TEXT: 1 
  V20 COMPANION
  
  8 
  INTRODUCTION
  © 2012 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbid-
  den, except for the purposes of reviews, and one printed copy which may be reproduced for personal use only. Vampire the 
  Masquerade and Storyteller System are registered trademarks of CCP hf. All rights reserved. This book uses the supernatural 
  for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fictional and intended for entertainment purposes 
  only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
  Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com
  Credits
  Authors: Justin Achilli and Eddy Webb
  Editor and Indexer: Genevieve Podleski
  Creative and Art Director: Rich Thomas
  Layout and Typesetting: Ron Thompson
  Cover Art: Steven Stahlberg
  Interior Art: Christopher Shy, Michael Gaydos, 
  Mark Jackson, Vince Locke, John Cobb, Bill Sien-
  kiewicz, Tim Bradstreet, Jon J. Muth, Guy Davis,  
  Ken Meyer, Jr.
  Special Thanks
  Justin “Ravnos-cadabra” Achilli for moving five 
  times for four companies in one year.
  Rich “Let’s Make It Up As We Go Along” Thom-
  as for pulling the trigger on Kickstarter funding.
  Ethan “The Curse Renewed” Skemp for being 
  drawn back into Werewolf development for the 20th 
  anniversary. 
  Aileen “Taskmistress” Miles for making sure Ethan 
  knew what side his bread was buttered on.
  Kai “Bear Naked” Schiefer for the best kind of ne-
  gotiation tactics. 
  Matthew “Once Were Tremere” Sanderson for 
  learning the hard way not to mess with a Malkavian 
  with True Faith.
  Alan “The Whore of White Wolf” Orr for practic-
  ing the second-oldest form of capitalism.
  Rafael “Spam Trap” Grotti for digging Justin out 
  of the trash.
  
  9 
  V20 COMPANION
  Table of Contents
  Introduction
  Chapter One: Titles
  Chapter Two: Prestation
  Chapter Three: Kindred and Technology
  Chapter Four: A World of Darkness
  Appendix
  10
  14
  36
  50
  62
  76
  
  10 
  INTRODUCTION
  
  11 
  V20 COMPANION
  Introduction  
  This has been an interesting book to write and de-
  velop.
  When I started developing for Vampire: The Dark 
  Ages, back in 1997, making books was a very differ-
  ent arrangement than it is today, especially with the 
  open development process. I’d have an idea, my man-
  ager would approve it, I’d write an outline, the writer 
  would write it, the art director and graphic designer 
  would make it pretty, and it’d end up in your hands.
  Now it’s very different. As both writer and devel-
  oper, I have an immediate and always-open link with 
  the people who’ll be using the material I’m creating. 
  No more dumping words into my office and coming 
  out, six weeks later, with a book that I hope people 
  like. Now, you and I get to work together every step 
  of the way. That’s how we did it for Vampire: The 
  Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition — hereafter, 
  V20, because that’s just too damned long to say — 
  and that’s how we want to do it from here on out.
  For example, when I put up the development draft 
  of the titles chapter of the V20 Companion, an un-
  deniable volume of feedback questioned the function 
  of the systems attached to titles. Players felt that the 
  systems made the titles too mechanical, that they left 
  too many questions as to how the systems conferred 
  their benefits, and the metaphysics of suddenly having 
  or losing three dice to a pool because an Archbishop 
  said, “You’re not a paladin anymore.” Poof! Those 
  dice vanished with the title.
  As a result of player feedback, I cut the systems.
  A book is a book. It’s of finite size and finite content. 
  Of course, I think this is a good book, with plenty of 
  good and fun and Vampire-themed ideas, but at the 
  end of the day, it’s about 40,000 words and 60 pages 
  long. With all of the discussion that went into this 
  book, on the White Wolf Blogs, in the comments, in 
  the forums, and across the social networks where we 
  talk about what we’re developing, we’d be at about 
  320,000 words. That’s about the size of the V20 book 
  itself, somewhere near 500 pages.
  Where I’m headed with this is that, if you like 
  what’s in here, or if you just like to talk about Vam-
  pire, join us in the open development process. You get 
  to help me deliver the book you want. I get to work 
  with a creative and insightful group of players who get 
  to know why I make the decisions I do instead of just 
  accepting what the publisher puts in front of them. 
  It’s a very good system.
  11 
  V20 COMPANION
  
  12 
  INTRODUCTION
  There are so many good ideas that came out of ei-
  ther showing in-development material or just plain 
  talking about the game that I wish I could print them 
  all here. If you’re interested in the currency of ideas, 
  having new material to show in your chronicle or new 
  concepts around which to center a character or en-
  counter, share them in open development! Even if 
  they don’t see “official” print, you’re likely to inspire 
  someone else or to draw inspiration from them. Isn’t 
  that what storytelling is about?
  What’s In This Book?
  Traditionally, the companion books that followed 
  game line core books have been “director’s cut” ma-
  terial, stuff that didn’t fit in the book but that meta-
  phorically ended up on the cutting-room because of 
  page-count constraints. This time, however, Transme-
  dia Manager and Art Director Richard Thomas spe-
  cifically didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to be 
  bound by how we had done our books in the past or 
  confined by what we had to do in physical print titles 
  now that digital publishing and print-on-demand are 
  our primary delivery methods. In particular, he want-
  ed to put much of the book back in the hands of the 
  players and really take advantage of the open develop-
  ment process.
  Rich also wanted the book to include options, per-
  mutations, options to tweak the setting and ways 
  for each troupe to make their chronicles their own. 
  The original pitch contained a section on kitbash-
  ing the physical Disciplines to better suit individual 
  playstyles, but after consulting with the #v20 Twit-
  ter community and the vigorous commenters at the 
  White Wolf Blogs, it became obvious that Vampire: 
  The Masquerade players wanted some more juicy set-
  ting material to explore in their games.
  So I came up with an outline, Rich and Eddy ap-
  proved it, I wrote about a third of the material, and 
  then we put it up on the web for some feedback. You 
  gave us your input, we put it back through the writing 
  process, and here’s an overview of the finished, player-
  approved material.
  Chapter One: The community spoke very strongly 
  here, telling me to dump the systems in favor of more 
  numerous and more versatile titles. The result is a cor-
  nucopia of titles, from the tried and true staples from 
  20 years of Vampire history to new concepts and titles 
  that explore interesting Vampire themes. This chap-
  ter also offers a bit of expanded material on the more 
  esoteric sects, the better to frame the understanding 
  of their titles.
  Chapter Two: This chapter expands the idea of 
  prestation from a Camarilla-only practice to a sort 
  of comme il faut that exists beyond the boundaries of 
  sects, allowing the Damned to expect certain things 
  from their colleagues in the other factions — and 
  then revile them when those who have pledged their 
  promises break them. Included is the system of boons 
  and favors that Kindred thrill to trade and the social 
  consequences of employing them.
  Chapter Three: This chapter on Kindred and 
  Technology was the most challenging to write, for 
  two reasons. First, the topic is so broad as to easily fill 
  a book of its own. Hell, how technology has changed 
  in Vampire’s 20 years is an enormous enough topic on 
  its own, let alone exploring how the Kindred have re-
  acted to those changes. Second, the chapter needs to 
  play closely enough to the conceits of vampire to pro-
  vide a foundation — in general, Elders fear and spurn 
  technology while Neonates flock to it to give them an 
  edge. However, those are pretty obvious statements, 
  so the chapter needs to play against type often enough 
  to create some new ideas and turn the Kindred’s ex-
  pectations upon themselves. The result is an uncon-
  ventionally arrayed chapter that’s more of a collection 
  of ideas than a sequential exploration of topics. Plus, 
  the technology chapter is where the Anarchs to pull 
  themselves out of their early-2000s slump.
  Chapter Four: This is another place where commu-
  nity feedback really shines. My original plan for this 
  chapter was to have almost a “survey” of the World 
  of Darkness: a handful of locations that illustrated 
  Vampire themes and hopefully encouraged players to 
  turn an eye to what lies beyond their home domains. 
  The response was overwhelming, however, in that 
  everyone active in the community seemed to have a 
  cool idea for a location or a request for more informa-
  tion on their own home regions. This chapter swelled 
  to over twice its original proposed size. But so what? 
  The people who are buying the books said what they 
  wanted, and it’s my job to give it to them in the way 
  that suits the release schedule best.
  
  13 
  V20 COMPANION
  
  14 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  
  15 
  V20 COMPANION
  The Kindred are a proud and acquisitive race. Re-
  gardless of which sect, if any, owns their allegiance, the 
  social contract among vampires demands a pecking 
  order, and the more Cainites who dwell in a domain, 
  the more complex the hierarchy of who’s superior to 
  whom and who can demand respect from whom.
  In its simplest form, Kindred social structure has 
  one preeminent vampire at the top, who maintains 
  her primacy based on strength, cunning, or zeal. Titles 
  add dimension to this and complexity to the network 
  of Kindred relations. More importantly, for the vam-
  pires themselves, they add something a vampire can 
  lord over other vampires: a social recognition of their 
  achievements or a symbol of their commitment to 
  their domain’s culture.
  Titles are part of the landscape of the vampires’ 
  World of Darkness. From the rampaging Sabbat to the 
  Machiavellian Camarilla to the eldritch Tal’Mahe’Ra 
  to the turbulent Anarchs, titles define sectarian 
  causes and illustrate what Kindred collectives find im-
  portant. Without titles, if the whole of the society of 
  the Damned comprised unrelated Autarkis, the night 
  would be an even more anarchic place. Indeed, to 
  many Kindred, the only thing more important than a 
  sense of superiority in the night is blood itself.
  Observing Titles
  New Kindred are often surprised to discover the 
  vast hierarchy of undead society — as well as how 
  rigid that hierarchy can be. To modern Kindred, the 
  elaborate social structure of the Damned is part of the 
  horror of their condition: The rules and offices are 
  downright feudal in their severity, and few domains 
  make provisions for the “rights” of a fledgling. Even 
  those that do carry a burden, in that each Kindred de-
  pends on every other Kindred to keep their existence 
  secret. 
  Elders, of course, may never have known anything 
  other than a closed social structure. Whether their 
  last living days were in the Dark Ages or the Age of 
  Enlightenment, the Blood is far from egalitarian in its 
  potential. While the results of the Embrace may allow 
  for equality among the genders, creeds, and culture of 
  mortal life, there’s no greater limit to Kindred power 
  than Generation itself. The power of the Blood dove-
  tails nicely with concepts familiar to elders such as Di-
  vine Right and mandated despotism. There’s even an 
  element of predestination to it all: If a vampire was in-
  tended to make a difference in Kindred society, well, 
  Chapter One: 
  Titles
  To punish me for my contempt for authority, 
  fate made me an authority myself.
  — Albert Einstein
  15 
  V20 COMPANION
  
  16 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  she’ll have the age and power to make it so. Titles are 
  simply the social trappings of this call to destiny.
  Ancillae may find themselves straddling the line of 
  these vastly different perspectives in the War of Ages. 
  Certainly, the fact that they’re no longer neonates al-
  lows ancillae to taste some amount of the power upon 
  which elders can call, and what Kindred can honestly 
  say that she doesn’t want more of whatever tastes 
  motivate her. On the other hand, unless those elders 
  die off, ancillae find themselves in the same position 
  as many neonates, locked out of the ability to gather 
  the unlimited wealth, blood, or power that seems to 
  be the Caine-cursed privilege of the most venerable 
  among the Damned.
  It is within the dangerous mix of personal domains, 
  local politics, and the War of Ages that titles play such 
  a prominent role. Kindred titles reflect the weight 
  of the Kindred social contract, the timeless, deadly 
  ballet of vampiric cohabitation that has erected the 
  order that Cainite domains require for stability and 
  to thrive. Since time immemorial, since Caine first 
  spoke the Traditions, the rules have existed and have 
  needed someone to be their shepherd. Sects like the 
  Camarilla exist to reinforce the social order while fac-
  tions like the Sabbat seek to remake these constructs 
  into something that benefits their own outlook. The 
  modern notions and technological acumen of the An-
  archs, the transcendental mysticism of the Inconnu, 
  and the bloody gnosticism of the Tal’Mahe’Ra — all 
  of these exist to keep in check the ravages of the Beast 
  and the ego of lesser Kindred. Titles imply rules and 
  rules give order. Anything else is chaos, and irrevers-
  ible damnation.
  From the rankest neonate granted the duties of the 
  Scourge to the most terrible Methuselah Prince, each 
  vampire has a duty to one another, a station above or 
  below one another, and privileges or responsibilities 
  he can expect from the calcified hierarchy of vampiric 
  custom. The society of Kindred is greater than any 
  individual Cainite herself.
  At least, so the Damned hope.
  Acquiring a Title
  Normally, a Kindred acquires a title over the course 
  of a chronicle’s events, either earning the title or be-
  ing placed unceremoniously in it by a vampire who 
  wishes to see her fail publicly. A title may be a reward 
  or a punishment; it may be an ambition or an obliga-
  tion. Whatever the case, a title comes with certain 
  responsibilities and expectations. A Kindred may pos-
  sess a title as long as she’s fulfilling the terms of the 
  title and its social contract with other vampires — or 
  she may be propped up by a mentor (or rival) who 
  sees a little more potential (or humiliation) than the 
  Cainite in question has demonstrated to date.
  In game terms, a Kindred wishing to obtain a title 
  must have done something during a chronicle that 
  warrants her consideration for the title. A Storyteller 
  has three options when it comes to granting titles and 
  indeed may employ any of them in a chronicle de-
  pending on how he wishes to see the title used in play.
  Bestowment: The Storyteller may decide that, 
  purely as a result of the chronicle’s events, a ranking 
  Kindred bestows a given title on the vampire. This is 
  commonly the case in chronicles in which the players’ 
  characters are charged with a task by, say, a Prince or 
  Archbishop, or in which they’re drafted by a Sheriff 
  to “bring that Anarch menace to heel,” for example. 
  In the case of bestowment, the title lasts so long as 
  the granting Storyteller character allows it to exist or 
  so long as the character is competent or conniving 
  enough to maintain it. Indeed, savvy Kindred may 
  be elevated to titles persist longer than the vampires 
  who granted them. In these cases, story events dictate 
  the term of the title, and the Storyteller may revoke 
  them (with story context, obviously) as the chronicle 
  requires. In certain circumstances, a boon (see Chap-
  ter Two) may be discharged with the bestowment of a 
  title. Such favoritism is rife in Kindred society.
  Character Advancement: Titles are a bit like the 
  Status Background, and if the Storyteller chooses to 
  allow, may function similarly to that Background (see 
  below). A player may purchase a title with experience 
  points at a rate of one experience point per dot of the 
  title’s ranking. This is a perilous undertaking, however, 
  as titles reflect something that another Kindred may 
  declare null at any time. Having the chance to pur-
  chase a title must, of course, come as a result of actions 
  taken within a story: Few Kindred are declared Pala-
  dins or Primogen “just because.” Storytellers should 
  allow Kindred who purchase their titles with experi-
  ence points a bit more leeway in success or failure in 
  determining whether they may continue to keep their 
  titles. After all, they’ve paid for the privilege with the 
  character advancement resource, and failure in a title’s 
  responsibilities can yield as many storytelling opportu-
  nities as success. It is recommended that no character 
  be allowed to begin a chronicle with a title (unless the 
  Storyteller determines otherwise).
  
  17 
  V20 COMPANION
  Status Benefit: A Storyteller may choose to com-
  bine the functions of Status and titles. If this is the 
  case, a character with a title doesn’t pay anything ad-
  ditional for it, but the Kindred’s Status is tied to the 
  title, and if she loses that status, she loses the title 
  as well. Using this option adds a high-stakes politi-
  cal aspect to a chronicle, but also reflects the “what 
  have you done for us lately?” attitude held by many 
  vampires. Some ambitious Kindred is always waiting 
  in the shadows to take advantage of a fallen leader’s 
  decline. Naturally, this makes Status a double-edged 
  sword, conferring duty upon esteem, and such meri-
  tocracy isn’t always appropriate to every domain. 
  After all, some territories are home to much-revered 
  vampires of high Status who don’t actually do much 
  to maintain that Status, but instead cling to old glo-
  ries as symbols of their prominence.
  Titles as Status Bonuses
  Given that vampire society reveres status and ac-
  complishment, it’s not a surprise that those who ac-
  quire titles can bring those symbols of accomplish-
  ment to bear in the social arena. Provided the Kindred 
  in question doesn’t mind name-dropping or laying it 
  on thick, a Kindred can invoke her title for a Status 
  bonus.
  System: The player spends a Willpower point. For 
  the duration of the scene, the player may add the val-
  ue of the character’s title in addition to the number of 
  dice granted by her Status Background to dice pools 
  that would be modified by the Status Background. 
  Failure on this roll indicates that the character comes 
  across as a sycophant or overbearing. See p. 118 of 
  V20 for more information on using Status in social 
  situations.
  Creating New Titles
  The Damned are enamored of any social construct 
  that allows them to display their importance to one 
  another. Their elaborate sect and clan structures re-
  flect this, and in addition to the widespread titles 
  widely recognized regardless of geography, any num-
  ber of localized titles may exist in any given domain. 
  For example, a Sabbat stronghold on the border of a 
  Lupine territory may have a Huntsman title respon-
  sible for organizing proactive raids against the ram-
  paging werewolves, while an Anarch might hold a 
  “diplomatic” office responsible for “recruiting” from 
  the more stable Camarilla stronghold up the highway.
  As such, Storytellers and players are encouraged 
  to create titles that reflect the unique state of their 
  chronicles and home domains. So long as the result 
  is something that can create a story hook or impress 
  another vampire with its formal recognition, some 
  Kindred somewhere probably calls it her title.
  Negative Titles
  Some titles are classified as “negative.” Such titles 
  are invariably detriments to their holders, whether so-
  cially or as indicators of a caste system that marks the 
  individual as a second-class (or worse) Kindred. Nega-
  tive titles aren’t stepped in terms of effect like more 
  positive titles are; they’re just bad — and they stay 
  that way so long as the title applies to the Cainite.
  A negative title always affects a Kindred, so long as 
  the vampires she’s dealing with know her title. If the 
  Kindred is able to hide her negative title, she suffers 
  no drawback from it, though if her title is revealed, 
  she may have more severe consequences than her title 
  carries on its own. For example, if an Outcast in a Ca-
  marilla domain claims a privilege that belongs only to 
  recognized Kindred, or if a True Hand Quli disobeys 
  her orders, these vampires may well find themselves 
  banished, imprisoned, or even destroyed.
  Should a player wish to confer a negative title on 
  her character, she may do so at her discretion and 
  with the agreement of the Storyteller. Note that, in 
  the context of a chronicle, it may not be possible to 
  simply declare a negative title void. Since a negative 
  title costs nothing to buy (see above), it cannot, simi-
  larly, be bought off. While a negative title may pro-
  vide an excellent opportunity for roleplaying or char-
  acter background, they should not be taken lightly, as 
  they represent the prejudices and hypocrisies of the 
  deathless, parasitic society of the Damned that spawns 
  them.
  System: Negative titles inflict a variety of draw-
  backs upon those Kindred who labor under their stig-
  ma. Cainites with negative titles subtract one from 
  social dice pools in actions involving those who know 
  they bear the title.
  Titles by Sect
  Each of the Cainite sects has a different ideology, 
  and the agenda driven by this philosophy dictates 
  a variety of roles and responsibilities for those who 
  would rise to prominence in their sect.
  
  18 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  The V20 core rulebook explored only a few of the 
  titles and offices held by vampires. Indeed, with any 
  number of domains and unique situations that charac-
  terize the world of the Kindred, the number of distinct 
  titles is never uniform, nor is their exact function. 
  What follows are some of the more consistent and 
  widespread titles among the dominant sects. These 
  may serve as models for Storytellers to use in their do-
  mains, or they may be useful as points of comparison 
  for new titles.
  The Camarilla
  While it is by no means the oldest Kindred sect, the 
  Camarilla is likely the most widespread and certainly 
  the most stable. This is due in large part to the Ivory 
  Tower’s laissez-faire attitude toward domains. So long 
  as whoever claims Praxis over the domain enforces 
  the Traditions and respects the customs and primacy 
  of the Inner Council, the domain receives the Cama-
  rilla’s blessing and support.
  The philosophy and hierarchy is unabashedly feu-
  dal: Those of high Status in the sect may be said to 
  “rule” those of lesser Status (through setting or at 
  least influencing domain policy and custom), but they 
  also owe them some degree of protection against the 
  outside world, as represented by the enforcement of 
  the Traditions. The practical reality of the matter 
  varies by domain — some domains are exceedingly 
  formal and do in fact resemble courts of aristocrats, 
  while others are practically frontier territories, stand-
  ing boldly but precariously against threats from other 
  Kindred, suspicious kine, and the unknown horrors of 
  the World of Darkness.
  Thus, to the average Camarilla Kindred, sect rarely 
  factors into nightly unlife — except when it does. 
  Princes and Primogen may have a handful of very 
  strict rules, but for the most part, Camarilla Kindred 
  can do whatever they like, so long as they abide by the 
  Traditions of the domain and heed the pecking order. 
  To this end, the Camarilla typically practices a policy 
  of inclusion, in that it considers all Kindred members 
  of its sect unless they formally exclude themselves 
  from it (such as by pledging allegiance to another 
  sect).
  As a result of this inequitable distribution of pow-
  er and duty, the Camarilla is also probably the sect 
  that has the most infighting. With its disparate mem-
  bers united only under the variable authority of the 
  Prince’s title — whose powers vary from domain to 
  domain — the Camarilla has little to bring it together 
  
  19 
  V20 COMPANION
  aside from the charisma of the Prince and the threat 
  of other sects’ encroachment. Feuds, vendetta, treach-
  ery, and scheming are as ubiquitous among Camarilla 
  Kindred as is the need for blood.
  One characteristic of the Camarilla, despite its de-
  centralized power structure among the lower echelons, 
  is an extremely potent and organized top tier. The In-
  ner Council of the Camarilla is universally respected 
  (or feared) by the members of the sect, even if they 
  disagree with its decisions or flout them in their pro-
  vincial shadows. Powerful agents of this high council, 
  like the Justicars, Archons, and Alastors, command 
  respect wherever they travel, as they are mobile ex-
  tensions of the will of the Inner Council, who are the 
  most ancient monsters most members of the Ivory 
  Tower can imagine.
  Proponents of the Camarilla structure compare it 
  to halcyon days of Rome, which granted citizenship 
  to those it conquered and allowed its citizens to do 
  whatever they wished, so long as the tribute arrived 
  on time. Critics use that same argument, and compare 
  the Inner Council to the most deluded of emperors, 
  playing their violins while the empire collapsed in 
  flames.
  More information on the Camarilla may be found 
  on pp. 38-39 of V20.
  Prince (Camarilla; 5-point Title)
  The Prince enforces and interprets the Traditions; 
  her word is law in her domain, which extends so far 
  as she has the might or influence to back it up. So 
  long as the other Kindred of the domain respect the 
  Prince’s authority, the Prince may render a verdict on 
  any matter involving the Traditions, up to and in-
  cluding another Kindred’s claim to the Blood. Every-
  thing from censure to declaring a Blood Hunt is at the 
  Prince’s disposal. 
  The Prince’s duties and privileges are described on 
  pp. 24-25 of V20. The types of Prince who rule do-
  mains are many and varied. A wise Prince knows that 
  rule must be just to enjoy continued support, but a 
  tyrant Prince may well rule through fear.
  Harpy (Camarilla; 2-point Title)
  The Harpy’s duties and privileges are described on 
  pp. 25 of V20.
  For chronicles using the prestation rules presented 
  in Chapter Two, Harpies may be the arbiters of the 
  validity or satisfaction of a boon. In these situations, 
  if a Harpy declares a boon satisfied or still owed, 
  such is the case, and any grievance in such a matter 
  held either by the debtor or the debt-holder must be 
  broached with the Harpies themselves.
  Optional System:  
  Harpies as Status-Mongers
  The approval of a Harpy can make or break 
  a fellow Kindred, and many Harpies are spar-
  ing with their praise but liberal with their 
  scorn. A Harpy’s favor grants a +2 increase 
  to a Kindred’s Status for as long as the Harpy 
  extolls his virtue. Similarly, a Harpy’s disap-
  proval reduces a Kindred’s Status by 1 (but 
  never below 0), for as long as the Harpy 
  speaks ill of him. A Harpy may generate only 
  a single Status effect at a given time, and 
  the effect lasts until the end of the scene in 
  which the Harpy ends her favor or disfavor.
  Keeper of Elysium  
  (Camarilla; 1-point Title)
  The Keeper of Elysium’s duties and privileges are 
  described on pp. 25 of V20.
  The duties and privileges of the Keeper of Elysium 
  begin and end in those hallowed halls. Once out-
  side an area with Elysium status, the Keeper is just 
  another Kindred. In fact, some large domains, or in 
  domains where the Prince decentralizes the power of 
  other Kindred of the court, each Elysium has its own 
  separate Keeper. The ultimate result is the same: The 
  Keeper of Elysium is both host and security in that 
  august place, and she alone has the ability to remove 
  transgressors against civility and personal safety.
  Those who fall into this role — for few are those 
  who actively seek to be custodians of hidden demesnes 
  where vampires may revel in the Damned natures — 
  have no common characteristics. Indeed, some Princ-
  es even use the title punitively, to teach recalcitrant 
  or presumptuous vampires object lessons about the 
  nature of the Kindred social contract.
  Scourge (Camarilla; 1-point Title)
  The Scourge’s unpleasant responsibilities are de-
  scribed on pp. 25 of V20.
  
  20 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  The Scourge’s Status is often considered one dot 
  higher for the purposes of social interaction with el-
  ders, who appreciate the Scourge’s efforts to stave off 
  the Time of Thin Blood.
  While the converse isn’t necessarily true among 
  lower echelons and younger Kindred of the domain, a 
  Scourge is rarely popular among those whom he may 
  one night find himself responsible for eliminating. 
  Whether or not they have the active hostility of the 
  neonate caste, Scourges are often considered sellout 
  “Uncle Toms” and the lapdogs of the corrupt elder 
  ranks.
  Sheriff (Camarilla; 2-point Title)
  The Sheriff’s duties are described on pp. 25 of V20.
  By invoking the authority of the Prince, the Sheriff 
  may, in some domains where stability is more impor-
  tant than the rights of individual Kindred, violate the 
  Traditions themselves. The Sheriff may employ these 
  benefits only so long as the Prince grants her license, 
  but it is sufficiently broad to make for a very versatile 
  trump card, especially when dealing with those who 
  threaten the Kindred order in a domain.
  Of course, empowering one’s agents to act above 
  the law is the textbook indicator of tyranny, and the 
  sign of a desperate or oppressive Prince. Such Princes 
  may not last long, but they do so at great cost to their 
  reputations (and those of their Sheriffs) in the long 
  term. In such cases, a Storyteller may rule that a Tra-
  dition-breaching Sheriff’s Title Status is actually only 
  1 instead of 2.
  Needless to say, those Sheriffs who breach the Tra-
  ditions out of their own political expediency rather 
  than in the Prince’s interests may soon find them-
  selves stripped of their titles and starved of blood.
  Primogen (Camarilla; 3-point Title)
  The Primogen has access to the Prince and counsels 
  her on matters of domain importance. According to the 
  noted scholar of the Kindred condition, Claire Bargo, 
  Primogen “may force a Prince to recognize a vote on a 
  topic of personal significance — though this must typi-
  cally be done in Elysium or while the Prince’s court is in 
  session, unless the Prince is willing to convene a special 
  hearing.” Bargo warns that “the result isn’t binding, nor 
  does calling the vote require other Primogen to cast their 
  vote, but it does show the popular Kindred opinion of the 
  matter in question… and savvy Princes would do well to 
  heed their Primogen.” Bargo’s commentary considered, 
  few Princes are thrilled to be forced to consider matters 
  of policy at anyone’s behest other than their own, so a 
  Primogen who finds himself invoking this privilege fre-
  quently may well find himself excused from the duties of 
  the Primogen thereafter. A Primogen may call this vote 
  as often as she wishes, but if the vote fails or lacks popu-
  lar support, the Primogen loses a point of Status for one 
  month. If she fails two subsequent votes, the Status loss 
  is permanent (though she may earn it back through some 
  other method, as is normal for Status).
  The Primogen’s privileges and responsibilities are 
  described on pp. 25-26 of V20.
  Justicar (Camarilla; 5-point Title)
  The Justicar may overturn any and all Princely de-
  crees. This is an immense amount of power, but it is bal-
  anced by the inability of the Justicar to set policy herself 
  (though some activist Justicars may veto every proclama-
  tion with the exception of the ones they “suggest”). Ulti-
  mately, the Justicars are answerable to the Inner Council 
  of the Camarilla, and those Justicars who cause more 
  chaos than they instill order risk the ire of that secretive, 
  puissant, and terrifying body of ancient Kindred.
  The Justicar’s role is described on pp. 26 of V20.
  Archon (Camarilla; 4-point Title)
  Archons are considered above the law, because they 
  serve the Justicars and the Inner Council; they may 
  not be held accountable for transgressions against the 
  Traditions in domains they visit. This rankles many 
  Princes (especially since the appearance of an Archon 
  is usually the “last chance” before the intervention of a 
  Justicar), but the purpose of this immunity is to enable 
  the Archon to take whatever steps are necessary to put 
  a wayward domain back into a position of stability. As 
  with Justicars, Archons who abuse their privilege may 
  well find themselves answering to the Inner Council, 
  but even so, this convocation of elders is more likely 
  to side with its agent than with a Prince who can’t 
  even keep her own territory in order. Nevertheless, it 
  is a foolish Archon who regularly flouts the “common 
  sense” Traditions such as the Masquerade, for then he’s 
  undermining the very purpose of his title.
  The Archon is described on pp. 26 of V20.
  Alastor (Camarilla; 2-point Title)
  An Alastor’s powers are significant but narrow. Like 
  an Archon, an Alastor is not subject to the declara-
  tions of Princes or even the governance of the Justi-
  cars, but enjoys this condition only when hunting the 
  Anathema.
  The Alastor’s duties are described on pp. 26 of V20.
  
  21 
  V20 COMPANION
  Inner Circle (Camarilla; 7-point Title)
  The Inner Circle is described on pp. 26 of V20.
  As the governing body that determines policy for 
  the whole of the Camarilla, the Inner Circle has 
  whatever powers it chooses to grant itself. For centu-
  ries, the Inner Circle has been an extremely conserva-
  tive body, making no changes at all to the Traditions 
  or the nature of Kindred relationships for one primary 
  reason: The status quo makes things very comfortable 
  for the Inner Circle. It has the ability to nominate and 
  censure Justicars and Archons, depose Princes with a 
  word, grant or revoke any term of the Traditions, and 
  declare another vampire’s right to exist negated. The 
  only balance of power for the Inner Circle are other 
  vampires of her terrifying eminent Status and title. 
  And, indeed, that balance of power is at the center of 
  the Camarilla’s Jyhad and War of the Ages.
  Seneschal (Camarilla; 4-point Title)
  The Seneschal is the Prince’s right-hand agent. The 
  title itself is liquid, and has different responsibilities 
  in different domains. In some cases, a Seneschal has 
  little actual power, and is more of an honorific title 
  intended to exalt a peer or grant Status to a trusted 
  aide. In other cases, the Seneschal wields as much or 
  even more power than the Prince himself, issuing de-
  crees, rendering judgment, and enforcing the Tradi-
  tions himself. Whether the Prince is unable or unwill-
  ing to perform her responsibilities, the Seneschal may 
  handle some or all of these, or may simply wait until 
  the Prince is deposed and claim the title himself.
  The Prince decides which of his own duties and 
  privileges belong to the Seneschal. In the case that 
  a Prince is unable to make a declaration of the Sen-
  eschal’s powers, the Seneschal may claim any Princely 
  privilege until the Prince refutes it (or until a new 
  Prince excuses a Seneschal from her role).
  Hound (Camarilla; 1-point Title)
  The Sheriff is sometimes granted the ability to ap-
  point Hounds, who serve as his investigators and en-
  forcers. Hounds may be keen-eyed, quick-witted fact-
  finders, but just as frequently, they’re sadistic bullies 
  who take pleasure in their sanctioned brand of corrupt 
  justice.
  During an investigation or interrogation, a Hound 
  may breach the Traditions if it becomes necessary to 
  bring a rogue Kindred to heel. Princes generally grant 
  Hounds a good deal of leeway in this regard, but re-
  
  22 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  peated or egregious breaches, or violations that com-
  pound the crimes of a transgressor may well earn the 
  Hound a censure or worse. See the entry for the Sher-
  iff, above, for more information on treating the Tradi-
  tions too malleably.
  Herald (Camarilla; 1-point Title)
  The Herald acts as the Prince’s voice, making the 
  Prince’s edicts known to the domain. For example, a 
  Herald recites the domain’s policies at Elysium, and 
  speaks the results of any formal convocations where a 
  Prince and her court define new laws. As well, a Her-
  ald announces the arrival of august and titled Kindred 
  at formal events and at Elysium. This function can be 
  abused, as a Herald may deliberately delay or misspeak 
  the policy in question. Such Heralds rarely hold on to 
  their positions after such treachery, however.
  If a Herald hasn’t spoken a policy aloud, that pol-
  icy does not yet affect the Kindred.  A Cainite can’t 
  be retroactively held accountable for something he 
  didn’t know broke the laws of the domain, especially 
  if the policy recently changed or had been decided but 
  not yet communicated.
  Chancellor (Camarilla; 1-point Title)
  In very formal domains, the Chancellor maintains 
  records of prestation, defining who has pledged what 
  to whom. Not all domains use the services of the 
  Chancellor, while others roll its duties into those of 
  the Harpy (see above). Some sects other than the Ca-
  marilla make use of the position (sometimes under a 
  different title) as well. In some of these very conserva-
  tive domains, the Chancellor reads the roll of domain 
  debts before any official gathering of the city’s Kin-
  dred, so that the state of Kindred obligations is made 
  known to all.
  The Chancellor has final say over the validity or 
  satisfaction of a boon (see the prestation rules in 
  Chapter Two for more information). If a Chancellor 
  declares a boon satisfied or still owed, the debt still 
  exists, and any challenge to that debt held either by 
  the debtor or the debt-holder must be settled with the 
  Chancellor or the Prince.
  Whip (Camarilla; 2-point Title)
  The whip is a clan title, whose role is being the 
  Kindred in charge of motivating other members of 
  the clan to present a unified face in matters of clan 
  politics. A whip’s duties may be invisible to members 
  of other clans, as with internal matters, or may be 
  evident at a Prince’s court or other citywide function, 
  often by the Whip’s bullying his clanmates to toe the 
  line on a question of public importance.
  Despite being a recognized title, a whip has very lit-
  tle actual authority, relying on force of personality (or 
  dire threats) to cajole his clan-mates. Those Kindred 
  possessing the title of whip usually have impressive 
  Expression- or Intimidation-related dice pools at their 
  disposal when clan politics are at issue.
  Dux Bellorum  
  (Camarilla; 4-point Title)
  When the Camarilla mobilizes its members as 
  a war-force, it often selects a Dux Bellorum from 
  among the ranks of the Archons, Justicars, or even 
  extremely competent Alastors. The Dux Bellorum is 
  a battle marshal, the master of a Camarilla combat 
  engagement. He may be a front-line warlord, leading 
  a bloody charge into a Sabbat domain, or he may be 
  a scheming tactician, organizing guerilla strikes to de-
  stabilize an enemy territory from within. 
  The wrath or cleverness of the Dux Bellorum mo-
  tivates the other Kindred. The Dux Bellorum is the 
  field authority in matters of war, so this title’s value 
  indicates his narrow but unquestioned rank during as-
  sault, sieges, and other periods of open conflict. Even 
  Princes and Justicars defer to the Dux Bellorum (even 
  if they’re not always happy about it). 
  Imperator (Camarilla; 6-point Title)
  The modern nights are desperate times, and upon 
  occasion, the Camarilla turns its full attentions to a 
  crisis or a war effort. In these moments of sect-wide 
  gravity, the Ivory Tower appoints a “Justicar of Justi-
  cars,” a field marshal of terrible potency who serves as 
  the champion for the whole of the Camarilla cause. 
  Even the members of the Inner Circle rally around 
  the Imperator, for the very invocation of the title 
  means the sect sees possible doom in its future. The 
  Imperator may nominate and command from one to 
  three Dux Bellorum title-holders.
  The Kindred of the Camarilla will follow the Im-
  perator into hell itself, should the Imperator ask 
  them, and will remain their own masters instead of 
  succumbing to the rage, hunger, or fear stoked by the 
  Beast. As such, Ivory Tower vampires who heed the 
  Imperator’s rally can push themselves to ever-greater 
  extremes without descending into Beast-maddened 
  maniacs — for a time. This dominance of reason gives 
  the Imperator’s forces the edge necessary to overcome 
  more primal foes.
  
  23 
  V20 COMPANION
  Outcast (Camarilla; Negative Title)
  An Outcast is a Kindred who is considered persona 
  non grata by the Prince. An Outcast enjoys none of 
  the rights or privileges granted to all acknowledged 
  Kindred in that domain. An Outcast isn’t necessarily 
  banished from the domain, though she may be. Often, 
  the title is conferred upon truculent fledglings or oth-
  er “inconsequential” vampires a Prince considers be-
  low his notice, when the tumult caused by declaring 
  a Blood Hunt upon her is unwarranted. Indeed, once 
  the transgressing Kindred calms down or apologizes, 
  many Princes often rescind the Outcast title. Only 
  a Prince may declare or revoke the title of Outcast, 
  though she may delegate this authority at her discre-
  tion.
  The Outcast title supersedes all other titles or Status 
  Backgrounds a Kindred may have. Thus, an Outcast 
  adds no Status bonuses to social dice pools; instead he 
  subtracts one from social dice pools in actions involv-
  ing those who know he’s an Outcast.
  The Sabbat
  The Sabbat considers itself a sect at war: war against 
  the Camarilla, war against the Antediluvians, war 
  against the infernal, and war against anyone who 
  doesn’t agree with their unique brand of martial spiri-
  tuality. 
  That spirituality is a defining characteristic of the 
  Black Hand. Their wars are holy wars, informed by 
  the Paths of Enlightenment and the philosophical in-
  sistence that each Cainite is his own master and not 
  the pawn of slumbering Ancients orchestrating the 
  actions of the Damned from the cold depths of torpor.
  To the Black Hand, mortals are materiel: blood bags 
  from which to draw sustenance before plunging them-
  selves hell-bent back into the fight. Sabbat vampires 
  hate the very idea of the Masquerade, but all except 
  the dimmest understand the terms of the secret war 
  and the necessity of hiding their existence — because 
  the mortals have unquestioned numerical superiority.
  As such, the titles of the Sabbat are militaristic, 
  predicated on leading the sect into endless conflict 
  against the innumerable enemies who challenge it. 
  They are vicious war-chiefs who would plunge the 
  mortal world into thrall to their undead masters. 
  They are zealous hierophants who must bulwark their 
  fellow Sabbat’s souls against the depredations of the 
  Beast within and demonic forces without. They are 
  deathless soldiers who dive fangs-first into the ene-
  my’s throat, leaving blood, fire, and ruin in their wake.
  Among the lower echelons of the Sabbat, many 
  Cainites are nomadic or dwell in communal havens, 
  the better to remain mobile and to protect themselves 
  in numbers. As one climbs the ranks of the sect, how-
  ever, the hypocrisy of the Black Hand becomes evi-
  dent. The sect is led by the same elders against whom 
  Sabbat rhetoric rails, and their grudges are as old and 
  bitter as any Camarilla crony’s. While the sect’s rheto-
  ric serves to unify it against external rivals, it serves 
  equally to distract fiery young Cainites from the fact 
  that their august leaders are still elders, who are pull-
  ing their strings and manipulating them against each 
  other.
  Doubtless, the Sabbat is an entity of paradox. It 
  hates the tyranny of elders, but it is a vehicle for wily 
  old fiends to stoke centuries-old rivalries. It despises 
  the power of the Antediluvians, but many of its lead-
  ers are the ancients’ childer or grandchilder. It es-
  pouses spiritual liberation and fierce independence, 
  but it deals in petty atrocity. More than anything else, 
  the Sabbat is a sect of extreme ideology, its adherents 
  finding something in the Black Hand’s relentless dog-
  ma to give them purpose in the modern nights. There 
  are no such things as casual Sabbat.
  For more information on the Sabbat, see p. 40-43 
  of V20.
  Archbishop (Sabbat; 5-point Title)
  Like a Prince, the Archbishop makes the rules 
  in a Sabbat domain. This policy is usually based on 
  some interpretation of the Traditions, because while 
  the Sabbat may be chaotic, it’s not stupid. Also, un-
  like most Princes, an Archbishop of a domain is ap-
  pointed (or at least endorsed) by the Sabbat as a sect. 
  Coups and praxis seizures are relatively rare in Sabbat 
  domains, which places much more value on central 
  authority and the ideology of the sect than does the 
  more egalitarian Camarilla.
  The duties and privileges of the Archishop are de-
  scribed on pp. 25 of V20. Note that in some Sabbat 
  domains, a council of Bishops assumes the authority 
  usually associated with the Archbishop.
  An Archbishop is the ultimate authority on any 
  matter brought before him in his domain; as with 
  a Prince, his word is law. Any True Sabbat vampire 
  can petition the Archbishop to hear a grievance she 
  may have and render a verdict. Of course, the Sab-
  bat as a whole has little tolerance for those who can’t 
  settle their own disputes. Invoking an Archbishop’s 
  judgment is fraught with peril, as it can result in earn-
  ing that elder’s ire (and hostility). At the very least, 
  
  24 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  hiding behind the Archbishop’s robes is a way to lose 
  what respect other Sabbat might have for a Cainite, 
  so the appeal to authority is best use very sparingly if 
  ever.
  True Sabbat (Sabbat; 0-point Title)
  True Sabbat are those Cainites of the Sabbat who 
  have proven themselves to be worthy of continued 
  existence. In most cases, vampires Embraced into the 
  sect in anything other than wartime are True Sabbat 
  by default, learning the ways of the Black Hand at 
  their sires’ instruction. During more desperate times, 
  however, the sect Embraces quickly and in massive 
  amounts, and these conscripts (see Shovelhead, on p. 
  26) don’t enjoy the minimal respect that True Sabbat 
  do.
  True Sabbat have enough proverbial rope to hang 
  themselves. They’re considered full members of the 
  sect, but they’re also the lowest “real” members on 
  the political totem pole. A Cainite must be at least 
  True Sabbat before she may begin earning Status in 
  the sect.
  Ductus (Sabbat; 1-point Title)
  The duties of the Ductus are described on pp. 26 of 
  V20.
  In many cases, Ducti find themselves “knighted in 
  the field,” having earned the attention or favor of a 
  higher-ranking Sabbat patron. Given the martial 
  orientation of the Sabbat, this isn’t surprising, but it 
  doesn’t always make for good pack leaders in stable 
  Black Hand domains. Many Ducti find themselves 
  stripped of their titles when wartime subsides, or 
  saddled with more subtle responsibilities that require 
  entirely different approaches than ripping out an en-
  emy’s throat. The position of Ductus is perhaps the 
  most frequently granted — and vacated — title in the 
  sect.
  Pack Priest (Sabbat; 1-point Title)
  The role of the Pack Priest is described on pp. 26-27 
  of V20.
  Priests are the spiritual complement to the more 
  combative role of Ductus in the Sabbat. A Priest may 
  be a paragon of a Path of Enlightenment, or she may 
  simply withstand frenzy or ride the wave better than 
  most. Priests need the instinct to kneel before the 
  Beast when it’s appropriate and the higher sense of 
  self to provide spiritual leadership to a pack. It’s a wide 
  and varied role that includes blood-soaked maniacs, 
  brooding plotters, and every personality archetype in 
  between who has demonstrated some ability to “keep 
  his shit together” when things become stressful.
  Templar (Sabbat; 1-point Title) and 
  Paladin (Sabbat; 1-point Title)
  The Templar is described on pp. 27 of V20. The 
  Paladin performs a similar role, with subtle distinc-
  tion.
  In general, Templars are the assassins, vaunted kill-
  ers, and proactive gladiators of the Sabbat. Paladins 
  typically serve in more defensive roles, as an honor 
  guard to an august Cainite, or in the retinue of a trav-
  eling Priscus. The finer details are largely a matter of 
  ceremony: Paladins and Templars are the Sabbat vam-
  pires who have distinguished themselves in the meth-
  od and quantity of horrific violence they can inflict 
  upon others. For a sect that prides itself for its nigh-
  constant state of warfare, that’s saying something.
  Inquisitor (Sabbat; 3-point Title)
  The Sabbat has a problem that the other sects see 
  very little of by comparison: infernalism. Those that 
  would sell their souls to greater evils are rampant in 
  the sect, and their influence is such that the Sabbat 
  empowers a certain class of Cainite to deal with them. 
  Inquisitors are greatly feared and respected by the 
  Damned of the Sword of Caine, both by those who 
  have cause to fear them and those who may be caught 
  in the wake of their zealotry. Inquisitors take literally 
  the Biblical admonition against suffering a witch to 
  live, and occasionally make sure there’s no room for 
  error by castigating those who might eventually be-
  come infernalists, who might aid the infernalists, or 
  who might not have done enough to stop infernalists 
  once they had heard of their activity. Inquisitors have 
  great leeway to stamp out such heresies, and with the 
  Sabbat so readily able to Embrace new Cainites when 
  needs demand it, the sect doesn’t mind a little “col-
  lateral damage” if it allows the rest of them to remain 
  sovereign over their souls.
  Bishop (Sabbat; 3-point Title)
  The duties and privileges of the Bishop are de-
  scribed on pp. 27 of V20.
  A Bishop typically has sway over one particular 
  facet of Cainite influence in her domain. In matters 
  relating to that sphere, a Bishop often cultivates both 
  Influence and Status. It is not uncommon, for ex-
  ample, to have a Sabbat domain administrated by a 
  Bishop of Industry, a Bishop of Mortal Chattel, and a 
  
  25 
  V20 COMPANION
  Bishop of the Occult, all of whom have sworn the sect 
  fealty to the Archbishop.
  Priscus (Sabbat; 3-point Title)
  The duties and privileges of the Priscus are described 
  on pp. 27 of V20.
  “As the Prisci rise from among the rabble of the Sab-
  bat according to no set standards, it is difficult to de-
  scribe them in universal terms,” the Kindred Leighton 
  Borland once noted in an epistle to a curious Prince. 
  “They are cagey, however,” Borland continues, “and 
  have a knack for seeing the behind-the-scenes move-
  ments and motives of other vampires, which helps 
  them achieve their own prominence.” A Priscus is 
  served first and foremost by no specific expertise, but 
  by commanding Subterfuge, Politics, and Investiga-
  tion-related acumen.
  Cardinal (Sabbat; 5-point Title)
  The Cardinal’s role is described on pp. 27 of V20.
  The Cardinal oversees a vast geographical territory, 
  yet must be able to comprehend the impact of the 
  events happening at any point inside it. Surprisingly, 
  for a sect driven by dogma and crusade, the Sabbat’s 
  Cardinals play a very political game, often at odds 
  with each other over territory and policy as much as 
  they are with the other sects and the threat of the 
  Antediluvians. Critics of the Black Hand point to this 
  politics-as-usual at the top as one of the greatest hin-
  drances of the Sabbat — that its leaders are willing 
  to nurse petty grudges and play the violin while their 
  empire burns from within.
  Regent (Sabbat; 7-point Title)
  The Regent is described on pp. 27 of V20.
  The Regent wields power over the Sabbat in a man-
  ner similar to that of the Inner Circle over the Cama-
  rilla, with one important difference: Whereas the In-
  ner Circle is a council, the Regent answers to no one 
  and is held in check by no one. This autocracy makes 
  the Sabbat far more nimble than the Camarilla, but 
  is obviously much more susceptible to tyranny and 
  hubris. In effect, the Regent declares policy, which 
  trickles down to those who support and practice it; 
  when it comes to the sect, the Regent of the Sabbat 
  makes the rules.
  Shovelhead (Sabbat; Negative Title)
  Shovelheads are the recipients of the Sabbat mass 
  Embrace, often created to be shock troops or cannon 
  fodder during an incursion of other aggressive Black 
  
  26 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  Hand action. No one expects Shovelheads to survive 
  very long, so when they outlive their usefulness, fully 
  fledged Sabbat Cainites often find them problematic. 
  Indeed, Shovelheads must defer to all ranking Sabbat, 
  and those who don’t may find themselves snuffed by 
  supposed sectmates. It’s also possible for Shovelheads 
  to prove their worth and thus become True Sabbat.
  Being a Shovelhead precludes the Kindred from 
  being able to obtain all other titles or Status Back-
  grounds with the exception of True Sabbat (see p. 24), 
  which he must earn before anything else.
  The Anarch Movement
  The Anarch Movement hates being a “movement,” 
  though that name for the sect sees most common use 
  among members of other sects (and a few Anarch 
  prigs). To the Anarchs, the Anarchs are just the An-
  archs, and anyone who wants to say otherwise can 
  shove it up their ass sideways. Not all Anarchs are 
  so contentious abou— well, yes, they are. That’s why 
  they’re Anarchs.
  The ideology uniting the Anarch Movement is one 
  of self-made sufficiency. They have no need for Princ-
  es or Priests because, what the fuck, this isn’t the Dark 
  Ages. The Camarilla represents a centuries-outdated 
  system of inherited privilege, which the Anarchs re-
  vile as plutocracy or oligarchy. The Sabbat is a pack of 
  batshit-crazy devil-worshippers who set each other on 
  fire and fuck nuns to upset or thrill their sires. No one 
  has ever seen anyone from this Talladega-Mahatma-
  Ra-Ra-Ra nonsense and the Inconnu are a bunch of 
  hippies who pretend they’re not vampires, but what 
  do they do, drink nectar from flowers? The whole con-
  vention of sects is set up so that these vampires over 
  here have an excuse to pretend that they’re better 
  than those vampires over there.
  If you can’t beat them, though, join them. Thus, 
  the “Anarch Movement” is an extremely loose sect of 
  like-minded Kindred who refute the social contract 
  with the elders that other vampires blindly accept. 
  Little holds the Anarchs together outside a unity 
  against the oppressive War of Ages, which is what 
  many non-Anarchs fail to grasp. An Anarch doesn’t 
  necessarily hate a Ventrue because she’s a Ventrue, 
  but may hate her because she’s the Primogen’s childe 
  and “just gets” access to all the privilege that her sire 
  gifts her. If a Ventrue Anarch becomes Baron because 
  she has brass balls and can tell the Prince next door 
  to go fuck a doorknob, well, that’s a Baron worth sup-
  porting, Ventrue or no.
  It’s worth noting that the Camarilla considers the 
  Anarch Movement a faction under its own purview, 
  stemming from the ages-ago events that resulted in 
  the creation of both Camarilla and the formally-rec-
  ognized Anarchs... as well as drawing the attention of 
  the Church Inquisition that Kindred fear to this night. 
  Of course, most Anarchs resent this imperialistic pa-
  tronage, “because it’s a flaming pile of goddamn elder 
  bullshit,” in the words of the Anarch Smiling Jack.
  Anarch titles tend to be driven by accomplishment, 
  potentially even becoming the nickname of the Kin-
  dred who bears it. Most reflect a degree of bravado, and 
  most are built around the prowess, will, or endurance 
  necessary to stand up to the scions of corrupt societ-
  ies. Anarch titles also represent the willingness of the 
  Movement to stand together when the chips are down 
  or the sect next door is on a crusade. After all, the An-
  archs without each other are little more than Autarkis.
  For more information on the Anarchs, see p. 44-45 
  of V20.
  Baron (Anarch; 4-point Title)
  The Baron’s duties and privileges are similar to 
  those of a Prince, but the Kindred who dwell in a 
  Baron’s domain don’t necessarily want the same sort 
  of dominating, overweening would-be dictator who 
  calls the shots in a Camarilla domain. As a result, the 
  Baron’s powers are more limited than a Prince’s, as the 
  Anarchs trade some amount of authority and security 
  for their freedom. The Baron is discussed more on pp. 
  25 of V20.
  Like a Prince, a Baron interprets the Traditions in 
  her domain. Unlike a Prince, a Baron doesn’t have the 
  same amount of undeniable authority that a Prince 
  does, and she runs her domain as much through rea-
  son, populism, and force of personality as the gravity 
  of her title. Her word is law, but it’s a law established 
  by a social contract with the other Anarchs. A Baron 
  may render a verdict on any matter involving the Tra-
  ditions of the Masquerade and Domain, but in An-
  arch domains, the other Traditions are up to the free 
  Kindred themselves to resolve. An Anarch may make 
  an appeal to a Baron to solve such an issue, but ulti-
  mately, even the Baron’s input on these matters is ad-
  vice, not policy. A Baron surely has earned status and 
  respect that might inflect such counsel, but counsel is 
  what it remains. 
  
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  V20 COMPANION
  Reeve (Anarch; 1-point Title)
  The Anarch Reeve is a seeming paradox, a keeper 
  of order in Anarch domains that typically spurn such 
  order and authority. Still, few are the Barons who are 
  so foolish as to allow pure anarchy in their domains, 
  because all it takes is one shitbird Lick to blow the 
  Masquerade and bring holy (mortal) hell down on ev-
  eryone else’s heads. Only the most foolish of Anarchs 
  puts blind faith in others of his sect, and most at least 
  reluctantly acknowledge the sometime necessity of 
  a sanctioned asskicker to keep the less-principled in 
  line. A Reeve is similar to a Sheriff (see above and 
  p. 25 of V20), but often has even less accountability. 
  Many bullies end up in the role, but brutish would-
  be Reeves should take heed: In an Anarch domain, a 
  Baron may end up siding with the Kindred who decide 
  that enough is enough and it’s time to physically ef-
  fect a change in the Reeve’s attitude. The Baron usu-
  ally declares a Reeve, but popular opinion among the 
  Damned of the domain can just as quickly ruin him.
  In practice, the Reeve is much like the Sheriff, but 
  the role’s lack of formal support in the form of the 
  Baron reduces its Status by a point. The difference in 
  Status implies the lack of esteem that many Anarchs 
  hold for authority figures.
  Warlord (Anarch; 3-point Title)
  A wise Baron knows that most Anarch domains 
  are built on the blood and muscle of those willing to 
  fight against more oppressive sectarian rule. Thus, a 
  wise Baron respects his Warlords. Warlords are those 
  Anarchs who are so charismatic or violent that they 
  can incite a group of shiftless rabble into a fighting 
  insurgency. Warlords may be gang leaders, cult priests, 
  political ideologues, or bat-swinging union bosses — 
  whatever the case, they represent the motivational 
  leadership of fighting factions in Anarch domains. 
  Unless the Anarch Movement manages to put to-
  gether a nonviolent coup, it’s probably going to need 
  the assistance of a Warlord or three to assemble its 
  armies, and those Warlords will continue to be in-
  fluential even after the revolt succeeds or fails. Ul-
  timately, Warlords inspire their followers, whatever 
  form their organization takes.
  Coyote (Anarch; 1-point Title)
  The Coyote specializes in getting Kindred in or out 
  of domains. In most cases, the Coyote smuggles An-
  arch defectors into Anarch domains and out of their 
  Camarilla or Sabbat territories. In some cases, though, 
  the Coyote is happy to earn a buck or a boon and 
  doesn’t ask too many questions about his “cargo” or 
  her destination. After all, one of the benefits of being 
  an Anarch is being able to choose your own creed. 
  To hear a Kindred known as Joe Sousa tell it, “A 
  savvy Coyote knows how to smooth talk and grease 
  the wheels of the system, and knows how to talk his 
  way out of a situation... or avoid them to begin with.” 
  And since Sousa’s been smuggling vampires across do-
  main lines all across the Anarch Free State and the 
  other sects’ outposts in the region for over a decade, 
  he knows what he’s talking about.  
  Sweeper (Anarch; 2-point Title)
  Anarchs tend to rankle when the idea of someone 
  else keeping track of them comes to the fore. As such, 
  the Sweeper of an Anarch domain tends to be an un-
  popular Kindred. It’s the Sweeper’s responsibility to 
  know — to one degree or another — who’s in the 
  domain. For most Barons, the Sweeper simply pro-
  vides enough information to prevent any unpleasant 
  surprises. If the Baron thinks the domain is home to 
  only a dozen rugged individual Cainites, but in reality, 
  40 hungry vampires are out there prowling the Rack, 
  that’s a Baron who’s going to find himself spending a 
  lot of time and effort cleaning far more messes than 
  he thought he had on his hands. The more tyranni-
  cal Barons use the Sweeper to not only keep track of 
  how many Kindred are in the domain, but who they 
  are and what they’re up to — and that’s the sort of 
  abuse of power that incites the Anarchs to slaughter 
  the Sweeper and stake the Baron.
  Thus, the role of the Sweeper is one that lends itself 
  to being received with suspicion, even if the Anarchs 
  reluctantly acknowledge its necessity. 
  The Tal’Mahe’Ra
  The other Sects are largely unable to fathom the 
  goals and methods of the Tal’Mahe’Ra, which lends 
  an air of mystery and suspicion to the True Black 
  Hand. This suits the Sect’s tastes, however, for the 
  fewer Kindred that are wise to its aims, the fewer Kin-
  dred who can oppose them, at least consciously.
  In truth, many members of the Tal’mahe’Ra do not 
  themselves understand the ways of their most vener-
  able leaders. Unlike the Camarilla, the True Black 
  Hand does work toward a purpose, however occulted 
  that purpose may be. Unlike the Sabbat, the True 
  Black Hand often eschews the violent overthrow of 
  mortal institutions and Cainite tradition, preferring 
  
  28 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  instead to work through subtlety, misdirection, and the 
  employment of supernatural secrets. The Tal’Mahe’Ra 
  lacks the worldly ambitions of the Anarch Movement, 
  the existential curiosity of the Inconnu, and the paro-
  chial interests of the Independent clans.
  What the Tal’Mahe’Ra does pursue is a position of 
  vampiric supremacy. They see themselves as the shep-
  herds of mortals, who exist to sustain them on their 
  quest to re-establish the point of vampiric genesis 
  in the form of the First City. The True Black Hand’s 
  stronghold in the Underworld is in fact believed to 
  be the mystical resonance of the Kindred’s First City, 
  and through extended supernal manipulations of the 
  death-energies inherent to the vampiric form (and 
  even a few outside those of the Damned condition), 
  the Tal’Mahe’Ra desires to either bring down the veil 
  between the worlds of the living and the dead, or to 
  push the First City back through that veil. Until that 
  time, they serve as warders of ancient Kindred secrets, 
  some of which reside in the form of torpid Ancients 
  — perhaps even counting among their number some 
  of the progenitor Antediluvians. Members of the True 
  Black Hand see vampirism as a cursed but exalted 
  state, and mortals, who make possible the existence of 
  the Damned, must be cultivated and even protected 
  in order that the Kindred may continue to exist. Of 
  course, the fragility of mortal lives and minds means 
  they must often be protected, both from things they 
  were not meant to know and those callous Kindred 
  who would prey on them without restraint. The True 
  Black Hand is patient, understanding the inexora-
  bility that comes with the flawed immortality of the 
  Damned. It is highly structured, its formality occa-
  sionally appearing to outsiders as a rigid politeness — 
  or a dispassionate cruelty. 
  The Tal’Mahe’Ra counts as its greatest enemy an 
  undefinable force or collective consciousness that 
  exists beyond the boundaries of most vampires’ per-
  ception. These mind-searing monstrosities, call Sou-
  leaters, can take many forms and manipulate many 
  pawns. Members of other Sects may well be under the 
  sway of the Souleaters, as might any number of other 
  denizens of the night. Werewolves, mortal mages, and 
  the occasional inchoate nightmare-creature that finds 
  its way into the world might be in league with these 
  dark powers, knowingly or, more likely, completely 
  obliviously. This war against the Souleaters is known 
  as the Shadow Crusade among the devoted of the 
  Tal’Mahe’Ra.
  With that said, the mindset of the True Black Hand 
  is nearly incomprehensible to many modern Kindred. 
  The Tal’Mahe’Ra is part death cult, part archaeologi-
  cal society, part witches’ coven, and part conspiracy 
  of secret masters. “Protecting” mortals may take the 
  form of absconding with them, conditioning them, 
  exsanguinating them, or binding them into deathless 
  oubliettes to protect or rebuild shattered minds and 
  broken bodies. The Tal’Mahe’Ra has seen firsthand 
  some of the most earthshaking horrors the World of 
  Darkness has to offer, and in some cases accidentally 
  unearthed it. Elements of their philosophy are wholly 
  alien to the Kindred of the more prevalent and ac-
  cessible sects, making coexisting with other sects ex-
  tremely complicated at times. The True Black Hand 
  realizes this and tries to move as invisibly as possible 
  in order to keep their secrets hidden.
  Those who hold titles in the Tal’Mahe’Ra know 
  their place and their responsibilities. Theirs is a strati-
  fied society, with some amount of meritocratic Sta-
  tus mobility among its field operatives, but with an 
  elaborate body of chthonic mandates and occult pre-
  destinations among its aristocratic ranks. Its members 
  are often devoted to the point of fanaticism, and even 
  though a strong case could be made for True Black 
  Hand members having greater opportunities for com-
  fort or peace if they left the sect, they remain stead-
  fast. Although their ways are horrifying, and the Beast 
  lies perpetually near to the surface, the Tal’Mahe’Ra 
  are true believers.
  Del’Roh (Tal’Mahe’Ra; 5-point Title)
  Shrouded in secrecy, the ultimate authority of the 
  True Black Hand directs her shadowy sect from the fac-
  tion’s stronghold far beyond the veil of life and death. 
  Indeed, inscrutable vampires who claim this august 
  title rarely see the physical world; the mystic affairs of 
  the sect keep them rooted firmly in the underworld, 
  where most of their resources and challenges lie.
  The Del’Roh makes all of the policy decisions for 
  the Tal’Mahe’Ra, and all members of this sect defer to 
  her judgment. The sect’s concerns have little in com-
  mon with the more terrestrial affairs of the Camarilla, 
  Sabbat, Anarchs, and Independents, being instead 
  focused on the movements of the dead and certain 
  awful relics believed to be warded by agents of the sect 
  deep within the realm of death and shadow.
  So long as the Del’Roh remains in the Underworld, 
  she has access to the thralls who serve the sect, giving 
  her effectively infinite vitae while in the sect’s shadow 
  redoubt.
  
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  V20 COMPANION
  Seraph (Tal’Mahe’Ra; 4-point Title)
  With much of the Del’Roh’s attention turned to 
  what lies beyond the shroud of death, the Seraphs 
  serve as the leaders of the Tal’Mahe’Ra in the physi-
  cal world. The Seraphim’s duties are to watch Kin-
  dred events, reporting back to the sect and guiding 
  its temporal efforts. About half of the Seraphim are 
  deep-cover agents at any given time, working from 
  positions within the Camarilla and Sabbat (and, rare-
  ly, the Anarchs). The other half belong to the East-
  ern branch of the Black Hand. All are secretive and 
  powerful, coordinating their sect’s efforts from behind 
  numerous aliases and shadow identities.
  Seraphim answer only to the Del’Roh in terms of 
  sect authority. In addition, the Tal’Mahe’Ra takes 
  great pains to conceal the identities of its field gen-
  erals. Wise Seraphim cultivate an Alternate Identity 
  Background or three (which may prove additionally 
  useful if the vampire leaves her duties as Seraph under 
  disgrace or duress...).
  Lich (Tal’Mahe’Ra; 4-point Title)
  The Liches of the True Black Hand are what remains 
  of puissant and evil mortal mages who have sworn 
  themselves to the Tal’Mahe’Ra’s cause and employed 
  soul-excoriating rituals in order to preserve them-
  selves the a state of hellish immortality conferred by 
  vampirism. Although the Embrace extinguishes the 
  spark of cosmic enlightenment that allows true mages 
  to impose their wills on the world, it doesn’t destroy 
  the knowledge that these wicked creatures accumu-
  lated before joining the ranks of the Damned.
  Three Kindred possess the title of Lich at any giv-
  en time. These monstrous individuals are greatly re-
  spected and feared within the Tal’Mahe’Ra and the 
  Del’Roh herself considers their expertise and counsel. 
  They almost never concern themselves with the af-
  fairs of the physical world, devoting their time and 
  attentions to the city beyond the wall of death… and 
  farther realms.
  Dominion  
  (Tal’Mahe’Ra; 3-point Title)
  If the Seraphim are the field generals, the Domin-
  ions of the True Black Hand are its captains. Each Do-
  minion has a specialty in which capacity he operates 
  for the Tal’Mahe’Ra, whether it be enslaving mortals 
  to be trained as ghoul thralls, engaging in political 
  sabotage, seducing members of other sects into the 
  True Hand, or mastering the occult mysteries. Ac-
  
  30 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  knowledged experts in their chosen fields, Dominions 
  have great competency that offsets the obscure and 
  comparatively minor influence of their sect.
  Shakar (Tal’Mahe’Ra; 1-point Title)
  Fanatical killers for the Tal’Mahe’Ra, the shakari 
  have only one ambition: to elevate themselves in the 
  esteem of their sect by slaying its enemies. Whether 
  they are blade-wielding assassins who strike from the 
  shadows or blood-chilling warlords who crush their 
  foes with brute force, the shakari seek no quarter and 
  kill without question. They are feared by those few 
  members of other sects who know of them, though 
  their dogmatic outlook and blind faith in their orders 
  earns them little respect outside their own sect.
  Qadi (Tal’Mahe’Ra; 3-point title)
  The judges and tribunal-leaders of the Tal’Mahe’Ra, 
  the Qadis interpret and adjudicate the millennia-old, 
  impenetrably complex, and wholly alien body of True 
  Black Hand policy. What informs the reasons they 
  construct and apply rules may not be visible or even 
  comprehensible to outsiders or lesser True Black Hand 
  members, and their outlook is often colored by the 
  religious principles of the sect as much as it is by the 
  material needs or historical traditions of the faction. 
  A great deal of politicking happens behind the scenes 
  among the Qadi, who are old and terrible monsters 
  who have the ability to rebuild the dogma of the sect 
  in their own image, one aspect at a time.
  Rawi (Tal’Mahe’Ra; 2-point title)
  As “Keepers of the Lore,” the Rawis are a quasi-mo-
  nastic tradition of the Tal’Mahe’Ra. Theirs is the re-
  sponsibility of protecting and preserving the Guarded 
  Rubrics, an incomplete but ancient doctrine concern-
  ing the origins of the Damned. The Guarded Rubrics in 
  some cases openly conflict with or contradict the Book 
  of Nod while in others they have almost perfect parity. 
  Rawis may be caretakers of these priceless scripts in 
  their Underworld libraries, or they may venture into 
  the physical world in search of writings to fill gaps in 
  their documents.
  Quli (Tal’Mahe’Ra; Negative Title)
  The 
  bizarre, 
  otherworldly 
  stronghold 
  the 
  Tal’Mahe’Ra maintains beyond the veil of death re-
  quires a cadre of dedicated servants to support the cul-
  tic sect’s habits. Most of these chores are the respon-
  sibility of a long-suffering army of ghouls, but no few 
  vampires occupy the ranks of the laborers that belong 
  like chattel to the True Hand. Qulis are the worst off 
  of these Kindred, for they still retain their will, person-
  ality, and all of the bloody capabilities and weaknesses 
  of vampires. Unfortunately, constant fear of vampiric 
  superiors and deathless torment have rendered them 
  fearful, skittish, and often insane. Within the walls of 
  the True Black Hand stronghold, Qulis slavishly fol-
  low orders, though they may hate them. Outside their 
  desperate circumstances at the Tal’Mahe’Ra redoubt, 
  it is often impossible to predict how a Quli might be-
  have. The work the True Black Hand sends Qulis to 
  perform, especially in the physical world, is generally 
  cruel and vile, including kidnapping, murder, and the 
  collection of slaves or gruesome artifacts.
  The Inconnu
  As imperfectly as the Inconnu is understood as a 
  sect, its roles and titles are even more arcane to out-
  side observers. Indeed, Kindred of the Inconnu do not 
  seem to congregate, and even learning that an Incon-
  nu is present in a domain is often a feat. Those who do 
  make themselves known or are otherwise revealed do 
  not lend themselves to much overt action, at least in 
  the terms with which most vampires are familiar. The 
  way other Kindred see it, Inconnu do little more than 
  watch the affairs of other sects and vampires unfold. 
  Thus, the only truly reliable Inconnu title, “Moni-
  tor,” reflects the perceptions of the other sects. The 
  Inconnu themselves haven’t given any indication of 
  their true structure, role, or intent.
  What little Kindred outside the sect know about the 
  Inconnu is that its members are very rare — it’s hard to 
  find a Cainite who could even name a domain claimed 
  under Inconnu Praxis — and that they seem to seek 
  the solace offered by the possibly heretical myth of 
  Golconda. Still, when a member of this evasive sect 
  reveals herself to a domain, the results are always sig-
  nificant — but rarely predictable. An Inconnu may 
  herald upheaval in a domain, she may seduce pensive 
  childer from their sires’ sides, or she may vanish be-
  fore the assembled eyes of a Prince’s court or from the 
  midst of a Sabbat Inquisition trial. For this reason, the 
  leaders of the sects that claim Praxis in a given terri-
  tory often look askance on a self-styled Inconnu, be-
  cause their appearance causes chaos and turbulence.
  Monitor (Inconnu; 3-point Title)
  In a sect as broadly mysterious as the Inconnu, the 
  titles that constitute the faction’s pecking order are 
  rarely even known, let alone understood. The Monitor 
  is perhaps the loftiest title of the Inconnu, as the sect 
  is so decentralized that it has no dominant sovereign or 
  
  31 
  V20 COMPANION
  governing body. A Monitor seems to do just what the 
  title implies: He watches, distant and observant, the 
  actions of the other vampires in the domain. Monitors 
  often rise to power and become the most prominent, if 
  not powerful, figures in their cities. But to what end are 
  they watching, to whom do they report, and how do 
  they govern in the domains where they claim praxis? 
  None outside the sect have an adequate answer, and 
  the Inconnu themselves answer only with wary silence.
  Monitors are experts at hiding their presence in a 
  city. Indeed, Monitors are so good at hiding themselves 
  that cagey Kindred wonder what the Monitors of cities 
  who allow their presence to be known are up to....
  Equite (Inconnu; 1-point Title)
  Some Inconnu resign themselves to nomadic unlife, 
  wandering from domain to domain in an unending 
  search for answers to the questions that every Kin-
  dred asks sooner or later. These Inconnu face the per-
  ils of travel and the vagaries of innumerable hostile 
  domains, but along the way they may find acolytes or 
  confidants, or simply impart a bit of wisdom that balms 
  a Kindred soul in despair. Unlike a Monitor, who es-
  tablishes herself in a domain and observes, the Equite 
  takes her transcendent philosophy and shares it from 
  domain to domain with anyone who will listen.
  Their name is a curious one, recalling a Roman pa-
  trician class that was able to field its own horses in 
  times of battle. Whether this term for these mendi-
  cant seekers of Golconda is an ironic appellation ap-
  plied by derisive other vampires, or whether it truly 
  has a tie to the nights of a Classical age long past is 
  unknown, but savvy Kindred note that few itinerant 
  seekers of the Inconnu try to claim the title. 
  Clan-Specific Titles
  Titles may emerge among clans as well as sects. The 
  titles to which each clan accords Status reflect the 
  interests and agendas of those clans, rewarding both 
  the individual Kindred and the clan itself (if the titled 
  Kindred is doing her job properly).
  Independent clans are the most frequent users of 
  unique, clan-specific titles because these clans are es-
  sentially self-contained sects. Still, every clan, in hav-
  ing its own unique identity, has certain functions or 
  characteristics it reveres above others.
  New Titles
  Not every title needs to necessarily draw its esteem 
  from the sect or clan that honors it. Some Kindred 
  
  32 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  to approach them. Part soothsayer, part doomsayer, and 
  part esoteric scholar, the eschatologist may find himself 
  an advisor of last resort or may be the first Kindred to 
  whom concerned elders speak. Whatever the case, the 
  eschatologist rarely has good news for local vampires. 
  When an eschatologist speaks, it’s generally with advice 
  about some dire method for staving off the End Times.
  Transcendant (3-point Title)
  Those who seek the state of Golconda seek to transcend 
  the curse of Caine. A Transcendant is one who is known 
  — or believed — to have achieved that lofty state.
  A true Transcendant is one who has in fact achieved 
  Golconda. A false claimant to the Transcendant’s ti-
  tle still enjoys the Status benefits of the title... until 
  he’s found out for the pretender he is. A false Tran-
  scendant pays only half the normal cost to acquire 
  this title. Note, too, that among vampires who hold 
  Golconda in low esteem, such as followers of certain 
  Paths, the standard Status benefit may be nonexistent.
  Consul (3-point Title)
  The title of Consul has many variations, but the pri-
  mary responsibility is to act as a cultural diplomat be-
  tween sects, clans, or any other Kindred factions. For 
  example, two neighboring domains, one Camarilla 
  and one Sabbat, might each have a resident Consul 
  in the other sect’s city to act as liaison and advisor. 
  When a member of the home domain has a question 
  about the organization to which the Consul belongs, 
  she may approach and ask the Consul.
  Needless to say, the duties of the Consul sometimes 
  place her in very difficult political situations, many 
  of which can escalate into violence, especially if the 
  relationship between the two Kindred factions is hos-
  tile. Thus, Consul is often a title granted to either 
  very powerful Kindred or those whom the home do-
  main wants to simply disappear.
  The honesty and respect of the Consul is paramount. 
  When a domain doesn’t trust its visiting Consul, that 
  Consul had better head quickly home, or he may well 
  find himself banished, staked, or even burned in pro-
  test. If the Consul’s home domain believes he’s more 
  of a liability than an asset, the home authority may 
  revoke his diplomatic status, effectively stranding the 
  erstwhile Consul in a hostile domain.
  A Consul may apply Status accumulated in her 
  home domain as well as the Status reflected by her 
  title to social dice pools while in her diplomatic do-
  main. (For other Kindred, Status in one sect is unrec-
  rise to prominence outside the sectarian model, while 
  the practices of others are considered noteworthy 
  whether a Prince or Archbishop claims the domain. 
  The following examples can fit well into many differ-
  ent chronicle styles, and may also be used as models 
  for players to consider their own merit- or expertise-
  based Kindred titles.
  Mystic (1-point Title)
  The Mystic Kindred is known by many appella-
  tions: sage, spiritualist, sorcerer, witch. The vampires 
  who earn the title of Mystic (or its local equivalent) 
  are acknowledged as skilled in the secret ways of the 
  occult, “the black arts,” witchcraft, or even infernal-
  ism (see the Inquisitor, above). Tremere and Tzimisce 
  often hate Mystics, whom they regard as either threats 
  to their own power or bloody pretenders.
  Few seek to rouse the ire of a known mystic, because 
  those who bargain their souls or their standing for oth-
  erworldly power make heinous foes. Of course, a Mystic 
  may well be a charlatan, with little more than trickery or 
  clever Discipline use supporting this title and reputation.
  Warden (2-point Title)
  Kindred society occasionally gives rise to Wardens, 
  particularly in contested or tenuously-held domains. 
  Wardens exist in some form or another in all the sects. 
  The duty of the Warden is to beat the boundaries and 
  patrol the borders of the domain so that “they” don’t 
  get in, whoever “they” may be. Sabbat, Anarchs, con-
  niving Camarilla — so long as someone’s trying to take 
  the territory away from the vampires who hold sway 
  there, a Warden has people to turn back... or destroy.
  To hear the powers that be tell it, the Warden is 
  an ugly responsibility, but someone has to do it. The 
  Warden has the right to attack and kill unidentified or 
  foreign Kindred in an established domain. Of course, 
  if the Warden is overzealous and finds out that he’s 
  just killed someone granted the Prince’s privilege or 
  recognition by the archbishop, he’d better have a good 
  alibi or a clueless patsy. In some domains, Wardens 
  are compensated because their work is so unpleasant: 
  Princely decree or ecumenical favor can grant an ad-
  ditional point of Resources, Herd, or Influence so long 
  as the Warden remains faithful in her duties.
  Eschatologist (1-point Title)
  The undead have no end of prophecies that inspire 
  them to ever-greater acts of terror, fiendishness, and des-
  peration. Eschatologists study these portents of the end 
  times and consult with their local leaders on how best 
  
  33 
  V20 COMPANION
  ognized by other sects, at least formally; see V20, p. 
  118.) Note that this Status benefit ceases to exist in 
  times of open war between the two factions.
  Headhunter (2-point Title)
  Those vampires who devote themselves to war with 
  the non-Kindred dwellers in the night occasionally 
  earn the title of Headhunter. Those brazen Cainites 
  who take on the savage Lupines and claim trophy over 
  the shape-shifters claim this title at times, but so do 
  those who engage with hostile mages or even slay one 
  of the incomprehensible Good Folk. Headhunters of-
  ten make names for themselves at meetings of the Kin-
  dred in the local domain, where they show off their 
  grisly trophies and boast before their fellow Damned.
  Only lucky Headhunters manage to slay their prey 
  without preparation. Any Headhunter worth her Blood 
  knows much about what she’s hunting, and spends sig-
  nificant effort learning the lore and behavior of the su-
  pernaturals she has devoted herself to stalking.
  Rat-Catcher (Negative Title)
  Not every Kindred chooses to quell the Beast with 
  the blood of the kine. Some choose to slake their 
  thirsts with the vitae of lesser creatures. Especially 
  among young Kindred, an initial reaction to the hor-
  ror of becoming a vampire and the need to feed on the 
  blood of what they once were proves too much to bear. 
  They forsake mortal blood, subsisting on that of rats, 
  bats, birds, dogs, cats — anything they can catch that 
  won’t plead or reason with them. Rat-Catchers have a 
  stigma among older or “better-adjusted” Kindred, who 
  see little purpose in denying what they have become.
  Caitiff (Negative Title)
  The word Caitiff has two connotations. The first 
  means that a Kindred is a member of flawed or unknown 
  lineage, or perhaps that she has been disowned but not 
  extinguished by her sire. It implies that the Kindred is a 
  mistake, not even worthy of being a vampire. “Caitiff” 
  in this context is an imprecise and arbitrarily used title 
  — it may colloquially refer to an Outcast (see above, 
  p. 23), or it may be used as a denigration of one’s Em-
  brace by one’s blood-siblings or sire.
  In another context (see the following two-page 
  spread), a Caitiff is a Kindred who has no distinguish-
  ing clan characteristics, a vampire who hasn’t been 
  “imprinted” with the legacy of her sire’s bloodline.
  
  34 
  CHAPTER ONE: TITLES
  Unwanted and abandoned, the Caitiff have swelled 
  the ranks of Kindred society in the past few decades. 
  They are the results of mistakes, regrets, frenzies, and 
  poor choices. Many are lucky to have even a vague 
  recollection of their sire and the Embrace, while most 
  stumble around with no understanding of what they 
  are. Those that find a way to survive are the exception 
  instead of the rule, and some of these Trash grow to 
  become notorious Kindred in their own right.
  The only thing that the Caitiff have in common is 
  what they lack — the marks that identify a vampire as 
  being part of a particular clan. Kindred scholars spec-
  ulate that some sort of connection between sire and 
  childe occurs after the Embrace, an “imprinting” that 
  gives a Brujah his rage, a Nosferatu her disfigurement, 
  or a Lasombra his propensity to manipulate shadows. 
  For whatever reason, though, the Caitiff has none of 
  these. They may be angry, ugly, or prefer the darkness, 
  but at best, they’re a pale shadow of their sire’s clan. 
  While this tabula rasa keeps them from finding sol-
  ace in the clan hierarchies of Kindred society, it also 
  means they have no barriers to overcome — learn-
  ing the intricate nuances of Dominating a mortal 
  mind comes just as easily to a Caitiff as preternatural 
  strength or manipulating insanity.
  Nickname: Trash
  Sect: The Camarilla considers the Caitiff to be 
  nothing more than expendable foot soldiers — sec-
  ond-class citizens to throw at their enemies when the 
  time is right. Some Caitiff cling to any sort of pro-
  tection and acceptance, while others rebel at being 
  treated as disposable and look to the Anarch Move-
  ment or even the Sabbat as alternatives. Still others 
  dismiss politics as unimportant, eking out unlife in 
  the fringes of the Ivory Tower or even becoming 
  Autarkis. But it seems like every night more 
  and more clanless vampires are made, and some 
  have even unified as a “clan” within the Sabbat. 
  At some point, they’re going to make the Kindred 
  listen to them.
  
  35 
  V20 COMPANION
  Appearance: As befits their checkered origins, a 
  put-upon look often accompanies the Caitiff, who 
  often have to devote much of their attention to sim-
  ply surviving in a Kindred society that would prefer 
  to sweep them away. Many are visually similar to the 
  Brujah, Gangrel, and other “street clans,” though this 
  is more of an ethnographic characteristic than it is a 
  clan attitude. For those Caitiff who are able to divert 
  attention from their clanlessness, their appearance 
  may well reflect the success or failure of their efforts 
  to make a place for themselves in the world of the 
  Damned.
  Haven: As with their Appearance, Caitiff havens 
  are diverse; many Caitiff have to make do with what-
  ever haven they can find, or with whatever haven 
  they can cajole another Kindred into letting them oc-
  cupy. Few Caitiff are able to maintain anything more 
  than a minor domain, and many Caitiff are transient 
  or simply do without havens.
  Background: Caitiff can come from any back-
  ground, most of which reflect as much about their ab-
  sentee sires as it does about themselves. Indeed, when 
  among the more formal societies of the sects, some 
  Trash take great pains to obscure the details of their 
  backgrounds.
  Character Creation: Any of the three Attribute 
  categories are appropriate for Caitiff to choose as pri-
  mary, according to their background or what their sire 
  saw in them. Talents are often primary Abilities, re-
  flecting what the Caitiff has to do to protect herself. 
  Few Caitiff have much in the way of Backgrounds, 
  preferring the immediate, practical value of bolstering 
  Willpower or having picked up a smattering of low-
  level Disciplines.
  Clan Disciplines: Caitiff are able to purchase any 
  Discipline at character creation, pending Storyteller 
  approval. However, the cost to increase all Disciplines 
  with experience points is six times the current rating, 
  rather than the usual five for in-Clan Disciplines or 
  seven for out-of-Clan Disciplines.
  Weaknesses: Because of their social stigma, Caitiff 
  are unable to take the Status Background at character 
  creation. In addition to being a “clan,” Caitiff is also a 
  negative title (see p. 33). Until the Caitiff establishes 
  herself in a domain or social group, she is at +2 dif-
  ficulty on all Social rolls with non-Caitiff vampires. 
  When Caitiff Embrace, their childer are also Caitiff.
  Organization: None to speak of. In some domains, 
  Caitiff who fall through the cracks may establish 
  themselves as the lords of broods of their own illicit 
  Stereotypes
  Assamite: They normally leave us alone. 
  Something about “dirty blood.” No argument 
  from me.
  Brujah: Common enemies don’t make us 
  friends.
  Followers of Set: The Kindred equivalent 
  of driving a white van with “Free Candy!” 
  spray-painted on the side.
  Gangrel: If you can convince them not to 
  gut you on sight, they can be pretty tolerant.
  Giovanni: Never heard of it.
  Lasombra: Meet the new fucking asshole, 
  same as the old fucking asshole. 
  Malkavian: They’ve either got a sickness or 
  they see every secret. Problem is, you can’t 
  tell one kind from the other.
  Nosferatu: Misery loves company. Especially 
  company it can blackmail.
  Ravnos: They seem to want us to trust them, 
  and that raises my hackles.
  Toreador: They’re usually the first ones to 
  take us to task for not having been asked if 
  we wanted to be vampires. As if they’re such 
  a great bunch of Licks.
  Tremere: I gotta get back to my haven to, 
  uh, turn off the oven or something.
  Tzimisce: The bats have left the bell tower. 
  The victims have been bled. Undead, un-
  dead, undead.
  Ventrue: Occupy Elysium! I am the 99 
  percent!
  Camarilla: Fuck you, milord.
  Sabbat: Fuck you, Dracula.
  Anarchs: Fine, why not?
  Embrace. It’s no surprise that these unbound rogues 
  continue to give the rest of their ill-sired ilk a bad 
  name.
  Quote: Stop treating me like shit. 
  I didn’t ask for this!
  
  36 
  CHAPTER TWO: PRESTATION
  
  37 
  V20 COMPANION
  While power over one’s fellow undead may be the 
  truest currency of the Damned, boons and favors also 
  enjoy a healthy trade. The process of trading, repay-
  ing, and incurring favors, known as prestation, is the 
  cornerstone of the vampiric social structure. Put sim-
  ply, a clever Kindred grants favors, while a foolish one 
  incurs them — and becomes a servant to his promises 
  and his debts. A vampire who calls in as-yet unearned 
  favors from other Kindred too often soon finds his en-
  tire existence dictated by the obligations he has in-
  curred. In exchange for whatever tokens of help he 
  requested, he becomes a puppet of those who came 
  to his aid. 
  Kindred society is a Byzantine knot of favors owed, 
  loyalties sworn, debts repaid, and promises broken. 
  From the highest Prince to the lowliest fledgling, the 
  coin of the Kindred realm — after blood, of course — 
  is the boon.
  All sects and all Kindred practice prestation, wheth-
  er they admit to it or not. Granted, some play loosely 
  with the custom while others observe it strictly. In 
  some domains, a titled vampire keeps track of what 
  boon is owed to whom and by whom (see “Chancel-
  lor,” p. 22) while in others, the social pecking order is 
  a less-structured mire of precarious trust.
  That is perhaps the greatest irony of prestation: 
  that it’s built upon the trust of one blood-drenched 
  monster for another. In the world of the undead, trust 
  is a rare and priceless commodity. Yet the whole of 
  the Kindred social contract, whether owed by elder 
  to neonate or even across the lines of sects, balances 
  upon these promises.
  Boons
  One Kindred’s promise to another is known as a 
  boon. Boons come in a variety of significance, from 
  a trivial boon to a life boon. In some domains, boons 
  operate like credit, in that a vampire must owe a boon 
  for another vampire to extend him a boon; other Kin-
  dred must see the individual vampire as trustworthy. 
  In other domains, the opposite is true — the more 
  debts a Kindred owes, the less capable of repaying 
  those boons she is assumed to be. The one universal 
  truth among all domains, however, is that a boon is a 
  boon and there’s no way to get out of it other than to 
  satisfy it or to have it excused by individual to whom 
  it’s owed.
  Chapter Two:  
  Prestation
  Oh! what a tangled web we weave.
  — Sir Walter Scott, Marmion
  37 
  V20 COMPANION
  
  38 
  CHAPTER TWO: PRESTATION
  Critics and observers of Kindred society hasten to 
  point out that the terms of boons scale with the ca-
  pacities of the vampire owing the debt. It might be 
  a minor boon for a Prince to pardon a transgressor of 
  the Traditions but a life boon for a fledgling to per-
  jure himself before the Archbishop in order to excuse 
  a straying Priscus. Unfortunately for the debtor, the 
  “exchange rate” doesn’t always favor them, so the Pris-
  cus pledging a life boon to the neonate is truly under-
  taking a significant debt, particularly if that neonate 
  quickly works his way up the ranks of the Sabbat and 
  finds his own definition of “life boon” appreciating.
  Boons also transcend sect and even the authority of 
  any local luminary or leader. The old adage of guilt by 
  association applies here, too, making for some trou-
  blesome relationships. If a Kindred owes a life boon 
  to another, and that other Kindred is declared the 
  subject of a Blood Hunt, it doesn’t erase the boon. 
  So what is a vampire to do? He’s damned if he honors 
  the boon (aiding the subject of a Blood Hunt) and 
  he’s damned if he doesn’t (forsaking a sworn promise). 
  Some Princes and Archbishops allow forgiveness of 
  boons in these cases, but the controversy of the spe-
  cial circumstances tends to follow those who receive 
  special dispensation to excuse them from their prom-
  ises. Cainites are, of course, a fickle group.
  Of course, these complexities illustrate why the sys-
  tems of boons and promises are so tangled.
  Weaving the Web
  The process of establishing a prestation debt is sim-
  ple. A Kindred either asks another of her kind for as-
  sistance in a matter, in return for a favor of some sort 
  at a later date, or a Cainite assists another in a time of 
  misfortune — with the understanding that the favor 
  will be repaid later. The wisest among the Kindred 
  keep very close records of favors owed, and take great 
  care not to mire themselves in more debts than they 
  can afford to satisfy at any given time. Among the 
  more formal sects, including both the Camarilla and 
  the Sabbat, prestation debts can be called in at lit-
  erally any time, so it’s wise policy to make sure that 
  one has the capacity to honor a boon, regardless of 
  circumstance. 
  Not all boons are accrued voluntarily, however. El-
  ders are proven masters at maneuvering younger Kin-
  dred into positions where they have no choice but to 
  ask for help, placing themselves in an elder’s thrall. 
  The nature of relationships among the Damned plays 
  an exceptionally large role in this social dynamic, of 
  course. Indeed, one Kindred’s Mentor may well be an-
  other’s master. For example, a holding company ma-
  nipulated by the elder Meshenko Kovich might pur-
  chase the building in which a promising neonate has 
  established a nightclub, and immediately start harass-
  ing her with breaches of contract, “proactive” health 
  code inspections, zoning bureaucracy, and lease in-
  creases. Eventually the neonate has little choice but 
  to seek protection, which leads her to the Kovich’s 
  doorstep. The elder extends the favor, and the neo-
  nate has made her first foray into the Damned’s spi-
  derweb of prestation. If it sounds a bit like a neigh-
  borhood protection racket or the quasi-feudalism of 
  organized crime, well, it is.
  Veterans of the deathless, harrowing chronicle of 
  Kindred obligation also favor maneuvering poten-
  tial debtors into perilous situations and then rescuing 
  them dramatically, thus placing the hapless victims in 
  their debt. One such tactic involves letting knowledge 
  of a vampire’s haven slip to a rival or even a hunter, 
  then swooping in as the enemy makes his move. From 
  the rescue it’s only a short step to granting the neo-
  nate some amount of privilege in her own territory 
  (“Yours is clearly unsafe”), and, slowly, night by night, 
  vessel by vessel, favor by favor, the victim owes her 
  entire ability to exist to the graces of the not-entirely-
  altruistic benefactor. On the other side of the coin, 
  some Kindred adopt the tactic of swearing as many 
  boons as possible as a form of protection, operating 
  on the theory that their manifold creditors will want 
  to keep them in one piece in order to collect. This 
  tends to work better in Camarilla domains than it 
  does in Anarch or Sabbat territories, and few among 
  the Tal’Mahe’Ra would tolerate such nonsense.
  Types of Boons
  In general, the society of the Damned recognizes 
  four classifications of boons.
  Trivial Boon: These are the easiest boons both to 
  acquire and to satisfy. A trivial boon might consist of 
  aiding a hungry Kindred in the finding of blood, talk-
  ing a hostile vampire down from a potential frenzy, 
  getting a neonate past the bouncer at the hottest club 
  in the Rack, or offering crash space for a blood-drunk 
  acquaintance who stayed out too close to sunrise. 
  Trivial boons are easy to perform and usually have 
  very little downside other than the effort required to 
  execute them. Still, the Kindred observe their pas-
  sage and exchange. After all, no one knows when a 
  fellow might suddenly turn truculent and need to be 
  
  39 
  V20 COMPANION
  reminded of the myriad little things others among the 
  Damned do for her sake.
  Minor Boon: Minor boons require a Kindred to go 
  out of her way to perform or pay off. They may have a 
  small but permanent downside associated with them, 
  or they may involve some amount of risk. This risk 
  needn’t be physical. In fact, for many Kindred, the 
  risk of social embarrassment or loss of an academic re-
  source might be more distressing than physical harm. 
  Examples of minor boons include casting a vote in 
  favor of another Kindred during a convocation of el-
  ders, providing a vessel in a desperate hour, or hiding 
  a Kindred (no questions asked) from a revenge-crazed 
  Malkavian howling for her blood.
  Major Boon: A major boon can alter the flow of 
  Kindred affairs in a domain, directly or indirectly. 
  Boons like these invariably invite some amount of 
  personal risk or a significant investment of effort. 
  Again, risks taken need not be physical — a cagey 
  Toreador might bankroll a wild pack of Caitiff to run 
  amok in a hated Tremere’s domain, risking exposure 
  and loss of her own status and income. (Then again, 
  once the Caitiff stake and dispose of the Tremere, 
  the Toreador will be able to swoop in and take the 
  Tremere’s holdings... until the Caitiff tire of her and 
  beg another boon to erase their debt to her or cover 
  up their involvement in her unfortunate disappear-
  ance.) Major boons don’t often take place on the spur 
  of the moment, instead representing a steady invest-
  ment of time or resources with an expected long-term 
  outcome. That said, a Cainite desperate enough for 
  a favor may well pledge a major boon for a quick but 
  momentous action. Examples of major boons include 
  having a vampire declared the subject of a clan-wide 
  vendetta, convincing a Prince to rescind a grant of 
  hunting grounds, providing another vampire’s police 
  Allies information on the illicit activities of a Kindred 
  gang, or casting the opposite of an expected vote in a 
  policy council with the other Bishops.
  Life Boon: The life boon is the rarest and most 
  valuable of the boons observed by the Damned. Ironi-
  cally, these are usually the boons most often promised 
  or called in on a moment’s notice, despite their grav-
  ity. As their name intimates, these boons are often 
  all that stands between a Cainite and Final Death. 
  They don’t have to arise under those circumstances 
  — a contentious Anarch may promise a life boon to a 
  rival pack of Anarchs in the interests of taking down 
  a mutually despised Baron in exchange for honoring 
  her own claim after the deed is done — but the ma-
  jority of life boons are dire and sworn under great and 
  imminent duress. Some Kindred relish the additional 
  irony of the boon’s title: Given that vampires are un-
  dead, it’s a delicious schadenfreude to determine just 
  what another Kindred would give up life to obtain. 
  Examples of life boons include the obvious salvation 
  of a Kindred from peril, but may also involve hiding a 
  grievous secret, protecting a mortal lover, or offering 
  an alibi without knowing what sort of horrific crime 
  the boon-pledging Cainite is trying to hide. Some 
  honor-bound vampires will even die to fulfill a life 
  boon, so great is their sense of duty or their debt. Of 
  course, such Kindred are rare in the World of Dark-
  ness.
  The Foundation
  Most young Kindred learn the art of prestation (if 
  they’re lucky) as the art of giving and granting favors. 
  Modern Kindred often define it as “you scratch my 
  back, I scratch yours.” Unfortunately, many neonates 
  learn of prestation only through being taken advan-
  tage of by skilled elders, cruel sires, or backhanded 
  Mentors, giving them no chance to learn under ben-
  eficial conditions. Should one expect any less of the 
  Damned?
  Many an inexperienced or desperate Kindred 
  (fledgling and ancilla alike) has found himself in hor-
  rendous debt due to his ignorance of the various strata 
  of prestation. This is not entirely through his own er-
  ror. No few Cainites of august Status brokering deals 
  have assisted the matter by choosing not to inform a 
  Kindred about his potential mistake or by deliberate 
  misinformation when it suited them. This, of course, 
  gives them the opportunity to help the unfortunate 
  by extending another debt to ameliorate the first one.
  The sanctity of the prestation system is very impor-
  tant to any Kindred who benefits from the existence of 
  hierarchy and the status quo, particularly those elders 
  who have spent centuries cultivating vast networks of 
  debts. If it suddenly becomes acceptable to break one’s 
  promise, then suddenly the whole of Kindred society 
  — the entire, centuries-spanning temple of obliga-
  tion and the formality of favors — becomes worthless. 
  Needless to say, few elders of any sect intend to allow 
  that to happen. Those investments in favors are ma-
  jor resources in the mini-Jyhads every Kindred plays. 
  As such, every vampire, regardless of sect or clan, 
  whether debtor or indebted, has a vested interest in 
  keeping the formality of the prestation system intact. 
  Anything less represents the complete breakdown of 
  Kindred society: the lawless id of the Beast.
  
  40 
  CHAPTER TWO: PRESTATION
  Discharging Boons
  While a given domain may have rigorous conven-
  tions in place for recording and observing who has 
  sworn boons to whom, the completion of a boon is 
  comparatively simple. Once the Kindred who holds 
  the boon declares it satisfied, that’s it; it’s done.
  That said, some account housekeeping may be nec-
  essary. In domains where the Harpies (or another 
  title; see “Chancellor,” p. 22) track prestation, the 
  satisfied Cainite may need to report the completion of 
  a boon. In very formal domains, a boon may have to 
  be discharged (or established) at Elysium or another 
  gathering of the domain’s vampires.
  Cheating
  Of course, given the nature of the Kindred, such a 
  simple social contract provides its own potential mire. 
  If the Nosferatu Primogen tells a Gangrel ancilla that 
  her boon is discharged but then “forgets” that she de-
  clared the boon satisfied, what option does the Gan-
  grel have? Who’s going to believe some filthy Out-
  lander? In fact, if the Nosferatu plays hardball, who’s 
  even going to believe that a Primogen was in such 
  dire straits as to need the help of a Barrens-prowling 
  upstart?
  A Cainite is only as good as her word, and if this 
  Nosferatu Primogen just keeps having these ancillae 
  claiming she’s abused the social contract, well, maybe 
  there’s something to the accusation. Even across sect 
  lines, a vampire willing to fuck over another Kin-
  dred so obviously and gracelessly for personal gain 
  deserves whatever comes to them. It’s not so much 
  that Cainite society wants to protect the poor, disil-
  lusioned Gangrel ancilla, it’s that they don’t want to 
  get fucked themselves, and if they can hamstring a 
  potential rival who’s playing quick and dirty on the 
  route to power, well, so much the better. In fact, the 
  Prince might be interested in knocking the backstab-
  bing Nosferatu Primogen down a peg, and if it keeps a 
  too-ambitious Gangrel ancilla in his place, well, that’s 
  two for the price of one. If power were so easy to seize, 
  every shit-heel fledgling with a lying tongue would be 
  his own Prince.
  To this end, some heavy-handed domains ensure 
  complicity with the rules of prestation by creating 
  their own safeguards. Several uses of Dominate can 
  ascertain whether a given boon has been honorably 
  satisfied. The Tremere have rituals that can wring lies 
  from a forked tongue, and certain Sabbat ritae and 
  Tal’Mahe’Ra witchcraft have similar effects. Even 
  among the Anarch Movement, good old-fashioned 
  
  41 
  V20 COMPANION
  torture can extract a confession of a defaulted promise 
  (though with greater margin for error).
  While the Kindred who attempts to sneak out on a 
  debt has it bad, the one who kills his boon-holder to 
  avoid paying suffers infinitely worse treatment (if his 
  treacheries come to light). In most cases, the elders 
  of a domain hold most of the boons, so they would be 
  the most likely targets for “debt relief” if murder was 
  easy absolution from a sworn boon. To deter desperate 
  Kindred, elders and other opinion leaders among the 
  Damned tend to come down hard on those who kill 
  to escape honoring their obligations. For any Kindred 
  who chooses Final Death instead of repayment, the 
  best he can expect is likely the Lextalionis or being 
  placed on tap at the next Blood Feast. The worst may 
  well be unspeakable — but the Kindred rumor mill 
  certainly circulates endless dire stories to discourage 
  other would-be oath-slayers.
  Obviously, the powers that be in a given domain 
  tend to look unfavorably upon oathbreakers. Wheth-
  er a Prince or Seraph is the ultimate authority in a 
  city, it comes down to the matter of trust. A Kindred 
  who breaks a promise demonstrates that she places 
  her own interests above those of others. And when 
  the survival of the Kindred relies on keeping the exis-
  tence of the Damned a secret from the mortal world, a 
  vampire who can’t be trusted to keep a promise can’t 
  be trusted to keep a secret. Most Cainite leaders rea-
  son that bloody, final satisfaction is often the safest 
  course. A treacherous Kindred will betray again, so 
  remove him from the domain. It’s better to be safe 
  than staked and sunburnt.
  Inter-Sect Prestation
  It is for this very reason that the vampires of all sects 
  observe (to some degree, at least) the conventions of 
  prestation. Trading favors across sect lines allows ac-
  cess to resources and tactics that aren’t always avail-
  able to those who don’t want to look past their own 
  ideology. If the Archbishop doesn’t want this duplici-
  tous Giovanni in her domain, why on earth would 
  a Prince want him? Vampires of other sects are still 
  vampires, and a rogue who backs out on a promise 
  tonight may back out on a promise to you tomorrow 
  night. Enlightened self-interest is the motive behind 
  all of the Traditions, after all, whether it’s a Prince or 
  Monitor enforcing them.
  This isn’t to say that all is well and good when 
  Cainites from different factions pledge prestation to 
  one another. Hardliners of every sect may take an “us-
  versus-everyone-else” position, calling into question 
  the boon-swearer’s loyalty. A Kindred who appears to 
  benefit too greatly from working “outside the rules” of 
  her own sect may lose Status or be stripped of titles. 
  They may have to tithe vitae, accept blood bonds, or 
  resort to operating behind the sect’s back. Then again, 
  in more liberal domains, no one may raise an eyebrow 
  — indeed, they may pave the way for others to ex-
  pand their interests as well.
  The most difficult relationships of inter-sect presta-
  tion are, unsurprisingly, between the Camarilla and 
  the Sabbat, given that the philosophies of the two 
  are diametrically opposed. However, boons granted 
  between members of the Camarilla and the Anarch 
  Movement are also often scrutinized, as the success 
  of one sect is frequently the hindrance of the other. 
  How can a staunchly conservative Prince trust a sub-
  ject who openly deals with a pack of terrorists that 
  oppose everything his title represents?
  At times, clan unity becomes more important than 
  sect loyalty, and members of the thirteen great fami-
  lies of Kindred (and, as frequently, members of mar-
  ginalized bloodlines) can close ranks against outside 
  influence. Particularly among Clans Nosferatu, Gan-
  grel, Malkavian, and Brujah, a promise to one’s own 
  Blood carries more weight than the sometimes de facto 
  allegiance to one’s ideology. Note that most of these 
  clan loyalties belong to those clans that are typically 
  disenfranchised or otherwise less than fanatical about 
  the artificial construct of sects. When the powers that 
  be push clan identity to the side, those who are un-
  dermined take solace in what’s being suppressed. The 
  Nosferatu are certainly the most active in this regard, 
  and the vast information network that connects the 
  Sewer Rats does so without regard for ideology or ge-
  ography. A secret is a secret, and the value of informa-
  tion is greater than any Ventrue or Lasombra would-
  be tyrant may suggest.
  As ever, Kindred politics makes strange bedfellows. 
  Those with entrepreneurial minds or unorthodox ap-
  proaches may well find their greatest adversaries amid 
  their own supposed ideological peers. Small minds 
  make for vicious controversy.
  Boons As Commodities
  Like a slatternly Blood Doll, prestation debts cir-
  culate through the ranks of the undead. As banks 
  trade assets, boons move constantly among Kindred, 
  being retrieved, dangled, held in promissory escrow, 
  and otherwise shunted around so that it becomes diz-
  zying to keep track of who owes what to whom. Few 
  
  42 
  CHAPTER TWO: PRESTATION
  domains have any formal system for trading favors. 
  Such arrangements operate more along the lines of, 
  “Katherine the Toreador owes me some consider-
  ation, so I’ll tell her to grant you an audience if you 
  send word to Pavel the Nosferatu that I could use the 
  help of a few loose tongues to turn some attention to-
  ward Carlos the Tremere’s deal with the Prince’s dogs-
  body.” All but the most informal domains do observe 
  some sort of protocol, however. The Lick whose debt 
  moves from one debtor to another must learn about 
  the transfer, otherwise she runs the risk of denying 
  a perfectly valid settlement for what she thinks is a 
  perfectly valid reason, causing the whole network of 
  prestation to collapse.
  As an added benefit, letting an inferior know that 
  the Kindred passing the boon didn’t even feel his debt 
  was worth maintaining is a pillar of the Kindred social 
  order. Moving promises from one Cainite to another 
  is as much a function of prestation as swearing them 
  in the first place.
  Optional System: Buying Boons
  Normally, boons are acquired as a result of gameplay 
  and problem-solving on the part of the players’ charac-
  ters. However, at the Storyteller’s discretion, a player 
  may invest experience points in a boon, representing 
  something happening “off camera” or in downtime for 
  which another Kindred owes her. A player may pur-
  chase a boon only from a Storyteller character, and 
  the Storyteller should work with the player to deter-
  mine the details of the character’s transaction with 
  the other vampire.
  Note that it’s not possible to purchase a life boon 
  in this manner. Such a “get out of jail free” promise 
  is outside the scope of experience point expenditures.
  Boon 
  Experience point cost
  Trivial boon 
   
  3
  Minor boon 
   
  7
  Major boon 
   
  20
  Life boon 
   
  —
  Optional System: Liar, Liar
  A character may choose to falsify the condition 
  of a boon, declaring it either absolved or still intact, 
  whichever is the opposite of the truth. At the Sto-
  ryteller’s discretion, some clue as to the actual state 
  of the boon may circulate among the gossip networks 
  and private conversations of the Damned.
  The Storyteller rolls a dice pool equal to the charac-
  ter’s Wits or Manipulation (whichever is higher) plus 
  the character’s Subterfuge or Investigation (which-
  ever is higher) minus the character’s Status (the more 
  well-known the character is, the harder it is to falsify 
  the boon). If the roll achieves any successes, the char-
  acter has covered her tracks for one period of time 
  (scene, night, etc.) as determined by the Storyteller. 
  If the roll fails, evidence revealing the character’s fal-
  sification of the boon surfaces. In this case, the char-
  acter’s Status drops by one point for each step of the 
  boon’s gravity (–1 for a trivial boon, –2 for a minor 
  boon, etc., to a minimum of 0) for one month. On 
  a botch, something much more problematic happens 
  — the Prince decides to make an example of her, the 
  Inquisitor connects the false boon with an Infernal-
  ism cover-up, etc. 
  A player may spend Willpower to automatically suc-
  ceed on this roll, but Willpower spent in this manner 
  cannot be regained until the scandal blows over (see 
  below). Points spent in this manner are cumulative, 
  so it’s possible to be restricted from regaining multiple 
  points of Willpower.
  The unit of time for this roll is up to the Storyteller’s 
  judgment. Sometimes Kindred news travels quickly, 
  and the roll represents a single scene, such as a con-
  tentious convocation at Elysium or the Palla Grande. 
  Other times, something else occupies the attentions 
  of the Damned, so a roll may represent a period of 
  downtime such as a month. Once the roll succeeds a 
  number of times equal to five plus one for each step 
  of the boon’s gravity (+1 for a trivial boon, +2 for a 
  minor boon, etc.), the scandal or suspicion has passed 
  and the character is no longer at risk for discovery .
  Note that the purpose of this system is to abstract 
  the Kindred rumor mill, Nosferatu secret-brokers, gos-
  sip at vampire functions, etc. If a Cainite or coterie 
  actively pursues rumors of another vampire’s falsifi-
  cation of boon results, the Storyteller should handle 
  that with appropriate rolls, perhaps even making an 
  entire story out of the search. In this case, even hav-
  ing accumulated a certain number of successes on the 
  abstracted roll won’t protect the vampire. If someone 
  manages to turn up damning evidence, they should 
  certainly be able to expose the treacherous Kindred. 
  No skeleton in the closet disappears completely just 
  because the character acquired successes as described 
  above.
  It is up to the boon-cheating player and Storyteller 
  to devise the benefits of the Kindred falsifying the 
  
  43 
  V20 COMPANION
  condition of the boon. Few vampires of any Status, 
  regardless of sect, look favorably upon the false satis-
  faction of boons. It undermines the whole social con-
  tract among vampires, and it’s better, these luminaries 
  often reason, to snuff out a single transgressor than to 
  topple the whole precarious structure. In these mod-
  ern nights, when promises can be recorded on digital 
  devices and distributed to every Cainite in the do-
  main at the click of a button, maintaining the stabil-
  ity of the domain is worth spilling a little extra blood.
  The Practice of  
  Prestation
  It is not in a vampire’s best interest to cash in the fa-
  vors she has acquired immediately. After all, a Kindred 
  known to owe another a boon is likely to come under 
  suspicion if the boon-holder disappears (see “Cheat-
  ing,” p. 40), with potentially fatal consequences. As a 
  result, Kindred in most prestation arrangements are as 
  safe as can be expected from any of her debtors.
  Enlightened self-protection isn’t the only reason to 
  maintain a favor. As long as one of the Kindred has 
  a debt hanging over him, he must always be aware 
  of the possibility of having his marker called in. He 
  can’t act as freely as he might otherwise, for fear of 
  being called on to repay his debt. You can’t out the 
  Toreador Harpy at Elysium for engaging in a deal with 
  a Tzimisce from across the river if the Harpy’s Ven-
  true coterie-mate knows that you have a dalliance 
  with the sheriff’s mortal lover, for example. Holding a 
  debt over a vampire and insinuating that repayment 
  might come due at any moment is an effective meth-
  od of paralyzing a Kindred, quelling his ambition, and 
  forcing him to reserve some of his resources against 
  the possibility. This game of move and counter-move 
  takes on the characteristics of the sect in whose do-
  main it is practiced. Bloody vendetta characterizes 
  Anarch domains, social brinksmanship is the way of 
  the Camarilla, and the Sabbat practices fervent bully-
  ing (with a side of fire and zealotry).
  Furthermore, a Kindred who owes another a debt is 
  perceived as being inferior to the vampire to whom 
  she owes it. This perception only applies to those who 
  know about a debt, and many Kindred who dig up 
  dirt on a powerful peer let the whole domain know 
  about it as quickly as possible. If the Cainite performs 
  this sequence effectively, the creditor gains prestige 
  while the debtor loses it. Even better, the longer the 
  debt can be sustained, the more prestige accrues to the 
  
  44 
  CHAPTER TWO: PRESTATION
  creditor. It is in the interest of the vampire holding 
  the favor to hang onto it as long as possible,  though 
  most creditors take care to avoid pulling their debt-
  ors’ leashes too hard or too often. Once the boon is 
  discharged, most sects look the other way when an 
  abused debtor takes vengeance on a harsh creditor.
  Assuaging Social Debt
  Few Kindred like the idea of having lingering debts. 
  It’s socially embarrassing, financially painful, and po-
  tentially hazardous. As a result, most Cainites seek to 
  pay off their prestation debts as soon as they can safely 
  do so. Those who have extended the favors have a 
  vested interest in prolonging those debts, so the result 
  can be a game of cat and mouse, with the debtors fran-
  tically attempting to do their creditors favors and the 
  creditors dodging anything that might conceivably be 
  construed as a satisfaction from their debtors.
  Debts among the Kindred rarely take specific shape. 
  Few vampires request a detailed service. Rather, debts 
  are vague and amorphous, assumed to fall into a cat-
  egory the favor-granting Kindred considers her exper-
  tise, or something that puts the indebted Kindred at 
  a greater but delayed disadvantage. “I’ll simply ask for 
  your help with something down the road.” This am-
  biguity works both for and against the creditor. The 
  indistinct nature of the debt helps keeps those on the 
  owing of prestation deferential, as they work to abate 
  their debt with flattery or obsequiousness.
  Along those lines, since the nature of most Cainite 
  debt is undefined, it is common among the Kindred to 
  grant some sort of lesser consideration to their credi-
  tors in hopes of canceling the boon. Particularly en-
  ergetic or devious vampires may be able to maneuver 
  their creditors into situations wherein they can ap-
  pear on the scene and render assistance, thus wiping 
  out the imbalance. Such attempts should be made 
  very carefully, though — if they backfire or are found 
  out, the instigator just sinks deeper into debt and be-
  comes a target of derision as well (assuming he’s not 
  eliminated as some sort of collateral damage if things 
  truly go off the rails). The mouse who pulls the thorn 
  from the lion’s paw is still a mouse, no matter how 
  clever she may believe herself to be.
  What form payback takes depends on the size and 
  type of debt incurred. It is considered bad form to ask 
  for excessive repayment of minor debts. In such cases, 
  depending on the sect in which the boon exists, the 
  debtor may laugh off the request (potentially even 
  canceling it in observation of the absurd entitlement 
  that accompanied the attempted discharge) or even 
  demand some sort of martial satisfaction. More often 
  than not, those who would parlay their boons into 
  disproportionate fortunes find themselves socially 
  bankrupt. Kindred society hasn’t remained static for 
  five centuries by letting the indebted gain the upper 
  hand.
  On the other hand, few Kindred choose to abate a 
  debt by asking for too little. Doing so is a sure path 
  to being made a target by the Harpies, in addition 
  to canceling any status gain made by acquiring the 
  debt in the first place. It is for this reason that the less 
  “sophisticated” clans rarely choose to engage in pres-
  tation with those perceived to be more quick-witted 
  than they. It’s bad enough to get fucked on a deal, but 
  being exposed as a fool afterward only makes getting 
  fucked more difficult to bear.
  In truth, the actual repayment of the debt is almost 
  incidental to the process of prestation. It is the boon 
  itself that matters — the artistry of the creation, the 
  dispersal of the obligation, and the webs of allegiance 
  strung by favors owed. Actually paying off whatever 
  is demanded is somehow anticlimactic in all but the 
  most dire circumstances.
  When a debt is finally repaid, however, more often 
  than not it is done so publicly. Sample forms of pay-
  ments include privileges (especially that of creation, 
  if a Prince or Priscus is the debtor), favorite ghouls or 
  mortal pawns, assistance in financial or martial are-
  nas, tutoring in Disciplines, or even the performance 
  of publicly humiliating acts. Favors often involve one 
  Kindred lobbying another on a third vampire’s be-
  half, usually in matters of Embrace or interference in 
  the mortal world. Asking for a service that is overly 
  hazardous or demanding that one’s debtor break the 
  Traditions is forbidden by long custom, even across 
  sect lines. (If nothing else, getting one’s debtor killed 
  ensures that you can’t use him again.) On the other 
  hand, a sufficiently subtle vampire can blur the edges 
  of these restrictions, and prestation has been used to 
  eliminate any number of incautious Kindred. The 
  Harpies and other opinion leaders of the various sects 
  usually end up being the ultimate arbiters of whether 
  the repayment is suitable, though in most domains 
  they hold no official capacity in this matter. 
  
  45 
  V20 COMPANION
  Sects and Boons
  Every sect observes boons in some capacity, and 
  honors the concept of the boon across sect lines. The 
  fact that, on the whole, vampires are willing to ac-
  knowledge their social obligations before their fac-
  tional allegiance speaks to a long and ingrained — 
  perhaps even physiological — need to make good 
  on a statement. The superstition that one must ask a 
  vampire into her home before he can cross the thresh-
  old may have its origin in the gravity with which the 
  Damned regard their promises.
  The Camarilla
  It comes as no surprise that the Jonsonian wit and 
  ingrained traditionalism of the Camarilla provides a 
  home for the formalities of prestation. In fact, some 
  suspect that the very roots of prestation lie in the 
  rigid will of the Ventrue and the elaborate rituals of 
  comme il faut upheld by the Toreador. This isn’t pre-
  cisely true — several extant Kindred communications 
  dating back to the Dark Ages make guarantees of 
  promises among Kindred — but the eminent powers 
  of the Ivory Tower, the Rose Clan and the Clan of 
  Kings certainly know how to make use of prestation. 
  Other Camarilla clans often see the established rules 
  of prestation as convenient tools and pragmatic in-
  vestments.
  The Brujah and Gangrel tend to play very loosely 
  with prestation, but many have their own ideas of 
  honor and duty that observing prestation allows them 
  to display in front of others. They often like to flaunt 
  this at Elysium and other sect gatherings, showing 
  that — despite their comparatively low social status 
  — at least they’re not lying hypocrites like the Cama-
  rilla’s leadership.
  The Tremere codify their network of mentorship 
  duties along the same lines as prestation, offering 
  training to other Warlocks in exchange for mystic 
  secrets, access to occult resources, or standard favors 
  represented by the custom.
  Malkavian observation of prestation is unreliable, 
  but the Clan of the Moon has no vested interest in 
  subverting the tradition, unless they’re calling into 
  question the entirety of Kindred social contract. In-
  deed, prestation often gives a grounding in reality to 
  
  46 
  CHAPTER TWO: PRESTATION
  the more cripplingly fractured Lunatics, reminding 
  them of what they promised to do and providing con-
  text for other Kindred activities.
  The Nosferatu frequently find themselves traffick-
  ing in “black market” prestation, keeping their boons 
  “off the books” in exchange for secrets and leads on 
  what might provide more interesting information 
  in the future. Most often, the Sewer Rats don’t hide 
  behind lofty ideals like honor or value. They simply 
  want to have as many of the “beautiful Damned” in 
  their filthy pockets as possible. Nosferatu social debts 
  are quite liberal, and a Nosferatu whose secrets aren’t 
  worth the promises he demands for them quickly falls 
  out of favor among those seeking information.
  Of all the sects, the Camarilla is most invested in 
  the pomp and circumstance of prestation, as well as 
  “balancing the books” in public displays  of who owes 
  whom. It is certainly the sect most likely to engage 
  the services of a titled Kindred who maintains a ros-
  ter of such social debts. In some domains, this roll of 
  promises is read at gatherings of the Kindred, as a re-
  minder that the welfare of the Kindred relies on ev-
  eryone’s honoring promises. It also provides a venue 
  of redress for those who feel their boons have been 
  unsatisfactorily discharged. Some recall the long-ago 
  nights of kings and chamberlains, when the Prince 
  herself was often the adjutant of grievances among 
  the court. Such formal domains often resemble the 
  dangerous aristocratic minefields of Louis XIV’s court 
  or the whims of Henry VIII’s. Indeed, it’s possible to 
  walk away from such an accounting owing someone 
  else a boon for declaring satisfaction on the original 
  boon... but such shifting debts and allegiances are the 
  trademark of the Camarilla.
  The Camarilla is unique in that it allows for the 
  open transference of boons among Kindred. So long 
  as all parties agree, a Kindred can name another of 
  the Damned as the recipient of his boon. Alex LeM-
  ont, for example, may owe a Toreador a favor while a 
  Malkavian owes him a favor, and if everyone is ame-
  nable, LeMont may simply pass the Malkavian’s favor 
  to the Toreador, removing himself from the recursive 
  mire of prestation. On the surface this seems simple, 
  but in practice, in a domain with fifty-plus Kindred 
  swapping promises of obligation to one another, the 
  knot of prestation rapidly becomes Gordian. Indeed, 
  those who traffic in favors often prefer these complex 
  webs of duty, the better to occlude their promises and 
  hide behind numerous blinds of favors, the satisfac-
  tion of any of which might negate a hundred other 
  favors across the city. A clever Kindred like LeMont 
  may never have to worry about his favor being called 
  in, as it becomes a liquid prestation asset that’s more 
  valuable in the form of currency than it is in practical 
  satisfaction.
  The Sabbat
  By comparison, the Sabbat practices less prestation 
  than the Camarilla, but it definitely exists. Indeed, 
  most Sabbat prestation occurs along the lines of “I 
  owe you one,” or resembles the bonds forged among 
  soldiers at war. It’s less rigidly defined, and definitely 
  recorded far less frequently.
  Formal pledges of prestation in the Black Hand 
  happen almost exclusively among the higher tiers of 
  the sect. Many elders of the Sabbat predate its forma-
  tion, and old habits die hard among vampires used to 
  swearing duty in the petty kingdoms of the Old World.
  It’s largely absent at the pack level, who by design 
  watch each other’s backs. Many promises and favors 
  are traded between packs, especially in established or 
  wartime domains where packs have very specific pur-
  poses and benefit from diversifying their abilities.
  For the Lasombra, debts of duty and honor strike 
  deep chords, owing to the aristocratic history of the 
  clan and their medieval involvement in the canons 
  of the Church. After all, rare are the promises that 
  can’t be fulfilled by ordering one’s faithful minions to 
  handle onerous tasks. Boons pledged and purchased 
  are not unlike the indulgences bought and sold in the 
  nights before the Reformation, and thus carry signifi-
  cant weight among the Keepers. The Lasombra are 
  also the most likely to traffic in boons sworn to non-
  Sabbat, as they are skilled at cultivating networks of 
  promise and politics. 
  The Tzimisce consider the formality of prestation 
  far more odious than the Lasombra, following their 
  own ancestral lines. To the Tzimisce mind, when the 
  master of the dom chooses to reward his szlachta in-
  stead of flaying the skin from their bones, he grants 
  privilege with that very act. Suggesting that such 
  boons might be owed or pre-sworn is foreign to their 
  punitive minds, especially as they grow older. The 
  world exists to be bent and shaped like the bones of 
  a disappointing minion, not strung along with the 
  promise of reward or favor. Young Tzimisce seem a 
  little more disposed toward the mutualism of presta-
  tion, especially as they rise through the ranks of the 
  Black Hand and can use boons as an edge over their 
  own elders.
  
  47 
  V20 COMPANION
  Among the antitribu and more esoteric bloodlines 
  of the Black Hand, prestation is a necessary evil. The 
  elders do it, the founding clans of the Sabbat do it, so 
  it’s best to learn the rules and take advantage when 
  you can. Some clans are better disposed to this than 
  others — the Ventrue antitribu, Toreador antitribu, 
  and Assamite antitribu use prestation adeptly, and the 
  Sabbat Nosferatu in particular make good use of trad-
  ing favors with members of the Camarilla, Anarchs, 
  and even the occasional Tal’Mahe’Ra. Among the 
  Brujah antitribu, Serpents of the Light, and Panders, 
  prestation most frequently takes the form of street-
  level honor, while the Gangrel and Malkavians of the 
  Black Hand find the practice pointlessly convoluted, 
  difficult to grasp, or asinine — who would make a 
  promise to an unreasoning tool of the Beast?
  Unlike the Camarilla, the Sabbat on the whole 
  observes no trading of boons. It’s too “soft,” and “too 
  much like the Ivory Tower,” in the opinions of many 
  Sabbat. The Black Hand’s position is that the trans-
  ference of boons places too much emphasis on who-
  knows-whom, favoritism, and an incomprehensible 
  network of obligations. Especially at the middle and 
  field tiers of Sabbat activity (which make much show 
  of gaining results and being meritocratic), it’s better 
  to burn down a hated elder’s haven than to destroy it 
  with mortal bureaucracy. A philosophy of action now! 
  is more appropriate to the shovelheads and charismat-
  ic ducti. Among the upper echelons of the sect, some 
  favor-trading is inevitable, but it’s almost always on 
  the level of comparatively minor boons, and is viewed 
  as a recourse of last resort.
  The Anarch Movement
  The Anarchs frequently find themselves torn on 
  the question of prestation. On the one hand, a formal 
  system of obligations is a useful thing, and good or-
  ganization is often what gives the opposition an edge 
  over entrenched powers that be. As a given city’s An-
  arch Movement moves from being the rebellion into 
  the authority, however, what was once an effective 
  tool for subversion remains an effective tool for sub-
  version, much to the chagrin of many nascent Barons, 
  who find the transition from fighting oppression to 
  stabilizing a young and angry domain difficult.
  Curiously, many technologically-adept Anarchs 
  integrate their observance of prestation into social 
  media and personal data devices. Using code words, 
  hashtags, and other methods of preserving the integ-
  rity of the Masquerade, the Anarchs have created a 
  
  48 
  CHAPTER TWO: PRESTATION
  reliable record of boons, provided one knows where 
  to look and how to interpret the information. Thus, 
  the Anarchs tend not to use vampiric offices and titles 
  to maintain the social contract of obligations — that’s 
  archaic, anyway — and instead claim and discharge 
  their boons where other online Damned can track 
  their reputation and make their own decisions. Much 
  in the way online auction sites display their users’ 
  integrity or social media systems estimate their us-
  ers’ amplification and influence, Anarch prestation is 
  a readily available piece of data that fellow Anarchs 
  can take into account (or entrenched elders can in-
  tercept...).
  Currently fashionable among the Anarchs is the 
  practice of swearing blood oaths when committing to 
  boons. It adds an air of formality, of useful traditional-
  ism, to what otherwise might be an empty promise.
  The Tal’Mahe’Ra
  In a general sense, the True Black Hand has higher 
  concerns than worrying about whether promises made 
  among the monsters of their sect are fulfilled to every 
  party’s satisfaction. As it plumbs the harrowing mys-
  teries of the realm of the dead and pursues the esoteric 
  knowledge that looms outside most Kindred’s realm of 
  perception, the brinksmanship and petty power-mon-
  gering usually associated with a complicated system of 
  boons is a secondary matter at best for the vampires of 
  the Tal’Mahe’Ra.
  This isn’t to say that the sect is unconcerned with 
  status. Quite the opposite, actually — members of 
  the True Black Hand simply acquire their status by 
  unearthing secrets, puzzling out cryptic mysteries, or 
  collecting exotic artifacts more than they do making 
  grand shows of magnificence at frivolous parties. In 
  this sense, the Tal’Mahe’Ra has a complex system of 
  fealties, oaths, cults, and apprenticeships that take 
  the place of the web of promises the other sects fos-
  ter. The True Black Hand places more value on circles 
  of mystery and internal secret societies than it does 
  on promises sworn in desperate circumstances. With 
  the innumerable secret wars taking place constantly 
  around it, the Tal’Mahe’Ra often simply assumes its 
  members will help each other when necessary because 
  such behavior is in the interests of the oft-fanatical 
  sect.
  Deep-cover agents of the sect frequently cultivate 
  prestation as part of their pretense of belonging to the 
  other sects, however. Indeed, for all the absence of 
  “traditional” prestation inside the Tal’Mahe’Ra, the 
  sect regards the obligations it has established outside 
  the faction seriously, the better to keep prying eyes 
  and unwanted attention from the rest of the darkling 
  agenda.
  The Inconnu
  What can be said, reliably, of those who hide them-
  selves in shrouds of secrets, and whether or not the 
  fulfill a promise that may or may not have been made? 
  Indeed, simply finding a Kindred who has engaged in 
  the commerce of prestation with the Inconnu is like 
  seeking fragments of the Book of Nod at a strip-mall 
  bookstore.
  The only example Kindred society has of the In-
  connu’s prestation practices can be traced to a written 
  document found sealed in a jar in a burned church on 
  the outskirts of Genoa. Notably, the boon exists in 
  written form and specifically invokes that “the power 
  of Christ shall strike me dead should I stray in this 
  faith.” Whether this is simply florid phrasing or an 
  expected outcome eludes confirmation. However the 
  recipient of the boon, a Kindred named in the boon as 
  “Dondinni,” still exists, according to rumor. Did the 
  debtor satisfy the boon? One must find Dondinni to 
  ascertain the answer, assuming such an ancient and 
  eminent vampire would choose to share the truth.
  Independents
  For the clans that remain outside the sect structures 
  of other Kindred, prestation is a double-edged sword. 
  It compromises some amount of their independence 
  to play by the same rules as the sects, effectively ac-
  knowledging the prominence of the other Kindred 
  factions. However, the elders of these clans are so fa-
  miliar with boons and prestation that playing the sys-
  tem comes as second nature to them. Given that pr-
  estation operates across sectarian divisions, they don’t 
  have to buy into any single sect’s policy or ideology. 
  Observing prestation also allows the independents to 
  have a Kindred resource of common value —beyond 
  blood, that is.
  The Assamites rarely work in terms of prestation. 
  Instead, most of them negotiate their contracts in 
  terms of hard cash and precious vitae they can turn 
  to their holy cause. Still, on occasion, Assamites will 
  use prestation to buy into the social strata of a given 
  domain, especially if the Assassins seek to establish 
  a long-term presence there. Growing intimacy be-
  
  49 
  V20 COMPANION
  tween the Assamites and the Camarilla power struc-
  ture make this increasingly frequent in Ivory Tower 
  domains.
  By contrast, the Giovanni have little trouble buying 
  into the prestation system. Indeed, some Giovanni 
  even offer “exchange rates” for boons, buying favors 
  (from the sects that observe prestation transference) 
  in exchange for more liquid resources, both monetary 
  and sanguinary. While the Giovanni are too few to 
  have a huge impact on the global state of Kindred pr-
  estation in this regard, no few elders and keen ancillae 
  balk at the notion of the Necromancers cornering the 
  market on the shadow economy of promises among 
  the undead.
  Clans Ravnos and Setite have a bit more difficulty 
  invoking and earning prestation. Even when they can 
  convince someone to accept a promise from them, 
  they often find themselves on the receiving end of 
  screw-jobs. After all, even if someone does think that 
  the Toreador Harpy granted a favor to a Follower of 
  Set, whose interests would it serve to take the Setite’s 
  side? Especially in the domains of the other sects, 
  Ravnos and Setite vampires find themselves second-
  class citizen when prestation comes into question. 
  Among themselves, the Ravnos observe casual (and 
  unreliable) conventions of honor that confound out-
  siders. The Setites, on the whole, would rather exact 
  payment on their own terms, and potentially secured 
  through mastery of the Blood.
  
  50 
  CHAPTER THREE: KINDRED AND TECHNOLOGY
  
  51 
  V20 COMPANION
  For hundreds and potentially even thousands of 
  years, the world belonged to the Kindred. In a world lit 
  only by fire, where information moved only as quick-
  ly as physical transportation, secrets likewise moved 
  slowly, and even the sloppiest of Kindred could repair 
  a Masquerade breach before the larger world had any 
  inkling that something fiendish had happened in the 
  night.
  Even among Kindred society, the scarcity and gla-
  cial pace of information proved a valuable tool. It was 
  comparatively easy to hide a domain transgression or 
  to undermine a rival while she spent three months 
  crossing the sea from the Old World.
  This is, inarguably, no longer the case. Digital foot-
  age of Masquerade breaches hits the web before the 
  Kindred even knows someone was recording him. 
  News of the Anarch Movement in the United States 
  reaches and incites European Anarchs almost as it’s 
  happening. A Cainite in Montreal can be by her sire’s 
  side in Buenos Aires in under 24 hours. The World of 
  Darkness is no longer populated by superstitious peas-
  ants huddled around meager fires.
  Of course, when information moves so quickly, so 
  does the noise that obscures the message. That Mas-
  querade breach on the video sharing site is potentially 
  an enormous hazard to the Kindred, but it’s also easily 
  swept away underneath a tide of pornographic, racist, 
  off-topic, and plainly moronic comments. And even 
  if those vanish, another thousand will label the video 
  as “OMG THAT IS SO FAEK LOL” and “‘shopped. i 
  can see the pixels.” European Anarchs might experi-
  ence data blackouts on the devices feeding them in-
  formation on their American sect-mates. The flight 
  from Montreal to Buenos Aires might be grounded for 
  suspicion of terrorist activity in Atlanta, where agents 
  of an unnamed Methuselah drag a hooded and staked 
  “suspect” off the plane in shackles. The triumph of 
  information’s ready availability and instant commu-
  nication balances precariously on the razor’s edge of 
  the fundamental vulgar behavior of mankind when 
  protected by anonymity and digital distance.
  But there’s more to the question of Kindred and 
  technology than just spamming enough “LOL” on so-
  cial networking sites to cover one’s ass when pictures 
  Chapter Three: 
  Kindred and 
  Technology
  You don’t understand: the Masquerade will be outdated within thirty years. Technology 
  has advanced to the point that nearly anyone who cares to spend the cash can identify Kin-
  dred. The Canaille possess the means to destroy us now! What will they have in five years? 
  Ten? Twenty? Adapt, die, or get the hell out of the way.
  — A letter from Margali, Ravnos Methuselah, to the Camarilla Inner Circle, 1994
  51 
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  52 
  CHAPTER THREE: KINDRED AND TECHNOLOGY
  of an ill-considered feeding with the CEO’s wife turn 
  up on the gossip sites. From infrared cameras to bio-
  technology to medical science and the almost infinite 
  changes to the daily routine of modern life, how do 
  Kindred interact with technology? This chapter ex-
  plores some of the answers and hopefully asks a few 
  questions that can inspire a few stories worth telling.
  Style
  The Embrace does odd things to people. Irreversible 
  things. The most obvious of Embrace consequences, 
  of course, are the thirst for blood and the presence of 
  the Beast. What most of the Damned don’t immedi-
  ately notice, however, is the stasis that accompanies 
  the Kindred condition. Unless the vampire makes a 
  conscious effort to overcome it, the Kindred remains 
  frozen in time, with attitudes and habits appropriate 
  to the night she became one of the Damned. In nights 
  long past, this didn’t matter much, as decades or even 
  centuries might pass without much changing in the 
  cultural landscape. Tonight, however, information 
  travels too quickly to leave any but the remotest Kin-
  dred communities untouched. Consider how anach-
  ronistic a Cainite “greaser” might seem with his pom-
  padour — is a “grunge” Kindred any less conspicuous 
  in his appearance? Five years ago might as well be 50, 
  which might as well be 500 in terms of the pace of 
  modern culture.
  Fortunately for many Kindred, gothic-industrial 
  culture is tied more to an emotional state than a par-
  ticular period in time, so rivets, lace, and black leather 
  remain perennially stylish in the World of Darkness. 
  In these postmodern times, even an over-the-top af-
  fectation of Victorian style doesn’t draw undue atten-
  tion. Fashion in the World of Darkness works exactly 
  as the Kindred intend, with the most extreme mani-
  festations of dark couture turning heads only when 
  the wearer wants it to. Dresses made of knives, jackets 
  constructed of barbed wire, and PVC garments that 
  cater to the wildest fetish have their place at every 
  Elysium, side-by-side with the traditional finery of the 
  Damned. 
  More than ever before, a modern Kindred’s physi-
  cal presentation reflects the state of technology in the 
  world. Mobile phones, laptop computers, tablets, and 
  music players are as much fashion accessories as they 
  are functional devices. A Kindred wielding a cheap 
  ceramic pistol or a telescoping baton sends a message 
  of menace as much as a Cainite swinging a motorcy-
  cle chain once did. In certain Kindred circles, carry-
  ing last year’s smartphone is a faux pas, and God help 
  the vampire who doesn’t even have a smartphone. In 
  other Cainite subcultures, any mobile phone at all is a 
  shackle, a way for the Powers That Be to know where 
  a vampire is at any given point, and a tool of those 
  whose unlives are tied to the success of privileged mor-
  tals. To these Kindred, a smartphone might as well be 
  the ubiquitous briefcase of business cultures past.
  Havens
  As with clothing, where a Kindred calls home and 
  how she gets there is as much an affectation of choice 
  as her clothing. Young Kindred especially avail them-
  selves of modern conveniences such as WiFi, on-de-
  mand television options, and security systems to pro-
  tect their goods and their blood-drinking predilections. 
  Among every social stratum, the undead have options 
  for dwelling that offer protection that havens of prior 
  centuries simply couldn’t, as well as access to precious 
  vessels. Converted loft spaces in areas of urban recla-
  mation, sky-high penthouses that seem to nestle in the 
  arms of angels, chambers secreted in the halls of high-
  tech schools and even highly classified apartments 
  among the most top-secret of military installations all 
  have been home to Kindred and will be again.
  Even the domains of the wretched have a techno-
  logical edge that Kindred of years gone by could only 
  dream of. Hives of Nosferatu that tap directly into 
  mortal data infrastructures lie beneath most modern 
  cities. Gangrel territories of cable and wire are mod-
  ern urban jungles, providing precious light in the 
  night — and casting long shadows where their feral 
  masters prefer darkness. Brujah revolutionaries may 
  make their havens in defunct foundries with still-
  functioning equipment or even on forgotten floors of 
  office buildings, left unoccupied during times of eco-
  nomic downturn but still wired for ready access to ev-
  ery modern convenience.
  One of the difficulties modern Kindred face is the 
  ability to activate modern accessibility. Elders and an-
  cillae have an edge here, as they can work through 
  mortal thralls when such arrangements are necessary, 
  but what does a fledgling Tremere do when establish-
  ing an Internet repository of secret knowledge? Tell 
  the cable guy, “Come by after dark; I work all day?” 
  It takes creative thinking, favor-trafficking (see the 
  Prestation chapter), or a judicious application of per-
  suasive Disciplines to make modern technological bu-
  reaucracy work in one’s favor.
  
  53 
  V20 COMPANION
  Unlife Online
  Without a doubt, the single greatest threat to the 
  Masquerade and the single greatest weapon in the 
  technologically-savvy Kindred’s arsenal is commu-
  nication. Security systems, medical breakthroughs, 
  weapons advancements and numerous other tech-
  nologies all pose certain hazards or benefits to the 
  Damned, but often only in very specific circumstanc-
  es. The most significant change to Kindred society 
  wrought by technology is communication.
  Indeed, the effect of communication on undead so-
  ciety has raised the question as to what constitutes a 
  domain. With the ability of a Kindred in London to 
  set into effect a virtual chain of events that culmi-
  nates in an Anarch uprising in New York, does do-
  main have the same meaning tonight? Can the Prince 
  of New York redress a grievance with the London Kin-
  dred for meddling in her domain? Or must she observe 
  ancient protocols and petition the Prince of London? 
  What about actions between virtual domains across 
  the boundaries of sects?
  These questions complicate the historical under-
  standing of the Traditions. With Kindred no longer 
  necessarily even physically present in a domain, how 
  can a Prince or Archbishop enforce the laws of the 
  domain upon an individual vampire? Should she? 
  And with the authority figures equally as able (poten-
  tially, if not in reality) to follow transgressors across 
  the vast network of virtual space and digital devices, 
  how can the culprit hide? In nights when the Prince 
  of Paris can exact vengeance against a Black Hand 
  pack in Mexico City, does the venerable Kindred con-
  cept of domain even mean anything anymore? When 
  a Prince claims Praxis, is the claim over physical terri-
  tory, or does the Prince’s claim extend over the virtual 
  wellbeing of her subjects as well? Does punishment 
  for transgression lie in the responsibility of the “meat-
  space” location of the transgressor, or does a digital 
  crime warrant digital justice at the hands of a Prince 
  able to enforce it? What if the Prince of the physi-
  cal domain and the virtual territory disagree? What 
  if they’re at war, or of different sects? And what of 
  Kindred who are stalwart sect members of physical 
  locations but self-styled Autarkis in digital domains?
  
  54 
  CHAPTER THREE: KINDRED AND TECHNOLOGY
  It’s a heady, complicated topic, and one discussed 
  in no few opulent salons and filthy hideouts. And the 
  answers, to date, aren’t forthcoming. The ramifica-
  tions change as quickly as does the face of the tech-
  nology raising the question.
  Personal Networking
  Young Kindred have quickly seen the opportunities 
  afforded by networking sites and services.
  Kindred are able to keep constant ambient aware-
  ness of what their Contacts, Allies, and Retainers are 
  up to, as well as the activities of their coterie-mates 
  and even rivals. Personal networking sites appeal to 
  the vanity of vampires as much as they do to mortals’, 
  and rare is the young Kindred with a social network-
  ing site profile who can turn down the opportunity to 
  boast about what he’s up to or what he’s done, even if 
  he treads carefully with his wording.
  Kindred can coordinate events far across geographi-
  cal and even cultural boundaries. This might be 
  something as positive as a neonates’ discussion group 
  for maintaining Humanity, or it might be something 
  wholly diabolical, like an international smuggling 
  ring for slave vessels.
  To hear some Kindred tell it, certain mysteries of 
  the Kindred condition can even communicate across 
  these networks, such as Tremere rituals with digitally 
  networked participants contributing their aspects of 
  the ritual via broadband or 4G. The truth of these 
  matters — or the potential truth, as technology con-
  tinues to advance — cannot be verified. Tonight’s 
  impossibility might be tomorrow night’s next break-
  through. Clever young Kindred are already able to 
  implant an undeniable mental compulsion over the 
  phone, and a Kindred known as Bio Adam earned ku-
  dos from the city’s elders for locating an Obfuscated 
  enemy by using a laptop and a “Find My Phone” app 
  to pinpoint the hidden rival’s location.
  Digital Footprint
  Nothing anyone ever puts online disappears for-
  ever, whether it’s a blog entry or a yield spreadsheet 
  of one’s hidden Resources. Many modern breaches 
  of the Traditions, if transacted online, can’t ever be 
  completely repaired. With that in mind, it’s only a 
  matter of time until something indelibly ruinous for 
  the Kindred transpires online. Until then, those who 
  would safeguard the invisibility of the Damned must 
  do so by destroying as much data as they can, and by 
  leveraging the inherent cynicism of an increasingly 
  louche global culture when they can’t. No few videos 
  of vampires feeding have been defused by careful ap-
  plication of such vulgar responses as, “It was hard, but 
  I was able to fap” or “You can always trust the blacks 
  to turn on one another when they get too excited.”
  Physical media likewise has transformed over the 
  decades since the interests of a Ventrue magnate were 
  recorded on reels of magnetic tape or a stack of floppy 
  disks. Even the CD is now outmoded storage. Tonight, 
  physically moving sensitive data is likely performed 
  on removable flash drives, but how long until some 
  other vehicle becomes commonplace (assuming, of 
  course, that physically moving data doesn’t become 
  completely obsolete)? With cloud storage and easy 
  data torrent seeding and duplication, “We need that 
  CD! It’s the only copy of the Primogen’s records!” is a 
  crisis of the past.
  Troubleshooting
  Coteries of Kindred who specialize in an emergent 
  digital Masquerade have the ability to chase down 
  and destroy troublesome data. Through a variety of 
  methods including database hacking, password ma-
  nipulation, server integrity attacks, and even physi-
  cal destruction of hardware, these Kindred maintain 
  the secrecy of the Curse of Caine. As it becomes 
  both easier and more common for Cainites to leave 
  (intentional or accidental) traces of their passing — 
  videos on sharing sites, check-ins at suspicious loca-
  tions, social media describing illicit activity — these 
  online troubleshooters are rapidly becoming more and 
  more valuable in their home domains, regardless of 
  sect. The Inner Circle of the Camarilla is suspected of 
  sponsoring an experimental cadre of unknown Justi-
  cars whose purview is Tradition-based data, and whis-
  pers of a few young Inconnu who extend their secrecy 
  into the online world have made their way into the 
  Kindred rumor mills.
  New Media
  The media influence of the previous century has 
  become radically redefined in the past several years, 
  with no signs of slowing its progress in the future. In 
  the past, the Influence of well-connected elders could 
  be counted upon to keep stories out of the newspa-
  pers or off the nightly news. Tonight, who watches 
  the news on television? Certainly not young Kindred 
  or the people whose lives may be affected by the dep-
  redations of a sloppy Sabbat pack. And newspapers 
  
  55 
  V20 COMPANION
  might as well be clay tablets — even the alternative 
  print weeklies that once kept vital the countercul-
  tural stirrings of passionate Brujah and trend-seeking 
  Toreador.
  The Media Influence of the modern nights moves 
  at the same breakneck speed as other communication, 
  and less and less reflects the ability to bury a story on 
  page eight of the Metro section. Modern media ma-
  nipulation is more along the lines of reverse search 
  engine optimization, keeping hot topics from trend-
  ing by hiding them beneath tides of digital nonsense 
  and crackpot bloggery. In a world where content is 
  king and information is instantaneous, those Kindred 
  who command a cult of personality that spans blogs, 
  podcasts, and the incessant digital firehose of status 
  updates is the one who can push a story to promi-
  nence or consign it to the infinite pile of Internet 
  dross. Needless to say, the Nosferatu excel at this, but 
  a surprising number of online Toreador Harpies and 
  Setite vice-followers have equal sway and acumen.
  The Ancestors’ Archive
  As a family interest, the Giovanni have been 
  migrating certain of their genealogical re-
  sources to a closed-network database on par 
  with that of the Church of Latter Day Saints. 
  One part of this is the ancestor-worship and 
  family veneration that occurs in the cultic 
  familial structure of the clan. The other part 
  is that, as a digital “book of the dead” for the 
  Giovanni, an archive of the departed and 
  undead is a valuable necromantic resource. 
  The archive lists not only known dead, but 
  their projected status in the Underworld, 
  ability to effect change in the physical world, 
  and contribution to the Endless Night effort.
  Finance
  Certain Kindred and clans have massive financial 
  investments, like the Ventrue, Giovanni, some Tore-
  ador and Lasombra, and no few savvy Nosferatu. Of 
  these, the wisest have been quick to take advantage 
  of technological advancements that enable them to 
  react quickly to financial stimuli. This includes every-
  thing from smartphone and mobile device apps that 
  allow them to move assets to computers with software 
  suites that watch the stock markets and analyze them 
  for optimal returns on investment over very short pe-
  riods of time.
  Logistics
  Moving things between places may seem both un-
  glamorous and antithetical to most Kindred habits, 
  given that vampires tend to settle in a single domain. 
  However, the ability to move materials between do-
  mains can be a tremendous boon to the undead. If a 
  Kindred has a need for rare vitae, a priceless artifact, 
  or a bizarre thaumaturgical component, it’s best if the 
  shipper knows exactly how special her goods are. With 
  quick routing and always-on navigation tracking, it’s 
  also easy for a Kindred with logistical Contacts to ship 
  herself out of a domain if things are getting too hot to 
  handle — or to see if anyone else is trying to sneak 
  into or out of a territory. Even assassination-by-parcel 
  isn’t out of the question, given the Kindred vulner-
  ability to things like firebombs that somehow made it 
  through the shipper’s hazard screening.
  In this manner, logistics provide a wealth of cover 
  and investment opportunities for the Kindred. It’s 
  easy for less-affluent Kindred to earn an income as the 
  night deliveryman or the warehouse foreman of the 
  graveyard shift, and just as easy for a Kindred who has 
  access to shipping transit to specialize in contraband. 
  Some Kindred do this on their own and grow wealthy 
  (like the Coyote; see p. 27) while others extend the 
  services of mortal interests into the shadow world of 
  the Damned.
  Gambling
  Some of the Damned see parallels in the global stock 
  market and the casino businesses — they’re both ef-
  fectively games of chance, and the more ability indi-
  vidual Kindred have to dictate the outcomes of either, 
  the more money they generate. To this end, many 
  Kindred look for legitimate or strong-arm entries into 
  the world of legalized gambling. Some appropriate a 
  share of a casino, some buy into purveyors of games 
  of chance, and even a few more look to Disciplines or 
  even the esoteric magics of the willworkers in order 
  to control probabilities. Bookmakers, too, are popular, 
  whether for a Kindred to exploit, or, more profitably, 
  to adjust the stakes via technological price-fixing.
  Military and Armament
  In the modern nights, as borders shrink, ideas travel 
  at the speed of thought, and tyranny takes on many 
  
  56 
  CHAPTER THREE: KINDRED AND TECHNOLOGY
  guises, mankind’s capacity for violence thrives. The 
  world will never want for ingenious new ways by 
  which people can inflict grievous harm upon one an-
  other, nor will it want for people willing to pay top 
  dollar for these martial technologies.
  As to the Kindred role in man’s inhumanity to 
  man, few vampires bother overmuch with weapons 
  or armaments. Vampiric Disciplines and the inher-
  ent strength and durability of the Cainite form still 
  provide an efficiency and mobility that advancements 
  in weapons and defense technology have yet to over-
  come. Guns — and, indeed, many modern weapons 
  — simply don’t have much effect on Kindred bodies.
  That’s not to say that the Damned have no interest 
  in combat technologies, just that their involvement 
  is different from that of mortals. For vampires, most 
  weapons technologies fall into one of three categories: 
  sources of income, guerrilla resources, or advanced 
  technologies that will have unforeseen effect upon 
  the undead.
  Making Money
  It’s no secret that mortals love to blow holes in each 
  other and carve each other to pieces. To that end, no 
  few Kindred have made their money, Contacts, and 
  Allies in various conflicts around the globe.
  From anti-governmental rebel forces to private 
  security firms to collectors, the world has a mas-
  sive market for weaponry, both legal and otherwise. 
  The Kindred — with their penchant for secrecy and 
  their many advantages in keeping themselves and 
  their property hidden — are well suited to transac-
  tions of this ilk, selling forbidden armaments to those 
  who want them. Kindred of any clan or creed may 
  have arms dealing as a component of their Resources. 
  Small-scale or large, from a Gangrel hooligan selling 
  a single unmarked pistol to a desperate street thug or 
  a well-connected Toreador having a large stake in this 
  decade’s international arms-sales scandal, vampires 
  make money selling weapons to the people who want 
  them. It’s worth noting that few of the weapons thus 
  sold by Kindred purveyors will do much to stop an an-
  gry vampire. Thus, while the Kindred can destabilize 
  the world, turning its various ugly corners into violent 
  hellholes where they may feed and maraud with rela-
  tive impunity, they’re not giving mortals any great ad-
  vantage over the undead. “Let them tear one another 
  apart so that the streets run red,” says one prominent 
  Nosferatu arms dealer, “and I can take a double-pay-
  ment in cash and vitae.” Access to the newest and 
  deadliest weapons with the highest rates of fire and 
  best armor penetration is one of the priorities of doing 
  business for these Kindred.
  It’s also worth noting that there are no prohibitions 
  against trafficking in arms in most Kindred Traditions 
  or domains laws. It’s a matter of mortal law, so among 
  the undead, just owning a “weapon of mass destruc-
  tion” isn’t inherently punishable, except in the strict-
  est of domains.
  Boots On the Ground
  For those Kindred whose traffic runs parallel to mor-
  tal interests, such as Brujah rebel chiefs whose Allies 
  might be armed insurrectionists, Old World Tremere 
  and Tzimisce lords who still maintain private armies 
  on their estates, Gangrel gang-lords who own the in-
  ner cities, and even demented Malkavian Autarkis 
  who have connections to international mercenary 
  companies, access to efficient weapons equals success 
  in their violent avenues of business. In the World of 
  Darkness, killing off the competition is more often 
  literal than it is figurative. For these Kindred, high 
  technology can often be ameliorated by quantities of 
  lower-quality weapons. Point enough antiquated but 
  cheap Kalashnikov barrels at a rival and he’ll back 
  down as quickly as he would if it were a newer mod-
  el with better quality and range. Some Kindred see 
  themselves as modern incarnations of Dracula, with 
  their loyal armies of ghoul boyars willing to fight and 
  die for the master’s favor.
  Better Mousetraps
  The most rare and noteworthy of the Kindred in-
  volved with weapons technology are those whose for-
  tunes are tied to innovation in the field. Traditional 
  ballistic firearms might not mean much against a vam-
  piric target, but if a shooter can put enough lead in the 
  air, the hail of fire can shred even the most stalwart 
  Kindred. Weapons that focus on non-ballistic deliv-
  ery systems can not only wreak havoc on the Kindred, 
  the Kindred may actually be funders or test cases of 
  their development. Surely, few Kindred are involved 
  actively in development of such technologies, but 
  who knows how much Ventrue or Lasombra money 
  flows through the research laboratories, or how many 
  shovelheads or Caitiff may find themselves looking 
  down the barrel of some unknown device, only to 
  have the results detailed in an “anomalous integrity 
  damage sustained by cryptid entities” report.
  Biological agents, for example, may not harm a 
  Kindred directly, but the Kindred may, through slop-
  
  57 
  V20 COMPANION
  py feeding or exposure to tainted blood, pass on the 
  results of biological weapons in a manner similar to 
  transmitting disease. See V20, p. 295 for more infor-
  mation on disease.
  Non-ballistic weapons such as LRADs, Tasers, di-
  rected energy weapons, pulsed energy projectiles, 
  and other implements of nearly science-fiction real-
  ity have full effect on Kindred. Even unsophisticated 
  weaponry like flamethrowers and the dreaded “Drag-
  onsbreath round” can still ruin a heedless vampire. 
  Needless to say, these weapons are extremely hard to 
  procure, especially for individuals without military, 
  law enforcement, or corporate connections to the or-
  ganizations that buy or manufacture them. Of course, 
  for vampires, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and 
  these weapons occasionally end up in the hands of 
  the Kindred, to the detriment of local Kindred society 
  (and often anyone in the vicinity of the individual).
  Mass Destruction
  Kindred thrive where strife holds sway in the mortal 
  world. All but the most ancient of Kindred is suscep-
  tible to the raw destructive power of large-scale explo-
  sives and other strategic weapons. From conventional 
  explosives to dirty nukes to in-development weap-
  ons like the experimental hafnium bomb, a Kindred 
  might as well be a mortal in all but the most extenuat-
  ing cases.
  That doesn’t mean that the Kindred aren’t inter-
  ested in the financial or military uses of such things. 
  Some of the most radical among the Sabbat would 
  gladly see the world plunged into global chaos, the 
  better to exert their will over mortal cattle, and they 
  would gladly hasten it with large-scale weapons of 
  destruction. Petty Kindred dictators and revolution-
  aries, especially in remote or war-torn domains may 
  resort to employing devices of mass destruction to 
  keep mortals or even Cainites in their domain cowed 
  and terrified. And, of course, there’s big money in mu-
  nitions, both above and below the table as described 
  above, and Kindred like the Brujah renegades fleeing 
  Baba Yaga’s terrifying reign in Russia with unknown 
  quantities of contraband uranium suddenly find them-
  selves very popular among terrorists, anarchists, and 
  ambitious governments (both Kindred and Kine) who 
  would command such destructive power.
  For those Cainites truly divorced from their Hu-
  manity, certain combinations of Kindred craft and de-
  structive technology exist. Guerrilla Tremere in war-
  torn domains have been known to build explosive 
  
  58 
  CHAPTER THREE: KINDRED AND TECHNOLOGY
  devices into their homunculi or even wholly autono-
  mous bomb-golems. Tzimisce terrorists have knotted 
  weapons and bombs into the flesh of their servitor-
  ghouls. And there’s no arguing that a ghoul or even 
  mortal thrall of any clan, Conditioned or suitably 
  blood bonded and wearing twenty pounds of plastic 
  explosive, might make the ultimate sacrifice for his 
  beloved mistress.
  Of course, such weapons of mass destruction are 
  better handled as plot devices than as inventory items 
  in most Vampire chronicles.
  Killers for Hire
  The Clan of Assassins has long had a formula for 
  success that relies upon their own unique skils and 
  proprietary Discipline more so than it does on tools 
  and implements. Even in the modern nights, an As-
  samite wielding an ancestral kukri is a far more terrify-
  ing sight than any private security force soldier with 
  a cutting-edge submachine gun. More than any other 
  independent clan, the Assamites have actually dem-
  onstrated a keen ability to subvert or disrupt existing 
  technologies, particularly defensive ones. Even the 
  most expensive security system won’t stop the func-
  tions of Quietus, if the Assamite has a chance to em-
  ploy them — and how well can that private security 
  force defend a haven if its agents never hear the As-
  samites coming?
  Among the viziers and sorcerers of the clan, tech-
  nology is no substitute for the time-tested resources 
  that contain mystic research. These jealously-guarded 
  secrets are much safer, the amr reason, in physical 
  books that an individual can protect than on easily 
  copied or smuggled digital media.
  Transportation
  Another modern convenience that separates mod-
  ern Kindred from their historical peers is the ability to 
  go places upon a split second’s decision. In many cas-
  es, the transportation options the Kindred employ are 
  those same that are available to their mortal prey: city 
  buses, light rail, commercial airlines, subways, cabs, 
  and any number of for-hire services. While these are 
  sometimes stigmatized as common or low-rent, they 
  still represent an immense advantage over modes 
  of travel only two centuries prior. Tonight, when a 
  Kindred ruins his opportunities in his home domain, 
  he has only to book a flight or steal a motorcycle to 
  leave it all behind him. In nights now gone, travel 
  even 25 miles distant was all but unheard of, and the 
  spaces between civilized domain were the demesnes 
  of desperate bandits, the hateful, savage Gangrel, and 
  things even less understood.
  In these times of affordable and available person-
  al transportation, the choice of transportation says 
  much about the Kindred who employs it. High-Status 
  Kindred almost certainly have luxury vehicles at their 
  command, and they may well have an airplane or he-
  licopter in addition to their limousine or entourage-
  attended SUV.
  Certain Kindred have a love for the act of travel 
  itself, and choose to spend a great deal of time with 
  their vehicles. Classic cars, vintage bikes, campers 
  that do double duty is mobile haven fortresses — all 
  of these and more might belong to a brood of Ravnos, 
  or even a nomadic mortal family that just happens to 
  have an itinerant Malkavian at its center. Some Gan-
  grel would even risk their unlives rather than leave 
  “Ol’ Bess” behind. Then again,  it’s just as likely that 
  they can call upon the assistance of an entire motor-
  cycle club of ghouls to take vengeance on the god-
  damn bloodsucker who put a Brujah’s favorite 1949 
  Panhead Harley-Davidson in a ditch.
  Many Kindred among the modern mobile caste, 
  regardless of sect, don’t place an enormous value on 
  convenience or comfort. The most common piece of 
  “advanced” technological equipment among the  no-
  madic undead is probably some sort of GPS device. 
  The second most common is probably a stolen or 
  pre-paid mobile phone or a Saturday night special. 
  Indeed, among Clan Ravnos, too much dependency 
  on gimmicks and gewgaws can lead to a loss of Status 
  in the clan and the ill regard of one’s fellow Deceivers. 
  Whether or not an individual cares much about the 
  regard of her fellow Deceivers is a different matter, of 
  course.
  Even more curious modes of transportation do as 
  much to define their owners as they do to aid his ca-
  pabilities. A custom of sea piracy still exists among 
  the Lasombra, who have carried on the tradition since 
  the Age of Exploration. And though it seems archaic 
  tonight, the apocryphal armed railroad convoy con-
  ducted by a secret Camarilla warlord represents more 
  firepower and destructive capability than an entire 
  kingdom’s worth of mounted knights from the era of 
  venerable elders.
  
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  V20 COMPANION
  The War of Ages
  Too often, reckless neonates and ancillae dismiss 
  elders as hoary old bats, unable to work technology 
  and fearful of the very concept. While it’s certainly 
  true that elders either eschew technology themselves 
  or look down their nose at it in others, only the most 
  foolish young vampire discounts the ability of elders 
  to actually learn to take advantage of technology. In 
  fact, keeping oneself updated is one of the most fear-
  some tactics in an elder’s arsenal: Given that many 
  elders cultivate Resources and other Backgrounds to 
  levels unattainable by fledglings, combining these ad-
  vantages with modern advancements makes for a po-
  tent mixture. Consider the following examples:
  • A Brujah elder establishes a network of commu-
  nication designed to foment rebellion throughout the 
  region. She turns most of her efforts toward empower-
  ing mortal guerrilla groups to resist privileged govern-
  ment — but at the speed of an internet post, she’s able 
  to muster an armed insurrection ready and willing to 
  fight alongside her cause.
  • The Tremere alchemist David Witz seeks the se-
  crets of eternal life without the burdens of vampirism. 
  Using computers to map key points of individual per-
  sonalities and combining them with thaumaturgical 
  constructs, Witz is able to create “clones,” alchemical 
  homunculi programmed with simulations of vampiric 
  individuality, complete with memory-data. Would 
  such a creature have a soul? And what if it ran afoul 
  of the Kindred from which its original memories were 
  unwillingly drawn?
  • A Tzimisce biologist combines the latest in medi-
  cal technology with the horrific methods of flesh- and 
  bonecrafting. The result is a biotechnological szlachta, 
  only with none of the flaws or dependencies of “lesser” 
  ghouls and the ability to heal or even replicate itself.
  Any number of scenarios spring to mind by which a 
  technologically savvy elder could maintain an edge in 
  the War of Ages... or invest in a technology or scheme 
  that goes tragically awry.
  The psychology of elders is frequently one of denial 
  and hubris — the mistaken belief that the treachery 
  and craftiness of great age is sufficient to overcome 
  the gizmo-fetishization of the youngest Generations. 
  Such is folly, and wise elders know either to master 
  the Disciplines required to overmatch modern tech-
  nology or to turn it to their own advantage. Many el-
  
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  CHAPTER THREE: KINDRED AND TECHNOLOGY
  ders have met a fiery end due to reluctance to spend 
  their time on the “fads” and alienating amenities of 
  the modern nights. Those who at least know what the 
  modern world can bring to bear against them (to say 
  nothing of co-opting those technologies themselves) 
  are those who are forewarned and forearmed against 
  the depredations of jealous neonates and ancillae.
  Again, Resources play a great role in collecting and 
  learning about technologies and turning them against 
  jealous fledglings. Expensive security suites, bullet-
  proof limousines, and even experimental tracking 
  devices that follow their targets by techno-mystic pat-
  tern analysis aren’t the bailiwick of Kindred who don’t 
  have two coins to rub together. The cutting edge of 
  technology — the bleeding edge — belongs to those 
  vampires who have not only the insight and ambition 
  to use it, but who have the money to subsidize the 
  pioneers of the various emerging and harrowing fields.
  The Disenfranchised
  For those Kindred of decentralized clans, those of 
  more modest means, or those whose clan abstains 
  from sectarian endeavors, the use of technology falls 
  much more along the lines of age than it does phi-
  losophy. That is, elders of the less affluent or adept 
  clans are often behind the curve of technology while 
  the younger members are more willing to learn and 
  use new devices, services, or equipment. As with all 
  Kindred, even neonates lag a bit behind mortals in 
  terms of awareness and adoption of new technology. 
  No small amount of this comes directly as a result of 
  the Kindred condition: Even the youngest Kindred, at 
  the moment of his Embrace, becomes a static icon of 
  that time. The Damned forever face a stasis that puts 
  them directly at odds with the inexorable advance of 
  technology.
  For the underprivileged, most of the clans have a 
  distinct specialty, something that no other clan does 
  with the capacity that they do. The Kindred find it in 
  their nature to trust in their own abilities more than 
  external tools. Aside from simple communication, 
  what use would a Tremere thaumaturge have for a 
  smartphone while he’s summoning the spirit guardian 
  of a rural ley line? What purpose would a Setite high 
  priest have for broadband wifi while she plumbs the 
  buried secrets of the Middle Kingdom? What does a 
  Pander care for 1080p, other than its street value?
  Vitality Hack  
  (Level-Two Thaumtaurgical  
  Ritual)
  This ritual was reportedly developed by a 
  mentally-diseased Tremere who made her 
  haven in the morgue of a county hospital, 
  where she also preyed upon the downtrod-
  den patients. The Tremere in question used 
  this ritual to hide in plain sight among the 
  doctors, nurses, and patients, who thought 
  her nothing more than a homeless vagabond 
  whose rough life sent her frequently to the 
  emergency room.
  Vitality Hack allows the Kindred to briefly 
  display all of the vital “signs of life: breath-
  ing, blood movement, temperature, brain 
  activity, etc. However, these vital signs 
  appear only medical equipment such as 
  EKG meters, CAT scans, stethoscopes, and 
  thermometers. The ritual does not create 
  any physical effects such as a pulse or bleed-
  ing, but simply causes a standard result to be 
  displayed by the medical device in question. 
  The signs displayed are uniform, showing 
  no variance or excited activity (which may 
  cause some suspicion in and of itself).
  System: This ritual requires one hour to 
  cast. The ritual remains in effect for the 
  duration of the scene, fooling any and all 
  medical devices in that time. As a separate 
  invocation of the ritual, the effect may be 
  cast upon a talisman — any physical object 
  — that confers this ritual’s effect on any 
  single Kindred carrying or in contact with 
  the talisman. Casting the ritual on an item 
  in this manner requires an additional hour. 
  In either case, the ritual requires an ounce of 
  blood from a living relative of the Kindred 
  performing the ritual.
  
  61 
  V20 COMPANION
  as possible. He who doesn’t trust an outsider with a 
  secret never has to defend that secret’s spread.
  The Anarchs
  Toward the end of the 20th century, the Anarch 
  Free State seemed to be on the ropes, but in recent 
  years the Anarchs have managed to dust themselves 
  off and bring the fight back to the interlopers who 
  believed the decentralized sect would make for easy 
  pickings. If the Anarchs are united in anything, it is 
  the desire to send the carpetbaggers packing after see-
  ing their domains stolen out from under them.
  More so than any other sect, the Anarchs are defined 
  by their guerrilla mindset. In the modern nights, one 
  of the greatest resources available to the Damned is 
  an unprecedented ability to affect the world. Whether 
  by easily portable implements of violence, the ability 
  to summon information as never before possible, or 
  the ability to get to or away from trouble quickly, the 
  Anarch Movement is poised to make modern, tech-
  nological capability its raison d’etre.
  Quite simply, the Anarchs not only get technology, 
  they want to get technology. Tonight, tools are the 
  great equalizer. While the other sects may dabble in 
  various technologies or might have recognized experts 
  in certain technological fields, they all remain tied to 
  various ideologies that are, by Anarch perspective, 
  500 years out of date at best. With that in mind, the 
  desire to succeed in the modern idiom belongs to the 
  Anarchs. Let the other sects have their holy wars and 
  their feudal vendettas. The modern nights may well 
  prove to be the era of the Anarchs, so ready, able, and 
  knowledgeable is the sect to effect its agenda.
  The Inconnu
  With characteristic mystery, the Inconnu don’t 
  have a collective position on technology. Those Kin-
  dred who have dealt with the Inconnu suggest that 
  the secretive vampires of the sect have no great love 
  for technology, preferring instead to trust in their own 
  abilities and exercise their supernal acumen rather 
  than use the “crutch” of tools developed by and for 
  mortals. To their reasoning, the Kindred have long 
  maintained their edge because of their unique rela-
  tionship with the Curse of Caine: Disciplines.
  As with anything involving the Inconnu, the posi-
  tion is a nuanced and seemingly contradictory one. 
  Although these vampires consider themselves to have 
  transcended to baser evils of the Kindred condition, 
  few trust technology to the degree that they wish to 
  stake their existence on it. Much of it they don’t un-
  derstand, and find themselves bewildered by  a con-
  tacts database stored in an unknown cloud server or 
  a security system that, run by a computer, lacks a rea-
  soning being’s ability to distinguish between ally and 
  enemy.
  To an extent, the Inconnu position relies greatly 
  on the perceived connection between the sect and 
  nights long past. Even in the modern nights, many 
  august Inconnu maintain havens of classical grandeur 
  or simplicity. On a terraced portico or deep within the 
  hand-carved grottoes of Inconnu havens, what would 
  be more vulgar or intrusive than a blinking laptop 
  screen?
  As with many of the concerns facing the Inconnu, 
  the sect’s answer, insofar as it has a coherent one, is 
  to place itself as far outside of the reach of technology 
  
  62 
  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  
  63 
  V20 COMPANION
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  V20 COMPANION
  Vampire players have always enjoyed the sense of 
  completeness reflected in the World of Darkness — 
  the idea that, as wheels turn within wheels, something 
  they do in their home domain might have repercus-
  sions as far away as Venice, Mexico City, or even in 
  the Underworld home of the True Black Hand. The 
  setting truly is a world of darkness, with clans, sects, 
  and mysterious groups and individuals plying their 
  private agendas under moonlit skies. Even when a 
  coterie solved a mystery, something else was always 
  out there, hungrier and bigger than they; that idea is 
  one of the horror elements that still characterizes the 
  world of the Kindred and the more inscrutable things 
  with which they sharer the darkness. Here, then, are 
  several notable locations of particular significance to 
  the Race of Caine.
  The Cathedral of Flesh  
  (location unknown)
  The original Cathedral of Flesh spawned from the 
  apotheosis sought by the zealous Yorak, a Tzimisce 
  charged by the clan progenitor with the guardian-
  ship of a germ of the Antediluvian’s consciousness. To 
  protect the Antediluvian, Yorak constructed the Ca-
  thedral of Flesh, a harrowing church-fortress sculpted 
  from the flesh of peasants, slaves, rivals, beasts, and 
  any number of other victims who were built into the 
  pulsing, suppurating walls of the structure. The walls, 
  buttresses, floors, and spires of the building were craft-
  ed from the bones and skin of Yorak’s victims, which 
  made the Cathedral a living (or perhaps undead) ves-
  sel of mad collective consciousness — one that even-
  tually devoured its creator.
  The Cathedral of Flesh was originally constructed 
  in Yorak’s domain in the Old World, somewhere in 
  the Tzimisce-haunted land beyond the forest suppos-
  edly near the Carpathian mountains. Tales of the Ca-
  thedral’s moving have plagued the Kindred for centu-
  ries, however, and have given horrific gravitas to both 
  the Jyhad and the approach of Gehenna.
  Tonight, none knows where the Cathedral of Flesh 
  is located, though stories of its survival persist. Indeed, 
  those who know the ways of the Tzimisce suggest that 
  multiples of the Cathedral may have spawned in par-
  thenogenesis from the original. Others argue that the 
  Cathedral is now the body of the Antediluvian itself: 
  an enormous, unholy church that slakes its thirst on 
  those who foolishly or defiantly brave its halls. 
  Chapter Four:  
  A World of  
  Darkness
  What powerful but unrecorded race
  Once dwelt in that annihilated place.
  — Horace Smith, “Ozymandias”
  
  64 
  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  64 
  Hunedoara Castle  
  (Transylvania, Romania)
  For many Kindred, the idea of Golconda is one of 
  redemption and of transcendence beyond the Curse 
  of Caine. Golconda occasionally takes on a darker 
  cast, however, for those who seek it (or deride it...) 
  claiming that vampires “elevated” by Golconda are 
  no gentle-spirited saints.
  The Kindred of Hunedoara Castle — rumored to be 
  a stronghold of the Inconnu — have many different 
  views on their own claimed states of Golconda. Some 
  seem to take the aspect of shepherds, with a philoso-
  phy seemingly leading from the mire and sorrow of the 
  Kindred condition, but others are veritable Biblical 
  terrors, asserting that transcendence of the vampiric 
  state certainly doesn’t arise from denying it. Behind 
  the craggy castle walls and its guardian gargoyles, the 
  true monsters dwell, a dozen in number.
  Whatever the truth of Golconda, Castle Hune-
  doara, hidden deep within the ancestral lands of the 
  Tzimisce, provides a haven for these deathless gurus 
  of the Golconda philosophy. The hoary halls of the 
  castle are no sanctuary, and any place Cainites con-
  gregate, sanguinary rivalries and clashing peccadilloes 
  are sure to color the landscape. 
  Indeed, among those outsiders who know of the 
  castle, its reputation as a den of heresy and bloody 
  debauchery competes with that of its sanctity. Cer-
  tainly, the truth lies somewhere amid the extremity of 
  rumors it engenders. But how do these Kindred stave 
  off the ennui and madness of their flawed immortality 
  if they never venture beyond the stony walls of the 
  castle?
  The Vampire Club  
  (San Francisco, California)
  Built into the grounded hull of a bankrupt million-
  aire’s yacht, the Vampire Club is one of the Anarch 
  Free State’s prized possessions. Indeed, Kindred of all 
  factions consider the Vampire Club to be Elysium (in 
  whatever terms their particular sect or origin under-
  stands the concept). Even the ghouls, retainers, and 
  hangers-on of Kindred retinues may enjoy themselves, 
  though non-vampires are restricted to the environs of 
  the Alexandrian Club, specially built above the mired 
  club-ship.
  With the patronage of once-Prince Vannevar 
  Thomas and managed by an eccentric Toreador so-
  cialite named Sebastian Melmoth, the Vampire Club 
  has, for almost a century, been the toast of the town, 
  where Anarch Warlords may indulge their Kindred 
  pleasures side-by-side with Sabbat Bishops and prom-
  inent Camarilla Primogen. Practically all vampires 
  who visit San Francisco make it a point to visit the 
  Vampire Club, even if they’re on the run or lying low. 
  This is a place where a vampire may be a vampire, 
  regardless of politics or recriminations. The club has 
  weathered the tumult of the Anarch Movement, the 
  invasion of the Kindred of the East, and the ruin of 
  its patron Prince — no turbulence has been able to 
  dampen the epicurean spirit of the club.
  One particular milestone looms large for the Vam-
  pire Club: its hundredth anniversary. Sebastian Mel-
  moth has already begun planning an enormous cel-
  ebration, and no few august patrons of the club from 
  across the world have poured money into his coffers 
  with the intent of being recognized for their largesse 
  at what might well become known as the biggest and 
  most debauched party in Kindred history. 
  Catedral da Sé  
  (São Paulo, Brazil)
  The Sabbat does much to earn its reputation as a 
  bloodthirsty sect of fanatical vampire supremacists, 
  but the actual philosophy of the sect is much more 
  sophisticated. The sect has a long history of associa-
  tion with Catholic rite and culture, and one of the 
  great philosophical centers of the Black Hand is São 
  Paulo, in particular the São Paulo See Metropolitan 
  Cathedral. The church itself is a symbol of the city, 
  and few of the 40 million mortal inhabitants of the 
  city realize that such an important Cainite institution 
  exists beneath their home. Second only to the seat of 
  the Regent in Mexico City, São Paulo is emerging as 
  the spiritual center of the sect.
  An ecumenical council for the Black Hand meets 
  annually in the crypts beneath the Catedral da Sé, 
  where it observes and codifies all of the Sabbat’s auc-
  toritas ritae. Archbishops, Bishops, Prisci, and other 
  leaders of the sect attend this council by invitation 
  only, and being asked to attend is both an enormous 
  sect honor and a chance to shape the Black Hand’s 
  religious policy.The Archbishop of São Paulo also 
  hosts numerous deliberative diets, where Bishops and 
  luminary Pack Priests can share and propose new ritae 
  as well as study and debate matters directly related to 
  Sabbat theology. These diets host no small amount 
  of discussion regarding the Paths of Enlightenment in 
  addition to codified sacrament.
  
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  V20 COMPANION
  The presence of such an important religious insti-
  tution for the Sabbat rankles some of the Old World 
  elders of the sect, who believe that the Black Hand’s 
  religious center should remain closer to the Vatican, 
  or at least in Europe as the historical stronghold of 
  Catholicism. This issue has yet to truly form a divide 
  among the spiritual leaders of the Black Hand, but 
  as sect outlook grows more dire and the End Times 
  loom, the potential for a full-fledged schism among the 
  priests of the sect becomes an increasing possibility.
  Red Sisters Midnight (location varies)
  In the Old World domains of inhospitable Princes, 
  a great trade in Kindred contraband thrives. Whether 
  a Cainite seeks relics of undead saints, verboten Thau-
  maturgical reagents, a brace of mute Sarmatian slaves, 
  or even a fragment of the Book of Nod, someone has it 
  for sale. In the gimlet light of a winter moon, one may 
  find whatever he seeks in the stalls and wagons of the 
  Red Sisters Midnight. Whether one seeks these rare 
  treasures or would liquidate one’s own wonders, the 
  Red Sisters Midnight act as brokers for items that may 
  well have no worldly price.
  Ravnos Kindred of the Phuri Dae bloodline cu-
  rate this midnight market, turning their outcast sta-
  tus into a profitable arrangement. Prospective sellers 
  leave their troubling wares with the witch-sisters of 
  the clan, who handle all of the details of protecting 
  the contraband, brokering the sale, and delivering 
  the payment — in whatever terms the seller specifies, 
  be it blood, cash, or more esoteric currency. The Red 
  Sisters Midnight move these wonders through the 
  domains of Europe, where their names are spoken in 
  hushed tones, and the value of the hoard they peddle 
  protects them from the ire of hostile Kindred. None 
  would dare to steal the wares of these Ravnos, for one 
  who stooped so low would expose himself not only 
  to the curse-craft of their eldritch blood, but also the 
  thousandfold vengeance of those who rely on the ar-
  tifacts the sisters sell.
  Who knows what blackness or thirst for redemp-
  tion lies in the Kindred soul? Or what balms or banes 
  these Ravnos witches have listed in their manifests 
  that might quiet or enrage them? This  nomadic trove 
  rarely stays in the same domain for more than a week 
  at a time. It communicates via whispers borne on the 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  wings of crows to those who have earned its trust, en-
  treating them to buy or sell with the Deceivers. Even 
  the most vicious of Princes grants the Red Sisters 
  Midnight a wide berth, when they know who they are 
  and what they do. The insatiable Kindred lust for se-
  crets causes Princes and Bishops alike to grant them 
  protection — that and the flicker of hope that some-
  thing among the grotesqueries on the wagon shelves 
  will be just what they need on this particular night.... 
  Kaymakli  
  (Cappadocia, Turkey)
  An underground city carved into the stone walls of 
  the mountains of Anatolia, Kaymakli played an im-
  portant role in the history of the clan overthrown by 
  the Giovanni in their bid for immortality. As a hid-
  ing place for early Christians, the tunnels of Kaymakli 
  also hid fugitive vampires of the Clan of Death, who 
  fed from the persecuted Christians and studied their 
  forbidden necromancies.
  By the time the Giovanni had betrayed their parent 
  clan, Kaymakli had become a footnote in clan history. 
  The remains of the broken clan once again took ref-
  uge in Kaymakli, however, shutting themselves away 
  from the outside world until they could rebuild their 
  strength and plot against their wayward childer. For 
  most, however, Kaymakli proved to be a deathtrap. 
  Ancient wards prevent those Kindred who enter from 
  leaving, making investigations into the tomb-city a 
  one-way proposition to all but the most powerful of 
  vampires — or those who can circumvent the ward by 
  slipping past the veil of the living and the dead.
  Tonight, Kaymakli is a dangerous place, where 
  unknown numbers of sleeping elders lie torpid and 
  the treasures of their necromantic troves lie undis-
  covered. Of those who have risen from their ageless 
  slumber, many have joined the Sabbat in an effort 
  to claim vengeance over the Giovanni. Others have 
  made eldritch pacts with the Tal’Mahe’Ra, however, 
  and that sect considers Kaymakli a “golgotha” — a 
  Kindred stronghold where the barrier between the 
  worlds of the living and the dead is weak. These con-
  verts to the True Black Hand use Kaymakli as a por-
  tal between the sect’s Underworld domains and the 
  physical world, and command a host of ancient spirits 
  whose epochal anger they may quickly fan to fury.
  Highgate Cemetery  
  (London, England)
  In the mid-19th century, the city of London under-
  took an effort to open a number of cemeteries around 
  what was then the outer circle of London. The inner-
  city cemeteries and church graveyards that had until 
  then served as the last resting places of the deceased 
  had become a danger to public health, so perilously 
  overpopulated were they.
  A beautiful wonder that captivated the Romantic 
  sentiments of the time, Highgate Cemetery is ar-
  ranged like a sprawling garden or park, with cedar 
  trees and animal havens. Visitors to the cemetery —
  mortal visitors, that is — may see the grounds only as 
  part of a tour group.
  Highgate Cemetery has always had a relationship 
  with the supernatural, however. In the 1970s and 
  1980s, speculation that the “Vampire of Highgate” 
  haunted the graves, and a century before, in Bram 
  Stoker’s novel Dracula, the character Lucy Westenra 
  skulked among the headstones, preying on children. 
  Burned and headless corpses have been found there, 
  and covens of self-professed Satanists have prowled 
  the grounds during their craven rites.
  Lost Prince Mithras had declared Highgate Cem-
  etery Elysium for all Kindred of London and the Bar-
  onies of Avalon, a status which exists unchallenged 
  to this night. Indeed, some say that Mithras extended 
  the terms of Elysium to include denizens of the World 
  of Darkness beyond the Kindred themselves. More 
  than one London Kindred has admitted to traffic with 
  those of the Mages’ orders in Highgate, and the set-
  ting is an unsurprising haven to any number of restless 
  ghosts. A few vampires have seen what they describe 
  as “demons” prowling the grounds as well, and wheth-
  er these statements are true has yet to be determined. 
  Certainly, something has encouraged the Damned 
  and other supernatural entities to visit, but who (or 
  what) is it, and to what end?
  Palacio de Lecumberri  
  (Mexico City, Mexico)
  Starvation, torture, psychological domination, 
  physical abuse, and even death awaited those who 
  found themselves condemned to Mexico City’s “Black 
  Palace,” a prison that incarcerated both criminals and 
  the political enemies of the Institutional Revolution-
  ary Party. Constructed as a panopticon, the prison had 
  no place for prisoners to hide, as the prison director 
  (and sometimes his Cainite “guests”) could see every 
  movement of every inmate from the overview atop 
  the building.
  Needless to say, this notorious prison drew the at-
  tention of many of Mexico City’s Sabbat, who used 
  
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  V20 COMPANION
  the institution both as a political tool of influence and 
  as a stable for a Herd that they could make disappear 
  at any time. No few Camarilla spies (and presumably 
  those troublesome members of other sects who found 
  themselves in hostile territory) met their end in the 
  Black Palace as well. The weapon of a terrifying and 
  bloody period of sect history (even by Sabbat stan-
  dards), the penitentiary represented a death sentence 
  for anyone placed into its custody.
  In 1980, the decommissioned prison became the 
  headquarters of the Mexican National Archives. 
  That hasn’t changed its status as a valuable tool of in-
  fluential Sabbat Elders, however, whose minions have 
  infiltrated the archives at every level. The Elders who 
  hold power over the national archives make no secret 
  of their ability to summon forth and even create infor-
  mation with a wave of their hand. Some trade favors 
  for access to the archive, and openly do so across sect 
  boundaries, so long as the recipient offers a Boon of 
  appropriate value. Of course, many young Sabbat see 
  this as a symbol of Elder corruption... but they can be 
  made to disappear, too.
  Gaslamp  
  (San Diego, California)
  Perhaps no domain has suffered as much as the self-
  styled Anarch Free State along the West Coast of the 
  United States. Comprising several former Camarilla 
  domains, a domain that sold out and rejoined the Ca-
  marilla, a domain overthrown in an invasion of the 
  mysterious Kindred of the East, and any number of 
  rogue domains that may or may not pledge any fealty 
  to any specific sect, the Anarch Free State is a very 
  loose confederation of Kindred territories that prize 
  independence over the domineering influence of any 
  outside vampire organization.
  Depending on whom an inquiring Kindred asks, the 
  Anarch Free State might not even exist, instead being 
  a geographical collection of Baronies with no other 
  commonality. This is the position of many actual 
  Anarchs, in particular, the regretful and beleaguered 
  Prince of San Diego, Tara. When Tara sold out her 
  Anarch supporters and became Prince of the domain, 
  she had no idea what a shitstorm she’d touched off.
  Understandably, the Anarchs rioted, focusing their 
  ire on the clean and tourist-friendly Gaslamp District, 
  which they knew a Masquerade-fearing, Camarilla-
  bound Prince would be hard-pressed to protect from 
  their rages. The Anarchs, though, didn’t count on the 
  Sabbat from Tijuana seizing upon the same opportuni-
  ty to strike at a tender domain newly converted to the 
  protections of the Ivory Tower. The result is a com-
  pletely unstable nightmare of promises half-honored 
  by Camarilla luminaries, defiant Anarchs still nursing 
  the pains of betrayal, and opportunistic packs of the 
  Black Hand who enjoy nothing more than sneaking 
  up unto Cali for a long weekend of terrorizing tourists 
  and playing the two sides against one another. While 
  the chaos certainly spills over from the Gaslamp 
  into the surrounding neighborhoods, Gaslamp has 
  emerged as a bit of a “freeport,” where Kindred of any 
  sect can go and bash each other’s fangs out or debate 
  a cease-fire. No Prince or power holds true sway in 
  the ungovernable Gaslamp, and that probably won’t 
  change any time soon.
  Lodin’s Boardroom  
  (Chicago, United States)
  As the Lupine rampage that gutted the Kindred 
  population of Chicago raged across that city in the 
  mid-1990s, its then-Prince, having declared a Blood 
  Hunt against the werewolves, met his end at the claws 
  of the feral savages. Half of Chicago’s Kindred died 
  with him during that horrific pogrom. Among the be-
  longings rumored to have been abandoned in Lodin’s 
  boardroom haven are:
  A mystic Kindred “Domesday Book,” the Roll of 
  the Damned, which is believed to list every Kindred 
  to have existed since the origin of the Curse of Caine.
  A Kabbalistic amulet, believed to date back to the 
  13th century, bearing the True Name of the Brujah 
  Methuselah Menele.
  A letter of succession, granting the Brujah Maxwell 
  first right of Praxis in the event of Lodin’s untimely 
  end or overthrow.
  Whether these Kindred artifacts actually reside in 
  the heavily fortified boardroom has yet to be verified, 
  and no few skeptical Kindred suspect that “lost relics” 
  are just the sorts of rumors that spread in the wake 
  of any Kindred tragedy. Other believe the rumors are 
  bait, tools of the Jyhad placed by one of the ancient 
  Kindred suspected of dwelling in the city (especially 
  one granting the domain to Maxwell...). Regardless of 
  their source, the items’ potential value is too great to 
  go uninvestigated by enterprising vampires.
  The Pyre of Moloch  
  (Tunisia, Northern Africa)
  When the Romans sacked Carthage during the Pu-
  nic wars, they brought back tales of human sacrifice, 
  bloody idolatry, and squalling infants thrown into 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  flaming braziers as offerings to foul gods. While Kin-
  dred scholars regard the Punic Wars as a time when 
  the Masquerade was stretched thin, when open Jy-
  had between the Ventrue and the Brujah led them to 
  point their pawns at each other in open conflict, few 
  argue the presence of something unholy taking place 
  in the hidden temples and among the desperate fami-
  lies of the Carthaginians.
  Tonight, the ruins of Carthage are a UNESCO 
  World Heritage Site, but one particular location 
  among the ruins has avoided the scrutiny of the ar-
  chaeologists. A timeless evil issues forth by night 
  from this unhallowed temple. A great brazier, having 
  lain cold for millennia, surrounded by tiny bones and 
  streaked with the now-black stains of boiling blood, 
  buzzes with flies and crawls with sightless maggots 
  swarming about the grisly offerings left therein. This 
  ghastly place is a spawning pit, and from it emerge 
  vampires — though the “Kindred” are loath to share 
  this appellation with them — devoted to the incom-
  prehensible wills of their vile, forgotten god. These 
  monstrous undead know the songs of Pazuzu and still 
  speak the tongue of Moloch, birthing nightmares and 
  leaving only desecration in their wake.
  The Tomb of the Patriarch  
  (Istanbul, Turkey)
  The “Dream” — a Cainite utopia of enlightenment 
  and learning shepherded by a cabal of long-lost Me-
  thuselahs — took root in Byzantium over a millenni-
  um ago. As is ever the case with the Kindred, though, 
  spurned loves and malicious treacheries conspired to 
  lay low the Dream, and the ultimate betrayal came 
  when its primary caretaker fell to foul diablerie dur-
  ing the Crusades. Since then, the ragged banner of 
  the Dream has persisted in one form or another in the 
  hands of would-be successors, but none with the glory 
  of its original champion, the Patriarch.
  The focal point of Byzantium’s Dream, the Hagia 
  Sophia, remains a monument to both the ambition 
  and perfidy of the Kindred condition. According to 
  Kindred historians, a replica of the medieval basilica 
  of Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia exists beneath the 
  “true” Hagia Sophia, standing silent testament to the 
  Patriarch’s ambition for the Dream. Some Byzantine 
  elders still regard the Tomb of the Patriarch as a great 
  spiritual landmark, and Kindred of all clans have safe-
  guarded its legacy since the fall of its progenitor. In-
  deed, scholarly Kindred regard the Tomb of the Patri-
  arch as a treasure of the Damned on the order of the 
  Library of Alexandria, holding both verifiable history 
  and clues to the prophesied fate of the Damned. The 
  academic riches of this ancient haven are difficult to 
  access, however, as feuding factions of Kindred still 
  war over the right to its legacy. The Tomb tragically 
  lies at the forbidden center of a hostile entente, with 
  vampires of the mutually suspicious factions choosing 
  to keep the Tomb inaccessible rather than share its 
  intellectual and spiritual bounty among outsiders  and 
  the godless. Thus, the Dream is all but broken in the 
  modern nights....
  The Succubus Club  
  (location varies)
  The original Succubus Club appeared in Chicago 
  in the early 1990s, where the local Kindred preyed on 
  mortals enamored of the vampiric lifestyle. Tonight, 
  the Succubus Club seems to have little connecting 
  it to its first incarnation, as now it’s a nomadic party 
  that travels from town to town across North America 
  like a carnival, bringing with it those debased Kin-
  dred who have no more ambition in unlife than to go 
  where the next sensation takes them. With a rotat-
  ing lineup of promoters, musical acts, DJs, perform-
  ers, and road crew, the Succubus Club never provides 
  the same experience twice. The club rarely stays in 
  any given city for more than a single night, but when 
  it opens its doors, the Kindred indulge themselves in 
  wildness and debauchery not seen since the nights of 
  fabled Carthage.
  Paranoid Elders often see the Succubus Club as a 
  potential Masquerade threat or other challenge to 
  the Traditions, but that’s rarely enough to stop them 
  from attending, since the spectacle and thrill provides 
  them with a momentary diversion from their centu-
  ries of bloody intrigue.
  Most recently, the Succubus Club had become 
  dominated by Anarchs, who use its nomadic nature 
  as a pulpit for the Anarch cause. At the same time, a 
  known Tal’Mahe’Ra assassin was also using the Suc-
  cubus Club as cover for her own contracts, killing for 
  her shadowy overlords wherever the club opened shop 
  for the night. Sabbat cities are always interesting ven-
  ues for the Succubus Club, and various ritae frequently 
  find their way into the scheduled “performances” of 
  the evening. Even the vampires of the Ivory Tower 
  find occasion to relax their propriety and let their 
  hair down. With this in mind, many wonder if the 
  Succubus Club is a mobile instrument of the Jyhad, 
  providing a neutral and lawless location for various 
  
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  Kindred schemes to come together, status to be raised, 
  and grudges to be settled. Whatever the case, it’s a 
  king-hell good time, and it’s fortunate for the Kindred 
  that the undead don’t suffer hangovers.
  Prime Chantry  
  (Vienna, Austria)
  For those steeped in the lore of the Kindred, the city 
  of Vienna is synonymous with the Tremere for a key 
  reason: The most advanced chantry house of Clan Tre-
  mere is here. The Prime Chantry serves as the inargu-
  able bastion of Tremere authority and activity, politi-
  cally and Thaumaturgically. The phrase “called back to 
  Vienna” instills dread in even the most stalwart of the 
  Warlocks, for the Pyramid is not a loving institution.
  The Tremere are of course very secretive about spe-
  cifics regarding their ultimate redoubt, but no end of 
  rumors circulate about the strength and extent of the 
  great chantry. Some claim it is the oldest surviving 
  structure in Vienna and the rest of the city was built 
  upon it at the secret direction of the Tremere. Some 
  say it sprawls as widely as the city, with vast geoman-
  tic connections between its various annexes under 
  the Danube, atop the Millennium Tower, among the 
  foreboding towers of St. Rupert’s Church, and in the 
  service hallways of the Hundertwasserhaus.
  In truth, the Tremere’s Prime Chantry cannot be 
  adequately described, as the Warlocks expend a great 
  deal of effort using their Thaumaturgy to change the 
  nature of the stronghold, sometimes as frequently as 
  weekly. Gargoyle thralls shuttle alchemical tools and 
  ancient thaumaturgical accouterments back and forth 
  among the ever-changing laboratories of their War-
  lock masters while the Tremere themselves jockey for 
  position in a rigid hierarchy that is much more resis-
  tant to change than the headquarters of their clan. 
  Still more terrifying is the fact that the Tremere con-
  trol the flow of information among their members 
  as efficiently as they do the pyramidal ambitions of 
  the clan. Grimgroth’s library resided at the Schloss 
  Schonbrunn last night, but tonight it’s housed be-
  neath the statue of Athena in front of the Parliament 
  Building and somehow all the Tremere just know that 
  the change has taken effect. What other information 
  evolves so quickly and communicates so well here in 
  the House of Tremere? And does this influence extend 
  to outsiders — or those whose blood the Tremere have 
  harvested? Even the Malkavians shudder to think. 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  Alamut  
  (near Tehran, Iran)
  The ancestral home of Clan Assamite perches like 
  a hawk above the shifting sands of venerable Persia, 
  and the bloody zephyrs nightly carry death from it 
  across the world. Although few outside Kindred have 
  divined the locations of the Clan of Assassins’ strong-
  hold, paranoia grips the mountain fastness as the As-
  samites, rife with schism within and beset by enemies 
  without, watch fearfully the movements of their own 
  elders and the sects aligned against their clan.
  A stony fortress over a thousand years old, the re-
  doubt itself lies beneath the ruins of a similar strong-
  hold established as long ago by a mortal faction of 
  hashishin. Approaching without the knowledge of As-
  samite sentries is all but impossible, though the gov-
  ernment of Iran has made recent efforts to turn the 
  historical site into a tourist destination.
  Alamut is the ancient stronghold where the assas-
  sins train and the clan sorcerers archive their arcane 
  knowledge. Beneath the mountain, from which the 
  enigmatic “Old Man” directs the affairs of the clan, 
  lie any number of Assamite secrets. Some suspect that 
  the clan has discovered its Antediluvian progenitor, 
  which it guards jealously. Others perceive shifts in 
  clan demeanor and suspect that rival Methuselahs vie 
  for power in the blackest depths of the stronghold. 
  Still others fear what they see as growing Assamite 
  consolidation, and recent pilgrimages by Assassins of 
  all ages to the seat of clan power do little to assuage 
  their fears. It is an image the Assamites cultivate, 
  turning the perceived weakness of their factionalism 
  into a radicalized strength.
  Catacombes de Paris  
  (Paris, France)
  Beneath the city of Paris sprawls a vast ossuary dat-
  ing back to the 19th century, in which more than six 
  million of the deceased take their final rest. Partially 
  open to the public, the catacomb is a labyrinth of 
  twisting tunnels, hidden vestibules, and secret cham-
  bers. Indeed, the catacombs that the Kindred frequent 
  span more than 300 kilometers, while those made 
  available to the public consist of only two kilometers’ 
  length. Unsurprisingly, the ossuary is popular among 
  local and visiting Kindred, much to the chagrin of 
  Paris’ undead elite, who see the cemetery and its os-
  tentatious ars moriendi as affected and obvious.
  Hauteur notwithstanding, the catacombs provide 
  the backdrop for many Kindred affairs, from secret 
  deals to midnight performances in the Grand Guignol 
  
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  style to elaborate masquerade fêtes. Prince Francois 
  Villon considers the catacombs both Elysium and 
  one of the City of Lights’ most arresting locations, 
  and even the Anarchs who despise the Prince and his 
  iron-fisted Ivory Tower policies respect the catacombs.
  The problem is that something dwells in the cata-
  combs that doesn’t seem to care much for either mor-
  tal intrusion or Kindred pretensions to control of the 
  subterranean tomb. A recent closure of the ossuary 
  due to vandalism actually covered up a joint police 
  and Kindred investigation of the grisly discovery of 
  an entire tourist group exsanguinated and arranged in 
  horrific poses in one of the more remote mausoleums, 
  in obvious reference to the courts and habits of the 
  Kindred. A tragedy for the city and an embarrassment 
  to Villon’s court, the gruesome mystery has yet to be 
  solved, but its elaborate staging suggests an intelligent, 
  malevolent enemy of both mortals and the Damned. 
  Dr. Netchurch’s Laboratory  
  (Lowell, Massachussetts)
  Those who would understand the scientific realities 
  of the Kindred condition have somewhat of a figure-
  head in the Malkavian bioeschatologist Dr. Douglas 
  Netchurch. At the leading edge of “the posthumous 
  sciences,” Netchurch is a keen observer of how vam-
  pires respond to the various stimuli with which mod-
  ern vampires might interact, and what it means for 
  the so-called “Damned” in the Information Age.
  Of late, Dr. Netchurch has been silent, though his 
  research facility in a quiet New England city has still 
  been receiving its shipments of supplies. It continues 
  to receive its steady stream of “volunteers” — often 
  Caitiff, and often recruited or, in more desperate 
  times, kidnapped from the nearby domains of Boston, 
  Manchester, New York, and surrounding territories. 
  The lab itself is located in an unassuming business 
  park on the outskirts of Lowell, though the doctor’s 
  business sense isn’t as keen as his scientific mind: He’s 
  squatting in an unleased office space.
  Even in the best of times, Netchurch’s facility is 
  a sterile and despairing place, where fledglings lured 
  with the promise of understanding themselves learn 
  the clinical and empty reality of those promises. Dur-
  ing the times of Dr. Netchurch’s absences, the labora-
  tory is little more than a bleak Purgatory, with starving, 
  skeletal Cainites ever on the edge of frenzy because 
  the doctor may have distractedly neglected to provide 
  them blood. No matter; the persistent anomalies of 
  the undead state will preserve them even in the ab-
  sence of precious blood. Indeed, being able to observe 
  this state may well answer some of Dr. Netchurch’s 
  lingering questions.
  Utgård  
  (Vesterøy, Norway)
  The harrowing northern reaches of Scandinavia 
  give rise to dire philosophies when the Kindred who 
  dwell there rise from months-long torpor or maraud 
  in months-long stretches with precious little daylight. 
  So it is with Utgård, the “outyards” in Old Norse and 
  the realm of devious giants. Those who make their 
  havens there believe that Ragnarök has come and 
  gone, with only their remote island having survived 
  the apocalypse.
  Isolated on a remote island off the coast of Norway, 
  Utgård is a domain that may be close to the potential 
  terror of the First City. The Kindred hold sway here 
  openly and defiantly, and their few mortal thralls exist 
  only to serve and feed their vampiric domitors. Per-
  haps 300 wretched mortals live here, laboring under 
  the whims of some 45-plus vampire lords. For their 
  part, the Kindred are jaded and debased, leading un-
  lives of savagery not far removed from those of Dark 
  Ages jarls. By terrorizing their mortal thralls, these 
  vampires fear no escape, for who would believe the 
  tales of a “vampire island” with orgiastic blood-rites 
  and deathless giants? Believing that the end of the 
  world has already passed passed, the mortals know 
  that nothing else is out there, and have reverted to a 
  superstitious semi-barbarism.
  The Damned of Utgård swear no fealty to clan or 
  sect, holding only their ghastly fiefdoms as sovereign 
  and their brutal hierarchy as authority. Kindred of 
  many clans dwell here, but most are Gangrel, Nos-
  feratu, Ventrue, or Tzimisce. The island is rife with 
  feuds among the deathless lords, and the mortal ves-
  sels are treated as chattel, though valuable chattel, 
  given the difficulty and conditioning required to keep 
  the modern peasants in their place.
  The Abbey of the Sacred Crown 
  (Hampshire, England)
  When the nascent Camarilla brought the Anarch 
  Revolt and the Assamite menace to heel, they did so 
  in a convocation at the Abbey of the Sacred Crown, 
  an unassuming monastery near the village of Thorns. 
  There, the Anarch rebellion officially concluded and 
  the Assamites submitted to the Thaumaturgical curse 
  that reined in their wanton diablerie. What followed 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  was a period of Camarilla dominance in Kindred poli-
  tics that has lasted almost until the modern nights. 
  Only the recent turbulence of what some claim are 
  the Final Nights has shaken the Camarilla’s power 
  — but naysayers note that with the recent rise of the 
  Anarchs and the Assamite subversion of the Tremere 
  curse, that the symbolic significance of the Conven-
  tion of Thorns has been broken.
  A coterie of Anarchs who visited the ruins of the 
  abbey “on a pilgrimage” came back with grave tales 
  of their own, however, which are now circulating 
  among the ranks of their fellows. According to these 
  Anarchs, they discovered the torpid forms of seven 
  Kindred in a surprisingly ostentatious mausoleum be-
  neath the ruins of the monastery. One of their number 
  diablerized one of the slumbering vampires and was 
  consumed by the power of the victim’s heartsblood, 
  raving into the night and subdued by his fellows after 
  a night of terror gripped nearby Silchester. To date, 
  the Anarchs have no idea who the six remaining Kin-
  dred are, and it’s only a matter of time before the story 
  makes its way beyond Anarch circles. 
  Gamla Stan  
  (Stockholm, Sweden)
  For too long, the Ventrue and Toreador Princes of 
  Denmark, Norway, and Sweden ignored the Anarch 
  threat, attributing the rising violence to refugee Kin-
  dred fleeing from the Baba Yaga in Russia and the 
  incomprehensible Finns. In the late 1980s and early 
  1990s, the eminent Kindred of the region hoped the 
  troublesome Anarchs would just go away so that they 
  could resume their nights of bloody luxury. Sweden, 
  in particular had, in the words of a Sabbat provoca-
  teur, “an Anarch problem.”
  The Anarch presence in Stockholm doubled during 
  the late 1990s and then doubled again within another 
  10 years. Stockholm — with a population only large 
  enough to sustain perhaps 20 vampires in compara-
  tively safe Masquerade — swelled its Kindred ranks to 
  over a hundred.
  Eventually, the Scandinavian Anarchs realized 
  what power they had in numbers and threw down the 
  Prince’s Praxis. For over a year, the Anarch Move-
  ment held sway in Stockholm, deposing the Prince 
  claiming the old town of Gamla Stan as its center of 
  resistance against elder oppression.
  The Camarilla quietly nursed its wounds after the 
  embarrassing loss. Ivory Tower Kindred stole into the 
  secret tombs of the elder Ventrue beneath Riddar-
  holm Church, waiting for the right moment to topple 
  the nascent Anarch caucus. Promising forgiveness for 
  past transgressions, the Camarilla also offered a “fresh 
  start” in Stockholm for Kindred exiled from other 
  domains, provided they upheld the Traditions and 
  rooted out the Anarchs. A contingent of Brunhilde’s 
  valkyries even approached the city, though they broke 
  off negotiations with the besieged Anarchs, rather 
  than plunge the city into Masquerade-threatening 
  bloodshed. It worked, to an extent.
  Tonight, Praxis lies in a dangerous detente between 
  Camarilla stalwarts and the relentless Anarchs. Com-
  pounding issues is the worry that the Anarchs have 
  granted an amnesty to the Methuselah Louhi, an an-
  cient terror from Finland whose knowledge of Thau-
  maturgy challenges Tremere supremacy in that Disci-
  pline. If the Scandinavian Anarchs truly have such 
  a potent ally hidden among them, something dire is 
  surely in the domain’s future.
  Poveglia  
  (Venice, Italy)
  Lying off the oily swamp-peninsula of Venice, 
  the island of Poveglia is home to a wretched, semi-
  abandoned warren of Nosferatu. Once of the clan’s 
  vastest spawning pits, Poveglia served as haven to 
  nearly enough Nosferatu to contend with the “Devil 
  Kindred” of Clan Giovanni. Poveglia had long been a 
  dumping point for the mentally and physically ill — it 
  had housed, by turns, a lazaretto, a mental hospital, 
  the refuge of a mad doctor, and any number of plague 
  rookeries — which, combined with its isolation, made 
  for a perfect domain for the Sewer Rats.
  Across the swamp, the Camarilla’s Inner Council 
  meets in Venice every 13 years, with each Councilor 
  maintaining apartments in the “Queen of the Adri-
  atic.” Of course, the Giovanni’s seat of power is also 
  located in Venice, with the clan’s ancestral mauso-
  leum practically within sight of Poveglia. The fragile 
  détente takes the form of a dread ballet of formalities, 
  with each side underestimating the other. The Ca-
  marilla certainly has numerical superiority in Europe, 
  but the Ivory Tower concedes much of the city to the 
  Necromancers, not wanting to strain the Masquerade. 
  For their part, the Giovanni find it inconceivable that 
  any Kindred  could dwell in the city without their 
  knowledge, and turn a blind eye when unsanctioned, 
  non-Nosferatu vampires “pass through” Venice.
  In the late 1980s, however, the Nosferatu hastily 
  fled Poveglia for mainland Venice or other domains. 
  
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  Tonight, the Nosferatu remain characteristically si-
  lent about what they regard as a blemish on the clan’s 
  holdings. Some whisper that a black secret from the 
  clan’s history lies entombed beneath the crumbling 
  island asylum, and that the Nosferatu no longer 
  have the means to contain it. There in the fuliginous 
  depths of an island abandoned by Kindred, kine, and 
  time alike, something claims the lives of the indigents 
  who eke out short lives on the island... and it’s not a 
  vampire. At least, not as the Kindred recognize each 
  other.
  Celestial Park  
  (Dallas, Texas)
  At one point, Celestial Park was a piece of hotly-
  contested territory among the werewolves and mages 
  of Dallas, being some sort of repository of mystic ener-
  gy that the two factions of supernatural creatures cov-
  eted. The problem for the Kindred wasn’t that the Lu-
  pines and will-workers were eager to shed each other’s 
  blood over the locale. It was that the park was located 
  in a wealthy, secluded neighborhood where the for-
  mer Prince of Dallas maintained a haven. When the 
  supernatural sparks flew, Prince Charlemagne couldn’t 
  help but get involved, because at the very least, he’d 
  have to cover the whole thing up as a Masquerade 
  breach that wasn’t even caused by the Kindred.
  Visually, Celestial Park is nothing out of the or-
  dinary, simply a cleared and well-tended sward of 
  stone-circled fairway in the center of half-million dol-
  lar homes. Marble steps descend into the park, upon 
  which are carved quotations from prose and poetry 
  that revere the heavens. At the center of the green, 
  however, stands a stone plinth that houses a large 
  sundial in which a person functions as the gnomon. 
  It does have a unique characteristic, however. Any-
  one who stands at its center can hear any conversa-
  tion happening anywhere in the city just by thinking 
  about it. Once the secret of the plinth made it to the 
  Kindred community, Charlemagne wasted no time in 
  declaring it a Princely asset, hoping to consolidate 
  his power by allowing other vampires to use it in ex-
  change for prestation or fealty. To his surprise, the 
  werewolves and mages already had other designs on 
  the plinth, and adding vampires to the power struggle 
  for its benefits escalated the city to near civil war.
  The failed power play broke Charlemagne’s power 
  by exposing his naked ambition, as well as earning him 
  the attention of the other supernaturals. He abdicated 
  the Prince’s seat and in exchange to the powerful Pri-
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  mogen for being able to keep his private domains and 
  local interests, he wards the mysterious relic in Celes-
  tial Park. It’s a thankless and ongoing job, as no few 
  Kindred risk the ire of the Lupines, the witches, and 
  the ex-Prince for the sake of a scrap of spoken secrets. 
  And Charlemagne has been known to “hire” Kindred 
  trespassers to protect the park in exchange for absolv-
  ing their breaches of the Tradition of Domain.
  Varosha  
  (Famagusta, Cypress)
  When the Turkish armies invaded Famagusta in 
  1974, they cordoned off the district of Varosha. The 
  Greek Cypriot armies withdrew to the south, and 
  even after the occupation ended, Turkish forces re-
  stricted entry into Varosha to those with adequate 
  military clearance. Overnight, the city was practically 
  abandoned, and it remains both empty and forbidden 
  tonight.
  Varosha exists in a moment frozen in time, not un-
  like the Kindred themselves. Its department stores still 
  have racks draped with clothes no one has touched in 
  four decades. Its restaurants have tables with place set-
  tings where no one has sat in 40 years. The only sign 
  of time’s passage is the slow but inexorable reclama-
  tion of Varosha by nature, as flora and fauna encroach 
  upon the abandoned property developed by mankind.
  Under cover of night, however, something else 
  moves amid the streets of Varosha. A small pack of 
  Cainites, by turns either affiliated with the Sabbat or 
  zealous Autarkis, skulks out from the derelict pent-
  house apartments, seeking blood. These vampires 
  creep southward under cover of night, preying on the 
  still-vital cities of Paralimni and Larnaca before re-
  turning to the haunted modern ghost town to sleep 
  off the sunlit hours. None of the sects pays much 
  attention to this rogue pack or its void domain, so 
  the precise size of the enclave remains unknown. It 
  members certainly haven’t come forth to be counted, 
  either by Camarilla interlopers or crusading Sabbat. 
  Whispers have escaped the region, however, that the 
  coterie that dwells there, once supposed to consist of 
  five to seven members, has swollen in size to over 40 
  Kindred, all of whom have forsworn any authority but 
  their own desires.
  The Chase Vault  
  (Oistins, Barbados)
  A wealthy family of plantation owners, the Chases 
  of Barbados purchased a churchyard cemetery vault 
  in the early 19th century to give eternal rest to their 
  departed relatives. The vault had been constructed 
  perhaps a hundred years previously, but used only 
  once before the family purchased it — to inter a lone 
  woman.
  The head of the Chase family, Thomas Chase, was 
  greatly reviled in Barbados, having a reputation for 
  cruelty and a contentious relationship with the slaves 
  of his plantation. Unkknown to him, a Baka Kindred 
  of the Samedi bloodline known as Olembe had taken 
  up residence in the slaves’ rowhouses, simultaneously 
  preying upon the slaves and acting as to incite them 
  against their master. This vampire made the tomb his 
  haven, and his presence became one of the greatest 
  mysteries of the island.
  Each time the Chase family buried its dead, the 
  coffins within the tomb had been moved, though the 
  heavy stone slab used to close the vault hadn’t. In 
  truth, Olembe had used a secret passage to enter and 
  exit the tomb, and had planned on animating the life-
  less bodies of the Chase family to torment Thomas, 
  but the evidence of his activity in the tomb-haven 
  had a far greater and longer-lasting effect. The hated 
  head of the Clark family was himself buried there not 
  too long after purchasing the vault, having descended 
  into madness and despair at the haunting of his family 
  legacy.
  The Chase vault mysteries remain unsolved among 
  mortals, giving the place a haunted reputation among 
  locals and tourists alike. Olembe still dwells in Ois-
  tins as the Prince of his one-Kindred town, where he 
  leads a debased unlife, bloating himself on the blood 
  of drunken tourists and fearful locals and pretending 
  that his Disciplines are far more advanced than they 
  truly are.
  Block Arcade  
  (Melbourne, Australia)
  The larrikin tradition plays strongly amid the Kin-
  dred courts of Melbourne, where rebellion is ingrained 
  in the Australian character as a result of British im-
  perialism: Almost a century ago, the Barcade Boys, a 
  youth gang of pimps and drug pushers, infested the 
  Block Arcade. Out of place in the splendid Victorian 
  style of the arcade, the gutter gang nonetheless ran 
  their rackets with seeming impunity.
  And impunity they had, as their shadow patron, 
  a Malkavian claiming to be the childe of Sydney’s 
  Prince Sarrasine, had brought the proprietors of the 
  
  75 
  V20 COMPANION
  Block Arcade under her sway. At the same time, 
  the Malkavian courted the support of Melbourne’s 
  then-Prince Montague Lytton — keeping each of the 
  Princes ignorant of her involvement with the other.
  Such a ruse could work for only so long, and when 
  Sarrasine learned that he was being played against 
  Lytton, his ghouls lashed out with a desire to cause a 
  panic in Melbourne and make its Kindred feel Sarra-
  sine’s supremacy. In 1891, they stormed the Block Ar-
  cade by day, scattering the Barcade Boys, and hope-
  fully breaking the Malkavian’s sway over what she had 
  treated as her entitled domain.
  The next night, however, the Malkavian had her re-
  venge. She sent a plague of wraiths to settle the score 
  — a trio of ghostly firefighters who had lost their lives 
  a few years earlier in the Georges department store 
  fire (which had, not coincidentally, also started under 
  bizarre circumstances). Sarrasine’s ghoul agents met 
  their end and the Prince of Sydney was rebuffed, in 
  another turn of the Jyhad’s events.
  Just who this Malkavian childe of a Setite Prince 
  is remains unsolved, however. She claims the Block 
  Arcade as her domain to this night, over a century af-
  ter its original construction, having survived multiple 
  Princes of Melbourne and the enmity of the Prince 
  of Sydney. And just how is that she was able to ma-
  nipulate the shades of the departed firefighters? The 
  Kindred of Melbourne, many of whom are Anarchs 
  (despite Prince Taylor’s suppression of Brujah other 
  than himself), prefer not to entertain such questions.
  
  76 
  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  
  77 
  V20 COMPANION
  77 
  V20 COMPANION
  The following material was cut from previous devel-
  opment drafts of the V20 Companion. It’s included 
  here to show you some of the ways that the material 
  developed, based on feedback from the players. It’s 
  also here in case you want to use it. The masses have 
  spoken, but maybe you want to take some of this and 
  go your own way.
  This isn’t all the cut material. Sometimes I just cut 
  a sentence, and without context, a loose sentence 
  wouldn’t mean anything to you. Sometimes I got a 
  few hundred words into a concept and trashed it be-
  cause it either didn’t go the directions the book was 
  going... or it just wasn’t very good. (“Vampires flying a 
  stolen vintage V2 rocket into the sun to test whether 
  or not the Curse of Caine is greater than the solar 
  system? I need to stop drinking.”) Sometimes the cuts 
  moved out of the V20 Companion and into future 
  books. (But not the sun-rocket vampires, I promise.)
  So this is just here as a curiosity. None of this stuff 
  is “official,” but if you manage to find a home for it 
  in your chronicle or you want to talk it over in the 
  forums or comments, that’s great. Enjoy!
  Alternate Systems for 
  Physical Disciplines
  It quickly became obvious that players wanted 
  more setting material than systems material, as mul-
  tiple conversations on Twitter and in the White Wolf 
  Blogs made abundantly clear. This took me by surprise 
  a little bit, because an early series of Internet conver-
  sations had indicated that the opposite was true: that 
  more than a few players wanted the ability to custom-
  ize or fine-tune their Kindred’s personal expressions of 
  their Discipline powers. It seemed like a grand slam to 
  me. I put it in the outline and counted it as 5,000 to 
  10,000 words already in the bank.
  Such was not the case, however. You’ll see in the 
  cut systems below that people spoke out about too 
  many new mechanics, so before I even started on the 
  new physical Disciplines, I pulled them out of the out-
  line and beefed up the other chapters with the spared 
  word count.
  Appendix:  
  What’s Cut
  
  78 
  CHAPTER FOUR: A WORLD OF DARKNESS
  78 
  Understanding Why
  I was talking to Shane at the 2011 Grande Mas-
  querade, and we were comparing notes on how players 
  were playing their games and what they were doing in 
  them. He mentioned that the Grande Masquerade had 
  offered a few cultural activities — a wine tasting and 
  a graveyard tour among them — and that players who 
  attended these activities earned special rewards in-
  game. These weren’t huge mechanical effects. No new 
  powers or anything like that, just resources their char-
  acters could collect. A refilled blood pool or a Will-
  power point. Those sorts of one-shot, one-use benefits.
  The Masquerade players loved it. The rewards 
  they earned from their culturally-enriching activities 
  gave them a new hook in their chronicles, a way to 
  bring a new story element into the game, and a cool 
  new thing their characters could do because they did 
  something as players.
  The Requiem players hated it. The introduction of 
  free resources threw off the balance of their games, 
  they explained, and the existing in-game systems 
  would have suffered because of a metagame benefit to 
  which not every player had an equally fair access.
  Over the course of the conversation, it became ob-
  vious that the people playing the game were playing 
  to have different experiences. Speaking generally, the 
  Masquerade players were fine with the game’s idio-
  syncratic rules, so long as something interesting hap-
  pened in the story. Speaking generally, the Requiem 
  players gravitated toward that game because the id-
  iosyncrasies of the rules had been mitigated, and the 
  play itself was more egalitarian.
  Now, I don’t bring this up to pit the players of the 
  different games against one another. Quite the oppo-
  site. I bring it up to explain why I’m doing this book 
  the way I am, that I recognize what the players of this 
  game supplement want and have adjusted the con-
  tent toward their tastes. If some players want apples 
  and some players want oranges, I’m doing everyone 
  a disservice if I try to convince the apple people that 
  maybe they should give oranges a try.
  Certainly, this is all anecdotal, but it should indi-
  cate that we’re listening to you and trying to observe 
  how you’re using the games, in order to continue to 
  give you what you want.
  Systems for Titles
  The first draft of the titles chapter contained in-
  formation for tying mechanical effects to the largely 
  social system of Kindred responsibility, privilege, and 
  accomplishment. Many players objected to the sys-
  tems, preferring to let titles have purely social and 
  inter-Kindred effects. It’s hard to argue against that — 
  the World of Darkness has always been a storytelling 
  environment in which the setting takes precedence 
  over the mechanics. In that regard, the systems sub-
  section felt shoehorned into place.
  However, for those players and Storytellers who like 
  a consistent mechanic underlying some of the social 
  systems their vampires will encounter in play, this 
  is the core system that defined what a Kindred title 
  could accomplish and how it affected the Status of 
  the vampire claiming the title. It’s still flexible, hav-
  ing been (loosely) modeled on the open-ended magic 
  system of Mage: The Ascension, and set up in modu-
  lar terms of result.
  Determining Systems for Titles
  If the player and Storyteller agree that the bearer of 
  a title should enjoy a certain mechanical benefit from 
  possessing the title, it becomes necessary to define 
  that benefit in terms of the significance of its function 
  among the sect or local society. To do this, measure 
  the function abstractly by counting the number of 
  “steps” of effect granted by the title.
  Each “dot” of the title’s rank (in terms of consider-
  ing the title a Background) confers two steps on the 
  effects table, below. When the Storyteller and the 
  player cooperatively determine what effect the title 
  grants, they should spend the number of steps to de-
  termine the desired result, and that number divided 
  by two (round up) equals the dot rating of the title.
  When creating or determining the effect of a title, 
  consult the following table. So, for example, an effect 
  that has a very specific application (very narrow) that 
  lasts for a month would be treated as a four-dot effect.
  The effects created by titles are almost exclusively 
  social in nature. A few guidelines govern what effects 
  titles can create.
  Title effects cannot cause direct or indirect physical 
  damage (though they may reduce Willpower tempo-
  rarily).
  Title effects that do create physical effects may af-
  fect only the title-bearer.
  Title effects cannot force a character to take a 
  course of action or prevent her from taking a course of 
  action. They can certainly make things more difficult, 
  but the option always remains with other Kindred 
  whether to make the attempt or not.
  
  79 
  V20 COMPANION
  Clan-Specific Titles
  That titles chapter just kept growing and grow-
  ing. When I finally hit 13,000 words, and not one of 
  them had been spent on clan-specific titles, Eddy and 
  Rich and I talked it over. From a purely mathematical 
  standpoint, doing just one specific title for each clan 
  would have been another 3,000 words. Such a mini-
  mal survey would have barely been worth doing, but to 
  add two titles per clan would have been another 6,000 
  words and would have still only scratched the surface.
  So we cut it. Rather than do a shoddy partial job, we 
  decided to put clan-specific titles... somewhere else in 
  the release schedule. Wink, wink.
  The Grand  
  Masquerade  
  (New Orleans,  
  Louisiana)
  In recent years, Kindred from around the world 
  have taken to descending upon “the vampires’ city” 
  in early fall, availing themselves of both the com-
  forts of these luxury hotels and the reckless abandon 
  of the French Quarter. The Prince of New Orleans 
  reluctantly opens the domain to these guests, which 
  stresses the Masquerade almost to its breaking point as 
  more than a thousand vampires call upon its hospital-
  ity, however briefly.
  The agenda for this Kindred convocation seems 
  fluid — vampires of every clan and sect attend, with a 
  week-long observation of neutrality from all attendees 
  (at least in open sight of others). Camarilla luminaries 
  rub elbows with Sabbat icons and True Black Hand 
  agents discourse with Anarch firebrands and Inconnu 
  mystics. The gathering is at once political and apoliti-
  cal, a chance for the undead to associate without the 
  sanction of their sects... but many contacts are made 
  and relationships are forged in this bizarre crucible 
  “celebrating” the Kindred condition.
  A group of enterprising Kindred from many clans and 
  sects plan the event, with an emphasis on some signifi-
  cant point of Kindred interest. Previous years have seen 
  relics up for auction, symposia on eschatology and ori-
  gin, and even purely social events like clan meetings, 
  high tea, and ironically-attended graveyard tours.
  Among the Kindred, whose unlives are harrowed by 
  the horrors they witness nightly, a chance to simply 
  bask in the darkness and set aside the concerns of the 
  Jyhad and the War of Ages is a welcome respite from 
  an eternity of Damnation.
  Why It Was Cut
  This one was a hard one to cut, but ultimately, I had 
  to make that decision. Those who have been to the an-
  nual White Wolf World of Darkness convention in New 
  Orleans greatly enjoyed seeing the venue among the 
  “Where’s Where” of the Damned, but many also felt that 
  its inclusion was a little too “meta,” a little too skewed 
  toward fan service. I couldn’t argue with this last. I put 
  it in the chapter in the first place to sort of say Thank 
  You to all of the fans who traveled hundreds or even 
  thousands of miles to be a part of the phenomenon. But 
  as a location in the setting, it stretched the credibility of 
  the Tradition of Masquerade a bit too much, and a few 
  other locations served the same purpose. In the end, I’m 
  glad there’s room for it here, so use it if you’d like, but I 
  didn’t want to risk the integrity of the Masquerade for 
  something that amounted to an in-joke with a sly wink 
  to those who knew what to look for.
  Effect step
  Duration
  Difficulty 
  or 
  Dice Pool
  Frequency
  Circumstances
  Free
  One action
  —
  Once per title 
  term
  Unique
  1
  One scene
  +/–1
  Once per year
  Very narrow
  2
  One night
  +/–2
  Once 
  per 
  month
  Uncommon
  3
  One month
  +/–3
  Once per night
  Frequent
  4
  One year
  +/–4
  Once per scene
  Very broad
  5
  Permanently 
  (even after the 
  vampire 
  vacates 
  the title!)
  +/–5
  At will
  Universally
  For your enjoyment and ediFication: the original working chart justin threw together that we never 
  Finalized since this section was cut:
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Storyteller [multi]/World of Darkness (WoD) [multi]/Vampire/Vampire (oWoD)/Vampire 20th Anniversary/V20 - Companion.pdf