Dementation

Eerily enough, most abilities of Dementation do not seem to inflict insanity on its victims per se. Rather, it seems to catalyze madness, breaking down doors in the hidden reaches of the mind and releasing whatever it finds there. The Malkavians claim that this is because insanity is the next step in the evolution of the mind -- a necessary progression if one is to behold the truths of the universe. As such, they say, it is inherent to all minds, and evident only in the more highly evolved specimens of human or vampiric thought. Other Kindred pray the Malkavians are wrong, but find it difficult to dismiss such thoughts out of hand, particularly because Dementation works as well on vampires as it does on mortals.

Mediums and Messengers: Malkavians have a reputation for being of those who are sensitive to things that others are not. It is said that some gain strange insight, supernatural wisdom, or oracular ability.

While not a hard and fast rule as not all Malkavians are created equal, generally speaking those with more dots in Dementation (as well as Auspex) are more sensitive to such things. Though, keep in mind that this is by no means necessarily a benefit. In fact generally it's just the opposite.

Spreading Dementation: Dementation isn't so much taught as it is spread. When a non-malkavian kindred wants to learn the dementation he doesn't sit and train. Rather he simply sits with a Malkavian who already has at least one dot of the discipline, and the lunatic will break the subjects mirror.

System wise it works like this, both parties must be willing. The Malkavian spends a willpower and a vitae after touching the targets forehead, the target spends a willpower to open up his mind. Then the Malkavian rolls Wits + Dementation. If successful the target gains the first dot of Dementation and a derangement. The player of the target kindred must however have the requisite 7 XP available to purchase the first dot or the attempt fails.

Gaining more Dementation: Dementation does not increase like normal disciplines do. A kindred doesn't spend time training to get better, rather once a kindred has her first dot of dementation at random times she will have a moment of clarity. An epiphany will strike her. widening the cracks in her mirror.

When this happens she is wracked with visions and must roll to avoid gaining a derangement as well as against Frenzy. However once over, she gains a new permanent dot of Dementation. From a metagame perspective this effects the game in the following way: Dementation takes no time to learn, player can spend the required Experience Points at any time and increase her Dementation, after the epiphany.

Blood Ties: Close blood relations strengthen the use of many vampiric abilities. This counts for Dementation as well.

• Passion

The vampire may stir her victim's emotions, either heightening them to a fevered pitch or blunting them until the target is completely desensitized. The Cainite may not choose which emotion is affected, she may only amplify or dull emotions already present in the target. In this way, a vampire can turn mild irritation into frothing rage or dull true love into casual interest.

Cost: —

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Dementation - Target's Composure + Supernatural Tolerance

Action: Instant

Duration: See Below

Dramatic Failure: The power turns on the vampire for the rest of the night.

Success: The emotion is blunted or heightened.

Failure: No effect takes place, and the subject is immune to Passion for the rest of the night.

Exceptional Success: The effects of Passion is amplified and are even more likely to include mechanical effects.

The effects of passion can be subtle or dramatic. Having one's emotions dulled can cause lethargy, but could just as easily create a monster driven only by cold reason. Having one's emotions raised might seem like a good thing, but can result in some dramatically awful results: stalkings, beatings, rape, and in the case of vampires, frenzy. Passion is an extremely potent ability, but not ones whose effects are manageable predictable. Passion can sometimes have mechanical effects, increases or decreases in dice pools, or even easier/harder provocation of frenzies. Once a vampire has used passion on a target they cannot be Passioned again until the initial useage wears away.

Duration of Passion:

One Success - A Few Minutes

Two Successes - Scene

Three Successes - Night

Four Successes - Week

•• The Haunting

The vampire manipulates the sensory centers of his victim’s brain, flooding the victim’s senses with visions, sounds, scents, or feelings that aren't really there. The images, regardless of the sense to which they appeal, are only fleeting “glimpses,” barely perceptible to the victim. The vampire using Dementation cannot control what the victim perceives, but may choose which sense is affected.

The “haunting” effects occur mainly when the victim is alone, and mostly at night. They may take the form of the subject’s repressed fears, guilty memories, or anything else that the Storyteller finds dramatically appropriate. The effects are never pleasant or unobtrusive, however. The Storyteller should let her imagination run wild when describing these sensory impressions; the victim may well feel as if she is going mad, or as if the world is.

Cost: 1 Vitae

Dice Pool: Presence + Subterfuge + Dementation - Target's Composure + Supernatural Tolerance

Action: Instant

Duration: See Below

Dramatic Failure: The power turns on the vampire for the rest of the night.

Success: The Haunting takes hold.

Failure: No effect takes place, and the subject is immune to The Haunting for the rest of the night.

Exceptional Success: The effects of The Haunting is amplified, leading to more often and more drastic effects.

The precise effects are up to the Storyteller, though particularly eerie or harrowing apparitions can certainly reduce dice pools for a turn or two after the manifestation. They always come from deep within the targets subconscious, based on his Virtue, Vice, Nature, Derangements, hopes, dreams, past failures, or anxieties. Haunbts effects do not affect a target all the time, a target could go nights without feeling anything. But until the duration is up, they will always come back. The Haunting is a potent ability, but one that the vampire has no direct control over and might not even help him when he needs it. Some malkavians use this ability to force people to face truths they don't want to.

A target of the haunting can end its duration early by spending Willpower Points and rolling an extended Composure at a rate of once per week until they gain enough sucesses and spend enough Willpower equeal to the sucesses acheived on the malkavians roll.

Duration of The Haunting:

One Success - One Week

Two Successes - One Month

Three Successes - Six Months

Four Successes - One Year

••• Eyes of Chaos

This peculiar power allows the vampire to take advantage of the fractured wisdom hidden in insanity. She may scrutinize the "patterns" of a person's soul, the convolutions of a vampire's inner nature, or even random events in nature itself The Kindred with this power can discern the most well-hidden psychosis, or gain insight into a person's true self. Malkavians with this power often have (or claim to have) knowledge of the moves and counter-moves of the great Jyhad.

Fleeting clarity hides within insanity; a shattered mirror reflects more than one unbroken one. This level of Dementation is responsible for the Malkavians’ reputation of gleaning hidden truths, and their tendency to speak those truths to power. She may scrutinize the “patterns” of personal interaction or even random events in nature itself in order to reveal a hidden truth about the situation she’s in. The character need not ask a question — the patterns are obvious at even a moment’s glance.

This power may only be used when scrutinizing a complex pattern or event, such as the interactions of a vampiric court or the clash of kindred in battle. Analyzing the blood spatter flicked from one’s fingers, the spirals in a madala, or the spill of entrails to name some examples works just as well, however. Almost anything might contain some hidden insight however, no matter how trivial or meaningless. The patterns are present in most things, but are often so intricate they can keep a vampire spellbound for hours while she tries to understand their message.

Cost: 1 Vitae

Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Dementation (Penalized by the Targets Composure + Supernatural Tolerance if turned on an Individual)

Action: Instant

Dramatic Failure: The madness network surges through the kindred and they gain six derangement's for the rest of the night.

Success: Some bits of information come to the kindred, who must then parse it out.

Failure: The kindred fails to discern any patterns

Exceptional Success: An exceptional success when used to read patterns can bring greater clarity, while an exceptional success when used on a person reveals one random secret to the malkavian about the target in a cryptic fashion.

This is a potent power, subject to adjudication. Storytellers, this power is an effective way to introduce plot threads for a chronicle, reveal an overlooked clue, foreshadow important events, or communicate critical information a player seeks. Important to its use, though, is delivering the information properly. Secrets revealed via Eyes of Chaos are never simple facts; they’re tantalizing symbols adrift in a sea of madness. Describe the results of this power in terms of allegory: “The man before you appears as a crude marionette, with garish features painted in bright stage makeup, and strings vanishing up into the night sky.” Avoid stating plainly, “You learn that this ghoul is the minion of a powerful Methuselah."

If this ability is turned not upon a pattern but upon an individual then subtract their Composure + Supernatural Tolerance from the roll. If successful the kindred learns the subjects Virtue, Vice, Nature, and any Derangement's they have.

•••• Voices of Madness

By merely addressing her victims aloud, the Malkavian can drive targets into fits of blind rage or fear, forcing them to abandon reason and higher thought. Victims are plagued by hallucinations of their subconscious demons, and try to flee or destroy their hidden shames. Tragedy almost always follows in the wake of this power's use, although offending Malkavians often claim that they were merely encouraging people to act "according to their natures." Unfortunately for the vampire concerned, she runs a very real risk of falling prey to her own voice's power.

Cost: 1 Vitae

Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Dementation vs Resolve + Composure + Supernatural Tolerance

Action: Instant

Duration: Scene (or night)

Dramatic Failure: The power is turned back on the kindred and lasts until sunrise.

Success: The victim is plagued with the conditions. Lasts for the scene.

Failure: Nothing takes hold, but the intended victims know something awful just almost happened to them.

Exceptional Success: The victim is plagued with the conditions. Lasts the entire night.

Each target compares their success to the kindred's. Failure means vampires and werewolves fall into frenzy or death rage, while mortals and other supernaturals fly into an inhuman, all consuming rage. However, victims also feel a strong desire to give into derangement's they may have, as well as their vices, and in many cases this will overwhelm their rageful frenzies, or at the very least nudge their actions towards these routes. Even when successful, use of this power forces the Kindred who activates it to check versus Anger, Fear, or Hunger frenzy, whatever is most appropriate.

Modifiers:

The kindred can affect a number of targets with this ability equal to his manipulation without penalty, every target beyond that incurs a -1 to the activation pool.

••••• Total Insanity

The vampire pulls the madness from the deepest recesses of her target's mind, focusing it into an overwhelming wave of insanity. This power has driven countless victims, vampire and mortal alike, to unfortunate ends.

Cost: 1 Vitae + 1 Willpower Point

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Intimidation + Dementation - target's Composure + Supernatural Tolerance

Action: Instant

Duration: See Below

Dramatic Failure: The kindred who activated the power gains five new derangement for one week.

Success: The target gains five derangement's.

Failure: Target is immune to dementation from this kindred for the rest of the month, and immediately knows there's something wrong with the kindred.

Exceptional Success: The subject gains six derangements.

The Kindred must gain her target’s undivided attention for at least one full turn to enact this power. If the roll is successful, the victim is afflicted with five derangement's of the Storyteller’s choice. The victim (or the target of a dramatic failure) can spend a number of Willpower points equal to the successes rolled to end the duration prematurely. The Storyteller decides when such Willpower points can be spent (such as after a therapy session or after a friend has managed to prove a particular delusion to be false).

Duration of Total Insanity:

One Success - One Week

Two Successes - One Month

Three Successes - Six Months

Four Successes - One Year