Bloodlines: The Hidden (Vampire: The Requiem) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Foul Ancestry "In the dark corners we dwell, still-born Kindred for whom your clans have no meaning. Our blood is your blood, yet different. It has been willed, strained and afflicted until it has taken a different course in our veins. We are your worst nightmare, childer who defy your designs to forge our own veiled destinies. Placate us, serve us and we might give you a taste of our secrets." Horrors of the Modern Night Bloodlines: The Hidden is the first in a new Vampire series that focuses on the refinements and abuses of undead blood. Drawn from the shadows are 12 bloodlines from all five clans, lineages that diverge from the clans and that have dedicated the ages to keeping their existence secret, or to lurking on the edges of discovery, devising their own inscrutable machinations. And now you can play them. Hardcover.
Series: Vampire
Hardcover: 124 pages
Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (March 14, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1588462552
ISBN-13: 978-1588462558
Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 0.7 x 11.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #517,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #32 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Gaming > World of Darkness > Vampire #65 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Gaming > World of Darkness > General
I've got to admit, I was blown away by the Bloodlines book. While White Wolf spoke about streamlining its titles and trying to stay away from too many Vampire clans (or bloodlines), they released this. I was hopeful though and was not disappointed. The book covers 12 different bloodlines from the 5 original clans from the Vampire: The Requiem corebook (needed if you buy this book). Each bloodline gains a second weakness from the original clan when joining the bloodline and some, but not all, have new disciplines. Each bloodline is interesting and not overly powerful. They all have their own histories and unique quirks about them that make them all that more appealing. Such as the Qedeshah which believe it is their duty to sire more vampires which puts them at odds with the local princes. However, their discipline allows for sanctuaries, protection, and such, that also makes them sought after by princes. All in all I'm very happy with the book and look forward to the next release, Bloodlines: The Legendary, which I will hope rivals, if not surpasses this quality book.
Well Whitewolf disappointed me in Bloodlines:The Legendary, which didn't present anything too legendary (see my other review of that title for the real legendary bloodlines). However this book is the better of the two. A few of the Bloodlines are a little rediculous like the Alucinor(dream Vampires)and the Qedeshah(female vampires who almost seem like healers) he rest of the book is golden. Among my top ten favorite Bloodlines this book offers four of them.The Bohagande: Gangrel who have the ability to basically ruin the luck of those who run a foul of them. They have a native american spin put on them. I like them because honestly the Gangrel and the Nosferatu seem to get the short end of the stick on bloodlines and well, just reading about these Gangrel intrigued me and gave me ALOT of ideas for my chronicles.Morotrophians: The best way to think of these Nosferatu is like a whole group of qwack surgeons, Doctors, nurses aides, Orderlies, and prison guards. They like the whole idea of being in control of the power structure of whatever area these Haunts haunt (haha, pun intended, unfortunetly. Once again these guys gave me some great ideas, and there disciplines also are very unique. While useless out in the open, but behind closed doors these disciplines can be very dangerous. While perhaps not the best character for a player, the Morotrphians to make wonderful allies or antagonists.Oberlochs: Not much to say for them. However I will let the reader use there imagination and say some words, just combine them, and here are the words: Hill Billy, Deliverence, Vampire, Gangrel, Mid-west.The funny thing about Oberlochs is that they seem to know more about Were-wolves then they do about vampires......Rakshasa: Where as the Burakumin are japanese Nosferatu, these haunts are Indian. I like these guys because they put a more global touch on vampire. They are basically deal brokers, and warriors. Who really don't belong to any covenent due to there strange and foregin ways.All in all Bloodlines:The Hidden is an excellent book, plenty of ideas for allies, antagonists, and players! the only thing that stops the book from getting a 5 is the lack of balance of making bloodlines equal (as in the total number) in the book
I have been consistently impressed with the new "World of Darkness" setting, especially with its customizability. A series of "Bloodlines" books seemed like the perfect solution to the otherwise unimpressive and thin selection of Clans in "Vampire: The Requiem." Unfortunately, "Bloodlines: The Hidden" can be divided into two general groups: the first is a series of repulsive, nauseating Bloodlines (The Anvari, The Gethsemani, The Morotrophians, and The Nahualli), each more unpleasant and disgusting than the last; the second is a series of unimaginative and unoriginal lineages (The Alucinor, The Nelapsi, The Qedeshah and the Bohagande).There are a few Bloodlines worthy of note:-The "Rakshasa" are a breed of ill-tempered Nosferatu warriors from India; characterized as demons in the subcontinent, they value hard work and discipline in all areas of...er...un-life.-The "Oberlochs" are a line of insular Gangrels tied to a particular mortal family, who challenge Werewolves for dominion over the wilderness; unfortunately, they age physically like normal human beings.-The "Architects of the Monolith" are a genuinely fascinating and original Ventrue Bloodline, a Victorian-style secret society whose mystical, architectural rites give them power over cities.Other tribes, such as the Bohagande and the Khaibit, are interesting and seem like they might be fun to play; however they are too derivative of concepts from "Vampire: The Masquerade" (The Ravnos, and the Assamites & Lasombra respectively), without retaining what made the original models so intriguing.Overall, the book is a mixed bag. Were all the Bloodlines as compelling as the three I have described above, the book could easily have earned 5 Stars. What few gems it contains however cannot justify it's price, and I would recommend this as a "must-have" only to die-hard players and readers. Let us hope that subsequent entries in the "Bloodlines" series will be more original and less grotesque.
Okay, I'll keep this short and sweet. Around half of this book is useful. The remaining half is so goofy or unbalanced that playing them is awkward and doesn't fit in with the lore of VtR. Examples of this include luck-stealing vampires, and entire Catholic vampire bloodline (not a covenant, which would fit much better, but a bloodline), and an Indian Nosferatu variant who have literally nothing new except a weakness to Frenzying.Now, there are some neat ideas (a Stonemasons-like covenant that uses magic to subtly control cities, for example), so I can recommend this book, but anything that doesn't just jump off the page at you will seem silly and you will quickly never want to read again.
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