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=Clan Malkavian=
=Clan Malkavian=


Psychologists would diagnose the children of Malkav with schizophrenia, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes all at once. - In reality, they have all of these things and none. Like the “wise madmen” of poetry their derangement stems from seeing too much of the world at once, from understanding too deeply, and feeling emotions that are too strong to bear. They self-medicate with blood, but that is just a temporary solution.
Psychologists would diagnose the children of Malkav with schizophrenia, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes all at once. - In reality, they have all of these things and none. Like the "wise madmen" of poetry their derangement stems from seeing too much of the world at once, from understanding too deeply, and feeling emotions that are too strong to bear. They self-medicate with blood, but that is just a temporary solution.


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'''''“We’re not clowns, Jeanette. We’re not here to amuse the other Kindred.”
'''''"We're not clowns, Jeanette. We're not here to amuse the other Kindred."


'''''“Baloney. We’re here to make them laugh, make them cry, make them sticky with delight or embarrassment…”
'''''"Baloney. We're here to make them laugh, make them cry, make them sticky with delight or embarrassment..."


'''''“You drag our club through the muck. Our clan! Time was, we were the Kindred the others went to for advice, foresight, strategies in times of war.”
'''''"You drag our club through the muck. Our clan! Time was, we were the Kindred the others went to for advice, foresight, strategies in times of war."


'''''“Pull that stick outta your ass, Therese. Unless you like it up there. We’ve always been jesters.”
'''''"Pull that stick outta your ass, Therese. Unless you like it up there. We've always been jesters."


'''''“Jesters in times gone by assessed the court and delivered their findings to the Prince.”
'''''"Jesters in times gone by assessed the court and delivered their findings to the Prince."


'''''“And so do we! God. You see my skirt and makeup, and just think ‘slut,’ don’t you?”
'''''"And so do we! God. You see my skirt and makeup, and just think 'slut', don't you?"


'''''“Of course. Are you not?”
'''''"Of course. Are you not?"


'''''“Yeah, but how many nuggets of gold do you think I pried from the ghoul I was screwing, the repressed warlock I loosened up, or Prince LaCroix when he was bouncing up and down on my love gun? Bang. Bang.”
'''''"Yeah, but how many nuggets of gold do you think I pried from the ghoul I was screwing, the repressed warlock I loosened up, or Prince LaCroix when he was bouncing up and down on my love gun? Bang. Bang."


'''''“You… God, you disgust me. I acquire intelligence through visions, through sampling the blood, through debate, business transaction, reading emotions, drawing out uncomfortable truths...”
'''''"You... God, you disgust me. I acquire intelligence through visions, through sampling the blood, through debate, business transaction, reading emotions, drawing out uncomfortable truths..."


'''''“You wear the suit, I wear the stockings. We’re mentally impaired as a clan, but hell, if it allows us to both lower our inhibitions and get a little dirty to do what must be done, I say bring on the personality disorders. It’s like a cocktail in my head.”
'''''"You wear the suit, I wear the stockings. We're mentally impaired as a clan, but hell, if it allows us to both lower our inhibitions and get a little dirty to do what must be done, I say bring on the personality disorders. It's like a cocktail in my head."


'''''“There is nothing wrong with me. You’re the one with the special needs.”
'''''"There is nothing wrong with me. You're the one with the special needs."


'''''“Oh, you need your daddy just as much as I do.”
'''''"Oh, you need your daddy just as much as I do."


'''''“Shut up. Shut up. For one night, could you go without mentioning that we’re all headcases and instead focus on what we accomplish?”
'''''"Shut up. Shut up. For one night, could you go without mentioning that we're all headcases and instead focus on what we accomplish?"


'''''“Sorry, sis. I guess there’s two sides to being a Malkavian. The visionary and the maniac. We’re a good team!”
'''''"Sorry, sis. I guess there's two sides to being a Malkavian. The visionary and the maniac. We're a good team!"


'''''“I hate you.”
'''''"I hate you."


'''''“You hate us.”
'''''"You hate us."


'''''“We hate us.”
'''''"We hate us."


'''''“I love you.”
'''''"I love you."


'''''“I love me too.”
'''''"I love me too."
|}
|}
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==Who Are the Malkavian==
==Who Are the Malkavian==


It has long been the misconception that few Kindred families are as disparate as the Clan of the Moon. Other clans see them and reason, “they are each mad, so why should their respective origins matter?” To the Malkavians, origins matter a great deal. Though sires may pick childer from all walks of life, age groups, ethnicities, and genders, every mortal selected for the Embrace possesses something only visible to a Malkavian.  
It has long been the misconception that few Kindred families are as disparate as the Clan of the Moon. Other clans see them and reason, "they are each mad, so why should their respective origins matter?" To the Malkavians, origins matter a great deal. Though sires may pick childer from all walks of life, age groups, ethnicities, and genders, every mortal selected for the Embrace possesses something only visible to a Malkavian.  


One of the gifts the Malkavians look for in a mortal is what they call “second sight.” If a person interprets dreams, can perceive spirits, or unerringly predicts future events, the Malkavians take notice. Such a person acts as a beacon, calling out to every member of the clan that sees them.  
One of the gifts the Malkavians look for in a mortal is what they call "second sight." If a person interprets dreams, can perceive spirits, or unerringly predicts future events, the Malkavians take notice. Such a person acts as a beacon, calling out to every member of the clan that sees them.  


Another gift revered by the Malkavians, is that of “insight.” A high level of empathy, finely-tuned knowledge of complex subject matter, or just an obsessive drive to pursue the answers to philosophical questions each appeal to the clan. As insight is often tied to profession, the clan benefts from a range of academics and doctors – especially therapists and psychologists.  
Another gift revered by the Malkavians, is that of "insight." A high level of empathy, finely-tuned knowledge of complex subject matter, or just an obsessive drive to pursue the answers to philosophical questions each appeal to the clan. As insight is often tied to profession, the clan benefts from a range of academics and doctors - especially therapists and psychologists.  


Finally, the Clan of the Moon are fascinated by the “broken” – individuals who have been changed by traumatic experiences or who were simply born slightly detached from themselves and the rest of society. To the Malkavians, they are but one gentle push away from having access to an altogether different plane of reality. Rather than treating them as burdens, the clan sees them as having great potential.  
Finally, the Clan of the Moon are fascinated by the "broken" - individuals who have been changed by traumatic experiences or who were simply born slightly detached from themselves and the rest of society. To the Malkavians, they are but one gentle push away from having access to an altogether different plane of reality. Rather than treating them as burdens, the clan sees them as having great potential.  


All Malkavians suffer mental illness following the Embrace - sometimes accentuating an existing condition, other times adding a new dimension to their instability. As if their thoughts and actions were based on otherworldly logic, there seems to be no knowing when their condition will manifest destructively or when it will offer important perspectives where such were previously lacking. As a rule, no other Kindred feels completely comfortable around a known Malkavian, often viewing them as unpredictable maniacs whose flashes of insight are rarely worth the fits of insanity.  
All Malkavians suffer mental illness following the Embrace - sometimes accentuating an existing condition, other times adding a new dimension to their instability. As if their thoughts and actions were based on otherworldly logic, there seems to be no knowing when their condition will manifest destructively or when it will offer important perspectives where such were previously lacking. As a rule, no other Kindred feels completely comfortable around a known Malkavian, often viewing them as unpredictable maniacs whose flashes of insight are rarely worth the fits of insanity.  
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Some Malkavians claim there is a common factor to their madness; that they are all psychically linked through a communal wavelength, a shared consciousness of sorts. Those who are aware of its existence refer to it as the cobweb or, more recently, the madness network.
Some Malkavians claim there is a common factor to their madness; that they are all psychically linked through a communal wavelength, a shared consciousness of sorts. Those who are aware of its existence refer to it as the cobweb or, more recently, the madness network.


===Toreador Archetypes===
===Malkavian Archetypes===


'''Influencing Presence'''
'''Influencing Presence'''


This visionary is addicted to the thrill of reinventing and presenting themselves in different ways, thriving on the attention they get through the stories they tell. They seek to influence others through words, images, or the use of their Disciplines – whether it be for the purpose of pleasure, to forget their problems, or to comply with the whispers of the cobweb. As a mortal they might have had an extended network of followers on social media or led the destructive life of the mythomaniac.
This visionary is addicted to the thrill of reinventing and presenting themselves in different ways, thriving on the attention they get through the stories they tell. They seek to influence others through words, images, or the use of their Disciplines - whether it be for the purpose of pleasure, to forget their problems, or to comply with the whispers of the cobweb. As a mortal they might have had an extended network of followers on social media or led the destructive life of the mythomaniac.


'''Medium'''
'''Medium'''


The ability to sense and register more than any other Kindred afflicts the members of Clan Malkavian with its infamous instability but it can also reward them with great insight. Some find ways to use and benefit from their curse openly without breaching the Masquerade, such as the medium who reveals fictitious or existing spirits attached to objects, areas, and individuals – to help the grieving or for personal gain.
The ability to sense and register more than any other Kindred afflicts the members of Clan Malkavian with its infamous instability but it can also reward them with great insight. Some find ways to use and benefit from their curse openly without breaching the Masquerade, such as the medium who reveals fictitious or existing spirits attached to objects, areas, and individuals - to help the grieving or for personal gain.


'''Bad Analyst'''
'''Bad Analyst'''


Some Malkavians instinctively know how to pick apart and reassemble minds, whatever state they are in. Maybe the analyst was a therapist in life, excelling in helping others through personal crises. Or maybe they use the experiences of their own agonized psyche as a guiding light, prying open the minds of their patients and victims with the purpose of finally healing themselves. The analyst is respected as well as feared for their ability to travel the labyrinth of the mind – and trap another inside it.
Some Malkavians instinctively know how to pick apart and reassemble minds, whatever state they are in. Maybe the analyst was a therapist in life, excelling in helping others through personal crises. Or maybe they use the experiences of their own agonized psyche as a guiding light, prying open the minds of their patients and victims with the purpose of finally healing themselves. The analyst is respected as well as feared for their ability to travel the labyrinth of the mind - and trap another inside it.


'''Fanatic'''
'''Fanatic'''
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===Auspex===
===Auspex===
[[Auspex]]: Toreador are ever on the hunt for exquisite experiences and use Auspex to identify the most susceptible vessels and those who might, through their feelings and temperament, offer new tastes and sensations to the drinker during the feed. Toreador also frequently use the Discipline on other Kindred, catering to their desires or antagonizing them with truths they should not know.
[[Auspex]]: Malkavians use Auspex to enhance their senses, strengthening their sight or hearing to a supernatural level, or to determine a mortal's fears, illusions, and mental weaknesses, so they can play on them horribly as they prepare to feed. Many a Malkavian has persuaded a vessel to "tell them all about it," before draining their weeping victim not ten minutes later.


===Celerity===
===Dominate===
[[Celerity]]: The Toreador claim they are not combatants, but few move as swiftly as the degenerate using Celerity to cut an opponent to ribbons before they have even had time to draw their weapon. Toreador often use Celerity to enhance artistic or performative skills. In feeding, they use the Discipline to take what they need from a vessel and vanish before the mortal realizes the truth of what has occurred.
[[Dominate]]: Some Malkavians use Dominate to lift all distractions from a victim's mind, completely enthralling them; others use the Discipline to draw forth or inflict psychoses, through the infamous variant known as Dementation. While some do it mainly for the sake of experimentation, getting into a mortal's head and convincing them that they want to give up their blood greatly assists the clan in surviving night to night.


===Presence===
===Obfuscate===
[[Presence]]: The Toreador master the Discipline of Presence, often using it in concert with Auspex to manipulate the emotions of Kindred and kine. Presence can guarantee an appreciative audience or cause the failure of another artist. Some Toreador will use the Discipline to indulge in carnal pleasures with an unnaturally enthusiastic partner or to lure a vessel into their arms and under their fangs. The members of the clan adore willing vessels, even if the willingness is a supernaturally induced façade.
[[Obfuscate]]: The Malkavians do not advertise their use of Obfuscate, conveniently allowing many Kindred to forget they even have access to this Discipline. What they use it for differs vastly. While some Malkavians might want to observe the court from secluded corners or play tricks on their prince, others secrete themselves in the houses, wards, and care homes of the kine, watching the sleeping faces before discreetly feeding.


==Bane==
==Bane==


Toreador exemplify the old saying that art in the blood takes strange forms. They desire beauty so intensely that they suffer in its absence.  
Afflicted by their lineage, all Malkavians are cursed with at least one type of mental derangement. Depending on their history and the state of their mind at death, they may experience delusions, visions of terrible clarity, or something entirely different.


'''While your character finds itself in less than beautiful surroundings, lose the equivalent of their Bane Severity in dice from dice pools to use Disciplines.
'''When the Malkavian suffers a Bestial Failure or a Compulsion, their curse comes to the fore. Suffer a penalty equal to your character's Bane Severity to one category of dice pools (Physical, Social, or Mental) for the entire scene. This is in addition to any penalties incurred by Compulsions


The Storyteller decides specifically how the beauty or ugliness of the Toreador’s environment (including clothing, blood dolls, etc.) penalizes them, based on the character’s aesthetics. That said, even devotees of the Ashcan School never find normal streets perfectly beautiful. This obsession with aesthetics also causes divas to lose themselves in moments of beauty and a bestial failure often results in a rapt trance, as detailed in the Compulsion rules.
You and the Storyteller decide the type of penalty and the exact nature of the character's affliction during character creation.


==Pics==
==Pics==

Latest revision as of 11:00, 19 March 2024

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Clan Malkavian[edit]

Psychologists would diagnose the children of Malkav with schizophrenia, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes all at once. - In reality, they have all of these things and none. Like the "wise madmen" of poetry their derangement stems from seeing too much of the world at once, from understanding too deeply, and feeling emotions that are too strong to bear. They self-medicate with blood, but that is just a temporary solution.

"We're not clowns, Jeanette. We're not here to amuse the other Kindred."

"Baloney. We're here to make them laugh, make them cry, make them sticky with delight or embarrassment..."

"You drag our club through the muck. Our clan! Time was, we were the Kindred the others went to for advice, foresight, strategies in times of war."

"Pull that stick outta your ass, Therese. Unless you like it up there. We've always been jesters."

"Jesters in times gone by assessed the court and delivered their findings to the Prince."

"And so do we! God. You see my skirt and makeup, and just think 'slut', don't you?"

"Of course. Are you not?"

"Yeah, but how many nuggets of gold do you think I pried from the ghoul I was screwing, the repressed warlock I loosened up, or Prince LaCroix when he was bouncing up and down on my love gun? Bang. Bang."

"You... God, you disgust me. I acquire intelligence through visions, through sampling the blood, through debate, business transaction, reading emotions, drawing out uncomfortable truths..."

"You wear the suit, I wear the stockings. We're mentally impaired as a clan, but hell, if it allows us to both lower our inhibitions and get a little dirty to do what must be done, I say bring on the personality disorders. It's like a cocktail in my head."

"There is nothing wrong with me. You're the one with the special needs."

"Oh, you need your daddy just as much as I do."

"Shut up. Shut up. For one night, could you go without mentioning that we're all headcases and instead focus on what we accomplish?"

"Sorry, sis. I guess there's two sides to being a Malkavian. The visionary and the maniac. We're a good team!"

"I hate you."

"You hate us."

"We hate us."

"I love you."

"I love me too."

Who Are the Malkavian[edit]

It has long been the misconception that few Kindred families are as disparate as the Clan of the Moon. Other clans see them and reason, "they are each mad, so why should their respective origins matter?" To the Malkavians, origins matter a great deal. Though sires may pick childer from all walks of life, age groups, ethnicities, and genders, every mortal selected for the Embrace possesses something only visible to a Malkavian.

One of the gifts the Malkavians look for in a mortal is what they call "second sight." If a person interprets dreams, can perceive spirits, or unerringly predicts future events, the Malkavians take notice. Such a person acts as a beacon, calling out to every member of the clan that sees them.

Another gift revered by the Malkavians, is that of "insight." A high level of empathy, finely-tuned knowledge of complex subject matter, or just an obsessive drive to pursue the answers to philosophical questions each appeal to the clan. As insight is often tied to profession, the clan benefts from a range of academics and doctors - especially therapists and psychologists.

Finally, the Clan of the Moon are fascinated by the "broken" - individuals who have been changed by traumatic experiences or who were simply born slightly detached from themselves and the rest of society. To the Malkavians, they are but one gentle push away from having access to an altogether different plane of reality. Rather than treating them as burdens, the clan sees them as having great potential.

All Malkavians suffer mental illness following the Embrace - sometimes accentuating an existing condition, other times adding a new dimension to their instability. As if their thoughts and actions were based on otherworldly logic, there seems to be no knowing when their condition will manifest destructively or when it will offer important perspectives where such were previously lacking. As a rule, no other Kindred feels completely comfortable around a known Malkavian, often viewing them as unpredictable maniacs whose flashes of insight are rarely worth the fits of insanity.

Some Malkavians claim there is a common factor to their madness; that they are all psychically linked through a communal wavelength, a shared consciousness of sorts. Those who are aware of its existence refer to it as the cobweb or, more recently, the madness network.

Malkavian Archetypes[edit]

Influencing Presence

This visionary is addicted to the thrill of reinventing and presenting themselves in different ways, thriving on the attention they get through the stories they tell. They seek to influence others through words, images, or the use of their Disciplines - whether it be for the purpose of pleasure, to forget their problems, or to comply with the whispers of the cobweb. As a mortal they might have had an extended network of followers on social media or led the destructive life of the mythomaniac.

Medium

The ability to sense and register more than any other Kindred afflicts the members of Clan Malkavian with its infamous instability but it can also reward them with great insight. Some find ways to use and benefit from their curse openly without breaching the Masquerade, such as the medium who reveals fictitious or existing spirits attached to objects, areas, and individuals - to help the grieving or for personal gain.

Bad Analyst

Some Malkavians instinctively know how to pick apart and reassemble minds, whatever state they are in. Maybe the analyst was a therapist in life, excelling in helping others through personal crises. Or maybe they use the experiences of their own agonized psyche as a guiding light, prying open the minds of their patients and victims with the purpose of finally healing themselves. The analyst is respected as well as feared for their ability to travel the labyrinth of the mind - and trap another inside it.

Fanatic

Malkavians are prone to fanaticism fuelled by mental instability. Fanatics each have one purpose that consumes most of their existence. This could be anything from a strong religious or political convictions to an immense passion for detective novels or 9/11 conspiracy theories. Devoted to this one passion, it is safe to say the fanatic knows almost all the details and information there is to obtain about it.

Pure Blood Addict

Defined by bizarre insight and fringe beliefs, many Malkavians feel that certain blood calms their symptoms or derangements. For the blood addict, this has become a constant goal and all they think of. In life, they abused prescription drugs, had hypochondria, or was perhaps a gourmand, and now they cannot help but drink and drink until the gnawing noises quiet down or the anxiety lessens. They know which vessels to pick to obtain the best, most filling blood, and they take every meal seriously.

Disciplines[edit]

Auspex[edit]

Auspex: Malkavians use Auspex to enhance their senses, strengthening their sight or hearing to a supernatural level, or to determine a mortal's fears, illusions, and mental weaknesses, so they can play on them horribly as they prepare to feed. Many a Malkavian has persuaded a vessel to "tell them all about it," before draining their weeping victim not ten minutes later.

Dominate[edit]

Dominate: Some Malkavians use Dominate to lift all distractions from a victim's mind, completely enthralling them; others use the Discipline to draw forth or inflict psychoses, through the infamous variant known as Dementation. While some do it mainly for the sake of experimentation, getting into a mortal's head and convincing them that they want to give up their blood greatly assists the clan in surviving night to night.

Obfuscate[edit]

Obfuscate: The Malkavians do not advertise their use of Obfuscate, conveniently allowing many Kindred to forget they even have access to this Discipline. What they use it for differs vastly. While some Malkavians might want to observe the court from secluded corners or play tricks on their prince, others secrete themselves in the houses, wards, and care homes of the kine, watching the sleeping faces before discreetly feeding.

Bane[edit]

Afflicted by their lineage, all Malkavians are cursed with at least one type of mental derangement. Depending on their history and the state of their mind at death, they may experience delusions, visions of terrible clarity, or something entirely different.

When the Malkavian suffers a Bestial Failure or a Compulsion, their curse comes to the fore. Suffer a penalty equal to your character's Bane Severity to one category of dice pools (Physical, Social, or Mental) for the entire scene. This is in addition to any penalties incurred by Compulsions

You and the Storyteller decide the type of penalty and the exact nature of the character's affliction during character creation.

Pics[edit]

Clans
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