Presence is the Discipline of emotional manipulation.
Vampires with this power can inspire passionate
fervor or unreasoning terror in mortals and Kindred
alike. In addition, unlike most Disciplines, some of
Presence’s powers can be used on entire crowds at one
time. Presence can transcend race, religion, gender,
class, and (most importantly) supernatural nature. As
such, this subtle power is one of the most useful Disciplines
a vampire can possess.
Anyone can resist Presence for one scene by spending
a Willpower point and succeeding on a Willpower
roll (difficulty 8), but the affected individual must keep
spending points until he is no longer in the presence
of the vampire (or, in the case of Summon, until the
effect wears off). Vampires three or more Generations
lower than the wielder need only spend a single Willpower
to ignore the Presence for an entire night and
need not roll Willpower to do so.
The major drawback of Presence is that it controls
only the emotions. It causes others to feel a certain
way toward the vampire, but does not give her outright
control over them. While people weigh strongly the
orders that the vampire declares, their minds are still
their own. 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
Those near the vampire suddenly desire to be closer
to her and become receptive to her point of view. Awe
is extremely useful for mass communication. It matters
little what is said — the hearts of those affected lean
toward the vampire’s opinion. The weak want to agree
with her; even if the strong-willed resist, they soon
find themselves outnumbered. Awe can turn a chancy
deliberation into a certain resolution in the vampire’s
favor almost before her opponents know that the tide
has turned.
Despite the intensity of this attraction, those so smitten
do not lose their sense of self-preservation. Danger
breaks the spell of fascination, as does leaving the area.
Those subject to Awe will remember how they felt in
the vampire’s presence, however. This will influence
their reactions should they ever encounter her again.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls
Charisma + Performance (difficulty 7). The number of
successes rolled determines how many people are affected,
as noted on the chart below. If there are more
people present than the character can influence, Awe
affects those with lower Willpower ratings first. The
power stays in effect for the remainder of the scene or
until the character chooses to drop it.
Successes - Result
1 Success - One person
2 successes - Two people
3 successes - Six people
4 successes - 20 people
5 successes - Everyone in the vampire’s immediate
vicinity (an entire auditorium, a mob)
Those affected can use Willpower points to overcome
the effect, but must continue spending Willpower every
scene for as long as they remain in the same area as
the vampire. As soon as an individual spends a number
of Willpower points equal to the successes rolled, he
shakes off the Awe completely and remains unaffected
for the rest of the night.

•• Dread Gaze
While all Kindred can frighten others by physically
revealing their true vampiric natures — baring claws
and fangs, glaring with malevolence, hissing loudly with
malice — this power focuses these elements to insanely
terrifying levels. Dread Gaze engenders unbearable terror
in its victim, stupefying him into madness, immobility,
or reckless flight. Even the most stalwart individual
will fall back from the vampire’s horrific visage.
System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation
(difficulty equal to the victim’s Wits + Courage). Success
indicates the victim is cowed, while failure means
the target is startled but not terrified by the sight. Three
or more successes means he runs away in abject fear;
victims who have nowhere to run claw at the walls,
hoping to dig a way out rather than face the vampire.
Moreover, each success subtracts one from the target’s
action dice pools next turn.
The character may attempt Dread Gaze once per turn
against a single target, though she may also perform it
as an extended action, adding her successes in order to
subjugate the target completely. Once the target loses
enough dice that he cannot perform any action, he’s so
shaken and terrified that he curls up on the ground and
weeps. Failure during the extended action means the
attempt falters. The character loses all her collected
successes and can start over next turn, while the victim
may act normally again.
A botch at any time indicates the target is not at all
impressed — perhaps even finding the vampire’s antics
comical — and remains immune to any further uses of
Presence by the character for the rest of the story.

••• Entrancement
This power bends others’ emotions, making them
the vampire’s willing servants. Due to what these individuals
see as true and enduring devotion, they heed
the vampire’s every desire. Since this is done willingly,
instead of having their wills sapped, these servants retain
their creativity and individuality.
While these obedient minions are more personable
and spirited than the mind-slaves created by Dominate,
they’re also somewhat unpredictable. Further,
since Entrancement is of a temporary duration, dealing
with a lapsed servant can be troublesome. A wise Kindred
either disposes of those she Entrances after they
serve their usefulness, or binds them more securely by a
blood bond (made much easier by the minion’s willingness
to serve).
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls
Appearance + Empathy (difficulty equal to the target’s
current Willpower points); the number of successes
determines how long the subject is Entranced, as per
the chart below. (Subjects can still spend Willpower to
temporarily resist, like any other Presence power.) The
Storyteller may wish to make the roll instead, since the
character is never certain of the strength of her hold
on the victim. The vampire may try to keep the subject
under her thrall, but can do so only after the initial
Entrancement wears off. Attempting this power while
Entrancement is already in operation has no effect.
Successes - Result
Botch - Subject cannot be entranced
for the rest of the story.
Failure Subject cannot be entranced
for the rest of the night.
1 success - One hour
2 successes - One day
3 successes - One week
4 successes - One month
5 successes - One year

•••• Summon
This impressive power enables the vampire to call to
herself any person whom she has ever met. This call
can go to anyone, mortal or supernatural, across any
distance within the physical world. The subject of the
Summons comes as fast as he is able, possibly without
even knowing why. He knows intuitively how to find
his Summoner — even if the vampire moves to a new
location, the subject redirects his own course as soon
as he can. After all, he’s coming to the vampire herself,
not to some predetermined site.
Although this power allows the vampire to call someone
across a staggering distance, it is most useful when
used locally. Even if the desired person books the next
available flight, getting to Kyoto from Milwaukee can
still take far longer than the vampire needs. Obviously,
the individual’s financial resources are a factor; if he
doesn’t have the money to travel quickly, it will take
him a far greater time to get there.
The subject thinks mainly of reaching the vampire,
but does not neglect his own well-being. This is less
of a consideration if he only has to cross a room, unless
he must get through a gang of gun-wielding punks
to do so. The individual retains his survival instincts,
and while he won’t shirk physical violence to reach
the vampire’s side, he won’t subject himself to suicidal
situations.
The Summoning dissipates at dawn. Unless the subject
is trained to continue toward the vampire after the
first call, the immortal must Summon each night until
the target arrives. Still, as long as the vampire is willing
and able, she is assured to greet her desired subject
some night — as long as nothing happens to him along
the way, of course.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls
Charisma + Subterfuge. The base difficulty is 5; this increases
to difficulty 7 if the subject was met only briefly.
If the character used Presence successfully on the target
in the past, this difficulty drops to 4, but if the attempt
was unsuccessful, the difficulty rises to 8.
The number of successes indicates the subject’s speed
and attitude in responding:
Successes - Result
Botch - Subject cannot be Summoned by
that vampire for the rest of the story.
Failure Subject cannot be Summoned by that
vampire for the rest of the night.
1 - success Subject approaches slowly
and hesitantly.
2 - successes Subject approaches reluctantly and
is easily thwarted by obstacles.
3 - successes Subject approaches with
reasonable speed.
4 - successes Subject comes with haste,
overcoming any obstacles in
his way.
5 - successes Subject rushes to the vampire, doing
anything to get to her.

••••• Majesty
At this stage, the vampire can augment her supernatural
mien a thousandfold. The attractive become
paralyzingly beautiful; the homely become hideously
twisted. Majesty inspires universal respect, devotion,
fear — or all those emotions at once — in those
around the vampire. The weak scramble to obey her
every whim, and even the most dauntless find it almost
impossible to deny her.
People affected find the vampire so formidable that
they dare not risk her displeasure. Raising their voices
to her is difficult; raising a hand against her is unthinkable.
Those few who shake off the vampire’s potent
mystique enough to oppose her are shouted down by
the many under her thrall, before the immortal need
even respond.
Under Majesty’s influence, hearts break, power trembles,
and the bold shake. Wise Kindred use this power
with caution against mortal and immortal alike. While
Majesty can cow influential politicians and venerable Primogen,
the vampire must be careful that doing so doesn’t
come back to haunt her. After all, a dignitary brought
low before others loses his usefulness quickly, while a humiliated
Kindred has centuries to plan revenge.
System: No roll is required on the part of the vampire,
but she must spend a Willpower point. A subject
must make a Courage roll (difficulty equal to the vampire’s
Charisma + Intimidation, to a maximum of 10) if
he wishes to be rude or simply contrary to the vampire.
Success allows the individual to act normally for the
moment, although he feels the weight of the vampire’s
displeasure crushing down on him. A subject who fails
the roll aborts his intended action and even goes to
absurd lengths to humble himself before the vampire,
no matter who else is watching. The effects of Majesty
last for one scene.

••••• • Love
The blood bond is one of the most powerful tools in
an elder’s inventory. However, more and more childer
are aware of how to avoid being bound, so alternatives
are needed. The Presence power called Love is
one such alternative, as it simulates the effects of the
bond without any of the messy side effects. While not
as sure a method of control as a true blood bond, nor
as long-lasting, Love is still an extremely potent means
of command.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls
Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty equal to the target’s
current Willpower points). Success on the roll indicates
that the victim feels as attached to the character
as if he were blood bound to her. Each success also reduces
the victim’s dice pool by one die for any Social
rolls to be made against the character. A botch makes
the target immune to all of the character’s Presence
powers for the rest of the night. This power lasts for
one scene and can be applied to the same victim over
multiple scenes in the same night.

••••• • Paralyzing Glance
Some elders have honed their mastery of Dread Gaze
to such a degree that they are said to be able to paralyze
with a look. The power‘s name is something of a
misnomer, as victims of this power are not precisely
paralyzed in a physical sense, but rather frozen with
sheer terror.
System: The character must make eye contact
(p. 152) with her intended victim. The player then
rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to
the target’s current Willpower points). Success renders
the victim so terrified that he falls into a whimpering,
catatonic state, unable to take any actions except curling
into a fetal position and gibbering incoherently.
The condition lasts for a length of time determined by
the number of successes rolled. If the victim’s life is directly
threatened (by assault, impending sunrise, etc.),
the poor wretch may attempt to break out of his paralysis
with a Courage roll (difficulty equal to the character’s
Intimidation + 3). One success ends the paralysis.
A botch sends the victim into a continuous state of
Rötschreck for the rest of the night.
Successes - Result
1 success - Three turns
2 successes - Five minutes
3 successes - Remainder of the scene
4 successes - One hour
5 successes - Rest of the night
6+ successes - A week (or more, at Storyteller
discretion)

••••• • Spark of Rage
A vampire possessing this power can shorten tempers
and bring old grudges and irritations to the boiling
point with a minimum of effort. Spark of Rage causes
disagreements and fights, and can even send other
vampires into frenzy.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls
Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The number
of individuals affected is determined by how many
successes are rolled. If this power is used in a crowd,
those affected are the people in closest proximity to
the character. A vampire affected by this power must
spend a Willpower point or roll Self-Control/Instinct
(difficulty equal to the character’s Manipulation +
Subterfuge); failure sends the target into a frenzy. A
botch by the vampire using Spark of Rage sends the
invoking character into immediate frenzy.
Successes - Result
1 success - Two people
2 successes - Four people
3 successes - Eight people
4 successes - 20 people
5 successes - Everyone in the character’s
immediate vicinity

••••• •• Cooperation
Any elder knows that Kindred are the most difficult
beings in existence to force to work together. Peaceful
coexistence is not a common tenet of vampiric society.
With that in mind, this power can be used to nudge
those affected by it into a fragile spirit of camaraderie.
Some cynical (or realistic) Ventrue claim that their
Clan’s mastery of this Presence effect is the sole reason
that anything is ever accomplished in Camarilla conclaves.
Ventrue who voice this opinion too loudly also
tend to have numerous chances to test just how effective
Cooperation is.
System: To invoke Cooperation, the player spends a
blood point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty
8). The number of individuals affected is determined by
how many successes the player rolls. Cooperation lasts
for the remainder of the scene in which it is invoked,
though particularly strong users of Presence may create
longer-lasting feelings of non-aggression (at Storyteller
discretion) by spending Willpower. While this power
is in effect, all those under its influence are more favorably
disposed toward one another and are more willing
to extend trust or make cooperative plans.
For the most part, players should simply roleplay Cooperation’s
effects, but there are some concrete ramifications
to the power‘s use. For example, Self-Control/
Instinct difficulties to resist frenzy in response to insults
from within the target group are decreased by three,
and certain Social Flaws may be decreased in impact
for the duration of Cooperation.
Successes - Result
1 success - Two people
2 successes - Four people
3 successes - Eight people
4 successes - 20 people
5 successes - Everyone in the character’s
immediate vicinity

••••• ••• Ironclad Command
Any individual can normally resist the powers of
Presence for a brief time through an effort of will. Some
elder Toreador and Ventrue have developed such force
of personality that their powers of Presence cannot be
resisted without truly heroic efforts.
System: This power is always in effect once it has
been learned. A mortal may not spend Willpower to resist
the character’s Presence (for purposes of this power,
the definition of “mortal” does not include supernaturally
active humans such as ghouls or those who possess
True Faith). A supernatural being must roll Willpower
(difficulty of the character’s Willpower + 2; difficulties
over 10 mean that the roll cannot even be attempted)
the first time he attempts to spend a Willpower point
to overcome the character’s Presence. For the rest of
the night, the maximum number of Willpower points
he can spend to resist the vampire’s Presence powers
is equal to the number of successes he rolled. A botch
doubles the character’s Presence dice pools against the
hapless victim for the remainder of the night.

••••• •••• Pulse of the City
A vampire who has developed her Presence to this
terrifying degree can control the emotional climate of
the entire region around her, up to the size of a large
city. This power is always in effect on a low level, attuning
those who dwell in the area to the Kindred’s
mood, but it can also be used to project a specific emotion
into the minds of every being in the area. Pulse
of the City affects residents much more strongly than
tourists, and also has a significant impact on those individuals
who might be elsewhere at the time but who
still have strong ties to the affected city.
System: The character must be present in the city in
question, and have at least a casual, personal knowledge
of its streets and makeup (maps won’t help). The
player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma +
Streetwise (difficulty 9, though specializations or Storyteller
fiat may decrease this difficulty if the character
is intimately familiar with a particular city). The number
of successes indicates how long mortal residents are
affected by the particular emotion that the character
broadcasts; visitors with no ties to the area and supernatural
beings are affected for a duration one success
step lower. The character can choose to terminate this
effect at any time before it expires.
Successes - Result
1 success - One minute
2 successes - 10 minutes
3 successes - One hour
4 successes - One day
5 successes - One week
Pulse of the City can be used by a character in torpor.