Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition clan
The Ministry
The Ministry is a clan in Vampire V5: Tempters and corrupters who lure mortals into vice as a path to liberation.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Disciplines
- obfuscate, presence, protean
Overview
The Ministry (formerly the Followers of Set) are tempters and corrupters who see their mission as liberation through transgression. They lead mortals, and Kindred, into vice, addiction, and taboo-breaking, believing that real freedom comes only on the other side of every social and moral boundary. Many were once a religious cult around the Egyptian god Set; in V5 the clan has rebranded as 'the Ministry' and operates as a global organization of preachers, dealers, and seducers. Ministry characters excel at social manipulation, infiltration, and operating from the shadows. Their Disciplines (Obfuscate, Presence, and Protean) let them stalk and seduce with equal skill. Their clan bane (Light-Sensitive) makes them vulnerable not just to sunlight but to bright light in general, a serious problem in floodlit modern cities.
How it works
Clan Disciplines: Obfuscate, Presence, Protean Clan Bane - Light-Sensitive: The Ministry takes additional Aggravated damage from sunlight equal to their Bane Severity, and is dazzled by any bright light. Searing lights, flashbulbs, and bright sunlight impose a penalty to any roll equal to the Bane Severity for the rest of the scene. Compulsion - Transgression: When triggered, you must convince someone to break one of their personal taboos, ethical codes, or social rules within the scene. You take a two-dice penalty to all rolls until you succeed in pushing someone past one of their lines. Starting Disciplines: Choose 3 dots among Obfuscate, Presence, and Protean (max 2 dots in any single Discipline at creation).
Tips and playstyle
Character Concepts: Charismatic preacher, drug dealer, escort agency owner, club promoter, motivational speaker, sex therapist, occult priest, cult recruiter. Playstyle: The Ministry suits players who want a corrupter and shadow operator, someone whose enjoyment of the game comes from steering NPCs into bad decisions. Pair with Predator Types like Siren (seducer) or Cleaver (using a fake mortal family as cover). The light bane makes night-only operations almost mandatory. Synergies: Presence to seduce and pull crowds. Obfuscate to disappear once seeded. Protean to flee or attack when corner. Invest in Persuasion, Subterfuge, Streetwise, and Occult.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Ministry the same as the Followers of Set?
Mostly yes, the Ministry is the V5 incarnation of the Followers of Set. The cult of Set still exists at the clan's core, but the public-facing organization has rebranded to look like a modern multi-faith spiritual movement. Some elders still call themselves Setites; younger members tend to use Ministry language.
How playable is the Light-Sensitive bane in practice?
Manageable but constraining. Modern cities are floodlit, which makes outdoor work risky and forces the Ministry to favor clubs, churches, and after-hours venues. The bane is great roleplay flavor, your character genuinely cannot operate in the same spaces a Brujah can, and it pushes you toward atmospheric, sin-coded locations.
Does the Ministry believe in Set?
Some do, some don't. Older Ministry members often hold genuine religious belief in Set as a liberation god. Younger Ministry are often pragmatists who use the cult's rhetoric as a recruitment tool. Storytellers can lean either way to fit the chronicle.