literature

How to play... a Tzimisce

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Again, the Sabbat isn't really my thing, but I actually have a kind of love to the Tzimisce clan which can have such strange characters, yet playable and interesting!


The Tzimisce clan is the clan that puts together so many concepts and so many myths around the vampire that for me, they're not just "one clan". Animal control masters, mansion holders, creepy dominion owners, eastern-european accents... Also, walking in long corridors with certain fabrics. That's all of what the Tzimisce make me think of when I first consider the clan. Of course it's cliché. That's the point, and that's what I'll try to fight or twist into interesting characters here.


Of course, to me, the urban monster is the Nosferatu, not the horrible alienesque Tzimisce, but that's because I'm European and if there's one clan I have a hard time imagining as modern, it's the Tzimisce.


It would be easy to make a difference between Old and New clan 

The main difference between them being political in nature as well as the fact that the Old Clan refused to be concerned with the fleshcrafting discipline, Vissicitude, regardles of it being an illness depending on what Canon lore you take in. But in truth they have so much more in common than they'd like you to beleive.

The Sabbat is also a thing, and the Tzimisce either define themselves as part of it, or just don't care at all. Like the Lasombra, many use the sect for their own goals and agendas (just like everyone, really!)



To me a Tzimisce has this one important trait : they're domain owners. Domain is all important to them, as well as all household related etiquette. This may not be the main trait of the character, but it is a vital piece of who they are as Kindred. A bit like certain person who define themselves as "parents" (especially as "mothers", come on, you know what I'm talking about). In French we have an expression: running a house "en bon père de famille" ("as a good household-father", in due and proper ways). I can't stress enough the importance of domain, domain-holding, territory and possessiveness the Tzimisce can display. This can be displayed in numerous different ways, but their attachment to something physical such as a haven or their regular servants, as an extension of themselves. Of course they are disposable, like anything else, but surely something interesting can be done there! Be original in those territorial issues, ancesters and the importance of lands, seneschal...



What I don't think is as valuable as some may say is the LGTB flag some assign to the Tzimisce. As much as I love equality for all and gender issues interest me a lot as a female French political sociologist, the Tzimisce aren't Lady Gaga's "Born this Way". Yes I'm exaggerating, but not even by that much.

A Tzimisce can care about gender just like anyone else, while another could shrug about it just like I do. Vykos is certainly no example to follow, not because "changing gender is bad" (that's totally fine, I believe gender is a spectrum), but because it's a poorly written RPG character (good fanfic/novel character, however!).



Also, while many players and storytellers tend to portray the Tzimisce as sadistic, inhumane psychopaths, I much rather take an "non-humane" approach. The Tzimisce, a bit like the Assamites, didn't build themselves around a regular, occidental morale and set of thoughts, nor in opposition to them. They're just strangers up to some point. Those concepts are just "eh?" to them. Like Assamites, they're "Aliens", they don't really belong in society. Not because they are foreigners, but because their branch of Christianity was adapted and has been isolated for so long in Eastern Europe, and so much run over by the Mongols and others, that the ties just don't exist anymore. Of course this only applies to Europe and older characters now. Right? Wrong. Think twice. I'll call upon Social Reproduction to prove this point: we chose people similar to us to mate and to be friends with.

This does not mean characters all must be orthodox christians, of course not! But they must have this arguable approach to society. They're outsiders, they're canvas, and that's what makes them the most interesting.

Forget about physical freak-shows, forget about fleshcrafting, but rather think how their brains can be wired. What makes their agenda, what makes their values system. Their canvas and their willingness to paint it how they want to paint them. Some do it through the Path of Metarmophosis, but it's not mandatory.




So to me a good Tzimisce is a Tzimisce that experiments, be it with themselves or with others, but experimenting can be just witnessing, enjoying life/unlife, being a scientist, or just someone who wants to find out stuff. It doesn't need to be purely biological, just this willingness to learn and find out for themselves is enough to be "experimental".

Social workers, sociologists, psychiatrists, attorneys.. they could all be good Tzimisces, if they have this "drive to find out" something. It doesn't need to be the truth. Philosophical experiments could be amazing for a Tzimisce character!



And now all clans are done. They will be eventually edited, completed, added, so please don't hesitate to check up often to see addons and else!

Shout me out your questions, be them specific or very general, and I'll try to give you my own personal answer as well as information to look out for. After all series is here to share experiences and thoughts about the game, so don't hesitate !!


What next?

The last main clan !

The Tzimisce are a bit tricky to me because after all they're the "original" vampires. Forget about Anne Rice, think Transylvanian monsters.


DISCLAIMER !
I do not encourage players to choose their clan. I always say : Clans don't embrace People, People embrace People ! Sure, there are generalities, but please read the PC how to. These clans how to are mostly to give you ideas of what generally, members of a same clan share in interests. But always be sure not to interest "the clan", but rather, attract the attention of an individual : your sire, who just so happens to be of X clan.

A clan is nothing more and nothing less than skin color or eye color ; nothing you can really do about it, and for most people, they don't purely identify with it as the core feature of their existence. The clan is almost never what is the most important to a vampire : it's like presenting yourself with saying only your nationality, as if it meant everything.


You can reblog, link and else, from my tumblr :
secretsofthemasquerade.tumblr.…



How to play... A Toreador
How to play.. A Tremere
How to play.. A Ventrue
How to play.. A Gangrel
How to play... A Nosferatu
How to play... A Brujah
How to play.. A Malkavian
How to play... a Follower of Set
How to play... a Ravnos
How to play... an Assamite
How to play... a Giovanni
How to play... a Lasombra
How to play... a Tzimisce


Other :
How to create a PC in Vampire The Masquerade
How to create the best campaign ever
How to think about a character's background (VTM)


Please also share the blog!
secretsofthemasquerade.blogspo…


Don't hesitate to ask questions on tumblr or through a note, I'll try to answer them all.
(if I forget, resend it :p)


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librarian-of-hell's avatar

Hmm, interesting. It's my dissatisfaction with the human body and is limitations that led me to them.