History TabletopGame / VampireTheRequiem

** Newer books contain references to popular websites and memes like ImageBoards, Website/LiveJournal, WebOriginal/LOLCats, and Website/YouTube. The dhampir chapter of ''Wicked Dead'' was a goldmine in particular.

* PeopleFarm:

* OurGhoulsAreCreepier: It starts with them being the blood-addicted human slaves of vampires. It gets worse. The Vitae drives ghouls to love their masters, ''no matter what.'' Only extraordinary hatred or long-term deprivation of blood has a shot at breaking this bond, which means a lot of vampires feel perfectly okay with abusing their ghouls in ways that would get them put on trial in an international tribunal, were they doing such things to a prisoner of war rather than their blood-addicted servants. Also, since the blood allows for regeneration, don't expect pity for any injuries you may suffer from the depravities of your vampire master, or anything that might happen to you while performing the duties your master expects of you. Obviously, many ghouls are [[ThereAreNoTherapists not right in the head.]] They also shouldn't be confused with ''Ghûls'', who are Arabian wizards who [[CursedWithAwesome are immortal, superhuman and cannibalistic]].

A tabletop roleplaying game in the TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness line and SpiritualSuccessor of TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade. Players take the roles of vampires, people [[CursedWithAwesome Cursed]] with eternal (un)life, supernatural power, and -- oh, yeah -- [[BlessedWithSuck bloodlust and a fatal sunlight allergy.]]

%%* {{Masquerade}}: Vampires have codified this into an explicit Tradition, and the Invictus covenant is intent on making sure it stays upheld.

* MesopotamianMonstrosity: The Edimmu of Sumerian myth, originally a type of VengefulGhost or demon, is a powerful [[ManySpiritsInsideOfOne sevenfold spirit]] that can [[FoodChainOfEvil devour a vampire's soul]] and [[PossessingADeadBody possess its body]]. [[BloodMagic Blood witches]] created the first to assassinate a Babylonian GodEmperor vampire, then [[GoneHorriblyRight learned to their horror]] that each victim lets the Edimmu spawn seven more skeins of seven spirits. Millennia later, the legend ''terrifies'' vampires.

* FiveManBand: The clans collectively form a weird, evil version of this
** TheHero: Clan Ventrue (They are the rulers of vampire society)
** TheLancer: Clan Nosferatu (Are ugly underdogs in vampire society, and ''way'' more moral than the Ventrue
** TheBigGuy: Clan Gangrel (Are the most savage of the clans and have the most physical powers)
** TheSmartGuy: Clan Mekhet (They trade in information and can harvest it through the use of PsychicPowers)
** TheChick: Clan Daeva (The most physically attractive of the clans)

* VampiresAreSexGods: Well, they are. The Players bloodline also uses the phrase "dark gods of lust."

* TheVirus: Vampires, mostly.
** There's a fun scenario where a Burakhumin causes a zombie apocalypse with his skill in Getsumei.

* WorldHalfEmpty: The oppressive helplessness of the setting is what appeals to many.

* TranquilFury: Each clan seems to have a different variation of Frenzy, but a number of comments in the Mekhet clanbook hint that theirs veers towards "broken Terminator."

* UncannyValley: Several InUniverse examples:

** Whilst Nosferatu are more known for being [[LooksLikeOrlok conventionally deformed]], it is mentioned in the corebook that some instead manifest their curse by way of this, including by being so inhumanly perfect looking that their beauty becomes unnatural and alarming.
*** In fact, there's an entire Nosferatu bloodline, the Galloi, whose curse is that they can either look like this due to being inhumanly beautiful androgynous hermaphrodites, or they can skip their {{Blood Bath}}ing rituals and wind up looking like monstrous corpses (the phrase "skeletons swathed in decaying gravewrappings" is used).

* UndergroundCity: If enough Nosferatu live in a city and have enough pull to influence water and subway design, they can create one from unused and self-dug areas.

** The ultimate philosophic goal of the Forsworn is to become this.
* UnstoppableRage: Vampires when they frenzy
* TheVamp: The female Daeva, literally. [[IncrediblyLamePun And everyone else]].

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers

* SenseFreak: The Strix in modern times. Also, the Duchange, whose bloodline weakness specifically invokes this.

* ShoutOut: Newer books contain references to popular websites and memes like ImageBoards, Website/LiveJournal, WebOriginal/LOLCats, and Website/YouTube. The dhampir chapter of ''Wicked Dead'' was a goldmine in particular.

** The art for the Moroi bloodline from the Ordo Dracul sourcebook is clearly meant to be [[Film/BladeII Jared Nomak]].
*** Possibly subverted: it's said that artist was no longer contracted by White Wolf after a few of his pieces were a little too obviously characters from other media.

* ShroudedInMyth: The Unholy, most famously.

* SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness: It's just ''barely'' on the middle-ish area. A really determined Kindred could potentially go their entire Requiem without killing... but just about every "biological" and social factor is against them. Feeding requirements only get tougher with age, the Beast means every emotional stimulus can potentially lead to murder, the Danse causes most neonates to get callous, ''fast''. And all their powers make it so ''very'' easy to get corrupted.

* {{Sourcebook}}

* SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome: There are entire ''books'' filled with bloodlines.

* StepfordSmiler: Any vampire, but especially the Daeva.
** There's also the Melissidea bloodline. They often have beehive hairdos. With actual bees. Their Animalism stops working so well on mammals, works better on bugs, and they take advantage of the fact that their insides are unused to act as colonies for insects. Oh, and they can make a Vitae based honey that turns those who eat it into part of their HiveMind. They were supposedly wiped out because of the danger they posed to Kindred society.

* StrawFeminist: The Daughters of The Goddess, one of the many Circle of The Crone factions.

* StrawmanPolitical: The various Covenants aren't particularly given to fair characterizations of each other, but it gets especially bad when the Carthians and the Invictus are talking about each other.

* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Each Vampire's mind and soul are also home to a Beast, which consists of nothing but mindless impulses of rage, hunger, and just enough self-preservation to hide from the sun. Falling into a [[UnstoppableRage frenzy]] means that this Beast takes control, granting extra strength and some resistance to mental control, but at the cost of being controlled by hunger/anger/fear for the duration. A Vampire can attempt to "Ride the Wave" of the Frenzy, allowing him a small measure of control, but it's by no means a sure thing.

** Frenzy TookALevelInBadass in ''Blood and Smoke''-now, it provides a dice bonus in Blood Potency to ''everything'', so long as the actions are in line with what awoke the Beast. And there's ways to make it even ''deadlier.''

* RedBaron: The Unholy. The Red Sultan, as well.

* ReedRichardsIsUseless: Both averted and played straight numerous times. Many vampires have the power to change the world--but most don't, despite canonically having the means and desire. Vampires are beings locked in stasis, and they in fact don't do well with change.
** Longinus {{lampshades}} it in the Testament of Longinus's ''[[ApocalypseHow Book of Eschaton]]'' by highlighting the Kindred's tendency for self-sabotage:

* OurGhoulsAreCreepier: It starts with them being the blood-addicted human slaves of vampires. It gets worse. The Vitae drives ghouls to love their masters, ''no matter what.'' Only extraordinary hatred or long-term deprivation of blood has a shot at breaking this bond, which means a lot of vampires feel perfectly okay with abusing their ghouls in ways that would get them put on trial in an international tribunal, were they doing such things to a prisoner of war rather than their blood-addicted servants. Also, since the blood allows for regeneration, don't expect pity for any injuries you may suffer from the depravities of your vampire master, or anything that might happen to you while performing the duties your master expects of you. Obviously, many ghouls are [[ThereAreNoTherapists not right in the head.]]
** Not to be confused with ''Ghûls'', who are Arabian wizards who [[CursedWithAwesome are immortal, superhuman and cannibalistic]].

* PartialTransformation
* PeopleFarm: ''Shadows of the UK'' presents a vampire conspiracy involving hunting down recent immigrants to the UK and harvesting their blood repeatedly in stalls for use as easy food and fantasy-style healing potions.

** Vampires who get too potent can only feed on vampire blood.
*** Or, in 2e, on the blood of any specific supernatural breed that they have spent Merit points "adjusting" to -- so one vampire can only feed on [[TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken Uratha or wolf-bloods]], another can only feed on [[TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening Mages]], etc.

* {{Plaguemaster}}: The Morbus Bloodline, whose unique Discipline lets them create and manipulate diseases. Subverted in that they HAVE to spread illnesses because they can only feed from the diseased. Many Morbus try to avoid spreading illness unintentionally, however, by feeding only off of people with one specific illness. Otherwise, they present major threats to the {{Masquerade}} and someone may come along to [[ShootTheDog shoot the plague dog.]]

* PowerBornOfMadness: The [[TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade Malkavians of the WoD]] became a ''Ventrue'' bloodline called the ''Malkovians'' in the new [=CoD=]. The basic concept is mostly the same, though they don't have Dementation anymore, but a form of Domination that, if it backfires, causes the vampire to be consumed by madness again for a time.
** And with the Ventrue splatbook, Malkavia is now a disease that affects vampires causing madness and allowing access to Dementation. It's fitting because the whole Ventrue clan is now crazier than dropping acid in Disneyland.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: The Mercy Seat's practices are a TropeCodifier.

* PsychicPowers: [[AuraVision Aura Perception]], The Spirit's Touch (aka postcognition), {{Telepathy}}, and [[SpiritWorld Twilight]] Projection from the Auspex Discipline.
* PsychicSurgery: One variant of the VII faction can do this... for good ''and'' ill.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: The Rakshasa bloodline's ultimate goal is to destroy the gods BecauseDestinySaysSo!

* MadScientist: White Wolf, of course, [[ForegoneConclusion put Dracula in this game!]] It's worth noting that they've emphasized the whole Dracula = MadScientist thing from the Stoker novel, though, as opposed to his other incarnations...

* ManipulativeBastard: The Daeva. So much that this habit will eventually suck away their emotions.
* {{Masquerade}}: Vampires have codified this into an explicit Tradition, and the Invictus covenant is intent on making sure it stays upheld.

* MindRape: High level Dominate qualifies. While altering memories or even possessing someone might be done for the greater good, using Dominate to condition someone is ''always'' a [[KarmaMeter sin against high-to-mid level Humanity]], no matter how well intentioned you might be in doing it.

* MonsterLord: Bloodlines and elders with high Blood Potency, obligating them to act monstrously to other monsters.
** The Ventrue would have you believe that each and every one of then is one too.
** Kindred with Animalism and a whole lot of ghouled dogs, which are referred to as Hellhounds.

* MyBelovedSmother: The Qedeshah Bloodline, who incorporate the scariest aspects of motherhood.

* MythologyGag: In ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', Mekhet was the name of a mysterious being who may or may not be a secret Antediluvian with epic conspiracy theories. The clan of the same name keeps the mystery alive, to the point that it may be their [[GangOfHats new hat.]]

*** A derangement from the same clanbook called "Preferential Obsession" causes the Ventrue believe that only blood from individuals of a certain category will sate them. Basically, the derangement's a self-inflicted mental version of their former clan weakness in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade''.

* KillItWithFire: Vampires' greatest weakness next to sunlight and GenreSavvy mortals.
** And if you take the Coil of Banes' legendary 4th tier, AvertedTrope.

* LivingDollCollector: Depraved masters of Dominate.
** Although not technically living, the Sangiovanni like to create animated puppets out of corpses. With high enough levels of Malvolio, their bloodline discipline, these zombies can remain indefinitely without decomposing, and they can even gain a semblance of intelligence, to serve their undead masters better.

%%** The Xoxocti versus Daeva plot mentioned above.

* ImAHumanitarian: The Noctuku, a bloodline of the Nosferatu whose members have a taste for the flesh of other vampires. They regulary have to consume another vampire's flesh (even though they can't keep it down and don't gain any nourishment from it) or risk going into a [[UnstoppableRage hunger frenzy]]. What makes the Noctuku really fit that trope is that they actually don't need vampire flesh; pork and lamb will do just fine, but no, they just ''prefer'' other vampires.

* IncongruouslyDressedZombie: Game Masters are encouraged to use this trope for Larvae.
* InTheBlood: This is actually the premise of the Shadows of Mexico setting. It even points out that ''racism'', of all things, is somehow rooted into the land and is considered a valid mental derangement along with obsessive compulsive disorder.

** The Xoxocti versus Daeva plot mentioned above.

** A good many bloodlines are, quite frankly, {{Curse}}d with [[BlessedWithSuck Suck]] ''and'' the core book makes it clear that if a vampire has a sire or grandsire in said bloodline, they may "reflexively" join despite not wanting to. Some kindred will often go to great lengths trying to avoid this by running away or joining a (they think/hope) less sucky bloodline.
*** The Melissidae bloodline are known to not do anything if their childer run away. They just assume that the blood will take care of itself. So far, it always has.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Very much averted. Ghouls are never anything but alive or fundamentally human. That doesn't stop the [[ShoutOut Cainite Heresy]] from [[TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil Hunter]] calling them Half-Vampires, though.

* TheHedonist: Potentially every Daeva.
** And ''definitely'' every Strix.
* HermeticMagic: Crúac and Theban Sorcery
** Only for Crúac's "default" mode. Crúac actually has rules for shaping it to fit any culture's view of magic.
** Csalad and Gilded Cage, ritual Disciplines involving ley lines.

* HorrorHunger: Vampires and blood, among whom the Noctuku Bloodline take it to new levels. They're not only blood drinking monsters, but ''addicted to cannibalism''. That's right, they need to eat the flesh of the living (animals, humans, and vampires) or suffer crippling hunger pains and worsening social and mental abilities. Worse, they still can't digest, so it all ''comes right back up.''
** Arguably worse are the Macellarius, who aren't addicted to cannibalism, but do it anyway for the heck of it.

* HypnoticEyes: Dominate.

* GameFace
* {{Glamour}}: The Majesty discipline.

* GothicPunk: Less so than the Old World of Darkness; it's more Gothic Horror, although traces remain.
** Such as the outfits. Dear gods, the outfits...

* FateWorseThanDeath: Ultimately every vampire will surrender to their beast and become either a mindless beast or a careful predator. For some that is a FateWorseThanDeath but for some (just read the Belial's Brood description above) it's a ''blessing''.

* TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne: How vampires sense each other's Blood Potency.

* ForScience: The stated motive behind many of the more horrible things the Ordo Dracul do. For example, "Following the Dragon's Tail," which involves murdering a frequently randomly selected innocent, just to observe the effect of the murder on the victim's friends and family, as a lesson in the unpredictability of the consequences of one's actions. An expanded version, called "Counting the Dragon's Scales," involves a number of vampires and coordinated mass slaughter, and is intended to allow the study of what happens when an entire city collectively craps itself in terror.
** They also entertain ideas about Embracing people completely unprepared for vampirism (suicides, the disabled) for the reason of seeing whether or not the Beast's survival urge can overcome their mentality.
* ForTheEvulz: One of the most deranged things introduced in the game is a ghoul family called the Crassus. Unlike most ghoul families, these guys are pretty awesome. They're a 6,000 member family with tons of cash, connections, fame, and Kindred disciplines. They're called the Caesars, and sometimes the royalty of America. They have their hand in everything from insurance to Mob wars. But there's a catch: see, this family was created when a Ventrue dude named Lysander agreed to paying a Roman gambler's debt, but in return everyone in his family is now a toy for Invictus members. Only a few individuals in the family know this. And by "toy," we mean the Invictus can beat and rape the hell out of them whenever they want to vent out some of their frustration (or the lulz), only to return the poor Crassus member to their normal life as if nothing has happened. [[RefugeInAudacity The Crassus are noted for being incredibly resistant to the thought of anything supernatural, even their own powers, so they always always rationalize this regular degradation as some "evil uncle paying a visit."]] The fluff actually encourages this behavior: the Crassus are consistently portrayed as [[RichBitch vain and snot-nosed rich kids]] that [[BreakTheHaughty "need to be taken down a peg or three"!]] But wait, it gets better! All Crassus ghouls can have their choice of either the Ventrue or Daeva weakness. Clearly, being part of a rich family sucks in this world.
** The Crassus estate actually has an insane asylum for all their family members who were unable to use their money and power to fix themselves up from all the rapes. Their estate has a wing with a coterie of Invictus in it, as well... This family is doomed.
*** They have created ''two more'' ghoul families specifically for ''the Crassus'' to piss on? It just never ends. One family is perpetual butlers with undeveloped vocal cords, who are systematically killed the second they mention being self-aware of their condition, and the other is a purpose-bred family of pit fighters knowing no life outside the arena.
** Or, a Crassus can spend his Staff merit on other Crassus ghouls. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Think about that for a second.]]
** Then we have the Strix, who being TheUnfettered now, primarily prosecute vampires for this reason.
*** A Strix in the opening of the Strix chapter of ''Wicked Dead'' speaks of his decaying possessions, and how he/she doesn't know who he really is anymore, or why he does all these terrible things. "... and I wouldn't have it any other way."

* FantasticRacism: The clanbooks bring up the idea that the Daeva and Ventrue are the top of vampire society, while the Mekhet are looked down upon. The Gangrel are equated with dogs, and Nosferatu? Worms.
** The Lancea et Sanctum faction called the Crimson Cavalry is the Christian Identity Movement with vampire clans taken into consideration. Wow.

* FantasticFragility: The allure of Bloodlines is they give their members a fourth discipline (sometimes unique) at in-clan cost, making it ''much'' easier to gain terrifying new powers. The downside? A whole ''new'' weakness to bog you down, ranging from being egomaniacs (Asnam) to the crippling like not having fangs or [[KissOfTheVampire the kiss]] (Norvegi).

* FantasticFragility: The allure of Bloodlines is they give their members a fourth discipline (sometimes unique) at in-clan cost, making it ''much'' easier to gain terrifying new powers. The downside? A whole ''new'' weakness to bog you down, ranging from nuisances like not being able to embrace men (Qedeshah) to the crippling like not having fangs or [[KissOfTheVampire the kiss]] (Norvegi).
** The Qedeshah weakness is a bit more than a nuisance. They also can't produce the effects of [[KissOfTheVampire the kiss]] and their bite is, in fact, ''more'' painful than it reasonably should be. Any who do attempt to embrace someone of the male persuasion end up with a black, slimy pile of goo where their prospective childe once stood.

* EvilEvolves: Or at least, it does if you're the Ordo Dracul. Of course, they [[KnightTemplar rarely see what they do]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans as evil...]]

* EvilutionaryBiologist: The ''modus operandi'' of the Ordo Dracul, thanks to the Coils of the Dragon. Subverted in that most of the changes are done to oneself, intentionally... although there's always a need for more [[HumanResources test subjects.]]

* EvilVersusEvil: In a game where you are a VillainByDefault in a society based on TheSocialDarwinist trope and the game's system tries to make it really hard to play TheAtoner, you get this.
** ''Ventrue'' has a running narrative about a [[MysteriousWaif dead girl]] who's trying to protect herself from the [[OminousOwl Strix]] by performing a lot of really creepy ritual killings around places full of negative feelings. She claims the rituals are from the only ones that can fight the Strix, the equally mysterious "Perfecti." [[FridgeBrilliance That's basically Belial's Brood.]]

* FantasticDrug: Vampire blood. Just don't mention this to most of them. They're kind of sensitive about it.