The Paths of Enlightenment

The battle with the Beast is a lost cause for many Kindred. Over time, the Beast begins to exert a hold that the undead cannot hope to shake until, finally, the vampire becomes a vile creature of raw, evil passion. Some vampires, however, avoid this fate. Even as their Humanity slips away, they find something else to hold, something else that keeps the ravenous Beast in check. The Sabbat has come to call these philosophies the Paths of Enlightenment, but they existed well before the birth of that sect. These strict codes define every aspect of their devotees' existences. Kindred on the Paths become fanatics, and fanatics they must be lest they lose any measure of self-control and free will. The Paths are rare outside the Sabbat, and finding someone to initiate one is extremely difficult. A vampire can only follow one Path at a time, and must begin this journey before the Beast takes control. The few vampires who develop this sort of self-discipline begin when they still have two or three points of Humanity. They will generally have another vampire begin their instruction, and will develop one point in their chosen Path (at a cost of five experience points). From then on, additional points cost the current level multiplied by two. While each Path may have similarities to other Paths, each is distinct. The moral codes may contain some of the same values, but the importance is not on which moral traits are of value, but how much they are valued. While these may seem like only minor differences, keep in mind that many major religions are only slightly different from one another in their moral teachings. Each Path of Enlightenment is based upon a distinct foundation, but they all represent methods by which a vampire can transcend mortal morality and spiritually.

Path Rolls

At the end of the entry for each Path of Enlightenment is a Hierarchy of Sins. This delineates the morals followers of that particular Path hold, and their relative importance. The Path roll is basically the same as a Humanity roll for another character. Whenever the character does something she would consider morally wrong, she must make a Path roll based upon her score in the Path. This should be handled in the same manner Humanity rolls are handled for other characters. If a character ever loses all her points in the Path, the Beast takes over and the Storyteller runs the character.

Using Paths

Storytellers need to consider carefully the effect the Paths can have on their chronicles before allowing characters to develop them. If players know they will never lose their characters to the Beast, a chronicle can rapidly lose one of its most interesting aspects. On the other hand, adding the Paths gives a whole new dimension to the game, as players begin to explore some of the most extreme manifestations of the vampiric condition. Storytellers should strictly monitor adherence to the Paths. These are not easy avenues to follow and, if characters lose their way, Storytellers should be fully prepared to have them fall to the Beast. As a player or a Storyteller, feel free to invent your own Paths. While the two here have been developed by neutral clans, others have been developed and fallen by the wayside. A character could be a member of one of these extinct Paths, or he could begin his own using the Paths that follow as models. Just make sure the Path is rigid enough to prevent a takeover by the Beast. Additionally, The Players Guide to the Sabbat provides the seven Paths most common to that sect.

Path of Blood
Path of Bones
Path of Caine
Path of Cathari
Path of Death and the Soul
Path of Evil Revelations
Path of Harmony
Path of Honorable Accord
Path of Power and Inner Voice
Path of Night
Path of Metamorphosis
Path of Paradox
Path of the Typhon

 

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