Vampire
Facts
(These
are things that are presented throughout the White Wolf books that have nothing
to do with stats or rules but are represented in the stories and excerpts that
are found throughout. They are very real considerations that should always be
kept in mind when playing a vampire.)
Vampires
are NOT human.
From the moment of their awakening following the embrace, they are profoundly
aware that they are different. It is more than just facts such as lack of
heartbeat, pulse, or warmth. It is a complete physiological change that can be
felt from the first few seconds and stays with them their entire unlives.
Some
of the more mundane aspects of this difference are:
1)
Your organs and glands, including your heart, do NOT work. Therefore you do not
breathe, eat, sigh, swallow, blink, fart, or pee. Remember this when you are
playing - 'She sighs and says…' is WRONG. You do need to draw in air when you
speak, but that is not the same as breathing, and that spoken breath will not
steam on cold winter air, because…
2)
Your blood does not circulate, and your cells do not burn energy, therefore you
are COLD to the touch. Only the unobservant will fail to notice this even when
just shaking hands. A freshly fed vampire will be somewhat warm for up to an
hour, provided they consumed a
3)
You do not have saliva or any other bodily fluid. The only way to mimic these
things is to force blood through the appropriate tissues. All orifices of a
vampire are normally dry unless recently lubricated with blood. That means that
any contact with these orifices for another person is either a) dry and cold, or
b) bloody and cold. Think about that before you kiss, or whatever.
4)
The outer tissues of a vampire's body are unusually dry compared to humans,
since all endocrine systems have ceased functioning. This means that fire is a
real fear for them. A burn for a human is a blistering and cracking of the skin
under heat. For a vampire a burn means CATCHING ON FIRE! A vampire can be as
easily ignited as the wick of a candle, even with a common match or lighter. The
only way to prevent this, as in the Sabbat firedances, is to waste precious
vitae (at least a BP) to force blood near the surface of the skin, and even then
it is a risky undertaking. Therefore vampires do NOT smoke or play with matches
except with extreme caution.
5)
The feeling of being 'tired' for humans arises from a buildup of what are called
'fatigue poisons' in the system. These are waste byproducts in the cells and
blood that come from cellular activity, and once they reach a certain level,
they impair function and the body shuts down to clean them out. These are the
same chemicals that cause 'muscle burn' when exercising. Since a vampire's cells
do not function and burn nothing, no such poisons are produced. Therefore a
vampire NEVER feels tired or fatigued (save perhaps mentally, which is
psychological, not physical). From sundown to sunrise, you are at your peak. You
never experience fatigue, aches, stiffness, muscle cramps, or any other side
effect of activity. You feel 100% at all times as long as you have a sufficient
amount of blood in your system.
6)
The vampire body no longer requires human food or drink. It gains no nourishment
from these things, and by consequence it will not react to them with feelings of
longing when they are present. Food does not smell good any longer, except in
purely psychological ways. The vampire body DOES require blood, however, HUMAN
blood. Therefore, humans smell like FOOD. No vampire needs to be told the
difference between a vampire and a mortal under normal conditions, one strong
whiff of either one and the Hunger will supply the answer.
7)
Speaking of scent - the human body produces scent in dozens of different ways,
from hair oil to sweat to breath to less savory means. The entire combination of
scents produces a unique signature smell, just like in any other animal.
Vampires have none of these means of producing scent, but it does not mean they
are without a distinct smell. Most importantly they would smell like BLOOD,
especially near their mouth and nose, and they would smell like the environments
in which they spend their time. Foreign scents like smoke and incense still
cling to them normally, and if they wear perfumes or use common toiletries like
shampoo, then all these smells combined will form a unique scent for each
vampire.
8)
Last but not least - a vampire's skin is unusually pale and smooth (unless they
are of a clan that specifically makes it otherwise). The paleness comes from the
fact that there is no blood circulating near the surface. The smoothness comes
from the same effect that is observed in corpses where the skin takes on a
smooth and waxy feel shortly after death. It is possible for a vampire to waste
vitae and make themselves appear more human, but they would not be inclined to
do this except when hunting or when absolutely necessary.
(Some
vampires have the 'Eat Food' merit which allows them to mimic consuming human
food, but at some point in the evening they have to throw it back up again,
because they do NOT digest it in any way, and it does NOT pass through them.
Some also have the 'Blush of Health' merit that makes you appear somewhat more
human, and your skin is only slightly cool to the touch, it does NOT mean you
breathe or your heart beats. Vampires do 'swallow' blood, but this is a muscular
effort of the body akin to a vacuum cleaner, not an effort of the throat. This
is why a strength roll is involved to diablerize, the final bit of vitae
requires more 'pull' then the rest.)
Taking
all of these things into consideration, it becomes easy to see that a vampire
would be unable to delude themselves into thinking they are still human. The
fact that their body just doesn't react the way it used to in SO many different
ways would make any attempt at pretending to be mortal a waste of time and a
source of inevitable frustration.
But
those were just the MUNDANE aspects of the change.
A
vampire awakens from the embrace feeling very different than they did in their
last moments of life. They are no longer in cooperation with their body in many
ways, they are now in complete command of it, save for the Hunger.
A vampire awakens feeling stronger, faster, keener of sense and mind, than they
ever felt in life. This part of the change is not necessarily represented in any
stat changes, but it is nonetheless true for ANY vampire. In many practical ways
they ARE superior to their former mortal selves.
Consider strength as an example. The human body does not have a set strength
capability, it has a limit that is defined by health, preparation, level of
fatigue, and a dozen other attributes that make the actual limit of any person's
strength a fluid and nebulous thing. There are large men that lift heavy weights
in competition professionally that have lifted as much as 700 lb. (320 kg) ONCE
in a bench press. But when they are forced to do many lifts in a short period of
time, what they can lift drops to around 500 lb. (225 kg) or less. This falls
back to the fatigue poisons and activity impairment. It is functionally
impossible for a human being to work at their MAXIMUM capacity for more than a
few tasks at most. Now, consider the vampire - they have no impairment that
prevents them from using their maximum potential in every task if they so
desire. So it is possible for a vampire to exert themselves completely in feats
of strength, making them SEEM to be up to twice as strong as they used to be.
This has no effect on the upper limit of their strength, which doesn't change
until they learn Potence, it simply means that they can operate at that limit
all night, without ever getting tired.
Likewise a vampire will SEEM to be twice as fast on their feet as they used to
be when they are forced to run. Why? Because the average human can sprint for a
few seconds at a speed roughly twice what they can maintain in an extended run.
After those few seconds, the muscular fatigue forces them to slow down. Another
factor in running is cardiovascular fitness, if your lungs are out of shape or
impaired in any way, they can't supply oxygen as fast as the muscles need it,
and the muscles slow down. Vampires do not breathe, and never suffer fatigue,
therefore their running speed is in essence their sprint. Around 12 mph (19 kph)
for the average reasonably fit human of average size.
What about the senses? Why would they be better? This is a bit more nebulous,
but in the case of the big three (sight, hearing, and sense of smell) relatively
easy to explain.
Sight - human eyes dry out when they stare, they water, and they are irritated
by various elements in the air quite easily. Combine these things with
eyestrain, blinking, and a dozen other factors, and you will see that focusing
sharply and totally is difficult at best for the human eye. Since none of these
considerations apply to the vampire, it is also easy to see why they would seem
to experience clearer and sharper sight. Hearing - this one is even simpler. The
human body produces a great deal of 'white noise' that we simply become
accustomed to, and usually don't even register hearing - heartbeat, pulse, fluid
shifting, breathing, etc. Everything they hear is strained through this web of
noise produced by their own physiology, much like listening to one person at a
party. When all of that noise is removed, it suddenly becomes obvious that the
person they are listening to is actually shouting. So too does the vampiric ear
SEEM to be more keen, simply because all the 'white noise' is gone.
Sense of smell - humans receive scent data from molecules in the air that they
breathe in. Simple enough. But they breathe OUT again almost as quickly, by
necessity, and therefore reduce the amount of sensory input they can get from
any one breath (this is the reasons that animals, especially dogs, breath
shallowly and rapidly when scenting, they cram as much as they can as quickly as
they can into their nose, with a minimum of exhalation). Since vampires don't
breathe out - well, you can see where this is going.
These
factors add to the inhuman and unnatural sense that vampires have of themselves,
but they are by no means the largest indicators that they have changed. One
factor remains, and within it are many attributes that combine to make the BLOOD
the largest and most pressing sign of the new vampire's status.
The
Blood is everything to a vampire. It is every meal, every breath, every thought,
every feeling, every action they have ever or will ever take. It is their first,
last, and only requirement, their best friend, and at times their worst enemy.
Without it they simply cease to exist.
The Blood is their power, their drug, their means to live and their reason for
living.
The
Blood brings with it the Hunger, and lurking behind the Hunger is the Beast that
all vampires fear to some extent.
The
Blood, which vampires call 'vitae', infuses their entire body. It takes the
place of their nervous system, but it doesn't flow the way human blood does.
It's simply there, to be used as needed. It allows them to move, to feel, to
think, and to do things no mortal could dream of. It is the most precious thing
in existence to a vampire. They never waste it, and they use it carefully,
because getting more isn't exactly easy. If they run low through exertion or
stupidity, they begin to battle the Hunger, that driving need to have more
before it's too late. The Hunger is not a sensation like human hunger or thirst,
it is more akin to the drive for self-preservation in an animal, that instinct
that will cause a wolf to gnaw off it's own foot to escape a trap, the same kind
of drive that will cause even the tiniest creature to turn and bite viciously
when trapped. The unthinking, unreasoning, uncaring need to survive. Woe to the
vampire that let's the Hunger get too strong, because then the Beast takes over,
and that Hunger is personified. A vampire in Frenzy will gladly rip the head off
their own lover to drink from the fountain of their gushing neck, they would
rend their own children in half to get at the blood hidden in their small
bodies. NOTHING is more important to the Beast than survival. Nothing.
The
average human finds drinking blood somewhat distasteful, except where culturally
tolerated or encouraged, but to the vampire blood is more than just a necessity.
It is more potent and delicious than the most powerful drug or the finest of
meals. Nothing can compare to the all-consuming ecstasy a vampire feels when
drinking, or the high that stays with them long after the meal is finished. It
is a permanent and absolute addiction that instantly becomes the center of their
lives. A vampire never treats blood lightly unless they have gorged themselves
to the point of bursting, and they can never ignore it. Even the thin trickle
from a mortal's cut finger sings a siren call to the senses of a vampire,
distracting them, drawing their attention. Open bleeding has been known to drive
vampires into a feeding frenzy, they simply can't help themselves. They can
smell blood in a room the same way a human being can smell dinner cooking, and
they never fail to take notice.
Vampires
face a problem in this, however, due to the world they live in. Getting the
blood they need is generally socially unacceptable, and they must be careful in
how they go about it, lest they wake up with a stake in their chest in time to
see the ax descending on their neck. If they want to maintain absolute secrecy,
they have to hunt carefully, lure potential meals away from spectators, take
what they need but not enough to endanger life, then somehow hide the fact of
what they've done from the mortal as well. Some vampires are blessed with powers
of the mind to accomplish this, others have to rely on subterfuge and wits to
get by. If they DO kill their victim, there's the question of disposing of a
bloodless corpse. A particularly active vampire may have to spend half the night
just in the hunt, since their hunger demands more than what just one victim can
provide. For this reason some vampires will keep 'herds', groups of people kept
solely for the purpose of feeding. This raises its own problems, because the
vampire needs to house these people somewhere and ensure their silence. No
matter how they do it, the quest for Blood, for survival, becomes the driving
force in a vampire's every waking hour.
Despite all
of these very real and immediate changes, there is one thing, and one thing
only, about a vampire that doesn't change right away. The one thing that becomes
a curse that makes all the other curses of vampirism pale by comparison.
Their emotions.
For a time, often a long time, vampires still feel the way a human would. Their
hearts love, laugh, hurt, and cry just as though they were mortal. This is the
ultimate bane of the vampire, to be a monster by nature and design, but to be
human at heart.
They can feel from their first seconds of unlife the truth of what they've
become. They can often see it. From those first moments they begin a struggle
between their new natures and their old inner selves. The Hunger demands blood,
and will kill to get it, but the human within recoils from the horrors that they
now find themselves capable of. Guilt, remorse, regret, horror - these things
plague new vampires as they feel the monster within clawing its way to freedom.
Murder becomes a temptation and a horrifying inevitability they must wrestle
with. They look at former friends and smell the blood in their veins, becoming
wracked by disgust that they could think of a friend or lover as food, and a
secret terror that comes from the knowledge that if they lose control just once
- that friend will die by their hand. If they retain their humanity long enough,
they watch people, places, things they love age, rot, and die as their own
immortality carries them onward unchanging.
For these reasons many withdraw from human society quickly, but many more
struggle with the terrible slide away from being human, and experience pain and
heartache like they never suffered in life. Most try to turn to their own kind
for comfort, but none can be found there either. Vampires view each other as
potential threats, competitors, and enemies. At best there can be alliances,
carefully plotted and jealously guarded. The demands and pressures of unlife
make no vampire trustworthy, and many other factors, such as the Blood Bond,
render them downright suspicious. This emotional minefield often drives vampires
to complex and manipulative ends to try and create some form of lasting security
for their dying hearts. They create childer and try to hold them to themselves,
sometimes by binding them with the Blood. They will surround themselves with
ghouls that have no choice BUT to love their dominator, and they will even trick
and seduce other vampires into the Bond. Ultimately it all fails. In the end the
vampire must face the crushing weight of hunger and immortality alone, and make
their peace with it whatever way they can. Virtually none of them survive this
ordeal with more than a shred of their humanity intact, and the loss is like a
surgery without anesthetic that lasted centuries. To fight this horrible tide,
most vampires embrace artificial passions to keep themselves feeling 'alive'
inside. This zealous pursuit of stimuli to stave off the death of their human
side has become so ingrained in the whole of vampire society that it has
overtaken and become the very shape of that society. Each clan is defined at its
heart by which pursuit it's forebears chose to stimulate their passions, every
bloodline now chooses its childer on the basis of how well they match the mold
of their own version of that battle. The Ventrue pursue glory in leadership and
success. The Toreador quest passion in art and recognition. The Brujah seek
revitalization in uncontrolled passion and wild abandon. The Nosferatu seek
attenuation through knowledge and the unveiling of secrets. And so it goes,
through every possible version of human expression, mirrored and refined to a
grotesque art by the immortal souls fearing the darkness within - revenge,
trickery, deceit, love, madness, the list goes on. In the end, every vampire is
defined by what makes them inhuman, and what they do to try a fight that
inevitable truth.