Cobweb Merits and Flaws By FishGod Note: These merits and flaws are intended to add another dimension to the Cobweb and reflect the manner in which an individual Malkavian's derangement may alter his experience of the Network. They weren't written for MinMaxing, and they don't work well toward that purpose anyway. Storytellers should only allow these merits and flaws where, considering a given character's derangement, they make _more_ sense than the standard treatment in CB: Malkavian. Merits Father's Voice (1 pt Merit) While your Malkavian brothers and sisters may imagine voices from ghosts, ancient vampires and even mechanical devices, you know who's really in charge, and he speaks to you. Thanks to your intense dedication to a single father figure (or occasionally, mother figure), all of the murmurs of the Cobweb coalesce into a single resounding voice in your mind. This voice is different for each Malkavian, but it always remains consistent; you may hear God, Malkav, your sire, or your mortal father, but you hear the same voice each time. The voice is not always influenced by the Cobweb, and is sometimes merely a product of your deranged mind. This can make its statements and commands contradictory at times. Nonetheless, it is much easier to focus on one voice than many; your difficulty on any roll involving Malkavian Time is lowered by 1. If and when it occurs to you to send a message to another Malkavian along the Cobweb, your message will be sent in the voice of your 'father', leading to all sorts of typically Malkavian derangement-swapping. Shrouded Moon (2 pt Merit) Unlike most Malkavians with Multiple Personalities, your mind is split in precisely such a way that at least one of your personalities is completely unconnected to the Cobweb. This personality is still Malkavian, possessing the deranged insight of the clan and all of the attendant Disciplines, but is simply isolated from the Network. This personality may never actively use Malkavian Time, but neither is he affected by it in any way. He does not hear the Call, he never hears voices (from the Network, that is), and if he is the dominant personality at the time of your Final Death, your death scream will never be heard on the Network. This personality can be dominant, at most, 50% of the time. Any personality more dominant would inevitably have some connection to the Cobweb. Note that many Malkavians will detest a character with this merit, seeing him as others see all Malkavians: enigmatic, unreliable and a dangerous loose cannon. Those Malkavians who are religiously loyal to Malkav have been known to hunt down and kill Shrouded Moons, supposedly in the interest of clan unity. Subtle Whispers (2 pt Merit) The Curse of Malkav is as strong in you as in any Malkavian, but your own indomitable ego is just as strong. Your adamant refusal to "hear voices like a lunatic" has pushed the voices of the Cobweb down into your subconscious. Instead of audible voices, therefore, you often develop random desires and revelations inspired by the subtle influence of the Network. You don't hear the voices, but they still give you information (the source of which you'll later wonder about). You may not consciously broadcast along the Network unless you posses the appropriate Discipline power, and you subtract one success from any roll to hear the Call, to reflect the time it takes for the information to filter into your conscious mind. On the upside, you are completely immune to all negative effects of the Cobweb; any derangements or unwanted messages passed through the Network are first delivered in your subconscious and then sublimated according to your personality. The worst you're likely to experience is insomnia or an emotional outburst at a coterie member, which isn't much compared to accidentally 'downloading' Agoraphobia or Schizophrenia from the Cobweb. Flaws Secret Masters (2 pt flaw) Your extensive conspiracy theories and general paranoia have convinced you that the voices you hear in the Cobweb are coming from the secret masters of the planet. What's more, they are being conveyed through common household devices such as computer moniters, telephones and radios. Needless to say, this makes you a little wary of heeding the voices. You are aware that the voices are sometimes honest and helpful, but you are sure that this is only to lull you into a false sense of security. For an hour after hearing the voices, you are edgy and nervous (+1 difficulty to resist frenzy, and roleplay being on edge). Additionally, when you hear the Call and decide to heed it, you must spend a Willpower to avoid coming prepared for the worst; depending on your character this could mean surrounding yourself with protective circles or bringing a dozen obfuscated bodyguards. The more likely scenario is that you'll run like hell from the Call and not look back. At the Storyteller's discretion, you may be able to escape the Cobweb by avoiding technology. On the other hand, you may begin hearing voices from hidden bugs or robot pigeons. In reality, the situation isn't likely to come up, considering the city-bound nature of most Cainites. Outburst (3 pt. Flaw) You do not hear voices; rather, you speak words, cryptic and frightening words that you don't understand. You can't control the words either; the babbling can happen the instant you awaken in your haven, while court is being held in elysium, or even in the middle of a firefight. In any situation where other Malkavians would hear voices from the Cobweb, the character begins uncontrollably babbling. The Storyteller writes the babble ahead of time, and he is the one who plays it out, not the character's player. The babbling may last anywhere from a single turn to an entire scene (in extreme cases), during which time the Malkavian has all his difficulties raised by 1 due to the distraction. Chorus (3 pt Flaw) Your twisted self-image imposes itself on the voices from the Cobweb. Where other Malkavians hear disparate voices with various points of view and attitudes, all of your voices seem to agree that you are worthless, and word their messages accordingly. You receive information from the Cobweb normally, but the voices you hear speak only in accusations and threats. They also tend to gang up on you, coming in groups of three or four at a time and harassing you to the best of their ability. Since the voices' insults are products of your own mind, they can contain information that only you know, which makes their attacks all the more terrifying. Whenever voices speak to you from the Cobweb, you must roll Courage (difficulty 7). If you fail this roll, you will flee the voices and attempt to hide, ignoring any obstacles in your path. If you botch the roll, you will try to silence the voices... forever. Additionally, when you receive the Call, the voices will not leave you alone until you arrive at the place of the meeting (even if the meeting is not for another week). The voices will start in again if you leave before the meeting is complete. While enduring such harrassment, you are at +2 difficulty to resist frenzy. Vessel of Malkav (3-4 pt Flaw) You are truly blessed among all Malkavians. Untroubled by the fetters of Ego, you are able to submerge your mind completely in the Cobweb, making you a puppet for the Clan's will (and perhaps that of Malkav himself). Certain other Malkavians may hold you in high esteem and even envy you, but of him to whom much is given, much is required. Whenever you make a Malkavian Time roll or hear voices from the Cobweb, you must also roll Self-Control (difficulty 6). If both rolls succeed, the character hears the message of the Cobweb like any other Malkavian. If the Malkavian Time roll succeeds and the Self-Control roll fails, the character is overtaken for a full scene by the collective will of the Cobweb. During this time, the Storyteller takes control of the character. The possessed character may have any bizarre goal the Storyteller cares to assign it, but such goals are neither sensible nor humorous. Rather, they are instinctive reactions to the voices. The situation of the character has no bearing on the voices, and even a character in the middle of a life-threatening situation will heed the voices if they demand, say, peaceful contemplation. Note that a character cannot enter frenzy in this state, but may enter Rotschreck (only from fire or sunlight). This will effectively end the possession. Characters who take this flaw at 3 points will act only on the whispers of the Cobweb, while those who take it at four points will act on those whispers and one severe, uncontrollable derangement (chosen by the Storyteller each time the character is 'possessed'). Either way, the character must start with at least two dots in Malkavian Time, and gains a dot of Clan Prestige for free. The Clan Prestige applies only to the main clan; Sabbat Malks don't look so kindly upon those who channel Antediluvians.