Blood Brothers

The Blood Brothers are Kindred only in a very loose sense. They are Sabbat shock troops, created by Tremere and Tzimisce sorcerers in order for the Sword of Caine to have loyal soldiers that can still pass for human. The process of creation (for the Blood Brothers do not undergo an Embrace) washes away any individuality and personality, leaving only strong, savage, and near-mindless quasi-vampires.

Blood Brothers are usually created in small groups of three to 10. These groups — called “circles” — become family units connected by a kind of hive mind. The Sabbat also usually arranges for a Tzimisce to fleshcraft the circle’s faces so that they are identical. The Frankensteins are a secret weapon for the Sabbat for several reasons. The Sabbat finds that while the loyalty of the Blood Brothers is beyond reproach, they don’t possess much in the way of creativity. They aren’t capable of trickery, clever tactics, or improvisation, and unless another vampire can direct them in the field in real time (which isn’t impossible, given modern communication technology), they aren’t good for much beyond simple, direct missions.

Second, they are difficult and risky to create. Creating a circle of Blood Brothers means killing half a dozen people. While the Sabbat doesn’t have a problem with that in itself, a pattern of disappearances can clue in mortal authorities and Camarilla watchers alike that the Sword of Caine is up to something.

Finally, the Blood Brothers are more useful as a surprise attack, and survivors of those attacks run the risk of passing along knowledge of the Brothers’ weaknesses. Creating too many, even if it were possible or practical, would mean that eventually some Camarilla Tremere would figure out how to hurt them, or even how to reverse the magic that keeps them mindless, loyal, and useful. Some rumors say that this has already happened, but that the Tremere aren’t willing to share this knowledge with the Camarilla just yet.

**Nickname:** Frankensteins

**Sect:** The Blood Brothers belong to the Sabbat exclusively. A Blood Brother that comes through the creation process with his individuality intact is destroyed.

**Appearance:** A Blood Brother often looks identical to the others in his circle, barring any burns or other marks that he might have picked up in battle. They usually dress alike. The members of the circle grow agitated when they see each other as “different.”

**Haven:** Blood Brothers stay in whatever haven is provided for them by the Sabbat. As long as the circle is allowed to stay together, they don’t seem to care much about amenities.

**Background:** A Blood Brother’s mortal life is irrelevant. All that a person needs to do to become a Blood Brother is cross the wrong vampire’s path on the wrong night. The Sabbat kills the target, removes his body hair, smooths over his features, and places him with four or five others, and after that no trace of the manthat- was remains.

**Character Creation:** Blood Brothers prioritize Physical Attributes and Talents. Nature and Demeanor are usually the same; common choices are Conformist, Bravo, and Monster. Blood Brothers don’t usually have much in the way of Backgrounds apart from Generation and Mentor (their handler or creator).

**Clan Disciplines:** Fortitude, Potence, Sanguinus

**Weakness:** Blood Brothers cannot Embrace. If they attempt it, the mortal simply dies. In addition, the Frankensteins literally feel each other’s pain. When a Blood Brother suffers a wound penalty, all members of the circle suffer the same penalty for the next turn. If two Blood Brothers are wounded, only the greater wound penalty applies. Blood Brothers do not continually suffer these penalties unless one of them suffers a new wound.

**Organization:** The bloodline as a whole has no organization. It is loyal to the Sabbat, and the members are otherwise loyal to their circles. The Blood Brothers treat their handlers with complete loyalty, bordering on sycophancy. They treat other Sabbat Kindred with quiet deference.

**Stereotypes**

***Anyone Not Sabbat:** Kill. Do not obey.*

***Sabbat:** Obey. Do not kill.*

**The View From Without**

***Camarilla:** I used to have a muse. He was lovely, chiseled, golden-honey hair. He vanished one night. And then I chanced to pass through Detroit, and I saw him on the street. Six of him.*

***Sabbat:** I know they’re creepy. Don’t think of them as Cainites.*

***Followers of Set:** Why didn’t we think of that?*