Clans and Bloodlines in Vampire: The Masquerade

This article is about clans in the Old World of Darkness game, "Vampire: The Masquerade". For clans in the New World of Darkness game "Vampire: The Requiem", see Clans in Vampire: The Requiem.

In White Wolf Game Studio's role-playing game Vampire: the Masquerade, a clan (often spelled Clan, with capitalization) is a group of vampires "related" by blood; i.e. the vampiric equivalent of an extended family or lineage. A clan is usually a large group, acknowledged widely in the vampiric society, and not a small offshoot (which is called a Bloodline).

In game mechanics terms, the clans in Vampire: the Masquerade act not only as character classes, but form the basic structure of the world's back story. Each clan has its strengths and weaknesses (as set by each clan's founder in storyline) and often the clans do not always get along with certain clans such as the Brujah and the Ventrue actually hating one another. This leads to developing plot between players and creates the political intrigue many games of Vampire: the Masquerade are known for. Social ranks, such as the primogen, create further political tension as players vie for status and antitribu who have turned their back on their own clans bring in the possibility of players being hunted or having a turncoat in their midst.

The lore of the game states that Book of Nod names certain clans as the original thirteen descended from Caine, the first vampire; the Kingship Clan (Ventrue), the Clan of the Beast (Gangrel), the Moon Clan (Malkavian), the Clan of the Hidden (Nosferatu), the Wanderer Clan (Ravnos), the Clan of the Rose (Toreador), the Night Clan (Lasombra), the Clan of Shapers (Tzimisce), the Snake Clan (Followers of Set), the Clan of Death (Cappadocian), the Healer's Clan (Salubri), the Clan of the Hunt (Assamite) and the Learned Clan (Brujah). There also are assorted bloodlines as well as an extinct clan or two. Another clan is the Clan of Usurpers (Tremere).

Each clan within a given area has a representative, called a Primogen, who is usually the eldest and most powerful member of the clan, who attends the leader or prince's advisory council. This status also grants the character social advantages and greater power than being a normal member of their clan. Generally each sect in an area has its own clans and its own Primogen and different clans tend to be associated with different sects more often than not with the antitribu being the exceptions to the rule.

Major clans

In Vampire: The Masquerade, typically clans belong to one of the three major sects. To reflect this, the clans have been split into their most commonly-identified sects.

Camarilla

Clan	Progenitor	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Brujah	Troile	Celerity, Potence, Presence	Rabble, Zealots	All difficulties to resist frenzy increase by two for Brujah characters, to a maximum of 10.
Malkavian	Malkav	Auspex, Obfuscate, Dementation	Kooks, Lunatics	Every last vampire of Malkav's blood is irredeemably insane in some form or another. Some attribute this to a curse of the blood, while other Lunatics actually call it a special blessing, a gift of insight. When a Malkavian character is created, the player must choose at least one derangement for that character at the time of the Embrace; this derangement can be temporarily fought with Willpower, but can never be permanently overcome. They are also pranksters, with their "jokes" ranging from benign to sadistic.
Nosferatu	Possibly Baba Yaga (or The Matriarch) [Note 1]	Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence	Sewer-Rats, Lepers	All Nosferatu have Appearance ratings of zero. They may not improve Appearance with experience points. Most Social actions based on first impressions, except intimidation and the like, fail automatically.
Toreador	Arikel	Auspex, Celerity, Presence	Artisans, Degenerates	Although lovely and seductive, the members of this clan are as much prisoners of their artistic vision and sensitivity as they are its beneficiaries. They are often overcome by the beauty they see around them, and become immobilized with fascination. Such things as paintings, neon signs, or even sunrises can captivate them. It requires a successful Willpower roll to break the fascination quickly; otherwise, the Toreador will stand, awed and helpless, for minutes or even hours. This trait explains why Toreador so often fall in love with mortals.
Tremere	Tremere [Note 2]	Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy	Warlocks, Usurpers	Tremere neonates must all drink from the blood of the seven elders of the clan when they are created. This means that all Tremere are at least one step toward being Blood Bound to the clan, and therefore must watch their step very carefully when around their leaders.
Ventrue	Veddhartha	Dominate, Fortitude, Presence	Blue-Bloods, Patricians, Warlords	Ventrue have exacting and rarefied tastes, even when it comes to blood. The player must pick a restriction on the type of blood their character can feed upon, e.g. only young men, no animals, only virgins, etc. The character will feed on no other type of blood, not even if she is starving or under duress.

Sabbat

Clan	Progenitor	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Lasombra	[Lasombra] (Possibly named: Laza Omri Bara)	Obtenebration, Dominate, Potence	Keepers	Lasombra vampires cast no reflections. They cannot be seen in mirrors, bodies of water, reflective windows, polished metals, photographs and security cameras, etc. This curious anomaly even extends to the clothes they wear and objects they carry. Many Kindred believe that the Lasombra have been cursed in this manner for their vanity. Additionally, due to their penchant for darkness, Lasombra take an extra level of damage from sunlight.
Tzimisce	[Tzimisce] (Possibly named: Mekhet)	Vicissitude, Animalism, Auspex	Fiends	Whenever a Tzimisce sleeps, they must surround themselves with at least two handfuls of Earth from a place important to them as a mortal. Failure to meet this requirement halves the Tzimisce's dice pools every 24 hours, until all their actions use only one die. This penalty remains until they rest for a full day amid their earth once more.

Independent

Clan	Progenitor	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Assamite	Haqim	Quietus, (Warrior Caste: Obfuscate, Celerity), (Sorceror Caste: Obfuscate, Dur-An-Ki), (Vizier Caste: Celerity, Auspex)	Assassins, Saracens	Assamites grow darker with age. (Warrior Caste: The Warrior Caste suffers from an addiction to vampire vitae and an aura stained by diablerie. Even if they have never actually engaged in diablerie, their aura shows their blood lust clearly). (Sorceror Caste: Any use of Aura Perception on the Sorcerer Caste reveals that he practices blood magic, even if the character has no knowledge of Thaumaturgy or Assamite Sorcery and even if the observer fails on the static mental challenge required to read the sorcerer's emotional state). (Vizier Caste: The Vizier Caste has an Obsessive/Compulsive derangement that is related to the creative or intellectual ability in which he has the most Ability traits).
Followers of Set	Set/Sutekh	Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis	Serpents, Sand-Snakes, Vipers	Extremely susceptible to sunlight (double damage). Subtract one from all dice pools while in bright light (spotlights, strobes, etc.).
Gangrel [Note 3]	Ennoia	Animalism, Fortitude, Protean	Animals, Outlanders	Gangrel are very close to the Beast within; as they succumb to it, it leaves its mark on their bodies. Every time a Gangrel frenzies, they gain an animalistic feature. This feature is determined by the player and Storyteller; it might be tufted ears, a pelt, a tail, catlike eyes, a snarling voice, tusks, even scales or feathers. Every five such features acquired permanently reduce one of the Gangrel's Social Attributes by one.
Giovanni	Augustus Giovanni [Note 4]	Potence, Dominate, Necromancy	Necromancers	When a Giovanni bites a living being, they deal more damage than normal making it difficult to keep people alive after feeding from them.
Ravnos	Zapathasura	Animalism, Fortitude, Chimerstry	Charlatans, Deceivers	The Ravnos clan are all criminals; each Ravnos has a specific vice ranging from plagiarism to mass murder. When the opportunity to indulge that vice is present, Ravnos must succeed in a self-control check to avoid indulging it.

Antitribu

In Vampire: The Masquerade, most vampire clans belong to a sect, either the Camarilla or Sabbat (some vampires and clans are independent). Vampires who belong to a sect other than that of their parent clan are generally called antitribu, though this term is occasionally reserved specifically for offshoot bloodlines belonging to a different sect than their parent clan.

For example, a Lasombra who joins the Camarilla would be referred to as a Lasombra antitribu, as his parent clan claims allegiance to the Sabbat (however, no Lasombra uses the term for their own clan). Likewise, a Brujah in the Sabbat would be considered a Brujah antitribu. However, there are certain offshoot bloodlines of Brujah, specifically True Brujah, that claim allegiance to another sect without being considered antitribu.

Members of independent clans who join one of the sects are treated differently with regards to diplomatic status and title. Independent vampires who live in or commute regularly to Camarilla territory do not have special names. Others, who break away from their parent clans, especially those that choose to side with the Sabbat, could be considered antitribu.

The Assamites and Setites both have divergent bloodlines affiliated with the Sabbat, who could be called antitribu (though the Setites more often go by the name "Serpents of the Light"). Members of the Ravnos clan allied with the Sabbat are also often called antitribu, though they are not a separate bloodline.

A large portion of the Assamite clan (from several bloodlines) has also broken away from their parent clan and permanently sworn allegiance to the Camarilla. Rather than being called antitribu, however, they are called "schismatics", named for the schism between them and their home in Alamut. Others have fled to the Sabbat, to join their antitribu brethren.

Recently a group of Salubri have joined the Sabbat, claiming antitribu status and expressing a hatred of the Camarilla, especially the Tremere, who they claim destroyed their Antediluvian. These Salubri antitribu exhibit powers of combat, once attributed to the extinct Salunri warrior caste.

The Malkavian antitribu of the Sabbat used to be unique in wielding the Dementation discipline, with the Malkavian Camarilla wielding the Dominate discipline instead. With the revised 3rd edition rules all Malkavians wield the same three disciplines: Auspex, Obfuscate, and Dementation. Although, it is still possible to create a Camarilla or Anarch Malkavian with Dominate; up to the Storyteller's discretion.

In many cases, the antitribu of a certain clan may have unique disciplines or weaknesses, similar to playing a full-fledged bloodline.

Clan Giovanni has no official antitribu; loyalty in Clan Giovanni is too strong (and the consequences for betraying the clan too severe). The closest sect to Tzimisce antitribu would be Old Clan Tzimisce, however they do not see themselves as antitribu, but rather a bloodline. The Tremere antitribu are extinct by the last version of the game. Finally, the Cappadocian Clan is extinct by the formation of the Camarilla and the Sabbat, however the Harbingers of Skulls bloodline is similar to Assamite Sabbat Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus Angels of Caine The Assamite antitribu never suffered the curse the Camarilla put on the Assamite clan. They become addicted to Cainite vitae easily. Whenever an Assamite antitribu drinks the blood of another vampire, he may become addicted. Once addicted, the vampire may frenzy, taking as much blood as he can every time he partakes of that blood. Brujah antitribu Unknown Brujah Sabbat Celerity, Potence, Presence Brutes All difficulties to resist frenzy increase by two for Brujah antitribu characters, to a maximum of 10. Brujah antitribu tend to be less offended about their radical moods than Camarilla Brujah, and many take perverse pleasure in their boiling tempers. Gangrel antitribu Unknown (Country Gangrel: Gangrel), (City Gangrel: Greek Gangrel) Sabbat Protean, (Country Gangrel: Animalism, Fortitude), (City Gangrel: Celerity, Obfuscate) Hunters Become more animal-like each frenzy. Every 5 frenzies, remove 1 point from a Social Attribute. Lasombra antitribu Montano Lasombra Camarilla Obtenebration, Dominate, Potence None (Lasombra antitribu don't go for that sort of thing) Lasombra antitribu do not have reflections. Such a handicap makes Lasombra antitribu easy to identify for those who are looking for such. In addition, since Lasombra are so heavily attuned to shadow, they take an extra level of damage from exposure to sunlight. The final handicap facing Lasombra antitribu (beside the vestigial distrust of the rest of the Camarilla) is the intense hatred that Sabbat Lasombra bear for their straying brethren. A Lasombra antitribu is always the first target of a Sabbat pack, and supposedly entire Camarilla cities have been besieged just to get a particularly durable straggler. Malkavian antitribu Vasantasena Malkavian Sabbat Auspex, Dementation, Obfuscate Freaks When a Malkavian character is created, the player must choose at least one derangement for that character at the time of the Embrace; this derangement can be temporarily fought with Willpower, but can never be permanently overcome. Additionally, Sabbat Malkavians are often too undisciplined (or too indulgent in their own monstrousness) to resist frenzy. A Sabbat Malkavians player may never spend a Willpower point to avoid her characters frenzy. Nosferatu antitribu Unknown Nosferatu Sabbat Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence Creeps, Critters Nosferatu are absolutely loathsome to look at. All Nosferatu have Appearance ratings of zero. They may not improve Appearance with experience points. Most Social actions based on first impressions, except intimidation and the like, fail automatically. Ravnos antitribu Unknown Ravnos Sabbat Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude. Rogues The Ravnos clan are all criminals; each Ravnos has a specific vice ranging from plagiarism to mass murder. When the opportunity to indulge that vice is present, Ravnos must succeed in a self-control check to avoid indulging it. Salubri Sabbat Auspex, Fortitude, Valeren Furies Can only obtain sustenance from blood taken unwillingly and by force (though they can also drink from victims they've recently killed). Serpents of the Light Haitian Setites Followers of Set Sabbat Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis Cobras Extremely susceptible to sunlight (double damage). Subtract one from all dice pools while in bright light (spotlights, strobes, etc.). Toreador antitribu Unknown Toreador Sabbat Auspex, Celerity, Presence Perverts, Pervs The Toreador antitribu once possessed the same flaw as their non-Sabbat counterparts, though their indulgence in blood-games and twisted passions has warped this failing somewhat. While they once found beauty even in extreme violence or sadism, they have since become needlessly cruel, inflicting their own viciousness on those around them. If presented with an ample opportunity (feeding, a rival embarrassing herself, torturing a captive Cainite), a Toreador antitribu will inflict physical or emotional pain on her subject more often than not. Tremere antritribu ^{[Note 5]} Goratrix Tremere Sabbat Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy Traitors, Spellbinders Upon their first Vaulderie, a Tremere antitribu receives a very painful mark on their forehead, marking them forever as a traitor to the clan. Ventrue antitribu Unknown Ventrue Sabbat Dominate, Fortitude, Presence Crusaders Sabbat Ventrue suffer the same rarefaction of tastes as Camarilla Ventrue, and they may feed only from certain vessels (as decided at the time of character creation). For example, the Crusader may be able to derive sustenance from only Christians, of the blind, or perhaps might be able to drink only cold blood from crystal flutes. The character will feed on no other vessels, even if frenzied or starving. Ventrue antitribu may feed on vampiric vitae normally.

Caitiff / Pander

Main article: Caitiff (World of Darkness)

Caitiff / Pander are clanless vampires in Vampire: The Masquerade.

Group	Founder	Parent Clan	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Caitiff	NA	Various	Camarilla	Any (Default to Fortitude, Potence, and Presence)	Trash	Caitiff can purchase any Discipline at character creation, but thereafter have to pay six times current rating for any and all powers purchased with experience points. On a more basic level Caitiff suffer a social stigma from not being a part of an accepted clan. As a result, more established Kindred feel free to snub or denigrate Caitiff freely.
Pander	Joseph Pander	Various	Sabbat	Any (Default to Fortitude, Potence, and Presence)	Mutts	Panders have no inherent, blood-bestowed weakness. Note, however, that the Panders are given only grudging respect, and they generally get stuck with the worst jobs in the Sabbat. Also, no Pander may begin the game at better than ninth generation (though they may increase this via diablerie or other means during the game).

Bloodlines

A few clans are extinct in-game and no longer a part of any sect. It is also worth noting that not all vampires belong to one of the major clans, some belong to smaller familial groupings of vampires, called bloodlines. While some bloodlines are descended from the great clans, others' origins are more mysterious and obscure. Additionally, the exact distinction between clan and bloodline is often a matter of debate. The Salubri were one of the original clans, but due to their low numbers are now considered a bloodline. Particularly during the Dark Ages, the Baali population and threat were so great that they too were once referred to as a clan. Also, the modern clans of Tremere and Giovanni can technically be considered bloodlines of Tzimisce and Cappadocian respectively, as they either directly or indirectly descend from them.

Minor clans

There are three "Minor Clans" in Vampire: The Masquerade; e.g. all three received official clanbooks by White Wolf and played a significant role in the history of the meta-plot (most notably during the Dark Ages). Two of them, Cappadocian and Salubri, were considered major clans in the Dark Ages: Vampire however were usurped in modern times by the Giovanni and Tremere bloodlines respectively. The Baali have a mixed history, at times being considered a clan and at other times a bloodline (and the varying source books give conflicting information), showing just how tenuous the distinction between the two can be. They are descended from at least the 4th generation and possibly share a history with the Cappadocian, Salubri or Gangrel (one story in Gehenna treats Saulot's creation of the Baali as fact), however other sources claim a 3rd generation founder (not to mention Nergal being the name of one of the Alura). Nevertheless, they posed such a significant threat during the Antediluvian and Dark Age periods, and were alien enough, that most other vampires viewed them as a clan during those times. In modern nights, their number and threat are significantly reduced and considered to be a bloodline by those still aware of them.

Bloodline	Founder	Parent Clan	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Baali[1]	Nergal, Moloch, (The Crone), Shaitan, and / or Saulot	Possibly Salubri, Cappadocian, or None	Independent	Daimoinon, Obfuscate, Presence	Demons, Shaitan	Affected by religious symbols. Double damage from faith.
Cappadocian[2]	Cappadocius	None	Extinct	Auspex, Fortitude, (Mortis) [Note 6]	Graverobbers	All Cappadocians have a corpse-like complexion, resembling death. Difficulties of social rolls for Cappadocians - any rolls involving a social attribute - increase by one.
Salubri[3]	Saulot	None	Independent	Auspex, Fortitude, Obeah	Unicorns, Soulsuckers, Cyclops	The Salubri lose one health level for each Blood Point drunk from an unwilling victim.

Dark ages

As Dark Ages: Vampire is a historical setting of Vampire: The Masquerade, all the bloodlines and clans technically carry over into the modern setting. The bloodlines are listed here due to either being at the height of their power during the Dark Ages, first introduced in that setting, or no longer playing a significant role in modern times. It should be noted that most of the major Dark Ages bloodlines are considered extinct in the overall meta-plot by the time of Masquerade. Other bloodlines that originated in the Dark Ages, such as the Gargoyles, are listed in the "Final Nights" section as they are still a significant bloodline by that time period.

Bloodline	Founder	Parent Clan	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Anda[4]	Dobrul the Brave	Gangrel	Extinct	Animalism, Fortitude, Protean, (Ma)	Tartars	May not sleep more than three days within the same one-mile area (die-pool halved after three days). Become more animal-like each frenzy; every 10 frenzies, remove 1 point from a Social Attribute.
Azaneali[5]	Azaneal	Baali and Lasombra	Presumed Extinct	Obfuscate, Obtenebration, Daimoinon	Husks, Puppets	Affected by religious symbols. Double damage from faith. May not embrace.
Greek Gangrel[6]	Unknown	Gangrel	Extinct	Animalism, Obfuscate, Protean	Dogs	Become more animal-like each frenzy. Every 5 frenzies, remove 1 point from a Social Attribute.
Jati[7]	Various	Ravnos	Independent, (Enemies of the Kuei-jin)	Chimerstry, Animalism, (Brahman Caste: Auspex), (Other Jati: Fortitude)	(Brahman Caste: Prophets)	When an opportunity to indulge a vice is present, Jati must succeed in a self-control check to avoid indulging it
Laibon[8]	Fakir Al Sidi	Gangrel, (Possibly through the Akunanse legacy)	Independent, (Defunct in specific games[Note 7])	Abombwe, Animalism, Fortitude	Sphinxes, Watchers	If a Laibon expends or ingests Blood Points, the "Beast" automatically consumes a point, or two points for an ingestion / expenditure of five or greater in a scene. Laibon grow hungry much quicker than other Kindred.
Lamia[9]	Lamia	Cappadocian	Extinct, (Loyal to Cappadocian)	Fortitude, Potence, (Mortis), Deimos [Note 6]	Gorgons	As worshippers of death in the form of the Dark Mother, the Lamia carry a curse they call "The Seed of Lilith". This is a virulent disease that can infect those from whom they feed, especially men, and is invariably fatal; other Kindred who feed from Lamia are also infected, but they become carriers only.
Lhiannan[8]	The Crone	Gangrel	Extinct	Animalism, Ogham, Presence	Druids	Obvious inhuman aura discernible by humans. Increased difficulty in resisting "Faith" based magic. Bound to their sacred groves.
Noiad[8]	Unknown	Gangrel	Presumed Extinct	Animalism, Auspex, Protean	Wanderers	Cannot gain sustenance from the blood of animals.
Telyavs[10]	Unknown	Tremere	Extinct	Auspex, Presence, Thaumaturgy	Shepherds	Repulsed by Christian iconography. Difficulties to resist frenzy are two higher than usual when confronted by an enemy who uses "True Faith" as a defense.
Wu Zao[4]	Zao-xue and Zao-zei	Salubri	Independent, (Enemies of the Kuei-jin)	Auspex, Fortitude, Valeren (Scholars: Healer Path), (Thieves: Warrior Path)	Orphans	Wu Zao must compulsively seek out and research dark or arcane lore, requiring a successful willpower roll to resist.

Final nights

As stated above, since Dark Ages: Vampire is a historical setting of Vampire: The Masquerade, all the bloodlines and clans technically carry over into the modern setting. Often, it is up to the storyteller's discretion whether to include "extinct" bloodlines in games set in the modern times.

Bloodline	Founder	Parent Clan	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Ahrimanes[11][12]	Muricia	Country Gangrel antritribu	Sabbat	Animalism, Presence, Spiritus	Cats	Ahrimanes cannot create offspring and cannot use their blood to bond others, however they can still be bound to others. If Merits and Flaws are used in the Chronicle, they can still take the flaw "Thin Blooded" but it is only a one-point Flaw.
Blood Brothers[13]	None, (Artificially created via Thaumaturgy and Vicissitude)	Created by Tremere antritribu and Tzimisce	Sabbat	Fortitude, Potence, Sanguinus	Frankensteins	May not embrace; all Blood Brothers of the same circle feel each other's pain.
Children of Osiris[14][15][16][17]	Osiris or Khetamon	Various, (Osiris possibly from Lasombra or Followers of Set)	Extinct, (Enemies of Followers of Set)	Bardo, (Default of parent clan)	Osirians	(Default of parent clan)
Daitya[18]	Indian Setites	Followers of Set	Independent, (Enemies of the Kuei-jin)	Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis	Devil Brahmin	Extremely susceptible to sunlight (double damage). Subtract one from all dice pools while in bright light (spotlights, strobes, etc.).
Daughters of Cacophony[12]	Melusine	Toreador and / or Malkavian	Independent	Fortitude, Melpominee, Presence	Sirens	The Daughters of Cacophony are so caught up in their music that they hear it constantly. As a result of this distraction, the difficulties of all a Daughters Perception rolls are increased by one. Additionally, a Daughters Alertness can never exceed three.
Gargoyles[12]	None, (Artificially created via Thaumaturgy)	Created by Tremere with Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Tzimisce blood	Camarilla, (Indentured to Tremere)	Fortitude, Potence, Visceratika, (Flight)	Slaves, Guardians	Appearance trait of 0, -2 Willpower to resist Dominate and other mind-controlling effects. No Gargoyle can take the mentor background.
Hajj[19]	Tarique	Nosferatu	Ashirra	Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence	None	Nosferatu are absolutely loathsome to look at. All Nosferatu have Appearance ratings of zero. They may not improve Appearance with experience points. Most Social actions based on first impressions, except intimidation and the like, fail automatically. The Hajj are proud of their Islamic status as protectors and rarely hide their terrible visages.
Harbingers of Skulls[13][20]	Unknown, (Possibly Lazurus)	Cappadocian	Sabbat	Auspex, Fortitude, Necromancy	Lazarenes	Regardless of the quantity of blood a Harbinger of Skulls consumes, her skin maintains a deathly pallor. Additionally, the Harbingers' skin shrinks to make these Cainites appear skeletal, with bony limbs and faces frozen into an immortal death's grin. Because of this decidedly unwholesome and morbid visage, Harbingers of Skulls have Appearance Traits of zero. All Social rolls involving the Appearance Trait automatically fail for Harbingers of Skulls.
Kiasyd[13]	Marconius	Lasombra	Sabbat	Dominate, Mytherceria, Obtenebration	Weirdlings, Scarlets	Wounds caused by iron weapons inflict aggravated damage, being in the presence of iron (within a number of yards equal to the Kiasyd's Stamina) raises the frenzy's difficulties by one, and touching iron causes an immediate frenzy roll.
Mariners[21]	Unknown	Gangrel	Independent	Animalism, Fortitude, Protean	Beasts	Become more animal-like each frenzy. Every 3 frenzies, remove 1 point from a Social Attribute.
Nagaraja[22]	Unknown	Created via magical ritual possibly with Salubri or Cappadocian blood	Independent, (Formerly True Black Hand)	Auspex, Dominate, Necromancy	Flesh Eaters	Must eat raw flesh in addition to drinking blood to survive.
Nictuku[23]	Absimiliard	Nosferatu, (The Nosferatu are actually descended from the Nictuku)	Independent, (Enemies of Nosferatu)	Obfuscate, Quietus, Grotequous	Grendel	Like the Nosferatu, the Nictuku have an appearance of 0 and automatically fail any rolls having to do with appearance. Due to their horrible aura they cannot interract with humans at all.
Old Clan Tzimisce[13][24][25]	[Tzimisce] (Possibly named: Mekhet)	Tzimisce, (The Tzimisce may actually be descended from the Old Clan Tzimisce)	Independent, (Formerly True Black Hand)	Animalism, Auspex, Dominate	Fiends	Whenever a Tzimisce sleeps, they must surround themselves with at least two handfuls of Earth from a place important to them as a mortal. Failure to meet this requirement halves the Tzimisce's dice pools every 24 hours, until all their actions use only one die. This penalty remains until they rests for a full day amid their earth once more.
Premascine[26]	Augustus Giovanni	Giovanni and Cappadocian	Independent, (Loyal to Giovanni)	Potence, Dominate, Necromancy	Relics	All Premascine have a corpse-like complexion, resembling death. Difficulties of social rolls for Premascine - any rolls involving a social attribute - increase by one.
Samedi[12]	Baron Samedi	Possibly Cappadocian, Nagaraja, or Nosferatu	Independent	Fortitude, Obfuscate, Thanatosis	Stiffs, Zombies	The Samedi resemble corpses undergoing the advanced stages of decomposition (appearance 0, repels all creatures due to smell).
Tlacique[27]	Tezcatlipoca	Followers of Set	Independent	Obfuscate, Presence, Protean (their default animal shape is a jaguar rather than a wolf)	None (most other vampires believe they are extinct)	Extremely susceptible to sunlight (double damage). Subtract one from all dice pools while in bright light (spotlights, strobes, etc.).
True Brujah[28]	Ilyes, (Possibly Troile)	Brujah, (The Brujah may actually be descended from the True Brujah)	Independent, (Formerly True Black Hand)	Potence, Presence, Temporis	Elois, Sages	Double the experience points necessary to regain Humanity or Path of Enlightenment ratings. Conscious and Conviction rolls always made with 2 additional difficulty (at a maximum of 10).

Defunct bloodlines

Some bloodlines were mentioned in earlier editions of Vampire, yet were never updated into either Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition, Dark Ages: Vampire, Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom, or Kindred of the East. Oftentimes, their presented history conflicted with established canon so they were retconned out of the setting.

Bushi and Gaki

The Bushi were a Japanese bloodline presented in Dark Alliance: Vancouver, while the Gaki were another Japanese lineage presented in the first edition of the rule book. With Kindred of the East redefining East Asian Vampires, the Bushi were ret-conned into House Bishamon of the Kuei-jin and "Gaki" was ret-conned into a pejorative term for Japanese Kuei-jin and are no longer considered a bloodline of Caine.^[29]

Laibon

See the note on the Laibon below.

Pasdoranitas, Vhrujunka, and Zhulukall

All three bloodlines were only mentioned in passing in the first edition rule book. The Pasdoranitas were mentioned as a Colombian bloodline, the Vhrujunka as being Australian, and the Zhulukall as being African. None were ever mentioned again, so they were likely retconned out of the setting.

Laibon

Main article: Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom

Bloodline

The Laibon were, during the Dark Ages, viewed as a single bloodline by European vampires. The vampires of Africa nearly all referred to themselves as Laibon and presented a distinct history and discipline when compared to the traditional clans. In actuality, the term "Laibon" is the name African Kindred give to themselves. The Laibon which the European Kindred knew were actually just one of the many Legacies of African kindred. However, it is still considered canon to play with the Laibon bloodline in Dark Ages: Vampire games, if you so choose (as you can view the "Laibon" as a bloodline of the Akunanse Legacy that came to Europe during the Dark Ages).

Bloodline	Founder	Parent Clan	Faction	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Laibon[8]	Fakir Al Sidi	Gangrel, (Possibly through the Akunanse legacy)	Independent	Abombwe, Animalism, Fortitude	Sphinxes, Watchers	If a Laibon expends or ingests Blood Points, the "Beast" automatically consumes a point, or two points for an ingestion / expenditure of five or greater in a scene. Laibon grow hungry much quicker than other Kindred.

Laibon legacies

The Laibon were split into several tribes with Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom. The old Laibon tribe was "replaced" by the Akunanse tribe (alternatively, you can view the "Laibon" as a bloodline of the Akunanse Legacy that came to Europe during the Dark Ages). It is still considered canon to play with the Laibon bloodline in Dark Ages: Vampire games, if you so choose.

Legacy	Parent Clan	Disciplines	Nicknames	Weakness
Akunanse[30]	Gangrel	Abombwe, Animalism, Fortitude	Weavers	For every 20 experience points an Akhunanse acquires, he also gains one animal characteristic. Every five features adopted permanently reduces one social attribute by one.
Children of Damballah[31][30]	Followers of Set	Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis	Vipers	Extremely susceptible to sunlight (double damage). Subtract one from all dice pools while in bright light (spotlights, strobes, etc.).
Guruhi[30]	Nosferatu	Animalism, Potence, Presence	Kings	The appearance of a Guruhi changes based on their moods, reflected by their Orun and Aye. Anytime the character's Orun or Aye changes, the player must roll Appearance + Subterfuge of 8.
Ishtarri[30]	Toreador	Celerity, Fortitude, Presence	Gluttons	The Iahtarri are easily addicted to excess (which also manifests physically) as their all-consuming needs drive them to fulfill those desires at the cost of everything else.
Kinyonyi[30]	Ravnos	Animalism, Chimerstry, Fortitude	Nomads	For every two weeks a Kinyonyi stays in a given domain, she must make a check of Self-Control + Subterfuge (difficulty 8) to avoid mentioning or otherwise revealing some unpleasant fact - true or false, on purpose or by accident - about someone important in that domain. For each month, the Kinyonyi receives an additional one-die penalty to this roll.
Mla Watu[30]	Cappadocian	Auspex, Fortitude, Necromancy	Ghost-Eaters	Difficulties of social rolls for Mla Watu - any rolls involving a social attribute - increase by one.
Nagloper[30]	Tzimisce	Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude	Horrors	For each day a Nagloper does not bury himself in the earth completely before resting, his dice pools are halved (cumulative down to a minimum of one die).
Nkulu Zao[30]	Salubri	Auspex, Fortitude, Obeah	Soulsuckers	Loses one health level for each Blood Point drunk from an unwilling victim. Unlike Western vampires, the Nkulu do not necessarily gain a third eye by reaching the second and third levels of Obeah.
Osebo[30]	Brujah	Auspex, Celerity, Potence	The Pride	All difficulties to resist frenzy increase by two for Osebo characters, to a maximum of 10.
Shango[30]	Assamite	Celerity, Dur-An-Ki, Obfuscate	Judges	All Shango are addicted to vampiric blood. Any time a Shango tastes to blood of another Laibon or Kindred, he must make a Self-Control roll (difficulty equal to the number of blood points ingested +3). If he fails, the Shango becomes addicted to that vampire's blood and must make a frenzy roll the next time they meet.
Xi Dundu[30]	Lasombra	Dominate, Obtenebration, Potence	Shadows	Xi Dundu vampires cast no shadows. When the Xi Dundu rest, they must not be touched by their native soil or their strength is halved for 24 hours.

Kuei-jin

Main article: Kindred of the East

The Kuei-Jin are the vampires of the Kindred of the East. The term is a portmanteau word consisting of the Mandarin word for ghost (kuei) and the Japanese word for person (jin). It is a relatively recent construction designed to indicate the commonality of the undead condition throughout the Middle Kingdom.

They are called "Cathayans" by western Kindred and are not descended from Caine, and thus a separate type of supernatural creature than the vampires referenced above.^[29]

Notes

1. ^ Though the Nosferatu are the majority of the descendants of the antediluvian Absimiliard, they are not the primary offspring. The Nictuku are the primary children of Absimiliard, all blood-bound to their sire. Baba Yaga was a Nictuku who escaped and all modern Nosferatu are descended from her. In modern times, the Nictuku are ordered to hunt down and destroy the primary Nosferatu clan.
2. ^ Tremere was a powerful mage who stole vitae from the Tzimisce and then diablerized the sleeping Saulot in order to cement his bloodline as a clan.
3. ^ The Gangrel were previously affiliated with the Camarilla.
4. ^ Augustus Giovanni was the patriarch of a wealthy family of necromancers who stole the power of the Cappadocians.
5. ^ As of 1999 (in-game), the Tremere antitribu no longer exist.
6. ^ ^{a b} The Mortis discipline changes into either the Thanatosis discipline or Necromancy - depending on the Clan - with the 3rd revised edition of Vampire: The Masquerade. However, since the main branch of the Cappadocian Clan and the Lamia bloodline are extinct at this point, neither were updated.
7. ^ The Laibon were, during the Dark Ages, viewed as a single bloodline by European vampires. The vampires of Africa nearly all referred to themselves as Laibon and presented a distinct history and discipline when compared to the traditional clans. In actuality, the term "Laibon" is the name African Kindred give to themselves. The Laibon which the European Kindred knew were actually just one of the many Legacies of African kindred. The Laibon were split into several tribes with Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom. The old Laibon tribe was "replaced" by the Akunanse tribe (alternatively, you can view the "Laibon" as a bloodline of the Akunanse Legacy that came to Europe during the Dark Ages). However, it is still considered canon to play with the Laibon bloodline in Dark Ages: Vampire games, if you so choose (as you can view the "Laibon" as a bloodline of the Akunanse Legacy that came to Europe during the Dark Ages).

References

1. ^ Skoog, Sven, et. all, Clanbook: Baali (White Wolf Game Studio, 1998, ISBN 1-56504-212-3)
2. ^ Justin Achilli, et. all, Clanbook: Cappadocian (White Wolf Game Studio, 1997, ISBN 1-56504-280-8)
3. ^ Summers, Cynthia, et. all, Clanbook: Salubri (White Wolf Game Studio, 1999, ISBN 1-56504-212-3)
4. ^ ^{a b} Kiley, James, et al., Wind from the East, White Wolf Inc. 2001
5. ^ Skoog, Sven, et al., Clanbook: Baali, White Wolf Inc. 1998
6. ^ Langlois, Jason, et al., Libellus Sanguinis 3: Wolves at the Door, White Wolf Inc. 2000
7. ^ Brooks, Deird're, et al., Clanbook: Ravnos, Rev Ed., White Wolf Inc. 2001
8. ^ ^{a b c d} Bush, Zach, et al., Player's Guide to Low Clans, White Wolf Inc. 2003
9. ^ Goodwin, Michael, et al., Player's Guide to High Clans, White Wolf Inc. 2003
10. ^ Summers, Cynthia, et al., Libellus Sanguinis 2: Keepers of the Word, White Wolf Inc. 1998
11. ^ Achilli, Justin, et al., Guide to the Sabbat (White Wolf Game Studio, 1999, ISBN 1-56504-263-8)
12. ^ ^{a b c d} Justin Achilli et al., Vampire: The Masquerade (Revised Edition) (White Wolf Game Studio, 1998, ISBN 1-56504-249-2)
13. ^ ^{a b c d} Justin Achilli et al., Guide to the Sabbat (White Wolf Game Studio, 1999, ISBN 1-56504-263-8)
14. ^ Justin Achilli et al., Vampire: The Masquerade (First Edition) (White Wolf Game Studio, 1994
15. ^ Bates, Andrew, et al., Mummy: The Resurrection, Rev Ed, White Wolf Inc. 2001
16. ^ Suleiman, C. A., et al., Cairo by Night, White Wolf Inc. 2002
17. ^ Bates, Andrew, et al., Mummy: The Resurrection, Rev Ed, White Wolf Inc. 2001
18. ^ Shomshak, Dean, et al., Clanbook: Followers of Set, Rev Ed, White Wolf Inc., 2001
19. ^ Soulban, Lucien (1996). "Desert Winds: Arabia by Night". A World of Darkness Second Edition chapter 6 (ISBN 1-56504-207-7)
20. ^ Shomshak, Dean, et al., Gehenna , White Wolf Publishing; Package edition, 2004.
21. ^ Jaffe, Sean, et al., World of Darkness: Blood-Dimmed Tides, White Wolf Inc. 1999
22. ^ Oliver, Clayton, et al., Vampire: The Masquerade Storytellers Companion, White Wolf Publishing; Package edition, December 1998
23. ^ Campbell, Brian, et al., Clanbook: Nosferatu, Rev Ed. White Wolf Inc. 2000
24. ^ Brown, Steven, et al., Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand, White Wolf Game Studio, 1996
25. ^ Lucien Soulban & James Stewart et al., Clanbook: Tzimisce, (White Wolf Game Studio, 2001, ISBN 1-58846-202-1)
26. ^ Achilli, Justin, et al., Clanbook: Giovanni, Rev Ed, White Wolf Inc., 1997
27. ^ Shomshak, Dean, et al., Clanbook: Followers of Set, Rev Ed, White Wolf Inc., 2001
28. ^ Oliver, Clayton, et al., Vampire: The Masquerade Storytellers Companion, White Wolf Publishing; Package edition, December 1998
29. ^ ^{a b} Achilli, Justin, et al., Kindred of the East, White Wolf Inc., 1997
30. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Achilli, Justin, et al., Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom, White Wolf Inc., 2003
31. ^ Shomshak, Dean, et al., Clanbook: Followers of Set, Rev Ed, White Wolf Inc., 2001

Further reading

• Achilli, Justin, et al., Vampire: The Masquerade (Revised Edition), White Wolf Inc., 1998
• Achilli, Justin, et al., Kindred of the East, White Wolf Inc., 1997
• Achilli, Justin, et al., Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom, White Wolf Inc., 2003
• Hartshorn, Jennifer , et al., Vampire: The Dark Ages, White Wolf Inc., 1995
• Oliver, Clayton, et al., Vampire: The Masquerade Storytellers Companion, White Wolf Publishing; Package edition, December 1981

External links

• White Wolf Wiki (VTM)
• World of Darkness Wiki (VTM)