Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

city status • clan status • covenant status
and not commit too many mistakes, it’s quite possible he’ll be able to rise that high, given
the power of the Prince. It’s also possible that a Prince with low Status might even be kept as
a fi gurehead or puppet ruler by other vampires in the city with higher Status, who use their
standing to call all the shots behind the scenes.
City Status is unique among Kindred Status Merits because it cannot normally be purchased
with experience points after character creation. Instead, once a character enters play, all gains
(and losses) of City Status dots are entirely handled by the mechanics of the Status system
itself (see pp. 286-290 for details).
• Hound or “rising star”
•• Sheriff or “accomplished individual”
••• Harpy, Seneschal, Master of Elysium or “much-deserved reputation”
•••• Regent, Primogen, Herald or “cornerstone of Kindred society”
••••• Prince or “true paragon”
Clan Status
Clan Status is concerned with lineage and the Blood. At the outset of a chronicle, a
Kindred’s standing often refl ects the prestige her sire has gained and passed along, such as
with regard to the Ventrue. Many assume that childer who were Embraced by powerful and
infl uential members of the clan have already shown some special quality or excellence, otherwise
they would not have been chosen by so great a sire. This kind of recognition is short
lived, however. A neonate might enjoy prestige by association under the purview of her sire,
but such a favored childe is expected to make a name for herself.
Vampires who truly embody the ideals of their clan and who establish themselves in positions
of power and infl uence (often as Prisci) gain the respect of others in their clan, being perceived as
models for success. While the Daeva tell tales of particularly vicious Harpies of distant cities, the
Gangrel speak of brooding hulks who confi dently brave the Lupine-infested wilds alone. Those
who diverge from the expected behavior of the clan in remarkable ways gain renown (or notoriety),
as well, perhaps founding bloodlines that become known to vampire society as a whole.
A character may have Clan Status only as a member of his own clan. For instance, a Nosferatu
never gains Clan Status (Gangrel) no matter how many favors he does for the Savages. His
aid of the Gangrel may certainly earn him their esteem, but such concern is better handled
on a case-by-case basis by the Storyteller, not in the form of Clan Status.
Clan Status is not so rigidly defi ned as City Status. While individual clan titles might arise,
the notion of esteem is more general in this context.
Covenant Status
Covenant Status represents rank, achievement and responsibility. It’s less concerned with
clan ideals and more with covenant actions, philosophies and accomplishments. The various
covenants are not bound by any supernatural means or governed by clan lineage. They fi nd
a commonality of goals and ideologies, instead. It is not enough to be powerful or exemplary
of clan ideals; a covenant is concerned with what its members have done to benefi t its cause
and combat its rivals.
Those Kindred who enjoy the greatest covenant-based esteem are often the core members
of their factions in a given city, those around whom others rally. These Kindred instigate or
mediate confl ict with other covenants, generally looking to further certain idealistic goals
and establish themselves or other members in positions of infl uence in the local hierarchy.
A Mekhet in command of a massive spy network might have status within his clan, but the
lowliest of his spies might risk her unlife to gather a specifi c piece of information that helps
oust the Invictus Prince, subsequently enjoying far more status with, say, the Ordo Dracul
than her master.
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