Vampires

This is not White Wolfs World of Dark-

ness. There is no Camarilla or Sabbat.
There are no Clans, Bloodlines, or legends
of Caine, the Antediluvians or the Book of
Nod. Vampires tend to be solitary crea-
tures but many produce offspring (for a
variety of reasons). Occasionally two or
more solitary Vampires may form an un-
easy alliance in order to protect their turf.
Laws
Every city has their own rules and regula-
tions. Some are anarchistic wilderlands,
others heavily regimented city-states. The
laws that most Vampires accept are:
Secrecy: Do not let the humans
know that they exist.
Disputes: Private duels are the
safe and honorable way to handle
quarrels. Terms of the duel are up
to the participants.
Cannibalism: Cannibals are des-
pised, mostly as being threats to
the status quo reign of the Elders.
Generally speaking, the younger
the Vampire populace, the greater
the opportunity to perform acts of
cannibalism without fear of repris-
al.
Status: A delicate balance of pow-
er and respect that most Vampires
adhere to. Those who choose to ig-
nore this system often become so-
cial pariahs or are even exiled from
the city.
Character Creation
When creating a character, you should
first come up with a basic outline of the
characters background and personality.
Then, assign ratings to your three Attrib-
utes. All Vampire characters possess three
Attributes (Physical, Social, Mental) which
are ranked by their relative strengths. The
strongest, or Primary Attribute receives a
rating 5. The Secondary Attribute is given
a rating of 3 and the Tertiary (or weakest)
Attribute is rated at 1.
Next, choose five skills, talents or areas of
expertise that coincide with your charac-
ters Concept. These are called Concept
Traits and are each rated at +2, meaning
that theyll add two points to your charac-
ters Base. In addition, you can choose
two Side Traits which represent either ex-
ceptional qualities (beauty, quick reflexes,
a calm heart) or outside interests apart
from your Concept (for example, an ex-
con who became a priest would still know
how to pick a lock). If you so choose, you
can also take just one Side Trait at +2.
Although Side Traits can be "stacked" dur-
ing a Test, you can only use one of your
Concept Traits at a time.
All characters start with three Level 1 Dis-
ciplines, which are detailed at the end of
this document. Alternately, the player
may opt to select the first 2 levels of any
one Discipline.
Example: I'm going to play Jacob, a 30
year old Catholic priest who was turned
into a Vampire back in the early 1990's.
Prior to becoming a priest, Jacob served
some time in prison for numerous counts
of petty larceny. It was there that he
found religion.
His Base Attributes are going to be ranked
in the order of Social / Mental / Physical:
1 Physical Trait
5 Social Traits
3 Mental Traits
His 5 Concept Traits are:
Perform religious ceremonies +2
Knowledge of the Catholic Church
+2
Public Speaking +2
Empathy +2
Speak Latin +2
His 2 Side Traits are:
Boxing +1 ( Jacob boxed in school
and used his knowledge to defend
himself when in jail)
Lock-picking +1 (Jacob is an ex-
con and used to break into cars
and houses to rob them)
His 3 Disciplines are:
Animalism (Level 1: Feral Whis-
pers)
Presence (Level 1: Awe/Dread
Gaze)
Fortitude (Level 1: Endurance)
Blood
Besides Concept Traits and Side Traits,
characters also have another very effec-
tive way of increasing their Base scores
(albeit temporarily). Vampires can spend
("burn") Blood Points to increase their
Physical Attribute, Willpower to increase
their Mental Attribute and Status (when
dealing with other Vampires) to boost
their Social Attribute. Blood Points are
represented with red poker chips. White
poker chips are used for Willpower and
blue chips denote Status.
Vampires start with a pool of five Blood
Points (unless sired by another character,
in that case his pool of Blood is one less)
and must spend one Blood Point to awak-
en each evening. If a Vampire ever reach-
es 0 Blood Points, he will suffer one Dam-
age Level for every night he awakes with-
out using Blood. A character may elect to
stay asleep through the night, in which
case he wont lose Blood or take Damage
Levels. Characters without Blood Points
may not regain Willpower Points.
Vampires can use their Blood in a variety
of ways:
Blood Points can be used to in-
crease the total of their Physical
Attribute (one Point/+1 increase)
Blood Points can be used to heal
non-Aggravated Damage (one
Point/level of healing)
One Blood Point and one Willpower
Point can be used to heal one level
of Aggravated Damage per night
Blood Points can fuel the use of a
Discipline (though not all require
the expenditure of Blood)
Blood Points can be used to feed
another Vampire, enthrall a mortal
or create a new Vampire
Vampires regain Blood Points by consum-
ing human or animal blood. Typically, a
rat or bird will provide one Blood Point and
larger animals will provide up to two Blood
Points before expiring. Large mammals
(cows, etc.) and humans provide up to
three Blood Points before dying of Blood
Loss (larger animals do have more blood
but it isnt as potent as a humans). Vam-
pires can also regain Blood by drinking the
blood of a Vampire, although this method
is not without its risks. Drinking the blood
of the same Vampire on three occasions
will cause the character to become en-
thralled to their benefactor. Elder Vam-
pires (those with more potent blood) can
completely restore a younger Vampires
pool of Blood Points with but a single drop
(in game terms one Blood Point).
Once per night, Vampires with Dominate,
Morpheus or Presence may gain a single
Blood Trait from a human victim without
resorting to a hunting challenge.
Willpower
Player characters start the game with
three Willpower Points, represented by
white poker chips (Elder Vampires receive
five). These can be used to boost your
Mental Attribute during a Test and are al-
so used to power certain Disciplines. You
may also use one point of Willpower dur-
ing one Physical Test per night. Willpower
can also be used to ignore wound penal-
ties for one Test.
Willpower is gained far more slowly than
Blood Points one Willpower Point is re-
gained at the beginning of each game ses-
sion.
Status
Status Points (blue poker chips) are given
out according to the characters position
within Vampire society. Most Vampires
start without Status and must acquire it
during the game.
Typically, a pool of ten Status Points is
distributed amongst high-Status Vampires
to disseminate throughout the populace.
Those players are free to give out Status
to their associates or to those who per-
form tasks or favors for them. Status, un-
like Blood and Willpower, isnt spent.
Vampires can only use up to five Status
Points per Test without actually losing any
of them. If one chooses to spend more
Status, that Vampire must forfeit all Sta-
tus he spends past the limit of five.
Experience
Experience (represented by yellow poker
chips) is given out each game to represent
the character's growth and experience
among the Undead. All characters start
the game with one Experience Point
(which may be used before the game even
begins) and will receive an additional
point per game. Extra Experience Points
may also be awarded to players exhibiting
exceptional role-playing or to those who
otherwise contribute to the betterment of
the game.
Experience may be spent in the following
method:
1 Experience Point raises an Attrib-
ute score by one point (up to five).
2 Experience Points raises an At-
tribute score by one point (past
five).
1 Experience Point will add +1 to
an existing Side Trait (up to +2)
2 Experience Points will add an ad-
ditional Side Trait (must be taught
or learned)
1 Experience Point will replenish a
lost Willpower Point.
3 Experience Points gives the
Vampire an additional Willpower
Point (past his or her maximum).
3 Experience Points will give the
Vampire a Level One Discipline
6 Experience Points will give the
Vampire a Level Two Discipline
9 Experience Points will give the
Vampire a Level Three Discipline
Example: Jacob, an Elder Vampire with
one Childe, starts the game with:
5 Blood Points
5 Willpower Points
10 Status Points
One Experience Point
His Childe begins the game with:
4 Blood Points
3 Willpower Points
0 Status Points
One Experience Point
If Jacob gives 2 Status Points to his Childe
then his Status drops to 8. If he were to
use 7 of his remaining Status Points to
win a challenge, he would lose two of
them, making his total Status 6.
Basic Mechanics
Anytime your character does something
which cant be role-played (such as firing
a gun or jumping a chasm), its called a
Test. When making a Test, decide what
exactly youre trying to accomplish and
what is standing in your way. If that
"something" is another character, then
that is called an Opposed Test. If the only
thing standing in your way is the difficulty
of the chosen task, then its called an Un-
opposed Test.
When dealing with an Unopposed Test,
compare the characters total with the
tasks difficulty (which can be determined
using the following table):
Difficulty Base
Easy 3
Average 5
Difficult 7
Very Difficult 9
When determining the winner of an Op-
posed Test, simply compare the totals of
the two opponents. The higher score wins
the test (ties always favor the defender).
Combat is the most frequently used type
of Opposed Test. The general rule is that
both parties explain their respective goals.
If one character wishes to grab the other
and throw him up against a wall (and
wins), then she does so. If the character
wishes to get away as fast as possible
(and wins the Test), then she does so.
Damage Levels
If the characters goal is to inflict physical
damage on the other character (and he
wins), then the other character will suffer
a wound (possibly more). All characters
start the game at the OK Damage Level.
This means that he is free of injury and
fully capable. If that character suffers one
or more wounds, he will begin to suffer
Damage Levels and possible deleterious
effects.
Damage
Level
Effect
OK
Unharmed the starting
level
Bruised
The character is winded but
suffers no other effects
Hurt
The character is injured and
cannot make use of any
Concept Traits
Incapacitated The character is unconscious
or nearly so. He can only
heal his wounds and spend
Willpower
Dead/Torpor The character, if human, is
Dead. If a Vampire reaches
this state he will fall into a
sleep-like state (called Tor-
por) and can only be awak-
ened by being fed the Blood
of a Vampire.
Final Death Vampire can only be killed
(Final Death) by receiving 5
Damage Levels of "Aggra-
vated Damage" caused by
sunlight, fire and certain su-
pernatural attacks).
Weapons
Weapons add to the attacks total (during
the Test phase) and sometimes also to the
attacks damage. Note that Aggravated
Damage will inflict the same penalties as
normal Damage (or a combination of the
two) but should still be kept track of sepa-
rately for healing purposes. Also, incurring
five levels of Aggravated Damage will de-
stroy a Vampire.
Weapon
Base
Modifier
Damage
Modifier
Damage
Type
Vampire
Teeth
+1 None Aggravated
Feral Claws +1 +1 Aggravated
Punches &
Kicks
+0 None
Non-
Aggravated
Knives,
small fire-
arms
+1 None
Non-
Aggravated
Swords,
large fire-
arms
+1 +1
Non-
Aggravated
Fire NA +2 Aggravated
Sunlight NA +3 Aggravated
Wooden
Stake
* *
Non-
Aggravated
* A staked Vampire automatically drops to
Incapacitated and cannot heal his wounds
until the stake is removed. A hammer
must be used to drive the stake in (which
cannot be done unless the Vampire is
asleep or restrained) except if the Vam-
pire wielding the stake has Potence (level
2 or higher).
Note that Firearms can be used with the
Mental Attribute if the character is aiming
at his target. Characters may also opt to
use Mental (or some combination or aver-
age of Physical and Mental) when dueling.
This is at the players discretion.
Example: Jacob is shot by a Vampire (in-
flicting 2 points of damage) which puts
him at "Hurt." Then, his attacker slashes
him with Feral Claws (causing 2 points of
Aggravated damage). If Jacob cant or
doesnt heal himself, he will fall into Tor-
por and only the Blood of another Vampire
will be able to revive him. If Jacob does
heal the normal damage, he will still be
"Hurt" (from the Feral Claws attack). After
suffering 2 levels of Aggravated Damage,
Jacob will meet Final Death if he suffers 3
more levels of Aggravated Damage.
Mass Combat
Vampires are by their nature solitary
hunters, but occasionally the need will
arise for two or more to cooperate in sub-
duing a victim or an opponent. For each
additional person assisting the Vampire,
he gains a +1 bonus to his Base score, up
to his Mental Attribute (so a Vampire with
a Mental Attribute of 3 could have no
more than three "assistants" and will gain
no further benefit from additional help).
Cannibalism
There is no formal name for the act of kill-
ing a Vampire by draining it of its Blood.
To do so, the victims entire Blood Pool
must be drained (drinking more Blood
than your limit will cause you to suffer an
equal number of Damage Levels as you
vomit up the excess). Then, when the
Vampire is drained of Blood, compare
Willpower Points. If your Willpower is
greater, you will (in essence) drain the
Vampires life-force and destroy it (excep-
tionally old Vampires will quickly decay or
turn to dust). Draining a Vampire takes
about a minute for each Blood Point
drained and another ten minutes to con-
sume its Life-force.
If the Vampire was higher Generation, you
will gain its Side Traits for the remainder
of the evening. If the Vampire was lower
Generation, then your Blood Pool is in-
creased by one and you gain that Vam-
pires Side Traits permanently.
Disciplines
Animalism: Animalism allows the Vam-
pire to communicate with the minds and
spirits of common beasts.
Level 1. Feral Whispers
The Vampire may communicate
with any animal, issue it simple
commands and converse with it
telepathically.

Level 2. The Beckoning
The Vampire may call forth a varie-
ty of birds, beasts and vermin
equal to his Mental Attribute (plus
any modifiers from Concept or Side
Traits).

Level 3. Transference
By spending a Willpower Point and
staring into the eyes of an animal,
the Vampire is able to transfer his
consciousness into that of the
beast. The Vampire can perform
anything that the animal is capable
of doing, as well as travelling out-
side during the day.
Auspex: Auspex gives the Vampire her
powers of extra-sensory perception and
acute senses. For some reason, Vampires
cannot use this Discipline against their
progeny to read their auras, their minds
or to detect their presence if hidden
through Obfuscation.
Level 1. Heightened Senses
The Vampires sense have becom-
ing supernaturally acute, allowing
him to track by scent, see in near-
total darkness and hear the beat-
ing of a human heart. Those with
Heightened Senses are also im-
bued with a sixth sense which will
alert them to unseen presences
and dangers. To use Aura Percep-
tion requires an Opposed Mental
Test.

Level 2. Aura Perception
The Vampire can see the shimmer-
ing corona of colors surrounding
sentient beings. By examining this
aura the Vampire can sense moods
and discern truths from falsehoods.
She will also be able to discern the
individuals true nature. To use Au-
ra Perception requires an Opposed
Mental Test only if the Vampires
target is attempting to mask his or
her feelings (such as when telling a
lie).

Level 3. Psychometry
The Vampire can now gain insight
into the nature or history of any-
one or anything he touches. After
winning a Mental Test, the Vampire
may gain an impression of any ob-
ject he touches (ask the objects
owner one question regarding that
object).

Questions about specific individuals
may not be asked. So rather than
inquire "Did Jacob use this dagger
to kill his Sire?" the Psychometrist
should ask, "Was this dagger used
to kill someone?"

The Vampire can also use this abil-
ity on an individual, but must es-
tablish skin to skin contact to do so
(possibly requiring a Physical Test).
Like objects, individuals may not
be asked questions about other
people.

Psychometry may also be used to
learn the relative age of an ob-
ject/individual and also the emo-
tional state of the person (or if an
object, then the emotion most
strongly associated with it).
Celerity: The three levels of Celerity in-
crease the Vampires reaction time and
speed. Each level adds +1 to all Physical
Tests involving speed and agility. Higher
levels of Celerity also enable the Vampire
to automatically avoid attacks or engage
multiple opponents within the same
round.
Example: Zachariah (who has Celerity
Level 2: Rapidity) is facing two human
gang members. Zachariah may spend a
Blood Point to pre-empt both their actions
and attack them or attack one gang
member and automatically dodge any at-
tack the other or automatically avoid both
their attacks. If Zachariah had Celerity
level 3: Fleetness, he would be able to
strike one of the humans and still auto-
matically avoid both their attacks.
Level 1. Alacrity
By spending a Blood Point, the
Vampire may pre-empt any char-
acter that does not possess Alacri-
ty.

Level 2. Rapidity
By spending a Blood Point, the
Vampire may pre-empt any char-
acter that does not possess Rapidi-
ty. The Vampire may also engage
two different enemies within the
same round of combat.

Level 3. Fleetness
The Vampire may pre-empt anyone
without Fleetness by spending one
Blood Point. The Vampire can also
engage any number of opponents
(although he must be within arms
length in order to physically attack
them).
Dominate: The power to bend minds and
break wills. Vampires must make eye con-
tact with the person they wish to Domi-
nate. This ability has no effect on those of
lower Generation than the Dominator.
Level 1. Command
The Vampire can hypnotize her vic-
tim and issue them a single com-
mand, which must be followed.
This Discipline requires a Mental
Test.

Level 2. Forgetful Mind
The Vampire can re-shape, create
or erase memories of past events.
This Discipline requires a Mental
Test.

Level 3. Possession
The Vampire is able to take over
the mind and body of an individual
if he has more Willpower Points
than his victim. This Discipline re-
quires a Mental Test.
Fortitude: The three levels of Fortitude
increase the Vampires physical stamina
and resilience. Each level also adds +1 to
any Test involving toughness or stamina.
Level 1. Endurance
The Vampire receives an extra
"OK" Damage Level.

Level 2. Resilience
The Vampire can spend one Blood
Point to change Aggravated dam-
age to normal damage.

Level 3. Aegis
The Vampire can spend one Blood
Point to avoid Final Death for one
round or ignore the effects of a
single attack.
Morpheus: The power over the sleep and
dreams of both the Living and Undead.
Level 1. Trance
The Vampire can cause a mortal to
fall fast asleep with but a word. Us-
ing this Discipline against a Vam-
pire will cause him to become calm
and complacent for the duration of
the scene (this ability cannot be
used to pre-empt an attack). Using
Trance requires a Mental Test.

Level 2. Haunting
The Vampire is able to insinuate
himself into the dreams of others.
He may give the victim beautiful
dreams or terrifying nightmares
which will cause the victim to lose
a Willpower Point (either from
blissful entrancement or mortal
terror). This use of this Discipline
requires a Mental Test.

Level 3. Night Caller
The Vampire can now cause physi-
cal harm to befall his victim
through his dreams. The Vampire
must spend a Willpower Point and
win a Mental Test in order to cause
a Damage Level to a human victim
(who will wake up to find himself
bleeding). Vampiric victims suffer
the loss of an additional Blood
Point upon waking (or a Damage
Level if the Vampire's Blood Pool is
depleted).
Obfuscation: Using this Discipline, the
Vampire can shield his presence others
and can even disguise his appearance.
Level 1. Unseen Presence
The Vampire can cloak his pres-
ence from the minds of other be-
ings. An Unseen Presence can be
detected by someone with Height-
ened Senses (though Aura Percep-
tion must be used to learn the Un-
seen Presences identity) who
beats the Obfuscated Vampire in a
Mental Test.

Level 2. Mask of 1000 Faces
The Vampire can disguise his true
appearance by becoming "a face in
the crowd." A Masked Vampire can
be detected by someone with
Heightened Senses (though Aura
Perception must be used to learn
the characters true identity) who
beats the Obfuscated Vampire in a
Mental Test.

Level 3. Soul Mask
The Vampire can prevent others
from detecting his presence or his
true nature and can even alter his
aura at will. A Soul Masked Vam-
pire cannot be detected using
Auspex.
Potence: The three levels of Potence in-
crease the Vampires physical strength.
Each level adds +1 to all Physical Tests
involving brute strength.
Level 1. Might
No added bonus, the Vampire is
stronger than an Olympic weight-
lifter.

Level 2. Vigor
The Vampire can do an additional
level of Damage in hand-to-hand
combat. The Vampire is able to lift
a dumpster.

Level 3. Puissance
The Vampire can do Aggravated
damage with his bare hands. The
Vampire can pick up (and throw)
automobiles.
Presence: The Vampires personal cha-
risma is so great that he projects an aura
of grace and authority.
Level 1. Awe/Dread Gaze
The Vampire can call anyone within
sight to his side or may instill them
with mortal terror as to drive them
away. Those who have been called
forth will feel awe in the Vampires
presence, while those driven off
will be unable to approach the
Vampire for the rest of the scene.
This Discipline requires a Social
Test.

Level 2. Summon
The Vampire may summon anyone
she has met previously to her side.
The summoned person will try to
get there as quickly as possible
and will not consciously know who
summoned them or why. This Dis-
cipline requires a Social Test.

Level 3. Majesty
No one may approach the Vampire
with anything less than respect,
awe and even reverence while this
Discipline is active. One Willpower
must be spent to even attempt to
attack or otherwise show disre-
spect to a Vampire using Majesty.
Protean: This Discipline represents the
Vampires ability to alter its very shape
and substance, allowing it to grow claws,
transform into an animal or become a
formless vapor. Each Protean Discipline
costs 1 Blood Point to use and the effects
last until sunrise (unless purposely negat-
ed by the Vampire).
Level 1. Feral Claws
The Vampires fingernails can be-
come long and razor-sharp, ena-
bling him to inflict grievous wounds
upon his victims.

Level 2. Shape of the Beast
The Vampire can change her shape
to resemble a wolf or bat while still
retaining her consciousness and in-
tellect. A bat-form gains the ability
of flight while a wolf-form enables
the Vampire to temporarily possess
the Heightened Senses Discipline.
Wolf-forms can also inflict Aggra-
vated damage.

Level 3. Mist Form
The Vampire can transform into a
mist-like apparition without form or
substance. While in this form the
Vampire is immune to fire and only
takes one Aggravated wound per
round from exposure to sunlight.
The Vampire cannot attack or be
attacked while in this form.
Psychogenesis: The power of mind over
matter enables the Vampire to move ob-
jects with his mind, speak telepathically or
travel the earth without leaving her seat.
Level 1. Telekinesis
The Vampire may reach out with
his mind and move an object
through space without physically
touching it. The object cannot be
heavier than something a normal
human could carry in one hand and
the object can only move at walk-
ing speed.

By expending a Willpower Point,
the Vampire can lift a mass equal
to its own body weight (including
himself, offering a limited form of
levitation) or move something
through space at running speed (a
blade moved at such a speed could
be used to slash or stab an oppo-
nent).

Level 2. Telepathy
The Vampire can now read the
minds of those around him and
communicate with others without
the need for spoken words. By
spending a Willpower Point, a
Vampire can also "listen in" on a
telepathic conversation as long as
he is near one of the participants.
The Vampire can only use telepa-
thy on a number of individuals
equal to or less than his Mental At-
tribute (so a Vampire with a 1 in
his Mental Attribute can only con-
verse with one person at a time).
To use Telepathy requires an Op-
posed Mental Test.

Telepathy may also be used to is-
sue commands via Dominate, alt-
hough eye contact must still be es-
tablished.

Level 3. Astral Projection
By spending a Willpower Point, the
Vampires spirit may be freed from
its body, enabling it to move
through space at phenomenal
speed. The Astral Spirit is intangi-
ble and invisible, save to those
with Heightened Senses, and is
able to appear as a ghostly appari-
tion for ten seconds by spending
an additional Willpower Point.

While in this form, the Vampire is
immune to all attacks (save from
those by another Astral Spirit
combat is handled normally except
that the Mental Attribute is used
and damage is considered Aggra-
vated), fire and sunlight (although
its body is helpless while the spirit
is outside).

Vampires may only use the Disci-
plines of Auspex and Psychogene-
sis while Astrally Projecting. An
Astrally Projecting Vampire will
cease to exist if either his spirit or
his body reaches Final Death.
Translocation: The power to crawl up
walls like a spider or travel through the air
is the power of Translocation.
Level 1. Lizards Gift
The Vampire can move along sheer
surfaces and even crawl along ceil-
ings.

Level 2. Ghost Walk
The Vampire is able to pass
through any portal (a door or win-
dow), even if it locked or barred to
prevent entry. The Vampire can
Ghost Walk additional persons and
objects by spending a Willpower
Point and touching or holding them
as he uses this Discipline (Vam-
pires can only Ghost Walk a num-
ber of people/objects up to his
Mental Attribute). A portal which
has been permanently sealed (or
near-permanently by being
bricked-up, nailed shut, etc.) can-
not be passed through by the
Ghost Walker.

Level 3. Levitation
The Vampire may effortless float
up into the air and with sufficient
concentration (spend one Willpow-
er Point), may even fly.
Credits
Rules & Concepts by Jared A. Sorensen
Additional Material by Mike Sause
Based on Vampire: the Masquerade by
Mark Rein*Hagen
Special Thanks to:
Rebecca Richkus
The Marin Masquerade LARP Troupe
(Alex, Andy, Arlo, Brendan, Chuck, Eric,
Erika, Gabe, JT Kenny, Lisa, Marc, Matt,
Sara H and Sarah J)