The thirteen clans, by and large, were started by the Antediluvians in the dawn of history. In a few particular cases, fourth generation vampires rose up and diaberlized their sires, stealing their power and becoming third generation themselves. To be considered a clan, a group of vampires must come from a member of the third generation; they also have to share clan disciplines and a clan weakness. If an Antediluvian dies, then any clan they created tends to be considered a lesser line - a bloodine. Some bloodlines actually started because powerful members of the fourth generation changed the clan disciplines and weakness they passed on to their childer. Other bloodlines started because of vampire experiments.

Most clans are known for Embracing certain kinds of people and being interested in specific things. Thus, there are common stereotypes about the clans and about what clan members are like. There are plenty of vampires that don't conform, but there's just enough truth behind the stereotypes to make them useful. When in doubt, remember that a vampire is a person first, with their own interests and personalities - but keep in mind that sires often Embrace people because of their interests and personalities.

Another important thing to remember is that a clan is like a family in a few major ways. First, clan members don't get to choose which clan they get into. Your sire chooses you, often before you even know who they are or what they are. Secondly, you don't get to choose who else is in your clan with you. It is entirely possible to have clan members that don't like you, or actively work to kill you. Thirdly, being a clan member is irreversible; once you've been Embraced you are a member of that clan for as long as you exist as a vampire. Even if you rebel against your clan you will still have the same clan weakness and disciplines that you did before, and other clan members might make it their mission to bring you back into the fold. While there are a few, rare exceptions to this rule, they are so rare as to be beside the point. Because, as the song in West Side Story goes, "When you're a Jet you stay a Jet."

Sect Affiliations

There are several major factions of vampires, like political parties and gangs rolled into one. The thing is, not all sects accept all clans. While the Camarilla believes that it covers all vampires by default, the truth is that certain clans are shunned or at least never to be trusted. There are also many clan and bloodline members that would rather die than be considered Camarilla adherents. The Lasombra and the Tzimisce, for example, are almost entirely in the Sabbat, and the Sabbat will probably accept just about any other clan that comes its way. Those who come from the known "Camarilla clans" are often called Antitribu in the Sabbat - so a Ventrue who joins the Sabbat would be called Ventrue Antitribu. The Anarchs are generally more open-minded about clans than the Camarilla and Sabbat, while smaller sects like the Inconnu and the True Black Hand are more restrictive. To make things more complicated, there are some vampires that refuse to join a sect; for the most part, they act independently, or they belong to a clan that is "officially" neutral. Each clan description below will provide information on which sects will accept them.

Assamite Overview A View From Without		Baali Overview A View From Without Servitors of the Pit
Brujah Overview An Eyewitness Account A Ventrue's Commentary		Followers of Set Overview A View From Without A View From Within
Gangrel Overview Gangrel Merits and Flaws A View From Within		Gangrel Antitribu A View From Within
Giovanni Overview A View From Without A View From Their Progenitors		Harbingers of Skulls One Harbinger's Perspective
Kiasyd Kiasyd's Place in V:tM A View From Without The Fae Perspective		Lasombra Overview A View From Without A Ventrue's Perspective A Camarilla Perspective A View from Within Les Amies Noir Membership Abyssal Occultism
Malkavian Overview		Nagaraja Overview
Nosferatu Overview		Ravnos Overview
Salubri Overview		Samedi Overview

The Clanless

The Caitiff are the bastard offspring of the vampire world and they are treated like the bastard children of old: namely, they are disregarded, unwanted, blamed, and abused. No one knows for sure why the clan weakness and clan disciplines are not passed down to certain Kindred. It seems to be more common when sires abandon their newly created childer, but even this could be a lie. All that is certain is that the Caitiff have always been around; for centuries they have been held up to ridicule by vampire lords and princes. The trouble is that the sheer numbers of Caitiff are exploding in modern times, as was foretold in The Book of Nod as one of the signs of Gehenna, and they are becoming unruly. The most recent Caitiff are not as easily cowed into submission and more of them join the Sabbat and Anarchs with every passing night.