Call of Cthulhu - Vampire Primer

Baseline Character Creation/Requirements

~ You must be either a Lesser or Greater Vampire (detailed below).
~ You’re most likely an ex-member of one of the four major clans, who defected to… whatever
Clara winds up being a part of. Each major clan has its own hierarchy and exclusive abilities
you can choose from, as well as their own requirements for becoming a Greater Vampire. Once
you choose a clan, you’ll be sent a separate document with member-exclusive info (including
their abilities).
~ You’ll start with a suite of baseline vampire traits (listed below), as well as at least one special
ability. Your first vampire ability (the one gained when you were turned into a Lesser Vampire)
will be determined randomly from a list of about 20. If you’re a Greater Vampire, you can select
more abilities to have been taught after your transformation. The more abilities you learn, the
more vulnerable you’ll be to sunlight and other obstacles (see “Greater Vampire” below).

General Knowledge - Vampire Classification/Traits

Classifications
THRALL
Thralls are mindless servants to the vampire controlling them, with no free will, or much of
anything else. They do not count as vampires, and they barely count as people. They can be
used as a source of food or as shambling, obedient messes.

LESSER VAMPIRE
Lesser Vampires are created when a Greater vampire (or up to three Greater vampires) drinks
blood from the neck of a human three nights in a row (or what I like to call the “Three Night
Bite” method). They are unable to turn other people into vampires, only gain one randomly
determined ability, and are prone to suggestion by their sire. So long as an order isn’t harmful,
the Lesser vampire will almost always carry it out. However, they can walk freely in sunlight.

GREATER VAMPIRE
Lesser vampires can become Greater vampires by drinking the blood of another Greater
vampire. In doing so, they gain the opportunity to obtain new and stronger abilities, but the
stronger they are, the more susceptible they are to classic vampire curses (such as needing an
invitation to come inside or being unable to cross running water), but they are especially prone
to overexposure to sunlight.

CHILD OF THE FIRST BORN

Children of the First Born are vampires that were sired by Sobek, the original vampire, who
gained his powers from Nyarlathotep. There have been many through history, but only five
remain, and will ever remain due to Sobek’s death.
These vampires are able to obtain power by drinking enormous amounts of blood at one time,
and this power can grow to incredible lengths. No matter how strong a Child grows, the Sun
will never be able to kill them outright. They count as Greater vampires for the purposes of
turning others.
Four of the remaining Children make up the leaders of the four main vampire clans, detailed
below. The fifth remaining Child is Clara Robinson, a very new, currently unaligned, vampire
whose decisions will determine the ultimate goal of the campaign.
Baseline Vampire Traits
~ Strength score is doubled after sunset
~ Sneak ability increases to 75% after sunset
~ Psychology ability increases
~ Gain the Scent Blood ability at 75%
~ Functional immortality (Vampires must be killed in specific ways, such as cutting off the head
and staking the heart, or overexposure to sunlight on an empty stomach. Otherwise, if you lose
your hit points, you turn to mist and return to the nearest resting place familiar to you to
recover)
~ Unaffected by temperature (though warmth feels noticeably better than cold)
~ Functionally immune to disease (You can pick up symptoms if you feed from someone who’s
sick. You can also get drunk this way.)
Drawbacks
~ Require 375mL of blood per night (about half a wine bottle). Amount may change depending
on the vampire’s feeding habits.
~ Can’t eat or drink. Doing so causes nausea and can induce vomiting blood.
~ Don’t show up in mirrors.
~ Become extremely nocturnal. Vampires can’t sleep at night, even if they want to. When they
sleep during the day, they become dead to the world: no heartbeat, no pulse, no breathing, no
nothing. They return to normal the moment the sun sets.
~ Vulnerable to sunlight (Greater Vampires only). The more powerful a Greater Vampire
becomes, the more susceptible to sunlight they are, eventually becoming lethal.

Vampire Culture
~ The highest ranking members of each clan convene with each other at the turn of every
century to discuss the state of affairs.
~ Most vampires are members of one of the four major clans, though smaller clans exist, and
some vampires aren’t in a clan at all (which is pretty dangerous for turf war reasons).
~ In conversation, vampires exchange ages based on when they were transformed, rather than
when they were born as a human. One might be 137, another 496, and one may even be 1, as
in Clara’s case.

General Knowledge - Clans

The Followers of Sobek
THE CROCODILE, IN GREEN AND BLACK.
Current leader: Contested, though Mina is the current stand-in
Current headquarters: Munich
Territory: Mainly Central Europe (Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, etc), but they exist throughout
the Western world
Stance on humans: Considers them merely a source of food, often referring to them as cattle
Values: Tradition, the ways of Sobek
Members from History: Lester Crowley, Julius Caesar (Sobek), Hiemlich Himler

This is the original vampire clan, which was supported by the first vampire, Sobek, up
until his recent death. They’re tied for the second most numerous clan (with the Night’s
Children). They are stringent on who they allow to be turned to Lesser vampires, only selecting
those they believe align with their ideals and will remain loyal.
The history of the Followers of Sobek is the history of all vampires, as every other clan
stemmed from this one originally. Sobek was once a mortal man living in ancient Egypt, who
was granted his supernatural abilities by Nyarlathotep along with three other chosen sorcerers.
Each sorcerer took on the name of an Egyptian god, and split up to pursue their own goals
with the expectation that they would one day summon Nyarlathotep to our world once again.
Sobek found that his abilities could be spread to other men, and so he set to work creating his
first Children, and with them, the Followers of Sobek.
The Followers of Sobek still operate in much the same way they did when they were
first founded, performing rituals and ceremonies in the classic cult fashion. In recent years they
do their recruiting by infiltrating occult groups and promising them great power in the names of
various gods, only to reveal that this power is indeed possible, but through Sobek’s gift rather
than through worship. Previously they acted precisely according to Sobek’s wishes, but now
that he’s been killed, the clan has succumbed to in-fighting over who should take charge. In
the interim, Sobek’s oldest (and last remaining) wife Mina has stepped in to lead.

The Order of the Dragon

THE DRAGON, IN RED AND GOLD.
Current leader: Count Orlock (rumored that Dracula may be ruling from the shadows)
Current headquarters: London (previously Transylvania and Constantinople (pre-fall to the
Ottomans))
Territory: Mainly Eastern Europe (the Balkans, Romania, the Soviet Union, etc), as well as
colonialist nations and their colonies (Britain, England, France; Australia, India, South Africa,
colonized South America).
Stance on humans: Considers them tools to be used to gain power.
Values: Power over all else, strict rigidity and hierarchy
Members from History: Czar Nicholas II (rumored), Dracula (Vlad the Impaler), Vladimir Lenin
(eventually, post-game)

The Order of the Dragon is the largest and most politically powerful vampire clan, with
many agents in government and business. They’re currently have a lot of influence in the
current-day Soviet Union, though the Order is officially based in London. The Order’s hierarchy
is unyielding, with many of their rules for leadership positions being based on race and gender.
This was the third major clan to be established. It was founded by Dracula, a Child of
the First Born who managed to grow more powerful than Sobek, at least part of which is
contributed to his ability to create an enormous number of thralls. Dracula attempted to use his
power to destroy Sobek. He ultimately failed to complete this task, but he was able to drive
Sobek and his followers to the Balkans, and Dracula established the Order in his place.
Historically it consisted of wealthy landowners, who were the primary reason serfdom existed
as long as it did; most of a given lord’s serfs were actually thralls. In the late 1800s, Dracula
disappeared mysteriously— some believe he was killed, while others think he went into hiding
after the publishing of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, which was based on a true story. Those in the
latter group believe he’s still leading the Order of the Dragon from the shadows, though this is
unconfirmed.
They keep their status as the largest vampire clan due to how relatively freely they give
permission to create Lesser vampires.
The Night’s Children
THE BAT, IN DARK PURPLE AND SILVER.
Current leader: The Night Mother
Current headquarters: Florence and New Orleans
Territory: Mainly the New World (North America, Mexico, and Peru), and countries most
involved in the Renaissance (Italy, France, and Spain)
Stance on humans: Sympathetic, in the way a vegan might be if they were forced to eat meat.
Values: Science and art, progressive policies, empathy towards humanity
Members from History: None

The youngest of the vampire clans, the Night’s Children are by far the most progressive,
with a focus on educational pursuits ever since their founding. They’re tied for the second-
largest clan with the Followers of Sobek, and they gain their power through influence. While the
Order of the Dragon strives to control politics through force and leadership, the Night’s
Children prefer to have the ear of those in charge by being authorities in their fields and
becoming advisors.
The leader of the Night’s Children, known only as the Night Mother, is a Child of the
First Born and was once one of Sobek’s wives. During the Renaissance, a group of vampires
expressed an interest in the surge of science and art that came with the time period, hoping to
learn and grow along with the humans. Sobek, being a traditionalist, was opposed to this
group, but the Night Mother was able to leave him (without getting murdered, like most of
Sobek’s rebellious wives) and went to lead this group of scholars. When the New World was
being explored, the Night Children were excited to see it for themselves, so their influence soon
spread across the Atlantic.
The clan happily inducts people of color, the only clan to actively encourage it. A
member of this clan must receive permission to create Lesser vampires from their higher-ups
as usual, but they must also receive consent from the person they wish to turn- this promotes
loyalty and stronger bonds within the clan. They have the highest concentration of Greater
Vampires, though since the clan is so young, those Greater Vampires are relatively
inexperienced. Those vampires tend to keep their power to a minimum so they can go out
during the day and mingle with humanity. The Night Children also frown upon the creation of
thralls, believing the practice to be inhumane.

The Faceless Ones

THE PHASES OF THE MOON, IN DEEP BLUE AND WHITE.
Current leader: The Master of Faces
Current headquarters: Unknown
Territory: Unknown
Stance on humans: Unknown
Values: Unknown
Members from History: Unknown

The ways of the Faceless Ones are largely unknown to vampire society as a whole, and
an outside vampire may never meet one in person. They’re considered the least populous clan,
though even that may not be true. Most outsiders indulge in speculation about this enigmatic
clan, some claiming that they are a clan of the average person, hiding in plain sight. Some
believe the Faceless Ones have alternate vampiric abilities with sources in dark magic. Others
claim a grand conspiracy where the Faceless Ones seek to darken the sun and allow vampires
to run rampant through the world. The following is what little information any vampire would
have:
 ~ The Master of Faces is a Child of the First Born, and they made this, the second
established clan, after a schism with Sobek over an unknown conflict. It’s rumored that the
Master was Sobek’s first Child.
~ The Clan likely has the highest non-white population, since their schism was before
Sobek’s move to the Balkans, leaving them in and around Egypt.
~ The Faceless Ones have two known offices: the Shadow Walkers (the high ranking
members of the clan), and the Face Takers (an office with unknown duties).
~ At the last century’s meeting, ten Shadow Walkers were in attendance, each wearing
a symbol with a phase of the moon to denote rank. Since the moon phases are cyclical, it’s
hard to say which phase is positioned above another.

Sequence of Events
~ Sobek becomes immortal and is gifted power by Nyarlathotep, along with three others
(Thoth, Anubis, and Khnum).
~ Sobek creates his first Child, presumably the Master of Faces, and founds the Followers of
Sobek.
~ The Master of Faces splits from Sobek for unknown reasons, forming his own clan: the
Faceless Ones.
~ Sobek moves to the Balkans and eventually creates Dracula, another Child. Sobek’s mistrust
of his Children after the Master’s betrayal leads to the deaths of any of his wives who become
rebellious.
~ Dracula splits from Sobek after he attempts a coup. Sobek and his clan are driven to Europe.
Dracula forms the Order of the Dragon.
~ A small clan of vampires embraces the art and science of the Renaissance. The Night
Mother, one of Sobek’s wives, leaves him and backs this group, forming the Night’s Children.
~ The Night’s Children move to the New World, spurred on by a sense of discovery.
~ A group of investigators kill Anubis, the first of the immortal sorcerers.
~ The surviving investigators go to the Alps; Clara is turned into a Child of the First Born by
Sobek
~ Sobek is killed by the investigators, and all but one of his wives are killed in the aftermath
~ Morrigan takes Clara to Kentucky, where she stays for one year
~ Clara is sent back to London; she joins a different group of investigators who seek to destroy
the Sedefkar Simulacrum