Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines/Characters: Difference between revisions

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The main protagonist of the game, who can either be female or male depending on the choice of the player. In the beginning of the game, the Fledgling (who is not referred to by any name in the game) is in bed with an unidentified Camarilla member of the opposite sex (players who choose to play a member of the Tremere clan may later be informed the perpetrator was an Anarch). The circumstances behind this union are not revealed, but the protagonist begins the game wearing casual dress. The player-character is seduced and the Embrace occurs off-screen.

Very little is revealed about the Fledgling's past as a human. At one point (depending upon which race of vampire the player chooses) the Fledgling may encounter a friend from life named Samantha who reveals the Fledgling apparently comes from an affluent family, and was en route to dinner at a restaurant but disappeared. Other tidbits revealed in conversation include the fact the Fledgling was gifted in art and history in school (as discussed with Beckett); less certain in their accuracy are off-the-cuff remarks made by the Fledgling in conversation with Rosa and Jack that the player's bike was once stolen in fifth grade and that the Fledgling was picked on in high school.

The Fledgling appears to affect an aura of power, which commands respect from some vampires encountered, particularly LaCroix who chooses to recruit the Fledgling for his purposes as the game begins. By the end of the game, it is implied that the Fledgling has the potential to become one of the most powerful vampires in existence. Only at the very beginning of the game is the protagonist's voice heard: a single scream. Otherwise, the Fledgling is a silent protagonist, even during cut scenes.

The primary antagonist, a French Ventrue of at least 180 years of age, though he looks to be in his early 20s, LaCroix is the Prince of the L.A. Camarilla, which only recently moved back in to the Los Angeles area. Once a soldier serving [[wp:Napoleon I of France|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. Aside from providing several of the storyline's main quests, he offers several sidequests through e-mail, and can grant you access to a dwelling in the Skyline apartment building (all clans exept for Tremere and Nosferatu).

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 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). He might also be a member of Clan Gangrel, his Chiropteran Behemoth being a use of Protean level 8, the Mythic Form.  Is possibly even a tzimisce antitribu due to his finally form, inhuman appearance, and use of animalism.

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 that rich fat cats are only in it for themselves and 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 only 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 sire-less.

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 responsible 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.

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 ousting the Prince from power.

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, as displayed by her lofty attitude and hatred for the Nosferatu and the fact that she calls herself a Ventrue. 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 ''[[wp:Tourette syndrome|Tourette]]'' in the game documentation. It is possible for characters of either gender to sleep with Jeanette, depending upon the choices made by the player in dealing with her, the most important of which is to ensure Jeanette survives intact. It's also possible for Therese, alone, to be saved. If Jeanette alone is saved during the sister's conflict, Santa Monica will remain under the control of the Anarchs. If Tourette or just Therese is saved, Santa Monica will be ruled by the Camarilla.  They are voiced by Grey DeLisle.

[[wp:Nosferatu (World of Darkness)|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 the 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 Gary is a primogen in the Camarilla, he and his group of Nosferatu live beneath the Anarch-controlled Hollywood district 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 risqué posters of these characters to the player's apartment if the player completes several minor tasks for him; one of these tasks is only unlocked should the player not establish a positive relationship with Velvet Velour (see below).

An anarch based out of the Last Round pub in downtown Los Angeles. Onetime helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. Like other Anarchs, Skelter distrusts the player, and becomes less trusting as the game progresses, though he ultimately remains a source of information.

A female Anarch based out of the Last Round. 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 him.  Damsel was originally designed to be a college rebel rather than a borderline-psychotic militant, which is why Skelter refers to her as "college girl" 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.

A bloodthirsty vampire of an unspecified clan (possibly [[wp:Nagaraja (World of Darkness)|Nagaraja]]), Pisha can be found in the basement of the abandoned hospital in downtown Los Angeles, where she traps unwitting humans and eats them. Unapologetically a predator, she sends the player on several optional sidequests - for which the rewards are unique items that enhance the player's abilities. The player could also choose to fight her.

A computer hacker in life, Mitnick was embraced by [[#Gary|Gary]] after an attempt to break into a Nosferatu database.  In speaking with him the player learns Mitnick enjoys his undeath, continuing to hack, and maintaining the Nosferatu data network in Los Angeles.  He is named for famed computer hacker Kevin Mitnick. Mitnick gives the player an extensive, but ultimately optional, series of side-missions in order to help him establish a wider data network.

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 [[wp:Ghoul (World of Darkness)|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 kept, 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. Regardless of the player character's gender, Heather falls intensely in love with the "Fledgling", at one point even kidnapping a human for the player to feed upon (which creates a potential Masquerade issue). She will also change her appearance if the player asks her to, switching 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 possibility 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 immediately after receiving the armor and before going to the Hollowbrook Hotel, although the option to let Heather leave is not always available after receiving the armor.

Ghoul belonging to Isaac who guards the Hollywood Cemetery, preventing zombies from escaping, a job he enjoys because he likes shooting things. Romero triggers one of two side quests, depending upon how the player interacts. Romero is in need of female companionship; one side-quest sees the player obtain the services of a prostitute for Romero; alternately, the player could agree to watch the cemetery for a while, launching a brief, but frantic [[first-person shooter]] scenario. A third alternative is open to female characters with high enough seduction skill; they can offer to sleep with Romero, after which he becomes a "blood doll". He is named after legendary zombie movie director George A. Romero.

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 cliff 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 may offer her money for her unique insights.  All of the predictions she makes will come true over the course of the game, and she makes some interesting references to Caine. Some players suspect that Rosa's abilities are actually Malkavian insight.

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.

Among the callers are Viggo, who claims to work at a yacht club; Gomez, a conspiracy theorist with surprising insights into the vampire community; Roger, a writer who hasn't actually written anything; an elderly gentleman who comments on the Santa Monica diner being shot up; and a mystery caller whose voice resembles that of the tzimisce, Andrei, and who comments on the impending end of the world. It is implied that Deb is Kindred, but no indication is given as to what clan.

Commercials include ''Friggin' Chicken'', ''I Thought It Was Margarine'', a mud-slinging ad between two opposing political candidates, ads for fake television programs and movies, and an ad for a new video game by [[Troika Games]].