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In Short

Unfortunately, Lancea Sanctum speaks far too much in vague generalities and adds little new and interesting material to this Covenant. The rites, prayers, and roles observed by members are simplistic modifications of existing church roles that any Storyteller could easily invent. The history of the Covenant starts out interesting, but quickly degrades into a historical survey of questionable use. Finally, the new game mechanics (Bloodlines, Disciplines, etc.) are sparse and largely flavorless.

The Physical Thing

At $34.99 the product also presents a slightly lower than average value for its cost.

The Ideas

Longinus’ first childe is called Monachus and he wrote down the teachings of Longinus. Those teachings were collected in the Books of Longinus which, combined with the writings of Monachus, are the backbone of the vampire faith. From these early writings, inspired by the formation and structure of human faiths, the Lancea Sanctum emerged and evolved.

Over time the Lancea Sanctum has evolved and changed with Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. In the modern nights it encompasses a very broad array of faiths and tends to be surprisingly tolerant towards difference in belief.

Under the Cover

Chapter 1 The History of the Lancea Sanctum 20 pages.

This chapter begins with Longinus, the Roman Centurion who pierced Christ’s side with the Spear of Destiny. The birth, life, and unlife of Longinus are all discussed. For me this is the best part of the chapter, as I really enjoy biblical fiction and have missed it since Vampire: the Masquerade. This is important material, as the actions and revelations of Longinus are the backbone of the Lancea Sanctum’s faith.

After the recorded unlife of Longinus, as written by his first childe Monachus, is discussed the book moves on to provide a history of the Lancea Sanctum from the death of Christ to the modern nights. The strength here is that it provides a broad overview of the events of the Sanctum. It’s just enough detail to flesh out what Elders would recall, and it gives the Storyteller the flexibility to add in their own events without worrying about contradicting setting material. On the downside the chapter is a little dull and may inappropriately assume a greater knowledge of history than many readers possess, especially those generally unfamiliar with the history of Christianity.

In the modern nights the Lancea Sanctum is very diverse as every domain is allowed to go about things as it sees fit so long as the Testament of Longinus is upheld as a holy work. This results in an extremely diverse range of beliefs, and the chapter wraps up with major Lancea Sanctum movements by continent.

Chapter 2 Unlife in the Lancea Sanctum 46 pages.

This chapter begins by discussing the major religious works behind the Covenant. The Bible and Koran are both important for the appropriate faiths, but all members of the Sanctum revere The Testament of Longinus and, to a lesser extent, the Catechism written by Monachus. These two vampiric works are discussed and all of the religious laws the Lancea Sanctum live by are presented in detail. In short, the Sanctum believes in embracing their vampiric nature, being the monster that haunts humanity, and all while revering God and bringing the faith to other vampires.

The chapter moves on to present the major and minor Creeds – different theologies found among the Lancea Sanctum. These range from modified Catholicism and Protestantism to modified Islam. Heretical Creeds, such as Lancea Sanctum members who see a divine connection between Mary and Longinus’ mother, Livia, are also discussed. In general I found these Creeds to be rather plain, just simple and logical spin offs of existing religions. That’s good in that it makes them identifiable, but it does result in a less exciting read.

Next, Titles and Offices of the Lancea Sanctum are presented. These range from Archbishop (Prince) to Priest (dedicated member) and Crusader. The positions are sensible enough, though necessarily vague since different domains may structure themselves in different ways. For the most part the Sanctum only has two ranks – Priest and Bishop with the Bishop organizing all of the Priests. In practice the Sanctum is an age and power oriented group, though a newer member with considerable faith can exert a much larger degree of influence than in some other Covenants (such as the Invictus). Truly pious vampires can go far relatively quickly.

Clan stereotypes are presented next, and these tend to be very lackluster. A person who has read the Vampire: the Requiem corebook can easily infer the role many Clans will play. Nosferatu are kept at a distance, Gangrel are desired as enforcers, and Daeva are often the speakers of the Covenant. The write ups aren’t bad, and may provide a few ideas, but in general they fail to do anything interesting with these five pages.

Lancea Sanctum Rites are ceremonies used to display faith (such as through Midnight Mass), to mark important events (such as inducting a new member into the Covenant), and otherwise to add a feel of tradition and pomp to the Covenant. These are actually quite good and I consider them to be the most flavorful part of the product.

The chapter wraps up with a general discussion of Lancea Sanctum politics, focusing on how the Covenant goes about maintaining authority and how it tends to react in different political situations. As with just about everything else, the Sanctum’s politics tend to be surprisingly kind and well thought out for a group that initially seems like the ultimate in scary religious extremists.

Chapter 3 The Lancea Sanctum and the Danse Macabre 48 pages.

This chapter is divided into three broad areas – Neonates, Ancillae, and Elders. Each area discusses the role that vampires of that age range play in the Lancea Sanctum. Typical duties, problems, and behaviors are all discussed and more than a few plot hook ideas are dropped along the way. The only thing that tarnishes this presentation is that it tends to be a little boring at times. I love the sheer amount of information the book tries to present to me, but wish some of the writing had been more engrossing. The other downside here is that a moderate amount of the information (and this is true of the entire product) is very obvious. Most readers, especially by this stage, have a sense of the general roles of these age groups and don’t need this level of detail on some rather mundane things. It also feels like the writing is intentionally dragged out at times.

That said, there are still some neat ideas here. One of my favorites is the Catechism – religious pamphlets that explain the Lancea Sanctum in a question and answer format. I know that sounds like an obvious sort of thing, but I would have never thought of it for a Vampire game. It makes some sense too, as the Lancea Sanctum may seem strange and intimidating to the outside observer. On the downside, it seems like a pamphlet meant to sell a vampire on a vampiric church is a Masquerade breach waiting to happen. Another small detail I enjoyed was an actual list of the sorts of things vampires of the Lancea Sanctum confess to, as it’s a little more difficult to discern what is sinful behavior for vampires (basically, anything that suggests the vampire isn’t embracing being a vampire).

The chapter wraps up with a discussion of how the Lancea Sanctum relates to other groups within the World of Darkness. For the most part the Lancea Sanctum gets on well with them, especially with the Invictus, but areas of tension are discussed for every Covenant.

Chapter 4 Factions and Bloodlines 34 pages.

This chapter begins by discussing the three major Factions within the Covenant – the Hardliners, the Unifiers, and the Reformists. Hardliners want to interpret The Testament of Longinus directly, Reformists want to interpret it with an eye to the modern day, and Unifiers seek compromise. These are some of the most unoriginal ideas I’ve ever encountered in an RPG product and I’m amazed they were included. 9 pages are wasted on these simplistic divisions that fail to entertain or provide interesting ideas.

Two major “example” Factions are presented as well. The Nepheshim receive a large write up – larger than any other Faction – which ultimately says that they exist to wander the Earth looking for spiritual fulfillment. The Messengers of Longinus actively convert other vampires to the Lancea Sanctum through carefully planned social strategy. A smattering of minor Factions are also included.

Several new Bloodlines are introduced in this product. All Bloodlines grant the Disciplines and Weaknesses of the parent Clan in addition to a new Discipline and Weakness.

The Icarians are basically the Invictus as a Bloodline. They’re the rich, cautious nobility of the Lancea Sanctum who exist only to rule. As an additional Weakness Icarians can not regain Willpower from resting and only regain half as much from following their Virtues. In return this Ventrue Bloodline gains access to the Constance which allows them to raise their Resolve.

The Mortifiers of the Flesh believe vampires are in a state of continual sin and so exert constant physical torment upon themselves in an effort to repent. As an additional Weakness Flagellants must torture themselves before they can spend Willpower. In return this Daeva Bloodline gains access to Scourge which allows them to gain strength from accepting pain.

The Ostites are obsessed with funerary rites and have a fascination for bones and bodies. As an additional Weakness Ostites must spend an additional Blood Point in order to rise every night and whenever the Ostite would otherwise spend blood. In return this Mekhet Bloodline gains access to the Memento Mori Discipline which allows them to interact with Twilight and feed off of corpses.

Chapter 5 Disciplines and Rituals 30 pages.

Constance allows an Icarian to increase their Resolve in the same way physical Disciplines increase Strength and Stamina – 1 per scene per level of Constance. Additionally, a dot of temporary Willpower is also granted for every increase making this a formidable power.

Memento Mori allows an Ostite to see into Twilight, steal memories from dead bodies, and turn bones into blood. It also possesses several blood and Willpower draining abilities that can be quite useful in a fight.

Nahdad gives Nepheshim a variety of travel oriented abilities such as a bonus to Survival rolls, free Havens on the go, and a reduction in Blood Potency for feeding purposes.

Scourge gives Flagellants the ability to recover Willpower through pain, to transfer wound penalties, to ignore wound penalties, and to inflict severe pain on others.

Finally, a large variety of new Theban Sorcery rituals are introduced. In addition to a discussion of Theban Sorcery generally 11 pages of new rituals are presented, representing weaker minor rituals to extremely powerful rituals known only to a few. The rituals are a great addition to the Lancea Sanctum, but I found the actual discussion of Theban Sorcery to be a little long winded.

Appendix Allies and Antagonists 14 pages.

This section presents a variety of generic NPCs meant to aid Storytellers by cutting down on game prep time. The NPCs tend to occupy every role imaginable within the Sanctum and do a good job of illustrating the capabilities of various types of members.

My Take

However, this is a weaker product. The discussion tends to be exceptionally general and dry, providing little firm material or new ideas for a Storyteller to use. A lot of the material just adds nothing to a Chronicle, covering ground easily imagined by even a novice Storyteller. There are still some gems here. The expanded discussion of Longinus, the commandments that govern the Lancea Sanctum, and other details here and there really flesh the Covenant out. I just wish the rest of the product could have maintained that level of interesting and useful content.

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