Vampire The Masquerade Second Edition: Players Guide In this case, the mortal has developed a feeling of paranoia about a certain type of person. Whenever the character is confronted with a homeless person, or feels threatened by a situation involving such an individual, the character may feel compelled to act in some way: fleeing, attacking, screaming, and/or making wild accusations, to name just a few examples. Of course, once a character has gained a Derangement, she is in great danger of sliding into a cycle wherein she loses her one point of Humanity, gains it back with an accompanying Derangement, and then loses her Humanity point yet again. The more deranged the character, the more likely she is to lose Humanity. This cycle can be just as destructive, and the result just as inevitable, as the slow descent into the belly of the Beast undergone by most vampires. Only if the mortal takes drastic measures might this process be halted. Perhaps the human realizes she is losing all perspective and goes to a monastery or begins intensive therapy. She may well have to cut off all ties to the Licks if she wishes to have any chance at all to salvage the tatters of her Humanity. Unfortunately, her vampiric associates may not be sympathetic to her condition.
Sample Derangements Tips on roleplaying Derangements and some examples of common Derangements are given in Vampire. The information also applies to humans with Derangements, and should be referenced before giving a character a Derangement. Players might also want to refer to Clanbook: Malkavian for more information. Following are a few examples of types of Derangements that might be given to mortal characters who reach zero Humanity. Keep in mind that this is but a small sampling of Derangements. There are many other possible psychoses. What is important is to make sure the Derangement fits the act(s) that induced it. In other words, let the punishment fit the crime. Compulsion: You feel a compulsive need to perform some sort of physical act. The murderous Lady Macbeth
obsessively washed her hands in an attempt to rid herself of her guilt. Perhaps you feel the same way. Maybe you must constantly touch your important possessions to be sure they haven't been stolen. Whatever the action, you must perform it regularly or something very, very horrible will happen. Fits: You suffer t errible fits in stressful situations. The form of the fit varies with the situation, but it is always inappropriate. You might break into hysterical laughter at a funeral, wracking sobs when you are trying to impress some bigshots with your finesse, or epileptic seizures when it would be better to remain still. When you find yourself in a stressful situation you become very nervous, always wondering when your curse will overtake you and betray you for an uncontrolled fool. Obsession: You are obsessed by som ething - a person, an activity or even a thing. You find it extremely difficult to think of anything else. Even if you want to ignore your fixation, its siren call beckons, diverting your attention from matters at hand. You cannot help thinking about it, even if the object of your obsession is too terrible for words. You spend every available moment dwelling on the obsession. If it is something you desire, you work toward attaining even the impossible. You will attempt almost anything in the pursuit of your obsession (or in trying to escape the horror). If you murdered someone, you might see the dying face of your victim over and over again in your mind, the horror and denial in her face as consciousness faded for the last time. Or you might be obsessed abou t becoming a vampire. Whatever the obsession, the thought of it consumes you. Phobia: You have a deep-seated fear of something. Whatever it is, you dream of it at night, waking to soaked sheets and your own choked screams of terror. Nothing is more horrible than being confronted with the object of your fear. You will go to almost any lengths to avoid this kind of confrontation. You know it is always possible for you to find yourself in a nightmare from which you can not escape, because you are already awake.
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