Do ghouls get their master's clan flaw?

Question

I am aware of the fact, that a ghoul does not get his master's clan flaw in full, as they are not Embraced and do not possess the Beast. However, some fluff suggests that in many cases subtle changes occur in ghouled mortals and animals. Nosferatu animals are prone to mutation and are usually bigger and badder. Toreador ghouls find themselves fond of works of art.

Revenant Ghoul Families carry their own flaws, as the Bratovitch get the Brujah equivalent etc.

So how is it with the thrall ghouls? Do they get some features of their masters clan, mechanically speaking, or not? I would be specifically interested if Nosferatu ghouls suffer loss of the Appearance ability, does their appearance change considerably?

Answer 1

Ghouls that are fed for a long time, as well as those that are frequently overdosed suffer a lesser version of the clan weakness. Here comes what Ghouls: Fatal Addiction tells:

A few clans' vitae possesses contagious properties. Ghouls imbibing/injecting five or more Blood Points from certain clans must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 5) or "inherit" a lesser form of the domitor's weakness; this last until the vita has been purged (i.e., the ghoul holds fewer than five Blood Points from one clan).

I think this contradicts a little other books where ghouls inherited weaknesses last more than that overdose. But I cannot recall which books. Note that it also tells that only some clans' vitae is contagious. Let's see the given examples:

The clans for which this rule most commonly applies are: Brujah (a ghoul "pumped" on Brujah blood frenzies at difficulties equal to those of a non-Brujah vampire[*]); Malkavaian (ghoul gains a mild Derangement); Nosferatu (Appearance drops by one or two points, but no lower than 1); Ventrue (ghouls gains a marked preference for Ventrue blood, possibly endangering the domitor); Setite (ghoul develops painful [-1 to Dice Pools] rashes when in direct sunlight; furthermore, many Setites have the Addictive Blood Merit); and any Sabbat (no mandatory effect, but remember the possibility of contracting disease via Vaulderie). At the Storyteller's discretion, vitae from other clans may cause similar effects.

[*] Note that overdosed ghouls already have increased frenzy rating, so you should adjust a little here.

Why those clans? I guess because they were the ones that they could thought better mild versions of the clan's weaknesses. Anyway, one can easily imagine a mild version of any weakness, and they left room to you for coming up with your own.

Note that there is a V20 Ghouls supplement coming, and I think we will see changes to these mechanics, and even a complete list of clans and weaknesses.

As a side note, I remember a funny conversation when people tried to imagine these weaknesses applying to animal ghouls (a Ventrue dog only wanting to eat some brand of food, a Tremere antitribu bird identified as Tremere antitribu by magic users, a Gangrel cat that gains other animals features, an Assamite panther that can no longer drink Kindred blood [or addicted to it],...).

Answer 2

V20 Ghouls&Revenants supplement came out long ago now, revealing the new V20 rules. They are on pages 42-43, paragraph "Clan weakness".

...Ghouls, on the other hand, have mitigated versions of Clan weaknesses, and often these progressively worsen the longer they feed. Clan weaknesses typically take time to manifest, though, and will not be revealed until after a period of five feedings over the course of as many months, or five blood points. Assuming a ghoul has fed on her Setite domitor’s blood, for example, she will gain the Light Sensitive Flaw.

Unfortunately, ghouls permanently suffer from a Clan weakness if they subsist on a specific Clan’s vitae for twelve feedings (or twelve blood points). Typically, this reflects a period of one calendar year. At that time, the ghoul’s Clan weakness will remain as long as the ghoul feeds on any vampiric blood from that point forward. Should a ghoul be fed by more than one vampire belonging to two or more different Clans, the ghoul will suffer the Clan weakness that makes sense based on the number of feedings. Most likely, this will reflect her master’s Clan, especially if she is Bound. When a ghoul is Embraced, however, she will suffer from her sire’s Clan weakness, even if it differs from her former master’s.

Keep in mind that it is still a "mitigated version" of clan weakness. So, a Nosferatu ghoul will probably become ugly, but not as ugly as his domitor, and even that will happen after quiet long period of time. And may be easily avoided by switching domitors in case of an independent ghoul.

Revenants also get clan flaws if they drink vampiric vitae, but it never becomes permanent, they already have their own family curse.