11. Special Terms

Blood Cursed: A vampire with Blood Curse cannot commit diablerie.
Infernal: An infernal minion doesn't unlock as normal in the unlock phase. During his controller's unlock phase, she may burn a pool to unlock him.
Red List: Any Methuselah may use a master phase action to mark a Red List minion for the current turn. Any ready vampire she controls may enter combat with a marked Red List minion as a +1 stealth (D) action that costs 1 blood. Each vampire can take this action only once each turn. If a vampire burns a Red List minion in combat or as a (D) action (including diablerie), his controller may search her library, ash heap and/or hand for a master trophy card to put on that vampire and then reshuffle her library or draw back up to her hand size as necessary. Other trophies may be moved to this vampire, as well (see section 1.6.2). This is done before the blood hunt referendum is called, if any.
Research Area: Some cards may move cards to a special staging area called the research area. The cards in your research area are face down and out of play; they can be affected only by cards and effects that say so explicitly. You may look at the cards in your research area at any time.
Scarce: When a Methuselah moves a scarce vampire from her uncontrolled region to her ready region during her influence phase, she must burn 3 pool for every other vampire of the same clan she controls.
Slave: Some minions are identified as slaves to a specified clan. A slave cannot take a directed action if his controller doesn't control a ready member of the specified clan. Also, if a member of the specified clan controlled by the same Methuselah is blocked, the controller can lock the slave to cancel the combat and to unlock the acting vampire and have the slave enter combat with the blocking minion instead.
Steal: A player who steals a card takes permanent control of it. The card stays in the same region as it was before (for instance, if a vampire in torpor is stolen, it stays in torpor). If the stolen card is attached to another card, the player who steals it can attach the stolen card to a card of the same type they control (for instance, a location that is attached to a minion will be moved to another minion they control).
Sterile: Sterile vampires cannot take actions to put other vampires in play.
Title: A Title card is a placeholder for a title. If the title is yielded or lost, the card is burned. If the title is unique, contests are paid with vampire blood, as normal for titles.
Unique: Only one copy of a unique card can be in play at a time. If another Methuselah puts a copy of the card into play, the copies will be contested (and out of play) until all but one is yielded (see Contested Cards, sec. 4.1).
Wake: A vampire that wakes during an action can attempt to block that action and/or play reaction cards as though unlocked for the duration of the action. Wake effects can always be played during the "as a card is played" window, in order to play other reaction cards that must be played in that window. A reaction cards that unlocks a vampire but doesn't wake it is not considered as a wake effect and can't be played during the "as a card is played" window.

 

Wording templates

“During X, do Y”: The “during X do Y” template is used in several cards. When this template is used, only one Y can be done per X with this card. For instance, you may move blood from your vampire to your pool with Vessel only once per unlock phase.
“Cancel a card”: A "canceled" card has no effect, but it is still considered played. Unless explicitly written, cost for the card is paid. If the card was a strike card, the minion who played it must choose a strike, which might come from another strike card. If the card was an action card, the minion doesn’t lock (he doesn’t pay for the action card), and can play the same action card again.
“Lock X to do Y”: Some cards use this wording, for instance: superior Bauble, Isanwayen. Such effects can’t be used by locked minions, even by those under a wake effect. These effects require an unlocked minion to be used. Conversely, “Lock X. Do Y” effects (for instance: Redirection) are usable by locked minions under a wake effect.
"Search": Some effects have you search your library or cyrpt. Searching can result in not finding the card. If you search your library or crypt, you must shuffle it afterwards.

 

Rules Glossary

Acting Minion: The minion performing the current action.
Action Card: A card that a minion can play to perform a special action. Includes equipment, retainer, ally and political action cards.
Action Modifier: A card that the acting minion can play to modify the action he is performing.
Additional Strike: Allows a minion to strike an additional time in the same round of combat (at the same range as the initial strike).
Aggravated Damage: Type of damage that vampires cannot heal. It can even burn a wounded vampire.
Ally: A non-vampire minion. Brought into play by a "recruit ally" action, he acts independently of the minion who recruited him (but can't act on the turn he is recruited).
Ash Heap: The discard pile. Cards that are burned or discarded are returned to their owner's ash heap. An action that targets an ash heap is always considered to be undirected.
Attached: If a card is put on another, both are considered attached to each other.
Bearer: The minion an equipment is put on. If the equipment refers to a type of bearer (for instance, "the bearer with Auspex"), then the equipment can be used only by that type of bearer.
Bleed: An action that attempts to burn another player's pool. By default, it can only be attempted against a player's prey.
Block: The successful attempt of a minion to prevent the action of another minion. Typically concluded with combat.
Blocking Minion: The minion currently attempting to block an action, or the minion who has successfully blocked the current action.
Blood (also Blood Counter): A token representing a vampire's capability to heal himself or to perform certain feats.
Blood Bank: Repository of blood counters not in use.
Blood Hunt: The act of burning a vampire that committed diablerie. A referendum is conducted to see if a blood hunt is called.
Burn: Move a card in play to the ash heap. A burned card goes to its owner's ash heap. A burned counter or token is returned to the blood bank.
Capacity: The maximum number of blood counters a vampire can have. It is also a relative measure of the vampire's age.
Circle: Each Blood Brother is identified with a particular circle. A vampire without a circle designation is his own circle.
Combat Card: A card that a minion can play in combat.
Combat Ends: A strike that ends combat before any damage or other strike effects happen.
Contest: The struggle for control of a unique card or title.
Controlled Region: Area containing a Methuselah's controlled cards.
Conviction: Card played during the Unlock phase on an Imbued.
Crypt: The deck of cards containing a player's vampires.
Diablerie: The act of burning a torporous vampire. Can be used to gain a Discipline.
Diablerist: A vampire who commits diablerie. A blood hunt can be called to burn a diablerist.
Directed Action: An action of one Methuselah's minion that targets one or more other Methuselahs (or the minions or cards they control).
Discard: Move a card in hand to the ash heap.
Dodge: A strike that protects a minion and the cards on him from an opposing minion's strike. Retainers are not protected.
Edge: A token symbolizing who has the upper hand at the moment.
Equipment: An object a minion uses for a special bonus or ability.
Employer: The minion a retainer is put on.
First Strike: An offensive strike done faster than normal, so that the strike resolves before a normal offensive strike would.
Hunt: The action that a vampire takes to regain blood.
Imbued: A type of crypt card. They are allies.
Influence Phase: The phase of a turn in which a Methuselah may make transfers to her uncontrolled vampires and during which vampires are moved from the uncontrolled region to the ready region.
Intercept: A measure of how well a minion can block the action of another minion. If it equals or exceeds the acting minion's stealth, the minion's block is successful. Intercept can't be played unless it is needed.
Library: The deck containing a player's conviction, master, minion and events cards from which her hand is drawn.
Life (also Life Counter): A token representing a retainer's or an ally's health.
Lock: Turn (a card) sideways. Typically done to indicate that the card has been activated for some purpose.
Maneuver: The efforts of a minion in combat to move away from or to close in on the opposing minion.
Master Card: A library card that can be used as a master phase action.
Master Phase Action: The Methuselah's personal activity for the turn.
Minion: A vampire or ally.
Minion Card: Any library card that is not a conviction, master or event card -- a card that a minion can play.
Out-of-Turn Master Card: A type of master card that can only be played during another player's turn, using the next master phase action of the player playing it. A player can never play more than one Out-of-Turn Master card between two of her turns, even if she regains a Master Phase Action.
Polling: The step of a referendum during which votes are cast.
Pool: A token representing a Methuselah's status. Also, a collection of such tokens. A Methuselah is ousted if she loses all of her pool.
Predator: The player to a Methuselah's right.
Press: The efforts of a minion in combat to escape from or to give chase to the opposing minion.
Prey: The player to a Methuselah's left. A player receives a victory point and 6 pool when her prey is ousted.
Reaction Card: A card played by a Methuselah's ready, unlocked minion in response to an action taken by a minion controlled by another Methuselah.
Ready Region: Area containing a Methuselah's minions that are not in torpor.
Referendum: The part of a political action (or a blood hunt referendum) during which the terms are set, the votes are cast and the effects are applied (if it passes).
Retainer: A mortal creature or being that serves a minion. Brought into play by an employ retainer action, he remains with the minion who employed him and cannot act independently.
Stealth: A measure of how well a minion evades other minions' attempts to block his action. If it exceeds the blocking minion's intercept, the block fails.
Sterile: A vampire that cannot take an action to create a vampire.
Strength: The amount of damage a minion inflicts with a normal hand strike.
Strike: The effort of a minion in combat to harm his opponent or to avoid being struck by his opponent.
Torpor Region: Area where vampires are placed when they cannot heal damage done to them. A vampire in torpor is vulnerable to diablerie attempts. A vampire in torpor is not ready but is still considered controlled.
Transfer: Influence phase action used to move pool to or from an uncontrolled vampire or to move a card from the crypt to the uncontrolled region.
Uncontrolled Region: Area containing a Methuselah's uncontrolled vampires.
Undirected Action: An action that is not directed. An undirected action can be blocked by the prey or the predator.
Unlock: Restore a card to the normal, upright, position. See Lock.
Victory Point: The measure of a player's ranking. A player receives a victory point when her prey is ousted and for being the last player in the game. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.
Withdraw: An attempt to leave the game by a player who has run out of cards in her library.
Wounded: A vampire who has received damage that he has not healed or a vampire in torpor or on his way to torpor is said to be wounded.

 

World of Darkness Glossary

The following is a glossary of some of the relevant terms of Vampire: The Masquerade.

Amaranth: The act of killing a vampire by drinking all of his blood. Commonly known as diablerie.
Anarch: A Kindred rebel who opposes the rule of the elders.
Antediluvian: An ancient vampire, a grand-childe of Caine. Most of the major clans of the Camarilla were created by the Antediluvians.
Archbishop: A vampire who serves as leader of a city under the Sabbat's influence.
Archon: A powerful vampire who travels from city to city, usually in the service of a justicar.
Baron: An anarch "prince".
Beast, The: The drives and desires that pull Kindred away from their humanity and turn them into monsters.
Bishop: A vampire who serves or advises an archbishop.
Blood Bond: A mysterious link that forms between Kindred that drink one another's blood. The blood bond can give the donor control of the recipient.
Blood Hunt: A system of punishment for vampires who disregard the laws of the Masquerade. The hunted vampire is slain by those who heed the call.
Book of Nod, The: The sacred book of the Kindred, which allegedly traces their origins and history. Most of it has been lost to time.
Caine: The first vampire, from whom all other vampires are allegedly descended.
Camarilla, The: A sect made up of seven clans that have banded together and are governed by the Traditions.
Canaille: Mortals, especially referring to the most unsavory elements of mortal society.
Cardinal: A Sabbat vampire who oversees the influential affairs of a large territory.
Clan: A group of vampires that share certain mystical and physical characteristics.
Consanguineous: Belonging to the same clan (usually used to refer to a younger member).
Domain: The fiefdom (usually a city) claimed by a vampire, most often a prince.
Elysium: The name given to a place where the elders meet. No violence is tolerated at such a location.
Embrace: The act of transforming a mortal into a vampire.
Gehenna: The impending Armageddon in which the Antediluvians will rise up and devour all Kindred.
Ghoul: A mortal who drinks the blood of a vampire but has not been drained beforehand.
Haven: A vampire's "home"; where he finds sanctuary from the sun.
Inner Circle: The group of vampires who comprise the ruling body of the Camarilla.
Justicar: A vampire who serves as judge, jury and executioner of Camarilla vampires who have broken the Traditions.
Jyhad: The secret war waged between the few remaining Methuselahs using younger vampires as pawns.
Kindred: The term that vampires use to refer collectively to their kind. Sabbat vampires scorn the term.
Kine: A term for mortals, largely contemptuous.
Masquerade, The: The Tradition of keeping mortals ignorant of the existence of vampires, essential to survival.
Methuselah: A powerful vampire, thousands of years old (but still a few generations younger than the Antediluvians), involved in the struggles of the Jyhad from afar or in complete anonymity.
Path: A belief system followed by more alien members of the Sabbat and some Independents in place of Humanity.
Praxis: The right of a prince to rule a domain.
Primogen: A council of vampires in a city that supports the city's ruling prince.
Prince: A Camarilla vampire who rules a city and enforces the Traditions upon the city's vampire population.
Priscus: A Sabbat vampire who advises the regent and cardinals.
Regent: The "leader" of the Sabbat, insofar as the sect recognizes one.
Retainer: A mortal or creature that serves a vampire master.
Sabbat, The: A violent sect of vampires bent on destroying the Camarilla.
Sect: A group of Kindred arguably united under a common philosophy.
Traditions, The: The six laws of the Camarilla. These Traditions are laws that protect the vampires from mortals and from one another.
Vitae: Blood.

 

More Information

 

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10. Vampire Sects

Some of the various clans of vampires have grouped themselves into sects. Each sect represents clans with similar philosophies and goals. Each sect has its own codes of conduct and its own political structure and titles.

No matter what sect, a vampire cannot have more than one title. If a vampire with a title gains another, he loses the first title, even if the new title would be a demotion. If a vampire with a contested title (see Contested Titles, sec. 4.2) gains a title, he immediately yields the contested title.

Each vampire's sect is given in its card text, and that may override the default sect of that vampire's clan (see the lists in the following sections). If a vampire changes clans (by means of a Clan Impersonation card, for example) to a clan that belongs to a different sect, he changes sects as well.

A vampire must belong to the appropriate sect to receive a title. If a vampire with a title changes clans or sects to a clan or sect inappropriate for his title, he loses the benefit of the title until his clan or sect changes appropriately. If he receives a new title, or if his title is contested (see Contested Titles, sec. 4.2), he immediately yields the old title.

 

10.1. Camarilla

One of the major sects is the Camarilla, which is composed of seven clans: Brujah, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere and Ventrue, as well as the Caitiff. Some vampire cards from older sets do not have any sect designation -- these vampires are all Camarilla vampires.

Only Camarilla vampires can hold the Camarilla titles primogen, prince, justicar and Inner Circle member. Additionally, each clan's justicar and Inner Circle titles are unique (see Contested Titles, sec. 4.2) and can only be held by vampires of that clan. The title of prince is associated with a particular city and can be contested by another vampire who claims any title to the same city. The title of primogen is not unique and cannot be contested.

 

10.2. Sabbat

The second major sect is the Sabbat, which is composed of 15 clans: the antitribu clans (corrupted versions of some of the main clans) and the Lasombra, Tzimisce, Pander, Ahrimanes, Blood Brothers, Harbingers of Skulls and Kiasyd. These clans' icons all have the Sabbat wax seal underneath. Only Sabbat vampires can hold the Sabbat titles bishop, archbishop, priscus, cardinal and regent. Like Camarilla princes, the title of archbishop is associated with a particular city and can be contested by another vampire who claims any title to the same city. The other Sabbat titles are not unique and cannot be contested. The title of regent is unique (see Contested Titles, sec. 4.2). The regent counts as cardinal by cards and other effects, but has an additional vote as well.

The antitribu clans are distinct from their non-antitribu counterparts. A vampire of one of the antitribu clans does not qualify to play a card that requires the counterpart, and vice versa. Likewise, if a vampire changes sects, his clan doesn't automatically change. For example, a Brujah antitribu who becomes a Camarilla vampire via Writ of Acceptance is still a Brujah antitribu, not a Brujah.

 

10.3. Laibon

The third major sect is the Laibon, which is composed of just four clans: Akunanse, Guruhi, Ishtarri and Osebo.

Only Laibon can hold the Laibon titles kholo and magaji. The magaji title is not unique and cannot be contested. Clan kholo titles can only be held by a vampire of the appropriate clan, and each is unique to that clan (see "Contested Titles," sec. 4.2).

 

10.4. Independents

Other clans are not aligned with any of the major sects; they are called Independent. Any clan not listed above as belonging to one of the sects listed above is Independent. These vampires are identified simply as "Independent" on card text. Some vampire cards from older sets are identified as "Non-Camarilla" on card text -- these vampires are all Independent vampires. Independent vampires are "Non-Camarilla", "Non-Sabbat" and "Non-Laibon".

Some Independent vampires may start with votes, as listed on card text. Treat these vampires as if they had titles of their own.

 

10.5. Anarchs

Anarch is a sect on its own. An untitled non-Anarch vampire can become an anarch as a +1 stealth undirected action that costs 2 blood (or 1 blood if the controller controls at least 1 other ready anarch). A vampire can also be made an anarch by certain card effects. Becoming an anarch changes the vampire's sect to Anarch. If the anarch changes sect, then he is no longer anarch. Like other sects, being anarch has no effect on game play except as defined by cards and effects in play. Some cards can only be played by anarch vampires, for example.

Baron is a title that can only be held by an anarch. A ready baron gets 2 votes. The title of baron is associated with a particular city and can be contested by another vampire who claims the title of prince, archbishop or baron of the same city. If the title is contested with a prince or an archbishop, then the anarch's cost to contest it is increased by 1 blood. If a baron changes sect, he loses the benefit of the title until he becomes Anarch again, as usual for titles.