V5 Chronicle Tips
- The Social Satire of Vampire: The Masquerade
- An analysis of Anarchs in Vampire: The Masquerade
- Ten Tips to Running the Anarchs in V5
- Ten Tips to Running the Second Inquisition in V5
- Ten Tips to Running the Sabbat in V5
- Ten Chronicles for Sabbat PCs in V5
- Ten Tips to Running the Camarilla in V5
- Ten Tips to Running the Thin-Bloods in V5
- Ten Tips to Running the Tremere in V5
- Ten Real Life-Inspired Chronicles for V5
- V5 NPC Update: Sullivan Dane
- 101 Mundane Details for V:TM Games
- 101 Street Crime and Personal Horror Scenarios
- The Judas Compact or "How the Sabbat got their groove stolen"
- How much should Vampire PCs and NPCs know?
- Ten Tips to using Touchstones in V5
- Why metaplot matters in the World of Darkness
Hey folks,
These articles on how to run the changes to major characters and factions in V5 are proving to be some of my most-loved blog articles. As such, I've decided to continue them for the indefinite future. It's a nice break from working on the release of my upcoming book PSYCHO KILLERS IN LOVE and the recent release of my first trilogy in omnibus form.
For the next entry I'm going to be discussing the changes of, I've decided to go with Clan Tremere. Clan Tremere has arguably been hit the hardest of the 13 Clans in V5. The Tremere Pyramid has been decapitated with the deaths of the Council of Seven as well as destruction of the Vienna chantry. The Second Inquisition proved their bonafides by killing the most powerful known vampires in the world as well as destroying a place thought invincible to its magical defenses. Or did it?
The Tremere have also been shattered in terms of unity as the most carefully structured and rigid Clan has since split into multiple competing Houses. These include House Tremere, House Carna, House Goratrix, and House Ipsissimus. Even their curse has changed with the Blood Bond something that Tremere can no longer inflict on their fellow vampires. Here's how to use these changes in your game.
1. Bent, Bowed, but Unbroken
The Tremere have lost the Council of Seven, been broken into feuding houses, and lost their primary chantry. They have also ceased to be the only source of Blood Sorcery in the Camarilla due to the arrival of the Assamites. This does not mean the Tremere are beaten, though. Indeed, in many ways, they are now more powerful than they were before. The organization has always been held back by its strict control. New chantries, members, and rituals are now being created all the time. The Anarchs now flood with members as the Camarilla needs all the help it can get.
Blood cults have more than their fair share of warlocks. The Council of Seven feared losing control and new Paths but nothing prevents the Tremere from pursuing new avenues to power or position anymore. Tremere could not jockey for Prince or Primogen as well as serve their Clan interests. Now they can pursue power for themselves as well as Clan.
2. My brother against me, my brother and me against the world
The Tremere's broken state is perhaps overstated. Before the Tremere were held together like the Sith Empire. There was the masters and their apprentices who were constantly scheming against each other. The Tremere encouraged this infighting and even allowed duels to the death via certamen. The new Tremere are divided into feuding houses that contain many grudges as well as struggles over recruits. However, the Tremere are not so stupid as to forget that the enemy of one is likely the enemy of all. House Carna, House Goratrix, and House Tremere members will likely join together if an Assamite threatens one.
3. You may have created us, man of evil, but we are free
The entire Tremere Clan was partially blood bound to the Council of Seven. Effectively, this meant all members of the Tremere were effectively forced to serve the Clan's interests above their own. The biggest change of V5 is not the death of the Council of Seven and the breaking of those blood bonds but the fact that the Tremere cannot make blood bonds anymore period. They are free from the mind-control of their founders and for some, this will result in radical personality changes. After all, if you were forced to love someone for millennia and then discovered it was all a lie, how would you react? It also means that they cannot control any other Kindred via the Blood Bond and may have those they've enslaved turn against them.
4. The Tremere no longer have a monopoly on Blood Sorcery
This is something that has already been mentioned but it's important to understand the Tremere used to wield the vast majority of their authority by leveraging their power against other Clans. Need to track down a missing Neonate? Call the Tremere. Need to inflict a bloody curse on a rival Elder? Call the Tremere. Need a bunch of fireballs thrown at the Sabbat? Tremere again.
The addition of the Assamites and breaking up of the Pyramid means that sorcery is far more widely available. The Tremere can't stamp down Neonates teaching their friends parlor tricks or assassinate the rare Embraced mage who develops an affinity for it. Blood cults, in particular, are spreading mysticism throughout the Kindred world. This means that while the Tremere have not lost any power, they must develop alternate avenues to enforce their will as they face something they've never had before: competition.
5. Blood Sorcery has changed
The Tremere, for all of their brilliance, were a fairly static group. The Council of Seven were all recruited from the Order of Hermes in the Dark Ages and their immediate progeny. They favored traditional Hermetic sorcery and distrusted deviations from this rigid formula. The rise of House Carna has resulted in a resurgence of Verbena-style witchcraft. House Ipsissimus works with the Anarchs because they are not technophobes.
As such, they are a place where technomancers and biomancers can find succor. Nothing prevents Tremere wizards from incorporating the mysticism of blood cults like the Church of Caine, Church of Set, Mithranic Mysteries, and even Lilith worship into their magic as well. Blood Sorcery is now highly individualized outside of House Tremere and this is an advantage the Tremere are likely to take extreme advantage of. They may not be the only sorcerers anymore but they are still the best.
6. Know the Players, Know the Masters
Karl Schrekt is the current leader of House Tremere's Camarilla contingent and has apparently assembled his own Council of Seven together. This is less impressive than the 4th and 5th generation members it previously sported but Karl is 5th generation himself. He is apparently not suffering the Beckoning and thus is one of the most powerful vampires outside of the Middle East. He wishes to restore things as they were and may have the power to do so, even if it takes centuries.
Carna is a significantly weaker 8th generation vampire but holds a cult of personality around herself as well as wields the power of the Book of the Grave-War. She is 600 years old and also a tremendously powerful vampire by the standards of the New World.
Is Goratrix (secretly Tremere) still the leader of House Goratrix? If so, both Carna and Schrekt live by the grace of their Founder who apparently approves of the split. House Ipsissimus has no leaders as they simply desire freedom to wield magic as they like. Nothing prevents the PCs from founding their own Houses, though, beyond their willingness to stand alone.
7. Vienna was almost certainly an inside job
The Second Inquisition has inflicted massive damage on London, the Giovanni Mausoleum, Mexico City's Sabbat, and the city of Montreal's Sabbat. They are capable hunters that include many long-standing veterans from the Society of Leopold as well as Special Affairs Division. However, Kindred have always used the mortals who hate them against their enemies. Mithras manipulated the hunters of London according to THE FALL OF LONDON and the Giovanni Mausoleum was struck with the help of the Hecata. While it is only a matter of suspicion, there are many people who could have helped the Second Inquisition hit the Vienna chantry.
8. The Tremere's enemies are weakened too
The Tremere's collection of enemies can be summarized as: The Salubri Antitribu, the Gargoyles, the Tzimisce, the Tremere Antitribu, the Assamites, and other Tremere. Ironically, the Tremere's incredibly bad luck have given their foes absolutely no room to take advantage of it. The Sabbat have suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Second Inquisition and gone off to fight in a war that occupies their full attention. The Assamites, now known as the Banu Haqim, have joined the Camarilla so they have officially made peace with their former foes. The Second Inquisition and Beckoning has also stymied the other Clans as well, leaving the Tremere a surprising amount of room to expand their influence too. Hell, even the Order of Hermes lost most of its masters in the Avatar Storm, and thus the average Hermetic knows about as much about the Tremere as a modern Muslim knows about Tamerlane. They are a dark chapter of the order's history and best forgotten.
9. The Pyramid is smaller, not gone
The Tremere Pyramid has not been dissolved. Even with all the defections to the Anarchs, House Carna, House Goratrix, and blood cults--there are still many who find the old way of doing things just fine. Indeed, the casualties in the Elder ranks means that the Pyramid has many new openings for the ambitious as well as ruthless. Two qualities that the Tremere have always prized and its members usually possess in abundance. As such, it remains one of the most powerful and dangerous Kindred organizations in the world. Renegade Tremere may have more breathing room but it can still exert great force on those that attract its attention.
10. Now is the time to seize power
As one person who would make a great Tremere once said, "Chaos is a ladder." The Tremere remain some of the most educated and well-trained of Kindred. This may change with their newfound freedom to Embrace and teach their progeny as they see fit. With so many Elders Beckoned or killed, the power of sorcery can be utilized for one's own gain. The system of V5 actually contributes to this as restricting Disciplines to 5 levels means that a Tremere ancilla can potentially be among the most powerful mages in the world. There are older things out there and those with Disciplines that defy conventional rules but not so many that the Prince's domain is not there to be taken. You just have to kill to get it.
These articles on how to run the changes to major characters and factions in V5 are proving to be some of my most-loved blog articles. As such, I've decided to continue them for the indefinite future. It's a nice break from working on the release of my upcoming book PSYCHO KILLERS IN LOVE and the recent release of my first trilogy in omnibus form.
For the next entry I'm going to be discussing the changes of, I've decided to go with Clan Tremere. Clan Tremere has arguably been hit the hardest of the 13 Clans in V5. The Tremere Pyramid has been decapitated with the deaths of the Council of Seven as well as destruction of the Vienna chantry. The Second Inquisition proved their bonafides by killing the most powerful known vampires in the world as well as destroying a place thought invincible to its magical defenses. Or did it?
The Tremere have also been shattered in terms of unity as the most carefully structured and rigid Clan has since split into multiple competing Houses. These include House Tremere, House Carna, House Goratrix, and House Ipsissimus. Even their curse has changed with the Blood Bond something that Tremere can no longer inflict on their fellow vampires. Here's how to use these changes in your game.
The Tremere have lost the Council of Seven, been broken into feuding houses, and lost their primary chantry. They have also ceased to be the only source of Blood Sorcery in the Camarilla due to the arrival of the Assamites. This does not mean the Tremere are beaten, though. Indeed, in many ways, they are now more powerful than they were before. The organization has always been held back by its strict control. New chantries, members, and rituals are now being created all the time. The Anarchs now flood with members as the Camarilla needs all the help it can get.
Blood cults have more than their fair share of warlocks. The Council of Seven feared losing control and new Paths but nothing prevents the Tremere from pursuing new avenues to power or position anymore. Tremere could not jockey for Prince or Primogen as well as serve their Clan interests. Now they can pursue power for themselves as well as Clan.
2. My brother against me, my brother and me against the world
The Tremere's broken state is perhaps overstated. Before the Tremere were held together like the Sith Empire. There was the masters and their apprentices who were constantly scheming against each other. The Tremere encouraged this infighting and even allowed duels to the death via certamen. The new Tremere are divided into feuding houses that contain many grudges as well as struggles over recruits. However, the Tremere are not so stupid as to forget that the enemy of one is likely the enemy of all. House Carna, House Goratrix, and House Tremere members will likely join together if an Assamite threatens one.
3. You may have created us, man of evil, but we are free
The entire Tremere Clan was partially blood bound to the Council of Seven. Effectively, this meant all members of the Tremere were effectively forced to serve the Clan's interests above their own. The biggest change of V5 is not the death of the Council of Seven and the breaking of those blood bonds but the fact that the Tremere cannot make blood bonds anymore period. They are free from the mind-control of their founders and for some, this will result in radical personality changes. After all, if you were forced to love someone for millennia and then discovered it was all a lie, how would you react? It also means that they cannot control any other Kindred via the Blood Bond and may have those they've enslaved turn against them.
4. The Tremere no longer have a monopoly on Blood SorceryThis is something that has already been mentioned but it's important to understand the Tremere used to wield the vast majority of their authority by leveraging their power against other Clans. Need to track down a missing Neonate? Call the Tremere. Need to inflict a bloody curse on a rival Elder? Call the Tremere. Need a bunch of fireballs thrown at the Sabbat? Tremere again.
The addition of the Assamites and breaking up of the Pyramid means that sorcery is far more widely available. The Tremere can't stamp down Neonates teaching their friends parlor tricks or assassinate the rare Embraced mage who develops an affinity for it. Blood cults, in particular, are spreading mysticism throughout the Kindred world. This means that while the Tremere have not lost any power, they must develop alternate avenues to enforce their will as they face something they've never had before: competition.
5. Blood Sorcery has changed
The Tremere, for all of their brilliance, were a fairly static group. The Council of Seven were all recruited from the Order of Hermes in the Dark Ages and their immediate progeny. They favored traditional Hermetic sorcery and distrusted deviations from this rigid formula. The rise of House Carna has resulted in a resurgence of Verbena-style witchcraft. House Ipsissimus works with the Anarchs because they are not technophobes.
As such, they are a place where technomancers and biomancers can find succor. Nothing prevents Tremere wizards from incorporating the mysticism of blood cults like the Church of Caine, Church of Set, Mithranic Mysteries, and even Lilith worship into their magic as well. Blood Sorcery is now highly individualized outside of House Tremere and this is an advantage the Tremere are likely to take extreme advantage of. They may not be the only sorcerers anymore but they are still the best.
6. Know the Players, Know the Masters
Karl Schrekt is the current leader of House Tremere's Camarilla contingent and has apparently assembled his own Council of Seven together. This is less impressive than the 4th and 5th generation members it previously sported but Karl is 5th generation himself. He is apparently not suffering the Beckoning and thus is one of the most powerful vampires outside of the Middle East. He wishes to restore things as they were and may have the power to do so, even if it takes centuries.
Carna is a significantly weaker 8th generation vampire but holds a cult of personality around herself as well as wields the power of the Book of the Grave-War. She is 600 years old and also a tremendously powerful vampire by the standards of the New World.
Is Goratrix (secretly Tremere) still the leader of House Goratrix? If so, both Carna and Schrekt live by the grace of their Founder who apparently approves of the split. House Ipsissimus has no leaders as they simply desire freedom to wield magic as they like. Nothing prevents the PCs from founding their own Houses, though, beyond their willingness to stand alone.
The Second Inquisition has inflicted massive damage on London, the Giovanni Mausoleum, Mexico City's Sabbat, and the city of Montreal's Sabbat. They are capable hunters that include many long-standing veterans from the Society of Leopold as well as Special Affairs Division. However, Kindred have always used the mortals who hate them against their enemies. Mithras manipulated the hunters of London according to THE FALL OF LONDON and the Giovanni Mausoleum was struck with the help of the Hecata. While it is only a matter of suspicion, there are many people who could have helped the Second Inquisition hit the Vienna chantry.
8. The Tremere's enemies are weakened too
The Tremere's collection of enemies can be summarized as: The Salubri Antitribu, the Gargoyles, the Tzimisce, the Tremere Antitribu, the Assamites, and other Tremere. Ironically, the Tremere's incredibly bad luck have given their foes absolutely no room to take advantage of it. The Sabbat have suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Second Inquisition and gone off to fight in a war that occupies their full attention. The Assamites, now known as the Banu Haqim, have joined the Camarilla so they have officially made peace with their former foes. The Second Inquisition and Beckoning has also stymied the other Clans as well, leaving the Tremere a surprising amount of room to expand their influence too. Hell, even the Order of Hermes lost most of its masters in the Avatar Storm, and thus the average Hermetic knows about as much about the Tremere as a modern Muslim knows about Tamerlane. They are a dark chapter of the order's history and best forgotten.
9. The Pyramid is smaller, not gone
The Tremere Pyramid has not been dissolved. Even with all the defections to the Anarchs, House Carna, House Goratrix, and blood cults--there are still many who find the old way of doing things just fine. Indeed, the casualties in the Elder ranks means that the Pyramid has many new openings for the ambitious as well as ruthless. Two qualities that the Tremere have always prized and its members usually possess in abundance. As such, it remains one of the most powerful and dangerous Kindred organizations in the world. Renegade Tremere may have more breathing room but it can still exert great force on those that attract its attention.
10. Now is the time to seize power
As one person who would make a great Tremere once said, "Chaos is a ladder." The Tremere remain some of the most educated and well-trained of Kindred. This may change with their newfound freedom to Embrace and teach their progeny as they see fit. With so many Elders Beckoned or killed, the power of sorcery can be utilized for one's own gain. The system of V5 actually contributes to this as restricting Disciplines to 5 levels means that a Tremere ancilla can potentially be among the most powerful mages in the world. There are older things out there and those with Disciplines that defy conventional rules but not so many that the Prince's domain is not there to be taken. You just have to kill to get it.
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