Herd

In both Vampire: The Masquerade and Vampire: The Requiem, a Herd is a group of mortals that allow a certain vampire to feed upon them. The exact nature of any given herd varies from vampire to vampire, although some of them might be ghouls (and, in VtR, many would likely be suffering from blood addiction). Some vampires creature cults around themselves, while others use connections within the medical community to gain access to easy sources of blood. In the modern nights, many herds draw from the throng of blood dolls that accumulate in the wake of Kindred activity.

In VtM, Herd is a Background; in VtR, Herd is a Merit. By default, it is assumed that all members of a vampire's herd are standard mortals or wholly unexceptional ghouls. Any of them that happen to be exceptional would be mechanically treated as Retainers or even Allies, even if they would be considered part of their master's herd by other Kindred.