The Blood is everything to a vampire. It is every meal, every breath, every thought, every feeling, every action they have ever or will ever take. It is their first, last, and only requirement, their best friend, and at times their worst enemy. Without it they simply cease to exist.
The Blood is their power, their drug, their means to live and their reason for living. The Blood, which vampires call 'vitae', infuses their entire body. It takes the place of their nervous system, but it doesn't flow the way human blood does. It's simply there, to be used as needed. It allows them to move, to feel, to think, and to do things no mortal could dream of. It is the most precious thing in existence to a vampire. They never waste it, and they use it carefully, because getting more isn't exactly easy.
The Hunger
The Blood brings with it the Hunger, and lurking behind the Hunger is the Beast that all vampires fear to some extent.
If vampire run low on Blood through exertion or stupidity, they begin to battle the Hunger, that driving need to have more before it's too late. The Hunger is not a sensation like human hunger or thirst, it is more akin to the drive for self-preservation in an animal, that instinct that will cause a wolf to gnaw off it's own foot to escape a trap, the same kind of drive that will cause even the tiniest creature to turn and bite viciously when trapped. The unthinking, unreasoning, uncaring need to survive. Woe to the vampire that let's the Hunger get too strong, because then the Beast takes over, and that Hunger is personified. A vampire in Frenzy will gladly rip the head off their own lover to drink from the fountain of their gushing neck, they would rend their own children in half to get at the blood hidden in their small bodies. NOTHING is more important to the Beast than survival. Nothing.
Drinking Blood
The average human finds drinking blood somewhat distasteful, except where culturally tolerated or encouraged, but to the vampire blood is more than just a necessity. It is more potent and delicious than the most powerful drug or the finest of meals. Nothing can compare to the all-consuming ecstasy a vampire feels when drinking, or the high that stays with them long after the meal is finished. It is a permanent and absolute addiction that instantly becomes the center of their lives. A vampire never treats blood lightly unless they have gorged themselves to the point of bursting, and they can never ignore it. Even the thin trickle from a mortal's cut finger sings a siren call to the senses of a vampire, distracting them, drawing their attention. Open bleeding has been known to drive vampires into a feeding frenzy, they simply can't help themselves.
Blood Drinking Commands
LAmush provides the following commands for blood-drinking & feeding:
Command | Usage |
+blood/feed <victim>=<num> | +blood/feedok gives <feeder> OOC permission to drink your blood. |
+blood/feedok <feeder> | +blood/feed drinks <num> points from <victim>. |
The Kiss
When a vampire bites a mortal, they are overwhelmed with pleasure. As long as the vampire in question is careful, they will usually not remember the bite, only the intense pleasure it caused. Also, a mortal will not be able to pull away from the bite without expending a willpower point. And only a mortal very experienced in being fed from would recognize the feelings associated with the Kiss.
Note: A willing or incapacitated vampire's Fortitude will auto-fail, though posing a tougher exterior is appropriate.
Finally, a vampire may fully heal a feeding wound that it caused by licking it, leaving no trace of the bite. (If this is not done, a feeding wound should result in the victim doing a +hurt me=1A)
Cold Blood
Cold blood is blood that has been removed from its host for some time. Blood, in and of itself, is simply not enough for a vampire to feed on; there is a need for the act of feeding, or perhaps some energy in the blood that fades quickly after it is spilled. The details are argued by the Tremere at length, but the effects are well known among vampires.
Blood removed from a mortal body loses all nutritional value for a vampire after merely an hour. Refrigeration seems to accelerate the process, not slow it. Blood that has been separated out, or processed is useless.
Blood removed from a vampire body is more robust. Vampire blood can retain the full measure of its potency for up to a full night. However, no matter how fresh, vampire blood outside of the body of a vampire becomes ash at the break of dawn.
Some might know that the Tremere have rituals which can preserve blood. For what you might know of any of the information contained in this file, please check your lores. What you see there is the extent of what you can know.