From: MR AWESOME POSSUM Shadow Lu WJBH14E@prodigy.com HATTER A Clan for Vampire: the Masquerade Version 1, completed 5:10PM 11/29/95 by Shadow K. Lu Description: A particularly psychotic breed of Malkavian Vampires started not too long ago by eccentric Ancillae addicted to the book Alice in Wonderland. Their main inspiration was the Mad Hatter, and a bit of the psychotic Cheshire Cat. They quickly found out how to bend their disciplines to resemble the effects of the characters they so worshiped. Clan beginnings (which are fairly hazy) suggest that a particularly insane Gangrel had something to do with the creation of this clan, but that the Malkavian who began it played more of a role. The Gangrel (known as Cheshire) and the Malvavian (known as the March Hare) shared and affinity for the book, and both dressed like their mentor, the Mad Hatter (though neither dared take his name). The clan numbers little more than fifty, and tries to keep their numbers relatively small, so as not to be noticed by the Sabbat, the Inconnu, or the Camarilla. No one has seen "Cheshire" or "March Hare" since the beginning of the clan. Nickname: Mad Ones. In Malkavian slang, "Oooh! I got a live one here!" Appearance: One thing sets the Hatters apart from any other clan, and that is the color of their eyes. The color of their eyes tends to be very bright and odd (i.e., purple, royal blue, bright green, anything fluorescent) and usually never remains the same as their mortal eyes. The Hatters tend to dress in flashy, bright colored clothing along with the trademark top hat (though not always a top hat). They tend to wear big clothes, wide ties, and hats that flop down over their eyes. Haven: Usually next door to a coffee house, bar, or other type of cafe. Sometimes, even above or below one. The Hatters like to be near to the action. Background: The Hatters tend to take the ones who share the affinity for the book, and are particularly bent or warped-minded in one way or another. Once made, the progeny goes through a series of tests to see what they know about the book and how truly demented they are. If the current leader decides they are not good enough, they are cast out and shunned by the Hatters. Character Creation: Hatters tend to veer toward social and/or mental attributes. They love to manipulate people and make them go insane. Talents are usually primary abilities. Backgrounds are usually Fame, Herd, and Allies. Clan Disciplines: Auspex, Presence, Cheshire (see end of this document for the Cheshire discipline) Weaknesses: Basically the same as Malkavians, but their derangements are usually marked with some sort of characteristic from a character in Alice in Wonderland. (i.e., White Rabbit would be Perfection or Paranoia, Delusions of Grandeur for the Queen of Hearts, etc.) Organization: Usually monthly, the Hatter's have a "Tea Party". This usually results in mass hunting and sometimes even a new progeny. The Hatters keep in close contact, as they are small in number, and are a very tight group of vampires. They tend to look out for one another. Quote: "Twinkle Twinkle little bat... how I wonder where you're *SMACK*!" Stereotypes Nosferatu- A division of Lord Malkav himself. Truly progeny of a madman. Tremere- Are you sure they're not just plain Malkavians? Ventrue- Just as long as they don't crash my Tea Party... Gangrel- And we are supposed to have a part in this... pity. Toreador- They respect their literature, and they know how to use it to their advantage. Good boys. Brujah- One word: Wacko. Malkavian- Makes me proud to be a Malkavian! The Sabbat- Ye Gods... I'm happy they're not with us. The Camarilla- Odd ones. Children of Malkav to the highest extent. The Inconnu- Who? CHESHIRE A Discipline for the Hatter bloodline. Level One Gaze of the Cat- Same as Mesmerize (2nd level Dominate) but the vampires eyes turn into swirling hypnotic circles of two colors in an attempt to confuse or gain control of the person they're using it on. This is derived from the Cheshire Cat. System- Roll Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of target's willpower). Player must gain at least 3 successes. If the player is successful, they gain control of the target, and may request one thing of them. Anything from "Leave me alone" to "Go jump off a bridge or something." Level Two Mindless Babble- This ability makes players capable of saying anything to the target player and it will make complete sense, and will also hold the character in suspense, causing them to hang on every word. They are completely spellbound, even by complete nonsense, and will almost hurt the person who would try to drag them away, begging to stay and listen a little longer. Derived from about every character in the book. System- Roll Manipulation + Acting. Difficultly is the target's willpower. Botch: You say something completely out of the ordinary, and get anywhere from embarrassed to killed (storyteller's choice of reaction). Anxiety Attack- This power targets it's target's fears, translating whatever the player says into an expression and visualization of that fear. Characters under this influence will be reduced to a screaming frenzy, and do whatever necessary to remedy the visualization. This could cause a Vampire to throw himself into a fire due to a "spider attack" or cause a mortal to coil in a corner because "no one likes them." The reaction is up to the storyteller. This power is derived from the White Rabbit. System- Roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of 6 for mortals, 8 for supernaturals). A botch results in embarrassment or otherwise (storyteller's choice). Level Three The Forever Race- (y'know. the one with the Mock Turtle and stuff.) This allows the player to act with the abilities of Celerity, and will heighten their speed. But, it endows the character with a great sense of competition. Characters put into situations with this power will struggle to be the first one done, and players are encouraged to role play this symptom. System- Players may spend one blood point to activate this power. Derived from the race. Level Four Cheshire's Invisibility- Same as Vanish from Mind's Eye (lv. 4 Obfuscate), but players may select parts of the body to make invisible (yes, pervs, ANY part) or may choose to make their entire body hidden from view. Derived from good ol' Chesh. System- Players may spend one blood point for specific parts of the body, or three for the entire body. Level Five A Merry Un-Birthday- This creates a feeling of euphoria in the general area, causing all within range to drop their hostilities and just have a good time. This is frequently employed during the Hatter's open door kindred tea parties, and can loosen up the biggest Brujah Bully to the oldest Nosferatu Curmudgeon. Derived from the Tea Party. Effects last an hour. System- Roll Manipulation + Charisma with a difficulty of the area's gauntlet rating. Botch- Nothing happens. The situation continues as it started. 1 Success- Tensions lighten, the situation loosens up. 2 Successes- People get relaxed enough to kiss and make-up. 3 Successes- People become more friendly and talkative 4+ Successes- People may burst out into rounds of song and dance the night away. No hostilities whatsoever. No Hatter has gone past level Five in this, though they are constantly expanding their own disciplines to grow in this one.