“ | Malkavians are, uh… interesting. There's something to them. Learning to sort the wisdom from the bullshit can be some work and, uh, not all of them are worth listening to, but, uh, they're all good fun if you ask me. | ” |
The Malkavians are one of seven playable clans in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. Malkavians are all clinically insane; the mental illnesses they suffer range from schizophrenia to near-catatonia. Strangely enough, they are a pillar of the Camarilla; historically they've been Kindred's seers and oracles, bound by strange insight and compulsions. This insight is reflected in the unique set of dialogue options (in a different font) for the Malkavians and encounters with NPCs that you'd never see with the other clans.
Background[]
Malkavians carry the curse of madness, each childe gaining a degree of insanity after their Embrace. Their unhinged minds allow them to see things other Kindred cannot, a trait often referred to as the 'Gift of Insight'. A Malkavian's level of madness varies; no two Kindred of the clan seem to be the same, from emotionless sociopaths to raving lunatics and everything in between. Their blood can also pass this madness onto their Ghouls, twisting their mind and personality from the moment they ingest it.
Primogen[]
Notable Malkavian[]
Trivia[]
- "Malkava" and "Malkavan" means "Opposite of hollow" and "convex" in Esperanto language.
- Malkavians are known as the hardest clan to play without having a past experience of playing Bloodlines because of their unusual and twisted dialogue options. It is extremely easy for the player to misinterpret what an option means.
- It is possible for the player, when playing as a Malkavian, to guess future outcomes of events because of their 'Gift of insight'. An example of this would be how the Malkavian player calls both Jeanette and Therese the 'daughter of Janus', the two-faced Roman god. Also, in a conversation with Rosa, the protagonist will talk about the Ankaran Sarcophagus "lighting up the night sky", showing s/he knows it's full of TNT.
- When playing as a Malkavian, it is not unusual for the player to be able to hear ghostly voices whispering in the background as they hear new NPCs talk for the first time. They usually just give faint commentary that cannot be acted upon. An example would be when you first speak to Prince LaCroix, as he speaks, you will hear a voice say 'Liar' but there is no dialogue option to comment on this.
- When first speaking to Jeanette, a voice can be heard saying 'a trick with two tongues' as she speaks.
- When Ming Xiao offers tea, a voice will murmur, "Try the free arsenic!"
- Additional voices - male and female - can be heard at random times as well (sometimes obscuring other dialogue). What they say depends on the current circumstances.
- Some Malkavians seem to have a trait of heterochromia. Both the Malkavian Protagonist and Jeanette's eyes are of two different colors.
- When the player passes a TV or a radio, it is not unusual for a Malkavian protagonist to channel their warped reality, paranoia and insight through the news stories heard by the player.
- The news reporters, commenting on various game events, seem to speak directly to the protagonist. At one point later in the game, the protagonist may even carry on a conversation with the broadcast.
- If the Malkavian fledgling approaches the stop sign in front of the parking garage entrance to the west of The Last Round Downtown, they may be able to have an argument with the sign (the fledgling apparently taking umbrage at being told to "stop").
- Some Malkavian dialogue options break the fourth wall, including some that can be interpreted as implying they are aware they are a character in a video game.
- The Malkavian's symbol is that of a shattered Victorian hand mirror, which reflects their broken mental state.
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| Clans | |
|---|---|
| Clans | Brujah • Gangrel • Giovanni • Malkavian • Nosferatu • Toreador • Tremere • Tzimisce • Ventrue |
| Bloodlines | Gargoyle • Nagaraja |