Mechanics of Vampires

Firstly, when it comes to Vampires you need to pick a clan. Each vampire is divided into them and they define your strengths and weaknesses as well as your overall personality.

The Clans

Ventrue
Elegant, aristocratic and regal, the Ventrue are the lords of the castle. It was Clan Ventrue that provided the cornerstone of the Kindred, and it is Clan Ventrue that directs and coaxes the secret vampiric organizations in its darkest hours. The majority of princes descend from Clan Ventrue.
The Ventrue would, of course, have things no other way. In the tradition of noblesse oblige, the Ventrue must lead the other clans for their own good. Ventrue are mostly chosen from nobles, merchant princes or other wielders of power.
Vice: Only drink blood from those a Ventrue deems worthy.
Virtues:

• Dominate
  
• Presence
  
• Fortitude
  

Notables: Hrólfr Kraki, Lysander, Rasputin, Siegfreid


Toreador
The Toreador are called many things -- "degenerates," "artistes," "poseurs," and "hedonists" being but a few. But any such mass categorization does the clan a disservice. Depending on the individual and their mood, Toreador are alternately elegant and flamboyant, brilliant and ludicrous, visionary and dissipated. Perhaps the only truism that can be applied to the clan is its members' aesthetic zeal. Whatever a Toreador does, they do with passion. Whatever a Toreador is, they are with passion. To the Toreador, eternal life is to be savored. Many Toreador were artists, musicians or poets in life; many more have spent frustrating centuries producing laughable attempts at art, music or poetry.
Toreador share the Ventrue's love of high society, though not for them the tedium of actually running things -- that's what functionaries are for, darling. Toreador know that their place is to captivate and inspire -- through their witty speech, graceful deeds, and simple, scintillating existence.
Vice: Enraptured by beauty
Virtues:

• Auspex
  
• Presence
  
• Celerity
  

Notables: Ishtar, Victoria Ash


Tremere
With the power to rival the Kindred, Mages have long used powers of Magic since before recorded time. A group of elite mages led by a high mage named Tremere captured a rogue Vampire and studied him for some time before discovering that in order to increase their already fading powers of Magic, one must use the magical powers locked within Kindred blood. Only by becoming one with their enemies could they truly have greatness.
A costly and dangerous ritual was inacted. Lasting for weeks and requiring many sacrifices of human, animal and Kindred, this ritual was meant to grant the followers of Tremere the powers of the Kindred. However, something went wrong, and insted of simply granting Kindred powers, it altered them, changed them into some odd vampiric form of themselves. They became exactly what they hated. Kindred.
There were both good and bad sides to their new found forms. They could enact magic more powerful then ever before using a newly created discipline called Thaumaturgy that blends Kindred powers and that of the Mage.
But, however, they became even more hated by other Kindred. Hunted down for many years after their creation, the Tremere, as they are now named, found another result to their experiments. Their form as Kindred is not truly whole. Each year upon an appointed date no one out side of the clan has ever learned, all Tremere in the world must meet and reenact the exact same ritual that created them, or face a fate worse then death.
Even among vampires, the insular Clan Tremere bears a reputation for treachery. This reputation is well earned with vile deeds earning the clan a sinister reputation; even today, certain vampire clans would love nothing better than to destroy the entire Tremere line.
Vice: Thin blood, must drink more and bleeds easily.
Virtues:

• Auspex
  
• Dominate
  
• Thaumaturgy
  

Notables: Goratrix, Grimgroth, Harry Houdini, Stromberg


Brujah
Clan Brujah is largely composed of rebels, both with and without causes. Individualistic, outspoken and turbulent, Brujah hold social change near to their undead hearts, and the clan's ranks contain some of the most violent of the Kindred. Most other vampires perceive the Brujah as nothing more than miscreants, but the truth of the matter is that genuine passion lies behind their beliefs, controversial or not.
Brujah Kindred adopt pet passions and causes, which they support with volume and vitriol. Some Brujah follow charismatic members of their clan, while others prefer stances of blatant, defiant individualism. The clan claims a history rich with warrior-poets, and the clan adapts to the changing tides of the years; many Brujah are glad to have an opportunity to speak their minds, then indulge in a bit of destruction afterward to illustrate their points.
Brujah rely on chaotic behavior and upheaval to get their ideas across, and the Rabble are allowed a certain leeway that other clans do not have. In fact, Brujah are almost expected to be incoherent and bellicose; this stereotype works to the advantage of many eloquent, well-spoken members of the clan, who have no need to resort to violence when making their arguments. Respected for their martialry and readiness to rally under a banner, the Brujah are the physical strength of the Kindred.
Vice: Frenzy every time they take blood
Virtues:

• Celerity
  
• Potence
  
• Presence
  

Notables: Hannibal, Themistocles, Guillaume, Tribonius


Gangrel
Of all vampires, the Gangrel are perhaps closest to their inner nature. These nomadic loners spurn the constraints of society, preferring the comfort of the wilderness. How they avoid the wrath of the werewolves is unknown; perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the Gangrel are themselves shapeshifters. When a mortal speaks of a vampire changing into a wolf or a bat, they are probably speaking of a Gangrel.
Like the Brujah, Gangrel are fierce warriors; unlike the Brujah, Gangrel ferocity does not stem from anarchic rage, but from animalistic instinct. Gangrel have a keen understanding of the Beast in their souls, and prefer to spend their nights in communion with the animals whom they so emulate.
Vice: Gain animal feature with each frenzy
Virtues:

• Animalism
  
• Fortitude
  
• Protean
  

Notables: Dr. Allan T. Woodstock, Brunhilde, Xaviar, Sutton Gassaway


Malkavian
At first glance, the members of Clan Malkavian do not appear to be a clan at all; they are chosen from all races, creeds and social strata. But Malkavians, regardless of mortal standing, bear one disturbing commonality: They are all quite mad.
Whether from the clan's choice of victims, the circumstances of the Embrace, or some property in Malkavian blood itself, all Malkavians go insane shortly after the transformation (if they were not insane to begin with). Accordingly, many Malkavians find themselves pariahs, ostracized by a vampiric society fearful of their random urges and capricious whims. Wiser Kindred, however, prefer to keep the madmen close at hand: Behind the Malkavians' lunatic cackling and feverish rantings lie smatterings of insight, even wisdom.
Vice: Must have at least one derangement
Virtues:

• Obfuscate
  
• Dominate
  
• Auspex
  

Notables: Malkav, Timmy, Crazy Jane, Anatole


Tzimisce
The Antediluvian known as Tzimisce, was created by Ynosh childe of Caine, in an attempt to excise his beast and quell its murderous and maddening howling within himself. Ynosh sought to bestow upon a mortal vessel the most protean and primordial seeds of his own flesh which could then be slain. What emerged was not some legendary monster or disfigured beast, but a talented and intuitive childe gifted with imagination and potential as well as a countenance as fluid as water.
Thus the Tzimisce were birthed, and the first saw his brethren and left them and their ruined city and pitiful games, and sought a new dominion in which to thrive and grow. The eldest too struggled against his beast and spent a mortal's age in secluded meditation and study, though deprived of its gifts for spellcraft, it now possessed the ability to change, and through this Tzimisce sought to find the true form, free of the thirst and curse within the gift it was bestowed. Eventually the eldest was drawn to the forested and desolate Carpathian Mountains where it settled. Leagues from Enoch and its siblings Tzimisce took power in the lands of Europe.
To this night the Tzimisce bear the gifts of the first insight, and an ancient and strong tie to their lands as well as the Antediluvian's powers over flesh. The ability to transmogrify our own visage and those of others, more so than any other gift, has come to earn our reputation among the other clans. Tzimisce's progeny are known as fiends for no less of a creature would so twist ones flesh and bone as well as that of its foes as they do.
Vice: Must sleep in at least one handful of own native soil each night.
Virtues:

• Obfuscate
  
• Animalism
  
• Vicissitude
  

Notables: Prince Vlad "Ţepeş" Dracula III, Adrian Fahreheits Dracula, Vladimir Rustovich, Radu Bistri, Count Florescu


Nosferatu
Caine's childer are called "The Damned," and no vampires embody this more than do the wretches of Clan Nosferatu. While other vampires still look human and may travel in mortal society, Nosferatu are twisted and deformed by the curse of vampirism. To put it bluntly, the Embrace transforms them into hideous monsters. Unable to walk among humans, Nosferatu must dwell in subterranean sewers and catacombs. Other vampires revile Nosferatu, considering them disgusting and interacting with them only when they must. Because of this stigma, however, Nosferatu are survivors par excellence. Few creatures, mortal or vampire, know the city's back alleys and dark corners like the Nosferatu do. Additionally, Nosferatu have refined the crafts of sneaking and eavesdropping to fine arts; if anyone or anything has the latest dirt on mortal or vampiric society, it is the Nosferatu.
Finally, millennia of shared deformity and abuse have fostered strong bonds among the monsters. Nosferatu forego the squabbling and feuds ubiquitous to the other clans, preferring to work in unison. You mess with one, you mess with `em all -- and that can get messy indeed....
Vice: Must always have ugly or revolting appearance.
Virtues:

• Obfuscate
  
• Animalism
  
• Potence
  

Notables: Count Orlok, Euclid, Necross, Mimic


Assamite
The Children of Haqim are a clan whose members come from varied backgrounds, interests and knowledge. While traditionally they came from the Middle East, their numbers now include members from Europe, Asia and as far east as Japan. They are assassins and masters of the blade, but that is only one aspect of this diverse clan. Their members are also accomplished sorcerers and wise scholars. Upon embrace each new Childer must chose a path on which to begin their training. The Warriors, Sorcerers and Viziers all work in a tightly knit community and in order to survive as they have for centuries, their members learn the workings of the other two paths as well, for one never knows when they will be called to serve the clan in a different matter. The Children of Haqim believe in the destruction of all of Caine's childer, and work without tiring to try to get closer to their founder, Haqim.
At one point the Assamites were so feared by other kindred, there was a curse placed on them by the Tremere to keep them feeding off of other vampires' blood. An Assamite interloper within the Tremere ranks caused the ritual to fail and in turn caused the Assamite blood to become toxic to other vampires instead. While this curse will eventually be removed, the hatred between the clans still burns, and the Assamites are still practicing Quietus, keeping their actions silent and secret, but still effective.
Vice: Easily addicted to blood vitae
Virtues:

• Quietus
  
• Obfuscate
  
• Celerity
  

Notables: -


Lasombra
This graceful, yet predatory clan, known as the Keepers, believe in embracing the damned ways of what they've become (IE: Murder, Predation, Frenzy). The bloodline's elders mainly consist of those from Spaniard or Italian heritage, although now, the clan embraces its members from all ethnic backgrounds. Most Kindred from the Lasombra clan are very attractive, and have aristocratic features about them, as they do not tolerate the weak or blue-collared. These descendants of Caine do not fear what they've become, and they do not reject all that is mortal, often times using the mortal beings as pawns in their games.
The Lasombra blood has been involved in the Church since its reign began; it's also whispered that the clan was very active in the spread of Christianity. However evil this clan may seem, they tend to stick together. In fact, most of the clan's numbers prefer to take up a haven with one another, but aren't so cozy with those outside of their blood.
The most noted thing about the Lasombra, however, is the discipline that was 'cursed' to them, known as Obtenebration. This gift imbues the Lasombra with the power to call forth the shadows and manipulate them at their whim. Their other powers also give them the ability to manipulate the living shells around them. By use of Dominate, they are able to manipulate minds instead of shadows, and if that doesn't work, they can use their supernatural strength, known as Potence, for intimidation.
Vice: Cannot see in mirrors or other reflective surfaces.
Virtues:

• Dominate
  
• Obtenebration
  
• Potence
  

Notables: The Shadow, Lucita, Francois Benedicte Truffau


t is the will of God that you are what you are, and it is the will of God that the damned exist to show the world the evils of turning from him. That what you once were is not what you now are. As a mortal is a sheep, so are the damned wolves among them. The role of the predator is natural even if the predator is not. As man is above beast, so are the Damned above man. The Damned shall hide from those who still enjoy God's love, making themselves known only to exemplify fear. Our purpose is to serve, and when we stray from that purpose, we are to be chastened.

Techne Thanatou, Chapter 6

Of course, you need to know what those strengths entail.

The Virtues
Will add Necromancy, Thaumaturgy, and Dementation later

Presence
Presence is a Discipline of supernatural allure and emotional manipulation. It is a fairly common among vampires, both because of its versatility and because of its subtlety. Many Presence powers can be used upon large groups of people at once and transcend virtually all boundaries of gender, race, religion, class, and supernatural status. Though Presence can be resisted through force of will and by ignoring the user, most do not realize when it is being used upon them.
Standard Powers:

• Awe - Make your words seem interesting and reasonable to those who hear you
  
• Dread Gaze - Frighten someone with a look
  
• Entrancement - Make someone obsessively want to please you
  

Advanced Powers:

• Summon - Compel someone to come to you immediately
  
• Majesty - Appear as a figure of absolute power and authority
  

Dominate
Dominate is a Discipline that overwhelms another person's mind with the vampire's will, forcing victims to think or act according to the vampire's decree. While undeniably powerful, its use almost always adheres to two important restrictions: the user must meet the eyes of the target and must speak in language that is clearly heard and understood by the target. Furthermore, this Discipline cannot be used upon Cainites of lower generation and cannot force someone to be self-destructive or defy their Nature. Using Dominate is often considered very heavy-handed, hardly appropriate within what passes for polite vampiric society, but it is also favored by those of age and status as a efficient means of asserting their authority.
Standard Powers:

• Command - Give a simple, one-word order that the target must obey
  
• Mesmerize - By holding a target with your gaze you can implant false thoughts or hypnotic suggestions in a target's mind
  
• Forgetful Mind - Rewrite the memories of a target
  

Advanced Powers:

• Conditioning - Over time make a target a slave to your will alone
  
• Posession - Transfer your mind into a mortal body and control their actions
  

Auspex
Auspex is a Discipline that grants vampires supernatural senses. It is one of the most common and favored Discipline among Cainites due to its versatility and overall usefulness in just about every facet of vampiric existence. In addition to the individual powers granted at each level, Auspex allows someone the opportunity to see through illusions, such as from Obfuscate or Chimerstry. Furthermore, it has been known to grant some degree of oracular ability, particularly when alerting a Cainite to danger, even if they are in torpor.
Standard Powers:

• Heightened Senses - Raise one of your five sense to superhuman levels
  
• Aura Perception - Learn various qualities of a person from their aura
  
• Spirit Touch - Learn something of an object and its previous owner from its resonance
  

Advanced Powers:

• Telepathy - Briefly probe someone's mind or project a telepathic message to them
  
• Psi Projection - Free your mind to travel the world in astral form
  

Obfuscate
Obfuscate is a Discipline that allows vampires to conceal themselves and create some manner of illusions. It is one of the more popular Disciplines practiced by Cainites, and is the source of legends surrounding the ability of vampires to vanish and appear seemingly from nowhere. Obfuscate is mentally based; its powers achieve their effects by manipulating the minds of others, not in creating any real changes, and thus will not work against creatures immune to such mental effects.
Standard Powers:

• Cloak of Shadows - Remain hidden so long as you do not move
  
• Unseen Presence - Become invisible to others so long as you do not attract attention
  
• Thousand Masks - Change your appearance and mannerisms to mimic someone else
  

Advanced Powers:

• Mind's Eye Vanish - Disappear right from in front of someone
  
• Cloak of Gathering - Extend your Obfuscate powers to others
  

Protean
Protean is a Discipline that gives the vampire the ability to adapt better to the natural world. It is strongly rooted in the idea of bringing the Beast out. The Gangrel clan developed this discipline as way of expanding their dominance of the human world. It gave them the ability to hunt and sleep in the wild.
Standard Powers:

• Witness of Darkness - Allows the Vampire to see normally in darkness.
  
• Talons of the Beast - Allows the Vampire to grow powerful claws that tear through flesh and most metals.
  
• Interred the Earth - Allows the Vampire to dig a resting place in the ground where in he or she can rest undisturbed until the next night.
  

Advanced Powers:

• Form of the Beast - Allows the Vampire to transform him/herself into a bat or wolf.
  
• Body of Spirit - This ability allows the Vampire to shed his/her mortal coil and become a cloud of mist.
  

Obtenebration
Obtenebration is the trademark Discipline of clan Lasombra which grants them control over shadows and the supernatural darkness of the Abyss. The unnatural darkness summoned by Obtenebration is extremely frightening to mortals, animals, and even other Cainites unaccustomed to its use. The exact nature of this Discipline is unknown even among its greatest masters, and it has been a subject of religious, philosophical, and metaphysical debate among vampires for millennia. Its greatest scholars are the followers of the Path of Night and practitioners of Abyss Mysticism, which draws on knowledge of this Discipline in its rituals.
Standard Powers:

• Shadow Play - Move and shape the natural shadows around you
  
• Shroud of Night - Blanket an area in a cloud of unnatural shadow that obscures light, sound, and heat
  
• Arms of the Abyss - Summon black tentacles from the shadows to assist you
  

Advanced Powers:

• Nightshades - Create temporary objects made of shadow
  
• Tenebrous Form - Transform into pure shadow that can only be harmed by fire, sunlight, or magic
  

Animalism
Animalism is a Discipline that brings the vampire closer to their animalistic nature. This not only allows them to communicate with and gain dominance over creatures of nature, but gives them influence over the Beast itself. It is particular common among the clans that are most removed from humanity, though many of its powers specifically target the Beasts of mortals and Cainites.
Standard Powers:

• Feral Speech - Speak telepathically with an animal whose eyes you meet
  
• Beckoning - Summon animals of a particular type to you
  
• Arms of the Abyss - Summon black tentacles from the shadows to assist you
  

Advanced Powers:

• Song of Serenity - Soothe a creature, making them docile, and even help pull vampires from frenzy.
  
• Drawing out the Beast - When about to frenzy send your Beast into another person
  

Vicissitude
The Discipline known by the Tzimisce. This Discipline grants the user power over flesh and bone. Molding it like a sculptor molds clay. It also gives the user two forms. A monstrous form which is generally used in combat. As well as a blood form, which turns the user into a mobile pool of blood.
Standard Powers:

• Malleable Visage - This allows the vampire to alter her own body features.
  
• Fleshcraft - Allows the vampire to perform drastic alterations to other creatures or themselves.
  
• Bonecraft - Like Fleshcraft except the vampire can now work with bone.
  

Advanced Powers:

• Horrid Form - This allows the vampire to become a hideous monster.
  
• Bloodform - With this the vampire can change all or part of her body into sentient vitae.
  

Quietus
Quietus is a Discipline that revolves around the idea of inflicting weakness. The downside is that the casters bloodline will always be tainted by the side effects.
Standard Powers:

• Silence of Fire - Silences all sound with range of the caster.
  
• Scorpion's Touch - Allows the Vampire to transform his/her body fluids into a weakening poison which then can be transferred to a victim.
  
• Dragon's Call - Allows the Vampire to turn a victims blood against him/her. The blood literary destroys the victim from the inside out by flooding the lungs and bursting blood vessels.
  

Advanced Powers:

• Baal's Caress - An expansion on Scorpion's Touch, it allows the Vampire to transform him/her blood into a poison that destroys living or undead flesh.
  
• Blood Essence - A cup of blackish blood is removed from a victim, destroying them. This liquid is the victim's destroyed essence and when drunk by someone else, will instantly destroy him/her.
  

Potence
Potence is Discipline that grants the vampires supernatural strength.


Celerity
Celerity is a Discipline that grants vampires supernatural speed and finesse by expending vitae.This extraordinary speed violates the laws of physics in that the Cainite doesn't experience any change in momentum, friction, etc. A knife thrown by someone using Celerity isn't any faster, and a vampire moving at incredible speeds will never catch fire no matter how fast they move.


Fortitude
Fortitude is a Discipline that grants the vampires incredible resilience and the ability to resist the natural banes of the undead, fire and sunlight.

How to play one.

Vampires require you to spend 1 FP per discipline used regardless if you are lowering the roll difficulty. The roll doesn't exist for them, you simply do it and take off the focus. It's like using your blood pool.

Well since Vampires require massive amounts of Focus points since they'll be doing off the wall shit like their disciplines they need to have a way to regain that focus. For normal humans, it's just a matter of doing one of their habits called "mediation" which can be anything from smoking to actually meditating. You as a vampire regain focus by drinking blood. You can choose either to regain all HP or FP per corpse but not both.

Common misconceptions: Vampires don't disintegrate in the sun but they DO get very weak and their difficulty goes up to 7. They can't use any disciplines or regenerate from blood either. They don't instantly burn in the sun, although they will have a 1st degree sunburn within 1 hour, 2nd degree within 3 hours and then eventually die within 6 hours.

Vampires are not affected by holy water or by crosses of any kind. Silver does jack shit. Taking off one's head does nothing if they can regenerate still. Piercing their heart with anything will deal immense damage to within an inch of their lives.

Vampire bites do not create more vampires. The only way to turn into a vampire is for one to take your blood while you are a virgin of the opposite sex and then to have their blood given to you willingly. Once you drink your sire's blood you become a vampire. If a vampire drains a human of all its blood, it reanimates the corpse as a ghoul which can be summoned from the ground at any time. They are lifeless beings who do the vampire's bidding. However, completely draining a corpse leaves you open for a frenzy wherein you must add a difficulty of +2 to every roll you take for the next 3 turns (posts that you make).