VtM Malkavian Idea

This is my second post so please be gentle. Thanks

Anyway I decided that I wanted to play as a Malkavain to make the game interesting. I only played a hunter game so this is new to me. But my kindred has multiply personalities and with that I wanted to make one to show up when i feeled in dangered and that brings in the Protean power because that is also my favorite power. I beleive my story and I are making like a second sheet for the other personlity since I cant be great in all things.

I was wondering if any of you have done anything like this and if so how did it work out?

The key to playing a Malkavian is subtlety. As their write up in the corebook clearly states; in most Malkavians their derangements aren't immediately apparent. When your crazy you try to "live" with this, you try to hide and suppress your condition. Or your not considered functional. Cause if you aren't functional in Kindred society you are swiftly destroyed.
Your character certainly can't be just about being crazy. Thats only a small facet of any Malkavian's existence. The character will have goals, hopes, dreams, a past,... that quite possibly have nothing or very little to do with his derangement.
With any clan its certainly always a good idea to check out the Revised Clanbook of the clan in question. Really fleshes them out, should give a lot of ideas.

For your specific case I think the best you could do is research Multiple Personalities a little. I'm sure Wikipedia has an article on it. But from what I heard myself people with these disorder tend to have around a dozen personalities they can slip into. These are however personalities and not characters. They don't respond to a different name for instance. They are still the same person whatever personality is in the drivers seat, they just act very different.

But I'm not sure playing a Malkavian is for you. Its one of the most challenging clans to play. So not something to be recommended to new players. The dreaded fishmalk is a danger. A Malkavian that instead of a tragic and/or frightening character is just a vampire clown. Funny instead of scary. Mental illness isn't funny, certainly not in a horror game.
So you might want to consider another clan, it might be easier to start out with.

I won't usually allow a player to use a derangement to build themselves a mechanically superior second sheet.

The insanity of a Malkavian character from the perspective of the player might be depth and interest and a spin that makes the game and the character more interesting, engaging and fun to play- but from the perspective of the character itself, even if it revels in or enjoys it's derangement or regards it as a gift from Malkav, it needs to be a mechanical impediment.

Using a derangement as an excuse to play two character sheets, each built for a different purpose with a different set of areas that it regards as a strength; then having the switch between them be an external trigger which is most easily handled by the sheet that's coming to the forefront would be a mechanical advantage, not disadvantage. It's against the spirit of a flaw, because it twists what is supposed to be a detriment to the character and the player and turns it completely around so that it functions as a bonus.

"Oh no, I am about to get into a fight. That guy just punched me. Wait, I can feel myself changing, feel a shift I... I... HULK OUT! Berserker Rage! Now I know kung-fu and suddenly am twice as strong, able to dodge things I couldn't before and somehow learned fortitude! I'll wake up in an hour having blacked out and vomit up someone's thumb with no memory of where my pants went, but this thing that's hitting me is certainly going to resemble ground beef at that point."

Not really a downside. And, not being a downside- not something that a storyteller should allow. I know, I know... the argument is that the character won't remember blacking out and will have to deal with the consequences of it's violent rampage and there's always that chance that it'll happen when it would not be convenient... but using the trigger of violence or a threat to switch character sheets to one that has a bunch of stats designed around surviving violence is not a disadvantage, it's a free ride to surviving violent stuff while maintaining two sheets so that the dominant personality can be a genius with maxed out social skills and maxed out non-combat disciplines. It's very close to trying to cheat the system, since the system demands that high numbers in one area are reflected by an absence of that in others.

Now... if violence causes a character to revert to a childlike personality or fall into a state of non-responsive catatonia, those are properly worked weaknesses.

I believe that what Jaeger means is to play the part of Edward Norton in the movie "Primal Fear".

Unlike what has been stated, the Multiple Personality Disorder comes with names, personalities and even lifes attatched. The subject thinks and acts like a completly different person and might not even recognize the other.

In the refered movie, Edward Norton's character is a shy, weak and seemingly not so bright person, but when pushed to the limited or threatned he'd burst out as diferente person, with a diferente name and a strong personality, autocrat, in control, physically imposing (some times it's not the muscles you have but rather simply your body language).

I agree completly with the concept and I think it's not only playable but it's one of the easiest ways to play a Malkavian, It has two drawbacks though:

       1 - You don't get to make two character sheets. Just because your personality change it doesn't mean you get to change atributes and abilities. Your character or the people you know may think so although in reality it doesn't happen.
             Ex.: Personality A is a boxer and personality B is a Professor. While you're playing B, teaching at the college, you will state, and truly believe every word, that you can't throw a punch and you'll fear strong people threatning you. You still have Brawl 4 or 5 but your character's brain doesn't recognize it. As if you are in personality A playing the violent boxer you'll have no memory of your Doctorate in Antropology and will never be able to answer any question about it no matter how many points you have in Academics. But at character creation you buy Brawl 3 (or 4 or 5...) and Academics 3 (or 4 or 5...).

      2 - Playing a Malkavian as a first character I also don't advise it. I did it and it sucked. A well played Malkavian is the most challenging character to play in Vampire. But though I don't advised it I also don't think it's definitly "NO". If you don't explore you'll never know.

Jaeger:

Anyway I decided that I wanted to play as a Malkavain to make the game interesting. I only played a hunter game so this is new to me. But my kindred has multiply personalities and with that I wanted to make one to show up when i feeled in dangered and that brings in the Protean power because that is also my favorite power. I beleive my story and I are making like a second sheet for the other personlity since I cant be great in all things.

Heres the question: if you're building this character just to use Protean, why don't you go for a Gangrel?

I mean, I'm all for Malkavains with Multiple Personalities, but if the power is the only reason you want to have multiple personalities, I think you should rethink your character.

Well I like the idea of the Malkavain and the Gangrel was my next. I see what all of you are saying but my second sheet is to not a total sheet and I lose alot of stuff because the other personility is different. See I read that the mind can alter even phyical things by using chemicals. So if though the Malkavain is smart and all that other stuff the other personilities mind functions different so i would lose all of that and get just tons of adrenaline(sp?) so I wouldnt be able to use the insane stuff..i cant spell its name sorry...I like to do new things so thats why I;m doing this.

Oh and the first post talking about how crazy isnt what Malkavains are all about. I figured but my ST wouldnt let me play as one unless I played them like not a joker where i push people or trip them but have a sick humor like the Joker in the Dark Knight. I dont want where I am just crazy i do have a story that explains why I am the way i am and my character isnt stupid he has a plan but i wanted to do something neat. I am still working out the flaws so that it is far and im not like some super jack of all trades.

My plan so far is as of now the normal guy is smart and has social skills and has good dex but his talents and all that are the ones that effect my powers the crazy ones..i really need to remember how to spell that...so when im in danger the other personility comes to protect me. Oh by the way people dont know when other personilities take over. Well this personility talents are differnt they are melle and dodge and all that. My character will have the stats to do it but not the skills. So normal me can dodge has well because the mind functions different for him but the other one can. two lives in one person. plus they always try and one up each other to.

I hope that helped a litte its hard to explain everything.

Oh I cant control when the other mind takes over. Yea we did a test run without like real stats and i can only fight it like a willpower thing. It didnt turn out good my other personility wanted to come out and protect me from a much stronger vampire and I couldnt fight it back and since that personilty just goes into battle without thinking I got killed so its not a super character at all it really is a disadvantage. My story teller thought the same but made the game around it so that only way we can stay alive is if we fight smart. we cant just go claw and claw with werewolfs and other stronger vampires and my other personility will want to do that.

Sorry not all of this is in one post I keep thinking of stuff. Another draw back is since i been undead for awhile and as a mortal I had the same problem I am aware of what I have but both of my "minds" try and do better than the other. So if one does something the other will go out of the way to one up it. Sometimes to the degree of not thinking of the results. I get all of your points but I'm not trying to cheat the system or use a flaw as a advantage i want them to be flaws i want lots of flaws it makes the game more fun for me. My hunter had many problems. I couldnt feel pain and i had phobias so i would over use my body and some things would make me go nuts and i had fun working around it. To me a vampire is an amazing creature and i just want to make playing him has challenging and interesting as i can.

Loxosceles:

Using a derangement as an excuse to play two character sheets, each built for a different purpose with a different set of areas that it regards as a strength; then having the switch between them be an external trigger which is most easily handled by the sheet that's coming to the forefront would be a mechanical advantage, not disadvantage. It's against the spirit of a flaw, because it twists what is supposed to be a detriment to the character and the player and turns it completely around so that it functions as a bonus.

'cause it got ignored the first time.

You know i forgot to say that I'm not making two characters or get double points. I'm just using to sheets so i know what which personility can do what.

Why not use a single sheet? If one personality is timid and the other aggressive, that's a roleplaying aspect, not one based on stats. The timid might very well be able to throw a good punch, since these things reside in muscle memories and what not - but is unlikely to do so due to, well, personality, lack of self-confidence or what have you. Likewise, the aggressive persona might be skilled in whatever the timid is, but is either denying it or not actively thinking of it, but when faced with it realises he knows more about the subject than he would like to admit.
Those are interstesting ways to apporach multiple personalities. Tailored sheets are not.

Yeah just use one sheet and have the ST apply different difficulties dependent on what the personality currently in the drivers seat is like.

Harmony:

Why not use a single sheet? If one personality is timid and the other aggressive, that's a roleplaying aspect, not one based on stats. The timid might very well be able to throw a good punch, since these things reside in muscle memories and what not - but is unlikely to do so due to, well, personality, lack of self-confidence or what have you. Likewise, the aggressive persona might be skilled in whatever the timid is, but is either denying it or not actively thinking of it, but when faced with it realises he knows more about the subject than he would like to admit.
Those are interstesting ways to apporach multiple personalities. Tailored sheets are not.

I'm with you. Playing MPD should be all roleplaying.

I say go for double character sheets, make two different characters with different powers, abilities etc. In your case make a 2nd character being a fierce gangrel with claws, celerity - the works.
When you feel you are in danger, change sheet and play with the gangrel instead.

Here is where your malk craziness comes in: Due to your derangement you only THINK that you change into this gangrel creature. Your fellow players see you are you are, just starting to act like an animal. You however see claws growing from your fingers, feel how you become stronger and faster - your friends dont notice anything at all - except that you are acting different.

If allowing your original idea as a ST, this is how i would bend it so you can still RP the change, but rule wise nothing happens.

I'll let you know about my MPD Malk. 

Sari was in a mental hospital with MPD, when she was embraced her personalities were embraced with her.  She had the Dementate Malkavian discipline set and I added Dominate and Presence.  Her personalities each took on aspects of a different clan and it was reflected in her discipline use.  She at her core is Malkavian and she is an unassuming, shy, naive personality. 

Sierra was her aggressive, protective side that acted a lot like (and thought she was) a Toreador (Presence/Auspex.)  Allissa was her authoritative, but fair (ish) side, a Ventrue (Presence/Dominate.)  And Nene was he manipulative, conniving side, a Setite (Obfuscate/Presence.)  The ST and I sat down and decided what would trigger each one.  The personalities knew about each other but strove to keep her from knowing about it.  She had all the disciplines and could have used them at any time but each personality used the set closest to their clan (Dementate, the ST said, could mimic clan specific as necessary.) 

She was very fun and VERY challenging to play.  Make no mistake roll playing her was HARD.  To swap from one personality to another and not have them run together is rough.  Think long and hard and get your ST involved.