TEXT: Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  1 
  Vampire: 
  The Masquerade 
  A Storytelling Game of Personal Horror 
  By becoming a monster, one learns what it is to be human 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  By Mark Rein•Hagen  
  Vampire TM Game system 
  Copyright 1992,1997 by White Wolf. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this book in any manner without consent from 
  the publishers is prohibited. Players may reproduce the character sheets for personal use only.  
  Credits 
  Design: Mark Rein•Hagen 
  Written by: Mark Rein•Hagen, Graeme Davis, Tom Dowd, Lisa Stevens, Stewart Wieck 
  Development: Mark Rein•Hagen, Andrew Greenberg, Stewart Wieck 
  Editing: Robert Hatch 
  Design Contributors: Lisa Stevens, Travis Williams, Chris McDonough, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, Nicole Lindroos, 
  John Brandt, Brenda Stiles, Tom Dowd, Graeme Davis, Timothy Carroll, Stephan Wieck, Aaron Voss 
  Art Director: Richard Thomas 
  Art: Tim Bradstreet, John Cobb, Felipe Echevarria, Max Shade Fellwalker, Doug Gregory, John Lakey, Laura Lakey, 
  Larry McDougall, Robert McNeill, Ken Meyer, Jr., Richard Thomas, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook 
  Models: Tristan M. Duarte, Max Shade Fellwalker, Doug Gregory, Ken Meyer, Jr., B.J. West 
  Typesetting & Layout: Sam Chupp, William Hale,Chris McDonough 
  Production: Richard Thomas, Josh Timbrook, Sam Chupp, William Hale, Chris McDonough 
  Cover Design: Chris McDonough 
  Cover Photograph: Mark Pace 
  Playtesters: Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, Chris McDonough, Brenda Stiles, John Brandt, Nicole Lindroos, Stewart 
  Wieck, Andrew Greenberg, Lisa Stevens, Ann Nappo, Seth Tepher, Stephan Wieck, Kelly Golden, Jeff Berry, Guy Wells, 
  Gail Starr, Mark Matthews-Simmons, Christopher Lancaster, KC Lancaster, Stacia M. Bannan, Timothy Carroll, Bryan A. 
  Case, Michael Coyne, Shane D. Harsch, Steven Kaye, Edwin Nealley, Laurel Schippers, John Schippers, Robert G. 
  Schroeder, Lowell Brandt Stouder Jr., Richard Wu, Kin Yee, Andreas Mitterlechner, Stefan Kovalovsky, Ralph Schimpl 
  White Wolf Game Studio: William Bridges, Sam Chupp, Ken Cliffe, Andrew Greenberg, William Hale, Wes Harris, 
  Robert Hatch, Rene Lilly, Chris McDonough, Mark Rein•Hagen, Richard Thomas, Joshua Gabriel Timbrook, Aaron Voss, 
  Stewart Wieck, Travis Williams 
  A special thanks to: 
  Anne Köhlhofer and Andreas Wichter for that very first Vampire game session. 
  Attention: Reader discretion is advised. The themes and issues described in this game may be disturbing to some 
  and distasteful to others. Though our purpose is not to offend, our use of the vampire as a metaphor and as a channel 
  for storytelling may be misconstrued. To be clear, vampires are not real. The extent to which they may be said to exist 
  is revealed only in what they can teach us of the human condition and of the fragility and splendor which we call life.  
  Dedication 
  This game is dedicated to Vaclav Havel poet, playwright and statesman who was its inspiration. 
  "We are still under the sway of the destructive and vain belief that man is the pinnacle of creation, and not just a part 
  of it, and that, therefore, everything is permitted.... We are incapable of understanding that the only genuine backbone 
  of our actions if they are to be moral is responsibility. Responsibility to something higher than my family, my country, 
  my firm, my success. Responsibility to the order of Being, where all our actions are indelibly recorded and where, and 
  only where, they will be properly judged."  
  Vaclav Havel, in a speech to the United States Congress  
  735 Park North Boulevard Suite128 Clarkston, Georgia 30021 USA http://www.white-wolf.com  
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   © 1997 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is 
  expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for 
  personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire the Masquerade, Vampire the Dark Ages and Mage the Ascension are registered 
  trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Æon, Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, 
  Changeling the Dreaming, Werewolf the Wild West, and all other books on this site are trademarks of White Wolf 
  Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. 
  All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc 
  The Storyteller System, Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Wraith, Changeling, A World of Darkness, and Gothic-Punk are all 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  trademarks of White Wolf. 
  The mention of or reference to any companies or products in these pages is not a challenge to the trademarks or 
  copy rights concerned.  
    
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  Contents  
  •Preface: The Damned 
  • Book One: Background 
  • Chapter One: Introduction 
  • Chapter Two: Setting 
  • Chapter Three: Storytelling 
  • Book Two: Becoming 
  • Chapter Four: Rules 
  • Chapter Five: Character 
  • Chapter Six: Chronicle 
  • Book Three: Permutations 
  • Chapter Seven: Traits 
  • Chapter Eight: Systems 
  • Chapter Nine: Drama  
  • Appendix 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  Monsters, Monsters, 
  Everywhere. . . 
  They crowd our imagination. They hide under our beds. 
  They lurk within the dark recesses of our primal 
  unconscious. You can't run, you can't hide - it's going to 
  get you. The beast, the ravager, the Lusus Natura. What is 
  it, and why do we fear it? 
  What is its name?  
  We have always had our Fiends. They have long fired the 
  romantic imagination of priest and poet alike. At one time 
  we called them Trolls; later they were named Demons, and 
  then they were Witches who brewed evil potions. Still 
  later, the Monster was said to be the hungry Wolf, the 
  Bogeyman, or the Godzilla of Cold War terror. Finally, 
  some called it human ignorance and intolerance. For a 
  time, they tried to tell us that monsters don't exist at all, 
  that everything about the universe was either known or 
  would soon be known. 
  But now we know better. We have made our 
  reacquaintance with the Beast. We have learned its true 
  name. 
  Now we understand the expanse of eternity, its 
  unimaginable infinitude, the chaos of its structure, and 
  our own petty insignificance. Now we have admitted the 
  magnitude of the problems we face and our seeming 
  inability to affect change on the scale necessary to save us. 
  Today we have caught a glimpse of reality, and have seen 
  the truth behind the veil. We have come full circle and 
  rediscovered the Fiend. We have regained our ancient 
  heritage. We have found that to which we have given so 
  many names - the source of our mortal terror. 
  We have found the enemy...and it is us.  
  We are searchers, forever looking for the uncomfortable 
  truth of our human condition, searching within ourselves 
  for that which is unclean, uncertain or impure - for that 
  which has no name. By looking at the monsters we create, 
  we gain new insights into our "darker half." These fiends 
  express what we are at the deepest and most inaccessible 
  levels of our unconscious. Since time immemorial, they 
  have given us a connection to our animal self, the 
  fulfillment of an unadulterated emotional vitality, and the 
  promise of a brutal justice. 
  The vampire is the quintessential fiend, for the vampire is 
  so much our own reflection. Vampires feed as we feed, by 
  killing, and through death can feel the same dread, guilt 
  and longing for escape. They are trapped in the same cycle 
  of fast, feast and purge. They, like us, seek redemption, 
  purity and peace. Thevampire is the poetic expression of 
  our deepest fears, and the shadow of our most primal 
  urges. 
  Just as the hero of legend must descend into the pit of 
  Purgatory to face the tormentor, overcome personal 
  weaknesses, and finally be cleansed in order to return 
  home with the gift of fire, so must we descend into the 
  depths of our own soul and return to life with the secrets 
  we have won. That is the real journey of Prometheus. It is 
  the meaning of the myth. Only by embarking on such a 
  journey can we discover our true selves and thereby look 
  into the mirror. 
  The lure of this promise of spiritual connection is well-
  nigh irresistible. But, in the end, it is a most disturbing 
  undertaking. You must take heed and step carefully - for 
  no journey is ever without its perils. Do not look into your 
  own soul, unless you are willing to confront what you find 
  there. 
  So remember: 
  There are no such things as monsters....  
  The Damned 
  Where to begin? So much ink has been spilled down the 
  centuries. I am constantly amazed by the regularity with 
  which you mortals stumble across truths and half-truths - 
  sometimes very profound ones - by the most haphazard 
  and fallacious thinking; and then, unaware of what you 
  have uncovered, proceed to expound generalities of 
  entirely the wrong order. 
  We are monsters to thee, yet heroes as well. We are the 
  incarnations of dark metaphors and suppressed desires, 
  yet we are also the nobility of fairy tales, beloved of 
  children. We are a baseless superstition, an artistic genre, 
  a psychological condition, a yearning made flesh, an 
  externalization of a guilt-lust-violence complex, and many 
  other things beside.  
  Our True Nature 
  Some two and a half centuries ago, a French churchman 
  named Calmet sought to collect all the information extant 
  on the nature of vampires. It is not surprising, then, that 
  his treatise contains many contradictions and areas of 
  uncertainty. Quoting from the reports of Papal 
  Commissions sent out to deal with 'plagues' of vampires in 
  Austria, Hungary, Moravia, and Silesia, he reports that a 
  vampire may be destroyed by being transfixed with a 
  wooden stake, followed by decapitation and the burning of 
  the remains. This will indeed destroy a vampire, just as 
  certainly as it would destroy a mortal. Such a clever man, 
  Calmet. 
  Motion pictures have abbreviated this treatment 
  somewhat, creating the fallacy that the stake is sufficient. 
  Do not believe such tales. Transfixing its heart on a stake 
  will immobilize a vampire, but some further treatment is 
  
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  necessary terminus sit. Whether this be burning or 
  sunlight, ist egal; but trust not the stake alone. Neither 
  should you place your faith in weapons of metal, as did 
  your American friend. Such things injure, but the wounds 
  heal quickly - else I should not be writing now. 
  Sunlight, it is said, is infallible doom to my kind. Motion 
  pictures show motley greasepaint vampires crumbling to 
  dust at Sol's caress, or bursting into flames like those 
  doused with Greek Fire. Sadly, this is true, if somewhat 
  overstated. Sunlight burns our skin as does flame, and 
  only the oldest and strongest can withstand it for long. 
  Thus we must sleep during the day and act only at night. 
  During the day we are very sluggish, and find it difficult to 
  do anything besides sleep. Only those of us who have not 
  left our human nature very far behind are capable of 
  taking action when the sun is in the sky. I myself have not 
  seen the light of day in many centuries, and have nearly 
  forgotten the gleam of the sun's golden rays. But I do not 
  miss it. 
  Crosses, holy water, and the other trappings of religion 
  may be ignored - the Church is the first refuge of mortals 
  faced by things beyond their comprehension, especially in 
  former times. Ipso dicto, however, I have seen rare 
  occasions where such items were capable of causing 
  considerable discomfort - their wielder almost glowed with 
  faith in the Divinity, and I can only conclude that the 
  religious items served somehow to channel the power of 
  that faith. Ignore the tricks of the cinema, however, with 
  their crossed candlesticks and shadows of windmills' sails. 
  The reputed properties of garlic, aconite and other herbs 
  are likewise mere superstition. They repel vampires no 
  more than they do mortals, for all the canting of the 
  goodwives who peddle them. Like the Church, the village 
  wisewoman was oft required to use her 'magic' against 
  vampires, and was just as successful. 
  Film-makers have made other fallacious legends part of 
  the common parlance. For instance, we can see our own 
  reflections in the mirror, though some of us pretend 
  otherwise in honor of the great cinematic tradition. 
  Likewise, we can appear on film. Indeed, some of my kind 
  have appeared in movies, and one was even a director of 
  no little repute. 
  It is equally ludicrous to presume that a vampire would 
  not be able to travel about as he would like. We Cainites 
  (one of our race's terms for ourselves, the origin of which I 
  shall later discuss) may enter any house and home we 
  please at any time. It is likewise preposterous to think a 
  vampire would not be able to cross running water. Indeed, 
  water affects us not at all. We no longer breathe, hence we 
  cannot drown. While being trapped underwater is 
  unpleasant and may, if prolonged, result in some physical 
  deterioration, no vampire has died of immersion alone, 
  although some bloodlines are rumored to have a weakness 
  vis-a-vis water. Belike this is how many of the rumors 
  originated, for weaknesses have arisen in several 
  bloodlines and have been passed down from Sire to Get.  
  The cinematic vampire, it seems, may take several forms if 
  the human shape suits not his purpose: wolf, bat, mist - in 
  some legends, cat and night-bird also. The powers of the 
  Elders are considerable, and they are seldom found in 
  those of later generation. I have seen many wonders 
  during my brief and unwilling involvement in their game 
  of Jyhad, and I no longer discount the stories of shape-
  shifting. But I tell you this - a vampire who has plural 
  forms will either be of a rare breed, the Gangrel clan, or 
  will be very old, very wise and very powerful. I pray that 
  such a one will never cross your path. 
  Many of us, however, have abilities which a mortal would 
  consider supernatural. As predators, our senses are sharp, 
  and some have developed other talents to aid in the hunt. 
  One example - the ability to inspire fear, stillness, 
  obedience and other emotional responses - is a useful one, 
  although popular writers have embellished it somewhat in 
  the interests of their stories. 
  The Ghouls 
  It occurs to me that some of the confusion about a 
  vampire's supernatural powers and weaknesses may be 
  due to mistaken identity. There exists a class of creature in 
  between mortal and vampire, which the Kindred (another 
  of our self-referential sobriquets, and the most popular) 
  have named Ghoul. It is not the legendary corpse-eating 
  ghûl of the Indies, although certain individuals may 
  display similar behavior. 
  Mortals who drink the blood of the Kindred without first 
  being drained will become Ghouls. These creatures may go 
  abroad in daylight as other mortals do, but they do not 
  suffer the Hunger, nor do they age as long as they feed on 
  vampiric blood regularly. They may even  have 
  superhuman strength and reflexes. From time to time, it is 
  advantageous to create such servants, commanding their 
  loyalty through the promise of eternal life. They need not 
  even be human - a hound that has drunk of one's blood 
  becomes the most perfect and faithful guardian one could 
  desire. Thus do tales of hell-hounds arise. 
  While Ghouls display some of the strengths of the 
  vampire, they retain most of the weaknesses of the mortal. 
  Impalement will slay Ghouls as effectively as mortals, and 
  a lead bullet will kill as surely as a silver one. They may 
  even develop a fear of religious trappings, or garlic, or 
  what you will - a purely neurotic phenomenon, based on 
  the fact that they believe these things can harm them. The 
  existence of Ghouls in animal form may partially explain 
  the widespread belief in shape-changing vampires. 
  Some Ghouls may well believe themselves full-fledged 
  vampires, having been deceived to that end by their 
  creators. They may even act according to their mistaken 
  ideas - to the point of drinking blood - for they seldom 
  understand the ways of the Kindred any better than 
  mortals. Most are deranged to some extent by the 
  experiences they have suffered - witness, zum Beispiel, 
  your late husband's employer - and many are deliberately 
  misinfor med by their masters, the better to serve them. 
  The Embrace 
  Mortal superstitions deal at great length with the means 
  by which a vampire may come into existence. These range 
  from the predictably religious to the utterly bizarre, and 
  can make an entertaining evening's reading if one is so 
  inclined. Other than entertainment, however, they serve 
  little purpose. 
  The first and most common of these myths is the legend 
  that anyone bitten by a vampire will himself become a 
  vampire. Thus, each time a vampire feeds, it creates 
  another of its kind. One wonders how it is that any mortals 
  are left in the world. Furthermore, a corpse may become a 
  vampire if it was a suicide, an oathbreaker, a member of a 
  
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  tainted bloodline, or de tout an evil person. Again, the 
  globe would be peopled with nothing but vampires - and I 
  tell you this, I have not seen this army of undead. 
  Indeed, to my understanding, there are not many of us 
  upon this globe. To my knowledge, there is only one means 
  through which a mortal may become a vampire. Shame 
  fills me again when I recall that I intended this fate for 
  you, and I rejoice that Providence denied me. Truly do I 
  repent the eternity of sorrow which so nearly was your 
  destiny. 
  There is a grain of truth in the legend de gustando. To 
  become a vampire, one must lose all one's mortal blood - 
  but that is only part of the horror. Mortui exsanguinati 
  mortui veri, if nothing further is done; the fang will kill as 
  everlastingly as the blade or the bullet. 
  As mortality stands on the brink of extinction, as the flesh 
  slowly dies, the vampire assailant may choose to spare the 
  victim from death or deny Heaven's grace, for all is one his 
  rebus. By replacing the stolen mortal blood with a little of 
  the vampire's own, a Progeny is created. But a single drop 
  of blood upon the lips of the dying arouses him sufficiently 
  to drink from the wrist of his Sire. 
  How can I express the horror of the Embrace? The fear 
  and confusion? The revulsion and terror? The pain? Even 
  the passing of centuries has not dulled the memory.  
  Understand that I am no coward. As a soldier, I endured 
  the privations of the camp, the perils of battle, the 
  savagery of the victor, of which I plead guilty to my share, 
  for such was the Zeitsmode. But even those things I 
  witnessed as a prisoner of the Turks could not have 
  prepared me for the experience of being hurled into this 
  cursed half-life. 
  I was, de gratia potestates descriptis, in a most peaceful 
  state of mind as my blood was stolen. As deaths go - and I 
  have seen many kinds - this was surely the least 
  distressing. It was as though my experience was a strange 
  and somewhat unsettling dream. Far off in the warm, soft 
  darkness of my failing mind, I became aware of a light; I 
  knew that this was where I must go, and I knew that, once 
  I arrived there, all would be well with me. I began to drift 
  toward it. 
  Abruptly the welcoming light was extinguished. My face 
  felt an impact like a musket-ball, and as I tried to scream, 
  my mouth filled with liquid fire. The vitriol seared my 
  throat and stomach; consciousness returned as though it 
  would rend me limb from limb. A thousand fishhooks tore 
  my flesh in every direction. 
  I prayed for death - anything to stop the pain - but I could 
  not even lapse from consciousness. Nec Turcos, nec 
  Inquaesitores ever commanded such torment. Magnify a 
  thousandfold the sting of vinegar on a cut finger, and flood 
  the feeling through every limb and every vein. Add to this 
  the gnawing, starving ache of five days' forced march 
  without food or water. Deny sleep, swooning or any other 
  surcease from the all-consuming dolor. But no. My meager 
  wordsmithing can convey nothing of it. 
  I knew only that I must drink, and as I did so the pain 
  abated a little. My eyes cleared, and I saw what it was that 
  I drank. 
  My first reaction was denial. This could not possibly be 
  happening. Even in the fifteenth century, men of 
  education and breeding scoffed at the superstitions of the 
  peasant. As a child, my nurses had frightened me to sleep 
  with stories of the terrible vrolok, but I had outgrown such 
  tales long befor e. This was a nightmare, an hallucination 
  of some kind. I tried to focus on thoughts of meat, fruit, 
  wine - but to no avail. Blood was all. Blood was reality. All 
  else was discarded. 
  I can only be thankful that I was in a remote place. Had I 
  been Embraced in a city, with people all around, there is 
  no telling what havoc might have ensued. The Hunger 
  blotted out reason entirely. Had my own son appeared 
  before me then, he would have died to feed the Hunger, for 
  I was utterly enslaved to it. No opium fiend in a 
  Limehouse or Shanghai den was ever so helplessly, so 
  wretchedly dependent. 
  I cry for mercy. The memory - and the recollection of what 
  followed - distresses me, and I shall not continue the 
  narrative. Instead, I shall address another, but related, 
  topic. 
  Anatomia Vampirica 
  Though our external appearance remains much like that of 
  the living, there are those among us who insist that the 
  Change transforms its subject into another species Homo 
  Sapiens Sanguineus, Homo Sapientissimus, and Homo 
  Vampiricus have a ll been advanced as names for this new 
  race, following the Swedish classification. 
  Be that as it may, it seems beyond dispute that the body 
  undergoes as much of a change as the psyche. As will 
  become apparent, much of what follows is - and can only 
  be - conjecture, unsupported by dissection. 
  The gross physical changes are a matter of common 
  knowledge, so much so that we have allowed them to 
  remain in popular fiction. The canine teeth are indeed long 
  and pointed, the better to draw blood. However, they are 
  only fully extended at the time of the kill, being at other 
  times withdrawn into their sockets by the contraction of a 
  flexible tissue at their base. Both speech and secrecy would 
  be most difficult otherwise. Some lack the means to 
  withdraw their teeth, but they are easily discovered and 
  are a dying clan. 
  To feed, we merely need to bite, retract the teeth from the 
  wound, and begin to drink. If we lick the wound after we 
  drink, then no trace of out feeding will remain. Indeed, if 
  we lick any wound which we have caused with our claws or 
  fangs, we can heal it completely. 
  Our own skin, as with the cinematic vampire, is invariably 
  pale. Partly, it seems, this stems from our aversion to 
  sunlight, but it is also due to our arrested state of death. 
  Darüber noch später. 
  Our Hunger is a drive for sustenance, of that there can be 
  no doubt. From this, and from bitter experiences with the 
  foods I most enjoyed in my breathing days, it appears that 
  the inward parts of the vampire have lost their facility for 
  digestion. One seldom sees a stout vampire, and nearly all 
  remark on a newfound slenderness after the Change. 
  Being no longer required, the organs presumably wither. 
  The vampire's body remains as it was at the time of death. 
  Hair and nails continue to grow for a few days, as they do 
  on a fresh cadaver, but that is all. If I wish my hair or nails  
  to be shorter, I must cut them each evening after I rise. It 
  is my conjecture that the body of the vampire is actually 
  dead, and is only arrested from the natural process of 
  decay by the power of the Change. The skin becomes a 
  little tighter over the bones, much as it does in the newly 
  dead. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  The lungs of a vampire no longer breathe - though many 
  have learned to feign breathing while among the living - 
  for the fresh blood of the prey provides the small amount 
  of oxygen needed to sustain the dead tissues in their stasis. 
  Only a young or foolish vampire takes blood from the 
  jugular vein, where it is near the end of its journey and full 
  of impurities; the blood of the carotid artery is clean and 
  wholesome, and much to be preferred. 
  Just as the lungs no longer breathe, so the heart no longer 
  beats. The blood of prey somehow suffuses through the 
  body by a process of osmosis, rather than flowing along 
  veins and arteries. This can be seen in the fact that when a 
  vampire weeps - which indeed we do, and more often than 
  a mortal might suppose - the tears themselves are of 
  blood. Cut a vampire's throat, and you will find the vessels 
  empty. The closure and atrophy of those blood vessels 
  nearest the skin is another reason for the pallid 
  complexion which marks the vampire, although a rosy hue 
  is noticeable after feeding. 
  The blood of the prey, coupled with the blood of the Sire, 
  does appear to have some remarkable properties. We are 
  able to heal ourselves of most wounds with remarkable 
  quickness. We still feel pain, and a reflex sends blood to 
  the afflicted area - just as in life, blood will suffuse bruised 
  tissue and colour it purple. The one exception to this rule 
  is the stake so beloved of writers and film-makers. This 
  will induce a kind of paralysis or trance, although it will 
  not kill in its own right. Quite why this is so is unknown to 
  me, for the heart no longer beats and so is not necessary to 
  pump the flow of blood. I have heard various mystical 
  explanations of this phenomenon, but must confess myself 
  at a loss to explain it rationally. 
  The body no longer makes and replenishes its own blood, 
  and relies entirely on prey for fresh blood and the 
  nutrients which Science has found blood to carry. 
  Something in the blood of the Sire, passed down through 
  the Change, fans the spark of Life and arrests decay, but 
  regular infusions of fresh blood are needed lest decay 
  begin again. And when a vampire is destroyed, that decay 
  is fantastically swift, as though Time were recalling the 
  debt of decades or centuries. Nothing remains but dust, 
  which is why anatomical study is impossible and so much 
  must be guessed. 
  We are able to heal our wounds using this blood upon 
  which we feed. We are able to use it to regenerate whole 
  limbs and organs, given time and need. Regeneration 
  always restores us to the physical state we possessed when 
  we died, including hair length, face shape, body weight - 
  everything. When the body is injured, it will reform itself 
  in the same mold again and again. We are already dead, 
  and so cannot die except through the forces of life - the 
  eternal sun and the primordial flame. 
  One last question remains in re corporis - a somewhat 
  prurient one, which I shall answer with as much delicacy 
  as I may. Through the popular entertainments, the 
  vampire has become established as a highly potent figure 
  of romance - and betimes of more than romance. While 
  the act of love is physically possible for a vampire of either 
  sex, the associated impulses, drives and responses have 
  died along with the flesh - which, incidentally, is cold to 
  the touch rather than warm. By effort of will we may go 
  through the motions, forcing blood to the relevant areas in 
  the same way as healing a wound, but that is all. The 
  ecstasy of the Kiss replaces all such needs within us. Blood 
  is the only object of our desire. 
  The Hunger 
  To live as a vampire is to live with horror. Always 
  squatting on one's shoulder like a warlock's fiend is the 
  knowledge of the Hunger. And always, always, does it 
  approach - sometimes slowly and surreptitiously, 
  sometimes with great haste, but always ravenously. The 
  Hunger can never fully be satiated. 
  Hunger, we call it, but the term is woefully inadequate. 
  Mortals know hunger, even starvation, but this is as 
  nothing. The Hunger replaces almost every need, every 
  drive known to the living - food, drink, reproduction, 
  ambition, security - and it is more compelling than all of 
  them combined. 
  More than a drive, it is a drug, one to which we are born 
  with a hopeless addiction. In the taking of blood lies not 
  only our survival, but also a pleasure beyond description. 
  The Hunger is a physical, mental and spiritual ecstasy 
  which throws all the pleasures of mortal life into shadow. 
  To be a vampire is to be trapped by the Hunger. The Beast 
  may only be kept subdued by the greatest effort of will; to 
  deny the Hunger enrages the Beast, until nothing may 
  keep it in check. Thus we must commit monstrous acts to 
  stop ourselves from becoming monsters - that is the 
  Riddle. Monsters we are, lest monsters we become. 
  That is the paradox of our life. It is the curse of my own.  
  The Beast 
  The Beast rages constantly for release, and only the 
  strongest will may hold it back. Sometimes it break its 
  bonds, and runs riotous until it is recaptured. The strain of 
  self-control, and the shameful memories of failed control, 
  are hard enough to bear. Worse still is the knowledge, 
  constant as the Hunger, that these things will surely 
  happen again. Over the decades and centuries, this 
  awareness gnaws at the mind like a rat at a ship's cable. 
  To be a vampire is to live on the edge of madness. 
  Obsessive devotion to some self-appointed task can help 
  keep despair from the mind, and if the task is one of great 
  goodness, it is possible to reason that the end justifies the 
  means. Some deliberately cultivate addictions, such as 
  gambling or collecting art. Others shut themselves away 
  and confine their hunting to a small, sparsely -populated 
  area, telling themselves that they are protecting the rest of 
  the world. These things can perhaps delay the onset of 
  madness, but they can also provide it with its first 
  foothold. 
  Ultimately, hard as we may strive against it, madness 
  awaits us. The flame of Humanity ebbs and sputters until 
  finally it is extinguished. Then the Beast is v ictorious, and 
  monsters we become in truth. The Beast resides within the 
  heart, and directs us towards evil, but when it overtakes 
  the halls of the soul, then shall we be evil. 
  Some speak of Golconda, the vampire's Salvation. Both 
  mortal and Kindred lore deny us Heaven's grace, but in 
  Golconda we look for surcease from the Riddle. It is a 
  stasis, where an individual may balance the Man and the 
  Beast against each other so that striving is no longer 
  needful. The descent into madness is halted, and although 
  the individual is no longer recognizable as human in his 
  thoughts and deeds, what remains of Humanitas is safe. 
  In almost five centuries, I have met a meager few Kindred 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  who have reached this blessed state, but all desire it as 
  mortals desire Heaven. 
  The Burdens of 
  Immortality 
  We are, as the most cursory student of folklore knows, 
  ageless and immortal. In this case, lore and tradition have 
  the right of it. Once made, a vampire lives until actively 
  destroyed, or until the Beast wins over the Man, or until, 
  after countless millennia, the Blood is exhausted. 
  Down the centuries, mortals have hungered for the secret 
  of immortality, thinking it would give them great power. 
  From the priests of heathen times through the alchemists 
  of my own breathing days and down to the physicians of 
  the present, mortals have expended more wealth and 
  effort in the war against aging and death than in the cause 
  of any religion or trade. 
  Many newly made Kindred - myself included - rejoice in 
  the thought of immortality when they first overcome the 
  shock of the Change and begin to reconcile themselves to 
  their new situation. Yet it is a barbed gift, and another 
  door by which madness may enter in. 
  Consider, for example, having to watch your loved ones - 
  even your children and grandchildren - grow old and die, 
  while you remain strong and vigorous. There is a necessity 
  to live completely outside mortal society, or at least to 
  move on every decade or so, lest it be noticed that you do 
  not age. The tide of history flows over you like a stream, 
  leaving you unchanged.  
  The longer one lives as a vampire, the greater the sense of 
  detachment from mortal affairs. It can be an advantage at 
  first, helping to deaden the guilt of killing and the pain of 
  losing one's mortal family to remorseless Time. But as 
  detachment grows, Humanitas wanes, and the Beast grows 
  stronger. The most terrible of mortal serial killers often are 
  detached from their kind, atrocitates tranquilliter 
  gestandae. It is the same face on a different coin, as the 
  Turks would say. 
  Even 
  if 
  one can fight off this dehumanizing 
  verschiedenskeit, Time lends madness other weapons. For 
  without detachment, guilt and remorse may work 
  unchecked, eating at the feelings like acid eating metal. 
  Mortal soldiers return from foreign wars wounded by the 
  violence they have seen and done, yet they have only to 
  live with their memories for a few brief decades. A 
  vampire's guilt is eternal, and time can sap the strongest 
  will. Another face of the Riddle: we may lose our 
  Humanity to avoid losing our minds, yet what is madness 
  but lost Humanity? Sooner or later, grins the Beast, you 
  shall be mine. 
  A further paradox - we grow stronger as we grow weaker. 
  The older a vampire, the more powerful - the more 
  cunning to have lived so long, the better versed and 
  practiced in certain arts and powers, the better able to 
  withstand those things that are anathema to us. And, 
  perhaps, the stronger of will, not to have become a 
  monster. Yet the weaker, for the Beast tries the bars of its 
  prison ceaselessly, and in time they must yield. The oldest 
  shut themselves away from the rest of their kind, fearing 
  the day when they shall become monsters and distracting 
  themselves with paranoid games of cat's-paw using 
  younger Kindred as playing-pieces.  
  Vita Sub Tenebras 
  There are other reasons for our nocturnal life besides the 
  need to avoid the sun's rays. It is so much easier to stalk 
  and hunt in the hours of darkness. Imprimis, the prey is 
  usually dulled by fatigue - and betimes drink - and can see 
  little in the poor light. The hunter, on the other hand, is 
  normally fresh and fully rested, and can often see as well 
  as a mortal does at noonday. Secundus, the hours of 
  darkness are less populous, and promise fewer 
  interruptions. Feeding is a vulnerable time; the Beast is 
  near the surface, and may stand at bay rather than leave a 
  kill. This has been the undoing of more than one Neonate. 
  The Origins of the 
  Kindred 
  Like mortals, we have our own history and lore, by which 
  we seek to explain our existence and understand our place 
  in the world. Just as the veracity of your legends is lost in 
  the shrouds of history, so is the truth of our lore uncertain. 
  However, over the years I have unearthed a number of 
  different sources, and through painstaking study, I believe 
  I have arrived at some semblance of fact and truth. 
  Most of our lore is contained within an ancient text known 
  as the Book of Nod. Neither any of my acquaintances nor I 
  has ever seen or heard of a complete copy, although 
  fragments have been unearthed over the centuries, multis 
  linguis, multis causis. There is much confusion and 
  contradiction, and some versions appear to have been 
  deliberately falsified. 
  Over the centuries, I have been fortunate to peruse 
  fragments in Greek, Turkish, Aramaic, Latin and Hebraica 
  Quabalistica, as well as translations from Old Kingdom 
  hieroglyphics and Assyrian cuneiform. Inconsistencies are 
  rife, but the main body of the tale states that my kind is 
  descended from Caine, whom some call The Third Mortal. 
  Outcast from mortal society for the killing of his brother, 
  Caine was cursed with eternal life and a craving for blood. 
  We, his children, are the heirs to that curse, condemned to 
  repeat his crime endlessly. 
  Caine wandered in the wilderness until his name was all 
  but forgotten. He returned to the world of mortals and was 
  able to establish himself as the ruler of a city, by the name 
  of Enoch, Uniech, Enkil or what you will. Many Kindred 
  call it the First City. Here, Caine created three Progeny - 
  those whom we call the Second Generation. They in turn 
  begot the Third Generation, who are numbered at nine, 
  twenty -seven, one hundred or none at all, according to the 
  source one reads. Caine forbade the creation of any further 
  Kindred, perhaps having gained some understanding of 
  what he had unleashed upon the world. There is no word 
  of any Kindred establishing Caine's rule elsewhere, and if 
  they all remained in the First City, their increasing 
  numbers must have strained the mortal population. 
  All was tranquil in Caine's domain until a great flood 
  destroyed the city. Caine saw this as divine punishment for 
  returning to the world of mortals, and resumed his 
  wanderings, leaving his Progeny to their own devices. 
  Though he forbade them to create more, they ignored his 
  imperative as each of his Progeny desired a Brood of its 
  own. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  10 
  No more is heard of our ancestor, although from time to 
  time, a vampire calling himself Caine will appear in some 
  part of the world or another. Occasionally, he is revealed 
  as an impostor, but more often he vanishes as suddenly as 
  he appeared. Some believe that Caine still lives, while 
  others - myself included - think it more likely to be some 
  subterfuge of the Elders. It is said that Caine is rent with 
  sorrow for having unleashed such misery and suffering 
  upon the world. 
  Once free of Caine's restrictions, the Second and Third 
  Generations created a great multitude of Progeny. They 
  ruled together briefly, but all was not calm between them. 
  Eventually, the youngest Generations rose and slew their 
  Sires, drinking their blood. This Fourth Generation built 
  another great city (some sources hint that it might have 
  been Babylon, while others suggest that it rests somewhere 
  beneath the sands of Egypt) which we know only as the 
  Second City. 
  The rule of these new vampires was not untroubled, for 
  certain Kindred of the Third Generation still lived. Indeed, 
  some say they were secretly behind the slayings of their 
  Elders. It was decreed that they alone reserved the right to 
  beget Progeny, and that any of the Fourth Generation who 
  disobeyed them were to be hunted down and killed along 
  with their Sires. Though the Fourth Generation lived in 
  public, the Third Generation, whom we know today as the 
  Antediluvians, lived in secret and revealed to no one the 
  location of their havens. For nearly two millennia (some 
  say 23 centuries), the Fou rth Generation ruled the city, 
  while the Third Generation ruled them. Eventually, the 
  culture grew decadent and the city died. In a great 
  uprising, the people rose up and killed all the Kindred they 
  could find.  
  When the Second City fell, its rulers fled. Scattered far and 
  wide, they were too numerous and too widespread for the 
  hidden Elders of the Third Generation to threaten them, 
  and thus was begot the Fifth Generation. The Kindred 
  grew in numbers and settled in all parts of the world. 
  Mortal history records a time, beginning over two 
  thousand years ago, of burgeoning empires locked in 
  combat with one another - the time of the Persians, the 
  Greeks and the Tartars. Thus did the Fifth Generation 
  establish its own order. Meanwhile, the Antediluvians lay 
  hidden and pursued their own mad schemes. This age of 
  wars may even have been of their making, the beginning of 
  their great Jyhad. Whatever the truth, almost none remain 
  to speak of it. I myself have met only one of the Fifth 
  Generation, and at the time I did not know it. 
  It is said by some that near the end of this period, the 
  Antediluvians emerged from their hiding places and 
  sucked the blood of all my kind, each leaving but one new 
  Progeny of their line. This legend has it that this was the 
  close of the Second Cycle, that the Antediluvians' lust for 
  blood was so great that they needed all of my race as their 
  Vessels. 
  Those who believe in the Cycle legends predict an 
  Armageddon in the near future. They say that the 
  Antediluvians are asleep now, but someday they will 
  awaken and then they will feed. The Third Cycle is coming 
  to a close, and none but the Third Generation will remain 
  alive at its conclusion. The true believers say that each 
  Cycle lasts 2300 years, and soon, very soon, the time 
  approaches. They call it Gehenna, and some prepare for it 
  fervently. As a man of science, these beliefs seem extreme 
  to me, but they cannot be entirely discounted. 
  Whatever the truth of the matter, I know that the Elders of 
  the Fifth and older Generations exist in complete 
  seclusion. Those of the Inconnu fear one another that 
  much. To have lived this long, they must be cunning and 
  powerful, and they may be expected to cover their tracks 
  well. This leaves my own Sixth Generation and its 
  descendants as the bulk of the visible Kindred. I have 
  heard claims of a Thirteenth or Fourteenth Generation, 
  but prefer to dismiss them. Such creatures must be very 
  weak and close to mortality, for it is said that the Blood 
  thins as it is passed from one generation to the next. 
  The Masquerade 
  In 1435, there was founded an organization, a cause, an 
  obsession, a war. Call it what you will; history knows it as 
  the Inquisition. Besides burning harmless old women and 
  excommunicating French field mice for eating farmers' 
  wheat, this Inquisition did betimes achieve its aim, and 
  cleansed the world of no few true witches, warlocks and 
  monsters. Many such monsters were Kindred, and the 
  diligent Inquisitors traced whole bloodlines and put all to 
  the flame. 
  For the first time, our kind stood in real danger of 
  extinction. Superstitious belief coupled with scientific 
  thoroughness placed in mortal hands the wherewithal to 
  rid the world of monsters forever. It was a terrifying time - 
  as insane to us as the Holocaust which mortals visited on 
  one another earlier in this century. Those Kindred who 
  survived bear the mental scars of the Inquisition to this 
  day, and many live a life of paranoid seclusion, dealing 
  with the breathing world as little as possible. 
  Before this time, we had lived more or less openly, relying 
  on our power and position to preserve us. Though we did 
  not announce our presence, we did not struggle to hide it 
  either. We had grown proud in our power, and the fall 
  which followed was terrible indeed. 
  The survivors quickly learned the wisdom of stealth and 
  secrecy, and networks sprang up as they do among mortals 
  in times of crisis, conveying information and individuals 
  sub rosa for the safety of all. This was the birth of what 
  may be called a Vampiric society. 
  The name Camarilla arose for this organization, reflecting 
  the small, secret rooms used for meeting and concealment. 
  Groups made contact with one another, united for the first 
  time by this adversity. 
  The first global convocation took place in 1486. Many 
  chose to absent themselves, but this meeting gave itself the 
  power to speak for all Kindred existing or yet to be made, 
  and to pass laws governing all. The founders of the 
  Camarilla made themselves its lawmakers. The first such 
  law, and the most sacred, is that of the Masquerade. It is 
  this law which I willingly violate by laying these pages 
  before you. 
  The horrors of the preceding decades had taught us the 
  need for secrecy and shown us that, after all, we were 
  vulnerable. It was vital, therefore, that the breathing world 
  be convinced it had killed the last of us, or, better yet, that 
  we had never existed at all. We must match organization 
  with organization and cause with cause if we hoped to 
  survive.  
  The Masquerade had two faces, each with a number of 
  contingencies 
  and 
  lesser 
  objectives. 
  Imprimis 
  simplicissimusque, reasonable secrecy and care was 
  required of all Kindred.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  11 
  Nothing must betray our continued existence, and any 
  individual who broke this secrecy would be outcast and 
  hunted down as a danger to all. 
  Secundus, active steps must be taken to change the 
  character of mortal society, and direct minds away from 
  superstitious thoughts. Many of the Kindred had turned to 
  scholarship to beguile the lonely decades, and certain 
  matters were made available to the Taggänger in the 
  fields of alchemy, literature, art, geography, cosmology 
  und so weiter. Many mortals were already turning their 
  steps in this direction, so the task was not unduly arduous. 
  Names spring to mind such as Bacon, Dee, Galileo, 
  Copernicus, Ariosto, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Cellini, and 
  Columbus. It was a brave Age we made. 
  With so many fresh discoveries clamouring for attention, 
  the mortals lost their single-mindedness in chasing 
  monsters. A little later - principally due to an alliance of 
  French Methuselahs - material and political philosophies 
  were influenced. Science had bred Reason, and Reason 
  denied monsters. Over the following centuries, we were 
  able to crush superstition almost completely. No one of 
  any education seriously believed we had ever existed. 
  Adjustments continued over the decades a war here, a 
  discovery there to keep breathing minds focused away 
  from us. We have had a hand in some of the most 
  significant events in history. Do not, however, think that 
  all your history is our work, for marionettes you are not 
  and have never been. Marx was of your kind, and no 
  vampire could have formulated his thoughts. Brief decades 
  later, monstrous deeds were performed in Europe, but 
  none of my kind were involved. Those monsters were 
  entirely your own. 
  Not long ago, mortal minds turned once more to the 
  mystical - though the greatest mystery to me is the appeal 
  of the music which was born in those days - and 
  superstition briefly waxed ascendant. The knowledge of 
  certain chemical substances was made available, and many 
  inquisitive minds were distracted or forever silenced. 
  Throughout this last century, steps have been taken to 
  preserve the image of the vampire in popular 
  entertainments, for thus it may be seen more clearly as a 
  fiction. The Masquerade is unraveling, as the mysticism of 
  the mortals increases. The Camarilla struggles to turn back 
  the tide - the evidence of that is all around you. 
  Childer 
  Comical as it may seem, there is a generation gap among 
  vampires just as there is in mortal society. The younger 
  vampires - primarily those Embraced in the latter half of 
  this century and those of the most recent generations - 
  include an element which chafes at the restrictions of 
  Kindred society and laws. Like rebellious adolescents, 
  these "anarchs," as they call themselves, demand their 
  freedom and ignore the effects on the rest of their kind. 
  They would create their own Broods without restraint, 
  deny the authority of Princes, break the laws of the 
  Masquerade, and do a hundred other things which would 
  force the knowledge of our existence upon the mortal 
  world. 
  The Elders, and many other Kindred, do not take kindly to 
  this attitude, and in some places a virtual state of war 
  exists between them. Some see this as a sign of the end of 
  the current Cycle, and speak of our imminent extinction. 
  These anarchs do not believe that they are being told the 
  truth by the Elders, and they know that they are not being 
  told all about their situation. The Elders do not trust the 
  anarchs, fearing that they seek to slay them. 
  The World of the Undead 
  On one level, the world of the vampire is the world of 
  mortals. A vampire moves in the world of mortals much as 
  a nobleman moves in the forest of beasts while hunting. 
  Just as the noble has his castles and courts, however, so 
  the vampire has a world of his own, where he may consor t 
  with his own kind. 
  Some vampires shun the society of their Kindred, but such 
  society exists, paralleling mortal society in both function 
  and form. Just as there are mortal rulers and mortal 
  societies in the world's great cities, so too there are 
  vampire Clans and Princes. 
  Most Kindred seek Princedom, for it is the only means by 
  which to create a Brood of one's own. Princes do not often 
  allow others to create Progeny, and even if they do, they 
  are allowed to create only one. A Prince may create as 
  many Progeny as he wishes and their loyalty adds to his 
  strength. 
  It would be fatuous to list and describe every Clan, Prince 
  and Fief in the world. Suffice it to say that every mortal 
  city of any size supports a vampire population, and these 
  populations are organized in a number of different ways. 
  Some rule collectively, others autocratically, but all rule 
  and all resent intrusion. Like organized criminals and law 
  enforcement agencies, they have structured their Domain 
  to  
  their liking and suppress anything which threatens to 
  disturb their peace. 
  Accordingly, a vampire who enters a new city is required 
  by höflichkeit to make himself known to its rulers and 
  satisfy them that their rule is not threatened or challenged. 
  To fail in this courtesy is to invite war. No witch-hunter 
  ever pursues his prey so diligently as a Clan or Prince 
  seeks out a stranger nouveau arrivé. 
  Most rulers, I have said, are content to keep the peace in 
  their Fief and pursue their own arcane ends. But there are 
  exceptions. One is the league of Clans which calls itself the 
  Sabbat, or the Black Hand. Their Fief extends across the 
  eastern half of North America, and they are everything 
  that mortals expect of monstrous vampires. Reveling in 
  the violent, the perverse and the bestial, they are shunned 
  by their own kind, and woe betide the incautious vampire 
  whom they find in their territory. 
  Above the Clans stands the Camarilla. All vampires are 
  aware of this league, and all are invited to join. To take an 
  analogy ex mundo vivantis - if a Fief is a regional or 
  national government, then the Camarilla is the League of 
  Nations. To my mind, it is equally effective, but some set 
  great store by its infrequent convocations. Certainly the 
  Elders of the Council are not to be underestimated as 
  individual powers - most are very old and all are very 
  powerful. Primarily it enforces the ancient Traditions, 
  most important among them the Masquerade, so soon 
  enough I may have cause to test its resolve and strength. 
  The Clans all have their various alliances and oppositions, 
  which shift as often and widely as those of the small 
  countries of the mortal world. I have mentioned the 
  protocols which must be observed when entering a Fief as 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  12 
  an outsider. These obligations and structures are no more 
  than protocols, and may be broken from time to time; but 
  there is a stronger bond - stronger even than the ties of 
  blood kinship - whose auctoritas is absolute. It is the 
  mystic tie we call the Oath, or the Blood Bond. 
  I have touched upon the power of Blood to create new 
  Kindred and Ghouls. Its effect on Kindred is no less 
  powerful. It is said to be the sweetest blood in the world, 
  but it creates a potent bond between donor and drinker. A 
  vampire who drinks another vampire's blood on three 
  separate occasions becomes trapped in a blood kinship as 
  strong as that between Sire and Get; in fact, many Sires 
  force this bond upon their unknowing Get at the time of 
  creation, the better to command their loyalty. Among the 
  Kindred, the Oath is a most potent bond; to take the Oath 
  is to give over one's mind and heart to another, and a 
  willing Oath is never undertaken lightly. If all else fails and 
  you have no other means of defence against a vampire, use 
  my name - the chance is slender, but if your attacker 
  happens to be Blood Bound to me, then you shall be safe.  
  Diablerie 
  By now, if my labours have been equal to my intent, it will 
  be apparent to you that the society of the Kindred is as 
  diverse as that of the living. We have our princes and 
  paupers, our dreamers and men of action, our heroes and 
  criminals, our idealists and our perverts. The matter I am 
  about to disclose is little more than speculation, but 
  increasingly I am inclined to believe the rumours. 
  I have said how the blood of the Sire empowers the blood 
  of the prey, so that the body is sustained in its unlife. 
  According to rumour, the blood of the Sire loses this power 
  with the passing of centuries and millennia, and an 
  exceptionally aged vampire must needs drink the blood of 
  Kindred to survive. Although the decay of a mortal cadaver 
  is spared us, time still takes a toll, and the Blood is not 
  absolutely immortal. A young vampire of an early 
  generation is able to subsist on the blood of animals, but 
  as the centuries pass - or as the blood thins with 
  transmission - first animal and then mortal blood loses its 
  ability to sustain. 
  The Antediluvians are said to prey on the Kindred as we do 
  on mortals, and there is no end to the stories of their 
  depravity. Increasingly, though, rumours spread of 
  younger Kindred doing likewise. The reason for this is 
  unclear. Perhaps the youngest generations bear so little of 
  the Blood that it serves them only for a few centuries, or 
  perhaps they seek the powers of the Antediluvians by 
  imitating their ways. I have long wondered if this is the 
  cause of the war among my kind, the Jyhad which has 
  lasted so long. The Antediluvians hide, for they fear that 
  they will be killed by those seeking their blood and thus 
  their power. The Elders fear the anarchs, for they fear that 
  they shall be eaten by them as well. The anarchs fear all 
  those who are older than they, for they know that they are 
  prey to a most deadly predator. The conflict between my 
  kind is a cannibalistic and horrific war indeed. 
  I have already mentioned the Oath, which is undertaken 
  by drinking the blood of another vampire (usually one's 
  Sire or Prince). It is known that taking the blood of one's 
  own Get carries no such bond, and it seems also that the 
  Antediluvians - and those others who habitually prey on 
  their own kind - are able to do so without creating any 
  kind of bond or obligation. This fact, more than anything, 
  makes the practice of Diablerie (as it has come to be 
  known) a shocking and perverted thing to the Kindred, 
  and any vampire who is a known Diabolist may be killed 
  out of hand by any who find him. The Diabolist must hunt 
  with care, for he stalks the most  
  dangerous game in the world. Doubtless some find a great 
  exhilaration in this existence. 
  The Elders, needless to say, deny these rumours 
  absolutely. To admit to such things would incite a 
  revolution as terrible as the rising of the Fourth 
  Generation. Yet there is evidence, which the diligent can 
  find though the Antediluvians cover their tracks ever so 
  carefully.  
  Last Plea 
  My discourse is at an end; my treachery complete. By now, 
  I hope you will understand in some measure what 
  impelled me to those acts I shall always rue and why I felt 
  it necessary now to place this document before you. I 
  cannot ask for your forgiveness - my crimes are too great. 
  But if there be pity in your heart, pray for me. 
  You now know more about my kind than any mortal living 
  - aye, even more than your friend the professor when he 
  sought to destroy me. The use to which you put this 
  knowledge I leave to your own conscience. 
  I have changed a great deal since we last met. For many 
  years thereafter, I sought within myself for something 
  inexpressible. Now, I believe I have found it, or am about 
  to. If Golconda be truly within my reach, I may endure, for 
  in the depths of introspection which prompted my writing, 
  I have found a desire for quietus at any price. That was a 
  partial reason for my discourse. I know full well that the 
  knowledge I have imparted could lead to the destruction of 
  myself and my kind. The will to live - if life this be - is too 
  strong in any vampire to allow for a more direct suicide. 
  Whatever you decide, I wish you and yours well. I have 
  followed the career of your son Quincy with great interest, 
  and the lives of his children also. I rejoice that Fate stayed 
  my beastly hand and ensured the welfare of your fine 
  family. What a great comfort they must be to you. 
  In parting, may I presume to render my condolences on 
  the regrettable death of your husband, of which I read in 
  the Times of London. Your love for him is only too well-
  known to me. If the prayers of such a creature may be of 
  any comfort, know that you have mine. 
  You shall hear no more from me unless you wish it. I say 
  again, my service is yours to command. I can be reached 
  through the personal columns of any major European 
  newspaper; merely mention my name, and your ow n, and 
  my retainers shall pass on your message to me. 
  Adieu. 
  Your most devoted and penitent servant, 
  Now, reader, I have told my dream to thee; 
  See if thou canst interpret it to me 
  Or to thyself, or neighbor. But take heed 
  Of misinterpreting; for that, instead 
  Of doing good, will but thyself abuse 
  By misinterpreting evil issues. 
  - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  13 
  THE RIDDLE 
  Those eyes. Like the pits of damnation. Like orbs of black 
  steel. I stare into them and I am lost. My mind screams for 
  release. Fear - panic - flight! But my body does not 
  respond. I cannot move. 
  His caress lingers on my face for a heartbeat and then his 
  fingers drift around my neck. His eyes, so gentle - they 
  offer me no mercy. 
  Why can't I scream? 
  Like a wolf he pounces. His fangs rake across my throat 
  and pierce my skin. A blaze of heat: rapture. He licks at my 
  essence as it pours from my gullet, then begins to suck. I 
  cling to him like a drowning sailor, like a lover. My rock. 
  My lust. 
  My senses spin into the night, reaching out for solid 
  ground. I clutch at the lapel of his cloak. If there be a 
  Heaven, I pray I go there soon. If there be a Hell, I know I 
  am there now. 
  I feel my life slipping away. My eyes are blurring; I let out 
  one last moan. Shutting out the world of darkness and 
  pain, I rise up, leaving my twisting and heaving body. The 
  last sand falls through the hourglass. It is calm here; I am 
  at peace. 
  This be death, the unmaking 
  Heat! Pain! Confusion! I smell bitterness. The cold 
  fragrance wrenches my soul from its rest. He holds his 
  wrist toward me. Oozing life, its red gleam beckons to me. 
  I know but one thing: I must drink to live. 
  Oh Lord pity me! 
  Like an animal, I lunge. Greedily I suck at his skin. The hot 
  liquor caresses my mouth. I welcome its warmth. Nerves 
  given up for dead return to painful vitality. I try to scream. 
  The life flow continues unabated, filling me. The pain 
  becomes ecstasy. Such exquisite, living agony. We become 
  one. 
  What have I become? 
  With a cry, I grasp wildly for the source of life. It is gone. I 
  collapse to the floor. The crash of broken glass resounds 
  somewhere nearby. I am alone. 
  With the gift of life still heavy in my stomach, I sink into 
  the realm of nightmares.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  14 
  Chapter One: 
  Introduction 
  Therefore with the same necessity with which the stone falls to earth, the 
  hungry wolf buries its fangs in the flesh of its prey without the possibility of 
  the knowledge that it itself is the destroyed as well as the destroyer. 
  - Schopenhauer  
    
  Vampire is a game of make-believe, of pretend, of 
  storytelling. Although Vampire is a game, it is more 
  about storytelling than it is about winning. If you've never 
  done this kind of thing before, you may be confused by the 
  whole premise of a storytelling game. Once you catch on to 
  the basic concepts, however, you'll find that it isn't all that 
  strange, and is, in fact, eerily familiar. 
  You, along with some of your friends, are going to tell 
  stories of madness and lust. Tales of things that go bump 
  in the night. Tales of peril, paranoia, and sinister, shadowy 
  evil. Tales from the darkest recesses of our unconscious 
  minds. And at the heart of these stories are vampires. 
  These stories will capture your imagination far more 
  readily than any play or movie; likewise, they are of a 
  darker nature than the children's fairy tales you might 
  remember (although those too were rather grim if you 
  think back). This is because you are inside the story and 
  not just watching it. You are creating it as you go along, 
  and the outcome is always uncertain. 
  This game provides a way to experience a horror of an all 
  too immediate nature, for you experience the terror from 
  the other side of the mirror. The horror of Vampire is 
  the legacy of being half a beast, trapped in a world of no 
  absolutes, where morality is chosen, not ordained. The 
  horror of Vampire is the evil within, and the all-
  consuming lust for warm blood. 
  Perhaps the greatest danger of playing Vampire is that 
  of seeing yourself in the mirror. To play this game you 
  must face the madness within you, that which you strive to 
  master and overcome, but cannot bear to face. 
  Unless you are willing to face the reflection of your own 
  imperfections then go no further. Madness as well as 
  wisdom rewards those who dare to gaze into eternity.  
   Storytelling 
  Long ago, before movies, TV, radio and books, people used 
  to tell each other stories: tales of the hunt, legends of the 
  gods and the great heroes, or gossip about the neighbors. 
  They would tell these stories aloud, as part of an or al 
  tradition of storytelling, a tradition which, tragically, has 
  been cast aside. 
  We no longer tell stories - we listen to them. We sit 
  passively and wait to be picked up and carried to the world 
  they describe, to the unique perception of reality they 
  embrace. We have become slaves to our TVs, permitting 
  an oligarchy of artists to describe to us our lives, our 
  culture and our reality. Through the stories constantly 
  being broadcast, our imaginations are being manipulated 
  for better and, all too often, for worse.  
  However, there is another way. Storytelling on a personal 
  level is becoming a part of our culture once again. That is 
  what this game is all about: not stories told to you, but 
  stories you will tell yourself. Vampire is about bringing 
  stories home and making the ancient myths and legends a 
  more substantial part of your life. 
  Storytelling allows us to understand ourselves by giving us 
  a tool with which to explain our triumphs and defeats. By 
  looking at our culture, our family and ourselves in new 
  contexts, we can understand things we never realized 
  before. It is entertaining because it is so revealing, and 
  exhilarating because it is so true. Storytelling plays such an 
  enormous role in our culture that it can't be accidental. 
  Stories are somehow basic to our psychology. Our 
  obsession with them has a purpose to it: of that there is no 
  doubt. Storytelling is integral to our nature, and has an 
  influence which cannot be denied.  
  Roleplaying 
  Vampire is not only a storytelling game, but a 
  roleplaying game as well. You not only tell stories, but 
  actually act through them by taking on the roles of the 
  central characters. It's a lot like acting, only you make up 
  the lines. 
  To understand roleplaying, you only have to go back to 
  your childhood and those wonderful afternoons spent 
  playing Cops 'n' Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and 
  Dress-up. What you were doing was roleplaying, a sort of 
  spontaneous and natural acting that completely occupied 
  your imagination. This play-acting helped you learn about 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  15 
  life and what it meant to be a grown-up. It was an essential 
  part of childhood, but just because you have grown up 
  doesn't mean you have to stop. 
  In Vampire, unlike pretend, there are a few rules to help 
  you roleplay. They are used mainly to avoid arguments - 
  "Bang! Bang! You're dead!" "No I'm not!" - and to add a 
  deeper sense of realism to the story. Rules direct and guide 
  the progress of the story, and help define the capacities 
  and weaknesses of the characters. The essential rules for 
  Vampire are described in Chapter Four. 
  It is best to play Vampire with only a few players - five 
  at the very most. It is far too personal a game to make it 
  very enjoyable with a large group. Much of its mystery and 
  flavor is lost when players must compete for attention. 
  Indeed, we have found Vampire works best with a 
  Storyteller and a troupe of only three players.  
  The Storyteller 
  Childhood is the place where nobody dies, 
  Nobody that matters, that is. 
  - Edna St. Vincent Millay 
    
  Vampire is structured a little differently than the games 
  you might be used to. In the first place, there is no board 
  or cards. Second, one player needs to be the Storyteller - 
  the person who creates and guides the stories. 
  Being the Storyteller is something like being the Banker in 
  Monopoly, except it is even more important. The 
  Storyteller describes what happens as a result of what the 
  players say and do, and must decide if the characters 
  succeed or fail, suffer or prosper, live or die. It is a very 
  demanding task, but is also most rewarding, for the 
  Storyteller is a weaver of dreams. 
  The Storyteller's primary duty is to make sure the other 
  players have a good time. The way to do that is to tell a 
  good tale. Unlike traditional Storytellers, however, she 
  doesn't simply tell the story; instead, she must create the 
  skeleton of a story and then let the players flesh it out by 
  living the roles of its leading characters. It is a careful 
  balance between narration and adjudication, between 
  story and game. Sometimes she must set the scene or 
  describe what occurs (such as when the characters are 
  asleep), but mostly she must decide what occurs in 
  reaction to the words and actions of the characters - as 
  realistically, impartially and creatively as she possibly can. 
  As the Storyteller, you are in charge of interpreting and 
  enforcing the rules, yet you are also an entertainer - you 
  must struggle to balance your two roles. Most of this book 
  was written to help you do just that. It won't make being a 
  Storyteller easy, because it never will be, but it will make 
  you better at it. 
  The role of the Storyteller is explained in much more detail 
  in Chapter Three.  
  The Players 
  Most of the people who play this game will not be 
  Storytellers, but rather players, who assume the roles of 
  the central characters in the story. Being a player does not 
  require as much responsibility as being a Storyteller, but 
  just as much effort and concentration. 
  As a player in a Vampire chronicle, you will take on the 
  persona and role of a vampire, whom you invent and then 
  roleplay over the course of a story. The life of your 
  character is in your hands, for it is you who decides what 
  the character says and does. You decide what risks to 
  accept or decline. Everything you say and do when you 
  play your character has an effect on the world. 
  You must be both an actor and a player. As an actor, you 
  speak for your character and act out whatever you wish 
  your character to do or say. Whatever you say, your 
  character says, unless you are specifically asking a 
  question of the Storyteller or are describing your actions. 
  By announcing and describing to the other players what 
  you are doing, you become a part of the ongoing story. 
  As a player, you try to do things which allow your 
  character to succeed, so as to "win the game." This 
  strategic element of the game is essential, for it is what so 
  often creates the thrill and excitement of a dramatic 
  moment. 
  Often after describing the actions "you" want to take, you 
  will need to make dice rolls to see if you succeed in doing 
  what you have illustrated with words. Your Character 
  Traits, descriptions of your strengths and weaknesses, 
  dictate how well you can do certain things. Actions are a 
  basic element of Vampire, for they describe how 
  characters change the world and affect the course of the 
  story. 
  Characters are central to a story, for they create and direct 
  the plot; without characters you can't have a story. As the 
  story flows, the characters direct and energize the progress 
  of the plot, not the decisions of the Storyteller. 
  To some extent, you are a Storyteller as well as a player, 
  and should feel free to add ideas and elements to the story, 
  though the Storyteller may accept or reject them as she 
  sees fit. In the end, it is the story, not your character, 
  which is the most important. The character is a tool for 
  telling a good story, not the other way around.  
  Characters 
  There are many different elements which make up what 
  we like to think of as the "self": too many, in fact, to truly 
  separate or identify. In truth, we really don't know who or 
  what we are. We know only that we contain multitudes - 
  that we are both human and beast, angel and demon. We 
  wear many masks. It is from this essential diversity of self 
  that our desire and ability to pretend to be someone else 
  originate. 
  We must recreate ourselves every morning and compose 
  our identity from a number of different sources - from 
  what our friends think of us, what our parents or children 
  expect of us, and how we think our experiences should 
  affect us - all in conjunction with the habits developed over 
  a lifetime. Each day we balance all of our disparate selves 
  and unite them into one working, talking, thinking whole. 
  We pretend to be whole, and in the act of make-believe, we 
  create the reality. 
  This is why it is impossible to fully leave yourself behind 
  when you roleplay. Part of your character will certainly be 
  different from yourself - in fact, quite frequently you will 
  play someone with traits entirely different from your own - 
  but always, in some essential way, that character will 
  reflect some aspect of yourself. 
  Characters are the literary versions of a real person - they 
  are not real, but they do capture some aspect of reality. 
  Only  when you enter the world that is woven by the story 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  16 
  can your characters become complete. They are real only 
  with you as the animating force - the soul if you wish. 
  Never treat  
  your characters as projections of yourself (even if that's all 
  they are). Treat them as unique individuals, as works of 
  art, or as fragile expressions of your poetic sensitivity. You 
  must treasure the characters that you create. 
  Vampire characters are easy to create. It takes only a 
  few minutes to work out all the traits and your character's 
  basic personality, to get down all the numbers. However it 
  will take some effort to make this collection of numbers 
  into a living, breathing character. You must reach deep 
  inside yourself to find enough that is real and true to 
  produce a complete character. The Frankenstein monster 
  was easily assembled from available body parts. It was the 
  breath of life that proved difficult. 
  Character creation is discussed in greater detail in later 
  chapters.  
  Broods 
  It is assumed that all of the characters will be allies, and 
  that during the game they will operate as a group. This is 
  not to say that they will always get along, but they will 
  watch each other's backs and will share a few common 
  ambitions. Such groups of vampires are not uncommon, 
  and there are names for such gangs. Though the term 
  "brood" once only meant the progeny of a single sire, it has 
  also come to mean any group of young vampires who have 
  banded together for mutual protection. The elders call 
  broods "coteries," but this archaic term is no longer as 
  commonly used as it once was. Whatever the name, it is 
  this group that each and every character will come to 
  depend upon. It is the brood that unites the characters and 
  enables the players to work together throughout the story.  
  Winner and Losers  
  The dynamic principle of fantasy is play 
  - C.G. Jung 
    
  There is no single "winner" of Vampire, since the object 
  is not to defeat the other players. To win at all, you need to 
  cooperate with the other players. Because this is a 
  storytelling game, there is no way for one person to claim 
  victory. In fact, Vampire is a game in which you are 
  likely to lose, for it is difficult to do anything to slow your 
  character's inexorable slide into madness. The whole idea 
  is to hang on as long as possible and eke out the most 
  drama from the ongoing tragedy. 
  The only true measure of success in Vampire is survival. 
  However, if the character has some overwhelming 
  motivation, such as a need for vengeance, accomplishing it 
  is also a measure of success. Additionally, stories have 
  conclusions that either benefit or harm the characters. If 
  the characters learn that a presumed serial killer is really a 
  vampire and manage to halt her rampage, then they "win." 
  If they never even find out who was behind the murders 
  (much less manage to stop her), then they lose, though 
  they may not know it until too late. 
  In order to achieve even a partial victory, the characters 
  must usually become friends. They look out for one 
  another and have a modicum of trust in each other. The 
  world of darkness is so dangerous that trustworthy allies 
  are essential. It is an evolutionary adaptation.  
  Playing Aids 
  For the most part, Vampire was designed to be played 
  around a table. Though it does not require a board, there 
  are a number of props which require a table to use 
  properly. You will need dice, pencils and paper, and 
  photocopies of the character sheets. The dice required are 
  10-sided, which you can procure in any game store. The 
  Storyteller may also want to have paper on hand in order 
  to sketch out a setting (so as to more easily describe it to 
  the players), as well as a few other props to show the 
  players what the characters are seeing (photographs, 
  matches, scarves - anything to make the experience more 
  vivid).  
  Live-Action 
  Vampire was designed to include Live-Action 
  roleplaying. Instructions and hints are given on how to run 
  parts of the game using Live-Action roleplaying, where 
  players physically play out the actions of their characters 
  as an actor would (though without weapons or combat of 
  any sort). These periodic episodes will be played when the 
  characters are at a "home base" or in situations where 
  inter-character roleplaying is at a premium. 
  Essentially, instead of sitting dow n and telling everyone 
  what your character says and does, you stand up and act it 
  out, actually saying what your character says and doing 
  (for the most part) what your character does. Advice is 
  given to the Storyteller on how to stage and guide these 
  episodes, with particular emphasis on how to introduce 
  plot elements that provoke roleplaying between the 
  players (distrust, debate, intrigue and acrimony).  
  The Meaning of the Myth  
  I forget how to move 
  When my mouth is this dry 
  And my eyes are bursting hearts 
  In a bloodstained sky 
  Oh, it was sweet and wild. 
  - The Cure, "Homesick" 
    
  To understand Vampire, you must be able to savor its 
  mood. It is stark and brooding, but with an underlying 
  sensuality. It is an exotic and sonorous nightmare, in 
  which reason does not always play a role. It is a neo-gothic 
  vision of romance laid atop today's hyper-kinetic MTV 
  world. 
  This romance is evoked by the pathos of it all. In 
  Vampire, characters are almost certainly doomed from 
  the moment they are Embraced. Though they are powerful 
  beyond imagination, they are also cursed. No matter what 
  they do, they remain monsters, with a horrible, 
  unquenchable thirst. The stories in Vampire are unique 
  because they all have this element of tragedy. The 
  traditional tragedy of the theater, the tragedy of Aeschylus 
  and Shakespeare, involves a hero coming to a great and 
  horrible demise, as he was fated to from the very 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  17 
  beginning. Because of who and what the hero is, because 
  of the very virtues of the hero, the tragedy is inevitable 
  from the very first act - and the audience knows it. The 
  characters in Vampire are almost certainly doomed 
  from the first moment they drink from their first victim - 
  and the players should know it. 
  Paradoxically, these characters, who are the paragons of 
  tragic evil, have the potential to become heroes of 
  uncommon valor. They are evil, not because of who they 
  are but because of what they are. As drinkers of blood, 
  they possess the taint of evil. They are tragic because they 
  care about their evil but can ultimately do nothing about it. 
  The characters in Vampire are expected to be heroes - 
  they must care about what they have become and about 
  what they may soon be. 
  Justice is only served if the good overcomes the evil - the 
  monsters must lose. Thus, for the vampire characters to 
  find some way to "win," they must somehow become 
  heroic. They must defeat the monster within by exerting 
  self-restraint, nurturing the impulses of human virtue, and 
  displaying genuine courage. Sometimes the tragedy of 
  Final Death is a vampire's only hope of heroic escape. 
  There is a slim possibility that the characters may find a 
  way to escape the curse and become mortal once again. 
  Not all characters will seek this, but for a majority it will be 
  their overwhelming motivation, their all-consuming drive, 
  especially as the steady loss of Humanity takes its toll.  
  Other vampires will seek Golconda, the plateau of control 
  that some of the Kindred manage to reach, where their 
  basic drives and instincts do not control them so strongly. 
  This is even more difficult to attain than the escape from 
  the curse of undeath, but it is sought after at least as much. 
  The characters spend much of their time combating evil, 
  but instead of fighting diabolists or evil scientists or 
  monsters, they are combating that which is inside of 
  themselves, the bestial impulses which make them evil. 
  These conflicts in Vampire are ultimately internal; they 
  are about you.  
  Fledglings 
  I was early to finish, I was late to start 
  I must be an adult -I'm a minor at heart. 
  - Minor Threat, "Minor Threat" 
    
  The Beast is strong within you. Though you will regret 
  what you are and the things you must do, you cannot deny 
  them or excise them from your soul. But resist you must, 
  lest you slip away into complete degeneration and chaos. 
  It is difficult to be good when so many of your urges drive 
  you toward sin, but if you falter, you will lose your 
  humanity all the more quickly. You will become 
  overwhelmed by the Beast within if you do not constantly 
  strive to maintain some veneer of culture and civilization. 
  You must master the Beast, lest the Beast master you. Evil 
  tends to provide its own reward. 
  You are a fledgling, only recently released by your sire. You 
  must struggle to survive, and begin to understand the 
  strange world into which you have been thrust - most 
  likely against your will. In the end, you may persevere, but 
  only a lucky few are able to escape the curse and return to 
  their human life. You seek Golconda in order to find 
  stability and power as a vampire, but most never realize 
  that it even exists.  
  The Becoming 
  Stood by the gate at the foot of the garden 
  Watching them pass like clouds in the sky 
  Try to cry out in the heat of the moment 
  Possessed by a fury that burns from inside. 
  - Joy Division, "The Eternal" 
    
  The moment a human becomes a vampire is never 
  forgotten, for the transformation is usually painful and 
  traumatic. A vampire is created when an existing vampire 
  drains all the blood from a mortal, killing him. However, 
  just before final and absolute death sets in, the sire pierces 
  open her own skin and releases a small amount of blood 
  into the victim's mouth. This rouses him somewhat, and 
  he begins to drink from the sire's open wound. All it takes 
  for the transformation to occur is the absence of one's own 
  blood and the tiniest bit of vampiric blood.  
  The character takes on the lineage of his sire and is 
  therefore of the same clan. The clan membership affects 
  which powers the character can have at the beginning of 
  the game; it also delineates a special weakness of the 
  character. Often characters of the same clan will be allies 
  and will strive to support one another, though this is not 
  always the case. 
  For the next few months, years, or decades, the newly 
  created childe remains with his sire. He may be taught 
  nothing or everything, nurtured or abused, restricted or 
  granted full freedom. But until he is released by his sire 
  and presented to the prince of the city, he is not accepted 
  in vampire society.  
  The Hunger 
  Vampires must feed; this fact is the lowest common 
  denominator of their existence. Hunger is not merely a 
  need, it is an all-consuming passion. The thirst for blood is 
  a primal instinct for survival, for only through blood may 
  the vampire survive. The blood need not be human, and 
  even if it is mortal vitae, the death of the vessel is not 
  required; however, the bloodlust often causes older 
  vampires to lose their restraint when they begin to feed, 
  and thus drain all life from their victims. Vampire teeth 
  leave only a small wound, and even this disappears if the 
  vampire licks the wound. 
  Because the sire never returns to the childe all of the blood 
  which she withdrew, the young vampire is soon consumed 
  by a ravenous hunger for blood. As the childe has no 
  experience with this overwhelming urge, it is as total as it 
  is immediate. The fledgling cannot fight the urge except 
  through a constant exertion of willpower, and even then a 
  frenzy might overcome him if fresh blood comes within 
  smelling distance. Vampires need to feed regularly, usually 
  once or twice a week.  
  Nature of the Beast 
  I tell myself I will not go 
  Even as I drive there. 
  - Big Black, "Bad Houses" 
    
  What does it mean to be a vampire? Kindred are not, 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  18 
  despite their appearance, human - they have an alien 
  nature and differ from mortals in many fundamental ways. 
  One may start with the picture of a human, but it is a lethal 
  mistake to think vampires are like us. 
  Yet they are similar enough to us that they can be 
  compared and contrasted to humanity. By comparing 
  vampires to humans, it is possible to discover what their 
  capabilities and limitations are. 
  It is important to keep in mind that, because a vampire's 
  basic needs differ so completely, other desires vary as well. 
  Food other than blood is no longer necessary but 
  unfortunately, one can't just purchase blood in the local 
  grocery store either. Mortal power is likewise an empty 
  pleasure. While power-mongering is a favored hobby, 
  particularly among the Ventrue clan, it can never truly 
  hold a Kindred's interest for long. Vampires are predators, 
  and they seek to prove themselves as hunters, not as 
  rulers.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  19 
  Chapter Two:  
  Setting 
  And the Lord said unto him, "Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be 
  taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him 
  should kill him. 
  - Bible, Genesis 4: 15 
  The world of Vampire is not our world - at least not 
  quite. It is a Gothic-Punk vision of our world, a place of 
  extremes - monolithic, majestic and altogether twisted. 
  The government is corrupt, the culture is bankrupt, and 
  the decadent mortals revel in the flames of the final days. 
  It is a world where the forces of evil and entropy are even 
  more powerful than they are in our world. It is a world of 
  darkness. 
  Externally, not much differs from our world - CDs are in, 
  vinyl is out, the ozone layer is being depleted, and the 
  same soap operas are being broadcast. The same faces are 
  on Mount Rushmore and the Lady still stands proudly in 
  New York Harbor. In this world, however, vampires exist, 
  and they have directed and influenced the course of 
  human affairs for some time. Indeed the differences 
  between the Gothic-Punk world and our own are largely 
  the doing of the vampires. 
  This chapter describes the setting of Vampire in detail: 
  the culture and society of both the mortal masses and the 
  vampire lords who prey upon them. 
  Gothic-Punk  
  Gothic-Punk is a way of describing the setting in brief. It is 
  a metaphor for our own world, a warning of what we might 
  become and a shadow of the sickness that infects us now. 
  It is a world with problems like our own, but where 
  vampires are to blame for much of the misery. 
  The Gothic aspect describes the ambiance and institutions 
  of mortal society. The Church is stronger because people 
  always turn to the Church in times of crisis, and enough 
  people have been touched by the Kindred to make a 
  difference. The institutions which they control tend to be 
  even more conservative and resistant to change than those 
  of our world. Architecture has a menacing gothic flavor to 
  it; in fact, some skyscrapers in this world might be girded 
  with gargoyles. 
  The Punk describes the way people live - the gangs rule the 
  streets and organized crime dominates the underworld 
  (and is in turn dominated by the Kindred). Rock, punk and 
  rap are even more of an escape and release, and rebellion 
  is codified in styles of dress and speech. All in all, the 
  world is more corrupt, more decadent and less humane 
  than any suburbanite would like to believe. 
  In the end, you will decide what the Gothic-Punk world is 
  like. The differences are so numerous, yet so subtle, that 
  they are impossible to describe fully in this book. It is your 
  job to convey the mood of the Gothic-Punk world in the 
  stories you tell. You can do this through your descriptions, 
  the characters you play and the stories that you tell. 
  Everything and anything can add to the flavor that is 
  Gothic-Punk.  
  Streets of Blood 
  But first, on earth as vampire sent, 
  Thy corpse shall from its tomb be rent; 
  Then ghastly haunt thy native place, 
  And suck the blood of all thy race. 
  - Lord Byron 
    
  What is it like to live in a world of perpetual night? To 
  dance under the blood-red moon? To lust for the blood of 
  living, intelligent prey? 
  City life is as quicksilver as the Cainite itself. Long periods 
  of peace can explode without warning into spasms of great 
  strife and turmoil. The vampire is an animal of twisted 
  emotion and instinct. One Kindred's obsessions and 
  perversions can suddenly bring her into conflict with 
  another. Though the Kindred can live with one another in 
  peace for years, eventually the truce ends and the 
  cannibalistic war begins anew. The Jyhad never truly ends 
  - it only casts a smaller shadow for a time. 
  Normally, a balance is reached among the Kindred of a 
  city, whether by formal or tacit agreement. Efforts are 
  made to minimize conflict, though strife is often 
  unavoidable. When conflict does occur, it is almost always 
  hidden beneath the veil of the Masquerade, and rarely 
  noticed by the mortals of the city. Thus may a war be 
  waged without the elders fearing the return of the 
  Inquisition. 
  Some Kindred take no part in the society of the Damned, 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  20 
  and maintain no connection with others of their kind. 
  They are known as the Clanless, or the Caitiff. Cities are 
  extremely large places and it is not difficult to isolate 
  oneself from one's peers; indeed, it is said that the only 
  Kindred who ever meet are the ones who wish to meet. 
  However, sometimes even the most solitary vampires can 
  be thrust into the politics of the day - in times of need, the 
  Caitiff are mercilessly rooted out and questioned. The 
  Justicars, enforcers of Kindred law, have been known to 
  use solitary vampires as scapegoats for the crimes of 
  others. 
  Creatures of the City 
  By agreement, though some say by nature, the vampire is a 
  creature of the city. The wilds of the countryside are left to 
  the werewolves and their ilk. This suits most Kindred. Why 
  roam far and wide in search of sustenance when a few 
  square blocks of even the smallest city provide more than 
  enough vessels? 
  Younger Kindred sometimes feel the need to roam, but 
  that desire usually fades as they age. Older Cainites are 
  more likely to have become comfortable in one location 
  and made their haven at that spot. Those who do choose to 
  wander the countryside will almost invariably come into 
  contact with the Lupines, and the hatred between 
  werewolves and Kindred runs deep.  
  Thus the city has become a gilded prison for the Kindred. 
  Though the cities are the center of civilization, and in this 
  day and age often cover enormous expanses of terrain, 
  they are still cells from which the Kindred are unable to 
  escape. They are trapped in both body and spirit. 
  Imprisonment only increases the tension between the 
  vampires, and eventually caged animals always turn on 
  one another. 
  Overpopulation 
  Let's have a war - we need the space 
  Let's have a war - clean up this place. 
  - Fear, "Let's Have a War" 
    
  Vampires are a unique species of animal just as humans 
  are. They must obey the laws of evolution as well as the 
  dictates of their environment. They have a place in the 
  food chain; indeed, one could even speculate that they fill 
  an ecological niche. There are definite limits to how many 
  of their kind can be supported in a given area. When they 
  cross over the limit, natural phenomena reduce the 
  vampiric population back within its limits, just as with any 
  other predators. 
  Kindred are unique among the creatures of the world in 
  that they are not held in check by any other species. They 
  are their own prey and predators, and control their 
  numbers through intense competition. The elders 
  remember only too well that if their numbers grow too 
  great they will attract the attention of the mortals. 
  Although individual vampires are many times more 
  powerful than their mortal prey, the sheer numbers of a 
  humanity aware of their presence would quickly 
  overwhelm them. 
  Only so many hunters can be supported by one herd. In 
  years past only one Kindred lived within each city and 
  each could claim it as her own domain. When cities were 
  small, being a race of loners was an effective survival 
  tactic. However, as cities have grown, so has the 
  population of hunters. Now it is no longer rare for many to 
  live within the same domain. 
  A large city, such as San Francisco or Hamburg, normally 
  supports a vampire population of anywhere from 15 to 30 
  undead. Larger cities like New York or greater London 
  hold a proportionately larger population, and less reside in 
  smaller cities. 
  As a rule of thumb, assume that there is one vampire for 
  every 100,000 mortals. Thus, the greater Chicago 
  metropolitan area, a region of seven million mortals, can 
  reasonably support nearly 70 vampires. Often a prince will 
  artificially regulate how many Kindred reside within the 
  city, thus ensuring the sanctity of the Masquerade. 
  The cities could certainly hold more Kindred, but there are 
  legitimate fears of discovery. The Masquerade is the 
  preeminent concern of the elders - better that some 
  anarchs die than all be extinguished in another 
  Inquisition. Every care is taken to insure that the existence 
  of vampires is kept secret from the mortal population. 
  Strict controls are kept over the creation of neonates, for a 
  surplus of vampires increases the probability of discovery 
  dramatically. The population is also restricted by the 
  simple fact that few potential vampires survive their 
  Becoming; many are driven mad by it and put down by 
  their sires. 
  Despite this, however, there are currently far too many 
  Kindred for the mortal population to support; the ranks of 
  the anarchs have swelled to unprecedented proportions. 
  Gradually the time of the "grazing" approaches - the time 
  fearfully whispered of in Kindred legend as Gehenna. 
  Normality 
  He don't give a hoot of warning 
  Wrapped in a black cat coat. 
  He don't go in the light of the morning, 
  He's split, the time the cock'rel crows. 
  - The Rolling Stones, "Midnight Rambler" 
    
  Most vampires desperately struggle to develop a 
  semblance of normality in their lives and in so doing, 
  escape the sordid truth of their existences. They create an 
  artificial world around themselves, one that is bound to 
  slip away with the passing years, but is pleasurable for the 
  here and now. Some scholars among the Kindred postulate 
  that a vampire needs this facade of life to retain his sanity. 
  Falling into the "vampire-schtick" of the cinema and 
  literature inevitably results in despair and eventual mental 
  disintegration, but for the duration of the play-pretend 
  solace can be garnered. 
  It has been put forth by those with learning that much of 
  the mortal psyche survives the Becoming. That psyche, 
  however, becomes overburdened by the supernatural 
  drives, desires, and obsessions of the Beast. A certain 
  amount of self-deception is necessary to retain one's 
  sanity. 
  Social Distinctions  
  People try to put us down 
  Just because we get around. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  21 
  Things they do look awful cold 
  I hope I die before I get old. 
  Talkin' 'bout my generation. 
  - The Who, "My Generation" 
    
  There are a number of different social castes among the 
  Kindred. For the most part, Cainites are distinguished by a 
  combination of age and generation (how many steps one is 
  removed from Caine, the first vampire, in terms of 
  ancestry). Although there is a degree of social mobility, the 
  elders only trust those who have proven themselves, and 
  the best way to prove oneself is to survive a few hundred 
  years. The elders  
  hold the power, so the elders determine who is accorded 
  respect and status. Of course it is always possible to 
  engage in diablerie and thereby lower one's generation, 
  but such kinslayers are seldom welcomed among the 
  elders. 
  The highest status is that accorded to the Antediluvians - 
  Cainites of the third generation. The lowest is that 
  accorded to the childer and the Clanless, who are generally 
  of the 13th or later generations and have only recently 
  been Embraced. 
  •Caitiff: Even though many Caitiff are Clanless but 
  otherwise "normal" vampires, others have become so 
  degenerate that they feed only off the weak and the dying. 
  Some Caitiff live apart from vampire society on purpose, 
  but many have been cast out. Some Caitiff were once a part 
  of Kindred society, but have lost so much Humanity that 
  they are unable to maintain relations with any other 
  creatures. They know only survival, and live from night to 
  night in search of food. Eventually they will die, but it may 
  take many years.  
  •Childe: Vampires of this class have not yet been 
  introduced to the prince, nor have they been released by 
  their sires. They are not considered to be full members of 
  vampire society and are thus shown no respect. They are, 
  in short, treated as children. The term is sometimes used 
  out of contempt. Kindred who have committed especially 
  stupid acts may be called and considered childer. 
  •Neonate: These vampires have been recently released 
  and presented to the prince, though they have not yet 
  made their mark in their society. The neonate is the caste 
  of youngest vampires who have been released by their 
  sires. If they behave themselves and do not join the 
  anarchs, they eventually will become ancillæ, usually after 
  50 to 100 years. 
  •Anarch: The anarchs have status because they are 
  noticed and respected for what little power they have 
  achieved. They are recognized for their energy, drive, and 
  consistency. Though they are the enemies of the elders and 
  especially the prince, they are still respected, if not openly, 
  for by rebelling they have given themselves an identity. 
  •Ancilla: These Kindred are still young, but have proven 
  themselves to the elders. The ancillæ are the up-and-
  coming Cainites, the ones who play by the rules (mostly) in 
  order to achieve greater power. This is the rank between 
  neonate and elder, where the vampire is given increasing 
  respect and power. Most have existed for one or two 
  centuries in their vampiric form. 
  •Elder: When vampires reach a certain age, there are few 
  above them who still hold power in vampire society. The 
  elders are the Kindred who are in control and who seek to 
  dominate all the others. The elders are normally between 
  200 and 1000 years old, but like all things undead, this 
  can vary immensely. In Europe, a vampire has to be much 
  older and more powerful to be considered an elder than 
  she does in the New World. 
  •Methuselah: When a vampire reaches a particular age, 
  somewhere between 1000 and 2000 immortal years, a 
  profound change invariably overtakes him. It has long 
  been argued whether this change is mystical, biological, or 
  is in fact a social change brought about through changing 
  needs and desires. Certainly, by the time a vampire 
  reaches this age, a boredom and melancholy sets in, as 
  well as an increased paranoia. Those who are weak, take 
  risks, or unconsciously desire suicide do not survive to this 
  age - only the very strongest attain the station of 
  Methuselah. 
  As a means of self-preservation, Methuselahs retreat from 
  the world and those younger than them. The constant 
  struggle of facing the young reckless ones, who seek power 
  through the blood of their elders, grows numbing. 
  Eventually one of the anarchs will get lucky and dispatch 
  the ancient. Thus the only option is to retreat fully from 
  society, and go into torpor. Some Methuselahs remain 
  involved in power struggles and the Jyhad of the Kindred, 
  but do so from complete anonymity. 
  •Antediluvian: These are most ancient vampires, and 
  they are likely the most powerful creatures in the world. 
  For the most part they are considered to be the 
  grandchilder of Caine, and are of the third generation. 
  When they do involve themselves in the affairs of Kindred, 
  they seldom leave things untarnished by their touch. The 
  mere word of an Antediluvian is enough to provoke 
  enormous strife and conflict among the Kindred. Their 
  eternal struggle, the Jyhad, affects all the Kindred. 
  The Prince 
  The modern age (the last millennium by Kindred 
  reckoning) has produced a new social order among the 
  undead. At one time Cainites lived alone or with their 
  broods; each was lord of its own city, and it is from that 
  era that the Traditions came. Some gave themselves titles 
  and honors, but this practice was unimportant as there 
  were none but mortals to impress. 
  But when cities grew into metropolises, and there were 
  enough vessels to support many Kindred, vampire society 
  began to change. The age of the princes began. 
  The term prince, though sometimes used with contempt, is 
  used to refer to the elder who holds domain over a specific 
  metropolitan area. In formal terms, a prince holds the 
  power of domain; he or she makes the laws and is 
  responsible for keeping order. In practical terms, the 
  prince is merely the one who is dominant and best able to 
  keep the anarchs in their place. In the beginning, the 
  strongest vampire in each city simply claimed domain. 
  Over time, however, traditions have grown around the 
  making and keeping of that claim. The Camarilla has 
  codified and enforced these traditions. 
  After the Inquisition, the importance of the Masquerade 
  was imprinted in the minds of the elders, and they 
  increasingly distrusted the younger vampires, whom they 
  called anarchs. The revolt of the sect known as the Sabbat 
  was the source of much of their distrust, for they feared 
  that it could happen again. The neonates created during 
  the 18th century were the children of a modern age, and 
  alien to the mindset  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  22 
  of the elders. After an incident in London in 1743 where 
  the Masquerade was broken by an anarch, the Camarilla 
  decided to formally acknowledge what had already been 
  fact for many centuries - the power of the prince. 
  The term "prince" is simply that: a term. It is not a titular 
  holding, nor a hereditary position of any kind. In fact, 
  many Kindred object to the use of the term "prince" for 
  those very reasons. It is simply the name and the 
  assumption of rights that a powerful vampire might 
  achieve. Not all cities even have princes; indeed, some are 
  ruled by councils, while others are not ruled at all. The 
  modern usage of "prince" is a reference to the age when 
  each Kindred was the secret ruler over the city in which 
  she lived, a practice most common in medieval Italy. In 
  some places, titles such as Duke, Baron or Count (in their 
  culturally correct forms) are used. 
  The prince does not truly reign over a city; rather, the 
  position is akin to that of an overseer. Above all else, the 
  prince is the final arbiter of disputes between the Kindred 
  in her city and is responsible for ensuring that the 
  Masquerade is preserved. The elders generally interpret 
  this to mean that the prince must suppress and persecute 
  the anarchs. 
  The Kindred in the city owe the prince no oath of fealty 
  and must obey only as much as their cowardice demands. 
  When the rule of a prince is questioned or thwarted, the 
  prince must use force to maintain control. If he does not 
  have enough power, then his rule is at an end. There are 
  some princes who do not understand the informality of 
  their position; they believe themselves kings and their 
  reigns involve much protocol and regal ritual. They hold 
  court, and demand that all Cainites within their domain 
  attend them while they pass judgment on those brought 
  before them. The arrogance of these princes is often more 
  than can be tolerated, but it is understandable - who but 
  the insane or the truly egotistical would want such a 
  dangerous position? 
  Many Kindred ignore the prince, just as they ignore all 
  others of their own kind. The powerful beings who 
  together comprise the Inconnu, and many of the elders, 
  are not impressed by such idle pronouncements of power. 
  They see the title as representative of the arrogance of one 
  still y oung enough to lust for power. The prince is not an 
  authority to whom they would bow. When they visit a city, 
  it is to them that the prince would bow, if the prince is 
  wise. 
  Taking Charge 
  The prince is traditionally the eldest of a city's Kindred, 
  though this is no longer universal. The method of 
  "coronation" varies from city to city and prince to prince. 
  It is normally a violent usurpation of power, for only those 
  with power and ambition are able to hold their claims 
  unchallenged. Typically the support of the elders of the 
  city is required. The most powerful of these elders are 
  known as the primogen, and they often form a council of 
  advisors to the prince. The prince needs their sanction in 
  order to rule.  
  Anyone can make the claim of princedom, but only when 
  none opposes the would-be prince may she hold domain 
  over the city. If there is a challenge, the contenders must 
  battle one another until sovereignty is determined. 
  This warfare is not as simple as a duel, or even any sort of 
  direct combat. It is, like all conflicts between vampires, a 
  part of the great Jyhad in that it is a progression of games 
  and maneuvers, tricks and threats, violence and 
  bloodshed. The various elders, broods and coteries ally 
  themselves to one side or the other - either out of strong 
  personal beliefs, promises of great reward, or threats of 
  retaliation. Frequently, mortal institutions that are under 
  the control of the vampire, such as the police, banks or the 
  media, may be employed in the war. Almost always, the 
  process ends with the death of one combatant or the other. 
  It is rare that the winner is magnanimous, and even if she 
  were, the far-sighted primogen would not allow it. 
  Coups are difficult due to the fact that the prince is 
  personally very powerful and nearly always creates a brood 
  to protect him. Another consideration for a would-be 
  insurgent is that taking on the prince usually means taking 
  on the elders of the city. The elders, when united, have 
  enough power to defeat all comers. 
  An attempt to usurp the princedom means a period of 
  great instability, as the warfare can spill over into the 
  mortal realm and threaten the Masquerade. Fear of this 
  stays many elders from changing sides or dividing their 
  support among two or more contenders. 
  Most elders support the prince because they do not wish to 
  risk turmoil. They have grown protective of their long 
  lives, and do all that they can to provide themselves with a 
  stable environment. They are extremely conservative in all 
  that they do, for they seek only to survive, not to promote 
  change. 
  With the support of the primogen, it is nearly impossible 
  to successfully challenge a prince, for these elders will 
  direct their influence, followers and even personal powers 
  to benefit the prince. Though many try to challenge the 
  prince, most are destroyed before they even begin. 
  Thus, is it possible to rule the Damned. Princes have been 
  known to voluntarily abdicate their position, though this 
  rarely occurs. 
  Advantages of Princedom 
  El Presidente smokes cigars 
  Anyone he does not like 
  He shoots or puts behind bars. 
  - Circle Jerks, "Coup D'Etat" 
    
  Many vampires seek the position of prince simply for the 
  glory. There are, however, a number of advantages to the 
  title which might not be readily apparent. 
  •Right to progeny: The prince is the only vampire who is 
  able to freely create progeny. No others have this freedom  
  unless the prince grants it to them. The prince thus 
  maintains a powerful control over other vampires, for 
  most, at some point, wish to create a childe. 
  • Protection of the elders: The primogen will generally 
  support the prince as long as she maintains the 
  Masquerade and suppresses the wilder stirrings of the 
  anarchs. 
  •Political power within the Camarilla: The prince has 
  greatly increased status and is listened to by most elders. 
  • Mastery over those who enter one's domain: It is the 
  prince's traditional right to exert controls over all Kindred 
  who enter his area of influence, and newcomers must 
  report to the prince when they first arrive in the area. If 
  they do not, it is considered within the prince's rights to 
  punish them. 
  • Freedom to feed: The prince is also able to limit (for the 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  23 
  good of the city) the feeding of others. In the name of 
  protecting the Masquerade, she may place restrictions on 
  some or all of the Kindred who live within the city. Usually 
  this affects where and from whom they may feed. If they 
  disobey, she may accuse them of violating the Masquerade 
  and punish them accordingly. 
  •Power over one's enemies: The prince has the authority to 
  call a Blood Hunt, and thus possesses the pow er of life and 
  death over those who cross him. He is not allowed to kill at 
  will, but if the prince determines that any have broken the 
  Traditions, he may punish them accordingly. This is 
  subject to much abuse, and thus provides a great deal of 
  power. 
  Intrigue  
  The power-politics around the prince can be quite 
  dynamic, especially when more than one elder is present 
  and attempting to sway the decisions of the prince. Each 
  may attempt to threaten, cajole and even trick the prince 
  into doing things a certain way, all the while feigning 
  disinterest in the whole sickly affair of politics. The elders 
  do not dare push things to the point where the prince is 
  overthrown, but they will play the game very close to the 
  edge. The Jyhad exists on more than one level, and many 
  different generations play this game. 
  By dwelling within a city overseen by a prince, a vampire 
  must accept certain obligations. The city provides a certain 
  security that all within benefit from, and to maintain that 
  security, certain rules of behavior must be followed. In one 
  form or another, most of these rules are nearly universal. 
  They are known as the Six Traditions, and they are the 
  oldest laws known to the Kindred - it is the prince who 
  enforces them. Kindred relocating from San Francisco to 
  Moscow can rightfully assume that these Traditions apply. 
  Ignorance is no defense. 
  The anarchs rebel against all the strictures of the elders, 
  their hated enemies, which are represented by the prince's 
  power. These fledglings believe that there is little to fear in 
  the modern world, and that the old superstitions and 
  Traditions should be thrown away. Some believe that the 
  Masquerade is but an embodiment of the terror of Kindred 
  grown too old and too fearful. The prince must constantly 
  work to keep the anarchs in line, and prevent them from 
  creating any disruption in the Masquerade. Sometimes 
  threats are not enough. 
  Most anarchs do not believe that Gehenna is a threat, and 
  many doubt that the original vampire was Caine. They 
  simply do not believe these legends, and treat them as they 
  do the stories of a Garden of Eden or a Tower of Babel. 
  They suspect that the elders use such stories to put fear 
  into ancillæ and thereby control them all the better. 
  Among the anarchs, it is considered bad form to admit to 
  any faith in such myths. They chafe against the restrictions 
  placed by the elders, and have not yet learned the wisdom 
  of age. The fledglings are largely powerless within vampire 
  society, so it is no great surprise that they rebel. 
  The modern age has wrought much change in the soul of 
  humanity, and it is from these humans that the new 
  vampires are created. With the increasingly rapid changes 
  in modern culture, many Kindred expect a wave of 
  increasingly rebellious anarchs. Some within the Camarilla 
  have called for a halt to the creation of all new vampires, 
  but it is unlikely that any sort of ban could ever be 
  enforced. Most elders simply trust that natural factors will 
  take their course and that the most radical of the anarchs 
  will be wiped out before they can give the vampire 
  community away. 
  Primogen 
  Most princes are "advised" by a group of elders who are 
  collectively known as the primogen. Collectively, these 
  elders can be considered to be the most powerful Kindred 
  in the city; individually, they either are not quite as 
  powerful as the prince, or do not care to endanger or bore 
  themselves with the duties of such. 
  The primogen is extremely influential, and serves as an 
  important check on the dictatorial powers of the prince. At 
  the same time, its members usually have their own 
  agendas, and it is not uncommon for their bickering and 
  infighting to cause as much trouble as any prince's high-
  handed commandments. 
  Elysium 
  A prince often declares certain portions of his domain to 
  be free from the taint of violence. Such locations are 
  known as the Elysium, and they tend to be the places 
  where the elders of the city spend most of their time. Much 
  intrigue and debate occurs at these locations, and it is in 
  the Elysium that the business of the city takes place. 
  Though on rare occasions the sanctity of the Elysium is 
  violated, usually the "Pax Vampirica" is upheld. 
  Normally certain buildings are designated to be a part of 
  the Elysium, most commonly places devoted to the fine 
  arts or places which are in some way artistically or 
  intellectually stimulating. Thus the Elysium tends to be 
  such places as the opera, theaters, art museums and art 
  galleries. Sometimes the havens of certain Cainites or even 
  nightclubs are so designated, however. 
  The rules for Elysium are typically quite simple. First and 
  foremost, no violence is permitted on the premises against 
  Kindred, kine or physical objects. On pain of Final Death 
  no art is to be destroyed (thus making the Toreador among 
  the strongest supporters of the custom of Elysium). 
  Elysium is considered neutral ground, with no conflicts 
  between Kindred allowed upon its premises. Thus, while 
  intrigue and verbal sparring can be quite fierce, rarely 
  does the conflict escalate to violence. Finally, most 
  consider it very bad manners to attract attention entering 
  or leaving Elysium. Some areas are closed at night, and 
  thus special arrangements have been made for Kindred to 
  leave and enter. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  24 
   
  The First Tradition: The Masquerade 
  Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing such shall 
  renounce thy claims of Blood.  
  The Second Tradition: The Domain 
  Thy domain is thine own concern. All others owe thee respect while in it. None 
  may challenge thy word while in thy domain.  
  The Third Tradition: The Progeny 
  Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine elder. If thou createst 
  another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain.  
  The Fourth Tradition: The Accounting 
  Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be Released, 
  thou shall command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure.  
  The Fifth Tradition: Hospitality 
  Honor one another's domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall 
  present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou 
  art nothing.  
  The Sixth Tradition: Destruction 
  Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction 
  belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood 
  Hunt.  
   
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  25 
   
  The Traditions  
  Now this is the Law of the Jungle - 
  as old and as true as the sky; 
  And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, 
  but the Wolf that shall break it must die. 
  - Rudyard Kipling, "The Law of the Jungle" 
    
  The Six Traditions form the age-old code of laws of the 
  Kindred, passed down from the early days following the 
  kin-slaying that begat the second cycle. The Traditions are 
  not formal, written laws, but they are nevertheless known 
  by all Kindred. There are many variations, but though the 
  words may vary, the intent endures. 
  It has become something of a ritual for them to be recited 
  by a sire to his progeny just before presentation to the 
  prince. Though the fledgling may know of the Traditions 
  already, the words are still spoken. It is a vital element of 
  the Becoming. 
  Some Kindred maintain that these codes were originally 
  conceived by Caine himself when he sired the second 
  generation of Kindred. Thus, it is possible that these words 
  are those of the ancient one himself, as he spoke them to 
  his own progeny. However, it is far more likely that the 
  Traditions were created by the Antediluvians in their 
  attempt to restrict their own progeny. The tradition of the 
  Masquerade is likely to have existed for some time, though 
  in much more diluted form. It was not until the Inquisition 
  that it was reaffirmed and its wording and intent 
  strengthened. 
  Many of the laws below are couched in fairly formal terms. 
  These are the words and phrases of the elders, and not 
  necessarily how they would be expressed by the anarchs. 
  Many younger Kindred see the Traditions in an entirely 
  different light. 
  The opposite page shows the most common wording of the 
  Traditions known.  
  The Tradition of The Masquerade 
  The First Tradition is the heart of what has become known 
  as the Masquerade. Age-old law demands that the 
  knowledge of the existence of true vampires be kept from 
  mortal man. To reveal such to them would place the 
  Kindred in dire jeopardy. 
  Violation of this tradition is the most serious offense a 
  vampire can commit. The strengths and resources of 
  humanity in the modern age are such that were human 
  and Kindred to war, the survival of the Kindred would be 
  in question. In more superstitious times, this tradition was 
  less revered. 
  To violate this tradition is to risk one's own destruction 
  and the destruction of all the Kindred. 
  The Tradition of Domain 
  This tradition has faded in importance as the population of 
  the cities has risen so dramatically. Individual vampires no 
  longer claim domain, but leave the rights of such to the 
  prince. 
  Now, only the most powerful vampires in a city can claim 
  domain over it. They do so according to the tradition, and 
  pretend that all others live there only at the pleasure of the 
  prince. Princes claim they possess the cities, and in most 
  ways, they do. This tradition is used by them to support 
  their claims. This tradition is what gives a vampire the 
  right to claim princedom. 
  There is a prevalent misconception among anarchs that 
  princes give different portions of their domain to favored 
  associates as "turf." Though a prince only allows certain 
  trusted Kindred to watch over portions of the city, this has 
  only increased the cry for the rights of domain. Increasing 
  numbers of Kindred are claiming "turf" within the city and 
  treating it as their own private hunting grounds. Broods or 
  even solitary Kindred stake claim to certain prime areas of 
  the city (such as slum areas) and attempt to prevent other 
  Kindred from feeding there. Though the city is vast enough 
  that such claims have little value, they seem to have a 
  special worth to these downtrodden anarchs. Few if any 
  princes actually grant territory, but that is not enough to 
  prevent the anarchs from taking it for themselves. 
  Some of the younger Kindred have made attempts to 
  revive the tradition of domain, seeing in it a similarity to 
  some of the mechanics of organized crime. Small gangs 
  will often attempt to establish turf within a city, often in 
  opposition to the other Kindred of the city. This often 
  becomes a difficult situation, with the fear of strife 
  looming over  
  everyone's heads. Because of this, gang problems within a 
  city can easily endanger the Masquerade. If the gang 
  supports the prince, its members may be tolerated, or they 
  may have the power to resist all attempts to dislodge them. 
  Elders do not like to confront gangs of anarchs. Though 
  the elders possess superior power, there is still too much 
  risk of death. 
  The anarchs primarily fight among themselves over turf, 
  and usually do not attempt to prevent elders from feeding 
  on their turf. Their activities are frowned upon by the 
  prince, but as long as they do not threaten the Masquerade 
  and do not get out of control, the anarchs are allowed to 
  continue their battles. Indeed, many princes view it as a 
  means of using the anarchs to suppress themselves, and 
  will seek to provoke internicine conflict. 
  In cities where the prince does not have a firm grasp on 
  power, certain elders may claim domain on an area within 
  the city. Their power may be respected by other primogen, 
  and they may be tolerated by the prince if they in turn 
  support the prince. The establishment of one or more 
  domains within a city can create powerful political 
  dynamics, as those domains, intentionally or not, create 
  rival power bases. In fact, occasionally a prince is only the 
  first among a group of equals, the chairman of a 
  committee of elders who each stake their own claim to a 
  domain within the city. 
  Regardless of whether he has claimed domain or not, each 
  Kindred is to some degree responsible for the area around 
  his haven or the area which he frequents. Although the 
  Kindred rarely involve themselves in mortal concerns, the 
  affairs of the supernatural are another story. Kindred are 
  expected to report details of strange events that occur in 
  the vicinity of their territory to the prince. 
  The Tradition of The Progeny 
  Throughout most of vampiric history, the "elder" of this 
  tradition was one's sire, though a looser interpretation has 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  26 
  evolved in recent times. Many princes have stipulated that 
  they are the elder referred to in this tradition and refuse all 
  who dwell within their domain the right of creation 
  without permission. They insist on their approval before 
  any mortal is Embraced and often kill those who disobey. 
  Most Kindred obey, but more out of fear than respect. In 
  situations where a neonate has already been created, the 
  prince may claim the individual as her own, may declare 
  said neonate and her sire outcast, or may even put them 
  both to death. The Camarilla officially supports the right of 
  a prince to restrict the creation of new vampires, 
  understanding that it is the only way to control the 
  population of anarchs. 
  Those of the Old World, the Europeans, are even stricter 
  on this point than the upstart Americans. One's own sire 
  must be consulted, and if a prince has claimed domain 
  over the area where one has one's haven, permission must 
  be sought from her as well. No amount of tolerance is 
  given to those who do not do so. 
  The Tradition of The Accounting 
  One who sires a childe assumes responsibility for that 
  childe's existence. If the childe is unable to endure the 
  burden of its new existence, it is the sire's responsibility to 
  take care of the matter. If the childe attempts to betray the 
  Kindred and threaten the Masquerade, it is up to the sire 
  to prevent him. While still a childe, under the direct care of 
  one's sire, a vampire has no rights. 
  If a childe takes actions which threaten the security of 
  other Kindred, they hold the sire responsible. The sire 
  must carefully weigh the maturity of the childe he has 
  spawned. He does not want to remain responsible for the 
  childe forever (though extremely long childehoods are not 
  unknown), but at the same time he does not want to 
  release the childe before it is ready. 
  Long ago, release involved introducing the childe to one's 
  own sire, but that has since changed; now, the sire 
  introduces the childe to the prince in whose domain sire 
  and childe dwell. Until that time, the prince is under no 
  obligation, unless he chooses otherwise, to recognize the 
  childe as one of the Blood. Unless the sire protects the 
  childe, any may kill or feed from it. 
  Following the release, the childe-no-more is allowed to 
  dwell in the city with full rights. This introduction process 
  is similar to that of the Tradition of Hospitality mentioned 
  below. If the prince does not accept the childe, it must 
  leave and find some other city in which to live. 
  The release is a great rite of passage, for the sire no longer 
  retains any responsibility for the childe. It is the activity of 
  the childe-no-more that determines if he is accepted as a 
  full member of the community and considered a neonate. 
  If he continues to be rash and foolish, he remains a childe 
  in the eyes of all. If he shows the wisdom his new existence 
  demands, others will accord him the respect given to an 
  "adult." 
  The Tradition of Hospitality 
  Though vampires are loath to travel (the risks are 
  tremendous), they occasionally do. Ancient custom 
  dictates that when entering a new domain, a city claimed 
  by an elder, the newcomers must present themselves to 
  the elder. This was so even before there were princes, in a 
  time where there was only one Kindred in each city. It was 
  simply a tradition of politeness; one knocks before 
  entering. 
  The procedure varies in formality from location to 
  location, and even from prince to prince. Some require 
  formal presentation and the recital of one's lineage, such 
  as it is known. Others are happy if simple contact is made 
  with an underling. Those who do not bother to present 
  themselves had better have the power to withstand the 
  prince's anger. 
  The prince has the right to refuse acceptance in his domain 
  to any he chooses. This rarely occurs, except when the 
  newcomer has a poor reputation or many enemies. Even 
  those who do not present themselves at all, but are later  
  discovered are not often chased from the city. They are 
  roughly presented to the prince, shown their place, and 
  released into the streets once again. 
  Over time, this tradition has become a primary means for 
  the prince to maintain power, for it gives her the right to 
  question all who enter her domain. She may not have the 
  power to expel the more formidable interlopers, but her 
  right to examine all is unquestioned. 
  Some Kindred bristle at the thought of having to 'present' 
  themselves for acceptance. Many are too proud and have a 
  strong independent streak. The anarchs have too little 
  respect for the traditions, while the Methuselahs have too 
  little respect for the princes. The Methuselahs see 
  themselves as demigods towering above mortal and 
  Kindred alike and needing to bow to none. To them, 
  abasing oneself before another is unthinkable. They 
  existed long before the princes ruled, and can see beyond 
  the prince, knowing who pulls the strings. 
  Many Kindred never present themselves, choosing instead 
  to live in darkest obscurity. They hide in the cold, quiet 
  places and rarely venture forth. They are tolerated as long 
  as they remain unobtrusive. The Nosferatu are the best at 
  this, for their powers augment such activities. These 
  reclusive Kindred are known as the autarkis, for they 
  refuse to become a part of vampire society. 
  The Tradition of Destruction 
  This tradition has caused more controversy than any 
  other, and reinterpretations are continually being 
  discussed. It seems to imply that the right of destruction is 
  limited to one's own bloodline. Only the sire has the right 
  to destroy his progeny. 
  However, the shift in meaning of the word "elder" has 
  resulted in most princes claiming this right over all those 
  who dwell within their domains. They claim that only they 
  have the power of life and death, and for the most part this 
  interpretation has been supported by the Camarilla. The 
  veracity of this claim is the source of much of the conflict 
  between many of the older and younger vampires. 
  Most princes strictly enforce their monopoly on the 
  tradition of extinguishment. All others are forbidden to 
  destroy other Kindred. If a vampire is ever caught in such 
  an act of "murder," then no punishment may be 
  considered too severe. Often the perpetrator of such a 
  deed will be destroyed herself. The prince will usually 
  investigate the deaths of those who have been destroyed in 
  order to find the killer. Of course, the higher the status of 
  the destroyed vampire, the more thorough the search for 
  his murderer will be. 
  Only in times of great strife do younger vampires dare slay 
  each other, though the elders are said to do so all the time. 
  A would-be kinslayer had best step carefully. 
  Most often, the prince enforces his right of destruction by 
  calling a Blood Hunt, which is discussed below. Only if a 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  27 
  prince openly calls a Blood Hunt is he allowed to slay one 
  of the Kindred. 
  Lextalionis 
  Hurled headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky 
  With hideous ruin and combustion down 
  To bottomless perdition, there to dwell 
  In adamantine chains and penal fire. 
  - John Milton, Paradise Lost 
    
  The Traditions do not stand alone, for there is and always 
  has been a system of punishment for those who transgress 
  them. The system is simple: a vampire who breaks the 
  rules is slain. Those who violate the Traditions and thereby 
  anger the elders are hunted down and extinguished by all 
  those who hear the call. This credo of "just retribution" is 
  known formally as the Lextalionis, and more commonly as 
  the Blood Hunt. 
  Tradition demands that the Lextalionis can only be called 
  by the eldest Cainite in a city. In modern times, this 
  individual is considered to be the prince. Other elders or 
  even ancillæ could call for a Hunt, but most Kindred would 
  not respond, for they risk the wrath of the prince in so 
  doing. Normally, a prince will only call a Hunt over a 
  breach of one of the Six Traditions. If a prince calls a Hunt 
  purely for his own purposes, few will aid him in the Hunt, 
  and the prince will lose considerable status. 
  Assisting one upon whom the Hunt has been called is a 
  serious insult to the prince. Betraying the offender is often 
  the only recourse to having the Lextalionis called upon 
  oneself as well. Sometimes a prince will be insulted if a 
  particular Cainite does not participate in the Hunt. If the 
  prince is powerful enough, and the crime great enough, he 
  may have the authority to insist that all Kindred who live 
  within the city participate. 
  Before the imagery becomes too ingrained, it should be 
  pointed out that the Blood Hunt is not truly a formal hunt. 
  The vampires do not gather in a convenient park with their 
  packs of frothing hellhounds, and then set off across the 
  city once the prince blows a horn. It is both more informal 
  and more serious than that. The hunters spread out over 
  the city and scour the streets for the individual whom they 
  pursue, calling in others once they track him down. In true 
  Kindred tradition, it is a secretive and stealthy hunt. 
  Mortals rarely realize anything is amiss; they usually 
  notice only that it is a strange night, full of bizarre 
  happenings. If the police are controlled by the prince or 
  one of her minions, they will either be pulled back from 
  the streets or mustered to assist in the search (without 
  truly realizing for whom it is they search). 
  The Hunt can be viewed as a violent form of 
  excommunication. Sometimes the subject is not killed, but 
  is merely maimed and then released outside the perimeter 
  of the city. The Kindred against whom the Hunt is called 
  becomes persona non grata. Any who find the offender 
  have the right, in the Prince's name, to conduct summary 
  justice upon the  
  outcast. They may also partake of the offender's blood. 
  This is why the y oungest Kindred are often the most avid 
  pursuers in the Hunt. 
  The Lextalionis is not called lightly. Most Kindred can 
  count on one hand the number of Blood Hunts they have 
  heard of, let alone participated in. The Camarilla reserves 
  the right to an informal tribunal of sorts, most often after 
  the fact. Evidence is presented to the Conclave for and 
  against the offender, and the prince's decision is either 
  ratified or dismissed. The prince who has his decision 
  reversed suffers no formal punishment, but often loses 
  considerable status. 
  Sometimes the offender survives the hunt (perhaps under 
  the protection of an enemy of the prince) and may actually 
  plead his case. Often, the threat of the Conclave, and the 
  beginning of its proceedings, are enough to dissuade a 
  prince from calling a Hunt. Tradition dictates, however, 
  that once a Blood Hunt has been called, it cannot be 
  stopped. 
  An outcast may attempt to flee the city she is in and find 
  refuge elsewhere. Many princes will offer this alternative 
  to the offender instead of calling the Hunt. Though the 
  outcast may flee, the Hunt remains permanently in effect 
  in that city, regardless of who ascends to power in the 
  future. 
  The Hunt is usually the business of the Kindred of that city 
  alone, and word of it rarely travels far. In some cases, 
  however, the crimes of the outcast are so heinous that 
  emissaries are sent to the princes of other cities so that a 
  Hunt may be called there as well. The most famous 
  example of this was the outcry in the aftermath of the 
  Whitechapel, England slayings during the latter half of the 
  19th century. A Hunt was called against the offender 
  throughout Europe and much of North America. The 
  culprit, however (the self-proclaimed Lord Fianna), 
  remains at large. 
  Sects  
  See, over there red don't go-  
  Some places, red's all they know. 
  - Ice-T, "Midnight" 
    
  Over the past few centuries groups known as sects have 
  appeared among Kindred society. Many ancients deride 
  the existence and concept of sects as " modern foolishness. 
  The blood is all that matters," but still the power and 
  influence of these organizations grow. Well over half of the 
  Kindred in existence belong to one sect or another; the rest 
  either maintain their independence or are attached 
  exclusively to their bloodlines. The largest and most 
  dominant sect is the Camarilla, though the smaller Sabbat 
  contends with it on every front. Though the Inconnu claim 
  they are not a sect, they appear to have some sort of 
  organization and stay well clear of the other sects.  
  Camarilla 
  The Camarilla is the largest single sect of vampires as well 
  as the most open; theoretically any vampire may claim 
  membership, regardless of lineage. In fact, the Camarilla 
  assumes that all vampires are members of their sect - 
  whether they want to be or not. The founders of the sect 
  v iew it as the Great Society of undead, and take offense at 
  any suggestion otherwise. 
  The Camarilla's primary concern is the maintenance and 
  preservation of the Masquerade. The sect was organized in 
  the 14th century in response to the growing influence of 
  the Inquisition. Historically, there have been many 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  28 
  attempts by the leaders of the Camarilla to assert more 
  authority over other aspects of vampiric existence. Each 
  time, the attempt has failed in a wave of bloodshed. The 
  princes do not brook interference into what they consider 
  to be their historical rights and privileges, nor do the 
  Methuselahs desire a competitor who could thwart their 
  aims. Therefore, the Camarilla remains a divided sect of 
  only moderate influence. The elders who control it use it as 
  yet another means to oppress and manipulate the anarchs. 
  It is thought the Ventrue played a primary role in bringing 
  together the seven founding clans of the Camarilla. Their 
  efforts and imagination certainly lie behind its improbable 
  origin. Though the Camarilla holds itself open to all 
  bloodlines, those that choose to participate represent only 
  slightly more than half of the known clans. Only seven of 
  the 13 clans were among its founders, and only these clans 
  regularly attend meetings of the Inner Circle. In dividuals 
  from other clans may be a part of the Camarilla, but no 
  other clan as a whole is. 
  The Camarilla does not openly recognize the existence of 
  the Antediluvians. Statements about them are publicly 
  derided. As far as the Camarilla is concerned, they are but 
  myths.  
  Conclave 
  Conclaves are important and potentially dangerous 
  political events in the Camarilla. Open to any and all, they 
  are the means through which the Camarilla functions as a 
  sect. Much care is taken to insure the secrecy of the 
  Conclave site before the meeting as well as its physical 
  security while the meeting is in progress; an enemy of the 
  Camarilla could take such an event as an opportunity for 
  mass assassination. The Conclave may last anywhere from 
  a few hours to many weeks. 
  Usually, Conclaves are only called when they are needed 
  and are held in the geographic region most concerned with 
  the problem at hand. Tradition holds that Conclaves may 
  only be called by a Justicar. Those who gather to witness a 
  Conclave are part of what is known as an Assembly. 
  Members of the Assembly have the right to address the 
  Conclave if supported by at least two members of the 
  Conclave. Each vampire who attends the Conclave gets one 
  vote - a Justicar serves as chairman. 
  The primary function of the Conclave is to make 
  recommendations on matters brought before it. Any 
  Kindred may bring a matter before the Conclave, and most 
  concern the adjudication of grievances between Kindred. 
  Often complaints against princes are brought up at 
  Conclaves, as are petitions by princes to deal especially 
  harshly with the anarchs in a city. Essentially, any action 
  that would be considered a breach of tradition must be 
  discussed and agreed upon by a Conclave in order to avoid 
  future punishment by the Camarilla. 
  The Conclave interprets the Six Traditions and, in some 
  instances, may even establish new ones. It may also call 
  Blood Hunts, even against princes, who are otherwise safe 
  from them. In times past, Conclaves have been convened 
  for the sole purpose of removing a prince from power. The 
  Camarilla has always vigorously maintained its right to 
  depose the rulers of the cities. The Justicars themselves do 
  not have this power, though they may call a Conclave to 
  achieve this end. 
  Decisions made by the Conclave may be challenged by 
  undergoing an ordeal. This can be nearly any sort of 
  exacting trial, mission or quest, which is given by the 
  Conclave to test the suspect. Such ordeals may last only a 
  minute or may take many years, and if not completed 
  satisfactorily, the officiating Justicar is free to assign any 
  penalty. If the crime is considered too great to allow the 
  vampire to complete an ordeal, the offending Kindred may 
  face a challenge by one of her accusers. The two 
  antagonists battle one another in ritual combat. This may 
  be a duel fought without weapons but with each opponent 
  blindfolded, or a contest where each sucks the other's 
  blood until one of the two is extinguished. 
  There is usually something of a population explosion after 
  a Conclave, as princes reward those who voted in their 
  favor by allowing them to produce progeny. Many times an 
  orgy of destruction counterbalances this growth as the 
  losers pay the ultimate price. 
  Conclaves can only be called by a Justicar, who may do so 
  at any time. However, most Justicars have arranged for 
  regular Conclaves to be held at which all Kindred are 
  welcome. For instance, every three years a Conclave meets 
  in New Orleans; this Conclave is overseen by Xaviar, a 
  Justicar of Clan Gangrel. 
  The Inner Circle 
  Every 13 years there is a meeting of the Elders of each clan. 
  This is the true hub of the Camarilla. Compared to this 
  assembly, all other Conclaves are but puppet shows. The 
  Inner Circle always meets in Venice, just it has done for 
  the past 500 years. 
  Each bloodline is allowed one representative to sit on the 
  Inner Circle. Only this individual may vote, though all 
  those who attend may speak. The eldest member of each 
  clan present places the vote for that clan. It is a majority of 
  age. This is a primary reason why the anarchs are so 
  frustrated.  
  The primary function of the Inner Circle is to appoint the 
  Justicars, the judges of the sect. One Justicar is chosen 
  from each of the seven clans. They act of their own accord, 
  but are required to take the decisions of the Inner Circle 
  under consideration. By decree of the Inner Circle, 
  Justicars hold the power to deal with members of the 
  Camarilla who transgress the Traditions. The seven 
  Justicars hold the true power in the Camarilla. 
  The appointment of a Justicar is a long, drawn-out 
  political battle, for while the major bloodlines would each 
  like to select the representative of their choice, it is 
  difficult to obtain the majority needed. The losers in the 
  intrigue end up with a Justicar of young years or weak 
  powers who will be ignored for 13 years. Thus, those finally 
  appointed tend to be compromise candidates or chosen 
  from the lower rungs of a line. Sometimes, even obscure 
  Kindred are chosen by elders who believe they will be easy 
  to manipulate once appointed. 
  Justicars 
  Got a black uniform and a silver badge 
  We're playing cops for real, we're playing cops for pay. 
  - Dead Kennedys, "Police Truck" 
    
  It is at first difficult to grasp the relationship of the 
  Conclave and the Justicar. The Conclave is forbidden by 
  tradition to pass any judgment directly upon any member 
  of the Camarilla. This tradition limits the possibility of any 
  abuse of power. The Conclave's only avenue of control lies 
  in these judges, whom they appoint to pass sentence for 
  them. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  29 
  Justicars have the only true authority, which they hold 
  over all the Camarilla, and indeed all Kindred, except those 
  who sit on the Inner Circle. They have the ultimate 
  decision-making and adjudication power over matters 
  involving violation of the Six Traditions. No member of the 
  Camarilla is considered above them in this area. If one of 
  the Blood is found to have violated the Traditions, it is a 
  Justicar who decides the punishment. There are no 
  guidelines concerning the punishment; it is left to the 
  discretion of each Justicar. Their decisions are often harsh. 
  They are supposed to hold a Conclave each time they wish 
  to pass judgment, but over the years the Justicars have 
  assumed more and more power and no longer feel the 
  need to do so. Justicars can call a Conclave at any time, 
  either to confirm a ruling or to make a momentous 
  decision a Justicar does not care to make himself. 
  The decision or action of a Justicar can only be challenged 
  by another Justicar. If a major point of contention arises 
  between Justicars, a Conclave is held where the Justicars 
  come together and resolve the dispute. The resolution 
  usually comes in the form of a vote, but sometimes, 
  depending on the dispute, personal challenges can arise. 
  Many elders resent the authority of the Justicars, and 
  some among them are very outspoken in their opposition. 
  Most accept it, however, for fear of opposing the Justicars, 
  who are frequently of considerable age.  
  Justicars often have coteries of other vampires who do 
  their bidding; these Kindred are known as Archons. These 
  are often the brood of the Justicar and are always willingly 
  Blood Bound to them. They enforce the Justicars' will and 
  report breaches of the Traditions. The Archons are the 
  eyes and ears of the Justicars. 
  The Sabbat 
  Known to many as the Black Hand, the Sabbat is rumored 
  to have evolved from a medieval death cult. Little of its 
  nature has changed since then. It is the largest sect next to 
  the Camarilla, and is aggressively attempting to increase 
  its domain. 
  The Black Hand rules through fear, hatred, anger and 
  physical violence. In North America, it holds undisputed 
  control over Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, New York, 
  Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Portland, and is close to 
  gaining supremacy in Boston and Baltimore. Until 
  recently, Miami was also under Sabbat control, but recent 
  events have caused a swing in the power balance there. 
  The Sabbat is organized in units known as "packs" which 
  are strongly loyal to one another, feeding and traveling as 
  one group. Indeed, in the Camarilla, it has become a 
  derogatory term to call a coterie a "pack." 
  Members of the Sabbat come from many different 
  bloodlines, though two clans dominate the organization: 
  the Lasombra and Tzimisces. Though it may be possible to 
  join the Sabbat, almost all members are created. The Black 
  Hand requires strict devotion and adherence to the will of 
  the group. 
  The Sabbat initiation procedure is designed to destroy any 
  of the vestigial will in a new vampire. Initiates are slain, 
  slowly and painfully, and then given the Blood. This blood 
  doesn't come from one member of the Sabbat, but from as 
  many as are present at the initiation, combined into a 
  chalice. Once the Initiate has been given the Blood, he is 
  buried alive, and must crawl out in order to live. Those 
  who do not spend eternity buried under the earth. The 
  process of digging oneself from a grave tears the Initiate's 
  humanity from him and opens him to the subjugation and 
  brainwashing of the Sabbat. 
  Once the Initiate breaks free, he is Blood Bound to the 
  pack that Embraced him. In a strange ritual, which occurs 
  over two more nights, the Initiate is given more blood. 
  The Black Hand is concerned solely with power in all its 
  forms. It is actively engaged in diablerie and has a 
  fanatical opposition to life and its trappings. The Sabbat 
  views mortals as lesser beasts to be dominated and used as 
  the need requires. The Sabbat worships at the places of the 
  dead - cemeteries, tombs and charnel houses. The 
  members of the Sabbat understand themselves to be 
  undead, and behave accordingly. Any who oppose them 
  are burnt; indeed, the Sabbat packs seem to have a 
  fascination with fire, though they are no more immune to 
  it than any other Kindred.  
  The members of the Sabbat revel in being vampires and 
  living out their instincts. They find other Kindred 
  contemptible because they try so hard to retain their 
  humanity. For  the Sabbat, this is the greatest blasphemy. 
  The Sabbat often sends packs into cities held by the 
  Camarilla, either to scout out the opposition or to hunt for 
  those who have fled from the covens. Camarilla politics are 
  invariably complicated by the presence of Sabbat Kindred. 
  The Sabbat is said to engage in a strange sort of diablerie, 
  wherein its members ritually butcher the elders of their 
  kind so that stronger, more aggressive and younger 
  Kindred may take their place. However, like so much else 
  spoken of among Kindred outside the Sabbat, this is 
  unconfirmed. The princes of the major cities worldwide 
  would give much to gain hard facts about the workings of 
  the Sabbat. All of them fear the danger of its steady 
  growth. 
  In the end, nothing certain can be said of the Sabbat. 
  Indeed, all that the Camarilla believes about it could be 
  false, rumors spread by Antediluvians who wish the two 
  sects to fight. It is unlikely, but all too possible. 
  The Inconnu 
  "Inconnu" is the term used to describe those vampires who 
  hav e distanced themselves from the others of their kind. It 
  is not so much a sect as it is a classification. The Inconnu 
  are old, powerful, and as such have little need, and less 
  desire, for the company of their brethren. They tend to live 
  in the wild among the animals and sleep within the earth 
  when the sun is in the sky. (It is unknown how they 
  manage to live in peace with the shape-changers who rule 
  the wild areas.) Certain Inconnu still live within the cities, 
  and may even be interested in the Jyhad, but by the rules 
  of their sect may not become involved in it. Some have 
  attended Camarilla Conclave meetings, creating great awe 
  in the other Kindred. The Inconnu, like all Kindred, are 
  always invited. 
  Most of the Inconnu have grown so old that they may sleep 
  for months or years before awakening. They are like the 
  Antediluvians in that they are no longer completely of this 
  world, but have grown apart from it. Most of them are 
  several millennia old and are the most powerful vampires 
  most Kindred will ever encounter. 
  Many of the Inconnu are members of the fourth and fifth 
  generations who were at one point or another involved in 
  the Jyhad. They have won their places in the hierarchy of 
  Kindred by dint of age or through the devouring of their 
  own elders. They have gone into hiding out of fear for their 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  30 
  existence and out of distaste for the modern world. They 
  believe that only by removing themselves from the world 
  can they escape the Jyhad. Despite the best efforts of the 
  sect, some of its members still become involved in the 
  Jyhad. As a whole, the Inconnu punish all of their order 
  who continue to take part in the Jyhad or meddle in the 
  affairs of lesser Kindred. This is their only law. 
  A sizable minority of the Inconnu have actually achieved 
  Golconda. This may explain their distaste of the Jyhad and 
  their rational approach to many problems among the 
  Kindred. 
  The Inconnu will allow no Kindred to harm or injure any 
  of its members, no matter what those members have done. 
  All rights to punishment are reserved solely for 
  themselves, but it is very difficult to contact them to 
  petition for such. In the end, the Inconnu are a most 
  enigmatic and mysterious sect. Their organization and 
  priorities are unknown, if indeed it can even be said that 
  they have such. 
  Bloodlines  
  In the blood is light, in the light is life 
  For the love of life, for the love of life. 
  - Swans, "Love of Life" 
    
  Many modern philosophers argue that the present age has 
  caused an apathy and disinterest ties of faith, nation, and 
  blood. Certainly for the Kindred, the concerns of faith and 
  nation are as dead as ever, but none care more dearly for 
  the ties of blood. 
  While those of the Blood seem to be loners by nature and 
  necessity, the need of society and structure seems to tug at 
  them as strongly as it does mortals. This is most evident in 
  the importance of lineage to the Kindred. Much of the 
  respect one is due is based on the identity of one's sire, and 
  the sire's sire, and so on. Even the most moronic of 
  Kindred is entitled to some respect if his lineage is of 
  regard. 
  At one time each vampire could name her sire, and her 
  sire's sire, and so on all the way back to Caine. The 
  importance of bloodlines has diminished of late, as 
  Kindred became more and more removed from Caine. 
  Their connections to the elders of import are lessened by 
  the many generations between them. The relative peace 
  offered by the Camarilla has made them soft and self-
  satisfied, and they have lost respect for the elders. As 
  might be expected, this is deeply resented by the 
  conservative elders. Most Kindred created in this century 
  know little of their lineage and seem to care even less. 
  Even so, within the world of the vampire the bloodright of 
  one's clan is still of crucial consequence. Most vampires 
  can trace their general lineage, if not the precise bloodline, 
  back to an Antediluvian of the third generation. While the 
  founder of the bloodline may no longer exist, or at least 
  have dropped from sight, all of his progeny still hold many 
  traits in common. Each clan possesses certain gifts and 
  curses associated with it that others do not share; more 
  importantly, members of the same clan hold similar values 
  and virtues. 
  Represented within the Camarilla are seven major clans, 
  though Kindred of any bloodline are welcome. There are 
  allegedly 13 distinct clans, as well as innumerable minor 
  bloodlines. Two of the clans are said to be of the Sabbat, 
  while the remaining four clans owe allegiance to neither 
  sect.  
  There are likely many more unknown bloodlines, 
  especially when one considers the mysterious eastern 
  Kindred, who undoubtedly have their own unique 
  divisions. 
  Brujah 
  The Brujah can trace their roots back to ancient Babylon, 
  and the clay tablet libraries of the first scholars. They were 
  the lovers and guardians of knowledge, and the founder of 
  their line was the inventor of written language. However, 
  in their quest for freedom, they slew their founder and 
  were banished from the First City. Today the Brujah are 
  scorned as riffraff who have lost their heritage and are 
  without pride. For over a millennium they have been the 
  rebels among the Kindred, forever questioning and testing 
  the Traditions. 
  The clan is very poorly organized; its members meet only 
  irregularly, and share little in common besides their love 
  of rebellion. They are among the only supporters of the 
  anarchs, and aiding them is one of the only matters upon 
  which they ever agree. They are often underestimated, as 
  much by themselves as anyone. 
  Gangrel 
  Clan Gangrel is said to be the only clan whose founder is 
  still involved in and concerned with the welfare of her 
  progeny. Her concern for them is matched only by her 
  concern for her mortal descendants - the Gypsies. Though 
  many Antediluvians use their progeny as pawns in the 
  Jyhad, the Gangrel pride themselves on their freedom 
  from such manipulation. There is a close bond between the 
  clan and the Gypsies. In recent years, as Gehenna 
  approaches, their interaction has been considerable. 
  Malkavian 
  The history of the Malkavian clan is completely shrouded 
  in the past. The Malkavians themselves have many tales 
  about their origin, but even they do not believe most of 
  them. A favored legend among the Kindred is that the 
  founder of the house was cursed by Caine, and his 
  descendants have lived with the madness since. The 
  Malkavians have always existed on the periphery of the 
  vampire culture, watching, but never truly involving 
  themselves in it. Long ago, before the curse and the 
  madness, their founder was said to be the greatest among 
  the third generation. Now it is his machinations that keep 
  the weakest of those involved in the Jyhad "alive." 
  Nosferatu 
  It is the unfortunate plight of the members of this clan to 
  display the Beast within their hearts upon their 
  countenances. Though their founder was known for his 
  rabid predilections and monstrous impulses, the Nosferatu 
  of today are known for being cool-headed. Though they 
  tend to choose only the most depraved individuals as 
  progeny, some-  
  how the members of this clan seem to retain their sanity 
  better than most vampires. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  31 
  The founder is said to have been a man of regal visage who 
  incurred the wrath of Caine for his barbaric activities and 
  was thereby cursed with the face of a hag. The savagery of 
  his soul is reflected upon his face and that of all his 
  progeny. 
  Of course, many clans have legends in which an all-
  powerful Caine curses their founder just as God cursed 
  Caine. It is not likely that all of these stories are true, but 
  some, such as this, might be. Presently, the Nosferatu clan 
  is estranged from their founder, and do not serve him - at 
  least to their knowledge. 
  Toreador 
  Throughout history, the Toreador have been involved in 
  the arts. This tradition is said to have begun with the first 
  progeny of the founder, a pair of beautiful and artistically 
  gifted twins. Their sire was a leader of the cabal of third 
  generation vampires who slew their own sires. Though 
  ruthless, he was very doting upon his progeny, proffering 
  them far more independence than any other fourth 
  generation vampires were given. They used their freedom 
  to nurture the full panorama of the arts, and their sire 
  protected them through war and famine. To this day, the 
  Toreador claim that they are watched over by Arikel, their 
  founder. Though the Toreador are not as formally 
  organized as some other clans, they are furiously loyal to 
  one another and to the art they claim to serve. 
  Tremere 
  The Tremere are unique and no other clan has a history as 
  rich, yet as short, as theirs. Long ago, there were others of 
  their line who were not warlocks, nor did the clan have 
  mastery over the discipline of Thaumaturgy. Less than 
  1,000 years ago, a metamorphosis occurred. Deep in the 
  Romanian mountains, in the district known as 
  Transylvania, a group of magi from an ancient order were 
  Embraced by a foolish clan leader. Combining their new 
  powers with their ancient lore, the magi were quickly able 
  to assume control of the clan. They Embraced many others 
  from their arcane order, and drank the blood of all the 
  elders of their clan. It is even hinted that the most 
  powerful among them managed to hunt down and slay the 
  founder of the line. The Tremere have adopted the most 
  rigid hierarchical system among all the clans, and this has 
  allowed them to achieve great power within Kindred 
  society. The other clans distrust the Tremere, both out of 
  fear and a sense that something is not quite right with 
  them. The political center of the Tremere clan is in Vienna. 
  Ventrue 
  The Ventrue suspect their founder has been slain by one of 
  the Brujah clan. Though this is a blow to their pride, it has 
  given them some distance and protection from the chaos 
  and strife of the Jyhad. Without the intrigues and 
  demands of a god-like founder, the Ventrue have achieved 
  a remarkable independence from the Antediluvians. They 
  do not know how much truth is contained in this legend, 
  but it is nonetheless one of the basic tenets of their clan, 
  no matter how much other Kindred scoff at it. 
  Much of the respect accorded to the Ventrue is due to the 
  independence they are perceived to have from the 
  Antediluvians. It is out of pride for this respect they are 
  given that they conceal their persecution of the Brujah 
  clan. More princes and Justicars come from the Ventrue 
  clan than from any other; they are clearly the leaders of 
  the Camarilla. The Ventrue have regular clan meetings in 
  various parts of the world, including a Grand Council in 
  London every seven years. 
  Caitiff 
  Some Kindred do not have a clan at all, but are of bastard 
  blood. This is sometimes because they were abandoned by 
  their sire, or were Embraced by an outcast vampire. A 
  combination of a thinness of blood and a lack of social 
  training has made them Clanless. This is a fairly recent 
  phenomenon, and thus they are disdained by many of the 
  other Kindred. Though many Caitiff are considered to be 
  pariahs or anarchs, not all of them are outcasts. Some are 
  accepted among the Damned, but none have yet reached 
  an age where they have achieved any real power. Indeed, it 
  seems as though the greatest explosion of the Clanless has 
  occurred in the last 50 years. 
  Other Clans 
  There are many clans besides the ones described above. 
  These clans do not claim membership in the Camarilla, 
  though individual members of such lines may do so. Some 
  clans are members of the Sabbat, while others are truly 
  independent of any sect. 
  These independent clans include the feared Assamite 
  assassins, the loathsome Followers of Set, the mercenary 
  Giovanni family and the rakish Ravnos. 
  Witch Hunters  
  Sundown 
  You'd better take care 
  When I find you've been creeping 
  'Round my back stair. 
  - Gordon Lightfoot, "Sundown" 
    
  It is an ancient truism among the Kindred that they are 
  their own greatest foes. Certainly no other beings are so 
  adept at killing, and nothing is as capable of such hate as 
  another of their own kind. However this is no longer as 
  true as it once was. With the advent of modern technology, 
  old superstitions and fears have fallen away. Humanity no 
  longer fears the dark; it no longer realizes that it should.  
  The Kindred have many enemies among the mortal kind. 
  They are generally referred to as witch hunters, though not 
  all of them wish to do the Kindred harm. The name is 
  simply a legacy of a darker time. 
  The Government 
  How much do the world governments suspect? How much 
  do they know? It is hard to say. Many governments have 
  agencies or departments devoted to the investigation of 
  paranormal occurrences, but many, especially within the 
  military, seem to be devoted to extra-sensory phenomena, 
  like ESP, clairvoyance and telekinesis. In general, it seems 
  clear that the Masquerade has been successful and that 
  they know quite little. 
  In the United States, interest in Kindred activity can be 
  traced to two agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  32 
  and the National Security Agency. 
  The FBI is believed to contain several individuals who may 
  suspect the truth. It is believed that some of the 
  investigations into paranormal phenomena in the '50s and 
  '60s may have turned up some Kindred-related 
  information. Originally formed to counter the impact of 
  suspected "Communist Thought Control" research, this 
  department, commonly referred to as Special Affairs 
  (though its members rarely identify themselves as such) is 
  involved in ongoing investigations. However, it has 
  dwindled significantly in power and membership over the 
  years. Proof of suspected activities is demanded by the FBI 
  before action can be taken, and proof is what has thus far 
  eluded it. Circumstantial evidence no doubt abounds, but 
  that last, necessary piece of tangible evidence has escaped 
  the agency. So far. 
  Some believe the NSA keeps an active file on vampire-
  related events, but treats it as a subclassification of mass 
  murders. It has certainly not made the connections that 
  would reveal the whole picture. The NSA is a giant fact-
  sifting agency. Concerned with national security from an 
  internal perspective, police and news reports that contain 
  "interesting or anomalous" facts are routinely flagged. 
  Investigation only occurs after the computer, or a 
  reviewer, notices undue occurrences that may be related. 
  Should those connections be made, the resources that 
  could be brought to bear are truly frightening. In recent 
  y ears, much of the attention of the Camarilla has been 
  focused on this agency, and word has been spread that no 
  one should engage in activities that would be flagged by 
  these computers. As of yet, no vampire has been able to 
  infiltrate retainers into the agency. 
  Recently, the Center for Disease Control, based in Atlanta, 
  has become deeply concerned over the increasing 
  incidents of AIDS being transmitted without apparent 
  intimacies of any sort. The CDC has begun to worry that 
  the virus no longer requires sexual contact to be spread. 
  Before news begins to spread, it has begun an enormous 
  investigation.  
  Britain has such an organization, but it is very difficult to 
  trace. There is some suspicion that this organization is 
  actually of a quasi-mystical nature, possibly with ties to 
  similar organizations which date back hundreds of years. 
  British Kindred have reported instances of unnerving 
  accuracy in the investigations of Scotland Yard following 
  unfortunate Kindred-related occurrences. Some even 
  suspect that the authorities there have knowingly brought 
  about the deaths of at least two deranged vampires within 
  the last 75 years. There are rumors that this group is 
  actually controlled by a Methuselah who uses it to 
  eliminate enemies. 
  The old KGB was reportedly familiar with some aspects of 
  Kindred society, and had even begun to use neonates in 
  some of their operations. Though the USSR is now no 
  more, the KGB still operates largely unchecked, most 
  especially the cell based out of Gornovski Gulag, located in 
  Siberia. It is generally thought, however, that the KGB is 
  the pawn, not the manipulator. Though little information 
  is available, it is widely believed that the Soviet state was 
  the domain of a group of Kindred who were the controllers 
  and instigators of communism, and that some colossal 
  mishap has recently changed the power structure of the 
  area. 
  The Inquisition 
  It is generally acknowledged that the Roman Catholic 
  Church learned of the Kindred during the years of the 
  Inquisition. Instituted in 1229, the Inquisition concerned 
  itself with the suppression of various heresies spreading 
  through Europe. Partially in response to the rise of the 
  Catharist heresy in the south of France and northern Italy, 
  Pope Innocent IV approved the use of torture in 1252. 
  There are tales that the Catharist beliefs were supported by 
  many Kindred in the south of France, and that some of 
  them fell into the hands of the Inquisition when their 
  brethren were forced to confess their heresy. If this is so, it 
  could explain much concerning the rapid escalation in the 
  tyrannical practices of certain leaders of the Inquisition. 
  Perhaps they had seen proof, with their own eyes, of evil 
  incarnate in the world. 
  Whatever the truth of those events during the 13th 
  century, all indications are that certain factions within the 
  Church remains aware of, and concerned about, the 
  existence of vampires. Indeed, the Inquisition continues 
  still, albeit in a different form and with a different name. 
  Today the Inquisition is an organization of scholars and 
  researchers of the occult, as well as a clearing house for 
  many of the greatest vampire hunters. While originally 
  only an investigative committee for heresy, it became a 
  ruthless organization devoted to the elimination and 
  torture of undesirables, a tradition which it has not 
  entirely renounced. Though the Inquisition is no longer 
  supported or sanctioned by the Church, most of its 
  members are from the Catholic Church. Though they have 
  taken a new name, "The Society of Leopold," and say they 
  are only interested in research, they are preeminent 
  among the witch hunters. They are well aware of the best 
  ways to immobilize and kill vampires, and keep most of 
  the oldest records. 
  However, they still do not know very much about the 
  Kindred of today. Mainly they study old records and 
  engage in endless speculations, and at times they embark 
  on hunts and hold trials. They rarely kill their suspects, at 
  least not right away, but hold elaborate trials first. Their 
  eventual aim is to rid the world of the supernatural. 
  The Inner Circle of the Camarilla has decreed that they are 
  to be avoided and left alone at all costs - better to give 
  them nothing to study rather than give the whole world 
  something to focus its attention upon. A collection of 
  crackpots is much easier to deal with than a band of 
  martyrs. The Inquisition has retained much of its old 
  reputation and is widely despised and feared. None but the 
  most naive believe that they have truly "reformed," 
  especially those vampires who lived through the first 
  period of persecution. Many anarchs take every chance 
  they can to torment, lure and embarrass members of the 
  Inquisition, despite the decrees made by the Inner Circle. 
  However, the members of the Society of Leopold possess 
  several protections against vampires. They are learning to 
  use various holy objects to weave protections against 
  vampiric powers. Additionally, they can call upon the aid 
  of many different groups when they seek "witches." 
  Among the most influential members of the Society are the 
  Dominicans, who can trace their involvement back to the 
  first Inquisition, which they partially oversaw. Many 
  Kindred fear continued Dominican involvement, 
  forgetting the circumstances and climate that contributed 
  to the Inquisition. They also forget the fact that St. Thomas 
  Aquinas, the renowned philosopher and theologian, was a 
  Dominican during that period. The exact interest and 
  concerns of the Dominicans remain unclear today. 
  There are also reports of a radical splinter group within 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  33 
  the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, who are in the midst of a 
  controversy with the Holy Office. Rumors persist that this 
  may have some connection to the destruction of some 
  Kindred in Algeria about five years ago. A former Jesuit 
  brother by the name of Sullivan Dane is believed to have 
  been responsible. Dane may have been able to use the 
  Algerian incident as proof to some of his former Jesuit 
  brothers that the Kindred threat was real, not imagined by 
  him. He and some of his brethren are reputedly at odds 
  with their superiors and the Holy Office over the matter. 
  The Arcanum 
  The formation of the Arcanum can be traced to the 
  mystical "War Of The Roses" centered around Paris in the 
  late 1800s (a conflict unrelated to the English Baronial 
  wars). A war of words, as well as (if their words are to be 
  believed) mystic forces, arose between two orders of 
  Rosicrucians. The struggle between the orders became 
  such a public scandal (and entertainment, hence the 
  Parisian newspapers' "War  
  Of The Roses" brand) that many of both groups' most 
  brilliant scholars and practitioners left their respective 
  orders. After constructing a great charter, these dissidents 
  came together to form the Arcanum. The order persists to 
  this day. 
  Though the Arcanum has been in existence for less than 
  300 years, its history drifts back even further. The core of 
  the Arcanum consists of a group that has branded itself the 
  "White Monks." It is believed that these so-called White 
  Monks were somehow involved in the Inquisition, and 
  learned of the Kindred then. However, they maintain no 
  formal connections with the In quisition, and do not 
  engage in witch hunts. The Arcanum studies, but does not 
  destroy. 
  The Arcanum has three known Foundation houses - one in 
  Boston, one in Paris, and the third in Vienna. Its members, 
  recruited from the cream of intellectual society, are 
  concerned more with theory than practice. They seem 
  solely devoted to the gathering and studying of occult-
  related information, and are focused primarily on the past 
  rather than the modern world. There are some members 
  who have shown a degree of interest in the here and now, 
  but it is believed that these members, and the Arcanum 
  itself, think the Kindred long dead. They seem to be more 
  interested in phenomena of a less tangible nature: magic, 
  miracles, hauntings and such. 
  The existence of the Arcanum does cause the Kindred 
  some concern, since evidence of Kindred activity can and 
  often does appear as signs of more nebulous supernatural 
  activity. A miscalculation could lead the Arcanum right to 
  their doorstep. 
  A general edict has been proclaimed by the Inner Circle of 
  the Camarilla, and is backed by the Justicar from Clan 
  Brujah, that the members of the Arcanum are not to be 
  interfered with by the Kindred. Their activity should be 
  monitored, if encountered, and reported, but no action is 
  to be taken against them. The concern among the Kindred 
  is that any confrontation could prove disastrous by 
  providing the proof that the group has been waiting for. 
  The Lupines 
  Werewolves, or Lupines, are the mortal enemies of 
  vampires, and have been since the dawn of time. They 
  tend to live in tightly knit tribes connected by family ties, 
  and can be somewhat rustic in outlook and brusque in 
  manner. The tribes are highly secretive and insular, 
  despising outsiders. Any vampire who intrudes on their 
  land is hunted down and summarily executed. Lupines are 
  ferocious fighters and it is almost impossible to sway them 
  from their aims. It is most dangerous to gain their enmity. 
  Only the Gangrel have any contact with the Lupines, and 
  even they do not often reveal their true nature to their 
  werewolf "acquaintances." On most  
  nights of the full moon, whole tribes of Lupines go on mad 
  rampages, and all those caught in their path, mortal or 
  otherwise, are slain. 
  The Magi 
  These practitioners of arcane lore are not to be trifled with. 
  These are magicians of great power, and most of them 
  follow the traditions of the ancient Order of Hermes. 
  Though they are not active enemies of the Kindred, they 
  will eliminate any who get in their way. However, it is said 
  that they despise members of the Tremere clan, and brand 
  them as traitors. They maintain a Masquerade as 
  vigorously as do the Kindred. This alone serves to 
  minimize conflicts. 
  Ghouls 
  Many Kindred create ghouls. This is accomplished by 
  giving mortals or animals a drink of Kindred blood 
  without first draining all their blood. Ghouls make 
  excellent retainers, for after they drink the blood of their 
  master three times, they are Blood Bound to the vampire. 
  Ghouls also gain a number of special powers due to the 
  blood. 
  Kindred create such creatures regularly, as a means of 
  creating loyal servants who are able to protect them during 
  the day. Permission is required from the prince in order to 
  create a ghoul, or so the Council of the Camarilla has 
  ruled, for it technically breaks the restrictions of the 
  Masquerade. Ghouls are generally told very little and are 
  too fearful of their masters to relay much information. 
  A ghoul can become Blood Bound to her creator just as a 
  vampire can. Thus, after three feedings, the ghoul is 
  inexorably Bound to her master. Howev er, if the ghoul 
  spends more than a year without receiving blood from her 
  master, she ceases to be Blood Bound. If she spends more 
  than a month without being fed vampire blood she 
  becomes fully mortal once again. Once the point of her 
  natural lifespan has passed, the ghoul must always have 
  vampire blood in her; otherwise she will die very quickly - 
  within a few days, or in a few rare instances, a few hours.  
  Generations 
  Kindred produce progeny, much as mortals do, and 
  different generations exist among them in much the same 
  manner. There exist more than 13 generations of Kindred, 
  and the more distant a Kindred is from Caine, the first 
  vampire, the weaker that Kindred is as well. Kindred are 
  commonly identified by what generation they belong to. 
  Player characters will always be of the 13th generation 
  (unless they have chosen the Generation Background 
  Trait). 
  It is important to understand that generation does not 
  necessarily indicate age. A vampire of the 10th generation 
  could be twice as old as a vampire of the sixth generation. 
  Remember, if characters engage in the practice of 
  diablerie, the slaying and drinking the blood of Kindred of 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  34 
  earlier generations, they may raise their effective 
  generations. For example, if an eighth generation vampire 
  slays and drinks the remaining vitæ of a seventh 
  generation vampire, her effective generation will now be 
  seventh, not eighth (See Chapter Eight for more details). 
  The Generations chart in Chapter Seven describes the 
  special powers of vampires of different generations. These 
  differences are quite major, and give the Kindred of earlier 
  generations considerably more raw power than the 
  characters. 
  Caine 
  Tradition holds that Caine, the Biblical slayer of his 
  brother Abel, is the Sire Of All Kindred. There is much 
  controversy ov er this within the Kindred community, as 
  there are none still existing who can claim with utter 
  certainty to have met Caine. Certainly, those of the second 
  generation would know, but they're not talking. Some of 
  the third generation who yet exist claim to have met a 
  being who may have been Caine, or simply a powerful 
  Kindred of the second generation. 
  It is an unresolved question - a mystery of heritage. 
  Second Generation 
  The existing translations of the Book of Nod place the 
  number of second generation Kindred at three. Caine in 
  his sorrow created them to live with him in his great city of 
  Enoch. Nothing is known about these three. 
  One can assume, based on the Book of Nod, that they were 
  slain either during the Deluge or in the First War following 
  the Flood. As one might expect, all those of age are 
  reluctant to speak of their sires and the great strife that 
  overcame them all. Undoubtedly, some know more than 
  they are revealing. 
  Were any of the second generation still in existence today, 
  they would be powerful beings: akin to demigods, perhaps. 
  Third Generation 
  It is believed that seven members of the third generation 
  exist, though the names of only two, Lucian and Mekhet, 
  are widely known. In common argot, they are referred to 
  as the Antediluvians, and they are the founders of the 13 
  vampire clans. All remain hidden, lost in the workings of 
  the Jyhad, the war that has lasted nearly as long as 
  recorded history. They continue their struggle, but now 
  instead of openly warring on the battlefield, they use 
  subterfuge, guile and outright deceit. Their primary 
  activities seem to be tracing the activities of each other and 
  thwarting whatever moves their opponents make. 
  These moves seem to range from something as petty as the 
  acquisition of a piece of artwork or property, to grand 
  schemes involving nations. Those of the third generation 
  see themselves as manipulators and dominators, split 
  between those who would live within the mortal world and 
  those who would live without. It is unclear if this reflects 
  the origins of the Jyhad, or is just what it has degenerated 
  into. There are other suspicions, based on the origins of 
  the word Jyhad. Some among the third generation may 
  indeed have reached Golconda and are attempting to assist 
  others of their kind attain this state. They must war with 
  the other Ancients who do not wish this to come to pass. 
  Those of the third generation are powerful beings, with 
  abilities and powers only guessed at by their lessers. Some 
  say they are the last generation to have true mastery over 
  the powers of life and death, and can only die the Final 
  Death if they choose or are slain by one of equal power. Is 
  this, perhaps, the Jyhad? A maneuvering to see who shall 
  be the last of their kind?  
  Fourth and Fifth Generations 
  These vampires are known as the Methuselahs, for they 
  are nearly as powerful and secretive as the Antediluvians. 
  Those of the fourth and fifth generations are most often 
  the pawns of choice in the Jyhad, as they may have 
  political power among the other Kindred. As a result, their 
  numbers have dwindled significantly with the actions of 
  the Antediluvians. Few of this generation remain active, 
  and many have become Inconnu out of fear of the Jyhad 
  and diablerie. The Inner Circle of the Camarilla is said to 
  be composed of members of the fourth generation. There 
  are even rumors that the true purpose of the Camarilla is 
  to blunt the efforts of the third generation to manipulate 
  the younger generations. 
  Though the blood of Caine begins to dilute somewhat at 
  this distance, those of the fourth generation are still 
  extremely powerful. It can be assumed they have reached 
  their maximum potential in two or three Disciplines. 
  Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Generations 
  Vampires of these generations are powerful enough to 
  think they can resist the workings of their elders, and so 
  remain deeply involved in Kindred society. They control 
  the Camarilla (at least they think so), comprise the 
  majority of the princes, and are the primogen of many 
  cities. Those who remain in positions of visibility tend to 
  be important figures: leaders of clans or bloodlines, or 
  princes of great cities. Most of the princes of European 
  cities tend to be of the sixth generation. Princes of 
  American cities tend to be of the seventh or eighth 
  generations. 
  Members of these generations have most commonly 
  reached their maximum potential in one or two 
  Disciplines. 
  Interestingly, the members of the eighth generation seem 
  to be the last Kindred viewed as "elders." Perhaps it is 
  because the majority of them were created before the 
  modern age, and that is evident in their manner and 
  bearing. 
  Ninth and Tenth Generations 
  Though they are sometimes called elders, these Kindred 
  often associate themselves with members of the younger 
  generations. Members of these generations are frequently 
  called ancillæ, thou gh of course this is based on age more 
  than generation. Most were created in the modern era, and 
  thus are somewhat alien in temperament to the older 
  Kindred. In more ways than one, they bridge the gap 
  between the anarchs and the elders. 
  Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth 
  Generations 
  The most recent generations of Kindred are often called 
  neonates. Most characters belong to these generations. 
  They are still powerful creatures, but the special gifts of 
  Caine's blood (the unique powers and abilities) are rarely  
  found here. Born within recent memory, the Kindred of 
  these generations are products of societies that have 
  received the benefits of, and been victims of, rapid change. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  35 
  Fourteenth and Fifteenth Generations 
  There are exceedingly few Kindred of these generations, 
  and none beyond. Indeed, those of the 15th generation 
  have failed to sire any progeny. Their blood is far too thin, 
  and they are too removed from Caine, to be able to pass on 
  the curse.  
  What's the meaning of words 
  When they cease to function 
  When there's nothing to say? 
  - Killing Joke, "Requiem" 
  Lexicon  
  There exists among the Kindred a distinct patois, drawing 
  on many tongues and giving new shades of meaning to 
  certain mortal words. One can often tell what generation a 
  vampire is by listening to the parlance that she employs. 
  There is a sharp distinction between the words used by the 
  anarchs and those employed by elders. Using the wrong 
  word in the wrong circumstances is often considered a 
  serious breach of etiquette. 
  Common Parlance 
  These are the terms that are most commonly used among 
  the Kindred. 
  Anarch - A rebel among the Kindred, one with no respect 
  for the elders. Most fledglings are automatically assumed 
  to be anarchs by the elders, and are despised as products 
  of the 20th century. 
  Barrens, The - The areas of a city that are devoid of life 
  graveyards, abandoned buildings and parks. 
  Becoming, The - The moment one becomes a vampire; the 
  metamorphosis from mortal to Kindred. Also called The 
  Change. 
  Book of Nod - The "sacred" book of the Kindred, tracing 
  the race's origins and early history. It has never been 
  published in its entirety, although fragments are known to 
  exist in various languages. 
  Beast, The - The drives and urges which prompt a vampire 
  to become entirely a monster, forsaking all Humanity.Vide 
  Man infra. 
  Blood - The vampire's heritage. That which makes a 
  vampire a vampire, or simply the actual blood of the 
  vampire. 
  Blood Kindred - The relationship between vampires of the 
  same lineage and clan. The idea is much the same among 
  mortals; only the means of transmission are different. 
  Blood Oath - The most potent bond which can exist 
  between vampires; the receiving of blood in an 
  acknowledgement of mastery. This grants a mystical 
  power over the one who is bound. Vide Blood Bond infra. 
  Brood - A group of vampires gathered around a leader 
  (usually their sire). A brood may in time become a clan 
  (qv). 
  Caitiff - A vampire with no clan; frequently used in a 
  derogatory fashion. To be clanless is not a virtue among 
  the Kindred. 
  Camarilla, The - A global sect of vampires in which all 
  Kindred may hold membership. Its rule is far from 
  absolute, and it serves as a debating chamber more than a 
  government. 
  Childe - A derogatory term for a young, inexperienced, or 
  foolish vampire. The plural form is Childer. 
  Clan - A group of vampires who share certain mystic and 
  physical characteristics. Vide lineage, bloodline. 
  Diablerie - The cannibalistic behavior common among 
  Kindred, involving the consumption of the blood of 
  another vampire. The elders do so out of need, whereas 
  the anarchs do so out of desire for power. 
  Domain - The fiefdom claimed by a vampire, most often a 
  prince. Invariably a city. 
  Elder - A vampire who is 300 years of age or older. Elders 
  consider themselves the most powerful Kindred, and 
  usually engage in their own Jyhad. 
  Elysium - The name given for the places where the elders 
  meet and gather, commonly operas, theaters or other 
  public places of high culture. 
  Embrace, The - The act of transforming a mortal into a 
  vampire by draining the mortal's blood and replacing it 
  with a small amount of the vampire's own blood. 
  Fledgling - A young, newly created vampire. Vide Neonate, 
  Whelp . 
  Generation - The number of steps between a vampire and 
  the mythical Caine. Caine's Get were the second 
  generation, their brood the third, and so on. 
  Gehenna - The end of the Third Cycle; the impending 
  Armageddon when the Antediluvians shall awaken and 
  devour all vampires. 
  Ghoul - A servant created by allowing a mortal to drink 
  Kindred blood without the draining that would give rise to 
  a progeny.  
  Haven - The home of a vampire or the place where it 
  sleeps during the day. 
  Hunger, The - As with mortals and other animals, the 
  drive to feed. For vampires, though, it is much more 
  intense, and takes the place of every other drive, urge and 
  pleasure. 
  Inconnu - A sect of vampires, mostly Methuselahs, who 
  have removed themselves from both mortal and Kindred 
  affairs. They state that they have nothing to do with the 
  Jyhad. 
  Jyhad, The - The secret war being waged between the few 
  surviving vampires of the third generation, using younger 
  vampires as pawns. Also used to describe any sort of 
  conflict or warfare between vampires. 
  Kindred - A vampire. Many elders consider even this term 
  to be vulgar, and prefer to use a more poetic word such as 
  Cainite . 
  Kiss - To take the blood of a mortal, or the act of taking 
  blood in general. 
  Lupine - A werewolf, the mortal enemy of the vampires. 
  Lush - A vampire who habitually feeds upon prey who are 
  under the influence of drink or drugs in order to 
  experience the sensations thereof. Vide Head. 
  Life, The - A euphemistic term for mortal blood taken as 
  sustenance. Many Kindred regard the term as affected and 
  prissy. 
  Man, The - The element of humanity which remains in a 
  vampire, and which strives against the base urgings of the 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  36 
  Beast (qv). 
  Masquerade, The - The effort begun after the end of the 
  great wars to hide Kindred society from the mortal world. 
  A policy reaffirmed after the time of the Inquisition. 
  Prince - A vampire who has established a claim to 
  rulership ov er a city, and is able to support that claim nil 
  disputandum. A prince often has a brood (qv) to aid him. 
  The feminine form is still prince. 
  Riddle, The - The essential dilemma of a vampire's 
  existence - to prevent the occurrence of greater atrocities, 
  one must commit evil deeds of a lesser nature. The 
  proverb is: monsters we are lest monsters we become.  
  Rogue - A vampire who feeds upon other vampires, either 
  out of need or perversion. Vide Diablerie. 
  Sabbat, The - A sect of vampires controlling much of 
  eastern North America. They are violent and bestial, 
  reveling in needless cruelty. 
  Sect - General name for one of the three primary groups 
  among the Kindred - the Camarilla, Sabbat or Inconnu. 
  Sire - The parent-creator of a vampire, used both as the 
  female and male form. 
  Vessel - A potential or past source of blood, typically a 
  human. 
  Old Form 
  These are the words used by the elders and other vampires 
  of antiquity. Though these terms are rarely used by the 
  newly created, they are still the fashionable vernacular 
  among the more sophisticated Kindred. Elders may often 
  be identified simply by the words they use. 
  Amaranth - The act of drinking the blood of other Kindred. 
  Vide Diablerie. 
  Ancilla - An "adolescent" vampire; one who is no longer a 
  neonate, but is not an elder either. 
  Antediluvian - One of the eldest Kindred, a member of the 
  third generation. A warlord of the Jyhad. 
  Archon - A powerful vampire who wanders from city to 
  city, usually serving a Justicar. Archons are frequently 
  used to track down Kindred who have fled a city. 
  Autarkis - A vampire who refuses to be a part of Kindred 
  society, and does not recognize the domain of a prince. 
  Cainite - A vampire. Vide Kindred. 
  Canaille - The mortal herd, especially that element of it 
  which is the most unsavory and lacking in culture (whom 
  the Kindred largely feed upon). 
  Cauchemar - A vampire who feeds only on sleeping victims 
  and prevents their awakening. 
  Cunctator - A vampire who avoids killing by drinking 
  shallowly and taking too little blood to kill the prey; faut 
  plus chasser, peut mieux dormir. Compare Casanova . 
  Coterie - A group of Kindred who protect and support one 
  another against all outsiders. Vide Brood. 
  Consanguineus - One of the same lineage (usually a 
  younger member). 
  Footpad - One who feeds off the derelicts and the 
  homeless, and who frequently does not have a haven of her 
  own. Vide Alleycat . 
  Gentry - A Kindred who hunts the nightclubs, districts of 
  ill repute, and other places of entertainment where 
  mortals seek to pair off. Vide Rake.  
  Golconda - The state of being to which many vampires 
  aspire, in which a balance is found between opposing 
  urges and scruples. The slide into bestiality is halted, and 
  the individual reaches a kind of stasis. Like the mortals' 
  Nirvana, it is often spoken of, but seldom achieved. 
  Humanitas - The degree to which a Kindred still retains 
  some humanity. 
  Kine - A contemptuous term for mortals, often used in 
  opposition to Kindred. The expression Kindred and Kine 
  means "all the world." 
  Leech - A human who drinks a vampire's blood, yet retains 
  free will. Often he keeps the vampire as a prisoner, or 
  offers great rewards for the blood. 
  Lextalionis - The code of the Kindred, allegedly created by 
  Caine. It suggests biblical justice - an eye for an eye, a 
  tooth for a tooth. Vide Traditions. 
  Lineage - The bloodline of a vampire, traced by Embrace. 
  Methuselah - An elder who no longer lives among the 
  other Kindred. Many Methuselahs belong to the Inconnu. 
  Neonate - A young, newly created Kindred. Vide Fledgling, 
  Whelp. 
  Osiris - A vampire who surrounds himself with mortal or 
  ghoul followers in a cult or coven to better obtain 
  sustenance. The practice is less common than it once was. 
  Papillon - The red-light district; the area of the city made 
  up of nightclubs, gambling houses and brothels. The prime 
  hunting ground of the city. 
  Progeny - A collective term for all the vampires created by 
  one sire. Less formal, and less flattering, is Get. 
  Praxis - The right of princes to rule, as well as the rules, 
  laws and customs enforced by a particular prince. 
  Primogen - The leaders in a city or the ruling council of 
  elders. Those who support the prince and make her rule 
  possible. 
  Regnant - One who has a Blood Bond over another 
  Kindred, through giving said Kindred blood three times. 
  Vide Blood Bond. 
  Retainers - Humans who serve a vampire master. They are 
  generally either ghouls or mentally dominated by their 
  vampire master. This control is sometimes so complete 
  that the mortals are unable to take any action of their own 
  volition. 
  Siren - A vampire who seduces mortals, but does not kill 
  them and takes only a little blood after putting the mortal 
  into a deep sleep. Vide Tease . 
  Suspire - The dream dance during the final stage of the 
  quest for Golconda. 
  Third Mortal - Caine, the progenitor of all vampires, 
  according to the Book of Nod (qv). 
  Thrall - A vampire who is held under a Blood Bond, and 
  thus under the control of another Kindred. 
  Vitæ - Blood. 
  Wassail - The final release and the last frenzy. Wassail 
  occurs when the last vestiges of Humanity are lost and a 
  v ampire plunges into madness. 
  Whelp - A contemptuous term for any young vampire; 
  originally used only in reference to one's own progeny. 
  Wight - Human, mortal. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  37 
  Witch-hunter - A human who searches for vampires in 
  order to kill them. 
  Whig - Name for a Cainite who possesses an obsessive 
  interest in mortal fashion and current events. 
  Vulgar Argot 
  These are the words used most frequently by the anarchs, 
  the younger vampires who disdain and/or ignore the 
  traditions of the elders. They seek to establish their own 
  culture, and inventing their own slang is part of the 
  process. Of course, they will use Old Form when they do 
  not have another word for the same thing, and some elders 
  have even begun to use the vulgar form of a word so as to 
  create a greater effect when they speak. 
  Alleycat - A vampire who does not have a haven of any 
  kind, but instead resides in a different place each night. 
  Also used to refer to those Kindred who feed off the 
  homeless and other street people. 
  Banking - The practice, most widespread among y ounger 
  Kindred, of taking blood from blood banks. Chilled blood 
  so long removed from the body is less satisfying, but some 
  neonates delight in entering a blood bank and drinking to 
  excess. This is seen by many princes as a breach of the 
  Masquerade. 
  Banker - A Kindred who engages in the practice of 
  Banking. 
  Black Hand - A sect that involves itself in diablerie. Vide 
  Sabbat.  
  Blister - A vampire who contracts an infectious disease, 
  and subsequently spreads it to each donor from whom she 
  feeds. 
  Bloodline - The vampire's heritage. Vide Lineage. 
  Blood Bond - A mystic servitude to another vampire as a 
  result of taking the Blood Oath. Vide Regnant. 
  Blood Doll - A Kindred who is held in Regnant by another. 
  The doll is Blood Bound and no longer free. 
  Butterfly - One who mingles among the high society of 
  mortals, and only feeds upon the wealthy and famous. 
  Casanova - A vampire who delights in seducing mortals 
  but not killing them, and who takes only a little blood, 
  erasing the victim's memory of the event when she is 
  finished. There are rumors that the original Casanova was 
  or is a vampire, but this is not generally believed. Vide 
  Cauchemar. 
  Change, The - The moment and the process of becoming a 
  vampire. Vide Becoming. 
  Damned, The - The immortal, undead race. All the 
  v ampires as a whole. 
  Donor - A potential or past source of blood, typically a 
  human. 
  Farmer - A derogatory term for a vampire who keeps 
  animals for the purpose of feeding the Hunger. Vide 
  Vegetary. 
  Fief - A sarcastic term for the domain of a clan or prince. 
  Head - A vampire who feeds upon those under the 
  influence of a drug, so as to feel the effect. The term Head 
  is used with a suitable prefix if the vampire prefers a 
  particular drug. Vide Lush. 
  Headhunter - An elder who hunts other Kindred for their 
  blood. Vide Rogue, Diablerie. 
  Lick - A vampire. Vide Kindred. 
  Rack, The - The hunting ground represented by 
  nightclubs, bars, and other places of entertainment where 
  mortals seek to dance, drink and pair off. 
  Rake One - who habitually uses the Rack is a Rake in 
  Vulgar argot; Papillon and Gentry are progressively older 
  terms for the same. 
  Sandman - A vampire who feeds only upon sleeping 
  victims. Vide Cauchemar. 
  Slumming - The act of feeding from the homeless and 
  derelicts. A vampire who does so exclusively is a Slummer. 
  Stalker - A mortal who hunts the Kindred. Vide Witch-
  hunter. 
  Tease - A term sometimes used for a female Casanova 
  (qv). 
  Turf - The city or section of a city that vampires might try 
  to claim for themselves. Vide Fief, domain. 
  Vegetary - A sarcastic term for a vampire who refuses to 
  take the blood of humans, but relies instead on that of 
  animals. Vide Farmer.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  38 
  Chapter Three: 
  Storytelling 
  The hero has died as a modern man; but as eternal man - universal man - he has been reborn. 
  - Joseph Campbell 
   
  Running a Vampire story is not always easy, but it is 
  usually completely engaging. Though being a player has its 
  own unique rewards, there is something about being a 
  Storyteller that transcends even that experience, allowing 
  you to reach an entirely different level. It has something to 
  do with the fact that, as a Storyteller, you are creating an 
  entire world out of your imagination - in effect, conjuring 
  it out of thin air. In some small but significant way you 
  play the role of a god - in the same way that a poet, 
  novelist or inventor does. You are a creator of a universe, 
  and that role supplies its own rarefied reward. 
  If you aren't ready for it, being a Storyteller can be a 
  disaster. Besides roleplaying all the characters that the 
  players don't play, you must wear about six other hats: 
  stage manager, director, prop coordinator, social director, 
  script writer and even publicist. However, you shouldn't 
  let your fear of something new keep you from trying it out. 
  You'll be nervou s, afraid of your players' reactions and far 
  too cautious, but after just one time as the Storyteller, 
  you'll discover a whole new side to yourself. 
  Most of this chapter describes the basics of how to 
  construct and tell a story. Even if you have run other 
  storytelling or roleplaying games before, you will still find 
  this chapter to be of interest, for it denotes the particulars 
  of telling a Vampire story. All the information here is 
  simply advice. Use what you want, and throw away 
  everything that doesn't fit your storytelling style. 
  A Job Description 
  The stage but echoes back the public voice, 
  The drama's laws the drama's patrons give 
  For we that live to please, must please to live. 
  - Samuel Clemens 
  The players have it easy. They only have to worry about a 
  single character, one single alter ego. They can focus their 
  imaginative powers on one unique individual, and spend 
  all their effort bringing that character alive. As the 
  Storyteller, your job is much more demanding. You are 
  everything the players are not - you are the rest of the 
  universe. 
  First of all you must roleplay every character in the story 
  who is not controlled by a player. If you think of the story 
  as a movie, the players are the stars, while you control all 
  the supporting cast, walk-ons and extras. 
  The setting is yours alone to create and relate. If the 
  characters decide to turn down a certain alley, or enter a 
  certain building, you must either know what they will find 
  or be able to invent it at a moment's notice. You are their 
  eyes and ears. If they treat an antagonist in an insulting 
  manner, you must decide how she will react. If they tell a 
  news reporter about the Kindred, you will need to decide 
  what happens.  
  Additionally, you are the final arbiter of the rules as they 
  apply during the game. If any questions or disputes arise 
  about any of the rules during play, you have the final say. 
  Even though we've designed these rules carefully and 
  tested them thoroughly, the nature of storytelling games is 
  such that situations always arise which are not covered by 
  the letter of the rules. Part of the Storyteller's job is to 
  resolve these situations, sticking to the spirit of the rules 
  as much as possible. 
  You are also in charge of the story itself. The players will 
  start off knowing nothing about the story they are 
  experiencing, and will learn about it as they go along. You, 
  on the other hand, must be able to jump-start things from 
  a dead stop. You must always keep an eye on the progress 
  of the story and make sure that all of the players are 
  enjoying themselves. 
  Indeed, your foremost duty is to invent a story, or at least 
  the beginning of a story, and to simultaneously entrance 
  and entertain both your players and yourself. However, 
  you cannot simply create a story and tell it to an audience: 
  it is your interaction with the players that creates a plot. A 
  story is invented moment by moment, through the 
  dynamics between player and Storyteller. 
  Telling a Story 
  The foremost responsibility of a Storyteller is to make sure 
  that a good story is being told; however, the Storyteller 
  should never simply tell a story. The events and flow of the 
  story are as much the responsibility of the players as the 
  Storyteller. The primary duty of the Storyteller is to lead 
  the story and to keep it moving briskly in the desired 
  direction - or at least stop it from breaking down 
  completely. Telling a story is more a matter of keeping up 
  with the players, commenting and elaborating upon what 
  their characters do and say, than it is of relating a 
  narrative.  
  The most important thing when telling a story is to be 
  ready to abandon your expectations. Never force the 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  39 
  players to follow your premade plot; you must be willing to 
  work with them. Try to anticipate what the characters will 
  do and how this will affect the course of the story - you 
  can't foresee everything, of course, but have a few 
  contingency plans worked out in advance. 
  Before you begin to tell a story, be prepared. Don't have a 
  plot already set, but have story hooks ready, and create as 
  elaborate a setting as possible. This may sound obvious, 
  but it can't be stressed enough. If you are using a premade 
  story, read through the text of the story very thoroughly at 
  least once before you present it to the players. Make sure 
  you know when and where everything happens, who is 
  where at what time, and so on. In particular, study the 
  major antagonists, their personalities and motivations, 
  and be sure that you can present them convincingly to the 
  players. 
  The Storyteller must make sure the game element doesn't 
  slow down or interfere with the story element. Storytelling 
  is always a perpetual balance between game and story. 
  Laying Down The Law 
  The core rules of Vampire have been designed for 
  simplicity and flexibility. They are simple so that the basic 
  principles of the rules can be grasped very easily, and 
  flexible so that they can cover most if not all of the infinite 
  possibilities presented by a storytelling game. 
  You will quickly come to develop your own personal style. 
  Part of this style will arise from your own personality and 
  inclinations, while part of it will reflect the tastes of your 
  players. The range of different styles is best illustrated by 
  referring to two storytelling archetypes, representing 
  opposite ends of the scale. Both styles are exaggerated, and 
  you will probably end up somewhere in between. 
  At one end of the scale is the Rules Lawyer. This type of 
  Storyteller insists on dice rolls for everything, and applies 
  the letter of the rules to the fullest extent. The wor ld which 
  this Storyteller evokes is self-consistent and the players 
  will feel as if their characters have the power to change the 
  world. 
  At the other end of the scale is the Freeformer. To this type 
  of Storyteller, the story is everything. Dice are rolled only 
  occasionally; in fact, the Storyteller usually decides exactly 
  what is going to happen without dice, and follows the 
  players as they create the story. Character actions may 
  direct the story, but it is the Storyteller who decides the 
  results of these actions. 
  Vampire tends to be more freeform than rules-oriented. 
  The rules are there to help, not to govern - freedom of 
  action is the key. The players should possess maximum 
  freedom of action, and should never feel that their 
  decisions and actions do not make a difference. 
  Breaking the Rules 
  One of the biggest decisions a Storyteller ever makes is 
  when she first decides to ignore the rules. This is 
  completely legitimate, provided it's done for the right 
  reasons and in the right way. In fact, we encourage you to 
  break the rules; it is your prerogative as a Storyteller. 
  From time to time, situations will arise where applying the 
  full letter of the rules would cause the story to slow or even 
  collapse. For example, imagine the climax of a story in 
  which the characters have just spent several weeks finding 
  and recovering a medieval tome which contains vital 
  information about the Sabbat who have entered the city. 
  A freak botch (a disastrous dice roll) sends the character 
  carrying the tome falling from a rooftop into a huge fire 
  created by a witch-hunter. The tome is lost forever, the 
  characters are doomed to die at the hands of the Sabbat 
  (or the hunter), and the whole chronicle comes to an end. 
  As well as being a crushing and probably undeserved 
  defeat for the characters, this single bad roll means that 
  the story cannot proceed. That can be very frustrating if 
  you've spent your hard-earned cash on buying it or 
  devoted several  
  weeks of spare time to designing it. Several different 
  repairs are possible, though, so don't despair. 
  One way is simply to discount the botch - reduce its 
  severity so that the book is saved (or simply have the 
  player try again). This works fine once, but eventually, the 
  players will rely on this kind of aid from you every time 
  they get themselves into trouble. 
  Another option is to amend the story. The book is lost, but 
  somewhere there is another source of information which 
  can replace it. Perhaps one of the Sabbat is sickened by the 
  excesses of her fellows, or moved by ambition or revenge 
  to turn against them. She seeks out the characters and 
  arms them with the knowledge they need. Again, this will 
  work, but you may find players blatantly sitting around, 
  waiting for you to spoon-feed them in future situations. 
  Finally, you might allow the falling character a 
  superhuman (or super-vampiric) effort to throw the book 
  to one of his comrades so that the story can continue. This 
  is the best option for most chronicles, but some players 
  may be too selfish to do this. 
  There are other ways out of this situation as well; your job, 
  and privilege, is to decide which means you will use. 
  Sometimes simply letting the chronicle come to an end is 
  the best way to teach the players that their actions, and the 
  vagaries of the dice, really do have an effect upon your 
  world. 
  That's Entertainment 
  As well as being a referee, gamemaster, roleplayer, and 
  overseer, the Storyteller has another duty - to make sure 
  everyone has fun. Above all else, you, as the Storyteller, 
  must be an entertainer. For the most part, this consists of 
  knowing your players and catering to their tastes, but 
  eventually you will be faced with a problem arising from 
  one or more players themselves. 
  In the excitement of the moment, even the most mild-
  mannered players become agitated and try to drown out 
  the others. You may find that players with strong 
  personalities are dominating the quieter ones, and in 
  extreme cases the loudest player in the group may end up 
  determining the actions of the entire coterie. This is highly 
  undesirable, as players who feel themselves to be 
  overshadowed or ignored will become bored or resentful, 
  and eventually they will drop out of the game. 
  Take care to listen to all of your players equally. If one 
  player states that another player's character is doing 
  something, check with that character's player first. If one 
  or more players are dominating the action and not letting 
  the others participate as fully as their characters deserve, 
  take them aside and point out the problem as 
  diplomatically as possible. Remind everyone that this is 
  not a competitive game, and  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  40 
  that those players who seek to dominate others are gaining 
  nothing but resentment. As a final sanction, you may 
  decide not to invite an unrepentantly troublesome player 
  to future games. 
  Give 'Em What they Want 
  There are a variety of reasons why people enjoy 
  roleplaying. Understanding the motivations of your 
  players will enable you to better entertain them. Described 
  below are some of the reasons why your players might 
  want to spend time in the world you create: 
  •To tell a story - A story can be a beautiful creation, a 
  work of art worthy of the human imagination. Telling 
  stories can be an invigorating and illuminating experience, 
  and being directly involved in its creation is as 
  fundamentally exciting as any human activity. 
  •To be someone completely different - Like a 
  kid playing dress-up, putting on a new role and trying it 
  out, this person loves to see what it is like to be someone 
  else, and thereby vicariously have experiences normally 
  closed to her. 
  •Problem solving - Many people enjoy being faced 
  with puzzles, riddles and other mental dilemmas. They 
  enjoy both the process of deducing the solution and the 
  elation of the achievement. This sort of player treats 
  roleplaying as a puzzle to be solved. 
  •Sense of accomplishment - The player enjoys the 
  satisfying feeling of completing a difficult task by 
  stretching all of his creative faculties. To achieve success in 
  a game can sometimes make up for a lack of success in the 
  real world. 
  •To gain power - Many people feel powerless in 
  today's impersonal, hypertechnological society. The desire 
  for power is common among players who do not possess 
  power in real life. Those who are motivated by this urge 
  are known as "power-gamers," and can sometimes be quite 
  disruptive if this motivation is not properly channeled. 
  •To be with friends- Many roleplay because it is a 
  social occasion, a chance for them to be with their friends 
  in a relaxed atmosphere. Sometimes they come just to be 
  with one particular friend (such as a girlfriend or 
  boyfriend). The social aspect of storytelling cannot be 
  underrated. 
  •To experience strong emotions - Fear, hate, grief 
  and other emotions are often in short supply in our 
  sheltered world, but at some fundamental level we need 
  them. A bland life without emotion is a life without 
  meaning. Many players use roleplaying to experience a 
  depth of emotion that would otherwise be lost to them. 
  •Catharsis - Our lives are often highly stressful, and 
  everyone needs ways of blowing off steam. Storytelling can 
  sometimes provide an intensely cathartic experience, one 
  unrivaled by any other form of entertainment. 
  The Art of Storytelling  
  I stood, 
  Among them, but not of them; in a shroud 
  Of thoughts which were not their thoughts. 
  - Lord Byron, "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" 
    
  An important part of your job as Storyteller is to 
  encourage the players to roleplay and to provide them with 
  opportunities to do so. Players need to associate closely 
  with their characters, but this only happens if they are 
  comfortable and familiar with them. Your roleplaying of 
  the bit parts is your primary means of getting the players 
  to roleplay. The better you do so, the more they will 
  roleplay and the more they will get into the story. This is 
  not the only means of encouraging roleplaying, however. 
  One of the reasons people are attracted to roleplaying in 
  the first place is because they are able to employ and see 
  the results of their active use of free will. They decide to do 
  something and almost immediately they get results, unlike 
  the real world where it is all too easy to feel like a very 
  small cog in a very large machine. You need to be aware of 
  this, and show your players that free will plays a role in 
  your chronicle. 
  You'll want to make your stories as open-ended as 
  possible, with as many different ways to get to the 
  conclusion (of which there might be many) as there are 
  ways to drive home from work. There might be many quick 
  ways to get through the story, but how often is a story a 
  race to the finish line? 
  Most of our published supplements are far more linear 
  that you will want to make your own. Though we try to 
  allow as much room for character decisions as we can, the 
  nature of the beast (i.e., the limited size of the book) 
  prohibits us from delineating a comprehensive spectrum 
  of conclusions and plots. This is a weakness you will not 
  want to repeat in your own stories, and even when you do 
  use a supplement, let the players go off the track a little bit 
  and explore their own alternative to the basic plot. 
  Suspense 
  Fear is more than simply essential in horror - it is 
  quintessential. Anxiety is the emotion you want to be 
  coursing through every player's heart for much of the 
  story. Fear is best created through suspense. Suspense, 
  however, is much more than simply fear; it is anticipation 
  and dread as well. 
  Suspense is a key element of Vampire, and it is one of 
  the things which differentiates it from other varieties of 
  horror. This is not splatterpunk or slasher horror - it is 
  suspense in the  
  Hitchcock tradition. The players should never be sure of 
  what will happen next in a Vampire chronicle. They 
  portray characters who have been thrust into a world of 
  fantastic proportions and kaleidoscopic reality, and who 
  are trapped in a situation which is carnivalesque in its 
  strangeness. They have become vampires. Can you think of 
  anything more strange? 
  At first, they are not sure what is happening, and when 
  they find out, they must find ways to adjust. It will take an 
  enormous amount of effort just to discover the most 
  elementary facts about the new world they have been 
  thrust into. The whole chronicle is often a never-ending 
  process of discovering more and more about the Gothic-
  Punk world. 
  The suspense in Vampire is energized by the fear that 
  plagues the lives of the characters, for there is so much 
  that they do not know, and so much danger that awaits 
  them, unknown and ever-lurking. 
  There are a number of different techniques for creating 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  41 
  and maintaining suspense; some of the more important 
  are described below. 
  Timing 
  Timing is one of the most important elements in building 
  and sustaining suspense. Timing, however, is something 
  so personal and subtle that it is impossible to teach. You've 
  got to already have it, or  somehow learn it if you want to 
  build the effects that create a great story. In a general 
  sense, timing usually means that you start with mystery 
  and drama, and slowly spiral into the real horror. Things 
  move slowly during investigations, but much more quickly 
  when the real actions starts - mimicking real life. Gun 
  battles often take only a few seconds. The game systems 
  described in the Drama chapter take this into account, 
  playing out some dramatic moments and shortening 
  others. 
  Pace events quickly enough that the players feel that they 
  are actually in the moment, and don't have the freedom to 
  dawdle all day. Whenever the players spend too much time 
  deciding what to do, create an event that interrupts their 
  discussion. Let the action come to them if they don't go to 
  it. Don't let the story stall just because the characters can't 
  decide what they want to do (though be careful that you 
  don't take away their free will either - it's a delicate 
  balance). Create a sense of the real flow of time, but be 
  careful you don't push them too much. 
  Description 
  Give the players a staggeringly complete description of 
  what they sense, down to the blood on their noses and the 
  catch in their voices. The pace at which you describe things 
  and the length of time it takes you, as well as what you are 
  actually describing, can serve to build the tension. Thus, 
  you can lavishly detail the exterior of an old, rotting 
  mansion before the players attempt to break into it. The 
  time you spend and the words you use can slowly build up 
  a feeling of anticipation and dread. 
  Imagination 
  Sometimes the opposite technique is equally effective - if 
  you don't describe something, the players' imaginations go 
  wild. This is the ancient Chinese ideal of the vacuum - 
  used in music, art, and all aspects of life - in which the 
  blank slate is filled with the constructs of the imagination. 
  You want to direct the players' imaginations in certain 
  directions, but you do not want to tell them what to 
  imagine. For instance, you can have one of the characters' 
  retainers, who is guarding over them while they sleep in an 
  abandoned cellar, simply disappear without a trace. This is 
  guaranteed to drive them nuts. 
  Changes of Pace 
  Altering the pace of the story is an interesting technique, 
  but one that is often difficult to employ. Don't make the 
  players face horrifying situations every single moment of 
  every single game session. Horror doesn't work that way. 
  The horror will be all the more tangible after they've had a 
  little break from it (the technique of contrast cannot be 
  underrated). 
  Keep the suspense constant when you want the players to 
  be on the edge of their seats, but make sure you 
  manufacture moments where they can relax and sit back - 
  then bring on even more suspense later on. Make sure that 
  somehow this period of calm serves as a potent contrast to 
  what is coming ahead - the eye of the hurricane, so to 
  speak. The way in which you build and relieve tension, and 
  the sharpness of your timing, are basic to the drama of 
  your story. Tension is the one thing you should always 
  have absolute command over. Be aware of it in your 
  players. 
  Changes of pace can often be achieved by switching 
  between mortal and immortal opponents for the 
  characters. Perhaps at one moment they are opposed 
  merely with a petty hindrance, such as the police, while the 
  next moment they must face a power even greater than 
  their own, like a ravenous Methuselah. 
  Deadline 
  Give the characters a deadline. If they don't do such and 
  such within a given time frame, then a certain result 
  occurs (usually something really, really bad). The players 
  are aware of the deadline, and usually become frantic near 
  the end of their attempt to complete the mission. Of 
  course, you may need to manipulate things to ensure that 
  the mission still needs to be completed as the deadline 
  approaches, so the deadline technique will not be ruined 
  by overly successful players. If they do well enough, 
  however, you may want to simply let them win to allow the 
  continuity and reality of the story to continue. This is one 
  of the best ways to build suspense in a story - a deadline 
  creates a powerful climax.  
  Delay Success 
  Because of the structure of the rules system, partial or 
  marginal successes are common, and it often takes several 
  turns to complete a given action. Therefore, you can plan 
  dramatic scenes in which a character's friends must hold 
  off a horde of enemies while he struggles to repair a 
  malfunctioning vehicle or disarm a bomb. A race across a 
  railroad bridge, where the characters need 18 successes to 
  get all the way across, can be equally dramatic. The fewer 
  turns it takes, the fewer chances the characters' opponents 
  will have to shoot them as they run across. 
  Secrecy 
  Many elements of a story must be kept hidden from the 
  players. When you use this technique, you try to heighten 
  the importance of these elements (so that players really 
  want to find out the truth) and you try to establish even 
  more secrets. In short, the idea is to populate the story 
  with so many secrets that the characters are surrounded 
  by them. The story will be a great deal more fun if the 
  players do not realize what is going on, but must deduce 
  the truth behind everything (problem solvers love this sort 
  of thing). Mystery is essential to Vampire, for it adds 
  that extra layer of detail that transforms the game into an 
  engaging way to tell stories. Always keep the players 
  guessing. 
  Intrigue 
  Plotting and intrigue are the meat and drink of vampiric 
  existence; they are constant elements in their strange 
  society. There are mysteries within mysteries within 
  mysteries, most of which involve the plots of the 
  Antediluvians against one another. Many of your stories 
  should contain some aspect of intrigue. The characters 
  should try to figure out what is going on as they pursue 
  their goals. They should be constantly confronted and 
  confused by this intrigue. Their lives can be twisted and 
  manipulated, their sanity damaged, and their safety 
  imperiled. Eventually, they should be given the chance to 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  42 
  figure out what is going on, but not until the tension and 
  suspense have gotten very thick. 
  Safe Haven 
  The best way to keep the players scared is to make sure 
  they never feel completely safe. Simply never give the 
  players a safe haven or a home to retreat to. Better yet, 
  give them a place where they can feel secure, a place which 
  they can call home. Over time, get them to place more and 
  more trust in it, until they believe deep down inside that 
  nothing can happen to them while they are there. Then 
  trick them somehow so that they invite some form of 
  danger in (it has to be their mistake). Don't destroy this 
  safe haven through physical danger; do it psychologically. 
  Scope 
  Begin a story on a small scale and then slowly increase the 
  parameters of the tale, or alternately, start big and then 
  slowly focus, becoming more and more detailed and 
  involved. Both of these techniques are very effective 
  storytelling tools. By changing the scope in your stories, 
  you can create an unfolding panorama before the eyes of 
  the players. One of the best examples of this technique is 
  in Star Wars, where the sheer size of the Death Star makes 
  the human drama of the story seem insignificant at first. 
  Dependents 
  Encourage the characters to develop friendships with 
  mortals. This gives them a chance to regain some 
  Humanity. However, once the players develop an affection 
  for these unique personalities (you've got to roleplay them 
  well), kill them off one by one. Nothing makes a player as 
  mad and as scared at the same time. A really fun thing to 
  do is to create a dependent who becomes an integral and 
  trusted part of the characters' lives; then, reveal the person 
  as a villain. A word of warning, however: don't create a 
  dependent and then decide to make him a villain whenever 
  it suits you. Players will catch on and will think less of the 
  chronicle when they find out. You've got to be very subtle 
  about how you go about this, putting in hints and clues 
  that the players only pick up on after the fact. 
    
  Advanced Storytelling  
  The secret thoughts of man run over all things, holy, 
  profane, clean, obscene, grave and light ,without shame 
  or blame. 
  - Thomas Hobbes 
    
  Below are a number of techniques you can use to create 
  special effects in your stories. You need experienced 
  players, who are as focused on high-quality roleplaying as 
  they are good at it, to even consider using any of these 
  techniques. As the Storyteller, you should have at least 
  some experience under your belt before you try any of the 
  following. These techniques are extremely difficult to play 
  properly and they must be carefully planned and executed 
  with grace and finesse to work effectively. If you employ 
  them correctly, however, you will create a story your 
  players will never forget. 
  Flashbacks 
  Flashbacks are a way to roleplay scenes in a character's 
  past in order to present a new perspective on the current 
  story. The flashback is a second story which is told 
  alongside the basic story about the characters. You can 
  either tell the second story outright, or you can have the 
  players create characters and roleplay through it. You 
  design a second story  
  which will be played alternately with the current 
  Vampire story as a type of interlude between the major 
  scenes. However, though the stories may be unconnected 
  by time and space, they must be connected in theme, 
  mood or subject. Each story must somehow illustrate the 
  salient features of the other. The best way to do this is to 
  have something happen in the second story that somehow 
  reflects the original story. 
  A flashback could be a short story concerning the early 
  childhood (mortal) of one of the characters. The player of 
  that character plays himself; another player might play his 
  best friend, another his sister, and still others his mother 
  and father. In the original story, the players are searching 
  for that character's sire, and may thus be confused by why 
  you are having them play out a flashback. But soon they 
  realize that the sire is in the flashback as well, and is 
  watching the character. You can reveal clues about the 
  sire, and make him a more realistic character by having 
  him be a part of the child's early life. Anything the 
  characters learn can be explained by the fact that the 
  character has suddenly "remembered" that portion of his 
  childhood, so long forgotten. The players might have so 
  much fun with the flashback that they'll want to play it out 
  as a chronicle in its own right. 
  Parallel Story 
  A parallel story, much like a flashback, is played out as a 
  second story alongside the first. However, the second story 
  is taking place at the same time as the original story. Thus, 
  the two stories could start out as separate and seemingly 
  unconnected events, but eventually they relate to one 
  another. 
  The parallel story might concern a vacationing family 
  driving through the mountains, a group of high school 
  students whose car breaks down, forcing them to sleep 
  overnight in an old abandoned mansion, or even a group 
  of Sabbat vampires weaving a plot to kill the player 
  characters. Just have the players make up the secondary 
  characters at the beginning of the story, and then switch 
  off from story to story over the whole game session, always 
  cutting to the other story after a cliffhanger. 
  You will not want to conclude the parallel story until near 
  the end of the game session - delay having the high school 
  students meet their fate until the primary characters are 
  about to walk into the house themselves (only it's not 
  abandoned anymore). Somehow the parallel story has to 
  focus on the central story, adding to its theme and power. 
  Foreshadowing 
  By using the discipline of Auspex as a rationalization, you 
  can foreshadow the future. Make up little playlets and act 
  them out for the players, perhaps having one or two of 
  them help you out. If you have time, write up a script and 
  photocopy it ahead of time so it can be even more 
  dramatic. To do foreshadowing right is very difficult, but it 
  can have great effect. The simplest way to use it is to 
  describe  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  43 
  something really nasty - the players will get so worried 
  about what is ahead that they may inadvertently lead 
  themselves into it. 
  Dream Sequence 
  Have the players roleplay through a dream of one of the 
  characters, or perhaps of the coterie's major antagonist. 
  The players don't necessarily need to know whose dream 
  they are in. This can be done in the same way you acted 
  out the parallel story or flashback. There are many reasons 
  why you want to roleplay out dreams, but foremost among 
  them is the opportunity to get the players to focus on the 
  essential personalities of their characters. The dreamworld 
  has very different rules and laws from the real world. 
  Nothing quite makes sense or has any solid reality. Yet the 
  images and themes of the conflict found inside the dreams 
  are important. 
  In a dream sequence, you can have the characters play out 
  their greatest failure - over and over again until they 
  succeed. Or you can have them search for the "Talisman," 
  an object which does not really exist, as a way to get them 
  to focus on and decide what they are truly looking for in 
  the real world. 
  Characters with appropriate powers (such as Auspex 4+) 
  may be capable of entering the dreams of other characters; 
  in this way they might even be able to enter the demented 
  psyches of their worst enemies. Imagine being trapped in 
  the mind of a madman! Dreams become very important in 
  the quest for Golconda, and the final ritual known as 
  Suspire involves a great dream dance that requires the 
  extraordinary from the character. 
  Symbolism 
  Having something actually represent something else is an 
  ancient literary technique, and it's amazing how great an 
  impact symbolism can have on a story. Symbolism is 
  particularly important in horror literature, as monsters 
  (such as vampires) are often symbols for human fears. Try 
  to figure out what concerns the players personally. What 
  are their fears, needs and loves? Then represent these 
  symbolically in the story. This is almost always an 
  overpowering (and occasionally unpleasant) experience in 
  a story. However, if done right, it can help create the very 
  best stories possible. 
  Live-Action 
  Living in the limelight, the universal dream, 
  For those who wish to seem, those who wish to be, 
  Must put aside the alienation, get on with the fascination, 
  The real relation, the underlying theme. 
  - Rush, "Limelight" 
    
  Live-Action roleplaying is one of the more dynamic and 
  innovative aspects of Vampire. It is integral to the way 
  Vampire stories are told. Live-Action roleplaying is 
  similar to improvisational theater, wherein the actors (the 
  characters) act through the scenes created and introduced 
  by the Storyteller. This makes a much more intense and 
  immediate roleplaying experience. 
  Usually in roleplaying, the players describe what their 
  characters do, and even say - but in Live-Action 
  roleplaying, they do what their characters do and say what 
  their characters say (within limits). They can stand up, 
  walk around, hold up a letter, shake hands or rush to a 
  window to see what is going on. Of course, the imagination 
  still needs to be employed, and the Storyteller may still 
  interrupt the action to describe objects and special 
  situations. 
  No dice are normally rolled during Liv e-Action. Instead, 
  everything is roleplayed. The new tools will be candles, 
  capes and canes. The Storyteller simply decides how the 
  other characters react to the players, and how well the 
  characters manage to perform certain mechanical actions 
  such as picking a lock, based on a general idea of the 
  characters' Traits. 
  Often, you, as the Storyteller, will want to have a First 
  Mate, someone to help roleplay the non-player characters. 
  Because Live-Action is so direct and immediate, it can be 
  hard for you to switch roles. The First Mate option means 
  that you won't have to switch as often. Live-Action offers 
  many opportunities for roleplaying that will be greatly 
  improved if two people can interact with each other as 
  non-player characters (try talking to yourself when playing 
  two roles - it isn't easy). This dynamic interaction lets 
  those characters be seen as separate individuals, rather 
  than as variations of a single voice. 
  The First Mate must be familiar with the story to keep 
  from making mistakes while ad-libbing a character's 
  actions. A First Mate can be a player whose character is no 
  longer a part of the coterie, or a friend of the Storyteller 
  brought in just for this chapter, or a member of the troupe 
  for whom it is a permanent position. 
  For a particularly important Live-Action scene, you will 
  sometimes want to have a number of First Mates assisting, 
  to play all of the other characters who are involved in the 
  scene. At times, you may have more First Mates than 
  actual players - this makes for an exquisite gaming 
  session. 
  When you choose characters to play for yourself or your 
  First Mates, try to arrange it so that they and you are 
  playing characters that suit their and your respective 
  gaming styles and tastes. For instance, if a First Mate is 
  good at roleplaying pompous buffoons, make up a 
  character that lets her show off her skills. You should 
  usually play the most powerful, central character, so that 
  you can easily affect the tempo of the game and redirect 
  the plot when it needs shifting. 
  Rules 
  There are a few basic rules which you must follow to 
  make sure that the roleplaying progresses smoothly and 
  safely in Live-Action. These must be followed if you intend 
  to do any Live-Action at all. Safety is always a primary 
  concern.  
  •Don't Touch: A player may never actually strike or 
  grapple another member of the troupe. No sort of combat 
  may ever be performed - that is one thing that you should 
  leave for the dice to decide. Live-Action in Vampire 
  involves talking, not fighting. 
  •No Weapons: No props can be used if they must touch 
  another player to be effective. No real weapons of any sort 
  can ever be handled at any time during Live-Action 
  roleplaying. Only those toy guns that can be easily 
  detected as being toys can be used (like squirt guns), but 
  the no-touch rules must still apply. 
  •Play Inside: Play inside your own home, or whatever 
  private place the game normally takes place in. Make sure 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  44 
  that anyone else in the area understands what you are 
  doing. Never perform Live-Action where people may be 
  confused or frightened by the event. 
  • Know When to Stop: When the Storyteller calls for 
  a time-out, all action must immediately stop. Even during 
  Live-Action (especially during Live-Action), the 
  Storyteller's word is final. 
  Atmosphere 
  Before the players arrive, think about the atmosphere of 
  the area where you are going to game. 
  • If at all possible, play only in the evenings. The daytime 
  is all wrong for Vampire. 
  • Try to eliminate all overhead lighting; it is too 
  reminiscent of the sun. Use only table lamps or candles, 
  and make the light as indirect as you can. 
  • Candles are ideal for Vampire; no game session should 
  be without them, but be careful with open flames. 
  •Hang black lace, or some other kind of dark fabric, up on 
  the walls to try and change the look of what might be an all 
  too familiar room. You want to make people feel as if they 
  are somewhere else. 
  • Try to play music that will add to the setting. Try classical 
  when you're trying to convey a sophisticated setting, or 
  loud punk when the characters visit a club, or maybe 
  country when they're with a real hick. Creepy music is 
  nearly always appropriate. The contrast in musical styles 
  can be a great way to build up a feeling of discordance. 
  Props 
  Props are real objects that are used to represent similar 
  objects which the characters use or discover. The most 
  common examples are what are conventionally called 
  "player handouts." These are things like letters, pictures, 
  scrawled maps and other objects which are generally 
  included in a published adventure; these are cut out and 
  handed to the players when their characters find the "real" 
  counterpart in the story. Other things might include 
  objects such as cloaks, silver-tipped canes or anything else 
  you like. Props can add to  
  the reality of the story quite a bit, as players present not 
  only the speech but also the actions of their characters. 
  Props are most often used during Live-Action roleplaying, 
  but are useful any time. 
  Props are very much a matter of personal taste. Each 
  gaming group has its own preferred style, and there's no 
  right way or wrong way - as long as everyone is having a 
  good time, you're doing just fine. Props are, however, a 
  great way to get people involved in the story. Here are 
  some ideas for props you can use: 
  • Skull-shaped candle 
  • Fake ancient map 
  • Fake scroll 
  • Books, especially ones with a musty smell to them 
  • Hats 
  • Cloak 
  •Wooden stake 
  •Walking cane 
  • Cigars 
  Do's and Don'ts  
  Life has confided so many stories to me, I shall have to 
  retell them to people who cannot read the book of life 
  itself. 
  -Elly Hillesum 
    
  Being a Storyteller is as much a challenge and a delight as 
  being a player. There are some specific responsibilities to 
  keep in mind when you run Vampire. 
  Do's 
  • Keep all the characters in mind: Provide 
  something for everyone to do, no matter what the scene. 
  Even if one character is the hub of the story on whom 
  everything rests, cut off your roleplaying with that player 
  after a bit and do something with the other players. It  may 
  not make any difference to the plot, but it will let everyone 
  have some fun, keep them from being bored, and will 
  make them a part of the scene. Let every player have an 
  equal chance to take an action or interact with one of your 
  characters. Though you may naturally give more time to 
  the more creative and inventive roleplayers in your group, 
  never ignore the others. 
  • Go beyond the rules: The rules are for keeping 
  characters in line. If your imagination is superior to the 
  rules, then go beyond the rules. Especially for non-player 
  vampire powers, you should let your imagination roam 
  free. There are werewolves and wizards and even ghosts in 
  this world, yet in this game they are not carefully detailed. 
  You'll have to make up their powers on your own. You may 
  make them as mysterious and enigmatic as you desire. 
  Future products in the Storyteller series will detail these 
  beings more completely.  
  •Encourage the players to roleplay among 
  themselves: Vivid interaction between the players is 
  vital. If they don't roleplay unless they're talking to you, 
  something is wrong. 
  • Take breaks: Sometimes you need to take a break. At 
  such times, simply stand back from the table and take a 
  short walk, or open this book and pretend you are reading. 
  Don't feel embarrassed abou t this; everyone needs these 
  rests. The players get them all the time, but the Storyteller 
  almost never does. It's almost impossible to sustain a high 
  level of dynamic storytelling without breaks. It is a good 
  idea is to start the players roleplaying with one another 
  before you rest, since this ensures that they aren't bored 
  while you're not involved. 
  •Encourage player input: Don't run the game 
  without being aware of what your players like and don't 
  like. Balance the desire of the players to achieve the 
  objectives of their characters with their desire to roleplay - 
  let them accomplish their goals while remaining in 
  character. 
  Don'ts 
  The following are things which you should never do: 
  •Don't take away the characters' free will: 
  Players are invariably protective of what they consider to 
  be the free will of their characters. They want real choices, 
  and the freedom to choose their characters' actions. While 
  they need to feel that if they do something stupid they will 
  be punished, you don't want them to feel as if you will 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  45 
  punish them if they come up with a clever idea because it 
  wasn't what you had anticipated. 
  •Don't 
  force 
  the 
  characters 
  into 
  a 
  predetermined plot: In Vampire the characters 
  need to be self-motivated. You cannot simply stick them 
  into your story. You have to weave the story around them 
  and let them become involved in it at their own pace. 
  Often this means you must create the story as you go, 
  making up each scene and doing a great deal of 
  impromptu roleplaying. It is difficult, but fulfilling. 
  •Don't let luck rule the plot: Characters should get 
  to win on the basis of their own skill and ingenuity, not on 
  unrelated dice rolls. Try to give the players every chance to 
  have the experience and Traits of their characters make 
  the difference. Automatic successes are an excellent way to 
  emphasize how important their ratings are. 
  •Don't cater to stereotypes: Though you will use 
  stereotypes regularly, you should always try to twist or 
  change them. Stereotypes are excellent tools for the 
  Storyteller, since they allow you to quickly present a 
  character or a situation. Put a stereotype into a story, play 
  it like a stereotype for most of the story (outraging the 
  players in the process), and then, near the conclusion, 
  suddenly flip everything upside down by breaking apart 
  the stereotype. As an extreme example, the evil snarling 
  villain can turn out to be a simple-minded Nosferatu who 
  is as terrified of the characters as they are of him. It can be 
  very effective and pleasantly educational. 
  • Don't ignore the characters' Traits: It is 
  important to be aware of the characters' Traits, especially 
  those flaws which the players so often "forget" such as 
  Derangements. Some Traits that you are unaware of can 
  sometimes become relevant to the story and make your 
  planned resolution inconsistent or unrealistic. It is vital 
  that you have a good grasp of who and what the characters 
  are. 
  For instance, you might spring a trap on the characters, 
  roll the damage dice, and start describing wounds, only to 
  have one of the players say, "My character has Auspex. I 
  get to see if he sensed danger." Even if he misses the roll, it 
  ruins the momentum you had established and damages 
  the story that you were weaving. Look over the characters 
  before the game and make notes of things you  should 
  remember.  
  The Book of Nod 
  The earliest history of the Kindred is said to be recorded in the legendary Book Of Nod. Named for the land east of 
  Eden where Caine first traveled, it chronicles the tumultuous birth of the bloodlines and the origins of the Jyhad.  
  In the beginning there was only Caine. 
  Caine who murdered his brother out of anger. 
  Caine who was cast out. 
  Caine who was cursed forever with immortality 
  Caine who was cursed with the lust for blood. 
  It is Caine from whom we all come, 
  Our Sire's Sire. 
    
  For the passing of an age he lived in solitude, 
  In loneliness and suffering. 
  For an eon he remained alone. 
  But the passing of memory drowned his sorrow. 
  And so he returned to the world of mortals, 
  To the world his brother and his brother's children had created. 
  He returned and was made welcome. 
  The people saw his power and worshipped him, 
  Making him King of their great City, 
  The First City, a place by the name of Enoch. 
    
  Though he became ruler of a mighty nation, he was still alone, 
  For none were as he. His sorrow grew once again. 
  Then he committed another great sin, for he begat Progeny, 
  Of which there were only three. 
  But from them came more Progeny, his grandchildren, 
  And then Caine said "An end to this crime. There shall be no more." 
  And as Caine's word was the law, his Brood obeyed him. 
    
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  46 
  The city stood for many ages, 
  And become the center of a mighty Empire. 
  But then came the Deluge, a great Flood that washed over the world. 
  The City was destroyed, 
  And its people along with it. 
    
  Again Caine fell into great sorrow and went into solitude, 
  Becoming as a dog amidst the wastes, 
  And leaving his Progeny to their own ends. 
  They came to him and begged him to return, 
  To help them rebuild the City. 
  But he would not come with them, 
  Saying the Flood had been sent as punishment 
  For his having returned to the world of life 
  And subverting the true law. 
    
  So they returned alone to what mortals were left 
  And announced that they were the new rulers. 
  Each created a Brood, 
  In order to claim the glory of Caine, 
  Yet they did not have his wisdom or restraint. 
  A great war was waged, the Elders against their Children, 
  And the Children slew their parents. 
    
  The rebels then built a new city 
  And brought to it 13 tribes. 
  It was a beautiful city and its people worshipped them as gods. 
  They created new Progeny of their own, 
  The Fourth Generation of Cainites.  
  But they feared the Jyhad, 
  And it was forbidden for those Children 
  To create others of their kind. 
  This power their Elders kept for themselves. 
  When a Childe was created, it was hunted down and killed, 
  And its Sire with it. 
    
  Though this city was as great as Caine's, eventually it grew old. 
  As do all living things, it slowly began to die. 
  The gods at first did not see the truth, 
  And when they at last looked about them it was too late. 
  Their city was destroyed and their power extinguished, 
  And they were forced to flee, their Progeny along with them. 
  But many were killed in the flight, for they had grown weak. 
  With their authority gone, all were free to create their own Broods, 
  And soon there were many new Kindred, 
  Who ruled across the face of the Earth. 
    
  But this could not last. 
  Over time, there came to be too many of the Kindred, 
  And then there was war once again. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  47 
  The Elders were already deep in hiding, 
  For they had learned caution. 
  But their Children had founded their own cities and Broods, 
  And it is they who were killed in the great wave of war. 
  There was war so total, that there are none of that Generation 
  To speak of themselves any longer. 
  Waves of mortal flesh were sent across continents 
  In order to crush and burn the cities of the Kindred. 
  Mortals thought they were fighting their own wars, 
  But it is for us that they spilt their blood. 
    
  Once this war was over, 
  All of the Kindred hid from one another 
  And from the humans that surrounded them. 
  In hiding we remain today, 
  For the Jyhad continues still.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  48 
  THE BECOMING 
  The aroma, yes. The succulent savor. Its weight and 
  marrow. I imagine the cooling flames of the elixir 
  cascading down my throat, nourishing me. But I am 
  parched and barren. A husk. My need envelops every 
  painful step I take. 
  Soon. I will need blood soon. 
  The click of heels on cement rouses me. I move into the 
  darkness of the alley. The growing cadence is maddening 
  as the vessel draws near. 
  Thereahhh. A whiff of cheap perfume. The odor of nervous 
  tension. The fragrance of pumping blood. I can almost 
  taste the sweet nectar. 
  The pale light of a streetlamp brings my prey into focus. 
  Her long hair bounces lightly off her shoulder. A face, rosy 
  with exertion: a beauty only I can appreciate. Her anxious 
  eyes scan the doorways, doubtless envisioning rapists and 
  muggers. 
  She passes by, quickly glancing into the alley. I break away 
  from the shadows. An arm's length away, I can hear her 
  heart throbbing. 
  I have become death, the destroyer of souls. 
  Gliding toward her, the smell of her lifeblood wafts over 
  me, arousing me. She is only inches from my caress. My 
  mind screams with lust. 
  NO! 
  I pull back, my arm shaking. I cannot do it. A low moan 
  escapes my lips. She whirls, staring into the darkness, eyes 
  wide with terror. But she is blind to my presence, and with 
  a low sigh turns away. I taste my own blood as it seeps 
  between my clenched teeth, and watch her fade into the 
  night. 
  I am alone.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  49 
  Chapter Four: 
  Rules 
  Mythology is a rendition of forms, through which the 
  formless form of forms can be known. 
  - Joseph Campbell 
  Every game has rules. Some have only a few and are fairly 
  simple, such as Chutes and Ladders, while others have 
  many and are extremely complicated, such as bridge. 
  Vampire has something in common with both - it has 
  only a few simple rules, but these few rules have a large 
  number of permutations. You need only learn the basic 
  rules, but their permutations evoke the flavor of the game 
  to reflect the true complexity of real life. This chapter 
  provides the basic rules of Vampire; the permutations 
  are what Book Three is about. 
  Rules are like the myths which shape and describe a 
  culture. They define what is important and delineate the 
  possibilities of existence. Though these rules may seem 
  somewhat strange and exotic, they really aren't all that 
  complicated. Once you understand them, you'll 
  understand how to play this game. Just concentrate on 
  learning these basics and everything else will come 
  naturally. 
  Time 
  Time is the moving image of reality 
  - Plato 
    
  The first thing you need to learn is how time passes in 
  Vampire. There are five different ways to describe time, 
  going from the smallest unit to the all-encompassing one. 
  •Turn - One unit of time within a scene, anywhere from 
  three seconds to three minutes in length. A turn is enough 
  time to take one action (discussed below). 
  •Scene - One compact period of action and roleplaying 
  which takes place in a single location. A scene is made up 
  of a variable number of turns (as many as it takes to 
  complete it); it can also be completed with straight-up 
  roleplaying, which requires no use of turns. 
  •Chapter - One independent part of a story, almost 
  always played in one game session. It is made up of a 
  number of scenes connected by periods of downtime. 
  Story - A complete tale, with an introduction, buildup 
  and climax, which often takes several chapters to 
  complete. 
  •Chronicle - A whole series of stories connected 
  together by the lives of the characters and perhaps a 
  broadly conceived theme and plot. It is simply the ongoing 
  story told by you and the players. 
  Actions 
  Besides acting out their characters' speeches and 
  conversations, players will want their characters to 
  attempt to perform actions they have described to the 
  Storyteller. Actions can be anything from jumping over a 
  gorge to glancing  
  behind oneself to see if one is being followed. The player 
  tells the Storyteller what her character is doing and details 
  the procedure she uses. 
  Many actions are automatic, such as when a player tells 
  the Storyteller that her character walks across the street 
  toward the warehouse, for instance. All the Storyteller 
  needs to do is keep track of where the character is and 
  what she is doing. Howev er, certain actions require a dice 
  roll to determine success or failure. 
  Rolling Dice 
  And the game never ends when your whole world 
  depends 
  On the turn of a friendly card. 
  - The Alan Parsons Project, "Turn of a Friendly Card" 
    
  There is always chance in life. There's a chance you'll win 
  the lottery, a chance you'll be audited, and a chance you'll 
  die in a plane crash. Chance plays a role in Vampire as 
  well. However, we use dice to simulate the duplicity of 
  Lady Luck. 
  The game system in Vampire consists of rolling 10-
  sided dice, which you can buy in any game store. If you are 
  the Storyteller, you will want a lot of dice, at least 10, all to 
  yourself. As a player, you'll want dice as well, but sharing 
  dice with other players will work. 
  Whenever the success of an action is in doubt or the 
  Storyteller thinks that there is a chance you might fail, you 
  will have to roll dice. This gives your character an 
  opportunity to let both weaknesses and strengths exhibit 
  themselves, thereby rev ealing something of the character's 
  true nature to both you and the other players. 
  Ratings 
  A character is described by her Traits - the innate and 
  learned abilities and aptitudes she possesses. Traits are 
  defined by numbers; each Trait has a rating from 1 -5, 
  which describes how good the character is in that 
  particular Trait. One is lousy and five is superb. This scale 
  of one to five is the "star" rating system made famous by 
  movie and restaurant critics. 
  You should consider the normal human range to be from  
  one to three, with two being average. However, exceptional 
  people can have Traits of four (exceptional) or five 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  50 
  (superb), or even have a zero in a Trait (which is extremely 
  rare, but not unheard of). 
  x Abysmal 
  • Poor 
  •• Average 
  ••• Good 
  •••• Exceptional 
  ••••• Superb  
  For every dot your character has in a particular Trait, you 
  get to roll one die. Thus, if you had four dots on Strength, 
  you would get to roll four dice. If you had a one 
  Perception, you would get to roll only one die. However, 
  you almost never simply roll the number of dice you have 
  in an Attribute, which defines your intrinsic capabilities. 
  Usually you get to add the number of dice you have in an 
  Attribute with the number of dice you have in an Ability - 
  things which you know and have learned. 
  So if the Storyteller wanted the players to roll to see if they 
  notice the patrol car creeping up behind them, he would 
  have them roll their Perception + Alertness - an Attribute 
  + an Ability. They would take as many dice as they had 
  points of Perception, put them in their hands, and then 
  they would take as many dice as they had points of 
  Alertness, and put those in their hands also. They get to 
  roll as many dice as they have total points in their Ability 
  and Attribute. 
  These dice are called the Dice Pool, which is a description 
  of the total number of dice you roll in a single turn - 
  usually for a single action, though you can divide up your 
  Dice Pool in order to be able to perform more than one 
  action. You almost always roll the number of dice equal to 
  a Trait's permanent rating (the circles), not its current 
  score (the squares). 
  There are many actions that don't require or even have an 
  appropriate Ability, such as when you want to break down 
  a door. In such cases, you would only use an Attribute, 
  rolling the number of dice you have listed for that 
  Attribute - in this case, Strength. 
  There is absolutely no situation where more than two 
  Traits can add to a Dice Pool. Only one Trait can be used if 
  it has a potential value of 10 (such as Humanity or 
  Willpower). It is generally impossible for a normal human 
  being to have more than 10 dice in a Dice Pool (though 
  vampires are a different story). 
  Difficulties 
  Oftentimes, to win us to our harm, 
  The instruments of darkness tell us truths; 
  Win us with honest trifles, to betray's 
  In deepest Consequence. 
  - Shakespeare, Macbeth 
    
  Now you've got to figure out what you need to look for 
  when you roll the dice. The Storyteller will give you a 
  difficulty number, which is the number that you need to 
  obtain in order to succeed in whatever you are attempting. 
  A difficulty is always a number between two and 10. You 
  need to get that number or higher on at least one of the 
  dice you roll in order to succeed. Every time you do so, it's 
  called a success. If the difficulty is a six and y ou roll a 2, 3, 
  6, 5 and 9, you have scored two successes. Though you 
  need only one success to actually succeed, the more 
  successes you get, the better you do. Getting only one 
  success is considered a marginal success, while getting 
  three is considered a complete success, and getting five is a 
  momentous event. 
  Difficulties 
  Three - Easy  
  Four - Routine 
  Five - Straightforward 
  Six - Standard 
  Seven - Challenging 
  Eight - Difficult 
  Nine - Extremely Difficult 
  Degrees of Success 
  One Success - Marginal 
  Two Successes - Moderate 
  Three Successes - Complete 
  Four Successes - Exceptional 
  Five Successes - Phenomenal 
    
  You can see that if the difficulty is lower, it becomes easier 
  to get a success, and if it is higher, it is more difficult. The 
  Storyteller will assign high difficulties whenever the action 
  you have decided to take is difficult, and will either let you 
  do something automatically (because your Attributes and 
  Abilities are so high) or give you a low difficulty if it is 
  particularly easy. 
  Though they are not on the list above, you, as the 
  Storyteller, can also assign a difficulty of two or 10. 
  However, these should almost never be used. Difficulty 
  two is so pathetically easy that you might as well let the 
  player succeed without wasting time on a roll. Difficulty 10 
  is so difficult that there is an equal chance to botch 
  (described below) as there is to succeed, no matter how 
  many dice the player is rolling. A 10 is pretty near 
  impossible. On the rare occasions when you do announce a 
  difficulty of 10, be sure you realize how impossible you are 
  making the chance of success. If a player ever rolls a 10, it 
  is automatically a success, no matter what. 
  Unless the Storyteller says otherwise, the difficulty for a 
  particular task is always a six. This is the standard, 
  assumed difficulty. 
  Rule of One 
  There is one last thing about rolling dice, and that is the 
  "rule of one." Whenever you roll a one, it cancels out a 
  success. It completely takes it away. You remove both the 
  "success" die and the "one" die and pay them no more 
  heed. If you roll more ones than you do successes, a 
  disaster occurs; something called a botch takes place. 
  Don't count the ones that canceled out successes, but if 
  even a single one is left after all the successes have been 
  canceled, a botch occurs. Getting a single one or five ones 
  is about the same; the circumstances  
  surrounding the botch determine if it is catastrophic or a 
  minor mishap. If there aren't any ones or successes left, 
  you've simply failed. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  51 
  Automatic Success 
  You don't want to be rolling dice all the time as it can get 
  in the way of the roleplaying. Vampire employs a very 
  simple system for automatic successes so players do not 
  have to make rolls for actions characters could perform in 
  their sleep. 
  It works like this: if the number of dice you have in your 
  Dice Pool is equal to or greater than the difficulty, then 
  you succeed automatically. It is considered the equivalent 
  of only getting one success, so sometimes a player will 
  want to roll anyway in an attempt to gain even more 
  successes. But for very simple and often-repeated actions, 
  automatic successes can eliminate a lot of wasted time. 
  The automatic success rules can be used to completely 
  eliminate dice rolling, something you will want to do 
  during Live-Action roleplaying. In such situations, 
  automatic successes aren't a matter of choice. Either you 
  are good enough to succeed or you are not. It is simple, but 
  so was Cops 'n' Robbers and we liked it just fine. The story 
  was what was important and the rules didn't matter. 
  This simple system even has a twist, making it not quite so 
  black and white. A Willpower point can be used to earn an 
  automatic success. You won't want to do this often, but on 
  certain actions it can be very advantageous to do so. Of 
  course, the Willpower only counts for one success if 
  multiple successes are required. 
  When we play, we usually use a combination of dice rolling 
  and automatic successes. During most scenes - especially 
  when we're deep into the story - we don't even roll dice, 
  preferring to roleplay throu gh them without interruptions. 
  However, when we get in the mood for playing-a-game, 
  rather then telling-a-story , we make lots of dice rolls and 
  add many complications to the rules. 
  Complications 
  You may have already realized that it is quite easy to get a 
  single success, even when you roll only one or two dice. 
  You have a 75% chance for a marginal success when you 
  roll only two dice and the difficulty is a six. While that may 
  sound too easy, there are various ways to complicate 
  matters, some of which are discussed below. For troupes 
  heavily into roleplaying, simple rolls and automatic 
  successes are enough. Generally, you will use a 
  complication if the players or you want a break from the 
  roleplaying, if you want a realistic result or if you want to 
  make a game out of the scene. Complications can add 
  drama to the story and create a depth of passion and focus. 
  Specific systems of complications have been developed 
  completely in the Drama Chapter. However, below are the 
  basic complications that can be employed in Vampire. 
  Extended Actions 
  In order to fully succeed, you will sometimes need more 
  than one success - you will need to accumulate three, or 
  seven, or even 20 successes (on rare occasions). When you 
  only need to get one success to accomplish an action, it's 
  called a simple action. When you need to get more than 
  one success to get a marginal success, it's called an 
  extended action. Extended actions are not uncommon, but 
  simple actions are the ones most frequently made. 
  In an extended action, you will roll over and over on 
  subsequent turns in an attempt to collect enough successes 
  to succeed. For instance, your character is climbing a tree 
  and the Storyteller announces that when you get a total of 
  seven successes, she has climbed to the top. She'll get there 
  eventually, but of course the more times you roll, the more 
  chances your character has to botch and injure herself. If 
  she is attempting to climb down the tree because it is on 
  fire, the amount of time it takes becomes exceedingly 
  important. 
  During an extended action, you can keep trying to obtain 
  successes for as long as you want, or at least until you fail 
  to get even one success. If you botch, your character may 
  have to start over from scratch, with no accumulated 
  successes. The Storyteller may decide to not let the 
  character try again at all. 
  Because of the dramatic effect that extended actions 
  provide in the story, they are used frequently in the 
  systems described in the Drama chapter. However, this 
  type of action is more complicated than a simple action 
  and should not often be employed in the middle of intense 
  roleplaying. As the Storyteller, it will be your decision as to 
  what type of action is called for. A little bit of experience 
  will serve you well when employing these rules. 
  Resisted Actions 
  Sometimes you will make an action in opposition to one 
  made by another character. Both of you will make rolls, 
  with a difficulty often indicated by a Trait of the other 
  player, and the person who gets the most successes 
  succeeds. However, you are considered to get only as many 
  successes as the amount by which you exceed your 
  opponent's successes. The opponent's successes eliminate 
  your own, just as ones do. Therefore, it is very difficult, 
  and rare, to get an outstanding success on a resisted 
  action. Even if your opponent cannot beat you, she can 
  diminish the effect of your efforts. On actions that are both 
  extended and resisted, one of the opponents must collect a 
  certain number of success in order to completely succeed. 
  Each success above the opponent's total number of 
  successes in a single turn is added to a success total. The 
  first to collect the designated number of successes wins the 
  contest. 
  Teamwork 
  Sometimes characters can work together to collect 
  successes, most often during an extended action. At the 
  discretion of the Storyteller, two or more characters can 
  make rolls  
  separately and add together their successes. They may 
  never add together their separate Traits into one roll, 
  though. Teamwork is effective in some circumstances, 
  such as in combat, shadowing prey, collecting information, 
  and repairing devices. In others it can actually be a 
  hindrance, such as in many social actions (where it can 
  confuse the subject). 
  The chart below may serve to clear up your confusion on 
  some of the different types of rolls that can be made. 
   
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  52 
   
  Action 
  Example 
  Description 
   Simple 
   Firearms,Alertness 
   Task is completed with one roll. The Storyteller announces the 
  difficulty and the players roll their dice. Automatic success is 
  possible. 
   Extended 
  Running, 
  Research, 
  Track 
   Task is completed when a given number of successes are obtained, 
  which may require more than one roll (thus providing more chances 
  to botch). 
   Resisted 
   Shadowing 
   A contest of skill between two individuals. They compare their 
  number of successes and the one with the highest number succeeds. 
   Extended 
  & 
  Resisted 
   Arm Wrestling 
   Two individuals compete as in the resisted action, but before one 
  can claim success he must accumulate a certain number of 
  successes. 
    
  The Golden Rule 
  Remember that in the end there is only one real rule in 
  Vampire: there are no rules. You should fashion this 
  game into whatever you need it to be - if the rules get in 
  your way, then ignore or change them. In the end, the true 
  complexity and beauty of the real world cannot be 
  captured by rules; it takes storytelling and imagination to 
  do that. Indeed, these rules are not so much rules as they 
  are guidelines, and you are free to use, abuse, ignore and 
  change them as you wish. 
  Try it Out 
  Well, that's it. Those are the rules. This system for dice is 
  all you really need to know to play this game. All the other 
  rules are just clarifications and exceptions to these ones. 
  As long as you understand what's been discussed here, you 
  won't  
  The Character Sheet 
  On this page we have provided you with an example of a 
  complete Vampire character sheet. The character is a 
  newly Embraced vampire named Malcom, and the 
  examples throughout the book will use him as their 
  subject. The followingis a quick look at the Traits that 
  describe him.  
  have any difficulty understanding anything else. If you 
  don't think you've caught everything, just read it over 
  again and you'll find it will make more sense the second 
  time around. 
  Now go ahead and make a few rolls, using the example 
  character from the other page. Malcolm is attempting to 
  jump from the roof of one building to the roof of another, a 
  distance of 15 feet. The Storyteller decides the action has a 
  difficulty of seven. Take four dice because of Malcolm's 
  Dexterity of four, and two dice because of his Athletics 
  rating of two. You should now have six dice in your hand - 
  that's a lot. You don't have much chance of failing, but go 
  ahead and roll; you never know. Look to see how many 
  successes you have, making sure to take away a success for 
  every "one" you roll. Did you make it, or did you botch? 
  The more successes you get, the better you land. Only one 
  success might mean that you jumped to the other roof, but 
  are hanging on by your fingers (which would require more 
  rolls to see if Malcolm managed to keep hanging on and 
  climb up to the roof). 
  Next, try out an example of an extended and resisted 
  action. An example of this is an arm wrestling match. It 
  requires an indefinite series of rolls, each using a different 
  Trait and requiring different difficulties. You need to 
  accumulate five successes more than your opponent in 
  order to finally win. A botch eliminates all of your 
  accumulated successes. 
  •First roll: Each player rolls Strength; the difficulty is the 
  opponent's Dexterity + 3 (speed is important at first). 
  •Second and third rolls: Each player rolls Strength; the 
  difficulty is the opponent's Strength +3. 
  •Fourth roll (and all subsequent ones): Each player rolls 
  Strength; the difficulty is the opponent's Willpower. 
  Examples of Rolls 
  Following are some examples of rolls, to provide you with 
  some ideas on how to incorporate these rules into your 
  roleplaying. Please note that each Attribute can work with 
  each Ability, so there are 270 potential types of simple 
  rolls that can be made. Admittedly, you will not often roll 
  Stamina + Computer, but it might come up. 
  •You threaten the young man by trying to lift him up by his 
  collar. Roll Strength + Intimidation (difficulty 8). 
  •You want to break down the metal door that was just 
  slammed in your face. You need to roll Strength (difficulty 
  8). You need to collect six successes in order to break it 
  open enough to slip through. 
  •How flawlessly do you conduct yourself at the formal 
  dinner at La Omini (even though you can't actually eat 
  anything...)? Roll Dexterity + Etiquette (difficulty 8). 
  •You try to slip out of your handcuffs (good luck!). Roll 
  Dexterity + Streetwise (difficulty 10).  
  •After being questioned for hours, you roll Stamina + 
  Acting to see if you can maintain your story successfully 
  (difficulty 8). Five successes will completely convince your 
  interrogators.  
  • The ritual takes three days to complete. Can you stay 
  awake for 72 hours? Roll Stamina + Occult (difficulty 9). 
  • How long can you remain motionless in the bushes as 
  the two guards chat for hours on end? Roll Stamina + 
  Stealth (difficulty 7). Each success is an hour. 
  • Yelling and screaming at the taxi driver, you try to get 
  him to drive even faster. Roll Charisma + Intimidation 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  53 
  (difficulty 6). 
  •You go out on the street and try to gather some 
  information about the new gang moving into the projects. 
  Roll Charisma + Streetwise (difficulty 8). The more 
  successes you get, the more you know. It takes a whole 
  evening to get the information. 
  •By showing off your moves, you try to convince your 
  opponent to back off. Roll Manipulation + Brawl (difficulty 
  6). Three successes will cause him to pause a turn, but you 
  can try this action only once... 
  • You attempt to convince the clerk of the court that you 
  really are the EPA inspector, and that you need to see the 
  court records. Roll Manipulation + Bureaucracy (difficulty 
  8). 
  • You want to make a good impression at Modius' party. 
  Roll Appearance + Etiquette (difficulty 4). 
  •You attempt to entice the young woman to join you in 
  your limo parked outside the club. Roll Appearance + 
  Subterfuge (difficulty 7). 
  • An initiate of the Sabbat is creeping up behind you. Roll 
  Perception + Alertness to see if you notice his approach 
  (difficulty 9). 
  • Do you notice the old lady pulling the gun out of her 
  purse in time to dodge out of the way? Roll Perception + 
  Dodge (difficulty 6). 
  • You try to analyze what's wrong with the car engine from 
  the strange sounds it is making. Roll Perception + Repair 
  (difficulty 6). 
  • What language is she speaking? Roll Intelligence + 
  Linguistics to figure it out (difficulty 6). 
  • Why are the ravens crying so loudly? Roll Intelligence + 
  Animal Ken (difficulty 9). 
  • Suddenly, a man pushes a crate out of the van you have 
  been chasing - roll Wits + Drive to see if you can avoid 
  hitting it (difficulty 6).  
  Game Terms 
  Words used by the players: 
  Ability: A Trait that describes what a character knows 
  and has learned, rather than what she is. Abilities are 
  Traits such as Intimidation, Firearms and Bureaucracy. 
  Action: An action is the performance of a deed, which is 
  a consciously -willed, physical, social or mental activity. 
  When a player announces that his character is doing 
  something, he is taking an action. 
  Advantage: This is a catch-all category which describes 
  the mystical Disciplines and Backgrounds of a character. 
  Attribute: A Traits that describes what a character 
  inherently is. Attributes are such things as Strength, 
  Charisma and Intelligence. 
  Botch: A disastrous failure, indicated by rolling more 
  ones than successes on the 10-sided dice rolled for an 
  action. 
  Character: Each player creates a character, an 
  individual she roleplays over the course of the chronicle. 
  Though "character" could imply any individual, in 
  Vampire it is always used to describe the players' 
  characters. 
  Dice Pool: This describes the dice you have in your 
  hand after adding together your different Traits. It is the 
  maximum number of dice you can roll in one turn, though 
  you can divide them among different actions. 
  Difficulty: This is a number from 2-10 measuring the 
  difficulty of an action a character takes. The player needs 
  to roll that number or higher on at least one of the dice 
  rolled. 
  Downtime: The time spent between scenes, where no 
  roleplaying is done and turns are not used. Actions might 
  be made, and the Storyteller might give some descriptions, 
  but generally time passes quickly. 
  Extended Action: An action that requires a certain 
  number of successes for the character to actually succeed. 
  Health: This is a measure of the degree to which a 
  character is wounded or injured. 
  Points: The temporary score of a primary trait such as 
  Willpower, Humanity and Health - the squares, not the 
  circles. 
  Refresh: When points are regained in a Dice Pool, it is 
  said that they are being "refreshed". The number of points 
  regained is the refresh rate. 
  Rating: A number describing the permanent value of a 
  Trait, most often a number from 1 -5, though sometimes a 
  number from 1 -10. 
  Resisted Action: An action that two different 
  characters take against each other. Both compare their 
  number of successes and the character with the most wins. 
  Scene: A single episode of the story; a time and place 
  where actions and events take place moment by moment. 
  A scene is often a dramatic high point of the story. 
  Score: The temporary v alue of a Trait or combination of 
  Traits used in a single roll. 
  Simple Action: An action that requires the player to 
  get only one success to succeed, though more successes 
  indicate a better job or result. 
  Storyteller: The person who creates and guides the 
  story by assuming the roles of all characters not taken by 
  the players and determining all events beyond the control 
  of the players. 
  System: A specific set of complications used in a certain 
  situation; rules to help guide the rolling of dice to create 
  dramatic action. 
  Trait: A Trait is any Attribute, Ability, Advantage or 
  other character index that can be described as a number 
  (in terms of dots). 
  Troupe: The group of players, including the Storyteller, 
  who play Vampire - usually on a regular basis. 
  Willpower: One of the most important Traits is 
  Willpower. It measures the self-confidence and internal 
  control of a character. However, Willpower works 
  differently than most Traits - it is usually used up, rather 
  than rolled.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  54 
  Chapter Five:  
  Character 
  All the world's a stage 
  And all men and women merely players 
  They have their exits and entrances 
  And one man in his time plays many parts. 
  - Shakespeare, As You Like It 
   
  Before you can begin to play Vampire, you must create a 
  character. However, unlike make-believe, you don't just 
  make up a character as you go along (though the 
  Storyteller is faced with this challenge regularly). Instead, 
  you've got to create a character before you begin to play. 
  There is a certain amount of work involved - characters are 
  built, not born. Building a compelling, yet honest, 
  character is a creative struggle even for the most 
  experienced of us. 
  This chapter describes how to create a unique character, 
  beginning with a general concept and translating this 
  concept into numbers that can be used in the game. It 
  provides guidelines for the players when they create their 
  characters. This process is very simple and the players can 
  easily figure it out for themselves. However, the Storyteller 
  should have a good grasp of the process in order to answer 
  their questions accurately and succinctly. 
  These numbers may not seem particularly evocative. It is 
  hard to imagine a novelist describing a character by saying 
  "Her silver tongue must have meant she had a Charisma of 
  four." However, these ratings make it simple to describe 
  the strengths and weaknesses of a character. More 
  importantly, it means the random factor created by dice 
  can be employed in relation to the character's Traits. A 
  strong character has more of a chance to break the door 
  down than a weak one. 
  Character creation always follows a pattern from the 
  general to the specific. First, you develop a general concept 
  of who and what your character is - is she more socially or 
  mentally developed? - and then get specific by selecting 
  the ratings of your Traits - how strong are your Charisma, 
  Manipulation and Appearance? Do not use this process as 
  a chance to create the "best" possible character; that 
  defeats the whole purpose of making up a really 
  interesting individual. These numbers are intended to 
  enhance roleplaying, not open an avenue to some mythical 
  Hall of Fame. 
  Character creation is not unlike cooking: you've got to 
  gather the ingredients, stir and whip them together, and 
  then let the mixture bake for a few hours. You start by 
  deciding what kind of character you want. Are you going to 
  be a street-hardened punk or a rich and somewhat spoiled 
  ex-debutante? Are you a college graduate or were you 
  tutored in life somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains? 
  The background and personality of your character are the 
  essential ingredients of his persona. From your basic 
  concepts, you can then start to work out the details, such 
  as Attributes and Advantages.  
  Getting Started 
  There are five basic concepts you need to be aware of 
  before you begin to create your character: 
  • You can create a character of any age from any culture or 
  nation; however, she begins the game as a fairly young and 
  unsophisticated vampire who has only recently left the 
  tutelage of her sire. Your character knows little about 
  vampire society or Kindred life, except what she has been 
  told by her sire. In any case, she has been a vampire for 50 
  years or less. Your character's apparent age is the age 
  when she "died." 
  • This character creation process was designed as much to 
  help you define your character as it was to provide you 
  with a means to interact with the rules. The process of 
  creating the character is meant to help you better focus the 
  concept of your character. Remember that a character 
  cannot exist only as numbers; it is your roleplaying which 
  will shape and define an alter ego. 
  • This character creation system is a purchase system with 
  only one die roll involved. By choosing Traits from a 
  variety of lists, you decide who your character will be. You 
  will get extra points called "freebies" at the end of the 
  process, which you can then use to add dots to any Trait, 
  so do not agonize over all your choices. 
  • A Trait of one is poor and a trait of five is superb, so if 
  you only have one dot on something, you are either not 
  very good or only a beginner. Traits are based on the 
  human range, as a vampire's special powers are defined by 
  Disciplines and the use of Blood Points. 
  • It is your responsibility to create a character who fits into 
  the group. If you fail to get along with the others and 
  disrupt the story because of it, you will have to create a 
  new character. Life as a vampire is far too dangerous for 
  animosity to exist within a brood; in order to survive, you 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  55 
  need to work together. 
   Role of the Storyteller 
  As the Storyteller, you must guide the players through the 
  character generation process. After your players arrive for 
  the game session, you need to introduce them to the basic 
  premise of the game and describe the rules system. Your 
  main goal should be to make it as easy for the players as 
  possible. If they are beginners, keep things as simple as 
  you can; let them discover the intricacies of the system on 
  their own. 
  Start by passing out the character sheets, and then give the 
  players a minute to look them over and ask questions 
  about them. You may also photocopy the "Character 
  Creation" sheet from the back of the book (for personal 
  use only) to use as a reference aid throughout the process. 
  If the players can refer to this sheet and listen to your 
  explanations at the same time, character generation will be 
  much easier to understand. Then go through the character 
  creation process step by step, filling in all the details of the 
  character Traits. 
  It is usually advisable to spend an entire game session 
  creating characters. This ensures that the players don't feel 
  rushed and that they take the time to make complete, 
  flesh-and-blood characters, not paper-thin stooges. Once 
  you are finished with the practical details of the character 
  creation, you can spend the rest of the game session 
  conducting a prelude for each character. A prelude is a 
  form of abbreviated storytelling in which you tell the story 
  of the character's life up to the Embrace. This will be their 
  introduction to the chronicle as well as their character, so 
  make it memorable. The prelude is described at the end of 
  this chapter.  
  Step 1: Character Concept 
  Each person is many persons: a multitude made into one 
  person; 
  a 
  corporate 
  body; 
  incorporated, 
  a 
  corporationthe unity of a person is as real, or unreal, as 
  the unity of the corporation.  
  -N.O. Brown 
  Before you write a single thing down, you need to develop 
  a concept for your character. It only needs to be a general 
  idea of what your character will be like, something unique 
  and interesting that will be enjoyable to play over the long 
  term. This involves choosing a clan (the bloodline of 
  vampires from which the character descends) as well as 
  the personality of the character, which is described by 
  choosing her Nature and Demeanor. 
  The better you can interrelate these three aspects of your 
  character, the more intricate and complete she will be. 
  Often the Demeanor of a character will be completely 
  different than her actual Nature, and the stereotypical 
  image of a clan can be contradicted with great effect by 
  choosing the Nature and Demeanor carefully. 
  Though short lists are given in this chapter, complete 
  descriptions of the clans and the archetypes can be found 
  in Chapter Seven, Traits. 
  Concept 
  Many Kindred find it difficult to abandon their concept of 
  themselves as humans and cling tenaciously to the 
  trappings of their former lives. Thus the first thing you 
  need to do is to come up with an overall concept of who 
  the character  
  was before he was Embraced: what he did, how he lived, 
  and what was unique about him. This concept may 
  describe his profession, how he saw himself, or what 
  others felt about him. 
  Some concepts, such as knight or hermit, indicate that the 
  character was Embraced hundreds of years ago, while 
  others, such as trucker or movie star, indicate that the 
  character is a product of the modern era. Regardless of 
  when the character was Embraced, he has spent only 50 
  years or less as a vampire; all years of undead existence 
  beyond that are assumed to have been spent in torpor, 
  sleeping the long sleep of the Damned. 
  See the "Concepts" chart for ideas on the concepts 
  available to you. 
  The Clan 
  The next step, and arguably the most important element of 
  character conception, is to choose your character's clan. 
  The clan describes the essential lineage of the character - 
  you are always of the same clan as your sire. The seven 
  clans from which the players can choose are all members 
  of the Camarilla. There are others, but they exist either in 
  their own sects or on the outskirts of Kindred society. 
  A player does not necessarily need to choose a clan, for 
  some younger vampires are of such diluted blood that the 
  characteristics of any single clan have not been imprinted 
  upon them. These clanless vampires, known as Caitiff, are 
  increasingly common among the Kindred, but they are 
  outcasts - accepted by none, scorned by all. If you wish to 
  play such a character, simply list "Caitiff" as the 
  character's clan. 
  Nature and Demeanor (Optional) 
  At this point you can, if you wish, choose personality 
  archetypes that fit your conception of both the internal 
  nature and outward disposition of your character. 
  Your Nature is the most dominant aspect of your 
  character's true personality, but not necessarily the only 
  archetype that may apply. The archetype you choose for 
  your character's Nature describes the character's most 
  deep-rooted feelings and beliefs about herself and the 
  world; it also provides the primary way in which she can 
  regain Willpower into her Willpower pool. Choosing a 
  Nature helps you describe who your character really is, on 
  the inside. 
  You should also choose a Demeanor to describe the 
  personality your character pretends to possess. This is the 
  role she plays to the world, the facade she presents to it. It 
  should probably be different from the archetype you have 
  already chosen as the character's Nature, but not 
  necessarily. Whatever you choose is only the character's 
  typical pose; people can change Demeanor as quickly as 
  they change mood. You may change your character's 
  Demeanor at any time, allowing her to adapt to different 
  people and different situations. Demeanor has no practical 
  effect on the rules. 
  Some examples of personality archetypes you can choose 
  are listed on the next page. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  56 
  Character Creation Process 
  •Step One: Character Concept - who are you? 
  Choose Concept, Clan, Nature and Demeanor  
  •Step Two: Choose Attributes - what are your basic capabilities? 
  Choose Physical, Social and Mental Traits 
  • Step Three: Choose Abilities - what do you know? 
  Choose Talents, Skills and Knowledges 
  •Step Four: Choose Advantages - in what ways are you unique? 
  Choose Disciplines, Backgrounds and Virtues 
  •Step Five: Last Touches - filling in the details. 
  Choose Willpower, Humanity and Blood Pool (and spend "freebie" points) 
  Concepts 
  · Criminal - jailbird, mafioso, cat burglar, drug dealer, bandit 
  · Dilettante - artist, writer, intellectual, gambler, student 
  · Drifter - hobo, cowboy, prostitute, hermit, pilgrim 
  · Entertainer - comic, musician, movie star, clown 
  · Investigator - detective, cop, government agent, Inquisitor  
  · Kid - child, runaway, nerd, gang member, street urchin 
  · Outsider - aborigine, Third World resident, homosexual 
  · Politician - judge, mayor, senator, public official, governor  
  · Professional - engineer, doctor, mortician, scholar 
  · Punk - club crawler, mosher, skinhead, classic '70s punk 
  · Reporter - anchorperson, newspaper, paparazzo, town crier 
  · Soldier - bodyguard, mercenary, Green Beret, knight 
  · Worker - trucker, farmer, wage slave, servant, serf 
  Clans  
  (Complete descriptions can be found on pgs. 126-139) 
  ·Brujah: Respecting no authority and acknowledging no leaders, the "rabble" consider themselves free. 
  · Gangrel: Loners and rustics, the "outlanders" are the only Kindred who dare venture outside the cities. 
  ·Malkavian: Commonly (and correctly) believed to be insane, the "kooks" nonetheless possess an uncanny vision and 
  wisdom. 
  ·Nosferatu: Ostracized and misunderstood by others, the hideous "sewer rats" live out their sordid existences in 
  hiding. 
  ·Toreador: Known for their hedonistic ways, the "degenerates" prefer to think of themselves as artists. 
  ·Tremere: Wizards descended from an ancient legacy, the "warlocks" work together to increase their influence and 
  power. 
  ·Ventrue: Aristocrats of rarefied taste and manner, the "blue bloods" are leaders of cool cunning. 
  ·Caitiff: Those with no clan - the outcasts and the disgraced. 
   
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  57 
  Personality Archetypes  
  (Complete descriptions can be found on pg: 140) 
  •Architect: You are unhappy unless you are creating something of lasting value. 
  •Bon Vivant: Life is meaningless, so enjoy it as long as it lasts. 
  •Bravo: You are something of a bully; you like to be feared. 
  •Caregiver: Many need your love and protection, and you need them to need you. 
  •Child: You never really grew up, and want someone to take care of you. 
  •Conformist: A follower at heart, you find it easy to adapt, adjust and comply. 
  •Conniver: There's always an easier way - which usually involves someone else doing your work. 
  •Curmudgeon: You are a real sourpuss and cynic of the Nth degree. 
  •Deviant: You're just not like everyone else. 
  •Director: You hate chaos and are forever taking charge to set things right. 
  •Fanatic: You have a cause and it gives your life meaning. 
  •Gallant: You are as flamboyant as you are amoral. 
  •Jester: Always the clown, you can't take life, or death, seriously. 
  •Judge: You seek justice and reconciliation. 
  •Loner: You are forever alone, even in a crowd. 
  •Martyr: You need to be needed, and enjoy being morally superior. 
  •Rebel: No need for a cause; you rebel out of habit and passion. 
  •Survivor: You struggle to survive, no matter what the odds. 
  •Traditionalist: You prefer the orthodox and conservative ways. 
  •Visionary: Wisdom is your quest, insight your key. 
   
   
   
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  58 
  Step 2: Choosing Attributes 
  His ardor smolders • Phosphorus flies 
  He radiates with urgency to hypnotize 
  Stoke the furnace •Feed his need 
  This thirst for fire is all he sees. 
  - Siouxsie and the Banshees, "Burn Up" 
    
  Now you get to start assigning numbers. The first step in 
  this process is to determine your character's basic 
  Attributes. The Attributes are everything which a character 
  naturally,  
  intrinsically is. How strong is she? How quick are her 
  reflexes? How persuasive can she be? Questions such as 
  these are answered by the character's Attributes. 
  First, you must prioritize the three different categories of 
  your character's Attributes - Physical, Mental and Social. 
  You must decide in which your character is best (primary), 
  in which he is average (secondary), and in which category 
  he is poor (tertiary). Is your character more physical than 
  social - is he smarter than he is brawny? 
  • Physical Attributes are everything that has anything to do 
  with physical effort. They describe how strong, nimble and 
  sturdy your character is, and are the primary Attributes of 
  an action-oriented character - the Physical Attributes 
  concern only the strengths and weaknesses of the body. Is 
  your character powerful, quick-footed or hardy? 
  • Social Attributes describe your character's ability to 
  relate to (and sometimes use) others. Social Attributes are 
  vital in determining first impressions, the character's 
  ability to inspire and motivate people, and the nature of 
  her interactions with others. Is your character charming, 
  well-spoken or good-looking? 
  • The Mental Attributes represent your character's mental 
  capacity, and include such things as memory, perception 
  and the ability to learn and think. Is your character 
  insightful, astute or clever? 
  The concept and clan of your character may suggest to you 
  what your priorities should be, but feel free to pick any 
  scheme you please. For now, your character conception 
  should be very general - it is necessary to paint a broad, 
  sweeping outline before filling in the details. 
  All characters start with one dot in each Attribute. Your 
  priority selection determines how many "dots" you get to 
  spend in each category - which category of Attributes you 
  get to add seven dots to, which you get to add five extra 
  dots to, and which one you only get to add three extra dots 
  to. Thus you may choose to add seven dots to your 
  character's Physical Attributes, five to her Mental 
  Attributes, and only three dots to her Social Attributes. 
  The dots may be divided among the Attributes of a 
  category as you see fit - you could assign all three of your 
  Social Attribute dots to Charisma, one dot to each of the 
  three Social Attributes, or two dots to one and one dot to 
  another. 
  Later in the character creation process it is possible to 
  increase these ratings, so don't worry too much. Let your 
  intuition guide you. 
  Attributes 
  Primary: 7 dots 
  Secondary: 5 dots 
  Tertiary: 3 dots 
   
  Note: The space after each Attribute (and Ability) is for 
  you to fill in a specialty, a subcategory of the Trait in which 
  the character excels. Specialties will be fully explained in 
  the Traits chapter; for now, concentrate on choosing your 
  ratings.  
  Abilities 
  Primary: 13 dots 
  Secondary: 9 dots 
  Tertiary: 5 dots 
  Step 3: Choosing Abilities 
  Between two worlds life hovers like a star, 
  'Twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge 
  How little do we know that which we are! 
  How less what we may be!  
  -Lord Byron, "Don Juan" 
  Abilities delineate what the character knows rather than 
  what he is; they describe the things he has learned rather 
  than the things he can do naturally. All Talents, Skills and 
  Knowledges are Abilities. 
  Each Ability the character possesses is assigned a rating 
  representing how good the character is in that particular 
  Ability. This number is used to help determine how many 
  dice you roll when your character attempts to use an 
  Ability. This section of the rules guides you in determining 
  what Abilities you may choose and how high or low each 
  Ability is rated. 
  Abilities are divided into three different categories: 
  Talents, Skills and Knowledges. Each type of Ability has 
  different characteristics. 
  • Talents describe all the intuitive Abilities. Talents do not 
  need to be practiced per se and cannot be studied or 
  learned from a book; they are most often gained through 
  direct experience. Is your character self-taught or does she 
  possess a lot of common sense? 
  • Skills are the Abilities learned through rigorous training 
  of any sort. This category includes any Ability that must be 
  learned step by step through actual practice, but can be 
  taught and studied (unlike Talents). Is your character good 
  at picking up things from daily (or nightly) practice? 
  • Know ledges include all the Abilities requiring the 
  rigorous application of the mind. These are the Abilities 
  generally learned through school, classes, books and 
  teachers, but can also be picked up through experience. Is 
  your character educated or does he have a good memory? 
  You must categorize these Abilities in the same way you 
  categorized the Attributes. You must decide how to rank 
  your Talents, Skills and Knowledges, choosing in which 
  category your character will be above average (primary), in 
  which she will be average (secondary), and in which she 
  will be below average (tertiary). 
  You get 13 dots to spend on your character's primary 
  category, nine for the secondary category, and only five 
  dots for the tertiary category. 
  Advantages 
  Disciplines 3 dots 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  59 
  Backgrounds 5 dots 
  Virtues 7 dots 
   
  However, there is one additional restriction: you cannot 
  give your character more than three dots in any one ability 
  (later, however, you can use your "freebie" points to gain 
  four or even five dots in an Ability). 
  Step 4: Advantages 
  You do not prioritize or rank the character's three 
  categories of Advantages. Instead you have a designated 
  number of dots to assign within each one. Though this 
  number is fixed, you can purchase additional dots later on 
  using your "freebie" points. 
  Disciplines 
  After characters first become vampires, they gain various 
  Disciplines, which are the mystic arts of the vampires and 
  do much to describe their powers. You have only three 
  points to spend, and may only choose Disciplines that your 
  character's clan is especially proficient with (Clan 
  Disciplines). See the Clans section of the Traits chapter to 
  find out what your character's Clan Disciplines are. If you 
  are a Caitiff and have no clan, you can put your three 
  points on any Disciplines you would like. 
  Players are urged to be cautious when they choose 
  Disciplines, for these powers are central to a vampire 
  charac- 
  Disciplines 
  (Complete descriptions can be found on pgs. 156-171) 
  •Animalism: Supernatural affinity with, and control of, 
  animals. 
  •Auspex: Extrasensory perception, awareness and 
  premonitions. 
  •Celerity: Supernatural quickness and reflexes. 
  • Dominate: Mind control practiced through the 
  piercing gaze. 
  •Fortitude: Unearthly toughness, even to the point of 
  resisting fire and sunlight. 
  •Obfuscate: The ability to remain obscure and unseen, 
  even in crowds. 
  •Potence: The Discipline of physical vigor and strength. 
  • Presence: The ability to attract, sway and control 
  crowds. 
  •Protean: Shapechanging - from growing claws to 
  melding with the earth. 
  •Thaumaturgy: The study and practice of sorcery. 
  Backgrounds 
  (Complete descriptions can be found on pg. 171) 
  • Allies: Human confederates, usually family or friends. 
  • Contacts: The number of information sources the 
  character possesses. 
  • Fame: The character's renown in the mortal world. 
  • Generation: How far removed from Caine the 
  character is. 
  • Herd: The vessels to which the character has free and 
  safe access. 
  • Influence: The character's political power within 
  mortal society. 
  • Mentor: The Cainite patron who adv ises and supports 
  the character. 
  • Resources: Wealth, belongings, and monthly income. 
  • Retainers: Followers, guards and servants. 
  • Status: The character's standing in undead society. 
  ter. Three points isn't a whole lot, but characters should 
  start out weak, and Disciplines can be raised (or new ones 
  added) during the chronicle. 
  Backgrounds 
  Every character also gets five points to allocate among the 
  various Background Traits. You have only five points to 
  allot, and in some chronicles your choice may be restricted 
  to certain Backgrounds; the Storyteller will let you know 
  the ground rules. Your Background Traits should fit into 
  the general scheme of the concept originally chosen. 
  Virtues 
  Virtues are fundamental to a Vampire character, for 
  they  describe the moral strengths and weakness that play 
  such an essential role in the vampire myth. Each of the 
  three Virtues are rolled in different circumstances to 
  determine the emotional reactions of the character. Self-
  Control is rolled to see if a character can resist the urge to 
  frenzy, Courage is rolled to see if the character can avoid 
  panic at the sight of open flames or the sun, and 
  Conscience is rolled to see if remorse is felt and Humanity 
  loss thus averted when a character commits acts of evil. 
  Every character automatically starts with one dot in each 
  of the three Virtue Traits, and you may then assign seven 
  additional dots as you see fit. The Virtues are a primary 
  factor in determining what your character's Humanity and 
  Willpower will be, so you will want to be especially careful. 
  Later you may wish to use "freebie" points to boost your 
  character's ratings.  
  Point Pool Costs 
  Disciplines (any): 7 points per dot 
  Attributes: 5 points per dot 
  Abilities: 2 points per dot 
  Virtues: 2 points per dot 
  Willpower: 2 points per dot 
  Humanity: 1 point per dot 
  Backgrounds: 1 point per dot 
  Step 5: Finishing Touches 
  What is the worst of woes that wait on age? 
  What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow? 
  To view each loved one blotted from life's page, 
  To be alone on earth as I am now. 
  - Lord Byron, "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" 
  Often the most important stage of character creation is 
  applying the last touches - the little details and flourishes 
  that complete the character. In this step you gain your 15 
  "freebie" points, enabling you to add more dots to any of 
  the Traits on the character sheet. Before you start on the 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  60 
  "freebies," however, you must determine what the base 
  scores are for your character's Willpower, Humanity and 
  Blood Pool. 
  Willpower 
  Your character's beginning Willpower is equal to his 
  Courage rating, and will thus range from 1 to 5. You should 
  probably raise it even higher by using "freebie" points. 
  Willpower is essential for controlling the actions of your 
  character, especially in times of stress when your 
  predatory instincts emerge. Willpower is also vital for 
  resisting Domination and employing the Discipline of 
  Thaumaturgy. 
  Humanity 
  Your character's initial Humanity is equal to her 
  Conscience + Self-Control ratings, ranging from 2 to 9. 
  However, it is generally a good idea to purchase a higher 
  Humanity by spending "freebie" points. Humanity is 
  critical for determining how far your character has 
  degenerated into bestiality. A character with no Humanity 
  has completely succumbed to the Beast and can no longer 
  be used as a player character. 
  Blood Pool 
  The crowning touch of character generation is determining 
  how large a Blood Pool the character has at the beginning 
  of the game. The Blood Pool indicates how much "energy" 
  the character has - blood is the life force of a vampire. 
  Simply roll a 10-sided die to determine the number of 
  Blood Points possessed. This is the only die roll that will  
  be made during the character creation process. The irony 
  of a vampire's existence should not be confined to the 
  story alone. 
  Freebie Points 
  You now get 15 points to buy Traits anywhere on the 
  character sheet. However, it's not as straightforward as it 
  might seem. If you want to add a dot to an Attribute, each 
  one costs five freebie points, while a Background dot only 
  costs one point. Costs are listed in the chart below. You 
  can buy any Discipline (even ones that are not listed as 
  Clan Disciplines). 
  Spark of Life 
  There are other aspects of a character that can be detailed 
  in addition to the above. You do not necessarily need to 
  write these things down, but you should certainly think 
  about them - not only now but throughout the career of 
  your character. 
  Appearance 
  Your character's appearance makes her Traits visible to 
  the other characters. You should turn the relevant Traits of 
  you r character - such as the Social Attributes and concept - 
  into aspects of her appearance. High Intelligence can 
  become a clear, piercing gaze. A Dilettante concept could 
  mean the character wears stylish and expensive clothes. In 
  this way, the players can make their characters' Traits 
  more tangible and interesting. It is much more evocative 
  to say, "There always seems to be a sneer of disdain on my 
  face," than to say, "You can tell I'm very disdainful." 
  Contacts 
  Make a list of your character's Major and Minor Contacts 
  (if any) on the back of your character sheet. Remember, 
  you gain one Major Contact for each rating point of 
  Contacts. All you need are the names of the Contacts, 
  details on where and how they can be reached, and what 
  kind of assistance they might be good for. See Chapter 
  Seven for more details. 
  Retainers 
  Detail what kind of Retainers your character possesses, if 
  you have selected this Background Trait. Each Retainer is 
  a loyal servant who will steadfastly serve your character. 
  Ask yourself these questions about your Retainers: How 
  do you secure their loyalty? Do you Dominate them? Does 
  your Presence overpower them? Have you befriended 
  them? Do they owe you for something? What are their 
  special skills? What do they do during the day? Are they 
  ghouls or do you feed from them? See Chapter Seven for 
  more details. 
  Specialties 
  You may wish to give your character specialties from the 
  outset. Though most players select specialties for their 
  Traits during play, you can pick them immediately. 
  Specialties are particular aspects of larger Traits that your 
  character is especially good at. Simply fill in the space next 
  to the Trait with an appropriate specialty; suggestions are 
  made with each Trait in the Traits chapter. Though 
  primarily used for roleplaying, specialties can give the 
  character a bonus to dice rolls when performing certain 
  feats or can assist in other ways. What effect they have on 
  play is up to the Storyteller. See page 125 for more details. 
  Equipment 
  If you want to spend money right away to buy equipment, 
  you may do so now. You may buy weapons, clothing, 
  homes, condos, cars, anything - use an appropriate catalog 
  for prices. As the Storyteller, let those who have the time 
  do as much work as they want, but don't punish those who 
  don't - just have them make a Resources or Influence roll 
  during play to see if they have access to various 
  possessions. 
  Quirks 
  By giving your character quirks (interesting personal 
  details and anecdotes) you can add a great deal of depth 
  and interest to him. Write a few sentences on the back of 
  your character sheet about the strange and possibly 
  interesting things that define your character. A quirk could 
  be a twisted sense of humor, a gentleness to animals or a 
  habit of grunting when answering yes to a question.  
  Example of Character 
  Creation 
  Lisa decides to create a Vampire character. Mark, the 
  Storyteller, hands her a copy of a character sheet and the 
  Character Creation Outline sheet. Using the outline, Lisa 
  begins the process that will turn an idea into a full-fledged 
  character. 
    
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  61 
  First, she must come up with a character concept. Lisa 
  wants to play a male character, since her last character was 
  female, so she uses that to limit her concept choices. A 
  recent TV show on undercover narcotics agents has 
  intrigued her, so she makes her character a narcotics 
  agent. The name Malcolm springs into her mind at this 
  point, so the character suddenly has a name. 
  After looking through the list of vampire clans, Lisa 
  decides on the Gangrel clan - she's always been fascinated 
  by wolves! 
  Lisa ponders for a moment about Malcolm's Nature and 
  Demeanor. These two Traits will help her to nail down 
  Malcolm's personality more easily. The Nature is 
  Malcolm's deep-rooted self, the part of him which affects 
  all his thoughts and actions. Lisa decides that he is a 
  Loner, which is the reason he got into the narcotics part of 
  police work - he liked working undercover, alone. To the 
  world, Malcolm pretends to be a Fanatic - i.e. his 
  Demeanor. He figures that most people shy away from 
  Fanatics and leave them alone, thus facilitating his Nature. 
  His vendetta against the drug kingpins of Chicago has 
  given him quite a reputation in the police force and is the 
  focus of his fanaticism. Lisa will decide in the prelude what 
  exactly caused Malcolm to become so fanatical over the 
  drug issue. At this point, Lisa also adds a quirk to 
  Malcolm, deciding that he only feeds off of drug pushers, 
  addicts or other drug-related people. 
    
  Now Lisa must choose Malcolm's Attributes. She 
  prioritizes his categories in the following way: 
  Mental is Malcolm's primary category, since his job 
  requires a keen Wits and Perception in order to survive in 
  the inner city. 
  Physical is Malcolm's secondary category, since being a 
  cop requires a certain degree of physical fitness. 
  Social is Malcolm's tertiary category. This is because he is 
  a loner and also because his undercover work makes him 
  seem like a lowlife. 
  Dividing up Malcolm's seven Mental points, Lisa assigns 
  him a 3 Perception (two points + the one point that is free 
  in each Attribute), a 3 Intelligence, and a 4 Wits (all of 
  which are vital for his job as an undercover cop). 
  Three of Malcolm's five Physical points are spent on 
  Dexterity, giving him a very high rating of 4, while the two 
  remaining points are split between Strength and Stamina, 
  leaving him with ratings of 2 in each. 
  Finally, of the three Social points, two are spent on 
  Manipulation, giving him a 3 (handy in the streets) and 
  the remaining point is spent on Charisma, giving him an 
  average score of 2. His Appearance remains at the base 1 
  (he's not very handsome). 
    
  Next, Lisa has to prioritize and pick Malcolm's Abilities. 
  She decides Malcolm relies more on his innate Talents to 
  survive on the street (this becomes his primary Ability 
  category). Skills are also important to police officers, so 
  this becomes his secondary category, while Knowledges 
  become tertiary by default (scholastic subjects don't 
  amount to much in the face of a revolver). 
  Lisa has 13 points to spend in Talents. She spends her first 
  six points to give Malcolm ratings of 3 in both Streetwise 
  and Brawl (important Talents for urban survival). She 
  then spends two points each in Alertness (a cop has to 
  watch his back), Subterfuge (a must for undercover work), 
  and Athletics (a police officer has to be in good shape). She 
  assigns the last point to Dodge (to avoid those lethal 
  blows). 
  For the nine points Lisa has to spend in Skills, she gives 
  Malcolm a 3 in Firearms (a must for a cop). Then, she 
  spends the next four points to gain ratings of 2 in both 
  Drive and Stealth (again, essential for his work), and 
  finally assigns ratings of 1 each in Melee and Survival with 
  her last two points (she may need to spend some of her 
  freebie points here). 
  Finally, Lisa puts three of her five Knowledge points into 
  Investigation (Malcolm's main line of work), while the 
  remaining two points are put into Law (he knows just 
  enough about the law to get by as a cop) and Linguistics 
  (he speaks Spanish, the language of the narcotics world) 
  respectively. 
    
  Now comes the vampiric aspect. Lisa has to figure out 
  Malcolm's Advantages, starting with the Disciplines - 
  those powers which make a vampire different from a 
  human. She has only three points to spend on Disciplines; 
  she must choose from Animalism, Fortitude or Protean 
  because of Malcolm's Gangrel lineage. Lisa puts all three 
  points into Protean (she  
  wants to get that ability to change into a wolf, but that will 
  be somewhere down the line). 
  Lisa decides to spend most of Malcolm's Background 
  points on things connected with his past (i.e., before he 
  became a vampire). Therefore, she spends two points each 
  for Influence and Contacts (with the police department 
  and the drug underworld). The remaining point is spent 
  on Resources (probably equipment from his previous life, 
  with a little dirty money included). 
  Lisa must now assign points to Malcolm's Virtues. She has 
  seven points to spend (there is already one dot in each 
  Virtue). Malcolm is gutsy and unshakable under pressure, 
  so Lisa expends three points each in Courage and Self-
  Control, bringing both ratings to 4. The remaining point is 
  spent on Conscience, raising it to 2 (Malcolm has a cynical 
  view of human nature after spending a good portion of the 
  last 10 years in the cesspool of human existence - the 
  world of drugs). 
  Now Lisa has to put the finishing touches on her character. 
  First she must calculate Malcolm's starting Willpower, 
  Humanity and Blood Pool. Malcolm's Willpower is the 
  same as his Courage rating; i.e. 4. She marks off that many 
  dots on his character sheet. His Humanity is the sum of his 
  Conscience and Self-Control; i.e. 4+2 or 6, which she 
  marks on her sheet. Malcolm's starting Blood Pool is 
  determined by a die roll, which comes up 6 for Lisa, so she 
  marks off six boxes on the character sheet. 
    
  Finally, Lisa gets to spend 1 5 "freebie" points on Malcolm. 
  She really wants Malcolm to be lightning-quick, so she 
  spends seven of the points to give Malcolm one point of 
  Celerity (a Discipline that Malcolm couldn't get from his 
  clan). Lisa also wants Malcolm's Melee to be a little higher, 
  so she spends two points to raise it to 2. She decides that 
  Malcolm should be almost inhumanly cool under fire, so 
  she spends two more points to raise his Self-Control to 5 
  (which adds a point of Humanity in the process). Finally, 
  she puts the remaining four points into Willpower, since 
  Malcolm is very strong-willed. 
  While this officially ends the character generation process, 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  62 
  Lisa decides that she wants to fill in a few more little 
  details in order to fully bring Malcolm to life. These details 
  may change during the prelude, but they provide both her 
  and the Storyteller with a base to expand upon when they 
  enact the prelude. 
  Malcolm has two Major Contacts - Sgt. Grabowski in the 
  Homicide Division and "Softshoe," his informant on the 
  street. Lisa doesn't want to specialize too much yet, but 
  she decides Malcolm's Investigation Knowledge will be 
  concentrated in narcotics, and she writes this in the spot 
  provided on the sheet. Malcolm still rents the apartment 
  he had as a human, using it as a haven and financing the 
  place with money stolen from the drug dealers he kills. 
  Malcolm's prey are all the derelicts and rejects who sink 
  themselves into the drug subculture - and there is a never-
  ending supply of them. 
  The only possessions of note for Malcolm are his service 
  revolver and badge, both of which he still carries even 
  though he has been relieved of his duty due to a poor 
  attendance record (those daytime meetings can be lethal). 
  He also has an old, rusty cop car which he bought at a 
  police auction. In order to picture Malcolm, think of a very 
  unsavory member of a motorcycle gang - unkempt, 
  unshaven and dirty. 
  Lisa has already established the quirk that Malcolm will 
  only feed on people connected with the drug culture. At 
  this time, Lisa also decides that Malcolm has developed a 
  drug problem of his own from drinking the blood of drug 
  users. Malcolm's main motivation is to continue his life as 
  if nothing had happened. He's content to use his newfound 
  powers to bring the drug community to justice, but he 
  refuses to accept that his life as a human is at an end. 
  Therefore, he still hangs on to his badge, gun and car as 
  the last vestiges of his former life and occupation. At this 
  point, Lisa doesn't have a clear idea about Malcolm's sire, 
  except that he was one vagabond too many in Malcolm's 
  fanatical desire to rid Chicago of drugs. 
  Voila! A completed character. Now Mark will take Lisa and 
  Malcolm through a prelude to further flesh out some of 
  Lisa's ideas about her character.  
  Looking Ahead 
  Looked in the mirror and saw what was wrong 
  Got to get back to where I belong - where I belong. 
  - Joy Division, "Something Must Break" 
    
  In the process of creating a character, you have hopefully 
  become ready to roleplay that character as well. An 
  important part of the character creation process is the 
  attachment that develops between you and your character, 
  enabling you to play the role creatively and with purpose. 
  Nurture your empathy for your character - if she is at all 
  different from you, it might not come naturally. 
  The process of character creation does not end with the 
  beginning of the first story, for a character never stops 
  growing, changing, developing and maturing. As the 
  chronicle progresses, create new personality traits and 
  historical details. Use your experience wisely to develop 
  your abilities. Seek to build your character's Willpower 
  and maintain her Humanity, and always, always add more 
  and more flesh to the bare bones listed on the character 
  sheet . The true essence of the character can only be 
  captured in your roleplaying; it can never be listed upon 
  the character sheet. 
  Most importantly, you should think of ways in which the 
  personality of your character might change because of the 
  things that occur in her life and then guide her in that 
  direction. Let her determine her own fate. Never force her 
  to fall into your earlier conceptions of who and what she 
  should be. An angry Deviant who learns to control his 
  rage, or an aimless Loner who gains a sense of hope can be 
  a beautiful thing - especially if the Storyteller catches on to 
  what you are doing and builds a subplot around it. Even 
  characters who only get "worse" can develop deeper and 
  more fully realized personas. 
  If your character ever bores you, it's probably because you 
  have not developed and changed her enough over time. 
  Ideally, the character simply grows more real as you play 
  in the chronicle, developing as a character and as a person. 
  The way in which a character changes reveals as much 
  about that character as the way she is described. A 
  character in a short story is rarely as real and complete as 
  one in a novel - there simply is not enough time for proper 
  development. Make your characters as complete, vital and 
  interesting as you possibly can throughout the course of 
  the chronicle. 
  Novelists often speak of characters in their books coming 
  to life, refusing to be manipulated or directed by the 
  writer. This type of character stands out from the page and 
  says "Leave me alone, I'm real"; he then does as he will, 
  regardless of the author's original intent. We can learn 
  much from this experience - it is the epitome of what 
  makes a great character.  
  The Prelude 
  I remember, before, my mother dragged me out to the 
  shops with her. She often did. I'd been a good boy, for a 
  change, and she'd take me to the sweet shop for a couple 
  of candied sticks, or some such. My reward, as it were. 
  We were only there a moment when my mother spied a 
  friend of hers in the shop too. She went over to talk, and 
  left me standing there. It took me a moment, but I 
  realized that I was alone. Me and the metal scoops of 
  candy piled high. A lifetime of dreams, and no one to see 
  me. No one to stop me. 
  When my mother returned, she found me standing there, 
  shaking, my face red and hands clenched until they 
  nearly bled. Oh, how I'd wanted to just grab and take and 
  stuff my pockets until they overflowed and then fill myself 
  up, stuffing the sweets inside me until I couldn't fit 
  anymore. Only then would I stop. 
  But I was afraid. Frightened of being discovered, terrified 
  of never being allowed into the sweet shop again, of not 
  being able to stuff enough inside me to be happy forever. I 
  was afraid. 
  I am not afraid anymore. 
  - Johann 
    
  It is our past that defines us most clearly, for it is the best 
  indication of what we might become. The purpose of the 
  prelude is to give each character a past so the future might 
  be told. It is, in fact, a form of one-on-one storytelling in 
  which the story of a character's life (and death) is told. 
  The prelude is a way to create character biographies before 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  63 
  the chronicle actually begins, allowing the characters to 
  live out their lives prior to the moment when the first story 
  starts. It is quite similar to normal play, except that many 
  years are compressed into a series of rapid-fire decisions. 
  The prelude provides a frame of reference for everything 
  else that happens in the chronicle. Without it, a character 
  will not make as much sense or be as complete. It's a way 
  of doing some quick and dirty roleplaying to get a 
  character ready for play, much like the page or so of 
  character description a novelist gives major characters 
  when they enter the story. It is essential for the story, but 
  it doesn't need to go on for 100 pages. 
  A vital part of a character's background is the creation of a 
  personal history, which is one of the things the prelude 
  does best. It helps you create a sense of where your 
  character grew up and what her life was like. The personal 
  biography a player creates in the prelude will be relevant 
  throughout the chronicle, and you may well refer to it 
  frequently as a storytelling technique. 
  The Right Technique 
  Each player undergoes the prelude alone. It is one-on-one 
  unless two or more characters were friends and spent a lot 
  of time together before the Embrace. While you, as the 
  Storyteller, spend time with each player separately, the 
  rest  
  of them can socialize and start to get excited about what 
  lies ahead. Remember, it's anticipation which can make a 
  story blossom. 
  You will need to direct the player much more than you 
  usually will. Give him lots of decisions to make, but rush 
  everything and don't give him much time to think. You 
  need to play through things quickly, unless you are willing 
  and able to spend more time (which can enable the 
  creation of very detailed characters). Characters almost 
  never engage in combat during the prelude. If they do, you 
  simply describe the results of any fights (you can't have the 
  characters die before the game even begins!) 
  During the time you set aside for the prelude, be sure to let 
  the player have a chance to interact with both the setting 
  and the rules. You need to give him a chance to explore 
  both. If the player wants to change a few Traits during the 
  prelude, you should let him, as long as it is done for a 
  rational reason and not as an attempt to create a super-
  character. 
  There are many ways to progress through a character's 
  life; any way that helps mold a complete character is fine. 
  During the course of the prelude, you will want to explain 
  the full background of the character, including the origin 
  of her Resources and the identity of her Contacts. The 
  player should have a firm idea of the details of her 
  Background Traits. 
  You should play through one or more typical scenes from 
  the character's life to give the player a sense of how the 
  character lived as a mortal. You can get the player into her 
  vampire role by showing her the bland tedium of the 
  character's mortal existence. This scene can be something 
  so mundane and common that it will radically juxtapose 
  with the horror of becoming a vampire (which occurs 
  next). Remember, it is the mundane that gives scope to the 
  magnificent. 
  It can proceed something like this: "You're coming home 
  from work on a Friday and the traffic is especially foul. 
  You've had a bad day at the agency, and find it hard to 
  hold back your temper. You climb up the three flights of 
  stairs to your apartment and try to unlock the door, but 
  your key won't work. What do you do?" 
  As you describe things, let the player interrupt with her 
  own ideas and details concerning what is going on. You are 
  telling a story together, so treat the player more like a 
  partner. You can also include details that provoke the 
  player into feeling the emotions of her character - "Your 
  father is in a coma in the hospital." Of course, once the 
  character becomes a vampire, she can't freely visit 
  anymore. The father may awaken or may die, but the 
  character may never see him again. The player needs to 
  feel a profound and overwhelming sense of loss in order 
  for the true horror of the game to come across.  
  Questions and Answers 
  Described below are some questions which should be 
  answered by the end of the prelude. If there is no time for 
  a full prelude, you should at least make an effort to answer 
  these questions. It often helps to write out the answers, 
  even if you have undergone the full prelude. 
  With each question we list what sorts of things the player 
  should ask himself, as well as some advice to the 
  Storyteller on how to run the prelude in relationship to the 
  question. 
  • How old are you? 
  How old were you when you "died"? What year were you 
  born? How many years has it been since the Embrace? 
  How old do you look?  
  If the current game year (the year when you intend to 
  begin the chronicle) is 1993, and the character is about 37 
  years old (19 years as a human, 18 years as a vampire), 
  then you could start the prelude out in 1965, when the 
  character was only nine years old. Since one of the objects 
  of the prelude is to give the player as much freedom as 
  possible when determining the course of her character's 
  life, starting so young is not completely out of line. 
  Sometimes it is easier to assign dates and such after the 
  prelude is over. 
  • What was unique about your childhood? 
  How did you spend your early years -the period when 
  your basic motivations and attitudes were forged? Where 
  did you go to school? Who were your parents? Did you 
  travel very much? What was high school like? Did you go 
  to college? Did you run away from home? What sports, if 
  any, did you play?  
  You should try to give each player a sense of his character's 
  childhood, and provide something special to remember it 
  by. Concentrate especially on things that will affect the 
  character's future life - perhaps you can even bury some 
  story leads as you progress through his childhood. 
  You might include subtle clues in the prelude concerning 
  how the character was being watched over by his sire, even 
  in childhood. Sometimes a vampire is especially taken by a 
  child and spends years watching him grow up, Embracing 
  him only when he is fully grown. 
  • What kind of person were you? 
  Were you a good person? Were you popular? Did you 
  have a family or live alone? 
  Once the character is fully grown, you've got to establish 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  64 
  the setting just as you would do at the beginning of a 
  scene. Briefly describe to the player what the character's 
  adult life was like, perhaps letting her invent a lot of the 
  basic details. You need to give her the chance to roleplay 
  the character as a mortal, interacting with other humans. 
  • When did you first meet a vampire? 
  When did you first realize that you were being stalked? 
  What made you first believe in vampires? Were you 
  afraid? Incredulous? Angry? 
  There are countless different circumstances surrounding 
  the Embrace; however, much like sharks, vampires usually 
  spend a considerable amount of time stalking their prey 
  prior to the actual attack. Evoke and describe the 
  sensation of being watched; slowly build up the tension 
  and suspense. The player knows what's coming, especially 
  if she's read the title of the game, but sometimes that can 
  make the tension all the more palpable. A character may 
  notice a person constantly watching her; whenever she 
  turns around, however, the person is gone. Though the 
  character may try to lose her stalker, somehow she never 
  can. 
  • How did the Embrace change you? 
  Was the Embrace painful? Did you get a kinky pleasure 
  out of it? Did the hunger tear at you? Did it frighten you? 
  Did it feel right? 
  You should play through the transformation in detail, 
  allowing the player to actually feel the trauma of being 
  changed. If the player is attacked by the vampire, then 
  make it horrific and let the player make rolls to push the 
  vampire away. However, such attempts are all ineffective. 
  Depending on the type of chronicle you want to run, you 
  can add in details that make the personal horror 
  overwhelming. The sire might throw the character's 
  spouse into a cell with her, as the new vampire begins to 
  grow hungry. Try to lure the character into committing 
  that first horrible act, but encourage temperance as well. 
  You might want to roleplay this part out in detail, making 
  the feeding rolls as described in the Drama Chapter. 
  • Who was your sire? 
  Was your sire brutal, arrogant, or wise? What did you 
  know about her? Did you get along with your sire? Did 
  you know your sire at all?  
  Many neonates know nothing about vampire society, for 
  they have been kept in the dark by their sire. Most sires 
  consider themselves the princes of their progeny, ruling 
  over them and treating them like slaves. They are reluctant 
  to introduce them to other Kindred. 
  • How did your sire treat you? 
  How long did you stay with your sire? What was your 
  sire like? Did she aid or hinder you? How long was your 
  "apprenticeship?" Where did you live? Where did you go? 
  Why did you sire Embrace you? 
  The sire is the most important person in a neonate's first 
  few years. The treatment the character receives from his 
  sire will make a big difference in the character's 
  personality. It will be the primary indication of how he will 
  interact with  
  other Kindred. Most sires keep their progeny with them 
  for many years, training and tutoring them, and keeping 
  them as companions. Many such fledglings are told 
  nothing of vampire society at large, and are even 
  prevented from interacting with it. Sires do this because 
  they are intensely jealous and wish to forge the personality 
  of their childe without interference. 
  There are many reasons why a vampire will create 
  progeny. You must determine why the sire of the character 
  created him. Maybe she will use the progeny to regain her 
  humanity, or perhaps she simply wants company. Does 
  want a slave, or is her blood so thinned with age that she 
  needs progeny as vessels? 
  • Were you presented to the prince? 
  Did the prince welcome you to the city with open arms, or 
  was he reluctant to accept you? Did he need to be bribed 
  or threatened? Are you on the run from the prince? Is he 
  your enemy? 
  Eventually, the character is released into the world and 
  given her freedom. The sire relinquishes all hold, and in so 
  doing, no longer has responsibility for the neonate. This 
  moment is marked by the age-old tradition of presenting 
  the neonate to the prince. 
  The prince may accept the character reluctantly, angrily, 
  with good grace, or (on rare occasions) with great 
  kindness. Normally this depends on the sire's relationship 
  with the prince. The most important consideration, 
  however, is whether the sire asked for permission before 
  or after the Embrace. A surprising number of vampires do 
  not bother to gain permission from the prince first, but 
  insist upon it later (most likely because they probably 
  wouldn't be given permission before). 
  The character might be released because she has become 
  too dangerous to keep. In some cases, a neonate only 
  conclusively learns that there are others of her kind after 
  she has been released. 
  In terms of roleplaying, make sure the sire explains the Six 
  Traditions handed down from Caine. It starts out with the 
  neonate being told of her clan and generation: "You are of 
  the Eleventh Generation from Caine, of the Clan Tremere, 
  and so his words are not so distant from you, for they were 
  spoken by him to his Fledgling and so unto you." These 
  Traditions are described in the Chapter Two: Setting on 
  page 37. 
  • How did you meet the others in your 
  brood? 
  Were you brought together through chance or design? Do 
  you get along with the others? Are you united in purpose 
  and attitude? How long have you been together in the 
  city? 
  Before the chronicle begins, the characters need to trust 
  each other; otherwise your stories will self-destruct. If the 
  Storyteller is the glue holding the coterie together, then 
  their  
  relationship won't last very long. Let the characters forge 
  their own ties and give them the responsibility for 
  maintaining them. 
  Each character needs to meet the others at some point, 
  and it is best if this is some sort of unique meeting. It can 
  be done two at a time, so that each character has a unique 
  relationship with one or two other characters, or you can 
  have everyone meet all at once and get it over with. It is 
  not suggested that you wait until the game begins before 
  you introduce the characters. It is generally best to solidify 
  a relationship between them before the action gets hot and 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  65 
  heavy. 
  • Where is your haven? 
  Where does your character live? Where does she hide 
  during the day?  
  Some Kindred have an actual home in which they reside, 
  while others have a particular part of the sewers where 
  they like to lie. Others, particularly the more paranoid 
  Kindred, have many secret places where they might spend 
  the day. 
  • What are your habitual feeding grounds? 
  Whom do you feed upon, and where? Do you have a 
  domain you seek to protect? Is your favorite hunting 
  ground used by others? Do you compete with others for 
  the same vessels? Do you ever kill when you feed? 
  It is likely that a character maintains regular sources of 
  food near his haven. As long as a character is near his 
  haven, he can feed without requiring a roll or any 
  roleplaying. But you need to detail this source of blood - 
  does he feed from the inmates of an asylum? Go club-
  hopping every night? Or do children come over to his 
  house each evening for piano lessons? 
  • What motivates you? 
  Do you have any enemies, anyone you wish to seek 
  vengeance against? Do you have any desire to return to 
  your old life? What is it that you search for most avidly? 
  Your characters' primary motivations are central to 
  understanding who and what they are. After they cease 
  being human, vampires' priorities and standards often 
  change, usually drastically. Things that were once 
  important no longer are, and new values become central in 
  their lives. If you want to have a real and complete 
  character, you must first have an understanding of what 
  drives her and keeps her from depression and total 
  aimlessness (which can be interesting to play as well - 
  simply decide that your character has no motivations at 
  all). Your Nature and Demeanor can be of great assistance 
  in determining your motivations.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  66 
  Chapter Six: 
  Chronicle 
  No one commands me. No man. No god. No Elder. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What 
  is a claim of power for ones who defy death? Call your damnable hunt. We shall see whom I drag screaming to Hell 
  with me. 
  - 
  Günter Dörn, Das Ungeheuer Darin  
   
  This chapter describes how to establish and develop a 
  Vampire chronicle. It serves the same function for the 
  Storyteller and the chronicle that the previous chapter 
  does for the player and the character. It not only describes 
  how to design a chronicle, but includes advice on how to 
  keep the level of player interest high throughout its course. 
  The process of designing stories as well as chronicles is 
  explained in detail, and examples are provided. This 
  chapter provides you with the tools to create a compelling 
  and complete Vampire chronicle, not only at its genesis, 
  but at all stages of its development. 
  Creating a chronicle is not unlike creating a character, and 
  involves at least as much work and creativity. A chronicle 
  is not always easy to create, simply because of the scope of 
  the story which it describes. Indeed, a chronicle is never 
  truly designed, but evolves through a series of stories. 
  Stories are the blood and sinew of a chronicle, and are 
  almost as important, in their own way, as the characters. 
  However, this chapter is not intended to be an all-inclusive 
  description of the stories you can tell in Vampire. That 
  would be impossible in this limited space (it would take an 
  encyclopedia). We will, however, try to present some of the 
  best story archetypes, along with some of the most 
  interesting chronicle archetypes as well. 
  Regardless of their undeniable import, a chronicle is more 
  than the sum of its constituent stories - it is in fact a story 
  itself. The chronicle is the saga told by the characters' lives. 
  It has a beginning and an ending. It has obstacles for the 
  characters to overcome and it has a consistent style and 
  motif. More than likely, the same antagonists will appear 
  again and again to terrorize the characters. A chronicle is 
  not simply a string of stories slapped together - not unless 
  you are willing to settle for something mediocre. A 
  chronicle must be created with as much patience, 
  creativity and grace as a model plane or an oil painting. It 
  must be treated as the central character in the game. 
  Creating a Chronicle 
  Her lips were red, her looks were free 
  Her locks were as yellow as gold, 
  Her skin was white as leprosy. 
  The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she, 
  Who thicks man's blood with cold. 
  - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient 
  Mariner 
    
  You need to begin designing the chronicle long before the 
  players create their characters. Hopefully, you will have 
  already spent several hours of work, at least, in 
  determining the substance and texture of the chronicle you 
  want to run.  
  Everything else depends on what you come up with 
  initially. The sharper your ideas and overall concept, the 
  better everything else will work later on. It can be time-
  consuming to create a Vampire chronicle, but the work 
  you do at the beginning will pay off in spades later on. 
  While the players create their characters, you shouldn't sit 
  around idly. Before the chronicle can begin, you need an 
  idea of what it will be like - its setting, antagonists and 
  central issues. You must create a setting that will excite the 
  players, antagonists that will provoke them, and issues 
  that will involve them. Creating the chronicle is like 
  creating the most important character of the game. 
  You have a number of decisions to make as you create the 
  chronicle. First, you need to decide the setting - what city 
  is it set in and what is that city like? Second, you need to 
  determine what connects the characters and binds them 
  together, and what you can do to help describe their 
  motivations. Third, the primary antagonists of the players 
  need to be delineated - what are their motivations and 
  powers? Fourth, a plan of the progression of the chronicle 
  should be constructed, to detail where you want to take it 
  and where you must start. Finally, you need to determine 
  the motif of the chronicle, which describes the recurring 
  images, subjects, moods and special rules you will include 
  in it. Making these decisions wisely will ensure that your 
  chronicle runs smoothly. 
  Elements of a Chronicle 
  •Motif 
  •Setting 
  •Characters 
  •Antagonists 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  67 
  •Scheme 
  Motif 
  A motif is a recurring subject, theme or idea that comes up 
  again and again in an artistic work, and in some 
  ephemeral way unites the work. For your chronicle to be 
  truly complete, it needs a motif. 
  You need to decide what will be the dominant idea or 
  feature of the chronicle. What are you trying to say? What 
  issues galvanize and connect every story? What is the 
  theme of the chronicle and how will it be presented? 
  The motif even incorporates such things as your style as a 
  Storyteller. Will you be abrasive, understated, gory or 
  combative? What effect do you hope to gain by using that 
  style? You can use your style to direct the players' 
  attention to the things you want them to be aware of, or 
  the motif itself. 
  Will there be special rules in the chronicle that cause it to 
  work differently than most Vampire chronicles? Will 
  you make the frenzy rolls uncommon, or perhaps make 
  Humanity even more precious? Will you call for a lot of 
  dice rolls, or none at all? 
  Many chronicle concepts restrict which Backgrounds the 
  players may choose, as well as how high a rating the  
  players can take on them in general. Before the players get 
  to Step 5 in the character creation process, you must have 
  a firm idea of what restrictions you will place, and that 
  means you have to do some planning. Will the cost of 
  Generation (a Background Trait) be double normal, or will 
  you restrict the score to only 3? 
  You can invent a unique feature that the characters can 
  encounter or interact with repeatedly. A distinctive and 
  recurring character, theme, mood, place or object can 
  bond the players to what is going on. This can be anything 
  from a club which they frequent to a bum they keep 
  meeting whose drunken ramblings contain an uncanny 
  wisdom. Perhaps you keep mentioning a tarnished statue 
  of Achilles on the street, never directly explaining its 
  significance. These recurring features can do a great deal 
  to add a mood and a sense of significance to your 
  chronicle. Invent something that will add depth, and then 
  weave it into your stories. 
  Setting 
  In Vampire, it is not necessary to create an entire world 
  from scratch, for the world is so much like our own. 
  However, the cou nterpart to it is creating the city. The city 
  is the locus of the Vampire game. It is where vampires 
  live and feed, and it is where they are often trapped. 
  You need to present your city in a realistic and consistent 
  manner if you want the players to believ e in it. The setting 
  must live and breathe for the players; until it does the 
  characters cannot themselves fully exist. The setting is 
  where the plot of the story takes place - the more 
  interesting and exotic it seems the more everything will 
  come to life. With each story you run, define the city a bit 
  better, but don't give away everything at once. As the 
  chronicle progresses, add details of geography, custom, 
  plot, and so on. Build it bit by bit and at whatever pace you 
  choose. 
  The mortal structure of the city is fairly easy to determine. 
  Though the setting is Gothic-Punk, much of it is identical 
  to our world. Get a travel book for that city, or write the 
  Chamber of Commerce. If you live in the city where you 
  are setting the chronicle, details shouldn't be a problem at 
  all. You will want to change a few details here and there to 
  suit the mood of the game, but the basic structure is in 
  place. 
  Creating the vampiric aspect of the city is a little more 
  difficult. You need to decide how the power structure 
  functions and who controls it. The prince is likely to be the 
  most important individual in a city, but that is not always 
  the case. The prince might be the actual ruler, or she could 
  simply be a figurehead, with some elder manipulating 
  things from the shadows. 
  The intrigues among the Kindred of a city are often quite 
  ferocious, so decide how they work in your city. How many 
  different "sides" are there? Why are they opposed to one 
  another? Members of various clans could be antagonistic, 
  or the classic elder versus anarch conflict could be the 
  major source of division. Are there Methuselahs behind 
  the scenes manipulating the various sides, or are most of 
  the Kindred slaves only to their own passions? 
  You need to decide what groups oppose the group or 
  individual who controls the city, and which groups support 
  the status quo. How do the Kindred of the city interact 
  with the mortal rulers? Are the police becoming 
  suspicious, or do ruling Kindred control the mortal 
  authorities? 
  Some cities, especially the smaller ones, might have very 
  few or no conflicts between the Kindred who live there. 
  But how interesting would that be? Don't make your city 
  one of those peaceful, and boring, ones. Fill it with enough 
  intrigue and iniquity to power a hundred stories, or at 
  least plan future strife to devastate the peaceful city you 
  create now. 
  Last, but not least, you should make sure the design of the 
  city meshes well with the motif of the overall chronicle. If 
  the chronicle is going to be about corruption, then the city 
  ought to be corrupt as well, both the mortal and Kindred 
  elements of it. 
  Characters 
  The characters are the basis of the chronicle, as it is for 
  their sake that the chronicle is told in the first place. The 
  characters are always the focus of events, and the decisions 
  of the players determine the course of the plot. A great 
  chronicle requires equally great characters. 
  One thing you must determine as the chronicle begins is 
  why the characters are together - why they form a brood. 
  Of course, the players will have a lot to say about this, 
  perhaps even the primary say, but it is up to you to make 
  sure the characters fit together. Does each character in the 
  group have a reason for being a part of the group? Ask 
  yourself what kind of relationship the characters have with 
  one another. Why are they friends? Why do they work 
  together? In short, will the characters make sense in terms 
  of the chronicle? 
  Ask the players to decide how their characters will relate to 
  one another and what roles each will play in the group. 
  Make sure that at least one of the players with leadership 
  skills plays a character who is a leader. If you have any 
  players who tend to be disruptive, gently direct them 
  toward characters who strongly share the same aims as the 
  brood. If your players are incorrigible anarchists, select a 
  chronicle concept that gives them strong and forceful 
  allies, provides them with significant responsibilities, or 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  68 
  which allows them to be exactly what they want to be: 
  anarchs rebelling against the establishment. 
  You must be sure that character conflicts won't become the 
  focus of the chronicle (unless that's what you are looking 
  for). All too often, players will create their characters in 
  isolation from one another and worry about meshing into 
  a group once the game starts. Often what results is a group 
  of anarchists, with no system for working together or 
  getting anything done. A lot of time is wasted with endless, 
  meandering debates on what to do next.  
  If nothing else works, you may want all the players to have 
  a personal history in common. You can presume that the 
  characters have been friends for some time, perhaps since 
  even before they were transformed into vampires. At the 
  extreme, you can say they are from the same clan, or even 
  share the same sire. 
  If the characters still are not cooperating after the 
  chronicle begins, you need to find ways to make them do 
  so. A system of rewards and punishments (experience 
  points, Humanity) can work wonders on the attitudes of 
  the players. Alternately, you can allow the characters to 
  break apart into groups, continuing the chronicle with 
  each separately. Eventually adopt the most interesting 
  group as the primary one, and have the other players 
  create characters to fit. 
  The prelude is a great way to get characters prepared for 
  the chronicle. It can explain the nature of the setting to 
  them, give them contacts to go to in times of need, and 
  enable them to better understand what will be required of 
  them. Motivations can often be created and expanded 
  during the prelude as well, making a complete character 
  out of one that was paper-thin. Use the prelude to prepare 
  your players, so that when the action begins, they will be 
  ready with the right sort of character. 
  Antagonists 
  The characters will need someone or something to struggle 
  with, a "monster" to fight. For the characters to have 
  something to do, they must face obstacles. When you need 
  the characters' goals to be thwarted, bring in the bad guy. 
  An antagonist, at base, is an obstacle for the characters to 
  defeat. An antagonist can be nearly any sort of adversary - 
  Kindred or kine, animate or inanimate, cunning or brutal. 
  Most often, antagonists are villains, individuals who 
  oppose the characters and are nasty enough to hate. But 
  for them to work at their sinister best, you need to make 
  them malevolent. Over time, you want to build your 
  players' hate for the villains - it will make their defeat 
  much more palpable. You need to start early, however, by 
  developing both the hate and the villains from story to 
  story. 
  An entire chronicle can be based around a single 
  archenemy who has the influence and status to command 
  many minions. The object might be to defeat this enemy, 
  or merely survive his attacks. The characters may even 
  need to discover his identity. This enemy could be anyone 
  from the Prince of the city to the Methuselah who secretly 
  controls the city, from a mundane witch-hunter to a 
  powerful voodoo mage. The single arch-enemy concept is 
  the simplest form of creating antagonists. If you have 
  multiple enemies, you can complicate matters immensely 
  (perhaps the enemies are enemies of each other). 
  It is often fun to make antagonists many times more 
  powerful than the characters so they will not be able to 
  successfully act against their foe directly - at least, not at 
  first. Certainly they will be able to combat the lesser 
  minions of the enemy, but the characters would not 
  survive if faced with a direct confrontation. The characters 
  must move against powerful enemies indirectly by 
  gathering clues and allies, engaging in guerrilla warfare, 
  and probing the defenses of their antagonists. Only after 
  great effort will they be able to act against their enemy. 
  On the other hand, a team of antagonists who are 
  individually roughly equal to the characters provides 
  wonderful opportunities for various personal rivalries and 
  grudges to spring up, and allows you to present frightening 
  "funhouse mirror" images of the characters. An example is 
  a Sabbat pack where each member is a twisted reflection of 
  one of the player characters, and which serves as a 
  reminder of what the characters could become if they step 
  too far over the line. 
  See the appendix for descriptions of a number of different 
  types of antagonists, as well as examples and rules for 
  creating your own. 
  Scheme 
  Finally, you need to create a plan for how you want the 
  chronicle to progress. Where should the stories take the 
  characters, and how will the chronicle eventually end (if 
  ever)? The initial plan is a blueprint for creating not only 
  the beginning of a good chronicle, but the entire thing. 
  This scheme details where you want the chronicle to go 
  and what you want the characters to be doing. More than 
  likely, the chronicle will end up very differently than what 
  you intended. Indeed, if it does end up exactly as you 
  thought it would, it might mean you aren't allowing the 
  characters enough free will. 
  The scheme is intended to be a guide to help you 
  understand what you want the chronicle to be - it's a 
  means of forcing yourself to make it dynamic, with 
  changes in tempo, mood and content. It should have a 
  beginning, a middle and an end, and should progress 
  relentlessly towards a resolution. 
  Always try to stage a great ending to the chronicle. Never 
  let it slowly decline into an obscure death. Will the 
  chronicle end with the death of the characters as part of a 
  heroic sacrifice, or will one of them manage to become 
  mortal once again? 
  A chronicle shares many of the same characteristics that a 
  series of movies or novels does, only it can be even longer 
  and broader in scope. It can last for many years (player 
  years) because it is based upon the lives of vampires, who 
  are immortal. Thus, it is possible for a single chronicle to 
  cover several hundred years in time, particularly if you 
  begin it at some point in the past. However, if you set the 
  chronicle in the present, it is likely that your chronicle will 
  take place over years or decades, not centuries. After all, 
  Gehenna is fast approaching, and there is not much time 
  left. 
  In a typical chronicle, individual stories occur within 
  weeks of one another, though sometimes they will be 
  separated by months or even years of downtime, which are  
  described by the Storyteller and not roleplayed through. 
  You should think of stories as the exciting but infrequent 
  events that punctuate months or even years of quieter 
  pursuits. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  69 
  Naming Your Creation 
  At some point before the chronicle begins, you will need to 
  name it. A name can be, strangely enough, quite 
  important, for it sets the tone from which everything else 
  follows. Every character is described by the chronicle in 
  which she belongs, so the players are likely to be pestering 
  you for a name. The name should be suggestive of the 
  theme and potential of the chronicle without giving too 
  much away. A chronicle name can be very simple: for 
  example, the name of the city in which it is set, or the 
  prince who controls it. 
  Chronicle Archetypes 
  It is precisely the soul that is the traveler; it is of the soul 
  and of the soul alone that we can say with supreme truth 
  that 'being' necessarily means 'being on the way.' 
  - Gabriel Marcel 
  Below are a number of descriptions of different types of 
  chronicles you could create. They are described according 
  to the type of group they require. There are three different 
  categories of chronicle concepts: Classic, Roleplaying and 
  Bizarre. You should have some idea of the mood and 
  gaming style of your players, so choose accordingly. 
  The Classics 
  These are the classic examples of a Vampire chronicle - 
  the best examples of what it should all be about. They 
  should be very familiar to you, because they are the ideas 
  which are most often depicted in the movies and in books. 
  •Gang: The characters are a group of anarchs (or even 
  elder-sponsored "counterterrorists") in a major city, who 
  have formed a brood molded in the pattern of a street 
  gang. They live death as exuberantly as they can, eking as 
  much pleasure and enjoyment out of their existences as 
  possible. Proud and often haughty, they hold in scorn all 
  those who are not members of their brood. To the mortals, 
  they may seem little more than a gang of hoodlums, but 
  their image belies their power. 
  The characters must constantly protect their "turf" 
  (hunting ground) from other gangs, as well as from 
  Kindred who might encroach upon it. Elders are loath to 
  acknowledge that it is the characters' domain, for it was 
  not awarded to them by the prince. But since the "turf" is 
  all they have, the characters protect it fiercely. 
  Like all anarchs, they scorn the power of the prince and 
  pretend that he has no power - but they understand the 
  Traditions and fear the power of the Justicars. Much like 
  mortal gangs, they rebel against the establishment - only 
  in their case, the establishment is less restricted by the 
  law.  
  Typically, such Kindred are affiliated with mortal gangs, 
  and may control them (treat mortal gangs as either Allies 
  or Herd). In fact, each member of the vampire gang may 
  be the leader of a mortal gang, which each character 
  should create and develop. 
  •Wanderers: The characters travel around the country 
  on motorcycles (or perhaps in an RV or stolen car), finding 
  a safe place to sleep every night. They are focused on 
  survival, and are bound to run into the Lupines at one 
  point or another. There is much that they will discover on 
  their journey. 
  You and the players will need to decide why they are 
  wanderers. Are they hunted, continuing their headlong 
  flight out of terror and a strong sense of self-preservation? 
  Or do they simply have nowhere to go? The characters 
  must rely upon one another to survive in a hostile and 
  constantly changing world. 
  Each story could begin with the characters arriving in a 
  new city, attempting to adjust and make themselves at 
  home, and each time their efforts result only in their flight 
  once again. Keep 'em scared, and keep 'em running - and 
  don't let them stop. 
  Whatever type of wanderers the characters are, the focus 
  needs to be on survival. Accentuate the side effects of life 
  as a fugitive. Because the characters are wanderers, they 
  will not have Contacts or Influence. The setting, of course, 
  will vary wildly from story to story, so you must always be 
  on you r toes and will need to do more preparation work 
  than with most chronicles. 
  •Rock Band: Another possibility is to let the characters 
  form the nucleus of a rock band (or even a classical, folk, 
  jazz or country ensemble). They are trying to make it as 
  musicians. Perhaps they were a band in their mortal 
  existence and were all taken by the same sire, or perhaps 
  they have decided to do this after being vampires for some 
  time. Whatever the case, they are bound to get in 
  considerable trouble as the Camarilla and most of the 
  elders vigorously suppress any activities that threaten the 
  Masquerade. 
  Each character will need a rating in Music (unless that 
  character is the manager), and each will have to choose a 
  specific instrument. Who will be the lead vocalist? Who is 
  steady enough to be the drummer? Mellow enough to be 
  the bassist? Creative enough to break those stereotypes? 
  What kind of music do they play - jazz, pop, punk, metal, 
  rap? They start in the local clubs of their native city, but 
  success may bring a concert tour. How do they handle 
  this? 
  •Refugees: The characters are castoffs from another 
  city; perhaps they are even from a clan which does not 
  belong to the Camarilla. They have run away from their 
  prince, sire or clan. The city in which the chronicle is 
  based is the place where they have fled for refuge. They 
  must spend much of their energy and time hiding both 
  from mortals and other Kindred.  
  The chronicle begins as the characters arrive in town, 
  without a clue as to the power structure. Don't give the 
  characters any Background points, to reflect this and to 
  drive the point home. Because they are new to the city, 
  detail more of the mundane aspects than normal, 
  including the things only a newcomer might notice. 
  They get a rats-eye view of the underside of a city. They 
  will probably not reveal themselves to the prince at first , 
  so later they may get in big trouble for violating the First 
  Tradition. Make the players truly afraid, and try to 
  convince them that the other Kindred will kill them if they 
  are found, ev en if it is not true. 
  •Historical: You can play Vampire in many other 
  periods besides the present day. Any era, from the ancient 
  world of the Nile to the Victorian age, can be fascinating 
  when you add the vampire myth. Choose any time period 
  and set your chronicle there. Just make sure you know a 
  little history before you start, or at least more than your 
  players. 
  Imagine roleplaying Vampire in the age from which 
  many of the legends stem - the Middle Ages of historical 
  Europe. The vampire is most frequently a member of the 
  
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  nobility, the ruling class of the time. It is a time of 
  decadence and romance, of cruelty and honor. Entire 
  regions may be under the control of the undead. However, 
  the populace grows gradually restless, and when the 
  envoys from Rome learn what is going on, the vampires 
  may face a Crusade. Though the characters may not be 
  truly evil vampires, they can be trapped in the same 
  situation as the evil ones. 
  The chronicle could go something like this: Embraced 
  against their will, the characters find themselves vassals to 
  those whom they despise. Ultimately, they must choose 
  between survival and morality - or chart a careful course 
  between the two poles. 
  Roleplaying 
  These are chronicles that emphasize roleplaying, and thus 
  have little combat or dice rolling. These sort of chronicles 
  are intended for advanced roleplayers, though they are 
  challenging for any group. 
  •Primogen: The characters are the primary Kindred of 
  a medium-sized city (less than one million) - about the size 
  of Charleston, North Carolina or Madison, Wisconsin. In 
  some sense, they "own" it; they certainly rule it. Because of 
  the size of the city, the characters might even be the only 
  vampires living there. 
  When danger or peril arrives, it is up to them to protect 
  their "turf." Any elders who do exist are likely to be 
  mentors of the characters, capable of providing much 
  assistance but demanding aid in return. 
  You will need to create some sort of crisis for the 
  characters to deal with. It could be anything from a 
  powerful coterie of elders seeking a new city to control 
  after being exiled from the one they once ruled, to a 
  Methuselah who simply wants peace. Play up the travails 
  of being responsible. 
  The characters might even be anarchs who have taken the 
  city from the elders who once ruled it. Now they must 
  maintain control of it, as well as survive the arrival of a 
  Justicar and her Archons. Other elders may come in order 
  to punish the characters, or simply to take over the city for 
  themselves. 
  Player intrigue will be high, and you should encourage it. 
  Limit the Resources and Influence available, and make 
  them fight among themselves for it. A different style of 
  play might be called for, with players interacting with you 
  separately much of the time. 
  •Brood of a Prince: The characters are the brood of 
  the city's prince. Their sire is either a vampire of great 
  nobility or a total bastard. The characters thus support the 
  elders of the city, and work to control and restrain the 
  wilder impulses of the anarchs. Making sure that the 
  mortal authorities of the city don't discover the Kindred 
  can be a full-time job - one has to suppress evidence, 
  intimidate officials and cover up deaths. 
  You might want to make the characters a little more 
  powerful than normal, giving them more freebie points 
  (20 or so). Most of the chronicle will be centered around 
  the haven of the sire, but the city needs to be detailed as 
  well. You must create may different areas of potential 
  conflict and aggravation - who is out there to give the 
  characters trouble? Remember that their sire is a prince as 
  well, and thus has many demands made upon her as well 
  as innumerable constraints. Does she take things out on 
  the characters? Can the characters trust the prince, or are 
  they only pawns in the end? 
  •Mortal Politics: For some reason, the characters wish 
  to manipulate politics, either in their city or on a national 
  level - probably because other vampires are attempting to 
  manipulate it in an opposite way. Vampires control many 
  of the institutions in the mortal world, especially those 
  which are centrally located and controlled by one city. 
  Those institutions might be employed by vampires who 
  control them as pieces in the Jyhad. This means the 
  characters might get involved in campaigning, political 
  espionage, and even electoral cheating (or preventing the 
  other group from doing the same). Such intrigue-oriented 
  activities are rare but not unheard of among the Kindred, 
  and frequently can be traced to a maneuver of the Jyhad. 
  Influence and Resources would be very appropriate 
  Background Traits for the characters. You need to detail 
  the participants in the political race and their importance 
  to the Kindred. This can make for a very intrigue-ridden 
  and bloody chronicle. Play up the plot twists and the 
  intensity of what is going on. 
  •High Society: The characters mingle in the high 
  society of the upper class, and become embroiled in its 
  politics and affairs. Though it is only a game for them, it is 
  a most intriguing one and it may be a means for the 
  characters to compete with one another (e.g. who can 
  seduce Vladimir the Russian pianist first?). However, by 
  being involved with the elite of a city, the characters may 
  be able to manipulate  
  events and decisions in times of crisis. If the police are 
  about to launch a major investigation, such contacts can 
  be essential. Mingling with the high society could be the 
  "duty" assigned them by the prince or another elder. Play 
  up the elegance and beauty of the setting, so as to make 
  the stain of blood even more vivid. 
  Before the game starts, give each character an automatic 
  Resources of 3, and encourage them to purchase that 
  Background Trait even higher. You will need to decide who 
  are the leaders, gossips, hosts, wannabes and outcasts of 
  this high society. 
  Bizarre 
  This type of chronicle is for those who like things that are 
  truly different. These concepts describe some very unique 
  ways to play Vampire. Try them out only if you have a 
  taste for the strange. 
  •Archons: The characters are among the most feared 
  and respected Kindred in the Camarilla. They are the 
  enforcers who travel from city to city, assisting the 
  Justicars (and sometimes the princes) in maintaining the 
  status quo. The characters will become heavily involved in 
  Camarilla politics. They are united by ambition or by 
  shared views on political affairs. 
  Either selected and trained by or created as the brood of a 
  Justicar, it might be wise to let the characters begin the 
  game with five or more Discipline points (if they ever have 
  to venture into Sabbat territory, they will need them). Give 
  the characters 25 Freebie points each, so that their 
  characters will be capable of combating more powerful 
  Kindred. Teamwork will be essential regardless. They 
  might have Mentor or Status as backgrounds. They will 
  travel, but will likely be based in a single city. 
  Present the players with moral conflicts like Duty vs. 
  Justice. Do they search for truth or do they continue to 
  mindlessly serve their masters? Play up the intrigue - the 
  characters should not know what is going on, and should 
  be able to trust no one. Ask yourself what is going on: what 
  
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  is the nature of the greater conflict? 
  •Fanatics: The characters can play IRA partisans, 
  Moslem fundamentalists or eco-anarchists. They are 
  members of some sort of extremist group who will go to 
  nearly any lengths to carry out their cause. The characters 
  are dogmatic, idealistic and totally committed to their 
  group. Though they have become vampires, they have not 
  given up their mortal beliefs (not yet at least) and they use 
  their powers to do whatever they can for the cause. Can 
  the characters gain the wisdom of restraint in time to 
  preserve their own humanity? Start the chronicle with the 
  characters carrying out their missions, but gradually bring 
  in other issues and themes. Eventually, they must leave 
  the cause in order to preserve their Humanity or to have 
  any hope of rebirth or Golconda. 
  The characters should all be from the same fanatic group. 
  They probably volunteered as a unit for some sort of 
  hazardous duty which brought them into contact with 
  their eventual sire. Define the nature of the extremist 
  group to which they belong, and have their opponents fully 
  worked out as well. 
  •The Cult: The characters have created a cult around 
  themselves, which offers them security and easy access to 
  vitæ. They could be the objects of devotion for the cult, or 
  simply the figures who manipulate it from behind the 
  scenes. It could be a mixture of the two, with one character 
  serving as the charismatic leader, while the others are 
  manipulators and organizers. The characters are cheating 
  these people, and they are using them for evil purposes. 
  You need to work the effects of such an attitude into the 
  stories. It could certainly lead to a loss of Humanity. Also, 
  something will eventually happen to threaten their 
  idealistic existence. 
  Each character will likely have a Herd rating to reflect the 
  members of the cult, and perhaps Resources as well. 
  Unless the players wish to establish the cult on their own, 
  starting from nothing, you will have to detail what it is and 
  how it works - more than likely with the participation of 
  the players. 
  •Patrons: The characters are patrons to some human 
  institution, such as an orphanage, a small business, a 
  church or even a baseball team. The characters are do-
  gooders, but the more good they do, the more they are 
  expected to do. 
  They seek to promote their institution in every way they 
  can. Protecting and serving it is the focus of their 
  existence. All you have to do is figure out why they are 
  oriented in this manner. 
  You need to decide what type of institution the characters 
  are protecting, and what problems are facing it. It is a good 
  idea to let the players decide, so that they feel the urge to 
  protect and nurture it. If you simply tell them they must 
  protect it, they will feel like you have taken away their free 
  will. 
  •Other World: Though Vampire is already set in a 
  Gothic-Punk world, you can elect to place it in a setting 
  even more removed from our own reality. A chronicle can 
  be forged from the fantasy, post-holocaust, science fiction 
  or even cyberpunk genres. You can twist and change the 
  setting to nearly anything your fervid imagination can 
  invoke, though it can help your players visualize your 
  setting if it is taken from a movie or a novel. 
  You can even craft your chronicle around a fictional 
  setting, such as the horrific worlds of H. P. Lovecraft and 
  Edgar Allan Poe, or J.R.R Tolkien's Middle-Earth. 
  Vampire can work well in nearly any kind of medieval 
  fantasy campaign, especially when undead comprise much 
  or all of the nobility. 
  Depending on what type of setting you use, you can create 
  a radically different mood for your chronicle than what is 
  described in this book. If you have the creativity and the 
  time, you might as well make use of it.  
  Creating a Story 
  So fair; so sweet; withal so sensitive 
  All vain desires, all lawless wishes quelled 
  Be thou to love and praise alike impelled 
  Whatever boon is granted or withheld. 
  - William Wordsworth 
  A Vampire story is more complex than other story 
  forms because it is interactive. The players take a very 
  active role in its creation; you, as the Storyteller, do not 
  have complete control over the form that the story will 
  take. In fact, you are more of a guide than a teller of tales. 
  A story is almost always built around a series of conflicts 
  or problems that the characters attempt to overcome to 
  achieve their aims. Your primary job is to present the 
  characters with a problem, and then let them run with it. 
  You shouldn't try to predict what the characters will do; 
  just invent a conflict and leave the players to deal with 
  what you give them. 
  If you have problems coming up with ideas, just look in a 
  newspaper for story concepts. Nearly any article can be the 
  genesis of a story; just twist and mold what you read until 
  it fits the dictates of the world of darkness. Remember, 
  vampires are behind many major disruptions in the world, 
  so the repercussions of their conflicts are sure to end up in 
  the news. 
  Designing a story is very similar to designing a chronicle, 
  only you need to do so on a regular basis. It is a difficult 
  task, because you should not "over-design." In fact, 
  sometimes the less you do, the better the story is. 
  While you do not always have to design a story ahead of 
  time, make sure that some sort of consistent story is told. 
  If your chronicle becomes rich enough in detail, the 
  characters will be able to find something interesting to do 
  without any prior planning on your part. They will guide 
  themselves through their stories. Until that point, 
  however, you will need to devise stories for their 
  amusement. Even if they do direct themselves, you should 
  try to get an idea of what they want to do in the next 
  session so you can plan for it. 
  Preparation is often the most important part of a good 
  story. While stories can often be conducted with just a few 
  notes and some good ideas, a story is usually much better 
  if you have time to think it out at your leisure. If you plan 
  your stories carefully, they will seem more real than stories 
  for which you have not prepared at all. However, prepared 
  stories tend to give the players less free choice. This can 
  make things a lot less fun for them. 
  Though the players may go where they will and do what 
  they want, it doesn't mean you don't have to do any work. 
  On the contrary, it means you have to work even harder to 
  come up with appropriate things to interest them, such as 
  characters, plot twists, traps and obscure items. The best 
  way to ensure a good story is simply to have a firm and 
  detailed grasp of the setting. Your efforts to design the city 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  are essential to give stories the depth they truly require.  
  Just as a character is an amalgamation of many parts -
  Attributes, Abilities and Advantages -so is a story made up 
  of several things. Though some literature professor s might 
  not agree with us, we have divided the story into five 
  different aspects to give you a better insight into what 
  stories incorporate as well as to make it easier for you to 
  design them. These aspects are Theme, Conflict, Drama, 
  Plot and Mood. 
  Theme 
  Every story needs a theme - a way you can fit everything 
  together. Furthermore, a theme focuses the players' 
  attention upon the story and makes it easier for them to 
  learn something from it. Stories with depth are stories 
  which have something to say. 
  The theme is more than the moral of an Aesop's fable - it is 
  the tangible embodiment of the direction, flavor and 
  purpose of a story. While it is not necessary to pay 
  attention to the theme while playing the game, this 
  information will at least provide a foundation for your 
  story. If you are ever unsure on what to do or how to react, 
  then you can always fall back on the theme for guidance. 
  Stories almost always have a theme. However, in good 
  stories, the lesson learned is subtle rather than overt. You 
  shouldn't have a prepackaged lesson ready; rather, the 
  story should present a situation and let the players make 
  of it what they will. 
  The central purpose of your story should be the 
  exploration of the theme. It is what ties everything 
  together and makes sense of the disparate elements of the 
  story. Focusing on the theme can add a new dimension to 
  your roleplaying by making it a more artistic, fulfilling and 
  thoughtful process. 
  A story becomes larger than life when is not only an 
  adventure but a moral lesson as well. Fairy tales, passion 
  plays and even Star Trek use this technique. This is a key 
  reason why we tell stories in the first place. 
  The theme is not meant to make the story more serious or 
  highbrow. Neither is it intended to give you the 
  opportunity to lecture the players with a diatribe on good 
  and evil. The theme is simply intended to help you create a 
  better story, a story with more depth, pathos and 
  poignancy. Don't place too large an onus on the theme and 
  it will work out for you. 
  The theme is usually expressed as a question which the 
  story presents, but without an answer given. Pose the 
  theme as a question you would like answered, and then do 
  nothing to answer it. It can be practically anything, from 
  "What is evil?" to "Why do so many people lie about their 
  age?" Some of the most common themes in Vampire 
  concern corruption, violence and the nature of reality. 
  Below are several examples of themes you can employ in 
  your stories. Do not take this as any sort of complete list; 
  there is no end to the themes you can create. 
  •Love - What is the fragility of love, and the weaknesses 
  and strength that it can bestow? What effect can it have on 
  the characters' lives; how can it change them? What 
  should or should not love be? Can anyone feel love, even 
  the most depraved? What sustenance does love provide? 
  •Hate - What creates the emotions of hate and 
  vengeance? Why can't they be controlled? How can they 
  ruin a life? 
  •Chaos - Is there any truth or security in the universe? Is 
  everything in such a continuou s state of flux that true 
  stability is impossible? Is true peace possible is such a 
  world? 
  •Morality - How useful is conventional morality? In 
  what ways could it be improved? Where does it excel and 
  where does it fail? Why do people bother with morality at 
  all? Is perfect morality impossible? Are there any 
  immutable and absolute rules of morality? 
  •Leadership - Where does the need for leadership 
  come from? What is required of a leader? When does 
  leadership fail, and when does it succeed? What is the 
  tragedy  of authority? 
  •Society - Where do our societal myths originate? Why 
  are they so important to us? What have they done to us; 
  how have they programmed us? Can we ever escape our 
  upbringing, or are we slaves to our culture forever? Are 
  myths only symbolic, or are some true? 
  Conflict 
  Conflict provides energy and direction to a story, and 
  influences the course of the plot. It propels the story by 
  involving and motivating the characters. Though the 
  characters need not be the primary participants in the 
  conflict, they may become involved simply by being 
  enveloped in the struggle. Conflict is the reason the story is 
  interesting enough to tell or to listen to in the first place -it 
  can be both entertaining and illuminating. 
  Any collision or disagreement, contention or controversy, 
  struggle or quarrel can be seen as conflict. Conflict occurs 
  whenever people or groups of people find it difficult to get 
  along, whether it be due to incompatibility, mutual 
  antagonism, or an intrinsic opposition of interests and 
  principles. Conflict need not be between enemies, and it 
  need not be resolved by bloodshed. Sometimes it can be 
  simply an internal disharmony in one individual. 
  You can mix many different conflicts into the same story, 
  but in order not to confuse things too much, one or two 
  primary elements are best. You can use conflicts in your 
  story in the same way that Archetypes are used in a 
  character - one conflict is what the characters think is 
  going on (the Demeanor) while the second conflict is what 
  is really going on (the Nature). 
  In Vampire, there are 13 primary levels of conflict that 
  you can use in your stories. Though we describe them only 
  briefly below, you can use them in innumerable ways. 
  •Kindred vs. Hunters: There are many who pursue 
  vampires. Some merely wish to learn more about the 
  Kindred, but most want to slay them out of hand.  
  •Kindred vs. Lupines: The werewolves deeply resent 
  the intrusion of Kindred into their territory, which 
  includes most of the land outside the cities. Lupines may 
  also have obscure plans and missions that compel them to 
  enter the city, a place they despise. 
  •Anarchs vs. Elders: The young always resent the 
  rule of the old. When the old live forever, the effect is only 
  exaggerated. 
  •Elder vs. Elder: The Jyhad is an ancient, immortal 
  war, and most Kindred are somehow tangled up in it; 
  indeed, many of them struggle and die without realizing 
  what they fight for. The Jyhad exists on every level of 
  Kindred society, and practically any sort of intrigue can be 
  considered to have its origin in the eon-old war. 
  
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  73 
  •Camarilla vs. Sabbat: This is, at base, simply the 
  conflict between these two sects, but it can also be seen in 
  terms of the eternal war between order and chaos, mercy 
  and hate. 
  •Humanity vs. the Beast: The inner war between 
  the silence and the rage never ceases. "A Beast I am, lest a 
  Beast I become." For more roleplaying-oriented stories, 
  this makes an excellent conflict, as it allows you to probe 
  deeply into the personalities of the characters and players. 
  •Clan vs. Clan: The clans continually war with one 
  another, and the envy and antipathy run deep. The 
  Ventrue could be attempting to take over the Mafia, or the 
  Tremere might be pushing for a Conclave. 
  •Kindred vs. Kindred: Warfare over hunting 
  grounds and turf is not uncommon, and the horror of 
  diablerie is always of concern. 
  •Kindred vs. Magi: There are many wizards who have 
  uses for vampires. It is said that they have strange rituals 
  which require the blood and organs of Kindred. 
  •Kindred vs. Prince: Political upheaval in the city is 
  always tumultuous, especially if the prince is involved, not 
  as a judge, but as a contestant. 
  •Kindred vs. Society: The Masquerade must be 
  maintained lest all be destroyed. The Kindred must 
  constantly struggle to keep their secret from the press and 
  society. 
  •Kindred vs. Victims: The characters might find 
  themselves hunting a powerful and interesting member of 
  the kine. It could be anything from "feed-on-the-mob-
  boss's-girl" to vessels who actually fight back. 
  •Sanity vs. Madness: There is much in the life of a 
  vampire that can drive one over the edge of sanity. 
  Resisting madness is most difficult, as it is often 
  impossible to escape the circumstances which created such 
  a terrible state. 
  •Survival vs. Justice: The most cerebral of conflicts, 
  the conflict between the needs of survival and the 
  demands of justice, is often the most difficult to resolve. 
  •Kindred vs. Unknown: The characters do not 
  realize who their enemy is, or who seeks their demise. This 
  makes it all the more terrifying.  
  Plot 
  The plot is the fabric and pattern of a story. In fact, 
  sometimes when we talk about the story, we are actually 
  speaking of the plot. Plot describes the progress of the 
  story, through scenes, actions and events. A poorly 
  conceived plot invariably leads to a trite story, but a 
  complete and intricate plot may well provide the skeleton 
  for a story of great depth. 
  The main thing to keep in mind about plot is that it should 
  progress in a series of distinct phases. There are a number 
  of story conventions in Western culture, and the ones that 
  dictate the plot are the most rigid. The story is often 
  expected to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The 
  end is expected to be climactic, and stories that start with a 
  bang are more appreciated. The audience expects to be 
  drawn into the story, and resents anything which pulls it 
  back from full immersion. Although we encourage you to 
  experiment, you violate these conventions at your own 
  risk. 
  Detailed below are the various stages the plot can go 
  through. Use them as a rough guide on how to structure 
  your plots and to provide ideas on what you might need to 
  include. 
  •Setting the Scene: You need to explain to the players 
  where they are and what they might expect. This can take 
  only a few seconds, or you might want to have a whole 
  description of the scene worked out ahead of time which 
  can then be read to them. It is usually best to set the scene 
  actively, by allowing the players to interact with it, rather 
  than simply reciting a descriptive monologue. Make sure 
  you use all the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and 
  touch. 
  •Hook: You need something realistic and compelling to 
  get the characters and the players involved in the story. 
  You can be brutal and force them into it (e.g. "You hear 
  knocking on the door, and someone shouts 'Open up! 
  Police!'"), but there are many more subtle ways. 
  You should present the players with the major conflict of 
  the story in a unique and compelling way that teases, 
  tantalizes and promises extraordinary adventure. You 
  want to capture their imaginations from the start, so as to 
  deeply involve them in the story. 
  In each story, the player should immediately become 
  aware that something is amiss, danger is awaiting, or some 
  threat hangs over the characters' heads. The hook draws 
  the players into the narrative and arouses their curiosity. 
  This must happen early in the story. You should present 
  the hook as dynamically as you can, so that the players 
  have a chance to affect the plot from the very beginning. If 
  you don't get them involved from the beginning, they will 
  give up on the story. 
  •Buildup: You need to give the characters chances to 
  overcome obstacles by providing them with elements of 
  the central conflict to confront. The buildup needs to 
  create a feeling of suspense and propel the characters 
  onward into some sort of climax. In Vampire, the 
  buildup should be constant and inexorable. When it is 
  halted by dead-end investigations or dull periods, you 
  should try to make those  
  interruptions as short as possible. Keep the players 
  involved and tell the story so that there are multiple ways 
  to reach the conclusion. Don't let them bog down so 
  completely that the mood and urgency of the story is lost. 
  The buildup refers to a buildup in emotions, and it is a 
  very tricky medium to affect. Do not falter. 
  •Cliffhanger: Sometimes you will want to build the 
  tension up, way up, and then relax it again, as a way to 
  really get the players raring to go. Cliffhangers are one of 
  the most common ways to do this. You simply make the 
  characters think that they have reached the climax, and 
  then present them with new elements of the problem to 
  face. These might even be miniature climaxes that give the 
  players some sense of resolution, but do not completely 
  wrap things up. At the end of each chapter of your story 
  (each game session), you might want to leave things in a 
  cliffhanger - it will make sure that the players come back 
  •Plot Twist: Try to insert plot twists whenever possible. 
  Simply change the plot in midstream to add an element of 
  surprise to the story. This could be a "snake in the grass" - 
  a friend that turns out to be an enemy or a victim that 
  turns out to be a monster. Or it could be the old 
  "Switcharoo" - one of the player characters that lost all his 
  Humanity becomes the biggest villain in the chronicle. 
  •Climax: This is the great resolution of the story, where 
  
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  all the questions are answered (or at least some). If the 
  characters are successful (not that they should always be) 
  then this ending should satisfy the players. In any case, it 
  must be a logical result of events that occurred at the 
  beginning of the story. The climax cannot be forced - the 
  players must be emotionally prepared for the ending. It 
  must evolve naturally from what has occurred before and 
  be affected by what the characters have done. The 
  characters' actions must have an effect upon the story's 
  conclusion. The climax should never be preordained. 
  •Resolution: This is a special ending that often follows 
  the climax and winds down the story. For some reason, it 
  is hard to make such trailers work out right; they either 
  seem trite or get ignored by the players. Though a 
  resolution may be difficult to effect, it is an excellent way 
  to set up the next story and unwind the players from the 
  intensity of what has just occurred. It is also a time when 
  characters who squared off during the story can make up. 
  Resolutions can be a lot of fun to roleplay, as they allow 
  the characters to interact with one another in a relaxed 
  way. Use the resolution as a time to reward your players. 
  Give them new information, wrap up the loose ends of the 
  story, or provide them with extra power, money, or 
  mystical artifacts. 
  However, do not mix the resolution with the climax - keep 
  the two separate. Furthermore, do not ramble on with the 
  trailer for too long; it should normally be very short. Once 
  the suspense and drama is concluded, the curtain should 
  close shortly thereafter. 
  Drama 
  Just as plot is the most important element of the story, 
  drama is the most important element of the plot. Drama, 
  for our purposes, is any series of events that has vivid, 
  emotional, or striking results upon the lives of the 
  characters. Dramatic moments are the sensational, 
  startling, and deeply involving periods of the story, when 
  everyone's attention is riveted onto what is occurring. 
  They are the most intense and exhilarating moments of the 
  plot. 
  Often drama is achieved because the lives of the characters 
  are at stake, or the object of all their attention is about to 
  be revealed. Staging a dramatic scene can be a difficult 
  task, but it is essential if you want to create an engaging 
  story. Drama can be thought of as synonymous with 
  excitement, but there is more to it than that; drama is the 
  essence of a story. 
  Just as an author or director has to maintain tension, pace 
  and flow in the stories she presents, so a Storyteller in a 
  Vampire game has the same responsibilities toward the 
  "audience"; i.e., the players. Drama is essential if the 
  characters are to have the opportunity to directly affect the 
  plot through their characters' actions. 
  There are a number of different techniques you can use, 
  but you should realize that the way in which you create 
  drama must suit your storytelling style. Dramatic 
  verisimilitude is not so much a skill as it is a talent - you've 
  got to pick it up on you r own. 
  You shouldn't simply stage a dramatic scene straight up. 
  Always mix it with something else to make it different and 
  new. If you're planning a gun battle, don't simply have two 
  sides blast each other; mix it with a heart-stopping car 
  chase down a mou ntain, set it in a graveyard with lots of 
  stealth and misinformation, or somehow introduce new 
  situations that force and encourage new strategies and 
  tactics. Make each scene different so that later on, the 
  players can look back and have something they will 
  remember it by. 
  The Drama chapter is your guide to creating effective 
  dramatic monuments. Use it to create and sustain drama 
  in your story. Those action scenes are often intrinsic to the 
  players' enjoyment. 
  Mood 
  Every story should have a certain emotional quality that is 
  in some way unique to it. The mood of a story describes 
  the emotions you want your players to feel as it is told. The 
  emotional response of the players is of immense 
  importance, as it defines how much they "get into it". A 
  good story causes the players to get into the story so much 
  that they feel what their characters feel. The mood can 
  affect the players in a way that heightens the effect of the 
  story. 
  Create a distinct atmosphere for each story. Ask yourself 
  what is the dominant emotional tone of your story. Adding 
  mood to a story is the best way to arouse real and vivid 
  emotions.  
  When players get to this point, not only do their characters 
  become real to them, but the world does as well. The most 
  precious moments in storytelling are at such times. They 
  are transcendent, illuminating and indescribable - when 
  they happen, you'll know. 
  You need to begin as soon as the game session opens. 
  Always make sure the players have enough time to get 
  comfortable. They should get their socializing out of the 
  way so they are ready to get into the roleplaying. Try to 
  time things so that when you enter into the story, the 
  players are ready to go. 
  After the lights are dimmed in a movie theater, there is 
  always a slight pause. That brief interlude is somehow 
  always enough to bring anticipation and even a sense of 
  delight. If you can accomplish the same sort of thing 
  before every session of Vampire, you will be highly 
  rewarded. 
  Begin the story with something dramatic and quirky that 
  gets the players into the right state of mind. Perhaps you 
  can start with a long low growl (another Kindred in the bar 
  they are frequenting), describe the sirens they hear in the 
  distance (that gradually get closer and closer and closer), 
  or say nothing at all but simply stare at each player in turn 
  (a Malkavian trying to decide whom to speak with first). If 
  you start with a bang, you ensure that the story will have 
  vitality, and have a better chance of capturing the 
  imagination of the players. 
  As the story progresses, continue to do things that 
  accentuate and highlight the mood and tone of the story. 
  In your descriptions of people or settings, use your voice, 
  your facial expressions, the encounters you create, the 
  pacing of events, and the rolls you have the players make 
  to carry across the mood. Use every tool at your disposal to 
  build and perpetuate the emotions that you want the 
  players to feel. 
  Below are examples of some of the different types of 
  moods you can create in your stories. 
  •Brooding: There is an oppressive weight in the air and 
  a sense of great evil hangs over all that the characters do. 
  • Romantic: There is a beauty and airiness to the story 
  and things seem particularly special and bright. This is 
  probably the most difficult mood to evoke. 
  
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  •Mysterious: Fog and shadows shroud the landscape. 
  This is the mood of Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. 
  The imagination is aroused by the things that remain 
  nebulous and hidden. Characters should not understand 
  all that goes on. 
  •Excitement: Nonstop action, full of intensity. Include 
  lots of dramatic moments and suspense - anything to keep 
  the players' blood pumping. 
  •Dank: The atmosphere is rancid and unbearably foul. 
  Portray the degenerate aspects of the world and the fetid 
  underbelly of the city. Play up the bizarre and the 
  grotesque. 
  •Eerie: Everything has a strange, unreal quality to it. 
  Nothing seems like it is occurring until the effects are 
  actually felt. 
  •Madness: This is the feeling that things are out of 
  control, and that there is neither rhyme nor reason to 
  anything that occurs. Throw things at the players 
  randomly, and never give them a moment's peace. Evoke 
  an atmosphere of delirium and dementia throughout the 
  setting. 
  •Idyllic: This is the mood of peace, tranquillity and 
  pastoral bliss. Of course, you're using this to set up the 
  players in order to dash their expectations apart. 
  •Humorous: You might want to take a really big break 
  and create an extremely lighthearted mood. Humor does 
  have a place in Vampire, as long as it is properly 
  employed -but don't overdo it. 
  Story Archetypes 
  And I knew that this was only one of the many agonies, 
  many deaths, in the unending scarlet loop of my modius 
  existence. It had happened before, was happening now, 
  and would happen again...and again...and again. 
  - Dan Simmons, Carrion Comfort 
    
  Listed below are a number of concepts for story elements 
  that you can use as starter kits for creating your own 
  stories. They are issues, situations and themes which can 
  become the germ of a story. Read them over to get ideas 
  and perhaps pick one that you like. Then weave a story 
  from the premise you have chosen. Eventually, you'll come 
  up with concepts of your own, but these will give you 
  something to start with. 
  Mean Streets 
  These stories concern life on the streets, if it can indeed be 
  called life. They deal with violence, fear, anger and 
  madness. On one level they are the most basic of all 
  stories, while on another they are the most emotive and 
  intense. 
  •Urban Nightmare: Vampires not only feed on the 
  seamy underside of the city, they are an intrinsic part of it. 
  The question of how they interact with the very 
  environment which tears down so many mortals will be a 
  critical one for the players. How do they deal with 
  homeless vagrants who are unlikely to survive more than a 
  few years on the streets, malnourished and ill residents 
  whose blood is so tainted as to be poison to a vampire, and 
  people whose desperation has led them to kill over tennis 
  shoes? Do the players act as angels of mercy even as they 
  feed on the populace, or do they become just another 
  plague on these people's lives? 
  At the same time, the vampires must deal with an 
  environment where they are constantly surrounded by 
  sweet, tempting blood, where almost any action can be 
  observed by someone, and where picking the wrong victim 
  can bring swift and lethal retribution from armed police 
  and criminals. 
  •Adventure: In order to keep your players amused, you 
  need to give them a chance to cut loose - to go on an 
  adventure. Sometimes that requires gratuitous violence. If 
  the players need the blare of gunfire to keep them amused,  
  give it to them - not as much as they want, perhaps, but 
  enough to keep their blood pumping. However, don't let 
  the players think they can treat the police as if they were 
  punching bags, and make sure that no matter how 
  outrageous things get, Humanity rolls are always made. 
  After the excitement is over, there needs to be a period of 
  silence and solemn introspection. However, if you need 
  really foul villains and bad guys, only fellow Cainites will 
  really do. 
  •Wilderness Trek: There are many reasons why a 
  Kindred would leave the city; unfortunately, none of them 
  are good. The Gothic-Punk countryside is populated with 
  werewolves, spirits, faeries and farmers carrying 12-gauge 
  shotguns in their pickup trucks. Is that old barn where the 
  characters want to spend the day haunted by ghosts, home 
  to a pack of young lycanthropes, or simply deserted? 
  As far as vampires are concerned, any area outside the city 
  is considered wilderness, and it is even more dangerous 
  for Kindred than it is for kine. The city offers security, as 
  so many of the mortal institutions in a city are controlled 
  by the undead, and there are places to hide no matter 
  where one goes. There are so many people in the city that 
  it is easy to fade into the crowds and find food. In the 
  wilderness, strangers are easily noticed - especially by the 
  Lupines. 
  There are many reasons why vampires might want to 
  travel in the wilderness, such as to speak with one of the 
  Inconnu (necessary if Golconda is sought). The characters 
  may have to track down someone who is hiding in the 
  wilderness, or punish a group of Lupines who have made a 
  foray into the city. You can also combine the wilderness 
  trek with the Escape story concept for a very deadly story. 
  •Diablerie: Whatever the unique motivations and goals 
  of the characters, they are likely united by their desire for 
  power. This concept only works if the characters are 
  engaged in the dangerous and destructive struggle to 
  locate, exterminate and drink the blood of their elders - 
  and in so doing effectively advance from one generation to 
  the next. As a group, they are able to take on these 
  extremely powerful beings. However, the possibility for 
  Humanity loss should be extremely high, especially if the 
  elder had any redeeming qualities (i.e. he was a nice guy). 
  This is a simple hunt and kill concept. Each story should 
  present the characters with a new target, quite likely an 
  evil and oppressive elder. You will want to tie some basic 
  moral issues into the chronicle, thereby making it a little 
  more involved than a series of hack-and-slash adventures. 
  Force the characters to pick and choose their targets, 
  investigate them before they go in for the kill, and do the 
  deed with finesse and cunning. At some point, you will 
  want to have the characters face their own vigilantism and 
  ask themselves if they are any better than the ones whom 
  they hunt. For the purposes of this chronicle, you may 
  want to change the rules to allow all those who partake of 
  
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  the blood of an elder to lower their generation level, not 
  just one.  
  Illuminatus 
  One of the best types of stories to tell in Vampire is the 
  tale of intrigue. It fits the Vampire psyche very well, and is 
  very easy to do - simply involve the characters in the 
  Machiavellian politics of vampire society. They may be 
  blamed for something, witness something, or get involved 
  of their own accord. Intrigue is far better if the characters 
  get involved on their own initiative. You need to offer them 
  obtainable goals and ideas on how to get there, then cut 
  them loose. 
  •Jyhad: The Antediluvians see no reason to end their 
  everlasting existences, especially not at the claws of those 
  fourth generation whelps. For millennia they have battled 
  one another through pawns of lesser generation which 
  they have manipulated, dominated and subjugated. The 
  players may become involved in anything from helping 
  such an Ancient eliminate the pawns of another Ancient to 
  preventing an all-out assault on her haven. However, no 
  matter how many others they must battle, their true 
  enemy will always be the one behind the scenes who is 
  using them as pawns. 
  The Jyhad also exists on other levels as well, for all 
  Kindred are in competition with one another. The 
  characters must watch their steps carefully, lest those with 
  power choose to use it on them. For instance, a character's 
  sire enlists the characters in her scheme to become prince 
  by promising them great power. However, if the current 
  prince ever discovers their role in destroying his 
  reputation, he will stop at nothing to extinguish them. 
  •Vendetta: This story starts out with something really 
  nasty happening to the players (something embarrassing 
  usually works the best). Make sure that you attach an 
  antagonist to the "evil deed," giving said antagonist a 
  spiteful and hateful personality, and then let the players 
  loose. They'll tear each other apart just trying to get at the 
  evil bully. This is probably the easiest kind of story to run, 
  because the players do all the work for you. The hardest 
  part is setting things up so that the players really hate the 
  bully, down to their very cores. It's almost impossible to go 
  too far in making the bad guy bad -lay it on thick. 
  Make sure the players spend a lot of time planning how 
  and when they are going to get their revenge. Encourage 
  them to imagine it often and in great detail. The longer you 
  can delay their vengeance, the hotter they will get. In the 
  end, you can have it all be a big misunderstanding - the 
  bad guy is really a nice guy - but this can be a dangerous 
  practice. The players get very frustrated when you try to 
  pull things like that. 
  •The Masquerade: Neonates' temptations to make the 
  world their oyster through their newfound powers must be 
  tempered by a realization of what the world, even a world 
  of ants, can do to them. Often the players will have to deal 
  with hunters without killing, injuring or even threatening 
  them, lest their disappearance alert the nest of danger. 
  They must prevent mortals from discovering the truth 
  about the existence of vampires. Violence is not often an 
  option - for  
  instance, killing the newspaper reporter hot on their trail 
  will only draw the attention of even more journalists, so 
  the players must figure out a way to misdirect him. 
  Alternately, some other vampires may become too obvious 
  for the players to allow their activities to continue 
  unhindered. How do they deal with a rock star who can 
  back up his claims to immortality? 
  •Escape: No matter how powerful the players are, there 
  is always something more powerful. Imagine the players 
  having t o escape from New York with the mob, their sires, 
  the Sabbat and the police all after them for one reason or 
  another. This can be a thrilling story, and a great way to 
  flip everything in your chronicle upside down. There is 
  something very primal about having to live by the seat of 
  one's pants in hostile territory, simply surviving from day 
  to day (or night to night, in the vampire's case). However, 
  players do not like to lose - don't let them know about it, 
  but you've got to give them a better than even chance of 
  survival. In some cases, you might want them to have 
  something to run to as well as something to run from. 
  •Mission: The players must undergo some sort of quest 
  or mission, which has been "assigned" to them by a greater 
  power. They may be rewarded for doing so, or may be 
  forced into action through Domination, threats, or 
  blackmail. The characters may even undertake the mission 
  as a favor to a friend. While on the mission, they not only 
  have to deal with the enemies of the person they are 
  serving, but must also explore their relationships with the 
  one who now controls their existences. 
  The Mission concept gives you a great deal of latitude to 
  create any sort of story you desire, since it does not need to 
  mesh with the rest of the chronicle as closely as other sorts 
  of stories do. However, the mission is also less fulfilling for 
  the players and can be very aggravating. Use missions 
  rarely, and space the stories in which you use this concept 
  widely. 
  Bourbon Street 
  Many of the best Vampire stories incorporate very 
  human values and issues which the characters must face. 
  They are trapped in very alien situations, yet still deal with 
  very familiar problems. Bourbon Street is a style of story 
  full of pathos; it is the most advanced of all the styles, and 
  the most difficulty to employ. 
  •Tragedy: While Vampire as a whole is marked by 
  constant tragedy, it is possible to weave individual stories 
  around that idea. The basic idea of tragedy is that no 
  matter what the protagonist does, there is no way to avoid 
  the tragic ending - the hero is doomed. Whether it is 
  Oedipus destined to slay his father and marry his mother, 
  or King Lear killed by his own pride, the main character is 
  what she is and cannot change her fate. In Vampire, the 
  players have more free will than these figures of literature; 
  however, the very fact of  
  vampiric existence leaves them open to the destructive 
  rampages of frenzy. Though they may sometimes be able 
  to control that frenzy, this will not always be the case. 
  The secret of using tragedy in a story is finding a way to 
  make the characters' intrinsic nature work against them. If 
  a character or characters frenzy at an inopportune 
  moment, such as when visiting the prince or while 
  surrounded by police, the characters will have to spend the 
  rest of the story atoning for these mistakes. 
  Place the characters in situations where they must feed off 
  loved ones in order to survive or have their enemies strike 
  at them through those same allies. Remember, however, 
  that even though the world of Vampire is rife with such 
  horror, you must always give the players at least a 
  modicum of free will in their characters' fates. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  77 
  •The Becoming: Start the players out as humans and 
  take them through the whole process of being created. It is 
  a very traumatic, intense and emotional experience. You 
  have to decide why the characters were chosen and why 
  they were selected as a group. Are they the brood of a 
  single sire, or perhaps the progeny of the elders of a single 
  city who created many neonates at a single time? 
  The goal of the characters could be to find a way to become 
  human again. They have left behind people whom they 
  love and who need them. The focus of the chronicle is their 
  increasingly desperate desire to escape the curse. What 
  lengths will they go to in order to attain their goal, and will 
  they, tragically, destroy their Humanity in the process? 
  Characters start with no Disciplines, but they will gain 
  their three points over the course of the chronicle - as they 
  are trained by their sire. You need to describe the haven of 
  the sire in detail, as well as his immediate enemies and 
  friends. The sire must be an exquisitely complete 
  character. Make both the haven and the chronicle as a 
  whole have a claustrophobic feel, so that when they finally 
  move on they will truly feel a sense of wonder and 
  anticipation. 
  •Romance: Vampires of both myth and cinema are 
  often deeply sensual beings, both sexually and 
  romantically. As creatures of untamed passions, they forge 
  much more intense bonds than most mortals will ever 
  know. The conflict between a vampire's hunger and love, 
  and the attempt to keep the Beast from destroying that 
  which is most treasured, can be the concepts for 
  innumerable adventures. For instance, how does the 
  player cushion the shock for his mortal lover after he 
  becomes a vampire? 
  Besides their attachments to mortals, vampires have to 
  deal with the deep emotions they sometimes feel for one 
  another. The relationship between a sire and his progeny 
  is not only that of a parent and a child, but can also be that 
  of an experienced lover with a virgin. This makes it even 
  harder, and perhaps even more important, for a childe to 
  become independent. 
  There are also the deep attachments Kindred form through 
  Blood Bonds. While it is easy to play this out through the 
  guidelines provided, it is more interesting to  
  force the players to test the boundaries of their love and 
  devotion to the other vampire. They will sacrifice their 
  friends, their plans and even their lives to make their 
  master happy. Of course, this becomes even more 
  interesting when the other vampire is Blood Bound as well 
  (to the player or a third vampire). 
  • Redemption: Some vampires want nothing to do with 
  the hunts and riddles which make up other Kindred's lives. 
  For them, the goal is to regain their humanity. Simply 
  present the characters with an opportunity to set 
  something right, to do something good. This could be 
  anything from assisting an old man in combating the 
  Brujah who is living in his home to helping a Malkavian 
  see past her delusions and accept the fact that she is a 
  vampire. Often stories about redemption can involve the 
  gaining of Humanity, and indeed this is the only way to 
  regain one's mortality. 
  •The Quest: The characters seek Golconda as a means 
  of not merely  escaping, but transcending their curse. This 
  is a somewhat existential approach to roleplaying, for the 
  characters look for that which is not real, yet is true, and 
  for that which is illusion, yet so essential. The quest leads 
  the characters into their ow n souls, so it is absolutely 
  essential that they be fully created and realized. Often it is 
  best to transform a story into a quest after it has been 
  going a while. 
  •A Normal Life: The characters are attempting to 
  continue their mortal lives even after the Embrace. They 
  must somehow balance their two lives, keeping each a 
  secret from the other. The characters must learn to rely 
  upon one another to succeed. If they are well-known for 
  any reason, it can make things all the more difficult. Play 
  out the prelude at length, to make the characters as real 
  and detailed as possible, but start the chronicle soon after 
  they are Embraced. The whole point is to roleplay through 
  the transition period. 
  You will need to detail the everyday worlds of each 
  character in order to give them something to interact with. 
  Provide something of compelling interest in the city as 
  well to draw them into the world of vampires. Juxtapose 
  the two opposing worlds as often and as vividly as you can, 
  and force the characters to balance the two of them.  
  
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  BOOK THREE: 
  PERMUTATIONS 
  The scent of decay is a perfume to me. The malignant air 
  clasps me live an old lover. When a tire screeches on the 
  asphalt, or a flash of neon illuminates the dream of the 
  city, I know I have come home. 
  Even as the Hunger prowls on the edge of my 
  consciousness, even as I stagger through the haze of my 
  delirium, I know this is my place. Here the dinner table is 
  always set. Here the music of life accompanies every meal. 
  Lovers walk by, hand in hand. I feel the Hunger build 
  within me. Their lives are mine, should I wish it. The Beast 
  stirs. But I shall not feed on them. The Beast must be 
  controlled, though it cannot be destroyed. I must fight it 
  one day at a time. 
  I have fed upon many. Their faces float before me, some to 
  haunt me and some to thank me. Full lips beg for pleasure 
  and receive ecstasy. Glazed eyes plead for life, but find 
  only release. Before my hunger, their fates were sealed. My 
  need was their end. My desire the final nail in their coffins. 
  Those who died, were they not criminals? Had not those 
  faces looked upon death before I met them? They knew me 
  when our paths crossed. Death destroys death; just as life 
  begets life. I am the Beast. 
  The sound of violence assaults me in a music of power. It 
  sings of my need and awakens my hunger. I track the 
  music to its source - a peacock costumed in garments of 
  color. 
  Beating a painted woman onto the ground, he pulls money 
  from her bag. Parasite. Slowly I approach him. Cancer. His 
  shallow eyes meet mine. Disease. I swallow his essence 
  into mine. Dust. A Beast I am lest a Beast I become. 
    
  He who fights with monsters might take care, 
  lest he thereby become a monster. 
  And if you gaze for long into an abyss, 
  the abyss gazes also into you. 
  - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil  
  
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  79 
  Chapter Seven: 
  Traits 
  The good want power, but to weep barren tears. 
  The powerful goodness want: worse need for them. 
  The wise want love; and those who love want wisdom. 
  - P. B. Shelly, "Prometheus Unbound" 
   
  In Vampire, Traits are the basis of a character - they 
  describe, conjure and pin down who and what a character 
  really is. They enable you to detail your character's 
  strengths and weaknesses, allow you to translate the 
  character into game reality by using dice, and most 
  importantly, they help you focus and understand your 
  character. 
  The Traits describe only the general parameters of the 
  character. The essence of the character is created through 
  the roleplaying and the imagination of the player. Traits in 
  Vampire are left intentionally sketchy - at least the 
  number-crunching part - so you will not concentrate on 
  the character sheet too much. What has been only crudely 
  established during character creation becomes fleshed out 
  in play. Don't look at your Traits thinking you have a 
  complete character. Your roleplaying will create your 
  character, not these Traits. 
  Specialties 
  For each Attribute and Ability rated at four or higher, a 
  player can select a specialty. Although a general 
  description of the Trait is listed below, sometimes there 
  are also particular facets of a Trait that a character is 
  capable of performing with additional proficiency - your 
  character may be able to drive very well, but he may be 
  especially good at off-road maneuvers. Most players select 
  specialties simply to flesh out a character, but they can 
  have some very real effects on the story as well. Although a 
  player may declare a specialty as a guide to roleplaying 
  even if the character does not have a rating of four or 
  higher, it will have absolutely no effect on rule mechanics. 
  A specialty allows the player to reroll 10s on actions where 
  the specialty directly applies to the action being attempted. 
  She gets to keep the success the 10 originally indicated, but 
  may subsequently try again for another success, rolling 
  another die for every 10 obtained. 
  Clans 
  We are Siamese, if you please. 
  We are Siamese if you don't please. 
  - the cats, Lady and the Tramp 
    
  The following seven clans are the body and soul of the 
  Camarilla. They are by no means the only  vampire clans in 
  existence; however, these seven are the only clans that 
  actively support the Camarilla and are thus part of the 
  normal life and society of the Kindred. A player may 
  choose her character's lineage from one of these seven, or 
  she may choose to be Caitiff - a vampire with no clan.  
  Brujah 
  The Brujah clan is almost completely composed of rebels 
  of one kind or another, forever searching for the ultimate 
  expression of their individuality. The Brujah are punks, 
  skinheads, bikers, death-rockers, freaks, socialists and 
  anarchists. They tend to be stubborn, highly aggressive, 
  ruthless, sensitive to slights, and extremely vengeful. They 
  are the most uncontrollable of all the Kindred. 
  These malcontents tend to be fanatical in their disparate 
  beliefs - the only thing that unites them is their desire to 
  overthrow the social system, be it vampiric or mortal, and 
  replace it with one of their own making (or with nothing at 
  all). Many are bullheaded crusaders of the worst sort, 
  devoted to their cause until they become blind to any other 
  shades of the truth. 
  Though the Brujah are incredibly fractious, they aid each 
  other in times of need, regardless of past disputes and 
  antagonisms. If the Brujah call is made, others will 
  respond, but the gathered host will be enraged if they 
  think the call was unwarranted. 
  The clan is poorly organized and only occasionally holds 
  informal meetings. Indeed, Brujah rely on their chaotic 
  behavior to gain the results they desire. Other Kindred 
  allow them their eccentricities; indeed, certain activities 
  that would get other Kindred extinguished earn them only 
  the remark, "Oh, a Brujah." Insolent outbursts and fevered 
  ravings are to be expected from the Brujah. The other 
  Kindred have simply learned to provide the Brujah an 
  amount of leeway which would be given to no other 
  vampire. 
  Nickname: Rabble 
  
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  Appearance: Brujah tend to dress in whatever style is 
  the most outrageous of the period, though some dress in a 
  way that conflicts with the rest of the clan so as to be the 
  "most" rebellious. Leather coats, spiked hair, chains and 
  black boots are common today, as are the various garbs of 
  antiquity, especially those of the Renaissance. They may 
  also dress and assume the attitudes of street hoods, neo-
  Nazis, or even Deadheads. 
  Haven: Brujah live wherever they choose, frequently 
  kicking whatever unlucky individuals lived there before 
  them. By habit they move about quite a bit, never stay  
  ing in one place for longer than a month. They typically 
  possess many different "safe houses" where they can hide 
  in times of turmoil. A new tactic of some Brujah is to move 
  in with suburban families, Dominating them into 
  submission. The Brujah "hang out" with the family for a 
  few weeks, and then move on when they get bored. Certain 
  Brujah "recruit" the rebellious teenagers in the households 
  just before they move on. 
  Background: Brujah naturally prefer rebels when they 
  choose their progeny. Only rarely is a neonate guided 
  through the process. Typically, new Brujah are left to their 
  own devices, summoned and aided only at the whim of the 
  sire. Often the sire remains anonymous, so as to avoid the 
  wrath of a strict prince. 
  Often a sire will create more than one childe at a time, 
  forming a brood. Brujah don't always seek the permission 
  of the prince when they create progeny, so the chances of 
  the childer's survival are greater if there is a group of 
  them. It is a strategy of numbers - the more progeny 
  created, the more likely some will survive. 
  Character Creation: Brujah often have criminal or 
  punk concepts, but many of them are intellectuals as well. 
  They normally have very aggressive Demeanors and very 
  extreme Natures. Physical Attributes are primary, as are 
  Skills. Brujah commonly have Contacts, Allies and Herd as 
  their Background Traits. 
  Clan Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence 
  Weaknesses: The members of this clan fall into 
  frenzies far more readily than other vampires. However, 
  the Brujah flatly deny this; indeed, they become 
  exceedingly hostile (even to the point of frenzy) if the 
  subject is raised. The difficulty for frenzy rolls is always 
  two higher than the number listed. 
  Organization: This clan is poorly organized and rarely 
  meets formally. However, its membership supports the 
  anarchs more than any other clan. Indeed, it lies at the 
  movement's core.  
  Quote: "All creatures of sentience deserve to be free - it 
  is our born right. When we overthrow this decadent 
  system that attempts to rule us, we can overthrow the 
  system that rules the mortals as well. We shall be the 
  saviors of the Earth." 
  Stereotypes: 
  •Nosferatu - They are rejected unjustly because of how 
  they look. We are the only ones who respect them despite 
  their bestiality. 
  •Tremere - Our archrivals. None are worse than these 
  manipulators. 
  •Ventrue - These contemptible, conniving politicians are 
  hypocrites of the highest degree. 
  •Gangrel - They know how to fight, that's for sure. 
  •Toreador - Effete bastards. They would make decent allies 
  save for their addiction to the human vices. 
  •Malkavian - Some make fine compatriots, though they're 
  all weirdos. 
  Gangrel 
  The Gangrel are wanderers, rarely staying in one place for 
  any length of time. In this, they differ greatly from most 
  Kindred, who tend to find a haven and cling to it. There 
  are no established leaders of the clan; on the whole, 
  Gangrel are unconcerned with such things. Withdrawn, 
  quiet and solemn, they certainly keep their cards close to 
  their chests. 
  This is a clan of survivors - vampires capable of making it 
  on their own. They do not despise civilization or the 
  society of other Kindred - they simply do not require it. 
  They are known for their lack of concern when crossing 
  the lands of the Lupines (werewolves), for it is said they 
  have friends among the shapechangers. 
  The Gangrel are themselves very capable shapeshifters, 
  which may explain their ability to cross the wild areas 
  unmolested. There are no reports of them being able to 
  transform into anything other than wolves and bats, but 
  there are old tales of Gangrel elders who could achieve a 
  mist form. Perhaps because of this Protean Discipline, 
  their features often resemble those of animals; indeed, 
  some of the oldest Gangrel barely resemble human beings 
  anymore. 
  The Gangrel are closely affiliated with the Gypsies; in fact, 
  if the stories are to be believed, the Gypsies are the mortal 
  descendants of the Antediluvian who founded the Gangrel 
  line. They are under his protection, and any Kindred who 
  harms or Embraces one of them will answer to him. 
  Regardless of whether this is true or not, Kindred are loath 
  to harm Gypsies. Members of the Gangrel clan are 
  expected, through long-standing tradition, to aid the 
  Gypsies whenever necessary. It has been known for 
  Gangrel to be aided by the Gypsies as well. Certain Gangrel 
  have adopted much from the Gypsy culture, including 
  mannerisms, linguistic elements, and even dress. 
  Nickname: Outlanders 
  Appearance: The members of this clan often have 
  animalistic features, especially if they have the Protean 
  Discipline. They are usually quite rustic in dress and 
  mannerisms.  
  Haven: Gangrel are nomadic by nature and almost never 
  create permanent dwellings. Though they may live within 
  a single city, they will usually not create havens for 
  themselves, but will instead sleep in a different place each 
  day. They are often found in parks, zoos or semi-wooded 
  areas in the city. Most of them are able to meld with the 
  earth and do so each dawn to escape the sun. 
  Background: Gangrel always pick their progeny very 
  carefully, seeking those who are survivors. However, once 
  they Embrace these mortals, they abandon them, leaving 
  the childer to make their own way in the world. Though 
  sires may watch from a distance, they almost never 
  interfere. When the time is right, they present themselves 
  to their fledglings and teach them the ways of the clan. 
  Character Creation: Gangrel often have drifter or 
  Working Joe concepts. Their Natures and Demeanors tend 
  to be quite similar. Physical Attributes are primary, as are 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  81 
  Talent Abilities. Normal Background Traits are Allies (the 
  Gypsies) and Mentor (their sires). 
  Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean 
  Weaknesses: Gangrel become increasingly animal-like 
  each time they frenzy - the player of a Gangrel character 
  must pick a new animal feature each and every time the 
  character does so. As Gangrel age, they increasingly 
  resemble that which they truly are - the Beast. These 
  features tend to negatively affect the character's social 
  skills. For every five animal features gained, the player 
  must lower one of the character's Social Attributes by one. 
  Organization: The Gangrel do not really consider 
  themselves a clan. They almost never have clan meetings 
  and rarely attend Camarilla councils. However, they do 
  tend to enjoy each other's company more than that of 
  other Kindred and can often be found together. 
  Quote: "The city is not our home. It is simply the only 
  place where we are allowed to exist for long. Our people 
  have become ill and deranged because we have lived in 
  this purgatory so long and have grown dependent on the 
  tainted blood of the mortals."  
  Stereotypes: 
  •Nosferatu - Kindred of strong spirit; we have much in 
  common with them. 
  •Tremere - Though they do not realize it, we are enemies. 
  They follow the wrong path and seek to destroy us all. 
  •Ventrue - Every sect must have leaders; every leader must 
  serve the sect. Our leaders are neither worse nor better 
  than most. 
  •Toreador - We hold them in contempt because they have 
  earned nothing better. They must learn to serve instead of 
  take. 
  •Brujah - Their virtue is pure, but their vision is cloudy. 
  •Malkavian - They are reservoirs of immense power, but 
  even they do not know how to tap it. 
  Malkavians 
  The Malkavians are insane, one and all. From madness, 
  however, comes wisdom, and from wisdom comes power. 
  The Malkavians are true creatures of chaos. However, the 
  Malkavians are also known to be clowns and pranksters. 
  As with all things connected with them, not everything 
  makes sense. 
  This clan is infamous for its destructive and nihilistic 
  members. Malkavians have a reputation for sadistic 
  behavior and for holding little grasp of the humanity they 
  still retain. In truth, such Malkavians are a minority. The 
  members of this clan regularly surprise the Kindred; often 
  they do not seem insane. Some Kindred believe the 
  Malkavians have an undeserved reputation, and have been 
  sullied by a few truly psychotic members. However, 
  remember that sometimes the most normal-seeming 
  people have the least grasp on reality. 
  The Malkavians have a time-honored tradition of playing 
  practical jokes upon Kindred and kine alike. The nature of 
  these "pranks" can vary wildly, ranging from the 
  harmlessly  fun to the potentially lethal. The Malkavians, 
  when they interact with one another at all, tend to award 
  prestige within the clan on the basis of these pranks. Many 
  Malkavians solemnly believe that the Jyhad is a joke 
  created by the founder of their line. 
  The Malkavians are very picky about whom they Embrace. 
  Typically, only those on the verge of insanity are chosen. 
  The members of this clan search long and hard for those 
  who have seen so much truth that they have descended 
  into the pits of chaos, and thus have unique perspectives 
  on reality. Indeed, if the progeny-to-be is sane, the  
  sire will make the Embrace and Becoming as difficult as 
  possible, seeking to drive the mortal mad in the process. 
  Nickname: Kooks 
  Appearance: The members of this clan have different 
  looks and live vastly differing lifestyles. 
  Haven: Malkavians live anywhere they feel comfortable. 
  Many of them seek out hospitals and asylums to reside in. 
  Some are even assumed to be inmates by the staff. 
  Background: The members of this clan only select 
  those who are close to death as neonates, or those who are 
  so insane that existence as a vampire is of little 
  consequence. They believe all mortals should have a 
  chance to live out their natural lives. 
  Character Creation: Malkavians can have any sor t of 
  concept - the weirder the better. They may have a variety 
  of different Demeanors, which are rarely indicative of their 
  true Natures. Mental Attributes are primary, as are Talent 
  Abilities. Malkavians can have nearly any Background 
  Trait. 
  Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate 
  Weaknesses: All members of this clan have some sort 
  of Derangement. In fact, characters begin the game with 
  one. The player may choose any Derangement (see 
  Chapter Eight), but the character will never be able to 
  completely overcome it, no matter how much Willpower is 
  spent. The touch of madness is always upon the members 
  of this line. 
  Organization: Many Malkavians probably do not 
  understand that they are a clan, and the rest are busy 
  denying that they are Malkavians. 
  Quote: "Madness you say! Do you fear me? Are you 
  afraid of what I might do, of what I might say? What a 
  fascinating reaction. Don't you find it somewhat 
  encumbering?" 
  Stereotypes: 
  •Nosferatu - They are the most amusing of all the clans 
  and perhaps the most honest, for they so obviously are 
  what the others try so hard to avoid. 
  •Tremere - They perceive what we perceive, but hide from 
  it. They still strive to avoid that which is inevitable. Nature 
  is full of cycles. 
  •Ventrue - They are the most fun to play games with, for 
  they take it all so very seriously. 
  •Gangrel - They are different from the rest, as are we, but 
  they are even more lonely. 
  •Toreador - Such gleeful hedonists it is not a life they live, 
  but an everlasting death. But if they should ever 
  comprehend that, their party would end. 
  •Brujah - They have a vision, but in their fanaticism they 
  are as blind as the rest. 
   
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  82 
  Nosferatu 
  The Nosferatu are the least human-appearing of all the 
  clans. They look something like feral animals. Their smell 
  and appearance are revolting - one could even say 
  monstrous. Long, bulbous ears, coarse-skinned skulls 
  covered with tufts of hair, and elongated faces splotched 
  with disgusting warts and lumps are among their less 
  nauseating features. 
  After Nosferatu have been Embraced, they  undergo an 
  exceptionally painful period of transformation. Over a 
  period of weeks, they slowly shift from their mortal 
  countenances to their Nosferatu visages. In the beginning, 
  the childer may revel in their newfound powers, but soon 
  the pain and the changes will begin. The psychological 
  trauma of becoming such a loathsome monstrosity is often 
  more painful than the physical symptoms. 
  Nosferatu usually Embrace those mortals who are twisted 
  in one way or another: emotionally, physically, spiritually 
  or intellectually. They consider the Embrace too horrific to 
  bestow on any worthwhile human beings. With the change 
  into vampires, the Nosferatu hope to somehow redeem the 
  mortals, to give them a second chance. It is surprising how 
  often it works. Underneath the grim exterior, the 
  Nosferatu are practical and surprisingly sane. 
  It is said they revel in being dirty and disgusting and do 
  little to make themselves look better (not that there is very 
  much they could do). Indeed, they are cheerful amid their 
  squalor, especially when others are forced to enter their 
  realm. They are known for being grumpy and lewd, and 
  cannot be trusted to conform to the standards of civilized 
  society. 
  Though their Obfuscate Discipline enables the Nosferatu 
  to travel through mortal society, they are unable to 
  interact with it. Therefore they must live apart. The habits 
  that develop from such an existence extend even to their 
  interactions with other vampires. They avoid all contact, 
  preferring their own solitary existence to the chaos of 
  interacting with others. 
  Though Nosferatu may not fraternize with other vampires, 
  they do remain surprisingly cognizant about the affairs of 
  the city. They favor such tactics as listening to the 
  conversations of other vampires from hiding, and 
  Nosferatu have even been known to sneak into the prince's 
  haven to discover the deepest secrets of this elder. Anyone 
  wishing to know any information about the city or its 
  immortal inhabitants need only speak with a Nosferatu.  
  The Nosferatu do stay in contact with one another, and 
  have developed a unique subculture among the Kindred. 
  They play host to one another with the most elaborate 
  politeness and gentility. They share the information they 
  garner among themselves, and as a result are probably the 
  best-informed of the Kindred. 
  Nickname: Sewer Rats 
  Appearance: The changes that the curse has wrought 
  upon the members of this clan are the most dominant of 
  any bloodline. They sport huge fangs, their skin is coarse 
  and wrinkled, and they typically have no hair (except in all 
  the wrong places). 
  Haven: The Nosferatu most often live underground, 
  either in dank cellars or within the city sewer system. 
  When they do live above ground, they frequent abandoned 
  houses or graveyards. 
  Background: They tend to choose their fledglings from 
  the castoffs and failures of society: the homeless, the 
  mentally ill and the hopelessly antisocial. 
  Character Creation: Most Nosferatu have lower-class 
  concepts, and tend to have a strong contrast between their 
  Natures and Demeanors. Physical Attributes are primary, 
  as are Talents. 
  Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence 
  Weaknesses: Nosferatu are so ugly that they have an 
  Appearance of zero. Simply cross the entire Attribute off 
  the character sheet. Nosferatu fail any action that involves 
  their Appearance (they really are hideous). 
  Organization: They tend to look out for themselves 
  and mingle little with others. They are united in spirit, 
  with an established network, but almost never have formal 
  clan meetings of any sort. 
  Quote: "I don't look for trouble, but if it comes, I hide 
  from it. Damn right, pretty boy. You may call me chicken, 
  but I've known a lot of Kindred over the years who got 
  smart just a few seconds too late. It's not like we can't die, 
  it's just that it don't come natural any more." 
  Stereotypes: 
  •Tremere - Shady characters; they're up to something. 
  •Ventrue - Too damn proper; something's stuck up their.... 
  •Gangrel - Good blokes; they know who they are. 
  •Toreador - Empty-headed whelps who should be 
  spanked. 
  •Brujah - Nice enough fellas, once you get past the crap. 
  •Malkavian - Creepy, ain't they? Don't even trust 'em. 
  Toreador 
  The members of this clan are known for their hedonism, 
  though that is a misinterpretation of what they truly are. 
  They are proud and regal Kindred, highly excitable, and 
  they cultivate expensive tastes - but hedonism is going a 
  bit too far. Artists are always so misunderstood. 
  The Toreador are the most sophisticated of the clans. They 
  are concerned with beauty in a way no mortal can fathom. 
  They use the rarefied senses and tastes given to them by 
  the Embrace to become as consumed and impassioned as 
  possible. Ideally, to a Toreador, nothing matters as much 
  as beauty, though in many cases the search for beauty is 
  overwhelmed by the search for pleasure, and the Toreador 
  becomes little more than a sensualist. 
  Like all true artists, they search for a truth beyond an 
  existence they fear to be meaningless. It is that struggle for 
  truth, and ultimately salvation, that has inspired them 
  with what they consider to be their mission - protectors of 
  the genius of the human race. They are truly in love with 
  the vigor and passion of the mortals, and never tire of 
  marveling at their creations. 
  The 
  clan 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  considers 
  its 
  members 
  conservationists; their protectorate consists of the world's 
  greatest artists. They specifically seek out those whom they 
  consider to be the most talented and grant them the boon 
  of immortality, thus preserving their genius against the 
  ravages of aging and death. They constantly search for new 
  talent and spend a great deal of time deciding whom to 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  83 
  preserve and whom to leave to their fate. Among the 
  Toreador are some of the greatest musicians and artists 
  who ever lived. 
  The greatest weakness of the Toreador is their sensitivity 
  to beauty. They so reflexiv ely surround themselves with 
  elegance and luxury that they often lose themselves in the 
  endless pursuit of vice after vice. Some among this clan 
  become concerned with nothing but their own continued 
  pleasure - the reputation of the entire clan is affected by 
  their excesses. 
  Nickname: Degenerates 
  Appearance: The members of this clan are usually 
  good-looking. They always dress in the very latest fashions 
  from the most expensive stores. Of all the Kindred, only 
  the Toreador manage (or bother) to keep up with the ever-
  changing panoply of human fashion.  
  Haven: They often live in luxury condos or apartments 
  near the center of the city, as close to the action as 
  possible. 
  Background: They pride themselves on only selecting 
  the most exemplary members of human society for 
  initiation into their clan. Most members were artists or 
  musicians, and many continue their artistic pursuits in 
  undeath. 
  Character Creation: Toreador often have entertainer 
  or dilettante concepts. They have flamboyant Demeanors, 
  but may have very u nique Natures. Social Attributes are 
  primary, as are Skills. Normal Background Traits include 
  Fame, Resources and Retainers. 
  Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence 
  Weaknesses: The members of this clan are as much 
  prisoners of their artistic vision and sensitivity as they are 
  its beneficiaries. They are often overcome by the beauty 
  they see around them, and become immobilized with 
  fascination. Such things as paintings, neon signs, or even 
  sunrises can captivate them. It requires a successful 
  Willpower roll to break the fascination quickly; otherwise, 
  the Toreador will stand, awed and helpless, for minutes or 
  even hours. This trait explains why Toreador so often fall 
  in love with mortals. 
  Organization: The members of this clan meet 
  frequently, though these gatherings are more social 
  occasions than councils. In times of great urgency, they 
  become united and ferociously active, but typically they 
  are too apathetic to be much of a force. 
  Quote: "I remember my first love, a beautiful woman 
  with a silver laugh. For nine years we were constant 
  companions, but in the end I had to let her go. She begged 
  me to take her but I could not. You may call me cruel, but 
  in the end I realized she was not a true artist, but an 
  imitator. She was unworthy. I don't think I have ever 
  recovered." 
  Stereotypes: 
  •Nosferatu - These loathsome beasts ought to have been 
  expelled from the Camarilla long ago. They hate all beauty 
  and despise us for ours. 
  •Tremere - Honesty is not a word we associate with this 
  clan, but we respect them for their dedication. 
  •Ventrue - The patricians of our kind, the Ventrue are the 
  only ones with the refinement to appreciate art, though 
  not as we do. 
  •Gangrel - We don't claim to understand them. Are they 
  Kindred at all? 
  •Brujah - They have little respect for  the accomplishments 
  of civilization, but they do understand the virtue of 
  change. 
  •Malkavian - Though chaos can be beautiful, it would be a 
  difficult life. 
  Tremere 
  The members of this clan are dedicated and extremely 
  well-organized. Others, however, think of them as arcane 
  and untrustworthy. They are aggressive, highly intellectual 
  and manipulative, and respect only those who struggle and 
  persevere despite all odds. The Tremere believe they must 
  use the other clans in order to prosper. "Be friendly with 
  them, let them think that we are one with them, but never 
  forget that we serve our clan first and foremost," the 
  Tremere elders whisper to their progeny. "If you must use 
  your friends in service to the clan, then you know that your 
  time was not wasted." 
  The Tremere are an odd lot indeed. They claim to have 
  once been wizards who voluntarily gave up their "art" for 
  the powers and eternal life of the vampire. They have 
  never named a founder, and some claim they have none, 
  having instead harnessed mystical powers to achieve their 
  state. Most elder Kindred discount this claim, however. 
  Their link to the substance of blood apparently runs deep, 
  and they are rumored to be able to use blood in special 
  ways to gain extraordinary powers. Many also believe that 
  the knowledge of those practices has been passed down 
  from generation to generation, and that it is now viewed 
  by the younger Tremere as natural and commonplace - 
  certainly not magic. 
  The leaders of this clan are based in Vienna, though they 
  have chantries ("guild houses" for the practice of magic) 
  on every continent of the world. A council of seven elders 
  is said to control the entire clan from the Vienna chantry. 
  From that locus, they maintain a tightly ordered, highly 
  hierarchical group, one that allows no outsider to view 
  their inner workings. 
  Tremere typically have immense love for and loyalty to 
  their clan, and the younger members of Clan Tremere are 
  expected to obey their elders without question. This is not 
  as true in practice as it once was, however. Though there 
  are some rebels and anarchs from the Tremere line, it is 
  thought that they are posing as such on the orders of the 
  clan, as part of its long-term plots. 
  Nickname: Warlocks 
  Appearance: Tremere traditionally wear black coats or 
  even cloaks with high, upturned collars and arcane 
  symbols sewn on the lining. Though this is no longer 
  universal, they still prefer black, impressive-looking 
  clothing (such as the pinstripe power suit). Many Tremere 
  also carry props such as canes; some of  
  these "ornaments" are rumored to be potent mystical 
  talismans. 
  Haven: The Tremere clan operates a chantry in almost 
  every city where it has members. All those of the Tremere 
  clan are welcome in any chantry. Those who live on their 
  own have a wide variety of accommodations. 
  Background: They choose the most aggressive and 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  84 
  ambitious people as their neonates, preferring males. They 
  carefully train and nurture them for years, calling them 
  "apprentices." 
  Character Creation: Tremere usually have 
  professional and highly educated concepts and their 
  Natures and Demeanors tend to be archetypes connected 
  with power or science. Mental Attributes are primary, as 
  are Knowledge Abilities. They often have the Mentor 
  Background Trait. 
  Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy 
  Weaknesses: Tremere neonates must all drink from 
  the blood of the seven elders of the clan when they are 
  created. This means that all Tremere are at least one step 
  toward being Blood Bound to the clan, and therefore must 
  watch their step very carefully when around their leaders. 
  Organization: The Tremere are tightly organized and 
  very hierarchical. The younger members are expected to 
  obey the older ones without question, but this is not as 
  strong a tenet as it once was. 
  Quote: "We must survive Gehenna and establish the 
  tenets of the new world order once the horror is 
  overcome. If we are to succeed, we must control the other 
  clans. No more time can be wasted. If they cannot be 
  convinced to aid us, they must be forced."  
  Stereotypes: 
  •Nosferatu - These creatures may make useful servants, 
  but they are too noxious to tolerate for long. 
  •Ventrue - Too fractious to be truly effective; nonetheless, 
  they are our chief rivals for control of the Camarilla. 
  •Gangrel - Noble Kindred, in their own way. 
  •Toreador - Idle hedonists. They do not understand that 
  Gehenna will end their way of life forever. 
  •Brujah - Ignorant revolutionaries who don't even 
  comprehend what it is that they oppose. They respect only 
  power. 
  •Malkavian - So often they seem normal, but all their 
  lineage carry their strange curse. They are occasionally 
  useful. 
  Ventrue 
  Old-fashioned and tradition-bound, the Ventrue are 
  sophisticated and genteel. They believe in good taste above 
  all else and work hard to make their lives comfortable. 
  They are most frequently the leaders in the Camarilla, and 
  are cautious, honorable, social and elegant Kindred. 
  The Ventrue fancy themselves a clan of the modern world, 
  and deny that they live in the past. This may be true of the 
  most powerful members of the clan, but many are unable 
  to give up the habits and dress of the time when they were 
  Embraced. The attitudes and beliefs of one's mortal days 
  are never forgotten by a Ventrue. 
  They are most often found among the upper crust of the 
  mortal world. Their sophistication serves them in good 
  stead among the elite of mortal society, and it allows them 
  to control many of the more powerful members of the city. 
  Because of the relative ease in which they fit in among 
  such company, the Ventrue often have a monopoly on 
  political control of the city. If something goes wrong, it is 
  often to the Ventrue that the other Kindred turn to for aid. 
  There is a strong Ventrue tradition that any member of the 
  line may find safe refuge with any other member of the 
  line, and cannot be refused. Thus many Ventrue aid their 
  fellow clan members before the need  
  arises for this tradition to be invoked. Harboring a fugitive 
  in one's haven can be detrimental to one's welfare. 
  They are very proud of their leadership of vampire society, 
  and will always insist that they were the founders of the 
  Camarilla. They will do nearly anything to retain their grip 
  on the politics of the cities and the Camarilla, and are 
  exceedingly protective of their reputations. 
  Nickname: Blue Bloods 
  Appearance: The Ventrue do not change their ways 
  easily , so they often dress in very old-fashioned styles - 
  lace and ruffles, top hats and evening coats. Younger 
  members still dress very well - preppy would best describe 
  it. 
  Haven: They tend to make their homes in mansions, 
  often their mortal dwellings. 
  Background: Typically they select older and more 
  experienced people as neonates, usually members of the 
  upper class. Sometimes they will only Embrace their own 
  mortal descendants. 
  Character Creation: Ventrue tend to have upper 
  class concepts. Mental Attributes are primary, as are 
  Knowledge Abilities. Resources and Influence are common 
  Background Traits. 
  Clan Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence 
  Weaknesses: Ventrue have exacting and rarefied 
  tastes, even when it comes to blood. The player must pick 
  a restriction on the type of blood her character can feed 
  upon, e.g. only young men, no animals, only virgins, etc. 
  The character will feed on no other type of blood, not even 
  if she is starving or under duress. 
  Organization: Though the Ventrue clan meets often, 
  their councils are sarcastically called "debating societies" 
  because of the amount of talk and lack of action. The 
  Ventrue consider this the only civilized way to get anything 
  done. 
  Quote: "The best way to get even with one's enemies is 
  to outlive them. Because we are reasonable and above 
  such petty concerns as vengeance, we are the leaders 
  among our kind. Our colleagues do little to support the 
  Camarilla, so we must bear the burden alone." 
  Stereotypes: 
  •Nosferatu - Frightful creatures, but they can't help being 
  what they are.  
  •Tremere - Good chaps, support the Camarilla 100%, but 
  they have uncertain motivations. 
  •Gangrel - They are somewhat uncouth, but can be trusted. 
  •Toreador - Tasteful and creative, if a bit unrestrained. 
  •Brujah - Bullies and rebels all. They are uncontrollable 
  and untamable. 
  •Malkavian - They are not half as crazy as they pretend to 
  be. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  85 
   
  Generations Chart 
   
  Trait Max Rating 
  Blood Pool Size 
  Blood Points/Turn 
   Third 
   10 
   ? 
   ? 
   Fourth 
   9 
   50 
   10 
   Fifth 
   8 
   40 
   8 
   Sixth 
   7  
   30 
   6 
   Sev enth 
   6 
   20 
   5 
   Eighth 
   5 
   15 
   3 
   Ninth 
   5 
   1 4 
   2 
   Tenth 
   5 
   13 
   1  
   Eleventh 
   5 
   1 2 
   1  
   Twelfth 
   5 
   1 1  
   1  
   Thirteenth+ 
   5 
   10 
   1  
  Trait Max Rating: This indicates the highest Trait rating a vampire can have. This is especially important when it 
  comes to Disciplines. Note that it is impossible for player characters to have more than a five rating in any Trait, at 
  least at the beginning of the chronicle. 
  Blood Pool Size: Ancient vampires are capable of storing more blood (or its energy) in their system than younger 
  ones. 
  Blood Points/Turn: This describes how many Blood Points a vampire can use in a single turn for either extra dice 
  or levels of healing. 
    
  Personality Archetypes 
  As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human 
  existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of 
  mere being. 
  - C.G. Jung 
    
  We humans roleplay on an intrinsic basis. Every moment 
  of our lives is spent playing a role. Our being is made up of 
  many layers of personalities, some of which we pretend to 
  be, others of which we present naturally. 
  Personality Archetypes are a way of defining these 
  personalities. They describe the eternal roles that are a 
  collective characteristic of our identities and that we all 
  share in common. The psychologist Carl Jung invented the 
  concept of Archetypes as a way to describe the primordial 
  concepts residing in the universal unconscious of 
  humanity. He never tried to give names to them, as he 
  believed one really couldn't describe such universal 
  symbols with words. However, in order to incor porate the 
  concept into Vampire, we have done exactly this, so 
  remember to take what we say with a grain of salt. 
  Archetypes encompass not only personalities, but places 
  and things as well. They are a way for the Storyteller to get 
  the players to understand the characters and setting, and 
  to relate them to their own lives. Archetypes help us make 
  sense out of things, and help the Storyteller bring the story 
  home. 
  Characters do not, in fact, fit into such neat and tidy 
  categories. Archetypes are the molds for an infinite 
  number of different personalities, and should not be seen 
  as absolute standards. They are fundamental patterns, yet 
  each individual varies from the pattern in many ways. 
  These personality Archetypes are examples of the variety 
  of personalities that can found; they are intended to guide, 
  not to restrict. 
  The key to the use of Archetypes is the interaction between 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  86 
  the character's Nature and Demeanor. The Nature is the 
  true personality of the character, that which she is but may 
  not reveal to others. Most people do not wish others to 
  know them intimately, and they therefore create facades 
  behind which they can hide their true selves - false fronts. 
  A character's Demeanor may be as consistent as her 
  Attributes, or it may change from  minute to minute. An 
  extraordinarily open, honest or simple-minded individual 
  will have the same Demeanor and Nature. 
  Archetypes have a practical impact on the game, for each 
  Archetype provides a different way to regain Willpower 
  points. The Nature of the character is thus vital in 
  regaining Willpower. The procedure works like this: the 
  player notices her character may be able to regain 
  Willpower due to her actions or the situation - this varies 
  from Archetype to Archetype. She asks the Storyteller if 
  she can regain Willpower, and the Storyteller either 
  accepts or rejects the  
  request. If the Storyteller deems the request to be valid, he 
  awards anything from one to three Willpower points, 
  depending on the nature of the character's actions. The 
  Storyteller shouldn't reward a character if he thinks the 
  player was performing the actions in order to regain 
  Willpower and was not really roleplaying. For more details 
  on how this works, see the Willpower section in this 
  chapter, pg. 176. Details on adding to your permanent 
  Willpower total are in Chapter Eight, pg. 184. 
  The Storyteller should encourage his players to develop 
  their own Archetypes to describe their characters' Natures 
  or Demeanors, thus giving them an opportunity to create 
  truly unique personalities. 
  Architect 
  Your sense of purpose goes beyond your own needs; you 
  try to create something of lasting value for those who will 
  come after you. People need many things, and you gain 
  satisfaction by providing whatever you can. You are the 
  type of person who makes an effort to build something of 
  value: to found a town, create a company or in some way 
  leave a lasting legacy. Many American pioneers were 
  Architects by Nature. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you create or establish 
  something of importance or lasting value. 
  Bon Vivant 
  Life is pointless, shallow and meaningless - so have as 
  good a time as possible. Rome may burn, but you shall 
  drink wine and sing songs. A hedonist, sensualist, sybarite 
  and party animal, the words austere, self-denial and self-
  discipline have no place in your life. You much prefer the 
  concept of instant gratification. Still, you don't mind a 
  little hard work as long as a good time awaits you upon 
  completion. Most Bon Vivants have low Self-Control, for 
  they so dearly love excess. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you have a truly good time 
  and can fully express your exultation (or perhaps even 
  more points if you enjoy an especially fun night). 
  Bravo 
  You are known as a bully, a ruffian and a tough, and 
  delight in tormenting the weak. Things must always go 
  your way, and you do not tolerate those who cross you. 
  Power and might are all you respect; indeed, you heed only 
  those who can prove their power to you. 
  You see nothing wrong with forcing your will upon others. 
  There is nothing you like better than to persecute, 
  antagonize, heckle and intimidate those for whom you 
  have contempt -and of them there are many. The emotions 
  of kindness and pity are not completely foreign to you, but 
  you hide from your own sense of weakness through cruelty 
  to others. While most Bravos despise the weak, a few 
  become their protectors. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you intimidate or physically 
  force another person to do what you wish.  
  Caregiver 
  You always try to help those around you, struggling to 
  make a difference in the needs and sorrows of the 
  unfortunate. People around you depend on your stability 
  and strength to keep them steady and centered. You are 
  the one people turn to when they have a problem. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you successfully protect or 
  nurture someone else. It can be as small as a smile of 
  support or a shoulder to lean on at an appropriate 
  moment. You must help the other person in some way, 
  though he need not acknowledge it openly.  
  Child 
  You are still immature in personality and temperament: a 
  kid who never grew up. Though you can (hopefully) care 
  for yourself, you prefer the security of being watched over 
  by others. Often you seek out someone to look out for you - 
  a caretaker of sorts. Some see you as a spoiled brat, while 
  others see you as an innocent cherub unaffected by the 
  evils of the world. This is a very common archetype for 
  Kindred who were created when they were young and 
  subsequently matured mentally, but not emotionally. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever someone does something to 
  help you with no apparent gain for herself. 
  Conformist 
  You are a follower. Taking charge is just not your style. It 
  is easy for you to adapt, attune, adjust, comply and 
  reconcile yourself to whatever new situation you find 
  yourself in. You flit to the brightest star, the person whom 
  you feel to be the best, throwing your lot in with her. It is 
  both difficult and distasteful for you to go against the flow 
  or rebel. You hate inconsistency and instability, and know 
  that by supporting a strong leader, you help prevent chaos 
  from occurring. All stable groups need some kind of 
  Conformist. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever your group (the brood) 
  accomplishes something because of your support and aid. 
  Conniver 
  What's the sense of working hard when you can get 
  something for nothing? Why drudge when, just by talking, 
  you can get what you want? You always try to find the easy 
  way out, the fast track to success and wealth. Some people 
  might call what you do swindling or even outright theft, 
  but you know that you only do what everyone else does; 
  you just do it better. Additionally, it's a game, and you get 
  great pleasure out of outwitting someone. Connivers play 
  many roles, so you may be a thief, a swindler, a street waif, 
  an entrepreneur, a con man or just a finagler. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you are able to get your way 
  by tricking another person into doing as you wish.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  87 
  Curmudgeon 
  You are an irascible, churlish person at heart, taking 
  everything seriously and finding little humor in life 
  (though you may have a wickedly barbed wit). Cynicism is 
  you r middle name; it is the tool with which you judge 
  everything in life. You have a very well-defined 
  understanding of how things really work, especially when 
  they involve the circus of human endeavor. Long ago the 
  foolish actions of others ceased to surprise you. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever someone does something 
  stupid, just like you predicted. You must predict it either 
  out loud to the other characters or in private to the 
  Storyteller. 
  Deviant 
  There are always people who don't fit in, and you are such 
  a miscreant. Your beliefs, motivations and sense of 
  propriety are the complete antithesis of the status quo. 
  You are not so much an aimless rebel as an independent 
  thinker who does not belong in the society in which you 
  were raised. You don't give a damn about other people's 
  morality, but you do adhere to your own strange code of 
  conduct. Deviants are typically irreverent, and some have 
  truly bizarre tastes and desires. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you are able to thumb your 
  nose at society and its precepts without retaliation (most 
  often vampiric society rather than mortal). 
  Director 
  You despise chaos and disorder, and tend to take control 
  and organize things in order to suppress anarchy. You like 
  to be in charge, live to organize and habitually strive to 
  make things work smoothly. You trust your own judgment 
  implicitly and tend to think of things in black-and-white 
  terms: "This won't work," "You're either for me or against 
  me," "There are two ways to do this - my way and the 
  wrong way." 
  - Regain Willpower when y ou are allowed to lead a group 
  and accomplish some significant task. 
  Fanatic 
  You are consumed by a cause; it is the primary force in 
  your life, for good or ill. Every ounce of blood and passion 
  you possess is directed toward it; in fact, you may feel very 
  guilty about spending time on anything else. You will let 
  nothing stand in your way - nothing that you cannot 
  overcome, in any case. You and those around you may 
  suffer, but your cause is everything - the end justifies the 
  means. Before the game begins, make sure you describe 
  your cause, and define how it may affect your behavior. 
  -You regain Willpower whenever you accomplish an act 
  which furthers your cause. 
  Gallant 
  You are as flamboyant as you are amoral; some see you as 
  a rogue, a Don Juan, a rake, a paramour or just a lounge 
  lizard - but you see yourself as all of the above. A 
  consummate actor who loves to make as big a show of 
  things as possible, nothing attracts your attention more 
  than an appreciative audience. You love people and you 
  love to impress them even more. Though you may indeed 
  be a superior lover, you enjoy the chase almost as much as 
  you enjoy the act. Gallants vary widely in temperament 
  and ambition, holding in common little more than their 
  love of attention. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you manage to dazzle or 
  impress another person. The Storyteller is always the 
  judge, even when characters are involved. 
  Jester 
  You are the fool, idiot, quipster, clown or comic, forever 
  making fun of both yourself and others. You constantly 
  seek the humor in any situation, and strive always to battle 
  the tides of depression inside yourself. You hate sorrow 
  and pain, and constantly try to take others' minds off the 
  dark side of life. Sometimes you'll do nearly anything to 
  forget pain exists. Your particular brand of humor might 
  not always impress your friends, but it makes you feel 
  better. Some Jesters manage to escape pain and are truly 
  happy, but most never find release. 
  - Regain Willpower when you raise the spirits of those 
  around you through the device of humor, especially when 
  you are able to escape your own pain in the process 
  Judge 
  As a facilitator, moderator, arbitrator, conciliator and 
  peacemaker, you always seek to make things better. You 
  pride yourself on your rationality, your judgment and your 
  ability to deduce a reasonable explanation when given the 
  facts. You struggle to promote truth, but you understand 
  how difficult it is to ascertain. You respect justice, for that 
  is the way in which truth can reign. 
  In your view, people are resources, albeit ones that are 
  most difficult to manage and employ. You hate dissension 
  and arguments, and shy away from dogmatism. 
  Sometimes Judges make good leaders, though a lack of 
  vision can sometimes cause them to maintain the status 
  quo instead of searching for a better way. 
  - Regain Willpower when you are able to successfully 
  separate the truth from a web of lies or can convince 
  disputing individuals to agree with your judgments.  
  Loner 
  You are the type of person who is always alone, even in the 
  midst of a crowd. You are the wanderer, hunter and lone 
  wolf. Though others might think of you as lonely, forsaken, 
  isolated or remote, in truth you prefer your own company 
  to that of others. There are many different reasons why 
  this might be so: you don't understand people, you 
  understand people too well, people dislike you, people like 
  you too much, or you are simply lost in your own thoughts. 
  Your reasons are your own. 
  - When you manage to accomplish some significant task 
  on your own, without the aid of others, yet which still aids 
  the group in some way, you regain Willpower based on the 
  significance of the achievement. 
  Martyr 
  All possess the martyr instinct, but few act upon it. Even 
  fewer live the life of a Martyr, but you are such a one. Your 
  desire for self-sacrifice stems either from a low self-
  esteem, a feeling of a lack of control, or a profoundly 
  developed sense of love. You are able to endure long-
  lasting and severe suffering because of your beliefs and 
  ideals. 
  At worst, a Martyr expects sympathy and attention 
  because of his or her suffering, and may even feign or 
  exaggerate pain or deprivation. At best, a Martyr will 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  88 
  choose to suffer injury or even the Final Death rather than 
  renounce his religion, beliefs, principles, cause or friends. 
  - Regain Willpower when you sacrifice yourself in a real 
  and immediate way for your beliefs or another individual. 
  Rebel 
  You are a malcontent, iconoclast and free-thinking 
  recalcitrant. You are so independent-minded and free-
  willed that you are unwilling to join any particular cause or 
  movement. You are just yourself and only desire the 
  freedom to be yourself. You do not make a good follower 
  and aren't usually a very good leader either (unless your 
  followers are willing to go wherever you lead). You tend to 
  be insubordinate to authority to the point of stupidity. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever your rebellion against the 
  status quo turns out to be for the best. 
  Survivor 
  No matter what, you always manage to survive. You can 
  endure, pull through, recover from, outlast and outlive 
  nearly any circumstance. When the going gets tough, you 
  get going. You never say die, and never give up - never. 
  Nothing angers you as much as a person who doesn't 
  struggle to make things better, or who surrenders to the 
  nameless forces of the universe. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you survive a difficult 
  situation through your own cunning and perseverance. 
  Traditionalist 
  You are an orthodox, conservative and extremely 
  traditional individual. What was good enough for you 
  when you were young is good enough for you now. You 
  almost never  
  change. In general you are opposed to change for the sake 
  of change - what point is there in that? You may be seen by 
  some as a miser, a reactionary or simply an old fogy. You 
  strive to always preserve the status quo. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you are able to protect the 
  status quo and prevent change. 
  Visionary 
  There are very few who are brave or strong or imaginative 
  enough to look beyond the suffocating embrace of society 
  and mundane thought and see something more. Society 
  treats such people with both respect and contempt - for it 
  is the Visionary who perverts as well guides society into 
  the future. 
  You may be a spiritualist, shaman, New Ager, mystic, 
  philosopher or inventor, but whatever you are, you are 
  always looking for something more. You see beyond the 
  bounds of conventional imagination and create new 
  possibilities. Though you might have your head in the 
  clouds and are often of an impractical bent, you are filled 
  with new ideas and perceptions. 
  - Regain Willpower whenever you are able to convince 
  others to believe in your dreams and follow the course of 
  action outlined by your vision of the future. 
  Attributes 
  Physical 
  These Traits describe how strong, dexterous and sturdy a 
  character is, and are the primary Traits of an action-
  oriented character. Physical Traits concern only the 
  strengths and weaknesses of the body. 
  Strength 
  This is a measure of your mean physical strength - your 
  ability to lift, carry and cause physical harm. A person with 
  a high Strength rating is usually larger than someone with 
  a lower rating. Of course, there are always exceptions. 
  Strength is used when you attempt to lift, carry, push, 
  heave or break something. In melee combat, it is added to 
  your damage Dice Pool. Strength is also used when you 
  attempt to make any sort of jump or leap. 
  Specialties: Strong grip, Massive, Husky, Able-Bodied, 
  Broad Shoulders, Hearty, Powerful, Bulging Biceps, Wiry, 
  Large 
  • Poor: You can bench press 40 lbs. 
  •• Average: You can bench press 100 lbs. 
  ••• Good: You can bench press 250 lbs. 
  •••• Exceptional: You can bench press 400 lbs. 
  ••••• Outstanding: You can bench press 650 lbs. 
  Dexterity 
  This Trait is a measure of your general physical prowess - 
  speed, quickness and agility. It indicates the capacity for 
  moving with agility and manipulating objects with 
  accuracy and grace. Dexterity includes hand-eye 
  coordination, fine motor manipulation, reaction speed, 
  reflexes and bodily grace 
  Specialties: Smooth-Motioned, Lithe, Steady, Deft, 
  Graceful, Nimble, Athletic, Catlike Reflexes, Swift, Sure-
  Footed, Fleet-Footed, Light Touch. 
  • Poor: You are butterfingered, so don't use a chainsaw. 
  •• Average: You can chew gum and walk at the same time. 
  ••• Good: You have excellent raw athletic potential. 
  •••• Exceptional: You can juggle five knives. 
  ••••• Outstanding: You can juggle five knives while 
  blindfolded. 
  Stamina 
  Stamina is a measure of general health and resistance to 
  pain; it indicates how long you can continue to exert 
  yourself as well as how much physical punishment you can 
  sustain. Stamina is your staying power, both physically 
  and mentally, and one of its most important elements is 
  the will to live. 
  Specialties: Tireless, Enduring, Tough, Determined, 
  Aggressive, Tenacious, Stalwart, Durable, Forceful, 
  Dedicated 
  • Poor: You are frail in constitution and may be sickly. 
  •• Average: You are moderately healthy. 
  ••• Good: You are in good shape, the result of regular 
  exercise. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  89 
  •••• Exceptional: You could run a marathon. 
  ••••• Outstanding: You are tough enough to survive almost 
  anything. 
  Social 
  Your Social Traits describe your appearance, charm and 
  familiarity with the human mind. Your Social Traits are 
  vital in determining first impressions, leadership ability 
  and the nature of your interactions with others. 
  Charisma 
  Charisma is a measure of your aptitude for enticing and 
  fascinating others. You use Charisma to win others over to 
  you emotionally and to get them to trust you. This Trait is 
  more a facet of a charismatic personality than it is an overt 
  manipulation of others. It is a sum of the character's 
  bearing, charm and power of influence. Charisma reflects 
  your power to convince others to put their faith in you.  
  Specialties: Smooth, Eloquent, Outgoing, Captivating, 
  Charming, Regal, Genial, Well-Mannered, Urbane, 
  Sophisticated, Rustic, Gracious 
  • Poor: Others avoid being around you. 
  •• Average: You are likable. 
  ••• Good: People trust and confide in you. 
  •••• Exceptional: You have something which draws people 
  to you. 
  ••••• Outstanding: You could lead a nation. 
  Manipulation 
  This Trait measures your aptitude for active self-
  expression, such as when you want to get someone else to 
  do something. It is important when you attempt to 
  influence or manipulate another person directly. You use 
  Manipulation to trick, fool, bluff, outmaneuver and out-
  talk another. While you may be effective at manipulating 
  people whom you have just met, those who already know 
  you are rarely fooled. 
  Manipulation is used in all rolls where you are attempting 
  to influence or convince another person overtly. Whether 
  they like you or not is of no consequence (though it can 
  affect the difficulty of what you are trying). 
  If you fail a Manipulation action and the other person 
  realizes what you were trying to do (you botch for 
  instance), she may well be angered. People are 
  manipulated all the time and usually they ignore it. 
  However, if it is brought to their attention, it can be a very 
  disturbing thought. Manipulation can net great results, but 
  it is risky to perform openly. Characters with high 
  Manipulation are not well-trusted by those who know 
  them best. 
  Specialties: Glib, Expressive, Cunning, Persuasive, 
  Smooth, Silver-Tongued, Bravado, Ingratiating, Eloquent, 
  Blarney, Double-Talker, Sophist, Witty 
  • Poor: You express yourself in as few words as possible. 
  •• Average: Others might believe you. 
  ••• Good: You'd make a good lawyer. 
  •••• Exceptional: You should run for office. 
  ••••• Outstanding: You could sell ice to an Eskimo. 
  Appearance 
  This Trait describes your Appearance in terms of your 
  attractiveness and force of presence. You do not 
  necessarily  need beauty to have a high Appearance, you 
  only need looks that somehow attract others to you. 
  Appearance is not just your static, model beauty, it's the 
  appeal of the way you move and talk, your animation and 
  expressiveness. It is a measure of how interesting and 
  attractive you seem to others. 
  Appearance is vital in any social situation where words are 
  not exchanged. It is more important than you might think 
  offhand; the impressions you get of another are heavily 
  affected by that person's looks, no matter how open-
  minded you are. You may not like to admit it, but it's true. 
  More than simply being a Trait you use to make rolls, 
  Appearance is often used by the Storyteller to roughly 
  judge  
  how others usually react to you when you first meet. Thus 
  it can affect all other Social rolls you make with that 
  person (in some cases, your rating determines the 
  maximum number of successes from a Social action that 
  can actually be applied, making it impossible for an ugly 
  person to achieve anything other than minimal success). 
  Specialties: Bold Demeanor, Alluring, Captivating, Sexy, 
  Luminous, Honest Face, Imposing, Dignified, Pleasing, 
  Handsome, Beautiful, Gorgeous, Look of the Eagles 
  • Poor: You tend to attract the hostility of others. 
  •• Average: You are easily ignored, for you fit in so well 
  with the crowd. 
  ••• Good: You have a pleasing appearance, and people 
  treat you well. 
  •••• Exceptional: You are good-looking enough to be a 
  model and are given respect and attention because of it. 
  ••••• Outstanding: First reactions are either that of awe, 
  intense jealousy or complete solicitude. 
  Mental 
  The Mental Traits represent your character's total mental 
  capacity, including such things as memory, perception and 
  the ability to learn and think. 
  Perception 
  This Trait indicates how aware you are of the environment 
  around you. While sometimes this is a conscious action, 
  such as when you are searching for something, it more 
  often works intuitively - you simply notice something. At 
  base, Perception is a sensitivity to the world, an open-eyed 
  quality common among children (for whom the world is a 
  boundless and mysterious place) and seldom present 
  among the most jaded. 
  Perception is used to see if you have the insight to 
  understand or be aware of a certain fact or concept. It can 
  help indicate how alert you are to ambushes, the subtext of 
  a politician's speech, and the subtleties of color in a 
  painting. 
  Specialties: Insightful, Attentive, Patient, Probing, Keen-
  Eyed, Intuitive, Visionary, Astute, Apprehensive 
  • Poor: You are blind to anything but the obvious. 
  •• Average: You are unaware of the subtle interactions that 
  occur around you. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  90 
  ••• Good: You are aware of moods and textures. 
  •••• Exceptional: You are constantly alert to the nuances of 
  life. 
  ••••• Outstanding: You can see a needle in a haystack. 
  Intelligence 
  Your Intelligence represents both your memory and your 
  ability to learn and think. It is important for Abilities that 
  require complex thought processes. Some describe it as a 
  person's quickness of mind or judgment, but it is more 
  than that - it is the facility for understanding, and the 
  capacity for reasoning and evaluation. Intelligence is a 
  rating of an individual's depth and flexibility of thought. 
  Common sense, street savvy and wisdom are not 
  components of the Intelligence Attribute; these are facets 
  of a character that are portrayed by the player. However, 
  low Intelligence can indicate a character who lacks the 
  capacity to understand complicated thoughts, and who is a 
  very slow learner - he might simply see things in terms of 
  black and white, and won't understand that things are 
  really in shades of gray. 
  Characters with high Intelligence, on the other hand, are 
  sophisticated thinkers capable of decoding many different 
  levels of an argument or a problem. They have a discerning 
  judgment and are well able to tell the truth from lies, at 
  least when they have the time to think things over. 
  Intelligence caters to carefully thought-out judgments 
  rather than snap decisions, which is the realm of Wits. 
  Specialties: Discerning, Creative, Know ledgeable, 
  Pragmatic, Astute, Brilliant, Bookworm, Clear Thinker 
  • Poor: IQ 80 
  •• Average: IQ 100 
  ••• Good: IQ 120 
  •••• Exceptional: IQ 140 
  ••••• Outstanding: IQ 160+ 
  Wits 
  The Wits Attribute describes your ability to react quickly 
  and correctly to new situations, as well as your overall 
  sharpness of mind and cleverness. In the simplest of 
  terms, it is a measure of how quickly you think. A more 
  complex view understands Wits as a shrewdness, sagacity 
  and capacity for understanding problems in the most basic 
  terms. 
  Those with low Wits are occasionally unable to take 
  appropriate action because of surprise (like a deer caught 
  in the headlights). A low Wits can indicate that you are 
  more easily tricked and fooled than most people, for you 
  are a gullible and unsophisticated student of human 
  nature. If you have high Wits, you are able to react quickly 
  to new situations and are seldom caught off guard by 
  sudden changes in events. Whatever else happens, you are 
  able to keep your Wits about you. 
  Specialties: Clever, Shrewd, Sharp, Practical, Wily, Level-
  Headed, Creative 
  • Poor: You send money to televangelists. 
  •• Average: You know when to bet or fold in poker. 
  ••• Good: You are capable of handling L.A. rush hours 
  (without shooting anyone). 
  •••• Exceptional: You could be a stand-up comic. 
  ••••• Outstanding: You have a supercomputer for a brain - 
  it's fast.  
  Abilities 
  Talents 
  Talents describe all the untrained and intuitive Abilities. 
  Talents can never be trained or studied, but can only be 
  learned through direct experience - usually during a story. 
  If your character takes an action using a Talent he does not 
  possess, there is no effect on your roll. The number of dice 
  equal to the base Attribute are rolled. Talents are such 
  natural and intuitive Abilities that it is assumed that 
  everyone has some small capacity in each one. 
  Acting 
  You are practiced at feigning emotions, beliefs or a certain 
  frame of mind. Even if you have never been on stage 
  before, you could do an adequate job if you were ever 
  thrust upon it. However, simply because you have this 
  Ability does not mean you use it unethically. Many 
  honorable politicians have used it to lend power and depth 
  to their speeches (namely, Winston Churchill and Franklin 
  Roosevelt). You are able to feign tears, anger, friendliness 
  and virtue. 
  • Novice: A rank amateur, you can feign sickness. 
  •• Practiced: You have developed a wide range of acting 
  ability. 
  ••• Competent: You are capable of playing almost any role. 
  •••• Expert: You are certainly a professional, or have that 
  potential. 
  ••••• Master: You could win, or have won, an Academy 
  Award. 
  Possessed by: Actors, Politicians, Amateur Thespians, Con 
  Men, Evangelists 
  Specialties: Pretend, Roleplaying, Inspirational, Feigning 
  Emotions, Stage, Religious Awe 
  Alertness 
  Over the years, you have become practiced in noticing all 
  that happens around you, even if you are not actively 
  concentrating upon the surroundings. You are a capable 
  bodyguard, for you have learned how to stay alert over a 
  long period of time. Alertness simply indicates how aware 
  you are of the world around you. It describes how much 
  attention you pay to things other than the rumbling of 
  your belly or the doubts in your mind. 
  • Novice: You tend to be alert to changes, moreso than 
  most. 
  •• Practiced: You are watchful and very attentive to your 
  surroundings. 
  ••• Competent: You are highly vigilant. 
  •••• Expert: You are a truly cautious individual, and rarely 
  let down your guard. 
  ••••• Master: You notice everything that goes on around 
  you. 
  Possessed by: Watchmen, Hunters, Bodyguards, 
  Reporters, Burglars 
  Specialties: Bodyguarding, Traps, Ambushes, Forests, 
  
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  Crowds, Noises, Paranoia 
  Athletics 
  This Ability describes your general athletic prowess and 
  assumes a familiarity with most sports. It is used to see if 
  you can jump across a chasm, swim through a storm, 
  throw a football, vault a fence or climb a tree. 
  Athletics concerns complex motor actions; physical actions 
  requiring only one type of motor action, such as lifting, do 
  not use the Athletics rating, nor do athletic actions already 
  subsumed by another Ability. 
  • Novice: Little Leaguer 
  •• Practiced: High school jock 
  ••• Competent: College Varsity player 
  •••• Expert: Professional athlete 
  ••••• Master: Olympic gold medalist 
  Possessed by: Professional Athletes, Enthusiasts, Dancers, 
  Jocks, Kids 
  Specialties: Swimming, Mountain Climbing, Acrobatics, 
  Dancing, a specific sport 
  Brawl 
  You know how to fight unarmed. This Ability includes 
  such maneuvers as punching, kicking, grappling, 
  throttling, throwing, gouging and biting. Brawling can get 
  quite ruthless, but generally it is a non-lethal form of 
  combat. 
  • Novice: You know what to do, but you haven't had much 
  experience. 
  •• Practiced: You know where to hit people and make it 
  hurt. 
  ••• Competent: You can choose your bar seat. 
  •••• Expert: You are a black belt martial artist. 
  ••••• Master: You could be a Golden Gloves boxing 
  champion. 
  Possessed by: Martial Artists, Soldiers, Thugs, Police 
  Officers, Bouncers 
  Specialties: Armlocks, Boxing, Wrestling, Karate, Judo, 
  Tai Chi, Grappling, Throws, Showing Off  
  Dodge 
  The most effective way to win a fight is not to be struck. 
  Becoming proficient in the Dodge Talent is a very wise 
  choice. Your rating in this area describes your ability to 
  avoid both melee and missile attacks, which includes 
  diving for cover and ducking punches. 
  • Novice: You hit the ground if someone screams "Duck!".  
  •• Practiced: You have no problem finding cover in a 
  firefight. 
  ••• Competent: You're always the last one out in dodgeball. 
  •••• Expert: A lucky shot may land once in a blue moon. 
  ••••• Master: You can nearly sidestep gunshots. 
  Possessed By: Criminals, Street Fighters, Military 
  Personnel, Bouncers, Boxers 
  Specialties: Leap, Sidestep, Duck, Cover, Dive 
  Empathy 
  You understand and can sympathize with the emotions of 
  others, and are thus able to respond to them appropriately. 
  You can often discern the motives behind someone's 
  actions by simply listening to them. You can also detect 
  when you are being told lies. Empathy has a down side, 
  however - because you are so open to the feelings of others 
  you often feel the same emotions as those around you. 
  • Novice: People tell you their problems at parties. 
  •• Practiced: Occasionally you get sympathetic pains from 
  others. 
  ••• Competent: You have an amazing insight into others' 
  motivations. 
  •••• Expert: No lies ever get past your scrutiny. 
  ••••• Master: You often finish other people's sentences. 
  Possessed by: Actors, Mediums, Above-Average Salesmen, 
  Pick-Up Artists 
  Specialties: Emotions, Truths, Spirits, Personalities, 
  Backgrounds 
  Intimidation 
  The art of intimidation comes in many forms, ranging 
  from a subtle suggestion to outright physical damage. 
  Each method of intimidation has its time and place. You 
  understand the science of being overbearing, and know 
  how to use it to get what you want. People with high 
  Intimidation ratings seem to radiate an aura of authority. 
  • Novice: Six-year-olds give you the right of way. 
  •• Practiced: You win an occasional staredown. 
  ••• Competent: Your gaze is very unsettling.  
  •••• Expert: You would be an above-average drill sergeant. 
  ••••• Master: You can make vicious animals turn tail and 
  run. 
  Leadership 
  You can get people to follow your lead and obey your 
  orders by exerting authority and by example. Leadership 
  isn't so much knowing the techniques of getting people to 
  follow you as it is being the type of person people will 
  follow. Leadership is often used in conjunction with 
  Charisma. 
  • Novice: You could coach a Little League team. 
  •• Practiced: Your voice is a dominant one and you can 
  demand silence. 
  ••• Competent: You  are an effective leader in times of 
  strife. 
  •••• Expert: You attract followers without really trying. 
  ••••• Master: You are a Napoleon, a Churchill - or a Hitler 
  Possessed by: Politicians, Military Officers, Gang Leaders, 
  Executives, Police Officers 
  Specialties: Commands, Orate, Compelling, Friendly, 
  Noble, Military 
  Streetwise 
  The streets are a major source of information and money, 
  as well as big-time trouble. Streetwise has a variety of uses. 
  First and foremost, Streetwise allows you to blend in with 
  the local scene without drawing attention to yourself. 
  Gossip, felony theft and street slang are also imparted by 
  using this talent. 
  • Novice: You know who sells drugs. 
  
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  •• Practiced: You are considered cool by the populace. 
  ••• Competent: Member of a prominent gang 
  •••• Expert: You have spent most of your life on the streets. 
  ••••• Master: If you don't know it, it hasn't been said. 
  Possessed by: Gang Members, Winos, Reporters, 
  Homeless People, Detectives 
  Specialties: Picking Pockets, Drugs, Fencing, Slang Terms 
  Subterfuge 
  You know how to conceal your own motives; moreover, 
  you know how to decipher the motives of others and how 
  to use those motives against them. The secrets and 
  intrigues of others interest you, and you work at 
  understanding their weaknesses. A command of this skill 
  makes you the ultimate conversationalist, or the ultimate 
  spy.  
  • Novice: A few white lies never hurt anyone. 
  •• Practiced: You can pick up in a nightclub. 
  ••• Competent: You could be a criminal lawyer. 
  •••• Expert: Amway salesmen have nothing on you. 
  ••••• Master: Perry Mason wishes he had it so good. 
  Possessed by: Lawyers, Con Men, Casanovas, Politicians 
  Specialties: Finding Weaknesses, Seduction, Little White 
  Lies 
  Other Talents 
  Search, Guile, Intrigue, Expression, Painting, Sculpture 
  Skills 
  Skills are all the Abilities that are learned through 
  apprenticeships or rigorous training. If you try to use a 
  Skill but have no rating in it, the difficulty goes up by one. 
  You are simply untrained in the techniques of that Skill, 
  and thus have a harder time accomplishing the task than 
  someone who has at least some idea of what he is doing. 
  Animal Ken 
  Animals do not behave in the same way that humans do 
  under the same circumstances. The ability to understand 
  the actions of animals can come in quite handy. Those 
  characters skilled in Animal Ken can not only predict the 
  actions of animals, but can use this knowledge to calm or 
  enrage them. Animal Ken is also the skill used to train 
  animals. 
  • Novice: You can befriend a domesticated animal. 
  •• Practiced: You can housebreak a puppy. 
  ••• Competent: You could train a seeing-eye dog. 
  •••• Expert: You could train a circus animal. 
  ••••• Master: You could domesticate a wild animal. 
  Possessed by: Animal Trainers, Zookeepers, Nature 
  Lovers, Masters 
  Specialties: Dogs, Cats, Horses, Parrots, Farm Animals 
  Drive 
  You can drive a car, and perhaps other vehicles as well. 
  Simply because you have a Drive skill does not mean that 
  you have a familiarity with all land vehicles. Your target 
  number may be raised or lowered depending on your 
  general experience with a particular automobile. 
  • Novice: You can drive an automatic automobile. 
  •• Practiced: You can operate a manual/shift transmission. 
  ••• Competent: Commercial trucker 
  •••• Expert: Formula One car driver 
  ••••• Master: Evel Kneivil 
  Possessed by: Truckers, Race Car Drivers, nearly everyone 
  born in the 20th century 
  Specialties: Curves, Sudden Stops, Stick Shifts 
  Etiquette 
  You understand the small nuances of social life, and are 
  able to conduct yourself in a manner that is both 
  unobtrusive and gracious. You understand how to get 
  along well with mortal society. Your specialty is the culture 
  with which you are most familiar. You use Etiquette 
  during actions such as dancing, seduction, and haggling. 
  Etiquette is also used when engaging in diplomacy. 
  • Novice: You know when to shut up. 
  •• Practiced: You know not to wear paisley at a black-tie 
  dinner. 
  ••• Competent: You know which spoon to eat soup with 
  (not that you can still eat). 
  •••• Expert: You could get along with just abou t anybody. 
  ••••• Master: You could prevent World War III. 
  Possessed by: Diplomats, the Idle Rich, Executives 
  Specialties: Business, High Society, Street Culture 
  Firearms 
  Skill in Firearms means that you have a broad knowledge 
  of all guns, from a simple .22 to an Ingram Mac-10 
  machine gun. Firearms does not include the ability to 
  operate heavy machinery such as tank guns and other 
  artillery weapons. However, skill in Firearms also includes 
  the ability to repair them. 
  • Novice: You've had one or two lessons at the gun store. 
  •• Practiced: You do all right at a firing range. 
  ••• Competent: You can pull off a few gun tricks. 
  •••• Expert: You're cool and steady, even under pressure. 
  ••••• Master: "Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?" 
  Possessed by: Gang Members, Police, Criminals, Soldiers, 
  Hunters 
  Specialties: Rifles, Handguns, Pistols, Machine Guns, 
  Sprays 
  Melee 
  The ability to fight with a weapon is a valuable skill in the 
  Gothic-Punk environment. Proficiency in this skill allows 
  you to use hand-held weapons. Knives, sai, saps, tonfas 
  and swords are examples of the types of weapons covered 
  under the Melee skill. This skill is almost archaic 
  nowadays because of society's dependence on firearms, 
  but keep in mind that a wooden stake or silver spear is a 
  melee weapon 
  • Novice: You have seen a knife being used. 
  •• Practiced: You've taken a six-week course in fencing 
  ••• Competent: Average street thug 
  
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  •••• Expert: Any weapon is deadly in your grasp. 
  ••••• Master: Bruce Lee with a pair of nunchuka  
  Possessed by: Police, Fencers, Kendo Enthusiasts, Thugs, 
  Gang Members 
  Specialties: Swords, Axes, Rapiers, Knives, Clubs, Disarms 
  Music 
  You can create and play music; you know how to play one 
  instrument for every rating point you have. Of course, the 
  higher your rating, the better you are at playing your 
  instruments, especially the first instruments you learned. 
  This is the ability to create music - the higher your rating, 
  the greater your musical ability. You should decide what 
  instruments you play. 
  • Novice: With effort, you can play a few simple chords. 
  •• Practiced: You could play rhythm guitar in a garage 
  band. 
  ••• Competent: You could make a decent living playing the 
  club circuit. 
  •••• Expert: You could play lead guitar on a 30-country 
  tour. 
  ••••• Master: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
  Possessed by: Rock Musicians, Disk Jockeys, Singers, 
  Conductors 
  Specialties: Guitar, Composition, Lyrics, Tuba, Improvised 
  Solos 
  Repair 
  You are able to repair simple or complex devices of all 
  sorts. This includes doors, cars, and even computers. 
  Mastery in this skill means you are a jack-of-all-trades. 
  This skill covers everything from simple carpentry to 
  mechanics. Given the proper tools, you can fix almost 
  anything. 
  • Novice: You can assemble ready -made kits. 
  •• Practiced: With proper time you can wire a house. 
  ••• Competent: You save quite a few dollars in mechanics' 
  fees. 
  •••• Expert: You are able to repair personal computers 
  within minutes. 
  ••••• Master: If it's broke, you can fix it. 
  Possessed by: Handymen, Carpenters, Electricians, 
  Mechanics 
  Specialties: Wood, Computers, Electronics, Engines, 
  Automobiles, Electricity 
  Security 
  You know the techniques and are proficient with the tools 
  used for such activities as picking locks, hotwiring cars, 
  setting and deactivating burglar alarms, and opening up 
  safes or vaults, as well as many other forms of breaking 
  and entering. Many individuals who possess the Security 
  Skill do not use it to conduct criminal activities, but rather 
  use it to prevent such from occurring or to deduce how 
  they were accomplished after the fact. 
  • Novice: You can pick a simple lock. 
  •• Practiced: You can hotwire a car. 
  ••• Competent: You can disable a house alarm. 
  •••• Expert: You can crack a safe. 
  ••••• Master: Fort Knox isn't safe from you. 
  Possessed by: Criminals, Locksmiths, Police Officers, 
  Detectives, Security Specialists 
  Specialties: Electronics, Speed, Silently, Pick Locks, 
  Hotwire, Burglar Alarms, Safes, Vaults 
  Stealth 
  Stealth is the ability to sneak about or hide without being 
  seen or heard, and is often rolled against another 
  character's Perception. Stealth is of extreme importance 
  when vampires engage in the Hunt. 
  • Novice: You can hide in the dark. 
  •• Practiced: You can hide in the shadows. 
  ••• Competent: You are an accomplished hunter. 
  •••• Expert: You could walk silently over two inches of dry 
  leaves. 
  ••••• Master: Ninja clan leader 
  Possessed by: Criminals, Spies, Reporters 
  Specialties: Prowl, Hide, Lurk, Shadows, Crowds, Crawling 
  Survival 
  The wilderness is a dangerous place, at least for those who 
  do not understand it. The skill of Survival includes seeking 
  shelter, finding a direct route through and relative safety 
  in the wilderness, and tracking. When you use Stealth in 
  the wilderness, you cannot roll more dice for your Stealth 
  rating than you have in Survival. 
  • Novice: You can survive a five-mile hike. 
  •• Practiced: You are familiar with the wilderness. 
  ••• Competent: You know how to brew natural medicines. 
  •••• Expert: You are at home in the wild. 
  ••••• Master: You could find an oasis in Death Valley. 
  Possessed by: Tribesmen, Hunters, Park Rangers, Hikers, 
  Native Americans 
  Specialties: Tracking, Arctic, Jungle, Hunting 
  Other Skills 
  Piloting, Cooking, Boating, Painting  
  Knowledges 
  Knowledges include all of the Abilities that require the 
  rigorous application of the mind, not the body, so nothing 
  but Mental Traits can be used to modify Knowledge rolls. 
  Though the ratings discuss Knowledges in terms of college 
  degrees, school is not the only way to gain Knowledges - it 
  is simply the most common. These are scholastic Abilities 
  for the most part, but self-study or tutoring is also 
  possible. 
  If you do not have a Knowledge, you cannot even attempt a 
  roll that involves it. There are exceptions, however, such as 
  when the Storyteller rules that the roll only involves trivial 
  information that anyone has a chance of knowing. 
  Bureaucracy 
  This Knowledge includes the ability to bribe city officials 
  and make your way through the political system. The 
  Knowledge also includes an ability to operate a 
  bureaucracy, which of course includes at least a 
  rudimentary sense of organization. In fact, this Knowledge 
  
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  can be seen as the preeminent organizational ability in the 
  game. 
  • Student: You have good organizational ability. 
  •• College: You understand power structures (who is really 
  in control). 
  ••• Masters: You can perform stalling tactics indefinitely. 
  •••• Doctorate: You can perform high administrative 
  duties. 
  ••••• Scholar: You could manage to get a meeting with the 
  U.S. President. 
  Possessed 
  by: 
  Lawyers, 
  Politicians, 
  Journalists, 
  Executives, Bureaucrats 
  Specialties: Negotiation, Intrigue, Bribery, Diplomacy, 
  Thwart, Delay, Bypassing the System, Bluffing 
  Computer 
  You understand how to operate and program computers. 
  You may also be able to design your own system. If you 
  wish to break into a computer system, you need this 
  Knowledge. 
  • Student: You can boot up a video game. 
  •• College: You made at least a B in Data Processing 101. 
  ••• Masters: You are a competent programmer, and can 
  design your own software. 
  •••• Doctorate: You make a living scamming Ma Bell. 
  ••••• Scholar: Why aren't you playing Cyberpunk 2020? 
  Possessed by: Programmers, Data Processors, Gamers, 
  Students, Hackers 
  Specialties: Hacking, Virus Programs, Retrieving Data  
  Finance 
  You are knowledgeable about the values of many different 
  things and can properly evaluate the worth of many 
  different objects. With your practiced eye, you can judge 
  the value of almost any item with a fair degree of accuracy. 
  Finance is often used in connection with other Abilities to 
  ensure a fair price. 
  • Student: You are able to perform basic accounting and 
  can accurately keep the ledgers of a business. 
  •• College: Having either gone to a school of management, 
  or somehow gained practical experience, you understand 
  higher management. 
  ••• Masters: You could be an international banker. 
  •••• Doctorate: You can get many times your outlay on 
  almost any investment. 
  ••••• Scholar: You are an economic genius and can make 
  money do nearly anything. 
  Possessed by: Accountants, Managers, Businessmen, 
  Economists, Drug Dealers 
  Specialties: Accounting, Corporations, Leveraged Buyouts, 
  Fencing, Investing 
  Investigation 
  You are trained to notice all sorts of details others might 
  miss, and at high levels may function as a detective. This 
  Knowledge also reflects a character's ability to do research, 
  both in libraries and through interviews. 
  • Student: Amateur detective 
  •• College: Police officer 
  ••• Masters: Private detective 
  •••• Doctorate: FBI, CIA, KGB, MI 5, Interpol agents 
  ••••• Scholar: Sherlock Holmes 
  Possessed by: Detectives, Insurance Investigators, 
  Reporters, FBI Agents, Intelligence Agents 
  Specialties: Search, Prowl, Tail, Detective Work 
  Law 
  The law is not a thing to trifle with and those with 
  knowledge of the law are well able to use it to their 
  advantage. If you ever want to get out of jail, this Ability is 
  essential. 
  • Student: Practical knowledge, police officer 
  •• College: Prelaw, beginning lawyer 
  ••• Masters: Lawyer, full partner 
  •••• Doctorate: Judge 
  ••••• Scholar: Supreme Court Justice 
  Possessed by: Police, Lawyers, Judges, Detectives, 
  Criminals, TV Viewers, Legislators. 
  Specialties: Courts, Contract, Litigation, Criminal, Police 
  Procedure  
  Linguistics 
  It is assumed that you can speak your natural language, 
  but you must purchase any other languages that you wish 
  your character to speak. For each level of Linguistics, your 
  character may fluently speak another language. However, 
  Linguistics also gives a character an understanding of the 
  structure of language, which is in turn the basis of thought. 
  With this Ability, you can identify accents or decipher 
  word puzzles. 
  • Student: One additional language 
  •• College: Two additional languages 
  ••• Masters: Three additional languages 
  •••• Doctorate: Four additional languages 
  ••••• Scholar: Five additional languages 
  Possessed by: Travelers, Scholars, Diplomats, Interpreters 
  Specialties: Curse Words, Technical, Diplomatic, Political 
  Medicine 
  Medicine is the study of the human body and the 
  techniques used to cure its ills. While a vampire's body is 
  different, Medicine can be used to treat its most serious 
  wounds as well. It includes knowledge of the structure and 
  functions of the body, the use of medicine, and the 
  diagnosis and treatment of disease. 
  • Student: You know the basics of setting bones and 
  preventing shock. 
  •• College: You have paramedic-quality training. 
  ••• Masters: You are a doctor and can diagnose and treat 
  diseases. 
  •••• Doctorate: You can perform surgery. 
  ••••• Scholar: You are a specialist of great renown. 
  Possessed by: Doctors, Paramedics 
  Specialties: Pharmacy, Paramedics, Emergency Care, 
  Disease, Neurosurgery 
  
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  Occult 
  You are knowledgeable in the occult, particularly in 
  vampire lore. This understanding of the more sinister side 
  of the world includes knowledge of curses, voodoo, magic 
  and mysticism, and contains much that is only speculation 
  and fantasy. This Knowledge is of the utmost interest to 
  many vampires and pursuit of this Knowledge may indeed 
  become a major facet of your chronicle. A four or five 
  rating indicates a deep understanding of vampires and 
  other aspects of the occult (mostly what is patently false). 
  • Student: You've dabbled, but aren't in the know. 
  •• College: You're starting to know what's going on. 
  ••• Masters: "There are things out there, really." 
  •••• Doctorate: You know a few arcane secrets. 
  ••••• Scholar: Fully initiated in many of the great 
  mysteries. You don't need your sire to tell you what's going 
  on! 
  Possessed by: Weirdos, New Agers, Occultists, Scholars, 
  the curious 
  Specialties: Vampires, Witches, Mystical powers 
  Politics 
  This Knowledge provides a familiarity with the politics of 
  the day, including the people who are in charge and how 
  they got there. This can be an essential Ability when 
  attempting to deal with mortal authorities in any way. This 
  Ability has some influence on being a capable politician 
  yourself, as long familiarity with a subject can sometimes 
  give one ideas... 
  • Student: Protester or casual observer 
  •• College: Campaign worker or political science major  
  ••• Masters: Campaign manager or speech writer 
  •••• Doctorate: Politician 
  ••••• Scholar: Machiavelli 
  Possessed by: Lobbyists, Politicians, Lawyers, Protesters 
  Specialties: Neighborhood, City, Congressional, Elections, 
  Nihilism, Dogma, Radical 
  Science 
  You have at least a basic understanding of physics, 
  chemistry, botany, biology, geology and astronomy. Your 
  knowledge deals more with the useful applications of 
  science. 
  • Student: You can make smoke bombs with a chemistry 
  set. 
  •• College: You understand the major theories and 
  applications. 
  ••• Masters: You could teach high school science. 
  •••• Doctorate: You might win a Nobel Prize someday. 
  ••••• Scholar: Albert Einstein 
  Possessed by: Engineers, Researchers, Inventors, 
  Technicians, Pilots 
  Specialties: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, 
  Relativity, Nuclear Physics 
  Other Knowledges 
  Psychology, Art History, Philosophy, Theater, Journalism, 
  Military Science, Geography, History, Theology, specific 
  area of knowledge/trivia  
  Disciplines 
  A pretty man came to me, never seen eyes so blue, 
  You know I could not run away 
  It seemed we'd seen each other in a dream; 
  Seemed like he knew me, he looked right through me. 
  - Heart, "Magic Man" 
    
  Disciplines are the supernatural powers all vampires 
  possess to some degree or another, powers which separate 
  them from mortals. A strong human can lift as much as a 
  strong vampire; however, if the vampire also possesses the 
  Discipline Potence, her effective power is increased 
  dramatically. 
  The origin of these "mystical" powers is a mystery to 
  almost all vampires. Normally, Kindred simply accept the 
  Disciplines as yet another indication of how they are 
  superior to all other creatures that walk the earth. 
  Whatever their source, Disciplines are integral to a 
  vampire's existence. 
  There are 10 Disciplines described here which characters 
  may possess. Like all other Traits in Vampire, 
  Disciplines are normally rated from one to five. Extremely 
  powerful vampires may well possess abilities beyond the 
  scope of these Disciplines, but these powers are unique to 
  the individual in question and may be defined at the 
  Storyteller's whim. The rating a vampire has in a particular 
  Discipline should be noted on the character sheet, where 
  the names of these powers may be written in. 
  Characters begin the chronicle with three points in their 
  Clan Disciplines - those powers most often associated with 
  the clan to which the character belongs. However, 
  additional Disciplines may be gained by spending "freebie" 
  points during character creation. 
  Animalism 
  Animalism allows empathy with and power over the 
  animal world, as well as the animal within, and embodies 
  the Beast which lurks within the soul of every Cainite. 
  Those with Animalism can understand and soothe the 
  passions of animals and control the actions of such 
  creatures by touching the heart of the beast within them 
  all. Vampires lacking this Discipline or the Skill of Animal 
  Ken can seem offensive to animals, as beasts are distinctly 
  uncomfortable around the undead and will do all they can 
  to move away. 
  As the Storyteller, give each animal the characters 
  encounter a unique personality and manner of speech. 
  Eventually the animal may befriend the characters, so the 
  better you can portray it in the beginning, the longer the 
  animal will seem interesting to the player. Remember that 
  animals may be simple-minded and take things quite 
  literally. 
  The Gangrel clan, the masters of Animalism, have named 
  these powers in ways which reflect their feelings toward 
  their animal brethren. 
  • Sweet Whispers 
  While most animals are hardly intelligent enough to carry 
  on a lengthy discourse on any subject, with this Discipline 
  you can attempt a limited form of empathic 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  communication and can make specific requests of 
  creatures. Such intercourse takes place mentally - there is 
  no need for you to hiss or bark to communicate your ideas 
  to an animal. You need only look into the animal's eyes to 
  initiate the conversation. Eye contact must be maintained 
  throughout. If it is broken, you will have to reestablish eye 
  contact in order to speak with the animal once again. Of 
  course, there is no guarantee that a given animal will 
  either desire to talk at all or deal honestly if it does. 
  After establishing eye contact, you are able to issue 
  complex commands to a single animal, which it will follow 
  to the best of its ability. However, the command must be 
  couched in terms of a request, and the animal must be 
  coaxed into it (in other words, you need to roleplay 
  through it). 
  The "favor" cannot be too complex for the intellect of the 
  animal to comprehend. For instance, a mouse would be 
  incapable of distinguishing between people, while a dog 
  wouldn't know what a phone is. Certainly no animal could 
  be told to attack the person "who strikes me with the 
  intent to harm." 
  These commands can be deeply implanted, however, so 
  that they will affect the animal for some time. For 
  instance, you could instruct a cat to come and get you 
  when anyone enters the cellar, and the cat will continue to 
  do so for days or even weeks. 
  System: No roll is necessary to talk with an animal, but 
  the player must make a Manipulation + Animal Ken roll to 
  get it to do favors (difficulty 6). This difficulty can be 
  adjusted by circumstances and roleplaying skill. 
  Depending on the nature of the character's inner soul, the 
  approach of the conversation with the animal will differ -it 
  is not completely up to the player to decide, and depends 
  heavily on the character's Nature. The approach taken 
  might be that of intimidation, teasing, cajoling, rationality, 
  emotional pleading or practically anything. Interactions 
  must be roleplayed through, but the player should 
  understand that he does not simply play the character, but 
  the Beast within instead. 
  •• The Beckoning 
  The essence of the animal has grown strong in you, and 
  now animals respond when you call to them. You are now 
  able to summon nearly any species of animal, drawing 
  them  
  to you. The character must actually sing in the voice of the 
  animals to be summoned - howling like a wolf or 
  squawking like a bird. 
  The primary limitation is that you may not call animals of 
  different species. Only one summons may be active at a 
  time and there is no way to cancel a call after it has been 
  made. Thus, you had better get it right the first time. 
  Animals called in this way are under no immediate 
  obligation to heed your commands, though they are often 
  friendly and inquisitive with regard to your call. 
  System: The player must roll Charisma + Survival to 
  determine how well the call is received by the intended 
  targets (difficulty is normally 6) and consult the table 
  below. The only animals that might respond are those 
  within hearing distance of the song. 
  The summons may be very complicated, though the 
  Storyteller will assign a higher difficulty if the player gets 
  too carried away. For instance, a vampire could simply call 
  out all the rats of the sewers (difficulty 6), all rats with 
  white fur (difficulty 7), or even summon the specific rat 
  that had the audacity to bite her (difficulty 8). 
  1 success - One animal responds 
  2 successes - A quarter of the animals who hear The 
  Beckoning respond 
  3 successes - Half of the animals respond 
  4 successes - Most of the animals respond 
  5 successes - All of the animals respond 
  ••• Song of Serenity 
  This power allows you to expel the savagery from an 
  animal or mortal, causing the target to become passive and 
  listless. Simply by touching the individual you wish to 
  affect and singing a song of comfort and solace to the 
  Beast within, you can take from him that which gives him 
  the fire of individuality and creativity. 
  When the Beast has been removed from an individual, he 
  loses the will to fight or struggle. He cannot use or regain 
  Willpower, nor can he resist any sort of attack upon him. 
  Kindred are immune to this power. 
  Mortals and creatures who lack a Beast are prone to accept 
  nearly anything which occurs to them in this state as 
  completely normal and natural, evincing no reaction to it. 
  Later they might wonder why they had no reaction, but 
  often they avoid thinking about the situation at all. 
  System: The player must roll Manipulation + Empathy 
  (difficulty 7) and must collect as many successes as the 
  target has Willpower (five for most animals). This is an 
  extended roll. Any failure indicates that the vampire must 
  start over from the beginning, while any botch indicates 
  that he will never again be able to steal that creature's 
  Beast.  
  •••• Sharing of Spirits 
  By staring into the eyes of an animal, your spirit or 
  conscious mind moves within the animal and possesses it. 
  This allows you to control the actions of the animal as if 
  you were that animal. Your body becomes unconscious 
  and remains motionless during this time, exactly as if you 
  were in torpor. 
  System: The player must roll Charisma + Animal Ken 
  (difficulty 8) as the character looks into the animal's eyes 
  (only animals with eyes can be possessed). The number of 
  successes obtained determines the free will and powers the 
  character still retains while possessing the animal. Less 
  than three successes means the player must use Willpower 
  points to take any action which directly violates the 
  instincts of the animal in question. 
  1 success - Cannot use Disciplines 
  2 successes - Can use Auspex 
  3 successes - Can also use Presence 
  4 successes - Can also use Dominate 
  5 successes - Can also use Thaumaturgy 
  The character will behave much like the animal if less than 
  five successes are obtained - her spirit is clouded with the 
  needs and impulses of the animal body. Sometimes she 
  will begin to think and feel like that animal, even after the 
  connection has been broken. The player behaves like the 
  animal she was, retaining many of its instincts for a time. 
  This will continue until seven Willpower points are spent 
  to resist and overcome specific effects. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  97 
  At the end of any particularly exciting incident, the player 
  should roll Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8) for the character 
  to retain her own mind. Failure indicates that the 
  character's mind returns to her own body, but still thinks 
  in purely animal terms. A botch sends the character into a 
  frenzy. 
  When employing this power, it is possible for a vampire to 
  travel about during the day, albeit in the body of an 
  animal. However, she must be awake to do so, and 
  therefore the player must successfully make a roll to stay 
  awake (see Chapter Nine). 
  ••••• Drawing out the Beast 
  You have attained a deep understanding of the mysteries 
  of man's wild cousins. Armed with this knowledge, you are 
  better able to deal with the Beast within. When the Beast 
  becomes too powerful to control, you can transfer the feral 
  urges to another creature. 
  Effectively, you induce frenzy in another animal, man or 
  vampire as a means of avoiding it yourself. The recipient of 
  this vast, savage energy must be something that is fit for 
  the burden; only beings with a Humanity score of 7 or less 
  are wild enough to provide a home for your Beast. 
  This unfortunate creature actually receives your Beast, and 
  thus your personality will be apparent in the nature of the 
  frenzy the victim undergoes. The frenzy will progress just 
  as if you were the creature in that state. 
  System: To use this power, the vampire must be in 
  frenzy, or close to it, and roll Manipulation + Animal Ken 
  (difficulty 8). The player needs to announce his preferred 
  target prior to rolling. It must be someone within eyesight. 
  Refer to the table for the results: 
  1 success - The character transfers the Beast, but releases it 
  upon a friend 
  2 successes - The character is stunned by the effort and 
  may not act next turn, but transfers the Beast. 
  3 successes - The character is completely successful. 
  If the attempt fails, the intensity of the frenzy actually 
  increases, for as the character relaxes in expectation of 
  relieving himself of the savage desires of the Beast, the 
  Beast takes that opportunity to dig deeper. The frenzy will 
  last at twice as long and be twice as hard to shrug off; it 
  will also be many times more severe than normal. A botch 
  on this roll is even more catastrophic. The heightened 
  frenzy is so extreme that not even the expenditure of 
  Willpower points will effectively curb its duration or 
  effects. 
  If the character leaves the target's presence before the 
  frenzy concludes, he will lose his Beast, perhaps 
  permanently. While no longer vulnerable to frenzy, the 
  character will not be able to use or regain Willpower and 
  will become increasingly lethargic. To recover the Beast, 
  he must find the person who now possesses it (who 
  probably won't be enjoying herself much) and retrap the 
  Beast. He must behave in ways that will make the Beast 
  want to return since, unfortunately, the Beast does not 
  always wish to do so. 
  Auspex 
  This Discipline is one of extrasensory awareness, empathy 
  and perception. Those with this Discipline tend to be 
  strongly affected by environmental phenomena, especially 
  beauty. Loud noises can be very disturbing. Nearly all 
  Auspex powers require some type of Perception roll to 
  determine how much is learned and understood. 
  • Heightened Senses 
  You can sharpen all five of your senses to an extraordinary 
  degree. This is done at will, and lasts as long as you 
  choose. This allows you to double your normal ranges of 
  hearing and sight, in terms of both distance and the 
  conditions in which those senses are effective. Your other 
  senses become equally useful; with increased olfactory 
  sensitivity, you can track even if there are no tracks left, 
  and you can identify almost any object by touch alone. 
  There is a drawback, though, as loud noises or bright lights 
  can disturb you while in this state. You may even become 
  "blind" in that particular sense for a short period of  
  time (depending on the degree of noise or glare, it could be 
  days). Thus, if you are exposed to sunlight while 
  employing Heightened Senses, you may be blinded for a 
  week, even after the aggravated damage sustained is 
  healed. 
  You are also occasionally alerted to impending danger with 
  unsettling premonitions. These premonitions are typically 
  confusing, but can be invaluable. 
  System: Though this power comes into play largely 
  through Storyteller description, certain circumstances 
  require the use of dice. The Storyteller secretly rolls a 
  character's unmodified Auspex rating whenever danger 
  might be sensed. The difficulty varies according to the 
  circumstances (and whim). For instance, a warning that a 
  gun has been pointed at the back of the character's head 
  may only require a five, while the sudden realization that 
  the prince is scheming against her at the next table may 
  require a nine. 
  ••Aura Perception 
  You can see the auras of other beings, the colors of which 
  indicate their moods, identities and levels of hostility. This 
  power also allows you to recognize other vampires (they 
  have pale auras). 
  Even the most shallow, transparent person usually has 
  several different colors composing his aura. The aura may 
  shift between the different colors in a predictable cycle, or 
  it might shift completely at random. The colors change 
  along with the current emotional state of the character, 
  and because people so often have mixed feelings, the aura 
  is often mixed in color. 
  System: The player must make a Perception + Empathy 
  roll (difficulty 8). The Storyteller may wish to make this 
  roll so that the player doesn't know if he failed or botched. 
  Each success indicates how much of the aura is seen and 
  can be understood (see the chart below). A botch indicates 
  a misleading interpretation. 
  1 success - Can only distinguish the shade (pale or bright) 
  2 successes - Can distinguish color as well 
  3 successes - Patterns can be recognized 
  4 successes - Subtle shifts can be detected 
  5 successes - Can identify mixtures of color and pattern 
  See the Aura Colors chart for examples of some of the 
  predominant colors that can be found and what emotions 
  they represent. 
  An aura may be looked at only once with clear vision. If 
  the character attempts to look at it again, any failure 
  
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  98 
  should be considered a botch, as it is very easy to imagine 
  seeing what one wants to see when it comes to auras. 
  
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  99 
   
  Aura Colors 
   Condition 
   Aura Colors 
   Afraid 
   Orange 
   Aggressive 
   Purple 
   Angry  
    Red 
   Bitter 
   Brown 
   Calm 
   Light Blue 
   Compassionate 
   Pink 
   Conservative 
   Lavender 
   Depressed 
   Gray  
   Desirous or Lustful 
   Deep Red 
   Distrustful 
   Light Green 
   Enraged 
   Crimson 
   Envious 
   Dark Green 
   Excited 
   Violet 
   Generous 
   Rose 
   Happy  
   Vermilion 
   Hateful 
   Black 
   Idealistic 
   Yellow  
   Innocent 
   White 
   Love 
   Blue 
   Obsessed 
   Green 
   Sad 
   Silver 
   Spiritual 
   Gold 
   Suspicious 
   Dark Blue 
   A Vampire 
   Appropriate color is pale 
   Confused 
   Mottled, shifting colors 
   Daydreaming 
   Sharp flickering colors 
   Diabolist 
   Black veins in aura 
   Frenzied 
   Rapidly rippling colors 
   Psychotic 
   Hypnotic, swirling color  
   Magic Use 
   Myriad sparkles 
   
  ••• The Spirit's Touch 
  With this power you may pick up an object and gain 
  impressions of one of the individuals who last held it. This 
  object reading is usually limited to a "snapshot" of the 
  tableau, but sometimes such things as the race, sex and 
  even aura of the person in question can also be discerned. 
  The Spirit's Touch can also reveal how  the owner came to 
  possess the item, or reveal what went on during the last 
  moments the subject held the object. 
  System: The player must make a Perception + Empathy 
  roll. The difficulty is determined by the age of the 
  impressions and the mental and spiritual strength of the 
  person who left them. 
  The number of successes determines the amount of 
  information gained, both in terms of snapshots (images of 
  the scene when the object was being held) and the nature 
  of the person who was holding the object. Generally  one 
  snapshot and one aspect of the person's identity (Nature, 
  Demeanor, aura, name, sex or age) is received for each 
  success.  
  •••• Telepathy 
  You can probe the surface thoughts of any nearby subject 
  and listen to them as you would listen to that person 
  speak. Given enough time, you can learn nearly anything 
  
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  100 
  about the subject. For instance, you might be able to divine 
  the sire of another vampire through Telepathy. 
  System: The player must make an Intelligence + 
  Subterfuge roll with a difficulty equal to the subject's 
  Willpower. One success must be rolled for each individual 
  item of information plucked and level of consciousness 
  pierced. 
  The vampire mind cannot normally be read, but a 
  Willpower point may be spent to make the effort. After the 
  point is spent, Intelligence + Subterfuge is rolled as 
  normal. 
  The Storyteller should describe the mind of the subject by 
  using a series of adjectives akin to a stream of 
  consciousness. This forces the player to deduce for herself 
  what is going on in that mind. For example, you might say, 
  "Sullen sorrow Where is Damien? Worry Can't wait he 
  hears this one! Anticipation" As is apparent, it can be 
  somewhat difficult to understand what is going on inside 
  the psyche, especially in the minds of the deranged. 
  ••••• Psychic Projection 
  You are able to expand your consciousness to such a 
  degree that you can separate your mind from your body. 
  While in this state you can travel without the use of your 
  body, journeying nearly anywhere on Earth. However, as 
  your astral self reaches the ou termost point of the Moon's 
  orbit, you will encounter what has been referred to as the 
  Limit of the Lunar Sphere - an impassable barrier. 
  The physical body left behind lies as motionless as if it 
  were in torpor. Your mind stays with the astral self, and 
  y ou have no way of knowing what is going on around or in 
  your body. Indeed, for all you know, your body is in 
  flames. 
  A silver cord, a diaphanous line grounding your 
  consciousness to your body, connects your astral self to 
  your real body. If this cord is sev ered during an astral 
  mishap, you become completely lost and fully enter the 
  astral plane, the realm of ghosts and shades. Finding one's 
  body again requires an arduous and terrifying journey. 
  System: Each time the character journeys in astral form, 
  the player must spend a Willpower point and make a 
  Perception + Occult roll (difficulty varies depending on the 
  complexity of the trip) to determine how well the character 
  fares on the journey. Essentially, this determines whether 
  or not he finds his destination. 
  Another roll must be made each time the character decides 
  on a new destination. Failure indicates the character is lost 
  (though he can find his way back by retracing his route via 
  the silver cord), and a botch indicates the silver cord has 
  snapped.  
  Travel at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour is possible in 
  astral form. Also, a character's astral self is naked - no 
  physical objects may accompany the character, though 
  there are rumors of magical artifacts capable of astral 
  travel. 
  Interaction with the physical world is impossible unless 
  the character spends a point of Willpower (though Aura 
  Perception and Telepathy can be used freely). This allows 
  the character to manifest in a ghost-like form for one turn. 
  However, the character can view events around himself 
  that occur in the physical world, and can generally do so 
  without fear of detection, although characters with the 
  Auspex Discipline may have premonitions that someone is 
  nearby. 
  When two characters encounter one another, or if one 
  encounters a being native to the astral world such as a 
  ghost (who is often tied to one location), they may interact 
  as if both were on the physical world. Speech, contact and 
  even combat are possible. Since it is impossible to actually 
  harm another astral character, the goal of conflict is 
  always to cut the opponent's silver cord (use Willpower 
  points as the equivalent of Health Levels; when they are all 
  lost, the cord is severed). The Physical Attributes are not, 
  of course, effective, so Social or Mental Traits must take 
  their place. Specifically, Wits replaces Dexterity, 
  Manipulation replaces Strength, and Intelligence replaces 
  Stamina. 
  While vampires do not actually travel in the spirit world 
  while in this form, they can sometimes interact with it. 
  Ghosts and Lupines traveling in the spirit world can sense 
  them, and attempt to harm them. It is said that those who 
  know the way may journey to Arcadia, otherwise known as 
  Faerieland, by traveling through astral space, though that 
  may also require a higher Auspex rating. 
  Celerity 
  This Discipline explains the superior quickness of 
  vampires. A rating in Celerity allows a vampire to move 
  extremely quickly in times of stress and take multiple 
  actions in a single turn. While anyone can decide to split 
  their Dice Pool during a single turn, a character with 
  Celerity can perform extra actions without penalty. 
  One extra action is allowed per point of Celerity, and the 
  vampire may use his entire Dice Pool for each one. One 
  Blood Point must be spent every turn the character uses 
  Celerity, even if he does not take all the actions allowed. 
  For instance, if a vampire has a Celerity rating of 4, and 
  wishes to take three actions in a single turn, he will still 
  need to spend a Blood Point. 
  Dominate 
  This Discipline reflects the mystical ability of vampires to 
  influence the minds and actions of others. Dominate is an 
  aspect of the power of the mind and the will. It affects the 
  judgment and mental functioning of the target, not the 
  emotions. 
  Dominate always requires eye contact with the subject in 
  order for it to be employed, and is thus sometimes known 
  as the Piercing Gaze. It can therefore be used on only one 
  subject at a time. It is one of the most powerful 
  Disciplines, but can be exacting and difficult to employ. 
  Orders and suggestions must always be given verbally to 
  those who have been Dominated. The extent to which 
  control over a subject is possible is delineated with each 
  power below. 
  Those with the Dominate Discipline tend to be people who 
  like control. Over time, those who rely upon it may become 
  overtly manipulative and controlling. At the Storyteller's 
  discretion, characters with high Dominate scores may be 
  unable to spend experience points to increase Abilities 
  such as Empathy. 
  There are some mortals known as "neutrals" who cannot 
  be Dominated in any fashion, but only one in a million has 
  this power. Additionally, the Inquisition knows certain 
  rituals to render a mortal immune. The best of the witch-
  hunters are neutrals or are protected by such rituals. 
  Restrictions: It is impossible to Dominate another 
  
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  101 
  vampire who is of stronger Blood - the character must be 
  of an equal or earlier generation than the subject for 
  Dominate to be effective. Vampires may resist any attempt 
  at Domination by spending a Willpower point for each 
  success gained in the Dominate roll. The subject is then 
  immune to attempts at Domination for the rest of the 
  scene. The target must spend the full Willpower; partial 
  expenditures will do no good. 
  If a botch result is ever received on a Dominate roll, the 
  target is rendered immune to future attempts by the same 
  vampire for the rest of the story. 
  • Command the Wearied Mind 
  You are able to give a one-word command to another; the 
  command must be obeyed instantly. This command must 
  be a simple and concise word with only one meaning - 
  jump, sit, stand, laugh, cry, run, hop, blink, smile, frown, 
  cough. If the word is at all ambiguous, the subject will 
  react with temporary confusion. You may include the word 
  in a sentence, and only stress the command word slightly, 
  thus concealing from others what you are doing. 
  System: The character must make a Manipulation + 
  Intimidation roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). 
  More successes force the target to act with greater vigor.  
  •• Mesmerize 
  You can implant a suggestion into the unconscious mind 
  of a subject. This requires intense concentration and the 
  careful and precise use of instructions for the intent of 
  your orders to be carried out properly. You may cause the 
  mesmerization to take effect immediately, or you can 
  designate the events which will trigger it. 
  You must maintain eye contact for as long as it takes to 
  complete your command (roleplay it out, if you have the 
  inclination); however, very complicated suggestions can be 
  made. Careful wording is essential, as the target will 
  unconsciou sly attempt to pervert the spirit of the 
  suggestion as much as possible. 
  You may give exact commands to another person, like 
  "climb up that ladder" or "pretend that you're a dog," or 
  the control can last longer and be much more subtle. 
  Maintaining eye contact is no longer necessary after the 
  initial suggestion is given. 
  The suggestion cannot force the subject to do something 
  against her innate Nature, and only one suggestion may be 
  implanted in a subject at a time. 
  System: The player must roll Manipulation + Leadership 
  (difficulty is the Willpower of the target). The number of 
  successes determines how well the suggestion is 
  implanted. With less than three successes, the subject 
  cannot be forced to do anything which seems strange to 
  her. The subject might walk outside, but is unlikely to 
  pretend to be a chicken. With less than five successes, the 
  suggestion is effective unless heeding it would endanger 
  the subject. A businessman won't pick a fight with 
  someone, but a bouncer will in a heartbeat. At five 
  successes, nearly any sort of command can be made. 
  ••• The Forgetful Mind 
  With this power, you can steal, create and remove 
  memories from a subject. This is an effective technique for 
  causing people to forget that you drank their blood or that 
  they even met you. A lot of mischief can be caused with 
  this power, as it is possible to steal nearly any memory 
  from a subject. The power is not always completely 
  effective. For instance, the target might know someone bit 
  her on the neck, but think it was a lover. 
  Sometimes a memory will return years later, confounding 
  and frightening the subject. 
  System: The player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty is 
  the Willpower rating of the target) and then consults the 
  following table to see how much may be done to the 
  subject's memory. 
  1 success - Memory loss lasts but a day 
  2 successes - May remove, but not alter memory. 
  3 successes - May make slight alterations to memory. 
  4 successes - May alter or remove entire scene from 
  subject's memory. 
  5 successes - Whole periods of subject's life may be 
  reconstructed. 
  •••• Conditioning 
  Over time, an individual can be Conditioned so that she is 
  thereafter unable to resist your Domination and is also 
  more resistant to the Domination of others. Kindred often 
  Condition their servants to ensure loyal retainers. The 
  procedure works based on the fact that mortals who have 
  been Dominated repeatedly have a harder time resisting 
  future attempts. 
  Conditioning is not something that is effective on the drop 
  of a hat. It takes time to carefully cultivate the subject's 
  mind for the kind of control you will exercise. Fully 
  conditioning a subject can take weeks or even months. 
  Conditioned retainers have very little imagination, and 
  tend to obey the orders given them quite literally. The 
  conditioning actually destroys some of their free will, 
  turning them into automatons. 
  System: The player must roll Charisma + Leadership 
  (difficulty is the target's Willpower). Conditioning is an 
  extended action. The Storyteller will determine in secret 
  how many successes are required, and keep track of how 
  many are gained. Typically between five to 10 times the 
  subject's Self-Control is required. The player will only 
  know if a target is successfully Conditioned through 
  roleplaying. 
  The subject becomes so completely Dominated that the 
  vampire's presence, let alone eye contact, is no longer 
  required to maintain absolute control. He does exactly as 
  he is told as long as he is within earshot of his master. No 
  command roll is necessary unless the subject cannot see 
  the vampire at all. Even if a command roll is failed, the 
  subject is still likely to carry out part of the orders given. 
  Additionally, others will find the subject more difficult to 
  Dominate, as Conditioning raises others' difficulties by 
  two (to a maximum of 10). 
  ••••• Possession 
  With this power you can take complete control of another 
  person's mind and body. By actually entering the other 
  person's mind, you may control her actions in a very 
  precise manner. The subject is an automaton, completely 
  incapable of independent action. While controlling the 
  subject's mind, your body is as motionless as if it were in 
  torpor. 
  You may not Possess other Kindred. Such control over 
  other vampires is only possible through a Blood Bond. 
  
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  System: In order to Possess another individual, a 
  character must completely strip away the target's 
  Willpower. The two square off in an opposed roll; the 
  subject rolls Willpower, while the Possessor rolls Charisma 
  + Intimidation (difficulty 7 for both). For every success the 
  attacker obtains over the other's total successes, the target 
  loses a point of Willpower. A victory by the subject does 
  nothing but prolong the struggle, for each success provides 
  her with that many extra dice to roll on the next turn. A 
  botch by the attacker, however, makes the subject 
  permanently immune to a character's Dominate attempts.  
  Fortitude 
  Fortitude describes a type of supernatural toughness and 
  vigor which allows Kindred extra advantages in resisting 
  the harm to which their kind is especially vulnerable. All 
  vampires have a pow erful constitution, and are able to 
  shrug off the injury inflicted by guns and weapons of all 
  sorts. However, most are very susceptible to sunlight and 
  fire, and are easily harmed by them. Those with Fortitude 
  are not easily bowed by even these elemental forces, and 
  are even more resistant to "normal" injuries 
  System: Fortitude provides the ability to resist sunlight 
  and fire to those who possess it. For each level of Fortitude 
  a character possesses, he may roll one die to soak damage 
  from fire and sunlight. Fortitude is also added to a 
  character's ability to soak other wounds (see Chapter 
  Eight, pg. 190). 
  Obfuscate 
  Kindred with this Discipline excel at hiding among and 
  away from crowds. When they do not wish to be seen, 
  others, especially mortals, rarely notice them even if they 
  stand right in front of a crowd. Though this Discipline 
  affects others' minds and does not actually render the 
  users invisible, the end result is much the same - Kindred 
  employing Obfuscate simply can't be seen. However, 
  surveillance devices still track the character normally. 
  Unless the vampire purposely makes herself seen, she can 
  remain obscure indefinitely. At higher ratings, a vampire 
  may slowly fade from the view of those around simply by 
  not thinking about remaining in sight. 
  Auspex and Obfuscate are opposed to one another. When 
  Obfuscate is used against a Kindred who possesses a 
  higher Auspex score than a character's Obfuscate score, 
  the character is unable to conceal himself from the 
  searcher. However, if the hider's score is higher, then the 
  Kindred is fooled normally. 
  While mortals normally have no ability to divine the 
  location of Kindred with this Discipline, the Storyteller 
  may rule that those with psychic powers may be able to see 
  the vampire directly. Furthermore, children, especially 
  those who retain their own unique perspective on the 
  universe and have not fully accepted the reality imposed 
  by their parents, are often able to see through Obfuscate. 
  • Cloak of Shadows 
  Your ability to conceal yourself is not yet fully dev eloped, 
  so you need some sort of cover in order to hide yourself 
  effectively (or at least you must be in a position that eyes 
  easily pass over anyway). Most often, such cover is the 
  shadows of an alley or a recessed door frame, but this 
  power also works if you can interpose a tree or lamppost 
  (no matter how narrow) between yourself and the ones 
  from whom you hide.  
  Once under cover, you must remain completely motionless 
  in order to remain obscured. If you move, if a light is 
  turned on which would illuminate you, or if a viewer 
  moves to an angle at which you are directly in his line of 
  sight, the Cloak of Shadows fails. 
  System: No roll needs to be made, since the Obfuscate 
  succeeds once the criteria have been met. However, those 
  with Auspex higher than the character's Obfuscate will see 
  right through the shadows. 
  •• Unseen Presence 
  Your powers of remaining unseen have become so potent 
  that you can effectively cause yourself to disappear 
  indefinitely and remain hidden even if you walk around. 
  You are completely  ignored unless someone specifically 
  looks for you. People will move about in ways that cause 
  them to avoid you and will even take actions to remove 
  themselves from your vicinity. Their unconscious minds 
  will do nearly anything to prevent their conscious minds 
  from realizing that you are there. 
  System: No roll is normally required; however, if the 
  character speaks or engages in violent physical activity 
  (e.g. combat), she will probably draw attention to herself. 
  The Storyteller may ask for a Wits + Stealth roll to 
  determine how well the character remains unseen. At least 
  three successes are required to allow her to speak and still 
  not be seen. 
  ••• Mask of the Thousand Faces 
  This potent ability does not hide you from the gaze of 
  others, but makes you appear as someone other than who 
  you truly are. Your appearance does not actually change - 
  you simply make people think they see someone else. 
  System: The player must roll Manipulation + Acting 
  (difficulty 7) to determine how well the character assumes 
  his mask. Refer to the chart to see how successful the 
  attempt is. 
  1 success - People could still pick you out of a police 
  lineup. 
  2 successes - The character looks somewhat different; 
  subjects describe him differently. 
  3 successes - The desired look is successfully broadcast. 
  4 successes - Appearance, movement and actions are 
  completely different. 
  5 successes - The character can even appear as someone of 
  the opposite sex. 
  •••• Vanish from Mind's Eye 
  Your power has advanced to such a degree that you may 
  actually disappear from plain view. Even if you are 
  standing face to face with a mortal, you may exercise this 
  power and simply vanish. Those who witness such a 
  disappearing act, especially mortals, are normally stunned 
  with indecision for a turn. One member of a large group 
  might be able to react (such as to fire into the space where 
  the character vanished), but this is the exception. 
  Moreover, mortals with low strength of will may actually 
  forget that they every saw you at all. 
  System: The player must roll Charisma + Stealth 
  (difficulty is the Wits + Alertness of the target). If more 
  
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  than three successes are obtained, the vampire completely 
  disappears from sight. If the player obtains more successes 
  than the target's Willpower, she completely forgets the 
  vampire's existence, but the vampire must leave her 
  presence immediately or be remembered. 
  ••••• Cloak the Gathering 
  This incredibly manipulative power allows you to extend 
  any of your Obfuscate powers to those around you. Not 
  only are you concealed, but so is everyone else with you 
  whom you wish to conceal. 
  If one character compromises the disguise or invisibility, 
  then only she is no longer under the protection of your 
  powers. However, if you compromise the position, the 
  Cloak drops completely and everyone may be seen. 
  System: The character can conceal one additional 
  individual for every point of Stealth possessed. See the 
  appropriate power above to see what must be rolled to 
  determine how successfully the power is used. A single roll 
  determines the effectiveness for everyone; each character 
  does not roll separately. 
  Potence 
  This Discipline defines the superior strength that vampires 
  possess. This additional physical might allows great feats 
  to be accomplished, far beyond what a normal mortal 
  would be able to perform. Potence allows vampires to 
  jump and leap greater distances, lift greater weights, and 
  inflict greater harm upon objects and individuals when 
  they are punched or hit. 
  System: The character's rating in Potence provides her 
  with automatic successes on nearly any Strength roll - one 
  automatic success per rating point. Thus she can succeed 
  at most Strength rolls automatically without needing to 
  make a roll at all. In melee and brawling combat, the 
  automatic successes count on the damage roll. 
  Presence 
  A vampire with the Presence Discipline is exceptionally 
  attractive and appealing to others. People want to be 
  around the vampire, to bask in the brilliant light he sheds. 
  He need not make any sort of overt or deliberate action, 
  for Presence is a natural aspect of one's personality. 
  Presence is a powerful, if subtle, Discipline. 
  The Presence Discipline is a power over the emotions of 
  people, not their judgment or reason. Orders may not be 
  given using Presence; the effect is completely nonverbal.  
  Presence causes others to feel things or react in certain 
  ways toward the vampire, but direct manipulation of the 
  mind is the domain of Dominate. 
  Unlike Dominate, it can be used on many people at the 
  same time, nor is eye contact required for it to be effective. 
  The vampire needs to be clearly in sight of those he wishes 
  to affect, however, as his face must be seen clearly. 
  Those affected by Presence can use Willpower points to 
  resist the effects for a turn, as with Dominate. During this 
  time they are able to turn around, thereby escaping the 
  effects more permanently. Kindred are usually savvy 
  enough to do so, but mortals seldom are. 
  • Awe 
  When you employ this power, everyone near you becomes 
  intensely attracted to you. They will do nearly anything to 
  be close to you, although their fascination is not so 
  complete that they will endanger themselves. The effects 
  last only as long as the subjects are in your presence, but 
  the next time they see you, the feelings are likely to be 
  reawakened. 
  By carefully using this power, you can have phenomenal 
  powers of mass communication. Since Presence uses 
  emotion to sway victims, it doesn't really matter what is 
  said, but you can more easily convince people of a certain 
  course of action or the nobility of a purpose by using this 
  Discipline. 
  System: The player must roll Charisma + Acting 
  (difficulty 7). Those affected can use Willpower points to 
  overcome the effect, but must continue spending 
  Willpower every few minutes for as long as they remain in 
  the same area as the character. However, as soon as a 
  number of Willpower equivalent to the number of 
  successes rolled is spent, the Awe is completely shaken off, 
  and the subject can't be affected for the rest of the scene. 
  The number of successes rolled also determines how many 
  people can be affected: 
  1 success - one person 
  2 successes - two people 
  3 successes - six people 
  4 successes - 20 people 
  5 successes - everyone in the vampire's immediate vicinity 
  (e.g. an entire auditorium of people) 
  •• Dread Gaze 
  The exhibition of your full vampiric powers can cause 
  great fear and loathing in mortals. This is usually 
  accomplished by baring teeth and claws while hissing 
  loudly. While most vampires can performing this action, 
  you are exceptionally adept at it, and are capable of driving 
  mortals insane with fear, or frightening them into 
  submission or flight with the merest snarl. The subjects 
  are cowed by your appearance and will do anything to 
  avoid incurring your wrath.  
  System: The player must roll Charisma + Intimidation 
  (difficulty is the victim's Wits + 3). Any success indicates 
  that the target is cowed, while three or more successes 
  indicate that he runs away in fear. Moreover, each success 
  reduces the number of dice the victim is allowed to roll the 
  next turn by one. 
  This roll may be attempted only once per turn, though if 
  performed in successive turns, the vampire may collect 
  successes as an extended roll in order to completely 
  subjugate the target. Eventually the target may lose so 
  many dice that he will be unable to do anything but curl up 
  on the ground and weep. Failure indicates that the attempt 
  has faltered. All collected successes are lost, the victim 
  may act normally again and the player must start over next 
  turn. A botch indicates the victim is not at all impressed, 
  and any use of Presence by the character will not be 
  effective against him again this story. 
  ••• Entrancement 
  Entrancement is used to convince another to serve you. 
  The subject of Entrancement will be enchanted with you 
  and desire to serve your needs. However, unlike a person 
  Possessed with Dominate powers, the subject of 
  Entrancement retains her freedom of action and creativity. 
  
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  104 
  This can be both good and bad. 
  The subject is certainly much more enjoyable to be around 
  and tends to remind a vampire of the cruelty of control 
  less often, but such a victim can be unpredictable in how 
  she will attempt to please the Kindred. Because so much 
  freedom of will is maintained, an Entranced person does 
  not count as a new Retainer. 
  System: The player must roll Appearance + Empathy to 
  Entrance a subject (difficulty of the target's Willpower). 
  The number of successes determines how long the victim 
  is Entranced. There is no way to extend a period of 
  Entrancement; indeed, once the condition wears off, the 
  victim is likely to think ill of the vampire. 
  1 success - one hour 
  2 successes - one day 
  3 successes - one week 
  4 successes - one month 
  5 successes - one year 
  •••• Summon 
  With this power, you may call a person from a very great 
  distance and that person will come to attend your desires. 
  The subject of the Summons may not know exactly why he 
  is walking across the room toward the cloaked stranger, 
  but the Kindred's powerful aura will completely entrance 
  the subject. 
  Vampires have been known to Summon a person from 
  halfway around the world; indeed, the subject will use the 
  fastest and most direct means of travel to reach his 
  master's side. Such is indeed possible, but in order to 
  Summon a person who is out of sight, you must have 
  previously met the person. A person who is Summoned 
  knows exactly where to find you and will home in on that 
  location flawlessly. If you Summon someone from New 
  York to Chicago but subsequently depart for Seattle, the 
  subject will arrange for travel to Seattle as well. 
  The exact time it takes for a subject to fulfill the Summons 
  can vary, but the subject will always use the fastest 
  available method of travel. Concerns like money limit the 
  response time, but if the subject happens to be short of 
  cash and can't afford a plane ticket, he will even hitchhike. 
  The Summons must be repeated each day if it takes more 
  than one day for the subject to reach the Summoner -each 
  Summons roll lasts for 24 hours. 
  System: The player must roll Charisma + Subterfuge. 
  Normally the difficulty for a Summon roll is five, but if the 
  subject is a stranger, the difficulty increases to seven. If the 
  Kindred has successfully used the Presence Discipline on 
  the subject in the past, then the difficulty is only four, but 
  if the target previously resisted the vampire's Presence 
  attempt it is an eight. The number of successes indicates 
  the subject's reaction: 
  1 success - Target approaches, but slowly and hesitantly  
  2 successes - Target approaches reluctantly and is easily 
  thwarted by obstacles 
  3 successes - Target approaches with reasonable speed 
  4 successes - Target comes with haste, overcoming any 
  obstacles in their way 
  5 successes - Target rushes to you, doing anything to get to 
  you  
  ••••• Majesty 
  You are almost universally respected and feared. Unless 
  mortals or even Kindred stop to consider their feelings 
  about you, they are likely to treat you respectfully without 
  conscious thought. Indeed, the very sight of you causes 
  jaws to drop in awe and even the most courageous to fear 
  you. You simply seem so formidable that no one would 
  even consider crossing you, let alone making a physical 
  challenge. You will not be attacked or harmed in any way 
  for as long as the effects of Majesty remain unresisted. 
  System: The subject must make a Courage roll (difficulty 
  is the character's Charisma + Intimidation) if she wishes to 
  be rude, crass or even non-servile to the vampire. A 
  subject who fails the roll will go to absurd lengths to 
  humble herself before the vampire. Kindred may spend a 
  point of Willpower to overcome such feelings if the roll is 
  failed.  
  Protean 
  This Discipline allows a vampire to transform either her 
  entire body or a part of her body into something inhuman. 
  The vampire can thus grow claws, turn into a bat, meld 
  into the earth or transform into mist. 
  A vampire can use most other Disciplines while 
  shapeshifted. Thus, a Kindred in animal form may still 
  read auras and communicate with animals. Only when a 
  vampire is in mist form should additional restrictions be 
  applied. For example, eye contact cannot be made, so 
  Dominate powers cannot function. Additionally, while 
  personal possessions and clothes transform with the 
  character, larger objects will not. 
  No transformations are possible when a vampire is staked 
  through the heart. Some suspect that this is possible at 
  higher levels of ability, but it has never been confirmed. 
  • Gleam of Red Eyes 
  You can see perfectly in normal darkness. Limited vision is 
  even possible in absolute darkness (e.g. an underground 
  cave where there is no light at all), a fact that perplexes the 
  scientific-minded among the Kindred. When this power is 
  activated, your eyes glow an eerie red. 
  System: No roll need be made, but it takes one full turn 
  for the change to occur. 
  •• Wolf Claws 
  You are able to grow an inch-long claw on each finger. 
  These claws make excellent weapons in combat and can be 
  used in many attacks. Wounds caused by the claws are 
  especially vicious; indeed, the wounds are aggravated and 
  cannot be healed normally through the use of Blood 
  Points. 
  System: No roll need be made; the transformation is 
  automatic and takes but one turn to accomplish. However, 
  one Blood Point must be spent each time the claws are 
  grown. 
  ••• Earth Meld 
  One of the most prized powers that a vampire can possess, 
  Earth Meld has saved the lives of countless vampires 
  through the ages. This power enables you to make the 
  earth part of you rself and thus merge with it. Others 
  viewing your use of Earth Meld will simply see you sink 
  
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  105 
  into the ground. 
  You can only sink into earth. It is absolutely impossible to 
  meld into earth through another substance. For example, 
  while there may be earth underneath it, a linoleum floor 
  completely prohibits the use of this power. 
  Earth Meld is a great way to find cover when outdoors. 
  Being one with the earth prevents contact with sunlight 
  and also provides a way to sleep away the centuries. Many 
  ancient vampires use Earth Meld to rest in safety, and 
  thereby gain strength and power. Some whisper that 
  thousands of Ancients sleep within the ground and will 
  awaken on the night of Gehenna. 
  System: No roll is necessary and the transformation is 
  automatic, but a Blood Point must be spent.  
  •••• Shadow of the Beast 
  You may transform into either a wolf or a bat. When in the 
  form of either creature, you benefit from all of the obvious 
  advantages, such as the increased senses of the wolf or the 
  bat's ability to fly. 
  System: No roll is required, but the transformation 
  requires the expenditure of one Blood Point. It takes three 
  turns to complete the transformation (though the 
  Storyteller may allow it in one turn with the expenditure of 
  three Blood Points). 
  ••••• Form of Mist 
  You possess the vampiric power of legend to transform 
  into mist. Your very essence seems to slowly float apart 
  when this power is employed. 
  Many advantages are gained in mist form. You can float in 
  any direction at walking speed, are not affected by physical 
  attacks, and can slip through the tiniest of openings with 
  ease. Additionally, you take one less die of damage from 
  sunlight. 
  Contrary to popular opinion, vampires in mist form are 
  not particularly vulnerable to powerful winds. Wind, even 
  that of hurricane strength, cannot tear a mist form apart. 
  However, strong winds can blow the vapor cloud about 
  just as any other object can be pushed. Only your Potence 
  should be taken into account when determining how stiff a 
  wind you can resist. 
  System: No roll is required, but the transformation 
  requires the expenditure of one Blood Point. It takes three 
  turns to complete the transformation (though the 
  Storyteller may allow it to take place in only one turn with 
  the expenditure of three Blood Points). 
  Thaumaturgy 
  Few Kindred are able to practice the rigorous discipline of 
  Thaumaturgy. This is the practice of blood magic, and is 
  largely the province of the Tremere Clan, who created it 
  and guard its secrets jealously. 
  This magic is directly descended from the theories and 
  practices of the Order of Hermes, a medieval order of 
  magi. While few humans know aught of blood magic, this 
  art has been developed for centuries by the Tremere to 
  take advantage of their vampiric strengths. Tremere 
  Thaumaturgy is despised and feared by most mortal 
  wizards. 
  Thaumaturgy also allows the wielder to use rituals, as well 
  as a number of different paths: the Lure of Flames, 
  Movement of the Mind, and Weather Control. These are 
  discussed immediately following the treatment of blood 
  magic proper. 
  • A Taste for Blood 
  You possess a variety of simple Perception-based abilities 
  that relate to blood. You may determine how much blood 
  is left in a Kindred or mortal, how recently a vampire has 
  fed  
  and the approximate generation of a vampire. You must 
  touch the blood in order to be able to tell anything about 
  it. 
  System: The player must roll Perception + Occult 
  (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how 
  much information is received and how accurate it is. 
  •• Blood Rage 
  With but a touch, the character can force another Kindred 
  to use her blood whether she wants to or not. Thus a 
  vampire may find her Strength suddenly increasing and 
  have no idea why. Additionally, since the vampire becomes 
  more excitable, the difficulties of all frenzy rolls for the 
  rest of the scene increase by one. 
  System: The player must roll Dexterity + Subterfuge 
  against a difficulty of the target's Willpower. Every success 
  forces the target to immediately spend one Blood Point in 
  a way the Thaumaturgist desires. 
  ••• Blood of Potency 
  You may perform manipulations of blood which make the 
  blood within your body more potent for a short time, 
  thereby lowering your effective generation. 
  System: Roll Manipulation + Survival (difficulty 8); 
  successes must be spent both to decrease the v ampire's 
  generation and create a duration in hours. 
  •••• Theft of Vitae 
  You can mystically transfer blood into your system from a 
  distance and even drain the Blood Pools of other creatures 
  to add to your own. 
  System: The player must roll Intelligence + Medicine 
  against a difficulty of six if the blood is stationary (such as 
  in a blood bank) or against the target's Willpower if 
  attacking another being. The number of successes 
  determines how many Blood Points are transferred. The 
  blood to be stolen must be within 50 feet and in clear view, 
  and the source of the attack will be obvious. 
  ••••• Cauldron of Blood 
  You are capable of manipulating others' blood. By 
  touching another, you are able to boil her blood, not only 
  causing incredible physical harm but destroying much of 
  her blood as well. This virtually ensures the death of any 
  mortal whom you perform this upon, and can inflict great 
  harm upon vampires as well. 
  System: The player must roll Willpower against a 
  difficulty equal to the number of Blood Points the v ampire 
  wishes to boil at once + 4 (maximum 10). The victim also 
  takes one wound for every point boiled. 
  
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  106 
  Rituals 
  Rituals are meticulously prepared, but powerful, magical 
  spells which must be performed under highly specific 
  circumstances and according to exacting procedures. All 
  Kindred who know Thaumaturgy also have the ability to 
  cast rituals. By learning the basic concepts of blood magic, 
  an apprentice acquires a familiarity with the magical 
  formulas required to cast rituals. 
  Each ritual in Vampire is rated in power from one to 
  five (or higher). A character must have a Thaumaturgy 
  rating at least equal to the power level of the ritual in order 
  to perform it successfully. Rituals take at least five minutes 
  per level to cast. 
  Sometimes material components are required, as 
  stipulated by the ritual itself. These could include such 
  things as feathers, wood splinters, mud, herbs, bones, eye 
  of newt and frogs' toes. Blood is used in many rituals. 
  At the first level of Thaumaturgy, the vampire 
  automatically gains a single Level One ritual. In order to 
  learn further rituals, a character must find a teacher (or 
  scroll) to instruct him in the proper procedures and 
  incantations. Learning how to perform a ritual properly 
  can take anywhere from only a few days (Level One ritual) 
  to many years (Level Five ritual). 
  Below are examples of some Level One rituals. If you want 
  to include higher-level rituals in your chronicle, you will 
  need to create them yourself. 
  Defense of the Sacred Haven 
  This one-hour ritual ensures that no sunlight may pass 
  through any window within 20 feet of where the ritual is 
  performed. Sunlight is simply reflected by the windows. 
  This ritual functions only as long as the Kindred who 
  performs it stays within the area of effect. A drop of blood 
  - the caster's own - must be placed on each window in the 
  ritual's area of effect. At least one Blood Point will thus be 
  used. 
  Wake with Morning's (Evening's) Freshness 
  This half-hour ritual must be performed immediately 
  before a vampire prepares to sleep through the coming 
  day. A period of complete meditation is required. Any 
  interruption or performance of other activities after the 
  ritual, but before sleep, will render the magic ineffective. 
  The ritual allows the protected Kindred to immediately 
  awaken at any sign of danger during the next day. The rule 
  regarding how Humanity restricts the number of dice 
  usable during the day is waived for the first two turns of 
  action. Thereafter, it is once again effective, but no matter 
  what the character's Humanity or condition, he will 
  awaken in time to (hopefully) alleviate the danger. 
  Feathers are required to perform this ritual, and they must 
  be burned and the ashes spread over the sleeping area.  
  Communicate with Kindred Sire 
  This very practical ritual takes only five minutes. Upon 
  completion, the ritual allows a vampire to speak 
  telepathically at any distance with his sire. The ritual has 
  been modified throughout the years to also allow the 
  vampire to speak with any Kindred who has been Blood 
  Bound to the caster, or even anyone who has partaken of 
  the caster's blood since the most recent sunset. The 
  communication is two-way, but unlike the Auspex power 
  of Telepathy, the vampire may not probe the target's mind. 
  The caster need to possess an item which once belonged to 
  her sire. 
  Deflection of Wooden Doom  
  The caster of this hour-long ritual must be completely 
  surrounded by a circle of wood. Anything wooden, even 
  furniture or wood shavings, will work, but the circle must 
  be unbroken. Thereafter, the caster need not fear being 
  staked until the sun next sets. Though only the first 
  attempt is deflected, any wooden stake that is about to 
  plunge through the vampire's heart will instead instantly 
  disintegrate. In order to activate the power of the ritual, 
  the stake must have actually been ready to penetrate the 
  vampire. A stake merely held near the Kindred's heart will 
  not be affected. A wooden splinter must be placed in the 
  caster's mouth at the end of the ritual (if the splinter is 
  taken out, the ritual is nullified). 
  Dev il's Touch 
  This ritual curses a mortal, causing all those around who 
  do not have a close emotional tie with the subject to feel a 
  distinct dislike for him. They will hate the mortal and will 
  do all they can to make the mortal's life miserable. This 
  effect lasts for one night, only disappearing with the first 
  light of day. The mortal needs to be present for the ritual 
  to be effective, and a penny (or any coin owned by the 
  caster) must be placed somewhere upon the mortal's 
  person (such as in a pocket). 
  Paths 
  The other powers gained by continuing study in the arts of 
  Thaumaturgy usually come from one of three paths - the 
  Lure of Flames, Movement of the Mind and Weather 
  Control. These paths must be initially learned from a tutor 
  or text during the chronicle, and may not be taken during 
  character creation. Experience points are also necessary to 
  acquire and progress in these paths; the costs for such are 
  listed in Chapter Eight. 
  Each time these individual powers are employed, a Blood 
  Point must be spent and a Willpower roll must be made 
  against a difficulty of the power's level +3. A failure on the 
  roll indicates that the magic fails, but the Willpower point 
  is not lost. A botch indicates that the Willpower point is 
  lost as well.  
  The Lure of Flames 
  The character can create flames. Only small ones are 
  possible at low levels of ability, but larger and hotter 
  flames can be ignited by those proficient in Thaumaturgy. 
  The character can create the flame anywhere within line of 
  sight, but must roll Perception + Alertness to properly 
  place it unless it is upon his own body. The flames created 
  by this path are unnatural and cannot burn objects until 
  they have been released by the Kindred. Therefore, a 
  "palm of flame" will not burn the vampire's hand and 
  create an aggravated wound - it will only produce light. 
  Additionally, if the Thaumaturgist ignites his own body, 
  those grappling with him will not suffer. 
  1 success - Candle 
  2 successes - Palm of flame 
  3 successes - Camp fire 
  4 successes - Bonfire 
  5 successes - Conflagration 
  Movement of the Mind 
  This path enables the user to mentally control objects' 
  motions. Objects may be lifted, moved, spun in circles, or 
  
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  107 
  whatever. If this path is practiced on a living creature, the 
  subject can attempt to resist; caster and subject match 
  Willpower in an opposed roll. Objects cannot be moved 
  faster than the character can move himself, so objects 
  cannot be "thrown" with any great ability. However, 
  objects may be manipulated as if by the vampire's own 
  hands: axes can chop at people or trees, and guns may be 
  fired, assuming the Kindred is advanced enough to lift the 
  object. 
  The weight of the object moved is very important: a certain 
  rating is necessary to even attempt to move certain 
  objects. Once a vampire achieves a rating of three, he is 
  able to levitate himself, no matter how much he weighs. 
  Otherwise, weight restrictions apply. 
  1 success - one pound 
  2 successes - 20 pounds 
  3 successes - 200 pounds 
  4 successes - 500 pounds 
  5 successes - 1/2 ton 
  Weather Control 
  This path allows a character to affect the weather. The 
  difficulty of the magic depends on the weather at the time. 
  It is very hard (difficulty 9) to pull lightning down from a 
  sunny sky, but it's easy to create fog in London (difficulty 
  3). 
  The player must roll Manipulation + Survival. The number 
  of successes determines the strength of the new 
  environmental force and how much damage is caused by 
  the lightning bolt. 
  1 success - Fog 
  2 successes - Rain 
  3 successes - Wind 
  4 successes - Storm 
  5 successes - Lightning Strike (Roll 10 damage dice, 
  difficulty to hit as per firearm range) 
  Backgrounds 
  It was many years ago that I became what I am. 
  I was trapped in this life like an innocent lamb. 
  Now I can never show my face at noon 
  And you'll only see me walking by the light of the moon. 
  The brim of my hat hides the eye of a beast 
  I've the face of a sinner, but the hands of a priest. 
  - Sting, "Moon over Bourbon Street" 
    
  These Traits describe the special advantages of your 
  character. However, you must choose why and how you 
  came to possess these particular Traits. Where did you get 
  your Resources? What kind of Contacts do you have? 
  Where does all of this Influence come from? Make sense 
  out of your Background Traits and integrate them into 
  your character concept. 
  Rolls can be made using these Traits to obtain 
  information, resources or favors. Frequently, these 
  Background Traits are used in conjunction with an 
  Attribute, such as rolling Charisma + Influence to get the 
  police off your back, or Wits + Resources to get your 
  parents to write you that one last check - as a loan, of 
  course. 
  Allies 
  Your Allies are mortals who help and support you - they 
  could be family or friends, or even an organization to 
  which you are friendly. Allies have their own lives to live, 
  so they are not at your beck and call, but they often have 
  Influence in the community and access to Contacts or 
  Resources. An Ally is ultimately a mortal whom you have 
  befriended, and who protects and aids you out of love or 
  common interest. 
  For each point of Allies that you have, you have one Ally. 
  This individual is a person of influence in the city where 
  she lives. An Ally could be a police sergeant, an advisor to 
  the mayor, or even (if your rating is a 4 or 5) the mayor 
  herself.  
  Allies are generally very trustworthy and loyal. However, it 
  requires time and energy to maintain the alliance, for the 
  friends expect the aid of the character in return in time of 
  need. Though they likely do not know you are a vampire, 
  they may know of some of your powers and thus may come 
  to you for favors. This is often a means by which a story 
  can begin. 
  • One Ally, of moderate influence and power 
  •• Two Allies, both of them of moderate power 
  ••• Three Allies, one of them quite influential 
  •••• Four Allies, one of them very influential 
  ••••• Five Allies, one of them extremely influential 
  Contacts 
  You know people from many different walks of life, and 
  they comprise a system of information and help that could 
  come in very handy some day. 
  Your Contacts are not only the people you can manipulate 
  or bribe to get information, but friends whom you can 
  really count on (Major Contacts) to provide you with 
  accurate information (in their areas of expertise). You 
  should describe your Major Contacts as complete 
  characters, either as the chronicle progresses or 
  beforehand. You also have a number of Minor Contacts 
  spread throughout the city. When you wish to get in touch 
  with a Minor Contact, make a roll using your Contacts 
  rating against a difficulty of seven. Each success means 
  you have gotten in touch with one of your Minor Contacts; 
  of course, you will need to bribe or charm her into giving 
  you needed information. 
  • One Major Contact 
  •• Two Major Contacts 
  ••• Three Major Contacts 
  •••• Four Major Contacts 
  ••••• Five Major Contacts 
  Fame 
  You are widely known among the mortals, perhaps as a 
  movie star or writer. This gives you great privileges when 
  you travel among the mortals, but it can also attract just a 
  bit too much attention. Fame can grant a lot of pull in the 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
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  mass media, allowing you to attempt to manipulate the 
  thoughts of the populace. 
  Sometimes Fame can seem like more trouble than it is 
  worth, causing you to be recognized when you don't wish 
  to be seen. However, there are many circumstances where 
  it can come in handy, like getting you into clubs, parties 
  and appointments that you  otherwise would not have been 
  able to attend. You are also harder for your enemies to 
  physically dispose of, as you cannot just "disappear." 
  Sometimes Fame will be used with Manipulation in order 
  to make a roll ("See  
  if you can convince the doorman to let you in - difficulty of 
  8."), but more often it is simply used as a measure of how 
  well-known you are. Each level of Fame subtracts one 
  from the difficulty of hunting rolls in heavily populated 
  areas (people tend to flock to you). 
  • You are known by a select subculture of society in the 
  city; e.g. among the elite 
  •• Your face is recognized by a majority of the populace; 
  local celebrity 
  ••• You are fairly famous; your name and face are known 
  by many  
  •••• You are quite renowned; everybody knows something 
  about you  
  ••••• You are a nationally famous individual - a movie star, 
  politician or performer 
  Generation 
  This Trait describes what generation of vampire you are. 
  This is crucial in determining the ultimate potential of the 
  character. If you do not take Generation, you begin as a 
  vampire of the 13th generation. See the Setting chapter for 
  more information on generations. 
  • Twelfth Generation: 11 Blood Pool, can spend 1 Blood 
  Point a turn 
  •• Eleventh Generation: 12 Blood Pool, can spend 1 Blood 
  Point a turn 
  ••• Tenth Generation: 13 Blood Pool, can spend 1 Blood 
  Point a turn 
  •••• Ninth Generation: 14 Blood Pool, can spend 2 Blood 
  Points a turn 
  ••••• Eighth Generation: 15 Blood Pool, can spend 3 Blood 
  Points a turn 
  Herd 
  You have built a group of mortals from whom you can feed 
  without fear. This Herd also helps protect you and can be 
  used to perform a number of different services. However, 
  the Herd is not as tightly controlled nor as loyal as 
  Retainers, and are not as closely connected to you as 
  Allies. Ultimately, the Herd describes only the number of 
  Vessels you have readily available. Your Herd rating adds 
  dice to your Hunt rolls, as described in Chapter Nine. 
  • 3 vessels 
  •• 7 vessels 
  ••• 15 vessels 
  •••• 30 vessels 
  ••••• 60 vessels 
  Influence 
  Influence reflects you r ability to produce results when 
  attempting to sway or control the political and social 
  processes of the mortal community. It is the ability to 
  compel a mortal to take action on your behalf, perhaps 
  because of some hold you have over him. This could mean 
  that you have a prestigious family, control the police chief, 
  or simply that you have gained political office. In short, 
  Influence is how much political power you exert upon 
  society, particularly among the police and bureaucrats. 
  Some rolls might use Influence in place of an Ability, 
  especially when you start to interact with any sort of minor 
  bureaucrat. 
  • Moderately influential; a factor in local politics 
  •• Well-connected; a factor in city politics 
  ••• Position of influence; a factor in state politics 
  •••• Broad personal power; a factor in regional politics 
  ••••• Vastly influential; a factor in national politics 
  Mentor 
  This Trait describes one or more elders (your sire?) who 
  look after you. Each rating point of Mentor you possess 
  describes how powerful your Mentor is in the community 
  of the Kindred. Your Mentor could simply be a vampire 
  who has learned her way around the city, or an Ancient 
  who has garnered huge amounts of power in both the 
  mortal and immortal worlds. Your Mentor can advise you, 
  protect you from other elders, speak for you to the prince, 
  caution you when you intrude on the affairs of other 
  elders, and inform you of opportunities for power and 
  advancement. 
  Often a Mentor is your sire, though it can be any vampire 
  who has taken interest in you. If your Mentor is powerful, 
  it might not be a single person, but a group. Thus, a brood 
  could be a Mentor, as could the ruling council of a clan. 
  Tremere often have the Mentor Background Trait because 
  of the aid they receive from their elders. 
  A Mentor may expect to receive something in return for 
  the aid she provides. Though she may simply enjoy your 
  company, in time of need she may call upon her 
  "apprentice." This may begin a number of excellent stories. 
  In general, however, you do receive more than you need to 
  give out. 
  • Mentor is an ancilla, and of little influence. 
  •• Mentor is an elder and is well respected. 
  ••• Mentor is a member of the primogen 
  •••• Mentor is a prince and has much power over the city. 
  ••••• Mentor is a Justicar and is extraordinarily powerful.  
  Resources 
  This Trait describes your financial resources, or your 
  access to such resources. Your Resources are not 
  completely liquid, but you can often sell them to gain 
  money. It could take weeks or even months to do so, 
  depending on how much needs to be sold. 
  This Trait assumes that you gain a basic allowance each 
  month, appropriate to the level of Resources. However, 
  you must detail the source of this income, as it might well 
  "dry up" depending on the circumstances of the chronicle. 
  
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  109 
  • Small savings: You have an apartment and perhaps a 
  motorcycle. If liquidated, you would have $1000 in cash. 
  Allowance of $500 a month. 
  •• Middle class: You have an apartment or condominium. 
  If liquidated, you would have $8,000 in cash. Allowance of 
  $1200 a month. 
  ••• Large savings: You own a house (or at least have some 
  equity). If liquidated, you would have $50,000 in cash. 
  Allowance of $3000 a month. 
  •••• Well off: You own a very large house, or perhaps a 
  dilapidated mansion. If liquidated, you would have 
  $500,000 in cash. Allowance of $9000 a month. 
  ••••• Fantastically rich: you are easily a millionaire many 
  times over. If liquidated, you would have at least 
  $5,000,000 in cash. Allowance of $30,000 a month. 
  Retainers 
  You have one or more servants and assistants who are 
  your loyal and steadfast companions. Retainers may be 
  ghouls who are Blood Bound to you, individuals whom you 
  have so Dominated over the years that they are incapable 
  of independent action, or individuals whom you have so 
  overwhelmed with your Presence that they would do 
  anything for you. 
  Retainers must always be controlled in some way, either 
  through a salary, through the donation of your blood, or 
  through the direct control of their minds. They may not 
  always be loyal, though typically they are. If given the 
  chance, they may betray you, depending on how well they 
  have been treated. 
  Retainers should not be supermen, even if they are ghouls. 
  Each should have a weakness. For instance, one Retainer 
  might be very loyal, but not very skilled. Another Retainer 
  might be very powerful, but have a very independent 
  mind. No retainer should ever be the perfect bodyguard; 
  nothing is that easy in Vampire. Retainers are meant to 
  be characters in and of themselves - something to add 
  flavor to the chronicle. Do not let them be abused. 
  • One Retainer 
  •• Two Retainers 
  ••• Three Retainers 
  •••• Four Retainers 
  ••••• Five Retainers 
  Status 
  You have something of a reputation and a standing within 
  the community of Kindred (which in the character's case 
  almost always means the Camarilla). It is usually 
  determined by your sire's Status and the respect your 
  particular bloodline is due. 
  The more Status you have, the less ill-treated you are by 
  the elders, and the more respected you are. Anarchs can be 
  considered to have zero Status, unless they have garnered 
  so much power and attention that they must be treated 
  seriously. Status is sometimes used in rolls with Social 
  Traits and reflects your prestige in such instances. 
  • Known: a neonate 
  •• Respected: an ancilla 
  ••• High Status: an elder 
  •••• Powerful: a member of the primogen 
  ••••• Luminary: a prince 
  Virtues 
  Only the free have disposition to be truthful, 
  Only the truthful have the interest to be just, 
  Only the just possess the will-power to be free. 
  - W.H. Auden, "In Time of War: Commentary" 
    
  These three aspects of your character describe his 
  orientation on life and his essential integrity and moral 
  strength. These Traits are intended to help you understand 
  and direct your characters, not force a certain action upon 
  them. However, a vampire is a creature of great passion, 
  and sometimes Virtue rolls are required, with failure 
  indicating that the character is not restrained enough to 
  avoid going into a frenzy, not remorseful enough to avoid 
  losing Humanity, or not brave enough to conquer 
  terrifying circumstances.  
  Conscience 
  Tolerant and merciful of heart, even to those who have 
  harmed or betrayed you, you find it hard to hold a grudge 
  and make every effort to forgive those who have injured or 
  betrayed you. 
  Conscience is a Trait of self-awareness which enables you 
  to evaluate your own conduct. The judgments made by 
  Conscience stem from your attitudes, ideals and morals. 
  They are internalized prescriptions of self-worth and the 
  voice of the real self - not the facade y ou might present to 
  the world. Conscience rolls are made to determine whether 
  you feel remorse for immoral acts, and therefore do not 
  lose Humanity. 
  • Chaste 
  •• Moral 
  ••• Just 
  •••• Charitable 
  ••••• Remorseful 
  Self-Control 
  You are a person of great temperance and self-mastery. 
  You have the discipline and the self-restraint to prevent 
  yourself from doing things your impulses would otherwise 
  have you do. This Trait indicates the amount of control 
  you have over your feelings, emotions and most 
  importantly, actions. 
  Self-Control is used to resist going into a frenzy. When you 
  use Self-Control, you can never roll more dice than the 
  points you currently have in your Blood Pool. Quite 
  simply, the hungrier you are, the less easily can you resist. 
  See the Frenzy section of the next chapter for more 
  information. 
  • Calm 
  •• Temperate 
  ••• Disciplined 
  •••• Hardened 
  
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  110 
  ••••• Total self-mastery 
  Courage 
  You are a person of bravery, tenacity, and considerable 
  perseverance. Courage is a quality of the mind that enables 
  you to stand up in the face of opposition, hardship or 
  danger. Courage is used to resist running away in terror 
  from things a vampire instinctively fears, such as the sun, 
  fire or a cross held by a person with holy powers. See the 
  Terror section of the next chapter for more information. 
  • Bold 
  •• Dauntless 
  ••• Steadfast 
  •••• Gallant 
  ••••• Valorous  
  Humanity 
  Maybe there's no haven in this world for tender age 
  My heart beat like the wings of wild birds in a cage 
  My greatest hope my greatest cause to grieve 
  And my heart flew from its cage and it bled upon my 
  sleeve 
  The cries of passion were like wounds that needed healing 
  I couldn't hear them for the thunder. 
  - Indigo Girls, "Prince of Darkness" 
    
  Humanity is a measure of how much of your character's 
  mortal nature remains despite the curse of vampirism. 
  Humanity influences how well your character is able to 
  resist all her newly unearthed urges and instincts. The 
  most important Trait your character can have is 
  Humanity, for as it drops, so does the character's 
  connection to her human nature. A character with no 
  rating in Humanity becomes a totally inhuman monster 
  and is no longer under the control of the player. A new 
  character must be created if the player wishes to continue 
  playing. 
  This is the basic reason why you want to preserve your 
  character's Humanity, but there are many others. For 
  instance, you cannot roll more dice in any Empathy roll 
  than you have as a Humanity rating. The less Humanity 
  you have, the deeper you sleep, and the more difficult it is 
  for you to wake up in an emergency. You also tend to go 
  into a frenzy more often in stressful situations, as you find 
  it difficult to control your primal instincts when you are in 
  danger. The actions you take when in frenzy could lead you 
  to lose even more Humanity. 
  This Trait can be seen as what separates a vampire from a 
  human. Vampires with high Humanity are the most 
  human, while those with low Humanity are brutal and 
  monstrous. Of course, it's not as clean-cut as that; many 
  humans have a low Humanity - sadistic killers for example 
  - so it's possible for a vampire to be even more human 
  than some humans. 
  x Monstrous 
  • Horrific 
  •• Bestial 
  ••• Cold 
  •••• Unfeeling 
  ••••• Distant 
  •••••• Removed 
  ••••••• Normal 
  •••••••• Caring 
  ••••••••• Compassionate 
  •••••••••• Humane 
  Effects of Humanity 
  • To a large extent, Humanity determines how human 
  vampires appear and how easily they can pass for human 
  in the general populace. The less Humanity a character 
  possesses, the more bestial he appears. 
  •Vampires tend to sleep very deeply and, even if there is 
  danger, can be difficult to wake up. During the day, 
  especially after being awakened, you cannot roll more dice 
  on any roll for any action than your character's rating in 
  Humanity. See the Awakenings section of the Drama 
  chapter for more information on how Humanity affects 
  activities during the day. 
  •Humanity directly affects Virtue rolls when you attempt 
  to resist going into frenzy. You cannot roll more dice that 
  your character's Humanity. Therefore, as you sink into the 
  abyss of bestiality, you  can not long resist the call of the 
  wild. As Humanity is lost, the character inches slowly 
  closer to the day when he loses all self-control. 
  • The length of time spent in torpor is also directly affected 
  by the Humanity rating. The lower the character's 
  Humanity, the longer he remains in torpor. 
  Willpower 
  The need comes upon me, a wash of lust and craving 
  which I cannot resist. Like a tree against the storm, I do 
  not bend but eventually I will break. I may wait, 
  containing my desire for week upon week, allowing the 
  agony to mount, but eventually I can resist no more and I 
  must kill again.... 
  - Thomas Braundenburg, Soul Whisper 
    
  Willpower measures how capable a character is at 
  overcoming the urges and desires that may tempt her. 
  However, unlike other Traits, it is not something you roll 
  (at least not often); Willpower is something that you use 
  up. When you use a point of Willpower, you remove it 
  from the character's Willpower Pool (the squares), not 
  from the Willpower rating (the circles). The rating stays 
  constant, while the Pool gets used up during the story. 
  Willpower from the Willpower Pool goes up and down a 
  great deal during a story. It decreases by one every time 
  the player uses a Willpower point to do something 
  extraordinary, such as to retain self-control or gain an 
  automatic success. Eventually, the character will have no 
  Willpower left and will no longer be able to exert himself 
  the way he once did. The character is mentally exhausted 
  and can't rouse himself enough to give a damn - he's 
  expended all his Willpower.  
  • Weak 
  •• Timid 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  111 
  ••• Unassertive 
  •••• Diffident 
  ••••• Certain 
  •••••• Confident 
  ••••••• Strong 
  •••••••• Controlled 
  ••••••••• Iron-willed 
  •••••••••• Unshakable 
  Using Willpower 
  Willpower is one of the most active Traits in Vampire, 
  simply because there are so many different ways to 
  employ, regain and change it. Willpower is such a focus of 
  the game that you will be paying a lot of attention to it, so 
  you had better understand the following rules. 
  • A Willpower point can be used to give you one automatic 
  success in an action. Only one point of Willpower can be 
  used in this way on a single turn, but it gives you a single 
  guaranteed success. In this fashion it is possible to succeed 
  automatically in any simple action, simply by 
  concentrating. For extended rolls, the extra success can 
  make the critical difference between success and failure. 
  There are some situations in which the Storyteller may not 
  allow such a use of Willpower. Only vampires may use 
  Willpower in this way. 
  •On some occasions, the Storyteller may tell you that your 
  character does something because of instinct, primal urge 
  or gut reaction ("You run away from the window in mortal 
  terror as the sunlight streams through."). You can use a 
  point of Willpower to avoid this and do as you please. 
  However, the feeling might return and another Willpower 
  point might be required. Sometimes it will return more 
  times than you have Willpower, while other times you may 
  completely overcome the urge. 
  •When one of your Derangements is about to cause you to 
  take a course of action you do not prefer, a Willpower 
  point can be used to control yourself. However, each time 
  you attempt to overcome the Derangement, another 
  Willpower point must be spent. Eventually, if enough 
  Willpower points are spent, the Derangement is overcome 
  permanently. This is the only way Derangements can be 
  overcome, though this is not effective on a Malkavian's 
  initial Derangement. 
  Willpower can only be permanently increased by the 
  expenditure of experience points, but the Willpower Pool 
  can go through enormous changes during a story. 
  Discussed below are all the different ways Willpower can 
  change. 
  Recovering Willpower 
  A character recovers her Willpower Pool whenever she is 
  able to rest or gets a chance to restore her self-confidence. 
  It is up to the Storyteller to decide when and how a 
  character recovers Willpower.  
  Listed below are the three different ways in which a 
  character can regain Willpower. This does not have 
  anything to do with the Willpower rating (which can be 
  changed only with experience). 
  • At the end of the story (not a game session), characters 
  regain their Willpower - all of it is recovered, up to the 
  amount of the Willpower rating. The Storyteller may wish 
  to restrict them somewhat by insisting the characters 
  attain some modicum of self-pride or achieve moderate 
  success in the story. e.g. The story ends with a partial 
  stalemate. You didn't get everything you were after, but 
  didn't embarrass yourself either. Recover all your 
  Willpower.  
  • (Optional) You achieve some special success during the 
  story that the Storyteller judges would cause the character 
  to recover her self-confidence (and thus all or some of her 
  Willpower). e.g. You rescue your father from the Sabbat 
  just before he was to receive the Embrace. Regain three 
  Willpower points.  
  • (Optional) You fulfill some criterion of the character's 
  chosen Archetype, thus regaining from one to three 
  Willpower points, subject to Storyteller judgment. This 
  must be achieved through roleplaying, and approved by 
  the Storyteller. e.g. As a Conniver, you manage to trick 
  the bartender into giving you the key to his car. Regain 
  two Willpower for that scam. 
  If none of the options above suit your style of play, 
  consider allowing the characters to regain one point of 
  Willpower after they wake up each evening. It's a simple 
  way to organize it because they are already subtracting a 
  point from the Blood Pool, and it guarantees a steady 
  recovery of Willpower. 
  Blood Pool 
  Why do your locks and rumpled clothes show 
  'Tis more than usual sleep has made them so? 
  Why are the kisses which he gave betrayed 
  By the impression which his teeth have made?  
  - Ovid 
  This is simply a measure of how much blood a vampire has 
  in its system. The Blood Pool can be empty, which simply 
  means that the character has used up all available blood in 
  his body system. He will then lose a Health Level the next 
  time the rules require him to lose a Blood Point (such as 
  when a night passes). In other words, when the Blood Pool 
  is empty, the character may not use Blood Points. 
  Blood Pool is an important factor in all Self-Control rolls. 
  You may never roll more dice on any roll involving the 
  Self-Control Trait than you currently have as a score in 
  your Blood Pool. Thus if you only have three Blood Points 
  left, you can only roll three dice to avoid going into a 
  frenzy, even if your Self-Control is four. This reflects the 
  negative effect hunger has on Self-Control. 
  Some Kindred of earlier generations will have Blood Pools 
  larger than 10 Blood Points. If a character ever gains the 
  ability to have more than 10 Blood Points, simply have her 
  draw dots in pen below the dots already shown. 
  Using Blood Pool 
  Every night of existence uses up one Blood Point (scratch 
  it off after a day of sleep). However, characters can decide 
  to use Blood Points for other purposes. The number of 
  Blood Points a character can use per turn is determined by 
  her generation, though the effect is cumulative over a 
  number of turns. 
  •One Blood Point can be spent to restore one Health Level, 
  but only if the character is at rest and is not active. It takes 
  one turn to heal one Health Level. See the Development 
  chapter for more information. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  112 
  •One Blood Point can add one point to a specific Physical 
  Attribute (Strength, Dexterity or Stamina). The player 
  must announce the expenditure of a Blood Point, and for 
  the remainder of the scene, she gains one extra die. Only 
  one Blood Point can be used per turn, but the effects 
  accumulate over a number of turns as more Blood Points 
  are used. After three turns and three Blood Points, a 
  character could have +2 Strength and +1 Dexterity. Of 
  course, Kindred of lower generations can often spend 
  more blood in a turn. 
  • A vampire can give a portion of her Blood Pool to 
  another, thus enabling him to restore Health Levels or 
  take special actions. This necessitates the slashing open an 
  artery and letting the other character drink from it. Some 
  characters may frenzy and attempt to drink more than 
  they should, so this action can be somewhat dangerous. 
  Additionally, if this is the third time someone has drunk a 
  certain Kindred's blood, the recipient will become Blood 
  Bound to the donor unless he is already currently Blood 
  Bound to another vampire. 
  When a character drinks the blood of an animal or human, 
  she gains nourishment - the blood essential for a vampire 
  to live. This is described in the game as Blood Points. If a 
  character has 10 Blood Points (or slightly more, depending 
  on generation), she is full and cannot benefit from 
  drinking more. If a vampire drinks all of a person's blood, 
  that person will die. If more than half is drunk, the person 
  will need to be hospitalized and will perhaps die (mortals 
  drop one  
  Health Level for every Blood Point lost). If characters do 
  not want to risk losing Humanity, they'd better learn to 
  control themselves. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  113 
   
   Blood Point Chart 
   Source 
   Blood Pool size 
   Vampire 
   10 - 50 
   Lupine 
   25 
   Average Human 
   10 
   Child 
   6 
   Cow 
   5 
   Dog 
   2 
   Cat 
   1  
   Plasma Bag 
   1  
   Rat 
   1/2  
   Bird 
   1/4  
  Gaining Blood Pool 
  When a vampire drinks the blood of a human or an 
  animal, she is able to add blood to her Blood Pool. Up to 
  three Blood Points can be drained in one turn. The shorter 
  the turn, the less leisurely the character is taking the 
  sustenance. Many Kindred drink very slowly so as to eke 
  more pleasure out of the experience. It is impossible to 
  take more than three Blood Points in three seconds (the 
  shortest an action turn gets). 
  Once a human is bitten, he no longer resists the attack of 
  the vampire and indeed becomes a full partner in the 
  ecstasy. Thus, the vampire need not fear the victim once 
  the teeth have sunk in. In the cases of exceptionally 
  strong-willed individuals (9+ Willpower), resistance may 
  continue, but eventually even they are drawn into the 
  seduction of the Kiss. Some mortals, given the 
  opportunity, learn to enjoy the Kiss and may develop a lust 
  for it. 
  If a vampire drinks more than half of a victim's Blood 
  Pool, that person's life is in serious danger, and some sort 
  of treatment is usually necessary to ensure the victim's 
  survival. If mor e than three-fourths of a victim's blood is 
  taken, immediate hospitalization is required or the vessel 
  will surely die. 
  A wounded character usually has less blood than normal. 
  Assume that a normal-sized human has one fewer Blood 
  Point for every level of wounds. Vampires do not lose 
  blood to wounds in this way. Assume humans regain one 
  Blood Point a day if they do not have a full supply of blood. 
  While some animals may have much more blood than a 
  human by volume, it is far less nourishing and therefore is 
  worth less in Blood Points. 
  Old blood is never as potent as fresh blood, unless it is 
  extraordinarily potent, e.g. the blood of an elder, in which 
  case it will maintain its vitality for some time. 
  If a vampire drinks the blood of an Ancient, each point 
  taken may be worth two Blood Points or more. Therefore, 
  it is possible to gain a tremendous amount of Blood Points 
  by feeding from such creatures. Elders are able to 
  concentrate the blood they drink, thereby increasing their 
  effective Blood Pools. Each "point" of their Blood Pools is 
  therefore worth 1/10th of their total Blood Pools. 
  Essentially, elders have much larger Blood Pools than 
  other vampires, although they are not physically larger. 
  They are able to contain the blood only because they are 
  able to concentrate it. Thus, if another vampire drank that 
  blood, she would receive a highly concentrated dose 
  (which often has special properties as well). The blood of 
  Lupines is just as potent; see the section on werewolves in 
  the Appendix. 
  Health 
  And he that will this health deny, 
  Down among the dead men let him lie.  
  - John Dyer, "Toast: Here's a Health to the King" 
  This is a measure of how hale and hearty a character is. 
  There are various levels of injury, and each applies a 
  different penalty to the person so injured. A character who 
  is Hurt, -1, would have one less die to roll on all her rolls, 
  while a character who is Crippled, -5, would have five less 
  dice to roll. If that leaves the player with no dice to roll, 
  then the character cannot take that action. 
   
   Health Levels 
   Bruised: 
    
  Character is only bruised and 
  has no action penalties. 
   Hurt: 
   -1  
  Character is only mildly hurt; 
  movement isn't hindered. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  114 
   Injured: 
   -1  
  Minor injuries; little hindrance 
  to movement. 
   Wounded: 
   -2 
  Character cannot run, but can 
  still walk. 
   Mauled: 
   -2 
  Character is badly injured and 
  can only hobble about. 
   Crippled: 
    -5 Character is severely injured 
  and can only crawl. 
   Incapacitated:   
  Character 
  is 
  completely 
  incapable of movement. 
  incapable of movement. 
   
  A vampire who is Incapacitated can take no action 
  whatsoever. He is immobilized and the only action he can 
  perform is to heal himself using Blood Points or swallow 
  blood that is offered to him. A mortal who reaches this 
  state is very close to death; if she loses one more Health 
  Level, she dies. If a vampire sustains an aggravated wound 
  at the Incapacitated level, he dies the Final Death as well.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  115 
  Chapter Eight: 
  Systems 
  Nothing determines who we will become so much as those things we choose to ignore. 
  - Sandor McNab 
   
  This chapter discusses the different ways a character can 
  change during the course of the chronicle. It describes 
  many different systems for resolving changes to 
  characters, whether the changes in question be the 
  accumulation of experience or the accumulation of 
  wounds. 
  This chapter is subdivided into three sections, each of 
  which discusses a number of different systems affecting 
  character changes. The character development section 
  describes how Traits can increase (and decrease). Physical 
  States includes systems for injuries, recuperation, and 
  torpor. Mental States includes systems for Frenzy, 
  Rötschreck, Degeneration, Derangements and Blood 
  Bonds. 
  One of the most exciting things about playing characters is 
  seeing them change over time. Watching a character 
  develop and grow is like watching a child grow up before 
  your eyes. However, in Vampire, development doesn't 
  always mean the character gets better. It often means the 
  character slowly and steadily sinks into the abyss. Such is 
  the nature of this game. Focus on getting better and 
  surviving the rough periods, and try to appreciate the 
  artistic impact of losing your Humanity or your mind. 
  Character Development 
  Experience is the child of Thought, and Thought is the 
  child of Action.  
  - Benjamin Disraeli, Vivian Grey 
    
  We humans are learning machines, and we learn 
  constantly - almost despite ourselves. By acquiring not 
  only facts and figures, but new ways of being, we can make 
  ourselves into what we want to be. Vampires do not learn 
  as easily, for the inertia of their deaths is hard to reverse, 
  but their long lives allow them to accumulate a vast 
  treasury of knowledge and lore. Change occurs to them as 
  well. As the years fly by, it becomes more and more 
  difficult for them to add to their knowledge; nonetheless, 
  they do learn. Neonates fear elders not only because of 
  their heightened powers, but also because of their wisdom 
  and hard-earned knowledge.  
   
  Trait 
  Cost 
   New Ability 
   3 
   New Thaumaturgy Path 
   7  
   New Discipline 
   10 
   Willpower 
   current rating 
   Humanity  
   current rating x 2 
   Virtue 
   current rating x 2  
   Ability 
   current rating x 2  
   Attribute 
   current rating x 4  
   Thaumaturgy Path 
   current rating x 4  
   Clan Discipline 
   current rating x 5 
   Other Discipline 
   current rating x 7  
   Notes: Characters with no clan, Caitiff, have no Clan 
  Disciplines. For them, all Disciplines cost the current 
  rating x 6 to raise by one due to their lack of 
  specialization. 
  Experience Points 
  During a story, characters learn many things. Much of 
  what they learn is not the type of thing that can be 
  recorded on character sheets, but is rather something the 
  players simply keep in mind. They may have learned never 
  to leave a car door unlocked or never to walk into a dark 
  alley with a light behind them. Sometimes, however, what 
  they learn can be recorded. 
  At the end of every story, the Storyteller awards experience 
  points to each character, normally giving the same amount 
  to each one. The players then simply record how many 
  experience points they gained. Experience points can be 
  used to increase Traits. The cost for raising Traits varies 
  widely; see the chart for specifics. The cost is almost 
  always based on the present rating times a certain number 
  (yes, you have to do multiplication). Thus, if the character 
  has an Alertness rating of two and the player wants to 
  raise it to three, it costs four experience points to do so. If 
  the character does not have the Trait at all, the cost is 
  listed as a "new" Ability or Discipline. A Trait can only be 
  raised by one per story - never more. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  116 
  When the Virtues increase via experience, Humanity or 
  Willpower do not go up as well. Once the chronicle starts, 
  they are considered separate Traits (though, of course, one 
  Virtue point must be deleted each time a Humanity point 
  is lost). 
  Roleplay It 
  As the Storyteller, you should not let a player simply spend 
  her experience points to raise any Trait she wishes - it's a 
  little more involved than that. The increased Trait must be 
  something the character had a chance to learn about 
  during the story - either the character achieved great 
  success through use of the Trait, or made a big mistake she 
  can learn from. In the case of Willpower, something must 
  have occurred that would have actually made the character 
  more self-confident.  
  You should only allow the changes if they have been or can 
  be woven into the story. At the very least, the changes need 
  to make sense in terms of the story and not simply be 
  changes the player makes because she wants her character 
  to be a certain way. This experience system can be as 
  realistic as you make it. The more you force the players to 
  make sense of their experiences, the more it will add to 
  character development as a whole. 
  Awarding Experience Points 
  Players will love you and hate you for it. Assigning 
  experience points requires a careful balance between 
  rewarding the players and maintaining game balance. If 
  you follow the guidelines below, you probably won't get 
  into too much trouble, but feel free to experiment as you 
  see fit. 
  End of Each Chapter 
  Give each character one to five experience points at the 
  end of every chapter (game session). One point is given 
  whether or not the brood succeeds or fails as a function of 
  simply being there (remember, we learn despite ourselves 
  sometimes). 
  One point - Automatic : Each player gets one point 
  after every game session. 
  One point - Learning Curve: The character would 
  have learned something from his experiences during the 
  chapter. Ask the player to describe what his character 
  learned before you award the point. 
  One point - Acting: The player roleplayed well - not 
  only entertainingly but appropriately. Award for 
  exceptional roleplaying only; your standards should get 
  increasingly higher. In most cases, only award this to the 
  person who did the best roleplaying in the troupe. 
  One point - Roleplaying: The player acted out her 
  character's Nature and Demeanor very well. While some 
  players may find it tough to fulfill both roles convincingly, 
  those who give the Storyteller a feel for both their facade 
  and true self deserve a reward. 
  One point - Heroism: Usually in scant supply  among 
  Kindred, those rare acts of heroism deserve some reward. 
  When a character puts himself at risk for others, such as 
  when he suffers multiple aggravated wounds fighting the 
  Lupine long enough for the rest of the brood to escape, 
  give him an experience point. Don't let characters take 
  advantage of this, however. There is a fine line between 
  heroism and stupidity. 
  End of Each Story 
  At the end of each story, you can assign each player up to 
  one to three additional experience points on top of the one 
  to five points earned for completing the final chapter. 
  One point - Success: The brood succeeded in its 
  mission or goal. Perhaps it was not a complete success, but 
  at least a marginal victory was achieved.  
  One point - Danger: The character experienced great 
  danger during the story and survived. 
  One point - Wisdom: The player (and thus the 
  character) exhibited great wits or resourcefulness and 
  came up with an idea that enabled the brood to succeed. 
  If you want to award even more points so the characters 
  develop more quickly, simply invent new categories in 
  which you can make awards. They can even vary from 
  story to story, and can be based on the specific 
  circumstances of that story. 
  Raising Disciplines 
  Disciplines are probably the most difficult aspect of a 
  character for a player to develop, though it is certainly a 
  high priority if the character wishes to indeed live forever - 
  only vampiric power provides real and continuous safety. 
  Though characters gain Disciplines simply by spending 
  experience points, the Stor yteller may want to restrict the 
  process somewhat more. For instance, if a character 
  wishes to learn a new Discipline in which she has no 
  current rating, she may have to seek out a tutor or discover 
  a magical amulet which awakens her latent Discipline. 
  How this works is up to the Storyteller; unless the 
  Storyteller says otherwise, players can simply use 
  experience points to purchase Disciplines. 
  Beyond the Disciplines already described in Chapter 
  Seven, elder vampires possess other, mightier powers. 
  These can either be invented by the Storyteller or found in 
  supplements to this game. It is possible for characters to 
  gain these new Disciplines, but extraordinary measures 
  are required to do so - and it is rumored that sometimes 
  the blood of an elder must be consumed 
  Gaining Humanity 
  Players can raise Humanity as well, but only after 
  prolonged and consistent artistic or aesthetically -based 
  behavior. A player may spend experience points to raise 
  Humanity only after his character has done a "good deed." 
  The Storyteller, as always, is the final adjudicator of when 
  this occurs. 
  As the Storyteller, be very strict about how characters can 
  regain Humanity. Remember that over the course of the 
  chronicle, the characters should slowly lose more and 
  more Humanity. Preserving the status quo should be 
  difficult enough for a character, and actually gaining 
  Humanity should be next to impossible. 
  You may wish to make Humanity gain a specific reward for 
  a particularly vigorous story in which there was no real or 
  practical reward offered or given. Only the rescue of some 
  unfortunate or the persistent search for some kernel of 
  truth or goodness will be enough to gain new Humanity. 
  Even then the gain doesn't have to be certain; you could 
  require a Virtue roll to gain the point.  
  For instance, a vampire with high Auspex might become 
  aware of a mortal in grave danger somewhere in Paris. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  117 
  Acting only on a hunch, and with no idea as to the source 
  of the danger, the character might go to Paris to look for 
  this individual. She eventually finds the mortal and 
  discovers that they share an eerie bond. In the end, she 
  learns the mortal traces his ancestry to her sire, and that 
  the mortal needs protection. By becoming involved with 
  the mortal, she gains a new sense of her own Humanity. 
  Gaining Willpower 
  Characters can buy permanent Willpower with experience 
  points, but sometimes you may give a player a specific 
  chance to raise his Willpower. The opportunity to gain 
  Willpower makes a great motivation for stories, especially 
  your more bizarre ones. 
  Characters can lose permanent Willpower as well. This 
  occurs whenever a player botches a Willpower roll. 
  Luckily, this occurs only rarely, for Willpower is usually 
  only rolled during frenzies, when employing the dangerous 
  forces of Thaumaturgy, and in order to resist Domination. 
  Backgrounds 
  Background Traits never change through the use of 
  experience points. Instead, the change happens as a 
  normal course of events during the chronicle. Eventually, 
  the Storyteller will note the changes and the character's 
  Traits will increase. A player may wish to ask the 
  Storyteller if one of her Background Traits should be 
  changed, but this should not be done too often. The 
  Storyteller may design a list of things characters must 
  accomplish in order to increase a Background - the players 
  may or may not be shown the list. To gain a new Retainer, 
  for example, a vampire has to find the right subject, 
  befriend or Dominate him, and train him in the duties she 
  wishes performed. 
  Personality Development 
  Be all that you can be, the greatest challenge of them 
  all...Yourself. 
  - Advertisement 
    
  A character's personality can change over the course of the 
  chronicle, but for the most part the changes occur through 
  roleplaying and not by simply changing the character 
  sheet. For instance, as time passes, character motivations 
  change as well. Deciding when and how a character's 
  motivations change can add a great depth to your 
  roleplaying. However, when a character's Demeanor or 
  true Nature changes, it should be recorded on the 
  character sheet as well. No aspect of personality can ever 
  be changed through the use of experience points.  
  Demeanor 
  Though the Demeanor listed on the character sheet is 
  simply the way the character most commonly presents 
  herself, it is not an absolute standard of behavior. 
  Changing the Demeanor of a character may help the player 
  focus on the change in personality. A player may change 
  his character's Demeanor at any point in the game, but 
  should either tell the Storyteller he has done so or make it 
  evident through his roleplaying. 
  Sometimes the Storyteller might suggest the change after 
  watching the way the character is played, simply as a way 
  of alerting the player that she has noticed the change in 
  personality. Keep in mind that it really isn't all that 
  important. Demeanor is only a tool the player uses to focus 
  and direct roleplaying. If a change in Demeanor is called 
  for or seems appropriate, the player should feel free to go 
  right ahead and change it. 
  Nature 
  A player may also change her character's Nature, but rules 
  for this are somewhat more restrictive than those for 
  changing Demeanor. A character's Nature is central to who 
  and what he is - it is the locus of his being. A change in 
  Nature is akin to a change in personality - everything is 
  different after it occurs. It should not be decided on the 
  spur of the moment, but must be thoroughly considered. 
  The Storyteller should force a player to roleplay the change 
  over a number of game sessions; a story might even be 
  created around this tumultuous transformation. 
  Conversely, sometimes it may simply make sense that the 
  change in personality comes about suddenly as a reaction 
  to what has occurred to or around the character. Though it 
  is certainly up to the Storyteller's discretion, a change in 
  Nature sometimes results in a reshuffling of Virtues, 
  though never a change in the ratings of a character's 
  Humanity or Willpower. 
  Rebirth 
  Live baby live, now that the day is over. 
  I gotta new sensation, 
  In perfect moments impossible to refuse 
  Sleep baby sleep, now that the night is over. 
  - INXS, "New Sensation" 
    
  Despite the tragedy of their existence, vampires can escape 
  their curse and become mortal again. Though exceedingly 
  difficult, it is a major theme of the game and something 
  that will direct the ambitions and thoughts of many 
  characters. 
  Truly exquisite moments can be created in roleplaying 
  through the search for Rebirth. When characters who have 
  searched together for Rebirth finally arrive at the point 
  where it is possible, they must decide whether they wish to 
  actually become mortal again.  
  Rebirth is never possible to accomplish through the rules, 
  but must instead be a primary element of the story and a 
  part of the roleplaying. There are a variety of myths and 
  legends among the Kindred concerning how Rebirth might 
  come about. The decision of which myths are true and 
  which are false is up to the Storyteller. However, it is 
  legitimate, and even perhaps advisable, to make Rebirth 
  impossible if it is not the focus of the chronicle. If you do 
  wish to include it, here are some ideas on how  vampires 
  might achieve Rebirth. 
  •If the character manages to kill his sire, and his sire's sire, 
  and his sire's sire's sire, he may break free of the curse. 
  This is not always the case, however, for sometimes one 
  must progress all the way up the bloodline to an 
  Antediluvian or possibly even beyond. Why it is possible 
  for some to slay only their masters and be freed, while 
  others must go farther along the bloodline, is unknown. If 
  there is a logic to it, it has not yet been discovered. 
  •If a character sacrifices herself for another person and 
  dies in the attempt, it is possible that the character's death 
  may be that of a mortal. The sacrifice is so great that in 
  death the vampire is restored to mortal form. In situations 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  118 
  where a character has recently died, this can be just the 
  thing to shine new light on the situation. This sort of 
  "poetic justice" might not be appropriate in some 
  chronicles. 
  •There are a number of complicated rituals that can be 
  enacted to end the curse and rescue a character from the 
  Damned. These rituals must be researched, the 
  "ingredients" found, and the proper time and place 
  decided. If one factor is wrong, the ritual could end in the 
  death of the character, not salvation. 
  • It is said that at the final point of the Golconda ritual, it is 
  possible to choose to be mortal, rather than attain 
  Golconda itself. Many elders deny this, but as it is unlikely 
  they have reached Golconda, it is difficult to decide 
  whether they know the truth. 
  Diablerie 
  Do unto others as they've done to you 
  But what the hell is this world coming to? 
  - Metallica, "Fight Fire With Fire" 
  It is possible for vampires to garner immense powers, 
  advancing even in the potency of their blood, and 
  approaching the quintessential power of Caine. In fact, the 
  lure of just such pow er created and now fuels the eternal 
  conflict between the Kindred - the great Jyhad. It is the 
  lust for this power that causes neonates to slay their sires, 
  and it is the fear of this lust that causes elders to persecute 
  their fledglings. 
  The process throu gh which a vampire kills another in 
  order to rise in power is called diablerie, or the Amaranth. 
  The Amaranth is a legendary undying flower, a treasure 
  beyond price, and according to legend was given to an 
  elder a week before he was attacked. "Diabolist" is the 
  epithet for one who hunts his own kin for their blood.  
  When a Kindred drinks from another until all her blood is 
  drained away, and continues to drink until she is 
  extinguished (she has lost all Health Levels) the very 
  essence of the vessel is transferred. Not only is the vessel 
  killed, but the vessel's life-force is passed along to the 
  slayer. 
  If the vessel was a vampire, and was of an earlier 
  generation than the vampire who drank the blood, the 
  slayer's effective generation is lowered by one. This 
  provides many benefits: it allows her to raise traits over 
  five (if the new generation is seventh or lower), to 
  Dominate a larger number of the Kindred (one can only 
  Dominate vampires of a later generation) and possess and 
  use a larger Blood Pool (see Chapter Seven for more 
  details). If the vessel's generation was more than three 
  earlier than the character, it may be possible for more than 
  one Diabolist to drink and thereby reduce a generation. 
  If a character wishes to continue drinking the blood of a 
  vampir ic vessel, even after all the blood is drained, he 
  must roll Strength against a difficulty of nine. Each success 
  indicates that the target loses one Health Level. No blood 
  is actually drained, but instead the very spirit of the 
  vampire is taken from the body. Once all the vessel's 
  Health Levels have been taken, she dies the Final Death, 
  and her life-force is passed along to the character. If the 
  vessel was not of an earlier generation, this does not mean 
  very much. Such cannot be done with mortals, for their 
  life-forces have already been extinguished by the time they 
  lose all their Blood Points. 
  Each time a player character does this, the Storyteller 
  should require a Humanity roll of some sort, especially if 
  the one whom he has slain displayed any sort of good or 
  noble tendencies. 
  Note: The blood of many elders is extremely potent. It can 
  often be used for a variety of purposes. It is said that this 
  blood is occasionally able to grant temporary 
  empowerment in one or more Disciplines when it is 
  imbibed by a lesser vampire. Though only one character 
  can gain the benefit of the lowered effective generation, 
  the other characters involved can still use that blood 
  (perhaps even preserving some of it in vials) to invigorate 
  themselves in other ways. 
  Golconda 
  Should the whole frame of nature round him break, 
  In ruin and confusion hurled, 
  He, unconcerned, would hear the mighty crack, 
  And stand secure amidst a falling world. 
  - Horace, "Odes" 
    
  The theme of Vampire often centers around the Hero's 
  Journey - the quest to discover who one really is. It is the 
  journey of Prometheus, the Greek hero who brought us 
  fire. 
  At the point where a character overcomes her sin and 
  approaches the end of her quest, two things can happen. 
  Either she becomes mortal once again, or she becomes a 
  new kind of vampire: one that no longer feels the urge to 
  frenzy, the need to feed, or the desire to sin so strongly. 
  Golconda is a state of being wherein the character 
  manages to control her frenzies and restrain the Beast. All 
  Kindred of clear mind seek this state unless they want a 
  total release from their undeath. Golconda is not an easy 
  state of being to attain, but for many it is the only goal 
  worth achieving. It is not a reconnection to one's 
  mortality. In fact, the opposite is true - Golconda is an 
  acceptance and hence a control over one's bestiality. 
  Golconda is the final acceptance of one's curse and the 
  subsequent power over it. 
  Basic to Golconda is the act of remorse. This is not 
  necessarily any sort of religious repentance, but rather a 
  more personal and immediate realization of the sins one 
  has committed. The character must make some sort of 
  penance, such as donating to a charity, aiding someone in 
  need, or in some cases even punishing herself. The worse 
  the sins, the more she needs to do. 
  Storytellers should almost never allow a character to reach 
  Golconda. Only if she does a superb job of trying to make 
  things right, and experiences profound remorse for her 
  actions, should she even have a chance. As the Storyteller, 
  ask yourself whether the character truly feels remorse and 
  compassion. How well has the player roleplayed through 
  the whole process of grief and regret? Golconda should 
  never be easily earned. In most cases, it should occur only 
  at the end of a chronicle. A new chronicle could begin later 
  on with the same character, but with an entirely different 
  concept and motif. 
  It should take many game sessions to complete the 
  process. More than one character can attempt to reach 
  Golconda, but it is normally something only a few achieve. 
  In some ways, Golconda can be seen as a movement within 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  119 
  the Kindred, but if it is a movement, it does not have much 
  organization. Some who have reached Golconda are very 
  evangelistic and encourage others to follow the same path 
  to peace. They wish to bring all of the Kindred into the 
  sanctity Golconda offers. Some even travel from city to city 
  speaking about Golconda, and encourage those who are 
  interested to learn more. They do not reveal the secrets of 
  Golconda, for each supplicant must learn of it on his own, 
  but they will give hints. 
  There is said to be an Antediluvian who has reached 
  Golconda and supports those who spread word of it. This 
  Ancient's role in the Jyhad is said to be one of thwarting 
  the others from succeeding in their plots to destroy the 
  Kindred. Only those among the Inconnu would know 
  anything of this creature. Of course, the critics of the 
  Golconda movement decry the whole movement as being 
  but a minor intrigue in the great Jyhad. The truth of the 
  matter will perhaps never be known until the night of 
  Gehenna.  
  Quest 
  There aren't really any rules for determining when a 
  character reaches Golconda, for this is something that 
  must come about as a part of roleplaying. Golconda is a 
  sublime and nearly intangible state of being. Thus, it is the 
  Storyteller's responsibility to set the storytelling conditions 
  for when the change can occur. The player might not even 
  know her character has reached Golconda until the 
  Storyteller starts having her make a few rolls differently. 
  Golconda is akin to the nature of a quest. The quest is not 
  so much a scavenger hunt as a spiritual and mental 
  journey into one's own self. Often the quest for Golconda 
  takes one to the astral plane or into the chaos of one's own 
  mind. The roleplaying involved can be extremely powerful, 
  and should only be attempted after the character has been 
  developed over a number of stories and the player has a 
  firm grasp of who and what the character is. Golconda is 
  about the transformation of a personality, and thus the 
  character must have a complete and detailed personality 
  for it to be any fun. 
  The quest for Golconda often begins with the characters' 
  search for what it is. In the first chapter of the story, the 
  Storyteller needs to build a desire for Golconda and 
  increase its allure to the players. Slowly the characters 
  should begin to realize what it is all about. 
  The second stage of the story generally revolves around the 
  search for an elder who can tell the characters more about 
  Golconda. Normally this is one of the enigmatic members 
  of the Inconnu - someone who has already attained 
  Golconda. This mentor must be convinced to aid the 
  characters who wish to reach Golconda and may require 
  the completion of different "tasks" to prove the characters' 
  worthiness. 
  The characters must prove they do indeed feel remorse. 
  The tasks are likely to require the characters to make up 
  for past deeds, to right old wrongs, or even to go back to 
  the families of their past victims and aid them. The 
  roleplaying involved dredges up everything that has 
  happened throughout the chronicle and makes the players 
  relive it. Hopefully, this will give them an even greater 
  empathy with their characters. 
  When the characters have finally proven themselves to the 
  mentor (though it is possible only one of the characters 
  will prove herself sufficiently), he will initiate the final 
  stage of the quest - the ritual. This ceremony can last 
  several weeks or several months, and involves many quests 
  into the dreams of the supplicant. This stage is known as 
  the Suspire, and many stories are told of it. The dreams 
  are said to be provoked by draughts of blood from one's 
  closest companions, who travel with the supplicant 
  through the world of dreams. 
  The mentor must oversee the Suspire, and often it takes 
  place at his or her haven. No one truly knows what occurs 
  at this ritual, for only those who successfully attain 
  Golconda live through it, and they never speak of their 
  experience. Most of those who do survive join the Inconnu 
  and live out  
  their lives apart from mortal civilization. (Note: not all of 
  the Inconnu have reached Golconda - only a significant 
  minority.) 
  However, despite all the roleplaying involved, there are a 
  few practical criteria for reaching Golconda. These are as 
  essential as the story and roleplaying elements discussed 
  above. First of all, the character's Humanity rating must be 
  a 7 or higher (if it ever falls below a 7, then the character 
  falls from Golconda). Second, the character's Conscience 
  rating must be at least a 4. Finally, over the duration of the 
  quest for Golconda, the character must spend Willpower 
  points to overcome all urges to frenzy, do wrong or waver 
  from the true path. Normally at least 15 points must be 
  spent. This reflects the determination of the character to 
  reach Golconda and the self-affirmation that the quest 
  provokes. 
  Benefits of Golconda 
  Once Golconda is reached, the character is at peace with 
  herself. She no longer exists in a life filled with horror and 
  self-pity. She finally masters the Beast within by accepting 
  that the Beast is a part of her. 
  There is only one major benefit for reaching Golconda, but 
  this one is enough. When a vampire reaches Golconda, she 
  no longer frenzies, nor is she prone to the Rötschreck. No 
  Courage or Self-Control rolls need ever be made for as 
  long as she remains in Golconda. 
  A lesser benefit is the fact that the character does not need 
  to drink blood as often. The character only loses one Blood 
  Point per week, rather than one Blood Point per day. If the 
  vampire has reached the age where the need for even more 
  potent blood arises, the desire is more subdued because of 
  Golconda and is easily pushed aside. 
  Rumors also exist of Kindred in Golconda utilizing the full 
  potential of their vampiric form. Thus, instead of being 
  limited by their generations as to what levels of Disciplines 
  they may take, characters in Golconda may develop any 
  powers through experience. 
  Physical States 
  These systems discuss the parameters of health and the 
  lack of it. Injuries and healing are discussed, as is torpor, 
  the deep sleep of vampires. 
  Injury 
  Remember, Doc, when the will is invoked, the 
  recuperative powers of the human body are incredible. 
  - FBI Agent Cooper, Twin Peaks 
    
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  120 
  There are as many different ways a character can sustain 
  an injury as there are injuries, but in Vampire injuries 
  are described in one way: the Health Trait. A player 
  records injuries in terms of Health Levels; each wound 
  causes the loss of one Health Level. Simply check off 
  Health Levels as  
  the character loses them, so the last check made is the 
  character's current Health Level. As the character regains 
  Health Levels, erase the check marks. 
  Think of it as a spectrum with Bruised at one end and 
  Incapacitated at the other. As a character takes more 
  wounds, he travels down the spectrum until he finally 
  reaches Incapacitated. When he heals, he simply removes 
  these checks one by one, until he is again in perfect health. 
  Each success on an opponent's damage roll indicates a loss 
  of one Health Level. For two successes, the player checks 
  off two Health Levels, starting with Bruised and going 
  down to Hurt. If a vampire takes damage beyond simply 
  being Incapacitated, he loses a Blood Point for each 
  additional wound level. Once he has lost all of his Blood 
  Points, the vampire is completely helpless and will die at 
  sunrise unless rescued. If the vampire remains at 
  Incapacitated with no Blood Points, he will fall into torpor 
  - an extremely deep sleep that can last years or even 
  centuries. See the Torpor section below for more details. 
   
  Mortals' Healing Times 
   Health Level 
   Time 
   Bruised 
   One Day 
   Hurt 
   Three Days 
   Injured 
   One Week 
   Wounded 
   One Month 
   Mauled 
   Three Months 
   Crippled 
   Three Months * 
   *Not only do mortals have to heal this wound level, but 
  they lose one point from one of their Physical Attributes 
  as well. Mortals who reach Incapacitated heal at the 
  Storyteller's discretion; some will go into a coma for the 
  rest of their lives. 
  Healing 
  Vampires are dead and never recover naturally from 
  wounds. They must always use Blood Points to heal 
  themselves. One Blood Point will heal one Health Level; 
  this always takes one turn to accomplish. 
  Normally, a vampire remains still when healing, taking no 
  other action, but he can attempt to heal while performing 
  other actions. A character must make a Stamina + Survival 
  roll to see if such healing was successful (difficulty 6). 
  Success indicates the character heals while engaged in 
  other activities. A failure indicates that the Health Level is 
  not regained and the Blood Point is still lost. A botch 
  causes the character to lose another Health Level. 
  Aggravated Wounds 
  Vampires occasionally suffer wounds so severe they 
  cannot simply use Blood Points to heal them. These are 
  known as aggravated wounds, and are commonly created 
  by sunlight, fire or the claws and teeth of other undead. 
  Aggravated wounds require both blood and time to heal. 
  Aggravated wounds can only be soaked by vampires who 
  possess the Discipline of Fortitude.  
  Aggravated wound levels can only be healed at the rate of 
  one per day of rest and a cost of five Blood Points per 
  wound level healed. Additional levels can be healed in a 
  night if the character spends five additional Blood Points 
  and one Will power point per level cured. Aggravated 
  wounds should be indicated on the character sheet with an 
  X rather than a check. The Storyteller can also deem any 
  injury to be an aggravated injury. 
  Final Death 
  Though vampires are no longer mortal, they still face the 
  possibility of final death. It may be tempting to imagine 
  vampires as virtual gods, capable of doing nearly  anything 
  and of withstanding nearly anything, but there are ways to 
  kill even vampires. A vampire who dies once again may 
  not be brought back to unlife and is said to have suffered 
  the Final Death. 
  Inflicting aggravated wounds on a severely injured 
  vampir e is the most common way in which he can be 
  extinguished. If a vampire has no Blood Pool or Health 
  Levels left, and sustains an aggravated wound, he is utterly 
  destroyed. Sometimes the Final Death results in the 
  complete and rapid disintegration of the body, and within 
  minutes all that is left is a pile of ashes. 
  Vampires can also be killed if all the blood is sucked from 
  them by another of their kind. Deep water pressure, 
  explosions, certain vampiric diseases and decapitation are 
  other ways in which a vampire can be extinguished. You 
  will need to decide how death can result from these 
  dangers in your chronicle, based on the rules given in this 
  section. 
  Mortal Death 
  When a mortal reaches Incapacitated, she is one Health 
  Level away from death. If she is injured one more time, or 
  it is impossible to stem the flow of blood from her body, 
  she will die. Death is final for mortals unless they are 
  Embraced just before they are snatched away to the 
  everlasting. It is possible for a vampire to take a newly 
  dead corpse and turn it into a vampire if no more than five 
  minutes have passed since death. 
  Of course, mortals heal differently than vampires. With 
  proper medical attention, mortals recover based on the 
  chart below. Note that the time given is how long it takes 
  to recover that level - other levels must be healed as well. 
  Thus, if the mortal takes three months to recover from 
  being Mauled, he must still take the time to heal 
  Wounded, Injured and so on.  
  Sources of Injury 
  I think of isolation and abstinence, and how each is so 
  cruelly dependent upon the other. There are times I 
  cannot stand to resist any longer, yet when I do feed, I 
  cannot abide the sight of the blood that is upon my hands. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  121 
  - Tamalary, Confessions 
  There are many ways to inflict harm upon a vampire. 
  Some are common to mortals, and thus readily understand 
  able to us, while others are specific to vampires. These 
  sources of injury are described below. 
  Combat 
  Combat wounds are dealt with at length in the Melee and 
  Firefight sections of the Drama chapter. Each success on a 
  damage roll causes the character to lose one Health Level. 
  Falling 
  Occasionally, characters will fall, and the fear of that 
  occurring is essential to maintaining suspense while 
  players make their rolls. Use the chart below to calculate 
  damage. Characters, mortal or undead, can make Stamina 
  rolls to try to "soak" damage. The difficulty is an eight and 
  each success means one fewer Health Level is lost. Each 
  botch means an additional Health Level is lost. Fortitude 
  adds to the roll. 
  Distance(in feet) / Injury 
  Five / One Health Level 
  Ten / Two Health Levels 
  Twenty / Three Health Levels 
  Thirty / Four Health Levels 
  Forty / Five Health Levels 
  Fifty / Six Health Levels 
  Sixty / Seven Health Levels 
  and so on, to a maximum of 10 Health Levels. 
  Fire 
  Fire is quite hazardous to vampires and they fear it more 
  than nearly anything else. Fire always causes aggravated 
  damage, and therefore it can kill vampires. Any size flame 
  can potentially harm a vampire, but she can resist the 
  effects if she possesses Fortitude. The player may roll a 
  number of dice equal to the character's Fortitude rating 
  against the difficulties listed below. The player must roll 
  every turn the character is in the flames to see if she can 
  resist the damage. If the roll is failed, the character takes 
  from one to three Health Levels of damage (see the second 
  chart below), while if the roll is successful, the character 
  takes one fewer level of damage per success than she 
  normally would. If the roll is botched, then the character is 
  harmed in som e special way - perhaps she loses her 
  eyesight or her limbs are maimed.  
   
  1 
   Heat of Fire 
   Three 
   Heat of a candle (first 
  degree burns) 
   Five 
   Heat of a torch (second 
  degree burns) 
   Seven 
   Heat of a Bunsen Burner 
  (third degree burns) 
   Nine 
   Heat of a chemical fire 
   Ten 
   Molten metal 
    
    
   Wounds 
   Size of Fire 
   One 
   Torch; part of body burned 
   Two 
   Bonfire; half of body 
  burned 
   Three 
   Raging Inferno; all of body 
  burned 
  Sunlight 
  Sunlight is one of the few ways to truly kill a vampire. 
  Sunlight causes aggravated wounds, and each turn a 
  vampire is exposed to sunlight, he is burned. If the 
  character has Fortitude, he may roll a number of dice 
  equal to his rating each turn to soak the rays. The difficulty 
  depends on the intensity of the rays, the time of day and 
  the cloud or smog cover. See the chart below for a rough 
  guide to assigning difficulties. 
  If no successes are rolled, the character takes from one to 
  three levels of damage, depending on how much he is 
  exposed (see the second chart below). If he succeeds, he 
  takes one less level of damage per success. Botches 
  indicate the character has actually caught fire and the 
  character must now resist both the sunlight and the fire. 
  There are some "sun lamps" commercially available that 
  produce the ultraviolet light the sun emits. Though these 
  lamps are not nearly as deadly as the sun, they can still 
  irritate or even harm vampires, though the damage may 
  not be aggravated. 
    
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  122 
   
   Difficulty  Rays 
   Three 
   Indirect rays, heavy cloud cover, or 
  twilight 
   Five 
   Fully  covered with heavy clothing 
   Seven 
   Through a window  
   Nine 
   Struck by one small direct ray of 
  sunlight, or being outside on a cloudy 
  day 
   Ten 
   Direct rays from an unobscured sun 
    
    
   Wounds 
   Exposure 
   One 
   Only part of body exposed (only a hand). 
   Two 
   Part of body is exposed (wearing a 
  hood). 
   Three 
   Much of body is exposed (wearing 
  normal clothing). 
  Extreme Heat 
  Extreme heat (200 degrees +) can injure vampires in 
  much the same way fire can. Use the same system for 
  sustaining and taking damage, but modify it according to 
  the situation. Normally heat is not nearly as deadly as fire 
  unless it is terrifically intense.  
  Deterioration 
  Vampires deteriorate through lack of care. If a vampire has 
  been staked through the heart and cannot move, she will 
  still lose one Blood Point per day. Once all Blood Points 
  have been lost, the vampire will begin to lose Health 
  Levels at the rate of one per day. Once the vampire reaches 
  Incapacitated, she enters torpor. Note that vampires 
  cannot "die" from deterioration. 
  Disease 
  Though vampires can catch and even transmit human 
  diseases, they cannot die from them. They may become ill 
  and may lose Health Levels, but they cannot die from a 
  human disease. Lost Health Levels may even be 
  aggravated, but once they are healed the Kindred is cured. 
  In some circumstances, the disease will not even affect the 
  vampire, in which case he becomes a carrier and transmits 
  the disease to those from whom he feeds. However, 
  rumors exist of a number of vampiric diseases capable of 
  killing Kindred within days. 
  Stakes 
  A stake through a vampire's heart does not cause death, 
  but does completely immobilize her. Over time, the 
  vampire will deteriorate due to a lack of blood, eventually 
  falling into a full torpor. Of course, fire or sunlight may 
  destroy her first. It is extremely difficult to aim a stake 
  precisely through the heart during melee. At least three 
  successes are required for it to transfix such a precisely 
  delineated area. 
  Hostile Environment 
  Though vampires cannot die from cold, they can suffer the 
  effects of frostbite and even become entirely frozen in 
  severe temperatures. Cold is especially dangerous because 
  vampires do not have any body warmth except in the 
  minutes immediately following a feeding, so clothing of 
  any sort is of no purpose. Characters need to make rolls 
  after they have been outside in the cold for a certain period 
  of time. This varies depending on how cold it is, but 
  usually it's about half an hour. They must make Stamina + 
  Fortitude rolls with a difficulty starting at three but 
  increasing by one every roll. The time between the rolls is 
  determined by the Storyteller, but keep in mind that 
  vampires are much more resistant to cold than humans. 
  Vampires can burn Blood Points to warm themselves, but 
  such activity will not provide lasting heat. 
  Torpor 
  As demonstrated above, death does not come easily to 
  vampires. However, when their injuries grow too great, 
  they go into a very deep sleep known as torpor. 
  When a vampire becomes injured beyond Incapacitated 
  and loses all Blood Points as well, the vampire goes into 
  torpor (though if the injury is aggravated, the result is 
  Final Death instead). The character is completely 
  immobilized and unconscious, though more powerful 
  Kindred (such as the Antediluvians) can still use some of 
  their Disciplines in this state. 
  Additionally, the character loses a rating point from a 
  Physical Attribute once torpor is entered. The player must 
  choose which Physical Attribute suffers. 
  Vampires with 10 Humanity come out of the deep sleep 
  within a day or so, while those with less Humanity sleep 
  for a few weeks to a few months. The blood of an Ancient 
  can sometimes prematurely revive a vampire in torpor. 
   Humanity 
   Length of Time 
   10 
   One day 
   9 
   Three days 
   8 
   One week 
   7  
   Two weeks 
   6 
   One month 
   5 
   One year 
   4 
   One decade 
   3 
   Five decades 
   2 
   One century 
   1  
   Five centuries 
   
  While in torpor, a vampire uses Blood Points normally at 
  the rate of one per day, but once the blood is gone, no 
  Health Levels are lost. 
  A character may go into torpor voluntarily. When the 
  character goes to sleep, the player simply informs the 
  Storyteller that the character is entering torpor. Many 
  ancient Cainites voluntarily enter this state in a protected 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  123 
  place to avoid the risk of frenzies or other dangers. 
  Voluntary torpor does not require the loss of a Physical 
  Attribute rating point. 
  Mental States 
  These systems discuss the changes that can overcome a 
  character's psyche. They include such conditions as frenzy, 
  where the characters allow the Beast within to become the 
  Beast without; Rötschreck, where the fear induced by 
  sunlight and fire becomes an overwhelming passion; and 
  Degeneration, where the loss of humanity is considered. 
  Also described are the various Derangements vampires are 
  prone to suffer (and which all Malkavians must possess), 
  as well as the mystical Blood Bond. 
  Frenzy 
  Vampires, like mortals, are creatures of instinct. However, 
  the instincts of the vampire are those of a hunter, not a 
  gatherer. Vampires are the ultimate predators and stand at 
  the apex of the food chain. They are highly developed 
  killing machines - the harbingers of death. 
  For vampires to survive in modern society, however, they 
  must learn to keep the Beast in check. The instincts of 
  violence so essential in the wild serve only to endanger  
  the vampire in today's complex world. The power the 
  Beast's rage provides has its uses, but the blindness it 
  creates far outweighs its benefits. 
  Vampires struggle to suppress the Beast but, no matter 
  how hard they try, they do not always prevail. At times it 
  gets loose, and the havoc it creates goes far beyond the 
  horror of any mortal rage. Every vampire must constantly 
  struggle to restrain this Beast within him. The following 
  rules describe when and how it is released upon the world. 
  In situations where the Storyteller believes a vampire's 
  instincts might overwhelm her, the player has to make a 
  Self-Control roll. If she makes that roll, her character 
  overcomes the impulse of rage. If she fails, the character 
  descends into a temporary frenzy as the madness of the 
  Beast takes hold. The character is only partially in the 
  player's control. 
  Provocation 
  It is always up to you, the Storyteller, to decide what 
  circumstances might provoke a frenzy. You may ignore 
  some very blatant factors, but force the players to roll for 
  what they consider very minor things. Your interpretation 
  of the nature of the Gothic-Punk world is reflected in the 
  frenzy rolls you ask the players to make. 
  These frenzy rules are intentionally loose so that they work 
  in whatever way best suits your chronicle. If you want a 
  more action-oriented chronicle with characters who can be 
  fairly sure of themselves, you will not want many frenzy 
  rolls. On the other hand, if you want the players to be very 
  conscious of their characters' essential weaknesses and 
  you want them to roleplay out and face these weaknesses, 
  then be more strict. 
  Hunger often provokes the frenzy and can result in the 
  death of the vessel as the character drinks it dry. This 
  occurs only if the character is hungry (three Blood Points 
  or less), and is brought on by the sight, taste or smell of 
  blood. 
  A frenzy can also be provoked through anger and can turn 
  into a great vampiric rage. Rage can be ignited by many 
  factors, and these can vary widely from character to 
  character. It is most often provoked by humiliation or 
  taunting. 
  System 
  A vampire does not have to resist the frenzy, but if she 
  wishes to do so, she must make a Self-Control roll 
  (difficulty varies). It is an extended action, and five 
  successes must be collected before the frenzy is entirely 
  overcome. However, even one success temporarily 
  prevents the frenzy from taking effect (one turn only). The 
  difficulty for the roll  
  is the number indicated on the chart on the next page. The 
  player may not roll more dice than the points the character 
  currently has in her Blood Pool - hunger invariably 
  overwhelms morality. A success indicates the character 
  does not frenzy, while a failure indicates she does. A botch 
  indicates a Derangement of one type or another at the 
  Storyteller's discretion. 
   
   Provocation 
   Difficulty 
   Smell of blood (when hungry) 
   3 
   Sight of blood (when hungry) 
   4 
   Being bullied 
   4 
   Life threatened 
   4 
   Taunted 
   4 
   Provoked into anger 
   5 
   Taste of blood (when hungry) 
   5 
   Lover in danger 
   6 
   Outright humiliation 
   7  
   
  Roleplaying 
  During a frenzy, a vampire is capable of nearly any sort of 
  immoral, risky and psychotic behavior. While in a frenzy, a 
  character must behave with animalistic abandon, 
  concerning himself only with immediate gratification - 
  whether that means a berserk attack or stark raving 
  madness depends on the stimuli. No logical thought occurs 
  and all reactions are instinctive and emotional. 
  If blood is available, the character will drink until she can 
  drink no more. It is likely the character will kill a vessel, 
  for she is consumed by the desire for blood. If no blood is 
  nearby, she will rush off in search of it. The character 
  becomes enraged and attempts to destroy everything and 
  anything in sight. While she will attack her enemies first, if 
  her friends get in the way (or there are no enemies 
  nearby), she will attack them as well. 
  However, while in a frenzy, the character gains some 
  benefits as well as the obvious drawbacks. First of all, she 
  may ignore a number of Health Level penalties equal to 
  her Stamina - she simply does not have to apply that 
  number of dice as a penalty. Second, she does not have to 
  make many Willpower rolls, since she is capable of doing 
  nearly anything. The difficulties of all Dominate rolls 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  124 
  against a person in frenzy are increased by two, and the 
  character is immune to the crippling terror of the 
  Rötschreck. 
  A player can decide to use a Willpower point in order to 
  control a single action of his character for a single turn. 
  This Willpower point provides just enough control to 
  formulate a single thought or purpose, and unless other 
  events get in the way, the character's behavior can be 
  guided over the following few turns. Just keep in mind 
  that Willpower cannot stop the frenzy - it only offers a 
  little control over what form it takes.  
  As the Storyteller, use this to provoke players into 
  roleplaying frenzies more accurately. If a player describes 
  actions for his character that go against what you believe 
  to be appropriate during a frenzy, allow him to perform 
  them, but then announce that he has lost a Willpower 
  point. Frenzies are not trivial. 
  Duration 
  A frenzy can last a variable length of time. It is up to the 
  Storyteller to decide when it comes to an end. In some 
  ways, a frenzy moves along a simple cycle. When things 
  calm down and the tension level falls, the frenzy slowly 
  comes to a halt. A frenzy lasts for the duration of the 
  scene. When the scene comes to an end, the player may 
  begin to roleplay his character normally again. 
  A character's friends can help him overcome a frenzy by 
  confronting him and speaking with him. They must make 
  appropriate Social roll; success allows the character to 
  make a Willpower roll (which, if successful, ends the 
  frenzy). However, only those who have successfully 
  resisted frenzies in the presence of the character, or are 
  emotionally close to the character, may attempt this. A 
  botch on the player's Willpower roll could well mean he 
  attacks those who tried to help him. 
  Rötschreck 
  Vampires do not fear much but, being immortal, still fear 
  that which can put an end to their existences. The two 
  greatest threats a vampire faces are sunlight and fire, and 
  these dangers provoke in Kindred a terror which goes 
  beyond all normal fear -the Rötschreck. 
  System 
  Whenever a vampire encounters the sun or fire, the 
  Storyteller can call for a Courage roll. This roll can be 
  provoked by anything the character truly fears - most 
  commonly the rays of the sun or open flames. At the 
  Storyteller's whim, this roll may sometimes be required 
  when a new vampire is first confronted with a holy cross or 
  even a stake. 
  The difficulty for the Courage roll is usually six, but can 
  vary according to circumstances as detailed in the chart 
  below. Each success on the roll indicates the number of 
  turns the character can stay in the presence of the thing or 
  circumstances which he fears. When those turns have 
  passed, another Courage roll must be made. A failure 
  indicates the character enters the Rötschreck, a frenzy -like 
  state, and loses all control. A botch indicates the character 
  not only enters the Rötschreck, but gains a Derangement 
  of  
  some sort. The type of Derangements created by a botched 
  Courage roll are generally twisted versions of the basic 
  urge to flee in terror, escape and get away. 
  The player can spend a Willpower point in order to take a 
  single action which the character would not otherwise be 
  able to do because of the Rötschreck. 
   Effect 
   Difficulty 
   Lighting a cigarette 
   4 
   Lighter flame 
   5 
   Sight of a torch 
   5 
   Bonfire 
   6 
   Obscured sunlight 
   6 
   Being burned 
   7  
   Direct sunlight 
   8 
   Trapped in burning building 
   9 
  Roleplaying 
  When a character fails a Courage roll, he is incapable of 
  taking any action other than panicked flight. If he is 
  trapped with no place to run, he will collapse in terror. 
  This reaction will last at least a few minutes (longer in 
  some cases) after the character reaches cover and is no 
  longer in sight of the sun or the fire. 
  When the character reaches a safe place, the player may 
  make a Willpower roll to regain control (difficulty 8). Each 
  success reduces the amount of time needed to recover 
  from a base of 10 minutes. 
  Degeneration 
  Sometimes a character will act immorally, either willfully 
  or despite her best intentions (while in a state of frenzy). 
  In such cases, the Beast might take a little more control of 
  her soul. The character's conscience reacts to what she has 
  done, and this may affect how much of her human nature 
  she loses. For a vampire, this actually indicates how much 
  the Beast has corrupted her. 
  How you as Storyteller control the loss of Humanity is one 
  of the most important elements of your role. If you let the 
  players get away with anything, the whole fabric of the 
  game is destroyed. Conversely, if you're too strict, the 
  chronicle will last about three game sessions. You can play 
  a little loosely with these Humanity rules, but never let 
  them fall to the wayside.  
  Whenever a character takes an action which you believe to 
  be questionable (morally speaking), you may decide it is 
  serious enough to warrant a loss of Humanity. A 
  Degeneration roll is made by rolling Conscience. The 
  difficulty is commonly six, though it can vary at the 
  discretion of the Storyteller. 
  If the player making the roll scores even one success, the 
  character does not lose the Humanity point. If he fails the 
  roll, or botches, the character loses both a point of 
  Conscience and Humanity. A botch also indicates the 
  character gains a Derangement as a result of the mental 
  trauma involved in the loss of Humanity. 
  Remorse 
  As the Storyteller, you should always try to warn a player 
  before she takes an action that will result in the loss of a 
  Humanity point. Players should understand the 
  consequences of what they are doing and be able to savor 
  the anticipation if there is a chance they might not be able 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  125 
  to do anything about it (e.g. they're in a frenzy). When the 
  players get complacent and think they can get away with 
  anything, that's when you should start to warn them. 
  However, be sure you never cry wolf - don't warn them 
  and then not call for a roll. 
  Hierarchy of Sins 
  As the character degenerates, many things will be less 
  likely to cause further loss of Humanity. Those with high 
  Humanity might have to make a Humanity roll for the 
  slightest little sins, while those with very low Humanity 
  must do something terrible to have to make a roll. In other 
  words, be exceptionally strict with the characters with high 
  Humanity, but only force those with low Humanity to 
  make Degeneration rolls if they commit shockingly evil 
  acts. 
  Below is a rough guide to help you decide what actions 
  should result in the loss of Humanity. A very bestial 
  person would certainly not lose Humanity if he stole 
  something, while a highly moral character might. Someone 
  with a Humanity of 7 does not have to roll for an action 
  listed beside Humanity 10. However, everything on this 
  list would count for a vampire with 10 Humanity. 
  As a player, you must trust your Storyteller. Regardless of 
  a character's Humanity, it is always the Storyteller's 
  decision as to when you must make a Conscience roll. 
  Even when it might not make complete sense according to 
  the rules, you may be asked to do so. Humanity is an 
  intrinsic aspect of Vampire and a Storyteller calls for 
  certain Humanity rolls in order to shape the chronicle in 
  the fashion she desires. The Storyteller's own morality is 
  often reflected in the way she calls for Humanity rolls - 
  this is not only permissible, but encouraged.  
   Humanity 
   Minimum Wrongdoing for 
  Humanity roll 
   10 
   Accidental wrongdoing 
  9 
   Purposeful wrongdoing 
  8 
   Purposefully inflicting injury 
  7  
   Theft and robbery 
  6 
   Negligent killing 
  5 
   Wanton destruction 
  4 
   Murder in the heat of passion 
  3 
   Sadism and perversion 
  2 
  Premeditated murder 
   1  
   The most heinous and demented acts 
  Derangements 
  Its motor whirs and colors curl 
  Inside your head the monsters whirl. 
  - Siouxsie and the Banshees, "Carousel" 
    
  Some Kindred possess or pick up various quirks, neurotic 
  tendencies or even psychoses which take a great deal of 
  time and effort to overcome. These mental illnesses are 
  known as Derangements. 
  The effects of a Derangement may present themselves in a 
  variety of ways. How and why a Derangement begins, in 
  terms of the story, is a joint decision of the player and the 
  Storyteller. Normally, it begins soon after a botched frenzy 
  roll, but a Derangement can be precipitated by many other 
  factors. Malkavians, for instance, begin the chronicle with 
  a Derangement of some sort. 
  When a character gains a Derangement, the Storyteller 
  must determine the type. A die can be rolled to decide 
  what Derangement the character gains, but we don't 
  recommend this method. In many circumstances, the 
  more experienced players can even create their own 
  unique Derangements. 
  Roleplaying Derangements 
  These Derangements are not meant to be all-consuming, 
  forcing the player to roleplay in a tightly constricted way. 
  Rather, they are meant to add some fun and a little bit of 
  reality into the game. A character does not have to exhibit 
  the Derangement all the time; people can slip in and out of 
  madness. It may only surface in particularly tense 
  moments. The Derangement does not have to rule the 
  mind of the character - it only need influence it. 
  As Storyteller, it is incumbent upon you to make sure that 
  things do not get out of hand. Players have two bad habits 
  when it comes to Derangements - they either forget they 
  have them, or they let them get so out of control that the 
  Derangement takes over the story and the game session.  
  To stop a player from conveniently forgetting she has a 
  Derangement, simply tell her every once in a while that 
  she successfully controlled her Derangement, but had to 
  spend a Willpower point to do so. 
  To prevent a player from getting out of control with a 
  Derangement, you'll sometimes have to use more forceful 
  tactics. Take him aside and tell him that while you like his 
  sense of drama, he's overplaying it just a bit. If he 
  continues to use his Derangement to hog all the attention, 
  change the Derangement to one that forces a certain 
  degree of retreat from the world, like catatonia. 
  Listed below are 10 sample Derangements: 
  •Multiple Personalities: You possess a number of 
  different personalities. For the duration of the 
  Derangement, you have more than one Nature and, during 
  the story, you will switch back and forth between the 
  personalities. Thus you behave in radically different ways 
  at different times, and regain Willpower points in different 
  ways at different times. Naturally, this causes others to 
  distrust and be wary of you. 
  •Fantasy: You enter a self-created world of delusions in 
  which you are the unappreciated hero. Your desire to be 
  good and pure is fulfilled by accomplishing imaginary 
  achievements which sometimes overlap with reality. 
  •Regression: You become childlike, retreating to an 
  earlier time in your life when less was required of you. It is 
  very difficult for you to do anything for yourself. In some 
  ways this is a very extreme form of the Child Archetype, 
  and Willpower is regained in the way a Child's is, not 
  according to your normal Nature. 
  •Perfection: Everything must be perfect in your life. All 
  your energy is directed toward preventing anything from 
  going wrong. When it does, as it inevitably must, you 
  completely flip and must make a Self-Control roll to resist 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  126 
  frenzy. 
  •Overcompensation: You cover up your moral 
  weaknesses by playing up one of your moral strengths - to 
  an extreme. You believe y ou are exceptionally moral and 
  virtuous in one way or another - that you are honorable, 
  loyal, brave, compassionate or self-controlled. Your 
  behavior is thus straitjacketed by your desire. You 
  constantly lecture others on their moral weaknesses, and 
  demonstrate extreme arrogance about what you believe to 
  be your strengths. Of course, when reality reveals the 
  emptiness of your delusion, the embarrassment will be 
  great. You do not believe yourself capable of falling into 
  frenzy, and will thus do nothing to prevent or avoid 
  situations which might cause it. 
  •Obsession: You become obsessed with some interest 
  or fetish. You direct all your energy toward some sort of 
  perverse ambition, like an obsession for power, a certain 
  person, amulets or even blood. You need something to 
  focus on and give your life meaning. 
  •Paranoia: You are convinced that you are being 
  hunted and that there is no escape. You are obsessed with  
  those you believe to be chasing you and make all kinds of 
  preparations to protect yourself.Under no circumstances 
  will you trust anyone; you hold even your closest friends 
  under suspicion. 
  •Amnesia: To avoid having to think about what you 
  have done, you forget a segment of your past - perhaps 
  even the experience of becoming a vampire. This can make 
  things very interesting for a time. This repression prevents 
  dangerous memories from entering the consciousness; you 
  simply forget the events ever happened. More than the 
  traumatic event can be forgotten, however, and total 
  amnesia is even possible. Additionally, in some cases a 
  character may "forget" some Abilities, and thus be unable 
  to use them for the duration of the Derangement. 
  •Manic-depression: You sink into deep and fitful 
  depressions, showing no interest in anything which used 
  to capture your imagination. You view the world as flat 
  and gray, with nothing in it for you. You cannot rouse 
  yourself to do anything, though you will go along with 
  others rather than use the energy to resist. Conversely, 
  occasional fits of great energy grab hold of you, and you 
  will work for hours or even days on your projects. During 
  this time you will resist even the need for sleep as you burn 
  up blood and Willpower on your schemes. 
  • Delusions of Grandeur: You imagine that you are 
  far better and greater than you really are. Perhaps you 
  believe yourself to be a prince or Justicar, or even the 
  mayor or a religious leader. By imagining yourself safe 
  from that which you fear, you avoid the terror which looms 
  so near. 
  Blood Bond 
  It's the jewel of victory 
  The chasm of misery 
  And once you have bitten the core 
  You will always know the flavor 
  The split second of divinity. 
  - Faith No More, "The Real Thing" 
    
  It is possible to create a Blood Bond with another vampire, 
  thereby turning the Bound one into a servant and, in some 
  ways, a lover. Blood Bond is spoken of as holding 
  Regnancy over another. The one who commands the 
  Bound vampire is known as the Regnant, whereas the one 
  who is held in Regnancy is commonly known as the Thrall. 
  Usually elders are Regnants and neonates are Thralls, but 
  not always. An essential strategy in the Jyhad is to hold 
  many in Regnancy, for it gives the Regnant powerful and 
  trustworthy retainers. For this reason, Blood Bond is 
  sometimes known as Blood Oath. Many Kindred are 
  suspicious of one another, for they are never sure who are 
  the Thralls of Ancients, and who are not.  
  Creation of the Bond 
  The Blood Bond is created by the exchange of blood 
  between two vampires. The Thrall must drink the 
  Regnant's blood three times, on three different occasions 
  (on different days). It can be any amount of blood; but a 
  sip, or even a taste if the Regnant is an Ancient. Unlike the 
  limitations of the Dominate Discipline, it is possible for 
  weaker blood to hold Regnancy over more potent blood. 
  Thus, a 10th generation Kindred could hold Regnancy over 
  a ninth generation vampire. 
  The more times the Thrall drinks blood, the more the 
  Bond is reinforced. Most Regents have their Thralls drink 
  their blood several times a year to reinforce the bond. 
  Many Regnants fear that if the Bond is broken, their 
  Thralls will desire revenge. This is perhaps why so many 
  Thralls are fairly well-treated by their Regents; after all, 
  any servitude can be overcome. Extreme hate can weaken 
  even the Blood Bond. 
  Once a vampire has been Blood Bound, he cannot again be 
  Bound by another. Kindred can only be Bound to one 
  vampire at a time, and are thus safe from it if already 
  Bound. However, some vampires know rituals which allow 
  the tie to be created with a number of different vampires if 
  the Thrall-to-be drinks of their blood at one sitting. In fact, 
  one of the most severe punishments of the Camarilla being 
  forced to drink the blood of all the Kindred attending a 
  Conclave. Usually the feelings produced by such a 
  widespread Bond are more diffuse than normal, but they 
  are no less powerful. The attachment is to the group and 
  not any one individual. 
  All characters are already on their way to being Blood 
  Bound, for their sires have already given them at least one 
  taste of blood. Thus, if a character partakes of her sire's 
  blood two more times, she will be held in Regnancy. In 
  some cases, the character may already be held in Regnancy 
  by her sire. Tremere neonates are also one step toward 
  being Bound to their clan as a whole. 
  Power of the Bond 
  Bonding is primarily an emotional power. A Thrall views 
  the vampire to whom he is Bound as the central figure in 
  his life and is invariably obsessed with her. Though he may 
  despise his Regnant, he will do nearly anything to aid her. 
  He will do nothing to harm his Regnant and will even 
  attempt to protect her from her enemies. It is very likely 
  that the Thrall understands what is happening to him, 
  intellectually at least, but he is unable to do anything 
  about it. 
  The Blood Bond is like falling in love - once it happens, a 
  character is caught in its grip until somehow he breaks 
  free. The character may know he is in love, and hate what 
  it makes him do, but that does not stop him from being in 
  love and it doesn't prevent him from doing the stupid 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  127 
  things people in love sometimes do. The Blood Bond is 
  possibly the closest approximation of that vaunted 
  emotion many vampires ever reach. When roleplaying 
  Blood Bond, use this "love" metaphor to understand just 
  how deeply and completely the  
  character is obsessed with the Regnant. A Regnant with a 
  high Conscience rating may return this "love" to some 
  degree. 
  One of the primary powers a Regnant has over her Thrall 
  is the ability to Dominate the Thrall without eye contact. 
  As long as the Thrall is able to hear the words of his 
  Regnant, he can be Dominated. All difficulties are two 
  higher whenever the Thrall makes a roll to resist the 
  Domination of the Regnant. 
  Blood Bond sometimes (but not always) gives the Regnant 
  insight into the moods and feelings of the Thrall, and she 
  may even know where the Thrall is from moment to 
  moment, if the Blood Bond has been held long enough. 
  If a character's Regnant asks a favor of him, he will 
  perform the task if it is at all possible. However, if it 
  requires him to risk his life, he does not have to do it. Even 
  love is not that blind. Even so, if there is an emergency and 
  the Regnant is being attacked, the Thrall's first instinct is 
  to go to aid her. Self-sacrifice is not unknown, especially if 
  the Bond has been reinforced over the years. If the Thrall 
  is treated well, the Bond is reinforced and it grows 
  stronger - if he is humiliated and degraded, the hate that 
  develops will diminish the Bond's influence on the Thrall. 
  At the Storyteller's discretion, Willpower may be expended 
  to temporarily resist the power of the Blood Bond. First, 
  the character must accumulate a number of successes on a 
  Willpower roll (difficulty 8) equal to the number of times 
  he has drunk from his Regnant. Then, depending on the 
  circumstances, a Willpower point will eliminate the effects 
  of the Bond for a single turn to an entire scene. If the 
  character simply wishes to plot against his Regnant, one 
  Willpower point will enable him to do so for an entire 
  scene. However, if he wants to actively attack his Regnant, 
  it will take at least one Willpower per turn, and the player 
  will probably have to make an additional Willpower roll 
  each turn just to get the nerve to spend that Willpower 
  point. 
  It is possible to break a Blood Bond, but it is very difficult. 
  It requires not only a massive expenditure of Willpower 
  ov er a long period of time, but also necessitates that the 
  character completely avoid his Regnant. If a Thrall does 
  not see the Regnant for some time, and does not interact 
  with the object of his attachment, the Bond will eventually 
  die away. Some types of Natures, such as Child and 
  Fanatic, may never escape the Blood Bond, while others, 
  such as Conniver or Loner, may do so very easily. The 
  breaking of a character's Blood Bond cannot be achieved 
  through experience points or successful rolls; it must be 
  roleplayed. 
  It is whispered that the Sabbat knows of ways to break the 
  Bond, but it is said one must pledge to the sect before the 
  process will be imparted. Whatever the case, those who 
  most resent their Bondage and retain the free will to act 
  independently flee to the Sabbat - fearing the Black Hand 
  less than continued servitude to an elder.  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  128 
  Chapter Nine:  
  Drama 
  That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. 
  - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche 
   
  There are many actions a player might want to take during 
  a turn - jump a fence, seduce a mortal, or research 
  werewolves in the library. Though you, as the Storyteller, 
  already know the rules (from reading Chapter Four), and 
  can probably figure out how to adjudicate the player's roll, 
  there are a few techniques and variations on the rules that 
  you might be interested in. That's what this chapter is all 
  about - it provides advice on rules systems for resolving 
  dramatic actions. Various character actions are described, 
  including swimming, seduction and research, and 
  interesting methods for resolving players' rolls as well as 
  roleplaying through them are provided. 
  This chapter is not meant to be all-inclusive. These 
  systems are only examples of how to resolve the actions 
  taken by the players. Use these as examples and invent 
  your own systems for running things if you'd like. Don't 
  stop the action in the middle of a dramatic scene to look 
  up something in this chapter - just make up something, 
  perhaps based on a rules system which you first 
  encountered herein. 
  Only if a roll is truly called for should you use one of the 
  systems described in this chapter. If it is a simple roll, 
  none of these systems are needed. If you're not interested 
  in the drama created by putting the game into the story, 
  use the automatic success rules. Go to the Traits chapter 
  and, just by reading about the Trait in question, figure out 
  if the player is successful or not without even rolling any 
  dice. You may not want to roll dice if you don't have to - 
  they can really get in the way. However, there are 
  occasions when rolling dice adds tension and suspense, as 
  Lady Luck makes her appearance. 
  Even beyond the roleplaying business, as a general rule, 
  have the player make a roll only when there is substantial 
  doubt in your mind as to whether the character will 
  succeed in her action or not. If you can reasonably assume 
  she will succeed, then just let her do it - don't worry about 
  the rules or dice rolls. Use the automatic success rules as 
  often as you can; your game will be better as a result. 
  When you do start making rolls and have the players do 
  the same, make the rolls special and make them different. 
  Don't waste a lot of time on a dice roll that doesn't do 
  anything special for the story, or is uninteresting for you or 
  the players. Each time you roll the dice should be a game 
  in miniature, with strategy and tactics to master, luck to 
  foul things up and opponents to squash.  
  Scenes 
  No one move a muscle as the dead come home. 
  - Shriekback, "Nemesis" 
    
  A scene is a moment in a story when the troupe focuses on 
  the events at hand and roleplays through them as if they 
  were really occurring. This may only require roleplaying 
  and a lot of conversation between the players and the 
  Storyteller, but may also involve a number of different 
  actions, some requiring dice rolls. 
  A scene is like a series of shots taken in a movie in the 
  same location and at the same moment in the story. It is 
  the real gist of the roleplaying, when the players are 
  actively in their roles and are able to describe their 
  characters' reactions to events rather than explain what 
  they intend to do. 
  You should do everything you can to make the scenes in 
  your story as dramatic, complete and fulfilling as possible. 
  The better you can give each scene an exciting start, an 
  action-packed middle and a fulfilling end (or a 
  strategically frustrating one), the better your story will be. 
  Describe the scene not as a static picture, but as a place or 
  time full of life and action. It should have its own existence 
  apart from the characters. The gang leader does not simply 
  sit at a table - while the characters are watching he calls 
  over one of his henchmen and begins to berate him. Create 
  an open-ended story in your descriptions and then invite 
  the players to enter it. Don't force the players to animate 
  your creation - breathe life into it from the very first 
  moment. 
  Time during the story not spent in a scene is called 
  downtime. This can be when the players are doing 
  extensive research, are traveling, or simply don't want to 
  bother roleplaying through everything second by second. 
  Downtime is a break from the intensity of the scene. 
  Though normally you want to spend as little time as 
  possible in downtime (generally it's relatively boring), you 
  shouldn't avoid it altogether. Use downtime to organize 
  players, direct the story more precisely, and progress the 
  plot more quickly. 
  The story can turn into a scene at almost any time. Often it 
  does so quite naturally, without anyone realizing it has 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  129 
  happened. For instance, while you discuss with the players 
  how they intend to make a journey to Chicago, you may 
  begin to describe what they see along the way. You have 
  gone from downtime to a scene. When you begin 
  roleplaying an old man who walks up to them and asks for 
  change, you have completely immersed them in the scene. 
  By simply beginning roleplaying without warning, you 
  jump-start the players into getting out of the player mode 
  and into their roles, thus instantly beginning a scene. 
  Turns 
  A scene is divided into turns in order to organize and 
  structure the arrangement of events. A turn is a variable 
  period of time during which characters can do things. It 
  helps  
  you keep track of what is going on and ensures that each 
  player gets the same chance to do something. In one 
  turn, each character should be able to do one 
  thing. Additionally, each player should be given about 
  the same amount of time to describe what she wants her 
  character to do. Each turn, go around the table in order of 
  initiative and give each player an opportunity to state an 
  action, and then go to the next person. When you get to 
  y ourself, describe the actions of the non-player characters. 
  Even if doing so might not make complete sense, you 
  should use the turn structure pretty loosely. You might, for 
  example, let someone climb a tree while someone else fires 
  a gun, even though in normal circumstances climbing a 
  tree usually takes a minute, while shooting a gun takes 
  only three seconds. Adrenalin (and blood) makes people 
  do amazing things, after all. 
  Multiple Actions 
  A character can perform multiple actions in a turn (such as 
  running and shooting a gun), but unless he possesses 
  Celerity, he has to divide up his dice. 
  To split a Dice Pool between two different actions, the 
  character takes the dice from the action with which the 
  character has the least skill (the one with the smallest Dice 
  Pool) and divides that Pool among all the actions he 
  wishes to perform. 
  If the character moves while taking other actions in a turn 
  (such as firing a gun), he may do so simply by taking away 
  one die from the pool for every three yards he moves. 
  Movement is already considered in the rules for dodging, 
  so characters who dive for cover accrue no extra penalty. 
  Characters with multiple actions take their first action in 
  their normal order of initiative (unless they delay). They 
  may take no more than one action at this time. After all 
  characters have completed their first (or only) action, 
  characters with more actions may take their second action, 
  again in order of initiative. After everyone has taken their 
  second action, play proceeds with the third and 
  subsequent actions in order of initiative, as above. While 
  characters may delay their action, they must take it before 
  the rest of the characters move on to their next action, or it 
  is lost. However, characters can always use dice to dodge 
  as long as there are any dice left in the Pool. 
  For example: Jaeger, with a Celerity rating of two, faces off 
  against two of the Prince's ghouls. He announces he will 
  punch each once and dodge, all with full Dice Pool. Ghoul 
  A must cover two yards before attacking with her stake; 
  meanwhile Ghoul B decides to split his Dice Pool so he can 
  dodge and attack with his stake. The players determine 
  initiative and arrive at the following order: A, Jaeger, and 
  B. A moves in, and will have one fewer die for her action. 
  Jaeger launches an attack at B, who dodges. Now that all 
  participants have taken an action, the sequence starts 
  over. A attacks, Jaeger dodges and B attacks. Now only 
  Jaeger has an action left, and he punches B's lights out. 
  Action Scenes 
  Many scenes are so full of actions and dice rolls they 
  require special rules to make sure everything runs 
  smoothly. These are times when the adrenalin is racing 
  and the pacing is fast. Action scenes are the fights, races 
  and feats of danger so common in adventure stories. 
  During an action scene, the turns are usually very short, 
  lasting only three seconds or so. Most of the systems 
  described in this chapter occur during action scenes and 
  use action turns. 
  Many different types of actions can occur in an action 
  scene, and correlating everything can seem a little tricky. 
  Let a character do nearly anything she cares to try, even if 
  you assign a difficulty of 10. 
  Make sure you carefully describe where everyone is in the 
  scene as well as what cover is available and how far it is 
  from the characters. Otherwise, you will have to describe 
  the scene over again and hear complaints like, "Wait a 
  minute, you didn't say anyone was over there!" You may 
  also want to describe the environmental conditions and 
  how they might affect the scene. Rain, wind and smoke 
  can affect many rolls. 
  Organizing an Action Turn 
  Just as turns organize a scene, so there are different stages 
  of each turn. Still, you will probably not need to divide up 
  turns unless they are action turns. Though you need not go 
  by these stages exactly , look over this list to get ideas about 
  how you can organize things when the action gets hot. The 
  better you've got it organized, the more smoothly it will go 
  and the more fun everyone will have. 
  • Describing the Scene 
  At the beginning of each turn, you should describe the 
  scene from the characters' perspective. You may want to 
  suggest what the characters' opponents might be about to 
  do, but do not actually describe what will happen. 
  Sometimes this will be a wrap-up of the last turn, making 
  it clear to all the players what occurred. This sort of 
  constant redescription is essential if you want to avoid 
  confusion. 
  This is your chance to organize and arrange things so that 
  all will go smoothly when the players begin to interact with 
  what you have set up. You will want to make your 
  description as interesting as possible, leaving open all 
  sorts of possibilities for actions to be taken by the 
  characters. 
  The players need to roll for initiative to determine the 
  order in which their characters will act. In especially  
  complicated situations, you can have the players describe 
  to you what they intend to do that turn, starting with the 
  player who rolled the lowest initiative. This statement of 
  intent can help you clarify in your own mind what is going 
  on, but it slows things down, so avoid it if you can. If you 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  130 
  wish to be  
  particularly free-spirited, then eliminate the initiative roll 
  altogether and have the players act in whatever order you 
  wish. 
  e.g. "In the distance you hear sirens, and you see that the 
  street punk at the end of the alley seems to have noticed 
  them as well. He wins the initiative and sprints towards 
  the fence. What are you going to do?" 
  • Decision Stage 
  Going in reverse order of initiative (if the players made 
  initiative rolls), have each player explain what her 
  character intends to do and how she intends to go about it. 
  If you did not call for initiative rolls, simply go around the 
  table from left to right, or in order of character Wits, or 
  using whatever consistent method you like. You then 
  decide how you want to resolve the action - what kind of 
  roll each player will make, the difficulty of the roll, and the 
  number of successes needed. You can make the process as 
  simple or as complicated as you like. 
  e.g. "If you want to catch him before he gets over the 
  fence, you need to make a Dexterity + Athletics roll. You 
  need to get six successes to catch up with him, but he only 
  needs three more to get over the fence." 
  • Resolution Stage 
  This is when the players roll to see whether their 
  characters succeed or fail. The players roll dice to attempt 
  the actions they described in the preceding stage. 
  At the end of the turn, you need to summarize everything 
  by describing what happened and translating all the dice 
  rolls into description, plot and story. Don't simply say, 
  "You manage to hit the bad guy for three Health Levels of 
  damage." Get more graphic and say, "After ducking away 
  to the left, you sweep across with your fist and strike him 
  alongside the head. Your hand stings, but you've broken 
  his nose and wounded him for three Levels." 
  e.g. " With a great burst of speed and a daring leap over a 
  garbage can, you race down the alley after him. Next 
  round you will be able to make a grab at him before he 
  gets completely away. However, you see a police cruiser 
  pull in around the corner of the alley."  
  Initiative 
  At the beginning of most scenes, you will want to figure 
  out who goes first. Rolling for initiative is the best way to 
  decide in what order players will take their turns for the 
  remainder of the fight. Sometimes it will be obvious who 
  goes first, such as when an ambush was set or one person 
  is clearly caught by surprise. In combat, however, if you 
  intend to let the opponents have a free shot at the 
  characters, you should not simply spring it on the players. 
  Let them make Perception rolls (hard ones) to see if they 
  notice something just before the bad guys open up. 
  Otherwise, you'll have a pack of whining jackals on your 
  hands. The difficulty depends on  
  how well the ambush was set (usually 8 or so). The 
  number of successes the players score indicates the 
  number of dice they can roll on their first actions, usually 
  dodges. 
  In a normal situation, each player makes an initiative roll, 
  and you do so for each of the opponents. Everyone 
  involved makes a Wits + Alertness roll (or you can have 
  them roll Wits + Brawl, Melee, Firearms or any 
  appropriate Ability). The difficulty is usually four - 
  characters with the most successes go first and ties go 
  simultaneously. Characters who fail act after those who 
  succeeded last. A botch on an initiative roll means the 
  character does not get to act that turn -his gun jams, he 
  stumbles and cannot punch or dodge, etc. 
  Taking Actions 
  The three basic actions characters can take without 
  making rolls include: 
  •Yielding: The character allows the person with the next 
  highest initiative to take his action, thereby yielding her 
  turn. She can still take her action at the end of the turn. If 
  everyone, including her opponents, yields as well, no one 
  does anything that turn. 
  •Healing: The character can decide to do nothing but 
  use a Blood Point to heal himself. In one turn, one Health 
  Level can be restored automatically if no other action is 
  taken. A Blood Point can be used to enhance a Physical 
  Attribute while the character performs other actions. 
  • Moving: The character may move by walking, jogging 
  or running. If she walks, she may move seven yards. If she 
  jogs, she may move 12 yards + Dexterity. If she runs, she 
  may move 20 yards + (3 x Dexterity). No roll is required, 
  but this movement is the only action the character can 
  perform in that turn. In some situations, it can be 
  hazardous to jog or run, and a roll might be required to 
  maintain balance when there is glass on the ground or 
  bullets are raining down. If the character wants to run 
  away from the conflict or encounter, she must dodge 
  unless she is not in the field of fire or hindered in any way. 
  There are all sorts of other actions that can be made that 
  require rolls. Some are listed here: 
  •Attack: A character may decide to fire his weapon or 
  strike someone. The roll made depends on the attack; for 
  instance, a Firearms attack requires a Dexterity + 
  Firearms roll. 
  • Climb a wall: This action requires a Dexterity + 
  Athletics roll. 
  • Crowd control: A character with the Presence 
  Discipline may use his power to clear away a crowd with 
  the appropriate rolls. 
  •Dodge: A dodge not only allows a character to avoid an 
  attack, but removes him from the line of attack altogether. 
  A character can make a dodge roll right after someone 
  tries to hit him, thereby (hopefully) avoiding the blow. 
  • Get to feet: It takes a turn to get up from the ground 
  without having to make a roll. If a character wants to do 
  this in addition to her other actions, she would have to 
  take dice from her announced action and attempt to score 
  at least one success on a Dexterity + Athletics roll 
  (difficulty at least 4). 
  • Leadership: A character may give commands to 
  followers and have them obeyed with appropriate 
  Charisma (or Manipulation) + Leadership rolls. 
  •Reload gun: This can be done in a single turn with a 
  preloaded clip. 
  •Research: A character may try to look up a vital piece 
  of information in a book using the Investigation Ability. 
  Though this would likely take longer than three seconds, 
  in the interests of drama, you may wish to suspend reality 
  a bit. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  131 
  • Start a car: This action doesn't require a roll at all, 
  unless a character is hotwiring it. 
  • Sneak up on enemy: This action requires a Stealth 
  roll of some sort. 
  •Unjam gun: This action can normally be performed in 
  a single turn with a Wits + Firearms roll. 
  Dramatic Systems 
  The one thing about living in Santa Carla that I never 
  could stomach is all the damn vampires. 
  - Grandpa, The Lost Boys 
  Described below are a variety of different systems to 
  resolve actions, or, to put it simply, a bunch of ways to 
  make rolls. If you prefer to roleplay through dramatic 
  scenes, just use these systems to get ideas on what sorts of 
  things can happen during the scene. 
  Remember, these are only examples of how you can do 
  things in your chronicle. If you don't like the way the 
  Firefight system works, then change it. Don't think that 
  these rules are written in stone, because they're not. They 
  were written for you to use and abuse as you see fit.  
  Physical 
  These 
  systems 
  describe 
  physical 
  actions 
  and 
  confrontations - dramatic situations where the Physical 
  Attributes predominate. 
  Awakening 
  Often a character will need to wake up in the middle of the 
  day. This is extremely difficult for vampires to do, as they 
  are highly nocturnal creatures. When something occurs 
  during the day which may require a character to rouse, 
  such as a noise or a motion near the bed, a Perception + 
  Auspex roll must be made (difficulty 8). Any success 
  indicates the character awakens enough to notice what is 
  going on. Failure indicates she doesn't wake up, while a 
  botch indicates she won't awaken except under the most 
  dire circumstances. 
  Once the character has roused slightly, she can make a 
  Humanity roll to see how long she can remain awake. The 
  difficulty is normally an eight; each success indicates the 
  character can stay awake for one turn. Five successes 
  means she awakens completely. No actions can be taken 
  until the character is completely awake. A failure means 
  she goes back to sleep, but if something else happens 
  which might awaken her, she can roll again. A botch 
  means she goes back to sleep and nothing will rouse her 
  short of Gehenna. 
  Throughout the rest of the time the character stays awake, 
  you may require her to make Humanity rolls to see if she 
  can remain awake. The difficulty of this roll is also eight, 
  but only one success is needed for her to stay up. Failures 
  and botches have the same results as they do above. 
  Remember, during the day no vampire can use more dice 
  than her rating in Humanity. 
  Climbing 
  Though humans have to use their arms and legs to climb, 
  vampires have other means of scaling walls, not the least 
  of which is simply to jump to where they want to go. For 
  normal climbing, use the system below; otherwise, go to 
  the Jumping system. Some powerful vampires can 
  shapeshift into a bat and simply fly. 
  When a character attempts to climb any sort of surface (a 
  tree, cliff or building), ask the player to roll the character's 
  Dexterity + Athletics. If the character has the Protean 
  power of Claws, an additional die may be rolled. The 
  difficulty depends on the sheerness of the climbing 
  surface, the type of surface being climbed and, to a lesser 
  extent, the weather conditions. Each success indicates the 
  character has climbed five feet. Once he accumulates 
  enough successes to get to where he wants to go, he can 
  stop rolling. For example, Malcolm is trying to climb a 25-
  foot wall, so he needs five successes to get to the top. A 
  failure indicates the character is not able to make any 
  progress during the turn. A botch indicates the character 
  falls and cannot attempt to climb again without expending 
  a Willpower point.  
  2 - Easy climb: a tree with many stout branches 
  4 - Simple climb: a cliff with many handholds 
  6 - Straightforward: a tree with thin branches 
  8 - Treacherous: very few handholds 
  10 - Extremely difficult: a nearly sheer surface 
  Hunting 
  Obtaining blood is one of the most important things in a 
  vampire's life. When you don't wish to roleplay out the 
  hunt for food, this system provides a fairly rapid way to 
  determine how much blood characters get and if there are 
  any complications. 
  For each hour the player decides to spend hunting, give 
  her one die. Using these dice, a roll is made; the difficulty 
  is determined by the neighborhood. Remember, the Fame 
  and Herd Background Traits make hunting easier. 
  Area - Difficulty 
  Slum neighborhood - 4 
  Lower class - 5 
  Downtown - 6 
  Warehouse district - 6 
  Suburb - 7  
  Heavily patrolled - 8 
  A success indicates the character tracks down prey and 
  may feed for one die worth of Blood Points (roll one die; 
  the result indicates how many Blood Points the character 
  receives from her nocturnal prowlings). A failure indicates 
  the vampire fails to find a vessel, while a botch of any sort 
  indicates a complication. 
  After a botch, immediately go into roleplaying mode at the 
  point where things start to go wrong. Describe the scene 
  and relate to the player what happened up to the point 
  where the hunt went awry. The player has to figure out 
  how to get out of trouble. 
  If you don't have time for roleplaying, tell the player that 
  her character manages to feed. Later on, however, inform 
  the player that her character has contracted some sort of 
  loathsome disease. 
  After the feeding begins, a frenzy roll is sometimes 
  required to see if the character can resist the urge to gorge 
  on the vessel. If the character has three or fewer Blood 
  Points when she begins feeding, a frenzy roll is required 
  (using Self-Control). See the Frenzy rules in Chapter Eight 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  132 
  for more details. 
  Jumping 
  Jumping requires a Strength roll, or a Strength + Athletics 
  roll if it is a horizontal jump and the character gets a 
  decent running start. The difficulty for a jump is almost 
  always a three (unless there are difficult weather 
  conditions or there is a narrow landing space). The 
  Storyteller calculates how many successes are required to 
  make the jump. There are no partial successes in jumping; 
  the character either succeeds in one roll, or she falls. 
  If necessary, you can use the chart below. The number of 
  successes required is based on the number of feet that 
  must be jumped and whether the character is jumping 
  horizontally or vertically (see the chart below). 
  Type of Jump - Feet per Success 
  Vertical (up) - 2 
  Horizontal (across) - 4 
  A failure or a botch indicates the character falls, trips or 
  for some reason fails. If the roll was merely a failure, you 
  could give the character a second chance by having the 
  player make a Dexterity + Athletics roll to see if the 
  character can grab onto the ledge, etc. However, a botch is 
  always a complete failure - the character falls. The wounds 
  inflicted by a fall are discussed in the Injuries section of 
  Chapter Eight. 
  If the player makes a Perception + Athletics roll before the 
  character makes the jump (average difficulty of 6) and 
  receives three successes, you can tell him exactly how 
  many successes the character will need in order to make 
  the jump. 
  Feats of Strength 
  Often a character's Strength is used alone, without an 
  Ability, in actions where brute Strength is all that matters, 
  though the Discipline of Potence can be added. This 
  system works on the same basis as automatic successes. If 
  the character's Strength + Potence equals or exceeds the 
  difficulty of the task he is attempting, he does it 
  automatically. Only if the difficulty is higher than his Dice 
  Pool must he make a roll. Blood Points spent on Strength 
  raise this maximum. 
  When the character makes the roll, however, it is based on 
  Willpower, not Strength. It is a simple roll, so the 
  character gets only one chance to make it. The difficulty is 
  almost always a nine, though it can vary according to the 
  surface conditions, the wieldiness of the object being 
  lifted, and Storyteller whim. Each success pushes the 
  character's effective Strength up one step on the chart 
  below (to a maximum of five). Thus, if the character had a 
  Strength of 4, but wanted to flip over a car, she would need 
  three successes on the Willpower roll to do it. 
   Dice Pool  Feats 
   Lift 
  1  
  Crush a beer can 
   40 lbs 
  2 
  Break a chair 
   100 lbs 
  3 
  Break down a wooden 
  door 
   250 lbs 
  4 
  Break a 2' x 4' board 
   400 lbs 
  5 
  Break open a metal fire 
  door 
   650 lbs 
  6 
  Throw a motorcycle 
   800 lbs 
  7  
  Flip over a small car 
   900 lbs 
  8 
  Break a three-inch lead 
  pipe 
   1000 lbs 
  9 
  Punch through a cement 
  wall 
   1200 lbs 
  10 
  Rip open a steel drum 
   1500 lbs 
  1 1  
  Punch through 1" sheet 
  metal 
   2000 lbs 
  1 2 
  Break a metal lamp post  3000 lbs 
  13 
  Throw a car 
   4000 lbs 
  1 4 
  Throw a van 
   5000 lbs 
  15 
  Throw a truck 
   6000 lbs 
  Repair 
  Getting something fixed is not always as easy as taking it 
  to the garage; sometimes the task has to be performed 
  oneself. When a character wishes to fix any sort of 
  mechanical implement, he must roll Dexterity + Repair. 
  The difficulty is determined by the complexity of the task 
  (see the chart below). Before the job can be considered 
  completed, a certain number of successes must be 
  collected, usually between two and 20. Each roll means 
  that a certain amount of time is spent - whatever the 
  demands of the story require. A botch indicates that the 
  device is somehow damaged in the attempt. 
  This system can be fun to use during combat, as one 
  character desperately tries to start the car while the others 
  hold off the pack of ghouls. 
   Job 
   Difficulty 
   # of 
  Successes 
   Simple 
  mechanical repair 
   4 
   3 
   Soldering job 
   5 
   2 
   Electronic 
  malfunction 
   5 
   5 
   Fitting in new 
  part 
   6 
   10 
   Repair stalled car 
   6 
   5 
   Tough 
  auto 
  repair 
   7  
   10 
   System overhaul 
   8 
   20 
   Technical glitch 
   9 
   2 
  Sneaking 
  When a character attempts to hide in shadows or sneak up 
  on a guard, she must roll Dexterity + Stealth. The difficulty 
  is the guard's Perception + Alertness. Anyone who is on 
  watch or who is actively looking for intruders can be 
  considered a guard. 
  The character needs to collect a certain number of 
  successes in order to make it to where she wants to go. A 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  133 
  Perception + Stealth roll can be made if the player wants 
  to find out how many successes will be needed; the 
  difficulty for this is usually seven. Failure of any sort 
  indicates detection. 
  Shadowing 
  Sometimes a character will want to follow someone. In 
  order to be led somewhere interesting, this needs to be 
  done as discreetly as possible. That is what shadowing is 
  all about - following someone without him knowing the 
  character is there. 
  There are two components to shadowing- keeping track of 
  where the subject is and making sure he doesn't see his 
  tail. Shadowing can be conducted on foot or in a vehicle. 
  Rolls can even be made if someone else is driving, such as 
  a taxi driver - "I'm sorry, but I can't remember the address 
  - you'll just have to follow my directions. Take a right at 
  the corner. No, wait, a left!"  
  The character attempting to shadow must make a 
  Perception + Investigation (or possibly Streetwise) roll. 
  The difficulty is normally a six (though it can vary from 
  five to nine depending on the thickness of the crowds, 
  relative speeds of vehicles and weather conditions). Each 
  success indicates that the character has been followed for a 
  turn. A certain number of successes is required to follow 
  the subject all the way to where he is going. A failure 
  indicates that the character has temporarily lost the 
  subject, but can try again next turn. If she gets a second 
  failure, she has lost the subject completely and the chase is 
  off (unless she can come up with a new approach). A botch 
  indicates that not only does the character completely lose 
  the subject, but she is so involved in shadowing that she 
  gets into trouble of her own - a gang tries to beat her up, 
  she falls into an open manhole, or she has a car accident. 
  Though the Perception roll is the most important aspect of 
  shadowing, a Stealth roll must also be made to see if the 
  subject notices he is being followed. Each turn the 
  Perception roll is made, the Stealth roll must be made as 
  well. The player must roll Dexterity + Stealth (or Dexterity 
  + Drive if the character is in a vehicle). 
  The difficulty is the subject's Perception + Alertness, but it 
  can be modified by +/- 3, depending on the circumstances 
  (empty streets or thick crowds, for instance). A single 
  success indicates the shadower was not detected, and each 
  success also makes it more difficult for the subject to spot 
  the shadower, even if he is actively looking. A failure 
  indicates the subject becomes suspicious and starts to 
  surreptitiously glance over his shoulder (and may make 
  Perception rolls of his own; see below). A botch indicates 
  the character completely reveals herself and the subject 
  now knows he is being followed. 
  If the subject is alerted somehow (by the shadower's 
  failure on the Dexterity + Stealth roll above), or simply 
  looks to see if he is being followed (out of habit perhaps), 
  roll Perception + Investigation (or Streetwise). The 
  difficulty is the Stealth + 5 of the character who is 
  shadowing. Each success on this roll indicates a higher 
  degree of suspicion. Successes can be accumulated from 
  turn to turn; see the chart below to see how alert the 
  subject is to the fact that he is being followed. A failure 
  means nothing out of the ordinary is seen and the 
  suspicion value of the subject decreases to zero. A botch 
  means the subject is convinced he isn't being followed and 
  no longer looks behind him. 
  Successes - Suspicion 
  1  - Hunch 
  2 - Suspicion 
  3 - Near-certainty 
  4 - Positive knowledge 
  5 - The shadower has been spotted 
  Buddy System: Two or more characters can share 
  shadowing responsibilities by trading off. However, they 
  must have worked/trained together in this technique 
  previously, or the difficulties of all rolls for the pair are one 
  higher. One player shadows for a turn or more, and then 
  trades off whenever her partner gives the signal. If the pair 
  switches off, the subject can't accumulate successes for 
  very long, which makes it much harder for the subject to 
  spot the shadowers. 
  Swimming 
  Although total immersion in water is not fatal to vampires, 
  it is not very pleasant. Because vampires do not breathe, 
  they cannot drown. However, they can sink. 
  Any vampire immersed in water without any means of 
  support must roll Dexterity + Athletics; the difficulty is 
  determined by the severity of the water conditions. The 
  number of successes obtained determines how far the 
  vampire swims (or alternately, how long he stays above 
  water). Normally it is five feet or five minutes, but that can 
  vary according to the needs of the story. A botch means the 
  character loses ground (the current pulls him along or the 
  tide pulls him back). 
  If a vampire is caught underwater during the day, he can 
  be harmed by the sun's rays - water is little protection 
  (treat as if the vampire were outside on a cloudy day). If a 
  vampire dives deep enough, the sunlight will not 
  penetrate, but the character may well be crushed by the 
  pressure or suffer the effects of the cold temperature. 
  Remember also that many sea creatures, such as sharks 
  and giant squid, are much less choosy about their prey 
  than terrestrial animals, and have been known to eat 
  carrion 
  Stunt Driving 
  This system is used to determine the outcome of nearly 
  any type of automobile chase or maneuver. Dice rolls in 
  chases are not only made to see how fast a driver goes, but 
  also to see if she stays on the road or not. Each vehicle is 
  rated for its maximum safe driving speed, as well as its 
  maneuverability. One vehicle is not always as fast as 
  another nor as maneuverable, so the details of the chase 
  often depend on the make of the vehicle (see the chart 
  below). 
  A character can make special maneuvers in order to catch 
  or lose another vehicle, such as spinning around a tight 
  corner, doing a 180° turn, or wheeling about to block a 
  road. Essentially, one character makes a special maneuver 
  and the other character must copy that maneuver by 
  making the same or an approximate roll. 
  The player must roll Dexterity (or perhaps Perception) + 
  Drive. However, the maximum number of dice that can be 
  rolled is the Maneuverability rating of the vehicle. The 
  difficulty of the maneuver and the speed of the car 
  determine the difficulty. You should give each maneuver a 
  basic difficulty from two to seven, and then designate a 
  speed at which it can be completed at that difficulty. This 
  is most often the Safe Speed, but can be much less 
  depending on how complicated or tight the maneuver is. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  134 
  The difficulty goes up by one for every 10 mph the vehicle 
  exceeds that speed while performing the maneuver. The 
  driver decides how fast her vehicle performs the 
  maneuver, although she will not always be able to slow 
  down enough to avoid a crash or collision.  
   
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  135 
   
   Vehicle 
   Safe Speed 
   Max Speed 
   Maneuver 
   6-wheel truck 
   60 
   90 
   3 
   Bus 
   60 
   100 
   3 
   1 8-wheeler 
   70 
   110 
   4 
   Sedan 
   70 
   120 
   5 
   Mini-van 
   70 
   120 
   6 
   Compact 
   70 
   130 
   6 
   Sporty compact 
   100 
   140 
   7  
   Sport coupe 
   110 
   150 
   8 
   Sports car 
   130 
   1 7 0 
   9 
   Formula One race car 
   140 
   240 
   10 
   
  Pursuit 
  This simple system is used when one character attempts to 
  run down another. One opponent starts with a certain 
  number of successes. This number is either determined by 
  the Storyteller (this is the preferred method) or by having 
  the pursued character roll Dexterity + Athletics for each 
  turn of headstart on the pursuer and add up the number of 
  successes achieved. This roll has a difficulty of six. This 
  number of successes must be collected by the other 
  character before he can catch up. Once he does, he can try 
  to grapple the fleeing person (see the Melee rules). The 
  pursuer might only want to catch up halfway, just to get a 
  better shot at the fleeing character. 
  Each character involved must roll Dexterity + Athletics. 
  Each success means the character travels a little farther. A 
  failure indicates the character falters, while a botch means 
  he falls and will not be able to roll at all the next turn (he 
  needs to get up off the ground). If the pursuer scores more 
  successes in a turn than the pursued, he gains on her by 
  that number of successes. If the pursued scores more 
  successes in a turn than the pursuer, she pulls away by 
  that number of successes. If the pursued ever gains a lead 
  of of enough successes (7-20, depending on the terrain), 
  she gets away and eludes pursuit. 
  This system can be modified for use with car chases if the 
  standard driving system does not suit your troupe's needs. 
  Stealing 
  While illegal, theft and robbery are sometimes elements of 
  a Vampire story. On occasion, a vampire has no other 
  recourse. There are many different ways to steal, though 
  only a few are discussed below. If the character's 
  Humanity is above 7, he must make a Humanity roll when 
  he steals something, especially if it was from someone who 
  really needs whatever was stolen. If the theft is particularly 
  heartless, even a character with a Humanity of less than 7 
  might have to make a Humanity roll. 
  Shoplifting: The player rolls Dexterity + Streetwise. 
  The difficulty depends on the circumstances - a crowded 
  store, the size of the item, guards and mirrors. Normally it 
  is an eight. Failure indicates the storekeeper notices the 
  character taking something, while a botch means she has 
  been caught red-handed. The number of successes on the 
  shoplifting roll determines the difficulty of the 
  storekeeper's Perception + Alertness roll. One success 
  means the shopkeeper is highly suspicious, while five 
  successes means he has caught the character in the act. 
  The player can make a Perception + Streetwise roll to see if 
  the character is being watched or not. The difficulty is at 
  least an eight, but each success cancels one of the 
  storekeeper's successes. 
  Pickpocketing: The player rolls Dexterity + Streetwise. 
  The difficulty depends on the circumstances - a thick 
  crowd or deep pockets, for example. The number of 
  successes determines the difficulty of the target's 
  Perception + Alertness roll, while a botch indicates the 
  target notices the thief in the act and catches him red-
  handed. The target needs to roll higher than the 
  pickpocket's number of successes. One success means she 
  moves away unconsciously (the thief can try again); two 
  successes means she turns to look at the pickpocket but 
  doesn't know what's going on; three successes means she 
  catches on. 
  Cat Burglary: The troupe should roleplay through this, 
  with lots of Stealth and Perception rolls to provide drama. 
  Once the cat burglar gets inside, she needs to find what 
  she is looking for. You'll have to judge how slickly the 
  player planned the burglary, and then judge the 
  character's chances of getting caught. There is always a 
  chance things might go wrong. If more than one person 
  attempts this activity, they greatly increase their chances 
  of getting caught; however, it can be boring for the other 
  players to wait for one person to finish her solo. Roleplay it 
  out, but if people are waiting, don't spend more than a few 
  minutes on it. 
  Holdup: The character holds up a store, usually by 
  threatening the storekeeper, and then takes whatever he 
  wants. A Manipulation + Intimidation roll must be made. 
  The difficulty is the storekeeper's Willpower. Usually some 
  sort of gun must be displayed or a demonstration of force 
  made for the intimidation to be truly effective. Each 
  success indicates the storekeeper is cowed for one minute. 
  A failure indicates the storekeeper is angry and might try 
  something, while a botch indicates that the storekeeper 
  attempts to trip an alarm, call the cops or reach for a 
  hidden firearm. If the storekeeper gets killed or even 
  injured as a result of the character's actions, a Humanity 
  roll is in order. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  136 
  Social 
  She did not seduce, she ravished. 
  - George Meredith, Diana of the Crossways 
    
  These systems involve social interaction between people. 
  They nearly always require a Charisma, Manipulation or 
  Appearance roll. Often these systems are best left unused, 
  and roleplaying used instead to determine the success or 
  failure of a particular social interaction.  
  Seduction 
  Seduction is an unnatural means of gaining intimacy with 
  another person, because every step is carefully staged and 
  real feelings are not shared (they are faked). A seduction 
  goes in stages, and unless a person is successful in each 
  stage in succession, he will not succeed at all. This system 
  is designed to replicate the activities of a dominant person 
  over a more submissive one. If the emotions and motives 
  are true, then you should ignore this system and roleplay it 
  out. 
  Though a vampire can easily use her Dominate and 
  Presence Disciplines to seduce a mortal, often she does not 
  wish to do so, preferring the hunt to the capture. In many 
  cases, depending on the Nature of the character, 
  Willpower can be regained if she succeeds in the 
  seduction. Bon Vivants, Connivers and Gallants often 
  regain Willpower by successfully completing a seduction. 
  Opening line: The player rolls Appearance + 
  Subterfuge. The difficulty is the Wits + 3 of the subject (the 
  player gains a bonus of 1 -3 dice if it's a good line, minus 1 -
  3 if it's a stupid one). Each additional success adds an 
  extra die to the roll on the next stage. 
  Witty exchange: The player rolls Wits + Subterfuge. 
  The difficulty is the Intelligence + 3 of the subject. Again, 
  give bonuses and penalties for roleplaying. Each additional 
  success adds an extra die to the roll on the next stage. 
  Conversation: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy. 
  The difficulty is the Perception +3 of the subject. Again, 
  roleplaying bonuses come into play here. 
  Intimacies: At this point, the couple may move to a 
  private area and become physically intimate. No roll is 
  required, especially  when one considers that at this point 
  the vampire can drink from the subject. 
  Fast Talk 
  This system describes a means to browbeat and confuse 
  someone into submission. The player must roll 
  Manipulation + Subterfuge, though Charisma or 
  Appearance can sometimes be used, as can Acting. The 
  difficulty is the target's Wits + 5. Success indicates that the 
  target becomes confused. 
  The target may make whatever rolls he wishes; however, 
  the fast talk is likely to confuse him too much at some 
  point to take the appropriate action. Willpower points can 
  be expended to resist the fast talk. Failure indicates that 
  the attempt has faltered, and the target can try to get 
  something in edgewise - an attempt to explain himself, or 
  perhaps even an attempt to fast talk back. This attempt to 
  say something back continues until the subject fails or 
  botches. A botch indicates that the target doesn't get 
  confused, only angry. Fast talk attempts by the character 
  will never again be effective on him.  
  Repeated rolls might be necessary to truly confuse the 
  target. As Storyteller, you need to run attempts at fast talk 
  in a way that is consistent with the mood of your game. 
  They can be as slaphappy or as deadly serious as you like. 
  Oration 
  If a player wants her character to give a speech, but doesn't 
  want to actually recite it, you can use this system. You 
  want her to describe what she says, and maybe tell you a 
  memorable phrase she uses - that might even get her to 
  roleplay it out. Oration is often very difficult to roleplay, so 
  never force your players to do so. Just use this system. 
  The player makes a Charisma + Leadership roll. The 
  difficulty depends on the mood of the crowd, its 
  willingness to hear what the orator says, and its penchant 
  for throwing rotten vegetables. Usually the difficulty is a 
  seven. If the orator has any sort of reputation, you may 
  wish to adjust the difficulty accordingly. If the character 
  has Fame or Status among the group being spoken to, she 
  can add that rating to her Dice Pool. The number of 
  successes indicates how  impressed the crowd is (see the 
  following chart). It is a simple roll, so the player has only 
  one crack at it. A failure indicates the crowd ignores the 
  character. A botch indicates the character is going to be 
  lynched, or if that sort of thing isn't common, then booing 
  begins. 
  Successes - Crowd Reaction 
  1  - They listened, but aren't excited. 
  2 - The character has convinced them somewhat. 
  3 - The crowd is won over. 
  4 - The crowd is completely enthralled. 
  5 - The crowd is in the palm of the character's hand. 
  If the speech is vital to the story, the player may make 
  several rolls. If you want to spend some time on it, you can 
  make it an extended action, interspersing each roll with 
  roleplaying. The character can spend as many turns as she 
  wants on the speech, but after the third turn, the difficulty 
  goes up each turn by one. More successes than five might 
  be required to completely win over the crowd. 
  Interrogation 
  Interrogation can occur in a number of different 
  situations. It is a form of questioning, not torture, though 
  intimidation is certainly employed. Torture can be used, 
  but you will have to develop your own rules for that if you 
  wish to include it in your chronicle. 
  The player makes a Manipulation + Intimidation roll; the 
  difficulty is the victim's Willpower. The number of 
  successes indicates the amount of information obtained 
  (see the chart below). A failure indicates the character 
  learns nothing of value. A botch indicates the subject tells 
  the character nothing, and will never tell him anything - or 
  worse, the subject lies. For this reason, it is often useful if 
  the Storyteller makes the roll for the player. 
  Successes - Interrogation 
  1  - Only a few mumbled facts 
  2 - Some relevant facts 
  3 - Much interesting information 
  4 - The subject talks on and on 
  5 - Everything of import is discovered 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  137 
  Credibility 
  This system is used when a character attempts to convince 
  someone she is telling the truth, such as when she 
  attempts to persuade the jury she is not lying, or tries to 
  convince a police officer she is who she says she is. The 
  player must make a Manipulation + Leadership roll; each 
  point of Fame the character possesses adds one to the Dice 
  Pool. The difficulty is the other subject's Intelligence + 
  Subterfuge. Lower the difficulty by 1 -3 if the character is 
  telling the truth (it does make a difference). Each success 
  indicates a higher degree of believability. Five successes 
  indicate the subject is completely convinced. A failure 
  indicates disbelief, and a botch indicates the character is 
  caught in a lie (or the subject thinks he has caught her in a 
  lie). 
  Note that if the character is telling the truth, it is still more 
  difficult to convince a smart, worldly person of this than a 
  stupid one (smarter people tend to be more cynical). 
  The Facedown 
  This system is used during facedowns, when two 
  characters are engaged in a duel of Willpower and neither 
  wants to be the first to back down. No words are 
  exchanged - the opponents just glare at one another. This 
  "childish" behavior is surprisingly common among 
  vampires; the intense hostility two Kindred might have for 
  each other must be restrained, but often cannot be 
  concealed. 
  Both opponents roll Charisma + Intimidation; the 
  difficulty is the opponent's Willpower. The one who first 
  accumulates as many successes as his opponent's Wits + 5 
  wins, forcing the other to look away. A character can spend 
  a Willpower point each turn to avoid this and keep on 
  glaring, but eventually he will run out of Willpower. 
  Performances 
  This system is used whenever a character gives any type of 
  performance, whether it be comedy, music, acting or 
  storytelling. It can be on a stage or in a nightclub, formal 
  or informal, and the audience can be humans or Kindred. 
  The player must roll the appropriate Attribute + Ability. 
  The 
  combination 
  could 
  be 
  Wits/Intelligence/Charisma/Dexterity 
  + 
  Music/Acting/Leadership - you decide which, depending 
  on the type of performance. The difficulty is based on how 
  receptive the audience is. A failure indicates a lackluster, 
  eminently forgettable performance. A botch indicates a 
  miserable performance that cannot even be finished - the 
  instrument breaks or the character is booed off the stage.  
  The number of successes indicates how moved the 
  audience is (see the chart below). These successes 
  determine the artistic merit or technical verisimilitude of 
  the piece.  
   Successes 
   Your 
  Performance  Reaction 
   1  
   Mediocre 
   Polite applause 
   2 
   Average 
   Approval 
   3 
   Good 
   Genuine 
  appreciation 
   4 
   Superior  
   Vigorous 
  applause 
   5 
   Exceptional 
   Ecstatic reaction 
   6 
   Superb 
   Immediate 
  sensation 
   7  
   Brilliant 
   Miracle, 
  Magnum opus 
  Mental 
  Trieste, Italy - Gun-toting toughs hijacked a bloodmobile 
  near the Italian-Yugoslavian border, stealing hundreds of 
  pints of freshly drawn blood - and lawmen blame the 
  robbery on vicious, thirst-crazed vampires! 
  - Weekly World News, "Vampires Hijack Bloodmobile!" 
    
  These dramatic systems deal with the use of the mind and 
  the Mental Attributes. They are employed in situations 
  where the drama is not so much a factor of the action as it 
  is of psychological tension. 
  Research 
  Research will often be the only way for a character to 
  proceed to the next stage of a story. He will have to 
  investigate matters in a library, newspaper office or 
  through computer files in order to obtain needed 
  information. Research is a great way to let a character with 
  high Intelligence show off, and takes the focus off fast-
  paced action. 
  The player rolls Intelligence + Investigation (or an 
  appropriate Knowledge Ability). The difficulty is based 
  upon how obscure the information. 
  Difficulty - Accessibility of the Information 
  2 - Generally available 
  4 - Widely documented 
  6 - Accessible 
  8 - Difficult to find 
  10 - Incredibly well-concealed 
  The number of successes determines how much the 
  character discovers. One success might mean that only the 
  most obvious facts are found, while five successes might 
  mean that the full (and maybe truthful) story is uncovered. 
  Depending on what the character looks for, 10 or 20 
  successes might be required to find all the available data. 
  The player might want t o continue the research after 
  gaining a partial success. However, continued research 
  takes longer than the initial search. Basic research usually 
  takes only an hour - that's the first roll. More in-depth 
  research (and a second roll) takes one complete day. If the 
  player  
  wants a third roll, further research takes a week; a fourth 
  roll takes a month, a fifth roll takes a year, and after that 
  use your imagination. Therefore, it is easy to see how some 
  research projects can take years or even decades to 
  complete. Of course, vampires usually have the time. 
  If the player wants to reroll (because he failed, but thinks 
  there is still information to be found), the research takes 
  twice as long as it did the first time, and Perception is the 
  governing Attribute instead of Intelligence. Additionally, 
  the difficulty will be at least one higher. Again, the number 
  of successes determines how much is discovered. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  138 
  Composition 
  Sometimes a character will want to create an original and 
  creative work of art - a painting, song or poem. Though 
  this can simply be assumed if the character has the 
  appropriate Abilities, sometimes a roll can make the 
  creative process a little more interesting. Have the player 
  roll Intelligence + an appropriate Ability (such as Music or 
  Acting). The difficulty is chosen by the player, but the 
  higher the difficulty, the more complicated and elegant the 
  final product is. Each success indicates how original, 
  creative and worthy the art is. These successes can help 
  you determine what the reaction is to that piece of art - 
  something very important to some Kindred (such as the 
  Toreador). 
  Recollection 
  Vampires live so long that sometimes they have trouble 
  recalling particular memories. If a character is trying to 
  remember a fact of any sort, you may want to use this 
  system. The player must roll Intelligence + the appropriate 
  Ability (usually a Knowledge). The difficulty is assigned by 
  the Storyteller, but is usually low and rarely over seven. 
  The more successes, the more the character remembers. 
  Use the following chart as a guideline. A failure indicates 
  nothing was learned and a botch indicates that what the 
  character remembers isn't true (if the player doesn't 
  roleplay this properly, award her fewer experience points, 
  or have her spend a Willpower point for "the strain of 
  recollection"). 
  Successes - Memory 
  1  - A hazy idea of what it was about 
  2 - Most of the facts are recalled (including faces) 
  3 - Names and numbers are recalled 
  4 - Complete recollection 
  5 - Eidetic recollection 
  Track 
  This system is used to track people and things by following 
  the physical trails they leave. The player rolls Perception + 
  Survival (or Investigation in the city - but tracks are rarely 
  left on sidewalks and pavement). The difficulty is based on 
  weather conditions, terrain and the age of the tracks, but 
  averages around eight. Each success lowers the difficulty 
  of the next roll by one. However, you might interrupt this 
  by inserting a tough obstacle with a difficulty of nine, such 
  as when the pursued crosses running water. 
  The character needs to succeed for a certain number of 
  turns; the exact number depends on the length of the trail. 
  Each turn is usually about five minutes long. If the 
  character misses a roll, she can try again; this time, 
  however, the difficulty is one higher. Once it goes above 
  10, the character loses the trail. 
  Investment 
  Regardless of how easily vampires obtain money, an 
  important consideration of security is having money in the 
  future as well as the present. The player makes an 
  Intelligence + Finance roll (difficulty of six, unless the 
  economic climate is especially good or bad); one success 
  indicates the money invested was retained. Five successes 
  indicate that the character's Resources rating increases by 
  one. 
  Forgery 
  This system allows characters to forge documents. Two 
  rolls are required: one to know what type of forms and 
  signatures are necessary, and the other to actually sit down 
  and forge the papers. The player is only able to roll as 
  many dice on the second roll as the number of successes 
  achieved on the first roll. It is very difficult to successfully 
  forge documents. You may wish to make the second roll 
  yourself so the player does not know exactly how good the 
  forgery is. 
  The first roll is made using Intelligence + Bureaucracy (in 
  some cases Linguistics is necessary). The difficulty is based 
  on the complexity of the document being forged (average 
  of 6). A failure means that not enough is known about the 
  nature of these papers and some research must be 
  performed. Another roll can be made after a period of 
  hours or days. A botch indicates the character has no clue 
  of what he is doing, and cannot try to make the roll again 
  unless some new information is found. 
  The second roll is made using Dexterity + Bureaucracy. 
  The difficulty varies but is normally a six. Each success 
  indicates a higher grade of forgery is accomplished - see 
  the chart below for a general idea of relative worth. A 
  failure indicates the paperwork isn't passable at all - it was 
  too difficult for the character and he cannot try again. A 
  botch indicates some fatal flaw was made, which will be 
  readily seen by any official to whom the papers are shown. 
  Successes - Results 
  1  - Passable at a casual glance. 
  2 - Could trick those who have never seen the real thing. 
  3 - Would fool most, but not those familiar with the actual 
  thing. 
  4 - It would take an expert to detect it. 
  5 - Perfect forgery; no one could tell it was a fake.  
  Search 
  This system enables a character to search for something in 
  a confined area, like a room. Have the player roll 
  Perception + Investigation; the difficulty depends on how 
  well concealed the object is (usually between seven and 
  10). Each success indicates more is found. Sometimes a 
  certain number of successes are required to find 
  something that is well hidden. If you want, a lower number 
  of successes could warrant a hint or clue from you 
  indicating where to look, thus encouraging roleplaying and 
  a degree of puzzle solving. As much as possible, lead the 
  player through the search step by step. Have her describe 
  to you where she looks. Don't let her succeed if she doesn't 
  specifically search in the right area, and let her succeed 
  automatically if her description is detailed enough. 
  Cryptology 
  This system is used to decipher codes. The player must roll 
  Intelligence + Linguistics, or Intelligence + Computer if 
  the character is using a computer to help him crack the 
  code. The difficulty will normally be quite high (between 
  8-10, or less if the character uses a computer). Each 
  success cracks more of the code. Multiple rolls can be 
  made to accumulate successes. It takes anywhere from two 
  to 20 successes to fully crack a code, depending on how 
  complicated it is. Each "turn" can be from one minute to 
  one month, depending on the needs of the story, the 
  intricacy of the code, and the use of computers. Any failure 
  indicates all collected successes are lost and the decoding 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  139 
  process must restart from the beginning. A botch indicates 
  total failure; the job can never be attempted again, or the 
  character has misdeciphered the code. 
  To create a code, a character must roll Intelligence + 
  Linguistics three times (difficulty 5). The total number of 
  successes indicates the number of successes it takes to 
  crack the code. 
  Safecracking 
  A character needs a Security rating of four to even attempt 
  to crack a safe. Even then, you should not allow him this 
  specialized ability without an explanation of where he 
  learned to do such a thing (from his background), or a 
  short period of research and eduction. 
  The player must make a Perception + Security roll. The 
  difficulty is based on the solidity of the safe and the tools 
  the character uses. Some safes will be impossible to crack 
  with the tools on hand, regardless of the character's skill. A 
  certain number of successes must be accumulated in order 
  to open the safe. Failure means the character cannot get 
  the safe open and anyone examining it later can tell an 
  attempt was made. A botch usually means an alarm has 
  sounded.  
  Combat 
  Combat in Vampire attempts to capture the drama of 
  violent conflict without downplaying the grim reality of 
  what is going on. We have made every effort to create a 
  system true to the dynamics, limitations and viciousness of 
  real combat, while still leaving room for the unique 
  elements vampires bring to it. 
  There are three types of combat, all of which use the same 
  basic system, yet have some minor differences. They are 
  the firefight, the melee and the brawl. 
  •A firefight is any type of armed combat using projectile 
  weapons - things like Uzis and sawed-off shotguns. 
  Opponents normally need to be within sight of each other 
  in order to engage in a firefight. 
  •Melee refers to fighting with hand weapons - anything 
  from broken bottles to silver axes. Opponents need to be 
  within one or two yards in order to engage in melee. 
  •A brawl describes a hand-to-hand battle fought with bare 
  hands and claws - unarmed combat. Opponents need to be 
  within touching distance to engage in a brawl. 
  The rolls made in combat determine whether or not an 
  attack has succeeded, whether the target dodges and how 
  much damage the target suffers. Almost all combat turns 
  are around three seconds long, though they will take 
  somewhat longer than that to resolve. 
  As with all action scenes, combat turns begin with an 
  initiative roll. However, because combat can sometimes 
  get a little sticky, divide the turn into three stages to make 
  it easier to keep track of things - the Initiative, Attack and 
  Resolution stages. 
  Stage One: Initiative 
  This stage organizes the turn, and here characters must 
  declare their actions. Characters can take a number of 
  different actions - anything from leaping behind a wall to 
  trying to shout a warning. Each player must declare what 
  his character is doing in as much detail as the Storyteller 
  requires. At this point, everyone needs to decide what 
  weapon to use, if any. 
  Characters make initiative rolls using Wits + Alertness 
  (difficulty 4, though Storytellers can vary it if they so 
  desire). The character with the most successes acts first, 
  while those characters who rolled fewer successes take 
  their actions in descending order of successes. Some 
  characters will act simultaneously because they rolled the 
  same number of successes. Those who gain no successes at 
  all on this roll go last, and those who botch do not get to 
  take actions at all.  
  Remember to have the players declare what actions they 
  want their characters to take during the combat turn 
  before going to the Attack Stage. A character splitting his 
  Dice Pool must also declare how many dice to allocate to 
  each action. 
  Anything a character wants to do happens when it is her 
  turn to act. The only exception to this is the dodge, which a 
  character can perform at any time, as long as she has dice 
  left in her Pool. 
  Stage Two: Attack 
  The attack is the meat of the combat turn. It is where the 
  success or failure of an attack is determined, as well as 
  something of its potential impact on the target. 
  The Roll: There are three different types of attack rolls; 
  the type of combat determines which one to use. 
  • For firearms combat, roll Dexterity + Firearms. 
  • For melee (with weapons) combat, roll Dexterity + 
  Melee. 
  • For hand-to-hand (without weapons) combat, roll 
  Dexterity + Brawl. 
  The weapon or attack used by the attacker determines the 
  base difficulty of the roll. The number of dice rolled might 
  be modified by the gun's rate of fire or the use of a scope, 
  but usually the difficulty is only modified by the 
  circumstances around the attack. If no successes are 
  obtained, the character has failed his attack and no 
  damage is inflicted. If a botch is obtained, then not only 
  does the attack fail, but something nasty happens; the 
  Storyteller needs to invent something truly awful. 
  Dodging 
  Any time someone attacks the character, he has the option 
  of dodging. In fact, a player may announce at any time that 
  her character is using an action (or part of it, by dividing 
  her Dice Pool) to dodge, simply by declaring "Dodge!" 
  before the opponent makes an attack roll. In some cases a 
  dodge many not be allowed, such as in confined quarters 
  or in situations where the character has been surprised. 
  The required roll is Dexterity + Dodge; each success takes 
  away one success from the attacker's roll. 
  The difficulty to dodge melee or brawling attacks is a base 
  six, plus one for every opponent after the first. 
  In firefights, the difficulty depends on the availability of 
  nearby cover, behind which a character can dive to avoid 
  getting hit. Each success removes one of the opponent's 
  successes. A character can even take away successes from 
  different opponents, though this means splitting successes 
  between them. After such a dodge attempt, the character 
  usually ends up behind some sort of cover or, at the very 
  least, lying on the ground (if there was no cover to be 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  140 
  found).  
  The difficulty to dodge during firefights is determined by 
  how close cover is. 
  Difficulty - Terrain 
  2 - By moving back half a step, the character is back under 
  full cover. 
  4 - Full cover within diving distance (one yard) 
  6 - Full cover within running distance (three yards) 
  7  - Partial cover within running distance (three yards) 
  8 - Flat and featureless, no cover (the character dives to 
  the ground) 
  Stage Three: Resolution 
  In this stage, characters determine the damage inflicted by 
  their attacks and the Storyteller describes what occurs in 
  the turn. It is a mixture of game and story, for though the 
  dice never lie, the Storyteller must interpret what luck has 
  decreed. 
  Damage: Each weapon or attack allows the wielder to 
  roll a certain number of dice in order to cause damage 
  (difficulty 6). Each success means the target loses one 
  Health Level. Additionally, each success made with a 
  firearm (after any dodge) adds one die to this damage roll. 
  Melee and brawling successes do not add to the damage; 
  however, each point of Potence a character possesses adds 
  one automatic success to melee and brawling damage. 
  Soak: A target may make a roll to see how much damage 
  she "soaks up" due to her natural hardiness. The target 
  rolls Stamina + Fortitude (difficulty 6); every success 
  reduces the damage by one. 
  Exception: Damage and soak rolls are the only rolls in 
  Vampire which cannot be botched. 
  Complications 
  A number of factors determine whether an attack hits or 
  not. Smart combatants head for cover as soon as bullets 
  start flying. Others find that ganging up on one foe in a 
  brawl never hurts. The following modifiers allow 
  Storytellers to account for many of the variables which 
  affect combat. 
  General Complications 
  • Changing Actions: If a character changes her 
  declared actions after the turn has started, the difficulty 
  for the new action increases by one. Generally, the 
  Storyteller should only allow the character to change her 
  declared action if events have made it impossible. "Yes, I 
  know I said my character would jump into the car, but that 
  ghoul just blew it up!" 
  • Immobilization: If a target is immobilized (e.g. held 
  down by someone), but still struggles, the difficulty for the 
  attack roll is lowered by two. However, if the target is  
  completely immobilized (e.g. is tied up or has a stake 
  through the heart), then no roll is required and the attack 
  succeeds automatically. 
  Firefight Complications 
  • Range: Getting close to one's foe is a good idea if a 
  character doesn't mind taking a few shots in return. The 
  range given on the Firearms Chart is the weapon's medium 
  range; the character receives no modifier for shooting at 
  this range. Twice that range is the farthest the weapon can 
  shoot. Shots within this range have their difficulties 
  increased by one. On the other hand, shots made at targets 
  within a yard of the attacker are considered "point-blank"; 
  the difficulty of a point-blank shot is four. 
  • Cover: Intelligent characters use cover to protect 
  themselves from enemy fire. Cover increases the difficulty 
  of an attack depending on how much of the character's 
  body is still out in the open. However, though it acts to 
  protect someone, it can also hamper return fire, and in 
  some rare instances it can completely prevent any return 
  fire. For instance, ducking out from around a corner to 
  shoot may increase the difficulty by one, while watching a 
  shootout through the cracks in a battered wall will prevent 
  a character from firing back at all.  
   Cover 
   Difficulty 
   Lying flat 
   +1  
   Behind pole 
   +2 
   Behind wall 
   +3 
   Only head exposed 
   +4 
   
  • Movement: Shooting at a moving target increases the 
  difficulty by one (or even more), as does shooting while 
  moving at any speed faster than a walk (such as firing out 
  the window of a speeding car). 
  Firefight Complications 
   Complication  Difficulty  Dice 
   Changing action  +1  
   - 
   Immobilization 
   -2 
   - 
   Long range 
   +1  
   - 
   Point-blank 
   4 
   - 
   Lying flat 
   +1  
   - 
   Behind pole 
   +2 
   - 
   Behind wall 
   +3 
   - 
   Only 
  head 
  exposed 
   +4 
   - 
   Movement 
   +1  
   - 
   Aiming 
   - 
   + Perception 
   Scope 
   - 
   +2 
   Specific area of 
  target 
   +2 
   - 
   Mutiple shots 
   +1/extra 
  shot 
   - 
   Full-auto 
   +3 
   +10 
   Three-rou nd 
  burst 
   +1  
   +3 
   Spray 
   5 +1/yard 
   +10 
   
  • Aiming: A character may add her Perception rating to 
  her Dexterity + Firearms Dice Pool if she spends time 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  141 
  aiming. However, it takes one turn for each die added, and 
  during this time the character can do nothing but aim - it 
  takes time and patience to aim. Additionally, the target 
  may not be moving at a speed faster than a walk. Shotguns 
  and SMGs cannot be aimed. 
  If the gun has a scope, the character may add two dice to 
  her Pool in addition to the dice added for Perception. The 
  scope bonus can only be used once per shot - after the +3 
  added in the first round (+2 for the scope and +1 for 
  Perception), the character continues aiming as outlined 
  above. 
  • Targeting: Aiming for a specific location (gun hand, 
  the heart, etc.) increases the difficulty by two. 
  • Multiple Shots: If a character wants to take more 
  than one shot in a turn, he must divide his Dice Pool into 
  two or more actions. Also, for every additional shot after 
  the first, the difficulty increases by one. Ten is, of course, 
  the maximum the difficulty can be raised to. A character 
  can only take as many shots as allowed by the rate of the 
  firearm. 
  This penalty is cumulative. Thus a character adds two on 
  the third shot, and three on the fourth. It is not usually  
  wise to blindly take off potshots; the recoil always catches 
  up with one. Using these rules, it is permissible to fire two 
  or more three-round bursts in a single turn, though a 
  character can only fire on full-auto once per turn (and 
  must reload to do it again). 
  • Full-Auto: The full-auto option is the most damaging 
  attack a firearm can make, as the attacker unloads the full 
  contents of a gun's ammunition clip within a very short 
  time span . However, the gun becomes a bucking bronco, 
  difficult to control and even harder to aim. 
  A character gets 10 additional dice to roll on the attack, 
  thus increasing the chance to hit and cause damage. 
  However, the difficulty is raised by two due to recoil. 
  Full-auto fire can only be done when a weapon has more 
  than half its clip remaining. Whenever a character uses the 
  full-auto option, he uses up the entire clip of the weapon. 
  Reloading takes one full action and requires the 
  character's full concentration (and Dice Pool). 
  • Three-Round Burst: The semi-auto option is the 
  middle ground between the full-auto and the single-shot 
  options, and has some of the strengths and weaknesses of 
  both. A burst gives the attacker three additional dice on 
  the attack roll. However, due to the recoil, the difficulty 
  increases by one. 
  • Spray: When on full-auto, a character can decide to 
  spray across an area instead of focusing on only one foe. A 
  spray uses the extra 10 dice given by full-auto fire, but the 
  attack has a base difficulty of five, increased by one for 
  every yard covered by the spray, in addition to other 
  modifiers.  
  The player divides any successes gained on the attack roll 
  evenly between all targets in the covered area. However, if 
  only one target is in the sprayed area, only half the 
  successes affect him. The player then assigns any leftover 
  successes as she desires. If the attacker rolls fewer 
  successes than there are targets, the player may only 
  assign one to a target until they are used up. This attack 
  also empties the clip. 
  The difficulty of a dodge roll against a spray is increased by 
  two. 
  Melee and Brawling Complications 
  • Multiple Opponents: If a character is battling 
  multiple opponents in close combat, that character's attack 
  and dodge difficulties are increased by one per opponent 
  (to a maximum of 10). 
  • Flank and Rear Attacks: The difficulty of a flank 
  attack is lowered by one, while that of a rear attack is 
  lowered by two. 
  • Stake: Attempts to stake a foe through the heart 
  require at least three successes (even after any dodge), and 
  the attack must do three Health Levels of damage to the 
  target. If this happens, an opposing vampire is 
  immobilized. If the attack succeeds, but not well enough to 
  immobilize the foe, damage is still done normally. 
  • Bite: After a bite which does at least one Health Level 
  of damage to a target, a character may subsequently drain 
  the victim's blood. A bite causes aggravated wounds, but 
  an attacker can only bite after she successfully grapples the 
  target (or has been grappled). 
  Melee Weapons Table 
   Weapon 
   Difficulty 
   Damage 
   Conceal 
   Sap 
   4 
   Strength 
   P 
   Club 
   4 
   Strength +1 
   T 
   Knife 
   4 
   Strength +1 
   J 
   Foil 
   5 
   Strength +3 
   T 
   Saber 
   6 
   Strength +4 
   T 
   Axe 
   7  
   Strength +5 
   N 
   Stake 
   6 
   Strength +2 
   T 
   
   
  • Claw: Only those with the Protean Discipline at rating 
  two or above can employ this maneuver. Claws cause 
  aggravated wounds. 
  • Grapple: An attacker can try to grab a foe, hoping to 
  either immobilize him or get a shot at biting into a vein. If 
  the attacker scores more successes than the opponent's 
  Strength, the attacker can immobilize him. In the next 
  round, she can begin to inflict harm. Any character struck 
  by this attack loses his attacks for the current turn. 
  If the attacker misses altogether (by failing the Dexterity + 
  Brawl roll), she is knocked down and will need to spend an 
  action to get to her feet. 
  Continuing to grapple during each turn after the first 
  requires the combatants to make opposed Strength + 
  Brawl rolls. Whoever accumulates more successes may opt 
  to immobilize the other. If both score the same number of 
  successes, neither gains the upper hand this turn. 
  • Body Slam: A character may also try to charge 
  forward, hurling his weight into his opponent in an 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  142 
  attempt to damage her. It is possible to damage oneself 
  with this attack, as bodies were not meant to be used as 
  battering rams. A character needs three successes to 
  unbalance an opponent and does one level of damage to 
  himself for every success less than three. 
  If the attack succeeds, the opponent is off balance, and the 
  difficulties for the rest of her actions for this round are 
  increased by two. Also, if the opponent does not succeed in 
  a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty of the successes + 3), 
  she falls to the ground. The base damage done by the 
  attacker equals his Strength; each success scored on the 
  attack roll abov e the minimum adds one to this base. If the 
  attacker does not roll at least three successes, this 
  maneuver fails; he falls to the ground and is treated as 
  though he had no dice left in his Pool (unless he has 
  Celerity). 
   
  Brawling Table 
   Maneuver 
   Accuracy 
   Damage 
   Bite 
   5 
   Strength +1  
   Punch 
   6 
   Strength 
   Grapple 
   6 
   Strength 
   Claw 
   6 
   Strength +2 
   Kick 
   7  
   Strength +1  
   Body slam 
   7  
   Special; see 
  Options 
  Armor Chart 
   Class 
   Armor 
  Rating 
   Penalty 
   Class 
  One 
  (reinforced clothing) 
   1  
   0 
   Class Two (armor T-
  shirt) 
   2 
   1  
   Class Three (vest) 
   3 
   2 
   Class 
  Four 
  (flak 
  jacket) 
   4 
   3 
   Class Five (full suit) 
   6 
   4 
   
  Armor 
  A character with body armor can add dice to her soak rolls. 
  Different types of body armor have different armor 
  ratings, which are the number of extra dice rolled on a 
  soak roll. Certain types of armor restrict body motion, and 
  thus penalize the character's Dexterity rolls (any rolls 
  involving this Attribute have their difficulties raised by an 
  amount equal to the penalty).  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  143 
   
  Firearms Table 
  Type Example 
   Difficulty 
   Damage 
   Range 
   Rate 
   Clip 
   Conceal 
  Revolver, Lt. SW M640 
  (.38 Special) 
  6 
   4 
   1 2 
   3 
   6 
   P 
  Revolver, 
  Hvy. 
  Colt 
  Anaconda (.44 magnum) 
  7  
   6 
   35 
   2 
   6 
   J 
  Pistol, 
  Lt. 
  Glock-1 7  
  (9mm) 
  7  
   4 
   20 
   4 
   17+1  
   P 
  Pistol, Hvy. Sig P220 (.45 
  ACP) 
  8 
   5 
   30 
   3 
   7+1  
   J 
  Rifle Remington M-700 
  (.30-06) 
  8  
   8 
  200  
   1  
  5+1   
   N 
  SMG, Small* Ingram 
  Mac-10 (9mm) 
  7   
  4  
  25  
   3 
  30+1   
   J 
   SMG, Large* Uzi (9mm) 
  6 
  4  
  50  
  3  
  32+1   
  T  
  Assault Rifle* Steyr-Aug 
  (5.56mm) 
  7   
  7   
  150  
  3  
  42+1   
  N  
   Shotgun Ithaca M-37 
  (12-gauge) 
  6  
  8  
  20  
  1   
  5+1   
  T  
  Shotgun, 
  Semi-auto 
  Fianchi 
  Law-12 
  (12 
  gauge) 
  7   
  8  
  20  
  3  
  8+1   
  T  
  Crossbow** 
  7   
  5  
  20  
  1   
  1   
  T  
  Range: This is the practical range of the gun in yards. A character may fire up to double the listed 
  range; however, that is considered a long-range shot. 
  Rate: The maximum number of bullets or three-round bursts the gun can fire in a single turn. The 
  rate does not apply to full-auto or spray fire. 
  Clip: The number of bullets that can be held in one clip or in the barrel. The +1 indicates a bullet 
  can be held in the chamber, making the gun ready to fire. 
  Concealment: P = can be hidden in a pocket; J = can be hidden inside a jacket; T = can be 
  hidden inside a trenchcoat; N = cannot be hidden on one's person at all. 
  * indicates the gun is capable of three-round bursts, full-auto fire and sprays. 
  ** The crossbow is included with this list for those characters who wish to use one to stake other 
  vampires. However, unlike firearms, it does not add successes on the attack roll to the Dice Pool for 
  damage. Additionally, a crossbow takes five turns to reload. 
   
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  144 
  Example of Play 
  Story Section 
  I got my brain on hype. 
  Tonight'll be your night. 
  I got this long-assed knife, 
  And your neck looks just right. 
  - Body Count, "Cop Killer" 
    
  Facing the forbidding gates of Shadowlawn Memorial 
  Cemetery, Clarissa stopped to survey the dark graveyard. 
  She and Ian had already scouted the area for watchers, but 
  Clarissa decided one last look couldn't hurt. Her eyes 
  pierced the gloom and swept across the silent scene, 
  lingering momentarily on an especially ornate mausoleum. 
  The tomb was an ominous construction of stone and 
  marble, with detailed paneling across the top and sides: 
  exactly the sort of design Emily would have enjoyed. Emily. 
  Her disappearance had brought Clarissa to this ominous 
  site. She almost shuddered as she stared at the mausoleum. 
  "You Toreador," cackled Ian, following her gaze. "One 
  gaudy statue and you're all atremble. No taste at all." 
  Momentarily , Clarissa glanced at the gaunt shadow of her 
  companion, huddled in his black trenchcoat like a great 
  crow. The Malkavian had been in yet another of his foul 
  moods when they first arrived, but now seemed to be 
  enjoying himself. Perhaps reaching the graveyard had put 
  him in his element. 
  Satisfied no one else was watching, the two slowly climbed 
  the gate and made their way through the cemetery. 
  Knowing Emily, a sculptor in life, enjoyed being alone 
  among statues and carven art, Clarissa headed directly for 
  the most elaborate section of the graveyard. In the dark, the 
  statues and mausoleums seemed to slowly writhe and 
  mock. 
   Rules Section 
  The beaten generation, the beaten generation 
  Reared on a diet of prejudice and misinformation. 
  The beaten generation, the beaten generation 
  Open your eyes, open your imagination.  
  - The The, "The Beat(en) Generation" 
    
  The first session of a game can try any Storyteller, so Mark 
  decides to set the story in Chicago, a city with unlimited 
  potential. The three characters are Clarissa, a renowned 
  Toreador performance artist played by Travis; Ian C. Roper, 
  a manic-depressive Malkavian played by Rob; and Dre, a 
  Crip turned Brujah anarch played by René. 
  Mark wants to immerse the characters immediately into the 
  labyrinth of Chicago's Kindred politics, and Travis makes it 
  easy for him, saying he wants to search for Clarissa's sire, 
  Emily, who disappeared shortly after Presenting her to the 
  prince. Mark decides Clarissa has heard rumors that the 
  dread Sabbat seized Emily, and that the last place Clarissa's 
  sire was seen was Shadowlawn. 
  Afraid to face the Sabbat alone, Travis has Clarissa enlist 
  the aid of Ian, a manic-depressive. Clarissa knows Ian 
  despises being alone, and he joins her at once. Dre, on the 
  other hand, knows neither of the other characters at the 
  beginning of the game, but will meet them at the cemetery. 
  During Dre's prelude, René decided he recently staked out 
  lonely Shadowlawn as his turf. This sets Mark's mind awhirl 
  with the potential stories he could stage in such a place, and 
  he starts this one at the very gates of the graveyard. 
  First, Travis wants Clarissa to use her Heightened Senses to 
  ascertain if anyone else is around. Mark decides the 
  difficulty is six since the graveyard is fairly open and, 
  thanks to her Auspex, Clarissa can see in the dark. Clarissa 
  has a Perception of 2 and an Alertness of 3, and therefore 
  has five total dice in her Pool. She rolls and gets 9, 6, 6, 3, 1. 
  The 1 cancels one of her successes, but she still has two. The 
  Storyteller tells Travis Clarissa is fairly sure no one else is 
  about. 
  Now Clarissa and Ian need to enter the locked cemetery. 
  They decide to climb the gate; the Storyteller says this 
  action has an extremely low difficulty of three since its 
  design leaves hand and footholds everywhere. Both 
  characters have Dexterity ratings of 2 and Athletics ratings 
  of 1, so their Dice Pools equal the action's difficulty. Thus 
  they both succeed automatically, but with only one success. 
  The climb is easy  
     
   "We're not alone," Ian whispered in her ear, so silently only 
  her heightened hearing could pick it up. "You head on." The 
  Malkavian seemed particularly overjoyed, almost ecstatic. 
  Impulsively, Clarissa looked over her shoulder but saw no 
  one. When she looked back, Ian was gone, so she walked 
  slowly along. As soon as she heard Ian hiss, "Why do you 
  follow us?" she doubled back as fast as she could.  
  She saw a black man, apparently in his late 20s, dressed in 
  a blue starter jacket, black jeans, sneakers and a baseball 
   but slow. As the characters begin moving through the 
  cemetery, Rob announces Ian will constantly keep his 
  paranoid eyes open for tails. 
  As they walk through the graveyard, Clarissa and Ian pass 
  by Dre's resting place - a grand mausoleum for a former 
  mayor. Dre, who was quietly preparing himself for the 
  night's hunting, has a chance to hear them as they walk. 
  René rolls three dice for Dre's Perception and two more for 
  his Alertness. Mark rules that since he is not expecting 
  anyone, the difficulty is an eight. The dice come up 10, 8, 8, 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  145 
  cap, squaring off against Ian.  
  "You're on my territory, kook. You Licks got no business 
  here, and I want you gone," he said, before realizing 
  Clarissa had returned. He maneuvered himself so his back 
  rested against a tall tombstone.  
  "You rule here?" Clarissa demanded. "What have you done 
  with Emily?"  
  Dre stared back at her, a befuddled look in his eyes. "Who 
  the hell is Emily?" 
  anyone, the difficulty is an eight. The dice come up 10, 8, 8, 
  7, 5, so Dre has three successes and definitely hears the 
  intruders. 
  René says she wants to know if Dre recognizes the two as he 
  peeps through a crack in the wall. Since Clarissa has a point 
  of Status among the undead due to the prestige of her sire, 
  Mark lets René roll Intelligence + Politics (difficulty 6). 
  René scores one success, and Mark says Dre recognizes 
  Clarissa as a vampire but knows little more about her. 
  After they pass, Dre slips out and begins tailing them. First 
  he must make a Perception + Investigation roll (difficulty 
  6). He only has four dice in his pool, but he gets two 
  successes and can tail them for two turns (six minutes, 
  since that is how long Mark has decided these turns are). 
  Now he must roll six dice to see if he can follow them 
  stealthily. Since only Ian said he was looking out for tails, 
  Dre's difficulty is only five (Ian's Perception + Alertness). 
  Still, he only rolls one success. 
   "Emily. My sire. She came here a week ago and has not 
  been seen since. What have you done with her?" Clarissa 
  was almost screaming as she advanced on the newcomer, 
  the red haze of frenzy shrouding her sight.  
  The man immediately saw what Clarissa was going through. 
  Nervousness rising in his voice, he said "Nothin', G. I've 
  never seen Emily. Nobody ever comes here. Chill out!"  
  Seeing her start to calm down, he added, "Look, I'll make 
  this one exception. Go ahead and look around for your 
  Emily. You've got an hour to find her, then you leave. OK? 
  Never let it be said Dre was anything but fair. Look around 
  to your still heart's content."  
  Quietly, Ian asked, "How did you know we're Kindred? You 
  seem nothing but rabble, if not one of the Clanless. Maybe 
  you're something even worse," he muttered, his voice 
  breaking off into a demented titter. 
   Now Ian may make a roll to notice Dre. His difficulty is 
  seven (Dre's Stealth + 5), and he has five dice in his pool. 
  He rolls two successes and notices the Brujah skulking 
  behind them. 
  After notifying Clarissa, he ducks behind a tree and uses his 
  Obfuscate to melt into the shadows. No roll need be made 
  for this. 
  The confrontation between the three characters is handled 
  purely through roleplaying, and none of the players make 
  any rolls. René decides Dre has no interest in fighting two 
  vampires, so he will just make sure they know the 
  graveyard is his and leave it alone in the future. 
  As the three travel on, Mark has them all make Perception 
  + Alertness rolls to see if they can hear Sheriff's 
  conversation with Michael. Since Mark does not state a 
  difficulty, all the players assume it is six, and each rolls at 
  least one success. To sneak up on the discussion, he tells 
  them to make Dexterity + Stealth rolls, and again does not 
  mention the difficulty. Since they all roll at least one six, 
  Mark rules that they have reached their observation point 
  quietly enough. 
  The players do not need to roll to recognize Sheriff since he 
  is such a well-known figure. Additionally, Mark decides 
  Clarissa automatically recognizes Michael from Toreador 
  parties. Rob says he wants Ian to try and determine if the 
  third figure breathes. Mark allows him to make a 
  Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8), with three 
  successes needed to be sure. Ian rolls two successes on the 
  first turn and one during the second, noting that the figure 
  does indeed breathe. 
   Bristling, Dre replied, "We Brujah know a whole lot more 
  than you think, freak." Seeing Ian's disbelief, Dre added, 
  "You disappear. You reappear. You ain't quite ugly enough 
  to be a sewer rat, so you're a kook. Satisfied?"  
  Relaxing, Clarissa looked around to see Ian smiling, the 
  grin covering his face. "Shall we continue?" he asked. "I'm 
  sure the night's amusements have only just begun."  
  For the next 30 minutes the trio made its way through the 
  cemetery, Dre slowly relaxing. As Clarissa searched, Dre 
  and Ian talked, arguing about the prince of the city, his 
  primogen council, and other matters which meant nothing 
  to Clarissa.  
  Then, as one, they heard voices emanating from a small, 
  unobtrusive section of the graveyard. Quietly they covered 
  the intervening ground. Crouching behind tombstones, they 
  carefully peeked out.  
   However, when Michael pulls out the ring, and Sheriff 
  wipes the blood on the tombstone of Dre's dead homey, 
  both Clarissa and Dre must make Self-Control rolls not to 
  frenzy. Mark rules the difficulty is five for both characters, 
  but Dre's increases by two since he is a Brujah. Dre has four 
  dice to roll and scores one success, while Clarissa's "ones" 
  cancel out all her successes. She flies into a frenzy and 
  attacks Michael, the immediate object of her rage. 
  Mark decides Clarissa has taken the others completely by 
  surprise and may take her first action unopposed. Travis 
  says she will spend a Blood Point to activate her two levels 
  of Celerity, allowing her to take three actions this turn. For 
  her first action, she sprints across the open ground between 
  her and Michael. Once there, she kicks him twice. 
  The difficulty for a kick is seven, and she has four dice in 
  her Pool. Travis scores no successes on his first roll, but the 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  146 
  carefully peeked out.  
  Twenty feet away squatted three figures. Clarissa 
  immediately recognized the huge central shape as one of 
  the prince's lackeys, an imposing vampire known as Sheriff. 
  Another, ou tfitted smartly in tux and cummerbund, was the 
  Toreador Michael, a renowned partier. The third, dressed in 
  a dull brown suit, she did not know, but Ian whispered in 
  her ear, "The one in earth tones is a ghoul."  
  Clarissa also heard Dre mutter angrily, "That's Christian's 
  tomb! The slob's pigs killed him and now he sits on his 
  grave." Clarissa motioned for him to be quiet, and listened 
  intently.  
  "Pleasant evening we're having, wouldn't you say?" Clarissa 
  heard Michael ask Sheriff. "The moon hovers in the sky, 
  bathing us in its sublime radiance. The night wind caresses 
  us with fingers of ice, and "  
  "Is it done?" Sheriff interjected.  
  Obviously annoyed that his soliloquy was interrupted, 
  Michael said, "I've brought what you wanted. Picked it out 
  of the ashes when the sun finished her. Now, you've 
  promised to help me against Sharon. She must feel pain 
  beyond any she believes possible." 
  second roll comes up 8, 8, 7, 1. Her damage roll is Strength 
  + 1 (three dice) and the difficulty for damage is six. She rolls 
  9, 6, 6, and Michael must prepare to lose three Health 
  Levels. Mark rolls Michael's Stamina of 3 (difficulty 6) but 
  only scores one success. Michael is now Hurt and will lose 
  one die from his Pool. 
  To begin the next turn, everyone makes initiative rolls - 
  Wits + Alertness rolls (difficulty 4). Dre gets four successes, 
  Clarissa and Sheriff both score three, Michael (who receives 
  one less die for initiative since he is Hurt) and the ghoul 
  score two and Ian gets none. Now the players declare what 
  their characters will do, in reverse order of successes. 
  Realizing Ian is no combat machine, Rob says he will pump 
  one Blood Point into his Stamina (to help soak any wounds 
  he may receive) and Dominate the ghoul. Mark says it 
  appears the ghoul is reaching into his jacket for something 
  and Michael (whom Mark decides is low on blood) is 
  dodging. Travis says Clarissa will put a Blood Point into 
  Strength and punch Michael, while Mark says Sheriff drops 
  the ring and will try to grapple her. Now mad at Sheriff, and 
  always itching for a fight, Dre decides to spend a point of 
  blood on his Celerity so he can run to Sheriff and punch 
  him all in one turn. 
  Dre uses no dice to run up to Sheriff, but must wait until 
  everyone else has acted to punch him. Mark decides Sheriff 
  will change his action and punch Dre, who seems to be the 
  more immediate threat to his well-being. Since Sheriff has 
  pumped blood into his Strength, Dexterity and Stamina, his 
  pool to punch Dre has eight dice. The normal difficulty is 
  six, but it increases to seven since he changed his action for 
  the turn. He still scores three successes on the roll, and then 
  rolls four dice for the damage. While he only scores one 
  success on that roll, he also delivers three automatic levels 
  of damage from his Potence. Dre manages to soak two of 
  them, but is now Hurt. 
  Clarissa punches Michael and scores two successes. He rolls 
  two dice to dodge and botches! The Storyteller decides he 
  will not be able to use his Celerity for any more actions this 
  turn as he had planned. Clarissa again rolls three dice for  
    
     
   "Let me see it," Sheriff commanded. Michael reached into 
  his pocket and pulled out a small bag. From the bag he took 
  out a bloodstained ring. With a finger he cleaned the ring - 
  Emily's famed ruby ring. He wiped the blood on Christian's 
  tombstone. 
    
  Dre squelched a growl of anger to her left, but Clarissa 
  could not hold back her rage. With an amazing burst of 
  speed she charged Michael. Before anyone could react, she 
  thrust her left foot at his side. It skimmed past his stomach, 
  but left him off balance for her next kick, which slammed 
  into his groin. 
    
  A red haze began clouding Clarissa's vision, but from the 
  corner of her eye she noticed Dre charge right into Sheriff's 
  ham-sized fist. She also thought she heard Ian yell 
  something, and then heard sounds of retching from the 
  ghoul. Ignoring all this, Clarissa slammed her fist into 
  Michael's cheek and heard a satisfying crunch. Michael 
  stumbled to the left, and planted his foot squarely on a 
  bouquet left at one of the graves. It skidded out from under 
  him, sending him careening into a tombstone. 
   damage thanks to the Blood Point she previously spent on 
  Strength, and again scores three successes. Michael only 
  soaks one and drops down to Wounded, losing two dice on 
  future rolls. 
  The ghoul pulls a heavy pistol from his shoulder holster and 
  looks around for a target just in time to make eye contact 
  with Ian. Using the Command the Wearied Mind power of 
  Dominate, Ian yells "Regurgitate!" He rolls his 
  Manipulation + Intimidation (six dice) against the ghoul's 
  Willpower of 6. He scores three successes, and the ghoul 
  will spend the next turn making his suit very messy. 
  The next turn begins and everyone makes initiative rolls. 
  The turn's order turns out to be Sheriff, Clarissa, Ian, Dre 
  and Michael (Mark decides the ghoul will obviously not act 
  this turn). Michael will spend Blood Points on his Dexterity 
  and Celerity before dodging and then punching Clarissa, all 
  the while trying to heal a Health Level. Dre again activates 
  his Celerity and will dodge and punch Sheriff. Forsaking his 
  better judgment, Ian leaves his place of concealment and 
  advances on the ghoul. Clarissa continues spending Blood 
  Points on Celerity and punching Michael. Finally, Sheriff 
  will spend blood on his Celerity and punch Dre several 
  times. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  147 
  Sheriff scores three successes on his first attack, but Dre 
  rolls an equal number of dodge successes, thus canceling 
  out the punch. Clarissa punches Michael and scores one 
  success, 
    
     
   Clarissa drove her fists repeatedly into Michael's face and 
  body, quickly knocking him to the ground. She took no 
  notice of the damage Sheriff was doing to Dre as her whole 
  world shrank to nothing more than the motion of her hands 
  and their impact on her enemy. 
    
  Suddenly a hand reached over and snatched Michael away. 
  Her vision returned in time to see Sheriff run off into the 
  darkness of the graveyard. As she slowly regained her 
  senses, she saw Dre lying on the ground next to the ruby 
  ring. Moving slowly, like a puppet manipulated from afar, 
  she stooped and picked up the ring from the wet grass 
  where it lay. 
   while Michael scores none on his dodge. She delivers two 
  more levels of damage, of which only one is soaked. Ian 
  moves up to the ghoul. Dre and Michael have spent their 
  first actions on dodges and may not act now, though 
  Michael makes his roll to heal a level of damage. He rolls 
  Stamina + Survival (three dice) and rolls one 8, allowing 
  him to heal one Health Level. 
  Using his Celerity, Sheriff takes another swing at Dre. Dre 
  uses his level of Celerity to dodge once more; the difficulty 
  increases by one because he is changing actions. This time 
  Sheriff scores one more success than Dre does, and hits for 
  two levels of damage plus his Potence. Dre soaks three and 
  is now Injured. Clarissa swings at Michael and connects 
  again, this time taking him all the way down to Crippled. 
  Sheriff has two more actions this turn, and uses one to hit 
  Dre again, dropping him to Mauled. Clarissa attacks Sheriff 
  with her last point of Celerity, but he soaks all her damage. 
  Seeing that he will be facing three vampires by himself next 
  turn, Sheriff splits his Dice Pool for his last action of the 
  turn. He prepares to leave by grabbing Michael and the 
  ghoul. 
  Winning the initiative in the next turn, he runs away faster 
  than the neonates can hope to follow. Clarissa spends a 
  point of Willpower to control her frenzy, and takes that turn 
  to pick up the ring - her only clue to the many mysteries of 
  the night. 
     
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  148 
  Appendix 
  He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill. Our Antagonist is our helper. 
  - E.Burke, Refelections 
  Antagonists 
  Many individuals and organizations will oppose the 
  characters throughout the chronicle. These antagonists are 
  not necessarily the enemies of the characters, but they 
  always have different goals. 
  Mortals 
  Though individual mortals are weak in comparison to 
  Kindred, in numbers they can be deadly antagonists. 
  Police Officer 
  Most local cops can be found in police cruisers, often with 
  a partner. Help is only a radio call away, and one to five 
  other patrol cars will arrive within minutes of an 
  emergency call. In extreme emergencies, 50 or more police 
  officers can be called in to help within 15 minutes. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 7/5/3, Abilities: 
  15/9/3, Background: 7, Willpower: 5 
  Suggested Attributes: Police officers possess a rating 
  of two in all Attributes, except for Physical Traits which 
  are rated at three. 
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Leadership 1, Brawl 
  2, Streetwise 1, Dodge 2, Security 3, Repair 1, Firearms 3, 
  Drive 2, Melee 1, Stealth 1, Investigation 2, Bureaucracy 1, 
  Computer 1, Law 2, Police Procedure 3 
  Equipment: Light Revolver, Light Automatic Pistol, 
  Pump Shotgun, Billy Club, Handcuffs, Radio, Badge, 
  Flashlight 
  Police Detective 
  Police detectives are called to the scenes of murders and 
  other major crimes. They are the officers who will become 
  involved in investigating matters related to Kindred. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 8/5/3, Abilities: 
  17/9/3, Background: 7, Willpower: 7  
  Suggested Attributes: Detectives possess ratings of 
  two in all Attributes, except for Perception and Wits, 
  which are rated at three. 
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 3, Leadership 2, Brawl 
  2, Streetwise 4, Intimidation 1, Subterfuge 3, Dodge 1, 
  Security 3, Repair 1, Firearms 3, Drive 2, Melee 1, Stealth 
  1, Investigation 4, Bureaucracy 1, Computer 1, Law 2, 
  Police Procedure 4 
  Equipment: Light Revolver, Light Automatic Pistol, 
  Handcuffs, Radio, Badge, Flashlight  
  Government Agent 
  These characters can be from the FBI, the NSA, the CIA or 
  whatever local government agency is appropriate. They 
  will often have a tremendous amount of backup and 
  possess considerable authority. The Camarilla severely 
  punishes those who kill or even interact with such agents; 
  the risk to the Masquerade is too great. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 9/5/4, Abilities: 
  18/10/6, Background: 7, Willpower: 8 
  Suggested Attributes: Agents have ratings of three in 
  all Attributes, except for Perception and Intelligence, 
  which are rated at least four. 
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 3, Leadership 3, Brawl 
  3, Acting 1, Intimidation 2, Dodge 2, Subterfuge 1, 
  Athletics 1, Security 3, Firearms 3, Drive 3, Stealth 3, 
  Investigation 4, Bureaucracy 2, Politics 1, Computer 1, Law 
  3, Police Procedure 5 
  Equipment: Light Revolver, Heavy Automatic Pistol, 
  Submachine Gun, Radio, Video Camera, Forensics Lab, 
  Portable Phone Tap, Portable Lie Detector, Bugs, Class II 
  Armor, Mirrorshades 
  SWAT Officer 
  These officers are specially trained with high-power 
  weapons and military tactics. If things ever get out of hand 
  with the characters, they will certainly be called in. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 8/5/3, Abilities: 
  15/9/3, Background: 7, Willpower: 6 
  Suggested Attributes: SWAT officers possess ratings 
  of two in all Attributes, except for Physical Attributes, 
  which are rated at three. 
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 3, Leadership 2, Brawl 
  3, Streetwise 1, Dodge 3, Security 3, Repair 2, Firearms 4, 
  Drive 3, Melee 2, Stealth 2, Intimidation 2, Law 1, Police 
  Procedure 3 
  Equipment: Light Automatic Pistol, Submachine Gun, 
  Radio, Bullhorn, Class III Body Armor, Battering Ram, 
  Rappelling Equipment, Armored Vehicle 
  Witch-Hunter 
  Witch-hunters are generally agents of the Inquisition, 
  often members of one of the various holy orders, but can 
  be any who hunt vampires. A number of priests have 
  become involved in the Inquisition through their efforts to 
  tend their flocks. They form the network that supports the 
  activities of the Inquisition's agents. All that they do, 
  however, is without the formal knowledge of the Church. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 8/6/3, Abilities: 
  21/12/7, Background: 6, Willpower: 9 
  
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  Suggested Attributes: Priests have ratings of two in 
  all Attributes, except for Charisma and Intelligence, which 
  are often rated at four.  
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Leadership 3, 
  Intimidation 3, Dodge 1, Subterfuge 2, Empathy 4, Repair 
  (carpentry) 2, Animal Ken 2, Survival 1, Etiquette 3, 
  Medicine 3, Investigation 2, Bureaucracy 2, Politics 2, 
  Linguistics 3, Theology 5, Philosophy 4, Art 2, History 2, 
  Teaching 3, Occult 3 
  Equipment Available: Bible, Silver Cross, Medal of 
  St. Ignatius, Relics, Robes 
    
  Minister: Some ministers of other faiths - Christian, 
  Jewish and Moslem - may search or hunt for vampires. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 8/5/3, Abilities: 
  18/9/3, Background: 7, Willpower: 8 
  Suggested Attributes: See Priest, above. 
  Suggested Abilities: Leadership 4, Acting 2, 
  Intimidation 1, Subterfuge 2, Empathy 2, Drive 1, Music 2, 
  Survival 1, Etiquette 2, Bureaucracy 2, Finance 2, 
  Linguistics 3, Theology 4, Philosophy 3, Art 2, Psychology 
  2 
  Equipment: Bible, Crucifix, Automobile 
  True Faith 
  Those of true faith are able to ward off vampires using the 
  cross or other holy symbols; this is believed to be more a 
  function of the faith of the wielder than the symbol itself. 
  It is possible that a person without a symbol is capable of 
  warding off a vampire merely through the use of religious 
  words - normally, however, a symbol is required. 
  Especially religious characters may possess a Faith rating 
  from 1 -10, which describes their essential holiness, faith 
  and closeness with their deity. 
  Each turn a vampire attempts to approach the individual, 
  a Willpower roll must be made. The Faith rating is the 
  difficulty for the roll. The number of successes indicates 
  how many steps forward the vampire may take. Failure 
  means no approach is possible, while a botch indicates 
  either a Health Level is lost (due to pain) or the vampire 
  flees in the grip of the Rötschreck. 
  Faith may also be used, on rare occasions, to determine if 
  a miracle takes place; the nature of a given miracle is 
  completely up to the Storyteller. 
  Scholar: These intellectuals are involved in the 
  gathering and classification of paranormal matters of all 
  sorts, including the Kindred. They are not interested in 
  violent confrontation with the supernatural and will avoid 
  such at all costs. Interference or contact with them is 
  forbidden by the Camarilla. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 9/6/3, Abilities: 
  15/9/3, Background: 7, Willpower: 6 
  Suggested Attributes: Scholars possess ratings of 2 
  in all Attributes, except in Perception and Intelligence, 
  which are rated at 3 or even 4. 
  Suggested Abilities: Leadership 4, Acting 2, 
  Intimidation 1, Subterfuge 2, Empathy 2, Drive 1, Music 2, 
  Survival 1, Etiquette 2, Bureaucracy 2, Finance 2, 
  Linguistics 4, Occult 4, Philosophy 3, Art 2, Psychology 2, 
  Science 2 
  Equipment: Automobile, various gadgets, investigative 
  paraphernalia 
  Vampires 
  The greatest enemy of the vampire is another of his own 
  kind. 
  Neonate: These are vampires who have not yet reached 
  100 years of age and are usually of the ninth through 13th 
  (or greater?) generations - the "teenagers" among 
  vampires. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 7/5/3, Abilities: 
  13/9/3, Background: 7, Virtues: 10, Willpower: 7, 
  Disciplines: 4 
  Ancilla: These are the vampires who have survived more 
  than 100 years, though the term is used very loosely. They 
  are often of the seventh, eighth, or ninth generations. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 9/6/4, Abilities: 
  18/9/3, Background: 7, Virtues: 10, Willpower: 8, 
  Disciplines: 6 
  Elder: These are Kindred of the fifth, sixth or seventh 
  generations, who have survived between 300 and 1000 
  years and therefore have considerable inherent power. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 10/7/5, Abilities: 
  21/9/3, Background: 12, Virtues: 6, Willpower: 9, 
  Disciplines: 10 
  Methuselah: These vampires are of the fourth or fifth 
  generations, and are often members of the Inconnu. They 
  no longer concern themselves with the affairs of mortals. 
  They are usually over 1000 years old. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 12/8/6, Abilities: 
  24/12/7, Background: 12, Virtues: 6, Willpower: 9, 
  Disciplines: 15 
  Antediluvian: These Ancients are of such immense 
  power that to assign them Traits of any sort would be 
  foolish - they are far too powerful for this game system to 
  define. Simply assume that any conflict between an 
  Antediluvian and any other Kindred (including the 
  characters) would automatically result in the Ancient's 
  victory. To the other vampires, they are gods, and it is 
  nearly impossible to defeat them - at least directly. Only 
  through the use of creative tactics, diplomacy, and 
  coordination between many allies is it possible to defeat an 
  Antediluvian's plans. 
  Ghouls 
  A mortal who drinks the blood of a vampire, but has not 
  first been drained, becomes a ghoul. Ghouls do not age as 
  long as they feed on vampire blood regularly, and may 
  even gain some of the special powers of a vampire. 
  However, they can travel during the day and are not 
  especially susceptible to fire. Such ghouls do not even need 
  to be human; animals can be changed as well (but 
  Animalism is generally needed in order to control them).  
  Kindred create such creatures regularly, as a means of 
  creating loyal servants who are able to protect them during 
  the day. Permission is required from the prince in order to 
  create a ghoul, or so the Council of the Camarilla has 
  ruled, for it technically breaks the restrictions of the 
  Masquerade. Ghouls are generally told very little and are 
  too fearful of their masters to relay much information. 
  
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  A ghoul can become Blood Bound to her creator just as a 
  vampire can. Thus, after three feedings, the ghoul is 
  inexorably Bound to her master. However, if the ghoul 
  spends more than a year without receiving blood from her 
  master, she ceases to be Blood Bound. If she spends more 
  than a month without being fed vampire blood she 
  becomes fully mortal once again. Once the point of her 
  natural lifespan has passed, the ghoul must always have 
  vampire blood in her; otherwise she will die very quickly - 
  within a few days, or in a few rare instances, a few hours. 
  No statistics can be given for ghouls, since they differ 
  greatly from  one another - simply take a mortal and adapt 
  her Traits to make her more "ghoulish." 
  Werewolves 
  Werewolves, or Lupines, are described in great detail in 
  Vampire's companion game, Werewolf: The Apocalypse. 
  However, if you do not intend to make werewolves a focus 
  of your chronicle, the following rules should suffice. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 7/5/3, Abilities: 
  15/9/3, Background: 5, Willpower: 8, Disciplines: 6 
  (equivalents, usually physically -oriented) 
  They have several powers: 
  •Werewolves are able to attack several times per turn 
  (Celerity from 2-8 without a blood restriction). 
  •They automatically heal back a Health Level every turn 
  (only silver weapons or the teeth and claws of Kindred can 
  harm them permanently). 
  •The claws and fangs of Lupines cause aggravated wounds. 
  • While in wolf-man form, Lupines are able to make 
  shocking use of frenzy. They completely let the Beast loose 
  when in wolf-man form and in return can expect to retain 
  their Humanity when in human form. In a story with 
  Lupines, grant them all the benefits of frenzy in combat, 
  but allow them to release themselves any time after they 
  have tasted blood. 
  •They can shapechange into a variety of forms, all of them 
  some variation of the wolf. Thus they can change into a 
  wolf, a man, or something halfway in between (a wolf-
  man). When werewolves are met during the day, treat 
  them as mundane mortals - it is only if they are met at 
  night, in wolf form, that they have special abilities. 
  In wolf form, all their Physical Attributes are doubled (yes, 
  very nasty). However, they are no longer able to use Social 
  Attributes in connection  
  with any creature other than werewolves and other wild 
  beasts. They may also be able to use many different 
  Disciplines (equivalents of the vampire Disciplines). 
  Magi 
  Treat wizards as normal human beings except for their 
  magical powers. In general they are extremely disdainful 
  of the Kindred, but are always extremely cautious around 
  them. Many of them have a special contempt for the 
  Tremere, whom they consider to be traitors and blood-
  wizards. 
  Character Creation: Attributes: 7/5/3, Abilities: 
  21/12/8, Background: 9, Willpower: 9, Disciplines: 12 
  (equivalent) 
  See the Thaumaturgy Discipline for ideas on how the 
  wizards can use magic, but understand that they are far 
  more capable than the Tremere in these magical arts. 
  Simply write down a number of effects (spells) which you 
  would like them to be able to use. Make them as creative 
  and specific as you can, and as spectacular as you would 
  like. Let the mage use each spell you have written down 
  once per scene. Keep in mind that magi are, in general, 
  much more powerful in places with magical auras and 
  times of magical significance. 
  Faeries 
  Faeries are the strange and enigmatic creatures who live in 
  the mystical, magical realm of Arcadia, but occasionally 
  cross over into our world. They are able to do so only on 
  the most magically significant days, and go to great lengths 
  to remain unseen from mortal eyes (they are greatly aided 
  by natural Obfuscate powers). 
  In terms of faerie powers, simply provide them with a 
  variety of Disciplines, as well as various illusion powers. 
  The physical forms of faeries range from tiny sprites to 
  mighty tree-lords; give them whatever Attributes you 
  deem appropriate, but most have high Wits. 
  Vampire are generally unable to travel to Arcadia, but it is 
  rumored that Kindred especially skilled in the Discipline 
  of Auspex may do so. 
  Ghosts 
  Ghosts are everywhere, but are usually unseen. Vampires, 
  being dead themselves, often find themselves in contact 
  with such forsaken souls. Most ghosts have the equivalent 
  of the Auspex and Thaumaturgy Disciplines. 
  
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  Forged in Steel 
  This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and 
  when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. 
  - Rorschach's Journal, The Watchmen 
   
  What follows is a brief example of a Vampire chronicle. 
  It demonstrates some of the preparation work that should 
  be done before a chronicle begins, and details some of the 
  products of that work as well. If you, as the Storyteller, 
  intend to use this for your own chronicle, plan on spending 
  some more preparation time fleshing out what is 
  presented here. Though the information that follows is 
  enough to begin, the more detail you have developed, the 
  smoother the chronicle will run. 
  This chronicle was created by the Storyteller (Mark) 
  specifically for his players (Stewart, Lisa and Steve). He 
  didn't know who their characters would be at first, so some 
  things changed after the chronicle began. 
  The name of this chronicle was taken from the city motto 
  of Gary, Indiana: Built on Sand, Forged in Steel. 
    
  Concepts 
  When Mark first started to imagine the setting, he sat 
  down and wrote a list of words to describe what feelings 
  and images he wanted the setting to evoke. These helped 
  him more carefully delineate what he wanted the chronicle 
  to incorporate. 
  After writing down two or three words, he realized that his 
  images were centered around a movie he had just seen, 
  Roger and Me, which depicted the decay and poverty in 
  the Rust Belt. This made him think about Gary, a city just 
  to the east of Chicago, which he had driven through the 
  summer before on his way to Milwaukee. He immediately 
  decided to make Gary, Indiana the setting of the chronicle. 
  He continued to add words to the list by conjuring more 
  images of what Gary might be like in the Gothic-Punk 
  world of Vampire: 
    
  • Old tattered billboards 
  •Run-down 
  •Beyond hope, beyond despair 
  •Rust - Rust Belt 
  •Steel mills, factories 
  •Pollution 
  •Chain-link fences 
  • Poverty-stricken, deteriorating streets 
  •Abandoned houses 
  •Lake Michigan 
  •Run-down harbor  
  • Container ships 
  •Gothic cathedral amidst the ruins 
  •Squalor and lethargy  
  •Empty warehouses 
  • Pool halls 
  •Abandoned urban renewal projects 
  • Burnt-out street lights 
  •Greed 
  • Drugs 
  •Gangs 
  •Graffiti 
  •Projects 
  •Abandoned stores 
  •Unemployment 
  • Opulence and decadence 
  •Zombie people 
  • Aging, decaying mansions 
  •Filth-choked rivers 
    
  Premise 
  After brooding a while, and using the list of images to 
  build from, Mark invented the overall premise of the 
  chronicle. He decided that the chronicle would involve a 
  lot of intrigue, and be crowned with such themes as 
  betrayal and decadence. He hoped that this sort of 
  atmosphere would fit in well with the ambiance of the 
  setting. 
  Because Gary is too small to have much intrigue, he knew 
  that the majority of the intrigue would have to originate in 
  Chicago. From that premise sprang the idea of making the 
  cities of Gary and Chicago arch-rivals. For generations, 
  their princes had fought, each with a different power base, 
  but with the collapse of the steel industry, the power of 
  Gary has fallen. Not only are the living of Gary in misery, 
  but so are the undead. By setting up Gary in opposition to 
  Chicago, Mark hoped to create a dramatic situation from 
  the very beginning. As a result of this basic concept, he 
  came up with a number of different ideas: 
  •Gary is in even worse shape than in our world. The city is 
  in a terrible state of decay - a perfect place for vampires to 
  hunt. Few notice any more how many people disappear 
  each year. Industry has completely fled the area, leaving a 
  desolate patch of rust known as the Wasteland. 
  • Gary is ruled by a prince who is something less than a 
  prince. Modius is the arch-rival of Lodin, the Prince of 
  
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  Chicago, and at one time they were fairly evenly matched. 
  Modius controlled the unions while Lodin controlled big 
  business. However, Lodin purposefully destroyed the steel 
  industry in order to destroy Modius' power base. He was 
  so successful that Modius lost almost all of his power. 
  Today, he is only a pale reflection of his formerly 
  combative self. Lodin has won, hands down. 
  •The success of Lodin over Modius peaked when Lodin 
  was able to win away a Conclave. Twenty-three years ago, 
  as a last-ditch effort to defeat Lodin, Modius convinced the 
  Toreador Justicar to call for a Conclave to be held in Gary. 
  It ended abysmally, and was reconvened in Chicago the 
  next day. Though Lodin was  
  unable to depose Modius, he was able to secretly force 
  Modius to agree to "confer" with Lodin on all major 
  decisions. 
  •The prince of Chicago has banned the creation of 
  neonates for the last fifteen years, in an attempt to gain 
  more control over the anarchs. However, this has simply 
  led the vampires of Chicago to bring their neonates to Gary 
  to release them. Modius is known to welcome newcomers. 
  •Chicago is known for the vehement and subtle intrigue of 
  its inhabitants. The Jyhad is constantly in motion in 
  Chicago; some even whisper than an Ancient is active in 
  the city. 
  Setting 
  After completing his basic conception, Mark sat down and 
  got into the nitty-gritty work of designing the setting. This 
  was essentially the task of creating the city of Gary. The 
  characters could thus involve themselves in the riotous 
  Chicago politics without being swept away by them. 
  Gary is situated on the east side of Chicago, and was once a 
  fairly prosperous industrial area. In the early '70s, 
  however, the steel industry fled abroad, and the city was 
  left with no tax base. Things spiraled downward and the 
  area has today lost nearly 50% of its population. Gary is 
  possibly the most dismal and decaying city in the nation - 
  and for the sake of the Gothic-Punk world, the squalor is 
  emphasized. 
  The Kindred of Gary frequently go to Chicago for fun, but 
  they are severely harassed by the Kindred of Chicago. The 
  Prince of Chicago claims greater Chicago as his domain, 
  but accepts Modius as a lieutenant, while Modius is 
  strident in declaring that he is the Prince of Gary, not one 
  of Lodin's lieutenants. They hate each other and have not 
  met in years. 
  Some important "neighborhoods" in Gary are: 
  •The Wasteland: A huge tract of rusting and decaying 
  factories known as the Wasteland stretches along most of 
  the waterfront and east of the dockyards. It is bordered by 
  Lake Michigan to the north and the Indiana East tollway 
  to the south. From the highway, it is all too easy to see the 
  devastation, all eight miles of it. Flakes of rust cover 
  everything in the Wasteland, and drums of toxic waste can 
  be found everywhere. The federal government once 
  attempted to track down the ex-owners and force a 
  cleanup, but they were unable to locate any who still lived 
  in the United States. These steel mills, factories and 
  warehouses were once thriving economic centers; now 
  they are almost completely abandoned except for the 
  presence of a number of street gangs who use the empty 
  buildings as their bases of operations. It is thought that 
  some of the anarchs from Chicago also have a meeting 
  place in the Wasteland. It is difficult to know for sure what 
  lies in the Wasteland, since not even the police dare enter 
  it anymore. 
  •Dockyards: Ocean vessels can reach Gary via the St. 
  Lawrence Seaway. Almost all of the ship cargo bound to 
  and from Chicago is unloaded in Gary. The docks are 
  almost the only source of employment in Gary in these 
  hard times. However, they are not even located in Gary, 
  but are found in the Chicago suburb of East Chicago, 
  which Modius also claims. 
  •Gary Exports Co.: This company operates a highly 
  successful smuggling venture (mostly drugs and guns) 
  which will transport vampires on the side. Passengers are 
  placed in a specially -built container, and then loaded on 
  board a freighter. Customs inspectors are bribed not to 
  look in the container and the vampires get off in another 
  country at night - all without ever seeing the light of day. 
  •The Auction: Each Saturday night, a ghoul named 
  Williams holds an auction in an abandoned church - 
  human beings are the commodities for sale. It is a slave 
  auction, of a sort not seen for over 100 years. Men, woman 
  and even children are sold. Most often they are street 
  people rounded up by William's men, but sometimes they 
  are kidnapped from their homes. All of them are 
  tranquilized so as to make less trouble. Many Kindred 
  from Chicago come to the auction to acquire vessels which 
  suit their peculiar tastes more easily. 
  Williams seeks both money and blood from the vampires, 
  for he wishes to preserve his ghoulish powers. However he 
  will not drink more than twice from any vampire, out of 
  fear that he will become Blood Bound once again. It is said 
  that he destroyed the vampire who first gave him blood. 
  Whatever the truth, almost all fear him. 
  This is one of the more disgusting and demented aspects 
  of the Gary Chronicle, and hopefully the characters will 
  take it upon themselves to end it. If the characters use the 
  auction to procure meals, they need to make Conscience 
  rolls (difficulty 10!) to avoid losing Humanity. 
  Characters 
  With only a few exceptions, the players may choose nearly 
  any sort of characters. Tell the players before they create 
  their characters that they need to make their characters fit 
  the "Lords of the City" concept. They should feel 
  responsible for Gary, and strive to keep it free of the 
  Chicago Kindred. This desire can grow, but the seed 
  should be present from the very start. 
  There are only seven other vampires in Gary. They include 
  Modius, the prince; Allicia, his progeny; Michael, who 
  lives in a graveyard; Juggler, the anarch of Gary; Evelyn, 
  his childe; Lucian, the elder who controls the docks; and 
  Danov, who is a simple wanderer. 
  The general idea in this fairly simple chronicle is to set 
  things up with the characters, and then to let them pursue 
  and create their own goals and plots. The best way to do 
  that is to give each character a unique enemy, an 
  antagonist of some sort. In the "Cast Of Characters" 
  section, we have described a number of potential 
  antagonists, both mortal and Kindred. Pick the 
  appropriate ones for each character and weave them into 
  the  
  chronicle at opportune times. You don't want to be too 
  heavy-handed, though. 
  
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  Each prelude should be private (though that may cause the 
  players to distrust each other) and should introduce the 
  player to the setting. It will give you a chance to implant 
  some of the crucial elements of the chronicle into the 
  character's persona and the player's mind before the 
  chronicle even begins. Because the chronicle is 
  complicated and intrigue-filled, it is almost essential that 
  the players be primed to participate in the great "Chicago 
  Game." 
  All the sires of the characters are from Chicago. Lodin has 
  forbidden the creation of neonates for the last 18 years, so 
  the characters' sires went to Gary to Embrace those whom 
  they chose (for one reason or another). They have gone 
  against the wishes of their prince, but their crimes are 
  difficult to punish. 
  Near the end of the prelude, bring the players together and 
  let them get to know each other before the chronicle 
  actually begins. Each character will know one or two 
  others; in this way a network will be formed. 
  The characters will have likely lived in Gary for only a 
  short time, though some of them certainly could have lived 
  here for up to 10 or 15 years. However, for this concept to 
  work best, direct the prelude so that most of the characters 
  are unfamiliar with the other undead inhabitants of the 
  city. It shouldn't be too hard to do, for most Kindred live 
  out their unlives in near-solitude. 
  Character Contacts 
  Below are listed five different contacts you can give your 
  players during the prelude. They make it easier for the 
  characters to become a part of the chronicle. It may be 
  difficult to weave these situations into the prelude, but 
  they are well worth the effort. These connections are 
  described in terms of the type of contact each will be, and 
  you should judge each character carefully when you decide 
  what connection to use. 
  • Romance - After the character first comes to Gary, he 
  may realize that he is being watched. Do not present it in 
  such a way that the character will be frightened or 
  paranoid, but make it seem beautiful, gentle and romantic. 
  It is Allicia who is watching him, though at first the 
  character will not know her name; he will only see a 
  beautiful woman wearing yellow lace. If approached, she 
  will always flee, using her Obfuscate to good purpose. She 
  will never speak with the character. Eventually, Allicia will 
  reveal herself fully to the character -using some dramatic 
  means to do so, perhaps by simply waiting for him in his 
  haven late one night as he returns. She still will not speak, 
  but will make it obvious that she wishes to share blood.  
  • Charity - The character meets Michael, perhaps by 
  noticing a strange lurching figure with a pale aura 
  wandering about the city. At first he will be very frightened 
  if the character presents herself to him. He may even try to 
  feed from her, if he doesn't realize she is Kindred. Once his 
  fright is over, he will make a very interesting friend. 
  Michael's loyalty knows no limits - once he has given his 
  love and trust, it can never be broken. However, there is 
  one complication. The witch-hunter, Sullivan Dane, has 
  been watching Michael for some time, and may begin to 
  follow the character as well after seeing her with Michael. 
  Sullivan plans to uncover all of the undead of Gary and 
  Chicago (he does not realize how many there are) before 
  he hunts them down. Once he is led to Modius, his hunt 
  will begin and the character may be blamed by Modius. 
  • Dangerous Friendship -The characters meet 
  Evelyn somewhere in the Wasteland. She is wandering 
  about, exulting in her new powers, reveling in her new 
  perceptions and desires. She is the childe of Juggler, but 
  will not admit such at first. It is presumed that she and the 
  characters will become friends, but remember Evelyn has 
  a death wish and will lead the characters into much 
  danger. Through Evelyn, the characters will eventually 
  meet her brother, Gregory, a detective in the Chicago 
  police force. She has broken the Masquerade and told him 
  of her condition. Evelyn doesn't realize the magnitude of 
  what she has done; otherwise she would tell no Kindred 
  about him. Later on, Special Agent Shepard may learn of 
  the characters through his connection with Detective 
  Stephens. These are dangerous contacts to have, for in 
  times of crisis they may well turn against the characters 
  (whom they will use for information). But if a friendship 
  can be struck and trust built, they can come in handy. Of 
  course, if the characters tell them anything, and it is found 
  out, a Blood Hunt will be called against the characters for 
  their violation of the Masquerade. 
  • Adopted Son -When one of the characters is 
  introduced to Modius, really play it out. Make the sire of 
  that character very cruel, but play up Modius' charm and 
  good taste (he's having a good day). The plan is to make 
  Modius and the character good friends. Modius' 
  weaknesses will no doubt eventually be revealed, but they 
  should already be friends by then, so that the player will 
  understand why Modius is so. Modius will adopt the 
  character, treating him as if he were his own childe. He 
  will even introduce the character to Allicia, hoping the two 
  will hit it off (they won't and Allicia will hate the 
  character). Eventually, Modius will tell the character about 
  the history of Gary and Chicago, and even reveal his prior 
  defeat. He will tell the character that he is weary with his 
  position, and will even suggest abdicating in favor of the 
  character, if only Gary's independence can somehow be 
  wrested from the evil Lodin.  
  •Sinister Secret - This connection is the most difficult 
  to create, but is likely to be the most interesting. Juggler 
  must be the sire of the character (and thus the character 
  must be a ninth generation Brujah). However, only he and 
  the character know this fact (only the Storyteller and the 
  player). Juggler makes it very clear to the character that, 
  no matter what, the connection must remain secret: "If 
  any should discover that you are mine, you would be 
  destroyed, as would I." Modius accepts the character as 
  the childe of a powerful but mysterious elder from 
  Chicago, and thus treats the character with exaggerated 
  respect (he thinks the character is of an early generation). 
  Juggler has threatened to kill the character if she reveals 
  him as her sire. Though he will aid the character if at all 
  possible, Juggler will not do so if it makes his favoritism 
  apparent. 
  Antagonists 
  There are a number of possible enemies for the characters. 
  These antagonists are described at the end of the Cast of 
  Characters. For the most part they are hunters, individuals 
  who track down and slay vampires. However, because this 
  is such an intrigue-filled chronicle, they have developed 
  personalities, so they may not only hunt the characters, 
  but interact with them as well. 
  Plan 
  The chronicle should embroil the characters into deeper 
  
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  and deeper conflict with the Chicago vampires. Eventually, 
  the characters should be forced to defend Gary from the 
  Chicago vampires. While they probably have neither a 
  particular love for Modius nor any real desire to keep hold 
  of Gary, they have no other place to run. Ultimately, the 
  characters must decide whether to defend their home or 
  not. The characters and the other vampires of Gary are 
  likely to become allies of convenience. Therefore, the 
  Storyteller must cultivate a dislike for Chicago in the 
  players. The first story will develop this idea (see the story 
  example following). 
  At first, the conflict will be minor, but gradually it will 
  become more and more brutal. Lodin wants to bring Gary 
  completely under his heel and subjugate its fractious 
  inhabitants once and for all. Turf wars always spill blood 
  among the Kindred, and this one is likely to be especially 
  harsh. If the characters can hang on long enough, a 
  Conclave will be called by a Justicar to resolve the dispute. 
  The results of such a meeting will depend on many 
  different factors, and should not be preordained. 
  Hopefully, the issues and direction of the chronicle will 
  evolve naturally out of the stories. The stories should have 
  a great deal of focus and direction, but the chronicle 
  should be much more open (in contrast to some of the 
  chronicle concepts listed in Chapter Three, which are often 
  tightly focused). 
  Motif 
  The motif is best described by the word "decay." It is not 
  so much decadence that is the trouble in Gary (that's a 
  Chicago problem) as raw entropy. The vampires who 
  inhabit Gary are at the end of their rope, and no longer 
  have the drive or desire to change their situation. The 
  setting itself is incredibly deteriorated, polluted, 
  dilapidated and shattered. Nothing in the city is new or in 
  perfect condition. Neither the city nor its inhabitants have 
  money, nor do they have hope. 
  On the surface, some things may seem to be strong and 
  vital, in sharp contrast to everything else, such as "Bold 
  Prince Modius." But in the end, underneath the veneer, 
  the characters will uncover the same decay. 
  This will present a chance to point out the decay of the real 
  world, using Gary as a grim and exaggerated example. The 
  decaying infrastructure, the flight of capital, the 
  corruption of public officials, the drug epidemic, the low 
  quality of education, and the decadence of youth are all 
  themes that can be woven into the chronicle at one time or 
  another. Certainly the basic setting incorporates such 
  concepts; they need only be emphasized through the 
  storytelling.  
  Cast of Characters 
  The good die young. That is why immortality 
  is reserved for the greatest of evils. 
  - Daniel Baldwin 
    
  Modius 
  Clan: Toreador  
  Nature: Conniver 
  Demeanor: Cavalier 
  Generation: Seventh 
  Embrace: 1806 (born 1765) 
  Apparent age: early 40s 
  Description: Modius is of slightly less than average 
  height, but of above-average build. He looks like Albert 
  Einstein, only he wears nicer clothing and has a more 
  stately bearing. The hair is about the same. 
  Notes: Modius has on many occasions claimed that he 
  uses his name, not as an affectation, but as a sigil for his 
  true power. He claims to have been active in the mystic 
  subculture of Europe following the Renaissance and to 
  have been present during the formation of the Arcanum. 
  The truth of his past is certainly obscured by his beliefs 
  about what he is. 
  Modius is a study in contrasts, for he is not what he 
  pretends to be. He lusts after power, yet when he gets it, he 
  is terrified that someone will take it away from him. He is 
  the aggressive yet cowardly Prince of Gary, and he would 
  be happier were he not prince. He feigns interest in the 
  arts and indeed has many paintings of value in his 
  mansion, but in fact he has lost his love for such things. 
  Though he does not realize it, Modius is no longer able to 
  appreciate beauty. 
  Though rumors circulate that he has been or is somehow 
  associated with Clan Tremere, this remains unproved. He 
  keeps two servants at his run-down mansion; both are 
  elderly black men whom he Dominates so ruthlessly and 
  completely that they are no longer capable of independent 
  action. 
  Modius attempts to control Gary with a strong hand. He 
  has thus far been able to keep the young malcontents from 
  the sporadic bursts of terror and violence that have 
  besieged Chicago. However, he does not really have much 
  power to exert, and is incapable of actually controlling 
  what occurs in his city other than through cajolery and 
  threats. Of the Kindred of Gary, only Juggler has learned 
  that so far. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Be as gracious, polite and 
  sophisticated as you possibly can, but always add an edge 
  of unspoken insult. Conjure the attitude of a born 
  gentleman - arrogance and all. Let some of your nature 
  show through every once in a while; simply raise your 
  voice and the players will get the message. 
  Allicia 
  Clan: Toreador  
  Nature: Martyr 
  Demeanor: Caregiver 
  Generation: Eighth 
  Embrace: 1938 
  Apparent age: late 20s 
  Description: Short and of average build, Allicia is a 
  dark-haired beauty of apparently mixed European descent. 
  Her wide, full eyes are a sharp near-emerald green that 
  shines against her pale skin. She has noticeably thin lips, 
  but a wide, easy smile. When angered, however, her face 
  becomes a stone mask of rage. She wears old-fashioned 
  clothing, seemingly more suitable to an older woman, and 
  nearly always w ears a lace shawl. 
  Notes: Other than a few wispy memories of red curtains 
  and a smiling woman, Allicia claims to remember nothing 
  
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  of her life before her Becoming. To her, life began with her 
  Becoming in Gary in the late 1930s, when she was 
  Embraced by Modius. For a time, she survived by 
  attaching herself to rich older gentleman who easily fell to 
  her intriguing ways and beguiling gaze. Her herd was, in 
  fact, the leading industrialists of Gary, who thought of her 
  as their mistress. She would still be with them now, if any 
  were still in Gary. 
  Allicia does not speak now, and has not spoken for the last 
  50 years. She can speak, but simply has no desire to do so. 
  If she falls in love with someone, such as a character, she 
  will speak with him, at first with great shyness and 
  difficulty, but after a time with amazement and energy. 
  She is a familiar figure in the east side of Chicago, and is 
  known for being a rich eccentric who refuses to leave Gary. 
  She leads a simple existence, drawing on funds she 
  acquired before striking out on her own. She maintains 
  connections with one or two of the more notable families 
  in Chicago, but those too will be sliding away as her lack of 
  aging becomes more apparent. Her immortality has 
  become a problem for her as she is beginning to realize 
  that she must break her remaining connections with the 
  mortal world. The chances of discovery have become too 
  great. 
  Now she spends much of her time at the mansion of 
  Modius, her sire, for whom she retains a strong fondness. 
  He reminds her of the men whom she once loved, and she 
  does not notice the weak man he is today. As she is Blood 
  Bound to him, this is not surprising. Allicia works to make 
  the other Kindred of Gary more loyal to Modius. He 
  encourages her to pursue her attraction to some of the 
  handsome male newcomers to the city, telling her "you 
  must open your heart to them." She does this by sharing 
  blood with them. After three times, they become Bound to 
  her, and through her to Modius, but as she is already 
  Bound to Modius, she cannot be Bound to them. She 
  knows little of vampire lore, and does not realize what she 
  is actually being used for. She shares blood because she is 
  desperate for love of any sort, and even more importantly, 
  for the beauty which has fled her life. Allicia is indeed an 
  innocent, though the characters may well believe 
  otherwise after a time. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Be demure and seductive, but 
  proper at the same time. Imagine your grandmother when 
  she was a young woman. Evoke the sadness in Allicia with 
  shy eyes and wistful looks. She will never look directly into 
  someone's eyes unless she is about to share blood. Since 
  she does not speak, you have to portray her frail beauty 
  through your acting. 
  Juggler 
  Clan: Brujah 
  Nature: Jester 
  Demeanor: Conniver 
  Embrace: Unknown 
  Apparent age: early 30s 
  Generation: Eighth 
  Description: Juggler is of slightly below average height 
  and lightly built. He has shoulder-length dark blond hair 
  and dark gray eyes with green-flecked irises. He has 
  average, undistinguished features. Those who remain 
  around him for a time may be unnerved by the fact that he 
  never blinks. 
  Notes: Juggler has few friends in Gary, but is tolerated 
  because of his strange relationship with Modius. It is 
  suspected that Modius, though obviously not his sire, owes 
  Juggler some debt that has yet to be repaid (and Juggler 
  may in fact be deliberately holding off payment of that 
  debt). Neither discuss the subject. 
  Juggler can most often be found haunting the streets of 
  the Lincoln Park area (inside Chicago proper - a risky 
  practice) often attaching himself to late-night revelers, 
  mystifying them with his presence, and then clouding their 
  memories of him as sunrise approaches. Nonetheless, 
  there are stories among certain circles in the area of "The 
  Party Man" who appears suddenly, bedazzles the revelers, 
  and then fades back into the night. He has no respect for 
  mortals and places little value in their lives. He has been 
  known to maim with barely any provocation when a 
  mortal is involved. Juggler has little patience with those 
  who hinder him. 
  Like many other Kindred, he speaks little of his history. 
  His English/American dialect is nearly perfect, but in 
  moments of rage, he is known to lapse into bursts of raw, 
  Neapolitan Italian. 
  Juggler has a secret identity. He visits Chicago very often 
  and is the leader of the anarchs there. Because he himself 
  is from Gary, he has much more leeway than the other 
  anarchs, who are all from Chicago. The primary base of 
  this group is, in fact, in Gary, in an abandoned steel mill 
  located in the Wasteland. Juggler has contacts with a 
  number of gangs in the Wasteland and is in the process of 
  subjugating their leaders. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Be dramatic and bold with every 
  action you take. Juggler will be most vivid if you work up a 
  strong rivalry between him and the most dominant and 
  aggressive character in the players' brood. Throughout the 
  chronicle, you can play and expand upon this rivalry, and 
  it can provide new twists to your stories. 
  Michael 
  Clan: Malkavian 
  Nature: Child 
  Demeanor: Child 
  Embrace: Unknown; presumably  within the last 20 
  years 
  Apparent age: late teens 
  Generation: Ninth 
  Description: Tall and heavily built, Michael's stringy 
  brown hair is worn nearly to his shoulders. His eyes are 
  wide and brown, while his teeth are broken and crooked. 
  He walks with a limp on his left side, which give him a 
  distinct lurching appearance. 
  Notes: Michael is a truly sad case. He is apparently 
  retarded; there is much speculation that he was Embraced 
  as part of some cruel joke and then abandoned. 
  Miraculously, he has managed not only to survive but to 
  attract little or no attention in the process. 
  He resides in the Telton Cemetery in Gary, where he sleeps 
  within a mausoleum that bears the name Martin 
  Greenman. Michael, when asked, will point to the name 
  and say "Daddy." There are no records that indicate the 
  Martin Greenman who is buried there had anyone in his 
  family named Michael. 
  Michael is extremely shy and difficult to talk to. He will 
  
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  only reveal himself to another Kindred who has spent at 
  least a few days lurking in the graveyard looking for him, 
  unless he knows the person. Occasionally, Michael 
  attaches himself to Allicia and stays in her care. This rarely 
  lasts for more than a few months before he wanders back 
  to the graveyard and his solitude. He has apparently 
  forged som e form of permanent emotional bond with 
  Allicia, however, and has been known to appear when she 
  is emotionally distraught or on edge (she is, in fact, his 
  Regent and he her Thrall). 
  He is immensely strong, but does not strike to kill, only 
  disable. Additionally, no one in Chicago, not even Allicia, 
  has ever seen him hunt. When asked of it, he simply 
  shrugs. The characters may at first misunderstand 
  Michael, thinking him to be a killer or even a member of 
  the Sabbat. The mistaken identity can last for some time. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Slant your shoulders and move 
  about nervously when you speak, so as to show off the 
  limp. Play up your low intelligence, but make sure you let a 
  certain craftiness and wisdom shine through. 
  Evelyn Stephens 
  Clan: Brujah 
  Nature: Bon Vivant 
  Demeanor: Survivor  
  Embrace: A few months ago 
  Apparent age: early 20s 
  Generation: Ninth 
  Description: Evelyn Stephens is of average height and 
  light build. She is almond-skinned and wears her dark hair 
  at shoulder length. Her eyes are a unique gray-green. 
  Notes: Evelyn Stephens met Juggler four months ago in 
  Chicago. Somehow, she instinctively knew there was more 
  to this man than his outward appearance and manner 
  implied. She pressed him, cajoled him and eventually 
  enticed him into revealing his secrets to her. The truth 
  unveiled, there was nothing that could stop Evelyn 
  Stephens from becoming a vampire. 
  The transformation, however, was more traumatic for her 
  than Juggler had anticipated. He was careless for a 
  moment, and she fled in fear straight to her brother 
  William. Juggler retrieved her, but not before her brother 
  learned the truth. 
  Evelyn is heady with her power. She rarely thinks her 
  actions through, and is unconvinced that caution is the 
  best possible course for one of the Kindred. Juggler, as her 
  sire, is still responsible for her; he is often amused by her 
  actions, but his patience is beginning to wear thin. 
  Modius does not yet know about Evelyn, but when he 
  learns that a childe has been created without his 
  permission, his rage will have no bounds. Make sure the 
  characters are present when he finds out - it will be most 
  interesting. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Be extravagant and bold with your 
  hand and body gestures. Don't let men intimidate you - 
  manipulate them back. Assume that you will get your way, 
  and then make sure that you do. 
  Alexander Danov 
  Clan: Nosferatu 
  Nature: Judge 
  Demeanor: Architect 
  Embrace: before 1400(?) 
  Apparent age: early 30s 
  Generation: Seventh 
  Description: Tall, with an average build for his height, 
  he has a wide face with deep-set gray eyes. They are the 
  only part of him that is attractive; otherwise he is a 
  hideous creature, with coarse, crinkled skin, a twisted, 
  contoured face and only a few tufts of hair remaining. He 
  is an exquisite example of a Nosferatu. 
  Notes: Danov does not speak much of his history, but his 
  recollections of his conversation with Lucian before the 
  Battle of Tannenburg in 1410 and his references to his 
  'youth' at the time point to his Becoming being not long 
  before that. He claims not to know his sire, but surmises 
  him to have been but an ancilla, and places himself in the 
  seventh generation. Nothing has been witnessed to dispute 
  this. 
  The name he uses is not his birth name, but one he picked 
  up in Russia during the mid-to-late 19th Century. 
  Though not formally an elder himself, Danov is well-
  known among the Kindred of North America. During the 
  last half-century, he has been moving slowly from city to 
  city on what he calls a "simple search for existence." 
  Danov is searching for Golconda, and has come a long 
  way. Though he does not proselytize, he will speak about it 
  if asked. He will guide those whom he considers to have 
  the maturity to reach Golconda, and may eventually give 
  them directions on how to reach one of the Inconnu who 
  can take them through the Suspire ritual. 
  Roleplaying Tips: You are very quiet, but extremely 
  watchful. You react to things that happen around you, but 
  in a very understated way -just the smallest smile, or 
  quietest chuckle. Unless the players are watching you 
  closely, they will not see your reaction. At first, they should 
  not realize that you are anything but straight-faced. 
  Lucian 
  Clan: Gangrel 
  Nature: Traditionalist 
  Demeanor: Director  
  Embrace: before 1 A.D. 
  Apparent age: late 40s 
  Generation: Eighth 
  Description: Lucian is a tall, powerfully  built man. He 
  is broad-shouldered, with square, rugged features. His 
  hair is black, speckled with gray, and worn short. He has 
  rich, dark brown eyes and a deep, commanding voice. He 
  takes great pains to conceal his short tail, furry feet and 
  overly hairy chest (results of frenzies through the ages). 
  Notes: Lucian is a gruff and sometimes arrogant vampire 
  who possesses more than his share of charm. He does not 
  speak of his past, except for the fact that he served under 
  the Julius Caesar, and that he slew his own sire, whom he 
  describes as a "vile creature," sometime around 1100. 
  Though he commands respect, many deride him for his 
  self-admitted Kindred-slaying. He has made many 
  enemies in Chicago, and has great antipathy for the prince 
  of that city-Lodin. 
  Lucian has never accepted the Kindred as a group, and 
  
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  strongly objects to clan ties as well as to sects like the 
  Camarilla. He deliberately sets himself apart from other 
  vampires. He was Embraced in an age when there were 
  few Kindred, and those that existed rarely associated with 
  each other. His hatred of other elders is perhaps due to his 
  own rather advanced age. Though he is old, his blood is as 
  diluted as any recently made vampire 
  All in all, Lucian is a fairly decent individual. He seems to 
  value compassion and mercy above all other concerns. He 
  has involved himself with Kindred affairs to oppose 
  excessive cruelty and inhumanity. On those occasions, he 
  has displayed the ability to completely wipe the mind of a 
  person, leaving him a gibbering husk with the mind of 
  child. 
  He is trusted by Modius, but they are not friends. Lucian 
  still controls the shipyards and the docks, where the 
  international freight ships load and unload materials. Not 
  only is the stevedores' union under his control, but the 
  management of the entire operation is under his sway. He 
  owns the Gary Export Company, which serves as the 
  primary conveyance for vampires traveling to and from 
  Chicago across the Atlantic. He knows much of the 
  comings and goings of many of the elders, though it must 
  be mentioned that such travel is very rare. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Ignore others as much as possible; 
  they bore you. When you do deign to acknowledge them, 
  use your eyes with great effect, staring coldly at those who 
  say foolish things. If the players do not react appropriately 
  to this, tell them his Presence is strong, and they must 
  spend a Willpower point if they do not want to turn away. 
  The Hunters 
  Here are three different hunter characters for you to weave 
  into your chronicle. They will act when the characters 
  misstep, so they provide an excellent means to maintain 
  ongoing tension and suspense. They certainly encourage 
  the players to be exceedingly careful. If they are killed, it 
  will only attract attention to the city, bringing even more 
  hunters. However, an "accident" would not be so obvious. 
  Sullivan Dane 
  Born: 1957, Mapperly, Great Britain 
  Occupation: Former Jesuit brother; witch-hunter 
  Nature: Loner 
  Demeanor: Survivor  
  Faith: 8 
  Description: Dane is of above-average height and 
  build, with lean, sharp features. His dark hair is usually 
  worn short in a very utilitarian cut. His eyes are thin and 
  dark green. He bears the scars of severe burns across both 
  of his hands and forearms; thus, he usually wears gloves. 
  Notes: From an early childhood, Dane believed in his 
  calling from God. He saw evil as a tangible force in the 
  world, one which had to be confronted if it was to be 
  defeated. He traveled abroad for a few years upon reaching 
  maturity before becoming an applicant to the Jesuit order 
  in 1980. However, he never completed his studies. 
  It is believed that during the winter of 1982, he 
  encountered a rogue Caitiff on the streets of Georgetown, 
  in Washington D.C. It is more than likely that Dane 
  interrupted the hunting of a vampire who, on the edge of 
  her sanity, decided to play with the young novitiate before 
  consuming him. Dane proved smarter than she expected. 
  He escaped her, hunted her for the following weeks, and 
  finally caught her. He learned of her fear of fire and used it 
  against her. She was destroyed utterly  and he was scarred 
  by the flames himself. However, now Dane has no fear of 
  flames. 
  He left the order less than a year later, unable to convince 
  them of his experience. Clearly, if there was one such 
  servant of evil as he had met and destroyed, there were 
  others. Saddened, but not angered by the Church's 
  unwillingness to believe him, he set out to perform the 
  Lord's will himself. However, members of the Inquisition 
  heard of his experience and have made him one of them. 
  They have been able to give him some support, and have 
  provided him with information as well as a number of 
  contacts in different cities. 
  Dane is driven, but strongly in control of his faculties. He 
  has learned much of the Kindred and their ways, and since 
  that fateful encountered has been responsible for the 
  deaths of at least six other Kindred. He has sought to 
  prove the existence of vampires to the Church, but has 
  been careful about concealing their existence from the 
  general public. He appreciates full well the chaos that 
  might reign were the world to learn of them. 
  He is a quiet, careful hunter. Those he stalks are barely 
  aware of him at the periphery of their consciousness 
  before he strikes. About five years ago he destroyed a pair 
  of Kindred in Algeria after a long hunt. It is believed that 
  at the time he had with him at least one active member of 
  the Jesuit order who witnessed the pair's activity and 
  ultimate destruction. There have been strong rumors of 
  physical evidence: remains, photographs, possibly even 
  videotapes. Since that incident, there have been an 
  increasing number of rumors that the Holy Office in Rome 
  is embroiled in an internal controversy over the incident 
  and the existence of Kindred. 
  Dane understands the Kindred and their folklore, but he is 
  a man of the 20th century. His monetary resources are 
  usually poor, unless he is able to find some benefactor, but 
  whenever he can, he uses the weapons and technology of 
  the modern world in his hunt. 
  He has set up a base in Gary. He will likely begin following 
  the characters, shadowing their every move and gradually 
  learning more and more about them. The characters 
  should have opportunities to learn they are being followed, 
  but Dane is very careful, so it will be difficult. Dane may 
  have gotten in contact with the Inquisition since he has 
  reached Chicago, and thus may have significant resources 
  backing him up. Alternately, the plot of a story could be 
  woven around preventing Dane from getting in contact 
  with the Inquisition. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Dane is too cautious to ever speak 
  to the characters directly, though he may speak to them by 
  telephone in order to receive more information. 
  Special Agent William Shepard 
  Born: 1958, Detroit 
  Occupation: FBI agent 
  Nature: Director  
  Demeanor: Fanatic 
  Description: Of slightly above-average height and 
  av erage build, Shepard wears his midnight-black hair 
  short in a trim, nearly military cut. His eyes are deep blue 
  and almost unnaturally intense. He has a small scar just 
  
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  below his left ear. 
  Notes: Shepard knows. How he knows is unclear, but he 
  knows. He knows that vampires really exist. He knows 
  they are everywhere, especially in Chicago. He knows they 
  are evil and must be destroyed. What he doesn't know is 
  how to convince others of this truth. 
  As a member of the FBI based out of Chicago, he is 
  restricted by  the Bureau's jurisdictional limitations. 
  Officially, the Bureau can only become involved in a crime 
  if it falls within its jurisdiction: kidnapping, bank robbery, 
  offenses involving federal property or employees, 
  interstate crime, and other related areas. Shepard is 
  eagerly awaiting the day when one of the Kindred steps 
  over that line. Shepard will often attempt to involve 
  himself in matters of local jurisdiction and continue to 
  hover nearby until warned off. 
  Ironically, Shepard is not a member of Special Affairs, nor 
  is he even aware of its existence. 
  You will want to make Shepard the nemesis of the 
  characters, preferably after they have made a major 
  mistake and have in some way exposed themselves. It is 
  best if you do not work him into the chronicle right away, 
  but do so later. Make sure you do not kill him off if you 
  intend to use our supplement Ashes to Ashes, for he 
  appears in it. 
  If Shepard ever manages to get in touch with Detective 
  Stephens, sparks will fly. He will have a knowledgeable ally 
  in the local forces who will have the power to call him in. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Shepard will speak to the 
  characters, but only if he himself is being watched by 
  others. He is very professional in bearing, and will not 
  reveal what he is thinking to those he interviews. 
  Detective Gregory Stephens 
  Born: 1960, Chicago 
  Occupation: Police detective 
  Nature: Cavalier 
  Demeanor: Caregiver 
  Description: Stephens is taller than the average man 
  and has a slightly larger than average build. He is dark-
  skinned, with a square and craggy face, and has close-cut, 
  salt-and-pepper hair. His eyes are gray, though the right is 
  slightly darker than the left. 
  Notes: Stephens is a detective with the Chicago Police 
  Department, Homicide Division. He is a careful, cautious 
  man who is knowledgeable in the ways of the police and 
  Chicago politics. He joined the force in 1980, but he was 
  after a job and held no special desire to uphold law and 
  order. His time on the force has matured him into the 
  hard-working, compassionate detective that he is. 
  He is intimately aware of the Kindred. Recently, Juggler 
  sired Stephens' sister Evelyn, at her request. During the 
  first few days of her transformation, Juggler was careless 
  and she fled to her brother in fear. He has known of her 
  condition since then, and is torn tremendously by it. In 
  many ways he fears her, and those in the city like her. He 
  loves her dearly, and pities her for the horror that she has 
  become. At the same time, there is something 
  disquietingly attractive about her condition. 
  For the last few months, he has been doing everything in 
  his power to find a way to "cure" his sister. He has 
  contacted all sorts of fanatical organizations, and has even 
  followed his sister on occasion to find out more about the 
  other vampires. He knows more than any other mortal in 
  the Chicago area about the undead. If need be, he will kill 
  to protect his sister, or to rescue her from her fate. 
  Out of concern for his sister, Stephens has occasionally 
  helped various Kindred within the city. He has also been 
  known to work against them when his conscience 
  demands it. He hates Juggler and has even argued with 
  him on occasion. The only thing that has stayed the 
  vampire's hand is an edict by Lodin protecting all 
  members of Chicago's law enforcement community. That 
  has not stopped Juggler from severely injuring him on one 
  occasion. 
  If he is ever killed in the line of duty, his will stipulates 
  that a letter in a safety deposit box be delivered to one of 
  the police commissioners, one of Stephens' classmates 
  from the Police Academy. The letter reveals everything 
  that he has learned in the past few years. 
  Roleplaying Tips: Play the hard-boiled detective to 
  the hilt, but don't bother to make him emotionless -Greg 
  involves himself emotionally in everything he does, he just 
  doesn't always show it. 
  Baptism by Fire 
  Through these fields of destruction 
  Baptisms of fire 
  I've watched all your suffering 
  As the battles raged higher 
  - Dire Straits, "Brothers in Arms" 
    
  "Baptism by Fire" is intended to be the first story you tell 
  in Vampire. It is intended to be both an example of what 
  a Vampire story can be like and a good introduction to 
  the Gothic-Punk world for your players. Much of it can be 
  played as Live-Action, though this is not necessary. A 
  number of different issues and conflicts are raised at 
  Modius' party, jump-starting the chronicle and getting the 
  characters involved right away. 
  We only provide the first chapter; it is up to you to 
  conclude it. This chapter concerns a "party" that Modius, 
  the Prince of Gary, Indiana, is hosting, and the bizarre 
  events that occur therein . 
  There are any number of different paths the players can 
  choose: anything from chasing Sullivan Dane, a witch-
  hunter, to traveling to Chicago to deliver a letter to Lodin, 
  its prince. The players choose what subplot they want to 
  pursue; we leave you to weave a story from their actions. 
  In order to best tell this story, you should integrate it 
  closely with the Forged in Steel chronicle described 
  above. All of the characters involved in this story are 
  described in that section, as are many of its central issues. 
  Read it carefully. How this story concludes will be affected 
  by what you have planed for the chronicle to become. 
  The Party 
  The characters attend a party hosted by Modius, the Prince 
  of Gary. All of the vampires of Gary are there, so the 
  characters have a chance to meet the major luminaries of 
  the city and become involved in some of its intrigues. 
  
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  Depending on how you decide to conclude the story, they 
  may pursue a number of different subplots. 
  It is important to let the players choose the course of 
  action they will take. Let them follow whatever subplot 
  they happen to fall into, charting the course of the 
  chronicle on their own. Though the Gary vs. Chicago 
  conflict is presented as all-encompassing, you can 
  downplay it, leaving the characters with more room to 
  make decisions. 
  It is recommended that this scene be played using Live-
  Action if at all possible. This is best done by setting up a 
  party in your own house, complete with dim lights, music, 
  and refreshments (but don't let the players eat anything - 
  at least not until the scene is over). You may even have the 
  players wait outside the house on the porch, and come in 
  one at a time. Try to get a few people to be First Mates. 
  One or two will be enough, but if you can get five or six, so 
  much the better. 
  Plot 
  Years ago, on every New Year's Eve, Modius would host a 
  gathering of all the Kindred of Gary. Immediately 
  following sunset, all the Kindred of the cty were expected 
  to show up at his home and enjoy his hospitality and 
  conversation. He has not held this party for some time, but 
  has decided to do so again this year and word has spread 
  among the vampires of Gary. In one way or another, all the 
  characters know about it and understand that they are 
  expected to attend. Allicia, Michael, Lucian, Danov, and 
  Juggler (who arrives late with Evelyn) will all be present. 
  The characters round out the guests. 
  This bash is an excellent opportunity for players to "get 
  into character" and become intimately familiar with the 
  politics of the lakeshore communities. The progression of 
  different subplots at the party is described below. Just take 
  them in order and play each one out until it starts to get a 
  little old, then switch to the next subplot. If you are playing 
  Live-Action and have a number of First Mates, it is likely 
  that a number of different subplots will be occurring at the 
  same time. This may be confusing to run, but it will be 
  very exciting to play. 
  Though there are a number of different subplots at the 
  party, som e are more important than others. The central 
  events that must occur are listed below in order of 
  appearance. Don't miss any of them: 
  1) Modius greets the characters as they arrive. 
  2) Allicia interacts with one of the characters. 
  3) Juggler and his friends crash the party. 
  4) The letter is delivered by Annabelle. 
  5) Modius asks the characters to deliver a letter to 
  Chicago. 
  This party is likely to be the first time that your group will 
  roleplay their vampire personas. Start slowly by giving the 
  players a chance to do such mundane things as look 
  behind the drapes and talk with the "security," but 
  gradually build up the intensity as time goes by. By the end 
  of the scene, the players should be pumped up and ready 
  for some action. Though this chapter doesn't really have 
  much chance for action or drama (it concentrates more on 
  setting things up), you will certainly want to include some 
  in the next game session. If your players require action in 
  every story, it shouldn't be too difficult to add it into this 
  one. Have a character get into a fight with Juggler, a car 
  chase with Sullivan Dane, or a skirmish with Annabelle's 
  bodyguards (whom you'll have to make up). 
  At the beginning of this party, you want to catch the 
  players off guard. Things will start with a very friendly and 
  seemingly straightforward Modius; only later will they 
  realize that Modius has ulterior motives. This  
  party is meant to be a warning to the players: you cannot 
  trust anything or anyone in Vampire, and things are 
  never as they seem. Intrigue and politics pervade every 
  word and motion among the Damned, and one must tread 
  carefully. 
  The theme of this chapter can be anything you would like 
  it to be, including romance. 
  Setting 
  The prince's house is an old decaying mansion in the 
  center of Gary. Once the home of a steel baron, it was built 
  in the most illustrious neighborhood of the growing city. 
  However, times have changed and most of the mansions in 
  this neighborhood have been divided into apartments. 
  Only Modius' house is left, and it has apparently sheltered 
  Modius for quite a while. The passage of time has begun to 
  affect the structure; indeed, the roof is near the point of 
  collapse. Snow has gathered on the roof, and now water 
  drips through holes in the ceilings and is collected in 
  buckets that must be constantly emptied and moved by the 
  servants. 
  If asked about the state of repairs of the house, especially 
  for a Toreador who spends so much time in his haven, 
  Prince Modius will display a surprising amount of 
  paranoia regarding his safety. The characters will get the 
  impression that Modius feels anything as noticeable as a 
  roofing service working on the house is enough chaos to 
  draw unwanted attention to his undead existence. 
  The mansion is quite large, with over 20 rooms. Most of 
  them are furnished in what would once have been 
  considered the height of fashion - divans, chandeliers, 
  grand piano, and leather armchairs - but now they are 
  moth-eaten and decayed nearly beyond use. On the main 
  floor is the parlor, living room, dining room, kitchen, 
  Modius' office, and an art studio for Modius (which 
  contains a dozen partially completed paintings, most of 
  them depicting what seems to be a Dantesque vision of 
  hell). Modius sleeps in a basement bedroom when he 
  sleeps at the mansion at all. He has a second haven, 
  located in an old taconite processing plant near the 
  lakeshore. At the end of the party, Modius leaves directly 
  for that haven. 
  The house is guarded by four large, white, tough-looking 
  men - all of them stewards from the local unions. Armed 
  with revolvers and truncheons, they have been told not to 
  speak with the guests. They are under the Domination of 
  Modius just as the servants are. They are dressed in work 
  boots, jeans, and either flannel or blue work shirts. 
  Despite the decay of the surroundings, Modius' party is as 
  elaborate and sumptuous as anything a mortal would 
  throw. Delicious-looking appetizers and main dishes are 
  set on tables around the edges of the room, safely away 
  from the dripping water (even though vampires can't 
  touch the stuff). Classical music plays softly in the 
  background (it's a Böse stereo system) and a dance floor 
  has been prepared for anyone who knows ballroom steps - 
  it's the only sort of dancing Modius will allow.  
  
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  Dialogue 
  This scene is a good opportunity to determine more about 
  each individual character and his ties to Gary. A number of 
  small conversations could take place. Though most of the 
  possible interactions between Kindred will be dialogue, 
  there is a possibility that some action may take place as 
  well. See the scenes below for examples of the types of 
  conversations that can be held, and play out whatever 
  dramatic moments you think are appropriate. 
  • The Hunt 
  Before the players arrive at the party, you might want to 
  suggest that they hunt for some blood. This is an 
  opportunity for characters low on blood to fill up, but you 
  don't want to have to do it for each player. This may well 
  be the players' first experience with leading their 
  characters through the often horrific process of hunting 
  mortals. You won't always want to spend a lot of time on 
  such scenes, but the first one at least should be fairly 
  detailed and evocative. Refer to the Vessels section at the 
  end of the story for suggestions for unusual encounters, 
  though you are encouraged to create situations that you 
  know will evoke a special response from the player or 
  character in question. There is often a scene with some 
  sort of violence and mayhem at the beginning of a movie 
  to get the audience's attention. If you think that one of 
  your players would like this sort of thing, begin the story 
  with that character trying to deal with a botched hunt. 
  Make it very exciting, dramatic and tension-filled, not only 
  for the character involved, but for the players who are 
  watching (perhaps another character could happen across 
  the scene and save the day; it's a good way to connect two 
  characters). It'll wake up the players for sure. 
  •Formal Greeting 
  Modius greets the characters when they first arrive at the 
  mansion. You should roleplay through this introduction 
  for each character in turn. Ask the players when they are 
  likely to arrive: early, just on time, late, or very late. Have 
  the "just on time" characters arrive about ten minutes after 
  the early ones, the late characters ten minutes after that, 
  and the very late about an hour after that (just before 
  Juggler arrives). You will need to adjust these times if you 
  are doing the scene Live-Action. 
  After being allowed to enter the foyer of the mansion by 
  the union guards, characters will be able to approach the 
  front parlor. Standing by the door to this room is Modius 
  in an out-of-date tuxedo (complete with tails). He shakes 
  hands and welcomes the characters to his haven, always 
  behaving with extreme courtesy. Remember that the 
  characters met him at least once before when they were 
  first released from their sire and presented to him. 
  Perhaps something occurred to one of the characters 
  during the prelude that you can have Modius refer to here, 
  thus making the character more at ease. Once they are 
  done with the pleasantries, the characters will be able to 
  interact with the other guests at the party. 
  •Enigmatic Danov 
  A vampire stands in the middle of the dance floor in the 
  parlor, smiling vacantly at the wall. This is Alexander 
  Danov, a Nosferatu who has been wandering about the 
  country for some time. Recently, he has come to the 
  Chicago area, and Modius has given him permission to 
  stay in Gary. Alexander will welcome the character by 
  name, and will mumble something like, "You are new to 
  the game, so unsullied. I will enjoy  watching you grow 
  tonight." He will be curious about the characters, wanting 
  to know all he can about who they are as people, and to 
  that end he asks questions about what the character thinks 
  of morality, crime, diablerie, Golconda, the Traditions, the 
  anarchs, etc. He is more interested in the person than 
  where the person lives or what the person does. Use his 
  questions as a way to get the players to think more about 
  their characters. 
  As Danov speaks with a character, however, it is clear that 
  he knows certain things about that character that he did 
  not realize that anyone else knew. Hopefully, this will 
  unnerve the player and give him respect for Danov. This 
  will be repeated with each character in turn, until Danov 
  has met them all. 
  He will listen in on other people's conversations, but will 
  not start them himself. He understands everything that 
  occurs, but will only observe what is going on and will not 
  interfere in any way. The characters will either think he is 
  a complete nut, or will understand his gentle wisdom. If 
  Alexander takes a liking to one of the characters, he may 
  give them a warning: "Don't let yourself be sucked in." He 
  will never explain what he means by this cryptic 
  statement. 
  Remember that Danov is on the path to Golconda, so he 
  can guide the characters in their quest to reach it (if they 
  so wish). This is a long-range objective, of course, but 
  Danov is the way you can weave it into the chronicle. 
  •Shy Michael 
  A character may notice Michael standing in the shadows in 
  the corner of the dining room. This simple-minded 
  Malkavian is very reluctant to speak with anyone, and if 
  someone makes a Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty 8), 
  they will realize that he is very frightened. If they are 
  somehow able to question him about it (it will be very 
  difficult to do so), they will discover that he thinks he is 
  being followed. If the characters go to the front of the 
  house and look around, they may notice (on a Perception + 
  Alertness roll; difficulty 7) that there is a man across the 
  street sitting in a car watching the house. Though the 
  character will not yet know who the man is, this is Sullivan 
  Dane, an ex-Jesuit witch-hunter who is tracking Modius. If 
  they attempt to pursue Sullivan, he will simply drive away. 
  All those who reveal themselves to Dane, however, put 
  themselves on his target list. If  
  Modius is told about the person watching the house, he 
  will become very frightened and may accuse the characters 
  of being behind it. He then calls over one of his guards, 
  who leaves to go to a back room. Within minutes, sirens 
  can be heard, and a little while later there are seven police 
  cars in front of the house. You may use this as an 
  opportunity to scare the characters, but the police are 
  actually here on the orders of Modius. The police will 
  stand guard outside until the end of the party. This is also 
  Modius' little way of demonstrating his power. 
  •Imperious Lucian 
  Another vampire can be found in front of the cold and 
  empty fireplace in the parlor, sitting in one of Modius' 
  moth-eaten armchairs. This is Lucian, who will not even 
  look up if a character approaches him. He is clasping his 
  hands together loosely, fingertip to fingertip, and is glaring 
  into the distance. If a character speaks with him, he will 
  answer her questions, but in as few words as possible. If 
  
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  the questions become at all personal, he will become very 
  angry and will threaten not to speak with them further, but 
  this is an empty threat - conversation, even dreary 
  conversation, is better than simply sitting there. If he 
  warms up to a character, especially if he has a crowd, he 
  may spontaneously launch into a story about his past, 
  recounting how he served under the Julius Caesar and was 
  forced to slay his own sire. 
  Speaking privately, he will warn one of the characters 
  about the "treacherous spy  from Chicago," that Danov 
  person. He claims to have evidence against Danov, but will 
  not reveal it, explaining that by doing so "I would bring the 
  wrath of. . . (and at this point he whispers) ... Lodin, down 
  upon my head. I would not live to see the morrow." 
  He may also play games with a character whom he has 
  taken a dislike too. Taking her off to a private corner, he 
  will say: "I would not tell you this if I did not truly like you. 
  You must be careful. There are things going on which you 
  know nothing of." He will then pause, back away lightly, 
  and say that it's too dangerous for him to go further, that 
  "it may be better, certainly kinder, if you did not know the 
  truth." Once he is "convinced" that he should tell her what 
  he was going to say, Lucian continues: "Modius is a 
  cannibal and practices diablerie. He has reached such an 
  age that he requires the blood of Kindred to live. He has 
  already eaten his way through the last batch, and it will not 
  be long before he begins to hunt you as well." Lucian can't 
  wait to see what happens in this little game of his. 
  Later on, Lucian will ask some of the characters if they 
  know where Juggler is. He chuckles if they ask about him, 
  and will say "This party will liven up a bit when he gets 
  here, just you wait." However, he will not say anything 
  more about the matter, telling the characters to be patient. 
  •The Trap 
  At some point during the party, Modius and one of his 
  servants will approach each character and engage in some 
  small talk. He will be very polite and friendly, and will be, 
  if anything, overly unctuous (don't overplay  
  it; make him actually seem like a nice person). However, 
  Modius has a secret itinerary - he desires to know the 
  location of at least one haven of each vampire in Gary. He 
  explains that he wants to be able to contact the character if 
  a time of crisis arises. In actuality, this is his means of 
  gaining more power over his fractious "subjects." If the 
  character refuses, Modius will grow very angry, and in the 
  future will distrust whatever the character says and does. 
  He is paranoid, and all those who fail to humor him incur 
  his hatred and fear. If a character lies about where his 
  haven is, he will be able to get away with it, at least for 
  now. 
  •Screwing Up 
  If anything occurs at the party to reveal that a guest is 
  anything other than human (e.g. a character uses Potence 
  to lift something very heavy), Modius will fly into a great 
  rage and accuse the "perpetrator of this terrible crime" of 
  breaking the Masquerade. Unless he can be quickly calmed 
  down, he will order the offending character to drink some 
  of his blood (thus bringing her closer to Blood Bond). The 
  other vampires will say nothing at this point, but if the 
  characters attack Modius, the others will stand behind his 
  authority, albeit reluctantly. Though he may be a fool, he is 
  the prince, and for most of the year he leaves the rest of 
  the Kindred alone. 
  •The Seduction 
  Allicia may be attracted to one of the male characters - 
  usually the eldest or most sensitive-looking among them. 
  She might approach a character whom she met during the 
  prelude, or another in order to make the first jealous. 
  Early in the party, Allicia will watch the character, but she 
  always slips away if he stares back or tries to approach her. 
  Eventually, she will draw near the character, put her hand 
  in his, and lead him away from the party. She furtively 
  takes him up the servants' staircase to her room, where a 
  dust-covered, canopied feather bed sits. She closes the 
  door and begins to touch the character all over, putting her 
  finger over his lips if he attempts to speak. If things heat 
  up, she will begin to cry, shedding tears of blood, but she 
  will pantomime that they are tears of joy, not of sadness. 
  At some point, she may pantomime an offer to exchange 
  blood. Not only is this incredibly pleasurable for vampires, 
  but it would also make the character much closer to her 
  because such a mingling is the first step of three toward 
  creating a Blood Bond. However, as she is already Bound 
  to Modius, the character is one step closer to falling under 
  the control of the prince. However, you should let the 
  character regain all of his Willpower because of the 
  intensity of the passion, or perhaps even gain a new 
  Willpower point altogether. 
  Modius will pretend to be the jealous and protective father 
  if he catches the character with Allicia (which he will try to 
  do, timing it so he catches them in the act of sharing 
  blood). He does this to get the character to trust Allicia 
  even more, and thus to fall even more under his control. If 
  the character and Allicia share blood but two more times 
  over the course of the chronicle, Modius will have the 
  character under his complete control - or so he thinks. 
  This is your chance to add romance to the chronicle, or at 
  least try it out to see if you want to include it. If Allicia 
  truly falls in love with the character (judge by the of depth 
  of the roleplaying), then she will side with the character 
  and not with Modius. After a time, because of the depth of 
  the feelings involved, she will no longer be Blood Bound to 
  Modius, and will thus be truly able to be Bound to the 
  character. This will drive Modius into a terrible rage and 
  an extended frenzy which will last for weeks. The two 
  lovers will have to hide in fear for their existences, since 
  Modius will use all of his resources to find them. The other 
  characters will probably not be very pleased by it either, 
  believing the character to be manipulated (use your 
  storytelling skills to make them think this way - secret 
  notes, etc.). It will likely become a very Romeo and Juliet-
  type situation, and could end tragically. 
  Make the scene in her room as romantic as you possibly 
  can. Go slowly, describe details, speak in a soft, low voice, 
  and try to be very honest and direct in the way you speak. 
  When you finally do look into the player's eyes (while 
  roleplaying Allicia), do so only briefly, but do your best to 
  make it as sincere and sensitive a moment as possible. 
  Don't be embarrassed when describing or playing the 
  scene during Live-Action. After all, this is only a game. 
  •Midnight Toast 
  As midnight approaches, Modius calls everyone into the 
  dining room and the servants pass glasses of champagne 
  around to all the guests. He stands formally before them 
  all, and begins to speak of the future glory of Gary, and the 
  rebirth of the union movement. He announces that he has 
  managed to gather the power to get one of the steel mills 
  to reopen. Within a few months, it will open and Gary will 
  
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  be sparked by a brief period of growth. 
  A few minutes before midnight, Modius looks towards the 
  door and suddenly demands to know where Juggler is. If 
  no one answers, he says, "That arrogant bastard will be 
  punished for his tardiness to my court. I will not tolerate 
  such behavior." 
  Then one of the servants steps forward with a watch in his 
  hands and counts out the last seconds of the year. Modius 
  raises his glass and at the stroke of midnight proposes a 
  rather strange toast: "May we discover the beauty that we 
  cannot share." 
  You might want to describe the grandfather clock striking 
  out twelve in the backgrou nd - just something to add a 
  little tone to the mood. 
  •Crashing the Party 
  One of more radical vampires of Gary, Juggler, arrives at 
  the party quite late. Juggler crashes the party with a 
  retinue of mortals in  
  tow. The drunk mortals immediately descend on any 
  available females and start dancing. Juggler scoops up 
  Allicia for the same purpose. He turns off the classical 
  music that Modius was playing and inserts a hardcore CD 
  which he brought with him. (At this point you should 
  actually change the music to punk or heavy metal - Black 
  Flag or the Butthole Surfers would be appropriate.) 
  Modius, who was becoming very passionate in a diatribe 
  against modern art, will be taken completely unaware. 
  After a long moment of stunned silence, he will react by 
  demanding that the mortals be killed for such a breach of 
  the Masquerade. However, he does not even suggest that 
  Juggler be punished. He's terrified that the mortals might 
  remember the house and what they saw going on inside of 
  it. Keep in mind how paranoid Modius is of discovery. 
  It will be up to saner minds (i.e. the characters) to suggest 
  that the mortals not be killed, but simply mind-wiped. Any 
  character that participates in such wholesale slaughter of 
  human life should definitely roll for loss of Humanity. You 
  may wish to play up the Modius-Juggler conflict even 
  more, but remember that though Modius is the prince, he 
  treats Juggler with respect and fear, more like an equal 
  than a subordinate. 
  Juggler will only laugh at the debate and will take no part 
  in it. Once some decision has been made, he stands back 
  with a smile and lets the events unfold as they will. Juggler 
  will not prevent the execution of the mortals, though he 
  will not allow Evelyn to be harmed (see below). 
  Mingled with the humans is Evelyn, the woman Juggler 
  Embraced without the permission of Modius. If one of the 
  characters is also his neonate, Juggler may give him a 
  quick glance, as if to say "don't say a word." During the 
  exchange between Modius and Juggler, Evelyn will 
  approach one or two of the characters with naive curiosity 
  and perhaps accidentally mention who her sire is. 
  Juggler is openly contemptuous of Modius as well as most 
  of the other guests, whom he calls "the little slaves." He 
  asks one of the characters (presumably his "rival") why he 
  is present. Before they can answer, he will loudly 
  announce, "You groveling Thrall. Do you not see past this 
  meaningless ritual? It is the pathetic court of a windbag, 
  senile, has-been, weakling prince." He may speak further 
  with the other characters, seemingly interested in who 
  they are, but everything he says is directed more toward 
  Modius than anyone else. The language he uses is bold and 
  direct, and he will pull no punches. 
  •Evelyn's Presentation 
  Later on, after the excitement dies down, Juggler presents 
  his childe to Modius. Suddenly turning off the music, 
  Juggler announces to the others that there is "another 
  guest whom you should all welcome to this gathering - my 
  childe, Evelyn." He then turns to Modius with a sardonic 
  smile, and says, "Please, dear Master, why so glum? Is she 
  not exquisite? Such well-sculpted beauty is so rarely found 
  these days, and she has a spirit to match!" 
  Modius will not react well. He will in fact be outraged, but 
  in the end he will do nothing. After yelling and making 
  threats for several minutes, he will suddenly grow quiet 
  and say simply, "I trust that you have taught her of the 
  Traditions." Having said that, he will say nothing more on 
  the subject, and will go back to his speech on the 
  decadence of modern art. 
  As for Evelyn, she acts without fear and with great 
  boldness, introducing herself to the others. She is curious 
  about who everyone is, why they are here, and what sort of 
  people they are -it is all, obviously, very new for her. After 
  a time, she even goes over to Modius and speaks with him. 
  Once she has done so, Juggler will shout, "Ah, you have 
  welcomed her. She is one of us now." 
  •Annabelle's Arrival 
  Late into the party, a message arrives from the Prince of 
  Chicago. The letter is delivered by a woman of surpassing 
  beauty. She is in fact Annabelle Triabell, one of the elders 
  of Chicago, as well as an old friend of Modius (they are of 
  the same clan). Before she enters the house, one of the 
  servants comes in to tell Modius that she has arrived. 
  Modius will look extremely surprised, and perceptive 
  characters (Perception of 4 or more) will notice a look of 
  terror flash across his face. Enterprising characters who 
  look out one of the windows in the front of the house will 
  notice a long white limo parked in front, and may even see 
  Annabelle delicately step from it. 
  Once he learns that Annabelle has arrived, Juggler leaves 
  the party, taking Evelyn with him. Exiting via the back 
  door, they say goodbye to no one, and try to make as little 
  fuss as possible in doing so -in direct contrast to the way 
  they entered. 
  Once Annabelle enters the room, it is clear that she is an 
  exceptionally powerful woman. She looks about her at the 
  guests, smiles, and gives her coat to one of Modius' 
  servants. She then step over to Modius and patiently waits 
  until he remembers to kiss her on the cheek. Once he has 
  done so, she grasps his arms and leads him into his office, 
  smiling politely at everyone else as they leave. A few 
  minutes later, after some muffled shouts and exclamations 
  coming from within (and an uneasy silence in the other 
  rooms), they emerge. Modius is yelling wildly and 
  clutching a letter written on a piece of parchment paper. 
  "How dare he command me in this way! I will not tolerate 
  it, Justicar or no Justicar." Annabelle, who comes out just 
  behind him, replies, "His language is somewhat strong, 
  but you must meet him halfway." They continue to talk 
  back and forth about the letter, letting the players know 
  that it is from Lodin and that it makes some sort of 
  demand. 
  It should be obvious to the characters that Annabelle uses 
  her influence with Modius to diminish his anger at the 
  ultimatum from Lodin. Modius will vehemently protest 
  the demands of Lodin, but will gradually settle down and 
  tell the characters that they must  
  
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  Present themselves to Lodin. If the characters interrupt 
  Modius' conversation with Annabelle, he will become very 
  angry and will use the anger as an outlet for his 
  embarrassment. 
  Eventually, Annabelle convinces him to return with her to 
  his office, where they remain for some time. Before they do 
  so, however, Modius excuses himself and politely requests 
  that everyone make themselves at home, and wait "but a 
  few moments" for him to return. The characters will have 
  about 15 minutes to spend discussing what occurred. If 
  anyone tries to leave, one of the servants will fetch Modius, 
  who will strongly "request" that the character stay. 
  •Announcement 
  When he finally emerges from his office, Modius makes an 
  announcement (Annabelle leaves before he does so). He 
  tells his guests that he is "r ejecting this pile of rubbish, 
  these contemptible demands," and that he will stand 
  strong against the tyranny of Lodin. Then he tells them 
  that he wishes the "neonates among us," to travel to 
  Chicago and deliver a reply to Lodin. Looking quite fierce, 
  Modius explains that he will not tolerate any interference 
  in the affairs of his city. 
  He offers to make the characters "my emissaries to Lodin, 
  to make it clear to him that I am not his servant." No non-
  player vampire will respond to the offer, so maybe the 
  characters will decide to accept. If they do not, Modius will 
  request that they do so. If they still refuse, he will threaten 
  them, cajole them, bribe them and will in fact do anything 
  to get them to go to Chicago (he has no choice). He will 
  give the leader of the group a sealed letter to present to 
  Lodin. If it is ever opened, the characters will discover it to 
  contain only empty platitudes and excuses, the meaning of 
  which is not exactly clear. 
  To assist his official representatives, Modius supplies the 
  "v olunteers" with another letter requesting safe passage 
  for his official emissaries. Modius assures the characters 
  that this paper will allow his representatives to reach 
  Lodin without any trouble -he is not simply mistaken, he 
  knows full well that the letter is worthless. 
  Before they leave, however, Modius will bring one of the 
  characters over to the side and say privately to him or her: 
  "You understand of course, for the sake of formality, that 
  you may need to Present yourself to him. You do see, don't 
  you  - a formality. In his deluded mind, he sees you as his 
  subjects, and requires you to Present yourselves to him 
  just as you were Presented to me. It probably won't do any 
  harm to humor him - after you deliver my letter, of 
  course." 
  •Words of Advice 
  Before the characters leave, Lucian will approach one of 
  the characters privately and tell him or her that if they 
  have any troubles in Chicago to go to the Succubus Club. 
  He describes to them an old friend of his who frequents it, 
  a vampire named Sir Henry Johnson. While he is 
  explaining this, however, Modius intervenes  
  and tells the characters that the Succubus Club is "nothing 
  but the hangout for the dregs of our kind. It is for those 
  who wish to pretend they have spirit, when in truth they 
  do not." However, it is the only real lead the characters 
  have. If they do not go to the Succubus Club, they will not 
  know where to go at all. 
  Characters 
  See the previous section for details of the Kindred of Gary. 
  Annabelle, an elder from Chicago, is described here. 
  Annabelle Triabell 
  Clan: Toreador  
  Nature: Bon Vivant 
  Demeanor: Bon Vivant 
  Embrace: 1722 
  Apparent age: early 30s 
  Generation: Sixth 
  Description: Of average height and slightly above-
  average build, she has stylish shoulder-length ash-blond 
  hair and wide, sky -blue ey es. She has a large, full mouth 
  and the bearing and appearance of a fashion model. 
  Notes: Annabelle is the eldest of the Toreador clan in 
  Chicago, though you would never know it by her actions. 
  She is a hedonist, living in the public eye under the name 
  Ellen Stanley -Greer as the wife of John Greer, publisher of 
  the Sentinel syndicate of newspapers. Greer is an older 
  man, in his late 60s, who is apparently completely under 
  her control. The two have been married since the early 
  '60s, and the local media has begun to comment on the 
  apparent agelessness of Mrs. Greer. 
  She knows no other life except excess. Her existence is a 
  decadent whirlwind of action and sensation. Many of the 
  younger Kindred in Chicago spend at least a short time in 
  her retinue, experiencing things quite literally undreamed 
  of by mortal man. Lodin is continually at odds with her 
  over her behavior and the constant threat of a media 
  scandal. 
  She is a friend of Modius, the Prince of Gary, who is quite 
  flattered with her attentions. It is probably an attempt on 
  her part to create friction between the two princes, and 
  thus to allow her a greater measure of power. She 
  manipulates both in order to increase the tension between 
  them as well as decrease it. None know her true 
  motivations. 
  Afterward 
  Upon completing Baptism by Fire, you have three 
  options. First, you may feel that the party was a fitting 
  conclusion to your first Vampire chronicle. Things may 
  not have gone right and the players may have had enough 
  of Gary. You can start over by giving everyone a chance to 
  make up new characters now that they know what is going 
  on. This also gives you a chance to create your own unique 
  chronicle, as well as stories of your own. 
  Your second option is to continue the story by creating 
  your own ideas on where it will go. There are any number 
  of different subplots you can follow; indeed, much of the 
  chronicle could involve following up each and every 
  subplot presented above. 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  164 
  Last Words 
  I sit atop Stone Mountain today and think of all the 
  changes of the last year. I am not who I was when I wrote 
  this book. I have been changed by it. 
  I can scarcely believe what has happened since the first 
  printing of Vampire. The first surprise was that people 
  actually liked what I had created. The second was that 
  others shared my love of the vampire. Our numbers are 
  legion. 
  The White Wolf game studio has also changed this year. 
  Success has enabled us to say and do as we wish, and more 
  and more people seem to be listening. The word is getting 
  out. We have some bold plans for the future. 
  Only the technology of the portable computer and desktop 
  publishing allows me to do this (God bless Macintosh). It 
  is a miracle that I am able to typeset directly into the pages 
  of this book from my aerie. A revolution has occurred in 
  the last five years, and no one seems to notice. Literally 
  anyone can publish in this age of silicon. The people have 
  the power to speak again. We don't need the media to tell 
  us how to think. 
  It is because of you that these words are being written. 
  Your support created this company, and I hope that we 
  remain worthy of that support. You need to let us know 
  when we stray from the path. 
  I love to sit atop this granite mound, because here I have 
  vision. Here I can see beyond the petty grievances and 
  ambitions of daily life. I can see more clearly. What you 
  hold in your hands is the result of nearly a year of naked 
  obsession. It is the product of sweat and passion, agony 
  and exultation. I hope that you like what we have done 
  with it. 
  As I look out over the lakes and church steeples, I can 
  think only of the night. I can think only of the night breed. 
  They live in my dreams.  
    
  Nature Red In Tooth and Claw 
  Emotional numbing, mass addictions, low self-esteem, 
  depression , apathy , anomie , stress, all the modem 
  illnesses are symptoms of the absurd and tragic struggle 
  to bridle instinct. Guilt is engendered by the imperfect 
  ability of humans to suppress the inner rage of the 
  repressed id. 
  Adam Parfrey, 
  Apocalypse Culture  
    
  You cannot ignore emotion. You cannot suppress instinct. 
  You cannot repress evil. The levee fills all too quickly, and 
  the flood waters never stop adding to the reservoir. No 
  dam is free of cracks and all barriers must eventually 
  break. 
  You must learn to harness the dark waters instead of 
  damming them up. When the flood eventually comes, it 
  will destroy everything you have struggled to build. 
  Evil must be checked, but it cannot be ignored. Instinct 
  cannot be halted, but it can be modified, redirected. Evil 
  must be harnessed before it overcomes. You must 
  somehow come to terms with evil, accept it and 
  understand it, and then, finally, overcome it. 
  Deep in all of us resides a demon, or so the medieval folk 
  believed. Taken as a metaphor, it speaks volumes about 
  the human condition. There is evil in us all. 
  Vampire was written in order to discover the nature of 
  Evil. Evil most certainly does exist, but it is not as cut and 
  dried as some would have us believe. The age-old 
  dichotomy of good and evil, black and white, is false. 
  Vampire is an exploration of evil, and as such, it is 
  unsafe. You are digging deep when you play this game. 
  This game was not meant to be comfortable - it was 
  designed to provoke and inspire. It was designed to make 
  you think and feel, to dream and aspire. 
  Most human evil is a perversion of the territoriality, 
  aggression, and herd programming built into our 
  unconscious. Unharnessed aggression leads to war, and 
  unmodified herd mentality leads to the Inquisition. 
  We are half angel and half demon. Our reasoning capacity 
  and self-awareness put us on a practically divine level, yet 
  our animal bodies and biological needs chain us to evil 
  reality. 
  Modern culture provides so much security against our 
  primal fears, against nature itself, that we are cut off from 
  our true selves. The miraculous products of technology 
  have eliminated many of the basic terrors of existence (like 
  being eaten) but have done nothing and can do nothing to 
  eliminate our inner demons. And these unchecked, 
  unharnessed inner demons are perverting us. 
  Explore your own inner evil, discover that which makes 
  you unclean, and then cleanse your sores. Become good in 
  spite of yourself. Fight against your instincts. Take the 
  high road.  
  Inspiration 
    
  What the imagination seizes as beauty must be truth 
  - whether it existed before or not. 
  - John Keats, 
  "Woman When I Behold Thee" 
  Many people inspired Vampire: The Masquerade, 
  both those whom I have had the privilege of knowing and 
  those whose work I have heard, watched or read. The 
  efforts and creativity of many created this game; no one 
  person could ever create anything of this scale. Each of us 
  takes the ideas and thoughts of others and passes them 
  along. We may evolve the idea, concept or seed, but we can 
  never claim sole ow nership. What we call creativity is 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  165 
  actually evolution. Creativity is concealing one's sources. If 
  one has changed an idea enough so that its source is 
  concealed, the idea is perceived as avant-garde. Below I 
  have listed the people and works that have inspired the 
  creation of this game. Check them out, and nurture your 
  imagination. 
    
  Movies 
  Near Dark, Vamp, The Hunger, Nosferatu (original silent 
  movie), Dracula (original talkie), Dracula (Coppola's 
  newest) Lost Boys, Blue Velvet, Dangerous Liaisons, Rear 
  Window , Casablanca, Alien, Aliens, Blade Runner, 
  Highlander (but not II) 
    
  Music 
  The Cure, U2, New Order, Morrisey, Red Hot Chili 
  Peppers, The The, XTC, Gypsy Kings, Philip Glass, Public 
  Enemy, Sisters of Mercy, The Clash, The Doors, Jane's 
  Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sting, L7, Prince, 
  Midnight Oil, REM, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Placido 
  Domingo, Enrico Caruso 
    
  Novels 
  Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen 
  of the Damned, The Body Thief, Anne Rice; Dracula, 
  Bram Stroker; I Am Legend, Richard Matheson; Those 
  Who Haunt the Night, Barbra Hambly; Some of Your 
  Blood, Theodore Sturgeon; The Vampire Tapestry, Suzy 
  McKee Charnas; The Hunger, Whitley Streiber; The 
  Delicate Dependency , Michael Talbot; The Light at the 
  End, John Skipp and Craig Spector; Lost Souls, Poppy Z. 
  Brite; Sandman, Neil Gaiman; Time Enough for Love, 
  Robert Heinlein; East of Eden, John Steinbeck 
    
  Games 
  Scruples, Illuminati, Cosmic Encounter, Call of Cthulhu, 
  Ars Magica, Runequest, Pendragon, Shadowrun, Gurps 
  Horror, Corps  
  Thinkers 
  Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Milan Kundera, Herman 
  Hesse, Albert Camus, P.B.Shelly, Mercea Eliade, and (of 
  course) Vaclav Havel 
  September 12, 1992  
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  166 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  167 
  Summary 
  Vampire: The Masquerade 1
   
  A Storytelling Game of Personal 
  Horror 
  1  
  By Mark Rein•Hagen 
  2 
  Credits 
  2 
  Dedication 
  2 
  Contents 
  4 
  •Preface: The Damned 
  4 
  • Book One: Background 
  4 
  • Book Two: Becoming 
  4 
  • Book Three: Permutations 
  4 
  • Appendix 
  4 
  Monsters, Monsters, 
  Everywhere. . . 
  5 
  The Damned 
  5 
  Our True Nature 
  5 
  The Ghouls 
  6 
  The Embrace 
  6 
  Anatomia Vampirica 
  7 
  The Hunger 
  8 
  The Beast 
  8 
  The Burdens of Immortality9 
  Vita Sub Tenebras 
  9 
  The Origins of the Kindred 9 
  The Masquerade 
  10 
  Childer 
  11 
  The World of the Undead 11 
  Diablerie 
  12 
  Last Plea 
  12 
  THE RIDDLE 
  13 
  Chapter One: Introduction14 
  Storytelling 
  14 
  Roleplaying 
  1 4 
  The Storyteller 
  15 
  The Players 
  15 
  Characters 
  15 
  Broods 
  1 6 
  Winner and Losers 
  16 
  Playing Aids 
  1 6 
  Live-Action 
  1 6 
  The Meaning of the Myth 16 
  Fledglings 
  1 7  
  The Becoming 
  1 7  
  The Hunger 
  1 7  
  Nature of the Beast 
  1 7  
  Chapter Two:  Setting 
  19 
  Gothic -Punk 
  19 
  Streets of Blood 
  1 9 
  Creatures of the City 
  20 
  Overpopulation 
  20 
  Normality 
  20 
  Social Distinctions 
  20 
  The Prince 
  21  
  Taking Charge 
  22 
  Advantages of Princedom 
  22 
  Intrigue 
  23 
  Primogen 
  23 
  Elysium 
  23 
  The First Tradition: The 
  Masquerade 
  24 
  The Second Tradition: The 
  Domain 
  24 
  The Third Tradition: The 
  Progeny 
  24 
  The Fourth Tradition: The 
  Accounting 
  24 
  The Fifth Tradition: 
  Hospitality 
  24 
  The Sixth Tradition: 
  Destruction 
  24 
  The Traditions 
  25 
  The Tradition of The Masquerade25 
  The Tradition of Domain 
  25 
  The Tradition of The Progeny 
  25 
  The Tradition of The Accounting26 
  The Tradition of Hospitality 
  26 
  The Tradition of Destruction 
  26 
  Lextalionis 
  27  
  Sects 
  27 
  Camarilla 
  27  
  Conclave 
  28 
  The Inner Circle 
  28 
  Justicars 
  28 
  The Sabbat 
  29 
  The Inconnu 
  29 
  Bloodlines 
  30 
  Brujah 
  30 
  Gangrel 
  30 
  Malkavian 
  30 
  Nosferatu 
  30 
  Toreador 
  31 
  Tremere 
  31 
  Ventrue 
  31 
  Caitiff 
  31 
  Other Clans 
  31 
  Witch Hunters 
  31 
  The Government 
  31 
  The Inquisition 
  32 
  The Arcanum 
  33 
  The Lupines 
  33 
  The Magi 
  33 
  Ghouls 
  33 
  Generations 
  33 
  Caine 
  34 
  Second Generation 
  34 
  Third Generation 
  34 
  Fourth and Fifth Generations 34 
  Sixth, Seventh and Eighth 
  Generations 
  34 
  Ninth and Tenth Generations 
  34 
  Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth 
  Generations 
  34 
  Fourteenth and Fifteenth 
  Generations 
  35 
  Lexicon 
  35 
  Common Parlance 
  35 
  Old Form 
  36 
  Vulgar Argot 
  37  
  Chapter Three: Storytelling38 
  A Job Description 
  38 
  Telling a Story 
  38 
  Laying Down The Law 
  39 
  Breaking the Rules 
  39 
  That's Entertainment 
  39 
  Give 'Em What they Want 
  40 
  The Art of Storytelling 
  40 
  Suspense 
  40 
  Timing 
  41 
  Description 
  41 
  Imagination 
  41 
  Changes of Pace 
  41 
  Deadline 
  41 
  Delay Success 
  41 
  Secrecy 
  41 
  Intrigue 
  41 
  Safe Haven 
  42 
  Scope 
  42 
  Dependents 
  42 
  Advanced Storytelling 
  42 
  Flashbacks 
  42 
  Parallel Story 
  42 
  Foreshadowing 
  42 
  Dream Sequence 
  43 
  Symbolism 
  43 
  Live-Action 
  43 
  Rules 
  43 
  Atmosphere 
  44 
  Props 
  44 
  Do's and Don'ts 
  44 
  Do's 
  44 
  Don'ts 
  44 
  The Book of Nod 
  45 
  THE BECOMING 
  48 
  Chapter Four: 
  49 
  Rules 
  49 
  Time 
  49 
  Actions 
  49 
  Rolling Dice 
  49 
  Ratings 
  49 
  Difficulties 
  50 
  Difficulties 
  50 
  Degrees of Success 
  50 
  Rule of One 
  50 
  Automatic Success 
  51 
  Complications 
  51 
  Extended Actions 
  51 
  Resisted Actions 
  51 
  Teamwork 
  51 
  The Golden Rule 
  52 
  Try it Out 
  52 
  The Character Sheet 
  52 
  Examples of Rolls 
  52 
  Game Terms 
  53 
  Chapter Five:  Character 54 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  168 
  Getting Started 
  54 
  Role of the Storyteller 
  55 
  Step 1: Character Concept 
  55 
  Concept 
  55 
  The Clan 
  55 
  Nature and Demeanor (Optional)55 
  Character Creation Process 
  56 
  Concepts 
  56 
  Clans 
  56 
  Personality Archetypes 
  57  
  Step 2: Choosing Attributes 
  58 
  Attributes 
  58 
  Abilities 
  58 
  Step 3: Choosing Abilities 
  58 
  Advantages 
  58 
  Step 4: Advantages 
  59 
  Disciplines 
  59 
  Disciplines 
  59 
  Backgrounds 
  59 
  Backgrounds 
  59 
  Virtues 
  59 
  Point Pool Costs 
  59 
  Step 5: Finishing Touches 
  59 
  Willpower 
  60 
  Humanity 
  60 
  Blood Pool 
  60 
  Freebie Points 
  60 
  Spark of Life 
  60 
  Appearance 
  60 
  Contacts 
  60 
  Retainers 
  60 
  Specialties 
  60 
  Equipment 
  60 
  Quirks 
  60 
  Example of Character 
  Creation 
  60 
  Looking Ahead 
  62 
  The Prelude 
  62 
  The Right Technique 
  63 
  Questions and Answers 
  63 
  • How old are you? 
  63 
  • What was unique about your 
  childhood? 
  63 
  • What kind of person were you?63 
  • When did you first meet a 
  vampire? 
  64 
  • How did the Embrace change you?
   
  64 
  • Who was your sire? 
  64 
  • How did your sire treat you? 64 
  • Were you presented to the prince?
   
  64 
  • How did you meet the others in 
  your brood? 
  64 
  • Where is your haven? 
  65 
  • What are your habitual feeding 
  grounds? 
  65 
  • What motivates you? 
  65 
  Chapter Six: Chronicle 
  66 
  Creating a Chronicle 
  66 
  Elements of a Chronicle 
  66 
  Motif 
  67  
  Setting 
  67  
  Characters 
  67  
  Antagonists 
  68 
  Scheme 
  68 
  Naming Your Creation 
  69 
  Chronicle Archetypes 
  69 
  The Classics 
  69 
  Roleplaying 
  70 
  Bizarre 
  70 
  Creating a Story 
  7 1  
  Theme 
  72 
  Conflict 
  72 
  Plot 
  73 
  Drama 
  74 
  Mood 
  74 
  Story Archetypes 
  7 5 
  Mean Streets 
  75 
  Illuminatus 
  76 
  Bourbon Street 
  76 
  BOOK THREE: 
  PERMUTATIONS 
  7 8 
  Chapter Seven: Traits 
  79 
  Specialties 
  7 9 
  Clans 
  79 
  Brujah 
  79 
  Stereotypes: 
  80 
  Gangrel 
  80 
  Stereotypes: 
  81 
  Malkavians 
  81 
  Stereotypes: 
  81 
  Nosferatu 
  82 
  Stereotypes: 
  82 
  Toreador 
  82 
  Stereotypes: 
  83 
  Tremere 
  83 
  Stereotypes: 
  84 
  Ventrue 
  84 
  Stereotypes: 
  84 
  Generations Chart 
  85 
  Personality Archetypes 
  85 
  Architect 
  86 
  Bon Vivant 
  86 
  Bravo 
  86 
  Caregiver 
  86 
  Child 
  86 
  Conformist 
  86 
  Conniver 
  86 
  Curmudgeon 
  87 
  Deviant 
  87 
  Director 
  87 
  Fanatic 
  87 
  Gallant 
  87 
  Jester 
  87 
  Judge 
  87 
  Loner 
  87 
  Martyr 
  87 
  Rebel 
  88 
  Survivor 
  88 
  Traditionalist 
  88 
  Visionary 
  88 
  Attributes 
  88 
  Physical 
  88 
  Strength 
  88 
  Dexterity 
  88 
  Stamina 
  88 
  Social 
  89 
  Charisma 
  89 
  Manipulation 
  89 
  Appearance 
  89 
  Mental 
  89 
  Perception 
  89 
  Intelligence 
  90 
  Wits 
  90 
  Abilities 
  90 
  Talents 
  90 
  Acting 
  90 
  Alertness 
  90 
  Athletics 
  91 
  Brawl 
  91 
  Dodge 
  91 
  Empathy 
  91 
  Intimidation 
  91 
  Leadership 
  91 
  Streetwise 
  91 
  Subterfuge 
  92 
  Skills 
  92 
  Animal Ken 
  92 
  Drive 
  92 
  Etiquette 
  92 
  Firearms 
  92 
  Melee 
  92 
  Music 
  93 
  Repair 
  93 
  Security 
  93 
  Stealth 
  93 
  Survival 
  93 
  Knowledges 
  93 
  Bureaucracy 
  93 
  Computer 
  94 
  Finance 
  94 
  Investigation 
  94 
  Law 
  94 
  Linguistics 
  94 
  Medicine 
  94 
  Occult 
  95 
  Politics 
  95 
  Science 
  95 
  Disciplines 
  95 
  Animalism 
  95 
  • Sweet Whispers 
  95 
  •• The Beckoning 
  96 
  ••• Song of Serenity 
  96 
  •••• Sharing of Spirits 
  96 
  ••••• Drawing out the Beast 
  97 
  Auspex 
  97  
  • Heightened Senses 
  97 
  ••Aura Perception 
  97 
  Aura Colors 
  99 
  ••• The Spirit's Touch 
  99 
  •••• Telepathy 
  99 
  ••••• Psychic Projection 
  100 
  Celerity 
  100 
  Dominate 
  100 
  • Command the Wearied Mind 101 
  •• Mesmerize 
  101 
  ••• The Forgetful Mind 
  101 
  •••• Conditioning 
  101 
  ••••• Possession 
  101 
  Fortitude 
  102  
  Obfuscate 
  102  
  • Cloak of Shadows 
  102 
  •• Unseen Presence 
  102 
  ••• Mask of the Thousand Faces102 
  •••• Vanish from Mind's Eye 
  102 
  ••••• Cloak the Gathering 
  103 
  Potence 
  103  
  Presence 
  103  
  • Awe 
  103 
  •• Dread Gaze 
  103 
  ••• Entrancement 
  103 
  •••• Summon 
  104 
  ••••• Majesty 
  104 
  Protean 
  104  
  • Gleam of Red Eyes 
  104 
  •• Wolf Claws 
  104 
  ••• Earth Meld 
  104 
  •••• Shadow  of the Beast 
  105 
  ••••• Form of Mist 
  105 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  169 
  Thaumaturgy 
  105 
  • A Tas te for Blood 
  105 
  •• Blood Rage 
  105 
  ••• Blood of Potency 
  105 
  •••• Theft of Vitae 
  105 
  ••••• Cauldron of Blood 
  105 
  Rituals 
  106  
  Paths 
  106  
  The Lure of Flames 
  106 
  Movement of the Mind 
  106 
  Weather Control 
  107 
  Backgrounds 
  107 
  Allies 
  107  
  Contacts 
  107  
  Fame 
  107  
  Generation 
  108 
  Herd 
  108 
  Influence 
  108 
  Mentor 
  108 
  Resources 
  108 
  Retainers 
  109  
  Status 
  109  
  Virtues 
  109 
  Conscience 
  109  
  Self-Control 
  109  
  Courage 
  110 
  Humanity 
  110 
  Effects of Humanity 
  110 
  Willpower 
  110 
  Using Willpower 
  111 
  Recovering Willpower 
  111 
  Blood Pool 
  111 
  Using Blood Pool 
  111 
  Blood Point Chart 
  113 
  Source 
  113 
  Blood Pool size 
  113 
  Gaining Blood Pool 
  113 
  Health 
  113 
  Health Levels 
  113 
  Chapter Eight: Systems 
  115 
  Character Development 115 
  Experience Points 
  115 
  Roleplay It 
  116 
  Awarding Experience Points 1 1 6 
  End of Each Chapter 
  116 
  End of Each Story 
  116 
  Raising Disciplines 
  1 1 6 
  Gaining Humanity 
  116 
  Gaining Willpower 
  117 
  Backgrounds 
  117 
  Personality Development 
  1 1 7  
  Demeanor 
  117 
  Nature 
  117 
  Rebirth 
  1 1 7  
  Diablerie 
  1 1 8 
  Golconda 
  1 1 8 
  Quest 
  119 
  Benefits of Golconda 
  119 
  Physical States 
  119 
  Injury 
  1 1 9 
  Mortals' Healing Times 
  120 
  Healing 
  120 
  Aggravated Wounds 
  120 
  Final Death 
  120 
  Mortal Death 
  120 
  Sources of Injury 
  120 
  Combat 
  121 
  Falling 
  121 
  Fire 
  121 
  Sunlight 
  121 
  Extreme Heat 
  122 
  Deterioration 
  122 
  Disease 
  122 
  Stakes 
  122 
  Hostile Environment 
  122 
  Torpor 
  122 
  Mental States 
  123 
  Frenzy 
  123 
  Provocation 
  123 
  System 
  123 
  Roleplaying 
  123 
  Duration 
  124 
  Rötschreck 
  124 
  System 
  124 
  Roleplaying 
  124 
  Degeneration 
  124 
  Remorse 
  124 
  Hierarchy of Sins 
  125 
  Derangements 
  125 
  Roleplaying Derangements 
  125 
  Blood Bond 
  126 
  Creation of the Bond 
  126 
  Power of the Bond 
  126 
  Chapter Nine:  Drama 
  128 
  Scenes 
  128 
  Turns 
  129 
  Multiple Actions 
  129 
  Action Scenes 
  129 
  Organizing an Action Turn 
  129 
  Initiative 
  130 
  Taking Actions 
  130 
  Dramatic Systems 
  131 
  Physical 
  131 
  Awakening 
  131 
  Climbing 
  131 
  Hunting 
  131 
  Jumping 
  132 
  Feats of Strength 
  132 
  Repair 
  132 
  Sneaking 
  132 
  Shadowing 
  133 
  Swimming 
  133 
  Stunt Driving 
  133 
  Pursuit 
  135 
  Stealing 
  135 
  Social 
  136 
  Seduction 
  136 
  Fast Talk 
  136 
  Oration 
  136 
  Interrogation 
  136 
  Credibility 
  137 
  The Facedown 
  137 
  Performances 
  137 
  Mental 
  137  
  Research 
  137 
  Composition 
  138 
  Recollection 
  138 
  Track 
  138 
  Investment 
  138 
  Forgery 
  138 
  Search 
  138 
  Cryptology 
  138 
  Safecracking 
  139 
  Combat 
  139 
  Stage One: Initiative 
  139 
  Stage Two: Attack 
  139 
  Dodging 
  139 
  Stage Three: Resolution 
  140 
  Complications 
  140 
  General Complications 
  140 
  Firefight Complications 
  140 
  Firefight Complications 
  140 
  Firearms Table 
  1 
  Melee and Brawling Complications
   
  141 
  Melee Weapons Table 
  141 
  Brawling Table 
  142 
  Armor Chart 
  142 
  Armor 
  142 
  Example of Play 
  144 
  Story Section 
  144 
  Rules Section 
  144 
  Appendix 
  148 
  Antagonists 
  148 
  Mortals 
  148 
  Police Officer 
  148 
  Police Detective 
  148 
  Government Agent 
  148 
  SWAT Officer 
  148 
  Witch-Hunter 
  148 
  True Faith 
  149 
  Vampires 
  149 
  Ghouls 
  149 
  Werewolves 
  150 
  Magi 
  150 
  Faeries 
  150 
  Ghosts 
  150 
  Forged in Steel 
  151 
  Concepts 
  151  
  Premise 
  151  
  Setting 
  152  
  Characters 
  152  
  Character Contacts 
  153 
  Antagonists 
  153  
  Plan 
  153  
  Motif 
  154  
  Cast of Characters 
  154  
  Modius 
  154 
  Allicia 
  154 
  Juggler 
  155 
  Michael 
  155 
  Evelyn Stephens 
  156 
  Alexander Danov 
  156 
  Lucian 
  156 
  The Hunters 
  157  
  Sullivan Dane 
  157 
  Special Agent William Shepard157 
  Detective Gregory Stephens 
  158 
  Baptism by Fire 
  158 
  The Party 
  158 
  Plot 
  159  
  Setting 
  159  
  Dialogue 
  160 
  • The Hunt 
  160 
  •Formal Greeting 
  160 
  •Enigmatic Danov 
  160 
  •Shy Michael 
  160 
  •Imperious Lucian 
  160 
  •The Trap 
  161 
  •Screwing Up 
  161 
  •The Seduction 
  161 
  •Midnight Toast 
  161 
  •Crashing the Party 
  162 
  •Evelyn's Presentation 
  162 
  •Annabelle's Arrival 
  162 
  •Announcement 
  163 
  •Words of Advice 
  163 
  Characters 
  163 
  Annabelle Triabell 
  163 
  Afterward 
  163 
  
  Vampire  The Masquerade 2nd edition 
  170 
  Last Words 
  164 
  Nature Red In Tooth and Claw164 
  Inspiration 
  164 
  Movies 
  165 
  Music 
  165 
  Novels 
  165 
  Games 
  165 
  Thinkers 
  165 
  Summary 
  167 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/oWoD/Vampire (c)/Core/(eBook) White Wolf - World of Darkness - Vampire the Masquerade 2nd.pdf