Nocturne
MORTIS
Virtues
The Virtue Traits define a character's outlook on unlife - they shape a character's ethical code and describe his commitment to his chosen morality. Virtues exist to help give a character a sense of being, not to force players to portray their characters in a given way. However, Kindred are passionate creatures, and sometimes an act or situation may force a character to consider exactly how she should react to a given stimulus. Virtues come into play when a character faces an impending frenzy, does something ethically questionable (according to the character's morality), or confronts something that terrifies or disturbs her.
A vampire's Virtues are determined by his Path, the particular code of ethics he follows. Most Camarilla Kindred maintain their mortal values and follow the Path of Humanity (referred to simply as "Humanity"), but other vampires often subscribe to radically different philosophies. These alternate Virtues and Paths are detailed in the Appendix, while Humanity is covered below.
Conscience
Conscience is a Trait that allows characters to evaluate their conduct with relation to what is "right" and "wrong." A character's moral judgment with Conscience stems from her attitude and outlook. Conscience is what prevents a vampire from succumbing to the Beast, by defining the Beast's urges as unacceptable.
Conscience factors into the difficulty of many rolls to avoid committing a transgression. Additionally, Conscience determines whether or not a character loses Humanity by committing acts that do not uphold her moral code. A character with a high Conscience score feels remorse for transgressions, while a character with a lower Conscience may be a bit more callous or ethically lax.
Some vampires replace the Conscience Virtue with the Virtue of Conviction (p. 287); unless your Storyteller tells you it's desirable to do this, assume Conscience is used.
1.(dot) - Uncaring
2.(dots) - Normal
3.(dots) - Ethical
4.(dots) - Righteous
5.(dots) - Remorseful
Self-Control
Self-Control defines a character's discipline and mastery over the Beast. Characters with high Self-Control rarely succumb to emotional urges, and are thus able to restrain their darker sides more readily than characters with low Self-Control.
Self-Control comes into play when a character faces her Beast in the form of frenzy. Self-Control allows the character to resist the frenzy. Note: A character may never roll more dice to resist or control a frenzy than she has blood pool - it's hard to deny the Beast when one's mind clouds with hunger.
As with Conscience, Self-Control can be replaced, in this case by the Virtue of Instinct (p. 287). Again, unless the Storyteller specifically says it's all right to do so, assume Self-Control is used.
1.(dot) - Unstable
2.(dots) - Normal
3.(dots) - Temperate
4.(dots) - Hardened
5.(dots) - Total self-mastery
Courage
All characters have a Courage Trait, regardless of the Path they follow. Courage is the quality that allows characters to stand in the face of fear or daunting adversity. It is bravery, mettle and stoicism combined. A character with high Courage meets her fears head-on, while a character of lesser Courage may flee in terror.
Kindred use the Courage Virtue when faced with circumstances they endemically dread: fire, sunlight, True Faith. See the section on Rotschreck for mechanical systems dealing with character fear.