Credits Special Thanks

Mark The Original Rebel ReinHagen

Written by: Matthew Dawkins Andrew Mayor of Atlanta Greenburg
Art by: Tim Bradstreet, Clyde Caldwell, John Van Fleet, Robert The Professional Hatch
Joshua Gabriel Timbrook
Justin DJ Achilli
Storytellers Vault Developers: Shane DeFreest & Dhaunae
De Vir Additional thanks to our friends at Onyx Path Publishing as
some of the material presented here was originally published
Layout and Design: Marcos M. Peral Villaverde in Becketts Jyhad Diary.
Vampire: The Masquerade Creators: Mark ReinHagen This is dedicated to the numerous storytellers who have helped
with Steven C. Brown, Tom Dowd, Andrew Greenburg, Chris the World of Darkness come alive in the hearts and minds of
McDonough, Lisa Stevens, Josh Timbrook, and Stewart Wieck millions of people. We look forward to watching you share
your Vampire: The Masquerade stories with the word. This
is for you. We cant wait to see what you create!

2017 White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The
Masquerade, World of Darkness, Storytelling System, and Storytellers
Vault are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of White Wolf Enter-
tainment AB. All rights reserved.
For additional information on White Wolf and the World of Darkness,
please, visit: www.white-wolf.com, www.worldofdarkness.com
and www.storytellersvault.com.

1 Credits
Introduction: Vampire: The Masquerade Style Guide 4
Vampire Editions and Metaplot Timeline 4

The Becoming (Vampire First Edition) 6

Gothic-Punk (Vampire Second Edition) 8

Signs of Gehenna (Vampire Third Revised Edition) 10

Modern Nights (Vampire Fourth V20 Edition) 12

 Introduction:
Vampire: The Masquerade
Style Guide

Welcome to the Vampire: The Masquerade Storytellers so your creations can best fit within one of the set visions
Vault Style Guide. This resource will assist you in creating of Vampire: The Masquerade. Some writers will prefer to
new material for the horror roleplaying game, Vampire: mix edition tone, adding personal horror to one chapter
The Masquerade. of a book, with grand existential horror in another. Others
Perhaps you are new to writing work for other readers will desire consistent tone throughout. We do advise you
eyes, or maybe you are an established writer who works strive to make any creations you submit match a single
freelance contracts for games such as ours. Whatever your editions rules, so readers do not require multiple editions
experience, this guide will aid you in writing for Vampire. for reference.
Note that this guide does not assume you will only create The metaplot of Vampire: The Masquerade steadily
content for the newest editions of our games. Rather, moved along through to Becketts Jyhad Diary (from
we hope creators will tailor their writing to the moods which some of the following text is taken), and into the
and themes of each edition of Vampire. The differences newest edition of the game. Writers should be aware of
between each edition follow this introduction. the metaplot as it stood in the era in which they seek to
Whether you feel its time your home city received a write, but will of course have freedom to write as they
by Night sourcebook, your favorite bloodline had its own choose. There is no reason a book using First Edition
Clanbook, or a novel was written about your character, or rules and committing to that editions tone cannot be
one of the notable cast of Vampire: The Masquerade in set in 1220 C.E. or even 2017 C.E., but if it is set in the
years past, you will find this guide a useful starting point. former, the writer should be aware of such fundamentals
as the lack of Camarilla and Sabbat, and if in the latter,
the writer should think twice about creating a book in

Vampire Editions and which Jaroslav Pascek is still Brujah Justicar.

Note these suggestions are not requirements. We do
Metaplot Timeline recommend a certain level of adherence to metaplot, but
dont let this stop you making your What If? book in which
Divided into four editions, the system, tone, and con- the Tzimisce destroy House Tremere before Goratrix can
tent of Vampire has altered gradually, sometimes within say wouldnt this experiment be a good idea?
a single edition, other times making leaps between major When you write for Vampire, consider the tone for
releases. The Storytellers Vault is divided between editions each edition as follows:

VAMPIRE STORYTELLERS VAULT STYLE GUIDE 4

 The Becoming Setting Advice: Settings and sourcebooks for First Edition
should keep personal, street-level horror in mind. First
(Vampire First Edition) Edition had an unpolished veneer to it. You can use this to
your advantage, throwing together a really raw, throttling
Grounded in the real world, the lonely struggle for morality book, in which a citys clans (which were tightly bunched
dominates the focus. in First Edition) war with each other over roads, tower
blocks, and parking lots.
Tone: Intensely focused on the city scale, the First
Edition of Vampire centers on Humanity and the Riddle First Edition had an eccentric edge. Methuselahs seemed
monsters we are lest monsters we become. This edition to exist in every city, and neonates frequently got caught
is all about personal horror, the loss of self to something up in millennia-aged romances and rivalries, all leading to
darker, and the individual journey into the jaws of the Beast. control of something as small as a nightclub or museum.
Gangrel were uneasily allied with werewolves, Malkavians
First Edition focuses on fledglings, neonates, and rebellious consorted with changelings, the Sabbat were an unknown,
childer: making a ghoul or Embracing a mortal is only possible and age was the real fear factor.
with permission from a nigh-omnipotent Prince. This is
the age of the lone vampire trying to find some meaning in First Edition is cool. Do not be afraid of putting your
an increasingly-dark world, where respect and civility are vampires in leather, torn fishnets, and giving them a
more important than conspiracy. Domain traditions are cigarette to puff on as they ride their motorbikes through
paramount, and differ from city to city, though the Camarilla the domain.
does maintain its own rules. Each city is a point of hazy light Movie / TV Influences: The Lost Boys, Cronos, Near
in a sea of darkness, and the rule of different Princes never Dark, The Hunger, Ganja & Hess, Nadja, Martin, Kindred:
guarantees sanctuary from one place to the next. The Embraced.
The core seven clans receive the flickering spotlight Musical Influences: The Sisters of Mercy, Ministry,
of this edition. Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Killing Joke, Skinny Puppy.
Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue. Each bloodline is a focal Game Design Advice: First Edition doesnt take the
point for a different vampiric myth, stereotype, or source concept of game balance into account. Fledglings may
from pop culture. The Anarchs and Camarilla are the interact with Methuselahs, and can even strike a blow
default Kindred sects, making uneasy bedfellows in most against them. In Diablerie: Mexico, a coterie of neonates
domains. A demonic, insane Sabbat attacks the edges of do just that. Do not worry about the math except in cases
society, or sends spies to infiltrate Camarilla cities. of Disciplines, where each dot of power should be roughly
Themes: The struggle for morality, transgressive sexuality, analogous to that of other Disciplines. Otherwise, throw
extremes between the ages of Kindred, loneliness, Vampire game balance out of the window.
setting linked to the real world.

Introduction: Vampire: The Masquerade Style Guide 6

 concepts, themes, clans, bloodlines, Paths of Enlightenment,

Gothic-Punk and approaches to undeath. Your books should do this as well.

Second Edition receives a lot of attention for its

(Vampire throwing shit against the wall and seeing what sticks
method. Many sourcebooks contain far-ranging concepts,
such as a Lasombra masquerading as a Ventrue Prince so

Second Edition) he can get his hands on the nuclear launch codes in the
White House, or a hidden sect of vampires dedicated to
serving the Antediluvians, destroying or enslaving every
Vampires are part of an eternal and secret war between the other vampire, and preserving humanity as feeding stock.
young and the old. Do not be afraid of inventing new ideas for Second Edition
Tone: Second Edition sees the primacy of the Gothic- books. This is where the idea youve always wanted to write
Punk world. Institutions are corrupt, culture turns sour, is most at home, no matter how experimental.
neonates bring down elders, and Methuselahs push ancillae Second Edition harnesses the vampire templates
like pieces on a chess board. The sexuality of the previous introduced in First Edition, and in many ways, expands
edition changes to a romantic sensuality. Second Edition is existing stereotypes. This edition is an excellent playground
where the World of Darkness rises to the fore, as everything for exploring single-clan chronicles, or stories starting in
becomes connected through shadow conspiracies, dark the Dark Ages and concluding in the modern nights, all
alliances, and ages-long manipulations. within the same city.
Protagonists are more sophisticated about their secret Second Edition is outlandish. Vampires are pierced to
world, able to effect change in and of themselves. Elders the gills, wear fleshcrafted augmentations in public, and
are now fallible, and neonates are dangerous elements. receive new tattoos every night. This is the party edition,
Even powerful Princes have great flaws and secret masters where vampires in Elysium are as likely to engage in a orgy
who know more than they. The clan focuses spread to with mortals and ghouls as they are discuss the increasingly
include the Lasombra, Tzimisce, Assamites, Followers threatening Sabbat over crystal goblets of blood.
of Set, Giovanni, and Ravnos, though those outside the Movie / TV Influences: The Crow, Highlander, 30
Ivory Tower are often viewed as outsiders. Even aberrant Days of Night, Queen of the Damned, From Dusk Till Dawn,
bloodlines begin to appear in small numbers, as highly Vampires, Blacula, Daughters of Darkness.
exotic deviations of the Blood. Musical Influences: Joy Division, The Cure, Nine Inch
The Masquerade is the chief means of self-preservation Nails, Depeche Mode, The Clash, Danny Elfman.
rather than an ostentatious display of conspiratorial power. Game Design Advice: Game balance is more of a
Conspiracies such as the Inconnu and the True Black concern in Second Edition, due to the wider world becoming
Hand stride into the darkness, hinting at an even more more apparent. City sourcebooks such as L.A. by Night
secret world, and providing options for players beyond contain a plethora of neonates and fledglings to provide an
the big three sects. Secrecy receives central emphasis; the even playing field, while Montreal by Night contains some of
Masquerade is not just about pretending to be human, but the most powerful vampires written in Vampire in one book.
also about fitting into the crush of humanity as a whole.
Balance isnt everything in this edition, as bloodlines
Violent outbreaks are hidden under false reports and
such as Necromancy-wielding Kiasyd showed us, but it is
mistaken identities by the Camarilla, while the Sabbat
crucial to realize this bloodline was written as an exception
plays at breaking the Traditions.
to the rule.
Themes: Sensuality over sexuality, balance between
Be aware that rules-wise, there are few changes between
ultra-modern and ancient, clan and sect as community,
First Edition and Second. In large part, the changes are an
long-term, large-scale conspiracies.
alteration of Presence levels, an increase in Health level
Setting Advice: Second Edition books expanded the penalties, a large amendment to the ways Celerity and
World of Darkness to include a broader cornucopia of Potence function, and how Virtues are tested.

Introduction: Vampire: The Masquerade Style Guide 8

Signs of Gehenna parts of the world beyond the USA, parallel vampire
cultures on different continents, and tensions between
(Vampire Third sects separated by an ocean.
In no edition is the approach of Gehenna more
Revised Edition) apparent than this one, therefore content should take
on grandiose, sweeping aspects. Antediluvians wake to
The end is near, and all of the Damned command or destroy their clans, while a new generation
fear what is about to come. of young vampires rally to fight back against the tide.
Tone: The war between the Camarilla and Sabbat War rages across the World of Darkness, and only
goes global, as domains from Mexico City to Cairo, barely stays out of the public eye.
and Baghdad to Atlanta fall to or close in on conflict, The stereotypes of Second Edition are shattered
civil or otherwise. The Camarilla finds it increasingly in Revised, as clans diversify and antitribu become as
difficult to deny the existence of the Antediluvians, as it appealing as the core clans. Consider any characters
appears several rouse from their slumber, or make their you write for this edition as being more cosmopolitan.
presences known after centuries of observing the world. Revised Edition is global. Vampires wear sharp
Elders and Methuselahs arent merely wicked and cruel suits, mirror shades, and never drive their own cars:
in Revised Edition; theyre revenging themselves for the thats what your ghoul is for. Elysium is less likely to
crimes of your thousand-year-old grandsire. Their grand play goth classics and more likely to host a four-piece
retaliations are petty movements on the great board of string quartet.
Jyhad, the scale of which is continental in scope. Movie / TV Influences: Blade, Bram Stokers Drac-
Gehenna approaches fast, as omens reach fruition, a ula, The Addiction, Underworld, Interview with the
clan falls, and desperation sets in. How long do Kindred Vampire, Shadow of the Vampire, Dracula, Nosferatu.
in this edition have left to tie up their affairs, before fate Music: Garbage, Switchblade Symphony, Night-
tells them their time is up? The expanding mythology wish, Marilyn Manson, New Order.
reveals long-held truths are mere stories, making them Game Design Advice: Game balance is at its height
lose their sacred power. Meanwhile, unheralded events in Revised, though as with all editions of Vampire,
shake the foundations of what Kindred believed they its still possible to walk into Elysium and thumb ones
knew. The Camarilla offers unchanging stability in a nose at the Prince and then use Celerity to speed away.
crumbling society, and the Sabbat promises violent Importantly, Revised is the first edition to provide full
fanaticism with the certitude of victory over the hated Discipline rules for all 13 clans in the core book, and
progenitors. Midnight sieges and crusades become de each Discipline is Revised sufficiently for balance with
riguer. Anarchs sacrifice their unity and clarity of purpose their counterparts.
for vague notions of individuality and personal freedom,
Remember with Revised that players may expect
but suffer as the other two sects take advantage of the
Malkavians to possess Dementation as a clan Discipline.
sects fragmentation.
Expression, Performance, Crafts, and Academics replace
The four Independent clans are now distinct po- Acting, Music, Repair, and Bureaucracy, respectively, as
litical factions with a little pull on their own, but with Abilities. The Linguistics Knowledge shifts so each addi-
enough power to sway things between Camarilla and tional dot provides a geometric progression (+1/2/4/6/16
Sabbat on a regular basis. They are noteworthy wild languages) instead of Second Editions arithmetic pro-
cards in the Jyhad. gression (+1/2/3/4/5 languages). This information is
The Masquerade frays at the seams. With everything important, as power write-ups in previous editions will
falling apart, there isnt a monolithic conspiracy capable not refer to use of Abilities introduced in this edition.
of protecting the World of Darkness. Unlike in Second Edition, where many vampires had
Themes: Biblical apocalypse, the shattering of the five or more dots in out-of-clan Disciplines, in Revised
status quo, the alienness of the undead, existential angst, published characters have a more natural spread. This
ancient wars and the global Jyhad. lends itself to game balance for play of neonates, and
Setting Advice: Revised Edition evokes a ultimately favors the players as their protagonists gain
globe-spanning feel, that should be incorporated in your more power through Experience than most supporting
books for this edition. City sourcebooks should explore characters possess.

Introduction: Vampire: The Masquerade Style Guide

10
Modern Nights
Any books you write for V20 should keep in mind that
many of the more raw aspects of previous editions have

(Vampire Fourth been refined for this edition. The True Black Hand are
now a legitimate threat, the Kiasyd are more than just faerie

V20 Edition) vampires, and the Anarchs are once again a serious sect.
Stereotyping has all but disappeared in this edition, as
Sexy, deadly vampires toy with mortals as part of their per- vampires emerge from all walks of life and all corners of
sonal, elaborate schemes. the world. Members of the Camarilla may be on cordial
terms with members of the Sabbat, Followers of Set may
Tone: V20 is a blend of the previous three editions. It
opt to join the Ivory Tower, and domains separate them-
leans on setting progression and mythology, but deliberately
selves entirely from the sects. This is an edition where
eschews metaplot proper. The metaplot is intentionally
you should consider each city its own private kingdom,
locked at a nebulous point in time, with a uniquely universal
shaped by its ruler and its inhabitants, more than the
feel, until Becketts Jyhad Diary updates it to approximately
overriding sect.
2006 in advance of the next edition. The tone varies from
deeply personal horror of sexual, body, and psychological Take inspiration from V20 from all modern vampire
natures, through to epic-scale threats emerging from waning media. From romance-heavy plots to deep, personal
clans re-emerging and the Anarchs gaining new clout with tragedies, vampire moved of the last decade or so have
the dominance of the technological era. opened up what vampire books such as yours can be
capable of, so check out a broad array.
V20 represents a toolbox approach to Vampire, as
elements from all previous editions appear throughout Vampires in V20 blend into humanity as far as pos-
its books. Long fallen Princes make returns, classic sible. Suits, hoodies, uniforms, fetishwear: whatever is
bloodlines receive coverage, formerly vague Disciplines appropriate for the setting. A vampires phone in V20
finally appear in full, and old elements of metaplot are may play some thrashworthy punk one minute, and a
resolved, explored, expanded, or reignited. movie soundtrack the next. This is the modern age, and
everything is accessible.
Portable technology and widespread Internet render
the previous view of the Masquerade antiquated. Modern Movie / TV Influences: Thirst, Let the Right One In,
newsworthy hotspots such as immigration, trafficking, the What We Do in the Shadows, Byzantium, Dracula: Pages
increasing divide between Right and Left, and the culture from a Virgins Diary, Only Lovers Left Alive, True Blood.
war, carry vampires on their bellies as if they were hungry Musical Influences: Echo & The Bunnymen, VNV
parasites. Some ride it to just stay hidden and out of dan- Nation, Muse, The Birthday Massacre, Rammstein
ger, while others do so to take advantage of humanitys
chaos. Vampires move with the times, embracing the idea Game Design Advice: Due to the collected range of
of technology as fashion, integrating it into their sensual characters, plots, sects, and powers introduced (or re-in-
and sexual excesses. The Masquerade isnt protected by troduced) in V20, the rules reach their cleanest, most
monolithic sects, but by individual Kindred. With silence balanced state. V20s rules are fundamentally the same as
all but impossible, vampires hide in plain sight, spinning those in Revised, though some small changes take place:
stories and gaslighting with Presence and Dominate to hide. Awareness becomes a Talent, the functionality of Dodge
is now a part of Athletics, Security is subsumed into
The Masquerade is a social media smear campaign, a Larceny and Technology, and Linguistics is now a Merit.
gang of outcast friends banding together in an uncertain
world, or the illegal migration to another domain. Take note of the changes to the Gangrel and Tremere
clan flaws, and difference in cost for Humanity / Path at
Themes: Technology age, bottom-up conspiracy, the character creation. You should also note the significant
illusion of status quo, vampires as apex sexual creatures, changes to Potence and Celerity, which both alter from
evolution rather than revolution. Second Edition to Revised, and from Revised to V20.
Setting Advice: V20 celebrates everything from the Dominate and Presence now test against a victims cur-
previous editions: the personal horror, the sweeping rise rent Willpower, instead of against the targets permanent
of Gehenna, the range of character backgrounds, and the Willpower rating. Split actions also change in V20 in an
diverse domains scattered across the world. effort to make multiple actions better balanced.

VAMPIRE STORYTELLERS VAULT STYLE GUIDE 12