Vampire: The Masquerade 5E welcomes followers of the Dark Father in an upcoming supplement
A new storyteller’s screen and toolkit is also on offer.
Horror roleplaying game Vampire: The Masquerade expands its roster of fearsome antagonists with the addition of the dark and fanatical Sabbat Cult, along with previewing some player and storyteller tools coming soon.
The sourcebook Sabbat: The Black Hand is currently available for pre-order and will contain information on what publisher Renegade Game Studio calls an infamous faction, including both a mechanical breakdown of abilities and their relationship within the world hidden behind the Masquerade.
The Sabbat follow Caine - rumoured to be the initial and most powerful vampire in existence - often emulating his life and teachings. Much of this takes the forms of specific Paths of Enlightenment, ways of life that suppress, reject or adversely embrace the Beast nature inside all vampires. Think of them like alternate moral codes that make room for all the killing and drinking of blood.
The sourcebook - the first published since Renegade Game Studio acquired the rights in 2020 - will also detail the Sabbat’s relationship with other factions, such as the Camarilla and the Antediluvians. The former shuns their pseudo-apocalyptic teachings about Gehenna Wars and the return of Caine, while the Sabbat view the latter as their direct foe. In fact, the Ritae of the Sword of Caine describes the Sabbat’s place as helping usher in the judgment and end of all so-called unworthy vampires at Caine’s hand.
Until that time, though, players can enjoy interacting with Sabbat vampires using the Disciplines and lore outlined in the sourcebook. It’s fully compatible with the fifth edition rules for Vampire: The Masquerade and can either help augment a new campaign or slot directly into an ongoing one with ideas for storylines and emerging conflicts.
A new storyteller’s screen and toolkit was also previewed, adding some new tools to help beginner and veteran game planners, alike. The screen will feature official artwork from the RPG on the exterior and random tables, rules references and other at-a-glance information on the inside. The toolkit comprises 32 pages of wisdom and tools aimed at easing the processes of both creating and running Vampire: The Masquerade campaigns.
Another source of inspiration might come from the recently announced television series and movie based on Vampire: The Masquerade’s World of Darkness universe, which includes several other roleplaying game settings. The writing and production staff includes figures who worked on both Netflix’s The Witcher and Shadow and Bone.
Both the sourcebook and toolkit are currently available for pre-order through Renegade Game Studio’s website with plans for them to hit local game stores later this year. Sabbat: The Black Hand, which costs $45 (£32) as a physical book will be purchasable as a PDF, as well. That price, along with release dates, is not yet available.