Cappadocians

Do my methods unnerve you? They shouldnt. If

you want to find something eternal, you must be
prepared to face the cruelties of death.

To the Cappadocians, death is a mystery to be revered,

studied, and ultimately solved. Some seek their answers in
dissection and studies of the cadaver. Others commune with
the dead or use the clans magics to explore the depths of the
Underworld. The Cappadocians are the lorekeepers and
historians of the Cainites, and they command powerful
Necromancy to aid them on their quest for mastery of unlife.
The clans founder, Cappadocius, is not eager to
share his personal history with his clan, but freely dispenses
his wisdom to the clans elders. This wisdom has included
everything from vague instructions to seek out the mysteries
of death to grand visions of underground utopian cities and
apocalyptic visions. It is not uncommon for clan members to
discuss these visions either in scholarly texts or during their
regular meetings at Erciyes.
One of the unique and well-guarded powers of the
Cappadocians is the discipline of Necromancy. While many
Cainites consider the practice of Necromancy distasteful or
even immoral, it is difficult to argue with its power or
effectiveness under the right circumstances. Though
Cappadocians rarely seek the notoriety of princedom, it is
not uncommon to see a Cappadocian as a seneschal or an
advisor (such as Lord Camden, Chamberlain of London) to
a higher political authority.
Sobriquets: Necromancers, Graverobbers
Appearance: The Cappadocians are a cosmopolitan
clan and can be found from the Holy Land to the monasteries
of Ireland. They tend toward conservative dress, as many
Necromancers were members of religious orders in life.
When traveling among mortals, the Clan of Death dresses to
conceal or obscure their features. Veils and hooded cloaks
are common. More theatrical members of the clan may dress
in funerary masks or burial shrouds.
Haven: Like most scholars, the Necromancers tend
toward practicality in their feeding and lodging
arrangements. They feed from targets of opportunity, and
make practical and secure Havens. They are typically not
picky about feeding from corpses (or corpses-to-be). A
steady supply of corpses for Necromancy is a necessity for
many, and urban Necromancers will typically purchase from
local collectors.
Background: Mystics, poets, cenobites, and dervishes
as well as scholars, magicians, and surgeons are commonly
seen among the Necromancers. As a rule, the Cappadocians
do not embrace capriciously. The clan is diverse and
cosmopolitan, however, and Necromancers originate from

all walks of life. An inquisitive mind and insight into matters

of life and death are far more important than mortal
breeding, occupation, or influence.

Character Creation
The Clan of Death highly prizes Mental Attributes
and Knowledges such as Medicine or Occult. Typically,
Physical Attributes come second, with a particular focus on
manual skill or Stamina. Rare is the Cappadocian with high
Social Attributes, though a sly, manipulative Necromancer

could easily take advantage of the fact that most other

Cainites do not see the Cappadocians as political rivals.
Many Cappadocians follow the Road of Heaven,
viewing their religiosity and morality as a way to achieve
knowledge of God and thus triumph over death. Others take
a more detached approach and follow the Road of Bones.
Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Fortitude, Necromancy
Weaknesses: The Cappadocian affinity for death is
marked indelibly on the visage of its clan members. All
Cappadocians appear ashy and corpselike, and are unable to
affect the appearance of life like other vampires by spending
vitae. This condition becomes more pronounced as the
Necromancer ages, with the eldest Cappadocians appearing
as mummified corpses. This grim visage presents the
Cappadocian with a +2 difficulty on any Social rolls that
would be hindered by a corpselike appearance.

Attributes
Abilities
Disciplines
Backgrounds
Lores
Virtues
Max Merits bought with Flaws
Starting Status (free)
Freebies

Neonate
7/5/3
13/9/5
4
5
4
7
7
1
75

Ancillae
7/5/3
13/9/5
4
5
4
7
7
2
175

Only one max dot per category in attributes and abilities

at creation.
Only one discipline or primary path of Blood Sorcery,
Thaumaturgy and Necromancy can have max dots at
creation.
Only one dot in one advance discipline is allowed at
creation.
Out of Clan Disciplines can be taken at character creation
with Freebie points and only with Storyteller permission.
Celerity, Fortitude and Potence does not need Storyteller
permission, nor does it count toward the max in the
other out of clan disciplines chart.

Starting out of clan Disciplines

Age
Max number of Disciplines
allowed
Max dots in each Discipline
Max number of Physical
Disciplines allowed
Max dots in Celerity, Fortitude
or Potence

Neonate
2

Ancilla
3

3
2

4
2

Before buying the domain background consult with the

storyteller.

Freebie Point cost

Trait Cost
Attributes
Ability
Discipline
Blood Sorcery Path
Blood Sorcery Ritual
Backgrounds
Lores
Virtue
Area of Expertise
Road
Willpower

(Per Dot)
5
2
7
4
Ritual Level
1
1
2
1
2
1

Organization: Every ten years, a grand meeting of the

Clan of Death is called at the temple of Erciyes, an ancient
city built by order of Cappadocius himself. There, the
Necromancers confer with one another and look over the
clans prized collections of Cainite lore, including the
Erciyes Fragments, the most complete version of the Book
of Nod. Of course, not all members attend, as travel is hardly
practical. This leads to a sense that physical proximity to
Erciyes grants additional favor in clan matters.
Individual clan members will also meet less formally at
mortal universities or correspond with lengthy letters with
each other about scholarly manners in a less formal fashion.

Stereotypes
Assamite: Tread lightly. Learn what you can and bend
their laws to placate them when you must.
Followers of Set: You have nothing to offer me but a
knife in my back. Begone.
Lasombra: There are two types of Lasombra. One is a
master of shadow-puppets who rules by lies and chicanery.
The other knows the true depths of the Abyss, and his
knowledge is dangerous, seductive, and powerful. It is not
always easy to tell the difference.
Malkavian: While venturing in the lands beyond, I
found a pack of the Dead with terrible twisted claws and eyes
blacker than night. They moved as one, and they spoke in
chorus the dark wisdom of the Abyss. I have no doubts that
those vile creatures wanted nothing but my end. And yet, I
find them much more straightforward and useful than
attempting to deal with a Malkavian.
Nosferatu: What sort of necromancer would I be if I
refused to deal with ugly or foul-smelling things?

Toreador: A grinning skull holds more secrets than a

painted face.
Tremere: Impressive, if not commendable.
Ventrue: They are quick to remind us that they are our
glorious patrons and protectors, and slow to actually provide
us with protection when weve needed it most. Perhaps a
change is in order.

Merits and Flaws

Horrific Appearance
(3-point Flaw)
An increasingly frequent occurrence among
Cappadocians is a strange accentuation of their inherent
clan weakness. Numerous Cappadocians, already prone
to resembling walking corpses, have shown a more
pronounced Horrific Appearance. Those who exhibit this
aberrant trait become even more corpse like; their skin
draws tight over their bones, and scales away entirely in
paths. Advanced cases may exhibit open sores, excessive
decomposition of the body, limbs and head (commonly
resulting in the loss of the nose and ears) and repulsive
scent reminiscent of the grave. Cappadocians suffering
this Flaw have Appearance ratings of 0. this may never
be improved, although it may be physically hidden or
masked with magic or Disciplines.

has had to be alleviated of her misery. Thankfully, this

condition is infrequent, and few suffer to the fullest
extent though more than one Grave robber has had to
be alleviated of her misery.

Lore
Death
You are well versed in the phenomenon of death in
all of its guises. You are familiar with decrepitude and
ageing, the effects of plague and illnesses (though this
Knowledge may not normally be substituted for Medicine)
and matters of the spirit. You are also skilled in the practice
of preserving corpses, whether though mummification,
embalming or other methods. In addition, you are versed in
the metaphysics of death, harboring your own philosophy or
subscribing to another about what happens to the spirit when
its mortal host dies. At her discretion, the Storyteller may
allow characters with Thanatology to try to determine the
cause of a subject's death, if it is not immediately obvious.

Mad Visions
(3-point Flaw)
Some Cappadocians report cases of peculiar
aberrations of Prescience, in which the affiliated Cainites
claim to have apocalyptic visions.
The vampire cursed with Mad Visions sinks periodically
into tormented trances, sometimes in the middle of
performing tasks, and drops to the ground, twitching
feebly. When questioned as to the nature of these
walking nightmares, the Cappadocian reports either
visions of hellish personal agony or vivid but inexplicable
premonitions of the entire clan's destruction. A few frail
psyches even block out all memory of the episodes.
Cappadocians who suffer Mad Visions or experience
Prescience rarely share their visions with Cainites outside
the clan. Indeed, many of those with the visions are
driven to the verge of madness by burgeoning Cassandra
Complexes in which the presidents know the horrid truth
of the future and realize their inability to prevent it.
Thankfully, this condition is infrequent, and few suffer to
the fullest extent though more than one Graverobber

Dabbler: Everybody dies. You've seen it happen a

few times.
Student: You've done some research on the subject,
and are familiar with multiple cultural beliefs about
death.
Learned: Your knowledge of numerous cultural,
religious and philosophical outlooks on death is
deep, and includes limited understanding of the
supernatural.
Scholar: Your understanding of death is quite
extensive, including a good deal of supernatural
knowledge. At this point, you have probably
conducted your own experiments and may even
keep a laboratory dedicated to the study.
Savant: You are acknowledged as an expert on the
subject, and may be sought out for your valuable
opinions.
Visionary: You are an undisputed master, and your
speeches at Erciyes help shape the direction of the
clan for the coming years. You believe that you
understand the mystery of death.