The Predator's Taint
Despite the predilection some Kindred have for describing each other as parasites, the truth of the matter is that vampires are finely suited to the roles of predators. Their supernatural abilities allow them to hunt with great efficacy. Their mesmeric personalities draw people to them. Even their hideous or offputting weaknesses can reduce their prey to impotent wretches from whom blood can be taken at will. The Kindred are consummate solitary predators, keenly able to procure their own sustenance without the aid of others of their kind.
It is no surprise, then, that when such perfect predators meet each other, the Beast inside each attempts to determine whether the other is a threat or an encroaching lesser. Indeed, when Kindred meet for the first time, the Beast rages within, wishing to flee in terror of a greater predator or to conquer a less able creature in hopes of protecting one’s own territory.
The player of the character with the lower Blood Potency must immediately check for Rötschreck (see p. 179).
The player of the character with the higher Blood Potency must immediately check for frenzy (see p. 178).
If the characters have the same Blood Potency, both players check for frenzy.
Characters risk frenzy and Rötschreck only when they are aware of the presence of the other Kindred. It is entirely possible, say, for a vampire to see another, unknown vampire feeding in an alley and thereby cause her own frenzy check as her Beast senses the rival Beast. While the other vampire is preoccupied with feeding he remains oblivious; only when he becomes aware of the other Kindred does his Beast respond to the presence of the first.
One minor benefit of the Predator’s Taint is that, due to the presence of the Beast, vampires instinctively know other vampires upon seeing them. Even if a vampire has met another Kindred before, the initial “surge” of the Beast takes place every time the two make contact, though it is far more manageable than the initial contact of the unknown. This also, unfortunately, explains the tense and mercurial nature of relations between vampires.
This rule exists to highlight the xenophobic world of the Kindred, as well as to reinforce the local phenomenon of Kindred domains. After all, even in a domain where one is on poor terms with the other local vampires, at least one knows them. In a new domain, the Predator’s Taint threatens a would-be immigrant so as to make a “Fresh Start” in a new domain a very dangerous affair.
Don’t use the Predator’s Taint to be adversarial. Use it only to drive home the notion that a particular vampire is strange, threatening and, most important, unknown. Storytellers may assume that players’ characters have met most of the other local Kindred in their domains during their period of indoctrination or protection under their sires. By the time the actual chronicle begins, characters are familiar, at least in the back story, with most Kindred of at least minor acknowledgement in their home domains. Characters have probably met the Prince. They are likely to have spoken with their Prisci and at least have been introduced to their Primogen.
Where the Predator’s Taint comes into play most effectively is when a new Kindred shows up on the scene. Maybe this unknown vampire is a prophet of Golconda, but her unknown nature prompts a hostile, immediate response from the Beast. Perhaps a rabble-rouser drumming up support in the characters’ domain spurs the Beast to a (arguably rightful) violent action. The envoy from a nearby domain might have the best of intentions, but the Beast instinctively causes the locals’ hackles to rise. With high emotions charging the encounter, Kindred grow confused as to whether they can trust this interloper or must eliminate her as a possible cunning threat to their own well-being.
Most times, the result of a frenzy caused by the Predator’s Taint is violent. In a few rare cases, however, other avenues may be pursued. Frenzied vampires may play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse across a city’s rooftops, for example, or they exert their dominance by engaging in some test of mettle such as running through a burning building, withstanding the impact of a speeding car or other gesture of power or endurance. As with other considerations regarding the Predator’s Taint, let the drama of the situation dictate the results rather than rote adherence to the letter of the rules.
Note also, Storytellers, that the general guidelines need not always apply. In a plot development that should cause the characters to mistrust their Primogen, maybe they Haven’t yet made her acquaintance. A pretender-Prince or some similar archetype might not have met everyone in the domain, particularly at early stages of his rise to power. On the other hand, it might just bog everything down to check for frenzy with every new vampire a given character sees. For example, there’s probably no reason to check for frenzy if a character walks down the street and a vampire passes by in a car. But if a character comes creeping home just before dawn and sees a foreign vampire hunched over the body of a bloodless vessel left lying in her doorway, a frenzy check is almost certainly in order. The situation should be taken into account as well. Two vampires catching each other’s eye in a nightclub may not provoke outright frenzy, but it definitely sets both of their nerves on edge and makes them a bit more alert to their surroundings than they might otherwise be. A vampire seeing another vampire through binoculars, however, would almost never suffer a frenzy check.
Certain Storytellers might wish to adapt the Predator’s Taint to other circumstances as well. A hungry Kindred might not see another vampire but might catch the scent of her on the wind as she prepares for the hunt (assuming her player states that the character searches for scents on the wind, as Kindred don’t normally breathe), causing the Storyteller to call for a frenzy check. A Kindred might slide along a wall in utter darkness, touching a cold, clammy hand — and realize the hand belongs to another of the Damned, risking frenzy in the shock of the situation. These examples and environments are far less concrete, but might serve as good dramatic opportunities, anyway. Certainly the range of other senses doesn’t apply as universally as vampires recognizing each other on sight, but given the proper story criteria, they can be just as valid.
The bottom line is that the Predator’s Taint is certainly a downside to being a vampire, as well as one more thing that makes being a new vampire that much more difficult. Don’t antagonize players’ characters with the rules, though. Use them to heighten the drama of a situation when the aspect of the unknown comes to the fore.
It is no surprise, then, that when such perfect predators meet each other, the Beast inside each attempts to determine whether the other is a threat or an encroaching lesser. Indeed, when Kindred meet for the first time, the Beast rages within, wishing to flee in terror of a greater predator or to conquer a less able creature in hopes of protecting one’s own territory.
System
When a vampire sees another vampire for the first time (and only for the first time), compare the characters’ Blood Potency dots.The player of the character with the lower Blood Potency must immediately check for Rötschreck (see p. 179).
The player of the character with the higher Blood Potency must immediately check for frenzy (see p. 178).
If the characters have the same Blood Potency, both players check for frenzy.
Characters risk frenzy and Rötschreck only when they are aware of the presence of the other Kindred. It is entirely possible, say, for a vampire to see another, unknown vampire feeding in an alley and thereby cause her own frenzy check as her Beast senses the rival Beast. While the other vampire is preoccupied with feeding he remains oblivious; only when he becomes aware of the other Kindred does his Beast respond to the presence of the first.
One minor benefit of the Predator’s Taint is that, due to the presence of the Beast, vampires instinctively know other vampires upon seeing them. Even if a vampire has met another Kindred before, the initial “surge” of the Beast takes place every time the two make contact, though it is far more manageable than the initial contact of the unknown. This also, unfortunately, explains the tense and mercurial nature of relations between vampires.
Storytelling the Predator's Taint
Important: Use of the Predator’s Taint should be based on the dramatic potential of the situation. Storytellers need not employ it every time a new vampire enters the narrative. They should not feel that they have to incorporate the Predator’s Taint into every interaction between Kindred.This rule exists to highlight the xenophobic world of the Kindred, as well as to reinforce the local phenomenon of Kindred domains. After all, even in a domain where one is on poor terms with the other local vampires, at least one knows them. In a new domain, the Predator’s Taint threatens a would-be immigrant so as to make a “Fresh Start” in a new domain a very dangerous affair.
Don’t use the Predator’s Taint to be adversarial. Use it only to drive home the notion that a particular vampire is strange, threatening and, most important, unknown. Storytellers may assume that players’ characters have met most of the other local Kindred in their domains during their period of indoctrination or protection under their sires. By the time the actual chronicle begins, characters are familiar, at least in the back story, with most Kindred of at least minor acknowledgement in their home domains. Characters have probably met the Prince. They are likely to have spoken with their Prisci and at least have been introduced to their Primogen.
Where the Predator’s Taint comes into play most effectively is when a new Kindred shows up on the scene. Maybe this unknown vampire is a prophet of Golconda, but her unknown nature prompts a hostile, immediate response from the Beast. Perhaps a rabble-rouser drumming up support in the characters’ domain spurs the Beast to a (arguably rightful) violent action. The envoy from a nearby domain might have the best of intentions, but the Beast instinctively causes the locals’ hackles to rise. With high emotions charging the encounter, Kindred grow confused as to whether they can trust this interloper or must eliminate her as a possible cunning threat to their own well-being.
Most times, the result of a frenzy caused by the Predator’s Taint is violent. In a few rare cases, however, other avenues may be pursued. Frenzied vampires may play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse across a city’s rooftops, for example, or they exert their dominance by engaging in some test of mettle such as running through a burning building, withstanding the impact of a speeding car or other gesture of power or endurance. As with other considerations regarding the Predator’s Taint, let the drama of the situation dictate the results rather than rote adherence to the letter of the rules.
Note also, Storytellers, that the general guidelines need not always apply. In a plot development that should cause the characters to mistrust their Primogen, maybe they Haven’t yet made her acquaintance. A pretender-Prince or some similar archetype might not have met everyone in the domain, particularly at early stages of his rise to power. On the other hand, it might just bog everything down to check for frenzy with every new vampire a given character sees. For example, there’s probably no reason to check for frenzy if a character walks down the street and a vampire passes by in a car. But if a character comes creeping home just before dawn and sees a foreign vampire hunched over the body of a bloodless vessel left lying in her doorway, a frenzy check is almost certainly in order. The situation should be taken into account as well. Two vampires catching each other’s eye in a nightclub may not provoke outright frenzy, but it definitely sets both of their nerves on edge and makes them a bit more alert to their surroundings than they might otherwise be. A vampire seeing another vampire through binoculars, however, would almost never suffer a frenzy check.
Certain Storytellers might wish to adapt the Predator’s Taint to other circumstances as well. A hungry Kindred might not see another vampire but might catch the scent of her on the wind as she prepares for the hunt (assuming her player states that the character searches for scents on the wind, as Kindred don’t normally breathe), causing the Storyteller to call for a frenzy check. A Kindred might slide along a wall in utter darkness, touching a cold, clammy hand — and realize the hand belongs to another of the Damned, risking frenzy in the shock of the situation. These examples and environments are far less concrete, but might serve as good dramatic opportunities, anyway. Certainly the range of other senses doesn’t apply as universally as vampires recognizing each other on sight, but given the proper story criteria, they can be just as valid.
The bottom line is that the Predator’s Taint is certainly a downside to being a vampire, as well as one more thing that makes being a new vampire that much more difficult. Don’t antagonize players’ characters with the rules, though. Use them to heighten the drama of a situation when the aspect of the unknown comes to the fore.
Suggested Modifiers
+3 The character is at Elysium or some other social event that would invoke grave consequences for succumbing to frenzy.+2 The character expects to meet another vampire, such as through a planned meeting suggested by a common acquaintance.
+1 The character frequents an establishment known to have common Kindred presence, such as a blood cult’s temple or the Rack.
— The character witnesses another vampire in a potentially threatening capacity for the first time.
-2 The character perceives the other vampire as an intruder or unexpected threat, such as by coming back to her haven and finding an unknown vampire there.
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