Vampire: The Masquerade – Can a Camarilla Character Take a Sabbat Nature?

I think that feeling is perfectly normal and probably pretty common with new players. For some, it may be a comfort issue, where they aren't comfortable acting not like themselves and for others, it may be an interest issue, where they have no desire to roleplay. Now here is the thing, you don't have to roleplay every variation nor do you have to roleplay at all. I have yet to play an evil character myself. It is not something that interests me and that's okay.

Some people really enjoy roleplaying. They love to make interesting characters in their head and try to step out of themselves and really try to be that character and to them, that is what is fun. If you don't have a desire to be someone else then do not feel like you have to. Roleplaying yourself all the time is perfectly acceptable and no one should make you feel like that's not interesting. You don't have to do anything you don't want to.

Now if you genuinely are interested in trying to step outside yourself and put on the roleplaying hat but you can't figure out how to make yourself feel for the character then my advice is to take it slowly. Next time you make a character feel free to make him the same way that you normally do except pick one thing to do differently. Think of some way you may wish you act. Or something you think would be fun to do. To roleplay, you don't have to be an entirely new person from the start. Just picking something small that is different from how you yourself would behave is a great start. Maybe pick a character personality flaw that you would enjoy playing with. Some great examples are listed at https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/2jipxw/funny_player_character_flaw_ideas/

In the end, do what you want to do. Don't feel pressured to have to even roleplay at all. If you just want to be you then do it. If you want to make a grand character in your head that is nothing like you and try to emulate that person then do it. If you want to just be you but also be that guy that has to have the biggest sword in a group that is okay too.

Your answer can be found in the V20 core rulebook on page 230:

Learning a new ritual can take anywhere from a few nights (Level One ritual) to months or years (Level Five ritual). Some mystics have studied individual rituals for decades, or even centuries.

On the assumption that the final sentence is Storyteller puffery, you can presume that the number of nights is proportional to the dots of the ritual, and that whereas you might pick up a •• or ••• Ritual in a few sessions, a ••••• Ritual might take an entire Chronicle to learn.