out.
for Physical Disciplines. Skills, you can have more special- Few can match your skill and
ties in Craft than you have dots. knowledge.
Specialties: Acrobatics, Archery, • You are an amateur, but you
Climbing, Endurance, Jumping, Specialties: All-Terrain Vehicles,
Parkour, Swimming, Throwing know what you are doing. Evasion, Motorcycles, Street
•• Your craftsmanship is ad- Racing, Stunts, Tailing, Trucks,
Brawl Vintage Models
mired for its functionality.
Brawl enables characters to hit ••• Your creations can be beauti- Firearms
their target when they swing with
fist, boot, or claw. As long as ful or horrifying, but their Leaving a victim with holes in their
you have no weapon in hand, the intent always clear. throat: full-on Second Inquisition
attack constitutes a brawl, from •••• Your skill is highly respected investigation. Leaving a victim
elegant aikijutsu to dirty street among the kine and Kindred with holes in their head: just an-
fighting. aware of it. other Saturday night in Baltimore.
• You had a tough upbringing ••••• You are often chosen to create Cainites use Firearms not only for
the focal point for parties at the human reasons (efficiency and
and had to fight to justify Elysium. thrill) but to preserve the Masquer-
your place. You still have some ade. This Skill comprises familiar-
moves. Specializations: Carpentry, Carv- ity with small arms from holdout
•• You received some training ing, Design, Painting, Sculpting, pistols to assault rifles. It also
in hitting someone hard and Sewing, Weaponsmithing includes other trigger-operated
accurately. weapons, such as crossbows and
••• You more than hold your own Drive shoulder-fired rocket-propelled
in a scrap. grenades. Finally, it includes
•••• You either received Spetsnaz- Anyone (except perhaps 500-year- cleaning, unjamming, and rapidly
quality training, or you have old vampires) can learn to drive a reloading such weapons.
spent decades of afterlife in car. The Drive Skill connotes abil-
fights. ity to drive fast and safely under
••••• You could win MMA champi-

160

CHARACTERS

I am born of death,
Fierce with the pyre of desperation,
Armed only with sand and bile.
Lacking only hope and grace.
You will not annul me.
Not tonight.

161

COREBOOK

ADDING NEW SKILLS • You’ve fired a gun a few times,
If you want to add a new Skill, go ahead and do so! However, do a at the range or in less-formal
little thinking about it first. New Skills take up space, not just on circumstances.
the character sheet, but in the players’ brains.
•• You know (and know how) to
Is the new Skill actually a better fit as a specialty of an exist- keep your weapon clean, take it
ing Skill? Is the new Skill common enough in play to be worth apart, and reassemble it.
segregating out? Maybe firing field-expedient, Hezbollah-style,
steel-pipe-and-concrete mortars doesn’t seem very much like ••• You’ve been in the shit (“seen
Technology to you. Modern mortars all depend on computerized the elephant” if you’re older
targeting and fire control, though, so – how much pre-1990 artil- than a century) and come out
lery firing happens in your game? Are the characters going to fly the other side.
a lot of different aircraft in the chronicle, or does Helicopter Pilot
play just as well as a specialty of Drive, or Jet Pilot as a specialty of •••• You can handle trick shots,
Technology? called shots, running shots –
really anything ending in a
Even if the chronicle might include a decent amount of a given gunshot.
activity, are the actions themselves that different? Remember,
Skills encompass many different specialties. If one parachute ••••• You’ve been practicing since
jump looks a lot like the next in play, do you need to separate the debut of the Winchester.
out HALO jumping from Parasailing, rather than just increasing
Difficulty for a given jump? Even if the chronicle centers on an Specialties: Crossbows, Gun Deal-
airborne vampire special forces team, Parachuting still probably ing, Gunsmithing, Handloading
works better as a specialty of Athletics. Ammunition, Quick-Draw, Sniper,
Trick Shooting
So let’s say you’ve got a chronicle set in Los Angeles, Mumbai,
Lagos, or Seoul, and you really think at least one player character Wealth comes to those most
will be a director and hiding vampiric messages in movies will be a comfortable with evil.
big part of the story. Is Filmmaking a big enough subject to be its
own Skill? Maybe your best move here is to cobble together a Skill
called Art, borrow some specialties from Academics, Performance,
and Craft, and then make Filmmaking a specialty of Art.

Whether your new Skill turns out to be Pilot or Art, decide
whether it’s primarily Physical, Mental, or Social. Then, go look at
the existing subsystems of the game to see where your new Skill
slots in.

162

CHARACTERS

Storytellers should discourage obvious crocks such as alarms, so they might also involve the Technology Skill
suggested specialties in “Combat Shooting,” “Pistols,” or to defeat.
even “Glock 17s.” A specialty in Your Personal Signature • You can pick a simple lock or a careless pocket.
Weapon You’ve Carried For Decades might be allow- •• You can hotwire a car or shoplift with ease.
able, because if you take your personally engraved Colt ••• You can identify the locations of security cameras
balanced to your personal grip to every gunfight, you’re
much more likely to drop it, have it stolen, or have its and alarms so to best bypass them.
ballistic fingerprint connect you to a series of murders. •••• You can defeat a keypad, re-tool an ID card, or

Larceny crack a safe.
••••• You can get into – or out of – the vault of a mul-
This Skill entails familiarity with the tools and techniques
for picking locks, planting bugs, deactivating standard tinational bank.
burglar and car alarms, manual forgery, hot-wiring auto-
mobiles, or even safecracking, as well as countless forms Specialties: Alarms, Forgery, Grand Theft Auto,
of breaking and entering. Characters also use it for setting Housebreaking, Lockpicking, Pickpocket, Safecrack-
up “unbeatable” security systems or deducing how and ing, Security Analysis
where systems failed in a break-in. Ventrue probably call
the skill “Security.” Melee

These days, most high-end security systems feature Use Melee to wield handheld weapons such as knives,
computer controls, video surveillance, or electronic chains, and baseball bats with prowess. A stake is a
melee weapon, often found in the hands of would-be
hunters.

163

COREBOOK

• You can swing a bat or blade Specialties: Ambushes, Crowds, Animal Ken
and mostly hit the people you Disguise, Hiding, Shadowing, Si-
intend to. lent Movement, Urban, Wilderness Animal Ken allows you to cow,
pacify, and even befriend animals.
•• Your clear competence with Survival This Skill allows you to predict
a weapon in hand should give how an animal might react in a
attackers pause. Survival conveys the ability to exist given situation, train a domesticat-
in the wild and other adverse condi- ed creature, or even try to calm or
••• Your skill with a melee tions, and to return to civilization enrage animals. Without this Skill,
weapon is known throughout again: navigate by the stars, establish most creatures pointedly avoid or
the domain. a makeshift haven, and notice grow aggressive around vampires.
werewolf signs before it’s too late. • Animals shy away from you
•••• The fools brought a gun to Some of its related functions apply
your knife fight. in parks, brownfields, and other but will not bolt or snap.
wastelands of the urban jungle. •• Animals are docile around
••••• You are the domain’s weap- • You know the trails and wil-
onmaster, sought out by you, acting as if you aren’t
Kindred far and wide for your derness around your domain. there, unless you build a rap-
skill. •• You spend more time out- port with them.
••• Animals treat you as if you
Specialties: Axes, Chains, Clubs, doors than inside, and you were a warm, friendly owner,
Fencing, Disarming Blows, Gar- can track anyone who doesn’t unless provoked to do other-
rotes, Improvised Weapons, possess woodcraft. wise.
Knives, Stakes, Swords ••• You can subsist outside the •••• You draw animals into your
city, setting traps for mortals orbit. Few attacking creatures
Stealth and a shelter for yourself. maintain their aggression.
•••• You can thrive outside the ••••• You can sense an animal’s
Stealth allows a character to city like the true predator feelings and thoughts, and
shadow a target, making vampires you are. they can feel and act on yours.
with this ability superlative hunt- ••••• Gangrel run in packs with
ers. They benefit from the ability you – if they can keep up. Specialties: Attack Training, Cats,
to spy, sneak, and blend in with Dogs, Falconry, Horses, Pacifica-
crowds when needed. Specialties: Desert, Hunting, tion, Rats, Snakes, Stunt Training,
• Spotting you under the cover Jungle, Tracking, Traps, Shelters, Wolves
Urban Exploration, Woodlands
of darkness or in camouflage Etiquette
proves difficult. Social Skills
•• You can sneak by casual ob- Etiquette is the ability to identify
servers and stalk unknowing Social Skills operate in the space and respond to the social conven-
victims without raising any between people or between Kin- tions in the current scene, set new
hackles. dred. Although they depend on protocols, and please everyone
••• You evade patrolling guards, your ability and your personality, around with your good graces. Use
moving softly and hiding easily. the other party’s response con- this Skill in both Kindred and
•••• Your subtle, silent passage tributes something to the effort. mortal high society.
could make you a worthy ninja Without skill on your part, that • You know how to address
– or a worthy foe for ninja. response tends to be negative.
••••• The Children of Haqim come your local ruler without caus-
to you for advice on stalking ing a faux pas.
and hiding, if they can find •• You know the rules of eti-
you.

164

CHARACTERS

quette in each of the domain’s • You can see straight through your way to a social victory. Vam-
popular nightspots. hollow boasts. pires who rely on Intimidation do
••• You impress others with your not hesitate to crush the wills –
command of politeness, defer- •• You pick up on the hidden and occasionally the finger bones
ence, and grace. emotion between humans – of their foes.
•••• Your behavior sets trends, and even sometimes between • You can cut a scathing insult
especially if you do something Kindred.
to buck the norm of etiquette. effectively.
••••• The Keeper of Elysium and ••• You can provide psychothera- •• You can push your way
the Harpies look to you to py even more effectively than
establish domain protocol. someone who doesn’t want to around most humans without
eat their patient. difficulty.
Specialties: Anarch, Camarilla, ••• Your swagger and your cruel
Celebrities, Corporate, Elysium, •••• You are an undead lie detec- behavior have earned you
Feudal, One-Percenter, Secret tor. Only the best con artists your reputation.
Society can slip one by you. •••• You're far past mere physical
threats.
Insight ••••• People may be books of ••••• Even fellow Kindred may step
blood, but they are printed in back if you step up.
Insight grants you the ability to very large type – easy to read.
interpret body language, note Specialties: Extortion, Insults,
subtle cues in expression and tone, Specialties: Ambitions, Desires, Interrogation, Physical Coercion,
and determine truth from lies. It Detect Lies, Emotions, Empathy, Staredowns, Veiled Threats
also allows you to perceive and Interrogation, Motives, Phobias,
understand the motives behind Vices Leadership
another’s actions.
Intimidation Leadership grants you the abil-
ity to lead a crowd, command a
Intimidation is the power to bully,
coerce, threaten, and strongarm

165

COREBOOK

detachment, boost the morale of over even Toreador far and ••••• You may be the original
your supporters, or subdue a riot. wide. silver-tongued devil.
A strong Prince or Baron must ••••• Improvisation holds no ter-
possess Leadership or risk losing rors for you: every night a dif- Specialties: Bargaining, Fast Talk,
their throne. ferent audience, every night a Interrogation, Legal Argument,
• You have led informal clubs different show. Negotiation, Rhetoric

before and can organize Kin- Specialties: Comedy, Dance, Streetwise
dred of like mind. Drama, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards,
•• Your voice makes itself heard Poetry, Public Speaking, Rap, Sing- Streetwise enables characters to
in council, and even your ing, Violin, Wind Instruments talk the language and negotiate the
superiors sometimes listen. societies of the streets and the un-
••• You can command on the bat- In theory, the Storyteller could derworld. You can understand code
tlefield and lead your soldiers break these specialties down end- words and slang, interpret graffiti
into death. lessly – can even a five-dot pop tags, and emulate gang signs.
•••• You can inspire the injured star also perform as a coloratura • You know where to score
and dying to action, so long soprano and a country crooner?
as you are there to lead them. But in practice, unless the whole drugs and sex in your domain.
••••• Your words fill a vampire’s chronicle happens in a musical or •• You know which gangs oper-
heart with enough strength to theatrical milieu, allow broader
make it feel alive and beating. specialties. ate in the area, including their
colors and rivalries. You may
Specialties: Command, Inspira- Persuasion have your own graffiti tag.
tion, Oratory, Praxis, Team Dy- ••• You can tell the good shit
namics, War Pack Use Persuasion when trying to con- from bad, score guns, and
vince others that you know what’s blend in seamlessly with
Performance best for them, and that one bite street people or gangbangers.
won’t hurt at all. Skilled persuaders •••• When gangsters say “I know a
Performance covers a range of arts, can play on victims’ emotions and guy,” you’re who they know.
from dance to poetry and comedy appeal to peers’ reason. Persuasion ••••• You can hire, orchestrate, or
to storytelling. You may be an in- applies in law courts and princely arrange almost any criminal
spired performer in your own right courts, in boardrooms, barrooms, activity anywhere in your city.
or simply an enthusiastic student and bedrooms.
of the arts. • You can sell to a motivated Specialties: Arms Dealing, Black
Market, Bribery, Drugs, Fence
When you take this Skill, you buyer. Stolen Goods, Gangs, Graffiti,
get a free specialty. •• You can always swing a Personal Rep, Sex Trade, Urban
• You are the life of the party, Survival
discount or get on the inside
but you wouldn’t take your track of the latest gossip. Subterfuge
act on stage. ••• You can always figure out a
•• You have performed for oth- compromise in a given con- Subterfuge is the art of lying
ers, to mixed reviews. Some flict. convincingly, spinning a yarn, and
love you, others hate you. •••• The other side starts looking making good excuses for bad ac-
••• You are an expert student of for a settlement when they tions. This Skill defines your talent
your chosen performing art. see you in court, human or for intrigue, secrets, and double-
•••• You perform your practiced Kindred. dealing. Subterfuge can also used
art form stunningly, winning

166

CHARACTERS

This is the line between life and death. The Heartbeat
facet – knowing the inevitable is coming, accepting
there is nothing we can do. You must die with me.

167

COREBOOK

for seduction and imitating mortal •• Basic university education Finance
behavior. or tutelage from a mediocre
• You can tell believable, simple mentor; a four-year degree Finance allows you to identify
trends in the market, invest well,
lies. ••• Advanced university educa- manipulate stock, and know when
•• You can hustle naive people, tion or dedicated personal a fall is coming. It also allows you
tuition; an excellent four-year to assess – and trace – the wealth
old and young, into giving degree, a doctorate of others and broker financial
you their things. deals. You can generally appraise
••• You can operate on multiple •••• Advanced specialized study art, property, or any other non-
levels, telling lies intended to beyond university, learning criminal good. Ventrue value this
be uncovered to bolster other into subjects few understand Skill more than some Disciplines.
lies. • You can run a business and
•••• You can operate endlessly in ••••• Refined and advanced schol-
deep cover: a perfect double arship, likely to be sought out keep books.
agent. Perhaps you are! for advice and tutelage •• You can manage a corporate
••••• Nobody believes you have
even a single dot in Subter- Specialties: Architecture, English division or bank branch; you
fuge. Literature, History of Art, History file impeccably plausible tax
(specific Field or Period), Journal- returns.
Specialties: Bluff, Feign Mortality, ism, Philosophy, Research, Teach- ••• Thanks to international trad-
Impeccable Lies, Innocence, The ing, Theology
Long Con, Seduction
Awareness
Mental Skills
Awareness handles your percep-
Mental Skills depend almost tions. You may spot a Child of
entirely on specialized knowledge, Haqim before a strike occurs, spy a
as well as on the character’s core key dropped in the trash, or sense
intellectual gifts. a lingering perfume.
• You have a history of know-
Academics
ing when something is out of
Academics reflects understanding, place.
higher education, and ability to •• You can spot erratic or pattern
research fields within the humanities behavior in an individual.
and the liberal arts. Historical study, ••• You can see through most
for instance, is hardly “just academ- disguises and sense concealed
ic” if your immortal enemies lived – dangers or hidden clues.
and left traces – in that period. •••• Even when you are distracted,
few things are beyond your
When you take this Skill, you get notice.
a free specialty. For foreign languag- ••••• Your senses are those of a
es, use the Linguistics Merit (p. 179). wild animal.
• Basic primary and secondary
Specialties: Ambushes, Camou-
education; a night class at flage, Concealed Objects, Hear-
community college ing, Instincts, Smell, Sight, Traps,
Wilderness

168

CHARACTERS

ing, you make a fine broker unravel cases of mundane and ••••• You set riddles for others
on foreign stock exchanges. mysterious means, spot clues, and live an enigmatic exist-
•••• Investment banks follow your interpret them, and trace missing ence few can penetrate.
financial lead. You have no persons. Vampires find this Skill
trouble concealing fraud. especially useful when a vessel Specialties: Criminology, Deduc-
••••• You can make money do any- escapes. tion, Forensics, Missing Persons,
thing, including stick to your • You love a good mystery Murder, Paranormal Mysteries,
pockets – or crash countries. Traffic Analysis
novel and fancy yourself an
Specialties: Appraisal, Banking, amateur sleuth. Medicine
Black Markets, Corporate Finance, •• You have a firm knowledge
Currency Manipulation, Fine of criminology and the sig- Medicine allows you to fix people
Art, Forensic Accounting, Money nature acts of local rogues. who are broken and diagnose
Laundering, Stock Market ••• You are, or could be, a de- causes of death or sickness in a
tective by trade. Nothing in victim. It also allows you to use
Investigation a crime scene escapes you. medical equipment, prescribe
•••• The Sheriff comes to you drugs, and stanch (or encourage)
Investigation allows you to when unknown parties sab- rapid blood flow.
otage the domain’s safety.

169

COREBOOK

Characters use Medicine to and you may have read the
heal Aggravated Health damage in Book of Nod.
mortals (see p. 127). •• You can sift the truth from
• You know basic anatomy and pop occult nonsense.
••• You have firsthand experience
the difference in blood flow of something inexplicable,
from a vein and an artery. even by Kindred standards.
You can perform CPR and •••• You could name most of the
other first aid. You may have Antediluvians and even com-
been a medical student in prehend a Tremere ritual.
life. ••••• Tremere and Children of
•• You can comfortably treat Haqim consult with you on
minor traumas and illnesses obscure lore.
and narrow down a diag-
nosis. You may have been a Specializations: Alchemy, Blood
nurse or EMT in life. Magic, Faeries, Ghosts, Grimoires,
••• Your training allows you to Infernalism, Magi, Necromancy,
perform major operations Noddism, Parapsychology,
and treat serious injuries. Voudun, Werewolves
You may have been an
internist, pediatrician, or Politics
general practitioner in life.
•••• You can diagnose and treat Politics covers diplomacy and
all but the rarest of illnesses. bureaucracy: both human and
You may have been a surgeon Kindred. You can work with, and
or specialist in life. possibly put pressure on, city
••••• You are a noted medical ex- government and perhaps higher
pert, sought out by mortals levels. Among Kindred, you know
and immortals alike. the inside scoop on which sects
Specialties: First Aid, Haematol- are dominant where, who is at war
ogy, Pathology, Pharmacy, Phle- with whom, and where the bodies
botomy, Surgery, Trauma Care, are buried. Literally.
Veterinary • You follow mortal political

Occult affairs in your regnum, and
you know at least what the
Occult represents knowledge of elders reveal about Kindred
the mystical world, extending politics.
from the rites and practices of •• You can apply influence at a
Freemasons and Rosicrucians, all local level, or you know who
the way to Noddist scholars and can.
real mages. You can recognize oc- ••• You could run political cam-
cult sigils and folk-magic practices, paigns or political machines,
effective or not. or make waves in your sect as
• You know the legends of an up-and-comer.
•••• You know the true personali-
Caine and the Antediluvians,

170

CHARACTERS

ties of the real movers and ••••• Few peers match your
shakers, live and undead, in understanding, and others
your area. come to you for guidance.
••••• You could guess at the
unknown members of the Specialties: Astronomy, Biol-
Camarilla’s Inner Circle. ogy, Chemistry, Demolitions,
Engineering, Genetics, Geology,
Specialties: Anarchs, Camarilla, Mathematics, Physics
City Government, Clan (specific),
Diplomacy, Media, National Poli- Technology
tics, State/Provincial Politics
As a Skill, Technology acts as
Science something of a moving target;
it governs the operation and
Science is a broad church, cover- understanding of “technical
ing everything from basic princi- developments most vampires find
ples of life to the understanding mystifying.” In 1870, it might
of universal entropy. The laws of have governed steam engines and
science govern the mortal world, electricity; these nights, it governs
and vampires who wish to rule computers and computer systems.
that world study them. Of course, now computers govern
almost everything – including
Levels of the Science Skill steam turbines in power plants
roughly match those in Aca- and electrical systems in office
demics, from “some college” to buildings.
“world-famous scholar.” Also like • You know how to upgrade a
Academics, characters with a rat-
ing in Science get a free specialty. home PC and keep it pro-
• You dabble in the sciences tected from viruses.
•• You can conceal your IP, operate
and understand the prin- drones, and fake a digital
ciples behind the building photograph.
blocks of life. ••• You can create and unleash your
•• You can accurately explain own viruses without fear of
the competing scientific detection.
theories of the Embrace to •••• The Prince might call you per-
another vampire. sonally to manage cybersecu-
••• You make an excellent rity for their domain.
scientific manager; you can ••••• On the internet, nobody
run a laboratory, interpret knows you’re a vampire – or
scientific findings, and get that you’re there at all.
up to speed on scientific
research in most fields. You Specializations: Artillery, Coding,
can repair scientific equip- Computer Building, Data Min-
ment. ing, Hacking, Networks, Phones,
•••• You are an expert in your Surveillance Systems ■
field and in those allied to it.

171

COREBOOK

Beliefs

Not precisely Traits, as they have ■■ Slavery is evil on the characters when violated
no numerical rating, a character’s ■■ Obey authority – if a player might genuinely risk
core beliefs nevertheless drive their ■■ My country, right or wrong trauma by playing a story featuring
story. For that reason, they have ■■ None may control me a given violation, the Storyteller
mechanical effects in the game, ■■ Never do drugs (or drink should either avoid that subject or
which exist to depict and play out invite the player to join a differ-
exactly that drama. alcohol) ent troupe to explore a different
■■ Thou shalt not torture chronicle entirely.
Convictions ■■ The guilty must be punished
■■ From each according to their Chronicle Tenets apply to
Each character begins with one to all player characters in a chroni-
three Convictions: human values abilities, to each according to cle, even if the character doesn’t
they attempt to uphold even after their needs hold this belief personally. The
death. ■■ Rob from the rich, give to the struggle between a character’s
poor individual moral code and that of
The specifics of these Convic- ■■ Reject wealth, for it corrupts their society forms one of the core
tions are up to the player. They ■■ Never act against another (in- stories in human literature, after
might reflect a religious code, a sert own group/faith/sect) all. The chronicle Tenets comprise
personal ethical core, a vampiric ■■ Always aid women in need a kind of ethical ground floor, so
path, or just things the character ■■ Stand up for the disenfran- that when and if the characters do
does or balks at doing without ever chised become nihilistic serial killers, it
really considering their philosophi- ■■ Respect (insert religion here) as carries a cost.
cal weight. The Storyteller should sacred and obey its moral laws
feel free to reject suggested Con- Also make sure to talk through
victions on the grounds of taste or Incurring Stains in the service of the chosen Tenets in your group,
of suitability for the type of story your Convictions mitigate some of so that all players understand
they intend. the Stains, see p 239. what they mean and what kind of
actions would consist violations of
Some example Convictions Violating a Conviction may these Tenets.
might include: also, at the Storyteller’s discre-
■■ Thou shalt not kill tion, incur one or more Stains as Some sample chronicle Tenet
■■ Kill only the unworthy/unbeliev- well. sets follow:

ers/in fair combat/in self-defense Chronicle humanist
■■ Never expose children to vio- Tenets
■■ Thou shalt not kill, save in self-
lence The troupe should assemble a defense
■■ Love thy neighbor as thyself set of chronicle Tenets, based on
■■ Disobedience is dishonor anything from genre emulation, ■■ Thou shalt not rape or torture
■■ Protect the innocent from harm dramatic irony, to personal taste ■■ Thou shalt not harm the in-
■■ Courage is the highest virtue or real-life player concerns. Re-
■■ Always keep your sworn word member that Tenets only impose nocent
■■ The truth is sacred; thou shalt moral sanction and degeneration
creed of justice
not lie
■■ Never kill the innocent
■■ Be your own, never submit
■■ Without a cause, you are nothing

172

CHARACTERS

gothic/romantic Touchstones crusading reporter, the single
■■ Never deny true love mom living in your child-
■■ The guilty should suffer Each vampire begins with as many hood home, the caretaker who
■■ Uphold the norms of decent Touchstones as Convictions: sweeps your gravesite
humans who represent what you
society used to value in life, someone who Touchstones provide links to
represents or seems to incarnate and mechanical support for your
street code one of your Convictions. If lost, Humanity; see p. 239 for detailed
the Conviction is lost as well. rules.
■■ Never snitch
■■ Respect others, and demand A Touchstone must be a liv- EXAMPLE:
ing human being; connecting to
respect Humanity through the inhuman Torfi creates two Touchstones for
■■ Don’t kill outsiders is, at the very least, going the long his character: one young man, who
way around. has recently taken up xenophobic
EXAMPLE: beliefs and fallen in with the wrong
A Touchstone might be: crowd, and his character’s father,
Kareem and friends are setting up a ■■ Your surviving human spouse, who still lives and believes his son
Chronicle, and have agreed to aim died many years ago.
for what they call “Nordic Gothic” lover, or parent
- very true to life, and placing ■■ Your human child, or (for older Ambition
degeneration and morality in focus. and Desire
They have agreed on “Do no harm,” vampires) a descendant of your
“Act like a person, not a Beast,” family line Ambition and Desire are related,
and “Never gaze into the abyss.” ■■ A human who looks exactly but not identical. Think of Ambi-
Having spent some time on coming like someone you loved in life tion as a long-term goal: an aspira-
up with these, they have agreed that ■■ A human you admired in life tion (if you still breathed), a life’s
“Do no harm” includes killing and or their descendant dream (if you still dreamed, or had
maiming, but also gross violations ■■ A human related to someone life). By contrast, Desires are more
of others integrity, such as turning you killed very early in your immediate: short-term wishes for
them into slaves or bending them to unlife: someone you swore you revenge, satisfaction, or satisfac-
your will through unnatural means. didn’t have to kill because you tion through revenge.
“Act like a person, not a Beast” aren’t a monster, not really
includes doing clearly inhuman ■■ Someone you have come to rec- Ambition
things, such as surviving horrible ognize as a rare decent person
physical trauma and other things even in your eyes: a volunteer A character’s Ambition keeps
that remind characters of their at the animal shelter, a priest, them acting and moving both
undead nature. The last, “Never a nurse, a social worker, a nice night by night and in the chroni-
stare into the abyss,” was added old lady in the neighborhood cle. It provides motivation for
because of the player’s love for cult ■■ Someone who represents some- the player and story hooks for the
horror literature, where knowing thing you once held dear in life Storyteller.
things man was not meant to know and still cling to: a soldier, a
degenerates a person horribly. It will baseball player, a musician or An Ambition must be measur-
give the player characters Stains as artist, clergy from your faith
they learn the horrible truths lurk- ■■ Someone who guards, symbol-
ing behind the veneer of the World izes, or protects a thing you
of Darkness. value: the doorman of the
building you used to live in,
the cop on your old beat, a

173

COREBOOK

able in game terms (“My Ambition If a character achieves their tary wants. Each session, a character
is to achieve Humanity 10”) or a Ambition and the chronicle con- can select a Desire or keep their
concrete achievement in the world tinues, the player should decide on unfulfilled Desire from the previous
of the chronicle (“My Ambition a new Ambition, ideally one that session. Once per session, when the
is to liberate Chicago from the has emerged during play or one character definitively acts to further
Camarilla”). An Ambition is not that follows on the realization that or accomplish their Desire, they may
something vague like “end rac- their first Ambition left something immediately recover one point of
ism” or “achieve world peace,” undone or incomplete. Superficial Willpower damage. Since
but instead focuses on something Desires change so rapidly, you don’t
specific, like “bring True Death to At the end of a session in need to write them on your character
(insert notably racist elder from which the character has actively sheet. Just write your current Desire
your chronicle here)” or “end the worked toward their Ambition, on an index card or Post-it Note
Gehenna War in the Ukraine.” If they recover one point of Aggra- where both you and the Storyteller
an Ambition is unlikely to hap- vated Willpower damage. can see and remember it.
pen or would end the chronicle if
achieved, it can still provide rich Desire This mechanic intentionally
story juice – it only needs to be provides players with an incentive
theoretically achievable. Desire reflects less than lifelong for character action rather than
Ambition, but more than momen- passively waiting for the plot or

174

CHARACTERS

turtling up defensively. Thus, a good Predator Types
Desire connects in some way to the
outside world. One rule of thumb: if Not even predators remain im- since you may need to cooperate
it doesn’t involve someone or some- mune to the need for adaptation. with other Predator types and take
thing named on the Relationship Perhaps because of their narrow advantage of feeding opportunities
Map, it’s not worth considering as ecological niche, predators and that appear during the story.
a Desire. By that metric, “I want to their hunting styles adapt together.
drive a cherry Maserati” or “I want Your hunting preferences feed your Alleycat
to eat a brunette” fail as Desires, but Blood, and your Blood shapes what
“I want to drive Cytherea’s cherry Skills and even Disciplines you A combative assault-feeder, you
Maserati” or “I want to eat Lord develop as a vampire. stalk, overpower, and drink from
Harkness’ brunette” make excellent whomever you can, when you
Desires. The Storyteller should judge This modus predationis is how can. You may or may not attempt
whether Desires involving fellow you usually hunt. Your Predator to threaten or Dominate victims
player characters fall under the spirit type shows your reflex or habit; it into silence or mask the feeding as
of encouraging meaty interaction or doesn’t mandate your behavior in a robbery. Think about how you
of just lazily trying to sponge free the game. You can hunt in other
Willpower. fashions during a game session,

175

COREBOOK

arrived at this direct approach to Blood Leech
feeding and what makes you com-
fortable with an unlife of stalking, You drink from other vampires,
attacking, feeding, and escaping. either by hunting, coercion or by
You could have been homeless, an taking Blood as payment - the only
SAS soldier, a cartel hit-man, or a truly moral way of feeding you
big-game hunter. can think of. Unfortunately, this
■■ Add a specialty: Intimidation practice is usually forbidden in
Kindred society. It is either risky
(Stickups) or Brawl (Grappling) as all fuck or requires a position of
■■ Gain one dot of Celerity or enviable power.
■■ Add a specialty: Brawl (Kin-
Potence
■■ Lose one dot of Humanity dred) or Stealth (against
■■ Gain three dots of criminal Kindred)
■■ Gain one dot of Celerity or
Contacts Protean
■■ Lose one dot of Humanity
Bagger ■■ Increase Blood Potency by one
■■ Gain the Dark Secret Flaw:
You steal, buy, or otherwise pro- (••) Diablerist, or the Shunned
cure cold blood rather than hunt, Flaw: (••)
relying on the black market or ■■ Gain the Feeding Flaw: (••)
your skills as a burglar or ambu- Prey Exclusion (mortals)
lance chaser. Perhaps you still work
the night shift at the hospital. Cleaver
Ventrue may not pick this Preda-
tor type. You feed covertly from your (or
■■ Add a specialty: Larceny (Lock- someone’s) mortal family and
friends with whom you still main-
picking) or Streetwise (Black tain ties. The most extreme cleavers
Market) adopt children, marry a human,
■■ Gain one dot of Blood Sorcery and try to maintain a family life
(Tremere only) or Obfuscate for as long as they can. Add your
■■ Gain the Feeding Merit: Iron family to the Relationship Map.
Gullet (•••)
■■ Gain the Enemy Flaw: (••)Ei- Cleavers often go to great
ther someone believes you owe lengths to keep the truth of their
them, or there’s another reason condition from their family, but
you keep off the streets. some also maintain unwholesome
relationships with their own kin.
The Camarilla forbids taking a
human family in this fashion, and

176

CHARACTERS

it frowns on cleavers as Masquerade breaches waiting human life is one anyone could arrive at and struggle
to happen. Wiser Kindred may massacre your family to maintain. Ventrue may not pick this Predator type.
for your own good if they find out your secret and care
what happens to you. You cannot pick this Predator type if your Blood
■■ Add a specialty: Persuasion (Gaslighting) or Sub- Potency is 3 or higher.
■■ Add a specialty: Animal Ken (Specific Animal) or
terfuge (Coverups)
■■ Gain one dot of Dominate or Animalism Survival (Hunting)
■■ Gain the Dark Secret Flaw: (•)Cleaver ■■ Gain one dot of Animalism or Protean
■■ Gain the Herd Advantage (••) ■■ Gain one dot of Humanity
■■ Gain the Feeding Flaw: (••) Vegan

Consensualist Osiris

You never feed against your victim’s free will. You mas- You are a celebrity among mortals or else you run a
querade as a representative of a charity blood drive, as cult, a church, or something similar. You feed from
a blood-drinking kink-lord in the “real vampire com- your fans or worshippers, who treat you as a deity.
munity,” or by actually telling your victims what you You always have access to easy blood, but follow-
are and getting their permission to feed. The Camarilla ers breed problems with the authorities, organized
call that last method a Masquerade breach, but many religion, and indeed the Camarilla. In life, you might
Anarch philosophers consider it an acceptable risk. have been a DJ, a writer, a cultist, a preacher, or a
You could have been anything in life, but a sex-worker, LARP organizer.
a political organizer, or a lawyer could all be wary of ■■ Add a specialty: Occult (specific tradition) or Per-
feeding without consent.
■■ Add a specialty: Medicine (Phlebotomy) or Persua- formance (specific entertainment field)
■■ Gain one dot of Blood Sorcery (Tremere only) or
sion (Victims)
■■ Gain one dot of Auspex or Fortitude Presence
■■ Gain one dot of Humanity ■■ Spend three dots between the Fame and Herd
■■ Gain the Dark Secret Flaw: (•) Masquerade
Backgrounds
Breacher ■■ Spend two dots between the Enemies and Mythic
■■ Gain the Feeding Flaw: (•) Prey Exclusion (non-
Flaws
consenting)
Sandman
Farmer
You rely on your stealth or Disciplines to feed from
You only feed from animals. Your Hunger constantly sleeping victims. If they never wake during the feed-
gnaws at you, but you have not killed a single human ing, they won’t know you exist. Perhaps you were very
being so far (except perhaps that one time), and you anti-social in life; you don’t feel cut out for the intense
intend to keep it that way. You could have been anyone interpersonal nightlife or physical violence of more
in life, but your choice speaks to someone obsessed by extroverted hunters.
morality. Perhaps you were an activist, priest, aid- ■■ Add a specialty: Medicine (Anesthetics) or Stealth
worker, or vegan in life, but the choice never to risk a
(Break-in)
■■ Gain one dot of Auspex or Obfuscate
■■ Gain one dot of Resources

177

COREBOOK

Scene Queen ■■ Add a specialty: Etiquette your carnivorous nature. You
(specific scene), Leadership have mastered the art of the one-
You rely on your familiarity with (specific scene), or Streetwise night stand or move through the
a certain subculture and a well- (specific scene) sex-club scene like a dark star.
crafted pose, feeding on an exclu- You think of yourself as a sexy
sive subculture that believes you ■■ Gain one dot of Dominate or beast, but in your darkest mo-
to be one of them. Your victims Potence ments, you fear that you're at best
adore you for your status in the a problematic lover, at worst a
scene, and the ones who under- ■■ Gain the Fame Advantage: (•) habitual rapist. A former lover
stand what you are disbelieved. ■■ Gain the Contact Advantage: who escaped destruction might be
You may belong to the street or your Touchstone or your stalker.
be literal upper-class, abusing the (•) (If so, add them to the Relation-
weak with false hope and prom- ■■ Gain either the Influence Flaw: ship Map.) Maybe in life you were
ises of taking them to the next a pick-up artist, movie producer,
level. In life, you almost certainly (•) Disliked (outside your sub- author, a glorious slutty kinkster
belonged to a scene similar to the culture) or the Feeding Flaw: – or a virgin who intends to make
one you stalk now. (•) Prey Exclusion (a different up for lost time post-mortem.
subculture from yours) ■■ Add a specialty: Persuasion

Siren (Seduction) or Subterfuge
(Seduction)
You feed almost exclusively during ■■ Gain one dot of Fortitude or
or while feigning sex, and you Presence
rely on your Disciplines, seduc- ■■ Gain the Looks Merit: (••)
tion skills, or the unquenchable Beautiful
appetites of others to conceal ■■ Gain the Enemy Flaw: (•) A
spurned lover or jealous part-
ner ■

178

CHARACTERS

Advantages

In addition to vampiric powers and human skills, char- centuries-old documents or chanting in a strange
acters have many possible Advantages when they start dialect may impose additional Difficulty to Aca-
play, from a “bump for languages” to a squad of loyal demics or Occult tests.
ghouls. Like everything else, we demarcate Advantages
with dots, usually ranging from one to five. There is no ■■ Flaw: (••) Illiterate. You cannot read or write. Your
penalty for having zero dots in an Advantage – that’s Academics and Science Skills are capped at 1, and
just normal. Few rolls directly involve Advantages, you can have no specialty in them incorporating
although the Storyteller might call for Intelligence + modern knowledge.
Linguistics to decipher a papyrus, or Subterfuge + Con-
tacts to plant a rumor about a rival. looks Not all vampires look like actors on the CW
network. Some of them look even better. And some, of
Advantages are divided into Merits, Backgrounds, course, look far worse.
and Loresheets. The flip side of Advantages, Flaws cause
ongoing problems for the character. These modifiers only apply when you can be seen.
The Storyteller rules whether these modifiers apply
Merits during Social combats on a conflict-by-conflict (or
even pool-by-pool) basis.
Merits describe advantages and gifts inherent to the
character: Physical, Mental, and Social. Although ■■ Flaw: (••) Repulsive. You lose two dice from all
something could happen in the course of play to relevant Social dice pools.
change them – especially once weird inexplicable
magic gets unleashed – characters’ Merits remain fairly ■■ Flaw: (•) Ugly. You lose one die from all relevant
constant over the course of the story. Social dice pools.

linguistics Every player character has perfect •• Beautiful: You add one extra die to all appropri-
fluency in their birth language and (except perhaps ate Social dice pools.
for a charming Hungarian accent) in the dominant
language of the chronicle setting. For example, a •••• Stunning: You add two extra dice to all appropri-
Lebanese vampire in a Mexico City-set chronicle ate Social dice pools, as above.
can speak and read Arabic (or Aramaic, if they are
a very old Lebanese vampire) and Spanish. Kindly substance use You have an addiction to a substance
Storytellers might allow vampires whose birth besides blood. Kindred with this Merit or Flaw seek
tongue matches that of the setting to take a second blood containing that substance, drinking from users.
language anyway. Addiction to a specific sort of blood or refusing to
drink blood containing a given substance both count
Each dot in Linguistics allows the character to as Prey Exclusion (p. 181). See p. 310 for effects of
fluently speak, write, and read one additional lan- specific substances in consumed blood; these remain in
guage besides those two default languages. effect regardless of the specific Merit or Flaw taken.

Don’t get hung up on the changes in language Remember to specify the substance you use.
over the centuries; assume that English remains Eng-
lish from Anglo-Saxon times to now, for instance, ■■ Flaw: (••) Hopeless Addiction. Lose two dice from
for the purposes of this rule, although reading all pools when the last person you fed from was
not on your drug, except pools for actions that will
immediately obtain your drug.

179

COREBOOK

GAINING AND LOSING ■■ Flaw: (•) Addiction. Lose one dice from all pools
ADVANTAGES when the last person you fed from was not on your
Events during the chronicle can drug, except pools for actions that will immediately
change a character’s Advantage obtain your drug.
and Flaws, especially Backgrounds.
A Haven can burn down, an Ally • High-Functioning Addict: You add one die to any
can turn on you if you betray one category of pool (specify when you choose
them, or the cops can gun down which substance you use) when the last person
a Retainer for no reason at all. you fed from was on your drug.
Conversely, by desperate quest
or clever machination you can archaic Only ancillae or older vampires may take
acquire an Advantage; the dots either of these Flaws.
fluctuate along with your charac-
ter’s fortunes. ■■ Flaw: (••) Archaic. You haven’t been able to adapt
to the present, or you have been long in torpor.
The basic rule is this: a charac- You cannot use computers or cell phones, and your
ter should be able to get back, or Technology rating is permanently 0. The Storyteller
at least replace, lost Advantages may penalize other dice pools involving very mod-
that have been gained by spend- ern technology by one die.
ing experience points or during
character creation. If something ■■ Flaw: (•) Living in the Past. You haven’t grasped
is gained without the equivalent the modern mindset, or you just don’t want to. You
expenditure of experience points, have one or more seriously outdated Convictions,
it should be temporary at best. e.g. “The Pope’s word is law,” “Women are delicate
flowers,” “Lower classes exist only to serve,” or
Example: Katya has brought a “Burn your enemies’ baggage.” These archaic mo-
number of gullible mortals under ralities maintain your Humanity but are odious to
her heel, roughly the equivalent of many; you lose one die from Social test dice pools
a couple of dots of Allies. As long involving such archaic beliefs except with vampires
as she doesn’t solidify her acquisi- your age and older, who may admire your steadfast
tion with experience points, these virtue.
allies will likely only be available
this story. bonding Not all vampires respond to the Blood Bond
equally. Some fall under the sway of a regnant with rap-
turous ease; others resist with every fiber of their being.
You can combine these Merits and Flaws; a character
might be a two-dot Bond Junkie with Short Bond, for
example. For more on Blood Bonds, see p. 233.

■■ Flaw: (••) Bondslave. You bond instantly with the
taste of another’s vitae; only one drink of blood
binds you, not three. Either you begin as your sire’s
thrall, or consult with the Storyteller to come up
with a reason that first bond has broken. Possibly
your sire has been staked or in another city for
more than six months?

180

CHARACTERS

Junkjuie nkie

feeding Several different Merits and Flaws fall under
the general remit of Feeding. A character with one
does not necessarily have any of the others.

■■ Flaw: (•) Bond Junkie. The Bond feels sweeter to ■■ Flaw: (••) Vegan. You feed only on animal blood.
you once it happens. Subtract one die from your You must spend two points of Willpower to drink
dice pools to act against a Blood Bond. human blood. Ventrue may not take this Flaw.

■■ Flaw: (•) Long Bond. Blood Bonds on you lose their ■■ Flaw: (••) Organovore. You can slake Hunger only
Bond strength more slowly than normal, decreas- by eating human flesh and organs, especially those
ing by one for each three months without being rich in blood such as the heart, liver, lungs, pla-
reinforced. centa, and spleen. (Most organovore Kindred these
nights make smoothies from the organs first.) Only
• Bond Resistance: Your Blood rebels against the heart provides Resonance, if any.
control. Add one die to your dice pools to resist
a Blood Bond per level you take of this Merit ■■ Flaw: (•) Methuselah’s Thirst. Your Hunger can
(maximum three). only be fully slaked by the blood of supernatural
creatures. (Alchemists may be able to thicken the
•• Short Bond: Blood Bonds on you lose their Bond Blood of thin-bloods enough to sate you.) Other-
strength more rapidly than normal, decreasing at wise, it constantly remains at a minimum of 1. (Or
both the full moon and new moon (i.e., by two higher, depending on Blood Potency (see p. 215).
each month) if not reinforced.
■■ Flaw: (•) Prey Exclusion. You refuse to hunt a
••••• Unbondable: You cannot be Blood Bound. If certain class of prey: drug users, women, children,
you’re ever short of cash, you can probably sell policemen, innocents, a given minority or ethnic
your vitae to alchemists, too. group, etc. If you feed on such prey, you gain Stains

181

COREBOOK

as though you had violated ■■ Flaw: (•) Folkloric Bane. You •• Eat food: You can consume
a chronicle Tenet. Witness- take Aggravated damage from a food without effort and might
ing other Kindred feeding on folkloric bane. Folkloric banes even enjoy it, though it gives
the object of your exclusion include: no nourishment and must be
without interfering might also ◻◻ Ultraviolet light (damage as expelled before resting for the
give Stains, at the Storyteller’s direct sunlight) day.
discretion. Ventrue with this ◻◻ Silver or silver-plated
Flaw gain an additional restric- weapons (damage as Thin-Blood Merits
tion, making their choice of weapon damage: simply and Flaws
vessels extremely narrow. touching a silver coin or
silverware does one point of These Merits and Flaws only apply
• Bloodhound: You can smell Aggravated damage) to thin-blood characters. They have
the Resonance of a human’s ◻◻ Holy water (damage as fire) no dot value; each Flaw balances a
blood without tasting it. Merit, and vice versa. They thus do
You still need to be within ■■ Flaw: (•) Folkloric Block. not count against the maximum dots
olfactory range of the person. When faced with a folkloric in Advantages and Flaws allowed to
Make a Resolve + Awareness block, you must shrink away be selected during character creation
test at Difficulty 3. Increase from it or spend a Willpower or purchased through experience.
Difficulty for perfume or point to push through it.
distance; lower it for more Each folkloric block you take thin-blood flaws
intimate contact. counts as a separate one-point ■■ Baby Teeth: You never devel-
Flaw. Folkloric blocks include:
••• Iron Gullet: You can feed ◻◻ Holy symbols presented by oped fangs, or the ones you’ve
from cold blood, rancid any believer (even without got are useless for feeding. You
blood, and fractionated True Faith) either need to cut your victims
plasma. None of these provide ◻◻ Crossing visible running open, or you extract their
Resonances. Ventrue may not water (not recommended blood with a syringe.
take this Merit. in certain cities, such as ■■ Bestial Temper: You are af-
Amsterdam, Stockholm, or flicted with the Beast equal to
mythic merits and flaws Eve- Venice) a full vampire. You need to test
ry Kindred bloodline carries ◻◻ Crossing a threshold to for frenzy as per the normal
peculiarities, curses, and soul scars. a home uninvited by the vampire rules.
Fragments of ancestors long-since owner ■■ Branded by the Camarilla: In
dust germinate within the seed of ◻◻ White animal some cities, the rulers sim-
vitae that spreads the curse from ◻◻ Garlic ply hunt down and destroy
sire to childe. Other vampires de- ◻◻ Wild roses thin-bloods. In other cities,
velop weaknesses in the moment: ◻◻ Spilled seeds you haven’t the merciful Sheriff merely
psychosomatic disorders intensi- counted brands them, forcibly and
fied by the Embrace or invisible painfully, to remind them of
tides and eddies in the millennia- ■■ Flaw: (•) Stigmata. You begin their place. (Many are then
long flow of the Blood. to bleed from open wounds on hunted down and destroyed,
your hands, feet, and forehead often on perceived slights or
■■ Flaw: (••) Stake Bait. You when you reach Hunger 4. simple whims.) You have such
meet Final Death when staked This attracts attention, leaves an unhealing brand, and the
through the heart, rather than traces, and may penalize some Camarilla makes sure to keep
entering torpor. dice pools at the Storyteller’s
discretion.

182

CHARACTERS

its eyes peeled for the moment out more equal than others. In befriended the members of an
you step out of line. You can whichever case, the Anarchs of Anarch coterie who tolerate
take Camarilla Contact with the regnum know of you and your presence or even affec-
this Flaw; the Camarilla thrives shun you. They’d rather throw tionately treat you as their
on double-dealing of this sort. you to the Camarilla than pet. They cumulatively act as a
■■ Clan Curse: Remnants of your listen to your pleas. You cannot one-dot Anarch Mawla, as long
sire’s Blood still flows through take Anarch Comrades if you as you don’t deviate from the
your veins, carrying traces of take this Flaw. party line. Write them on the
their ancient curse. You
must pick a Clan Bane ■■ Vitae Dependency: Your Blood Relationship Map.
to suffer from, count- is unable to sustain vampiric ■ Camarilla Contact:
ing your Bane Severity powers by itself. Unless you
as 1 for this purpose. drink enough vampire Blood You have caught the eye
You can only pick the to slake one Hunger each week of a Camarilla recruiter
Brujah or Gangrel Bane you lose your ability to gain who has promised
if you possess the Bestial and use any Disciplines (in- you admittance and a
Temper Flaw, and the cluding Thin-Blood Alchemy). chance at becoming a
Tremere Bane only if You regain your powers as soon real vampire. All you
you have the Catenating as you slake at least one Hunger need to do is keep your
Blood Merit. with vampire Blood. eyes and ears open, re-
■■ Dead Flesh: Your port on your and your
Blood is not strong thin-blood merits coterie’s activities, and
enough to completely ■■ Anarch Comrades: You have be prepared to perform
sustain you, and as any task asked of you.
an effect, your flesh You have the equivalent
is in a constant state of a one-dot Camarilla
of putrefaction, with Mawla who treats you
a greenish tint and badly. Write them on
faint stench of rot. the Relationship Map.
Any medical inspec- ■ Catenating Blood:
tion will immediately You can create Blood
identify you as deceased, and Bonds and perform the
you receive a one-die penalty Embrace as a regular vam-
to any face-to-face Social test pire. Any vampire you create this
with a mortal. You cannot take way will be a thin-blood.
Lifelike if you take this Flaw. ■■ Day Drinker: Sunlight halves
■■ Mortal Frailty: You cannot your Health tracker (rounded
Rouse the Blood to mend, up), but otherwise simply
instead healing as a mortal (p. removes your vampiric abili-
126). You cannot take Vampiric ties, including all Disciplines
Resilience if you take this Flaw. and Health benefits, and does
■■ Shunned by the Anarchs: You no other damage. You still
broke an unwritten rule or suffer from Hunger, however,
thought yourself equal among and sooner or later you’ll need
equals, where some turned to sleep. If your health drops
below your currently sustained
damage levels as a result of

183

COREBOOK

this, you suffer the effects of Backgrounds a mortal organization that owes
Impairment or torpor (de- you some loyalty. Although Allies
pending on type of damage) Backgrounds describe advantages usually aid you willingly, without
until you are clear of sunlight. of relationship, circumstance, and coaxing or coercion, they are not
■■ Discipline Affinity: You opportunity: material posses- always available to offer assistance;
have an affinity for a certain sions, social networks, and the they have their own concerns and
Discipline, picked at charac- like. Backgrounds are external, can do only so much for the sake
ter creation. You gain a dot not internal, Traits, and the player of your relationship. Usually, Allies
in this Discipline and can should always rationalize how the appear about once per story.
learn and retain additional character came to possess them, as
dots in it through experience well as what they represent. Who Allies can be almost anyone in
expenditures, as if you were a are your Contacts? Why do your your home city, depending on what
normal vampire. (The experi- Allies support you? Where did your Storyteller will allow. You
ence point cost is the same you meet your Retainers? What may have friends in the precinct
as an out-of-clan Discipline.) investments do you possess that morgue, at a tabloid newspaper or
Drinking blood with match- yield your four dots in Resources? gossip blog, among high society,
ing Resonance does not re- You don’t have to do all of that at or at the railroad yard. Allies are
ward you with any extra dots first – but be ready with an answer generally trustworthy (though they
in this Discipline, temporary when the Storyteller asks during probably don’t know that you’re
or not. play, or be ready to suggest an a vampire, or even that vampires
■■ Lifelike: You have a heartbeat, answer that ties into the ongoing exist). However, nothing comes for
can eat food, and enjoy sexual storyline. free. If you wind up drawing favors
activities like a mortal. All but from your friend in the Russian
the most advanced medical Backgrounds are discrete, not Mafia, he’ll probably ask you to do
inspections reveal nothing out progressive, Traits. The same Back- him a favor in kind in the future.
of the ordinary, assuming they ground can be acquired multiple
happen at night. times. Enemies are the opposite of Al-
■■ Thin-blood Alchemist: The lies and are taken as Flaws.
Duskborn change as they EXAMPLE:
feed. Thin-Blood Alchemy is You can use the Mortal Tem-
the mastery of this process. Martin purchases the Allies plate rules to create Allies or En-
Whether it is spontaneous Background twice, once at one dot emies when you buy them or first
or a skill learned by compar- (his neighbor lookout) and once at call on them, and you can write
ing notes with other blood- three dots (his trusted star lawyer), them down on the Relationship
cookers, you have gained one representing two different Allies. Map, though many groups leave
dot and one formula (p. 282) in this process up to the Storyteller.
Thin-blood Alchemy. You can Characters can share some Back-
purchase additional dots and grounds with the rest of their Build Allies or Enemies from a
formulae through experience coterie. See Coterie Backgrounds budget of points based on their Ef-
as usual. on p. 196. fectiveness and on their Reliability.
■■ Vampiric Resilience: You suffer The maximum points in one Ally
damage as a regular vampire, Allies is six. Ally or Enemy groups appear
treating regular puncture and in numbers equal to the number of
slashing wounds as Superficial Allies are mortals who support and player characters.
damage. help you: family, friends, or even
All Enemies are rated two
fewer dots than their Effectiveness;
a Gifted mortal Ally costs three
dots as an Ally, but only provides
one dot as a Flaw. Enemies all have

184

CHARACTERS

the same Reliability: whenever MORTALS TEMPLATES
the Storyteller thinks they should Use these templates to build Storyteller-played characters when
show up, but probably at least even Quick Character Generation takes too much time. If desired,
once per story. use Advantage points to buy more Skills.

effectiveness weak mortal

• Weak mortal, likely useless ■■ Attributes: Two at 2, the rest at 1
in a violent or potentially ■■ Skills: Three at 2, five at 1
violent situation. ■■ Advantages: None

•• Average mortal or a tight- average mortal
knit group of Weak mortals
(neighborhood kids who solve ■■ Attributes: Two at 3, three at 2, the rest at 1
mysteries, church group, ■■ Skills: Three at 3, four at 2, five at 1
NGO chapter) ■■ Advantages: up to 3 points (2 points maximum Flaws)

••• Gifted mortal or a danger- gifted mortal
ous group of Average mortals
(a street gang, a celebrity ■■ Attributes: One at 4, two at 3, two at 2, the rest at 1
entourage, a blue-collar union ■■ Skills: Two at 4 (one with a Specialty), four at 3, four at 2, four
local)
at 1
•••• Deadly mortal, a Gifted ■■ Advantages: up to 10 points (4 points maximum Flaws)
mortal with magic or other
supernatural powers, or a deadly mortal
well-armed group of Gifted
mortals (a private security ■■ Attributes: Two at 5, two at 4, two at 3, the rest at 2
squad , a lawyer contingent, a ■■ Skills: One at 5, three at 4, five at 3, six at 2; three Specialties
Russian Mafia bratva) ■■ Advantages: up to 15 points (no Flaws)

reliability

• When you call on them, they
appear half the time.

•• When you call on them, they
appear within 1-10 hours (roll
a die).

••• When you call on them, they
appear as soon as possible.

Contacts

You know people – human people
– from many different walks of
life. Contacts primarily provide
you with information in their
areas of expertise, and they may
want to exchange favors of various
kinds. For different kinds of help,

185

COREBOOK

mMaaffiiooso so

use your Influence (p. 187) in the • One Contact who can do or Fame
mortal world, or call on your Al- get something cheap or com-
lies (p. 184) or Mawla (p. 192). mon for you (Resources 1). Mortals know your name and
Examples: a weed dealer, a car eagerly seek out news of your
A Contact is someone in an ex- salesman. activities. You might be a movie
cellent position to get information. star, rock star, or other celebrity.
They might be a police dispatcher, •• One Contact who can do Fame grants pull in mass and social
rather than a homicide lieuten- or get something useful for media; you have more ways than
ant, or a congressional staffer, you (Resources 2). Examples: most to manipulate the thoughts
rather than a senator. Information small-time gun dealer, veteri- of the populace. You likely have
brokers, gossip columnists, under- narian. ways to mask the fact that you’re
world fixers, and reporters make never seen during the day, such as
excellent Contacts. You can define ••• One Contact who can do or a body double.
your Contacts when you buy this get something expensive or
Background or as you need to hard for you (Resources 4). In some circumstances, the
introduce them in play. Whenever Examples: security systems Storyteller may allow you to use
you create them, make sure to add expert; police lieutenant in Fame in a Social test dice pool
them to the Relationship Map. homicide, narcotics, or other instead of another Trait, especially
useful field. to get into an otherwise exclusive
venue or event. “Do you know
who I am?” doesn’t work every-
where, but it does work. Each level
of Fame subtracts one from the
Difficulty of Social tests against
your fans and from many hunting
tests, depending on your predation
strategy – you have less trouble
attracting prey.

186

CHARACTERS

Fame has its downside, of Hunted out of another city, or borhoods or all but the largest
course – it’s harder for you to have grievously offended this individual domains: Brooklyn,
tail someone unobtrusively, for domain’s ruler. the Rive Gauche, the South Side,
example, and who wants groupies ■■ Flaw: (•) You owe a big debt the Ginza, etc. Your Influence
hanging around the door to their to bad people or have made applies to the city as a whole at
haven all day tagging its location yourself generally odious. one dot less than it does within
on Instagram? You should look Alternately, your spouse, lover, your group or region. Using lo-
into taking Disguise as a specialty. or close family member has cal Influence in another city in
Infamy ••. the same area, state, or province
By default, Fame applies might be possible at an additional
among mortals, but you can also • A select subculture knows one-dot penalty, and so on. So,
buy Fame that applies among who you are and admires you. a vampire might be Powerful
Kindred for the same cost. Some (••••) in Hollywood, Entrenched
vampires, such as Dracula or Eliza- •• You are a local celebrity, rec- (•••) everywhere in Los Angeles,
beth Bathory, might have both! ognized by a plurality of the merely Influential (••) in San
Vampires may admire, or at least city. Diego or San Francisco, and just
be more interested in, a Kindred Well-Connected (•) in Chicago or
who was famous or infamous in ••• Most people in the country New York.
life: Arthur Rimbaud, Crispus At- know your name, at least.
tucks, Billy the Kid, and the like. The Storyteller may require
•••• Everybody who even vaguely you to use Influence in place of a
infamy You are famous for some- cares about social trends or Trait in some dice pools, particu-
thing horrible. At the very least, your field knows something larly Social tests attempting to
the Difficulty of most reaction about you. sway minor bureaucrats or the
tests increases by the amount of equivalent in your group. This
the Flaw; at worst, the authori- ••••• Your Fame reaches mass Background helps you have an
ties attempt to kill or capture you national or even global audi- “abandoned” building demolished
whenever you appear. ences. You are a major movie (or preserved), not start global
star, stadium-filling rock act, wars.
dark secret You can also take or former president.
Dark Secret, a milder version of If the Storyteller wants to run
Infamy. The Dark Secret Flaw Influence a game of globe-spanning master-
provides one fewer point than minds, they may recalibrate Influ-
the equivalent Infamy, as your You have pull in the mortal com- ence to potentially apply nation-
black deeds remain unknown munity, whether through wealth, ally (••••) or even globally (•••••).
to all but you and perhaps one prestige, political office, black-
or two very motivated enemies. mail, or supernatural manipula- ■■ Flaw: (••) Despised. One group
The one-dot version of Infamy tion. Kindred with high Influence or region of the city lives only
also provides one point as a Dark can sway, and in rare cases even to thwart you and your faction.
Secret, because it’s easier to control, the politics and society Subtract two dice from dice
uncover than a truly life-threat- of their city, especially the police pools attempting to convince
ening secret. and city bureaucracy. a neutral actor to support you
politically or do you a favor.
■■ Flaw: (••) You are a Cleaver or By default, Influence ap- The Storyteller should take any
serial breacher of the Mas- plies most within one group or opportunity to involve your
querade, have been Blood region of your city. Groups can haters in the story.
be large, even diffuse: organized
crime, media, religion, the police, ■■ Flaw: (•) Disliked. Subtract one
city government, etc. Regions
should be larger than neigh-

187

COREBOOK

die from Social test dice pools involving any group base haven
in the city except your Contacts and Allies or other
explicitly loyal supporters. ■■ Flaw: (•) No Haven. You must go to some effort (at
least a basic test) to find a new resting place every
• Well-connected: You’re guaranteed a respectful morning.
hearing.
• Small haven, but more secure and private than the
•• Influential: People want to do you favors. default. Examples: basement apartment, crypt,
••• Entrenched: Mortal power-brokers and factions locked storeroom in a warehouse.

hesitate to oppose you. •• Good size, security, or privacy. Examples: a single-
•••• Powerful: Without a good reason to do otherwise, family home or row house, wolf enclosure at the
zoo, branch sewer tunnel.
functionaries and foot soldiers obey.
••••• Dominant: Lesser figures try to figure out what ••• Very large, secure, or private. Examples: a com-
pound outside town, a bank building, a decommis-
you want and do it first. sioned subway station.

Haven haven merits and flaws

Like all Backgrounds, the Haven Background is en- You can add Merits and Flaws to your Haven if you
tirely optional. A vampire with no dots in Haven has a wish. They stack with the base Haven rating to pro-
suicide’s grave, a room in an abandoned motel, a rented duce the total dots in this Background for projects and
office, or an apartment with windows blacked out with other uses.
plastic bags. They can still remain safe and hidden by
day in this relatively small and insecure haven by de- Remember, you can make Haven a shared Back-
fault. The Storyteller may allow a player character to de- ground among your coterie – easily the best way to
fault a somewhat better haven from another Background afford a Haven with lots of features.
such as Resources, Status, or Influence. Of course, if
those Backgrounds go away, so does the character’s nice ■■ Flaw: (••) Compromised. Your haven has been raided
haven. once before, perhaps before it was yours. It probably
appears on someone’s watchlist. Invaders or spies can
A character with none of those other Backgrounds, add two dice to their pool to penetrate or surveil your
however, can still have a perfectly reasonable haven haven. If you ever do get on the Inquisition’s radar, you
as long as they have this Background. For instance, a should think about moving out.
character might not have enough money to afford a 20-
room Victorian mansion in today’s economy, but if their ■■ Flaw: (•) Creepy. Your haven looks like the den of a se-
great-grandmother left them one that had been fully rial killer, which in fairness is probably exactly what it
paid for, there’s no reason they can’t remain in residence is. Unknowing neighbors might phone in a tip to the
as it slowly dilapidates. cops or just talk about the creepy place they saw. Your
dice pools on Social tests to seduce or otherwise put
Base ratings in Haven abstract the haven’s size, secu- human guests at ease are at a two-dice penalty.
rity, and privacy. All of those factors affect the chance
of spotting, penetrating, and surveilling the vampire’s ■■ Flaw: (•) Haunted. Your haven has a supernatural
actual resting place. Add +1 to the Difficulty of, or one manifestation in it that you do not control or really
die to dice pools resisting, such efforts for each dot of even understand. It might just have a ghost, but a
base Haven rating. Haunted haven could hold a dimensional portal, a
cursed meteorite, or anything else you can’t get rid
Kindred know their havens intimately. For each dot of. Obviously, someone who does understand the
of base Haven rating, add one per dot to dice pools to manifestation could use it to breach your haven’s
notice danger (including awakening rolls, p. 219) while security. The Storyteller defines any other effect of
in your haven. the haunting, imposing at least a one-die penalty

188

CHARACTERS

to affected pools used in the haven per dot of you a two-dice bonus to Social tests dealing with
Haunted taken as a Flaw. mortal guests in your haven. If you don’t have at
least three dots of Resources (•••), your décor was
• Hidden Armory: Each dot in this Merit adds a gained illegally.
stand of arms to your haven’s supply: one pistol and • Postern: Your Haven has a rear exit, secret tunnel,
one long firearm, with ammunition. They are as grating in the cellar leading into the sewers, or
secure from discovery as your resting place. other unobtrusive way out. For each dot of this
Merit, add one die to your dice pools to evade or
• Cell: Your haven has a dedicated, locked place to escape surveillance near your haven.
store two prisoners, with a base Difficulty to escape • Security System: Your haven has a better-than-av-
of 5. Each extra dot either allows you to store twice erage security system. For each dot of this Merit,
as many prisoners (up to a maximum of 32, only in add one die to your dice pool to resist (or alert
very large havens) or adds +1 to the escape Difficulty. you to) unauthorized entry into your haven.
This Merit is not available in small havens. • Surgery: Your haven has one room equipped as a
field surgery or better. Add two dice to relevant dice
• Watchmen: You have either private security or pools, generally Medicine, for tests performed in your
criminal thugs guarding your haven. Each dot of this haven. This Merit is not available in small havens.
Merit supplies four Average guards and one Gifted • Warding: Your haven possesses some kind of
boss (see Mortal Templates, p. 185). If guards would magical ward barring supernatural forces. You
be conspicuous here, buy this Merit cautiously. may not be able to deactivate it, but it allows
you to pass. Discuss the limits of your ward
• Laboratory: Your haven has an equipped labora- with the Storyteller. Each dot of this Merit
tory with a dedicated industrial sink, gas jet, adds one to the dice pool to resist supernatural
reinforced floor, etc. Each dot of this Merit adds scrying, as well as whatever other entry the
one to the dice pool for rolls related to one Sci- Storyteller allows it to prevent. The Storyteller
ence or Technology specialty or to Alchemy dice may require you to possess Occult 3 or better,
pools for thin-bloods using the Fixatio method (p. or Blood Sorcery, to buy this Merit.
284). This Merit is not available in small havens.
Herd
• Library: Your Haven has a dedicated library on
the occult, Cainite legends, city history, vampire You have cultivated a group of vessels from whom you
lore, or the like. Each dot of this Merit adds one can feed without concern. You can use them to per-
to the dice pool for research rolls for one Aca- form basic services, although they are neither as tightly
demics, Investigation, or Occult specialty. Small controlled nor as loyal as Retainers. (If needed, build
havens limit this Merit to a maximum of one dot. your Herd as a combination of Weak and Average
mortals; see Mortal Templates, p. 185.) You can slake
• Location: Your haven nestles in one of the most your Herd rating in Hunger each week without a roll.
fashionable or otherwise exclusive areas of the city, (This benefit can be shared among more than one vam-
in the Rack, on a small island, or otherwise in a pire.) Overfeeding endangers your Herd, potentially
prime spot. Add two dice (or +2 to foes’ Difficulty) dropping the rating as members die or flee.
to bonuses on the relevant die rolls from either
Chasse (p. 195) or from your base Haven rating ■■ Flaw: (••) Obvious Predator. You exude a predatory
(pick one). If neither modifier precisely maps demeanor, and humans instinctively fear and mistrust
to what you have in mind, work out with your you. Lose two dice from any dice pool for hunting
Storyteller when you can expect a two-dice bonus except purely Physical expressions of stalking, chasing,
to occur. For example, a Haven close to Elysium
might grant a two-dice bonus to Etiquette tests in
Elysium and on tests to pick up on court gossip.

• Luxury: High-definition flat screens, designer fur-
niture, objets d’art, or other expensive details give

189

COREBOOK

and killing. Lose one die from Loresheet By default (at no dots) a vam-
any dice pool for any Social test pire either has no need of a Mask,
intended to put humans at ease. Buy an Advantage from a such as those recently Embraced
You cannot maintain a Herd. Loresheet and integrate the story and still able to pass as the human
of that lore into your character’s they were, or has a single Mask
• One to three vessels with lineage and connections. Some and fake ID that can stand up to
random Resonance and no Loresheets (especially the “De- a traffic stop or similar surface
Dyscrasias: You can change scendant of …”) require the charac- scrutiny. A zero-dot mask does not
one victim’s Resonance once ter be of a specific clan. pass a background check, much
a month with a successful less a proper investigation by the
Manipulation + Insight test Remember, that just like authorities.
(Difficulty 4). Examples: other Advantages, each level of a
graduate students, musical Loresheet is self-contained and ■■ Flaw: (••) Known Blankbody.
pupils, cleaver family must be bought separately. It Your biometrics, name, history,
does not automatically con- known associates, and aliases
•• Four to seven vessels, half of vey the “lower” levels of that appear in several intelligence
whom share one Resonance Loresheet. agency databases, flagged as a
that you pick when you buy potential terrorist. Any inquisi-
this Advantage. Examples: See Loresheets on p. 382 for tor can read between the lines
Aging devotees of the city’s more. and recognize you as a vampire.
fading goth or bhangra scene,
fellow club scenesters, large Mask ■■ Flaw: (•) Known Corpse. Peo-
cleaver family ple know you died recently and
As stealth predators, vampires react with shock and horror if
••• Seven to 15 vessels, with two have few weapons more potent you appear among them. This
different Resonances that you than their pretense of humanity. Flaw also applies to any data-
pick each week when you feed The lies the Kindred live constant- base lookups on your identity.
on different Herd members. ly shadow your stories, and no
Examples: rugby team, swinger description of a lick should omit • You have a good fake identity,
scene, dance or night school how they navigate mortal society including a credit card, bank
class, night shift employees – what they wear as a Mask. A account, credit history, birth
good Mask explains the character’s certificate, etc., all in your
•••• 16 to 30 vessels: Pick two nocturnal existence and offers Mask’s name. You can pass a
Resonances every week. Herd plenty of opportunities to be alone state or provincial-level back-
maintenance, cover ups, with mortals. ground check.
and recruitment take occa-
sional roles in your chronicle. Some vampires switch back •• Your Mask can pass a
Examples: cult, large brothel, and forth between Masks, risking background check with the
sweatshop deep identity confusion and slip- national police: FBI, Scotland
ups, while others forge single plau- Yard, or the equivalent. If you
••••• 31 to 60 vessels: Pick three sible identities and strictly adhere had a military or intelligence
Resonances every week. Herd to them for a human lifetime be- record in life, it has been clas-
maintenance and recruitment fore they switch, adding makeup as sified.
begins to brush up against the they “age,” and faking every aspect
Masquerade. Examples: Large of life to look perfectly normal If you have a two-dot Mask, you
cult, large sweatshop on paper. Others, almost always can also buy the following Advan-
Nosferatu or unbound vampires, tages for one dot each:
forswear safety for freedom off the
grid or on the streets.

190

CHARACTERS

“You know the saddest thing,” she said.
“The saddest thing is that we’re you.”
I said nothing.
“In your fantasies,” she said, “my
people are just like you. Only better.
We don’t die or age or suffer from
pain or cold or thirst. We’re snappier
dressers. We possess the wisdom of the
ages. And if we crave blood, well, it is
no more than the wayThyeoyuapsekoepdleSctr. aGvermain’s
food or affection or sumnalingshetr—vaanntdifbhe-is master
sides, it gets us out ofwtahsethrouulysea. Cthroyupsta. nd
Coffin. Whatever.” years old, as it was
“And the truth isr?u”mIoarsekdedhehehra.d claimed.
“We’re you,” she “sHaiodw. “wWoeu’rled yIokun,ow?”
with all your fuckupsthaendmalnl trhepeltiehdin. g“sI have
that make you humaonn—lyalbleyeonuirnftehaersmaster’s
and lonelinesses and ecmonpfluosyiofnors…thnroeneehundred
of that gets better. years.”
“It’s like getting famous, or getting
rich. You’re the same person you were
when you were unknown or poor. Only
worse. All the bad things are magni-
fied, and you don’t remember where
the good things are anymore.
“It’s all that. But it’s more. We’re
colder than you are. Deader. I miss
daylight and food and knowing how
it feels to touch someone and care. I
remember life, and meeting people as
people and not just as things to feed
on or control, and I remember what it
was to feel something, anything, happy
or sad or anything…” And then she
stopped.
“Are you crying?” I asked.
“We don’t cry,” she told me.
Like I said, the woman was a liar.

191

COREBOOK

• Zeroed: Someone in high nothing more than an ancilla with Anarchs in town. (The plural of
places has purged your real a remarkable information network, Mawla is Mawali.) As a general
records. You officially don’t or they might be a centuries-old rule, a Mawla group costs one dot
exist. creature with tremendous influence more than a single Kindred of
and supernatural power. They may that level: a coven of elder Mawali
• Cobbler: You can make or offer advice, speak to the Prince or would be a three-dot Mawla group,
source Masks. Making a Baron on your behalf, steer other for example.
Mask takes three days per elders clear of you, or give warning
dot and possibly exposes when you’re walking into situations Whoever they are, write them
you online; sourcing Masks you don’t understand. Your Mawla, on your Relationship Map when
takes one day per dot, but of course, expects reciprocity. you buy them.
costs something in return.
How much depends on your A Mawla rating could even As a general rule, Mawali pro-
leverage, margin on the represent a group of like-minded vide a helpful word and occasional
Social test, or whatever else vampires, such as the elders of political pushes or cover, but they
the Storyteller decides. the city’s Tremere chantry or a don’t fight your battles or call in
Trotskyite clique amongst the valuable favors. If they must do so
Mawla for their own sake to aid you, you

This Trait represents one or a group
of Kindred who looks out for you,
offering guidance, information,
or aid once in a while. The word
comes from medieval Arabic, mean-
ing different things from “a trusted
one” to “uncle” to “source of neigh-
borly protection” to “non-Muslim
whose oath still binds them.”
Western vampires brought the
term back from the Crusades, and
as the Ashirra and Camarilla find
themselves increasingly allied in the
Gehenna War, the word enjoys a
resurgence in vampire society.

A Mawla may act as your men-
tor. Such a role commonly falls to
your sire, if they don’t treat you as
property or ignore you.

Your Mawla might trade
information to mutual benefit,
or even come to your aid if you
have respected the relationship. A
Mawla may be powerful, but their
power need not be direct. Depend-
ing on the number of dots in this
Background, your Mawla might be

192

CHARACTERS

probably lose a dot or more of this powerful cabals. The Storyteller Resources. These benefits are not
Background, after arousing their ire. uses either the Adversary’s Status necessarily financial in nature
or some specific other Trait when and are rarely completely liquid,
Characters can also acquire building dice pools with which to but you can often sell them to
one-off Minor Boons (p. 315) from oppose the player characters, not gain money. It could take weeks
other Kindred, only during char- the dots in Adversary. or even months to do so, depend-
acter generation. These boons cost • Neonate ing on how much needs to be
half the points (rounded up) of the •• Ancilla sold. Especially as the Second
equivalent Mawla. ••• Elder Inquisition closes down Kindred
•••• Primogen or Anarch Revolu- bank accounts, vampires increas-
adversary A fellow Cainite ingly return to holding their
who generally wishes you (or more tionary Council member Resources in cash – or in gold,
likely your sire, lineage, or mentor) ••••• Prince or Baron art, narcotics, guns, and slaves.
ill, an Adversary is the reverse
Flaw of the Mawla Background. Resources Dots of Resources provide an
Adversaries range from one-dot income for you to maintain your
elders to three-dot Princes or This Background describes your standard of unliving, but you
must detail the source of your
income and the form this Back-
ground takes. After all, it might
dry up, get stolen, or otherwise
vanish during the chronicle.

■■ Flaw: (•) Destitute. You have
no money and no home.

• Portfolio Proletariat: You
live paycheck to paycheck:
apartment, car, camping
equipment.

•• Middle Class: Nice apart-
ment or small house, several
cars, high-end equipment

••• Rich: Great condo or nice
house, luxury items, high-
end equipment for several
people

•••• Wealthy: Mansion, helicop-
ter or private jet, very spe-
cialized high-end equipment

••••• Ultra Rich: Many mansions,
“anything money can buy”

193

COREBOOK

Retainers nity of Kindred, probably Camarilla or Anarch. Status
among Camarilla society derives as often from your
You have one or more loyal and steadfast servants or sire’s status and the respect due your particular blood-
assistants. Retainers may be ghouls who are blood line as it does from personal achievement. High Status
bound to you, individuals you have so Dominated among Anarchs theoretically depends on the charac-
over the years that they are incapable of independent ter’s contributions, but more often to their degree of
action, or individuals you have so overwhelmed with connection (by Blood or coterie) to the current Baron
your Presence that they would do anything for you. or other ruler.

You must always control retainers in some fashion: Status in one sect does not transfer to the other.
a salary, vitae donation, or direct mesmerism. Though By and large, Status held in another city effectively
typically loyal, retainers may betray you if the reward reduces by one dot; an Influential (•••) vampire in
outweighs the risk or if you have treated them badly. Cartagena is only Respected (••) in Buenos Aires.
The Storyteller can always call for a scene between you
and a retainer. The Storyteller may occasionally call on you to
add your Status to a dice pool along with a Social
Retainers should act as characters, not puppets. Trait, especially for first meetings and court happen-
Even ghoul retainers aren’t supermen; the most skilled ings. In other cases, the Storyteller may allow you to
servants don’t always show the highest loyalty. Eve- substitute your Status for a Social Trait – but other
rything in Vampire is a tradeoff. Storytellers can use vampires may notice that you’re skating by on Status,
Retainers to add flavor to the chronicle; don’t let them instead of properly using the Etiquette Skill, for
or their misuse damage the story. example.

■■ Flaw: (•) Stalkers. You have a tendency to attract Caitiff characters begin with the Suspect Flaw and
people who become a tad too smitten with you may not purchase positive Status during character
for your own good. A former retainer retains their creation.
memory of you and a desire to reconnect. They may
be hungry, love-maddened, desperate, opportun- ■■ Flaw: (••) Shunned. You’re completely loathed by
istic, or any combination or variation. Should you this sect. You betrayed them, crossed a local leader,
get rid of them, another soon appears. or fought them in the past. Members of this group
will actively work against you if they can.
• Underwhelming retainer: A child, criminal low-
life, or horror nerd follows you around and does ■■ Flaw: (•) Suspect. You’re not good with this sect
your bidding without a Blood Bond. Build them at all. You weaseled out of a boon, broke an oath,
as a Weak mortal. or did something similar. You can try to stay out
of sight and out of mind, but unless you somehow
•• A ghoul, a family servant, a human lover, or a make amends, you suffer a two-dice penalty to all
dominated thrall: give them a backstory. Build Social tests involving the offended faction.
them as an Average mortal or as a ghoul with no
Advantages. For more on Ghouls, see p. 234. • Known: A properly introduced, welcomed neo-
nate, seen as an up-and-comer.
••• A retainer competent enough to act inde-
pendently and make lesser problems go away. •• Respected: You have responsibilities now, an aver-
They are likely a ghoul with traits equivalent age ancilla.
to Gifted mortals, on top of their supernatural
abilities. ••• Influential: You hold authority over part of the
group, an average elder.
Status
•••• Powerful: You hold office in the group, such as
You have something of a reputation and standing Sheriff, Harpy, or Scourge.
(earned or unearned) within a specified local commu-
••••• Luminary: You sit at the table of power in the
group, a respected member of the Primogen ■

194

CHARACTERS

Coterie Creation

Players might build their charac- Players spend the coterie pool col- Domain
ters individually, but they build lectively, although in some groups,
their coterie together. Collabora- each player controls their own The core aspect of a coterie, Domain
tive coterie creation creates shared contribution. The coterie can also represents a physical area of the city
buy-in to the chronicle, and it purchase coterie Flaws to get more in which the coterie can hunt.
allows players to indicate which dots for the coterie during coterie
aspects of the World of the Dark- creation. Every player must agree in To the Camarilla, each domain
ness they have the most interest in order for the coterie to take a Flaw. resembles a feudal fief, held by grant
exploring. from the Prince or another noble
EXAMPLE: Kindred; Anarch coteries more
The coterie pool begins with likely refer to their domain as “turf.”
one free dot per player character. The players have made a Marechal Either way, the principle remains
(The Storyteller may allow player (see below) coterie, and as such they the same.
groups with three or fewer players argue that they have no Domain of
to begin with a coterie pool of two their own, and instead place their Like other elements of the
free dots per character.) Players may four dots into Contacts for ease of World of Darkness, Domains have
also contribute their own characters’ travel and a floating cabin cruiser Traits. Each dot of a Domain Trait
Advantage dots to the coterie pool. Haven. They also take two dots costs one dot from the coterie pool.
of Adversary (a mysterious figure Domain Traits cover a lot of ground,
that stalks the Coterie) for two ad- so to speak: use them as abstractions,
ditional coterie dots that they place not as constraints.
in Camarilla Status.
Chasse

This Trait describes how well-
stocked, vulnerable, and rich the

195

COREBOOK

domain is as a hunting ground. One Lien main they enter to do so) or holds
dot in Chasse provides the coterie a letter of passage from their own
with a default hunting Difficulty This Trait describes how well- Prince or another high official. If
of 6 inside their domain. Each ad- integrated the coterie is into their the local authorities recognize such
ditional dot reduces that Difficulty domain. Each dot in Lien adds one credentials, they generally grant
by one. die to a coterie member’s pool on the coterie a temporary right to
attempts to, e.g., interact peace- hunt somewhere.
Chasse also refers abstractly fully with a native mortal; find
to the physical size of the do- something, someone, or somewhere The Storyteller can use the values
main. This quality varies radi- specific within the domain; find on p. 308 to determine the default
cally, depending on the specific out the “word on the street,” or Difficulty of the coterie’s hunts.
city’s geography, but as a very otherwise investigate something
general rule use the following within the domain. Coterie
table.
Lien never modifies coterie Backgrounds
chasse geographical member hunting rolls.
Coteries can hold certain Back-
• equivalent Portillon grounds and Flaws in common:
•• Adversary, Ally, Contacts, Enemy,
••• One city block, one sub- This Trait describes how secure Haven, Herd, Influence, Mask,
urban gated community the domain is against intrusion or Mawla, Resources, Retainers, and
•••• disruption: other vampires, mortal Status. Buy coterie Backgrounds
Two to four blocks, one police or predators, the Second In- with coterie pool dots, just like you
••••• park and its entrances, quisition, etc. Each dot of Portillon would buy an individual charac-
one small site (tourist subtracts one die from a foe’s pool ter’s Background.
landmark, hospital, mall) when they attempt to, for exam-
ple, enter, investigate, or surveil Remember to record major fig-
Eight blocks on both the domain without the coterie’s ures on the Relationship Map, just
sides of a major street, knowledge. as with individual Backgrounds.
one medium site (air-
port, major employer, Portillon seldom adds to char- Each member of the coterie can
casino, college) acter pools; it primarily acts as a use these coterie Backgrounds as
resistance Trait. A critical success their own, using the rules on pp.
One neighborhood or by an intruder might lower the 179-194. However, the Background
defined district, a square Portillon of the Domain against belongs to the coterie, not to the
kilometer, everything that specific intruder – unless the individual character. If the coterie
along one highway or coterie deals with them before the splits up, or if a character gets
major street, one major next incursion. ejected from their coterie (ban-
site (large university, ished by the Prince, for example),
amusement park) Portillon does not apply to then they cannot take the Back-
Havens, in or out of the Domain. ground with them.
Three neighborhoods, a
large group of features Coteries Without The Background does not
(“all parks on the South Domains multiply itself – a two-dot coterie
Side,”“all hospitals in Herd still only has the same
Queens,”“all highways A coterie without a Domain either number of kine and provides only
south of the river”) poaches its dinner (at grave risk one Resonance, the same that an
from the angry holder of the do- individual vampire with two dots
Dots need not always translate to of Herd (••) commands.
size. Obviously a smaller domain
in a rich hunting area, such as the
Rack, still has a higher Chasse than
a large domain in a desolate or
empty part of the city.

196

CHARACTERS

Like all Backgrounds, coterie Camarilla books for many more passed down to generations of new
Backgrounds remain vulnerable inspirations. vampires.
to in-game events. If a mob of ■■ Domain: Chasse (•) and Portil-
torch-wielding Baptists burns out a If your coterie matches a given
coterie Haven, those dots are gone, type, subtract the listed costs from lon (•••)
just as if they had burned out one the coterie pool. If your pool isn’t ■■ Haven: (••)
player’s Haven – except, in the case large enough to pay for that coterie
of a coterie Haven, when it goes, type, start collecting dot contribu- Possible extras: Adversary,
nobody has a place to sleep today. tions from the characters. Haunted flaw in Haven, Status (for
Putting all of one’s eggs in the legacies)
same basket has its downside. You can increase any listed
value with your remaining coterie Champions
Types of pool dots, if any. Consider the pos-
sible extras as more places to put The coterie exists to fight for
Coteries spare dots. a cause, possibly even one that
mortals might recognize as worthy:
The Kindred like to propagate the Blood Cult clean up the neighborhood by
myth that they are solitary creatures. devouring drug dealers, for exam-
This statement is partially true; Formally condemned as viola- ple. Thin-bloods often begin their
like all addicts, they put themselves tions of the Masquerade, blood unlives as champions. Thicker-
and their need for blood ahead of cults have nevertheless resurged blooded champions likely consider
any personal loyalties. A vampire with the coming of Gehenna. This themselves Anarchs or at least
with close friends is a vampire with coterie entices mortal worshippers, Anarch sympathizers, although
great weakness. As the centuries feeding them vitae or just enslav- a clever Prince of the Camarilla
turn love into hate and familiarity ing them. Many blood cults reveal can put even the highest-minded
breeds contempt, betrayal is almost enough supernatural truth (though vampires to good use. In the end,
inevitable, later if not sooner. What not always vampiric lore) to alert even champions have to make the
the Damned seldom let on is that the Second Inquisition, adding yet hard choice between their human
they crave meaning and companion- more implacable foes. charges and their vampiric urges.
ship as deeply as we do, perhaps ■■ Domain: Lien (•) and Portil- ■■ Domain: Chasse (•) and Lien
more deeply. Theirs is an existence
on the edge of a bottomless pit of lon (••) (•••)
despair. A lone Kindred falls victim ■■ Herd: (•••) ■■ Allies: (•)
to the Compulsions of the Beast or is ■■ Status Flaw: (•) Suspect ■■ Enemies: (••)
drawn to the flame of self-annihilat-
ing depression very easily. Possible extras: Enemies (••), Possible extras: Adversary, Contacts
Haven (cult church or compound),
Besides existentialism then, Mask Flaw (••) (on the Second Commando
what’s the reason for your crew’s Inquisition radar), Retainers
existence? In practice, vampires as- The coterie exists to fight its
sociate into as many types of coteries Cerberus master’s enemies: the vampiric
as humans do into their own types of equivalent of a SWAT or special
social groups. The coterie exists to protect or operations team. You may even
guard a certain spot or important disguise yourself as a squad of the
Choose a coterie type or invent location, such as a grave, a portal, city’s tactical police, as long as you
your own. See the Anarch and or the vault of a priceless relic. don’t try to pass as officers in front
Cerberus coteries often become of a real one.
"legacy coteries", with membership

197

COREBOOK

■■ Domain: Chasse (•) and Portil-
lon (••)

■■ Mawla: (•••) (whoever tasks
you for your missions)

■■ Status: (•)
■■ Enemies: (••)

Possible extras: Adversary, Haven
(base of operations), Mask

Day Watch your gang), Influence (organized be Primogen get. Elders left out
crime), Retainers, Status (likely use every means at their disposal
The coterie guards the undead city with Anarchs) to turn (or break) the coterie to
from mortals, especially during the their advantage.
day when most Kindred sleep. Each Hunting Party ■■ Domain: Chasse (••) and Por-
member must be a thin-blood with
the Day Drinker Merit, or the Story- The coterie specializes in hunt- tillon (••)
teller needs to provide them another ing and capturing humans with ■■ Status: (•••)
means of remaining active by day. particular qualities of the blood.
■■ Domain: Chasse (•) and Portil- With knowledge of, and tastes for, Possible extras: Adversaries,
humors and Resonances spreading Influence, Mawla (Prince/Baron),
lon (••) among thin-blood cookers and Tor- Retainers
■■ Influence: (••) eador gourmands alike, coteries on
■■ Enemies: (•••) the make often choose to become Nomads
coteries on the prowl for others.
Possible extras: Allies, Contacts, ■■ Domain: Chasse (•••) The coterie travels from place to
Haven, Mawla, a shared relic or ■■ Ally: (•)or Mawla: (•) (blood place. It might pose as (or actu-
ritual allowing activity by day ally be) a band, theater troupe, or
broker) other itinerant artists. Indeed, this
Fang Gang coterie might perform exclusively
Possible extras: Herd, Influence for Kindred audiences at Princely
The coterie operates as a criminal (organized crime) courts, not just second-tier rock
gang, or possibly as a crew of bur- clubs in the old factory district. Al-
glars or con artists. The fang gang Maréchal ternatively, nomad coteries might
may disguise itself as part of the be refugees from the Gehenna War
city’s organized crime syndicate, or This coterie serves and guards or just “kings of the road.”
act as the Prince or Baron’s liaison the Prince or Baron, doing
with them. their bidding as attendants and
■■ Domain: Chasse (•), Lien (•), hatchet-men. Their direct access
to the ruler means that influen-
and Portillon (•) tial elders attempt to insert their
■■ Contacts: (•) (fence or other childer into the coterie – indeed,
every member of the coterie may
criminal middleman)
■■ Enemies: (••)

Possible extras: Haven (clubhouse),
Herd (human members/victims of

198