Clan: A vampire group of shared "Blood" or heritage, who can trace their Generations back to a common ancestor, in particular to the Third Generation.

A Kindred’s clan is his lineage, the vampiric "family" into which he was Embraced. The clans are distinguished by their Antediluvian founders. Kindred society generally acknowledges 13 clans tonight, though some may have been lost to history, some may exist in secrecy, and some may never have been known.

Like all bloodlines, each clan has greater familiarity with a set of three Disciplines, a clan weakness largely unique to its members, and various stereotypes attributed to it as a result of a tendency to Embrace individuals with certain characteristics. The clans are generally differentiated and set above bloodlines by their greater number and influence throughout the world, identification with an Antediluvian progenitor, a history that reputedly extends back to the Second City, and clan weaknesses that were said to be handed down by Caine himself.

Very few non-vampires recognize the differences that set apart members of each clan and may in fact consider all vampires to be roughly the same as they all share a common ancestor (Caine). The majority of Cainites take the divisions and lineage in general quite seriously, particularly the elders and those who know their complete lineage. During the Dark Ages, the High Clans and Low Clans marked the upper and bottom rungs of vampiric society, with one's ancestry greatly influencing the possibility for advancement and respect. Centuries later, these class divisions would be abandoned for the division of sects between the Camarilla, Sabbat, and independent clans.

Each clan has its own organization and culture that is considered important by its members, and though individuals are rarely willing to make any self-sacrifice for their clanmates, a general sense of understanding often elicits some preference for those of similar blood. Likewise, since vampires of any particular clan are often grouped together for political means, such as representation among the primogen of a city, they may work together and present a unified front out of necessity. Such appearances almost always mask internal conflicts, however, and it is considered incredibly naive to treat all individuals of a clan the same.

The 13 major clans

From the Dark Medieval into the modern nights, the thirteen recognized clans are:

Clan Banu Haqim (formerly Assamite) - silent masters of assassination, killing for hire and collecting blood for rituals to bring them closer to their progenitor.

Clan Brujah - once philosopher-kings of an ancient civilization, but are now rebels and rogues with a fearsome inclination toward frenzy.

Clan Gangrel - bestial and untamed, often coming to resemble the animals over which they demonstrate mastery.

Clan Hecata (both subsumes and replaces Clan Cappadocian and Clan Giovanni) - an insular, extended family of vampires who practice the art of commanding the dead while commanding global finances.

Clan Lasombra - proud nobles who command the very essence of darkness and shadow — to the point of worshipping it, some say.

Clan Malkavian - a clan fractured by madness, each member irrevocably suffering under the yoke of insanity.

Clan Ministry (formerly Followers of Set) - a religious movement that evangelizes the example of a chthonic god, while seeking out the world’s secret places and protecting ancient artifacts.

Clan Nosferatu - hideously disfigured by the Embrace, so they keep to the sewers shadows and traffic in the secrets they collect.

Clan Ravnos - nomads and tricksters who can force the mind to see what isn’t there, though they are slaves to the vices they indulge in.

Clan Toreador - Cainites that enjoy every sensual pleasure the world has to offer, idolizing physical beauty and the adoration of their thralls.

Clan Tremere - vampiric sorcerers that wield the supernatural power of their past as a hermetic house, though they became vampires through treachery and artifice.

Clan Tzimisce - eldritch Old World lords who have little in common with the mortal world and can manipulate flesh and bone at a whim.

Clan Ventrue - observe the noblesse oblige of vampire society, though their entitlement and greed encourages them to seek ever more at the expense of others.