Characters of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

This is a list of the most notable characters in the computer role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

"Fledgling"
The protagonist of the game. In the beginning of the game he (will be referred as male for simplicity), was picked up in a nightclub on Sunset Strip up by an unknown female Camarilla memeber and embraced at the start of the game. Very little is revealed about his past as a human. It is revealed by a female friend by the name of Samantha from his life as a human in Hollywood, that he apparently came from an affluent family, and was on his way to dinner at a restaurant when he stopped by at the club. In a conversation with Beckett, it is said that he was gifted in art and history as school subjects in his human life. In a conversation with Rosa, it is said that his bike was stolen in fifth grade. Also, in a conversation with Jack,it is said he was picked on in highschool. Other than that, not much is revealed about his past life. Many vampire characters sense something about him. For example, Strauss in a riddle says that it's unusual to sense so much power in one so young. In the end of the game, it is implied that he has the potential to become one of the most powerful vampires in existence.

Sebastian LaCroix
A French Ventrue of at least 180 years of age, LaCroix is the Prince of the L.A. Camarilla, which only recently moved back in to the Los Angeles area. Once a soldier serving Napoléon, he is now the head of the LaCroix Foundation, and resides in the Venture Tower in the game’s 'Downtown' area, commanding the city from his penthouse office.

It is worth noting that "LaCroix" — following French rules of pronunciation — should be pronounced [l'akrwa], but the in-game pronunciation is [lacroj]. Presumably, he has spent enough time in the United States for the anglicization of his name to occur. "La croix" is the French phrase for "the cross".

A small error in the modeling of the character, LaCroix has no fangs, even though he is a vampire. The final model was designed and the artist simply forgot the fangs.

The Sheriff
The Sheriff is LaCroix’s personal bodyguard, killer, and enforcer. At seven feet in height, he towers over everyone else. He is of indeterminate clan lineage (based on the disciplines he is seen to use, the closest match within the Vampire: The Masquerade system would be the Nagloper clan of Africa), but in a particular sequence he has been shown to seemingly teleport, an ability the Naglopers do not have (this may be a form of Celerity - supernaturally fast movement). He never speaks, and has animalistic physical traits, like dark and leathery skin. LaCroix recruited him in Africa about one hundred years ago. He carries an extremely large sword used for both combat and execution purposes, and has the ability to shape shift into a gigantic bat called a Chiropteran Behemoth (the closest matching power in the published World of Darkness system is Chiropteran Marauder, a shape-shifting ability related to the Vicissitude discipline; but this seems to have been exaggerated for the purpose of allowing the Sheriff to serve as a game 'boss').

Mercurio
Mercurio is a ghoul (a human that serves a vampire after receiving vampire blood, but not enough to become a full-fledged vampire) that works on the behalf of LaCroix, based out of Santa Monica. He specializes in acquiring contraband goods such as high-grade explosives or weaponry. The result of his consumption of vampire blood is apparent in his youthful appearance. He is however in his 60s, as stated in the game when the player first meets him. Mercurio is the first contact the player makes in the game after the inital embrace and training, and he is in terribly bad shape after recieving a savage beating from the drug dealers he tried to buy explosives from. One of the players' missions require them to retrieve the explosive he failed to get, and retrieve the money that was stolen from him by the drug dealers. The player can also choose to participate in a side mission to get Mercurio some painkillers from the local hospital to help him get better.

If the player tells the Prince that Mercurio failed, the player will lose Mercurio as a contact. If the player tells the Prince nothing went wrong with the explosives purchase, Mercurio will set up shop later in the game to sell very high-grade military weaponry that can be used in the endgame missions.

Nines Rodriguez
A Brujah that lived through the Great Depression, Nines is the virtual leader of the Anarchs in downtown L.A. and elsewhere. The Depression era ingrained into him a belief that people in power cannot be trusted at all because he believes rich fat cats are only in it for themselves and they don't care who they harm along the way, and from this stems his intense hatred of the Camarilla. He strives to maintain L.A. as an Anarch Free State. His hatred for the Camarilla is second to his hatred for the Kuei-Jin in Chinatown, who killed the last leader of the Anarchs. Nines has a soft spot for the player's character because he too was left sireless.

Although he does not consider himself the leader of the Anarchs the Anarchs do view him as their leader. He can be found at The Last Round bar in Downtown, and if you are open minded when you talk to him, he could help you level up your brawling and melee skills.

Smiling Jack
A Brujah brawler and a notable Anarch from the nights of the Anarch Free States, Smiling Jack is the one who teaches the basics during the game's tutorial sequence. He speaks crudely, but his beliefs and willingness to take action make him a likable person. Fiercely independent and roguishly charismatic, he is seen by the common vampire folk as a legend. It is rumored that Jack, during his life, was a pirate in some capacity. According to White Wolf books, Smiling Jack is approximately 400 years old, and is one of the most (in)famous members of his clan. He was responcible for the attack on the Elizabeth Dane. He broke into the sarcophagus and replaced the body inside with a bomb hoping that LaCroix or one of the Camarilla lackeys would open it and set off the bomb in the Prince's building.

He is never referred to as Smiling Jack in the game, only as Jack. But Rosa does call him at one point the one who smiles.

Maximillian Strauss
Tremere regent who oversees the Tremere Chantry and is the head of the local Camarilla sect. Strauss is the Primogen of the Tremere clan. Strauss provides several quests himself and important information on several more, but the player's choices ultimately dictate whether he remains an ally. Strauss can provide the player with important missions, including the mission where the player must investigate a disease spreading through the vampire ranks, that even has the civilian population scared and has the attention of the CDC. Even though he has deep loyalties to the Camarilla, Strauss barely conceals his contempt for LaCroix, and also holds a secret: he is the creator of the living gargoyle terrorizing Hollywood. He can become a powerful ally in the end game, if you decide to side with the Camarilla over the Prince, he can assist you in outing the Prince from power.

Therese and Jeanette (Tourette) Voerman
Jeanette, a Malkavian, is the game's signature character whose likeness is displayed on the game’s box. She can be found in Santa Monica at the Asylum club, which she runs with her sister Therese, the Baron of Santa Monica, who is also Malkavian but fancies herself to be a Ventrue, as displayed by her lofty attitude and hatred for the Nosferatu. They share an interesting love-hate relationship and, as the player eventually discovers, the same body. Jeanette turns out to be a personality concocted by Therese as an escape from the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her father made real by the Malkavian traits of vampirism. The player is given the opportunity to either help destroy ("kill") one of these personalities or to help the two sisters reconcile and coexist peacefully. The resulting merged personality is referred to as Tourette in the game documentation. It is possible for characters of either gender to sleep with Jeanette, but extremely difficult, and if the wrong reply is chosen at any point during any conversation with Therese, Jeanette or Tourette, the option does not become available. This option has been made more accessible in the fan patches.

Interesting to note, if Jeanette alone is saved during the sister's conflict, Santa Monica will remain in control of the Anarchs. If Tourette or just Therese is saved, Santa Monica will be ruled by the Camarilla.

Gary
Nosferatu leader and primogen to his clan, Gary lurks in the Warrens, a network of havens under the Hollywood Graveyard. "Gorgeous" Gary Golden is believed to have been a handsome movie star in life, but arrogance and good looks are a dangerous combination to have when there are Nosferatu around. Now hideous and stealthy like the rest of the clan, but also sarcastic and possessed of a fine feeling for grotesque, Gary is a character who also knows many secrets in the City of Angels — and may share them with anyone, for the right price. Though a primogen in the Camarilla, Gary and his group of Nosferatu live beneath the Anarch controlled Hollywood and seem to take pleasure in making things hard for LaCroix. Gary has a lascivious interest in some of the major female vampires in the game, and will deliver risque posters of these characters to the player's apartment if the player completes several minor tasks for him.

Brother Grunfeld Bach
Grunfeld Bach is a Catholic Christian fundamentalist warrior monk and the leader of the Society of Leopold. He has very strong views, is a third-generation vampire hunter, and has a personal vendetta against Sebastian LaCroix, who killed both his father and grandfather. Bach is one of the most powerful mortals alive, capable of summoning so much faith that he possesses two supernatural powers: the ability to temporarily blind anyone within close to medium proximity, and the ability to render himself invulnerable for short periods of time. Recently, Bach and the Society of Leopold have come to Los Angeles to kill Sebastian LaCroix and destroy the Ankaran Sarcophagus.

Rosa
Rosa is a thin-blooded vampire seeking refuge on the beach of Santa Monica with E. and the rest of the thin bloods. The player first meets her during the Surf's Up quest where she will greet them when they first enter the beach and direct them to the top of the hill where the men the player is looking for happen to be located. Rosa possesses the ability to foretell the future. She is hesitant to share her gift with the player at first, but the player must later pay for her unique insights. All of the predictions she makes will come true over the course of the game.

Heather Poe
Early in the game, the player has the option of providing blood to a seriously wounded young woman. If this option is taken, the woman becomes a ghoul and later in the game offers herself to be the player's personal "slave," in exchange for more vampire blood. The player is given bonus "humanity" points for not keeping her as a slave, but if they do, Heather later provides money and offers herself to the player as a "blood doll" (see below), and near the end of the game is the only source for the game's most powerful armor. She will also change her appearance if the player asks her to, alternating between her street clothes, a gothic costume, and skimpy bra and panties. If the player keeps her as their Ghoul, she will eventually be captured and killed by the Sabbat during one of the endgame missions. There is no way to save her in the mission and although the developers did consider putting in the possiblity to save her during development, it did not make it in the game; the only way to save Heather's life is to release her from her servitude before she gives the player the body armor.

Velvet Velour (V.V.)
Vampiric owner and star performer of the Vesuvius strip club. Malkavian insight can tell the player that her name before her embrace was Susan, who Velvet believed was weak and considers her to be dead forever. V.V. asks the player to do two jobs for her in exchange for her favor. The player must kill a female vampire hunter named Chastity without any witnesses or casualities. She was working at Velvet's club but after V.V. found a weapon in her locker she fired her and Chastity moved to work at another porn club down the street. Second, the player must destroy a screenplay written by a wannabe who was being tipped about the vampire underworld without harming the writer. V.V. falls in love with the player's character (regardless of gender) if the player completes these side quests for her. For the player's success, she will offer them an autographed photo of herself which can be sold to vendors, as well as a poster of her hanging in the player's haven. She will also send several e-mails of love poetry to the player's haven; for the remainder of the game she will be found performing on stage at Vesuvius.

Isaac
Known as the Baron of Hollywood, Isaac is an Anarch and the head vampire for that part of town and runs a jewellery store and maintains an uneasy alliance with LaCroix. Isaac believes that California belonged to the Anarch's long before the Camarilla stepped in, and while he works with them, he is not a fan at all of LaCroix or the Camarillas stepping back in to Hollywood after the Anarchs had control for so long. The player must complete several quests for him in order to advance the story. Ash Rivers is Isaac's childe, and while Ash hates Isaac for making him a vampire, Isaac regards Ash more as a parent who saw a child lose his way.

Damsel
An Anarch based out of the Last Round pub in downtown Los Angeles. Initially distrustful of the player, she can be won over by completing a quest and, if the player so chooses, he or she can act as Damsel's spy within LaCroix's organization. If a male player joins the Anarchs, it is implied before the conversation with Nines in Hollywood, that she may be attracted to the player. Damsel was originally designed to be a college rebel rather than a militant, which is why Skelter refers to her as such when the player asks him about her. She once posed topless for some "art photos" and Nosferatu leader Gary Golden is happy to share one of these photos with the player in return for completing an errand.

Fat Larry and other shopkeepers
Fat Larry is an entrepreneur who sells weapons and other items out of the back of a van in Downtown L.A. and who also provides a side-quest which, when completed, may trigger an increase in the player's Finance skill. If the player is of the Nosferatu race, they must complete Fat Larry's side-quest (the stealthy retrieval of a suitcase from a nearby parking garage) in order to gain access to Venus at Club Confession. Besides Fat Larry and Mercurio, there are three additional shopkeepers the player visits: Trip, who runs the pawn shop in Santa Monica; Tseng, a former Chinese officer who owns a shop in Chinatown; and Slater, the clerk at the Red Spot convenience store in Hollywood. All three require the player to either make certain dialogue choices or, in the case of Trip, have met another NPC (the ghoul, Knox) before making their complete line of wares available.

Vandal
Ghoul belonging to Jeanette who runs the "Blood Bank" in the basement of the hospital. The player can purchase blood packs from him until the Lily and E. sidequest reveals that he has been keeping Lily captive, draining her for her blood, which he then sells. If the player rescues Lily, Vandal refuses to sell any more blood packs to the player unless the player tricks one of the Asylum "Blood dolls" into taking Lily's place (which results in a humanity point penalty for the player) or he is threatened into continuing to provide them. If the player choses not to sacrifice the blood doll or threaten him, Vandal's blood bank remains inaccessible until the endgame when he once again is willing to sell blood to the player.

Venus
Seductive owner of Confession, a downtown nightclub based in an old church. She converted the church into a dance club and bar by taking out loans from a Russian mob boss. When she doesn't pay up each month, she is forced to have sex with him, and she cannot take this prediciment for much longer. Depending on the choices made by the player, the player's character can become a partner in the club, thereby receiving occasional income from its operation; another optional mission, however, involves assassinating her for the man she owes debts to. If the player is of the Nosferatu race, he or she must first finish a side-quest for Fat Larry before being allowed to meet Venus; otherwise the player can meet her and trigger her sub-quests once Downtown is unlocked.

An early demo of the game shown to the press (and later to the fans through captured video) introduced Venus as a character aware of the World of Darkness, as she was probably a ghoul to a powerful master. In the final game however, this plot line was terminated and it is unclear just how much about the world around her she really knows.

Chunk
Middle aged, shy security guard the player first encounters guarding the art gallery in Santa Monica, but afterwards he guards the front entrance to LaCroix's office tower. Depending on the gender of the player character, Chunk either tries to be the player's buddy (if male) or develops a crush on the player (if female). His pastimes include watching Ape Detective and eating.

Lily and E.
One early mission involves reuniting these thin-blooded lovers. Lily was a young girl who liked to hang out in the Santa Monica diner where she met a vampire named Rolf Totem who was from Europe visiting California. He embraced her during the course of their relationship, but she did not become a full vampire, instead becoming a thin blood. Because the Thin Bloods are considered a sign of the vampire apocolypse, Rolf's clan would not accept Lily and Rolf left California shortly afterwards leaving Lily behind. Her only solice was spending her nights in the Santa Monica diner. She met E, a surfer visiting Santa Monica for a major surfing tournament and the two fell in love. However, E. was unaware that Lily was a vampire and she accidently embraced him during one of their dates. After Lily told E. what he had become, his inital reaction was enough to turn Lily away. Shortly afterwards Lily went missing and E. slowly came to terms with his feelings for her even though she was gone. During their time apart Lily had tried to rob the Santa Monica Blood Bank and was caught by one Vandal and used as a 'blood doll'. With the player's help, the two can get back together and decide to live their afterlives at a retreat owned by Lily's parents where they can be together.

Imalia
A former sexy fashion model turned insanely jealous Nosferatu, images of Imalia's human form are seen periodically in the game, and the player eventually gets to undertake a side-quest on her behalf. Since her embrace, she has become obsessed with revenge on the model who took her place in the limelight and seeks the destruction of this woman's career.

Bertram Tung
Smart-mouthed Nosferatu who lives in an abanadoned gasoline storage facility in Santa Monica. He is good friends with Jeanette, something that her sister Therese cannot comprehend. When the game starts, he believes that there is a hit out on him that was orchestrated by Therese Voerman. In reality there was no hit on him, but Therese was not openly denying it. He has a ghoul named Knox, who meets the player early in the game just as he is coming into realization of the world around him, and he is very excited about it. The player needs to resolve the "hit" on him before he comes out of hiding by doing jobs for the owners of Club Asylum, after which he facilitates access to the Santa Monica warehouse and thereafter becomes a source of information.

The taxi drivers
As more areas in Los Angeles are unlocked, the player gains access to a taxi to reach these locations (unless playing as a Nosferatu, in which case the player must travel via sewer tunnels). In the endgame, a new taxi driver appears who triggers the various ending options. It is strongly implied that this may be an incarnation of Caine, one of the first vampires.

'Blood dolls'
The term "blood doll" is used to refer to several female NPCs (three of which look enough alike to be triplets) that the player encounters at various locations in L.A. These women willingly allow themselves to be fed upon for blood (although a high Seduction ability is sometimes required) and despite being located in public places, these NPCs may be fed upon without violating Masquerade. The blood dolls can be found at The Asylum club (there are actually two here, but one may later disappear depending upon the player's choices), the Asp Hole club, Vesuvius Club, Confession, and the Red Dragon restaurant. As noted above, Heather also serves as a blood doll if the player agrees to keep her as a personal ghoul. The player must exercise caution in not feeding from blood dolls without giving them sufficient time to regenerate their blood supply, otherwise the blood doll may be killed, costing the player humanity points and a free and Masquerade-safe source of blood (although the blood doll at Vesuvius charges a fee). There are no male NPCs considered blood dolls, however there are several missions during which the player encounters passive male NPCs who serve a similar purpose. Chunk can also be utilized as a "blood doll" during the endgame.