Blood bonds are one of the most powerful and dangerous tools at a Vampire’s disposal. By feeding your blood to another, they will be tied to you henceforth. These bonds are however, not ones which should be used lightly.
A blood bond will tie another character to yours, to varying degrees, but it’s likely to be a permanent feature of both characters, so give it careful consideration before creating a blood bond.
System
Firstly, how it’s done. A blood bond requires a point of the master’s (“regnant”) blood to be fed to the intended victim, the “thrall” for each degree of the bond. A bond can be created between Vampires of any Generation, regardless of age or strength, so they are one of the few ways a character can control their elders and betters. There are three levels of blood bond, only one point of which can be created in a single night, and which have the following effect;
Level 1
This is the level all Vampires have to their Sires, strong intermittent feelings towards a regnant, with no rules effect, but this should be roleplayed. The feelings are more likely to be positive, although they may be negative.
Level 2
At this stage the bond starts to influence the bound Vampire’s behaviour. The regnant can now influence their thrall more easily, while the thrall must spend Willpower if they want to take directly harmful actions against their regnant. Otherwise they are free to act, but the thrall will always be a fixture in their existence.
Level 3
After three drinks, the thrall is completely bound to their regnant in a tie which becomes true love. All other connections fade in comparison as the regnant becomes the most important thing in their thrall’s world. The regnant can now use Dominate without eye contact, and while the strong-willed may be able to hold to their strongest principles, characters with low Willpower will probably do anything for their master.
Breaking a Blood Bond
Once formed, a blood bond is very difficult to break. To reduce the bond, and ultimately break it, will require months of total seclusion from the regnant or alternatively, the regnant’s death is a more sudden method which can have dangerous side effects.
Although the blood bond will control a character’s actions, they may spend Willpower to resist for a very short period, if acting directly against their regnant or a longer period if only acting indirectly.
In Game
A blood bond can be a subtle thing; the first two levels can be used to covertly alter the behaviour of other characters, making them more amenable to suggestions or manipulation. A full blood bond, though, is more like a sledgehammer, and unlikely to go unnoticed for long. As a character’s allies, or those who have an interest such as being owed a boon, are unlikely to take kindly to the violation of the character’s mind, you should be sure you can get away with creating such a bond, or have no other choice.
There may be other reasons to use a blood bond, although control is the most likely. It might also be used as a punishment, to cement a friendship or alliance, or as protection against the thrall. In any event, blood bonding is a tool which requires careful consideration and planning, or else it will create more dangers for the regnant than it is worth.