Vitae

In it's most basic sense, vitae is a term vampires use to refer to blood. More specifically, it is the source of a vampire's unlife and powers. The "blood" in a vampire's body is more than the admixture of plasma, platelets, hormones and whatnot which courses through the veins of mortals. When blood enters a vampire's body it is mystically transformed into vitae, giving it the power to form blood bonds, create childer, and infusing it with a power that is attractive to mages. The maximum amount of vitae is determined by their Blood Potency.

A point of Vitae is roughly 1.5 pints.

Using Vitae

Waking Up

A vampire expends one Vitae in the course of his daily slumber. If a Kindred falls asleep without any Vitae in his body (an unlikely event, but it could happen), he enters a longer torpor for a duration set by his Humanity and Blood Potency, just as if he had lost all his Health points to lethal damage. See the rules for torpor.

Healing Wounds

A vampire can use Vitae to heal wounds.

• Spending Vitae to heal wounds is a reflexive action.
• In one turn, a Kindred character can expend one Vitae to heal two Health points lost to Bashing damage.
• In one turn, a Kindred character can expend one Vitae to heal one Health points lost to Lethal damage.
• In two nights, a Kindred character can expend five Vitae to heal one Health points lost to Aggravated damage.

Counterfeiting Life

Although vampires are dead, they can imitate some of the things that living people do. The Damned know this process as “the blush of life.” A Kindred can force Vitae into his outer tissues to give his skin a lifelike flush, or to force his heart to beat and his lungs to inhale and exhale in a normal rhythm. Kindred who want to engage in sexual intercourse — perhaps to feed upon a suitably distracted mortal vessel, or perhaps for simple pleasure — can force blood to the appropriate section of anatomy as well.

Normally vampires vomit up any food or drink they consume immediately. If a Kindred wishes to consume food or drink, her player must spend a Vitae. This is in addition to the “blush of life” a character may have already paid during the course of the scene, though a character need not invoke the blush of life to be able to consume food. At the end of the scene, the character noisily, messily and bloodily eliminates the consumed matter by way of regurgitation, so it’s best to make sure that no one’s around to see the Kindred afterward.

Imitating the appearance and functions of life or the ability to consume food for one scene costs a character one Vitae, and both expenditures are reflexive.

Physical Augmentation

A vampire can call upon his Vitae to enhance his muscular power, speed and agility, or ability to withstand harm. In rules terms, for each Vitae the player expends, he adds two dice to one Physical dice pool — one based on Strength, Dexterity or Stamina. This boost lasts for one turn and is a reflexive action.

Blood pools refresh every Scene (unless linked) and are calculated as follows:

All Vitae expenditures in Scenes should be noted with Power Icons.

Average Vitae Pool

Blood Pool Base amount equal to Humanity -1 (for Rising)

Bonuses:

• +2 for Rack access
• Herd: +1 for ● thru ●●●, +2 for ●●●●, +3 for ●●●●●
• +1 per dot in Haven (Location)
• Coil of Blood 1: Blood Seeps Slowly: +1 for Resolve ● thru ●●●, +2 for Resolve ●●●●, +3 for Resolve ●●●●●
• +1 Coil of Blood 3: Perspicacious Blood

Penalties:

• -1 Glimpse of Feeding not written for the month (until 3 total written)
• -3 Exiled to Barrens
• -1 for every 2 Ghouls, rounded down

Hunting/Feeding Roll

Hunting / feeding rolls performed will net 1 Vitae per Success rolled. A Hunting Roll can only be made once per month to supplement the Average Blood Pool; otherwise, Feeding must be role-played or done via Glimpse. The month is counted per calendar -- not IC, Scene, or from the last Hunting roll. The Hunting Rolls are:

• Strength + Subterfuge, not capped by Humanity
• Presence + Persuasion, capped at Humanity