Derangement

Updating notes: The information regarding mental illness and derangements from Malkavians should be merged into this article and that article should point users here for details.

Here are some examples of derangements you may use for your character. They can be connected to a metis flaw or the Dementation discipline, but may also simply be part of your character's background. Consider this a starting point. Other derangements may be used at the discretion of the Character Guides.

Amnesia

Amnesiac characters blot out some part of their past prior to coming to Ushaw Moor, perhaps a horrific incident or gaining the Dementation Discipline, or even a whole period in their lives. The reason for this memory loss are almost always stress-related, though physical injury may cause a similar effect. Amnesia usually affects just memory, but in some cases, a character may forget some Abilities and Powers and unable to use them, or be surprised by his ability to do certain things.

Fantasy

Some characters cannot accept the real world, so they transpose themselves into an illusory world instead. The scope and degree of this fantasy world varies greatly. A character may hold conversations with people who are not there, or hear ‘voices from the gods’ commanding him to carry out a wide range of acts. He may also interact with real people in an almost normal manner, but with the fantasy overlaying it. For example, a character may regard himself as Lancelot on a quest to slay the demon and rescue the princess. Such fantasies are quirky at best, and rarely dangerous.

Hysteria

Hysterical characters are unable to control their emotions, and they suffer from severe mood swings, usually instigated by changing situations or perceived danger. This particular ailment is known in modern times as Bipolar Disorder.

Lunacy

Not to be confused with the Power of the same name, this madness comes and goes, linked to the phases of the moon. When the moon is full, the character is manic and delirious, while during a new moon, the character may be melancholic and apathetic. During other phases of the moon, the character may appear to be completely normal.

Melancholia

Characters with this derangement frequently slip into bouts of deep depression, losing interest in their normal activities and becoming withdrawn. These depression periods often following failure of a particular action, though they may result from hunger or physiological factors.

Multiple Personalities

Something in the character’s past has caused his personality to fragment into a number of distinct selves, each with its own traits, personalities and agendas. Abilities and Powers remain the same, but some personalities may or may not use or even be aware of them. The number and nature of these personalities are entirely up to the player, and each personality switch is usually triggered by emotional stress, or mental anguish.

Obsessive Compulsive

Obsessive characters become fixated on a particular activity, person or thing. They may seek to ensure that all objects in their possession are sorted by some method, or they may strive to keep their hands spotlessly clean, and thus constantly wash them. Whatever the nature of the obsession is, the target is the center of the character’s existence. If he is denied access, he may become agitated… Choose may a person, a specific object, or a place in which you feel compelled to be around and use that as the basis of your obsession. For ease of the Rules, a person must be a Player Character or Cast Character who is played at the game. If the person dies, choose another person. A place must be a specific In-Game area at the campsite, for example, the Tavern, the graveyard, or that rock in front of the Kings Trust.

Paranoid

They are jealous of you, or scared. They want to do you in and end you life! Paranoid characters believe they are the victims of persecution, either by an individual or a group. They are very wary of social interactions and fearful that others are in league with their tormentors. Anything can trigger a paranoid episode, prompting the character to withdrawal in fear, or lash out in fear.

Phobia of x

A phobic personal may seem perfectly normal until presented with the thing they fear. Their distress and panic will be acute, but how the character reacts to their fright can vary. The source of the irrational fear must be relatively common. Some examples are fear of vampires, xenophobia, fear of the opposite sex, fear of the forest, fear of outdoors, or fear of rooms without multiple exits.

Perfectionist

Perfectionism is a belief that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable. There is no room for failure. Perfectionists may be workaholics who cannot relax; people who reproach themselves for days after the smallest error, such as a word out of place; the person so intent on finding the perfect mate that they never settle down; the procrastinator; the finicky person; and so on. Perfectionists tend to be exceptionally sensitive to criticism, flying into a blind rage or a deep depression from the implication of imperfection.

Sociopath

On the outside, a sociopath may appear to be completely normal, interacting with people, smiling, polite, and even friendly. Some are the ‘guy next door’, while others are able to play the politics of society to progress themselves. But deep down inside, sociopaths do not see themselves as truly part of society, and the people who make up society are not people at all, but merely the character’s playthings to do with what he wishes.

Visions

This derangement leads suffers to believe that they are granted an insight in the divine through visions, trances, and other ecstatic states. During these spells, they may be catatonic, in a trance-like state or rave uncontrollably. Their ability to recall details of the visions vary, sometimes recalling every detail, or barely any at all. These visions are truly the product of the character’s imagination.

Notes and Citations Dark Ages Vampire, pg 261