Humanity and Chronicle Tenets
Humanity is the measure of your connection to human limits. It is not a morality score — it is a survival mechanism. A vampire with high Humanity remembers what it means to be human. A vampire with low Humanity forgets.
Humanity
Humanity ranges from 0 to 10. A newly Embraced vampire begins at Humanity 7. Humanity affects how the Beast influences your behavior, how mortals perceive you, and how you relate to the world you left behind.
Humanity and the Beast
| Humanity | Effect |
|---|---|
| 8–10 | The Beast is quiet; you act with compassion and restraint |
| 5–7 | The Beast whispers; you act with caution and self-interest |
| 2–4 | The Beast speaks; you act with hunger and desperation |
| 0–1 | The Beast roars; you act with predatory instinct |
Humanity and mortals
| Humanity | Mortal perception |
|---|---|
| 8–10 | You seem human; mortals are comfortable around you |
| 5–7 | You seem odd; mortals may feel uneasy |
| 2–4 | You seem wrong; mortals feel fear or revulsion |
| 0–1 | You seem inhuman; mortals flee or attack |
Humanity loss
Humanity is lost only after a meaningful violation and a chance for the character to confront what happened. It is not lost for every questionable choice.
Humanity loss should occur when:
- The character commits a deliberate, harmful act against an innocent
- The character violates a Chronicle Tenet in a significant way
- The character fails a degeneration test after a serious violation
- The character embraces the Beast and acts with predatory intent
Degeneration
When a character commits a serious violation, the Storyteller may call for a degeneration test. Roll Resolve + Composure against a difficulty set by the severity of the violation:
- Difficulty 2 – minor harm, no witnesses
- Difficulty 3 – serious harm, few witnesses
- Difficulty 4 – death, public witnesses
- Difficulty 5 – murder of a loved one, total Masquerade breach
If the test fails, the character loses 1 Humanity and gains a condition such as Haunted, Broken, or Obsessed. If the test succeeds, the character holds onto their Humanity but suffers a consequence such as guilt, trauma, or a strained relationship.
Restoring Humanity
Humanity is restored through meaningful restorative acts:
- Making amends for a past violation
- Protecting an innocent at personal cost
- Rejecting the Beast in a dramatic moment
- Completing a restorative story or quest
- Spending 10 XP to raise Humanity by 1
Chronicle Tenets
Chronicle Tenets are the moral framework of the Chronicle. They define what the characters value, what they fear, and what they are willing to sacrifice. Tenets are not rules to be obeyed — they are pressures to be resisted.
Creating Tenets
During Session Zero, the group creates 2–4 Chronicle Tenets. Each Tenet should be:
- A moral principle that matters to the characters
- Something that can be violated through play
- Something that creates dramatic tension
- Something that the characters may disagree about
Example Tenets
- Protect the Masquerade at all costs.
- Do not harm the innocent.
- Obey the Prince's law — or suffer the consequences.
- Put the coterie first.
- Never forget what you were.
- Do not diablerize — it is the ultimate sin.
- Maintain your humanity — it is all you have left.
- Respect the old ways — they exist for a reason.
Personal Tenets
Each character may also have 1–2 personal Tenets. These are moral principles that matter to the individual character. They may be:
- A promise to a loved one
- A code of honor
- A vow of revenge
- A commitment to a cause
- A refusal to repeat a past mistake
Tenets and Humanity
When a character violates a Tenet, the Storyteller may call for a degeneration test. The severity of the violation determines the difficulty:
- Minor violation: difficulty 2
- Serious violation: difficulty 3
- Extreme violation: difficulty 4–5
If the test fails, the character loses 1 Humanity. If the test succeeds, the character holds onto their Humanity but suffers a consequence.
Tenets and compulsion
When a character is tempted to violate a Tenet, the Storyteller may offer a compulsion. The compulsion represents the Beast's pressure to break the Tenet. The character may resist the compulsion with a Resolve + Composure roll.
Touchstones
A Touchstone is a mortal person, place, or ideal that anchors the character to their humanity. Touchstones are the reasons the character fights to remain human. They are the relationships, the memories, and the values that keep the Beast at bay.
Choosing Touchstones
During character creation, choose 1–3 Touchstones. A Touchstone should be:
- A mortal person, place, or ideal that matters to the character
- Something that can be threatened, damaged, or destroyed
- Something that creates dramatic tension
- Something that the character is willing to protect at personal cost
Example Touchstones
- A mortal lover who does not know what you are
- A child you are raising or protecting
- A place that reminds you of your mortal life
- A memory of a happier time
- A moral code you refuse to break
- A promise you made before the Embrace
Touchstones and Humanity
When a Touchstone is threatened, damaged, or destroyed, the character may lose 1 Humanity unless they take action to protect or restore it. A Touchstone is not just a background detail — it is a dramatic resource that can be used to create tension and force difficult choices.
Protecting Touchstones
A character should actively protect their Touchstones. This may require:
- Spending time and resources to keep them safe
- Lying to them about your nature
- Making difficult choices to protect them
- Sacrificing something to keep them alive or whole
A Touchstone that is ignored or neglected may be lost — and the character may lose Humanity as a result.