Tremere


        Even among vampires, the insular Clan Tremere bears a reputation for treachery. This reputation is well earned; the Tremere were formerly a cabal of human wizards who, hungering for immortal life, wrested the secrets of vampirism from unwilling Kindred. Such vile deeds earned the clan a sinister reputation; even today, certain vampire clans would love nothing better than to destroy the entire Tremere line.
        Nonetheless, Clan Tremere holds a place in the Camarilla, for its members were instrumental in suppressing the Inquisition and supporting the Masquerade. Then, too, the Tremere have proved themselves dangerous enemies - and powerful allies. Tremere still practice a version of the arcane arts they studied in life, and so these "warlocks" use their sorcerous powers in service to the Camarillaalmost as much as they use the Camarilla in service to themselves.

        Aptitude: +1 with scholasticism. Tremere are studious creatures; they add one die to all Mental tasks involving scholarly knowledge (research, occult lore, science, deciphering languages, etc.).

        Advantage: Wizard's Familiar. All Tremere are taught a ritual to create a familiar. A familiar is a small creature alchemically created from the vampire's blood. Some familiars look like black cats, others look like bats, and still others resemble grotesque little horned gargoyles. A familiar is usually about the size of a cat; it has ratings of 1 in all Traits, but when dodging or sneaking, its Physical is considered to be 4. It has four Health Levels and takes one die of pain penalties per Health Level lost. A familiar can telepathically communicate with its master when within 50 feet of her. Familiars are most commonly used as spies. If slain, a familiar can be re-created via a five-night ritual and the expenditure of five Blood Levels (one per night).
 

        Weakness: Hierarchy. All Tremere are expected to be loyal to the Seven Elders who rule the clan - but just in case, all Tremere are required to drink the blood of the Seven Elders. This ingestion creates a mystic link among all members of the Tremere, but particularly between elder and younger Tremere. A Tremere character must make a Psychic roll to resist a direct command from a Tremere elder (difficulty varies, depending on the absurdity of the command - for example, refusing a request to deliver a message would be difficulty 5 or 6, but refusing a command to kill oneself would be difficulty 2). Additionally, Tremere elders need spend one fewer Blood Level than usual when using Dominate powers against recalcitrant younglings.

        Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy