Menschlichkeit

by Allen B. Ruch (15 May 93)

A very odd discipline, Menschlichkeit is unique to the Wissengeist bloodline
and cannot belearned by any other clan. It only has five levels, and all are
concerned with making the vampire seem more human.

Menschlichkeit is more akin to Celerity, Fortitude and Potence than the
other, more supernatural disciplines. When a level of the discipline is
achieved, it is available to the vampire at all times and may be
automatically maintained - it is now a part of their nature. The more points
a Wissengeist has in Menschlichkeit, the more human he seems.

A Wissengeist can never have more points in Menschlichkeit than she has in
Humanity. If a vampire's Humanity score drops below their rating in
Menschlichkeit, the discipline must be reduced accordingly and the excess
points are lost.

[1] Atmenkraft: This discipline enables the vampire to breathe without any
conscious effort, although it can be stopped and restarted at will. While
the air is not actually needed, the Wissengeist may do everything a human
can do because of functioning lungs.

[2] Herzkraft: Two points in Menschlichkeit allow a vampire to simulate a
heartbeat and pulse with no conscious effort, although it may be stopped and
restarted at will.

[3] Essenkraft: This allows a vampire to drink liquids and eat foods at will
with no ill effects.

[4] Der Sonnemantel: The power granted by this discipline is one of the most
coveted in the entire vampiric world - it confers the ability to withstand
sunshine. For every point of Humanity the Wissengeist has, he may spend a
Blood Point to withstand one hour of day. During this time he may use no
other powers or disciplines other than those conferred by Menschlichkeit, he
may not feed, heal wounds, or expend blood points to boost attributes. If he
is caught out beyond his allotted time, the sunlight will affect him as it
would any other vampire.

[5] Untergehen: The name of this discipline is difficult to translate, but
in a Niezschean sense it could mean "to perish like the setting sun; to be
submerged, annihilated and be transformed." In a way it is an anti-Golconda;
for to "go under" is the closest thing to a return to Humanity allowed to a
vampire. It allows a vampire to completely pass as a human under limited
situations. He breathes, eats, has a pulse, can grow hairs and nails at the
regular rate, cries and sweats water, and can survive sunlight at the
temporary suspension of all other supernatural powers and disciplines. In
addition, the vampire can control the urge to frenzy until one blood point
is left, when a check is required as normal. The vampir e must still,
however, sleep.

The cost of this power is staggering. It is tremendously taxing on the
vampire's system, and as a result, once this discipline is acquired, the
vampire begins to slowly die the True Death. The vampire will begin to
permanently lose Blood Pool capacity, falling from the normal ten down to
one and finally die the True Death upon reaching zero Blood Pool capacity.

The way this operates is insidious. It takes a full 100 years for the
vampire to lose her first point of Blood Pool capacity, but then the time it
takes to lose the next keeps decreasing by half. So in 50 years she is down
to a Blood Pool of eight, at 25 years her Blood Pool contracts to seven, in
12 years 6 months it is only six. . . . and so on until zero. With this
decreasing Blood Pool comes many disadvantages. There is obviously less
blood to heal injuries and increase attributes. The vampire will need to
feed more often, but cannot drink as much Vitx. Siring another vampire is
even more dangerous than usual; there is only a 5% chance/Blood Pool
capacity point remaining of begetting a sane vampire as a progeny, otherwise
they remain mortal and become afflicted by the Wahnsinnflucht. Most vampires
choose not to sire any mortals once they attain this level of discipline.

When the Wissengeist reaches zero, he dies as a mortal corpse. To put this
discipline in the proper light, it must be remembered that it is only chosen
by Wissengeist who are weary of their lonely crusade. Often they choose it
after completing a major life-project and passing the mantle to another - in
other words, successfully Embracing a progeny. They often then spend the
better part of the next century instructing their new progeny in survival,
vampiric lore, and the way of Wissengeist existence.

As their Blood pool Capacity decreases below five, most Wissengeist can feel
the Blutflucht coming on - the Blood Curse, very similar to the
Wahnsinnflucht. Although it largely depends on the nature of the individual
vampire, most fall prey to the madness during their last few months of
existence, and many ask to be put out of their misery.

It is always said that a Wissengeist wears a smile upon his final death...