Um

aviso de conteúdo maduro

Nas últimas décadas, Vampire: The Masquerade abordou a

escuridão no mundo real através de histórias de terror:
falou sobre AIDS, exploração capitalista, predação sexual,
o ressurgimento do extremismo político de extrema direita,
fanatismo religioso, vigilância estatal e privada, e muitas
outras questões. Esta versão do jogo não foge de nenhum
dos itens acima, e acreditamos que a exploração de
assuntos como esses é tão válida em RPGs quanto em
outras mídias. Incluir um assunto problemático em um jogo
de Storytelling não é o mesmo que glorificá-lo, e se você
aproveitar a chance de explorá-lo criticamente, pode ser
exatamente o contrário. Se entendermos os problemas que
enfrentamos, estaremos mais bem armados para combatê-
los.
V5 inclui referências no mundo e expressões do
seguinte: violência sexual, extremismo político, violência
física e sangue, controle mental, tortura, abuso, prisão e
sequestro, racismo, sexismo e homofobia, para citar
alguns. É um jogo sobre monstros. "Por que você está
me contando isso?" você pode estar dizendo.
Alguém na sua mesa não está familiarizado com este jogo.
Alguém em sua mesa lidou com algumas dessas questões
na vida real. Alguém em sua mesa quer saber que você leu
este aviso e sabe que será considerado como jogadores,
enquanto coloca seu personagem no espremedor.
No Apêndice, você encontrará técnicas concretas sobre
como lidar com assuntos difíceis em seu jogo de maneira
respeitosa com seus jogadores e suas experiências.
Calibre de antemão quais técnicas seu grupo deseja usar.
As pessoas têm necessidades diferentes e nem todos os
métodos funcionam para todas as pessoas.

Este é um jogo sobre monstros. Mas é apenas um jogo.

 Não use isso como desculpa para ser um monstro.

DEDICAÇÕES
A você, leitor, jogador e fã de Vampire: The Masquerade, dedicamos
nossa paixão, trabalho, gratidão e amor; Para nossos eus de 20 e
poucos anos, que ficariam muito impressionados com o que
acabaríamos tendo em nossas mãos;
e
Em memória amorosa de Stewart Wieck, co-fundador da White Wolf e co-criador do
Mundo das Trevas.

ENTRETENIMENTO LOBO BRANCO

Tobias “Excel” Sjögren – CEO | Martin “Elricsson” Ericsson – contador de histórias
principal | Karim “Karnak” Muammar – editor-chefe Dhaunae “Daphne” De Vir –
desenvolvedor de negócios | Tomas “The Old One” Arfert – artista e editor

DESIGN
desenvolvido por Kenneth Hite e Karim Muammar
design de sistema – Karim Muammar, Kenneth Hite e Karl Bergström
história e direção criativa – Martin Ericsson

produtor – Jason Carl

escrito por – Kenneth Hite, Martin Ericsson , Matthew Dawkins, Karim Muammar e
Juhana Pettersson
escrita adicional por - Mark Rein•Hagen, Karl Bergström, Jason Andrew, Freja
Gyldenstrøm, Jacqueline Bryk e Neil Gaiman edição – Freja Gyldenstrøm,
Jennifer Smith-Pulsipher e Karim Muammar

arte
– Mary Lee, Tomas Arfert e Martin Ericsson | consultor artístico - Anders Davén
design e diagramação do livro – Christian Granath, Tomas Härenstam, Tomas Arfert,
Johan Nohr e Fria Ligan AB capa – Tomas Arfert | arte de interiores e ilustrações – Mary
Lee, Mark Kelly, Sarah Horrocks, Tomas Arfert, Anders Muammar, Mike Mignola e a
equipe de arte do CCP Atlanta dirigida por Reynir Harðarson, composta por Erling Ingi
Sævarsson e muitos outros. Loresheets ilustrados por John Van Fleet, Vince Locke,
Michael Gaydos, Matthew Mitchell, Mike Huddleston, Drew Tucker, Emma Jonsson e
By Night Studios. | caligrafia – Fiona Laura Stifter, Liselle Angelique Krog Awwal,
Tomas Arfert, Martin Ericsson, Anders Davén símbolos do clã, fontes do clã e
vampiro: os logotipos de máscaras – Chris Elliott, Tomas Arfert
| design de moda do clã e sessões de fotos – Fotógrafos de Mary
“TwistedLamb” Lee
– Derek Hutchison (Gangrel, Malkavian, Tremere, Ventrue), Sequoia Emmanuelle
(Toreador), John-Paul Bichard (Nosferatu), Viktor Herak (Brujah, sangues fracos), Martin
Ericsson (sangue fraco e fotografia adicional da cidade), Ea, Lyra Jackson Arfert, Julius
Konttinen, James Vu

MODELOS
 Brujah – Grace Rizzo, Jackie Penn, Jacqueline Roh, Lee Dawn, Marcus Natividad,
Mario Ponce, Mila Dawn, Nate Kamm, Paul Olguin, Daphne Von Rey, Casey Driggers |
Gangrel – Zoe Jakes, Pixie Fordtears, Aram Giragos, Allesandro Giuliano, Hal Linton |
Malkavian – Ramsey, Custis Donner | Nosferatu – Henrik Lillier, Hampus Ahlbom,
Camilla Palermo, Louise Björling | Toreador – Indhi Korth, Mariano Mavrin | Tremere –
Mary Lee, Taara Tati, Karis Wilde, Cassandra | Ventrue – Eve Harper Close, Angelo
Delacruz, Amir Khaligi, Buzz Cuccia, Lola Tatlyan, Stacy LeLand, Aram Giragos Thin-
bloods – Viktor Herak, Marta, Malakai | Modelos adicionais - Sara Lego Kanerva,
Gabriella Holmström, Lyra Jackson Arfert, Elisabeth Goedde, Ida-Emilia Kaukonen,
Maiju Ruusunen, Freja Gyldenstrøm, Mika Loponen, Anders Davén
Diretor de arte assistente – Mitchell Kulkin | Assistentes de fotografia – James
Bianchi, Laura Howitt | Cabelo e Maquiagem – Ms. Vee, Joshua David, Kelsea Rae,
Renee Cortez, Laura Palmer-Smith, Ozzy Salvatiera, Leslie Rodriguez, Mikael
Anderson, Christian England, Jeanne Watson | Assistentes de Produção – Sra.
Vee, Mitchell Kulkin | Storyboards – Leslie Mavrin | Produtor Associado – Sasha
Travis | Produtor da sessão de fotos – Jason Carl

PLAYTESTERS
Dave Martin, Dawn Lynn, The Wrecking Crew, Talesin Jaffe, Matt Mercer, Liam O'Brian,
Laura Bailey, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, Molly McIsaac, Chris Handley,
Daniel Krauklis , Marcus Vesterberg, Olle Bjerkås, Freja Gyldenstøm, Johan Lundström,
Andreas Dahlqvist, Tommy Lindberg, Simona Dahlborg, Sanna Blomdahl, Emilie Korsgaard
Andreasen, Gunilla Jonsson, Michael Petersen, Björn Berggren, Markus Ögren, Karin
Persson, Klas Claywood, Simon Bokvist, Jonny Hjorter, Mia Sand, Karim Jebari, Holger
Marklund, Patricia Garlöv, Daniel Söderström, Axel Löfving, Martin Willför, Sofi Lundbäck,
Hampus Carlsson, Adele Lindkvist, Brooks, Henrik Klippström, Oskar Gunnarsson,
Sebastian Hedlund, Alexander Sandrén, Thor Forsell, e todos os outros playtesters da
GenCon, World of Darkness Berlin, Pax unplugged, Nordsken e PDX-con.

AGRADECIMENTOS ESPECIAIS AOS

milhares de playtesters voluntários que compartilharam seus pensamentos,
opiniões e ideias conosco durante todo o processo de desenvolvimento!
Mike Tinney, Greg Fountain, Reynir Harðarson, Richard Thomas, Matt McElroy, Onyx Path
Publishing, Chris Birch, Lorenzo Melchor, Shane DeFreest, Elissa Ayadi, Artery Studio Los
Angeles, Studios 60, Majesty Black, House Of Malakai, SKINGRAFT, Kat Von D, Ty van
Hooydonk, Motorcycles.org, Fredrik Wester, ÜberStrategist, Daniel Krauklis, Juliette
Auverny-Bennetot, Andreas Ruthberg Sällquist, Måns Byröd, Victor Aldegren, Gabriel
Andersson, Adriana Skarped, Marcus Vesterberg, Johan Lundström, Jon Selin, Jenny
Heldestad , John Wordsworth, Edin Sumar, Johanna Koljonen, Bjarke Pedersen, Ossian
Reynolds, Teemu Vilén, Brody Condon, Chris Handley, Jenifer Fuss e todos os nossos
colegas da Paradox Interactive AB.
Vampire: The Masquerade Creators – Mark Rein•Hagen com Justin Achilli, Steven C. Brown,
Tom Dowd, Andrew Greenberg, Chris McDonough, Lisa Stevens, Josh Timbrook e Stewart
Wieck.
©2018 WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT, AB

Todos os direitos reservados. A reprodução sem o consentimento por escrito do editor é

expressamente proibida, exceto para fins de resenhas e para folhas de caracteres em
branco, que podem ser reproduzidas apenas para uso pessoal. White Wolf, Vampire: The
Masquerade e World of Darkness são marcas registradas da White Wolf Entertainment
AB. Todos os direitos reservados.
visite o entretenimento do lobo branco on-line em www.white-wolf.com e
www.worldofdarkness.com
LIVRO PRINCIPAL
ÍNDICE DO
CONCEITOS 33 Um Mundo de
Trevas 33 Interpretação e
Contação de Histórias 40 V5
exemplo de jogo 43
48
SOCIEDADE DE AMIGA 47
Antigas e Contemporâneas
47 Jyhad
O Camarilla 49 The Autarkis 56
Finais e Começos 56
CLÃS 63
BRUJAH 65 Quem são os
Brujah? 65 Disciplinas 67
Maldição 67
GANGREL 69 Quem são os
Gangrel? 70 Disciplinas 72
Maldição 73
MALKAVIANOS 75 Quem são
os Malkavianos? 76 Disciplinas
79 Bane 79
NOSFERATU 81 Quem são os
Nosferatu? 82 Disciplinas 84
Bane 85
TOREADOR 87 Quem são os
Toreador? 88 Disciplinas 90
Maldição 91
TREMERE 93 Quem são os
Tremere? 94 Disciplinas 97
Bane 97
VENTRUE 99 Quem são os
Ventrue? 99 Disciplinas 102
Bane 102
O Caitiff 105 Quem São os
Caitiff? 105 Disciplinas 107
Maldição 107
OS DE SANGUE FRACO 109
Quem são os de sangue fraco?
109 Características de Sangue
Fraco 111 Saídas 113
REGRAS 115 Tempo 115
Testes Simples 117 Concursos
123 Conflitos 123 Exemplos de
Testes 128 Experiência e
Melhoria 130 A Regra de Ouro
130
PERSONAGENS 133
Fundamentos de Personagem
133
CRIAÇÃO DE PERSONAGEM
135 O Papel do Narrador 135
Personagem, Coterie, Crônica
139 O Mapa do Relacionamento
142 Sua Vida Humana 144
Abraçar e Depois 148 Folha de
Resumo 152
 TRAÇOS PRINCIPAIS 155
Atributos Físicos 155 Atributos
Sociais 155 Atributos Mentais
156 Força de Vontade 157
Habilidades Físicas 159
Habilidades Sociais 164
2
Habilidades Mentais 168
CRENÇAS 172 Convicções 172
Pedras de Toque 173 Ambição
e Desejo 173
TIPOS DE PREDATOR 175
Alleycat 175 Bagger 176 Blood
Leech 176 Cleaver 176
Consensualist 177 Farmer 177
Osiris 177 Sandman 177 Scene
Queen 178 Siren 178
VANTAGENS 179 Merits 179 Combate Físico 300 Conflito 3
Backgrounds 184 Avançado:
Combate Social 304 ÍNDICE
COTERIE CREATION 195 Domain
195 Coterie Backgrounds 1016
SISTEMAS DO SANGUE 306 Caça
Tipos
306 Intimidade Membro 310

Coteries deFome 205 Dados da

Fome 205 Compulsões 208
Despertar o Sangue 211 Abrandar
Hu nger 211

O SANGUE 214 Geração 214

Potência do Sangue 215 Dons do Compu Variantes de lsion 311
Sangue 217 Preços do Sangue Memoriam 311
219 Perigos para o Sangue 221
Prestação 314
VOCÊ É O QUE COME 225 O
Sangue é a Vida 226 Caça e CIDADES 317
Humores 228 Ressonância e
Experiência 231 O Sistema Feudal 319
Atmosfera 328
ESTADOS DE CONDENAÇÃO 233
O Sangue Bond 233 Diablerie 234 Sua Cidade à Noite 331

236 A SPIRAL DE ACIMA 236 CRÔNICAS 337

ASSISTÊNCIA 239
Planejando uma Crônica 337
Estilos de Jogo 340
Disciplinas 243 Regras gerais 244
Animalismo 244 AUSPEX 248 Conduzindo um Jogo 354
Celeridade 252 Dominam 254 A Segunda Inquisição
Fortitude 258 Obfusce 260
Potence 263 Presença 266 em Crônicas 360
Protean 269 Sorcery 271 Rituais Caçadores Caçados 366
274 Bloond AlaChemy 282

FERRAMENTAS 369
Aumentos
Aumentos ANTAGONISTAS 370
Mortais 370
CENAS E MODOS 290 Tipos de
Cenas 290 Modos de Jogo 291 Animais 373
Vampiros 374
TESTES ESTENDIDOS 293
Versões de Testes Estendidos Criaturas de Horror 376
293 Casos Especiais e
ITENS 378
Testes Estendidos 294
Equipamento 378
CONFLITO AVANÇADO 295 Três, Armas Convencionais 379
Dois, Feito 295 Opções Adicionais
de Conflito 296 Movimento em Equipamento Sobrenatural 381
Conflitos 298 Conflitos de Um
Rolo 298 Conflito Avançado : FOLHAS DE LORE 382
Índice 407 Apêndice I: Proezas Padrão 409 Apêndice 3: Conselhos para
Apêndice II: Projetos 417 Jogo Considerado 421
32

CONCEITOS

concepts

“Entre livremente e por sua própria vontade”.

– DRÁCULA, PARA JONATHAN HARKER
Um Mundo de Trevas Você está dançando uma batida techno
implacável na pressão de corpos suados e quentes. Você está no
sótão de uma casa atarracada, paredes cobertas de pichações, o
piso de concreto nu manchado com líquidos misteriosos. Você
está bêbado e chapado, descendo da euforia de se tornar parte da
multidão se contorcendo.
Uma mulher passa por você, com a mão fria em
seu ombro. Você a observa enquanto ela se
pressiona entre as pessoas e desliza para trás da
mesa do DJ. Ela não parece tão velha, vestida
como qualquer um dos viciados embriagados
esfregando seus corpos contra você – pelo
menos, não até que ela perceba que você está
olhando para ela. Ela sorri e, nesse segundo,
parece ter um conhecimento além de qualquer
coisa que possa ser concebida nesta pista de
dança.

Talvez você tenha experimentado um

momento como este na vida real. Você notou
um estranho atraente, trocando um momento
de flerte ou terror com
alguém que você nunca viu novamente. Eles
estiveram em sua vida apenas por um momento
fugaz, mas você ainda se lembra deles anos
depois.

No mundo real, um momento como esse não

passa de acaso. Quem era a mulher que passou
por você? Talvez ela seja a próxima DJ,
preparando-se para o set, com a mão fria porque
estava fumando lá fora. Na vida real, tudo tem
uma explicação.
No Mundo das Trevas, as coisas nem sempre
são tão simples.
Na superfície, parece com o nosso mundo. O
escritório onde você trabalha, a escola que
frequentou quando criança e o lar de idosos onde
você visita sua avó são todos iguais em nosso
mundo e no Mundo das Trevas.
Uma vez que você se aprofunda nos cantos
desgastados, abandonados e escondidos, a
verdadeira natureza do Mundo das Trevas
começa a emergir. É um mundo com segredos,
poços profundos de escuridão – e você pode
tropeçar
neles se seguir as pistas. Talvez seja isso que a
mão fria da mulher na festa techno ilegal
realmente fosse: um sinal que você pode seguir,
deixando sua vida confortável para trás e
entrando em um mundo secreto de terrores.
33
COREBOOK
A Sombra do
Arranha-céu
No Mundo das Trevas, vampiros corrupção
e seres estranhos se escondem , violência e hipocrisia. Nisso
entre
a multidão interminável da
humanidade.
Eles se parecem conosco, eles se
esforçam para agir
como nós, mas no final da noite,
eles são os predadores e nós
somos
a presa. O Mundo das Trevas
não é um reino distante e
fantástico
onde todas as regras são
diferentes. O
vampiro está perto de você.
Talvez a
mulher que você notou na
festa techno fosse uma vampira.
Talvez o DJ
também fosse um. Os seguranças
que você viu
na porta. Mesmo aquele que
usava
óculos escuros com chamas.
Talvez eles sejam todos
vampiros,
juntos – todos eles dos
Amaldiçoados.
Os horrores monstruosos e
ocultos
do Mundo das Trevas permeiam
a sociedade humana. Criaturas
estranhas
caçam becos solitários e rondam
em
saraus da alta sociedade com possa. Em vez disso, você pode
igual facilidade. se concentrar apenas nos
elementos e temas que apoiam
Como humano, você nunca
sua visão de uma cidade escura.
percebe
Há corrupção policial suficiente,
o que eles são até que seja tarde negligência institucional e
demais. racismo, belicismo, ódio e
O Mundo das Trevas é um brutalidade para tornar seu
mundo de jogo realmente
lugar fodido. Está cheio de sombrio, se você optar por
destacar essas características da
realidade.
Em um Vampiro , o arranha-céu
, é semelhante ao mundo real,
cumpre o papel do castelo em
mas também tem que lidar com uma clássica história de terror.
os Um edifício alto de vidro e aço
terrores sobrenaturais que pode parecer moderno e dinâmico
amplificam todas à luz do dia, mas uma vez que o
sol se põe, ele revela sua
as piores tendências da
verdadeira natureza como uma
humanidade.
agulha cravada profundamente na
Assista às notícias e considere carne da cidade, injetando-a com
quais o veneno de vampiros. corrupção.
eventos podem ter sido
influenciados No Heroes
pelo toque sutil dos mortos-vivos: Em Vampire, você interpreta
nosso mundo, nosso tempo; aqui, personagens que são vampiros.
Eles devem subsistir do sangue
agora.
dos vivos. Eles têm poderes
Vampiro é um jogo de terror, e estranhos que podem usar para
seu mundo é um lugar terrível. forçar sua vontade em humanos
infelizes. Eles podem dar seu
Como
sangue imortal para as pessoas,
Narrador, você não precisa tornar transformando-os em viciados em
o mundo real pior do que sangue servis condenados a
atender aos caprichos dos
realmente é, embora certamente mortos-vivos na esperança de
sua próxima dose.
Este não é um jogo de RPG onde
você interpreta mocinhos. Talvez
seu personagem tente
desesperadamente manter
vestígios de moralidade humana
apesar das exigências sórdidas
da existência vampírica. Ou talvez
eles já tenham ajustado sua
moralidade à sua nova condição,
dizendo a si mesmos que não são
piores do que outros vampiros
depois de matarem
acidentalmente alguém. Qualquer
que seja a
abordagem do personagem à sua
moralidade, é muito provável que
ele acabe fazendo coisas que o
jogador considera moralmente
repugnantes.
Usar este jogo para explorar
questões morais e atos imorais
pode ser interessante e
emocionalmente significativo.
Afinal, o personagem não é você,
e o jogo não é real. Você pode
usá-lo como um espaço fictício
para
explorar coisas terríveis.
34

CONCEITOS

Você perceberá que

o sangue é seu mestre. Você
está sendo consumido por
dentro. Você não vai sentir no início,
mas então, lentamente, você vai
perceber que a humanidade é uma
memória distante. Você saberá que
viveu como eles, mas isso
desaparecerá como um sonho. Você só
terá a memória de uma memória,
até que seja uma efígie descuidada
de quem você era. A Besta
interior usará sua pele enquanto
for alimentada.
35

DO COREBOOK

LIMITES INDIVIDUAIS como meio artístico na era da

internet: você é responsável pelo
bem-estar de seus colegas
e talvez até se divertir um pouco jogadores, mas os eventos do seu
com eles. jogo não precisam terminar
Quanto tempo leva para seu espalhado na internet. A natureza
vampiro neófito começar a se privada do jogo permite que você
acostumar a caçar sangue? Eles explore o território moral que é
mentem para si mesmos, difícil de abordar no mundo
insistindo que são uma boa online, onde o perigo do colapso
pessoa, ou eles acreditam que do contexto está sempre
sua autoflagelação e culpa de presente. Você pode correr riscos
alguma forma tornam o e jogar cru. Histórias de redenção
assassinato certo? Você pode também estão
explorar essas questões por meio no escopo deste jogo, mas a
de um personagem e buscar redenção é difícil. Como você
paralelos com questões da vida mantém o curso moral se você
real em sua própria vida e no literalmente tem que forçar suas
mundo em geral. presas no pescoço de um
Esta é uma das coisas humano a cada
maravilhosas dos RPGs de mesa
Em Vampiro, você estará jogando com o mal. Seus crimes terríveis.
personagens precisam caçar sangue – um ato
maligno em si. Eles podem deslizar ainda mais na
escala da moralidade, assassinando e matando
apenas para sobreviver. À medida que se
aprofundam na sociedade vampírica, eles têm que
ficar parados enquanto monstros antigos cometem
Quando você executa um jogo de Vampiro, você Não há truque fácil para fazer o terror sempre
deseja que coisas horríveis pareçam horríveis, mas funcionar para seus jogadores, mas ter uma
também deseja que seu jogo permaneça jogável e discussão aberta é uma boa maneira de começar!
acessível aos seus jogadores. Os limites de que A beleza de um RPG de mesa é que você pode
horrores são demais são muito individuais, e esses adaptá-lo para indivíduos específicos sentados ao
limites são algo sobre os quais você quer falar redor de sua mesa de jogo.
como uma trupe antes do jogo começar.
A melhor maneira de abordar essa colaboração noite? Existem outros contos, com escolhas
não é intimidar seus jogadores, mas sim aceitar as diferentes. Se seu personagem é uma mãe
idiossincrasias individuais de cada um. Talvez um trabalhadora presa em um casamento vicioso e
de seus jogadores tenha acabado de se tornar pai abusivo, ser Abraçado como um vampiro pode dar
e não queira ver violência infligida a crianças a ela poder e opções que ela nunca teve antes.
pequenas, mesmo em uma história de terror. Ou Para os desprivilegiados do mundo, tornar-se um
talvez um de seus jogadores tenha sido vítima de sugador de sangue é como fazer um acordo com o
assédio online e não queira ver esse tipo de coisa Diabo – você tem a chance de escapar do inferno
acontecer em um jogo de mesa. em que estava preso, ao custo de sua humanidade.
Nossa experiência sugere que esses limites Esses tipos de cenários apontam para o labirinto
individuais não têm nada a ver com a gravidade de da moralidade no coração do Mundo das Trevas.
qualquer ato maligno. Um jogador pode ficar bem Pessoas aparentemente boas podem cometer atos
depois de uma cena de tortura horrível, mas achar horríveis, e até mesmo monstros ocasionalmente
que até mesmo uma sugestão de violência cometem gentilezas.
doméstica é demais.

O que está acontecendo

Um vampiro delinquente levou você em um
banheiro imundo em uma rave, a música batendo
enquanto seu jovem pai entrava em pânico depois
que uma alimentação deu errado.pouco de seu
Sangue, e você

um
desmaiou na agonia extática do Nova geração de tiranos Séculos vampiro
Abraço. Você chega uma hora atrás, vampiros anciões sábios
depois e cambaleia pela noite estabeleceram a Camarilla, que manteve
como um vampiro, jovem
os Membros em toda a Europa,
sem ideia do que está
acontecendo. Como você se
conecta com o resto do Mundo
das Trevas?
Não é fácil. A Máscara significa
que é difícil para os vampiros se
encontrarem, especialmente nas nas Américas e no mundo a salvo
grandes cidades. Você não enquanto guardavam as
conhece as Tradições e infringiu Tradições sagradas de sua
a lei do Príncipe antes mesmo de espécie – ou assim diz a história
saber que havia um Príncipe. de propaganda da Camarilla.
Quando você finalmente encontra Ainda assim, apesar de seus
o recentes contratempos, a
Camarilla define a vida de
caminho para o Elísio, descobre vampiro para muitos Membros ao
que a ignorância não é desculpa redor do mundo.
nas cortes dos imortais.
Autoridades muito além do Há muito vista como uma Torre
conhecimento dos mortais podem de Marfim imutável e invencível, a
sentenciá-lo à morte – à morte Cama rilla encontra-se em um
verdadeira, desta vez. estado de fluxo, com muitos de
seus membros mais antigos e
Mas talvez você consiga viver. Príncipes mais estabelecidos
Qual é a forma do mundo em que desaparecendo ou se tornando
você entra? O que está difíceis de alcançar. Uma força
acontecendo no mundo dos misteriosa conhecida como
vampiros? Beckoning os chama para longe,
deixando seu reino bem aberto
para a agressão dos Anarquistas.
A Camarilla perdeu alguns de
seus domínios mais famosos,
como Berlim e Londres, para essa
instabilidade. Em muitas cidades,
a Camarilla não governa mais
com autoridade absoluta, mas
compartilha seu reinado como
uma espécie de aristocracia,
misturando-se
desconfortavelmente com os
Anarquistas.
No entanto, nem tudo é
melancolia e ruína na Camarilla.
Para um
ambicioso
, o desaparecimento de tantos
anciões deixou espaço para
uma mobilidade ascendente
inédita na história da seita.
Pela primeira vez, um neófito
pode assumir um domínio se
jogar bem o jogo. Além do
mais, muitos dos anciões
deixaram suas propriedades,
fortunas e recursos
essencialmente abandonados,
cuidados por alguns servos de
sangue confusos. Um neófito
astuto pode seqüestrar uma
fortuna acumulada ao longo
dos milênios e usá-la para seus
próprios propósitos.
Neste momento, a Camarilla
se agacha na defensiva, mas
nunca permanece assim por
muito tempo. A energia
fornecida pelos jovens e
ambiciosos dá nova vida à
seita. Durante grande parte da
história da Camarilla, quando
um neófito talentoso ou
ganancioso propunha um
plano, os anciões responderam
previsivelmente: você uma
audiência.” A inovação era
motivo de suspeita, não de
promoção.
Além disso, os anciões no
topo da Torre de Marfim
atingiram a maioridade em uma
época em que os moinhos de
vento e os telescópios eram de
alta tecnologia, os reis
governavam
inquestionavelmente e o
dinheiro assumia a forma de
favores ou trocas de
presentes. As mudanças
modernas os confundiam e
irritavam, e eles tentavam
simplesmente esperá-los. Não
funcionou. Mas agora, com os
Membros mais jovens tomando
cada vez mais decisões, a
Camarilla está lentamente
abandonando sua estratégia
tradicional de inação e
movendo-se para exercer
poder real na
OCULTAÇÃO DO SABÁ
Uma vez que o Sabá
mantinha cidades e
territórios ao redor do globo
em suas garras. A nova
Inquisição os exauriu, a
Revolução Anarquista não
poupou a Igreja Negra, e
uma onda de jovens
Membros ambiciosos
desesperados por seus
próprios domínios os
enfrentaram e lutaram em
todos os lugares. Algumas
matilhas do Sabá, deixadas
sem liderança, se disfarçam
de gangues anarquistas.
Outros da seita
provisoriamente oferecem
seu conhecimento e
lealdade à Camarilla,
buscando abrigo da
tempestade em qualquer
porto.
No entanto, neste ponto de
inflexão, no momento de
sua aparente derrota, o Sab
bat talvez se torne mais
perigoso do que nunca. À
medida que a seita
desaparece do mapa, ela
ressurge como uma força
sombria aparentemente em
todos os lugares e em
nenhum lugar. O verdadeiro
terror vem de agentes
experientes do Sabá, livres
da necessidade de
administrar uma grande
organização. Eles agora
podem se concentrar no que
fazem de melhor: atacar
rápido e com força,
espalhando o medo a
serviço do Pai das Trevas.
Nas noites modernas, o
Sabá é o bicho-papão
vampiro: o monstro que
procura destruir tudo o que
você construiu por razões
inumanas e insondáveis.
o mundo moderno. É hora de
um jovem vampiro deixar sua
marca. Por que não ser como os
neófitos que lideraram a captura
da Cidade do México
do Sabá? Os anciões e
Justicars da Camarilla
pensaram por muito tempo que
um ato tão ousado era
impossível. O que mais pode
ser possível, se você puder
aproveitar a noite primeiro?
revolução totalEste é um bom
momento para ser um Anarquista. A
Revolta Anarquista, há muito
adormecida pela opressão da Camarilla
e suas próprias lutas internas, agora
surge em todo o mundo. Mesmo as
cidades estabelecidas de Camarilla
possuem enclaves anarquistas; a elite se
retira para Elysia enquanto os ex-
despossuídos reivindicam seus próprios
domínios.
A queda de Los Angeles e o
nascimento dos Estados Livres
Anarquistas na costa oeste
americana formaram um mero
prelúdio para a queda de Berlim
e outras cidades. Ainda se
recuperando da perda de seus
anciões, os vampiros sem leme
da Camarilla agora se
encontram incapazes de
defender seus privilégios sem o
poder do Sangue antigo para
impor seus decretos.
Não existe um
Movimento Anarquista único
unido por ideologia ou
liderança. A Revolução
Anarquista global é uma força
espontânea, nascida de séculos
de repressão da Camarilla,
incorporando as várias
ideologias e agendas de quem
quer que esteja no terreno,
pronto para carregar a tocha.
Este é um momento de sua marca, idealmente na suas origens, você pode levar
oportunidade inigualável para garganta da Camarilla. Não
um vampiro Anarquista deixar importa quão humildes sejam
38

a luta aos chamados Príncipes e se encaixa em nenhum padrão A Camarilla está provando que
tentar derrubar a Torre de Marfim. estabelecido. Vampiros está certa. Agências de
Seus inimigos enfraquecidos por individuais constroem seus inteligência em todo o mundo
caçadores mortais e o insidioso próprios domínios e governam descobriram a existência de
Beckoning, a correlação de forças com punhos de ferro no estilo mortos-vivos. Enquanto esses
está finalmente do lado dos dos monstros da Idade Média. Os grupos mortais lutam para
Anarquistas. dissidentes anarquistas fogem articular a real natureza da
para pequenas comunidades ameaça, eles trocam informações
A revolução é apenas o começo,
no entanto. O verdadeiro desafio rurais, zonas de guerra e áreas de uns com os
para um neófito com mentalidade fronteira para conquistar seus
política vem depois. A revolução próprios territórios longe de
autoridades humanas ou mortos-
desmorona em violência e
vivos. As lambidas nômades
brutalidade, ou é possível que
provam que é possível viver na
uma lambida carismática e
ambiciosa construa sua própria estrada, se você souber. Existe
uma variedade infinita de não-
utopia de sangue?
estilos de vida de vampiros para
aqueles que procuram escapar
monstros individuaisA imensa
das ideologias sufocantes das
turbulência de uma Camarilla ferida à seitas. O vasto tamanho de uma
beira do ressurgimento, um Movimento
Anarquista lutando por seu futuro, e um metrópole moderna e a existência
Sabá fragmentado deixa muito espaço da Máscara até possibilitam que
para vampiros soltos fazerem suas uma lambida inteligente se
esconda bem debaixo do nariz de
próprias coisas. Há mais sangue fraco do
um Príncipe da Camarilla. Só um
que nunca: vampiros de uma geração tão
tolo pensa que pode ter certeza
alta que exibem traços normalmente
de tudo o que acontece em uma
associados aos humanos. Para esses cidade de milhões.
vampiros, os conflitos da Camarilla e dos
Anarquistas, e as vastas lutas de poder a segunda inquisição Apesar da luta
entre as seitas, não fazem nada além de incessante entre os mortos-vivos, a pior
barulho. Melhor ignorá-los, a menos que ameaça aos Membros pode vir da
um zeloso Arconte ou Conselheiro humanidade. A Camarilla há muito
decida se tornar seu negócio para argumenta que se os mortais se
assediar aqueles que não se conformam. conscientizassem da existência dos
Histórias intermináveis iluminam vampiros, todos os Membros morreriam
as margens do Mundo das Trevas em uma pira. Eles acreditam que o
e, a longo prazo, algumas delas mundo veria caça às bruxas como nunca
podem ser mais significativas do antes, e que nenhuma quantidade de
que qualquer uma das principais poder imortal seria capaz de defender os
seitas imaginam. Ninguém no senhores da noite dos bilhões que
Mundo das Trevas sabe tudo o habitam o planeta.
que está acontecendo, e a infinita
variedade do mundo sempre
fornece um novo mistério, uma
nova peça de quebra-cabeça que
não
outros e secreta, não compreendida subversão, vigilância global,
nem controlada por suas desestabilização e desinformação
e agências coletivas em geral ou são seus trabalhos diários. Nesse
por seus sentido, eles fazem um bom par
governos. Nem todo agente da para
CIA os descendentes de Caim.
e apparatchik do FSB sabe sobre Do ponto de vista dos

com a linha dura vampiros, mas uma quantidade personagens dos jogadores, a
suficiente
da Sociedade de São Segunda
de pessoal-chave em escritórios Inquisição os força a levar o
Leopoldo do Vaticano. Os antigos muito anônimos
inquisidores encontram
sabe o suficiente para
seus preconceitos finalmente
validados gerar uma grande ameaça. A
Segunda
e levados a sério – e financiados,
Inquisição matou príncipes em
e providos de arsenais inteiros de
Londres e Las Vegas, e
armamento – por algumas das
aleijou um clã em Viena. Dezenas
organizações mais poderosas e
implacáveis de Anarquistas incautos e
arrogantes do
do mundo.
Sabá perderam suas vidas,
No momento, a Segunda
Inquisição a mortais que sabem caçar

continua sendo uma palavra- vampiros. E, claro, muitos

chave vampiros tentam jogar a Segunda
Inquisição contra seus rivais
vazando o endereço de um
refúgio ou
os detalhes de um assassinato.
A Segunda Inquisição luta contra
vampiros, mas os inquisidores
estão
longe de serem heróis. Eles vêm
de
algumas das organizações mais
moralmente
corruptas do planeta.
Assassinato, mudança de regime,
COREBOOK your game into a spy story where the characters do
their best to evade Inquisition agents while
uncover
ing deadly Camarilla secrets that change
everything
the characters believe. Or you can let the world
Masquerade a sério. Viajar através das
stay
fronteiras internacionais, ou mesmo através de um
in the background while the characters focus on
aeroporto, coloca você em uma lista,
smaller, more human-level stories.
mesmo quando não o coloca em uma sala
ensolarada. Ficar After all, this is your World of Darkness.
online? Por que não enviar um e-mail à NSA
convidando
Roleplaying
-os a caçar sangue e ver o Primogênito? Os
Cinco Olhos adicionaram discretamente palavras-
and Storytelling
chave vampíricas às
Storytelling began with humanity, as language
suas listas eletrônicas de bandeira vermelha. Envie
trans
uma mensagem para alguém para descobrir
formed us from fire-using apes to something else.
onde está o Elísio hoje à noite, e a Inquisição pode
Those stories, we tell ourselves, began around a
se convidar.
fire as
Apesar de todo o perigo, a Inquisição também
warnings of real or imagined dangers and
representa
temptations
oportunidade. Já matou vampiros suficientes
para criar aberturas e vácuos de poder em toda a
sociedade dos mortos-vivos. Você pode ter sorte,
ou você pode conseguir
matar seus inimigos. A particularly foolhardy
group waiting in the darkness outside. Our stories
of Kindred might even try to infiltrate or control the changed from campfire warnings to epic poetry,
plays, novels, and operas. They added new
Inquisition or some of its agents, risking a fiery dangers and temptations, many of them now
death waiting inside us.
for the chance to wield a fiery sword. In the 20th century, stories moved out of human
voices and minds into display and spectacle.
a changing worldThe World of Darkness is a Movies, comics, television, and the limitless
reaches of digital entertainment still kept that
world in flux. As you start to make use of the game,
flickering light in the middle, even as they carried
it becomes a playground you can use to construct our stories almost as far as our imagination could
the story you need. Every element, from the Cama go. Almost.
rilla and the Anarchs to the Second Inquisition, is
in a state of imbalance, ready to be tipped one way
or another, depending on the actions of the player
characters.
You can decide how much of the world you want
to use in your game. You can jump right in, making
Roleplaying games, as one of the newest story
telling art forms, complete the arc from those first
firesides to the modern monitor glow. In
roleplaying games, players tell or act out the
stories for an audi ence of themselves, guided by
the rules or logic of the game, but limited only by
their imagination. If you've never played a
roleplaying game, don't worry – it's as easy as
playing house or bang-you're-dead was when you
were a child, and as endlessly fascinating as the
most recondite cable TV series.
The Storyteller
As a player of Vampire, you take on the persona
and role of a character that you create, and you
then pretend to be that character during the course
of the story. One of the participants, the Storyteller,
creates and guides the story. They build the setting
and popu late it with a supporting cast of
Storyteller-played char acters (SPCs). The
Storyteller describes what happens in the world as
a result of what the players say and do. It is the
Storyteller who arbitrates the rules and springs
horrifying new challenges into the game.
The Storyteller's primary duty is to make sure the
other players have a good time. You do that by
telling a good story. Unlike novelists or film
directors, however, you don't simply tell the story
from hook to climax. You create the setting and set
the plot in motion – and then let the players live it
out in the roles of the primary characters, changing
your story and your setting as they go. You must
maintain a careful balance between narration and
adjudication, between entertainer and umpire,
between story and game. Sometimes you set the
scene or even describe the action, but mostly you
decide what occurs in reaction to the words and
actions of the characters, as fairly and impartially
as you can.
40

CONCEPTS
41
COREBOOK The Players
Although the Storyteller plays
the game, and indeed portrays
dozens or hundreds of characters,
the players refers to those partici
pants at the table who assume the
roles of the central characters in
the story. As a player in Vampire,
you create one main character and
then roleplay them. You speak for
them, you impel them to action;
you decide what they desire in the
world of the game and how they
want to attain or accomplish it.
The Storyteller tailors the story
to those desires; the players build
characters who have a role in that
story, and whose actions complete
or transcend it.
Often after describing the
actions you want to take, the
Storyteller tells you to make a dice
roll to see if you succeed in doing
what you have illustrated with
words. Your character's Traits,
descriptions of their strengths and
weaknesses, dictate how well your
character can do certain things.
Knowing your character's abilities,
both natural and supernatural,
gives you the menu you can choose
from in order to provide the best
chance of succeeding.
Thus, a good player balances
acting and strategy, considering
their character's personality and
desires along with their Traits. You
employ your character's strengths
and work around their weaknesses
to achieve your goals – even as the
world remains hostile and danger
ous. Your character's actions can
shape the world; as a player, you
can also add ideas and elements to
the story. The Storyteller incorpo
With its potential for intensity and intimacy,
Vampire rewards player focus: on their own charac
ter, and on the dramas and desires of their fellow
player characters. Much of the game's mystery and
flavor is lost when players must compete for the
Storyteller's (and each others') attention. The story
likewise can become unfocused if it must share the
spotlight among a large entourage of “main”
charac ters. We find that Vampire plays most
enjoyably with one Story teller and a troupe of only
three to five players.

Play Aids

rates them (or chooses not to) in order to foster the For the most part, we designed Vampire to be
most dramatic, interesting, and challenging narra played at a table. There is no board, but dice, pen
cil, and paper require a table for
tive possible at the table.
proper use. Tables also provide a common focus for player
atten tion. You need photocopies of the character sheets (at
the end of the book or downloadable from the White Wolf
website) and some thing – a large piece of paper, a cork board
or whiteboard, a tablet screen – to hold the Relationship Map
(p. 142). The dice required are 10-sided, available in any game
store. You need two colors of dice: one color for regular dice,
and another color for Hunger dice. We suggest red. Look for
Vam pire: The Masquerade 5th Edition special dice wherever
roleplaying games are sold■

42

CONCEPTS

V5 example of play:

“Folks, listen to me, we have to… we

“THE HUNT” “In a filthy storage room somewhere along the
steam tunnels beneath the university, four corpses
Four friends have gathered to play a session of suddenly twitch as the sun dips beneath the
Vampire: The Masquerade. Since the group horizon above. Animated by Blood, they rise,
consists both of players familiar with the World of unnatural hunger evident in their eyes. Ever since
Darkness and some who are not, the troupe has the… incident, they have put off feeding, recoiling
decided to start things simple. The players have from the very thought of drinking human blood.
already made fledgling characters (see p. 140). The But now, their Hunger is becoming a problem, and
group has decided that they want to set their story some of them fear that things might go very, very
in their home city, where many students pass bad if they do not get what they need soon….
through. They've also decided that they want to You all start at three Hunger.”
explore themes of morality – specifically, the cost
and privilege of allowing yourself noble and lofty All players grab three Hunger dice (see p. 205) and
ideals. Lars, playing the student-organization queen
Agreeing that they want a flying start, the Sandra, rolls with the hook immediately.
Storyteller opens with the hook right after the have to do something. Last night, I… I went and
players have introduced their characters and visited my brother and his family, and… it was like I
established a rudimentary Relationship Map (see p wasn't my self. They just wanted to hang out, but
142). I… I couldn't think of anything other than… you
know. And then, it was like I wasn't myself
anymore. My hands moved, and I… I bolted. If I had
stayed, I think I might have done something bad.
Very bad.”

As Lars speaks, the Storyteller notes Sandra's

brother and family on the Relationship Map.
Seeking to highlight the themes of the Story, Maria,
who has created what she describes as a “lawful
stu pid” version of herself in her charac ter Martha,
continues.
43
COREBOOK
“Fuck you, Sandra! I don't buy
that 'I couldn't help it' crap! We
just have to ride it out, it will
pass! For sure!”
She then adds, “As she
speaks, Martha scratches her
own hand until the skin breaks
and she starts sucking the
wound.”
The players engage in heated
debate for a couple of minutes,
but after a while, it becomes
less about if and more about
how they'll deal with their
Hunger, and before long, the
coterie-to-be stalks out into the
night in search of “a donor.”
Now, the Storyteller zooms out
and asks each player in turn
what they want to do during the
next couple of hours.
Lars (Sandra): “I'm going to see
if I can find out where/if the
university stores blood for
testing by asking around among
faculty I know; most of them
probably work late hours.”
Maria (Martha): “Eyes slightly
glazed over, I head toward the
nearby community farm, the
one that I pick eted earlier for
keeping animals, 'just to take a
look.'”
Sam, who plays Marcus, a uni
versity dropout thrown into a
crowd that is normally not his
own, chooses to go with
Sandra as
backup.
Beginning with Lars (Sandra),
the Storyteller asks him to make
a Manipulation + Academics test
(see p. 117), granting Lars one
extra die as a bonus from
teamwork (see p. 122). Lars gets
only two success es, so Sandra
spends a couple of hours
calling people with exactly zero
to show for it (the Storyteller set
the difficulty to four). Sandra
and Marcus decide to hook up
with the others, to see if they
have had better luck.
 While initially planning to zoom
in on the action at the
community farm, the Storyteller
instead describes how Martha
circles the farm a couple of
times, and gives Maria an
opportunity to describe both
her inner state of mind and
44
what she knows of the
communal farm. Maria
describes several buildings
and animal pens. While this
process probably wouldn't
really take as long in-game as
the other player characters
spent on their action, everyone
is willing to fudge the time
scale a little bit so that all
players can be in the next
scene.
Storyteller: “This late at the
farm, the animals are asleep in
their pens, and through a sole
lit window in the
main house, you can see the night Storyteller: “The night Draining the man dry, the two
watchperson drink coffee and watchperson is a pudgy fellow in vampires slake their Hunger (see
fiddle with his mobile phone. his 30s, and he initially looks p. 211), but also suffer a Stain
Security here is actually tighter puzzled when he spots Martha. (see p. 239) to their Humanity
than it was earlier, likely He then opens the door, stepping because of their actions, having
increased because of the earlier out of the light. He seems to violated the chronicle Tenet “Do
actions of Martha and her friends. notice only Martha. no harm” (see p. 173).
The person with the worst
Dexterity + Stealth dice pool
should roll it now.”

After a few seconds of checking,

the player whose character has
the lowest Dexterity + Stealth dice
pool rolls it, but only achieves a
single success. Fearing that
discov ery this early might be
disastrous, the player spends a
Willpower point to re-roll some of
the failed dice (see p. 122). This 'Is anything the matter? You…'”
roll results in an extra success,
and the coterie sneaks into the Lars (Sandra): “No problem! We
farm. were just passing through!
Martha, we are leaving! Now!”
Lars (Sandra): “I check to see if I
can get past the lock on the Storyteller: “Hey! You're that
building where they have the animal rights bitch! I'm calling
horses.” security right now!”

Maria (Martha) adopts an eerie, Meanwhile, Sam has gestured to

staring look to reflect her charac the Storyteller, indicating that
ter's state: “What are you doing?” Marcus is trying to sneak up on
the watchperson. He rolls Dexter
Lars (Sandra), with a puzzled ity + Stealth. This time, one of the
look: “What do you mean? Hunger dice and a regular dice
Horses are big, they should be both come up a 0 (10), prompting
able to… donate with out a messy critical (see p. 207).
permanent damage!” Given the context, it is not
difficult to figure out what
Maria (Martha): “Martha turns her happens next, as Marcus silently
head to look at the lit window, moves up behind the man,
with the same glazed-over look sinking his fangs into the
from earlier. 'The animals here watchperson's neck.
have done nothing wrong, At the sight, the Storyteller has
Sandra. Their keepers, on the the other players roll to resist
other hand… they keep the frenzy (see p. 219). Maria decides
animals in bondage, in slavery, that Martha doesn't resist, and
for our amusement. Tonight, one Lars succeeds with the roll for
of them pays.' Martha steps in Sandra's test; she's the only one
front of the window with an who doesn't feast upon the poor
innocent, but slightly predatory, man, simultaneously appalled and
smile.” drawn to the sight.
45 “After a few minutes of heedless
carnage, the man lies dead on the
CONCEPTS ground, and some of you feel
better
than you have in a long time. But
you
have little time to revel in the
'success'
of your hunt, as a figure suddenly
approaches from the darkness.
Odd
– you could swear there was only
a
lonely bird there before. It is a
lanky
individual, dressed in what looks
like
simple outdoor clothing, and his
eyes
glint strangely in the light from
the
window.
'What. The. Fuck. Are. Você.
Licks.
Doing. In. My. Domain?!'”■
46

KINDRED SOCIETY

kindred

society

Where we are,
There's daggers in men's smiles.
The near in blood,
The nearer bloody.
–WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, MACBETH
Ancient and

Contemporary

Outlooks
Caine was a farmer. Abel a herdsman. This is not
lost on scientifically-minded Kindred who seek
their ancient origins. Most of them place the
advent of Homo sanguinis relatively late in the
story of mankind, somewhere around 12.000 BC,
with the development of agriculture and the rise
of civilization – at the fall of the Eden of hunter-
gatherer society, if you will.
The farthest reaching theory casts Caine himself
as the wanderer who spread the idea of planting
and harvesting to at least eleven different sites in
the New and Old World, where human scholars
claim the practice arose independently and
spontaneously. With

plowed fields came permanent settlements,

cities, and eventually taxation. With taxation
came the written word, and with all of this came
the first god-kings and emperors. This almost all
Kindred academics agree on: these emperors of
old were vampires as often as not.
From the Antediluvians, the originators of the
blood-cursed clans in Enoch, all the way through
the rise of Egypt, Rome, and Great Zimbabwe to
the final days of the Dark Ages, vampires ruled
the Earth. Divided into low and high clans, they
saw themselves as the rightful lords of humanity
and fed on those below them. Many of them still
do, even if the fires of the Inquisition have forced
them to reconsider their methods. So yes, the
Kindred are ancient. Still, even the eldest of their
kind must exist in the here and now, in the
second decade of the 21st century.
During the five hundred years since the first
47

COREBOOK
Inquisition, they have adapted to human culture
and learned to hide and wear masks that look like
us. Their only chance to follow us into the modern
age was con vincing us they did not exist, so they
aided the rise of rational thought and science,
sponsoring the Newtons and Descartes of their
respective domains. To the ra tional mind, their
existence was obscured as an impos sibility.
Capitalism was a boon to them as well, even if
neither free trade nor communism was their
invention. These systems enabled a smooth
transition from dark sovereigns into invisible
masters of banking, profiteers of the opium trade,
politburo chiefs, and Gulag overse ers. They have
flourished in systems of power as diverse as the
slave trade, the stock exchange, the music and
fashion industries, the dot-com boom, and the
green energy race. In this way, they are
surprisingly adaptable as a species if not always
as individuals.
The eldest minds among them are frozen in
time, lost in dated ideologies, and unable to
fathom how smartphones could be superior to
the printing press, yet simultaneously forced to
contend with enemies using satellites to track
them and smart bombs to destroy them.
The youngest live by encryption on the
cutting edge of social media and listen to
Trentemøller on Spotify, loathing their own
history and the tyranny of their elders. They
have to contend with a system of rule that was
archaic already 500 years ago and rub shoulders
with Mongol warlords and veterans of the Seven
Years' War.
It seems, no matter how fast they follow the
technological development, the Kindred will
always be partly stuck in the past. Unwilling or
unable to recon cile their differences, the old
fight the young, and this forms the foundational
rift in Kindred society – cur rently expressed in
the conflict between the Camarilla and the
Anarchs. They call it the War of Ages.
Jyhad
The Kindred like power. They like holding the
con trolling interests in banking empires, being
owed a life debt from a narco-emperor, having a
hand in the upbringing of child prodigies, and
setting uprisings in
motion. Perhaps they seek to influence others
because they have so little control over
themselves. They are slaves to an addiction that
can never be cured. And, regardless how
powerful they get, there is always the risk of
becoming servants or prey to ancient sires.
The Jyhad is perhaps what happens when the
war between the begetter and the begotten never
reaches a resolution. An endless struggle
between generations of ancients who were
neonates millennia ago, and who have let their
descendants inherit their strife. Fueled by
personal vendettas and utopian dreams, the
Jyhad is the spindle weaving the tapestry of
Kindred history. It places the young and the
idealistic as pawns of the ancients on the board
of undead politics. And it often leaves marks, if
not scars, on the mortal world.
 The count of world-altering battles fought in
the Jyhad began with the First City and continues
to this night. The destruction of Enoch was likely
caused by the fourth and fifth generation of
Kindred turning on their Antediluvian progenitors,
as the Antediluvians had turned on each other
before them. The Punic Wars were a mortal
symptom of the bitter strife between Ventrue and
Malkavian elders masquerading as patri cians of
Rome on one side and utopian dreamers led by
the African Brujah Troile on the other. There and
then, the great rebel vision – to live openly among
mortals – was defeated. Not for the first time, nor
for the last. It has been crushed by force or by its
inherent impos sibility again and again through
the years. The rise of the Cainite Heresy and the
high clans of Île-de-France triggered the horrors
of the Albigensian crusade. The Kindred
themselves lit the flame of the Inquisition that
nearly burned the curse of Caine from the Earth.
The fall of Constantinople during the madness of
the Fourth Crusade rose like a storm of blood
around the diablerie of the “Archangel” Michael
and saw the end of the dream of the Byzantine
Triumvirate.
The final nights of the Dark Ages and the War of
Princes coincided with the formation of the
great sects, forged from multiple uprisings and
betrayals that killed the old order of high and
low clans and set childe against sire once more.
The foundation of the death cult of the Sabbat
and the diableries of at least two Antediluvians
heralded the beginning of a new age. But even
after the Kindred of the Camarilla

48

elected to go into deep hiding to escape the wrath

of mortals at the Convention of Thorns, the Jyhad
con

KINDRED SOCIETY

The Camarilla
tinued unabated. The destruction of any ancien gorge themselves on fledgling vitae to stay sane
régime is always a convenient cover for the dead, and resist the call. Instead of governing directly
and both the French Revolution and the October they retreat into paranoid seclusion, leaving
Uprising saw the collection of the blood of nobles underprepared neo nates to rule in their stead.
by Kindred seeking to destroy their elders. Well The “inheritance coteries” are everywhere now,
into these nights of postmo dernity, of neon lights holding fiefdoms and ganglands, while their
and CCTV, methuselahs like Helena and Menele masters have left for the East or are scream ing at
still rage against each the invisible phantoms of their Blood
other, though Troy is madness. Many of the stand-in rulers do not
no more than ash and plan to give back what they got when the
legend. elders return. Why shouldn't one generation's
apocalypse be another's beginning?
Every Kindred
wants to believe But yes, vampires live forever, so who is to
they say their apocalypse will not last for a mortal
age? If this is the end at all. The unbound
know their place in the
shake their heads, describing the latest
Jyhad, but few
incidents in the blood opera of the Jyhad as
do. Schemes the nothing but schemes and personal vendettas
Prince of Cairo disguised as prophecy and destiny. To them,
hatches to rid his city the ancients are just people with power,
of faithless grudges, and way too much time on their
hands.
Anarchs in the chaos
of the Arab
Spring are not his
own, but feed
into the plans of a methuselah in
catacombs beneath Turin. Layers
upon layers of intricate politi
cal games and strategic alliances
obscure reality, but as the Sabbat
howl about Gehenna, the Anarchs
take up arms again, and the elders
of the seventh generation and lower
are beckoned back to where it all
began, it looks like things are heading for
the endgame.
The elders who remain in their havens
49 To most members of the Camarilla, Caine is just a
myth, a metaphor for their curse, rather than a
historical individual. That said, many still cling to
The Camarilla is the most widely influential their Christian, Jewish, or Muslim faiths like
organiza tion Kindred history has ever known. Its straws in a storm, trying to find meaning and
stated pur pose is to preserve the Masquerade, purpose in their un-
an elaborate veil of deception pulled over the
eyes of the living to hide the existence of the
Kindred. But the Camarilla is so much more. It is
a conspiracy to preserve the power of the elders,
an undead secret society influencing global
business and politics, the closest thing the
Kin dred have to a system of government,
and an international union of cities akin to
the United Nations – complete with
a central inner circle and a cadre of
justicars and archons traveling the
world to “keep the peace,” answer
ing to nameless masters. The sect
maintains a fierce moral stance
on preserving humanity in the
face of the impulses of the Blood,
seeing themselves as the shep
herds of the blind human throng –
simultaneously morally superior and
inferior to their short-lived subjects.
The sheer age, power, and wealth
of many Camarilla members, and the
recent exclusion of the Anarchs from
their ranks, makes the sect distinctly upper
class. These are the monsters that hide behind
$5000 cocktail dresses, meticulously tended
stock portfolios, and havens guarded by blood
slaves in private security uniforms. They are the
one percent of the one percent and they hunger
for more. Their pawns are placed in banking and
in Congress, making deals and passing bills.
They are masters of disinformation, propaganda,
and blackmail, never leaving a loose end untied
for long. These nights, there is a lot of tying to do,
but the Camarilla does not hesitate to lay ruin to
human lives and Kindred unlives to protect the
secrets of their influence.
COREBOOK

50
lives. The Middle Eastern counter emonies, negotiations, and 51
part to the Camarilla – the Ashirra heated debate, protected and
– is entirely based on using Islam directed by the Keeper and their
to temper the murderous heralds, also known as harpies. KINDRED SOCIETY
impulses of the Blood. Still, One may be
ancestor wor ship is a widespread hidden behind the dark rooms of
and accepted practice in the an upscale fetish club, another in
Camarilla, with ancient an otherwise unused nuclear
Methuselah like Mithras and the bunker, a third in the
Dracon serving the func tion of Guggenheim's Brancusi sloppy feeding with witnesses, a
saints. In some clans the collection at night.
Antediluvians have become vulgar display of undead might,
objects of veneration – imagined Order in the domain at large is
a confession to a beloved mortal.
as the embodied ideals of their maintained by a sheriff,
blood lines. gendarme, constable or whatever These things happen, but Kindred
law enforce ment term is used are expected to clean up after
A Camarilla city is run in the locally. They are usually more
fashion of a feudal court, even if hitman than cop, and summary themselves, or there will be hell
their gatherings may look more justice tends to be the
like slick boardroom meetings or to pay. The crime-world code
rough gatherings of criminal car norm as the Camarilla frown on “snitches get stitches” doesn't
tels. The hierarchy is absolute. At modern ideas like due process. If even
the top we find the Prince, a crea you get dragged before the
Council to plead for mercy begin to describe how seriously
ture impressive or cunning
enough to be acknowledged as instead of chained beneath a both the Camarilla and the An
the absolute leader of their sunroof, you've been lucky.
archs take the Masquerade. In the
domain. Below them are the
members of the Primogen Council The Six age of YouTube dares, clickbait,
– representatives of the major Traditions and fake news, a Masquerade
Camarilla factions in the area.
Whether they are clan elders or a The Six Traditions form the core breach is easily overlooked by the
gathering of those who hold the framework for governance among masses, but any transgression
largest hunting grounds, they the Kindred. While they are inter can
speak directly to the Prince, who preted in wildly different ways and
will do best by listening to their given various attention by individ end with a black ops team kicking
advice. More than one lord has ual princes and councils, they are in a haven door. Only the crazi
been ousted by their own council. ancient customs that no initiated
est of Cainite superiority fanatics
Some princes choose a Camarilla Kindred is unaware of.
seneschal, who acts as personal Even if they were, ignorance is no dream of an age where they can
advisor or replacement when the excuse for breaking them. rule openly; the rest have faced
Prince is unavailable.
reality – the undead fare better
When needed, the court gather in the first tradition:
secret sanctuaries known as Ely the masquerade as parasitic powers behind the
siums, often changing locations throne than as great predators or
to maintain absolute privacy and Thou shall not reveal thy true
using a myriad deceptions to hide nature to those not of the Blood. infernal lords of human domin
Kin dred affairs from mortal Doing such shall renounce thy
ions.
scrutiny. Elysiums accommodate claims of Blood.
feasts, cer the second tradition:
The first tradition is the only one
universally respected, but also the domain
the one that is broken most often. Thy domain is thine own concern.
A All
others owe thee respect while in
it. None
may challenge thy word while in best way to avoid it anyone has Honor one another's domain.
thy When thou comest to a foreign
come up with. A companion of
city, thou shall present thyself to
domain. one's own Blood is one of the the one who
things
A prince's domain is the whole ruleth there. Without the word of
most desired by Kindred, and a ac ceptance, thou art nothing.
city, but they may grant rights to
thing they cannot freely have.
those who have served them, Thus, In an age of spy games and iso
allow lated city domains this tradition is
it is a coveted gift and a powerful becoming polarized in its enforce
ing others to rule over a district or
tool in securing alliances. ment. Keeping track of who is in
a city block in their stead. This cre your city is a daunting task in the
Vampire populations used era of the refugee and the global
ates an elaborate hierarchy of
liege to hover around one per 100.000 citizen, and some princes are
actively backing harsh
lords and lieges, reminiscent of mortals, but tonight – who can immigration policies, building
the say? Some cities, like London, are walls, or infiltrat ing border
feudalism of the late Middle Ages. almost empty after Second Inquisi controls just to keep up. Princes
usually either give up on
Knowing the lay of the land and tion crackdowns and others are
enforcing this law or do it draconi
who has the claim to its use is hives of thin-blood activity. cally with mortal assistance.
vital
to navigating the urban labyrinths
of the night.

COREBOOK
the fourth tradition:
the accounting
Those thou create are thine own
children. Until thy Progeny shall
be Re leased, thou shall
the third tradition: command them in all things. Their
the progeny sins are thine to endure.

Thou shall only Sire another with Tonight, release into the Camarilla
the permission of thine elder. If is more a question of initiation
thou than anything else. If a childe
does not have what it takes to join
createst another without thine the elite, they are thrown to the
Elder's Anarchs, to be hunted and
leave, both thou and thy Progeny stepped on like the rest of the
shall unbound, if not destroyed the sixth tradition:
outright. Childer who are
be slain. destruction
accepted, but escape from
oppressive sires are still their Thou art forbidden to destroy
Overpopulation can quickly responsibility, so the maker better another of thy kind. The right of
become find their wayward progeny fast. destruction belongeth only to
a serious threat to the And punish them. thine Elder. Only the Eldest
Masquerade, among thee shall call the Blood
the fifth tradition: Hunt.
and having to ask the Prince for
hospitality
permission to make a childe is the
The Blood Hunt is the ultimate
punishment in Vampire society.
Normally the destruction of anoth
er Kindred is seen as a cardinal
sin, but anyone can hunt and kill
those that are named the targets
of lex talionis, the law of
52
KINDRED SOCIETY
Kindred
Fashion
retaliation. Even the thin-blooded, the terrible crime of diablerie – so
the Anarchs, and the be it. Helping a Blood Hunt is a
independents are invited to the good way into the Camarilla's
murder party. Anything goes in graces, so joining one is often
the Blood Hunt, and if the one frowned upon by Anarchs.
who kills the target drinks it dry
and claims a part of their power –
Black is still the new black. Feeding is messy and
bloodstains are easier to hide on dark fabrics. It is
that simple. Toreador tastemakers in the fashion
industry return to black each season for this very
reason. This means light-colored clothes,
especially white, become status symbols. A
Brujah in a white tracksuit signals “I'm so skilled I
don't spill a drop.” But wearing light colors is
always a risk, and many Kindred consider the
practice as asking for trouble, no matter how tight
their blood-drinking game is.
Fashion is a secret language. Just like
mortals, Kindred signal affiliation, attitude, and
ideology through their dress, both in the street
and in Elysium. A rose print dress screams “I'm a
diva” to those who know about clan
iconography, and attire made from trash and
rags marks you as a Nosferatu – or possibly a
Malkavian. A subtle Edwardian cut to the jacket
or pullover you wear among mortals hints at your
age, and the tenderly preserved 1905 dress you
wear to court tells neonates to respect their
elders.
Kindred dress very differently in the street and
in Elysium. In public, the Masquerade is on, and
looking like an antiquated royal is usually a very
bad idea. Vampires are stealth hunters. They
blend in with their prey. Most are masked with a
human cov er, and all have a pattern of predation.
These two factors dictate their street look. A
Sandman burglar wears trainers and black Adidas
with a hoodie, but a leech with the same modus
operandi who feeds from a psych-ward dresses
like an orderly. A scene queen stalking the
psychobilly scene spends an hour every evening
on their pompadour and tattoos, while a minimal
techno fiend would never dream of
wearing a band T-shirt and has daymares about
not getting into Berghain. Only the handful of
Kindred who still stalk the goth scene dress like
“vampires” in public.
Elysiums and havens are a whole other story.
In these no-Masquerade areas the Kindred flaunt
their age and monstrous nature. Here the
complex neo feudal codes of their society rule,
and the harpies wear Elizabethan dresses or
haute couture creations that would make Lady
Gaga gasp for breath. It's all part of the status
game. Arriving from the street into the lair of an
elder is a humbling experience – no less so, if the
guest kneels in their black jeans and T-shirt
before an ageless monster in a chalk-white dress
made from human skin.
Anarchs tend to despise the need for
embellish ment as a typical Camarilla thing,
instead staying true to a single style, gradually
changing through the dec ades: a modern street
interpretation of what they are and their personal
history, carefully maintaining their human mask.
Baggy hip-hop fashion with memento mori bling
and woodcut style tattoos recall the 1500s for the
Landsknecht. A World War II bomber jacket for
the rabble taxi driver with a history. Crust punk
rivet armor for the Mongol Gangrel warlord. Most
wear perfectly ordinary everynight street clothes
with hint at their nature understood only by those
who know exactly what to look for.
53

COREBOOK
ICONOGRAPHY One Toreador wears a crown of roses, another has
fresh petals decorating her dress, a third wears a
A cracked mirror left at the scene of the crime. A
Victorian style brooch shaped like a long-stemmed
cross-like ankh marking the spine of a book. A
warped tragedy mask spray painted on a tarp tent rose, a fourth a navelpiercing designed to be a
in Skid Row. The broken Anarchy (A), upside down, more abstracted rose with a shorter, curled stem.
No clan mark is ever invalidated, and the Kindred
tattooed on a biker's neck. Or wait, are those
who got inked in the early 90's wear their old-
swords?
school colors as proudly as those who branded
Every subculture and secret society has its own themselves with a new interpretation of the
ever-evolving language of signs and symbols, and symbols yesterday. In your game you are well
the Kindred are no exception. The marks of the served by abstracting the iconography to its core.
Antediluvians and their bloodlines have been If you keep it simple, you will be able to find hints
shaped in angular cuneiform, drawn from the of it on punk album covers and in renaissance
broken imagination of a child from Styria, and paintings and radical street art – blood-red lipstick
sketched on empty plates at the seats of unnamed traces left through art history by our im mortal
conclave feasts. From the dawn of time, clan and masters.
sect heraldry has evolved into a myriad localized
and personalized forms, but the themes and core
symbology are as never-dying as the Kindred The Anarch Movement The revolution against the
themselves. The heraldry of noble divas in the late Camarilla is as old as the sect itself. Originally
middle ages (not yet named Toreador – the word known as the Anarch Revolt, in recent decades it
was coined by Bizet in his 1877 libretto for Carmen has grown vastly, as younger Kindred find it hard
and promptly appropriated), featured a rose, the to understand why they should follow the dictates
Ventrue kings of Britannia have always held of elders who seem perfectly happy to throw them
scepters, and a mask of some form has been to the Second Inquisi tion if need be.
associated with the horrors since before the rise of
Greek tragedy. The unbound are all those
The new clan and sect symbols presented in this vampires who fall outside the Camarilla. The
book have not been designed by some undead art Anarch Movement in its various forms is a subset
director for universal use among the clans. Nor of the unbound and also their most visible
were the symbols that preceded them. The new manifestation. Many seek to escape from the
variants do however reflect some of the changes in Camarilla's control by hiding. But the Anarchs have
undead society. The Ventrue of the 21st century decided to fight back, attempting to conquer and
often add a sword to their scepter, marking them control domains originally held by those who
as the Clan of Kings at war with the An archs and would claim themselves their masters. And why
the Second Inquisition; the Tremere symbol has not? The Camarilla's elders are being called to the
evolved to new complexity after the fall of the Mid dle East by the Beckoning, and the Second
Pyramid, and the mirror of the Malkavians is Inquisition has destroyed princes and primogen all
looking back at them. In the reality of the World of over the world.
Darkness, the clan and sect symbols are seldom The number of elders dwindle while there is a new
used exactly as they are shown in this book. crop of hungry, ambitious Anarch licks every year.
The word on the street is
revolution. No more compromises, no more
politics, no more trying to make deals with the
Camarilla. The Movement has finally escaped the
centuries-long lethargy it fell into after the
Convention of Thorns and the formation of the
Sabbat, but that time is now over. The Anarchs
have remembered how to fight, galvanized by the
Camarilla's great betrayal in being at fault for the
Second Inquisition.
54
 The root causes of Anarch dis content are not hard to find.
Many Camarilla princes like to style themselves as
enlightened and just rulers who benevolently look after the
welfare of all Kindred. The experience of the neonate-turned
Anarch is very different. Once you've been told you can only
feed in the warehouse district, your sire has been executed for
obscure vio lations of Camarilla law, and the Sheriff has
murdered your mortal mother because she was a “threat to
the Masquerade,” princely rhetoric starts to ring hollow.
55
KINDRED SOCIETY
Where the Camarilla influenc
es human society from the outside,
the Anarchs have burrowed deep
inside. Many maintain mortal
identities, perhaps even families
and jobs. This makes them simul
taneously more vulnerable and
more secure. Vulnerable because
they are in contact with their sur
roundings every night, and sure to
make mistakes. Secure because the
Anarch is never the vampire lord in
a mansion on the hill. They're the
DJ in the nightclub, the terrifying
cop from internal affairs, the junkie
creeping outside your window.

The Movement is different in

each city. Sometimes an Anarch
city has a ruler called a baron.
More commonly, it is led by gangs
who each have their own terri
tories. Some cities are currently
divided between the Anarchs and
the Camarilla – both sides itching
to take over.
What motivates the Anarch centuries, it feels as if it might be
Movement most of all is the scent possible to topple the Princes. If
of victory. For the first time in the old order can collapse in Ber
lin, it can collapse anywhere!
COREBOOK and stay out of politics abide by Mere years after the beginning of
them, or at least variants of them. the War on Terror, the Camarilla
finds itself in a desperate
Just try walking into Little Odessa situation. Thousands of Kindred
without making the steam room have made it onto the NSEERS
on and other watchlists established
by Home land Security in the
The Autarkis Brighton Beach Avenue and United States. In 2007, just after
kissing the passing of the “Protect
Even in a city like Paris, dominat the ring of Yurgi your first priority. America Act” and joining the still
classified “Project PRIS,” The
So no, not every “prince” is Vatican's Secret Service (The
ed by the Camarilla, many
Kindred Camarilla or Anarch. One domain Entity), the CIA, and the NSA
launch a major offensive. They do
remain unbound and in hiding is controlled by a clan, another by
so covertly, backed by the
from their cousins. Their stories a group of faceless conspirators, mundane might of the largest
a counter-terrorist agencies on the
are either so old that the sects
seem third by no one at all, a fourth by planet. More than a thousand
Kindred are killed in the space of
like passing trends to them or so a revenant playing their master's three months.
fresh that they are still busy nurs strings, and so on. For the deter Very few of the strikes are
ing connections to the people and mined Kindred there is always reported as lethal to the public.
principles that mattered to them a way out, and the underground Many are labelled “arrests,” oth
ers are hidden as gang violence,
in life. They are autarkis, outside the worst even more odiously as
society. Islamic terror attacks. The Vatican
In Yerevan, Armenia, any at SOCOM destruction of the Vienna
Prime Chantry in 2008 officially
tempt by the Camarilla to remains a “terrorist atrocity” cred
establish
is rife with strong personalities ited to the Islamic Jihad Union.
a prince or primogen council ends uninterested in pre-determined
with a rosewood box of ashes laws and monthly meetings in
sent Elysium. When all is in flux, you
cannot expect every creature to
to a poste restante address in Tbi be accounted for or adhering to
lisi. In New York, there are about rules that you know. The autarkis
and the unbound are a reminder Only the most reclusive autarkis
fifty Kindred that simply refuse that the Kindred are unique and Inconnu are unaffected. The
to align themselves to any cause. monsters, not nations, armies, or game is up, the use of
religions. surveillance and high technology
Their ambitions lie with protecting
has blown up in the face of the
their own bloodlines and ethnic Camarilla, and they are caught in
communities (something to do Endings and Beginnings the worst crisis since the
Convention of Thorns and the
with a terrible mistake made on
creation of the sect itself. The
Ellis Island). The Camarilla does Second Inquisition has begun. In
not have a patent on order. Their response the Camarilla

Traditions were custom long be

fore they became law, and even
the
autarkis who keep their head
down
orders the first step, the Wipe:
older Nosferatu hackers
dismantle their servers, taking
SchreckNET apart to start
vacuuming as much Kindred
communication as they possibly
can from the web.
The second step is a Camarilla
wide edict, spread by word of
mouth as well as a last coded
transmission on Kindred commu
nication channels. Any Kindred
caught contacting another online
will be removed from the protec
tion of the Camarilla and declared
disloyal, with the threat of the
Blood Hunt hanging over them if
the communication is deemed to
compromise the Masquerade.
The third step is the gathering of
the first global conclaves held in a
century. Because of the difficul
ties of travel in the wake of the
Inquisition, only representatives
of primogen and princes are
expected to attend. One
convention is held in Chicago, the
greatest Camarilla city in the US,
the other in the neutral city of
Prague. The Con vention of
Prague almost devolves into civil
war as the Anarch faction claims
that the Camarilla elite and their
meddling with federal and
national governments are to
blame for the Inquisition, while
the Camarilla point to the gung-ho

56

fashion in which Anarchs and neo nates in general

have been using the internet.
The Convention ends in chaos. Theo Bell, Brujah
Archon and Camarilla loyalist, executes his old
master before a stunned gathering of peers. The
Camarilla Traditions are changed forever. The
expulsion of the Anarchs from the sect is a fact.
Anarchs are now considered anyone affiliated with
the Move ment as well as all thin-blooded, caitiff,
and autarkis vampires, and no Kindred of 13th
generation or lower is welcome in the Camarilla.
For a second it looks like open war will break out. In the end
the Anarchs agree to uphold one Tradition and one Tradition
only: the Masquerade. The Camarilla establishes a “second
masquerade,” dictating that members are to cut all ties with
non-initiated Kin dred. A shaky peace is established. But
tensions are mounting, and if recent events in Berlin and
Prague are anything to go by, the War of Ages is about to turn
from cold to hot■

KINDRED SOCIETY
57

COREBOOK

LEXICON OF THE DAMNED

alleycat (vulgar): a vampire who
keeps no permanent haven, but sleeps
in a different location each night. This
term also refers to a vampire who
feeds exclusively from the homeless,
vagrants, and other elements of low
society. See footpad.
the amaranth (archaic): the act
of consuming another Kindred's
blood. See diablerie.
the anarch movement: a vam pire
sect that opposes the tyranny of elders
and has placed itself outside the secret
society of the Camarilla.
ancilla: a vampire who has proven
themselves, ranking between the
elders and the neonates. Plural:
ancillae.
antediluvian: a member of the
dreaded third generation.
autarkis (archaic): See unbound.
banking (vulgar): the practice of
“withdrawing” blood from blood
banks, hospital reserves, or the dead
and dying. This blood has little taste,
though it will sustain a vampire. Elder
Kindred eschew this base indulgence.
A Kindred who engages in this
practice is known as a banker.
the barrens: the areas of a city unfit
for life, including graveyards,
abandoned buildings, industrial
wastelands, and areas of irrevers ible
urban blight.
58
the beast: the inchoate drives and
urges that threaten to turn a vampire
into a mindless, ravening monster.
the becoming: the moment one
passes from being a fledgling into
“full” vampire status as a neonate. In
the Camarilla, one may not Become
until their sire deems them ready and
gains the Prince's approval.
blister (vulgar): a vampire “Ty
phoid Mary” who contracts a mortal
disease and spreads it to each vessel
upon whom they feed.
the blood: the supernatural, semi-
sentient Blood of a vampire, as
opposed to mortal or animal blood.
Synonymous with vitae.
blood bond: a mystical power re
lationship between two individual
vampires, where one has partaken of
the other's Blood thrice; accept ing
Blood from a vampire is an
acknowledgment of their
mastery.
blood doll (vulgar): a mortal who
freely gives their blood to a vampire.
Most blood dolls gain a
perverse satisfaction from the
Kiss, and actively seek out
vampires who will take their
blood.
blood hunt: a punishment sen
tencing a vampire to final death at
the fangs of their peers. See lex
talionis.
blood leech (vulgar): A vam pire
who feeds upon the vitae of
other Cainites, out of necessity
or depravity.
bloodline: a vampire's heritage. See
lineage.
the book of nod: a collection of
Kindred legend and history.
butterfly (vulgar): one who mingles
among the mortal high so ciety
elements and feeds exclusive ly from
the famous and wealthy.
cainite (archaic): a vampire; a
member of the race of Caine.
caitiff: a vampire of unknown clan, or
of no clan at all. Caitiff are typically of
high generation, where Caine's blood is
too diluted to pass on any consistent
characteristics.
the camarilla: a sect of vampires
devoted primarily to maintaining the
Traditions, particularly that of the
Masquerade.
canaille (archaic): the bovine
masses of humanity, especially the
uncultured and unsavory. The
canaille are viewed primarily as a
source of sustenance. See kine.
casanova (vulgar): a vampire who
seduces mortals to take their blood,
but does not kill them. See siren.
cauchemar (archaic): see Sandman
the change (vulgar): the mo
ment an individual ceases to be
mortal and becomes one of the domitor: a ghoul's master; one who 59
Kindred. gives of their Blood and issues com
mands.
chantry: the traditional name for the KINDRED SOCIETY
Tremere headquarters in a city, usually donor (vulgar): a sarcastic term for
part shelter, part library, and part vessel, typically human.
laboratory.
duskborn: see thin-blood.
chasse (archaic): the size and quality
of a domain or hunting ground. elder: a vampire who has experi enced at footpad (archaic): one who feeds
least two or more centu ries of unlife. by assaulting derelicts and others
childe: a vampire created through the Elders are the most active participants in
Embrace — the childe is the progeny of the Jyhad. unwanted by society. See
their sire. This term is often used alleycat.
derogatorily, indicating inexperience. elysium: a place where vampires may
Plural: childer. gehenna: the rumored Arma
gather without fear of harm. Court
functions in Elysium are strictly kept geddon when the Antediluvians
clan: a group of vampires who share apart from mortals and surrounded by will rise from their torpor and
common characteristics passed on secrecy, but the Elysium building itself
through the Blood. There are 13 known could be a public museum, a gallery, or devour the race of vampires and
clans, all of which were reputedly club. Berghain is an anarch Elysium. The the world. The Sabbat believe this
founded by members of the third Louvre is a Camarilla Elysium.
generation. time is now and have left their

the embrace: the act of trans forming traditional domains, fighting the
consanguineous (archaic): liter ally a mortal into a vampire. The Embrace final Gehenna War in the shadow
“of the same blood,” generally denotes requires the vam pire to drain her victim
lineage. of Middle Eastern conflicts.
and then replace that victim's blood with
a bit of her own. generation: the number of
coterie: a small group of Kindred,
united by the need for support and farmer (vulgar): a mocking term for a “steps” between a vampire and
sometimes common interests. vampire who refuses to feed on human the
blood, instead taking sustenance from mythical Caine; how far
the damned (vulgar): the race of animals. descended
Cainites; all vampires.
from the First a given vampire is.
final death: when a vampire ceases to
diablerie: the consumption of another exist, crossing the line from undeath into
gentry (archaic): a Kindred who
Kindred's Blood, to the point of the true death. fledgling: a newly created
victim's final death. vampire, still under their sire's preys in such places as
protection. nightclubs,
Vampires may lower their gen
eration permanently through this bars, and the red-light district.
abhorrent practice.
ghoul: a minion created by giving
domain: the area of a particular
a bit of vampiric vitae to a mortal
vampire's influence. Princes claim
without draining them of blood
first (which would create a vam
entire cities as their domains,
sometimes allowing lesser vam pire instead).
pires to claim domain within.
golconda: a fabled state of
vampiric transcendence; the true
mastery of the Beast and balance
of opposing urges and principles.
Rumored to be a state similar to
nirvana, Golconda is greatly
touted
but rarely achieved.

haven: a vampire's “home” or

base; where they find sanctuary
from the sun.

head (vulgar): a Kindred who

feeds upon those who have im
bibed alcohol or drugs, so as to
vicariously experience the same
COREBOOK
sensations. Those Kindred who
prefer individual drugs have
their “poison” prefixed to the
term head (eg meth head, dope
head, smack head). See lush.
headhunter (vulgar): a vampire
who hunts and feeds from other
Kindred. See Blood Leech.
humanitas (archaic): the extent to
which a Kindred still maintains her
humanity.
the hunger: the urge to feed. For
vampires, the Hunger replaces all
other drives with its own power ful
call.
the inconnu: a sect of vampires
who have removed themselves from
Kindred concerns and, largely, the
Jyhad. Many methuse lahs are
rumored to exist among the Inconnu.
juicebag or juice box (vulgar): a
contemptuous term for mortals,
indicating that their sole use is for
sustenance.
the jyhad: the secret, self
destructive war waged between the
generations. Elder vampires
manipulate their lesser kin, using
them as pawns in a terrible game the
rules of which defy compre hension.
kindred: the Camarilla term for
vampires as a whole, or a single
vampire. According to rumor, this
term came about in the 15th or 16th
century, after the Anarch Revolt.
kine: a term for mortals, largely
contemptuous. The phrase “Kindred
and kine” refers to the world at large;
everything.
the kiss: to drink blood, especial ly
from a mortal. The Kiss causes feelings
of ecstasy in those who receive it.
lex talionis (archaic): the code of
the Kindred and the system for
punishing transgression; the law of
retaliation which is behind the blood
hunt. It sug gests Hammurabian or
Biblical justice — an eye for an eye and
punishment in keeping with the
grievance.
lick (vulgar): a vampire. See Kin
dred and Cainite.
lien (archaic): the compliance of
the kine in a domain or hunting
ground.
the life (archaic): a euphemism for
mortal blood. Many indred regard this
term as affected and effete.
lineage (archaic): a vampire's
bloodline; the Kindred's sire, sire's
sire, etc.
lupine: a werewolf, the natural and
mortal enemy of the vampire race.
Plural: lupines.
lush: a vampire who typically feeds
from drugged or drunk mor tals in
order to experience their inebriation.
mask: the mortal cover identity a
Kindred needs to maintain to remain
hidden among their prey.
the masquerade: the habit (or
Tradition) of hiding the exist ence of
vampires from humanity. Designed to
protect vampires from destruction at
the hands of man kind, the
Masquerade was adopted after the
Inquisition claimed many Kindred
unlives.
methuselah: a vampire who has
existed for a millennium or more; an
elder who no longer participates in
Kindred society. Methuselahs are
rumored to hail from the fourth and
fifth generations.
neonate: a young Kindred, recently
Embraced but more than a fledgling.
papillon (archaic): the red-light
district; the area of town punctu
ated by drinking establishments,
brothels, gambling houses, and
other locales of ill repute. The
prime hunting grounds of a city,
where the disappearance of
mortals goes hand in hand with
the area's general seediness.
portillon (archaic): the security
and level of protection in a domain or
hunting ground.
praxis (archaic): the right of
Princes to govern; the Prince's claim
to domain. This term also refers to the
Prince's matters of policy and
individual edicts and motions.
prince: a vampire who has
claimed a given expanse of
60

domain as their own, generally a intelligence agencies to combat 6 1

city, and supports that claim the Kindred as if they were a
against all others. The term can terrorist threat. Few individual
refer to a Kindred of either sex. In agents understand what they are KINDRED SOCIETY
Anarch cities they are some times fighting and the intra agency col
called Barons. laboration codenamed FIRST
LIGHT places enormous import
progeny: all of a given vampire's childer on keeping their operations secret
collectively. and disguised as ordinary anti-
terrorist action.
thrall: someone under the effects
the rack (vulgar): the hunting ground
of choice, including bars, nightclubs, sect: a group of vampires argu ably of a Blood Bond, having drunk
drug dens, and other united under a common philosophy. The another Kindred's Blood thrice.
two most widely known Sects currently
bacchanalian locales, where populating the night are the Camarilla
mortals go missing all the time. and the Anarch Movement. turf (vulgar): a modern affecta
See Papillon. tion used in reference to a
sire: a vampire's begetter; the Kin dred domain.
rake (vulgar): a habitual visitor to the
who created them.
Rack, especially in the interests of unbound: A vampire who remains
feeding.
siren (archaic): a vampire who seduces outside the larger Kindred society
mortals in order to drink from them, and of
regnant: a Kindred who holds a Blood
then only takes a
Bond over another. a given city, either by ignorance
small quantity of blood, so as to or
retainer: a human who serves a avoid killing them.
choice. Usually considered an An
vampiric master. Kindred rarely go
slumming (vulgar): the practice of arch by members of the Camarilla,
without at least a few of these
feeding from derelicts, the home less, and though most unbound have
mortals, both for convenience and other dregs of society; one who does this
nothing
protection. regularly is known as a slummer.
to do with the Movement.
the sabbat: a sect of vampires that
tease (vulgar): See casanova and siren.
rejects humanity, embracing their vegan: a contemptuous term for
monstrous nature. They are currently one who drinks exclusively from
thin-blood: a vampire of the 14th or
believed to be engaged in the Gehenna
15th generation (and pos sible above) animals. See farmer.
War, having left or been driven out of
who does not experi ence the curse of
their hold ings in the West.
Caine in the same way as other Kindred. vessel: a source of blood for suste
sandman (vulgar): a vampire who nance or pleasure, primarily
the third mortal (archaic): Caine,
feeds only upon sleeping victims. mortal.
who was cast out and became the first
vampire.
the second inquisition: a col lective vitae (archaic): the Blood of a
name among vampires for the recent
vampire.
coordinated efforts of
whelp (archaic): a derogatory term
for a young Kindred, originally whig (archaic): a contemptuous wight: a vampire lost to the Beast,
used
term for a vampire who slave to the will of the Blood.
with exclusive reference to one's possesses
own witch-hunter (archaic): a mortal
an interest in mortal trends and
progeny.
fashions. who hunts down and destroys
vam
pires and other supernatural
beings.

62

CLANS

clans

O, could ye know the sequel

From such a deed atrocious,
E'en would thy hate ferocious
Bid me in horror stay.
Monster without an equal,
And canst thou nought but slay?
According to Kindred mythology, Caine
sired three childer, who in turn sired
childer themselves. This third
generation came into being before the
Great Flood
– and some say it was their sins that called it
down. The survivors, known as the
Antediluvians, became the progenitors of the
modem clans. Each Antedilu vian's Blood
endures in their descendants, feeding the
common powers, weaknesses, and perhaps
even the behaviors and beliefs of the Kindred
who belong to the clan they begat.
Tonight, there are 13 distinct clans along with
–GAETANO DONIZETTI, LUCREZIA BORGIA
innumerable minor bloodlines as well as the
Caitiff and thin-bloods, who prouder and more
powerful lineages reject. Two of the 13 (Lasombra
and Tzi misce) have fallen under the shadow of
the Sab bat. Two (Giovanni and Ravnos) have
been driven nearly extinct outside their ancestral
strongholds by enemies mortal and sorcerous.
Another two (Banu Haqim and the Setite Ministry)
remain in limbo between the Gehenna warzone
and the dubious protection of the Camarilla. The
final seven continue to maneuver for position and
duel for power in the endless night of the Jyhad.
63

The Learned Clan

Rabble
Punks
Hipsters
Prometheans
Rebels
Philosopher-Kings
Hellenes

64
CLANS The dream of the learned clan is a world

visible outsiders, their desire for rebellion reaches

as deep
where all injustice has been eliminated
and the living and the undead can coexist in
peace. They say it is for love of the mor tals that
they lead them against their masters. In truth,
they may simply rage against a distant or non-
existent God they can never fight, against a curse
they can never end. Theirs is a dream that
poisons everything it touches. As they infiltrate or
instigate revolutions, their hunger and passion
ensure that blood will flow, innocents die, and
peace never be attained.

Who are the Brujah? Clan Brujah have always Embraced

from the ranks of those sympathetic to counterculture
and revolution. They seek out allies who question
normative ideas, and recognizing the fire of the oppressed,
they gravitate toward the underdog.
Common perception place punks, gang-
members, maladjusted immigrants rejected by
the society that should protect them, and
placard-carrying and Molotov wielding rioters
among the Brujah. While the clan definitely
includes substantial numbers of vocal and

as the fraudster ripping off his own company, the

lawyer representing the poor pro bono, the neo-
Nazi claiming to be “alt-right,” and the basement-
dweller download ing thousands of movies
illegally for redistribution on streaming sites.
Fledglings Embraced to fight and protest are
commonly known as rabble.
The Brujah can be passionate fighters but also
critical thinkers; the clan activists are often very
different from the clan theorists. On many
occasions, the latter are Embraced from former
gender studies or sociology stu dents, those who
have survived near-death experiences, and
people who have in other ways suffered and
endured great personal loss. The philosophical
Brujah, known as Hellenes, believe the best
method of dismantling the establishment is to
understand the social and cultural systems that
allow it to exist in the first place.
Brujah Archetypes

cancer in the system

This Kindred exists as a cog in a corrupt
system. They may be a night worker for a mortal
corporation known for treating its employees
like dirt, a staffer in a broken political party, or
one of the remaining Brujah in the
65

COREBOOK

66
Camarilla. They work to bring the wants to party to piss off the 67
system down from within, maybe police, or a fourth-wave token
hoping to replace it with “feminist” who spent more of
something better, but often their mortal time attacking other CLANS
having the process of rebuilding feminists and their allies than
as the last of their priorities. coordinating responses to
oppression. Short-term action
voice of the people yields massive results, but does
not always benefit the Brujah.
The Brujah have always strived
for progress in Kindred society. force, as it is simpler to hold a
monster in disguise kine
Many of them were progressives
in life and follow the same path in The Brujah claim there is no clan in place or crack their skull open
undeath. The voice of the people closer bonded to humanity than
might be a former feminist their own, which is why they and drink its insides than to nego
activist, eco-warrior, or an anti- exhibit such fiery passions. But tiate for a mouthful of blood.
capitalist protester who channels some take it further than that, and
their passion into speaking out strive to live like mortals by Presence: Brujah use Presence to
against the Ventrue and Tore ador keeping up to date with modern
or fomenting political unrest culture, forming relationships, win the hearts of the crowd, turn a
among mortals. Their ambitions and building families. The payoff threatening mob against itself, or
may come back to hurt their clan, for this behavior is a startling
send a dangerous opponent
but sometimes they form the core duality of dream and real ity. The
fleeing
of revolutionary movements. Beast will not be denied for long,
and undead family men and into the night. Brujah intellectuals
blood worshipper working women must slip away prefer feeding with Presence to
from their fake lives ever so often con
The Brujah were once considered to avoid seeing red, returning
a High Clan, superior to most and only after they have satiated their vince vessels to give up their
respected by all. Some Brujah still dangerous urges. blood
believe their Blood is stronger
than that of other clans, and that voluntarily. Other clan members
they have the right to apply their Disciplines use
doc trine on others. Brujah who Presence to terrify their prey, as it
uphold this form of blood idolatry Celerity: Brujah use Celerity to
apparently adds “an exquisite,
often come from fundamentalist strike fast and escape uprisings
bold
back grounds, right-wing groups, they have started. They hunt with
and the academic elite. it to snatch vessels from the taste” and fuels the less subtle
streets, feeding from them pow
trolling punk savagely, or to rapidly dispose of ers of their curse.
Clan Brujah includes many vocal a mortal before vanishing into the
and physical activists who follow night.
the zeitgeist uncritically, reveling Bane
in their righteousness. The Potence: Brujah use Potence as a
trolling devastating weapon, cutting short
any confrontation with destructive The Blood of the Brujah simmers
punk cares about the fight, not finality. Though the clan preaches with barely contained rage,
the cause. They are an aggressor a connection to humanity, its
who provokes confrontation with mem bers often take what they explod
mi nority groups, a squatter who want by ing at the slightest provocation.
just
Subtract dice equal to the Bane
Se
verity of the Brujah from any roll
to resist fury frenzy. This cannot
take the pool below one die■

68

CLANS
The Clan of the Beast Animals chy, the wolves accept the Beast as a part of
themselves and run free. Crossing borders
Ferals
between species, na tions, and domains with the
Savages ease of perfect predators, they belong to the wild
Barbarians and the wild belongs to them. To think of them as
noble savages is perilous, as the animals have little
Outcasts respect for the arrogance of civiliza tion, and only
Wolves the strongest survive their bloody hunts and
savage initiations. Trading stories of war and the
Strays secret histories of their kind around campfires lit
with the bones of their oppressors, they have
A hunger older than mankind burns inside turned their backs on the Camarilla and fight tooth
and claw to escape the endless plots of their fellow
Kindred.
the wolves. When other Kindred curse
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I see your
their appetites and choose the gilded cage of the
shoulders hunched, your brow furrowed, your hair
city and the leash of social hierar
on end. “Rudi,” you're thinking, “have you brought
me out to the projects just to dust me?”
No, young blood. We're not meeting in the shittiest
part of the city so I can snap your head off or for
you to take in

69

COREBOOK
the view. This place is the
wilderness we get these nights.
In your grandsire's time, you
might have been stalking the
woods and plains while the
Ventrue ran the cities. But that
time's gone. They're losing
control of their cities, and we
are taking control of the ways in
and out. This is your territory
now, and you won't let it go
without the pack's say-so.
You've got to prove your worth
in the Clan of the Beast. We're
not some exclusive club for
snobs and elitists, but we
believe in deeds over words and
in the strength of the pack and
the unity of family. If you defend
our haven, take out one of our
enemies, bring us the skull of a
Ravnos or shapeshifter, or just
humiliate the Prince by trashing
her favorite car, you'll be good
by our standards. It doesn't take
more than that. Just remember
that lone wolves, as cool as
they seem, get picked off first.
We're more than just glorified
bik ers, but I accept the analogy.
We don't put down roots, we
take initiation into our group
seriously, and we accept no
masters. Your grandsire? He or
she knelt before some blue
blood and learned to take it like
a bitch. You? If you kneel, I'll kill
you myself.
Who are the Gangrel?
Clan Gangrel are outcasts,
wander ers, rogues, and
hunters. They make havens in
the poorest parts of the city and
feel no shame for doing so.
They claim few domains as their
own but defer to no prince. If a
feral enters a city, the prince will
either accept it or have to fight
the feral to get them to back
down.
Gangrel Embrace from the
ranks of survivors and fighters:
leaders of prison crews and
gangs, explorers (urban and
otherwise), and any kine who
sees the world as something to
traverse instead of something
to hide from. They care not for
looks or title, but for
accomplishment and
reputation. A childe may be a
challenge, but the clan follows
rituals and initiations to ensure
the fledgling is worth the time.
Success means a new, hon
ored member of the clan.
Failure means simply a
forgettable reject or a pile of
ash.
Any mortal capable of project
ing their will onto others,
leading a group from disaster to
success, or fighting impossible
odds draws the clan's attention.
This fact results in a symptom
known as “too many chiefs,”
when the clan consists of more
leaders than followers.
Customs encourage fights for
dominance, but these rarely last
until final death, as Gangrel
elders advocate against taking
compe tition for authority
personally, instead encouraging
a culture of healthy rivalry.
Gangrel Archetypes
uncaged jailbird
This Kindred spent most of
their mortal life in prison or
was once incarcerated for a
severe crime. Such a past
conveys a reputa tion and a
jaded attitude toward authority
leavened with a desper ate
taste for freedom and opportu
nity to exercise liberties
formerly denied them.
adventurer
The Gangrel are no strangers
to the wild, spending much of
their time beyond city limits
and communing
with creatures and clans
outside those in the Camarilla.
In life and undeath, the
adventurer has seen and
experienced something few
could comprehend. They have
walked from place to place,
spending their life on the road,
living only by wits, a stran ger's
kindness, and a rich curiosity.
This wolf has no fear of the path
ahead, wherever it might lead.
folk favorite
Clan Gangrel practice the tradi
tions of storytelling around the
fire, although they are the
furthest from boy scouts.
Whether around a burning
barrel, tire fire, or at a great
convocation, this animal knows
the songs and the stories to
celebrate the names of fallen
heroes and enemies who must
never be forgotten. In their
mortal lives they might have
been singers, entertain ers, or
independent artists.
director of the board
This Gangrel believes in power
wield ed not merely with
physical blows, but through
social presence, author ity over
others, and command of a
group of people such as a club
or a corporation. The
boardroom Gangrel is an alpha
who thrives on causing fear and
respect, who does not play by
the rules, and who is capable of
commanding others to perform
the most unethical actions with
threats of personal and
professional losses. They stalk
their prey through office
corridors at night and in five-
star hotels paid by company
card.
70

CLANS

71
COREBOOK

unrepentant beast Animalism: A Gangrel can use

Animalism to take on an animal
The Gangrel relish their animal
companion, sometimes called a
features and feral natures, and
famulus. The animal companion
many behave as wild beasts do
can be used for hunting, spying,
– leading unlives dominated by
and attacking. Some Gangrel
immediate physical drives and
will turn pets on their owners,
desires. The unrepentant beast
hound vagrants with packs of
behaved like an animal already
dogs, or lure strays to them for
before the Embrace. Perhaps
a quick feeding.
they were a predatory criminal
or an individual who used legal
means to let out their
dangerous desires. As a
vampire, they are little better.
Disciplines
 Fortitude: As longtime body
guards and soldiers for the
other clans, the Gangrel have
benefited hugely from Fortitude.
The Discipline can give them a
sense of fearlessness, as it
allows them to hunt across
harsh terrain and take bullets
and knife blades without worry.
The Gangrel who emphasize
growth in Fortitude likely
expects a lot of harm to come
their way.

72

Protean: Gangrel are known for
their mastery of Protean, as few
other clans possess its gifts.
Strad dling the line between
vampirism and shapeshifting, the
Discipline allows a Gangrel to
take on the physical properties of
another crea ture, or in other Bane
ways change their physical
shape. Gangrel who feed as
animals often consider this the tru
est, or at least the best, of kills.
Gangrel relate to their Beast much 7 3
as other Kindred relate to the
Gangrel: suspicious partnership.
In frenzy, Gangrel gain one or CLANS
more animal features: a physical
trait, a smell, or a behavioral tic.
These features last for one more
night afterward, lingering like a
hango ver following debauchery.
Each feature reduces one
Attribute by 1 point – the
Storyteller may decide that a
forked tongue or bearlike
musk reduces Charisma, while
batlike ears reduce Resolve (“all
those distracting sounds”). If noth
ing immediately occurs to you,
the feature reduces Intelligence or
Manipulation.
The number of features a
Gangrel manifests equals their
Bane Severity. If your character
Rides the Wave of their frenzy
(see p. 219) you can choose only
one feature to manifest, thus
taking only one penalty to their
Attributes ■
74
The Clan of the Moon Lunatics of Malkav with schizophrenia, depression,
Madmen obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-trau
Jesters matic stress disorder. Sometimes all at once.
Oracles In reality, they have all of these things and none.
Like
Dervishes
the “wise madmen” of poetry their derangement
Visionaries
stems
Children of Malkav
from seeing too much of the world at once, from un
derstanding too deeply, and feeling emotions that
CLANS are
too strong to bear. They self-medicate with blood,
but
that is just a temporary solution.

“We're not clowns, Jeanette. We're not here to

Psychologists would diagnose the children
amuse the
other Kindred.”
“Baloney. We're here to make them laugh, make
them
cry, make them sticky with delight or
embarrassment…”
“You drag our club through the muck. Our clan!
Time
was, we were the Kindred the others went to for
advice,
foresight, strategies in times of war.”
“Pull that stick outta your ass, Therese. Unless you
like it
up there. We've always been jesters.”
“Jesters in times gone by assessed the court and
delivered
their findings to the Prince.”
“And so do we! God. You see my skirt and makeup,
and
just think 'slut,' don't you?”
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COREBOOK
 “Of course. Are you not?”
“Yeah, but how many nuggets of misconception that few
Kindred families are as
gold do you think I pried from
disparate as the Clan of the
the ghoul I was screwing, the
Moon. Other clans see them
repressed warlock I loosened
and reason,
up, or Prince LaCroix when he
was bouncing up and down on
my love gun? Bang. Bang.”
“You… God, you disgust
me. I acquire intelligence
through visions, through
sampling the blood, through
debate, business transaction,
reading emotions, drawing out
uncomfortable truths...”
“You wear the suit, I wear the
stockings. We're mentally
impaired as a clan, but hell, if it
allows us to both
lower our inhibitions and get a
little dirty to do what must be
done, I say bring on the
personality disorders. It's like a
cocktail in my head.”
“There is nothing wrong with
me. You're the one with the
special needs.” “Oh, you need
your daddy just as much as I
do.”
“Shut up. Cale-se. For one
night, could you go without
mentioning that we're all
headcases and instead focus
on what we accomplish?”
“Sorry, sis. I guess there's
two sides to being a Malkavian.
The visionary and the maniac.
We're a good team!” “I hate
you.”
“You hate us.”
“We hate us.”
"Eu te amo."
“I love me too.”
Who are the Malkavians?
It has long been the
“they are each mad, so why
should their respective origins
matter?” To the Malkavians,
origins matter a great deal.
Though sires may pick childer
from all walks of life, age
groups, ethnicities, and
genders, eve ry mortal selected
for the Embrace possesses
something only visible to a
Malkavian.
One of the gifts the
Malkavians look for in a mortal
is what they call “second sight.”
If a person interprets dreams,
can perceive spirits, or
unerringly predicts future
events, the Malkavians take
notice. Such a person acts as a
beacon, calling out to every
member of the clan that sees
them.
Another gift revered by the
Malkavians, is that of “insight.”
A high level of empathy, finely-
tuned knowledge of complex
subject matter, or just an
obsessive drive to pursue the
answers to philosophical
questions each appeal to the
clan. As insight is often tied to
profession, the clan benefits
from a range of academics and
doctors – especially therapists
and psychologists.
Finally, the Clan of the Moon
are fascinated by the “broken” –
indi viduals who have been
changed by traumatic
experiences or who were simply
born slightly detached from
themselves and the rest of
society. To the Malkavians, they
are but one gentle push away
from having access to an
altogether different plane of
reality. Rather than treating
them as burdens, the clan sees
them as having great potential.
All Malkavians suffer mental
illness following the Embrace -
sometimes accentuating an
existing condition, other times
adding a new
dimension to their instability.
As if their thoughts and
actions were based on
otherworldly logic, there
seems to be no knowing when
their condition will manifest
destructively or when it will
offer important per spectives
where such were previously
lacking. As a rule, no other
Kindred feels completely
comfortable around a known
Malkavian, often view ing them
as unpredictable maniacs
whose flashes of insight are
rarely worth the fits of insanity.
Some Malkavians claim there
is a common factor to their
madness; that they are all
psychically linked through a
communal wavelength, a shared
consciousness of sorts. Those
who are aware of its existence
refer to it as the cobweb or,
more recently, the madness
network.
Malkavian Archetypes
influencing presence
This visionary is addicted to
the thrill of reinventing and
present ing themselves in
different ways, thriving on the
attention they get
through the stories they tell.
They seek to influence others
through words, images, or the
use of their Disciplines –
whether it be for the purpose of
pleasure, to forget their
problems, or to comply with the
whispers of the cobweb. As a
mortal they might have had an
extended network of followers
on social media or led the
destructive life of the
mythomaniac.
medium
The ability to sense and
register more than any other
Kindred
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77
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afflicts the members of

Clan Malkavian with its
infamous instability but
it can also reward them
with great insight. Some
find ways to use and
benefit from their curse
openly without
breaching the
Masquerade, such as
the medium who
reveals fictitious or
existing spirits attached
to objects, areas, and
individuals – to help the
griev ing or for personal
gain.

bad analyst
 Some Malkavians
instinctively know how
to pick apart and
reassemble minds,
whatever state they are
in. Maybe the analyst
was a therapist in life,
excelling in helping
others through personal
crises. Or maybe they
use the experiences of
their own agonized
psyche as a guiding
light, prying open the
minds of their patients
and victims with the
purpose of finally
healing themselves. The
analyst is respected as
well as

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