Greetings, fellow Kindred! As we get nice and settled into the rainy season with a good book, runny mascara and a chalice full of Clamato, we’re excited to bring you yet another Discipline preview! This time, Presence won the poll we hosted and I for one couldn’t be happier: we got Blood Dolls, Haven decoration, angry mobs, slick dressers and many more goodies, so let’s get started!

Presence is better known for its association with 2 very different styles: on the left side, we have everything that deals with being the center of attention and connecting with your human side, such as parties, gatherings and exhibits; on the right side, an enigmatic force of persuasion, a ringleader that compels mobs to do their bidding, … with a little booze and propaganda on the side.

It is important to mention that some nodes have a “mirror” on the other side of the tree. Magnum Opus, for example, allows you to imbue a piece of artwork in your Haven and attract fans and art connoisseurs alike; its counterpart, Muralist, lets you create graffiti around the city, rallying less… refined individuals to your circle, but perhaps with more lucrative opportunities.

As different as these two sides may be, they share 2 common core mechanics that will be explained next.

Ah, what is a Blood Doll? Not much: unreliable, erratic, selfish and disposable cattle in the eyes of most Dominate vampires, but Presence is a little more sympathetic. Unlocking the Presence tree unlocks the passive Lingering Kiss, letting you mark generic NPCs that you feed off of in non combat areas. These NPCs will then be entranced and hang out in your Haven for a couple Nights, giving you a steady blood source and other benefits as long as they’re around. The number of Dolls you can have active increases throughout the tree, with a maximum of 4.

Blood Dolls are fickle beings, however. Their Happiness bar drains rapidly while in Haven, and once it’s gone, so is their interest in remaining there. You can influence this Happiness bar in many ways (decorating, having drinks, entertaining), but you can’t keep them forever. Eventually, their Happiness will drain and you’ll have to go hunt again.

The ability Summon imbues your Dolls with righteous fury, making them usable in battle. They are not as versed in combat as ghouls, animals and magical entities, so expect them to attack immune targets and heal full health allies. Randomness is part of the fun!

The Presence user is not some rotting, down in the slumps, vampire nobody… they’re a celebrity! Unlocking Presence also gives you the passive ability Say My Name, which grants you combat and conversation buffs based on how high your Notoriety is.

We talked about Notoriety in a previous blog: it is basically a more flexible Masquerade. If you do things like act recklessly in conversations, neglect to hide bodies or randomly start fist fights, people will start to recognize you around town. If your Notoriety reaches max, the game is over. Presence users might want to go for a high Notoriety build for a more powerful, yet risky playthrough.

Discover your inner socialité! Learn to drip hard through Fashionista, unlocking unique sockets and bonuses for your combat gear (as well as changing how some abilities function if you collect the full set); engage in tragic side quests that deal with the nature of love and loss with True Love’s Face, where you refuse to employ any supernatural solutions to connect with your human side; and buff your combat party with Awe, causing your magnetic aura to help them do more damage with basic attacks.

You just don’t get it man, it’s a systemic issue: it’s those capitalist pigs giving us ashes for dinner. Entrance enemies with Daunt, making you unattackable for the first turn of every combat mission; empower this further with subsequent nodes, granting your Daunt the ability to restrict movement, or even recruit enemies, once it ends; and if direct conflict is not your thing, channel your inner guerrillero with Irresistible Voice, allowing your Presence user access to any Dominate ability (and perhaps other Disciplines too) that your party has unlocked, using their body and voice as a funnel.

We hope you enjoy this short preview on the Presence tree and its dual nature. As always, remember that all of these design choices are not final and subject to change, and feel free to share your feedback with us. Until next time, stay tuned! Remember that you can join our Discord server, Subreddit or even support us via our Patreon page!