Humanity

Lore

Humanity is the measure of how closely a vampire clings to the morality and values of their life as a mortal human being, and consequently how well they are able to resist the urges of the Beast.

Since every Kindred was a human before their Embrace, their most natural response in resisting the Beast's feral, predatory nature is to cling to their humanity. This is generally represented by the strength of their conscience and self-control, virtues common to Kindred and mortals alike.

A Kindred's humanity has a direct effect on the strength of the vampiric curse; those who lose ground to the Beast and lose their humanity find it more difficult to interact with mortals, to be active during daylight hours, and to awaken from long periods of torpor.

Humanity is universally adopted by the vampires of the Camarilla, but even among the Sabbat it is the "natural" and most common way of dealing with the Beast. Some vampires however reject the mores of mortal existence and adopt an alien Path of Enlightenment, in which they learn or construct a wholly different standard of morality. These often incorporate different virtues – conviction instead of conscience, and instinct instead of self-control – and establish a very different relationship with the Beast. Replacing the morality of one's human life is a daunting task, not to be taken lightly, and generally impossible without the intuition of one who already follows the alternate path.

The practice of assuming a Path of Enlightenment was much more common in the medieval period, when every vampire had to choose a "Road", a quasi-religious path to harmony with or control over the Beast. Humanity was one of these Roads, known then as the Road of Humanity (Via Humanitas). Though less common than today, the Road of Humanity was still the most natural Road to follow.

Mechanics

A Kindred's Humanity is measured with a scale, ranging from 0 to 10.
0: When a vampire's humanity reaches 0, the vampire is completely lost to the Beast, so deeply that it is impossible for him/her to take control ever again. Such a vampire is called a Wight, and the act of reaching 0 is called Wassail.
1-4: They are vampires who will do any heinous deed and will gain pleasure from it. No crime is horrendous for them, as they delight in their bestial nature.
5-6: They will usually be distant and neutral, as they would not see the need for excessive murder, but they would not see the need for protecting life either.
7: They have the same feelings as in life, with the moralities and taboos of humans.
8-9: These vampires are extremely compassionate, as they will fight every night against their Bestial urges while trying to protect humans as well.
10: A 10 is viewed as a saint in the world of the Kindred. They are completely repulsed by their nature and they follow an incredibly strict moral code in order to keep themselves out of the Beast's reach.