Kindred Basics

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The Embrace

(probably will refrain from adding here so that new players can play out their Embraces with no fore-knowledge)

Appearance

Old wounds and scars seem to vanish as the childe’s skin whitens to an unnatural pallor that gives the childe a decidedly stark beauty. Even those who were homely in life seem to acquire new found allure in death. However, this beauty is not purely physical. The childe’s eyes shine with raw passion, both predatory and alluring, standing in marked contrast to his marble-like skin. The childe’s hair, fragile and delicate, falls like whips of fine gossamer thread, framing his immortality. His nails harden, becoming crystalline and sharp, while his gums recede, revealing sharpened fangs, both fine and terrifying.

Teeth

In most cases, Kindred fangs are retractable with some exceptions such as a Nosferatu with deformities. When retracted, the Kindred dental layout appears no different than any normal human's.

Skin and Blood

Depending on how full the Kindred is, the skin tone can change appearance, going from ill-pale when being well fed to the ashen-grey of a corpse when starving. |Blush of Life can be used by spending blood to make the heart beat, pumping stored blood throughout the Kindred's body, causing a more life-like appearance for a time.

While the skin appears delicate, it becomes very tough. Blunt force trauma is reduced against a Kindred's body and even piercing damage is not the danger it would be to a mortal, as the Vampire will not bleed. A Kindred's blood is magically connected to their body and, if cut, the blood will not leave the Kindred's body unless so willed to.

After the Embrace

All childer receive a 1-step Blood Bond to their Sire.

FAQ

Vampires are immortal.

True. While they can be killed (a very difficult process), they do not age or die from natural causes.They need no food such as humans eat, and they do not need to breathe.

Vampires are living dead and must sustain themselves with the blood of the living.

True. A vampire is clinically dead -its heart does not beat, it does not breathe,its skin is cold, it does not age- and yet it thinks, and walks, and plans, and speaks.. .and hunts, and kills. To sustain its artificial immortality, the vampire must periodically consume blood, preferably human blood. Some penitent vampires eke out an existence from animal blood, and some ancient vampires must hunt and kill others of their kind to nourish themselves, but most vampires indeed consume the blood of their former species.

Vampires drain their prey of blood through the use of retractable fangs, which are magically gifted to vampires when they first become undead. Each vampire can also magically lick closed the wounds made by their fangs, thus concealing the evidence of their feeding.

Blood is all-important to the Kindred,for it is both the crux of their existence and the seat of their power. Mortal food,mortal air, mortal love - all of these things are meaningless to a vampire. Blood is the Kindred’s only passion, and without it, they will quickly wither and fall dormant. Moreover, each vampire can use its stolen blood to perform amazing feats of healing, strength and other magic.

• Vampires can feed but do not need to kill if they have enough self control. This is something that must be taught by a Sire or Mentor.

Anyone who dies from a vampire’s bite rises to become a vampire.

False. If this were true, the world would be overrun with vampires. Vampires feed on human blood, true, and sometimes kill their prey - but most humans who die from a vampire’s attack simply perish. To return as undead, the victim must be drained of blood and subsequently be fed a bit of the attacking vampire’s blood. This process, called the Embrace, causes the mystical transformation from human to undead.

Vampires are monsters-demonic spirits embodied in corpses.

False.. .and true. Vampires are not demons per se, but a combination of tragic factors draws them inexorably toward wicked deeds. In the beginning, the newly created vampire thinks and acts much as she did while living. She does not immediately turn into an evil, sadistic monster. However, the vampire soon discovers her overpowering hunger for blood, and realizes that her existence depends on feeding on her previous species. In many ways, the vampire’s mindset changes-she adopts a set of attitudes less suited to a communal omnivore and more befitting a solitary predator.

At first reluctant to kill, the vampire is finally forced into murder by circumstance or need- and killing becomes easier as the years pass. Realizing that she herself is untrustworthy, she ceases to trust others. Realizing that she is different, she walls herself away from the mortal world. Realizing that her existence depends on secrecy and control, she becomes a manipulative user of the first order. And things only degenerate as the years turn to decades and then centuries, and the vampire kills over and over, and sees the people she loved age and die. Human life, so short and cheap in comparison to hers, becomes of less and less value, until the mortal “herd” around her means no more to her than a swarm of annoying insects. Vampire elders are among the most jaded, unfeeling, paranoid- in short, monstrous- beings the world has ever known. Maybe they are not demons exactly -but at that point, who can tell the difference?

Vampires are burned by sunlight.

True. Vampires must avoid the sun or die, though a few can bear sunlight’s touch for a very short period of time. Vampires are nocturnal creatures, and most find it extremely difficult to remain awake during the day, even within sheltered areas.

Vampires are repulsed by garlic and running water.

Mostly False. These are myths and nothing more, with the exception of Vampires with certain Flaws.

Vampires are repulsed by crosses and other holy symbols.

This is generally false. However, if the wielder of the symbol has great faith in the power it represents,a vampire may suffer ill effects from the brandishing of the symbol.

Vampires die from a stake through the heart.

False However, a wooden stake-or arrow, crossbow bolt, etc. - through the heart will paralyze the monster until it is removed.

Vampires have the strength of 10 men; they ca command wolves and bats; they can hypnotize the living and heal even the most grievous wounds.

True and false.The pow1 of a vampire increases with age. Young, newly created vampire are often little more powerful than humans. But as a vampire grows in age and understanding, she learns to use her blood to evoke secret magical powers, which vampires call Discipline. Powerful elders are often the rivals of a fictional Lestat or Dracula, and the true ancients - the Methuselahs and Antediluvians who have stalked the nights for thousands of years-often possess literally god-like power.