Coterie Advantages and Flaws
Allowed Advantages
Chasse
Apartment Towers •• (Players Guide p.176)
A few very densely packed residential buildings filled with prey with a standard mix of Resonances. Vampires with the Extortionist Predator Type get one extra die on their hunting pools here. These buildings appear in almost any part of a city and often become the focus of conflicts between coteries with neighboring domains. High turnover means enemy observers can more easily infiltrate: subtract one die from your domain’s Portillon pools against observation or surveillance.
All Resonance types are available here.
Back Alleys •• (Players Guide p.176)
A good place to do business out of the sight of the authorities and the overly curious, providing quick access to sewers, coal tunnels, cellar networks, and other city infrastructure. Vampires with the Alley Cat or Montero Predator Types get one extra die on their hunting pools here. The rat population adds one die to the Animalism pool of any Kindred spying on your domain.
Funerary • (Players Guide p.176)
This is often a cemetery, funeral home, or dedicated morgue. Most dying prey here have no Resonance, although mourners may present Melancholia. Kindred with the Bagger or Graverobber Predator Types get one extra die on their hunting pools here. Some vampires see Kindred that congregate and feed in such places as scavengers less worthy of status or respect, costing the coterie a die from Social pools in contests against high-clan snobs.
Gated Community •• (Players Guide p.176)
A residential area with manicured gardens and dedicated security. The basic Difficulty for Larceny tests and similar here equals the Resources dots for the average resident: a Middle Class development has Difficulty 2, an Ultra-Rich one has Difficulty 5. Once entered, Sandman Predator Types add one extra die to their hunting pools. The mortals living in these communities are often highly educated professionals or retired military and a good source for Allies, Contacts, or Retainers with specialized knowledge and skills. They also may have law-enforcement contacts themselves, and get a respectful hearing when they describe strange red- eyed burglars. Storytellers may deny this Merit to a coterie located in the heart of a city.
Melancholic Resonance is available here.
Hospital •• (Players Guide pp.176-177)
This is usually a larger institutional medical facility with an attached morgue and psychiatric care facility. Depending on where the coterie is located, the facility could instead be a dedicated mental health asylum, a medical research establishment, or a sprawling assisted living facility for the elderly. Vampires with the Bagger, Consenualist, Grim Reaper, or Trapdoor Predator Types get an extra die on their hunting pools here, as do pools to obtain bagged blood or medical supplies. Hunter groups with a religious or medical background get an extra die to their pools to infiltrate your domain.
Melancholic and Phlegmatic Resonance types are available here.
Nightlife ••• (Players Guide p.177)
An area of businesses dedicated to serving food and entertainment open late into the night. Vampires with the Montero, Pursuer, Scene Queen, Siren, or Trapdoor Predator Type get an extra die on their hunting pools here. Kindred from other territories may also be willing to pay in boons for feeding access to this area. Any 1 rolled in a hunting pool here means the target has enough drugs or alcohol in them to taint their blood (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 310). City government and organized crime elements have extra leverage here: add one dot to those Influence types here, for your coterie and your foes alike. Storytellers may deny this Merit to a coterie located in the outskirts.
Choleric and Sanguine Resonance types are available here.
Shelter •• (Players Guide p.177)
Either a homeless shelter or an encampment of houseless mortals. Vampires with the Alley Cat or Sandman Predator Types get an extra die on their hunting pools in the Domain. Any 1 rolled in a hunting pool here means the target has drugs or alcohol tainting their blood (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 310). The mortals that live in these communities often know a lot about street life and make good Allies, Contacts, or Retainers with specialized knowledge and skills. Storytellers may deny this Merit to a coterie located in a prestigious area in the city.
Choleric and Melancholic Resonance types are available here.
Lien
Campus ••• (Players Guide p.177)
A university, major library, or research facility that focuses on academic pursuits. Using its facilities after hours, it provides the equivalent of two dots in the Haven Merit Library (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 189), although access is limited at night and requires break-ins or a Mask that provides justification and clearance. Hunter groups with a religious or academic background get an extra die to their pools to infiltrate your domain.
Choleric and Melancholic Resonance types are available here.
City Hall ••• (Players Guide p.177)
The seat of the city government or possibly an office building where a lot of the city’s bureaucracy does its work. The coterie can wager these dots in political or urban-development Projects (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 417). Records access grants the coterie the equivalent of one dot in Mask for city records (land titles, driver’s licenses, tax papers, etc.). Foes (mortal or Kindred) with Influence in city government add one dot to pools to infiltrate your domain. Storytellers may deny this Merit to a coterie not located in the Heart of a city.
Phlegmatic Resonance is available here.
Cultural Landmark •• (Players Guide p.177)
These locations are usually cultural centers, art museums, sports stadiums, or famous landmarks, but they can also include tourist traps, zoos, or aquariums. During event hours, your Portillon lowers by one dot, as crowds of outsiders flood into your domain. If animals are kept on the premises, vampires with the Farmer Predator type gain an extra die on their hunting pools here. Coterie members can leverage their access to this location for an extra die in appropriate Social dice pools: to get in just before closing, to arrange a party, to trade tickets to a prestigious opening (or a deluxe fast pass) for a minor boon, etc. If an Elysium regularly occurs here, it costs an extra dot but grants a two-dice bonus on Etiquette pools with vampires of your sect and on all tests to pick up Kindred gossip. Storytellers may deny this Merit to a coterie located in the outskirts of a city.
Choleric and Sanguine Resonance types are available here.
Marketplace •• (Players Guide p.178)
A place of commerce and trade such as a shopping mall, port harbor, or trade district. The coterie can wager these dots in economic Projects (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 417). Add two dice to appropriate Social or Finance pools: e.g., to source an item or ingredient, pick up stock tips or other insider info, or hide a body (in a harbor district). These areas are also heavily patrolled by mortal law enforcement and rife with electronic surveillance; lose two dice from any Stealth or similar pool here against hunters or Kindred foes with law-enforcement connections. Kindred rarely fight over strip malls, but organized criminal gangs and federal authorities are very sensitive to any disruptions in a port or stock exchange.
Melancholic and Sanguine Resonance types are available here.
Members Only •• (Players Guide p.178)
An exclusive venue or club that serves a dedicated clientele paying for privacy and luxury. This could be anything from a university’s alumni clubhouse to a sex dungeon. Any haven the coterie establishes on the premises gains one dot in one of these Haven Merits: Luxury or Watchmen. But of course, any foe who can obtain membership or an invitation can enter your haven with impunity.
Sanguine Resonance is available here.
Transitions •• (Players Guide p.178)
This is a halfway house or addiction treatment center that helps people reintegrate into society. The coterie gains one dot in the Herd Background that defaults to the Melancholy Resonance. Hunter groups with a religious or medical background get an extra die to their pools to infiltrate your domain. Storytellers may deny this Merit to a coterie located in a prestigious part of a city.
Melancholic Resonance is available here.
Portillon
Abandoned Building • (Players Guide p.178)
This location is a rundown warehouse or foreclosed business. Any haven the coterie establishes within this facility gains one dot in the Cell and Postern Merits, but always has the Creepy Flaw. Unless the coterie uses their Influence, there is always a risk that the location gets demolished or renovated.
Melancholic Resonance is available here.
Firehouse ••• (Players Guide p.178)
This firehouse has a full fire engine crew vigilant to threats against your coterie’s haven and holdings. Any attempts to burn the coterie out of their haven or destroy their holdings fail or have very limited success unless this facility is neutralized.
Melancholic and Choleric Resonance types are available here.
Police Station •• (Players Guide p.178)
A police precinct full of heavily armed police. This Merit comes with a low-level clerical or IT contact in the precinct, who can add two dice to pools attempting to trace infiltrators into your domain. However, if the police (or an agency operating through the police, such as the FBI in America) moves against the coterie, subtract two dots from both the domain’s Portillon and their Haven Merit to resist. Many Anarch Barons especially advise against making the police your domain’s primary line of defense.
Phlegmatic and Sanguine Resonance types are available here.
Prison •• (Players Guide p.178)
A maximum security facility, usually crowded, for holding prisoners. While controlled by the state, criminal organizations are tacitly allowed to do business inside its walls. Add two dice to Streetwise pools to negotiate favors with criminals inside or outside the joint, or otherwise leverage their access. This Merit includes one (Difficulty 3) means of entry and exit, decided by the troupe: suborned guard, forgotten maintenance tunnel, contract with the laundry trucks, etc. A total failure on this roll launches an investigation, which lowers the domain’s Portillon by two dots until the end of the story. The prison’s nearness lowers the domain’s Lien by one dot to timid mortals and those who consider property values the most important kind. The Storyteller may deny this Merit to a coterie whose domain lies in the city’s heart or prestige areas.
Choleric and Melancholic Resonance types are available here.
Transit •• (Players Guide p.178)
A series of tunnels, warrens, or forgotten buildings connected to an active public transit station. Any haven the coterie establishes within this facility gains two dots in the Postern Merit. Add two dice to pools to evade pursuit on transit, summon rats with Animalism, or any other test relevant to subway tunnels. On the other hand, Nosferatu and other subterranean dangers can bypass these two dots in Portillon when infiltrating your domain.
Phlegmatic Resonance is available here.
Clan Coterie Merits
Call to Purpose: Banu Haqim ••• (Players Guide pp.179-180)
Once per session, the Banu Haqim motivates a coterie-mate they can see with a rousing statement reminding her of her Convictions or even an intense stare that calls her to action. The coterie-mate gains the effects of a Willpower point that must be used immediately, such as to reroll three dice or to briefly master a Frenzy. This “Willpower point” isn’t taken from the Banu Haqim, and must be given to a coterie-mate. The Banu Haqim cannot use it on themselves.
See Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 158, for more information on using Willpower.
Boot and Rally: Brujah • (Players Guide p.180)
Sometimes the best way out of a bad situation is to try again, harder, while a Frenzy-prone coterie-mate impresses upon you the error of your ways. Once per session, the Brujah inspires a flagging coterie-mate, who may then reroll all regular dice on a failed Physical Skill test.
Pack Tactics: Gangrel ••• (Players Guide p.181)
A lone wolf against an enemy risks much, but a pack of wolves working together can take down even the largest and most dangerous prey. When in combat, so long as you have another member of your coterie alongside you, you more effectively harry your common foe: Anyone attacking the same enemy as you adds a single die to their dice pools for Brawl or Melee attacks. This Merit is non-cumulative; no matter how many Gangrel with it gang up on some poor fool, it offers only a single additional die to each of them.
Ars Moriendi: Hecata •• (Players Guide p.182)
Almost all members of the Hecata clan are at least cursorily familiar with death and the dead. Once per session, the Necromancer is able to mask the corpse of someone killed by a member of the coterie. They can disguise foul play in the case of a mortal corpse, or protect the Masquerade by making the remains of a destroyed vampire (usually a brittle skeleton unless the vampire was very young) draw less attention, usually by efficiently disposing of it. These are quick-and-dirty fixes, though, and will not divert someone already on their tail, but they can provide some proverbial breathing space to the coterie.
At Any Cost: Lasombra •• (Players Guide p.182)
The Magister sets a ruthlessly effective example for their coterie-mates. Once per session, a member of the Lasombra’s coterie can choose to add two successes to a test made. The test is then considered a messy critical, including appropriate negative consequences.
Everything is Connected: Malkavian ••• (Players Guide p.183)
The Malkavian is able to extract secrets from the most unlikely sources, such as discerning the location of an elder’s vault from someone’s casual exchange about the weather or unearthing an adversary’s deepest fears from the way they take a right at an intersection. Once per session, the Malkavian has the ability to let another member of their coterie substitute one Skill pool for another of their choice (that they possess) in a test involving the gathering of information. The Oracle is then able to interpret the results, gaining the same information as the original pool would have yielded, depending on the margin of success as usual.
Discerning: The Ministry • (Players Guide p.184)
Once per session, the Ministry Kindred may discover something superficial a Storyteller character wants, so long as any member of the coterie has spoken to that character during the session, even if the Setite wasn’t present. This may relate to the individual’s Desire or Ambition or it could relate to a specific course of action they were undertaking (but should not expose any deep schemes or mysteries, especially if the coterie is unaware of them). The character who interacted with the Storyteller character in question describes the encounter.
Contextual Contact: Nosferatu •• (Players Guide p.185)
Nosferatu Kindred often know more about their contacts than the contacts themselves, being able to leverage niche skills and hidden talents of their associates and others’. Once per session, a member of a coterie that has a Nosferatu with this Merit can add the highest single Contacts rating of another member of the coterie to any one test to recover or acquire information (e.g., recovering deleted data, using social engineering to acquire a login password, or rifling a physical file cabinet). The contact needs to be involved in some way, but the test is allowed to fall outside their usual area of expertise for this test only. A Contact can only be used once per story for this purpose.
Cryptolect: Ravnos ••• (Players Guide pp.185-186)
Being forever on the move means having to find new ways to communicate with allies. Using coded language, onomatopoeia, and gestures, this Merit provides the Ravnos and their coterie with their own pidgin for the express purposes of communicating with each other — practically no one outside the coterie understands it, short of expert long term surveillance. The coterie’s cryptolect is not eloquent or robust, but can be used to convey high-level concepts quickly and securely, and isn’t identifiable as any other language. It also requires face-to-face presence to function, as its gestures and signs diminish when observed over phone or video calls. Leaving the coterie or losing its Ravnos member means the Kindred are no longer up-to-date on the cryptolect and can’t use it to communicate subsequently.
Restraint: Salubri ••• (Players Guide p.187)
Whether from dire need to keep a low profile, or true moral conviction, Salubri are often paragons of self-control, a trait that can rub off on others. Once per session the Cyclops can restrain the Beast of another coterie member in their presence, enabling them to reroll all (and only all) of their Hunger dice in a test for free.
All Access: Toreador • (Players Guide pp.187-188)
Whether it’s the premiere of a film by a budding auteur, a fundraising gala for an aspiring politico, or the dive bar that suddenly has a dress code because it doesn’t like the looks of you, you know how to get yourself in — even without an actual invitation. Once per game session, when a coterie is faced with a barrier to enter a mortal event or facility, they can get past the bouncers or security guards by being on the guest list or having a connection to whatever passes for owner or patron. This applies only to situations with some kind of door staff or guest list; it doesn’t circumvent security systems, mystical wards, or the like, and the Storyteller is of course free to block entry if this would somehow short-circuit a story (but should then provide the players with a juicy clue instead).
Multi-Level Lorekeeping: Tremere •• (Players Guide p.188)
Despite the Tremere reputation for jealously hoarding occult knowledge, many vestiges of the notorious Pyramid actually facilitate the sharing of such among scholars of the forbidden. Once per game session, a single Kindred in a coterie with a Tremere who has this Merit can use a Loresheet Advantage (or a lower-dot Advantage from that same Loresheet) that someone else in the coterie possesses, including clan-specific Loresheets, at the Storyteller’s discretion. This additional Loresheet Advantage is usable only for the game session, and any knowledge supposed by the Loresheet Advantage is not retained thereafter by the borrower. All other limitations on the Advantage remain: for example, a “one use per story” Advantage is expended for the remainder of the story no matter who uses it.
Old-World Hospitality: Tzimisce •• (Players Guide p.189)
Enter freely and of your own will. At the beginning of a session, any members of the coterie who stayed at the Tzimisce’s haven when the previous session concluded restore an additional level of Superficial Willpower damage. This includes shared coterie havens.
Kindred Legacies: Ventrue •• (Players Guide p.189)
The Ventrue understand that a vampire’s legacy carries with it an accounting of the deeds of their progenitors. For some Blue Bloods, this emerges via written histories while others may have certain sires or scholars among their acquaintances. However it manifests, once per session, a member of the coterie with a Ventrue who has this Merit may ask the Storyteller to reveal a piece of relevant information about the history of a single vampire with whom they’ve come in contact. This could be something specific, such as “the Ministry club owner smuggled fugitive Anarchs out of town after an uprising in LA,” or more mysterious such as “the allegations levied against that Kindred’s great-grandsire having committed diablerie were untrue, but his childe still carries the shame to this night.”
Versatile Vitae: Caitiff •• (Players Guide p.190)
A walking example of unshackled Blood, the Caitiff’s versatility is almost contagious. Once per session the Caitiff can influence a coterie member with their malleability, enabling them to use a Discipline power they do not possess (as long as they have the Discipline levels and other prerequisites for it) for the duration of the scene.
Mortal Heart: Thin-Blood •• (Players Guide p.191)
By simply existing, thin-bloods prove that a bridge is possible between mortal and undead, between Humanity and the Beast. Once per session the thin-blood can remind their coterie of what it means to be alive, allowing them to count their Humanity as one dot higher for a scene.
Miscellaneous
Bolt Holes •-••• (Players Guide p.171)
The coterie’s domain covers an unusually large (or confusing) area. While controlling so much territory can be a logistical challenge at times, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks. Every dot in the Bolt Holes Merit (to a maximum of three) gives the coterie a bonus die when trying to escape detection or evade pursuit when within their domain. This Merit may play into other dice pools at the Storyteller’s discretion.
On Tap •-••• (Players Guide p.171)
Your coterie goes out of its way to create an atmosphere within your domain that instills a preferred Resonance in your prey. When taking this Merit choose a Resonance. Whenever hunting in your domain you can add dice equal to the rating of this Merit to find a victim with the specified Resonance.
Privileged ••• (Players Guide pp.171-172)
The coterie has been granted special rights beyond that usually afforded to Kindred in their sect. Determine the remarkable deed you or perhaps one of your sires did to earn this unusual favor. Ideally, connect it to your coterie type: your Gravekeepers exorcised a dangerous wraith, your Questari solved a vexing murder that prevented the Court from dissolving in vendetta.
Regardless of the reasons, the coterie cannot be punished for a specific crime that would see other Kindred ostracized or destroyed. The Storyteller is the final judge, but examples include being allowed to feed in areas off-limits to others, being allowed to openly carry weapons in Elysiums, or even a blanket permission to Embrace childer within their domain.
While this immunity can be revoked if abused, as long as the coterie backs the winner it usually remains in place even through changes in a city’s leadership.
This Merit may only be earned in play.
Transportation •• (Players Guide p.172)
Getting around the city is never a problem for members of your coterie. A small fleet of luxury vehicles and drivers (Driving 6) are at your group’s disposal on short notice. Also, once per story the coterie can call upon a rare or expensive vehicle such as a helicopter or bulletproof SUV for a night. The death of a driver or destruction of too many cars makes this Merit unavailable for short periods as determined by the Storyteller.
Allowed Flaws
Bullies • (Players Guide p.172)
Your coterie is associated with a dark time when a tyrant Prince, corrupt Baron, or capricious Emir ruled the city. Whether willingly or because of prestation, your coterie enforced their will and many have not forgotten. The coterie has a one-die penalty on all Social dice pools (except Intimidation) when dealing with other vampires in the city. This Flaw does not apply to dealings with their old master’s cronies and henchmen.
Cursed •-•• (Players Guide p.172)
A mystical curse afflicts everyone in the coterie while outside their domain. The coterie decides on a Mythic Flaw (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 182, and pp. 120–121) and takes the same number of dots in Cursed. They can pick multiple Folkloric Blocks or Banes. (For these purposes, consider Stench (p. 120) also a Mythic Flaw.) Whenever they are outside their domain, they suffer the drawbacks of their chosen Mythic Flaw.
Custodians •• (Players Guide pp.172-173)
The Kindred of this coterie have a particularly odious or inconvenient responsibility within the city. While they gain no status or compensation for taking on these duties, if they ever fail or shirk this responsibility they risk censure, dishonor, or even death. The exact nature of this responsibility is left up to the coterie and the Storyteller to devise but common custodial tasks include cleaning up after parties at Elysiums, checking the Prince’s gates just before dawn, tending elders or other torpid vampires, babysitting fledglings of politically powerful sires, or leaving offerings at graveyards or temples.
If the coterie should ever fail at their task or refuse to do it they lose one dot from their Status within their sect until they make amends and return to their service. (Lose coterie Status first, then individual member Status dots.) If they lose all Status, the coterie also becomes Suspect, but retains this Flaw as well.
Targeted • (Players Guide p.173)
A mortal vampire hunting agency or some other threat knows that Kindred operate in your coterie’s domain and have penetrated at least some of your defenses in the past. Your coterie may even be in some Vatican filing cabinet or FIRSTLIGHT database. Your coterie’s Portillion rating is halved (round up) against this threat.
Under Siege •• (Players Guide p.173)
Your domain is under attack and the powers that be seem content to let you handle it without their aid. The nature of your antagonists is up to the coterie and Storyteller to decide: lupines, the Order of St. Leopold, the Sabbat or another opposing sect, or a rival (and politically protected) vampire coterie. These invaders constantly test your defenses and capture key pieces of your territory without resorting to open violence or breaches of the Masquerade. Once per story the storyteller can reduce one of your coterie’s domain traits to one dot or deny the usage of one of your coterie Merits or Backgrounds as your rivals attempt to chisel your territory out from under you.
Banned Advantages
Banned Flaws
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