The Clans: (I'm mostly copying this text from the White Wolf wikia or Guide to the Sabbat, but I will be adding my own personal annotations and corrections)
Assamite antitribu: The Assamite antitribu are those Assamites who rejected the Camarilla's peace offering (The Treaty of Tyre) and were not subject to the Tremere blood curse. Such individuals belong to the warrior Assamite caste, save for a very rare few sorcerers and viziers who may have joined the Sabbat later. To the outside observer, they are almost identical to the regular Assamites.
Originally they only joined the Sabbat for protection, although as time went by, they started to believe in the sect's philosophy. As such they do not pay tribute to Haqim, but rather believe they will be the weapons of Caine, when he returns. Notoriously, they are one of the cornerstones of the dreaded Black Hand, and consequently, many members of the Sabbat's assassins are Assamite. Strangely, they are on decent terms with the base Assamite clan, even though they do consider them heretics; because of this, they refuse to fight each other.
Most Assamite antitribu do not actually refer to themselves as antitribu, that usually is what the Assamite Schismatics who have fled to the Camarilla are called.
Rules/roleplaying advice: You can only be a warrior Assamite. Don't worry, that means you're a regular Assamite, your Disciplines are Celerity, Obfuscate and Quietus. You cannot be a member of the Black Hand, at least not right off the bat, but most Sabbat will probably believe that is your ultimate goal, even if you say otherwise. Since all characters are young Cainites, being a member of this pack is a part of your apprenticeship. However, you are beholden to any requests your sire might make of you, even if that includes leaving.
Brujah antitribu: The Sabbat-aligned Brujah are the ultimate degeneration of the Brujah and potentially what they may become, should their fall continue. Stereotypically violent to the extreme, they often comprise the bulk of the Sabbat's cannon fodder. In other words, the Brujah antis are actually what your average Ventrue elder thinks the Camarilla Brujah are.
Ironically, the main distinction between the antitribu and the main clan is that they are among the biggest supporters of their sect, often proselytizing about the freedom the Sabbat offers. Whereas the Camarilla Brujah are rebellious young turks who rankle under the rule of the Princes, the Sabbat's Brujah are possibly the most fervent supporters of the cause around.
Rules/roleplaying advice: Kick all the ass you can. Live fast, and die (again) young.
Gangrel antitribu: The Gangrel of the Sabbat are mostly known for being divided into two bloodlines: The Country and City Gangrel. The Country Gangrel are much like the independent Gangrel, being wandering, feral predators who prefer the solitude of the wilderness, often serving the Sabbat as scouts and lone warriors. The City Gangrel stalk the streets of, appropriately, cities, becoming hunters of the alleyways and junkyards.
Lately, since the clan's departure from the Camarilla, the ranks of the Sabbat have been boosted by an influx of Gangrel. Apparently, the sect's mission of fighting the antediluvians appeals to these newbies, who speak of "sleeping horrors awaking". It could very well be that they are referring to their clan's founder, and are gearing up to fight him, or her.
Sabbat Gangrels are tight. They watch each other's back. Despite this, City and Country Gangrel often dislike each other. City G. believe that the County G. are rednecks, and Country G. believe that the City G. have turned their backs on what the Gangrel are all about. This is mostly a minor, tension based "sibling rivalry" that doesn't usually play out in violence, though.
Rules for play/RP advice: No, the Gangrel and the werewolves are NOT buddies. Maybe, and this is a strong maybe, a Garou might pause for a second before ripping the vampire to shreds if it's a Gangrel, but that's about it. Your character might have more knowledge of the Lupines than most new vampires do, if you were purposely embraced into the clan, but this knowledge is mostly knowing that they exist at all.
Lasombra: The leaders of the Sabbat, clan Lasombra are Darwinists, predators, elegant and inhuman. Firm believers in the worthy ruling and the unworthy serving, the Lasombra have maintained their traditions even as they have turned the Sabbat to their own purposes. Whether they approve or not, Clan Lasombra has changed with the times. Where once the elitist ideals saw that only those of certain lineages, ethnicities or religions were Embraced, the Clan now recruits from all walks of life. Financial influence is now increasingly important to them due to the establishment of global economy, and the Lasombra are the clan mainly responsible for bankrolling much of the Sabbat's operations in modern nights.
rules/advice: The Lasombra are generally the most power-hungry vampires in the Sabbat. They are the most likely to assume positions of leadership.
Malkavian Antitribu: The Malkavian antitribu are, if possible, even more insane than their Camarilla siblings. This is in no small part due to the brutal (un)living conditions often associated with being a member of the Sabbat. Often, the insanity that is their legacy expresses itself in more violent ways than their Camarilla counterparts. The Malkavians are often more "liberal" than any other clan. They do not really have any particular race, culture, walk of life or even personality associated with them as the other clans often do. The only thing they really have in common is their madness and insight, and not all Malkavians were insane before the Embrace. This may lead one to believe that the clan embraces willy-nilly; this can often be the case, but it's more that the reasons for bringing someone into the fold are more individualized.
Sabbat Malkavians are interested in spreading their madness, like a disease. The "plague" of Dementation that afflicted the mainstream clan, somehow, was due to the antitribu.
Formerly, the Sabbat had a hard time "controlling" this clan, with many packs locking them up and releasing them only to unleash their psychotic selves upon their foes. However, while this still often is the case, the clan at large has of late assumed a more prevalent position among the sect, many serving with distinction as soldiers, or priests, due to the famed Malkavian insight. The Malkavians have a repuation for doing whatever it takes to get the job done... at any cost.
Rules for play/advice: Malkavian players are strongly encouraged to think about how REAL severely mentally ill people act. Do they generally dress up like bunnies and kiss fish because it's KAH-RAY-ZEE? No. Your average Malkavian, even in the Sabbat, may even be able to get along fine in undead society. But something is always wrong with every member of this clan, whether it's intense paranoia, depression, hallucinations, a fervent, irrational belief or any number of things. I will penalize anyone who attempts to play a quirky, harmless "fishmalk" who acts in a "purple monkey dishwasher bacon pie cheese" manner. Of course, not every Malk, even in the Sabbat, manifests their insanity in a violent, psychotic manner, but more "benign" types of insanity need to be pulled off with convincing style and panache, and a lack of schlock. Granted, Malkavians ARE known for playing pranks on other vampires, but these pranks are usually deadly. Think more along the lines of the Joker, and less shaving cream on a car seat.
Nosferatu Antitribu: Similarily to the Assamite antis, the Nosferatu antitribu seem to be on at least cordial terms with their Camarilla counterparts. This might be due to the fact that the clan at large is oriented around paranoidly protecting themselves from whatever they believe is coming to get them. Service to the sect is secondary to making sure that ancient evils do not devour them. Of course, the fact that the Nosferatu are often only barely tolerated by the more rarified elements of the Camarilla might also play a part.
Unlike Camarilla Nosferatu, however, the Creeps of the Sabbat often revel in their hideous appearance, going out of their way to play Fright Night with mortals, and even other Cainites. In some ways, the Nosferatu embody the philosopy of accepting being a monster that the Sabbat espouses, and deal with it in a more "positive", stoic manner than the morose whiners of the Camarilla. Despite the whole "Fright Night" thing, the monsterism of the Nosferatu is often expressed in a more subtle manner, with the threat of violence being implied rather than wantonly carried out. But when push comes to shove, the Nosferatu don't hesitate.
Again, like their Camarilla counterparts, the Nosferatu of the Sabbat are information brokers par excellance. Anything and everything is known to them, and they are the best resource for the dirty little secrets of others.
The Nosferatu are devoted to the Sabbat because they greatly fear their antediluvian founder, perhaps more than any other clan. Perhaps he, or at the very least, agents of him that may exist, are the bogeyman that they fear? A wise Cainite would do well to pause and consider what kind of terror could make the despicable Nosferatu quake...
Panders: Unlike the Camarilla, locked into it's precious status quo as it is, the clanless of the Sabbat are not treated with hostility and fear. In fact, they are actually considered an equal clan, named after the tireless hero of the most recent Sabbat civil war of the 50s, Joseph Pander!
Or so the propaganda goes. In fact, while the Panders ARE treated better than the Caitiff are by the Camarilla, they still are the lowest rung of Sabbat society, looked upon with suspicion by the ruling Tzimisce and Lasombra. The clanless are, after all, considered to be a harbinger of Gehenna, and doesn't the Sabbat exist to combat the prophesized end? Accordingly, the worst, shittiest duties are invariably given to the nearest Pander at hand. However, the Panders eagerly seek acceptance in the sect, and are thankful of the sliver of respect given to them. Thusly they try to take their status with good humour, often volunteering for the duties they would have been given anyway.
Panders are usually embraced from the bottom rung of society, by accident, or by other clanless. Many of them are Camarilla Caitiff looking for something better.
Rules/advice: All clanless vampires get to choose their three "in-clan" Disciplines, these are subject to my approval, and must be from the common pool. No specialty trademark Disciplines allowed.
Ravnos Antitribu: The Ravnos are the wandering rogues of the Sabbat. Their allegiance to the sect is nominal. Not in an unfaithful way, mind you, but their overwhelming wanderlust often precludes it. They do serve well as spies and seducers, however. The original Ravnos antitribu desired to be free of the overbearing presence of their elders, the weird philosophy of their parent clan, and the insistence on pure Gypsy heritage, and found that the Sabbat was the best way of doing this.
Just like the mainstream clan, the Ravnos antitribu are consumate liars, thieves and con artists. Unlike the mainstream clan, they don't so much as disbelieve in the idea of personal property as disbelieve in the rights of others to own things. Stealing from a Ravnos antitribu, because the mainstream Ravnos don't mind, is probably a fatal idea.
Rules/advice: The Week of Nightmares didn't happen in my timeline. If you're not knowledgable about the game, it was a metaplot event that killed the Ravnos' antediluvian in the most ridiculous way possible, mostly because Justin Achilli, then VTM Developer (sort of like the RPG equivalent of a head editor) and all around cool guy, didn't like them. While there are certainly some groan-worthy elements to the clan, I don't think this means they should be entirely discarded.
Serpents of the Light: The Serpents of the Light are a heretical Setite bloodline essentially "Setite antitribu" who practice voodoun. They originated in 1960s when a group of independent Setites in Haiti formed an alliance with the newly-arrived Sabbat, ignoring orders from senior Setites to have nothing to do with the Sect. The Serpents (or "Cobras") are committed to combating the Antediluvians, and believe Set to be among their enemies; they are considered traitors by other Setites. Apart from their ideological and spiritual beliefs, however, there are no significant differences between Cobras and their parent clan: they learn the same Disciplines, and share the same weakness to light.
Essentially, the Serpents believe the same philosophy espoused by the Sabbat, but filtered through Voodoo.
rules/advice: The Serpents use corruption as a weapon just as much as the mainstream clan... but the word "corruption" without a qualifier is pretty meaningless. Think about what the Cobra in question is trying to accomplish.
Toreador Antitribu: The Toreador antitribu are the dark mirror image of their Camarilla brethren. Although they are no less beautiful then their cousins, their minds are twisted and warped, and the antitribu often lose themselves watching others suffer, much like their Camarilla siblings lose themselves watching a beautiful painting.
rules/advice: The Perverts are jerks, straight up. They enjoy watching Saw movies.
Tzimisce: If you described a Tzimisce as inhuman and sadistic, it would probably commend you for your perspicacity on the inhumanity, and then demonstrate that your mortal definition of sadism was laughably inadequate. The Tzimisce have left the human condition behind gladly, and now focus on transcending the limitations of the vampiric state. At a casual glance or a brief conversation a Tzimisce appears to be one of the more pleasant vampires. Polite, intelligent and inquisitive they seem a stark contrast to the howling Sabbat mobs or even the apparently more humane Brujah or Nosferatu. However on closer inspection it becomes clear that this is simply a mask hiding something alien and monstrous.
rules/advice: The Tzimisce are completely monstrous, relatively rare, and the spiritual heart of the Sabbat. However, not every Tzimisce is a genderless thing from an H.R. Geiger painting.
Ventrue Antitribu: In the modern nights, the Ventrue have carved out a niche as power brokers, mobster bosses, and CEOs. However, once they were undead kings. The Ventrue Antitribu remember, and they have sworn to battle endlessly to regain this divine right. They are the knights and paladins of the Sabbat, sworn to combat the Antediluvians and bring down the degenerate Camarilla. They see their Camarilla counterparts as failures, and have assumed the roles of the race of Cainites' saviors to atone for this. They believe mortals to be ignorant cattle, sufficient only for food and service to their terrible vampire lords. To accept anything less is to take the path of the disgraced Ventrue of the Camarilla, and the Sabbat Ventrue are not willing to accept that failure.
rules/advice: heh, this might be a good chance to play a vampire paladin.
