House Rules

Vampire: The Masquerade

Reality Check

Perhaps due to its OOC popularity, White Wolf has long attempted to portray vampires as the dominant supernatural species on the planet. I disagree. Call it personal preference. I just find it hard to accept anything so contrite and cliche as the vampire as the dominant supernatural on any planet. That doesn't mean they don't get a square deal in my games. I play them as they're meant and as the rules support. That means they do tend to get their asses handed to them in raw combat against many other supernaturals; they weren't built for stand-up fighting with werewolves, combat mages, or angry Cuisinart-like hsien. Vampires were built to outlast the ages. When they nosedive into the specialty fields of other supernaturals, they meet their limitations faster.

That doesn't mean they're physically or magically weak. Far from it, but their physical weaknesses are enough that ready and educated enemies (like the shen of the Coalition of Little Asia almost all are) can exploit them quickly and easily. Their undead bodies were designed to withstand ignorant mortal resistance and battle with one other, not an angry Garou's jaws or a sharpshooter with Prime-charged bullets. Nor were their Disciplines meant to outdo the elemental, spiritual, and mental might of mages or even changelings. Vampires have a healthy balance between physical and magical power. That means wise vampires exploit that balance when forced into confrontation. For example, Presence or Dominate against shapechangers, Celerity and Potence against mages. And if that wisdom is employed, it generally just comes down to a matter of who gets the drop on who (see Initiative and Surprise below).

This applies to Kuei-jin as well. They simply have a greater variety within their Disciplines to choose from when confronting other shen. One Discipline does one thing for Cainites while one Discipline does a multitude of things for Kuei-jin, generally. However, Cainite Disciplines are typically cheaper and quicker to use, while Kuei-jin Arts cost more Chi and often take more than a turn to get going. Thus, they're balanced.

The All-Powerful Thaumaturgy

Casting Time

Another problem is revealed when Thaumaturgical Rituals are so often incorrectly exploited. There are no “combat rituals”. No Ritual, even a Level One Ritual, is combat-efficient. All Rituals require approximately five minutes of preparation and casting per level at the least. This problem was initially presented by the host of visceral Rituals presented in the Player’s Guide to the Sabbat. In the case of Rituals with only sudden, combat-like effects, the Rituals may be performed earlier in the same evening and the last moments of the casting (e.g., uncorking the bottle and pointing it in the victim’s face for the Bottled Voice Ritual) can be performed at will. Thus, the time must still be spent beforehand, and few vampires have time to prepare for more than a Ritual or two. The nights are short.

Casting Roll

In 2nd edition, no system was given for any sort of dice roll to be made when casting a Thaumaturgical Ritual. That changes now. All Rituals require an Intelligence+Rituals roll (difficulty equal to the level of the Ritual +2, difficulty 10 maximum).

The Rituals Knowledge is not traditional to Cainites. However, it now reflects the method by which vampires learn, acquire, and perform mystical rites and ceremonies. This system reflects that which is employed for Werewolf and Kindred of the East. A vampire cannot learn or use a Ritual until his Rituals Knowledge matches or exceeds that Ritual's Level. Learning actual Rituals still costs no experience points, although this new Knowledge costs as much as every other Ability. Any vampire that learns the Thaumaturgy Discipline must strive to learn this Knowledge, too. Once the vampire reaches Thaumaturgy 5 and Rituals 5, however, the character need not purchase Rituals above 5. The levels of the Thaumaturgy Discipline 6-10 cover knowledge of Rituals only.

Ritual Slots

Another limit needs to be voiced in regards to Thaumaturgical Rituals. Without a leash, Rituals could ostensibly be "cure-all, solve-all" answers to any dilemma that an erudite Tremere faces. Let's be perfectly frank. If simply developing a new Ritual to counter any conflict a sorcerous vampire deals with was so easy, if Thaumaturgy was that versatile, House Tremere would hardly have been the last Tradition of mages to abandon Sphere magick for blood magic. Consequently, reality needs to be redefined here if even the least bit of practicality were to apply in the World of Darkness game settings regarding this matter.

Simply, vampires that learn Thaumaturgy and its numerous Paths can still learn Rituals through the normal means. They can even develop new Rituals on their own. But there is a limit: no vampire can learn more than a number of Rituals per Thaumaturgy level, as defined below:

Level One: 7 Rituals
Level Two: 6 Rituals
Level Three: 5 Rituals
Level Four: 4 Rituals
Level Five: 3 Rituals
Level Six: 2 Rituals
Level Seven: 2 Rituals
Level Eight: 2 Rituals
Level Nine: 2 Rituals
Level Ten: 1 Ritual

For example, a local Tremere Regent has Thaumaturgy 5. That means he could learn 3 Level 5 Rituals, 4 Level 4 Rituals, 5 Level 3 Rituals, 6 Level Two Rituals, and 7 Level One Rituals, for a grand total of 25 independent powers on top of the powers of Thaumaturgy and any Paths the vampire may also acquire. Of course, though Rituals cost no experience points, they demand time. It takes a month to learn a new Level One Ritual. It takes a few years for a Level 4 Ritual, and up to a decade for Level 5. Level 6 Rituals could take several decades, and a Level 10 Ritual would take several centuries. This is the approximate learning time for Rituals. Creating a new Ritual doubles that time. Thus, few Tremere have the patience or luxury to develop new Rituals whenever they please. They are better suited to learning pre-established Rituals -- which now, under these house rules, fills their "ritual slots" and makes it impossible for some savvy Tremere godling to learn a few Level 5 Rituals, and then spend years creating dozens more to counter and solve any possible danger. If the Tremere wanted the incredible flexibility of true magick, they shouldn't have traded it up for immortality, eh?

Paths & Paradigm

In Revised, they overcomplicate Thaumaturgy by creating multiple new Paths and "styles". Certain Clans specialize in their own brands of Thaumaturgy in Revised Vampire. This Storyteller, besides the fact that he eschews most of Revised's material, finds that this should be clarified for the CoLA Troupe's usage.

The core five levels of Thaumaturgy are used for all Cainites who learn this Discipline. These powers manipulate blood itself and are the essence of blood magic. It doesn't matter if the Thaumaturgist is from House Tremere or a Setite Methuselah. The first five levels grant these blood-manipulating powers and also access to Rituals (the vampire's Thaumaturgy level must match the Level of Ritual he wishes to learn, as must his Rituals Knowledge). Learning even one level of Thaumaturgy also enables the vampire to learn branches of Thaumaturgy called Paths. The following Paths are used for Cainites in the CoLA Troupe, though not all are common:

Biothaumaturgical Experimentation
Countermagic *
Corruption
Elemental Mastery
Gift of Morpheus
The Lure of Flames
Movement of the Mind
Neptune's Might
Path of Conjuring
Path of Warding **
Prey on the Soul's Fear **
Spirit Thaumaturgy
Thaumaturgical Alchemy **
Way of the Levinbolt **
Weather Control

* Countermagic is taken from Revised but altered for this game's usage. See below for details.

** These Paths are taken from Vampire: The Dark Ages but can still be found in use today.

Note that Dark Thaumaturgy is an entirely distinct Discipline that only Infernalists may learn. It employs its own Paths and Rituals. The Rituals Knowledge is still required for Dark Thaumaturgy, but there is no need for a "Dark Rituals" Knowledge.

Per the thirteen original Clans (or their "replacement" bloodlines), the following is a brief description of common paradigms and usage of Thaumaturgy. Players and Storytellers should be able to extrapolate from these thirteen Clans about lesser bloodlines' usage of Thaumaturgy.

Assamites: Assamite Thaumaturgy is fashioned off of the power of belief. Despite their Arabic origins, the Assamites do not worship Allah nor is their magic a power of faith in Islam and Allah. However, it is reminiscent of ancient Muslim mysticism -- although instead of praising Allah, they praise Caine. Meditation and hashish are put to good use for vision-quests and peeks into the Periphery. Common Paths: Movement of the Mind, Path of Conjuring, Path of Warding, Prey on the Soul's Fear, Thaumaturgical Alchemy

Brujah: Brujah rarely pursue Thaumaturgy at all. Only Idealist Brujah scholars are likely to stumble across sorcerous texts and put them to good use. Their blood magic tends to be a blend of Hellenism, Arabic, and Roman pagan-mysticism. Common Paths: Lure of Flames, Movement of the Mind, Path of Warding, Prey on the Soul's Fear, Weather Control

Followers of Set: The Setites in the Old World pursue a brand of blood magic based on ancient Egyptian alchemies and beliefs in sekhem and maat. Of course, the Typhonites are the first to admit that they strive to upset the balance of maat instead of reinforcing it. Other Setites like to delude themselves into believing they enforce maat by setting themselves at the "top of the food chain". In the New World, Setites often follow a very different style. Those that immigrated to the Caribbean especially tend to blend voodoo and all its myriad beliefs into their blood magic. Common Paths: Biothaumaturgical Experimentation, Corruption, Countermagic, Gift of Morpheus, Neptune's Might, Path of Conjuring, Path of Warding, Spirit Thaumaturgy, Thaumaturgical Alchemy, Weather Control

Gangrel: Like Brujah, the Gangrel scarcely practice Thaumaturgy. Only the Elders ever learn the Discipline. It's usually paganistic in belief; in the New World, some adapt Native American styles and beliefs into their blood magic. Common Paths: Elemental Mastery, Spirit Thaumaturgy, Weather Control

Giovanni *: Though they're content with Necromancy, some Giovanni learn Thaumaturgy. Their style tends to incorporate the trappings of Necromancy with Hermetic-like "high magic". Common Paths: Biothaumaturgical Experimentation, Corruption, Countermagic, Gift of Morpheus, Path of Conjuring, Path of Warding, Prey on the Soul's Fear

Lasombra: Lasombra do not often pursue Thaumaturgy -- they feel it pales in comparison to Obtenebration. However, those that do learn this Discipline often apply twisted trappings of pseudo-Christian occult to its practice. Common Paths: Corruption, Path of Conjuring, Path of Warding, Prey on the Soul's Fear, Weather Control

Malkavian: Malkavians that practice Thaumaturgy are a strange bunch indeed. Few can actually muster the self-control to focus their blood in this manner (without blowing themselves up at least). Those that manage to do so cling to whatever belief system their Derangements imply. Common Paths: (Depends on the vampire's particular Derangements!)

Nosferatu: Nosferatu practice Thaumaturgy in a method not unlike the Lasombra. However, they are more often genuinely penitent in act if not thought through their Neo-Christian paradigm than the arrogant Lasombra. Common Paths: Gift of Morpheus, Lure of Flames, Movement of the Mind, Neptune's Might, Path of Warding

Ravnos: Gypsy magic, "The Sight", and many other traditional forms, are all common to Ravnos brand Thaumaturgy. Of course, few of these tricksters practice this Discipline. Common Paths: Gift of Morpheus, Movement of the Mind, Path of Conjuring, Weather Control

Toreador: The Toreador channel Thaumaturgical mastery through symbols and icons of church and the occult alike. They appear to blend Hermetic-like "high magic" with their own avant-garde beliefs. Toreador Thaumaturges are not common, although a fair number of Elders do know some blood magic. Common Paths: Gift of Morpheus, Movement of the Mind, Path of Conjuring, Weather Control

Tremere: The Tremere's brand of Thaumaturgy, in which they specialize above all of these other Clans, is traditionally Hermetic in fashion. Fledglings are instructed in this paradigm and taught to never bend. Other magics can be assimilated but the Tremere is not to be assimilated in thought or style. Common Paths: All except Spirit Thaumaturgy

Tzimisce: The Tzimisce practice Thaumaturgy to compliment Vicissitude more often than most other Clans. Their version of Thaumaturgy is a vile mixture of ancient, bloody Pagan rites with a few elements of Christian demonology. They focus on the elements more than spiritual arts, believing that the god is found through the flesh. Common Paths: Biothaumaturgical Experimentation, Corruption, Countermagic, Elemental Mastery, Lure of Flames, Movement of the Mind, Neptune's Might, Path of Warding, Prey on the Soul's Fear, Way of the Levinbolt, Weather Control

Ventrue: Ventrue do not commonly practice Thaumaturgy, but some Elders find it pragmatic and essential. They actually eschew most occult standards, believing that blood magic is focused through sheer will. Symbols of rulership are favored in Ventrue rituals. Common Paths: Movement of the Mind, Path of Conjuring, Path of Warding

* Necromancy in 2nd edition and the CoLA Troupe is a simple single-path Discipline. Period.

Note that under no circumstances may a character with the Magic Resistance Merit learn Thaumaturgy.

Countermagic

This is a new Path of Thaumaturgy available to blood magicians at the same cost of experience points and freebie expenditure as any other Path. It is a more powerful Path, however, and rarer to find teachers or texts from which to learn. With this Path, vampires can counter the blood sorceries of other vampires and even the spells of other denizens of the World of Darkness. The system is fairly simple. The character spends a Blood Point and rolls Willpower (difficulty 8) to evoke the Path. Then he rolls his Countermagic Path as a dicepool (difficulty varies, see below). Each success counts as a level of countermagic that turn against one specific effect How effective that countermagic is depends on the nature of the hostile spell. But in general, it reduces the hostile spell's rolled value of successes by 1 or more. If it cancels out all of the hostile spell's successes, that spell fizzles out completely.

General rules include the following. Firstly, Countermagic only ever works against any supernatural disciplines cast directly upon the vampire. If a mage erodes a ceiling with Entropy to cause it to crumble on the vampire's head, Countermagic can do nothing against that spell. But if a mage tries to rot the vampire to rubble on the spot with Entropy, Countermagic can offer defense. Secondly, when using Countermagic, the vampire must concentrate all of his effort. He cannot split his dicepool, nor can he benefit from Celerity actions that turn. Thirdly, the vampire can evoke Countermagic only when he knows a hostile spell is coming his way. Countermagic is not reflexive. A fireball tossed his direction is pretty obvious. But not all spells are so obvious. To recognize invisible forces of magic at work, the vampire must roll Perception (difficulty 8 -- the use of Auspex's Heightened Senses drops this to difficulty 6) -- this roll is reflexive, like noticing an ambush with a Perception+Alertness roll. Each success clarifies the source. Then the vampire must act fast!

Against vampires, this counts only against Thaumaturgy. The core path of blood magic, Rituals, and Paths of Thaumaturgy can all be countered. Each success on the Countermagic roll (difficulty 6) detracts one success from that hostile effect.

Against all other denizens of the World of Darkness, the difficulty is equal to the spellcaster's Willpower score. The Cainite's Countermagic only offers one level of defense per two successes (the roll is rounded down). Thus, if the vampire has Countermagic 4 and wishes to counter out a direct Entropy Effect from a mage with Willpower 8, and the mage scores 4 successes on his Arete roll, the vampire can only hope to cancel out two of the mage's four successes even if he rolls 4 successes at difficulty 8 on his Countermagic roll. Better than no defense at all! Vampiric Countermagic was not really designed to oppose the forces of other supernaturals.

Uber-Powerz

One other note: Cauldron of Blood and Blood to Water (***** Neptune's Might) do not inflict automatic death in a mortal with one success. Firstly, this reflects on yet another grotesquely altered perspective of vampiric physiology. Namely, the "nothing in our bodies matters, you have to cut us to pieces to make a difference".

Bull. When a vampire is born, his skeletal and muscular systems grow denser. The vampire no longer needs to breathe so those organs are defunct. His digestive system largely shrivels up, but there are parts of those organs that still function, too! Ingested blood has to go somewhere, it doesn't just osmotically merge through the roof of the vampire's mouth or tongue and go from there. It goes down his throat into his stomach; from there it is transferred through the rest of the body. The vampire's nervous system is the one that alters the very least (or they'd have a hard time getting around without sensory perceptions of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and equilibrium, not to mention thinking!).

Finally, his circulatory system drastically alters but it does not become defunct. As a consequence, it is vulnerable to damage effects just like mortals, although the result won't be the same. Vampires won't 'bleed to death', but they can bleed out and enter torpor. When a vampire's Blood Pool is targeted through either of these Thaumaturgical powers, it doesn't target a specific blob of blood that permeates his undead flesh. It affects the victim's entire body's blood supply -- how much depends on how many successes are scored. With one success, a few meager blood cells are affected, but over the entire circulatory system. That includes the blood pumped into the brain upon awakening every sunset to stay awake and "alive". So if one success can kill a mortal, it can damn sure send a vampire instantly into torpor. Alternatively, it just does straight damage...which is heckuva lot less twinky and closer to the intended combat & damage rules of the game.

If I feel like enforcing Revised's rule on this in some supposed element of reality, I'll just stop using Health Levels and damage rolls altogether. "You got shot. You die." "But the dice say it only took 1 Health Level away." "Yes, and the impact overwhelms your pathetic mortal body. Your heart stops from shock." Take your pick. Semi-fantasy with damage dice and Health Levels, or pure reality, where people can and do die from being merely punched in the wrong part of the body.

Transformations

One other thing should be noted: transformations. Using Protean, Vicissitude, or a number of Shintai, vampires often experience a three-turn delay to wholly transform. In some cases, this can be sped up to one turn. In this case, just grant the -2 Initiative penalty. In the case that demands two, three, or more turns, assign a -2 Initiative penalty each turn. Each turn demands full attention to the transformation -- Celerity/Black Wind cannot be employed (even if the character is low enough Generation/high enough Dharma to spend more than 1 point a turn). The character can take actions besides the transformation but suffers a -3 dicepool penalty to all actions and may not split dicepools. He may abort the transformation at will. Consider this an Abort action (c.f., Combat 2nd edition).

The Kiss

The Kiss was primarily designed to allow the ease of feeding on unaware (or willing) mortals. Against the vampires’ (potential) enemies, the Kiss has a more a limited effect. Anyone who suffers a sustained bite from a Cainite vampire (sustained as in lasting more than one turn) will be effectively anesthetized by the “poison” carried in the undead’s fangs. Such a person cannot defend themselves at all, and can do nothing but lull in the bliss of the Kiss. (The victim loses all actions that turn and thereafter until the vampire ends the sustained bite.) The Kiss has no other effect (including on the memory, so a victim released may well attack the vampire, depending on the situation.)

However, any character who has split their dicepool for extra actions, or has extra actions due to certain magics, may take action before the Kiss takes effect (the paralytic effect kicks in at the end of the turn) -- such as taking some action to remove the vampire. An escape maneuver of some sort is an Abort task, but a counter-attack is not. For example, trying to squirm away can be Aborted to, but putting a shotgun to the biting vampire’s head is not an Abort action. Of course, if the character suspected he may get bitten that turn, he may have reserved his extra actions for a counter-attack. So it depends on the chain of events.

Any character with a Willpower score of 8+ can attempt to shrug off the effects of the Kiss entirely. This requires a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) and the expenditure of a point of Willpower. This roll and cost must be made every turn that the vampire sustains his bite. Supernaturals can resist in additional ways, too, depending on their nature.

Shapeshifters can shrug off the Kiss by making a successful Gnosis roll (difficulty 9) and expending a point of Rage. This must be done each turn the bite is sustained.
The Kiss has absolutely no effect on wraiths or the Risen (for obvious reasons). In the extremely rare case of a Nagaraja vampire wielding Nihilistics, the wraith has no recourse but Willpower, provided it is sufficiently high enough. However, the tricks and advantages of the Shadow are many, and it may be willing to help the wraith break free from such a deadly situation...for a price.
The fae may resist by making a successful Glamour roll (difficulty 9) and expending one point of Glamour. The same rules apply to the fae as they do shapeshifters.
Hsien, fearing the hunger of the Kuei-jin as it is, would be well-attuned to the danger any vampire would present. By expending one point of yugen and shifting to Wani (which costs another point of yugen, as usual), the hsien can “throw off” a biting Cainite. This requires a successful Strength+Shentao roll (difficulty 9). Some hsien may “skip” a phase and shift not only to Wani but assume the Mask of Shintai, effectively throwing the vampire off and properly terrifying it in the same action (naturally, the yugen cost would skyrocket in this event). Hsien can attempt this action each turn the bite is maintained, making the same rolls and paying the same costs.
Mummies have no special resistance rolls regarding the Kiss and are as vulnerable to it as mortals, although a biting vampire will find no nourishment from the blood of the Reborn. However, mummies can devise spells, amulets, and other methods of protection that may specifically ward against the devious power of the Kiss.
Mages are in the same boat as mummies. Fortunately, high Willpower is fairly common among the Awakened, so many mages will at least have that defense. Otherwise, mages must rely on magick to nullify, counter, or block the effects of the Kiss. Such an Effect typically involves Life, Mind, or Prime. Regardless of the method involved, the spell must meet a threshold of 3 successes. Naturally, this spell must be cast before the dread effect of the Kiss sets in.
Most hunters, psychics, and sorcerers have only Willpower to rely on. A few hedge mages may concoct special charms or wards to defend against the Kiss. Only the Shih have a definite defense against the Kiss, although this knowledge isn't included in most Shih training due to the rarity of Kin-jin in the East. Most discover this defense by accident. Through the use of the Qiao of the Chien, * Frozen River, the demon hunter can nullify the Kiss so long as he scores at least 3 successes on the activation roll. This defense will not stop the vampire from draining blood, but it at least may allow the Shih defend himself in an appropriately lethal manner to the leech locked onto his body!

All of these methods may supplicate the Willpower resistance roll (if appropriate), as a "second chance" to resist.

Clan Weaknesses

Like other games, such as Werewolf and Changeling, “class”-oriented weaknesses are typically given short names or phrases to coin the weakness. This isn’t for style or pizazz. It’s for easy recording reference on one’s character sheet. Vampire lacks those terms…until now! Some Clans have multiple weaknesses; each will be named individually. Players should be able to tell which term goes to which weakness by the names given. Any Storyteller preferences or house rules about Clan Weaknesses are also noted below. (Players needn’t look twice to realize the Storyteller is adamant about 2nd edition usage in the CoLA troupe!)

Ahrimanes: Spirit-Forged

Assamites: Blood Tithe; Blood Curse

Assamite antitribu: Blood Lust

Baali: Demon’s Bane
-- The Antifaith Merit found in the Baali Clanbook is ignored in this troupe. Baali don’t need a Merit like this to terrorize faithful mortals. That’s what their Clan Discipline of Presence is for. This Merit is pointless and thus overpowered.

Blood Brothers: Brotherly Empathy; Brotherly Love

Brujah: Rebel Cause

Brujah antitribu: Rebel Cause

Cappadocians: Visage of Death

Children of Osiris: N/A
-- This is a special sect, not a clan, though it is only the size of the smallest of Kindred bloodlines. Members suffer whatever Clan Weakness plagued them before joining this sect.

Daughters of Cacophony: Singing Blood

Followers of Set: Spawn of Darkness

Gangrel: Sign of the Beast

Gangrel antitribu: Signs of the Beast

Gargoyles: Features of Stone; Will of the Servant

Giovanni: Fangs of Death

Kiaysd: Faerie Bane

Laibon: Insatiable Beast

Lamia: Seed of Lilith
-- They do not exist in the modern World of Darkness setting.

Lasombra: Reflection of Shadows

Lasombra antitribu: Reflection of Shadows

Lhiannan: Curse of the Old Ways
-- They do not exist in the modern World of Darkness setting.

Malkavian: The Enlightened

Malkavian antitribu: The Really Enlightened

Nagaraja: Cannibal Appetite

Nosferatu: The Beast Without

Nosferatu antitribu: The Beast Without

Old Clan Tzimisce: Blood of the Earth

Panders: Curse of the Caitiff
-- All Caitiff suffer the same drawbacks. They’re considered complete outcasts from Kindred society. Even Panders suffer this to a degree. Also, they have no Clan Disciplines to call their own.

Ravnos: Gypsy's Game

Ravnos antitribu: Gypsy's Game

Salubri: The Shepherd’s Kiss; Tremere’s Lies
-- The dual-path of the Salubri, Warrior and Healer, does not exist in the modern World of Darkness. All Salubri seek out Golconda, whether through Humanity or Paths of Enlightenment (like the Path of Tears). Also, the propaganda that the Tremere incited keeps the Salubri in a completely outcast status except by the few ancients who remember the clan’s true nobility.

Samedi: Walking Corpse

Serpents of Light: Spawn of Darkness

Toreador: Eye of the Artist

Toreador antitribu: Heart of the Artist
-- The Toreador antitribu consider themselves the true artists, of course. They believe that beauty is in sensation, not talent alone. Consequently, they can be entranced by the sight of extreme emotion, especially suffering. On the other hand, they aren’t as readily captured by mere sights of great beauty.

Tremere: Order of Tremere
-- The Tremere Clan seems like a well-oiled machine, all things considered. No inherent Clan weaknesses deter the power of the Clan at whole, even if it’s at the sacrifice of the individual. But this lack of internal weakness is made up for in the fact that they remain one of the most despised bloodlines to ever walk the World of Darkness. They are only tolerated in the Camarilla. Many independent Clans would like to see their demise. The Inconnu are thought to despise the Warlocks. The original Order of Hermes has long debts to settle with these traitors; only the Ascension War keeps the powerful magi from uniting and crushing the Tremere. (In other words, the Order of Hermes can't be bothered. They have bigger fish to fry.) In short, the Tremere Clan walks on eggshells. The slightest misstep can destroy their machinations and membership alike.

Tremere antitribu: Curse of the Progenitor; Tremere Honor

True Brujah: Cold Heart

Tzimisce: Blood of the Earth

Ventrue: Good Taste

Ventrue antitribu: Good Taste