Table of Contents

Protean allows the Kindred the mystical ability to manipulate his physical form. Some vampires believe the power stems from a heightened connection to the natural world, while others consider it to be a magnification of the mark of Caine. Whatever its basis may be, those that develop this Discipline can grow bestial claws, take on the forms of bats and wolves, turn themselves into mist, and even meld into the very earth itself.

Transformed Kindred can generally use other Disciplines — vampires in wolf form can still read auras and communicate with other animals, for example. However, the Storyteller may rule that certain Disciplines may not be used in specific situations. The Kindred’s clothes and personal possessions also change when he transforms (presumably absorbed within his very substance), although armor and the like do not provide any benefit while transformed.

Vampires cannot change or transform large objects or other beings; Protean is a personal expression of power. A Kindred who has been staked (thereby trapping his soul within his body) cannot transform. Some vampires believe that those who have mastered the highest levels of Protean can deny this limitation, however.

The Gangrel Clan is well known for their mastery of Protean, although other Kindred have learned some of this Discipline’s secrets from these bestial Cainites.

The vampire sees perfectly well in pitch darkness, not requiring a light source to notice details in even the darkest basement or cave. The vampire’s Beast is evident in his red glowing eyes, a sight sure to disturb most mortals. The character must declare his desire to call forth the Eyes. No roll is necessary, but the change requires a full turn to complete. While manifesting the Eyes, the character suffers a +1 difficulty to all Social rolls with mortals unless he takes steps to shield his eyes (sunglasses are the simplest solution). (A vampire without this power who is immersed in total darkness suffers blind-fighting penalties as per p. 274.) The vampire’s nails transform into long, bestial claws. These talons are wickedly sharp, able to rend flesh with ease and even carve stone and metal with little trouble. The Beast is prominent in the claws as well, making them fearsome weapons against other immortals. It’s rumored that some Gangrel have modified this power to change their vampiric fangs into vicious tusks. The claws grow automatically in response to the character’s desire, and can grow from both hands and feet. The transformation requires the expenditure of a blood point, takes a single turn to complete, and lasts for a scene.

The character attacks normally in combat, but the claws inflict Strength + 1 aggravated damage. Other supernaturals cannot normally soak this damage, although a power such as Fortitude may be used. Additionally, the difficulties of all climbing rolls are reduced by two.

One of the most prized powers within Protean, Earth Meld enables the vampire to become one with the earth. The immortal literally sinks into the bare ground, transmuting his substance to bond with the earth.

Though a vampire can immerse himself fully into the ground, he cannot move around within it. Further, it is impossible to meld into earth through another substance. Wood slats, blacktop, even artificial turf blocks Earth Meld’s effectiveness — then again, it’s a relatively simple matter for a vampire at this level of power to grow claws and rip apart enough of the flooring to expose the raw soil beneath.

By interring himself in the ground, the vampire gains full protection from daylight when outdoors. It is also the method of choice for those Kindred who wish to sleep away the centuries; these vampires lock themselves in the earth’s embrace, gaining strength and power as they rest. Superstitious and paranoid Kindred whisper that thousands of Ancients sleep within the ground and will awaken when Gehenna arrives.

While so interred, the vampire is in a transitional state between flesh and earth. His physical presence exists between the physical world and the astral plane. As such, the vampire is difficult to sense, even through supernatural means. However, a disruption to the soil that the immortal occupies, or to his presence on the astral realm, returns him immediately to the physical world (and to full wakefulness), showering dirt outward as his body displaces the soil.

No roll is necessary, although the character must spend a blood point. Sinking into the earth is automatic and takes a turn to complete. The character falls into a state one step above torpor during this time, sensing his surroundings only distantly. The player must make a Humanity or Path roll (difficulty 6) for the character to rouse himself in response to danger prior to his desired time of emergence.

Since the character is in an in-between state, any attempts to locate him (catching his scent, scanning for his aura, traveling astrally, and so on) are made at +2 difficulty. Astral individuals cannot affect the vampire directly, instead meeting with a kind of spongy resistance as their hands pass through him. Similarly, digging in the material world encounters incredibly hardpacked earth, virtually as dense as stone.

Attempts at violence upon the submerged vampire from either side return him to his physical nature, expelling the soil with which he bonded in a blinding spray (all Perception-based rolls are at +2 difficulty for the turn). The character himself subtracts two from his initiative for the first turn after his restoration, due to momentary disorientation. Once expelled from the earth, the vampire may act normally.

This endows the vampire with the legendary ability to transform into a wolf or bat. A Kindred changed in this way is a particularly imposing representative of the animal kingdom. Indeed, he is far superior to normal animals, even ones possessed by Subsume the Spirit. He retains his own psyche and temperament, but can still call upon the abilities of the beast form — increased senses for the wolf and flight for the bat. Gangrel are reputed to change to other animal forms better suited to their environment — jackals in Africa, dholes in Asia, and even enormous rats in urban environments — a feat that other Clans learning Protean cannot seem to duplicate. The character spends one blood point to assume the desired shape. The transformation requires three turns to complete (spending additional blood points reduces the time of transformation by one turn per point spent, to a minimum of one). The vampire remains in his beast form until the next dawn, unless he wishes to change back sooner.

While in the animal’s shape, the vampire can use any Discipline he possesses except Necromancy, Serpentis, Thaumaturgy, or Vicissitude (as well as any others the Storyteller deems unavailable). Furthermore, each form gives the character the abilities of that creature.

While in fight form, the vampire inflicts Strength + 1 aggravated damage with their natural weapons, and reduces the difficulty of all Perception rolls by one. Additionally, their animal shape provides the additional benefits listed below.

• Large Canine (Wolf, Coyote, German Shepherd): doubles running speed, and further reduces Perception roll difficulties by one.
• Bear (Grizzly Bear, Polar Bear, Large Black Bear): increases teeth and claw damage to Strength + 2, and reduces the difficulties of resisting knockdowns by three.
• Wild Cat (Lynx, Bobcat): doubles running speed, half damage from falling before soak, and further reduces Perception roll difficulties by one.
• Big Cat (Tiger, Lion, Mountain Lion): increases teeth and claw damage to Strength + 2, and doubles the height/length achieved when jumping.
• Predatory Fish (Shark): doubles swimming speed, negates underwater penalties, increases bite damage to Strength + 3, inability to function outside of water.
• Large Reptile (Alligator, Crocodile): negates underwater penalties, increases bite damage to + 2, and reduces the difficulty of contesting clinches or holds by three.

When in flight form, the vampire’s strength is reduced to one, but all difficulties to hit them increase by one, and Perception rolls of certain types are reduced by three. Additionally, their animal shape provides the additional benefits listed below.

• Bat: flight at speeds of up to 20 mph (40 kph) with the bonus to hearing-based Perception rolls. Further increases the difficulty of all rolls to hit them by one.
• Rodent (Mouse, Rat): reduces the difficulty to climb surfaces by two, with the bonus to hearing-based Perception rolls. Increases the difficulty of all rolls to detect them by two, and further increases the difficulty of all rolls to hit them by two.
• Large Fish (Barracuda): swim speeds of up to 20 mph (30 kph) with the bonus to sight-based Perception rolls. Further increase the difficulty of all rolls to hit them by two.
• Hawk/Eagle: flight at speeds up to 30 mph (50 kph) with the bonus to sight-based Perception rolls. Further increases the difficulty of all rolls to hit them by one.
• Owl: flight at speeds up to 20 mph (30 kph) with the bonus to hearing-based Perception rolls. Increases the difficulty to detect them while flying by two.
• Vulture: flight at speeds up to 20 mph (30 kph), with the bonus to scent-based Perception rolls. Strength is only reduced to two.

Note that only Gangrel are able to take more exotic forms. Vampires that learn Shape of the Beast who are not Gangrel will turn into wolves or bats unless they have the Totemic Change Merit.

This truly unsettling power enables the vampire to turn into mist. His physical shape disperses into a hazy cloud, but one still subject entirely to the immortal’s will. He floats at a brisk pace and may slip under doors, through screens, down pipes, and through other tiny openings. Although strong winds can blow the vampire from his chosen course, even hurricane-force winds cannot disperse his mist shape.

Some Kindred feel that this power is an expression of the vampire’s ultimate control over the material world, while others believe that it is the immortal’s soul made manifest (damned though it may be).

No roll is required, although a blood point must be spent. The transformation takes three turns to complete, although the character may reduce this time by one turn for each additional blood point spent (to a minimum of one turn). Strong winds may buffet the character, although Disciplines such as Potence may be used to resist them. Vampires in Mist Form can perceive their surroundings normally, although they cannot use powers that require eye contact.

The vampire is immune to all mundane physical attacks while in mist form, although supernatural attacks affect him normally. Also, the vampire takes one fewer die of damage from fire and sunlight. The character may not attack others physically while in this state — this includes encountering another vampire in mist form. He may use Disciplines that do not require physical substance, however.

Your character’s body can shift in subtle, rapid ways to deflect the irritations and threats of her immediate environment. She can adapt her senses to make due with differences and absences. Spend a blood point to activate Adaptation. The transformation takes one turn to complete. Aside from sunlight and fire, she suffers no harm from her environment, nor does she suffer environmental penalties. This includes damage and penalties from the weather, extreme temperatures, falls, and natural disasters. Although most vampires must return to their normal physical form when they sleep, Gangrel who have mastered Protean to this extent may remain in Mist Form even while comatose during the day. This power offers great protection, though it is not invulnerable, and fire and sunlight can still injure the vampire. Further, a vampire sleeping in Blissful Slumber is not roused by noise or activity in her area. No roll is required to activate Blissful Slumber, but the transformation requires the expenditure of five blood points. Once activated, the user remains in Mist Form until the next dawn, whereupon the vampire resumes physical form. Physical attacks cannot affect a vampire sleeping in Mist Form, though fire and sunlight can still harm her. The vampire cannot awaken before dusk unless her Mist Form is injured. An Earth Melded character with this power is no longer confined to the resting place she selected the night before. She can pass through the ground as if it were water, “swimming” through the earth itself. Some elders use this as a means of unobstructed and unobtrusive travel, while others find it a highly effective means of maneuvering in combat. This power is in effect whenever a character is Earth Melded, with no additional roll or expenditure necessary. While in the ground, a vampire can propel herself at half of her normal walking speed. She cannot see, but gains a supernatural awareness of her underground surroundings out to a range of 50 yards or meters. Water, rock, tree roots, and cement all effectively block her progress; she can only move through earth and substances of similar consistency, such as sand or fine gravel. If two or more vampires attempt to interact underground, only direct physical contact is possible. All damage dice pools in this case are halved, and dodge and parry attempts are at -2 difficulty. If an underground chase takes place, it is resolved with an extended, contested Strength + Athletics roll. Tales have long spoken of the combat prowess of Gangrel elders and of their inhuman resilience. Poorly informed individuals believe the stories of swords shattering and bullets flattening against immortal skin to be exaggerated reports of the effects of Fortitude. Those with more reliable information know that such tales result from encounters with vampires who have developed Flesh of Marble. The skin of an elder with Flesh of Marble becomes in essence a sort of flexible stone, although it appears (and feels) no different than normal skin and muscle. The player spends three blood points to activate Flesh of Marble, which goes into effect instantly. The effects of the power last for the remainder of the scene. While the power is functioning, the damage dice pools of all physical attacks made against the character are halved (round down). That includes assaults made with fists, claws, swords, firearms, and explosions, but not fire, sunlight, or supernatural powers (unless the effect in question is a direct physical attack, such as a rock hurled by means of Movement of the Mind). Additionally, while this power is in effect, a character can attempt to parry melee attacks with his bare hands as if he were holding some form of weapon. A Gangrel with this gift may assume the form of the last thing she fed upon, be it human, Cainite, or animal. She does not gain any powers, knowledge, or skills from her victim, just the appearance. If she takes the appearance of a human or animal, though, she sheds all signs of her Cainite heritage. fter a vampire drinks from a victim, she may assume the victim’s form. The transformation costs two blood points and takes two turns to complete. An additional blood point makes the change occur in a single turn. The change lasts until reverted. However, once reverted, she can change again, until she feeds from something else.

A vampire trying to break the ruse compares Auspex or other perception powers with the vampire’s Protean, as per the See the Unseen.

It is one thing to master your own flesh and shape your form, but it’s something else to force your will upon another, demanding that his or her physical form take the shape you command. Certain exceptional elder Gangrel have mastered this ability, and can use his or her blood to overcome another individual’s native command of shapeshifting. For this power to function, some portion of the Gangrel’s blood must have been ingested by or otherwise be in contact with the target’s flesh or worn clothing, whether unwillingly or willingly. The Gangrel must first place her blood on the target. If the target has successfully attacked the Gangrel with natural weapons, or with a short weapon like a knife, it fulfills this requirement. Otherwise, the Gangrel must smear at least one blood point worth of her vitae on the target by making a successful attack or by making a small blood mark on an unsuspecting target. This may be done in advance, but the blood must still be wet (within a few minutes), and the subject must be in line of sight in order for this power to be viable. Thereafter, the Gangrel activates this power by spending an additional blood point and making a Perception + Survival roll (difficulty 7).

Two successes are required to force the target out of his shape-shifted form and into her native (original) shape.

While this power is active, the individual cannot assume any other form. This power persists for a full scene, or until the target removes the Gangrel’s vitae from his body (or clothing), whichever is sooner. The process of cleansing oneself of the Gangrel’s blood takes at least one full turn of action. If the target has actually consumed the Gangrel’s blood, then she cannot remove the blood so easily.

Use of this power will persist for the full scene, and Shape Mastery may be attempted again thereafter (this power does not consume the blood with its use), so long as the Gangrel still has line of sight. If the target chooses to resume his adapted form after this power ends, she must reactivate that power, incurring any associated costs, and performing any appropriate rolls.

This power is effective on the shapeshifted forms of Obtenebration, Protean, Serpentis, Thaumaturgy, and Vicissitude at levels equal to or lower than the vampire’s Protean. Further, it also confounds the native shapechanging abilities of other supernatural creatures, such as Lupines and Fae.

One of the most notable and fascinating powers of the Gangrel is the ability to turn to mist. Some elder Gangrel have found a way to harness this power and use it on instinct, converting themselves to mist in order to avoid the most threatening blows. When attacked, you may spend four blood points to turn instantly to mist, as per Mist Form. The attack automatically misses you, and you revert to your physical form once the immediate danger is past. You may activate this power reflexively once damage is determined, but as soon as damage is marked down or the scene has moved on from damage determination, you may no longer use this power on that damage. Upon activating this power, the Gangrel dissolves into a swarm of small creatures, such as rats, crows, or scorpions. The creatures remain under the Gangrel’s control, and he may direct them in unison or as individuals. The Gangrel may disperse into as many creatures as he has blood points, with each creature carrying that one blood point; he may choose to form fewer creatures, in which case the blood points are divided as evenly as possible among them. The creatures may act in concert, or individually follow a simple plan such as “scatter and hide.” the Gangrel may pay close attention to only one component creature at a time. For example, he may listen in on a conversation using the body of one rat, while directing the dozen others to keep moving and avoid detection.

While using this power, each creature within the swarm of animals must remain within 300 yards/meters of one another; any animal that leaves this radius immediately dissolves into ash, and the vampire forfeits the blood carried by that creature. The vampire may reform from any of the creatures in the swarm, but when she reforms, all animals within 10 yards/meters are drawn back into her physical substance. Other animals (those who are too far away) dissolve into ash, and the vampire forfeits their blood.

This power takes one turn to take effect, and lasts until sunrise or until the Gangrel chooses to retake his humanoid form. At that time, all of the component creatures present are re-absorbed into the Gangrel’s body, along with the blood points that animal carried. If this leaves the vampire with less than three blood points, she must immediately check for frenzy. Creatures who do not rejoin the Gangrel’s body may be reabsorbed at any time, though if there is only one creature left in her swarm, the Gangrel immediately reverts to her natural physical form.

The vampire must reform at sunrise. She may choose which creature out of the swarm in which to re-incorporate. Any creatures not reabsorbed dissolve into small piles of ash and blood at dawn.

The vampire may use the following Disciplines while in Animal Swarm: Auspex, Celerity, Fortitude, Obfuscate, and Potence. The individual creature that is the tangible source of the power must fuel any Disciplines that require the expenditure of blood. Creatures reduced to zero blood points are immediately destroyed.

Your character may use this subtle application of Protean in order to subvert one of her greatest weaknesses: torpor. While she still suffers torpor and still remains largely an immobile corpse in the long sleep, she can move slowly across the ground when nobody is looking. This power requires no roll. It cannot be used while any sentient characters watch your character. When she has no witnesses in torpor, she can move no more than one meter or yard per hour. She may use Death’s Hidden Crawl any time she enters torpor, even during the daylight hours. She does not walk, or even properly crawl. Her body tenses and retracts like a worm in order to pull her slowly. Cainites are of two opinions regarding this power. Those who are politically active, or who associate extensively with mortals, view it as both necessary and acceptable. Those Kindred who embrace their more feral sides, however, see it as a disgusting defiance of the very nature of vampirism. The schism comes because the power allows the elder who possesses it to tempo rarily return his appearance to what it was before the Embrace, removing the bestial features he has accumulated over the centuries. Restore the Mortal Visage has only been displayed by Gangrel; several Nosferatu elders have attempted to develop it, and it is whispered that they met spontaneous, grotesque Final Deaths when they attempted to take their mortal forms. The player spends three blood points and a Willpower point and rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Success restores the character’s appearance to what it was just before he was first Embraced, erasing all physical or social animalistic features gained from frenzies. The power also affects any of the character‘ s affected Traits relating to social interaction, returning them to their original values (for example, lost Appearance dots return, but Humanity points removed due to frenzy are not). A botched Willpower roll earns the character another feature, as per the Gangrel Clan weakness. Once activated, Restore the Mortal Visage lasts for the remainder of the scene. Users of this power are often mistaken for Tzimisce employing the Vicissitude power Horrid Form. The elder’s form transmutes once more, but not merely into the animal she once became. Now, she becomes a great beast, somewhere between her own dangerous form and a giant humanoid version of the beast she has the strongest affinity for. Great-winged crow-men, a rampaging wolf woman, or a horde of rats the size and shape of a ten-foot tall giant are all possible. The player spends three blood points to trigger this change. It takes three turns, but a player can reduce this time as with Shape of the Beast. The vampire may stay in this terrible form until the next sunrise, or until she chooses to revert to her usual form.

Her new form gains a total of seven extra dots of Physical attributes, with one going to Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina. The remaining four points can be distributed among any Physical Attributes the player wishes. The vampire does Strength +2 aggravated damage with her bite or claws. She gains an additional Bruised health level, and her running speed is doubled.

Her senses are supernaturally sharp. She is assumed to have Eyes of the Beast active, and additionally gains the benefits of Heightened Senses while in this form. There are natural and logical drawbacks to being a giant man-beast. At Storyteller discretion, Social rolls may be heavily penalized, or fail automatically.

All difficulties to resist frenzy while in this form increase by two, and Willpower cannot be spent to mitigate or resist frenzy.

This powerful variation on Mist Form allows a vampire to take a shape with most of the advantages of the lesser power but fewer of the disadvantages. A vampire who assumes Spectral Form retains his normal appearance, but becomes completely insubstantial. He walks through walls and bullets with equal ease, and can pass through the floor on which he stands if he chooses to. Although his lungs are no longer solid, the vampire can still speak, a fact in which some elders of the Daughters of Cacophony bloodline have expressed great interest. The player spends three blood points. The transformation takes one turn to complete, and lasts for the rest of the night unless the character decides to reverse it. When the power takes hold, the character becomes completely insubstantial, but remains fully visible. Henceforth, he is unaffected by any physical attacks, and he doubles his dice pool to soak damage from fire and sunlight. The vampire may even ignore gravity if he chooses to do so, rising and sinking through solid objects if he does not wish to stand on them (although he may move no faster than his normal walking speed while “flying” in this manner). While in this form, the character may also use any Disciplines that do not require physical contact or a physical body. On the downside, while in Spectral Form, a vampire can physically manipulate his environment only through the use of powers such as Movement of the Mind. Calling upon the shapeshifting powers of the Protean Discipline, the Anarch melds with the earth, only to emerge from it on the other side of a foe. This tactic was originally used by the Eastern European Gangrel and Tzimisce, and the Anarchs adapted it for use as a guerrilla tactic during the Anarch Revolt and the marauding nights of the early antitribu. Tonight, it is rarely seen, but a few ostentatious Anarch elders keep it in practice. The player spends two blood points. On the turn after the character sinks into the ground, she emerges either behind or to either side of whichever enemies she left behind (her choice). Theoretically, there’s nothing stopping her from emerging in the same spot where she disappeared, but it rather defeats the purpose. If the character wishes, she may choose not to emerge immediately, in which case this power is little more than an expensive version of Earth Meld. The primary difference, however, is that the character may move through the earth that surrounds her, traveling as much as 50 feet in any direction in the single turn spent under the surface of the soil. Moving any further, however, regardless of time spent underground, is a different permutation of the Protean Discipline. Turnabout’s focus is diving into and emerging quickly from the ground.