The childer of Haqim, known as Assamites to the rest of the Kindred, are a silent knife in the dark, an
order of bloodthirsty assassins who participate in the secret wars of the undead by operating as killers for
hire. Outside the purview of the Sects, the Assamites are true independents and mercenaries, hiring out to
whoever can pay their blood-price and ungoverned by the will of Prince or Priscus. By the time a mark realizes
that he’s being hunted by an Assamite, it’s often far too late. Needless to say, this makes the Assamites both
feared and reviled by many of the other Clans.
In truth, the Assamites are more than simple thugs and killers. Theirs is a complex but insular Clan predicated
upon the three principles of wisdom, sorcery, and diablerie. Most Assamites that other vampires encounter
are members of the warrior caste, however, so Kindred society has painted them all with that brush. For their
part, the Assassins have done nothing to stop this misunderstanding. If it helps them acquire contracts and it occludes
the true nature of their Clan, the better for them. Long ago, the Assamites were brought to heel by a
powerful curse to curb their bloodlust, levied by the Tremere at the behest of the Camarilla. They cannot
taste the vitae of vampires without it causing them harm. In their ongoing quest to lower their Generation
and bring themselves closer to their holy figure, Haqim (whom some outside scholars claim was of the Second
Generation, while others insist he was a judge appointed by the other Antediluvians), the Assamites must refine
the blood of Kindred into an alchemical solution.
Were it not for this mystical yoke, the Assamites would surely be unchecked on a crusade of unholy diablerie.

Nickname: Assassins

Sect: For the most part, the Assamites tend to be independent, letting the Sects hire them to operate on
their own terms. That said, some Assamites believe an allegiance with the Camarilla or the Sabbat would allow
the entire Clan to stand more strongly.

Appearance: Older Assamites often come from Middle Eastern and North African cultures, though more and
more young Assamites come from a wider demographic. In traditional environments, the Assamites
prefer garb appropriate to religious or Clan custom. When in public, however, Assamites wear
whatever the locals do, allowing them to fulfill their contracts without anyone noticing anything amiss.
An Assamite’s skin grows darker with age (as opposed to other vampires, whose skin gets paler); particularly ancient
Assamites are almost ebony in complexion.

Haven: Assamites often share communal havens with others of their local cell, remote structures that
allow the Assassins to watch the larger domain from a distance. These havens are generally well appointed,
but not so lavish that the whole place can’t be moved on short notice. Individual Assamites also tend to keep
personal hideouts of a much more humble nature, for when they need a place to lay low.

Background: Those Embraced into Clan Assamite tend to fall into two distinct types: The “provincial” members of
the Clan fit whatever their locality is, and can blend seamlessly in with the people around them. The higher-profile
“jet-setters” transcend cultures, bolstered by their ability to handle interpersonal and intellectual challenges.

Character Creation: Physical Attributes tend to be primary, with some Assamites favoring Social Attributes
to help them get close to their prey. Talents and Skills are equally favored, but Knowledges may help
the wise Assamite in a pinch. Few Assassins cultivate extensive Backgrounds, and instead specialize in an
array of Disciplines that heighten their competence. The most accomplished Assamites follow the Clan’s
unique Path of Enlightenment, and those who don’t often have to spend a great deal of effort maintaining
their Virtues and Humanity.

Clan Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus

Weaknesses: Due to the Tremere blood-curse, should an Assamite consume the blood of another
Kindred, she suffers one automatic level of unsoakable lethal damage per blood point imbibed. Diablerie
attempts result in automatic aggravated damage, one health level per point of permanent Willpower the victim
possesses; the would-be diablerist gains no benefits (including Generation reduction) if he survives the
process. In addition, Assamites must tithe some of the profits from their contracts to their sires or superiors
(generally around 10 percent of all such earnings).

Organization: An insular, hierarchical organization shapes much of Assamite custom. “The Old Man on the Mountain”
— the master assassin who makes his haven in the mountain fortress of Alamut — is the ultimate authority, and the
Clan heeds the orders that trickle down to them with a mix of reverence and terror. Individual and local cells of Assamites
known as falaqi frequently have license to act with autonomy, but “turncoats” against the higher cause are rare.

Stereotypes
Brujah: Where they are blatant, we are subtle. And that is why they are a broken Clan and we are
ascendant.
Followers of Set: Humility before God is itself divine, but certainly not humility before their unclean god.
Gangrel: When the blade bites deeply, they die as readily as all other Kindred.
Giovanni: They value their independence as we do, but they squander it in unholy debauchery.
Lasombra: For all their posturing, they are quick to pay our fees and hire our knives.
Malkavian: In the parable of the scorpion and the frog, they play the roles of both doomed creatures.
Nosferatu: But for their desperation to be included among the society that shuns them, they would make
puissant rafiq.
Ravnos: Make yourself known to them and they will acknowledge their place.
Toreador: We kill to honor our God. They kill to avenge a wittier remark.
Tremere: Possessing the power of Solomon makes them none the wiser for it, and vengeance will be ours.
Tzimisce: They bear old grudges against us; meet them with a wary eye.
Ventrue: Vultures picking at the corpse of a longgone nobility.
Caitiff: Every culture must have its Judas goat.
Camarilla: A tower built in Babel by Icarus.
Sabbat: They profane what is holy and pretend it is an eminent glory.
Anarchs: The wisest of the tribes — because they know when to admit they don’t know.



UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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The legacy of the Brujah is one of halcyon greatness marred by their own fiery natures. Theirs was the glory
of ancient Carthage, but Ventrue treachery in ancient Rome brought the dream to an end. Since then, the
Brujah have borne a grudge. Tonight, the Brujah are rebels and provocateurs, bat swinging hooligans and
agents of change in a society long crippled by stasis. As rebels, it’s in their nature to challenge the status quo —
though sometimes, without adequate opposition, they embody the status quo themselves. It works out fine,
because there’s always a hot-blooded Brujah waiting in the wings to bring down an uppity Clanmate grown
too comfortable in the role of rebel-turned-dictator. More so than any other Clan, the Brujah still feel the
flames of the passions that once inspired them as mortals. Clan Brujah loves a cause and is quick to act on a stirring
speech, accusation of injustice, or a call to arms. This connection to passion can be a blessing, but inspiration
can also yield to the madness and hunger of the Beast. No wise Prince turns his back on the Brujah, and rare
is the Brujah who would allow herself to be manipulated or pandered to. A Brujah is her own master, first and
foremost, and those who would bring her to heel face a terrible task. A Brujah who thinks she’s getting the
short end of the stick will tear an enemy to ribbons first and maybe remember to ask questions later, no
matter if he’s a Primogen or a mortal authority. Some Kindred historians claim that the Brujah have parlayed their
ancient betrayal into a role as agitators against the very order that they help support. Others claim the Brujah have
long since submitted to the will of that same order, being little more than loyal opposition rendered impotent.
Most Brujah don’t care either way, as long as someone needs a good ass-kicking and they can be the ones to deliver it.

Nickname: Rabble

Sect: For all its rebellion, Clan Brujah generally considers itself a member of the Camarilla.
Young Rabble sometimes look to the wildness of the Sabbat, but elders assert that the
Ivory Tower provides a fine structure against which to rage.

Appearance: Many Brujah affect styles and mannerisms that reflect an attitude of rebellion. Multicolored
hair, shaven heads, spikes, rivets, fetish gear, and t-shirts with bold slogans might appeal to a Brujah. While not
every Brujah wears the “uniform,” the Rabble often enjoy adorning themselves in outfits intended to provoke. Some
young Brujah prefer mobile devices as their tools of resistance, and can summon a riot at the touch of a screen.

Haven: Brujah may feel kinship to a city, but they rarely develop such ties to individual locations. Thus, at any
given time, a Brujah probably has a half-dozen or more hideouts, safehouses, and flats available. These are often
shabby and ill-kept until the Brujah needs them. Brujah havens might also have mortals who follow the Brujah’s
ideology or his cult of personality. This works out fine: It never hurts to have a spare vessel in an emergency.

Background: As creatures of passion, Brujah often Embrace without really thinking much about it, and
their childer tend to be a disparate lot. Sometimes, the Rabble Embrace those who share a similar outlook or
enthusiasm for a cause as the prospective sire. Other times, they inflict the Embrace on those of opposite ideology,
cursing a rival with vampirism as punishment.

Character Creation: Brujah are usually — though not exclusively — drawn from mortals with violent
or ungovernable personalities. Their Natures and Demeanors are often similar, as Brujah have little use for
guile. They lean toward physical Attributes, with Social and Mental about equal afterwards. Many favor
Skills and Talents, but most respect the Knowledges that make them more than just thugs. Contacts, Allies,
and Herd are common Backgrounds.

Clan Disciplines: Celerity, Potence, Presence

Weaknesses: The same passions that inspire Brujah to greatness or depravity, left unchecked, can send
them into incandescent rages: The difficulties of rolls to resist or guide frenzy (p. 298) are two higher than
normal. Additionally, a Brujah may never spend Willpower to avoid frenzy, though he may spend a point of
Willpower to end a frenzy that has already begun.

Organization: Certain causes rise and fall in Brujah fashion, but some of the more tenured are those who call
themselves Idealists and Iconoclasts. Iconoclasts want to tear it all down, while Idealists enjoy solving problems
through theory. This last harkens somewhat to the classical roots of the Brujah as philosopher-kings, and most Idealists
are among the ranks of Brujah ancillae and elders.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Fast, invisible, fanatical, and they want to drink my fucking blood? Sounds like a
good case for doing unto others.
Followers of Set: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and the tree should have been chopped down long ago.
Gangrel: Much respect, so long as we agree it’s mutual.
Giovanni: If you have to deal with one of these nasty dagos, you’ve already lost.
Lasombra: No habla Ventrue with a different hat on.
Malkavian: Trust one? No. Find some common ground with one? Maybe.
Nosferatu: It’s better to have one telling you shit about someone else than the other way around, so be cool.
Ravnos: I’ll bet I can throw one further than you can.
Toreador: If you can catch one, see if he’ll blow you. They might as well be good for something.
Tremere: If one of these witches starts looking at you weird, you’d better hope you can get close to him
before your blood catches on fire.
Tzimisce: Nasty old bats with claws where their junk used to be. But at least they’re usually honest.
Ventrue: Boot, meet face.
Caitiff: Teach them something and maybe they’ll return the favor.
Camarilla: It mostly works when we punch it into heading the right direction.
Sabbat: Giving your soul to the devil makes you a servant, you choads.
Anarchs: Get on the bus and let’s tear this Prince a new asshole together.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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New Clan Abilities (The Brujah)

Addiction, debasement, corruption, and desperation strike fear into many Kindred who worry that theirs
will become an unlife of ruin, but to the Followers of Set, these and more are the tools of the trade.
Pimps, pushers, and priests, the Setites cater to the needs of the desperate, and convert them to a nihilistic
cause in doing so. Whether one needs flesh, money, drugs, or dark secrets, the Followers
of Set can provide it, and when they do so, they all but guarantee themselves a return visit from those who seek them.
The Followers of Set are as much a chthonic religion as they are a Clan, though the faith includes the
Clan. Its mythology is complex and convoluted, an impenetrable pantheon of god-monsters. At the apex of
this worship stands a syncretism of the Egyptian Lord of the Underworld Set and the Greek hydra Typhon,
as much spiritual guardians of secret places as they are the “liberators” of other’s souls. To outsiders, this is all
blasphemous religious affectation, but to devout Setites, the cult and cause are real, and their dark lord
works his will through them.
Needless to say, the politics of desperation and the placation of evil gods place the Serpents on the outside
of Kindred society. The Setites are fine with this. The Kindred can often find themselves in need of what
the Followers of Set purvey, and the extra “service” of secrecy is one the Setites are happy to provide —
at a premium. The Setites offer a devil’s deal, but on their own terms. That way, when they collect
their due and feed blood and souls into the maw of the Typhonic beast, all of its sacrifices have been
given willingly.

Nickname: Setites, Serpents

Sect: Externally, none of the Sects will have the Followers of Set. Internally, the Setites sometimes describe
themselves in terms of both Sect and Clan. They have no real impetus to join either the Camarilla or Sabbat,
and their goals are different from those of the Anarchs.

Appearance: Many older Setites hail from the North African and Mediterranean ethnicities native to
the Serpents’ historical territory, but they freely Embrace from among the mortals of their adopted homes.
Some long-standing Setite temples are tied to locations where “Egyptian” Serpents might seem out of
place, but where some aspect of serpent mythology is present, as in Mesoamerica or even far-flung Nordic locales,
and thus draw their membership from local populations. Red hair is considered a mark of Set’s favor.

Haven: Where their hidden temples stand, the Setites make their havens, either individually or communally.
These may be anything from “churches” with never-before-heard-of denominations or they may be
outright cults that have to hide their existences. The secretive Serpents sometimes hide individual havens
in places where other Kindred don’t often go, such as insular ethnic neighborhoods, abandoned domains,
“the rough part of town,” and so forth. Some Setites also haven in secret mystical places that have value to
the Clan, guarding them from outsiders.

Background: Prospective childer for the Followers of Set often spend some time involved with a Setite cult,
so they’re indoctrinated in the mysteries of the Clan before becoming one of its Kindred. They may come
from any cultural origin, though many are outsiders, loners, or otherwise marginalized by society, which is
often what led them to the forbidden fruits offered by the cult of Set in the first place.

Character Creation: Sires choose those who demonstrate acumen in Social and Mental Attributes, as the
Clan needs its proselytizers and its priests to be charismatic and quick-witted. Knowledges are almost always primary,
though Talents may be so instead, especially among those Serpents engaged in dealings with others. Setites focus
on Backgrounds that give influence over others whether subtly or overtly, making Allies, Contacts, Influence, Resources,
and sometimes Retainers popular.

Clan Disciplines: Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis

Weaknesses: Given their origins in darkness, the Serpents react negatively to bright light: Add two health
levels to damage caused by exposure to sunlight. Setites also lose one die from dice pools for actions taken in
bright light (police spotlights, stage lights, flares, etc.).

Organization: Setite organization is mostly local, with a single temple or network of cults representing
a city’s Serpent presence. Setites in the cities rarely scheme among each other, preferring to face outward
threats in unity rather than the schismatic self-interest of the Sects. Whispers persist of a massive temple devoted
to Set located somewhere in Africa, with a terrible Methuselah who claims to be the childe of Set
himself at the head. If this is true, then the Clan’s higher agenda probably originates here, but the Setites
themselves remain silent on the topic.

Stereotypes
Assamite: They aren’t so different from us, and it scares the hell out of them.
Brujah: We could have saved their precious Carthage, but in their pride, they chose an eternity of
ridicule and failure.
Gangrel: Don’t mistake their sullenness for noble savagery. They have vices, just like anyone else.
Giovanni: They distract themselves with methods and neglect their goals.
Lasombra: Behind many successful Lasombra is a debt to the temple.
Malkavian: They make excellent allies because no one pays attention to them, and by the time they’re
due their share, all they can do is gibber.
Nosferatu: Forge a relationship or you’ll find yourself dragged before a Prince or Archbishop with them
as witnesses.
Ravnos: Sorry, I don’t take credit. From you.
Toreador: Cha-ching.
Tremere: One in a hundred realizes what we might do together. The rest are up their own asses.
Tzimisce: The Dragon is not the only Serpent among the Damned.
Ventrue: Let them hate us publicly, so long as they keep buying.
Caitiff: How easily the trod-upon becomes a convert.
Camarilla: Hypocrisy is great for business.
Sabbat: Take one step forward, two steps back, set self on fire, kick own ass. Preen.
Anarchs: An idealistic cult of personality that sometime succeeds in spite of itself.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

UPDATE KOMBINIERTE NEUE DISZIPLIENEN
New Clan Abilities (Followers of Set)

A glint of red eyes in the darkness, the scent of a predator’s musk, a flash of fangs, the sound of flesh
tearing: These mark the presence of the Gangrel. More than any other Clan, the Gangrel resemble the beasts
associated with the legends of vampires: bats, wolves, and other creatures of darkness. Indeed, the Outlanders
may develop the ability to transform themselves into these and other, more primal forms.
The Gangrel have other characteristics in common with animals as well. Many shun the elaborate social constructs
of both Kindred and kine. A number of them prefer to move alone or as a member of small packs or coteries. Most
are tough and, when pressed, ferocious. And when Gangrel succumb to the depredations of the Beast, they are left
with some feature redolent of the animal kingdom. As a Clan, the Gangrel are wary and aloof. Most would
prefer to spend their nights stalking prey or wilding on the rooftops than minding Princely edicts or lobbying
for recognition of domain. Theirs is a tense relationship with vampire society, and Outlanders are among the
most frequent to turn Anarch or Autarkis. In some localities, the Gangrel have collectively abandoned membership in any Sect
— insofar as the Gangrel truly ever do anything collectively. The Jyhad seems less pronounced among the Gangrel
than it is among other Clans, and the Outlanders have little regard for the eternal conflict. Differences between Gangrel more
often fall along the lines of domain and feeding rights than they do on generational mistrust, and the things
that concern young Outlanders are matters that concern Gangrel ancillae and even elders. Still, one would be
hard-pressed to consider the relationship among Gangrel of different generations amicable,
except in isolated sire-childe situations.
The Beast is ever suspicious of those who would take sustenance from it.

Nickname: Outlanders

Sect: The Gangrel at least nominally belong to the Camarilla, but the Clan has always had a vocal faction
that spurns membership in any Sect. They claim that political games and social structures do nothing
for the primal Gangrel.

Appearance: Personal presentation is often not high on the list of many Gangrel priorities, and a Gangrel’s
appearance is often more a matter of circumstance than it is of active decision. The Clan’s weakness
can contribute a great deal to their appearance, as does an extended unlife in the places where they make
their havens, which are frequently short of modern conveniences.

Haven: Gangrel often lair where they can, taking refuge when the sun threatens to rise. Those who do
maintain permanent havens often lean toward the utilitarian: Everything from a cave to a covered alley to an
illegal squat may serve as a Gangrel haven, usually with little demarcating them as any sort of personal territory
(until it’s too late for the unfortunate interloper).

Background: Gangrel sire childer like they seek prey: after long hunts during which the prospective childe
doesn’t even know she’s being followed. Creating a fledgling means sharing limited resources, so each sirechilde
relationship is unique and significant. Outlanders Embrace because they choose an individual, not
out of whim or recklessness. Those who earn their attention are hardy, whether physically or emotionally.

Character Creation: Sufficiency is the Gangrel hallmark, and many have outsider or loner personality
archetypes. Physical Attributes are far and away most frequent, as are Talents with a smattering of Skills and
Knowledges. Many Gangrel focus on Disciplines rather than Backgrounds, preferring to rely on themselves
more than others. Gangrel almost never have significant Resources, Influence, or Retainers.

Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean

Weaknesses: Every time a Gangrel frenzies, she acquires a temporary animal characteristic (which
may replace an existing temporary one). A patch of fur, a brief torpor after feeding, or skittishness around
crowds — all of these may mar an Outlander after frenzy. Characteristics acquired in Gangrel frenzies need
not only be physical – they can be behavioral as well. Players should work with the Storyteller to determine
what new animal trait is acquired (whether the frenzy involved the fight-or-flight impulse may be relevant).
Over time, or in an exceptional situation, a particular animal feature may become permanent, with the
next frenzy adding a new feature. A good guideline is to require each frenzy-gained trait to have some effect
grounded in system terms (such as the temporary reduction of Social Attribute dots or a permanent loss of
Humanity), though some Storytellers may allow narrative- only traits that can shape the story.

Organization: Regional groups of Gangrel occasionally assemble in convocations that draw from ethnic or
cultural influences. These are informal affairs, geared more toward sharing information and revelry than
advancing any cogent agenda. Aside from these infrequent gatherings, almost all Gangrel organization is
very local where it exists at all, from pairs of sire-andchilde through terrifying packs centered around one
accomplished Outlander.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Pull off the fucking head and the body will die.
Brujah: I wouldn’t call what we have “trust.” More of an understanding that we have a common enemy.
Followers of Set: If it smells like carrion, I don’t want any part of it.
Giovanni: I try to make it a habit not to keep talking to things once I’ve killed them.
Lasombra: I’m not afraid of the dark, so you’d better have something else underneath that cape.
Malkavian: Ten gallons of bullshit in a one-gallon jug.
Nosferatu: When they get nervous, get the fuck out of there.
Ravnos: If she starts calling you her brother, pop your claws and make your point. It’s the only way she’ll learn.
Toreador: Assume that they want something from you when they lower themselves to your level.
Tremere: Fight or flight with the grayfaces. Choose carefully.
Tzimisce: When I see a carcass eaten through with worms, I’m smart enough to know it’s rotten.
Ventrue: If you like answering to a master, you can do worse… but not much.
Caitiff: Unless they pull their weight, who needs another mouth to feed?
Camarilla: Any port in a storm, I guess.
Sabbat: Self-righteous evangelical garbage.
Anarchs: Almost. They almost get it.

UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

UPDATE KOMBINIERTE NEUE DISZIPLIENEN
New Clan Abilities (Gangrel)

Achieving prominence during the Venetian Renaissance, the Giovanni family built their fortune on the
rise of the middle class and the ready profit of banking and Mediterranean trade (and the criminal enterprise
that came with it). However, with the family’s rise came hubris, as its paterfamilias sought ever
more power, and with that hubris came horror.
With his earthly power at its apex, Augustus Giovanni turned to the arts of controlling the dead, and in doing so,
gained the Embrace from a forgotten Antediluvian. With a conclave of conspirators, the Giovanni plunged a
now-forgotten Clan into oblivion and built their own legacy on its corpse. Since those first nights, the Giovanni
have accepted no limits on their ambitions, despite opposition from Kindred outside their Clan and a
well-deserved reputation as “Devil Kindred.” They studied forbidden arts, becoming formidable in the nigrimancy
that allowed them power over the spirits of the departed, and degeneracy followed in the wake of unclean ritual.
To this night, the Giovanni are known for the insular nature of their Clan and the incestuous practices by which
they populate it. A few outside families and factions fall under Giovanni auspices, but the vast majority of the Clan
comes from the debased mortal family. The family remains successful despite all of their ghastly peccadilloes,
and has amassed a vast wealth through crime, politics, and the secrets of the dead that keeps them in their
position of degraded opulence.
In public view, the Giovanni make a great show of humility and respect. Part of this gentility is a habit of centuries,
still in place from when the other Clans hunted the usurping Necromancers (and to preserve their hardwon
neutrality from the conflict between the Camarilla and the Sabbat). Another part of it is the velvet
glove hiding the iron fist of their nature, remarkable for forcing ghosts, minds, and bodies alike to bow to their needs.
To hear the Giovanni tell it, Princes and Archbishops alike owe them favors, and anyone with something
to offer may earn their patronage. For the most part, the Giovanni participate little in the Jyhad, pursuing their own
agenda of cultivating wealth and building a foundation of power in the lands beyond the veil of death. Outsiders
rarely comprehend the goals of the Necromancers, but only the most trusted of the Giovanni know that the Clan
wants to plunge the world into a state where the dead and the living commingle. And with their mastery of Necromancy,
the Giovanni would be positioned to rule it all.

Nickname: Necromancers

Appearance: Outwardly, Giovanni dress with subtlety and taste. Much of the Clan comes from the original mortal family,
and have not only olive Italian complexions, but some amount of inherited family features. Those outside the immediate
family often appear “of a type,” and in the traditional garb of their regional family branch.

Haven: The family wealth of the Giovanni is evident in their havens, which may take the form of villas or lavish
estates. The Necromancers often have valuables invested in their havens as well, such as galleries of fine art or displays
of jewelry. Many Giovanni also maintain secondary havens, where they may have elaborate necromantic
crypts or just flats where they can lie low if necessary.

Background: Giovanni of the main family branch have usually spent some amount of time as a ghoul in a
practice known as the Proxy Kiss. During this time, the Kindred-to-be learns about the treacherous and jealous
reality of the vampire family. She learns ambition and an unhealthy dose of duplicity, in addition to the family history
and customs. Giovanni rarely see much of the outside world on their own terms during the Proxy Kiss period,
and often become insular and alienated, while at the same time eager to stand out among the other family ghouls.

Character Creation: Giovanni vampires often have outgoing, professional Demeanors that hide unpleasant
Natures warped in their upbringing. Social or Mental Attributes are usually primary, though some of the “soldiers”
of the family prefer Physical Attributes. Emphasis likewise usually falls on primary Knowledges or Talents,
depending on proclivity. A split in the Clan sees those who favor the practicality of Backgrounds (particularly
those tied to wealth and exerting influence) diverge from those who prefer the forbidden puissance of Disciplines.
Few Giovanni could be described as well-rounded.

Clan Disciplines: Dominate, [Rituals] Necromancy, Potence

Weaknesses: The Kiss of a Giovanni vampire causes excruciating pain in mortal vessels who receive it. If
the Giovanni isn’t careful, her vessel may die of shock and agony before being wholly exsanguinated. When a
Giovanni feeds upon a mortal, she does twice as much damage as the Kiss of another vampire would inflict. For
example, if a Giovanni takes one point of blood from a mortal vessel, that victim would suffer two health levels
of damage. As a result, they tend to use blood banks and other means of feeding that don’t fight as much.

Organization: Like few other Clans, the Necromancers have a top-down organization where policy is made by a
(presumed) still-active Clan progenitor, Augustus. The family maintains an enormous palazzo known as the Mausoleum
in Venice, where elders and fledglings alike dance to the whims of their ancient puppetmasters. Clan structure
is itself familial, with the added complications that degeneracy and vampirism offer. Incest, ancestor worship,
necrophilia, cults of guilt, and bizarre relationships in which fathers and grandmothers are their own issue’s
childer make a mire of the Clan and family, and fracture many Giovanni long before they become Kindred.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Beware, as all the money in the world still cannot buy one passage back from the grave.
Brujah: Inexpensive allies or irascible enemies.
Followers of Set: Dangerous relics deluded by a primitive grasp of what lies beyond the Shroud.
Gangrel: Let them have their mud and misery.
Lasombra: Like us, they stand with one foot in the temporal world and one foot in the occult.
Malkavian: Once they crumble to dust, they don’t have to suffer their madness anymore.
Nosferatu: Dead men do tell tales, and the Sewer Rats have so many tales to tell.
Ravnos: The Kindred have forever to make of their fates what they will, and this is how they spend it?
Toreador: How tragic is the Kindred so desperately afraid of what she truly is.
Tremere: We don’t enshrine the history that made us what we are, so why do they?
Tzimisce: The worm that feasts on its own flesh must eventually starve.
Ventrue: They often forget that Machiavelli worked in the wake of the Borgias and the Medicis.
Caitiff: Without knowing their origins, what can they possibly amount to?
Camarilla and Sabbat: Let them have their endless war, for we grow rich by selling each side what
it needs to continue the effort.
Anarchs: Until they build something of lasting import, they are the ugliest of the sisters.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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To the mind of a Lasombra, it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. Fear, frenzy, the power
to determine whether another lives or dies: these are at the root of the power that the Lasombra hold dear.
Whereas other vampires try vainly to hold the Beast at bay or give themselves wholly to it, the Lasombra beat
the Beast into submission, invoking it when it suits them but leaving it trapped inside when they wish to
govern themselves.
It is with these predilections that the Lasombra style themselves a “dark nobility,” an aristocracy of the night that
chose the supremacy of the Cainites over veneration of the Masquerade.
Their regard for such ideas as redemption and salvation are cynical at best, and much of the pomp that shaped
the Clan’s pre-Sabbat outlook remains only with a sense of blackest irony or open mockery. The grandeur
and rituals of the Church and aristocracy remain dear to the Lasombra, however, and the Clan was instrumental
not only in establishing many of the rituals of the Sabbat, but in the institutions that keep it from descending into
chaos each night.
Whether they see themselves as God’s instruments or as outcasts from His creation, the Lasombra believe
they have a duty (whether to Sect, Clan, pack, or even just themselves), and obligation to their responsibilities
gives them a wicked sense of purpose. Even a Lasombra shovelhead may consider himself a cut above the rest; a
surprising number of Lasombra mass Embraces survive, perhaps owing to the intervention of their sires.
While the night belongs to all Kindred, the Lasombra are truly born to darkness, to the degree that their
very Clan name reveals their tie to shadow. Theirs is the Discipline of Obtenebration, and it allows them
to wield the stuff of shadow and darkness, and even reach beyond the darkness of the physical world into
the abyss that lies beyond.

Nickname: Keepers (as in “my brother’s…”)

Sect: The Sabbat would be very different without the influence of the Lasombra, and they remain its
most prominent Clan. Young Lasombra often make auspicious starts as Sabbat Ducti or Priests, leading
their fellows by charging into the fray or demonstrating mastery of the Beast.

Appearance: The Lasombra are frequently attractive. Whether through the Spanish, Italian, and Moorish
stock associated with the Clan, or due to more cosmopolitan modern backgrounds, the Keepers cut a striking
figure. Their dress is often conservative or religious, drawing on years of ceremony and faithful ritual. Rare
is the Lasombra who cannot at least manipulate shadows to affect a dramatic entrance or enigmatic pose.

Haven: The obligation of their leadership leads many young Lasombra to maintain communal havens with
other members of their pack. Wealthier Keepers and those who predate the Sect often maintain their own
havens, whether sinister penthouse suites or sprawling Old World villas.

Background: Prospective sires of Clan Lasombra seek both erudition and ambition in their potential
childer. As such, many Lasombra come from professional backgrounds, and display outgoing and even
aggressive personalities. Merit in their sires’ eyes takes fledgling Lasombra far, and the Keepers do not hesitate
to cull their ranks of flawed, lazy, or boorish childer.

Character Creation: Lasombra often have disparate Natures and Demeanors. Mental or Social Attributes
are equally likely to be primary. Attributes tend to be narrow and specialized, showing individual expertise.
Keepers cultivate Backgrounds of all types similarly in (initially) low quantities, to better diversify themselves.

Clan Disciplines: Dominate, Obtenebration, Potence

Weaknesses: Lasombra vampires cast no reflections. Whether in a mirror, in a body of water, on a polished
surface, or in the rear-view of a taxicab, the image of the Keeper does not reflect.

Organization: For the Lasombra, the nights of high aristocracy never faded, and the titles and offices a
modern onlooker might associate with history still carry great weight among the Keepers. A complex system
of patronage, mentorship, and lineage characterizes the Clan, similar to the courts and churches of centuries
gone by. Childer benefit greatly from esteemed sires and vice versa, while acts that confer Sect or Clan
status may also elevate a Lasombra’s peers, so long as she associates her success with her fellows.

Stereotypes
Assamite: They believe themselves lions but possess only the ways of jackals.
Brujah: Petulant whelps in a rage over their own loss of rule from a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Followers of Set: Peer too deeply into the darkness, serpent, and you shall find that it has the means to smite.
Gangrel: Every society needs its beasts of burden.
Giovanni: Their inner foulness manifests in their every action.
Malkavian: The fool does not dine at the table with the lords.
Nosferatu: They are martyrs, not monsters, and their faces are the stigmata they must bear.
Ravnos: Filth, suitable only from which to make an example.
Toreador: A rose plucked from its garden remains lovely for only so long before it crumbles to dust.
Tremere: They revere only themselves, and they will reap a just reward for the sacrilege they practice.
Tzimisce: Although we may share a common goal, a murder of crows is always an ill omen.
Ventrue: Such a misguided effort, to use the scepter of kings only to hide oneself from his lessers.
Caitiff: Lords have ever sired bastards, and have ever hidden them as their marks of shame.
Camarilla: Who would wish to dwell in a castle that closes its gates for fear of unruly peasants?
Sabbat: Imperfect, and thus in need of ever more investment.
Anarchs: They must never be equals — it is enough that they think they are.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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Clan Malkavian is twice damned: once by the curse of being Kindred, and again by the turmoil that disturbs
their hearts and minds. Upon the Embrace, every Malkavian is afflicted with an insurmountable
insanity that fractures her outlook for every night thereafter, making her unlife one of madness.
Some consider this a form of oracular insight, while others simply consider them dangerous.
Make no mistake: Malkavian insanity is a painful, alienating phenomenon, but it occasionally
provides the Lunatics with bursts of insight or heretofore unknown perspective. Madness
for the Malkavians may take the form of any clinical form of insanity, or it may be a hyperacuity of senses
others don’t know they have; a supernatural puppeteer pulling the Malkavian’s strings, or a sense that
the Malkavian is somehow ahead of evolutionary schedule. A Malkavian may believe herself to
be an idea given physical form or an avatar of some concept the World of Darkness has yet
to encounter. She may be a nonstop ravening psychopath, or may be a mostly lucid individual
sometimes rendered catatonic by fear of an impending cosmic cataclysm.
Their precarious stability makes it hard for other Kindred (or, indeed, any vessels with whom they may
meet) to interact with Malkavians. The Clan sometimes indulges in elaborate, terrifying, and dangerous
“pranks” which do little to endear them to other vampires.
These incidents are nominally meant to educate the target, but the lesson can often be lost between the
vampire’s scramble for safety and the inability to parse the Malkavian’s inner logic. Common pranks might be
to replace a vain Toreador’s haven door with a guillotine or to redistribute a Brujah elder’s wealth while he’s
at Elysium, or it might take the form of giving a hunter the location where the Nosferatu gather. Kindred both
dread and resent the word “prank” almost as much as they do the Lunatics themselves.

Nickname: Lunatics

Sect: In their moments of lucidity, the Malkavians offer their unorthodox perspectives and Devil’s advocacy to
the Camarilla, offering their visions and unique insights to cut through the webs of deceit. Princes and Primogen
tolerate the Lunatics to varying degrees, but the Clan as a whole has always been a supporter of the Ivory Tower.

Appearance: While Malkavians can come from any culture, the madness following the Embrace tends to
lead them to extremes of self-presentation. Malkavians may appear disheveled, injured, or simply dirty. They
could still be wearing the same clothes from the night of their Embrace or they may have stolen clothes from
a laundromat or a department store during a fit of confusion or fugue. Of course, Malkavians are just as likely
to be meticulous and exacting in their appearance, trying obsessively to appear as normal as possible.

Haven: Consistency is rare among Malkavians. Quite simply, they establish havens where they think
to, where they can, and where they can recall. A significant number of Malkavians have literally no home,
spending each night where exhaustion or the sun’s rays leave them. Others may permanently have the presidential
suite in a posh hotel, a squat in the Barrens, the dispensary at a county jail, or a broom closet in a
historical landmark.

Background: Malkavians Embrace with all the caprice one would assume from them. Lunatic childer come from
all economic and cultural strata, though most have some sort of hard-luck story or black secret behind
them that caused their sire to take note. Truly damaged Malkavians who are unaware of the meanings
of their actions may not even be aware that they have sired childer, which makes for very difficult
entry into Kindred society for these castoffs, many of whom end up among the Caitiff.

Character Creation: Loner, outsider, and deviant concepts and archetypes prevail among the Malkavians,
as do Mental Attributes (with an occasional Social-primary madman or Physical-primary maniac
hiding among the ranks). Talents and Knowledges are likely most popular among Malkavians. Backgrounds
tend to be either broad and shallow or few and deep, representing the way the way the Malkavian caroms through
unlife. Virtues, Humanity, and Paths often tumble quickly, usually in the wake of Willpower doing the same.

Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dementation, Obfuscate

Weaknesses: All members of Clan Malkavian suffer from a permanent, incurable derangement. They may acquire and
recover from other derangements, and may spend Willpower to ameliorate the effects of the derangement for a scene, but
they can never recover from their original derangement.

Organization: Rumor is more widespread than truth with regard to Malkavian organization, and any number of harrowing
tales describe the function of the Clan. Some say the Lunatics all share a hive consciousness; others claim
that this is in fact the lingering consciousness of the Clan’s progenitor Malkav. Still others claim that a network of
madness puts all Malkavians in contact with one another and is the cause of their crippling insanity. If nothing
else, the Malkavians prove inscrutable and uncanny. One night, each of them frenzies when they see one another,
while the next night, they all converge at the same time at the Sheriff’s haven and accuse him of harboring Sabbat
spies. Who can say how the “disease of information” or the customs of the Clan travel among them?

Stereotypes
Assamite: There’s something flattering in what they’re doing. Like I’m a little piece of their God.
Brujah: You can’t hide your horns, devil-man.
Followers of Set: Walking westward, they should meet the sun before it sinks.
Gangrel: Pin the tail on the— OW, OW, OW, FUCK!
Giovanni: Ashes, ashes, we all fall down, and get back up, and dance with ghosts.
Lasombra: A hyena doesn’t ever choose to be a hyena, I think.
Nosferatu: I have dreamed what hunts them in their dark, humid warrens, and it is what each of
us can become, if we’re not careful.
Ravnos: It looks different depending on if I close my left or my right eye.
Toreador: Made up of the pieces of the people they’ve harmed. Each time they feed they become a little less.
Tremere: If you can rub those letters off their foreheads, they’ll stop in their tracks.
Tzimisce: I tried to sprinkle salt on one’s tail and he bit off my hand.
Ventrue: I will make you a fine new waistcoat, my emperor.
Caitiff: I didn’t do it.
Camarilla: When all you do is look behind you, you never realize that the door in front of you is closed.
Sabbat: They have the answer, but they don’t understand the riddle itself.
Anarchs: All they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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Those who doubt that the Embrace is a curse need look no further than the Nosferatu. Twisted by the
mark of Caine, members of Clan Nosferatu are warped by the Embrace into hideous monsters. As such, they
skulk and keep to the shadows, and they often rouse the ire and mockery of other Kindred for their nightmarish
appearances. Still others are so terrified or revolted by the Nosferatu that these warped Kindred have little
social interaction at all. To their credit, the Nosferatu come to possess many of the whispered secrets of their reluctant
fellows. The Sewer Rats enjoy a grudging respect as the information- brokers of the Kindred, given their supernatural
acumen at stealth and the fact that many Kindred would rather ignore them than acknowledge them.
Savvy Nosferatu exploit this for all it’s worth, turning the hypocrisy of other vampires to their own profit.
On the whole, the Nosferatu condition is lonely and alienating. How they react to the Curse of Caine varies
with their outlook and mental stamina, but it’s hard to be an object of utter revulsion and not let it shape
one’s disposition toward one’s “Kindred” in some way. Some of the Sewer Rats are cruel, as blighted on the inside
as they are on the outside, while others are tragic, wretched creatures who have been cursed with eternal
outsider status through no choice of their own. A few of the Sewer Rats even position themselves as prophets
or avatars of the Damned, physically embodying the haunting riddle, “A Beast I am, lest a Beast I become.”

Nickname: Sewer Rats

Sect: Clan Nosferatu belongs at least nominally to the Camarilla, though many of its members become
Autarkis or support the Anarchs rather than navigating the Ivory Tower’s vicious social labyrinth. Some
even contend that the Nosferatu need the Camarilla, because without they have no buyers in their economy
of secrets.

Appearance: Physical horror is the lot of the Nosferatu, and their unsettling deformations are countless.
No two Nosferatu share the exact same malformation, and the Clan is a freakshow of snarled limbs,
fanged protrusions, hellish countenances, serpentine spines, ruined faces, spasmodic appendages, and
even features not usually seen on the mortal stock from which the Nosferatu are drawn. The Sewer
Rats often hide these disfigurements under shapeless robes and rags, but some exult in the discomfort
their presence causes, and don’t bother disguising them. They may even emphasize them.

Haven: Nosferatu Kindred often make their havens far from the scorn and spite of other vampires. Whether
they construct warrens in the sewers suggested by their nickname or they sculpt a sprawling nightmare-nest in
the spire of a condemned church, Sewer Rats value secrecy and distance from rivals in their havens. Nosferatu
of humbler means may well squat in an abandoned tenement or a disused alley. So long as it’s away from
other Kindred, it’s a good haven.

Background: The Sewer Rats mostly fit into one of two categories. Some Nosferatu Embrace the damaged,
flawed, outcast, or vile, feeling some degree of kinship with them. Other Embrace spitefully, dragging the
beautiful or privileged into an immortal hell of disfigurement and monstrosity.

Character Creation: Many Nosferatu come from loner and outsider concepts, Natures, and Demeanors.
They favor Physical and Mental Attributes over Social, and they tend to be balanced in their regard for
Talents, Skills, and Knowledges. Nosferatu prefer to specialize rather than generalize in Backgrounds, favoring
those that carry favors and information like Allies, Contacts, Mentor, and even a bit of Influence.

Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence

Weaknesses: All Nosferatu have an Appearance score of zero, and they may never improve it. Cross it
off the character sheet. Dice pools that use the Appearance Trait are inherently difficult for these hideous
Kindred.

Organization: Occasionally, a coterie of Nosferatu becomes a brood or cult, often based around a remote
warren. These can sprawl into vast “kingdoms” of Sewer Rats, who often exist without the knowledge of a domain’s
Prince or Archbishop. The Nosferatu are among the Kindred most likely to share a communal haven, if
only for protection in numbers. As well, Nosferatu share information with each other via networks — whether
digital, personal, occult, or something less definable — that defy the comprehension of other Kindred.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Secrets for amnesty seems like a fair trade.
Brujah: Emits showers of sparks. Point away from face. Point at some other asshole instead.
Followers of Set: They want our souls — usually until they understand the stench of a Nosferatu’s soul.
Gangrel: We have some common ground in being outsiders, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be
careful around them.
Giovanni: Down in the sewers we see a lot of shit, but never so much as when a Giovanni heads our
way.
Lasombra: I try to keep to the shadows, but I’ll hang out under the streetlights when I know one of
these creeps has my number.
Malkavian: See my face? That’s what these maniacs’ minds look like. Except they’re still bleeding
in there.
Ravnos: Peddlers of lies, they make great patsies, but they sure can bear a grudge.
Toreador: Sell them dirt on each other and they’ll scratch each other’s eyes out. It’s the only way to
come out ahead with them.
Tremere: They’re not even vampires, you know that? They did something way wrong back in the day
and now it’s stuck to them.
Tzimisce: I look like this ‘cause I have to. These fuckers choose to. That’s how nature says, “Stay away.”
Ventrue: High and mighty, until they need you. Charge them double when they come calling. They can afford it.
Caitiff: “I never even knew my father!” Cry me a fucking river.
Camarilla: I’ll be damned, they think their claims of domain extend into the sewers.
Sabbat: Either monumentally gullible or Biblegrade wicked; either way, you’re better off when they’re somewhere else.
Anarchs: Sure, I’ll buy what you’re selling. For tonight, at least.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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The Ravnos move like the rumors that surround them. They are the thief in the night, the raksha
chased by the wind, the nightmare-dream too fearful to be real. Whether associated with the Romani folk
of Europe or the grave-robbing ghûl of Western Asia, Kindred society burdens the Ravnos with prejudices of
foulness, uncleanliness, and wickedness.
With reputations like these, the Ravnos are considered outsiders even among those Kindred who
do not ally themselves with Sects. Many young Ravnos tend toward nomadic unlives, moving
from one domain to the next or hiding on the fringes of established territories where they can escape
if local Kindred sentiment turns against them. This exacerbates their reputations as transients, gypsies, and
vagrant scourges, but Ravnos vampires adapt well, thriving in their marginalized role. In fact, many choose to
make themselves into the ravening terrors that other Kindred believe them to be.
The more enlightened among the Ravnos follow a Clan ideology inspired by the cycle of reincarnation espoused
by many Indian faiths. Among some young and unprincipled members of the Clan, however, this philosophy
becomes a penchant for capriciousness or an excuse for chaos. It is these latter Kindred who give so many
Ravnos a bad name, but even the devout seem bizarre to many vampires.
The Ravnos practice a unique Discipline known as Chimerstry that convinces their enemies that they see
things that do not exist. Chimerstry does much to convince Kindred that the Ravnos trade in lies and misdirection,
but it can also prove to be a Deceiver’s salvation and ease the vagaries of an outcast unlife.

Nickname: Deceivers

Sect: Clan Ravnos often has a difficult time heeding the rigorous order of many Camarilla cities, and has
no inherent love for the violence of the Sabbat. Thus, the Deceivers find themselves independent for lack of a
more suitable option.

Appearance: Young Ravnos often come from Eastern European Romani stock, with a relative paucity of “non-gypsy”
gadje in the ranks. What few elders of the Clan may remain are presumed to come from Indian or Middle Eastern
origins. Given that the Clan is widely spread and holds no traditional central domain, no consistent look can be said
to be predominant, and any mendicant Kindred might be of Ravnos origin.

Haven: Many Ravnos take to the road instead of establishing permanent havens, dwelling temporarily
among itinerant communities, at roadside rest stops, or even in vehicles. When a Deceiver does put
down roots in a domain, his permanent haven is often away from high-profile Kindred territories.
Havens in ethnic ghettos, industrial outskirts, and isolated geography are safest and most easily
cultivated for the Ravnos.

Background: The Ravnos are scattered and suspicious, and those childer who don’t have the tendency
toward self-sufficiency don’t last long. In many cases, a Ravnos will either never sire, or sire for companionship
or safety, with little concern for how well a childe will fare as a vampire. Ravnos rarely seek out childer actively,
instead drawing from those whose paths they cross on any given night. As such, the hardluck drifter reputation
tends to follow the Deceivers.

Character Creation: Outsider and selfish Natures are common among the Clan. Physical and Social Attributes
predominate, as do Talents and Skills. Savvy Ravnos develop a breadth of Backgrounds that can
give them an edge when they’re on the move or in a tight spot, such as stashed Resources, defensible Domain,
and a few Allies or Contacts.

Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude

Weaknesses: A turbulent history makes the Ravnos slaves to their vices. Each Ravnos has a penchant for
some sort of vice — lying, cruelty, or theft, for example. When presented with the opportunity to engage in that
vice, the Ravnos must indulge it unless her player succeeds on a Self-Control or Instincts roll (difficulty 6).

Organization: The Ravnos are a far-flung Clan, with little to unite them and an open acknowledgement
that each Deceiver looks after his own interests first. That said, Ravnos often like to make a great show of
Clan camaraderie and cultural ritual, even though they know that promises made to one another are as fleeting
as whispers on a night wind. Deceivers have been known to ally against common enemies such as tyrant
Princes or Sabbat pogroms, but these alliances quickly fade once the threat no longer exists.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Half the time, I think we take a lot of shit because other vampires think, “All A-rabs look
alike” and confuse us with these assholes.
Brujah: You can get into a lot of trouble if one of these bloodsuckers imagines you did him some awful
wrong when all you were doing was checking out his girlfriend.
Followers of Set: There’s no justice. People think we’re the demons.
Gangrel: They know how rough it is out there, and sometimes you can even convince them to give you
a break.
Giovanni: Gaudy, vain, and easy marks. Of course, they probably think that about us, too.
Lasombra: Nobody cops that much attitude unless he’s hiding something to be ashamed of.
Malkavian: Be careful. You can either fool them or you can’t, but they can’t decide which one it is until
they either take the bait or go berserk.
Nosferatu: Rat them out and you’ll have a chance.
Toreador: They love being lied to but hate it when someone tips them off that you’ve been lying.
Tremere: Tread carefully or these pricks will drink your soul and blame you for it.
Tzimisce: Nothing wrong with these guys that staking them in their coffins and setting them on fire
wouldn’t solve.
Ventrue: I think these cocksuckers actually enjoy being hated by everyone else. Who else would set
themselves up in the line of fire all the time?
Caitiff: Hard times make for desperate terms.
Camarilla: All the fancy costumes in the world don’t mean you’re not stealing or killing every time
you feed, you fucking hypocrites.
Sabbat: I’ve seen this movie before, and the ending is shit.
Anarchs: Not usually a problem unless they start asking you to vote or bend the knee. Once the
revolution’s over and they’re declaring themselves emperors, time to hit the road.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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From the Toreador perspective, when the sun fades, darkness gives rise to an eternal and wondrous world.
Everything is fraught with wonder and terror, low politics and sensual glories, the profound and the profane,
and an undeniable undercurrent of the sanguinary. These Kindred are the Toreador, and they spend
unlives ensconced in pleasure. Of course, for vampires of this disposition, it’s easy to become jaded and bitter.
More than the other Clans, Toreador often succumb to ennui, or fight the eventual boredom of unchanging immortality
by playing at rivalries. An excess of stimulation turns them into slaves to the sensations they seek. The most debased
Toreador can become true monsters, sinking to unimaginable levels of depravity in order to feel anything at all.
The Kindred of Clan Toreador often involve themselves greatly in the world of mortals. They have
any number of reasons, whether enjoying proximity to the blush of life, cultivating veritable cults of doting followers,
or influencing and following the trends that their own kind simultaneously mock and venerate. To hear the Toreador tell
it, they are the Muses of a desperate mortal world, inspiring through their beauty or patronage.
Toreador culture is a mixture of sybarites, dilettantes, and visionaries. Some Toreador, with echoes of mortal passion,
Embrace lovers or “project” progeny who seem to fly in the face of every Toreador custom. These either don’t last long or
rise to great prominence as subversives and individualists. Ideas, trends, and “the next great thing” spread through the
Clan, and other Kindred often look to the Toreador to guide them. The Degenerates know this, and many become
Harpies, Princes, and other key figures in vampiric society.

Nickname: Degenerates

Sect: The Camarilla would not have survived in the nights following the Anarch Revolt without substantial participation
from the Toreador, and they remain among its most ardent supporters.

Appearance: Almost to the last, they are attractive in some way, whether the traditional beauty of a runway model or the
dangerous allure of something more predatory. The Degenerates augment their physical beauty with a sense of
personal style, which may take the form of expensive couture, avant-garde street wear, or classical fashions designed
to emphasize their appealing qualities. This isn’t to say that ugly Toreador don’t exist. Indeed, those gifted with less
physical beauty often go that much further with their choice of accoutrements.

Haven: The Degenerates spare no expense in appointing their havens in luxury, often with many original
works of art. It is a point of pride among Toreador to have an unconventional (and thus memorable)
haven with modern comforts; thus, many have striking lofts and penthouses, while the bolder among them
renovate or repurpose everything from abandoned aquariums or deconsecrated churches to rooftop gardens
or converted warehouse-galleries in fashion-forward neighborhoods. Share a communal haven? How déclassé.

Background: Many Toreador hail from high-society or “bohemian” backgrounds. Indeed, many are themselves
artists or influential among local art scenes or other subcultures. Actors, singers, musicians, sculptors,
poets, playwrights, authors, and creative folk of any stripe may well find a home in the Clan, as do those
who serve as patrons to (or travel in the entourages of) those artistic types.

Character Creation: Social attributes are almost always primary, with an even split among Talents, Skills,
and Knowledges depending on how the Toreador distinguishes herself. Toreador also love to cultivate
Backgrounds. Allies, Contacts, Resources, Domain, Haven, Mentors, Resources, Retainers — all of these
have great value among Toreador. Wise Toreador may choose to develop their Virtues, Humanity, Path, or
Willpower, because with an unlife of degeneracy, they must frequently attend to the ugly business of bringing
the Beast to heel.

Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence

Weaknesses: When a Toreador experiences something truly remarkable — a person, an objet d’art, a
lovely sunrise — the player must make a Self-Control or Instincts roll (difficulty 6). Failure means that the
Kindred finds herself enthralled by the experience. The dazzled Toreador cannot act for the duration of the
scene aside from commenting on or continuing their involvement with whatever has captured their attention.
If the experience no longer affects her (whether by moving, being destroyed, or whatever is appropriate
to the situation), the captivation ends. Enraptured Toreador may not even defend themselves if attacked,
though being wounded allows them to make another Self-Control or Instincts roll.

Organization: Clan Toreador is cliquish and parochial in its local domains, but very rarely on a level that
affects Clan-wide custom. Certain Toreador (and a few outside the Clan) sometimes use the terms “artiste”
and “poseur” when describing individual Toreador, often derisively, to describe whether the Degenerate
in question is one who is seen as creative or simply a follower of established trends, but these are certainly
informal distinctions.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Blood-soaked barbarians.
Brujah: A fire may be stoked, but if left unattended, it may destroy what it once warmed.
Followers of Set: Worms breed in their vile footprints.
Gangrel: Beauty and the Beast, only without the complication of Beauty. Pity them.
Giovanni: Which is more unctuous: their smiles or their hair?
Lasombra: If I looked like they do, I’d hide in the dark, too.
Malkavian: The tedium of it all.
Nosferatu: They make a strong case for the Mark of Caine being a sickness.
Ravnos: There are two types of these creatures: Awful, and absent.
Tremere: Aren’t they supposed to turn back into pumpkins at midnight?
Tzimisce: It is a poor artist who blames his tools, but that’s the only conceivable answer here.
Ventrue: Why are older brothers always such corpulent bullies?
Caitiff: The worst sort of fish is the one that feeds from the bottom.
Camarilla: This house needs a good cleaning.
Sabbat: Such marvelous passion wasted on such craven dementia.
Anarchs: Only a petty ruler acknowledges no greater purpose than himself.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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In nights long lost to the passage of time, the Tremere existed, though they were something else. Those early
Tremere then made a bargain — or wrought a spell, or any number of other harrowing methods attributed
to the Clan — that changed them from what they had been into the vampires they are tonight. Some claim
they stole the Curse of Caine from a torpid Antediluvian, or that they concocted the flawed immortality
of the Kindred from the stolen vitae of other vampires. Such mysterious origins, which some describe as
treacherous or even blasphemous, haunt the Tremere, as the other Clans look upon them with mistrust and
suspicion. The history — and, indeed, the modern legacy — of the Tremere is one marked by Clan war,
centuries-old grudges, and the stain of unwholesome mysteries long left unsolved.
Tonight, Clan Tremere is a Clan shaped by its practice of blood sorcery. A flexible Discipline, Thaumaturgy is heavily
entrenched within the Tremere, and they maintain cultic havens known as chantries to study its uses and share secrets
among each other. To the Tremere, blood is both sustenance and the source of mystical power; they gather in their
witchhouses to further their understanding of the vitae that is such a focal point of their unlives.
Beyond the practice of Thaumaturgy itself, the Warlocks are known for their close-knit hierarchy. They hail from the
Old World, with an established power base in Vienna to which all members of the Clan answer to some degree.
Although they may be one of the youngest Clans — in the terms with which deathless creatures like vampires measure
time — they are as adept at the Jyhad as any Kindred. Beset by enemies who call them usurpers and backed
by allies who may or may not defend the alliances they force, the Tremere have evolved to be self-sufficient.
Indeed, many who eye them warily think they possess too great an edge, with their flexible Discipline
and protective Clan and chantry structure, and move against them both secretly and overtly.

Nickname: Warlocks

Sect: Clan Tremere considers itself one of the pillars of the Camarilla. It is rumored that they once performed
a ritual that all but eradicated those of the Clan not loyal to the Ivory Tower (and thus the Tremere’s
pyramidal hierarchy).

Appearance: Tremere often have two distinct presentations: a traditional and severe public aspect and a
much more eldritch mien better suited to wielding their blood sorceries. When out in public or at Kindred
events, the Tremere favor conservative suits and dresses and muted tones. When in their chantries
or convening with others of their Clan, they often prefer robes decorated with subtle occult symbols or garb
with various folds and pockets for their bizarre ritual ingredients.

Haven: Many Tremere rely on a central chantry the Clan maintains in cities where it has a notable presence.
More solitary Warlocks develop private havens, with all of the trappings one might expect from an occult
scholar, from libraries to alchemical laboratories to moonlit balcony observatories and even more sinister
oubliettes where vivisected “research subjects” bleed according to experimental Tremere-controlled stimuli.

Background: The Tremere draw from a fairly narrow pool of potential acolytes. Those who have an awareness
of the supernatural, who are driven to succeed, who seek answers that elude less inquisitive individuals,
yet who also have the discipline to heed the edicts of the hierarchy make good Tremere. This isn’t to say
that individualists don’t have room in the Clan; rather, those who go their own way may well find themselves
leading a chantry — or greeting the sun if their interests don’t align with those of the pyramid.

Character Creation: Mental Attributes and Knowledges are prominent among the Tremere. Many have
high Courage and Willpower, but are somewhat lacking in Conscience or Conviction. They often favor Backgrounds
that heighten their relationship to the Clan, like Mentor, Status, and Retainers (whom an accomplished
Warlock may craft from otherwise inert components).

Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy

Weaknesses: Tremere dependency on blood is even more pronounced than that of other Kindred. It takes
only two draughts of another vampire’s blood for a Tremere to become blood bound instead of the normal
three — the first drink counts as if the Tremere had taken two drinks. (For more information on the blood bond, see
p. 286). The elders of the Clan are well aware of this, and seek to impart loyalty to the Clan by forcing all neonate
Warlocks to drink of the (transubstantiated) blood of the seven Tremere elders soon after their Embrace.

Organization: The hallmark of Clan Tremere is “the pyramid,” the rigid hierarchy that governs the Clan
and makes it the most organized of all the Kindred lineages. With many levels of membership, internal
factions, and circles of mystery, the Tremere hierarchy presents a unified face to those outside the Clan, and
is almost as unified behind the scenes. Still, the pyramid inculcates more than its share of paranoia, as both
rogue Warlocks and a competitive environment of academic occultism pits each acolyte against her peers to
the greater accomplishment of the Clan.

Stereotypes
Assamite: They show signs of being able to subvert our rituals, so the time to tolerate them has expired.
Brujah: Hubris and a lack of self-discipline have laid low the Clan of warrior-poets.
Followers of Set: We pursue the secrets of the world and they pursue the secrets in its dark places.
When too many know, secrets are no longer secrets.
Gangrel: Theirs is a simple but formidable power. Fortunately, their blood is as susceptible to mastery
as that of all Kindred.
Giovanni: Their clumsy understanding of the secret ways will shackle them to empty ritual rather
than set them free to work their wills.
Lasombra: A once-accomplished lineage dragged into the muck by foul associations.
Malkavian: Once we can synthesize their stochastic perception, the Kindred will no longer have to
brook their disruptive caprice.
Nosferatu: Those involuntarily placed outside the system can prove fruitful allies or accomplices.
Ravnos: Disorder sows its own punishments, yet I am happy to expedite those results.
Toreador: Form follows function, which makes the ongoing prominence of these self-worshipers such a
dispiriting enigma.
Tzimisce: Peel away the rot and idolatry and all that’s left is the carcass of outmoded mummery.
Ventrue: Caesar shall have his due, and to our benefit, his love of lucre blinds him to true power.
Caitiff: As Vesalius gathered his cadavers, so do we solicit volunteers in the understanding of our sciences.
Camarilla: A sundered house still offers shelter.
Sabbat: They do not understand their own ends, and damn themselves thus.
Anarchs: In the absence of structure, autarchy yields only the brutishness of lesser Kindred.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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A blood moon casts a crimson light over the land beyond the forest and something fearsome howls its agony
into the night. The Tzimisce call these lands their ancestral home. Since time out of mind the Fiends
have been masters and lords of the domains of much of Eastern Europe. But theirs is a proud, selfish Clan for
which tradition goes only so far despite their aristocratic origins. In fact, the Clan claims to have destroyed
its Antediluvian, and in the wake of that momentous event, helped establish the foundations of the Sabbat.
Tzimisce practice a strange Discipline known as Vicissitude that allows them to twist the skin and
bone of their victims. In many cases, they refine their fleshly arts by practicing upon themselves, but they just as
frequently use it upon their lackeys and retainers, turning their boyars and szlachta into monstrous thralls.
Vicissitude itself is a much misunderstood Discipline, and debates over its origins occasionally plunge the Clan
into vicious partisan rivalries.
Clan Tzimisce is a Clan of extremes, and long, cold nights spent in remote castles have turned the Fiends’
perspectives both greatly inward and outward. Mystics of the Clan study a philosophy of metamorphosis, seeking
to discover what lies beyond the state of vampirism. An alien attitude of spiritual secularism characterizes many Tzimisce.
Young members of the Clan often find themselves detached from the historical role of the Fiends as terrifying
landed lords, and throw themselves wholly into a cause of their own choice, whether as Sabbat zealots, fleshcrafted
horrors, or transcendental koldun sorcerers.

Nickname: Fiends

Sect: The Tzimisce are longtime but largely detached members of the Sabbat. They were instrumental
in the Sect’s nascence, and remain one of its most numerous Clans.

Appearance: Given their ability to manipulate their physical appearance with Vicissitude, Tzimisce look
however they want, and they often want to provoke or frighten. Some prefer extreme modifications and experimentations
with their bodies that leave them looking only vaguely humanoid. Others seek to redefine and even
transcend the limits of their forms, rebuilding themselves in the images of angels, monsters, nightmares,
and things even less recognizable.

Haven: Young Tzimisce are often Sabbat Priests or Ducti, and prefer to maintain communal havens with their
packs. They encourage the pack to live in fearsome locations, such as beneath a hospital or morgue, or in the dank
recesses of a mausoleum. Elders of the Clan sometimes have ancestral holdings in the Old World, and the image
of the vampire on the craggy mountain in a crumbling castle owes much to Tzimisce lords. Rarely are these ancient
holdings kept to any modern standards of comfort, but their lords are strangely hospitable to invited guests
(and terribly intolerant of uninvited bores).

Background: Elder Tzimisce, particularly those of the still-landed nobility in hoary old domains, may
have family lines from which they Embrace, or they may restrict their occasional siring to the terrified villages
suffering in thrall beneath their estates. New World and younger Tzimisce aren’t as discriminating
and are more practical. Indeed, many Tzimisce fledglings are little more than shock troops, Embraced and
warped to the limits of their frames to cause revulsion and revel in bloodshed until put down.

Character Creation: Few Tzimisce know moderation, and thus often favor Physical or Mental Attributes,
usually with one extraordinarily high Trait. Knowledges are usually favored, though Skills are valued
as well. Mentor, Allies, Domain, and Retainers are all quite appropriate to Tzimisce, as are narrow — almost
overdeveloped — Disciplines. Their alien mindsets often lead them to follow Paths of Enlightenment.
The ghastliness to which many Tzimisce are often exposed during their fledgling years sometimes results in
complicated derangements.

Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude

Weaknesses: The Tzimisce are inextricably tied to their domains of origin, and must rest in the proximity
of at least two handfuls of “native soil” — earth from a place important to her as a mortal, such as the soil from
her birthplace or the graveyard where she underwent her Embrace. Each night spent without this physical
connection to her land limits all of the Tzimisce’s dice pools to one-half, cumulatively, until she has only a
single die in her pool. The penalty remains until she rests for a full day amid her earth once more.

Organization: The Fiends are, on the whole, mistrustful of other Kindred, especially others of their own Clan.
As such, Tzimisce organization, such as it is, has a high regard for solitude. It is against their nature to be inclusive,
and thus they have to work at being Sabbat (though this is less difficult for younger Tzimisce of at least somewhat
modern outlooks). This is also a key reason so many of them undertake Paths of Enlightenment: to give their
xenophobia purpose, but also to provide some common point of reference with others on the Path.

Stereotypes
Assamite: The fox convinces the hens to let him watch over their precious eggs — delightful!
Brujah: They plunged themselves into ruin millennia ago and continue to blame other for their own failures.
Followers of Set: Why worship dead gods when one can become a god herself?
Gangrel: They command fierce power, but wield it with little more than a primitive will.
Giovanni: Muck out the stables, you slopebrowed lummoxes.
Lasombra: Competent. Mostly.
Malkavian: Suitable for making lampshades from their remains.
Nosferatu: Ah, what marvelous paradoxes, redolent of the slime yet possessed of the wisdom to adapt!
Ravnos: I’ll take thirty, staked for the sun and placed on the ramparts.
Toreador: Thou shalt not suffer a bitch to live.
Tremere: They are the gout of corruption that issues forth from a lanced boil, only they have none of its charisma.
Ventrue: We have warred for so long that they are due a grudging respect before you snuff their heart’s fire.
Caitiff: How droll! I always thought the term for them was “spare parts.”
Camarilla: When the serfs don’t believe their masters, the reich has lost the war.
Sabbat: We play the game with the pawns— er, pieces we are given.
Anarchs: There is a misguided nobility in what they do, though they are too childish to succeed fully.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

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Throughout history, while the other Clans have skulked about their petty intrigues, the Ventrue have
curried favor with Caesar, whispered into the ear of Charlemagne, bankrolled the Age of Exploration, and
even swayed policy in the Holy See. Theirs is a legacy of rulership, from Ventrue fledglings starting their
climb to the top to the mightiest elders whose influence spans the world. Long have they played kingmaker in the
shadows in the mortal world, and long have they been the Clan of Kings among the Kindred.
Other Clans, of course, find all this insufferably pompous at best, punishably tedious at worst. Someone
has to lead, surely, but why does it always have to be some long-winded, self-aggrandizing Ventrue?
The Blue Bloods try to bear the criticism of their lessers with a sense of noblesse oblige — ever heavy hangs that
head that wears the crown — but even the most munificent of Kindred leaders occasionally succumbs
to tyranny and bloody rage. Tonight, the Ventrue are a synthesis of the modern and the ancient, often in stark
contrast within the Clan and among one another. Theirs is money of old, from the vaults of Croesus, but their
young manipulate stock markets and influence currencies. Elders may command armies or even whole
governments, while neonates conjure their assets from a website or smartphone app. But for all their wealth,
their distinguished history, and their status among the Damned, each and every Ventrue must still seek that
one resource that makes Kindred society egalitarian: precious blood.

Nickname: Blue Bloods

Sect: To hear the Ventrue tell it, the very idea of the Camarilla originated with them. Every other
Clan realized what an invaluable proposition it was and flocked to their banner.

Appearance: The Ventrue favor conservative clothing and reserved presentation, unless
they’re making a point about power or money. Ventrue Princes may well wear a circlet or carry a
scepter as symbols of office, while young Blue Bloods display their own achievement
via suits, ties, dresses, and accessories that are easily overlooked singularly but add up to a
stunning total effect. If a Ventrue has so much as a hair out of place, it’s because he spent all night
running down the Society of Leopold and demanding the Sabbat menace retreat.

Haven: A Ventrue’s haven displays both her great power (read: wealth) and distinguished
tastes. Opulent, grandiose, even baroque — these may all apply to Ventrue havens. They shun the
gaudy displays of other Kindred, and their style tends less to the avant-garde than it does to the
classical and traditional. To the Blue Bloods, a well-maintainedhaven is an extension of oneself,
and for someone to see it in less than flawless state implies weakness, distraction,
or even madness.

Background: Anyone who has “made something of herself” may attract the attention of the Ventrue, who
judge their childer based on their prominence and success even before they start to groom them for the Embrace.
Socialites, moneyed family, corporate wunderkinds, military leaders, and even untested newcomers who show
great promise are keenly valued among the Blue Bloods. Character Creation: Ventrue usually have directorial
or outgoing personality archetypes. Members of Clan Ventrue favor Social and Mental Attributes, but any
Ability category can be primary, reflecting a personal avenue of expertise. Backgrounds go both wide and deep
for the Ventrue, with almost every Blue Blood possessing some amount of Resources, Status, and Herd (particularly
the latter, given the Clan weakness). Elders in particular cultivate enviable havens and sprawling Domains.

Clan Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence

Weaknesses: The Ventrue have rarified tastes, and they find only one specific type of mortal blood palatable
and vital for them. When a player creates a Ventrue character, he should decide with the Storyteller
what specific type of blood suits the character, and this choice is permanent. Blood of other types (even animals)
simply offers the vampire no blood pool increase, no matter how much he consumes — he simply vomits
it back up. This refined palate may be very narrow or very broad — say, the blood of younger sisters, or the
blood of nude children. Vampiric blood is exempt from this restriction.

Organization: The Clan-wide organization of the Ventrue is localized and feudal, with various universally
understood peerages, vassalages, oaths of fealty, and sworn boons taking the place of a rigid hierarchy. Many
Ventrue style themselves as secret masters of their domains, consolidating power in longstanding networks
and forming conspiracies. The Ventrue greatly value propriety and honor, and use many forms of address
and respect — their Laws of Decorum are complex and rigid, and could fill several volumes. Almost every
Ventrue worth his status can recite his lineage at least back to the elders, if not to the great Methuselahs.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Useful only so long as they don’t become a poison in our veins.
Brujah: Just admit you’re beaten and this will become much more pleasant.
Followers of Set: When you learn of them in your domain, do not hesitate to introduce them to their
master, the sun.
Gangrel: Who would guess that Kindred so simple could be so groundlessly prideful?
Giovanni: Our stillborn siblings, who never developed a sense of right and wrong or what not to stick your cock into.
Lasombra: Pretenders to our mantle of dignity and honor, though they are formidable.
Malkavian: When you find yourself making excuses for them, it is time for the purge to begin.
Nosferatu: Surprisingly functional, should you be able to handle their odious personalities and overestimation
of their own value.
Ravnos: No kingdom survives by mingling with the conquered.
Toreador: For every king there is a queen, and there are a lot of queens among the ranks of the
Rose Clan.
Tremere: They can prove dauntless allies or treacherous enemies, often both within the same
skin, so let them know who commands.
Tzimisce: What more do you need than their cloying scent of corruption to know that theirs is an ill presence?
Caitiff: They are mongrels, barely worthy of names. You might as well care about your furniture.
Camarilla: It is our greatest triumph, but also our greatest responsibility.
Sabbat: The inmates run that asylum.
Anarchs: There is something admirable in what they do, yet how they do it is entirely puerile.


UPDATE CLANBÜCHER MERITS & FLAWS
Merits/Flaws [Clan Books]

UPDATE KOMBINIERTE NEUE DISZIPLIENEN
New Clan Abilities (Ventrue)