Frenzy (VTR)

Frenzy is a term used by vampires to describe the berserk state in which the Beast takes total control over them. Rage, fear and hunger can induce frenzies.

Overview
When the Kindred refer to “frenzy”, without any qualifier, they usually mean an outburst caused by anger. Kindred usually give special names to frenzies caused by hunger and fear. The former, they call Wassail; the latter, Rötschreck. However, young Kindred who think it’s pretentious to assign fancy names to ugly rampages simply speak of “hunger frenzy” and “fear frenzy”.

A vampire can slide from some kinds of frenzy to others. Yet, some forms of frenzy protect the vampire from others. Hunger frenzy is the weakest. A Wassailing vampire can be driven into a rage frenzy if he is kept from his prey, or a sufficient threat can drive him into Rötschreck. Self-preservation takes precedence over hunger, but sheer rage can overpower self-preservation if someone fights too hard to stop a fleeing vampire. While in a rage frenzy, a Kindred becomes immune to Rötschreck, but she can slide into a hunger frenzy as she guzzles the blood of a victim.

Kindred can employ their disciplines while in frenzy, but only for the most rudimentary ends. For instance, a vampire can grow Claws of the Wild to attack prey, or use Majesty to drive people away who interfere with her flight, but she cannot command anyone using Dominate because that discipline requires speech and a focused mind.

Drawbacks
A frenzied vampire ignores all morals or loyalties in her blind compulsion to destroy her enemy, slake her thirst or escape sunlight or fire. She attacks friends, allies, family members and lovers. During frenzy, a vampire no longer acts according to any rational plan. The Beast doesn’t think. It acts based on raw instinct, with no thought for the future or memory of the past. While in frenzy, hungry vampires try to feed without restraint from whoever is nearest. Angry vampires do anything possible to destroy the cause of their anger. Frightened vampires flee the source of their fear and kill anyone who gets in the way. They care nothing for the consequences of their actions, only for the immediate satisfaction of a primal drive.

For instance, a vampire raging in anger frenzy prefers to attack the person who rouses her ire, but she just as readily tries to kill any friends if the enemy is not available as a target for some reason. The vampire will probably feel utter horror when she emerges from her frenzy to find that she slaughtered her own mother, but the Beast does not know or care about such things. Atrocities committed during frenzy often lead to degeneration of the vampire's morality, as they try to deal with remorse.

Benefits
A vampire who succumbs to the Beast no longer pays attention to wound penalties, except perhaps to rage even more fiercely. Injuries that would leave a sane vampire crawling on the ground don’t bother a frenzying vampire a bit — the Kindred keeps fighting until he is forced into torpor or is destroyed. The vampire also becomes resistant to mental influences such as Dominate and Majesty. Also, a frenzying Kindred routinely pushes his physical abilities to the limit, performing extraordinary feats of strength, agility and toughness.