Kindred Lore Rework
The Factions
The Camarilla
The situation of the Camarilla in San Francisco is precarious. They are not only surrounded by the Free States, and have to contend with the Wan Kuei on their turf, they also have both Anarchs and Sabbat on their own territory. While the convention of thorns is a loose protection against the former, easily broken due to its importance slowly receding, and the latter are a whole other problem. The Camarilla tries to keep the upper hand where it can, enforcing its traditions, though not risking its own strength to get rid of the more calm members of other sects. As long as they adhere to the first tradition, the masquerade, the Camarilla allows others to reside on their turf, albeit through gritted teeth.
The Anarchs
As the clock ticks back to 2016, before the events of VtM 5th edition, the Convention of Thorns is still in place, even if in tatters. Not well-respected and certainly not the reality on the ground in California, there is nonetheless lip service paid to the Convention by both parties. When advantageous, that is. Whilst conflict, even openly, certainly happens, there are active attempts to avoid it becoming a fiasco that would boil over into a war. In practical terms, this means that both sides have a reason to diplomatically negotiate issues away if they get out of hand, particularly given the Sabbat and Kuei-Jin presence in the state.
The Sabbat
The Sabbat stands on the cusp of its fourth Civil War, between the traditionalist Gehenna Cultists, and those that do not believe the words of the Book of Nod. Tensions are rising, and more and more members try to defect to the other sects. In a city like San Francisco, where the Camarilla rules, and the Anarchs have a lot of power due to the surrounding free states, the Sabbat is able to fly under the radar, and not be regarded as ‘much of an issue’, given they keep their heads down and not become an issue. (This will give the Manor the gruelling task to keep their more unhinged cousins in the Warpack in check)
The Manor
The former Tzimisce Manor will (either at rebase start or a few days in) be repurposed into being a hotspot for all Sabbat politics, Ritae and more. This is a change that will lead the server to move away from the V5-fuelled view that Sabbat are always aggressive ‘fraggers’, and allow Sabbat players to experience ‘Sabbat citizen’ roleplay. Many of you liked the Sabbat-Tower event, and this change will make it possible to explore the internal politics and ranks of being a Sabbat member, and participate in Ritae, without having to take on the antagonistic roleplay of the former role, which will now be filled by the Warpack. Roles like Ductus and Sabbat Priests will now be part of the Manor.
(DISCLAIMER: The manor being Sabbat obviously does not give other sects a free pass for raiding. Server rules still apply, and it should be treated like the Bar or the Tower.)
The Warpack
The Warpack is our new version of the Sabbat roundstart antag role. A bloodthirsty Pack of vengeful Sabbat fighters, coming to San Fran to use the Camarilla’s weakened position to strike it from the shadows. This does NOT mean that this gives you the permission to mindlessly frag, and we strongly encourage you to go more into the direction of hidden terrorism and guerilla warfare. The Manor will try and keep the pack in check, as they don’t want to risk the very unstable truce that is currently ruling in San Francisco.
Other Factions
Tal’Mahe’Ra
The Tal’Mahe’Ra, or True Black Hand, is a secret society that aims to protect the city of Enoch in the Underworld, and help the Antedilluvians once Gehenna comes. While they were destroyed in the lore of former editions, in V20 they still exist, though in a weakened and scattered state. In the happenings in Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, the Sabbat and their ‘Black Hand’ (the fighter elite of the Sabbat, who are named similarly, but are decidedly not the TRUE Black Hand) find out about the continued existence of the Tal’Mahe’Ra and know they are a ‘problem’ to their own ends, with mentioned moving towards a purge of the secret society’s members. (BJD p. 179-181) For further information on the Tal’Mahe’Ra, please look into the V20 Black Hand Book. (On server, we don’t have the TmR haven anymore, and this is purely a roleplay based faction for now. This is perhaps subject to change, one day.)
Inconnu
Elders? Likely. Secretive? Very. They are said to seek Golconda, but who even knows who exactly they are? (Don’t try to play them. Genuinely. They don’t fit into the setting of TfN)
Clan Factions (Giovanni, Setite, etc.)
Some Clans have their own factions. for those, please look into the Clans sections of this Document.
The Clans
Baali
While Beckett’s Jyhad Diary mentions the Baali, a lot, most of these mentions are surrounding the Plotlines of the ‘Master of Ravens’ and the ‘Madness in Jerusalem’, both of which will not affect Kindred in San Francisco much, if at all. Therefore we suggest simply keeping to the information given in the Core Book (p. 394-395) and the Lore of the Bloodlines book (p. 9-17).
Banu Haqim
With the switch towards a fully V20-based timeline, the Banu Haqim (or at least, a good chunk of them) are now the newest members of the Camarilla (BJD, p. 102); the awakening of Ur-Shulgi and the subsequent schism that occurred between his loyalists and those opposed to him led to a relatively expedient vote in the Inner Council on their admission, which, with significant aid from the Ventrue (and much to the ire of the Tremere - see BJD, p. 108) ultimately passed. Still, they are rewarded as the new ones, the outsiders, and their seat on the primogen council stands on fairly shaky ground.
Warriors
The Warrior caste actually finds itself in the minority when it comes to Banu Haqim that defected to the Camarilla, as most elected to remain with Ur-Shulgi and follow his hardline vision for the clan. Those who did leave may have a whole plethora of reasons for making such a choice.
Viziers
Either on rebase launch or during the initial period after the rebase, Viziers will be a variant of Banu Haqim that are playable by default. More scholarly than the rest of their peers, they make up a large part of the Schismastics who defected, fearing for their unlives and their freedom.
Sorcerers
While there are plans to implement Dur-An-Ki, these children of Haqim will not be able to be played until someone codes it, and the team approves it. Furthermore, they will most likely be locked behind a Whitelist.
Brujah
Brujah are returned to their status as a core clan of the Camarilla, and receive a seat in the primogen council. (V20 Core Book, p. 50-51)
True Brujah
True Brujah, as a very small bloodline and one of the founding Clans of the Tal’mahe’Ra are not very common and keep to secrecy. There are no true changes in the Clan itself, please refer to the ‘Tal’mahe’Ra’ section. For information on how to play the Bloodline itself, see V20 Core Book (p.412-413) and Lore of the Bloodlines (p.93-101).
Caitiff
Clanless Kindred, that are hunted by most of the sects these nights. The Camarilla see them as a liability, the Sabbat as a sign of the endtimes. The only ones who may offer them shelter are the Anarchs, but even then the Caitiff in question would have to likely hide their identity. While other Kindred usually throw them into one pot with the Thinbloods, not all Caitiff are of thin blood (though there are more of them, the higher the generation gets), and not all Thinbloods of lower generations than 16 are Caitiff. Thinbloods See Section on Thinbloods.
Followers of Set
The Followers of Set will be receiving their own independent faction and take over the duties of acting as the source of black market dealings. They will be led by Setites but be open to those who are members of the Church, as well as their allies of other bloodlines such as the Samedi and the Harbingers.
Gangrel
The Gangrel left the Camarilla years ago, though their numbers aren’t as drastically departed as they previously were. Enough Gangrel remain in the Camarilla to offer them the chance at a seat on the Primogen council, depending on player actions. (V20 Core Book p. 428, BJD p. 107)
Gargoyle
The Gargoyles are free. Once chained by Tremere, they, in theory, no longer truly are. Most are now produced by embrace rather than ritual, and are an ordinary part of the nightlife even if sidelined for the most part in the Jyhad. The ritual of creation is forbidden, and yet… it goes unnoticed often enough. A few new Gargoyles is nothing to be shocked by, especially if the Tremere either hide it well enough or are powerful enough to fear in a given domain. And some free Gargoyles continue to align with the Clan, more equitably than before - though certainly not fully equal, at least not in the Tremere’s eyes. In the end, most modern Gargoyles are independent or Camarilla, whether within or without the Tremere. And those within can be free, or… not so free. What’s important is to remember that the Camarilla shouldn’t know if they aren’t. At least not too loudly. (LotB 30-33)
Giovanni
The Giovanni are as they have always been. The Promise holds, as they continue to hold dear their independence from the sects of Jyhad. (LotC 98) And, yet, with the pressures mounting from the Cappadocians, Samedi, Harbingers, and the Setites backing them, fears grow. The Giovanni begin to reach out to the Sects in ways they hadn't before, whilst still maintaining their independence. Largely in the form of infiltration and outreach from an arm's length away, these outreach attempts have had only mild successes so far. (BJD 473-475)
Cappadocians, Samedi, and Harbingers
The Samedi are more and more relevant by the year, seemingly having been overlooked until recently. Tied to the Setites quite often in their homelands, they can be found continuing to cooperate with them here in San Francisco. (BJD 199-200)
Cappadocians and Harbingers have a difficult line to cut between them, but in any case have both emerged largely out of nowhere - almost literally so - and are now aligned with the Samedi and Setites in pursuing a new Clan of Death. (BJD 215)
These emergent lines of this so-called 'clan' often work as mercenaries for the Sects and find themselves very near to the Setites. (BJD 473-475) As such, they will be also within the Setite faction.
Lasombra
The Lasombra will no longer be a Camarilla clan. However, San Francisco has a strong growing Lasombra Antitribu presence. Existing Camarilla Lasombra characters can be translated as Lasombra Antitribu. At present, there is no Lasombra Primogen, but this may change as a result of player actions. The Sabbat will have a Lasombra Priscus position. (V20 Core Book, p. 58-59)
Kiasyd
There is nothing on the Kiasyd in Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, they stay very isolationist, sealing themselves off from Kindred society in their studies. There is seldom more than one Kiasyd in a city. For information on this Bloodline, please see V20 Corebook (p.404-405) and Lore of the Bloodlines (p.51-62)
Malkavian
No changes are planned in regards to Malkavian clan lore for the foreseeable future. The majority of their members remain in the Camarilla, acting as seers and jokers, as they have for centuries. (V20 Core Book, p. 60-61) With the undoing of the “Great Prank” in relatively recent times, Malkavians regained the Dementation discipline, though a few still retain Dominate in its place, for reasons unknown. (V20 Core Book, p. 436-437)
Nosferatu
Clan Nosferatu are also not the subject of any particular changes in the rebase. They remain Camarilla-aligned (even if many of their members prefer the company of other Sects or simply being loners) and act as intelligence brokers and traders of secrets. (V20 Core Book, p. 62-63)
Ravnos
Ravnos are not yet implemented, or coded for that matter. If they ever are, we will publish a document on the status of their clan on our server with their release. If you are curious about the Clan, or even want to help code them, please refer to the V20 Core Book (p. 64-65 ) and Lore of the Clans (p. 167-188 )
Salubri
Everything mostly stays the same, though in Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, some Salubri are starting to receive visions of Saulot, either trying to pull them into a gentle embrace, or unhinging his jaw and flicking out a forked tongue to devour them. If your Salubri has received such a vision, and what they make of it is your decision, though the former one will likely push them towards wanting to achieve Golconda, while the latter will make them question it, and their founders real ambitions. (BJD, p. 302)
Healers
The Healer Lore stays mostly the same, for more information please consult the V20 Core Book (p. 408-409), and Lore of the Bloodlines (p. 73-81).
Warriors (Furies)
Warrior Lore also stays mostly the same. An important thing to note, which has been somewhat forgotten in the past on this server, is that the only Warriors anyone knows of are the Furies in the Sabbat. If you want to play any Warrior that has been kindred for longer than 15 years, please consult the Lore Team first, as we have to make sure the story about their survival is plausible enough. For more information please consult the V20 Core Book (p. 431-432), and Lore of the Bloodlines (p. 73-81, especially p. 78-79).
Watchers
Currently, there are no Watchers implemented. This may or may not change in the future.
Toreador
There are no plans to modify the lore of Toreadors during rebase. They are strongly Camarilla-aligned and are largely preoccupied with their artistic projects, be they the fine arts of the “artistes” or modern/temporary fads characteristic of “poseurs”. (V20 Clan Book, p. 66-67)
Tremere
The Tremere have had amongst the most substantial changes in this rework. Impossible to avoid in any regards; the Pyramid stands. Roleplay going forwards should account for this, and their mechanics will be adjusted to match as well. This means their clan weakness will be restored to skipping the first tier of blood bond in favor of jumping straight to the second tier. Some of these will be in-character developments.
Tremere within the Chantry will be bonded to the Pyramid by default, and are expected to act with the clan's best interests in mind. Whilst most will never meet the higher-ups in question, you nonetheless will have the intrinsic desire to fulfill their will - this means you can certainly debate what their will would be, but should ultimately not justify actions that your character would believe are in direct opposition to them.
However, this does not mean all Chantry characters must be retconned to be compliant to this bond. In fact, the reinstatement of the Pyramid is considered an in-character development that you can either have supported or opposed - but to remain in the Chantry, you are bonded nonetheless.
Those who opposed it are left some options, in particular aligning with House Carna and the Anarchs (though this requires a bonding of its own to Carna) or a defection to independence or the Sabbat (though the antitribu have largely been demolished, some still defect and put their hopes in the Telyavelic myth.) In accordance with the soft retcon rules, you can use this chance to either become loyal to the Pyramid or to change your Sect entirely without the usual process. Or any other change that helps with this transition, really!
The reasons for all of these developments in-character are related to the status of the Tremere at large now; constant bickering and conflict, spurred on by disputes about Tremere himself, the Banu Haqim entry to the Camarilla, and even standard politicking have resulted in the Inner Council assembling to Vienna. While little word has been heard from them in some time, some have come through - and the result is a restoration of order, with elders enforcing standards once ignored. As such, opposition to House Tremere has scattered and broken within the Chantry.
Tzimisce
The Tzimisce in our server have had a big manor and an independent presence since the start. This, as well as the server culture of them acting more like the Old Clan, is not something that is supported by the Lore outside of a very few places in Europe. Therefore we have decided to return the Tzimisce back to their actual Sabbat presence, and make the Manor a general Sabbat haven instead. While there is Tzimisce antitribu within the Camarilla and the Anarchs, these numbers stay very low, and are coupled with a lot of distrust towards the fiends.
Old Clan
While the Old Clan are more akin to how we have played Tzimisce in the past, their number, outside of Europe, is so very small that it is not sensible for them to have any impactful presence. Nonetheless, any Tzimisce player who prefers their independence can retcon themselves to be of the Old Clan in accordance with the Soft Retcon policy. For more Information, see the V20 Core Book (p. 439) and Lore of the Clans (p. 229).
Ventrue
The Ventrue are staying largely as they have always been on the server in terms of lore, being one of if not the core Camarilla clan, with their members usually looking to hold high offices in Kindred society. (V20 Core Book, p. 72-73). Notably, with the way we will be implementing our Canon Prince, they will be a Ventrue elder - yet another symbol of the clan’s prestige.
Other
Daughters of Cacophony
As of the modern nights, the Daughters of Cacophony occupy an odd niche. They are seemingly of no real importance, and put in effort to maintain this impression. Having defected from the Tal’mahe’Ra as a clan some time ago, they have since thrown their lot in with the Camarilla. And yet, neither Sect seems all that invested in them. To maintain this state of affairs, most Daughters avoid congregating. If congregating, they certainly avoid the eyes of those of the Sects. To be important is to be a threat, and to be a threat is to be something to handle. (LotB 22-25)
Nagaraja
The Nagaraja are a Bloodline of unknown origin and one of the founders of the Tal’mahe’Ra, known and feared for their inability to gain sustenance from anything but raw flesh. They were hunted down for this, almost to extinction. Most Nagaraja are part of the True Black Hand, and subscribe to their holy cause of protecting the City of Enoch in the world of the dead. Contrary to the other Clans associated with Necromancy outside of the Giovanni, Nagaraja and Setites have a longstanding hatred of each other, the pure presence of a Setite making a Nagaraja feel the need to kill them on the spot. There is no mention of the Nagaraja in Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, for more information please view the section on the Tal’mahe’Ra, and the V20 core Book (p. 406-407) as well as Lore of the Bloodlines (p. 63-71).
Thinbloods
(DISCLAIMER: Thinbloods may not be implemented yet, by the time we rebase. They will be added later on.)
Thinbloods can occur in any generation, though they are more prevalent the higher the generation gets. What this means in game, is that likely only generations 14, 15 and 16 will have access to (or be forced to take) the Thin Blood flaw. Being Thinblood means that your Vitae is weakened, and can not achieve the same feats as that of a full kindred. This can be remedied by diablerie, or the passage of time, if the Thinblood is of a lower generation than the 14th. The 14th and 15th generations are impacted by weakened blood, and the 15th Generation is always considered Thinblood.
Generation 16
By the 16th generation, the blood is so diluted that no Clan traits are conceivable anymore, and they are effectively Clanless. They can only use four out of their ten bloodpoints for disciplines and the like, and have to spend twice as much as the normal kindred to achieve the same effects. They can not raise their disciplines over the second dot, and can not bond, ghoul or embrace. Sunlight only does lethal damage, and the Thinblood always has the effects of the ‘Blush of Health’ and ‘Eat Food’ Merits, without having the Merits themselves. 16th Generation Kindred are a very new development in Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, and none portrayed in our server should be older than a year.
(DISCLAIMER: While the 16th Generation is said to be able to bear children, so called ‘Dhampirs’ in Beckett’s Jyhad Diary, they will not be added to the server as the eldest of them is not old enough to be played in-canon.)