Sins of the Blood
Project Outline

November 2001; $17.95; 128pp.; 95K words

What sins and secrets are so heinous that even the Kindred eschew them? That's what this book's about. Heresy, breaches of tradition, truck with unwholesome entities - that's what we're going to be looking at. Know first and foremost going into this, though, that I don't want this to be mere shock value. I want to treat the matter with the utmost maturity, examining as much of the why as the what. This isn't Internet snuff porn or Slayer albums so much as it is medieval Albigensianism and McCarthyist Communism. In a time when the world is rapidly hurtling toward its own end, who would dare to venerate Lilith? Who would be so foolish or greedy as to worship with a Gehenna cult? Who would sign away his soul for a bit more acumen with his Disciplines?

The people this book's about, that's who.

Part of the thrill of indulging these practices is the fact that they're forbidden or discouraged. Deep inside many Kindred, as with many mortals, is the desire to be different and to matter, and for some, this provides the avenue to do just that. In kind, paranoia, xenophobia, and straight-up fear of the end of the world leads some Kindred on veritable witch-hunts to end such heresies.

Sins of the Blood, however, should go past those base desires. Some people are literally so fucked-up that they earnestly seek out the Devil, or other more chthonic entities (especially among the Kindred) to satisfy their deviant desires. In truth, that's who this book is really about - the people who move beyond the adolescent desire to shock or stand apart. These people may be Kindred, ghouls or doomed mortals; whatever the case, they're messing either with stuff No One Should Know or stuff that No One Should Admit To Knowing. Most of the risk from practicing the heresies in this book comes from one's peers - ostracism is the lightest of penalties. To those few who swim into truly dangerous waters, the very secret they seek to unearth might be what devours them.

Keep in mind that not all of this is demonology or monster cults. In fact, very little of this book should be devoted to such. Rather, this book deals with the heresy first and the social troubles one may run into later. It's fine and good for an overwhelmed coterie of neonates to swear allegiance to the Sabbat if a pack of nomadic badasses swings into town - but what happens when they participate in the Vaulderie? What happens when they've sworn allegiance to the sect and must destroy their sires as a sign of loyalty? What happens, even if they haven't partaken of the Vaulderie, if they find themselves trapped between the prince and the nomadic pack? What happens when an elder becomes so far withdrawn from Cainites and mortals alike that his only bulwark against the Beast is the Path of Self-Focus? What kind of vampire is so beyond the pale that he consumes the flesh - or worse - of his vessels? Has a vampire who sets himself up as an angel or a god, using his Disciplines to work "miracles," gone too far?

(Yes. Yes, he has.)

What are these vagaries? Why would anyone commit them? What are the consequences? Those are the questions this book asks and answers.

Theme and Mood

The theme here is "conform!" No, seriously, the theme is that some knowledge or practice is best left unindulged. In some cases, this is going to be very subjective - it's not like it's "better" to be in the Camarilla than the Sabbat, because you're still a vampire either way. The differing camps, though, will have those subjective tendencies and viewpoints. In other cases, the stuff this book covers is straight-up bad from almost any point of view. Nothing good is going to come of stealing babies to sate the deranged thirsts of your blood-sucking master.

As far as mood goes, douse the book with suspicion. Make us leery of these strange practices. I've mentioned before the xenophobia inherent to Kindred society - let us feel that. Indeed, play both sides: Let us feel xenophobic, but also allow us to empathize with the heretics, who must be more than just antagonists (I reiterate this below) and are probably a bit wary of the "mainstream." You'll probably also be able to evoke some nice, horrific dread when dealing with some of the more monstrous and supernatural aspects of the heresies themselves.

Tone and Style

This book must be handled with grace and precision. I'm leery of printing a bunch of sadism and fiendishness and having people think, "Oh, well, at least my vampire doesn't do that, so he's a good guy." You must keep morality a gray issue where it is at all possible. Granted, it's not going to be possible in some situations (like infernalism), but we'll be dealing only minimally with stuff like that. Remember that a vampire who makes books out of live dogs' skin and a vampire who doesn't are still both blood-sucking predators. Do leave questions in the air. For example, when doing the Sabbat revision, we kept their violence and brutality, but moved to the fore the fact that they're fighting to avert the bloodfire-and-brimstone end of the world. You certainly won't need to create such "balance" here, but keep us ever aware that the Kindred who stand against these heresies are only by degree less monstrous than the Kindred who practice them, and even that isn't always a given.

As to the practitioners themselves, I don't want them to be default antagonists. The whole principle behind Vampire is that some sort of redemption - or at least stalemate against the Beast - is possible. Make us sympathize with these fiends, even if we abhor what they're doing.

Introduction (2,000 words)

Here we have the explanation of what the book's about, how to use it, etc., in the standard format. I am currently enamored of lexicons, so set aside any specialized terminology you include in other chapters and we'll assemble them here.

Chapter One: Sins of Morality (20,000 words)

The vast majority of the time, vampires observe Humanity as their moral code, even in the Sabbat. In some cases, though, the Kindred grow too far from their human origin to be steel themselves against the Beast with something so primitive as Humanity. Take a look at alternate moralities in the big picture - don't bother detailing specific sins from the hierarchies or mechanics (unless you're making a point or giving an example), but look at the practice itself. Among Camarilla Kindred, Paths are tremendously rare, so what of the Camarilla Kindred who adopts one? The sect as a whole is devoted to hiding among humankind by pretending they're the same. How do you do that if you're devoted to exalting the state of death or elevating your monstrous nature? Even in the Sabbat, where Paths are more common, that's not to say that they're upheld by every Cainite you'll meet - mostly, they're observed by elders who are so far gone that it's all they can do to hold back the Beast with whatever's at hand, or young prodigies who "get" the vampiric condition. Finally, look at the minor sects and independent bloodlines. Go light (if at all) into the Inconnu to preserve their mystery, but how about the Ravnos and Assamites? In some cases, independent clans uphold their moral codes as veritable religions. In others, they're reserved for the old freaks who just don't relate to the world around them anymore. You may wish to refer to some of the work you'll be doing in the next section (see below).
(5,000 words)

Also, I'd like you to explore some Paths of Enlightenment, particularly some of the ultra-foreign ones practiced by the now-defunct Black Hand. Present these as fully fleshed-out Paths, as per the Guide to the Sabbat and the Appendix of Vampire: The Masquerade. Use that format. Most importantly, make these work as codes of morality - the old presentations weren't moralities so much as they were ways to twist the Humanity Hierarchy of Sins to fit oblique character concepts. I want true methodologies, not mechanical dodges.

The Path of the Scorched Heart - I'd like to see this brought up date by shifting the focus away from "good" and "evil" and more toward a "duty" to the self. Check out Mike Lee's treatment of the Road of Chivalry from the Dark Ages Companion; that's a good basis for the revision of this Path, with oneself as both liege and vassal. Do not refer to Vulcans, for God's sake.

The Path of Self-Focus - This one is the cleanest of the Black Hand Paths, so it should be a relatively light revision. Bring to the fore its Eastern Origin in the roots of wu wei and Zen, perhaps even linking it peripherally to an appropriate Kuei-jin Dharma. (Leave such links vague, though. Don't make it the "Kindred version" of the Thousand Whispers.) The heaviest rework will probably fall on the Hierarchy of Sins.

The Path of Harmony - What was originally the Path of Harmony in the Sabbat suffered a schism, and those who reconciled their morality with the goals of the sect evolved the Path of the Feral Heart. The "old-school" Harmonists either dropped out of the sect or went underground. To update this Path from its initial presentation, make it more a Path of balance than "goodness." It's not a dualistic opposition to the Path of Cathari, it's a devotion to natural order. Parts of this from the original treatment work; other parts try to pigeonhole Harmonists into being the "nice," eco-friendly vampires of the Sabbat. Cut those latter bits and play up the former. Beware of making this the Vampire version of D&D's True Neutral - you'll need some strict attention to the Hierarchy of Sins, which is going to change heavily. "Natural balance" is not hanging out in a grove and smiling at rabbits.
(1,500 words each; about 5,000 words in total)

I would like to see an optional system treatment for Kindred who drop to zero in their Humanity/Path scores. Normally, these Kindred are assumed to be berserk and in the throes of the Beast, but that doesn't give us much room for diversity. In some Kindred, the Beast is a blood-drenched monster. In others, it's a hyena-like cunning, waiting in the shadows and staving in another Kindred's head just as he begins feeding so the Beast can have two vessels. Take a good look at zero-morality vampires. Show us how to use them in stories. Show us the many forms they may take. The Beast's priorities are the kill and sustenance - how does the Beast vary with each person in whom it rises? One of my favorite bits in Anne Rice's series was her "revenants," vampires who lost so much of themselves after becoming vampires that all they could do was stalk prey and drink blood. They even looked fucked-up, with skin drawn tight over angular, prominent bones; hair lousy with mildew; rotting tatters for clothes; etc. When Lestat and what's-her-face (the little girl vampire) were rooting around the Old World for others of their kind, they came across an entire village that was being terrorized by one of these things. Super-gothic. Scary as all hell. It ruled! Show me how I can create such moods in my games and give me the tools with which to do it. Now, give me some power scales: It's scary enough fighting a cagey, remorseless enemy who's as powerful as an individual member of my coterie. Imagine going up against and elder who finally succumbs to wassail and keeping that shit under wraps as well. Uh, but don't call them "revenants," even though that's such a great word. (5,000 words)

Finally, I want to see a consideration of Golconda. The most important thing here is to reinforce the fact that Golconda is not a transcendent state of vampiric niceness. Kindred who achieve Golconda, according to the core rulebook, "have mastered the Beast to such an extent that it no longer controls their actions." Yes, ultimately, Golconda is about feeling remorse and making the World of Darkness a better place, but that does not mean that the vampire becomes a sissy pacifist who stops fights and pets squirrels in the forest with earlier-edition Harmonists. Check this shit out: "Even the werewolves leave the masters of Golconda be, for they are not Damned, but Hallowed." That does not sound like someone I want to ask for a favor. Keep Golconda very personal and steeped in mystery, but make it clear that these are vampires who have not denied but conquered their ravenous halves; they are serene and remorseful amid their hunger. Because Golconda is so personal and subjective, a vampire who has attained it is certainly inscrutable to those who observe her. She may take a serial murderer as a protégé because, in her opinion, overpopulation is a problem to the world and the killer's doing his part to alleviate that problem. Don't reduce Golconda to sheer wickedness; that's not what I'm saying. Do your best to make it a weird, unique and unknowable-from-the-outside mixed bag. From those who have not experienced it, Golconda should weather a healthy mix of reverence, fear and ignorance. The Camarilla thinks it's largely a fairy tale. The Sabbat thinks it's for pussies. The Inconnu supposedly pursue it, but who the hell knows what they're up to anyway? Independent clans probably have their own takes both in general and personally. In any event, a person seeking Golconda is going to face enormous hurdles personally, and the ones she faces from her peers, colleagues, enemies and acquaintances are going to be only slightly less should they catch on to what she's doing. Go ahead and look at it mechanically as well - the core book sez you gotta have Humanity 7+ and Conscience 4+. Doesn that mean Path followers can't attain it? I don't want a list of Paths that can and can't reach Golconda, but ultimately, Golconda is a state beyond the concerns of the Beast, so maybe anyone who attains the peak (or close) of their Path could reach it. Some Paths probably don't want to (Path of Typhon, Path of Blood), but others may. It's sounds kinda like the vaunted Tzimisce Metamorphosis. (5,000 words)

Chapter Two: Sins of Society (20,000 words)

While the Last Chapter was about ideological heresies, this one's about social taboos so grave, you may well find yourself the subject of a blood hunt because of them. I'm not saying that this is right or wrong; I'm just saying that Kindred are a fearful, reactionary bunch who would often rather accept the evil they know than risk the one they don't. It's part of being dead - you want things to stay the way the were at the time you died, because that's what's happened to you. Needless to say, that desire makes the unlives of many Kindred unpleasant. In this chapter, you'll want to focus on the social nature of these "crimes," from blackballing to having the prince or bishop (attend to the Sabbat as well) declare you a menace to your fellows and forfeiting your unlife.

One of the coolest things I ever thought Vampire had to offer was the utter secrecy of its parallel society. Hidden among mortals, an elaborate, Byzantine social structure emerged. Of course, for people like me, that social structure is a giant heap of politics, favor-currying and other utter bullshit that anyone with a lick of sense wants to avoid like the plague. These are the vampires who become autarkis, those brave, stupid, desperate or disillusioned souls who have turned their back on the redemption of the Kindred and make their own way. Look at what it's like to be utterly alone in the World of Darkness. Show us both sides - the haunted, hunted unlife of the autarkis and the resentment of the tradition-bound vampires (of whatever sect, as autarkis aren't limited to Camarilla cities) who don't trust them enough to leave them alone. In many ways, autarkis aren't rogue of their own volition. They're an affront to whoever claims to be the preeminent Kindred in the city. If you're a powerful prince and some punk-ass vampire says, "Yeah, whatever," he's going to need to be made an example. (5,000 words)

In line with those autarkis are the anarchs, who try to change the machine from the inside. While this isn't a sin or a heresy, per se, you can bet that the elders who would lose out on some of their hard-earned domains under equalitarian resource distribution under the anarch model will treat it like one. Note that here, I don't want to see the anarch side. The core book has enough material on playing one, and I have a full book on the resurgent Anarch Movement on the 2002 schedule. Just look at this from the point of view of the sects. And if you couldn't guess, anarchs probably have a harder time in Sabbat-infested cities than they do in those populated by Camarilla Kindred. (2,000 words)
And now the big one: switchin' teams. Look at how hellish unlife is when you up and join the Sabbat - or when you decide that the Camarilla's the way to go. I trust I don't need to spend any more words conjuring this little serpent's den, so run with it, baby. Hit me on all levels, from fledgling packs and rank neonates to entrenched elders and disenfranchised archbishops. As well, hit me on all sides of the traitor's equation, highlighting what it's like for the defector, how his erstwhile sectmates perceive him, and how his new fellows receive him. (8,000-10,000 words).

Okay. Change gears. The forbiddance of diablerie is one that almost any vampire regards as practically the Seventh Tradition. Go beyond the few words presented in the core Vampire book, but use those words effectively - we know it's bad, but we need to know why. My take on the effective "diablerie ban" is that elders don't want hungry neonates whacking them for their blood. Neither do ancillae. Same with, well, neonates who are even one generation lower than a potential diablerist. Diablerie is the ultimate bucking of the system for those who are willing to endure the social stigma of undertaking it. Granted, that social stigma may grow as severe as final death, but who wouldn't risk their unlife for a taste of the power older Kindred take for granted? Also, look at this from the Sabbat perspective, from which diablerie is not only expected but encouraged. You can't just run around and fang anyone you want, but it's fair game after Monomacy, if you bring down a "weak" member of the sect or if you manage to commit the amaranth upon an independent or Camarilla vampire during some sort of ill interaction. (2,000 words - we don't really need systems, and much of the warning is already in the core book. Just give us some new context for the fear and occurrence.)

Chapter Three: Sins of Discretion (15,000-20,000 words)

This chapter is probably going to be a bit more cohesive than the others. Here, we're not dissecting a collection of related sins, but a single whole. This is the chapter that covers cults and secret societies - situations in which vampires present themselves to the world (usually a select few weaker Kindred, as well as a few ghouls, but mostly mortals) and set themselves up as gods, angels, avatars, what-have-you for their own comfort or benefit.

At first glance, this seems fairly simple. These are your Setite temples, your exotic mountain monasteries where the resident elder sends the monks into frenzies before devouring them, and all those other staples that we expect. As always, I want you to go beyond those easy expectations. Yes: Cover Setite temples and forgotten Himalayan havens, but also cover Toreador blood cults, end-of-the-world societies, backwoods religious movements that are modern evolutions of the Cainite Heresy, etc.

I don't necessarily want a collection of "sample cults" (that's for the Appendix), but you can give a treatment to the three or so that are the most indicative of the larger phenomenon. Why do Kindred create these things? What do they glean from them? What types of people do they target? By their nature they're breaches of the Masquerade, so why risk destruction for a few easy vessels? I'll see if I can dig up a copy of an old White Wolf Magazine article that provides a good foundation for this.
More than anything, the heresy here is the open mingling of undead nature with the mortal world. This isn't hiding among mortals, this is proclaiming one's supernatural affinity before them. Show us how precariously the world of the Kindred teeters on total exposure - in fact, you might want to sow a few seeds of doubt. Perhaps the only thing protecting the Kindred from letting the mortal world know about them isn't their precious Masquerade but the cynicism of that mortal world. Who believes in vampires in the modern nights? Hah! Not me! Be careful, though, of disempowering the people who play the game in the parameters with which we create it. The Masquerade, ultimately, is very necessary. I just want you to suggest that seeing it as the be-all and end-all of continued Kindred existence is perhaps so much more undead hubris. Don't reward the bomb-tossing, machinegun-toting jackasses who gun down cops without consequence in their chronicles, but let us know that it takes two to tango in this epoch of incredulity. And don't mix as many metaphors or allusions as I just did.
I also want to see this section used to reinforce the unique nature of the Kindred. Older edition cults and secret societies seemed to teem with members, some even going so far as to establish "generic vampires" belonging to Cult X whose asses you could kick. Consider a city with five million citizens. Theoretically, the city could host a population of 50 Kindred. If the Hidden Eye of the Fourteenth Apostle has 10 members, that's 20% of the Kindred population of that city unlikely. I imagine that secret cults have, say, a pair or three acolytes and a figurehead at most. Anything else is a risk of exposure. (Hmm but if every Kindred in the city was part of a cult might make for a cool story.) Some might not even have ghouls, because they're a liability and you have to feed them precious blood, instead working through mortals oblivious to the vampiric (if not the supernatural) nature of their "spiritual leaders." Again, keep the supernatural elements rare and grave. That makes the game more horrific rather than overwhelming it with everyone-and-his-grandmother being clued-in agents of various supernatural forces. Think Cthulhu, not Ghostbusters.

Also, take into account those cults that aren't traditionally cults; look at the secrets societies and social conventions. What about a vampire who's the patron of a halfway house? Or a vampire who sits as president of the Anytown Historical Society and Gentlemen's Supper Club? I can imagine our charming Jan Pietezoon sponsoring a rape victims' support group. In these cases, it's probably unlikely that any of the members know anything about their mysterious benefactor's undead nature, but they're still there for him to use if he applies the right leverage.

Digging further into that (and certainly overlapping with traditional cults), what's the benefit of a cult? Reflect the whole sordid affair in terms outside, "My cult affords me Allies and Herd ." Show us the wide variety of peripheral Storyteller characters who can be brought into the chronicle through contact with the vampire. Everyone from destitute street people to sleazy politicos can make their appearances - Jayne Mansfield and Sammy Davis, Jr. were members of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, for crying out loud. That's got to have some value.

Parse this chapter as best fits your reasoning through it. Obviously, an introduction to vampire puppet groups should preface the whole thing, but thereafter, it's up to you. Whether you want to break this down by group types, by benefits cults offer, by the methods through which one comes to dominate a group - it's all fine by me as long as it makes sense. (15,000 words, expandable to 20,000 should you need it.)

Chapter Four: Sins of Power (15,000)

Ah, the mother lode. Herein we find new Disciplines (well, actually paths of Dark Thaumaturgy) and a few rituals. If they're really necessary, you can stoke the furnace with some Merits and Flaws (Stigmata, from the new Malkavian clanbook, is a good example of a Flaw that doesn't give me tumors or eye jammies) and maybe an Ability or two (Demonology, perhaps).

Okay, about those Disciplines: Tread carefully. These are forbidden things, taught only by demons. Of course, I've minimized the influence of demons and infernalism in the revised edition, and I'd like that to remain the case. Don't make these ubiquitous among "heretics," make them symptoms that whoever wields them has gone too far. Someone with these powers has made a deal with the Devil and thereby loses almost all possibility for moral ambiguity or sympathy as a character.

You'll no doubt want to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of revised-edition Dark Thaumaturgy (it's just regular Thaumaturgy taught by demons, with a few paths exclusive to infernal veneration).
Please adapt the following paths from previous sources. When I say "adapt," I mean that I'd like you to bring the powers and descriptions up to date with revised-edition standards. It won't do any longer to have powers like, "Um this power, like, makes you corrupt. Roll some dice."

o Path of Corruption - Dumb name; fix that. Corruption's already taken by a different path in GttC anyway. This is the Path of Corruption from the old Players Guide. I'll photocopy it, because I can't find any spare copies.
o Chains of Pleasure - Old one enclosed.
o Path of Pestilence - This is cool. Old one enclosed.
o Path of Secret Knowledge - Old one enclosed.
o Path of Pain - I'm sending you the one from the Dark Ages Companion because it works a little better than the one from the old Sabbat book.
o Path of Maleficia - Adapt this from the old Dark Ages Infernal Discipline.
o Path of Striga - Likewise.
o If you want to create a new path or two, have at it.
(Paths run from 800-1000 words each.)

On to rituals. Here you don't have to confine yourself to Dark Thaumaturgy. These can be "normal" Thaumaturgy, Dark Thaumaturgy (but go light on the DT ones, as we've just devoted much space to a marginal Discipline), Necromancy, Setite Sorcery or Assamite Sorcery. In fact, this might be a good place to drag the Assamites through the muck, too, as they might not have too prominent a place in the rest of the book. Any ritual you create, however, needs to have some aspect of the forbidden about it. This sounds like a great place for the arch-heinous Ritual of the Bitter Rose, Quenching the Lambent Flame and the like. (3,000 words)

And finally, create some Merits and Flaws and a couple of new Abilities that suit the theme of the book. I mentioned Demonology before; that's a good place to start. Remember Justin's Goddamned Golden Rule of Merits and Flaws: They have to be unique effects not assumed by another Trait. For example "I have a mansion" is covered by Resources, and redundant. "My Self-Control changes with the phase of the moon," isn't duplicated by anything else, so it's fine. (2,000 words)

Appendix: A Conspiracy of Sinners (20,000 words)

Okay, now that we know all about these heretics and traitorous fiends, let us play with them a little bit. Give us seven to nine secret societies, cults, etc. that exemplify what we've talking about for the past 70,000 words. You're being given a great deal of free rein here, but please remain true to revised edition ethics and adopt a consistent format.

We'll need to know the group's location (if they're centralized), their purpose, their modus operandi, and basically anything that makes them cool. If they have formal enemies (the Sabbat Inquisition? The Society of Leopold?), let us know. In fact, let us know everything that would provide a good hook for a story or a creepy detail with which Storytellers can creep out their troupes.

I recommend using the Camarilla's "Red List" as one of these groups (however informal they may be), and a quick pass through the Vampire canon to see if anything already exists that you want to expand. For everything else, indulge your bad self. The amount of words you devote to each one isn't set in stone, but be thorough enough to let us create a story from them.

Remember, also, to keep it believable. Yes, it's going to be supernatural, but if you have a group that wants to put out the sun and does it by murdering 100 people every Samhain in the streets of London, someone would have found out about them. Every group's purpose and means must make sense. (20,000 words)