Humanity

"My name is Christof Romuald. I was a man of God and a soldier in Heaven's cause. I am now outcast of Heaven, and not even a man. I am Kindred. I am a vampire."

As the name implies, in Redemption, Christof struggles to rectify what he initially sees not only as a curse, but vindicate his cursed state; that he has not only been dealt a cruel blow, but that he is is now unworthy in God's eyes.

Most of the vampires in the tale do little to disabuse him of this; only the human Kabalist, Mendel, believes that "all life is from God, every man, animal and creature...even Vampires such as thee"

Christof sets himself the goal of redemption, and this is manifested in the game in choices that the player must make, mostly dialogue but sometimes actions. Choosing wisely restores Christof's humanity in a way reminiscent of the Call of Cthulhu system of Sanity. Conversely, killing mortals by draining them dry (or in the case of low Feed levels, too close to dry) removes Humanity points.

Humanity is shown on the ingame 'character sheet' as a green bar below the Health (HP) and other bars; Christof's Humanity begins at 60. There are a total of 50 possible humanity points to be gained in the game; 10 each for five correct choices. There are a total of ninety points to be lost through incorrect choices, seven which lose 10 points, and one which loses 20.

There are only two paired sets of choices, where choosing one way gains points and the other loses. This gives the player more opportunities to recover from a bad choice (as well as more chances to lose humanity that is gained), for a total of eleven choices throughout the game.

Killing any humans loses five points of humanity; whichever one of Christof's entourage makes the killing blow gets the loss. In the multiplayer game, humanity was one of the great hazards of inviting strangers into your game; simply being in the same zone as another player that killed a human was enough for a humanity loss.

The amount of Humanity Christof has at the end of the game determines which of three End sequences the player sees.

A low Humanity of 20 is required to wear Unholy Armor, and to use the Hands of Destruction Tome, Humanity can be no more than 50.

The Blessed/Holy armor is for humans only, and has a Faith requirement (the Faith bar is replaced by the Frenzy bar when humans are embraced)

Targets of Auspex and Dementation aura readings with high enough Humanity will show the target to be "Aura: Compassionate" Humanity of 40 is shown to be "Aura: Bitter".

Humanity choices

Gains

Christof's progress along the path of Humanitus:

• Christof tells Aneska he is eager to begin his fight against the monsters that besiege Prague, and will enter the Silver Mines the following day. "Tomorrow I shall venture into the silver mine and flush the vermin from their holes"
• Christof perhaps shows his Brujah blood when, after having taken on the vampire Prince Brandl in multiple debates over the morality of his actions on previous occasions, he again presses the issue. "May we liberate mortal slaves as well, or does the Prince care not for those whose blood sustains us?"
• Christof the Catholic believes that killing oneself is murder of oneself, and refuses to take on this sin that Luther asks of him. He gains 10 points. Christof the Humanist who believes that the quality of life, not quantity, is sacred, and that relieving suffering is a virtue, does not gain points, but does not lose them either. The choice is additionally stacked against gaining points by the player having to choose the dialogue, "Nay. I shall not. Not even to regain Anezka", as though answering this way might cause Christof to fail in his search for her.
• When Lily first sets eyes on Christof, she says "Don't kill me! I'm not one of the Setites..." Christof's reply, "Perhaps you will be a valuable ally", despite its slight air of mercenary and opportunistic attitude, gains points.
• Pink wants to kill Lucretia when they first encounter her, but Christof refuses. This has practical advantages, as well as altruistic ones. "Nay, tell us of thy shipping routes and free Lily of the bonds of blood. Then we shall part in peace."

Losses

Christof slips further towards the Beast:

• Christof decides to schedule a few months for his wounds to heal before he goes to fight demons in the Silver Mines. "A pity I am in poor health, or I would kill them all. Perhaps in a month or two, I shall go to the mines." Players used to dramatists' penchant for heroes that dodge nuclear explosions or fight on with a score of arrows in them may not even notice that discretion might be the better part of valor here.
• Christof may find himself intrigued by Mercurio's claim to have uncovered the secrets of life and death, asking him, "Canst thou restore mortal life to a vampire?" "Soon, very soon, I shall have such secrets" replies Mercurio. But Christof may or may not be tempted by his offer to restore Christof to his human state in exchange for killing Wilhem. If he succumbs, Wilhem gives a clear indication of this humanity loss: "Traitor! Thy treachery gives way to the Beast." Whether Christof merely disregards Mercurio's boasting, or disdains his offer, he plays with Mercurio's words, declaring that the secret of Mercurio's continued life or sudden death lies in whether or not he offers up the Nod fragment
• Christof sounds regretful as he agrees to forestall issuing a warning to the Cabalists about Mercurio's corruption of the Rabbi's Golem, but loses 10 points anyway. To avoid losing them, he must again speak his conscience rather than abide by Ecaterina's over-cautious timetable: "Three nights' time may be too late", he protests
• Christof, Wilhem and Serena meet Ecaterina again upon their return from Vienna, who tells them that Prague is quite literally alight with the torches of enraged citizens taking up arms against the Tzimice in the nearby castle. "We have won!" she exclaims.

"Anezka may be prisoner of the Tzimice. We must fly to Vyzherad Castle"

"Thou hast grown strong, child. Thou hast learned to harness the gifts I have bequeathed thee. But this evil is far greater than any evil thou hast known. Vyzherad is a tomb. I forbid a venture there. And all who venture will surely die."

"I am already dead, thanks to thee, or didst thou forget. Now, I go."

"Sorry, Ecaterina. I cannot abandon him now"

"Poor fool Wilhem. I thought thou wouldst teach Christof. Now I see thou art the pupil, and Christof the teacher. Mayhap his futile quest shall lead thee to thy demise."

From Ecaterina's point of view, 800 years after Christof failed to return from yet another mission she had insisted was ill-fated, and that he had thwarted her will to venture upon, even the wisdom of his mission to defeat Vukodlak and rescue Anezka from him might seem to be more of the same folly, and his few successes merely exceptions that prove the rule that her caution and planning succeed where fools rush in and die. Nevertheless, as they meet again in Prague upon their return from Vienna, their last meeting of the Middle Ages, should Christof fail to argue with Ecaterina in favor of pursuing Anezka at some point, he loses humanity. So the path to heroism is tricky: just how hare-brained an expedition does one have to be on, to be a hero? What is the required ratio between lack of good sense and a firm belief in the nobility of the desired outcome?

• Another controversial choice: not taking a somewhat obscure action loses Humanity. This time it is itself morally equivocal, rather than the usual strategic difficulties. Perhaps the developers felt that too many ways to gain humanity would unbalance the game. Observant players, and those that have not given up all hope of finding alternatives to problem solving other than killing everything being offered by video games may notice the blood vats are an activatable entity: clicking on them sends Christof leaping atop them, bracing his back against the wall and sending them crashing to the floor, depriving Father Leo Allatius of his stolen vitae. Failing to do this, and instead killing the ghoul who is doomed to die slowly unless he preys on more vampires for their blood, loses 10 Humanity.
• When Lily pleads to Christof, "Don't kill me! I'm not one of the Setites...", answering, "I trust no one in this foul place!" loses points, as this implies that he would attack her.
• Christof is given the option of diablerizing Lucretia by drinking her unlife's blood from her heart. If he accepts, he loses 20 humanity rather than the usual ten. He also gains 200 more blood pool (which is reputed to cause a bug when Christof also achieves Methuselah rank later-the fix is to keep Christof dead for part of the journey, thereby gaining no XP). Whether Christof decides to drink the heart dry or merely destroy it, sending Lucretia to her final death gains him the Serpentis Discipline (without the WOD mod's Giant Cobra transformation that makes the final battle with Lucretia so formidable, the remaining disciplines are nothing he does not have access to twice over already, assuming he read the Tome of Blood Magic. This means, of course, it is possible for two characters to have blood draining abilities, but only by waiting until it is time to sail to New York for Christof to have it. The Teutonic Knight base, for example, is two entirely different scenarios with and without Theft of Vitae).
• Orsi confronted and defeated, Christof still does not know where to find Vukodlak. Kazi speaks for her sisters, with her customarily languid and sight-seeing route to the destination of the conversation. Christof has two different ways to lose humanity, one of which also gains no information. The first choice : choosing to threaten the sisters the first time results in no dialogue on Christof's part, but instead an animation where he grasps Kazi by the throat and shakes her. He loses humanity, and Kazi tells him what he may more or less know already, if the coterie has scouted around New York sufficiently, "The fiend is below the blackened church, to the north. There you will find him, below, in his Cathedral of Flesh. Little good this will do you now, as he arises in but a few moments."

Or the player may decide to find Vukodlak without their help, or coerce them with threats of violence: "Speak now, or forfeit the pleasure of speech forever" However, threatening the sisters does not loosen their tongues any better, and loses humanity, too.

Ending

The three Endings are somewhat notorious (at least on YouTube, see the links to the YouTube videos) for being not necessarily 'good', or 'neutral' or 'bad' (although there is at this time no way to tell just how many felt this way, whether there were many who felt they were appropriate, or why either group would feel this way). Nevertheless, this is a convenient way to categorize them, and the use of the word 'Good' and 'Bad' make a lot more sense if they are considered not as a reward (favorable or unfavorable consequences), but yet another step along the path of good and evil

The 3 Endings To Vampire : Redemption-Misanthrope on YouTube

'Good' ending

The player will see this ending if Christof has a humanity of 50 or more. The higher any vampire's humanity, the lesser the chance they will Frenzy.

Christof slays Vukodlak. Christof and Anezka come to terms with their situation "Damnation with thee would be as sweet as salvation", says Anezka, and with a warm and even rosy glow about them emanating from a stained glass window behind them, Christof embraces Anezka, in both senses of the word.

Lily: "Go to her Christof."

Anezka: "Now that the fiend is no more, my unnatural power dissolves. I fear for my soul after my defilement, after all that I have done. But I rejoice that my last sight shall be thee. I only pray that one day, I may attain thine forgiveness."

Christof: "I grant all forgiveness, though thou art blameless and pure in my eyes."

Anezka: "Then death finds me in joy and rapture."

Christof: "Anezka, my accursed soul trembles to utter these selfish blasphemous words. But thou need not die, if thou wouldst endure."

Anezka: "Thou would still have me Christof? I scarcely dared hope..."

Christof: "Thy love has redeemed me across a thousand years. I would that i could offer salvation in return, but I have none to give, only damnation."

Anezka: "Damnation with thee would be sweet as salvation. Let thy love cast me down and raise me up forever. Take me my love."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exFSp2z4a3s

'Neutral' ending

The player will see this ending if Christof has a humanity of 49 or 26 or any number in between. Many players find the two additional problems of a living Vukodlak and eternal servitude to him worse than the prospect of a Christof run amok in the "evil" ending. Note that the lower any vampire's humanity, the greater the chance they will Frenzy.

Neutral, as mentioned above, more in the sense of doing less harm, than gaining more power. Christof drinks Vukodlak's blood; at first, believing himself to be poisoned, he calls Vukodlak a traitor. Vukodlak taunts him, claiming that Christof will end up wishing he had been poisoned instead, rather than becoming enslaved to Vukodlak's blood bond, promising "an eternity tormented by your selfish choice" He kills Anezka, yet is repulsed and horrified by the act of doing so. "Now, let us go greet the new age", says Vukodlak.

'Bad' ending

The player will see this ending if Christof has a humanity of 25 or less. Note that very low humanity increases the chance of Frenzy greatly.

Christof kills Vukodlak, as Anezka watches in trepidation. "I am reborn. Let kindred and mortal alike cower in my presence. For now I know what power truly is. "Fool" interjects Wilhem "You have forsaken all claim to your humanity" Christof is undeterred, and continues to Anezka, who grows increasingly trepid of his glare. "If you could feel the power of the fiend's blood, you would know that humanity is...overrated." Anezka's fears prove to be well-founded, as Christof grasps her and bends his fangs to her neck. "And now, I claim my prize". He drains her blood, and she falls lifeless to the floor. He threatens Wilhem, "tell Ecaterina to expect a warm homecoming. Her child has been reborn"

Missable dialogue

Of no import for humanity, although they might seem so

Numerous NPCs appear and/or have speeches that only can be accessed for a certain period of the storyline

• Before Christof clears the Silver Mines, an Old Man NPC stands near the Gate to the Bonn Mountains near the University, and has a monologue to deliver
• After Christof is embraced, Libussa, Vukodlak's ghoul, can be found next to the exit to Vyzherad Castle. Without knowledge of the Dark Ages Masquerade, her pitiable cant may be seen as no more than madness
• The speech that Jiri the Smith gives about King Saul's petition to a witch to aid him is missed entirely if Christof either kills Ahzra, or goes across Judith Bridge and visits Unorna's shop, before seeing the smith
• When Christof questions Unorna, some parts of the list of queries are phrased in ways not possible for the naiive Crusader (and are beyond the ken of naiive players), such as the question about the Tzimice

See also

• Disciplines
• Multiplayer
• Storyline

Citations

External links

• Vampire the Masquerade:Redemption- Good Ending by PlanetVampiredotcom at YouTube
• Vampire the Masquerade:Redemption- Neutral Ending by PlanetVampiredotcom at YouTube
• Vampire the Masquerade:Redemption- Bad Ending by PlanetVampiredotcom at YouTube