Vitae

The Blood (Vitae)

Core Lore — V5 Canon Foundation

What the Blood Is

  • Vitae is the mystical fluid animating all vampires. It replaces mortal life.

  • It is not simply blood: it carries supernatural potency, the essence of the curse.

  • The Blood is:

    • Fuel: Spent to heal, to rise each night, to use Disciplines.

    • Curse: Hunger gnaws constantly; starvation brings frenzy.

    • Currency: Shared as boon, stolen in diablerie, traded for loyalty.

    • Bond: Drinking another’s vitae can enslave the drinker (Blood Bond).

Hunger

  • In V5, Hunger replaces “blood pools.” Vampires always roll with some degree of hunger gnawing at them.

  • Hunger rises nightly and with exertion.

  • Hunger dice introduce risk: frenzy, bestial failure, or messy criticals.

  • Theme: The Blood always pushes vampires closer to the Beast.

Generation & Blood Potency

  • Generation (old canon): How many steps you are from Caine, the First Vampire. Lower generation = thicker, more powerful vitae.

  • Blood Potency (V5): Replaces generation for practical purposes. Higher potency means:

    • More power in Disciplines.

    • Harder to sustain on mortal blood — elders must feed on vampire vitae.

    • Vitae can perform greater supernatural feats.

  • Theme: The older and stronger you grow, the more monstrous your hunger becomes.

The Embrace

  • Creating a vampire requires draining a mortal to death, then feeding them vitae.

  • The new childe inherits the sire’s clan, curse, and Disciplines.

  • The Embrace is political as much as biological — illegal without permission in Camarilla domains.

The Blood Bond

  • Drinking a vampire’s vitae creates supernatural attachment.

  • One drink = sympathy; two = affection; three = absolute devotion.

  • Used by elders to enslave neonates and rivals.

  • Bonds can last years; breaking them often requires magic or extreme trauma.

The Kiss

  • The act of feeding releases narcotic bliss in mortals.

  • Victims often mistake it for passion or ecstasy.

  • Mortals addicted to the Kiss often become ghouls or thralls.

Diablerie

  • Drinking a vampire to Final Death and consuming their soul.

  • Forbidden by Camarilla law, embraced by Sabbat.

  • Benefits: reduces generation / increases blood potency.

  • Consequences: marks on the soul, possible detection by Auspex, spiritual corruption.

  • Theme: The ultimate hunger — cannibalism of the damned.

The Beast & Frenzy

  • The Beast is the inhuman predator lurking within every vampire.

  • Hunger, anger, fear, or insult can trigger frenzy.

  • Frenzy grants strength but strips control.

  • The Masquerade bends most often when frenzy breaks loose.

The Blood as Religion

  • Camarilla: The Blood is a curse; to control it is civilization.

  • Sabbat: The Blood is holy war; to embrace it fully is transcendence.

  • Anarchs: The Blood is power; its meaning is yours to define.

  • Thin-Bloods: The Blood is weak, unstable, mutating — perhaps a sign of Gehenna.