Blood Bonds

One of the most wondrous and terrible properties of Kindred vitae is its ability to enslave nearly any being that drinks of it three times. Each sip of a particular Kindred's blood gives the Kindred in question a greater emotional hold over the drinker. If a being drinks three times, on three separate nights, from the same Kindred then she falls victim  to a state known as the blood bond. A vampire who holds a blood bond over another being is said to be that victim's regnant or domitor, while the being subordinate to the bond is called the thrall. Please keep in mind that all blood bonds, no matter how minor, must be reported to an ST to mark on your sheet. Both the Regnant and the bound must send in requests to avoid false bonds.

First Drink: The drinker begins to experience intermittent but strong feelings about the vampire. She may dream of him, or find herself "coincidentally" frequenting places where he might show up. There is no mechanical effect at this stage, but it should be roleplayed. All childer have this level of bond toward their sires, for the Embrace itself forces one drink upon the childer; they may love their "parents," hate them, or both, but are rarely indifferent toward them.

Second Drink: The drinker's feelings grow strong enough to influence her behavior. Though she is by no means enslaved to the vampire, he is definitely an important figure in her life. She may act as she pleases, but might have to make a resisted roll against her domitor’s DP, difficulty 8 to take actions directly harmful to the vampire. The vampire's influence is such that he can persuade or command her with little effort. Third Drink: Full-scale blood bond. At this level, the drinker is more or less completely bound to the vampire. He is the most important person in her life; lovers, relatives and even children become tertiary to her all-consuming passion.

At this level, a regnant may use the Dominate Discipline on a thrall, even without the benefit of eye contact. Merely hearing the regnant's voice is enough. Additionally, should the thrall try to resist the Dominate for some reason, the difficulty of such resistance is increased by two. Naturally, a higher-generation vampire still cannot use Dominate on a lower-generation thrall.

The blood bond is true love, albeit a twisted and perverse version of it. Ultimately, we can't reduce the vagaries of love down to a simple "yes/no" system. Some thralls will commit any act, including suicide or murder for their beloved; other characters have certain core principles that they will not violate.

A full blood bond, once formed, is nearly inviolate. Once bound, a thrall is under the sway of her regnant and her regnant only. Another vampire cannot bind her again unless the first blood bond wears away "naturally” or the regnant is killed. A vampire can experience lesser (one- and two-drink) bonds towards several individuals; indeed, many Kindred enjoy such bonds, as they create artificial passion in their dead hearts. Upon the formation of a full blood bond, though, all lesser sensations are wiped away. Vampire lovers occasionally enter into mutual blood bonds with each other, as this is the closest thing the undead can feel to true love. Even this sensation can turn to disgust or hate over the centuries, though, and in any event, few Kindred trust enough to initiate it.

A blood bond is a mighty force, but it is at its most potent when perpetually reinforced with further drinks. Feeding a thrall often reinforces the bond, while depriving the thrall of vitae may cause the relationship to grow tepid over time. As well, like any other relationship, treatment and courtesy play a part in the dynamics of the bond. A thrall who is treated well and fed often will likely fall even more deeply in love, while a thrall who is degraded and humiliated may find resentment and anger eating away at the bond.

It is possible, though difficult, for a vampire to temporarily resist a blood bond. Doing so requires the player to make a resisted roll against her domitor’s WP, difficulty 8 and accumulate a number of successes equal to the number of times the thrall has partaken of the regnant's blood. Upon doing so, the bond is negated for a variable amount of time: from one scene (if the thrall merely wishes to plot against the regnant, deliver confidential information to an enemy, etc.) to one turn (if the thrall wishes to attack the regnant physically). The thrall may continue to make resisted rolls for as long as she wishes until she fails, or stops trying, once she stops though, the blood bond resumes at full force.

A blood bond can be broken, although this requires the thrall to avoid the regnant entirely for an extended period of time. As a general rule, a thrall who neither sees nor feeds from her regnant for 1 month finds her bond reduced by one level, however to fully deprecate the effects of a blood bond “naturally” takes a full year. Thus, the blood bond will remain at the first level for several months as a niggling feeling in the thrall, who may lapse at any time. Breaking the bond completely at the end of the year requires a resisted roll as laid out above.

Another, though somewhat less certain, way to be rid of the bond is to kill the regnant. Such a choice is extremely perilous on many levels, and makes no guarantees that everything will go smoothly. Those who have been released by such means claim the bond shatters like spun glass upon the moment of the regnant's Final Death.