Boons & Status
The True Currency
Kindred speak of dollars, gold, Judas silver, and blood tithes. But all of these are secondary. The real currency of vampire society is the boon — a favor owed, a debt acknowledged, a promise enforced by reputation and fear.
Mortals trade in wealth. Vampires trade in eternity. A single boon can save your unlife, topple an elder, or damn a coterie forever.
What Is a Boon?
A boon is a formalized favor between Kindred. It may be:
A promise of protection.
The gift of feeding rights.
Aid in a hunt, investigation, or blood feud.
Silence over a Masquerade slip.
Support in Elysium politics.
What matters is not the act, but the acknowledgement. A boon becomes binding once witnessed, recorded, or enforced by Harpies.
Types of Boons
Trivial Boon: Small favors — introductions, minor information, a look the other way.
Minor Boon: Worth something. Protection for a night, disposal of a body, help in a hunt.
Major Boon: Weighty. Territory granted, rescue from Final Death, political support against a rival.
Life Boon: The heaviest debt — one vampire owes another their entire unlife. Rarely given, never forgotten.
The Role of Harpies
Harpies are the accountants of reputation.
They track who owes whom, who has defaulted, who has honored their word.
Their gossip enforces the system: if a Kindred is known to renege on boons, they become untrustworthy, and untrustworthy Kindred do not survive long.
In Camarilla cities, Harpies may be more feared than Sheriffs. Steel kills bodies, but gossip kills names.
Status
Status is the credit score of vampire society.
Boons paid on time, etiquette observed, loyalty shown → status rises.
Breaches of Masquerade, defaulted boons, public insults → status falls.
Elders guard status like dragons guard hoards. Neonates gamble theirs nightly.
Boons as Leverage
Princes use boons to bind Primogen.
Anarch Barons trade them like street cred.
Nosferatu weaponize secrets into implicit boons.
Harpies create debts by twisting social scenes: an insult unchallenged may become a boon owed.
Enforcement
There is no contract law. The only enforcement is reputation, fear, and the threat of destruction.
A Kindred who repeatedly ignores debts is considered hostis humani generis — enemy of all. They are denied hospitality, stripped of protection, and often hunted for sport.
Boons in Practice
Example: A Toreador artist exposes another’s Masquerade slip, but keeps quiet in exchange for a minor boon. Years later, she collects — demanding a night of muscle from a Brujah ally.
Example: A Nosferatu trades blackmail for a major boon, then uses that boon to secure feeding rights in a district.
Example: A Prince grants a life boon to a Lasombra defector, binding them into service forever.
Anarch Perspective
Anarchs scoff at the formalism of boons — but they still trade favors. A gang’s loyalty is a debt. A Baron’s authority is built on obligations. Anarchs may not use the word “boon,” but the reality is identical: those who don’t pay what they owe don’t last.
Sabbat Perspective
The Sabbat reject boons in favor of loyalty through Vaulderie (blood bonds within packs). Yet even Sabbat packs acknowledge informal debts — favors remembered, grudges never forgotten.
The Blood as Collateral
Sometimes, the debt is sealed in vitae.
A draught of blood given as token.
A mortal ghoul surrendered as guarantee.
A coin of Judas Silver handed over, cursed proof of obligation.
The physical token matters less than the reputation behind it — but the gesture makes the invisible visible.