By Jay Knioum (madafro@aol.com) for the Modi bloodline
The irony of this discipline lies in its practitioners: the Modi. A clan that traces its roots to mortals with the ability to fly into a mindless rage, has developed a discipline by actually gaining a measure of control over their Beasts.
It must be noted that the heart and soul of Berserkergang is Frenzy. To use this Discipline, the vampire must voluntarily enter this state. While Berserkergang offers some measure of control during this time, and actually augments the benefits Frenzy offers, it is by no means a clean, pretty process. Berserkergang only focuses the rage, it does not diminish it in the slightest. Under Berserkergang, the vampire is just as likely to tear out a friend's throat as he would be under Frenzy.
A vampire with Berserkergang can opt to enter Frenzy at any time. This is easier, however, if there is some sort of stimulus to provide a catalyst. The roll to do this is almost an opposite to regular Frenzy rolls, in which the object is to resist the state.
To enter a Berserk Frenzy or "Berserkergang" (which allows the use of this Discipline), the vampire rolls her Willpower against a variable difficulty given below. Even one success indicates that the vampire has exploded into rage, and now any Berserkergang powers may be used. A botch indicates an uncontrolled Frenzy, and follows the normal rules and conditions therefore.
| Stimulus | Difficulty |
| No Stimulus | 8 |
| Being bullied | 6 |
| Life threatened | 6 |
| Taunted | 6 |
| Provoked into anger | 5 |
| Under attack | 4 |
| Lover in danger | 4 |
| Outright humiliation | 3 |
Finally, a Modi entering Berserkergang (called the 'gang in recent days) is not a pretty sight. In order to work herself up into a killing rage, the vampire will gnaw on weapons, nearby objects, or even her own hand. She will spit, curse, scream, growl, stomp, howl, and cry red tears. When the 'gang is called, it is brutal and furious. The vampire will become a killing machine with seemingly no thought or reason.
There is thought there, but it is overridden with emotion. There is reason, but only toward iron determination. Berserkergang is called for only one reason: to kill. Thus, to kill will be the one, the only thought in a 'ganging vampire's mind.
In summary, Berserkergang is a voluntary frenzy-like state in which the vampire focuses her rage toward a single purpose, and this focus allows some measure of control. True Frenzy, on the other hand, is unfocused; and the normal rules for Frenzy apply. True Frenzy does not allow usage of any Berserkergang powers.
System: Upon declaring that her character is entering Berserkergang, the vampire's player must also declare a Task to the Storyteller, either out loud or in secret. The Task is the focus for the vampire's rage. Usually, a Task is along the lines of: "Kill these lupines who are attacking me," or "protect my childe." Through the run of the scene, the Berserking vampire may control all of her actions, as long as they are performed in the interests of the Task. To do anything else requires expenditure of a Willpower Point.
This differs from True Frenzy in that, during Frenzy, a vampire may not control her actions at all without spending Willpower, save for attacking whatever is nearby and draining it of blood. Norns' Shackles, in contrast, allows the vampire to control her Frenzy without cost as long as it is used toward a stated goal.
However, the Task and the vampire's Willpower are the only things keeping a true Frenzy at bay. If the Task is somehow compromised or made impossible, the vampire will completely lose it and enter True Frenzy, unless she spends a Willpower point and scores at least one success on a Self-Control roll (diff 8). If this is failed, or the vampire just succumbs to the Frenzy, it will proceed under normal rules.
Finally, it must be noted that the Task is the paramount issue in the Berserker's mind during the 'gang's course. Friends, lovers, allies, and innocent bystanders will be utterly destroyed if they stand in the way of the Task. During Berserkergang, Nature and Demeanor mean absolutely nothing; they are completely replaced by the killing rage and the Task. If a player does not role-play this accurately, and has her Berserk vampire sidestep those who she should just mow down in the course of her rage, the Storyteller is free to subtract Willpower from the character; she must be spending it, after all.
System: The Berserking vampire spends a Blood Point and howls into the night, a process that takes a turn. The vampire then rolls Charisma against a difficulty of 6. Success indicates that the weapon, no matter what it is, will do aggravated damage for the duration of the Berserkergang.
System: Once the vampire is wounded to Incapacitated, she may spend a Willpower point to "ignore" any subsequent wound levels she receives, on a one-for-one basis. This applies even to aggravated wounds. The wounds are not soaked, but as long as the vampire has Willpower points to spend, she will not notice the wounds at all, until the Berserkergang fades. Once this happens, the wounds hit the vampire full force, and she will likely enter torpor.
Of course, this power does not cancel out obvious physical limitations brought on by injuries. If a vampire's legs are torn off, he can't run, whether or not he feels the pain.
System: To use Feat of Beo, the vampire's player must declare the action she is trying to accomplish. The vampire then spends three Blood Points and rolls her Willpower against a variable difficulty. Each success will add one die to all Physical Attribute rolls she makes in accomplishing the action. If a botch is rolled, the vampire's effort either fails miserably or succeeds too well, causing horrible consequences (Storyteller's choice).
The difficulty depends on the urgency of the task, and the vampire's determination to accomplish it. The difficulty will be between 4 and 9, and is otherwise up to the Storyteller. The guideline here is to not let a Modi use Feat of Beo for something trivial, such as a regular attack, but for something grandiose or epic. Such things should earn lower difficulties, especially if it's a "last ditch" effort to accomplish a goal. One example could be an enraged Modi who uses the Feat to tear a phone pole from the ground and hurl it into the escaping Learjet containing her enemies.
As for how many actions are affected by the Feat, the Storyteller should also decide, although it shouldn't be more than three turns' worth at the most. Whatever it takes to perform (or fail to perform) an immediate goal is the province of the Feat. Whereas an entire battle wouldn't be covered under one usage of this power, cutting a swath through faceless ghouls to reach the Prince would be.
The Modi themselves shudder when they think about this power in their lucid moments, for it reputedly calls to the Midgard Serpent itself. In fact, the effects of the Beast of War are so potent that it usually leaves the host vampire in a shambles with a derangement to show for it. No Modi who ever used this level of Berserkergang has ever come away completely sane.
Get of Fenris Theurges have discovered long ago what the Modi haven't yet; that the Midgard Serpent is another name for Beast-Of-War, the Calamity aspect of the Wyrm. In essence, the Modi are making themselves unliving vessels of destruction for this dark facet.
A Modi who has become the Beast of War is a terrible sight even for the eldest Kindred. The vampire grows in size, and gains monstrous features, jagged teeth, long claws and thick, corded muscles. After the transformation, she bears only the slightest resemblance to her true self, and this change is reflected in her mind as well. At this stage, all thoughts of the Task are thrown asunder, and the Modi cares for nothing but destroying utterly everything in sight.
The Beast of War has the following stats and abilities, in addition to the other benefits of a frenzy:
In addition, the Beast of War may make use of all other Berserkergang powers while in this state, as well as any other Disciplines that augment the vampire's physical power (Celerity, Potence, Fortitude, etc.).
System: To invite the Beast of War, the vampire burns five Blood Points and immediately makes a Self-Control roll against a difficulty of 9. Failure to achieve any successes means that the vampire has fully succumbed to the Beast of War, and begins to kill or destroy anything around him. All creatures are seen as enemies, and no obstacle is a deterrent. Any successes scored on the roll indicate the number of actions per turn that the vampire may exert some control over. These actions may be used to rein in an attack against a loved one, etc.
Once Beast of War fades (it lasts for the duration of the Berserk), the vampire must make a Wits roll against a difficulty of 9. Failure to achieve successes indicates the vampire is inflicted with a Derangement. A Botch indicates not only a Derangement, but the vampire immediately enters torpor, which will last until the next dusk.
System: To invoke the Ballad, the Berserk vampire must spend a Willpower point to rein in her frenzy just enough to howl her fury to the elemental forces which surround her. The effect will vary according to the surroundings, and according to the number of successes the vampire scores on a Charisma + Courage roll, difficulty of 6 (outdoors) or 8 (indoors).
The surrounding elements of wind, flame, earth, and water will respond by erupting into chaos. Earthquakes will start. Howling storms and tornadoes will blast forth from nowhere. Any flames present will shoot upward into bonfires, and all water will churn and heave against anything which contains it.
Any creature caught in the area of the Ballad's effect will suffer damage dice (only aggravated in the case of fire, or special circumstances; such as an earthquake erupting on holy ground) equal to the vampire's successes every turn. This damage may be soaked, but not dodged.
The number of successes also determines the area of effect. Consult the chart below for this information. The area is always centered on the Berserker, who cannot move during the Ballad. On the same note, the Storyteller is advised to require various rolls for anyone caught in a Ballad's effect of more than 5 Successes to remain standing or out of danger. These rolls should be more difficult with more powerful effects, obviously. As the Ballad is sung, the earth may crack open, buildings may topple, debris or even cars, dumpsters, etc. may be propelled by high winds.
The Berserker may not control the chaos in any way. In fact, the vampire may only stand in place and scream into the winds and does not take notice of any of her surroundings during the upheaval. Interestingly, the Berserker and anyone she may have extremely close to her (as if in an embrace or hold), remain unharmed by the chaos.
After the Ballad's fury has run its course (duration is determined by the Storyteller, but the more successes scored, the longer it lasts. A rule of thumb could be a turn or two for one success to almost all night for ten), the singer will find herself without a number of Blood Points equal to her Successes. The Ballad exacts a heavy toll in the form of vitae, and the Berserker may yet enter True Frenzy out of hunger.
To end the Ballad before it runs its course, the Berserker must wrench herself from her own rage, not an easy task at best. The vampire must either score three or more successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the Ballad's power, as in the chart above), or spend a Willpower point. Once ended, though, the vampire has temporarily lost her Berserkergang, and may not enter the state again that night.
When sending out a Call to War, a Modi must enter a trance-like state in which she shuts the world out completely utters a call to all Modi. The call varies among individuals; some Modi may climb to a mountaintop and bellow their Call to the winds, while others may sit alone in a dark room and quietly chant a plea to her kinsmen.
Whatever the method, the result follows the same pattern. One, several, or all Modi within an area dictated by the summoner's Call to War rating will feel an urge to travel to the summoner's side. They will not know who is summoning, nor will they know where the Call is coming from; they will only feel an urge to travel in a certain direction. They will know the Caller when they see her, however.
System: The Modi spends almost an entire night putting out the Call to War. During this time, she rolls her Call rating against a variable difficulty, depending on the state of the region in which she makes her Call. In a peaceful, controlled region like Canada, for instance, the difficulty would be 9. In a war-torn country where Modi would reasonably flock, it would be about 6. Consult the chart below for a rough estimate results, but please remember that the Call will only be answered if any Modi are within the region.
| Successes | Area Covered | Number of responses |
| 1 | Several miles | A single Modi answers the call. |
| 2 | Six miles | Up to three Modi respond. |
| 3 | Fifteen miles | Up to eight Modi respond. |
| 4 | 100 miles | Up to 20 Modi respond. |
| 5+ | 500 miles | All Modi in the area respond. |
Modi who answer the Call will still have to travel the distance involved. Once they have arrived, the rest is up to the Caller in question. Modi are not a patient or forgiving lot, and will resent being Called to War for trivial reasons, a resentment the Caller will likely not survive.
Call to War is used rarely, and only for purposes of conflict. Modi are usually willing to fight for any or no reason, but that doesn't mean they like their time wasted. Appropriate reasons to Call to War include staging/routing an invasion of a city, dethroning a sitting prince by force, purging a city/region of Anarchs, etc.
It is important to note that the one who initiates the Call to War is not necessarily in command of those who respond. That honor depends on the leadership of the Calling vampire, or her ability to beat the respondents into submission. It is not unheard of for such a horde to end up under the command of one of the respondents, which may change the whole purpose behind the gathering. Call to War only summons Modi, it does not grant power over them.
Repeated Calls usually don't work very well. Modi that respond to the first Call are likely the only ones in the immediate area who wish to do so; further Calls at that point will do little good. Kind Storytellers may wish to simply add 1 to the difficulties for each subsequent Call.
Lastly, Call to War is a double-edged sword, so to speak. Player-character Modi can just as easily be summoned by another Modi's Call. This can be a marvelous springboard for storylines, but may get the Modi killed in the process.
At the Storyteller's option, PC Modi may resist the Call by spending a Willpower point.
The oldest or "purest-bred" of Modi will summon the spirits of their warrior-ancestors. However, others will summon spirits of nature, or even Brood spirits normally of concern only to Garou and mages. The Storyteller may wish to tailor this Discipline to suit the spirits an individual Modi draws forth. The only exception is Beast of War, which summons a Wyrm aspect in all cases, although the vampire probably doesn't know it as such (Garou are more willing to tear Modi apart than teach them the Wyrm's ways).
As for the spirit's influence, if the Modi calls upon Berserkergang too often, the spirits may begin exacting services from the vampire. These "tithes" may manifest during the Berserk themselves, as the spirits take control over the vampire and have it perform an action or series of actions to the benefit of the spirit.
Modi can get away with about one Berserk per night with little reprisal from the spirit realm. Any more than that tempts the spirits to take up residence. If a vampire enters Berserkergang more than once in a night, the Storyteller should make a Humanity/Path roll for the vampire, with a difficulty of 5 + the number of times the vampire has already used the Discipline in that night. Thus, the second use would roll against 6, the third 7, and so forth.
Failure to achieve any successes means the spirits have temporarily taken over the vampire's body (similar in effect to Beast of War, above). The vampire Frenzies, but all actions taken will be to the invading spirit's benefit. The Storyteller is encouraged to use her imagination as to what spirits the Berserker has summoned, and what their goals may be. For example, if the spirit is a Bane (!), then the Berserker will become a temporary servant of the Wyrm.
This possession is only temporary, lasting the duration of the Frenzy.
On a Botch, the possession will leave a lasting effect (manifesting as a Mental or Supernatural Flaw), or may even become permanent, depending on the nature of the invading spirit. For example, certain Banes may completely infest the vampire, turning her into a vampiric Fomor (see Freak Legion: Players Guide to Fomori for information on this).