| Delirium (• • • Mind; sometimes with • • Forces) Orphans Survival Guide 128 |
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| You see a lotta strange shit in the
midnight world, especially if you're hyped on crank, tripping on ex,
raving on the dance floor, or a combination of the above. Sometimes you
can make other people see strange shit, too. Hey, if you're really
good at it, they might not be able to tell where the hallucinations end
and the real stuff begins.... From a magickal standpoint, the orphan simply takes what he sees in his head and sends it on its pretty little way into other peoples' heads, too. Essentially, he whips himself into a hallucinating frenzy, then spins his visions off across the room. If he's skillfully functional, he might be able to appear stone sober while convincing his subjects that they're the ones who've gone tripping.... [In story terms, the character employs his favorite poison, getting well and truly baked. In game terms, the player rolls up an extended roll (difficulty 6). As the successes pile up, the Delirium expands, touching more and more minds. Throughout the room, perceptions waver, hallucinations rise and even the soberest attendees start seeing things.]
[The resulting chaos is in the Storyteller's hands; depending on the mage, the setting and the mood of the crowd, the hallucinations could be soothing, invigorating, arousing or infuriating. Strong-willed folks (Willpower 5 + ) might notice that things are getting too weird for words, but most will simply be swept up in the frenzy and won't bother asking questions until afterward.] [For an additional kick, the light-show may be bent to the orphan's wishes, making the Delirium that much more intense. Anyone who's ever dropped acid in a club can attest that even the strongest sense of reality goes out the window under those circumstances. In game terms, adding Forces 2 to the enchantment allows the player to add one success to the ones she has already rolled.] [If everyone in the area is seeing things to begin with, any additional magick cast in the club can be considered coincidental. The bounds of reality have temporarily been snapped. (See "Urban Sprawls" in Mage, p. 185.) If, however, the club starts coming down around the clubbers' ears, the Delirium cracks and raw panic takes over.] [Casting a Delirium is coincidental; even so, a botch can still foul the attempt. Paradox backlashes tend to drive the mage totally insane. Perhaps a Marauder or two began his demented career trying to take clubgoers to the next level....] |