Paths Of The Sabbat

The body is merely a vessel for the soul, or so the followers of the Via Ossis believe. Cainites, according to followers of this Road, are suspended in a vexing state of unlife. Though they are not alive, like mortals, neither are they dead, as they may still act and think. Those who walk this path are by turns morbid and existential. They are, at timesgrounded in the temporal world, at other times concerned with the plight of their immortal spirits.
Adherents to this Road do not revere life on an individual basis, but rather as a collective. As such, many vampires on this Road conduct sacrifices or experiments in which subjects die, so that they may study the journey of the back to its origin.
This path draws a narrow of followers, primarily from the Cappadocian clan (though more than a few morbid Tzimisce follow this Road). This Road remains in use until the late 17th century, even after the destruction of the Cappadocian clan at the hands of their Giovanni childer. At that point almost exclusively followed by Tzimisce, the Road all but disappears. A few years later, however the Tzimisce will bring tenets of the Road into a more modern philosophy, which will become the Path of Death and the Soul as practiced by the Sabbat. Followers uphold the virtues of Conviction and Self-Control.

Hierarchy of Sins Against Humanity
Rating	Minimum Wrongdoing
10	Showing fear of death
9	Failing to study an occurence of death
8	Refusing to kill when the opportunity presents itself
7	Refusing to feed when hungry
6	Succumbing to frenzy
5	Refusing to share insight with another follower of the Road
4	Letting compassion sway a decision
3	Acting in a sacrificial manner
2	Needlessly preventing a death
1	Showing aversion to death

Path of Caine

Rating	Hierarchy of Sins
10	Not studying every night no matter what happens.
9	Not teaching others the Path of Caine.
8	Being around any mortals unless feeding.
7	Being disrespectful to any follower of Caine.
6	Not going with the wave of a frenzy.
5	Succumbing to Rotschreck.
4	Not diablerizing a humane vampire.
3	Not testing the limits of your powers regularly.
2	Not searching for vampiric whenever possible.
1	Denying your vampiric needs.

• Develope willpower and predatory instinct.
• Pursue an chances to drink the blood of older generations and thereby grow closer to Caine. Do not take your curse for granted but understand your own potential
• Lose any humanity, learn the ways of your new existance.
• Study your capabilites and those of Caine. Study the limits and meanings of vampirism.

• You must try to find vampires of earlier generations than yourself and drink their blood. You should try to find them among the Camarilla first, but any non-Sabbat elder will do.
• You must participate in War Parties if they provide you with opportunities for diablerie.
• You must study vampiric history and follow any leads that might provide you with missing pieces to the Book of Nod.
• You must be willing to die the Final Death to prove the existence and find the whereabouts of Caine.
• You must never have human allies or friends.
• You must never drink animal vitae when human vitae is available.
• You must spend at least some time alone in mediation each night.
• You must always fight frenzy, and never ride the wave.
• You must strive to strengthen your willpower.
• You must never feel guilty about taking human life.

Path of Cathari

Rating	Hierarchy of Sins
10	Restraining yourself.
9	Trusting anyone.
8	Not embracing the truly evil or innocent.
7	Not letting yourself frenzy.
6	Acting against another follower.
5	Impassioned killing.
4	Not having fun for somebody elses sake.
3	Turning down a chance to indulge yourself.
2	Arbitrary killing.
1	Encouraging others not to indulge themselves.

• Seek out material wealth. Make your immortal existence as pleasurable as possible.
• Lead others to temptation. It is your duty.
• Create new vampires without hesitation.
• The world is evil. Expect everyone else to be evil.
• Accept your place as a creature of evil and fulfill your potential.
• Avoid the final death at all costs. However; as we believe in reincarnation, you will return as one of the living, not one of the undead.

• You will do anything to increase your wealth.
• You pursue pleasure to the fullest.
• You kill humans without remorse.
• You flaunt your wealth.
• You drink animal blood as well as human blood, though humans are more delicious.
• Atrocity and savagery bother you very little or not at all. They are the facts of life.
• You do not fear Final Death, but you avoid it at all costs.
• You are a total hedonist. You may well have an appropriate archetype as your Demeanor and Nature.
• You have trouble tolerating ascestics.
• You never maintain long-term romances with other vampire or kine

Path of Death and the Soul

Rating	Hierarchy of Sins
10	Failing to kill for the sake of knowledge.
9	Showing fear of Final Death.
8	Acting in an emotional manner.
7	Riding the wave during a frenzy.
6	Showing any sign of the animal or the human inside you.
5	Failing to study death when the opportunity affords itself.
4	Showing no interest in death, or an aversion to it.
3	Displaying overt compassion.
2	Needlessly preventing death.
1	Allowing your emotion to override your logic.

• Study death in its many forms.
• Do not fear Final Death. The soul is immortal.
• Learn as much about the Occult as possible. The clues have always been present, but now is the time to piece together the puzzle.
• Explore the nature and purpose of all things.
• Accept the greater consciousness to which all things belong.
• Search for meaning in the emotions and conscience of your once-mortal self.

Do's and Don'ts
• You act dispassionately.
• You always analyze and act logically.
• You show no interest in making new friends, although you are courteous and loyal.
• You fight frenzy every time it tries to emerge.
• You perform your own "scientific experiments" to study death. (You decide what kind.)
• You read a great deal, focusing primarily on the sciences and the occult.
• You do not mind killing.
• You do not fear Final Death.
• You spend a lot of your free time alone.
• You often associate with others on this Path to glean their wisdom.

Path of Evil Revelations

Rating	Hierarchy of Sins
10	Not trying to corrupt your friends and allies.
9	Showing no interest in power.
8	Failure to destroy a force of good.
7	Riding the wave during a frenzy.
6	Failure to commit vampiric diablerie when the opportunity is present.
5	Doing anything good, unless to further a greater evil.
4	Turning down the opportunity to express your depravity without fear of retribution.
3	Providing Infernal secrets to non-Infernalists.
2	Failure to use a situation to your masters’ advantage.
1	Failure to serve your masters.

• Reject all this is human within you. You are the avatar of unnatural evil.
• Support the Lords of Darkness and they will reward you.
• Hide your malevolence from your fellow Sabbat. Never reveal your true masters.
• Corrupt others whenever possible. Show them the darkness as you see it.

Path of Harmony

Rating	Hierarchy of Sins
10	Failing to spend at least two hours per night communing alone with nature.
9	Killing an animal for any reason other than survival.
8	Failing to hunt and drink blood whenever hungry (less than maximum blood points) and time permits.
7	Acting in an overly cruel manner.
6	Refusing to ride the wave as long as it is not detrimental to your own survival.
5	Killing a mortal for any reason other than survival.
4	Failing to provide safety for your loved ones and comrades.
3	Allowing yourself to act too human or too bestial.
2	Feeling guilty about doing something you needed to do.
1	Refusing to kill when it is important for your survival.

• Nothing existing in nature is innately evil--including vampires.
• Life should be respected. Human life should be taken only out of necessity, but you should never feel sorry for doing what is natural for you, like drinking blood.
• Never lose touch with your humanity or your vampiric nature. Both are part of your being. You will destroy yourself if you cannot accept that you are are no longer human; however the human part of you, your sanity, will be trampled by the animal if you do not balance the two.

Do's and Don'ts
• You shift between the human and the animal in you with ease. You try hard to balance the two sides of your existence.
• Your are very emotional.
• You have a limited degree of compassion for all creatures.
• You have no compunctions about killing or drinking blood for your own survival.
• You are very sociable.
• You fight the frenzy when it is inconvenient, but ride the wave whenever you can.
• You consider yourself somewhat human, but now tempered with a beast. You are not what you once where, regardless.
• You like to be around nature.
• You like to keep animals as pets.
• You feel the need to visit the country often if you live in the city.

Path of Honorable Accord

Rating	Hierarchy of Sins
10	Failing to act in accordance with the Sabbat in any manner.
9	Failing to show hospitality to other Sabbat.
8	Failing to observe an Ignoblis Ritus of your pack.
7	Failing to observe an Auctoritas Ritus of your pack.
6	Acting against your leader; failing to protect fellow Sabbat.
5	Placing personal welfare over that of the entire sect.
4	Failing to honor an agreement.
3	Showing cowardice.
2	Showing overt disrespect for the sect.
1	Breaking your word.

• Serve your leader faithfully as long as she acts in the best interests of the Sabbat.
• Observe all Auctoritas Ritae of the Sabbat.
• Keep your word of honor. Breaking your word makes you small and weak, and you will never be trusted or respected by those with honor.
• Respect your peers and treat them fairly.
• Never betray another's trust in you.
• Be brave. Cowards have no honor. Defend the Sabbat with your unlife.
• Be generous to your brothers and sisters and they will be generous to you.
• Always repay your debts.
• Do your best to serve the interests of the Sabbat.
• Final Death before dishonor.
• Keep the traditions of our people.
• Obey all other rules under the Code of Milan.

Do and Don'ts
• You dislike those who have no honor.
• You never break your word.
• You live unlife with complete vampiric honor.
• You are very spartan in your outlook.
• You bend the rules if it suits your personality, through your Path rating will suffer.
• You always support your comrades.
• You protect any in your charge from harm.
• You are hospitable.
• You are stern and you can be overly harsh.
• You are loyal to the Sabbat over everything else, including your own safety.

Path of Night

Hierarchy of Sins
Score	Moral Guideline	Rationale
10	Killing a mortal for food	Dead mortals feel no fear
9	Acting in the interests of another	Gehenna is nigh--there is no time to fulfill petty agendas
8	Failing to be innovative in one's depredations	Familiarity for one's vile acts breeds contempt for them in others, and they may soon to fail to shock
7	Asking aid of another	Those who cannot provide for themselves fulfill their ends poorly
6	Accidental killing	God has made Cainites horrors, not murderers
5	Bowing to another Kindred's will	The games of the Jyhad are diversions from the Damned's true purpose
4	Intential or impassioned killing	Death serves no on; it merely deprives one of a victim
3	Aiding another	Compassion has no place in a vmapire's undead heart
2	Accepting the superiority of another	All Cainites are equal under God's plan
1	Repenting one's behavior	The Cainite's purpose is to cause repentance, not to practice it

• Leave no being untouched by your taint.
• Tempt and horrify those around you; the weak will fall, while the strong will be tempered by your testing of them.
• Inspire others to accept their inner darkness.
• Experience every sensation imaginable, and then some.
• Death is a means, not an end.
• Cainites, as souls damned by God, fullfill their purpose by preying upon mortals.

Vampires on the Path of Night subscribe to the virtues of Conviction and Instinct

Acording to Cbk Las Rev, there are two versions of this Path. The most prominent variation of the Path of Night is often called the "Cold Path" as distinguished from the "Hot Path". The Cold Path relies on Conviction and Self Control. The Hierarchy of Sins remains intact with somewhat different interpretation. A Cold Path follower, for instance, rejects impassioned and premediated killing because mortal death merely distracts him from contemplating the deeper mysteries of his existence. He kills and eats as he would scratch and blink. Likewise, he rejects accidental killing because his goal is to make every aspect of his existence consciously chosen, even when it's unimportant.
The Allied Path of Night The version of the Path of Night favored by many Abyss mystics replaces the role of the individual in the Hierarchy of Sins with the role of the clan as a whole. Thus level 7 sin is "Asking aid of a vampire of another clan." While level 9 sin is "Acting in the interests of another clan." The Allied Path teaches that in the end, all Lasombra become one with the Abyss, and individuals matter only until that grand dissolution. In the Final Nights, the clan as a whole becomes its own new master, replacing the Antediluvian of old with a comparable power at the end of time. The Allied Path may use either Self-Control or Instinct depending on the vampire's inclination towards frenzy.

The Lightless Path of Night The Lightless Path focuses on darkness as the quintessential Lasombra condition. Several sins change to reflect this emphasis. Level 10 is relying on sight, while level 9 is allowing light to strike oneself. The most experienced practitioners blind themselves and rely on senses other than sight (at least physical sight, they debate the proper use of Auspex and the like). Rather than penalizing the lack of innovation, the level 8 sin penalizes depredations conducted in the light: A Lightless Path Lasombra sins by killing or wreaking havoc while illuminated. The Lightless Path uses Self-Control.

The Righteous Path of Night This is one of the oldest surviving variants, more popular in times when Lasombra believed themselves as agents of a divine will. Cardinal Moncada's destruction spurred widespread abandonment of the Righteous Path. Just as the Allied Path replaces the individual with the clan, the Righteous Path replaces the individual with all vampires who believe in their divine purpose. Accepting the superiority of a fellow Righteous Path practitioner or, say, a devout practitioner of the Pain of Caine or the Path of Cathari isn't sinful. Innovation killing is no particular virtue on the Righteous Path. Instead the practitioner sins by killing in a way that doesn't strike fear into the hearts of sinners and impress upon them the very present wrath of angry God. The Righteous Path generally uses Self-Control, but some packs of Instinct-driven "fearful angels" do exist.

Path of Power and Inner Voice

Rating	Hierarchy of Sins
10	Spending less than two hours per night in silent meditation.
9	Failing to use whatever means are necessary to achieve greater power.
8	Accepting defeat.
7	Helping others when it is not to your advantage.
6	Failing to respect those who possess greater power and greater wisdom.
5	Treating your underlings poorly.
4	Backing down when you know you are right.
3	Turning down a chance for increased wealth or power.
2	Losing face in front of a crowd.
1	Accepting someone equal or less capable than yourself as your superior.

• Follow your heart. Follow the Beast when necessary, but do not follow your fellow vampires--lead them.
• Develop your assets and hide your weaknesses. Show yourself as invincible.
• Support others on this Path as long as they do not oppose your own conquests.
• Never give quarter to the enemy and ask for none.
• Do not be influenced by mortal thoughts and morals. They are sources of weakness.
• Truth comes from within. Act on that truth to make the Sabbat more powerful.
• Failure is disgrace. Do not accept failure and punish it severely when it occurs.
• Competition develops inner strength.
• Use Monomacy to your advantage. Exposes weaknesses in others.
• Choose allies carefully. Never make long-term alliances.
• Treat those who follow you well. Use everyone for your own advancement.
• To leave this Path is to accept disgrace.

Do's and Don't
• Spend a great deal of your free time in self-contemplation or increasing your Abilities and Disciplines.
• Listen to everyone, but take only your own advice.
• Value power of all kinds. You believe power makes you stronger in more ways than one.
• Seek knowledge and wealth.
• Become a leader, not a follower.
• Treat underlings justly and superiors with respect (if they deserve it).
• Never be satisfied with what you have or what you can do.
• Manipulate others to your personal advantage.
• Be willing to bend and break rules that restrain you.
• Betray those close to you if it is completely necessary to follow the Inner Voice.