Vampire Chapter 5

CLANBOOKS (5.0)

This appendix describes alterations to the following Revised Clanbooks for use in the Sanctioned chronicle: Assamite, Brujah, Followers of Set, Gangrel, Giovanni, Lasombra, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Ravnos, Toreador, Tremere, Tzimisce, and Ventrue. Backgrounds, Merits, Flaws, and other items from the Revised Clanbooks are restricted to members of that clan (unless otherwise noted), requiring only Low Approval for them, but High Approval for others. Disciplines are not limited to clan members, and may be selected by others, subject to the normal limitations for approval and learning (see Vampire, Chapter 3). Top Approval is required for creatures outside the Vampire venues to take anything from these books.

CLANS (5.1)

Assamite
The variant bloodline weaknesses are not used in Sanctioned Play. Instead, all Assamites use the standard disadvantages listed in Laws of the Night (for all Assamites whose primary venue is the Cam Venue) or Laws the Night Sabbat Guide (for all Assamites whose primary venue is the Sabbat Venue). Assamite Sorcerers and Viziers require High Approval to play. Characters whose concept includes membership in the Web of Knives use the normal creation rules.

Follower of Set
Followers of Set, Children of Damballah, and Daitya use the standard rules for Followers of Set in Laws of the Night and are Mid Approval in the Camarilla venue, while Tlacique and Warrior Setites are High Approval for the Camarilla venue. These bloodlines are Top Approval for the Sabbat venue.

The Path of Sutekh is Mid Approval for Followers of Set and High Approval for other vampires. The more rare Paths of Enlightenment Ecstasy and the Warrior are both High Approval for Followers of Set, and Top Approval for others.

Lasombra
Alternate Paths of Night are Mid Approval for Lasombra, High Approval for others.

Malkavian
Malkavian Time is not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.

Tremere
Membership in the Astors requires High Approval.

Tzimisce
The Flavoring Blood Bonds Optional Rule is not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.

Ventrue
Flavor text on page 49 aside, Ventrue cannot gain any special knowledge from tasting blood, except to determine whether or not it is blood allowed by their feeding restriction.

MERITS AND FLAWS (5.2)

Bound to the Council, Consanguineous Resistance, Deadened Nerves, Double Betrayer, Dynamic Personality, Embraced Without the Cup, False Reflection, Paragon, Proxy Kissed, Revenant Disciplines, Sleep Unseen, Sanguine Incongruity, Song in the Dark and Sympathetic Bond require High Approval.

Animal Traits [Gangrel]
All of the Animal Traits listed on page 58 of the Gangrel Clanbook are two Trait Merits for Gangrel (which count against their maximum number of Merit Traits). They can be taken during character creation, or purchased after the character gains a Negative Trait due to frenzy. No more than one such Trait can be taken at character creation. Once in play characters should only take such Traits after extreme cases of frenzy (Storyteller discretion). For taking an Animal Trait during character creation, the character begins with one of the Negative Traits from the Clan Disadvantage without any Free Trait benefits. Advantages gained from these Traits do not apply if the character uses a power that substantially transforms the her body, such as Form of the Beast, Shape of the Beast's Wrath, or Mythic Form. Armor granted by Animal Traits will absorb the first wounds of the appropriate type inflicted in the session (calculated before the damage is reduced by any other power the character might have).

Attuned Taste [Tremere]
This Merit requires Mid Approval.

Lizard Limbs [Nosferatu]
The cost to re-grow a limb is the same as the cost to heal an aggravated wound, although it doesn’t prevent the vampire from healing an actual aggravated wound during the same day.

Long Fingers [Nosferatu]
The Dexterous Trait gained from this Merit may exceed the character’s normal maximum, but it is not usable in combat.

BACKGROUNDS (5.3)

Military Force
This Background is not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.

Spirit Slaves
This Background has been modified in the Sanctioned Chronicle. Each level of this background represents a hold upon an additional "common wraith" as described in Prime, Chapter 2, with a maximum of five wraiths so held. Disregard the option to obtain a more powerful wraith, instead of multiple weaker ones.

DISCIPLINES (5.4)

Six dot (***** *) Disciplines equate to Elder Disciplines in the MET system. Seven dot (***** **) Disciplines are Master, and eight dot (***** ***)Disciplines are Ascendant.

Mask of Cathay, Path of the Levinbolt, and Path of Shadowcrafting require High Approval. Only Malkavians may learn Babble, The Call, Scrawl, and Sibyl's Tongue.

Animalism, Drawing Out the Beast [Ravnos]
The Optional Rules for Drawing Out the Beast are not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.

Animalism, Quell the Herd [Gangrel]
Quell the Herd works on vampires, but requires a Willpower Trait to be spent (before the mob challenge is made).

Assamite Sorcery [Assamite]
Assamite Sorcery (a version of Thaumaturgy developed by the Assamites) is a High Approval Discipline for any but Amr caste Assamites. Assamite Sorcery uses the same rules and approval levels as Thaumaturgy. The primary path for Assamite Sorcery is Lure of Flames (instead of Path of Blood).

Assamite Sorcery, Awakening of Steel [Assamite]
This path requires High Approval for practitioners of Assamite Sorcery, and is not available to characters practicing other versions of Thaumaturgy.

Dominate, Oberon's Grail [Tremere]
This is an Elder level Discipline, not Master level. Only vampires who possess Oberon's Grail can restore memories lost to Oberon's Grail. In that case, the memories can be restored using the rules outlined under Forgetful Mind.

Koldunic Sorcery [Tzimisce]
The Tzimisce Koldun bloodline practices Thaumaturgy, not actual Koldunic Sorcery. Possession of Koldunic Sorcery (such as the Path of Sorrows) requires Top Approval.

Necromancy, the Maelstrom and Nigrimancy [Giovanni]
These rules are not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.

Obfuscate, Mental Maze [Followers of Set]
It costs a Willpower Trait to use this Discipline on a supernatural creature or a Partially Awakened mortal. The effects last no longer than one scene (or three turns if the subject is engaged in combat).

Obtenebration, Special Effects and Optional Rules [Lasombra]
These rules are not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.

Obtenebration, Shroud of Absence [Lasombra]
The Shroud of Absence has no effects on mechanical recording devices, acting identically to Obfuscate in that respect only. A maximum of three Social Traits can be spent to raise the user's Willpower for challenges to the Shroud of Absence. They must be spent when the power is activated, and they last for the duration of the power’s use. Any attacks made out of a Shroud of Absence allow those around it to immediately test against the Shroud, even if they have recently failed to pierce it.

Presence, Temptation and Phobia [Followers of Set]
Effects of these Disciplines are not permanent. Instead, they last until the victim spends as many Willpower Traits as the user spent to activate it. Each time the victim spends Willpower to resist, they stop the effects of the Discipline for ten minutes (or one turn of combat). Temptation and Phobia are High Approval for non-Setites.

Presence, Corruption [Followers of Set]
The Setite must spend at least as many Willpower Traits as the target's Morality rating for this power to be successful. It will then last until the target spends as many Willpower Traits to resist this discipline as the Setite has permanent Social Traits. Each time the victim spends Willpower to resist, they stop the effects of the Discipline for ten minutes (or one turn in combat). Corruption is High Approval for non-Setites.

Protean, Shape of the Beast [Gangrel]
The Sanctioned Chronicle allows the flavor text for different shapes (“Animal Forms” on page 67 of Clanbook Gangrel) for use with Gangrel characters. Non-Gangrel do not have the option of choosing different shapes, but default to the 'wolf' and 'bat' as described in Laws of the Night: Revised. However, the rules mechanics found in the Clanbook for Shape of the Beast are not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle. Use the rules in Laws of the Night and Vampire, Chapter 3 to define the capabilities of your animal forms.

Protean, Animal Swarm [Gangrel]
The animals created by this Discipline can have from one to four Blood Traits each (divided evenly between the creatures). Each creature has Physical Traits equal to three plus the number of Blood Traits it started with, and health levels as follows: Healthy, Bruised, Wounded, Incapacitated, and Dead.

Protean, Mythic Form [Gangrel]
This Discipline and all the mechanics involved are High Approval.

Quietus, Blood Sweat [Assamite]
To use Blood Sweat, the character concentrates for two turns, doing nothing more than walking a step each turn, and then initiates the challenge as his action on the third turn. He expends Mental Traits (up to a maximum of three) and makes a Simple Test for each Trait expended. Each Simple Test won will cause the victim to lose three Blood Traits. Each tie causes a loss of two Blood Traits, and each Test lost will cause the victim to lose only one Blood Trait.

Quietus, Baal’s Bloody Talons [Assamite]
Additional damage caused as a result of winning the Simple Tests is also aggravated. A weapon may hold a maximum number of coatings equal to its normal bonus Traits. Other special enhancements of the weapon (other Quietus blood powers, wards or any other special enhancements) are destroyed as soon as the weapon is coated with Baal's Bloody Talons. As each Blood Trait degrades, the weapon loses one bonus Trait. When reduced to 0 bonus traits the weapon is destroyed as per the description.

Serpentis, Cobra Fangs [Followers of Set]
After activating this discipline, a successful bite by the Setite inflicts an extra level of aggravated damage, plus one additional damage level per Blood Trait expended at that time (up to a maximum of three Blood Traits).

Serpentis, Heart Thief [Followers of Set]
To use this Discipline successfully, the Setite must win a Physical Challenge and then win or tie two Simple Tests to steal a vampire's heart. These may be retested with Brawl.

Setite Sorcery [Followers of Set]
Setite Sorcery (a version of Thaumaturgy developed by the Followers of Set) is a High Approval Discipline for which all characters (even Setites) must pay out of clan Experience Traits costs. Setite Sorcery uses the same rules and approval levels as Thaumaturgy. The primary path of Setite Sorcery is the Path of Corruption instead of the Path of Blood. Followers of Set and Serpents of the Light who know Setite Sorcery may teach it to others as if it were an in-clan Discipline.

RITUALS (5.5)

All Thaumaturgy rituals in Clanbook Tremere require Low Approval to be learned by Tremere, but High Approval for others. Only Tremere can learn Power of the Pyramid and Transubstantiation of Seven.

Abandon the Fetters, Blood Certámen, Inscription, Mark of Amaranth, and Night of the Red Heart require High Approval. Curse Belated requires High Approval to successfully use.

Bone of Contention [Tremere]
This is an Elder level ritual.

Deny the Intruder [Tremere]
Influence endeavors directed at a chantry protected by this ritual require twice the normal level of Influence, and twice the number of Influence actions expended. Failure to meet these requirements causes the endeavor to fail.

Inscription [Tremere]
Inscription works on Basic rituals only. A character cannot use this ritual if her effective maximum blood pool has been reduced to five or less.

Rutor’s Hand
Rutor’s Hand does not establish line of sight for the purpose of using other powers.

Transubstantiation of Seven [Tremere]
This ritual is only effective if the subject is Tremere.

COMBINATION POWERS (5.6)

Combination powers from the Clanbooks may be learned with Mid Approval for members of the appropriate clan, and High Approval for members of other clans (except as noted below). No teacher is required for combination powers from these sources if the learning vampire has three Traits of Lore for the appropriate clan.

Birth the Vozhd [Tzimisce]
It requires Top Approval to learn and to use this power. Possessing it is required before a character can use the rules for creating Vozhd in Laws of the Night Sabbat Guide.

Calling the Thing in Darkness and Descent Into Darkness [Lasombra]
These rules are not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.

Claw Immunity [Gangrel]
This power is effective against shapechangers in their animal or near-animal forms (Lupus and Hispo for Garou).

Iron Heart [Brujah]
This power requires High Approval for Brujah and Top Approval for others.

Pater Szlachta [Tzimisce]
All Blood Traits spent for this power must be spent in one turn.