Status and Vampire Society
“Remember, young one. Words are knives, and fangs hide behind every smile.” — Madame Guil
The Embrace is a murderous act. A mortal is transformed into a vampire with a new instinct, the Beast. Over time, the Beast slowly worms its way into the individual’s personality, subtly changing her perceptions and encouraging the fledgling to surrender to dangerous, primitive impulses. The Beast constantly seeks to prove its supremacy. Unless a vampire unleashes her Beast from time to time, she will slowly succumb to madness as cruel urges gradually wear down her human nature. Vampire society evolved to allow subtle releases of the Beast by codifying intricate rules of protocol.
A vampire instinctively spends her time monitoring and measuring her place in society, comparing her station against others. Like a wolf, she knows her rank in the pack and is keenly aware of any social ascent or decline. Status is the game mechanic used by Mind’s Eye Theatre: Vampire The Masquerade to express this alien behavior and translate it into out-of-game terms.
All status traits associated with a vampire (or an Alternate Identity, see Chapter Three: Character Creation, page 98) are innately known and understood by all Accepted members of that vampire’s sect. For each dot of the Leadership skill a vampire possesses, she can learn the details of another vampire’s specific status trait, once per night. The following information is learned via this method:
• Name of the patron who awarded the status trait
• Location where the status trait was earned
• The story of how and why the status trait was awarded
Contents
Becoming Accepted
When a vampire joins a sect, she becomes Accepted by that sect. She is welcomed and has the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of membership. A vampire must be Accepted in order to earn, carry, or spend the status of that sect, or to hold positions within a sect. Killing an Accepted character is usually a breach of that sect’s law and custom, and is often harshly punished by others of that sect.
Accepted is not a status. It is a simple binary state indicating that a vampire is part of a specific sect. It does not count toward a vampire’s total status, and it cannot be expended or removed. A character can be cast out of a sect, losing her acceptance within that sect. If this happens, the character loses all positions and cannot carry, earn, nor spend the status of that sect. Ghouls, revenants, Retainers and other non-vampire servants cannot become Accepted by a vampire sect, nor can they hold status or position.
A vampire can only be Accepted by one sect at a time. Willingly being Accepted by a second sect erases the vampire’s current acceptance, automatically casting her out of the previous sect. The only exception to this rule is a character who possesses the Alternate Identity background.
A character’s Alternate Identity may be Accepted by another sect, and it may receive status and rank of that sect. However, if the Alternate Identity is discovered, the character automatically loses her acceptance, as well as all status, rank, and benefits of that sect. For more information on the Alternate Identity background, see Chapter Three: Character Creation, page 98.
The various sects also have different terms to identify vampires who are Accepted. The Camarilla uses the term Acknowledged. The Sabbat uses the term Initiated, and the Anarch Movement uses Committed. The sects also have different customs regarding the acceptance of new members.
In order to be accepted into the Camarilla, a newcomer must speak with her Primogen and be formally introduced by the local Prince. In the Sabbat, the character must survive a ritual of passage known as the Creation Rites. To become an accepted member of the Anarch Movement, you must prove your loyalty in combat with others of your sect.
Each sect requires different social protocols from its members, and has different means of stripping a character’s acceptance. Be sure to read your sect’s settings guide, and check with your Storyteller for details on being Accepted in her chronicle.
Status
Once a vampire has been Accepted by a sect, she may hold positions and earn status traits in that sect. A status trait is a measure of a vampire’s reputation. It represents a small amount of power and influence. When a character expends a status, she is using her political leverage in vampiric society.
Vampires reward, punish, and reap benefits by expending status, and they often hold specific traits of status that are particularly applicable to their long-term goals. Status traits can be either positive or negative.
Positive Status
Positive status traits have two mechanics: a passive mechanic and a spent mechanic. When your character possesses a trait of positive status, the character continually gains the effect of that status trait’s passive mechanic. Passive effects of status traits can’t be stacked. Even if you possess a status trait twice, when the passive effect is triggered, your character gains the benefit only a single time.
You can expend a status trait to invoke its spent mechanic. A character can expend more than one status at a time, utilizing their spent effects simultaneously. Unlike passive effects, a character can spend two status with the same trait name at the same time and gain both spent effects. If you spend a status trait, you lose the trait’s passive bonus.
If a spent trait was abiding or innate, it will return at the beginning of the next game session. At that time, your character regains the passive benefit of the trait. Spending an abiding or innate status trait has no effect on the sect position or intrinsic quality that provided the status; your character still retains the position or the quality. If a fleeting trait is spent, it does not return. Fleeting status is like a bullet in a gun; once you use a fleeting trait, it is gone forever.
Negative Status
The fourth category of status is negative status. Negative status is given as a punishment for poor social behavior, and it has detrimental effects. A negative status trait cannot be spent and remains until removed or until its duration expires.
Unlike the varied traits of positive status, there are only three distinct negative status traits that apply to all settings: Warned, Disgraced, and Forsaken. Other settings may have more negative status, to reflect a sect’s distinct social punishments.
General Traits
The Vampire: The Masquerade status system presents general status traits to be used in every setting. Note that status traits may exist that are unique to a particular sect or setting, and are detailed in each setting guide. Be sure to speak with your Storyteller about any special status customizations in place for her chronicle.
When judging how dangerous a political rival might be, a character should consider that rival’s status traits carefully — both those currently at the rival’s disposal and those which have been spent, but are abiding and will return at the beginning of the next game session.
Earning and Expending Status
A character earns status traits by many different means: through deeds, through patronage from more influential vampires, or through holding leadership positions within the sect. Positive status traits fall into three categories: abiding, innate, or fleeting.
A status trait can be expended with a simple action. To do so, the vampire must make some sort of announcement or proclamation regarding the status she is expending and the outcome of the expenditure.
Abiding Status
Abiding status traits are usually earned by holding a position within a sect. So long as a vampire continues to hold that position, abiding status refreshes at the beginning of each game session.
If a character loses a sect position during a game, any unspent abiding status she was carrying from that position is immediately removed (she cannot expend it as she is losing the position). Even if the character has more than one sect position, she does not gain the second position’s abiding status during this game. Also, when a character gains a new sect position, she does not gain that position’s abiding status until the beginning of the next game.
Example: In the Camarilla, Marisa is playing a character who is both Seneschal and Malkavian Primogen. She earns an abiding status trait from both positions, but must choose only one source to carry into the game. She chooses the position of Seneschal, and she marks the relevant abiding status trait from that position onto her sheet.
During that game, Marisa’s character expends her abiding status to punish a wrongdoer. For the rest of the night, she does not possess that abiding status. Her character is still the Seneschal, but carries no current status from the position.
Later that night, praxis is seized, and the princedom changes hands. Marisa’s character is not chosen to be Seneschal, but retains the post of Malkavian Primogen. Marisa cannot add the Primogen’s status to her sheet until the beginning of the next game session.
Innate Status
Innate status is similar to abiding status, but rather than being granted by a position, it is a part of some intrinsic quality possessed by a vampire, usually a merit or a flaw. So long as your character has the intrinsic quality, this status refreshes at the beginning of each game session. Some innate status traits, such as those granted by flaws, are detrimental to the character.
Fleeting Status
Fleeting status traits reflect a character’s notable deeds, achievements, or important patrons: deeds lauded by your sect or faction. You receive fleeting status in one of two ways:
• Patronage from another vampire, given when a patron expends her own status to grant fleeting status to another. The recipient of patronage status loses her trait if the patron dies or if her patron loses the position that allowed her to offer the patronage. Such status can only be received by a character of the same sect who has been under the patron’s authority within the past 30 days.
This could be someone who has visited the domain of a Prince or attended an elder Toreador’s party. A character can refuse a patron’s offer of a fleeting status trait, though to do so is considered insulting.
• Fleeting status can also be granted by the Storyteller when a character accomplishes great deeds. If a character does not accept a fleeting status at the time it is earned (through deed or patronage), it is lost. These traits can be expended once, and they do not refresh after being used. Once a character receives a trait of fleeting status, she may hold the trait without spending it for as long as she wishes. The status remains on her character sheet until expended. Elders often closely hoard their status traits for decades or centuries until they find just the right moment to use them.
A character can possess a maximum of 5 fleeting status traits at any time. If a character with 5 fleeting status earns or is granted another fleeting status, the player must choose which status she will keep, up to a total of 5. She cannot immediately expend a status as that status is being replaced; the status removed is lost without expenditure.
Example: Mal has 5 fleeting status, gained over a year’s play in the Camarilla setting. At game, he does something heroic and is granted the fleeting status trait Triumphant. He must immediately choose to take that Triumphant trait and relinquish another fleeting status trait currently in his status pool, which vanishes without the opportunity to expend it, or he must refuse the Storyteller’s offer of the Triumphant status trait. Mal chooses to refuse the fleeting status trait of Triumphant. At a later time, Mal expends a trait of his fleeting status during the course of a session. Even though he now has a free “slot,” he cannot go back and pick up the previously granted Triumphant trait; he has already refused it, and it is no longer available.
Negative Status
Negative status traits reflect stains on a character’s reputation, as an obvious reminder of disfavor. Negative status is always well-known to other vampires in the character’s sect. A character with negative status must wear a sticker, badge, or some other obvious sign of their sullied reputation. Any player can ask to learn the specific negative traits a character possesses.
A character can give another individual negative status by expending a specific abiding or fleeting status, as per a named trait’s specific spent mechanic. This status cannot be refused. Each negative status places a censure, or a restriction, on the character who possesses the trait. Characters caught breaking this censure by an officer of the sect must pay a boon to that officer or suffer the punishment attached to the negative status.
Unless removed, negative status lasts for a period of time specific to each status. The character (or Storyteller) who levied the negative status trait in the first place can remove it for free; other characters can also remove negative status by expending certain specific status traits.
Historical Examples of Abiding Status
Abiding status reflects the complex system of loyalties and prestige stemming from a myriad of titles and stations found in feudal societies. William Juxon (1582-1663) of England serves as a prime example of the application of abiding status. Juxon served as Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury simultaneously. In addition, he served his country as Lord High Treasurer and First Lord of the Admiralty. Depending upon the exact social situation, Juxon leveraged the title that best served his needs and demonstrated his intentions towards society; the title he chose depended entirely on how he wished to be perceived at any given time.
Status Caps
A vampire’s status cap is the maximum number of status traits that vampire can carry into game. A vampire can carry the following into game:
• All status from one abiding status source
• All innate status
• Up to 5 fleeting status
• All negative status currently affecting the character; with no maximum number
Status Bans
Vampire sects are judgmental institutions, with very strong ideals of right, wrong, and “appropriate.” To maintain the status quo, each sect recognizes certain status bans: limits on the levels of prominence “unworthy” vampires can achieve.
Status bans represent peer deterrents and general denunciation. Those who adhere to society’s ideals are honored as epitomes of the sect’s ideals. Those who behave in opposition to those standards are hampered and limited in their ability to socially advance.
A status ban reduces the maximum number of fleeting status traits a character can possess. If a vampire is guilty of one of the “defects” listed under the sect’s bans, then her maximum fleeting status traits are reduced. If such a reduction occurs during a session, any positive status traits the character holds above the number proscribed by that ban are immediately lost before they can be expended.
In extremely rare cases, a character limited by a status ban can be declared exempt from the ban. Such individuals can petition their sect leadership and beg for removal of the ban. Such petitions must be carried out and approved via the social mechanics of the specific sect. For more details on gaining individual exemptions from status bans, please see the specific setting chapter for your character’s sect
Lesser Ban
A lesser ban is a petty prejudice, one that has limited or minor effects, causing individuals suffering under this ban to be at a mild disadvantage in their society. A character under a sect’s minor status ban has her maximum possible number of fleeting status reduced to 3. Abiding status is unaffected.
Greater Ban
A greater ban significantly censures an individual’s political ambitions. A character under a sect’s major ban has her maximum possible number of fleeting status traits reduced to 1. Abiding status is unaffected.
