The Cults of the Blood Gods discussion thread

[CTPhipps]

LET THE STREETS RUN RED is now just a hop, skip, and a jump away from widespread release so this is a thread for discussing the news and updates (as well as contents) of CULTS OF THE BLOOD GODS and its various supplements.

As a supplement, it successfully was Kickstartered and will release with a huge amount of information on Kindred religions and cults. It also has a number of PDF-only supplements that were stretch goals.

* Cults of the Blood Gods

Kindred build and are drawn to faiths for myriad reasons. The exertion of power over a flock. Satisfying their Hunger and their Beasts. Elevation of the self. Reassurance of the possibility of redemption. A grand plan they forged or that was bestowed upon them by secret masters. While some vampire cults span the globe hiding in plain sight, others are fringe faiths with morbid practices and ancient conspiracies lasting centuries. Others such as the incestuous
Clan of Death and the malignant Church of Set — arguably the largest vampire cults of all — believe in a destiny that will enable them to impose their wills on the world of the living and the dead.

Whether for power, salvation, or transcendence, all Kindred cults wallow in blood. They shed it in sacrifice, demand it of their followers, and exalt in it in unholy baptisms proclaiming their divine glories. These cults dedicated to blood gods are among the most insidious, damning sects of Kindred, and tonight they approach their apex of power.

* Trail of Ash and Bone

THE TIES THAT BIND: Help us fund a new supplement, featuring an intimate playable story in which the bonds of family loyalty are tested, when the Hecata are forced to discern the loyalty and potentially punish the betrayal of a beloved and famed relative suspected to be consorting with cults outside their clan. All backers receiving the Cults of the Blood Gods PDF will automatically have the Trail of Bone and Ashes PDF added to their rewards list.

OLD WOUNDS: Help us fund a political playable story in which we explore the burning enmities of the Cappadocians, Harbingers, Samedi, Giovanni, and Lamiae, and whether, in the historic domain of Florence, they can ever be repaired.

OPEN YOUR EYES: Help us fund a mystery playable story in which the subject of Golconda is addressed, explored, and put to the test when a vampire with all the answers arrives in the city and somehow converts the Prince.

TRAIL OF BONE AND ASHES PDF — THE WELLSPRING: Help us fund a religious playable story, where the coterie takes over an abandoned cult eager for leaders, the members of which promise much but may lead to each of the vampires' fall.

* Children of the Blood (Formerly, "The Faithful Undead", A Children of the Inquisition-esque supplement)

UNDEAD DISCIPLES: Help us fund a new supplement, featuring a section that contains new Storyteller-played Characters to act as supporting characters and antagonists in a new chronicle. All backers receiving the Cults of the Blood Gods PDF will automatically have the Faithful Undead PDF added to their rewards list.

CULTISH COLLECTIVES: Help us fund a new section of sample coteries tied to different cults, with ready-made characters in each, and uses included SPCs as sample members of each coterie.

BLOOD-CAKED LORESHEETS: Help us fund new loresheets tying to characters introduced in this book and cults introduced in Cults of the Blood Gods,

* Forbidden Religion (more insane and evil cults)

PATHWAYS TO POWER: Help us fund another supplement, featuring a chapter focusing on cults dedicated to power through fear, influence, or devotion, including worshipers of the Nictuku, errant houses within the Tremere, and the ancestral obsession of the Ventrue. All backers receiving the Cults of the Blood Gods PDF will automatically have the Forbidden Faiths PDF added to their rewards list.

DREAMS OF GOLCONDA: Help us fund a chapter in which a series of cults, all believing they know the path to Golconda, are profiled with their flawed wisdom and powerful gifts on display.

ESCHATOLOGICAL THOUGHT: Help us fund a chapter delving deeper into the thoughts of the most wicked Nagaraja, Harbingers, and other vampires of the Hecata who seek nothing less than the end of the world and a kingdom in the remains.

RUINOUS BELIEFS: Help us fund a chapter dedicated to cults that believe vampires are tools of the devil, demons, and evil spirits. These are not mustache-twirling villains, but Kindred who firmly believe their role is as hell's emissaries.

Now these are probably a long way off with the exception of COTBG but I am really excited about these, especially Trail of Ash and Bone.

[Penelope]

I’m looking forward to all this stuff too.

[CTPhipps]

I loved Cults of the Blood Gods and felt like it added a lot that was missing from the current V5 universe by providing alternatives to the Camarilla/Anarch package. They're no substitute to the Sabbat but they certainly are great to have around. The Church of Caine was desperately needed and so were the Bahari but I think my favorites were The Church of Set and The Cult of Mithras.

I like how they actually make the Cult of Mithras the anti-Church of Set and give an actual religion prioritizing order, structure, heirarchy, and honor to compare against the Setites. It makes the relationship between Kemintiri and Mithras make more sense to me. It also implies Mithras plays a much bigger role in the setting than just being the Prince of London.

The Nephilim also filled a good role by having Toreador so vain and self-obsessed that they worship beauty to a literal extent. The Ashbringers I'm not sure qualify as a CULT per se versus the Last Daughter of Eve (Jenna Cross update!) but I still liked them.

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Does it have anything about Golconda?

[CTPhipps]

Does it have anything about Golconda?

Golconda cults are going to be one of the chapters of FORBIDDEN RELIGION. At least according to the Kickstarter.

Edit:

Updated the opening post with descriptions of what they all contain.

[Penelope]

I loved Cults of the Blood Gods and felt like it added a lot that was missing from the current V5 universe by providing alternatives to the Camarilla/Anarch package. They're no substitute to the Sabbat but they certainly are great to have around. The Church of Caine was desperately needed and so were the Bahari but I think my favorites were The Church of Set and The Cult of Mithras.

I like how they actually make the Cult of Mithras the anti-Church of Set and give an actual religion prioritizing order, structure, heirarchy, and honor to compare against the Setites. It makes the relationship between Kemintiri and Mithras make more sense to me. It also implies Mithras plays a much bigger role in the setting than just being the Prince of London.

The Nephilim also filled a good role by having Toreador so vain and self-obsessed that they worship beauty to a literal extent. The Ashbringers I'm not sure qualify as a CULT per se versus the Last Daughter of Eve (Jenna Cross update!) but I still liked them.

I love all the cults you mentioned and I can’t wait to use them when we finally switch over to V5.

[DifferentJustin]

I wonder what the "errant houses within the Tremere" mentioned in Forbidden Religions will end up looking like and who leads it (unless it's another House Ippsissimus situation)? Maybe some kind of Blood Sorcery rituals that allow for some necromancy?

[TheDreamApologist]

I wonder what the "errant houses within the Tremere" mentioned in Forbidden Religions will end up looking like and who leads it (unless it's another House Ippsissimus situation)? Maybe some kind of Blood Sorcery rituals that allow for some necromancy?

I can understand why Tremere would want to have necromancy in Blood Sorcery, but is there really any reason why they wouldn't just pay one Hecata to do this?
Mechanically it just sounds like power creep.

[TheDreamApologist]

I loved Cults of the Blood Gods and felt like it added a lot that was missing from the current V5 universe by providing alternatives to the Camarilla/Anarch package. They're no substitute to the Sabbat but they certainly are great to have around. The Church of Caine was desperately needed and so were the Bahari but I think my favorites were The Church of Set and The Cult of Mithras.

I like how they actually make the Cult of Mithras the anti-Church of Set and give an actual religion prioritizing order, structure, heirarchy, and honor to compare against the Setites. It makes the relationship between Kemintiri and Mithras make more sense to me. It also implies Mithras plays a much bigger role in the setting than just being the Prince of London.

The Nephilim also filled a good role by having Toreador so vain and self-obsessed that they worship beauty to a literal extent. The Ashbringers I'm not sure qualify as a CULT per se versus the Last Daughter of Eve (Jenna Cross update!) but I still liked them.

The Church of Set, Nephilim and Ashbringers were definitely my favorites. The Church for its expansion on the Ministry corruption techniques. Nephilim just because hedonism can truly be frightful, and Ashbringers for the campy element of Thin-Blood Instagram influencers sniffing Elders dust. I'd love to play a game focused on a group of "real" vampires just crushing the party, maybe homebrew Sabbat raid?

[zahana]

I wonder what the "errant houses within the Tremere" mentioned in Forbidden Religions will end up looking like and who leads it (unless it's another House Ippsissimus situation)? Maybe some kind of Blood Sorcery rituals that allow for some necromancy?

There is a picture that was being passed around with the supposed chapter breakdown. The only mention of the Tremere that I saw is in the one about Methuselah Worship.

[The Gentleman Gamer]

There is a picture that was being passed around with the supposed chapter breakdown. The only mention of the Tremere that I saw is in the one about Methuselah Worship.

There is indeed a Tremere cult in the Pathways to Power chapter.

[Baaldam]

The Church of Set, Nephilim and Ashbringers were definitely my favorites. Ashbringers for the campy element of Thin-Blood Instagram influencers sniffing Elders dust. I'd love to play a game focused on a group of "real" vampires just crushing the party, maybe homebrew Sabbat raid?

Kind of like this?

[TheDreamApologist]

Kind of like this?

Life imitates art, what can I say.

[MyWifeIsScary]

Skimmed through some of it.

Ashfinders:
It uses a lot of elements of V5 I don't like, namely thinbloods, but it's a pretty cool cult. I might use some of this.

Bahari: I recall a very different Bahari. The old Bahari were more masochistic (at least physically, maybe these nuBahari are torturing themselves emotionally...). These nuBahari seem far, far more on the Sadistic side of things and lack the M that characterized them. I would be nice if both more masochistic and sadistic bahari were used, but It seemed like the author wanted the Bahari to exclusively be asskickers, and i feel like they're shallower as a result. I like ass kickers. I would be more inclined to play Bahari if they were ass kickers, but I recognize that the setting loses a lot if everything's tailored for either my self-insert or my self-insert's ideological enemy.

-The ministry isn't in this book?

-The church of Set has a lot of good 'this is how we set up our temples, this is what we do to inititates... but other than that they seem very much a fool's followers of set with all the gnosticism sidelined. I also think i picked up on an abhorrent nod to the Witches of Echidna: Don't legitimize them. As a bloodline, fine. As settites? They're a vile combination of toxicity and ignorance. The Church of Set seems a hollow rendition of the Followers. I feel their creation is more out of wanting a radical/reactionary divide than through using common sense, at the cost of 90% of the settites that were somewhere between. That Self insert/Self insert's ideological enemy is painful here, especially because I can't self-insert into either extreme, and I feel like I have to give my character an idiot ball to join either of these two cults as opposed to the OG Followers.

Church of Caine
Yeah, ok, whatever. This is fine. Where's the Sabbat?

Hecata
As I was reading, I felt like I wasn't going to get much here and skipped everything after the 'shocking' lesbian intro. Do tell me if something was interesting.
Sorry I don't mean to be such a total prick but... They're really not appetizing. I very much hope the Hecata shatters and all the necromancer bloodlines become roughly equal. That would be a very good outcome.

Shalim
That's a lot of writing for one-note villainy. Also I feel like inhuman clans like the Lasombra are a punching bag this edition and this isn't improving my view on it. A methuselah so powerful that it completely overrides an elder from the safety of the bottom of the sea isn't an interesting enemy either, that's just a force of nature. Also the Path of Night was way more fun.

[Nicolas Milioni]

I also heard the supplements will have a cult dedicated to our good old fashioned sorceree boy Ur-Shulgi.