Weaknesses and Strengths
Vampires instinctively fear fire, so much so that even a candle flame can induce a state of near psychotic fear, known as Rotschreck. The same is true for sunlight. They receive serious damage from both (sunlight can be fatal after very short exposure). Vampires are also vulnerable to so-called "True Faith", that is, the strength of a person's true religious conviction (which is, fortunately for vampires, very rare). Such faith need not be religious per se; one of the rulebooks mentions a yuppie repelling a vampire with his credit card, thanks to his faith in the power of money.
Driving a stake through a vampire's heart will paralyse him/her and induce a deathlike state. Damage done to other parts of the vampire's body, with any kind of weapon, is significant: it will incapacitate the vampire, and most vampires are not able to heal severed limbs without significant blood and power. Decapitation is fatal. Vampires are immune to all diseases, drugs, and poisons, but can be affected by some if present in the blood of their victims, and can be carriers and spread blood borne diseases through feeding.
World of Darkness vampires are not normally affected by garlic, silver, iconite, or the like, and usually cannot be appeased with offerings (as in some traditions). Though players can have their characters be affected by these, they are most likely psychological fears. Some Vampire clans have specific weaknesses, such as needing some Earth from their place of birth to sleep, or not casting reflections. Certain Vampires have exhibited traditionally accepted "weaknesses," such as being unable to cross running water or an aversion to religious icons.
From dawn to dusk most vampires tend to sleep, though they are not completely helpless when sleeping; some vampires even have superhuman hearing that will warn them of approaching enemies. The rumors that they are weak during day are wrong; they are just as strong during the day as they are the night, however they need to use a lot of willpower to stay awake after sunrise.
Blood is vital for vampires, and they can only have so much blood in their body and they must continuously spend it to heal injuries, use their powers, or even simply to make their dead body move. When a vampire does not have any more blood in its body, it falls into torpor and cannot be reanimated unless someone feeds it with blood or a period of time has passed. This period ranges from a few days to several years, depending on the individual vampire's Humanity - a measure of how much the vampire has retained of his former self and how much he has given in to his "inner beast".
Vampiric powers are manifold, and include normal staples seen in movies: great strength, speed, superhuman senses, charisma, and resilience to damage are commonplace. Other powers, such as shape shifting, telepathy, invisibility, control over animals and the dead, and others can be learned, though most are restricted to the vampire's clan.
A few vampires strive for a Nirvana-like state called Golconda. This vague concept encompasses salvation, redemption, a mastery over the vampire's bestial urges, and a high degree of Humanity; effects might be to lose the need to drink blood or even a return to a Human state, though these are described as mythical even in in-game literature. Vampires in Golconda spend only one blood point a week, are immune to the effects of Frenzy and Rotschreck, and can raise all Traits and Disciplines up to 10, ignoring their generation limits.
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