Melee and ranged weapons exist in equal numbers, although only in the later stages of the game. A multitude of items, weapons, and books can be found or purchased to make the player character even more powerful.
The player character increases in power dramatically during the course of the game through the expenditure of earned experience points on attributes, skills, and vampire abilities called 'Disciplines'.
For example, the ability to move silently and avoid being detected is heavily influenced by the character's Dexterity and Stealth ratings however, if the player does not stay in the shadows while sneaking past enemies, the character can still be detected. The player character's ability to overcome obstacles is in many cases a mixture of player and character abilities, with character stats determining the effectiveness of actions, and player abilities determining whether or not the actions succeed. Bloodlines is a role-playing game with the choice between first person and third-person perspectives.
