Path of Madness

By David Michael Herman (david.m.herman@vanderbilt.edu)

Nickname

Mad Ones

Concept

The insane Malkavians are often thought of as annoyances by the other clans. However, every once in a while, a dark Malkavian will show up on the doorstep, carrying with him omens and portents. When this happens, the other clans take notice.

There is a wisdom in not seeing the world with a normal point of view. There is even more wisdom in looking at it from several different odd points of view. Though the Nosferatu are renowned for their ability to gather information, the Mad Ones are feared for it.

Ethics

You live within the bubble that is your view of the world; pop that bubble whenever you can.

The more you know, the more you can find insight into. Seek to know all.

Lies may deceive your senses, but they may also offer more insight than the truth. Do not show irritation when you know someone is lying, for they are handing you the keys to their mind.

Your derangements are the windows to your true mind, when the shutters are open, do not fail to look out.

Information is not for you alone. If other people want it, it is your duty to give it to them.... Of course leaving pieces out is perfectly acceptable if you are dealing with a non path member.

Hierarchy of Sins

10	Temporarily ignoring a hallucination or event.
9	Not learning new information when the opportunity presents itself.
8	Lying to a non-path member about your insights.
7	Using Willpower to counter the effects of a derangement.
6	Permanently ignoring a hallucination or event.
5	Not listening to information when it is given to you.
4	Lying to another member of the path about your insights.
3	Not seeking to magnify ones derangements.
2	Not seeking the meaning of a hallucination or vision.
1	Overcoming a derangement.

Other Information

When someone starts down this path they start getting hallucinations. This derangement is temporary, which is an unfortunate thing considering that it is vital to the path. Many unworthies start down this path, only to resist and eventually lose this derangement, and thus the path itself. Only the true embracers of madness will survive.

Just because a Mad One is receiving visions, does not mean that he can decipher them. Fortunately, Mad Ones can share visions with each other, and sometimes non-path members. To do so requires a special Dementation skill known only to members of this path (it will be included below). This skill cannot be used as a weapon, or for any other reason than sharing a hallucination, and as such, it will not work on people who refuse to see it.

The Gift That Keeps Giving

(Dementation 3)

Through this gift, a Mad One can give a vision that he has seen to anyone who wants to see it. Because of the care that must be taken to give every detail of the vision, virtually no energy can be spent in the transferring, thus even the slightest resistance will nullify the power.

System: The character spends a Blood Point and rolls Manipulation + Expression if he gets 3 or more successes, the vision is transferred. 2 or less means that the receiver is getting fuzzy transmission. A botch means that a false hallucination is sent. Of course a Mad One might very well gain more insight from the false vision than the real one.

Target	Difficulty
Another Mad One	6
A Malkavian or other psychotic	8
A sane individual	10