Blood Bond Qualities A blood bond is a potent connection between two Kindred, or between a Domitor and his Ghoul. Although these guidelines are not meant to supplant the normal Blood Bond rules in V:TM, these guidelines will serve to further explain the Bond and assign qualities to it. The Bond has many stages, called "qualities." The qualities focus on the relationship between the Regnant and Thrall. Some Bonds will never waver lower than the initial quality at which they begin. Other Bonds change slowly over time, like the changing of the seasons. Whether or not a Bond quality changes is dependent on the relationship between Regnant and Thrall, the choices that the Regnant and Thrall make in that relationship, and Bound's Nature. The qualities begin on one end of a spectrum at "Rapture" and proceed through various stages to "Tattered." Each change in Quality (either up or down) is imposed by the Storyteller only: it is totally her decision whether a quality changes or not, despite the guidelines given for upgrading or downgrading, below. Most Bonds start at Plateau. A Special Note About Kindred Thralls making new Thralls It is possible for a Kindred Thrall to use her blood to Bind another Thrall for her Regnant by forcing the new Thrall to drink three times on three seperate nights. When this happens, the new Thrall has a similar Bond Quality as the Thrall who made the new Thrall, as per the chart below: If the original Thrall's Bond is Rapture, the new Thrall's Bond will be Blissful If the original Thrall's Bond is Blissful, the new Thrall's Bond will be on a Plateau If the original Thrall's Bond is Plateau'd, the new Thrall's Bond will be at a Plateau If the original Thrall's Bond is Uneasy, the new Thrall's Bond will be Plateau'd If the original Thrall's Bond is Tattered, the new Thrall's Bond will be Uneasy Bond Qualities Rapture In this stage, all is ecstasy between the Bound. The feeling between the two is a lot like a passionate love affair that has no limits or boundaries. It is like a merging between souls. Requirements: The Regnant must allow herself to get this close to her Thrall. This bond quality is never an accident, it's always a decision that both Regnant and Thrall make. The Regnant must have a Humanity of 7 or higher to achieve this quality of bond. This deep level of bond is not usually present at the initial creation of the bond, it is one that The Regnant's Benefits and Liabilities The Regnant can instantly sense his Thrall's emotions and sometimes some of her intimate thoughts. He instantly knows whether she is in danger or unhealthy. Distance is no bar to this bond: even if somehow the Thrall is taken off this world (into the spirit world, for example). He can tell whether she is near or far away. He feels protective and parental towards the Thrall. Death of the Thrall requires an immediate check for Frenzy as the last thoughts and emotions of the Thrall pour through the bond. There is no reason for a Regnant to ever fear his Thrall when the bond is Rapturous, for she cannot bring herself to ever harm him directly or by inaction, allow him to come to harm. The Thrall's Benefits and Liabilities The Thrall can, with a successful Perception + Empathy roll, sense her Regnant's emotions. She can instantly tell whether he is angry or displeased with her or not. She knows whether he is near or far away. She always prefers to be close to her Regnant. Jealousy, however, does not usually enter into her emotions: she is extremely non-demanding of her Regnant. It is difficult for her to even ask him for what she needs. She continuously explains his actions in a positive light, to herself and to others. To her, her Regnant can do no wrong. She feels protective and loyal to the Regnant, and will go to great lengths to make certain her Regnant is safe from those who would harm him. Final Death of the Regnant will be earth-shattering, possibly sending the Thrall into a suicidal depression or giving some other Derangement. Knowledge of the Bond Both Regnant and Thrall know when they are in Rapture, and they also easily know when they've passed from it. To Pass From Rapture The following may downgrade the quality of the bond to either "Bliss"or "Plateau," depending on the intensity of the degradation: * Any physical or emotional abuse of the Thrall by the Regnant requires an immediate Humanity check, plus the Storyteller may downgrade the bond to "Bliss." * Failing to feed the Thrall for more than a month if they are a Ghoul, for a year if they are a Kindred. * Physical distance from the Thrall for more than a year (provided there is some way to feed the Thrall otherwise) * The Thrall witnesses the Regnant in Frenzy * The Regnant ignores the Thrall in lieu of another Thrall. * Any other event which causes intimacy to be reduced between the Bound * Either Regnant or Thrall may consciously decide to leave Rapture with a successful Willpower check (difficulty 8). Bliss This is a happy bond, not altogether perfect, but definitely more positive than negative. There are a few conflicts, but for the most part there is some genuine emotion and some passion between Regnant and Thrall. Requirements: The Regnant must have Humanity 6 or higher. Either the Regnant or the Thrall must choose to enter into this quality of the Bond because it requires one of them to fund the "Emotional Bank Account" that makes this bond a happy one. The Regnant's Benefits and Liabilities The Regnant can instantly feel the positive feelings that the Thrall has for her, but not all of the negative ones. The Regnant can discern all of the Thrall's emotions with Perception + Empathy versus his Manipulation + Subterfuge. She may get a general sense as to how far away he is physically by another Perception + Empathy roll, or by spending a blood point, but she cannot sense him if he is not in the world (for example, if he is in the spirit world). She feels mildly parental towards the Thrall, and wishes to keep him safe from harm if it does not bring herself into danger. Death of the Thrall will cause her emotional discomfort and sadness for about a month, but no Frenzy check is required. She need not fear that her Thrall will bring harm to her. The Thrall's Benefits and Liabilities The Thrall can sense his Regnants' positive feelings for him if she is touching him, and for a few minutes after feeding, but cannot discern her negative feelings through the Bond. The Thrall has a continuous fondness for the Regnant, but can also experience the wealth of negative emotions one usually experiences in love: abandonment, jealousy, emotional withdrawal, and so on. Still, the Thrall desires to be with his Regnant and, in general, to make her happy with him. The Thrall himself cannot bring himself to bring harm to his Regnant (and will not spend Willpower to think about or actually do this), however he is able to rationalize himself out of preventing others from harming her by spending a Willpower. He will never disobey a direct command. Final Death of the Regnant will cause a period of mild depression and mourning of about a year for Ghouls and five years for Kindred. Knowledge of the Bond There is no way to tell, in character, whether a Bond is Blissful, on a Plateau, or Uneasy. Rising to Rapture Read the requirements for Rapture. The Bound must equally give of themselves and the Regnant must have sufficient Humanity to rise to that height. The Passing of Bliss * Any physical abuse of the Thrall by the Regnant requires an immediate Humanity check, plus the Storyteller may downgrade the bond. * Failing to feed the Thrall for more than a two weeks if they are a Ghoul, for two years if they are a Kindred. * Physical distance from the Thrall for more than a month if they are a Ghoul, for more than six months if they are Kindred. * The Thrall witnesses the Regnant in Frenzy * The Regnant ignores the Thrall in lieu of another Thrall. * The Thrall learns that the Regnant has created another Thrall * The Thrall cannot see the Regnant for a month (i.e., there are no pictures of the Regnant around, or she is not present, or she cannot teleconference with him, or send him pictures through the Internet or the mail). * Any other event which causes intimacy to be reduced between the Bound * Either Regnant or Thrall may consciously decide to leave Bliss with a successful Willpower check (difficulty 6). Plateau This the most long-lasting, most normal, and most stable of all the Bond Qualities. It is the baseline. Most Blood Bonds begin at this stage. Requirements: The only requirement for this Bond is some kind of interest shown on the Thrall by the part of the Regnant. The Regnant must spend a modicum of energy interacting with her Thrall in order to retain this quality. Bond Benefits are the same as Blissful, above, except below: Regnant Doesn't feel terribly protective of the Thrall, but doesn't forget about the Thrall and his perspective in things. Death of the Thrall will cause the Regnant momentary sadness. Thrall Cannot usually sense his Regnant's feelings, good or bad, through the Bond, but formerly Blissful Thralls frequently rationalize that it is their fault for not being perceptive enough. Occasionally when the Regnant has a particularly powerful emotion, good or bad, it will come pouring through the bond at the Regnant's discretion. The Thrall still cannot personally have anger or hatred for the Regnant, but she is not overly disturbed when others do, and she may spend Willpower to plot against him as in the core rules. Mostly she feels nothing, positive or negative, about the Regnant, just a kind of emotional distance. Of course, that changes when the Regnant is close by, and especially when he is touching her or feeding her. When this happens, she is instantly placed back into the feelings of bliss that are described under the Blissful bond. Death of the Regnant will cause a mild depression for a month. Knowledge of the Bond There is no way to tell, in character, whether a Bond is Blissful, on a Plateau, or Uneasy. Returning to Bliss The Regnant may begin to feed the Thrall more regularly, or spend more positive, "quality time" with the Thrall. The Thrall may decide to forgive the Regnant all her failings and somehow rationalize the Regnant's mistakes and voluntarily return to Bliss. Actions such as saving the Regnant's life, or helping the Thrall overcome some worry or fear, may also qualify. Falling off the Plateau * Any repetitive pattern of physical abuse, that the Thrall doesn't consciously consent to, of the Thrall by the Regnant. * Failing to feed the Thrall for more than a year for a Ghoul, or two years for the Kindred * Physical distance from the Thrall for more than a month if they are a Ghoul, for more than six months if they are Kindred. * The Thrall is wounded by the Regnant as a result of the Regnant in Frenzy * The Thrall goes over a month with no basic communication (email, snail mail, telephone, fax, face-to-face) with his Regnant. * The Thrall, if sufficiently Virtuous, may consciously decide to leave the Plateau with a successful Self-Control check (difficulty 9). Three successes are required. A botch precipitates a huge rationalization, as the Thrall returns to the Blissful bond against his best judgment. Uneasy The Uneasy bond is going rapidly downhill. This is usually a result of a falling out between Regnant and Thrall. This is not a stable Quality, it is easily downgraded and not hard to bring back to the Plateau. Requirement: There must be a definite, ongoing negative relationship between Thrall and the Regnant - the two are constantly at odds, and there is no love lost between them. Bond Benefits are the same as Blissful, above, except below: Regnant Is capable of forgetting that there is even a bond with that particular Thrall. Doesn't feel anything for the Thrall. Death of the Thrall will cause the Regnant no emotional pain, and may actually be something of a relief. Thrall Cannot sense his Regnant's feelings, good or bad, at any point through the Bond, but formerly Blissful Thralls frequently rationalize that it is their fault for not being perceptive enough. The Thrall can have anger or hatred for the Regnant, and is not overly disturbed when others do, and she may spend Willpower to plot against him as in the core rules. Mostly she feels sad, depressed, and mildly angry about the Regnant. Of course, that changes when the Regnant is close by, and especially when he is touching her or feeding her. When this happens, she is instantly placed back into the feelings of bliss that are described under the Blissful bond. Death of the Regnant will cause a mild depression for a week. Knowledge of the Bond There is no way to tell, in character, whether a Bond is Blissful, on a Plateau, or Uneasy. Back to the Plateau: The Regnant may return the bond quality to the Plateau by easing off on his Thrall and perhaps asking for forgiveness or promising a change. This can be accomplished at a distance with telecommunications or through the mail. From Uneasy to Tattered * Any continuing, repetitive pattern of physical abuse, regardless of the consent of the Thrall, by the Regnant. * Failing to feed the Thrall for more than week for a Ghoul, or a month for the Kindred * Physical distance from the Thrall for more than a week if they are a Ghoul, for more than a month if they are Kindred. * Total lack of contact with the Regnant by the Thrall in any way for more than a month * The Thrall is harmed in any way by the Regnant as a result of the Regnant in Frenzy * The Thrall, if sufficiently Virtuous, may consciously decide to shred his bond to Tatters with a successful Self-Control check (difficulty 9). Only one success is required. A botch returns the Thrall unwillingly to Plateau. Tattered This is the weakest quality of the Blood Bond and is the last step before freedom. Requirement: The Thrall may not have any physical contact or communication with the Regnant, or the bond immediately returns to Uneasy. There are no Bond Benefits or Liabilities at this stage, though each of the Bound experiences this Quality differently: The Regnant will experience flashes of a higher Quality Bond from time to time for no discernable reason. This occasionally gives her information as to where her Thrall is, however this is not always the case. A Regnant with a Thrall at this Quality will Frenzy at one lower difficulty, as the tattered bond frays his nerves and self-control. There is no way for the Regnant to tell whether the Thrall is alive or dead. She may spend a Blood point to tell whether the bond still exists or not. The Thrall will occasionally get flashes of wordless emotion from his Regnant, enough to know she still exists. If the Regnant dies, she must make a Perception + Empathy roll of difficulty 9 to sense it. The Thrall does not have to spend willpower to plot against his Regnant, but still must spend Willpower to actively attack him. Knowledge of the Bond There is no way to tell whether the bond is at Tattered or is gone forever. The only way to test for sure is to expose yourself to your Regnant again, which may vault you right back into an Uneasy bond. Breaking the Bond Once at Tattered, the only way to break the bond is to spend a year at Tattered, "clean and sober" and away from the Regnant, and then to actually return and confront one's Regnant in person and spend a point of Permanent Willpower at that confrontation. Thus, many never escape the Bond.