Terms to Know
A new existence calls for new words. Many young vampires often invent slang, while elders favor older forms; either usage dates a vampire's age with fair accuracy.
Ancilla — A Kindred "adolescent", usually at least a century old.
Anarch — A rebel among the Kindred, one who disdains elders and their highly structured
society.
Archon — An agent of a justicar.
The Beast — The personification of the vampire's predatory nature, to which is attributed
animal instincts and bloodlust.
Blood — A vampire's heritage; that which makes a vampire a vampire.
Bloodline — A group of vampires that is an offshoot of its parent clan, often displaying
particular characteristics or even strange powers.
Blood Bond — A mystical power over another individual (mortal, Kindred or ghoul) created
by drinking a vampire's blood three times.
Boon — A favor owed between vampires.
Cainite — Any vampire; an older term.
Caitiff — A vampire without an identifiable clan or bloodline, usually of thin blood and
very high generation; such vampires are scorned by others.
Camarilla —A sect of vampires concerned primarily with maintaining the Traditions,
particularly the Masquerade.
Childe — A vampire created through the Embrace; the progeny of her sire.
Clan — A group of vampires who share common characteristics passed on by the Blood
Coterie — A group of Kindred who protect and support one another.
Diablerie—The act of murdering another vampire by drinking both her blood and her spirit;
considered the worst crime among vampires.
Disciplines — The powers of a vampire, such as strength, speed or supernatural senses,
which come with the Embrace.
Domain —An area of a particular vampire's influence; her "turf."
Elder — A vampire of at least three centuries or more.
Elysium — A place where vampires may meet without threat of violence to conduct
business or discuss art; often held in places of art or culture.
Embrace — The act of turning a mortal into a vampire.
Final Death — Destruction of a vampire.
Frenzy — An emotional state where the Beast rises to the forefront, and the vampire reacts
as an enraged animal would.
Generation — The number of steps that a vampire is removed from Caine.
Ghoul — A mortal who has drunk vampire blood, but has not been Embraced.
Haven — A vampire's home or where he sleeps during the day.
Justicar — A traveling judge of the Kindred who ensures that the Traditions are enforced.
Kindred — Any Camarilla vampire; their name for themselves.
Lick — A vampire; considered vulgar by many.
Lupine — A werewolf; used by vampires.
The Masquerade — The collective effort made after the advent of the Inquisition to hide
the Kindred from mortal notice.
Neonate — A young, newly created vampire, often recently released from her sire's care.
Prestation — The system of owing and granting favors; used as a bartering tool among
Kindred.
Primogen — A city's ruling council of elders.
Prince — A vampire (male or female) who has established a claim of rulership over a city,
and is able to support that claim.
Progeny — The collective offspring of a single vampire sire.
Regnant — A vampire who holds a blood bond over another Kindred.
Retainers — Humans who serve a vampire master
Sabbat —A sect of vampires that believes the Masquerade to be useless and that
vampires should revel in their darker natures. They are violent and often bestial, using
horror and cruelty as their tools.
Sect — General name for one of the major groups among the Kindred, such as the Camarilla
or the Sabbat.
Sire — The parent-creator of a vampire.
Thrall — A vampire who is blood bound to another.
Vessel — A source of blood (past or potential); usually a human.
Vitae — Blood.
LARP Mechanical Terms
Attribute —The raw potential of an individual, from social acumen to intellect to physical
prowess.
Ability — The things that a character knows or can do.
Challenge — Any time that two opponents face off and throw Rock-Paper-Scissors to
determine the outcome.
Extended Challenge — A challenge that continues until the tester loses.
Health Level — A measure of how injured a character is.
Static Test — A challenge that requires someone to risk a certain number of Traits to
complete a task.
Simple Test — Any time two opponents throw Rock-Paper-Scissors without risking Traits.
Scene — A location where action is taking place.
Trait — An adjective used to describe a character's Attributes, such as Quick, Gorgeous or
Knowledgeable.
Turn — A unit of time in play, usually considered to be the equivalent
of about ten seconds.