History TabletopGame / VampireTheRequiem

* EmptyShell: What excessive uses of Dominate can do to a person.
** Subverted with the [[HumanoidAbomination Empty Liars]]--they're called that because they have false memories of being a human and don't have blood, only eldritch secrets they've picked up. But personality-wise, they're indistinguishable from normal people, even to the point of having a Morality score.

* DemonicPossession: Dominate 5: any human so possessed this way tends to go insane or even catatonic.
** Pick a Strix. Any Strix. Chances are he's done this at least once, probably more.

* {{Deprogram}}ming: What it takes to break some Dominate powers.

* DownerEnding: This is the ''default ending'' for most chronicles (personal horror game, remember?). The authors make it a point to remind the readers every now and then.
** An EsotericHappyEnding is possible and actually referenced a lot, in various types and forms: AscendedDemon. Unfortunately, most variants on this ending type involve reaching a point of power and age where you no longer [[BlueAndOrangeMorality think like a human]].

* DecadentCourt: Pick an Elysium, ''any'' Elysium.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Or rather, less evil. The Mekhet hate [[FireKeepsItDead fire]] and sunlight even more than other vampires, and the Nosferatu are literally ''impossible to like''. They're also the clans whose Beasts affect their minds in the least obvious ways, so it appears easier for them to be good... which isn't saying much.

* CursedWithAwesome: Frankly, despite the developers' intent, that's how most groups play it.
** Ghouls tend to see themselves as this: They are cursed to be necrophages for eternity in return for their dark sorcery as mortals... [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld at the age they were cursed]]... with FunctionalMagic intact... CharmPerson... and the complete lack of anything resembling [[EnemyWithin the Beast]]. It's at that point that the silver lining gets so thick you can't see the cloud.

* CrapsackWorld: ''Especially'' for humans. [[TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil Some humans take issue with this state of affairs]] and have developed potent tools towards that end-such as a device that essentially makes a vampire's unique metabolism self-destruct in rather graphic fashion.
* CripplingOverspecialization: The Moroi bloodline are a group of uber-predators kept as assassins by the Ordo Dracul. They boast strength and toughness beyond even undead norm, they have both Obfuscate (vampiric stealth) and Animalism (animal control), and they're an option for both Gangrel ''and'' Nosferatu, meaning that they have relatively easy access to Protean (shapeshifting) and Nightmare (inflicting fear), though they're no longer in-clan. They also have murderous urges even more powerful than other vampires that take up most of their concentration, and while they're not precisely deformed, they have yellowish skin and their air of menace allows even oblivious humans to understand there's ''something'' wrong with them. So yeah, good if you want to fight, sneak, or assassinate, bad if you want to, say, carry on a normal conversation, or do more than basic math.
** It should be noted that the Bloodline Weakness of the Moroi is basically the Clan weakness of the Clan they didn't come from; in other words, they have both the Gangrel and Nosferatu (1st Edition) weaknesses, which apply identical penalties to Social rolls (Nosferatu) and Mental rolls (Gangrel). Notes for the Bloodline flat-out state that they're exceptional in combat, nearly useless for just about anything else, and actually provides some tips for approaching the Crippling Overspecialization trope in-story.

* ChineseVampire: This would be the Jiang Shi variant of vampire. They even make use of the genderswap power legends speak of, but is often forgotten in modern portrayals.
** in 2e, the Jiang Shi in the research triangle of North Carolina are in the process of becoming a true Kindred clan.

** Some more radical chapters of the Carthians can approach this trope.

* BloodBath: One bloodline of vampires, the Galloi, bathe in blood to make themselves more beautiful.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Any vampire that lives long enough to become Prince is probably not someone you want to mess with... unless they're a PuppetKing, in which case they are probably ''controlled'' by someone you don't want to mess with.

* AppealToTradition: The Invictus inherently trust things that are old because they are proven, rather than new things that are potentially unreliable and volatile. This includes their political beliefs, of course, but it also extends to their personal belongings and tastes (part of the reason they tend to retain fashion styles from their time alive, even if they're several hundred years out of date).

* AppealToAuthority: A Prince never needs to explain him or herself to anyone, and can punish anyone who questions them. However, as a matter of practicality, Princes will usually at least explain their actions to the Primogen, since Princes that seem to act too recklessly can often find themselves without their jobs... [[KlingonPromotion or their heads.]]
** However, any vampire with a hint of survival instinct will learn early on not to question their superiors, especially not the Prince.

* VampiricWerewolf: ''[=TWoD=]'' usually forbids mixing templates, and in Werewolf: The Apocalypse, werewolves who are Embraced by vampires usually just die. The unluckiest ones become Abominations, Tortured Monsters who have most of the powers of both creatures but are at constant risk of falling to the Wyrm.

* [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Tabletop Game Cruelty Potential]]: '''''Oh, boy'''''. Listing specific examples would probably break the page.
* TerminalTransformation: One BloodMagic rite lets a vampire transform their blood to poison to protect themselves from neck-biters. Ghouls can also learn it, but, not [[RequiredSecondaryPowers being undead]], they react as most humans do to [[CruelAndUnusualDeath having their veins filled with poison]].

* WolfMan: Gangrel, kinda. Only one bloodline in ''Shadows of Mexico'' can actually go half wolf/half man

* '''Daeva:''' Faster, stronger and sexier, [[HornyDevils the Serpents]] are the sex symbols of the vampire race. As expected they are [[TheBeautifulElite good-looking]] or at least very charming. That talent for moving among humanity is a double edged sword, though, as Daeva become [[StalkerWithACrush obsessed]] with their human victims the more they feed off them. Their Disciplines are: [[SuperSpeed Celerity]], ''[[{{Glamour}} Majesty]]'' and [[SuperStrength Vigor]].

* HornyDevils: The Daeva.

* ButNotTooForeign: A plot point introduced in ''Night Horrors: Immortal Sinners.'' The character Emily Eupraxus Washington was inducted into the ancient Roman Eupraxus bloodline, who are treated as the figureheads of the [[AristocratsAreEvil Invictus]] Covenant. Emily's half-Japanese, and is portrayed as an ineffectual ruler and [[{{Moe}} moe blob]]. The plot is that the elder Invictus are largely racist feudal Europeans, but they dare not act against their crown jewel. The younger Invictus, on the other hand, love Emily because her combined lineage and bloodline show that the Invictus is capable of adapting to the modern world.
* TheCaligula -- Plenty of princes fulfill this role.
* CameBackWrong: The Nosferatu. Some are TheGrotesque, but most simply have something about them -- eyes that are an unnatural color, an odor, the way they move, or even an aura about them -- that is ''just not right''.

* CannibalismSuperpower: The Macellarius, a Ventrue Bloodline, possess the unique power of Gustus. This allows them to, among other things, consume, digest and gain [[LifeEnergy Vitae]] from human flesh, store extra Vitae as body fat and to spew highly acidic bile. Sounds more repulsive than convenient, right? Except that at its highest rank, Gustus allows you to absorb the powers and copy the abilities of others by consuming their flesh, and it works on mortals and fiends alike. {{Munchkin}}s ahoy!
** Diablerie is this by way of MonstrousCannibalism - the act of draining another vampire dry during torpor and ''devouring their [[YourSoulIsMine soul]]''. While it comes with drawbacks, and is considered a MoralEventHorizon in polite Kindred society, the benefits include an immediate upgrade to the diablerist's blood potency, [[MegaManning and the ability to gain one dot in any skill or discipline that the fallen vampire knew more about than his killer (which can allow diablerists to learn disciplines from outside their clan)]].

* TheCasanova: The male Daeva.

** Horrifically, Belial gets similar treatment.

* EnemyWithout: The Hollow Mekhet lose their reflection and [[AnatomyOfTheSoul part of their soul]] during their creation. They become autonomous spirit-like entities that can only subsist on carrion and stagnant water, and generally don't like their hosts.

* '''Ventrue:''' [[MonsterLord The aristocracy of the vampire society]]. Proud and domineering, the Lords are always at the top: They win. [[MagnificentBastard They always win]]. Even though some of them may not be part of the elite, they are very influential in any societal level they find themselves in. Taking the neo-feudal politic system of the Kindred very seriously makes them dangerous social climbers. [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Because of this power hunger, they're prone to seeing those around them as tools, rather than individuals]]. Their Disciplines are: [[TheBeastmaster Animalism]], ''[[HypnoticEyes Dominate]]'' and [[MadeOfIron Resilience]]

** Some of the factions are definetely not good, but they seem cool enough to hang out with. The Reformers of the Lancea Sanctum, for example.
* AgeWithoutYouth: The Oberloch bloodline.
* AGodAmI: Every member of the Asnam bloodline. To wit, the Asnam are a [[TheBeautifulElite Daeva]] bloodline whose special abilities allow them to make a ghouled human appear prettier than he really is, transfer blood or willpower to or from one of her ghouls over large distances, sleep in the body of a ghoul and prepare a child in such a way that, when the Asnam suffers {{Permadeath}} if their soul is transferred into the body of the child. They are also true egomaniacs, which allows the [[GameMaster Storyteller]] to grossly underplay the difficulty of a task up to two times per scene.

* AnimalEyeSpy: Animalism 4's ability.
* {{Animorphism}}: Clan Gangrel.

* ArtReflectsPersonality: Vampires are {{Damaged Soul}}s with CreativeSterility, so their art might be ''technically'' impressive, but it almost never makes any emotional impact on the viewer. This is no surprise to Changeling {{Emotion Eater}}s, who can get at most a single, stale-tasting point of [[{{Mana}} Glamour]] out of a vampire.
* AscendedDemon: Golconda. Maybe.

* TheBaroness: The female Ventrue.
* TheBeautifulElite: Deconstructed by the Daeva.

* EnemyWithin: All vampires suffer from The Beast, an animalistic, id-like force with a hint of supernatural malice, that attempts to compel them into immediately satisfying their instinctive urges, such as craving for blood, fear of sunlight or anger at the slightest provocation, no matter the circumstances. Its motives can be summarised as "Hunt. Kill. Feed. Sleep. Repeat."
** Hollow Mekhet have another Enemy Within: part of their soul is detached from their body and exists in reflective surfaces. They can only subsist on carrion and stagnant water and generally do not like their hosts.
** There's also "The Other," from the ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' Storyteller's Guide, which can optionally replace the Beast, and is a bit like the ToxicFriendInflunece within.
* EnlightenmentSuperpowers: The Ordo Dracul's Coils seem to qualify, granting limited freedom to vampiric weaknesses.

** There's also "The Other," from the ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' Storyteller's Guide, which can optionally replace the Beast, and is a bit like the PoisonousFriend within.

* '''Nosferatu:''' By far, the most evidently monstrous of the Clans. [[TheDreaded The Haunts]] are outcasts in the Kindred society because they are cruelly disfigured by the Embrace. The curse manifests in them in a variety of ways, [[RedRightHand like physical ugliness, abstract odor or something much more uncomprehensible]], [[UncannyValley but always disturbing]]. Fortunately, for them, they have talents that makes them too useful and too dangerous to be completely ostracized. Their Disciplines are: ''[[NightmareFace Nightmare]]'', [[{{Invisibility}} Obfuscate]] and [[SuperStrength Vigor]].

** Averted (mostly) with the Ordo Dracul. Rank in the Ordo is generally earned through study of the Coils of the Dragon, which often requires so much time that they don't really have time to kick ass. That said, ''do not'' mess with one of the Sworn of the Axe, who are this trope UpToEleven.

* BastardBoyfriend: This is what a ghoul's regnant is by default.

* '''Gangrel:''' Vampires capable of great ferocity and insight. The Savages may have [[UnstoppableRage hairpin triggers]], but their special bond with the Beast give them a sagacity matched by no other Clan, and, in fact, some of the wisest vampires out there are Gangrel. On the other hand, while other vampires tend towards more... human evil, the Gangrel do boast some atrocious monsters. Their Disciplines are: [[TheBeastmaster Animalism]], ''[[ShapeShifting Protean]]'' and [[MadeOfIron Resilience]]

* 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 [[PlanetOfHats new hat.]]

[[AC:The various Splats of Vampire are as follows:]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: The game tries to capture the vital essence of "Vampire: The Masquerade" while still being its own, independent entity.
** A common complaint of ''Requiem'' is that it's ''too much'' like ''Masquerade'', existing in a bizarre overlap between TheyChangedItNowItSucks and ItsTheSameNowItSucks. ''Requiem'' 2E does a better job of establishing itself as its own entity.