The Familiar Stranger is a versatile and useful ability, but its use becomes perilous when the vampire has no idea who he should be impersonating. Knowing the Stranger serves as a short-term fix to that problem. It allows the character to discern in advance who the target most expects to see under the circumstances, before The Familiar Stranger is activated (so the Devotion and Discipline power are applied separately). The character does not have any choice over who he “becomes,” but he does know exactly who he’s supposed to be, even if he has never met that person before. The character gains the knowledge mystically and may act accordingly. The information drawn from the subject’s mind even allows the Kindred to custom-tailor certain aspects of the power to her. For example, the Kindred learns that the man the subject sees is her father, that he is gruff but caring, and that the last time he and the subject parted ways, they did so on bad terms and the subject feels remorse for that interaction.
The vampire must be able to see the person whom he plans to dupe when this Devotion is activated.
