This topic is where I clear up some things about the vampires and humans/hunters on this site to make it easier for you to understand what you're role playing. More may be added at later dates. If you have questions, ask them in the F.A.Q.s topic.

1. For starters, the vampires on this site aren't dead or "the living dead", but can be called that by humans/hunters/other vampires who think they are.

2. They have heart beats, and they can regulate their hearts and choose how fast or slow they beat. Vampires can stop their hearts, however they would go into a state of unconsciousness or won't be able to move. A vampire can go into a 'sleep state' and shut down all of their vital organs(sometimes including the brain), as well as bodily functions if need be to heal; this state is extremely vulnerable for vampires as they are basically sitting ducks for anything wishing to do them harm.(Which is why most of them will bury themselves deep in the earth to protect themselves before going into this state, if they have the strength/time to do such.)

3. Vampires can die from extreme loss off blood.(As well as the things stated in another topic.) They can also grow weak from blood loss, or extreme lack of blood from not feeding.

4. If a vampire is suffering from injuries, drinking blood from a human or another vampire can heal minor injuries, or help to speed up their healing process if the wound is moderate or severe. (a vampire can heal much more quickly drinking the blood of a vampire, rather than that of a human.)
Vampires can also heal with the help of the earth by going into the ground and resting, they will be rejuvenated and healed the best with earth from around where their house(vampire coven) is located. Some vampires, namely Zivotni) sleep very deep underground all of the time, well protected from sunlight.

5. Drinking the blood of a vampire from another house can be poisonous or cause illness in young vampires, especially if the houses aren't compatible with each other.
However, given the right situation, (such as proper age, compatible houses, and a few other things) it is possible for vampires to drink the blood of one from another house.
The sharing of blood with a vampire from another house does not happen often, as vampires often don't trust vampires from a different house and will attempt to find other ways to heal another. There is always the possibility that the vampire will drain the one they are feeding from completely.

6. Vampires can give their blood to humans without turning them, and vampire blood has been known to heal physical injuries for humans as well. However if a human consumes too much vampire blood at one time (and they are not going through the process of being turned) the human can become very ill or die.

Vampire blood can also be very addictive to a human if they drink it often enough in a short period of time(such as everyday for a week). The human would also be able to use the abilities of the vampire they took blood from to a small degree, however they would suffer aversion to sunlight(unless the vampire was from Luc Sveta) as well as small allergies to silver. The abilities and allergies would stop the moment the vampire blood leaves their system (at most a week later).

A vampire can control a human who has had their blood much easier than they can a human who has not.

7. Not all humans who show psychic abilities are descendants from vampires, and their abilities work in a different way than the vampires.

8. Hunters can use herbs, chemicals, and magic(if they are high enough ranked to know it) to trap or kill a vampire. The higher ranked and more knowledgeable the hunter is, the more dangerous to a vampire he is.

Hunters may also sometimes carry items to keep them from being mind-controlled by vampires(usually only works on vampires up to about 2000yrs old, unless it is extremely old or is infused with powerful magic). Some hunters may also choose to inject themselves with chemicals that are harmful to vampires but not to humans.

9. A vampire's rank/power level is first decided by who turned them, and then their age. It is possible that a vampire who is 200 years old to be more powerful than one who is 800 years old, as long as the younger vampire was made by a vampire much more powerful than the 800 years old's maker. However, the 800 years old vampire would likely be more skilled and capable of using their abilities.

(example: A vampire made by The First will generally be more powerful than a vampire made by any other vampire, regardless of their ages.)

10. A human may be turned completely into a vampire through 4 blood exchanges (1 exchange per week for a month). A vampire must first drain a fair amount of blood from the human, and feed the human their blood once they have finished draining them. This is a month long process because a human can become very ill if they consume too much vampire blood in one sitting, and many die because they are drained too much or given more blood than they can handle.

A vampire must start out with taking and giving small amounts of blood, increasing the amount with each session to build the human's tolerance. Eventually the human's body will reach a point where they will be able to make the change, making it possible for the vampire to drain them almost to the point of death and give them the necessary amount of blood to live on as a vampire.

Four blood exchanges over a month's time is the absolute minimum amount of time a human needs to make the change, any less and they will die from receiving too much blood(or blood loss from being drained). However, it is possible to make multiple small blood exchanges over a longer period of time, and this has shown to make a much easier transition for the human and also giving them a higher chance at survival.