“You can see the twitching in someone’s eye that tells you that they’re lying. You can smell the whiff of a perfume last worn during the Second World War. You can hear the beating of the heart beneath the floorboards. And you can make sense of the chaos around you… And make chaos of the sense around you. Now, how does that sound? Are you ready to get the insights of the ancients jacked directly into your skull?” 

– Carolyn Penelope Knowles to her childer, Cindy McHugh 

Throughout time, mortals have whispered stories of wise diviners, Oracles who are possessed with the ability to see beyond the mundane. Some claim to see into the future; others interpret dreams and provide insight into worlds beyond the understanding of humanity. Such mortals have drawn the attention of Clan Malkavian from its very beginning. 

In modern times, the Malkavians continue to Embrace those with “second sight,” but they have also expanded their prospects to mortals with a talent for insight. Doctors, psychologists, and all manner of academics can be found among their ranks, providing the Oracles with a plethora of information at their fingertips. Some Malkavians look for possible childer among individuals who are recovering from trauma as well, seeing great potential for insight through lived experience. 

However, insight comes at a cost. Among the stories of those who seek knowledge of the future or the hidden are cautionary tales of what happens when a mind is unprepared for what it finds. All Malkavians suffer from a warped sense of reality to some degree, either from a mortal condition or imparted by the Blood through the Embrace. Sometimes both. To outsiders it seems as if every member of the clan suffers from some sort of derangement. 

Other clans look to the Oracles for their knowledge and their willingness to delve into the unknown without fear of what they might uncover. They tend to pay them little mind otherwise, allowing an attentive Malkavian to listen, learn, and put together pieces they might not otherwise know. 

Disciplines 

Auspex: The Oracles tend to use Auspex for its extrasensory abilities, though the ability to strengthen one’s regular senses has its benefits. Many Malkavians have used this power with frightening efficiency while they hunt, preying on the fears of their designated victim. 

Dominate: For a Malkavian, the powers of Dominate can be used to make their victims into puppets, twisting their memories of events, making them doubt their own reality. Some even choose to experiment on the human mind, exposing or inflicting psychoses or other altered mental states.. While such experimentation can provide insight, the ability to convince a mortal to willingly give up their blood is the primary benefit of the Discipline.

Obfuscate: Deceiving the senses and hiding in plain sight are valuable skills. When subterfuge is needed they will resort to their ability with Obfuscate, allowing them to observe a Court from the shadowed corners of the room, secret themselves into unsuspecting houses, and watch sleeping mortals before they feed. 

Archetypes 

Haruspex: Haruspexy is the practice of divination through inspection of the fresh entrails of a sacrificial offering. In ancient times, animals were typically sacrificed, but Malkavians who consider themselves to be haruspices read the entrails of any freshly-sacrificed mortal creature. They must be cautious, as leaving behind too much evidence can lead to undue suspicion falling on the Kindred society as a whole. 

Bleeding-Edge Scientist: Obsessed with scientific and magical research and experimentation, these Oracles use their insights, Disciplines, technology and the scientific method to make new discoveries and explore hidden truths. Addicted to the high of exploration, these Malkavians spend countless nights bent over lab tables and fine tuning their experiments. 

Copy-Cats: With the combination of Disciplines available to the Malkavians, they make exceptional spies. They employ different methods for this work. Some are so concerned with being seen in open spaces that they skulk around in the shadows, relying on Obfuscate to hide and Auspex to listen and learn. Others turn themselves into mirror images of the clan they are currently watching, ingratiating themselves and conveniently omitting the nature of their clan when asked. If they are “made,” Dominate comes in handy for covering a trail. 

Bane 

All Malkavians suffer from a derangement. They receive a penalty equal to their Bane Severity to all challenges involving one Attribute category (Physical/Social/Mental) when they suffer a Bestial Failure (see Bestial Failures, page XX). This penalty lasts for the scene. The category of Attribute affected is unique to each character and is chosen at character creation. Work with your Storyteller to describe the derangement and how it affects your characters behavior along with the appropriate Attribute category affected. 

Example: Denise has decided that her Malkavian character suffers penalties to her Social Attribute when she commits a Bestial Failure. Her Bane Severity is one this means for one scene she would suffer a -1 penalty to pools that use any of the three social Attributes, so for remainder of the scene she suffered the Bestial Failure. To roleplay her derangement, Denise decides that her character becomes annoyingly inquisitive and looks for hidden meanings in every sentence when suffering a Bestial Failure.

Compulsion: Delusions 

When suffering from their Clan Compulsion, Malkavians begin seeing visions and portents that skew their perceptions. They suffer a -2 penalty to all challenges that use the Insight, Awareness and Investigation Skills. In addition, they suffer a -2 penalty to resist Terror Frenzy. These penalties last until the scene ends.