Malkavian

"Madness you say! Do you fear me? Are you afraid of what I might do, of what I might say? What a fascinating reaction. Don't you find it somewhat encumbering?"

"Yeah, okay, it's true that Malkavians are all slightly bent, but how sure are you that you're totally sane, buster? If you're honest and not a complete idiot, that gave you a pause. If not, well, time has a way of taking care of liars and fools. They usually end up being Princes...But I'm not to the point yet. I'm going to tell you why sometimes it's good to be crazy, and why hanging out with cuckoos can get you down. See, if people think you're bonkers, you can get away with tons. Like this little pamphlet; who do you think reads this stuff? Not the elders, but the kiddies might get something good and useful out of it. Or they might get a chuckle, or something to wrap a fish in. No one takes a kook seriously, so a serious kook can get a lot done so long as he acts nutty from time to time. It's a form of invisibility: out of mind, out of sight."

The Malkavians are insane, one and all. From madness, however, comes wisdom, and from wisdom comes power. The Malkavians are true creatures of chaos. However, the Malkavians are also known to be clowns and pranksters. As with all things connected with them, not everything makes sense.

This clan is infamous for its destructive and nihilistic members. Malkavians have a reputation for sadistic behavior and for holding little grasp of the humanity they still retain. In truth, such Malkavians are a minority. The members of this clan regularly surprise the Kindred; often they do not seem insane. Some Kindred believe the Malkavians have an undeserved reputation, and have been sullied by a few truly psychotic members. However, remember that sometimes the most normal-seeming people have the least grasp on reality.

The Malkavians have a time-honored tradition of playing practical jokes upon Kindred and kine alike. The nature of these "pranks" can vary wildly, ranging from the harmlessly fun to the potentially lethal. The Malkavians, when they interact with one another at all, tend to award prestige within the clan on the basis of these pranks. Many Malkavians solemnly believe that the Jyhad is a joke created by the founder of their line.

The Malkavians are very picky about whom they Embrace. Typically, only those on the verge of insanity are chosen. The members of this clan search long and hard for those who have seen so much truth that they have descended into the pits of chaos, and thus have unique perspectives on reality. Indeed, if the progeny-to-be is sane, the sire will make the Embrace and Becoming as difficult as possible, seeking to drive the mortal mad in the process.

Nickname: Kooks

Appearance: The members of this clan have different looks and live vastly differing lifestyles.

Haven: Malkavians live anywhere they feel comfortable. Many of them seek out hospitals and asylums to reside in. Some are even assumed to be inmates by the staff.

Background: The members of this clan only select those who are close to death as neonates, or those who are so insane that existence as a vampire is of little consequence. They believe all mortals should have a chance to live out their natural lives.

Character Creation: Malkavians can have any sort of concept - the weirder the better. They may have a variety of different Demeanors, which are rarely indicative of their true Natures. Mental Attributes are primary, as are Talent Abilities. Malkavians can have nearly any Background Trait.

Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate, and Dementation

Weaknesses: All members of this clan have some sort of Derangement. In fact, characters begin the game with one. The player may choose any Derangement (see Chapter Eight), but the character will never be able to completely overcome it, no matter how much Willpower is spent. The touch of madness is always upon the members of this line.

Organization: Many Malkavians probably do not understand that they are a clan, and the rest are busy denying that they are Malkavians.