Vampire: the Masquerade d20 conversion

Prologue: A Gathering of BeastsChapter One: KindredVampire TemplateDetails of UnlifeChapter Two: BloodlinesMythology and HistorySects and ClansFeatsChapter Three: DisciplinesAnimalism Talent TreeAuspex Talent Tree Celerity Talent TreeChimerstry Talent TreeDementation Talent TreeDominate Talent TreeFortitude Talent TreeNecromancy SkillsObfuscate Talent TreeObtenebration Talent TreePotence Talent TreePresence Talent TreeProtean Talent TreeQuietus Talent TreeSerpentis Talent Tree Thaumaturgy SkillsVicissitude SkillAppendix I: Arcane RitualsAppendix II: Creatures and NPCsAppendix III: Glossary

PROLOGUE: A Gathering of Beasts

Bela Lugosi's dead, and so am I. But what's left of Bela is rotting in a pine coffin somewhere, while I have the opportunity to sit here on the balcony, enjoy my drink and look at you. Correct me if I'm being presumptuous, but I suspect that I have the better end of the deal.I can tell by looking at you that you do not comprehend. Of course, you're not these are cynical, rational times, and you're not going to believe that I'm a dead man just because I say so. A century ago, it would have been different well, it was quite different the last time I had this little talk with someone but this is the age of facts. And the facts are that corpses don't move, don't walk, don't talk. I'm terribly sorry, my dear, but I have a surprise for you: This corpse does.So sit down. Please, I insist that you make yourself comfortable. Pour yourself something to drink, preferably from the bottle on the left; the stuff on the right is for an acquired taste. It's going to be a long evening, and you're going to need a stiff drink or two, I suspect. After all, in the next few hours I'm going to explain to you in excruciating detail why everything you think you know about life and death is wrong. In other words, you don't know a blessed thing about the way the world really works, and I'm going to open your eyes.But I'm afraid, my dear, that you're not going to like what you see.

What I Am

Before we go any further, allow me to tell you that you're getting an unprecedented opportunity here. My kind doesn't talk about itself to your kind - not now, and for the most part, not ever. We've spent five centuries wearing a stage curtain that we call the Masquerade to hide the real show for you, but the end it comes down to one simple fact: We vampires don't want you mortals knowing we're out there. It's for the same reason the wolf doesn't want the sheep knowing he's around. It makes our work so much easier. And so, for example, though we do indeed posses the sharpened teeth which dime novels and the cinema have branded us, you mortals will not see them unless we choose to reveal them. Like so.You're looking pale, my dear. That will never do - allow me to take care of looking pale for both of us. Still, I must admit I'm disappointed that you seem so disturbed by the notion of my being a vampire. Take a moment and compose yourself, if you can. Truth be told, I'm afraid that's the least of the shocks waiting for you tonight. Please, don't waste time trying to come up with a rational, scientific explanation, because there isn't one. It's just what I am. What many, many of us are - too many, by some accounts.Damnation, are you truly that much of a fool? Sit back down. I said sit. Now watch. Hush, stop screaming. No one will come to rescue you, and no one will call the police - not in this building. Discreet neighbors are a blessing to one in my condition. It's positively Victorian the way they ignore anything not directly in front of them. So, at last you have your proof. Now do you believe me? Yes, it is blood in the other decanter; served cold like that, of course, the stuff loses much of its taste. You can try it if you like, but I don't recommend it, no. You're not set up to enjoy such things, at least not as presently configured.Don't get ahead of yourself guessing my intention, my dear. If I were going to act according to your beloved clichés, you would be dead right now. I am a predator, after all, and you and your entire species are my prey.

Beginnings

I suppose we should begin with the basic of the whole thing. I am in fact a vampire, brought into this state of existence in the Year of Our Lord 1796 by woman who was introduced to me as a, quote unquote, lady of evening. The gentleman who introduced us - one of her servants, I later discovered - had an odd sense of humor. But I digress. Yes, I do drink human blood. Without the nourishment it provides, I will wither away; with it, I will live forever. Yes, forever. Unless destroyed - and destroying one of the Damned is no mean feat, I can assure you - we vampires are every bit as immortal as the legends say. Only the sun, and the emotions it engenders, remains forever foreign to us: we Kindred can drink in the night of countless ages, can remain unchanging while all that we see crumbles to dust around us and is replaced by another stage-set that in turn crumbles to dust, and so on... Ah, once again, I lose the way. Blood, yes, blood. I can get by on the blood of animals - most of us can, except the true elders of our kind - but such a diet is unpleasant… unpalatable. No, we all want to feed on the best vintages, otherwise one goes around all the time with a dull ache in one's gut that just never goes away. It gets worse the hungrier one gets, I might add; a vampire who goes too long without feeding is liable to demonstrate a regrettable lack of self-control.There are other telltale physiological sings of my condition. My heart does not beat; the strength of my will alone suffices to force blood through my body. My internal organs, by all accounts, have long since atrophied into vestigial husk, but that won't matter to a coroner, as once I am truly killed I will rapidly decompose into dust. In the meantime, however, I'm not troubled by such trifles as breathing, extremes of temperature and the like. My skin is cold, unless I take effort to warm it.Doing so takes effort, though, and the expenditure of precious blood. Regular food is an abomination unto me, and it doesn't sit for more that a few second in that remain of my stomach. Even with eternity stretching before me, my dear, I have better things to do with my time than to crouch over toilets, heaving ashes and gobbets into the bowl. In layman's terms, then, I am no longer human. For all intents and purposes, I am simply a blood-drinking, ambulatory cadaver, indistinguishable from any body in a morgue unless I am moving about. I save the niceties like warming my flesh and remembering to blink for company, such as you.So thank you, dear. Keeping myself fresh and rosy looking for you is costing me more than you know.Ah, we return to the drinking of blood, the defining act, as it were, of my state. Yes, I am afraid it is a necessity, though one can leave one's prey alive. All that requires is a little self-control and a touch of effort to close the wound - and no, we don't all drink from neck. You can cross another cliché off your list. The problem with leaving one's prey alive, however, is that unless one has certain... protection, she remembers. Such breaches of the Masquerade are not looked upon kindly by the vampiric powers that be. Oftentimes, it makes more sense simply to kill.

My Drinking Problem

The crux of the matter, really, is that drinking blood not only allows me to perpetuate my existence, but also provides a sensation unlike anything else this world has to offer. What is it like? My dear, words cannot describe it. Imagine drinking the finest champagne and the sensation of the most sensual lovemaking you've ever experienced. Overlay that that with the rush the opium fiend feels as he takes that first breath on the pipe, and you begin to have some sense, some tiny,

infinitesimal sense of what it feels like to drink the blood of a kine - excuse me, a living human being. Your modern-day addict will lie, steal, cheat and kill for their little tickets to Heaven. Mine is better, and it makes me immortal besides. Can you imagine the deeds I might commit to feed that hunger? Don't bother speaking possibilities; the truth is more than you can imagine. And I am considered to be a gentleman of my kind. Now imagine, if you will, some of my relatives, the ones who aren't as nice as I am.They can - and do - commit acts that even I don't wish to consider.And here you are, poor little mortal, learning how fragile your whole existence is.Are you starting to be afraid yet? You should be.

CHAPTER ONE: THE KINDRED

“What are we? The Damned childer of Caine? The grotesque lords of humanity? The pitiful wretches of eternal hell? We are vampires, and that is enough. I am vampire, and that is far more than enough. I am that which must be feared, worshipped and adored. The world is mine - now and forever.“No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No prince. “What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What is a claim of power for ones who defy death? Call your damnable hunt. We shall see whom I drag screaming to hell with me.”

VAMPIRE TEMPLATE

"Vampire", a low-class version of the term "Kindred", is an acquired template that can be added to mortal humans only through the process known as the Embrace. In theory, there could be non-human vampires, but none are presently known. The following changes are applied to the base creature:

Type: Changes to “undead (augmented humanoid)”.

Hit Dice: All current and future Hit Dice are increased to d12; since vampires have no Constitution scores, no bonus hit points are gained.

Defense: A vampire gains a +4 natural armor bonus to Defense.

Special Attacks: A vampire gains all of the following special attacks.• Feed (Ex): A vampire sucks blood from a victim with its fangs by making a

successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood dealing 1d4 points of temporary Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained. Each point of Constitution heals the vampire of 5 hit points of damage (and it gains any excessive healing as temporary hit points). For a vampire to be saturated, at least six points of Constitution must be drawn every night. If used against a vampire, the Feed inflicts 1d4 negative levels instead of dealing ability damage; this is an exception to undead immunity to energy drain. When a vampire slays a mortal human by the Feed ability (reducing its Constitution to zero, in other words), it can choose to feed its dying victim some of its own blood, creating a new vampire. An unwilling Embraced victim gets a Will save (DC 20) to resist the urge to drink. It takes at least several nights for the victim to “rise from the grave” and regain full consciousness.

Special Qualities: A vampire gains all of the following special qualities.• Darkvision (Ex): Range 60 ft.• Frenzy (Ex): A vampire that does not feed for more than 48 hours must

make a Will save every hour he goes without blood (DC starts at 10 and increases by +1 each hour) or fall into a feeding frenzy. In this state, the vampire has a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity, but a -4 penalty to Wisdom; it has no control over its actions, attacking all warm-blooded creatures and feeding voraciously. Once it has fed, the frenzy fades

away within the hour.• Vampiric Immunities (Ex): A vampire is immune to ability damage, ability

drain, critical hits, disease, energy drain, exhaustion, fatigue, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, stunning, suffocation, death effects, mind-affecting effects, and sleep effects. Note, however, that certain vampiric powers (and other blood-related effects described in chapter 2) can circumvent some of these immunities.

• Vampiric Resistances (Ex): A vampire has damage reduction 10/magic or slashing, and two elemental resistances - cold 15 and electricity 15. When a vampire is reduced to 0 hit points or less, it immediately enters torpor – an entirely dysfunctional state from which it can be returned if fed enough blood. To fully destroy a vampire, one must either perform a coup de grace with a slashing weapon, or bring the vampire’s hit points down to -20; at that point, the vampire cannot be brought back to life by any mundane or supernatural effects.

• Vampiric Vulnerabilities (Ex): A mere sliver of sunlight deals 2d6 points of fire damage per round to a vampire. Exposed fully to direct sunlight, a vampire must make a Fortitude saving throw each round (DC starts at 15 and increases by +1 each round) or be consumed in flames and destroyed utterly. In addition, wooden weapons that deal piercing damage (such as wooden stakes, arrows, pool cues, spear shafts, and table legs) threaten a critical hit against a vampire on a natural 20 (unless noted otherwise), even though vampires are normally immune to critical hits. A successful critical hit inflicts normal damage (not doubled), but ignores damage reduction and paralyses the vampire until the weapon is removed.

Allegiances: All previous allegiances are lost, often replaced by some of the following – “chaos”, “clan”, “coterie”, “evil”, “sect”, or “sire”.

Humanity: A vampire gains a Humanity rating, a new trait that determines how far it has degraded from a human being toward a ravenous beast. Most vampires start with Humanity 5 or 6. The Humanity trait is explained below.

Ability Scores: Change from the base creature as follows: Str +6, Dex +4, Con (no score), Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +4.

Skills: A vampire gains a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, and Spot checks; these skills are always considered class skills for the vampire. After becoming a vampire, the character gains one less skill point per level than a human would.

Feats: A vampire gains the Improved Grapple feat and one Bloodline feat as bonus feats. The bloodline feat is always shared with the vampire’s sire (parent vampire).

Advancement: By character class.

Challenge Rating: As the base creature +3

Level Adjustment: As the base creature +4

DETAILS OF UNLIFE

Sustenance

Vampires feed by drawing blood from living beings. They are able to sustain themselves on the blood of animals, but most find this greatly dissatisfying. When feeding, a vampire need not kill the victim by draining its blood. In fact, a healthy human is able to survive the process if the vampire restrains himself from gluttonous feasting; even humans of a weaker constitution can be left alive if the vampire chooses to drain several small portions of blood from multiple victims. However, most vampires do kill their victims to maintain their existence a secret; some prefer to acquire trustworthy thralls to use on a regular basis. The feeding can be made as painful or as pleasurable as one desires – for many mortals it is as much of an ecstatic experience as for the feeding vampire. The victims usually do not put up a struggle if they are taken unaware, or in non-combat situations. Such victims, if left alive, are often woozy and confused, and can thus be easily manipulated by the charismatic Kindred into forgetting the event ever took place, or remembering it as merely a strange dream.

Embrace

Vampires sire their progeny with caution and deliberation. Those who look for potential childer seek out the perfect combination of personal qualities that warrant immortality – in their opinion, of course. The reasons and justifications for Embracing new Kindred vary from vampire to vampire, but most embrace out of loneliness, desire, or ambition. Within the Camarilla, the right to Embrace a childe must be obtained by superiors – either within a clan or from rulers of an area – otherwise the Embrace is a criminal act, usually punishable by death.The act itself is relatively simple: the vampire drains a mortal to the point of death, and then feeds it a portion of its own blood This amount varies, as some vampires literally suckle their childer at their own wrists while other Kindred place the tiniest drop on the lips of the childe. Some rare mortals manage to resist this, and refuse to drink, but most do not. The childe then dies a mortal and spiritual death, only to rise unnaturally afterward. Most of the time, dying is a period of great pain and anguish; the childe suffers spasms and shock as her body sloughs off the mortal coil. The instant of rebirth, by comparison, is perhaps the greatest pleasure a Kindred may ever feel. The senses also hone to an uncanny level, revealing sounds the childe has never before heard or heeded, tactile stimuli never appreciated with touch, panoplies of color imperceptible to the human eye, and myriad individually distinguishable smells. The vampire's sense of taste heightens as well, though toward a single, terrible flavor. Only one substance suffices: human blood. From the moment he rises, the vampire is a slave to the passion of his Hunger, and every night from Embrace to eternity, he will experience a starvation that can be sated only by preying upon members of its former species.After the Embrace, the childe is known as a fledgling, typically under the protection and guidance of her sire until that sire deems her ready to face the night alone. Within the Camarilla, it is the sire's responsibility to educate the childe in the ways of the Kindred, though such education is rarely formal, often spotty, and always tainted by the sire's jealousies and prejudices. Many sires, desiring conspirators, sycophants or outright dupes, poison the minds of their childer against their enemies or intentionally leave out important bits of information, the better to rein in the childe later.

Humanity

The Humanity rating represents an unwritten moral code that allows Kindred to retain their mortal sensibilities in the face of their transformation into parasitic monsters. In essence, it is what keeps a vampire from becoming a mindless animal, enslaved by her thirst for vitae. It is important to remember that a high Humanity rating doesn't mean a vampire is a friendly, congenial saint. Vampires are predators by nature, and Humanity only gifts them with the ability to pretend they're not. It is an inward charade that protects a vampire from herself, much as the Masquerade protects from the mortals outside. Unfortunately, the very nature of existence as a vampire is anathema to one's Humanity - as the centuries wear on, the Kindred become less and less concerned with the well-being of mortal "kine" (after all, they'll die eventually, anyway).Humanity is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, and a typical human would register at about seven. The GM decides when a vampire's Humanity score is increased or decreased; level-ups are a handy place for such an evaluation. The degrees can be summarized as follows: 10 - saintly; 9 - compassionate; 8 - caring; 7 - normal; 6 - removed; 5 - distant; 4 - unfeeling; 3 - cold; 2 - bestial; 1 - horrific. The in-game effects of Humanity are few and not too firmly defined, since the trait's purpose is mostly to generally describe the vampire's demeanor:

• Some feats have high (or low) Humanity requirements, so players are encouraged to choose their paths wisely.

• Vampires with higher humanity scores have less need for sleep; they rise earlier in the evening and go to bed later in the morning. This is somewhat offset by age, since old vampires do not need as much daily sleep as the young ones, even though they usually have lower Humanity.

• Similarly, vampires with higher Humanity scores tend to wake earlier from torpor (see below).

• Vampires with very low Humanity scores look less and less human-like. The GM could start calling for Disguise checks as soon as Humanity 3.

• If a vampire's Humanity score ever drops to zero (what kind of game are you playing?), that character is no longer suitable for use as a PC. Completely controlled by his beastly urges, the character is a mindless force of un-nature, and falls under the GM's control.

Torpor

The deathlike sleep of the undead, torpor is particularly common among ancient vampires. Torpor may be entered voluntarily or involuntarily. Once in torpor, a vampire remains dormant for a period of time during which it appears dead to any outside observer, although possibly a little too well-preserved.When a vampire is heavily wounded in combat (zero hp) or when it suffers heavy blood loss (GM’s discretion), it enters torpor involuntarily. There it will remain until fed an amount of blood by someone else. If this happens, she may rise (at 1 hp). The required amount of blood depends on time spent in torpor – the longer a vampire in torpor, the more blood it takes to rise.Certain Kindred, weary of the current age, enter torpor voluntarily in hopes if reawakening in a more hospitable time. They spontaneously rise after a certain period, usually no less then several decades (high-Humanity vampires tend to spend less time in torpor). They can be forced out of torpor by being fed blood as explained above, but most vampires that enter torpor voluntarily choose to do this in secret, remote, or well-guarded locations.

CHAPTER TWO: BLOODLINES

MYTHOLOGY AND HISTORY

According to the most widely accepted history of the Kindred, the race of vampires issued from the progenitor vampire, Caine. Banished into the land of Nod after killing his brother Abel, Caine was cursed by God and thereby became the first vampire. Thereafter, Caine sired three childer, who in turn sired their own childer, and on and on.An oft-referenced collection of Kindred lore known as “The Book of Nod” contains numerous illustrations of the Kindred's creation myth. Unfortunately for those who wish to know it all, the book engenders more questions than it answers, and even forms the basis for one of the other theories of Kindred origin, the Lilith Cycle (which is decried and suppressed as heresy by the Camarilla). In the end, there are no immediately forthcoming answers. Indeed, there may be no answer to the mystery at all.In these first nights, so sires tell their childer, Cain beget three childer, who in turn begot thirteen of their own. They lived in the First City, the city of Enoch, until God sent the Great Flood to wash away their wickedness. What became of Cain and his three childer is not known. The thirteen grand-childer however, survived. These Antediluvians (for they predate the Flood) begot progeny in their own images, passing on their mystic arts and magical curses. Thus were founded the thirteen great clans of Kindred that haunt the world to this very night.Century followed century, and each clan developed its own history, traditions and lore. The Antediluvians retreated into the wastelands, still playing the Jyhad, an ancient and terrible game of war predicated upon the thwarting of the other members of the Third Generation. The childer of the clans assumed lordship of the night for themselves, but most believe that all Kindred are still subtly manipulated by the absent Antediluvians.Central to Kindred myth is the idea of Gehenna. The Kindred believe that this approaching apocalypse bears down ever more each night upon the world. When Gehenna arrives, the Antediluvians shall arise and make a wasteland of the world, consuming Kindred and mortal alike in the culmination of their horrendous Jyhad. Although few Camarilla Kindred would admit it, many vampires see the world on a downward plummet and believe that Gehenna will occur soon. Frantically piecing together the signs from whatever Cainite histories and mythological fragments they can compile, the Kindred seek to learn the true nature of Gehenna, and possibly avert it. Elder vampires know, however, of the implacable wills of the Antediluvians. Should they so will it, Gehenna shall come and overwhelm the world, destroying every mortal and vampire in a tide of blood and fire.

SECTS AND CLANS

Presented below are the thirteen great clans - each claiming descent from a mythical Antediluvian – that comprise the majority the Children of Caine. Because the clans align themselves by sect, they are grouped under the descriptions of the sects to which they adhere. First is covered the Camarilla, keeper of tradition, along with the seven clans that pay it real or fatuous homage. Next is presented the Camarilla's archenemy, the monstrous Sabbat, followed by the independent clans. Finally, a short description is given of clan renegades, clanless vampires, and a breed of non-

Kindred vampires.

The Camarilla is the largest group of vampire clans. It was created as a united front against the Inquisition that threatened to exterminate vampire society. The Camarilla also enforces a set of traditions on Kindred society to keep the Kindred hidden from humankind. Vampires walk among the mortals in secrecy by using an elaborate Masquerade - enabled by the mortals' endless capacity for denial of frightening facts. Clan Brujah is largely composed of rebels, both with and without causes. Individualistic, outspoken and turbulent, Brujah hold social change near to their undead hearts and the clan's ranks contain some of the most violent of the Camarilla Kindred. Most other vampires perceive the Brujah as nothing more than punks and miscreants, but the truth of the matter is that genuine passion lies behind their polemics.Of all vampires, the Gangrel are perhaps closest to their inner nature. These nomadic loners spurn the constraints of society, preferring the comfort of the wilderness. How they avoid the wrath of the werewolves is unknown; perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the Gangrel are shape-shifters themselves. When a mortal speaks of a vampire changing into a wolf or a bat, she is probably speaking of a Gangrel.Even the other Damned fear the Malkavians. The cursed blood of their clan has polluted their minds, with the result that every last Malkavian across the world is incurably insane. What's worse, a Malkavian's madness can take nearly any form, from overpowering homicidal tendencies to near-catatonia. In many cases, there's no way to tell a Malkavian apart from the “sane” members of other clans. Those few whose psychoses are immediately obvious are among the most terrifying vampires to stalk the streets.Caine's childer are called “The Damned”, and no vampires embody this more fully than the wretches of Clan Nosferatu. While other vampires still look human and may travel in mortal society, Nosferatu are twisted and deformed by the curse of vampirism. Other Kindred speak with shuddering of Caine placing a mark upon the entire clan for the monstrous deeds of its Antediluvian founder. As such, Nosferatu find themselves loathed and ostracized by the other Children of Caine, who consider them disgusting and interact with them only when they must.The Toreador are called many things - degenerates, artistes, poseurs, and hedonists being but a few. But any such categorization does the clan a disservice. Depending on the individual and her mood, Toreador are alternately elegant and flamboyant, brilliant and ludicrous, visionary and dissipated. Perhaps the only truism that can be applied to the clan is its members' aesthetic zeal. Whatever a Toreador does, she does with passion. Whatever a Toreador is, she is with passion.Whether dreaded, mistrusted, feared or reviled, the insular vampires of Clan Tremere are anything but ignored. Those who have heard of the clan's doings are typically suspicious of the Tremere, and with good reason - for the Warlocks are aptly named. Through their own artifice, they have mastered a form of vampiric sorcery, complete with rituals and spells, which is as potent - if not more so - than any other power of the Blood. Paired with the clan's rigid hierarchy and the smoldering ambition so common among Warlocks, this power is an unsettling thing indeed to those who know what the Tremere are capable of doing.The Kindred of Clan Ventrue have a reputation for being honorable, genteel and of impeccable taste. From time out of mind, Ventrue has been the clan of leadership, enforcing the ancient traditions and seeking to shape the destiny of the Kindred. In nights of old, Ventrue were chosen from nobles, merchant princes or other wielders of power. In modern times the clan recruits from wealthy "old money" families, ruthless corporate climbers, and politicians. Whatever their origin, Ventrue vampires

preserve stability and maintain order for the Camarilla. Other Kindred often mistake this for arrogance or avarice, but to the Ventrue, their shepherd's role is more burden than honor.

The Sabbat is composed of the fiendish Tzimisce, the shadowy Lasombra and many traitorous members of the Camarilla clans. They seek to overthrow the Camarilla, breed out of control, destroy the slumbering Antediluvians, and enslave the human race.The Lasombra clan has fallen from grace - and its members enjoy it. Simultaneously graceful and predatory, the Lasombra guide - and, when necessary, whip - the Sabbat into an implacable force. Turning their backs upon the humans they once were, Lasombra give themselves wholly over to the dark majesty of the Embrace. Murder, frenzy, predation: Why fear these things, many Lasombra ask, if one is meant to be a vampire? In contrast to the Tzimisce, though, Lasombra generally seek not to reject all things mortal, but to shape them for their own pleasure.If Clan Lasombra is the heart of the Sabbat, Clan Tzimisce is the soul. Even other vampires grow uneasy around these flesh-crafting Kindred, and the clan's nickname of "Fiends" was given to it in nights past by horrified Kindred of other lines. The Tzimisce's signature Discipline of Vicissitude is the subject of particular dread; tales speak of crippling disfigurements inflicted on a whim, of ghastly "experiments" and tortures refined beyond human - or vampiric - comprehension or endurance.

The Independent Clans serve none but their own ends. While not part of a common agenda, each of the independents has unique and devastating abilities that make them respected - or feared - by the other clans.From the desert wastes of the East come the Assamites, and they bring with them a miasma of terror. The Assamites are known throughout vampire society as a clan of murderous assassins, working for whoever can pay their price. The price they charge for their work is the vitae of other Kindred; for the Assamites, diablerie is the greatest sacrament.The Followers of Set are mistrusted perhaps more than any other clan. Their ties with the archetypal Serpent of myth are well-known, and bolstered by their disturbing powers. They are custodians of knowledge that, according to their claims, predates even the First City. When they enter a city, the Cainite power structure almost inevitably erodes. But most unnerving of all, they share a dark and powerful faith as a clan - a faith that the blood of gods pulses in their cold veinsThe Giovanni are respectful, genteel and well-mannered. Affluent beyond imagination, Clan Giovanni traces its roots back to before the Renaissance, to a family of merchant princes. The clan still maintains its original home in Venice, in a thousand-year-old loggia just outside the heart of the city. No other clan makes such a spectacle of humility and propriety as does the Giovanni. And no other clan hides its blasphemous secrets as well.If ever a clan were renowned for a wickedly black sense of humor, the Ravnos would be that clan. These Cainites are deceivers of the first order, weaving illusion and lies into elaborate schemes to part the foolish from whatever it is the Ravnos might fancy - be it wealth, blood or even their victims' freedom. Like Mephistopheles or Old Scratch, the Ravnos ply their devil's deals with whomever they choose, be it human or Kindred, and woe to those who wind up unable to pay the hidden costs.

Anarchs are vampires who reject the Traditions of Caine and the dictates of the elders who enforce them. Ironically, elders grudgingly afford anarchs some degree of status, due to the anarchs' ability to obtain power in spite of the elders' opposition.

Anarchs are also respected for their passion and drive, which few elder Kindred, mired as they are in their age and dissatisfaction, can muster. Ultimately, however, most Kindred see anarchs as jackals, scavenging their unlives from what slips through the elders' fingers.

The Caitiff are the clanless vampires, outcast by other Kindred and despised by those who bother to notice them at all. Vampires may become clanless either by having no idea of their sires' identities (and thus having no sense of lineage) or by being of such a weak generation that no identifying clan characteristics are discernible. Caitiff are almost universally regarded as bastard children and orphans, though some rise to a degree of prominence among the anarchs. Once there were few Caitiff, but the post-WWII period has seen a sharp increase in their numbers. Some elders whisper direfully of the "Time of Thin Blood" that signifies the imminence of Gehenna.

The Cathayans, or "Kindred" of the East, seem to have very little in common with their Western brethren. The Cainites of the West find themselves thwarted in the Far East by these mysterious beings. Rumors of demonic powers surround the Cathayans, or Kuei-Jin, as they call themselves. Their enigmatic behavior and foreign mindset leave many Cainites ill at ease. The only extended contact that the Western Kindred have had with the Kuei-Jin was in San Francisco, where the easterners have pushed back the Camarilla with disturbing ease.

FEATS

The feats presented below represent some of the abilities available to vampires. Bloodline feats are granted to newly-Embraced characters as bonus feats, while the other feats are selected normally.Note that these feats represent only the powers of young, high-generation Kindred, which include all PCs by default. Many (but not all) clan Elders have powers far surpassing these, which should remain unavailable to the PCs in most cases. If the GM wishes to translate such powers into game statistics (not recommended), they should be represented as feats that require blood of a certain generation.

Table: Bloodline FeatsFeat Prerequisite BenefitAssamite Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessBrujah Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessCaitiff Bloodline Embraced Discipline accessGangrel Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessGiovanni Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessLasombra Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessMalkavian Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessNosferatu Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessRavnos Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessSetite Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessToreador Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessTremere Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessTzimisce Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline accessVentrue Bloodline Embraced into clan Discipline access

Table: Kindred FeatsFeat Prerequisite BenefitAlter Self Str 15, Vicissitude 9 ranks Alter self spell-like ability Baleful Morpher Str 15, Cha 17, Humanity 3-, Vicissitude 12 ranks, Alter Self Use alter self on anotherFlame Thrower Int 17, BAB +6, Thaumaturgy (Flames) 9 ranks Ranged touch attacksKine Agent Cha 13, Humanity 5+, character level 9th Gain a cohort Kine Followers Cha 13, Humanity 5+, Kine Agent, character level 9th Gain followersKine Contacts Cha 13, Humanity 6+, Gather Information 4 ranks Contacts, skill bonusesMixed Breeding - Discipline access Broad Breading Int 17, Cha 17, Mixed Breeding Bonus talentsMonstrous Humanity 3 or lower Willing frenzyPenitent Wis 11, Humanity 8 +4 save vs. DisciplinesPermanency Thaumaturgy (Conjuring) 12 ranks Conjure lasting objectsQuench Int 15, Thaumaturgy (Flames) 9 ranks Quench flamesTelekinetic Maneuver Int 17, Thaumaturgy (Move of Mind) 12 ranks Telekinetic combat Thick Dead Skin Str 15 +2 natural ACTormentor Listen 4 ranks, Necromancy (Sepulchre) 9 ranks, Spot 4 ranks Perceive and touch umbral

Table: General FeatsFeat Prerequisite BenefitAbility Focus Special attack +2 DC of the special attackImproved Grapple Dex 13, either Brawl or Combat Martial Arts +4 grapple checks, no attack of opportunityImproved Natural Attack Natural weapon, BAB +4 Increase damage by one stepMultiattack 3 or more natural attacks Secondary attacks at -2

ABILITY FOCUS [General] Prerequisite: Special attack allowing a saving throw. Benefit: Choose one of your spell-like abilities or other special attacks. Add +2 to the DC for all saving throws against the special ability on which you focus. Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat it applies to a different special ability.

ALTER SELF [Kindred] Prerequisite: Str 15, Vicissitude 9 ranks Benefit: You can use alter self as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). Your effective caster level equals your character level.

BALEFUL MORPHER [Kindred] Prerequisite: Str 15, Cha 17, Humanity 3 or less, Vicissitude 12 ranks, Alter Self Benefit: Once per night, you can use your alter self spell-like ability on another creature, inflicting great pain and dealing 2d6 points of damage in the process. The target is allowed a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1/2 your Hit Dice + your Charisma modifier) to negate the transformation. Unlike with the standard use of alter self, the change lasts until dawn.

BLOODLINE, ASSAMITE [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the cold-blooded Assamites. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by an Assamite vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Celerity, Obfuscate, and Quietus. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, BRUJAH [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the rebellious Brujah. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Brujah vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Celerity, Potence, and Presence. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, CAITIFF [Kindred; Bloodline] You have no clan, but are determined to survive nevertheless. Prerequisites: Embraced by a vampire without a clan. Benefit: You add any two non-exclusive talent trees from the clan discipline table to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes). Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, GANGREL [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the animalistic Gangrel. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Gangrel vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Animalism, Fortitude, and Protean. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, GIOVANNI [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the Giovanni necromancers. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Giovanni vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Dominate and Potence. In addition, the Necromancy skills are treated as class skills for you, regardless of which class you are advancing in. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, LASOMBRA [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the graceful Lasombra. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Lasombra vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Dominate, Obtenebration, and Potence. In addition, your reflection cannot be seen in the mirror (and your image is blurred on photographs and other visual recordings) due to your blood's connection with the shadow. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, MALKAVIAN [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the insightful Malkavians. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Malkavian vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Auspex, Dementation, and Obfuscate. In addition, your speech and mannerisms are a little... odd due to the curse of madness trailing through your bloodline. Exact manifestations vary, but Malkavians are as likely to provide pearls of wisdom as they are to ramble incoherently. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, NOSFERATU [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the hideous Nosferatu. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Nosferatu vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Animalism, Obfuscate, and Potence. In addition, your physical appearance is loathsome by any standard; the initial reaction of strangers is one step lower when they can see you. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, RAVNOS [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the deceitful Ravnos. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Ravnos vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, SETITE [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the enigmatic Followers of Set. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Follower of Set vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Obfuscate, Presence, and Serpentis. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, TOREADOR [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the decadent Toreadors. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Toreador vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Auspex, Celerity, and Presence. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, TREMERE [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the Tremere arcanists. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Tremere vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Auspex and Dominate. In addition, the Thaumaturgy skills are treated as class skills for you, regardless of which class you are advancing in. Finally, you have an allegiance to either the whole Tremere clan or a single elder due to a blood bond forced upon every new Tremere. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, TZIMISCE [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the fiendish Tzimisce. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Tzimisce vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) – Animalism and Auspex. Additionally, the Vicissitude skill is treated as a class skill for you, regardless of which class you are advancing in. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a

vampire). You cannot select it later.

BLOODLINE, VENTRUE [Kindred; Bloodline] Your clan are the noble Ventrue. Prerequisite: Embraced and raised by a Ventrue vampire Benefit: You add the following talent trees to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) - Dominate, Fortitude, and Presence. In addition, you are unable to draw sustenance from animals and diseased humans due to your clan's deep-rooted preference for “pure” blood. Special: You gain this feat for free at the time of Becoming (maturing into a vampire). You cannot select it later.

BROAD BREEDING [Kindred] You gain two 1st-degree talents. Prerequisite: Int 17, Cha 17, Mixed Breeding Benefit: Choose two talents from two different discipline talent trees; these may not have any other talents as requirements. You automatically gain the two talents as if you had selected them through level progression.

FLAME THROWER [Kindred] Prerequisite: Int 17, BAB +6, Thaumaturgy (Flames) 9 ranks Benefit: When you conjure flames by making a Thaumaturgy (Flames) check, you can hurl them up to 60 feet as a thrown weapon. When doing so, you attack with a ranged touch attack (no range penalty) and deal the same damage as with the melee attack.

IMPROVED GRAPPLE [GENERAL]Prerequisites: Dex 13, either Brawl or Combat Martial Arts.Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you make a touch attack to start a grapple. You also gain a +4 bonus on all grapple checks, regardless of whether you started the grapple.Normal: Without this feat, you provoke an attack of opportunity when you make a touch attack to start a grapple.

IMPROVED NATURAL ATTACK [General] Prerequisite: Natural weapon, base attack bonus +4. Benefit: Choose one of your natural attack forms. The damage for this natural weapon increases by one step, as if your size had increased by one category: 1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, 6d6, 8d6, 12d6. Special: Vampires that select this feat grow unusually large claws or fangs, and have difficulty passing as humans. The GM should request a Disguise check whenever they allow their improved natural weapons to be seen in public.

KINE AGENT [Kindred] Prerequisite: Cha 13, Humanity 5, character level 9th Benefit: You gain a loyal mortal subordinate that assists you whether voluntarily or not. His or her character level is equal to 1/3 your own + your Humanity rating (but never higher than your level). An agent can earn experience and gain levels normally, though he or she may never rise above your level. A kine agent can never have allegiances opposing your own. Special: If you turn your kine agent into a ghoul (by feeding it your blood; see Appendix II), it remains loyal to you even if your Humanity rating drops below the

minimum required for this feat.

KINE CONTACTS [Kindred] Prerequisite: Cha 13, Humanity 6, Gather Information 4 ranks Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Gather Information and Knowledge (current events) checks. In addition, for every 3 points of Humanity you possess, you gain one fairly reliable contact (which may or may not be aware of your nature) that will help by providing you with reliable information on a regular basis. Maintaining the contact is your responsibility, and the GM is free to role-play the character as he sees fit.

KINE FOLLOWERS [Kindred] Prerequisite: Cha 13, Humanity 5, Kine Agent, character level 9th Benefit: You attract a number of minor underlings, in addition to your kine agent. See the table below to determine their number and level. Kine followers don’t earn experience and thus don’t gain levels. However, when you attain a new level, consult the table below to determine if you can acquire more followers, some of which may be higher level than the existing followers. If your Humanity score drops, some followers may desert you (unless you ghoul them first, of course...)

Table: FollowersLeadershipScore*

Followers by Level1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

1-9 — — — — —10 5 — — — —11 6 — — — —12 8 — — — —13 10 1 — — —14 15 1 — — —15 20 2 1 — —16 25 2 1 — —17 30 3 1 — —18 35 3 1 1 —19 40 4 2 1 120 50 5 3 2 1* your Leadership score is equal to 3/4 your level + your Humanity rating

MIXED BREEDING [Kindred] You have access to disciplines not typical of your clan. Benefit: You add to your available selection (in all the six base Hero classes) all non-exclusive talent trees (from the clan discipline table) that you do not already have access to.

MONSTROUS [Kindred] Prerequisite: Humanity 3 or lower Benefit: You relish your bestial nature. You can willingly induce frenzy in yourself. You still don't have control over your actions, but neither do you have to feed when you attack - you attack simply to destroy. The frenzy lasts 1d4 minutes, and you cannot end it voluntarily.

MULTIATTACK [General] Prerequisite: Three or more natural attacks. Benefit: Your secondary attacks with natural weapons take only a -2 penalty. Normal: Without this feat, your secondary attacks with natural weapons take a -5 penalty.

PENITENT [Kindred] Prerequisite: Wis 11, Humanity 8 Benefit: You loath your vampiric nature and seek absolution. You have a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against all vampiric Disciplines (whether talents, skills, or feats).

PERMANENCY [Kindred] Prerequisite: Thaumaturgy (Conjuring) 12 ranks Benefit: You can greatly extend the duration of the object you conjure using your Thaumaturgy (Conjuring) skill. You can pay 500 XP to have the object last one year or 2,000 XP to make it permanent. Special: Regardless of durations, your creations can still be "dispelled" by a successful Thaumaturgy (Conjuring) check against the same DC that was used to conjure them in the first place.

QUENCH [Kindred] Prerequisite: Int 15, Thaumaturgy (Flames) 9 ranks Benefit: By making a DC 20 Thaumaturgy (Flames) check as a full-round action, you cause all flames in a 60-ft. radius around you to instantly die out. If a fire still rages beyond that circle, the area around you may catch fire again very soon, but the quench effect should buy you some time to get to safety.

TELEKINETIC MANEUVER [Kindred] Prerequisite: Int 17, Thaumaturgy (Move of Mind) 12 ranks Benefit: If your opponent is within 60 ft. of you, you can telekinetically perform a bull rush, a disarm, a grapple (including a pin), or a trip against him. Resolve these attempts as normal, except that they don’t provoke attacks of opportunity, you make a Thaumaturgy (Move of Mind) check instead of a bull rush, disarm, grapple, or trip check, and a failed attempt doesn’t allow a reactive attempt by the target (such as normally allowed on disarm or trip attempts).

THICK DEAD SKIN [Kindred] Prerequisites: Str 15 Benefit: Your natural armor bonus increases by +2. Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take the feat both the Strength prerequisite and your natural armor bonus increase by another +2.

TORMENTOR [Kindred] Requirement: Listen 4 ranks, Necromancy (Sepulchre) 9 ranks, Spot 4 ranks Benefit: While on the Material Plane, you are able to see and hear umbral creatures normally. Your natural weapons can strike umbral creatures as if you were on Umbra yourself. You are not, however, so the umbral creatures cannot strike back at you unless they manifest.

CHAPTER THREE: DISCIPLINES

All vampires have access to special talents (they refer to them as Disciplines), access to supernatural powers granted by the Embrace. These powers separate the undead from mortals, providing vast physical and spiritual might. With these Disciplines, a vampire can display the strength of ten men, bend another being to her will, or transform into an animal. Under certain circumstances, vampires can choose to learn Disciplines not listed in their clan entries, but these can never be exclusive disciplines – unless the GM is willing to make a special exception.Note that the talents listed below represent only the powers of young, high-generation Kindred, which include all PCs by default. Many (but not all) clan Elders have powers far surpassing these, which should remain unavailable to the PCs in most cases. If the GM wishes to translate such powers into game statistics (not recommended), they should be represented as talents that require blood of a certain generation.

Note: Blood MagicSome Disciplines are represented by skills rather than talents. These three Disciplines (Necromancy, Thaumaturgy, and Vicissitude) are forms of complex blood-related magic that is more learned and developed than inherited like the other Disciplines. The GM is advised to be on his guard when dealing with PC practitioners of blood magic – these abilities are powerful and must be kept in check with power and authority. A Tremere that goes around happily chucking fireballs should find himself on the wrong end of a blood hunt soon enough...

Note: Disciplines and Undead ImmunitiesLike all undead creatures, vampires are normally immune to all ability damage, mind-affecting effects, and poison. However, since the Disciplines rely on the power of blood that all vampires share through common ancestors, those Disciplines that create ability damage, mind-affecting effects, or poison can affect vampires. Instead of immunities, vampires have only a +4 racial bonus on saving throws against these effects.

Table: Disciplines by ClanBrujah Celerity, Potence, PresenceGangrel Animalism, Fortitude, Protean*Malkavian Auspex, Dementation*, ObfuscateNosferatu Animalism, Obfuscate, PotenceToreador Auspex, Celerity, PresenceTremere Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy*Ventrue Dominate, Fortitude, PresenceLasombra Dominate, Obtenebration*, PotenceTzimisce Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude*Assamite Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus*Followers of Set Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis*Giovanni Dominate, Necromancy*, PotenceRavnos Animalism, Chimerstry*, Fortitude* - exclusive discipline

Unless otherwise specified, any saving throw against one of the talents listed below is made against a DC of 10 + ½ the vampire’s HD + the vampire’s Charisma modifier.

ANIMALISM TALENT TREE

The Beast resides within all creatures, from lice-ridden rats to powerful Kindred elders. The Discipline of Animalism allows the vampire to develop a close, intense connection with his primordial nature. He not only communicates empathically with the lower beasts, but also projects his own force of will upon them, directing the animals to do his bidding. Additionally, as the vampire grows in power, he can use Animalism to control the Beast within mortals or even Kindred. A vampire who lacks this Discipline is usually repellent to animals. In contrast, Kindred with Animalism present a soothing aspect to lower creatures - indeed, animals are often attracted to them.The Gangrel are especially renowned as the masters of Animalism, although the Nosferatu, Ravnos and Tzimisce clans show a talent for the Discipline as well.

- Feral Whispers: You can comprehend and communicate with all animals that you can make eye contact with. You are able to ask questions of and receive answers from animals, although they are not necessarily any more friendly or cooperative than normal. Furthermore, wary and cunning animals are likely to be terse and evasive, while the more stupid ones make inane comments. If an animal is friendly toward you, it may do some favor or service for you.

- Beckoning: A number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier, you can call out in the voice of a specific type of animal – howling like a wolf, cawing like a raven, etc. This call mystically summons animals of the chosen type to you. Since each type of animal has a different call, Beckoning works for only a single species at a time. All such animals within earshot arrive and serve you to the best of their abilities. The effect of Beckoning ends at dawn or when you choose to dismiss the animals. Required: Feral Whispers.

- Subsume the Spirit: A number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier, you can possess one animal; it does not get a Will save to avoid the possession. While in the animal's body, you do not retain any special qualities of your own except Feed, but you do retain your mental ability scores, talents, feats, and skill ranks. You can communicate with other animals of your type (and all called animals), but you lose the ability to communicate verbally. Your own body is in a trance-like state, and appears dead. The rest of the called animals still recognize and serve you. The possession lasts until dawn or until you choose to end it.Required: Feral Whispers, Beckoning.

- Quell the Beast: You can use calm emotions as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). Your effective caster level equals your character level. In addition, using Quell the Beast on a vampire under the effect of Drawing Out the Beast (see below) automatically ends the rage.Required: One other talent from the Animalism talent tree.

- Drawing Out the Beast: Once per night per point of your Charisma modifier, you can force one creature into a rage. The target is allowed a Will saving throw to avoid the effect if it is unwilling to be enraged. During the rage, it has a +3 morale bonus on melee attack and damage rolls, but a –2 penalty to Defense. The enraged creature drops all current activities and immediately engages its foes in melee. If no foes are present, it engages the nearest creature. The enraged creature is allowed a new Will saving throw to end the rage (same DC) every minute. If it does not make any of the saves, the rage ends at dawn. This talent is a mind-affecting spell-like ability. Note that Quell the Beast (see above) automatically ends the effects of Drawing Out the Beast.Required: Quell the Beast, one other talent from the Animalism talent tree.

AUSPEX TALENT TREE

This Discipline bestows uncanny sensory abilities upon the vampire. While Auspex initially heightens all of the Kindred's senses significantly, that is merely the beginning. As she grows in power, the vampire can perceive the psychic auras that flow around her and even project her mind into another being's thoughts. Furthermore, Auspex can pierce the disguises that Obfuscate creates. Malkavians and Toreador are most inclined to this Discipline, but the Tremere and Tzimisce clans also often develop it.

- Heightened Senses: You gain a +4 insight bonus on all Listen, Search, and Spot checks.

- Spirit's Touch: You can use object reading as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). Your effective caster level equals your character level. Required: Heightened Senses

- Aura Perception: You can use empathy as a spell-like ability at will. Your effective caster level equals your character level. In addition, having this talent enables you to automatically make saves against effects from the Obfuscate discipline (see below). Required: Heightened Senses.

- Telepathy: You can use detect thoughts as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). Your effective caster level equals your character level. When detecting thoughts, you are also able to send and receive brief telepathic messages to and from the affected creatures.Required: Heightened Senses, Aura Perception.

- Psychic Projection: You can use clairaudience/clairvoyance as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). This ability functions as the spell, with the following exceptions: you can use all your other talents from the Auspex discipline while using Psychic Projection, and instead of creating a magical sensor, you directly project what passes as your “soul” to the observed place (so certain detection/divination

effects can discover your identity; see also the Necromancy skill). Your effective caster level equals your character level. Required: Heightened Senses, Aura Perception, Telepathy.

CELERITY TALENT TREE

The Embrace gifts some vampires with startling speed and reflexes. They can use Celerity to move with amazing swiftness in times of stress. Mortals, and even Kindred lacking this Discipline, move as if in slow motion compared to the astonishing blur the vampire becomes.Celerity is common among the Assamite, Brujah and Toreador clans. The Assamites use this ability to strike down their foes before the victims are even aware of the attack, Brujah delight in the advantage this Discipline gives them against superior numbers of opponents, and Toreador are more likely to use Celerity to lend preternatural grace to live dance performances.

- Celerity: You have a +2 bonus on all initiative rolls. Additionally, you can haste yourself in order to act and move more quickly than normal. This grants you a +1 bonus on attack rolls, a +1 dodge bonus to Defense and Reflex saves, and a speed enhancement bonus of +30 ft. (which in turn adds a +12 bonus on your Jump checks made after a running start). You can use Celerity for a total time of 2 rounds per point of your Dexterity modifier per night (minimum 2 rounds). It is a free action to activate or suspend Celerity.

- Improved Celerity: Celerity can now be used for a total of one minute per point of your Dexterity modifier per night. Also, the attack, defense, and save bonuses are improved to +2. Required: Celerity.

- Advanced Celerity: Celerity can now be used for a total of ten minutes per point of your Dexterity modifier per night (minimum 10 minutes). Also, while using Celerity you gain one additional attack action per round. Required: Celerity, Improved Celerity.

CHIMERSTRY TALENT TREE (exclusive discipline)

The Ravnos are heirs to a legacy of illusion, and none can say exactly why. The elders of their clan, when properly approached, speak cryptically of ghouls and rakshasa, and the shape-shifting antics of their Antediluvian founder are the subject of many a dark campfire tale among the clan. Chimerstry is an art of conjuration; the vampire may draw upon her inner reserves to bring phantoms to life. These false images can confound mortal senses and sensory equipment alike. The Ravnos are fond of using this power to seduce, swindle or enslave mortals.

- Ignis Fatuus: You can use silent image as a spell-like ability at will. Your effective caster level equals your character level.

- Fata Morgana: You can use minor image as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). Your

effective caster level equals your character level.Required: Ignis Fatuus.

- Apparition: You can use major image as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). Your effective caster level equals your character level.Required: Ignis Fatuus, Fata Morgana.

- Lasting Illusions: Images created by your Chimerstry talents can now be set to trigger at a specific event, as the spell programmed image.Required: Any other talent from the Chimerstry talent tree.

- Horrid Reality: You can use phantasmal killer as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). Your effective caster level equals your character level. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.Required: Ignis Fatuus, Fata Morgana, Apparition.

DEMENTATION TALENT TREE (exclusive discipline)

The special legacy of the Malkavian clan, Dementation allows the vampire to channel madness, focus it, and pour it into the minds of those around him. The practitioner of Dementation need not actually be mad himself – at least initially – although madness seems to grant a certain insight into the key tenets of this Discipline. Few vampires would ask the Malkavians to teach them this Discipline, although the Lunatics are almost always eager to "enlighten" others. The Malkavians claim that insanity is the next step in the evolution of the mind, evident only in the more highly evolved specimens of human or vampiric thought. Other Kindred pray the Malkavians are wrong, but find it difficult to dismiss such thoughts out offhand, particularly because Dementation sometimes works almost as well on vampires as it does on mortals…

- Eyes of Chaos: You take advantage of the fractured wisdom hidden in insanity. After observing a character for one full round, you can make a Sense Motive check to discern this character’s approximate Hit Dice (within +/- 2 HD) and primary allegiance. The DC is equal to 20 minus the character’s Charisma modifier. In addition, characters with this talent should regularly receive hints and tips on their current situation from the GM to represent the erratic data that they draw off the Malkavian “lunacy network”. These hints should not be given more often then once per gaming session and about 1/3 of them should be meaningless or misleading.

- Passion: You gain a spell-like ability that can inflame or blunt existing emotions. Any creature within 60 ft. from you can be affected. The selected target must make a Will saving throw or become liable to your influence – you can then either improve its attitude towards someone by two steps or worsen it by two steps. Passion cannot alter an attitude of "indifferent" in any way. The attitude normally remains changed until dawn, but if the affected creature had failed its save by ten or more, the effect lasts for 1d4 nights (and days) per point of your Charisma modifier. You can use this ability at will. This is a mind-affecting effect.

- Haunting: You can use nightmare as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). This ability functions as the spell with one exception: even creatures that are not sleeping can be affected; this means that the target may begin to question its sanity, seeing such unsettling visions while awake. Your effective caster level equals your character level. This is a mind-affecting effect.Required: Passion.

- Voice of Madness: You can use lesser confusion as a spell-like ability at will. This ability functions as the spell with two exceptions: first, the effect is delivered by voice, so those that cannot hear you cannot be affected; and second, the effect typically lasts until dawn, but if the affected creature had failed its save by 10 or more, the effect lasts for 1d4 nights (and days) per point of your Wisdom modifier. Your effective caster level equals your character level. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect, but not a language-dependant one.Required: Passion, Haunting.

- Total Insanity: Once per night, you can make a melee touch attack against a helpless target to inflict 1d4+1 points of temporary ability damage on one of the three mental ability scores (Int, Wis, or Cha, randomly determined). Additionally, the target becomes permanently confused, but it is allowed a Will saving throw every 24 hours to end the confusion effect. Making the Will save does not negate the ability damage, however.The confusion is a mind-affecting effect.Required: Passion, Haunting, Voice of Madness.

DOMINATE TALENT TREE

This Discipline involves influencing the very thoughts and actions of others through the vampire's own force of will. Commands must be issued verbally; direct mind-to-mind contact is the purview of Auspex. Not surprisingly, Kindred who use Dominate were often willful, controlling individuals in mortal life. Indeed, it's quite possible that this is what drew the vampires' sires to them in the first place. After all, the Giovanni, Lasombra, Tremere and Ventrue clans who specialize in this Discipline consider strong will a definite benefit.

- Command: You can use command as a spell-like ability at will. Your effective caster level equals your character level. This is a compulsion, language-dependant, mind-affecting effect.

- Forgetful Mind: You can use tailor memory as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). Your effective caster level equals your character level. This is a compulsion, language-dependant, mind-affecting effect.Required: Command.

- Mesmerize: You can use suggestion as a spell-like ability for a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). Your

effective caster level equals your character level. This is a compulsion, language-dependant, mind-affecting effect.Required: Command.

- Conditioning: Any creature that has been affected by your Mesmerize or Forgetful Mind talents for a total of six times or more becomes your more-or-less willing ally. It has “you” in its allegiance entry, and behaves accordingly. Required: Any two other talents from the Dominate talent tree.

- Possession: You can use dominate person as a spell-like ability once per night. This ability functions as the spell, with one exception: There is no telepathic link between you and the target. Your effective caster level equals your character level. This is a compulsion, language-dependant, mind-affecting effect.Required: Command, Mesmerize, Forgetful Mind.

FORTITUDE TALENT TREE

All vampires possess a preternatural constitution that makes most normal damage inconsequential. Fortitude bestows a resilience and vigor far beyond even normal vampiric toughness. Kindred with this power ignore the mightiest punches and barely feel hails of bullets. This Discipline also helps protect against sources of damage even vampires fear, such as sunlight and fire.Gangrel, Ravnos and Ventrue possess this potent ability. Gangrel enjoy the benefit of Fortitude as a matter of course, but Ravnos and especially Ventrue delight in the power's psychological effects. It's not unusual for a Ventrue to take a "fatal" blow, giving his opponent just enough time to register the vampire's smile before the Ventrue finishes off the shocked victim.

- Fortitude: Your damage reduction increases to DR 12/magic or slashing, you gain elemental resistance (fire) 2, and you gain a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saving throws.

- Improved Fortitude: Your damage reduction increases to DR 13/magic and slashing, your elemental resistance to fire is increased to 4, and your racial bonus on Fortitude saving throws is improved to +6. Required: Fortitude.

- Advanced Fortitude: Your damage reduction increases to DR 15/cold iron and magic and slashing, your elemental resistance to fire is increased to 6, and your racial bonus on Fortitude saving throws is improved to +8. Required: Fortitude, Improved Fortitude.

NECROMANCY SKILLS (exclusive discipline)

Necromancy is less a typical vampiric Discipline and more of a school of magical learning dedicated toward the command of the souls of the dead. It has some similarities to the lore of Thaumaturgy.Well-trained and puissant vampiric necromancers can summon the dead, banish or imprison souls, and even reinsert ghosts into living - or unliving - bodies. Needless to

say, the study of Necromancy is not widespread among the Kindred, and its practitioners - primarily Giovanni Kindred - are shunned or ignored whenever possible.Over the centuries, the various schools of vampiric Necromancy have diversified, leaving three distinct paths of necromantic magic available to Cainites. Similar to the Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills, the Necromancy skill is a subset of three separate skills - Necromancy (Sepulchre), Necromancy (Bone), and Necromancy (Ash). Characters with the Giovanni Blood feat treat these skills as if they were class skill, regardless of which class they are advancing in. The GM should disallow gaining ranks in the Necromancy skills for most non-Giovanni vampires.

NECROMANCY (ASH) (Wis; Trained Only)This skill allows necromancers to peek into the lands of the dead and even to affect things there. Of the three subsets of Necromancy, the Ash Path is widely considered the most perilous to learn. Check: Varies. See below. Retry: Yes.

Table: Ash effectsDC Effect20 Lifeless Tongues, Shroudsight 30 Ex Nihilo

- Lifeless Tongues: You become able to hear umbral creatures normally, and you can also make yourself heard, if you want. The effect lasts for a number of minutes equal to the result of your Necromancy (Ash) check.- Shroudsight: You become able to see umbral creatures normally. The effect lasts for a number of minutes equal to the result of your Necromancy (Ash) check. - Ex Nihilo: By performing a short ritual (1d6 minutes) during which you draw a doorway with chalk or blood on any available surface, you turn your body umbral and pass through the doorway, physically entering the Shadowlands. This process takes a tremendous toll on you: you suffer 5d6 points of damage, and your Strength and Charisma ability scores are lowered by -4 for 1d4+1 nights. You can remain in the perilous Shadowlands for as long as you like; since there is no blood to be found there, you will probably be forced to return through the same doorway (or another, if you can't find that one) within several nights. Most necromancers arrange for fresh supplies of food to await their return.

NECROMANCY (BONE) (Wis; Trained Only)The Bone Path is concerned primarily with corpses and the methods by which dead souls can be restored to the living world - temporarily or otherwise. Check: Varies. See below. Retry: On the same body, no. On another, yes.

Table: Bone effectsDC Effect15 Tremens20 Tremens Automaton25 Shambling Hordes30 Body Theft, Soul Exile

- Tremens: By touching a corpse and making the Necromancy (Bone) check, you

imbue it with a semblance of life. You can animate the dead body by maintaining concentration (an attack action spent each round). The muscle tissue of the animated corpse must be relatively preserved; the creature has all the statistics and abilities of a zombie, but when you stop concentrating, it falls to the ground motionless. - Tremens Automaton: As Tremens above, but you do not have to maintain concentration; the zombie moves and acts by itself, obeying your orders (for an in -depth description of zombie behavior, see the animate dead spell in the d20 Modern Core Rulebook). It takes a full round to animate a body in this manner. At dawn, the zombie becomes a lifeless corpse once again. You cannot have more than one tremens automaton zombie active at any one time. - Shambling Hordes: As Tremens Automaton above, except you can animate a total of 3d6 corpses. Even corpses with no muscle tissue left can be animated, but as skeletons instead of zombies. A full round is required to animate each body in this manner. You cannot have more than 20 tremens automaton skeletons/zombies active at any one time. - Soul Exile: By touching a creature and making the Necromancy (Bone) check, you are able to temporarily sever the connection between its body and soul. The target of your melee touch attack must make a Will saving throw (DC equal to the result of your Necromancy [bone] check), or have its soul forced out of its body, temporarily becoming a wraith; the body falls to the ground apparently lifeless. The soul can act as any other Wraith, but is unable to repossess its body for 1d4 hours. By then, a typical Giovanni necromancer has either slain the body, compelled the soul to his will, or “inserted” another soul into the body (see below). - Body Theft: By performing a short ritual (3d6 minutes), you are able to prepare a freshly dead body for possession by a soul. The soul must be either a willing wraith or another willing free-floating soul (such as, for example, the soul of a vampire using Psychic Projection). The body must be either a zombie animated through Tremens Automaton (dead for up to 30 minutes), or a non-quite-dead body gained from Soul Exile (see above). The newly formed union uses the physical abilities of the body, and all the other statistics and abilities of the soul. If the body was a zombie, it still decays after a week or so; if it was gained from Soul Exile however, it becomes a permanent home for the soul, although odds are its previous owner will eventually show up to complain.

NECROMANCY (SEPULCHRE) (Wis; Trained Only)This skill is the basis of necromantic lore. Most Giovanni explore the Sepulchre Path before differentiating into the paths of Ash or Bone. Check: Varies. See below. Retry: No for Death Insight, yes for the others

Table: Sepulchre effectsDC Effect15 Death Insight20 Summon Soul25 Compel Soul30 Haunting

- Death Insight: After gazing into the eyes of a corpse, concentrating for one full round, and making the Necromancy (Sepulchre) check, you are able to see the last sight that the dead man witnessed. The corpse must be relatively intact (at least the face and eyes); for example, a vampire destroyed by sunlight is not an appropriate

choice.- Summon Soul: By performing a short ritual (1 minute) and making the Necromancy (Sepulchre) check, you are able to call a ghost from the Shadowlands and compel it to answer no 1d4+1 questions. The wraith can attempt an opposed Charisma check against you to resist the summons. You must know the name of the wraith and have in your possession some material object with which the wraith had some contact in life. If the object is of some personal importance to the ghost, you gain a +4 bonus on the Necromancy (Sepulchre) check (and the opposed Charisma check, if any), and the number of questions you can ask is 2d4+1. The wraith usually answers to questions to the best of its ability, although some try to distort or conceal the truth.The wraith is unable to take action against the summoner; it returns to the Shadowlands when dismissed or endangered by the summoner, when all the questions have been asked, or after 1 hour, whichever comes first. The summoner is not aware of the exact number of questions allowed.- Compel Soul: As Summon Soul above, except the ritual takes 3d6 minutes and you can attempt to compel the wraith to perform a service by describing the service and perhaps offering some sort of reward. You make a Charisma check opposed by the wraith’s Charisma check. The check is assigned a bonus of +0 to +6 based on the nature of the service and the reward. If the wraith wins the opposed check, it refuses service. New offers, bribes, and the like can be made or the old ones reoffered every 24 hours. This process can be repeated until the wraith promises to serve, until it breaks free, or until you decide to get rid of it by means of some other spell. Impossible demands or unreasonable commands are never agreed to. If you roll a 1 on the Charisma check, the wraith breaks free of the binding and can escape or attack you.Once the requested service is completed, the wraith must inform you, at which point it is instantly sent back to the Shadowlands. If you assign some open-ended task that the wraith cannot complete though its own actions, the compulsion remains in effect for a maximum of one month. Note that a clever recipient can subvert some instructions.- Haunting: As Summon Soul above, except the ritual takes 6d6 minutes and you can attempt to bind the summoned wraith to a particular location. Alternatively, by taking a -5 penalty on the check, you can bind it to an object.The bound wraith cannot leave the area (or vicinity of the object) to which it has been bound to without risking destruction. Each round it spends away from the area it must make a DC 30 Will save or suffer 3d6 points of damage. A wraith reduced to 0 hit points by this damage is permanently destroyed.

OBFUSCATE TALENT TREE

This uncanny power enables Kindred to conceal themselves from others' sight. By simply wishing to remain unseen, a vampire can disappear, even if he stands in full view of a crowd. The immortal doesn't actually become invisible; he simply deludes any observers into thinking he has vanished. Additional uses of Obfuscate include changing the Kindred's features and concealing other people or objects. Since Obfuscate affects the viewer's mind, Kindred cannot use this Discipline to cloak their presence from mechanical devices. Video recordings and photographs capture the vampire's image faithfully. Several clans - Assamites, Followers of Set, Malkavians, Nosferatu - use this power, but it stands as the hallmark of the Nosferatu. A number of elder Kindred believe Caine, or perhaps Lilith, bestowed the clan with this Discipline to compensate for the

hideous physical deformities its members suffer.

- Cloak of Shadows: You gain a +6 insight bonus to Hide checks, and become able to use the Hide skill even while being observed.

- Mask of Faces: You can use disguise self as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier. Your effective caster level equals your character level.Note that the Aura Perception talent (see the Auspex discipline above) enables observers to automatically make their saving throws against Mask of Faces. Required: Cloak of Shadows.

- Unseen Presence: You can use cloud mind as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier. Your effective caster level equals your character level.Note that the Aura Perception talent (see the Auspex discipline above) enables observers to automatically make their saving throws against Unseen Presence.Required: Cloak of Shadows.

- Vanish from Mind's Eye: You can use mass cloud mind as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier. Your effective caster level equals your character level.Note that the Aura Perception talent (see the Auspex discipline above) enables observers to automatically make their saving throws against Vanish From Mind’s Eye. Required: Cloak of Shadows, Unseen Presence.

- Cloak the Gathering: When using Mask of Faces, Unseen Presence, or Vanish from Mind’s Eye, you can extend the benefits to a number of allied creatures equal to your Charisma modifier. Required: Any two other talents from the Obfuscate talent tree.

OBTENEBRATION TALENT TREE (exclusive discipline)

The exclusive Lasombra discipline, Obtenebration grants its users power over darkness. The precise nature of the "darkness" invoked is a matter of debate among the Keepers. Some believe it to be shadows, while others, perhaps more correctly, believe the power grants a Kindred control over the stuff of her soul, allowing her to coax it tangibly forth.

- Shroud of Shadow: You can use darkness as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier. Your effective caster level equals your character level. Alternatively, if you use darkness on yourself, directing it inward, you can choose to project an awe-inspiring aura that lasts one minute and grants you a circumstance bonus on Intimidate checks equal to your character level.

- Shadow Play: You are able to manipulate normal shadows cast by objects or

creatures in any way you desire; this has no in-game mechanical effect. In addition, you can bring into being a pair of semi-transparent hands made of congealed shadow, and have them coil around a creature’s throat, strangling it. You can keep the hands in existence for up to 1 round per character level. The hands cannot be attacked or damaged in any way. The target is unable to breathe and takes 1 points of bludgeoning damage per round; all dice rolls the target makes while being choked suffer a -2 circumstance penalty (–4 if the check involves speaking). Kindred are also affected, although they do not need to breathe and thus cannot be strangled by Shadow Play.Required: Shroud of Shadow.

- Arms of the Abyss: You can use black tentacles as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier. Your effective caster level equals your character level. Required: Shroud of Shadow, Shadow Play.

- Black Metamorphosis: By taking a full-round action, you alter select parts of your body into living shadow. Your Damage Reduction becomes 10/– , and you gain a slam attack which deals 1d6 (+Strength modifier) points of bludgeoning damage, plus 1 point of Strength damage. You can spend a total of one minute per point of Charisma modifier each night in this form, but this time can be distributed any way you want.Required: Shroud of Shadow, Shadow Play.

- Tenebrous Form: By taking a full-round action, you change your entire body into a living shadow. You become incorporeal (see below) and gain a melee touch attack that inflicts no physical damage, but deals 1d6 points of Strength damage. You can spend a total of one minute per point of your Charisma modifier per night in Tenebrous Form, but this time can be distributed any way you want.While incorporeal, you can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, by magic weapons, or by spells, spell-like effects, or supernatural effects; you are immune to all nonmagical attack forms, and are not burned by normal fires, affected by natural cold, or harmed by mundane acids. Even when struck by magic or magic weapons, you have a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. You move in any direction (including up or down) at will. You do not need to walk on the ground. You can pass through solid objects at will, although you cannot see when your eyes are within solid matter. You are inaudible unless you decide to make noise. Your physical attacks ignore material armor, even magic armor. You pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. You cannot fall or take falling damage, nor can you trip or grapple corporeal creatures (and vice versa). You have no weight or scent, do not leave footprints, and make no noise unless you want to.Required: Shroud of Shadow, Shadow Play, Black Metamorphosis

POTENCE TALENT TREE

Vampires endowed with this Discipline possess preternatural strength. Potence enables vampires to leap tremendous distances, lift massive weights and strike opponents with terrifying force.

Clans Brujah, Giovanni, Lasombra and Nosferatu are the primary possessors of this Discipline.

- Potence: You gain a +1 racial bonus on melee damage rolls, grapple checks, Climb checks, Jump checks, and Strength checks.

- Improved Potence: Your Potence bonuses improve to +3.Required: Potence.

- Advanced Potence: Your Potence bonuses improve to +5. Required: Potence, Improved Potence.

PRESENCE TALENT TREE

This is the Discipline of supernatural attraction. Kindred who develop Presence can inspire zealous fervor, devoted passion or unspeakable terror in mortal and immortal alike. This subtle power is one of the most useful Disciplines a vampire can have. It causes others to feel a certain way toward the vampire, but does not give her outright control over them. Suicidal or ridiculous directives don't sound any more sensible just because the person giving them is unusually fascinating. Still, inspired eloquence or significant wealth used in combination with this Discipline can enable the vampire to urge others along a desired course.The Brujah, Followers of Set, Toreador and Ventrue clans are all adept in this Discipline. The Ventrue are arguably the most skilled with its application, however, due to their ability to use Presence and Dominate in efficient combination.

- Awe: You can add your character level to all Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks, as an insight bonus.

- Entrancement: You can use charm person as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one). This ability functions as the spell, with several exceptions: If the target fails its save by 10 or more, the duration of the charm lasts until dawn; if it fails by 20 or more, it is charmed for one whole week; if it makes the save, it is immune to your charm until the next night. Your effective caster level equals your character level. This is a mind-affecting charm effect.Required: Awe.

- Dread Gaze: You have a gaze attack that causes the target to become shaken if it fails its Will saving throw. If the save is failed by 10 or more, the target becomes panicked instead. If the Will save succeeds, the target becomes immune to your Dread Gaze until the next night. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.Required: Awe, Entrancement.

- Summon: You can use demand as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum one).This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect.Required: Awe, Entrancement.

- Majesty: The saving throw DCs of Dread Gaze, Entrancement, and Summon become 10 + your HD + your Charisma modifier, instead of 10 + ½ your HD + your Charisma modifier. Also, when you use your Entrancement talent, the target can be dominated instead of charmed.Required: Any three other talents from the Presence talent tree.

PROTEAN TALENT TREE (exclusive discipline)

This Discipline allows the vampire to manipulate his physical form. Vampires who develop this Discipline can grow bestial claws, assume the forms of wolves and bats, transform into mist and meld into the earth.Vampires can generally use other Disciplines while transformed - Kindred in wolf form can still read auras and communicate with other animals. However, there are some situations in which the GM may decide that the immortal cannot use a certain Discipline. The vampire's clothes and personal items also change when he transforms, presumably absorbed within his very substance. Kindred cannot transfigure large objects or other beings; Protean is a very personal expression of undead power.Clan Gangrel lays claim to this Discipline, although other individual vampires have attempted to learn some of Protean secrets from these bestial Kindred.

- Eyes of the Beast: You gain low-light vision and your racial bonuses to Search and Spot checks become +8 (instead of +4).

- Feral Claws: You develop two sets of retractable, curved claws. You have two natural claw attack, each dealing 1d4 (+ Strength modifier) points of slashing damage per hit. You can attack with both claws in one round at full attack bonus, or make one claw attack and a secondary weapon attack at the standard -5 penalty.Required: Eyes of the Beast.

- Feral Fangs: Your fangs grow long and wickedly sharp. Your natural bite attack inflicts 1d6 (+ Strength modifier) points of piercing and slashing damage per hit. You automatically deal this damage whenever you drain blood, although you can choose to deal an equal amount of nonlethal damage instead, if you want. You can attack with both your bite and another weapon following the standard rules for fighting with multiple weapons.If you have both Feral Fangs and Feral Claws, you can make two claw attacks at your full attack bonus and a secondary bite attack at the standard -5 penalty.Required: Eyes of the Beast.

- Earth Meld: You can quickly dig yourself in inside the earth to enter a state of suspended animation. For you, time ceases to flow and its condition becomes fixed. Your body functions virtually cease, and no spell-like effect can detect, reach, or harm you. This state persists until you subconsciously “decide” that it is time for you to surface. It generally takes 2d6 round of digging to reach a safe depth. Required: Eyes of the Beast, Feral Claws.

- Shape of the Beast: You can use polymorph as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). This ability functions as the spell with several exceptions: You can only polymorph yourself, the only shapes allowed are dire bat or wolf, and the change lasts until dawn or until you choose to end it. Your effective caster level equals your character level. Note that other animal shapes may be assumed if the GM decides they are appropriate to a particular setting – for example, South American vampires may be able to assume the shape of a jaguar instead of a wolf.Required: Eyes of the Beast, either Feral Claws of Feral Fangs.

- Mist Form: You can use gaseous form as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). This ability functions as the spell, with one exception: You can only use it on yourself. Your effective caster level equals your character level. Required: Eyes of the Beast, either Feral Claws of Feral Fangs, Shape of the Beast.

QUIETUS TALENT TREE (exclusive discipline)

Quietus, the Discipline of silent death, is practiced by the assassins of Clan Assamite. Using the principles of poison, vitae control and pestilence, this blood-based Discipline focuses on the destruction of its target through varying means. Quietus does not always cause a quick death; the Assassins rely upon its secret lethality to hide their involvement with their victims.

- Silence of Death: You can use silence as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier. This ability functions as the spell, with one exception: The area of effect is a 15-ft. emanation, which can only be centered on you. Your effective caster level equals your character level.

- Scorpion's Touch: A number of times per night equal to your Strength modifier, you can secrete poison into your blood, as a full round action. Anyone who imbibes such blood suffers 2d4 points of temporary Constitution damage (the secondary damage is the same). The DC of the Fortitude save against the poison is 10 + ½ your character level + your Strength modifier. You deliver this poison when you feed (although this does not count as extra blood drain), and you can also apply your blood onto a weapon to create a poisoned weapon. You can keep the blood poisoned for up to one hour, whether inside your body or smeared over a weapon.Required: Silence of Death.

- Baal's Caress: When you poison your blood using Scorpion’s Touch above, you can choose to have this venom deal Strength damage instead of Constitution damage. This can affect even other vampires, as a special exception to the undead immunity to poison and ability damage.Required: Silence of Death, Scorpion’s Touch.

- Taste of Death: When you poison your blood using Scorpion’s Touch or

Baal’s Caress above, you gain a spit attack with a range increment of 10 feet. This is a ranged touch attack that inflicts 1d4 acid damage and delivers the poison. Required: Silence of Death, Scorpion’s Touch.

- Dagon's Call: You can use finger of death as a spell-like ability once per night. This ability functions as the spell, with one exception: Since it actually causes the blood to burst and rupture the target from within, it can also affect vampires, but they have a +4 bonus on their saving throws. Your effective caster level equals your character level. Required: Any three talents from the Quietus talent tree.

SERPENTIS TALENT TREE (exclusive discipline)

Serpentis is the legacy of Set, his gift to his children. The Followers of Set carefully guard this Discipline's secrets, teaching the reptilian art only to those they deem worthy (almost never outsiders). Serpentis can evoke an almost primordial fear in others, particularly those who recall the tale of Eden. After all, hiss the Setites, the serpent was an evil older than even Caine himself.

- Eye of the Serpent: You have a gaze attack that causes the target to become fascinated by you if it fails its Will saving throw. If the Will save succeeds, the target becomes immune to your gaze until the next night. Fascinated creatures stop and stare blankly at you for 2d4 rounds, and their attitude toward you improves by two steps. This allows you to make a single request of the fascinated creature. The request must be brief and reasonable. Even after the effect ends, the creature retains its new attitude toward you, but only with respect to that particular request. A creature that fails its saving throw does not remember that you hypnotized it. This is a mind-affecting charm effect.

- Skin of the Adder: Once per night per point of your Strength modifier, you can alter portions of your skin as a full round action, changing it into scales. Your natural armor bonus increases by +2, and you gain a +10 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks. The change lasts for up to one hour.

- Tongue of the Asp: You tongue becomes a vicious weapon. You can use it to grapple at a distance of 5 ft., draining blood as if you had used your Feed ability. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you initiate a grapple this way.

- Form of the Cobra: You can use polymorph as a spell-like ability a number of times per night equal to your Charisma modifier. This ability functions as the spell with several exceptions: You can only polymorph yourself, the only shapes allowed are small, medium, or large viper snake, and the change lasts until dawn or until you choose to end it. Your effective caster level equals your character level. Required: Any two other talents from the Serpentis talent tree.

THAMATURGY SKILLS (exclusive discipline)

The Discipline of Thaumaturgy encompasses blood magic and other sorcerous arts. Thaumaturgy is the unique possession of the Tremere and one of its most jealously guarded secrets. Certain Kindred rumors even speak of mystic cabals of Tremere that hunt down those thaumaturges who are not members of the Warlocks' clan. Clan Tremere created this Discipline by combining mortal wizardry with the power of vampiric vitae. Though its existence is not widely known by mortal mages, it is seen as a disreputable aberration of true magic by those familiar with it.Thaumaturgy is a versatile and powerful Discipline. Like Necromancy, its practice is divided into several paths: Thaumaturgical paths are applications of the vampire's knowledge of blood magic, allowing her to create effects at her whim. Similar to the Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills, the Thaumaturgy skill is a subset of five separate skills - Thaumaturgy (Blood), Thaumaturgy (Conjuring), Thaumaturgy (Dissolve), Thaumaturgy (Flames), and Thaumaturgy (Move of Mind). Characters with the Tremere Blood feat treat these skills as if they were class skills, regardless of which class they are advancing in. The GM should disallow gaining ranks in the Thaumaturgy skills for most non-Tremere vampires.

THAUMATURGY (BLOOD) (Int; Trained Only) Almost every Tremere studies the Path of Blood as her primary Thaumaturgy skill. It encompasses some of the most fundamental principles of Thaumaturgy, based as it is on the manipulation of Kindred vitae. Check: Varies, see below. Action: Varies, see below. Try Again: No for Taste of Blood, yes for the rest.

Table: Blood effectsDC Effect15 Blood Rage, Taste of Blood20 Blood Potency25 Theft of Vitae30 Cauldron of Blood

- Blood Rage: By touching a Kindred or a living human, you cause it to enter a blood rage, driving it to frenzy (+4 Str, +4 Dex, -4 Wis; attacks all warm-blooded creatures and attempts to feed). The target is allowed a DC 15 Will save to negate the effect. - Taste of Blood: By tasting the blood of a Kindred, you can determine how much how recently it has fed (within +/- 2 hours), his approximate generation (within +/- 2) and, if you beat the DC by 5 or more, whether he has recently committed diablerie (within the past 1d4 years). The target is not allowed a save against these effects (but see Blood of Potency below). A failed check means either no information, or, at the GM's discretion, false information was gained. - Blood Potency: By concentrating for a full round, you are able to “enhance” your blood, making it register as if it were of a higher generation. Any effect that detects your generation (such as Taste of Blood above) registers you as a Kindred of a generation 1d4+1 lower than your actual generation. - Theft of Vitae: You are able to drain blood at a distance of up to 50 ft. Your target is allowed a DC 25 Fortitude saving throw to negate your feeding attempt, and if it fails, its blood literally streams out in a physical torrent and is absorbed by your body. The target is considered helpless, but it is allowed a new saving throw each round to stop the blood drain. All the standard effects of blood drain apply (Constitution damage, healing, etc.). This power is obviously quite spectacular, and

Camarilla princes justifiably consider its public use a breach of the Masquerade. - Cauldron of Blood: To produce any substantial effect, this check must be combined with a DC 30 Thaumaturgy (Flames) check. Both checks are made at the same time, as a single full-round action. If successful, you target a creature within range and excite its blood to boiling point. The creature must make a DC 30 Fortitude save or die instantly; even if the save is successful, the creature still takes 3d6+6 points of fire damage. Since this power actually causes the blood to boil and immolate the target from within, it can also affect vampires despite the undead immunity to most effects that allow Fortitude saves.

THAUMATURGY (CONJURING) (Int; Trained Only) Summoning objects “out of thin air” has been a staple of occult and supernatural legend since long before the rise of the Tremere. This Thaumaturgical path enables powerful conjurations limited only by the mind of the practitioner. Check: Varies, see below. Action: It takes 1d4 rounds of uninterrupted concentration to make a Thaumaturgy (Conjuring) check. Try Again: Yes.

Table: Conjuring effectsDC Effect15 Summon Simple Form20 Summon Lasting Form25 Summon Complex Form

- Summon Simple Form: If you concentrate for 1d4 rounds and make the Thaumaturgy (Conjuring) check, you can create a nonmagical, unattended object of nonliving, vegetable matter. The object remains in existence as long as you maintain concentration. The volume of the item created cannot exceed 1 cubic foot per point of difference by which you beat the DC. You must succeed on an appropriate Craft skill check to make a complex item.- Summon Lasting Form: As Summon Simple Form above, except you do not need to maintain concentration; the object remains in existence until dawn. - Summon Complex Form: As Summon Lasting Form above, except that you can also create an object of mineral nature: stone, crystal, metal, or the like.

THAUMATURGY (DISSOLVE) (Int; Trained Only) Brutal and painful, this skill provides thaumaturges with offensive capabilities not found in other, less martial paths. It exists solely to cause entropy and decay.This skill is used almost exclusively by the Sabbat, although a few Camarilla Tremere have managed to learn the secrets of this path over the centuries. Check: Varies, see below. Action: Varies, see below. Try Again: Yes.

Table: Dissolve effectsDC Effect15 Decay, Gnarl20 Acid Touch25 Atrophy30 Disintegrate

- Decay: If you maintain contact with an object or creature for 1 full minute and make the Thaumaturgy (Dissolve) check, you can cause it to age 10 years. The target is allowed a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. - Gnarl: By touching a wooden object and making the Thaumaturgy (Dissolve) check, you can cause the wood to bend and warp, permanently destroying its form, and strength. The target is allowed a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw to negate the effect. A warped door springs open (or becomes stuck, requiring a Strength check to open, at your option). A boat or ship springs a leak. Warped ranged wooden weapons are useless. A warped wooden melee weapon causes a –4 penalty on attack rolls. A successful check allows you to warp one Small or smaller object or its equivalent. Warping a Medium object increases the DC by +5, warping a Large object increases the DC by +10, etc. - Acid Touch: By concentrating for 1 full round and making the Thaumaturgy (Dissolve) check, you begin to secrete a bilious, acidic fluid from any portion of your body. The acid causes your natural and unarmed attacks to deal an extra 2d4 points of acid damage. You stop secreting the acid after 1d4 minutes. - Atrophy: By making a melee touch attack and the Thaumaturgy (Dissolve) check, you can wither a victim's limb, leaving only a desiccated, almost mummified husk of bone and skin. The target is allowed a DC 25 Fortitude save to negate the effect. An atrophied arm causes a -4 penalty on Grapple checks and all skill checks modified by Strength or Dexterity; the creature becomes unable to use two-handed weapons and other items that require two hands to operate.An atrophied leg reduces the creature's base speed to 1/3, and causes a -4 penalty on all skill checks modified by Strength or Dexterity.Creatures with regeneration (such as werewolves) regain the use of the limb within 2d4 days, but mundane living beings can only be restored magically, possibly by a Life sphere effect. - Disintegrate: By making a melee touch attack and the Thaumaturgy (Dissolve) check, you can disintegrate a creature or object entirely so that it leaves behind only a trace of fine dust. The target is allowed a DC 30 Fortitude save to negate the effect, but even if the save succeeds, it takes 3d6 points of damage and ages 10 years.

THAUMATURGY (FLAMES) (Int; Trained Only) This path grants the thaumaturge the ability to conjure forth mystical flames - small fires at first, but skilled magicians maycreate great conflagrations. The Lure of Flames is greatly feared, as fire is one of the surest ways to bring Final Death upona vampire. Check: By concentrating for 1 full round and making the Thaumaturgy (Flames) check, you create a mystical flame in the palm of your hand. The flame sheds light roughly equivalent to a torch. You can dismiss it at will, but while it is in effect, you cannot use your hand to manipulate objects. The flame allows you to make a melee touch attack that deals fire damage to the target (the amount varies according to the result of the check; see table below). An successful attack dismisses the flames, but a miss does not. Action: As explained above, it is a full-round action to create the flames, and an attack action to use them offensively. Try Again: Yes.

Table: Flames effects

Check Result Damage10-14 1d615-19 2d620-24 4d625-30 6d630+ 8d6

Special: In addition to the damage, the flames set the target body or clothes on fire unless it makes a DC 15 Reflex save. If the target catches fire, he must make another Reflex saving throw in each subsequent round. Failure means he takes 1d6 points of fire damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out. A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus.Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make DC 15 Reflex saves for each item. Flammable items that fail take the same amount of damage as the character.

THAUMATURGY (MOVE OF MIND) (Int; Trained Only) This skills represents the ability of a thaumaturge to move objects telekinetically through the mystic power of blood. Some old thaumaturges skilled in move of Mind even use it to guard their havens, animating swords, axes and firearms to ward off intruders. Check: A successful Thaumaturgy (Move of Mind) check allows you to telekinetically pick up and move an object or creature from a distance. The target must be within 30 ft. of you to initially pick it up. You can move the target a number of feet per round equal to the result of your Thaumaturgy (Move of Mind) check (round down to the nearest multiple of 5). Action: You lift an object or creature as an attack action, but moving it requires only a move action each round (as well as a new skill check).A creature or an attended object is allowed a Fortitude save to negate being picked up, and a Reflex save each round to end your telekinetic control; the DCs of these saves equal the result of your Thaumaturgy (Move of Mind) check. Try Again: Yes.

Table: Move of Mind effectsWeight DC1-10 lbs. 1011-100 lbs. 15101-1,000 lbs. 201,0001-10,000 lbs. 25etc. etc.

VICISSITUDE SKILL (exclusive discipline)

Vicissitude is the signature power of the Tzimisce and is almost unknown outside the clan. Similar in some respects to Protean, Vicissitude allows the Tzimisce to shape and sculpt their own or others' flesh and bone. Note that while this Discipline permits powerful and horrific effects, the wielder must obtain skin-to-skin contact and must often physically sculpt the desired result. This even applies to the use of the power on oneself. Tzimisce skilled in Vicissitude are

often inhumanly beautiful; those less skilled are simply inhuman.

VICISSITUDE (Int; Trained Only) This skill represents the degree of your training in the dark alchemical arts of the Tzimisce clan. You may use ancient Tzimisce equipment, along with arcane formulae, to alter the molecular composition of living and undead beings, creating mutants steeped bound to your will. Characters with the Tzimisce Blood feat treat this skill as if it were a class skill, regardless of which class they are advancing in. The GM should disallow gaining ranks in the Vicissitude skill for most non-Tzimisce vampires. Check: Altering the physical appearance of a creature (usually to a more horrific appearance) requires no skill check. All changes wrought by applications of Vicissitude result in horrific physical mutations. Any task that alters a fundamental aspect of the subject requires an Vicissitude check. Note that altering multiple aspects requires multiple checks. Each of the alterations below applied on a Kindred adds a cumulative -2 penalty on Disguise checks made to appear human. Action: Each check requires at least 1 minute, and costs the user an amount of XP equal to 30 x the DC of the check.

Table: VicissitudeDC Alteration15 Add two claw attacks (1d4) or one bite attack (1d6)15 Add horns; subject gains a gore attack (-2 to attack, damage 2d4 +Str

modifier) in addition to its normal attacks20 Grant darkvision (60 ft.)20 -2 penalty on Will saves to resist your commands20 Add +10 ft. to speed (max twice base speed)20 Add +2 to Defense (natural armor)*; imposes a -10 ft. speed reduction20 Increase damage of one natural weapon by one die size; imposes a -1

penalty on attack rolls with that weapon*25 Increase or decrease size by one category*25 +1 Str/-1 Dex, Int, and Cha25 +1 Str/-1 Int, Wis, and Cha25 +1 Dex/-1 Str, Con, and Wis25 +1 Dex/-1 Con, Int, and Cha25 +1 Con/-1 Dex, Int, and Wis25 +1 Con/-1 Dex, Wis, and Cha25 +1 Int/-1 Str or -1 Con25 +1 Wis/-1 Str or -1 Con25 +1 Cha/-1 Int or -1 Wis*Each additional alteration increases the DC by 5

Try Again: Yes, but each failed attempt expends the XP. In addition, the subject may perish as a result of the mutation (see below). Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in Vicissitude, you gain a +2 bonus on Treat Injury checks. Special: Using the Vicissitude skill requires unusual and expensive alchemical equipment and raw materials (in addition to a subject). The purchase DC for obtaining the required items to use the skill on a particular subject is 26; each additional use of the skill on that same subject consumes an additional raw material (purchase DC 15). Also, the metamorphosis is extremely physically taxing - perhaps even fatal. Each alteration deals 3d6 damage to the subject. In addition, a living

subject must attempt a Fortitude saving throw, with the same DC as the DC for the alteration. If the Fortitude save fails, the living subject must make a Massive Damage check or die. Note: Nosferatu always “heal” back Vicissitude alterations within a few nights, at least the ones that make them better-looking. The ancient curse of the clan may not be circumvented through Vicissitude.

APPENDIX I: ARCANE RITUALS

Incantations, commonly referred to as “rituals”, are arcane formulae, meticulously researched and prepared, that create powerful magical effects. By acquainting herself with the arcane practice of blood magic, the vampire gains the capacity to manipulate these focused effects. Clans Tremere, Giovanni, and Assamite are notorious practitioners similar rituals, and in theory, any Kindred belonging to one of these clans may gain access to any arcane incantation. In practice, clan elders usually restrict this lore to Kindred above a certain age and level of influence. Needles to say, clan-specific incantations are secrets jealously guarded from other clans.Three sample incantations are detailed below, one for each of the three aforementioned clans. There are, of course, many more arcane rituals practiced by the Kindred. Unlike the rituals performed by Awakened mages, all Kindred rituals follow the rules for incantations specified in the Urban Arcana sourcebook.

Blood BondEnchantment (Compulsion)Skill Check: Knowledge (arcane lore) DC 27 or Thaumaturgy (Blood) DC 27, 3 successes; Failure: Two consecutive failed skill checks; Components: V, S, M; Casting Time: 30 minutes (minimum); Range: Touch; Target: the caster and another Kindred; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: Will negates (see text); Spell Resistance: No.

This fairly simple ritual is known among virtually all Camarilla clans. It consists of mystic “sharing of blood”, where the caster feeds his blood three times to the subject. The subject then gains a permanent allegiance toward the caster, and is compelled not to willingly act against him. An unwilling subject is allowed a Will saving throw to negate the compulsion (DC 17 + caster’s Charisma modifier), but the caster is aware of the subject’s resistance; usually when a blood bond is performed, the subject is not left much choice, and should not show reluctance. Some anarchs and Sabbat have rituals of their own that can break a blood bond. Material Components: The transferred blood.Failure: Delusion. The caster believes the incantation had the desired effect, but in fact it had no effect, which becomes evident only when the “bonded” Kindred acts against his “master”.

Defense of the Sacred HavenAbjuration (see text)Skill Check: Knowledge (arcane lore) DC 34 and Thaumaturgy (Blood) DC 34, 3 successes each; Failure: Two consecutive failed skill checks; Components: V, S, M, SC; Casting Time: 60 minutes (minimum); Range: 500 ft.; Area: An emanation centered on the caster, radius up to 500 ft.; Duration: 2d4 days; Saving Throw: See text; Spell Resistance: No.

Wary Tremere arcanists developed this contingency ritual to protect themselves from the minions of vengeful rivals. It has saved many un-lives since the House became the Clan. This complex incantation has several effects, all designed to provide maximum protection during a vampire’s daily rest.First, a darkness effect covers the area, blocking out the suns harmful rays. Sunlight

reflects off windows or magically fails to pass through doors or other portals.Second, the entire location emanates magical vibrations that repel humans and ghouls. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. These creatures feel an overpowering urge to leave the area and never willingly returning to it while the effect lasts. A creature that makes a successful Will saving throw (DC 17 + caster’s Charisma modifier) can enter and stay in the area but feels uncomfortable doing so. This distracting discomfort reduces the creature’s effective Dexterity score by 4 points. Third, all wooden weapons (such as stakes, for example) are weakened within the area, and will shatter the first time they are used. There is no saving throw against this effect. Finally, any vampire sleeping within the area awakens instantly whenever a creature with hostile intents comes within 10 ft. of him. Material Components: Alchemical supplies mixed with the primary caster’s blood used to draw sigils and mark the invisible borders of the warded area (purchase DC 25).Secondary Casters: 6 required (not including the primary caster).Failure: Delusion. The casters believe the incantation had the desired effect, but in fact it had no effect, which becomes evident only when the sun comes up and disperses all the wards.

Create UndeadNecromancySkill Check: Knowledge (arcane lore) DC 31 and Necromancy (Bone) DC 31, 3 successes each; Failure: Two consecutive failed skill checks; Components: V, S, M, XP; Casting Time: 6 hours (minimum); Range: Touch; Target: One corpse or skeleton; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: No

A carefully guarded secret of the Giovanni clan and much more potent than the various Tremens effects, this incantation allows you to create a powerful undead creature from a creature’s dead remains. The incantation raises a corpse as a liquefied zombie or mummy. It turns a skeleton into an ash wraith or a corrupted spirit, and the bones turn to dust upon completion of the incantation.You can create an undead creature up to 20 Hit Dice, and you may control up to 20 Hit Dice of undead at a time. If you create new undead in excess of this amount, older undead slip from your control.Material Components: A clay pot filled with grave dirt and another filled with brackish water. The ritual requires a creature’s corpse or complete skeletal remains. You must place a black onyx gem (purchase DC 20) into the mouth of the corpse or skeleton. The magic of the spell turns the gem into a worthless shell.Experience Point Cost: 100 XP.Failure: Betrayal and attack. The undead creature rises and attacks the caster immediately, fighting until slain.

Heart of DarknessTransmutationSkill Check: Knowledge (arcane lore) DC 33, 7 successes; Failure: Two consecutive failed skill checks; Components: V, S, M, XP; Casting Time: 7 hours (minimum); Range: Personal; Target: The caster; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: No

A Setite master can perform this ritual to pull his own heart from his body and hide it in a safe location. Upon removing the heart, it is typically placed in a small clay urn,

which is then hidden or buried. A vampire with his heart so removed functions at full capacity. He cannot be staked by a wooden weapon piercing his breast; he also finds it easier to resist frenzy - the heart is the seat of emotion, after all - the DCs of all saving throws against Frenzy are lowered by –10.The Setite always takes great precaution to keep his heart safe from danger, and with good reason: If someone seizes his heart, he would be completely at that person's mercy. The heart can be destroyed only by casting it into a fire or exposing it to sunlight. If this happens, the Setite dies where he stands, boiling away into a blistering heap of ash and blackened bone. Plunging a wooden stake into an exposed heart paralyzes the Setite instantly.It is possible to perform this ritual on other vampires, although this raises the Knowledge (arcane lore) check DC by +4 and requires several hours of gruesome surgery (some whisper that the elders of the clan often hold their underlings' hearts, the better to control the errant hatchlings).Special: Only the new moon, the invisible moon, may grant success. If performed under any other moon, the ritual fails. Experience Point Cost: 650 XP.Focus: A clay urn or similar receptacle treated with various alchemical substances (purchase DC 29)Failure: Torpor. The caster falls to -1 HP and enters torpor. To restore him, one must return to heart to its proper position by performing surgery (Treat Injury DC 20 check), and then feeding the caster blood as normal.

APPENDIX II: CREATURES AND NPCs

GHOULS

“Yeth, mathter?” - Igor

A vampire's blood has great power, power that can be passed on. Long ago, the Kindred discovered that mortals who drank vampiric blood would become possessed of supernatural abilities and dark appetites. Soon it became common practice for vampires to keep certain favored servants, battening them on vitae - and blood bonding them in the process - all the better to have undying, hellishly loyal servitors.Most ghouls exist at the whim of their domitors, serving loyally in exchange for vitae; they appear much as they did before their change, but they have some minor resemblance to their undead masters. It’s usually pale skin and weak, raspy breathing, but may vary according to the vampire’s bloodline. For example, a Nosferatu’s ghoul may develop ugly warts and boils, while a Gangrel’s may appear more animalistic than before. Sometimes even personality traits resemble those of the domitor.

Creating a Ghoul:"Ghoul" is an acquired template added to those mortal humans who regularly drink the blood of a vampire in order to gain certain benefits, thereby becoming his loyal servants. The following changes are applied to the base creature:

Type: Changes to humanoid (augmented).

Defense: The ghoul gains a +1 natural armor bonus to Defense.

Special Qualities: The ghoul gains the following special qualities.- Cheating Death (Ex): A ghoul does not age as long as he has Kindred blood in his system. However, once the ghoul has passed his natural life-span, he must always have Kindred blood in his body, or he will swiftly age to the point of death and decomposition. This decomposition might occur within nights or (for very old ghouls) within minutes.- Rapid Healing (Ex): A ghoul heals hit points and ability damage at twice the normal rate. Eight hours of rest recovers 2 hp and 2 points of ability damage per character level.

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +4 Constitution.

Allegiances: The ghoul gains “domitor” as his primary allegiance (refers to the master vampire that the ghoul serves and feeds off).

Challenge Rating: As base creature +1

Level Adjustment: As base creature +2

Talents: The rare ghouls with levels in a Hero class can select talents from any Discipline tree that their domitor has already selected from, but only those that do

not have other talents as requirements (for example, a ghoul can select Celerity, but not Improved Celerity).

- Sample Ghoul: Dedicated Ordinary 3/Strong Ordinary 3; HD 3d6+3d8+24; hp 50; Mas 18; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; Def 16 (touch 15, flat-footed 16); BAB/Grap +5/+8; Atk +9 melee (1d4+3/19, mastercraft silvered dagger), or +6 ranged (2d6, Beretta 92F); F/R 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ cheating death; SV Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +7; AL domitor; AP 0; Rep +1; Str 17, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8. Occupation: Entrepreneur (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gamble) Skills: Bluff +2, Decipher Script +5, Diplomacy +1, Gamble +4, Handle Animal +2, Investigate +6, Knowledge (arcane lore +2, current events +4, theology and philosophy +4), Listen +9, Profession (any one) +4, Read/Write Language (English, Latin), Sense Motive +5, Speak Language (English, Latin), Spot +4. Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Weapon Proficiency (simple, personal firearms). Possessions: Beretta 92F (9mm autoloader), mastercraft silvered dagger (+1 attack rolls), various personal possessions.

THE INQUISITION

”Sono gia morti...” - Monsignor Amelio Carpaccio

The public at large, historians in general and even some of the Church's highest officials - including the Pope - know nothing of the Inquisition's current activities, due to the organization's intense secrecy. The Society of Leopold, as it's properly called nowadays, comprises Catholics primarily but no longer exclusively. The Inquisition's “interfaith” membership devotes itself to the eradication of vampires and other supernatural entities, an agenda the Society pursued vigorously for many years, and especially in the last few, under their latest leader: Austrian Ingrid Bauer, known behind her back as “The Original Iron Maiden.”

Knight of LeopoldAdvanced Class

Neonates whisper tales of coteries routed by sword-wielding Leopolders who display previously un-glimpsed fierceness and skill. Most troubling to the Children of Caine are recent reports of napalm assaults against longtime havens, some of them lairs that had remained inviolate for decades.

Hit Dice: d8

Requirements: - Base Attack Bonus: +2 - Skills: Concentration 2 ranks, Knowledge (arcane lore) 6 ranks, Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 4 ranks - Feats: Archaic Weapon Proficiency - Allegiance: Society of Leopold - Special: Must have survived a violent encounter with an undead creature.

Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Investigate (Int), Knowledge

(arcane lore, earth and life sciences, history, streetwise, theology and philosophy) (Int), Research (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Treat Injury (Wis).Skill points per Level: 5 + Int modifier.

Action Points per Level: 5 + ½ character level.

Table: The Knight of LeopoldLevel BAB Fort Ref Will Special Def Rep1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Lore of undeath, resilience +1 +12nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Undead foe +2 +2 +13rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Bonus feat +2 +14th +3 +4 +1 +4 Channel faith (hold) +3 +25th +3 +4 +1 +4 Undead foe +4 +4 +26th +4 +5 +2 +5 Bonus feat +4 +27th +5 +5 +2 +5 Channel faith (banish) +5 +38th +6 +6 +2 +6 Undead foe +6 +5 +39th +6 +6 +3 +6 Bonus feat +6 +310th +7 +7 +3 +7 Channel faith (cleanse) +7 +4

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Knight of Leopold gains no new armor or weapon proficiencies.

Lore of Undeath (Ex): A Knight of Leopold adds his class level to all Knowledge (arcane lore) and Knowledge (history) checks that relate to undeath or the undead.

Resilience (Ex): A Knight of Leopold gains a +4 morale bonus on all saving throws against spell-like and supernatural abilities of undead creatures.

Undead Foe (Ex): At 2nd level, the Knight gains a +2 competence bonus on Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot checks when using these skills against undead creatures. Likewise, he gets a +2 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls against the undead. At 5th level these bonuses increase to +3, and at 9th level to +4.

Bonus Feat: At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level the Knight of Leopold gains a bonus feat from the following list. He must meet the feat's prerequisites, if any: Attentive, Cautious, Trustworthy, Confident, Dodge, Defensive Combat Martial Arts, Educated, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Mobility, and Surgery.

Channel Faith (Hold): At 4th level, the Knight of Leopold gains the ability to channel his faith into an imperceptible field of positive energy that holds undead creatures at bay. If he succeeds at a DC 15 Concentration check, all undead creatures within 60 ft. must make a Will save (DC 10 + ½ the Knight's HD + the Knight's Charisma modifier) or become unable to move toward him for 1 minute. If the Knight moves toward the undead, they must make a new Will save (against the same DC) or be forced to retreat, keeping their distance in any way possible.Channel Faith is a supernatural ability; the Knight of Leopold can attempt to use it a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier plus 3.

Channel Faith (Banish): At 7th level, the ability is improved so that every undead creature that fails its Will save flees for 1d4 minutes by the best and fastest means available. If it cannot flee, it cowers.

Channel Faith (Cleanse): At 10th level, this ability is improved so that every undead creature with a Hit Dice total lesser than the Knight's total must also attempt a Fortitude save (against the same DC) or be utterly destroyed, as if through spontaneous combustion; if the save succeeds, it still takes 2d6 points of fire damage.

- Sample Knight of Leopold: Dedicated Hero 3/Knight of Leopold 5; Medium Humanoid; HD 3d6+5d8+8 (43 hp); Mas 12; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; Def 19 (+6 class, +3 Dex), touch 19, flat-footed 16; BAB +5; Grap +6; Atk +9 melee (1d6+1/19-20, mastercraft sword-cane), or +8 ranged (2d6, revolver); SA channel faith (hold); SQ lore of undeath +5, resilience, undead foe +4; SV Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +10; AL Society of Leopold, Catholic Church; AP 4; Rep +3; Str 13, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 12. Occupation: Religious (class skills (+1 to all): Knowledge (arcane lore, theology and philosophy), Sense Motive) Skills: Concentration +9, Investigate +6, Knowledge (arcane lore +9, theology and philosophy +9), Listen +7, Read/Write (English, Latin), Sense Motive +9, Speak (English, Latin), Spot +7. Feats: Alertness, Archaic Weapon Proficiency, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Personal Firearm Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Finesse. Talents: Faith, Skill Emphasis (Sense Motive) Possessions: mastercraft sword cane (+1 attack rolls; piercing/slashing damage), Ruger Service Six (.38 revolver), 50 rounds of .38 ammunition, holy symbol, stake.

LUPINES

Vampires are urban creatures, and have always been. However, it is more than easy access to prey that keeps them sequestered in their city domains. Many vampires that try to cross the open land perish without seeing their destinations.They die at the claws of the Cainites' ancient enemies: the Lupines - the werewolves.Even the eldest Cainite historians cannot say when the war between the vampires and the Lupines began. As far as anyone can tell, the hatred between the two species has lasted for as long as both have existed. And like any feud, each death fuels the fire into an inferno.No vampire can emerge from a battle with a pack of werewolves unscathed; legend has it that even Methuselah have fallen to Lupine claws (or to the fangs of their own kind soon after, weakened as they were after even a victory).To date, the war between Kindred and Lupine continues. The vampires hate, resent, even fear the werewolves and their berserk attacks. As for the werewolves' perspective on the war - few can say. Some scholars of occult lore postulate that the werewolves strive to tear down modern civilization, reducing humanity to primitive tribalism so that they can rule the uncivilized world once more. If this were true, the vampires, as lords of the urban territories, would seem to be "in the way". Other scholars counter that Lupines seem to be able to "scent" vampires, and that they hunt the Kindred as part of some religious Jyhad of their own. For their part, the Lupines have refused to explain their actions - and the Kindred would rather see the Lupines extinct than reach any belated peace, so the bloodshed continues.For the werewolves' perspective on things, as well as an in-depth look at their society and capabilities, see “Werewolf: The Apocalypse d20 Modern”.

- Sample Lupine (Metis Garou): Strong Hero 3/Tough Hero 3; CR 9; Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Shapechanger); HD 3d8+3d10+30; hp 63; Mas 21; Init +1; Spd 40 ft.; Def 19, touch 15, flat-footed 18 (+1 Dex, +4 natural, +4 class); BAB +5; Grap +10; Atk +10 melee (1d6+7, bite) or +10 melee (1d4+7, claw); Full Atk +10 melee (1d6+7, bite) and +5/+5 melee (1d4+4, claw); SQ DR 10/silver, human form, low-light vision, scent, silver vulnerability, wolf empathy, wolf form; SV Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +6; AL Gaia, pack; AP 3; Rep +1; Str 21, Dex 13, Con 21, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 6. Occupation: Rural (class skills: Handle Animal (+1), Survival; bonus feat: Brawl) Skills: Climb +7, Diplomacy +1, Handle Animal +2, Listen +11, Spot +8, Survival +5 (+9 tracking by scent), Swim +7. Feats: Ahroun, Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Brawl, Iron Will, Power Attack, Silver Fangs, Track, Weapon Proficiency (simple), Wyld Metabolism. Talents: Hardness, Improved Hardness, Improved Melee Smash, Melee Smash. Possessions: Falcon totem.

MAGES

Nothing terrifies an immortal like something he cannot understand. And no vampire, regardless of age, truly understands the magi. Even those Kindred who once belonged to that arcane fraternity are puzzled by their demented ways. Enlightened by unintelligible wisdom, wizards make creation dance to their tune. That mad waltz eludes the Kindred, and while they won't admit it, it frightens them, too.The origins of sorcery are lost in legend. It has been said that Mother Lilith herself learned the secret Arts, and that she passed them to favored mortals. If such tales are true, then magi are both cousins and enemies of the Kindred: cousins through their shared tie to Lilith, and enemies because of that same heretical lineage.Whatever its origins, magic is real, and it takes many forms. Most magi command subtler Arts - unnatural coincidences, shifts of passion and strange turns of fate. More often than not, a magus hides in plain sight; no physical match for a Kindred, he places his toys, calls his gods, and conjures small but significant phenomena.When pressed, however, a master sorcerer can literally turn a vampire to stone or burn him to a crisp. These wizards are indeed subtle and quick to anger.Try as they might, vampires cannot attain the secrets of the magi; centuries - no, millennia - of blood bonds, Embraces, pacts and mind-rape have produced mere shadows of mortal magic. The essence of life itself fuels these mysteries, and thatessence is lost to the ranks of the Damned.For a closer look at the abilities and traditions of the Kine Magi, see “Mage: The Ascension d20 Modern”.

- Sample Magus: Smart Hero 3/Dedicated Hero 3; Medium Human (Awakened); CR 7; HD 6d6; hp 21; Init +5; Spd 30 ft.; Def 14, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +3 class); BAB +3; Grap +2; Atk +2 melee (1d3-1 n/l, unarmed strike), or +4 ranged; Full Atk +2 melee (1d3-1 n/l, unarmed strike), or +4 ranged; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +6; AL Order of Hermes; AP 3; Rep +2; Str 8, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 12. Occupation: Academic (+1 all) (Decipher Script, Knowledge (arcane lore), Research). Skills: Craft (chemical) +8, Decipher Script +12, Knowledge (arcane lore +15, history +4, physical sciences +8, theology & philosophy +8), Listen +7, Profession (educational) +7, Research +9, Read/Write Language (English, Enochian, Greek, Latin), Speak Language (English, Enochian, French, Latin), Treat Injury +5.

Sphere Skills: Correspondence +5, Forces +14, Life +8, Matter +4, Prime +8. Feats: Covert Spellcasting, Educated, Hermetic Foci, Hermetic Paradigm, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Weapon Proficiency (simple). Talents: Linguist, Savant (Knowledge [arcane lore]), Skill Emphasis (Forces, Prime). Possessions: Various equipment and personal possessions.

APPENDIX III: GLOSSARY

The Kindred have their own dialect of specialized words and phrases. Vampires have a tremendous capacity for double-talk; what they say often means something other than its literal interpretation, or something in addition to its simple meaning. Certain words have evolved new connotations among the Kindred, while others are unique to vampires and their society. The Kindred, set in their ways as they are, are loath to adopt new manners of speech or slang, and one can often determine a rough estimation of a vampire's age by listening to the individual words she chooses.

The following words are in common use among all echelons of Kindred society. There are also numerous other expressions - archaic, vulgar, etc. - which are not listed here.

Anarch: A Kindred rebel who opposes the tyranny of elders. Anarchs wish to redistribute the wealth and resources of a city equitably among the vampires therein. Naturally, the elders oppose this, having cultivated their influence for centuries.

Barrens, The: The areas of a city unfit for life, including graveyards, abandoned buildings, industrial wastelands and areas of irreversible urban blight.

Becoming, The: The moment one passes from being a fledgling into "full" vampire status. One may not Become until her sire deems her ready and gains the prince's approval.

Book of Nod, The: A loose collection of Kindred legendry and history. The Book of Nod chronicles the origin of the Kindred, though it has never been published in its entirety. Fragments of the document and its many partial transcriptions circulate among certain strata of Kindred society.

Beast, The: The inchoate drives and urges that threaten to turn a vampire into a mindless, ravening monster.

Blood: A vampire's heritage; that which makes a vampire a vampire. Usage: I doubt her claims to such esteemed Blood.

Blood Bond: A supposed mystical power over another individual engendered by partaking of a particular vampire's blood thrice; accepting blood from a vampire is an acknowledgment of her mastery.

Caitiff: A vampire of unknown clan, or of no clan at all. Caitiff are typically of high generation, where Caine's blood dilutes too greatly to pass any consistent characteristics.

Camarilla, The: A sect of vampires devoted primarily to maintaining the Traditions, particularly that of the Masquerade.

Childe: A vampire created through the Embrace - the childe is the progeny of her sire. This term is often used derogatorily, indicating inexperience. Plural childer.

Clan: A group of vampires who share common characteristics passed on by the Blood. There are thirteen known clans, all of which were reputedly founded by members of the Third Generation.

Coterie: A small group or “pack” of Kindred, united by the need for support and sometimes common interests.

Diablerie: The consumption of another Kindred's blood, to the point of the victim's Final Death. Vampires of high generation may lower their generation through this practice; particularly old Kindred have such rarefied tastes that mortal blood no longer sustains them, and they must consume vampire blood.

Domain: An area of a particular vampire's influence. Princes claim entire cities as their domains, sometimes allowing lesser vampires to claim domain within.

Elder: A vampire who has experienced three or more centuries of unlife. Elders are the most active participants in the Jyhad.

Elysium: A place where vampires may gather and discourse without fear of harm. Elysium is commonly established in opera houses, theaters, museums and other locations of culture.

Embrace, The: The act of transforming a mortal into a vampire. The Embrace requires the vampire to drain her victim and then replace that victim's blood with a bit of her own.

Fledgling: A newly created vampire, still under her sire's protection.

Generation: The number of "steps" between a vampire and the mythical Caine; how far descended from the First Vampire a given vampire is.

Gehenna: The imminent Armageddon when the Antediluvians will rise from their torpor and devour the race of Kindred and the world.

Ghoul: A minion created by giving a bit of vampiric vitae to a mortal without draining her of blood first (which would create a vampire instead).

Haven: A vampire's "home"; where she finds sanctuary from the sun.

Hunger, The: The urge to feed, as with any living creature. For vampires, however, the Hunger replaces all other drives with its own powerful call.

Inconnu: A sect of vampires who have removed themselves from Kindred concerns and, largely, the Jyhad. Many Methuselah are rumored to exist among the Inconnu.

Jyhad, The: The secret, self-destructive war waged between the generations. Elder vampires manipulate their lesser, using them as pawns in a terrible game whose rules defy comprehension.

Kindred: The race of vampires as a whole, or a single vampire. According to rumor, this term came about in the 15th or 16th century, after the Great Anarch Revolt. Sabbat vampires scorn the term.

Kiss, The: To drink blood, especially from a mortal. The Kiss causes feelings of ecstasy in those who receive it.

Lupine: A werewolf, the natural and mortal enemy of the vampire race.

Lush: A vampire who typically feeds from drugged or drunk mortals in order to experience their inebriation.

Life, The: A euphemism for mortal blood. Many Kindred regard this term as affected and effete.

Man, The: The mote of humanity that a vampire maintains; the spark of mortality that distinguishes him from the Beast.

Masquerade, The: The habit (or tradition) of hiding the existence of vampires from humanity. Designed to protect the Kindred from destruction at the hands of mankind, the Masquerade was adopted after the Inquisition claimed many Kindred unlives.

Prince: A vampire who has claimed a given expanse of domain as her own, particularly a city, and supports that claim against all others. The term can refer to a Kindred of either sex.

Rogue: A vampire who feeds upon the vitae of other Kindred, out of necessity or depravity.

Sabbat, The: A sect of vampires that rejects humanity, embracing their monstrous natures. The Sabbat is bestial and violent, preferring to lord over mortals rather than hide from them.

Sect: A group of Kindred arguably united under a common philosophy. The three most widely known sects currently populating the night are the Camarilla, the Inconnu and the Sabbat.

Sire: A vampire's “parent”; the Kindred who created her.

Vessel: A source of vitae for sustenance or pleasure, primarily mortal.

Last Updated: August 9, 2005By: Igor Čalija