Players are encouraged to examine the Hierarchy of Sins for their Morality Path. These are the guidelines designed to educate players on the proper way to conduct themselves while trying to battle the beast within.

All kindred fight against the tormenting nature of the beast. Humanity is designed to suppress the raw nature of vampirism and retain some semblance of what it is like to be human. It is important not to tempt the beast for those who choose to mock it will surely find themselves overcome by its primal power.

We cannot try to justify our character's actions by relating them to the actions that other human beings take. Yes, there are psycho killers out there and ruthless world leaders. Why should they be able to wreak havoc and destruction while "the children of the night" who live and breathe the world of darkness must conform to sensible inner peace? Two words: The Beast. That's what it all boils down to. Vampires are predators in true form. Humans are not. Vampires can exist outside of the life of mindless frenzy by controlling the beast somehow. It has been accomplished in this day and age with the use of Paths (The Path of Humanity for most kindred and Paths of Enlightenment for select others).

Don't try to think even for a minute that those who are on Paths of Enlightenment don't have beasts. They most certainly do. The difference is that while Humanity suppresses the beast with a paradigm of morals we, as players, recognize, Enlightenment channels, controls and harnesses the beast with a strict moral code not far from textbook sociopath tendencies. So, wouldn't they be less prone to frenzy if they are doing all these things to the beast? Certainly not, in fact, they are equally as prone to frenzy if they cannot stick to the paradigm of their path. Each path has a strict code that must be followed in order to keep the beast at bay, but they do not necessarily fear the beast. Members of the Sabbat are taught to do something called "Riding the Wave": the ability to be in frenzy and take advantage of the strengths of the beast without having the mindless havoc so often associated with it. Those who are on paths of enlightenment operate so intimately with their beast that they can release it under control or even attempt to control it when released on its own. Sounds like a treat, right? Why isn't everyone doing it? Well, there are a number of reasons, but the one that most directly affects each player on a personal level is the fact that Paths of Enlightenment can be much more confining and difficult to follow than the Path of Humanity. In addition, the Paths of Enlightenment are a Sabbat secret held sacred by the priests of the sect.

Paths and Roads of Enlightenment may not be taught without ST approval. Keep in mind that roads are more commonly found in the Dark Ages setting. However, some roads are prominent in situational cultural environments. Many of the Tariq (or roads) listed below are native to Middle Eastern vampires and may be petitioned as a PC's morality path. Still, any path of morality other than Humanity must have an adequate history that can justify a PC being on the particular path in question.

All paths and roads that are listed below are playable in Milledgeville. Alternate paths or roads to humanity may be petitioned through ST approval.

- Path of Humanity - As per LotN:R

- Path of Blood - As per LotN:R

- Path of Bones - As per LotN:R

- Path of Metamorphosis - As per LotN:R

- Path of Night - As per LotN:R

- Path of Paradox - As per LotN:R

- Path of Typhon - As per LotN:R

- Path of Caine - As per LotN:SG

- Path of Cathari - As per LotN:SG

- Path of Death and the Soul - As per LotN:SG

- Path of Honorable Accord - As per LotN:SG

- Path of Power and the Inner Voice - As per LotN:SG

- Path of Evil Revelations - As per LotN:SG

- Path of the Feral Heart - As per LotN:SG

- Path of Lilith - as per LotN:SG

- Road of the Nomad (Tariq el-Bedouin) - As per VtDA:VoN

- Road of Blood (Tariq el-Haquim) - As per VtDA:VoN

- Road of War (Tariq el-Harb) - As per VtDA:VoN

- Road of Heaven (Tariq el-Sama') - As per VtDA:VoN

- Road of Community (Tariq el-Umma) - As per VtDA:VoN

Path of Harmony - As per LoE
5	Failure to spend 10 minutes every night communing with nature; killing an animal for any reason other than survival
4	Failing to hunt when needed; acting in an overly cruel manner
3	Refusing to ride the wave so long as it is not detrimental to your survival: killing a mortal for any reason other than survival
2	Failing to provide safety to loved ones and comrades; Allowing yourself to act too bestial or human.
1	Feeling guilty about doing something you needed to do; Refusing to kill when important to survival.

Path of Ecstacy (Setite) - As per LoE
5	Allowing someone innocent to survive; not wallowing in luxury
4	Allowing someone ugly to survive; allowing an infector of impurity to survive without good reason
3	Rejecting wealth unnecessarily; not attempting to corrupt an innocent
2	Not taking at least one drug regularly; Restraining natural impulses unnecessarily
1	Failing to accept a gift; destroying something of beauty

Path of the Warrior (Setite) - As per LoE
5	Not subjecting yourself to the most painful tortures; failing any test physical or mental
4	Not developing your body to its greatest potential; Spending blood to heal the same night that a wound is received
3	Not developing your disciplines to their fullest level; killing swiftly or mercifully
2	Showing any sign of pain; not exercising every night
1	Thinking too long before acting; refusing a physical challenge

Path of the Beast (Road) - As per tLN
5	Attacking a clearly superior foe; not challenging a weak leader for dominance
4	Killing for any reason other than survival; avoiding contact with nature or wild animals
3	Needless Torture; making a sacrifice for someone unrelated to you
2	Refusing to kill when important to your survival; failing to defend your territory
1	Showing mercy to a dire enemy; failing to feed when hungry

Path of Chivalry (Road) - As per tLN
5	Failing to assist mortals in need; treating a peer with disrespect
4	Breaking your word to clanmate or peer; putting desire over duty
3	Failure to assist clanmate or peer in need; striking an unarmed opponent
2	Failing to give hospitality to another Kindred; Treating a superior with disrespect
1	Breaking you word to your Lord or Prince; Breaking a sacred oath.

Path of Heaven (Road) - As per tLN
5	Failing to show respect for God and the Church; Failing to speak out against evil and corruption
4	Being motivated by one of the deadly sins; Theft, robbery, willful vandalism
3	Causing harm to a pious and virtuous person; Feeding from an innocent without permission
2	Blasphemous or Heretical Sins; allowing a crime or major sin to go unpunished
1	The murder of an innocent; Aiding a demon or other creature of evil.

Notes on playing a Path of Enlightenment:
- Paths are possessed by the few. Even most members of the Sabbat, in today's World of Darkness, are on the Path of Humanity. Being on a path requires discipline and consuming effort. The concept of compassion is replaced by the ethics of the adopted path. Paths completely control your way of thinking which is sometimes difficult to understand as human players with humane emotions. Some actions that seem logical by players may not be the actual behavior of characters on certain paths. Failure to follow the dictated ethics of a path, as outlined by the Hierarchy of Sins, will result in the loss of a Morality trait. If the character loses all five path traits, the character sheet will be turned over to an ST, and a new character will need to be made.

How to convert from Humanity to a Path of Enlightenment (and other converts):
- Characters that show the potential for existing on a Path are sought out by those who may teach it to them. The teacher will dictate the code of ethics to the receiving character and begin them on a journey away from humanity into the arms of their new path. This process should take at least four to six months to complete. By the end of the training period, the character should have succeeded in losing all but one morality trait (lost through actions that conform to the hopeful path). Also during the six month period, the character will be given tests that she may not recognize as being administered by her teacher. She will need to answer/react to these tests in the way that the path would dictate her. When the final “cross over” is achieved, the character gaining the Path must perform two simple challenges and win or tie at least one. For every Morality Trait lost in a way not associated with the new path, the character must do the challenges again. If any of the sets of challenges are failed, the character goes into a permanent frenzy as she has lost control of her Morality and failed to the eternal frenzy.

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