Post by Storyteller on Mar 25, 2009 21:20:15 GMT -5
There is, trapped within the false civility of the Camarilla and the alleged camaraderie of the Sabbat, a hidden truth. Vampires are monsters, possessed of an inner Beast. Though, like humans, they have the capability of overruling their baser instincts, sometimes they fail.When this occurs, the Hunger and the beast become uncontrollable, and no one is safe from their excesses. older vampires refer to the ensuing savage fits as 'succumbing to the Beast Within'. Younger Kindred refer to these outbursts simply as frenzies.
The Nature of the Beast
During a frenzy, a character literally, and usually unwillingly, gives into the darkest instincts of the vampiric nature. the character is consumed with rage or hunger, unable, or unwilling, to consider the effects of any action. Friends, goes, lovers, ethics, None of these things matter to a vampire in frenzy. If a vampire in frenzy is hungry, he will feed from whoever is closest without regard for the vessel's well-being. If the vampire is angry, he will do everything in his power to destroy the cause of his anger. A vampire struck by fear will commit any atrocity to remove himself from the source of his terror, regardless of the consequences. The character completely surrenders to the basest aspects of his Nature. He is in short, the Beast.
Among the Camarilla, succumbing to frenzy is seen as weakness, a humiliating loss of control. Vampires who frenzy often, and especially in public, run the risk of social rejection or worse. Though many among the Camarilla Kindred are monsters through and through, the laws of the Masquerade and simple civility require that the Beast be kept in check, those who cannot do so are not vampires, but animals, and should be put down for the good of all. Among the Sabbat, frenzy is seen as a natural urge, like mortals' needs for food and sex. Sabbat vampires deride the Camarilla's attitude toward frenzy as that of weak willed fools who cannot accept their true predatory nature. Accordingly, Sabbat typically seek not to prevent frenzy, but to control it and use it to their advantage.
A frenzy can be induced by many things, but great rage or hunger are the most common provocations. It is dangerous to deny or humiliate the undead. For this reason, vampires of the Camarilla commonly veil slights and threats in webs of doubletalk and subtlety, that they not suddenly trigger an outburst in Elysium or conclave. Ultimately, the Storyteller can call for a vampire to make a frenzy roll at any time, whenever he feels the character might have cause to lose control.
A vampire in frenzy gains several temporary benefits from the state. Vampires in frenzy completely ignore all penalties inflicted by injury until the frenzy ends. Once the frenzy is finished, the pain comes back and the crippling effects of the wounds take hold again. All difficulties to Dominate a frenzied character are increased by two, and all difficulties to resist the effects of Dominate are reduced by two. The character never needs Willpower rolls to accomplish a feat, because the rage fueling the vampire's actions is both a catalyst to heightened state of mind and a barrier against unwanted intrusions. Lastly, characters in frenzy are immune to detrimental effects of Rotschreck.
Overall, the Storyteller decides if a character is faced with a situation that requires a roll for Frenzy, and it's difficulty.
Characters in a frenzy are not themselves, or, more accurately, reveal more of themselves than they normally would. They will do anything to sate their hunger or destroy the source of the frenzy, even attacking other players' characters. Characters in a frenzy generally attack their enemies first, but if no enemies are present, friends are perfectly acceptable fodder for their baser instincts. Even lovers and family can fall victim to vampires in frenzy. The character might feel remorse and hideous guilt later, but while the frenzy occurs, nothing matters save the immediate gratification of the character's desires.
Rotschreck, the Red Fear
Though there are few things that can kill a vampire, though many among the Damned claim to loathe their immortality, certain sources of injury frighten all vampires. Sunlight and fire can bring about a panicked flight or fight mentality. While under the spell of this Rotschereck, a vampire flees in blind panic from the source of her fear, frantically lashing out at anything in her way regardless of any personal attachments or affiliations. Rotschreck is in most ways similar to any other frenzy, just as the Beast sometimes seizes control in times of anger, so to in times of great fear.
Relatively innocuous stimuli, or stimuli directly under the character's control, are unlikely to induce Rotschreck. For example, a character who sees a lit cigarette in a nightclub, or a screened in fireplace in an ally's home, might grow uneasy, but is unlikely to succumb to the Red Fear. If that same cigarette is pointed threateningly at the vampire, though, or the fireplace suddenly flares up in a draught....
A vampire seeking to avoid Rotschreck requires a Willpower roll. As with Frenzy, Five successes must be accumulated to ignore the Beast completely, though fewer successes enable the vampire to overcome her fear for a greater or lesser period of time. Failure means the vampire flees madly from the danger, making a beeline for safety and rearing apart anything or anyone that gets in her way. Any attempt to restrain a vampire suffering from the Red Fear results in an immediate attack, just as if the character were suffering from a frenzy.
The Nature of the Beast
During a frenzy, a character literally, and usually unwillingly, gives into the darkest instincts of the vampiric nature. the character is consumed with rage or hunger, unable, or unwilling, to consider the effects of any action. Friends, goes, lovers, ethics, None of these things matter to a vampire in frenzy. If a vampire in frenzy is hungry, he will feed from whoever is closest without regard for the vessel's well-being. If the vampire is angry, he will do everything in his power to destroy the cause of his anger. A vampire struck by fear will commit any atrocity to remove himself from the source of his terror, regardless of the consequences. The character completely surrenders to the basest aspects of his Nature. He is in short, the Beast.
Among the Camarilla, succumbing to frenzy is seen as weakness, a humiliating loss of control. Vampires who frenzy often, and especially in public, run the risk of social rejection or worse. Though many among the Camarilla Kindred are monsters through and through, the laws of the Masquerade and simple civility require that the Beast be kept in check, those who cannot do so are not vampires, but animals, and should be put down for the good of all. Among the Sabbat, frenzy is seen as a natural urge, like mortals' needs for food and sex. Sabbat vampires deride the Camarilla's attitude toward frenzy as that of weak willed fools who cannot accept their true predatory nature. Accordingly, Sabbat typically seek not to prevent frenzy, but to control it and use it to their advantage.
A frenzy can be induced by many things, but great rage or hunger are the most common provocations. It is dangerous to deny or humiliate the undead. For this reason, vampires of the Camarilla commonly veil slights and threats in webs of doubletalk and subtlety, that they not suddenly trigger an outburst in Elysium or conclave. Ultimately, the Storyteller can call for a vampire to make a frenzy roll at any time, whenever he feels the character might have cause to lose control.
A vampire in frenzy gains several temporary benefits from the state. Vampires in frenzy completely ignore all penalties inflicted by injury until the frenzy ends. Once the frenzy is finished, the pain comes back and the crippling effects of the wounds take hold again. All difficulties to Dominate a frenzied character are increased by two, and all difficulties to resist the effects of Dominate are reduced by two. The character never needs Willpower rolls to accomplish a feat, because the rage fueling the vampire's actions is both a catalyst to heightened state of mind and a barrier against unwanted intrusions. Lastly, characters in frenzy are immune to detrimental effects of Rotschreck.
Overall, the Storyteller decides if a character is faced with a situation that requires a roll for Frenzy, and it's difficulty.
Characters in a frenzy are not themselves, or, more accurately, reveal more of themselves than they normally would. They will do anything to sate their hunger or destroy the source of the frenzy, even attacking other players' characters. Characters in a frenzy generally attack their enemies first, but if no enemies are present, friends are perfectly acceptable fodder for their baser instincts. Even lovers and family can fall victim to vampires in frenzy. The character might feel remorse and hideous guilt later, but while the frenzy occurs, nothing matters save the immediate gratification of the character's desires.
Rotschreck, the Red Fear
Though there are few things that can kill a vampire, though many among the Damned claim to loathe their immortality, certain sources of injury frighten all vampires. Sunlight and fire can bring about a panicked flight or fight mentality. While under the spell of this Rotschereck, a vampire flees in blind panic from the source of her fear, frantically lashing out at anything in her way regardless of any personal attachments or affiliations. Rotschreck is in most ways similar to any other frenzy, just as the Beast sometimes seizes control in times of anger, so to in times of great fear.
Relatively innocuous stimuli, or stimuli directly under the character's control, are unlikely to induce Rotschreck. For example, a character who sees a lit cigarette in a nightclub, or a screened in fireplace in an ally's home, might grow uneasy, but is unlikely to succumb to the Red Fear. If that same cigarette is pointed threateningly at the vampire, though, or the fireplace suddenly flares up in a draught....
A vampire seeking to avoid Rotschreck requires a Willpower roll. As with Frenzy, Five successes must be accumulated to ignore the Beast completely, though fewer successes enable the vampire to overcome her fear for a greater or lesser period of time. Failure means the vampire flees madly from the danger, making a beeline for safety and rearing apart anything or anyone that gets in her way. Any attempt to restrain a vampire suffering from the Red Fear results in an immediate attack, just as if the character were suffering from a frenzy.