C L A N B O O K :

Place cover image here

A Sourcebook for Vampire: The Masquerade

20th Anniversary Edition.
C L A N B O O K :

Matthew Dawkins
Vampire created by Mark Rein•Hagen
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Credits
Written By: Matthew Dawkins.
Layout and design: Marcos M. Peral Villaverde.
Cover Art by: Christopher Shy.

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served. Vampire: The Masquerade®, World of Darkness®,
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 C L A N B O O K :

TABLE of CONTENTS
The Ghiberti 5
Story Hooks 9
The Cenotaph Path 10

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 Chapter One:
Ghiberti

Oh boy, no dey give me that kind fabu. You see dis eye I got? It see everything,
all kinda gbege. I rip your soul out if it see you cross me. I rip it out and eat it up.
—Izukanne, Seventh Generation Ghiberti, Terror of Warri and Lagos,
Most Wanted Vampire in Nigeria

The Ghiberti are no Legacy of the Laibon, at least

not as far as the Laibon are concerned. The Laibon are
native to the continent, each ancient to a different
degree, and claiming descent from Cagn or their god-
like, oftentimes monstrous ancestors. The Ghiberti are
none of these things. They refute Cagn, they point to
Venice and Florence as their point of origin, and view
the Laibon as old, anachronistic, and past their time.
Legacybook Ghiberti
Clan Giovanni first Embraced members of the Flo-
rentine Ghiberti family in the 16th or 17th century, so the
tale goes. The Ghiberti were sailors, slavers, and plunderers
of the western coast of Africa. For a time, the Giovanni
utilized the Ghiberti as a new source of wealth, but steadily
the family learned the tools needed for Necromancy, and
began spreading them to new Embraces made from the
people they so often captured for shipment and sale. Within
a century, the original Ghiberti were ensconced in Florence,
and are rarely seen to this night. The Ghiberti from that
point on, until the modern nights, were proudly African.
The Ghiberti hold little love for the Laibon, the
primary reason being a simple one: during the height
of slavery raids, kidnappings, and press-gangs,
the Ghiberti family Embraced the villagers most
inclined to turn over their neighbors. Despite
Guruhi tales, not all Ghiberti were the worst of
the worst. Many were simply scared or confused
by what was going on. But if a Ghiberti Embraced
the wisest man or woman in the village and
commanded that new childe to round up
the healthiest kine for shipment, they
did it for better or worse. As reward, the
Ghiberti allowed that vampire to remain
with those not shipped, to take as a herd,
retainers, or for whatever purpose they
wished. The Laibon lost many servants
in those nights, and their hatred turned
to the Ghiberti.
This hatred has persisted for centu-
ries. The Ghiberti act as a rogue element
in the African continent, not dissimilar to
the Xi Dundu, but despised even more for
their historic activity. They do themselves
few favors by continuing to pursue dark arts
and foul rituals, though Laibon occasionally
call on the line to act as mediators between
territorial disputes. Like their Giovanni
forebears, they find their role as independent
observer and adjudicator lucrative.
Masters of the Cenotaph Path focused
around binding wraiths and their fetters, the
Ghiberti are pioneering Necromancers com-
pared to many of the Giovanni minor families.
The Venetians pay little active interest to
goings-on in Nigeria, but are swift to telegraph
money to a Ghiberti in need. Inevitably, the
funds sent to the Ghiberti family end up in
the coffers of warlords and dictators, fueling
conflict and producing more souls for
the Giovanni’s grand schemes.
The Ghiberti are no restricted to
the African continent, but it is the only
location where the name “Ghiberti” means
something in these nights. Beyond the
continent, these vampires might adopt
6
the name “Giovanni,” though another vampire might
raise their eyebrow at a Sudanese claiming to possess
that family name. More often they do not declare their
clan or family name, accepting the status of Caitiff where
necessary for business to take place.
Nicknames: Necromancers, Ima Ozun, Traitors,
Dutchmen
Appearance: Ghiberti favor smart and functional
clothing to anything extravagant. Despite the tendency
for Nigerian pomp, the Necromancers prefer cold blacks,
greys, and dark greens, resembling corporate chiefs,
engineers, and soldiers without insignia.
The majority of Ghiberti in these nights are
people of color. It is rare for any to be fundamental
believers of any religion, as the line holds a definite
loathing for blind faith, born from the fanatical
antitheism of the first Africans Embraced into
the line. The trauma so horrified the victims, they
abandoned all thought of something beyond the
hell in which they now existed.
One odd feature Ghiberti enjoy is the
adornment of fetters. A wraith’s fetter may
be any object important to that ghost,
making for many odd decorations adorning
random Ghiberti. Izukanne is known to
have an ivory sphere for an eyeball, the
orb being the fetter of a deceased Dutch
slaver. Anusha Ghiberti wears baby teeth
on a bracelet, once belonging to mother now
dead, but bound to the Necromancer.
Haven: The family favors compounds
housing several of their number and loyal
members of their herds. Often in enclosed
locations surrounded by private security
forces, the Ghiberti place their havens over
sites of carnage such as mass graves, torture
sites, or the village in which a massacre
occurred. Thankfully, few kine desire such
locations, allowing the Ghiberti to claim
them for low prices and cultivate the dead
within for their own purposes.
In Africa, Ghiberti claim the majority
of their domains in the country of Nigeria.
A massive nation with many peoples and
languages, the Ghiberti exercise a tight hold
on their selected populace, making the Laibon
tense in anticipation of a coordinated uprising.
Background: Ghiberti often emerge from the
ranks of the war torn and the desperate survivors
of brush conflicts. The family favors kine who have
witnessed death and come to understand its bru-
tality. In some cases, this lesson may be a kindness
for a new vampire. For the Ghiberti, this lesson
is necessary for making a strong Necromancer.
Ghiberti origins have changed over the
centuries. The initial Ghiberti were a family of

slavers from Florence, but most Ghiberti in these nights
adopt the name despite their origins, hailing from North-
West Africa. The Ghiberti started out as the masters and
commanders of slave ships, before Embracing the rousers
among African villages and communities who they could
turn to their way of thinking (with gold or promises of
mercy for their families), and ultimately took to Embrac-
ing the individuals who act in illegal paramilitary units.
Though there are outliers, the Ghiberti follow their family
line and see themselves as adapting with the times, always
Embracing the truest survivors of the era.
Stereotypes
The Laibon: Look at de yanga ohu ezi. Dey so caught
up in surviving dey ain’t changing or growing. Time is up for
dem. Soon dey be Camarilla, Sabbat, and Ashirra like de rest.
—Izukanne, Seventh Generation Ghiberti, Master
of the Cenotaph Path
The Ashirra: I consider them friends and amenable
to all fair offers, though their religious devotion is a
distraction.
—Patience Ike, Ninth Generation Ghiberti, Dip-
lomatic Mediator, Court of Tunis
The Camarilla: Ana min Sudan, and even I know this
sect to be a jabal khara… Mountain of shit, in English.
Free is the way to live and die, my brothers and sisters.
—Anusha Ghiberti, Tenth Generation Ghiberti,
Necromancer of Khartoum
The Guruhi: You know, I have not spoken to one
spectre who remembers a time when the Guruhi weren’t
in control. For that reason, I give the Legacy my respect,
while planning its downfall.
—Anusha Ghiberti, Tenth Generation Ghiberti,
“The Excavator”
The Xi Dundu: Aproko on de street tell of planning
an uprising, and real soon. I hate the Guruhi, but Xi
Dundu? Fool, you dey craze. Dese fuckers will make it
worse for us.
—Izukanne, Seventh Generation Ghiberti, Family
Representative to Venice
The Giovanni: Baaba and neene, father and mother.
We capture souls for dem and dey give us a continent in
which to do it. Sweet deal.
—Izukanne, Seventh Generation Ghiberti, Advo-
cate of the Path of Death and the Soul
The Mla Watu: For centuries we tried to exorcise
these ghasts but they only seemed to get stronger. I’m told
there’s a stronghold of them in Kismaayo.
—Moses Smith, Eighth Generation Ghiberti,
Fetters Hunters, Disappeared in Somalia
A View from Without
7
The Ghiberti
Ghiberti are said to only Embrace with permission from
the Giovanni family, but this edict is rarely followed. Venice
has no presence in countries such as Nigeria and the DRC.
Character Creation: Social attributes are the primary
focus for the majority of Ghiberti, who dedicate much of
their time to grooming the kine in their herds, influences
mortals into service, and intimidating their enemies.
Mental or Physical may be the secondary attribute, as
some Ghiberti favor studying and mastering Necromancy,
while others concentrate on creating bodies. Skills and
Knowledges share dominance, with Ghiberti often receiv-
The Laibon: I remember when they wanted to be
considered Laibon. Fat chance. They still hold a grudge
because we declined their status as a Legacy.
—Roberta Okadigbo, Eighth Generation Guruhi,
Magaji of Abuja
The Ashirra: It is fundamentally sinful to handle
bodies in the way they do. Ghiberti are a pestilence.
—Abu Nijad, Eighth Generation Bay’t Mushakis,
Warrior of Jerusaleum
The Camarilla: Is this some kind of Giovanni? Then
why do they have a different name?
—Alexander Silverson, Seventh Generation
Malkavian, Ex-Prince of Birmingham, Alabama
The Guruhi: They were first Embraced from outcast
stock. Those who would prey on their own, the type who
woul sell their families to the Dutch. Why do you think
the Mla Watu are now told about every Ghiberti haven
of which we know? We can also hold a grudge.
—Roberta Okadigbo, Eighth Generation Guruhi,
Sworn Enemy of the Ghiberti
The Xi Dundu: They fear the change we bring, just
like the others. We will extend the olive branch, however.
They will thank us, and we will say “wamukelekile” as
a “you’re welcome” to our new allies.
—Tfwala, Twelfth Generation Xi Dundu, Infor-
mation Broker of Mbabane
The Giovanni: We have few minor families with
such resourcefulness and access to mass graves in these
modern nights. We mistreat them, for they are not us,
but Ignazio thinks highly of them.
—Isabel Giovanni “Nitocris”, Ninth Generation
Giovanni, Giovanni-Setite Ambassador
The Mla Watu: All natural things pass into death
and rebirth. They are not natural. The Ghiberti should
not be. I curse their aberrant existences.
—The Carnifex, Sixth Generation Mla Watu,
Wearer of the Horned Mask, Last Seen in Kismaayo,
Somalia
Legacybook Ghiberti
ing the Embrace to fill some gap in the family’s arsenal.
Many specialize in the occult, focusing on the rites and
rituals of the kine in their region, while others focus on
lethal abilities such as Melee and Firearms.
Ghiberti commonly receive Background dots in Allies,
Contacts, Herd, and Retainers. The family recognize the
importance of mortals, especially if loyalty can be guaran-
teed. The strength of the Blood is far less important than
the strength of the family. Resources are rarely held by
the Ghiberti directly, but they can quickly summon them
if they possess Allies and Contacts in Venice.
No recorded Ghiberti existed prior to 1690 C.E.,
though the Giovanni and Ghiberti do not advertise their
family trees outside of clan gatherings. Ghiberti Natures
and Demeanors tend toward the schizoid, with Tradi-
tionalist Demeanors in Guruhi domains, while Rebel and
Rogue Natures come out to play in the shadows. Deviants
and Creep Shows are common among this family. It is
common for the Ghiberti to Embrace ethically challenged
individuals to make the plunge into Necromancy easier.
Though uncommon, an increasing number of Ghi-
berti have undertaken tutelage in the Sabbat Path of
Enlightenment known as The Path of Death and the
Soul. Izukanne of Lagos acts as mentor to any Ghiberti
who decide to walk on this journey.
Disciplines: Dominate, Necromancy, Potence
Ghiberti commonly learn the Cenotaph Path before
any other Necromancy Path.
Weakness: When the Ghiberti feed or simply bite a
victim, the wound causes immense pain in the recipient.
If mortal, the victim must make a Stamina roll (difficulty
4) to prevent going into shock. When a Ghiberti feeds on
a mortal, she does twice the damage of another vampire
without this weakness. This extra damage does not convey
additional blood points. When the Ghiberti feeds from
another vampire, that vampire must roll to resist frenzy
for every two blood points drained.
Organization: The Ghiberti call themselves a family,
but unlikely the Giovanni, rarely afford respect to mortal
members of their line. Only the Italian Ghiberti back
home cleave to that tradition. The African Ghiberti family
is a family in the sense that all members have endured
and survived death in some form. They are family in the
same way members of the same platoon may consider
themselves brothers. The Ghiberti defer to no hierarchy
in Africa (though they do take orders from Venice and
the Ghiberti in Florence), instead giving respect to the
most accomplished Necromancer in their region, who
they dub as “Necromancer” while the other members of
the family are simply known by name or deed.
Legacy Prestige: The simplest way Ghiberti earn pres-
tige among their own is through the creation and mastery
of new necromantic rituals. The family has a motto: “The
Exploration of Death is Eternal.” This is taken to mean
there is no end to rituals, paths, and understanding of

8

death’s many facets. Ghiberti enjoy showing off how many
wraiths and fetters they possess as bound souls and artifacts.
Though they rarely demonstrate such showmanship outside
the family’s eyes, within a Ghiberti compound, it becomes
a metaphorical dick-measuring contest as Necromancers
display tortured spirits on ectoplasmic leashes.
Story Hooks
The Ghiberti are a particularly unpleasant minor
branch of the Giovanni clan. They consider themselves
separate to the Laibon (and the Laibon agree), but the Ghi-
berti possess a desire to belong in their common domains.
This drive rarely compels them to sentimental bonds with
the other African Legacies, but does compel them to form
temporary alliances, serve as mercenaries, or simply act as
diplomats between warring Laibon. While they serve well
as an independent force of troublemakers and soldiers-for-
hire, consider some of these uses for this line:
Mass Graves
Ask most Laibon and they will say “Vampires, for
all their pretension, rarely instigate wars between mortal
nations. The risk of doing so and being caught is too great.
Our powers are rarely sufficient to sway an entire people
into the constant action required for war.”
Ask the Ghiberti, and they say “Of course we can
start a conflict. Just give us time with a dozen warlords,
and we will spark a brush war for you.”
The Ghiberti refute the notion that vampires must stay
out of kine activities. They are self-assured to the point of
danger, but always push further for the sake of spreading
death and harvesting souls. The Democratic Republic of
Congo is the family’s favorite location for starting wars.
There are already so many mass graves, fanatical cult and
paramilitary leaders, and terrorized civilians, that it’s an
easy task to push some buttons and reap some bodies.
A Ghiberti would benefit from building up their Allies,
Contacts, or Retainers Background with members of these
violent human factions. A sure way to gain more souls is
to point a warlord in the direction of a small, undefended
village and promise wealth in exchange for bodies. The
Ghiberti are not lacking in money either. A call to Venice
with a good reason for payment often results in cash on
the wire within hours.
Not all Ghiberti are immortal instigators of mortal
conflict, several protesting loudly against such flagrant
acts. Further still, the Ishtarri and Kinyonyi deplore this
activity, and seek to neutralize any Kindred attempting
such grievous behavior.
The Ghiberti Masquerade
The Ghiberti view the Masquerade as a distinctly
European phenomenon. While the Laibon have their
equivalent in “The Secret Must be Kept,” the Ghiberti
do not consider themselves Laibon, and therefore play
fast and loose with the Tenets the Guruhi set down.
9
The Ghiberti
The Ghiberti Masquerade is something a little different,
part in reverence to their traditionally Nigerian culture,
and part in mockery of the Camarilla. The Edo Masquerade
they emulate is a Nigerian custom whereby the people wear
masks designed to resemble spirits. Accompanied by music
and dance, the participants imitate their chosen spirits,
whether of ancestors or of elements and emotions, their
bodies becoming one with their masks of wood, mud, stone,
and leather. When the Ghiberti join in, they imitate their
bound wraiths, mocking the dead, dancing alongside the
living, and feeding in a chaotic spree across their domains.
The mortals whisper about monsters infesting the
Northern Edo Masquerades, but the nature of the event
prevents participants from removing their disguises for fear
of disrespecting the spirits. Each year, the Ghiberti mock it
further with increased depravity. The Guruhi and Osebo
are aware of this practice, clucking their tongues but taking
little action to stop this desecration of an important ritual.
The Ghiberti pursue their version of the Masquerade
to new extremes in these nights, intending to turn the
entire festival into one that fuels a necromantic ritual of
devastating power.
New Slavery
The first Ghiberti Embraced were not people of color,
but slavers of Mediterranean descent. Ghiberti is not an
African name, it is an Italian one. Though the Italian
involvement in slavery was reduced compared to the
Dutch, British, and ultimately American, the Ghiberti
family were among the wealthiest and most prolific of
Florentine slavers. The Ghiberti Embraced many of the
“finer pieces of stock” from their human cargo, allowing
them to pursue their slaver aims with greater ease.
Though slavery in its broadly understood form has
faded from legality and the public consciousness, the
family still pursue slavery as a fine way to torment a soul
from a body, make powerful, desperately loyal slaves, and
of course, turn a horribly immoral profit. These nights,
many Ghiberti use child slaves as free labor, kidnap small
communities and sell them offshore to mortals and vam-
pires with no qualms, and specialize in finding “exquisite
vessels” for Kindred with specific tastes.
The Ghiberti never stopped trafficking in human meat
and blood. Such an endeavor could lead to their crossing
powerful vampires when they happen to kidnap a favored
ghoul or vessel, or deplete a herd by removing half its
number in a cargo container. The Ghiberti have crossed
the Laibon in this way before, once intentionally to vex
them, but more often in an inadvertent act of disrespect.
The Ghiberti cannot give up this foul practice, but
it may be that the other Laibon will stop them before
allowing it to continue further.
Tipping the Scales
The Ghiberti claim to be independent of the Laibon
struggles throughout Africa, and for the most part they’re
true to their word. The family have their interests, and
Legacybook Ghiberti
the Laibon have theirs. The Ghiberti have little stake
in the cold war between Guruhi and Xi Dundu, beyond
obtaining a ready supply of souls for their projects, and
those of the Giovanni.
Times change, however. The Ghiberti seek to
consolidate their power in Western Africa, spreading it
farther if the Laibon permit. The best way to ensure this
permission is to take a side, formally kneeling before the
Guruhi, aligning with the Xi Dundu in their telegraphed
backstab, or providing support to a dark horse in the
form of the Shango to take leadership of the Kindred of
the Ebony Kingdom. The Ghiberti have no interest in
leading, but they do want to be on good terms with the
victorious side.
Were the Ghiberti to tip the scales of power, the ripple
effect to the home clan would be immense. The Giovanni
are forbidden from participating in the Jyhad, and where
the Camarilla would sit in interference in African Kindred
politics is up for debate. The Giovanni historically advised
caution to the Ghiberti, but in recent years the Anziani
of the clan provided a command to Izukanne, via Isabel
Giovanni, to break bread with the Laibon for reasons of
ingratiating the clan internationally.
As one of a handful of independent operators in the
Ebony Kingdom, the Ghiberti are well-placed to lend the
weight of their deathly expertise behind a faction, making
a name for themselves as they do so.
The Cenotaph Path
“We are, all of us, bad men. Only bad men could do
what we do.”
— Simon Agu, Eleventh Generation Ghiberti, Court
Saboteur, Former Subject of the Lagos Magaji
The Cenotaph Path is a little-known path of Necro-
mancy concerned with binding wraiths and their fetters,
finding prominent use at the sites of mass graves, battle-
fields, and locations where civilians were slaughtered en
masse. Unfortunately for the Kindred and kine of Africa,
10
sites such as these are plentiful throughout history across
the continent. The Ghiberti strongholds in Nigeria are
located over mass burial sites, providing practitioners of
this path ease of access to the spirits of the dead and their
morbid attachments.
Izukanne of the Ghiberti devised the Cenotaph Path
in the 1920s alongside several Giovanni cousins, though
to this night he takes sole credit. His necromantic peers
never returned home to Venice, but to every Necroman-
cer’s surprise, the familia did not punish Izukanne for the
obvious purge of his rivals. It appeared the Giovanni valued
access to the Path more than they did a few absent kin.
The path focuses around the concept of the vampire
as bridge between the worlds of the living and the dead.
By breaking taboos, cultural boundaries, and desecrating
the memory of the dead, Cenotaph Path practitioners find
it easier to manipulate the restless spirits of the deceased.
This Path allows the Ghiberti to sense where a ghost has
touched the mortal world, detect an object or location of
importance to the ghost, and gain an indication of where
the Shroud between the living world and the Underworld
is at its strongest or weakest.
At higher levels, the Cenotaph Necromancer can
sense when a wraith forms within a half-mile of her lo-
cation and create new fetters for wraiths where old ones
are inaccessible or destroyed. This latter power can be
used to draw a spectre back to a semblance of calm, but
it is more likely the Ghiberti will use it to freshly bind a
previously unbound spirit.
When a vampire uses powers from the Cenotaph
Path, mortals are able to perceive a vacuum of light
around the Necromancer’s body, as if life itself is being
sucked into a black hole where the vampire stands.
Individuals attuned to the supernatural describe seeing
the practitioner’s skeleton through his or her skin while
the ritual or power activates. Any attempt to intimidate
another individual (who doesn’t practice Necromancy)
while using the Cenotaph Path is at a -1 difficulty.
Note: The power levels of the Cenotaph Path can be
found in Clanbook: Giovanni Revised, pages 67 to 70.
NAME: NATURE: GENERATION:
PLAYER: DEMEANOR: HAVEN:
CHRONICLE: LEGACY: CONCEPT::
ATTRIBUTES
PHYSICAL SOCIAL MENTAL
Strength_____________
OOOOO Charisma___________OOOOO Perception__________OOOOO
Dexterity___________OOOOO Manipulation________OOOOO Intelligence_________OOOOO
Stamina____________OOOOO Appearance_________OOOOO Wits_______________OOOOO

ABILITIES
TALENTS SKILLS KNOWLEDGES
Alertness___________OOOOO Animal Ken_________OOOOO Academics__________OOOOO
Athletics___________ OOOOO Crafts______________OOOOO Computer__________ OOOOO
Brawl______________OOOOO Drive______________OOOOO Finance____________ OOOOO
Dodge_____________ OOOOO Etiquette___________ OOOOO Investigation________OOOOO
Empathy___________ OOOOO Firearms____________OOOOO Law_______________ OOOOO
Expression__________OOOOO Melee______________OOOOO Linguistics__________OOOOO
Intimidation________ OOOOO Performance_________OOOOO Medicine___________OOOOO
Leadership__________OOOOO Security____________OOOOO Occult_____________OOOOO
Streetwise__________ OOOOO Stealth_____________OOOOO Politics_____________OOOOO
Subterfuge__________OOOOO Survival____________OOOOO Science____________ OOOOO

ADVANTAGES
BACKGROUNDS DISCIPLINES ORUN + AYE
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO Orun
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO O O O O O O O O O O
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO aye
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO O O O O O O O O O O
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO

MERITS/FLAWS COURAGE HEALTH

__________________________
__________________________ Bruised
O O O O O
__________________________ Hurt -1
__________________________ Injured -1
__________________________ WILLPOWER
Wounded -2
__________________________ O O O O O O O O O O Mauled -2
__________________________ Crippled -5
__________________________ Incapacitated
__________________________ BLOOD POOL
EXPERIENCE
__________________________
__________________________
C L A N B O O K :

Strangers in
a Strange Land

Clanbook Ghiberti includes

• An example of how you can create a Clanbook with
the templates for Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom for
Storytellers Vault.