From the Beginning: Character Creation

Even the mightiest and most populous sect is composed, in the end, of individual Kindred. Each of those Kindred has hopes, dreams, fears and hidden horrors. Each of those Kindred is unique, a single thread in a long and bloody tapestry. But these individuals don't spring fully formed into existence. They must be created.

That's where this chapter comes in. It's a guide to creating characters who are by, for or of the Camarilla. The assumption is made, wrongly, that characters simply default to Camarilla allegiance. This is not true. If a vampire is going to be part of the Camarilla, he's part of it for a reason. That reason may be as simple as sheer inertia, but it's there nonetheless. So when you create a Camarilla character, you have to think about why exactly he belongs to the sect.

What you'll find in here is a step-by-step guide to creating a Camarilla vampire (not just a vampire), plus new Traits, Archetypes and other methods of making him a unique individual. Nothing in here is mandatory � you can get along just fine with the character creation chapter in Vampire: The Masquerade � but to create a vampire who has a deeper connection to the sect, look here.

Step One: Character Concept

The concept is the wellspring from which the whole of the character arises. Without a good idea as to who and what your character is, all the rest � dots and Disciplines randomly strewn on the page � don't hang together. And if the character doesn't hang together, then stories built around that character won't hang together, and the whole thing comes crashing down.

A character concept doesn't need to be incredibly detailed � if you have your vampire's existence from birth to the present down cold and regimented into five minute intervals, something's wrong � but it should be a basic, strong idea that gets you excited about being this person for a while.

It goes without saying that your character concept should be intrinsically tied to the Camarilla somehow. The relationship doesn't have to be lovey-dovey � "anarch trying to take down the prince" is a perfectly valid concept � but it does need to connect somehow.

Clan

Your choice of clan is one of the most important decisions you make in creating a character. Your vampire's clan dictates her Disciplines, weaknesses and, to a large portion, the way other characters look at her. With that in mind, the choice of clan should never be made lightly. You can't swap clans the way you can swap jobs, after all. If you don't like being a Brujah, it's not like you can start stockpiling experience to learn how to be a Gangrel.

Your basic choices for clan are the six or seven clans (depending on how one classifies the Gangrel) affiliated with the Camarilla. Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere and Ventrue are the basic options, and among them they offer a wide range of character possibilities. As well over 95 percent of the vampires in the Camarilla come from these clans, you should look to them first to see if any of them allow you to express your character concept fully.

Playing an Oddball

While the six (or seven) core clans make up most of the Camarilla, there are a few other possibilities (as detailed in the clans chapter) available for play. Before a Storyteller allows a player to pick up a Gargoyle, a Camarilla Ravnos or one of the other, even less common bloodlines, she should sit down with the player requesting the unusual character type and make sure that there is a solid story reason for including such an offbeat Kindred in the story. There might be plenty of perfectly valid reasons for having a single Lasombra antitribu in a city, but having too many unusual character types in one place at one time stretches credibility. The integrity of the story has to come first.

In addition to the basic clans, Caitiff characters are also an option. If you're unsure about the concept you have, or aren't quite sold on any of the particular clans, a Caitiff makes perfect sense. Such characters allow for more improvisation of both Disciplines and character concepts � the journey of self-discovery is a lot more literal for Caitiff than for vampires inducted into a solid clan framework � and also provide a roleplaying challenge, as there isn't a stereotypical Caitiff image available to work from. Playing a Caitiff does have certain social consequences in-game, but for an introductory a character, or for a character whose concept isn't quite clear, a Caitiff can be an excellent choice.

Nature and Demeanor (Archetypes)

A character's Nature and Demeanor are the basic personality types that define her. Nature is the character's true self, the basis for all the details of her personality. Her Demeanor is the face that she shows to the world, the mask she puts on for night-to-night encounters. A character's Nature and Demeanor can be the same, but often a vampire's Demeanor disguises, ever so subtly, what her true Nature is.

Certain Archetype choices are, unsurprisingly, more suitable for Camarilla characters than others. The rules of Camarilla society, need to maintain the Masquerade and other constrictions of Kindred existence make a Monster Demeanor less likely than a Conformist one. A Camarilla vampire can still easily have a Monster Nature, but odds are that he hides his true self well, the better to avoid suspicion. You should think about how well your character's Nature and Demeanor allow her to work within both her coterie and the Camarilla as a whole; acting according to your Nature is all very well and good, but if doing so gets your character killed in the first five minutes of gameplay, that Nature doesn't serve the purpose of helping to create a solid character. After all, you're investing time and energy in creating your Kindred; building in something that will get her wiped out immediately and waste that investment simply doesn't make sense.

A full list of Archetypes can be found on page 104 of Vampire: The Masquerade. Additional ones can be found on pp. 66 of this book.

Step Two: Select Attributes

Attributes define your character's basic capabilities. Divided into Physical, Social and Mental categories, they serve to define your vampire's baseline. All Camarilla vampires start with one dot in each of their Attributes (except Nosferatu and Camarilla-affiliated Samedi, who automatically have a zero rating in Appearance).

When you hand out your vampire's Attributes, the first thing to do is to prioritize the three categories they come in. You then get seven dots to put in your primary Attribute group, five for the secondary, and three for the tertiary in addition to the dots already present. The Camarilla encompasses a wide variety of "types," from Brujah bruisers to Malkavians Embraced as children, so there's no "right" or "Camarilla" way to set up your character's Attributes. Simply try to keep your final arrangement in line with your original concept, and remember that you can come back later and adjust things with freebie points.

Step Three: Select Abilities

The next step in the character creation involves assigning your character's Ability Traits. Abilities range from the basic � like Drive and Brawl � to the more esoteric, which are discussed on page 67. The way in which you distribute the points for your character's Traits determines what she can or can't do very well, and helps to realize the concept you came up with in Step One. That means that the way you allocate your character's points should line up with the way you envision your character � fragile artiste Toreador probably shouldn't wind up with a rating of Brawl 5, while you might not be able to justify Harley-riding Gangrel anarchs with four dots each in Etiquette and Occult.

Hit with the Ugly Stick

Nosferatu and Samedi cannot ever increase their Appearance rating. It's stuck at zero permanently. Most members of these two groups use Obfuscate (particularly Mask of a Thousand Faces) to sidestep that handicap in social situations, but even that workaround has its limitations. The "face" created with Mask of a Thousand Faces defaults to an Appearance rating of 2. Even attempts to look like specific, devastatingly attractive people end up missing a certain sine qua non, and falling somehow flat. To use Mask of a Thousand Faces to improve a character's Appearance requires spending two points of blood for each dot's worth of improvement in the mask's looks.

Creating a mask with an Appearance rating of 1 incurs no additional cost.

Ideally, you should think about who your character is first, then allocate dots to help construct her to match that concept. Filling in the circles on the character sheet, and then scrambling to find a way to make the resultant connect-the-dots puzzle make sense for the character can lead to all sorts of problems.

No vampire can have more than three dots in any given Ability to start with (though this can be adjusted later with freebie points), and the base rating for all Abilities is zero. The Talents, Skills and Knowledges that make up Abilities are learned and studied, not innate; if you don't have one, you don't have it.

Secondary Abilities

Included in this book (and its counterpart, the Guide to the Sabbat) are what are known as Secondary Abilities. While the Skills, Talents and Knowledges in Vampire: The Masquerade are the essential ones for gameplay, there are a multitude of other Abilities, from archery to zymurgy, out there that will inevitably be vital to someone's character history and concept. Some of them are refinements of other, broader Abilities (Sense Deception's function is included in Empathy, for example; the former is simply a refinement). Others are narrow enough specialties that they're not likely to be universal in application. Either way, these Secondary Abilities are less pertinent than the basic Abilities in the main rulebook; that's why they're called "Secondary."

Storytellers have three options when it comes to Secondary Abilities. One, they can simply ban them from the game. Doing so restricts character flexibility, but does simplify things.

The second possibility is to reduce the difficulty on all Secondary Ability rolls. A character who's good with Sense Deception should have a better chance to sniff out bullshit than one who's merely a generally empathic guy, after all. In such instances, the difficulty of all rolls based off Secondary Abilities should be a -2 difficulty as compared to what the roll would have been using a Basic Ability.

The final option is to make Secondary Abilities available at a lower cost than normal Abilities. Every point spent on a Secondary Ability during the third step of character creation nets two dots instead of just one. Secondary Abilities bought with freebie points cost only one point per dot, and raising a Secondary Ability with experience costs only the Trait's current rating.

Storytellers should feel free to use any and all, or none, of these approaches. It's your game, after all.

A list of Secondary Abilities available to Camarilla vampires appears in the Vampire Companion on page 15. Additional Secondary Abilities can be found in this book, starting on page 67.

Step Four: Select Advantages

Advantages are what, as much as clan, define a vampire as being such. The term "Advantages" covers Disciplines, Backgrounds and Virtues, and by defining these you finish establishing your character's basics. Advantages are not broken down into categories to be prioritized. You simply get a certain number of dots for each type of Advantage, to spend as you will.

Out-of-Clan Disciplines

There is a temptation, once one reaches the freebie points stage in character creation, to mortgage the figurative farm in order to purchase as many out-of-clan Disciplines as possible. Storytellers should be very careful in allowing characters to purchase out-of-clan Disciplines, though, as a preponderance of Disciplines bundled up in one character can unbalance a coterie very quickly. A chronicle wherein one character starts with six dots in six different Disciplines and another only has three can get lopsided very quickly. If a player wants to give his character additional Disciplines, he should be prepared to answer a few questions, like:

Are they really necessary to his character concept, and why does he want them? ("So I can kill more stuff" is the sort of answer that should give most Storytellers pause.)
Who taught the character? Out-of-clan Disciplines are not instinctive. The character would have had to pick them up somewhere and from someone; such outr� powers do need a solid justification in the character's backstory.

Furthermore, there are certain Disciplines (Chimerstry, Melpominee, Mytherceria, Necromancy, Obeah, Obtenebration, Quietus, Serpentis, Thanatopsis, Visceratika, Vicissitude) that should not be available to Camarilla vampires unless their clan origin specifically mandates such. The independent and Sabbat bloodlines are very jealous of their secrets, and aren't about to share them with Camarilla upstarts.

Disciplines

A Camarilla vampire receives three dots' worth of Disciplines initially, though this, too, can be modified with freebie points. Each clan has so-called "clan" Disciplines, vampiric powers that are innate to the bloodline and which can be learned instinctively by even the newest to the Blood. Other Disciplines, those not reflexive to a given clan, can be picked up later in the character creation process (see below), but at this point, the character is restricted to the powers directly linked to her clan. Each clan has three Disciplines in which it specializes, which provide a broad range of supernatural abilities in the physical, mental and social arenas.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are character history manifested in Trait form. Each character gets five dots' worth of Backgrounds, which can be used in any combination you desire. You can stack up all five dots in one Background, or get one level each of five distinct ones. Your Storyteller can, as always, disallow certain Backgrounds, or keep characters below a pre-set ceiling.

Camarilla vampires generally have a deep and broad investment in their Backgrounds, often using freebie points to add to their ratings. Because of the forced socialization the sect mandates, it's entirely sensible for a Kindred to have Contacts and Allies. The sect's interaction makes a perfectly reasonable justification for Herd, Fame, Resources and Influence, not to mention Retainers. A Mentor also makes for a useful Storyteller character, while Status can be given or taken away by the harpies in the space of a heartbeat.

Virtues

While Camarilla vampires aren't "good guys" in the classic sense of the term, they do cling to a moral center as represented by their three Virtues. Conscience is the character's sense of right and wrong. Self-Control is the measure of how tightly the character controls her Beast and governs her own actions. Courage is self-explanatory, a rating of how well the character controls her fear and stands up to threats � anything from fire to Lupines to a hunter with a stake. These virtues are constants for all Camarilla vampires; even refugees from the Sabbat acquire these Traits.

All vampires begin with one free dot in each Virtue, then seven more to distribute among the three. Virtues are very important to Camarilla vampires. A vampire with a low Self-Control rating is liable to lose control frequently, frenzy and threaten the Masquerade. If he does it too often, he'll be put down. A vampire with a low Conscience rating is liable to indulge in acts that may well encourage other Kindred to avoid her company, leaving her all alone when the hunters come calling. And a Kindred with a low Courage rating isn't going to be much use in a life-or-death situation � which the Kindred face every night.

Generation

It can be tempting to put all of your Background points into Generation. That way you get a bigger blood pool and can spend more blood per round, with no drawbacks, right?

That's not necessarily the case. A vampire with all its Backgrounds in Generation has no money, no one to turn to in a crisis, no protector, no feeding reserves and often not much else. That's what having no Allies, no Contacts, no Resources, no Mentor, no Herd and no other Backgrounds means. Players should not automatically assume that they default to comfortable status; without spending the points for a Background, they don't have what the Background mandates.

Step Five: Last Touches

At this point, you're almost finished with the basics of character creation. All that remains is some bookkeeping and the distribution of freebie points. Remember, though, that finishing with the dots doesn't mean that you've finished creating a character. It just means that you've finished with a character sheet.

Humanity

Humanity is the rating of how close a Kindred is to his human side � and how far he is from his Beast. A vampire with a low Humanity rating is too close to his animalistic side for comfort, and is that much nearer to sliding into the abyss permanently. A vampire's Humanity score is the sum of his Conscience + Self-Control ratings, and it can go as high as 10. Humanity is vitally important to Camarilla vampires, especially younger ones. It is through maintaining touch with one's Humanity that one keeps the Beast at bay, and making oneself presentable in polite company.

At its most basic level, Humanity is what separates the Camarilla from the Sabbat. Characters with low Humanity scores are liable to be suspect in Camarilla circles. After all, the drive to keep in touch with one's Humanity is one of the core philosophical stances of the Camarilla, and those who deviate from it or ignore that quest are, in essence, disregarding what the entire sect is about.

Willpower

Your character's Willpower score is equal to her Courage rating. As Willpower has a multitude of uses, from resisting Mental Disciplines to granting automatic successes on rolls, it is recommended that you devote freebie points to increasing your character's Willpower.

Blood Pool

Roll a 10-sided die. The result is your character's starting blood pool. It is assumed that any blood in your character's system at the beginning of gameplay is human, unless you and your Storyteller make arrangements otherwise.

Freebie Points

Freebie points are the 15 additional points you can spend on whatever Traits you like. In addition, you can also buy Merits and Flaws (see page 295 of Vampire: The Masquerade, and page 72 of this book for more information on Merits and Flaws) to tweak your character to get it in line with your original conception.

Spark of Life

At this point, you should have a fully filled-out character sheet � not a fully fleshed-out character. You now need to think about your character's story � who she is, where she came from, why she was made into a vampire and what she's doing with her unlife � before you're ready to play. You need to think about who she knows. If she has Allies, who are they? Other vampires who like her style or her aims? Mortals whom she's kept up an acquaintance with? As for her Abilities, you need to think about why she has that particular skill set. What incident in her past caused her to pick up three dots in Firearms? Why is she good with Dodge, but not particularly skilled at Brawl? Unless you have a reason for handing out each and every dot on the character sheet, those dots remain simply circles. By building a backstory that explains why your character has the Abilities, Backgrounds and whatnot that she does, you make her a real, viable character. If you don't, you just have a collection of dots.

The Prelude

Vampires are made, not born. Each and every Kindred was the result of some other vampire's conscious decision to Embrace a mortal and bring her into the unliving fold. There's a story behind each Embrace, a story called a prelude.

Technically speaking, the prelude is the sequence of events leading up to a character's Embrace. It is recommended that, under normal circumstances, you roleplay out your character's prelude, if for no other reason than to grant some perspective on who she is and where she came from. Roleplaying out the prelude also allows you to establish the relationship between your character and her sire, to firm up the details of her Embrace (was it violent? expected? accidental?) and to define her entry into the world of the Kindred. All of these are pivotal matters for a young vampire. By going through your character's prelude, you work out all of these important details, which gives both you and your Storyteller a better grasp of your character. You'll be able to portray her more realistically, and your Storyteller has more facts on which to hang plot hooks derived from her Embrace.

The circumstances of a Camarilla vampire's Embrace are slightly different from those of other Kindred. Remember, each Camarilla vampire is the result (in theory, at least), of someone's being granted permission to Embrace. That means that there's a vampiric backstory to each character, as well as the mortal's own history. Either you or your Storyteller, depending on circumstance, should know how exactly your character's sire got permission to create her. The Camarilla politics leading to the Embrace can make for fascinating stories, particularly if someone wasn't thrilled with the way the boon of creation was handled. By the same token, the question of why exactly the character was selected for the Embrace needs to be faced. What drew her sire to her? Was she Embraced to fill a particular need in the city's hierarchy, or to spite another Camarilla vampire? Perhaps the Embrace was an accident, or a hasty decision � what will the consequences be for both neonate and sire? The Embrace is a complicated matter for both sire and childe when Camarilla politics get involved, and those politics always do manage to get involved somehow.

Coterie

Odds are that your character is not going to be working alone. Instead, he'll most likely be part of a coterie, a circle of vampires bound by common interest, common enemies or just plain circumstance. It makes sense before you start play, however, to think about how your coterie fits together and how it fits into the local Camarilla.

Establishing common ground for your coterie is essential. If there's no good reason for your gang to stick together, it won't. That means fragmented storylines, stress for the Storyteller and lots of time spent sitting around as individual plotlines are run. It makes sense, then, to lay the groundwork for a coterie that works together, at least initially. Some good methods of keeping a group of young vampires together include princely fiat, a shared sire, a common enemy (either within or outside the Camarilla) or a mutual interest like music, the arts or travel. The form the coterie takes can be derived from the group's common bond. Vampires who share an interest in music, for example, might form a band, while a princely command to clean up the city might turn the coterie into a posse comitatus, complete with a shared look and standardized equipment.

It's also worth figuring out where exactly the coterie fits into the local Camarilla scene. Was the coterie's formation sanctioned by the prince, or the characters' sires? If not, what form will the disapproval of these older Kindred take? Any group of Kindred is a potential power base, and any coterie will have all sorts of other vampires looking at it as a result. With the others see the group as a threat, and if so, what measures will they take? Is there an elder (or two) who wants to use the coterie for his own ends, and what will he do to ensure their cooperation? What is the coterie's ultimate ambition, and does anyone know about it? If the group intends to become the primogen council eventually, the present holders of that office might decide to nip the threat in the bud. By establishing where your coterie belongs in the local Camarilla � if it belongs at all � you set the stage for the types of story to follow.

Faster, Neonate! Kill! Kill!

Occasionally there are coterie combinations that just don't work. Often such oil-and-water arrangements are the product of two characters in particular who simply don't belong together, with neither character's player willing to surrender his creation for the good of the group. Such conflicts can tear a group apart, and wreck a chronicle in the process.

Most situations of this type can be prevented with a little common sense. A good Storyteller keeps an eye on the sorts of characters his players are creating, and if he sees a potential incompatibility brewing, he should step in. Ideally, any players involved in creating a potential problem will be amenable to tweaking their character concepts before investing too much time or energy. Storytellers should take care to avoid the appearance of favoritism when suggesting changes in character concepts, otherwise they run the risk of having resentful players.

If the problem develops after gameplay starts, the best solution is to retire both of the problematic characters and have the players create new Kindred under Storyteller supervision.

Archetypes

Archetypes are basic personality types, frameworks on which to hang the details of a character. While a great many Archetypes are listed in Vampire: The Masquerade (p. 112), there are some personality types that are endemic to the Camarilla. A few of those are listed below, for use during the "Nature and Demeanor" section of character creation.

The Idealist believes � truly, madly, deeply � in some higher goal or morality. The object of his idealism may be something as pragmatic as the Camarilla's eventual triumph or as amorphous as the ultimate good, but the belief is there. Idealists are frequently either very new to the Blood or very old, and many seek after Golconda as the final expression of their idealism. In the meantime, an Idealist tries to reconcile his beliefs with the demands of vampiric existence, often acting contrary to self-interest to do so.

� Regain a point of Willpower any time an action in pursuit of your ideals furthers your goals and brings your ideal closer to fruition.

The Soldier is not a blindly loyal follower. While she exists for orders, she does not adhere to them unquestioningly. More independent than a Conformist but too tied into the idea of command to be a Loner, the Soldier applies her own techniques to others' goals. While she may seek command herself someday, her ambitions lie within the established hierarchy and structure. The Soldier has no compunctions about using whatever means necessary to do what needs to be done, so long as the orders to do so came from the right place.

� Regain a point of Willpower when you achieve your orders' objectives. The more difficult the orders are to fulfill, the better it feels to accomplish them. At Storyteller discretion, pulling off a spectacular success or fulfilling a lengthy mission may well be worth additional Willpower points.

The Dabbler is interested in everything but focuses on nothing. He flits from idea to idea, passion to passion and project to project without actually finishing anything. Others may get swept up in the Dabbler's enthusiasm, and be left high and dry as a result when he moves on to something else without warning. Most Dabblers have high Intelligence, Charisma and Manipulation ratings, but not much in the way of Wits or Stamina. Toreador are often Dabblers, particularly those afflicted with the derisive sobriquet "Poseurs."

� Regain Willpower whenever you find a new enthusiasm and drop your old one completely.

To a Scientist, existence is a puzzle which she can help to reassemble. A Scientist logically and methodically examines her every situation and maneuver, looking for logical outcomes and patterns. This is not to say that the Scientist is always looking for a scientific or rational explanation, but rather, that she examines her surroundings rigorously and with a critical eye. The system a Scientist attempts to impose on the world may be completely ludicrous, but it is a system, and she sticks by it. Scientists have high Mental Attributes, and often hold low-ranking positions in Camarilla city governments.

� Regain Willpower any time a logical, systematic approach to a problem helps you solve it, or information gathered logically is of use in another, similar situation.

Secondary Abilities

Talents

"I'm not sure he's worth it." Adele's face contracted into a sour mask as she pondered the brooding young man at the end of the bar. "I mean, he's certainly pretty enough, but I'm not seeing anything else here worth preserving. Certainly not his mind."

Elieser looked up mournfully from the one-way glass window through which he and Adele were peering. "You just don't know him. He's actually quite witty, and rather talented in several fields � his poetry's quite good � and, well, Prince Alexander said I had the right, and I'm choosing him!" The younger vampire's face set in a pout, and his fingers twitched with frustration.

Mentally, Adele sighed. She'd been through this before with Elieser � and Elieser's sire before him. "Now let's not be hasty, Eli. You're right, I don't know him. Perhaps if you brought him into the family, one step at a time? That way I could learn what you see in him." And you'll have time to get bored with him before I get saddled with another mistake, she added silently. Elieser nodded slowly, and Adele permitted herself a small smile.

Diplomacy is the art of handling difficult situations with tact and skill. It is also the ability to negotiate positions, rather than specifics � the latter is the purview of Haggling. You can negotiate policy and treaties, and extricate yourself from unpleasant situations with words, rather than force or use of Disciplines.

Specialties: Settlements, Cease-Fires, Alliance Building, Graceful Exits, Spin Doctoring

"Absolutely not." Selene Arneault, prince of Boulder, waved agitatedly at her petitioner. "You expect me simply to hand over the entire campus to you and yours in exchange for some rumors about a Nosferatu city? Precisely when did you go insane, and how did I fail to notice it?"

"Your Majesty." Regent Sean Reynolds was, as always, unctuously polite. "I'm not asking for the entire campus � merely that you open up access to the rare documents library and some of the feeding rights to my new childe. In exchange, I offer concrete evidence of something untoward happening in your domain. I have maps, satellite photos, seismic records, eyewitness accounts and�," he paused for effect, "a prisoner."

Arneault sat bolt upright. "Fascinating�. Perhaps your childe wouldn't object to an observer when he visited the documents room?"

You can trade favors, and negotiate costs and other specifics so that transactions come out in your favor. You can judge relative value of goods and services quickly and easily, and know when someone's attempting to rip you off.

Possessed By: Police Negotiators, Anarchs, Purchasing Agents, Household Ghouls, Importers, Nosferatu

Simon Crabtree had been an angry young man three decades ago; now he was neither a man nor young, but he was still angry. "It's all here, Karp. All of it. She mentions sabotaging my reading, though she barely has room to do so in between these repulsively saccharine endearments she scribbled. This whole goddamned thing is a love note to ruining my career!"

Elias Karp stood impassively, watched his acquaintance impassively and occasionally nodded as Crabtree ranted. It occurred to Karp, as Crabtree tossed off a particularly impressive rhetorical flourish, that perhaps he'd done too good a job in forging that letter. It certainly had been effective in riling Crabtree to the point of homicidal mania (which Crabtree was sure to act on ineffectively, thus getting himself disposed of one way or another). It would surely cause all sorts of trouble for Crabtree's "beloved," whose affairs were bound to come under scrutiny after her beau's mania manifested. It might even win Karp some very hard-to-come-by approval from some very important Kindred who knew what he had done. But was any of that worth listening to Crabtree's interminable rant? The sacrifices one was forced to make�.

You can plot and plan effectively. You understand how to manipulate others through trickery and artifice, and you are expert at exposing a target's vulnerabilities. Note that Intrigue is not Subterfuge; the latter involves fieldwork and actual sabotage, while Intrigue operates more on a theoretical and consequential level. Subterfuge is the art of planting a forged letter; Intrigue is the art of knowing whose handwriting to forge for maximum effect.

Specialties: Subversion, Isolating Opponents, Corporate Sabotage, Mounting Coups

"So what the hell are we looking for, anyway?" The voice came from halfway beneath a pile of wires, vacuum tubes and other, less identifiable components of long-dead machines.

"I have no idea, but I'll know when I find� aha!" Jonah extracted himself from the ruins of what looked to be a fusebox, a handful of wires dangling from his hand. "Bingo."

"Bingo? Looks like crap to me." Katherine burrowed her way out of the mound of junk she'd been excavating. "What exactly are you going to do with those?"

"A record player. My sire's been bitching for 30 years that his gramophone doesn't work anymore, and he's thrown fatal tantrums any time someone tries to bring him something new. But with these, I can fix his antique and make him very, very happy." He gave a bark of laughter. "And if he's happy with me, odds are I'm going to be happy, too. Worth investing a couple of hours in a junkyard, isn't it?"

With expertise in Scrounging, you can find unusual, outdated or otherwise hard-to-find items. Those items can range from the part needed to repair a Model T Ford to someone skilled at bibliomancy to a rare CD of which only 500 copies were pressed. Scrounging also implies a knowledge of sources for oddball items, and a reasonable ability at turning junk into useful material.

Possessed By: Researchers, Fixers, Acquisitions Agents, Collectors, Hiring Factors

Specialties: Manuscripts, Electronics and Parts, Talented Individuals, Illegal Items, Occult Items, Improvisational Fixes

The apartment was, to put it politely, a disaster. Everything breakable had been broken, including a couple of the plumbing fixtures. Blood was everywhere, from the linoleum floor of the kitchen to the warped wood of the windowsill. Overhead, a light fixture dangled crazily from a half-snapped chain; only two of the bulbs were working, as the rest had been smashed.

Glass crunched underfoot as Anabelle sniffed the air and frowned. Behind her, her childe snorted in disapproval at the scene. "Looks like the Sabbat got to him first. Nothing here for us." His tone clearly indicated that he was bored with the whole scene, and wanted simply to chalk the whole thing up as a loss.

"Not quite. Everything we need is still here. If whoever did this � and I'm not so certain it was Sabbat � had found what they were looking for, they wouldn't have needed to wreck everything quite so thoroughly. I'll bet you a year off your apprenticeship that what we're looking for is still here."

Devin laughed. "A year? You're on." He crossed his arms and looked smug, right until the time his sire picked up a photograph under a cracked pane. The picture showed a pair of beautiful women in 1890s-style dress; one bore a striking resemblance to Annabelle herself. She neatly popped the remainder of the glass out, then removed the picture. Behind it on the matting was a folded piece of paper, yellowed with age. Anabelle held it up with a grin as her childe sputtered.

Understanding sentiment was the key to understanding my dear, late friend. Now, Devin, about that extra year.�"

You have the ability to examine a person or scene and find what you need. Locating hidden compartments, uncovering wall safes and doping out smuggling techniques are all within your area of expertise. Search also covers both frisking techniques and more generalized searches, such as trying to uncover buried caches or bodies.

Specialties: Body Searches, Search and Seizure, Vehicle Searches, Uncovering Evidence

Other Possibilities: Artistic Expression, Carousing, Public Speaking, Poetic Expression, Scan, Seduction, Sense Deception and Swimming

Skills

A lone clothesline was the only connection between the two tenements. Down in the alley below, someone big was moving around, knocking over trash cans and kicking in windows. Who exactly was down there, Shelby had no desire to find out, but odds were that it was one of the sheriff's bruisers.

She knelt down and pulled the clothesline taut. It was 3/4" twine, hardly her favorite to work with, but with the sheriff's men doing a room-to-room search in the building behind her, she didn't have a lot of options. With a quick prayer Shelby took out her knife and slammed it into the roof, then looped the rope around it in order to take up the slack. Then, fingers crossed, she kicked off her shoes and stepped onto the rope. One step at a time, she told herself One step at a time.

You can use your body to perform feats of flexibility that are beyond most individuals' capabilities. You can tumble, swing, flip, balance and otherwise use your body to your best advantage. You may not be the most flexible Kindred in the world, but you use your body's capabilities to their utmost.

Specialties: Circus Maneuvers, Contortions, Ducking and Covering, Combat Acrobatics, Tightrope Walking

"Sonofabitch said the whole damn caravan pulled over here for the day, but we've got nothing. Nothing." The annoyance in de la Vega's voice was palpable. "That's the last time I trust that lying little turd of a Nosferatu." He turned and kicked a rock. It skittered off into the underbrush at the side of the road with a barely audible clank.

The sheriff of Chattanooga didn't hear, though, being too thoroughly preoccupied with his grumbling. He climbed back into his car, started the engine and roared off into the deepening gloom. The sound of his curses lingered in the air for a moment behind him, along with the scent of his car's exhaust. Then there was nothing but silence.

Deeper within the underbrush, the interior of a well-concealed van exploded with muffled laughter.

You can hide anything through proper application of this skill. You are an expert at disguising things through available (in other words, non-supernatural) means so that they are undetectable by normal methods. Whatever materials are at hand can be put to use hiding whatever you wish to conceal. Camouflage can be used in any locale; the effectiveness of the skill depends on what you wish to hide and what you have to work with.

Possessed By: Smugglers, Nosferatu, Fences, Army Rangers, Freedom Fighters, Terrorists

Specialties: Military Hardware, Vehicles, Hiding in Plain Sight, Urban Camouflage

"Look, this place really is too noisy for us to talk. You want to go someplace and get a cup of coffee? My treat." Zander smiled his second-most winning smile, the one that said, "Trust me, I'm harmless."

His prey, a young woman in a black dress that she frankly didn't carry off very well, looked back nervously at her friends. They seemed split on the idea; half gave encouraging smiles while the rest looked worried. Her gaze flicked back and forth from her friends to Zander nervously. She leaned forward and said, as best as she could over the thumping music, "I'm not sure. I mean, would it be OK if my friends came along? Sheila drove, after all, and I'm not real good with directions."

"Of course. They can meet us out front," Zander lied. Mentally, he gritted his teeth. Tonight's hunt was going to take a little longer than he thought.

Hunting is the ability to find and bring down a target of any sort, on any terrain, for any purpose. With a proper application of Hunting, you can do anything from running down deer in the wild to picking a mortal out of the herd for purposes of feeding. This skill also includes manhunting, and can apply to the search for other Kindred

Possessed By: Alastors, Hunters, Gangrel, Federal Agents, Survivalists, Scourges

Other Possibilities: Animal Training, Artillery, Blacksmith, Blind Fighting, Boat Handling, Brewing/Distilling, Bribery, Carpentry, Climbing, Cooking, Dancing, Debate, Escapology, Falconry, Fast-Draw, Fast-Talk, First Aid, Fishing, Forgery, Gambling, Game Playing, Gunsmithing, Heavy Weapons, Hypnotism, Jeweler, Journalism, Leatherworking, Lockpicking, Mechanical Repair, Parachuting, Photography, Pickpocket, Police Procedure, Pottery, Psychoanalysis, Scuba, Singing, Skiing, Speed Reading, and Tracking

Knowledges

"What the bloody hell were they doing out there?" The Regent strode back and forth in a fury, gesticulating wildly with his silver-headed cane and nearly knocking any number of objets d'art off his mantelpiece in the process.

"Making fun of us, obviously." His second in command, a quiet woman dressed severely in a business suit, folded her hands primly in her lap and seemed oblivious to the very real threat of being accidentally whacked with the cane. "I'm told they do that from time to time. Next week, presumably, it will be the Ventrue's turn."

"I don't care what they're doing, Richards!" the Regent roared. "I want to know how the hell they learned so much about us! Everything we do was on display out there!"

The woman shrugged. "So it was. And in seven nights, everything about the Ventrue will be on display as well. Now are you going to continue to waste both our time with this pointless tantrum, or are you going to assign someone to observe?"

You have knowledge about a particular clan of vampires that no outsider should possess. You are aware of the clan's practices, rituals and secrets, and can put that knowledge to good use. However, members of the clan in question may not like the fact that an outsider has a handle on proprietary information, and may act to plug any such security leaks.

Note: This knowledge only grants information about one particular clan. Clan Knowledge must be purchased separately for each clan of expertise.

Bobby leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, and grinned the grin of the righteous geek. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you everything you ever wanted to know about where Horatio's banks have been putting our money. I figure we've got about five minutes before the system security boots us out on our collective ass, but in the meantime I've taken the liberty of doing screen shots of everything here. You'll be able to print those out and look at them at your leisure."

Various Kindred crowded around Bobby, trying to get a look at his 21" monitor and jabbering among themselves. Several offered him congratulations; he just looked bashful.

Truth be told, this was his fifth time into Ballard's banks, and at this point Bobby was reasonably certain he could turn them upside down and shake every last penny out of them, if he so desired. But he'd keep that little tidbit to himself. Once you started doing miracles, people expected you to be able to perform them on command, and he'd rather not deal with the pressure.

You can use your computer to insert your virtual presence into systems where you don't belong. With this knowledge, you can crack computer security and some forms of encryption and otherwise perform feats of data piracy and sabotage that would win the approbation of other hackers as well as an arrest warrant from the FBI. Best of all, you can do this while covering your tracks.

Specialties: Phone Phreaking, Military Security, Financials, Viruses, Encryption, Password Theft, Back Doors

"What are you doing?" Bailey gazed uncomprehendingly at the numbers flashing by on his childe's screen. They seemed to be moving at a rapid pace, while she thrummed her fingers on the desk and made "harrumphing" noises.

"Thank you," he said icily. "That answer was technically correct and told me absolutely nothing. Now suppose for a moment you show your sire a little respect, look away from that infernal machine of yours and tell me what exactly you are running a simulation of."

Nicole swiveled her chair to face her sire. (She did not, however, stop drumming her fingers on the desk, a fact which he made a mental note of.) "I'm doing projections as to the effects of bank collapses on certain nations that have been borrowing liberally. Specifically, I'm working out exactly how many financial institutions we're going to have to kick over in order to eviscerate what's left of the East Asian economy."

The younger vampire shrugged. "More or less. It's a project I've been working on for a while. Everyone needs a hobby."

Economics is the study of how money moves and its effects. You can predict, with reasonable accuracy, financial trends and patterns, and you have a leg up on others in matters of investment. You are well-aware of the effects of the Kindred on world markets, and can estimate what sort of effects vampiric dabblings can have on whole industries or nations.

Possessed By: Economists, Brokers, Financial Advisors, Ventrue, Corporate Raiders

Specialties: Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Game Theory, High Finance, Investment

"Aha, here's something good." McLoughlin motioned Dierdre over to his desk. "Read this and tell me what you think."

Dierdre took the photocopy from McLouglin's hands and read, "�And after the burning the hill was cursed. Nothing would grow there, and sheep that wandered onto it soon took sick and died.' Interesting. Where'd you dig it up?"

McLoughlin took the paper back. "Irish National Folklore Archives. They've spent a fortune recording oral history and folklore. You only get a few stories like this, though, widely scattered over the island. Thoughts?"

His partner frowned. "Well, if I didn't know better I'd say we were dealing with some Tremere problem or other, but as is, I'll have to go with an unpleasant elder taking a dirt nap."

"Right in one." McLoughlin grinned. "Want to go do some field research? Bring the mason jars."

You are familiar with the record of events, mortal and immortal. You can place events in historical context, and even detect Kindred influence on the stream of mortal history. Your expertise may well allow you to uncover evidence of vampiric activity, ranging from resting places of elders to evidence of specific individuals' involvement in affairs.

Possessed By: Historians, Elders, Documentary Filmmakers, Academics, Recreationists

Specialties: Military History, Social History, National or Ethnic Histories, Kindred History

"So tell me," Helton managed in between gales of laughter, "about your sire." Around him, the rest of the coterie collapsed in helpless hilarity. Jonesie seemed unimpressed by the display. He glanced from vampire to vampire, dismissing each in turn.

"Well," he said, "my sire had a pathological fear of sunlight, to the point of needing to look out the window every half-hour to make sure the Earth hadn't somehow mysteriously speeded up in its rotation and brought morning on early. He also recognized that he had a problem, and dutifully sought help for it � with my encouragement, of course."

The others more or less subsided into snickering. Helton looked up at Jonesie with a smirk. "So what happened to him?"

Jonesie shrugged. "Well, with my help he was finally able to beat his little problem and stop worrying about dawn. In fact, he succeeded so well that he decided to take a little stroll one morning � also with my encouragement � without checking the time before he left. Pity that the door to the haven got locked behind him, don't you think?"

You have a knowledge of psychology in both theory and practice. You are familiar with psychological approaches, counseling techniques and so on. You are also conversant with the pathology of the mind, and can make a diagnosis of a subject's dysfunction given sufficient time to observe him.

Possessed By: Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marketing Executives, Empowerment Gurus

Specialties: Freudian, Jungian, Lacanian, Pop Psychology, Neuropsychology, Psychopathology, Mob Psychology

Other Possibilities: Accounting, Alchemy, Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Art History, Astrology, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Criminology, Electronics, Engineering, Faerie Lore, Forensics, Geology, Heraldry, Kindred Lore, Literature, Lupine Lore, Mage Lore, Metallurgy, Meteorology, Military Science, Naturalist, Physics, Sprit Lore, Theology, Toxicology and Wyrm Lore

Merits and Flaws

Munchkins and MinMax

Sad to say, Merits and Flaws are one of the favorite tools of players more interested racking up kills than in roleplaying. Such players often load up on Flaws they never have any intention of roleplaying, then use the freebies garnered thus to load up on killer Merits, additional Disciplines, and Backgrounds like Generation. Such abuses of the system can lead to severely unbalanced coteries, not to mention lopsided and unenjoyable games.

Storytellers have every right to disallow particular Merits and Flaws, or any combinations thereof. Merits and Flaws are optional, not mandatory, and no character has a God-given right to a Dark Fate that he'll whine endlessly about accepting. It is also incumbent on the Storyteller to make certain that his troupe plays out their characters' Flaws. After a few warnings, it is not beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior (or good Storytelling) to strip an unrepentant player's character of points gained through a Flaw the character is ignoring. The system of Merits and Flaws is all about balance; if a player attempts to upset that balance, it is up to the Storyteller to enforce it for the good of the game.

The basic character creation process for Vampire: The Masquerade allows you to draw the broad strokes of your character � clan, generation, Attributes and so on. Merits and Flaws, however, allow you to sketch in finer details of your character's capabilities and history within the bounds of the Storyteller system's rules. With Merits and Flaws, you can give a character abilities � or weaknesses � not otherwise covered.

Merits are, unsurprisingly, bonus abilities, knacks, talents, contacts and other pluses that a character might have. Flaws are the exact opposite � weaknesses and liabilities, whether they be psychological, physical, social or even magical. A Merit can cost between one and seven freebie points at the end of character creation, while a Flaw can grant additional freebies in the same range. Characters should never have more than seven points in either Merits or Flaws, and all proposed Traits taken in this fashion are subject to Storyteller approval.

Specifics

There are some Merits and Flaws that are unique to Camarilla vampires. These Traits are mainly social ones, pertaining to personal status and history within the sect, but there are some physical, magical and psychological manifestations that only (or mainly) appear in the Camarilla as well. The Merits and Flaws listed below are intended for Camarilla (or in limited cases, ex-Camarilla vampires) alone; Merits like Primogen Friendship (p. 76) generally don't make much sense for Sabbat or independent vampires. By the same token, a Flaw relating to a weakness for the Viniculum generally doesn't make sense for a law-abiding Ventrue neonate. There are always exceptions (say, a Camarilla vampire who's attempting to go undercover with the local Sabbat pack), but common sense should be the ultimate guideline.

Choosing Wisely

Merits and Flaws are part of the last step of the character creation process, the spending of "freebie points." They should be taken as a sort of icing on the cake, rather than as the main thrust of the character's persona. When you select Merits and Flaws (if you do indeed select them), try to keep your character's history and sense of self in mind. If a character's backstory includes the facts that he had a horrifying Embrace and was mistreated by his sire, the Flaw Nightmares makes sense; if he was a ghoul trained for decades to take his place in the Camarilla, the Flaw loses its justification. Similarly, if you're going to run a rabble-rousing Brujah, picking the Merit Sheriff's Friend makes no sense.

Merits and Flaws are, in the end, optional. There's no shame or weakness in creating a character who has none, nor is a character without Merits or extra freebies from Flaws necessarily at a disadvantage.

With that in mind, below are listed Merits and Flaws that are appropriate for Camarilla characters. Storytellers should feel free to disallow, modify or ignore any of these as their games demand.

Physical

Traits that are designated Physical Merits and Flaws relate to a character's strength, speed, toughness and form.

Your appearance is sufficiently thuglike to inspire fear or at least disquiet in those who see you. While you're not necessarily ugly per se, you do radiate a sort of quiet menace, to the point where people cross the street to avoid passing near you. You are at -1 difficulty on all Intimidation rolls against those who have not demonstrated their physical superiority to you.

You have a face that reminds everyone of someone, to the point where strangers are inclined to be well-inclined toward you because of it. The effect doesn't fade if you explain the "mistake," leaving you at -1 difficulty on all appropriate Social-based rolls (yes for Seduction, no for Intimidation, for example) when a stranger is involved. This Merit only functions on a first meeting.

You have some sort of repetitive motion that you make in times of stress, and it's a dead giveaway as to your identity. Examples include a nervous cough, constantly wringing your hands, cracking your knuckles and so on. It costs one Willpower to refrain from engaging in your twitch.

For some reason your fangs never developed fully � they may not have manifested at all. When feeding, you need to find some other method of making the blood flow. Failing that, you must achieve double the normal number of successes in order to make your bite penetrate properly. A number of Caitiff and high-generation vampires often manifest this Flaw.

You have one or more wounds that refuse to heal, and which constantly drip blood. This slow leakage costs you an extra blood point per evening (marked off just before dawn), in addition to drawing attention to you. If the wound is visible, you are at +1 difficulty for all Social-based rolls. For two points, the Flaw is simply unsightly and has the basic effect mentioned above; for four points the seeping wound is serious or disfiguring and includes the effects of the Flaw Permanent Wound (Vampire, page 297).

Your fangs do not retract, making it impossible for you to hide your true nature. While some mortals may think you've had your teeth filed or are wearing prosthetics, sooner or later you're going to run into someone who knows what you truly are. You are a constant threat to the Masquerade, and other Kindred may take steps to prevent a breach from ever occurring. You are also limited to an Appearance rating of 3 at most.

You have the stereotypical glowing eyes of vampire legend, which gives you a -1 difficulty on Intimidation rolls when you're dealing with mortals. However, the tradeoffs are many; you are a walking tear in the Masquerade and must constantly disguise your condition (no, contacts don't cut it); the glow impairs your vision and puts you at +1 difficulty on all sight-based rolls (including the use of ranged weapons); and the radiance emanating from your eye sockets makes it difficult to hide (+2 difficulty to Stealth rolls) in the dark.

Mental

Mental Merits and Flaws help define a character's mental capabilities, strength of mind, native wit and intelligence. Mental Merits and Flaws have nothing to do with a character's state of mind. Rather, they detail what a character can do with her mind instead.

While some might refer to you as a "cold fish," you have a knack for separating factual reporting from emotional or hysterical coloration. You may or may not be emotional yourself, but you can see clearly when others are clouding the facts with their feelings (-1 difficulty on all Sense Deception and related rolls).

You have expertise in a specific field that makes your conversation intriguing to an older Kindred. So long as your knowledge holds the other vampire's attention, he has a vested interest in keeping you around. Then again, once he's pumped you for every iota of information you possess, that patronage may suddenly vanish. (Note: This Merit should be played like a 1-dot Mentor with a specific interest. However, unlike a Mentor, Useful Knowledge does not imply a permanent relationship.)

You are familiar with and talented in the uses of computer equipment. Other Kindred may not understand computers, but to you they are intuitive. All rolls involving computers are at -2 difficulty for you.

You learn quickly. The time for you to pick up a particular Ability (or Abilities, at Storyteller discretion) is cut in half, as is the experience cost.

You have no patience for standing around and waiting. You want to do things now, and the Devil take the hindmost. Every time you are forced to wait around instead of acting, a Self-Control roll is required to see if you go haring off on your own instead.

You fail to see the need for the Masquerade, and have gone on record as saying so. Taking your stand has made you suspect in the eyes of your elders, and may have attracted the Sabbat's attention as well.

You buy heavily into all of the vampire legendry you've read and heard. You wear a cape, speak with an accent and otherwise act in a cartoonish fashion. Such behavior is embarrassing in the extreme to other Kindred, who are likely to ostracize or mock you (+2 difficulty to Social rolls with other vampires who don't share your habits). Also, you stand out to hunters, and run the risk of violating the Masquerade every time you take to the streets.

The sight of innocence � of any sort � arouses in you a terrible bloodlust. Roll Self-Control, or else frenzy and attack the source of your hunger.

The Camarilla's propaganda machine did too good a job on you. Even after your Embrace you refused to believe you were a vampire. You remain convinced that there is some logical explanation for your condition, and spend as much time as you can searching for it. You also have problems feeding, and may insist on trying to eat regular food. None of these habits makes you particularly pleasant company for other Kindred. This Flaw must be roleplayed at all times.

You simply cannot come to grips with the fact that you must drink blood to survive. You suffer horrible guilt over each time you feed (roll Conscience, difficulty 7, or else frenzy every time you feed) and try to avoid doing so as much as possible. This means that you rarely have much blood in your system, leaving you vulnerable to both attacks and hunger-based frenzies.

Social

Merits and Flaws under this heading relate to a vampire's social dealings. Relations within the sect and with the Kindred at large are covered by this category. Note that there are more Social Merits and Flaws listed here than there are of any other category; the intrinsically social nature of the Camarilla mandates such.

You spend an unusual amount of time at the various Elysiums in your city. You see and are seen to such an extent that all of the movers and shakers of Elysium at least know who you are. Extended time spent in Elysium also gives you extended opportunities to interact with the harpies and other Kindred of that stature � and they'll know your name when you approach them.

You were introduced to the Blood long before you were made Kindred. Your long experience as a ghoul gives you insight into and comfort with vampiric society. You are at -1 difficulty on all Social rolls when in the presence of other neonates (particularly those who haven't been educated by their sires), and have a standing -1 difficulty on rolls relating to knowledge of the Kindred.

Everyone in the city knows you, and knows that you're no threat to their plans. While that sort of estimation may seem insulting, it's also what's kept you from being killed. No one considers you worth their time to deal with, and that low opinion keeps you safe. If you start acting in a way that demonstrates that you are no longer harmless, others' reactions to you will likely change as a result.

Your sire watched you for some time before Embracing you, and spoke glowingly of you to acquaintances. These vampires may be inclined to look favorably on you by dint of your sire's recommendation; you are at -1 difficulty on Social rolls with all those who've heard good things about you.

Your fame has exceeded the bounds of your sect. Everyone knows who you are, what you've done and what you're supposed to have done (which might not be the same thing). The publicity can be good or bad; what matters is that everybody knows your name. Whether individuals outside of your immediate social circle know enough to match your face to your name is a different matter.

You've lived through at least one Sabbat attack and/or attempted recruitment. Your experience helps you anticipate situations where you might potentially be endangered by the Sabbat once again. You are at -1 difficulty on all Perception rolls when it comes to Sabbat-based matters. This Merit comes into play most frequently as a means of avoiding ambushes and the like.

Someone owes you a favor. The vampire in your debt might be the lowliest neonate in the city or might be the prince herself; it all depends on how many points the Merit costs. You only have that single favor owed you (unless you take the Merit multiple times), so using it properly is of paramount importance. Depending on status and other factors, the vampire who owes you a favor may well resent his debt, and might go out of his way to "settle" it early � even going so far as to create situations from which he must "rescue" you and thus clear the slate.

You're part of the brute squad the local sheriff calls on when he needs some muscle. As a result, you get in on action that others miss entirely, score points with those in power, and occasionally get a chance to act outside of the law. How far outside the law the sheriff is willing to let you go depends on circumstance and how much the sheriff likes you.

An acquaintance from your breathing days was Embraced at the same time you were. Fortunately, your friendship has endured even death and unlife, and you find a constant source of support and aid in your old friend. She expects the same of you, which isn't always convenient, but at least you each have someone to hang onto who remembers the good old nights � and days.

Unlike many Kindred, you like to travel. You have a solid knowledge of safe travel routes and methodologies, not to mention haven space available in any number of destinations. Unless someone out there knows your exact route and is specifically looking for you, you can move between cities unimpeded by random encounters with Lupines, overzealous state troopers and the like.

You have taken the time to learn about and specialize in one particular enemy of the Camarilla. You are aware of at least some of the group's customs, strategies, abilities and long-term goals, and can put that knowledge to good use. This Merit is worth a -2 difficulty for all rolls pertaining specifically to the subject of your specialization. On the other hand, you are at a +1 difficulty when it comes to dealing with other enemies, simply because you're so thoroughly focused on your field.

This Merit functions identically to Scholar of Enemies, except that it applies to a group that is not necessarily inimical to the Camarilla.

For whatever reason (maybe your winning smile or perhaps just your superb grovelling technique), the local head lawman likes you. He's inclined to overlook your minor trespasses and let you in on things you're not supposed to know about. He even gives you warnings about occasional crackdowns and times when the prince isn't feeling generous. Of course, abusing this connection might well turn a friendly sheriff into an enemy � and the change might not be apparent until it's too late.

The prince has given you exclusive rights to a piece of territory. The size and importance of that territory are in direct proportion to the cost of the Merit. A few blocks' worth of rowhouses might be worth two points, while four square blocks in the city's financial district could be worth four.

While the rights to this territory are yours, there are responsibilities that come along with it. If those responsibilities are not met, the prince may well strip you of your holding.

In addition to your normal identity, you've taken up an alternate role that allows you to run with another group or sect of vampires. This other self has a believable history and backstory that can stand up to at least cursory checks, and he is accepted at face value (more or less) by his associates. However, your sire, Allies, Contacts, etc. don't know that you maintain this second identity, and treat this "stranger" accordingly.

While you're not a Nosferatu, you know your way around the sewers, tunnels, ducts, subway tubes and other subterranean passages of your home town. The local Nosferatu (and any other creatures dwelling down in the muck) may not actually like you, but they're not inclined to kill you on sight when they see you in their territory. You are at -1 difficulty on all Sewer Lore rolls, and any rolls involving the subterranean world (sneaking from place to place underground, finding routes into sub-basements and so on). Nosferatu cannot purchase this Merit.

You have an informer buried in the Sabbat (or, less likely, one of the independent clans or the Anarch Free States) who funnels you all sorts of information as to what her peers are up to. What you do with the information is up to you, but abusing the knowledge might be a good way to get your informer killed. The other side has spies too, you know�.

You're one of the up and comers in your city, a rising star in the Camarilla's firmament. Everyone wants to know you and be your friend, even as those in power groom you for positions of higher responsibility. You are at -1 difficulty on all Social rolls against any Camarilla vampires who aren't actively opposing your ascent.

You currently hold one of the official Camarilla positions in your city. The degree of power you possess depends on the cost of the Merit.

One particular clan (not your own) has a special liking for you. You might have done the clan as a whole a favor at some point, or perhaps you're just a loud voice in support of their aims. Whatever the case, you're at -2 difficulty on all Social rolls involving members of the clan in question. Of course, the reaction your cozy relationship with another clan is likely to draw from your own clan leaders is an entirely different can of worms.

You were once blood bound but have have secretly slipped the leash, and you are free to act as you will once more. Your regnant has no idea that you are not in fact bound, and continues to treat you as if you were. At Storyteller discretion, the experience of having been bound once may render you immune to ever being enthralled again.

The ruling council of the city values you and your opinions. You are called in to consult on decisions, and your recommendations carry great weight. Your position may not be an official one, but it's powerful nonetheless.

You count yourself among the harpies, the vampires who rule the roost in Elysium. Yours is one of the voices that mock, exalt, praise or humble the Kindred of the city. Your opinion is very influential, which means that you're going to face all sorts of attempts � from bribes to threats � to change it. You are at -1 difficulty on all Social rolls when acting in your official capacity.

You are part of the ruling coterie of vampires in the city in which you reside. Your voice is one of the few to which the prince must listen, and you have tremendous influence in your clan. On the other hand, there are always others plotting to take your place, making your position a precarious one.

When your sire presented you to the prince of the city, you flubbed it. Now you're convinced His Majesty hates you (whether he does or not). You need to succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) just to stand in front of the prince or one of his duly authorized representatives without running, blubbering or otherwise making a fool of yourself.

Someone in power doesn't want you around. Maybe she wants territory you possess, or is jealous of the attention you're getting from a prize mortal retainer � the details are irrelevant. What does matter is that she has the power to maneuver you into dangerous situations "for the good of the Camarilla," and has no compunctions about doing so.

The whole matter has been explained to you, but you're still not quite sure how this whole Camarilla/Masquerade thing works. Your imperfect understanding of the rules and regulations of your new existence means that sooner or later, you're going to make a mistake. It's only a matter of time�.

You've just arrived in your new city of residence, and have done so without knowing anyone in the place. Existing factions may try to recruit or eliminate you, while the harpies size you up and take your measure. Meanwhile, your ignorance of the city's current events, history and politics (not to mention the personality quirks of the vampires already in place) may cause you to make a serious blunder.

You're the latest Embracee in the city, and everyone knows it. That automatically puts you at the bottom of the social totem pole. Other neonates take every opportunity to demonstrate your inferiority to you, proving that the dynamics of the schoolyard are alive and well in the Camarilla. Even if someone else is added to the ranks of the unliving, you're still regarded as something as a bit of a geek by your peers � a distinction that can have dangerous consequences if bullets start flying. All Social-related rolls are at +1 difficulty when you are dealing with other neonates.

The Sabbat wants you, and they want you bad. Every effort is being made to recruit you, willing or no, and the press gangs usually show up at the worst possible time.

You have publicly expressed sympathy for some of the Sabbat's goals and policies. Your outspoken views on the subject have made you suspect in the eyes of the city's hierarchy, and you may be suspected of (or arrested for) treason.

You are blood bound to another vampire. Your regnant may not necessarily treat you badly, but the fact remains that your will is not entirely your own. The knowledge gnaws at you, even as you find yourself lost in devotion to your vampiric master.

You've done dirty work for someone high up in the city's hierarchy in the past � the sheriff, the primogen or even the prince. However, instead of granting you favor, your deeds have made you an embarrassment or a liability. For the moment, your former employer's concern is to keep you quiet. In the long term, it's to get rid of you.

The flip side of Rival Sires, Escaped Target means that you had targeted a mortal for the Embrace, but someone else got there first. You cannot stand the humiliation of being cheated of your prize, and fly into a rage (+2 difficulty to avoid frenzy) whenever you see the one who got away. This hatred may lead you into other irrational behaviors, like Embracing enemies of the neonate, creating unauthorized childer or even trying to kill your rival. Furthermore, your petty and irrational behavior is well-known and quite noticeable, and as a result you are at +1 difficulty on all Charisma rolls until the situation is resolved.

You once held a title in the city, but failed catastrophically in your duties. Now you are branded incompetent, excluded from circles of power and responsibility and generally ostracized by those on their way up. Your exclusion may make you a target for recruitment by the Sabbat (or so the whispers run, making you even more distrusted). Conversely, the consequences of your error � a breach of the Masquerade, an unauthorized Embrace, a lawbreaker allowed to escape � might come back to haunt you.

In your first nights as a member of the Kindred, you accidentally broke the Masquerade � and were spotted doing so. Someone else covered for your mistake, but holds the favor over you. Now you exist in fear that your error will be revealed. In the meantime, your "savior" takes pitiless advantage of you.

Someone you once cared deeply for is now with the enemy. He still attempts to play on your sympathies "for old times' sake" while working against you. Unless you succeed on a contested Manipulation + Expression roll against your former friend, you do not act against him unless the situation becomes life-threatening.

Not one, but two vampires wanted to gift you with the Embrace. One succeeded, one failed � and she's not happy about that failure. Either you, your actual sire or both of you have become the target of the failed suitor's ire. Regardless, your persecutor is at +2 difficulty to refrain from frenzy in your presence. In addition, she may well be working actively to discredit or destroy you.

You are proud of your new status and clan � so proud that you've shot your mouth off to other Kindred and made some enemies. Wiser vampires laugh at you and chalk your rudeness up to youth, but others regard you as arrogant and insulting. These enemies will take action to embarrass or harm you. Furthermore, you are at +2 difficulty on all Social rolls against any vampires you have alienated through your yammering � and you may not know who they are.

At Storyteller discretion, you may also be required to make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) to keep your mouth shut any time the opportunity presents itself for you to brag about your lineage, your clan or your status.

Your sire regards the fact that he Embraced you to be a titanic mistake, and has let everyone know it. You are mocked in Elysium, taunted by your peers and actively despised by the one who should be giving you guidance. Any request or petition you make is likely to be looked down upon by friends of your sire, and your achievements are likely to be discounted.

Once, you held near-absolute power in a city, but those nights are gone now. Perhaps you stepped down, perhaps you were deposed, or perhaps your city fell to the Sabbat; it matters little in your reduced state. What does matter is that the prince in the city where you now dwell is aware of your prior employment, and has concerns that you might be trying to make a comeback. The machinery of the Camarilla in the city where you now make your home is subtly stacked against you, and if the prince sees an opportunity to get rid of you he just might take it.

Another sect or group of vampires � be it an independent clan or the Sabbat as a whole � has decided that you're a target for extermination, and pursues you relentlessly. On the bright side, the enemies of your enemy may well wish to help you out, potentially garnering you allies in this one instance.

You are known to be a snitch, an informer firmly planted in the sheriff's pocket. Those on whom you might yet inform loathe you as a result, feeding you misinformation when they can in an attempt to discredit you. Given the opportunity, they might do you mischief. Regardless, your reputation as a full-fledged weasel precedes you, putting you at +1 difficulty on all Social rolls against those who don't agree with your politics.

You have some sort of intimate connection with a member of an opposing sect or inimical clan. You may have a lover, a childe, a friend or a contact working the other side of the fence, but regardless of politics you retain a friendly (or more than friendly) relationship with your putative foe. Your close ties to someone on the other side would be regarded as treason by your superiors within the Camarilla, and if you are discovered the penalty will surely be death.

One clan in particular wants you dead. You have offended the entire clan, from elders to neonates, and as a result every member of that bloodline wants your head on a plate. The effects of the Flaw may manifest as anything from very public snubs and insults to actual attempts on your existence. You are also at +2 difficulty on all Social rolls relating to members of the clan in question.

Not only are you blood bound, but you are also in thrall to a vampire who mistreats you hideously. Perhaps you are publicly abused or humiliated; perhaps your master forces you to commit unspeakable acts for him. In any case, existence under the bond is a never-ending nightmare, with your regnant serving to conduct the symphony of malice.

You've got your fingers in too many pies, and people are starting to notice. You have too many ghouls, too many retainers and too many influences, which means that a lot of people have a vested interest in trimming back your operations. These enemies take every opportunity to reduce your power and influence, and if that means lying, cheating or killing, so be it. Furthermore, your enemies block every attempt you make to move into new areas of control. You're boxed in, and the box is getting smaller.

You have been made the target of a blood hunt, and for you to return to your home city is death. For four points, this Flaw means that only your home city is off-limits to you. For six, it means that the entire Camarilla is howling for your vitae.

Somehow you've drawn the scorn of the local harpies, who make you their favorite and reflexive target. You are at a +2 difficulty on all Social rolls in Elysium and a +1 anywhere else in the city. In addition, you are at +2 difficulty to use Intimidation or any Dominate powers on anyone who has heard the stories mocking you.

You are either being considered for or are already on the dreaded Red List, the registry of those vampires the Camarilla most wants extinguished. Any Camarilla vampire will either attack you on sight or, more likely, call in for a great deal of help.

Supernatural

Supernatural Merits and Flaws relate to the unseen world that swirls around mortal existence in the World of Darkness. These Traits tie vampires to the other monsters that stalk the night, as well as granting magical powers � or weaknesses � to Kindred thus afflicted.

Your aura is unnaturally bright and colorful for a vampire. You register as a mortal on all attempts to read your aura.

Normally vampires can only seal the wounds they inflict by licking them. With but a touch, you can achieve the same effect.

With rare exceptions, animals usually despise the Kindred. Some flee, others attack, but all dislike being in the presence of a vampire. You have no such problem. Animals may not enjoy being in your company, but they don't actively flee from you.

You can take one additional Discipline (Storyteller discretion) as if it were a clan Discipline. All costs to learn that Discipline are paid out as if it were native to your clan. A character can not take this merit more than once.

A chill wind follows you everywhere you go. While it may make for dramatic entrances, this effect also discomfits mortals (+1 difficulty on all appropriate Social rolls) and also endangers the Masquerade. Cold winds sweeping through executive offices or crowded nightclubs can raise all sorts of questions.

You radiate palpable evil. Clergy and devout mortals know instinctively that there is something horribly wrong with you, and react accordingly. Churches and other places of worship are barred to you as well.

Everything appears rotted and decayed to you. The world appears to you as a corpse; mortals look diseased or skeletal, buildings seem decrepit, and your fellow Kindred seem to be walking, moldering cadavers. You are at -2 difficulty to resist all rolls based on Appearance, but by the same token you are at +2 difficulty on all Perception-based rolls. In addition, you find social interaction difficult and are at +1 difficulty on all Social-based rolls.

Buzzing harbingers of decay swirl around you everywhere. Their constant presence makes it difficult for you to interact socially (+1 difficulty when appropriate) and nearly impossible to sneak up on someone or hide effectively. The buzzing of the flies inevitably gives you away � all Stealth rolls are at +2 difficulty.

Violence and death seek you out no matter where you go. Regardless of your intentions, bloody carnage inevitably erupts around you. Your loved ones, friends and associates find themselves caught in the crossfire, and the constant threat forces them to withdraw from you � if they survive. There is no respite for you � no matter where you go or what you are doing, all hell picks your exact location as the perfect place to break loose.