From the Toreador perspective, when the sun fades,

darkness gives rise to an eternal and wondrous world.

Everything is fraught with wonder and terror, low politics
and sensual glories, the profound and the profane,
and an undeniable undercurrent of the sanguinary.
These Kindred are the Toreador, and they spend
unlives ensconced in pleasure.
Of course, for vampires of this disposition,
it�s easy to become jaded and bitter. More
than the other Clans, Toreador often
succumb to ennui, or fight the eventual
boredom of unchanging immortality
by playing at rivalries. An excess of
stimulation turns them into
slaves to the sensations they
seek. The most debased
Toreador can become true
monsters, sinking to
unimaginable levels of
depravity in order to feel
anything at all.
The Kindred of Clan Toreador
often involve themselves greatly in
the world of mortals. They have
any number of reasons, whether
enjoying proximity to the blush
of life, cultivating veritable cults
of doting followers, or influencing
and following the trends that their
own kind simultaneously mock and
venerate. To hear the Toreador tell
it, they are the Muses of a desperate
mortal world, inspiring through their beauty
or patronage.
Toreador culture is a mixture of sybarites,
dilettantes, and visionaries. Some
Toreador, with echoes of mortal passion,
Embrace lovers or �project� progeny who
seem to fly in the face of every Toreador
custom. These either don�t last long or
rise to great prominence as subversives
and individualists. Ideas, trends, and
�the next great thing� spread through the Clan, and
other Kindred often look to the Toreador to guide
them. The Degenerates know this, and many become
Harpies, Princes, and other key figures in vampiric society.
Nickname: Degenerates
Sect: The Camarilla would not have survived
in the nights following the Anarch
Revolt without substantial participation
from the Toreador, and they remain among
its most ardent supporters.
Appearance: Almost to the last, they
are attractive in some way, whether
the traditional beauty of a runway
model or the dangerous allure
of something more predatory.
The Degenerates augment their
physical beauty with a sense of
personal style, which may take
the form of expensive couture,
avant-garde street wear,
or classical fashions designed
to emphasize their appealing
qualities. This isn�t to say
that ugly Toreador don�t exist.
Indeed, those gifted with less
physical beauty often go that
much further with their choice
of accoutrements.
Haven: The Degenerates
spare no expense in appointing
their havens in luxury,
often with many original
works of art. It is a point of
pride among Toreador to
have an unconventional
(and thus memorable)
haven with modern
comforts; thus, many
have striking lofts and
penthouses, while the
bolder among them
VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION 67
renovate or repurpose everything from abandoned
aquariums or deconsecrated churches to rooftop gardens
or converted warehouse-galleries in fashion-forward
neighborhoods. Share a communal haven? How
d�class�.
Background: Many Toreador hail from high-society
or �bohemian� backgrounds. Indeed, many are themselves
artists or influential among local art scenes or
other subcultures. Actors, singers, musicians, sculptors,
poets, playwrights, authors, and creative folk of any
stripe may well find a home in the Clan, as do those
who serve as patrons to (or travel in the entourages of)
those artistic types.
Character Creation: Social attributes are almost always
primary, with an even split among Talents, Skills,
and Knowledges depending on how the Toreador
distinguishes herself. Toreador also love to cultivate
Backgrounds. Allies, Contacts, Resources, Domain,
Haven, Mentors, Resources, Retainers � all of these
have great value among Toreador. Wise Toreador may
choose to develop their Virtues, Humanity, Path, or
Willpower, because with an unlife of degeneracy, they
must frequently attend to the ugly business of bringing
the Beast to heel.
Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Presence
Weaknesses: When a Toreador experiences something
truly remarkable � a person, an objet d�art, a
lovely sunrise � the player must make a Self-Control
or Instincts roll (difficulty 6). Failure means that the
Kindred finds herself enthralled by the experience. The
dazzled Toreador cannot act for the duration of the
scene aside from commenting on or continuing their
involvement with whatever has captured their attention.
If the experience no longer affects her (whether
by moving, being destroyed, or whatever is appropriate
to the situation), the captivation ends. Enraptured
Toreador may not even defend themselves if attacked,
though being wounded allows them to make another
Self-Control or Instincts roll.
Organization: Clan Toreador is cliquish and parochial
in its local domains, but very rarely on a level that
affects Clan-wide custom. Certain Toreador (and a few
outside the Clan) sometimes use the terms �artiste�
and �poseur� when describing individual Toreador,
often derisively, to describe whether the Degenerate
in question is one who is seen as creative or simply a
follower of established trends, but these are certainly
informal distinctions.
Quote: Long after you die, I will still be young, beautiful, and adored by everyone
whose life I touch.
Stereotypes
Assamite: Blood-soaked barbarians.
Brujah: A fire may be stoked, but if left unattended,
it may destroy what it once warmed.
Followers of Set: Worms breed in their vile
footprints.
Gangrel: Beauty and the Beast, only without the
complication of Beauty. Pity them.
Giovanni: Which is more unctuous: their smiles
or their hair?
Lasombra: If I looked like they do, I�d hide in the
dark, too.
Malkavian: The tedium of it all.
Nosferatu: They make a strong case for the
Mark of Caine being a sickness.
Ravnos: There are two types of these creatures:
Awful, and absent.
Tremere: Aren�t they supposed to turn back into
pumpkins at midnight?
Tzimisce: It is a poor artist who blames his tools,
but that�s the only conceivable answer here.
Ventrue: Why are older brothers always such
corpulent bullies?
Caitiff: The worst sort of fish is the one that
feeds from the bottom.
Camarilla: This house needs a good cleaning.
Sabbat: Such marvelous passion wasted on such
craven dementia.
Anarchs: Only a petty ruler acknowledges no
greater purpose than himself.