PRESTATION

Boons are generally referred to as the 'Currency of the Undead'. They are a means of openly formalizing agreements of debt between Kindred; the system of boons is known as prestation. Owing a boon is a formal acknowledgment that one Kindred owes another a service. When and how that service is performed is at the discretion of the Kindred holding the boon (i.e. to whom the favor is owed), within the limits of the type of boon.
ALL BOONS MUST BE REGISTERED WITH THE COURT HARPY TO BE CONSIDERED VALID!

BOON TYPES
Prestation is a very formal affair among most Kindred and boons come in different types. Each type reflects the importance of the favor that creates the debt; repaying a boon requires an act of similar weight. Kindred revealed to have engineered dangerous situations — either to vampiric survival or to the Traditions — to attain such boons are likely to see those boons invalidated by a Harpy. To help facilitate players to roleplay such debts, Boons are considered Flaws and allow for the Character to receive additional XP if roleplayed out in game sessions just as if they were a flaw listed in the Books. Please make it known directly to the Head ST when you are about to receive or payoff such boons. It is the ST’s final word as to whether such boons are legitimate or not.

• TRIVIAL BOON
  The simplest type is a trivial boon, which represents a minor favor. Examples include an introduction to influential Kindred, loaning of a couple of Influence traits, granting feeding rights for a short period (one week), covering a faux pas, or warning a vampire about a potential danger. This type of boon should be freely offered and accepted, much like a business card. A trivial boon is an excellent way to start a relationship. Is there an elder you want to meet? Offer them a trivial boon. Are you afraid that you offended the Prince? Offer them a trivial boon.
  
  
• MINOR BOON
  A minor boon denotes a notable favor that requires significant amount of time or effort, but low risk, such as protecting or saving a treasured property or valuable Retainer, teaching a non clan specific discipline or granting feeding rights for some time (one month). A minor boon is roughly equivalent to three trivial boons.
  
  
• MAJOR BOON
  A major boon represents a considerable favor with high risk, such as teaching a higher level non clan specific discipline (4 & 5’s) or low level clan specific power (1 – 3), protection from harm (physical or social) short of getting ones self drastically harmed in the process or a long period of service above and beyond the call of duty (three months). It is roughly equivalent to three minor boons.
  
  
• BLOOD BOON
  A Blood boon represents a sizeable favor, such as protection from near destruction to the point of nearly getting beaten into torpor, teaching powerful Clan specific discipline (4 or 5’s), protection politically and socially almost to the loss of all City Status or a long period of service above and beyond the call of duty (nine months). This boon represents a willingness to shed blood for the receiver. It is roughly equivalent to three major boons.
  
  
• LIFE BOON
  Above all, stands the life boon, which is granted only in the most extreme cases — usually when a Kindred saves the existence of another without having any formal obligation to do so. Allies don’t owe each other life boons; such a debt is owed only under exceptional circumstances. A life boon cannot usually be repaid through multiple lesser boons but under extreme acts, almost to the point of near self annihilation politically, socially, and physically can a Kindred even hope to pay off such a debt with service. To many vampires, owing a life boon is the equivalent of being an unreleased childer. A kindred who owes a life boon surrenders all of their own will until the boon has been repaid. Until then, the kindred is viewed essentially as the equivalent of vampire furniture with no will of their own.

DISPUTES AND FORMALITIES

Players must seek out the ST before making a boon official IC’ly, after which, Kindred who owe each other any sort of debt often seek to formalize it by having a Harpy record the type of boon owed, which is then made known to the Harpy (or Harpies) of any city where the Kindred in question intend to reside for an extended period. This procedure protects the vampires involved as the Harpy acts as arbiter. When disputes arise, the Harpy decides whether a particular service is appropriate to repaying a favor and can act (using her Status points) to punish an offending party. A Harpy usually acts to compel those who refuse to repay boons owed, but can also restrain those who demand service out of proportion with what they are owed.
Kindred holding or owing boons can petition the Prince in defiance of a Harpy, although doing so is usually only likely to lead to complication or embarrassment. Harpies and Princes cannot arbitrate boons that they hold or owe; those matters are supervised by another Harpy. The boons of blood-hunted Kindred are voided until the blood hunt is either called off or they are destroyed.

TRANSFERRING BOONS

A Kindred who holds a boon (to whom a favor is owed) may transfer it to another Kindred. Such a change is usually done to repay a debt owed to the recipient or to incur a debt from him, but can also be a particularly vicious means of bringing someone into disrepute. While a Sanctified Cardinal may not object to owing a boon to a member of the First Estate, the debt might be shameful if it was known that the Invictus transferred the boon to a Hierophant of the Circle of the Crone. Domains that do not honor boons are considered disreputable, usually held by revolutionaries or the unaligned.
If a Kindred owing boons is destroyed or sent to torpor for a very long time without having been guilty of a vampiric crime, the holders of the boons may justifiably petition the Harpies to transfer those boons to any Kindred who put the unfortunate vampire down.
Example: Cornell holds a minor boon and a major boon over Barnard. One night, Barnard accidentally interrupts Emilio and Madryn as they are feeding. As a result of their ensuing frenzy, Barnard enters torpor. Cornell demands that the boons he is owed — which are now useless — be transferred. The Harpy agrees, ruling that Madryn owes Cornell a major boon, and Emilio owes him a minor one.