Crimson
A World of Darkness
Vampire Chronicle
Blood Bonds
Many undead exploit the heady emotions found in drinking vampiric vitae
to stir passion in their dead hearts, but it is a dangerous rush, for if a being drinks from the same vampire three times, on three separate nights, she falls under the sway of a mystical state known as the blood bond. A vampire who holds another in bondage is said to be the victim’s regnant, while the being who has been bound is called the thrall. Supernatural powers such as Dominate cannot change the victim’s feelings for her regnant; only true love has a chance at defeating the bond.
A blood bond must be maintained with further drinks. The relationship
has an impact as well: thralls who are constantly abused and humiliated by their regnants find their bond fading fast, while thralls who are treated with affection and respect find it harder to resist their regnants
Blood bonds are used commonly to ensnare mortals and ghouls in a vampire’s web, but it is possible for Cainites to bind each other as well — unlike the generation prohibition of Dominate, elders may be bound by the vitae of younger vampires. There are three steps in the process, corresponding to the number of drinks a victim has taken from another character:
First drink: At this stage, the drinker has strong flashes of emotion regarding the vampire — the character may find herself daydreaming about the vampire or frequenting areas where she might “stumble across” him. There are no game effects at this stage, but it should be roleplayed.
Second drink: While not the vampire’s slave, the drinker definitely considers him a central figure in her life. She may do as she pleases, but she must win or tie a Simple Test to take actions directly harmful to the vampire. Furthermore, she is one Trait down to resist any of the vampire’s Social Challenges.
Third drink: Full-scale blood bond. Nothing matches the victim’s devotion to the vampire — lovers, spouses, even children become secondary to her regnant. A regnant need not even make eye contact to Dominate his thrall; the mere sound of his voice is enough, and the thrall is two Traits down to resist the regnant’s Dominate. Regnantsmay hold any number of beings in thralldom; furthermore, once bound, a particular thrall may not be fully bound to another vampire while the original bond lasts.
A thrall may resist the bond temporarily by spending a Willpower Trait. The bond may be resisted for one whole scene if the action taken is relatively indirect, while one Willpower Trait is required per turn if the thrall wishes to physically attack her regnant.
A blood bond may be broken permanently only in a few ways. First of all, a thrall who manages to avoid all contact whatsoever with her regnant for a period of months equal to 12 minus her permanent Willpower rating may find her bond has decreased to the level of a two-drink bond once more. During this time, the character must roleplay the painful process of separation as well as spend Willpower
Traits to battle the “addiction” she has to her regnant (Narrator’s discretion). Second, the thrall is sometimes released from the bond if she kills her regnant, though this condition is nowhere as certain as it may seem. Third, at the Narrator’s discretion, a character who possesses the Merit: True Love to someone other than her regnant may be able to break the bond with the power of her love, but doing so requires arduous, in-depth roleplaying. Finally, some vampires whisper that the Sabbat knows of ways to break the blood bond, but it imparts them to only those who join the sect.