Humanity

The Trait of Humanity is integral to the underlying theme of Vampire: The Masquerade. It is a moral code that allows Kindred to retain their mortal sensibilities in the face of their transformation into parasitic monsters. In essence, it is what keeps a vampire from becoming a mindless animal, enslaved by her thirst for vitae.

Humanity, unlike most other Traits, is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, as it is more complex than a 1-to-5 quantification allows for. Also, just because a Kindred follows the Path of Humanity doesn't mean she is a friendly, congenial saint. Vampires are predators by nature, and Humanity only gifts them with the ability to pretend they're not. It is an inward charade that protects a vampire from herself, much as the Masquerade protects vampires from the mortals outside.

Unfortunately, the very nature of existence as a vampire is anathema to one's Humanity. As the centuries wear on, the Beast takes hold, and Kindred become less and less concerned with the well-being of mortal "kine" (after all, they'll die eventually, anyway). As such, characters are likely to lose Humanity over the course of the game.

Mortals also typically follow the Path of Humanity, though this is largely out of ignorance: They don't know they can be anything else. As such, this mechanical system for morality rarely comes into play for them. Certainly, some mortals - rapists, murders and the like - have low Humanity scores, but they have no Beasts roiling within them, as do the Kindred. It is possible for a vampire with a high Humanity score to be more human than some mortals are!

X Monstrous

* Horrific

** Bestial

*** Cold

**** Unfeeling

***** Distant

****** Removed

******* Normal

******** Caring

********* Compassionate

********** Saintly

EFFECTS OF HUMANITY

A Kindred's humanity score reflects how much of a character's mortal nature remains despite the curse of Caine. It influences how well a character may deny her vampiric state, as well as how closely she may pass for mortal.

* Vampires sleep unnatually deeply and are loath to rise even if presented danger. Vampires with higher humanity rise earlier in the evening that vampires with lower scores.Also, if a Kindred is forced to act during the day, the maximum dice pool he may employ for any action equals his/her humanity score.

*Humanity also affects a character's Virtues. Whenever a dice for a virture is called into question a player may not roll more dice for a vrtue then her character has dots in humanity. Obviously, as the character sinks even deeply into the arms of damnnation, questions of morality and self-preservation mean less and less. As humanity depletes, the character creeps slowly toward the night when she loses all self control.

*The length of time a Kindred spends in torpor relates directly to his/her humanity score. A vampire with a low Humanity remains in torpor for a loner time than a vampire with a higher Humanity score.

*Humanity determines how, well "human" a character appears and how easily she may pass for human among the populace. Vampires with low Humanity acuire unnatural and disturbing features like sunken eyes, perpetual snarls and bestial countenances.

*If a character's humanity score ever drops to zero that persona is no longer suitable for use as a player's character. Completly controlled by his/her beast, the character is a mindless force of unnature, and falls under the storyteller's control.

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Vampires are monsters, have no doubt, and even a Kindred with the highest humanity scores is nothing more than a wolf in sheeps clothing. Nonetheless, as humanity erodes, vampires not only become more capable of, but also actively pursue, even more depraved acts. It is in a vampire's nature to hunt and to kill, and eventually every vampire finds him/herself holding the corpse of a vessel he had not intended to murder.

It is important, then, to know how vampires change as their Humanity scores deteriorate. Vampires' behavior, even under the auspices of humanity, may become so utterly depraved and alien that the very thought of her causes discomfort in others. After all, a low humanity score indicates that very little connects the kindred with her moral origins.