Rules reference
Advancement in Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition
How progression works and how to track it. Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition is a modern gothic horror tabletop roleplaying game where you play as a Kindred, a vampire struggling to maintain their humanity while navigating the complex politics of the Camarilla. Set in a dark reflection of our world, VTM5e combines personal horror with political intrigue, as players balance their Beast against their fading Humanity.
Key points
Advancement is about tracking change over time and keeping it transparent to the table.
- 14 clans: Brujah and Gangrel run as Anarchs outside the Camarilla; Banu Haqim, Lasombra, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Ventrue hold Camarilla seats; Hecata, Ministry, Ravnos, Salubri, and Tzimisce lean independent, Sabbat, or unaligned
- 10 Predator Types: Alleycat, Bagger, Blood Leech, Cleaver, Consensualist, Extortionist, Farmer, Osiris, Sandman, Siren
- Discipline system: In-clan Disciplines cost less XP than out-of-clan
- Hunger dice: a separate resource (0-5) that adds volatility to rolls via messy criticals or bestial failures
- Humanity tracking: Starts at 7, decreases with immoral actions
- Blood Potency: Increases with age, affects feeding and Discipline power
VtM V5 progression: spend Experience Points (XP) on Attributes, Skills, Disciplines, and Advantages between sessions.
- XP is awarded by the Storyteller at the end of each session (typically 1-3).
- Bonus XP for roleplaying Convictions, advancing the story, or exceptional play.
- Spend XP between sessions: new Attribute dot (5 × new level), new Skill dot (3 × new level), new Discipline dot (5 × new level for in-clan, 7 × for out-of-clan).
- Blood Potency increases through age, diablerie, or XP spend (10 × new level).
- Humanity changes through roleplay (stains, remorse), not XP.
Record XP gains/spends right after sessions and keep a short history so the table can audit decisions later.
Spend to reinforce what you want to do in scenes, not to chase every niche option.
- Mistake: XP drift (nobody remembers what changed). Fix: Record gains/spends right after sessions and keep a short history.
- Mistake: Buying upgrades that don’t show up in play. Fix: Spend toward your concept and the scenes you actually get.