In Character it is a mystical communication network. NO ONE knows how or why it works. It might be that Malkav himself maintains it, or some collection of Methuselas. Perhaps it is the combined madness of the clan that creates it. Regardless, it's there. Visions are sent and recieved in a metaphorical and dreamy atmosphere. It is indeed the domain of the mad. Getting information out of it is hard at times, but sometimes the way things are said is more important than the words. It is not telepathy. How well attuned you are to the network is based upon the Malkavian only ability - Malkavian Time. Interestingly enough Malkavians can usually tell if another kindred is a Malkavian or not just by looking at them. Another side effect however is that other kindred with two or more derangements may also "feel" like a Malkavian. This is at Storytellers discretion however.

  This Malkvian specific Trait represents a Lunatic's paticular connection to her clan's shared sunconscious; needless to say, it's quite supernatural by nature. It allows the Malkavian to "plug into" the Malkavian Madness Network and filter out messages, impulses, shared visions and knowledge of upcoming clan gatherings.

It's theoretically possibly to actually, consciously send messages along the Network but that doesn't mean that the Network is any sort of replacement (or even a poor substitute) for a cell phone. It's extremely hard to do so. (Live Action rules ommitted so Storyteller discretion.)

Note that a Malkavian needn't have any dots at all in Malkavian Time to receive those hideous little broadcasts along the clan's frayed neural network. In fact, it often drives newly Embraced clan members...well, madder than usual when the messages start filtering into their brains without any hint as to their origins.

1 dot- Your "cousins" are usually surprised when you manage to make it to a gathering.
2 dots- You've become accustomed to the occasional Call.
3 dots- You can sometimes hear echoes of messages that might not be intended for you.
4 dots- When one of the family dies, you know.
5 dots- You are the undisputed local authority on what is nessecary.

These are taken from the revised Malkavian Clanbook. Flavor text has been removed (because you really should go buy the book) and mechanics have been altered for use in LARP. This is hardly a complete list. Players are encouraged to work with their ST and the GSA staff to craft new Derangents appropriate to their characters.

Vampires with this derangement find it difficult to truly believe in their own ideals, and so make all Humanity, Path, Conscience or Conviction [challenges at -1 Traits]. They also suffer a [One Trait] penalty to any Social [Challenge] that requires some show of emotion or warmth, and cannot purchase the Performance Ability at all.

If a character has this derangement, once per session, the Storyteller can rule that the vampire has just spent a blood point to raise [his physical Traits] or that the vampire wakes up an extra blood point low. The Storyteller is even within her rights to tell the player that his character's missing a blood point, without elaborating exactly when and where he spent the blood, or what for. After all, the vampire wouldn't know where it went. Players are also welcome to roleplay this derangement, of course (and it can be fun to start randomly spending blood in the middle of a tense scene, just to worry the other players), but the Storyteller has final control over making the derangement a drawback rather than a simple quirk.

Vampires with this derangement begin to have difficuty operating when they become wounded. Once a masochistic vampire drops below the Bruised Health level, he must make a Willpower [Challenge against 6 Traits]; failure indicates that he takes no action the next turn, instead delighting in the sensation of pain. Furthermore, the masochist must [spend a temporary Self-Control] in order to use blood points to heal himself, no matter how terrible his injuries.

At least once per scene, the vampire suffering from memory lapses will forget something relevant for a time. This might be as simple as forgetting where she left her keys (which can be a real problem when you're locked out of your haven and the eastern sky's getting brighter), or as complicated as forgetting an entire Ability -- and even the knowledge that she once had that skill. ("Why are you looking at me like that? I've never touched a keyboard before in my life.")

Since this derangement requires particular attention from the Storyteller, players should double-check that it's okay to take this for a character. Yes, the player can ad-lib minor memory lapses as they come along, but sooner or later the lapse has to get more serious. It can be hard to determine just when forgetting how to use a gun will be dramatically appropriate, and when it'll make the other players organize an impromptu lynch mob. Storyteller discretion is particularly advised.

Victims of this fixation [bid three less in all challenges] if somehow separated from their object of focus. It is hard to hide this fixation from careful observers; in times of stress, the vampire must make a Willpower [challenge against six traits] to avoid cradling the object to her torso, rubbing it obsessively or otherwise physically comforting herself with its presence.

Vampires with this derangement are at a permanent [-1 bid] on all Self-Control and Instinct [tests]; children have very little sense of discipline for the sake of discipline, and aren't sufficiently self-aware to master their own Beasts. The regression is no different.

[Storytellers beware: This derangement, improperly used, leads to Malkavians who are cute rather than creepy; you know the type. The ones with teddy bears and bunny slippers. When properly used, a regressive should be terrifying -- a supernaturally powerful creature with no real sense of right or wrong -- so feel free to crack down on players who tend to play this derangement more for laughs than for horror value.]

Whenever the character is confronted with more-or-less direct evidence of his immortality -- such as visiting the churchyard where his mortal daughter is buried, or watching a ghoul die -- he must make an immediate Willpower [challenge against six traits], or begin to undertake some sort of potentially deadly behavior. This behaviour might be as direct as storming into Elysium and giving the prince a piece of his mind, or it might be more subtle, such as breaching the Masquerade by talking to a reporter.

Although the synesthetic is presumably accustomed to the unusual sensory input, his real problem lies in communicating what he senses to others. A character so afflicted has difficutly expressing concepts as simple as "cut the red wire" -- he's much more likely to say "cut the sandpapery wire" or something similar -- and even has similar difficulties comprehending speech from others. Since the associations vary from individual to individual, there's not even any guarantee that another synesthetic would be able to understand the vampire.

Apart from the aforementioned difficulties in daily communication, the synesthetic [is at -3 on his bid for] any Expression and Performance [challenges] that don't involve creating purely surreal art, poetry or the like. The synesthetic may spend a Willpower point to correlate her sensory input in a "normal" fashion for a turn -- or rather, at least to be able to communicate "normally" in terms of colors, textures, smells, tastes, temperature or sound. The character would still hear a ringing noise and think of it as a spicy smell, for instance -- he's just able to focus enough to associate that spicy smell he hears with what other people call "ringing."