Clans & Bloodlines

Though set during the waning 20th century, our chronicle will incorporate some elements of the changing metaplot from V5. As such, many clans have been dissolved, reformed, renamed, or even changed alliances. The clans presented below are generally available to players, but as always, are subject to Storyteller approval.

THE THIRTEEN CLANS

Banu Haqim ^{(See: Camarilla Sect Book)}

The Judges of the Banu Haqim are torn between their hereditary thirst for vampiric Blood and their passion for justice. Stern adjudicators, they are fiercely devoted to upholding a moral code, and Embrace mortals capable of assessing and handling threats, enforcing laws and traditions, and punishing transgressors.

Brujah

The Brujah are a clan of radicals and troublemakers, Embracing those willing to put someone in their place if the situation calls for it. Most see themselves as warriors with a cause, and these Rebels are guided by their passions, strength, and dedication to their ideals — whatever those may be.

Gangrel

Often closer to beasts than other vampires, the Gangrel style themselves apex predators. These Ferals prowl the wilds as easily as the urban jungle, and no clan of vampires can match their ability to endure, survive, and thrive in any environment. Often fiercely territorial, their shapeshifting abilities even give the undead pause.

Hecata ^{(See: Cults of the Blood Gods)}

A motley collection of necromantic vampire bloodlines, the Hecata clan are united in the pursuit of a single subject: Death. They are students of the afterlife and resurrectionists of the dead — or worse. Selling their services to the highest bidder, or acting in their own interests, there are few who can hide from the surveillance of those who can summon and command the very spirits of the deceased.

Lasombra ^{(See: Chicago By Night)}

Creatures subtly at odds with mundane reality, Lasombra vampires are expected to triumph at any cost. Ruthlessness is a sought-after trait in progeny, making their reputation as betraying interlopers well deserved. Most do not seek attention, preferring to act as puppeteers, powers behind the proverbial throne. To a Shadow, the ends justify any means.

Malkavian

Derided as Lunatics by other vampires, the Blood of the Malkavians lets them perceive and foretell truths hidden from others. Like the “wise madmen” of poetry their fractured perspective stems from seeing too much of the world at once, from understanding too deeply, and feeling emotions that are just too strong to bear.

The Ministry ^{(See: Anarch Sect Book)}

The Ministry always has something to offer. This often cult-like clan recruits those able to employ temptation as a weapon. They Embrace those with the will and means to sway, entrap, and ultimately liberate their targets from whatever they seek: the victim’s possessions, allegiance, or even faith. To the Serpents, everything has a price.

Nosferatu

The Nosferatu wear their curse on the outside. Their bodies horribly twisted and deformed through the Embrace, they lurk on the fringes of most cities, acting as spies and brokers of information. Using animals and their own supernatural capacity to hide, nothing escapes the eyes of the so-called Sewer Rats.

Ravnos ^{(See: Player's Companion)}

Masters of misdirection, the Ravnos prefer not to fight or bleed for something they can obtain through subtler means. They can charm and vanish within the same mortal breath, and those once fooled quickly learn to question their very senses when in the company of Ravens. Always on the move, the Ravnos can never rest in the same place for long lest their curse light them on fire as they slumber.

Toreador

Known for their seductive nature, enthralling demeanor, and eloquent grace to the point of obsession, Toreador vampires Embrace artists and lovers into their ranks, forever trying to stir their own deadened hearts. Supernaturally graceful and charming, the Divas are always looking for the next thrill, leaving a detritus of discarded lovers and victims in their wake.

Tremere

The arcane Clan Tremere were once a house of mortal mages who sought immortality but found only undeath. As vampires, they’ve perfected ways to bend their own Blood to their will, employing their sorceries to master and ensorcel both the mortal and vampire world. Their power makes them valuable, but few vampires trust their scheming ways.

Tzimisce ^{(See: Player's Companion)}

To the Tzimisce, possession is all. They aim to dominate and own the subject of their possessiveness, jealously guarding it like their namesake dragon would its hoard. Everything from land, people, cults, companies, or gangs can fall under the covetous claws of a Dragon. This relentless possessiveness extends as well to their own bodies, and they often rework themselves into flawless, hideous, or utterly alien forms, all the better to display their utter control of all things theirs.

Ventrue

The Ventrue are not called the Clan of Kings for nothing. Carefully choosing their progeny from mortals familiar with power, wealth, and influence, the Ventrue style themselves the aristocrats of the vampire world. Their members are expected to assume command wherever possible, and they’re willing to endure storms for the sake of leading from the front.

THE CLANLESS

Caitiff

Exhibiting no discernable lineage, the Caitiffs are vampires without a clan. Distrusted by their peers, they are scorned because of their lack of lineage but also feared for their unpredictability. Jacks of all trades but masters of none, each Pander makes their own way in the society of the damned, free from ancestry and expectations both.

Salubri ^{(See: Player's Companion)}

Most of their kind lost to undead usurpers, the highly desirable Blood of the hunted Salubri is a prize to other vampires. This, and their reluctance to Embrace, makes them rare in the modern nights. They often recruit those on the edge of death, believing their curse can provide the worthy a second chance, and they count some of the most humane vampires among their ranks.

Thin-Blooded

Neither entirely vampire nor mortal, the ever changing nature of the Duskborn evokes pity, jealousy, and fear in equal measure. Considered little more than trash by most vampires, the thin-bloods are banding together, leveraging their resistance to sunlight and the strange, mercurial adaptability of their powers against their oppressors.