Laws of the Dark

(Vampire: the Masquerade rules for Live Action Role-playing, 3rd Edition.)

(Version .80w)

Introduction
What this book is and isn't
Laws of the Dark is a truly pocket guide to the live-action version of Vampire: the Masquerade. Based loosely on Mind's Eye Theatre, it also contains rule changes and fixes for problems encountered by games run in a chronicle format.
This book is written for players, and therefore does not contain hints for storytellers, setting information, or rules for antagonists. Another volume will cover that information.
Much of this book has appeared in White Wolf publications; it has been heavily edited, but credit is given to them for a great game. This book is not an attempt to claim their work, nor is it a challenge of their copyrights.
Why a third edition?
Laws of the Night was a good start. It fixed a few common problems, and was small enough to fit in the pocket of a trenchcoat. However, it did not fix many problems that chronicles were running into; the Camarilla fan club offered solutions, but many troupes were unwilling or unable to pay to join. Other groups also addressed those problems, but none have released a pocket-sized book, probably because of copyright infringement. Furthermore, troupes have had a hard enough time bringing in new players without exposing them to rule clarifications, updates, fixes, and bug reports. Like legal encyclopedias used by lawyers, these updates often are larger than the original volumes. This edition was written to fix this; updates and fixes from years of chronicle-style play are condensed into a usable book format.

Chapter One:

Character Creation

Character Creation Process

• Step One: Inspiration - Who are you?
• Choose Clan
• Choose Nature and Demeanor
• Step Two: Attributes - What are your basic capabilities?
• Prioritize Attributes (7 primary, 5 secondary and 3 tertiary)
• Choose Traits
• Step Three: Advantages - What can you do?
• Choose Abilities - 5/4/3 Talents, Skills, Knowledges
• Choose three Disciplines
• Choose five Backgrounds
• Step Four: Last Touches - Fill in the details.
• Assign Blood Points
• Assign Willpower Traits
• Choose one Beast Trait, or one Path Trait, if Sabbat
• Assign one Sect Status Trait, Acknowledged, if applicable
• Spend Freebie Points (7)
• Choose Merits and Flaws, if any
• Step Five: Spark of Life - Narrative descriptions, character history.

Step One: Inspiration
Every newly created character should have a strong concept, for a character is little more than a piece of paper without a concept. The concept should work within the mood of the chronicle; outlandish concepts should be approved by the Storyteller.
The concept chosen for your character stems from the character's Clan, Nature, and Demeanor and more. These should reflect your character's personality, background, and goals in life.

Clan
Your choice of clan reflects a great deal upon your character's concept and personality. Your chosen clan describes your character's lineage. Your character is always of the same clan as your Sire, unless you are a Caitiff. Players are commonly restricted from choosing clans outside the Camarilla; you should consult a Storyteller for approval before choosing a clan from a different sect (like the Sabbat or Inconnu).
The clan you choose also determines what Disciplines you are naturally attuned to; other Disciplines are more difficult to learn and always require a teacher.

Nature and Demeanor
Every character has a personality, defined in part by his Nature and Demeanor. Your character's Nature is the most dominant aspect of his true personality. However, characters (and real people) rarely show this aspect to others; most create a façade, called a Demeanor, which they show to the rest of the world. A character's Demeanor can change, but usually a character has a preferred archetype.
Personality Archetypes:

• Architect - You seek to create something of lasting value, or a legacy.
• Bravo - You are something of a bully and like to be feared.
• Caregiver - You seek to nurture others.
• Child - You never really grew up and like people to take care of you.
• Conformist - A follower at heart, you find it easy to adapt to new situations.
• Conniver - There is always an easier way that usually involves someone else doing it for you.
• Deviant - You are just not like everyone else.
• Director - You like to take charge of a situation.
• Fanatic - You have a cause and it gives your life meaning.
• Gallant - You love to be flamboyant and larger-than-life.
• Hedonist - Life is meaningless, so you try to enjoy it.
• Jester - Always a clown, you just do not take anything seriously.
• Judge - You seek justice, and like to solve problems.
• Loner - You never allow anyone to be close to you.
• Martyr - You enjoy being needed, and love to be morally superior.
• Rebel - You rebel out of habit and passion, even if you have no cause.
• Survivor - You are always struggling to survive, even if it is not necessary.
• Traditionalist - You prefer the orthodox and conservative ways.
• Visionary - You always have your head above the clouds.

Step Two: Attributes
Attributes define a character's natural capacity. Attribute Traits are separated into three categories. Each character has one category in which he is strong, a second category in which he is a little weaker and a third category in which he is weakest.

Choosing Traits
After choosing the priorities of your character's attribute categories, you need to choose specific Traits in those categories. You receive 7 traits in your primary category, 5 traits in your secondary category, and 3 traits in your tertiary category. The same trait may be taken more than once, indicating greater aptitude. This also makes it easier for the player to learn the character's statistics.
Physical Traits describe the abilities of the body, such as power, quickness, and endurance.

• Athletic - Your body is conditioned to respond well in full-body movements.
• Uses: Sports, duels, acrobatics, wrestling.
• Brawny - Bulky muscular strength.
• Uses: Punching, kicking, grappling, feats of strength.
• Brutal - Capability of performing any action necessary to survival.
• Uses: Fighting an obviously superior enemy.
• Dexterous - Skill in using your hands.
• Uses: Combat with a weapon, picking pockets, punching.
• Enduring - Persistent sturdiness against physical opposition.
• Uses: Soaking damage, successive bids when your survival is at stake.
• Energetic - Full of spirit or internal drive.
• Uses: Combat, Extended physical challenges.
• Ferocious - Brutal intensity and physical determination.
• Uses: Inflicting serious harm, or while in frenzy.
• Graceful - Control and balance.
• Uses: Combat defense, maintaining balance.
• Lithe - Flexibility and suppleness.
• Uses: Acrobatics, dodging, dancing.
• Nimble - Agile and light-footed.
• Uses: Dodging, hand-to-hand combat, acrobatics.
• Quick - Speedy, short reaction time.
• Uses: Defending in a surprise attack, dodging, attacking.
• Resilient - Healthy, quick recovery rate.
• Uses: Soaking damage, surviving in hostile environments.
• Robust - Resistant to physical harm.
• Uses: Soaking damage, extended tests of endurance.
• Rugged - Hardiness, health.
• Uses: Soaking damage, Earth Melding.
• Stalwart - Physically strong and uncompromising.
• Uses: Soaking damage, standing ground against a superior foe.
• Steady - Controlled, unfaltering, balanced.
• Uses: Weapon use, fighting in hostile environments.
• Tenacious - Physically determined.
• Uses: Subsequent physical challenges.
• Tireless - High stamina.
• Uses: Extended endurance challenges, subsequent physical challenges in combat.
• Tough - Reluctance to submit.
• Uses: When wounded or tired.
• Vigorous - Energy, power, and resistance to harm.
• Uses: Defensive combat and athletic challenges.
• Wiry - Streamlined muscular strength.
• Uses: Brawling, acrobatics.

• Alluring - Attractiveness and appeal to others.
• Uses: Seduction, convincing others.
• Beguiling - Skilled in deception.
• Uses: Trickery, lying.
• Charismatic - Talented in inspiration and motivating.
• Uses: Leadership, Awe.
• Charming - Attractive in speech and actions.
• Uses: Convincing, persuading, Entrancement.
• Commanding - Skilled in direct control of other.
• Uses: Leadership, Presence.
• Compassionate - Caring for others.
• Uses: Defending the weak.
• Dignified - Honorable appearance, even when stressed.
• Uses: Presence, defending in Social Challenges.
• Diplomatic - Tactful and thoughtful in speech.
• Uses: Leadership, making deals.
• Elegant - Refined tastes.
• Uses: High society, defending in Social Challenges.
• Eloquent - Skilled in speaking convincingly.
• Uses: Convincing, public speaking.
• Empathetic - Understanding the emotions of others.
• Uses: Preventing frenzy in others, determining the feelings of others.
• Expressive - Able to articulate thoughts understandably.
• Uses: Performance, producing art, debate
• Friendly - Natural appeal.
• Uses: Entrancement, convincing.
• Genial - Warm and pleasant.
• Uses: Entrancement, successive social challenges.
• Gorgeous - Raw attractiveness.
• Uses: Modeling, Entrancement.
• Ingratiating - Able to appeal to others.
• Uses: Dealing with elders in a social situation, defending against Social Challenges.
• Intimidating - Frightening presence socially.
• Uses: Presence Disciplines, Leadership.
• Magnetic - Raw emotional appeal.
• Uses: Presence, seduction.
• Persuasive - Skill in presenting believable argument.
• Uses: Leadership, or convincing others.
• Seductive - Able to entice others.
• Uses: Subterfuge, seduction, Presence.
• Witty - Clever and humorous, naturally amusing.
• Uses: Insults, entertainment.

• Alert - Mentally prepared for anything.
• Uses: Preventing surprise, resisting mind control.
• Attentive - Awareness of surroundings.
• Uses: Preventing surprise, resisting mind control, spotting hidden things.
• Calm - Extensive self-control.
• Uses: Resisting frenzy, defending against upsetting mental attacks.
• Clever - Quick-witted and resourceful.
• Uses: Using a mental Discipline.
• Creative - Full of original ideas and unusual solutions to problems.
• Uses: Performance, creating anything.
• Cunning - Ingenious, crafty.
• Uses: Trickery, Command challenges.
• Dedicated - Possessing strong beliefs.
• Uses: Defending against Mental Challenges.
• Determined - Committed to actions.
• Uses: Face-downs, most Mental Challenges.
• Discerning - Attuned to details.
• Uses: Auspex.
• Disciplined - Mentally structured and controlled.
• Uses: Thaumaturgy, face-downs.
• Insightful - Understanding of situations.
• Uses: Enacting Investigation, Heightened Senses.
• Intuitive - Instinctive, understanding without conscious reasoning.
• Uses: Reading auras, Investigation.
• Knowledgeable - Possessed of extensive book-learning and trivia.
• Uses: Forgetful Mind contests, Thaumaturgy
• Observant - Possessing a great depth of vision.
• Uses: Heightened Senses, noticing subtle details.
• Patient - Tolerant and steadfast.
• Uses: Face-downs, successive Mental Challenges.
• Rational - Logical, reasonable, sane
• Uses: Resisting emotional attacks, deciphering an enigma.
• Reflective - Introspective and holistic.
• Uses: Meditation, remembering information.
• Shrewd - Astute and artful.
• Uses: Defense against most Mental Challenges.
• Vigilant - Watchful, guarded.
• Uses: Defense against Investigation or Dominate.
• Wily - Sly, quick-witted.
• Uses: Trickery, lying, resisting confusion.
• Wise - Understanding of the world.
• Uses: Giving advice, convincing others, resisting Dominate.

Step Three: Advantages
Advantages represent what and whom your character knows, and are divided into Abilities, Disciplines, and Backgrounds.

Choosing Abilities
Abilities represent a character's "mundane" collection of training and knowledge, beyond the outline provided by her Traits. Abilities allow you to perform tasks possible with training, like picking locks, or reading an occult tome and understanding it. Each character begins with twelve Abilities, divided into three categories, Talents, Skills, and Knowledges. The character has five abilities in his primary category, four abilities in his secondary category, and three abilities in his tertiary category. See Chapter 2.

Choosing Disciplines
Disciplines are supernatural powers available only to vampires. Each vampire begins the game with three levels of Disciplines, but may only choose Disciplines that his clan normally possesses. Each Discipline has five levels of power; a level 5 Discipline is greater in power than a level 1 Discipline. Each level of a Discipline must be selected in order, and generally no character is allowed to begin the game with a Discipline greater than level 3. See Chapter 2.

Choosing Backgrounds
Backgrounds represent your character's ties to mortal society, whether through friendly association in the form of Contacts, or direct control in the form of Influence. Some vampires collect Herds of mortals, to make feeding easier, or have acquired Fame or Resources in their undead existences. Backgrounds should reflect your character's concept, as they represent your character's history up to the point when he joins a chronicle. Each character begins with five Backgrounds. See Chapter 2.

Step Four: Last Touches
At this point, you need to fill in the details of your character, such as his Status among vampire society, his generation (distance from Caine), and his level of Humanity.

Blood Points
Blood Points represent a quantity of blood. The amount of blood a character can possess internally is determined by the character's generation (see page XX). Aside from fueling some Disciplines, blood is used by vampires for many purposes.

• A vampire must expend a single Blood Point every 24 hours for nourishment. This is done immediately upon awaking unless other circumstances arise.
• Blood Points can be used to heal normal wound levels on a one-for-one basis. As an action, a vampire may spend up to his maximum blood per turn (as determined by his generation) to heal wounds.
• Blood Points may also be used to heal aggravated wounds, though this costs three Blood Points and a Willpower Trait per wound level. This takes ten minutes of concentration and rest.
• Blood Points may be used to boost Physical Traits during a conflict, on a one-for-one basis. The added Traits remain for five minutes after the last challenge in a conflict, and thus may carry over into another conflict. Traits added in such a manner may not be bid, though they may count in a tie or overbid. As an action, a vampire may spend up to his maximum blood per turn to boost Physical Traits.

Willpower
Willpower Traits represent your character's basic drive, self-confidence and tenacity. It is used in times of stress to maintain control when predatory instincts emerge. Each character begins with two Willpower Traits, but may buy more with freebie points. Aside from fueling some Disciplines, each Willpower Trait can be used to perform a number of other useful purposes.

• Willpower may be used to avoid a frenzy. (See Frenzy, page XX.)
• A single Willpower Trait may be used to recover all lost Traits in a category. This may only be used on Traits lost due to challenges or spent using Disciplines.
• A Willpower Trait may be spent to gain a free retest when defending against a Mental or Social Challenge. This may only be done once per challenge.

Willpower is normally regained at the beginning of every session, though the Storyteller could change this or allow a character to recover all Willpower as a reward for good role-playing or the accomplishment of a major goal.

Humanity
Each vampire must face a constant battle with his own predatory nature, often called the Beast. As a vampire loses touch with his human side, he accumulates Beast Traits which represent how close a character is to the Beast. The more Beast Traits possessed, the less human a character has become. A character obtains Beast Traits by performing inhuman acts, like murder or sadism. If a character obtains six or more Beast Traits, he has succumbed to the Beast and has become a mindless predatory monster. Such a character may no longer be played.
Each vampire begins with one Beast Trait, though this may be bought off during character creation by spending three Freebie Points (see below).

Derangements
Some vampires have psychological disorders, known as Derangements. These are major psychosis or neurosis. They become far more intense whenever the vampire is exposed to high amounts of stress or under other circumstances, depending on the Derangement.
The difference between a Derangement and a Beast Trait is that Derangements are not supernatural. Mortals can and often do possess Derangements. Some Derangements are only possessed by vampires, but are not supernatural in nature. These vampires simply have reacted badly to their new identities.
Malkavians are a special case; their Derangements are always active, not just in times of stress.
The effects of a Derangement can be ignored for ten minutes if the vampire spends a Willpower Trait.
Sample Derangements:

• Amnesia - In stressful situations, you sometimes forget who and even what you are. Often, certain memories are lost for an extended period of time, though these may send the vampire into a frenzy if they ever return.
• Bipolar Disorder - Once referred to as Manic Depression, this Derangement causes extreme mood swings from euphoric bliss to suicidal despair. You begin each session in one of the two extremes, and stressful situations cause you to switch.
• Intellectualization - You avoid emotions by receding into a world of logic and isolating yourself from your situation. However, sometimes the emotions catch up with you, which may cause you to frenzy.
• Multiple Personality Disorder - You possess a number of different personalities, and randomly switch between them in times of stress. You should create these personalities, possibly even keeping separate character sheets for each.
• Paranoia - You often are convinced that there are forces out to discredit or destroy you. You trust no one and hold even close friends under suspicion. If pushed to far while in this state, you could enter a frenzy.

Status
Status Traits represent the amount of power and social prestige a character has within vampire society. A character usually begins with one Status Trait, Acknowledged. If a character is Caitiff or an Anarch, or has not met with the Prince of a city, he may be without this Trait.
A character can gain status by assuming a political office, performing certain tasks, or simply by gaining the respect, admiration or fear of others. Status Traits are also represented by words, including, but not limited to: Admired, Adored, Cherished, Esteemed, Exalted, Famous, Faultless, Feared, Honorable, Influential, Just, Praised, Respected, Revered, Trusted, and Well Known.
Status Traits are measured in both Permanent and Temporary Traits. Permanent Traits represent your actual standing in Kindred society; loses of Temporary Status have no effect on Permanent Status. Temporary Traits are traits that are used to perform tasks during a session.
Generally, no more than one Permanent Status Trait may be gained in a session, unless specifically honored by a Prince or other political figure. Permanent Status can be lost as well, either when punished, or if you perform inappropriately in public.
All changes in status should be roleplayed; the Primogen does not simply state, "you now have the Trait Respected." Instead, he should announce his respect to as many of his sect as possible.

• Status Traits can sometimes be added to your number of Social Traits in an appropriate challenge (e.g., when you are intimidating or hold authority over another vampire).
• Status Traits often determine credibility.
• You can lend Temporary Status Traits to other characters to show your favor.
• You usually must have at least one Temporary Status Trait to petition the Prince for any reason; Caitiff are usually ignored unless someone supports them.
• Any one of higher Status can remove Status from those lower than themselves. This costs one Temporary or Permanent Trait, removing either a Temporary or Permanent Trait from the subject.
• You can grant Permanent Status to another member of your clan if he has less than half your Permanent Status. This costs one Temporary Status Trait.

Clan Prestige
Each vampire also has a ranking within their clan, known as Prestige. Methods of gaining prestige vary drastically based on circumstances and clans, and are left up to the Storyteller. In general, a vampire begins with no Prestige.

Generation
A vampire's generation determines how far removed he is from Caine, and thus determines the limit to his level of power. Blood Pool refers to the amount of Blood Points a character can have at a time. Maximum blood per round refers to how many Blood Points a character may spend in a single round, for any reason. Maximum Traits refers to how many Traits a character may possess in a single category.

Generation	Blood Pool	Max Blood per round	Maximum Traits	Max Ability, Discipline
13	5	1	10	5
12	6	1	10	5
11	7	1	11	5
10	8	2	12	5
9	9	3	13	5
8	10	4	14	Ability: 6, Discipline: 5
7	12	5	16	Ability: 7, Discipline: 6
6	14	6	18	8
5	18	8	21	9
4	22	10	25	10
3	?	?	?	?

Freebie Points
At this point, you receive 7 Freebie Points, which are used to customize your character further. Any unspent Freebie Points become experience points after the character is first played.

• Attribute Traits cost two points each.
• Abilities also cost two points each.
• Backgrounds cost one point each.
• Disciplines cost four points each. You may only purchase Disciplines normally possessed by your clan, unless otherwise stated by the Storyteller.
• Status Traits cost two points each.
• Willpower Traits cost three points each.
• Rituals cost two points per level, each. Only Tremere and Tremere Antitribu may purchase rituals during character creation.

Merits and Flaws
Merits and Flaws allow you to describe your character in more detail than that provided by the basic character creation process. Merits and Flaws are entirely optional; a player need not take any if not desired. Furthermore, the Storyteller should feel free to disallow some or all of the Merits and Flaws.
Merits are purchased with Freebie Points. Flaws taken provide more Freebie Points for the character. Characters should be limited to no more than 5 points of Flaws, and may be limited further by the Storyteller.
Note that a Flaw that does not hinder a character in some way should not be worth any points, such as a Ventrue who takes Prey Exclusion.

Psychological
Code of Honor (1 pt Merit)
You have a personal code of ethics to which you strictly adhere. You automatically resist normal influences that would cause you to violate this code, and have one free retest when attempting to resist a similar supernatural influence, or to resist a frenzy that would cause you to violate your code.
Higher Purpose (1 pt Merit)
You have purpose in your life, and it directs you in everything you do. This causes you to be one trait up in any challenge relating to furthering this goal. This Merit may not be taking in conjunction with Driving Goal.
Berserker (2 pt Merit)
You know how to control your Beast, allowing you to enter frenzy at will. Your chances of entering an unwilling frenzy do not change, nor do you have any additional control in a frenzy, whether willing or not.
Compulsion (1 pt Flaw)
You have a minor psychological compulsion that can cause you problems. You might have a compulsion for cleanliness, perfection, stealing, gambling, etc. You may avoid your compulsion for a short time by spending a Willpower Trait.
Dark Secret (1 pt Flaw)
You have a secret that, if uncovered, would cause you much embarrassment and possibly place your life in danger.
Intolerant (1-3 pt Flaw)
You have an irrational dislike of a certain thing. It may be an animal, a class of people, a situation, or almost anything else. The value of this Flaw is based on the rarity of the intolerable thing; a common object is worth more Freebie Points.
Nightmares (1 pt Flaw)
You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and are haunted with memories of them when you are awake. On occasion, the nightmares become so bad that you are one trait down in all challenges until you sleep again (Storyteller's discretion).
Prey Exclusion (1 pt Flaw)
You are unwilling to feed from a certain class of prey. For example, an animal lover may not wish to feed from animals, or another character may not wish to hunt a certain class of people, like law enforcement officers or teachers.
Overconfident (1 pt Flaw)
You have an exaggerated opinion of your worth and capabilities. You always trust your abilities, even if they are not as perfect as you believe. You will never take the blame for you own failure, and often find yourself in dangerous situations.
Shy (1 pt Flaw)
You are distinctively ill at ease when dealing with people, causing you to be two traits down in all challenges in a social setting. You are three traits down in any challenge in which you are the center of attention for a large group of people (over 10).
Speech Impediment (1 pt Flaw)
Whether physical or psychological, you stammer or have some other difficulty speaking. You should role-play this always, though it is generally worse during times of stress.
Bestial (2 pt Flaw)
Your predatory instincts have taken over an aspect of your personality, giving you an additional Beast Trait (See Beast Traits, page XX.)
Deranged (2 pt Flaw)
You suffer from a neurosis or psychosis that occasionally dictates your behavior. (See Derangements, page XX)
Low Self-Image (2 pt Flaw)
You lack self confidence, causing you to be two traits down in situations involving confrontation or when you think you may fail.
Short Fuse (2 pt Flaw)
You have a temper, causing you to have one retest against you to resist a Rage frenzy for any reason.
Vengeance (2 pt Flaw)
You have a score to settle. You are obsessed with wreaking vengeance on an individual or group, and you make this revenge your first priority in all situations. You may resist the urge to exact revenge for a short time by spending a Willpower Trait.
Driving Goal (3 pt Flaw)
You have a personal goal that compels you always. The goal is probably beyond your reach, and in any case will cause you great difficulty throughout the chronicle. You may resist this urge for a short time by spending a Willpower Trait.

Mental
Light Sleeper (1 pt Merit)
You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble, without any lingering lethargy.
Calm Heart (2 pt Merit)
You are natural calm and composed, granting a free retest in any challenge to resist frenzy.
Daredevil (3 pt Merit)
You have a free retest in any challenge in which you try something particularly dangerous. This only applies to combat when you are severely outmatched (i.e. attacked by multiple opponents.)
Iron Will (3 pt Merit)
You have a strong force of determination, automatically granting you a free retest in any challenge to resist a Discipline, ritual, or spell that would directly affect your mind.
Confused (2 pt Flaw)
You are often confused, perceiving the world as a distorted and twisted place. This confusion increases whenever you are in an environment with strong or numerous stimuli. You are three traits down in all challenges in such an environment, unless you spend a Willpower Trait. Often this confusion prevents you from understanding anything.
Deep Sleeper (2 pt Flaw)
When you sleep, you have a very hard time waking. You sleep for an extra 15 minutes after dusk for each Beast Trait you possess, and will be two traits down in all challenges for an hour after you wake.
Illiterate (2 pt Flaw)
You are unable to read or write.
Weak-Willed (3 pt Flaw)
You are suffer one retest against you in all challenges to resist Dominate or intimidation, and may only use Willpower Traits when your immediate survival is at stake.
Absent-Minded (3 pt Flaw)
Though you do not forget your Abilities or Disciplines, you often forget names, addresses, etc. To remember any specific detail beyond your name and location of your haven, you must either be reminded or spend a Willpower Trait.

Awareness
Acute Hearing (1 pt Merit)
You have a free retest in all tests relating to hearing.
Acute Sense of Smell (1 pt Merit)
You have a free retest in all tests relating to your sense of smell.
Acute Sense of Taste (1 pt Merit)
You have a free retest in all tests relating to your sense of taste.
Acute Vision (2 pt Merit)
You have a free retest in all tests relating to vision.
Hard of Hearing (1 pt Flaw)
You have one retest against you in all tests relating to hearing.
Bad Sight (1 pt Flaw)
You have some form of incorrectable blindness. You have one retest against you in all tests involving your vision.
One Eye (2 pt Flaw)
You have lost one eye and for some reason are unable to heal it back. You have no peripheral vision on your blind side, making it easy to surprise you. Furthermore, you have lost depth perception, rendering you two traits down in all tests involving distance, like ranged combat.
Deaf (3 pt Flaw)
You have no sense of hearing. You may have learned the Ability to read lips, but for some reason you are unable to regain your hearing.
Blind (4 pt Flaw)
You cannot see, and for some reason cannot heal your eyes.

Supernatural
Inoffensive to Animals (1 pt Merit)
While most animals fear vampires, they tend to treat you as they would a mortal, instead.
Danger Sense (2 pt Merit)
You are have a free simple test to avoid being surprised.
Faerie Affinity (2 pt Merit)
You have a naturally low Banality, causing Faeries to be attracted to you. Note that acting in a Banal way can negate this Merit. (See the Dreaming sourcebook.)
Medium (2 pt Merit)
You possess the natural ability to sense and hear spirits. You cannot see them, but you are able to speak with them. You cannot hear a spirit or wraith that does not wish to be heard, but your voice can carry over the Shroud or Gauntlet.
Magic Resistance (2 pt Merit)
You are naturally resistant to the effects of spells and rituals directed at you. If a challenge was necessary to cast the spell on you, you have a free retest to resist. If no challenge was involved, the caster must win a Static Mental Challenge against six traits. Note that this applies even to beneficial magicks, but only affects magic that directly targets you.
Occult Library (2 pt Merit)
You possess a library of occult materials, providing a useful source of research material. This Merit counts as four points of the Occult Influence, for the purposes of researching or creating rituals or occult knowledge only.
Spirit Mentor (3 pt Merit)
You have a ghostly companion and guide. It could be a wraith, or an umbral spirit. In any case, it usually simply provides advice for you. This takes place between games, usually, and you may not force the spirit to do anything. On a rare occasion, the spirit may choose to manifest on the physical plane, though this is taxing for him.
Unbondable (3 pt Merit)
You are immune to being Blood Bound.
Luck (4 pt Merit)
You are somehow lucky, allowing you three free retests per night, in any challenges. Only one such retest may be used in any one challenge.
Guardian Angel (6 pt Merit)
Someone or something supernatural watches over you and protects you. You cannot count on this being, though you know it is there.
True Faith (7 pt Merit)
You have a deep-seated faith in something spiritual. You begin the chronicle with one Faith Trait, which may be used as Willpower to automatically resist frenzy or recover all Traits in a category. Faith Traits may have other uses as well, which are left up to the Storyteller to decide. Additional Traits may be awarded if the character acts in a way to strengthen his faith. Faith Traits are recovered in the same way as Willpower.
Cursed (1-5 pt Flaw)
You have been cursed by someone or something with magical powers. The curse is specific and detailed, and cannot be dispelled. The more severe the curse is, the more points it is worth.
Magic Susceptibility (2 pt Flaw)
You are abnormally susceptible to the effects of rituals and spells. You have one retest against you to resist a magical effect, and all spells and rituals have twice their normal effect on you.
Haunted (3 pt Flaw)
A wraith that you can somehow see and hear dislikes you enough to haunt you. It has a few minor powers it can use against you to make your life miserable, like hiding objects, breaking fragile things or causing eerie noises or people to be uneasy.
Light-Sensitive (4 pt Flaw)
You are even more sensitive to sunlight than usual. Sunlight causes you double the normal damage, and you suffer a two trait penalty in all challenges that take place in light brighter than that produced by a 100-watt bulb. This last effect can be reduced to a one trait penalty if the character wears sunglasses.

Kindred Ties
Boon (1-3 pt Merit)
An elder owes you a boon. A trivial boon is worth one point, a minor boon is worth two points, and a major boon is worth three.
Prestigious Sire (1 pt Merit)
Your sire has or had great Status in your sect or clan, and this has accorded you a peculiar honor. This prestige has passed to you to some degree, allowing you to have an easier time when dealing with elders that know your sire.
Special Gift (1-3 pt Merit)
You sire gave you a valuable gift after the Embrace. The number of points spent determines the how valuable or useful the gift is. A 3-point gift could even be a magical item.
Enemy (1-5 pt Flaw)
You have an enemy or a group of enemies, who seek to harm you in some way. The value of this flaw determines how powerful the enemy is; a one point enemy has about the same level of power as you, while a 5-point enemy could be a Methuselah or a government agency.
Infamous Sire (1 pt Flaw)
Your sire was or still is distrusted and disliked by many Kindred, and as a result you are distrusted and disliked as well.
Sire's Resentment (1 pt Flaw)
You have somehow earned the resentment of your sire. He may seek to do you harm or even attack you, and his friends may help him.
Diabolic Sire (2 pt Flaw)
Your sire engages in acts that could cause an uproar in your sect. Archons are likely to visit you, investigating your sire, and may disbelieve or despise you if you do not cooperate.
Twisted Upbringing (2 pt Flaw)
You sire purposely taught you all the wrong things about Kindred society, causing you to get into dangerous situations. Everything you know about vampires is wrong.

Physical
Many physical Flaws are permanent forms of damage to a character. A vampire character may not heal this damage, or is unaware that he can, until the Flaw is bought off.
Baby Face (1 pt Merit)
You look more human than other vampires. You skin is pink, you never really stopped breathing, and even sneezing comes naturally. Your heart can beat if you have at least one Blood Point remaining. Nosferatu may not take this Merit.
Eat Food (1 pt Merit)
You have the capacity to eat food. You gain no nourishment from it, though this Merit helps you preserve the Masquerade.
Efficient Digestion (2 pt Merit)
You are able to draw more nourishment from Blood, making every two Blood Points ingested worth three. Ignore any fractional Blood Points.
Misplaced Heart (2 pt Merit)
Your heart has moved within your body, though no more than two feet. All attempts to stake you fail, unless the attacker knows where your heart is.
Allergic (1-3 pt Flaw)
You are allergic to some substance. While you do not sneeze, the reaction does hinder you. If you drink blood containing the substance, you will be three traits down in all challenges for a half hour. If you simply touch the substance, you are only one trait down for a half hour. Extended contact with the substance may cause wounds. The commonality of the substance determines the point value of the Flaw.
Disfigured (2 pt Flaw)
You are disfigured in some way. This prevents you from taking any Social Traits relating to appearance, and renders you two traits down in any Social Challenge you initiate (except intimidation) while your true appearance is visible.
Selective Digestion (2 pt Flaw)
You can only digest certain types of blood. You might only be able to digest cold blood, blood of a certain chemical type, or blood with the taste of fear.
Child (3 pt Flaw)
You were Embraced when you were a child, and will never grow up. Others might not take you seriously, even if you are experienced and knowledgeable. You also suffer a two trait penalty in Social Challenges when attempting to persuade or debate.
Deformity (3 pt Flaw)
You are somehow physically deformed, whether it be a misshapen limb or a hunchback, rendering you two traits down in all Physical Challenges. You are also two traits down in any challenge relating to physical appearance.
Lame (3 pt Flaw)
Your legs are injured somehow, rendering you three traits down in all tests relating to movement. You have a very difficult time even walking.
One Arm (3 pt Flaw)
You are missing one arm, rendering you three traits down in any test that normally requires two hands.
Permanent Wound (3 pt Flaw)
You sire failed to repair your injuries during the Embrace. The injuries reappear during your sleep so that you wake up at the Wounded Health Level. This damage can be healed as normal, but will always return.
Mute (4 pt Flaw)
Your vocal cords are damaged, and you cannot utter a sound.
Thin-Blooded (5 pt Flaw)
You have weak blood that is only capable of sustaining yourself and healing your wounds. You may not use blood to fuel Disciplines, add to your Physical Traits, or create Blood Bonds. Half the time, when you attempt to Embrace a mortal, the Embrace simply fails.

Step Five: Spark of Life
Characters do not consist of Traits alone. Other aspects, such as motivations and secrets -- while not necessarily important for game mechanics -- are vital to role-playing. Storytellers may request or require a written background of your character, or may wish to play out a Prelude story with you before you begin.
Background Story - You should create a background narrative for your character, describing her life before the Embrace. This may describe what she did for a living, who influenced her, or how she became who she is now. Regardless of when a character is Embraced, she may not have spent more than 50 waking years as a vampire without permission of a Storyteller.
Motivations - What is your purpose? What motivates you toward your goals? Describe the character's motivations in as much detail as possible. Ask a Storyteller for help if you need it.
Appearance - While you must physically portray this character, there are a few things you can do to make the character more believable. Find some props or a costume to wear so that people may understand who you are. Makeup can help in this area as well, particularly for Nosferatu or Samedi.
Equipment - A character may begin the game with mundane equipment. The Storyteller should approve weapons or armor before allowing them in a game. Your character may also begin with money or other valuables; again, check with the Storyteller.
Quirks - Most people have habits or mannerisms that are noticeable to others. You should come up with a few of these, and perhaps develop more as the chronicle progresses.
Preferences - You should try to figure out what strategy your character uses for obtaining Blood, whether it be by hunting humans or animals, using a blood bank, or by feeding from a herd. Your method of hunting could determine your chances of breaking the Masquerade or being attacked while feeding. You should also come up with a description of your haven, if you have one.

Chapter 2
Details
After creating your character, you should learn about the character's Disciplines and other statistics, so that you will know the character's capabilities.

Abilities
Abilities are mundane skills and knowledge. Ordinary mortals could possess most Abilities.
Abilities may be spent for restests (see Chapter 3) and may be required for you to even attempt to perform certain actions. Multiple levels of an Ability indicate a greater degree of expertise in the skill. Some tasks may require level 2 or more in a specific Ability.

Talents
Alertness
This ability allows you to notice things others don't. This usually applies to perception-based challenges.
Brawl
This ability aids in bare-handed attacks and allows you to perform special maneuvers in combat (see Chapter 3).
Dodge
You are skilled in getting out of the way of attacks. This ability adds to all attempts to dodge. This Ability could also aid in attempts to dive for cover or employ Fair Escape.
Intimidation
You know how to frighten people, or at least cause them to think twice before performing an action. This allows you to retest many Social Challenges or uses of Dominate, and may also be used out-of-game to frighten mortals into doing what you want. This may require a Social Challenge.
Leadership
If you are in an authoritative position, you may attempt to make reasonable requests of those under you. With a Social Challenge, they must follow these requests, though not if they would violate their Nature or Demeanor, or endanger them.
Streetwise
You know how to get information off the street, deal with gangs, and survive without an income. This often require a Social Challenge.
Subterfuge
With a successful Social Challenge, you can obtain information from someone who is not willing to give it. You must first get the subject to come up in a conversation. Sample bits of information include Nature, Demeanor, hidden secrets, or allies and enemies. You may also use this Ability to lie when confronted, either directly or with Subterfuge or another Ability or Discipline. A Social Challenge is necessary to see if the lie is believed.

Skills
Animal Ken
Given time and a captive animal, you may train it to perform tasks. A Static Mental Challenge against a difficulty determined by the Storyteller may be necessary for difficult tasks. You may also try to calm an attacking or frightened animal by winning a similar Static Social Challenge with a difficulty dependent on how tame the animal is.
Drive
While most adults have some familiarity with modern vehicles, this ability goes beyond the basics. You are adept at tailing and avoiding tails, avoiding collisions and using the vehicle as a weapon. A Physical or Mental Challenge is often required.
Firearms
You know how to use a gun, granting you use of the weapon's bonus Traits when in combat. With higher levels of this Ability, you can attempt to modify weapons and perform other functions with a Mental Challenge. You may also bid Mental Traits instead of Physical Traits when using a gun in combat.
Melee
You are trained in the use of weapons, granting you the bonus Traits of a weapon and allowing you to perform special maneuvers in combat.
Performance
You have the gift of expression. Each level of Performance represents skill in a certain medium, whether it be painting, sculpting, acting, composing music, or playing a type of instrument. An appropriate challenge may determine the genius of your creativity.
Repair
With enough time and the right tools, you can fix or alter mechanical objects. Complex objects may require multiple levels, and most actions require a Static Mental Challenge.
Security
You have knowledge of how security systems work, allowing you to build or bypass them. This will usually require a Mental Challenge to build or a Physical Challenge to bypass, and may require money or the right tools.
Stealth
Representing an affinity with moving silently and hiding, this Ability may be used in challenges in which you wish to remain hidden. While this will retest and Obfuscate or Obtenebration challenge, when used alone anyone can see you by winning a Mental Challenge against your Physical Traits. Anyone with Heightened Senses or a related supernatural power activated has a free retest in this challenge.
Survival
You know how to find food, water, and shelter in a wilderness setting. You may also attempt to track others in such a setting, though this usually requires a Mental Challenge.

Knowledges
Bureaucracy
You know how to appropriate licenses, use a contract to your advantage and recover, alter, and destroy files from most organizations. This often requires a Mental or Social Challenge.
Computer
You know how to use a computer to find information. Multiple levels allow you to infiltrate systems, steal information, and forge records in databanks. Such tasks usually require a Mental Challenge.
Finance
You can follow money trails, perform accounting tasks, and understand ideas like investment, buyouts, etc. You can also use Finance to make money quickly, though this and other actions often require a Mental Challenge to perform.
Investigation
You know how to pick out clues, uncover hidden details, and uncover information. With a Mental Challenge, you can determine if someone is carrying a concealed weapon at a glance. You may also attempt to track a person in a city by using this ability.
Law
You know how to write binding contracts, defend people in court, and research case history. Most actions require a Mental Challenge.
Linguistics
Each level of this Ability indicates a level of fluency in a specific language. One level allows you to speak with a deep accent, while two levels of fluency in a language is nearly perfect. Each language is a separate Ability.
Lore
Each level of this Ability indicates a level of knowledge about some aspect of supernatural society. There are many types of Lore, each it's own Ability. Many knowledges are not accessible to most Kindred. Sample knowledges include Camarilla Lore, Sabbat Lore, Nosferatu Lore, Wraith Lore, Garou Lore, Mage Lore, etc. A character without Garou Lore, for example, knows very little about Lupines at all, and would probably assume they turned into werewolves during the full moon. Remembering or uncovering some bits of information may require multiple levels or a challenge. The more specific a Lore Ability, the more knowledge a character has in that area. If a character has one level of Tremere Lore, he would know more about Tremere than a character with three levels of Kindred or Camarilla Lore.
Medicine
You are adept at treating the injuries, diseases and ailments of living creatures. You can double the healing time of any injury with the proper supplies and a Static Mental Challenge. You can also safely collect and store blood, diagnose illnesses, or extract foreign objects while causing minimal damage to surrounding tissue. At higher levels, this Ability also includes forensic uses.
Occult
You have a store of knowledge in all things arcane. You can identify the use of visible magicks, rites and rituals, identify cults or occult organizations, and perform occult research. Many uses require a Mental Challenge, and some require multiple levels of Occult.
Science
Each level in this Ability represents a degree of expertise in a certain scientific field (i.e., Biology or Chemistry). Some actions may require a Mental Challenge. Each field can be a separate Ability, at the Storyteller's discretion.

Secondary Abilities
Secondary Abilities are generally much more specialized than normal Abilities. They allow a character learn even more about a certain subject, or be particularly adept at an unusual skill. As Secondary Abilities are not as useful, they cost half as much as normal Abilities, in Freebie Points or Experience. Secondary Abilities may not be taken during Step Three of character creation. Many other secondary Abilities may exist with the Storyteller's approval.

Talents
Blind Fighting
You have learned to fight without the aid of your eyes. In hand-to-hand combat, you suffer no penalties when blinded. This Ability has no effect on ranged combat.
Firewalking
By meditating for five minutes, you are able to ignore the effects of Rotschreck when running across burning coals or through flames. This Ability does not protect you from damage incurred by fire, however.
Fortune Telling
With a Social Challenge, you can convince others that you know how to read palms, Tarot Cards, tea leaves, the I Ching, or similar divining tools.
Panhandling
You know how to beg, allowing you to try to raise modest amounts money with a Social Challenge.

Skills
Archery
Like Firearms, but relating to the use of Bows and Crossbows.
Scrounge
This Ability allows you to produce items through connections, wits and ingenuity. Often, the items produced are not quite what you want, but usually will suffice. A Mental or Social Challenge may be necessary to use this Ability.
Snake Charming
You know how to work with snakes, allowing you to mesmerize them and handle them. You may also use this ability to retest a Social Challenge when dealing with a Setite.
Throwing
While most thrown objects do not grant Bonus Traits, you may use this ability to aid you when throwing an object.

Knowledges
Mortal History
With a Mental Challenge, you can recall dates and other information about mundane history, or know where to go to research it.
Sniping
You have advanced knowledge of sniping positions, cover, the use of high-powered sniping rifles, etc. This Ability enables you to find good, well-hidden sniping positions, set-up and tear down secure sniping locations quickly and thoroughly, determine where shots are coming from, etc. Many uses may require a Mental Challenge. Firearms is still the Ability to use when taking the shot.
Torture
You know how to extract information from a victim using physical means. With the appropriate challenge, you can force a captive victim to reveal all.

Backgrounds
Background Traits represent special advantages the character has obtained in the past. The character's background story should explain how he came to possess these advantages. No background may be purchased beyond level 5, even after character creation, unless in special circumstances (Storyteller's discretion.)
Allies
Allies are mortal friends that will help and support you. They may be your family or even an organization with which you are friendly. Each level of this background represents an additional ally, or a more powerful ally. Allies will help if called for, but may also call you when they need help.
Contacts
Contacts are mortals with access to information. They might be police officers, government employees, or even newspaper reporters. You can call on them for information, and perhaps even minor favors, though difficult or dangerous requests might require a bribe or other compensation. Each level of this background indicates another source of information which you have access to.
Generation
Each level of this background indicates that you are one generation lower than normal (see the Generation Chart on page XX). Most characters begin at 13th generation.
Herd
You have built up a group of mortals from whom you can feed without fear. However, these mortals are not as tightly controlled as Retainers, nor as friendly as Allies. Each level of this background allows you to easily obtain one Blood Point per night, and roughly translates into 3 mortals.
Influence
You have direct control over some aspect of mortal society. It could be that you control a police chief, have obtained a political office, or hold a high position in a local Union. Each level of this background indicates greater control over the area. For example, a level 1 influence over industry would allow you to learn about upcoming projects, where a level 3 influence over media can prevent a story from ever breaking. See Chapter 3 for more details of what you can do with influence. Each area of Influence is a separate Background.
Mentor
You have one or more elders who look after you. This elder can advise you, protect you from other elders, defend you in front of the Prince, or give you information when it is useful. Each level of Mentor indicates a more powerful elder, or an additional one. For example, a level 1 Mentor would be an ancillæ that knows her way around Kindred society, where a level 5 Mentor could be a Justicar.
Resources
You have access to or have obtained financial resources. Each level of this background triples the allowance of the previous level, beginning with $500 per month for level 1. You can also liquidate this background, granting you 20 times your monthly allowance in ready cash.
Retainers
You have one or more mortal servants who are loyal to you. They may have been Dominated, overwhelmed with Presence, or Blood Bound to you. They must be controlled in some way. Each level of this background indicates an additional Retainer. Retainers generally will not appear during a game session, but may be used to defend your haven or perform tasks between sessions.
Status
You have additional status in either a sect or your clan. Each level of this background indicates an additional Status Trait in that group.

Clans
Every vampire is a member of a bloodline. Clans are bloodlines that have grown in influence and number. Each clan has distinct perspectives and powers. Below is a summary of the 13 clans, as well as some of the more common bloodlines. Players should research whichever clan or bloodline they choose, as this book only contains summaries. A vampire may also become a member of the Sabbat, adding the title "antitribu" to his clan name.
A clan's disadvantage is sometimes in the form of a Flaw. A vampire of that clan automatically has that flaw, recieves no Freebie Points for it, and may not buy it off with experience. Sometimes a clan advantage is an Ability, background, or similar trait. In these cases, the bonus Trait is not counted when determining the experience point cost of advancing that Trait.

Assamite
Assamites are the assassins of vampiric society. Justicars and Princes frequently employ them to take care of dirty work. Assamites usually take blood as payment, tithing a tenth of the blood to his sire. Assamites are Inconnu.
Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
Advantage: Assamites are very supportive of each other, and have earned a reputation as efficient assassins. Therefore, very few Assamites are ever challenged outside a contract for fear of retribution.
Disadvantage: Assamites are cursed, causing them to be unable to drink Kindred blood. Each Blood Point they drink from a vampire causes them one non-aggravated wound. To lower their generation, they must save 200 Blood Points from non-Assamite vampires of equal or lower generation than themselves and perform a ritual with the aide of an elder.

Assamite Antitribu
Assamite Antitribu are not subject to the weakness of the Assamite clan.
Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
Advantage: Assamite Antitribu are usually created to join the Black Hand, a sect of elite vampires in the Sabbat. This allows them access to information most Kindred are not aware of. They are also rarely asked to participate in the Vaulderie.
Disadvantage: Assamite Antitribu can easily become addicted to the blood of other vampires. 24 hours after each time one drinks Kindred blood, he must win or tie a Simple Test or be one trait down in all challenges for a month or until he tastes Kindred blood again. A Willpower Trait may be spent to prevent the addiction.

Brujah
The Brujah are rebels, searching for a way to express their individuality. They tend to be stubborn and aggressive. Brujah belong to the Camarilla sect, though many rebel and become Anarchs.
Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence
Advantage: Brujah are a tight-knit clan. Any Brujah may try to call on the clan for support. Prestation is neither expected nor given, though a Brujah who abuses this advantage may be ostracized.
Disadvantage: The Brujah clan is cursed with an internal rage; all Brujah suffer from the flaw Short Fuse. A Brujah's first Beast Trait is always a Rage Trait.

Brujah Antitribu
Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence
Advantage: Brujah Antitribu can easily pass as normal Brujah and are usually accepted as one of the Clan, even if discovered.
Disadvantage: Not only do Brujah Antitribu suffer from the Brujah Clan's disadvantage, they also become addicted to the feelings of a Rage Frenzy. Ten minutes after coming out of such a frenzy, the player must win or tie a simple test, or be one trait down in all challenges for 48 hours or until he enters another Rage Frenzy. A Willpower Trait may be spent to avoid the addiction.

Caitiff
Not so much a clan as a title, the term Caitiff refers to a vampire not belonging to an established bloodline. Caitiff are considered pariahs by the Camarilla, and as such are rarely respected.
Disciplines: Caitiff begin with any three self-taught Disciplines. A Caitiff may not start with Disciplines specific to bloodlines, like Thaumaturgy, Serpentis, Necromancy, or Quietus.
Advantage: As Caitiff have no specific Disciplines, they are able to learn all with greater ease than other Kindred.
Disadvantage: Caitiff begin with no status, and have no in-clan Disciplines that are easier to learn.

Followers of Set
The Followers of Set are masters of moral and spiritual corruption and seem to be able to find the weakness in any organization or individual. They are very cunning and amoral manipulators. Followers of Set are Inconnu, though most are grudgingly accepted into the Camarilla or Sabbat.
Disciplines: Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis
Advantage: Followers of Set start with one additional Influence level in Politics, Street, or Underworld.
Disadvantage: Setites all suffer from the flaw Light-Sensitive.

Gangrel
The Gangrel are wanderers and explorers. The clan has no established leaders, and are generally unconcerned with politics. Gangrel are members of the Camarilla, though some choose to become Anarchs or recede from politics altogether.
Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean
Advantage: As a result of the Gangrels' wandering nature, few Princes enforce the Tradition of Presentation on the clan. Furthermore, Gangrel do not show a taint of the Wyrm unless they have three or more Beast Traits. This grants a slight advantage to the clan when dealing with Garou.
Disadvantage: Each time a Gangrel frenzies, he gains an animalistic feature like pointed ears or slitted pupils. For every three such features, the Gangrel permanently becomes one trait down in all Social Challenges not related to intimidation.

Gangrel Antitribu
There are two types of Gangrel Antitribu: the city gangrel and the country gangrel.
Disciplines: City Gangrel - Celerity, Obfuscate, Protean; Country Gangrel - Animalism, Fortitude, Protean
Advantage: Gangrel Antitribu are fearless; all difficulties to resist Rotschreck are reduced by three.
Disadvantage: Gangrel Antitribu suffer from the same disadvantage as the Camarilla Gangrel.

Giovanni
A relatively young clan, the Giovanni are merchants and investors. They are also necromancers. The Giovanni generally embrace only those of their mortal Giovanni family, and generally only employ ghouls and retainers from their family as well. Giovanni are generally Inconnu, and distrusted and disliked by other sects.
Disciplines: Dominate, Necromancy, Potence
Advantage: Giovanni begin the game with an additional level of Influence in either Finance or Health (for access to morgues).
Disadvantage: Giovanni inflict twice as many wounds as normal when feeding on living creatures. Thus, a Giovanni taking one Blood Point from a human causes two wounds.

Lasombra
The Lasombra are the natural leaders of the Sabbat. In this way, they are similar in nature to the Ventrue.
Disciplines: Dominate, Obtenebration, Potence
Advantage: The Lasombra are greatly respected in the Sabbat, and begin with an additional Status Trait of Respected.
Disadvantage: The Lasombra cast no reflection and do not appear on film of any kind.

Malkavian
The Malkavians are a clan of insane vampires, though they believe themselves to hold key wisdom and insights into reality. They in turn, believe that other Kindred are mad, and manipulate them for entertainment. Malkavians are part of the Camarilla, though some become Anarchs.
Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate
Advantage: The Malkavians may ignore the Status Traits of anyone, once per evening, without fear of retribution.
Disadvantage: Malkavians begin the game with a major derangement, which should be a psychosis or neurosis or an advanced version of a psychological Flaw. This derangement is always active, though more severe during times of stress.

Malkavian Antitribu
Disciplines: Auspex, Dementation, Obfuscate
Advantage: Even more chaotic than their Camarilla counterparts, the Malkavian Antitribu can ignore the Status or reputation of anyone, any time, without fear of losing their own Status.
Disadvantage: Malkavian Antitribu begin with two major derangements, which should be powerful psychosis or neurosis, treated just like a Malkavian's derangment.

Nosferatu
Nosferatu are the least human of all clans, resembling feral animals. Nosferatu generally only Embrace those who are twisted in some way, whether emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually. Nosferatu are often very practical and sane. Nosferatu are members of the Camarilla.
Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence
Advantage: Nosferatu maintain cordial relations with their Sabbat counterparts, granting them access to information otherwise hidden. Furthermore, the Nosferatu clan builds deep underground complexes in the sewers; any Nosferatu is welcome there, and are well protected.
Disadvantage: Nosferatu become horribly ugly after the embrace, and may not initiate any Social Challenges except intimidation, unless using a disguise.

Nosferatu Antitribu
Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence
Advantage: Nosferatu Antitribu have the same advantage as their Camarilla counterparts.
Disadvantage: Nosferatu Antitribu suffer the same disadvantage as their Camarilla counterparts.

Panders
Panders are the Caitiff of the Sabbat. They function as a political clan within that sect, treated as equals by other clans.
Disciplines: Panders begin with three disciplines (see Caitiff).
Advantage: Panders have very few guidelines. As the clan is relatively new, each has a significant say in what the future of the clan will be like. Furthermore, most Panders can expect to receive aide from each other when learning new Disciplines.
Disadvantage: Panders begin the game with no Status Traits, and no in-clan Disciplines. (See Caitiff.)

Ravnos
The Ravnos are of Gypsy heritage and have a nomadic lifestyle similar to the Gangrel. They are cunning liars and thieves, and like to take advantage of other Kindred. Ravnos are Inconnu.
Disciplines: Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude
Advantage: While not members of the Camarilla, few Ravnos are turned away from a city, as Princes fear the mass visitation by this clan that might result. Furthermore, individual victims of the clan's cons are often hesitant to exact revenge, also for fear of retribution.
Disadvantage: Each Ravnos specializes in some form of crime, which she should indulge in at least once per night. Also, most Kindred distrust the Ravnos.

Ravnos Antitribu
Disciplines: Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude
Advantage: Ravnos Antitribu start with an ally, usually another Ravnos, with whom he perpetuates his crimes.
Disadvantage: Ravnos Antitribu suffer the same disadvantage as their Inconnu counterparts.

Toreador
The members of this clan are known for their hedonistic tendencies. They pride themselves as the guardians of beauty and generally consider themselves artists. Toreador are members of the Camarilla, though occasionally become Anarchs.
Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence
Advantage: Toreador begin with one free level of Herd, representing loyal fans and followers.
Disadvantage: Toreador often find themselves entranced by beauty; particularly skilled artwork or exceptional beauty will cause them to enter a trance for at least a ten minutes. The Toreador will leave the trance if attacked, if the thing of beauty leaves her sight, or if she spends a Willpower Trait.

Toreador Antitribu
Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence
Advantage: Toreador Antitribu are well liked within the Sabbat, beginning with the Status Trait Respected.
Disadvantage: Toreador Antitribu suffer from the same disadvantage as their Camarilla counterpart.

Tremere
The Tremere are aggressive, highly intellectual and manipulative. They also wield magical powers and are thought to have been mages in their mortal lives. The clan is very well organized. Tremere are members of the Camarilla, though they feel their clan comes first.
Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy
Advantage: A Tremere can expect to receive training in Disciplines and Rituals from elders, if they further the Clan's goals. In addition, the Tremere organization is very strong, as each member is partially Blood Bound to the elders of the clan. For that reason, each Tremere begins with an additional Willpower Trait usable only to resist Mental or Social manipulation that would not be in line with his Chantry's goals.
Disadvantage: The Regent of a Chantry holds a Blood Point of each member of that Chantry. In addition, the Council of Seven in Vienna holds two more Blood Points from every Tremere. Every Tremere is also fed one Blood Point from each member of the council, bringing them one-third of the way to being Blood Bound to them.

Tremere Antitribu
Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy
Advantage: Tremere Antitribu begin with the Status Trait: Respected.
Disadvantage: Camarilla Tremere can automatically recognize Tremere Antitribu because of a curse that places a glowing brand on the forehead of any Tremere that breaks the oath he swears during the Embrace, which in part emphasizes loyalty to the Council of Seven. This brand is even passed down to new Childer. In addition, Tremere Antitribu found manipulating others for their own purposes are put to death by the Tzimisce.

Tzimisce
Clan Tzimisce is renowned for its twisted cruelty. They consider themselves scholars and warriors, and have much occult knowledge. They are second in status in the Sabbat to the Lasombra.
Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude
Advantage: A long-lived bloodline, each member maintains close relationships with their progeny. In addition, each member receives a free level of the Occult Ability when created.
Disadvantage: The Discipline of Vicissitude is a disease that warps the minds of those who use it. If any Tzimisce uses the Discipline more than three times in 24 hours, he will gain either a Path Trait or a Derangement (Storyteller's choice).

Ventrue
Ventrue are born leaders and traditionalists. They feel they are responsible for Kindred society, and seek to control it. All Ventrue are expected to uphold and defend the laws of the Camarilla.
Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence
Advantage: Ventrue receive a free Finance Influence level when created. This level of influence can never be lost permanently, unless the Ventrue is punished by his own clan.
Disadvantage: Venture are all affected by the Flaw Selective Digestion. They receive compensation for it, and may never buy it off.

Ventrue Antitribu
Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence
Advantage: Ventrue Antitribu are usually members of the Loyalist movement in the Sabbat, allowing them a degree of freedom when it comes to challenging ideas or disobeying orders.
Disadvantage: Ventrue Antitribu suffer from the same disadvantage as their Camarilla counterparts.

Famous Bloodlines
Daughters of Cacophony
This young bloodline is believed to be an offshoot of the Toreador, as its members are all masters of song. They are feared by all sects, though are often welcome in the Sabbat.
Disciplines: Fortitude, Melpominee, Presence
Advantage: Like the Toreador, the Daughters begin with a free level in the background, Herd.
Disadvantage: The Daughters constantly hear music, rendering them one bid down in all challenges involving perception. In addition, a Daughter's Mental Traits dealing with alertness and perception can never exceed four.

Gargoyles
This bloodline of animated statues used to be the slaves and guardians of the Tremere who created them, until they united and fought for their independence. Gargoyles are now exceedingly rare, as most were hunted down during the Inquisition. Rumors persist that the Tremere are still creating new Gargoyles without free will.
Disciplines: Potence, Fortitude, Visceratika
Advantage: Gargoyles can glide slowly through the air at a rate of 5mph per level of Visceratika. Gargoyles may not be Diablerized for any benefit.
Disadvantage: Gargoyles suffer the same weakness as the Nosferatu clan, and are also infertile. New Gargoyles can only be created by a Thaumaturgical ritual. They are also unable to commit Diablerie. In addition, Gargoyles have a slave mentality, causing them to by one retest against them in all attempts to resist direct orders or mind control.

Samedi
This rare bloodline may be an offshoot of the Nosferatu or the Giovanni, though neither will admit it. Members of this bloodline suffer from rotting flesh and decay. The bloodline belongs to no sect.
Disciplines: Necromancy, Obfuscate, Thanatosis
Advantage: None.
Disadvantage: Like the Nosferatu, the Samedi may not initiate any Social Challenges unrelated to intimidation while their true appearance is visible.

Disciplines
Kindred have access to special gifts known as Disciplines. All Disciplines have five levels which must be learned in order. Very powerful Kindred sometimes are able to develop higher levels of Disciplines, though those levels are very individualistic and attuned to the Kindred themselves.
Many Disciplines require the use of a challenge to create certain effects (see Chapter 3). Many Mental or Social Disciplines such as Dominate or Presence can be resisted by the target if he wins this challenge. If the target resists the effect, for any reason, the Discipline user will not know why it did not work, and may not retry the effect for at least five minutes. However, the resisting target will not know that the Discipline was attempted unless some other clue is present.

Animalism
Animalism allows empathy with and control over animals and allows certain affinities with the Beast within Kindred.
* Sweet Whispers
You can mentally communicate with animals. You may only communicate with one at a time, and must maintain eye contact with the animal. Ordering an animal to perform a task requires a Static Social Challenge with a difficulty based on how tame the animal is. Animals contacted with this power are not under direct control, but most will not become hostile or flee unless attacked.
** The Beckoning
You are able to summon a particular species of animals to you. Each success in an Extended Static Social Challenge indicates a larger group of animals that arrive as soon as possible. The difficulty of the challenge depends on the commonality of the species summoned. Summoned animals are not under your control, but are unlikely to attack you.
*** Song of Serenity
By singing a song, you can remove individuality and creativity from an animal or mortal, causing him to lose his will to fight. He cannot resist any sort of attack against him, nor can he use Willpower for as long as he remains in your presence. You must defeat the target in a Social Challenge to enact this Discipline. In addition, this power can prevent a frenzy in a vampire if it is used just as the frenzy begins. This requires you to win or tie a Simple Test if used on a willing vampire, or win a Simple Test if the Kindred wishes to frenzy.
**** Sharing of Spirits
By staring into the eyes of an animal, you can possess it. Your body becomes unconscious as if you were in torpor. If the animal is unwilling, you must defeat it in a Social Challenge. If you win, you can use Mental Disciplines while in the animal's body, as long as they do not require speech. If you lose, you still inhabit the host, but you have the needs and impulses of that animal. You may not use Disciplines in this case, and will still retain the animal's instincts after you break the connection until you spend a total of two Willpower Traits to resist them.
***** Drawing out the Beast
You can remove the Beast from yourself as you approach a frenzy, transferring it to another Kindred within eyesight. You must defeat her in a Social Challenge. If you lose, your frenzy is even more drastic, and you may not spend Willpower Traits to resist its effects. If you win, the target frenzies instead, though you need to be nearby at the conclusion of the frenzy or lose the Beast forever. A Kindred without a Beast may not frenzy, use Willpower, and will gradually become lethargic, as if under the full effects of Song of Serenity.

Auspex
Auspex enhances the user's perceptions and awareness to superhuman degrees. Auspex and Obfuscate are diametrically opposed; see Obfuscate for more details.
* Heightened Senses
You can sharpen some or all of your senses to an extraordinary degree. This allows you to spy on conversations, see in near-darkness, identify people by their scent, etc. However, if you heighten a sense and then are suddenly bombarded by an extreme stimulus, you will lose that sense for fifteen minutes. A Mental Challenge or Simple Test may be necessary to perceive some things, like overhearing a conversation near traffic.
** Aura Perception
You can read the auras around living beings, allowing you to ask a target you can see certain questions, which must be answered honestly. The question and answer are entire out of character, as the target is unaware that this Discipline is being used. Questions that are answered automatically include: "What is your present mood?" "Have you committed Diablerie within the last six months?" and "What sort of creature are you?" With a Static Mental Challenge with the difficulty equal to the target's Mental Traits, you may determine the target's Nature, Demeanor, clan, generation, rank or similar details, or if he is lying.
*** The Spirit's Touch
You are now able to feel residual energies surrounding objects, allowing you to determine information about an individual who has touched it. This power can determine the identity, emotional and mental state, and the perceptions of the individual. A Static Mental Challenge may be necessary to determine some information, and the difficulty will vary based on many factors like passing time, multiple handlers or unusual circumstances. A Storyteller's assistance is usually necessary.
**** Telepathy
You can probe the surface thoughts of others with a successful Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty equal to the subject's current Mental Traits. Upon doing so, you may ask one short answer question about the subject or about a conversation in which the victim is currently engaged. The target will be unaware that the power is being used, unless he possesses an equal level of Auspex. If you have the time, you may continue to read the surface thoughts of an individual, learning much more information about them and their activities, though specific details are left up to role-playing and the Storyteller.
***** Psychic Projection
You are now able to separate your mind from your body, enabling you to travel anywhere on Earth without the use of your body. While in the astral realm, only those in the astral realm may see you. Your body becomes inert, and in the astral realm a silver cord ties you to your body. If this cord is severed, say by another vampire with this power, you may never leave the astral realm. You may spend a Willpower Trait to manifest in the physical world for ten minutes, appearing as a ghost of yourself. In this form, you are immune to physical attacks, but may not attack physically yourself.

Celerity
The Discipline of Celerity grants many vampires a degree of supernatural speed. While vampires are often able to take many actions in a round due to this power, it does not guarantee that mechanical objects, like vehicles or guns, can keep up. Loading a new clip into a gun while moving four times as fast as normal is likely to cause the gun to jam due to the friction.
Individual levels of Celerity do not have names, as each power is very similar in nature. To activate Celerity, you must spend a Blood Point each round. Additional actions per round are not cumulative, though Celerity 1 could be used in conjunction with another level of Celerity in the same round, if you can spend more than one Blood Point per round (see Generation, page XX).
* Celerity 1
If you are aware of an upcoming threat, you may pre-empt that action with an action of your own. If two vampires with Celerity both attempt this, the vampire with the highest degree of Celerity acts first. Generally this power may only be used once, at the beginning of a battle.
** Celerity 2
You may now take two actions per round instead of one.
*** Celerity 3
You may now take three actions per round.
****Celerity 4
You may now take four actions per round.
***** Celerity 5
You may now take five actions per round.

Chimerstry
This Discipline, created by the Ravnos, creates illusions and hallucinations. A vampire cannot create an illusion he cannot sense himself, however. If a Ravnos is blindfolded, he cannot create a visual hallucination.
Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* Ignis Fatuus
You can create minor, unmoving illusions. They are detected by only one sense, and may be passed through easily, even if the sense chosen is tactile. Creating the illusion costs one Willpower Trait, and it will last until you cannot see it, you decide to end it, or someone passes through it.
** Fata Morgana
This power creates illusions identical to Ignis Fatuus, except that they can be sensed by any or all senses, as decided upon creation.
*** Apparition
This power allows a created illusion to move. You must spend one Blood Point to enable the illusion to move in a specific way, though you can change or stop the motion as long as you have maintained concentration since creating the illusion.
**** Permanency
By spending a Blood Point, you can allow illusions to remain even if you can no longer see them. However, illusions will still dissolve if passed through, and you will only be aware of this if you can see them.
***** Horrid Reality
By spending a Willpower Trait, you can create illusions that are completely real for one target. If the illusion should cause harm to the target, the creator of the illusion must defeat the target in a Social Challenge vs. the target's Mental Traits. Thus, illusory fire will burn a victim. Each successful challenge will inflict up to two wounds, either aggravated or not, as the caster chooses.

Dementation
This Discipline induces insanity and hallucinations in others. This is a well-guarded Discipline, belonging to the Malkavian Antitribu.
Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
*Passion
By winning a Social Challenge against a victim, you can heighten all of her emotions for the next hour. If angry, the victim's difficulties to resist frenzy are increased by two. If sad, the victim becomes nearly suicidal. Any stimulus that would normally inspire a test for frenzy automatically causes frenzy, and a frenzy caused by an activated Beast Trait cannot be resisted, even with Willpower, until it has run its course. You have no control over what emotions the victim feels.
** Mind Tricks
You can induce hallucinations in a victim's peripheral vision by winning an Extended Social Challenge against the victim's Mental Traits. This renders the victim nervous and one trait down in all tests relating to perception. Each success in the challenge indicates one hour of duration; long periods of hallucinations could inspire a fear or rage frenzy (Storyteller's discretion.)
*** Eyes of Chaos
With a Mental Challenge, you can notice mental patterns in the target, allowing you to learn the victim's Nature or one of her Derangements.
**** Confusion
By winning an Extended Social Challenge against the target's Mental Traits, you can cause confusion in the target for as many hours as you have successes. The confusion causes the victim to be incapable of taking any coherent action without first spending a Willpower Trait. Each Willpower Trait spent in this manner allows coherent thought for a minute, and lessens the duration by one hour. Basic instincts, such as fight or flight, are not altered, though use of firearms or other complicated device may be scrambled.
***** Total Insanity
By defeating a target in an Extended Social Challenge, you can inflict five new Derangements on her. Each success indicates one day of duration. The Derangements are chosen by the Storyteller.

Dominate
All powers of Dominate require eye contact with the victim. This Discipline will automatically fail if used on Kindred of a lower generation than yourself, though you will not know why.
* Command
By defeating your target in a Mental Challenge, you can force the victim to follow a one-word command. The command word may be included in a sentence, allowing both concealment of the Discipline and context in which the command must be obeyed. The victim need not follow the command if it becomes immediately life-threatening or directly against his Nature. If applicable, the victim must follow the command for ten minutes.
** Mesmerize
By defeating your victim in a Mental Challenge, you can implant a hypnotic suggestion in his psyche. The suggestion must contain a specific action, and a trigger. When the circumstances in the trigger occur, the victim must perform the specified action, unless it becomes immediately life-threatening. This power involves no words, and the victim is not aware of who planted the suggestion or how. Mesmerize can only cause the victim to perform one action, and is canceled when that action is performed.
*** Forgetful Mind
By defeating the target in a Mental Challenge, you can edit, create, or erase memories concerning a single event from his mind. No more than fifteen minutes of memory may be affected by a single use of this power.
**** Conditioning
You can reprogram a captive or willing victim so that he is more susceptible to Dominate attempts from you, and grants the victim a free retest when resisting Dominate by others. Your attempts to later Dominate the victim automatically succeed, unless the victim spends a Willpower Trait, in which case the challenge proceeds normally. You no longer need eye contact to Dominate the victim, and may even rewrite the victim's Nature, Demeanor, and other personality elements. This power involves a great deal of time and effort.
***** Possession
By spending a Willpower Trait and then defeating a target in a Mental Challenge, you can take control of the victim's body until you choose to return to your own. Your own body remains motionless as if in torpor. If the body inhabited dies suddenly, you die with it. Kindred are immune to this Discipline, unless previously Conditioned.

Fortitude
Kindred with this Discipline have an incredible degree of toughness surpassing that granted to other vampires. Most levels of this power do not have separate names, as they are all very similar. You do not need to be conscious to use any of these powers.
* Fortitude 1
You are immune to penalties incurred by wounds until you are Incapacitated. Note that fire can still burn you, and you can still be staked.
** Fortitude 2
You have an additional health level, acting as an extra level of Healthy.
*** Fortitude 3
You can change aggravated wounds into normal wounds by winning a simple test for each aggravated wound level taken.
**** Fortitude 4
You automatically ignore one non-aggravated wound from every attack. Aggravated wounds that have become normal wounds through level 3 can be affected by this level. Furthermore, you do not suffer from the wound pentalties from Incapacitated, and only drop when you reach Torpor.
***** Aegis
You can resist a final wound that would destroy you by permanently expending two Physical Traits or one Willpower Trait. This will not prevent you from entering Torpor, but most witnesses will assume you are dead unless given reason to believe otherwise.

Melpominee
This Discipline allows you to use speech and song for supernatural effects. The Discipline was created by the Daughters of Cacophony, who guard it carefully. Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* The Missing Voice
You can automatically cause your voice to emanate from any point within your line of sight. If you concentrate, you can talk while the created voice continues to sing or speak.
** Tourette's Voice
You can project your voice to any place with which you are familiar. You must spend a Mental Trait, but may speak to the target as if you were immediately next to it.
*** Toreador's Bane
By defeating a target in a Social Challenge, you can entrance him with your voice. If the target is a Toreador, you have a free retest in this challenge. The effects last until you stop singing or 20 minutes have elapsed.
**** Art's Traumatic Essence
By singing, you can inspire a Derangement in a target. You may engage the target in a Social Challenge for each round you sing, and after you win three such challenges, your target gains a Derangement of the Storyteller's choice. This Derangement is permanent, unless bought off, as per the Flaw: Deranged.
***** Death of the Drum
By singing, you can inflict aggravated wounds on a target. You must defeat the target in a Social Challenge vs. the victim's Physical Traits. If you win, test with the victim for three aggravated wounds. On a tie, the victim suffers three aggravated and goes deaf until he rests for a full twelve hours.

Necromancy
The Discipline of Necromancy deals with summon and controlling spirits of the dead. Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* Insight
By looking into the eyes of a corpse, you can witness the last minute of the person's life. You must first win a Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty equal to the number of days the person has been dead. You must spend a Willpower Trait to use this Discipline on a dead vampire.
** Summon Spirit
By winning a Mental Challenge against a spirit, you can summon the spirit. You must know the name of the spirit, though an impression from Spirit's Touch will suffice. In addition, you must have a person or object in the room who has a significant connection to the deceased. You cannot summon the spirit of a vampire who has been Diablerized or has achieved Golconda. You must still win or tie a Simple Test to summon a willing spirit. If the summoning fails, the necromancer may not attempt to summon the same spirit again.
*** Compel Spirit
By defeating a summoned spirit in a Social Challenge, you can force a spirit to perform specific tasks. Each task costs the necromancer one Mental Trait. If the challenge fails, the spirit is free to attack the necromancer.
**** Haunting
You can bind a spirit to a place or object, preventing its return to the Shadowlands. You must engage the spirit in an Extended Social Challenge. Each success binds the spirit for a day.
***** Soul Stealing
You may summon a spirit from a living body, by spending a Willpower Trait and defeating the target in a Social Challenge. The victim need not be present, if the conditions for Summon Spirit are met. If the empty body was alive, it will begin to deteriorate rapidly. If the body was a vampire, it goes into torpor. You may use other powers on the detached spirit. You may not perform Diablerie on a spiritless body, however. A detached spirit may return to its body by spending a Willpower Trait unless otherwise prevented.

Obfuscate
This Discipline is a mental power, allowing the vampire to cloak himself and others from sight. Auspex and Obfuscate are diametrically opposed; when Obfuscate is used against a Kindred with a higher level of Auspex, use of Obfuscate automatically fails. If the Kindred with Obfuscate has a higher level than the Kindred with Auspex, the Kindred with Auspex automatically fails when trying to see through the Obfuscate. Obfuscate will not fool mindless devices, such as video cameras or security systems.
* Cloak of Shadows
If you remain motionless and have some sort of cover, you may automatically become hidden. You may only do this if nobody is looking at you at the time, and if you are already in a darkened area. People will instinctively avoid walking into you.
** Unseen Presence
You are now able to move around while remaining hidden. Characters with the same number of levels of Auspex as you have levels of Obfuscate can see you if they defeat you in a Mental Challenge. If you physically interact with anyone or anything, or if you speak, the effect is canceled instantly. However, your first attack against someone who cannot see you gains automatic surprise. If you speak, a listener can attempt to spot you with a Mental Challenge, though you gain bonus traits in this challenge equal to your levels of Obfuscate.
*** Mask of a Thousand Faces
You can change how people perceive you, effectively altering your appearance. You have one unique disguise that you may automatically assume while conscious, and may adopt other guises by concentrating for ten minutes and spending a Mental Trait. To imitate a specific person, you must first memorize his features and win a Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty set by the Storyteller.
**** Vanish from the Mind's Eye
As an action, you may become hidden as per Unseen Presence, though now you are capable of employing the power while being watched. Using this power around mortals may cause them to forget you ever existed, unless they know you personally.
***** Cloak the Gathering
You are now able to extend the use of any Obfuscate power to include those around you. You must become hidden or disguised with them, and all parties thus cloaked can see each other as normal. If anyone compromises the use of Obfuscate, or leaves your line of sight, that individual will become visible. If you compromise the Obfuscation, the entire effect is lost. You may Cloak as many people as you have Mental Traits, counting yourself.

Obtenebration
This Discipline is the study of creating and controlling shadows. Camarilla Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* Shadow Play
This level allows you to manipulate shadows and dim light in an area. You may not extinguish light, but you gain the Abilities of Stealth and Intimidation when you use this Discipline.
** Shroud of Night
You can now fill an area with inky black darkness. Most victims trapped within will not be able to see; those with Heightened Senses or Gleam of the Red Eyes activated will be able to see with difficulty. Use of this Discipline costs one Blood Point for every 10'x10'x10' area.
*** Arms of the Abyss
You can now summon tendrils from a dark area within 15' of you, causing them to attack specific targets. Each Blood Point spent creates an additional tendril, or increases the length of one tendril by 6'. Tendrils start at 6' long, have five Physical Traits that may be used to grasp or pin a victim, and are destroyed by three levels of damage or if exposed to sunlight.
**** Nightshades
You can now create murky and indistinct images from shadows, which may be of yourself, monsters, or anything else. The images are entirely incorporeal and inflict no damage. You can make as many man-sized nightshades as you have Mental Traits in any given evening, though you may combine shades to form larger images. Alternatively, you can fill an area with moving, chaotic shadows. Each person caught in the area of effect must win, not tie, a Simple Test, or be Confused, as per the flaw, until ten minutes pass after leaving the area.
***** Shadow Body
You can turn your body into a shadow, allowing you to see in pitch darkness, slither through tiny cracks, and granting you immunity to most physical attacks. However, you cannot attack physically and fire and sunlight still do damage to you. In addition, all difficulties to resist Rotschreck are increased by four, when concerned with fire and sunlight. You may not fly in this form. To change into or back from a shadow, you must concentrate for three rounds and spend a Blood Point. During this time, you must relent to all challenges.

Potence
This Discipline allows many vampires to achieve superhuman levels of strength. Individual levels of this power do not have separate names, as they are all very similar. While high levels of this power may allow for additional damage, they do not ensure that a weapon used to inflict the damage will be capable of surviving the blow, unless specifically designed to do so.
Every level of this Discipline adds a Physical Trait to the character, only for the purposes of determining damage in physical combat.
* Potence 1
By spending a Blood Point, you can immediately recover all Physical Traits related to strength, such as Brawny, Wiry, Ferocious, or Athletic.
** Potence 2
You have one free retest in any action that involves brute strength. This is generally not useful in direct combat, unless it involves keeping someone pinned or grappling.
*** Potence 3
By spending a point of blood, you may declare an additional three Physical Traits in a challenge directly relating to strength. This power may only be used once per challenge, and only applies to counting traits for tie or overbids.
**** Potence 4
You now inflict an additional normal wound level of damage with your bare hands or a melee weapon. This extra wound applies in all cases, even in a damage tie. (i.e. max damage for punching becomes PT/4 + |1|).
***** Potence 5
Instead of gaining three Physical Traits as in Level 3, you now may declare one and a half times as many Physical Traits (rounded down) in a Physical Challange directly related to strength. This may not be combined with Level 3, and requires a point of blood. Extra traits gained are based only on your current Physical Traits - bonuses from weapons, blood, or any other source are added afterwards. Extra traits gained only apply for ties or overbids.

Presence
This Discipline involves manipulating the emotions of others. While generation can restrict the use of Dominate, Presence may affect any generation.
* Awe
By employing this power, you suddenly draw the attention of everyone near you. They will pay close attention to your words and actions, though not necessarily agree with them. The effects last for thirty seconds, and may last longer if what you are saying is truly interesting. Important events, such as combat, may draw victims away from you. You may only use Awe once per hour. Individual victims may cancel the effects for themselves by expending a Willpower Trait.
** Dread Gaze
By defeating a victim in a Social Challenge, you can cause him to fear you. He will retreat or flee in panic, and be unable to take any action against you or initiate a challenge. He must leave the area immediately and for the next hour will avoid your presence to the best of his abilities. If he remains in your presence, whether by force or if he spends a Willpower Trait, he will be two traits down in all challenges.
*** Entrancement
This power causes a specific target to like you and wish to serve your needs, though does not cause the target to lose freedom of action or creativity. You must defeat the target in a Social Challenge. During the effect, which lasts until the target sleeps again, the target may not attack you unless you initiate an aggressive action against him.
**** Summon
You can now mentally command a person you have met to come to you, even across great distances. You must defeat the target in a Social Challenge, which may require the use of a third party or a pre-session challenge. A summoned individual will automatically break free of the effect if it becomes immediately life threatening, or if he spends a Willpower Trait. If the target was Entranced by you within the last week, he may not spend Willpower to resist in this manner (though he may spend Willpower to retest as normal), and has one retest against in the challenge to resist. Each summons lasts 24 hours, so more uses of this Discipline may be necessary if summoning someone across great distances.
***** Majesty
You now exude awe, forcing others to treat you with respect. This power is always activated unless you take an aggressive action towards anyone, in which case it ceases for the remainder of the scene. Anyone who attempts an aggressive action against you while this power is in effect must first defeat you in a Social Challenge. As you are the defender in this challenge, the attacker may not spend a Willpower Trait for a retest, though you may. If the attacker loses the challenge, he thinks better of the action and may not challenge your Majesty again for an hour, and must spend a Willpower Trait to do so.

Protean
This Discipline allows the vampire to shapeshift in various ways. If a use of this Discipline completly changes the vampire's form, all small items carried and all clothing worn will meld into the new form. Generally, the vampire can use all of his Disciplines in his new form, unless completely innoppropriate.
* Gleam of Red Eyes
When this power is activated, you can see in normal darkness perfectly. Limited vision is even possible in complete darkness. Your eyes glow an eerie red while the power is activated. Activation takes a round.
** Wolf Claws
By spending a Blood Point, you can grow claws that cause aggravated wounds in combat. Growing the claws takes an action. The claws inflict a max damage of PT/4 + |1 aggravated|. On a damage tie, they inflict max damage.
*** Earth Meld
By spending a Blood Point, you can sink into Earth, becoming part of it. You can only meld with earth, not stone or man-made materials, and you may not move while melded except to rise out of the Earth again. You may use this power as Fair Escape, though you must relent to all challenges while melding, as it takes a full round.
**** Shadow of the Beast
You may now transform into either a wolf or a bat. As a wolf, you gain the wolf's natural acute sense of smell (as per the Merit) and as a bat, you can see in complete darkness with sonar and can fly. It takes three rounds to complete the change, though you can do it in one round by spending a Blood Point; however, you must relent to all challenges during that round. You may use Disciplines and Abilities that are not prohibited by your new form; for example, bats cannot Drive, but wolves could easily use Survival.
***** Form of Mist
Similar to the Obtenebration power Shadow Body, you can transform yourself into mist. You can float in any direction at walking speed, are incorporeal, and can slip through tiny cracks. It takes three rounds to complete the transformation, though you can do it in one round by spending a Blood Point; however, you must relent to all challenges during that round.

Quietus
This Discipline is very useful to the Assamites when performing assassinations. Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* Silence of Death
By spending a Blood Point, you can create a zone of complete silence in a 20' radius around you. Those within the circle can hear sounds from outside the circle, anything inside the circle cannot make a noise.
** Weakness
You may weaken a victim by simply touching him. You must spend a Blood Point, which is brought to the surface of your palm, and touch the victim, which may require a Physical Challenge. If successful, the target loses one permanent Physical Trait for a month. If the Physical Challenge fails, you may attempt to win (not tie) a Simple Test to see if the blood stays on your palm for another try in a later action. Stamina-related traits are lost first. If a mortal is reduced to zero physical traits, he will become sickly and lose all immunity to disease. A vampire thus affected with enter torpor until at least one trait is recovered.
*** Disease
Like Weakness, above, except that the target loses three Physical Traits instead. Traits lost due to this power are recovered at a rate of one per month.
**** Blood Agony
By coating a bladed weapon with your blood, you may cause it to inflict aggravated wounds in combat. Each Blood Point spent allows the weapon to inflict aggravated damage instead of normal damage for one hit. You may only use this power on melee weapons.
***** Taste of Death
You can spit blood at your foes, doing aggravated wounds. The range of this attack is thirty feet, and requires a normal Physical Challenge and the expenditure of up to three Blood Points. If the attack is successful, the target tests for a max damage of two times the number of Blood Points spent. On a tie, the target suffers 5 aggravated wounds and is blinded unless his eyes are protected.

Serpentis
This Discipline belongs entirely to the Followers of Set and involves the corruption and manipulation of others. Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* Eyes of the Serpent
By making eye contact with a victim and then defeating him in a Social Challenge, you can paralyze him until you break eye contact. When you use this Discipline, your eyes appear like those of a snake. To affect a supernatural creature, you must first spend a Willpower Trait.
** Tongue of the Serpent
You can use lengthen your tongue into a weapon usable in close combat, inflicting a max damage of PT/4 + |1 aggravated|. If you hit a target, you can feed from the victim as if you had just bitten him. It takes one round to activate this Discipline.
*** Mummify
You can assume a state similar to Torpor, in which only fire and sunlight may harm you. You can leave this state at the taste of blood, but are unconscious and unable to use any other Abilities or Disciplines while in it. It takes one round to activate this Discipline.
**** Form of the Serpent
You can transform into a black cobra with mass equal to your own. While in this form, your bite is poisonous to mortals. You also obtain an acute sense of smell, as per the Merit. You are still able to use Abilities or Disciplines that do not require the use of your arms. It takes three rounds to achieve this form, though you can do it in one round by spending a Blood Point. Small items carried and all clothes worn transform with you, melding into this form.
***** Heart of Darkness
With several hours of surgery, you can remove your heart of that of another Kindred. The surgery must take place on the night of a new moon. The effect causes you to become stake-proof, and reduces all difficulties to resist frenzy by two. However, if your heart is found and staked, you are paralyzed, and if it is burned or exposed to sunlight, you die as if in fire or sunlight. No test is required to use the power.

Thanatosis
This Discipline allows the manipulation of death and decay. Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* Hag's Wrinkles
You can expand or contract your skin, allowing you to change your appearance or apparent age. You can conceal items no larger than a handgun. You cannot assume the appearance of another specific person.
** Putrefaction
By spending a Blood Point and defeating him in a Physical Challenge, you can induce decomposition in an opponent. The victim immediately loses two Social Traits, and is rendered two traits down in all Physical or Social Challenges until he has rested for one day, which removes the effects of the Discipline.
*** Ashes to Ashes
You can now transform yourself into a heavy, powdery substance similar to ashes. While in this form, you may not be harmed by fire or sunlight, but may not take any action other than reforming. The ashes are unaffected by wind or heavy rains, but may be separated by force, which can cause wounds or even death when you reform. It costs one Blood Point to reform from ash.
**** Withering
By touching a limb of an opponent (which may require a Physical Challenge) you may spend a Willpower Trait to wither the limb. The effect is permanent on mortals but Kindred will automatically recover the limb after a day's rest. The effect is extremely painful. You may only affect arms or legs.
***** Infection
You can cause an infection in any aggravated wound your opponent has by touching the wound, which may require a Physical Challenge. You can then automatically feed Blood Points to the victim at range through the wound, as long as the victim is in sight. This could cause Blood Bonds or force a victim to consume drugged or diseased blood. This effect lasts until the wound is healed.

Thaumaturgy
This Discipline is known almost exclusively by the Tremere clan, and may be the vampiric equivalent of magick. The Discipline is actually a group of Disciplines, called Paths. Path of the Blood is the most important, as the vampire must learn it to gain access to other Paths.
Path of Blood
They key to all other Paths, a vampire may not learn any other paths to a higher level than he has achieved in the Path of Blood. Each level of this Discipline learned also allows the vampire to know and cast a ritual of equal or lesser level.
* A Taste for Blood
You have an innate sense for blood, allowing you to obtain information about a creature, who must be within your line of sight. You must win or tie a Simple Test for each property to be determined. Possibly inquiries could determine the type of creature, the subject's generation, how recently a vampire has fed, etc. Touching blood from the creature will negate the need for a Simple Test.
** Blood Rage
With a touch, you can force a Kindred or Ghoul to spend a Blood Point in any manner you choose. However, the Blood Point must be spent legally, and cannot force a vampire to use a Discipline or spend other Traits. Thus, you could cause a vampire to spend blood to become stronger, but not to engage Celerity. A vampire that is affected by this power becomes excitable, causing his difficulties to resist frenzy to be increased by two for an hour.
*** Blood of Potency
You can now manipulate the dilution of Blood, enabling you to make your blood more potent. This lowers your generation for the remainder of the night. You must enter an Extended Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty of half your starting generation. Each success lowers your generation by one, but also increases the difficulty of the challenge by one as well. You may only be under the effects of this power once at a time.
**** Theft of Vitae
You can now visibly coax blood into your body, whether from a stationary source or a living being. If the target is living, you must defeat him in a Mental Challenge. If successful, you steal one of his Blood Points, and may engage him in an Extended Simple Test, where each success indicates an additional stolen Blood Point. Blood stolen in such a manner is considered yours can cannot be used against the original owner with any other use of Thaumaturgy. Blood stolen will also not form a Blood Bond between you and the target. The source of blood must be within 50' and in clear sight.
***** Cauldron of Blood
By touching a victim and spending a Willpower Trait, you can cause the subject's blood to boil within her veins. This is generally lethal to mortals, and causes wounds to Kindred. One Blood Point is destroyed initially, and each success in an Extended Simple Test indicates an additional Blood Point destroyed. Each Blood Point destroyed inflicts one wound on the victim. Half of all wounds done (rounded up) are aggravated.

Other Paths
What follows is a few sample paths possessed by many masters of Thaumaturgy. A player should not start with any of these, and may only learn them with an instructor, with use of the Occult Ability, or by holding Influence over the area of Occult.
Elemental Mastery
This path is concerned with the summoning and control of elemental forces.
* Elemental Strength
By spending a Blood Point, you instantly gain three Physical Traits of your choosing for the remainder of the night.
** Wooden Tongues
This power allows you to gain an impression from an inanimate object, allowing you to learn its history or experiences. A Static Mental Challenge may be necessary to learn about experiences more than a week old.
*** Animate the Unmoving
By concentrating on an object, you can manipulate it with a form of telekinetic control. Thus, you could cause a gun to fire, leap out of its owner's hands, or even jam. Objects may not take actions impossible for its form, such as doors picking people up, but many other actions are possible. You may have to defeat an owner of an object in a Physical Challenge of your Mental Traits vs. his Physical Traits, if the owner is aware of what is happening and has a means of resisting it. In the above example, the owner of the gun could try to prevent it from flying out of his hands, but could not reasonably prevent it from jamming.
**** Elemental Form
You now can assume the form of an inanimate object of equal size and weight. This takes three turns, but is automatic. While in this form, you may still see and hear, and use Disciplines that do not involve movement, eye contact, or speech, such as Auspex or certain levels of Presence.
***** Summon Elemental
By invoking this power, you can summon a being of fire, earth, air, or water to any spot within five feet of you. This requires the presence of some amount of the natural element, and requires you to win or tie a Simple Test. Commanding the elemental requires a Social Challenge, which may need repeating for extended durations. It may be possible to summon elementals other than the four basic ones, though this is left to Storyteller discretion, as is an elemental's statistics.
Lure of Flames
This path is concerned with the summoning and control of the elemental forces of fire. Fires created by this path are unnatural, and will not cause surrounding objects to burn until released by the caster. Aiming a fire at a living target may require a challenge of the caster's Mental Traits vs. the target's Physical Traits, if the victim is aware of the attack and is familiar with the power. Each use of this Discipline requires the caster to expend a Blood Point. Note that the caster himself is immune to Rotschreck from these flames until he has released them, but other vampires around him are not protected.
* Candle
You can cause very small fires not large enough to inflict damage unless set on combustibles. These flames may incite frenzy in Kindred with the Beast Trait "Fire."
** Palm of Flame
Flames of this size are enough to inspire Rotschreck in any vampire subjected to them, and require an action to douse. The flames are not yet large enough to inflict damage on a target, however, unless allowed to burn.
*** Camp Fire
Flames of this size inflict a maximum damage of 2 + |1 aggravated| and on a damage tie inflict 2 aggravated wounds. This damage continues every round until the victim takes an action to put out the flame.
**** Bonfire
Flames of this size inflict a max damage of 3 + |2 aggravated| and inflict three aggravated on a damage tie. If the target defends successfully, he must still win a second test to avoid the flame or take one aggravated wound instead. The fire may now inspire Rotschreck in nearby Kindred, and those targeted are two traits down to resist such a frenzy, whether set aflame or not. The victim must spend an action rolling on the ground to put out such a flame.
***** Conflagration
Flames of this size become nearly impossible to extinguish if they have fuel. They inflict two aggravated wounds as per Bonfire each round to the target, who is automatically hit unless he wins a Static Physical Challenge with a difficulty equal to twice the caster's Mental Traits. This difficulty may be increased or decreased based on surroundings. A victim who wishes to extinguish the flames on himself must win, not tie, a Simple Test. Each attempt takes one action. In addition, the caster may attempt to set fire to anyone within five feet of the targeted victim, as per the Bonfire power.
Movement of the Mind
This path employs telekinesis for a variety of effects. Each level increases the amount of weight you can move; if the subject is living and resisting, you must first defeat him in a Mental Challenge vs. his Physical Traits. For each level beyond the needed amount, the subject suffers a one-trait penalty to this test. (For example, if you are lifting a 200lb person, but have level 5, the target suffers a two-trait penalty.) Furthermore, for each level attained, you earn a degree of motor control; you can perform fine manipulations for weights up to one level less than you have learned. For example, you could not cause a gun to fire with your mind until you reached the second level in the path. Every level of the path requires a Blood Point to employ. The path is incapable of causing direct damage or moving something faster than you can walk.
* 1 Pound
This is barely enough to cause a gun to fire.
** 20 Pounds
This is enough to wield an axe.
* ** 200 Pounds
At this level, you can levitate, though it requires level 4 to fly with any degree of control.
**** 500 Pounds
At this level, you can levitate others with you, or easily freeze people in place.
***** 1000 Pounds
At this level, you could levitate a small car, and even drop it on people.
Weather Control
This path manipulates and creates certain weather patterns. Most effects last for an hour, and can only be created outside.
* Fog
You can create blankets of fog, limiting vision as if in minor darkness.
** Rain
You can cause a downpour in the immediate area, causing physical actions to become one trait down while in the downpour.
*** Wind
Adding to a downpour, you can buffet individuals with blasts of wind. Individuals targeted are two traits down in all challenges while in the storm.
**** Tempest
You can now affect an entire city with a specific weather type. This could be hail, sleet, rain, or even clear skies. These weather patterns remain until dawn.
***** Call Lightning
When in stormy conditions, you can call lightning bolts from the sky. Each costs a Willpower Trait, and if the target is aware of what is happening, you must defeat him in a Mental Challenge vs. his Physical Traits. The lightning bolt has a max damage of 4 + |3 aggravated| and inflicts four aggravated and two normal on a tie. Anyone within three feet (or five feet if in at least a foot of water) suffer halfs this damage, both max and tie. (If affecting multiple targets, enter into a Mob Scene.)

Rituals
Rituals are means of creating powerful magical effects, through incantation, gestures, and meditation. To learn or cast a ritual, you must have either an equal level of Path of Blood, or two levels of the Occult Ability for each level of the ritual, or a combination of the two. The rituals listed are simple suggestions; with the right Abilities, Disciplines and a lot of time, you could learn others or create your own. In addition, rituals beyond level 5 exist, though none are listed here. Unless otherwise stated, rituals take fifteen minutes per level to cast.
Level 1 Rituals
Defense of the Sacred Haven
This ritual, which takes a half hour to cast, protects a haven from sunlight. It costs one Blood Point to cast, and prevents sunlight from entering a structure through windows, doors, or cracks. The effect lasts as long as the structure is intact.
Deflection of the Wooden Doom
This ritual, when performed inside a circle of wood, enchants the subject so that the next successful attempt to stake the subject automatically fails, destroying the enchantment and the stake and preventing any wounds. The subject may only be under the effects of one such enchantment at any time, and must carry a sliver of wood always.
Devil's Touch
This ritual enchants a penny, which, when given or placed on a mortal causes that mortal to become repulsive to other mortals. That mortal is two traits down in all Social Challenges for the remainder of the night, or until he discards the penny.
Wake with Evening's Freshness
During this ritual, the caster to burn goose feathers and scatter the ashes over the place where he intends to rest that day. He may then awaken instantly at the first hint of danger and act normally for the duration of that danger. The ritual will only activate once during the day. If the ritual does not activate during the day, the caster awakens at the instant of the sun's setting, regardless of his number of Beast Traits.
Level 2 Rituals
Crimson Sentinel
This ritual enchants a rune, making it impossible for a subject to enter an area protected by the rune. A Blood Point from the subject must be used in casting the ritual. If the subject wishes to enter the area, he must win a Static Mental Challenge against the caster's Mental Traits. If the rune is discovered and destroyed, the enchantment ends.
Engaging the Vessel of Transference
This ritual enchants a sealed vessel of blood so that any time someone touches the vessel it will exchange the blood inside with the blood of the person touching it. This can create Blood Bonds and Ghouls, but only produces a slight shivering sensation in the person affected. Anyone with three levels of the Occult Ability will recognize the effect. The vessel will continue to exchange blood each time it in touched until it is opened, which will destroy the enchantment.
Purity of Flesh
This ritual purges all impurities such as pollutants, poisons, or drugs from a subject. The subject must somehow expel one Blood Point, in which the impurities are concentrated.
Ward vs. Ghouls
This ritual enchants an inscribed circle so that creatures with both human and Kindred blood will suffer three aggravated wounds when crossing the circle. The ward warns the Ghoul with feelings of unease as he approaches.
Alternatively, the ward may be cast on a weapon, allowing the weapon to do an additional automatic aggravated wound against Ghouls. In either case, the caster must spend one Blood Point. Individual Ghouls may be excluded from the effects, if they are present at the casting. The enchantment ends if the weapon or circle is damaged or destroyed.
Level 3 Rituals
Bone of Lies
This ritual enchants a bone so that it will become visibly darker if the one who holds it tells a lie. The bone must be at least 200 years old and from a mortal. The bone will detect 10 lies, at which point it crumbles into dust. Soul Mask or a related power will fool the bone.
Pavis of the Foul Presence
This ritual enchants a blue silken cord, granting its wearer special resistance against the Presence Discipline. If such a Discipline is used against the wearer, he must make a Simple Test. If he loses, the Discipline is canceled, but if he wins, the Discipline affects the one using the Presence Discipline instead. Treat as if the user of the Presence Discipline were targeting himself. The effect will only activate once, and the enchantment ends after 24 hours regardless.
Ward vs. Lupines
This ritual is identical to Ward vs. Ghouls except that it affects Garou and Garou kinfolk instead. Silver dust is used instead of blood.
Level 4 Rituals
Splinter Servant
This ritual enchants a stake from a graveyard tree wrapped with nightshade and sealed in a wax sheath. Thereafter, anyone can remove the wax sheath and command the stake to attack one target. If the target is not present, or a target is not declared, the stake attacks the one holding it. Upon activation, the stake grows arms and legs, leaping towards its prey in an attempt to stake him through the heart. It has as many Physical Traits as the caster expended Mental Traits in its creation. It uses Physical Traits normally in its attacks, and can take two wounds before being destroyed. Once the stake has pierced the heart, has been destroyed or has run out of Physical Traits, the enchantment fades. Removal of the stake from a heart requires someone with Medicine to make a Simple Test and inflicts one wound to the paralyzed Kindred.
Ward vs. Kindred
This ritual is identical to Ward vs. Ghouls, except that it effects Kindred and requires an additional Blood Point to cast.
Level 5 Rituals
Abandon the Fetters of Blood
This ritual frees the target from a Blood Bond. It requires a Blood Point from the subject, who must be present, and a Blood Point from his Regnant. Both Traits are destroyed in the process. The subject must also expend a Willpower Trait.
Nectar of the Bitter Rose
This ritual allows as many as five Diabolists to perform Diablerie on the same target. Each Diabolist must perform a Simple Test against the victim. If the Diabolist wins or ties, the Diablerie is successful for him, but if he loses, he gains nothing from the ritual and may not benefit from the ritual in the future.

Dark Thaumaturgy
Tremere Antitribu often know some of the paths or rituals of the Camarilla Tremere, but also have developed their own paths and rituals. Antitribu still requires Path of the Blood to learn other paths or to cast rituals.
Gift of Morpheus
This path allows you to manipulate others' sleep and dreams.
* Cause Sleep
By winning a Mental Challenge against a victim, you can cause him to fall asleep over a period of five minutes. Loud noises or physical contact can still wake him, and you must spend a Willpower Trait to affect a vampire.
** Mass Slumber
By spending a Willpower Trait, you can cause a group of up to ten mortals to fall asleep, as if affected by Cause Sleep. Affected mortals only receive a test if they are aware of you and know what is happening. This will not affect supernatural creatures, like Garou or Ghouls.
*** Enchanted Slumber
When used on a sleeping person, this level of the path causes the victim to be incapable of waking until a specific even occurs. The event must be achievable, though not necessarily easy. The victim will rouse if attacked, though she will be one trait down in all challenges until she sleeps for ten hours. You must defeat the victim in a Mental Challenge, and spend a Willpower Trait if the victim is Kindred.
**** Deep Sleep
Like Enchanted Slumber, except that it need not be used on a sleeping person, as it causes the victim to fall asleep if successful. You do not need to spend a Willpower Trait to affect a Kindred. Victims who are forced awake are two traits down in all challenges until they have rested for ten hours.
***** Dream Master
You may enter the mind of a specific sleeper and induce nightmares or use Disciplines like Presence, Dominate, or Auspex. The sleeper may be anywhere in the world, though you must first spend a Willpower Trait and defeat them in a Mental Challenge to gain control over her dreams.

Antitribu Rituals
Like the Camarilla Tremere, the Sabbat Tremere have created many rituals. However, while these Antitribu have had access to the Camarilla's rituals, they guard their own very carefully.
Level 1 Antitribu Rituals
Blood Rush
This ritual grants the caster the sensation that he has just recently finished drinking blood, allowing a retest in any attempt to prevent a Blood Frenzy for the remainder of the night.
Will o' the Wisp
The caster enchants a willow wand with this ritual and at any point thereafter can snap the wand, transforming it into a glowing ball of light that flies with the caster's will. It flies about as fast as a person running, and is as bright as a lantern. The ball of light lasts for the duration of the scene, or an hour. If the caster wins a Challenge of his Mental Traits vs. a foe's Physical Traits, it can be sent to swirl and distract the foe. This renders him one trait down in all challenges for as long as the caster concentrates. A Setite or other light-sensitive creature is two traits down instead.
Level 2 Antitribu Rituals
Domino of Life
This ritual grants the caster one aspect of human life until dawn. Commonly simulated effects are the ability to eat food, a raised body temperature, or a heartbeat. Two Blood Points from mortals are consumed in the process.
Rotten-wood
This ritual allows the caster to disintegrate a wooden object by touching it. The caster must chew through a piece of wood to enact the ritual, which will only activate once, and ends at dawn in any case.
Level 3 Antitribu Rituals
Iron Mind
This ritual enchants a piece of iron, which, when worn on or near the head, protects the wearer against the effects of Aura Perception and Telepathy for the duration. The user of the Auspex power may spend a Willpower Trait to attempt the appropriate challenge anyway. The enchantment ends at dawn.
Recure of the Homeland
This ritual, which takes ten minutes to cast, allows the caster to heal two aggravated wounds, by rubbing the wounds with earth from near where he was born. This requires the caster to win or tie a Simple Test for each wound to be healed. This ritual may only be cast once in any 24 hour period.
Level 4 Antitribu Rituals
Fire in the Blood
This ritual allows the caster to later curse the target by speaking a single word to him, causing him one aggravated wound every time he performs an action in combat, for the duration. To curse the target, the caster must win a challenge of his Mental Traits against the target's Physical Traits.
Level 5 Antitribu Rituals
Thirst Unquenchable
This ritual prepares a curse in advance, which is later unleashed upon the victim during a five minute ceremony in which salt is sprinkled in a circle around the victim. Thereafter, the victim is afflicted with insatiable Hunger, requiring him to test for a Blood Frenzy each time he spends a Blood Point, as if he had none remaining. Furthermore, any stimulus that would normally induce a test for a Blood Frenzy automatically causes the victim to frenzy. The effects last until dawn.

Vicissitude
This Discipline, primarily known by the Tzimisce, allows the vampire to alter physiological structures of himself and others. Caitiff may not begin with this Discipline.
* Changeling
You can alter your appearance or voice, by spending a Blood Point. Unlike Mask of a Thousand Faces, this requires you to concentrate for five minutes, and may not be used to mimic somebody. It may be necessary to perform a Simple Test to determine the quality of such a change. Changes made are permanent unless reversed with another use of the Discipline.
** Fleshcraft
You can now drastically alter flesh, whether yours or another's. You must touch the subject, which may require a Physical Challenge if used against an unwilling subject. If used on a willing subject, you can improve his appearance by spending ten minutes working and winning a Simple Test; this grants him a free Social Trait for as long as he retains that appearance. If used on an unwilling subject, the same test can cause him to lose a Social Trait instead.
*** Bonecraft
You may now shape bone in the same manner as flesh, allowing you to create a large number of horrible effects. The effects are permanent unless altered with another use of the Discipline. Effects include increasing or decreasing the size of a bone, inserting objects into the bone, or carving bone with bare hands. This may require a Simple Test to determine the quality of change. If used against an unwilling target, you must defeat him in a Physical Challenge; if successful, he will also take one wound along with the disfigurement. It costs one Blood Point to use this Discipline.
**** Horrid Form
In one round, you can transform yourself into a seven-foot-tall creature with grotesque features. You have seven-fingered hands, a row of bony spikes protruding from your vertebrae, huge muscles, and thick, oily, black-gray skin. This costs one Blood Point, and grants you the Physical Traits of Brawny, Dexterous, Enduring, Ferocious, Quick, and Stalwart, which are also counted for damage. You may not initiate Social Challenges unrelated to intimidation while in this form, but half of all bare-hand damage inflicted is aggravated.
***** Inner Essence
You can now turn some or all of your body into blood, and later reform from your blood. However, you have no control over the blood while it is in that form; if all of your blood is ingested or destroyed, you die. The amount of Blood Points created from a body part or required to reform a body part is dependent on the size of the body part and your total blood pool.
Visceratika
This Discipline belongs exclusively to the Gargoyle Bloodline. Others may not learn it.
* Whispers of the Chamber
You can detect hidden beings in the same room as you, by defeating them in a Mental Challenge. This works even against characters not in your line of sight, or those cloaked with Obfuscate.
** Skin of the Chameleon
By causing your skin to take on the color and texture of its surrounding, you can mimic the first to levels of Obfuscate. However, you may not move faster than a slow walk while hiding.
*** Voices of the Castle
Like the level 1 power, this level allows you to search out hidden characters in the entire building or physical structure.
**** Bond with Terra
Like the Protean Discipline of Earth Meld, you can meld with earth. However, you can also meld into stone, brick or asphalt. However, you only meld just below the surface, allowing a faint outline of your form to be seen. The effect costs one Blood Point.
***** Stonestrength
Your flesh has hardened into the strength of granite, and you no longer feel pain as strongly as others. You may ignore three wound levels of damage, even aggravated, per evening, upon receiving the damage. You may not resist sunlight in this manner.
Chapter Three
Systems and Rules
This chapter covers the remainder of the rules for The Masquerade.
Time
Usually, time in a chronicle passes just as it does in real life. If the players meet once a week, so do their characters, for whatever reason. This means that there are spaces of time in which nothing happens; however, this is not always necessary. During this down-time, players are generally allowed to indicate that their characters are doing something, whether it be working on a book or researching that elusive ritual. Players are also usually allowed to set up meeting times in which they can interact with specific characters, as not all interaction must take place during the set game time.
During the game, time should not stop unless necessary. This means that challenges should be resolved quickly and efficiently. In general, the only person permitted to call for a time-out is a Narrator or Storyteller.
Challenges
Challenges are means by which two or more players can resolve a conflict quickly. This need not be a physical confrontation; it could be a challenge to resist mind control or to determine the quality of a piece of artwork.
Initial Bid
A challenge begins when one player bids one of her Traits against an opponent. At the same time, she declares the conditions of the challenge, such as, "I Dexterously stab you with my stake." The defender then decides how to respond, either by relenting or bidding a Trait himself, such as, "I Nimbly dodge out of the way."
During bidding, players should only employ Traits that are sensible within the context of the situation. Usually, Traits should only be bid from identical categories, and may be restricted further. For example, you certainly cannot Eloquently stab someone with that stake, but Tireless might not be the appropriate Trait to bid, either. If either player cannot bid an appropriate Trait, for whatever reason, he must relent to the challenge.
Testing
After both parties have bid a Trait, they test. This is done with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. If both players throw the same sign, it is declared a tie (see below).
If you lose a test, you lose the Trait you bid. Generally you recover all such Traits between sessions, though there are other ways to recover Traits, such as Willpower.
The test results in one of two outcomes; either one party has won, or the result is a tie. If one party wins, then his conditions of the challenge are enacted. If the result is a tie, each player reveals the number of Traits they possess in the category bid, starting with the challenger (the first to bid in a challenge). The player with the fewest Traits loses the test and thus the challenge. Either player may declare a number less than their real number of Traits, if they wish to keep the actual number of Traits a secret.
Overbidding
The loser of a test can attempt to call for a retest, by risking another Trait. After doing so, he must reveal how many Traits he has remaining in that category. If this number is greater than or equal to double the number of Traits revealed by the victor, the test is repeated. If not, then the loser of the initial test loses the new Trait risked, and the challenge. A player may attempt to overbid as many times as he wishes, though each time costs him the Trait lost in the test.
Static Challenges
Occasionally, you may have to undergo a challenge where an opponent is not obvious, like when picking a lock or using some Disciplines. In these circumstances, you may be asked to attempt a Static Challenge against a certain difficulty. Static Challenges require that you bid a Trait from the appropriate category, and test against a narrator. The test proceeds as if you are challenging another player who had as many Traits as the difficulty. Overbids and ties still apply for both the player and narrator. If the difficulty is known to you, you may be able to undergo the test with a nearby player instead to save time.
Simple Tests
Sometimes a challenge has no appropriate category, or hinges on entirely random events. This sometimes occurs when determining the extent of a Discipline's effects. Simple Tests do not require you to risk a Trait and therefore you may not attempt to overbid. Depending on the Simple Test, you may have to win the test to succeed, and in others you may succeed if you win or tie. If this is not declared, assume that you automatically retest on a tie.
Extended Challenges
Some Abilities, Disciplines or rituals call for an Extended Challenge to determine an effect's duration or scope. These challenges are performed as normal, but each time you win, you automatically retest, without risking any new Traits. Each win is called a success and increases the effect of the power being used. During an Extended Static Test, a tie counts as a win for this purpose, but ends the retests. Abilities have two effects during the challenge. First, some relevant Abilities may allow you to count ties as normal wins as many times as you have levels of the Ability. You may only do this during Extended Static Tests. As with Abilities, below, you do not count any levels of the Ability required for the effect. Second, some Abilities may be spent for a retest on a loss. This may only be done once per Extended Challenge. You may only overbid once during an Extended Challenge.
Re-testing
The main way to alter probability during a challenge is through retests. Retests come from Merits, Abilities, Disciplines, or Overbids. If you lose a challenge, you may use one of these methods for a retest. Your opponent may counter this retest by coming up with a form of retest as well. You could then use a different source of a retest to attempt again, and your opponent may continue to counter.
"Retests against" are penalties incurred through wounds, Flaws, etc. Every retest against you automatically counters one attempt at a retest. (Thus, if you are Wounded, you would need to come up with two different sources in order to retest, such as a Merit and an Ability.
Abilities
Abilities may also be spent for retests, if certain circumstances are met. A level of an Ability may not be spent if it was used to create the effect desired. For example, to take advantage of the two-trait bonus for using a pistol, you need to have Firearms of 1. If you have firearms of 2 or above, you may spend a level of the ability for a retest.
You may only spend one Ability per action, for any reason.
In addition, Abilities may add to your total number of Traits in a category for the purposes of ties or overbids. Thus, if you have three levels of Occult, you could count three more Traits when using most powers of Thaumaturgy. However, like the stipulation above, you may not count levels that are required for an effect. Thus, if you have three levels of Bureaucracy and you attempt to track someone down, you may count two more traits in the case of a tie or overbid. Likewise, if you have two levels of Firearms, you could count one additional Trait when firing a gun (on top of its bonus traits.)
Combat
Combat is usually resolved with Physical Challenges. Each challenge represents a short span of time in which either participant can perform an action. Usually, the agreed outcome of the Physical Challenge involves the loser suffering damage, though other actions could be taken, such as fleeing or pinning your opponent without causing harm. In general, you may only create one effect with a Challenge - either wounds, pinning, knocking down, etc.
Like most other challenges, you usually may only respond to a challenge in combat with a Physical Trait, unless you are using a Discipline that is directly involved with combat, such as Lure of Flames or Dread Gaze. To initiate other Social or Mental Challenges, you must either relent or respond to the Physical Challenge in a defensive way.
However, prior to the start of a fight (before the first physical challenge) there is opportunity for the use of Mental or Social Challenges, unless you were surprised.
Surprise
Sometimes you may have a means of obtaining the element of surprise in combat. This happens if a player takes more than four seconds to respond to an announced challenge, though it could also happen due to Abilities or Disciplines. For example, if you sneak up behind someone with Unseen Presence, or attack with a ranged weapon while floating silently overhead, you could easily surprise a target. If an opponent is surprised, he has no actions for the next entire round (see Multiple Actions, below). In addition to being unable to respond in anything but a defensive manner, this also means that the opponent is unable to spend Abilities for retests. Generally, surprise only applies for the first round of a conflict.
A player should never walk around, muttering challenges to gain surprise, though a degree of honesty is required by all parties involved.
Multiple Actions
There are a few ways in which a character could obtain multiple actions in a round. The most common means is through the Discipline of Celerity, though Garou have Rage, and Tremere could develop a Celerity-like Path. For each action you have, you can attempt to perform one of several tasks in combat: you can attack, counter-attack, dodge and escape, or dive for cover.
To attack, you simply declare a Physical Challenge against a target. A counter-attack is the most common response from a defender, leading to a normal challenge to determine who is wounded, pinned, disarmed, etc.
To dodge and escape, you must bid a Trait related to dodging, such as Nimble, and have a means of Fair Escape (see below). If you win the challenge, you have escaped combat, thus ending it.
Diving for cover only works during ranged combat. Like dodging and escaping, you must bid a related Trait in the challenge, though if you win the challenge you have obtained Cover (see below). Two players could both simultaneously dive for cover, neglecting to shoot at each other.
When you run out of actions, you may only dodge or soak damage for the remainder of the round. To soak damage, simply bid a related Trait, such as Resilient, and perform the challenge. You may not soak aggravated wounds in this manner, unless you have Fortitude 3 and win the Simple Test to turn them into normal wounds.
When you are out of actions, you also may not spend Abilities for retests, though retests from Merits, Willpower, Overbids, or other sources still apply.
Multiple Attackers
Defending against hoards of attackers is difficult and exceedingly dangerous, even if you have Celerity.
When more than one person is attack one target, they each throw rock, paper, or scissors simultaneously with the target. Thus, the chances are much improved that one of the attackers will succeed. Retests during group challenges only apply to one target. Remember that only one Ability may be spent per action for a retest.
Fair Escape
Fair escape is a means by which a player can avoid a hostile situation, or escape from one when in combat.
To avoid a hostile situation, you can call for Fair Escape when you see another player approaching and do not wish to interact with him. The other player must not be within five feet of you. A player wishing to pursue you may only do so by activating Celerity, though you could activate an equal or greater level of Celerity to continue to escape. Alternatively, you could attempt to employ Obfuscate or a related Discipline to avoid being seen, though you must follow the rules for that Discipline, and someone with the appropriate power such as Auspex could counter this form of escape.
To escape from combat, you must first spend an action attempting the Fair Escape maneuver, which, if successful, places you five feet from an opponent. You may then employ the Fair Escape rule as above. Note that this is not always possible, as you may be cornered or surrounded and forced to knock an enemy down or aside first.
Cover
If in ranged combat, you may find it advantageous to move behind another object for means of protection. You may be able to start a battle while behind cover, or you may be able to obtain cover by spending an action during combat (see above). Cover confers trait bonuses to you while in battle against foes with ranged weapons. The bonus traits could be one for a corner of a building, two for a trash-can you are firing over, three for a boulder, and more for better cover. If you spend all of your actions maintaining cover and not returning fire, the trait bonus is doubled. If you are behind hard cover (like a brick wall or boulder) and cannot be seen at all, your opponent usually can not hit you.
Wounds
When someone is stuck in combat, he suffers an amount of damage between one wound level and the weapon's maximum damage. Damage is determined by a "challenge" of sorts - both the victim and attack choose a number between zero and the weapon's maximum damage, inclusive. On the count of three, both numbers are compared; the difference between the numbers is the damage inflicted. If both players choose the same number, certain special conditions may arise, based on the weapon. By default, maximum damage is done.
Punching, kicking, or any other form of unarmed strikes have a maximum damage of a quarter of the attacker's Physical Trait, rounded up. Other weapons are also based on Physical Traits, such as Swords or Clubs. Always use the character's normal Physical Traits, without bonuses or penalties, before losses due to challenges are counted. Physical Traits added by spending blood may be added, however, and losses from other sources (curses, etc) do reduce Physical Trait for this purpose.
Some weapons have automatic wounds. These are noted as X+|Y| (such as 4+|2|). X is the maximum damage that is "tested" and Y is added, regardless of the random damage. (Thus, 4+|2| means adds two to the result of testing a max damage of 4.)
In the case of a Damage tie, the results listed are applied, and no others (i.e. don't apply automatic damage to damage tie results.)
Weapons
Weapons confer additional Traits to a wielder skilled in them. These Traits may not be bid or lost, but do apply when comparing Traits in a tie or overbid.
Note that a weapon should never be represented with a prop, unless it is quite clearly a prop, like a fluorescent orange water pistol. Even then, a degree of caution should be exercised, or better yet, use index cards to represent weapons. Card weapons are almost never mistaken for the real thing by police officers.
Weapons also have various degrees of concealability. If you cannot conceal the weapon, it must be visible always, whether as a card or a prop.
Examples of Weapons:

• Knife
• Bonus Traits: 2
• Max Damage: PT/3
• Damage Tie: Max Damage
• Concealability: Pocket
• Club - Could be an improvised weapon.
• Bonus Traits: 1
• Max Damage: PT/3
• Damage Tie: Max Damage
• Concealability: Jacket
• Wooden Stake
• Bonus Traits: 2
• Max Damage: PT/4
• Damage Tie: Max Damage
• Concealability: Jacket
• Special: You can attempt to stake a vampire's heart; you must first hit him, and then win two Simple Tests. If you lose either test, you missed the heart but still inflicted one wound. A staked vampire is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
• Sword - Anything from a shortsword to a claymore
• Bonus Traits: 3
• Max Damage: PT/3 + 1
• Damage Tie: Max Damage
• Concealabilty: Trench Coat or None
• Pistol - Most handguns.
• Bonus Traits: 2
• Max Damage: 4
• Damage Tie: 3
• Concealability: Pocket
• Rifle - A hunting rifle, though not fully automatic.
• Bonus Traits: 2 (Can aim for an action for +1)
• Max Damage: 5
• Damage Tie: 4
• Concealability: None
• Shotgun
• Bonus Traits: 2 (3 within 10')
• Max Damage: 5 (+|1| within 10')
• Damage Tie: 4 (5 within 10')
• Concealability: Trench Coat
• Special: May target up to three opponents standing more than ten feet away and are immediately next to each other. One Trait is risked for the entire group, and if any opponent wins, the Trait is lost but still applies for all three challenges. This is considered only one action.
• Submachine Gun
• Bonus Traits: 2
• Max Damage: 5/4
• Damage Tie: 5/3
• Concealability: Jacket
• Special: Can affect up to five targets if they are more than ten feet away and are immediately next to each other, like a shotgun. The second numbers listed apply in this case.

Health
Vampires have seven health levels that represent the amount of injury suffered.

• Healthy - The character has suffered no wounds.
• Bruised - The character is slightly hurt, but suffers no bid penalties.
• Wounded - The character is hurt, suffering a one-trait penalty in all physical actions.
• Mauled - The character is severely hurt, suffering a two-trait penalty in all actions.
• Crippled - The character is having a hard time walking, suffering a three-trait penalty and a retest against in all actions.
• Incapacitated - The character has been hurt so badly that he is unable to move. The character is out of play for ten minutes, after which he must heal at least one wound level before regaining mobility. A character at this level is merely able to whisper.
• Torpor - The character has been hurt to the point of entering a death-like trance. Only time or the blood of a vampire at least three generations lower can revive the character. If the character suffers any aggravated wounds while in this state, he suffers Final Death.

A vampire cannot drop below Incapacitated through normal damage until he runs out of blood. Every wound level done that would normally cause the vampire to enter torpor causes the loss of one blood point (which is spread all over the immediate area.)
Final Death cannot be caused by normal weapons unless used on a vampire in Torpor with the intent to cause Final Death (e.g. cutting off the vampire's head with a sword.)
Aggravated wounds are immediate, painful, and devastating. Each aggravated wound causes the loss of a wound level, regardless of the vampire's blood pool. If one extra wound level is done beyond what is needed to bring the vampire into Torpor, the vampire suffers Final Death.
Sometimes a character will have taken both Aggravated and non-aggravated wounds. In these cases, the Aggravated wounds are always moved to the top of the health levels. (i.e. if you have taken three aggravated wounds and 7 normal wounds, you become Incapacitated and lose five blood. You don't suffer Final Death until you are either dropped into Torpor and deliberately killed, or you take another four aggravated wounds.)

Frenzy
Certain circumstances can cause a vampire to lose control and submit to the Beast. Sometimes this can occur when a Beast Trait is triggered, though sometimes other circumstances can trigger a frenzy as well. When a Beast Trait is triggered, the frenzy is entered automatically; other circumstances are explained below.
There are three types of frenzies: rage, control, and terror. Terror frenzies are sometimes referred to as Rotschreck.

• Rage Frenzy - These frenzies cause the vampire to go berserk, attempting to destroy anything nearby, starting with whatever sent him into the frenzy first.
• Control Frenzy - Sometimes referred to as Blood Frenzies, these frenzies usually occur when a vampire is out of blood. A vampire in this frenzy will attempt to feed from any blood source nearby, starting with open containers or mortals. When you run out of Blood Points, you must make a Static Mental Challenge with a difficulty of 5. The test must be performed every hour or whenever you see or smell blood, and each test raises the difficulty by one.
• Rotschreck - This frenzy is inspired by something that is extremely dangerous to the vampire, like fire or sunlight. A terror frenzy causes the vampire to be incapable of taking any action other than to flee the source of the frenzy. A vampire may easily enter this frenzy if exposed to fire or sunlight; resisting requires a Static Mental Challenge with a varying difficulty dependent on how severe the exposure is. Simply being close to a bonfire would be a 3, being burned would be 4 times the number of wounds taken, and being immersed in flame or sunlight would be a 10.

• Vigilante - You frenzy whenever you encounter the death of a person, whether Kindred or kine. If you know who did it, you will seek out and try to destroy the murderer, but if not you will blame the nearest person and go after him instead.
• Frustrated - You frenzy whenever you lose in a Mental Challenge and know you failed. You will not frenzy if failing a test to resist Dominate, for instance. If the original challenge was against another person, you will try to kill him. If against an object, you will destroy it and anyone nearby.
• Item - You frenzy whenever you encounter a particular item, like a stake or a cross. You will try to destroy it and whoever possesses it. It is also possible to have a Control or Terror Beast Trait relating to such an item.

• Furious - You frenzy whenever someone crosses you in some way. You will try to hunt that person down, but if he is not available you will attack someone close to him or a random target instead.
• Violent - Frenzy whenever you witness an act of violence. If an aggressor is apparent, you will attack that person first, though the victim is just as much to blame.
• Bullied - Frenzy whenever you lose in a Social Challenge, similar to Frustrated.

Control
Subhuman Beast Traits

• Blood - Frenzy whenever you encounter a quantity of spilled blood. You will begin to drink any blood in sight, even to the point of excess. This can make it difficult to feed.
• Hunger - Frenzy whenever you are down to one Blood Point, instead of when you are out of blood. You will attempt to feed from mortals first, though you will drink them dry and go for more.
• Lust - Frenzy whenever you find a willing victim to feed from. This makes it difficult to maintain a Herd.

• Blood Smell - Like the subhuman beast trait Blood, but you frenzy whenever you encounter a crowd of people, as you can smell their Blood. You will try to feed from mortals first, but Kindred contain blood as well...
• Desire - Frenzy whenever you encounter whatever you most want, such as an object or a political position This most often takes the form of a Rage frenzy, as you need to fight for it.
• Diablerie - Frenzy whenever you encounter a helpless Kindred, whether he is tied up or incapacitated. You will attempt to perform Diablerie on the Kindred in question, and attack anyone who tries to stop you.

Courage
Subhuman Beast Traits

• Phobia - Frenzy whenever you encounter the object of your phobia.
• Sunlight - Frenzy whenever exposed to sunlight, a sun lamp, or UV radiation. Most Kindred only suffer from Rotschreck when exposed to real sunlight, but you can feel other forms as well.
• Fire - Frenzy whenever you are exposed to flame, no matter how small.

• Pain - Frenzy whenever you take damage.
• Shame - Frenzy whenever you lose in a Physical Challenge.
• Religion - Frenzy whenever you encounter a religious symbol.

Hierarchy of Sins
This chart determines when a character must test for a new Beast Trait. For example, if a character with no Beast Traits could be forced to test when he gets angry and hits somebody, but a character with four Beast Traits could get away with murder without a moral dilemma. Sins committed while in a frenzy still count. The test involved is usually a Simple Test, though whether a tie counts as a win in this case is left up to the severity of the sin and the Storyteller's discretion. Beast Traits gained in such a manner are usually related to the sin, though may be enhanced personality quirks. Furthermore, a test may not be necessary if the victim of the sin has been seen or proven to been committing worse sins recently (Storyteller's discretion.)

Beast Traits Sin
0 Intentionally inflicting injury
1 Accidental killing, theft, robbery
2 Sadism, corruption of others
3 Murder in the heat of passion
4 Premeditated murder
5 The most heinous and demented acts
6 The character has succumbed to the Beast.

Diablerie
By draining the essence of a vampire, you can gain his power. This is not an easy task, and marks your aura with black veins for six months after, if successful.
The victim must be incapacitated or in torpor and then drained of any remaining blood at a rate of one Blood Point per action. The victim may bid Traits related to stamina to defend, though this only delays the would-be Diabolist. In this stage of Diablerie, the Diabolist is completely occupied with the task and must relent to all physical challenges directed at him. Social or Mental Challenges do not affect him.
After the victim is bloodless and in Torpor, you must drain the victim's essence. This is done with a Physical Challenge against the victim, who is two bids up to defend. The Diabolist may keep attempting this challenge until he can no longer match the three Physical Traits, at which point he suffers a wound level and drops away. The Diabolist may attempt to drain the target again, however, when he has regained enough Physical Traits.
A vampire may perform the first two stages and leave the victim for another vampire, but must spend a Willpower Trait to resist the urge to go on with the last stage.
If successful, Diablerie conveys a number of benefits to the Diabolist. First, the victim's in-clan Disciplines are now considered in-clan for the Diabolist. Second, if the victim was of a lower generation, the Diabolist lowers his generation by one. If the victim was more than three generations lower than the Diabolist, more generations may be gained (Storyteller's discretion.) Third, the Diabolist gains one experience point if successful, and an additional point if he survives until the end of the evening.
However, Diablerie is not without drawbacks. Besides being one of the most heinous crimes in vampire society, the crime marks the Diabolist with black veins in his aura for at least six months. Furthermore, the act requires you to perform a test to avoid gaining another Beast Trait, usually one belonging to the victim. The Diabolist must win a Mental Challenge against the victim to avoid the Beast Trait. In this challenge, the Diabolist gains a bid penalty equal to the difference in generations, if the victim is of a lower generation. However, in the case of a tie or overbid, both parties compare the total of their current Beast and Willpower Traits.

Golconda
Sometimes a character will search for inner peace, by finding a way to control her frenzies and restrain the Beast. If a vampire achieves this state, he no longer frenzies, and only needs to spend one Blood Point per week for nourishment. This state is gained by role-playing only, can be lost by taking actions that would violate the vampire's new outlook. The character generally must spend experience to buy off all of his Beast Traits, as well.

Blood Bonds
If any person, be it a mortal or not, drinks the blood of a vampire on three occasions, he gains an emotional attachment to that vampire, becoming obsessed with him.
A character can only be under the effects of one Blood Bond at a time; if Bound, he cannot be Bound to another character. If a character drinks a mixture of blood from multiple vampires, he could become Bound to all of them.
The master in such a situation is knows as the Regnant, and holds power over the Thrall. Thralls usually fulfill requests made by their Regnants, especially if they are in line with their Natures. Thralls will instinctively try to defend their Regnants when attacked, even if they intellectually know what is happening.
A Thrall can attempt to ignore a Blood Bond by spending a Willpower Trait, negating the Bond for a single scene. Thralls may not attack their Regnants without spending a Willpower Trait for each challenge.
To break a Blood Bond, the Thrall must actively avoid his Regnant and spend massive amounts of Willpower over a long period of time. This breaking of the bond requires role-playing as well.

Influence
Influence is the means by which vampires have direct control in mortal society. It can take the form of contracts, ownership of an agency, bribes, or friends in high places (other than Contacts or Allies).
Vampires often trade or lend influence to each other, as it often takes high levels to accomplish some tasks. This can be done on a permanent or temporary basis.
Influence is held in a certain area. The following charts illustrate possible effects within that area. If a vampire possesses twice the needed Traits to perform a specific action, the action can be done without the expenditure of Traits, and is generally free. Otherwise, the action requires an expenditure of the number of Traits listed, and possibly a challenge or money. Influence Trait expenditures are temporary, but generally are only regained by performing tasks to maintain the influence, like funneling money into a new Industry. The effects listed below are only suggestions; many other similar effects can be created with the right spheres of influence.
Occasionally, influence from different areas can contribute to an effect, though the exact details are left up to the creativity of the player and the Storyteller's discretion.
Influence can often be used to raise ready cash; this is an action that yields $250 for one Trait, quadrupled for each additional level. (I.e., over a million dollars for level 7.) If a character merely uses half his traits for money, this could be a steady income.
Bureaucracy
This influence involves control of government agencies, whether overtly or through connections within the agencies.
Traits Effect
1 Trace a utility bill
2 Fake a birth certificate or driver's license
3 Disconnect a small residence's utilities
4 Fake a death certificate, passport, green card
5 Shut down a small business on a violation
6 Initiate a phone tap, fake land deeds
7 Start, stop or alter a city-wide program
8 Obliterate records of a person on a city and county level
9 Shut down a big business on a violation
10 Arrange a fixed audit of a person or business
Church
This influence applies to control of mainstream faiths, like Christianity or Judaism. Fringe religions often fall under the influence of Occult.
Traits Effect
1 Pass as a member of the clergy
2 Peruse church records (baptism, burial, marriage, etc.)
3 Open or close a single church, find a church-associated hunter
4 Track congregation members, suspend lay members
5 Manipulate regional branches
6 Discredit high-level members
7 Organize a major protest
8 Access church lore
9 Borrow or access church relics
10 Use the resources of the Diocese
Finance
This influence is directly concerned with the flow of money, granting a degree of access to banks, megacorporations and wealthy citizens of the world.
Traits Effect
1 Learn about major transactions and financial events
2 Learn the real motivations for the financial actions of others
3 Trace an unsecured small account
4 Manipulate local banking
5 Purchase a small business
6 Purchase a large business. Ruin a small business.
7 Control an aspect of citywide banking
8 Ruin a large business
9 Purchase a major company
10 Spark an economic trend
Health
Often used to obtain free blood, this influence is over health organizations, like hospitals, asylums, and medical groups.
Traits Effect
1 Access health records of someone
2 Obtain a Blood Point
3 Access medical research records, have minor lab work done
4 Get a copy of the coroner's report, corrupt results of a medical test
5 Alter medical records, instigate a minor quarantine
6 Institute large-scale quarantines, completely rewrite medical records
7 Obtain a body
8 Shut down a business on a health code violation
9 Have special research projects performed
10 Have someone institutionalized or released
High Society
This influence involves control of an elite group of mortals: the rich, the fashionable, and the trendsetters.
Traits Effect
1 Learn what is trendy, or will be soon
2 Obtain hard-to-get tickets to shows
3 Track celebrities, be a local voice in the entertainment field
4 Crush a promising career
5 Obtain minor celebrity status
6 Promote a new club, gallery, festival, or similar event, appear on a talk show
7 Ruin a new club, gallery, festival, or similar event
8 Arrange funding for a major event, movie, etc.
9 Ruin a high-society gathering place, such as a nightclub
10 Dictate trends, fashions, etc.
Industry
This influence in composed of control of unions, laborers, contractors, engineers and other agencies.
Traits Effect
1 Learn about an industrial project
2 Have a minor project performed
3 Arrange a small industrial accident
4 Organize a minor strike
5 Borrow machinery for a short time
6 Close down or revitalize a small plant
7 Arrange a major accident
8 Manipulate large local industry
9 Organize a city-wide strike
10 Affect (or cut off) production of a resource in an entire region
Legal
Some Kindred choose to control legal institutions, courts, judges and lawyers.
Traits Effect
1 Get the public defender of your choice for a case.
2 Avoid paying bail for a minor charge
3 Have minor charges dropped
4 Get good representation for free
5 Manipulate legal procedures (wills, contracts, court dates).
6 Issue subpoenas
7 Tie up a court case
8 Have most legal charges dropped; cancel or arrange parole
9 Close down all but the most serious investigations
10 Arrange a fixed deportation hearing against someone
Media
This influence relates to direct control over what information gets out; it could represent ties to station directors, editors, or reporters, or even indicate the ownership of a television or radio station.
Traits Effect
1 Learn about stories before they break
2 Submit a small article for publication
3 Suppress a small article or report
4 Get investigative information
5 Initiate a news investigation
6 Access production resources
7 Ground a major project
8 Broadcast a fake story, locally
9 Suppress a major article or report
10 Publish anything you want, anywhere
Occult
Along the fringe of mortal society are groups of people normally discredited by the rest of the population. However, Kindred often find these people to be strangely knowledgeable. This influence is also commonly used to research magical rituals.
Traits Effect
1 Know some of the more visible occult figures
2 Contact a common occult groups
3 Access resources for most rituals and rites (Learn level 1)
4 Access rare materials for rituals
5 Learn the general vicinity of supernatural entities (Learn level 2)
6 Access rare tomes and writings
7 Research a level 3 ritual.
8 Access minor magical items (learn level 4 ritual)
9 Learn a level 5 or higher ritual, access major magical items
10 Research an unheard-of ritual or create a new one
Police
These days, very few cops are completely honest. This influence represents the control of crooked cops, prison guards, detectives and even special divisions, like SWAT teams and homicide.
Traits Effect
1 Learn a police procedure
2 Gain police information and rumors, avoid traffic tickets
3 Have a license plate checked
4 Get copies of an investigation report
5 Find bureau secrets
6 Have police harass or detain someone
7 Access contraband, start an investigation
8 Have serious charges dropped, have an officer fired
9 Arrange a setup, institute a major investigation
10 Close down an investigation
Politics
Money talks, and politicians are those that speak the language best. This influence controls pollsters, activists, candidates, and the politicians themselves.
Traits Effect
1 Identify the real platform of a politician or party
2 Have a forewarning of new laws or processes
3 Influence a minor politician to vote a certain way
4 Sway or alter political projects (local parks, renovations)
5 Enact minor legislation
6 Destroy the career of a minor politician, or get him elected
7 Block the passage of a major bill
8 Suspend a major law temporarily
9 Subvert statewide powers
10 Declare a state of emergency in a region, call out the National Guard
Street
The street influence represents a connectivity among the homeless, the gangs, petty criminals, and others that live or work on the streets of a city.
Traits Effect
1 Identify gangs and know their turfs and habits
2 Live without fear on the street
3 Access small-time contraband (drugs, knives)
4 Arrange the service of street people or gangs
5 Obtain a pistol or uncommon melee weapon
6 Mobilize groups of the homeless
7 Have a word in gang politics, get a shotgun, rifle, or SMG
8 Control a medium-sized gang
9 Get or locate rare ammunition or weapons
10 Arrange a gang hit or drive-by.
Transportation
Influence in this area indicates a degree of control over aspects of transportation, including cab and bus drivers, pilots, air traffic controllers, sea captains, and border guards.
Traits Effect
1 Travel locally, freely and quickly
2 Track an unwary target if they use public transportation
3 Arrange passage safe from sunlight or other mundane threats
4 Seriously hamper an individual's ability to travel
5 Avoid supernatural dangers while traveling, like Lupines
6 Temporarily shut down one form of mass transit
7 Smuggle with impunity
8 Reroute a major mode of travel
9 Extend control to nearby areas
10 Completely isolate an area for a few days
Underworld
Even in normal society, there exists a network of criminals, also known as the mob. This influence attempts to control many of these criminals, such as the Mafia, hitmen, bookies, fencers, and launderers.
Traits Effect
1 Locate minor contraband (knives, drugs)
2 Obtain pistols, serious drugs
3 Hire goons to rough someone up
4 Fence minor loot
5 Obtain a rifle, shotgun or SMG
6 Manipulate the protection racket
7 Obtain white-collar crime connections
8 Obtain rare ammunitions or weapons
9 Arrange an arson attack
10 Arrange a coordinated hit on someone
University
This influence represents a degree of control or involvement in educational institutions. This could be control over teachers, professors, deans, students or fraternities.
Traits Effect
1 Access low-level resources (books, research publications)
2 Obtain the high-school record of someone
3 Know a contact with a useful knowledge or skill
4 Obtain college records, fake high school records
5 Cancel a class, fix grades
6 Discredit a student, organize student protests
7 Discredit a faculty member, arrange grants for research
8 Falsify an undergraduate degree
9 Arrange a major project or alter curriculum institution-wide
10 Free run of facilities, including campus security, research facilities, etc.

Political Station of the Camarilla
Each sect has its own political structure, though none is as elaborate as the Camarilla's. A Kindred holding a station is granted Status.
The Prince
A Prince is responsible for maintaining order in a specific city. Holding this position is difficult, usually requiring high levels of Influences and many Contacts.

• The Prince of a city gains the Status Traits of Exalted, Well Known and Famous. He can never lose these Traits permanently while remaining Prince.
• The Prince can remove a Permanent Status Trait from someone by spending a Temporary Status Trait.
• Likewise, the Prince can grant a Permanent Status Trait to any Kindred by spending a Temporary Status Trait. While this can exceed the maximum Status gained per story, the Prince may not grant more than three Status to an individual in this manner, unless he spends a Permanent Trait for each Trait granted over this limit.
• The Prince can automatically grant the Status Trait of Acknowledged to a Kindred when she is first presented. This costs the Prince nothing.

The Seneschal
The seneschal temporarily assumes the place of the Prince when the Prince leaves the city.

• The Seneschal gains the Status Traits of Cherished and Esteemed, and cannot lose these permanently while remaining in office.

Primogen
Each clan elects an elder from their clan to the office of Primogen. Each city has a set of Primogen who advise the Prince. Members of a clan are expected to bring complaints to their Primogen, who will present them to the Prince. The Primogen often employ assistants, called Whips, who may perform the same tasks, with the Primogen's permission.

• Primogen receive the Status Trait of Revered, and cannot lose this Trait permanently while remaining in office.
• Primogen may grant or remove a Permanent Status Trait from a member of their clan by spending a Temporary Status Trait.

Justicar
Each clan also elects an elder from their clan to the office of Justicar. Justicars hold authority over all the Camarilla, and there is only one Justicar for each clan, world-wide. Justicars are often very ancient vampires, and are allowed to pass judgment in any manner they choose. Most call a Conclave to address crimes before passing judgment, though this is a formality these days. A Justicar's powers are left to the Storyteller.
Justicars also keep assistants, known as Archons. These are generally powerful characters as well, often the Justicars' progeny.
Sheriff
The Sheriff is appointed by the Prince of a city, and is responsible for keeping the peace in the city.

• The Sheriff gains the Status Trait of Feared, and cannot permanently lose this Trait while remaining in office.
• The Sheriff can order a Kindred with a city to accompany him for questioning or judgment. A Kindred who resists arrest automatically loses one Permanent Status Trait.
• The Sheriff is immune to the powers of the Keeper of Elysium

Keeper of Elysium
The Keeper is also appointed by the Prince, and is responsible for maintaining the Masquerade within a city.

• The Keeper gains the Status Trait of Honorable and may not permanently lose the Trait while remaining in office.
• The Keeper can immediately remove one Permanent Status Trait from any Kindred he catches breaking the Masquerade. If he does not witness it himself, sufficient proof is necessary. This costs the Keeper nothing.

Harpies
Not so much a political office as a clique of vampires, the harpies are rumormongers and critics. They haunt the halls of the Elysium, spreading gossip about the latest changes in Status. Harpies are not elected or appointed, but still obtain power nonetheless.

• If there is a clear leader of the Harpies, he earns the Status Trait of Influential. While this Trait could be lost through normal means, the punisher usually suffers the social wrath of the entire group of Harpies.
• If another Kindred backs out of a boon or is part of a scandal, the Harpies can decide to remove one Permanent Status Trait from the vampire. This costs the Harpies nothing, though generally there must be proof of the scandal.
• The Harpies may decide to restore Status they have stripped from a vampire, though this costs the leader one Temporary Status for each Trait to be restored.

The Sabbat
The sect of vampires known as the Sabbat is drastically different from the Camarilla. The sect's ideology is based on the principles of freedom and loyalty, though this often leads to a lack of humanity and control. The two sects are constantly at war.
The Sabbat participates in a ritual known as the Vaulderie, in which each participant drinks the blood of each other, mixed in a chalice. This inspires great loyalty in the group. Each member of the group has a degree of emotional attachment to each other, known as a vinculum rating, which is determined randomly.
The main goal of the sect is to prepare for an event called Gehenna, when the Antediluvians are supposed to rise from Torpor and destroy all younger vampires. The Sabbat wishes to stop this, and consider the Camarilla to be pawns of their enemies.
The Sabbat holds very little control over mortals, leaving that to families of ghouls called revenants. They also do not follow the Traditions, though most understand the importance of hiding their vampiric natures.
The Sabbat's political system is based on a parody of Catholic rankings; the leader of a pack is known as a priest, and higher ranking officials are known as Templars, Bishops, and Archbishops. Each rank answers to those above it.
Inside the Sabbat is a sect known as the Black Hand. These are the Sabbat's assassins, and are mainly composed of Assamite Antitribu, though other clans are sometimes accepted.
Sabbat Status Traits
Status within a sect is not transferable into another sect. The Sabbat rarely uses the adjectives used in the Camarilla; instead, they have developed their own system. A Sabbat member must have the Trait of Initiated before any other Status can be earned.

• Battle-Scarred - Used to refer to a Sabbat member who has participated in a Jyhad and was wounded, but survived.
• Blessed - A Trait granted to those blessed by those with the ranking of Bishop or higher.
• Blooded - A Trait given to a Sabbat member who has killed one of the Camarilla.
• Confirmed - A Trait possessed by all pack-priests.
• Devoted - A Trait possessed by any of the priest rank or higher.
• Enlightened - A Trait possessed by an archbishop only.
• Enriched - A vampire who has committed Diablerie.
• Feared - Given to a vampire who has a fearsome reputation.
• Hunted - A vampire who has survived a Blood Hunt.
• Infamous - Given to a vampire who has survived four Blood Hunts, killed two Camarilla elders or completed some other highly respectable tasks.
• Initiated - Given to a vampire who has acquired a Path.
• Loyal - A vampire who has Vinculum ratings of five or more for all of her pack. The Trait is not lost if the character engages in Vaulderie with a different pack.
• Ominous - Granted to a vampire who has three other Status Traits which must include Feared and Respected.
• Proven - A member who has proved his worth to the rest of his pack.
• Respected - A vampire who has won the respect of the pack non-violently.
• Undefeated - A vampire who has not been defeated in at least three fights. This Trait is lost if he loses a fight.

Sabbat Rituals
The Sabbat has many non-magical rituals that are used to bolster morale or test members. Below are a few examples, though many new rituals are created by high ranking members constantly.

• The Creation Rites - A set of rituals used when Embracing new vampire, which involves burying the vampire alive.
• The Vaulderie - The ritual in which blood is shared between members of a pack. This maintains a Blood Bond between all members.
• Monomacy - A fight to the death between two Sabbat members. The winner diablerizes the loser.
• Wild Hunt - The Sabbat version of a Blood Hunt, usually called by an Archbishop.
• Ritual of Justice - A ritual in which a vampire accused of a crime is placed between two rows of the pack and asked a series of 7 questions. The pack then determines his guilt and punishment, or asks 13 more questions to gain more information. If the accused is found innocent, the accuser is usually punished instead.

Vinculum Rules
This ritual is easily simulated using slips of paper to represent Blood Points and a container from which they are drawn. During the Vaulderie, each participant places between two and four Blood Points in a chalice. The highest ranking vampire present has the right to put in more, up to the number of participants. Then, each character drinks as many Traits as he contributed. The Traits which the character drinks determine for whom the character feels a heightened bond for the remainder of the night or until the next Vaulderie. Characters may not even plot against those for whom they have a heightened bond without spending a Willpower Trait.
Sabbat Paths of Enlightenment
When a Sabbat member is Embraced, he loses all humanity and succumbs to the Beast. To maintain some semblance of sanity and control when they frenzy, most follow Paths of Enlightenment. Each path has a number of Path Traits that operate like to Beast Traits, and a creed. Disobeying the creed usually results in the member gaining more Path Traits. If a vampire ever earns a sixth Path Trait, he is lost to the Beast. Path Traits are usually gained in the order listed.
Sabbat members also have an advantage when on the verge of a frenzy; when a Path Trait is triggered, they may attempt to win a Simple Test to prevent the frenzy. If that test fails, they may attempt another Simple Test to see if they can direct the frenzy on a nearby object or a target of their choosing. However, a Sabbat must spend two Willpower Traits to resist frenzy if all else fails.
Camarilla members or other vampires with humanity remaining are often thought to be following the Path of Golconda.
The Path of Caine
Followers of this path (mostly Assamite antitribu) study philosophy, ancient languages and other subjects that guide them along the path of wisdom. They also practice Diablerie to become closer to Caine. They will pursue knowledge of Caine at any cost, even their lives, and spend hours alone in meditation to fight against frenzy. They have no relationships with mortals, as they consider them only food.
Path Traits

• Diabolist - Frenzy whenever you are prevented from committing Diablerie.
• Abelite - Frenzy whenever at least two of your packmates have succumbed to the Beast. You will attack them first, as frenzy is for the weak and uncontrolled.
• Self-controlled - Frenzy whenever someone accuses you of having frenzied.
• Separatist - Frenzy whenever you witness a vampire revealing himself to a mortal.
• Scholar - Frenzy whenever someone prevents you from acquiring knowledge of Caine.

The Path of Cathari
Followers of this path believe in religious dualism, similar to Christian beliefs. They believe that as vampires they were created by the evil of two deities, and accept their inherent evil. They seek wealth and pleasure, feeding on mortals without any qualms. They believe in reincarnation, and avoid Final Death as they believe they will return as mortals.
Path Traits

• Pack Fiend - Frenzy whenever witnessing another vampire frenzy. You will try to attack his target, and frenzy for the sake of fun, though the next closest person will do.
• Creator - Frenzy whenever someone hesitates about creating a new vampire, especially during the Creation Rites.
• Final Death - Frenzy whenever directly threatened with Final Death.
• Materialist - Frenzy whenever someone damages you possessions.
• Hedonist - Frenzy when restrained from seeking pleasure.

The Path of Death and the Soul
Followers of this path do no fear or seek Final Death. It is the oldest Path still in practice, and followers study death in all forms. They are fascinated by the occult, and try to discover all they can about it.
Path Traits

• Excavator - Frenzy whenever someone prevents you from an occult discovery.
• Debater - Frenzy whenever someone blows you off during a philosophical discussion.
• Discoverer - Frenzy when prevented from killing for the sake of knowledge.
• Passion - Frenzy when at least three of your packmates begin talking in raised voices (other than battle cries). You will attack them first, as they let their emotions rule their logic.
• Persona - Frenzy whenever you are accused of emotional behavior or cowardice regarding death.

The Path of Harmony
This path is very similar to the Path of Golconda; followers attempt to find a balance between their vampiric nature and what remains of their humanity. They believe that all life is precious; even though they must feed on mortals, they treat them with care. They believe they have a place in nature, and fight to preserve that place.

• Protector - Frenzy whenever a packmate needlessly kills a mortal.
• Naturalist - Frenzy when your pack needlessly destroys the environment.
• Drinker - Frenzy if your feeding is interrupted.
• Dedication - Frenzy whenever someone for whom you have a vinculum rating is destroyed. You will attack the perpetrators first.
• Failure - Frenzy whenever you fail to meet a goal, no matter how small.

The Path of Honorable Accord
Followers of this Path believe in honor and inner discipline. They insist that members of the Sabbat behave with honor and bravery in order for the sect to operate at its maximum potential. They treat others fairly, unless they have proven themselves weak and cowardly. The creed also dictates that followers act generously, defend the Sabbat and observe rites and rituals faithfully. Followers must place the goals and well-being of the sect above their own.

• Ritualist - Frenzy when someone refuses to take part in a ritual.
• Deception - Frenzy if you discover a member of the Sabbat is lying to you, or has lied to you before.
• Promise - Frenzy if anyone breaks a promise to you, regardless of sect of species.
• Obedience - Frenzy if anyone disobeys an order from your leader, or from you if you are in a position of authority.
• Insult - Frenzy if you hear anyone slight, insult, or show disrespect toward the Sabbat, whether they are a member of the sect or not.

The Path of Power and the Inner Voice
Followers of this Path, which was created by the Lasombra, are among the strongest leaders of the sect. They are devoted to the success of the sect and themselves. They take their own advice over anyone else's, and compete for positions of authority. They are ambitious and will never back down in a fight if they believe they are right or stronger. They are loyal to leaders who prove themselves capable, but have no respect for those they believe should not be in power. Followers also spend time each day in silent contemplation of their inner voice.

• Underling - Frenzy whenever someone fails in a task you order.
• Humiliation - Frenzy if you lose face in front of a crowd. Loss of a Status Trait will trigger this Trait.
• Follower - Frenzy when forced to follow someone you believe to be weak or unworthy. You will take it out on those near you.
• Interruption - Frenzy if someone interrupts your private contemplation.
• Respect - Frenzy when you witness a leader mistreating a successful underling, or when you witness an underling directly disobey an order from a leader you respect.

Experience
After each session, the Storyteller should award experience points all the players involved. The exact system for determining experience rewards is left to the Storyteller, though the following guidelines generally work well.

• Automatic - Each character receives one experience point per game, simply for showing up and participating. A disruptive player might not earn this point.
• Role-playing - Players or narrators should select a player or two who played their characters well. Each player rewarded thus earns another point.
• Leadership - Players who play a major part in a story should also be rewarded, if they played well. Such a player earns another point.
• Acting - Not just role-playing, but a player who entertained and made the game fun should earn another point. This should only be given to a player who entertained while in character.
• Heroism - A character who places himself in great peril deserves a reward of one point. This should be rewarded only rarely, as many such circumstances are not actually dangerous.

• Attribute Traits cost half the current number of Traits in that category, rounded up.
• Abilities cost two experience points for the first level, and then two times the current level for each level thereafter.
• In-clan Disciplines cost four for the first level, and then three times the current level for each level thereafter.
• Out-of-clan Disciplines require a teacher, and cost six points for the first level, and then four times the current level for each level thereafter. Caitiff spend one point less for each level, but have no in-clan Disciplines.
• Thaumaturgical Paths require research or a teacher, and cost two points less than a Discipline per level (e.g., 4 points for a level 3 if Thaumaturgy is in-clan, 6 points if not).
• Thaumaturgical Rituals also require research or a teacher, and cost two points per level of the ritual.
• Willpower Traits cost twice the current number of permanent Willpower, to a maximum of five.
• Buying off a Flaw costs the point value of the flaw with Storyteller approval, usually requiring role-playing.
• Buying a Merit costs the point value of the Merit, with Storyteller approval, usually requiring role-playing.
• Backgrounds usually may not be purchased, except for Influence. Influence costs two points for the first level in an area, and twice the current level for each level thereafter; however, cities have a limit to the amount of influence available in all areas. Gaining influence may require role-playing, as well.
• Buying off a Beast Trait requires heavy role-playing, a new outlook on life, and at least four experience for a Subhuman Trait and six for a Monstrous Trait. However, if you partake in an action that caused the Beast Trait in the first place, it is automatically regained (no test involved) and may require a test for an additional Beast Trait.
• Buying off a Path Trait is treated like buying off a Beast Trait, except that all Path Traits are considered subhuman.

A Lexicon
Ability - A level of expertise in a specific field or talent. Measured in Traits.
Aggravated Wounds - Wounds inflicted that are particularly difficult to heal, such as those from fire, sunlight, or the teeth and claws of Lupines.
Ancilla - A young vampire, though not as young as Childe or Neonate.
Anarch - A vampire who rebels against his sect, without joining another.
Antediluvian - A vampire of third generation; the originator of a clan.
Attributes - The measure of a person's basic Physical, Social, and Mental capabilities, measured in Traits.
The Book of Nod - The "sacred" book of the Kindred, which supposedly details the history of the vampires, though no complete copy has been found.
The Beast - The inner predator of a vampire, which prompts him to forsake his human nature.
Bidding - The risking of Traits in order to win a Challenge.
Bloodline - A lineage of vampires. Some Bloodlines are clans.
Blood Bond - An emotional attachment to a vampire created by drinking the vampire's blood three times.
Blood Pool - The maximum amount of blood a vampire can hold at a time.
Boons - Favors owed.
Caitiff - A vampire with no clan, for whatever reason.
The Camarilla - A sect of vampires that controls much of the world.
Challenges - The method by which disputes are settled.
Childe - A derogatory term for a young, inexperienced, or foolish vampire.
Clan - A bloodline that has grown in strength; there are 13 clans in all.
Coterie - A group of kindred who protect and support each other.
Diablerie - The practice of drinking a vampire's soul to gain his power.
Disciplines - Supernatural powers possessed by vampires.
Domain - The fiefdom claimed by a vampire; usually owned only by Princes.
Elder - Usually a vampire of more than 300 years.
Elysium - The name given to a safe place where elders meet, commonly operas, theaters, or other public places.
The Embrace - The act of transforming a mortal into a vampire by draining the mortal's blood and replacing it with a small amount of a vampire's.
Experience - Points given to characters as they progress though multiple games.
Frenzy - When the Beast takes control of a vampire.
Garou - A werewolf; also Lupine.
Generation - Theoretically the number of steps between a vampire and Caine.
Gehenna - The impending Armageddon when the Antediluvians shall awake and destroy all other vampires.
Ghoul - A servant created by allowing a mortal to drink the blood of a vampire.
Golconda - A state of balance between the Beast and humanity, akin to enlightenment.
Haven - Where a vampire sleeps during the day.
Inconnu - The name given to a clan or vampire who has receded from mortal and Kindred politics.
Influence - The control a vampire has on mortal society, measured in Traits.
The Jyhad - Supposedly a secret war between Antediluvians, using other vampires as pawns.
Kindred - A vampire; also Cainite, Damned, Leech
The Masquerade - The effort to hide Kindred from mortal society, which started after the Inquisition.
Methuselah - An elder who no longer lives among other Kindred; many are Inconnu.
Neonate - A newly created vampire.
Numina - Special powers sometimes possessed by humans.
Pack - Like Coterie, but referring to a group of Sabbat vampires.
Prestation - The complicated system of owed favors among vampires.
Progeny - A collective term referring to all vampires created by one sire.
Sect - The general name for the three primary groups of vampires, whether Camarilla, Sabbat, or Inconnu.
Sire - The parent-creator of another vampire.
Status - How respected a Kindred is, measured in Traits.
Traits - The basic unit by which statistics are measured.
Vaulderie - The communal Sabbat sharing of blood.
Vessel - A potential or past source of blood, usually human.
Vitæ - Blood.
Witch-hunter - A human who searches for supernatural creatures to kill them.

Appendix II: Player Responsibilities
Like storytellers, players have their own set of responsibilities to make the game more enjoyable for others.

• Know the rules. This does not mean memorizing this book, but it does mean that each player should learn the details of his various Abilities and Disciplines, and know how challenges work. This will make the game progress much faster as you will not have to keep looking up your powers in the rulebook.
• Respect the Storyteller. This does not mean letting the storyteller run your character's life, but it does mean that you should respect the work the Storyteller is putting into the chronicle. Do not attend a game session with the intent to ruin the storyteller's work.
• Respect other players. Often, two individual characters will become at odds with each other. However, the players should very carefully distinguish this hostility from the real world. If you are up against someone who does not know the rules, do not lie about them just so that your character will win in the situation.
• Respect your character. Often, players will have knowledge of events or plots that his character does not. You should never use a piece of information in-character that your character does not have. This happens rather frequently; it's hard to keep revealing secret information to a comrade when another character is eavesdropping with Heightened Senses, but your character would have no idea it is happening.
• Respect the story. The story has as much value as any individual character. If an extensive, though-out storyline has caused the death of your character, so be it. Enjoy the story, rather than breaking other rules to keep your character alive. This also means do not argue in the middle of a story. If you have a problem with a rule or how a challenge was resolved, find a Narrator or Storyteller to make a decision quickly. Do not argue with the decision until after the story is over; at that point, the situation can be examined much more thoroughly without disrupting the flow of the story.
• Be creative. Do not let the Storyteller have all the fun. Come up with your own plots, ideas, and stories. However, you should share major plot ideas with the storyteller, as he should know what is happening in the game. Besides, you may need his resources or the help of Narrators for major plotlines, anyway.