~~~ Quote: "The light goes on, the light goes off. You'd think things would be that simple. Come here, look at this one. The light's on. Closing... closing... closed. The light's still on! Look for yourself if you don't believe me." "I had to rebuild this one myself. Compact fluorescent so as not to heat up the inside. Didn't think I could, did you? Oh, don't fool yourself, kiddo, that 'old-crazy' act is something I learned from dealing with my kids. You have kids? Not that that's a problem now, of course. Well, my kids were the worst. They took after me in the worst ways. Your children are like your very own personal Malkavians - they're reflections of you... with all those cracks you can't normally see in yourself. "They were greedy cusses, my kids. Like I said, that's where I picked up the 'old-crazy' act, to see who was in it for the money and who was in it for family. You'd think I'd have had one taker for family. Nah. They were all cracks. "They tried to have me committed for singing in the rain. If it was good enough for Mr. Gene Kelley, it's damn well good enough for me, I say. I was fully clothed, regardless of what that shyster of theirs said. "Not one of them stood up for me. They had no respect for family. Well, if they wanted a crazy father, that's what they'd get.... Let me tell you about *my* father. He was a herd working man. He gave me the chance to be poor - I think that's where I messed up with my kids. I spoiled them into rotteness. *I* had to work. I started off an iceman, just like Pop. Well, it didn't take too long to realize heavy lifting didn't make you a millionaire and I was taken with the new electric iceboxes they were working on. "I bet you didn't know this: I'm the guy who thought up the lightbulb. "No! Not Edison, you idiot, I'm the guy that came up with putting a lightbulb inside the gaddamn `fridge. It's all about knowing what people want. Have you ever looked into your refrigerator with the bulb off? Just press the switch the door hits when it closes. It's not pretty. "People want a bright, shining kitchen. Helps `em forget their food is rotting in spite of all the preservatives they load it down with nowadays. That's what people wanted, that's what I gave `em. "That's how I made my fortune, that's what cost me my children, and that's what made me cr-... act crazy." Roleplaying Tips: Whether or not it started off as an act, the betrayal at the hands of your children and the 'therapy' assigned by the doctors they hired (with your money) have driven you sincerely mad. Having your blood drained every night by your neighbor in the ward didn't help either. You escaped once he made you a vampire. You calmed, some, and after teaching your children the importance of family, and recovered enough of your fortune to keep your mansion. Without servants, the old place has begun to look a little run down. Soon, you're going to find someone you can trust (and Dominate, and Blood Bond) to help you take care of it. Derangements: Manic-Depressive: Maybe no one would believe it, but the highs are worse than the lows. When you're down, you realize how much you've lost and how disappointed your father would be; when you're up... well, you can only go by what people tell you, since most of it's a blur. From what they say, you enjoy streaking through the park at night and they've had to rescue you from walking along your balcony railing at sunrise. Paranoia (mild): Money's always been more trouble than it's worth. Unfortunately, getting rid of it just makes things worse. At least with your wealth you can make preparations - you have crawlspaces you can duck into, secret doors, and armored cabinets. The best security system you can buy can't keep out ghosts and stranger things, though, so you've taken some unusual precautions as well. [Character Note: The specifics of the character's wealth are left up to the player and Storyteller to decide. If the Storyteller agrees, the character's Paranoia may count as a one point Psychological Flaw toward getting another point in the Resources background (the character's 'Manic-Depressive' derangement offers no freebie points, of course, as it's the expression of the Malkavian clan weakness).] ~~~ Name:________________ Nature:___Director_____ Sire:________________ Player:______________ Demeanor:_Visionary____ Generation:__12th____ Chronicle:___________ Concept:__Refrigerator_ Haven:_______Estate__ __Magnate______ Attributes Physical Social Mental Strength_________oo Charisma_________oo Perception______ooo Dexterity________oo Manipulation___oooo Intelligence____ooo Stamina__________oo Appearance_______oo Wits___________oooo Abilities Talents Skills Knowledge Acting ooo Animal Ken Bureaucracy o Alertness o Drive o Computer Athletics Etiquette o Finance oooo Brawl Firearms Investigation Dodge Melee Law o Empathy oo Music Linguistics Intimidation oo Repair oooo Medicine Leadership oo Security ooo Occult Streetwise Stealth o Politics Subterfuge ooo Survival Science Advantages Disciplines Backgrounds Virtues Auspex________ Generation____ o Conscience____ ooo Dominate______ oooo Resources_____ oooo Obfuscate_____ Status________ o Self-Control__ oooo ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ Courage_______ ooo Other Traits Humanity Health ______________ o o o o o o o Bruised [] ______________ [][][][][][][][][][] Hurt -1 [] ______________ Injured -1 [] ______________ Willpower Wounded -2 [] ______________ o o o o o o Mauled -2 [] ______________ [][][][][][][][][][] Crippled -5 [] ______________ Incapacitated [] ______________ ______________ Blood Pool Weakness ______________ [][][][][][][][][][] Begin unlife with at ______________ [][][][][][][][][][] least one Derangement