Some vampires insist they can taste the emotions of the humans they feed on and that those emotions enhance the experience of feeding. The emotional state of a vessel, as it applies to her blood, is called her Blood Resonance and is influenced by her state of mind and environment. 

Resonance 

Humorism as a concept originated in Ancient Greece and spread throughout the world until the 16th century, when it was replaced with modern science. In humorism, four fluids make up human anatomy. These humors are used to describe four of the five types of Blood Resonance.

● Choleric: Yellow bile is the choleric humor. Those with an excess of this humor experience anger and aggression. 

● Melancholic: Black bile is the melancholic humor, which causes sadness and melancholy when imbibed. 

● Phlegmatic: Phlegm gives the phlegmatic humor its name and is believed to produce apathy and indifference. 

● Sanguine: Blood is the sanguine humor and gives rise to enthusiasm, vitality, and joy. 

Animal blood has its own separate type of Resonance. Stale or fractionated (bagged) blood does not possess any of the four humors, nor does it contain Dyscrasias. (For more detailed descriptions of the types of people with specific types of Blood Resonance, see the intro text of each Discipline in Chapter 5.) As soon as a vampire tastes the blood of a mortal, she knows what Resonance it contains. 

Dyscrasias 

A Dyscrasia is a state which results from a deficit or excess of one or more of the four humors. Traditionally, this refers to a biological dysfunction caused by one or more humors being out of alignment. For vampires, a Dyscrasia is a strong emotional state in a feeding vessel. If the vessel’s blood is consumed while the vessel has a Dyscrasia, the condition will temporarily affect the vampire. 

Tapping a Dyscrasia: When a vampire feeds from a vessel with a Dyscrasia, the Storyteller will provide the player with a card which she can use at any time, including outside her character’s initiative. Using this card gives the character a one-time benefit depending on the type of Dyscrasia. Unless otherwise stated, this benefit lasts for only a single challenge. Under normal circumstances a vampire can only benefit from a single Dyscrasia a night; however, there are some exceptions, such as purchasing the Viscosity Merit (see page XX). If the character feeds from a human or animal, the player must forfeit her card, as the blood in her character’s system is diluted. A Dyscrasia must be used (tapped) before the end of the night, or its benefits will expire. (Players should also return the cards to the Storyteller so she doesn’t have to keep making new ones.) 

Choleric Dyscrasias 

● Bully: Gain a +1 bonus to your offensive test pool in a single physical or social challenge vs. a character with fewer or equal dots of Status. 

● Envy: Gain a +1 bonus to your offensive test pool in a single physical or social challenge vs. a character with greater than or equal your dots of Status.

● Principled: Gain a +1 bonus to your defensive test pool in a single mental or social challenge vs. an ideological enemy. (Usually , this “enemy” is a vampire from a different sect.) 

● Vengeful: Gain a +1 bonus in a single challenge vs. a character if you have lost a previous challenge to her in the same night. 

● Vicious: Gain a +1 bonus in a single challenge against a character if you have won a previous challenge against her in the same night. 

● Driving: You may spend this Dyscrasia instead of one Rouse check to activate a single Physical (Celerity, Potence, or Fortitude) power. If the power you are attempting to activate requires multiple Rouse checks you make one less. 

Melancholic Dyscrasias 

● In Mourning: You may spend this Dyscrasia instead of one Rouse check to activate a single Social power (Animalism, Dominate, Presence). If the power you are attempting to activate requires multiple Rouse checks, you make one less. 

● Lost Love: Gain a +1 bonus to any single offensive challenge involving protecting and preserving any of your Touchstones. 

● Lost Relative: Gain a +1 bonus to any single defensive challenge involving protecting and preserving any of your Touchstones. 

● Massive Failure: Gain a +1 bonus to your defensive test pool in a single challenge against a power that you have failed to resist at least one time before during the same night. ● Nostalgic: Gain a +1 bonus to your offensive test pool in a single challenge using a power that you have successfully used at least one time before during the same night. ● Recalling: Gain a +1 bonus to your defensive test pool in a single challenge against a power that you have seen successfully used at least one time before during the same night. 

Phlegmatic Dyscrasias 

● Chill: You may spend this Dyscrasia to gain a +1 bonus to resist Fury Frenzy. ● Comfortably Numb: You may spend this Dyscrasia to gain a +2 bonus to resist Fear Frenzy. 

● Eating Your Emotions: You may spend this Dyscrasia to gain a +1 bonus to resist Hunger Frenzy. 

● Given Up: Gain a +1 bonus to your defensive test pool on your current challenge if another character has achieved a critical win against you at least one time before during the same night. 

● Lone Wolf: Gain a +1 bonus to your test pool on a single challenge if you have no allies present.

● Procrastinate: Gain a +1 bonus to your test pool on a single challenge if you are the last person to act during the current turn of a combat scenario. 

● Reflection: You may spend this Dyscrasia instead of one Rouse check to activate a single Mental power (Auspex, Obfuscate, and most Thin-Blood Alchemy, Blood Sorcery and Oblivion powers, including Rituals and Ceremonies). If the power you are attempting to activate requires multiple Rouse checks, you make one less. 

Sanguine Dyscrasias 

● Enduring Enthusiasm: You may spend this Dyscrasia instead of making a Rouse check to Mend. 

● Smell Game: You may spend this Dyscrasia the next time you feed. Take an additional Dyscrasia during that feeding, then choose which one to keep. This is an exception to the rule that states you cannot benefit from more than one Dyscrasia in a single game. 

● High on Life: You may spend this Dyscrasia instead of making a Rouse check to appear lifelike, giving you a beating heart, a normal coloration, and a passable autonomic system. You will appear lifelike for one hour. This benefit immediately ends if you feed. 

● Manic High: Gain a +1 bonus to your test pool if your last successful challenge was a critical win. 

● True Love: You may spend this Dyscrasia to gain a +1 bonus to your defensive test pool for a single challenge when using Assist Defender. 

● Stirring: You may spend this Dyscrasia instead of making a Rouse check to Blood Surge.