{"id":"vampire/faction/bloodline/gargoyles","type":"faction","system":"bloodline","line":"vampire","name":"Gargoyles","sources":[{"source":"V20","page":408,"folio":400},{"source":"V20","page":409,"folio":401}],"entries":["The {@clan Tremere|V20} unveiled the Gargoyle bloodline in AD 1167, and the Slaves have been a steady, if infrequent, part of Kindred society ever since. Gargoyles might, in fact, be one reason that the {@clan Tremere|V20} weren’t exterminated entirely in their first few centuries of existence. These odd quasi-Kindred often look like their stone namesakes — rocky-skinned, ugly, winged creatures that exist only to serve their masters.","Or such was the case for several hundred years. Recently, though, many of the Slaves have thrown off their chains and joined the {@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla}. Why the Gargoyles choose to ally themselves with the Sect that also protects their former masters is anyone’s guess. One of the going theories is that it’s a slap in the Warlocks’ collective face, but most Kindred don’t give the Gargoyles credit for being that sophisticated. More likely, the Rockheads simply realize that in the {@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla}, their talents will be recognized and no one will try and order them around (at least not directly).","Gargoyles are created out of other Kindred, and this ugly fact makes their creation a seldom-discussed topic in polite vampiric society. The {@clan Tremere|V20} start with a {@clan Gangrel|V20}, {@clan Nosferatu|V20}, or {@clan Tzimisce|V20} vampire and perform obscene, bloody rituals using its blood, heart, and skin. Vitae from another vampire (from one of the other two Clans) is used to provoke a violent mutation, with the result that some Gargoyles look purely hideous ({@clan Nosferatu|V20} base), some look feral ({@clan Gangrel|V20} base), and some look fleshy and sport bony protrusions ({@clan Tzimisce|V20} base). No Gargoyle can pass for human.","The {@clan Tremere|V20} tolerate the Gargoyles’ presence in the {@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla} as best they can — it’s not as though they can easily re-enslave them, after all. But relations are obviously strained. The Gargoyles’ revolt and induction into the {@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla} has all but doomed the remaining slave Gargoyles, as their masters now monitor them ruthlessly for any sign of betrayal. The {@clan Tremere|V20} also aren’t above planting hypnotic suggestions in their Slaves’ minds, so that if they ever do rebel, they still serve a function for the Clan.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Appearance"},"Not all Gargoyles look like the stone grotesques found spitting rainwater over old buildings, but all are nightmarish. Some have tufts of hair protruding randomly over their bodies, or odd, galloping walks. Most Gargoyles have gray, rock-like skin. All Gargoyles have wings. These grow as the character’s {@discipline Flight|V20} (see p. 447) increases.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Haven"},"Slave Gargoyles sleep wherever their masters allow them — closets, basements, crypts, cells. Free Gargoyles prefer sleeping in havens high above the ground. Bell towers and disused high-rises are favorites. Gargoyles are often muscle for other Kindred, sometimes in exchange for a bare-bones haven.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Background"},"Gargoyles creation rarely shows a discernible pattern. The Change tortures the new Gargoyle’s body, as bones elongate and split to form the wings. The face warps, leaving nothing to recognize the mortal or vampire by. They rarely remember their unlife or mortal existence.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Character Creation"},"Created to be slaves, Gargoyles specialize in Physical Attributes, Talents, and a few select Skills (Melee, for instance). All Gargoyles start with a free dot of the {@discipline Flight|V20} Discipline. Appearance is always zero. Gargoyles created by the {@clan Tremere|V20} are at the same Generation as the Kindred that act as their “base.”",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Clan Disciplines"},"{@discipline Flight|V20}, {@discipline Fortitude|V20}, {@discipline Potence|V20}, {@discipline Visceratika|V20}",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Weakness"},"The Slaves are hideous. That grotesquery takes different forms, but always results in an Appearance of zero. They are also highly susceptible to mind control from any source. A Gargoyle’s Willpower score (current or permanent) is considered two points lower when used to resist such powers.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Organization"},"Gargoyles have a strong sense of community. They often keep communal havens. Sometimes Gargoyles petition the Prince for the release of slave Gargoyles, but more often they just tear slave owners to pieces. With no community, Gargoyles are likely to Embrace and build their own.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Stereotypes"},{"type":"list","items":["{@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla}: Our new home. Here, no one shouts or strikes us or burns us with mirrors and light. Here, they ask politely, and we are free to ask for payment in blood. Paradise.","{@sect The Sabbat|V20|Sabbat}: They are so brutal. And they love each other so. And yet, when I think of them, my eyes begin to burn. Why should this be?","{@clan Tremere|V20}: I will never be a slave again. Never."]},{"type":"box","title":"The View From Without","entries":[{"type":"list","items":["{@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla}: Fuck you, Merlin. They belong to all of us now.","{@sect The Sabbat|V20|Sabbat}: Where d’ya think they get the raw materials to make those monsters? Oh, the civilized {@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla}.","{@clan Ravnos|V20}: You headed into the city? Good luck! Don’t forget to look up!"]}]}],"section_id":"V20-0129","nickname":"Traditionally Slaves, though free Gargoyles have been known to crack heads over it. Other common nicknames are Rockheads, Runaways, Freemen, and Grotesques.","vampire":{"sect":"Gargoyles usually join the Camarilla. It’s not impossible for a Slave to join the Sabbat, but the bloodline as a whole frowns on this.","weakness":"The Slaves are hideous. That grotesquery takes different forms, but always results in an Appearance of zero. They are also highly susceptible to mind control from any source. A Gargoyle’s Willpower score (current or permanent) is considered two points lower when used to resist such powers."},"background":"Gargoyles creation rarely shows a discernible pattern. The Change tortures the new Gargoyle’s body, as bones elongate and split to form the wings. The face warps, leaving nothing to recognize the mortal or vampire by. They rarely remember their unlife or mortal existence.","organization":"Gargoyles have a strong sense of community. They often keep communal havens. Sometimes Gargoyles petition the Prince for the release of slave Gargoyles, but more often they just tear slave owners to pieces. With no community, Gargoyles are likely to Embrace and build their own.","_qa":{"flags":[],"parser":"hand_fix","confidence":0.9,"extracted":"2026-10-15","job":"reader-feedback"},"faction_type":"bloodline","_links":{"self":"/api/v1/records/vampire/faction/bloodline/gargoyles","html":"/records/vampire/faction/bloodline/gargoyles","parent":null,"children":"/api/v1/records/vampire/faction/bloodline/gargoyles/children","sources":[{"abbr":"V20","page":408,"folio":408,"title":"Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition"},{"abbr":"V20","page":409,"folio":409,"title":"Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition"}]},"_db":{"title":"Gargoyles","props":[["Sect","Camarilla, Sabbat"],["Disciplines","Flight, Fortitude, Potence, Visceratika"]],"parent_id":null,"level":null,"category":null,"summary":"The Tremere unveiled the Gargoyle bloodline in AD 1167, and the Slaves have been a steady, if infrequent, part of Kindred society ever since. Gargoyles might, in fact, be one reason that the Tremere weren’t exterminated","tags":[],"children":[]}}