“The Tzimisce busy themselves by playing with themselves.” I legitimately laughed out loud at that line

Clan Lasombra is my favorite of the Sabbat Clans. The way they manipulate Shadows and Darkness is just awesome.

"La sombra are the strongest clan" Pretty much every clan think they are the strongest Except maybe Malkavians they think they are table

Oh my god as creepy as this sounds I could seriously listen to you read from a phonebook and be completely entranced. I am really digging your videos by the way. I have yet to play my first game but they have been a big help!

The Lasombra deserve respect.

"What was he feeding on, what was it that was making him more murderous that were so alien?" At the bottom of the ocean? Calling it now, Lasombra was feeding on a sleeping Cthulhu.

This form of the abyss sounds rather Lovecraftian.

The Lasombra antitribu for a game I made was extremely ambitious but had one vital skill. She could bite back her pride and do the grunt work. She was given an insult posting by the Cam to essentially be a grunt for thw Nosferatu for a century if she wanted to join. But she was never defeated. She came out being on very good terms and began climbing that ladder, doing jobs and fixing probpems because it won her favors and built her reputation. By the time the leader realized that she was a threat, she had too many friends to remove

THANK YOU...I have been anxiously awaiting this guide to the Lasombra. I have only recently found your channel, however, it has become my premiere source for VTM, and other macabre games which nurture such an important part of our inner selves

Yes! More Gentleman's Guide to Vampires! My good day got even better!

I have been watching your videos for several years now, and always find myself coming back to watch them again and again to try and catch anything I may have missed before. Thank you very much for providing such thorough looks at the clans ( along with your other equally excellent videos, I enjoyed your video on the the red wizards of thay immensely!). I remember asking you several years ago if you thought it possible to record one of your sessions so that maybe through showing some of my friends I could get a vampire game going , at the time I believe you mentioned you didn't feel your group would be comfortable being recorded, but I see you have since then recorded such videos which I enjoyed very much watching ( it really looked like you guys were having a lot of fun). Anyhow I just wanted to say thanks once more for posting these videos, I still hold out hopes I can play a Lasombra at some point,and even if it never happens at least I enjoy the hell out of learning more about them.

i have seen many of your videos by now... a lot, but i must say...your performance in this one is very, very impressive, good job, i wish u sucess.

Amazing videos, man. I wish you more atention, you deserve it. Playing at your tables is a lucky opportunity!

Thank you for helping me find the books I needed if I can’t join a game then I will just expand my knowledge so when that time comes I’ll be ready but I really do miss playing

I have just recently discovered your videos and wished to thank you for taking the time to go through the different clans in depth. Found you through your clan videos, subscribed for the videos you have made and what videos are to come.

I originally started to watch your videos on the Masquerade because a friend made a reference to the Lasombra. I'm now a complete addict and shall be attempting to get a game going soon. Thank you for that! Your videos are great stuff, fascinating and well delivered.

Every time I watch these videos I imagine you reading Machiavelli’s Price. Your videos are an inspiration in rhetoric and eloquence.

I enjoy your videos very much!

Awesome job! (with this and the entire series) You give excellent, detailed, yet concise summaries of the clans that really bring them to life beyond their basic stereotypes. Perfect for new players just getting into VtM or advanced players getting back in touch with their clan's roots. I especially enjoyed your attention to the aspect of horror and mystery that surrounds this clan (and their signature Discipline) rather than just focusing on "Oi! Superpower-shadow-control!!! So OP, koolz!" Well done, sir.

Best explanation of Clan Lasombra ever. You brought up many points that make them my favorite clan to play.

Thanks for watching them. It's much appreciated.

Thank you for watching it!

Ahh my favorite clan regarding powers :D and such a grate presentation. GJ

I don't know why I keep watching your videos; it only reminds me of all the fun I'm missing out on. As far as I'm concerned, Vampire the Masquerade vampires are the ONLY true type of vampires. I'll admit, I did scoff at the fact that, when I heard you say it, the Sabbat's leader is a toreador.

Great resource! I play in a year 1213 WoD larp and just got embraced as a Lasombra and without this I'd be lost! Thanks again!

I love how insightful this video is, so I thought I would ask for your guidance. I am trying to run a LaSombra that uses Obtenebretion to "forge" or give the form of weapons to shadows (Swords, knifes, maces etc) and I was wondering if you (or anyone here) could point me towards the source material that could help me with this, or give me ideas as to how to go about it. Thank you for your time.

This was a great video. Thanks!

Thank you for saying so!

Let the Keepers and Patricians of both the Sabbat and the Camarilla remain locked in conflict, the Regent and Inner-Circle self-assured in their illusions of singular primacy, while the Sects war in bitter never-ending conflict. Balance may drastically shift at time over the centuries, but through the eyes of the truly ancient the war is ultimately static, with necessary strings pulled or adjusted when necessary. The Sects exhaust themselves upon one another but gain little ground, like dancers swapping the same floor space nightly, grinding away to the music of the Tal'mahe'Ra, the True Hand unseen and therefore unfettered, weaving the web of the propaganda machine and the ideological directives which feed the ongoing conflict. As for Gratiano, did pride and ambition truly drive such a cunning young upstart to believe he could consume the Father of Shadow? With the help of his anarch brethren, he somehow defeated his sire, and bypassed the vengeance of his brother, the ancient Montano. Gratiano alone managed to then survive the diablerie of his sire. If one feasts upon oblivion, are they not still devoured by the abyss, simply from the inside-out? The mystery is that anyone survived. Is the Lasombra progenitor playing a long-game, temporarily removing himself from the board, choosing to become Gratiano's seeming 'victim', and really becoming Gratiano's shadow reflection, thereby a part of the burgeoning Anarch Revolt instead of its target? Perhaps Gratiano's ambition and very capacity for treachery provided a convenient opportunity, and the Lasombra antediluvian, one of the world's greatest master's of subterfuge was not as caught off guard by his newly embraced, young childe as we're lead to believe. Perhaps he even needed to mentally nudge Gratiano in the right direction. Gratiano's shadow may contain a sleeper, like a tiny seed disappearing into the soul of Gratiano, to slowly take root and eventually regrow, inside one of the most powerful and influential leaders of the new movement. Nestled inside Gratiano, he could have subtly hidden but continued to maneuver over centuries, helping the Anarch Movement evolve into the Sabbat, one of the most powerful Sects of the modern age. When will the Shadow Father finishing feeding what's left of Gratiano's true identity to the Void, and fully subsume him in mind and body, reawakening fully as great Erebus once again? And how surprised would Montano be if his greatest foe approached him one night, but spoke the words of his long lost, dead father.... [I'm joking, tongue-in-cheek, channeling a very paranoid ancient with some conspiracy based derangements. But that doesn't mean it's not all true!]

"This is not the d&d Abyss, populated by demons" ... Well... I'd say the Fallen are able to dispute that?

Glad you liked it!

It's funny that you should mention connections between Clan Lasombra and the Muslims/Moors back in the Middle Ages. I've never played a Lasombra myself, but I remember being a brief part of an eight-player troupe (including Rachel, the young lady who was usually our Storyteller) back around 2002. It was a Camarilla campaign, and the other four players were your usual Ventrues and Toreadors (I think it was two of each, though it may have been three of one and one of the other; it was hard to tell). And _then_ there were two other players and myself, the "Expendables" of the Coterie; I was the Assamite for hire, the other two of my trio were both Lasombra Antitribu and we all had come to work for the Camarilla for whatever reason; my Assamite's motivation was "Vitae is good payment, but I find cash to be an acceptable substitute, and the Camarilla has _plenty_ of that." So her interests were purely mercenary. (Our trio also had a bit of diversity to them; the corporate Lasombra guy was American, the Lasombra cat burglar woman was French and my Assamite was Iranian (and the designated Fighter of the trio, to borrow a D&D term). Despite all that, the three of us got along like peas and carrots, and as I'll divulge later, we also complemented each other quite nicely with our respective abilities. But I digress.) So one of our Ventrues got wind of a Sabbat cult headquartered in an abandoned church down in the slums, and the four of them got to work on asking questions, figuring out who their Bishop was...basically gathering a ton of information, requisitioning supplies and calling in allies before they moved against the Sabbat. Meanwhile, all that the three of us mercenary outsiders heard was "There's a Sabbat pack in such-and-such abandoned church," we waited until nightfall, we split off from the other four and we got right to it. Between the Lasombra Antis' Obtenebration and my Quietus, the three of us went completely undetected as we crept all around that church, picked the lock securing the double-door entrance and eavesdropped everything that we could. "Oh, their Bishop's _here?_ Well, we'd better make our move tonight!" So we did. Well, we were able to pick the lock because one of our Lasombras was a professional art thief and cat burglar (who, despite her Clan's weakness, had a fixation with collecting fancy mirrors). The other Lasombra was a corporate major domo with tons of connections and some really deep pockets; he had outfitted the other Lasombra and my Assamite with several goodies that we otherwise couldn't get our hands on ("Whoa, explosive slug rounds for my Remington 870P? Awesome!"), he drove a really nice Mercedes-Benz and he so generously allowed my Assamite to stash a mess of bomb-making materials in the trunk beforehand (after repeated assurances that nothing in the trunk would spontaneously blow us to Kingdom Come while he was driving the three of us around). My Assamite had been an Islamic terrorist before her Embrace (in a ceremony which she'd punctuated by burning her hajib), and of course, women have to work ten times harder than the men to prove their worth in Islamic cultures, so she had shown some initiative and picked up a few things about brewing bathtub explosives and building bombs while she and the rest of her terrorist cell were harassing the Israelis back in the 70's, and she had three points in the obscure Demolitions skill to back it up. So the three of us nicked a shopping cart from a nearby supermarket, and my Assamite got to work turning it into a rolling bomb with a mercury impact switch as the detonator. So with that done, we went back to the church, where the Bishop was still rallying the troops into a frenzy, initiating a few new shovelheads, draining some poor hobo dry...typical Sabbat shindig. So our corporate Lasombra sneaked up and stood about twenty feet from one of the double doors, and he fired up Arms of the Abyss. The art thief Lasombra sneaked up and stood twenty feet beside the _other_ door, and _she_ fired up Arms of the Abyss. And then my Assamite fired up both Quietus _and_ Celerity, she armed the detonator and she ran at the church's front doors, pushing the shopping cart bomb at Mach 1. The moment my Assamite was ten or twenty feet from the doors, the Lasombras and their tentacles each grabbed a door and ripped them wide open, revealing a _very_ surprised Sabbat pack gathered around a bloody altar. My Lasombra buddies then let go of the doors and started running as far away from the church as they could, and with Celerity still running, my Assamite ran right into the church, shoved the shopping cart bomb right at the altar and hightailed it right back out of there. I aced all my rolls, and the bomb hit the altar, detonated on impact and leveled the church; not one of the Sabbat Kindred survived (well, possibly except for their Tzimisce overlord of a Bishop -- _possibly_ -- but a Bishop's nothing without a pack following him anyway, so screw that guy). So in the end, the three of us second-stringers, with a little initiative and a bit of teamwork, managed to wipe out an _entire Sabbat pack_ while our high society friends were still asking around about that same Sabbat pack. And yes, the three of us each got a fat paycheck and a bonus for that. My Assamite's bonus was a pair of MP5's with full-auto actions and extended 40-round magazines. That was a great game. :)

Thank you! Very kind of you.

Thank you!

Sweet hay one last question im from north carolina how do i find out who the north Carolinas princes name is so i can start a group set in my area?

Thank you for saying so! Reply with how the game is going!

Hey I wanted to ask about Obtenebration ritual Maw of Ahriman (Rites of Blood - page 38) it says the bite removes one Willpower point. Do you know if it stacks? can you reduce someone's Willpower this way to zero? Awsome videos by the way, Lasombra clan is just great :)

I'm glad I help improve your day!

As a suggestion I would recommend Bruce Baugh's Lasombra Trilogy. It will fill you several questions usually tied to its history.

I've been waiting for this one my favourite clan =)

I mentioned their weakness once I believe, but no matter. So much to talk about and so little time!

Cann you say somthing more for the Abyss Mystics? I have read about them, but i dont think i have read enough.

Glad to hear it!

Was clan lasombra always known to use diablorize or did that grow into accustom after they devoured their clan founder?

Great review of the greatest of the clans! I love the fact that the Lasombra are the refined monsters of the Sabbat; not a gang of diablerising rabble but evolved predators that are organised, intelligent and dress to impress. In the dark ages they made the power of the Ventrue look so artificial from their manipulations in the shadows. But I couldn't help but notice that there was no mention of Les Amies Noir, the inner circle of the clan.

Can the lasombra use darkness to form wings and fly? Just wondering.

Love the fact you where in a Suit while making this clip! XD

is there any forum or place on the internet where I can play Vampire like in pen & paper?

A wonderful quote. From where did you get it?

They're not in the New World of Darkness, although a bloodline that resembles a cross between them and the Setites is in one of the books and is called the Khaibit. They even have Obtenebration.

It's superb.

One of my favorite clans.

I completely lost it at 00:40 when after describing each clan's strengths, you mentioned the Toreador and how "they can make art out of anything" in a completely straight face. Like, "oh shit, he's got a paintbrush, run!"

Opulent? You and Ander and your funny sayings. The Lasombra are more than merely opulent; they are DOMINANT.

You're very kind.

Hi im new to vampire the masqurade larping and i wanted to know if i can be any clan or is it up to the gm?also love the video first time i have seen this it sounds awesome:)

What would you say to a Ventrue brave, or stupid, enough to diablerize a Lasombra?

It is excellent.

Thanks!

7:09 - Was there some change in their weakness later on? Im reading from the 20th anniversary book, and althought they have *affinity for dark places* the ones who have *weakness to bright light*, or well lit environments are the *Followers of Set*, not Lasombra. Am I reading something wrong? Their weakness seems to be only having no reflections (as you mentioned along with the light). Can they be filmed on camera?

Most KZfaq web casts are either boring or overtly nerdy with little content and depth. yours sir was most entertaining and educational. Many thanks. would really like to see the Gentleman's guide to the Garou? pleeeease.

Do you have a video about lasombra in the (correct me if im wrong) V5 version? I am very curious about why Lasombra wants to join the Camarilla.

1:18 Look how the video glitched - I wonder if that was intentional

Do you think there is enough lore on the Samedi to make a video on them?

Good point.

A video on the Trujah will come!

It's coming!

The same abyss that comes forth in Mage?

Thank you! Nobody has worked out what I am yet!

Any chance of covering Clan Salubri gent?

Agreed. Lol I love the videos like this, every time my fiance puts on one of your more story type videos I'm like "Woot! It's story time!" XD.

good discussion on clan lasombra, one of my favorite clans. Though I do not believe that you discussed abyssal mysticism that much nor their weakness of having no reflection. But good video on the less :)

I find the same thing with Malks, Setites and Nosferatu!

An excellent tactic!

I can´t seem to find someone able to teach me vampire the masquerade. if someone has the time i would be delighted to try out a campaign online. Love the videos. been watching them while dreaming of becoming a lasombra in a campaign

They're a decent bunch!

I will one day, when I have time.

All clans believe they are the strongest. Each of my videos is somewhat roleplayed.

This might be my favorite clan.

It really depends on the Storyteller!

You would indeed.

Dear Gentleman, Where I live there is going to be a larp organised with the lore and whatnot of Vampire masqurade. Do you have a suggestion of how to pick my clan? I don't feel any specific draw to any clan. Any suggestions?

I used to have a Lasombra that carried around a mirror on a pendant. Whenever I wanted, I could look in the mirror to see whatever was behind me. Except another Lasombra.

I do love the Clan of the Night.

Go on the White Wolf or Onyx Path forums and find an online group!

I had a player in a campaign I ran a long time back who played a Lasombra Antitribu, I remember when he got into a fight he would use his Obtenerbration to form small tendrils within a human/vampire targets body, as there is no light within the body, then expand the tendrils outward and essentially burst his opponents open with potence heavy black tentacles. Good times.

I feel like you're doing the worlds longest RIff Raff impression.

I think you're almost certainly correct. Something alien and truly horrific, at any rate.

Certainly, but I do think that as one of the original clans they are deserving of mention (especially seeing as you already covered Clan Cappadocian, another nearly extinct clan). Beyond that, perhaps the Baali could be interesting.

Well that is true. Hubris...though all clans have their strengths in an open war some clans dont have much chances. Would be a nice vid - list clans on power or how much you like them ^^ for me the strongest clans are tremere, giovanni, nosferatu. then maybe brujah, lasombra, ventrue, tcimisce. the weakest clan in my opp. are the malks (they just lack union) - pretty much the same goes for gangrel. The assamites may be somwhere between the strong clans but im unsure where to put them

hmmm interesting video! Enjoyed it greatly! Question, if vampires existed like they did in WOD, would you.. 1. Join them? 2. Hunt them? 3. Run!

The Giovanni will be in a video in the near future...

They're a good clan to be a part of.

Oh.. maybe.

Haha, I've been insisting like a child and you responded me just like a parent. LOL. Actually, I was repeatedly requesting about that because I wasn't sure whether you see my comments. Now, I know you do and you will do a nagaraja clan. Anyways, thank you so much and please don't make us wait too long :)

Can you please do update for V5?

please do a nagaraja clan video

What is scarier, a Lasombra with Serpentis, or a Settite with Obtenebration, discuss!

I'm often compared to a Toreador.

In D&D you would call that kind of void, the plane of negative energy