Madman's Quill
Auspex 3, Dementation 4
A Cainite using Madman's Quill can weave a contagious madness into a work of art or a manuscript. the very swirls of a pen or brush, the lines of a carving, the notes of a tune or the tiles of a mosaic encode the Malkavians can make the target of their power insane or easily manipulated and deceived by the clever and damning forgery.
In most cases, the victim is only dimly aware that the art or manuscript is tied to his madness or delusions. gnawing obsessions and paranoia are common, but not fatal or deadly, so that the vehicle is preserved from destruction - which would end the torment. Only prolonged obseration by someone with knowledge of such things will uncover the arcane madness woven into the item.
System The Malkavian can use Madman's quill to embed any active Dementation power he knows (most, except for Eyes of Chaos, qualify) into a manuscript or a piece of artwork. The player first chooses which single power he wishes his character to encode in the document or art piece. He then spends one point of blood and rolls Manipulation + Crafts, Linguistics, or Music (depending on the medium) against a difficulty of 5 + the power's level. The number of successes determines how long the madness will infect the item (see below). The process takes a number of hours equal to the encoded power's level.
1 Success: 1 week
2: 1 month
3: 3 months
4: one year
5: indefinite
At any point during this duration, anyone who observes the item (except for the Malkavian who crated it) for two minutes or more at a stretch, it affected by the encoded Dementation power as if the Malkavian were right there (although any change in the character's statistics subsequent to the encoding aren't reflected in the item's abilities). The only additional effect is that any victim of the item also gains a derangement focused on the document. The Storyteller should decide the specifics of the derangement using the number of successes as a guide, but obsession and paranoia are very common. The derangement fades once the encoding duration passes; both derangement and the encoded powers end if the item is totally destroyed.
Characters who successfully resist the encoded Dementation (the person rolling for the item gets no successes on the Dementation attempt) can examine the item to uncover what is behind the strange feeling it causes. A Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 8) reveals that the item is cursed and perhaps more details (Storyteller's discretion).
For Example: Miroslav, an adviser to the Ventrue Prince Christoph, wishes to poison relations between his lord and his closest ally, Fredrick. Weaving a forged letter - supposedly written by Fredrick - Miroslav plans to heighten Christoph's natural paranoia of being betrayed. He uses Madman's Quill to encode the letter with Incubus Passion (Dementation Level One.)
Miroslav's player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Linguistics against a difficulty of 7 (the Storyteller imposes a +1 penalty because the letter is a forgery). He gets two successes, so the effect lasts for a month. A week later, Christoph receives the letter and reads it. Miroslav's player rolls Charisma + Empathy against a difficulty of 5 (Christoph's Road rating) and gets three successes - the prince's paranoia surges and he gains an obsession with the letter, keeping it on his person always. Every time he reads it anew, the power comes into play again until the two weeks elapse and the obsession and encoding fade. By that time the two Ventrue are at war, of course.
Experience Cost: 28
