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Covenant Switching

I meant to write something up on this a while ago, but put it off to the side, and eventually lost track of it. But seeing as it might come again in the future I thought it best to come back to this issue and at least put my sentiments out there on the issue. What should it mean when a character shifts from one covenant to another? How should people react? What works for the setting?

Funnily enough the world as written is one where everything is possible. It’s all dependent on the general acceptance of the Court. There are cities in this World of Darkness where death awaits those who try to break ranks with their covenant and join another. But there are also domains where membership in multiple covenants isn’t unusual. Because our intent here is to tell an interesting story people should feel free to take their character in this direction if they are so inclined. But that does mean there could be repercussions in character for this action. It should be kept to a social thing. Bad mouthing them, or calling their loyalties to question, should all be considered fair game. So long as it’s something that your character would take seriously.

I know that some raised the concern that by leaving the covenant with their secrets (this is specifically relevant to the mystical covenants) that they could be taught to outsiders, and their benefit as a covenant would quickly be lost. I wanted to clear the air on that issue right now. Membership in a covenant is something that I’m treating on a more esoteric level. It means that the kindred have put themselves into a certain mode of thinking that allows them to access the same type of advantages. Were a spy, for example, to infiltrate another of the covenants they would not receive access to the advantage of that group. They are still loyal adherents of their own ideology, and thus may only receive that advantage. Ultimately it means that I ask your character at the end of the day to be more entrenched in one group than any of the others. Even if you were to have joint membership (which is something that could work in this world), the character would always – even by the slightest of measures – hold loyalties to one of the covenants above all others.

Hope this helps clear the air a little, and give everyone a little more common ground to approach the game from.