The basic disciplines:
Quick pointer - the disciplines Chimestry, Quietus, Serpentis, Necromancy,
Obtenebration and Vicissitude weren't in the basic game, but are now parts
of major clans. When they were added, they got quite a mixture of different
abilities around a theme (e.g. death, shadows), rather than a coherent
in-game theme (like Obfuscate was lots of stealth, and Potence was hitting
hard). They're more of a mixture than some of the other disciplines.
Animalism - Power over animals. This can give you bonuses in combat like
Carrion Crows, or retainers who fight with you, that sort of thing. Animals
might tell you things, so you get intercept too.
Auspex - Precognition, ESP, little bits of fortune-telling etc. You know
about things as they're happening, or before they happen. This gives you
a lot of intercept, and some defensive combat, and ways of finding things
out (like Aura Reading). Telepathic Tracking is considered good to get
around Strike: Combat Ends, by continuing combat.
Celerity - Speed. The whole discipline is based around doing things quickly.
This is mostly a lot of help in combat - maneuvers, additional strikes,
presses etc. However, it has a few fun actions, and some minor bits of fun.
Psyche! is considered good to get around Strike: Combat Ends, by starting
a new combat.
Chimestry - Ravnos illusion magic. It's a mixture of different abilities
in the game, but they're often illusion based. Illusory weapons, stealth,
shadows in combat. It also has some very good "lockdown" cards, but they're
expensive - Reality and Sensory Deprivation give you great ways to really
screw with vampires so players can't use them.
Dementation - Madness. It's like Dominate (mind powers) except it's less
control of the mind, more shattering of the mind. They're sort of similar
disciplines in the game with some strong bleed and stealth options, but
Dementation goes off into ways of screwing up vampires too - say Coma,
Mind of a Child, Lunatic Eruption. The bleed and stealth are the most
potent, but trick decks sometimes use the other things. Kindred Spirits
is quite popular, because you gain pool on a successful bleed, and some
players have used this to oust backwards - oust everyone on the table going
backwards, and get the 2VP for last man standing. 2-1-1-1-0 is a table
win in a tournament.
Dominate - mind control. Probably the most powerful and most used discipline
in the game, due to some (very early) poor design choices. It bleeds, it
bounces bleeds, it gives stealth, it steals vampires, it has anti-combat
tech. More likely than any other discipline to be shoe-horned into a deck
that doesn't normally have Dominate on that clan! The bleed and bleed bounce
are both very popular, particularly because Govern the Unaligned lets you
gain pool too.
Fortitude - defensive in combat, letting you toughen yourself up against
the mightiest blows. Best known for preventing damage, but also has Freak
Drive, one of the strongest cards in the game. Freak Drive lets you untap,
to take more than one action per turn. Very, very popular for big vampires.
A big vampire with Fortitude will often get preference over a big vampire
without Fortitude, as a result. Also gives some unblockable-by-vampires
action modifiers (Daring the Dawn, Day Operation), and a strong-but-awkward
bleed card, called Force of Will.
Necromancy - death magic, dealing with ghosts, dead spirits and the like.
Has a few retainer type cards, but does a lot of dealing with dead vampires
and dead library cards. Has a popular card called Call of the Hungry Dead,
which lets you fail a block. Also has a mix of various different abilities,
a bit like Chimerstry and Animalism, where the idea is that spirits have
warned you in advance, or something similar.
Obfuscate - dealing with invisibility, cloaking, that sort of thing. In the
game, it's the best stealth discipline, but also has some combat options,
like Behind You! or Hidden Lurker, which can be quite interesting. Disguised
Weapon used to be more popular (Concealed Weapon can now do a lot of what
Disguised Weapon used to, for cheap/non-aggro weapons), but still potentially
useful. Spying Mission is well-loved for its ability to stop you bleeding
the wrong Methuselah when you've been bounced.
Obtenebration - shadow magic. Gives you quite a bit of stealth, like Obfuscate,
but has some different offensive options in combat, and a few retainers.
Potence - hitting things. Hard. Really hard. This is mostly all combat stuff
to start with, but had a few things like destroying buildings too. If you want
to hit someone, or throw things at someone, and make them go "Oof", Potence
is it. Immortal Grapple is a very popular card here to stop non-hand strikes,
such as weapons, dodge or Strike: Combat Ends. Disarm is a hot card for sending
vampires to torpor.
Presence - manipulating people's feelings, less directly than mind control.
Think of it as super, super Charisma. Offensive bleed options, though a little
weaker than Dominate. Some good defensive combat options. And very good at
passing votes - Bewitching Oration, Awe and Voter Captivation are found in
lots of vote decks. Can also do some ally stealing, and a few similar things
dealing with loyalty.
Protean - shape-changing, bestial stuff. When vampires pop claws out of their
hands, turn into wolves or bats, disappear into vapour... it's protean. In the
game, it has a lot of great combat cards. It can maneuver a lot like Celerity
(but fewer additional strikes), and instead of hitting hard like Potence, it
hits with smaller amounts of aggravated damage (which sends vampires to torpor)
with "claw" cards. Can also give you fun untaps, with Earth Meld or Carrion
Coffin/Homunculous, and has some solid defensive combat options too. Form of
Mist (dodge, or combat ends and continue action) and Flesh of Marble (prevent
all but the first damage in a combat, including aggravated at superior) are
very hot cards.
Quietus - the magic of silent death. Used by the Assamites, who are contract
killers. In game, it has vast amounts of combat options, but is usually considered
a poor alternative to some of the other combat disciplines, like Potence, Protean,
or Vicissitude. However, it has things like maneuvers, first strike, aggravated
damage, ways of screwing up vampires so they can't fight back so easily, lots
of damage, damage unpreventable by Fortitude... it sounds so nice, but just
doesn't work out so well in practise.
Serpentis - corruption and taint, based around serpents/snakes. You steal vampires
a lot, and more recently can do things to vampires you've started to corrupt, like
burning counters for extra bleed. It has a mixture of some weird combat options
(Set had a warrior caste too), and has a few bits of stealth and the like.
Thaumaturgy - blood magic. Comes from a bunch of mages who transformed themselves
into vampires. Plenty of combat options, though the more brutal cards are in the
second round (which is a poor option, usually), with some maneuvers, presses, damage,
aggravated damage, and stealing blood. Has some cute cards, like Magic of the
Smith for summoning things out of your library. Rutor's Hand is quite popular,
because it gives you an extra untap (important for big vampires). Cryptic Mission
is weak on its own, but in large numbers with weenie vampires, it can shut down
decks by removing all their blood (then burning them with Society of Leopold).
Vicissitude - a bit like Protean in shape-changing. However, think less of the
classical vampire shape changes, and more things like body sculpting, welding
two people together and the like. Some fiendish combat options - maneuvers,
Breath of the Dragon for an aggravated strike, and some good close range options
too. Also has minor bleed and stealth, and a few fun cards too. (Like Bauble.)
That's all the basics.
Weirdo disciplines:
Abombwe - an African form of Protean, a bit more rudimentary/rustic. A lot more
dealing with the beast inside vampires, dealing with frenzy. Very potent combat
options, and a few ways of stopping other people. Not many cards as yet.
Daimoinon - deals with the devil. The vampires who use this usually have pacts
with Demons (and so are Infernal), and a lot of this is dealing with hell,
damnation and the powers that demons can give you. It can give you some
permanent benefits from actions, some nice combat, but is quite miscellaneous.
Flight - ISN'T a discipline, but is often treated like one by players. But it
really isn't one. Gargoyles can fly, and this lets them benefit from that - they
can maneuver, do fun combat strategies, swoop on people from a distance, or get
stealth/intercept from their extra maneuverability.
Melpominee - musical. The Daughters of Cacophony use this. The best known card
is perhaps Choir, which lets them build up to a lot of unbounceable pool damage,
but they're quite small. Has some fun options for distracting/annoying other
vampires, and has the occasional nasty bit of combat, Siren's Lure and Death
of the Drum as cases in point.
Mytherceria - sort of changeling/fairy magic. In the game, it's a very weird mix,
some combat help, some stealth, some random tricks.
Obeah - healing and the soul. Can help you get out of some problems, can tidy up
allies who need it, rescue vampires, that sort of thing. Also has some ways of
turning soul healing into offensive options, like stealing vampires temporarily
with Spirit Marionette, or keeping things away from you with Repulsion.
Sanguinus - groups of blood brothers pool their abilities to work better alongside
each other. Very combative, but also has stealth, bleed, intercept etc. Often
involves all brothers from one circle burning a blood to add to the effect, or
granting someone else their abilities, that sort of thing.
Spiritus - Animal spirits and the spirit world. A bit shamanistic at times. Sort of
like Animalism/Protean/Abombwe, with btis from each. Some combat options, some
benefits for retainers, gaining extra blood, that sort of thing.
Temporis - time magic. Clotho's Gift gives you extra untaps, Lapse helps you stall
vampires in combat, Rewind Time lets you cancel even master cards. A lot of it lets
you screw around with odd things, so there isn't a consistent unifying theme VTES-wise.
Some very potent options, though.
Thanatosis - rotting, decaying, decomposing death. A lot of combat in the game, but
isn't always that strong. You can also play around with allies, get bits of stealth,
and do a few odd things that involve you having large amounts of spare flesh to hide
things.
Valeren- warrior magic, the more warrior counterpart of the Obeah healers. Some melee
weapon tricks, some untapping of other people, some meddling with allies, and stuff
like that. Isn't considered that strong, really, but has some potential.
Visceratika - the gargoyles' stone magic. Lots of combat options from mucking around
with throwing stone at people, or collapsing it on them, and some combat buffs from
other things.