World of Darkness has released a special holiday treat for its fans: a Companion volume to the V5 Vampire: The Masquerade - Corebook, which reintroduces three new clans (Salubri, Ravnos and Tzimisce), greatly improves Coterie play and, most importantly, provides many tips and tricks on playing a human -- or a ghoul -- in the World of Darkness.

This section of the 60-page book is titled "At the Mercy of the Damned" and lays out the many reasons why playing a human character might be enticing. After all, the world was designed by mortals, and the day belongs to them. Plus, with all the technological advancements, they have become incredibly dangerous to Kindred.

RELATED: Vampire: The Masquerade - Everything We Know About the New Battle Royale

However, the power imbalance is enormous: most mortals are tethered to their day-to-day jobs, and a random act of Dominate could put them in the streets. Those who know that Kindred exist might be deluded to think that they are the glamourous creatures depicted in pop-culture, turning them into heartwarming Touchstones, suspicious collateral victims, languid Blood Dolls or sycophantic ghouls.

The Companion provides a comprehensive guide to creating of these basic archetypes, holding the player's hand at every step by translating the mortal's origin story into an easy to implement dot and dice system. As with most World of Darkness properties, the focus is on the narrative, which has to be facilitated -- not impeded -- by gameplay. As such, the Attributes will always be determined by the character concept; a high-powered board member who is the emotional Touchstone of his Ventrue daughter will not have the same abilities as a drop-out hacktivist who lives in an abandoned factory.

Curiously, the Companion provides mortals with Touchstones of their own. Touchstones are people of special significance to the characters that tether them to Humanity. Even though they don't have the Beast, humans are as vulnerable to losing their convictions and moral compass as Kindred are. Mortals, like Kindred, start with Humanity seven (out of 10) and can lose one point if they are Embraced during gameplay.

RELATED: Vampire: The Masquerade - The Blood Trade, Explained

Since mortals are not dependent on Humanity to "pass" as humans, this system becomes a powerful and complex role-playing tool for these characters. Without the easy crutch of the Beast, players can explore the slide into ethical degeneration in any way the choose. A mortal who has lowered their Humanity to three or less is subject to a Compulsion that arises whenever they fail a roll and which cannot be ignored through Willpower (although Willpower can be used to momentarily ignore a wound and carry on). At zero, their Compulsion becomes their personality and motivation, which the player must surrender to the Storyteller.

But what about Ghouls? Ghouls, in the World of Darkness, are mortals who have tasted Vitae (vampiric blood) and who have acquired both a dependency and certain powers. They can heal faster, they generalldon't age and they even display some of the Disciplines of their Domitor. On the other hand, they are physically dependent on the Blood and emotionally dependent on their Master.

Given the dark, intimate nature of these player dynamics in a game about personal horror that can get violent, the Companion has an entire section dedicated to Player Consent between the characters, the players and the Storyteller. The Companion provides a healthy amount of tips and tricks to avoid emotional bleed and to keep the lines of communication open at all times -- which is refreshing and very necessary to say the least.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Companion can be downloaded for free in the World of Darkness website after registration.

KEEP READING: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Likely Ready in Late 2021