The Predator Type is one of the new mechanics in the 5th edition of Vampire, a mostly welcome change that adds flavor to your character and determines some of your starting Abilities, Disciplines, or other stats. When I first read about them as a concept, I'll admit that I was a little put off. Why should this new rule dictate how I'm able to hunt and feed? Admittedly, I was resentful, but I didn't let it deter me from the new system. I decided to look deeper.
At it's core, Vampire is a game of personal horror. One of the things I like about the Character Creation section is that you spend time just focusing on all of the stuff that makes your character a human being, and then there's a single line in red text (on page 148) that says "And then, some monster kills you." This is indicative of the fact that (as mentioned many times before) this is not a good thing; you are not becoming a super hero with cool powers. No, your character has a much darker destiny, and the Predator Type helps you to determine what type of monster they are becoming.
I'd like to briefly talk about what they are and are not. A predator type is not a hard restriction on your character; its more like a habit or a preference that your character has developed since becoming a vampire. This may be due to your beliefs, it may be influenced by your surroundings, or any number of other things. Think of it like eating as a human. Some people develop a habit of eating fast food, some people prefer to cook their meals at home, and some people decide that they no longer want to include any meat in their diet. These people are all still capable of doing whatever else they want, but they have found their preferred method of eating.
I once had a situation come up whereby a Player Character found himself on the edge of Hunger and in a vehicle with a mortal. His Hunger ultimately got the best of him and he tore into the hapless victim, draining him of blood, killing him, and reducing his Hunger down to 0. But the player looked to me and said "If my Predator Type is Farmer, how am I able to feed on this guy? Shouldn't I go find an animal or something instead?" And on the surface, that would seem to make sense. But no, it unfortunately doesn't work that way. While the character as a thinking, feeling individual may prefer to feed on animals out of some sense of duty or morality, the Beast that every vampire carries within them has no such restrictions. And when it goes too long without being fed, it will take whatever it wants.
In the next few weeks, I'm going to be trying to explore this topic a bit further. What are your thoughts on Predator Types? Which of them speaks to you as good for making interesting characters?