Note: This post is a modified version of a document written to introduce players new to the Vampire V5 game in my current Chronicle. Changes are primarily around removing references specific to that specific Chronicle. I strongly feel that all players should be able to separate what they know vs what their characters know, so I feel that this document should be fine for players and prospective players to read.
The lore of the World of Darkness has been developed over decades and is incredibly in depth. This is an introduction of some of the fundamentals, but those steeped deep in the lore will probably find things to quibble about here.
Highlighted words in this article are key words that can be found in Paradox's Vampire the Masquerade Wiki or in the books.
An Introduction to Vampires and the World of Darkness
Vampires call themselves Kindred and call mortal humans Kine - cattle. Kindred walk amongst humans as predators and a vampire must drink blood to feed their Hunger. A vampire must feed regularly - everything they do, even just waking up in the evening (for a vampire involuntarily sleeps the sleep of the dead during the day), may cause them to become more hungry. A kindred driven too far by hunger may Frenzy - lose control of themselves until they consume blood. While many Kindred can drink the blood of other animals, Kine are Kindred's natural prey.
Fortunately, Kindred are well adapted to hunt humans. They are stronger, more powerful, have strange abilities, and can overwhelm a mortal easily. In many cases, when their fangs sink in, a euphoria called the Kiss causes bliss in their victims, fuzzing their minds as to what is happening. That, combined with their ability to retract their fangs and to lick the wounds caused by their fangs closed, helps hide what they are and allow them to leave their victims alive. However, a Kindred's hunger continues, even after drinking their fill, unless they drink the last drop from their victim, killing them. That is the only way to truly Sate a vampire. Kindred are typically reluctant to kill their victims despite their Hunger, both because they often still hold some of their mortal beliefs and morals; and because a dazed, blissful mortal is easier to deal with than a dead body in today's society, even in the World of Darkness.
Although they are strong compared to a human, Kindred, especially young Kindred like the PCs in many Vampire V5 Chronicles, are weak compared to many other things in this world. Vampires aren't the only things that go bump in the night and Kindred should be cautious when outside their comfort zones. Some vampires know that there are werewolves, ghosts, strange fae creatures, and wizardly mortals out there, along with things that defy classification. Other Kindred can also be a threat - Kindred can live for hundreds or thousands of years and the older the vampire is, the closer they are to the power of the first vampire, and so the more powerful they are. That first vampire is reputed to be Caine, of the biblical story Caine and Abel. Caine, as the first murderer, was cursed by God to be the first vampire. Older vampires are often inscrutable, with their goals and plans stretching over centuries, and have often lost touch with any elements of what made them once mortal.
Every new vampire begins their change by being killed by the one creating them. A vampire Embraces a mortal by draining them completely, then feeding them their Vitae (vampire blood). That embracing vampire becomes the new vampire's Sire, and the new vampire the Childe. The Childe is of one Generation higher than their Sire - Generation counts the steps between that Vampire and Caine - and are of the same bloodline or Clan. A Kindred starts as a Fledgling, the responsibility of their Sire until they are Released.
The Vampire clans are ancient bloodlines that share common traits, including a Bane, their customized version of Caine's curse. They have specific sets of the powers and traits.
- Banu Haqim - judges, lawyers and assassins
- Brujah - fighters against injustice, rabble rousers, brawlers
- Gangrel - closest to their inner animal, warriors and travellers
- Hecata - Necromancers and grave robbers
- Lasombra - manipulators of shadows and people
- Malkavian - seers, visionaries, and victims of supernatural madness
- The Ministry - liars, liberators, and seekers of freedom
- Nosferatu - physically twisted, rejected, information gatherers
- Ravnos - nomads and illusionists
- Salubri - rare and mysterious
- Toreador - seekers of art and beauty
- Tremere - blood sorcerers and scholars
- Tzimisce - manipulators of flesh and bone
- Ventrue - aristocrats and tycoons
- Caitiff - not a true clan, the rare clanless ones
In general, player characters are young and of recent Generation. True vampires are of no more than 12th or 13th Generation - the PCs are often in those youngest, highest, weakest generations and are called Neonates. There are rumours of even weaker vampires, Thin-Bloods, of 14th and even higher generation, but they are strange, not-quite-vampire creatures, or so the stories go. Ancillae are older, lower generation, perhaps decades or a few centuries old, with Elders even older than that. Elders are rare in modern times. Even more ancient Kindred are called Methusalahs, with the very oldest called Antedilivians (literally, from before the biblical flood). Most Kindred the PCs are likely to meet in modern cities are Neonates and Ancillae, with perhaps the occasional Elder in the most powerful roles in the city.
Kindred can grow in power over time, building their Blood Potency through greater understanding of their Vitae. This is a measure of how well they can use their blood. They can Surge their blood to boost their physical and mental abilities, and call on their blood to power their Disciplines, strange, magical powers that differ from Clan to Clan and Kindred to Kindred.
- Animalism - manipulate the animals around you and the blood in you and other Kindred
- Auspex - see things beyond normal sight
- Blood Sorcery - Vitae based rituals and magic
- Celerity - magically enhanced speed and balance
- Dominate - bend another's will to yours
- Fortitude - resilience beyond even the normal vampire nature
- Oblivion - manipulate death and ghosts beyond death
- Obfuscate - hide and cloak from sight
- Potence - vampiric strength and might
- Presence - emotional manipulation of those around you
- Protean - shapeshifting and manipulation of your own body
Some clans have synergies between their disciplines, creating new powers called Amalgams. There are also rumours of thin-bloods having their own powers, called Thin-blood Alchemy.
However, just as they use their blood to gain power, their blood influences them through the Beast. The Beast is the personification of the animal, predator nature of the blood. It whispers to all Kindred, pushes them to give in to their base impulses, grab power, protect themselves, reject the world. This can cause the Kindred to lose their Humanity, a measure of how close the Kindred remains to their mortal Convictions and Touchstones - the elements that tie them to their former life and guide them in their current unlife. It can also cause them a great deal of problems, as an unthinking Beast often leaves them in difficult situations. Keeping control of your Beast is critical. Note well that Humanity as a measure isn't how GOOD you are, it is how human you are. There are plenty of cruel, evil mortals out there, but they are still human.
Instead of waiting for time and experience to grow their blood's potency, Kindred can grow in power another way - by wrenching that power from another Kindred, killing them and draining their Vitae. This is called Diablerie and is forbidden in all vampire societies. It can shatter a Kindred's humanity and darkens their soul.
Vampires are ancient, political predators, forced together because they hunt the same prey. They distrust each other, and also fear the idea of an alerted, aware mortal humanity. Many Kindred died during the first Inquisition centuries ago. They call those mortals that are aware of the vampire world Hunters and the organizations that oppose vampires in the modern world The Second Inquisition. The Second Inquisition, under its many guises, is particularly active right now, in these nights, across the world.
Because of these fears, in medieval times the Kindred came together and created the Camarilla, the closest thing to a vampire government there is. It is a feudal society, a Sect, with a Prince in charge of cities and their Court, with formal court positions. The Seneschal is the Prince's right hand in the Court, with a Sheriff as chief enforcer. The Sheriff may have Scourges to assist. The Court meets at a place and time that, by tradition, is free from violence or use of disciplines. This place and time is called Elysium. The Keeper of Elysium ensures that all is prepared for important court events and that the Elysium's sanctity is protected. Harpies may assist the Keeper in this work and keep track of vampiric Boons, promises made between Kindred.
The Prince has a Council, which consists of the Prince, Seneschal, Keeper of Elysium, and the Primogen, each of whom represents one Clan. Especially in smaller cities some clans may be unrepresented on the Council and not all Court positions might be filled. The Camarilla in the city are beholden to the Six Traditions.
- The Masquerade: Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood. Kindred are expected to clean up after themselves, or there will be hell to pay.
- The Domain: Thy domain is thine own concern. All others owe thee respect while in it. None may challenge thy word while in thy domain. The Prince’s domain is the whole city, but they may allow others to rule a district. Knowing who has the claim to the use of areas is vital to navigating the urban labyrinths of the night. And, of course, there is still a certain amount of might makes right.
- The Progeny: Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder. If thou createst another without thine Elder’s leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain. Overpopulation is a threat to the Masquerade. Most Kindred desire a companion of their own Blood, so having to ask permission of their Prince to create a childe is a powerful tool in securing alliances.
- The Accounting: Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure. Release from a sire into Camarilla society is like initiation. If a childe is inadequate, they may be cast out - or destroyed.
- Hospitality: Honor one another’s domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing. This is a daunting task in the era of the refugee and the global citizen. Princes either give up on enforcing this law, or do it draconically with mortal assistance (building walls, infiltrating border controls, backing harsh immigration policies).
- Destruction: Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt. The Blood Hunt is the ultimate punishment in Kindred society. Anything goes in the Blood Hunt, including diablerie. Helping a Blood Hunt is frowned upon by Anarchs (although everyone is invited!) as it is a good way into the Camarilla’s graces. Diablerie would otherwise be forbidden - and probably get a Blood Hunt called on you.
In the late 1800s, the Camarilla's hold on the world of the Kindred began to crack. Two other major Sects or societies of Kindred exist in today's world, along with countless independents and loners and secret societies.
The Sabbat are a religious blood cult, glorying in the powers of the blood. They try to shake off their humanity, following other, stranger paths, and do not follow the Masquerade or the Traditions, though they have traditions of their own which protect Kindred from the Inquisition and other mortals. The Camarilla hate and fear the Sabbat and clans traditionally associated with them come under much suspicion.
The Anarchs are Kindred who have tired of living under feudalism. They chafe under the traditions, which they see as protecting the elder's positions more than anything else. They run their own cities, their way - though the "Baron" that heads an Anarch city has certain things in common with the Camarilla city Prince. They don't follow the traditions per se, but they do uphold the Masquerade.
The Camarilla used to welcome all Kindred - they believed they were the correct way for all Kindred to thrive, after all. However, with the Second Inquistion on the rise, they have turned more insular and more quick to reject Kindred from their courts. The world of the Kindred is always difficult, with the Jyhad - the ancient war between the Methusalahs - seemingly coming to some sort of climax with The Beckoning - an urge that the oldest of the vampires feel to leave their homes and go join the war. This means that Princes and Barons are younger than in previous centuries, as the younger generations and Kindred are so far immune. This combined with the Second Inquisition means many cities are in turmoil. There are rumours that this is Gehenna - the end times.
In dangerous times, Kindred band together for mutual protection. Small groups of Kindred are called a Coterie. Sometimes coterie are formed to protect a Domain - an area of a city controlled by either an individual Kindred or a group like a Coterie. Sometimes a group of neonates or ancillae may be brought together into a coterie to perform tasks for the Prince or Baron.
One way Kindred protect themselves is by controlling mortals. While some Kindred have disciplines that can help with this, all Kindred can create a Ghoul from a mortal, by having the mortal drink some of their Vitae. When a mortal consumes Vitae, they become stronger and gain access to some limited vampiric powers and cease to age as long as they regularly drink Vitae. They remain mortal, however, and considerably weaker than Kindred. What they lose, however, is their self-determination. Anyone - including Kindred - who drink Vitae from a Kindred gains a Blood Bond with that Kindred. Each drink makes the Thrall (the person drinking the blood) more attached and bound to their Regnant. After three drinks spaced out over time, the Thrall is helplessly infatuated and obsessed with the regnant. The attraction of Ghoul power and the loyalty caused by the blood bond means that Kindred can rest assured that their interests will be well protected by their ghoul followers. Care must be taken to maintain the bond, causing the thrall to drink their blood at least monthly, lest both the ghoul status wane and the bond break. Thralls are not senseless or thoughtless, merely servile and dedicated to their regnant. The Kindred, especially the Camarilla, puppetmaster large sections of society through careful use of ghouls and blood bonds. A Childe is partially blood bound to their Sire, due to the blood they drank at their embrace. Some Sires maintain and strengthen that bond, some allow it to fade.
Despite their powers and their influence and their ghouls, vampires can still be killed. They are resistant to bullets and other physical attacks and able to heal themselves through their blood. Fire and especially the sun cause immense damage to them. Enough damage - or a lack of blood when they are sufficiently hungry - can send them into a comatose state called Torpor. This is not Final Death, but means they cannot move and can be very difficult to awaken. Fire, sunlight, decapitation, dismemberment, or total destruction of the body are things that can bring Final Death. A vampire can also be paralyzed if they are staked through the heart. They remain awake and able to understand what is happening (unless also in Torpor), but cannot move. This obviously leaves them very vulnerable to Final Death (or anything else).
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