WoD Vampires Guide: Prt A

As I mentioned in My Requiem, the World of Darkness is a series of role playing games that can either be played solo, or conjoined into a single game. World of Darkness has gotten an entire overhaul with the games Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Mage: The Ascension have all been revamped into Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, and Mage: The Awakening.


For those who have not played these games, the vampires in my story may seem confusing to you, so I have comprised a very basic guide here that will explain the following in order: Myths and Facts, Traditions, Clans, Bloodlines

The next part of the guide will finish off the introduction by explaining the Covenants, and the various discipline powers.


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MYTHS AND FACTS: Vampires in the WoD setting are different from tales you might be familiar with. Here are some truths and false about them.


They are heartless, uncaring monsters: Myth and Fact. The transformation into a vampire doesn't simply change the victim's body, it changes their very soul itself. Their spirit is split into two entities. The Man, represents what is left of their humanity, and is made stronger by performing acts of charity and selflessness. The Beast represents their monstrous impulses and grows stronger as they give into their urges and desires. The Beast cares nothing for anyone but itself, and thinks purely on the most basic of impulses of feeding and survival. When the Beast takes over, the vampire goes completely feral until they can regain control. To avoid this fate, vampires try to keep in touch with their humanity when possible. They do not kill when they feed, they will usually kill only in the interest of self preservation, and will try not to attack anyone unprovoked. Humanity is measured in a level of 0 to 10. At stage 10, the vampire seems "more human than a human" but this is extremely rare. It is far more common that most vampires balance out at a humanity of 4 or 5. At 0 humanity, the vampire's former identity is completely gone, and the Beast takes over forever. At a humanity level of 0, the only way to help the vampire now is to slay them. Luckily, the lower their humanity level, the worse act is needed to drop it lower. Only the most depraved, sadistic, and monstrous of their kind have to worry about reaching 0 humanity.


Stake in the Heart Kills: Myth. A stake in the heart, in fact, only paralyzes the vampire, and only if it is made of wood. Any other sharp object piercing their heart is likely to just piss them off.


They are Immortal against Unsanctioned Weaponry: Myth, based on observation. Vampires can actually be killed in just about any way a mortal can, except suffocation, age, or disease, since they don't breathe, age, or get sick. However, the vampire body can regenerate nearly any damage within a period of 24 hours, so they heal very rapidly, and aside from their brains, they no longer have any vital organs. This makes killing them with normal weaponry very difficult, but excessive use of force can still bring them down. Blunt force damage, such as with punches, base ball bats, and low caliber bullets is the least effective and easiest to heal from. Slashing and cutting attacks are far more effective, and a decapitation will instantly slay them. Aggravated damage is identified as those caused by mystical forces such as fire, sunlight, and certain kinds of supernatural powers is the most dangerous to a Vampire and can take several nights to heal properly.


Aversion to Faith: Myth. Vampires are not repelled by objects of faith, such as the crucifix, holy water, or hallowed ground. If the were, the Lancea Sanctum could not function properly (explained in the covenants). This myth is likely founded by old supersitious mortals who believed god would aid them against the creatures of the night. A grim realization to find out he does not.


They can't cross running water: Myth, vampires are not harmed by rivers, showers, and so on. In fact, this myth was constructed on the belief that if a vampire was slain while making contact with running water, their soul would be sealed inside the water for eternity.


They Need to be Invited in: Myth. Sorry mortals, if they want you bad enough, they can kick down your door and drag you screaming into the night! One more reason to fear the setting of the sun.


They can produce Dhampir (half bloods) with mortals: Myth, vampires are incapable of sexual reproduction, either with themselves, or any other creature. Upon becoming a vampire, most of their bodily fluids transforms into Vitae, the mystical blood that empowers a vampire. This means, rather morbidly, that male vampires ejaculate blood, rather than semen, so they can't impregnate anyone. In addition, because vampires do not age, fertilized eggs would not mature into embryos or offspring, so females could not properly gestate children. Dhampir are just a fantasy.


UV Lamps kill them: Myth, for some unknown reason. While it is true that sunlight will kill a vampire rather quickly if they are exposed to it, it seems to be the sun itself that kills the vampire, not simply the kind of light it produces. This suggests that the sun may have some kind of supernatural connection to the vampire that science and technology can not explain. It also poses a theory that if the vampires were to leave our solar system for whatever the hell reason comes to mind, they would be able to walk on other worlds under the rays of a different sun.


Vampires can not be reflected, photographed, or recorded: Partial myth. When a mortal becomes a vampire, their reflection in a mirror or camera will initially appear as normal. However, over the next 3 nights, it begins to warp and blur until by the 3rd night's end, it is so distorted, that the vampire can not be recognized. The vampire may use an act of willpower to force their reflection back into focus, but this only lasts for a few moments before fading again. The vampire's speech is uneffected, and can be recorded with sound tapes and other devices.


Vampires can survive without human blood: Fact, under certain conditions. A vampire's power level as well as their hunger is measured by what is called a Blood Potency, ranging from level 1, to level 10. At blood potency of 1-2, the vampire may feed on the blood of animals to sustain themselves. However, from levels 3 and higher, animal blood no longer satisfies them, and they must feed on humans to sustain themselves. However, at a blood potency of 7 or higher, even human blood no longer satisfies their hunger, and they must feed on their fellow vampires! For every 50 years a vampire remains in Torpor, the hibernation sleep that comes with starvation or physical abuse, their blood potency drops by 1 level. When they find their hunger growing too difficult to control, most go into hibernation until it drops back to manageable levels.


Vampires are Romantic and close to one another: MYTH, holy shit, this is a myth! Vampires do not feel actual love for anyone besides themselves. They may feel lust, and they may pretend to love you if they find you entertaining, but make no mistake, a vampire will not hesitate to use you as a shield if trouble breaks out. Vampires are not the people they once were, its not just their body, their instincts, mind, and even their very soul undergoes a transformation. The strongest impulse of a vampire is self preservation, a vampire will always choose to save themselves above anything else. If they are hungry enough, they will attack anything with blood inside, be it enemy or friend. If they believe a threat to be too dangerous to challenge, they will leave their allies behind as they seek shelter until the situation blows over. If you are more powerful than them, they may agree to serve you only until such a time as they have an opportunity to usurp you. If they believe that you hold them back or have become a liability, they will cease any romantic involvement they might have with you, and possibly even kill you so you don't continue to be a problem or risk passing their secrets onto a rival. DO NOT make the mistake of trying to fall in love with a vampire in the WoD series, it will always, always, ALWAYS end with disaster.


Vampires can create Hybrid Lycans: Myth. Werewolves, also known as Lupines in the WoD setting, along with mortal mages have never been successfully embraced as vampires. For some reason, upon transforming into the undead, Werewolves and Mages are stripped of their former powers, becoming full vampires. However, due to the mystic power within a vampire's blood, mages have sought to cheat this curse by inventing new forms of magic, and there are several abilities that grant Vampires the power to shape shift into a variety of forms.

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TRADITIONS: There are many laws within vampire society, but the 3 traditions have held since the founding of their people. Considered to be iron clad laws, one of these traditions is broken quite often within certain conditions, but the other two laws are punishable by death if the offenders are found guilty. These are the 3 Traditions.

1 - Ensure the Masquerade: Not necessarily a vampire only law, all supernatural creatures find that it would be best if mortals did not learn of their existence. In the past, all mortals knew about the supernatural, and vampires ruled the night through fear and power. But one night, the mortals grew sick of living in fear and launched an uprising armed with little more than faith and primitive weapons. With their shear numbers, mortals drove vampires and many other creatures to the brink of extinction, only surviving when they went into hiding, and in the modern age, they are armed with cameras, satellite tracking devices, weapons of mass destruction, armor piercing fire arms, and much, much more. Ever since then, it has been forbidden for mortals to become aware of the existence of the supernatural. Any vampire caught exposing their true nature to a mortal without the intention to enthrall, embrace, or kill them is sentenced to death. It is also considered a civic duty to protect the Masquerade, if they witness or overhear a possible breach.

2 - Do not Embrace: This law is broken quite often, for the undead would surely have died out long ago if they were not making replacements This so called tradition is actually a means for elders to keep their power in check. Vampires are allowed to embrace so long as they have permission from the ruling vampire in the area, most commonly the one who holds the title of Prince, but a Baron can sometimes work. This helps to ensure that the leading vampire knows exactly who is embracing a new addition, and exactly who that new addition is. If a vampire is caught embracing a child without authorization, both the offending vampire, and their new protege are sentenced to death.

3 - Do not Commit Diablerie: This is considered by elders and the religious vampires to be the highest crime their people can commit. When a vampire drains a mortal to death, that's it, the mortal simply dies. But when a vampire drains a fellow vampire to death, they consume not only their vitae, but their very soul in the process. This act is called Diablerie, and it stains the vampire's spiritual aura for a number of years equal to the Blood Potency of the vampire they consumed. This duration stacks if they continue to perform Diablerie. For example, if a vampire performed Diablerie on a vampire with a blood potency of 5, their aura would be stained for 5 years. However, if they diablerized another vampire 3 years later with a blood potency of 6, their aura would be stained for 8 years. Subtracting 3 years from the previous vampire, and adding another 6 years for the new vampire. Upon devouring the vampire's soul, the murderer absorbs a portion of residual power from their victim, while the slain vampire's soul is destroyed utterly, denying them access to the afterlife. Elders are terrified that a younger vampire can cheat the system by skyrocketing their power by feeding on older and more powerful members to usurp the elders who spent centuries trying to cultivate their power. Religious vampires feel that only god should have the authority to punish the souls of others, and consider destroying the souls of the damned to be an act of rebellion against his divine judgement. While there are some covenants and groups who accept the practice, it is largely considered banned in all public forums, and anyone caught guilty of performing it is immediately considered an outcast and most likely earns themselves a death sentence by paranoid elders who believe they might be next on the menu.



Diablerie does have much greater risks than merely staining one's aura, however. There have been reported cases of a victim who possesses a strong enough will fighting back against the one trying to consume them. In some cases, the Diablerist has been driven to bouts of insanity both temporary and permanent. In some of the most extreme cases, there have been legends of a vampire's soul possessing the offending vampire, gaining control over their body. Such possessions can range anywhere from temporary, to permanent. In the case of a permanent possession, the would be diablerist is destroyed as their body is taken over by the slain vampire, allowing them to cheat death a second time.
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CLANS: In the old world of darkness, there were about 13 different clans, but in the revised edition, these have been scaled down to only 5, and most of which having their characteristics tweaked a bit. Each of the 5 clans embodies a different aspect of the vampire mythos, which we will explain now. Each of the 5 clans specializes in 3 Disciplines, explained further on in this guide. Each clan also has a signature discipline that is twice as difficult for those outside their clan to study and advance in.


Nosferatu: Originally my 3rd favorite clan in the old WoD, now they have become my most favorite clan in the revised version. Nicknamed Haunts, every member of the Nosferatu is warped by their embrace, making them disturbing to be around for any great lengths of time. It is a stereotype that all Nosferatu are physically deformed into hideous monsters, but this is not always the case. Those lucky enough to pass for mortals are warped in more subtle ways, such as repulsive social manners, giving off foul odors, and in some cases, radiating a palpable aura that alerts those around them that the person before them is not quite human. Never again able to blend in with mortal society, Nosferatu are forced to hide from their food, lurking in the sewers, crypts, abandoned buildings, and other places mortals fear to tread. Their signature discipline is known as Nightmare, granting them the power to contol fear itself.

Specialist Disciplines: Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor.


Gangrel: My second favorite clan from both old, and new WoD. Nicknamed Savages, the Gangrel are the closest in touch with their inner Beast that drives vampires to monstrous deeds. They commune with it and invoke it as a weapon against their foes. Loners by nature, the Gangrel generally avoid civilized areas unless they have important business to attend to. Unfortunately, over time, the Gangrel become more and more bestial in personality. In time, they may take on the mannerisms of a tribal hunter, rather than a civilized man, and in some of the most extreme cases, they may even develop animalistic features. The signature discipline of the Gangrel is Protean, granting them shape shifting capabilities.

Specialist Disciplines: Protean, Animalism, Resilience.


Mekhet: All vampires fear the sun and flame, but the Mekhet are more closely tied to the shadows than any other clan. Nicknamed Shadows, the Mekhet favor grace and finese and often prefer to operate from the sidelines, guiding the world like shadowy puppet masters. They emerge into the open only when they must, before fading back again when the deed is done. Whatever skills or role a Mekhet serves, they refine until it becomes second nature to them. A Mekhet scholar may have memorized a trove of knowledge so vast, they seem more like an oracle, while a Mekhet warrior or body guard may be trained in an ornate and complex fighting style, as opposed to being a muscled brute with a gun or bat. Sadly, the Mekhet are mote photosensitive than other vampires, and suffer extra damage from sunlight and fire. Their signature discipline is Auspex, granting them super human perception.

Specialist Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate.


Daeva: These are the modern day concept of vampires. Nicknamed Succubi, or sometimes Incubi for males, the Daeva are hedonistic vampires who give into their passions and vices, such as lust. In fact, it is twice as difficult for a Daeva to resist indulging in their particular vice when the opportunity presents itself, and even if they succeed, they can be left mentally drained for several nights while they try to recover their willpower. More than any other clan, the Daeva blend in with humanity and hardly ever need to actually hunt, for their prey is drawn to them, entranced by their beauty and charms. The signature discipline of the Daeva is Majesty, bestowing them with supernatural charisma, and the ability to influence the emotions of others.

Specialist Disciplines: Majesty, Celerity, Vigor.


Ventrue: The upper echelons of vampire society, Ventrue only sire from the elite members of society. Nicknamed Lords, the Ventrue are almost always at the highest ranking positions within the political world and are often distrusted, hated, or envied because of this fact. Unfortunately, power corrupts and the Ventrue are vulnerable to suffering mental derangements as greed or paranoia eats away at their minds over their unending life spans. Of course, the Ventrue closely guard this weakness, in case the "lowborn" clans lose their faith in the Ventrue's ability to lead them. Their signature discipline is Dominate, granting them hypnotic abilities to suppress the minds of other beings, and enforce the Ventrue's will upon them.

Specialist Disciplines: Dominate, Animalism, Resilience.


Ghouls: Not a true clan, and not truly vampires, although they are vampiric in nature. A Ghoul is a mortal, usually a human, who feeds on the blood of a vampire to gain supernatural power, usually in exchange for continued servitude, though there are rogue Ghouls who attack vampires and feed on them by force. To create a Ghoul, a vampire must feed a mortal their blood, and either the vampire, or the mortal must use an act of willpower to pass on some of the supernatural powers in the vampiric blood. Most Ghouls are unaware they can use their own willpower, and so are left begging for their master's assistance. Their supernatural powers will last for a month with each feeding, and they will inherit the following abilities of being able to heal much faster than normal, temporarily stop aging, and they will initially acquire one of the three disciplines of Vigor, Resilience, or Celerity, depending on what their master possesses. If a Ghoul goes longer than a month without fresh vampire blood, they will begin to revert back to powerless mortals, but its not quite that easy. For every year a Ghoul has remained so, they will age one year each day they go above their monthly quota until the reach their appropriate age. For older Ghouls, they will likely wither and die within a matter of weeks, but younger Ghouls may have a chance to escape with their lives. Very talented Ghouls may also begin to study and learn other disciplines from the vampiric arsenal, and after and extended period of being Ghouls, they may start to develop minor traits from their master's clan or bloodline. Ghouls are usually stronger than their mortal counterparts, and they can survive freely in daylight, making them suited for body guards and performing jobs too risky for the vampire to put their own lives in danger. Their addiction to their master's blood and the fact it requires an exertion of willpower with each resupply, however, makes having more than a small number of Ghouls rather complicated. Many Ghouls have aspirations of becoming full vampires by proving themselves worthy. Most, however, end up being little more than cannon fodder for their master's security forces.

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BLOODLINES: Although there are 5 parent clans, there are dozens, maybe even hundreds of sub-clans known as Bloodlines. A Bloodline can be created when a vampire of blood potency level 6 or higher uses an act of willpower to force their blood to mutate. The second way is if the vampire is forcefully mutated through magical curses or spells. Bloodlines share many of the characteristics of their parent clan, but also inherit traits from their founder. Unlike the 5 clans, Bloodlines specialize in 4 Disciplines, not 3, many of which have invented their own, unique disciplines while some others swap out their parent clan's favorites for new ones. When a vampire is originally created, they are always a basic member of their clan, but they can join any bloodline belonging to their clan. It is usually the easiest to join the same bloodline as your sire, if applicable.

To join a bloodline, a vampire with a blood potency of at least 2 must find a member of the bloodline to donate some of their blood. The donating vampire uses an act of willpower to pass on the mutation into the receiving vampire, who must then use an act of willpower to allow the mutation to occur. If both vampires complete this ritual, the recieving vampire becomes a member of the bloodline. A vampire may only join one bloodline at a time, and once done so, the change is permanent, even if they drop below the needed blood potency, so careful consideration should be taken before joining.

Most bloodlines are exclusive to a single clan, however, there are rare cases of multiple clans working together to create a joint bloodline. The separate clans might be considered close cousins or siblings to their shared clan.


Brujah - Originally a clan of hot tempered, passionate idealists in the old WoD, they have since been revised as a Gangrel bloodline of bikers and criminals. Brujah have a hand in nearly any form of crime, from drug running, gun trafficking, smuggling immigrants, prostitution, assassinations, and more. Every potential recruit must own a bike if they wish to join. Unfortunately, the Brujah lack impulse control and prefer to feast, rather than diet. It is harder for them to resist a hunger frenzy than normal. Brujah have adopted Vigor as their 4th specialty.

Specialist Disciplines: Protean, Animalism, Reslilience, Vigor.


Sangiovanni: Originally going by the name of Giovanni in the old World of Darkness, they are renamed and now part of the Mekhet. A mafia style bloodline that has an unhealthy obsession with corpses, bordering on the lines of sexual attraction. With their signature discipline of Cattiveria, they can use necromancy to reanimate undead servants. The Sangiovanni embraces exclusively from their own mortal family tree, and perform incest with distant relatives to ensure their heritage doesn't fade out. Every so often, they commence a gathering to judge the best members of their organization, and the one who performs the best is granted the embrace.

Specialist Disciplines: Auspex, Cattiveria, Celerity, Obfuscate


Kallisti: A scorned Daeva bloodline who take great pleasure in the act of betrayal and destroying alliances. Every member of this bloodline is afflicted with narcissism at a humanity level of 6 or higher, but it upgrades into megalomania at humanity of 5 or lower. Their love for betrayal makes it impossible for this bloodline to form blood bond servants. With their signature discipline of Perfidy, they can force their victims to betray their allies in a variety of ways, making them extremely dangerous enemies.

Specialist Disciplines: Celerity, Dominate, Majesty, Perfidy



Noctuku: Originally one of the 13 clans who were the cousins and prophecized assassins to the Nosferatu, they now serve as a bloodline of that very clan. The Noctuku are cannibalistic and must feed on the flesh of their victims as well as their blood. They have invented the discipline of Phagia which enables them to better satiate their immense hunger, such as tearing chunks out of a victim with a bite, transmuting any flesh consumed into vitae instead of vomiting it back up like a normal vampire, as well as having access to several other grotesque abilities. They prefer to feed upon other vampires, instead of mortals, and have become something of an urban legend among vampire society.

Specialist Disciplines: Nightmare, Phagia, Vigor, Obfuscate


Assamites: Originally a clan of middle eastern vampires with a history of assassination, the Assamites are now a Mekhet bloodline who practice Diablerie as a means of becoming closer to The One. Assamites have invented the discipline known as Quietus, which allows them to perform extremely deadly abilities, at the cost of permanently condeming the bloodline with various "Side effects" to using its power. Despite the fact they are known Diablerists, their training and signature power make them extremely dangerous, keeping the bloodline from being hunted to extinction.

Specialist Disciplines: Auspex, Quietus, Celerity, Obfuscate


Toreador: Originally one of the 13 clans, now turned into a Daeva bloodline. The Toreador are artists and visionaries, and their name comes from their noble ancestry, and their love of the fine arts. Although they are suave, charismatic, and alluring, they hold themselves with a sense of refinement, compared to their debauched clan ancestors. Every member of the Toreador is addicted to a particular form of art or even an artist in general. Such addiction can be either admiration, or loathing, and upon coming across the art of their fascination, they will drop nearly everything and devote their full attention to it, criticizing it to all within ear shot. Only an act of willpower, or suffering harm can pry their attention away from the art, which makes this addiction dangerous, as well as taxing on the mind. Their refined sensibility has allowed the Toreador to specialize in Dominate. Having the power of both Majesty and Dominate at their command, very few are able to resist a Toreador's methods of persuasion.

Specialist Disciplines: Majesty, Dominate, Celerity, Vigor.


Malkavians: Originally my most favorite clan from the old WoD, they have now become an unofficial bloodline. Malkavians are afflicted by a condition that can technically infect all vampires of any clan, but due to how vulnerable the Ventrue mind is, it is most associated with their clan, and can be considered a Ventrue Bloodline by some players. Every member of the Malkavians is afflicted with an incurable mental derangement that is theirs for the rest of eternity. Exactly what this derangement is can vary according to the individual. Malkavians also possess the unique discipline known as Dementation, which allows them to supernaturally control insanity, shattering the minds of their victims and reducing them to lunatics and catatonics. As they are not a true bloodline, it is not known how the transformation into Malkavian is caused, or where they and their frightening power originated from. However, their madness provides a hidden strength that both disturbs and intrigues those who are aware of their existence. The warped mind of the Malkavian gives them an impecable insight into the world, seeing and comprehending messages and signs that go unnoticed by the "sane" minded. Often at times, a Malkavian can hold a conversation with someone for only a few minutes before analyzing their personality, backgrounds, and thoughts like Hannibal Lecter. Those who are aware of the Malkavians existence know that their ramblings can hold a vast trove of hidden wisdom, but their insanity makes them incredibly dangerous, and few have the mind set needed to decrypt their riddles and babbled tongues.

Specialist Disciplines: Dominate, Dementation, Animalism, Resilience.