World of Darkness Glossary

Glossary in one line: Short definitions of WoD / VtM terms as they appear in chronicle and source materials—search below, then jump to the primer setting or Kindred clans for story context.

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Definitions of World of Darkness terms based on their usage throughout the source material.

In Valley by Night, terms follow in-chronicle usage for our 1994 Phoenix setting and Laws of the Night Revised play. For authoritative rules text, refer to official Vampire: The Masquerade and Mind's Eye Theatre publications from World of Darkness and your storyteller.

Core Terms

Antediluvian

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A vampire of the Third Generation, so called because she predates the Great Flood

Cainite

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • Any vampire; an older term

Caine

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • The legendary progenitor of all vampires
  • Referenced as Khayyin in some traditions
  • The source from which all vampire bloodlines trace their descent
  • Generation is measured by the number of steps removed from Caine

Kindred

From "The Kindred" (Laws of the Night):
  • Vampires are immortal, sentient creatures with faint similarities to their mortal selves
  • They require the blood of the living to survive
  • They are burned by sunlight and must avoid it or risk death
  • They are nocturnal creatures, finding it difficult to stay awake during the day
  • The Embrace is the process by which a new vampire is created - almost never given lightly
From "Kindred Society in the Victorian Age" (Victorian Age Vampire):
  • The structure and organization of vampire society during the Victorian era
From "The Elder's Place in Kindred Society" (Laws of Elysium):
  • The Camarilla was founded on the will of the elders, and even now they continue as its strongest proponents and leaders
  • Elders make up the upper ranks of the Inner Circle and Justicars, and often some of the most powerful princes

Kine

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • Mortals; humans who are not vampires
  • Used by vampires to refer to humanity in general
  • The Camarilla concerns itself with maintaining harmonious relations between Kindred and kine

Sects and Organizations

Camarilla

From "The Camarilla" (Laws of the Night):
  • Dates back to the years of the Inquisition
  • The Masquerade is both guiding principle and ironclad policy
  • Claims all vampires to be under its aegis
  • Six clans hold full membership: Brujah, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue
  • The Inner Circle consists of one representative for each clan
  • Justicars are appointed by the Inner Circle to be judge, jury, and executioner
  • Archons are chosen by justicars to act in their name
From "The Founding of the Camarilla" (Anarch Guide):
  • The formation of the Camarilla as a response to the Inquisition and Anarch Revolt
From "At Home with the Camarilla" (MET Journals):
  • Life and politics within Camarilla domains
From "Camarilla Society" (Clanbook Toreador):
  • The Toreador are one of the founding clans of the Camarilla and play an important role in Camarilla society

Sabbat

From "The Sabbat" (Laws of the Night):
  • Spawned by the Inquisition and the Anarch Revolt
  • Claims two clans: Lasombra and Tzimisce, plus antitribu
  • Organizes itself in a parody of the Catholic Church
  • Freedom and loyalty are the guiding principles
  • Looks ahead to the nights of Gehenna, determined to survive by any means necessary
From "Sabbat Guide":
  • Comprehensive guide to the Sabbat sect, its history, structure, and clans
From "The Nature of the Sabbat" (Sabbat Guide):
  • The fundamental principles and organization of the Sabbat
From "The True Sabbat" (Sabbat Guide):
  • The core beliefs and practices that define true Sabbat membership
From "Advisories on Enemies of the Camarilla" (Prince's Primer):
  • **The Sabbat**: Any incursion must be halted before it begins

Anarch

From "Anarch Guide (MET)":
  • Comprehensive guide to the Anarch Movement
From "Anarch Organization" (Anarch Guide MET):
  • How anarchs organize themselves and their territories
From "Anarch Territories" (Anarch Guide MET):
  • Areas controlled or influenced by the Anarch Movement
From "The Anarch Free State (Early 20th Century)" (Anarch Guide):
  • Historical anarch-controlled territories
From "Advisories on Enemies of the Camarilla" (Prince's Primer):
  • **Anarchs**: Make excellent cannon fodder

Titles and Roles

Prince

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A vampire (male or female) who has established a claim of rulership over a city, and is able to support that claim
From "Prince's Primer":
  • Comprehensive guide to becoming and remaining a prince - the supreme authority within a Camarilla domain
From "On the Position of the Prince Within His Domain" (Prince's Primer):
  • The prince as dominant political factor
  • Rights and privileges
  • The Traditions and their interpretation
  • Recommendations from the Conclave
From "A Manifesto on Becoming Prince" (Prince's Primer):
  • Advice and strategies for ascending to princedom
From "Wear Council Under a Weak Prince" (Counsel of Primogen):
  • How primogen councils function when the prince lacks sufficient power

Harpy

From "A Harpy's Primer":
  • Comprehensive guide to the position of Harpy within the Camarilla
From "So You Are a Harpy" (A Harpy's Primer):
  • One of the strongest positions within the Camarilla
  • The harpy position is often overlooked as a bookkeeping position, tracking status and recording boons
  • But the position has the potential to be much more
  • In the right hands, a harpy can be a very powerful tool and compelling character story
  • A harpy can move into the position by just acting like the harpy
  • No vote is needed in ascending to the position
From "A Harpy History" (A Harpy's Primer):
  • The historical development of the harpy position
From "The Harpy" (Counsel of Primogen):
  • The relationship between harpies and primogen councils
From "The Grand Harpy Rumor" (Toreador Definition):
  • Rumors about a matriarchal figure that all other harpies allegedly follow
  • If such a position exists, the current Grand Harpy is rumored to be a Toreador who resides in New York

Primogen

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A city's ruling council of elders
From "Counsel of Primogen":
  • Explores the role and power of the primogen council - the council of elders that advises and assists the prince in managing a Camarilla city
  • Provides detailed information on how primogen councils function, the political dynamics within them
From "The Primogen" (Prince's Primer):
  • Discussion of the primogen council and its relationship to the prince
  • Advice on managing primogen and using them effectively
From "Primogen Service" (Toreador Definition):
  • Toreador often serve as primogen, using their social skills to maintain influence within the Camarilla's political structure

Sheriff

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • The sheriff gains the additional Status Trait: Feared when he attains the position
  • While he remains sheriff, he cannot permanently lose this Trait
  • The sheriff may demand that any Kindred within the city accompany him for questioning or judgment
  • Failure to comply causes the offender to lose one permanent Status Trait
  • The sheriff is immune to the powers of the keeper of Elysium (those conferred by the position)
  • The sheriff may sponsor deputies by giving another Kindred a Status Trait of his own

Seneschal

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • The seneschal gains the following two additional Status Traits: Cherished and Esteemed
  • The character can never lose these Traits permanently while remaining seneschal
  • The seneschal can act in the prince's stead when the prince is out of the city
  • He is therefore entitled to all of the powers of the prince, although the prince may reverse or revoke them at any time

Concepts and Systems

Masquerade

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The collective effort made after the advent of the Inquisition to hide the Kindred from mortal notice
From "The Masquerade" (Clanbook Brujah Revised):
  • The inviolate rule of Kindred existence
From "The Traditions" (Prince's Primer):
  • **The Masquerade**: Should be open to even stricter interpretation than before
From "The Camarilla" (Laws of the Night):
  • The Masquerade is both guiding principle and ironclad policy

Elysium

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A place where vampires may meet without threat of violence to conduct business or discuss art
  • Often held in places of art or culture
From "Laws of Elysium":
  • Comprehensive guide to playing elder characters in Mind's Eye Theatre Vampire: The Masquerade
From "Inside the Elysium" (Camarilla Guide MET):
  • The structure and rules governing Elysium spaces
From "Tips for Working Elysium" (A Harpy's Primer):
  • Advice for harpies on managing Elysium events and spaces

Domain

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • An area of a particular vampire's influence; her "turf"
From "The Domain" (Prince's Primer - The Traditions):
  • The prince has leeway to set domain as long as he possesses the power to exert his authority
From "On the Position of the Prince Within His Domain" (Prince's Primer):
  • The prince's rights and responsibilities within their domain

Praxis

From "A Harpy History" (A Harpy's Primer):
  • Praxis refers to the authority and power to rule over an area
  • The prestation system was designed to ensure that only the strongest could claim praxis over an area the Camarilla wanted
  • Eliminating confusion and weak or compromised individuals from claiming praxis was a key goal
  • With Camarilla vampires, social strength is far superior to physical strength when it comes to maintaining praxis

Boon

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A favor owed between vampires
From "So You Are a Harpy" (A Harpy's Primer):
  • The harpy position tracks status and records boons
  • Boons are our money, the value we hold within our society
  • You don't have to keep a log. All you need to do is arbitrate between the two kindred if they cannot come to a mutual agreement on payment

Prestation

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The system of owing and granting favors; used as a bartering tool among Kindred
From "A Harpy History" (A Harpy's Primer):
  • The prestation system was created before the official founding of the Camarilla, and was used as the basis for determining support for rulership in an area
  • Vampires in each domain who were in support of a status system would have evaluated other kindred within their domain and ranked them, passing that information up their social ladder
  • The higher a vampire was in the rankings, the more privilege and power they were given at the formation
  • It was a covert way to ensure that strong leaders were in place at the beginning, eliminating confusion and weak or compromised individuals from claiming praxis over an area the Camarilla wanted
  • The prestation system was designed first and foremost as a protection against weak leaders within the sect
  • The position of harpy grew organically from the need for organization, accountability, and measurable authority over social structures, which is why harpies are appointed by acceptance in a domain rather than being voted upon

Blood and Feeding

Vitae

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • Blood
From "In Vitae Veritas" (Blood Sacrifice - The Thaumaturgy Companion):
  • Introduction discussing the nature of vitae (vampire blood)
From "The Ghoul's Dual Nature" (Liber des Goules):
  • Apart from their addiction to vitae, ghouls function like everybody else

Ghoul

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A mortal who has drunk vampire blood, but has not been Embraced
From "Liber des Goules":
  • Comprehensive guide to ghouls and their role in Kindred society
From "The Ghoul's Dual Nature" (Liber des Goules):
  • With the exception of Revenant families, a ghoul is still very much a normal human
  • The majority of ghouls may still live with loved ones, hold day jobs, pay bills, go to college, and so on
  • Apart from their addiction to vitae, ghouls function like everybody else
  • The difference lies in the ghoul's longevity and access to vampiric Disciplines
  • These differences set a ghoul apart from kine society, both physically and socially
From "Ghoul Types" (Liber des Goules):
  • Various types of ghouls and their characteristics
From "The Ghoul's Role in Kindred Society" (Liber des Goules):
  • How ghouls function within vampire society

Herd

From "Herd" (Laws of the Night):
  • **Herd**: Mortal followers who provide easy access to blood

The Embrace and Relationships

Embrace

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The act of turning a mortal into a vampire
From "The Embrace" (Clanbook Ventrue Revised):
  • The process of creating a new vampire
From "The Embrace" (MET Introductory Kit):
  • The process by which a new vampire is created
From "The Kindred" (Laws of the Night):
  • The Embrace is the process by which a new vampire is created - almost never given lightly

Childe

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A vampire created through the Embrace; the progeny of her sire
From "Important Childe" (Counsel of Primogen):
  • The relationship between sires and their childer in primogen politics

Sire

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The parent-creator of a vampire
From "Important Childe" (Counsel of Primogen):
  • The vampire who created another vampire through the Embrace
  • The relationship between sires and their childer affects primogen politics
  • Sires have authority and responsibility over their childer

Blood Bond

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A mystical power over another individual (mortal, Kindred or ghoul) created by drinking a vampire's blood three times
From "The Blood Bond" (Laws of the Night):
  • The supernatural connection created when a mortal consumes vampire blood (vitae)
  • Creates a powerful emotional and psychological attachment to the vampire who provided the blood
From "The Blood Bond" (Clanbook Tremere Revised):
  • The Tremere's relationship with the Blood Bond and how they use it
From "The Blood Bond" (Liber des Goules):
  • The relationship between ghouls and their Regnants (the vampires who provide them with vitae)
  • Jealousy and resentment can lead a ghoul to question her Bond, eventually causing a true break from her Regnant
  • Some ghouls, when faced with nothing but abuse, strike back and become vampire hunters, bent on the annihilation of their former masters

Disciplines and Powers

Disciplines

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The powers of a vampire, such as strength, speed or supernatural senses, which come with the Embrace
From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • Among most of the Children of Caine, there are eight relatively common Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Celerity, Dominate, Fortitude, Obfuscate, Potence, and Presence
  • Certain clans and bloodlines possess their own special Disciplines, including Chimerstry, Dementation, Necromancy, Obtenebration, Protean, Quietus, Serpentis, Thaumaturgy, and Vicissitude

Animalism

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • The ability to communicate with and master beasts
  • For a vampiric predator, mastery over animals is a simple task; the vampire's Beast is more dangerous than any animal's nature
  • By drawing on this feral connection, vampires can communicate with and control animals
  • This Discipline is practiced by the Gangrel, Nosferatu, Ravnos and Tzimisce clans
  • Use the Animal Ken Ability for retests with the Animalism Discipline

Auspex

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • Heightened sensitivity and supernatural awareness
  • A predator's senses must be fearfully acute, so many vampires hone their sensory talents to incredible sharpness
  • This improved awareness starts merely by expanding physical senses, but as a vampire's powers of perception grow, consciousness itself becomes fleeting and sublime
  • The powers of Auspex grant the ability to see through supernatural deception, including the veils of Chimerstry and Obfuscate
  • The Auspex Discipline is most evidenced by the Tremere, Tzimisce and Malkavian clans, who use it for supernatural insights, and by the Toreador, who use their superb senses in conjunction with their artistic work
  • Auspex powers retest with the Investigation Ability

Dominate

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • The ability to command another's mind
  • Dominate is most common among the Giovanni, Lasombra, Tremere and Ventrue clans, who all exercise their authority unflinchingly
  • Unless specifically noted otherwise, the subject must be sensed directly by the vampire — seen, heard or otherwise noticed

Obfuscate

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • Clouding of minds, granting disguise and stealth
  • This Discipline allows vampires to conceal themselves and everything worn or carried
  • Obfuscate powers last as long as they are maintained, and they generally require no particular effort
  • The Stealth Ability is used for retests by augmenting the Discipline with natural shadows and concealment
  • Auspex (or a similar power of supernatural sensitivity) may penetrate Obfuscate if the searcher is already looking for hidden individuals

Presence

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • Preternatural charisma
  • When many Cainites survive through careful manipulation of mortal society, the ability to sway emotions and control passions is a powerful capability indeed
  • More than simply using intrigue or carefully rehearsed acting to influence others, vampires with Presence literally project auras of power or dread
  • Emotions are playthings to be manipulated and stimulated

Thaumaturgy

From "Anarch Thaumaturgy" (Anarch Guide MET):
  • Blood magic practices within the Anarch Movement
From "Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy":
  • Comprehensive guide to Thaumaturgy and blood magic
From "Blood Sacrifice: The Thaumaturgy Companion":
  • Companion volume expanding on Thaumaturgy practices

States and Conditions

Beast, The

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The personification of the vampire's predatory nature, to which is attributed animal instincts and bloodlust

Generation

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The number of steps that a vampire is removed from Caine

Gehenna

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The time when the Antediluvians will rise and devour their descendants before beginning a reign of darkness and terror
  • Equated with the mortal Judgment Day

Final Death

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • Destruction of a vampire

Frenzy

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • An emotional state where the Beast rises to the forefront, and the vampire reacts as an enraged animal would
From "Frenzy" (Laws of the Night):
  • **Frenzy**: Rage-induced loss of control
From "Frenzy" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • **Frenzy**: Rules for when the Beast takes control
From "Frenzy and Its Management" (The Long Night):
  • Comprehensive guide to managing frenzy in game
From "Frenzy" (MET Apocalypse):
  • **Frenzy** - totally consumed with hatred of the Wyrm and all corruption

Torpor

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • A deep slumber similar to a vampire's daily rest, but far deeper
  • A character who enters torpor voluntarily falls into a slumber and may awaken in half the time usually required
  • Torpid vampires ignore the nightly need for blood — they are effectively in hibernation for the time they remain in that state
  • The length of torpor depends on the vampire's Humanity Traits:
  • Humanity 5: Two days
  • Humanity 4: One week
  • Humanity 3: One year
  • Humanity 2: One decade
  • Humanity 1: One century
  • Humanity 0: Millennium

Diablerie

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • The act of murdering another vampire by drinking both her blood and her spirit
  • Considered the worst crime among vampires
From "Diablerie" (MET Book of the Damned):
  • The act of consuming another vampire's soul by drinking their vitae

Places

Chantry

From "The Chantry" (Clanbook Tremere Revised):
  • A Tremere stronghold and center of learning
  • Houses Tremere scholars, researchers, and practitioners of Thaumaturgy
  • Organized hierarchically with Regents overseeing chantry operations

Haven

From "Lexicon" (Laws of the Night Revised):
  • A vampire's home or where he sleeps during the day

Morality and Paths

Humanity

From "Laws of the Night Revised":
  • A morality system for vampires, measuring their adherence to human values and ethics
  • Humanity Traits represent the vampire's degree of adherence to human morality
  • The Humanity Hierarchy of Sins:
  • Five Traits: Selfish thoughts and actions
  • Four Traits: Theft; causing injury
  • Three Traits: Accidentally killing; intentionally causing property damage
  • Two Traits: Killing with premeditation
  • One Trait: Casual killing or acts of great evil (as your culture defines "evil")
  • Humanity Five — Kindred with a score this high can be, ironically, more human than other humans
  • Humanity Four — Approximate to "normal" social morals, on par with most of mortal society
  • Humanity Three — The vampire has little difficulty with the fact that she is a predator
  • Humanity Two — Killing is very acceptable to this Kindred, provided the victim deserves to die
  • Humanity One — The lives and property of others mean nothing to a Kindred this far gone

*Note: This glossary is a work in progress. Terms marked "Definition to be compiled from source material" will be updated as more source material is analyzed.*