Thin-Blooded

WHAT ARE THE THIN-BLOODED?

Duskborn | Mercurians | Run-Off | Abortions | Half-Breeds

A deteriorated breed, a portent of the end times, or a vampire for a brave new world? Balancing at the midpoint between life and death, the everchanging nature of the Duskborn evokes pity, jealousy, and fear in equal measure. Survivors of the last decades of pogroms, prejudice, and ostracization, the thin-blooded are here to stay. Their messy street alchemy and ability to pass as human makes them uniquely suited to thrive outside Kindred society and make their own fate in the post-modern nights.

Sires tell their childer of the 13th and 14th generation never to attempt the Embrace as their Blood is too far removed from Caine. They say it will bring nothing but death and sorrow. But, be it by mistake or design, this edict is not always followed.

• A 14th generation Kindred, who only by miracle avoided the flaw of thin blood themselves, drain a mortal in a fit of frenzy and guiltily feed them a mouthful of vitae, hoping against hope that it might reanimate the broken body.

• A Ventrue from a long line of liars thinks herself closer to her progenitor than she really is, and believes she is creating a worthy member for her clan.

• A prince’s great-grandchilde attempts to force their diluted vitae into the mouth of their ancestor’s executed, treacherous ghoul just to get back at the old tyrant.

• A Tremere, often overlooked by his clan for his weakness of Blood and spirit, experiments with the Embrace to prove himself as good as them.

In all these cases, a dusk-born may awaken, if the Blood wills it.

Kindred who intend to sire thin-bloods often target individuals they already have a pre-existing relationship with, such as a trusted ghoul or a human family member they cannot forget, or they seek out vessels who demonstrate specific traits or rare talents that make them better equipped to survive as the weakest of predators. Many Kindred view the thin-bloods as a threat to the Masquerade and will destroy them, if given the chance.

The thin-blooded can be of any mortal origin and are not affected by their parent clan’s curse nor by their preferences in the same degree as their sire. If they are allowed to rise, they will likely be turned away, gaining the luxury of freedom and the danger of solitude.

In 1977 the Inner Circle of the Camarilla issued an edict that all thin-blooded must be branded or tattooed with the “mark of the crescent moon”. Inked by a Tremere tattoo artist or scorched with a beam of sunlight, the brand is irreversible. Even Anarchs and unbound think twice before associating with a marked Mercurian.

DISCIPLINES

Thin-bloods pioneered and practice the art of thin-blood alchemy. This potentially allows them to taste the Disciplines of other Kindred, and to get more than a taste if they can find the vitae to fuel those workings.

Additionally, whenever a thinblood feeds they gain one dot in one Discipline associated with the Resonance of the blood consumed, together with one level one power in that discipline. If the Resonance is Intense or stronger, they gain an additional dot together with a second power. No additional powers can be gained in this way nor can the rating increase with experience. This Discipline lasts until Hunger reaches 5 or the next feeding.

CHARACTERISTICS

A thin-blood is created when a 13th or higher generation vampire Embraces a mortal. While formally belonging to the 14th, 15th, or even 16th generation, these classifications mean nothing to the thin-bloods, as they exhibit a wide variety of traits with no connection to their supposed generation. A 14th generation thin-blood may be too weak to even Blood Bond with a mortal, while a 15th might still retain the ability to Embrace, and vice versa. Among the dusk-born, the lines are blurred.

Despite this, your thin-blood character is still fundamentally a vampire, and unless otherwise stated follows the same rules as other vampires in the book.

Blood

Thin-bloods cannot create Blood Bonds or perform the Embrace with any certainty. A Rouse Check worth of thin-blood vitae imbues a mortal with ghoul-like powers, but only for a single night. Thin-bloods always have Blood Potency 0 (see p. 215).

Clan

A thin-blood is always considered clanless and never suffers any specific clan bane or compulsion.

Damage

Most thin-bloods sustain damage like mortals but mend like vampires. In game terms, they take Aggravated damage not only from fire, but also from slashing and piercing weapons. Impalement with a stake does not paralyze them but instead causes massive physical trauma, likely sending them into torpor. Once damaged, thin-bloods heal according to the rules for other vampires.

Hunger & Frenzy

A thin-blood suffers hunger just as any vampire. However, the Beast is far less overt, and a thin-blood never frenzies unless provoked by supernatural means (such as Animalism, p. 244).

Life-Like

A thin-blood always counts as having used Blush of Life (se p. 218), the exact effects dependent on their Humanity rating.

Sunlight

Thin-bloods take only one level of Superficial damage per turn in direct sunlight. Less direct sunlight causes damage with less frequency. For example, under heavy clouds or if masked and protected by clothing or thick sunscreen, the thin-blood might only sustain damage every third turn or once per minute.

Thin-Blood Merits

Thin-bloods often display additional variations. See Thin-Blood Merits and Flaws (p. 183) for details.

ARCHETYPES

Live One

This thin-blood is deeply connected to the mortal world, perhaps more so than the Kindred one. They still maintain a family and attempt to hold a job; paying the bills is more important than the whim of some baron they have never met. Ironically, to maintain their human façade, they likely have to lean heavily on the powers in their Blood.

Weapon of Convenience

A former occultist, ghoul, or blood doll, they were close to the Kindred before joining their ranks and knew some of their secrets. This thin-blood was Embraced out of their sire’s desperation when backed into a corner, and they were meant to take part in some war or pursue a vengeful dream. Whether they choose to do so or not is up to them. The Embrace released them from their former slavery, and now there is nothing forcing them to do their sire’s bidding.

Guilty Embrace

This thin-blood was not Embraced as part of some elaborate plan. A party-goer, a late-night worker walking home alone, or just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time – a vampire fed from them and drank a little too much. Perhaps the Embrace was performed by the drinker as an act of desperate guilt, or perhaps their sire was an onlooker who couldn’t bear to watch them die.

Natural Vampire

This thin-blood was destined to become one of the Kindred. As a mortal hunter or a member of Arcanum, they studied the lore of the clans and the myth of Caine and became too fascinated for their own good. Meaning to kill, question, or request the Embrace, they tracked down one of the Kindred. But their sire was a not what was expected by the childe, who is now bitter at the weakness in their veins.

Redemption Seeker

This thin-blood was turned against their will and refuses to accept a place in a world of streetlights and blood. They are recently turned and desperately look for a way to cure their “condition,” seeking out rumors of others who have done it as well as weird legends of Golconda and blood transfusions. There is indeed a way, but before they figure it out this thin-blood will try anything and is easy to manipulate by callous Kindred.

WAYS OUT

Straddling the line between mortality and vampirism, thin-bloods have a choice. While they do not age, and can thus stay thin-bloods indefinitely, most of their kind sooner or later chooses the day or the night. A thin-blood who manages to commit diablerie on a “true” Kindred absorbs not only their power and spirit but also their lineage, turning them into a 13th generation Kindred of their victim’s clan. The Camarilla occasionally dangles this prize in front of dusk-born who show themselves capable of running the dirtiest of errands and surviving, offering up a Cainite sentenced to a Blood Hunt as sacrifice.

Conversely, every thin-blood knows someone who knows someone who returned to the daylight. The story usually goes that they became mortal again by clinging to their humanity until they could hunt down and end their sire, thus ending their curse. Of course, any mortal who knows about the Kindred is a threat to the Masquerade.