@Groth said:
You can only lash out against Awe if you're aware it's active, which is non-obvious.
It's not easy to read into the power and discover that it can be non-obvious. Regardless, the text simply states that a vampire can lash out to "fortify" themselves against Awe, which to me means that one can lash out any time the power is brought to bear, obvious or not.
You have to successfully lash out and even those that succeed, only protect themselves. Majesty based vampires have a strong incentive to have the better lashing out die pool.
See my previous comment about folks with a higher Blood Potency. If you're the head honcho, it's fantastic. If you're not, less so. Frankly, Dominate seems far better to end a confrontation, if that's the goal.
N.B.: Some have interpreted the Lashing Out defense as causing a Condition if successful. Not sure if others feel the same way; I don't think it is entirely clear in the book whether this is the case.