Way of the Ghoul

Way of the Ghouls

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A vampire’s blood has great power, power that can be passed on. Long ago, the Kindred discovered that mortals who drank vampiric blood would become possessed of supernatural abilities and dark appetites. Soon it became common practice for vampires to keep certain favoured servants, battening them on vitae - and blood bonding them in the process - all the better to have undying, hellishly loyal servitors - ghouls.

Most ghouls exist at the whim of their domitors (masters), serving loyally in exchange for vitae. As they are as susceptible to the blood bond as anyone, ghouls are almost without exception unfailingly devoted to their masters - and if the domitor has more than one ghoul servant, the result may be a jealous struggle between them for the domitor’s favour. A ghoul’s emotions run to extremes with the heady drug of vitae in his veins - such a creature often falls prey to great rages and disturbing cravings. The name “ghouls” was not chosen at random.

The following characteristics are shared by all ghouls:
A ghoul does not age as long as he has Kindred blood in his system. However, once the ghoul has passed his natural lifespan, he must always have vitae in his body, or he will swiftly age to the point of death and decomposition. This decomposition might occur within days or (for very old ghouls) within minutes.
Ghouls may use the vitae in their systems to heal themselves, as do vampires, or to increase their Physical Attributes in similar fashion. Ghouls soak bashing damage like other mortals (I.e., they do not divine net damage in half). However, while they have vitae in their bodies, they may soak lethal damage. A ghoul who does not use vitae to heal wounds heals as normal.
All ghouls learn Potence 1 within minutes of ingesting blood for the first time, and can also learn Fortitude. Most ghouls can progress no farther than the first level in a Discipline, but some can learn higher levels of Disciplines; the upper limit of a ghoul‘s Discipline levels is usually decreed by his domitor‘s generation.
A ghoul might be capable of learning other Disciplines that his domitor knows, but the learning process is very long and arduous.
The vampiric blood in their system affects ghouls psychologically as well as physically. They are capable of entering frenzy, although their difficulty to resist is lower.
Some long-term ghouls eventually develop side effects resembling their domitor‘s clan weakness. For instance, a ghoul who drinks too much Nosferatu vitae may begin sprouting unsightly boils and buboes, while a Ventrue‘s vassal might find his dark appetites even more demanding than before.
Frightening rumours abound, however, of ghouls gone rogue, rebelling against their Kindred masters, killing them, and seeking out the precious vitae from other vampires. These marauding ghouls do not serve new masters; rather, they strike at unwary or weak Kindred and take the blood by force, often destroying the hapless vampire in the process. Many Kindred scoff at these rumours, but others know all too well the power of ghouls and keep their eyes on their own entourages.
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