History Characters / VampireTheRequiem

* EvilFeelsGood: The Red Surrender, when they loose their grip on [[KarmaMeter Humanity]] and give in to the whims of the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Beast]], feels really good.

* StoneWall: Theoretically speaking, thanks to Resilence. Less so than Ventrue, though, as Protean gives them plenty of ways to tear their opponents apart with their bare hands, so they hardly are low on attack.

* BondageIsBad: The clan has no ties to bondage itself, but since [[HypnoticEyes Dominate]] correlates to... you know ''Domination'', it's been mixed into some official artwork, and there's a character in their clanbook bluntly called The {{Dominatrix}}. You get the idea.

* StoneWall: Their only "physical" Discipline is Resilence, which gives them SuperToughness; they have no affinity for SuperStrength nor SuperSpeed, nor can they usually grow claws like Gangrel. That said, not being able to injure your enemy in a significant way isn't that much of a problem when you can just mind control people and animals to do it for you.
* SuperToughness: Resilence, one of their core Disciplines, makes them really hard to kill.

* HaremSeeker: Daeva frequently form entire Harems as their Herds to maintain themselves fed. In 1E, this merely was due to them being lustful, but 2E gives a different explanation- their Clan Bane makes them addictive to the blood of people they feed multiple times from, forcing them to keep these people close by.
* {{The Hedonist}}s: In first edition. They have to indulge their vices; if they don't, their resolve weakens, which is the main reason they have a hard time keeping up their [[KarmaMeter Humanity]]. Averted in the 2nd edition, where their clan weakness is instead a propensity towards obsession with people they drink from more than once.
* HornyDevils: Vampires, actually, but they do fit the "seductive female creature who drink your life while having sex with you" part. They are, in fact, nicknamed Succubi.

* SevenDeadlySins: In first edition, they're literally ruled by their sins. The clan as a whole is also strongly resonant with the sin of {{Lust}}.

* {{Glamour}}: Majesty, their [[SignatureMove signature Discipline]], focus on boosting their charisma and allowing them to seduce anyone. It may lead to...

They're {{expies}} of the Ventrue (or is it the other way around?). [[DealWithTheDevil Created by the Strix]], servants of the [[WarGod god Mars]], in return for sweet, bloody glory. The clan was wiped out when the Julii started to humanize as a whole. There's a few ideas about how both the Ventrue and Gangrel may have descended from them, among other theories. As revealed in ''Thousand Years of Night'', the Strix were not as thorough as they would have liked-a few Founders managed to escape the final purge and now insist ''very stringently'' they are Venture and Daeva, only revealing their true relations to their future childe, and the people they have thoroughly blackmailed.

The [[UrExample Ur]]-Covenant, the earliest known (successful) attempt at unifying and governing vampire-kind, dating back to the time of UsefulNotes/AncientRome. Created and led by the Julii, the Camarilla was a sprawling, secret empire that ruled from beneath Rome itself, and absorbed vampire clans from across the world into its fold, including Gangrel from Gaul and Mehket from Egypt.

* PredecessorVillain: The [[AristocratsAreEvil Invictus]] originated as an inner circle of powerful and influential elders within the the Camarilla's senate, [[StillWearingTheOldColors and still incorporates an altered form of the Ala Senecta Wing emblem in their own iconography]].

* '''Gorgons:''' So called because they claim descent directly from the mythical monsters, this bloodline of Ventrue actually makes use of serpentine imagery to the point where it has a totemic importance them; if they are not in contact with a snake, they are badly weakened, and if they are, they can use a unique discipline to empower themselves. Over time, they begin to take on serpentine features. The Gorgons had once held great power in the known world, but had begun to wane by the time the majority of their number drifted to the Circle of the Crone, and in time vanished, before apparently reappearing in the modern nights.

* {{Expy}}: It's subtle, but the Ordo Dracul's philosophies are apparently inspired by those of the Tzimisce vampire clan from the Old WorldOfDarkness, particularly the [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Path of Metamorphosis]]; It helps that Dracula was a Tzimisce in that universe. The only thing that's missing is the [[BodyHorror fleshcrafting]].

* {{Expy}}: It's subtle, but the Ordo Dracul's philosophies are apparently inspired by those of the Tzimisce vampire clan from the OldWorldOfDarkness, particularly the [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Path of Metamorphosis]]; It helps that Dracula was a Tzimisce in that universe. The only thing that's missing is the [[BodyHorror fleshcrafting]].

* '''Azerkatil:''' Though mostly aligned with the Ordo Dracul, these Nosferatu were bred to hunt down and destroy Dracula. What seems strange on the surface becomes reasonable (sort of) upon examination: from their perspective, they were able to use the Order to expand their influnece west from Turkey, allowing them to search farther for Dracula. From the perspective of the Ordo Dracul, the so-called Dragonslayers are model Dragons. They are the embodiment of change and experimentation, and were a direct result of Dracula's journey to Adrianople.

* '''Ghûls''': Arabian mages who have gained [[ImmortalityImmorality immortality]], as well as [[AlchemyIsMagic alchemy]] and a few other powers, at the expense of [[IAmAHumanitarian cannibalism]]. They're also... [[TechnicallyLivingZombie not undead]], and are [[ResurrectiveImmortality remarkably difficult to put down permanantly. In fact, they probably have it better than Kindred.

* '''Ghûls''': Arabian mages who have gained [[ImmortalityImmorality immortality]], as well as [[AlchemyIsMagic alchemy]] and a few other powers, at the expense of [[IAmAHumanitarian cannibalism]]. They're also... [[TechnicallyLivingZombie not undead]]. In fact, they probably have it better than Kindred.

[[ReligiousBruiser They kick ass for the Lord.]] The Lancea et Sanctum (sometimes missing the "et", though that isn't grammatically correct) believe that Longinus, the centurion who stabbed Christ's side, was damned to unlife when the Messiah's blood fell on his lips. After wandering in the desert, an angel revealed to Longinus that vampires were damned to serve as a warning to mankind and to harrow them into righteousness. The Sanctified adopt Christian trappings, but they're a generally Abrahamic covenant, with creeds covering Judaism and Islam. They [[AvertedTrope aren't]] [[BeliefMakesYouStupid knowledge-adverse]], though-as a group, they remember the Dark Ages, the days when monks were scholars and scientists in a feudal world, on the basis of often ''being'' those monks. Mostly scholars.

* BloodMagic: They famously have access to a form of Blood Sorcery known as Theban Sorcery, which was alledgedly taught to them by an angel. Said magic relies on [[EyeOfNewt sacrifices]] as well as one's own will, allowing them to summon what they call "Dark miracles".

** Actually, ''Requiem For Rome'' gives us an explanation. Originally, they were called the "Lancea ''Et'' Sanctum," the Lance and Sanctuary. For some reason, people started to forget to add the "Et," so it just became "Lance Sanctuary." It's not just grammatically incorrect, they don't even use the same gender tense!

* BlessedWithSuck: Thanks to their Clan Bane, they ''start out'' their Requiem as a BlobMonster unable to feed otherwise than by drinking blood dripping on the ground, take until Blood Potency 4 to actually be capable of assuming a human form, and should it rise above that, they will start turning back into a mass of blood, physically weakening them. This is widely believed to be the reason they went extinct.

[[folder:Mikhaili]]

''The Winter Kings''

Introduced in ''Half-Damned'', the Mikhaili originated from Siberia, where they were the undisputed rulers of the night, preying on humans from the shadow. That was, until the Gangrel arrived from the South and East and entered into a war with them. Overwhelmed by their opponents' number, the Winter Kings started Embracing en masse to strike back, but this only resulted in them spreading their blood thin and wide, weakening their powers in the process to the point they could only create Revenants. They attempted to Diablerize their progeny to regain their power, only to gain nothing from it, and the Clan was mostly wiped out by the Gangrel.

* AmbiguousSituation: The story of their demise, which describes them spreading their blood thin until their power decreased, was a myth made at a time where Kindred still had an imperfect knowledge of how the Embrace worked. Since then, it has been discovered in-universe Embracing doesn't actually diluate the Blood, leaving the reason the Mikhaili lost a bit less clear.
* ArchEnemy: The Gangrel were this to them, as they were responsible for wiping them out.
* TheBeastmaster: Like the Gangrel, they had an affinity for the Animalism Discipline, granting them power over animals.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Their main theme; they lived in Siberia (one of the coldest parts of Europe), were nicknamed ''Winter'' Kings, and their Clan Bane causes them to fall in Torpor during the spring equinox.
* NotQuiteDead: ''Half-Damned'' offers some basic plot hooks to have them come back and suggests not all of them might have been wiped out.
* SuperToughness: They had an affinity for the Resilience Discipline.
* ZergRush: They ''tried'' to use this as a way to fight back against the Gangrel by Embrassing in mass. Alledgedly, this was what caused them to weaken.

!!Other Clans
[[folder:Jiang Shi]]

''The Phantom''

A separate Clan from the core five, introduced in the 2E and unrelated to the Jiang Shi from ''Wicked Dead'' (see Other Vampires for those). Wraith-like vampires, while they should technically be a sixth great clan, the Jiangshi are considerably rarer than their peers because of two major reasons. For starter, their Embrace requires ''two'' deaths, as it requires transfusing to the would-be vampire the blood of [[IncorruptiblePurePureness someone extraordinarily pure]]. Second, the KissOfTheVampire is denied to them (it feels more like a particularly painless frostbite when they chow down), so they have to be really clever and subtle about feeding. Still, there's cities where they've thrived, even joined with the other Kindred - it's not like the whole two deaths thing is anywhere near the worst thing Kindred in general have to do to keep living...

* AwesomeButImpractical: The primary reason they aren't as common as the five core Clans. Jiangshi have useful Disciplines and a quite unique teleportation ability compared to other Kindred, but the complex requirements to produce them makes it incredibly hard to increase their number, and their Clan Bane further limit their chance of survival by forcing them to be clever in order to survive.
* TheBeastmaster: Animalism is one of their core Disciplines.
* ChineseVampire: While not required to be asian or chinese, they ''are'' named and themed after the trope, with many of their features matching.
* GameFace: When they are low on Vitae, their appearance becomes distinctly more monstrous, with claw-like fingers and a strange green mold covering their skin.
* {{Invisibility}}: Obfuscate is one of their core Disciplines.
* KissOfTheVampire: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]; their Clan Bane is that their lack the ability to make their bite pleasing.
* SuperSpeed: They have an affinity for Celerity.
* {{Teleportation}}: A limited form; Jiang Shi are capable of instantly teleport to their "grave" if needed (read: the point they chose to mark as their grave).

* AwesomeButImpractical: The primary reason they aren't as common as the five core Clans. Jiangshi have useful Disciplines and a quite unique teleportation ability compared to other Kindred, but the complex requirements to produce them makes it incredibly hard to increase their numbers, and their Clan Bane further limit their chance of survival by forcing them to be clever in order to survive.

** There's actually two varieties of them, one from ''Wicked Dead'' (above), and one from ''Blood & Smoke''/2e, who are more like a clan of true Kindred, not being as invulnerable to everything but far more mobile. They'd be a sixth great clan, were it not for the fact that (A), they need two deaths, one of a genuine NiceGuy, to raise another of their number, and (B), the KissOfTheVampire is denied to them (it feels more like a particularly painless frostbite when they chow down), so they have to be really clever and subtle about feeding. Still, there's cities where they've thrived, even joined with the other Kindred - it's not like the whole two deaths thing is anywhere near the worst thing Kindred in general have to do to keep living...

* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Their main theme; they were very strongly associated with cold and ice, due to being from Siberia.

* '''Khaibit:''' Assassins and bodyguards most often associated with the Circle of the Crone. Claim heritage with the Egyptian god Set, who, [[EvenEvilHasStandards although not Mr. Bright and Shiny himself]], commanded his children to go forth and kill ''even worse'' things that lurked in the darkness. A common favorite for both the plug-and-play backstory for honorable warrior types and [[DarkIsEdgy the Obtenebration Discipline]].

* OurGhoulsAreCreepier: The vampire servant variant- they are humans who were fed vampire blood, granting them a weaker version of a vampire's powers while still keeping them mostly humans, but causing them to become addict to Vitae, thus making them an excellent SlaveRace. They still have human appearances, and, aside from being TheAgeless as long as they keep drinking Vitae, having a small amount of SuperStrength and being capable to learn Disciplines, they still function like human beings as well.

* SlaveRace: Their function in Kindred society; they are humans infected with Vitae at the cost of an addiction that makes them dependant on vampires, allowing the later to use them as servants.

A clan is a vampiric lineage. There are [[FiveBadBand five major clans]] now extant: the Daeva, the Gangrel, the Mekhet, the Nosferatu and the Ventrue; others have risen and fallen over time. Members of clans all have certain things in common, from easiness with specific Disciplines to a particular weaknesses. Within the clans are smaller groups of specific lineages called Bloodlines; they share much of the defining characteristics of their parent clan, but have a number of unique abilities, access to specialised disciplines and are penalised with additional weaknesses in addition to their clan weakness. Overall the Bloodlines, to varying degrees, suffer from being CripplingOverspecialization variations of their parent clans.

* '''The Players:''' The designated ButtMonkey in Kindred society, vampires who wanted to be what the media saw vampires to be so badly they developed Majesty. Their powers are ''extremely'' fickle, however, and if they fail to work, there's a good chance the intended target will see them as a "poseur" and never fall for the allure again. Some Kindred fear them, [[GenreSavvy because anything]] ''[[GenreSavvy that]]'' [[GenreSavvy weak]] [[NotSoHarmlessVillain has to have a nasty surprise...]]

* AncientConspiracy: Thoroughly {{Averted}}. The Carthians are the youngest of the Covenants.
* AppealToNovelty: This is basically how their Covenant took off. The ideas they proposed were so radical that a bunch of elder vampires become intrigued and threw their weight behind it, giving the Carthians the legitimacy to survive into the modern era.

* {{Expy}}: They incorporate some aspects of the [[TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade Anarch]], such as being made of idealists and rejecting the old system.

* BloodMagic: Crúac makes heavy use of this, as you'd expect.

* TheDogBitesBack: 2E puts an emphasis on the fact abusing your Ghoul too much can actually backfire violently if you aren't careful; even with the Vinculum, they ''can'' develop grudge and try to strike back after you kicked them one time too much.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Both Kindred and their enemies will frequently look down on Ghouls, seeing them at worst as {{Vampire Wannabe}}s, at best like [[{{Mooks}} minions nowhere near as powerful as real vampires]]. While many of them indeed fit this stereotype, a ghoul with proper training, experience and skill can be a force to be reckoned with, and even sometimes [[HypercompetentSidekick be a better fighter than her master, since he relies on her to do the fighting]]. Moreover, they ''can'' go out during daylight hours, making them capable to act during times where can vampires cannot.

* NightmareFace: No matter how fetching it is - Nosferatu ''are'' nightmares given flesh, and they can't escape that. Also weaponized with their Nightmare Discipline, which allows them to control and amplify it, creating effects that range from merely making yourself too terrifying for your opponents to strike at full power, to ''[[BrownNote scaring someone so much it injures them''.

* SuperStrength: Vigor, one of their core Disciplines.

* NightmareFace: No matter how fetching it is - Nosferatu ''are'' nightmares given flesh, and they can't escape that.

* ParanoiaFuel: In-universe, they are regarded as this by other Kindred; there are no reliable ways for a vampire to notice when a Mekhet is using [[{{Telepathy}} Auspex]] on him, meaning they are capable of discovering everybody's dirty secrets; and you ''won't'' know it until they actually start using them. And given how corrupt vampire society is, it's really easy for them to get dirt on everyone.

* AristocratsAreEvil: It's the basic principle of vampiredom that this clan is built on. More relevantly, it's the archetype of the old Ventrue, although downplayed with the increasing lack of importance actual aristocracy has on the modern world.