Ghoul

• If the Ghoul's Regnant is an active member of a Bloodline during character creation then the Bloodline's Disciplines are all considered in-clan for the Ghoul too.
• A regnant that is part of a Covenant may teach a Ghoul that Covenant's Discipline.
• A ghoul can never learn the Coils of the Dragon.
• A Vampire wishing to create a Ghoul must feed a Mortal at least a single Vitae and invest a point of Willpower to augment the the Ghoul with the mystic force needed. This Willpower expenditure represents the creation of an artificial state.
• Upon becoming a Ghoul a mortal stops ageing.
• A ghoul requires at least one Vitae per month to sustain the state.
• A Ghoul gains 1 Attribute dot in their regnant's clan's favored Attribute^[1].
• A Ghoul gains 2 Discipline dots. One of those dots must be the first dot in the physical Discipline that is in clan for his regnant^[2].
• A ghoul cannot have more Vitae than he has dots of Stamina.
• A ghoul cannot spend more than one Vitae in a single turn, no matter how old he is or how potent his regnant’s blood is.
• A ghoul is aware of how close to depleting his Vitae resources he is at all times.
• A ghoul can use Vitae for Physical Augmentation.
• A ghoul can use Vitae for Healing Wounds.

A ghoul is a creature somewhere between the deathless state of the Kindred and the normal state of most mortals. In fact, ghouls are mortals, with the added condition that they have been fed Kindred vitae and invested with some aspect of the curse of undeath. Not every mortal who simply tastes vampiric Vitae becomes a ghoul, though. It takes a specific devotion on the part of the Kindred to create ghouls, but once they do, those creatures can become as independent or reliant as their masters wish.

"A vampire who wishes to create a ghoul must feed a mortal at least one point of Vitae. In addition, the vampire's player must spend a point of Willpower to invest the ghoul with some degree of the mystic state with which she is cursed. If a vampire simply gives Vitae to a mortal but no Willpower point expended, the mortal does not become a ghoul (though he is potentially subject to the Vinculum and blood addiction). The Willpower expenditure represents the creation of an artificial state, inflicting some of the benefits and detrements of undeath on the ghoul"^[3].

A Ghoul is a mortal being who regularly drinks the blood of a Vampire. The mortal gains mystical power through the Vampire's Vitae, and becomes, willing or not, a blood-bound servant of the Vampire. The blood enraptures the ghoul, making them a slave to their master's will. They perform their duties because they cannot refuse, even unto death.

Ghouls occupy a special place in Vampire society. In the most basic sense they are a violation of the First Tradition, as they often know as much about Vampires as Vampires know about themselves. However ghouls are not treated the same way as other mortals who have discovered the truth behind the Masquerade. Instead, they are treated in much the same way as the traditional mortal nobility have treated their family retainers, with a sense of insouciant indifference combined with a certain paternal condescension. For ghouls are extraordinarily useful. They provide Vampires with essential services which make undead existence more comfortable and secure. Still a living being, a ghoul can walk in the sunlight and does not suffer from the need to sleep during the day as a Vampire does. This allows them to act as daytime guardians and servants far more capable of interacting with the daytime mortal world than their master.

A ghoul gains certain more-than-human abilities through the vampire vItae they imbibe, the most significant being that they stop aging. A ghoul who regularly drinks of her master's blood will remain the same apparent age as long as her master continues to provide blood. In addition, a ghoul gains added physical ability (strength, speed, etc.) and may even learn certain Vampiric Disciplines.

Some ghouls actually enjoy their service as it prolongs their life and, assuming their master is sufficiently compassionate and wealthy, allows them to live a life of relative luxury and comfort, much the same as a favored valet or maid might enjoy the luxuries of a wealthy human master's life. Other ghouls rail against their enslavement, remaining sullen if not outright rebellious. None the less, they are compelled to serve and obey.

If a ghoul's master abandons them or is destroyed, a ghoul is left without their source of vitae. Like a junkie without their pusher (for the taste of vitae is rumored to be addictive, as are the benefits accruing to it) a ghoul will seek to find another source of precious blood. Whether this means binding herself to another Vampire or seeking out weaker Vampires whom they can subdue and feed upon depends on the individual. In any case, after a certain period without vitae to sustain them, a ghoul will lose their super-human abilities and begin to age. Such aging is highly accelerated. In a short time a ghoul will "catch up" to their actual age. A ghoul who has existed for more than a mortal lifetime will rapidly age, die and rot away.

Not all ghouls are human. A hellhound is a dog who has drunk the blood of a vampire. In such a case, the dog gains many of the same abilities as a human ghoul, though it retains the intelligence and other qualities of a mere dog. Logically, any animal can become a ghoul. A great cat, a falcon or other predator might make a powerful or useful ghoul for a vampire. Some vampires even create Mandragora out of normal but hardy plants.

A Vampire cannot surround herself with thousands of blood-bound ghoul servants. The process requires certain sacrifices on the part of the master as well as the servant. A vampire who makes, and must thus sustain, too many ghouls weakens herself foolishly.

Aura

The only supernatural effect that Vitae has on a ghoul’s body that makes him demonstrably different from the mortals around him (other than the respite from aging) is its effect on his aura. A ghoul’s aura looks much like any other mortal’s aura, though it’s likely to be shot through with deep red and bright green and somewhat weak and muted (see VtR p. 120). Yet if one looks closely enough with Aura Perception, one might notice veins in the ghoul’s aura that are as pale as a vampire’s aura normally is. The distinction of a pale streak in a weak and muted aura is an especially fine one, though, levying an additional –2 penalty to the user’s Aura Perception roll.

See Also

• Ghouls Sourcebook