Status

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kindred have developed many intricate rules of protocol and procedure when dealing with each other. Power-hungry vampires vie for positions of importance in the great Jyhad constantly, and a vampire’s reputation can be more valuable than any Influence or Discipline in some situations. Learning to play the power-games of the elders is a long and arduous task for neonates, but in the end one that serves most of them well — or hastens their demise. Status is the measure of a vampire’s reputation, and is measured in Traits. Most often, it usually stems from an office held among the local Kindred, from prince to primogen to scourge. Such posts are never given out, and those who hold them tend to defend them zealously. However, a vampire may also gain Status by being influential in the city’s business, performing extraordinary deeds or by simply catching the right eyes at the right time.

 

Camarilla Status Traits: Acknowledged, Admired, Adored, Cherished, Esteemed, Exalted, Famous, Faultless, Feared, Honorable, Influential, Just, Praised, Respected, Revered, Trustworthy, Well-Connected, Well-Known.

 

Troupes should feel free to invent new Status Traits to suit their own stories and the reputations of the characters receiving the Traits.

 

 

Gaining and Losing Status 

All vampires who have been officially “accepted” by the prince acquire a single Status Trait: Acknowledged. Failure to possess this Trait means that a character cannot expect even the most simple favors from local Kindred, and he may even be hunted by the scourge if the prince discovers his presence. Most Masquerade characters will either start with this, or acquire it early on in the chronicle. Characters may gain Status by helping uphold the Traditions (especially the Masquerade), doing favors for the prince or an elder, saving the unlife of a prominent Kindred, or defeating a Sabbat menace in the city. A city officer (such as the sheriff or keeper of Elysium) may recommend a Kindred for Status if she has been particularly useful or has assisted them in their work. On occasion, 

the prominent may award Status to those who hindered their enemies or overthrew them, but such notice may not always be a good thing. Naturally, a character may lose Status as easily as he gains it (if not more so). Falsely accusing another vampire of a crime, violating the Traditions, committing diablerie or refusing to recognize the Status of another Kindred are but a few of the ways to earn such displeasure. Of course, if there are no witnesses to report such violations. A character may never gain more than one Status Trait per story. There are two exceptions to this rule: if the prince rewards or sanctions an additional Trait, or if the Status Traits are conferred when a Kindred assumes an office in Kindred society. However, a character can lose more than one Status per story. 

 

 

Using Status

Status comes in two types: permanent and temporary. Permanent Status is recorded on the character sheet, and is a measure of a character’s actual standing in Kindred society; permanent Status losses or gains are added or removed from your character sheet. By contrast, the loss or gain of temporary Status has no effect on permanent Status and tends to fluctuate more. Temporary Status Traits can be represented with Status Cards (since they tend to change hands often). You may bid a Status Trait instead of a regular Trait in any applicable Social Challenge. You may also choose to add Status Traits to your Social Traits during a Social Challenge if Traits are compared. You must tell your opponent when you wish to use your Status Traits in these ways, however, since they may choose to

ignore them if they like. Such a disrespectful act typically means a loss of permanent Status for the offending Kindred, unless the vampire ignored was far less influential than the offender. Some form of punishment should be expected, though — elders 

consider those who flout the system dangerously disruptive.

Keeping tabs on Status can become quite a chore for one Storyteller to handle. It is therefore recommended that troupes assign a special Narrator, called the Gossip, to keep a written record of all important uses of Status (like loans, boons or snubs) to prevent future arguments. Players should report Status changes or activities like boons or snubs to the Gossip as soon as the game permits.

 

Examples of Status

The following are some examples of the uses and benefits of Status:

 

• Temporary Status may be used to add to your Social Traits during an applicable Social Challenge. (Note: This benefit does not include Discipline use, unless the Storyteller approves of such usage specifically.)

 

• Status is a measure of a character’s creditability. In any situation where it is one vampire’s word against another, Status can be the determining factor. The same is true in the case of accusing another of a crime in which there is no concrete evidence. In all such cases, the character with the most Status is the one whose word is accepted.

 

• You may loan temporary Status to another to show your favor, though the individual to which you made the loan must return it immediately on the asking. The bearer may spend this Trait as a temporary Trait, after which it is gone for the duration of the story. (This is the only way a character’s temporary Status can rise above her permanent Status rating.) Loaned Status can be used exactly as you would use your own. You can give only one Trait of Status to any one person in this fashion.

 

• You must possess at least one Trait of Status in order to petition the prince for any reason.

 

• Anyone of higher Status may remove permanent Status from those lower than themselves at a cost of one permanent Status Trait per Trait removed. Temporary Status may be removed in the same fashion. This is often done as punishment, including removing the Status of Acknowledged and thus leaving the person at the mercy of the scourge.

 

• You may grant permanent Status to another of your own clan if he has less than half your permanent Status. The cost for such a boon is one temporary Status Trait, and the boon must be made publicly, such as during a meeting of the primogen or another such gathering.

 

• A clan may remove one Status Trait from an elder of the clan by expending a group total of permanent Status Traits equal to the elder’s permanent Status. The primogen may also lower the prince’s permanent Status in the same fashion.

 

• Remember, you may only gain one Status Trait per story, but you may lose more than one Trait. Again, there are two exceptions to this rule: Status granted or sanctioned by the prince, and Status received for assuming a station.

 

 

Stations

There are eight official stations that a Kindred may hold, each of which grants Status within a city. Cities with small Kindred populations may double up certain stations, or even leave positions vacant. It is highly recommended that the most powerful stations should remain in the hands of Narrators and more experienced players, with newer players learning the ropes before taking a shot at attaining a station. Certain powers and responsibilities are inherent in each of these stations, and all powers that a station confers are lost immediately if a character is removed from or relinquishes it.

 

The following is a list of the eight standard stations:

 

The Prince

• The prince of a city automatically gains three additional Status Traits: Exalted, Well- Known and Famous. He can never lose these Traits permanently while remaining prince.

• The prince can remove one permanent Status Trait from someone at a cost of one temporary Status Trait per Trait removed.

• The prince can grant permanent Status Traits to any Kindred at a cost of one temporary Trait for each Trait awarded. The prince (and only the prince) may thus break the rule of only gaining one Status Trait per story, allowing a character to gain more than one Trait. If a prince wishes to confer more than three permanent Status Traits on another Kindred in a single session, the fourth and subsequent Traits will cost the prince permanent Status instead of temporary Traits. It does not cost the prince temporary Status to award a Kindred the first Status Trait when she is first Presented. The Trait: Acknowledged is conferred automatically as long as the prince chooses to recognize the neonate.

 

Seneschal

• 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.

 

Primogen

• Primogen members each receive the additional Status Trait: Revered when they join the primogen. As long as the character remains one of the primogen, she cannot lose this Trait permanently.

• Primogen may grant or remove permanent Status Traits to or from any member of their clan at a cost of one temporary Status Trait for each Trait granted or removed.

 

Harpies

• The leader of the harpies receives the additional Status Trait: Influential on attaining the position. As long as the character remains the leader, he cannot lose this Trait permanently.

• The harpy automatically gets one temporary Status Trait from each member of the primogen, who bestow these Status Traits to demonstrate their support of the harpies.The harpy, in turn, may use these Traits however she desires, even against the owner.

• The harpy may remove one permanent Status Trait from a Kindred who has backed out of a boon or is part of a major scandal. There is no cost for doing so, although there must be a grain of truth to the scandal. The harpy must produce some sort of evidence at a gathering of Kindred, at which time the Status Trait is removed.

• The harpy may restore Status he has removed at a cost of one temporary Trait per Trait removed.

• The leader of the harpies may sponsor lesser harpies by giving another Kindred a Status Trait of his own. Lesser harpies may remove temporary Status just as the head harpy removes permanent Status, although their leader may choose to make such loss permanent.

 

Whips

• Whips have the same powers as the primogen, although they do not gain an additional Status Trait, and their powers may be revoked at any time by the primogen of their clan.

 

Sheriff

• 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 do so 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, that is; he must still honor the Traditions).

• The sheriff may sponsor deputies by giving another Kindred a Status Trait of his own. These deputies have the same powers as the sheriff, but the sheriff may revoke their authority at any time.

 

Keeper of Elysium

• The keeper of Elysium gains the additional Status Trait: Honorable on attaining the office. As long as the character remains the keeper, he cannot lose this Trait permanently.

• The keeper may immediately remove one permanent Status Trait from any Kindred he catches breaking the Masquerade. If he does not witness it himself, sufficient evidence must be brought forth. This removal costs the keeper nothing.

 

Scourge

• The scourge gains the additional Status Trait: Feared when he attains the position. While he remains scourge, he cannot permanently lose this Trait. 

• The scourge can harass, detain or destroy without penalty any Kindred that have been created without permission from the prince, or who have not been presented formally to the prince.

• If the scourge discovers another character harboring or abetting vampires created without the prince’s permission or who have not been presented formally, he may remove a permanent Status Trait from that character immediately. This removal costs the scourge nothing, but he must present sufficient evidence of the crime to the prince. Should the prince find the evidence insufficient or be

• unconvinced of the crime, he may return the stripped Status to the character. 

• Not all cities have reinstated the office of scourge, and even those that have do not consider it a noble aspiration, but rather a necessary evil born of the Final Nights.