Sometimes, the Beast grows impatient. When the vampire faces danger, hunger, or threat, the Beast goads her to immediate and extreme response, usually meaning a blood-soaked frenzy. Frenzy comes from many sources, but always shares the same response: End the problem by any means necessary.

When faced with a strong enough stimulus, the vampire risks losing control of her Beast. She can temporarily hold the monster inside, but eventually she must face her monstrosity. Either she’ll force it down, or the Beast overwhelms her to fight, feed, or flee.

A frenzying vampire can, but is under no compulsion to, lash out with her predatory aura.

Resisting Frenzy

To resist the Beast, roll Resolve + Composure. Check the suggested modifiers for penalties and bonuses depending on the circumstance. The Storyteller is encouraged to come up with other situational modifiers to reflect the relative tension of the scene. For example, if the vampire’s rival has made a point of goading her every time they meet, it may impose an additional –1 die penalty to the roll. Resisting frenzy is reflexive.

Dramatic failure on this roll results in frenzy, and the character cannot end the frenzy until she reaches a breaking point. If the Beast gets its desire, choose a new one. Failure means the character succumbs to frenzy. Success means she resists the Beast, but gains the Tempted Condition. Exceptional success means she not only resists the Beast, but regains a point of spent Willpower, and any Willpower she spent fighting the Beast during the scene. When a character enters frenzy, she gains a Beat. She can opt to turn a failure into a dramatic failure for a second Beat. As with any Beats, these Beats only come from dramatic situations with consequences.

Willpower cannot be spent for three bonus dice on a roll to resist frenzy. Willpower has a different effect. A point of Willpower holds off the Beast for one turn. The vampire visibly fights the frenzy. She may growl, hiss, smash something, or sprint off. But she’s temporarily in control. However, she must still face her Beast. Once she stops spending Willpower, make the Resolve + Composure roll like normal, but take a bonus die for each Willpower point spent. So, if you spend four Willpower points for your character to take four turns fighting her frenzy, on the fifth turn, roll her Resolve + Composure + 4.

Frenzy Roll Bonuses: Destruction of minor property (+1), Expecting provocation (+1), On Elysium grounds (+2), Provocation was a Touchstone (+2), Seeing a trivial open wound (+1), Sunlight causing bashing damage (+2)

Frenzy Roll Penalties: Dead Friend (-2), Dead Lover (-4), Destruction of important property (-1), Hungry (-2), Hurt friend (-1), Hurt lover (-2), Inside burning building (-4), Insulted by a superior (-1), Insulted by an inferior (-2), Publicly ostracized (-2), Seeing a massive open wound (-1), Small fire (-2), Starving (-4), Sunlight causing aggravated damage (-3), Sunlight causing lethal damage (-2), Surprised by provocation (-1), Wounded at all (-1), Wounded in last three health boxes (-3)

The Frenzy

Upon entering frenzy, determine what the Beast wants. Does it want to escape? Does it want to punish the person who insulted his host? Does it want blood Typically, frenzy ends when that thing occurs. Some Devotions and Coils may end frenzy prematurely. If the character enters torpor, the frenzy ends.

A vampire’s Touchstone can talk her down from frenzy with an extended Social roll, requiring a number of successes equal to three times the vampire’s Blood Potency. The Touchstone can make one roll per turn. So a Blood Potency 4 vampire’s Touchstone would require 12 successes to talk her out of frenzy. During this time, the vampire’s likely to cause significant problems for herself and others.

When in frenzy, the vampire becomes stronger, faster, and tougher. Her Beast drives her to feats of terrifying physical prowess. Add her Blood Potency dots to any Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina rolls or resistances (do not apply her improved Stamina to her Health levels.) Ignore any wound penalties she should suffer. She can grab and bite as a single instant action, as she ravenously mauls her victim. Apply the successes on her Strength + Brawl roll to establish a grapple as lethal damage, and she takes an immediate point of Vitae from the victim.

If a character tries to coerce her to behavior contrary to the Beast’s desires, either via Social actions or through Disciplines, the effort fails. They can, however, divert the Beast’s attention to another, similar target. For example, if Veronica falls to her Beast due to hunger and leaps at Elspeth, Elspeth might Dominate her to attack Dominic instead.

While frenzied, the vampire does everything in her power to accomplish the Beast’s desires. She does so with immediate, forceful, and destructive abandon. If there’s someone in the way, she throws him or decks him. If she’s hungry, she bites the closest thing to her mouth. That said, the Beast isn’t stupid. It’s capable of doing the kinds of things an enraged, terrified, or starving animal predator is, and it will lash out with the predatory aura if that will help sate it.

Taking any action contrary to the Beast’s agenda requires a point of Willpower per turn.

While losing control to the Beast can prove fatal, or at very least socially inconvenient, it can also prove a stark advantage to be the first to lash out in a brawl. If multiple characters simultaneously use Willpower to resist their Beasts, the first to give in gets the biggest benefits. When any character in the scene enters frenzy, any other characters who were attempting to resist their Beasts only benefit from half their Blood Potency dots (rounded up) on Physical actions if they succumb to frenzy. Kindred can avoid this penalty by immediately giving in to their Beasts, or by riding the wave.

Riding the Wave

Some Kindred choose to grab their Beasts by the reins, and wield that monstrous power. It’s a risky proposition, but one with great rewards. This practice is called riding the wave of frenzy.

To ride the wave, spend a Willpower point, and make the normal Resolve + Composure resistance roll. The Willpower point does not add to this roll. Success holds off the frenzy for a turn as if she’d spent Willpower to fight the frenzy. She can continue to do this until she fails, runs out of Willpower, or until she accumulates five successes. Treat any failure on this roll as a dramatic failure.

If she reaches five successes, she rides the wave. This functions identically to a normal frenzy, with all normal benefits. However, you may choose the Beast’s desire and specific target at the outset. This desire does not have to align with the provocation. For example, if Victoria risks frenzy because she’s starved, she might choose to kill Dominic instead of feeding.

Normally, a frenzied Beast will not force its host to commit diablerie. However, a vampire riding the wave may choose diablerie as the desire.