If a character loses Humanity from a given action, the player may opt to have the character develop a new Bane – a permanent reminder of their own monstrous nature.  If they do so, the character will no longer lose humanity in response to that specific act.

Each bane a character takes is assumed to make it harder for them to feed inconspicuously, and their chance if suffering a feeding accident in downtime is therefore raised by 5% per bane they have taken.

Example banes include: 

• Bells: The character cannot stand the sound of bells, and it causes intense pain. This only happens in the presence of actual bells; recordings will not cause pain.
• Blood of the Unwilling: The character takes no sustenance from the blood of the unwilling or the unknowing.
• Face of Hunger: When the character finds themselves hungry, it shows on their face and on their skin. Their eyes grow red, and their skin pulls tight over their visage. They look every bit the corpse. Players should use appropriate make-up at events.
• Grave Soil: The character is tied to the soil of her place of death. Whereever they sleep each night, they must sleep on at least a handful of soil taken from within a mile of the place where they became a vampire.
• Hated by Beasts: Animals despise the character. They’ll put their backs up defensively, growl and/or hiss.
• Invitation: The character cannot enter a private dwelling uninvited.
• Plague of Purity: The character finds the pure of heart to be utterly repulsive.
• Light Sensitivity: The character’s eyes are so sensitive to light that they must wear sunglasses, or a blindfold at all times, even at night. Without that protection, they suffer pain and near-blindness.
• Repulsion: The character finds a certain substance abhorrent. Choose this when taking the bane, but it should be something that is likely to appear in many homes. For example, garlic, salt, roses, or silver are all valid repulsions. They must remain 3-4 feet away from such items at all times – to come closer causes immense pain.
• No Reflection: The character does not have a reflection in a mirror. They do appear on CCTV and other modern technologies.
• Monstrous Shadow: The character’s shadow takes on a life of it’s own at random intervals, metamorphosing into monstrous shapes, or making movements unconnected with the character’s own.