Disciplines

Overview

Among mortal kind, ancient tales are told of vampires possessed of superhuman speed, strength and endurance. Other tales speak of their piercing gaze, their hypnotic and seductive voices and the unholy power to vanish into shadows and shapeshift into bats, wolves and mist. Most mortals dismiss such tales as "old wive's tales," and foolish superstition. Others, those with deeper knowledge, know that many such tales are, in fact, true.

A discipline is a blood-based mystical skill, which can be learned only by Vampires and some Ghouls. Every clan and most bloodlines have an array of disciplines many of which are unique to certain clans or bloodlines.

Disciplines are generally classified as Common (well-known among Kindred and for which more than one clan may have an inherent aptitude), Clan (signature disciplines unique to only one of the five Clans), Covenant (known and taught by a specific covenant and usually never shared with outsiders), and Bloodline (known only to the members of a particular Bloodline within a Clan).

Powers that combine aspects of two or more Disciplines are called Devotions.

Official Disciplines

Disciplines found in books published by White Wolf. Over the years, eighty-three official Disciplines have been published, the vast majority of which are Bloodline-specific.

Common Disciplines

These Disciplines are inherent to the five Clans themselves. Common Disciplines are called like that because more than one clan has an innate knack for them.

• Animalism: The power to commune with and command animals. Clan Discipline for Gangrel and Ventue.
• Celerity: The ability to move at incredible speeds with uncanny precision. Clan Discipline for Daeva and Mekhet.
• Obfuscate: The power of hiding oneself by clouding the minds of the weak. Clan Discipline for Mekhet and Nosferatu.
• Resilience: The ability to withstand crippling injury without submitting. Clan Discipline for Gangrel and Ventue.
• Vigor: The ability to manifest supernatural strength, far beyond a mortal's scope. Clan Discipline for Daeva and Nosferatu.

Clan Disciplines

Each Clan has three disciplines which they can learn with more ease than others: Two of those are common, and one is the Clan's specialty Discipline, for which that particular Clan has an innate aptitude.

• Auspex: Preternatural sensitivity and awareness and the ability to forsee and know things seemingly unknowable. Practiced primarily by Clan Mekhet.
• Dominate: The piercing stare that commands minds and the ability to break the will of others. The specialty discipline of Clan Ventrue.
• Majesty: Seductive or commanding sway of emotions and the predatory manipulation of the weak in this way, as practiced by Clan Daeva.
• Nightmare: The ability of Clan Nosferatu to evoke sheer terror by revealing one's primal nature
• Praestantia: The reflex control and foresight abilities intrinsic to the minor Akhud clan.
• Protean: Clan Gangrel's ability to assume a variety of forms such as a wolf or a mist.

Covenant Disciplines

Some Covenants grant their distinguished members new knowledge about the powers of vampiric vitae, usually in the form of Covenant Disciplines.

• Ahranite Sorcery: Dark arts practiced by the Princes of the Fallen City version of VII
• Coils of the Dragon: The metamorphic stages followed by members of of the Ordo Dracul.
• Cruac: The blood magic practiced by the Acolytes of the Circle of the Crone.
• Psychogenics: The brain-altering principles of the VII Sleepers.
• Theban Sorcery: The dark miracles performed by the Sanctified within the Lancea Sanctum.
• Veneficia: Blood rituals matching those practiced as Crúac, of the Roman Cult of Augurs.

Bloodline Disciplines

The various unique Disciplines are numerous and wildly diverse, although they are generally quite specific to their respective bloodlines and of limited utility outside of a highly specialized purpose.

• Abjurism: Discipline that provides protection from the supernatural practiced by the Septemi bloodline.
• Amphivena: Discipline that allows the vampire to have power over serpents practiced by the Gorgon bloodline.
• Asphyx: Discipline that spreads chemical poisons practiced by the Brothers of Ypres bloodline.
• Bhumisparsa: Discipline of defense practiced by the Mayarap bloodline.
• Bloodworking: Combat discipline of the Norvegi bloodline transforming a vampire into a deadly weapon.
• Blut Alchemie: Alchemical discipline that analyzes and reworks the base properties of Vitae, practiced by the Geheim bloodline.
• Cachexy: Discipline that enables the detection, control and spread of disease, practiced by the Morbus bloodline.
• Carrefour: Necromantic discipline of the Apollinaire bloodline allowing one to see and enter the world of the dead.
• Cattiveria: Necromantic discipline practiced by the Sangiovanni bloodline.
• Choronzon: Discipline practiced by the Therion bloodline.
• Constance: Discipline that enhances ambition and confidence practiced by the Icarian bloodline.
• Courtoisie: Discipline that enhances fighting preparation while still courting practiced by the Spina bloodline.
• Crochan: Discipline that enhances the ability to harness and manipulate Vitae to regenerate flesh practiced by the Bron bloodline.
• Despond: Discipline that gives others the feeling of dispair practiced by the Children of Judas bloodline.
• Domus: Discipline the connection to ones haven practiced by the Malocusian bloodline.
• Embrocation: Discipline for the restoration and healing of Kindred, practiced by the Qedeshah bloodline.
• Essentiaphagia: Discipline that allows one to gather vitae from a ghost practiced by the Dragolescu bloodline.
• Eupraxia: Discipline of the Tismanu, Ordo Dracul Priests.
• Getsumei: Necromantic discipline of the Burakumin bloodline.
• Gilded Cage: Discipline of the Architects of the Monolith allowing absolute control over a city.
• Gustus: Discipline that allows one to eat flesh practiced by the Macellarius bloodline.
• Hypnagogia: Discipline that manipulates the thoughts of the sleeping practiced by the Usiri bloodline.
• Impurity: Discipline that shows a member of one clan the weakness of the other clans practiced by the Deucalion bloodline.
• Insomnium: Discipline that controls and distorts dreams practiced by the Alucinor bloodline.
• Institutionalize: Discipline that produces social conventions and confinements of the Morotrophian bloodline.
• Kamen: Discipline that mask the inner state of vampire practiced by Sotoha bloodline.
• Kingjan: Discipline that preys upon the emotions of others practiced by the Californian Xiao bloodline.
• Licencieux: Discipline that warps the victim's senses practiced by the Duchagne bloodline.
• Linagem: Discipline granting telepathic insights into the nature of the blood practiced by the Corajoso bloodline.
• Lithopedia: Blood rituals that exploit the bond between Kindred and their land practiced by the Család bloodline.
• Memento Mori: Death reading discipline meaning "Remember the dead," practiced by the Osites bloodline.
• Meminisse: Discipline used to share memories as a Bloodline-wide collective, practiced by the Mnemosyne bloodline.
• Mimetismo: Discipline of augmented hearing and sound mimicry practiced by the Baddacelli bloodline.
• Mortualia: Discipline that enhances torpor and sleep practiced by the Libitinarius bloodline.
• Nahdad: Discipline that allows a vampire to survive hostile environments practiced by the Nepheshim bloodline.
• Nburu: Discipline manipulating plants and the land, practiced by the Adroanzi bloodline.
• Nepenthe: Discipline spreading drugs and causing addictions, practiced by the Anvari bloodline.
• Obtenebration: The Discipline of shadow-manipulation and control of darkness, or perhaps more accurately some kind of 'anti-light'. Practiced by the Khaibit bloodline.
• Ortam: Discipline that through the use of perfumes creates irresistible scents and powers practiced by the Gulikan bloodline.
• Perfidy: Discipline that enhances the ability to destroy a social network practiced by the Kallisti bloodline.
• Phagia: Cannibalistic discipline practiced by the Noctuku bloodline.
• Ralab: Discipline that allows the vampire to seem like a god and draw upon a mortal worshipers strengths practiced by the Asnâm bloodline.
• Sakti Pata: Blood manipulation discipline practiced by the Amara Havana bloodline.
• Scourge: Pain-causing discipline practiced by the Mortifiers of the Flesh bloodline.
• Serendipity: Discipline that allows the vampire to act and say what is best at the time practiced by the Zelani bloodline.
• Shihai: Discipline that works to control the Beast practiced by the Kuufukuji bloodline.
• Spiritus Sancti: Discipline to communicate with spirits and the Beast practiced by the Mystikoi bloodline.
• Stigmatica: Discipline that derives power by mimicking the tribulations of the Christ practiced by the Gethsemani bloodline.
• Sublunario: Discipline that gives the power from the moon practiced by the Dead Wolves bloodline.
• Suikast: Discipline that was designed to destroy Dracula practiced by the Azerkatil bloodline.
• Sunnikuse: Discipline that steals and manipulates luck practiced by the Bohagande bloodline.
• Taurobolium: Discipline that makes the subjects appear younger and more vibrant practiced by the Galloi bloodline.
• Tenure: Demesne-controlling discipline of the Annunaku.
• Tezcatl: "Mirror" discipline conciliating Man and Beast practiced by the Nahualli bloodline.
• The Show: Discipline that enhances the ability to deform one's body practiced by the Carnival bloodline.
• Web: Discipline that enhances the ability of creating a human network practiced by the Lynx bloodline.
• Xinyao: Discipline that projects the Kindred's emotions on others practiced by the Tianpàn Xiao bloodline.
• Zagovny: Sanguine witchcraft practiced by the Vedma bloodline.

Other Disciplines

These disciplines are not connected to clan, covenant, or bloodline; they are either available to all Kindred as out-of-clan disciplines, or are only available under special circumstances.

• Ars Speculorum: Mirror-control Discipline with unexpected consequences.
• Blood Tenebrous: Discipline that allows Kindred to interact with the realm of spirits.
• Dementation: Maddening discipline instilled by the eternal insanity of Malkavia.
• Detournement: Information-gathering discipline practiced by the Moulding Room shadow cult.
• Hamartiaphage: Discipline to perfect the art of eating the sins of others.
• Mérges Sorcery: Poison creation discipline that flourished among the Kindred of ancient Babylon.
• Spoiling: A type of alchemy to transform blood into poison, practiced among the Ordo Dracul.
• Vodoun: Dark blood magic that is shared by the Haitian Kindred and those of modern New Orleans.

Devotions

Unlike disciplines, Devotions are not ranked by dots and do not progress. They are single purpose, stand-alone powers. A devotion requires a certain number of dots in two or more disciplines in order to be learned and used. Devotions can be learned and taught much like disciplines to any vampire with the prerequisite discipline knowledge. An example is the Instantaneous Transformation devotion which requires both a certain level of Protean and a certain level of Celerity. The benefit of the Instantaneous Transformation devotion is that a vampire can change into another shape (such as that of a wolf, etc.) in the blink of an eye.