WHITE WOLF

ENTERTAINMENT
Vampire the
Masquerade

White Wolf Entertainment VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE 5TH EDITION

Vstgtagatan 5 PRE-ALPHA PLAYTEST
118 27 Stockholm
Sweden
BERLIN MAY 2017
info@white-wolf.com
www.white-wolf.com
Karim Muammar, Karl Bergstrom and Kenneth Hite, with contributions,
editing, and testing from Martin Ericsson and Jason Carl

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL NO PART OF THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE

COPIED OR PHOTOGRAPHED. WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT AB, ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED
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Hello, and thank you for being part of the pre-alpha playtest for Vampire
the Masquerade 5th Edition. Today youll be among the very first to see
the shape and direction for VTM 5E (or V5).

What is Vampire the Masquerade?

Vampire is a storytelling game of personal and political horror.

In Vampire, you are the monster; you are a vampire struggling for
survival, supremacy, and your own fading humanity. Youre afraid of what
you are capable of (personal), and afraid of the inhuman conspiracies and
mysteries that surround you (political).

Design Goals
Before we wrote any rules, we spent a lot of time thinking about what we
want the rules to accomplish. Some goals were clear and easy for us to
describe: speed up play, make the rules easier to teach and to learn, and
create options for players to customize the rules to suit their preferred
styles of play. But some goals are expressed less easily in rules, and its
these areas in which we ask for your help today.

As we begin work on V5 and the next 25 years, we're inviting artists,

writers, and fans to offer their views of the Vampireto explore it
through the lens of this century, to push its limits. But you, the player
community, will always provide its heart and soul

Development Status
This pre-alpha playtest draws on 25 years of Vampire the Masquerade.
We have selected some rules and concepts from different editions,
choosing what we felt each edition did best to help us create this newest
version of the game. Some rules, like Hunger, are completely new.
Nothing here is final, and almost everything will go through several
iterations of design, redesign, and testing before its ready for the Alpha
Playtest later this year.

Feedback
We appreciate your help today. Please help us improve these pre-alpha
rules by sharing your opinions about it with us. You can provide us with
feedback as part of the playtest or immediately after, any time that you
see us at the World of Darkness Berlin convention, or through the
playtest survey that we will share with you in email after the convention.
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BASIC ACTION RESOLUTION

Dice Pool

Vampire is a dice pool game. This means for most actions,

youll roll a pool of 10-sided (d10) dice that represent some
combination of traits on your character sheet. The most
common dice pool is Attribute + Skill.

Example: Helen and Timothy are vampires who are sneaking

around in a police department headquarters. They are
looking for some information about a recent crime that may
compromise Helens childe, Lucas. While Timothy keeps an
eye on the lone police detective working the night shift at
the front desk, Helen attempts to access the department
computer files from a laptop in an adjoining room. The
Storyteller sets the Difficulty at 2. Helens Mental Attribute is
3 and her Computer Skill is 2, so she has a dice pool of 5 (3
+ 2 =5) to accomplish this task.

How to Succeed

When you roll a dice pool, every die result that is 6 or higher
is a success. This includes 10 (represented as 0 on most
d10s).
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The Storyteller determines how many successes you need for
each role, depending on the difficulty of what youre trying
to accomplish. Example difficulties:

Easy = 1 success
Standard = 2 successes
Moderate = 3-4 successes
Challenging = 5 successes
Hard = 6 successes
Very Hard = 7-8 successes
Nearly Impossible = 9-10 successes

IMPORTANT: In V5, Difficulty means the number of

successful dice required to succeed at a task, not the target
number for the individual dice (which is always 6+)!

Some rolls are opposed. Instead of comparing successes to a

static difficulty number, you and the Storyteller (or another
player) will both roll dice pools, and compare the total
number of your successes. The highest total of successes
wins the contest. Note that the individual pools need not
include all the same traits.

The Price of Failure

If your roll includes no successes, your character failed.

Failure sometimes means only that your character didnt
achieve the desired result; sometimes it means dire
consequences occur. The Storyteller defines what failure
means according to situation and circumstances, and
decides whether or not you can try again after a failure.

You may spend a point of Willpower to re-roll any or all dice;

see Willpower, below.

Example: Timothy distracts the mortal detective at the front

desk while Helen searches the files. He decides to pretend to
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be an ordinary citizen who wants to file a missing persons
report. The Storyteller decides that the officer is suspicious
and that this will be an opposed roll. Timothys dice pool is
Social 3 + Persuasion 3 = 6. The detectives pool is Mental 2
+ Subterfuge 2 = 4. Timothy rolls six dice and gets
2,3,5,5,5,9, thats only one success. The detective rolls
1,4,8,8, thats two successes. Hes not buying what Timothy
is selling, and reacts with very open disbelief.

Timothy could opt to spend Willpower and re-roll any or all

of the dice in his pool.

If your roll included some successes, you can try again later
in the scene, but you suffer a setback. The next time you try,
the task gets harder: the Difficulty increases by at least 1.
The Storyteller may ask you what you do differently the next
time to justify getting to retry an action.

Succeed at a Cost

If your roll includes any successes, but fails by one success,

you may opt to succeed at a cost. You succeeded in your
attempt, but something happened to make things worse for
you anyway: you take damage, attract unfriendly (and
powerful) notice, lose something you value, etc. Any player
(including you) or the Storyteller can suggest the cost; if its
too high, you can always opt to fail instead.

Example: Timothy failed by one success; he suggests that he

successfully pretended to file the report but left a fingerprint
behind. The Storyteller thinks thats not immediately costly
enough, and counters by suggesting Timothy accidentally
used Lucas name in the report, linking the two of them in
police records. Timothy decides to take the failure rather
than piss off Helen by getting her childe more heat.

The Storyteller may rule that you cannot succeed at a cost in

circumstances in which nobody can think of an adequate
cost.
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Take Half

We encourage the Storyteller to "Take Half" when making

opposed rolls for Non-player characters (NPCs), to speed
action resolution whenever the situation seems appropriate.
To Take Half, count the number of dice in the opposed pool,
divide in half, and thats the number of successes. Round up
any fractions.

Example: In the previous example, the Storyteller could have

chosen to Take Half instead of rolling for the police
detective. The detectives pool is 4, and so if the ST decides
to Take Half the detective gets 2 successes on his roll.

Basic Action Summary

1. Storyteller identifies the task or situation (throw a punch,

climb a wall, intimidate an enemy, etc.) and whether the test
is Static or Opposed.

2. Storyteller determines a Difficulty: that is the number of

successes required if Static, or what pool to compare if
Opposed.

3. Player creates a Dice Pool of d10s using a number of dice

equal to the total number of appropriate traits. For vampire
characters, one or more of these dice may be Hunger dice.

4. Player rolls the dice pool. Every 6+ rolled equals one

Success. If the roll is opposed, Storyteller rolls dice pool or
Takes Half.

5. Player needs Successes equal to or more than Difficulty, or

the number of opposed Successes.

6. Only one success short = Player can opt to Succeed at a

Cost
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retry later)

8. No successes = Total Failure (very bad consequences,

cannot retry)

DESIGN NOTES

We removed some rules found in previous editions:

o Botch
o 10-again
o 1s cancel 10s

When a dice pool includes a trait that has its own

pool, such as Willpower, always use the current value
of the trait. This is a change from previous editions,
which always used maximum trait values.

Some situations may impose penalties to a roll, and

sometimes the penalties are so severe that the dice
pool drops to 0 or less. Penalties can never cause a
pool to drop below 1 die.

CHARACTER TRAITS

Attributes
Characters all have 3 Attributes measured from 1 to 5:

Physical
Social
Mental

Characters may also have one specialty in each Attribute,

which describes an area of special expertise, focus,
concentration, or luck.

Attribute Specialities
Physical Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
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Social
Mental
Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance
Intelligence, Wits, Perception

A speciality grants a +1 bonus to dice pools (adds 1d10 to

the dice pool). The Storyteller decides when and if its
appropriate to include the speciality bonus in a roll.
Exceptional characters may have more than one speciality in
the same Attribute.

Example: Timothy waves discreetly at Helen to warn her that

the police detective is suspicious. Helen must think fast, and
decides try a different kind of hacking: shell access the
building security system and create a fake alert message that
will display on the detectives computer screen. This might
lure the mortal away from his desk to another part of the
building. She has a Mental 3, with a Specialisation in Wits;
the Storyteller decides that this is an appropriate situation to
apply the specialization, so she rolls 6 dice (Mental 3 +
Technology 2 + Wits 1 = 6) instead of her normal 5.

DESIGN NOTES

We reduced the number of Attributes from 9 to 3 and

created these specializations because this allows
players to customize and personalize their
characters. Some Brujah, for example, will have
Dexterity as their Physical specialization; others will
choose Stamina. Not every Brujah is the same!

Skills
Skills are the abilities, knowledges, aptitudes, and expertise
that each character possesses, rated from 1 (novice) to 5
(expert).

Skills can have specializations, just like Attributes. Skill

specializations add +1 to your dice pool, and the Storyteller
decides when its appropriate to add them.
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For the purposes of this playtest well assume that Skills do
exactly what their names suggest, and that the Storyteller
can make any rulings that seem required for ease of play.

Using Skills

To use any skill, add the number of dice equal to the skill
rating to a number of dice equal to the relevant Attribute:
thats the basic dice pool. (Before rolling, add dice for any
applicable specializations or situational modifiers, and
remove dice for any penalties.)

Example: Helens ploy worked: the Police Officer saw the

fake alert that she created, and left his desk to investigate.
Now Helen has a little extra time to finish her original task.
The Storyteller decides that the situation allows her to
include her Technology (Databases) specialization on her
next roll to hack the departments records. Her pool is 6
(Mental 3 + Technology 2 + Databases 1).

Note that if the Storyteller decides that her Mental (Wits)

specialization also applies in this situation, Helen would gain
another +1 for a total of 7 dice.

DESIGN NOTES

Although skills are grouped under the attribute

theyre most commonly associated with, there is
nothing preventing you from rolling a different
combination, should the ST deem it appropriate.

Weve introduced two new skills:

o Physique feats of pure physical strength,
such as lifting heavy objects or jumping
across a long distance
o Technology using, modifying, or harming
common technological devices such as smart
phones, laptop computers, tablet computers,
household appliances, televisions, etc.
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Backgrounds and Merits

Backgrounds are character traits that define assets. They can

be material, social, or supernatural, and they are usually
acquired as part of character creation or between game
sessions. They can be used during play or between games.

Merits are advantages that are linked to Attributes, Skills,

Backgrounds, Clan, faction, or a character trait. They are
usually acquired at character creation, but can sometimes be
acquired or lost during or between game play.

Please note that any Backgrounds or Merits that appear on

your character sheet are present to help you in roleplaying
your character. Its beyond the scope of this playtest to
model the systems for Backgrounds or Merits beyond noting
that they exist, and acknowledging that they are still in deep
development.

Willpower

Willpower measures a character's inner drive and

competence at overcoming unfavorable odds. Its a reserve
of personal strength that characters can expend to exert
themselves forcefully. Willpower is a spendable trait (or
pool), but the current value is always rolled rather than the
maximum (noted on the character sheet).

After rolling a dice pool, spend a Willpower to reroll

any or all dice used in a single roll once, except
Hunger dice (Hunger dice that result in a 1 may not
be re-rolled)

Willpower is also used to model resistances by adding it to a

relevant Attribute in situations where your character is facing
extreme stress, terror, coercion, provocation, etc.
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Example: Outside the police precinct office, Helens childe
Lucas is trying to find a way into the building. Investigating a
dark alley he interrupts another vampire as it feeds from a
victim. This vampire is huge and horrifically scarred, perhaps
a Nosferatu (or something else?). It tries to scare Lucas,
punching a hole in the alley wall just a few centimetres from
his face. The brute vampire has a dice pool of Physical 4 +
Strength 1 + Intimidate 3 for a total of 8, and the Storyteller
decides to Take Half, giving him 4 successes.

The Storyteller decides that Lucas must roll Social +

Willpower to resist. His dice pool is Social 2 + Willpower 3,
so he rolls 5 dice and gets 1,4,4,7,8. Thats two successes
but the brute vampire has four, so Timothy suffers a
setback: he turns around immediately and leaves the alley
very quickly.

Alternately, Lucas could have spent a Willpower to reroll his

failures.

DESIGN NOTES

We reduced the Willpower scale from 1-10 to 1-5 for

several reasons:
o To make it easier to build helpful sub-
systems that can combine Willpower with
Attributes and Skills more easily
o To increase the dramatic stakes by having
Willpower fluctuate more often during a story
or a chronicle.

Virtue and Vice

Virtue and Vice are traits that are central to defining your
character. Both are adjectives that describe these dominant
personality traits. Virtue is a point of strength and integrity
in the characters life, Vice is a place of weakness.

Youre always tempted by your Vice, and surrendering to this

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temptation always refreshes 1 spent Willpower point (up to 1
per scene).

Being virtuous is always harder than giving in to your Vice,

so whenever you follow your Virtue at personal risk, your
entire spent Willpower points refresh.

Sample Virtues: Generous, Just, Loyal, Ambitious,

Courageous, Honest, Hopeful, Loving, Patient

Sample Vices: Arrogant, Competitive, Greedy, Addictive,

Corrupt, Cruel, Deceitful, Dogmatic, Hasty, Hateful

Its beyond the scope of this playtest to examine Virtue and

Vice mechanics deeply. Use these rules as guidelines while
playing today, and do your best to apply them when
regaining Willpower.

CONFLICT

Who Goes First?

Every character has an Initiative rating which is Mental(Wits)

+ (Highest Combat Skill). Participants act in descending
order of this rating (the participant with the highest initiative
score acts first). No roll is necessary. For this purpose, a
combat skill is Brawl, Melee or Firearms.

Fighting
Attacks with weapons (melee or ranged) are opposed rolls.
Remember that NPCs can always Take Half instead of making
an opposed roll, to speed up the conflict.

In a melee conflict, both attacker and defender can score

hits, depending on who rolls the most successes (unless
Dodge is used, see below.)

When firearms are involved, the defender can only avoid

getting hit.
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Melee Attack (attacking with a hand-held weapon that is not
a firearm other ranged weapon)

Physical + Melee vs. Physical + (Melee, Brawl or Dodge)

If Dodge is used, no hit is scored by the defender no matter

how many successes the defender wins by.

Unarmed Attack (attacking with fists, feet or teeth)

Physical + Brawl vs. Physical + (Melee, Brawl or Dodge)

If Dodge is used, no hit is scored by the defender no matter

how many successes the defender wins by.

Ranged Attack

Mental + Firearms vs. Mental + Dodge

If no cover is available, usage of Dodge will cause loss of

next action as the character goes prone.

Damage

If you win the opposed attack roll, you inflict damage on

your opponent depending on how many successes you beat
their roll by. Damage is the number of successes scored
above the results of the opposed attack roll, plus the
Damage Value of the weapon (if any). See below for how to
handle Damage and Health.

Sample Damage Values:

Brass knuckles: +1
Switchblade: +2
.38 Revolver: +3
Assault rifle: +5

Health and Damage

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Health represents the amount of damage a character can
suffer before becoming incapacitated in the current scene.
Health is represented on the character sheet as Physical +5.

There are two types of damage: Superficial and Aggravated.

Superficial Damage
Superficial damage is painful and can impair a characters
actions, but is usually not lethal unless inflicted in massive
amounts. For mortals this is bashes, sprains, bruises and
general body fatigue. For vampires, its all this plus damage
from things that could kill mortals, such as bullets, knives,
swords, and animal bites. Mark superficial damage on the
character sheet by making a / on the Health Track.

Superficial damage sustained is always halved before

applying it to the Health Track.

Aggravated Damage
Aggravated damage can kill very quickly. For mortals, its
nearly anything exceeding bashes, sprains, bruises and
general body fatigue. For vampires, its limited to a very few
things, including fire, sunlight and the teeth and claws of
other supernatural creatures. Mark Aggravated damage on
the character sheet by making a X on the Health Track.

The Health Track

A character has a Health Track equal to 5 + Physical(Stamina)
spaces. When enough damage (of any type or mix thereof)
has been sustained to fill the track, the character is said to
be Impaired, and suffers a -2 penalty to all dice pools.
Further damage to the character has serious effects:

1. For every damage point a character takes of any type

while Impaired, one previously sustained Superficial
damage point is converted to Aggravated damage, on
a 1-for 1-basis. (Turn the / to a X on the track,
but remember to halve the Superficial damage as
usual before converting it.)
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2. Additionally, once damage conversion is done, a roll
is made on the Critical Injury table (Appendix #2),
adding the number of Aggravated Damage point
currently on the track to the roll. This can lead to
further penalties (or even instant death) that are
tracked independently of the abstract damage on the
Health Track.

A character who has the track completely filled with

Aggravated Damage falls into a coma (if mortal, see below)
or Torpor (if a vampire), and probably has some pretty
serious Critical Injuries to deal with on top of this.

Example: Eric the vampire has a Physical value of 3, and thus

has a Health Track of 8. He has sustained 6 points of
Superficial damage from bullets in a fight against some
security guards. As he tries to escape, a guard manages to
hit him again, dealing 6 damage. As gunshots are Superficial
damage to vampires, this is halved to 3, and thus the two
final boxes on his track is filled, with the third point of
damage turning a previous Superficial damage into
Aggravated. This puts him in an Impaired state, and requires
a roll on the Critical Injuries table, adding his number of
Aggravated damage (1) to the roll. The result is 7 he is
temporarily stunned.

Armor
For the purposes of this playtest, assume each point or
armor changes one point of Aggravated damage (per
damage roll) to Superficial damage, which is then halved
according to the standard rules for Superficial damage,
above.

Recovering from damage

For mortals (including ghouls), the natural recovery of the
living body allows them to remove all Superficial damage
from the track at the end of a scene. Aggravated damage
and Critical Injuries take weeks and medical care to heal, and
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that is beyond the scope of this test.

For vampires, their inert bodies stay bruised and pummelled

until the Blood is called upon. A vampire needs to Rouse the
Blood to remove Superficial damage on a 1-for-1 basis.
Aggravated damage needs five Rouses and a days rest to
heal.

Each point of Aggravated Damage removed allows for the

removal of a Critical Injury sustained.

(Final) Death
A mortal with his Health track filled with Aggravated Damage
will die in Physical(Stamina) minutes, unless first aid is
applied. A mortal can also die as a result of Critical Injuries
(see chart).

A vampire in Torpor will suffer Final Death if their head is

removed or their body is destroyed.

DESIGN NOTES

Weve removed soak and damage rolls, to make the

game faster. Physical(Stamina) is represented in the
number of Health boxes while Fortitude and body
armour will grant damage reduction.

Aggravated damage now means any potentially lethal

damage to the defender. Many more types of damage
are potentially lethal, and therefore Aggravated, to
mortals than to vampires.

Superficial damage that exceeds the track is

converted to Aggravated to represent what happens
when a character is incapacitated but still suffers
damage. An incapacitated vampire will start to fall
apart if shot often enough.
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Youre a vampire, not a human. But you must walk among

them, blend in, and remember how they view the world to
hunt them successfully.

Kindred who manage to maintain high Humanity scores

usually through constant struggle against their Beastscan
move more easily in mortal society and relate to humans
without undue strain. A low Humanity score means the
vampire is growing distant and alien, losing the ability to
understand its prey as anything more than sources of food.

Its beyond the scope of the playtest to focus on the

Humanity system, so for the purposes of this playtest all
characters have the same Humanity. Assume that your
character has seen enough of the pain and anguish of her
condition to begin to accept it as part of existence. You can
still relate to mortals without strain, but you know that youll
never be one of them again.

A BEAST I AM LEST A BEAST I BECOME

Blood, Hunger, and Compulsions

It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood.

-Macbeth III.iv

A vampire is always hungry. Always. And this hungerthe

constant, inescapable, thirst for bloodis the single most
important truth about being a vampire. In many ways, it is
the very essence of Vampire the Masquerade.

To reflect this in the game, all vampires have a unique trait:

Hunger, measured on a scale of 0 (sated) to 5 (ravenous),
and represented by dice that are used only for this purpose
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(we like ours red). So, if your character has Hunger 3, she
has 3 Hunger dice too.

The default Hunger is 1. Only by completely draining a

human victim can the Hunger be totally, though temporarily,
sated, which is Hunger 0.

And being Hungry can lead to some very dangerous

problems.

Blood

When you call on the supernatural powers of your blood to

heal, activate Disciplines, or increase your strength, you are
choosing to access the benefits of your vampire natureand
this choice always carries the serious risk that you will grow
even hungrier (increase Hunger dice).

Below are the most common reasons to rouse the Blood. Not
all of them will occur in this playtest. Kindred call these
actions rousing the Blood.
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Every time you do one of these things in a scene, make a
note of it: youll need this information at the end of the
scene. In a dramatic scene, one Rouse can be made per
game turn.

Rise every evening

Temporarily increase an Attribute by one dot for the
remainder of the scene (up to a maximum of 5)
Use a Discipline
Heal damage
Heal impairments incurred from Aggravated damage
To appear human for one scene (simulate breathing,
skin warmth, eye blinking, etc.)

Note that Blood doesnt have a separate score in Vampire:

its represented abstractly by Hunger. Exactly how much
blood you have in your undead body isnt important: whats
important is how hungry you feel, and how long you can
avoid dealing with your hunger before it forces you to do
terrible things.

When you rouse the blood you may gain Hunger (add Hunger
dice to your Hunger pool; see below), and when you feed you
reduce Hunger (remove dice from your Hunger pool).

Feeding on blood reduces Hunger dice. When your character

feeds on blood, remove Hunger dice as follows:

Source of Blood Hunger Dice removed

Several small animals 1
Large animal 2
Human (not killed) 3
Human (killed) 4

Unless you feast on a human until they are completely

drained of blood (killing them) you can never reduce your
Hunger below 1 dice.
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When you feast on a human until it dies, all your Hunger dice
are removed. But this satiation is only temporary, for you will
inevitably grow hungry again.

Hunger

Being hungry is a constant problem for all vampires, and to

deny yourself blood is to deny your very essence. Whenever
you are hungry (whenever you have at least Hunger 1, or 1
Hunger die), youre at risk of falling victim to your own
undead nature.

To reflect this in the game, always use your all Hunger dice
(if you have anyand remember that the only time you dont
have any Hunger dice is when youve just fed from and killed
a human) as part of every dice pool. Form your dice pool
normally, and then substitute your current Hunger dice for
an equal number of normal dice from your pool, so that you
have a dice pool that combines normal dice and Hunger dice.

Example: Helen thinks that her childe, Lucas, has been

running with those filthy Anarchs who hang out in the
Barrens and wants proof, so she tries to search his haven for
evidence linking him to the group. Her dice pool is 6 (Mental
3 + Investigation 2 + Perception 1 specialty). Helen has
Hunger 2, so before she rolls she removes 2 dice from her
pool and adds both Hunger dice to it. Her dice pool is still 6,
but 2 of the dice in the pool are Hunger dice. Now she rolls
normally.

If any of your Hunger dice result in a 1 on any roll, the

gnawing hunger in your belly has inflicted you with a
temporary but significant behavioural compulsion. Hunger
dice otherwise function as regular dice, scoring Successes on
a 6+.

Example: Helens roll has the following results: 1, 3, 5, 7, 7,

9. Thats 3 successes, enough for her to find what she is
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looking for in the haven. But the 1 result is on one of the
Hunger dice. Helen didnt deal with her hunger, and suffers
an immediate compulsion at a not very convenient time.

Note that its not the action itself that inflicts the
compulsion: its that hunger that you havent dealt with yet
by feeding. Searching through a haven or driving a car are
relatively mundane tasks, but the effects of Hunger can
strike anytime, anywhere, and without warning. You must
stay well fed in order to reduce these risks.

When you suffer from a compulsion, the Storyteller either

chooses an appropriate affliction from the compulsion table
(see Appendix 1) or rolls randomly on the table. Acting out
the compulsion rewards you with a point of Composure, at
the Storytellers discretion.

If only one of your Hunger dice came up 1, the Storyteller

either chooses Blood Whisper (the 1 result on the table) or
suggests some other unsettling emotional effect that also
distracts you for one minute (or one action in combat).

The only way to avoid this consequence is to spend

Composure, allowing you to quash the unwanted impulse, at
least temporarily. If the compulsion table is used, the
Composure must be spent before rolling. Just like Willpower,
Composure is a spendable trait, with a current and a
maximum value. When making a Composure roll, always roll
the current value.

When to check for increased Hunger

1. Remember rousing the blood (using your blood to heal

wounds, power your Disciplines, etc.)? You made a note
every time you did this in a scene. Now, when the scene
ends, count up all the times you roused the blood. The same
check is also made the instant youve roused the Blood five
times in the same scene.
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2. Roll 1d10 for each time you roused the blood. For every
die that is not 6+, add a new Hunger die to your Hunger dice
pool. If this takes your Hunger above 5 make an immediate
Hunger Frenzy check with a -1 penalty for every step above
5.

Example: Helen enters a fight with a dangerous hunter when

she has Hunger 1. She roused her Blood four times in the
fight. When the scene ends, she rolls 4 dice (one die for
each time she roused the blood in this scene) and gets 3, 3,
4, 7. So she gains 3 Hunger dice, raising her total Hunger to
4she is now very hungry!

Any time your Hunger dice reach a total of 5 (you have

Hunger 5), check for a Hunger Frenzy (See below)
immediatelyeven if this happens in the middle of a scene.

Frenzy

Frenzy is a state of intense fear or anger that can bloom

suddenly and cause the vampire to lose control completely.
It is usually provoked by outside circumstances but can
sometimes be triggered by a vampires own unchecked
appetites (see Hunger).

Check for Frenzy by rolling a dice pool equal to current

Composure. If you roll at least 1 success (6+), you master
your emotions and do not frenzy.

If you dont get at least 1 success, you Frenzy. In this state

you try immediately and indiscriminately to destroy or run
away from the source of provocation. You will also call
unconsciously on the power of your Blood to help you fight
or flee as long as your Hunger is at 5 or less.

Frenzy Provocations

Strong smell of blood when Hunger is 3+

Physical provocation
WHITE WOLF
ENTERTAINMENTFire (uncontrolled flames)
Sunlight
Public humiliation
(If Blood Bonded) Regnant Hurt

DESIGN NOTES

We have chosen very deliberately to make blood a

more fundamentally important part of Vampire.
Calling on the blood to help you can grant incredible
advantages, but it also carries an inherent risk that
can trigger a rapid downward spiral of terrible
consequences. The temptation is real.

For the sake of this test, ignore Generation. Systems

are in place internally to allow this to be properly
represented in the future, but for now the system
needs to be evaluated without too much complexity.

Appendix 1

Compulsions

The blood is the life! Dracula, Bram Stoker

A compulsion is an irresistible urge caused when a vampire

fails to resist her Hunger. Her desire for blood becomes so
acute that its nearly overwhelming: in that moment, her
Beast stirs and her vampire nature surges close to the
surface.

A Storyteller may roll randomly on the compulsion table or

choose an appropriate effect, at her discretion. Storytellers
are encouraged to give players room to interpret
Compulsions according to character and situation, but
shouldnt be afraid to dictate character actions if a player
shirks responsibility in portraying the compulsion.

General Compulsions
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1: Overpowering blood whisper. Memories or emotions of
your last victim rise to the surface, whispering insistently
in your ears. Lose an action if in combat, otherwise remain
immobile listening to the murmurings for 1 minute.
2. Check the surroundings! You feel an overpowering
predatory need to survey the area for prey. Youll stop at
nothing to get a better view of the situation, spending
precious time to reach a good vantage point, or become
disabled by claustrophobia-like anxiety for a turn (or
more, depending on scene and circumstances).
3: Life nostalgia. You feel a sudden urge to do something
that reminds you of the person you were when you were
still alive. Call someone you knew in life. Zone out over a
smell from childhood. Eat your favourite food and then
throw it up. Do something comforting and familiar to
temporarily forget you are a blood-addicted monster.
4: Dead people problems. Fail at being human during this
scene, with consequences. Forget to use the lungs
properly. All that comes out is whispers. You grow
temporarily cold and pale. Touch screens stops working.
You stop blinking. (If you spent blood to appear mortal in
this scene, the blood ceases to have the desired effect
immediately.)
5: Predators taint. Lash out. Hurt the person in the scene
you like the most, socially, emotionally, or physically.
6: Clan specific 1
7: Clan specific 2
8: Clan specific 3
9: The hunger rises. You suffer an overwhelming urge to
feed during this scene. You must have blood. You must
taste it, drink it! At least 1 blood must be consumed. If
impossible, feed from self, causing 1 Aggravated wound.
10: Frenzy! Make an immediate frenzy roll against
perceived provocation or fear.

Brujah
1: Triggered. You are offended by something in this scene
and react to it with extrovert anger.
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2: Devils advocate. Take the opposite stance to the next
suggestion that comes up and refuse to budge.
3: Frenzy! Make an anger frenzy roll. If you fail react with
terrible anger at a perceived slight or provocation.

Gangrel
1: Check the surroundings! You feel an overpowering
predatory need to survey the area for prey. Youll stop at
nothing to get a better view of the situation, spending
precious time to reach a good vantage point, or become
disabled by claustrophobia-like anxiety for a turn (or
more, depending on scene and circumstances).
2: Animalistic. You lose the ability to communicate with
language, temporarily unable to speak for the entire
scene. With an effort you may make a few grunts, growls,
or snarls.
3: Regression. Your higher brain functions are temporarily
subdued, reducing you to acting on instinct for the entire
scene. Self-preservation becomes a top priority, though
you can still tell friend from foe.

Malkavian
1: Sanguine animism. You become haunted by your last
victim for the rest of the scene. You may do something to
help your victim or even believe that you are your victim
for the rest of the scene.
2: Madness Network You are overwhelmed by a flash of
insight about the current scene. Storyteller chooses the
exact details and information, which you see as images
and sounds in your mind. This is never pleasant.
3: Derangement triggers in a severe way (See character
sheet)

Toreador
WHITE WOLF
ENTERTAINMENT 1 Aesthetic fugue state. Enter a fugue state over a face, a
voice, an image, a smell, a taste, etc. for the rest of the
scene. You lose all sense of your surroundings, becoming
immobile and focusing all your attention exclusively on
this one thing. Describe the experience.
2 Crave intimacy. You crave intimacy with a mortal, or a
kindred if no mortals are in the scene. You want and need
someone to whisper that its all gonna be fine, to feel the
primal intimacy of the motions of mortal sex, someone to
hold you tight. The intimacy can be one-sided. If you fail
you must feed
3 Obsession. You fall in love or hate with someone in this
scene. This feeling continues until you act clearly on it,
then the feeling passes.

Ventrue
1: Be seen. Make a declaration or speech, and make sure
no one ignores it. Do whatever you must to be heard:
stand on a chair, a table, a rooftop; shout if you must, and
silence anyone who dares to interfere with you.
2: Obey orders. Look for instructions from above to
comfort youdemand them if necessary!and then carry
them out to the letter. If you are alone God is always there.
3: Assert dominance. Give a command and make sure
someone obeys it. Threaten, coerce, persuade, or use
Dominate if you have to, but make sure your instructions
are carried out.

Appendix 2

Critical Injuries
Roll a D10 and add current Aggravated damage on the Health track.

1-3: Stunned Lose a turn. Can be shaken with a point of

WP.
4-6: Knocked Out (Mortal) / Stun as above (Vampire)
7: Eyes gouged Vision-based rolls at -3
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8: Dry gulch Social rolls at -3
9: Kneecapped Movement reduced. Athletics at -4
10: Head wound Mental rolls at -4
11: Massive wound All rolls at -3
12: Disarm Limb lost or mangled beyond use
13+ Death (Mortal) or immediate Torpor (Vampire)
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Appendix 3
Disciplines

Auspex

Heightened Senses
Description: This power increases the acuity of all of the
vampires senses, effectively doubling the clarity and range
of sight, hearing, and smell. The Kindred may magnify her
senses at will, sustaining this heightened focus for as long as
she desires. Occasionally, this talent provides extrasensory
or even precognitive insights.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate for one scene. While
active, add the characters Auspex rating to any dice pool
involving Alertness or Awareness. For exceptional
precognitive insights, roll only Auspex, but unless the threat
is immediate and somewhat obvious, multiple successes are
required.

Aura Perception
Description: Using this power, the vampire can perceive the
psychic auras that radiate from mortals and supernatural
beings alike. The stronger the emotions involved, the more
intense the hues become. Aside from perceiving emotional
states, vampires use Aura Perception to detect supernatural
beings.
System: The character Rouses the Blood and stares at the
subject for a few seconds. Roll Mental(Perception) +
Empathy.

Successes Result
1 success: Can distinguish only the shade (pale or bright).
2 successes: Can distinguish the main colour.
3 successes: Can recognize the colour patterns.
4 successes: Can detect subtle shifts.
5 successes: Can identify mixtures of colour and pattern.
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Aura Colors

Emotion/Type Aura Color

Afraid Orange
Aggressive Purple
Angry Red
Bitter Brown
Calm Light Blue
Compassionate Pink
Conservative Lavender
Depressed Gray
Desirous or Lustful Deep Red
Distrustful Light Green
Envious Dark Green
Excited Violet
Generous Rose
Happy Vermilion
Hateful Black
Idealistic Yellow
Innocent White
Lovestruck Blue
Obsessed Green
Sad Silver
Spiritual Gold
Suspicious Dark Blue
Anxious Auras appear scrambled
Confused Mottled, shifting colors
Diablerist Black veins in aura
Daydreaming Sharp flickering colors
Frenzied Rapidly rippling colors
Psychotic Hypnotic, swirling colors
Vampire Aura colors are pale
Ghoul Pale blotches in the aura
Magic Use Myriad sparkles in aura
Werebeast Bright, vibrant aura
Ghost Weak, intermittent aura
Faerie Rainbow highlights in aura
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The Spirits Touch
Description: A vampire with this level of Auspex can read
the psychic impressions on objects, learning who handled
the object, when he last held it, and what was done with it
recently. These visions are seldom clear and detailed,
registering more like a kind of psychic snapshot.
System: The character Rouses the Blood and touches the
target object for a few seconds. Roll Mental(Perception) +
Investigation. The difficulty is determined by the age of the
impressions and the mental and spiritual strength of the
person or event that left them.

Assume that each success offers one piece of information, as

per the chart below.

Spirits Touch Successes Information

Failure: No information of value.
1 success: Very basic information: the last owners
gender or hair colour, for instance.
2 successes: A second piece of basic information.
3 successes: More useful information about the last owner,
such as age: and state of mind the last time
he used the item.
4 successes: The persons name.
5+ successes: A wealth of information: nearly anything you
want to know about the persons relationship
with that object is available.

Celerity

Alacrity
Description: You are capable of an incredibly fast response
time. By activating Alacrity, you have the ability to make
incredibly rapid movements, increasing both dexterity and
reflexes.
System: When you Rouse Blood to activate Alacrity, your
Initiative value doubles, and you can add your Celerity rating
to all rolls involving Physical(Dexterity) and/or Athletics.
Alacrity lasts for one scene.
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Swiftness
Description: Your body responds so quickly that the world
around you seems to slow down. You can use this extra time
to avoid dangers that would otherwise be unavoidable.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Swiftness for one scene.
While active, Swiftness allows you to use your Dodge skill
against firearms even with no cover without losing your next
action. You also dont suffer penalties when fighting multiple
opponents.

Rapidity
Description: You can move faster than humanly possible.
Before a normal human can move or breathe, you are already
acting a second time.
System: When you Rouse Blood to activate Rapidity, you gain
an extra Action (including normal movement) at the end of
the round. This action can only be used for physical
activities. Rapidity lasts for a number of rounds equal to your
Celerity rating.

Dominate

Command
Description: The vampire locks eyes with the subject and
speaks a one-word command, which the subject must be
obey instantly. The order must be clear and straightforward:
run, agree, fall, yawn, jump, laugh, surrender, stop,
scream, follow. If the command is at all confusing or
ambiguous, the subject may respond slowly or perform
the task poorly. The subject cannot be ordered to do
something directly harmful to herself.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted
Social(Charisma)+Intimidation roll vs Willpower. (Roll dice
equal to targets remaining Willpower.)

Mesmerize
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Description: With this power, a vampire can verbally implant
a false thought or hypnotic suggestion in the subjects
subconscious mind. Both Kindred and target must be
free from distraction, since Mesmerize requires intense
concentration and precise wording to be effective. The
vampire may activate the imposed thought immediately
or establish a stimulus that will trigger it later. The
victim must be able to understand the vampire, though
the two need to maintain eye contact only as long as it
takes to implant the idea. Mesmerize allows for anything
from simple, precise directives (handing over an item) to
complex, highly involved ones (taking notes of someones
habits and relaying that information at an appointed time). It
is not useful for planting illusions or false memories (such
as seeing a rabbit or believing yourself to be on fire). A
subject can have only one suggestion implanted at any
time.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted
Social(Manipulation)+Leadership roll vs Willpower.

The Forgetful Mind

Description: After capturing the subjects gaze, the vampire
delves into the subjects memories, stealing, or re-creating
them at his whim. The Forgetful Mind does not allow
for telepathic contact; the Kindred operates much like
a hypnotist, asking directed questions and drawing out
answers from the subject. The degree of memory alteration
depends on what the vampire desires. He may alter
the subjects mind only slightly (quite effective for
eliminating memories of the victim meeting or even
being fed upon by the vampire) or utterly undo the victims
memories of her past.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted
Mental(Wits)+Subterfuge roll vs Willpower.

Forgetful Mind Success Result

1 success: May remove a single memory; lasts one day.
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2 successes: May remove, but not alter, memory
permanently.
3 successes: May make slight changes to memory.
4 successes: May alter or remove entire scene from subjects
memory.
5 successes: May reconstruct entire periods of subjects life.

Fortitude

Endurance
Description: You are beyond pain or fatigue, ignoring such
hardships. Your body simply does not feel such minor
inconveniences.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Endurance for one
scene. Your character does not suffer the regular -2 pool
penalty to being Impaired and other critical injuries have
their penalties reduced by 1.

Mettle
Description: Your body can take more damage than others,
suffering only light injuries even under circumstances that
should do serious harm.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Mettle for one scene.
Each time your character takes Aggravated damage, you may
convert 1 point of Aggravated damage to Superficial
damage.

Resilience
Description: Beatings that would slow or maim others mean
nothing to you. You can shrug off such detrimental injuries.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Resilience for one scene.
Each time your character takes damage, you may ignore 1
point of Superficial damage. You can use this power in
conjunction with other powers that convert Aggravated
damage into Superficial damage. (You can use Mettle to
downgrade a point of aggravated damage into normal
damage, then you can use Resilience to ignore that point of
normal damage.)
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Obfuscate

Cloak of Shadows
Description: The vampire conceals herself from sight by
relying on nearby shadows and cover to assist in hiding her
presence. She steps into an out-of-the-way, shadowed place
and eases herself from normal sight. The vampire remains
unnoticed as long as she stays silent, still, under some
degree of cover (such as a curtain, bush, door frame,
lamppost, or alley), and out of direct lighting. The immortals
concealment vanishes if she moves, attacks, or falls under
direct light. Furthermore, the vampires deception
cannot stand up to concentrated observation without
fading.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Cloak of Shadows. No
roll is necessary. The power lasts until the user moves or
otherwise makes herself noticed, or the scene ends.

Unseen Presence
Description: The vampire can move around
without being seen. Shadows seem to shift to cover
him, and people automatically avert their gazes as he
passes by. Others move unconsciously to avoid contact
with the cloaked creature; those with weak wills may
even scurry away from the area in unacknowledged
fear. The vampire remains ignored indefinitely unless
someone deliberately seeks him out or he inadvertently
reveals himself.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate Cloak of Shadows. No
roll is necessary. If the user takes any action other than
walking, roll Mental(Wits)+Stealth with a difficulty
determined by the ST to avoid breaking the stealth. The
power otherwise lasts until the scene ends.

Mask of a Thousand Faces

Description: The vampire can influence the perception of
others, causing them to see a face different from his.
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Although the Kindreds physical form does not change, any
observer who cannot sense the truth sees whomever the
vampire wishes her to see.
System: Rouse the Blood to activate the power for the
duration of a scene. Roll Social(Manipulation)+Subterfuge.

Mask of a Thousand Faces Successes Result

1 success: The vampire retains the same height and build,

with a few slight alterations to his basic features.
Nosferatu can appear as normal, albeit ugly, mortals.
2 successes: He looks unlike himself; people dont easily
recognize him or agree about his appearance.
3 successes: He looks the way he wants to appear.
4 successes: Complete transformation, including gestures,
mannerisms, appearance, and voice.
5 successes: Profound alteration (appear as the opposite
sex, a vastly different age, or an extreme change of size).

Potence

Prowess
Description: Your strength is clearly supernatural. You attack
with mighty force, overwhelming your enemies and awing
your allies.
System: Rouse the Blood to add your Potence rating as
automatic successes in any Physical(Strength)-based roll for
a turn.

Mighty Leap
Description: Vampiric strength can not only be used to crush
and break, but to propel the user further than any natural
muscles would allow, in flight-like leaps.
System: Rouse the Blood to leap through the air, travelling a
distance equal to five times the number of successes on a
Physical(Strength)+Athletics roll if jumping horizontally, or
times two if going for a vertical leap. (Yes, this can be
combined with Prowess for some truly spectacular flying.)
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Penetrating Strike
Description: The user is able to concentrate her strength
with such speed and focus to make a mockery of armour.
System: Rouse the Blood to make the next brawl or melee
attack ignore armour.

Presence

Awe
Description: Those near the vampire suddenly desire to be
closer to her and become receptive to her point of view. Awe
is extremely useful for mass communication. It matters
little what is said the hearts of those affected lean
toward the vampires opinion. The weak want to agree
with her; even if the strong-willed resist, they soon
find themselves outnumbered. Awe can turn a chancy
deliberation into a certain resolution in the vampires
favor almost before her opponents know that the tide
has turned. Despite the intensity of this attraction, those so
smitten do not lose their sense of self-preservation. Danger
breaks the spell of fascination, as does leaving the area.
Those subject to Awe will remember how they felt in
the vampires presence, however. This will influence
their reactions should they ever encounter her again.
System: The player Rouses the Blood and rolls
Social(Charisma) + Persuasion. The number of successes
rolled determines how many people are affected, as noted
on the chart below. The power stays in effect for the
remainder of the scene or until the character chooses to
drop it.

Awe Success Result

1 success One person
2 successes Two people
3 successes Six people
4 successes 20 people
5 successes Everyone in the vampires immediate
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ENTERTAINMENT vicinity (an entire auditorium, a mob)

Those affected can roll Willpower points to overcome

the effect, with one Success granting immunity for a round
and three or more negating the effect for the rest of the
scene. If a roll fails, no further attempts can be made to
resist for the scene.

Dread Gaze
Description: While all Kindred can frighten others by
physically revealing their true vampiric natures baring
claws and fangs, glaring with malevolence, hissing loudly
with malice this power focuses these elements to insanely
terrifying levels. Dread Gaze engenders unbearable terror
in its victim, stupefying him into madness, immobility,
or reckless flight. Even the most stalwart individual
will fall back from the vampires horrific visage.
System: Rouse the Blood and make a resisted roll of
Social(Charisma)+Intimidation against Composure of a single
target. On 1-2 Successes the target is cowed, effectively
losing the next action. On three or more successes the target
tries to flee by any means necessary. Vampires affected thus
need to make an immediate fear frenzy test.

Entrancement
Description: This power bends others emotions, making
them the vampires willing servants. Due to what these
individuals see as true and enduring devotion, they heed
the vampires every desire. Since this is done willingly,
instead of having their wills sapped, these servants retain
their creativity and individuality.
While these obedient minions are more personable
and spirited than the mind-slaves created by Dominate,
theyre also somewhat unpredictable. Further,
since Entrancement is of a temporary duration, dealing
with a lapsed servant can be troublesome. A wise Kindred
either disposes of those she Entrances after they
serve their usefulness, or binds them more securely by a
blood bond (made much easier by the minions willingness
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to serve).
System: The player Rouses the Blood and makes a resisted
roll of Social(Appearance) + Empathy vs Willpower; the
number of successes determines how long the subject is
Entranced, as per the chart below.

(Subjects can still make a Willpower roll to temporarily resist,

resisting for one round on 1-2 successes and breaking the
spell on 3 or more. Any failure make further rolls
impossible.)

The Storyteller may wish to make the roll instead, since the
character is never certain of the strength of her hold on the
victim. The vampire may try to keep the subject under her
thrall, but can do so only after the initial Entrancement wears
off. Attempting this power while Entrancement is already in
operation has no effect.

Entrancement Success Result

Failure: Subject cannot be entranced for the rest of
the night.
1 success: One hour
2 successes: One day
3 successes: One week
4 successes: One month
5 successes: One year
 Vampire: the Masquerade
Name Virtue Chronicle

Age Vice Faction

Player Concept Clan

Mental Physical Social

WHITE WOLF

Athletics

NTERTAINMENT
Academics Art

Alertness Brawl Empathy

Awareness Firearms Intimidation

Investigation Larceny Leadership

Medicine Melee Persuasion

Occult Physique Socialize

Science Stealth Streetwise

Technology Survival Subterfuge

Disciplines Backgrounds Other Traits

Blood Burned Humanity Hunger

Willpower
Health
Composure

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WHITE WOLF
ENTERTAINMENT

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL NO PART OF THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE

COPIED OR PHOTOGRAPHED. WHITE WOLF ENTERTAINMENT AB, ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED