Each member of a clan has the same blood running through her body. All vampires in a given clan can exhibit the same powers, although each member can deviate from the norm. In most cases, when someone is embraced, she already exhibits the traits found in the bloodline itself, but there are cases where the actual Embrace causes the traits to surface. The stereotypes associated with each clan are not necessarily represented in each of its members.
Emotional and sensual, the Daeva cultivate both desire among their prey and physical perfection among themselves. Sexual predators and sensual hedonists alike populate the ranks of the clan. Succubus sires look for some combination of charm, culture, seductiveness, desire to achieve, passion and physical beauty. Many Daeva Embrace mortals to whom they have become attached, but this attachment almost invariably proves false, a mixture of lust and simple hunger. Few relationships are as euphoric as those between a Daeva and a newly Embraced childe, and few grow cold as swiftly.
Nickname: Succubi
Favored Attributes: Dexterity or Manipulation
Clan Disciplines: Celerity, Majesty, Vigor.
Weakness: Perhaps out of some deep longing for the true passions they lost after the Embrace, the Daeva have difficulty steeling themselves against the hedonism they allow themselves as members of the Damned. Any time a Daeva has an opportunity to indulge her Vice but does not do so, she loses two points of Willpower (as opposed to gaining one by partaking in its pleasures).
Eminence Benefit Daeva almost never fail to get invitations to the most exclusive parties, and as a matter of course, eminent Daeva are automatically welcome at any social occasion - either mortal or undead - that they wish to attend.
Sometimes the most useful invitations, however, are to the sorts of soirees where emotions run high, intoxicants flow freely and no one is likely to notice a bit of indiscretion in a dark corner. If the Daeva are eminent, Succubi are never considered without a ready source of blood in their home city and require no tests to hunt to full capacity during downtime. Unless a Daeva is under particular pressure, she begins a session of play with her full capacity of Vitae.
One game session per month, a player of a Daeva character may also send her character out of play for a full hour and return with her maximum capacity of Vitae. The character must not be followed or otherwise molested for this effect to function and the player must stay out of the game for a full hour.
In Character Information For Members of Clan Daeva
Primal and savage, the Gangrel hunt in the untamed places and show no mercy. Gangrel can come from nearly any former life, but all Savages possess a strong survival instinct. Gangrel loathe personal weakness and admire those whose greatest strengths are those of the self self-awareness, self-confidence and self-reliance.
Nickname: Savages
Favored Attributes: Composure or Stamina
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Protean, Resilience.
Weakness: As befits their sobriquet, the Gangrel are more closely tied to their Beasts than are other Kindred. The more they feel the call of the Beast, the more bestial they become, and the more their minds become those of less principled animals. With regard to dice pools based on Intelligence and Wits Attributes, the 10-again rule does not apply. Additionally, any 1’s that come up on a roll subtract from successes. (The latter part of the weakness does not affect dramatic-failure rules.) This weakness does not apply to dice pools involving perception or reaction to surprise (see p. 151 of the World of Darkness Rulebook ), or to the Resolve Attribute.
Example: The Gangrel Unholy is chasing Loki, who manages to elude her, but not before he drops a mystic artifact he stole from one of her other old enemies in the Ordo Dracul. The Unholy has a chance to figure out what the artifact is, her player rolling a dice pool of Intelligence + Occult (seven dice). The dice come up 10, 8, 7, 7, 6, 3 and 1. Normally, the player would roll the 10 again, but not in this case, as this dice pool involves the Unholy’s Intelligence Attribute. Furthermore, the 1 rolled cancels out one of the player’s two successes, leaving only one. The Unholy knows that this is an item of mystic significance, but she has no inkling as to what it does or what might activate it.
Eminence Benefit When the clan is eminent, Gangrel effectively turn their combination of human wariness and animal cunning toward the games of politics. This makes it very difficult to trap, surprise, or isolate them in Kindred society. The Division Head, Master of Elysium, nor anyone else can strip a Gangrel of her final dot of Corporation Status. The Division Head can still call a blood hunt, however. What's more, any attempt to gain all but the most obvious and public information about a Gangrel through use of the Animalism Discipline fails automatically.
Once per month, a Gangrel's player may ask the Storyteller if a situation his character is about to enter appears to be a trap. Only direct attacks or uses of supernatural powers targeted at the Gangrel are detected as "traps" for the purpose of this benefit. Attempts to lure the Gangrel into a socially scandalous situation are not detected, for example, nor are meetings that are designed to weaken the Gangrel politically.
In Character Information For Members of Clan Gangrel
Secretive and wise, the Mekhet are masters of all things hidden. They hunt from the shadows, preying secretly on victims and unlocking secrets that no one should know. The only common thread linking Mekhet is an affinity for the night itself or some metaphorical darkness, such as a pained soul or a thirst for knowledge. Mekhet are tutored intensely by their sires so that they understand the nature of the clan and its duties. Some prefer to let their progeny discover the Kindred world on their own, but not even these sires stray so far that they can't watch a protege's progress.
Nickname: Shadows
Favored Attributes: Intelligence or Wits
Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Obfuscate
Weakness: As creatures of darkness even more sensitive to light than most of the Damned, the Mekhet suffer certain banes of vampiric existence more acutely than do their fellow Kindred. Whenever Mekhet suffer damage from sunlight or fire, they take an additional point of aggravated damage from that source (see p. 172 for more on sunlight and fire damage). Just as shadow cannot exist without light, so too does light banish shadow.
Example: Loki catches the telltale smell of smoke and realizes that the hotel where he’s visiting the Mekhet Priscus is on fire. He dashes out the door into the burning hallway. Normally, this would cause three points of damage, but Loki’s Mekhet susceptibility to flame increases it to four. Loki sprints down the hall, hoping the whole building isn’t an inferno….
Eminence Benefit As long as the Mekhet are Eminent, their knowledge of secrets and sharing of useful information reaches a high. Each Mekhet receives a number of free information snippets about other members of the domain equal to her City Status. The player should ask for this information from a Storyteller. This information is restricted to a subject? dots in certain social Merits: Resources, Status (each type counts as a separate snippet), Herd, and Retainer. A Mekhet can learn a character? dots in Clan Status or Covenant Status even if isn? part of the clan or covenant.
Example: Elijah is a Mekhet with City Status 3 and his clan is eminent. He learns the Lancea Sanctum Status of a zealot who has made his life hell, the wealth (Resources dots) of his Ventrue ally Javier, and the Nosferatu Status of Javier? enforcer Cross.
In Character Information For Members of Clan Mekhet
Stealthy and disturbing, the Nosferatu wield fear itself like a hunter's blade. Their very presence unnerves people, whether by physical ugliness, foul stench or nebulous personal malignance. Nosferatu come from society's castoffs, such as the homeless, the mentally ill and criminals. Haunts tend to be self-reliant individuals who actually manage their new condition.
Nickname: Haunts
Favored Attributes: Composure or Strength
Clan Disciplines: Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor
Weakness: All Nosferatu are repulsive or at the very least uncomfortable to be around. The cause need not be a physical deformity. A palpable aura of menace, a charnel odor or the undeniable manner of a predator is just as compelling as a twisted body. With regard to dice pools based on Presence or Manipulation Attributes in social situations, the 10-again rule does not apply. Additionally, any 1’s that come up on a roll are subtracted from successes. (This latter part of the weakness does not affect dramaticfailure rules.) This weakness does not apply to dice pools that involve the Intimidation Skill, or to the Composure Attribute.
Example: The Nosferatu Scratch attempts to smooth-talk his way past a ghoul standing guard at a nightclub door. Scratch has a Presence of 4 and a Persuasion of 2 — his player rolls six dice and comes up with 1, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. The net result is two successes: The 1 cancels the 8, the 9 counts as normal, and the 10 isn’t rolled again.
Eminence Benefit When his clan is eminent, the Nosferatu Priscus may use his clout to force a single other Priscus to abstain from voting in any matter to be settled by the assembled Prisci (such as naming a Harpy.) A Nosferatu recognized as a Board Member may do the same in a meeting of the Board of Directors. Refusal to abstain is a sin against the city and usually results in punishment from a Harpy or Division Head. This ability can be used only once per targeted Kindred per meeting.
In addition, the city's Nosferatu gain effective regency over the sewer system, so any clan member may travel unseen to most urban locations, as well as safely go to ground from most city locations. The Nosferatu Priscus may extend this free passage to any number of Kindred from other clans in the domain, but must do so explicitly and in such a way as the rest of the clan is aware of it. Nosferatu (but not other allowed Kindred) automatically succeed in feeding attempts in the sewers during downtime (so long as they feed on animals or mortals), but not during a game.
In Character Information For Members of Clan Nosferatu
Regal, commanding and aristocratic, the Ventrue are the harsh lords of the Danse Macabre. The Ventrue most often come from the closest the modern world comes to feudal nobility: the ranks of professionals, the cream of high society, the scions of old money or political dynasties. As new professions and new forms of power arise, the Ventrue bring them into the clan. Through whatever means necessary, the Ventrue rise to the top of the undead heap.
Nickname: Lords
Favored Attributes: Presence or Resolve
Clan Disciplines: Animalism, Dominate, Reslience
Weakness: Power corrupts, and among the Ventrue, even the thirst for power can corrode an ambitious Kindred’s moral bearings. Over time, some Ventrue grow paranoid, ever more wary of rivals’ desires (real or imagined) for their own holdings. Others become willing to do whatever it takes to acquire the smallest iota of additional power. Still others turn inward, delude themselves as to their ability and importance, or trouble their minds with other maladies. Ventrue Kindred suffer a -2 penalty to Humanity rolls to avoid acquiring derangements after a failed degeneration roll.
Eminence Benefit When his clan is eminent, the Ventrue Priscus may demand to change the vote of another Priscus in any Prisci votes. A Ventrue Board Member may do the same with the Board of Directors. Refusal to change one's vote is a sin against the city (see p. 289) and usually results in punishment by a Harpy or Division Head. This ability can only be used once per targeted Kindred per meeting.
In addition, Harpies may remove only a single Corporation Status dot from the Division Head (if Ventrue), the Ventrue Priscus, and the Ventrue with the highest Corporation Status sitting on the Board of Directors (if any). Harpies may remove only one dot from each over the course of the month.
Finally, any dots in the Resources Merit held by a Ventrue character are largely inviolate while the clan is eminent. The actions of other characters cannot reduce an eminent Ventrue's wealth. (The Storyteller adjudicates this, telling others who attempt to undermine a Ventrue's wealth that their efforts fail.)