From the introduction: Race Creation resembles Character Creation in that a race starts with a set amount of Vitae (the race creation version of the effort point) which the player building the race then invests in different attributes which will ultimately influence the lives of those born into that race. The mindset of race creation – however – runs on a completely different track. Where in character creation there is an unspoken competition with players vying to create the most powerful character possible for a certain intensity level, the purpose of vitae in race creation is to balance out all the different races grouped into a phyla; primarily so that no single one becomes the favorite of the game by way of its disproportionate power, thus dooming all the others to extinction through disregard.