The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

21:12 Sep 03 2005
Times Read: 589

The vampire is profoundly alienated from other living things, as we in modern times feel alienated from our own societies

18:11 Sep 03 2005
Times Read: 592




Eleven Common Misconceptions About Malkavians







1. Malkavians are wacky, fun-loving, silly pranksters.

Although this stereotype is often derided by experienced roleplayers, it remains a common sight in many games. I still can't fathom where players could get the idea that insanity is something fun and zany. Dubbed "fishmalks" or "crayon eaters", such flat characters serve little purpose in the game. Avoid them.





2. Well-played Malkavians must be scary psychopaths.

The first law: for every common misconception, there is an equal and opposite misconception. Nobody wants to be mistaken for a silly Malkavian, so everyone decides that they will be scary. Ooh. While there's certainly nothing wrong with a frightening Malkavian character, being mindlessly violent for its own sake is just as inane as being mindlessly silly. The dangerously insane aren't the ones who go around with straight razors, advertising their "scariness".





3. Malkavians stick together as a clan.

While all clans have different sorts of internal structures, the Malkavians have one which is beyond normal comprehension. In a clan of maniacs, don't expect anyone to consistently agree with you or support you. Popularity of viewpoints shifts rapidly, and the elders often sit back and watch. While the innate connection of the Madness Network does grant them a fundamental link, it does not make them friends or allies.





5. Dementation is what makes Malkavians dangerous.

Presumably, proponents of this fallacy believe the clan was relatively harmless before 1999. No, disciplines don't make the Malkavian. Dementation is a tool, but the danger comes from within the lunatic's mind. The unpredictable and often inscrutable nature of a maniac's throughts are what makes her truly frightening to those who are locked within their own static worlds.





6. Malkavians are all delusional.

We've all seen a Malkavian who thinks he's a superhero, or a TV announcer, or Jesus. Such concepts should be extreme rarities- after all, it's hard to maintain the masquerade if you go around telling people you're King Arthur. A large portion of the clan is not actively delusional. There are several other kinds of psychoses. Strive for originality in your character's derangement, rather than resorting to the old chestnut of, "My character thinks that..."





7. Malkavians converse through the MMN.

In truth, the Malkavian Madness Network is more like a dream than an IRC channel. It's not a particularly good way to exchange greetings or information. Visions from the MMN tend to be highly metaphorical and abstract. Although it is often used to meet clanmates, memories and understanding from the MMN are frequently hazy.





8. A good Malkavian prank should be humorous and dangerous.

Wrong on both counts. Neither wackiness nor deadliness is important, or even necessary, for a good prank. The purpose of pranking is to educate others. This doesn't mean to "teach them a lesson". Rather it involves actually changing others' perceptions, and causing them to question their own thoughts and beliefs. That is the measure of true pranking.





9. Well-played insanity should be apparent to others.

Having seen the raving loons win outstanding roleplaying nominations, many new Malkavian players assume that to roleplay insanity well, they must cause others to notice how insane they are. This is a mistake. Older Malkavians are often painfully aware of their derangement, and may choose not to display it if they can avoid doing so. Even in neonates, madness is often subtle in its effect on behavior and thought, and need not be glaringly obvious.





10. Insanity can be used to justify any action.

Ever heard someone say, "Of course my character would do . He's _insane_!" Yeah, me too. This is weak roleplaying. There is no "doing stuff for no reason" derangement. In fact, the apparently irrational actions of a lunatic are often for reasons which make perfect sense- from an unusual perspective. Madness does not grant you freedom from having to think when you roleplay.





Anonymous

16:55 Sep 03 2005
Times Read: 596






At first glance, the members of clan Malkavian do not appear to be a clan at all; they are chosen from all races, creeds and social strata. But Malkavians, regardless of moral standing, bear one disturbing commonality: They are all quite mad. Whether from the clans choice of victims,circumstances of the Embrace, or some property in Malkavian blood itself, all Malkavians go insane shortly after the transformation (if they were not insane to begin with.



Accordingly, many Malkavians find themselves pariahs, ostracised by a vampiric society fearful of their random urges and capricious whims. Wiser kindred, however, prefer to keep the madmen close at hand: behind the Malkavians lunatic cackling and feverish rantings lie smatterings of insight, even wisdom.



Aptitude: +1 with trickery. When attempting to deceive (or avoid being deceived), a Malkavian may add one die to all appropriate rolls.



Advantage: Lunatics insight. Once per story, the Malkavian may make a mental roll (difficulty 4): if they succeed, they may ask the Storyteller one yes-or-no question about the current situation, which must be answered truthfully.



Weakness: mad Fits. At the beginning of the game session, the storyteller rolls a six sided die. the number rolled is the number of times they may ask the Malkavian's player to make a psychic roll (difficulty 4). The Storyteller may call for this roll at any time. If the player fails, the Malkavian falls into a gibbering, frothing fit for one turn. While in fit, the Malkavian may do nothing except writhe, babble, and twitch; they may not even defend themselves in combat.



Clan Disciplines: Auspex, dominate, Obfuscate.

16:50 Sep 03 2005
Times Read: 597

~Malkavians~





"Ha! You demand order, expect hierarchy? Yes. It's there, milord. In the cracks, milord. But can you look on it without tearing out your eyes?"



Vampires are not easily frightened. They have already conquered death, and the weaknesses of their mortal selves are long gone. But the Cainites of Clan Malkavian worry even the boldest Brujah or most jaded Tzimisce, for wherever they walk, the stale stench of madness follows.



Most consider madness to be some sort of curse from God (or mark of the Devil), rather than an illness. In the case of the Malkavians, Cainite lore hints that they might be right. In the old days, or so some of the mad ones claim, Malkav was one of the favored childer of Caine, Caine sought wisdom in the dark corners of the world, and his progeny mimicked him. But it was neither Saulot, nor Brujah, nor even Cappadocius who eventually found the secrets that Caine sought. Malkav brought wisdom to his sire, and Caine blessed the childe and his line with the liberating gift of insanity.



Clan Malkavian seems to be the most incoherent bloodline of vampires. Gently deluded souls and slavering psychotics are found in equal numbers, and they are but a taste of the diversity characterizing Malkav's get. If not for the common trait of insanity, they would scarcely seem a clan at all. But the other clans have no choice but to acknowledge them. Malkavian oracles have been part of vampiric courts for generations, and even the Lasombra and Ventrue, if they seek information, will sup with the Malkavians – with a long spoon.



The Malkavian Antitribu are truly touched by chaos. The Creation Rites warp them beyond even "normal" Malkavian standards. However, thanks to the Vaulderie, the Sabbat can control them better than the Camarilla.



Malkavians of the Sabbat are very disturbing to other sect members. They know things about others in and out of the Sabbat that they should not know. Their leaders take great care in watching and manipulating them. No Malkavian Antitribu lead the Sabbat in times of peace, though many have been successful leaders in times of Jyhad. Their loyalty is typically Malkavian. They are fanatically loyal one day and completely disinterested the next. They cannot be depended on but, when they are willing to serve the Sabbat, they are extremely fierce in their effort.



Some question whether the Malkavian Antitribu are as crazy as they seem. They can be very sly and knowledgeable, and they move about in Camarilla-held territory more freely than any of the others within the Sabbat. If they were more dependable, they would be the best possible spies.



Nickname: Freaks



Appearance: Malkavians could be anyone, anywhere. For every tattered village idiot clutching at imaginary butterflies, there is a normal-seeming person whose insanity visibly manifests only at the most dangerous times. Few of them really seem to notice or care how they dress. Some appear almost normal, while others are so outlandish as to be immediately recognizable as Malkavians.



Background: The Madmen tend to Embrace those who are close to death, the hopelessly insane, or the unusually enlightened. Typically, they choose neonates who would be somehow "bettered" by induction into Clan Malkavian, or who show useful and progressive insight. They really have no recognizable preference for any particular type of individual.



Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dementation, Obfuscate

16:46 Sep 03 2005
Times Read: 599

Even other Damned fear the Malkavians. The cursed blood of their clan has polluted their minds, with the result that every last Malkavian across the world is incurably insane. What's worse, a Malkavian's madness can take nearly any form, from overpowering homicidal tendencies to near-catatonia. In many cases, there's no way to tell a Malkavian apart from the "sane" members of other clans. Those few whose psychoses are immediately obvious are among the most terrifying vampires to stalk the streets.

MALKAVIAN'S WORD
16:46 Sep 03 2005
Times Read: 600

In the singing, shattered midnight

By the coral sands of time

Through the bloody gates of heaven

Past the sentries in my mind



Bring about the change so quickly

Bring about the terror's night

Bring about tbe blood of lovers

Bring about the smell of fright



I see you watching where I walk

Through the moonlit jasmine field

Listen closely as I talk

About the stars and their lovers past

Past fields of poppies burning bright

Into towers of Blackened Bone

Follow me, Bastard of Caine,

Come with me. I have no home.



As I drain your life's blood sweetly

As you sigh into my warm hands

As I suck your madness neatly

Streaming down like crimson bands



I dance the dance of the fool

And pray you find me mad

For if you lay hands upon the root

You'll know me, without illusion

And find me guilty of the truth