Core Lore — V5 Canon Foundation
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).
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 (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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.