Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition background
Herd
Herd is a background in Vampire V5: mortals who let you feed regularly, willingly or without knowing.
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Overview
Herd is a stable pool of vessels you return to: a fetish scene, a congregation, a group of blood-doll admirers, your own family if you are a Cleaver. They provide blood without the danger of hunting strangers every night. A herd is people, though. They get sick, move away, talk to one another, and sometimes notice what you are.
How it works
Dot ratings: Each dot is a rough measure of the herd's size and how much blood it can give per week; one dot is a couple of vessels, five dots a large and devoted following. Effect: Feed from your herd without a hunting roll, up to the amount your rating allows. Overdrawing risks harming or losing vessels. Cost: Drawn from the 7 Background dots at creation (typical cap 3 per Background, Storyteller may allow more); after creation each new dot costs 3 times the new rating in XP. Predator Types: Cleaver and Osiris each grant Herd +1 in this system's rules.
Tips and playstyle
Character concepts: Cult leader, club owner with regulars, Cleaver feeding on family, therapist with dependent clients, Osiris scene icon. When to take: Take it if you want feeding to be a background hum rather than a nightly scene. Pair it with Domain to keep the herd inside your own territory.
Frequently asked questions
Does my herd know I am a vampire?
That depends on the herd. Some are willing blood dolls who know exactly what you are; others believe a cover story. Knowing herds are more reliable but a bigger Masquerade risk.
Can I feed only from my herd?
In theory, yes, but a herd has limits. Push past your rating and vessels sicken, leave, or die, which also threatens your Humanity.