Age Brackets

Your age as a vampire determines far more than just how many decades of darkness you've endured. It shapes your power, your connections to humanity, and how you navigate the night. Younger vampires retain more of their mortal lives but have less supernatural might. Older vampires have terrifying power but grow increasingly alien to the world they once knew. There are five age brackets in Coterie.

Thin-Blood¶

Embraced: Within the last decade (~2015–present)

You're just barely a vampire. Caine's blood is so diluted in your veins that other Kindred dismiss you as a mistake, a fluke, or a harbinger of the end times. You don't have the same strengths as proper vampires, but you also don't burn quite as easily in sunlight. You can even eat food without immediately vomiting blood! Other vampires treat you like garbage stuck to the bottom of their shoes, but you're modern, adaptable, and you've got nothing to lose.

You remember the mortal world perfectly because you literally just left it. Your friends are probably still alive, your family may still think you exist, and you're desperately trying to figure out what the hell happened to your life. Technology isn't a mystery to you; social media, smartphones, and streaming services are all second nature.

• Starting Humanity: 9
• Starting Blood Potency: 0
• Advancement: Very fast; you're learning rapidly and developing your own unique tricks
• Predator Type: Not chosen at character creation, but earned through play; you haven't settled into a pattern yet
• Narrative Feel: You're scared, hungry, and just trying to survive. Other vampires either ignore you or actively try to kill you (often just for fun). You're probably motivated by some of the same things that drove you in life, and that gives you an edge the older monsters have long forgotten.

Fledgling¶

Embraced: Within the last 25 years (~2000–present)

You're new to this, but you've gotten past the initial shock. You know how to Feed without killing (most of the time), you've figured out the basics of your Clan's abilities, and you're starting to understand the rules of Kindred society. You're still under your sire's protection, whether that's a blessing or a curse. Officially, you're not considered a full member of Kindred society until you undergo "The Becoming", a ritual where your sire and the local Prince (or equivalent authority) formally recognize your independence. Think of it like getting your driver's license.

You were Embraced in the 21^st century. You probably remember 9/11, know how smartphones work, witnessed the rise of social media platforms, and maybe even the most recent global pandemic. The mortal world still feels close because it was your world just a few years ago, but it's already starting to feel distant as your loved ones age and life moves on without you.

• Starting Humanity: 7–8
• Starting Blood Potency: 1
• Advancement: Fast; you're still growing rapidly but the easy gains are slowing down
• Predator Type: Not chosen at character creation, but earned through play; you haven't settled into a pattern yet; likely copying your sire
• Narrative Feel: You're finding your place in the night. You've got plans and ambitions, but you're also realizing they come with costs. The Beast within is getting louder. Humanity is slipping through your claws. You're at a crossroads, kind of like right after you graduated college (if you made it that far...)

Neonate¶

Embraced: 25–100 years ago (~1925–2000)

You're an established Kindred. You've weathered decades of unlife, adapted to massive changes in the mortal world, and earned a reputation (for better or worse). You've undergone The Becoming and are recognized as a full member of Kindred society, no longer requiring your sire's protection or permission. You've seen friends and family age and die, watched cities transform, and survived conflicts that would've destroyed a younger vampire.

Depending on when you were Embraced, you might remember...

• 1990s–2000: The early internet, grunge music, the end of the Cold War
• 1970s–1980s: Disco being cool, punk rock, the AIDS crisis, video game arcades
• 1950s–1960s: The American Civil Rights Movement, the Space Race, the Vietnam War, the birth of rock & roll
• 1930s–1940s: The Great Depression, World War II, film noir, swing music being new & hip

The mortal world is increasingly alien. You remember a time before smartphones, maybe before computers entirely. Younger Kindred treat you with respect (or wariness), but Elders still see you as inexperienced.

• Starting Humanity: 6
• Starting Blood Potency: 2
• Advancement: Moderate; growth is steady but no longer rapid
• Predator Type: Chosen at character creation; you've settled into steady feeding habits
• Narrative Feel: You're navigating the tension between power and connection. You've got influence, resources, and supernatural abilities that would terrify your younger self. But every year, it gets harder to remember why mortals and their trifling lives matter.

Ancilla¶

Embraced: 100–300 years ago (~1725–1925)

You're old. Not ancient, but old enough that the mortal world has gotten significantly more complicated than when you were still breathing. You were Embraced before the advent of most modern technology, and certainly before most of the social movements that define contemporary life. You've accumulated real power: supernatural abilities that lesser vampires can't match, political connections spanning decades, some modicum of money, and the cold pragmatism that comes from watching mortals repeat the same mistakes century after century.

Depending on when you were Embraced, you might remember...

• 1900s–1920s: World War I, the Spanish Flu, Prohibition, the Roaring Twenties, silent films
• 1850s–1890s: The American Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, Victorian era, gas lamps, the first skyscraper
• 1800s–1840s: Napoleonic Wars, westward expansion, early steam engines, the invention of trains
• 1750s–1790s: The American Revolution, the French Revolution, probably several other revolutions, the Enlightenment

Humanity is a distant memory for most Ancillae. You maintain the forms (you can pass as a mortal if you must), but the substance is gone. You don't really understand mortals anymore. Their concerns seem trivial, their lives fleeting. The Beast is always close now, and creeping closer.

• Starting Humanity: 4–5
• Starting Blood Potency: 3
• Advancement: Slow; real growth takes years, not months
• Predator Type: Chosen at character creation; your feeding habits are deeply ingrained
• Narrative Feel: You're powerful and terrifying but increasingly isolated. Mortal connections are almost impossible to maintain because they just keep aging. Other vampires your age are the closest thing you have to peers, but trust is rare. You're fighting a losing battle against the Beast.

Elder¶

Embraced: 300+ years ago (pre-1725)

You're a relic from a world that no longer exists. You've survived wars, plagues, revolutions, and the complete transformation of human civilization. You've accumulated centuries of knowledge, power, Debts, and dark secrets. You might remember the Renaissance, the Reformation, the age of exploration and colonization, witch trials, the Black Death, absolute monarchies, and many other such delights. The modern world is utterly bewildering to you. Smartphones, computers, the internet, cars, airplanes... all of this just popped up without anybody warning you.

You were Embraced before...

• The Industrial Revolution occurred
• The United States existed
• Electricity was commonplace
• Modern medicine & the scientific method as we know them
• Women were widely considered people instead of property

You can't remember what the sun felt like on your skin. You know only blood and darkness.

• Starting Humanity: 3
• Starting Blood Potency: 4
• Advancement: Very slow; meaningful growth takes decades
• Predator Type: Chosen at character creation; centuries of habit are hard to break
• Narrative Feel: You're a walking nightmare. You have power that lesser Kindred can't comprehend, but you're also struggling to remember why anything matters. The world has moved on without you. You're a ghost haunting the modern age, clinging to old grudges and ancient ambitions because you don't know what else to do. The Beast isn't something you fight anymore; it's a fact you've learned to unlive with.