Overview
In the
Vampire: The Masquerade roleplaying game,
vampires are "
genetically" and
socially divided along familial lines -- each and every vampire is embraced into one Clan or another (except for the
Caitiff and the
Bloodlines; we'll deal with them in the section titled
Exceptions). There are
thirteen great Clans of vampire in the
World of Darkness; members of each clan exhibit certain tendencies and disadvantages as a result of their common
blood (such as the
Malkavians and their insanity, or the
Brujah and their short tempers). In addition, each Clan has a set of three
Disciplines which are easiest for members of that clan to learn. Some of these disciplines come easily to more than one clan; others such as
Protean or
Obtenebration are unique to a single clan.
The Importance of Having a Clan
To some segments of
Cainite society, Clan
lineage is extremely important. It is true that a vampire's Clan can say a lot about that individual -- after all, members of certain clans very carefully pick
childer who are well-suited to life in that Clan (most notably the
Lasombra and the
Ventrue, and perhaps the
Tremere). Others are less particular, of course, so one must be careful not to stereotype.
Individual Clan Organization
Each Clan has its own peculiar sort of organization, ranging from near-total
anarchy and
social Darwinism (in the case of the Brujah) to the almost
military precision of
Clan Tremere, which is organized along the lines of a
magical Order. Between those two extremes lies a wide variety of organization, too lengthy to cover here.
Clans In The Camarilla
In the vampiric sect known as the
Camarilla, one's Clan is an extremely important aspect of the hierarchy of unlife. Camarilla governmental structure is organized along Clan lines. Within a
city (the basic unit of organization in the Camarilla), the Prince heads the
Primogen Council, which is made up of the eldest and (presumably) most powerful
Kindred in the city, one from each Clan. The
Primogen in turn are supposed to represent the interests of their clan in the city, and are supposed to have a measure of authority over the actions of individual Kindred of their Clan. For more information on the Camarilla hierarchy and the way that Clans fit into the whole thing, see
that node.
Members of a particular Clan within a city will often trade favors, create friendships, coteries and rivalries, and work towards mutual goals. Camarilla vampires are likely to interact more with members of their own Clan than other Clans; the other Clans are often distrusted, hated or feared. The Camarilla's organizational system -- which is adversarial, pitting members of different clans against one another in competition for resources -- encourages this.
Clans In The Sabbat
The other major vampiric
sect takes a very different view of Clans and their importance. The
Sabbat isn't oriented along clan lines at all; rather, vampires are organized into
packs which can be made up of any of the clans which have members in the Sabbat (namely, nearly all of the
Lasombra and
Tzimisce, with a smattering of all the others -- except for the
Giovanni, who are strictly Independent, and the
Tremere, who once had rogue members in the Sabbat but now are entirely Camarilla). The Sabbat is of the nature of a religious organization, and since all Cainites are brethren, by grace of
God and
Caine, it is considered most impious to seek to alienate one's brothers and sisters by worrying about things like one's Clan.
That, of course, never stopped anyone, but the clans don't have the same adversarial relationship as the clans of the Camarilla. The lack of tension between entire clans has opened the way for religious, class-related and individual differences to wreak havoc instead. Never let anyone tell you that the Sabbat is civilized.
The Clans - A Brief Look
Here is a brief look at each of the thirteen Clans, their sect allegiance, their
clan weakness and their native Disciplines:
- Clan Assamite
Sect Allegiance: Independent (?)
Weakness: Addicted to Kindred blood.
Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
Description: The Assamites have, for thousands of years, been deadly assasins-for-hire, based out of a secret mountain fortress in the Middle East known as Alamut. The Assamites are ostensibly independent, though some Assamite Antitribu have existed in the Sabbat since its inception, and some Assamites have recently joined the Camarilla.
- Clan Brujah
Sect Allegiance: Camarilla
Weakness: Quick to Frenzy.
Disciplines: Potence, Celerity, Presence
Description: The Brujah are passionate and short-tempered; the blood of Caine runs hot in them. They tend to make inspiring and dedicated leaders... or dangerous, angry mobs. A real mixed bag of geniuses and anarchists.
- Followers of Set
Sect Allegiance: Independent
Weakness: Takes an additional level of damage to sunlight; cannot stand bright light of any kind.
Disciplines: Presence, Obfuscate, Serpentis
Description: The Setites worship the ancient Egyptian god known as Set, whom they believe to have been a vampire and the founder of their Clan. The Setites seek to spread darkness and corruption in hopes of bringing about Set's return, and thus are often found in unpleasant pursuits involving drugs, prostitution, or virtually anything else that people believe they shouldn't do, but want to anyway. The Snakes are masters of seduction and deception.
- Clan Gangrel
Sect Allegiance: Camarilla
Weakness: Takes on bestial traits after frenzying.
Disciplines: Fortitude, Animalism, Protean
Description: The Gangrel tend to dislike the company of other vampires, preferring to spend time in the wild with the animals. Most vampires think they are unpleasant, overly bestial creatures.
- Clan Giovanni
Sect Allegiance: Independent
Weakness: A Giovanni's bite induces pain, not pleasure.
Disciplines: Potence, Dominate, Necromancy
Description: Descended from a group of mortal Italian necromancers who were originally embraced by the now-extinct Clan Cappadocian, the Giovanni are very family-oriented and have strong links to organized crime, as well as having a strong grasp of the world of the dead.
- Clan Lasombra
Sect Allegiance: Sabbat
Weakness: Casts no reflection.
Disciplines: Potence, Dominate, Obtenebration
Description: Lasombra consider themselves to be the leaders of the Sabbat, temporally if not spiritually. Their mastery over shadow, and their powers of manipulation, give them a definite leadership edge. The Lasombra believe that vampires have a place in God's plan for the world, and that place is to be the dark reflection of humanity -- scaring humans into being good, by showing them what true darkness is. Many would say that, ironically, the Tzimisce are closer to filling this role, but the Lasombra will never admit it.
- Clan Malkavian
Sect Allegiance: Camarilla
Weakness: Afflicted with at least one derangement.
Disciplines: Auspex, Obfuscate, Dementation
Description: The Malkavians are the mad seers of the Kindred world. Insane each and every one, their fractured vision sometimes allows them to see hints of the past or future that are invisible to others. The Malkavians have been getting weirder and weirder lately...
- Clan Nosferatu
Sect Allegiance: Camarilla
Weakness: Ugly.
Disciplines: Potence, Animalism, Obfuscate
Description: The Nosferatu are spies and information-gatherers. Their horrible deformities prevent them from mixing with humans to any great degree, so they hide in the shadows, using their powers of invisibility to gather information for trade. The Nosferatu are a vital resource for any Kindred on the road to power.
- Clan Ravnos
Sect Allegiance: Independent
Weakness: Compulsive criminals; each has a signature 'crime'.
Disciplines: Animalism, Fortitude, Chimerstry
Description: The Ravnos spring primarily from Romany ancestry; they are gypsies, wanderers, tricksters and all-around illusion-casting good-for-nothings. Most clans dislike them, as they tend to cause a lot of trouble... but woe betide the Prince who should treat one unfairly, because then that Prince will be inundated with obnoxious Ravnos. Ancient Ravnos lore has it that the Ravnos once had a much greater purpose, but if so, that purpose is long forgotten...
- Clan Toreador
Sect Allegiance: Camarilla
Weakness: Hypnotized by beauty.
Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence
Description: The Toreador are a Clan of artists and art critics. They love beauty, culture and style... not to mention gossip, kingmaking and sensuality. Of all the Clans, the Toreador strive to retain their Humanity the most... the better for enjoying the pleasures of life throughout eternity.
- Clan Tremere
Sect Allegiance: Camarilla
Weakness: Level one blood bond to all other members of the Clan.
Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy
Description: The Tremere have been called the most powerful clan in the modern nights. This opinion is entirely justifiable. The Tremere are an entire clan of magic-users; they use the powers inherent to vampiric blood in order to cast spells and rituals. These strange and unique abilities, combined with an unequalled talent for manipulation, power-building and deception, have brought the Tremere a long way in the 900 years since the Clan's creation (as a result of the destruction of Clan Salubri, who the Tremere usurped). The Tremere are the most tightly-organized of all the Clans; it is a truism that one needn't necessarily fear an individual Tremere, but one should damn well fear that Tremere's boss.
- Clan Tzimisce
Sect Allegiance: Sabbat
Weakness: Vampire must sleep on a double-handful of soil from its homeland.
Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Vicissitude
Description: The Tzimisce are the fiendish, inhuman vampires of legend and story. Dracula was a Tzimisce of the old school. The thing that the legends don't tell you, though, is that the Tzimisce are flesh-crafters, able to mold flesh and bone at a touch... creating some of the most horrific living sculptures imaginable. The Tzimisce are also noted occultists and sorcerers; the rivalry between the Tremere and the Tzimisce goes back to before the Tremere's founding.
- Clan Ventrue
Sect Allegiance: Camarilla
Weakness: Blood preference. Refuses to drink anything other than blood from individuals with a particular characteristic or set of characteristics.
Disciplines: Dominate, Presence, Fortitude
Description: The Ventrue are on the decline. Once they were the undisputed leaders of the Camarilla, but the vampires of Clan Tremere have slowly and quietly usurped that authority as well. The Tremere manipulate the Ventrue from the shadows, and the noble, inspiring Ventrue are rapidly becoming obsolete in the halls of power, turning more and more to their other avenue of interest: business and finance. Dollar for dollar, the Tremere are better at acquiring and using power, but the Ventrue are better with money and earthly concerns by far.
Exceptions
There are of course vampires who do not belong to any of the Thirteen Clans. There are the
Caitiff -- the poor vampires who do not exhibit characteristics of any particular clan, due to thin blood or other accidents of Embrace -- and the
Bloodlines, which are assumed to be offshoots of the main clans... though some seem to have developed spontaneously from the Catiff, or even pre-date the modern Clans. It's not easy to be part of a Bloodline, but it's even harder to be Caitiff -- the Caitiff have no status in Kindred society, and no hope of gaining any, either.