Character Resources

Your character's trackers make the cost of being a vampire visible. Update them when the fiction changes; the sheet is meant to be used during play.

Hunger and Rouse checks

Hunger ranges from 0 to 5. A standard vampire begins play at Hunger 1 unless a specific character rule says otherwise.

A Rouse Check is a single-die check. On a result of 6 or higher, Hunger does not increase. On a result of 1–5, Hunger increases by 1. The desired effect that caused the Rouse Check still occurs; any Hunger gained is applied after that effect resolves.

Some rules allow two dice for a Rouse Check. Roll both and take the highest result. One 6+ is enough to prevent the Hunger increase.

A vampire at Hunger 5 cannot voluntarily Rouse the Blood. If an outside effect forces a Rouse Check while the vampire is at Hunger 5, immediately make a Hunger Frenzy test at Difficulty 4 instead. The effect that caused the Rouse Check still resolves, even if the Frenzy test is failed. If an effect would increase Hunger above 5, the vampire immediately succumbs to Hunger Frenzy instead of increasing Hunger above 5.

Hunger dice

Except for tracker rolls such as Willpower and Humanity, each point of Hunger replaces one regular die in the vampire's dice pools with a Hunger die. If the dice pool contains fewer regular dice than the vampire's Hunger, the pool consists entirely of Hunger dice up to the pool's size.

Hunger dice are resolved like normal dice for successes, but they create Beast consequences:

• A 1 on a Hunger die contributes no success. If the overall test fails, the result is a Bestial Failure.
• A 10 on a Hunger die counts as a success. If the overall test is a critical success, the result is a Messy Critical.
• Hunger dice cannot be rerolled with Willpower.

A Bestial Failure is still a failure. A Messy Critical is still a successful critical. The Beast changes the consequences, not the basic success or failure of the test.

Hunger and frenzy

High Hunger makes the vampire vulnerable to Hunger Frenzy, but Hunger 5 by itself is not an automatic Frenzy trigger. Use the published Hunger Frenzy provocations when they occur, including the sight or smell of blood while at Hunger 4 or higher, tasting blood while at Hunger 4 or higher, and a failed or externally forced Rouse Check at Hunger 5.

When a Frenzy provocation occurs, resist it using the V5 Frenzy rules rather than inventing a generic Hunger modifier. The standard resistance pool is Resolve + Composure, with a bonus equal to one-third of Humanity, rounded down.

Feeding and reducing Hunger

Feeding is the normal way to reduce Hunger. Resolve how much Hunger the feeding slakes using the applicable feeding rules, Blood Potency, vessel type, and circumstances. Never assume that a feeding automatically reduces Hunger by a fixed amount when a more specific rule applies.

The Storyteller should call for Rouse Checks when a rule requires the vampire to Rouse the Blood, rather than treating every supernatural action as an automatic Rouse Check.

Humanity

Humanity ranges from 0 to 10 and measures the character's connection to human limits. It is not a morality score that changes every time a character makes a hard choice. Chronicle Tenet violations and other Humanity-threatening actions normally create Stains; Humanity changes through the standard Remorse process or through a specific rule that directly changes Humanity. At low Humanity, the vampire's connection to mortal life weakens and the Beast becomes harder to resist.

Discipline dots and powers

Discipline dots show mastery from 0 to 5. Powers are recorded beside the Discipline that grants them. A power's entry should state its activation cost, roll or difficulty, duration, and effect. If an entry omits one of these, ask the Storyteller before assuming it is free or automatic.