Loresheets
Below is a list of all Loresheets, sorted by book. Each entry has their availability and any changes listed. The Loresheet names are also color coded from most- to least- restrictive; if any Lores in the Loresheet are banned, the title will be red. If a Lore needs to be re-contextualized to fit the setting, it will be orange. Should any need to be earned in play, the title will be yellow. A Loresheet title in green means that every Lore is completely available at character creation.
For the "Descendant of..." Loresheets, see Bloodlines.
pp. 382-406
pp. 184-190
pp. 190-198
pp. 262-287
pp. 158-169
pp. 228-231
pp. 224-233
pp. 103-108
pp. 170-172
pp. 229-234
No. 2, 3, 9
pp. 88-93
pp. 80-87
pp. 178-180
pp.157-159
pp.171-172
Live From the Succubus Club*
pp.162-166
Core
The Bahari (p.382)
• Dangerous Reputation: Allowed •• Ritual Scarification: Allowed ••• Sacrifice the Children: Allowed •••• The Womb’s Blood: Allowed ••••• First-Cursed: Allowed
Theo Bell (p.383)
• Rebel Cell: Allowed •• True Anarch: Allowed ••• Contact Information: Allowed •••• Bell’s Circle: Banned ••••• Sect Neutrality: Allowed
Cainite Heresy (p.384)
• Let He Who Hath Understanding: Allowed •• Hand of the Heresy: Allowed ••• Counter-Inquisition: Allowed •••• Red Celebrant: Allowed ••••• The One Named in Prophecy: Allowed
Carna (Tremere Characters Only) (p.385)
• Embrace the Vision: Allowed •• The Rebel Trail: Allowed ••• Unorthodox Rituals: Allowed •••• Reimagined Bond: Allowed ••••• Book of the Grave-War: Allowed
The Circulatory System (p.386)
• Tap into the System: Allowed •• Little Black Book: Allowed ••• Farm Upstate: Allowed •••• Secure Transit: Allowed ••••• Blood Sommelier: Allowed
Convention of Thorns (p.387)
• Thorns Historian: Allowed •• Tradition Master: Allowed ••• Convention Secrets: Allowed •••• Prospective Justicar: Locked, though your character will never actually become Justicar. •••• New Traditions: Locked
The First Inquisition (p.388)
• Mistakes of the Past: Allowed •• Names of the Guilty: Allowed •• The Sect of St. James: Allowed •••• The Second Act: Allowed ••••• Black Spot: Locked
Golconda (p.389)
• Seeds of Golconda: Allowed •• The One True Way: Allowed ••• Saulot's Disciple: Allowed •••• Satisfy the Hunger: Locked ••••• Greet the Sun: Locked
Sect War Veteran (p.392)
• Survivor: Allowed •• Active Participant: Allowed ••• Trophy Kill: Allowed •••• No Vampire's Land: Allowed ••••• Sect Agitator: Allowed
The Trinity (p.393)
• Constantinople: Allowed •• Antonius' Architecture: Allowed ••• The Dream: Allowed •••• The Dracon: Banned ••••• The New Trinity: Locked
Jeanette/Therese Voerman (p.394)
• Asylum Membership: Banned •• Performing Monkey: Banned ••• Jeanette's Favorite: Banned •••• Therese's Favorite: Banned ••••• Asylum Operator: Banned
The Week of Nightmares (p.395)
• Oral History: Allowed •• Ravnos Remains: Allowed ••• I Was There: Allowed •••• The Red Star: Allowed ••••• Blood of Zapathasura: Banned
Rudi (p.396)
• Newfound Rights: Banned •• Them and Theirs: Banned ••• Gangrel Advocate: Banned •••• The Bear Pack: Banned ••••• Rudi's Army: Banned
High Clan (Restricted to Banu Haqim, Brujah, Gangrel, Lasombra, Toreador) (p.400)
• Peacock: Allowed •• Sway the Low: Allowed ••• Elevate the Low: Locked •••• Embraced to Rule: Allowed ••••• Blessed, Not Cursed: Allowed
Low Clan (Restricted to Hecata, Malkavian, Ministry, Nosferatu, Ravnos, Tremere, Tzimisce, Ventrue) (p.401)
• Thick Hide: Allowed •• Cursed with Pride: Allowed ••• Uncanny Kinship: Allowed •••• Trade Among Equals: Allowed ••••• Criticality Incident: Locked
Ambrus Maropis (p.402)
• True Believer: Banned •• Clandestine Information: Banned ••• Taught by the Best: Banned •••• Back Door Panopticon: Banned ••••• On Another Grid Entirely: Banned
Carmelita Niellson (p.403)
• The Art of Story: Allowed •• The Art of Will: Allowed ••• Neillson Library: Allowed, though only one library may be active at a time. •••• Interview With the Methuselah: Allowed ••••• Ancestor's Tomb: Banned
Fiorenza Savona (p.404)
• On Fiorenza’s List: Banned •• Breakfast with Fiorenza: Banned ••• Friendly Benefits: Banned •••• The Directorate: Banned ••••• Government Motion: Banned
Camarilla
Fatima Al-Faqadi (p.185)
• Weapons Locker: Allowed •• Extended Web: Allowed ••• Missed Hit: Allowed •••• Recognized Judge: Allowed ••••• Open Contract: Banned
Pure Ventrue Lineage (Ventrue Characters Only) (p.187)
• Sire of Renown: Allowed •• A Lineage of Title: Allowed ••• Recitation: Allowed •••• Legendary Lineage: Allowed ••••• Name the Antediluvian: Allowed
The Cult of Mithras (p.188)
• Neophyte: Allowed •• Nymphus: Allowed ••• Leo: Allowed •••• Perses: Locked ••••• Unconquered: Locked
The Pyramid (Tremere Characters Only) (p.189)
• Apprentice: Allowed •• Savant: Allowed ••• Regent: Banned •••• Pontifex: Banned ••••• The New Council: Banned
Victoria Ash (p.190)
• Ashen Kiss: Banned •• Vermilion Invitation: Banned ••• What Makes Them Tick: Banned •••• Celebrity Affectations: Banned ••••• Patron, Lover, Companion: Banned
Anarch
Salvador Garcia (p.190)
• A Way With Words: •• Old School: ••• Enemy of the State: •••• The War of Ideas: ••••• Rise Up:
Agata Starek (p.191)
• Terrorizing the Powerful: •• Apprentice: ••• A Favor Owed: •••• Unlikely Allies: ••••• The Joy of Transgression:
Hesha Ruhadze (p.192)
• One of Hesha’s Works: •• Something Hesha Wants: ••• Museum of the Faithful: •••• Blood Cult (Ministry Characters only): ••••• Hear the Blood Sing (Ministry Characters only):
The Church of Set (p.193)
• Congregation: •• Tap the Secret Vein: ••• Freedom from the Aeons: •••• Degenerative Process: ••••• Body of Set:
Ruins of Carthage (p.196)
• Clan Historian: •• Punic Pride: ••• Death to Tyrants: •••• Troile’s Wish: ••••• Carthage Anew:
Blood Plagued (p.197)
• Detection: •• The Science of the Blood: ••• Trace the Torpid Victims: •••• Curative Vitae: ••••• Vector:
Anarch Revolt (p.198)
• Critical Ancestor: •• Speak the Words: ••• Enemy of the Establishment: •••• Icon: ••••• Reignite the Revolt: If you lose this Advantage, you will be refunded the experience cost, but will not be able to purchase it again.
Chicago by Night
Annabelle (p.262) *
Toreador Primogen Annabelle has been involved in Kindred politics for nearly two centuries. She’s served on the council throughout the reigns of four Princes and survived fires, purges, and Lupine attacks. So far, she seems unaffected by the Beckoning. Some of her enemies (and a non-zero number of her allies) whisper about what it is that lets her come through so many calamities unscathed. Is she that politically savvy, and has simply made smart bargains and surrounded herself with strong protectors? Or does some mysterious benefactor watch her from the shadows, stepping in to keep her out of harm’s way?
Annabelle throws frequent parties — one or more a week — where invitees can rub elbows with the powerful, admire art both new and old, and set any number of political plates spinning. Though other Cainites find it amusing to scoff at her taste in art, only a rare few do so to her face. While she might not have an eye for masterpieces, it’s foolish to assume she therefore has no head for politics.
Annabelle’s connections span not only Kindred society but run deep into mortal affairs as well. Her money and influence are extremely welcome in the art world. She still maintains contacts within the media under her human guise, Elaine Stanley-Greer. Although her husband’s newspaper empire shut down 20 years ago, she knows who to call to get a story pulled or a headline bumped to the front page.
• Intern: Fledgling vampires who want to learn the ins and outs of Kindred politics often spend time working for Annabelle. Once per story, you may ask for Annabelle’s guidance on a particular matter. She may even decide to help you, though whether that’s to your benefit or detriment is questionable. •• Glitterati: Whether you’re this week’s one-hit wonder or are famous by virtue of your last name, your presence makes Annabelle’s parties more interesting. Once per story, you can get on the guest list for an event to which you weren’t previously invited by simply asking “Do you know who I am?” ••• With Thanks to Our Donors: Annabelle knows someone at every museum and recording studio in town. Once per story, she will pull strings to get you a meeting with someone in charge, but the rest is up to you. •••• Patronage: Your exceptional talents have drawn Annabelle’s eye. She invites you to sing at an exclusive gathering, or finds a buyer for your latest painting. When you perform for her associates or when Annabelle brokers a deal for your artwork, your Resources increase by one dot until the end of the story. This may be used once per story. ••••• Inner Circle: You’ve proven indispensable to Annabelle. She heeds your judgment and entrusts you with sensitive information. Once per story, she will present an issue of your choice (at the Storyteller’s discretion) before the Primogen council.
Ballard Industries (p.263) *
With a healthy mix of administrative businesses, trust funds, financial firms, and industrial companies, Ballard Industries is one of the pillars of Chicago’s economy. It is also one of the largest conglomerates in the country, with significant holdings in companies in other fields.
Horatio Ballard still runs his corporate empire in secret, either through his direct descendants or employees that only exist on paper. The company provides the Camarilla of Chicago with a significant amount of its funding, ensuring that Elysium is lavish and secure. In addition, it provides the Kindred with legal services.
As a member of Ballard Industries, you have access to a share of Horatio’s wealth and power. Whether you’re just a trusted employee or his childe, you rarely find yourself in a state of need. As long as you maintain your loyalty to Ballard, the world is yours.
• Deep Pockets: Ballard knows better than to screw you out of your hard-earned pay. You’ve saved enough of it to weather the very rainy days to come. Once per story, after any event that causes a reduction in your Re- sources, you may choose to immediately restore your Resources to their original value. •• Where the In-Crowd Goes: As an agent of Horatio Ballard, you carry a surprising amount of authority in the business world. If you let them know who you are and who you work for, they’ll let you do just about anything. Once per story, you may invoke one of Ballard’s false identities to receive three extra dice on a Social test in a corporate environment. If you choose to invoke Ballard’s real name instead, you will automatically succeed the test, but it may be declared a Masquerade breach at the Storyteller’s discretion. ••• I Fought the Law, and I Won: Ballard Industries owns some of the best law firms in the country, and where legitimate legislation doesn’t work, bribery certainly will. A number of law-enforcement officers dance to Ballard’s tune, and they might not even know it. You can be their conductor. No matter what crimes you commit, you will always have access to Influence: Police (•••) in your home state or district. •••• Favors for Favors: Ballard taught you that no one gets ahead in business without a little quid pro quo. If you can make sure you come out with the better end of the bargain, even better. You know how to wield this on the desperate, and make them bend to your will. If you spend your resources for an SPC’s benefit, you may declare they owe you a debt and have two additional dice to add to an Intimidation or Persuasion roll if this proves a hard pill for the SPC to swallow. If they agree to repay the debt, from the next scene onward, you may call in that character’s debt at any time. The debt can be anything within the character’s natural ability and morality. They are not obliged to repay, of course, but will suffer social backlash among the Ventrue if they do not. You can hold as many debts as your total Status at any one time. Note that this Lore is not equivalent to Kindred boons, as these debts are only considered sacrosanct in Ventrue and financial circles. ••••• The View from the Top: You have earned Horatio Ballard’s respect — or his fear. Whichever the case, he has chosen to place you in charge of a piece of his empire. Name your company and state what it does, then choose one of the following Backgrounds at (••••) and the other at (•••): Haven, Herd, Influences, Resources, or Retainers. This is what your company provides you. You will earn an Enemy (••) who represents a major business rival and another Enemy (•) who is an employee you leapfrogged to seize your piece of Ballard Industries.
Blacksite 24 (pp.264-265) *
The former Chanute Air Force Base lies 130 miles south of Chicago and was first established in 1917 as an Air Service training camp following the United States’ entry into World War I, being used primarily to train pilot cadets to fly over the battlefields of Europe. Following the declaration of World War II, Chanute’s importance as a technical training center and enlistee entry point increased. The first all-black fighter squadron was activated there in March 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron, who trained first in ground-support roles and would later go on to form the core of the other black squadrons. The Women’s Army Corps Training School was established there in early 1944 and produced class after class of WACs until the end of the war.
In 1988, as part of a general reduction of forces consideration, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that Chanute be closed and redeveloped for civilian use. Certain portions of the former base have, however, not been turned over to the public. Careful inspection of the site turned up the extensive use of asbestos in many of the oldest buildings on site, as well as toxic levels of volatile organic compounds in soil and groundwater requiring extensive environmental remediation. Those areas of the former base were declared an EPA Superfund clean-up site closed to the public, cordoned off, and assiduously patrolled to keep the curious and the foolish away.
Two months later, FIRSTLIGHT took possession of their new blacksite and began shipping captive Kindred into the facility via the conveniently located civilian airfield for long-term detention and processing. It’s not like blankbodies need to eat or drink or worry about mesothelioma, after all, and the isolation protocols followed by the interrogation crews generally also act to ameliorate exposure to environmental toxins. In 2015, the operation expanded from mere warehousing and interrogation when FIRSTLIGHT obtained possession of the former Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, also on the site of the former base, and converted it to use as a medical research facility. An international team of specialists now makes its home there studying blankbody physiology to their hearts’ content once intelligence is done with them.
As a Kindred resident of Chicago, you have acquired knowledge of Blacksite 24’s existence and what you do with that knowledge could have a serious impact on your own, for good or for ill.
• Rumors: You know a lick who knows a lick who knows somebody that got scooped up by creepy, suspiciously well-informed and well-armed MIB-looking dudes in unmarked black vehicles on the way into the city. Once per story, you may ask the Storyteller to feed you one rumor — which may or may not be based in anything resembling reality. •• No, Really!: You are the lick the other lick knows. Whether you’re a recent arrival in Chicago who witnessed something in your travels or part of a Kindred underground railroad who helps ferry the desperate fleeing from their situations, you know what you’ve seen. Once per story, you may ask the Storyteller for a solid piece of information about the weirdness you’ve witnessed. ••• Paranoia Strikes Deep: Maybe you were a SchreckNET administrator once. Maybe you’re a paranoid conspiracy theorist now. Maybe you’re a top-flight investigator with a million burnable alternate identities and sources all over the globe. Whatever the explanation, you know about the existence of FIRSTLIGHT and you know they’re active somewhere near, and possibly inside, Chicago. You possess Contacts (••••) whose particular expertise relates to FIRSTLIGHT or related government-sponsored vampire hunting operations and may uti- lize them once per story before they disappear out of reach. •••• It’s My Job To Know This Stuff: You are part of the security apparatus of the Chicago Domain — a specialist advisor to the Prince, an agent of the Sheriff, a protector employed by one of the Primogen or another high-ranking member of a powerful clan — whose task encompasses ferreting out and neutralizing possible threats to the Kindred as a whole. Subsequently, you’ve had greater cause than most to discover the truth of certain disturbing rumors, including employing investigators of your own to sort fact from rumor. Consequently, you have managed to uncover considerable amounts of information about the government’s own vampire hunters, including the fact that they have some sort of permanent installation near Chicago. This specialist knowledge grants you Status (••) among the Kindred, who frequently come to you to benefit from it, and Influence (••) among the kine, which you use to manipulate the mortal world for the benefit of your clients. ••••• The One That Got Away: You escaped from containment at Blacksite 24. You are very likely being hunted by your former captors, who have every reason to want to retrieve you before you can go to ground or, even worse, reach others of your own kind and warn them of the horrors you’ve endured or witnessed. Fortunately for them, those horrors are not clear in your own mind, even though you have reached safety: The after-effects of Rötschreck and protracted near-torpid starvation have clouded your memories of your experiences — you can only clearly recall what you saw, or heard, with the greatest effort. Once per story, you may ask the Storyteller for one clear snippet of memory from your incarceration. You have gained immunity from FIRSTLIGHT-induced Rötschreck.
The Blue Velvet (p.266) *
The Blue Velvet opened its doors in 1972, and has been a hotspot for Kindred nightlife and politicking ever since. Located in the heart of the Rack, the club had several incarnations before its current one. An anonymous entrepreneur bought out Fantastica and immediately closed the bar’s doors for three months of extensive renovations. When it reopened, the Blue Velvet boasted four separate bars, a VIP lounge, and a dance floor big enough to handle fans of the hottest bands. It was an ambitious endeavor, and one that’s worked for nearly 50 years.
The bar draws Kindred and kine alike. While mortals dance their cares away below, Cainites high above engage in a different kind of dance, moving carefully through the rhythms that control the city and its future.
For decades, no one knew who owned the Blue Velvet. Rumors and speculation swirled. Most attempts to dig into the club’s financials to unearth its owner led nowhere. Only one investigator got close, in early 1987, but she disappeared right after confiding to a friend that she’d made a stunning breakthrough. Her notes and research never surfaced. In the mid-1990s, the mystery ended with the Malkavian Bronwyn’s emergence into Kindred society. Her revelation that she’d been the force behind The Blue Velvet all these years gave her an immediate in with Kindred all across Chicago, and a storefront from which to illicitly traffic blood on behalf of the Circulatory System.
• Est. 1972: You’ve been there since the start, and may have been familiar with some of the bars that preceded The Blue Velvet. In many ways, the club’s history is your history, and others consider you an authority on it: bands whose rise started here, Kindred rivalries that played out in the VIP lounge, if it happened at The Blue Velvet, you’ve got the skinny. Add two dice to any roll related to recalling and using the club’s history. •• Who’s Who: Everyone who’s anyone stops in at the Blue Velvet. You know them all by name, but they don’t know you’re keeping tabs on who comes and goes, who they talk to, and when they leave. Once per story, ask your Storyteller for information on a fellow club-goer’s movements. The Storyteller will tell you when the named patron was last at the Blue Velvet, how they acted, and who they were with. ••• Standing Gig: Only the hottest bands play at the Blue Velvet, and its dance nights have lines stretching around the block. You’ve played or DJed at the club and appear on its calendar regularly. Once per story, when you perform at the club, choose between gaining a three-dot Resource Background (lasting until the end of the story) or a three-dot Herd from fans who attend your every performance. •••• VIP Club: Your status is well-respected at The Blue Velvet. Your fame or influence draws others to the club, and Bronwyn appreciates your patronage, acting as a four-dot Ally or Mawla. A table’s always ready for you, and you have access to a private room in the VIP lounge for meetings and feedings. ••••• Backstage Pass: You are a trusted, high-level employee at The Blue Velvet. Ian Gibson relies on you for night-to-night operations, and you’re a member of Bronwyn’s inner circle. One per story, you may request and receive her aid, whether that’s via influence, financial backing, or use of the club for a private endeavor.
The Book of Nod (p.267)
• Precis: Allowed •• Well-versed: Allowed ••• Scholar: Allowed •••• Collector: Locked ••••• Noddist Master: Locked
Capone Gang (pp.268-269) *
After Capone’s disappearance from Chicago, some of his lieutenants wanted to continue the great prosperity their gang saw in his mortal heyday. One lieutenant in particular, the Ventrue Eddie Wu, became a vampire not long after Capone and ran one of the only vampiric arms of the gangs in Chicago. Although during Lodin’s reign this was all very hush-hush, he feels he has no reason to hide and in fact is growing in power. The new gang he leads is called “The Capone Gang” and, while small, is influential amidst the criminal underground.
The Capone Gang’s main imports are drugs from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, but they still employ cooks for Chicago-made meth. The gang operates out of the Green Mill, a jazz club that’s been around for over 100 years and was a famous Capone hangout. Since Capone has long since become a relic of Chicago’s past, it’s a surprisingly good cover, and too old-fashioned to be a gang hangout in modern times. There are two cemeteries nearby that act as exchange points among the undead gang and any human gangs or other vampires.
Eddie Wu is well known for his ruthless “shoot first, ask questions later” attitude. His second in command and ghoul, Lily DeAngelis, is more balanced, looking to the long-term future of the gang instead of making violent snap judgments. She balances out Eddie’s temper, and is the real brains behind the operation. Eddie stays outside Chicago’s limits to avoid Prince Jackson’s notice, while Lily handles the night-to-night business.
• A Favor for a Favor: Favor: The Capone Gang will do something for you if you do something for them. You know a gal that can get what you need done. Favors are in the realm of procuring drugs, weapons, information, or some other illegal thing. Gain Contacts: Capone Gang (•) and Allies: Capone Gang (•) for one use each per story. •• In Debt: You’ve got a big ask of the Capone Gang. Maybe you need someone gone, or you have to launder some cash, or you’ve got a clean-up job they can handle. No problem. Now you’re in Eddie’s debt. Once per story you can utilize this to fix some sort of problem but in exchange, at some point in the story, Eddie’s going to call on you for a favor. ••• Just One Job: Job: When you help the Capone Gang out with a heist, you get a cut of the profits. They often use another Kindred on these jobs, either as an enforcer, or just to utilize their supernatural abilities in tandem with the ghouls. They plan out the job, mapping the location for the robbery, taking into account security and surveillance, just leaving you to walk in, grab what’s good, and walk out again. Gain Resources (•••) from a successful completion of the job. Other characters could join in, but how much you decide to cut them in is entirely up to you. •••• One of Us: It’s official, you’ve spent enough time with the gang to become a member. You can join in a “making” ceremony, where you swear an oath of loyalty to the other vampires in the Capone Gang and gain access to their stash. This gets you Resources (••) and Allies: Capone Gang (••), allowing you to hire some of the members to do work for you as well as some extra cash if needed — with Eddie Wu’s permission, of course. You get one additional die o Streetwise rolls concerning organized crime. ••••• Prodigal Child: Eddie Wu has put an incredible amount of faith in you, and sees you as a trusted lieutenant. You’re in on the organizational meetings, and can help influence big decisions on what the gang does next. Gain Contacts: Capone Gang (••••), Mawla: Eddie Wu (••), and Haven: Capone Gang Safehouse (••). Now you have to help build a lasting empire in Capone’s name. You gain access to all resources, people, and power this position can grant you within a gang, providing Prince Jackson doesn’t clamp down your operation. Should you ever put your own interests before that of the gang, you lose the above benefits, potentially gaining Eddie as an Enemy.
The Cobweb (Malkavian Characters Only) (p.270)
• A Break in the Static: Allowed •• Step into My Parlor: Allowed ••• Across the Web: Allowed •••• Pluck the Strands: Locked ••••• Malkav’s Will: Locked
Cultivar (p.271)
• Dark Seedling: Allowed •• Fresh Cutting: Allowed ••• Suppressing the Beast: Allowed •••• Newly Made Initiate: Allowed ••••• Jewel in the Garden: Locked
Cult of Shalim (p.272)
• Dark Whispers: Allowed •• Cult Initiate: Allowed ••• Power of Faith: Allowed •••• Crush the Dreams of Life: Locked ••••• Shalim Is: Locked
Fires and Floods and Devil's Night (p.275) *
Chicago has suffered and survived several disasters since its founding in 1833. Often, the chaos and confusion generated by a catastrophe presents the perfect smokescreen for vampires to rid themselves of enemies or sabotage a rival’s holdings in the city. The most famous of these was the Great Fire of 1871, started by the Malkavian O’Leary. More recently, the 1992 Chicago Flood has been blamed on a weakened utility tunnel wall giving way, though rumors among the clans suggest it was a Tremere attack on the Nosferatu living belowground. Of course, disasters also create chances for the city’s Kindred to wield influence over rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. Over the last two centuries, enterprising vampires have hidden havens beneath new skyscrapers, or influenced city planners into adding extra branches off of sewer tunnels.
This knowledge can apply to other cities’ disasters as well, such as the Great Fire of London or the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
• Trivia Buff: Your knowledge of Chicago disasters is rock sol- id. You know dates and details, and have written listicles on the strange-but-true facts about the tragedies. Add two dice to Academics or Investigation rolls pertaining to the topic. •• Old Bones: New parts of the city were rebuilt on top of the old. Perhaps you’ve studied architectural records, or maybe your old haunts were in the path of destruction. Parts of them still stand, and you know how to get into them. Once per story, you may hide in one of these places to throw off a pursuer. ••• Devil’s Night Survivor: You lived through the Great Fire and Devil’s Night, and may have participated in Lodin’s purges. Once per story, add three dice to a Social roll involving another person who survived the fire or their childer. •••• Local Hero: You helped rebuild after disaster struck, or were one of the rescuers at the scene, and people remember you fondly for it. Once per story, you may leverage this good- will to sway mortal opinion to your side of an issue, granting you Influence: Goodwill (•••••) for a single session, once per chronicle. ••••• Puppetmaster: You were one of the primary orchestrators of a disaster. Work with the Storyteller to determine how you were involved and what the results were. What were your goals? Who died as a result? Who knows you were behind the tragedy? What are some of the rumors surrounding it? What did you gain from it?
FIRSTLIGHT (p.276)
• Evasion Tactics: Allowed •• Branch Office: Allowed ••• What Do They Know: Locked •••• No Records Found: Locked ••••• Friend on the Inside: Locked
Kevin Jackson (p.277) *
Kevin Jackson is one of Lodin’s younger childer, a lieutenant Embraced to reorient the then-Prince’s influence over Chicago’s criminal underground, expected to succeed where Capone’s grip was beginning to fail, to bring those operations into the future where they belonged. Recognizing opportunity when he saw it, Jackson played the long game: acting the deferential head-thug-in-charge to his frequently paranoid sire’s face while building a massive personal power base behind his back. Lodin’s fall and presumed destruction presented Jackson with an unprecedented opportunity to seize power for himself — one he took his time to capitalize on, securing for himself the throne, vast influence among the Kindred, and access to his unlamented sire’s financial resources.
These nights, Jackson is principally focused on solidifying his own powerbase, building alliances, and establishing his personal diplomatic cred. He has forged and maintained a peace with the local Lupines and may be about to cut a deal with the Lasombra that, if it goes off, will establish him as a force to be reckoned with among the Camarilla as a whole. Getting in on the ground level with him could be just the sort of leg up an ambitious young lick needs to get ahead in the Second City.
• New Blood: A newcomer to the Prince’s service, possibly a recent arrival from another domain, you have access to a specially constructed Mask worth two dots for use once per story, created using Jackson’s Influence. If you cause a breach of the Masquerade using that Mask, you suffer no adverse consequences beyond a stern talking-to by the Sheriff or the vocal disdain of Harpies in Elysium. •• Recent Graduate: You have emerged from one of the Prince’s new “finishing schools,” devoted to his cause and ready to help him achieve his goals of unity and justice. You have been granted the assistance of one of his ghouls equivalent to Retainers (••) who schools you in Chicago and its workings and is tasked with assisting you in whatever duties the Prince assigns you. ••• Up and Comer: The Prince has granted you provisional access to one of his non-criminal areas of interest, equivalent to Influence (•••). Once per story, you may invoke Jackson’s name to automatically succeed in a Social test with a Kindred SPC whose interests overlap with those of the Prince. •••• Adjutant: The Prince knows your capabilities and values them. He has granted you access to the core of his personal power, the gangs he spent years developing into his personal army. Once per story, you may call upon the Bloods to assist in an upcoming scene, where they count as an effective Allies (Bloods) ••• and Contacts (Bloods) •• Background. ••••• The Prince’s Lieutenant: You are the Prince’s strong right hand, the vampire he turns to for decisive action and wise counsel alike. You possess Mawla •••• (Kevin Jackson). Once per story, you may request the opportunity to gift the mortal of your choosing the Embrace and the Prince will approve that request. do.
Kindred Iconography (p.278)
• Iconographer: Allowed •• The Writing on the Wall: Allowed ••• Trendsetter: Allowed •••• Graffiti Artist: Locked ••••• Giorgio Who?: Locked
The Labyrinth (p.279)
• Tunnel Access: Allowed •• Boxcar Blues: Allowed ••• Church: Allowed This Lore Sheet may be used once per Time Skip. •••• Lydia’s Lair: Locked ••••• Hideout: Locked
Lupine Expert (p.280)
• Huntsman: Allowed •• Tactician: Allowed ••• Soldier: Allowed •••• Trophy: Locked ••••• Ambassador: Locked
Nathaniel Bordruff (p.281) *
Nathaniel Bordruff is an elder of the Chicago Nosferatu warren, one of the late Prince Lodin’s personal minions. Lodin’s fall opened a vista of opportunity before Nathaniel to seize the ruler- ship of the city, a goal he pursued with a will for reasons that most other Kindred failed to fully appreciate but which he ultimately failed to achieve thanks, in part, to the refusal of his own clan’s elder to support his bid for greater power. Furious and embittered, Nathaniel broods upon this injustice, among many others, and has gone increasingly further and further off the Kindred reservation in his ultimate goals in the years since.
Nathaniel Bordruff is a vampire who loathes all other vampires and most other humans with his entire heart and soul. He would like nothing more, now that a Second Inquisition rages, to expose the entire corrupt Kindred edifice to the cleansing light of day like the crusading monster hunter he once was. His all-devouring egotism allows him to believe he will be celebrated for this act and not another pile of ash with a rather greater constituent element of treachery to it once all is said and done. He has begun seeking allies to assist him in his mad endeavors and this may yet be the key to his undoing.
• Recruit: Something about you — maybe it’s your jaundiced attitude, maybe it’s your angry heart, maybe it’s the way you complained bitterly once not about vampire society but about the vampiric condition itself — has attracted Bordruff’s attention. Whether or not you’re Nosferatu, he has extended his hand in friendship to you, in the form of Mawla (••) but requires you accept a one-step Blood Bond with him. •• Collaborator: For whatever reasons, you have chosen to accept Bordruff’s friendship or patronage. At first, this seems like a perfectly reasonable quid pro quo arrangement in which you do one another small but meaningful favors, but gradually the relationship grows deeper than that and you begin to suspect he wants more out of you than the occasional bag carrying or act of minor social sabotage. As a result, you have developed Resources (•) and Status (•) and a reputation as ambitious and hardworking, but with a certain stench clinging to you from your associations. ••• Accomplice: Bordruff has begun offering you greater favors in return for greater risks or actions taken upon his behalf. You have begun to realize, either because he has begun sharing more insight into his greater goals or through investigation or intuition of your own that there is some cause here whose dimensions you are only now beginning to comprehend. Your patron’s largesse has granted you access to Haven: Secured Room (•) in a parishioner’s basement, Contacts: CoC Consistory (••), and a growing knowledge of the inequities of Kindred society. •••• Conspirator: You know it all know — Bordruff, satisfied of your loyalty, has brought you fully into his confidence, exposed to you the
full scope of his vision, and asked you to join in his conspiracy to bring down Kindred society from within as a partner and fellow visionary who will cleanse the world of the stain of vampirism. He has granted you access to his principal human minions, the pastor of the Church of Christ and the consistory, all of whom are his ghouls and in whom he has instilled a virulent hatred of the undead. This constitutes Allies (••••) who regard you as a potential savior of humanity. ••••• Betrayer: What course will you choose: to betray the Kindred as a whole and seek some means of bringing the world where you now exist wholly to destruction? Or will you betray the one who chose to trust you to the Prince and the justice of the damned? Choose wisely. Either way you stand to gain (Status and potentially Mawla with the Prince) and lose.
The Painted Lady (p.282) *
Any number of upscale tattoo parlors, piercing studios, and BDSM dungeons exist in Chicago, but only one can claim to be completely exclusive. Edith Beaubien’s by-invitation-only salon is something of a legend among ink collectors, body modification enthusiasts, and those seeking an edge to their sexual kinks. Invitations to events hosted at The Painted Lady are coveted by certain elements among the city’s Kindred, but the truest indication that one has “arrived” upon the Chicago scene is the receipt of a slim, metal membership card and a tattoo or piercing bearing the distinctive Painted Lady style. While many strive to collect ink from Beaubien herself, only long-standing VIPs may boast of that honor. It is even rumored some of the most prominent Kindred in the world have been passed over for membership in favor of random Thin-Bloods, Caitiff, and Anarchs with seemingly nothing at all to recommend them.
• Plus One: By a stroke of luck, your companion (or snack) of an evening secured an invitation and asked you to be their “plus one.” You could only observe, not participate, but being there alone automatically raised your social capital amongst the city’s Kindred. You gain two dice to Persuasion and Status (••) in any encounter with a fan or regular of the Painted Lady who sees you during the week following their visit. •• Engraved Invitation: Invitation: In your hand rests a glossy, ruby-red business card. On one side is engraved, in white, scrolling letters, “The Painted Lady, Chicago, est. 1907.” The reverse is stamped with a date and a time in silver ink. Below, some- one has hand-printed, “You are invited to come and play.” At this level, you receive Influence: Painted Lady Enthusiasts (••), and you may participate in BDSM scenes, feeding upon any mortal willing to engage in blood play. ••• Schedule an Appointment: The slim, matte metal card looks nearly identical to the black business cards you received when you first came to The Painted Lady, only the name of the establishment is etched in silver on the front, and on the reverse is engraved, “Member” along with a day of the week. This card entitles you to attend one party per week as well as to schedule an appointment to receive a standard tattoo or piercing. Due to your elevated status, you attract the particular notice and regard of one regular patron, playmate, tattoo artist, or piercing technician equal to Retainers (••) and if you receive a piercing or tattoo, your Status among domain counter-culturalists improves by one dot. •••• VIP: Your card is now the color of silver mist and the back is simply stamped “VIP.” You may attend the salon on whatever night or nights you prefer, and you may access more...enticing scenes. A considerable amount of pain and blood is involved, but the mortal and Kindred celebrants engage in these semi-tortures enthusiastically. Accept the invitation to join the action or coolly observe; the choice is yours. At this level, your character has access to a Herd: Painted Lady Enthusiasts (•••) and gains Contacts: BDSM Community (••). ••••• A Beaubien Original: Tattoos, piercings, and body modifications from The Painted Lady’s staff are remarkable, but to receive a commissioned piece executed by Edith Beaubien herself is a rare and unforgettable experience. The Nosferatu works in the Japanese tebori style, and something in her hand-crafted pigments makes it feel as if drops of the sun itself are being slowly deposited into your skin. The pain is worth it for a tattoo that never disappears upon waking and the satisfaction of telling other Kindred precisely who inked you. A Beaubien original allows you to add two dice to all Streetwise rolls, grants a permanent Status (•••) among Painted Lady enthusiasts and art lovers, and a permanent Status (••) among other Chicago Kindred.
Revenant Family: Ducheski (Tremere Characters Only) (p.283)
• Nourishing Blood: Allowed •• Personal Library: Allowed ••• Research Team: Allowed •••• Ritual Assistant: Allowed ••••• Ducheski Invention: Locked
The Society of St. Leopold (pp.284-285)
• Postulant: Allowed •• Novice: Allowed ••• Brother or Sister: Allowed •••• Father or Mother: Allowed ••••• Inquisitor: Allowed
Talley (p.286) *
Cold, professional, and possessing a rare specialty in both bodyguarding and murdering, the Lasombra idolize Talley, while most vampires outside the Night Clan despise him. To hear him tell it, Talley was among the first Lasombra to join the Sabbat as a way of breaking the elders’ chains. Now that he’s an elder, his view hasn’t changed much. He feels a vampire can never stop punching up at unworthy masters, and these nights, it just so happens the Camarilla are better placed to do so than the degenerated Sabbat and the chaotic Anarch Movement.
Never a rebel in his own right, Talley works for the highest bidder and never reneges on a contract. This code of honor, combined with a truly dry sense of humor, is all he possesses to mark him as anything other than a bloodthirsty predator. Few Kindred cross Talley and survive, and the vampire who does feels inclined to constantly look over their shoulder.
Representing an assortment of powerful Lasombra, Talley participates in talks tonight permitting Keepers into the Camarilla’s ranks. Word is, he put the flame to Lucita at the Camarilla’s command, and did so without hesitation. Unfortunately for Talley, it seems he’s soon to be hung out to dry by the very masters he’s served so diligently for centuries.
• Recognize the Signs: Like Talley, you have a sense of when danger approaches, and it’s time to change allegiance or flee a domain. Once per story, if an action is likely to cause a severe social backlash, the Storyteller will tell you at your request. •• Secret Communications: Talley’s mastery over the sub-channels of Kindred communication allows him to operate as a highly successful assassin, existing outside the Camarilla hierarchical chain. You know of these channels, and can claim a prominent member of the Camarilla (such as a Prince) as a three- dot Mawla for use in a single session per chronicle. How you treat this contact is up to you, but blackmail or warm relations will produce different results. ••• Tangled Strings: You do not fight the elders like the Sab- bat or the Anarchs. Instead, you seek to manipulate the masters from beneath. You gain two bonus dice to Intelligence and Wits dice pools when seeking to determine whether you’re being manipulated. You gain an additional two bonus dice to your Social dice pool if you ever attempt to directly manipulate the person attempting to control you. •••• Trained Killer: Talley acts as your mentor in the art of killing, either because his current master requested it, or because you paid his high price yourself. Once per chronicle, Talley counts as a Mawla (••••) and can supply you with access to his transportable armory on the same night, allowing you to purchase automatic weapons, explosives, blades, and even flamethrowers if you have the cash. ••••• Personal Defender: Talley is your bodyguard. You have already arranged payment, whether in cash, favors, or blood, and for the time being Talley is your loyal defender. He will accompany you anywhere you wish him to be at your side, casting no judgment and offering no counsel unless you request it. Once the contract ends at the end of the session, Talley will speak of no sins he witnessed you perpetrate.
Wauneka (p.287) *
The Nosferatu Wauneka is one of the most well-connected Kindred in the city due to his vast whisper network on the streets. As a Nosferatu, many Kindred tend to stay away from him, fearing his monstrous physical form. He’s not the easiest to talk to, but he’ll go places most others won’t and that makes his information incredibly valuable.
His network of teen runaways, young victims of sex trafficking, abused sex workers, and homeless veterans contains vast knowledge of the city’s underground. They see things most of human society doesn’t, both human and Kindred crimes that occur in the darkness of the Chi- cago streets. Wauneka even schooled some of them how to watch out for the things that go bump in the night. He feels connected to them, like they’re his family, and they accept him when most of “proper” society won’t.
This vast network of secrets secures Wauneka’s continued survival in Chicago, and even nets him some wins politically now and then if he can give the right info to the right person.
• Secluded Meetup: Wauneka has decided you’re an okay enough Kindred to meet up with and have the occasional chat about what’s going down. Once per story, meet in a secluded place with Wauneka that he chooses, and he’ll dish on one secret you’re after as related through his underground whisper networks. •• Spy Paths: You’ve proven you don’t mind hanging out with the outcasts of society, and while you may switch between respect and pity for them, they make you feel welcome. Wauneka has noticed this, and so has his outsider family. Once per story they’ll allow you access to their secret pathways in order to spy on someone from a hard-to-detect vantage point. If you make a loud noise or a lot of motion, your perfect camouflage — perhaps a false wall, a shadowed ledge, or one-way mirror — loses its use. ••• Insider Connections: Wauneka knows someone inside of almost every industry and business inside of Chicago. Usually they’re the people that go unnoticed, like the janitors, sanitation workers, or food workers connected to these places. Need someone on the inside? Once per story, Wauneka can hook you up with someone who can get you inside, or get you the info you need from the inside for a price. This individual counts as Retainers (••) for one session per chronicle, but will remain Contacts (•) for you from this point on if you spend the required Experience. •••• Spy Skills: Skills: You’ve spent enough time with the underground people in Chicago that you’ve begun to pick up on their subtle skills of going unnoticed. You’re friends with them, and even help care for them the way that Wauneka does. You can gain three pieces of secret information once per story, either through use of your learned spy skills or your close bonds with the underground people. You also gain free Skill Specialties in Investigation (Espionage) and Insight (Secrets). ••••• Darkest Whispers: Wauneka has come to trust you like one of his family, a thing he does rarely and not without great caution. He welcomes you into his most secret places (at least as far as he lets you know), and confides in you the darkest things he learns about the Kindred in the city. You are his confidant, his friend, and trusted ally. Wauneka counts as Allies: Wauneka (•••) and his underground associates. Additionally, once per story he’ll ask your advice on what move to make to influence Chicago’s politics, and take it to make permanent change in the city.
The Chicago Folios
Archons (p.158)
• Undercover: Allowed •• Watcher in the Dark: Allowed ••• Red Phone: Banned •••• Color of Authority: Banned ••••• Justicar’s Blood: Banned
The Convention of Chicago (p.159) *
The Convention of Chicago was the first large-scale gathering of the Camarilla in almost a century. Born of the fires of the Second Inquisition, the Convention gathered representatives of Princes and Primogen the world over to discuss the Camarilla’s path forward in its time of crisis. Publically, the Convention was a resounding success, a show of unity, and sterling example of everything the Camarilla has to offer. Privately, the Convention succeeded by the narrowest of margins. Intrigue between the delegates and interference by Anarchs nearly derailed the entire event, but swift action by the Archons and Anarch disunity saved the convention from an ignominious end.
You attended the convention as a Chicago native or were a representative from afar. Camarilla, Anarch, or independent, you took this rare opportunity to gather information, make new allies, and further your schemes. Many profited from the convention, and you are not the least of them.
• Rabble Rouser: Prince Jackson and his allies were extremely efficient at thwarting Anarch plots to disrupt the convention, except in your case. You managed to disrupt one of the convention’s important after parties, embarrassing the host, humiliating their security detail, and damaging the status of multiple Kindred. Success breeds success, and once per story, you can assemble a small group of fledgling Anarchs to your cause. They count as a three-dot Ally group that will perform one dangerous action for you once per story. They respect your rep, but will not sell their lives needlessly. •• Convention Attendee: You attended the convention and participated in its formal sessions, working groups, and more importantly, after parties. You navigated this web of intrigue successfully and gain two-dots to distribute between Allies and Contacts in addition to being able to ask the Storyteller once per story for a piece of information related to the convention. This information can be part of the public record or a juicy behind the scenes detail (Storyteller’s discretion). ••• Troubleshooter: Conventions have a way of bringing out the rabble, and Chicago was no exception. You are an agent of Prince Jackson, the Archons, or some other group whose best interests were served by the convention’s success. You gain two-dots of Status among the Kindred of Chicago and a “get out of jail free” card from the Prince. Once per chronicle, you can use your service at the convention to have the authorities of your domain turn a blind eye toward a minor violation of the Traditions out of respect for services rendered. •••• Formal Delegate: You were one of the formal delegates to the convention and successfully prosecuted the objectives of your patron Prince or Primogen. Your wild success grants you four-dots to distribute among Allies, Contacts, Retainers, and Resources related to the convention. You also have a standing invitation to Elysium events in Chicago or your home domain. ••••• Mover and Shaker: You played an active role in the Convention of Chicago’s success. Your rhetoric purchased many a vote during the formal sessions, and your whispers purchased many more during the after parties. These votes are a byproduct of your love affair with uncovering your fellow delegate’s secrets. You know who sleeps with who, which closets hide skeletons, and why the trunk of that BMW sounds like its moaning. You use this information and the power it provides to enlist the (grudging) aid of your betters. Once per story, you can collect a Major Boon from a convention attendee in your debt. Work with the Storyteller to determine the identity of the Kindred in question and nature of their aid.
Goblin Roads (p.161) *
Travelling between Chicago and Milwaukee is perilous in the extreme. Lupines infest the roads and towns that connect the great cities and far stranger things inhabit the eerie wetlands, forests, and quiet spots between. The safest way to avoid these perils is to navigate the “Weird,” a collection of lonely roads, switchbacks, and roadside alters that tortuously thread their way between “oasis” of spiritually unnerving ground repulsive to Lupines. Dubbed “Goblin Roads” by local Kindred, Prince Decker of Milwaukee and Elder Inyanga of Chicago organized a group of intrepid Gangrel known as the “Psychopomps” to ferry Kindred between their cities.
Unusual on the best of nights, the Psychopomps know the secrets of the Goblin Roads and have a unique sense of the Weird that surrounds and infuses them. They perceive the Weird’s presence constantly, always feeling its eyes in the darkness, never deviating from their well-marked paths. Passage along the Goblin Roads is a lonely and terrifying experience as the Psychopomp leapfrogs from oasis to oasis, offering sacrifices of blood, alcohol, or prayer to forces un- known. Many Psychopomps go mad, wandering off the road and vanishing forever. Others simply disappear. But none have abandoned their charges mid journey, always dropping their passengers off at their destination before vanishing back into the Weird to begin their journey anew.
Kindred seeking passage between the two great cities have only to call upon Prince Decker or his newly-minted counterpart Rosa Hernandez. Survival is never guaranteed, but few things truly are.
• Night Rider: You are a frequent passenger on the Goblin Roads and have become accustomed to their nature. Your knowledge grants you an additional two dice to all Survival tests related to surviving the Goblin Roads if you become isolated in the Weird. •• Summon the Ferryman: You have arranged passage on the Goblin Roads with Prince Decker, Rosa Hernandez, or one of their Psychopomps. The price of this arrangement can take the form of cash, a minor boon, or something else entirely (Storyteller’s discretion). Once per story, you can enlist a Psychopomp to ferry yourself and your coterie between Chicago and Milwaukee. ••• Psychopomp: You are a Psychopomp and travel the Goblin Roads at will. This journey requires 24 hours preparation to attune yourself to the proper rites and sacrifices necessary for safe passage and you gain two-dots of Status reflecting your occupation. •••• Weird Ally: You led an expedition into the Weird or were separated from your Psychopomp for a protracted period of time. During that time, you encountered and formed a pact or alliance with a supernatural denizen of the Weird. This creature is unusual at the best of times, but will come when called. You gain a four-dot Ally that is a werewolf, mage, wraith, changeling, or something stranger still (see Vampire: The Masquerade p. 376 and p. 377 or the Storyteller creates the monster). Once per game, your Ally will come to your aid within 10 hours of your summons. ••••• One with the Weird: You spent many nights looking into the Weird, and one evening, it looked back. You have unraveled one of the deeper mysteries of the Weird. It might be the hidden nature of the Goblin Roads oasis, the true name of a powerful spirit, a potent ritual, the dark secret of a mist-shrouded town, or the location of an artifact of great power. Work with the Storyteller to define the exact nature of your secret, but remember, the Weird does not reveal its secrets casually and there will be a price.
Justicar Lucinde (p.162)
• Snake Charmer: Allowed •• Patient Hunter: Allowed ••• Legend Killer: Allowed •••• Lucinda's Revenge: Banned ••••• Alastor: Banned
Khalid Al-Rashid (p.163) *
Ancient and powerful, Khalid was a well-respected member of Chicago’s Primogen, and still is to those who believe Cedrick Calhoun’s subterfuge. Khalid walked the earth for nearly a thousand years in continual battle against his Beast, always seeking, yet never achieving, Golconda. Khalid’s quests led him to Chicago in search of a legendary Inconnu. What he found was a city firmly in the grip of an unending Jyhad between Helena and Me- nele. Taking to the shadows, Khalid managed to remain unbeholden to either Methuselah and managed to identify a circle of Kindred equally free from their influence. Digging deeper, he found something else entirely, and may well be in hiding, met the final death, or worse.
Khalid is your Primogen, Mawla, or even sire. You pity his inability to attain Golconda, but admire the fact that Khalid never, ever, quits.
• Safe Haven: Khalid’s tutelage provides two dots to divide between the Haven Merits of Postern and Security System. •• Deadly Stroke: Khalid was a master swordsman in life, and more so in death. You may have fought beside him during the War of Chicago, or studied at his feet as your Mawla. Either way, you learned well. Once per chronicle, you gain three dice to a single Melee test while using a sword. ••• Khalid’s Notebook: Khalid recorded his suspicions about the eternal war between Helena and Menele in a notebook filled with coded pages. He tore out many pages of this notebook and secreted them about Chicago and beyond. You have acquired pages from this book and the secrets they contain. Once per story, you may ask the Storyteller for one secret Khalid would have access to about Helena, Menele, or the identity of one Kindred under (or formerly under, in the case of Menele) their control. •••• Wicked Garden: You learned from Khalid or discover notes he left behind about strange entities living in Lake Michigan with oblique references to his sightings and suspicions about the creature known as Nerissa Blackwater. Once per story, this knowledge reduces the difficulty of all Investigation tests involving Nerissa Blackwater or the being she serves by four. Total Failure means Nerissa becomes aware of your inquiry. ••••• Unbeholden: Khalid knew about Helena and Menele and assembled a coterie of “wild card” Kindred free from their influence. You are not presently under the control or dominion of Helena, Menele, or a similarly ancient vampire. Once per chronicle, you automatically escape one attempt by an ancient to ensnare you in their Jyhad. Work with the Storyteller to determine exactly how this feat occurs, but you manage to retain your freedom, for now.
Kindred Dueling (p.164)
• Honorable Combatant: Allowed •• Fight Club: Allowed ••• Stake Fighter: Allowed •••• Fire Eater: Allowed ••••• Trials of Death: Allowed
Malkavian Family (Malkavian Characters Only) (p.165) *
Being Embraced as a Malkavian in Chicago brings with it an almost instantaneous new family. Many of their number look upon one another as kin: Jason Newberry’s sire considered him like her own son; Bronwyn and Corbin grew up like sisters in their mortal days.
While other clans allow their members their autonomy, Son wields his authority as Primogen to micromanage his clanmates’ lives. He hosts mandatory group counselling sessions, which he leads. Attendees bare their souls at his behest, providing information the others could use against them. Son also requires the Malkavians under his control to share territories and havens, giving them little respite from one another. They know one another’s weaknesses the way only a close-knit family can, and Jason Newberry positions himself as their domineering patriarch.
These ties have also caused some Malkavians in Chicago to form close bonds. Having many members of the clan in the same territory makes guarding it easier, and when one of their number puts out a call via the Web, chances are someone is close by to answer. Though Son has duped outsiders into thinking he’s an upstanding member of Kindred society, his abuse of power within the clan gives its members someone to unite against, should the time come to get rid of him.
• Family Secrets: Attending Son’s therapy sessions gives you glimpses into your clanmates’ schemes and goals. As careful as most attendees are not to spill everything, over time the shapes of their plans come clear. Gain two dice on an Awareness or Insight roll involving another Malkavian. •• Sibling Bond: You’ve grown extremely close to another member of your clan, someone who is like a favorite sibling to you. You share a two-dot Haven and a one-dot Herd, and once per story can call on this person for a significant favor. However, they will ask for your assistance in turn and may lay their burdens at your door. ••• Tangled Web: Your frequent contact with other Oracles has heightened your ability to sense and use the Cobweb. Once per story, you may extend your perceptions along it to locate a specific clan member in the city. You may either catch a short glimpse of where they are and who they’re with, or deliver one short sentence (“Meet me at the Blue Velvet,” “A Hound came looking for you.”) into their mind. •••• A Little Peace and Quiet: With Son constantly forcing you to share space and secrets with other Malkavians, you’ve had to carve out creative ways to get some alone time. Once per story, you may use an Auspex, Dominate, or Obfuscate power you haven’t yet learned (at your current level or below) to hide in plain sight, escape a crowded area, or avoid detection. ••••• Favorite Childe: A respected elder member of the clan has taken a shine to you and appointed themselves your surrogate parent, your favorite aunt or uncle, or doting grandparent. They’re intensely interested in helping you achieve your goals, possibly cloyingly so. Gain them as a five-dot Mawla. Once per story, this person will act as a buffer between you and Son, relieving you of whatever obligation the Primogen was attempting to impose.
Occult Artifacts (Tremere and Banu Haqim Characters Only) (p.166)
• Rowan Ring: Allowed •• Cloak of Abalone: Allowed ••• Powder of Rigidity: Allowed •••• Monocle of Clarity: Locked ••••• Tapestry of Blood: Locked
Sheriff Damien (p.168) *
Damien never wanted to be Sheriff of Chicago, but now that he’s accepted the position he takes it damned seriously. The Brujah was at his most content onstage as the lead singer of the punk band Baby Chorus. The War of Chicago tore that away from him, shattering his found family, sending the surviving band members on a long hiatus, and leaving him adrift. Damien’s lack of allegiance to the likes of Annabelle, Ballard, and DuSable drew Prince Jackson to him. Who better to serve as Sheriff than someone who knew the city and its power players, but was beholden to none of them?
Before he assumed the mantle, Damien traveled the United States on an unofficial solo tour, playing Baby Chorus’ music and his own in cities across the country. Doing so, he’s made contacts from coast to coast in both Camarilla- and Anarch-controlled cities.
Tonight, Damien’s loyalties lie with Prince Jackson and the recently reunited Baby Chorus. He keeps dossiers on Chicago’s Kindred, and sends his Hounds after those who threaten the Prince’s agenda. In addition to those enforcers he inherited when he took the job, Damien continues to build up the Hound roster with fierce fighters, should the Lasombra prove a problem or his former Anarch associates make a move.
Damien is canny and self-reliant. He carved out a living for himself as a teenager and cobbled a family together out of those he trusted. He did the same after his Embrace, running with the Nihilists. Tonight, he fiercely protects the people he’s closest to. He’s lost enough family over the years. Now that he’s Sheriff, he intends to use that power to keep the ones who remain safe.
• Fan Club: You’ve been a Baby Chorus fan for decades. You’ve collected their albums and have boxes full of bootlegged tapes and CDs from their shows. Damien recognizes you as a frequent face in the front row, and other fans see you as an authority on the band, giving you two dots of Influence among other Baby Chorus devotees. •• Patroller: Patroller: Damien frequently taps you for patrol duty, sending you out among Chicago’s feeding grounds to keep an eye on Kindred activity. Your reports are clear and concise, alerting the Sheriff to potential trouble well before it lands on his — or worse, Prince Jackson’s — plate. Once per story, add three dice to an Insight, Intimidation, or Streetwise roll. While this position grants you some authority, others consider you a snitch. ••• Guest Artist: Though its current roster is fairly solid, Damien spent several years trying to resurrect Baby Chorus without Kathy Glens and the other surviving members. You played with the band in one or several of those interim incarnations, and Damien occasionally invites you to open for them, or play a set. Once per story, you may use Damien as a three-dot Contact in the entertainment world. •••• Postcards From the Road: You’ve made a deep connection with Damien. Perhaps you’ve bonded over music, or had his back in a particularly ugly brawl. You have his respect, and Damien acts as your four-dot Mawla. Once per story, you may also ask him to put you in touch with one of his varying contacts around the country. ••••• Loyal Hound: Prince Jackson handed Damien a crew full of wannabe diplomat Hounds, but the Sheriff wants fighters and you’ve got a reputation for solving problems with your fists. Gain Contacts: Sheriff Damien (••••), Status: Camarilla (••). You may act with the Sheriff’s authority on Kindred matters, and must respond when Damien requires your assistance.
The Wolf Pack (p.169) *
Wind whips through their hair as the Wolf Pack stalks the lonely roads and cities of southern Illinois. They strike quickly, their presence marked by the roar of engines and wild laughter, leaving only vanishing pavement and broken Anarchs in their wake. The Wolf Pack has served the Camarilla for decades, rebels for a cause that reject their clan’s abandonment of the Ivory Tower to bend rules and crack heads in service of the Traditions.
The Wolf Pack roams far and wide in their role as roving Archons, but are short a few members after the brutal War of Chicago against the Lupines. Maybe you met them on the open highway and rode with them a spell? Maybe they saw something in you and decided to make you a prospect? Whatever your interaction, it probably made you a little bit stronger, and a whole lot meaner.
• Prospect: Surviving Tyrus’ “initiation” into the Wolf Pack requires a certain degree of resilience. Reduce the difficulty of all Survival rolls related to travel and outdoorsmanship by one. •• Member: Rule one of joining the Wolf Pack is that you have to be able to ride. Your association with the Pack grants you a two-die bonus to all Drive tests while riding a motorcycle. ••• White Line Nightmare: The Wolf Pack lives frugally, but spares no expense on its bikes. Once per game, you can call on the Wolf Pack’s contacts in the motorcycle community across the country to obtain immediate access to a custom motorcycle. •••• Dread Riders: Your association with Anthius gives you access to a veritable army of Midwestern motorcycle gangs. Once per chronicle, you can call on Anthius’ influence to assemble hundreds of Hell’s Angels anywhere in the continental United States within three nights (although the first groups arrive within hours). These bikers provide you with a five-dot Ally group that can be roughly direct- ed toward a single objective of your choosing. Be forewarned the potential for massive collateral damage and government involvement are high. ••••• Gives no...: Tyrus infuses you with a measure of his hard-headed, hard-hearted, and hard-riding personality. You never take anything from anybody and are willing to stare down Caine himself if he has the balls to challenge you. Once per session, you can ignore even the most formidable attempt to intimidate you. You become immune to any single attempt to intimidate, cow, or make you back down or retreat (mundane or supernatural). This ability disappears at the start of the next scene.
Let the Streets Run Red
The Anubi (p.224)
The Lupine attack on Chicago is a stark reminder of how vulnerable Kindred are to werewolf assault. The Princes of the Camarilla looked to Milwaukee, and its guardians the Anubi, for a solution. Led by Milwaukee’s Prince, Mark Decker, the Anubi are the Camarilla’s premier force of Lupine hunters. They are well organized, well equipped, and determined to repulse every Lupine incursion into the city.
Other cities began emulating Milwaukee’s model with mixed results. Many coteries failed due to inexperience or left their posts when Clan Gangrel abandoned the Camarilla. Others overthrew their Princes or became the kingmakers of their domain. A few even sided with the Anarchs, defending the Baronies of the Free States and newly acquired Anarch cities.
More successful Princes recruited Gangrel with greater loyalty to their city than to their clan, or built mixed-membership coteries by offering money, special privileges, hunting rights, or boons. Even the legendary Anubi had to offer grants of hunting grounds to young Kindred after many of their members abandoned Milwau-ee in the face of Sabbat invasion.
These newly formed coteries are as deadly as the Lupines they hunt. Some, like the Sun Devils of Phoenix or the all-Ventrue “Hunt Club” of Quebec, maintain the Anubi’s militant structure and battle Lupines nightly. Others, like “The Pack” of Vancouver or the mixed Lasombra/ Toreador “Order of Saint Sabastian” in Rio de Janeiro, wield diplomacy as effectively as silver to forge tentative (although not lasting) treaties with their local Lupines.
• Argent Fury:
Your connection to the Anubi or a similar organization provides access to hidden caches of silver weapons and/or those who manufacture them. Once per story, you can equip yourself with a silver hand-held weapon or ammunition of your choice.
•• What Big Eyes You Have:
A Lupine must be located before it can be slain. Your organization has seeded your city with a web of informants, contacts, and surveillance devices to facilitate the hunt. Once per story, you gain two automatic successes on an Investigation roll related to locating Lupines within your domain.
••• Brick House:
The hunter often becomes the hunted when Lupines are involved. You spend substantial resources outfitting your haven for just such occasions. You gain four points to spend on Haven and/ or Retainers relating to defense against Lupines.
•••• In the City, In the Woods (choose one):
War Eternal:
Your organization takes the fight to the Lupines. Your advanced knowledge of Lupine hunting grants you two bonus damage from all Firearms and Athletics rolls when fighting Lupines.
Strange Bedfellows:
Your organization seeks peace with Lupines, forging strained but (mostly) effective truces with the werewolves in your area. Gain two bonus dice to all Persuasion rolls when dealing with Lupines and a two-dot werewolf Ally reflecting your contact in the local Lupine community. Your Ally is unlikely to risk their life for you but will at least listen to your side of the story before the howling starts.
Most Dangerous Game:
Your nightly hunt grants you access to a quantity of Lupine blood that may reflect an unhealthy addiction to werewolf blood. Once per story, you can slake two Hunger via a sip of werewolf blood with all the attendant benefits and drawbacks (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 376).
••••• Summon the Pack:
You are a formal member of the Anubi or a similar Lupine-hunting organization and can call on these Kindred for aid at a moment’s notice when Lupines are near. Situations not involving Lupines may require favor trading and/or boons, depending on your relationships with the individuals within the organization. Your membership grants you a temporary Mawla (•••) and four dots of Allies (Anubi Bikers), representing mortal bikers who follow the Anubi, who can be called on once per story when Lupines are involved.
Eletria (p.225)
Eletria occupied an unassuming position among Chicago’s Kindred for decades prior to her recent disappearance. Few understood the immense power hidden behind the quiet strength of the enigmatic vampire that dotingly watched over “Portia” all those nights. Fewer still realize that Eletria was once Prince of Veracruz and one of the most talented artists in history. Born of Sparta, reborn of Helena, Eletria travelled the world, drowning herself in life’s myriad pleasures and always returned panting for more. Painting, sculpture, and music came effortlessly to her. The Kindred of Veracruz bent their knees to her will and were better for her presence. Her very passions conquered the hearts of all who met her, ensnaring Lodin’s sire, Datura, then Lodin himself, loving and losing both in the process. Her presence in Chicago had the potential to change everything, but in the end, she changed you.
You knew Eletria. It might have been Chicago, Veracruz, or someplace more distant still, but you knew her. Lover, friend, subject, or slave: Her presence haunts you to this day.
• Muse:
Eletria saw great potential in you and fanned the embers of your talent. All Craft (Painting or Sculpture) or Performance (Music) tests have their difficulty reduced by one.
•• Portrait of a Woman:
Eletria entrusted you with a rare and precious piece of art of deep importance to her. It could be her cherished portrait of Datura on the cliffs of Veracruz or another painting, sculpture, or piece of music created by her hand. Granting you this piece is a sign of her deepest trust and contains an almost literal part of her soul. Once per session, you can spend an hour meditating upon this piece and make a Resolve + Craft (Painting or Sculpture) or Performance (Music) test at Difficulty 4 before resting for the day. If successful, you awaken having recovered all Superficial Willpower damage.
••• This is Sparta:
You served under Eletria in Veracruz during her war against the Sabbat or fought by her side during the War of Chicago. You gain a bonus die to all Investigation, Academics, and Occult rolls related to defending your city against hostile sect incursions.
•••• Ageless Beauty:
You shared blood with Eletria and inherited a measure of her ability to see the past. You can see a person as they were at any point in their life (or unlife). If artistically inclined, you can render Kindred as they appeared centuries ago with shocking accuracy. Make a Wits + Resolve or Auspex test (difficulty assigned by Storyteller depending on how far back you attempt to see). Success means you have captured a photo- graphic image of the subject in your mind with perfect accuracy and gain two bonus dice to your relevant Craft test to replicate it. This ability can be used once per session.
••••• Conspicuous Consumption:
Your search for Eletria leads to Helena. You become part of the circle of vampires used to slake her thirst and keep the Beckoning at bay. This arrange- ment is not without its benefits, as you gain five dots to distribute between Mawla, Resources, Allies, Herd, and Contacts. You also have access to Helena once per story, although she has compelled you not to reveal her presence. If lucky, your perilous association may reveal Eletria’s fate.
Kindred Social Media Influencer (p.226)
Sometimes it’s worth risking the ire of those elders who have banned social media use, especially for fledglings Embraced in recent nights. Though the Second Inquisition makes having an online presence dangerous for vampires, having a large internet following brings potential benefits: information, influence, money, and food. When the choice is between feeding on a flash mob participant or frenzying from hunger, you pick the one that isn’t a sure breach of the Masquerade.
Often, a vampire can entirely avoid mentioning Kindred lifestyles on their social feeds. Maybe their Instagram account is all pictures of books artfully posed beside glasses of wine, or their Twitter timeline consists only of cat memes and dad jokes. Throughout the centuries, vampires have adopted mortal personas that give no whiff of their nighttime pursuits. Tonight’s fledglings aim to do the same, only with more likes, favorites, and followers.
Kindred can display authority in all kinds of areas on social media. Some present historical analyses on YouTube so insightful you’d swear they’d been at the events they’re describing. Exquisite Instagram accounts capture the city when most of its residents are asleep. This isn’t to suggest no one’s ever come close to breaching the Masquerade since SchreckNET came down: One scandalous (and highly anonymous) account displays cutting edge Kindred fashion, replete with the clans’ iconography. Mortal followers like and thumbs-up the posts, believing it experimental fashion or possibly a high-end LARP, while not knowing the messages the outfits send to their Kindred counterparts. Should any elders discover Kindred of their own clan are behind the account, however, it won’t be long before someone is blood hunted.
• Friends Everywhere:
You have a small following, mostly consisting of friends and close acquaintances. Occasionally, someone with a larger social media footprint will boost or share one of your posts, bringing you a temporary increase in visibility. Once per chapter, you can crowdsource a solution to a problem, providing you have enough time to consult your followers, allowing you to roll two dice in a Skill you don’t possess or adding two automatic successes in an area you already have familiarity.
•• Niche Following:
Your knowledge in a specific area grants you a degree of online authority. Your Twitter threads occasionally go viral, and you’ve been paid to write articles for newspapers and websites thanks to your unique voice. Gain two dots of Influence in your field. Once per story, you may temporarily increase your Resources by one dot when you pen an article or do a video hangout for a small audience.
••• Internet Famous:
Your follower count is in the tens of thousands across several social media platforms. Loyal fans provide a small amount of ad revenue and buy branded swag, providing you with an additional two dots in Resources. Once per story, you can arrange a small, local meetup and feed from one of the attendees, granting you one dot in Herd.
•••• Collabs and Sponsorships:
Everyone who’s interested in your particular subject matter knows your name. Companies offer to work with you to create branded products and attempt to woo you with freebies they hope you’ll promote. In addition to two dots in Fame, gain Allies (••) from among your fans and declare a two-dot Contact at one of the companies you’ve promoted.
••••• Superstar:
Your social media presence makes you a household name. You set trends and pull in a sizable income from products, promotions, ad revenue, and patron donations. Maintaining your presence and place in the ever-changing hierarchy requires a full-time schedule of recording, posting, promoting. While this grants you three dots in both Fame and Resources, your notoriety also puts you in a precarious position with Kindred elders. Should they (or worse, FIRSTLIGHT) discover your vampiric identity, punishment will be swift and deadly.
Juggler (p.227)
Juggler has been a pain in the Chicago Camarilla’s ass and a thorn in Modius’s side for the better part of a century. He ruled the Anarchs before Maldavis came along, and he directed much of their activity from Gary. During some of the tensest periods in the War of Chicago, Helena and the powerful Brujah Tyler controlled his actions. Juggler may have a sense of this, especially since Tyler’s disappeared from Chicago, but it’s not something he’d ever let slip to his followers.
In recent nights, he’s orchestrated the Anarchs’ takeover of Gary, relishing his rival Modius’s rage as the pauper Prince’s power ebbed away. Rumor had it he’d triumphantly captured Modius — whose own childe turned Anarch and gave him up — and may at last have destroyed his enemy. This move made Juggler the Baron of Gary at last, but a month into his reign, he disappeared.
Unlike his disorganized Camarilla counterpart, Juggler understands how to run a revolution. His childe, Evelyn Stephens, was privy to his plans. He kept some secrets, but he ensured that the schemes he’d set in motion could carry on in his absence. As much of a blow as it was to the Anarchs to lose their leader, Evelyn has stepped up and rallied them right back to the cause.
• For the Cause:
You’ve run with the Anarchs in Chicago under Juggler’s direction. Gain one reroll per session on Brawl, Melee, and Streetwise rolls when going up against members of the Camarilla.
•• Guns to a Knife Fight:
When a Prince starts losing, he blames the Anarchs first and tries to wipe them out. Juggler learned that lesson with Lodin, and in more recent nights, when Modius ratted out his enemies to Sullivan Dane. Once per story, you have access to a weapons cache that Juggler has secreted away in Gary and can buy up to Resources (•••) worth of gear.
••• Rabble Rouser:
You have a knack for dirty fighting. Juggler put you in charge of a group of Anarchs who Get Shit Done around Gary. Once per story, you can call upon a small group (3-5 people) to sow chaos in Gary’s streets or back you up in a brawl. This counts as a temporary Allies Background rated at an effectiveness of two dots, with the benefit of their being Kindred and carrying Disciplines. They cease following you for the rest of this story.
•••• Coordination is Key:
Juggler set you up as a key part of Anarch communications. Other Kindred slip you information about their activities, which you pass along to those who need to know. This grants you significant cachet in the Movement, manifesting as Status: Anarchs (•••) and Influence: Gary (•••). Once per story, ask your Storyteller for a piece of intel that’s recently come across your desk.
••••• Rust Never Sleeps:
Juggler trusted you with his plans and valued your input in his strikes against the Camarilla and Modius. He is your four-dot Mawla (in his absence, Evelyn Stephens fills this role). Once per story, work with your Storyteller to name a member of the Movement in another city whose skills or access are useful to you. A friend of Juggler’s is a friend of theirs, and they’re eager to help the Anarchs rise. They act as a three-dot Contact for you until the end of that story.
Lost Secrets of the Milwaukee Chantry (p.228)
The Tremere of Milwaukee were once one of the most exclusive coteries in the United States. Their sole purpose was to unravel the secrets of the strange mystical “Null Zone” near Marquette University, where magic does not function (see p. 231). Then Carna abandoned Milwaukee on the eve of a Sabbat invasion, and her fellow chantry members, Victor and Dr. Mortius, disappeared soon after. The Tremere have not reestablished their presence in Milwaukee, leaving their Chantry’s secrets vulnerable to outsiders.
Kindred from Chicago and beyond flock to Milwaukee to uncover its occult secrets before the Tremere return. Karl Schrekt is assembling an elite coterie to reestablish the Milwaukee Chantry before Carna and her allies can do the same. Interested parties race against time to recover whatever they can before their window closes forever.
• Carna’s Primogen Files:
While nominally apolitical, Carna managed to collect a significant amount of information about her fellow Kindred during her tenure as Primogen. You have access to Carna’s Primogen Files and gain a bonus die on all Politics rolls involving the Kindred of Milwaukee.
•• Abandoned Real Estate:
Carna and Victor maintained numerous havens throughout the wealthier areas of Milwaukee. Your search uncovers one such haven, providing you with access to a two-dot Haven in Milwaukee, equipped with a two-dot Occult Library (Carna) or two-dot Hidden Armory (Victor), and potential clues to the location of additional havens or Tremere secrets (Storytellers discretion). Tremere agents are certain to follow, so take up permanent residence with extreme caution.
••• Victor’s Grimoire:
Victor was the deadly enforcer of the Milwaukee Tremere and had access to a potent array of unique rituals. You have located Victor’s Grimoire and cache of occult rituals. Subject to Storyteller’s discretion, Blood Sorcerers may immediately learn one of the rituals located in The Chicago Folios, p. 174 and have a roleplaying justification to learn additional rituals from The Chicago Folios through the standard expenditure of time and experience. Non-Tremere are hunted mercilessly for mere possession of this knowledge. Learning these rituals still requires Experience expenditure.
•••• Objects of Desire:
You have uncovered the subject of Tremere study in Milwaukee, a strange “Null Zone” where magic does not function, centered on Marquette University. Tremere records indicate that objects of incredible power are located somewhere in the zone and may be possible to recover, but opposition from Clan Tremere, Lupines, and/or Magi, is extremely likely. You gain a precarious Haven Background rated at four dots, though with it comes an Adversary at two dots and an Enemy at two dots.
••••• Dr. Mortius’s Haven:
You have located Dr. Mortius’s haven, a “haunted” house near Marquette University. It is a three-dot haven with an awe-inspiring, yet utterly disorganized, occult library. The library grants you a three-dot bonus to all Academics and Occult rolls and is filled with a wide range of other secrets. At the Storyteller’s discretion, these secrets might include access to Blood Sorcery, innocuous magic items, information about Milwaukee’s magical “Null-Zone,” theories on ancient Kindred in Lake Michigan, and even a copy of “The Book of the Grave-War” — although missing half a page or so. At the Storyteller’s discretion, Mortius’s haven may contain a variety of mundane and mystical defenses to penetrate prior to entry.
Mark Decker (p.229)
Mark Decker prefers hunting Lupines to ruling Milwaukee. He uses the position to protect the city, placing his Anubi in top-ranking jobs and strictly enforcing the Masquerade. In recent nights, he’s grown even more suspicious of the Kindred in his territory — who’s plotting against him? Who’s undermining his agenda? Breaking his strict new laws results in swift punishment, up to and including the final death.
He trusts very few people outside of his inner circle, and even those he watches warily. After all, he was unprepared both for Carna’s exodus from Milwaukee and his clan’s defection from the Camarilla. Who else, he wonders, is ready to turn on him? On occasion, he reaches out to Inyanga in Chicago to seek an outside perspective on local matters. These nights, those communications are fewer and longer between.
Decker keeps his city on constant high alert against werewolves and Anarchs, and respects those Kindred who display the same vigilance he does. Perhaps some night, if he can push the Lupines back far enough and strike a massive blow to the Anarchs, he’d consider relinquishing his throne. But that’s a long, long way off, and there’s much work to be done before then.
• Good Graces:
Decker has put a small amount of trust in you, assigning you to patrol duty around the city and allowing you to act with his authority in minor breaches of his laws. Still, he requires you to enter a one-step Blood Bond in case that feeling is misplaced.
•• Tyrant’s Recognition:
Decker is aware of the body count you’ve racked up protecting Milwaukee. He grants you feeding rights to a small rack, providing you with a two-dot Herd and a one-dot Haven.
••• One Strike:
Your penchant for not only upholding but enforcing the Prince’s laws has caused Decker to loosen his reins on you. It’s still unwise to break them, but once per story he allows you to plead your case if you’re caught for a minor infraction. Rather than the final death, he’ll impose sanctions.
•••• The Prince’s Trust:
You’ve fought at Decker’s side against the Lupines and rooted out Anarch incursions. You’ve learned how to talk to him without setting him off, or at least how to push those buttons without turning his suspicions on yourself. Decker listens to your counsel, and his trust in you gives you a little leeway in the city. Gain Mark Decker as a five-dot Mawla once per story. Additionally, once per story, you may dine with him at the Hyatt or join him in his private suite at Brewers Stadium for an audience.
••••• Childe of Mark Decker (Gangrel Only):
Decker granted you the gift of his Embrace and expects you to treat such an honor accordingly. He’s trained you as one of his Anubi and placed you in a position of power in the city. Work with your Storyteller to determine where your authority lies. Decker provides you with a three-dot Haven, two-dot Status, and you gain one free Skill Specialty in Athletics, Brawl, or Melee. Many Kindred despise Decker, and this antipathy extends to his childer. You earn three dots in Adversaries, to be made into one vampire or split across two or three.
Maxwell (p.230)
Maxwell’s been off the chess board a long time now. The one-time Prince of Chicago, a Brujah, might have ruled again after Lodin’s death, were it not for Kevin Jackson’s rise to power. He disappeared after that, though wise Kindred know better than to think he’s suffered his final death.
In fact, Maxwell still considers himself Chicago’s Prince, and suggests Kevin Jackson’s merely keeping the throne warm. He’s gotten a better handle on the modern world these last few years and dedicated time and resources to quietly shoring up his support. He still holds sway with Chicago PD’s Internal Affairs. In recent nights, he’s focused on building up the Vanguard, a group of Camarilla based in Gary, Indiana, who are loyal to him and his play for praxis. Gary is little more than a staging ground to him, a place from which to launch his strikes against Chicago before he reclaims his throne.
Maxwell’s opponents (and many of his supporters) recognize his penchant for violence. Signing on with him is a dangerous and probably bloody endeavor, but he’ll handsomely reward those who help him take Chicago.
• Tactician:
You’ve studied Maxwell’s strategies as Prince of Chicago and sussed out some of the secrets of his rule. Add two bonus dice to an Academics, Politics, or Subterfuge roll relating to political planning or military maneuvers.
•• Travelling Companion:
While Kindred considered him dead after Devil’s Night, Maxwell roamed the world building up allies in other countries. One thing he learned in these hyper-surveilled modern nights is how to evade detection while travelling. You traveled with him during this time, and he’s willing to share his contacts. Once per story, you can call on Maxwell’s allies for reliable and secure transportation between cities.
••• Vanguard:
You’re a member of Gary’s Vanguard, trusted by Eric Sharpe and Maxwell alike. Gain Status: Gary (•••). Sharpe has granted you territory in the city, where you have a two-dot Haven and feeding rights. If not participating in Rusted Jungle (see p. 125), this lore gives you standing as a long-time, respected Kindred resident of Gary.
•••• The Art of Disappearing:
If your enemies think you’re dead, they stop worrying about how you’re plotting against them. Maxwell has taught you tricks for staying hidden and working from the shadows. Once per story, he’ll help you create a two-dot Mask under which you can anonymously further a goal. Alternately, he’ll help you convincingly fake the death of one of your current Masks and transfer its resources to a new identity without leaving a paper trail.
••••• The Once and Future Prince:
You’re one of the highly placed Kindred Maxwell is counting on in Chicago. He’s guided and financed your rise among your clan’s ranks, helped rid you of enemies, and provided you with information about the machinations of Prince Jackson and the Primogen. Gain Resources (•••••); two dots must be spent securing Maxwell’s plans, but the remaining three are yours to spend as you like. You have a list of those Kindred in Chicago who owe Maxwell boons. Once per story, you can call in a minor boon from someone on the list. Once per chronicle, you can call in a major boon. Though you may use these for any purpose that suits you, Maxwell expects you to send him an account of how you’ve spent his favors. Using them foolishly will earn the soon-to-be Prince’s ire. He’s built you up; never doubt that he can tear you back down.
The Milwaukee "Null Zone" (pp.231-232)
The “Null Zone” is a mystical dead zone centered on Marquette University and the surrounding area where magic simply ceases to function. This site was once the location of the final battle between the Lupine Usla and, Hrothulf’s Kindred wife, Chiclena and her allies. With his dying breath, Usla called upon the mighty spirits of his people, transforming parts of his very being into a pair of potent talismans, destroying Chiclena. Almost no one knows these talismans are buried under Marquette University, or that they are responsible for creating the “Null Zone.” Kindred, Lupines, and magi study the Zone with great vigor, but few outside the Lupines know its secret.
• Legends of Usla:
You know the legend of the battle between Usla and Chiclena and discern something extremely important to the Lupines is buried inside the “Null Zone.” You don’t know exactly where the item is buried, but you are on the hunt. Gain one bonus die to all Investigation and Occult rolls related to the “Null Zone.”
•• Into the Zone:
You have access to the Milwaukee “Null Zone” and can linger there for brief periods without observation or being assailed by outside forces. Within the zone, all uses of Auspex have their difficulty reduced by one. Uses of Protean do not require Rouse checks, but you must spend one Willpower per scene to prevent transformative powers like Feral Weapons and Shapechange from activating automatically. All Blood Sorcery rolls require seven successes to succeed and its attendant rituals fail automatically. Failure on any of the above uses of Auspex, Protean, or Blood Sorcery delivers levels of Aggravated damage equal to their margin of failure. Total Failure delivers the same amount of damage in addition to leaving a mystical mark on your aura that acts as a powerful beacon to all Lupines in the area.
••• St. Joan of Arc Chapel:
You discover that a powerful mage had the medieval St. Joan of Arc Chapel moved and reconstructed directly over the center of the “Null Zone” in the 1960s. While ultimately slain by Lupines, his legacy endures. The chapel is surrounded by extremely powerful wards against Lupines and the presence of the Joan of Arc Stone makes it almost unbearable to Kindred (the structure has the equivalent of True Faith 5). A secret staircase concealed under the stones behind the altar leads to a series of underground tunnels and excavations used by the mage to facilitate his investigation. The chapel is one of the primary reasons Kindred and Lupines have been unable to claim their prize, and it is warded by a variety of sorcerous and mundane protections. Any entrance to the chapel will be opposed by Lupines, magi, or agents of the Society of St. Leopold stationed on the Marquette campus.
•••• Church of Isis:
Mount Mary College plays host to the Church of Isis, an occult society espousing radical feminist views composed of humans and magick users from the Cult of Isis. They are eager to recover Usla’s talismans and work with Kindred and Lupine alike to achieve their purpose. Formerly affiliated with Dr. Mortius prior to his disappearance, they seek new Kindred allies to further their quest. You forge an alliance with the Church of Isis, allowing you to call upon their aid once per Chronicle. They count as a five dot Ally group that can provide both mundane and sorcerous assistance.
••••• Usla’s Talismans (choose one):
Eye of the Coyote: With Storyteller’s permission, you know where to find the Eye of the Coyote. You have the equivalent of five-dots of Auspex with all related abilities and the difficulty of single Blood Sorcery roll made against you is increased by four while the Eye is on your person. The Storyteller can grant the Eye additional abilities and you are hunted day and night by all Lupines until the Eye is recovered. The Eye is only usable once per story, but the lure attached to it is permanent.
Talon of the Eagle: With Storyteller’s permission, you know the location of the Talon of the Eagle. All your physical Attributes are doubled (up to a maximum of five) once per story, and you have the equivalent of five dots of Protean with all related abilities while the Talon is on your person. The Storyteller can grant the Talon additional abilities, and you are hunted day and night by all Lupines until the Talon is recovered. The Talon is only usable once per story, but the lure attached to it is permanent.
Modius (p.233)
Modius has never been content. Not in his mortal days, when he yearned toward greatness even as he traded furs and toiled in the fields. Not in all his waking nights, when the throne of Chicago has eluded him at every turn. It’s certainly not for lack of trying — he’s gone to war for Chicago. He vies to lift Gary from the mire Lodin sank it into. He’s yanked the city back from Juggler and his Anarchs time and again. Modius could be transcendent, if only his fellow Kindred opened their eyes.
Though many vampires dismiss Modius as a pauper Prince, he’s done his damnedest to revive Gary, even as his enemies in Chicago push it deeper into decline. He’s built up alliances in the city he rules and gathered followers who admire him — or who at least lie about it convincingly. He keeps up correspondence with his sire, Toreador Primogen Annabelle, keeping her abreast of his achievements should she spot an opportunity for him in Chicago. His letters go mostly unanswered.
These nights, Modius’s name is most often whispered alongside his long-standing enemy, Juggler. The two revel in their ongoing hostilities, letting their violent conflict add to Gary’s already abominable crime rate.
• Followers:
You believe in Modius’s capability, even if most others don’t understand why. You’re in contact with a few other like-minded Kindred. Once per chapter, you can call on one of them to do a small favor for you in Gary.
•• Windy City Ally:
You were one of the few who backed the idea of naming Modius as Prince of Chicago this last go-round. It earned you sneers and enmity within the city, but word of your support got back to the pauper Prince. As thanks, he sent one of his employees to you and permitted you to make them your two-dot Retainer.
••• Keys to the Mansion:
Modius values your strategic mind, especially when it comes to out thinking the Anarchs. He’s provided you with keys to the guest quarters at the governor’s mansion (Haven •••) and access to his files, with intel on Juggler’s plans. Once per story, ask your Storyteller for a piece of information on recent Anarch movements in the city.
•••• Since 1913:
You were part of Modius’s original attempt at seizing praxis and took part in some of the attacks on Lodin’s loyalists. He’s never forgotten your service and made sure the vampires in Gary heard about your deeds. Gain Status: Gary Camarilla (••••). Modius has also declared that you may feed anywhere in Gary, though the Anarchs are unlikely to abide by that if you wander into their territory.
••••• Pauper Dynasty:
Whatever Chicago’s Kindred think, Modius is a Prince and has been one for over half a century now. He has insight into what it takes to rule and imparts that wisdom to you in the hopes you’ll seize praxis in some other domain — provided it’s neither Gary nor Chicago. Gain Modius as a five-dot Mawla, and gain Influence (••) in a city of your choosing to reflect the groundwork he’s helped you lay there.
Cults of the Blood Gods
Calling the Family Reunion, Hecata Characters Only (p.228)
The Clan of Death, in all its forms, has always had a gift for understatement. The latest, the so-called “Family Reunion,” was a combination of the strategic removal of some high-profile elders, the burying of some ancient axes — sometimes in another vampire’s head — and the subsequent unleashing of millions of outraged and ungrateful ghosts taking out centuries of pent-up ire on any necromancer they could find.
You are party to the hasty (by Kindred standards) discussion between ancient enemies of the necessity and utility of working together. You may have been involved in some of the acts that led to it, or you were present at the Reunion itself. In your own way, you’ve contributed to this new step in the Clan of Death. And even though you’ve become one big happy clan again, that doesn’t mean you just forgive and forget.
• The Kids’ Table:
You were present at the dinner where the final details of the Reunion were discussed. You didn’t have any significant impact in the discussion, but you know what was debated, so you’re familiar with all the old animosities and arguments. You get two dice on any Persuasion checks against another Hecata who tries to resurrect old disagreements.
•• Updating the Rolodex:
Not everyone gets along in the new-and-improved Hecata, but since you were present during the initial dealmaking, you now have access to a lot of new contacts. When asking for information or small favors, you have the equivalent of three dots of Status within the Hecata clan.
••• Hiding the Bodies:
Even the Clan of Death doesn’t have the luxury of flaunting all the corpses they’ve left along the way. You were involved in the cleanup of a key murder, and a Hecata elder is greatly in your debt as a result. Once per story, you may remind them of that debt to cash in the effects of a minor boon or less (see Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 315). Once per chronicle, you may clear the debt in return for the effects of a major boon. Call upon them more often, or for favors beyond their reach, and they will grudgingly comply... only to become a persistent Adversary once your business concludes.
•••• Dealmaker:
For all the visible debates during the Family Reunion, there were just as many backroom deals made in order to make the reunification of the Hecata a success. You were a part of one of those deals, and an influential elder in the Hecata owes you as a result. That elder counts as a five-dot Mawla Background but will become a potent Adversary if the secrets are ever revealed.
••••• Spiritual Assault:
You were involved in the murder of Augustus Giovanni, the methuselah responsible for the alleged destruction of the Cappadocians. As such, you know it was Augustus’ death that unleashed the maelstrom of wraiths coming after the Hecata. Anytime you or someone who consults you uses an Oblivion Ceremony to deal with a spectre or other antagonistic ghost, you gain two automatic successes.
Child of the Angel Michael, Unavailable to Nosferatu Characters (p.229)
That which is perfect is beautiful. That which is beautiful is good. That which is good leads to utopia. This is what the Nephilim believe — that if they can embody all that is beautiful and perfect, they can recreate the utopic dream of the perfect Kindred city: Constantinople. A recent cult chided in equal parts as a Toreador fever dream and an excuse for lavish parties, the Nephilim nevertheless draws in a large share of proponents, eager to ogle the great and the good, or to find ways to improve themselves toward their personal ideal.
Of course, the pursuit of ideal perfection shouldn’t be sullied by base concerns like money or power. Those that give up all that they hold dear to the Nephilim will be rewarded, becoming more perfect and more beautiful with each passing night. Besides, once the Dream of Constantinople comes to pass and all vampires are living in harmony, none of that will matter anyway. Right? You might be a seeker of beauty, or one of the beautiful yourself, but you’re definitely invested in the Dream, one way or another.
• The Great and the Good:
Even just being around perfect and beautiful people has its advantages, and you’ve been able to leverage your connection to fellow cultists into a few small gains yourself. You have two free dots to distribute between the Contacts, Fame, Herd, and Influence Backgrounds, though the kinds of followers you attract verge on the fanatical and dangerous to you and your loved ones.
•• Outer Beauty:
You make trips to the local Nephilim temple, and the accentuation of your “inner beauty” leads to outer effects. Your skin becomes clear, your hair gains luster, and your limbs become long and firm. You get the Looks Merit at four dots, even after character creation. The negative side is you have to really disguise your appearance if you want to avoid attention. Inevitably, your face will be the one witnesses remember.
••• Hedonistic Pleasure:
Of course, there’s no point being beautiful if you can’t enjoy it, right? Lots of long nights of excess have taught you a thing or two about having a good time, even when you’re not in a Nephilim temple. You gain two dice on any rolls to score drugs, get a date or sexual partner, or get yourself invited to a party. In addition, your exploits are legendary — take either two dots in Fame or two dots in Status.
•••• Michael’s Calling:
You’ve been in past cults in which the childer of Michael were worshiped to bring about the Dream. While it’s novel and convenient that all of these fringe cults have come together under one roof, as it were, you see it all as the sham it is. That won’t stop you from leveraging it for your own gain, however. Once per story, you can use all of a cult member’s appropriate Backgrounds as if they were your own.
••••• Wiping Away the Stains:
The most horrific and flawed parts of the Kindred are, of course, on the inside. Most of the cult claims they want inner beauty as well as outer perfection, but the sex and drugs tend to get in the way of true enlightenment. Luckily, you haven’t lost the true path. Once per story, you can spend a Willpower to remove a Stain from another vampire. The vampire must have sex with you, do drugs with you, or engage in some other hedonistic activity for at least an hour.
The Promise of 1528 (p.231)
After the Giovanni engineered the fall of the Cappadocians (or so they thought), the up-and-coming Camarilla expressed concerns about the so-called “Devil Clan.” The purge of the Cappadocians entered full force soon after the Anarch Revolt, and the Kindred of the Camarilla were worried that this was more of the same. With the upstart Anarchs forming into what would become the Sabbat, the Camarilla couldn’t afford a war on yet another front. So, Augustus Giovanni and the Inner Circle of the Camarilla met in Venice in 1528, and signed an agreement.
The problem is, no one really knows what’s in the agreement. For years, all that was known was that the Giovanni had some degree of autonomy in Camarilla domains, and that the clan was given ownership of the city of Venice (in exchange for the Inner Circle being allowed to hold their meetings there). After the Family Reunion, however, an additional detail has been revealed: The Promise has a limit of 500 years, meaning it will expire in 2028. Both the Camarilla and the Hecata are scrambling to find out the details of the agreement, as well as the consequences once it expires.
• Legal Scholar:
You are an active student of the Promise. You don’t know much, but that’s more than most Kindred know. Even the fact that you know such a document exists gives you leverage. In legal disputes with Camarilla Kindred or members of the Hecata, you gain two dice on Persuasion rolls.
•• Scrap of Information:
You saw a scrap of a transcript of the Promise once. A lot of forgeries have circulated among the Kindred over the centuries, but you’re reasonably sure this one is genuine. This makes you a hot commodity among other Kindred who hunger to know what’s in the Promise. Once per story, if you allow Kindred access to your notes on the Promise fragment for research, you gain a temporary dot in Contacts, Herd, Influence, or Resources for the remainder of the story, and may call in a major boon (see Vampire: The Masquerade p. 315) from the vampire in future.
••• Tick Tock:
You know, or believe you know, the consequences of allowing the Promise to expire, and they aren’t good. Once per story, you can give advice to members of your local faction (the Camarilla court if you are a Camarilla Kindred, or the local family if you are Hecata) and expect to be taken seriously. You will get an audience, and two automatic successes on any rolls which leverage your knowledge during the meeting.
•••• Faulty Memory:
You read the Promise once, but for some reason you can never recall the text in full, even if you have advantages or powers that would normally allow you to remember things or uncover buried memories. But once in a while, snippets surface to help you at just the right time. Once per story, you can add three dice to an appropriate roll where memory of the Promise would help you.
••••• Signatory:
You are directly related to one of the signatories of the Promise (or you are a signatory yourself). Once per chronicle, you can leverage your knowledge of the Promise to force a Camarilla Prince or a Hecata anziani to permanently change a ruling or local law in your favor, using your knowledge of the Promise to give you political clout. However, you must decide why you are unable to ever speak of the details of the Promise — perhaps it’s a thaumaturgical compulsion, the spirit of a loved one threatened with eternal torment, or a lot of Ventrue Dominate.
Children of the Blood
The Ashfinders, Thin-Blooded Characters Only (p.103)
The Ashfinders is a cult for the modern era. Its word is spread over the internet, its holy land is the island of Ibiza, and its sacred ritual is developing designer drugs. The brainchild of a renegade Tremere and an influential Duskborn, the Ashfinders are a radical new form of Golconda cult. They seek transcendence through the creation and consumption of Ashe, formulated from the ashes of deceased full-blooded vampires. The drug is ineffective on mortals and full-blooded vampires, but in thin-blooded, it enhances their blood and can even grant them memories or abilities from the dead vampires mixed into the concoction. The cult hypes themselves with social media posts and advertises as a New Age solution to mortals, and an exciting journey into enlightenment to Mercurians. What the trendsetters don’t talk about is Ashe’s highly addictive nature, and the strange creatures the drug’s creation generates.
As an initiate of the Ashfinders, you find yourself in a thrilling, dangerous time. You’re certain that you’ve found a new path out of your condition, even if some of your full-blooded peers consider your faith a complicated form of diablerie. Let those wizened old has-beens believe what they want. They can either get with the program or find themselves in your furnaces.
• Influencer: Allowed
As a member of the Cinder Institute, the Ashfinders’ mortal-facing front, you’ve developed some sway among mortals. This keeps your cult hidden in plain sight. Pick a local subculture. You receive two dots of Influence over that subculture.
•• Shard Defense: Allowed
Beast Shards, known among the Ashfinders as “Shards,” are the monstrous remains of dead vampires used in the Ashe creation process. They flicker in and out of existence and manipulate human emotions. You’ve become an expert a hunting and destroying Shards, and it’s carried over to similar creatures. When you are hit by spectral claws or other forms of semi-material weaponry, you always take −1 damage.
••• Addiction Resistance: Allowed
Ashe addiction (Cults of the Blood Gods, p. 46) drives a Duskborn into a vicious cycle of hunger and frenzy. You’ve developed a natural resistance to that cycle. When you use Ashe, you no longer make a Rouse Check.
•••• Strange New Forms: Allowed
Ashe is exclusively made using the fixatio distillation method (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 284). Alchemists who join the Ashfinders quickly become versatile in multiple forms of distillation to accommodate, and you’re no different. When you learn an additional Thin-Blood Alchemy distillation, you may choose up to four formulae to carry over to that new form of distillation without having to spend experience points. Ashfinder Blood Alchemy (Cults of the Blood Gods, p. 44) cannot carry over to other forms of distillation.
••••• Cook: Allowed
As an important part of the Ashfinders’ supply line, you’ve had plenty of opportunities to hone your craft. It’s improved your overall prowess with Thin-Blood Alchemy. All times to research formulae are halved.
Amaranthan (p.104)
Legend states that Amarantha, a childe of the Toreador Antediluvian, was one of the first victims of diablerie. Her grieving lovers took vengeance upon the act’s first culprit, and as the practice came into fashion, swore to ensure anyone who drained a vampire would face Final Death. The Amaranthans survive to this very day hunting down diablerists with little mercy. While they had long been tolerated in Camarilla domains for their swift action against the Sabbat, the sect’s withdrawal has led many domains to reject the cult as their focus turns towards the Ivory Tower and the Anarch movement.
You were Embraced by an Amaranthan and indoctrinated. You know the true evils of diablerie, and what must be done once rumors of the act surfaces in your domain. You hunt without regard to allegiance or status. When you catch your quarry, you are courteous enough to deliver their final message, carry out any non-blasphemous final wish, or perhaps grant mercy. Your faith may clash with your coterie and domain, but you will see justice done.
• Judge: Allowed
You know time and supernatural forces hide the telltale black veins in a diablerist’s aura. You’ve been taught to look for psychological signs, like panicked glances or smiles that are too haughty. Whenever you interrogate suspected diablerists, you receive three dice to all relevant rolls.
•• Jury: Allowed
You are capable of granting clemency. It keeps your faith from being a glorified excuse to murder people. Once per story, when you catch a diablerist, expose their crime beyond any doubt, and argue truly for the sparing of their life, you may take that vampire (if they survive sentencing from a Prince or Archon) as a two dot Mawla until you feel their crime has been repaid.
••• Executioner: Allowed
While you may take pleasure in turning diablerists to ash, there is a process to the execution that must be obeyed. That’s how you keep your conscience clean. When you deliver a diablerist’s final message or complete their final wish, you may erase one Stain from your Humanity tracker.
•••• Tense Respect: Allowed
Your refusal to acquiesce to sect and domain traditions regarding diablerie doesn’t make you well-liked, but it does bring about grudging admiration. Even if you hold no position in your domain, you have a Status equivalent to three dots in the eyes of any Kindred who view diablerie in a negative way. Conversely, you earn a one dot Adversary, who holds the act of diablerie as sacred.
••••• The Final Hunt: Allowed
Unlike other Amaranthans, you’re dedicated to hunt down and consume the cannibalistic descendants of Amarantha’s murderer. It’s dangerous, but you’re prepared to sacrifice your soul for justice. When you perform diablerie on a confirmed descendent of Amarantha’s diablerist, you do not suffer an automatic drop in Humanity, but may still lose Humanity if you roll poorly in the contest between souls. All other effects still apply.
Cleopatras, Nosferatu Characters Only (p.105)
Long-lived Nosferatu know the story of Yima, the beautiful and virtuous childe of Absimilliard. She either sacrificed herself to take the full brunt of Caine’s curse, or was rejected by her sire when the curse refused to take hold in her. In the modern nights, some Nosferatu are visited in daysleep dreams by a woman who removes their blemishes and guides them to rule the Kindred. These Vagrants defy the clan’s stigmas and stereotypes, dressing in fine clothes and adorning themselves in oils and perfumes. The confidence and charisma they project brings them into positions of high society often denied to the clan. Though no one is sure if the dream woman is the influence of a Methuselah, the machinations of their Antediluvian, or the spirit of Yima herself, few can deny the results.
You are a Cleopatra, one of the few Nosferatu that receives these communal dreams. The woman who visits you in your slumber shows you the person you could be, and when you see them, you know it’s attainable. She tells you about the secret ugliness in your superiors, the kind that aesthetics just papers over. You can exploit them. With the woman’s counsel, you can conquer anything, even a clan’s Bane.
• Close Examination: Allowed
You remember things the woman told you at just the right time. Once per story, you may select an SPC, and tell the Storyteller you want to discover their deepest flaw. You gain three bonus dice to a Wits + Insight roll against that individual, with a critical success conveying the desired information. Revealing this knowledge is a certain way to earn a long-term Adversary Background, however.
•• Clothed in Power: Allowed
You know how to make the ideal self in your dreams a reality. Pick an outfit, perfume, hair style, make-up routine, or skin-care routine. When you use this, you may reroll a Social roll failure or roll to resist fury frenzy once per story.
••• Dream Appearance: Allowed
Your Bane fades while you experience daysleep, allowing you to look like you did as a mortal until you wake, although you still bear wounds if you’re suffering damage. The return of your horrific appearance is incredibly traumatic, and if anyone witnesses your Bane return they undoubtedly know what you are.
•••• Figure-in-Waiting: Allowed
Following your dreams paid off. Name a titled position in the domain. The current titleholder considers you next in line should something happen to them, granting four dots to spread between Mawla (the present titleholder) and Status. However, being second-in-line also earns you a one dot Adversary, in the form of a vampire who also wants the position.
••••• The Beauty Within: Allowed
You are destined to rule the Kindred, and not even Caine’s curse hinders you. Once per story, when you are dressed in your finest clothes, you may negate your clan’s Bane entirely for the duration of a session for the purposes of interaction with other vampires. Your appearance has not changed, but your intense confidence radiates and negates your blemishes. This Lore has no effect on kine.
Meneleans (p.106)
The Meneleans once sought to rebuild Carthage. Under the guidance and vitae of Menele, their patron Methuselah, they learned the lost city’s secrets. They believed vampires had a higher purpose and enlightenment could be found through assimilation with humanity. They struggled for a fairer society for the Kindred. To the Meneleans, one of the greatest forms of tyranny was one that elders held over younger generations. When Menele vanished and the cult’s Blood Bonds shattered, his cultists were fully aware of the irony. Abandoned by their Methuselah, the Meneleans search for meaning. How much of their faith came from their own morals, and how much came from Menele’s direct influence? Though they may never know for sure, some press on.
You are one of those adherents. You’ve set aside any questions of whether or not you’ve been manipulated, because you still feel that Menele had ideas worth spreading. You’ve come away from the experience with insights into the Blood Bond that the rest of the domain is keen to hear.
• Mortal Empathy: Allowed
You believe in the importance of cleaving to humanity and ensure you see them as people, not just as food. Once per session, you may reroll up to three dice on a Social roll involving mortals without spending Willpower.
•• Peacemaker: Allowed
Menele’s school taught you the importance of conflict resolution. Those around you tend to see you as a voice of reason. Once per session, when you are involved in a social or physical conflict, you gain two bonus dice in an attempt to resolve things through diplomacy. If one of your allies (such as a retainer or member of your coterie) then breaks the terms of your negotiation, you must roll to resist fury frenzy.
••• Show of Defiance: Allowed
Tyranny is the enemy of peace. One of the best ways to prevent it is to humble the powerful. Once per story, when you chastise or humiliate someone in a higher position of authority than you, you may add the number of dots you possess in Status as bonus dice to your roll to cajole the individual or persuade the crowd to turn against them. The outcome of using this Loresheet is a likely Adversary possessing dots equivalent to your target’s power level.
•••• Becoming the Mask: Allowed
You’ve assimilated into humanity so well you have a separate, almost mortal life. You receive an identity represented by Mask 2 and may split two dots between Contacts, Resources, and Influence. When you take on this Mask, you take on mortal connections, including family and friends (assumed to have been cultivated in the build-up to this Loresheet), though they pose risks to your security and privacy as they’ll ask the usual questions of “where are you going to work these days?”, “why are you out all night?”, and “why did someone come to my door saying you’re a vampire and part of something called a charcuterie?”
••••• Bond Breaker: Allowed
The dissipation of Menele’s Blood Bond permanently changed you. You’ve become Unbondable (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 181), and feeding a Rouse Check’s worth of vitae to a thrall immediately breaks the regent’s hold. However, you are incapable of creating your own Blood Bonds.
The One True Way (p.107)
Led by the “Master of Ravens,” the One True Way encourages vampires to seek Golconda by mastering the Beast and becoming the ultimate predator.
Followers gather in meetings and encourage everyone, including curious newcomers, to openly discuss the lowest, darkest moments in their unlife. This is for two reasons: to advise the Kindred on how to overcome their inhuman natures, and to gather secrets the cult can use to gain followers and power. The One True Way is banned in many domains across the world, but this has only seemed to increase its popularity.
As a traveler on the One True Way, you know that Golconda isn’t about redemption, but about progression and mastery. You’ve learned much about the darkness within yourself and others. Taming the Beast is agonizing, and it resists at every turn, but you work at it the best you can. You know there’s times when the Beast must run free, but you take heart in knowing even this is under your control. You know the benefits of confession, which sooths the spirit and gives you secrets to hold over your friends and enemies. You hope you can fully understand your place as a human predator, and that one night your higher instincts and your Hunger will work in tandem.
• Trust Me: Allowed
Showing vulnerability is dangerous among Kindred, but it’s necessary for the One True Way. You know how to sidestep a vampire’s hesitance and get them to say things they’d never tell their closest friends. When you speak to a vampire with genuine empathy, the Difficulty of any roll to get them to tell the truth is lowered by one.
•• Secret Keeper: Allowed
Attending or running meetings let you in on so many secrets the Nosferatu consider you a trusted source. Once per story, when you act on a secret, a single roll concerning that secret gains two extra dice.
••• Beast Communion: Allowed
You see your Beast as a separate persona. When it comes to the surface, it finds details you’ve missed. Whenever you roll a Messy Critical or a Bestial Failure, you may ask one question about the situation to your character’s Beast. Your Storyteller gives you a truthful answer in the voice of the Beast.
•••• Calling the Wave: Allowed
You see your Beast as a companion. It’d be wrong to keep a companion locked away forever, and so you release it on your own terms. Once per story, you spend a point of Willpower to immediately enter frenzy and Ride the Wave (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 219).
••••• The Road from Hunedoara: Allowed
When the Master of Ravens himself invited you to journey to Hunedoara, Romania to meet him, you accepted. He taught you much, and you have returned a near apex predator. No matter what heinous acts you commit in frenzy, you never suffer more than 1 Stain. This can only be applied once per story, and Convictions cannot further reduce these Stains.
Starfall Ranch, Malkavian Characters Only (p.108)
Starfall Ranch is well-known as one of the top ranches in the Northeastern United States. Its cattle are consistent state fair winners. Its horses have been seen at dressages and other equestrian sports events around the world. Owning these animals come at a high price, and part of that premium involves the quality service of Alberta Pennilee and the expert training of a man only known as “Dr. Starr.” Starr is Kindred. He serves the One Moon, a faith that believes that Clan Malkavian is actually one single person, experiencing themselves and the world around them through the lives and perspectives of those they Embrace. Aside from being a popular grange, Starfall Ranch serves as a halfway house for dispossessed Malkavians. There, they can work, feed, and learn their place as part of the One Moon. Starfall Ranch plays a major part in your life, whether you once worked there after your Embrace, or you still call it home. You might know the secrets of Starr’s ranch hands, or the basic philosophies of the One Moon. Perhaps you had the privilege of meeting the Methuselah that sleeps beneath the farmland.
• Herd Mindset: Discuss With Storytellers
Your time on the ranch brought you closer to your fellow wayward Malkavians. Sometimes this was a bit too close, and parts of their identities still linger within you. Once per session, you may either take two dots in a Skill you do not know for a single roll, or ask the Storyteller for one fact about an SPC that you do not know. The Storyteller decides on which fact is received.
•• Clarity of Mind: Discuss With Storytellers
Starfall Ranch is a peaceful place. Here, Malkavian from all levels of society can rest and reflect upon their future. Those that do find that they have a better chance of achieving their greater ambitions. When you start a Project at Starfall Ranch, you receive three bonus dice to the Launch roll.
••• New Perspectives: Discuss With Storytellers
You understand some basics of the One Moon, and you’re starting to discover how you are only a single aspect of a greater person. You can even borrow the talents and abilities of your faith’s other followers. Once per story, you may take one Skill rating and replace it with that of another One Moon cultist. This may either be another player’s character or an SPC. This Lore is in effect for the remainder of this story.
•••• Starr and Marta: Discuss With Storytellers
You’ve had the chance to see Marta with your own eyes, and it changed you forever. You may take Dr. Starr as a four dot Mawla. Once per story, Marta will speak through him. You may ask her any relevant question to the story, and she answers truthfully, to the best of her knowledge.
••••• But I Saw You Die: Discuss With Storytellers
Starr is infamous for cheating death. He’s shared his secret with you. Once, when you undergo final death, you may select another One Moon cultist SPC. This SPC is now you, even taking on your physical likeness if possible. Your Skills, Advantages, Flaws, and any out-of-clan Discipline dots remain, but you must redistribute your Attributes and your in-clan Discipline dots.
Trails of Ash and Bone
The Ruby Throat (p.170)
Atlantic City has a reputation to uphold, and for those who travel to the shore to toy with the fickle whims of lady luck, there’s no reason that death need stop the fun. Originally established in the prohibition era as a member’s only roulette club by a popular boardwalk dancing girl, the Ruby Throat became a den of powerful people wagering far more than money. Rumor has it a well-known sea facing hotel was won over a single roll one night at the Ruby Throat.
During the Second World War, the location the Ruby Throat operated out of was retrofitted into a factory. The founder, now a rich woman well past her dancing years, planned to happily retire and allow the club to fade into the shadows. A local Kindred named Edith Blumenau loved both her and the marvelous club she had built far too much to allow either to leave the city, and made both a permanent fixture of the boardwalk.
Note: The Ruby Throat is easily moved to any other city with a history of gambling or organized crime, and switches locations from opulent sites to flea-bitten dens.
• Rubbing Shoulders: Allowed
You’ve sat at the table for a game or two at the Ruby Throat. You didn’t win, but you picked up a little knowledge on the other Kindred round the table. By name-dropping a significant individual around the streets of Atlantic City, you gain one die on rolls to get into places or acquire information otherwise out of your league, but pick the wrong name and it’s likely to get back to them.
•• What’s in your Sleeves: Allowed
Someone accused you of cheating at the Ruby Throat and you publicly put them in their place. You dealt with the situation so well, you were offered work as a bouncer. This role allows you a two-dice bonus to all intimidate rolls when dealing with Kindred in the crime scene, and you can put names to faces of almost any Kindred who might frequent Atlantic City night spots.
••• Chicken Dinner: Allowed
A hand went your way recently and you got your choice of coveted prizes. Once per story you gain a human vessel with a Dyscrasia of your choice, to feed from as desired. Unless specified, the Dyscrasia does not fade after use. You are responsible for this retainer for the time you use them, and if anything happens to them, you will owe the house significant reparations.
•••• High Roller: Locked
You’ve had a string of luck at the Ruby Throat that got attention, some even said it was unrealistic. Any existing Resources Background is increased by two (to a maximum of four), and you gain access to Herd (••) whenever you are within Atlantic City, each vessel has a resonance of your choosing. You also suffer the flaw Adversary (•), as a fellow Kindred thinks you’re gaming the house.
••••• Dead Man’s Hand: Allowed
You’ve been invited to play at the Johnson table, the highest risk game the Ruby Throat offers. The annual event draws spectators and is the talk of the Kindred underworld. The prizes of such an event are fabulously desirable and often unique. Winning or losing could be a matter of significant status gain, or terribly embarrassing loss. Word gets out about the players involved, and up until the game comes to pass, you benefit from Status (•••) among Kindred in Atlantic City and the ability to access any lesser games and gambits without a roll.
Relics of the Veil (p.172)
When mortals speak of haunted rooms, of places where temperature drops and whispers tickle the senses, they are often unknowingly in the presence of a powerful fetter or relic connected closely to the realms of the dead. In the hands of mortals or Kindred without the proper understanding, relics connecting those in the world of the living to those beyond the veil provide nothing more than a feeling of unease, but in the right hands they can be powerful talismans assisting those who deal in the power of Oblivion. Strange objects, some found in passing, some passed down through families and bloodlines over centuries, each one is connected somehow to the world beyond the veil, and brings with them the attentions of wraiths and other entities.
• Torn Shroud: Allowed
This small fragment of torn material resembles a frail, semi-translucent shroud. It’s cold to the touch, and the fibrous, fleshy nature of the material gives it a feeling of almost biological consistency. The Shroud was of great importance to something once, and echoes of its old purpose remain. While holding the shroud, you gain one dice to your pools to use any Oblivion Discipline. The Shroud is delicate, and with too much use simply dissolves to nothing.
•• Burning Effigy: Allowed
The origin of this odd little doll is unknown. You came across it by chance, and although it’s made of nothing more than a jumble of sticks and colored string, something about it makes you think it looks a little like you. Once, you can ignite the doll and burn it to ashes. Upon waking next dusk, you heal up to two extra levels of Aggravated Health damage. Somewhere, possibly even a great distance away, this pain is felt by something else.
••• The Gaunt Robe: Allowed
The plain gray robe has existed in your family for generations. Its origin is unclear, and the thing is hardly worth holding onto. It’s threadbare and falling apart, and needs careful care to keep together for much longer. When the robe is around your shoulders, it’s oddly comforting, like being held closely. While wearing the robe, you can spend one Willpower point to gain two automatic successes in any roll to resist the abilities of wraiths. The robe is delicate, and must be taken care of to avoid being damaged beyond use.
•••• The Nails of Dismus: Allowed
Three of these 8 inch long, gnarled lengths of unidentifiable metal are known to exist, usually on display in a cathedral of the old world. Somehow you possess one of these coveted and cruel looking relics. They function as a light piercing weapon with a +2 damage value and can incapacitate a vampire as if it were made of wood. Any Kindred staked with the Nail of Dismus suffers a level of Aggravated Willpower damage at dawn every night they remain staked, as the nail drives their waking moments into constant visions of suffering and horror. The Nails of Dismus are known to be linked to an ancient and deeply hateful wraith.
••••• Codex Caecitus: Allowed
Bound in white flesh from a pig fed on human remains, this massive book is held shut with a locking brass latch. Page after page of the heavy tome is filled with maddened scrawling, nightmarish biological sketching, and blocks of seemingly incomprehensible text in an unknown cipher. Allegedly penned by a blind monk under the service of Cappadocius, the codex has been passed between monks and scholars for centuries, each of them seeking meaning in the yellow and cracking pages. Once per story the current owner can, after long hours of meditation over the book, decipher one of the hundreds of coded passages. The revelations contained therein could be any number of powerful secrets surrounding the realm of the dead, including the names of significant wraiths, the fetter of a particular wraith, or the knowledge of any chosen Oblivion ritual. If the codex is in the hands of a non-Hecata, the Necromancers aggressively seek to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs.
Fall of London
Agent of Justicar Parr (p.233)
Juliette Parr is the current Malkavian Justicar, given the authority to investigate traitors to the Camarilla, and to punish those that would flaunt or undermine its Traditions. Parr has a long-standing association with law enforcement; prior to her appointment she served as one of the Sheriffs of London. Her presence, knowledge, and charm are considerable, and her compulsive tendencies have served her well when interrogating suspects, examining crime scenes, and poring over other important evidence. The Justicar continues to maintain a Haven in her home city of London, and she can often be found there when she is not attending Camarilla matters overseas personally.
You are a confidant of Justicar Parr, serving as her eyes and ears, and given the authority to command Camarilla resources in her name. She trusts your observations and recommendations, all in the name of the greater good, protecting the Camarilla from enemies within and without.
• Information Drop: Banned
You routinely provide information to Justicar Parr, reporting on the movements and conversations of other Kindred, but sometimes you receive useful information in return. Once per story you can ask the Storyteller for a piece of information relevant to an ongoing investigation, which could be reasonably provided by the Justicar’s wider network of agents and informants.
•• Camarilla Conditioning: Banned
Beyond your personal commitment to the Camarilla, you have also received training and indoctrination that ensures your loyalty to the sect. You gain 1 die in all Willpower tests performed in the course of your duties, and you also add 1 additional die to your pool when making tests to resist any attempts to intimidate or compel you away from your duties.
••• Request Backup: Banned
You are important enough to Justicar Parr that you may call upon other Camarilla assets in her network to assist you in your work. Once each story you may call upon a 4-dot Ally to back you up for the duration of a scene. They could grant you access to places you normally cannot go, introduce you to people you would not normally meet, perform a task beyond your own expertise and experience, or simply provide physical protection or escape in a high-risk situation.
•••• Favored Protégé: Banned
You are acquainted with Juliette Parr at a personal level, and you have a shared history beyond serving the Camarilla in an official capacity. You correspond with the Malkavian often, while she trusts you implicitly, her interest comes with a certain degree of possessiveness. You may consider Parr a 5-dot Mawla, but she also makes constant demands of you. It would be unwise to upset an elder of her power and influence.
••••• Camarilla Archon: Banned
You are publicly named as an Archon serving the Camarilla under Justicar Parr, and you hold a warrant that you can present to any Camarilla Kindred to demand their cooperation in your activities and investigations. Your position taints all your interactions with other vampires for better or worse. Sycophants will try to impress you, while others may resent you or avoid you. Enemies of the Camarilla will also consider you a target to make an example of, if possible.
Court of Shadows (p.234)
The King of Shadows is a mysterious figure in London’s supernatural society. Variously described as a vampire, a criminal kingpin, a champion of the downtrodden, and a ghostly agent of retribution, few know the truth. The darkest and ugliest corners of London now belong to the King, and they suffer no insult, and brook no competition. While the King is not known to foster friendships, they have many agents and allies that serve them across the city, both on the street and below it. These agents can be found everywhere: near train and tube stations, on street corners and bus stops, outside all-night convenience stores, in hostels, under bridges, and in other more downtrodden places.
Many mortals and Kindred alike are in the King’s debt, and those that are foolish enough to become their enemy are seldom seen for long. To be in the King’s favor is considered a blessing by many, and certainly not something to be scorned.
There are many benefits to serving the King of Shadows. They always look out for their own, ensuring their agents are never hungry, and never want for a roof over their heads. The King also offers security and sanctuary – many of London’s organized crime syndicates are aware of their existence, but few would dare to cross them.
• Free Meals: Allowed
The King of Shadows is aware their Kindred associates need to remain well-fed, and to this end they employ mortals across the city as willing vessels who can be made available to those in need. Once per game session you may approach the Court of Shadow for sustenance. The vessel will be willing, and of a random Resonance with no Dyscrasias. If you have any feeding restrictions, then the vessel is compatible with your predilections.
•• Rumor Mill: Allowed
The Court of Shadows encourages a lively trade of information and rumors. Once each game session you may approach the network to exchange useful information. The veracity and accuracy of the information given to you is left to the Storyteller’s discretion, but it should consider the value of the information that you trade in return. If you cannot pay in kind, then you may be asked to perform a service for the King instead.
••• Contraband: Allowed
The Court of Shadows is also a place where you can find illegal narcotics, weapons, explosives, and other contraband. Once per story you may approach the Court of Shadows for what you need. They will be willing to provide, but always at a price, which can be paid in hard currency, or with barter – either information or other goods of an equivalently high value.
•••• Sanctuary: Allowed
The Court has access to many buildings above ground across the city, and many structures below ground, all of which are claimed by the King as their domain. The King’s agents know many hiding places, located where few prying eyes would think to look. Once per story you may approach the Court of Shadow to request sanctuary. You will be blindfolded, and you will not know where you are taken, but you can be sure that you will be kept safe for as long a time as you need.
••••• Favored by the King: Allowed
You are one of the few Kindred in London who has ever been in the presence of the King of Shadows. For some reason they have taken an interest in you, and regularly correspond and meet with you. The King wears a mask and is still an enigmatic figure, but you know more about them than many others. Once per story you may call upon the King directly for aid. The manner and degree to which they respond is left to the Storyteller to determine, but it should materially serve your needs in some way.
• Free Meals: Allowed •• Rumor Mill: Allowed ••• Contraband: Allowed •••• Sanctuary: Locked ••••• Favored by the King: Locked
Hunt Club (p.235)
The organization known as the Hunt Club has been operating covertly in London since the end of the Second World War. Highly secretive in nature, the organization is dedicated to the pursuit of hunting Kindred for sport and is reputed to endorse the practice of diablerie. Members join using pseudonyms and disguises to protect their own reputations, and rumor has it that some are highly placed within Kindred society.
The nominal leader of the Hunt Club is known simply as The Count, a title commonly believed to be a homage to Count Zaroff, a Russian vampire known to have hunted his peers in the mid- 20th century, but who has not been seen for decades. The organization’s practices have evolved over the years into baroque and theatrical affairs, teasing and taunting victims, and using regalia and calling cards that recall mortal Britain’s long history of fox and game hunting.
Before London’s fall, the Hunt Club was quick to join in the action each time Queen Anne declared a Blood Hunt, and the organization was unscrupulous at identifying its own targets for sport during quiet times. London and the United Kingdom have proven to be a rich hunting ground, populated by many reclusive and antiquated elders with poor defenses but rich vitae for the taking. In modern nights the organization must be wary of Operation Antigen, but some members argue that getting closer to these mortal hunters may be a way of finding new quarry for their sport.
• Huntsman’s Newsletter: Allowed
As a fledgling member of the Hunt Club, you are notified when important events occur, including when Blood Hunts are declared in the various Kindred domains in Avalon and in the cities of western Europe. You can expect to receive such a notice once per story, but exactly when this might happen is left to the discretion of the Storyteller.
•• Experienced Diablerist: Allowed
You have previously participated in a hunt, and in its culmination have committed the act of diablerie on another vampire. Due to your prior experience, you may add 1 die to your pool in all future Strength + Resolve tests when attempting the same act again in the future. This also means that the signs of diablerie may be visible in your aura, and you would be wise to avoid this being detected.
••• Huntsman’s Dossier: Allowed
The Hunt Club devotes significant resources to watching and researching elder vampires to assess their defenses and suitability as a target for sport. Not all these Kindred end up as victims, but the information gathered about their movements and nightly habits may still be interesting to other members. Once per story you may contact the organization to ask for information regarding the current whereabouts, or the favorite haunts, of a named Kindred that dwells in the local domain.
•••• Huntsman’s Steed: Allowed
You have acquired and adapted a modern vehicle to perfectly complement your hunting pursuits. The exact make and model are left to the Storyteller’s discretion, but it will be a plain-colored van or truck with blacked-out windows. The exterior will be subtly armor-plated, and the interior will be sound-proofed and reinforced with metal cage strong enough to contain an angry Kindred. The vehicle can be registered to your name, or one of your Masks. As with any vehicle, you should take care not to let it get stolen or impounded by the authorities.
••••• Leader of the Hunt: Allowed
Your good standing within the Hunt Club gives you the right to name any Kindred as the next quarry for the organization’s sport. Once per story you may circulate the name of your target, which will cause them to be taunted, harassed and attacked by members of the organization. This will prove to be a significant inconvenience and distraction, but whether they survive the assault is left to the discretion of the Storyteller.
London Under London, Nosferatu Characters Only (p.236)
The subterranean landscape underneath London’s streets could be considered an entire and separate city of its own. The tunnels of the underground rail system, bored over a century ago, worm alongside crypts and basements of much older structures, and more modern shafts dug to provide water, power, and telecommunications services to London’s residents above.
In the city center, within the approximate area marked as Zone 1 on transport maps, the underground infrastructure is particularly dense. New digging work associated with the groundbreaking Crossrail project – still incomplete at the time of writing – has come within centimeters of other existing structures. These underground pathways can be used to traverse the oldest parts of the city without ever setting foot on the street.
• Tube Safety: Discuss With Storytellers
While it is not normally recommended for Kindred to use the Tube for transport or feeding purposes, your knowledge of this transport system places you at an advantage. You know the layout of each station and where all the CCTV cameras are placed. While you cannot control them, you can take care not to present your face to them, and you know the blind spots in their coverage. As a result, you may attempt a Wits + Stealth test at Difficulty 3, which, if successful, allows you to pass through or hunt in any tube station undetected. Anyone travelling with you can also benefit from your knowledge, should you choose to share it.
•• Somewhere to Hide: Discuss With Storytellers
Your knowledge of London’s underground infrastructure is good enough to let you hide in desperate situations. Maybe you are being pursued, or maybe you just found yourself too far from your haven too close to dawn. Whatever the reason, you can attempt a Wits + Larceny test at Difficulty 3 to find a suitable hiding place below ground that will be overlooked by anyone not in possession of similar knowledge. The location could be an old sewer pipe, a maintenance hatch, or a less-used section of the London Underground tunnel system – the Storyteller may rule on how large or small your hiding place is, and how long you may be able to safely stay there.
••• Network of Vermin: Allowed
You have spent enough time below ground in London to become familiar with the multitudes of vermin and other creepy-crawlies that live there. These creatures are more readily available to do your bidding, and more willing to defend you from intruders. Your chances of finding useful creatures in any scene situated underground are increased, and you may add 1 die to your pool when using any Animalism powers that concern the interaction with other bestial creatures below the surface of London, including Bond Famulus, Feral Whispers, Unliving Hive, and Animal Dominion.
•••• Personal Bolt-Hole: Allowed
In addition to your regular haven above ground, you maintain a secret underground hideout that you can retreat to where no other Kindred can find you, and where you can store valuable items that you dare not leave anywhere else. You do not use it frequently, as to do so would risk its discovery, but here you are safe from traditional means of discovery (and the harmful rays of the sun). Note that this entirely mundane location will not conceal you from those that would use supernatural means to track you – e.g. Auspex or Blood Sorcery.
••••• Freedom of the City: Discuss With Storytellers
Your knowledge of the subterranean landscape of London is enough to let you travel and access important locations without ever needing to step above ground. Once per story you may transit between two surface locations using underground routes in a manner that would not be detected by anyone watching at ground level. This could mean accessing a private or public building illicitly – e.g. a bank vault, a secure office, or another Kindred’s Haven – but this would not protect you from any security measures you might encounter inside the building.
Operation Antigen (p.237)
Operation Antigen is the name of the coalition of police, military, and intelligence assets that purged the city of London of organized vampire influence. Antigen is still active tonight, in a second phase dedicated to ensuring that supernatural criminal influence does not return. The success of the operation has led to similar anti-vampire initiatives being sponsored in other cities in the United Kingdom and abroad. You carefully cultivated allies and contacts that give you some insight into Operation Antigen and its ongoing efforts in London, and to similar activities elsewhere. You may also be able to exert some limited influence over its night-to-night affairs, to better protect yourself and the ones you love, or to set them upon your enemies and rivals. These interactions do not come without risk, however, as no Kindred can be considered truly safe from Antigen’s reach.
• Early Warning: Allowed
You have a trusted insider who has made you a simple promise: if Antigen ever identifies you, or plans your capture, they will give you advanced warning. This is a one-time thing: they won’t stop or delay the agents, but they will do you the courtesy of letting you know that they are coming.
•• Tactical Dossier: Allowed
You have acquired (or been leaked) a dossier which discusses typical Antigen operating procedures, covering surveillance protocols, how to plan raids, and tactical advice for engaging with IC0s. During a scene which involves Operation Antigen, you can use the contents of this dossier to predict and outwit their behavior. If the outcome of the scene results in Antigen being aware that they have been outmaneuvered (e.g. their agents are killed, or their mission objectives are thwarted), then they will change their operating methods and the dossier will become useless.
••• Sympathetic Insider: Allowed
You have a relationship with someone placed high up on Antigen’s apparatus who knows a great deal about current operational activities and targets. This person has their own reasons for sharing information outside the chain of command – perhaps they do not agree with Antigen’s methods, or they are more curious about the supernatural? Regardless of their motives, they are also cautious and paranoid about being caught leaking information by their peers. Using suitably clandestine methods, you may reach out to this four-dot Contact once per story to ask them questions about Antigen’s current activities.
•••• Get Out of Jail Free: Allowed
You have leverage over someone in the upper echelons of Operation Antigen. They do not know it yet, and what you have can only be used once – as soon as the organization knows this person is compromised, they will be cycled out and their clearance revoked. Whoever it is in the government, police or military, you can contact them and successfully blackmail them into performing one service for you once. This is a card that can be played in the event you are (or someone you know is) captured by Antigen forces, but it could also potentially be used to deflect resources or delete sensitive information. Once your leverage is used, not only will it become valueless, but your use of it will place you on Antigen’s watch list.
••••• Official Credentials: Allowed
You have managed to obtain or manufacture false credentials that will give you temporary access to Antigen resources. You can use this identity to briefly take command of Antigen personnel at a location under surveillance, or at the scene of a raid. You can also use this identity to take custody of prisoners or evidence, or to infiltrate a location currently under Antigen control. How long your cover lasts depends on how well you can blend in, and how long it takes before people start to ask awkward questions. Once used, however, the cover is blown and it cannot be used again.
Oskar Anasov (p.238)
Oskar Anasov is one of the most influential vampires active in London tonight. He is responsible for the analog communication systems which connect London’s Kindred Landlords, and he is a staunch believer and enforcer of the Compact. He can also arrange passage into or out of the city safely.
Embraced by the Nosferatu Boronisk in Prussia in the mid-19th century, Oskar was once a political revolutionary, with a hand in the upheavals that occurred in France, Italy, Germany, and Hungary. After the Russian Revolution, and subsequent purges, he traveled with many political exiles to London. Oskar joined with the Anarchs of London and instigated unrest against the Ventrue rule. He was caught painting Anarch graffiti on the walls of Elysium and was hauled before then-Seneschal Anne Bowesley. He had a choice to serve her or to be executed. For many years, he remained a loyal, if grudging, servant to the Court of London. When Anne succeeded Mithras as the Prince of London, Oskar became her Herald, issuing decrees across the domain of Avalon on her behalf.
Oskar was clever enough to survive the Fall of London, and was instrumental in devising the Compact. In addition to maintaining the network of carrier pigeons used to send messages between London’s Landlords, Oskar also devotes considerable time to studying and monitoring Operation Antigen.
Anasov’s services aren’t usually free, and each time you call upon him he will require payment for his efforts. He typically prefers to receive information and favors over hard currency – in each case the specifics of each payment are left to the Storyteller’s discretion.
• Messaging Service: Discuss With Storytellers
You are acquainted with Anasov well enough to use his messaging network, which is a reliable method for contacting other Kindred in London, without risk of the communication being intercepted by Operation Antigen. Anasov promises successful delivery, regardless of how elusive the recipient might otherwise be.
•• Personal Introduction: Discuss With Storytellers
For a higher fee Anasov can also arrange for a face-to-face meeting with any other Kindred resident in London. Once per story you can name any Kindred known to be in London – regardless of whether they hold domain or are just passing through – and the Nosferatu will arrange the meeting after receiving payment. Anasov facilitates the introduction, but cannot vouch this Kindred’s behavior or reaction to meeting you. If a meeting turns violent, or otherwise ends badly for the Kindred you named, then Anasov will refuse all your future requests, for the sake of his own reputation.
••• Safe Passage: Discuss With Storytellers
Anasov has the means to smuggle mortals and Kindred in and out of the city of London without fear of detection by other vampires, or the agents of Operation Antigen. Once each story you may call upon the Nosferatu to perform this service for a group of up to six individuals. If entering the city, they will be delivered safely and securely to an address of your choice. If leaving the city, then you may name a destination outside of London’s borders. Typically, Anasov will arrange a pickup or drop off in a town or city in the south-east of the UK. Arranging international transit is possible for a higher fee, but Anasov will not vouch for the party’s reception or safety after they have been delivered to the requested destination.
•••• Mentor: Discuss With Storytellers
You are personally acquainted with Anasov, and your interactions with him are more than just business. You may count him as a four-dot Mawla, and you receive a significant discount when paying to utilize his services. However, this also means that he may call on you at least once per story to help him with message delivery, people smuggling or another similar activity which furthers his interests.
••••• Landlord Council: Discuss With Storytellers
Meetings of vampires from neighboring domains occur from time to time to settle debts, resolve disputes, and to recognize new Landlords. Larger gatherings of all of London’s domain holders are rare, and usually mark the need to discuss a great threat or opportunity that might affect them all. Through Anasov, you will be notified and invited to any meeting of Landlords that takes place in London. Once per story, if you have a suitable justification, you may also ask Anasov to use his influence to call the Kindred Landlords of London to a meeting. Note that these Kindred are paranoid, fickle, and prideful, and will mark you as a fool or as an enemy if they should decide that you are wasting their time.
Winter's Teeth
Minneapolis (No.2, p.1)
While St. Paul may claim the distinction of age over her twin sister city, Minneapolis has her beat on both size and population. Beginning life as a milling outpost along the Mississippi river, Minneapolis has swung back and forth on the pendulum of progress in nights since.
Skyscrapers loom proudly over the downtown district while soft, yellow streetlights illuminate the fine dining of the riverfront. Between the city's expansive sculpture garden and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, an appreciation for the fine arts has been blended into the city's soul. Outside of New York City, Minneapolis boasts the largest number of theaters per capita in the United States. Even pop culture has been shaped by the City of Lakes, who can claim famed musicians such as Bob Dylan and Prince as native sons.
When the Camarilla arrived in Minneapolis, they had already laid claim to the sister city of St. Paul. Despite Anarch protestations, Prince Samantha Merrain has claimed praxis over both of the Twin Cities and considers all Kindred dwelling within to be her subjects. However, cooler heads within the Camarilla of the domains are wary to directly support her reign, having grown fearful of uprisings in similarly fractured domains, such as Berlin. Some within the Anarch movement have also noticed certain similarities to those of their German brethren, and rumors of a possible revolt have begun to propagate the night..
• The Nod Lot: Banned
This unofficial district located in the northwest of the city is known among the local Kindred as the "Nod Lot." Though the hunting there is just as bountiful as it is in more posh locales such as the Rack, the population of the Nod Lot consists of the discarded, forgotten, and despairing. You have cultivated a small Herd (••), whose blood resonance varies from the Melancholic to completely absent. Additionally, feeding from such victims presents a high-risk of transferring blood-borne pathogens, potentially poisoning the well. You must take the Flaw Addiction (•) or Dark Secret, Plague Bearer (•).
•• The Artist Formerly Known As...: Banned
You are one of the lucky few who has managed to make a name for themselves within the music industry as a performing artist. Unfortunately, since your Embrace, your renown has become a double-edged sword, especially after the highly publicized reports of your death. You gain Fame (•••), however, must also take the flaw Mask, Known Corpse (•).
••• The Revolution: Banned
Minneapolis, like many American cities, is plagued with a history of racism and societal injustice, whose wounds still bleed well into the modern nights. However, Minneapolis also has a strong tradition of those who fight for equal rights and representation. Perhaps you were once an active force for change within your community, or have otherwise become familiar to those who are, currently. You gain four dots to spend among Allies, Contacts, or Influence, to represent your affiliation with prominent grassroots movements, local leaders, or institutions. This activism among mortals has made you a target among your elite Camarilla enemies, however -- you must take the Status flaw, Shunned (Camarilla) (•)
•••• The River Rats: Banned
The Kindred of Clan Nosferatu infest the city of Minneapolis from the sewers and the riverfront, to the dark corners of the skywalk and the ruins of ancient flour mills. While many object to their loathsome presence, few can deny the invaluable intel that information brokers within the Clan of the Hidden will provide for the right price. You have somehow managed to ingratiate yourself to this cabal of secret-seekers; you may distribute three dots between Contacts and Mawla, and, once per story, you may gain one valuable piece of information relevant to your characters Ambition.
••••• The Minneapolis Six: Banned
In 2003, a riot stemming from a University of Minneapolis hockey victory was blamed on the Anarch community. Prince Merrain capitalized upon the opportunity to cripple Minneapolis' Anarch leadership, and had three of the six perpetrators put to Final Death. The remaining three were forcibly blood bound to the Prince to ensure their continued loyalty. You are one of the surviving three. Your blood bond has broken, and now, you and your kin hunger for retribution. Once per chronicle, you may evoke the memory of the Minneapolis Six in order to sway the Anarch community to your cause, at the discretion of the Storyteller.
St. Paul (No.2, p.2)
Built upon native Dakota land, the kine have their various pseudonyms for it: Imnzaska, the Saintly City, the "Pig's Eye," and the Last City of the East. That final nickname is particularly true for the city's Kindred who view St. Paul as the last bastion of American Camarilla power before one reaches the lupine-dominated Rockies and the chaotic battlegrounds of the so-called Anarch Free States. Of late, even its sister city of Minneapolis has become more and more defiant of Camarilla authority. Nevertheless, those who claim praxis over St. Paul tend to claim the title happily: "Prince of the Twin Cities".
To many within the Ivory Tower, St. Paul is little more than a bourgeois pretender, an up-jumped satellite domain to the realm of Chicago. But for those who have dwelled there through decades and centuries, St. Paul represents everything that Clan Toreador holds dear From its Gallic origins to the thriving (if humble) local arts scene, the Clan of the Rose fancy themselves as the bringers of culture and civilization to a raucous American frontier.
For the past century the monarch of St. Paul has been Prince Samantha Merrain - a Toreador of seemingly ancient origins. Though her true age and generation are a closely guarded secret, Merrain has seemingly avoided the siren call of the Beckoning. A beloved protector of the arts and and culture to some and a spoiled, vapid tyrant to others, Merrain's direct influence over Minneapolis has waxed and waned with the tenacity of the local Anarch movement, yet her hold over St. Paul is all but absolute.
• Dirty Boot: Banned
If there is anything that Prince Samantha values, it's talent. Those who are useful for furthering the Prince's goals often find themselves wash in superficial praises from Merrain and her court. However, word travels fast between the Twin Cities, and those who may find themselves celebrated in St. Paul may be marked with suspiscion elsewhere. You gain one dot of Status (Camarilla) within the domain of St. Paul, however, you gain the Status flaw, Shunned (Anarchs) (•) when in the borders of Minneapolis.
•• The Caves: Banned
An open secret to locals, the man-made caves located underneath the otherwise innocuous Wabasha Street have played host to miners, mushroom farmers, bootleggers and nightclubs throughout the years. Suffice it to say their subterranean location has made them the ideal haven for Kindred, and many an Elysium has been held in the spacious, sandstone dancehall carved into the underground tunnels. As one of the denizens of the caves you gain Haven (••) with the merits Postern (•) and Luxury (•).
••• Criminal History: Banned
Though the age of Prohibition and gangsters may be over, organized crime still finds a foothold in St. Paul. From Babyface Nelson, to John Dillinger, to Machine Gun Kelly, you repensent a heritage of underworld culture that lives on to the modern nights You gain a two-dice bonus in all Streetwise rolls made to gather information on local criminal activity, and a specialty of your choice in Larceny.
•••• Courtier: Banned
Those who know to cater to a Toreador Prince's whims have learned to make themselves not only little worker bees, but beautiful social butterflies You gain the specialty Etiquette (High Society) and may add two dice to any Social Conflict roll made within an Elysium or Courtly setting once per session.
••••• Dual Citizenship: Banned
Perhaps your service to Prince Merrain has been so subtle as to not attract the ire of your fellow Kindred across the river. Or perhaps you've become so well-embedded as an Anarch within St. Paul that none would dare question your presence in either city. You gain a cover identity, in the form of Mask (••), for the purposes of undercover travelling within whichever Twin City you do not reside. That identity may also gain two dots of Status with either the Camarilla (for St. Paul) or the Anarchs (for Minneapolis). Once per story any egregious breaking of the Masquerade (or that city's Traditions) may be blamed upon that false identity (and by extension, that Sect), leaving you to suffer little to no consequences. This is an ideal strategy for both infiltrators and Agents Provocateur within both sects.
Wolves in Sheep's Clothing (No.3, p.1)
Discarded and disenfranchised ghouls forming themselves into confederations and cults is no new phenomenon. Animosity between servant and master is a tale as old as the practice of servitude itself, and woe to the vampire who carelessly abuses his faithful retainer. More than one city in the modern nights are plagued with hands of independent ghouls, stalking their former domitors to feast upon the vitae that fuels their unearthly addiction using the gifts bestowed upon them to bite the hand that feeds.
Though this practice is hardly novel, the cabal that calls itself the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing has personalized this poetic justice in unique and perverse ways. The Wolves use their augmented blood coupled with a strange and blasphemous form of mortal Hedge Magic to technomantically graft preserved kindred body parts onto themselves. By harvesting, say, the eyes of a Kindred, they may in turn temporarily harness a semblance of that Kindred's ability to control the minds of others into the depths of the through eye contact or to see into the depths of the soul.
No one truly knows from where these reprehensible mongrels first gained their taste of vitae, (though their passing familiarity with some form of necromancy implies a possible connection to a certain family of the Hecata) and any Kindred found responsible for such a blunder would surely find themselves upon the Red List. It is only their relatively small number and covert activities that keep them from being perceived as a bigger threat - instead, they are merely another faction of dangerous mortals to watch out for in the modern nights.
• What Big Teeth You Have!: Banned
As their names suggest, the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing are deadly simply because - as ghouled mortals - Kindred have a tendency to underestimate them, allowing them to get in close enough to strike with lethal precision. You have learned to recognize the telltale signs of these abominations as your Beast instinctively finds itself agitated around these callous usurpers.
•• Huntsman: Banned
You have engaged in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing for years. The lines between predator and prey have become blurred as you seek out these deadly foes while simultaneously ensuring your own safety during daylight hours. You gain an extra die to all Investigation rolls made to track down or investigate the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, in addition to gaining an extra die to all rolls made to act during the daytime.
••• Carrion Preservation: Banned
You have managed to replicate the way in which the Wolves harvest vampiric body parts without them immediately decaying into dust. While you are certain to not gain the benefits they do by grafting such parts onto yourself, such a talent can nevertheless prove useful when it comes to preserving evidence, or grisly keepsakes. By dousing the organ or extremity into one Rouse Check's worth of vitae and succeeding at a Resolve + Occult roll (difficulty 3), the vampire may embalm the object for a year, at which time the preservation needs to be renewed. Final Death of the caster, however, immediately renders this preservation null.
•••• A Wolf in the Fold: Banned
You have been victimized by the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, though have managed to escape. To this night, some up-jumped ghoul stalks the streets, wielding pieces of your body as their own. While this may serve them for now, you have managed to turn this plunder into a Trojan Horse. Once per Chronicle, you may attempt to inhabit the perception of your assailant, as per the Auspex power Share the Senses. Should you already possess Share the Senses, you instead reduce the difficulty of the roll by two.
••••• The Shepherd: Banned
You have made yourself a mysterious benefactor to the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing to such a degree that they have become your loyal, if ignorant, hounds. You gain Allies (••••) representing a cell of these redoubtable ghouls. Once per Chronicle, you may send this cell to dispatch a Kindred enemy. However, should the Wolves discover your true nature, said Allies may very easily become Enemies (••••) instead, not to mention any objections your local Camarilla may take to those who willingly aid and abet anathemas such as these.
The Nictuku, Nosferatu Characters Only (No.3, p.4)
In the underground tunnels of the Clan of the Hidden, there are whispered legends and cautionary tales shared among the Sewer Rats. Sires warn their childer of dangers lurking in the darkest corners of night, and of monstrosities that would chill the vitae of even the most hideous of horrors.
Nictuku.
That single word is enough to spread like wildfire throughout the ranks of the Nosferatu rumor mill, sending neonates and elders alike scuttling back to their warrens in paranoid dread. To some, they are believed to be the vengeful offspring of the clan progenitor - a vindictive and cannibalistic bloodline whose thirst can only be sated by the blood of the Antediluvian's lesser childer. To others, it is the colorful sobriquet applied to those Nosferatu who have succumbed to their Beasts - a less existential, if similarly harrowing, threat - and now stalk the caverns and catacombs of the world as they hunt their own kind. Even others maintain that it is a title taken by the eldest of the clan, merely another mask adopted to feed upon their own.
Whatever the truth may be, no Kindred currently active in the modern nights knows for sure, and those who are unlucky enough to actually encounter one of the Nictuku are certain never to survive to tell about it. You, however, have managed to piece together key pieces of knowledge that may, one night, save your unlife.
• Signal-To-Noise: Banned
More than one mysterious death or disappearance has been attributed to be the work of the dreaded Nictuku by conspiracy-minded Sewer Rats. Whether it's a scouting party that has vanished beneath the streets of Manhattan, or a warren in St. Louis suddenly going dark, time and resources are often wasted on wild goose chases. Once per story, by examining the tell-tale signs (or lack thereof), you may definitively know whether such a crime was committed by your ancestral enemy, or some other circumstance.
•• Morbid Curiosity: Banned
Whether through legend, gossip, or indirect exposure, you have grown obsessed with the concept of these ancestral nemeses and have devoted your unlife to the study of the Nictuku. When making an Occult or Investigation roll regarding the Nictuku you may add two dice to the roll.
••• Blindspot: Banned
Most Nosferatu believe the most powerful weapon in their arsenal is the Discipline of Obfuscate. However, while this may make them all but imperceptible to humans, Kindred and other supernatural beings have senses that extend beyond mortal means. In keeping with their name, the Hidden have had to hone their skills to counter not only the perceptive Tremere regent on whom they are spying, but also the unknown shadows that haunt their every step. Once per session, you may add two dice to your Obfuscate roll when contesting against a power such as Sense the Unseen.
•••• Deathmark: Banned
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. You've managed to attract the attention of one of the Nictuku (or something that appears as one), and now it is but a matter of time before they catch up with you. You gain Adversary (••••) however, you may spend an equal number of points on Haven Merits relating to the added security measures taken against your phantom nemesis. Once per story, you may permanently sacrifice up to three dots in Backgrounds to make a clean getaway, at the Storyteller's discretion.
••••• Hunted-Becomes-Hunter: Banned
You have developed skills of survival and combat against more than just the Nictuku. Indeed, you have managed to hone yourself into a defensive weapon against any Kindred who would seek to consume the vitae within you. You gain the specialization Brawl (Kindred) and may add an additional two-dice to all conflicted rolls against cannibalistic Kindred (diablerists, Blood Leeches, and the like).
The Mortician's Army (No.9, p.1)
Rafael Deluna was a pathologist working for the Medical Examiner's office in downtown Minneapolis when tragedy befell his family and changed his life forever. In the winter of 2010, conditions in the Midwest proved particularly lethal as dozens of homeless in the Twin Cities died of exposure due to the extreme cold. Of the many dead bodies unclaimed by friends or family, one turned out to be the body of a freshly embraced fledgling who, in their frenzy, murdered DeLuna's wife.
That night, upon his horrific awakening to the dark truth of the world. Rafael was consumed with a singular purpose all vampires must die. Rafael's fellow survivors were quick to join his cause and from there his influence grew throughout the Midwest. Little by little, small-time hunter cells began to coordinate their tactics with one another until several pockets of previously independent units grew into a vampire-hunting network known (perhaps erroneously) as "The Mortician's Army".
• Mortician's Hammer: Banned
Though their means and methods may be as varied as the individual members of the Army themselves, all of the Mortician's soldiers carry this unique item with them. Half weapon, half calling-card, members of the Mortician's Army carry these hammer-hook hybrids to recognize one another and - in a pinch - to slay Kindred. Whether through sheer coincidence or as a spoil of war, you've managed to procure one of these instruments. The Mortician's Hammer counts as a +2 Heavy bludgeoning or piercing weapon, depending upon how it is used. Carrying it will also automatically grant you -1 Difficulty on all interactions with members of the Mortician's Army, provided they do not know you are Kindred.
•• Marked For Death: Banned
You have tangled with the Mortician's Army before and have managed to come out ahead. While the Mortician's Army may never forgive, you never forget and have come to adapt against their methods, attacks, and techniques. You gain the Enemy flaw (••). However, you gain a one-die bonus on all contested rolls made against the hunters of the Mortician's Army.
••• Eyes-On: Banned
You have sniffed out the presence of the Mortician's Army within your domain and have been able to keep a consistent eye on their movements and tactics. Once per story, you may ask the storyteller if any of your surveillance suggests an impending attack on a vampire within your city Whether you choose to warn them or not is up to you...
•••• The Sleeper Agent: Banned
In life, you served as a soldier in The Mortician's Army. In undeath, you continue to serve their agenda as a spy within the Kindred community. You gain four dots to be spent within the Allies or Contacts representing your affiliation with the mortal hunters. You also gain the Dark Secret flaw (•) relating to your involvement in the Army. Once per story, you may call upon the full support of the Mortician's Army to bear against your enemies, though doing so will forever reveal your true identity.
••••• The Unseen: Banned
You are one of the few who has betrayed their kind and embraced a mortal hunter. Whether a calculated move in a long game against those who have slighted you or something committed under duress, you now have learned how to deftly manipulate your childe and their network of contacts. You gain Mawla (•) to represent your new progeny and Allies (•••••) representing a faction of the Mortician's Army that you have bent, perhaps unknowingly, to your undead will. You gain the Dark Secret flaw (•) as your secret childe is likely a punishable offense in most domains, and the truth about them is likely even more forbidden.
Forbidden Religions
1444 Chamber, Hecata Characters Only (p.88)
The 1444 Chamber were once the closest advisors and confidantes to Augustus Giovanni, and the beating, black heart of the Clan of Death’s necromantic might. The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s the Chamber that leads the clan these nights, not Augustus. Many of his old loyalists met their Final Death to make way for new members rising through the ranks or brought in from the cold with the clan’s formerly disparate splinters; but the 1444 Chamber is still the center of power and influence, even if some of the faces of its members have changed.
You’re an agent of the Chamber’s will, somewhere directly on the operations flowchart that cascades down from the so-called Board of Directors. Maybe your sire’s sire sits in the Chamber; maybe you backed one of the up-and-coming bosses in the uprising against their complacent superiors; maybe you’ve just got the talent that the Board looks for in this new age of unity within the clan. Someone up there has invested trust and responsibility in you. Don’t disappoint them.
• Shadow of the Chamber: Allowed
Other Hecata know that at least one member of the Chamber trusts you to carry out their will — and no one wants to cross one of the ancient monsters who sit at the heart of the Clan of Death’s web. You have the equivalent of two additional dots of Status within the Hecata clan, but only for the purposes of forcing compliance or intimidating other Hecata.
•• Mercenary Work: Allowed
When outsiders need the Clan of Death’s expertise, you’re a go-between trusted to pursue the Chamber’s agenda. Once per story, you can arrange the mercenary services of your fellow Hecata for a vampire who is not part of your coterie or clan, calling up to three dots in any appropriate Background that represents the mercenaries’ talents.
••• Gilded Promises: Allowed
If there’s one thing the Hecata aren’t short of, it’s money. If you satisfy the Chamber with your performance, you have access to four dots of Resources. The Clan of Death has little patience for talented students who fail to live up to their promise though; disappoint your patron, and you lose these dots until you make things right.
•••• Deathly Slave: Locked
Never forget that the Chamber comprise the most powerful concentration of vampiric necromancers in existence. Once per story, you can request the service of a spectre or another form of wraith, naming a specific task; unless it contravenes your patron’s agenda, they will compel a single such ghost to perform that service for you.
••••• Anziani Patron: Banned
You directly serve one of the anziani, and you know that they are on the Board of Directors — making you one of the trusted few they confide in. As their agent in the outside world, you can’t rely on their direct influence to help you on a night-to-night basis, but when the Chamber wills it, the whole Clan of Death moves as one. Once per chronicle, you can call upon your patron to push the 1444 Chamber into action and call all loyal Hecata in the region to your aid regardless of their other priorities, as long as it does not contravene the agenda of your patron or the Chamber. The Chamber will expect you to repay this debt to them.
Blood Asceticism (p.89)
If blood is an addiction for the Kindred, then it’s no surprise that some vampires try to kick the habit. Of course, you can’t just go cold turkey; that’s a quick route to torpor, or ravenous frenzy and waking up covered in someone else’s blood. Those who take this endeavor seriously model themselves on mortal ascetics, trying to slowly starve their Beast into submission or to reduce their reliance on the red stuff over years or even centuries. Some see it as a potential path to Golconda.
Blood asceticism is a harsh path to follow, demanding the vampire reject the satisfaction and pleasure of sanguine satiation. This requires great willpower, and practitioners often resort to distracting their hungry Beast through the agony of self-mortification or fully embrace isolation and privation. Most Kindred reject such asceticism out of hand, since those who succeed are usually starving hermits and those who fail serve as fearsome lessons in the folly of denying your hunger when they snap and go on a rampage.
• The Starveling Path: Allowed
You’re not quiet about your dedication to blood asceticism and your desire to conquer the red thirst. Other Kindred may think you’re mad or a fool, but they can’t doubt your devotion. Once per session, providing you’ve not fed that night, you may add two dice to any roll to prove your strength of will, or to convince others of your dedication.
•• Glade of the Sleeping Beast: Allowed
You have found a place of quiet solitude to contemplate the shackles of your immortal hunger. It may be your haven, if you have one, or it may be a more remote location. While in your place of contemplation, as long as you are alone, you can re-roll one Rouse Check per session.
••• Lesser Vessels: Allowed
To subdue your thirst for human blood, you have learned to subsist on the lesser vitae of base animals. While you are alone, feeding from animals rather than humans slakes one more point of Hunger than it usually would for you, but never more than one level per scene. However, you also gain the Infamy Flaw: (•) Animal Drinker (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 187) if news of your reliance on animal vitae gets out. Some Kindred may not care, but plenty will look down on you with contempt for being more like one of the kine than a real vampire.
•••• Bloodless Pedestal: Locked
Whether or not you’ve really managed to conquer your hunger, your displays of ascetic self-denial have attracted other Kindred who desperately want your claims to be true. This provides you with the equivalent of five dots of Status solely among vampires who see you as some sort of holy figure. You lose the benefits of these dots for the duration of any scene in which they witness you drinking blood, and the following scene thereafter.
••••• Leash the Beast: Locked
You’ve starved your Beast so often that it’s a weakened, feeble thing, bound beneath the chains of your willpower. Few other Kindred possess this level of self-control. The Difficulty of your Hunger frenzy rolls is always 2, regardless of the provocation.
Plagues of Gehenna (p.91)
Vampire and disease have been intertwined since the dawn of time. It’s inevitable; the blood-drinking parasite spreads sickness with her bite, weakens her victims before the advent of illness, and in a very real way is a disease upon the heaving throng of humanity. Minor cults of Kindred who embrace this ruinous connection have emerged throughout history, but the tumultuous modern nights see many more such plaguebringers springing up than ever before. The most base and simplistic of these cults embrace disease at the most literal level, believing that vampires are the harbingers of plague upon humanity and that they must spread sickness to usher in — or finish off — Gehenna itself. More sophisticated groups like the Third Day develop elaborate nuances or justifications, connecting disease upon the kine with the Beckoning that now seizes elders, or hoping to afflict Kindred themselves through corrupting the herd upon which they feed. Whatever the reasoning, the outcome is usually the same; heaps of putrefying bodies, vampires retching up tainted vitae, and swarms of flies. It’s no wonder that most sect-aligned Kindred try to stamp out blisters as soon as possible.
• Blister Marks: Allowed
You’re a member of a new, loose association of Kindred keeping vigil for any signs of blisters — those Kindred who willingly or ignorantly spread disease among the kine. Whenever you succeed on a Medicine roll to examine the health of a mortal, living or postmortem, you also discern whether any disease they may have was inflicted on them by a Kindred.
•• Autoclave: Allowed
Fearful of becoming a disease vector, you have three dots in Herd that will remain clean and uninfected even should sickness run rampant through the local population. However, you must maintain the purity of this blood source and shepherd it carefully, which means that no one can draw upon the Herd more than once per story. If you share it with anyone, even once, you lose access to it yourself for the remainder of the story.
••• Fire in the Blood: Allowed
Strange diseases infected you once, bringing a delirium that wracked even your Kindred physiology with fever and filled your waking hours with bizarre phantasmagoria. While the sickness passed, it has left its mark upon you. Once per scene when you feed on a mortal and contract a disease that you could then spread on to future victims, you mend one Superficial Health damage and one Superficial Willpower damage; you also immediately become aware whenever the blood of a vessel you feed from bears infectious disease.
•••• Firebreak: Allowed
You’ve studied disease outbreaks in mortals and vampires alike and understand how far an infection can slither through Kindred society before being detected. You possess five dots in Influence solely for the purpose of controlling and quelling disease outbreaks among the kine that would affect the Kindred; when you exercise this Influence and succeed, you gain two dots in Status with your sect for the remainder of the story.
••••• Plague Sample: Allowed
In your possession is a phial of blood drawn from a sick, maddened elder while in the throes of the Beckoning. It seethes with the contagious power of a plague that will affect Kindred with lethal results. What exactly it does to vampire victims, how it spreads, and what link it has to the Beckoning is up to the Storyteller, if you are ever desperate, brave, or mad enough to unleash the disease upon your fellow undead.
Praepositor, Tremere Characters Only (p.92)
You’re a Praepositor, one of the militant Tremere of the Praesidium devoted to restoring the clan’s old power — by force, if necessary. The cult looks back to the Pyramid of authority and blood that once united Clan Tremere as the ideal to which they must once again aspire, but the realities of the modern nights demand that they adapt if they are to achieve this goal. Praepositors have become eldritch soldiers of fortune, trading their services for the occult and secular resources the House needs.
House and clan need you, and you stand ready to answer their call. Your every success reinforces Praesidium’s position within the Camarilla, but Praepositors aren’t picky; your superiors expect you to take up contracts with Anarchs or even in domains of Autarkis, if it serves the cult’s purposes. As for the old Blood Bonds that once tied the clan together, the Praesidium sees their restoration as one of its end goals — and expects you to act with the same devotion and swiftness as those bonds once assured.
• Chastise the Wayward: Allowed
You embrace the cult’s ideology of war against those who oppose the clan — including the renegades within the Tremere. You may reroll a single die in any dice pool to cause direct harm to another Tremere character if you believe them to be a renegade.
•• Discreet Professionalism: Allowed
You’ve been at the cutting edge of Praesidium efforts to build a network of clients and contracts that will prop up a reinvigorated Clan Tremere. Once per story, you can draw on favors due or debts yet to be paid to acquire two dots in Status with any sect or clan for a single interaction. You can expect the person you leverage to want something in return for their assistance in the next story, if not before.
••• Guard the Clan: Allowed
You joined this cult because you wanted to rebuild and protect what had gone before. Whenever you Rouse the Blood to protect your clan’s members and secrets, you may roll two dice and pick the highest result.
•••• Expert Security: Allowed
You’re one of the cult’s top experts in security and protection and have a team of Praepositor specialists on speed-dial. Once per story, you can spend a scene establishing a safehouse or strong-point to grant yourself or another character up to five dots of Haven that lasts until the end of the scene. This Lore drains the use of three dots of Resources for the remainder of the story, requiring you to obtain outside funding if you do not possess these dots yourself.
••••• Blood Loyalty: Locked
The Praesidium’s early experiments to rebuild the clan’s Blood Bond bear unexpected discoveries — mere shadows of a true bond but, perhaps, more useful in the House’s current state. If you and another participant (mortal or vampire) signs a contract you write using their blood or vitae, you must make one Rouse Check per level of Blood Bond you intend to initiate. Once signed, treat the contracted service as if the co-signee was Blood Bound to it; to attempt to breach the contract, they must succeed in a contest of Resolve + Intelligence vs. Bond Strength. Once the contract is complete or you destroy the contract, the simulated Blood Bond immediately ends. This power supercedes an actual Blood Bond, but that Blood Bond returns once the contract concludes.
Spear of Orthia, Ventrue Characters Only (p.93)
Clan scholars believe that Artemis Orthia is the first childe of Ventrue, and say that she once held sway over Sparta in the guise of its patron goddess. She burned with the desire to destroy her foes and acted decisively — but her headstrong hunger for conflict would prove her downfall at the hands of the Brujah of Carthage. The cultists of the Shattered Spear venerate this ancestor-figure, hiding in the shadows of Clan Ventrue and conducting their worship in defiance of Camarilla dictates. Now the cult waxes in strength and gathers new adherents to its banner, drawn by the whispered gospel of Artemis’ divine nature and the rediscovery of her torpid remains.
You are a member of the Shattered Spear, a descendant of Orthia, and a believer in the sacred nature of your forebearer. Carrying the torch of the Spear means that you are a warrior, and the cult expects you to fight against the Second Inquisition, the Sabbat, and any other groups that threaten Kindred society. You are to revile passive indolence, but your peers and leaders laud your decisive action and willingness to spring into battle.
• Tip of the Spear: Allowed
You are a member of the new wave of Shattered Spear adherents spreading through Clan Ventrue and bearing the tidings of Elena Andreas’ ground-breaking discoveries. Once per session, when interacting with another Ventrue character, you may ask the Storyteller whether the Ventrue will be receptive to your faith, tolerant of it, or will be opposed to it should you reveal your allegiance to them.
•• Soldier’s Code: Allowed
You have embraced the liturgy of the Spear with ardent zeal. Choose one of the Convictions of the Spear. Once per story, you may use it to mitigate Stains as if it was one of yours.
••• The Enduring Faith: Allowed
You know one or more of the Ventrue in the region are secretly followers of Orthia. If you can contact them and enlist their aid, they will provide you with four dots of either Allies or Mawla.
•••• Witness to Orthia: Allowed
You went down beneath Lisbon with Elena, and you saw the revelation of Orthia with your own undead eyes. You speak with the conviction of the Voice herself, and your testimony stirs those of Ventrue Blood. Once per scene, after rolling the dice to convince one or more Ventrue of your beliefs, exhort them to violence, or lead them in battle, you may turn all 1s rolled into 10s.
••••• Splinter of the Spear: Locked
You possess a splinter of the spear of Orthia itself. This fragment of such a legendary weapon doubtless possesses great power, and is a relic of great importance. As long as you have it about your person, channeling the power of Artemis Orthia grants you two automatic successes on Melee rolls when wielding spears or other piercing weapons — including stakes. However, committing an act of cowardice such as retreating before a foe or falling to terror frenzy is an insult to its legacy. You suffer one point of Aggravated Willpower damage should such happen. Furthermore, actually losing the splinter would be an utter disaster for you and for the Shattered Spear.
Boston by Night
The Hartford Chantry (pp.80-83)
The dominant Kindred in Hartford and New Haven were the Gemini League, an elected consortium predominantly consisting of Ventrue and Tremere, who manage the domains of Connecticut, engage in the cryptic passwords, handshakes, and rituals of mortal secret societies, and wish for nothing more than splendid isolation away from the Kindred politicking of “lesser vampires.” When dragged into events beyond their realm, they respond with ferocity and frustration. In these nights, the Gemini League’s natural successor is the Hartford Chantry, though links between the Tremere of Hartford and Ventrue of New Haven remain strong.
• Arcane Authority: Banned
Once per story, you may select an object, and tell the Storyteller you want to discover if it was constructed through mundane or sorcerous means. You gain three bonus dice to an Intelligence + Occult roll to determine the object’s makings, with a critical success conveying exactly the manner of sorcery involved (if present). Revealing this knowledge can of course make this item highly sought-after, such as by an Enemy or Adversary.
•• Cryptic Politics: Banned
Once per session, during a social conflict you are a part of or observing, you gain two bonus dice in an attempt to determine whether one of the participants is a member of a mortal secret society, such as the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, or Skull and Bones Club. Revealing this information at the wrong moment could put a target on yours, or the target’s back. You need to know of the society to identify it, otherwise your roll just tells you the participant/s belong to a society with coded gestures and cryptic sayings.
••• On The Square: Banned
You benefit from a four-dot Ally from a secret society, such as the Knights Templar or a tradition of mages. However, to maintain this alliance you must attend a meeting with this ally at least once per story, and provide the society with one dot of Resources (deducted from your Resources for the remainder of, or at the start of the next story) in the form of an arcane artifact or intelligence. This Lore also provides you with token membership in this society, though if you wish to join fully, it requires a greater expenditure and should be handled under the Backgrounds of Contacts and Influence.
•••• The Chantry: Banned
You may use the Hartford Chantry as a three dot Haven with access to the library, which in turn reduces the cost of learning new Blood Sorcery Rituals to new Blood Sorcery Ritual ×3 (−1). In order to maintain this benefit, you must be a member in good standing of your faction. This benefit applies regardless of your clan.
••••• Blood Loyalty: Banned
You’ve been elected to a position of authority in your faction, conveying four dots of Status in all domains within New England (or wherever your faction is present), and a two dot Retainer of complete loyalty. You gain a two dice bonus on attempts to use Intimidation, Leadership, and Persuasion-related rolls on anyone in the financial industry of New England (or appropriate locality), and all subordinate members of the faction. In order to maintain this Lore, you must court votes from other vampires in your faction and not embarrass the faction. If you are seen to frenzy, your position is stripped immediately.
The Boston Camarilla (pp.84-87)
The Kindred of Liberty fought a long series of wars against the British Camarilla, the Sabbat, and the Hecata, and whether through skill or just being the last faction standing, they survived. They dissolved in recent nights, abandoning their factional name and becoming the Boston Camarilla, though many “coals” still cling to the memory of the K.O.L. Now they govern Boston and intend to reach beyond the domain, absorbing the other cities of New England into their widening praxis. They do not suffer attempts to manipulate them or take what they’ve spent so long trying to capture.
• Comrades in Arms: Banned
You’re strengthened when alongside your comrades. Once per story, when announcing your identity as a member of your faction among your fellow factioneers, you may add three dice to a Resolve, Composure, or Willpower-based roll.
•• Sic Semper Tyranis: Banned
The Kindred of Liberty fought against tyrants and foreign invaders for over a century (despite themselves being, in large part, foreign invaders). Once per story, after identifying by sight an enemy of your coterie, you may make a staking maneuver in combat without the traditional −2 called shot penalty. You must have a staking device on you to fulfill this Lore.
••• Unification: Banned
You just have a way of drawing people to the negotiating table. Once per story, you can send out invitations to courts in up to four neighboring domains, and expect them to send a high-ranking representative to your domain for a sit- down, even if they don’t like or respect you. You must succeed on a Manipulation + Etiquette roll when crafting this invitation, with Difficulty 6 succeeding in attracting a Herald, Difficulty 7 attracting a Primogen, and Difficulty 8 attracting a Prince or Baron. Additionally, once they’re in your presence, you gain a once per story two dice bonus to an attempt at diplomacy or negotiation with this group, even if what you’re selling is bunk. On the flipside of this Lore, if you fail in your negotiations with any of the attendees, the same individual won’t return to your domain, and could become your Adversary (variable dot rating, depending on the individual) as if you offended them.
•••• Heart is Where the Home Is: Banned
Your territory (agree with the Storyteller beforehand over what location constitutes your territory) is vitally important to you, as are the people who live there. You have a Conviction as follows: Suffer no crimes against the people of my territory. This Lore enables you to enact violent reprisals against violators of this Conviction without fear of accumulating Stains. As well as a Touchstone character you must name and choose who lives on your territory, you gain a two dot Contact from persons on your territory (who may also be your Touchstone).
This Lore also creates a one or two dot Adversary, in the form of an intruder’s domitor, sire, or coterie-mate, if you destroy them just for stepping on your turf.
••••• Levers and Pulleys: Banned
You benefit from a three dot Retainer in the midst of the domain’s political backroom dealings, both mortal and undead, who regularly supplies you with information as a two dot Contact. However, this individual needs to be kept sweet — or they might reveal your identity as their master — and secure — as they’ll divulge a lot of information about you, if they’re caught ratting people out. At any time, you can pull this individual from their position and just keep them as a three dot Retainer, providing you keep supplying them with cash, vitae, or whatever their need happens to be.
Blood Sigils
Student of Kirin Tauk, Thin-Blood Alchemists Only (p.178)
Get a group of old alchemists together, and the conversation inevitably turns towards Kirin Taunk (p. 140). These conversations are always the same: some speak of her with admiration, and others with barely hidden jealousy. One of the celebrated alchemists of the 1990s, Taunk pioneered formula techniques still used to this day. Untouched by alchemist purges in other Domains and the horrors of the North American theatre of the Sect War, Taunk’s work served as a source of stability for the bourgeoning thin-blooded community. Her guile made her a role model and a folk legend among those hiding from the local Scourge. Since her Final Death in 1998, her legacy continues through the many alchemical flocks (p. 111) founded by her apprentices.
Her legacy continues through you as well. Whether you’ve discovered her works by chance on the internet, study in one of the alchemic flocks dedicated to continuing her approach to alchemy, or were one of the thin-blooded lucky enough to know her when she was still around, Kirin Taunk left a mark on your half-life. One day, it’ll be your formulae that alchemists will pay hand-over-fist to get a glimpse of. You’ll be the one to stand in a Prince’s court or hang with the local rabble and feel at home in both worlds.
• Stunning Efficiency: Allowed
Kirin Taunk’s brewing speed was legendary. You’ve matched it, and surpassing it is within sight. All distillation times for formulae are halved.
•• Professional Mindset: Allowed
Studying Taunk’s life taught you that it’s best to let your work speak for itself. Once per session and at the Storyteller’s discretion, you may use your dot rating in Thin-Blood Alchemy in lieu of any Social skills at a lower rating.
••• A Taunk Formula: Allowed
Through hard work or a great deal, you’ve obtained a sliver of Kirin Taunk’s alchemical notes. Choose one formula of any level. You may purchase it with no experience cost, though you cannot use it until your Thin-Blood Alchemy reaches its level. Add two dice to your Distillation roll for that formula.
•••• Diplomatic Power: Locked
Kirin Taunk was a social force of nature, capable of fitting in amongst Camarilla and Anarch alike. Though recent events make the divisions between the two sects sharper, you carry yourself with enough grace and charm that these divisions mean little to you. You have Status •• (Camarilla) and Status •• (Anarch).
••••• Taunk’s Patron: Locked
Kirin’s mysterious benefactor took an interest in you, and still has it to this night. Gain Mawla ••••• (Taunk’s Patron). Every story, pick three formulae you know. If your Mawla is active and approves of your actions, they send a shipment of rare or magically potent ingredients that give each formulae a two-dice bonus to the Distillation roll. Your Storyteller creates or chooses a powerful Kindred (maybe one that’s already on the Relationship or Scene Map) as your patron’s identity and may reveal it (and the consequences it brings) at their leisure.
Veins of the Earth (p.179)
The Earth lives. It vibrates on frequencies far beyond human senses. As everyone carries on their day, as plants grow and animals thrive, the Earth’s power ebbs and flows across the surface like water. It’s in the air the kine breathes, and it’s in the ground everyone walks on. The rise of Tiamat, the Blood Serpent (p. 150) only makes clear what many have known for years. The earth carves a web of energy patterns into its flesh. It waits for someone to take hold of it.
That someone is you. Maybe you were always fascinated by ley lines. Perhaps being undead opened your mind to new possibilities. You could have tapped into the planet’s power accidentally, and you’re trying to recapture that energy.
Your knowledge and passion make you a unique figure in the blood craft scene. You’ve established yourself as an expert, a pioneer in your field, or just a fanatic. When the scene needs someone who knows the city’s places of power, you’re the first on their list.
• Seeking a Vein: Allowed
You’ve developed a knack for finding weird things, and it’s only now that you’ve realized that it’s because you just know where the planet’s blood converges. Once per story at the Storyteller’s discretion, you may declare that the location you are on is a furcus (p. 35).
•• Drawing the Flies: Allowed
Some kine are drawn to the venae terrae just like you are. You’ve gotten to know quite a few people seeking out the planet’s energies. They seek your knowledge, and you ask for a small price in return. Gain Herd ••• representing this group—but without new and interesting information about Tiamat’s coils, they could fall away.
••• Revelations of the Earth: Allowed
You listen to the veins of the Earth, and hear who passes along them. Once per session, when you meditate for at least a half hour on a furcus, you may ask the Storyteller one question about one Kindred’s location, direction of movement, and speed at that moment. The Storyteller answers truthfully. The venae cannot locate a Kindred who is in the air at that moment.
•••• Channeling the Earth: Allowed
While your ability to tap into the veins of the Earth may not be as powerful as Blood sorcerers or mystics, you know how to use the planet’s power for your own benefit. Once per session, when you meditate for at least a half hour on a furcus, add one die to a Discipline pool in addition to any provided by Blood Potency.
••••• Tiamat’s Exchange: Allowed
Your knowledge of the veins of the Earth is so great that it feels like the Blood Serpent itself blesses you if you pay the price. Once per story, if you provide a large (human-sized or larger) offering of flesh or blood to a furcus at the beginning of the story, you may automatically gain three additional successes on a test or contest of your choosing.
Vienna Zero, Blood Sorcery Users Only (p.180)
Officially, it’s the United Nations Vienna Recovery Zone. The Magyar Arrow Brotherhood attack on the city was localized to three city blocks, but the damage was so devastating and thorough that since 2008, all that’s left is makeshift canvas buildings, light blue tarps, and disaster scene tape. Common theories on what occurred there include a missile strike, a dirty bomb, or a biological weapon.
You know what happened. Hungarian fascists played no role, and the missile strikes were made in the U.S.A. with love from the Vatican. The IAO attacked the Tremere’s headquarters, the Vienna Prime Chantry. In the years since, the Leopoldites and the rest of the Coalition’s forces dig through the ruins as a major archeological project. Each new discovery teaches them more about the blankbody threat. They call it Vienna Zero.
Perhaps you have direct clearance to the site through a compromised operative, or maybe you’re the compromised operative. Maybe you have a direct supply chain that brings you bits and pieces of what the investigation recovers. Either way, the artifacts and texts of the Tremere in their prime can be yours to access.
• Inside Knowledge: Allowed
The knowledge you picked up from when you scavenged Vienna Zero is invaluable, both in a practical and political sense. When rolling Occult for anything related to blood craft, or when rolling Politics for anything related to the Tremere, you always have a +2 dice bonus.
•• Off the Back of a Truck: Allowed
The Vatican officially destroys everything from Vienna Zero they deem too dangerous or useless to their investigation. Unofficially, some of it ends up in your hands. You gain a Contact ••• (The Slow Drip), a disgruntled contractor from Vienna Zero. If you’ve got something to offer, they can sometimes source the good stuff.
••• Instrument of Power: Allowed
Through a friend of a friend, you’ve gotten your hands on something special and to your delight, you’re very good at using it. Agree with the Storyteller on one Artifact (pp. 136–142), and add a one-die bonus to your pool for whatever tests it requires. However, every session you use it, you need to succeed on a Wits + Stealth (plus your Influence, if any, with the media) test against Difficulty 3 (or possibly more, for more powerful artifacts) to avoid attracting the attention of the Leopoldites, FIRSTLIGHT, or some other Coalition force.
•••• The Very Last Copy: Allowed
By chance or through an incredible heist on Vienna Zero, you own the last remaining copy of a Tremere grimoire. Name the grimoire, and name four rituals you do not yet know. These rituals may be at any level. You can learn these rituals without a teacher at half the learning time. Experience cost remains the same.
••••• Deep Clearance: Allowed
You’re not just read in on Vienna Zero, you’re a valued member of the team. Gain Mask ••• (Zeroed) and describe your place on the excavation project. Once per story, you may take one artifact (p. 136–142) from the Vienna Zero site and use it as you wish, though the team will notice it’s gone. You also have Enemy ••••, a FIRSTLIGHT or St. Leopold team member who suspects your true nature.
The Book of Nod Apocrypha
The Book of Nod (p.37)
The Book of Nod collects oral histories, text fragments, and other media detailing the history of Caine and his childer, with additional poems and prophecies regarding Gehenna and the Final Nights. Its author — or authors — are unknown, though many Kindred believe Caine, Malkav, and Saulot contributed significant portions of the text. The stories and fragments have been carefully passed down through the generations; those who own physical pieces of the book take great pains to ensure they don’t end up in non-Cainite hands. The Book of Nod also provides the theological basis for the Sabbat’s worship of Caine.
The first and largest section of the book, the Chronicle of Caine, recounts the tale of the first vampire, his childer, and the rise and rebellion of the Antediluvians. The Chronicle of Shadows lays out a series of laws attributed to Caine, though some Kindred doubt its veracity and view it as the work of Carthaginian scholars. The Chronicle of Secrets is the shortest and most enigmatic section. Its highly symbolic passages describe the author’s visions of Gehenna. Some Noddists have dedicated their entire unlives to attempting to interpret the predictions and apply them to their modern nights. Additionally, some scholars view the Erciyes Fragments as another version of Caine’s story, while others dismiss the Fragments as apocryphal and relegate mention of them to a footnote in their dissertations, if they’re acknowledged at all.
The Book of Nod’s collectors, translators, and editors have introduced myriad inconsistencies and contradictions over the millennia, and no two scholarly analyses ever completely agree on its true content. Many among the Camarilla denounce the book and ban, confiscate, or destroy any related texts they discover their fledglings passing around.
• Precis: Allowed
You are familiar with the broader concepts of the Book of Nod and some of the more commonly known prophecies. Once per story, add two dice to an Academics roll related to ancient Cainite history.
•• Well-versed: Allowed
Your sire or Mawla taught you certain passages from the book, and may even have physical fragments in their possession. Once per story, you may seek their input on a matter regarding Noddist lore, gaining a two-dice bonus to any Occult test related to the book.
••• Scholar: Allowed
You’ve dedicated significant time and study to the Book of Nod, and are familiar with at least one complete version of the text. You can support your theories with quotes from that version and are aware of counterarguments or alternative interpretations. Once per session, add three dice to a Persuasion roll when debating the Book of Nod’s finer points.
•••• Collector: Allowed
You own several fragments from the book or have memorized sections of Caine’s history. Noddists seek you out hoping to examine your copies or hear you recite the tales, and they’re willing to pay for it. This isn’t always a monetary trade; some offer favors, an exchange of information, or access to other resources your character finds valuable. Once per story, when you grant someone access to your collection, gain three temporary dots in Resources (or other appropriate Background as approved by your Storyteller) for the remainder of the story, or the ability to call in a future favor from the Noddist.
••••• Noddist Master: Allowed
Other Noddists look to you for insight and interpretation on the texts, and your theses on the subject are regarded as must-reads. You have exchanged correspondence with Noddist experts on finer points of lore. Once per story, you may derive a fact or prophecy from the Book of Nod that your character can apply to sway a decision, automatically succeeding at a Persuasion test at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Gehenna Cults (p.38)
Depending on whom you ask, Gehenna will soon befall the Kindred, or it’s happening right now, or it’s happened already and vampires are just play-acting in the crumbling ruins of their unlives while the world comes apart at the seams. While some deride the notion of Gehenna as an invention for duping the guileless, a feverish millenarianism has gripped many Kindred with the belief that these are indeed the Final Nights, one way or another. Blood cults and heresies spring up from the shadows in ever-growing numbers.
The creeds of these new blood cults come in a dizzying variety of hatreds, anxieties and hungers. The most successful spread their black wings from one city to the next, forming something like a cohesive doctrine even as feuding Kindred splinter off new schisms and heresies. Charting out the spread of such subversive elements requires an agile mind to keep track of the shifting tapestry, not to mention a strong stomach even by vampire standards. All too many Gehenna cults delve into stomach-churning practices.
• Mark the Bloody Trail: Allowed
Once per session when you begin investigating or researching the presence of a blood cult you’ve not previously used this lore for, the Storyteller gives you one free clue to help locate the cult or to understand their current plans.
•• Faithful Bloodhound: Allowed
You’re a proven investigator; you’ve exposed and taken down at least one Gehenna cult already, and shown your mettle in the eyes of the sects. Either the Camarilla or the Anarchs trust you as an expert on Gehenna cults. You wield three dots of Status while taking action to investigate or persecute a cult on behalf of that sect.
••• Dogma: Allowed
You’re steeped in the lore of Gehenna, and you’ve learned many permutations of warped faiths that your fellow Kindred wrap themselves in. Once per session, when you discuss a vampire’s faith with them or observe them practicing their faith, you can extrapolate the rough nature of the doctrines, Convictions, or code that the religion focuses on. The Storyteller does not need to give you the exact wording, but must convey the primary themes, limitations, and beliefs, even those that are not evident in what the vampire has said or done.
•••• Cult Breaker: Allowed
The charlatans and demagogues of millenarian cults rely on charisma and their followers’ desperate need for someone else to provide answers, direction, and justification for their dark indulgences. Such self-deception is hard to overcome, but you know how to shatter their illusions and tear apart the foundations of their faith. Once per story for a scene, while socially interacting with you, cult members do not benefit from any dots in Status they may have within their own cult. If they are unable to overcome you in a conflict, they lose any such Status dots for the rest of the story as you shake the cult’s faith in them to the core.
••••• Red Truths: Allowed
Investigating the rising tide of blood cults and Gehenna worshipers has put you in a prime position to sift a few precious grains of truth from the bloated clot of lies that sits at the heart of most of these misbegotten faiths. Whether you want to believe it or not, you can’t deny the evidence you’ve gathered — and why not exploit it for yourself, rather than leaving it in the blood-stained hands of frothing zealots? Once you have studied the practices or texts of any blood cult, you are able to learn any Rituals or other unusual supernatural capabilities they possess without need of a teacher, although you must pay any experience point costs as normal.
Machinations of Saulot, Tremere and Salubri only (p.39)
While some Noddists regard Saulot as a veritable saint, others who study the history of the Salubri and Saulot see him as a dangerous player in the eternal struggle: possibly the most sinister of all antediluvians. Clans Salubri and Tremere, among others, have studied the travels and words of Saulot, and fear the mastermind that may lurk behind the façade of saintliness.
Saulot is rumored to have sired the Salubri as a means of testing his knowledge and creating goodwill towards his fellow antediluvians, with no qualms about discarding them as he vanished, a victim of diablerie by Tremere. Rumors spread among those in the know that Tremere may have lost the battle of wills when committing diablerie on Saulot and Saulot’s diablerie may have been simply another move in the Jyhad.
If Saulot’s ultimate goal is mastery over his fellow Antediluvians and all Kindred, he would manipulate a small remnant of philosophers, healers, and warriors as well as a world-spanning authoritarian cabal of once blood-bound sorcerers. With the recent fractures in the Tremere clan’s pyramid structure, the Beckoning, and the Gehenna Crusade, Saulot’s ultimate plans seem increasingly inscrutable. This does not stop many from speculation, however.
• Rumors and Signs: Allowed
Those aware of the age-old conflicts of the Salubri are on the lookout for signs of their recurrence. You can ask the Storyteller if an event or location shows signs of Salubri or Tremere influence. You can ask this question once per session.
•• Prolonged Conflict: Allowed
While Saulot’s words were gentle, his actions are said to have spurred on conflict between the Salubri and Tremere. You have learned to defend from these forces. Once per session gain two bonus dice when resisting Auspex, Blood Sorcery, Dominate, or Oblivion powers.
••• Saulot’s Smile: Allowed
When Tremere committed diablerie on Saulot, the sire of all Salubri smiled. Once per story when witnessing another Kindred perform an action, you can ask the storyteller what their motivation was for doing so.
•••• The Madness of Blood: Allowed
When Saulot was destroyed, his childer supposedly went mad, slaying one another as they were drawn to the site of Saulot’s awakening. Once per story, you can summon your sire or one of your childer or someone who has tasted your Blood as per the Presence power Summon, using your Auspex or Dominate rating instead of Presence. You can also ignore such a summons yourself, once per story.
••••• Ultimate Disguise: Allowed
Your expertise in Saulot’s ways gives you an advantage few others have. You possess traits of both Clans Salubri and Tremere. You may learn Blood Sorcery or Fortitude as if they were a Clan Discipline if they weren’t already, but suffer both Clan Banes and Compulsions.
Servitor of Irad (p.40)
According to the Book of Nod, Irad the Strong was the third childe of Caine, and he served as his sire’s enforcer and military leader in the First City. The Kindred of the Servitors of Irad seek to emulate that mythological vampire, who is said to have pledged to serve the Antediluvians in all things before his kin or his childer destroyed him. They hope that, if they spend their existence showing they serve the Antediluvians, they will be spared when the ancients rise. Irad believed it, but received the revelation too late to preserve himself.
The cult doesn’t actually have any contact with the Third Generation, but they assume that the Antediluvians would want the elders of Kindred society to be weak and divided. As such, they infiltrate any vampiric organization they can find — Camarilla cities, Anarch gatherings, and even other cults — to sow dissension and shatter fragile alliances. And now you’re one such deep cover member. You’re cut off from the other members of your cult, trying to enact a hazily understood plan set down by mythological figures with whom you have no direct contact, with the knowledge that if any other vampire ever found out, you’d be immediately and painfully killed. But you have faith, and that’s enough.
• Shield of Irad: Allowed
You can’t do the work of the Antediluvians if you get discovered by others. Luckily, you have a lot of experience shielding your true intentions from the gaze of outsiders. You gain an additional die on rolls involving lying to other Kindred.
•• Sword of Irad: Allowed
Sometimes you must act decisively in the name of the Third Generation, and that conviction adds additional strength to your act. Once per story, you can add three dice to a roll that is integral to your cult’s plans.
••• Know the Will of the Ancients: Allowed
You are firmly convinced you know the will of the Antediluvians. Perhaps you even hear their voices in your head, or gain prophetic dreams from them. As long as you are a member of the cult, you can take an additional Conviction that is directly related to the goals of your infiltration (your membership in the cult acts as your “touchstone” for the purposes of this Conviction). If you infiltrate a new group, you can change your Conviction to reflect the new assignment.
•••• Do the Will of the Ancients: Allowed
All actions are in service to the Third Generation, the thirteen vampires that will someday rise and destroy the world. There is nothing you won’t do to fulfill that goal, and you have devoted your entire existence to it. The blood you have inherited from your clan founder is secondary to this higher purpose. Your clan Bane can be ignored once per story while you are a Servitor of Irad.
••••• Kill Thy Brother: Allowed
When the Third Generation eventually rise, you know that most of Caine’s errant childer will be destroyed. So, killing another vampire in the name of the Antediluvians just makes their job a little easier. Once per story, when using a weapon or power that inflicts Aggravated Health damage on a vampire, your attack inflicts two additional damage, and you don’t need to roll to resist frenzy if that weapon or power involves fire.
Gehenna War
Beckett (p.157)
According to Kindred cultures that acknowledge the generation model, the fourth generation of vampires was a kind of Cambrian explosion, increasing and solidifying emerging vampiric strains in the previous generation. Sometimes nicknamed methuselah due to their age, most of the known Kindred of such low Generation have been Beckoned or chose to serve in the Gehenna War, but some lie dormant in domains outside its battlefields.
One of the greatest seekers of Kindred lore, most knowledgeable about the resting places and graves of the ancient dead, is the Gangrel Cuthbert Beckett. Where some Kindred scholars are content to theorize from the comfort of their libraries, Beckett has always gone out to look for himself.
As the Gehenna War intensifies, there’s a sudden demand for those with the specialized knowledge to know what the Kindred of various domains are really facing. Beckett is not the only Kindred archaeologist who has suddenly started to receive invitations to the courts of mighty vampire Princes.
• Bloody Ancestry: Allowed
You trail a methuselah by tracking their descendants. You own and maintain notes on vampiric ancestry concerning vampires in your region in a physical or digital form. You receive a +2 dice bonus to all Occult tests when investigating the ancestry of any vampire.
•• Dream Interpreter: Allowed
Sometimes, methuselahs and even older vampires communicate to their progeny through the daysleep. Once per story, when a character or Storyteller character tells you a dream, you may make an Intelligence + Occult test at Difficulty 2. On a win, you receive a number of actionable facts from your Storyteller equivalent to one plus the margin of win.
••• Perks of Youth: Allowed
From your contact with Beckett, you’ve learned that those with knowledge are targets for manipulation by older Kindred. You’ve developed hardiness to such supernatural manipulations. Once per session, when a vampire of a higher Blood Potency uses a supernatural coercive power on you, you have receive a two-dice bonus to resist it.
•••• Ancestor Cult’s Favor: Allowed
You’ve entered the good graces of a cult worshiping a methuselah. Assign six dots in any way you like to the following Backgrounds to represent what they provide you: Influence, Haven, Herd, Resources, Retainers, or Status. You keep these benefits as long as you obey at least one of their requests once per story.
••••• Face to Face: Allowed
If you seek out the Ancients, you risk finding them. Once per story, if facing a methuselah or an elder, you can make an Intelligence + Occult test at a Difficulty of 4. If you succeed, you manage to recollect a detail or an angle that prompts the vampire to answer a single question about their own past or the Kindred of bygone eras truthfully, at least from their own perspective, as long as it doesn’t significantly jeopardize them or their plans.
The Eternal Arena (p.158)
Kindred society needs activity and entertainment. It gets them in the lulls between hunts. Some take solace in accumulating knowledge; others try their hand at taking up art or engaging in indulgent social manipulation. Then there are the vampires that beat the shit out of each other. One venue for such things is the Eternal Arena in a small town in Greece, where a violent Kindred tournament has taken place for decades, perhaps centuries. (See p. 126.)
Higher-minded Kindred may scoff, but they can’t deny the excitement of watching two or more vampires in a bare-knuckle brawl. Some domains sanction the activity, forming underground fight clubs where their opponents are their peers, unsuspecting mortals, or animals on vitae. Other places do it openly, like the Eternal Arena. Blood sports aren’t only fist-to-fist events, bladed weapons and firearms are sometimes used. Vampire blood sports require incredible resilience and push Hunger to the limit. At the Arena, the fighters agree beforehand on weapons but all Kindred powers are allowed. The only limit is that the fight has to take place within the Arena and can’t involve friends or allies unless it’s coterie versus coterie.
You’re involved in these blood sports, either as a fighter or an organizer. You may even have had a connection to the Arena itself. You know the best techniques to shatter a vampire’s body. Should a mortal get on your bad side, you know how to rend them into bits.
• Champion’s Aura: Allowed
You’ve bested all kinds of Kindred, and you’re not afraid to remind everyone around what you’re capable of should they choose to cross you. Once per story, you receive a two-dice bonus to Intimidation tests against vampires during a scene, as long as these vampires are aware of your reputation (or you make them aware of it).
•• Bring It On: Allowed
You’ve fought at the Eternal Arena or a similar Kindred blood tournament. Once per story, you can goad a target into a physical fight with you. For the rest of the scene, they’ll engage in combat with only you. Targets that would put themselves in lethal danger by doing this must first be bested in a Charisma + Brawl vs Composure + Insight test.
••• Combat Analysis: Allowed
Blood sports require a tactical mind. You’ve followed the exploits of the best vampire fighters in your domain, learning from how they approach each match. You don’t see fights as desperate struggles, but as puzzles you can solve. Once per session during a physical conflict, you may make an Intelligence + Awareness test at Difficulty 3 before making an attack. On a win, you receive two additional dice on your next physical attack action.
•••• Talented Manager: Allowed
You’re an organizer or coach in an underground fight club or other gathering of like-minded Kindred pugilists. You pull the best out of them, and your talents extend to anyone who fights with you. Once per session, when you lead a group of people through a fight involving Brawl or Melee, you gain four bonus dice on any Leadership tests.
••••• Die Hard: Allowed
In your time in the pit, you’ve brushed up against final death many times. One night, it’ll come for you, but when it does, you know how to get one more moment. Once per story, when you face final death due to a violent conflict or act, you survive, as long as you can describe how it happened. (The Storyteller must decide if this explanation is plausible, but if it isn’t, they should provide you with the opportunity to come up with a better idea.)This does not mend any more damage you suffered than is absolutely required to survive, nor does it guarantee that you won’t end up in the hands of those eager to make your extended unlife even worse.
Tegyrius the Vizier (p.159)
From his soldiering days on the battlefields with Alexander the Great to his time as Vizier of the Banu Haqim stronghold Alamut, Tegyrius has prioritized his ideals over personal self-interest. Instead of claiming the Black Throne for himself, he ceded the privilege to Jamal and used his wise counsel like a guiding hand to shape the destiny of the clan. And when Ur-Shulgi the Shepherd awoke and demanded the Banu Haqim abandon their mortal faiths, Tegyrius refused to take part in his violent tyranny. Alongside his friend and colleague, al-Ashrad, the pair abandoned Ur-Shulgi to safeguard their clanmates and led them out of Alamut.
In the tumultuous years that followed, Tegyrius solidified his position within the Ashirra and opened negotiations with the Camarilla, culminating in the Vermillion Wedding to Victoria Ash. On the surface, it seemed the marriage was a purely political union. And at first, it was. Yet, what many failed to realize is that during their brief courtship, despite his best efforts, Tegyrius experienced something akin to love. Since the consummation of their mutual Blood Bond, those feelings have only intensified.
• The Art of Negotiation: Discuss With Storytellers
As a skilled diplomat, advisor, or negotiator, the legacy of Tegyrius is reflected in you. When you mediate between two opposing individuals or groups, you receive a two-dice bonus to Intimidation or Persuasion skill tests.
•• The Pen is Mightier: Discuss With Storytellers
Following in the footsteps of Tegyrius, you value knowledge and choose to hone your mental abilities just as much as you do your fighting skills. As a protégé of Tegyrius, you have access to a Banu Haqim library transplanted from Alamut during the Schism. The library counts as a two-dot Haven (••) with a two-dot Library (••), but its contents are being sought after by one of the Shepherds of Ur-Shulgi, counting as a two-dot Adversary.
••• Hear My Words: Discuss With Storytellers
You are a known ally of Tegyrius, and when you speak, others listen. As a source of wisdom and restraint, you get three additional dice for any social test against another Banu Haqim of the same sect, and two additional dice for any social test against a Banu Haqim of a different sect.
•••• Perception is Power (Banu Haqim only): Discuss With Storytellers
In the hallowed halls of Alamut, the Council of Scrolls dedicated their unlives to the pursuit of academic knowledge. But when Ur-Shulgi awoke and seized the Black Throne, the Council disbanded. You sat on the Council, and under Tegyrius’ guidance, learned that one cannot fight what one cannot see. You have access to the Auspex Discipline and may buy dots using experience points as if it was one of your clan Disciplines.
••••• A Matter of Honor: Discuss With Storytellers
Not only were you a guest of honor at the Vermillion Wedding, but Tegyrius himself owes you a debt of gratitude. Perhaps you assisted in his negotiations with the Camarilla, or maybe you saved his life several years ago. Once per chronicle, Tegyrius functions as a five-dot Mawla, and uses his lofty position to aid you as best he can (short of violating the alliance between the Camarilla and the Ashirra).
In Memoriam
Birth of the Anarch Free States (p.149)
The Second Anarch Revolt started with the toppling of the old Camarilla Prince in Los Angeles in 1944. Soon violence gripped the city, with Anarch gangs seeking out Camarilla holdouts, those loyal to the old order seeking to escape or make a glorious last stand. Havens burned, Kindred met their ends, and the Anarchs triumphed. Due to the legendary nature of those nights of revolution, many of the Kindred who were there enjoy bragging about it. Some of those who were not there have made up invented histories for themselves, pretending that they too were part of this great event.
Now in the wake of the Third Anarch Revolt, being connected to the birth of the Anarch Free States in Los Angeles carries a certain cachet. You are an original revolutionary.
• Fake Revolutionary: Banned
You’ve been telling people stories of your exploits in Los Angeles in the fateful first nights of the Revolt. They’re not true, but who cares? You’ll take the status that comes with being a revolutionary hero. You get a bonus die to all attempts to rally, cajole, and manipulate Anarchs. However, if you meet someone who genuinely was in Los Angeles at that time, you must succeed at a Manipulation + Subterfuge test (Difficulty 4) to convince them you are what you claim you are.
•• Connections: Banned
You were not there for the Revolt, but you know someone who was. Once per story, you can contact them and ask a question related to Anarch politics or the history of the Free States and get an honest answer.
••• Original Rebel: Banned
You were in Los Angeles at the time of the Second Anarch Revolt. You fought to free your city from the oppression of the Camarilla. You know how to rebel and receive a bonus die to all tests involving a revolution against Camarilla hegemony.
•••• Hero of the Revolution: Banned
Not only were you in Los Angeles, you were pivotal to the success of the Revolt and your compatriots know it. You fought in a crucial battle or stopped an important VIP from escaping. Once per story, you may call on former allies to summon an Anarch gang to your aid. There’s five of them, all neonates, with 4 dots in Disciplines each (with no power higher than level three) and a General Difficulty of 4/3. They only help if the action can be presented as part of the righteous struggle against the Camarilla.
••••• Legacy of the Revolution: Banned
What has happened before can happen again. Once per chronicle, you can ignite a proper, domain-wide Anarch Revolt in any city you visit, subject to Storyteller approval. The Revolt has a decent chance of success but you will need to participate in decisive battles and risk your unlife to make sure.
Childe of the Revolution (p.150)
The French Revolution was a time of tremendous upheaval, unleashed brutality, and political change. The elite Camarilla old guard lost a lot of control from their old aristocratic and landlord roots, while the newly formed Bohemians rallied entrepreneurial and reformist younger generations to tip the balance of power. The infighting, rioting, and war escalation allowed the Anarchs to roam Paris unimpeded for several years and to recruit in numbers. The Camarilla elite worked towards culling these upstarts and driving them out after the Restoration.
Kindred who made it through the Revolution can tell many stories of this unique time, its careless brutality, its vibrant hope for change, its dark memories of the dead and dying, and streets running with blood.
• Rousing Speech: Banned
You underwent a time of unique political change and breathed an atmosphere of contestation. When arguing in favor of going against the established order, you can add two dice to a Persuasion or Leadership test.
•• Under the Guillotine: Banned
You participated in frantic celebrations under the Guillotine, where people would slather themselves with blood. You have learned to keep a cool head amid complete crowd chaos. Once per story, you may reroll a failed Hunger Frenzy test.
••• Bal des Victimes: Banned
After the Revolution, you attended the famed Bal des Victimes, where mourners of revolutionary violence could connect and share their grief over the death of their loved ones. You might be mourning someone yourself or just used the meetings for connections. You can get +2 dice on social tests if you find a way to connect to your target through grief, or +3 if the target was another Bal des Victimes participant.
•••• Friend of Beaumont: Banned
You were close to Félicien Beaumont and helped him advance his political agenda and secure important positions in the heat of the Revolution. You have remained in his circle of proteges ever since. Beaumont counts as a five-dot Mawla, but once per story, he’ll request something from you in return, the equivalence of one minor boon.
••••• Bohemian Affinities: Banned
Your influence with the reformist Revolutionary faction is extensive, as you provided help to their cause, or maybe you were Embraced in their group. You get five dots to distribute among Haven, Contacts, and Resources. Furthermore, and can access the Halls of Montmartre location (p. 42), using it as a hideout from time to time.
The Order of Repentants (p.152)
The Repentants are Kindred who lost much of their humanity but regained enough to maintain control. They now devote themselves to repenting the vile actions they performed while the Beast controlled them. To join their ranks, you must convince the order of your will to pay for your sins, usually by prostrating yourself in front of a whole chapter of other Repentants. In many ways, being one of the Repentants is similar to belonging to a monastic order as the rules are strict and many. A Repentant exists in fear for what happens if they give in to the whispers of the Beast, and some take extreme measures to stay on that narrow path of self-control. This may involve self-inflicted pain, asceticism, or extensive meditation. Some become self-absorbed in their martyrdom, finding a sort of enjoyment in the constant punishment.
To be a Repentant, something must’ve happened that caused the character to drop in Humanity and to regain it again. If there isn’t already something in your backstory that fits, you committed an atrocity and have since saved more lives than you took. Choose a method for how your character keeps on the right track and how they’re trying to make amends. You could also include a goal that would make the character leave the Order of Repentants.
• Sponsorship: Allowed
Repenting is easier with someone to support you and keep you focused on the horror’s you’ve committed. You gain a three-dot Mawla from the Order who’ll help you once per story. They may also interfere in other ways if they hear of you straying from your path.
•• Surface Empathy: Allowed
Being part of a community that requires you to lay bare your worst regrets has taught you to look beyond the surface. Once per session, you get +2 dice in an Insight or Persuasion test.
••• Flagellation: Allowed
Self-punishment is the key to keeping the Beast in check. You get one extra die to resist Frenzy but need to severely punish yourself for it later that night, inflicting 1 Aggravated damage. If you forget, you automatically fail your next Frenzy test.
•••• Superior Focus: Allowed
Monastic methods of self-regulation have taught you to focus on what you want, whether it’s obsessing over your own evil or moving towards a goal. You can reroll one bestial failure roll per story without sacrificing Willpower.
••••• Benevolence: Allowed
You are devoted to saving your immortal soul, or at least acting as though you could. You can reroll one failed Remorse test per story or let another player reroll theirs.
The Red Lady (p.153)
There is a Toreador ancilla somewhere in Prague called “the Red Lady.” She’s important in the local Camarilla, but not the strictest when it comes to her alliances, since she’s famous for her parties where no one asks questions about what affiliation you belong to. It’s a perfect place to disappear into a crowd, make deals with people you shouldn’t do business with, or just give in to some base, carnal desires. What happens in her parties, stays in her parties. But break that agreement, and you’ll never be invited again, or worse.
• You Gotta Know Somebody: Discuss With Storytellers
You have a contact who can get you into one of the Red Lady’s famous parties.
•• Person of Interest: Discuss With Storytellers
The Red Lady is known for her tastes in younger Kindred, even though her particular preferences vary and shift, and many opportunities arise if you embody what she currently favors. You happen to possess some quality she likes. Add one die in Charisma tests when in her presence or toward her partygoers.
••• A Pretty Pet: Discuss With Storytellers
To be one of the Red Lady’s favorites comes with a long list of perks, as she happily shares her vast resources with you. You are one of her current pets. She is the equivalent of a two-dot Mawla, and you also gain a dot in Herd and one in Resources. These dots will stay as long as you have her good graces and disappear if you lose them.
•••• A Trusted Friend: Discuss With Storytellers
You are one of her recruiters and a trusted enforcer of her will. Once per story, the Red Lady will attend one of your gatherings, and as a token of goodwill and your glorious mutual history, she will grant you a favor. When this occurs, also add one dot in Status (Camarilla).
••••• Red Haze: Discuss With Storytellers
The Red Lady’s tastes are broad, ranging from the pedestrian to the exotic to the forbidden—the amaranth. Of course, it wouldn’t befit one of her station to display these telltale signs of a murderous appetite, so she had one of her devoted acolytes develop a method to remove these pesky marks. Once per story, the Red Lady will cleanse your Blood and aura of any evidence of diablerie.
Live From the Succubus Club
Succubus Club Copycat (p.162)
The legendary Succubus Club of Chicago set the gold standard for hiding in plain sight, with kindred from all over the world going out of their way to visit when possible. Following a series of devastating attacks on the local Camarilla in the mid-nineties, the club shuttered its doors, and the never-ending beat that once drew thousands through its doors was finally silenced.
Nature abhors a vacuum, and it didn’t take long for a roaming iteration of the Succubus Club to surface. While it ultimately ended in a disaster of its own, it opened the floodgates for many other pale imitations, each hoping to cash in on the original’s reputation. While the OG Chicago version is back up and running, numerous competitors have sprung up, some even use the Succubus Club name feigning authenticity only Helena’s bloodline could provide.
Business, like the ever-present beat, is booming.
• Finger on the Pulse: Allowed
The club acts as the nexus point for anyone who’s anyone, and as the owner, you know them all. You receive a one-die bonus to Social pools involving important mortals (even if only in their own minds), as they seek to curry your favor (or discretion).
•• Energizing Beat: Allowed
A success owes much to its hedonistic vibe and world-class set lists, and for the Kindred guests, this makes for a rich hunting ground. All blood Resonance is considered Intense for you when hunting in the club.
••• Damage Control: Allowed
Trained staff are on standby to negate the worst impacts of a feed gone wrong, no questions asked. Once per session, while hunting in the club, if you get a Messy Critical on a test or fail a Frenzy test, you can reroll all dice.
•••• Loyalty: Allowed
Your staff are dedicated to you in a way that’s hard to explain, almost as if the club itself had got its hooks into them to ensure their unwavering loyalty. Any attempts by other Kindred to blood bond, Dominate, or sway your staff with Presence automatically fail if it would negatively impact you or the club.
••••• Destination of Choice: Locked
The reputation and mystique of the Succubus Club is legendary, so much so that even its clones carry that same seductive atmosphere of excess, edge, and danger. This unique cocktail of ingredients marks it as the place to be, and it’s common to see the city’s kindred in attendance. If the city’s undead leaders are hosting a gathering, you can successfully petition to have it hosted in your club, should you wish, once per session.
The Pony Express (p.163)
The Pony Express was founded by an enterprising group of Ventrue ancillae in response to the Camarilla’s abandonment of electronic communications in the aftermath of the Second Inquisition. Recognizing the need for a method of coordinating intercity communication across the sect, the group’s founder, Elliot Praxton, assembled a group of like-minded Ventrue to found what Praxton deemed “The Pony Express.”
The Express is a system of physical couriers that crisscross the nation using various modes of transportation ranging from muscle cars and unremarkable sedans, to boats, planes, and helicopters. Agents of the express in each city include Kindred and their ghouls who may be permanent fixtures of that domain, or move from city-to-city in a circuit. They operate a dizzying array of blind-letter drops, secret meets, and other anonymous forms of communication that they use to “collect the mail” in each domain. This mail ranges from heavily-encrypted flash drives to old-fashioned physical correspondence. Express drivers are culled from the ranks of Gangrel loyal to the Camarilla and an ever-increasing pool of young Ventrue and other ambitious Kindred.
Drivers brave the perils of the open road, handing off their packages to other drivers at pre-arranged drops or occasionally making long-hauls with particularly sensitive information. Anarchs, Lupines, and the Inquisition stand in their way, but they get the mail through, never taking the same route twice, and always covering their tracks. Working for the Express is dangerous on the best of nights, but it is vital to the Camarilla’s survival and Praxton pays extremely well.
• Access to the Network: Discuss With Storytellers
You have access to the Express and can send or receive a secure message or packet to or from any domain the Express operates in. The delivery will arrive within three nights to a week (Storyteller’s discretion).
•• Station Agent: Discuss With Storytellers
You collect the mail in your domain and facilitate the handoff to a driver. You have two-dots in Mask and are Zeroed. You also have access to the local Express station, a two-dot Haven with a one-dot Postern. It is owned by Paxton, but available to you while on official Express business. The obligation that comes with this Loresheet sees the vampire often chased or held accountable if expected deliveries do not make it to their recipients.
••• Driver: Discuss With Storytellers
You are a driver for the Express, granting you access to a wide array of vehicles and bolt holes across the nation. You can acquire a vehicle appropriate to your journey’s needs (Storyteller’s discretion) once per story. This is typically a car, truck, boat, small aircraft, or even motorcycle suitable to reach your destination. You also have access to the full Pony Express station network, representing a collection of two-dot Havens within one night’s travel of each other. They are owned by Praxton, but available to all his agents and drivers in time of need.
•••• World Tour: Discuss With Storytellers
Praxton recently took the Pony Express international, arranging secure stations at many of the world’s major air and seaports, and you are at the forefront of this new initiative. Once per story, you gain access to an international mode of travel specifically tailored to accommodate the unique needs of Kindred. This transportation is likely something fast and maneuverable, like a Lear jet, or slow and clandestine, like a birth on a faceless freighter. Two-dot Havens in the form of Express stations anchor each end of your journey.
••••• Passenger Service: Discuss With Storytellers
Always the innovator, Praxton operates a clandestine passenger service for “special” clients. Once per story, you and your coterie obtain passage from your domain to any destination the Express operates in (Storyteller’s discretion).
Road Courier (p.164)
Camarilla domains learned the hard way that online communication is a death trap for Kindred. To escape the fires of the Second Inquisition, vampires have turned to physical couriers. Europe can sometimes rely on rooftop runners and the discretion of sewer-dwelling Nosferatu, but the vast empty spaces of the continents, especially the New World, require messengers to brave the open road. While ghoul couriers have the advantage of operating during the day, they can be vulnerable whenever they stop, so Princes and Barons are sometimes forced to employ discreet and loyal Kindred to transport vital documents and artifacts.
Whether you travel alone on a Yamaha cruiser or with a whole crew in an armored van, you know how to survive the roads, and how to get under cover with your precious cargo before the sun rises.
• Bucket: Allowed
As long as you’re in an urban area or along a major road, you rarely have problems finding a ride for the night. Add two extra dice to your Intelligence + Streetwise tests while looking for a temporary vehicle. Every success above the margin of difficulty gives some extra comfort and ensures you won’t instantly alert the police.
•• Six in the Morning: Allowed
You know a hundred forgotten caves, empty garages, and abandoned warehouses. Once per story, receive a four-dice bonus to a Survival test to find shelter, as long as you’re on a road or street and have a vehicle. Your temporary haven is big enough for a large van.
••• Chosen Steed: Allowed
Unlife is filled with uncertainties, but at least there’s one thing you know you can always count on. Select one vehicle that you’ve had for at least one entire story; the bonus for operating and working on this vehicle is three dice.
•••• Highway Harbinger: Allowed
You’ve been delivering bad news long enough that vampires know your arrival spells trouble. For the first three nights in a new city after you announce yourself, you gain a three-dice bonus to all Intimidation, Investigation, and Streetwise tests with vampires, as people make stupid mistakes and rumors spread like wildfire. However, your coming is now ominous enough that a paranoid Prince or other notable vampire makes it their business to end you or drive you out. Gain a two-dot Adversary for as long as you stay in the city.
••••• Midnight Express: Allowed
You know spotters, scouts, and fellow couriers across the country. They function as two dots in Contacts. In addition, once per story, you can order them to watch and clear the roads ahead of you for a single night, letting you maintain a highway speed of 75 miles per hour in even the worst bucket and 150 miles per hour in a high-end cruising vehicle like a Mercedes or a sports car. You need to decide on a start and end point before you set out. Your spotters clear out any mundane problems, like speed traps. They can’t protect you from vampires, Lupines, or other supernatural threats, but they can usually warn you or provide you with alternate routes if you come under fire.
Stories of the Daughters (p.165)
Not many young Kindred have heard of the Daughters of Cacophony, but stories of undead singers extraordinaire are occasionally told in Elysia by those who claim to have met one. A rumored bloodline (although rumormongers cannot agree whether of clan Malkavian, Toreador, or another), the legendary sirens can allegedly sway and hurt using their voice alone, capable of shattering much more than glass. Any appearance of a particularly vocally talented Kindred (of any gender, as “Daughters” is but a title) in the domain may spark gossip, and a few Kindred fear the legends enough to act preemptively on such news, turning rumor into danger for the alleged Siren. Some do not believe in Daughters’ existence, while others successfully pretend to be one, despite their sires knowing nothing of such connection.
• Aspiring Idol: Allowed
Perhaps you trained your voice daily before your Embrace, and find the nightly routine a practice that helps you maintain some connection to your mortal past, or maybe you’re just naturally gifted with a pleasant voice and you like the sound of it. Receive two additional dice to any test involving singing, but if you fail, suffer an immediate Compulsion for the shame you brought on yourself.
•• Surprise Performance: Allowed
The talent lies dormant within you, and comes to light in the most unexpected moments. Once per story, receive two extra successes on a test involving public speaking. This can be done after the test has been made, and can be paired with using Presence.
••• Wayward Daughter: Allowed
You’ve heard about Daughters of Cacophony, and whatever you’ve heard, you turned into your identity. You successfully (so far) pretend to be a Daughter in the domain you reside in. You’ve also convinced the local Kindred society to treat you like a big deal (though some individuals may argue). This comes with benefits—receive four dots to distribute among Status, Herd and Mawla. However, someone - like your sire—knows your secret, and might use it against you if you give them a reason. Once that happens, lose your gained advantages and gain Flaw: Suspect among the faction you’re the most acquainted with.
•••• Songstress Supreme: Allowed
Maybe the vitae of the Daughters really does flow in your undead veins, or maybe you’re just exceptionally talented. Regardless of the source, the beauty and power of your voice surpasses most mortal singers. Gain four additional dice to any vocal performances, but your talent has earned you some unwanted “fans.” Gain the Stalkers Flaw, and a single powerful Adversary who feels either jealous or possessive of you.
••••• Rejuvenating Voice: Allowed
Your voice is almost supernaturally soothing. Gain two additional dice to your non-intimidation Presence tests, as well as while using Quell the Beast or Obeah. Additionally, once per story, you can restore three levels of Superficial Willpower damage to everyone capable of hearing your voice. This performance must last for one scene. If interrupted, all listeners suffer one point of Superficial Willpower damage.
Temple of Boom Contract (p.166)
Victor Temple is, in his own words, the “Undisputed Baron of the Valley.” This Ventrue controls the largest Anarch territories in Los Angeles, and perhaps in North America. Victor’s enterprises include several popular nightclubs and an expanding music label business that he promotes under the name Temple of Boom. He also uses this entertainment empire to conceal his unlife — hiding in plain sight, as he likes to say.
Victor may be based in L.A., but his influence is beginning to extend beyond his home domain: having a connection to the Baron can open up opportunities of wealth, power, and fame, as long as you maintain loyalty to Victor Temple himself, and don’t mistake his affability for complacency.
• Chocolate Drop: Discuss With Storytellers
You’re the newest employee of Temple of Boom, either as a performer or promoter in your city. Gain a dot in Fame and a dot in Contacts. Your newfound status has a downside: Gain the Stalker Flaw
•• I Got Connections: Discuss With Storytellers
The Temple of Boom is always looking for new talent, and they are not above poaching from competitors. At the Storyteller’s Discretion, you may request an advance on your salary, and add two dots of Resources or Contacts for the rest of the current Story, in exchange for procuring new talent for Temple of Boom.
••• This is Fine: Discuss With Storytellers
Once per Story, you may name-drop Victor Temple and gain 3 extra dice to Social tests in a business/entertainment environment, such as gaining entrance to a nightclub, for the remainder of the scene. Should you do this, however, you will automatically become a person of interest to someone who has beef with Victor Temple or the Temple of Boom in general. Gain the Enemy Flaw at one dot for the rest of the current Story.
•••• Maharaja/Maharani: Discuss With Storytellers
Temple of Boom isn’t just a recording label, but also a coveted name in the nightclub business. By demonstrating loyalty to the Temple of Boom business family, Victor Temple has granted you the right to open one of his clubs as a franchise in your city. Your Haven, Fame, Resources, and Herd all increase by one dot, and you receive a specialty in either Finance (accounting) or Performance (showmanship). Due to Victor Temple’s tactic of “hiding in plain sight”, your association with the club will gain you the Compromised Haven Flaw.
••••• If Not Now, When?: Discuss With Storytellers
Victor Temple owes you a Major Boon. Whether you obtained this from him personally, or got it through transfers, it is the most valuable currency you own. At Storyteller Discretion, you may personally request something significant from the wealthy, influential Ventrue, such as access to Hunter weapons or even the phone number of a local Werewolf. Should you do this, the Ivory Tower will not be able to ignore your connection to the Anarch Movement. Gain the Shunned (Camarilla) Flaw.
Misc Official Loresheets*
Amanda Chastain
• The Pulse: Allowed •• Boss Lady: Allowed ••• Hacking the System: Allowed •••• Blood Work: Allowed ••••• Learning the Sytem: Allowed
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